Teaching "Take It" the Painless Way

[Cheetah]

I decided I wanted to teach Shippo how to take and hold an object in his mouth, and since he's taking to it really well, I decided maybe I could make a simple little video of my progress. I started out gently opening his mouth up and sticking the toy in his mouth and clicking. Now, when I offer the toy, he opens his mouth on his own, so that's where we are. Here's my simple, redundant little video, for anyone who's interested. Keep in mind, this is my first time teaching a dog to "hold it" or "take it" or whatever, and that we still have a ways to go lol...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFOLaaReF70

Soon I'll be connecting a word to it, lengthening the time he has it in his mouth, letting go of it, etc. This is only step 1. Still, it's fun for both of us, and notice the LACK of ear pinching lmao... >9.9<

Also, I don't say anything in this video. The clicker is doing the job for me at this point lol...

 

[Dekka]

Nice clip. Excellent timing. That is how I taught mine to retrieve.

 

[Cheetah]

Teehee... thanks, good to know I'm doing something right. >^^;<

What do you think, should I connect a word first, or extended the length of time he has it in his mouth first?

 

[elegy]

cool. i taught luce to pick up the dumbbell simply by tossing it on the floor and shaping shaping the whole thing by c/t like this. it's amazing how quickly dogs can learn when they understand the game.

 

[milos_mommy]

i should teach this...

 

[MoonStr80]

Well done! I'll need to do the same with Misty

 

[Doberluv]

Excellent! I'd start letting go of the bone at this point.... inbetween so he doesn't get dependent on your hand lingering there while he has it. And then after a little of that (just like you're doing, but with your hand removed and right back again) gradually have him hold it just a second or two longer and work up. When he's doing just a bit more, you could certainly start adding your cue word, "take." That's just my "take" on it. LOL. I think it's just fantastic. I loved seeing your video. Yeah...while I'm at my daughter's, I get to watch videos unlike at home with my dial up. LOL.

 

[Cheetah]

Ooooo I will try that. >^_^<

Man, I want to try it NOW, but I JUST got done with THAT video! *eager*

 

[Xerxes]

Great video! Good work on that one!

 

[Cheetah]

Thanks! Ok, I wanted to edit this into my first post, but it won't let me. I tried out a little bit of letting the toy go, so here's what I got:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBpNxTh5C0U

Is it okay that he drops the toy when I click? ><

 

[Doberluv]

What's happening is that he's getting reinforced for dropping it instead of for holding it. So, what you can do is don't click/treat when he drops it. Raise your criteria now. Instead of handling the bone or whatever object you're going to use, try placing it on your lap or on the floor next to you. You're going to mix things up a bit so he doesn't get so anticipating. See if he'll pick it up. If not, you'll have to shape it from his looking at it (c/t) to witholding once he's onto that...to nosing it and then witholding to mouthing it and then onto picking it up and holding it a little longer each time....and so on. In other words, once he gets one approximation to the final behavior, raise the criteria and withold reward for the previous thing. This makes him try harder to make you click. Don't work him until he's bored. Make sure he's having fun still. He needs to get the idea that it is the holding onto it which he's getting rewarded for. So in order for him to eat the treat, he has to let go of the object, thereby creating the situation where he is being reinforced not for holding it, but for dropping it. This is one of those things where you can't help but train in a behavior chain....the picking it up, holding onto it and giving to you. So, just reward for longer holds, gradually adding duration. Stop rewarding when he drops it. Try to get in your cue word, "give" BEFORE he drops it in your hand. Soon that cue will come to mean that dropping it is a separate behavior. He will not be reinforced for dropping it until you say, "give." I hope I did that right. You might pm Otch or Dr2little or Dekka (I'm sure I've forgotten others) if they don't see this. I bet they have a better explanation or better way.

 

[opokki]

Nice job Cheetah!

 

[Cheetah]

Well, he's not dropping it until after I click. Once I click, he spits it out in anticipation of the treat... Even if I have him pick it up off the ground, he's still going to spit it out when I click. That's the problem.

EDIT: Nevermind, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, because I'm not clicking for him dropping it, he drops it right after. I'm connecting a word tomorrow, and starting to make him hold it longer and longer before I click. It doesn't matter HOW I get him to hold it, he's STILL going to drop it when I click. *just got in an argument about it and feels like crap*

 

[Doberluv]

You're right. He's anticipating the treat and he knows he has to drop it to get the treat. So, if you withold the click/treat until he holds it just a little longer, he'll start holding it longer until you tell him to "give".....or in other words, give him permission to drop it into your hand. I hope that makes sense. What do you mean you got into an argument. You don't have to feel like crap. You're doing fantastically. It will come. These things take a little time. Don't worry. If what I am explaining doesn't make sense to you or if I am leaving something out, do p.m. Dr2little or the other trainers I mentioned. They may be able to help you more. Don't worry.

 

[Cheetah]

Ok, so apparently, I'll have to also teach "hold" once he knows "take it." >X.x;<

I've never done this kind of training before, so I'm feeling a bit out of my league...

 

[elegy]

or you can teach give and teach him to hold onto it until you ask him to release it.

the link i posted before has a really good step-by-step overview on how to shape this kind of thing. i found it really helpful.

 

[milos_mommy]

Not to outshine Cheetah, but now i need some help on this.

I started teaching it this morning. He's doing great (i'm using a sock, i'm trying to teach him to carry them to my hamper, lol). He was doing what Shippo was doing, taking it but spitting it out after the click. So i tried not clicking but he spits it out right away anyway, so then i was just trying again (not clicking, hoping he'd get the hint and hold it a few seconds) but it didn't work. So i tried taking my hand away and clicking which worked, but then i tried taking my hand away and NOT clicking hoping he'd hold it until the click, but he just dropped it on the floor. We've already established "take it" as the vocal cue, should i try just putting it on the ground and going "take it"? I think he'd just like, bite it and then look up, but i guess i could try.

 

[Cheetah]

I've now talked to several people on another forum I visit. These several people are involved in obedience, so are also experienced with this sort of thing. Here's what they said:

Although I was told by another person that I had to teach "take," and THEN teach "hold," and THEN teach "give," It's only really necessary to teach the "take" and "give" for what I'm using it for, which is simply holding and carrying random objects for therapy. "Take" to Shippo will end up meaning "take and hold." "Give" will be taught at the end of "take" to cue him to drop it in my hand.

So basically, what I'm doing now, after a TON of advice from different people, is teaching him "take," and increasing the time between "take" and "give." I won't be clicking on the "take" anymore, since he now knows it. I am now upping the ante and clicking after the "give." Basically, "take" and "give" are going to be one big trick lol...

We'll see how it goes.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

I never touch the object with my hand when I am teaching a dog to take and hold in preparation for the retrieve.

Once the dog has learned to take and hold, it can quickly be encouraged to hold and carry almost anything with a little patience and well timed rewards.

I do not touch or hold the object when I am teaching this because I have found the hand holding the object is way too hard to fade.

Here is how I do it, and this has worked VERY fast and very reliably for several dogs, including one who had lots of built up stress and anxiety about taking and holding.....

http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31776&highlight=Shaping+the+Hold

 

[Cheetah]

It seems to me that there are several right ways to teach this, because 10 different people have told me 10 different things.