12 Months: Training - Day 9

Jack offers space when I am
working now and gives the other dogs space
when they are training.  Good Boy, Jack.

Latent Learning happens when there is no obvious form of re-enforcement and is not expressed as an overt response during re-enforcement.  What does this mean in the dog world?  It means that what learning a dog does during a lesson may not reflect the final understanding the dog has a few minutes, hours or even days later.  A dog uses Latent Learning to process the lessons we give them.  Jack seems to be an expert at this process.

Yesterday Jack was still struggling with Level 1: Steps 1 & 2 Zen, but quickly fell into Level 2: Steps 1 & 2 Zen and beyond when working in a group with Max and Emma.  Though Jack seemed to be almost there all day yesterday, today he returned 3/4ths of the way there.  Jack had, overnight, processed everything he learned and returned today further ahead than when he left yesterday.

Today Jack and I walked slice by slice through the Zen process clear to Level 1: Step 3 Zen.  He did this once click at a time - processing and experimenting to ensure for himself that he understood what I have been explaining to him over the past 8 days.  He did and I rewarded his cleaver mind with one success after another and I saw his confidence blossom.

But this sudden breakthrough wasn't only in the direct lesson, but his overall behavior in the house.  He was offering Zen when working with other dogs by turning his head away from me and sitting back away from me with purpose.  I again rewarded his cleaver mind with each success and Jack's confidence grew.

He offered it with the door, my working on the IPad and even with giving me space when cooking in the kitchen and staying in the living room while I chopped and sautéed food for the slow cooker.

He offered it when I sat to eat and when I went out of the gate to get the garbage can and when I asked for time alone in the bathroom.  Jack is applying Zen in his life.  Jack is becoming a much more civilized dog as a result.

I must thank Sue Ailsby for this wonderful and complete guide to training dogs - the first images of their understanding and communicating with humans is the most amazing part of the training and I can't wait to see Jack finish Level 1 and become a dog who knows how to communicate with humans.

Today's Lesson:

Zen

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 3 Zen.  This morning Jack zoomed through the first two steps of Zen.  I worked him from Zero to 3 each time he reached out with his nose and rebuilt the concept as a whole until I was consistently able to offer a kibble in my open hand and he would look up at me and wait 5 seconds for the click.  Jack was able to repeatedly wait 5 seconds for me to click and didn't try to get the kibble I dropped between Max's paws or at Emma's feet, even if they were close together while I trained.

He also didn't try to take the treats that dropped right at my feet.  Max and Emma also accepted the dropping treat at my feet were mine and didn't move to take them.  This group behavior and Jack's individual behavior is the first stage to being able to train several dogs back to back and Jack is now participating in the overall Zen behavior I teach all of my dogs.  I am so happy to see him progress.

At this point I want Ronda to re-teach Jack all three steps of Level 1 Zen and begin Step 4 Zen by first asking him to sit before she puts his bowl down for him to eat.  When she sets the bowl down for him to eat I want her to use either the word "Hup" or "Free" to indicate he has permission to eat from the bowl.  This will start Food Bowl Zen for Jack and increase his learning.

Field Trip

I only got a brief description of Jack and the Hair Dresser field trip this morning.  According to Ronda he did very well and was well received.  The hair dresser had been previously contacted and approved Jack's arrival and knew he was in training.  When Jack came into the hair dresser's building he bumped a shelf with his rump and knocked it over, but didn't break anything.  The hair dresser was okay with this and knew Jack was learning about how big he is and that the thing following him is actually his butt.

After that Jack settled with Ronda and was a perfect gentleman without any other incident during the appointment.  What a great experience for Jack and Ronda!

Observations

Yesterday I started handling with Jack by doing some cleaning of his ears and grooming.  Today I finished cleaning his ears, they were very dirty inside and I got damp wipes that allowed me to clean them without hurting him. He was fine with the ears, but when I got a second wipe for his other ear he used avoidance to keep me from cleaning his ear.  Like Emma, he's discovering there are not a lot of places to go to hide from me and I simply caught up with him and cleaned it.  Once I am working on his ears or grooming him he doesn't fight me, but he isn't enjoying the process.  To help, I give rewards for what I am doing to him and hope over time he'll begin to associate good things with being groomed.

I also trimmed his nails today.  He was the easiest dog I have ever nail trimmed.  He laid out on the floor and let me work on them without pulling his feet away or fighting me in anyway.  As a result, his nail trim took less than a minute to do.

He shies when I reach for his collar, so I will begin to handle his collar and give him a treat at least once to three times a day to make the association with his collar positive.  I will do the same with touching his ears, head and face as well as other parts of his body.  Jack has body shyness when being touched and I want to help him overcome that by making any contact with humans a positive and happy thing.

Max was like Jack in that respect.  He was shy about other people touching him and would lean back or shy away when people reached for him.  I did a lot of click for touching and touch with positive events (play, going outside and food) and built up his good associations with personal contact.  Max now wags his tail (something he didn't do when I got him) and leans into perfect strangers when he gets permission to visit when working.  Max now enjoys physical contact.

Jack will also, but it will take a long and slow process so we don't flood him with contact and destroy what we are working for.  We want Jack to enjoy contact, so flooding him with it will be overwhelming and make him even shyer of contact than before.  Doing a little bit each day and giving him positive events with the contact will take time, but build a strong and longer lasting positive effect overall.

My week with Jack comes to an end today, but I am happy to say it has been a most productive week and Jack is really turning into an amazing dog.  What a joy he is to work with.


Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	3	2	1	2	1

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	0	0	0	0	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	0	0	0	0
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	0	0	1	0	0

Level 3

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	0	0	0	0	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	0	0	0	0
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Retrieve	Communication
Step	0	0	0	1	0

Level 4

	Zen	Come	Retrieve	Target	Relax
Step	0	0	0	0	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	0	0	0	0
	Handling	Communication
Step	0	0