I don’t really need a whole lot of hearing alerts, but some days I do get distracted and forget to turn the coffee pot back on.
I don’t drink coffee much, but I really don’t like cold coffee. Or when my ears are ringing/buzzing etc, I may not hear the change filter beep on the air cleaners.
Oddly, while we are socializing very hard to convince our youngster to ignore sounds, there are some we don’t want them to ignore. Starting hearing alerts early with simple things like a cooking timer helps them later be prepared to learn more difficult alerts.
Hearing alerts have 3 parts: recognizing the sound, alerting the handler, and showing what made the sound.
RECOGNITION:
Some pups notice every sound, and if they look up at the beep of a coffee pot, a simple click and treat is an easy capture. Some pups may have to be taught the sound means they should notice it. A recorded or downloaded beep can be used when you have their attention, then click and treat it heavily a few times.
Then try the sound when they are laying down quietly, and if they look up, there’s your fast click and big rewards. Gradually increase their ability to notice the sound by adding in bigger and bigger distractions.
ALERT:
A puppy will need to have learned (or been encouraged as a wee tot) to nose poke or touch of some kind for this. Teaching it is simply luring their nose with a treat until they touch you, and say “touch” or “alert) if you want when they hear the sound.
Once they know touching you, you add touching right behind the sound. Put in front of them the timer (an alarm type sound), or the coffee pot (a beeping sound), or your cell phone…whatever you have taught them to notice.
When they notice, lure or say “touch/alert”, THEN do your click and reward (praise, laughing, treating, playing etc). You’ve just added a second step before they get the click–it’s called creating a behavior chain.
SHOW:
The find it games make yet another appearance! Some puppies will just follow the sound if it’s one that continues for a time. Others will have to see the object again while it’s making the sound to add up the full three steps.
Set the kitchen timer in front of them, let it go off, lure the nose to touch, then click and heavily reward. Then move the timer a little away from you and do the 3 steps together again. Then as for a find it, or show if that’s you’re preferred word.
Gradually move the timer farther away until it becomes a bit of a search. And don’t forget that the harder it is to find, the more you increase the value of the treat (they like it better in trainer talk), as well as the amount of the high value treat too.
Here is a document list of various kinds of hearing alerts you can use to get some ideas, and add what you need from your puppy! HEARING ALERTS
