Shyla Learns Tricks - Positive Training Blog Hop

I am participating in the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop today so I'll talk about some of the training I've been doing with Shyla.

Many of you have followed us for a while, and you know that Shyla was very fearful when she arrived as a 9 month old puppy. As far as I could tell, she had very little life experience so she feared people, towns, cars, bicycles, doorways, vacuum cleaners - in fact, it's faster to make a list of what she didn't fear than a list of what she did fear. It seemed as if her fear encompassed almost everything.

We worked very hard with a trainer, using a technique loosely based on Behavioral Adjustment Therapy, to help Shyla learn to be more comfortable in the world. I'll talk more about that in the future. However, the bottom line is that Shyla has come a long way. She is interested in meeting the majority of people but still nervous about some people. She can do really well going to town, going into shops, going to the vet, or having people over to our house. I don't think any of these things are easy for her - but she can usually do them while maintaining an outwardly calm attitude. So, to this point, I'd call our behavioral training successful but still a work in progress.

Most of all, Shyla adores our mountain environment. And, she absolutely loves doing "training games" with me. In positive training, I think of everything as being a fun game for the dog (and handler!). The dog is trying to figure out how to earn rewards and the handler is trying to shape the dog's behavior in a certain way.

Because we both love training, I've been teaching Shyla new tricks this winter. Her basics - like sit, stay, down - are pretty strong. That's why tricks are on our agenda now. Last winter, I taught her to wave with her right paw. I started by luring her to lift her right paw, and I clicked and then gave her a treat whenever she did. Then, I raised the standards so she had to lift that paw higher to get a click/treat. In a short time, she was waving like this.

This winter, I thought it would be fun to be able to ask her to wave with either her right or her left paw. I used a similar training technique but a different verbal cue for her left paw. In the photo below, you can see that her left paw wave isn't quite as high as her right one, but she's getting it (and showering herself in snow!).

Another trick we're adding to our repertoire is balancing a treat on her nose. It was much easier to teach her to do this than I expected. I'd put a treat on her nose, and say "stay" (because "stay" means "stay still" in our world). At first, I'd ask for only 1 second of balancing the treat before I "released" her to get the treat - and I gradually increased the time and distractions. Today, I put the treat on her nose, walked about 10 yards away, and took some photos...

And then I verbally released her to launch the treat. She hasn't yet mastered tossing it into the air and actually catching it, although the next photo makes it look like she's going to catch it!

I recently found a good book that suggests how to train a big variety of tricks so Shyla and I will be starting on some more soon! I think that any positive training, even if it seems like silly trick training, is great mental exercise for me and Shyla, and it helps build an even stronger bond between us. Moreover, for a dog with Shyla's tendency toward fearfulness, positive training helps build her confidence. Every success helps her stand up a little taller.