Copier Pictures

I've already sent off the 4 best pictures from the 9/11 photo shoot.  I had to tidy the office before taking pictures, so it looks better than any time in the last five years.  Of course now I'm sneezing my head off from stirring up all that dust. 

Gimme was very good about getting into position and sitting there waiting through all my picture taking nonsense.  She really does have an excellent sit-wait.  In the first picture, Gimme is patiently waiting after I pushed the button for the copier to take the picture of her cute little tushy...

In the second picture, she is clearly impatient to see the final results and is actually watching the paper come out of the copier.

Afterward I spread her pictures out on the floor and let her look at them.  She spent quite awhile examining them, before tearing a couple to shreds.  I should have gotten pictures of her doing that.

There's another picture I would have loved to get, but needed someone to take the picture... I didn't want to risk Gimme breaking her stay and jumping off to get to me since its a long way down.  I may get that picture some day, simply because Gimme is so photogenic and it would be a cool shot.  But obviously not until I have another set of hands to take the picture so I can make sure she stays safe.

I have a great Halloween costume idea for her, but was too busy with other things to get it done.  Maybe next year.

We've only done a little training in the last couple days since I was fighting a cold and needed to work some extra rest into my days.  The second session with the target stick went really well, so I attached the cue.  Next time I'll start working on the exercise that I learned from Ursula.  I'll try to videotape it.

We have a working slot in a freestyle seminar next weekend.  I have been so focused on the fruit project that I wasn't even thinking about it and now here it is almost upon us and I really haven't taught her any of the behaviors I wanted to have ready. 

So, I'm also using free shaping to teach Gimme to back away from me.  The hardest part seems to be getting her to understand that I want her to go straight away from me.  On the hardwood floor, I lined up with the strips and started by clicking any time she kept one foot between the strips, then two and finally three.  Still, I'm not sure she is getting the idea and it was kinda frustrating for her.  So I'm going to lay down two strips of duct tape to form a corridor for her.  Then as she gets the idea I can cut away at the edges making the tape narrower and narrower to fade it. 

Private Lesson & Target Stick

I wanted to do one of the exercises we did in our private lesson, but needed to attach the cue to the target stick behavior first.  Silly me, I thought Gimme would remember how to do her target stick behavior, even if we haven't done it for at least six months.  Whereas Gimme thought it was really nice of me to bring a stick in for her to chew on. 

So I quickly dropped the idea of attaching a cue to the biting-the-stick behavior.  I basically had to free-shape it from the start.  By the time we finished she was doing really nice nose touches on the end.  So if she does that again next time from the start, I will attach a cue to it.

PRIVATE LESSON...

We started with some discussions, based on some questions I had been thinking about. 

Q1a.  Are we complicating the wait-for-the-cue process by using her two default behaviors (sit and down) in the mixed sets?   When we did so much work on her relaxation protocol in classes, the down turned into a second default.

• Maybe we shouldn't use them in the mixed sets for wait for the cue training.  Its possible we'd get better stimulus control, but lose them as default behaviors.
• However, just because they are defaults, doesn't mean we shouldn't expect some level of stimulus control, we just may not get all four elements.
• If I cue sit or down, she only gets click/treat/reward if she does what I cued.
• If she offers either default I don't have to click/treat it, but could do so randomly.  I can also reward in other ways.
• If she offers a default in place of the behavior I cued, no reward.

Q1b.  (based on the last question) What are the four elements for stimulus control?

• If I cue X, you do X
• If I cue X, you don't do Z (or others)
• If I cue Z (or others), you don't do X
• If I don't cue X, you don't do X (doesn't apply to defaults or naturally occurring behaviors)

Q2.  Are there times when we should change the training order for the last three of the six stages of learning?

• Yes, there are times when we would.  Actually the last four stages are what makes up stimulus control. 
• Those last four are usually on a circular cycle where they are each being taught over and over, or in random order, as understanding and difficulty of behavior increase.  Its important to specify, that when I say random here... that doesn't mean within one training session.  It merely means that between different sessions, these don't have to be in a specific order.
• Different behaviors have a different logical order for teaching.
• Plus, some dogs do better with a different order.  For instance, a dog as smart and active as Gimme will be bored with most duration work, so it works better to teach her distraction and/or distance first.  Then the duration develops along the way without boring her.
• And, which "stage" you are working on may depend on the environment in which you are working at any given moment.  IE. What I train and expect in the living room will be different than what I can train and expect in a parking lot.  I would be more likely to train for distance or duration in a familiar environment, while distraction is present in a strange environment, so initially that is what you are training for.

