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This actually engaged our teenagers!!! (who knew?)
We have two teens that are 'way too cool for silly games that Mom can come up with.' Well, when this arrived, I said to my husband, "Babe, I found something fun...let's teach the fish to do tricks." It piqued the kid's attention and they wanted to put it together. They've now started competing on who can get the fish to do what. Mostly, the fish just wants the food...Whether we can actually 'train' it remains to be seen (only had it for 2 days.) It's fun all the same! It will probably be easier to train the fish than hold the kid's attention.
[Monday, June 09, 2008]
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Making my fish smarter, one step at a time
I purchased the R2 fish school as a Father's Day present for my husband from our goldfishes Willie and Apu, thinking it would be fun to teach them some tricks. Needless to say, when the Fish School showed up, I couldn't wait until Father's Day, and let my husband open it as soon as it arrived. As other reviewers have stated, it was really impressive how much stuff was in this kit - and how adjustable all of the parts are to accommodate even the most, er, "robust" fish (Willie is a bit of a porker). The video gives clear, step-by-step instructions on how to do each of the tricks; the instructions are easy to understand, and the video is entertaining and fun to watch. Hopefully Willie and Apu will be able to graduate soon.
[Friday, May 30, 2008]
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More then I expected
R2 Fish School
I purchased the R2 Fish School to explore the possibility of Animal Assisted Therapy. With the advancement of microcontrollers and sensors it'll be possible to setup a tank that is interactive and gives feedback.
I've gone through a two year program that teaches you how to train your own assistance dog. Shane and I graduated four years ago and I use operant conditioning to improve upon current skills or teach new ones that we need.
I think the greatest benefit of the R2 Fish School kit is that it removes barriers of learning positive reinforcement that happens when you try to train a dog.
* Even though 90% of our dog's communication is through body language, we assume they understand full sentences, and get frustrated when they don't. We don't expect that with fish.
* We expect that dogs have the same learning curve as us, and get frustrated that it's ten times greater or that they'll chain together behaviors quicker. We don't expect that of fish.
* It's easy to get physical with the dog to put him in the right position. Can't do that with fish.
* The hardest thing for people to grasp about operant conditioning is that the animal is the operator, you are the vending machine. When the animal deposits the right change (behavior), you dispense the treat. You're forced to do that with fish.
If you want to become a better dog trainer, fish will help you get the techniques of operant conditioning faster. In my mind the cost of starting for scratch with a brand new tank, fish and R2 Fish School will save you a lot of frustration.
As other reviewers have pointed out there is a lot of value in the R2 Fish kit.
* 45 minute DVD that shows you the training techniques. Father and son Dean and Kyle Pmerleau developed the kit and Dean leads you through the process of using the kit and training the behaviors. Kyle provides comic relief to breakup the segments.
* 32 page booklet on how to use and assemble the equipment.
* Large Fish School Platform with holes to plug in the equipment
* Compact Weighted base
* Feeding Wand
* Feeding Wand extension
* Five 4.5 inch post
* One 6.5 inch post
* Two 5 inch Uprights with holes to create a goal post or limbo bar
* Cross bar for the upright post
* Expansion hoop connector & tubing so that you can create a variable size hoop for your fish to swim through
* 3 inch sheet of plastic to construct a tunnel
* 5 inch sheet of plastic to construct a tunnel
* Tunnel mount
* Two 1.5 inch tunnel straps
* Two 2.5 inch tunnel straps
* Retrieval & placement tool with a hook
* Retrieval & placement tool with a net
* Three different size soccer balls for your fish to push into the goal
* Soccer goal
* Soccer Goal Post Clips to help guide the ball into the net
* Football designed so that your fish can pick it up.
* Three different size fetch rings for your fish to retrieve
* Slalom Adapter
* Basketball that floats on the surface so that your fish can make a basket
* Basketball hoop with suction cup so that the hoop can be placed near the surface for the basket ball.
A lot of thought went into this kit. An example is the goal post clips that guide the soccer ball into the net. Without them the soccer ball could become trapped between the goal post and the training platform walls. It's important that you plan your training session so that the animal doesn't get frustrated. The goal post clips are an example of this technique.
I had known for a few years that it was possible to train fish, but had never taken the time to do it. Dean & Kyle took the time and a lot of thought and care went into the design of this kit. Operant conditioning isn't a way to control your pet, but a way of communicating.
My assistance dog Shane was considered un-adoptable by both the humane society and the Labrador rescue group. Everyone who adopted him found him to be too wild and demanding. But he passed his temperament test for the assistance dog school, he was given to me by the Labrador rescue foundation and I was told I couldn't give him back.
Operant conditioning saved his life and improved mine. I know from experience that if I had this kit back then it would have helped me get the training techniques faster.
[Saturday, May 17, 2008]
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