what is the Koehler training?
Printable View
what is the Koehler training?
ownerof3dogs:
Maybe Ryan can explain it better than me.
From what I know, William Koehler was a
well known dog trainer many years ago who trained several animals for T.V. and movies.
He wrote a book on his method of
dog training called "The Koehler method of Dog Training" he also wrote a book I believe on Guard dog training as well.
Part of his method of training is that your dog should be trained so the he will obey your first comand, no matter what temptations or distractions may be present. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif
Continued from above.
Just after the first 4 days using this
method, I no longer have to use a Gentle Leader collar on my male. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif
I think that I'm going to have to get this book and try this training method
Well, I'll have to get info on THAT.Quote:
Originally posted by KYS:
Part of his method of training is that your dog should be trained so the he will obey your first comand, no matter what temptations or distractions may be present. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif
[/b]
"Come" to Hannah means "First think, is there anything else you'd rather do? If not, go to her because she'll give you one of the 'good treats', but as you go, keep your other options open."
[This message has been edited by RachelJ (edited November 18, 2000).]
Teaching the come is very important -- here's how I do it and my JRT came everytime, first call. Call the dog ONE TIME ONLY. If the dog doesn't respond, go to the dog and take hold of the collar (use a treat, if necessary so the dog won't run off -- give a piece of treat if the dog stays) then, taking the dog with you, go back to where you called from and praise the dog all the way there. Act as though the dog did what you wanted and be very vocal about what a good dog he/she was. Then, give the treat and praise some more. You have to make sure that whenever you call your dog to you, you praise and NEVER call the dog to you for any type of discipline or you'll be sending mixed messages. Besides, if you don't catch the dog in whatever act you want to discipline, you've really lost the chance. By the way, something I learned from Barbara Woodhouse's "No Bad Dogs" is to use the word "What".... "What a good dog..." Don't know why, but it seems to impress the praise on them more. Tried it on my cattle dog mix after I read the book and she responded more to that than to just "Good dog." She was pretty hard-headed about stuff (working breeds have to think for themselves so much during worktime), but this really made her sit up and take notice (so to speak). Use this method everytime you call the dog to you (and a long lead, if needed for longer returns) and you'll find the dog wants to come every time. You don't always have to use treats (maybe just in the beginning), but an occasional one is appreciated and keeps the dog interested. You do, however, have to praise the dog like it just won a Nobel prize or something and is just the greatest dog in the whole world. They love it. Consistency is the other key to any type of training, so everyone around the dog must do the same thing. Get down low, clap your hands, encourage the dog the whole way -- whatever it takes, but do not repeat the command. Dogs can count and they will learn how many times you'll say it before you MEAN it, so mean it the first time. That's how they learn to spell, too. Good luck.
I would love to enter my dog in agility... but there are two problems... first, I guess you could say I live in the "boonies" and there are no teams or anything to do with it remotely near us... and second, my dog is a Basset Hound... she can be fast when she wants to... emphasis on when she wants to!!! And I doubt she'd be too good at jumping http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/wink.gif
Hannah is 5 years old and I've had her since she was a puppy. We have practiced the "come command" every single day, inside and outside. Come is about the only command that is almost 100 percent rewarded with a treat, usually the BaaBaa Q's which are her favorite. Yes I have used ALL the principals you have recommmended and in training she does "come" perfectly. The problem develops when she is outside in the fenced back yard and I want her to come in and especially when she has started to bark at some distraction like a neighbor's cat or a squirrel. This is usually at the most inopportune time like first thing in the morning or last thing at night when I am in my pajamas. I call, "Hannah, come", and it is like she is deaf. Here is where I do resort to several calls. Now I am promising her cheese. Then I tell her Tucker is getting the cheese. (Sometimes this works.) If not, I go outside in my bathrobe and gloshes and try to coax her to me. Forget it! As soon as I get close, she zips away. She is still barking at the cat or whatever. Now, I have given up on the "come" and start with "in the house" which is another command she knows. Generally, I get her in after some effort, but this is not what I'm looking for. For three years we did not have a fenced in yard so whenever she was out, she was on a long leash, so "come" was enforced repeatedly. But she has deduced when it can be enforced and when it can't.Quote:
Originally posted by ktreva52:
Teaching the come is very important -- .
I have the same problem with Honey. My yard isn't that large, but she has many places to hide that I can't get to her because of large bushes. I will admit she has been getting a little better about it, but she is not yet up to the standards I would have her be!
Well, I'll try this again. AOL kicked me off just as I was doing this.
You might consider using cat treats to coax the dog inside. The favorite at my house and with many other dogs I've worked with is Pounce Drumstix (chicken and turkey flavors in one treat). It's amazing what dogs will do for this treat. I see two options to the "won't come out of the yard" problems:
A. When you're in a hurry, put her out on a tie-out so you can get her back in more readily. Also, feed her after she's been out so you can show her her feed bowl and encourage her to come eat. This should help on the mornings you are not "dressed" for public viewing.
