Wean off treats - Dog training fundamentals

[@kikopup]

Ill add the subtitles when the automatic ones are generated :) Stay tuned.

[@ionicamermaid1141]

Good morning from Italy! Thanks for another great video! Seems like the automatic subs are there already 😊 Thanks for what you are doing!

[@kikopup]

@@ionicamermaid1141 Oh, the automated ones come up on their own but things are not edited until I get in there and edit them manually so before I do that there are no periods and some words are wrong like cue is spelled queue and paws is spelled pause.

[@kikopup]

Done

[@ionicamermaid1141]

The pause one is funny though thanks for your effort to help people from all over the world! That's awesome!

[@larrydouglas1763]

Many years ago I read a study that had been done on wild animals. When food was placed out and always available the animals would come now and then. When food was only available sometimes the animals would come everyday.

[@kikopup]

I am assuming these animals where not Beagles or Labs. Just making a silly joke. Sounds interesting.

[@rachl8400]

just spotted the pup under the couch, what a cutie! Thanks for the helpful video as always!

[@gautegamnes]

This was a good introduction to fading away treats for _every behavior! Need to start doing this with our Norwegian Buhund,, he usually gets frustrated when he doesn't get a treat right away and then he starts offering all the behaviors he knows!:p

[@johnbasedow]

Always find your videos helpful. Working on fading out the treats in obedience and agility since they’re not allowed in the ring.

[@artunucci]

I'm waiting for my Border Collie puppy to be ready to come home with me, and your videos have been incredibly helpful for me to prepare. Thank you, keep up the great work!

[@kikopup]

Oh how exciting! Congrats!!!

[@emmamemma4162]

Yesterday I had the opposite problem with my dog. I had her breakfast in my treat pouch and as our walk was nearing it's end I tried to quickly feed her the last third of it while she was just heeling. Yvette hardly even sniffed the food in my hand. I had to make the exercise more difficult (by including automatic sits) to make her want to eat her breakfast. I thought that was so interesting as an example of the training itself being rewarding and the treat working as a marker that the dog did the right thing even when they are not that interested in the food.

[@kikopup]

yeah that can happen. For fearful and reactive dogs the best thing to do is build the cues inside the house then by asking for them outside that can totally happen getting the dog more interested in the food than they were before because the behaviors have become reinforcing

[@vhmacmd]

This is great! Will build this into my training routine and take note of cues from my dogs when I’m asking too much. Sometimes I get carried away. Thanks for this!

[@hhlagen]

Great concept and explanation. I understand what you are saying. However, getting my hard headed mini Aussie to get it is another thing. She’s smart and willing. I’ll try watching this a few more times before I try it with her. Thanks for the info.

[@kikopup]

I suggest making it super easy, using really blatant luring gestures at first when you ask for more behaviors so that its super easy.

[@ionicamermaid1141]

Thanks for another valuable video! I especially liked the part where you gave tips to watch out for signs that one's doing too much. I think it happens to me quite some times. Now I'll be way more attentive to that. And thanks for telling me someone working positively here in Italy she lives just an hour drive away I'll start training with her soon. 😊👍

[@kikopup]

Oh yay!! Thats so awesome!!!!

[@haventli]

Hello. Catching up after having been too busy to watch. This is a great one and I will use it to get my dogs to do more fetches without food rewards (my not have been the best way to teach them in the first place). I really liked your teeth brushing video and I have an update. I'll post more on a thread I started there, but wanted to let you know that video was really helpful too!

[@Monika-kb2us]

Great. I was looking for this as it didn’t get covered in the in person classes I took, and the suggestion to reinforce a single simple behavior right after a long sequence is really helpful to keep motivation up - especially since a lot of the stuff were working on are longer stays at distance that are already low reinforcement (so I alternate stays with tricks already).

[@AgnesMariaL]

I would love to see you doing your trainings on livestock guardian dogs! I've been able to use some of your techniques on our three Kuvasz, but LGDs are BEYOND bullheaded - they are independent thinkers. Most training is moot, since they have a primaly instinctive job to do that overrides ANY training!

[@kikopup]

The key is conditioning the reinforcement before using it in training and breaking up the training into smaller steps. The same with working with dogs who are reacting to things in the environment with fear or aggression or dogs bred for specific tasks like working dogs.

[@rachelireland8904]

definitely recommend a platform, its worked really well with my dog, almost too good. I queued her to finish and she got off to get her treat then ran back and dive bombed the platform i had just liifted. She clearly didnt want training to end :P

[@kikopup]

Hehe "dive bombed" gave me such a good mental image of the behavior

[@DynastyTrickDogs]

This is fantastic! I was trying to figure out how to explain this to my own clients, and this is brilliant thanks again Kikopup :) How do I money subscribe?

