Hi!
I have a 9 week old mala-poo puppy named Boo!. She weighs 2 lbs with about 100 lbs. of attitude!
LOL (;-))
I've done my homework and am excited for Boo! and I to get started on our "clicker training" adventure. She already "gets" the game, offering to touch her nose to the tip of a pointer or throwing sit after sit at me so fast its hard to keep-up!!
So now, I think we're ready to be a little more formal. As suggested in nearly every resource I've found, I want to build a solid recall with her. But I'm uncertain how to specifically go about doing that.
I believe I have a basic understanding of capturing and shaping a behavior, at least in theory. But I have concerns about making mistakes in practice, and am especially concerned about mistakes that, unknowingly, will have long term effects.
So I guess I'm asking for help in both areas.
What specific steps do I need to follow, from begining to end, to create a solid, rocket recall?
What typical "newbie" mistakes must I avoid (like clicking late; getting too far ahead of ourselves; training behaviour C before she's learned A and B; etc.)?
Thanks for your time!
Check out our puppy page
Hi Coach Cas,
You might want to check out our new puppy page:
Puppy Training and Management
We're trying to compile all those sort of things in one place, and it should be a good place to start. However, we're probably missing something, so let us know what isn't answered here!
-Bill
training the recall
Hi Coach Chas--
Here's a training recipe for training the recall: http://clickertraining.com/node/309
You may also want to read:
http://clickertraining.com/node/62
Don't worry; clicker training is very forgiving. The thing to remember is to click WHILE the desired behavior is happening, not after (for example, when training sit, click AS your puppy is settling his hindquarters on the floor, not after he's already sitting. Think of the clicker as a camera--you're taking a picture of the action you want.
So long as your puppy and you are both interested and having fun, you're moving at the right pace.
Good luck with your new pup!
Miranda Hersey Helin