The Project - Day 2

Apple - back into a box, back feet only

I selected a large running shoe shoebox and covered it in bright paper.  I am trying to make her props easy to distinguish from any other props I may one day use in freestyle.  I thought it would be plenty big enough, but in class discovered it is not without its challenges.

Gimme was ready to get her feet in it, but the size means that she is often kicking it over.  We worked on it for a short time in class with Ursula watching me.  Ursula is very good at critiquing training technique and was all over me about my sloppy tendencies.  When I think about it, I can be a very clean trainer, but when I'm really engaged that kind of takes over.  Interestingly when I cleaned up my act, Gimme let me know she didn't think I was doing my part - barking at me.  I know she is smart enough to puzzle this out on her own, but she has become used to me helping her with extraneous movements that give her clues.  When those were taken away, she found it frustrating. 

The environment in class was more distracting than usual, so we didn't get that far.  There were only three of us in class and all more advanced dogs, so they were working outside their cubicles where she could see them.  Also, we were working on leash during the free-shaping, which is cumbersome. 

I did another session at home this evening and we went from any feet in the box to only back feet, to only back feet not preceded by front feet, to backing in.  One problem is that the box tends to flip on its side.  I weighted it with a phone book and that helped, but it would still flip sometimes.  Tomorrow I will cut a 2x12 insert to weight it down.  Gimme has no hesitation with her back feet, so when her foot hits the edge, she just pushes harder and that tends to flip the box.  She does seem to think that if she steps against the back side and box flips on its side toward her back feet (the box under her belly) that she should still be clicked for that.  She doesn't see "equipment failure" as something that should deprive her of a well deserved treat - she is frustrated by the transition from rewards for effort to rewards for success. 

Toward the end I added the refinement that she wasn't allowed to even step over the box with her front feet and she started making a small turn beside the box, then stepping her back feet in.  I like this a lot and think it promotes her thinking more carefully about rear foot placement.  As it is she is quite content to cast all around with those back feet.  I'd like her to use her peripheral vision more consciously.

Orange - get onto a small perch with all four feet
I was unable to find the stool I was thinking of.  I know it has to be here somewhere.  I tried a metal plant pot, but it proved unsuitable.  Its just a bit too high, though Gimme worked at it, even trying to back onto it with her back feet, but couldn't seem to get interested in getting all four feet on it.  Given how readily she does that with anything else, I think its just a tad too small given the height.  Also, it has a rim that may be uncomfortable if she steps on it.

I will look some more for the foot stool and if I don't find it, will come up with something else.  I have plenty of scrap wood and could easily make a wooden box for this purpose.

Grape - dead bug (on back, feet in the air)

I tried to lure her into rolling on her back and ran into the most lovely kind of problem to have.  One thing that has been a blessing about Gimme is how well put together she is.  Throughout her puppyhood she has never done sloppy puppy sits.  Unless the surface she sits on is slanted, she sits square and most often with a tucked sit to boot.  I never had to teach that, rather just had to exercise a little conscious thought to keep from ruining her natural tuck sit.  In the same vein, she doesn't lay down slouched on one hip.  She always lays down in sphinx style. 

My efforts to lure her to one side for a slower rollover just didn't work well, since she is disinclined to roll to one hip -- something I hadn't anticipated or even thought about.  I'm sure I don't really want to break down this lovely natural precision of hers, so decided to leave that for the moment.  I'll take another stab at free-shaping this. 
 
Peach - head under a chair

I must've been kidding myself when I said this would come easily to her.  I wasn't thinking that I've often encouraged her to get up in the chair at class, as a station where I could pet her while Ursula was talking to me.  Naturally she was up in that chair very quickly and was quite persistent, believing that I should be rewarding her for that.  I think I've mentioned before that she has her own ideas about the right and wrong of things - she can be very tenacious.

I was thinking it would be a good idea to work on this at home with one of my chairs - on the premise that a different chair might encourage her to look at it my way.  Then just this moment it occurred to me... dumb me, all I had to do was turn the chair around to face the wall.  (envision me smacking my palm against my forehead...)

Melon - push cube with nose

We worked on this in class and Gimme went right back to smacking the stuffing out of it with her feet.  Using her feet is another thing she is tenacious about.  It will be a good challenge for her to do something in a different way. 

We got back to just nose touches and sitting on the floor helped so that I only got one or two touches from a down.  I also started tossing her treats, to keep her moving and thus less likely to lay down.  I'll be looking for harder touches and/or multiple touches next. 

She very clearly thinks this is one of my more boring ideas.  She keeps offering me other variations to spice it up.  I do think she will like pushing it around with her nose, once we get there.  So it will be a good exercise for her to persist with the task and see that something that isn't initially amusing or entertaining might just evolve into something more fun.