Tiny spaces

Work has ramped up lately, so not a lot of dedicated training going on. We are continuing to really reinforce sit and a hand target... and putting most of our focus on life skills like crate training, house training, and learning to tolerate car rides and crowds.

Sit and hand targeting are getting to be nice and snappy. Really fun. I have no complaints here.

For the house training regression that we had-- Alfie was peeing in his crate bedding; then he discovered he could pee through the gate of the crate and not have to sit in his pee. We started really focusing on good old fashioned house training... not the newspaper rubbing noses in it kind, but the throw a treat party when it happens outside kind. Plus an herb that promotes emptying his bladder.

And it seems to be working well so far.

Along with that, we addressed the part of that issue that included this boy not liking the crate. We did buy a wire crate a located it in the same room with his buddies where we play Through a Dog's Ear discs when we are gone.

I went back to dedicated crate training, planting treats in the crate when he wasn't looking and rewarding him for investigating the crate. We also had some kong time in there. He would try to remove the kong, but I just put it back in the crate. The door stayed ajar the whole time, and he happily got the message.

Over the last couple of days, he has been crated in there while we have been gone, and apparently he is doing well. I haven't been the one to crate him, but it sounds like he's going in happily and not peeing in it (knock on wood).

And finally, Alfie had his first longer car ride, over an hour each way, with a stop at a very crowded farmer's market and music festival. He chewed on a bully stick for a while, and watched the world out the window. The people were a bit much for him, but we stayed on the edges and he stayed in a pretty good place.

So overall, I'm happy with the progress. No video, but life is good. We'll get back to the fun stuff soon enough.

Learning to love the vet's office

Enjoyed the sunshine that finally
peeked out this afternoon.

No video today, but we made some real progress anyway.

All my dogs actively enjoy trips to the vet's office. Of course they don't love every minute of it, but they are happy to go and visit the staff, get treats, and have a change of scenery. I've worked hard at that. And I have been determined that Alfie will love it there, too.

Alfie has also had a hard time with riding in the car. He initially refused to take treats in the car; I had to pick him up, put him in the back seat, and shut the door quickly before he slipped out. And once we got moving, he was motionless. Or he peed.

Well, today Alfie walked up to the car without any protest. And then when I opened the car door, before I could move things off the back seat and out of the way, he jumped up all on his own.

At the vet's office, he's been totally overwhelmed and can barely even look at me, much less interact. This time, he was able to train in the waiting room and in the exam room, take treats, meet other dogs, and get boatloads of love from the staff.

And he jumped right up in the car again when we left.

As for the crate training, he only spent a couple hours crated today while I ran some errands. I don't think he peed in the crate. The whole crate is cock-eyed when we get home, and we were concerned that he was panicking or trying to get out. But I watched him with a Kong he found, and he shakes and slings and thrashes that thing around while he plays with it. So I feel pretty certain that's what's going on.

Guess who has the ball?

The current plan is this: I bought a new wire crate and a single-ply plush blanket. I covered half of the crate with a sheet and put the whole thing in our bedroom, along with 2 of the other dogs' crates. Those two dogs are his buddies, much more so than the dogs downstairs-- and down there, he wasn't even crated in the same room with them.

I will continue to crate him in the plastic airline crate for now, with no bedding, unfortunately. In the meantime, we will do some nice, slow, proper crate training to the wire crate in our bedroom. I have a bag of treats handy so that I can plant surprises for him to find and reward him for going in to investigate. Fingers crossed...

What did we learn today?

It's been a confusing and busy few days for Alfie.

I'm getting back on a regular work schedule, so mornings are a little less leisurely.

Alfie has been having accidents in his crate and in the bedroom. We are trying to find the sweet spot of pee break timing and crate bedding that doesn't encourage peeing or destuffing or eating. It's frustrating. But not the end of the world.

Tonight, I bring to you several training sessions from this evening. Below are three clips from three separate sessions, with breaks between them.

I started by trying a shaping session to teach him to put his front paws on this frisbee. I'd like to teach him to pivot on a disc and build heelwork from there. But I'm having a hard time adjusting my shaping to meet his needs.

A stationary disc wasn't exciting enough to keep his attention for continued interaction. So I started dropping it into the picture. Increased motion helped. And then I started with a little bit of luring. It's fairly dismal to watch.

Second session I did more luring.

Third session I was afraid I maybe hadn't been teaching him anything at all... so I started with some hand targeting. Thankfully, he HAS learned something!! So I got the disc out again and while I don't have a solid stand on the disc, I'm getting more deliberate foot movement.

I think we will get there. I need to hone my shaping skills and I need to have patience teaching Alfie how shaping works. It takes practice. And I've been so spoiled with Luna, who took so quickly to shaping and just loves it.

We will get there, though. No shame in luring when it's the right time and place. And I will likely begin doing more work with targeting since he's taken very well to that.

To market, to market...

