14 Months: Training - Day 31

Jack prefers to lay down than to sit.

So, somehow it' Monday again.  I am not sure how the weekend goes so fast, but here we are with another Monday under our belt.  Jack arrived today with a happy tail and relaxed body.  He's fully adjusted to the routine of coming to my home during the day and staying while Ronda goes to work.  He even walked up the ramp with me before Ronda had even climbed back into the car and drove off.  The fear that he's being left for life at my home has abated.

What hasn't is his fear of being left for life when left in the crate here or at home with Ronda.  We both still hear howling and Ronda finds evidence he checked every window by knocking into plants near them.  It will take him some time to adjust to being left with or without a sitter, but overall, Jack is adjusting to his new life.

Here he is happy to greet Emma and play with Max and follow me about.  Today I brought out the power chair and rolled it around the house while I did different training jobs.  Like Emma, Jack hasn't had a lot of experience with the power chair and though he's not overly afraid of it, he's not terribly calm about it either.

With my using it in the house he calmed and figured out how to avoid it without being overly reactive to the chair moving toward him.  We did training while I sat in the chair and lots of talking and praise while he learned to work around the chair.  Over time, like Max and Emma, he'll learn to walk beside the chair so I can take him on walks during the day.

I had planned on taking him out today, but my day was full with my day job.  I had a couple of errors in an application to locate and solve and a job application to finish.  I am also in the process of teaching myself Python and so my day went by so much faster than I thought it would.  I will try to take him and Emma out tomorrow instead.

Today's Lessons:

Focus

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 1 Focus.  In this step Jack is asked to simply find my eyes with his.  Focus, a primary skill for any training, is something Jack tends to give naturally, but I want to not only improve it, but place it on cue.  Jack enjoys looking into people's eyes and he gets a lot of reward for doing so.  He loves to rest his head on my lap and gaze up into my eyes, which leads to my talking to him and giving him affection.  This is something that Jack craves and therefore, eye contact for Jack is easily rewarded.

In this case, instead of rewarding with affection he's earning his breakfast and lunch for eye contact.  When food is involved Jack can't seem to make eye contact and teaching him he can will help him focus in new and strange locations when we need.  I simply waited for him to make eye contact, even a glance, and clicked for his looking at me.  At first I had to click for any raise of his nose, even the slightest, because he was too busy with looking at the floor or touching my foot or giving me sits and flats.  In short order he got the idea and we spent the rest of both of his meals here simply clicking for looking up into my eyes.

By the end of his final session he was starting to make and keep eye contact for up to 1 second.  Jack is doing well with this lesson, but still needs to continue.  I would like Ronda to please give Jack praise, affection and food rewards for any eye contact Jack makes with her this week.  I would also like for her to ask for eye contact during Zen and before being let outside.  The more situations he has to think of looking into a person's eyes, the faster he'll learn the concept.

Homework

Comeafters for Level 1 and Level 2:

• Target
• Zen
• Sit
• Down

Observations

I am very happy with Jack's curiosity and enthusiasm for learning.  He loves to train and is willing to join the game whenever we offer to play it.  What I do need to do is build up his willingness to sit for extended periods of time and one way to sneak that in is by asking for sits and maintaining them while we work on a different behavior.

I am happy with Jack's progress.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	3	0	1	1	1
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	1	1	1	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

13 Months: Training - Day 30

Jack was gentle and kind to Attitude.

No, you didn't read the title wrong, it is my 30th day of training Mr. Jack and there was indeed a gap of two days between my last post about Attitude's passing and this one.  Ronda, Jack's owner, was sick and home for two days, so she didn't bring him to me - so, today is the first day since we took a day of grief and quiet that Jack has been back to train.

I am feeling a bit stronger than I did on Monday, the day we all sat in wait for the Pet Memorial man to arrive and carry my tiny jewel off for cremation.  Today she returned in her new urn and after a morning in which I was finally dry-eyed and focused, I found myself crying and sad again the moment her urn was handed to me.

I brought her urn in and let all of the dogs sniff and check it.  Though I doubt it smells like her at all, they were curious about what I had and seemed satisfied with the sniff and went off to do their own thing.  Max is a bit off balance still; Attitude was the doggy head of household and now that role has fallen onto Max's shoulders.  He's uncertain how to be the top dog in the house and is feeling his way through his new role.  Dieter is still sad and off and on shakes for no reason.  He is eating, but his desire to play and explore is gone and he's sleeping a lot.  He is an old dog, but his spark is missing right now.  It may return, but not for another month or so, if at all.  Here's hoping Dieter can find pleasure in Max's company and mine and not pine himself into an early grave over loosing his tiny buddy.

