I have a Black Standard Poodle who I am trying to train to do obedience, tricks and heelwork to music, she is not doing to bad at learning some of the things I want her to but she switches off quite quickly and doesen't seem all the interested in either food or toy/game rewards how can I get her to be more Drive orintatied with her rewards?

Well, a hungry dog and excellent food rewards are a good combo.

Also plenty of enthusiasm from you, and short frequent sessions rather than long once-a-day ones.

Hello Naomi,

How old is she? How long has she been with you? What method are you using to train her? Are you familiar with Marker Training? What do you mean by switching off? Does she become distracted or completely loses interest? While waiting for some detail I would recommend that you end your training sessions with her before she switches off even if that means 1 minute training sessions.

Hi There,

My dog is just over a year old I have had her from a puppy. I was using a check chain and punishment but I have recently gone over to trying to use marker trainng, wich my dog has picked up on pretty well, but as I say shes not all that into toys/games or food, which is making the marker training a bit harder than it needs to be. when I say she switches off, yes she becomes distracted especily if she sees another dog I can dangle food infront of her or a toy and she just ignores it.

I have started to shorten the training sessions but she still dosen't have as much of an excitable attitude to her training as I would like her to have. I have ordered the incressing drive and focus DVD from here so when that gets here hopefully I will get some ideas how to get more out of Pepper

http://leerburg.com/219.htm

I would get the marker video, start when the dog is hungry, and use yummy high-value rewards.

There is a chapter in the marker video, in fact, about dogs who are less food-driven.

Food can make way later for other rewards, but food is so easy to handle and quick when you are first learning marker work that I'd encourage its use (really great food, like bits of cooked meat, or cheese, or Leerburg's Simon & Huey's, etc.) for now.

It sounds like you're introducing too much distraction (a dog) much too soon, too. I'd be starting indoors. No distractions.

How did you load your marker, and what is it (verbal or clicker)?

 Quote: Naomi Clarke

... I have recently gone over to trying to use marker trainng ...

Did you have success with a very simple behavior?

If not, then I'd urge that you back up and start over rather than continuing to try with a method that you may not have learned completely yet.

If you tell us the answers to the above post questions and this one, I know that we can give you a lot of marker help.

And the video is worth its weight in gold.

starve the dog for a meal.
if that doesn't work, starve the dog for 2 meals.

done.

"Starve the dog"??

No. It means to have your training sessions before instead of after meals when you are using food rewards with a low-food-drive dog.... hungry rather than full dog.

 Quote: Naomi Clarke

Hi There,My dog is just over a year old I have had her from a puppy. I was using a check chain and punishment but I have recently gone over to trying to use marker trainng,

Good for you and even better for Pepper . I started out the same way as you and then found marker training and haven't looked back since. Advice I was given which made the transition successful was to consider my dog as untrained and start from square one. He already had his basics but I retrained all of them beginning in a non distractive environment with many short frequent sessions. This served two purposes. 1. To get us both comfortable and accustomed to a new way to learn and 2. More importantly, removing all corrections from the learning phase....I found it difficult to remain neutral and let him work things through without correcting him but short non distractive, sessions to teach simple behaviors really helped.

 Quote: Naomi Clarke

when I say she switches off, yes she becomes distracted especily if she sees another dog I can dangle food infront of her or a toy and she just ignores it.

Another dog in the early stages of training is a HUGE distraction! She's not ready for that yet.

What's your relationship with her like? Is she attentive? Do all good things in life come through you? If not; I'd work on building that kind of bond and the marker training will help.

What motivates her? Food is easy and you can build her drive for it by making it not as available and having her work for it during training. But there might be something better for her if you think hard about what really gets her going?

 Quote: Naomi Clarke

I have started to shorten the training sessions but she still dosen't have as much of an excitable attitude to her training as I would like her to have.

Dogs in general can read us and Poodles are especially attuned to their handlers; do you think she might sense your disappointment and go into avoidance aka become distracted and disinterested? Also make sure you are rewarding constantly in the beginning; don't be a stingy marker.

Oh yes and most importantly.....don't forget to have FUN!

Nice post, Sheila, and good reminder in that last sentence.

Naomi, if you follow Sheila's suggestions (and do get the video if you can), you will find that your dog's favorite thing is going to be training.

When I say "Ready?" my dogs race with each other to get to me. "Me first! Pick ME!"

Marker training is so much fun, and so effective!

Lead us through how you started, how you loaded your marker, etc. You will get tons of marker help here.

Do you use a clicker?