# Early puppy training videos



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

OK, as promised, here are two puppy training videos, more appropriate for both young puppies and adult dogs who haven't had much training.

The first is just attention exercises, the "name game" and the "two cookie game":


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Karen - these are really helpful videos. Thank you for sharing! I like the idea of her going under your leg to get her to go down. Is that method considered "luring"? When you do the game where you throw the cookies to the side, I noticed you did not use the clicker at all. I was surprised by that. I can see how Panda is learning to focus on you. I'm going to try these games with Willow.


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## mekdean (Nov 27, 2015)

Thanks for sharing those Karen. I've been slacking on Maisy's training and vow to get more regular with it so I will see how Maisy and I do with these. I feel badly about it because it's such a disservice to the whole family. She is capable of so much more than I've done so far!

By the way, Maisy completely loses her mind when I play one of your videos. She races around, jumps on my lap, wants to see the screen and figure out where that puppy mom voice is coming from. And then when your dogs make sounds too, she talks back to them. Pretty funny!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Karen - these are really helpful videos. Thank you for sharing! I like the idea of her going under your leg to get her to go down. Is that method considered "luring"? When you do the game where you throw the cookies to the side, I noticed you did not use the clicker at all. I was surprised by that. I can see how Panda is learning to focus on you. I'm going to try these games with Willow.


Yes, teaching a down under your leg is definitely luring, but most methods to teach a down are. The only way to teach a down with a clicker (and I did this with Kodi) is to "capture" it with the clicker. But that means being very observant, all day long, with a clicker on your wrist so you can grab it in a split second, and clicking every time you see the dog go down on their own. It works very well, but takes longer than luring.

Another method of luring that works with many dogs is to hold the cookie in your hand, and with the dog standing, move your hand backward between the dog's front legs until they fold down to get the cookie. Then click and release the treat to them. This works great with a lot of dogs but can be tough with short legged puppies, who have the ability to get their head WAY down between their legs without folding up their joints! 

There are lots of times when a clicker is a HUGE help in training a dog, and there are other times it's of little or no help. You need to figure out what it is you want to click and how it makes sense to deliver the treat. In the case of the "two cookie game", where would you click and why? It's a game all about attention in motion, so you want to keep the dog moving. If you click when the dog turns back to you, then it's really no different than the "name game". If you click when the dog takes the cookie, you're encouraging them to do something they want to do naturally anyway. (no need)

Clickers are a WONDERFUL tool, but they are only one tool in the tool box of a competent trainer... even one who wants to stick to all positive methods. There are some "clicker trainers" who do ONLY clicker training, using "successive approximations", but these people tend to work with wild animals that can't be safely touched or handled, either for the sake of the animal or the trainer. Most positive trainers, (including the author of your book, it seems, since I think you said she suggested kick starting the dog's interest in the box by dropping a cookie in it) are a bit more pragmatic about it, and use a combination of non-force methods to teach the dog what they want them to learn.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mekdean said:


> Thanks for sharing those Karen. I've been slacking on Maisy's training and vow to get more regular with it so I will see how Maisy and I do with these. I feel badly about it because it's such a disservice to the whole family. She is capable of so much more than I've done so far!
> 
> By the way, Maisy completely loses her mind when I play one of your videos. She races around, jumps on my lap, wants to see the screen and figure out where that puppy mom voice is coming from. And then when your dogs make sounds too, she talks back to them. Pretty funny!


Yeah, and you can hear in the background of the Panda videos that the other two are not AT ALL happy that I'm in the training room, working with that little whippersnapper!


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## Laurmann2000 (Sep 12, 2015)

Karen thank you for posting these videos. I'm bookmarking them for my future pup. Two questions. 1) I'm not clear on what the two cookie game is for? What is its purpose? 2) What is a tuck sit vs. a "corgi" sit?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Laurmann2000 said:


> Karen thank you for posting these videos. I'm bookmarking them for my future pup. Two questions. 1) I'm not clear on what the two cookie game is for? What is its purpose? 2) What is a tuck sit vs. a "corgi" sit?


