Today's Sunshine

Today out in the garden Monster and I were working a free shaping session (the resolution, you know) when we were surprised by a horse in the road on the other side of the fence. Monster has very slight issues with just horses, horses in a paddock by themselves. Horses being led by humans are a big deal however. And horses with a rider is apparently some sort of Threat Level Midnight, and nearly make his head explode even at great distance. Since horses do ride through the village now and then I always keep a watchful (hearful?) ear out for clippety-clopping hooves when Monster's outside, because he will drive himself absolutely insane by the fence, to the point of possibly hurting himself. Not only that, but horses are strange and skittish animals, and may weirdly not appreciate being cursed out by a frothing Cane Corso even if he is on the other side of a fence.

Then there's that whole thing how horses keep trying to kill me. If he did manage to spook one badly, it would probably jump the fence into the garden just to kick me in the head...

See? Mom knows they're demons too!

But today, the giant creature snuck up on us! Neither of us heard it until half a second before we could see it. Monster raced to the fence, drew breath, and...

Nothing. Not one bark. He did bounce up and down on all four, and make prey dives in the direction of the fence a couple of times, but he didn't make a sound. And when he looked back at me(!), who had remained calmly behind (not at all frozen in a combination of surprise and resignation I tell you), I took the opportunity given and asked him where his ball was. He took a step toward me, looked back over his shoulder at the horse, and then went racing to find his ball!

Naturally he got lots of praise and lots of play.

And then we went back inside, before that thing decided to come back and ruin everything.

Today's Cloud, Tomorrow's resolution

I have to confess a complete failure (I know you're not surprised, but you could fake it just to be polite you know). I have not fulfilled this week's resolution, to have no less than three free shaping session with an item per day. Some days I did fine, others not so much, and at least one day I did nothing at all...

Look Mom, I can do a new trick! Mom? Mom!? Awwww...

It seems it's difficult for me to get into the routine when it stretches for an entire week. Still, no admitting defeat! (Just humiliating disorganization will do.) Since I still believe it's a good thing to be doing with Monster, we'll simply keep trying the same thing this coming week.

Today's Cloud

I think I've made a mistake.

Wow. There's a shocker.

Monster isn't really enjoying the retrieve training so much. He tends to shut down, lie down and look away, or get frustrated and start pawing at me and trying to get me to play. We have trouble with this quite a lot, I believe it's a combination of Monster severely lacking in confidence and me being very bad at structuring training effectively so it's challenging but not too difficult. No doubt, I'm much worse at this when I'm working toward a specific goal. And when I don't reinforce Monster enough he loses even more confidence.

So I'm doing a take-back on the resolution. No more retrieve. Instead, I'm going back to something Monster really seems to enjoy - and something that's really hard even for me to screw up: free shaping. More specifically free shaping with objects. I just pick a thing, any thing, place it in the training area, and reinforce Monster for interacting with it. I find that we can't get shaping to work without an object, presumably because I put too much pressure on Monster (staring at him and waiting for him to do something), since Monster just lies down and basically plays dead. I suppose we could work on that, but I'm not sure it would be a good idea - the point is to make him more confident acting, not being passive. The reason for only doing free shaping is of course so it won't be quite so easy for me to pile on the pressure and raise the criteria too quickly. If I don't know where we're going it's pretty hard for me to hurry to get there.

I may not look like it, but I actually enjoy shaping.

So, new resolution for this week is having three free shaping sessions, with an object, every day. Today Monster has learned to balance on a snow shovel (out in the garden), and put his head inside a cardboard box. There should be a third thing, but the day isn't over yet.

Whuh?

Today's Sunshine

Monster and I have been doing some good work on the retrieve today. And by that I don't mean we've made amazing and speedy progress, but rather that I've managed to keep it very simple. I'm always eager to move forward, and it's always a bad idea. Getting to the goal without completing the course just means you've rushed through without actually learning a solid behavior. Today we've only worked on take and return from my hand, holding no more than a second, and only in the living room. In fact, I think this week we won't push it much farther than that, instead focusing on varying the retrieve object. Not actually retrieving anything, just getting a solid hold on anything I ask him to grasp - probably not even training outside the house.

