Frequently Asked Questions PREP SCHOOL: Crate Games

Transcription

1 Frequently Asked Questions PREP SCHOOL: Crate Games Cue Sit? QUESTION: Why I can't just say sit to teach dog to stay in crate when I open the door. ANSWER: We use crate games for so many things like introducing distractions, evaluating a dogs arousal state, creating amazing self control and drive, even some of our foundation handling games involve using a crate. We would encourage you to work through the process and allow your dog to make the choice, let the dog think for themselves to earn the reward, this will create a very strong behaviour for you and we are sure you will love the results. Drive? QUESTION: I'm not getting the Drive portion of Crate Games? ANSWER: You have the first 3 stages, here in this video, that is the critical part to create drive and control. It is all about building up understanding in the dog that it is THEIR choice. This is critical for all dogs but wow, with sighthounds you will see massive consequences. We leave a world where we tell the dog what to do and enter a world where they earn more and more drive for work and more and more focus for YOU because all of the good choices the dog makes leads to earning reinforcement from you. Remove all past expectations, remove all past limitations to what you think this may or may not do and just follow the instructions with MASSIVELY high value rewards, quick session and light hearted attitude and you will be BLOWN away at the results. Please trust me on this one... Crate Games and ItsYerChoice are the two critical pieces to the success in our dog training program. Size? QUESTION: My question is what size crate to use? I used a fairly large crate for our first session but realized that it was quite difficult to reward her all the way in the back as she is so little. Would it be better to switch to a smaller crate or does it not really matter at this stage? Thanks ANSWER: You want a crate that your dog can easily sit and move around it. It sounds like you can go smaller as you said she is little and this will make it easier for you to feed quickly and at the back, the smoother and easier you can execute the mechanics the better. Sending to Crate QUESTION: At the beginning of the game do you give the dog a cue that it is time to go in your crate? I've never had too much of a problem with that as my dogs have been told "Cookie Time" or "Night Night" to mean go to your crate and they always get a nibble of cookie. However this has been used when it is time to go to bed for the night. At what point do you reduce your reinforcement of the cookie and what cue do you use when it is time to go to the crate? ANSWER: Drop the cue for now and let the dogs choice to go in tell you where the value is. Flatwork week 1 has sending to the crate. Don't be in a hurry to add the cue, when you are thrilled with how Newton is driving in to the crate (speed, not looking back, hesitating) then you can add your cue. Any cue you like is fine, if you don't love the behaviour you have with your current one consider changing it. Remember to throw your cookies in and really celebrate the choices to go in. When playing crate games sessions and building value I will always reward the choice to go in, once I have build the value I will use average or better and only reward the average or better responses but this is after I have built lots of value for driving into the crate.

2 Won t Sit QUESTION: What do you do if your dog stands but doesn't sit when you put your hand on the door? ANSWER: Ask yourself how well does your dog know the game, if you have played it a lot, then there are a few things you can do, back away from the door and then walk up to it again, see if that triggers a sit, jiggle the handle, sometimes they just need a reminder, but I would make sure your pup understands the criteria. Can you take the bottom of the crate off, and reward him for sitting, feeding high and at the back of the crate pan, then start from there, it is also easier if you have a tall crate, and you place the food way up, really good treats, then you get out, and try again in 30 sec. your sessions should be really short, good food, up and back, then out, 30 more sec. try again, up and back, no standing in the crate looking, that is not fun for him or you. He will not offer the sit with your hand on the door, until he understands that good things happen when I sit. Remember when you are going in to feed, hand on the door, open it, feed up and back and then out and close the door, you must always show him the hand on the door before you open it to feed him. Next Session QUESTION: I finished the first session at stage 3, but where do I start my next session? ANSWER: Your dog will give you feed back at the beginning of the next session. When you put your hand on the door what is his response? One session of 1-3 may just be a beginning point for your value building. You may have to build more value for different parts of the game. Hand on door = sit or Sit till you hear my release. I would go back and do a few more sessions of 1-2 and start adding little distractions and really evaluate the pieces of Crate games and your dogs understanding from there. When I first learned the game. I came back after my first session and I moved the crate 4 feet - honestly only 4 feet with the door facing another way in the school Ruby didn't have a clue what I wanted with that little change :) Also make sure you print of the PDF as a resource Between Sessions QUESTION: And should I let her in the crate between sessions? When I am done a session, she goes in and looks to me for more treats. ANSWER: You can leave the crate open throughout the day if you want to let her go in an out, it's your choice - if she chooses to go in on her own though you shouldn't give her a verbal release to leave. YerOutYerIn QUESTION: My dog just sat for about 3-4 minutes, I did as the video said, pointed him at the crate, but he didn't move. I did not lure him or drag him, just used a tweak on the lead to start him in the direction of the crate, he chose to go once started. I did go back to stage 2 and reward, tried stage 3 again and again had no movement from him outside. I honestly cannot see any good coming from waiting more than 4 minutes ANSWER: Sometimes we do just need to be patient and wait for a choice and it can seem like forever for us. If you check out the summary pdf note that after 2 minutes you can hold dog by collar in front of crate and wait for a decision, the pressure if any at that point would actually be away from the crate (opposition reflex) but at that point you don't need pressure you are making it easier for the dog to choose but not putting any pressure towards the crate. It is interesting to note that Susan has actually listed resist the temptation to help or lure twice in the chart :) So no we would not tug on the leash even gently or hold treat in reinforcement location. Allow him to make the choice and celebrate huge when he does

