I have a new dog now for about 4 months. She has shown an interest in trying to turn on lights and she tries to open doors with her feet. , she is a wire haired terrior/terrior mix, about a year old. I do not know anything about assistance dog training, or dogs that show a apptitude in that area. I want to take these behaviors she does on her own and use them to train her. Do we have at Leerburg a video about training an assistance dog? Or what tips can anyone share with me re: training her and seeing how she does? I want to develop her skills and need help in this area.
thank you

we do have a video on training assistance dogs.

http://leerburg.com/417.htm

Thanks Cindy, I will definately be getting that one.
THank you for the help.
You are an inspiration to me with your dog training skills. I am praying I can train my dogs as well as you do. I enjoy watching your technique on the videos I have. Love to watch your pups too!
I love watching dogs have a great time!
GOd bless you
Sharon

I have a smooth coated collie that i've been working on training for SD work. i had hoped to train him for guide/balance work primairily, but i've had a major problem that has become worse in the few months i've had him. This dog, a little over 3 years old, was originally trained for the show ring, but because his ears dont meet the standard, he washed out. he was a kennel dog till we got him, so i had to back up and wait on SD training, and concentrate on just acclimating him to living in a house.

he is happy enough, plays with our other dogs fine, overall has a good temperment. but because of his traning only being done with baits, he seems to be unable to accept being weaned off them. i have tried everything i can think of to get him to be satisfied with petting and praise as reward for work. as someone who has to use a crutch in the right hand, and left hand on the harness handle, i would need a third to be a treat machine to 'pay' him for every obeyed command. so far, his reactions have been 1) when 'paid' with food and praise/petting, seems to remember command from one time to the next, but 2)when he senses no food in the vicinity (really good nose on him), he acts confused and doesnt obey at all.

please, i really need help with this problem, or i will have to return him, and go on yet another search for an SDIT, which is extremely difficult, given our financial situation and geographical location (northeast Kansas).

Gail, you want to start your own thread next time.

OK, can you tell us your own dog-training background/experience? I ask because of the term "baits" and also because of the mention of waiting for him to have SD training. Does this mean wait for YOU (or someone else) to do SD training?

If you mean you, I know that many of us here could explain how food rewards are phased out (well, how they are first decreased in percentage and finally randomized), but it sounds kind of cart-before-the horse. How were you planning to train him? Were you planning not to use food rewards?

" i've had a major problem that has become worse in the few months i've had him. " How did it become worse?

What are the commands that you give that he doesn't comply with unless he smells food? Basic ob? What training has he actually had?

i know, im sorry for not starting a new thread....its been a while since i've posted here, and couldnt find where the click was for it.

no, i've trained a number of SDs, and helped others to do so. but i've never had one this dedicated to his treats. i do use a few treats normally, but as the dog gets better at the command, i increase the amount of excitement in my voice and petting as rewards. and in 40 years of training, its worked well with all my dogs but one. this dog isnt dumb, i dont believe, but acts like he's bewildered by standard obedience. i give him sit, and still have to do the head lift/butt nudge, even after these months (about 3 months). he hasnt really bonded to anyone in the family, despite my attempts to get him to do so with me.

hes a beautiful dog, sweet tempered, but other than food, uninterested in toys or other possible rewards. i have an arraingment with his breeder that allows me to return him at any time, if he doesnt work out....but i really dont want to. despite the problems, i've come to love him, and dont want to lose him, but our little town only allows 3 dogs per home, and we have 4. we get away with 4 because so far 2 are working SDs (well, my oldest, Tagg, still considers himself my Psych SD, and comes to me when im upset, and the second collie is my son's Autism SD. the thrid is mine, which leaves my MinPin as an actual pet).

please, guys, i really need help with this. i dont want to have to send him back to his breeder as a washout, unless there really is no other option. but i just cant think of how to get him to want to love me enough to work for love, not food. this is a very emotional thing for me, so, please, be nice, folks? im really hurting over this.

The food should never be completely phased out but you have to learn how to randomly reward.
With markers the dog learns individual behaviors THEN the reward is withheld until behaviors are chained together. THEN mark and reward.
You can put together any number of behaviors before rewarding IF the dog understands markers.
It sounds like you also need to learn the difference between lure, bribe and reward. It sounds like you may be bribing the dog now.

as a dog trained originally to be a show dog, he was baited as he gaited around the ring. so he seems to expect it for any kind of work, and i cant figure how to make the transition with him.

 Quote: bob scott

The food should never be completely phased out but you have to learn how to randomly reward.
With markers the dog learns individual behaviors THEN the reward is withheld until behaviors are chained together. THEN mark and reward.
You can put together any number of behaviors before rewarding IF the dog understands markers.
It sounds like you also need to learn the difference between lure, bribe and reward. It sounds like you may be bribing the dog now.

Do you see what Bob is saying, Gail? You don't withhold yet. You have not trained anything yet! He has no bulletproof command(s) yet, right?

And I agree with Bob that it sounds like the dog is being bribed, not rewarded.


This "i just cant think of how to get him to want to love me enough to work for love, not food." is a non-starter, IMO.


Have you marker trained at all? When I was saying that you were "cart before horse," I meant what have you (YOU) trained the dog? From YOUR training we can take you through phasing down and randomizing food rewards, but not if you are using food as a bribe now. Is there a command you have trained that the dog understands and complies with?

"i give him sit, and still have to do the head lift/butt nudge, even after these months (about 3 months). "

Then he doesn't know sit yet, and that's not his fault!

Can someone do a video clip of you not giving a sit command but TEACHiing sit? Show us how you train sit. Pretend the dog has never had an ob command.

Have you seen any of the marker videos? Or any of the free marker video clips on LB?

'He seems to expect it for any kind of work' reminds me of a dog that isn't enjoying himself and it is work for him. Not that this answers the question or takes away from the importance of teaching before expectations but maybe you need to figure out how to make learning fun for him again?