May 20, 2011
My dogs already play tug well with me. Should I still do the food work from the DVD then to tug or can I do both at the same time?
Full Question:
Hi Cindy,Both DVDs are GREAT information! Michael makes training dogs seem so simple and easy. I can honestly say that I was one of those trainers that was ahead of myself in where I should have been with my dogs. They could do a lot but to be honest the TRUE engagement wasn't all there. I have been working on nothing but engagement and will be for a month.
With that said. Since Prong Collars can kill engagement. Should I still allow them to wear the collars and never use them or should I take them off until my engagement foundation is where it should be? (Note: I do have the Dominate Dog Collars and Agitation Collar w/handle also.)
If I know how to play tug with my dogs and they are pretty good at the rules, can Tug Play along with Food Rewards be a good way to master the engagement process? Or should I only use food 1st?
I ask these questions b/c I get a little confused since I looked at both videos at once. I understand if I just do food then I can move to tug but it is so much fun doing both, correctly of course.
Thank you Cindy,
Adrian
Cindy's Answer:
Hi Adrian,
Your dog can certainly wear the prong collar, just don't actively use it at this point. The only reason I would leave the collar off the dog would be if he was completely shutting down when the collar was put on. I want my dogs to be neutral to their training collars, so they wear them everyday no matter what we are doing.
Most people new to Michael's system get better results by doing the food work and really mastering that well and then moving on to the tug. If you feel that you have a good mastery of both the food and tug work, then I would suggest (for now) doing separate sessions of food and tug. The reason is that most dogs prefer one or the other, and if you try to use both in the same session before the dog is really engaged at all times then you can accidentally teach them to train you to only bring out the reward they prefer. Does that make sense? You'll offer the food and they will say "Nah, I like the tug better" and so a lot of trainers will make the mistake of then getting out the toy and effectively allow the dog to control the training session. Rush was like this from an early age, so I had to keep my sessions separate at first. I can now switch back and forth, but he wanted nothing to do with food if there was a toy around as a younger dog. I did his food sessions with his daily meals; he only ate during engagement or basic foundation training. I would use the tug in really distracting environments, because I knew it would hold his interest. Many dogs are the opposite and some fall somewhere in between.
I'm glad you like the videos,
Cindy
Your dog can certainly wear the prong collar, just don't actively use it at this point. The only reason I would leave the collar off the dog would be if he was completely shutting down when the collar was put on. I want my dogs to be neutral to their training collars, so they wear them everyday no matter what we are doing.
Most people new to Michael's system get better results by doing the food work and really mastering that well and then moving on to the tug. If you feel that you have a good mastery of both the food and tug work, then I would suggest (for now) doing separate sessions of food and tug. The reason is that most dogs prefer one or the other, and if you try to use both in the same session before the dog is really engaged at all times then you can accidentally teach them to train you to only bring out the reward they prefer. Does that make sense? You'll offer the food and they will say "Nah, I like the tug better" and so a lot of trainers will make the mistake of then getting out the toy and effectively allow the dog to control the training session. Rush was like this from an early age, so I had to keep my sessions separate at first. I can now switch back and forth, but he wanted nothing to do with food if there was a toy around as a younger dog. I did his food sessions with his daily meals; he only ate during engagement or basic foundation training. I would use the tug in really distracting environments, because I knew it would hold his interest. Many dogs are the opposite and some fall somewhere in between.
I'm glad you like the videos,
Cindy
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