Bella at 6 months

Bella at 6 months, with a typical "can I play too?" look on her face.

Bella is a "teenager." She acts like one, too. Rebellious, stay-just-out-of-your-reach, do-only-what-you-have-to-do, rotten! And I love her!

Her coat is growing out and she's soft and fluffy. Wonderful to cuddle with (when she's in the mood). She sleeps with me in my bed now, since she's housebroken (more or less). Housebreaking wasn't that hard, and she lets me know she needs to go out by standing by the door and making one sharp bark. Then she gives me "the look" (like in the picture). She's plainly saying that she has to go and she has to go now. If I ignore her, she feels no qualms about relieving herself on the floor. So I don't ignore her, needless to say! And when she says she has to go out, she means it. Every time. She hasn't asked to go out just to go out (at least not yet).

Her training seems to have gone a bit backwards now. She had sit down pat before but now looks at me as if to say, "I don't want to sit just now, thanks." She is ignoring the hand signal and the voice cue, unless she's sure there's a treat in my hand. Typical teen. Pay me for what I should be doing anyway.

Still, we've progressed. We go to a class once a week with two other puppies. She totally loses her cool for the first twenty minutes or so, screaming and yelping like she's never seen another dog before in her life and she absolutely must get over to them and explore. So we let them play for 5 minutes or so while we discuss how our training is going and what we're going to learn this time. It helps calm them down a bit. Billie, our trainer, keeps a supply of chews to give them something to concentrate on when we're talking. Smart lady!

So we have a solid recall, even through a group of dogs at the dog park; sit, down, leave it, zen, roll over and getting better on loose leash walking. I'm following Levels training, and it's really good. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good training method. Step-by-step instruction to get a solid base that has no training gaps.

That's all for now.

Progress and Levels

Well, Bella has been doing quite well. She's fairly well housebroken, going to the door and whining or barking to go out. She comes on command from any distance that she can hear me from, including being in a pack of dogs at the dog park. She sits reliably, downs well, and can even roll over. She is learning touch and to sit quietly to be petted. She walks on a loose leash most of the time, except when over stimulated.

And then I started to notice that in the forums I read, the term Levels kept coming up. So I researched it and lo, and behold! A method I really, really like! So from now on, Bella is working on levels.

Here's what's in Level One:
Come, down, sit, target (touch), and zen.

She already does 3 of the 5 reliably and one more most of the time. All I still need to teach is Zen. Then it's just practice, practice, practice.

Tomorrow, December 1, we start Zen.

Bella ready to sleep cuddling her stuffed lion.

Two steps forward and one step back.

My, oh, my! My perfect little puppy is pushing the envelope in all directions to see how far it will stretch. Barking to get what she wants, backing up when I reach for her, jumping up on the two-year-old... and going potty in the house whenever it rains.

The good news is, she sits on command about 80% of the time. She'll down on command about 75% of the time. She'll come when called about 90% of the time. She knows "let's go up (down) stairs," "do you want a treat?" "do you want to go outside?"

I think I have to back up a bit in her training, because she has developed some behaviors that I want to get under control. Like this thing of backing up when I reach for her. And another variation on that theme: when I call her, she comes and sits... just outside my reach.

I have to think about how I want the behavior to look and then break it down into the component parts of her body; what should her head (ears, eyes) be doing? what should her tail be doing? what should her feet be doing? etc. So for instance, on the recall:
Come immediately on command, tail wagging
Sit in front of me, at my feet or six inches in front of my toes
Make eye contact
Wait for release word before moving

Steps: Using a 6' long lead, call her and guide her in. Wait for eye contact, then click and treat. If she's outside the finish circle (about 6" in front of my toes), wait until she moves the slightest bit inside the circle, then click and treat. Continue that way, waiting until she moves in a little closer before clicking, until she is where I want her. Then click and jackpot!

 When she is coming in to the correct spot 80% of the time, then start using a long line and allow her to be farther away before I call her in. Continue this way until she is coming from 50 feet away.

Goal: from 50 feet away, Bella will make eye contact when I call her name and come running, tail wagging, when I say "Come!" She will sit within 6" of my toes, directly in front of me, maintaining eye contact until released with "Okay."

Question: How do I make myself more fun for my dog?

Update on Mac and Bella

Mac has developed a couple of really annoying habits since Bella came along. First, he gets into her bowl if I don't watch very carefully and eats all her food. Second, when we call him, he turns around and runs the other way. Now I have to go back to square one with him and reteach the recall.

