Treasure Chest Chain
Props:
Setup: Tape the treasure chest onto the stand. Next, tape the tiny cup on the ground next to the treasure chest. Pre-Requisite: Your rat must know how to play basketball before you start training this trick. If you would like help training your rat to play basketball, you can find my tutorial on how to do so by clicking the button below: |
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Step 1:
Start by training your rat to place the tiny ball into your cup.
Start by training your rat to place the tiny ball into your cup.
Step 2:
Practice this a few times, and once your rat gets it down, start to place the ball into the open treasure chest. Just like before, reward your rat for placing the ball into the cup.
Practice this a few times, and once your rat gets it down, start to place the ball into the open treasure chest. Just like before, reward your rat for placing the ball into the cup.
Step 3:
Now teach your rat to close the chest. Do this by placing a treat under the open lid, so that when they go to grab it, their nose pushes the chest closed by accident. After a few tries stop placing treats under the open lid, and just pretend to place a treat down, rewarding from your hand when your rat goes to look for the treat and accidentally closes the chest. Repeat this until your rat is purposefully closing the chest for a treat each time.
Now teach your rat to close the chest. Do this by placing a treat under the open lid, so that when they go to grab it, their nose pushes the chest closed by accident. After a few tries stop placing treats under the open lid, and just pretend to place a treat down, rewarding from your hand when your rat goes to look for the treat and accidentally closes the chest. Repeat this until your rat is purposefully closing the chest for a treat each time.
Step 4:
Now you want to begin training your rat to open the treasure chest lid when its closed. Attach a string to the chest's lid, and reward your rat for any interaction with it (rub a treat on it if necessary to get your rat's attention).
Now you want to begin training your rat to open the treasure chest lid when its closed. Attach a string to the chest's lid, and reward your rat for any interaction with it (rub a treat on it if necessary to get your rat's attention).
Step 5:
Build this up until they can pull the chest open in one fluid motion.
(If you want, you can now shape your rat into pulling open the chest without the string.)
Build this up until they can pull the chest open in one fluid motion.
(If you want, you can now shape your rat into pulling open the chest without the string.)
Step 7:
Now combine both steps with back-chaining. Initially, reward in-between steps, then gradually fade this out until your rat will perform both steps in a row reliably for one treat.
Now combine both steps with back-chaining. Initially, reward in-between steps, then gradually fade this out until your rat will perform both steps in a row reliably for one treat.
Step 8:
And once your rat has mastered 2 steps, add in the third! Using the same method as before, back-chain in the third step and initially reward between the 3 behaviors. Gradually fade out this in-between rewarding until your rat can complete the entire trick without hesitation for only one treat.
And once your rat has mastered 2 steps, add in the third! Using the same method as before, back-chain in the third step and initially reward between the 3 behaviors. Gradually fade out this in-between rewarding until your rat can complete the entire trick without hesitation for only one treat.
Video Tutorial:
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