Introduction | + |
Lesson 1 |
How to Use this Course |
Lesson 2 |
Meet Sarah's Family |
Lesson 3 |
What Your Puppy Will Learn |
Lesson 4 |
16 Training Tips You Need |
Lesson 5 |
Your Puppy is Unique |
Week 1, 10 weeks old | - |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 1 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 2 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 3 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 4 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 5 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 6 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 7 |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Recalls |
Lesson 9 |
Video: 2-Toy Game, Tugging, Retrieving |
Lesson 10 |
Video: Conditioning Your Current Dogs to the Puppy |
Lesson 11 |
Video: Following and Heeling |
Lesson 12 |
Video: Platform |
Lesson 13 |
Video: Socializing |
Lesson 14 |
Video: Beginning It's Your Choice (IYC) |
Lesson 15 |
Summary and Homework |
Week 2, 11 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 8 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 9 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 10 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Days 11-13 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 14 |
Lesson 6 |
Video: Classically Conditioning Body Handling |
Lesson 7 |
Video: Crate Games |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Shaping Travel Bag |
Lesson 9 |
Video: In and On Boxes |
Lesson 10 |
Video: Circling |
Lesson 11 |
Video: Troubleshooting Circling |
Lesson 12 |
Summary and Homework |
Week 3, 12 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 15 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 16 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 17 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 18 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 19 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 20 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 21 |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Waiting Your Turn |
Lesson 9 |
Video: Pivots |
Lesson 10 |
Video: Ready... Go! |
Lesson 11 |
Video: Flatwork |
Lesson 12 |
Summary And Homework |
Week 4, 13 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 22 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 23 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 24 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 25 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 26 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 27 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 28 |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Loose Leash Walking |
Lesson 9 |
Video: Backing Up |
Lesson 10 |
Video: Push Ups |
Lesson 11 |
Summary and Homework |
Week 5, 14 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 29 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 30 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 31 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 32 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 33 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 34 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 35 |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Tricks |
Lesson 9 |
Video: Hand Touches |
Lesson 10 |
Summary and Homework |
Week 6, 15 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 36 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 37 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 38 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 39 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 40 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 41 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 42 |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Body Awareness |
Lesson 9 |
Video: Stays |
Lesson 10 |
Video: Circling Part 2 |
Lesson 11 |
Summary and Homework |
Week 7, 16 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 43 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 44 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 45 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 46-48 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 49 |
Lesson 6 |
Video: Pivots Part 2 |
Lesson 7 |
Video: Stays and It's Your Choice |
Lesson 8 |
Summary and Homework |
Week 8, 17 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 50 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 51 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 52 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 53 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 54 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 55 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 56 |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Pointing Game |
Lesson 9 |
Video: Teeter |
Lesson 10 |
Summary and Homework |
Week 9, 18 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 57 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 58 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 59 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 60 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 61 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 62 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 63 |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Flatwork Part 2 |
Lesson 9 |
Video: Targets for Forward Focus |
Lesson 10 |
Summary and Homework |
Week 10, 19 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 64 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 65 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 66 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 67 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 68 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 69 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 70 |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Foot Targets |
Lesson 9 |
