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Trainer Confession: My Dogs Don't Know "Sit" | Positive Reinforcement Pet Training Week

2/1/2016

16 Comments

 
Typist: Bethany
It was my first training class with Tynan when I heard the instructor give her speech about the word "sit" for the first time. "You might want to consider using a different word, one that your dog understands as 'this is my trainer cueing me' as opposed to a kid at the park or a clerk at the store ask you dog to do something cute," she urged. Yet in all the times I heard that speech, in classes with Tynan, Wilhelm, Brychwyn, and Huxley, when the instructor would go around the room after asking "what word will you be using?" I only once heard someone say something other than "sit." And, unfortunately, it wasn't me. Now, I have three super smart dogs who can go anywhere and be adored, but not one of them knows "sit."
Trainer Confession: My Dogs Don't Know
Not one of them knows "sit."
One flaw in my dogs "sit" is that I used the word "sit." If I had used any other word, a word that isn't said to them dozens of times a day by neighbors, shop keepers, mail carriers, etc, my cue to lower the tail end may not have been poisoned. But I chose "sit." Yet if I had worked harder in proofing the cue before they heard it over and over again from people all over in our travels, people who rewarded them even if they didn't obey, the cue may not have been poisoned. So my true training confession is that I am terrible at proofing.
proof
/pro͞of/
noun
evidence sufficient to establish a thing as true, or to produce belief in its truth
"The proof that my dog doesn't know 'sit.'"

proofing
/pro͞ofiNG/
verb (in pet training)
gradually increasing distractions on a cue to teach continued response in any circumstance
"I am proofing my dogs 'sit.'"

Trainer Confession: My Dogs Don't Know
Okay. They do know "sit." In their own yard. With a lot of help.
I am not a bad trainer. I am just way more focused on socialization than proofing. Back when I was gung-ho about titles and competitions, I was horrified when a child at the park told my dogs to "sit." Yet, I didn't like horrified trainer me. The being able to take the pets anywhere happily trainer me, even if the dogs don't obey every random "sit" they hear, is a much more fun trainer me. Happy, well-socialized pets matter more to me than perfect, consistently compliant to obedience cues pets. The only exception to this lazy proofing attitude is I insist on a speedy recall and, like all good pet owners should, the pets and I work on it daily. I know that if I gave "sit" a new cue word and the same attention as our recalls, the dogs would learn it in no time. After all, they are smarter than me! I am really the one that does not know "sit."
Just because I am bad at proofing skills doesn't mean you have to be! Here's a great resource on proofing. Do you have any proofing tips to share?
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Welcome to Positive Reinforcement Pet Training Week, February 1st through the 7th, hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Rubicon Days, and Tenacious Little Terrier. This month we are sharing training confessions, raw truths,, good or bad, in our supportive force free training community of pet bloggers and readers. If you are a blogger, link up any positive reinforcement pet training post below. If you are a reader, please share your training stories or questions in the comments. Everyone can spend the week clicking around the links below, learning, sharing, and supporting each others positive reinforcement pet training journeys. The next Positive Reinforcement Pet Training Week begins March 7th. Thank you for joining us and happy training!


16 Comments
Lauren Miller link
2/1/2016 01:43:16 pm

I think that's really interesting. I guess I just don't really care if other people use my cues on my dogs. If someone were to get messed up from someone overusing one of my cues I could easily change it or fix it. Maybe it's because we don't have very many people over and when they go to the pet store they already know to sit for the cashier for their treat? I've never really had them cued by anyone other than a close friend at the park so I guess I just never thought it could be as big of an issue as your trainer said. Hmm.. I do know some people who train their dogs in different languages so no one can mess up their cues or cue their dogs. I guess I just don't really care. LOL

We do a lot of proofing, I have position change drills that I do and I also train them in loads of different places. Most recently I've been training them on the college campus because there are students always running around and it's great for distractions, too!

Reply
Bethany
2/1/2016 02:56:11 pm

If your dog knows the cue, it is proofed, it doesn't matter that someone else gives it! The cue problem happens when people say "sit, sit, SIT!" repeatedly (which happens sometimes several times a day in our busy city neighborhood) and/or reward the dog even the behavior didn't happen (and I don't want to be the person saying "oh please don't pet them when they didn't listen to you ask them to 'sit!'") That's how dogs end up like mine- not sure if they really have to "sit" and certain they do not have to "sit' the first time it is said. Since this is their environmentally groomed attitude towards "sit," teaching them to sit for the cashier (which I would love!) would mean we need a new word that they actually listen to. But I am not sure I care that much either!

Reply
Lauren Miller link
2/1/2016 09:57:41 pm

Oh okay. I think I understand what you mean. I was just really confused before.

Kari link
2/1/2016 02:06:53 pm

Leo will only sit if I have a treat in my hand. It's terrible. Now there's this woman at the dog park who thinks she needs to make all the dogs sit before she throws the ball; other people's dogs. Leo just stares at her.

