Fetch!

[RoxMad]

So, Russell and I have been working on fetch for a couple of months now. I just had an enlightenment last night; I think part of his issue is that he's trying to keep and eye on me while getting the hoop, so his body is oriented towards me slightly. So, I'm going to work on proper body positioning, but we have some other little issues, such as him having issues going through the hoop low enough to not just "hit his forehead" on it.

Has anyone taught this trick and run into issues, even if they aren't ones I mentioned here? I think we are going to take several steps back, rebuild from scratch, and work slower to mitigate these issues. Any tips?

[Dean Pomerleau]

Hey RodMad,

On Jan 18, 2013 7:53 PM, "RoxMad" <ecas...@ufl.edu> wrote:

> him having issues going through the hoop low enough to not just "hit his forehead"
> on it.

Are you using a big enough hoop to start with? I've found it works well to get your fish to swim through a big hoop resting on the bottom first, and then slowly shrink the hoop over a week or so until he can't pass all the way through anymore. At that point, the hoop gets "stuck" around him, and he swims up to the surface with it for the reward.

You sort of sneak your way into getting him to fetch it :-).

-Dean

Founder & Chief Fish Trainer
Fish School, Inc.

[RoxMad]

We started with a bigger hoop, but we only have two in the kit...how did you slowly shrink yours?

[Dean Pomerleau]

On Jan 18, 2013 8:57 PM, "RoxMad" <ecas...@ufl.edu> wrote:
> We started with a bigger hoop, but we only have two in the kit...how did you slowly
> shrink yours?

Hmm... I'm not sure which version of the training kit you have. Does the bigger ring that came with the kit (not the hoop) have a plug that connects together the two ends of the tube which forms the ring?

If so, you can simply pull the ring apart, cut out a small chunk of the tubing, and then push it back together to form a slightly smaller ring.

If not, you can make your own "shrinkable" ring by taking a short piece of thin air tubing and connecting the two ends together with some sort of weighted plug (e.g. a bent paperclip). The weighted plug will pull one side of the ring down to the bottom, while the air in the tube will hold it upright so you fish can get his nose through it.

Do the same trick of "disconnect, cut and reconnect" to shrink the homemade ring as your fish gets used to swimming through it while it rests on the bottom of the tank.

Make sense?

Dean Pomerleau

[RoxMad]

I tried pulling the rings apart, and they can be "plugged and unplugged," so I'll gradually make it smaller. Right now, I'm working on him approaching the bottom of the hoop. In your video demonstrating how to teach this, Comet follows the target on the bottom of the platform. Russ tries to come through closer to the top, so he gets "caught" on it. His body shape also presents a bit of a challenge, but we're working through it!