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Target Training Question

TikkiTembo

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Hi friends,
I want to start target training the fosters, but they won't take any treat from my hands. I'm just wondering how to reward the touch of the stick if they won't take the reward. Maybe touch and drop it in the bowl and leave?
 

scrape

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Hi friends,
I want to start target training the fosters, but they won't take any treat from my hands. I'm just wondering how to reward the touch of the stick if they won't take the reward. Maybe touch and drop it in the bowl and leave?
Unexperienced here, but it sounds like they're not ready for target training. I would suggest just starting with dropping a treat in the bowl when you walk by, or trying to get them to take it off a spoon. Until they take treats immediately, the probably won't understand what they're being rewarded for. If that makes sense?
Hope I can help!
 

TikkiTembo

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Unexperienced here, but it sounds like they're not ready for target training. I would suggest just starting with dropping a treat in the bowl when you walk by, or trying to get them to take it off a spoon. Until they take treats immediately, the probably won't understand what they're being rewarded for. If that makes sense?
Hope I can help!
I wondered the same thing. When I talked to Pamela Clark about them, she recommended the target training, but maybe she misunderstood how untame they are.
 

Gribouille

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I'd say they'll become more tame with the training. Begin with leaving the treat on the table close to them when they touch, but don't leave. The treat has to become associated with training, and you. When they get the point, they'll begin to accept it from your hand.
 

Monaco

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How are things going?
 

TikkiTembo

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Meh. Not bad I guess. I put them in different cages next to each other. I let Little Richard out by himself for 20 minutes, and he flew around! His first time. Then I grabbed Toot's cage and opened it too, but he didn't come out. But Little Richard sat on Toot's cage and they had a chat. Little Richard touched the target stick once today, and ate a bite of millet, but he wasn't up to more. He also went back into his cage on his own with just some convincing, no touching needed. So he's proving me right in thinking he's the more tame one!
 

Shezbug

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Do they respond positively to excited or happy sounds or voices?
Burt does so he does not always get a food reward for target training otherwise he would be a big fat blob. Sometimes I reward with my carry on excited voice and that is as good a reward for him as food treats. Doesn’t help my case that he’s started treating himself when I’m not looking by foraging in the chest of drawers I keep the treats in! :lol:
 

TikkiTembo

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Do they respond positively to excited or happy sounds or voices?
Burt does so he does not always get a food reward for target training otherwise he would be a big fat blob. Sometimes I reward with my carry on excited voice and that is as good a reward for him as food treats. Doesn’t help my case that he’s started treating himself when I’m not looking by foraging in the chest of drawers I keep the treats in! :lol:
Toot only ever shows fear, poor thing. Little Richard seems to be interested in us though! He will eat a treat if I leave it near and walk away lol
 

Monica

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If they'll take a treat out of a bowl, I don't see why you can't just reward by dropping a treat in a bowl! ;)
 

TikkiTembo

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If they'll take a treat out of a bowl, I don't see why you can't just reward by dropping a treat in a bowl! ;)
That's what we've been doing! Little Richard will target most of the time now, but poor Toot is still too fearful. I need to do the CAT protocol with him, it's just been busy and I haven't had a single child free moment to do it.
 
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