Peach Extinction Burst

As I said I would, I did a training session using peanut butter to increase the value of the peach behavior.  I made some toast, put PB on it and then cut it to crouton sizes, making 20 pieces.  I had cheese and steak bits for anything else I wanted to reward.

Gimme quickly decided that peach was THE behavior of the century.  I spent a little time refining it and asking for better peaches.  Sometimes she only puts her nose under and other times her whole head goes under, the whole head is what I want.  I didn't want to belabor the point though, since I think my click timing is part of the problem. 

When I had 6 toast treats left, I started asking for other behaviors.  That is when the extinction burst for peach happened.  Twenty-four minutes later... 

I defined the extinction burst as finished when she was no longer:

• offering any form of peach
• walking around the peach chair
• sitting as demand
• barking
• whining
• cooing
• talking
• screaming
• putting her paws on the table to see if there was any toast left
• nose bumping my hand
• stomping her paws around the room
• pouncing on the couch
• sitting at heel
• mouthing my hand
• licking my fingers
• trying to steal leftover toast
• whomping into a down
• stomping her feet while down
• anything designed to get my attention

Needless to say, that was one impressive extinction burst.  Too bad I didn't get that on tape.

Once it was done, she didn't offer me the peach behavior except when I cued it.  I did have to help her the first two times, but after that, she was right on it.  A surprising side benefit, suddenly the sit responses tightened up a lot as well.  I'm sure we'll go through this again, but right now I'm leaving her to percolate on what just happened.  I'm sure she thinks there is something seriously wrong with her person.