Jack and Emma are the least affected by this loss.  They really weren't close with her; she was just a part of their lives five days a week, but not a close companion to them.  They are playing like normal and training with the normal enthusiasm as before, but are not pining over Attitude's loss.  The one most affected in the house, outside of me, is Dieter and it is he I am paying extra attention to right now.

Jack is aware of my moods and that I am sad and when I start to tear up or cry he moves in and puts his head in my lap to comfort me.  For him, the loss has more to do with my unstable moods right now than anything.  He's a very empathetic dog and as such gives a lot of love and attention to the humans around him when they are sad - especially the ones he cares about.

The next few weeks my moods will range from calm and content to sad and broken hearted.  Though I had expected her death for a long time, the reality still hurts like an SOB.

Today's Lessons:

Zen

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 2 Zen.  In this step Jack is asked to ignore a treat that is lying on the floor for up to 10 seconds.  Today I started with Hand Zen to remind him we are playing the Zen game and then went to Floor Zen.  I started with just the exposed treat and worked up to 15 seconds - thus working toward Level 2: Step 3 Zen.  By the end of our 4th session Jack was able to ignore the treat on the floor for 30 seconds.  Jack has passed Level 2: Step 2 Zen at my home and needs to now pass it at his home.

Jack is now working on Level 2: Step 3 Zen.

Sit

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 2 Sit.  In this step Jack is asked to remain in a sit for 30 seconds while I stand 5 feet away from him.  I haven't worked Sit with Jack in a while, so I began at Level 2: Step 1 Sit, walking 5 feet away from Jack.  Jack had a problem with this step, so we did a review.  The included video shows some of that review.  I am working on Jack being okay with my moving around him in any direction and remaining in a sit.  Jack did well with this once reminded, but once again began to slide into a Flat when working this lesson.

I decided, because of his constantly sliding into a Flat, to work on this step outside.  Jack did amazingly well with this lesson outside in the yard.  I worked on walking around him and away from him at any direction of the compass.  Did was doing extremely well and kept his sit while working this lesson.

Jack will continue this lesson.

Observations

What a sweet and lovely boy Jack is.  He's got so much going for him with his gentle nature and soft personality.  He does have a soft personality though and that means I need to build his confidence up in tiny slices as I introduce new concepts to him.  I don't wish to frighten him and do wish to embolden him, so each success he has will slowly build him into a soft, gentle and confident dog who can work under high stress situations.

Unlike Emma, who shuts down when her stress levels rise, Jack doesn't.  He is willing and able to work through stressful situations and test his metal against whatever I am teaching him.  A lot of this has to do with their age differences.  They are six months apart in age and Jack, as an older dog, can handle stress better than Emma can.  With age Emma will begin to handle stress better - but for now, I must approach each of them as individuals with similar personalities to give them the confidence they need to perform their jobs.

Jack is doing well and enjoys outings regularly with Ronda, who is taking small steps with him to build his public access skills.  Thank you Ronda for taking your time with Jack and giving him high success in many locations without over stressing him or placing him into too high a stimulation area.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	3	0	1	1	1
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	1	1	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

A House in Mourning

Attitude liked Jack from the very first day.
This photo was taken the first day I trained Jack in my home.

The house is quiet and sullen today.  On Sunday, April 21st, 2013 Attitude, my tiny Dachshund, lost her battle with heart disease.  I woke for the first time in 10 years without my tiny girl curled up under the covers on her side of my bed.  I woke for the first time in 4 years as the owner of two dogs instead of three.  Max is quiet and watching me like I am made of glass and Dieter is depressed and sedate in his behaviors.  Today my home woke on the first morning after loosing Attitude.

Jack had arrived about 30 minutes before Emma and quickly discovered her body, which lay on the top of his crate, and sniffed it.  He'd been happy and ready to start our day when he arrived, but the moment he circled her body and got a good sniff and realized who he'd found, he lowered his head and came and laid it in my lap and just stayed there while I dripped tears on his head.