If you're wondering what's been going on with all this radio silence, I can assure you it's not because we've been lazy. I mean, we probably HAVE been pretty lazy, but it's been quiet on the blog because Alfie had his neuter on Tuesday and he developed a lovely scrotal hematoma so we've been dealing with that and trying to keep him moderately quiet.

He also had xrays, follow up urine sample, microchip, and a nail trim.

And he rolled in his poop right after the procedure.

Another week of meds for the UTI, the hematoma is now resorbing, and they tell me the xrays looked fine. No signs of dysplasia or previous fractures, etc.

I still don't know what the deal is with him hopping on one back leg sometimes, but I think I may start him on a joint supplement and see if that helps. it makes me think there's some sort of soft tissue thing going on.

At any rate, today's weather is gorgeous, so I took Andre to the farmer's market first, and then took

Alfie. I strapped on the GoPro and filmed a few minutes from when we first got out of the car.

While he wasn't able to sit on cue, this is a big improvement from the last time we came, if you can believe it. You can see that he's a little overwhelmed by the environment, though he's not panicked. And this time, he was able to look at me. We did a few reps of Rapid Fire Treats and then just some treats for attention. And then we went for a walk through the market.

His tail was up for the most part and he was interested in things. He got a little nervous when he first encountered Max, a Landseer Newfoundland, but who can blame him? Luckily Max is a big teddy bear.

All in all, he did very well. I'm really pleased that he's continuing to come out of his shell and hopefully with more (happy!!) exposure and continued training at home, we can continue on this path.

The Hoover Test

Alfie passed. With flying colors. He got out of the way when the vacuum came towards him (unlike River, who has to be bumped repeatedly before she will move), but didn't hide under the furniture or attack it (like Luna tries to do). So the three black dogs can be in the vicinity while I run the vacuum. This is good.

Since our heat index has been roughly 110º (and I wish that was an exaggeration), not much has been accomplished this weekend.

This evening, Alfie and I worked more on his sit. I started with just reminding him of the cue with multiple, quick repetitions. And then I started asking for longer and longer spans of time between clicks and NOT tossing the treats so that he would remain in position. He did excellently.

What he did not want to do, however, was be lured into heel position. This is how I've always taught a finish left (the lure can easily be faded to a hand signal), but I think this time I may try teaching it with platforms and pivot discs.

Tonight, we also spent some time working on engagement. We are currently taking a class with Denise Fenzi online. I'm working to build a desire to work with me and a drive in Alfie to make those interactions happen. This is just the very beginning for us. :)

If the topic of engagement interests you more, I'd recommend taking a long look at Denise's blogs on the topic...

Sitting on top of the world

Well Mr. Alfredo has had a big few days. Trips to the park and the coffee shop; all three pet stores-- the last one with me and River together!

and down the street meeting the neighborhood kids-- he is so gentle with children and is becoming much more interested in people. Still cautious, but interested. He's been training, learning to play with toys, and sleeping in the crate.

Yes. 

Sleeping. in. the. crate. Going in all on his own.

He hangs out there at night, and during the day, and when he's unsure of what's going on. He's doing so well, and I am getting sleep. Hallelujah. 

---

I finally decided to just teach the sit. Luna has been cranky about Alfie now that she's realized he's not going away, and so I need him to get a good solid sit/stay for use around the house and a hand target to move him around quicker. I decided I'd deal with the issue of a tuck sit later, but honestly, he rarely moves his front legs when he sits, so it really will just need tightening up if anything. 

Once again, I still haven't seemed to learn to keep the sessions shorter and click at a higher rate. I HAVE to work on this.

I started today with hand targets. I had been playing with this over the last couple of days, verbally marking and rewarding with pets and personal play. He does very well when my hand is close. But then we hit a plateau when I started trying to get distance. Oddly enough, turning my hand upside down did the trick. So that got us further and by the end of our session, we had some nice distance and enthusiasm. I especially love the last rep where he starting hitting my arm and worked his way to my hand until I clicked. 

After this, we had some tug time and played with a toy. Then I switched to sit. I was able to capture some sits quickly at first. We hit a plateau and I tried to toss a treat to reset, but each time, he came back, a little less engaged than before... So I lured a sit, paid heavy and tossed... and still less engaged. So I lured again, paid heavy again, and dropped the treat instead of tossing. That did it. He needed less time to forget or get bored with what we were doing. And by the end, when I was very confident of the sit, I started adding the cue. I will keep trying to only use this when I am certain of it and can reward. 

Most excitingly, I am seeing a happy dog. I'm seeing a dog that is blossoming and getting comfortable and loving training and treats (he snuck back in the room, stole a bucket of treats off the counter, chewed off the lid, and I found him on the floor with his head halfway in). 

I can't think of anything more fun.

Coming up in the world

One of the most fun things with Alfie is watching him learn about the world.

We had a vet visit this morning. He has a raging urinary tract infection. While he has been terrified of the car up to this point, I was able to get him to try to jump in on his own, and he's now trying to look out the window on the drives. He'll probably need a seatbelt at some point, but it's ok for now.

He was more sociable with people at the vet's office, and wanted to play with every dog in the room. He will learn that's not really an option, but, again-- I'm happy that he's happy.

