The Project - Day 12

Labor day turned into a labor of aggravation. Gimme was outside and barking incessantly, which is not the norm. Looked outside to discover that a passerby was sitting next to my fence with her fear reactive dog. So I called my dogs in and went out to talk with her. I understand she was trying to use the environment to get her dog used to the barking-dog stimuli, but I really don't need to have Gimme practicing that behavior and besides, she was doing it all wrong. I gave her pointers on how to do it better and a referral to a local trainer that can help her.

Then as I tried to go in the house, discovered Gimme had jumped against the front door from inside the house, slamming it shut. That's the door that can't be opened from outside (yet - still trying to fix it). Naturally I hadn't unlatched the back door. So ended up crawling in the window where I'd installed the window fan last night and hadn't yet put in a jimmy bar to keep it from being burgled. Bought 3 new keys today and set two in hiding outside, keeping one for when I have a house-sitter. That blew an hour in the morning and another hour in the evening. After that I went to work.

When I got home, I did a quick refresher course with Gimme on the eye contact game, planning to use it in our distraction training. I teach it the way Chris Bach teaches it, without a verbal cue to start it, rather your posture and attention to the dog is the cue. I used the eye contact game a lot in Michael’s distraction/anxiety training when he was young. I was thinking that it might work well for Gimme. I taught it to her when she was about three months old, but we didn’t get very far with it. She learned just the basic concept and wasn’t really ready for more. During this refresher, she picked up right where she left off and advanced very quickly. So I figured we were right on track to take it on the road.

Not long after that session my Mom called. The plumbing fix I installed last time I was there has been "broken". She admits she was probably yanking on it. I'm betting it wasn't completely seated. They had to shut the water off cuz it was spilling in the house. So between the 1:15 drive each way and at least 2 hours to do the repair the evening was shot to heck and back.

At least Gimme enjoyed the ride - in particular seeing her Grampy, my dad. We also managed a quick eye contact game session while there.

Enter Tuesday. I briefly went to work for just an hour. Then Gimme and I did the distraction training in two different spots in the Albertson’s parking lot. Using the eye contact game went better and faster than using known behaviors. I continue to use ten treats for check-in to warm her up to her environment and continue for the ten even if she indicates she’s ready to work sooner. I’ve found when I start working before the tenth check-in treat, I don’t seem to have her best attention, she’s not as focused.

After that we headed across town to where my chiropractor is and arrived half an hour before my appointment. So I got the safe place crate out and set in up in the shade of a little tree, with her Dalmatian spotted rug inside. I started with the crate because she seemed to need the additional visual barrier to do the relaxation protocol when I first taught it. I’ve decided to teach her to associate the rug with a place to do relaxation protocol. I’ll use it in the crate and then gradually pull it further out until we don’t need the crate.

Naturally right after we set up, the landscaping crew showed up. So we moved a few feet to the sidewalk and she got lots and lots treats for watching them work with their noisy landscaping tools, sometimes pretty close to us. A couple guys stopped and petted her and commented on how beautiful she is. You wouldn’t believe how many people think she can’t be a Dalmatian because of the "brown" spots. Gimme did really well with the lawn equipment and wasn’t much concerned. After they moved further away, we did a brief session of relaxation protocol, then she went back in the car as I went in for my appointment.

After that we headed out to the fort for our Tuesday walk. Gimme did better there with our getting out of the car routine using the eye contact game than she has in the past using known behaviors. Right as we were doing eye contact, a Blackhawk helicopter came in for a short field landing, passing overhead and about 30 feet to one side. Gimme only glanced at it and then went right back to work. If we ever go to an obedience trial on a helicopter glide path, we’ll be set to win our classes. I’m just saying…

Grape - dead bug (on back, feet in the air)
She made good progress holding herself on her back. I give her one or two to get started, then hold out for the better ones. She continues to offer this when she wants my attention or wants to change the subject. What a goof…

Melon - push cube with nose
We trained this first. It takes Gimme quite awhile to get past her foot interaction, but once she does she quite consistently pushes with her nose. I’m rewarding that with big jackpots and it seems to help. She has built in a down and then low-crawl up to push it with her nose, much of the time. For now I’m ignoring that and hoping it will go away when she is more consistently using her nose earlier in the session, since the down only shows up toward the end of the sessions. I’ll make sure it isn’t part of the iterations that I put a cue on.

Apple - back into a box, back feet only
Orange - get onto a small perch with all four feet
Peach - head under a chair
Not trained today.