It was 8:15 AM when I finally got in touch with my vet to inform them of her passing.  I heard my voice break, again, as I told them and asked about her medication.  If I couldn't be re-embursed, could I donate it to another family whose dog needed it?  They told me how sorry they were of her loss and I thanked them and hung up and completely lost it.

Jack moved in and put his head in my lap, Max right beside him doing the same, and both waited me out.  Jack has been watching my every move since then and from time to time comes and lays his head on my lap and just stays there while I cry.  He's checked her body twice more, each time he comes straight to me and puts his head in my lap.

When Emma came in she started the game of wrestling with the other dogs and I realized it was the first time this happened and Attitude's sharp "knock it off you kids" bark would never be heard again.  Max and Jack were trying to move away and stop the game - they were still watching me closely and didn't want to play.  I scooped Emma up and took her to Attitude's body and let her smell.  In an instant Emma's head lowered and she too fell into the quiet, give Mom space, mode the adult dogs were in.

It's a quiet and sullen day today.  I chose not to train during the day.  I can't stand the thought of a kibble hitting the floor and my Little Red Vacuum not hoping off of my chair to eat it.  I can't stand the thought of training Go To Mat and not having to pick her up and put her back on my chair so the dog I am training can get on the mat.  I can't stand the thought of training and not having her trail behind me to scoop up the random kibble I drop or stopping her from racing the big dog to the kibble I tossed or even of all of the dogs hovering waiting for her to finish her meal.  It's a quiet and sullen day today.

Emma has class tonight and I will take her.  Until then, this home is in mourning and will spend the day reflecting on a small, but important, hole in our lives.

It's a quiet and sullen day today.

13 Months: Training - Day 29

Jack practices relaxing on a mat while I work on the computer.

This morning started with Jack arriving with his sister Deva - though Deva didn't stay.  She's going to the vet for the day and getting more IV fluids are a long night of vomiting.  Poor baby.  I hope she's able to come home tonight and she recovers soon.

Jack and I have started a routine of watching Ronda go back to her car while he sits on a loose leash and watches her drive off.  I don't want to pull or drag him away, but give him the time to process that she's left for the day and decide to come with me.  By the time she starts to drive away Jack has concluded he's here for the day and turns to walk into the house with me.  It keeps his stress levels lower and makes coming to my home for the day more pleasant when the person caring for him isn't yanking him around by his neck.

He's also ready to start training and today we decided to work on testing where he is.  I am happy to announce that Jack has passed Level 1 Sit and Down today!  He still needs work on Level 1 Come, but with my son visiting weekly again we'll begin work on that behavior and strengthen his recall.

This means that Jack, for all rights and purposes, is a Level 2 dog!  What a great development.  He's starting Level 2 Zen, Focus, Sit and Down with visits on Go To Mat and Crate to improve our ability to work as a group.  What a trooper Mr. Jack is.

Jack startles a bit easily when something unexpected happens around him.  Most of this is due to inexperience with such things as falling canes and dropped bowls.  He used to jump and run for the hills when I dropped something, but has lately jumped and then watched to see what if anything would happen next.  I have been, by accident, dropping my cane a lot lately and most of the time almost on top of his head.  Part of this is due to my bracing it somewhere and when he lays down by me he hits it and knocks it over onto him.  At first this scared him a lot, but today when he knocked the cane onto him he just jumped up and then came and sniffed it.  It is a wonderful development that he's checking out starting things instead of running from them.

With my son he's leery of him and aloof, but is slowly starting to accept that Walter is part of his life.  I am going to talk with Carol and Dana and ask they build some trust and then work with Jack as a demo sometimes in class to improve his ability to go with barely known or unknown people to help him become comfortable with strangers in general.

Next week I would like to start taking Jack on his first major outings with me so I can see how he's doing in his public access.  I would like to take him to Big R and the local truck stop and see how he does.  I will need his vest to do this so people know we are training.

Today's Lessons:

Zen

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 2 Zen.  In this step Jack is asked to leave an exposed treat on the floor alone for 10 seconds.  I want eye contact when Jack is told to leave something alone - so I am backing up clear to Level 1 Zen and reteaching the concept with him making eye contact as the criteria for the click.  Why start there?  I have made one part of Zen harder, so I am making the rest of Zen easier so Jack can succeed and learn.

