I've been working on teaching Trinkett, my greyhound, to retrieve. It's being interesting... she's not the most eager dog (for example, she prefers to work lying down!), but we're making progress. I'm rewarding her with peanut butter, which is also partly why it's going slower. Takes her a while to chew and swallow the peanut butter. But here's the odd thing I mentioned up in the header... she takes long breaks where she licks her front legs (mainly) and her chest (a little). I'm wondering if this is a self-comforting mechanism... a way of taking a break from a task that is slightly unusual for her. I've tried distracting her, and she just ignores me. But if a wait a bit, she will stop and refocus on the task. On the other hand, since she is in the infamous "sphinx" pose (http://www.dog-breeds-explained.info...greyhound.jpg), and doing a lot of licking to get the peanut butter down, it may be that she just occasionally gets the leg and then decides it needs to be cleaned up. I'm going to try tomorrow to use something besides the peanut butter for the reward, and see what happens, but thought I would get some opinions from the good folk here as well.

(In case anyone is interested, she's gotten the targeting down well. I'm using an empty water bottle, and when it is put in front of her, she is eager to nose or lick it. As long as it's in reach... no need to actually get up and go to it! She will go to either side to get the bottle, so eventually I think she may decide walking over to it is worthwhile, but right now I'm not pushing the issue. I'm currently being a bit stymied on getting her to try and bite/grab it, but figure that will come eventually. This is mostly to get her mind working, and get her interested in the idea of learning new things, so I am not too concerned about the laid-back approach that she is taking.)

labman

Maybe she has been watching your cat too much.

RubyPitbull

LOL labman! Froggy, definitely switch to a different treat when training her. You need it to be very small, something she finds yummy, and very easily swallowed. The longer it takes for a treat to be finished, the quicker she will become distracted. Her attention is now being refocused on the treat and the training will take much longer to accomplish. The focus must be on the task at hand. The treats need to be a minimal part of the training process.

labman

Ruby is correct, the treat should be very small. You can break up regular bone types ones. I remember a lady at the grocery store telling me about what all her Springers would do for 1 Cheerio.

RubyPitbull

Cheerios is one of the things I do use. They are small & light and dogs do go nuts for them. I also use very small pieces of Nutro lamb & rice treat sticks. They are soft & I break up the sticks into very small bits. They look & smell like a slim jim & the dogs respond to those nicely. I prefer it to hotdogs & processed meats. I will also use a kibble that is made for smaller & older dogs. The pieces are smaller than regular sized kibble and lower in calories.

katieperez

Labman got the funny bug today!! I about laughed my butt off when I read 'maybe she has been watching your cat too much'!! Then I was at it again when I pictured those Springers flipping out for a cheerio! Anyway, it may be a nervous tick. Who knows. Maybe she's a clean freak kind of like a Basenji.

froggy7

Well, I talked it over with my doggy daycare/trainer/behaviorist (it was daycare day today), and she's thinking that the licking may be a self-calming stress relief behavior. And reassured me that with greyhounds it's very slow baby steps when you are doing training.

The thing that you have to understand with why I am willing to let her get distracted with the treats is that greys just don't act dog-like. She's been crated 20/7 for the first 5 years of her life (they get turned out for about an hour at a time 4 times a day), and it trains them to be pretty passive dogs. She will settle on her blanket for hours at a time now that she is in a house. Which is why I am working on retrieve instead of the more normal sit/stay/down. She doesn't need to be reinforced for not doing things, but encouraged to actually try doing things. As the trainer put it, she rewards her greys for doing _anything_, because she wants them to get the idea that it's ok to present behavior. With most dogs, you are trying to get them to STOP doing things.

It's really hard to comprehend how quiet and calm these dogs (or at least this particular one) are without living with them. I'd heard about it, but having grown up with mutts, you don't really realize how much dogs move around in the normal day until you have one that doesn't.

And I did switch both the target and the treats (which also lets me better control the training time, since I only train as long as the treats last), and she has definitely gotten the idea of targeting down. She's so cute... noses the rope and then looks up at me with her ears all pricked up, and if I don't give her the treat she goes back and noses it even harder. Like "look mom, I did it!" And she seems slightly more willing to use the teeth on the rope, which is a hopeful sign. Getting her to proactively bite the rope may be hard still, since her general M. O. is to open her mouth and have me put treats in it before she will close it, instead of picking up the treat from my hand.

Still... she is making progress, and that's all I really need right now.

RubyPitbull

Sounds like you are making progress froggy. Regarding the licking, it is so hard to say unless we can observe exactly what she is doing and the times she is doing it. It very well be a calming mechanism for her that she started doing as a puppy.

I know that greyhounds are very much the way you describe them. I have a neighbor that rescued one. We work on her interaction often using my pitbull to pull her out of her shell. I am always saddened when Jessy comes up so hesitantly for attention. She has finally gotten to the point where she will quietly put her muzzle in your hand, which is her way of saying she wants to be scratched a bit. She has made great strides but it has taken her 4 years. So, it sounds like you are a bit ahead of the curve. You are a good hearted person for taking in Trink and being as patient as you have been with her. It really just takes time and I know it can be frustrating when it is so slow going.

froggy7

Well, switching to the broken-up jerky treats seems to have helped. For one thing, I only do one or two treats worth (broken up real small), so it puts a time limit on the training. Which seems to keep her from getting as stressed. Which is to say, she doesn't do the licking.

And right now.... she is lying down in the computer room! Yay! This is the "spooky cat room", that she has been very reluctant to step into. But she wants to be near me, the cat food and litter box have been moved into the spare bedroom, and I've been giving her her food toys in here, and scritchling the ears when she steps in through the doorway... and tonight, after some hesitation, she's stretched out on the floor sleeping! Close to the doorway, I'll grant you, but it's a huge step. *happy dance*

She's made huge strides from how she was when I first got her. I'm a little concerned with my upcoming vacation setting her back. She's going to be boarding out at her daycare... she likes the owner, and the owner's greyhounds. I'm hoping that she doesn't feel like I've abandoned her. But I will NOT borrow trouble! Deal with the issues once I'm faced with them, and if they never show up, so much the better.