Think you are seeing double? This class is an extension of FF350. This time we are focusing on chin, muzzle, shoulder, hip, & chest targets and fine tuning placement, motion and balance. Specific placement helps the dog develop knowledge of where their body is in space, in relation to you and the equipment so they learn where they can place each body part precisely. Teaching pressure helps the dog learn how to use her physical space appropriately.
Techniques Applied: We'll be using shaping and successive approximation (changing the environment) to get more precise behaviors. Part of the process also involves teaching muscle tension. Concepts we will cover include targeting, adding duration, teaching a dog to stay close to you (proximity), pushing, facial awareness and fine tuning balance.
You will improve your observation skills and your timing for specific micro behaviors.
Who Is This Class For: This class is ideal for agility dogs, parkour, disc dog, freestyle, tricks and service dogs who need to know where they are in space. Also great for dogs that are hesitant about being handled or sharing their personal space or who have little awareness of their body (clumsy or pushy).
Recommended for dogs over 6 months of age and is appropriate for aging dogs! It is also for people who want to improve their shaping and successive approximation skills.
These behaviors are great fun to teach and do not need much space!
The class is a combination of lecture, over 70 videos and hands-on practice. Check out the sample lecture and get started before class!
Registration
Session starts:
October 1, 2017
Session ends:
November 11, 2017
Enrollment begins:
September 22, 2017
Enrollment ends:
October 15, 2017
There are no scheduled sessions for this class at this time. We update our schedule frequently, so please
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Registration will begin at 10:30 AM Pacific Time.
For answers to commonly asked questions see our FAQ page.
Silver level for this class is offered as "Working Silver". In addition to asking GENERAL clarification questions about the class lecture materials, silver students will now have the opportunity to submit two short videos, one minute each, for critique and review. You may submit two questions. Each question MUST have a one minute video attached so the instructor can actually answer a question that they can see. The question must relate to a topic in the class and the video must be a demo of the question. Please see the discussion forum for a detailed explanation - feel free to sign up at bronze, read the explanation, and then come back here to upgrade to silver if that interests you, and if space is available.
If you are interested in a bronze level subscription, you can sign up at any time during the registration period.
closed mouth nose target single paw target to a flat object Here is a video clip showing what each behavior should look like:
Nose target should be done with closed mouth, paw target should be flat on target with no scratching motion.
some experience with shaping (both the dog and the handler) Suggested but not mandatory: FF350 Body Awareness Through Targeting
Materials Can be collected as the class progresses
office chair or platform on wheels (skateboard or wagon) that you can sit on and lift your feet
paved slight incline with safe flat area at the bottom at least 10 feet long
thick blanket or large bath towel
medium towel
3 big safety pins or large alligator type paper clips
3'x3' board, half to three-quarters of an inch thick (could be larger)
a ball or other roundish object (rock would work too) 3 inches in diameter
a small stool or automan
12"x12"x2" high block of wood for a lab-sized dog (or smaller one for smaller dog)
a piece of wood 2"x4" by at least 4 feet long (to 8 feet long for larger dogs)
a box cardboard or rubbermaid big enough to fit your standing dog with sides low enough to step into easily, or a suitcase or low laundry basket
at least 3 containers that nest into each other with shallow lips and flat bottoms. Could be cake pans, plastic storage containers. A plastic sandwich container would be the smallest size.
small plastic loop or hoop at least twice the size of your dog's head
set of 4 paw pods or pieces of wood circles or identical plastic containers about 4 times the diameter of your dog's foot and about 1-3 inches high (depending on the size of your dog) - flat bottomed plastic or Malmac bowls might work
I chose this sample lecture so that you can get started fine-tuning the behavior before the class starts and be ready to go. Enjoy!
Practical Session 1A Review Nose and Paw Targeting Let's start with a review of what your dog knows. Or if he doesn't, this is where you start to teach the concept of body targeting! Here is an example of the final behaviors a closed-mouth nose target and a flat paw target.
Nose Targeting
Objective 1: Dog places his nose on your palm. Here is one of my public videos to show you the process.
Problem-solving: My dog licks the object. One solution is to first wash your hands to make sure there is no food residue on it. Next, hold your hand at a 45-degree angle to the dog's nose so her nose will touch before the tongue comes out. Be careful to mark just before her tongue comes out. That way, she learns that the tongue is not part of the behavior.
