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I have my dog's attention when training weather there are treats present or not. It's not something I 'trained' per say, it's just the connection I seem to have with them that makes them want to participate in everything we do together. I don't need to remind them to pay attention, they're already eager and ready to go.
Of course food helps to sharpen that which is already there, my dogs are not above wanting some hot dog pieces and they sharpen up their responses just a tad more if they know I might be packing yummies. lol
I usually pack some sort of food treats when we work on competition stuff. Precision heeling, dumbell retrieves, etc. These behaviors are optional, they aren't required for survivial, they're something I ask the dog to participate in and I want them to really enjoy it. So sure, they get some treats when they perform extra well and I use that to shape their responses toward that ultimate goal.
Anyway, I don't NEED food to get or keep my dog's attention. I CHOOSE to use it in certain situations because I want to enhance the experience for my dogs.
So it doesn't really matter if they have a full stomach or not. Our basics don't require food, and I can get a retrieve, off leash recall or whatever else without any food needed.
They work for me and pay attention to me because they want to, because they enjoy it, food is just iceing on the cake.
Of course food helps to sharpen that which is already there, my dogs are not above wanting some hot dog pieces and they sharpen up their responses just a tad more if they know I might be packing yummies. lol
I usually pack some sort of food treats when we work on competition stuff. Precision heeling, dumbell retrieves, etc. These behaviors are optional, they aren't required for survivial, they're something I ask the dog to participate in and I want them to really enjoy it. So sure, they get some treats when they perform extra well and I use that to shape their responses toward that ultimate goal.
Anyway, I don't NEED food to get or keep my dog's attention. I CHOOSE to use it in certain situations because I want to enhance the experience for my dogs.
So it doesn't really matter if they have a full stomach or not. Our basics don't require food, and I can get a retrieve, off leash recall or whatever else without any food needed.
They work for me and pay attention to me because they want to, because they enjoy it, food is just iceing on the cake.
1) Neither. I use treats frequently and they might be too distracting on a really empty stomach. I don't want them to be full either though. I usually feed a meal a few hours before training.
2) I keep training sessions short and fun. My dogs are pretty attentive to me most of the time but treats are definately a bonus in high distraction environments.
2) I keep training sessions short and fun. My dogs are pretty attentive to me most of the time but treats are definately a bonus in high distraction environments.
If it's going to be a long session (an hour of agility, an obedience class etc) I train on an empty stomach. Not because I have the dog's attention better when they're hungry (actually quite the opposite with Ripley. When he's hungry, he's all over the place) but because by the time we're done with our practice, they're full. I reward them almost CONSTANTLY with new behaviors, so they pretty much get a meal and a half in treats. :yikes:
I've done a lot of attention training with both of them. Dakota's is pretty good, Ripley's sucks (I need to go back and re-train) With Dakota it takes a refresher at the beginning of every session. Call his name, reward for eye contact until he gets back into the habit of looking at me when I say his name. If I lose his attention and he starts sniffing, I just turn around and RUN the other way. His instincts take over and he freaks out (his two-legged sheep is escaping!) and after that he usually doesn't let me out of his sight.
I've done a lot of attention training with both of them. Dakota's is pretty good, Ripley's sucks (I need to go back and re-train) With Dakota it takes a refresher at the beginning of every session. Call his name, reward for eye contact until he gets back into the habit of looking at me when I say his name. If I lose his attention and he starts sniffing, I just turn around and RUN the other way. His instincts take over and he freaks out (his two-legged sheep is escaping!) and after that he usually doesn't let me out of his sight.
depends. i do usually take them to class on an empty stomach, luce especially, because she is so freaking reactive that i need all the help i can get in a high-distraction environment. mushroom is extremely food-driven so training with him on an empty stomach can sometimes cause him to get so food-oriented that he can't concentrate on working.
focus is very very hard for luce. very hard. she is SUCH a reactive wingnut of a dog. you can stick steak right on her nose and she won't notice, she's too busy going WAHOO?! what's that?! OOH OOOH what's THAT??!! LOOK SHINY!!!
