Shikokus learn so fast!!!
Kenzo pulled on the leash at first, but already on day two with just a few corrections he has learned to move at just the right pace. He always watches my legs to keep in rhythm and looks back when he wants to go a little faster. If he gets ahead and is corrected he will look and wait until i catch up.
Impressed at how fast they learn!
Impressed at how fast they learn!
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We have found they respond very well to clicker training and the "touch" technique [where you train them to touch your hand w/ their nose] too.
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All the Nihonken are smart and fast learners. Each breed learns differently tho.
Shikoku seem to have an easier time problem solving than, say, a Shiba. They also learn very quickly from other dogs. Our Shikoku will see us teach a dog to do something, then later our Shikoku will offer that behavior to us. Most of Ahi's early training she learned from sitting in a training class and just watching the other dogs [we signed up to late to get in the class, but the trainer let us sit in for socialization].
Akita are extremely astute at reading a person's body language and seem to have a balanced, steady, train-ability. They are easy to train to do most anything and each thing you train them to do they learn at the same rate as the last thing. They also offer behavior quicker than our other dogs.
Kona, our Kai, he is a hard one to train. It's hard to motivate him, but once he is motivated he learns things even faster than our Shikoku. He also is a very dedicated worker - teach him a routine and he will perform that routine w/o asking him to do so perfectly - as long as the routine is fun for him [like chasing birds off our property, or piling sticks in an area - he moved 25% of the tumble weed I had to clear last summer - good little helper].
Our Shiba are funny. They learn very fast, but only if it's worth it for them. lol. "Oh, if I sit you will give me some love - ok I'll sit all the time"... "wait, I have to lay down now for attention? Forget that, I'll just sit, ok?"... The trick with shiba is to make it fun, they LOVE games. Shiba also like negative attention, which is kinda strange when training them early on. You have to ignore things or they will learn that doing "x" means you pay attention to them.
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My two shiba are the same as Brad described. They are attentive and will do their commands IF there is something in it for them! And I have noticed the negative attention thing as well. If Sake REALLY wants something and I don't give it to her and then she sits or lays down for it I do give it to her she realizes she just has to listen and sit and I will give her what she wants instead of freaking out barking at me for what she wants (because then she doesn't get any attention!).
Vahid, if you didn't see my post earlier in the week, this is a super training site and it works really well with Shikoku.
http://www.dragonflyllama.com/ DOGS/ Dog1/levels.html
Vahid, that's awesome! I hope all your future endeavors go just as well!
I find that (at least my) Shikoku is much more willing to please than the Siberians I had in the past, who sound more Shiba-like. They got bored easily with this kind of stuff. If Beebe were mine, I would practice on teaching her to hold other things beside the dumbell (to make it more interesting), retrieving in different patterns, mixing it up. ie, not just doing the "official" test pattern. That way, when you go to class and do the "test pattern" it isn't so boring because she does not do it at home as much. I would also do variable reinforcement of treats for her training sessions (ie, sometimes every 3X she does it right, sometimes every one time, sometimes only after she has completely finished an exercise). I would build up to longer periods of concentrated working without treats, while still keeping the reward at a variable rate. Research has shown that dogs, horses, rats, etc work harder if the rate is variable and they can never guess when they are going to get a treat.
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/behsys/operant.html
But, I have to say, the fact that you have Beebe doing the dumbell retrieve at all is super, given Shiba's very independent nature. Kudos to you!
Any delay between the action and the command and they won't link the two together. Have you tried timing your commands like that?
Another example, Kenzo liked to play-bite our wrists as a greeting. At first telling him no would just get him more excited. Then I tried letting him grab my wrist THEN telling him a loud NO the very second he grabbed it. He immediately got the picture and instead put his mouth on my wrist without biting down at all. He now always does it that way. Pretty smart!
I'll try the clicker training. Thanks for that site Edgewood- I'll check it out and let you know how it goes!!
Oh, and yes, Shikoku LOVE to do the arm biting as a greeting! Mine never bit down, only mouthed your arm. But it sounds like you are on the right path that Kenzo is now only mouthing your arm. I just let my guy do it to greet me when I come home, he is very gentle. I think that both of Brad's Shikoku do it as well (and I think that others with them have posted about it, I just for sure remember Brad talking about it).
:-) Take some more pictures of Kenzo too for us!
Here is another good (dog training) site which talks about variable reinforcement and its benefits!
http://www.clickandtreat.com/ff07.htm
good luck.
Remember, patterns get boring, better to mix it up. If you always mix it up but still ask and reward precise behavior, when you go into the ring to compete, your dog will still do well. :-)