Why don’t you play tug with your boy?

We are on our regular walk with the dogs.  One of the things that we do while hiking with them is practicing coming when called.  If we want reliability, we must practice.  If we want reliability, we must also pay the dog.

Deuce is really, really reliable at recall, and that makes me smile with pride. Once I figured out that playing tug was very reinforcing for him I began to use it as a reward for coming back.  In no time his recall went from 80% reliability to almost 100% on every hike. How cool is that people?

This morning I asked John, who walks the dogs many times without me, to play tug with Deuce at a particular spot. The reasoning behind this is twofold.  Unfortunately for me, I cannot play as much tug as I want with my dogs due to an injury to my right hand.  In addition, John plays regularly with him on walks, but kind of on the same part of the hike.  Today, I am asking him to induce Deuce to play in a spot that he normally does not.

I explain to John that unpredictability is important in training dogs. Yes, indeed I can make the same argument about being predictable of course, but today I want to focus on being unpredictable.

Unpredictability adds another dimension to training and the acquisition of behavior because it makes it fun.

In our case with Deuce, this is a dog that is so interested in tugging, that he walks and runs as he turns towards us in the event that we might just pull the tug out for him or ask him at long distance to “take it”.

Ah, magical words for this dog. I explain to John that if he only pulls the tug on the same spots over and over again the recall might just fall apart. You see, dogs are excellent at flow charts: When this happens, then this other thing takes place, etc.  Before long your dog is kinda training you instead of you being able to control the consequences which are at the crux of getting behavior.

In addition, when we use unpredictability as explained above, by default we are using a thinner schedule of reinforcement which in lay talk means that dog is only getting reinforced in some occasions.

Depending on which schedule of reinforcement used which instant of behavior is getting reinforced.

For example:  I might reinforce with a game of tug for the return from Deuce that fall under 3 seconds say. Or only when he runs at a certain speed, etc.   I can also choose to reinforce a certain % of all the times he comes when called as another example of a thinner schedule.

Unpredictability in reinforcing works wonders because apparently, there is an element of frustration and I would argue hope for future reinforcements.  Think of betting at a casino.  Those folks are working just like my pup at a thinner schedule of reinforcement and the behavior (coming or betting) goes up.

Of course, I am interested in reliability because coming when called can be a life saver for my pups but besides this reliability I love playing little games with my dogs. I enjoy engaging with them in manners that brings them joy.

Have you ever realized that we too are motivated by the expectation of something we want hard?

Say a trip.  Have you noticed that often the anticipation of the trip with all the planning and day dreaming with expectation is actually more fun than the trip?  This is what I am talking about here!

As we walk on our hikes I relish knowing that Deuce is attentive because he so much wants to have an opportunity to go for the tug and this game that we are playing makes the walk so much more enjoyable for the two of us.

So here is my advice to you.  Next time you are thinking of reinforcing your dog, think about what (or how) you want your dog to perform that given task.  See if you can observe closely and begin to reinforce for more accuracy, cuteness, etc.  Now, do keep in mind that making sure the dog can perform first the behavior is mandatory for a good outcome.  As a form of example:  If my dog has not yet learned to lie down, how then can I request he lies “sphinx” style with both hips equally tucked and in perfect symmetry?

If my dog has yet not learned to come to me when he is 10ft away under certain specific conditions (wild life, other dogs, people etc.) how then can I expect for him to come at 20ft or even at a great distance under those same circumstances?  You get the picture?

Playing & Training for Reliability in Predatory Behaviors, part 2

As a continuation to last week’s post, here are some specific ways by which you cannot only give your dog a “legal” outlet for predatory behaviors and up your chances that you will be able to stop your dog from chasing after wildlife, cars, etc.

As I stated last week, predatory behaviors, which in plain English means food- acquisition behaviors, are naturally ingrained in dogs. As with any natural or pre-installed behaviors it is fair to say that if you can’t beat them - join them. We will never extinguish genetically pre-disposed behaviors, so our best chance is to work with them to achieve our goals.

