CANINE
Waving Loudly
In the fourth article in this series, Morag Heirs details how to give a deaf dog off-leash
T
freedom by training a rock solid check-in and recall
he automatic check-in is one of the most valuable skills to teach your deaf dog. There are a couple of different options, but the principle is to instill a strong habit of visually checking in with the handler at frequent intervals. The dog does not have to actually come back to your side (as in a recall) but just make eye contact so, if you needed him to lie down or recall, you would be able to signal for this. While it is essential that our dogs choose to come back when we call them, it is just as important that they do not ignore us in between being recalled. The check-in is an exercise which came from training deaf dogs who need to be looking at the handler before a recall signal can be given. The aim is for your dog to choose to visually check in with you during your walks, at which point you can then give him permission to continue or come back beside you if there might be a hazard ahead. If we call our dogs back too often during walks, they will get frustrated and possibly bored. They might wonder, "Why on earth does she want me to come back to her side all the time?" However, with a check-in, we actively reward the dog for making contact without insisting on a full recall. The result is a dog who chooses to maintain a connection with us during our activities, and often one that opts to come back more often of his own freewill too. There are two options for teaching the basic check-in. It comes down to personal preference and what best fits the individual dog and handler. Both options will create a dog who spends a lot of time looking back at you. Don’t worry, this is exactly what we want.You will be rewarding frequently during your walks and at home too, and this inevitably creates a super strong habit. On every walk with the deaf dog, take a big bag of tiny treats. You may need to cut down on meal rations during the training period or find a version of your normal dog food that works well
Farah is rewarded with a toy for recalling
as rewards. For example, Rosie and I have found the ‘small bite’ version of Fish4Dogs food works really well – small, very smelly and appealing.
The Dog-Directed Check-In1
• Before starting your walk, wait for your dog to look at you – mark and reward with tasty food. • From now on, if your dog looks at you even from a distance, mark and throw the reward to him – the dog does not need to come back to your side. • Resist the temptation to try and attract his attention. If your dog is totally ignoring your presence, try standing still (the line means he cannot keep going without you) or choose a less distracting location to train in. • After you have rewarded your dog, give him encouragement to keep going. A release signal or indication that you have finished is helpful. • Occasionally (not more than three times per walk) you can follow up the check-in with a recall if you think the dog will definitely come back to you - otherwise, forget the recall part for now. • You can also use a favorite toy as a reward for a checkin – just throw it out past the dog. • Note: If your dog happens to choose to come all the way back to you without prompting then go wild and have a party with happy faces, best treats and toys! Over time, you will get a feel for what your dog’s natural check-in time tends to be. Of my dogs, Farah's check-in is around 30 seconds, while Bronte's is closer to 40 seconds. If your dog does not check back as fast as you need him to, try the fixed period check-in training to encourage a faster response time. After three or four weeks, you can start to reduce the frequency of the rewards and replace some of the food treats with cuddles, if the dog likes them, or big smiles and thumbs-up signals. BARKS from the Guild/January 2015
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