Bella, on the other hand, has learned to sit, lie down, come, and do puppy pushups (down, sit, down, sit...)I'm starting her on walking on a leash this week. I'm trying to figure out the best way to teach her to walk on a loose leash by my side. Some people advocate using a paper plate on a stick. Just put something she likes, like peanut butter, on the plate and put it right in front of her nose when she's at the right place, beside me. I am confused a bit about that though. How do I get it out of her sight so that it is a reward and not a lure?

Stay tuned for the answer...

New puppy, new name

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted, and I've had my puppy nearly that long!

Here's the thing: her name was Sadie, right up until I picked her up from the breeder's, and then she told me her name was Isabella, Bella for short. And that is her name! How did I know? I swear, she told me!

Bella and Mac get along famously. Mac thinks it's wonderful to have someone to play with, and when he gets tired of playing (which he invariably does before she does), he simply jumps up on the couch or the bed where she can't reach him. I've heard a few yips a couple of times when Mac was saying, "Listen, whippersnapper, that isn't how you treat your elders." And Bella gets right in line.

I've only started loading the clicker with her thus far. And how to sleep in a crate without yelling bloody murder about it. I'm finding it quite a challenge to train her with Mac around, and in addition looking after a two year old and a three month old.

By the way, she gets along really well with the two year old. The first day they chased each other around until they fell exhausted to sleep. She doesn't bite R the way she bites me. In fact, she has drawn blood on my arms and hands a few times. We're working on biting, trying to develop a soft mouth. When she gets too rough, she gets a time out in her crate.

We've put her on the Banfield puppy plus health plan, so when she's six months old, we can have her spayed. She passed her initial health exam with flying colors.

Okay, I need to go now, but I'll be back later to bring you up to speed on how Mac's training is coming along, with Bella's, too. 'Til then!

Impulsion control: Crate Games

Susan Garrett pioneered Crate Games, where you teach the dog (using positive training only) to like his crate, to enter upon command, and to have impulse control. Mac lacks big time in impulse control.

See, the thing is, Mac is like a cat: very independent. He has to have a really important reason to do anything you ask. Like food. Thus far, Mac will only work for food. I wish I knew his background! I'd like to know if he's always been as independent of people and as food motivated as he is now. Who taught him to come (which he does when he thinks there is something in it for him)? Did they call him to them and then punish him? Is that why he only comes when he feels like it? I wish I had a professional trainer to help me figure this out, but with the costs associated with the new pup, I can't afford a professional's help.

Anyway, I tried the very basic crate game to day: just entering and turning around and not immediately exiting. At least I got him to the point that he'll down (spot) when he turns around. We'll have to wait to work on duration. Just getting the beginning behavior is enough for now.

So here's the plan:

Cue:     Verbal cue "go in"

Description:     On cue, dog will enter his crate, turn around and either lie down or sit and will await further instructions.

Elements:

Behavior specifics:      Enter crate; turn around; lie down; stay.

Duration:      Behavior terminates at remaining in crate until released (come out).

Distance:      Up to 40 feet.

Latency:      Immediate.

Position:      Dog should go into the crate on command no matter what my position is relative to him or to the crate.

Locations:      Everywhere.

Distractions:      Anything and everything. Especially distractions common in a dog show or performance environment.

Training Plan: (Accomplish each level in multiple locations of gradually increasing distractions.)

1.     Enter the crate.
2.     Turn around and lie down.

3.     Add cue.
4.     Exit crate.
5.     Add cue.

6.     Remain in the down position with the crate door open while I am near the crate.
7.     Close the crate door.
8.     Upon opening the crate door, dog should wait.

9.     Remain in the down position with the crate door open while I move around.

10.  Enter the crate from a distance with cue.
11.   Exit the crate from a distance with cue.

I'll detail what exactly I do to achieve the desired behavior and document it here.

Instructions for crate training Mac:

1. Ideally, Mac will show interest in the crate on his own.
2. If Mac shows any interest in it (looks at it, moves toward it) - Mark and Reward!
3. If necessary, lure him in with rewards. 
4. Give Mac the cue for down (spot). Mac should lie down in crate facing door. Mark and Reward.
5. Allow him to exit on his own. Do not mark or reward exit.
6. Repeat many times, rewarding extravagantly when he goes in, turns around and lies down.
7. Add cue for entering (go in)
8. Add cue for exiting (come out)
9. Mac should wait until given the exit cue before leaving crate. Mark and reward.
10. Build enthusiasm for returning to crate with treats and cue.
11. Send Mac to his crate from a few feet away. Mark and reward.
12. Increase distance. Mark and reward.
13. Mark and reward when Mac comes to me when I give him the exit cue.