Jack is now making and maintaining eye contact for up to 5 seconds when I am offering a closed Zen hand and up to 3 seconds with an open Zen hand.  I have also gotten eye contact when a treat is on the floor, but no duration.  His eye contact is not steady, like it is with Focus, but general where he is looking up and at my face and away from the treat being offered.  Now that he understands I want eye contact when told to leave something, I am building up duration while a treat is exposed on the floor and he's looking up at me.

Flat

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 1 Flat.  In this step Jack is asked to remain in a down for 10 seconds. I am currently working Jack on this behavior while he is laying at my feet and I am sitting in my recliner.  Jack is able to do a 10 second down when we work up by 1 second intervals.  I started to "randomize" the count by clicking for every odd number or every even number or ever number or every 5th of 6th number up to 10 seconds.  Jack was relaxed and In The Game during the lesson and only fidgeted once during a 5 minute lesson.

Homework

This weekend Jack needs to practice all Level 1 Comeafters for Zen, Sit, Down and Target.  They can be done as part of his daily living - such as hiding treats around the house to teach him that you don't need them on you for him to get a reward for good behavior.  If you are working in the yard and haven't asked him to sit or give a flat there, cue him to do so and note where he's not sure what you are asking and then plan to train there later.  Use the bathroom, shower and tub to your advantage.  If your back is to him while your cooking cue him to Sit and reward when he does.  If he doesn't, note it and train it.  The more Jack uses these known skills the better he'll be at them and the more strange and new locations the better he'll understand them.  Use your lives together during the evenings and weekends to improve on Jack's understanding of learned cues.

Jack is ready for training class - sign him up for a Headstart class in May or June so he can begin his group class lessons!

Observations

I have been tethering Jack when I need to work with Emma to keep him from bothering her while she's trying to learn a lesson.  He tethers extremely well and doesn't fuss or complain when tethered.  He generally lays down and naps while I work Emma.  This is wonderful and should make Jack easier to take to work and tether when needed.

He's also starting to understand the concept of waiting the more we work Zen.  I am starting, for once, to see Zen applied to his overall daily life.  He's patient waiting for me to release him to go outside, for me to give him treats and even for me to finish something I am doing before addressing him.  I am glad to see Jack is learning to use Zen to get the rewards he wants in life.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	Completed	Completed

Level 2

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

13 Months: Training - Day 28

I am trying to convince him there are more choice places to be in
my house other than ON MY FEET!

Has it really been 28 days since I started with Mr. Jack?  Only 28 days and he knows Sit, Down, Zen, Touch, Wait (at door, in crate, in car) and so much more.  He's learned to chew on his toys, not my furniture, how to ask to go outside and how to pop a door open with his nose to get out of the bathroom. Yes folks, today I watched Jack let himself out of my front bathroom no more than six times while I was indisposed.  I was so proud - his figuring out his nose can do more than smell is a huge thing!

When Jack got stuck in the bathroom with the door open only a crack and him stuck and frozen because he couldn't find a way out I knew he hadn't been involved in daily indoor living much.  Emma, who learned the simple lesson of using her nose to push open an unlatched door by the time she was 18 weeks old (which meant about 4 weeks after arriving at my home for training) had clearly been shown how to do so by Max.  Jack watched Emma and Max let themselves in and out of the room when I was in it and today, for the first time, when the door was closed but not latched Jack put his nose on the edge of the door and pushed and walked out!  Yeah Jack!

This morning, with Ms. Emma ready to train again, I was faced with Jack pushing her out of the way and taking center stage for training.  I am pleased with the enthusiasm for learning, but there needs to be a bit of personal space respect here.  I ended up tethering him so I could train Emma.  When I finished with Emma I found Jack flopped on his side, his back to me, giving me the Poodle equivalent of a pout. So be it, but give another dog space when they are working dude, really.

So, today's lessons worked on two important concepts that come with giving space - Zen and Go To Mat.  Yesterday we worked on Duration, earlier we'd worked on Distance - it won't be long before I add all of those concepts to "stay on that mat and let me train" to Jack's overall behavior toolbox.

Today's Lessons:

Zen

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 2 Zen.  In this step Jack is asked to ignore a treat that is exposed on the floor for up to 10 seconds.  I want to add another split into this - I want him to look at me and not the treat while waiting for the click.  So, today I worked on his looking up and making eye contact before I clicked.  We worked on this lesson for 8 sessions.  Jack got the concept to leave the exposed pile of kibble or the plate with cheese on it alone and soon was figuring out it was looking up at me that got his click.  I have not added duration to this, just building on the make eye contact portion and then will work on building duration.  Next week I will work on Focus to help him understand eye contact can be held for a period of time.

