Reply To: Chris (access until November 15, 2014)

[Alana McGee]

Pawing and kicking can be just fine, it is excitement and at the beginning stages we take pretty any interaction with the target (truffle odor), but ideally we are going for a nose targeting behavior (or a foot touch). Yes, stationary targets are just fine, but you will want to pick it up after she gives you the desired foot tap/ nose touch and replace it again. And in answer to your question about her ‘ignoring’ the click, yes that’s what charging the marker is for but also it would be good to know is she batting the target around during this time, or is this when she nose touches? The goal is to have Daisy’s ideal behavior be when she hears that click to look to immediately for the reward.

Start with it in your hand when you imprint before you put it on the ground. You can always keep a finger on it on the ground as well.

It would be helpful to see video of what she is doing with it, and how she is interacting in order to give you more specific advice.

It is off topic, but for Silence after you give a hand signal, and she then is quiet for a second… THEN you click and *beat (as in pause a second) and then reward. If you are teaching her this in the beginning I would click/ reward for each- and then you can chain them, so “speak”, hand signal for silent (she is quiet) click, reward.

For the ‘stay’, I would say your impulse to walk away and then come back is just fine. You could click just as you are about to her, and then reward, or omit the click altogether- but try it with first.