Focus & Control

Last night I started a Focus & Control class (a lot of Control Unleashed work). Since I'm teaching, I can't handle a dog in it, so Jill handled Zane in it. He did very well. The first night is just setting up the basic behaviors. He knows all the basics, so she just worked them to higher levels. We haven't worked on going to the mat for quite a while, but he was sending 10-12 feet to it. There is one dog in class he doesn't like - that dog has gone after him before. I just have them on opposite sides of the class. That dog went after another dog in class, so I'll have to keep a close eye on him.

This morning we went to a new park to train. His heeling is so enthusiastic. I really have to watch him as he'll start forging badly.

He did full dumbbell retrieves, but I was laughing at him because he didn't run or trot to the dumbbell; he boinged to the dumbbell. I really wish I had my camera! When I would say "take it", he would go boing-boing-boing and pick it up. On short retrieves, I don't get mouthing of the dumbbell, but on the longer retrieves I did. Now I have to figure out how to stop that mouthing. Thinking cap on!

We worked on stand-for-exam with somebody who has never done them on him. We have to take it very, very slowly. His first reaction is to move away. When I insist that he stay, he ducks his head or pulls it away. So at first we did:
hand out - treat (repeat several times) - her hand didn't touch it - just reached out toward him.
Then we did hand touch to head and treat. This is all classical conditioning. I want him to think, "Hand coming to me and touching me? Yay!"
After several reps, he had two in a row where he didn't duck, so we stopped right there. He will need a lot of time and work to get solid on this, but it is doable.

The other fun thing we did was with the dumbbell. I was holding it and asking him to take it in various positions. He loves to leap up and take the dumbbell when I hold it up high. That was very reinforcing for him.

We also worked with food distractions. I had a little plate on the ground beside me. I put food on it, then asked him to sit. He had to think about it and get a second cue to do it. Then we did a down. Then I asked for a front. When he successfully did the behavior I asked for, he was released to get the treat.

Another thing I found is that we are going to have to do some work with pressure. When heeling, I will sometimes play a game with Bella where I push her out of heel position and she has to get back in. She will fight to stay in heel position while I push on her. She loves this game and it will rev her up. Zane does not like this game. "OMG. You pushed me away. I'm going to go pout over there." So I will have to condition this game and get him enjoying it.