February 26, 2019

Red light, green light!

A little while ago I posted on my Facebook page about Bellatrix and her step. She puts her front paws on an Ikea step and stands still while I brush her. If she gets off the step, I stop. I call it red light, green light.

A client asked how I trained this so I thought that I would put it into a blog (thanks Muriel x).

A few of you know that I am studying Canine Proprioception. Proprioception is the awareness of a being’s body in relation to the environment. When we have good body awareness, we are less likely to injure ourselves. So, since BT was 8 weeks old, we have been working on proprioception.

One of the behaviours that I like to train is ‘paws up.’ This means that whatever I point at I want my dog to put their front paws on. This is helpful as they age so that you can lift their butts into the car or bath. I try to train for behaviours before I need them!

So, with a puppy, it is a good skill for balance and coordination for them to put their front paws on a step. Just make sure that the step is no higher than their elbow. You can use a lure or target to get them up there, reward many times then target them off after giving them their release cue. I work on this maybe every few days and I build duration as the first skill. There is no reason that you need to add distance to this behaviour but I do add distraction in the form of ‘accidentally’ dropping rewards near the step and rewarding the pup when they keep up their end of the bargain by remaining on the step. This idiot proofs my dog as I often drop rewards when I am training, oops!

Separate to this paws up behaviour I work on my pup being still for brushing. At first, I don’t actually brush for a result, it is purely a training exercise. I build duration at first and calm behaviour from the pup. If there is any biting of the brush or my hands I know that I am pushing too hard and I need to go slower and reward more. I work on this until my pup knows the game (be still and don’t bite brush or hands and get cookies!!) then I put the 2 exercises together.

So, puppy is cued to get on the step, I brush maybe 2 strokes then reward. I repeat this, trying to not allow the pup to get to the point of hopping off the step yet (plenty of time for that later) and I reward generously. You can NEVER spend too much time on foundations. I know, they are not as sexy as the more snazzy behaviours that are a bit more advanced but you will reap the benefits I promise.

When I put the step on the ground and the pup launches onto it and stands proudly while I brush, I know that I can brush for a little longer now. Bellatrix has only said ‘no’ by getting off the step a few times and this was around the time she was coming into season. She doesn’t want to be brushed right now so I don’t do it! I usually do this exercise as part of her afternoon training session which lasts maybe 15 minutes with most of that being play (tug and fetch with rules).