Video: Playing in Class |
Lesson 10 |
Summary and Homework |
Week 11, 20 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 71 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 72 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 73 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 74 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 75 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 76 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 77 |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Tunnels |
Lesson 9 |
Summary and Homework |
Weeks 12-14, 21-23 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 78 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 79 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 86 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 87 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 88 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 89 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 90 |
Lesson 8 |
Notes: Day 91 |
Lesson 9 |
Notes: Day 92 |
Lesson 10 |
Notes: Day 93 |
Lesson 11 |
Notes: Day 94 |
Lesson 12 |
Notes: Day 95 |
Lesson 13 |
Notes: Day 96 |
Lesson 14 |
Notes: Day 97 |
Lesson 15 |
Video: Tables |
Lesson 16 |
Video: Circling Part 3 |
Lesson 17 |
Summary and Homework |
Week 15, 24 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 98 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 99 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 100 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 101 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 102 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 103 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 104 |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Sequencing |
Lesson 9 |
Summary and Homework |
Week 16, 25 weeks old | + |
Lesson 1 |
Notes: Day 105 |
Lesson 2 |
Notes: Day 106 |
Lesson 3 |
Notes: Day 107 |
Lesson 4 |
Notes: Day 108 |
Lesson 5 |
Notes: Day 109 |
Lesson 6 |
Notes: Day 110 |
Lesson 7 |
Notes: Day 111 |
Lesson 8 |
Video: Directionals Part 1 |
Lesson 9 |
Video: Directionals Part 2 |
Lesson 10 |
Summary and Homework |
Wrap Up | + |
Lesson 1 |
6 Month Summary |
Lesson 2 |
Important Puppy Skills Recap |
Lesson 3 |
Final Thoughts |
Video Index | + |
Lesson 1 |
Video Index |
Bonus | + |
Lesson 1 |
Webinar Replay |
Lesson 2 |
May 2019 Q&A |
Lesson 3 |
September 2019 Q&A |
Lesson 4 |
November 2019 Q&A |
Lesson 5 |
January 2020 Q&A |
Lesson 6 |
March 2020 Q&A |
Lesson 7 |
May 2020 Q&A |
Lesson 8 |
July 2020 Q&A |
Lesson 9 |
September 2020 Q&A |
Lesson 10 |
November 2020 Q&A |
The video is not coming up.
It is coming up for me, are the other videos coming up? I can ask Sarah F. to look into it if you are still having trouble. Please let me know!
I think we addressed this – right lesthepro?
Sarah how old was skeptic when you had him staying in place and you running away calling him to release at the end of this video?
Hmmmm, I think around 6 months?
What harness are you using with Skeptic in his early months? I was hoping to pick up great training stuff for the puppy at Nationals – but now on lock down I am trying to catch up ordering stuff online. I hate any pressure on their neck using just a collar.
Here’s what we found on Amazon that was similar to Skeptic’s: https://amzn.to/3aUsCUs
Thank you Sarah! I was just going to go looking!
Hi Sarah! Thank you for such a great course, it has been fun to watch and work through with my puppy. One issue that I have run into that I’m not quite sure how to respond to is when we do recalls or chase games – if I am running he loves to go for my ankles or do flying leaps at my side. I’m not quite sure how I should react when he does this as I do not want to discourage his enthusiasm, but I want to nip this behavior in the bud. So far, I just keep going back to not leading out very far or running very fast and drop the tug before he gets close.
You are very welcome! I am so glad you have enjoyed it!
You are on the right track by lowering criteria by decreasing the distance and duration. I would continue doing that, gradually building distance and delaying the reward more. If a mistake happens, I would give a no reward marker (like uh oh or something), stop playing and reset. I would also working separately on the running WITH you part, or shadow handling. Start with walking, marking and rewarding when your puppy is heeling nicely. Build up to running while heeling. I want to make sure that piece is strong so your puppy understands what is wanted when he reaches you. Make sure toy rules are understood as well, being by your side without jumping or biting is what earns the toy, even if it is above your head. I hope that helps!
When you started sequencing with Skeptic, do you use his name as a recall/whiplash/in-in type of cue? Or do you transition this cue to different word?
His name means check in when we run sequences. “Come” is is bypass cue, “in” is his threadle cue.
What a fun puppy really enjoyed watching you both. Can you please tell me what your round mats are on the grass when out with other puppies? I think you also had them inside your home?
Thanks! Those are mandala yoga mats.
Here is my attempt to emulate what you are doing with some of the recalls in your video. I had to get creative because I don’t want to teach stay yet, I don’t have another person to restrain him, and I am as slow as molasses. So I taught him to go and touch the fence before I called him to come. That gave me a chance to get a little bit of distance.
This was all in the same session, just heavily editted. I started with kibble and then switched to a toy. We did a little tugging, but he is teething and it is not very good right now. He is 17 weeks old.
https://youtu.be/ZSkYfkjXTxg
I am really not sure what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong so I would really appreciate some advice on how to do this better.
