Getting your dog to recognise its name is a key to much of training.... because it's
a way of getting your dog's attention. international Trainer Anthony Clarke is showing a group
of new owners how it's done.
Okay, what we're going to be looking at now is we're going to be looking at some name
recognition exercises. As soon as we say the dog's name, we want the dog to leave whatever's
happening and focus on whatever we're going to tell it to do> Right, so what we need,
we need lots and lots of treats, something exciting, so the dog's getting rewarded for
doing the correct behaviour. And what we're going to do now, we're going to crouch down
on the floor with them. Okay, and as soon as we say they dog's name and they look at
us, we're going to feed them. If they're looking away from us, okay, as soon as they look back
at us or look up to our face, you're going to feed them straight away. Okay. Let's give
it go with Badger.
Name recognition is one of the first things you would be thinking about teaching your
dog. Just because when the dog understands his name you can teach so many other different
behaviours and tricks and all sorts of different training aspects because your dog already
understands exactly what it's supposed to be doing when it hears its name.
Badger. Good boy. Badger. Good boy
So far so good. But it gets a little trickier when Anthony introduces some distractions.
Okay, so what we're going to use, we're going to use these three toys here to be the distraction
and make the dog look away from you. So I'm just going to be wiggling one around. As soon
as he look at it, okay, call him straight back towards you. So just say his name so
he looks. So what he's starting to think about is name equals look at you. Okay. Let's give
it a go.
Badger, hey, good boy. Badger. Good boy.
Going to just increase it a little bit more.
Badger. Good boy.
Well done. And again.
Badger. Good boy. Badger. Good boy.
Excellent. Well done. Very well done. Okay let's give that a go with Alfie. Alright,
so what you're going to do is start' because he's just looking at me a little bit more,
we can just use him from that situation there. We're not going to throw a distraction straight
in straight away, okay. So just crouch down behind him. Okay, what you're going to do,
just say his name, when he look at you, even if he�s facing this way, as soon as his
head looks at you, you've got to reward him, okay.
Alfie. Good by.
Brilliant. There you go. Well done.
Alfie, Alfie. Alfie. Alfie. Good boy.
Okay.
Good boy.
Just say it once, wait a few seconds to see what he does. You could see he was thinking.
He was listening to you, his ears pricked up a little bit. Just say it once and wait
for him to do something. There you go, well done. Much better. Excellent, well done. Okay,
let's add the distraction now. So I'm just going to wiggle a toy around. He's quite interested
in the toys, okay. So remember, just say his name once, wait a couple of seconds for him
to react. As soon as his head feels round towards you, you're reward straight away.
Okay. So here's the distraction.
Alfie. Alfie. Alfie. Alfie.
There you go, good lad. Well done. Well done, good. Okay, crouch down with him a little
bit more, okay. Just so we're interacting with him a little bit more.
Alfie.
With three month old Border Terrier, Alfie, it can be a long wait! There are just too
many distractions!
Get ready for him, he's going to look at you in a second. There you go. Good. It's that
process of waiting, okay. So you've got to allow him to make a choice. If he make a bad
choice or if he's looking, looking, looking, he's not getting rewarded. What he needs to
learn is as soon as I look back at you I get fed. Okay, so no matter what the distraction
is, it could be three toys, it could be other dogs, could be cars, horses, anything, okay.
And that distraction is nothing compared to what you're asking him to do. So you say his
name, he should go okay, what? And he looks straight back at you. Okay, the next little
exercise we're going to do for the name recognition is I'm going to hold the dog facing away from
you. You're going to leave me on the right-hand side and just walk a half circle round to
the back of me. So hopefully, the dogs will be looking over their right shoulder, okay.
When you get into position you're going to call the dog's name, okay. They're going to
you're now going to appear on their left-hand side, so the dog's going to have to change
direction to see where you are and then move straight to you. So it's a very short, easy
exercise, just to make the dog think about what position you're in, and as soon as you
say their name they come looking for you. Okay, let's give it a go with Badger first.
Oh good boy. Okay, so I'm going to hold him here. Okay, come on, boy. Alright you're literally
just going to move straight in behind me in here. Okay, I'm facing him here. Right, now
call him.
Badger. Yeah, good boy. Good work. Good work. Okay, same again. Good
boy. Okay. Ready..
Badger. Yay, good boy.
Good work. Very nice.
Good boy.
Okay, now the other side. So you're going to leave this side and he's going to peel
to the right.
Badger.
Good lad, well done.
The reason we made it a little bit more difficult was to try and see whether the dog actually
understood where the verbal cue had come from instead of guessing where the handler had
actually moved from. By changing the position which the handler is in it makes the dog aware
of where the verbal cue is coming from, so the dog then has to look for the handler.
It's no use. Alfie's concentration has run out. THIS is much more fun.
That's cheating. That is cheating.