#stacktrick2018

[cynological]

Dogblr Ring Stack Trick Challenge

Run out of things to teach your dog? Need a party trick? Or just want to challenge your shaping skills?

$5 at Walmart buys you a toddler ring stacking toy, soon to be filled with tooth marks (mine doesn't have the top ring because it was full of very noisy beads and I was tired of hearing them as my dog threw it at me).

There are no prizes, because I'm poor because everyone is at different levels of skill, and I honestly want this to me more about bonding with your dog and learning than solely competitive. Your prize is now having a cool trick to show off.

Now this one can be a tough one, so don't get discouraged if it takes a while. Give yourself a goal of about four weeks, for some it may take longer, or it may take a shorter amount of time. My dog is clumsy and uncoordinated and REALLY enthusastic, so it is taking a little while to work on being calm and not just throwing the rings at me/the stand.

Here is a break down of behaviours to shape:

-Touch the ring.

-Pick up the ring

-Bring the ring near the stand.

-Touch the stand with the ring

-Touch close to the top with the ring.

-Drop the ring into the stand.

Some tips:

-Either hold the stand yourself or nail the stand to a board. It wobbles, which will make your dog less successful. You can fade it out later if you really want to, but for now, make sure it stays still.

- I initially taught all rings at once, but it resulted in a lot of misses and was much more difficult for the dog. My suggestion is to teach one ring at a time. Start with the largest first. When your dog is consistently placing it, move to the next size up. Each size requires a slightly different way for the dog to place.

-The way I have been teaching this is by having my dog work for his dinner, with occasional treats thrown in for variety. Less motivated dogs may need something more interesting than kibble.

-Keep sessions short! If your dog is successful, throw a party and STOP THERE. End on a success. As your dog gets better, you can push, but in the beginning, don't push your dog too hard. Don't fall into the "Just one more" trap.

-I found using a clicker in the very beginning more helpful than my verbal marker. Once my dog understood that he had to put the ring through the stand, I switched to my verbal marker.

-Use your resources! Check out shaping on youtube. You may even find a tutorial on how to teach this if you're more of a visual learner. If you've never done any shaping before, 101 Things to Do With a Box is a great introduction.

Have fun with it and post pictures/videos of your progress! If enough people show interest and participate, we may do another one next month with a different trick.

#stacktrick2018 #dogblr #dog tricks #i love stupid pet tricks you have no idea #eventually there might be prizes but i dont want people to get discouraged if it takes them longer to teach it in a set amount of time