The two cookie game becomes the start of recalls. The pup moves away from you to get the first cookie, when you say her name, she orients back to you, then follows the cookie thrown in the opposite direction. Eventually, you can use this to send the dog away to work on fronts, to learn to jump back and forth over jumps, etc.

Most people who learn pet obedience, learn to lure the puppy's head back with a cookie until the puppy's rear end sort of collapses into a sit. The problem with that sort of sit in competition is that the dog moves back as he sits, which puts him out of position during set-ups, finishes and halts during heeling. For a tuck sit, you lure the puppy's face up and forward, so they have to reach up and scoot their back feet up close to their front feet to sit. (You can see Panda doing this in the video) This type of sit, when it becomes automatic, means the dog will stay in position when he sits in front or heel position. So that much is true for ALL dogs.

Corgis have a peculiar way of sitting because of their long backs and very short legs. Instead of sitting on their hocks, they sit on their butt, with their whole short leg extended forward, without even flexing the hock joint. (I suspect that Dachshunds and Dandy Dinmonts probably have this same issue)

Not all Havanese puppies "Corgi sit"... Neither of my others did. Kodi had a bit of a "sloppy sit", but he didn't stick his feet out in front of him the way Panda does. Pixel always had a pretty little tuck sit, but she's one of the most athletic Havanese I've ever met. But Panda isn't the only one I've seen do it. In the case of normal, healthy Havanese puppies a "Corgi sit", is an issue of lack of maturity and core strength. ...Like a child who slumps rather than sitting up. At this point, Panda needs to be reminded that this isn't the way I want her to sit. Honestly, there would be no reason that she'd HAVE to change this habit (her dam did it too, because she was never taught not to) if she weren't going to be a competition dog. But it's an ugly way to sit. With her longer-than-Corgi-legs, she ends up looking like Thumper the rabbit when she sits like that! :laugh:

Already Panda is starting to offer tuck sits automatically fairly oftn, but without reminders, she rolls back into her "Thumper" pose.  she'll get it! I am also doing other core strengthening work with her, which will help her stay strong and protect her joints when she's old enough to start jumping and doing other agility obstacles. I work her on a balance disk and other FitPaws equipment. Right now, she is mostly standing or sitting on them (which is STILL a lot of work for a baby!) But as she gets stronger and more coordinated, I will start having her do all position changes plus circling left and right on the equipment. I use these for Kodi and Pixel too, though Pixel is such a strong, agile little monkey that I think it's more for fun than anything else with her!


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## Lisa T. (Feb 5, 2015)

Thank you Karen. Wonderful videos.


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

Thanks, Karen, for taking the time to do these videos. Very helpful. May I ask what treats you are using for Panda in those videos?


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## Momof2pumpkins (Nov 14, 2015)

Thanks so much, Karen! These are really great videos. My kids will get a lot out of these as well. They have been doing some reading of the training books Pam recommended, but seeing video helps them to get a better understanding of what they're reading (clicker timing is a good example). Are you using kibble or do you use high value treats for these exercises? Can you suggest some treats that are easy to carry and break into small bits?

Thanks!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> Thanks, Karen, for taking the time to do these videos. Very helpful. May I ask what treats you are using for Panda in those videos?


I THINK I was using Happy Howie's turkey roll, but if there is one thing I could convince you guys of, it's that there is no "magic training treat". I use a LOT of different things.

The important criteria. For training treats are:

*Must be able to be cut up small
*Must not be crumbly
*Must be soft enough that they can be swallowed without a lot of chewing
*At least some need to contrast with the floor color so the dog can find them if thrown

And of course

*the dog must like them enough to be willing to work for them.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Momof2pumpkins said:


> Thanks so much, Karen! These are really great videos. My kids will get a lot out of these as well. They have been doing some reading of the training books Pam recommended, but seeing video helps them to get a better understanding of what they're reading (clicker timing is a good example). Are you using kibble or do you use high value treats for these exercises? Can you suggest some treats that are easy to carry and break into small bits?
> 
> Thanks!


