Cmaentz
12-02-2008, 07:29 AM
Hi Everyone! I'm the newest member so probably the most enthusiastic about training Boris. I'll try to make this post concise (and not my usual novels!)
Boris is walking in a parade 12/6/8 and it just dawned on me that maybe he wouldn't appreciate the colorful Christmas blanket I made for him. Sure enough, he wouldn't even allow me to drape my coat over him!
I tied him to a post, got some animal crackers and my clicker and started to desensitize him to having something on him. He HATED it. He made the strangest noises and would not stay still. So I held the coat about a foot from his face and as soon as he made a move to sniff it, I clicked and gave him a cookie. It took all but 3 shots to get him to get with the program.
Then I started rubbing my coat on him and when he stopped moving, I clicked & cookied. Again 3 to 4 shots and he was immobile. Then I got him to cush and draped the coat. That he didn't like but I held my end and when he stopped complaining and trying to get up I clicked & cookied!
Within 20 minutes I was sliding the coat all over him and he didn't budge. The I got him walking with the coat and he was like an old pro - never looked back at it! We took a short walk (too many hills here to walk a good distance), visited a neighbor for graham crackers (she was out of carrots), came back - cushed him and then gently straddled him (without putting my weight), he was fine so I clicked and cookied again.
I moved the coat all over him, his back, his neck, his face... he didn't react at all!
I got off, let him cush quietly then made him come up (that took a minute or two), clicked and cookied again.
I'll give it a try again this afternoon and will keep you posted!
Boris is walking in a parade 12/6/8 and it just dawned on me that maybe he wouldn't appreciate the colorful Christmas blanket I made for him. Sure enough, he wouldn't even allow me to drape my coat over him!
I tied him to a post, got some animal crackers and my clicker and started to desensitize him to having something on him. He HATED it. He made the strangest noises and would not stay still. So I held the coat about a foot from his face and as soon as he made a move to sniff it, I clicked and gave him a cookie. It took all but 3 shots to get him to get with the program.
Then I started rubbing my coat on him and when he stopped moving, I clicked & cookied. Again 3 to 4 shots and he was immobile. Then I got him to cush and draped the coat. That he didn't like but I held my end and when he stopped complaining and trying to get up I clicked & cookied!
Within 20 minutes I was sliding the coat all over him and he didn't budge. The I got him walking with the coat and he was like an old pro - never looked back at it! We took a short walk (too many hills here to walk a good distance), visited a neighbor for graham crackers (she was out of carrots), came back - cushed him and then gently straddled him (without putting my weight), he was fine so I clicked and cookied again.
I moved the coat all over him, his back, his neck, his face... he didn't react at all!
I got off, let him cush quietly then made him come up (that took a minute or two), clicked and cookied again.
I'll give it a try again this afternoon and will keep you posted!