That was great! I love your creativity with the fence touch to get you a head start. It is also a perfect concept for agility training. Send your dog to complete one “obstacle” while you run to the next one!
The reps with the cookies looked pretty good. The reps with the toy he outran you each time. We are eventually looking for a nice deceleration when your dog approaches you followed by a tight turn around your body if you keep turning. If you stand still, we want a compete stop in heel, then give the toy. You can shape this by continually rewarding average or better and/or help him by teaching him a decel cue like check check (go back to the food and name it when he decels at your side) or by decelerating sooner and more dramatically, or deceling near a wall of some sort.
It is a good idea to go light on the tugging while he is teething. You can just let him win right away.
In reference to your statement, “You can shape this by continually rewarding average or better and/or help him by teaching him a decel cue like check check (go back to the food and name it when he decels at your side) or by decelerating sooner and more dramatically, or deceling near a wall of some sort.” How do you teach the decal cue? I can have the correct body language for a decel but I think I need a cue for support.
I usually start by setting up a recall, and when my puppy reaches me and slows down to get his reward, I name the slowing down as check check. Slowing down when my puppy reaches me might have to be taught before I can name it. I also name multiwraps as check check (among other cues). Let me know if that helps!
Perfect. Thank you!
You are very welcome!
There are two problems that I am having that prevent me from doing these skills well.
1) Using my other two dogs as distractions is an issue because they will not leave me alone. I do not have a cue for “it is not your turn”. I’ll do a video and show you. It might not be worth changing this?
2) Nick is already so much faster than I am that I can only run a couple of feet before he catches me. That makes for a very short recall :). I usually do not like to teach a stay skill until they are quite a bit older, but maybe I could teach a “go to place” behavior so that I can get a longer recall? I train almost exclusively alone so I can’t regularly do a two person restrained recall situation. I’ll do a video and show you my sad short recalls.
1) To use the other dogs at the moment you will need to use management like having them behind an x pen, on tie downs or in crates. Long term, you can teach them to do long stays to wait their turn. If the dogs are not too distracting to the working dog though you can just let them be.
2) What I did with Skeptic was cue him to chase a cookie that I tossed in one direction while I ran in the other direction. You can get a pretty good head start that way. Once the puppy understands to stay on a mat, cot or in a crate you can recall from those. Once they understand how to send around something that is another way to get a head start.
The reason that I struggle with tossing a cookie is that most of the surfaces I train on are difficult to see a cookie on and they end up spending too much time searching for the cookie so that it does not have the pizazz that an easily seen cookie has.
In the house I have a sort of shag carpet that is exactly the color of the kibble. In the agility yard I have cedar mulch that is impossible. But man on man has it reduced the amount of horrible mud. I love it! Still scraping of bits of mud from the ceiling of my kennel from the era before the mulch.
Another alternative to tossing would be placing a cookie in a bowl or on a target plate or use a manners minder. Start away from the bowl/target, send the dog then run the other direction. It is great practice for the dog to be able to leave placed rewards.
Or if the dog can open a toy like a lotus ball that would work to toss.
Recalls with name only, any suggestions? Should I move to next step?
https://youtu.be/NhF9Jng61igP
Looks pretty good. Recalls to the person on the left look a little stronger. It seems because she is softer with the collar grab. I try to keep the hand that will take the collar close to me and the hand with the treat even closer so they reach the collar grab have before the treat hand. Try not to reach out to grab the collar, I strive to get the dog to bring their collar to my hand. Watch for any slowing down before your dog reaches you. It might be a sign they did not like what you were doing. I would do another round with that criteria before adding a recall cue. Does that make sense?
Thanks! Understand, will repeat.
Great! Let me know how it goes!