[@gcwilson1]

Really appreciate this. Perfect timing for us and our GSD pup! Thanks

[@tedjack9184]

Thanks for this perfect training session and training lesson. Btw Epic has improved much, Not standing on her backlegs all the time and gone are other garbage behaviors.

[@kikopup]

Yeah! :) Its all thanks to the members video where I focused on her not tapping her feet! :) I swear I worked harder on her after having to watch and edit that video than if I hadn't done that topic. I am feeding her like crazy at the beginning of the video as she has a tendency to "offer" when I start talking to the camera. But during the actual training shes gotten really good at not doing random sampling :)

[@tedjack9184]

@@kikopup You did it again!

[@darodes]

Another great video ☺️☺️☺️ explaining it in a way that’s UNDERSTANDABLE. Do you mind linking the platforms you use? Looking to upgrade the homemade pallet platforms I have 😂

[@ionicamermaid1141]

I think in an earlier video she said the one on the right are balance pads for humans.

[@emmamemma4162]

@@ionicamermaid1141 Yep, they look like physiotherapy tools.

[@kikopup]

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07664K1CW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I got them on amazon this one was 22 bucks

[@darodes]

Thanks you’re the best!

[@infamousanh]

Awesome tutorial as usual! How much do you consider variable reinforcement when you are making your dogs' training plans? For example, do you note down a variable reinforcement ratio you would like to achieve (e.g., "we worked with VR 3 last time, so this time I'll try for VR 5"), or do you adjust on the fly? If you do plan for certain ratios, do you plan out how many reps you'd like to do to reach the ratio (e.g. "I want to do VR 4, so I'll try start with 3 reps, then go on to 4, 7, 1, and finally 5 reps")? Obviously, you want to listen to the dog despite whatever you plan, I'm just curious about the process. :)

[@kikopup]

I might operate differently as I do sequences of behaviors. I personally find that its harder for dogs to work on a variable ratio if the behaviors are unknown and random, but if you create sequences then you can create higher ratios. So for example if I was asking for random behaviors I might only ask for 10-15 max before a treat, but in a fixed sequence of tricks I might do a few sequences of 10 behaviors back to back. I usually create sequences of 10 or so behaviors, then what I do is not think so much about the average ratio of reinforcement, but say if I put two sequences together with 20 behaviors, I would reinforce the behaviors that were not the strongest more than I would reinforce the ones that are strongest. Sometimes going and reinforcing the strongest behaviors, so in my head I would think, Ok I have 20 behaviors, if I give 4 treats during the sequence thats like an average of 5 behaviors before a treat if you were to give 1 of the four treats after every behavior, but instead you could do, 2 treats for the first two behaviors then wait 7 behaviors before giving the next treat and then 1 treat before the last behavior... That makes it easy for me because I just have the 4 treats in my hand, or easy to remember how many times I threw the frisbee during the 2 sequences. etc. I hope that helps.

[@carolepivarnik9316]

I love your videos and approach to training. I notice you said Go Mat at one point but used Go Platform the rest of the time. Was that just a verbal slip or do you train your dogs to respond to multiple commands for the same behavior, or is Epic simply more clued into the hand signals by now so the verbals are more for us to understand what you are asking? She is adorable, btw.

[@kikopup]

Hehe! I almost edited that out! And then I thought, no one will notice Ill just leave it because i needed that specific shot for the video to make sense. I made an error. But because the main part of the cue was my blatant pointing gesture it worked. Its the cue for Kiko to go to her mat, Id been using "platform" with Epic. I sometimes watch footage back and see Ive cued the dogs to spin right but by mistake said spin left but they knew what I really wanted from my body language.

[@brandonhotmer5897]

Great videos!!!

[@kikopup]

Thanks!

[@kat200214]

Hi!!! Happy to see another video from you! I have a humble video request: Could you do a video where you train with a dog that is not high drive/energy? One that is not super motivated like a stereotypical border collie or shepherd for example (not that I don't love seeing your doggos!), and a part on how to build drive/engagement?

[@kikopup]

What about a chihuahua. Kidding. :) I would suggest doing this exercise. The reason I made this video is because epic started to not be interested so much in training and if I asked for too many things she would walk away. I also have this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZ-8f5RmipqEkLc for dogs not interested in food.

[@kat200214]

@@kikopup Lol!!! Thank you!

[@friedbeefjerky]

Hi Kiko, love your videos. I had a question regarding my 4 mo old shiba puppy: My puppy is leash reactive to other dogs. We did a training scenario where we put a life sized stuffed dog (has scent of dog on it) in a location and had my puppy approach. He didn’t really pay attention to it until we walked by it, at which point he pounced and went for the throat, and wouldn’t let go. How concerned should I be with this behavior? And any tips on counter conditioning for other dogs since the other party/scenarios are harder to control?

