Link wants more training & a bubble blowing dog

[mtoy]

I haven't had Link in class lately as I'm not making any money to pay for them, and when we're not in class I'm not motivated to train on my own. The other day I started watching a clicker training video on YouTube, and the clicker was very loud. Link heard it and came RUNNING full speed, got to me at the computer and sat waiting for his instruction/treat. OMG. I am so lame!

The video is very cool - has anyone tried this with their dog?
Dog blows bubbles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oydGyqTYhw&sdig=1)

[Jespah]

WOW - that's awesome. Man, those Border Collies are smart as whips. You can see her thinking and figuring out what is expected of her. Too cool.

I find it hard to be motivated to teach my guys things, first, because I haven't really learned how to teach them tricks and second, in a small apartment, it's difficult to work with one at a time. Oh yeah, and also the time thing - I don't have any!!

Maybe you just need to find something really neat to teach Link and that will motivate you. Like how to make money!! :LAUGH:

[Bobbie]

Forget tricks, teach him to help you. A smart dog can learn to pick up clothes and put them in the hamper, round up his toys, and bring you the dog dishes at mealtime, among other things that are not really tricks. And you can train those things while you are doing your usual stuff.

[CorgiMum]

I agree Bobbie, we work 3 minute training sessions off and on throughout the day or evening. Short ones are best for the dogs anyways. I like it when dogs can clean up their own toys, and mine also do 'trades' for single toys/objects brought to me. When I work/play with one dog, the other does a down stay for his part, so that they are both doing something at the same time, in one place.

You could get a book from the Library, or look online for things to teach Link. If you find something that YOU find interesting, I'm sure that he will be happy to play with you.:WINK:

Here's a couple of ideas:

http://www.loveyourdog.com/tricks.html

And blowing bubbles, that dog is very smart!

Don't think I will try that one with Danny though, he is already the worst water play dog I have every had.:LAUGH:

[mtoy]

Off and on I've tried the pick up your toys thing, but we just can't get it. Link will go get the toy, or pick it up if it was just lying there, and bring it to me, but he doesn't get the "in the basket" thing. We can do it for a very long time but he doesn't get that part. I treat when it's dropped in the basket, and not any other time.

I've tried to teach him to bring his dish too, but he will not pick up his dish in his mouth. He'll push it to Italy if I ask, though.:TWITCHY:

I'd LOVE to have him know some very useful things, he seems kind of bored now that it's so cold. One thing he does well is CLOSE - as in close the door/drawer. Sometimes he follows me around the kitchen closing everything I open.

[CorgiMum]

Off and on I've tried the pick up your toys thing, but we just can't get it. Link will go get the toy, or pick it up if it was just lying there, and bring it to me, but he doesn't get the "in the basket" thing. We can do it for a very long time but he doesn't get that part. I treat when it's dropped in the basket, and not any other time.
When I taught Monty & Dylan I would sit on the floor with a short, but wide container, one that that had examined and were familiar with. Then we played fetch. When the dog brings me a toy I hold my hand over the container, touch them under the chin and they release the toy, I move my hand and it falls into the container and then I treat. When I pick up the toy from the container it connects as a fun thing to their fetch game.

I do this until they get the idea, & since we are already playing their favourite game they caught on pretty quickly. Eventually I didn't have to hold my hand over the container, and then the last step was to move away from the container and then get them to drop the toys into it.

We used "pick up your toys", and when they knew that they were cleaning up because we were leaving in the van for a ride to the park, it really speed thing up! Now to follow my own words and get Danny doing it.:WINK:

I've tried to teach him to bring his dish too, but he will not pick up his dish in his mouth. He'll push it to Italy if I ask, though.:TWITCHY:
If it's metal, that may be why Link doesn't want to pick it up. Apparently dogs aren't fond of the taste of metal. A trainer friend of mine to me to have Danny picking up metal objects now as one day he will be headed for the Ob trail ring and some of the the scent articles are metal.

I've been checking the dollar store (scent articles are expensive) and so far we are working with the metal part of a turkey baster. Any Ideas??

I'd LOVE to have him know some very useful things, he seems kind of bored now that it's so cold. One thing he does well is CLOSE - as in close the door/drawer. Sometimes he follows me around the kitchen closing everything I open.
Well that's a bonus! I live with someone that tends to leave things open, too bad the dogs can't reach the cupboards.:LAUGH:

[mtoy]

Well that's a bonus! I live with someone that tends to leave things open, too bad the dogs can't reach the cupboards.:LAUGH:

:LAUGH:I wish Link could reach the light switches, I'm sick of my job as light turner-offer!

Thanks for the tips on the picking up toys thing, we'll keep working on it. What a great thing it would be if I didn't have to pick all those toys up every time I vacuumed.

Link's dish is metal - that must be it. I worry about the chemicals in the plastic ones because in addition to licking the floor he also licks the dishes over and over (wouldn't want to miss that one molecule of leftover food...).

[CorgiMum]

We have metal bowls as well, the plastic can wear on the dog's nose and discolour it leaving a whitish spot.

I pick up their bowls as soon as they are finished eating, and wash them, the 'gravy' that the supplement powder makes hardens like cement!

[Bobbie]

You can do articles with bolts and washers. But if your dog doesn't like metal stainless steels is a better bet than something that is a better conductor, so try to find stainless steel bolts.

[CorgiMum]

Good point Bobbie, I'll look for stainless steel.

[disraeli ears]

I pick up their bowls as soon as they are finished eating, and wash them, the 'gravy' that the supplement powder makes hardens like cement!

Your two actually LEAVE something on their bowls?? My two would consider that a sin. :BIGLAUGH:

They have stainless steel bowls, too.

[LoveMySadie]

We have metal bowls as well, the plastic can wear on the dog's nose and discolour it leaving a whitish spot.

I pick up their bowls as soon as they are finished eating, and wash them, the 'gravy' that the supplement powder makes hardens like cement!

Wait...there's residue left in the boys' bowls??? :LAUGH:

Leslie

[mtoy]

Wait...there's residue left in the boys' bowls??? :LAUGH:

Leslie

I second this question!:LAUGH:

[CorgiMum]

Only Dylan's NOT DANNYS!:LAUGH:

[MVons]

metal scent articles, I don't know if Chester would be a candidate for the opposite reason. He would think someone gave him toys! Our funny story is hubby setting aside a bolt to look for a socket. He turns around and the bolt is missing! Clank, click he hears as Chester is running off with the bolt in his mouth. His crate small metal water dish is just a toy now - can't beat it join it. He can't get his metal dish out of the wood holder. Now I see how important that holder is in this household! Chester uses the small critter waterer with a metal tip. Took a while but he knows how to drink from it now.

Great ideas on toy pickup. I wonder could I get Chester to pull on a tab top door drape to close it? Somehow throwing things away to too much against the corgi's drive for food? For some unknown reason to me Chester has never bothered the trash can except to lick the lid when I had to lift it with butter on my hand. I guess because he is rarely alone in the kitchen.

Chester would love to help me remove items from my bottom broiler. I finally had to let him touch the hot edge to have him learn to keep his distance. I made sure it was the enamel door, not the inside metal.

I love to reward him when he makes sure I hear a timer. That is such a help to me.