All Fruits Look The Same

I thought I might try something different today and got results that cause me to question whether Gimme actually knows the cues for peach (head under chair) and orange (sit on perch) as individual behaviors or whether she has a different understanding.

I set both of them up and tried randomly cueing between those two and sit and down.  The first issue was where I was standing and whichever I cued she went to the closest one.  Once I moved to where I was an equal distance from them she was giving me both of them. 

For a bit I thought she just wasn't in listening mode.  When she gave a wrong answer, I turned and walked a few steps away, as far as needed to get her to abandon the incorrect behavior.  But as the session went on - her responses to sit and down got more and more correct.  Still the peach and orange behaviors were really variable.  I thought for awhile that she was simply giving me the one of those two that she did last.  However, as I closely watched her, it became clear that she was giving me the one that she was looking at when I gave the cue.

This makes me wonder... is it still a listening skills issue or does she not know those two cues.  Is it possible she believes those two cues both mean interact with whichever prop is present, so that when two props are there she takes the cue to mean interact with the prop that is in her line of vision.  I just don't know the answer and Gimme isn't talking.

I had already scheduled a private lesson with Ursula for before our nosework class this coming Wednesday.  So am not going to train these two in the meantime.  Ursula says she has another listening skills exercise that will help Gimme to understand when she should and when she should not be offering behaviors.  I'll send her an email and let her know about what I saw today and we can perhaps add that to the session.

This has been an intriguing training process.  At times its very frustrating, but I know in the end it will be very valuable.  I know Gimme is a canine genius, but there is clearly a hump of understanding that we aren't getting past.  I wonder if her being so super smart isn't a bit of a liability in this situation.  I've always said no one ever needs help training a dumb dog and obviously the opposite is also true.  Clearly I need to raise my game - sure am thankful to have Ursula to train with.