Q3.  In classes we discovered that stopping after 5 good repetitions gave us the best results. Am I doing too many reps at a time and is that undermining the process?

• Probably yes – even though the sessions are still relatively short, 3-5 minutes, there may be too many reps in a set.  It's better to focus on repetitions rather than time.
• We did a plan for this private lesson, where for the most part, after 5 reps we'd break off that set and let Gimme relax and refresh.  Then after a minute come back for another set. In this way Gimme was able to stay with us for a session that lasted 30 minutes, even despite the distraction of a new location (never been in that room before), despite her knowing that nosework was happening elsewhere in the building, despite the brain intensive nature of some of the work and despite the fact of her being in season.  Woohoo Gimme…

Q4.  Does Gimme know the behaviors (peach and orange), does she simply believe she should do whatever prop she is looking at, or is it still a listening skills issue?

• We didn't really address this issue in depth, rather went into training and working on listening skills.  We initially found she couldn't do a number of well known behaviors, as well as the two fruit behaviors, in that distracting environment, so we had to show her that it still applied there too.  Then she did much better.
• When we set up a different chair (folding no less), after just a moment of attaching the cue to that chair, Gimme went right to work, if slowly, so she does know the cue.  Initially the quality was lower, nose under instead of head under.  Then as the lesson progressed she went back to putting her whole head under the chair.

In other blog entries I'll talk more about the exercises we did.  There is much to do and it has become quite a fascinating process.  Gimme always keeps me on my toes.

Nosework Graduate (6/1)

Tonight was the last of the six weeks of nosework class.  All of us that were there got this cool bumper sticker for our graduation.

We had some different finds again tonight.  Now that Gimme is further into season, you can see the effect it has on her ability to focus.  We actually had a private lesson upstairs before class (more later) and she spent a lot of time trying to convince Ursula and I that we were in the wrong part of the building.  Since we were working on distraction regarding the fruit behaviors, it worked out perfectly as a built in distraction.

She was pretty funny going up the metal grate stairs, which I'm sure were uncomfortable on her feeties.  On the way back down she was very careful to make sure that at least her front feet were stepping on the 2" wide solid metal strip on the leading edge of the stairs.

Each week Nosework has gotten steadily more difficult and all the dogs are doing a great job.  Our buddy Grafton is so methodical and really takes his time.  We were discussing whether him being timid about things, actually works to his advantage, since he started out taking his time (unlike someone we know who is all gang busters in her approach).  Pete, our BC friend did really well, he's also methodical in his searches.  The other BC (who's name I can't remember) is more like Gimme; they both find all the searches just fine, but tend to be much more "busy" in the way they do it.

The blind dog is out for awhile.  She'd had surgery for cataracts and then developed glaucoma.  Apparently they've discovered that the glaucoma is giving her considerable pain, so there is surgery in her future.  She's a great nosework dog and I hope we'll see her come back soon.

Monday night we joined rally class in Tacoma.   Its the same class we'd taken before, but they won't be starting another class until January.  So they said we could do a walk-in for the last two nights.  Gimme did very well and I was quite pleased.  Being away and then coming back like this made it very clear how much progress she is making, which is sometimes not as evident in the day to day of things.  Between her first and second run-through she showed good improvement too. 

Maybe after the next set of classes we can start looking for a really small show... then again, maybe I'm being overly ambitious.

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.

Free Shaping a Silly Trick

There's a contest for a picture of a dog sitting in the most unusual place.  Has to be safe and the dog has to get up there by themselves.  The prize is a book I want from Australia, that I wouldn't be likely to pay for.

So knowing Gimme loves to free-shape, I decided to set her on it.  My goal is a picture of her sitting on the copier while its cranking out a picture of her lovely tushy.  It took 22 treats to get her to get into a chair and from there to the copier stand and then on top of the copier and sitting.  Then I turned it on and off a couple times while giving her treats to get her used to the noises.  Even did a copy while she was sitting on it. She wasn't bothered in the least.  At one point she looked down at the copier bed in the cutest way - if I can catch that moment on film its a sure thing.

Naturally she found that so rewarding that as soon as I was done she leaped from the floor to the top of the copier, just in case I wanted to give her more treats.  I'll have to get that picture and then never reward that behavior again!  Its going to take longer to clean up around the copier so the picture has an uncluttered background that it took to get her up there.  Have I mentioned that she is part monkey?

Not Sure Who's Winning

Peach - head under a chair
We just did another session.