it's hard and it's very frustrating. i have put countless hours of attention work on this dog with our dog-desensitization and she's still a flake.
she will often work better for a tug, especially if i can use it to get her amped up *before* i need her to focus. if i ask her for a quick sit or a quick down or a stupid pet trick, reward it with tug, and then go run a rally course or whatever, i often have much better results.
focus is very very hard for luce. very hard. she is SUCH a reactive wingnut of a dog. you can stick steak right on her nose and she won't notice, she's too busy going WAHOO?! what's that?! OOH OOOH what's THAT??!! LOOK SHINY!!!
it's hard and it's very frustrating. i have put countless hours of attention work on this dog with our dog-desensitization and she's still a flake.
she will often work better for a tug, especially if i can use it to get her amped up *before* i need her to focus. if i ask her for a quick sit or a quick down or a stupid pet trick, reward it with tug, and then go run a rally course or whatever, i often have much better results.
It depends on what time. I feed between 5-7pm. So if we are going to agility/ob class, it's an empty stomach. If we go up to the school for off leash play/training, it's usually after he's eaten (I wait at least an hour before any hard exertion). I don't use treats in training, only toys. I use a tug at agility/ob class, and a ball or frisbee at home.
For attention, it's strange. When we are at class, he's right on me the entire time- like he knows it's time to work. When we are at the school, since our training is based on him getting his frisbee or ball, his attention is on me. At home when we do stuff, I will make a click sound to get his attention. He loves to play ball, so unless I want to throw the ball hundreds of times while I'm sitting in my chair, I will make him do a long, long down/stay before I release him for the ball- 15-20 minutes at times. I don't expect him to keep his eyes on me that entire time, so I'll click to get his attention, then release him to go get the ball.
For attention, it's strange. When we are at class, he's right on me the entire time- like he knows it's time to work. When we are at the school, since our training is based on him getting his frisbee or ball, his attention is on me. At home when we do stuff, I will make a click sound to get his attention. He loves to play ball, so unless I want to throw the ball hundreds of times while I'm sitting in my chair, I will make him do a long, long down/stay before I release him for the ball- 15-20 minutes at times. I don't expect him to keep his eyes on me that entire time, so I'll click to get his attention, then release him to go get the ball.
T
1) Empty. My dogs are fed only once a day, at that is at night after our training classes.
2) Usually my dogs are already pretty focused on me. I always try to keep their attention, though at our training classes that can be hard. When the classes are too long and very monotonous, I'm constantly having to teach new, simple tricks on our downtime to keep my dog's attention. Specially for the terriers and Marq. I also have an attention word, which is "watch me". If they get distracted, this is the command I use to regain their attention. But admittedly, because of the training classes, I can't always hold my dog's attention the entire time during obedience training, and this hurts our training. Luckily, though, because I work so many dogs(five in one class) and alternate them very frequently, this keeps my dogs' attention so we can make progress in agility.
When I took my dog to training classes the trainier asked us not to feed the dog before going to class as the dog would train better on an empty stomach. The problem I now have with my dog is that she wont do anything unless there is food for a reward, she is so food driven.
keeping her focused is a real struggle as well, we started off training in the house where I can keep her attention, however as soon as we are outside then she loses it, there is just to much for her to take in, smells, noises, etc, so we keep it to the yard and the drive, sometimes we venture to the park or the pet store, but the key thing I have found is consistency and paitence.
keeping her focused is a real struggle as well, we started off training in the house where I can keep her attention, however as soon as we are outside then she loses it, there is just to much for her to take in, smells, noises, etc, so we keep it to the yard and the drive, sometimes we venture to the park or the pet store, but the key thing I have found is consistency and paitence.
C
We always work the dogs on an empty stomach. We do not use food as a training tool all of the time. We use the dogs true focus. By getting the dog to work on me. My movements and my attitude is what is most and for most important. When the dog does okay there is a reward. Ball through and or a bit of rag work maybe a treat.
When we get too intent on something we do not want the dog to get tortion or flip the stomach. So we just feed early in the morning unless we are training in the morning.
