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Breaking: Christie trains a dog
By Christie Keith
December 17, 2009
It’s a dog training breakthrough, and I’m so excited I had to share it with everyone!
As I’ve already confessed, I bought a raincoat for my Borzoi, Kyrie, so that her beautiful glamorous fluffy fur wouldn’t get ruined in the rain. I’m shallow that way.
There was only one flaw in this plan. Although Kyrie would wear her raincoat, even model it for photographs, she resolutely refused to take so much as one step outside in it, no matter how hard it was raining. And getting a 70 pound sighthound to move when she has decided to stand is even more difficult than the virtually impossible opposite.
So I was in despair. But then I remembered… clicker training. “I’ll bet, ” I said to myself, “That I could get her to do this with a clicker.”
And I did! I really did! She went on her evening walk tonight in her coat.
The truth is, I’m not much of a dog trainer. My dogs are always well-behaved, in the sense that they don’t bark and jump and make nuisances of themselves, and they’re housetrained and walk on a loose leash and do what you need to do in the show ring. They’re not, you know, feral or anything.
But more formal obedience training? Both my herding mixes were trained like that, but honestly, training sighthounds in formal obedience makes me want to cry and suck my thumb.
But training a sighthound to do one specific behavior, a very easily defined single action, using a clicker?
Even I can do that.
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Heeheehee! Coercing a sighthound to do anything they don’t want to do is an art form. They just turn that penetrating gaze on you and speak volumes of “Excuse me? Why should I bother?” I swear clickers and treats were invented for just that reason! My friend Renee breeds, shows, races and attempts to train her Bozos in Rally and Obed. Her stories are enough to make you think “why would anyone own one of these dogs?” lol!
Good for you and Kyrie! And in my book, you don’t have to be a ‘dog trainer’with your own dogs. If their behavior works as is for your needs, that’s really what training is all about, isn’t it? The information and assessments you have passed on over the years has been invaluable. So if Kyrie isn’t about to earn a CD, I don’t give one whit! And if there is a pup with your name on it from your deerhound breeder, if you don’t title the pup in anything except a companion close to your heart, I don’t care about that either, as long as you keep writing your great columns and blogs!
Comment by Anne T — December 17, 2009 @ 9:43 pm
So she’s trained you to give her treats before she’ll go outside and has even gotten you to signal when it’s going to happen. Not bad.
Comment by Susan Fox — December 17, 2009 @ 10:06 pm
Awesome!
Isn’t clicker training great?
Still won’t make a beagle have it’s nails trimmed willingly.
Comment by Kathleen Weaver — December 17, 2009 @ 10:12 pm
“2.So she’s trained you to give her treats before she’ll go outside and has even gotten you to signal when it’s going to happen. Not bad.”
And Stanley Coren says Borzois are dumb. Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by KateH — December 17, 2009 @ 10:14 pm
LOL! A feral pony is training me to give her treats when she nudges me. It’s tough since I’m not very bright and put my hand in the wrong place a lot. She has to keep putting different parts of her head(forehead and cheek so far) against my hand but I do manage the click and treat part okay.
Comment by redheather — December 18, 2009 @ 7:29 am
Yeah Christie good going!
Comment by Snoopys Friend — December 18, 2009 @ 9:55 am
Good job, Christie! You did more than you thought you could. Kyrie probably didn’t want to get embarassed in front of the neighbors wearing a raincoat, maybe, but you convinced her with the clicker that she looked entirely appropriate wearing one to protect her beautiful coat.
Comment by Colorado Transplant — December 18, 2009 @ 2:07 pm