Date:               Criterion:                                                 #R/E   #R/E   #R/E

9/8/13              Enter crate                                               15/0   15/0     15/0
                        Turn around in crate and lie down           12/3   13/2     15/0

Let's try "stand"

I decided to use the new clicker to work with today, but Mac's afraid of it. Apparently my treats don't have enough value, because he'd rather leave the room than hear that clicker. I lured him to the clicker (on the floor) and put one of his treats on the clicker, and I even wrapped it to make the click softer, but he's having none of it. So I went back to the old clicker.

Cue:     Verbal cue "stand"

Description:     On cue, dog will stand from any position at the cue "stand" or the hand signal

Elements:

Behavior specifics:      Stand.

Duration:      Behavior terminates when he stands evenly on all four feet.

Distance:      Up to 10 feet.

Latency:      Immediate.

Position:      Dog should stand regardless of the my position relative to him. I should be able to be in any physical position.

Locations:      Everywhere.

Distractions:      Anything and everything. Especially distractions common in a dog show or performance environment.

Training Plan: (Accomplish each level in multiple locations of gradually increasing distractions.)

1.     Lure stand from sit or down (spot) position

2.     Add cue.

3.     Add hand signal.

4.     Say "wait" for dog to remain in standing position

5.     Add distance to cue and hand signal.

6.     Release with cue "okay"
7.     Use hand signal alone close to Mac.
8.     Use hand signal alone adding distance, until I reach 10 feet away.

Instructions for training Mac:

1. Make the reward interesting to him! Let him sniff it as I hold it in my fingers without releasing it.
2. If Mac stands from any position - Mark and Reward!
3. Lure him into a standing position. Mark and reward!
4. After a many rewards, let Mac do it a few times without being rewarded. Then reward again many more times! 
5. Now try it without the lure - Mark and Reward!
6. After a few rewards, let him try it a few times without being rewarded. Then reward again a few more times!
7. When he is reliably standing  (8 out of 10 times at least!) then...and only then...I can add the verbal cue - Stand!
8. Use the verbal cue right before he stands. Mark and reward the next good response. Repeat several times!
9. Present it again, but do not say Stand! Do NOT reward him if he stands. 
10. Repeat steps 9 and 10 until Mac reliably stands only at my command!

Date:               Criterion:                                                 #R/E   #R/E   #R/E

9/7/13              Lured Stand                                             12/4    10/5     15/0

A Training Plan for Mac

I've been training Mac without a plan, and I find that I don't really know if he's making progress or not. There are too many aspects to each session, and I don't know when to move forward, and when to move back a step or two. So I'm going to make a plan right here and now so that I have some solid goals for his training instead of just doing whatever each time. We've been spending a lot of time on "touch," so I think I'll start here. I'd like to move on, so I need to be able to tell when to do it. So here we go (from Melissa Alexander, mca @ clickersolutions.com):

Cue:     Verbal cue "touch"

Description:     On cue, dog will touch (or attempt to touch a moving target) with his nose any indicated object.

Elements:

Behavior specifics:      Nose touch.

Duration:      Behavior terminates at actual touch.

Distance:      Up to 40 feet.

Latency:      Immediate.

Position:      Dog should go to the target regardless of the target's position

relative to me or him. I should be able to be in any physical position.

Locations:      Everywhere.

Distractions:      Anything and everything. Especially distractions common in a dog show or performance environment.

Training Plan: (Accomplish each level in multiple locations of gradually increasing distractions.)

1.     Touch the end of an offered target stick.

2.     Add cue.

3.     Touch the end of an offered target stick when on another object.

4.     Touch indicated object, including a dumbbell.

5.     Shape dog to look in indicated direction.

6.     Add cue to "look."

7.     Shape dog to look and then touch object on floor 10 feet away.

8.     Follow and touch the target stick.

9.     Touch a wall from 10 feet away.

10.   Touch a wall 20 feet away.

I'll detail what exactly I do to achieve the desired behavior and document it here.

Instructions for target training Mac:

1. Make the target interesting to him! Move it around a little bit or rub some food at the tip.
2. If Mac shows any interest in it (looks at it, moves toward it, bumps it with its nose) - Mark and Reward!
3. After a many rewards, let Mac do it a few times without being rewarded. Then reward again many more times! 
4. Now try it with the target farther away (so Mac has to follow it) - Mark and Reward!
5. After a few rewards, let him try it a few times without being rewarded. Then reward again a few more times!
6. When he is reliably touching the target when I present it to him (8 out of 10 times at least!) then...and only then...I can add the verbal cue - Touch!
7. Use the verbal cue right before I present the target. Mark and reward the next good response. Repeat several times!
8. Present it again, but do not say Touch! Do NOT reward him if he touches it. 
9. Repeat steps 9 and 10 until Mac reliably touches the target only at my command!

