20 Months: Training - November 25th - 27th, 2013

It's Yer Choice by Susan Garrett

Monday

Jack enjoys his crate to relax in.

I have talked extensively about Emma's excitability and Malcolm's, but Jack has it too.  He doesn't have it the same way as Emma or Malcolm, but he has it enough that it makes his learning curve more concave than bell shaped.  When I started a new training program to install an off switch in Emma and Malcolm I decided Jack needed it also.

I spoke with Marge Rogers about Emma and how to work with her.  She told me of Susan Garrett's It's Yer Choice program and I realized I did something like it by instinct, but not in such a clear way as Susan Garrett does.  I do give the dogs choices and reward the ones I like, but this program gives the dog a greater chance at succeeding and learning what choices pay.

I started the protocol with Jack on Monday.  It starts with using food in a closed hand much like you do with Zen.  It's the element of Zen Jack just doesn't quite get and needed badly.  He's food stupid and I need to convince him the food is secondary to the game I am asking him to join.  Until I can, he can't contain himself enough to not move from a learning calm and focused dog to a bouncy, excited dog who can't learn.

Max loves balls and Jack is hoarding
the ball Max had been playing with.

The lesson went well with Jack, just like it did with Malcolm and Emma.  Jack quickly got the idea that pulling his nose away made me pop my hand open, but would rush in to get the food out of my hand and it'd close.  We must of spent 2 minutes on just getting me to share the food.  Once he figured it out he was willing to put both distance and stillness into his efforts by laying down with his tail beating a tattoo on my floor.

I would move and make him stand and he'd reset and have to work out the problem again.  In short order he figured out standing or sitting got me to continue and making eye contact got him treats faster than just pulling his nose away.  We played this game three times during the day and again when Ronda arrived to pick him up.

Staring contest on.

The fantastic part of this training was Jack was simply happy.  He was up and tall with his head up and tail up and a soft mouth.  He wasn't looking like I just put his favorite blanky in the weekly wash anymore.  He was still too excitable when greeting Ronda so I made a mental note to improve his chances at making the right choices the next night by tethering him until he could be calm greeting her.

After showing Ronda how to play the new game with him and instructing how often to do it nightly we realized he'd disappeared.  We found him in the big crate with half of a stuffed whale.  He has a habit of wrestling with Emma and Malcolm and setting the whole house off with high energy when Ronda arrives and then going somewhere and ripping up a stuffed toy.  Mental note: Pick up the damned stuffed toys just before pick up time!

It wasn't until after he left that I realized I couldn't find the tail of the whale.  I figured he swallowed it, but since it was a small stuffie I figured it would pass through.

Tuesday

Impulse Control for Dogs

Jack won.

When Ronda dropped Jack off she gave me a packet of soiled paper towels and told me it was the whale's tail.  Jack had thrown it up during the night at about 3:30 AM.  I told her I realized he'd swallowed it like a string of spaghetti the night before, but thought it would pass through.  Apparently it wasn't Jack's intention to poop out a whale tail.

My Mom arrived at 8 AM to take me to a food drive to pick up supplies for the house.  To learn more about how the morning went, read Malcolm's blog for this week.  I gave the dogs three outside play times before Mom and I left.  I still crate Jack when I leave and was happy with how calmly he entered the crate and settled in for my return.  I heard no howling or protests when I left.

When I returned I heard no howling or protests and Jack is exiting the crate on the excited side of calm.  I will engage him in crate games after I work Emma on them for her trip to Seattle.

Jack was relaxed, but sad in this photo.

I worked It's Yer Choice with Jack using a toy.  I found a stuffless stuffie to attach to a slip lead and put them together to create a lure toy.  I enticed Jack to play tug with it and worked on It's Yer Choice with the toy like you see in the video.  He loved it.

Once again I saw lovely body language all day.  Happy, calm relaxed dogs 99% of the day.  Jack was smiling all most all day, no matter what he was doing and his body was upright, his head tall and his tail up.  It was wonderful to see.

When Ronda arrived I had him tethered along with Malcolm, Emma and Max.  We worked It's Yer Choice for transferring him to her.  If he pawed her, got too excited or nibbled her fingers I would penalty walk him back and then do a two step/sit-eye contact to get him back to her.  It took 3 or 4 attempts, but he greeted her in a very calm manner.  I kept him on lead and while I was telling her how his day went and waited for him to completely calm down I looked over at a calm, happy dog.  I pointed that out and Ronda said it was a huge change in his body language.

I am loving this program.  It is making the days go so much better and the house is back in balance.  Emma and Jack are happy and confident and I am truly enjoying all of them again.  I look forward to my long weekend, but I am so happy we've added a new tool in my toolbox to help my soft dogs feel safe and confident in my home!

Wednesday

What living by rewarding calm looks like.