Reply
Jan K link
2/1/2016 02:24:31 pm

I'm pretty new to this training stuff. All of our dogs knew basics but that was pretty much it until Luke came along. And I had no clue what generalization or proofing meant. I get the ideas now, but I haven't really done much proofing so far. Luke and I do most of his trick training downstairs, away from his sisters, but when he does finally get something down, I will move it to different locations in the house to be sure he's got it. But it doesn't often make it all the way outside or to other places. I'm glad to hear I'm not completely alone in that! But it does give me the idea that it's something we can do outside when he gets bored with playing ball. I just need to remember to take some treats outside with me!

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Tenacious Little Terrier link
2/1/2016 04:01:15 pm

I am also terrible at proofing. It usually works out because I take Mr. N with me everywhere and we train all over but I don't consciously think about it much. He's iffy about listening to other people unless they have food.

Reply
Dachshund Nola link
2/1/2016 04:40:01 pm

I do a lot of proofing, especially with cues heavily involved with Nola's photography (down, sit, stay, look here, chin on paws, watch me, ect). She doesn't listen to anyone but me anyway, haha.

I so agree about happy pets vs titles! In the beginning, I really wanted to have a slew of titles on Nola. Living in the middle of nowhere, and then realizing what a joy it was to have a happy, stable dog, made me ease off on the idea of titles. She has her CGC, a leg towards her RN (though I plan on finishing that this year), but beyond that...I'd rather travel with a happy dog than title a nervy dog.

Reply
Jodi link
2/2/2016 06:41:27 am

I'm not good at proofing myself, so I get it. I find (like you) that so many times people (and sometimes myself included) say the cue too many times. Of course, I don't blame my dogs, it's my fault for not reinforcing properly and proofing my cues.

Reply
Emma link
2/3/2016 03:58:27 am

I think it really is only important what is important to you. You can't be 100% with everything. Times change and so does what really matters. Our sit is pretty good, but it's more important to us to be good at nose work or tracking right now, so we work more on that. There are only so many hours in a day. Totally obedient dogs are rather boring, no challenge ;) I'm sure yours would be back to sit on demand with a tiny bit of work.

Reply
Elaine link
2/3/2016 09:52:20 am

This is such an interesting post! I haven't been the best at proofing either because Haley's always been a pretty excitable dog. She easy to manage though and I'm not worried about her being perfect either.

Reply
Pamela link
2/5/2016 07:56:06 am

I have two fails related to sit. One is that I taught it so well it's Honey's default behavior all the time. But on the boat, I need her to stand so I can pick her up and carry her to the cockpit. Unfortunately, every time Honey senses I need something from her, she sits.

Now I'm having to teach her to stand. :)

And my issue with other people is that they tell her to sit, she does, and then they get mad at her for popping back up. I tell them she did what they wanted. But if they wanted her to stay, they should have said so.

Unfortunately, it's harder to teach stupid humans than it is to teach smart dogs.

Reply
Meghan link
2/6/2016 08:49:15 am

I've just been changing my dog's sit cue because I screwed it up! I paired it with "pretty"--sitting up, of course!--constantly for a long time, and Nala loves that trick so much that she started deciding that all sits must be pretty. So I trained a tuck sit from scratch, and I'm calling it "asseyez!" I'm pretty sure it won't get poisoned by strangers here in Texas!

Reply
Lara link
2/9/2016 07:12:14 am

Proofing is a big challenge for Ruby because she is so overstimulated outside the house. I am lucky if she checks in with me at all. Boca's repertoire is much smaller than Ruby's but as long as I have treats she is happy to show me what she knows wherever we go! I did have a very proud moment at Ruby's annual exam last year: she did several of her tricks for the vet (with the vet asking)!

Reply
Cathy
2/16/2016 08:47:24 pm

So not allowing people to tell your dog to sit is going to make them under socialized nervy messes? Nope. I tell people "Please don't give my dog commands". Problem solved. I've never had anybody make an issue out of it and I simply walk away if they continue to go "siiiit, siiiit, siiiit". My dogs know "Sit". People going "siiiiit" and waving a cookie in front of my dogs face irritates me. My dogs don't really get cookies from strangers anyway. If they're going to be rewarded for a sit it comes from me.

Reply
Bethany
2/17/2016 04:13:29 pm

Nothing could make my dogs under socialized nervy messes! I am the one that became an anti-social freak when constantly looking out for anything that might spoil my dogs perfect obedience training. So I stopped being so picky! I am no longer after competition ring behavior. Instead, I love that we are an awesome therapy dog team! I want my dogs to obey other people. I want them and me to be friendly (however, treats from strangers are politely refused- my dogs don't work for treats, never have. Treats are not allowed in competition rings, which is how we started our training, and therapy dogs can't have treats while working!) Better rewards than ribbons and titles, and even treats, is that we make everyone we meet smile, "sit" or not!

Reply
Talent Hounds link
5/10/2016 10:00:46 am

We looked at how socialization is the fundamental key for molding a puppy into a friendly and calm dog later in life. No wonder your dogs are so well trained.

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