Small steps forward with Sasha

Share your experience and tell us how using positive reinforcement training methods has changed yours and your dogs' lives.

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bendog
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Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by bendog »

I haven't talked much about Sash on this forum because she's my boyfriends parents dog and I have very little say in how she is treated or trained. I walk her, but thats about it.

But they've decided that when we move out we should take her with us because they can't handle her issues (read...they have replaced her with a cute little puppy) so I've started doing a little bit of training with her in preparation.

She's virtually deaf from thousands of ear infections, and my boyfriend has taught her to sit when he folds his arms, but thats the only training she has ever had. Today I got her to lie down!

I haven't managed to pair it with a hand signal yet, we are just using a food lure, but she's never done it before (and she's 7 years old!)

I've also been teaching her to stop barking excessively. Theres a man fixing the fence outside today so I've been treating her everytime she's quiet and pairing it with a finger on my lips to mean "shush"

I'm really impressed with how well she's done and how much more alert she seems when she's actually concentrating on me and thinking. She's normally such a miserable dog.

She does have some hearing, I'm not convinced she can hear speech very clearly, but she responds when I click my fingers so might work with that to get her attention when she's not looking at me, or even try a loud clicker, or a whistle to help train her.

I'm really pleased because pretty much everyone has given up on this poor dog and I think she can be much happier and I'm now looking forward to taking her to our new house where it will be hopefully less stressful for her and I can really start making changes. It will be a lot of work, but now I'm feeling excited about the challenge and I really hope I can help her!
Erica
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by Erica »

Sounds like she's been given the chance to live a happy doggy life! Best of luck with her. :)
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minkee
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by minkee »

Good luck! I just asked in your other thread why Sasha needed to be walked alone and this is probably part of the answer. I don't have anything helpful to add, except that Horace's Mum has a deaf dog, and probably looking through her posts might give you some good ideas as to how to work with Sasha.

search.php?keywords=deaf&terms=all&auth ... mit=Search

Congratulations on the progress so far! :D
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minkee
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by minkee »

For eg. from that search I found this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_kbG_liZ3Y where she uses a blue light instead of a clicker. I'm sure you'll find tons of ways to make it all work, it just needs some imagination, and we know you have the dedications!
bendog
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by bendog »

Thanks minkee, to be honest the reason Sash is walked alone is because of her allergies, she can't go far, and nowhere near grass, so she can't come to many of the places I take the others too. But also it's because also they CAN all walk on a loose lead, that doesn't mean they always do. Bendog particuarly has slipped in this recently since I hardly ever put a lead on him anyway, the puppy is a puppy and so stops and starts and pulls sometimes, and if Sash sees a cat/kid on a bike/other dog she'll go ballistic barking and pulling.

I can handle one mad terrier, I can't walk three on my own all at once!

I think the trick is to figure out just how much she can hear. She seems to hear me click my fingers, which is why I thought a clicker might work. But she doesn't react to voice commands even when people yell at her.

I'm going to need a lot of help from you guys to work through some of the things with her (food aggression towards the other dogs (not people), stealing food from bins/work surfaces, barking at people/dogs/cats going past), but she's actually a very bright dog and she's shown today she can pick up things quickly so hopefully she'll get there in the end.
Fundog
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by Fundog »

That's great. I'm sure Sasha is going to enjoy all the fuss and attention, and respond very well. It will be a lot of hard work for you, but the adventurous side of you is going to thrive on the challenge and experience, based upon what I've read from you so far. :)
If an opportunity comes to you in life, say yes first, even if you don't know how to do it.
JudyN
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by JudyN »

bendog wrote:stealing food from bins/work surfaces... she can pick up things quickly
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Sorry.... :oops:
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bendog
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by bendog »

Haha, funnily enough Judy, your comment did give me an idea! :mrgreen:

I make the usual food dispensing toys for the others (cardboard tubes, kibble wrapped in paper, Kongs etc), but Sash has never bothered with them before. She doesn't play.

Previously I was guilty of just assuming that she's far to mature and grown up for games as she is never interested when Ben or the Puppy try and initiate play with her.

But since she's proved she has a knack for finding food in the most inaccessible places. I've found her on top of cabinets, on the dining room table, etc. Which considering the table is 3x her height is impressive.
It occured to me that perhaps she just doesn't realise that the "toys" which of course she's far too mature to bother with, actually contain yummy food.

So I gave her a kibble dispensing ball this morning, and rolled it round a bit to show her food comes out and after a little false start of trying to chew the hole to get the food out, she started pushing it around with her nose and PLAYING! :D

She then had to guard it from Bendog with an air snap/bark, but he's quite good natured about giving in gracefully so backed off and went back to his apple and yoghurt Kong *(he's on a diet!) quite happily.
She doesn't guard food from people, only the other dogs so thats something to work on too! But I'm really glad she's actually doing something other than sit and sleep or stare out of the window.
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minkee
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by minkee »

Sasha and Poppy (and your boyfriend!) are all very lucky that you have come along, bendog.
bendog
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by bendog »

Thans minkee

Pics of Sash here if anyone is interested http://www.positively.com/forum/viewtop ... 31&t=13290
bendog
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by bendog »

I've posted the pics of Sashas ears on her photo thread.

But more good news this morning. I gave the others a ceral box with food in to play with and Sash jumped straight down to have a nosy.
Normally she wouldn't bother but she's starting to realise that sometimes boxes contain food!
bendog
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by bendog »

Sash came for a cuddle last night!
Only 20 mins or so, but she was wanting to have her head stroked and cuddled up on the bed, she isn't normally sociable at all.
ClareMarsh
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Re: Small steps forward with Sasha

Post by ClareMarsh »

Yay, if you can do that now I wonder what she''ll be like when you move? I bet there's loads of personality inside that little head of hers :D
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