Category: Advanced Stuff ¤
  Author: Dani Weinberg ¤
   Title: Generalizing Targetting ¤

Hey, Janet!  You're a wizard!  <ROFLOL>   Yes, I was thinking that we've 
recently talked about this before - specifically, the part about how to 
cue the behavior or touching a target.  But I don't mind going over it 
again.  When I retaught Sweetie, my older German Shepherd, the Go Out 
using targeting, I was also excited about how well it went.  Now I've 
starting teaching Ruby, the GSD pup, the same way, and it's incredibly 
quick and easy.

Here's my thinking on the cue issue.  I just don't use a verbal cue 
anymore for targeting.  The target object (which you always present) is 
itself a cue and, if you omit any verbal cue, then you can use different 
verbal cues for different physical targets.

It doesn't matter what you use as your targets.  Whatever object you 
start with will probably always be a default target.  For example, 
whenever I have my clicker and treats with me and I pick up a stick or 
stick-like object, Sweetie is right there, leaping to touch the tip of 
it!  When you change target objects, all you have to do is indicate the 
new object and get the behavior started.  I just point to it, close up, 
having previously taught my pointing index finger as another early target 
object.

Remember that targeting is a natural behavior among mammals in general.  
All they're doing is noticing novel stimuli in the environment.  All 
we're doing is asking for a particular way to indicate that they've 
noticed the stimulus.  So it's a very easy behavior to teach and to 
generalize.

Dani


Dani Weinberg
Albuquerque, NM
71044.3715@compuserve.com