[@g.franch4097]

Excellent. Just a question… Could the clicker be a secondary reinforcer and be used without pairing always a treat in a variable ratio??

[@imzadi83fanvids7]

Great video! :) Where did you get those awesome platforms?

[@kikopup]

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07664K1CW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They are human fitness pads I got on amazon, www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07664K1CW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@imzadi83fanvids7]

@@kikopup Thank you! :)

[@NatiPlay-pe9cs]

Hi I have a question about dog training. I have a really smart border collie girl. Right over 1 year old. I many people say that you shouldn't bring your dog to dog park, but we just wanted to have a option from time to time. Every time we went to a dog park and there were more than 1 dog there she is snapping a lot at other dogs. I know she is just communicating to other dogs that they are coming too close and so, but it just looks kinda dramatic. She never harmed anyone, she is very obedient, and she also has a problem with other dogs coming close to me(jealousy type of thing). If a dog comes to greet me, she jumps in between and snaps at him or growls. Is this normal, and If not, do you know how I could get rid of that?

[@bhully83]

Hi Emily, I've got a question not related to this video, hope you can read it all the same. I'm having some difficulties improving with leash walking. I'm teaching it to my dog Lyra, an energetic, 7 years old, 20kg half-breed wolfhound. We started 6 months ago with your amazing "Leash walking connected" course. After week 6 we kept on training 5 days a week and now after several months, we manage to leash walk for 20 min, in specific places, with some breaks and lots of treats. Even if we're halfway, I'm very satisfied: our relationship got stronger, we've got better communication, but I'm having difficulties letting her understand the "go sniff" behavior. She assumes she can go back to her previous leash pulling behavior: instead of sniffing close to me, she wants to run and sniff. And in that situation I don't want to treat her for coming back, as I know I would be reinforcing her for yoyo-ing forth and back. Also, she performs very well in the "leash pressure cue game", so that I faded it away 2 months ago (maybe we do it once a week now). As a standalone exercise, she knows exactly how to behave, but she fails to generalize it in the "go sniff" setting. Do you have any suggestions on how to face this issue? Another related question: besides the heeling behavior, I'd love to teach Lyra a relaxed walk on leash, not at my side, just not pulling/stopping. Since I failed at that for years, my idea now is to get a reliable heeling and "go sniff", and then somehow transition to a "go sniff while walking". Do you think this is a sensible approach? Thanks so much for all you do for dogs and dog owners.

[@kikopup]

Are you saying when you say go sniff she breaks into a trot or run or fast walk tracking something? Tracking prey slowly is really hard for dogs. One thing you could do is drop treats in the grass sprinkled around and say go sniff and see if she pulls fast to find them or if its just tracking. Another thing you could do is when you cue her to sniff you point out different places for her to investigate near you so its an activity together rather then her just running off into the distance. Dogs will often be interested in what other dogs are sniffing, so what I do is crouch over and point at different bushes that I think other dogs might have peed on. It doesnt help that your dogs legs are so long, as you can imagine a short legged dog can run around in a trot while sniffing. So its easier for them. Feel free to send me some video of the behavior at [e-mail]

[@bhully83]

@@kikopup thanks for your answer. During this weekend I will surely take a video and send it to you ;-)

[@llw04939]

My problem is that I don't know how to not give treats for my dog coming each time. I think he'll quit coming on command if I don't give treats each time! Any suggestions? Edited: I do use the marker word good, I'm just afraid if he learns "good" isn't backed up by anything, he won't come anymore.

[@kikopup]

You can give treats every time for your dog coming, but I suggest changing them up so the dog doesnt know what is expected to add variety to the training. For my terrier when hes marking, I make sure to call him and then as he is running to me tell him he can go back and sniff and pee because he likes to do that more than food, and that keeps his recall really strong when I need him to come away from marking in an emergency. With just food training, he would start to look depressed as he preferred to smell and pee on things than eat the treat. So being careful to reinforce with access to the environment solved that problem

[@llw04939]

@@kikopup Thank you so much! I'll have to work on releasing him from come with getting to sniff again.

[@kikopup]

@@llw04939 Oh you can let the dog get to you feed them and then release them, its just my terrier if far away then doesnt have to run all the way back etc.

[@kyradray4938]

Lol I kept spotting hidden dogs in the video lol 😂

[@dundy96]

Lol... my puppy feels frustrated even before he does the command. He growls and whines when I as him to sit 🤣😂😅😓😪😭

[@kikopup]

Here is a video on that kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6jVZmuJoLmmj68

[@pamthompson9696]

This doesn't have to do with this video but I'm wondering how to stop my dogs from barking when people come in the door. One of them also bites at new people when they come in

[@emilycarr1644]

She has a really good video on that topic on her channel. :)

[@pamthompson9696]

@@emilycarr1644 I didn't see anything but I'll look again