Clicker Training: Close the Drawer

I have an American Eskimo who I am trying to teach the "close the drawer" command to close cupboard doors. I saw a really good and informative video on how to teach this command using the clicker.

They went through the steps of first teaching the dog the "touch" command which is learning to touch your hand and any other object with their nose when you say the command "touch". Then they went through the steps of then taking a tupperware container lid and having them touch it on command then putting tape on the back of it and sticking it onto the cupboard door you want them to close. You would then say "touch" and the dog should touch the lid sticking to the door and learn to close it that way.

Well... I taught her the "touch" command and she leanred it very well and was doing it perfectly with the tupperware container lid until I stuck it onto the cupboard door. She thinks the "touch" command is only used on my hand or objects that I am holding. If I point to the lid and tell her to touch it instead of holding it she touches my finger.

What can I do to get her to understand that she needs to touch the lid and not just my hand or things I am holding? Any help would be very much appreciated! Thanks!

Just a thought. Holding the lid to being stuck somewhere away from you may be to big a leap.

Try it with a kitchen cupboard with the door open and stand behind it so the door and lid is infront of your legs. Might be easier if she's coming towards you.

I would suggest using something to bring her attention to the lid in situ or perhaps just the drawer itself. Rub some tasty treat on it perhaps. Don't say the command word first or this may throw her off track.

attach the lid to a wooden spoon then it becomes an extension of your hand which you can gradually get further and further away from you, also make sure they can see the lid clearly (ie not transparent). Last word of advice would be not to overdo it - Ziggie can now slam the doors harder than me!!!

I didn't use a target, I freeshaped it in the same way that the video on here freeshaped it (I think Wysiwyg posted it).

I just stood in front of Takara and clicked and rewarded whenever she looked in the right direction, then when she started to move towards it, then when she touched it, then once she was touching it a lot, I only clicked and rewarded touches that made it move, she got a jackpot when she closed the drawer fully.

Took five minutes I'm hoping to make a video (now the camcorders back from repair centre) on how to train it but if you have a look for the video wys posted - I basically used the same technique.

My mum went to put the cutlery away the other day, opened the drawers, turned to get the cutlery and when she turned back there was Takara wagging her tail with both drawers shut!

Wys
x

Yeah, you can freeshape it or use a target. I have done it using a target (as I'd already just trained her to open the drawer and just felt it was clearer to use a target because of that, just a preference at that time, another time I'd have freeshaped as I love doing that).

There's a video here, this might be the one Lottie has mentioned:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW5mRswhURU

Wys
x

Have to say, it was great fun for us freeshaping it and T has learnt other tasks so much more quickly since, now that she understands the free shaping.

It was great to see her tail wagging so much and her really thinking it through trying to work out what to do next - I've never seen her enjoy training as much! (Well, apart from agility!)

Yeah, I already tried that and she didn't get it. I pointed to the lid stuck to the cupboard door and she just thought I meant to touch my finger. After a couple minutes of trying to get her to understand and she couldn't she walked away and didn't want to do it anymore.