Hand signals vs body language
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Hmmmm. This one can be pretty tough because hand signals really are body language. Most OES respond better to body language than they do to verbal commands. I say most because there is always the dog like Melody was who had a vocabulary of over 47 words!  We knew this for as fact when the instructor gave verbal commands during run-thrus & Melody did them before I was able to do them!  Can you try using a treat as well as the signals for a time & then wean off? |
if I don't verbalize the commnd Marley pretends to ignore me. I have to call out the name of the obstacle or she doesn't do it - or she does what she wants  seesaww, tunnel, seesaw tunnel, tunnel, seesaw, seesaw,seesaw (she has some control issues ) jump jump jump jump (too bad its the same jump and she knocked it down the first try!!!) |
Maxmm wrote: Toby is having a big problem with this. We were practicing last night at class and if I run, he is okay with the commands and signals but it seems that he is only working off body language. If I give the command and point, he does nothing. If I run he will move with me but if I stop at an obstacle or just point and give the command he does a whole lot of nothing.
Smart Toby. Body language almost always overrides verbal. In part because this is how they communicate most readily with each other, in part because they have learned to tune our verbiage out. ("Tunnel! Tire! Table! Teeter! - oh, whatever the heck that thing is!!!"  )
If you do give them a verbal, they'll often double-check your body language (if they hear you at all at this point ) to make sure you mean what you say.
OK, I'll grant you dogs differ. Mad was pretty verbal. But she didn't come that way. It's repetition. And some dogs just naturally lean more that way than others (right, Kerry?) If I stop moving when running Belle, she will naturally turn in and towards me. Toby strikes me as more of a Belle. Be grateful. He'll do anything for you once you figure out what the heck you want and are able to communicate it. The Marley's and Mad's of the world have less patience for human incompetence. Enough said. Before you can teach verbal recognition at a distance, you need two things: distance and verbal recognition. A couple of ideas to get started: He needs to know it's OK to work away from you. Start by walking around with him milling around you (work off both sides) and toss a treat in front of him and say go! A toy is even better if he plays with you with toys - if they'll bring it back to be tugged. A little more convincing enthusiasm with the go. OES spend too much time looking for the food...Well, most do. At least in the beginning. Buy a big tub of large orange cheeseballs. They work well because they're big, they roll, and they're reasonably visible and stinky. Gradually increase distance (you can also use this to start teaching turns and directionals - some people teach left and right commands. Not me. I can't remember the difference on a good day and don't expect to in the heat of the moment, ergo more grounds for my dogs to sue me - not thanks. For others it works great - your choice, but focus on one verbal command at a time. The 'go' command will come in handy as a starting point in any event when you go to teach him directed jumping and gloves and... 
I taught mad to go ahead and weave by opening the channel up when she was just a few months old and tossing her tug ball over her head and having it land past the weave exit many many times. She'd run down the channel, snag the balll and come back and beg me to do it again. She loved that game so much it wasn't even funny. When you start to teach him to send to actual obstacles, begin close up (so you only send to the tunnel from three feet and you go at it with a running start - you have to start somewhere, and then you very gradually back up). Say tunnel enough times and he may get the idea. Focus on one obstacle at a time and add gradually (more obstacles; in combinations, send to different obstacles, etc). At least that's where I'd start.
You'll want to make sure he is rewarded away from you in the beginning (the food toss or a target if you rely on food). Otherwise, why leave the food dispenser behind? Hm? 
I told you he's smart. Kristine |
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