Plese refer to my other post about treats. But to add to that, being able to deliver treats quickly and accurately is a BIG part of effective training. For that reason, "breaking" treat foods up is not anywhere near as effective as cutting them into appropriately small cubes ahead of time. These are much easier to handle than randomly sized torn-up treats.

Kibble can be used as a quick go-to "pocket food" for when you want to reinforce some behavior on the fly, but it is too hard (which means it takes too long to chew) for serious training sessions.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Karen, I love watching you work with your dogs. Keep the videos coming!
Quick question: Do you have any photos of Panda around the 4-5 week stage? She looks like she might have similar markings to one of the pups we're looking at (the one we're leaning toward), and I am curious to see what she looked like before she really fluffed up. The puppy has face markings that are kind of unique, and I haven't been able to find any examples of what he may look like as his fur begins to grow out.


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

Zoe can do the first exercise but when I call her to come and sit for the treat, she comes up and sits in front of me just briefly enough for me to give her the treat, but then stands to eat it. She's very quick with this, giving me a momentary sit but quickly abandons it and stands. I do not use the clicker because I find it too loud and disturbing, and besides, in an emergency I may not have the clicker but will always have my voice. Any suggestions? I hate to withhold the treat because then she looks confused.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KarMar said:


> Karen, I love watching you work with your dogs. Keep the videos coming!
> Quick question: Do you have any photos of Panda around the 4-5 week stage? She looks like she might have similar markings to one of the pups we're looking at (the one we're leaning toward), and I am curious to see what she looked like before she really fluffed up. The puppy has face markings that are kind of unique, and I haven't been able to find any examples of what he may look like as his fur begins to grow out.


Here are a few. In the first photo, she's on the bottom right, in the second far right, in the third far right. The photo in my sig. is at 8 weeks.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Regarding training treats, I've been using Natural Balance Mini Rewards. I can cut each one into quarters even though they are small to begin with. They don't crumble and are chewy.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> Zoe can do the first exercise but when I call her to come and sit for the treat, she comes up and sits in front of me just briefly enough for me to give her the treat, but then stands to eat it. She's very quick with this, giving me a momentary sit but quickly abandons it and stands. I do not use the clicker because I find it too loud and disturbing, and besides, in an emergency I may not have the clicker but will always have my voice. Any suggestions? I hate to withhold the treat because then she looks confused.


Well, first of all, there are many different types of clickers, and they not all loud. Some are very, VERY quiet. Second, you would NEVER use a clicker "in an emergency" anyway. The clicker is never a cue to do something. It is to mark a behavior IN TRAINING, so that the dog knows what they did right. Clicker training is one of the most effective training methods we have available to us. You handicap yourself in training if you're not willing to put this tool in your "training tool box".

That said,clickers are not particularly useful for building duration. But "doggy zen" is! That is at about 1:45 on the video I posted. If you don't deliver the cookie until your puppy stays seated, she will quickly learn to stay put! 

And I should add that for the "name game" exercise, there should be no requirement that the puppy sit. I actually toss the cookie on the floor, so that she turns away from me to get it, then orients back when I say her name. I have no expectation that she be in any particular position... just that she look at me when I say her name. That's all that game is about. You want to be careful in ALL training, but especially with puppies, that you split the behaviors you are looking for up into small pieces. That way they learn more quickly and don't get confused or frustrated. I don't WANT my dogs to think that saying their name means that they are supposed to sit. I actually don't want them to think that it means "come", either. I precede a voice cue very often with their name. I want them to hear their name, give me their attention and (eventually) think, "Oh! She's going to ask me to do something!"


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

Oh no, I don't expect her to sit for the name game. I simply call her from random rooms in the house and give her the treat when she comes. As far as the sit longer, thanks for the tip. She is holding it a little longer for me now. Problem is now that I worked with her today she is pestering me to do more! I can't win. ):


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> Oh no, I don't expect her to sit for the name game. I simply call her from random rooms in the house and give her the treat when she comes. As far as the sit longer, thanks for the tip. She is holding it a little longer for me now. Problem is now that I worked with her today she is pestering me to do more! I can't win. ):


Oh! OK!

