ARG! Lost my pliers!

Now we are starting again with new ones.

Well in spite of starting Bak's retrieve backwards we are moving ahead.

He is now putting the ball in my hand .. and last night a piece of mail.

I hope it transfers out to the mail box but at least we are heading in the right direction.

I realize my post might be confusing to the newer people so I want to include this section;

To explain what I meant when I stated I started Bak backwards on retrieving the mail, it was because I first got him to jump up on the mail box, open the door and then take out the mail. What he didn't do was put it in my hand because I never taught him to. Same with balls and other objects - he would just drop them at my feet.

So I started back-chaining .. in other words, doing the end of the command first - I spent hours (broken up into 15 minute sections) giving him the ball, holding my hand under his chin and telling him to out it. It confused him and he ran around, dropped it by my feet and was flummoxed as I changed the game. So sometimes I had to wait him out .. 30 minutes + and have him finally think it through and the first time he put the ball in my hand we had a party. Treats and pats and praise .. the 3 things my boy loves. Slowly I moved out on to the deck to see if he would still do it under distraction and he did.

Next came the mail .. same idea - drop it at my feet not pick it up and put it in my hand and get ignored .. finally he put it in my hand and it was the 3 prong party again (TPP) - just got back from the mailbox and he took the mail out, dropped it on the ground and then picked it up and put it in my hand - now let's see if he will do this on video.

Many thanks to Bob especially for explaining back-chaining and others as well.

Edited by Maggie MacDonald (09/22/2014 02:14 PM)
Edit reason: clarity

 Quote: Maggie MacDonald

Well in spite of starting Bak's retrieve backwards we are moving ahead.

He is now putting the ball in my hand .. and last night a piece of mail.

I hope it transfers out to the mail box but at least we are heading in the right direction.

This is huge, Maggie!

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

ARG! Lost my pliers!

Now we are starting again with new ones.

Did you look under Pinker's bed?

BTW, as I mentioned in an all-entrants' PM, anyone who cannot quite get their entry video posted here can email it to me and I will get it into my Photobucket and link it here for you.

(You would need to get it to me by Sunday night at midnight, of course.)

Maggie, that's going to be a winner! It's so LASSIE!!!!! Rin Tin Tin!

I hope you can get him on film!

Thank you Connie! Despite being so young I am very computer illiterate. Congratulations Maggie, definitely a contender for the win.

Thanks to Betty, hydro now will close the door behind him when we leave for a walk or washroom break. I must say the extra motivation behind training has me working with him at least 30 minutes a day. He has learned 7 new commands since this contest started!

awww what nice comments - thank you all.

We are now moving to him getting phone for me ... with duct tape on it so it's not too slimy - I didn't think I could love him more but there is something about training together that deepens the bond in a way I can't explain.

I love watching Pinker from the beginning ..he cracked me up with his distaste of the taste and then the fling lol

Aric, don't let him lock you out haha