I had been playing with him and
Jack was happy, but worried about
the new puppy.

It has been a fantastic week all around.  Jack has been so happy and so relaxed and so different than the Last Rose of Summer that he's been for a long time.  Ronda and I talked about that when she picked him up.  He's calmer and happier, not only in my home but hers also.  We agreed it was because he was getting a clearer definition of what behavior we wanted and rewarding when he made the right choice and were not micro managing him when he got a bit out of control with his excitement or desire to be close.  Jack simply doesn't do well with micro management and giving him a choice and setting him up for success with the choices he can make has truly improved his overall well being emotionally.

I actually didn't work him formally on anything today.  I worked on rewarding him with praise, play or treats whenever he made a good choice.  I was 3/4ths through the day when I realized I hadn't raised my voice at the dogs for anything and only said Hey or Stop gently when I needed them to stop something specific (like Malcolm putting his feet on the cabinets or one of the dogs trying to rush out the door when I was taking only one out at that moment).  I had not once said "Get off that Dachshund" all week!  What a huge change!

We played outside both Tuesday and Wednesday.  I really wanted to manage their energy levels more so they could be more successful at not wrestling in the house.  Jack truly loved that too.  He enjoyed playing fetch with Max and I and loved that I threw a ball for both him and Max each.  He enjoyed Catch Me If You Can and wrestling and tag in the yard with Malcolm and Emma and truly enjoyed being told when he'd chosen correctly throughout his play times.

I had to watch him closely in regards to long skinny stuffed toys.  I have a stuffless skunk that Emma and Jack split into two pieces in two seconds when they played their first game of tug with it during the summer.  I pulled it out for Malcolm and Emma to play some tug-a-dog with and even Jack if he felt like it.  I pulled out both pieces - the body and the tail.  Jack has something about tails.  On Tuesday I turned to check on Malcolm for half a second while Jack was playing toss the tail and when I turned back I saw the last of the tail going down his gullet and a second  later he vomited it back out as he choked on it.  I promptly took it from him and put it up.

Happy dog play.

I left Malcolm and Emma playing with the other half and kept Jack more occupied with games with me after that to keep him from eating another stuffed toys whole.  We had not incidents of him trying to suck a stuffed toy down whole again, but I did warn Ronda he is not ever to be left unattended with dish clothes or stuffed toys he can swallow.

I did have to crate Jack for a brief period when Wayne and I went for dog food.  I left Max and took Emma (more in her blog) and when I went to crate Jack he tried to avoid going into the crate.  I gently guided him to it, but he was trying to tell me his choice was to stay out.  Tough luck Mr. El Destruco, you are not ready to be loose in the house for a run to the store!

Ronda arrived an hour earlier than I expected.  I had already picked up the stuffed toys because I didn't want Jack to eat them and I was tired and needed to just zone for a bit.  I tethered Malcolm to prevent a habit of jumping on people (more in his blog) and had Max and Jack sit while I let her in.  I took Jack's collar loosely in my hands and walked him slowly to his Mom - he jumped so he got a penalty walk and then we waited for him to sit and relax.  I told Ronda his default greeting would be a sit, since he can't jump if he is sitting.  We are half way to getting him up to sitting to greet her.  It took a few minutes (he gets very excited when she gets home) to get him to her in a calm way, but he managed it.

Jack wanted to play with Malcolm from
the beginning.  They are best buddies
now.

I was updating her on his day and discussing how the new training plan was making life here so much better for all concerned when we realized that Jack had not started a wrestling match with Malcolm, had not taken a toy to shred in his mouth (there was a ball he could have destroyed) and had put himself in his crate and calmly waited for Ronda to leash him up and take him home.  Ronda was highly impressed with his huge change from Monday!

Overall, this new training plan is making a blanket difference for both the dogs and myself and I am extremely happy with it.  I left this week energized because we made progress and I knew it was sticking and progressing at a rapid rate.  I am so glad I reached out to my contacts and asked for some advice - it sure made life better for all of us.


Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	3	4	2	1	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	1	Completed	2	5	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	4	Completed	1	4

Level 3

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	0	2	2	1	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	Completed	1	0	0
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Retrieve	Communication
Step	0	0	Completed	2	0

Level 4

	Zen	Come	Retrieve	Target	Relax
Step	0	0	5	0	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	Completed	0	0	0
	Handling	Communication
Step	Completed	0

20 Months: Training - November 18th - 22nd, 2013

Jack is such a love.

Monday

Jack is such a soft and gentle dog who has the happiest tail I have ever seen when he's with his handler and can be a bit shy and withdrawn when he is not.  His love for Ronda is powerful and his adoration of me is clear, but I am not his person, just the lady he hangs with until his person comes back to him.

