Notes: Day 4 – Bad Dog Agility Academy

Notes: Day 4

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  • cordell.barbara@gmail.com says:
    July 31, 2020 at 7:46 am

    Hi Sarah. I am not having any success with the rewarding in the pen when my pup is quiet. As soon as I make any movement toward him or toss the cookie he a) is not interested in the cookie no matter what and b) goes into a screeching excited state. Then if I ignore him he calms down and is fine.

    • Sarah Baker says:
      August 1, 2020 at 11:20 am

      Well then! First thing is to think of what would be a reward? If he does not want that food what can you use? Have you tried really high value food? Have you tried a manners minder so the reward does not come from you? Can you toss a reward as you walk past without interacting at all (so he does not think he is coming out)? If you find a food reward he will eat I would at least give a marker cue while he is quiet, before you feed. Maybe some red light/green light games? Puppy quiet = mom walks toward crate and puppy screaming = mom walks away. Is he being really noisy in the crate?

      • cordell.barbara@gmail.com says:
        August 2, 2020 at 2:09 pm

        I am afraid to do high reward food as he might then only want high reward food haha. I like the walk past idea and the manners minder; maybe I could use the high reward food in those circumstances because he won’t connect it with me necessarily. I like those ideas and will try for sure. Yes he is quiet in his crate now (initially he screeched for first 5 mins then calmed down.) Thank you very much!!

      • cordell.barbara@gmail.com says:
        August 3, 2020 at 11:37 am

        Just reporting that my niece did the dropping of the treat & I did use the high value and it worked like a charm!! No more problems! Thanks again.

  • gacwofva@aol.com says:
    April 28, 2020 at 4:58 pm

    I am interested in the harness! I want to get my singleton Weim pup (who will join us in 7 days at 7 weeks) a harness that will grow a bit with him so it won’t be a “buy it this week, and another that week” product. Is yours expandable? It looks kindof like it is.

    • Sarah Baker says:
      April 29, 2020 at 1:02 am

      That harness was only a little expandable, I bought 2 or 3 of them as he grew… I try to look for harnesses that are very supportive, not just a single strap across the shoulder. Doggie Design is the maker of that harness.

  • Linda Muhlenforth says:
    May 26, 2019 at 8:56 am

    Quick question: My 14 week old pup Idgie is very confident, but demonstrated concern/fear of windshield wipers. I was going to sit in back of car with her giving treats while a friend turned on and off the wipers (based on Idgie’s behavior). What do you think of this plan?

    • Sarah Baker says:
      May 26, 2019 at 1:50 pm

      Great job noticing there is a problem and putting together a training plan! Overall it is a good plan. However, be sure to be aware of Idgie’s threshold. Be far enough away from the windshield wipers that she notices them but is not really afraid. Maybe that means you can start in the car, maybe you start 20ft away from the car, maybe you start by your friend manually and slowly moving the wipers, etc. When you have a CER (conditioned emotional response or happiness when wipers move), then move closer or have the wipers go faster. The other thing to be careful about is the order of wipers and food. If food appears, then the wipers move, food can become scary because it predicts the scary stimulus. Make sure she notices the wipers move THEN you give food. Marking the moment she notices the wipers with a click or yes can help. So she sees the wipers, you mark, then feed. We want the wipers to predict super yummy food. Until the training is finished, be sure to use management and cover her crate in the car when the wipers need to be on.

  • Barbara Cordell says:
    April 28, 2019 at 6:24 am

    I’ve been wanting to ask this question ( I think I already know the answer) but what is your opinion of having your dog sleep in bed with you? I’m guessing your dogs sleep in their pens and crates.

    • Sarah Baker says:
      April 28, 2019 at 11:56 am

      If that is what you want I think it is just fine. I get too warm at night with too many bodies in bed so yes, the dogs each have their own bed. When I travel and am alone my dogs often sleep in the bed with me. : )

      • piperjan says:
        May 3, 2019 at 11:32 am

        How do you feel about using access to the couch/bed as reinforcement?

        Puppy LOVES being on the couch, and so we have been waiting for him to offer a sit or down, then picking him up and letting him have couch time with us and other dogs. If he pesters humans or dogs, we set him back on the ground, then try again later. My hope is that this will teach “couch time = family chill time.”

  • Collene says:
    April 19, 2019 at 2:55 pm

    I love the airplane ears on Skeptic in the neighborhood walk pic!

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