Date:               Criterion:                                                 #R/E   #R/E   #R/E

9/6/13              Touch stick on end                                  12/0    12/0    12/0
                         Touch block on knee                               6/0      6/0      6/0
                         Touch block on floor                               4/2      5/4      3/6
                         Touch palm of hand                                15/0     15/0   15/0

Mac didn't transfer the skill from touching something that touches my body to
something that didn't. So I went back to basics: touch my hand. He got every touch right, and I used the verbal cue: "touch"

Tomorrow I'll work on solidifying the verbal cue, and then try to migrate an object from my body to the top of a box, and then to the floor. He gets so enthusiastic that he uses his feet, and I don't want that. Since he does that so often, it would be easier to teach him to do it that way; but I know he'll do that. I want him to do what I say, not what he says.

   

   

   

   

Just two more weeks to go...

We went to visit Sadie today. It was her first time on the grass, and she didn't know what to do with it. So she tried eating it, and lying on it, and then decided that it was most fun to run on it. So run she did... straight to the puppies in the puppy yard (older than she). She didn't know there were other puppies besides her own litter, which is in the "nursery."

Right now her eyes are blue, but when she is an adult, they will be amber. I love the puppy stage, but I can't wait for her to be all grown up! She is going to be beautiful!

Last night I dreamed that we had gone out to see Sadie and that they brought the wrong puppy out to me. I kept insisting that it was the wrong puppy and they kept insisting that it wasn't. And then the ranch was infested with fire ants and we had to run to get away from them. Dreams. Strange things.

Sadie is smaller than her sister, who was the smaller of the two when we saw them last week. That's a good thing. I want a small dog. Her little brother is tiny tiny... so little you'd think he was a good two weeks younger. He's more sedate than my puppy, although how sedate can a puppy be? She plays with her sister more than her brother, though.

That's all for now. Random thoughts. My ADD is working overtime these days, and it's really hard to follow a train of thought.

Until next time...

The Little Engine That Could

Remember the story of The Little Engine That Could? It was sure it could pull a heavy train up a mountain, and belief in itself paid off. Well, I feel like the little engine before it started. It started out saying, "I think I can, I think I can."

Mac is really good at sitting or downing, but really slow at getting the connection between lying down (spot) and sitting (sit). I know he can do it, but he seems so dense sometimes, it makes me want to quit.

But quit I won't. I have to remember that I'm ADD, and my own attention span is working against me. I must give him all the time he needs to understand the concept and be patient as I wait for him to solidify the response. He seems to have targeting (touch) down pat, and then suddenly in the middle of doing it correctly, he offers some other behavior, usually with his feet. (Hey, maybe he's ADD, too, and he's tired of offering the same behavior over and over.)

One thing I did was put in a middle step in going from the clicker stick to the target. He would do it well over and over, and then suddenly add his feet to the equation. So I decided the target (a CD case) was too easy for him to use his feet on. Instead of the CD case, that lay on the floor, I substituted a basket with a lid, that was about a foot high. Then when he put his feet on it, I simply said, "Get down." No click, no treat. Then he'd go back to the bumping with his nose.

Jeff had an idea I think I'll try. Walk around the room, touching different things with the clicker stick and asking Mac to touch it. But make it high enough that he doesn't use his feet. I think I'll try it on my next training session.

I've gotten to having a bowl of kibble on my desk with a clicker on top. At random times, I'll call him to me (Mac, come!) and then give the command to sit or lie down (sit or spot). I'm working on extending the time I ask him to remain in position, too. But not by linearly lengthening the time. Instead I'll ask for random periods of time, like: 1 sec, 10 sec, 13 sec, 4 sec, 20 sec, 1 sec, etc. That teaches him to stay in position until I release him.

By the way, I'm using "baby words" to teach him imperfect, beginning behavior. So I say spot instead of down, and I'll transition him to down when his downs are secure. Right now, I'm happy if he'll down (spot) and stay for mere seconds of time. Once I start leaving him in the down position (again transitioning from wait to stay), I'll start using down. He's really good at waiting, but I never ask him to wait more than a few seconds. He'll wait at the door, wait at his food dish, wait to greet visitors (although for really short periods of time, because he knows that all visitors have come to visit him). I think I'll have some friends help me with that, coming to the door and helping me teach him to wait longer before being released to greet visitors.