Another solution is to place a fuzzy object in your hand. Your dog is less likely to want to lick it. Practice with that for a few sessions, then switch back to just your hand.
Objective 2: Dog nose targets an object held in your hand
Take an object that is about fist-sized (so is easy to hold in your fist) and cue a nose target. Here's one of my public videos to show you the process.
Objective 3: Dog nose targets the end of a stick or wooden spoon
Next, start with an object with a larger end and hold that in your hand. After a few reps at each length, gradually shift the stick down until you are holding the end.
Objective 3A: Dog nose targets just the tip of the stick. I put the bowl of the wooden spoon into my hand so the dog can get comfortable with touching the wood instead of my hand. I change to the other hand to start generalizing the behavior. At 0:32 he reaches for it but doesn't touch it. I take it away and present it again.
Objective 3B: Dog nose targets the tip of the stick with some of the stick visible.Note my hand is now slightly above the bowl on the handle and he must make the choice to touch it and not my hand. For the first few touches, I will mark any touch, but once he starts touching the spoon bowl, I start marking only the touches to the bowl.
At 0:49 he nose targets my hand so I take it away and present it again. He very deliberately touches it after that!Here I change my position to standing. When I change one thing, I like to make something else easier at first. Note I still hold the bowl of the spoon mostly in my hand. No length has been added yet. Because he is doing so well, I start to ask for two nose touches before reinforcing. This strengthens the behavior.
Objective 3C: Dog targets the tip of the stick with the entire length visible with stick presented straight onI am back to sitting and add a little length on the handle. Note that I am holding the stick upright so that he can be successful right from the start. Over time, I will start holding the stick at more of an angle, then parallel to the ground so he must make a choice to nose touch just the bowl. He misses it at 0:26 but I give it to him anyway.
When I continue my training, I find that the dog's owners have been practicing the nose target behavior again (to their hand), adding distance and number of repetitions of nose touches. That's great so we can progress much more quickly with the stick and show you the next steps! After a brief warm up, we add more length to the handle.
Objective 3D: Dog follows target stick in a full circle Here we start to have some fun with the target stick by moving it more. I start with a half circle, then three-quarter and finally a full circle. Note I shorten the handle a little since I am changing the other criterion of how far he has to move to touch it. We will keep on adding length from here as long as he is successful. I will also change my position to stand.
Objective 4: Dog nose targets her nose to a spot on the wall or a door
Now we generalize this to target other things. A target on the wall is a great place to start. With your dog standing near and watching, place a piece of green painter's tape at nose height on the wall. Wait for her to move towards and touch it with her nose. If she doesn't you can point to it a few times to get her going, then fade the pointing. In this session, I start with adding distance, then use the reward placement to move her to one side, then the other. To increase the challenge, vary the location of the spot and its height by a few inches each time. Your dog is only marked and reinforced if she uses her nose to target it. Avoid placing the spot on places where nails might scratch the surface.
Paw Target We continue teaching the concept of targeting with paw target. We don't do this as a raised paw because we do not want the dog to learn to paw or scratch at things. Instead, we want a flat still paw target.
Shape the paw target from a nose target. Objective 1: Dog places her paw flat on a target on the ground.
Objective 2: Dog moves a short distance to do a flat paw target on the ground. Once your dog understands the basic idea, use a 'work the clock' approach to generalize it more.
Objective 3: Dog paws a target with a flat paw from 10 feet away. Here is how to increase distance. Training all these different variations helps to build value for the target for your dog.
Objective 4: Dog paws a single paw flat on a raised target (tree cookie, paw pod etc)I use a human version of a paw pod for this as an example. We want the dog to deliberately place the foot flat on the target, no nail dragging or lifting the other paw.
Objective 5: Dog places her opposite paw flat on a raised target. Here we have isolated the opposite front foot.
Test to see if your dog can do each of these behaviors. If not, train them. Golds please post a sample of each behavior as a starting point. If you are having trouble please post a short video clip showing your body position and your dog for two to three repetitions.Golds, remember that you can post 6 x 1 min videos per week. Please post a running time total with each video.