Capturing

[Melissa_W]

Hey guys! I'm a first time clicker trainer, so bear with me.

My dog will not lure into a down position, so I'm trying the capture method. So, every time he lays down, I click and treat. I confess, I can be kind of impatient. So, I'm wondering, how long does this method usually take? He doesn't seem to get it quite yet...

 

[dr2little]

Hey guys! I'm a first time clicker trainer, so bear with me.

My dog will not lure into a down position, so I'm trying the capture method. So, every time he lays down, I click and treat. I confess, I can be kind of impatient. So, I'm wondering, how long does this method usually take? He doesn't seem to get it quite yet...

Can you describe your luring attempts?
Maybe I can give you some suggestions with different luring exercises.
Capturing can be fantastic...but it can also be a bit slow..

 

[whatszmatter]

put the treat in your hand, make a fist, and put it flat on the ground. Wear a thick leather glove if you have to, caues your dog will lick paw and scratch at it to get it, sooner or later it will put its belly on the ground, click and open your hand, works very fast.

or put into a sit, and bring your hand down and into the dog, they will naturally follow it down and put their belly on the ground. (not all dogs know they are naturally supposed to do this however).

I prefer just making a fist and dropping it, I can croutch down for quite a while till they figure it out.

 

[Melissa_W]

Basically, I show him I have a treat, and then lower it to the ground and cover it with my finger. He may lick or paw at my hand for a second, but then he stands there stares at me like he has absolutely no idea what I'm doing. He will stand and stand and stand. I wait and wait and wait. Eventually, he gets bored and wanders off. I am using liver treats, which he loves, but they are very small pieces...

He's a smart dog, he learned to sit very quickly... But down seems to be more difficult for me to teach him... but my training skills aren't the best. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[RD]

Try sitting down with him, with one leg propped up high enough so he could crawl through (but not so high that he could walk through) Put a treat on the floor beyond the tunnel that you've made with your leg, and cover it with your finger so he can't snipe it in a moment of desperation. Also be prepared to block him if he tries to go around it.

Most dogs will lie down or crouch in order to get the treat. If he still won't put his belly on the ground, then gradually reinforce him for the behaviors leading up to down. If he wants the treat, he'll have bent his elbows and lowered his head. That's a start. When he finally hits the ground, jackpot. Make it abundantly clear that this is what you wanted him to do.

I quickly fade the nonstop feeding for the down once the dog understands the behavior I want. I also quickly remove the "tunnel" with my leg as soon as the dog understands that he'll get the treat by lying down.

You can also use capturing, I've tried it before with a shelter dog and it worked, but it took ages.

 

[dr2little]

Basically, I show him I have a treat, and then lower it to the ground and cover it with my finger. He may lick or paw at my hand for a second, but then he stands there stares at me like he has absolutely no idea what I'm doing. He will stand and stand and stand. I wait and wait and wait. Eventually, he gets bored and wanders off. I am using liver treats, which he loves, but they are very small pieces...

He's a smart dog, he learned to sit very quickly... But down seems to be more difficult for me to teach him... but my training skills aren't the best. Let me know what you guys think.

Both RD and whatsz had great suggestions and beat me to the punch.

One thing that I would add is that some dogs (shelties in particular) are pretty sensitive and don't like any obstacle in their way or anything touching them during luring. I have found that when dogs do what you have described above, the under the leg (as in RD's post) can work really well...as long as he's not suspicious..

You might also try having him sit in the corner of the room with his butt close to the corner or just against a wall and instead of luring with the treat down and then towards you, try taking the lure from his nose to way in between his legs so his head goes down and in towards his tummy. This kind of takes him off kilter (without touching him) and makes lying down the most comfortable thing for him to at that moment. Then drag the treat along the ground and forward to complete his (all 4 points touching) down...click and reward!

Even though he loves his treats, I would probably use something new and different that he only gets for this behavior that he's having a bit of a struggle with. Maybe try little peices of lean meat for his "down" to make his payoff really mark his success!

As for capturing, you may want to loop his leash to your belt loop so that you can CAPTURE all of his downs more quickly. I find that if you have a dog teathered, they'll lay down much more often (a little boring following us humans around everywhere in the house ) and of course you can be ready with your Click and Treat as you go!

 

[Melissa_W]

Thanks guys! I will try your suggestions and let you know how it goes.

 

[Melissa_W]

Oh, you were right dr2...

I got out some meat, and he would have stood on his head to get it. By sitting him against the wall and putting the meat between his legs like you said, I was able to lure him down. Thanks!

 

[dr2little]

Oh, you were right dr2...

I got out some meat, and he would have stood on his head to get it. By sitting him against the wall and putting the meat between his legs like you said, I was able to lure him down. Thanks!

Whoot..Whoot:hail: Good Job!!!