Dog training question: place vs. bed vs. crate vs. target vs. ??

[X_and_Z]

Thanks so much! This is really helpful! I like clicker training but didn't think to use it for the fitpaws stuff ha
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I'm always thinking I needed something like a Malinois, Kelpie, Border Collie, etc., for tricks cause those are in most of the trick videos but I wanted something a little mellower like a Lab or Golden but wasn't sure they could do it.

Oddly, I have only seen fitpaws done via clicker/marker. But I have only seen it done via fitpaws distributors/dog trainers that have gone to fitpaws classes. It was used for body awareness and core strength for performance dogs.

Any breed of dog can enjoy training if it is done in a way that gives the dog motivation and success*. I enrolled my old semi-retired australian shepherd in a circus (trick) dog class for fun and he was the only typical performance breed. There was a pit mix, a very fat old corgi, 2 greyhounds and a doodle - all did well and enjoyed the experience. My friends' trick titled lab puppy is conformation bred - she is built like a tank and not particularly athletic and she has a blast doing her tricks.

*This is the hard part and varies by dog.

 

[dainerra]

our local club just tested several dogs for their trickdog titles through AKC. We had some Cavalier King Charles, a standard poodle, a couple mini poodles, and a beagle.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Oddly, I have only seen fitpaws done via clicker/marker. But I have only seen it done via fitpaws distributors/dog trainers that have gone to fitpaws classes. It was used for body awareness and core strength for performance dogs.

Any breed of dog can enjoy training if it is done in a way that gives the dog motivation and success*. I enrolled my old semi-retired australian shepherd in a circus (trick) dog class for fun and he was the only typical performance breed. There was a pit mix, a very fat old corgi, 2 greyhounds and a doodle - all did well and enjoyed the experience. My friends' trick titled lab puppy is conformation bred - she is built like a tank and not particularly athletic and she has a blast doing her tricks.

*This is the hard part and varies by dog.

our local club just tested several dogs for their trickdog titles through AKC. We had some Cavalier King Charles, a standard poodle, a couple mini poodles, and a beagle.

Wow that is awesome! I didn't realize so many different dogs could do it! I also didn't even realize there was a trick dog title! I know there's obedience, which I've considered participating in, and I've seen tons of cool YouTube videos of dogs doing tricks, usually beautifully filmed and in cool locations, but I figured it was just for fun or whatever. Never realized there were titles. Of course, the titles are all for fun too probably but what I mean is I figured I'd have to teach tricks myself and/or only use them for YouTube videos or cool party tricks. Never realized there were titles.

And actually speaking of fit paws classes, that reminds me, i think there is one around here

 

[PirateGirl]

I haven't read all the other answers, but will give from my experience.

Target and bed are separate.
Bed= crate or lying in dog bed and is a very specific place and associated behavior
Target= whatever I make it, generally something visual and tactile so there is more than one sense involved, a piece of yoga mat, a carpet square, a skateboard Wherever it gets moved you can send a dog to it.

Touch
This is what I use to get my dog to do things, obstacles, climb up/down etc. So for us "touch" was nose to palm. Once they get that you move on to the next step. Next you start holding your hand in different places, you do not move it until the dog completes "touch" and gets the treat reward. So you hold your hand low to the ground, command "touch" and the dog has to bend down to touch. You hold your hand high and the dog has to jump to touch. You hold your hand between your legs and your dog has to walk between your legs to touch. You hold your hand in the air above the sofa and the dog has to put their front feet up on the sofa to touch. You hold your hand at the top of a ramp or the end of the tunnel and the dog has to do the obstacle to touch. You get the picture. Once the dog learns to touch your palm with its nose, this same command can be used to get the dog to do other things. You remain still and make the dog come to your hand in all of the above scenarios.

Eventually we added another command that is specific to jumping up on things, jumping into the back of the car, jumping up onto the couch (our dog are only allowed on the sofa if they get the command, they roll in too much gross stuff!).

 

[ShrekDawg]

I haven't read all the other answers, but will give from my experience.

