Rio has regressed in her training somewhat which made me want to say some things on regression.
#1. All animals will regress in some way, at some time, in their training.
#2. I do not know why all animals do this, but I see it happen every time.
#3. Horses have a time trend that I have observed. After 6-8 weeks of steady gain they regress about 2 weeks back in training time and take 1-2 weeks to catch up to where they were previously. (This is based on working your horse 2-3 times a week.)
#4. I have not noticed any time trend with dogs. Rather, I have noticed that regression happens when something unexpected changes in a dogs routine. This change is often being asked to perform a maneuver in a new location or with new distractions.
#5. Regression happens more in the beginning stages of training.
How do I proceed when a horse regresses in its training?
When a horse is really struggling and fighting something that it already knows it is obvious that the horse has regressed. Some trainers force the horse to perform what it was previously performing. I have seen horses get quite traumatized from this. Again, I don't know why it is so difficult for horses to do something they already know. When a horse regresses it will act like it has never done this certain thing and basically has to be retrained.
I start by asking less and less of the horse until the horse is comfortable with what I am asking of it. I perform that exercise for a while. If the horse is comfortable, then I will ask something a little harder of it. I don't ask the horse to perform whatever it was fighting that day. I wait till at least the next training session when the horse is comfortable with it.
How do I proceed when a dog regresses in its training?
As I mentioned before, dogs generally regress when something is different. When there is a new situation I start from the beginning and work up to what the dog knows. For example, if my dog has been doing a sit stay consistently for 1 min at home but will not do it in public, this is how I proceed. First, I get my dog only to sit before I release them. Then I ask them to sit for 5 seconds before I release them. I slowly add a few more seconds each time and make sure I am keeping my dog engaged with its attention on me. The first time I ask my dog to sit stay in public I might only get up to 30 seconds. As time goes on I will practice more at home and more in public until I can get multiple minutes wherever I am.
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Hello. I just adopted a 7 year old Shih Tzu that about 3 weeks ago had his eyes removed. I am trying to supply him a safe and loving home. I also have him working with me and my depression, PTSD, anxiety and predicted my seizures. He has been doing theas on his own. My question is do you have any advice or pointers to help with training and home life for a blind dog?
ReplyDeleteI have some tips. I will address these to the best of my ability this coming Tuesday!
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