Text by: David Harris
Video and Training by: Cindy Jacobs
Featured puppy: Gus von Prufenpuden
www.vonjacobs.com
To teach a complex behavior such a bark on command your puppy will need a solid understanding of the conditioned re-enforcer. Remember the conditioned re-enforcer is a sound (verbal or click) that the puppy associates with the arrival of a primary (food or toy) re-enforcer. Without the ability to re-enforce verbally you will find it difficult to TIME your reward quickly enough to communicate what behavior you are trying to reward. Late timing is the beginning trainer’s most common problem. Attempting to reward after the behavior is completed will not work for this behavior. You must be able to reward the puppy immediately upon doing the behavior if she is going to learn quickly.
There are many, many ways to get a puppy to make a sound. Try different methods of inducing a bark. Sometimes you will need to tie the puppy to something secure. Back away
with a toy or food and tease N freeze. The teasing builds excitement and the freeze builds frustration. If you keep moving and moving and teasing your puppy may just look at you like you’re crazy. But, when you get them excited and then freeze still they will make some type of movement to try and reanimate you. When they do, click and reward. Any type of behavior that leads towards barking should be rewarded in this initial stage. Bowing down is a common precursor to barking. Just like when puppies are playing with one another. Whining and yipping should be rewarded at first and then slowly you ask the puppy for loader and louder barks. Very quickly your puppy will catch on if you begin by rewarding small steps rather than expecting the puppy to come out with a loud BARK on your first training session.
Shaping methods take small steps and builds towards the completed performance.
Good luck and have fun.
View “Teaching the Bark on Command Video here:
David Harris
http://www.animalresortstc.com
1 response so far ↓
1 David Harris // Jun 12, 2009 at 9:33 am
Missy writes:
Ruger caught on to Bark lastnight with a little help from Bil-Jac.
But now he thinks he should bark everytime I give him a command. What
should I do to correct this?
My reply:
It’s very common that pups start to think doing behaviors randomly will get them treats. Teach him better. Let him bark his fool head off, then once he shuts up click and treat. Immediately start working on laying down for at least five seconds once you get him quiet. Once he is quiet work on all the commands he knows for a few minutes and then go back to the bark on command and start over. We need the command to be on cue. On cue you get rewarded, off cue you get ignored. Sometimes I even have to walk away from a pup that is sure barking is the answer to opening the treat jar. Be patient. He is trying and he is learning. When you have a pup that isn’t trying you have something to worry about. Not when they are trying to hard.
Keep up the good work.
David
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