Beer anyone?

[SplishSplashCrash]

This is what dog trainers do on their day off!!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NJP6GpKT6lo

[MickeyD'sMom]

Sarah:
That is the funniest thing I have ever seen! I wish we could train our dog to do that!

[Emmie1020]

Great Job Crash!!!! Love it...

[SplishSplashCrash]

Thanks guys!!! He loves to do it soooo much.

Teaching cue discrimination (when to do it and when not to) was the funny part. Crash was bringing me beer after beer!!! I had a stack of like 10 on the couch. My dog is going to turn me into an alcoholic!

[PrinceAndyFlores]

U guys r 2 cute!

[Samifolks]

That was great. I wish we could teach Sami to do that :)

[SplishSplashCrash]

That was great. I wish we could teach Sami to do that :)


Its really not that difficult! You just need a dog that is sorta clicker savvy, knows how to retrieve or you can teach it, likes to play tug (which most Splash dogs do!), knowing target or touch might help, and then you just shape it.

First I taught open the fridge, then retrieve beer, and then close fridge seperatley. Then I slowly put it all together. :)

[Chase]

Wow! Very cute and impressive!

That is actually my biggest fear; that Chase will FIGURE OUT how to open the refrigerator. He stays in the kitchen while I am gone (has a doggy door to get outside), and if he knew how to get the refrigerator door open, I would be in BIG trouble. He has a huge appetite and would eat everything in sight.

However, since you are obviously a superb trainer, how do I stop Chase from tearing up the newspaper when I am on the phone. He will be sound asleep and if I get on the phone he gets so jealous that he runs into the bedroom and gets the newspaper and takes it into the living room and completely SHREDS or EATS it. The entire thing! If he cannot find the newspaper, he takes all of my things (shoes, pillows, clothing, toothbrush, etc) and puts them in a pile outside. It is hard to deal with the issue while I am on the phone.

Any suggestions!

Brooke & Chase

[Stanley]

Sarah:
That is the funniest thing I have ever seen! I wish we could train our dog to do that!

I dare you to train Mickey D to open the fridge.

[MickeyD'sMom]

Do I have stupid written across my forehead? Okay so I admit we tried last night with a beer can (did not start with the frig) and he tried to drink the beer! Well the apple does not fall far from the tree!!

[BOcephus]

That is way tooo cool Sarah!!!
BOcephus wants nothing to do with aluminum cans at all ever since the swimming incodent!! As we were swimming across the river I tossed my unopened beer in front and swam to it then toss again well BO beat me to it once. When he grabbed it it EXPLODED in his mouth!! Did not like that what soever!!

But I would really love to train Rrrufus or Loki to do that. If you would like to offer a few tips I would be most Grateful!!

Stan,
Mickey D opening the Fridge at will???
Just the thought of watching him doing that at will, then Jim or Sandra trying to deal with it is sooo funny..........
But not THAT funny Sandra :)

[renegade]

OK, I've been slowly (VERY slowly) working on this trick with Renegade. I keep getting side tracked and keep changing how I want it, but this motivated me to get working on it again.

Ren now opens the fridge using the dish towel and I finally gave up on the idea of him butt checking the fridge closed and opted for a paw to shut it (trying to be fancy and save the extra trip back to close it). I don't have him getting anything out of the fridge yet, but that'll be easy since he's got a pretty solid retrieve/hold any object already trained. Today I had him opening and closing the fridge pretty well. Going to add an object in his mouth while he closes the fridge with his paw next and then last add in getting it out of the fridge. Last piece will be to add in the distance with me on the couch instead of in the kitchen. We don't have any beer in cans and I don't want him carrying glass bottles around so it'll probably be a retrieve a water or gatorade bottle trick...

[SplishSplashCrash]

That is way tooo cool Sarah!!!
BOcephus wants nothing to do with aluminum cans at all ever since the swimming incodent!! As we were swimming across the river I tossed my unopened beer in front and swam to it then toss again well BO beat me to it once. When he grabbed it it EXPLODED in his mouth!! Did not like that what soever!!

But I would really love to train Rrrufus or Loki to do that. If you would like to offer a few tips I would be most Grateful!!


