Day Four -- Teaching New Skills

There are several ways we can teach a dog a new skill. First we teach them a marker word like "Yes!" (used in the same way a clicker is used) that tells them when they have done the correct behavior. Dogs are very much "in the moment" so we need to tell them exactly when they have done the correct thing in order for the reward to be effective. Timing is very important. So we can use that when we "capture" behavior. Capturing behavior is a way to teach a dog a new skills by waiting until they offer the behavior, marking with a "yes," and rewarding the dog. We use this in dog training a lot like when he sits automatically for a greeting. But it can be a little slow when teaching other skills.

We can also shape behaviors which is marking and rewarding pieces of the whole until you get the completed skill. It's a great way to teach a dog to think for themselves and to offer up new behaviors when something doesn't work. It takes some skill and it takes a little bit of time but still a great tool.

A pretty easy and quick way to teach a dog a new skill is to lure them into the position by putting something in front of them that they want (treat, toy, etc.). This is a nice tool to have just so long as you wean off the lure quickly so he doesn't become dependent on it. It's also important, once weaned off of the lure, that you don't pull out a treat when you can't get your dog to do something. Then that becomes a bribe and you are likely to teach your dog to wait you out for that treat.

I wait until the dog has completed the task before marking and rewarding the behavior. I like that his elbows are down but his rear needs to be on the ground before I tell him he has done his "down" correctly.

That's it! Now I can mark and reward the behavior and I reward him with the lure.

Now, to transition him off the lure, I wait until he is readily doing the skill with the lure. I start out by faking him out. I might have the smell of the treat in my hand, but no treat. I always say the command first, before I move my hand or show him a treat. Otherwise he won't hear my words. I say to him "Ubu, down" and I pause for a few seconds. I want him to have time to process what I have said and see if he can figure out what I am asking of him. Then I move my hand in the same direction I would have had I been using a lure, in this case straight down. As soon as he completes it, I say "Yes!" and give him a treat. Now he's learning that he will still get rewarded even if I don't have that treat in my hand.

We also practice these skills in different locations so he learns how to do it in places other than just in the middle of the living room. Dogs don't generalize well but, if we practice in a variety of locations, he will start to really understand the task.