I am the type of person who needs my space and Jack is the type of dog who wishes to share your space.  It is not a good mix between him and I and I have to go through a gentle balance of giving him the attention and love he needs to keep his emotional balance and keep my personnel space without feeling like I am overloaded.  I do love him and I enjoy his company, but there are days he's very intense on being in my space and it happens to be the days I need him to just do his own thing for a while the most.

This past week was like that.  On Monday I was in so much pain I couldn't function.  Emma and Jack are both very sensitive to people's emotions and their natural reaction is to provide comfort, but what I truly needed was for them to either lay near me or somewhere other than on me.  They both wanted nothing more than to be on me.

It started with my arms burning and feeling heavy.  They felt like someone had put a spike through my wrist up to my elbow.  Nothing relieved the pain for almost 2 hours.  Both Jack and Emma wanted nothing more than to make me feel better by cuddling, but their touch was more than I could handle.  Poor babies just didn't understand why I kept asking them to go elsewhere.

Shortly after my arms stopped hurting so badly  my left leg started.  It was after only a few steps that it felt like I was tearing the tendons and muscles on both sides of my ankle, my right ankle felt much the same but not as sharply.  Soon it was a sense of swelling on the outside of the leg, followed by the same burning and throbbing my arms had done.  It was right after that it felt like someone had run a spike from my heel to my hip and every step was pure agony.

I was using my cane, which makes Emma a bit nervous at first, but shortly I had her and Jack following me like I was their mother.  Each turn and each step was met with both of them glued to me.  By noon I was near tears and by 3 PM I wanted to scream.  Training was not an option for any of the dogs - though I had made an effort, I simply hurt too much to do anything.

At 3 PM I took a hydrocodone, even though I knew it would knock me into next week and leave me with a grumpy hang over the next day.  I tend to not take it unless I can sleep it off, but I didn't have that option.  I had, by 1 PM given up on walking - I simply couldn't take another step.  I was using the power chair and was truly happy to see that it seemed to relieve Jack and Emma's stress.  They no longer were trying to hover on me and were happy again.

I was happy to see their heads up, instead of held in the "apology" position.  Their tails were up, which was a marked improvement from the tucked position they'd been until then.  They were giving me soft mouths and relaxed bodies and their energy was up.  I hate seeing them in the "I don't know what to do" body language.  It is sad to see and hurts my heart.

So, for all of them, they had a chance to practice working around different mobility equipment.  Emma and Jack are no longer afraid of the wheelchair and have learned how to move out of the way and not cause issues when I use it in the house.  This was the longest I have ever used it in the home and the more I used it the more comfortable they all became.  Malcolm wasn't even phased by my using the power chair.

Tuesday

But so soft his feelings can easily be hurt.

Remember I said I am hung over the following day after taking a hydrocodone?  Well, I was.  I wasn't hurting like the day before, but I had no energy and no desire for any dog, even Dieter, being in my space.  I also had little tolerance for sound.  I think Tuesday was the one day every dog got it - even Malcolm was sedate and napped nicely and didn't find too many things to get into or try to often to start a mouth game with Emma or Jack.

The worse was Malcolm jumping on Jack's head and licking him until I was certain Jack would have no fur left on his face.  He's growing tired of it and I can't blame him - Malcolm seems to get stuck when kissing Jack.

We worked on mat behaviors again for a bit, but after training Malcolm a little and Emma a little it became apparent I was not in the right mood to be any good to the dogs.  It was another day of taking the dogs out for play or potty breaks and recovering.  I ended up napping for 2 hours at one point with Jack sleeping by the kitchen and Emma curled against my stomach for a bit.

The nap helped, but I knew it was a day in which I just needed to take care of me and make certain the dogs basic needs were met and they were kept safe and comfortable.  Emma was having an up and down week and Jack was acting off too.  I hate it when they are not happy, it means I am not meeting some need they have and on Tuesday I couldn't think my way out of a paper bag to solve the issue.  And, yes, that was the issue.  The fact I felt bad and was not able to give them the attention they needed was why both of the soft and sensitive dogs in my home were looking whipped.

Wednesday

If he could, he'd be part of my skin.

I wasn't feeling fully up to snuff, but I was up enough I could deal with the dogs.  I worked Jack on practical application of his retrieve.  If I dropped something I would ask him to pick it up.  With three dogs who retrieve in the house it can be a challenge to get the dog you are working on to pick something up - they all want to pitch in and help.  That is something I'll have to work on.

I also worked on introducing to him the idea he could pick his own food bowl.  He gets silly when you point at something to pick it up and I need to work on him seeing we are pointing to something to be picked up and not go into spasms of behaviors because he's confused.

When I pull out food to he gets "food stupid" and completely forgets what we are working on.  Thankfully, Robin, called and had some suggestions on how to deal with that problem.  Her Poodle, Sherman, can get that way too and another trainer showed her how to work him and keep him from getting food stupid.

