Targeting is often a component of other methods to get the behavior (and vice versa) and in a sense is what is happening (hand targeting) when you move away from food luring. Keep in mind that transitioning the human to a standing/upright position can be difficult with some lured behaviors, so using a target stick can be helpful. Almost any trick taught by luring can be taught by targeting – once you create a target fiend in your dog.
Gimme here: My person and I invented something special using targeting and then free shaping. I have a piece of wood that I learned to target with my front feet. Then my person used my favorite free shaping to teach me to spin in a circle while keeping my feet on the wood target. She calls it a forehand pivot. I'm very good at it and people say I have a sophisticated awareness of my back feet. That may be true, but I just like doing it because its fun.Anti-target is teaching the dog to move away (or move a body part away) from the anti-target end of the target stick and gives you a whole range of movements you can teach your dog. Its especially useful for freestyle and many tricks. The anti-target end is usually painted a different color (white) than the target end (blue or yellow). [note: these colors are easiest for dogs of all breeds to see.]
I start by teaching each of the targeting base behaviors so I have them in place when I need one. You will notice right away that some dogs are nose dogs and some are paw dogs. That means they prefer to touch with either their nose or foot. It is a useful exercise to make sure your dog has both nose touch and foot touch behaviors among his targeting basics. For instance: foot touch a margarine lid, nose touch a target stick, nose touch your hand, nose touch his leash, foot and then bumm touch to his bed.
Your dog can target and follow your hand (medium to large dogs) or a target stick (smaller dogs) to learn to walk alongside you. You can teach your dog to rest his head in your hand during a veterinary exam (starts as a luring exercise). Targeting, or going to lay on his bed, is a good behavior to teach in place of rude door behavior or begging during dinner. You may want to keep the target as part of the behavior, so plan ahead. You may need to take that bed with you when you travel (or you could teach the same behavior to different bedding that you indicate by a cue). Usually you will need to fade the target during moving behaviors.
To teach your dog to nose target your hand or target stick, click/treat every time your dog turns to look at your outstretched hand or the target stick. Then gradually increase the behavior until he follows your hand or the target stick.
When you start working on the dog walking alongside you, first your hand will be at nose level, then you will fade your target hand to a position near your waist as if you were holding the leash. In the case of a target stick you fade it by sliding it up your arm so that less and less of the stick is visible in your hand. If you use a target stick a lot, it can be helpful to make several in different lengths (36", 24" and 12" are helpful sizes). Make sure your target stick has a rounded end so your dog isn't put off by nose touching an abrupt edge.
For the bed example, you might click/treat every time your dog turns to look toward the bed. Then gradually increase the behavior until he goes to and lays down on the bed. Did you notice the free-shaping element there? Be sure to use small increments as you shape to the end behavior. In the end you must decide what cues to use. You can put it on that verbal cue "go to bed", as well as teaching that the sound of the doorbell is the cue to go to bed.
Plan ahead to decide what cue you want to end up with, so that you are taking a direct route fading-wise and don’t create more work for yourself and your dog.
Teaching Anti-target
Teach your dog the anti-target concept in advance as another targeting basic. First teach your dog that touching the anti-target end does not "count" as a clickable behavior. Hold the stick parallel to the ground by the middle with both the target and anti-target ends available. The dog must target the correct end to get a click/treat. Then holding the stick by the target end (blue or yellow bulb) gently touch your dog in the flank area and click for any movement away. This is a gentle tickle – not a poke in the side.
If your dog attempts to target the anti-target end, you have multiple options:
- lift the stick away and use a shorter leash to control the head while reaching around to tickle the side
- repeatedly allow the dog to touch the target end without reward and wait for the unrewarded behavior to extinguish
- go back and repeat the exercise that teaches the dog to target only the bulb end of the stick
Target a Trick
I recommend using targeting to teach your dog a trick. That is a good way to practice a training method so you can relax and enjoy the process, before you use targeting for something important. Remember, "important" is a human point of view; its all tricks to your dog. Speaking of tricks, here's a list of possible tricks for targeting:
spin
around you
over or under an obstacle
onto an obstacle
weave under the legs - stationary
weave through legs walking
low crawl (butt stays down)
high crawl (butt up like bow)
ballerina (stand up)
sit up and beg
left and right
chin in your hands – a freestyle ending
Here's a list of possible tricks for anti-targeting:
side passes in front of you
side passes beside you and with you
side passes beside you and away
pivot on forehand
pivot on hindquarters
backing up
move straight toward you while you back up
backwards (pivoting) leg weaves
trot in place
Remember: You are limited only by your own creativity.
No comments:
Post a Comment