Last week, my jaw locked open. Thankfully not as wide as Robbie's yawn, but still wide enough so that I I can't really talk. Even though I have felt terrible this week, Robbie's needs still come first and he needed training and attention all the same. Not being able to talk made this quite difficult, but presented a good training challenge for both of us: working on non-verbal commands. This post will include our list of non-verbals, and how we execute a training session with no vocals. The Importance of Developing Non-Verbal Commands
Our Non-Verbal CommandsMost of our non-verbal commands are directionals hand cues, pointing to something to let him know that's where he needs to go. Other commands have a set hand signal that gets practiced every time we use the verbal command.
A Silent Training SessionI begin a training session by clapping my hands 2x. This gets him to make eye contact with me. Then I use my right index finger and point with a snap in front of me. This is Robbie's cue to come. After that, I pat my left leg 2x to cue for a heel. We walk around the house for a little bit, stopping every now and then for some auto-sits (Robbie has been trained to sit every time we stop moving). Then I chose 4-5 commands to run through and try to come up with some sort of combination course so that it is more like a game than drill work. Yesterday that course involved sending to place, sending to up/off, sending to under/out, calling to front, down from a distance of 6ft, and low crawling across the floor. We ended the session by playing Find with his favorite toy, a squeaky squirrel. Robbie is still learning to bring it back every time, so we did it on a 15 ft leash to ensure that I could remind him to come back if needed. He did excellent! It was a fun way to end the session and bond with him. We even learned a new component to find, which involves doing paws up on a table in order to reach his toy.
In just a few days of all non-verbal commands, I have found that Robbie pays much closer attention to me, which is awesome! He looks up whenever I get up, and gives me his immediate attention when I clap. I still must use some verbal commands every now and then for corrections, but I try not to because it does hurt to talk and I know it's probably difficult for him to understand me. He is doing a great job though.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
My Name is Sally...I have a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This blog is about my journey training Robbie, a dog who helped me regain independence, confidence, and achieve the impossible in the face of my disability. It continues on with the training of Austin, Robbie's successor. Check Out... - "More than a Dog" was published on a site called The Mighty Categories
All
Archives
August 2023
|