Go To Mat

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 1 Go To Mat.  In this step Jack is asked to go to a mat.  The mat is right in front of me and my goal is to teach him he can approach it from any angle and be a success.  We've worked on this previous and when Jack saw the mat he remembered I'd paid for any contact with the Mat and went and sat on it.  Good job, I love shaping - their memory retention is so much better with shaping.  Jack soon was laying on the mat and approaching it well from many angles.  I am not seeing a "oh, a mat, must get on it" behavior yet, so I will keep building up good feelings with the mat.

Observations

Jack is a super sweet guy, but he's an attention hog and wants nothing more than to be touching people all the time - it's exhausting.  I love dogs, but when I have five of them touching me all day long and at times all at the same time,  it can be too much.  I have noticed that Emma and Jack seem to be the ones needing physical contact off and on all day long.  Attitude normally lays beside me and doesn't demand attention when touching me, and Dieter normally lays beside or just above me on the back of my chair and again doesn't demand my attention, but Max, Jack and Emma will get into an attention demand mode and will do it all at the same time and flood me with contact.

Emma and Jack tend to nudge me hard with their noses or lay on me or put their heads on me and demand I pay attention.  I don't think the casual contact I get from Attitude and Dieter would be so bad if that was all Jack and Emma wanted, it's the constant focused attention they want that seems to drive me over the edge.

The result.  I dove into a book today and ignored the world between training sessions.  It seems to have worked because all of the dogs went to their spots and slept.  I may have to do that more often.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	4	4

Level 2

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

13 Month: Training - Day 27

This is more like it - Jack on a mat in a flat away from me.

By Wednesday I am feeling tired and sore after dealing with five dogs and their needs for two full days.  Emma, who was having serious stress issues, required extra TLC during Wednesday, so I decided to do a quiet behavior lesson for Jack to help keep Emma's stress levels down and keep the house quiet enough - she was in hiding for most of the day.

Jack was more than happy to accommodate whatever training I selected, so I decided to advance his Flat behavior.  Read my observations below to find out what I discovered about the beginning of duration with any behavior.

I do want to thank Ronda for calling me on the weekends or week nights and asking me if I think Jack is ready for an outing.  We discuss the length and goal of the outing she's about to take and determine if Jack is ready or not - so far he's been up to 90% of the outings Ronda takes him on.  I appreciate her asking me what she should look for, what she should do and how she can continue to improve on Jack's overall socialization when he's working in public.  Ronda, you are a joy to work with and I appreciate your continued communication regarding Jack's public access training.

Why am I saying this?  Emma is on "bed rest" you could say because she became overly stressed after a prolonged outing on the weekend followed by her class at Diamonds in the Ruff on Monday.  The two back to back events resulted in Emma vomiting after returning from class on Monday and showing high stress signs during training on Tuesday.  Though she may not have shown signs her family recognized on Sunday, the day of the prolonged outing, she was overly stressed by it and it made her sick.  It's a delayed reaction and both animals and humans do it.  I choose to give Emma a full day off from training and just let her rest and play as she felt on Wednesday because she truly needed a "vacation" to recover from her work.

Ronda's communication and careful planning with Jack has not resulted in such a stress reaction and thus is bolstering his confidence.  She's taking it slow and giving him time to process and her choices for outings in public are appropriate for his training level and age.  What a wonderful gift she's giving him - time to process and tiny steps to learn what his role is instead of flooding him with too much stimuli.

Once again, thank you for taking your time with Jack during his early public access training.

Today's Lessons:

Flat

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 4 Flat.  In this step Jack is asked to perform a Flat while on leash.  Since Jack is working on that with both myself and Ronda, I decided to work on Level 2: Step 1 Flat for Jack's morning and midday lessons.

I waited until Jack offered a Flat and clicked and then slowly added duration between clicks.  Each time I added duration I did it in one second increments.  Jack was okay at first when we started this, but then started to pop up and nudge me with his nose, or offer sits and other behaviors he's learned.  Each time he did a Flat I would click and then start the duration count over.  After 5 morning sessions and 5 afternoon sessions I was able to work up to 5 seconds a majority of the time, a fussy 8 seconds part of the time and an occasional 10 second interval.  Jack is learning patience.

