Public Dog (2)

Yesterday was our second Public Dog class, at the training building.  Class was evenly split between people who are almost ready for the test (they went elsewhere for a mock test) and those who were just starting.  The first thing they did was ask each of us what our goals were and I said:

While I'd be happy to get a CGC and the Public Transportation certificate, I most want to use the class to help Gimme with her reactivity issues and to take the next steps in "growing up" and [for a laugh] I'll probably need help letting go of my "baby girl". 

Little did I realize how true the last part would be.

The first thing we worked on was teaching Gimme to act more "adult".  She has a real tendency to mug me for attention, or if my face is in range lots of kissing and hugging.  First Ursula described those behaviors as submissive, but then we decided since Gimme surely doesn't lack confidence - the "submissive" label doesn't fit accurately.

So Ursula thinks she is using puppy behaviors to get tactile reinforcement.  She has two dogs (of her 7) that have a much higher need for tactile contact.  The other five dogs gave up the puppy behaviors as they grew up, but they didn't crave the contact, so they had no reason to hold onto them.  Whereas for both of these dogs, she had to actually teach them how to ask appropriately for physical contact in public settings.

It isn't that they can't get physical contact in public - it would just be different, more appropriate.  The idea is to teach them another level of impulse control, where they monitor there own needs and then ask for contact and support in a more suitable way.  Ursula has taught her two dogs to target her thigh with their body and then she gives them the contact they need.

We then talked about how or whether this would change her behavior at home -- since I was already suffering anticipatory withdrawal anxiety just thinking that Gimme wouldn't be my cuddle bug at home.  I admit it, she really is my baby and I love all her hugs and kisses...  Ursula likened it to the relationship between a husband and wife...  in the privacy of home they express affection in often intimate ways, whereas in public, they express affection with less intimate contact, such as holding hands.  So, we just teach Gimme that distinction.

The way to do it was to simply reclaim my space when Gimme intrudes inappropriately.  I say "simply", because its a simple concept.  However, putting it into practice is anything but simple.  So any time Gimme intrudes on my space in public settings, then I am to gently move into her until she gives way - at which time I immediately back off.  Ursula wanted me to be really fast about backing off when Gimme responds, because that is part of the reward and we don't want her to get the idea that I'm mad at her.  The other part of the reward is to reach down and give her the contact she wanted in the first place.

Part of what made this so challenging is that I have been a positive reward trainer for a very long time and, as Ursula said, we as a rule don't intrude on a dog's space - instead we respect their space.  Ursula also noted my habitual response when Gimme moves into my space is to take a tiny step back and let her have it.  I did that about 15 times in ten minutes.  Also Urs pointed out how much I use a baby-talk tone (not words) with Gimme.

So not only was the timing a challenge, it was timing while trying to overcome an unconscious habit.  I don't think I ever did get it exactly right.  Mostly I'd move slightly back as a reflex, then catch myself and lean or step slightly toward her, then rock back.  Gimme responded very well and very quickly - I was the one having the problem.  Gimme adores Urs so we were able to set her up to demo it.  She figured it out in about 90 seconds with Urs' perfect timing and all it took was a subtle shift to send the message.  She did better with me, but it wasn't as crisp or as obvious as how fast she did for Ursula.

I'm thinking I'll work this weekend on teaching her to lean into my leg and then will pet her while she's there.  The trick I think will be to distinguish between this behavior and heel position...  since I don't want her heel to morph into a lean.  I think maybe I'll have her do it at 45 degrees, where she is sort of leaning against the front of my knee and possibly standing.  I'll have to play with it.

The interesting thing was that overall she seemed calmer.  We did a lot of LLW out on the floor with a calm Bernese nearby.  Gimme was able to handle that much closer than I would have thought.  Though after awhile, she did let me know she really needed some time in her crate to decompress.  Later we came out on the floor and resumed.

I had something else I was going to talk about, but my head and throat are starting to ache...  I thought late last night that I might be coming down with something.  So I've been taking Cold Calm and made it a very short work day.  Now to have a bowl of hot soup and curl up on the couch with my baby girl...