3 Won t Eat Cookie QUESTION: Any good hints what to do with a dog that keeps spitting the food out of her mouth. I have not found any kind of food that makes her crazy. In aroused state she refuses to eat. Sometimes she might take the food but keeps spitting it out. She has never been food driven and it makes certain training a bit difficult. SUSAN s Reply: If Swagger spits out the food I pick it up and offer it too him again. If necessary I step away from the work. He must eat it in order to get to do more work. Eventually the value of the work goes into the food. If I am going to play a game with any toy he must always eat a piece of food first before I will play. Release Word QUESTION: I have not taught a release word, seems like that would be needed and basic in CG. ANSWER: Our release word is taught right here in crate games. Follow sections 1-3. Crate Challenge QUESTION: I have been using the crate at trials and training to successfully overcome his anxiety in stressful conditions. At the last trial he suddenly refused to go into his crate and now will not go into the crate I have been using for training and trials. He will happily go into his wire crate where he sleeps at night. I don't know what happened to change his attitude to crate games with this particular crate. How should I go about turning this around? ANSWER: I would play crate games in the crate he is familiar with, take it to a couple different locations he is comfortable in, remember crate games is a game and should be energetic and fun. You might also play in a friend's crate etc. For the crate he had an issue with I agree with taking it to where he is most comfortable but I would then go back to stage 1 of crate games - remember when you play YerOutYerIn and he makes the choice to go in throw in a handful of cookies (not hand feeding), close the door then do some more hand on door, when he sits open door feed, close door, then after a few of those another YerOutYerIn. Keep it light, fast and fun, quick sessions multiple times throughout the day. Sit Struggle I am struggling on the "sit" portion of this game at stage 1. My dog is a very large dog in a large and adequately sized kennel. I have spent a few days paying in, up and high in the back but he still only sits about 25% of the time. He doesn't try to break or come forward but the "sit" is an issue. I have read through the threads, watched the DVD again and am looking for more help. He is fully crate "trained" and is fine in his crate. There are no aversions to it. He eats in in and rest in it at all obedience trials. He'll drive to the kennel when I say kennel (outside of this program we are starting on here). If I can get some specific direction/help that would be great ANSWER: This is one of the first places we shape the sit. Since your dog is experienced and comfortable in the crate. if you put your hand on the door and "wait" what happens? Does he make a new choice. Dogs are brilliant it is us who get a little impatient with the wait part. Try it and see what happens. Is the crate tall enough for him to comfortably sit in is another thought. Lastly when we first started teaching Crate Games we did not specify "sit" but what we found was over the course of the year teaching it to new people is the dog's "POWERED" out from a sit. They used their body's to charge out on "break". When in a down or a stand they just wandered out of the crate so that is the history of why it is a "sit" in the crate. The use of a soft sided crate does work...but it is a "handlers" challenge as you have to have the top open for easy delivery but still maintain the game with the front door.. but you can try it and see how it works for you. You know what you want... you know what you have...and the training and planning is the "inbetween" You can take a little video for the video lounge for us to look at as well.