I will continue to work with Jack on distance and duration exercises, since Jack has been literally touching me, laying directly beside me or both at all times during the day.  He gives no space when I am working with another dog unless I tether him and I am almost always tripping on him.

Jack needs to learn to give me space and wait patiently when I work another dog before I become overwhelmed with too much personal contact.  I am overloaded by the end of the day with the amount of contact Jack wants during the day.

The distance he's learning with Sit and duration he's learning with Flat will help with both so I can add Go To Mat to his behavior set and start moving him "over there" so I can work and move.

Observations

As I mentioned above, Jack started to pop up and offer behaviors when I delayed my clicks.  This is something every dog I have ever worked with does when duration is started.  Emma went through a "can't stay down for more than a nano second" period herself, as did my own dogs.  The nose nudges, targeting, moving into a Sit or Brace and even offering paws are all behaviors he hopes will lead to a click.  It is the sign the dog is thinking.  The behavior set that I am describing is the dog saying, "What about this?  Will this make you click?  No?  Do you want this?"  This is the dog being In The Game and trying out his toolbox to find what I want this time to get him to pay him.  What a wonderful development with Mr. Jack in such a short period of training time!

I am hoping by introducing duration and distance to get some personal space to myself.  By the end of the day I am so wiped out by not having any all day long I am starting to get grouchy with people and even objects.  It is not good to have all of my personal space stolen!  Here's hoping I can begin Communication with a combination of Mat and Relax to get Jack in his own space and out of mine.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	4	4

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	2	0	1	1	1
	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

13 Months: Training - Day 26

Max and Jack relax in my office while I write Jack's blog.

Yesterday was a full day for Jack with his sister Chautzie taking a fall and not able to get back up right away and then spending the day learning how to stay in position while I wandered about him.  Exciting and busy for Jack, but I was worried for his sister - she's such a sweet girl and I really didn't want to hear that her time had come just yet.

This morning, as Ronda brought him up the ramp the first question out of my mouth was about Chautzie.  She was up and a lot more stable than she's been in a couple of days and this morning doing well.  We'll take it day by day with her, since we think she may have had a seizure and hit her head on a wall during it.  So, life is a bit unsettled for Jack right now, but we are doing out best to keep it as normal as possible.

So, this morning he found I was out of whack with our normal routine.  I had fed the other dogs already, but my cable had failed and I was on the phone calling to fix it.  I can't get my work done if I can't access the internet.  This set our morning lesson at a later time, but with him sliding out of position on his sit, I found I was unable to keep up with his lesson - so it's been a slow and a bit off day.

So, today we'll work on Sit and Target and see how the rest of my day goes!

Today's Lessons:

Sit

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 4 Sit.  In this step Jack is asked to sit at an open door.  I have been working on this behavior for a while with Jack, though he didn't know it.  In my house, to prevent Attitude from being run over when all the dogs exit, I have them sit and wait to be released - generally after I am certain Attitude is out of stampede path.  Jack had to learn to sit facing the door and then keep a sit while the door opened.  Jack does this now without thinking.

Now I am working on him sitting at an already open door. I ask him randomly to sit at a door and reward him with food or affection when he does.  He's doing very well.

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 2 Sit.  In this step Jack is asked to hold his sit for 30 seconds while I stand 5 feet away from him.  Jack did so well with my walking away from him  yesterday I was able to work up to 5 feet away from him, which is what Step 1 asked for.

Today I worked on adding small amounts of duration every so many times I walked up to 5 feet away from Jack.  He did well up to 3 seconds and then started to slide into a Flat.  I will continue to build up Jack's duration with a Sit.

Target

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 1 Target.  In this step Jack is asked to touch a metal, plastic and wood object with his nose.  The more objects we offer him the better he'll understand the behavior.  Jack did well with each object and will start to work on Post It Notes next week after he's had a wide array of objects offered and he's got a solid touch with each new object.

Come

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 2 Come.  In this step Jack is asked to play the Come Game between two people 10 feet apart.  Walter was visiting today and so we tried the game.  Jack doesn't know Walter well and Walter wasn't ready for how aloof Jack can be with strangers.  Walter stationed himself some 20 feet away from me and started trying to call Jack to him and Jack simply sat behind me  and ignored him.  It took my asking Walter to come and stand beside me to get Jack to participate.  He would turn his head when we each made a clicking noise or a kissy noise and fed him a kibble each time.  Though he didn't run or walk between us, we did start a new relationship with Walter and Jack to begin the foundation work of training Jack how to recall.

