Training to Spin

[pinknfwuffy]

Hi everyone, I’ve been working with Olaf to teach him a few tricks. He’s been responding really well and will spin when I coax him with a treat around in a circle. I’ve gotten as far as to get him to spin twice (the first time leading with a treat but no reward, the second time leading with a treat and a reward). I was hoping this would slowly wean him off the treats so I could just gesture for a spin (to reward after it is completed) but he doesn’t seem to respond if I just use my hand to lead around.

Any suggestions for improving this? It is not a huge deal,obviously, I’m not looking to force him into circus performing. ;] I was just curious how some of you were able to get your rabbits to progress from performing a learned trick by following a treat to, instead, doing it with a gesture or command to receive food after a trick. Does that make sense?

I want to mention that I do make a clicker sound upon the completion of a trick. He’s definitely associated that with his reward. If I absent-mindedly make a similar sound around the house he comes running. :]

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I think you are trying to do two things at once-wean him off treats, and make it a trick that can be done from a gesture. You always want to do one thing at once

So I’d keep the treats, and train the gesture. How you’d do this is do the gesture, then use your lure to get him to spin. Eventually you’ll notice he’ll start to spin after the gesture before you start the lure. (The lure is you coaxing him in a circle with a treat-I’m assuming that’s what you are doing by your description).

Once he *Really* understands the gesture, without the lure and has that down pat you could fade your treats. You shouldn’t fade the treat totally. Instead you do an intermittent schedule of reinforcement, so sometimes he gets a treat, sometimes he doesn’t.

[Bam]

I second K&K totally. You have to make the spin really stick before you wean him off the treat. That’s how you do it with dogs, and the same principle goes for virtually all animals. Then when he really knows the spin, you “name” it – with a word or a gesture. Many animals understand gestures better than words, because they themselves communicate primarily with body-language.

And then you do a “random” schedule of reinforcement. If he knows he’s guaranteed a treat, he can choose not to do the trick. But if he MIGHT get a treat, he’ll be more eager to do the trick. You can also on very rare occasions reward him with an unexpected, extra-super-yummy treat that he goes crazy for.

[pinknfwuffy]

Thank you both! I couldn’t wrap my mind around how to get the gesture incorporated and this is really helpful. I really appreciate it. He’s picking everything up really well so far. I never thought to add the gesture first but it seems so obvious now. 

For a while I could only get a half-spin out of him so we’re definitely making progress. I’l try to update if he takes to this new system over the next few weeks. Either that, or one very dizzy bunny. :]

Merci!

[Azerane]

Bandit was a stinker, he would never, ever spin or twirl (opposite direction) if he knew I didn’t have a treat. He somewhat knew a hand signal, but I still kind of had to swoop my hand around in a circle over him. Although it was funny because after learning spin and twirl, often when I would go an get his treats he would come running up to me and spin on his own, haha. I guess he thought it would get him a treat quicker

I initially had trouble getting him to want to spin, as in he would do it, but reluctantly. Then I upped the deliciousness of the treat and he was spinning super fast every time!

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