Making them offer new behaviors

[shay19]

So I tried the box game that was posted on another thread, and unfortunately Bruiser didn't take to it like I thought he would... He kind of just looked at me like I was dumb for putting a box in my living room.

I would like to get his brain working and have him offer behaviors on his own to get a treat, like the other day I was teaching wave and took a short pause, he ended up sitting on his butt with both paws on my hands. I clicked/treated for that as it was cute (and something I can build on) and he used his own head to get it.

Is there anyway I can get him to do this more often? If I don't treat for his "regular" tricks (shake, roll over, etc) do you think he'll eventually try something else or will he just stick to what he knows will get him a treat?

I'm just wondering as I want to see what he's willing to try on his own and see how his mind works a little bit.

[loverocksalot]

Ok for box game you have to have really good treats. And you might want to start with teaching touch with stick notes or lids from coffee cans. When you start it does take a while he has to figure out what you want to get the treat. If he goes anywhere near it even touches by accident you click and treat doing this several times then stop and up the anti you want to see more eventually working way up into jumping into box whatever. Maybe I will do a video for you. However it will go much faster as Rocky is the master of throwing behaviors.