Titles Achieved to date...

Monumental A to Z High On Liberty
NW1, RATI, RATN, RATO, NW2, L1I, RATS, L1E, L1C, L1V, L2C, L2I, L2E, RATM, R-FE/N, PKD-TL, PKD-N, ADPL1, ADPL2, TD, UWP, ADPL3, NTD, TKN, L2V, ADPL4, SDS-N, ADPL5, ADPCH, ADP1(2), ADPL1(GC), ADPL2(2), ADPL2(GC), VPN, AP, UWPCH, ADPL3(2), ADPL3(GC), NC, NI, NE, SCN, SIN, SEN, CZ8B, NV, NN, ADPL4(2), ADPL4(GC), ADPGCH, ADPL5(2), RATCH, CZ8S, AI, TKI, AV, AE, AC, AN, R-FE/X NW3-V, NW3-E, SI, RN, R-FE/NS, CZ8G, SC, SV, SE, SN, SEA, SBN, SWN, SIA, SCA, ADP-1(Th), ADP-2(Th), ADP-3(Th), ADP-4(Th), ADP-5(Th), and ADP-CH(Th)... 81 and counting...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Tormenting Gimme

Gimme has real difficulty with frustration and, like most Dalmatians, with distraction too.  I think these are her Achilles heel and I expect we will need to work on them throughout her life.

When I talk to people about Gimme's issues with frustration and distraction, I notice a disturbing trend for some to assume I am just making excuses and avoiding the issues, while not trying to do anything to train through it.  That is not the case - I work on this a lot.  I work on them in targeted exercises and training specific to those issues.  At the same time, I am sensitive to Gimme's needs as well as my overall plan and long range goals, so I manage her exposure to frustration and/or distraction when that is not the thing we are working on.  My preferences is to work on frustration and/or distraction in planned training that addresses them directly, not as a by-product of other training.

Case in point - nosework distractions.  I discovered back at our first ORT that our instructor's advice at the time was counter-productive.  Since then I have intentionally ignored distraction and thus avoided frustration.   We had and still have the time to work on this and don't need to rush to meet some arbitrary timeline.  I had a plan when I changed gears and started ignoring distraction and I still do.

My instructor's recent advice was to use timeouts when Gimme is distracted.  I find that troubling, especially since the week before she told me she thought Gimme "lacked confidence" regarding nosework experience.  I realize that timeouts are pretty mild as punishment goes, but it is still punishment nonetheless.  The nature of punishment is that it operates like a shotgun, suppressing many behaviors in addition to the one you are aiming for.  I'm not inclined to risk using punishment, no matter how mild, in the context of nosework and possibly diminishing Gimme's enthusiasm for the game.  I remain unconvinced that the abstract characteristics that identify container searches (items on the floor in a line) and vehicle searches (wheels on things) can be easily understood by dogs.  Therefore, I can't in good conscience punish Gimme for something she may not have the cognitive ability to understand - that just isn't in my definition of fair.

My plan is to continue what I'd planned all along and described in last week's nosework post.  We'll be leaving in a few minutes for class and it'll be interesting to see how much Gimme retained.

Also, I thought I'd describe the fun way I've been tormenting Gimme - with training goals in mind,  working on her listening skills and learning to deal with distraction/frustration.  I'm using her Kong ball, which she looooooooves, especially when filled with peanut butter.  Whenever I have possession of Kong-ball, she finds it very hard to listen because she's so jazzed up and distracted by the possibilities.  So while she's very distracted and frustrated - she is also highly motivated to win.

I've gradually made my possession-of-the-ball more difficult, as follows:
     ball on the desk - PB in reach in kitchen
     ball on desk - PB right next to it
     ball with PB in it on desk
     next step will be ball in my hand with PB on the desk
     then ball in my hand with PB in it
     then on the floor, etc.

I've also carefully increased the difficulty of the cued behaviors from simple single behaviors to a sequence of four behaviors.  I went to four because she was giving me the Kmart version (cheap imitation of the real thing) and then running over to her ball.  In a word, she was making her own decision about when she should get rewarded instead of listening for the click.

We play this game when I am doing something else, like getting dressed in the morning or folding clothes.   If she gives me the right response first time to the cue(s), then she gets the ball to enjoy.  If she is wrong, I go put on my bra.  Next, pants, next shirt, sock, other sock...  or I might fold another item of clothing.  Between each of them she gets another chance to get it right.  She IS getting better at this.  In the context of this game she is learning to deal with both the distraction that the ball presents as well as the frustration of not getting the ball when she makes mistakes or when she thinks she should.  Its hard work to focus through those, yet she's having fun and is motivated and determined to win.  I sure enjoy seeing her progress, which makes it fun for me.

One interesting thing I've noticed since we started doing the sequence of four behaviors, is - whether she is successful or not depends partly on how I say the cue.  If I say the cues with a bit more emphasis, she is more able to hear and focus.  I'm not talking about yelling or even speaking loudly, more like the difference between "down" and "Down".  I'll be looking at that more in the next few training sessions.

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