fuzzy82 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 (edited) Stand is fine but we are now having mild issues with Elbie's stand for exam. First of all, because of all the rear-end awareness training we were doing before, when I was returning to his side by walking behind him and then back to his right - he was turning his body around i.e. keeping front paws on the spot and rotating his butt around. Fortunately I have managed to teach him to stay put BUT now he has a habit of craning his head around to follow my progress and watch me as I return to his side i.e. he doesn't have that stoic "I am a table" staring straight ahead look that he's supposed to ... He doesn't shift from his stand with his feet but his head is definitely all over the shop. Trying to hold food before his nose to keep him looking forward just makes him walk forward. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! I have the same issue with my dogs when they are sitting. I like to walk around them in a circle while they are sitting, and they do pretty well, but they always try to follow me around with their heads, which sometimes means that they shift slightly. I have started standing behind them while they sit, and reaching down and feeding in front of them. So they are looking ahead to get the treat while I am behind them. Haven't been doing it long enough to know if it will work yet though. If his stand/stay is pretty solid, you can use a clicker to shape looking ahead. Edited April 17, 2011 by fuzzy82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 (edited) I have the same issue with my dogs when they are sitting. I like to walk around them in a circle while they are sitting, and they do pretty well, but they always try to follow me around with their heads, which sometimes means that they shift slightly.I have started standing behind them while they sit, and reaching down and feeding in front of them. So they are looking ahead to get the treat while I am behind them. Haven't been doing it long enough to know if it will work yet though. Thanks for the information. Elbie does it for sit and drop as well but he's less likely to shift/move his position when in a sit or a drop. With the stand, he is maintaining the stand with no changes in footwork but I worry that he's much more likely to break position by following me with his head when in a stand. It's a tricky one!! ETA: Thanks for the clicker suggestion - that might work. Edited April 17, 2011 by koalathebear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleo's Corgwyn Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I think clicker training this might help - Elbie is smart enough to pick up subtle cues. Start just moving to the side, and click when he's looking ahead. Gradually move further and further around him, clicking each time he looks straight ahead and hold the position. We can have a bit of a play with it this weekend, if you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Have you tried placing the reward in front of him so that he is focussed on it and then releasing him to it after you return? Might help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue & Waldo Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I had terrible issues with this because I take Cindy visiting as a therapy dog. To prevent her jumping on patients I taught her to sit if anyone approached her to have a pat. SFE=sit for a pat I re-trained her and only patted her in a stand and taught her this in the hospital as well. I used steady feet game with treats and pats. I put her in a stand and offered treats/pats-if she moved no treats/pats. Her SFE is great now. I use the steady feet as part of her training very regularly. We have this game as I move the treat around and she stretches her had to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Ava still watches me return around behind her in all her stays... SFE, sit and down stays. As long as her feet aren't moving I don't mind. Is there a reason you want him to look forwards the whole time? If so, clicker training would probably work as CleoJ has said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 Ava still watches me return around behind her in all her stays... SFE, sit and down stays. As long as her feet aren't moving I don't mind. Is there a reason you want him to look forwards the whole time? If so, clicker training would probably work as CleoJ has said Elbie's head turns are a little bit extreme I have to say, he did the SFE twice in a row on Sunday without wriggling - I almost died of shock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 (edited) I use the steady feet game too but I always start in a sit. I've been doing lots of training with Em with people just walking up to her, walking around her, jingling keys etc. I started by shovelling food in her mouth ("easy peasy" says Em :laugh) and then progressed to steady feet. For a submissive pup who loves to wiggle for people her focus has improved out of sight. When I start with people touching I'll go back to shovelling food in her mouth again. You can also click for looking at the distraction too, if it's a confidence issue. Edited April 17, 2011 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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