While Gimme's listening is improving (her accuracy in actually giving me what I asked for is up quite a bit from before our private lesson), she is still unwilling to give up offering.  I want to give her more cues to do things and earn rewards, but she won't stop offering long enough for me to get in a cue.  The idea of stop-do-nothing is just not in her plan of action.  With her its all about a plan of ACTION.  We got four shorter extinction bursts, but they were still there - two to five minutes each.

Upon Ursula's suggestion I tried clicking any time she was still for even the tiniest moment.  And for a couple of minutes I thought I was getting somewhere, until I realized what little Miss Smarty Pants was doing.  Every time after getting a treat, she was returning to exactly where she was when I last clicked.  She was trying to turn it into a free-shaping game.  I probably wouldn't have caught on, except one time she happened to be under the table when I clicked, so when she returned to that spot under the table, it was pretty obvious what she was up to.  

Makes me wonder if I should put free shaping on some kind of cue.  Maybe that would make it clearer to her when we are and when we aren't playing that game.  She loves free-shaping with a passion and I'm happy to do it with her, but we need to get over this hump in understanding as well.

While I'm fiddling with some projects tonight, I'm going to try something with her.  I'm going to put a bowl of treats where I can reach to it on the kitchen counter, so its not where I am and thus not an obvious cue for training time.  Then occasionally will give her a cue and if she does it, she'll get click/treat. 

I can also give her the occasional click/treat when she isn't doing anything.  That doesn't happen very often if I'm up and about, she's either trying to work me or laying on the couch waiting and watching for an opportunity to start working me.  (good Lord, I think I just described a Border Collie!)  If she thinks I'm working on a project, she may settle in a bit more.

She's a pistol...

Nosework (5/1)

As is my usual Wednesday plan, we got in two short training sessions between accounts.  The first one was behind Shopko, where we practiced some heeling and sit stays.  The heeling went well, but she's still popping up out of those sits.  I just need to work the plan on that more consistently.  I was pretty pleased with her sit stay, once I set appropriate criteria.  The other thing we need to work on with stays is her holding position when I return.  We had that, but haven't been working this enough and lost it.  In the next session we worked on pretty much the same thing.

Gimme is getting on board with the new plan of not doing the check-in clicks.  I give her about 3 minutes of walking around after my first account and a little less after the second account.  When I think she should be satisfied/comfortable with her environment, then I cue "ready" which only means "time to work".  I've noticed if she really is ready, she moves into heel.  Smarty pants.

When we got home we did a couple sessions with her fruit stuff.  Since we have class later I didn't work the two fruit cues that I'm trying to get stimulus control of.  That I feel is a little brain taxing right now.  Later when she's done that process a few times and "gets" it, then it shouldn't be so hard.

Melon - push cube with nose
Today she went back to skiing across the room on it and a lot of foot action.  For the most part I ignored those and only click/treat for nose pushes.  She got jackpots for the best pushes.  By the end of the session, she was really doing some nice pushes.  I think this behavior will start to come together soon. 

Apple - back into a box, back feet only
She was certainly enthusiastic about this.  I've decided that I have to fix the box.  The sides are too soft and when she hits them with her foot, they fold over.  So its not clear to me when that is "back feet in the box" and when it isn't.  Thus, I'm sure I'm not consistent with my clicking.  If it isn't clear to me, it can't be clear to her either.  As much as she loves to back her feet into/onto things, we should be further along on this.  Sooooo, I'm going to modify the box to reinforce the sides with thin plywood.  Then her foot will be in or out and nothing in between.  I think that will make a big difference.

BTW Gimme is so funny when she gets frustrated with my obtuse refusal to click what she thinks is surely a clickable moment.  If all else fails, turn and bite the box.

Nosework class
As always it was fun.  Since Gimme just came in season, she had to wear drawers and wasn't too pleased about it.  During her first run I could see she was very distracted by them.  She still found her hides in good time though.  During her second and third runs she paid no more attention to them.  Please do not construe this as any suggestion that she was cooperative about having them put on her - she is not!  I'm sure they offend her fashion sense, though they are nicely patriotic in red-white-blue stripes.

Tonight's challenge was having the hide in things other than boxes.  During the first run they were set up around the perimeter of the room.  During the second and third runs they were clustered in piles.  For the third run, one of the treats was hidden in a crack in the floor and the instructor tried to use treats that blended in.  Also there was a cone with a treat under it, where the dog could smell it through the hole in the top, but not get to it unless they knocked the cone over.

Gimme continues to show great enthusiasm.  I hope she moderates it a bit and develops some patience as the finds get harder to detect.  I believe she will.  She's pretty funny when she's pinging off in one direction and suddenly catches the scent and then skids to a stop to turn and get back to the source.