Observations

I have been dropping my cane or e-cig case every so often, by accident, and Jack has flung himself away in fright.  Emma, on the other hand, moved in to investigate my cane recently after it fell - so I know over time Jack will become accustomed to the events and not startle as badly, but clearly he's never had the sky fall about him.

It looks like a bit of "drop this" and "get a treat" will help Jack through this problem.  It's easy enough to do and will quickly improve his confidence.  I'll miss him throwing himself upside down and flinging his feet in the air like an upturned turtle, but it'll make his future job so much easier.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	4	4

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	2	0	2	0	1
	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

13 Months: Training - Day 25

Jack is a big happy boy!

Jack's world is changing each day we train.  He's learned to communicate with me and is now working on figuring out what I want.  He does the same with his owner, Ronda, as well.  He has a huge love for Ronda and jumps on her when she comes to pick him up.  We are working on that behavior by having him sit before he can greet her and now we are bringing back off of Ronda when he starts to jump and request a sit again.  It's a process which will eventually lead to Jack understanding he can't jump on her to greet her.

I am thinking though I may work with him, solo, at the gate when it's time for him to greet her and click for calm when he sees her at the end of the day.  It will define what we want with better clarification and should speed up the process for both of us.  I want to do something similar with Emma when she's greeting new people, but again, the goal will be to work with both dogs solo and then combine them in higher distractions until they can join the entire group in the house and stay calm when the greet people at my door.

I do not have to train this behavior at the door for them to understand the concept.  I can take them to a less charged location and train the behavior so they understand it and then work it in the door when they are ready.  That is the joy of training - you don't have to setup the exact situation to give them the tools and then later, when they have those tools, add the situation back in to help them understand why they were taught how to cope with a new and stressful situation.

This weekend Jack got to go on a short field trip with Ronda.  She called to discuss it before taking him and did a fantastic job of watching his body language and noting the areas that caused Jack stress.  He went to Costco for less than 15 minutes - she noted the sound of the freezer section and the hot tub they had in the building both caused him stress.  I will take him back to work on those two areas again and help him have a positive experience with both locations.

She then took him to Northwest Seed and Pet for less than 15 minutes again.  He was tired by this time and a bit aloof, but still calm and relaxed at her side.  He was a bit worried about the tight aisles, but in the end he did fantastic.  These short and focused trips are helping Jack learn to work in public and Ronda wanted to ensure she knew what to look for to prevent him learning bad habits in public - she kept his nose under control, watched his body language and respected his need for reassurance when needed.  Nice job, Ronda.

Today's Lessons:

Sit

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 4 Sit.  In this step Jack is asked to sit at an open door. Today I worked with walking up to my office door and asking Jack to sit just before it.  Jack did great and soon was offering a sit as soon as we got to the door without a cue.  Since we've also worked on this for my opening the front door and his waiting to be released to go outside, I am happy with his progress.  We'll continue to work on this behavior until it is very strong and he's able to sit at an open door for 30 seconds, but will continue to progress Sit other ways as well.

Jack started Level 2: Step 1 Sit.  In this step Jack is to sit while I walk five feet away from him.  At first Jack found this very difficult.  I would go to move and he'd stand to follow.  It took many tiny slices until Jack understood what I was asking.  Jack does tend to slide into a down if asked to do a sit for an extended time, so this behavior, which has a high rate of re-enforcement, is perfect for building up his stamina as we begin to build duration in his sit.

Jack did well with this step and I will continue to build his sit up and begin adding duration in 1 second increments until he can easily keep his position until asked to take a new one.

I worked with Jack for 10 sessions on Level 2: Step 1 Sit and 5 sessions with Jack on Level 1: Step 4 Sit.

Observations

Jack is starting to really think when we are doing a lesson.  He was just reacting and offering behaviors that had worked in the past, but now that I am adding difficulty to his behaviors he's having to think of what will make me click.  It's a wonderful transition from learning to communicate to learning to think and I enjoy this part of starting with a dog as much as I enjoy the first glimmers of understanding in Level 1.