It starts as a moving exercise in which we work on something Jack is solid on.  He takes a few steps and I click, pull the treat out and take a few more steps and give him the treat slowly.  If he mugs my hand, crosses my body or gets stupid the treat is put away.  It doesn't take long to realize that they need to wait for the treat to arrive and keep thinking.

I did this for a bit with Jack, but I could feel the first sensation of tearing in my joints and stopped.  But the short period we worked I saw improvement.  I will work out a way to get him to look at where I point (break it down better) and not go into spasms of joy that I am putting my hand down where his nose is.

One thing that happened for Jack was a filed trip.  I had paperwork I needed to drop off and took Jack for practical training.  We went to the DSHS office.  He is still a bit shy about suiting up, but once in his suit he is up and happy about the idea of going somewhere.  He walked, providing counter balance.  He was a bit flighty on the counter balance, but seems to be getting the idea that the uniform means he is at work.  This is good to see.

He did very well entering the building, tucking by me and letting me take care of my business.  I was asked to meet with someone, which I had not planned on, and so we headed to a seat where I could tuck him out of the way.  It was quiet in the office, but that wasn't the point.  I had not intended to work him for a long period with very few treats on me.

There was a man who made him a bit nervous, but with some treats and re-positioning him he was okay.  He was rewarded for not reaching out and touching people as they passed him and for not trying to engage people in petting him.  He got a lot of pets and loves for good behavior as rewards also.

When I was finally called, about 35 minutes after we arrived, he was getting a little antsy.  A toddler had been playing quietly until he was walking me to the booth I would sit at and then the toddler screeched and Jack became worried.  I had run out of treats, but with praise and redirection he settled by me and let me conduct my business.  He was not as stable walking me out of the building as he was walking me in, but once outside he settled right back into work mode.

All told it was 45 minutes and was too long a period for him - right on that edge of too much.  He did very well, but he had the rest of the week off as a result.

Thursday

He loves to play.

It was a bad week.  With Wednesday being the first up day I had hoped that I'd end the week strong, but Thursday I was exhausted again.  I worked on daily living and practical application of his skills.  He did well.

I worked with him again on picking up his bowl.  I had stopped using high value treats and started using Cheerios instead.  The lower value treat kept him from becoming food stupid and he was making good progress on taking and holding the bowl.

We also worked on taking direction when I asked for space without my having to move him.  He has a habit of putting his face in mine and/or laying his head or chest in my lap.  It's just to invasive for me and I am working on him understanding that.

Unfortunately, when I ask for space Jack acts like I have taken his supper away from him and grounded him for a month.  There has to be a balance between my needing space and Jack needing my attention.  I will find it.

Friday

But is happiest when with his people.

I was feeling much better by Friday, but was still emotionally and mentally tired.  I decided it was a good day for play for everyone.  I took all the dogs out and played fetch with Max and let Jack, Emma and Malcolm play.  I could tell now why I had such a bad day on Monday; it had grown progressively colder all week and Friday was wicked cold.

I was bundled in my jacket, hat, scarf and gloves just to be out with the dogs.  I had also found and dressed Dieter in his sweater.  That was what made our first playtime outside interesting.  Jack, Malcolm and Emma all hovered on poor Dieter and tried to figure out what he was.  It was not the first time Emma had seen Dieter in his sweater, but it was for Malcolm and Jack.  Emma though, was the one who spent a very large amount of time harassing Dieter and I finally had to call her off and send her out to play.

The pure joy in Jack's body language as he played tag and wrestled with Malcolm was wonderful.  His tail was up and he was that happy, goofy boy I try to have when working with him in the home.  He ran like a deer through the yard with both Malcolm and Emma and even went into pure goof when he decided to join Max's game of fetch.

It was wonderful and both times I took them out for about 45 minutes at a time for playtime he was truly a happy and relaxed dog!  We didn't do any training, but we did do a lot to restore happy emotions in everybody.

By the time Ronda came to pick him and Malcolm up (I had a client meeting) he was totally back to the happy Jack I had missed seeing for the past two weeks.  I was so happy to see that it made my heart sing.


Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	3	4	2	1	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	1	Completed	2	5	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	4	Completed	1	4

Level 3

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	0	2	2	1	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	Completed	1	0	0
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Retrieve	Communication
Step	0	0	Completed	2	0

Level 4

	Zen	Come	Retrieve	Target	Relax
Step	0	0	5	0	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	Completed	0	0	0
	Handling	Communication
Step	Completed	0

20 Months: Training - November 11th - 15th, 2013

Can I help you?

Monday

Though a holiday for Emma, Jack's owner Ronda had to work and thus we start our day with Jack arriving at just before 8 AM.  Jack is happy to come to my home and loves to spend the day with me.  I decided a while ago Monday's are paperwork days and this one is no different.  I had two callbacks to make, a phone call to a friend to catch up on news and computer work to do.  Jack enjoyed a quiet day with breaks including hugs and kisses on his nose.  He was happy and relaxed when Ronda picked him up.


