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Thursday, April 09, 2009

Crate Games update


Well it was raining today! So I spent about 1.5 hours working on our first try at Susan Garrett's "Crate Games". Zaz and Itz both got through to Stage 3 in under an hour which was good. I won't try to explain the DVD but just make a few comments on our first try.

I used a wire crate that both pup had not been in before. I could see them easier than in their regular hardshell crates. I am not sure how to continue holding "criteria" with their regular sleeping crates. Dennis gets the pups up to feed them in the morning and it might be too much to ask him to deal with watching to see if the pups sit first ect. so early in the morning. Do I get up and do this for a few weeks? Ughhhh. I think I just got myself into a pickle.
Some thoughts:
  • I should have had more treats! I had hotdogs but really how many hotdogs can you feed one little sheltie puppy? I added some Burns fish treats to cut down on the hot dogs. In hindsight I should have picked up some more cheese and chicken to cut up. But I was determined to do this today and didn't want to run out to the store!

  • My back hurts from all the bending!

  • According to the DVD the pups are supposed to go into a sit when you put your hand on the crate. I was unsure about how to get this to happen especially since Zaz has more of a default down. So it took longer to get her to figure out to pop into a sit. She was offering me downs and spins! She got there eventually but there was some frustrating barking on her part. I know I could have lured her into a sit or used a command but I wanted to follow the program though as described on the DVD as much as possible.

  • Both pups once in and went through to the "yer out yer in" stage pretty easily once started. The trouble was getting them to come out on a release cue. I obviously haven't worked their release word very much! So I am happy to have realized that and hope that this game will improve their understanding of a release word.

  • The personality differences in how the two pups worked through this was so interesting.

So there you go; we are up to Stage 3 but I am not really sure how to progress now. I think I will move the crate into different rooms and work with each pup on distractions for a few days adding "yer in yer out" once or twice a session? Then move onto "collar grabs"? Any ideas?

I am feeling quite "anorak-y" doing this! (see if the Americans can figure out that term?) :-)

Zaz and Itzy had another swim session yesterday. Photos to come!






5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello !

Hope to see a video of them doing that game.
And what was the benefit of this training ?

regards !

Margit

Diana said...

So of course being an American, I googled the word. It said it meant being like a nerd or geek and then went on to say "obsessive". Am I close? Diana

Sara said...

The only anorak I know of is the jacket type. I had one from LL Bean. Don't see what that would have to do with crate games :)

Guess, I'll have to go hit google like Diana!

Sassydogs said...

eek .. yes .. word of warning on the hotdog front. Sassy ALWAYS get cystitis if she eats Hotdog sausages. I don't know if she is just particularly sensitive, but I find she can't cope with them ...
great to keep up with your updates on the pups, even more so after meeting them at the UKA show the other weekend.
Sue
x

Mary-Anne said...

"a person, typically a man, who is an enthusiast interested in information regarded as boring or unfathomable by the rest of the population. The best known explanation of the term, is the use of anoraks (a type of rain jacket) by train spotters, a prototype group for this seemingly unfathomable interest in detailed trivia."

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anorak_(slang))

LOL!!!