Option B: I would recommend getting a long lead, such as is used in training field dogs (about 20-30' long) and let her out on it while you stay at the door. Make sure she doesn't get tangled on anything. Then, after she's had time to potty and play a bit, call her in. If she responds immediately, great. Praise and treat. If not, use the long line to "reel" her in, praising vocally all the time she's coming. After a while, when she's responding well to the long line, switch to a light line (like clothesline) and start again. This way, she is less aware of the line and thinks she's free. Also, do you ever do obedience work with her in the yard? It is a way to reinforce the idea that no matter where she is, you are to be obeyed, first time, every time. The trick is to make it more fun for her to come in than anything she finds outside, including the cats or birds or blowing leaves. If necessary, you may just have to take her lead out and hook her up. Always make the trip to the house exciting and fun so she comes to believe that that's the place to be. I've been known to throw on shoes and a long coat and the public eye be darned. My dogs learn that ignoring me is not an option and coming in is great. As I said before, too, only say "come" once. You can encourage her by using "let's go" and such like, but not "come". Use a high pitched voice (baby voice -- you know the kind) and clap your hands and get really excited/exciting and she'll soon get the idea. I hope all this helps.
One last thought: when you go out after her, call her to heel like you would if you were in class or wherever you normally train. This is where working off-lead helps. If you haven't gotten that far, start in the house and call her to heel occasionally and heel her around the house. Then release her. Then, carry the work to the back yard and with a combination of work and consistent patience, she'll be the best dog around.
[This message has been edited by ktreva52 (edited November 25, 2000).]
Quote:
Originally posted by Daisy's Mom:
I would love to enter my dog in agility... but there are two problems... first, I guess you could say I live in the "boonies" and there are no teams or anything to do with it remotely near us... and second, my dog is a Basset Hound... she can be fast when she wants to... emphasis on when she wants to!!! And I doubt she'd be too good at jumping http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/wink.gif
You might be surprised!! The Hurdlin' Hoosiers Flyball team had a basset on the team and while she wasn't the fastest dog on the team, she did the jumps and ran the ball back. Besides, sometimes accuracy is more important than time as missing jumps or missing the right parts of obstacles can add time to a run and make it "more expensive" points-wise. Type in "www.askjeeves.com" (without the quote marks) and ask about agility. You might find something not as far away as you think. If nothing else, there are a couple of good books on the sport (do you have a PetsMart near? I got mine there) that describe the obstacles and how to make them. Then, you start low with all things you can and she should learn the "tricks of the trade" easily enough. I've seen Corgis and Chihuahuas do agility, so, what the heck. It's a lot of fun for you and the dog and reinforces obedience training. By the way, at an event, they'll adjust jumps and pause table for the size of the dog, so it should work. Just start her out slowly and safely and make it fun. Good Luck.
Hey thanks, I'll look around! Daisy is really energetic and would love to do it, I'll see what I can find.
Hey thanks, I'll look around! Daisy is really energetic (well, sometimes!) and would love to do it, I'll see what I can find.
http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif You are quite welcome. My family has really enjoyed the variety of sports with the dogs that aren't your run-of-the-mill obedience/conformation things. Everybody gets so ring sour doing the same stuff all the time. Let us know what you find out and how it goes.
Star, my lab, has been in agility for a month now. In class, we use clicker training and its INCREDIBLE!!! Star is very bright and knows all her commands by hand signal. "Come," however, is the one thing that she will hesitate to obey, at times, if there is anything more interesting!!! Boy, can I empathize with you, RachelJ! I have almost 2 acres fenced in, and it seems that it is ALWAYS at night, or early in the morning, when everyone is sleeping, that Star will start barking at a squirrel, or kitty or whatever. For this "fun" she would just totally ignore my come command and I would be out there in my PJS chasing her; ugh! I started using the clicker method, and now she comes instantly!!! I keep the clicker on my wrist and a treat bag on my belt when we're together in the house and outside, and she gets a click and a treat for each command she obeys. You have to use a really YUMMY treat, and only a very small piece. In class we use low fat hot dogs frozen, then chopped into tiny pieces and microwaved for 8 minutes. All the fat is cooked out and the pieces are sort of dehydrated. Star goes crazy for them. The command is spoken once only; no response, and she just gets IGNORED. Anyway, there's a lot to it, and I can give you the name of a great book on clicker training if you want. There's some great websites on it too. This is the method they use to train dolphins and whales! And Daisy's Mom: There are ALL KINDS of dogs in my agility class: A huge Olde English Sheepdog, Basset, Daschund, older dogs, young dogs, etc. The most important thing is that the dog is being socialized, getting exercise and having fun with her/his person! It's also a great way to build confidence. I would highly recommend it for you and Daisy!