Tuesday

Are you sure I can't help you?

I have been asking Jack to help when he can around the house to proof some of his behaviors.  He's gotten better at picking up something when I ask, but not everything is within his grasp.  If he or Emma can't seem to pick up an item I call in my Go To Guy Max and ask for his assistance.  This time I had Jack, Emma and Max help with picking up the house.  He did great.  He even picked up an envelope when I asked.

I need to get Emma's retrieve cue for her handler attached and decided it was time to build more impulse control for Jack.  Jack wants to be in the middle of everything I do and I need space to work Emma.  Too many dogs in her space and she bails and goes to relax behind my recliner.

I pulled out a mat for Jack and Max and tethered Malcolm.  I tossed treats at Jack as I worked with Emma.  Jack had a hard time with staying on the mat, though Max had the concept down pat.  He waited for the treats to land between his feet and didn't move during the lesson.  Jack on the other hand got up and laid next to Emma and poked me.  I ignored him and tossed treats to Malcolm and Max.

It took him a bit to realize the only way to get me to recognize he existed was if he was on the mat.  He would walk to it and a treat would land and return to me.  Fine, nothing said, just ignore him until he was were I wanted him.  It took two lessons, but he started staying on the mat.

We worked on impulse control, because without Jack can't think.  The more I work different areas of impulse control the more Jack learns the basic lessons I need him too.  These lessons are translating into his public work.

I had an errand to run to the store and chose to take Jack with me.  I suited him up in Max's old harness and went to Walmart.  Though a bit nervous when we started and a bit out of control with his nose, with a clear guideline on what I wanted (rewards for looking to me on cued leave its and asking for him to sit/stay when picking out garlic or cat liter) he began to settle into working with me.

By the time we were headed to the front of the store he had moved from looking all over the place to work mode.  He had his head at shoulder level, a happy smile on his face and was prancing in harness.  His tail was up, he was breathing normal and was doing very hard work on keeping his nose to himself.  He was exhausted when we left and we'd only spent ten minutes working on proper service dog behavior in the store.

I gave him the rest of the day off so he could process the event.  I intended to take him back, but later in the week didn't work out that way for me.

Wednesday

I just want to help.....

Jack's mood improved from last week.  Last week Jack was worried and stressed and needed a lot of reassurance.  This week Jack was back to being the quiet, but confident Jack I am used too.  He's in the final minor fear stages of growing into a full blown adult dog and is very sensitive.  He has, from the beginning, alerted to Ronda's pain levels before they registered with Ronda by putting his head in her lap.  He also has, from the beginning, put his chest in her lap to help give her pressure to help ease the pain.  We had thought it was unique to Ronda, but he does it with me and he did it with my friend Shari when he first met her.  He leans in and just says, "I get it" when he senses someone is in pain.

He is also very sensitive to people's emotions.  When Ronda is upset or crying Jack gives even more comfort and wants nothing more than to make her burden easier.  He also senses when my moods are off, but his desire to comfort when mine are off is the opposite of what I need.  Max and Malcolm recognize I need space, Emma and Jack do not.

With the break I took at the end of last week to rebuild my balance, I am feeling much better and it shows in both Jack and Emma's moods.  They would not fair well living with me as my personnel dogs.  They are too sensitive and try to hard to "make up" to me if they sense I am out of sorts and that simple act of trying to "make up" to me is the same thing that makes my mood worse.  They are truly in the correct homes with their owners, whose personalities they better suit than mine.

To see Jack happy, with his head up and willing to play my games again was the reward I needed for taking the end of last week off and getting myself taken care of so I could provide for them the balance and security they need to feel safe.

We worked on Sit/Stay again and this time got up to 11 seconds with me 15 feet away.  Jack is slowly building his impulse control and I am happy to see it.  He's learning that Sit is what is paying and is not sliding into a down as often as he used too.  He is also not burning out on the lesson as fast as he did before.  With the lessons applied the day before in the store, he was more willing to work on them in the home.

We also worked on mat behaviors again.  The combination is improving his impulse control.  I brought in his mat from my van and set out a mat for Malcolm, Max and this time Dieter.  Dieter, who is happy to play mat games, joined us for the lesson while I worked with Emma.

This time Jack stayed on his mat more than off and even put his chin down while I worked with her.  It was a nice improvement from the day before.  I am going to spend about three days building mat behavior in one position in the kitchen and then change it up and move dogs to different landing zones to show it isn't the location, but the behavior I want.

Thursday

How about I babysit?

We worked on retrieves and mat behavior again as well as refreshing known behaviors.  Jack is improving on his retrieves, but hasn't figured out he can pick up his breakfast bowl in my house.  I will continue to work on it.

