Play

Hi Kaye,

A lot's changed since I saw you. I guess it is a combination of cooler
weather, a new clip and the fact the little man is growing up. It is quite
clear just why six months old is the recommended neutering age. There is a
recognisable spring in his step all of a sudden.

In general Fido is getting a lot more playful and interesting.

This week he's had a lot of time on the lead traipsing through demolition
yards. Work has started  on the bathroom in the old school building we'll be
using as a  B&B. On these expeditions Fido is behaving like an old dog. He
seems happy to come, happy to sniff about and is in automatic on the lead in
an informal way. It's lucky we've spent so much time in the bush scrambling
over logs and trough blackberry clumps and in the creek. This week he's had
to squeeze through, jump over, scramble across all sorts of junk heaps of
old doors and windows and miscellaneous stuff.

At home training is a very different flavour. As I mentioned last time I've
been striving to 'bring an attitude of play' into training sessions. 'An
attitude of play', I think that's Mary Rays term. At this stage I'm finding
play the strongest reinforcer. I'm also finding it a bit unwieldy to manage
but it keeps him on the job much better than food rewards even when he's
hungry.

He is a fussy eater. I'm constantly looking for food rewards that motivate
him. Fish is the latest. But no food is as reliable as a good tug toy!

Lively activities are much more agreeable to him than inhibiting activities.
His least favourite is to lie down. If I get him to roll over straight away
it make it a bit more fun. Off lead heeling is going very well as an
extension of hand targeting. In fact hand targeting and the way it allows
me to moving him around is incredibly valuable.

I'm still working on the 'say your prayers'. He is not showing the slightest
religious tendencies.

A few days later.....

Training is going very well at the moment, despite our little set back at
your place on Thursday. I have no idea why he turned off so thoroughly
except that it might have come from his early sessions where he slept so
much down there. If it is OK with you I'd rather just talk about training
issues if I come and he is in that sort of frame of mind. We are really up
shit creek if food, toys and affection don't work at all. I was amazed
because he has been very switched on and lively. He didn't even light up
outside. That is my worst nightmare with this pup. It has been challenging
all the way through to get him really enthusiastic. He is such a laid back
character. As you said 'he's what every body wants in the perfect pet'.

I did think at the time that perhaps I haven't been getting him out enough
and training in different environments. Last night he came to dinner at my
brothers place. I put him through a wide range of activities and he did
really well, despite heaps of distractions; Easter duck cooking and then
being carved; Blossom (my brother's crazy, lovable kelpie) and Pepper
roughhousing in the same room. I only used food rewards. I've taken your
advice and am feeding all his food rations as rewards. By the time we got
there he certainly wasn't hungry but he was excitable and playful so I had
some energy to direct.

I'll certainly keep using the food rewards hoping he'll get addicted in
time. I'm sure taking food rewards becomes associated with joyful
interaction so that some of the pleasure is learned. It is the same as the
way we all get about our mothers cooking, even when the food isn't
necessarily all that good, it still has the exquisite flavour of being
mothered.

Here again, I am at a major disadvantage having never trained a pup. Perhaps
Fido's inconsistency it is to be expected. In general I'm very pleased with
his progress. In the long term I believe he will only end up useful in  my
horse performances if I can get him very very switched on like my horses
are.( not uncommonly with the benefit of a bit of negative reinforcement). I
believe play will be the secret to Fido's heart even though I agree with you
it is more difficult to manage.

Here is a summary of his repertoire. So far he is managing to do very well
on the lead in an informal style. He will also manage for 5 min. or so off
lead in heeling position. He can do an outward turn and return to lead
position and and a half turn and change direction heeling on the other side.
He'll sit, sit and beg, stand on his hind legs, walk towards me on his hind
legs, walk backwards on four legs, bounce on command (sometimes 3 or 4
continuous springs), and he can manage a bounce in a recall like he is
jumping an imaginary obstacle. He's pretty good at retrieving, giving high
fives, jumping on my back and staying there when I'm on all fours. He can
lie down and roll over both ways though lying down is his least favourite
thing to do, so he often gets up instead of rolling over. ( Strangely he was
happy to do it at you place). The prayer position is 'developing'. I can
only do small amounts of these static activities or he gets put off.

Our little scrub poodle does love an obstacle course though he certainly
didn't in your back yard. He is pretty good on the target stick and never
looks happier than when he's jumping on and off things. A less favourite
trick is crawling though when he is excitable and playful he has been known
to crawl following the point of a target stick right across the room.

We are at a great stage in training now because his repertoire is big enough
to be fun. I can make things interesting by combining them. For instance in
an obstacle course I might include lying down on a stool or bouncing or a
twist before he jumps up on a chair. These little surprises need both of us
to be really on the ball. I remember hearing about a study on recreation
once. It concluded that the most recreational activates are those in which
we are learning something just challenging enough that we need to get deeply
absorbed and not so challenging that we are intimidated. The best test is
how quickly time goes.

I would love to get more comments on your reading of our progress, and of
how best to consolidate the little mans enthusiasm for training.

Happy Easter,

Richard