Ok so funny you should mention the can exploding. Soooooo I practiced this behavior all day with Crash. My roomate comes home and I am dyyyyyyyyying to show her!!! I have her stand off to the side so she doesn't distract Crash. I sit on the couch, ask Crash to get me a beer, he goes to the fridge and gets it and on his way back to me it explodes and sprays my roomate, the wall, and the couch!!!! Figures. :) So after she cleaned up I showed her the video as proof!!!

As far as tips:
Clicker, clicker, clicker!!!!! It is amazing the benefits it has.
Work on solid retrieves
Target or touch
Tug
Then just start shaping little parts at a time

Helpful articles:
www.clickertraining.com
www.clickersolutions.com
www.4pawsu.com

[SplishSplashCrash]

OK, I've been slowly (VERY slowly) working on this trick with Renegade. I keep getting side tracked and keep changing how I want it, but this motivated me to get working on it again.

Ren now opens the fridge using the dish towel and I finally gave up on the idea of him butt checking the fridge closed and opted for a paw to shut it (trying to be fancy and save the extra trip back to close it). I don't have him getting anything out of the fridge yet, but that'll be easy since he's got a pretty solid retrieve/hold any object already trained. Today I had him opening and closing the fridge pretty well. Going to add an object in his mouth while he closes the fridge with his paw next and then last add in getting it out of the fridge. Last piece will be to add in the distance with me on the couch instead of in the kitchen. We don't have any beer in cans and I don't want him carrying glass bottles around so it'll probably be a retrieve a water or gatorade bottle trick...


Yeah I would love the butt slam, but its just not something Crash wants and I don't want him to use his paw cause he takes down all the magents and then proceeds to bring them to me :) But we are working on opening the fridge, getting, the beer, closing the fridge, and then bringing it.

[renegade]

I agree with Sarah - clicker training!

If your dog is comfortable with offering behaviors and the concept of shaping it's not that hard of a trick. Also, break it down into little pieces (i.e. retrieve an object, open the door, close the door) and teach each piece on it's own. If you don't have a retrieve trained, you can break that into pieces too (take the toy, hold the toy, release the toy, slowly add in a bit of distance and bring the toy and last add in the go to the toy part).

The links Sarah provided are a good start - there are also some good clicker training books available at: http://www.dogwise.com

[MickeyD'sMom]

MickeyD ate our clicker!

[Team Chloe]

Chloe doesn't go get the beer...but....she loves taking the empties over to the trash compacter. We are working with her to open the trash compacter. She takes the junk mail, beer cans, soda cans, newspapers, bottles...anything we want her to take there she loves to do. Just need to get her to open and close the compacter....she also retrieves her toys from her toy box and takes them back when it is time to clean up.

Isn't it fun teaching dogs parlor tricks!!!

[SplishSplashCrash]

Isn't it fun teaching dogs parlor tricks!!!

Oh but they are sooooo much more! Nothing beats having a true working dog, and boy do they love to work! Wether it's jumping off a dock or bringing beer it is so great having a dog that works.

[huklbre]

That was great Sarah!

[SplishSplashCrash]

Thanks. Now we are working on searching the house and alerting for intruders! HAHAHAHA.....

.....Man I really need a mal, my poor lab! :)

[Emmie1020]

Are you making any Videos of the New training??.. LOL...:)

[SplishSplashCrash]

Yeah. I will be. Right now we are working on Crash's bark and hold and then we will put it together with the search.

[renegade]

Ok, I'm going to try to find the video camera tomorrow (and try to remember how to pull video off it onto the computer too).

My get the beer trick still involves a lot of traffic directing by me, but it's quite hilarious...

Ren opens the fridge, Zack gets the gatorade bottle out of the fridge and takes it to my husband, Ren closes the fridge (usually after Zack gets the bottle out, but sometimes he gets excited and closes it too quickly), and then Jasper recycles the bottle after Keith is done. The amazing thing is that Ren isn't running around grabbing the bottle from Zack and Jasper! He's staying focused on opening and closing the fridge (OK, sometimes he tries to do both at once which had me rolling on the ground laughing - he had the dishtowel in his mouth tugging it open while he had his foot on the door pushing it closed)