I do need to work on keeping up these blogs during the week and plan on scheduling about an hour a day to write up each day instead of trying to remember what we did for the week and writing them in a marathon run on Sundays.  By the time I get to the last blog update I am exhausted and brief.

Jack's mood was improved on Thursday and he was happy to see Walter when he arrived.  He is sedate with my company in the house and after a brief, but polite, hello he generally keeps his distance.  He was okay with the vacuum and steamer and would come to me if he felt a bit overwhelmed.

At the end of the day I had an interview and Walter watched the dogs.  He said all hell broke loose because Ronda walked in unannounced (I had forgotten to tell her Walter would be with the dogs, and she expected them to be crated) and it took a bit to calm all of the dogs down.

Ronda said Jack was overly excited and did a lot of jumping with the entire crew when she came in.  She was surprised to find them loose and Emma escaped the house and a great chase to get her back in needed to be done.  Emma had injured herself on Tuesday and was on restricted activity and wasn't supposed to run loose in the yard.  Bad trainer for not calling ahead and warning her the dogs were loose.

Friday

Fine, I'll just sit here and eat worms.

Jack has been taught to relieve on leash by Ronda and hasn't been practicing it at my home with me.  After Emma's injury and discovering her leash relieving skills were not as solid as they had been earlier this year.  That was my fault too.  I should have worked on them, but failed to do so.

I decided to work on Jack's since I am building them for Emma and Malcolm.  I took him out not less than six times and offered him the chance to go to the bathroom.  He never took the opportunity all day.  I knew he had to go, but he simply would not leave my side to pee.  Ronda told me later he got home and peed for a very long time right after getting out of the car - on lead, on cue.  So, Jack will go for her, but not me.

I will continue to work on this part of Jack's training.  He needs to learn how to go to the bathroom on cue for anyone, not just his owner.  If he can't, she'll have a hard time with him if she's ever hospitalized.  I do have to say he has remarkable bladder control.

I intended to take him out Friday, but my pain levels were through the roof and it felt like I was tearing tendons and muscles in my ankles.  I simply couldn't do it.  Instead we worked on mat behaviors while I introduced Emma to the idea she could take hold of her bowl and eventually retrieve it and hand it to me.

Jack is progressing, but slowly at this point.  He's at a point where slow and steady will build a more confident and capable dog than trying to hurry him through the process.  He's building nice impulse control and when Ronda picked him up he worked hard to keep his feet on the floor.  He's learning to put on a harness and not shy from it as it goes over his head.  He is also learning to put his feet along my ribs so I can snap the harness in place.  The pieces will fall together for him shortly and he'll be ready to work with her.

Next week we'll add more public access training and start applying what he knows to real life situations.  Jack is now ready for more public access training and learning to focus and work in his job as a service dog.




Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	3	4	2	1	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	1	Completed	2	5	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	4	Completed	1	4

Level 3

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	0	2	2	1	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	Completed	1	0	0
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Retrieve	Communication
Step	0	0	Completed	2	0

Level 4

	Zen	Come	Retrieve	Target	Relax
Step	0	0	5	0	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	Completed	0	0	0
	Handling	Communication
Step	Completed	0

20 Months: November 4th - 6th, 2013

I saw a lot of this during the week.

Jack has been feeling as left out as Emma lately.  I hit a wall this past couple of weeks with my Borderline Personality Disorder, which I have described in both Emma and Malcolm's blogs.  To say that my mood was bad is to minimize the level of pain, exhaustion and overload I was in.  I needed to step back and take it easy and so I reduced the amount of training I was doing with the dogs overall and even stopped and just worked on Emma's emotional health instead of goal oriented training.

I had given Jack the week before for bolstering his emotional health, but this week I decided he needed work on basics and start working on getting his training finished.  He's got one task developing into a reliable task and a second that needs working on to finish his task skills for his owner to start working daily with him in public.  What he needs is a polish on his basic skills and public access skills.

I worked on basic skills and let his owner work on building his current task skill for the week.

Monday

See who's learning Sit/Stay.

On Monday I spent the day working on Zen.  Jack is a mugger when he's not working on Zen as a lesson and will try to steal treats from your hand and loose focus until the treats are taken fully out of the picture.  This won't do.

I worked Zen until he was watching treats rain around him on the floor, but the moment I went to train Malcolm he went to steal food from my hand again - so I just pushed my hand into his nose until he chose to move it way and rewarded the choice.  I didn't hurt him, but I did make it clear I didn't want him taking food from my hand.  That single lesson bled over into all of his training for the rest of the day.  He ignored the food in my hand, focused on the lesson and made great progress.

He is working on Sit/Stay and managed 10 seconds with me 15 feet away from him.  NICE!

Tuesday

Yes, Jack, even you aren't
allowed to rough house
with the puppy in the house.