Mind you my dogs are always hungry even if they are fed. They just love to eat
When we get too intent on something we do not want the dog to get tortion or flip the stomach. So we just feed early in the morning unless we are training in the morning.
Mind you my dogs are always hungry even if they are fed. They just love to eat
R
My dogs eat once a day, in the evening.
I generally train later in the day, so they work on a pretty empty stomach.
I use food when training.
You can see how that is working for me here:
http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37495
I generally train later in the day, so they work on a pretty empty stomach.
I use food when training.
You can see how that is working for me here:
http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37495
R
You can open very easily a free account at http://www.photobucket.com
When you upload there, it gives you the image tags, and all you have to do is cut and paste them here.
And since I have an excuse, let me insert a little brag....The bitch you see in the clips is a multi BIS UKC CH/AKC CH, (all owner handled) and has her Rally Novice and ATTS TT, so far. She will have a long list behind her name before we are done.
When you upload there, it gives you the image tags, and all you have to do is cut and paste them here.
And since I have an excuse, let me insert a little brag....The bitch you see in the clips is a multi BIS UKC CH/AKC CH, (all owner handled) and has her Rally Novice and ATTS TT, so far. She will have a long list behind her name before we are done.
I don't plan training on an empty stomach with my own dogs.
With other peoples dogs, it really depends on the dog and the training. A lot of my work is done in private (in home) training sessions, I'll often have the owners hold off on dinner for the dogs until I've come and gone if the session is around the dinner hour. I also hold all of my GROWL classes at 4:30 on weekend days so that the dogs come to class prior to dinner (more motivated), due to the nature of the class and the extreme need for a super positive experience and high value rewards.
For puppies I always recommend training using the first handfull of each meal (kibble). This ensures that the owners practice for at least 5 minutes at every meal...hooks them into a minimum of 2-3 short practice sessions daily when the pup is most motivated to learn. I find that owners can ALWAYS fit in that amount of practice and I don't hear the "I didn't have time this week" excuse anymore because I've built it into their day for them.
Of course it depends on what motivates the dog. A small percentage could care less about food and the "tug" is a more valuable reward. I would train on an relatively empty stomach for those dogs due to the bloat risk anyway...just to be safe.
With other peoples dogs, it really depends on the dog and the training. A lot of my work is done in private (in home) training sessions, I'll often have the owners hold off on dinner for the dogs until I've come and gone if the session is around the dinner hour. I also hold all of my GROWL classes at 4:30 on weekend days so that the dogs come to class prior to dinner (more motivated), due to the nature of the class and the extreme need for a super positive experience and high value rewards.
For puppies I always recommend training using the first handfull of each meal (kibble). This ensures that the owners practice for at least 5 minutes at every meal...hooks them into a minimum of 2-3 short practice sessions daily when the pup is most motivated to learn. I find that owners can ALWAYS fit in that amount of practice and I don't hear the "I didn't have time this week" excuse anymore because I've built it into their day for them.
Of course it depends on what motivates the dog. A small percentage could care less about food and the "tug" is a more valuable reward. I would train on an relatively empty stomach for those dogs due to the bloat risk anyway...just to be safe.
I do a lot of my training right around dinner, since there is more motivation on the dog's part, I know I have the time like Dr2 mentioned, plus, there's a huge reward for them waiting at the end, so they're more eager to get it right.
My agility classes were run on an empty stomach since we used so many treats/rewards that the dogs were pretty full by the end. But for the most part, as long as I've got a decent treat in my hand, the dogs will perform regardless of whether or not they've just eaten.
My agility classes were run on an empty stomach since we used so many treats/rewards that the dogs were pretty full by the end. But for the most part, as long as I've got a decent treat in my hand, the dogs will perform regardless of whether or not they've just eaten.
Alone, she's a love and pays attention to me very, very well. I think we're finally entering that stage where there's a real partnership. In class, or with other dogs around, it's a different story. Sometimes being hungry seems to work, but sometimes she just doesn't seem to care. If she's tired out a little before class, that works sometimes. And sometimes, not.