We'll continue to work on Sit and Down with distance and Duration and finish his Level 1 behaviors this week.  Thankfully, my son is visiting, so I can work on Come finally with him and see if we can't get it fully completed.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	4	4

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	2	0	1	0	1
	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

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

13 Months: Training - Day 23

Jack and Emma Play

Be glad you are receiving this post tonight and not tomorrow.  I came to the conclusion that I simply did not want to write three posts for this blog and Emma's blog (making a total of six) tomorrow.  I am exhausted and worn to the ground after a long day of worry over Jack's older sister Deva and taking care of six dogs.

Deva, Jack's German Shepherd sister, came to my home today to see if I could get her to eat.  On Sunday Deva began throwing up and by Monday her Mom, Ronda, took her to the vet where she was diagnosed with Pancreatitis. She hasn't eaten since Sunday, mainly because she feels awful, and Ronda has spent that time trying to get her to eat the special diet she was given by the vet.  Today Ronda brought her to me, by my request the night before, to see if I couldn't entice Deva to try her food.  I spent the day offering Deva food once every 30 minutes and watched a very sick dog turn her nose away from it and sometimes get up and go lay elsewhere to get away from the food I had.  It was painful to watch.  Deva is returning to the vet in the morning.

This meant I had a total of six dogs in my house today and five of them were willing to help Deva eat her food whenever I brought it out to feed her.  Jack was all loving and wanting to touch me all day and when Jack does that Emma is right there to get her share of loving and then Max is.  At one point or another all day long I had 1 to 5 dogs touching me and demanding my attention - it was tiring.

Hall Monitor Max

Emma and Jack were in excited play  mode, which set off Hall Monitor Max (as seen in the video) and thus the house was noisy and busy.  Josh came over to work on lifting the cement slab I am removing to lay a new yard and thus the dogs were constantly barking at him as he came in and out of the house for water.

It was a noisy, busy, tiring day; but a lot was accomplished!

Today's Training:

Zen

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 2 Zen.  Today I took Jack into the kitchen to work Level 1 Zen again.  Jack has been working Level 1 Zen in the living room while I was seated and I decided to retrain Level 1 Zen in the kitchen while I was standing.  Jack got it without a hiccup.  He needs to build duration with Zen without flopping to the ground like I've deflated him, but he is doing Zen when I stand.  And for the first time, he's not trying to take everything I have in my hands out of them when I am walking.  A big change in behavior for Jack!

Crate

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 2 Crate.  He passed Step 1!  Today I started to work on Jack entering the crate and the next thing I know he's rushing in and turning to get his rewards!  He is going in on cue ("Go In") and he's happy doing it!  What a change.

I started to lure Jack into a Flat within the crate and rewarding him for the behavior.  We will continue to do this until Jack turns and lays down in the crate on his own.

I also started to shut the door and then quickly open it and reward him for the being calm when the door is shut.  Before this would have sent him flying for the hills, but Jack is so into the new crate games he's rushing back in, even when Max is in the crate with him, and looking for his reward!  What a wonderful change for Jack.

Observations

Jack is one of the most patient, gentle, loving, snuggly dogs I have ever met.  When overwhelmed he simply comes and rests his head against me and then after a few moments of contact returns to what he was doing.  He's quick to recover from surprises or concerning events and willing to retry something, even if he thought it was scary before.  He's even willing to put up with Emma's shark mode when she's snapping her mouth so hard you can hear the teeth click and biting at his face.

Today Emma went into full shark, annoying puppy mode and I told her she would soon run out of puppy leeway and her license would expire and he'd tell her off.  I know he can, because he tells Max off every so often.  So far all he does with Emma is put his front legs over here and pin her so he can continue to play with a toy or get up and walk away from her when he's tired of her.  He has never told her to cool it any other way, but today I saw the beginning of his patience end - he took her muzzle in his mouth and told her clearly he was done with sharp teeth in his ear hair.  I think most any other dog would have told Emma off long before this; Jack is simply amazing and patient with his little step-sister.

I did see a rousing game of catch me if you can and bitey face today and they were clearly enjoying it.  Emma and Jack played tag for almost 30 minutes around the house and both were kicking up dirt and gravel in their bursts of racing energy.  Deva, Attitude, Dieter and Max ignored the two as they raced at full speed throughout my yard and tore after each other.  It was a balanced play session between the two and Max enjoyed a quiet game of Frisbee while Deva lay nearby and recovered her strength - poor baby really doesn't feel good.

Jack is ready to be pushed on his Sit, Flat and Zen behaviors and will start a serious job of learning recall and target shortly.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	2	2	3	3

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