4 Foot Paddling QUESTION: I am struggling with teaching my 13 week old puppy not to move his feet during CG. He only makes a mistake when I am going in to feed him. ANSWER: Behaviour consequence if the feet move door closes. Its that simple - yes there may be a little frustration on his part but thats the "black and white" criteria. That said set yourself up for success. Put a non slip mat (upside down bathroom mat - or yoga mat) in the bottom of the kennel. That may help. If he is meeting you on the food delivery that is IYC. Take it away from crate games have a session on a carpet area (so feet don't slip) work just food delivery - if you go to feed and anything moves your hand closes. The PDF in Prep School on IYC is a great resource have a quick review. At no time when we deliver food should the dog meet us to snatch. It's a fun game "mind twister" for them. AH I hold position (sit/stand/down) and don't "help myself" when the momma's delivering the food Soft Crate QUESTION: I use a soft crate and his crate manners are good but not like your games so I am now trying to purchase the wire crate and will start again. My question is; will his crate games, once established with the wire crate, generalize to his soft crate at some future stage? ANSWER: Absolutely crate games will be taken to the fabric crates, in fact they are used for multitude of fun games. However initially you need a crate with a proper door rather than a zip :) Won t Release QUESTION: Does anyone have a tip on how I get my puppy to leave the cage, she seems to be glued in there, I don t want to lure or drag her out, and the release word she obviously doesn't know when she is in the cage. I have seen the information about higher value on the outside but none of how to get her out. ANSWER: As it says in the "Summary Chart" - "Give release cue only once & encourage dog out". With a puppy that doesn't know what the release cue is yet, you give the release word once (e.g. break) and then just pat your leg or something similar to encourage the dog to come out. Just make sure you give the release cue first and only once. Your puppy will quickly learn that the release word is permission to move. Crate Spinning QUESTION: I have been working through crate games with my 2 1/2yr old terrier. He didn't do crate games as a pup (Sadly) but is doing it well now and enjoying it a lot. It has helped a lot of stuff already, BUT if we are at agility or even in the car, but at a perceived agility area and i'm not actively working with him (ie door closed and in down time, he will circle and pace like a wild caged animal (even if completely covered). As soon as we are "working" again it stops. Any ideas what i'm doing wrong please? Thanks x ANSWER: Do you crate him in the house, always recommend crating them for short periods in the house while you are home so he can practice relaxing with stuff going on, if he relaxes there can you slowly add stimulation in that environment so he is practicing being calm in the crate while stuff is going on. What about giving him a stuffed frozen kong when he is in downtime. If you are in an agility area can you crate further away at a place he can be calm as a place to start rehearsing success? Large Crate QUESTION: Not sure if I should post here. I didn't teach my big dog crate games, but it looks like I really have to for future work in H360. He is a big dog, 32" at top of head when sitting. Maybe I won't be able to get a ton of drive around things due to his size? Other question, can I use his x-pen I use at trials? Not sure if that would be good since it has a zip door. ANSWER: An ex-pen would be fine with your big guy. You want to work through all of the stages of Crate Games so there are discrete rules well understood for the dog but it should work

5 Duration QUESTION: I would like to build duration for my dogs choice to stay in the crate with the door open. Is there a way to do this without having to watch him non-stop? I'd like to go about my business, in the same room but not within reach of the crate door, and have him stay inside. But when I turn my attention to something else, he figures the game is over and he leaves. Any suggestions? ANSWER: The more you play crate games the more success you will have with duration with the door open. You should be able to give random rewards into the crate while you start to move away. Also let your dog know when the crate games is over. Release and go do something else for example go outside. The crate games video is a great asset as well. Gated Community QUESTION: I have a puppy so he is in an xpen when he isn't supervised. Until I started crate games, there was a crate inside the xpen that he could go into and out of whenever he wanted. I also have crates around the house that my dogs can go into whenever they want. I took the crate out of the xpen when I started crate games because I'm unsure if that's an issue or not. How does free access to a crate work with the crate games? ANSWER: No problem with the crate in the x-pen, your pup can go into any crate they want when you are not playing crate games, it does not diminish the crate games at all. Relax QUESTION: I have not been able to get my cattle dog mix to relax in class when it's not our turn. He'll relax in his crate easily with few distractions, but not under distraction. Any suggestions? This problem is undercutting the joy we otherwise find in working together. ANSWER: Try a Gentle leader, Leash and an edged dog bed. Start at home and work relaxing on the bed. In class start a distance away and work your way into class. Short sessions when you can concentrate and help him. If you can't work him put him in his crate in a car away from the commotion. Commit to 2-3 sessions of 5minutes and keep working it. It takes commitment but well worth the work Then take the dog bed and put it in the crate and work the two together. Age QUESTION: How old the puppy must be when you play crate game? or other prep school things? We got new puppy :-) My older dog (with whom I'm doing 360) is sick :-( ANSWER: You can start Crate Games with your puppy as soon as you bring them home. All the Prep School Games should be fine with a pup and don't forget the "Puppy Path" under the "Focus Sessions" tab. Naughty QUESTION: Now because we have started grate game, should I handle the situation some specific way when I leave puppy (11 week) in the crate? I mean when I do agility/play/etc. with my older dog and puppy must be in crate, puppy bites and barks. ANSWER: Can you put the puppy up somewhere where he will not be able to hear you training the older dog? It is best if the puppy does not get to rehearse the biting and barking. Do you have a cover for his crate? I would also do work with the older dog that is rewarding but quiet such as mat work where you could reward the puppy for good behaviour in the crate. I spent hours teaching my last puppy to be happy watching another dog work. It can be tricky trying to reward different behaviours in different dogs but I would do it for short periods. It will pay great dividends.