I always try to attempt life on hard mode. This is great when it comes to striving to meet your goals and so forth, but it absolutely sucks for dog training. I always try to go just a half inch past the point where I should be, and I end up wasting sessions on minimal progress and lots of frustration. When I go back to the point where everything is 'too easy', the session whizzes past and suddenly everything is perfect. My new challenge is to try to have the highest rate of reinforcement I can physically manage. If I go more than one or two seconds without clicking, I have something to fix.
I think that's one of the problems with the crate behaviors. They physically take time to perform, which means that the rate of reinforcement has to be lower. There's got to be a way to fix this... Maybe a cardboard box with a door cut out on both ends? He could run through it and avoid having to turn around. Or maybe I should just upgrade to the larger crate, since his current one is starting to be on the small side. It's still a fine size for sleeping, but it is harder to turn around quickly in. I've decided to finish L2 Crate and then do a brief interlude of Crate Games ala Susan Garrett, to build a little motivation. I want to get up to L2 step 4 (30 seconds lying down) because I don't like shutting the door in Max's face. It just doesn't seem to build positive associations.
Target 2-4 was another problematic thing today. He always wants to bite targets, and it's something we have to keep squelching. It gets easier every time, but it can still be a hassle. As today, when we were working on a post it. He was mostly just trying to bite it last time we worked it, so this time I started him with the whole pad of post its in my hand. No biting. Then just one stuck to my palm. Minimal biting. Stuck to the bed, some biting but we managed to get rid of that. Same goes for stuck to my leg, and on the floor. However if I hold it in my hand so that it flaps over the edge, it's irresistible. Well, thinks I, why not just let him chomp on it a little and click any accidental misses or non-tooth touches? Right. He tore the note into three equal sections, chewed, and swallowed them.
That's right, my dog ate the target.
Note to self: switch to painter's tape.
Distance is looking great. I started the same as in the first session a few days ago, and clicked him for passing the pole with his right shoulder. This time I didn't lure, and he had it in about 7 clicks, which was all the treats he had left in his bowl anyway.
Here's the day's second session:
Distance 2-1, dog goes around a pole:
Not a great session. I:
I think that's one of the problems with the crate behaviors. They physically take time to perform, which means that the rate of reinforcement has to be lower. There's got to be a way to fix this... Maybe a cardboard box with a door cut out on both ends? He could run through it and avoid having to turn around. Or maybe I should just upgrade to the larger crate, since his current one is starting to be on the small side. It's still a fine size for sleeping, but it is harder to turn around quickly in. I've decided to finish L2 Crate and then do a brief interlude of Crate Games ala Susan Garrett, to build a little motivation. I want to get up to L2 step 4 (30 seconds lying down) because I don't like shutting the door in Max's face. It just doesn't seem to build positive associations.
Target 2-4 was another problematic thing today. He always wants to bite targets, and it's something we have to keep squelching. It gets easier every time, but it can still be a hassle. As today, when we were working on a post it. He was mostly just trying to bite it last time we worked it, so this time I started him with the whole pad of post its in my hand. No biting. Then just one stuck to my palm. Minimal biting. Stuck to the bed, some biting but we managed to get rid of that. Same goes for stuck to my leg, and on the floor. However if I hold it in my hand so that it flaps over the edge, it's irresistible. Well, thinks I, why not just let him chomp on it a little and click any accidental misses or non-tooth touches? Right. He tore the note into three equal sections, chewed, and swallowed them.
That's right, my dog ate the target.
Note to self: switch to painter's tape.
Distance is looking great. I started the same as in the first session a few days ago, and clicked him for passing the pole with his right shoulder. This time I didn't lure, and he had it in about 7 clicks, which was all the treats he had left in his bowl anyway.
Here's the day's second session:
Distance 2-1, dog goes around a pole:
Not a great session. I:
- Left a toy in a bad place
- Didn't start with clear criteria
- Sat in a bad place for the criteria I eventually got
- Sometimes clicked late
- Went on too long
Aargh. I realized all of this as I was doing it though, and fixed it for the other behavior.
Target 2-4, dog touches post-it or tape on wall:
Aside from a truck outside distracting him for a little while in the middle there, this was a good session. He does snuffle my hands a little, but I believe that he's looking for a hand target, not trying to mug for food, since his bowl is full of treats and sitting on the floor next to me. I stop giving the cue a few times when he seems confused, and put it back on when he has it straight. When you see me taking away the target, it's because he's trying to eat the tape. Sigh. At least it stays put better than the post-its did.
We took a two minute break to play with the squeaky armadillo I so stupidly left lying around during the distance exercise, and then we came back to get our very first start on Target 2-5, closing a door.
He has a habit of sitting right by doors that swing inwards, so he's been whacked with doors a few times. I think that's why he shies away when I open and shut this door. I have a feeling that one more session will have him shoving the door with great elan, and then we can work towards having him push it shut (though he won't be able to push it hard enough to latch it) and also to learn to go around back for a door that's wide open. This will be a useful trick.
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