# Mental exercise



## jessew87 (Mar 22, 2014)

My question is what kind of mental challenges do you perform with your pup. Also can they learn to differentiate between different objects or do I have to be very general with him. If you could also teach me how to perform these challenges it would be much appreciated. I have a bores dog on my hands.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

do you do any perchwork? Shaping of any kind? What do you do for obedience?


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## jessew87 (Mar 22, 2014)

Sit, stay, roll over, come, leave it, drop it, long stay. I pretty much just practice those commands with treats and clicker. What is perch work?


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## jessew87 (Mar 22, 2014)

And shaping?


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

perch work is when you have a target that you want your dog to put his front paws on, or in some cases, stand all four feet on. I taught my dog to put his front paws on a chair seat by our door. It makes it very easy to get his collar on. I never suspected that after a few times that he would climb completely up onto the chair when he wants to go out. It is a basic dining room table chair. 

I also use my wii platform as a perching place. I have him put his front paws on it and am trying to teach him to walk "Back" from there. I use the word "Step" when I want him to put his paws on something. 

I also put his meal in multiple paper plates and hide them around the house. 

Sometimes I take about 15 pieces of kibble and play this game I call Bug. I have a hardwood floor and slide a piece of kibble across it. He goes off to catch it. Be careful though, because if the kibble can slide easily across the floor, so can your dog. 

I am teaching my dog to carry laundry. I have pillows in his crate and when I wash the covers, I have him carry them to the washing machine for me. 

I think someone else can give you a good definition of shaping.


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## Pawsed (May 24, 2014)

These dogs are incredibly smart. I think they can be taught most anything. I'm teaching my pup colors and the names of his toys. 

Years ago, there was a book titled "Stop, Sit, and Think" by Charles Eisenmann. He trained dogs for movies and TV and his dogs were amazing. He brought them up like children, educating them, teaching them the names for objects, clothing, trees, plants, whatever they encountered. 

He would travel the country giving demonstrations and have 5 or 6 dogs at once, off leash in an auditorium. He could tell one dog to go and get the pink scarf from the woman in the 5th row and the dog would fetch it for him. 

He totally changed the way I think about my dogs.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Do you have any intentions of doing any kind of sport? Are there any classes near you that may help you learn how to shape behaviors? If not, Denise Fenzi has classes online you could take.

Perch work is rear end awareness. Most often it's used to teach positioning of the heel position.

If you still have grass for the season, you could start to teach him tracking with scent pads.


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## jessew87 (Mar 22, 2014)

This is all very interesting. What are Scent pads and how to I use them to teach him tracking? I don't really intend on joining sports just want to help educate him. I feel like the more he understands the better for me and him.


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