Check us out on Facebook and YouTube
All Pets Education and Training
  • Home
    • About >
      • Qualifications, Continuing Education and Professional Development
      • Reviews
  • Contact
  • Courses/Classes & Private Tuition
    • Why choose Virtual training?
    • Skype or Zoom Consultations
    • Virtual Classes >
      • Separation Struggles - 12 week virtual course
      • Reactivitiy and Growing Disengagement from Distractions - 12 week course
      • Virtual - Cat training class
      • Virtual - Cooperative Care
      • Virtual - Growing Confidence Course
      • Virtual - Loose Lead Walking and Engagement Course
      • Virtual - Training with multiple dogs
      • Virtual - Tricks Course
      • Virtual - Puppy Pre-Primary School - dogs up to 6 months
    • Online Courses >
      • K9 manners online - info >
        • K9 Manners Online >
          • K9 Manners Period 1
          • K9 Manners Period 2
          • K9 Manners Period 3
          • K9 Manners Period 4
          • K9 Manners Period 5
          • K9 Manners Period 6
      • Cooperative Care Online - info >
        • Cooperative Care Online >
          • Cooperative Care Period 1
          • Cooperative Care Period 2
          • Cooperative Care Period 3
          • Cooperative Care Period 4
          • Cooperative Care Period 5
          • Cooperative Care Period 6
      • Building Confidence and Resilience Online - info >
        • Building Confidence and Resilience >
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - pre start
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 1
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 2
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 3
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 4
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 5
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 6
      • Tricks Course Online
    • Private Tuition >
      • Private Pricing
    • Polite Manners Challenge 2019 - 1 task each month
    • Selfie Challenge 2020 - 1 task per month
    • Fitness Conditioning Challenge 2018 - 1 task each month
    • Husbandry Challenge 2017 - 1 task each month
    • Trick Challenge 2016 - 1 trick each month
  • Enrichment
    • Dogs
    • Cats
    • Birds >
      • Homemade Bird Treats
    • Pocket Pets
    • Horses
  • Learning Theory
    • The Four D's of training
    • Consistency
    • Cues vs Commands
    • Resilience
    • Using food in training
    • Setting up for Success
  • Body Language
    • Canine Body Language
    • Feline Body Language
  • Kids & Dogs
    • Preparing Your Pooch For Baby's Arrival
    • Fun Games for Kids & Dogs
    • How Kids Should Interact with Dogs - Dr Sophia Yin
    • How Kids Shouldn't Interact with Dogs - Dr Sophia Yin
    • Family Paws Information sheets
  • Husbandry Behaviours
    • Muzzle Training
    • Elizabethan Collar
    • Sustained Target
  • Common Doggy Dilemmas
    • Adolescence - Sexual maturity and puppy licence expiration
    • Adrenaline Levels
    • Creating Calmness
    • Alone time is good
    • Separation Distress
    • OMG!! You've got a new puppy (or are thinking about one)... What next?
    • Buyers remorse
    • Adopting 2 Puppies
    • Dog Fights
    • Escaping Dogs
    • What's so good about rolling in poo & other stinky stuff?
    • My dog is Barking - Help!!
    • Growling is Good
    • Muzzle Training
    • Dog Vision
    • Firework Fear
    • Thunderstorms
    • Coprophagia - The act of Poo Eating
    • Managing Multiple Mutts
    • Puppy Socialisation and Fear Periods >
      • 30-day socialisation puppy challenge
    • Newly adopted rescue dog
    • Humping Hounds
    • Deference Training - Karen Overall protocol
    • Dog Parks. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.
    • Dominance in Dog Training
    • Dog-Dog Play
    • Leash Reactivity in Dogs
    • Look At That (LAT)
    • Management IS Training
  • Boredom Busters
    • Recycled Enrichment
    • Crate Rest Crazies
    • Make your dog a TugToy >
      • Rules for TUG & GIVE
    • Bottle Bug Besties
    • Milk Bottle Bungee
    • Snuffle Mat Mayhem
    • Hot Weather Hints
    • Wet Weather Fun
    • Shaping Behaviour
    • The Bucket Game
    • Scent Work at Home
    • Proprioception
    • ACE Free work
    • Box Feeding
  • Special Needs Pets
    • Blind Dogs
    • Deaf Dogs
  • Helpful Hints & Ideas
    • Concept Training
    • Emotions and the affect on our pets
    • Choosing a Trainer
    • Resilience
    • Psychologist vs Psychiatrist
    • Relaxation Protocol
    • Consistency
    • Cues vs Commands
    • The Gut Microbiome
    • Sleep - why it is so important
    • The Collar Grab
    • Knowing when to say goodbye
    • Grief and Depression in pets
    • Preparing your dog for a vet visit
    • TTouch Wrap
    • Easter Dangers
    • Winter and Your Pet
    • Chooks As Pets
    • Making and Using a Longline
    • Tips for Taking Great Pet Pics
    • Keeping your pets safe this Christmas
    • Pill Pockets - an aid to giving your pet oral medication
    • Food Tubes
    • Trish's Training Treats
    • Increasing the value of dry food used for rewards
    • Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi
    • Car Safety and your pet
    • Moving House
  • Keeping Cats Happy - Helpful Tips
    • Feline Happiness
    • Keeping Cats Happy - Choosing a Litter Tray
    • Keeping cats Happy - Choosing a scratching post
    • Introducing Cats and Dogs
    • Introducing Cats
  • All Pets Ed Case Studies
  • Newsletters
  • What to do in an Emergency
    • CPR
    • Bloat or Gastric Dilation Volvulus
    • Tick Paralysis
    • Toad Toxicity
    • Snake!
    • Xylitol Toxicity
    • Common Toxins
    • Wildlife
  • Words of Wisdom & Inspiring Quotes
  • Recommended Reading
  • Policies and Procedures
  • Free Puppy Ebook

