Having a weekend going over some Ian Dunbar pieces

I've been going through a few videos and training methods from Dr Ian Dunbar. Working on the all or nothing reward system. I've had great success with the last few days of lead training where you take giant steps and wait for an automatic sit before another giant step and so on. Check out the video link from the DVD here. I've long thought that I have to build in absolute patience to wait out for calm. Grey has a tendency to snatch and grab. And also there should be the rule of not moving on or attempting to train or do anything if he's not focussed.

So here are a few videos:

Wasted pupphood. How puppyies at 8 weeks have already gone through two thirds of their critical period and arrive in most homes not housetrained, socialised or taught anything. Ian believes that by the time they are this age they should have met at least 100 different people in positive circumstances.

Filmed in 2007 Dr. Ian Dunbar gives a lecture for TED.



Over 400+ videos on Ian's Dogstar Daily youtube channel.

Lead training

We're doing some waiting for offered behaviours with Charlie, so I was interested to see how Ian Dunbar's lead walking would work out. In the past I've not had much success with the be a tree method as it usually resulted in Grey sniffing the floor, going round me in a circle and generally finding something else to focus on. But as part of a structured and active training session it worked really well. The key is to keep the pace up and interested. Not long so he doesn't get bored or stressed.

Ian illustrates it in this video here:



It basically trains in a sit when you stop. Obviously, Ian is performing this on stage and not on a street with lots of doggy smells. But I tried it out with Grey this morning. Starting with one step, then two steps, three steps etc. it worked really well and it's similar to 300 peck heeling by adding a step each time. We went out on the quiet Sunday pavement, which is a fave training day of mine. We had a spin round the carpark and then back on the pavement.

Woohoo! A Great Day!

Very excited and happy with how today went. I tried out the technique of delivering the treat behind my heel directly on the floor. Placing it on the floor, not dropping it. This placed me slightly ahead of him and I was able to encourage him to follow me and click him when he was at my side. if he forged ahead I changed direction gently and clicked him when he was heading back to me, the treat again on the floor behind my left heel.

I think a huge part of the success of today was incorporating Ian Dunbar's method of getting out the house by waiting for a series of sits and working the hallway to the outside with the front door open. So in general, excitement levels were lower by the time we were outside and if things got too much again, we just stood and waited. I guess I often forgot the rule that you can't train if the dog's not in the game. I was struggling how to get him in the game at all.

So we just went up and down in front of the house. Going nowhere was a relief too. No pressure to get to the park for a run. We just came back into the house for a while before then going out in the car for a really fun walk on the beach. He had a play with a collie pup a bit older than him, got filthy muddy in the grassy boggy bits and then the sun came out. I wasn't stressed about his recall because of the terrain and I managed to get hold of him nicely or distract him from cyclists and on lead dogs. The other great thing was that the beach was right next to the parking space. I even managed to do some LLW training in the car park which is a real challenge for him as it's probably his most exciting place evah!

I was very proud of him today. Love that pup.

A week's a long time in puppy world

I've not been updating on daily Grey the last week. Bad of me, as he's been up to quite a lot! But I did go back to work a couple of days this week, leaving him with his favourite person, L.

Some things sort of slipped me, which reminds me to remember that some things are not to panic about and just a phase that he went through. One instance is barking. He went through about five weeks of barking at night, barking at things that spooked him. So for the last week, we've managed to get through the night without him reacting to every single noise he hears outside the house by rushing round barking. I'm glad we more or less just ignored him throughout this. It's thankfully a lot quieter now.

Other news is that he's now on a strict regime of LLW training. That's loose lead walking. We don't go on walks anymore where he's allowed to pull. If we have to go from A to B he's on the Gencon. But mostly I try not to take him anywhere except training. It still feels like an unending uphill struggle and that the little monkey relly won't ever get it. Two days ago I was reminded to return to one of the first books I bought: Ian Dunbar's Before and After You Get Your Puppy. There was quite a nice process for getting out of the house. Ian recommends showing the pup the lead, cue excitement, wait and wait for pup to quiet and sit on his own. Strictly no asking him to sit. Then clip on the lead, cue excitement, wait for a sit, then take a step to the door, wait for a sit and so on. Get out the house, wait for a sit. Go back in and repeat, until you have a calm process for this. He then uses this approach for the walk. Only trouble I have with this is that when I take a step forwards, Grey does too. We really didn't get past the one step forward and stop. But it was an interesting couple of sessions. Lots of whining and crying from Grey out of sheer frustration at not getting what he wanted. It was a milestone I think.

Then the next day, my copy of Helen Philips' Clicker Gundog arrived. Her LLW method is to stop dead when the dog hits the end of the lead and lean backwards. Click for dog looking back and feed at the side. Then a crucial difference. She says the walk has ended and so count to ten, then regather yourself and start again. This is to stop the yo-yo action of the dog boinging forwards after taking the treat. I tried this method. I did see a little improvement, but by today, I've still got a dog who shoots forward after my first step. Will he ever learn?