13 Months: Training - Day 24

Jack & Emma Play in the Yard

In my lecture about training your own service dog I tell the people who attend that a service dog cannot stop being a dog - he is first and foremost a dog and with that comes all of the dog things that dogs do.  They sniff where they shouldn't, though you can teach them not to 99% of the time, there will be that 1% when they do it when you least wanted them too.  They have good and bad days working - what we service dog users call an "off" day.  Generally, when Max has one or more off days it means I haven't given him enough time to run around and just be a dog.  He's spent too much time in the house, not exercising enough and not playing with other dogs, and thus he's easily distracted when working.  He's not a machine and therefore cannot operate like one - Jack's owner understands this.

Over the past four years she's watched as I have provided Max with daily walks, weekly outings to play with her dogs and nightly games of fetch or tug to burn energy and let him just be.  She's seen me declare a day or more off of work just to let him decompress from the stress of his work and spend hours working on training him.  So, when Jack came into her life she knew that as a working dog Jack would need play dates and off duty time to be a goofy boy.

I provide something like that on Friday's here.  We spend more time outside playing with longer periods of time for Jack and Emma to just run and play Catch Me If You Can and Bitey Face and Keep Away with toys.  It is their time to blow steam and play with another dog that plays the same and enjoys the same jokes and games they do.  As a result, Friday lessons are short and sweet and just refining learned lessons for the week and not adding much of anything new.  It's their Casual Friday where they can wear their goofy clothes and tell inappropriate jokes on their breaks.

They loves this light-hearted day and really get into some serious game play in and out of the house.  Their heads are full and they are looking forward to going to the bar after work and spending their weekends in their shorts.

So, on Friday I filmed Jack and Emma playing in the yard.  You can see they are ready for this healthy and happy play and really need it.  Therefore, Jack's lessons on Friday's, even if not posted until Monday, are reviews of the week's lessons.

Today's Lessons:

Crate

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 2 Crate.  In this step Jack is asked to enter his crate and lay down inside it.  I reviewed Level 1: Step 1 Crate, entering the crate without a lure, and saw that Jack was willing to enter his crate without hesitation.  I started to ask him to enter the crate and every 4th or 5th time cued a Flat once he was in before he was clicked.  By the end of our lessons for the day (5 in all) Jack was not only entering his crate and laying down, but he was remaining there and building duration - the beginning of Step 3!

Target

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 2 Target.  In this step Jack is asked to touch my hand high and low as well as in front of him and off to either side.  Jack, who at first flinched and would back away when I offered my hand high three weeks ago, was happily thrusting his nose up and slamming it into my hand. Jack passed this step without issue.

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 3 Target.  In this step Jack is asked to take 3 steps to touch my hand when I cue him.  Jack was able to do this without fail 95% of the time.  He would even get up from a down or a sit and come to touch my hand when I cued him to touch my hand.  Jack passed this step.

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 4 Target.  In this step Jack is asked to touch my hand twice to get one treat.  At first Jack was confused, but over time Jack improved on this and became a solid twofer and even once a threefer when touching for a single click.  Jack passed this step.

Jack needs to work with Ronda on the Comeafters for this behavior to fill in any holes that may have developed.  That is Ronda's homework for the week with Jack on Target - all of Level 1 Target Comeafters.

Since Jack has been working on Target at my home and his, Jack has passed Level 1 Target!  Way to go boy!

Sit

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 3 Sit.  In this step Jack is asked to sit while wearing a leash.  Ronda and I both take Jack outside on lead and cue Sits, but verbal and with a hand signal.  Jack sits 90% of the time when cued while on leash.  Jack has passed this step.

Jack will start Level 1: Step 4 Sit next week.  Ronda's homework for this week is the Comeafters for Level 1 Sit and to begin working on Level 1: Step 5 Sit which is to train without holding treats in your hand or having them on your person.  Set them off to the side and cue a sit, if he does give him a treat from the pouch or bowl nearby and continue on with what you are doing.  If possible, hide bowls of treats around the house to use to show him you always have treats nearby and he may jackpot at anytime when you cue a sit.

It is also time to praise Jack for offered sits when you don't cue him to do them, but not give him treats for them anymore.  Jack knows Sit works to get something he wants.

Flat

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 4 Flat.  In this step Jack is asked to do a Flat when he's wearing a leash.  I have asked Jack to perform Flats while on lead and Jack does perform them, but he's only offering them 70% of the time.  Jack needs more practice with this behavior.

Ronda's homework - you'll start to see a theme here soon - is to do the Level 1 Flat Comeafters with Jack.  Comeafters are a great way to build upon and explain further what Jack is being asked, so having his owner work on the Comeafters will allow him a new training situation and improve on his overall skill set.

Observations

What amazing progress Jack has made.  His sits at the front door are spunky and solid, which means his confidence in what is being asked of him is also growing.  He's progressed rapidly with Level 1 behaviors and his ability to communicate with both myself and Ronda has improved by leaps and bounds.  His overall confidence has grown and he's becoming a training maniac.  I love it.

He enjoys his play time, as the attached video shows, but he's loving his training too.  I am so glad to see Jack in the game and ready to expand his abilities in communication with us silly humans.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	4	4

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	2	0	0	0	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	1	0	2	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