13 Months: Training - Day 12

Jack offers sits when he doesn't know
what I want of him.

Jack is making me think - he's one of those dogs that you have to consider how to approach a lesson to really wind him up - since he tends to lay down and stay in a down.  He's flexible and able to stretch out or move across the floor without getting up and he's even willing to lay on his side and extend himself to get a tossed treat if he choses not to stand and get it.  There are times he'll look at the tossed treat and decide it is not worth his effort to rise to get it.  It is hard to repeat a behavior when the dog won't move!  I suspect duration exercises will be easy for him!

With this in mind, I may end up doing what I did with Max for a long time.  Max too didn't feel chasing a kibble across the floor was worth his time and thus I had to cut up hotdog and chicken and cheese to train him for a long time.  As a matter of fact, Max didn't believe kibble was worth working for at all when I started.  Jack does train for his meals, but its a slow process.

The problem is, unlike Max, who was the only dog I was working with a majority of the time, I am not working with three very in-tune and clicker trained dogs who want to join the same fun at the same time.  On top of that, Attitude, who's learned that food will be flying when I train, comes out and joins and if the food is fun enough, Dieter will join.

I have some thinking to do to get Jack isolated enough to train him and not have a herd of dog chasing the same treat, which will result in Jack not attempting to get it and waiting patiently for me to hand him another one.

Logistics!

Today's Lessons:

Shaping

I decided it was time for Jack to loosen up a bit and realize I am clicking for his movements.  I brought out the box, gave Max a meaty bone and after thanking Emma for climbing in and sitting in the box - clearly she learned that lesson well - I then started to click Jack for exploring the box and any movement around it.  Jack was intrigued and tried to figure out what I was clicking for - so it won't be long before Jack is willing to experiment and explore when I am clicking him.

The nice thing is he started to offer downs and would jump up and offer them again when he thought I may want them.  He's learning, he's just difficult to get to participate some days.  Go figure.

Come

Jack is on Level 1: Step 2 Come.  In the first step Jack is to look for treats between my feet.  Jack is doing that, so we started with Jack chasing treats across the floor and being clicked for returning to me.  I placed Max in a long down/stay with the Manners Minder to work on this particular lesson and got Jack trotting back and forth across my home.  He did great, but still need to play this game with not only me, but other people.  I will have to enlist a helper to work on this game.

Observations

Today I had to leave Jack at my home while I went to do an evaluation of a puppy for service dog work.  In the short time I was gone Jack had a minor meltdown and pooped on my floor, knocked stuff off of my end table and was howling when I returned.  He clearly has a mild level of separation anxiety and needs help being okay when left alone in the house.  I will begin working on his being okay when someone steps out of the door now so this does not develop into a full blown disorder.

I also returned with my entire body screaming at me.  I have been on my feet and doing too much for weeks now and today I hit a wall with my pain levels and energy levels.  I called training done for the day and just played and spent time with the dogs..  I think, for Jack, this helped.  He calmed quickly and slept by me after I settled in to ease the pain I was dealing with.

Hopefully, after taking the afternoon off, I will be able to keep up with the dogs and do more with their training tomorrow.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	3	2	2	3	2

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