Target and bed are separate.
Bed= crate or lying in dog bed and is a very specific place and associated behavior
Target= whatever I make it, generally something visual and tactile so there is more than one sense involved, a piece of yoga mat, a carpet square, a skateboard Wherever it gets moved you can send a dog to it.

Touch
This is what I use to get my dog to do things, obstacles, climb up/down etc. So for us "touch" was nose to palm. Once they get that you move on to the next step. Next you start holding your hand in different places, you do not move it until the dog completes "touch" and gets the treat reward. So you hold your hand low to the ground, command "touch" and the dog has to bend down to touch. You hold your hand high and the dog has to jump to touch. You hold your hand between your legs and your dog has to walk between your legs to touch. You hold your hand in the air above the sofa and the dog has to put their front feet up on the sofa to touch. You hold your hand at the top of a ramp or the end of the tunnel and the dog has to do the obstacle to touch. You get the picture. Once the dog learns to touch your palm with its nose, this same command can be used to get the dog to do other things. You remain still and make the dog come to your hand in all of the above scenarios.

Eventually we added another command that is specific to jumping up on things, jumping into the back of the car, jumping up onto the couch (our dog are only allowed on the sofa if they get the command, they roll in too much gross stuff!).

Thank you! This is very useful and helpful! I never thought of using touch like that! Great idea!

 

[PirateGirl]

You can also get touch to be nose to object instead, like if you want to use a broom handle or something longer than your arm. The key is to make sure they understand touch first and then their little brains start working at trying to figure out how they are going to touch when they can't reach your hand. You have to be patient and wait for them to figure it out the first few times. Don't move and don't reward them until they get it.

 

[ShrekDawg]

You can also get touch to be nose to object instead, like if you want to use a broom handle or something longer than your arm. The key is to make sure they understand touch first and then their little brains start working at trying to figure out how they are going to touch when they can't reach your hand. You have to be patient and wait for them to figure it out the first few times. Don't move and don't reward them until they get it.

Thanks.

 

[dainerra]

There are so many different things you can do with your dog. obedience, rally, agility, trick dog titles, CGC (and the advanced and urban levels of that), barn hunt, Farm Dog if you are registered with the United Kennel Club, and on and on. Plus just fun things you might teach your dog. For example, I accidentally taught "watch your face" as a command to sit down and away from the door/tailgate when the dogs are in the car.

 

[ShrekDawg]

There are so many different things you can do with your dog. obedience, rally, agility, trick dog titles, CGC (and the advanced and urban levels of that), barn hunt, Farm Dog if you are registered with the United Kennel Club, and on and on. Plus just fun things you might teach your dog. For example, I accidentally taught "watch your face" as a command to sit down and away from the door/tailgate when the dogs are in the car.

I've read about or considered most of those along with some others like dock diving, tracking, scent work, flyball, etc. But I don't want to do too many activities haha not sure I'd have the time for everything or if one dog could do them all.

But the main ones I've considered are obedience, agility, dock diving, and scent work or tracking. And I for sure want to do the CGC and hopefully the more advanced ones too or a therapy dog test. I wasn't sure if agility would be too complicated to learn? There's a lot more like fundamentals and stuff than just the obstactles I realized a while ago. But I might take a class or something. It probably wouldn't be too hard in a class setting and/or with an experienced trainer. But also a lot of dogs I know that do it are like kind of crazy in a way, yelping and crying/barking, hyper, etc. Which somewhat goes against the calm therapy dog or CGC thing. But I guess I could still do it and just instill impulse control in my dog and/or not compete. I don't think I want to compete anyway though. I'm much more into obedience, tricks, and nose things, whether it's just a game or hide and seek or something more formal like tracking or nose work, or whatever. I do want to try dock diving though as that just seems really fun.

 

[dainerra]

dogs can compartmentalize very well. and not all dogs go into that ramped over-excited state in agility. Much of that is actually encouraged by their owners to get a dog that goes full out for speed but just as many owners discourage such behavior in their dogs and do just fine.