A puppy that wants to work and learn is a good thing!


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

OMG! I had to sneak out of the house and take a walk. When I came back in she started to follow me and would sit in front of me for a very long time. Naturally, I had to get the treats back out and do the exercises again. Should I do this with her when she asks, or is she training me!!! :smile2:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> OMG! I had to sneak out of the house and take a walk. When I came back in she started to follow me and would sit in front of me for a very long time. Naturally, I had to get the treats back out and do the exercises again. Should I do this with her when she asks, or is she training me!!! :smile2:


She might be training you a LITTLE bit. But it's great. If she were my dog, I'd go with it. But I like a dog who wants to learn!


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## michelleho (Oct 7, 2015)

Hello Karen, I have reading along and looking at your photos when I realized I have Panda's brother from Nauti havanese. His name is Meeko and his coloring is very similar to Panda's !!! Not sure how to download pictures onto the forum but I will try to figure it out. He is the best little guy ! Michelle


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## Raffi'sMom (Jan 25, 2016)

Karen, I am so glad you posted these and answered so many questions. I just began training this week. I don't plan to compete but I want a well mannered dog. These are so helpful. Ant tips on getting Raffi to take the food more calmly?


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

O.K., thanks, Karen. At night, all she wants to do is fetch balls. My husband taught her to retrieve it back to him, so he has to throw it while we're watching TV. Your puppy training videos are very helpful and appreciate them if you have time. Thanks!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

michelleho said:


> Hello Karen, I have reading along and looking at your photos when I realized I have Panda's brother from Nauti havanese. His name is Meeko and his coloring is very similar to Panda's !!! Not sure how to download pictures onto the forum but I will try to figure it out. He is the best little guy ! Michelle


Welcome, and congratulations! who is Meeko's dad? Buda or Cab? Panda is a Cab puppy. (Her litter name was Mona) there were so many puppies in the litter that it was hard to keep them straight, but I do remember that there was a boy that looked similar to Panda. ...and yes, plese post pix!!!

Are you local? If so, PM me with your email address. We have Havanese play dates a couple of times a year, and I'll make sure you get notified!

I'll see Elizabeth later this morning at Puppy K, so I'll tell her we "met". Maybe I can get her to join the forum!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Raffi'sMom said:


> Karen, I am so glad you posted these and answered so many questions. I just began training this week. I don't plan to compete but I want a well mannered dog. These are so helpful. Ant tips on getting Raffi to take the food more calmly?


Yes! Work on the "doggy zen" exercise. He doesn't get the food until he backs off and waits politely. It's important not to pull your hand back, just keep it closed so he can't get the cookies. If you pull it back, it becoes a game. It's his job to figure out that the way to get the cookies is to wait politely.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> O.K., thanks, Karen. At night, all she wants to do is fetch balls. My husband taught her to retrieve it back to him, so he has to throw it while we're watching TV. Your puppy training videos are very helpful and appreciate them if you have time. Thanks!


Again, that's exactly the kind of attitude I want to see in a competition dog... But it might be a bit much for pet people. 

YOU control the ball. When you've had enough, say, in a cheery voice, "That's enough!" (Or whatever you want, just be consistent) and put the ball away. Give her a stuffed kong or other chewy, and tell her to settle (again, the specific word is not important, consistency is. If she settles, (it might take a few minutes for her to wind down from an exciting game, especially as a puppy) fine. If not, put her in her crate or expen (with her Kong or whatever) until she FOES settle, then let her out.

You do have to be a bit careful with really ball-driven dogs, because the behavior can be come OCD-ish. Make sure she can have fun doing it, but you control the length of time, and call an end to the game.


