sits... click and treat

I had a few small treats left in my pocket that I had been using when I was working with my dog on some Rally behaviors so I decided to see how it would go getting sits with the puppies. There were 4 puppies (Gael was sleeping) that mobbed me when I went into the pen. (probably should have tried this with 1 puppy at a time but I really wanted to see how it would work this way) I sat on the floor and Prim was the 1st to sit so I clicked and treated her. I was able to capture a few sits (mostly Haymitch who tends to be much quieter than the others) but occasionally Prim and Katness as well. I was able to lure them into a sit some. They were mostly jumping all over me and trying to get to the treats but I was seeing a few opportunities to click and treat so I kept it up. When I ran out of treats, I decided to see what would happen if I used some of their kibble. There was a bowl next to me so I just reached in and went to town clicking and treating any sit (Haymitch and Katness ended up being the calmest and getting the most. I was amazed that they were working for the kibble since the bowl is always out for them. Guess it was just the idea of getting it from me.

All in all, I was really pleased with how it went. Since they are not big eaters, I have been hesitant to do much training as I want them to view the treat as a reward and if they don't, then it wouldn't be much incentive for them to learn what I am trying to teach them. I will take them 1 at a time tomorrow and see how that goes. One benefit of doing it in the pen is that they are very familiar with that area. When they go out anywhere else, they want to explore and I will have a harder time keeping their attention. They are smart puppies and I think they will get the hang of it pretty quickly. Will let you know how it goes tomorrow.