Useful or Just Fun?

[cliff]

Lenny likes to jump, so we have a hula hoop set up so he can jump through for fun/exercise. Lately, i've integrated this into our feeding/training. After a couple of pushes, i get him to sit and "Stay" on one side of the hoop-- and it's really solid-- like a statue. I go to the other side and give "Ready". After a couple seconds, i call him, and he comes through the hoop like a rocket and lands on me with all his 50+ pounds. Today, we added a stick for him to jump after the hoop. He caught on after one try. Now it's jump, jump, boom!

My question is, while this is great fun, is he really "learning" anything? Does it matter? Thanks.

[jojo]

Just fun?
Put some flames on that hoop and you've got a circus act people will pay to see. That dog could be paying your bills!

[Lee Charles Kelley]

Originally Posted by cliff

My question is, while this is great fun, is he really "learning" anything? Does it matter? Thanks.

Great question. (And a great training story!)

Many years ago I worked with a great Dane named Achille (ah-sheel) who had some social anxiety issues. I felt that if I could teach him to do something that he didn't "think" he could, it would build his confidence. (This was long before the pushing exercise was invented.)

We often walked past Hunter College in Manhattan, where there are these decorative concrete blocks, about 4-5 feet high, along the sidewalk on Park Avenue, with some decorative shrubbery between each block.

So one day I put some of Achille's favorite treats on top one of the blocks, had him do a "sit/stay" on the sidewalk, so that his body was located within easy jumping distance of the block. I kind of teased him with the treats, repeated "Stay...", and built his desire for the treats to a level where I could see his muscles starting to coil, getting ready for the leap.

Then I said, "Okay, up!" and he jumped on top of the concrete block, just as happy and as "pleased with himself" as Lenny seems to be about going through his hoop.

A few days later we walked past Hunter College again, and Achille stopped dead in his tracks and refused to keep walking. He looked at me, then at the concrete block. He wanted to do it again. So we did.

And yeah, it somehow helped with his social anxiety, not to mention his general responsiveness to all the commands I'd previously taught him.

LCK

[cliff]

Probably no fire, but we are thinking of agility training. Anyway, i kind of figured it out-- He's learning to "Stay"! We introduced the platform, and he goes right to it and lays down, motionless ("Stay") until "Ready", "Lenny"! He's still doing it for food/pushing, but we'll get there. Good story too.

[jojo]

I was only joking, I would not advocate people truly risk setting their pets on fire.

[cliff]

Oh, i know. Thought it was funny.