Did a new session, used harness since I didn’t have collar. Had greater distance. She wondered off once, I went and got her. Should I have waited her out? I did cut out part of her sniffing.
https://youtu.be/CXAwwyzw9EA
Next session, do not worry so much about touching her collar/harness. I want you both to have FUN with recall games. Sometimes having too much criteria can take the fun out of training. Remember that recalls are not just a simple behavior like a sit. We need our puppies to WANT to come to us when we call them, especially ones that are a little more independent to begin with. In the beginning I do think that it matters if puppies get reinforced right away. They can do many behaviors in the time it takes us to reach for a cookie. And if the collar grab is it all offensive to the puppy then they have to put up with something they do not want for longer. I usually already have the treat in the hand I am not going to have the collar in. Then the moment the collar reaches my one hand I can reward with the other. My dogs will learn to wait for reinforcement with behaviors they already know, as a specific part of raising criteria. For Molly, I would play the first steps of the ready go game (to work collar grabs on their own) and with recalls mostly reward as soon she she reaches you right now. I did not see her improving on really wanting to drive back and forth between you and your training partner. Your job is to tweak the recall game so it is super fun and Molly loves it (tossing food for her to chase instead of handing it to her? You running away? No collar touching? Toys instead of food?). Separately, teach the ready go game so she offers collar grabs to start games. Then combine the skills together. Whenever a skill is not improving during a lesson, criteria and emotions should be evaluated and changed as needed. If my puppy leaves, I try to make myself more exciting (run away making noise), or go get them if needed. I will evaluate why it happened though to try to prevent it from happening again. Was my criteria too high? Distractions to strong? Was there something I was doing that my puppy did not like? Does my puppy want the food/toy I am using? Are we having fun?
Remember to reward recalls when not in a training session as well.
I hope that helps!
On some recalls – you seem to have an additional physical cue that means “YES, plz jump on me!” What happens if you get a successful recall, don’t give that cue, but get a happy Skeptic jumping on you?
In the beginning with the “vortex” game, I was trying to get him to automatically come back to me and jump up on me. That was not happening because in other lessons we were trying to get him to sit for things he wanted. To help him understand this was a different game I was urging him to jump on me. When training this behavior, if he offered it to me without being cued then I would reward. If I ever put the behavior on “stimulus control” or do not do it until cued, then I would not reward the repetition that he offered the behavior uncued.
Thoughts on the +/- of having dog come when name called vs. just orient to you whereupon you then give an additional cue to do ________. With previous dogs, I’ve always wanted to have a DON’T run to me cue (i.e. there is something dangerous between us, so don’t come to me), so I that is making me reconsider the name recall idea. But just interested in your ideas about this.
At first I have not taught a recall cue, just name response. And usually I do want my dogs heading toward me when I say their name. Later they seem to have no trouble with their name being used just as a check in on course, or to release them out of a group stay. I would be using a position cue (SIT!) or stay cue if I wanted my dog to stay where they are and not come to me. You can have your words mean whatever you want though, as long as you are consistent.
OK that is good to know that the name later could be just a checkin. Thanks too for the reminder on consistency. It also reminds me to make sure I am clear on the criteria at each step too. I think with previous dogs when I tried to teach SIT at a distance, I also didn’t break it down enough either. I got dogs that would come all the way to me THEN sit 🙂
Yes, I am working on distance down to stands right now. I am using a rear foot target to get Skeptic to stay where he is and to not move forward when standing up. Some things they just do not generalize easily.
Are all these from Skeptic’s week 1? Some seem sort of advanced – like a stay (was this cued?) and release. Just trying to understand what I can expect.
No, there was a 4 month span of time. At first there is no stay cue (except maybe a position cue), just value built for staying.
Great video. Thank you. Gave me some great ideas to vary what has been to date for my puppy fairly basic recall training! Lots of important elements that you have incorporated into your training plan in such a fun way.🙂
Thanks! I am glad it helps you!
First session, should I try more encouragement to get her back faster or continue to wait for her to head back to me? https://youtu.be/gpI1_5PowpM
I encouraged Skeptic to come back when we played this game. I wanted to get a fast, enthusiastic, “suck back into me” behavior. I also did not want him to get confused with the It’s Your Choice game he was just learning. The times I would not encourage my dog to come back are when I think it might be too much pressure, or if I think they will not respond to my encouragement.
Great job with adding the distraction of another dog behind a barrier!