We continued Zen and Sit/Stay.  He is doing better and better with it and I am very pleased.  When I decided to work group Zen with Malcolm he decided not to join.  That was okay, I could work with Max and Malcolm alone and better train Malcolm the idea.  A treat fell by Malcolm's ribs and for a bit Jack tried to sneak it, then stopped and put his head down behind me.  When I called the session to an end Jack saw Malcolm stand and walk away from the treat and looked up to me for permission to have it.  It was a huge break through!  I was very pleased.

He continues to be stuck at a solid 8 seconds at 15 feet and a weak 10 seconds at 15 feet, but he is improving with his posture and focus when training a Sit/Stay.  He was able to handle me standing still better than walking around him, but once I showed him both were the same thing he was solid for a good 5 seconds before breaking his Sit.

Wednesday

Ah, poor Jack, I still love you.

I hit a wall emotionally and physically.  I spent the day giving Jack hugs and loves with Emma and Max and Malcolm.  I was too tired to deal with training and in too much pain to really move about.  My house was in disrepair and I was in a volatile mood, which meant I had to take time for myself or start becoming the crazy woman who lives in the single wide trailer.

This was the best thing I could have done for the whole household.  The playtime I scheduled for them went extremely well and Jack enjoyed his outside time, but wasn't up as up as he could be.  He had an abscess in his in his shoulder I had been heat packing and squeezing several times a day and he wasn't feeling good.

Since he wasn't feeling good he also was more sensitive to my moods than normal and he is naturally aware of when a person is in pain and wants to comfort them.  He does this by moving in and putting his face in your face and then moving closer the more upset you get.  It can be maddening when you just want space and he just doesn't get it.  Looks like I need to teach a "I heard you" cue so he backs off and gives space when desired.

This was sending poor Jack into a spiral and I felt bad for him.  He wanted so badly to comfort me, to get comfort from me and to do what I wanted, but what I wanted didn't fit into his world view of how to deal with someone who is in pain or upset.  Poor baby was acting shy and like I had physically struck him simply because I wanted him to settle down by me and not touch me.

Thankfully his week would end with his owner and giving her the comfort he wanted to give me.  She had surgery on Thursday and he spent the rest of the week with her.  It gave me time to recover myself and be ready for his return on Monday.

I am hoping on his return his mood will be improved and he'll be feeling better overall.  I do want to polish his skills and get him working for his handler as soon as possible. Here's hoping for a fun filled weekend for Jack.



Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	3	4	2	1	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	1	Completed	2	5	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	4	Completed	1	4

Level 3

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	0	2	2	1	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	Completed	1	0	0
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Retrieve	Communication
Step	0	0	Completed	2	0

Level 4

	Zen	Come	Retrieve	Target	Relax
Step	0	0	5	0	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	Completed	0	0	0
	Handling	Communication
Step	Completed	0

19 Months: October 28th, 2013 - November 1st, 2013

Handsome Jack.

Mr. Jack is back!  He was on vacation last week with his Mom and truly enjoyed the one on one time he had with her.  She's been working on supporting his current training goals and doing a fantastic job.  Ronda reported to me that he helped her pick up her clothes in the bathroom; she asked for her socks which he gladly gave her, but when she went to leave the bathroom he scooped up some of the dirty clothes and wanted to keep working for her.  She said he wasn't happy until the job was done and he had nothing else to hand her!  What a break through!

She worked on Zen and Stay and he's improving with her as well.  It's nice to see.  She loves that she can call him to help around the house now and I noted that she's feeling so much better, no longer in the serious pain she was in prior to his break through.  She is still in pain, but with Jack's help she's not aggravating the pain in her spine like she did before doing daily tasks - which was the goal of teaching Jack retrieve in the first place.  She's starting to see the advantages of having a trained service dog.

Jack has entered the task training phase while polishing his basic skills.  I will be switching between them as I continue his training.  At this point I am seeing a huge boost in confidence and look forward to finishing up his training within the next 4 to 6 months with focused work on both our parts.

During this time I will work on his public access skills and start taking his training on the road.  What an exciting period to be entering with him and Emma!

Monday

Malcolm loves playing with Jack.

I am announcing on all of my dog's blog pages that Monday's are paperwork days.  I have been burning the candle on both ends and in the middle and have decided I need to dedicated on day a week on paperwork and teaching the dogs how to relax beside me while I work.  This will be interesting since I'll be teaching a very young puppy the same skill.

This morning, while waiting for Emma, I decided to see how this past week with his Mom had gone and dropped a bit of cardboard on the floor.  Jack rushed in, scooped it up and handed it to me with perfect control!  Amazing progress!

I then dropped a knitting needle and he did it again without hesitation!  Amazing!  I handed him the needle and he walked several steps to hand it to me without chewing on it.  Perfect!