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## michelleho (Oct 7, 2015)

Meeko's dad is Cabernet and he looks a lot like Cabernet. Elizabeth has been great and we were so happy to find her. We live near Albany ny-wish we were closer-keep us in mind though -we can always take a ride !! Please say hello to Elizabeth for us. This forum has been very helpful-especially when we have tough days it is good to see it's all normal and tomorrow will be better !!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

michelleho said:


> Meeko's dad is Cabernet and he looks a lot like Cabernet. Elizabeth has been great and we were so happy to find her. We live near Albany ny-wish we were closer-keep us in mind though -we can always take a ride !! Please say hello to Elizabeth for us. This forum has been very helpful-especially when we have tough days it is good to see it's all normal and tomorrow will be better !!


Moses and Mynas joined Panda for Puppy K this morning, and they had a great time. Panda has the "Cab face" too. The boys seem to be outstripping Panda size-wise... They are both about a pound ahead of her weight wise... Which is GOOD as far as Elizabeth and I are concerned, since we hope to show Panda in conformation as well as performance sports.


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## Momof2pumpkins (Nov 14, 2015)

Karen, do you alter the amount of food (kibble) you give your pups based on how many treats they get during training on a given day? If so, how do you determine the amount? Thanks in advance for answering all my newbie questions; you are awesome!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Momof2pumpkins said:


> Karen, do you alter the amount of food (kibble) you give your pups based on how many treats they get during training on a given day? If so, how do you determine the amount? Thanks in advance for answering all my newbie questions; you are awesome!


Well, my guys get kibble in the morning (because my husband likes to feed them, and doesn't want to fuss!) and canned at night. Canned works better for adding supplements, which I do. They all get probiotics, then each get what ever other supplements I or the vet think will benefit them. Most are powdered, so they stick better to wet food. I'd feed them wet food AM and PM if it weren't for Dave.

The puppies both get as much as they will eat in the evening. Pixel is at that skinny adolescent stage, and Panda is growing fast. If they finish all their food, I'll give them a bit more.

With Kodi, I've learned, over time, how much food he needs at meals with the amount of food we need for training. That remains pretty stable, since I train a lot. It's also not important that they get an exact number of calories on a daily basis. (just as with people... unless you're on a strict diet, where you watch every calorie, you probably at a lot more calories one day than you do the next)

Kodi is the only one whose weight I have to keep an eye on at this point. I adjust his intake based on weighing him at the vet's office. If he's gained some, I reduce his supper a bit. I like to keep him right about 17 lbs.

The girls are both a lot smaller, but eat more. They all get a 1/4c of good quality kibble in the morning. Kodi get's about 1/4 can of wet in the evening, and the girls split the other 3/4. On any one night, one girl might not finish, and I let the other one have the left overs if she wants it. Kodi never gets leftovers. 

They DO almost always get some veggies that I set aside from our supper (which they LOVE) and about 3 days a week, they split a scrambled egg.

Honestly, I would prefer to use a freeze dried of fresh food, but Kodi has allergies and needs a limited ingredient diet. Nature's Variety has several limited ingredient formulas that are available in both kibble and canned. The Limited Ingredient Duck agrees with him, so that's what they all eat.


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

O.K., Zoe can do the find-me game, the puppy zen, the heeling (sort of, she's on my side but not in the perfect heel position), the stay, then come, sit (I think it's a nice square sit), and now we're ready for more puppy video's when you get a chance! I know how busy you must be with 3. Thanks ):


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> O.K., Zoe can do the find-me game, the puppy zen, the heeling (sort of, she's on my side but not in the perfect heel position), the stay, then come, sit (I think it's a nice square sit), and now we're ready for more puppy video's when you get a chance! I know how busy you must be with 3. Thanks ):


I'd start working on more duration on the stay, and I wouldn't call her from it, but return to her to release her. She needs to be able to sit in heel position and in "front" position (almost touching your toes) Have you worked on down yet? She needs to learn that too. Can she do all these things without a lure? Can she stay in a sit AND a down, depending on which you ask her to do?

Heeling takes many, MANY months to attain precision, so I suspect you're not REALLY there yet. Same is true of solid stays (of any duration) and reliable recalls under distraction.

