Pets
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That penny trick is amazing! This is a smart doggie.
We're getting our golden pup next week. We're very excited…
It was quite easy to train him to find the penny if you want to have a go once your golden is a bit older:
1. Hold the penny up to dog, say 'yes' and reward for any interaction with penny.
2. Once dog has figured out that something is going on, refine the behaviour by insisting on tapping the penny with its nose to get the treat;
3. Check that the dog understands that the reward is for the penny, and not whichever hand you have been holding it in, by swapping the hand that holds the penny randomly. When the dog interacts with the penny, not the empty hand, reward the dog.
4. Start to put the penny on the floor near you and in an obvious place (e.g. on a plain carpet or tile floor). Reward for 'finding' the penny with its nose. Move the penny around for each go.
5. Once the dog has this, introduce a behaviour you want the dog to do after finding the penny. So if you wanted a Down like I do, then once the dog 'finds' the penny command the Down, and only reward once the dog is in the Down. After a few repetitions the dog will learn that finding the penny predicts that you will command a Down, and start to offer a Down without you needing to command it. Keep repping until the dog goes into the Down (or whatever behaviour) reliably and without having to be asked.
6. Now start incrementally extending the length of time the dog performs the "i have found it" behaviour before delivering the reward. You want the dog to understand that it might have to wait for you to catch up to it before it gets rewarded. You may also want to add distractions at this stage to make the behaviour bomb-proof.
7. Start rewarding by placing food on top of the penny, using it like a tiny dinner plate. The dog will start to love those tiny copper disks.
8. Now you are off to the races. Start 'hiding' the penny further and further away from the dog, until you get to the point where you are genuinely hiding it out of its sight and the dog understands that it has to sniff the penny out. Sometimes accompany the dog and find the penny together, for example on-lead in the park, or off lead and making the dog have to find it without your close-company and then you catch up once it's in the Down.It's a good game for dogs that like to sniff when walking because over time they will learn that the most rewarding smells to fixate on are not those that are around normally, but the ones that you place there. My dog started to pay less attention to the pavement and verges and more attention to me after he got good at this game.
If your dog is large enough and or stupid enough to swallow a penny, maybe consider using a different object? It just so happens that copper coins are quite smelly.
The new pup looks gorgeous by the way. Good luck with her training, and that awful mouthy period where they chew everything!
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Firefly passed away over a year ago and we’ve been looking for a horse for me ever since. I’ve been riding Dreamer who is owned by our friend where we board Nola, and I’ve grown to love her, but we still had the urge to find my next horse. We spent time traveling to auctions and replying to Facebook posts and riding wacky weird horses.
Yesterday I brought home Beau. He’s a 15 year old Tennessee Walker and was wondering by an acquaintance of ours. She reached out wondering if knew anyone looking for a horse and him and I will make a great match. We moved him to the new farm yesterday which causes a huge energy shift for the herd. Today we took him on his first trail ride and… I didn’t die.
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@jordanscollected Congratulations on the new horse! Please make sure your horses are vaccinated for “West Nile Virus”. There have been a few cases reported in your area recently and the outcome is poor to bad…The virus causes neurological issues in horses that is not treatable.
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Thanks @goosehd Dennis! We make sure all our horses are vaccinated and negative Coggins, and that’s even more important when introducing a horse to a new home.
I’m also considering the name Roux to pair with Nola, but keeping Beau is the lead choice for now.
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Very, very smart re: vaccinations and Coggins!! I love the name Roux and it's perfect with your profession.
However, with a 15 year horse, I can understand not changing the name… 
How is he trained? Trail, hunter/jumper, companion...
Beautiful and will make a great companion!
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Action shot from the beach during our brief holiday last weekend.
He’s so quick after that ball, he may as well be flying…
He did not know what to make of his first time properly meeting a cat. He spent the first 3 hours of settling into the holiday cottage following the cat around trying to figure out if this strange looking dog knew how to play. Cat didn’t give two shits. -
Trying to look like they are starving as we are cutting steaks from the grill.
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I know that look @Sage954 Mine can hear the sound of cheese being sliced a mile away. -
@EdH they know what works.
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I have been taking care of my neighbors goat. I'm trying not to get too attached to him because he is supposed to be a sacrifice for my neighbor's newborn son. Makes me kind of sad. But I'm trying to be as nice to him as I can while he is alive.
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This morning at the beach Chicken was upset that he was excluded from dinner last night. Said he hoped I would change plans and take him to the brewery tonight and the bbq on saturday. Told him we'll see.
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