I then dropped my keys.  He's a bit worried about keys, but after a few attempts we had success and he handed them to me!  I am very pleased.  I am at the stage of asking Jack to help me around the house, just as his Mom did all week long last week.

He's learned how to play with Malcolm and Emma and adjusts his play and he's showing a lot of increased confidence.  I am very happy.

Tuesday

Jack really doesn't like his picture taken.

I had a lecture on Wednesday and needed to finish the power point presentation for it.  I fed the dogs first thing in the morning, let Malcolm wear himself out playing with Emma and Jack and as he lay tethered by me I finished the presentation.

Just as I was preparing to take Malcolm his vet visit for his shots my friend Robin called to check in with me.  She is my mentor and my ballast when working with the dogs.  I, like any other trainer, can get locked into a "must get this done" mode and miss all the other tiny things happening around me.  Robin brings me back into focus and helps me better understand my two soft natured dogs in training.  She gets them, understands them in ways I don't and helps me see them for their strengths and abilities and helps me solve how to approach a dog who needs extra care and love to succeed.  I can't thank her enough.

I mentioned how Jack and Emma were glued to me and I couldn't move or breath without one or both of them touching me or imploring me for attention.  She understood and talked me through my frustration.  I am not the type of person who enjoys that type of constant contact and find it overwhelming.

With her insight I could see that Malcolm's inclusion had disrupted our schedule enough that everyone needs extra time and love from me to reassure them that I still love them.  That wasn't as much of a possibility on Tuesday, but I planned on making up to Jack and Emma on Thursday and Friday as best I could.

I had to crate Jack for my run to the vet.  I hadn't intended to be gone for several hours, but a client was at the vet office when I arrived and asked I attend her dog's examination by the vet.  I agreed to do it.  Ronda picked up Jack from my home while I was away and said he was calm and relaxed in his crate and very happy to see her when she let him out.

I requested she keep Jack home on Wednesday due to the fact I would be out of the house a great deal during the day and it was unfair to ask him to be crated at my home for all the time I was away.

Thursday

Jack teaches Malcolm tug-a-dog.

What a busy and fun filled day.  With a break on Wednesday from Malcolm and my chance to think and work through how to approach training four dogs during the day I was up and going on Thursday.  I used part of Jack's breakfast to train Sit/Stay and Down/Stay.  I was able to get a 7 second Sit/Stay with me 15 feet away from him and a 10 second Down/Stay with me 15 feet away from him while working for his breakfast.  We also worked on Floor Zen.  I used the last half of his breakfast to work on ignoring food dropping on the floor, him and near him.  He did fantastic.

For Lunch we did the same lessons again and he was still strong on his Sit/Stay and Down/Stay.  I also worked on staying in position with distractions but not duration.  I wandered the house and banged, whistled, yelled, clapped and opened the front door and closed it and rewarded him each time he stayed in position.

When Ronda arrived we worked on Sit/Stay with distance but not duration.  I watched to see what Ronda was doing different than me and didn't translate well for Jack and helped her work the problem out with him.  She was able to get over 20 feet away from him.  Very nice.

Jack is a gentle soul and he enjoyed playing with both Emma and Malcolm at the same time.  It seems that as long as Emma is here he is very tolerant of Malcolm and is more than willing to include him in the games he and Emma play, but when Emma is away he is less tolerant and tends to grouch and tell Malcolm to go away.  He's never hurtful to Malcolm, just not as likely to play and after half a day when it's just Jack and Malcolm as playmates he stops enjoying the puppy kisses and feet on him.

When Emma is there he can change intensity of play and truly enjoy a good romp with her.  Overall though, Jack is a very tolerant dog I would gladly use as an adult dog with any puppy to help them learn how to deal with strange adult dogs.

Friday

Do you still love me too?

Emma is off for grooming today, so our morning is out of whack according to Jack.  I fed everyone when he got here and then packed him into the crate and left with Emma, Malcolm and Max.  He was calm and happy and quiet when I arrived home about 40 minutes later.  Nice to see.

I didn't do training with him today.  He's feeling left out and today is HIS snuggle day.  I have spent part of the day working on blogs and paperwork and still need to run to the bank and get a shower, but overall, I have taken extra time with Jack to hug, kiss and love on him when I can.  I am hoping by next week Malcolm will have a bit more manners under his belt and the routine will start to return to normal again and all the dogs will be less needy.


Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	2	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	3	4	2	1	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	1	Completed	2	5	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	4	Completed	1	4

Level 3

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	0	2	2	1	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	Completed	1	0	0
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Retrieve	Communication
Step	0	0	Completed	2	0

Level 4

	Zen	Come	Retrieve	Target	Relax
Step	0	0	5	0	0
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	0	Completed	0	0	0
	Handling	Communication
Step	Completed	0