Ivan Balabanov method - Page 1

Hi,does anyone have any knowledge of how Ivan teaches the focus without a tug or food?Has anyone had oppurtunity to see his dvd on that ?

Buy it

i have seen his first dvd and he does use food and tug.unless he is doing something new.why do you want to know when there are more proven methods and easy methods to teach focus.have a nice one.

there is no harm in knowing a technique even if you are not going to use it. Knowledge never goes waste.

I would advise defintely buy the without conflicts cd and watch them its a prized possession for anyone serious

cheers

probably you could improvise on Ivan;s technique and select a middle path for your particular program

good luck and all the best

PS: Is it getting colder there now?

ivan is one of these guys who has done it all and won it all.  there is nothing he can't train or do himself.  however, teaching others to do what he does is not so easy for him.  in order to get the most from ivan......very small groups or videos are best.  large groups like a seminar of 30 people or so, are not very productive.  if you attend an ivan seminar, stay right at his heels as much as possible.  he is awesome in very small goups or one on one.  he has incredible ability to read dogs, to try innovative approacvhes and has tireless energy.  his training methods are based on communication with the dog.  understanding......which is great.

pjp

Pat Relton thanks for your very productive response.Thanks Held,I do know another method with the tug but have heard so much about his ability to teach the focus WITHOUT food or toys sopposedly and am just curious to learn another way if ever needed.I am one of those who is always open to new ways.Vikram ,yes it is getting cold up here in Canada lately.I have bought the Bernard Flinks dvd's and i learned a great deal from both the dvd's and the 3 day seminar i attended.Lately alot of talk about Ivan has come up with some friends so i am curious as to the training techniques he uses.I am more than likely going to get the one you mentioned,Training without conflict.Thanks

I didn’t find anything particularly new about Ivan’s tug method.  Essentially you teach the dog that they control the game by doing what is asked.  At first the dog must out they tug in order to activate the tug (a little twist on the 2 toy game).  After the basics of sit/down/stand are taught they too must be completed to activate the tug.  Ivan also suggests giving the dog the chance to unsuccessfully engage another handler to drive home who he/she should be focusing on. 

The part I found interesting is his use of a terciary reinforcer.  Traditionally the marker (or Secondary reinforcer) ends a behavior.  Ivan uses a keep going command.  He believes it is much clearer for the dog.  The DVDs are well worth the money!!!

Thanks ziegenfarm for the info and also a thank you to ocoey.I find it interesting that he can teach this attention,looking the handler in the eye without a toy or something. I am wondering how he can keep up the dogs attention without the tug.Can  this be  OR have i been misinformed?I would like to see him if he ever gets to Canada.Im sure he has alot of good things to offer.

That is the beauty of the terciary reinforcer.  The dog learns he must complete the given task to earn the reward yet moves the focus off the reward.....hard to explain (easy to see).

Typically heel is taught using food to lure the dog in place.  Dog is always feed in place.  Using Ivan's method you communicate to the dog that the behaviour is correct (keep going) and once done they get the reward.