If you can do all these exercises in your kitchen, it's time to "take the show on the road. Start taking her other places and asking her to work with distractions. I think you will find that it takes a LONG time to be able to get all these skills reliable, on cue, and solid is heavily distracting environments. Then... just when you're patting yourself on the back, she'll become an adolescent, and "forget" everything she ever knew. 

There is a reason that most serious competitive obedience people don't put their dogs in the ring until they are at least 2 years old.(sometimes older) It really takes a LONG time to get these skills solid, and generalize them to other environments.


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

O.K., thanks!
A lot to work on. It looks like you wouldn't give us an "A" yet, and nothing gets done without that treat!!! I can't imagine her ever doing anything "on the road" and without treats. So definitely a long way to go but it's good to have a target. :smile2:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> O.K., thanks!
> A lot to work on. It looks like you wouldn't give us an "A" yet, and nothing gets done without that treat!!! I can't imagine her ever doing anything "on the road" and without treats. So definitely a long way to go but it's good to have a target. :smile2:


Start by just doing "the name game" and "the two cookie game" when you start practicing in different locations. If all you can get is for her to look at you to start with, that's fine. Work on it for 2-3 minutes and stop. And "different places" can start just as different rooms in your house, or the back yard instead of the front yard.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Oh, and practice hand targeting too... That's another great game for attention, and also becomes a great motivator in itself.

And it's W A Y to early to even THINK about reducing cookies at this point. HOWEVER, you SHOULD start using them as rewards, not lures.


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## Laurmann2000 (Sep 12, 2015)

krandall said:


> The two cookie game becomes the start of recalls. The pup moves away from you to get the first cookie, when you say her name, she orients back to you, then follows the cookie thrown in the opposite direction. Eventually, you can use this to send the dog away to work on fronts, to learn to jump back and forth over jumps, etc.
> 
> Most people who learn pet obedience, learn to lure the puppy's head back with a cookie until the puppy's rear end sort of collapses into a sit. The problem with that sort of sit in competition is that the dog moves back as he sits, which puts him out of position during set-ups, finishes and halts during heeling. For a tuck sit, you lure the puppy's face up and forward, so they have to reach up and scoot their back feet up close to their front feet to sit. (You can see Panda doing this in the video) This type of sit, when it becomes automatic, means the dog will stay in position when he sits in front or heel position. So that much is true for ALL dogs.
> 
> ...


Thanks for explaining all this. It's so fascinating learning all this stuff. I think my bulldog had a Corgie sit.


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

krandall said:


> Oh, and practice hand targeting too... That's another great game for attention, and also becomes a great motivator in itself.
> 
> And it's W A Y to early to even THINK about reducing cookies at this point. HOWEVER, you SHOULD start using them as rewards, not lures.


Thanks, Karen. Definitely a lot to work on. And yes, I have been using the treats as lures, so I guess I will try to phase that out and just wait.


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

Thanks! That makes sense. The problem is I may have to use a very long leash to work outside. Right now it's not properly fenced in for her and I have been walking her back there for fun only where we jump over logs, etc. on leash.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> Thanks! That makes sense. The problem is I may have to use a very long leash to work outside. Right now it's not properly fenced in for her and I have been walking her back there for fun only where we jump over logs, etc. on leash.


Yes, obviously you need to, first and foremost, keep her safe! It's pretty cold for us to work outside yet, but if I WERE working her outside, Panda would be on leash too. I prefer a very light weight 6ft nylon leash when working with a small breed puppy. then you can just stand on it, so the puppy can't get away, but you also have your hands free.

We were at a different training facility this morning working with our older dogs, and most everyone had a baby with them too. (some up to about a year old, but puppies none the less) In between our turns in the two rings, we worked the puppies in the (generous) space outside the rings. Even though we were inside a building, it wasn't safe to have the puppies loose, so we all worked them on leash, standing on a leash or at very least dragging a leash, depending on their level of reliability.


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