The Bucket Game
Empowering Not Overpowering

The Bucket Game – The Game of Choice
This fun and easy animal training game is designed to empower the learners.
By creating an environment where our animals have choice and can communicate their intentions to participate. The Bucket Game gives animals the ability to tell us:
  • When they are ready to start
  • When they need to take a break
  • When they want to stop
  • When we need to slow down
 
The bucket game was designed and brought to the world by Chirag Patel – a training and behaviour expert from Domesticated Manners. Chirag encourages conversations between animals and people. 

a. when they are ready to start
b. when they want to take a break
c. when they want to stop
d. when they want us to slow down

The bucket game can be used in many instances, not only for husbandry training and caregiving behaviours, but also as a confidence builder, phobia reducer and for fun.

This game uses shaping, targeting, stationing and many other behavioural principles in a way that makes it fun for both the animal and the care giver.

What you will need:
  • A bucket (size appropriate for your learner)
  • Rewards (high value food or toys)
  • A bed/mat or safe place
  • Access to water
Step 1: Teaching manners & impulse control around the bucket (put your reinforcement in the bucket)

Start by putting the rewards in the bucket and holding the bucket out to the side.

Reward for looking at the bucket but maintaining some distance from it (20-50cm), with the rewards from the bucket.

You can then put the bucket on the ground/chair and reward the animal for looking at it but not jumping in it. 

It doesn’t matter what position your animal is in (sit/down/stand).  What you are rewarding for is engagement with the bucket.

Start reinforcing when the animal maintains eye contact with the bucket for longer durations.  Don’t increase your criteria too soon or quickly as this may cause your learner confusion.

The animal is allowed to look around between focusing on the bucket – remember this is a game of choice and a conversation between you and them.  No need to call them, shake the bucket, tug on lead etc.  Let your animal make the choice to engage to participate in the training program.

Allowing access to a bed/mat and water – will give your animal confidence that they can take a break as needed.

Picture
Step 2: Choose what you want to train the animal to do – for this example – A dog having his ears checked...

I’m going to wait until he is able to focus on the bucket (remember it doesn’t matter what position the dog is in – it could be a sit/down/stand).

When he is focused on the bucket and able to hold his focus of a few seconds, I’m going to start moving my hand to his side (not touching him etc). 

At this point he can choose to continue to look at the bucket – and if he does he will be rewarded.  If he looks at my hand, he has communicated that he was uncomfortable, and I will stop – remember the game of choice.

When he re-engages with the bucket, the game begins again.  This time, don’t move the hand so fast or far.  If he is able to maintain focus on the bucket – he is rewarded.

This continues, until the dog is able to have his ear examined.
 

Important:
The game of choice, will only work, if you allow the animal to communicate that they wish to begin, break and stop the game.
If the animal looks away from the bucket, the game breaks/stops.  When they re-engage with the bucket, the game continues.
 
 
References
Domesticated Manners, (2015). "Teaching with Head & Heart". [online] Available at: http://www.domesticatedmanners.com/welcome/ [Accessed 21 Nov. 2015].
Patel, C. (2015). The Bucket Game. [online] Facebook.com. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/thebucketgame/ [Accessed 21 Nov. 2015].

All Material Copyright All Pets Education and Training 2024
​

I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where I work and live. I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging. I celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.