In essence, when we engage our dog in any of the predatory behaviors, and here they are again for your recollection:
Search (find prey, mainly by sense of smell)
Stalk (sneak up as unnoticed as possible)
Rush (move suddenly towards prey)
Chase (run after the fleeing prey)
Bite/hold/shake/kill the prey
Dissect and eat the prey

Or better yet, engage the dog in a few of these we can then teach a lot of self-control and use the behaviors above as reinforcers.

Perhaps you have a dog that is crazy about balls and retrieving. Not just throwing the ball for your dog over and over again, instead have your dog hold still for literally a few seconds just before throwing the ball and then release him to go after it. And yes, having him bring it back to you is always nice so that you can continue playing – but not part of what I am after here.

As your dog gets the hang of what you are asking of him - stillness before exploding after the ball (prey) you will begin to extend the time he must hold still before you dismiss him to go after the ball. Work systematically. Build the behavior slowly, making sure your dog can hold it and waits for you to release him.

Once he is nailing this, sometimes you'll want to ask for more time of stillness and you will also throw some real easy ones with no still time before release.

That is step #1.

As your dog has learned for your release cue and is anticipating being released, pretend you are going to throw the ball for him but just before doing so, use the same verbal cue you have used for the stillness and be ready for your dog to slow down or even stop and turn to look at you. When he does, even if it is nearly a fraction of a second reinforce him by throwing the ball and release him again with enthusiasm.

You will continue to practice this sequence over and over again. Important though that you also just throw the ball for him without asking him to wait, stop, etc. otherwise you might ruin the retrieve in your dog. If you work with a tug, which I so highly recommend, install the “stop” the same way as above, by having your dog wait in stillness (sitting is optional) before you engage in the game again - the reinforcer. If your dog is very much into the tug you can throw the tug a few steps away from you and send your dog to retrieve to bring back to you for more fun. Once this routine is in place, throw the tug farther this time, but ask the dog to STOP as he anticipates you sending him and then release him to get the tug.

With consistency, fun in mind and clear directions, you will slowly build the behavior so that you will now ask your dog to stop when he is already going after the tug/ball.

This is much, much harder than we think so do not be greedy in asking for too much too soon. Work for success: your dog being responsive to your verbal cue close to you and not already in motion.

The farther away the dog is from you, the harder for you effectively have him stop and better yet, come back to you for a release.

Last, let me give you an idea of how I work with Deuce and Rio with either the tug, ball or whippet (a long line with a toy attached at the end of it) so you can have an appreciation of the variety of behaviors we can work on, level of difficulty (really!) and brilliance of the dogs.

Either tug or ball:
Begin the game with the dog only if under self-control (for me sitting is optional, sometimes I take a down or ask for another behavior from them all reflecting self-control.

Play for a few seconds 15 sec approx.
Throw tug away or kick ball
Say: Get it!

Give my verbal cue of STOP, which means that: do not continue moving/chasing…
Release dog with.....

Get It! After they had stopped on their tracks (what a beautiful thing! :))

At times, as my dog is running back to me with a toy or ball to begin the fun again, I might just turn around and either run or pretend I am running away and have the dog chase me and catch up to me. When they do we begin playing again.

I also take turns throwing the tug or ball dismissing my dog to go get it, but then, I call the dog all the way back to me. If you think of it, this is such good practice in the event you come across wildlife that you don’t want your dog chasing. You call, they come and at that point you can leash them or keep them safe otherwise.

Once they come to me I let them go after the toy. The answer is no - in case you are wondering if chasing after wildlife is ever an option for them.

I find this kind of training super fun, challenging for all involved and the best way I can think of in having a fair chance of stopping our dogs from chasing wildlife. Keep in mind that just doing this kind of training once in a while or moving “forward” without building on previous successful steps first will not amount to much. As in life… you reap what you sow…no shortcuts or magic formulas!