Still scared on the table, but not cowering. It's a plus.

On to crate training...

Last night, I stayed with him by his regular crate for a while and he was going in and out on his own.

Once we went to the soft crate in the bedroom, he did well at first, but after about an hour started to cry.

I let him out for a minute and put him back. Then I moved the crate next to the bed so I could pet him. Nothing was fully soothing him.

So I laid down on the floor with my pillow right next to the crate, and that seemed to do the trick. After a while, I was able to go back to bed.

Tonight, he is stealing toys from Andre and taking them to his soft crate, which is another good sign.

Alfie has also been learning about play of all kinds.

He apparently has a natural fetch, which is fun. This is the first time he got to play ball.

And then Andre is trying to teach him how to tug with the rubber toys, but he's still not sure how that works.

Beyond the crate training, I've had cues on the brain. I'll be ready to put a cue on "sit" soon. But I think I've decided to wait a week. Next week, he's being neutered and having his hips x-rayed. He holds up a leg (alternating legs) when going down stairs, and there's the concern that he has the beginning of some dysplasia. The results of those x-rays may dictate which sports he's got in his future, and it may dictate whether I want things like a tuck sit or whether it matters. And if I want one, do I want to teach that right away, or do I just want to teach it later with a different cue?

I'm smart and I want respect!

I think we all know by now that this isn't so much the education of Alfie (or Fredo as he's becoming known), but the education of his dumb humans.

The first thing I learned yesterday was that there ARE treats that he loves and will work his arse off for. So far, these include food roll (like Natural Balance), string cheese, chicken, salami, and spray cheese. What can I say? The dog's got champagne taste.

This made training INFINITELY easier. We worked mainly on crate training. Because somebody has managed to destroy about $45 worth of crate bedding and is getting crankier and crankier about going in the crate. And the whining is beginning; there was still a lot of whining last night, but it was short-lived and tolerable.

So I am working on crate entry and hopefully going into a relaxed down. Video is of that work. He's starting to understand what the click means. I don't know if you can see it, but there are a few times when he assesses the situation, makes a decision, and then looks at me to see if I'm going to click.

We got a little stuck at one point, and I decided to look into the crate-- at which point, he decided to follow my lead. :) Afterward, when I upped my rate of reinforcement, I got much more success.

That was my biggest, hugest takeaway last night-- I am not clicking nearly enough. I have to up my rate if he's going to ever know what to do. I'm lumping the training day away over here.

At the end, he just did not want to come out. That was nice! We then had a little play session and tried to train a few more minutes, but... it was pretty lackluster.

Takeaway number two: QUIT WHILE YOU'RE AHEAD. Short and sweet.

So during the nights, and while we are gone, I'll have this Youtube station playing relaxation music for anxious dogs. I also have this DAP-type spray that has worked well for us in the past. Plus a Zogoflex Hurley and a kong with canned chicken and tripe. Barf. But I'm sure he'll be happy.

IN addition to the crate training, we went to the park. Although I still have to pick him up and put him in the car, he is no long cowering on the seat and peeing on himself. This is progress. The crate training entry went well enough that I think I'll do fine when I apply that to the car.

And I leave you with a few minutes of play time because, well... It's adorable. I mean really. <3

Getting to know you...

I may or may not have been singing that song to Alfie all morning.

For my other dogs, I've been able to teach skills while also getting to know them and develop our relationship. They've all been quite food motivated, so it's been pretty straightforward. Alfie isn't NOT food motivated, but he's not all that excited by it, either. So I need to find a treat that he really likes. He had some of my chicken from dinner last night and seemed to like it pretty well, so that's where we will start. 

This meant training last night didn't go quite as I'd hoped. He was easily distracted. But when I tried to give him a toy break, did become obsessed with the toy. So I ended up using a mouth click and the toy as a reward and we got a little further. 

Luring got us a bit further, so I will play with that *a little.* it's not my favorite way to train.

So my takeaways from last night's training were that it's not that he needs resets so much as more motivating pay, more focus work, more clicker loading, and more just overall relationship building. In other words: slow down. 

That's ok. :)

Some highlights:

And on that getting to know you point...

Alfie was loose with all 4 dogs last night for the first time. Luna doesn't seem to understand how to play with small dogs, so he was doing a bit of growling. Luna got a little stressed by the whole thing and started chattering and drooling. I think his being intact is exacerbating that a bit, too. But by late night, we were snuggled on the couch together.

I took him to the farmers market this morning and let him just walk the perimeter. He was very cautious and barely even looked at me. His tail tucked a little sometimes. He's not as people oriented as my other dogs, so yet another difference. Once again, the takeaway was to go slowly and let him make the decisions to investigate or not-- I think this is where a little BAT will help us and perhaps the Fenzi class for nervy dogs (Boogeyman) depending on how we are doing next time it rolls around. Overall, though, he handled it very well. He doesn't totally shut down and he's not reactive. I think he will need some confidence building and exposure. 

Slow and steady. Slow. And. Steady.