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How to teach a boundary cue
Posted on February 5, 2010
I have just recently come across a new blog that I just love. Because it inspires me.
So far I thought my dogs are doing pretty good, they got their basic obedience down, they are very managable and know one or two tricks just for fun. Well, it is probably needless to say that there is more than just “shake” and “roll over”. But most of the tricks I saw in books so far seemed rather silly and I kept forgetting that even working on a silly trick is another step towards that perfect bond I aspire.
Laura Waudby keeps a blog, The dogs are really in charge, to share her training experiences with her two dogs Lance and Vito and most importantly to keep track of them for herself. She shares her training goals and updates regurlarly how those plans are coming along. And lots of her “tricks” aren’t so silly after all. One that I found last week is actually super handy and I’m totally going to start teaching it to my dogs. It’s the boundary cue, which tells the dog that they cannot cross a certain boundary (into a room, out of the yard, etc.).
Here is how to teach it:
1. Start at a threshold or someplace where there is a very clear boundary that the dog can actually notice. Differences in flooring makes this much easier. The smaller the space the easier as you can easily guard a doorway but will have a harder time using the entire front yard vs. street. If your dog does not know how to patient while you open a door, then start at a threshold with no door or start with the door already open!
2. With your dog’s attention on you and good treats in hand, step across that boundary and immediately pivot in front of your dog so that your dog is on one side and you on the other. This should have been easy, so immediately click and toss a treat behind your dog so he has to run away from you to go get it. Click again while he is still in the other room and hasn’t yet raced back to you and throw that treat someplace else. Throwing the treats encourages your dog to move around and shows him that you are not wanting a formal stay. Repeat this a few times just to give your dog the idea that the good stuff happens in the other room. You should still be right across the boundary so your dog should have zero interest in trying to squeeze by you.
3. Now start moving away from that boundary line, just a few steps, but keep clicking and throwing treats before your dog gets to the boundary. You simply want to introduce your movement into the picture but are making this extremely easy for your dog to do.
4. Start delaying the click. You are still very close to the line, less then 5ft, but you aren’t going to be constantly chucking treats into the other room. This is where your dog is going to start to experiment and will likely cross the threshold. I simply body block the dog back across the line. If you want to you can use your no reward marker, but remember you can’t get upset since your dog doesn’t yet know what you want. Just think of yourself as a hockey goalie and your job is to prevent the dog from going forward. As SOON as your dog starts to think of moving forward, lean your body in to counter act. Still click and toss the treat behind him for not crossing across the boundary.
5. If this is a boundary you eventually want your dog to be invited in, release your dog with an “ok!” (or whatever word you use) and invite him in with your body language. I usually don’t give a treat at this point since I want to be rewarding the actual waiting on the other side rather then the freedom from it.
6. Once your dog is doing pretty well at this short distance and easy boundary, you can start to add a cue. I say “wait” and then my hand signal is my index finger held straight up at the heavens. Since this is a duration behavior you can occasionally repeat it, but I try to avoid that since eventually my dogs do 20 minutes plus waits and I want the responsibility to lie on them without the added reminders.
7. Make it harder! Work on the 3 D’s: distance, duration, and distractions. Remember to only work on one thing at a time so if you are starting to drop treats across the boundary, remain very close and reward often. At any time the dog goes across the boundary, body block him back over. But if the dog is screws up twice in a row then you need to make things easier.
Here are distractions I work on: food dropping, playing with another dog, training another dog, dogs walking by, people walking by, and the door bell. And of course I slowly add in distance to being out of sight and time until about 20 minutes.
8. Generalize. If you have only been practicing from the kitchen to the living room, then take this cue on the road! Work it in different rooms, at the pet store, outside on walks, your front yard (use a long rope for safety) etc. Also try to do it randomly without any of the normal context. Can you get your dog to suddenly wait while you are carrying up laundry from the basement?
Are you as excited about this new cue as I am? If so, make sure to check her post on the topic to get a little additional advice from her personal experience.
Thanks, Laura!
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