And all along, I keep reminding myself, "I think he can, I think he can!"

How long does it take an intelligent dog to catch on?

Mac is an intelligent dog. I mean, intelligent. But he's as independent as a cat. (He also grooms himself like a cat!) Anyway, I can only persuade him to do anything by offering him a treat. Otherwise, he can't believe you'd ask him to do something. He's completely mercenary. The person with the treat in their hands is the one he works for. No loyalty!

Well, I'm trying to teach him "touch" with a clicker stick and some high-value treats. And he will touch the end of the stick without fail wherever I happen to hold it. So I've given him a target, and he'll touch the target if the clicker stick is there, but doesn't seem to get it when the stick is removed. Maybe I just haven't given him enough time with the exercise. I know he's intelligent, so the question is, am I?

On Monday (Labor Day) we are going to visit my puppy. She's been moved from the house to the nursery, where she is learning to use a doggy door. This is the stinkiest place on the ranch, because the puppies don't understand the doggie doors at first, and so are relieving themselves on the floor. Of course, the "floor" in this case is a concrete slab that has four runs on it. While we're out there, we'll take some pictures to show you. I'll upload them Monday night.

I'm glad we're going, because I need a  puppy fix!

Mac (right) and Tosh in their winter "pajamas."

Counting the Days

All I can think of is puppies. Toy Aussie puppies, to be exact. Eighteen days until I can pick her up! She'll actually be ready to go two days earlier, but I can't get out there until Saturday, eighteen days from now. I feel pregnant! The last few weeks just D-R-A-G!

I've given Mac some more training with the clicker, and he's doing well. A little here, a little there. He will sit up right quick, even when I don't want him to. It's so funny to watch him go through his repertoire, trying to figure out the behavior I want. And there's no problem teaching "watch"; his eyes never leave mine. But all this is getting ahead of himself. I want to follow a clear direction, and so far, it's all chaos. I've ordered a couple of books from Amazon on clicker training, so maybe I can get a plan in order before too long. Meanwhile, I'm just working on the things I know he will do. He doesn't offer anything reliably yet. More tries it till it works, gives it to me again, but then might offer something else entirely.

There are some good places to find things out on the web. Karen Pryor's site is the best by far, but there are others as well. Clicker Solutions is another informative site, as well as DoggieBuddy, a site that has 52 tricks to train your dog (1 a week for an entire year!). There are so many more, and as I have the time to look further into them, I'll post an amateur's review. The advantage of being an amateur is that I'll look for things that make it really easy to understand and follow. I'll post all the information resources I can find that are not overwhelming, because I probably won't read those that I find too scholarly. (Not that I'm not scholarly. I subscribe to Off-Lead and Animal Behavior Magazine, after all.) I just don't have the time to spend consuming all that information and breaking it down into easily understood lingo. (I used to do that for Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.)

Until next time!

A Journal Begun

Right now— after the passing of my beloved Tosh— only Mac lives with us. Mac is an eight year old miniature pinscher that we rescued six years ago. He's starting to gray a little in the face, especially on his muzzle, which makes me sad. I watched Tosh's little face go completely white; but she was gray when we rescued her, six years ago, too. We got them together and enjoyed these dogs immensely.

So last weekend, we drove an hour and a half to a nice little ranch in Blue Ridge, Texas, where I chose a red tri-color toy aussie. My new puppy will be named Sweet Paprika, but her call name will be Sadie. I get to bring her home in two and a half weeks from now. I'm dreaming of puppies!

Mac and Sadie need their own blog because from day one with Sadie, we will be documenting their training. Mac is rather mercenary, only willing to do what we ask if we have treats available. I plan on changing that through clicker training. And Sadie will be learning clicker training from the ripe old age of eight weeks. I'm really excited to see how the training  progresses with both dogs. And though I've owned many dogs throughout my life, this will be my first time clicker training. Up until now, I've used old fashioned methods that mostly used punishment for bad behavior, not rewarding good behavior. (I cringe as I write this!)

Mac understands the clicker, and knows to try different things to see if he can get the thing to click so he gets his reward. Thus far we've worked on come, sit, spot (down), sit up, touch and watch me. He's doing pretty good for a dog being trained by someone who doesn't really know what she's doing! (I plan on reading and studying a lot between now and the time I bring Sadie home. After that, when she's old enough for puppy class, we'll probably put Mac in a class to help him learn to focus through distractions.)

Meanwhile, as I said, I'm dreaming puppies and training and clicking and rewarding...

'til next time!