Believe it or not, but this is progress for me.

Whooops!

I've completely forgotten about the daily resolutions! Shame on me...

Well, no time like the present, I suppose. Although, I think I'm going to change the concept a little. I think I'll try making a weekly resolution to work on a specific trick (or issue), at least part of it, each day that week. It feels like a better way forward in training, not just a way to make sure I actually put in some effort every day.

So, let's see, today's a Saturday. But if I put it off until the start of next week I'm just going to forget about it again, so it starts now: The coming week I'm going to train "retrieve" with Monster. Currently, Monster will retrieve high value items (ball, tug toy, etc) and bring them to me, but then he'll often either try to start a tug with it or run past me and try to start a chase. With low value items (paper, shoe, etc) he'll run off and mark it, but sometimes not even pick it up and often pick it up but not carry it all the way back to me (he'll spit it out halfway and come trotting in for a reward). High or low value, he'll hardly ever give a solid retrieve all the way to my hand...

So, that's where we'll start. Just picking things up and handing them over. Actually, we'll probably start with taking things from my hand and then immediately putting them back. Goal is fetching and retrieving any thrown or placed item, bringing it in to sitting position, and giving the item into my hand. Yeah, I realize we won't get there in a week, but that is the desired end result and it's what we'll be working toward this week - but not pushing toward regardless of what's realistic in the moment!

About Those Daily Resolutions...

I'm not going to apologize for this. With Dobie here I don't feel I can make plans in advance. I need to be as flexible as possible, which isn't very since it's me... Deciding I'll focus on something special each day risks me pushing that decision when I shouldn't. It may not be a big risk, but I don't want to make anything harder than it has to be right now.

It's going well for the moment, but I need to take it day by day.

Oh, relax! It's not like I react and change in a microsecond...

Today's resolution

... didn't go that well, so mission failed. I did manage four times five minutes, but the promise was for five times after all. And they weren't very effective either. Monster has been completely crazy all day, both inside the house and out, and will even drop the tug toy mid tug and just stand there and drool and look vacant. Nobody home.

No new promise for tomorrow, since we're meeting the trainer and perhaps getting homework or recommendations for or against specific things. Well, I suppose I can promise I'll get to the meeting on time! I very much hope I'll be more successful keeping that promise. (I'm going to get lost, aren't I? I just know it...)

Fine by me, I'm not too sure about this anyway.

Forgot...

Today I completely forgot about the daily goal. I still think it's a good idea, but I have to actually do it too, right?

I'm thinking since I'm more of a night person, maybe I should set the goal the evening before. Yeah, let's try it that way for a while.

So, tomorrow I'll train Monster's eye contact while moving. We'll work in five minute sessions, and repeat five times over the course of the day.

I Promise To

... brush Monster's teeth today.

It may not sound like training, but Monster is a little hesitant at being handled, and I'm apparently very bad at training him to accept having his teeth cleaned. Instead of brushing Monster's teeth, it becomes a fun game of chewing on Monstermom's fingers. I've gotten to the point where he'll let me get to one or two teeth before he has enough, but no more. Today, these white mountains shall be conquered!

Aaaand: mission failed! I haven't gotten very far at all actually. It's really my own fault, of course. I've been sluggish and reluctant all day, not getting around to things or paying enough attention. Obviously, this means: Bad Monstermom! Bad!

I Do Solemnly Swear

... to meet at least three dogs today, and successfully train Monster's leash aggression. (Meaning, close enough to keep him interested, but far enough away that he doesn't find them threatening.)

Aaaand: Mission failed! Quite spectacularly, even. We saw one dog today, at a distance where it gave us a possibility to train. A few more dogs far away, but Monster no longer notices dogs that far away, so it meant nothing for him. Fortunately no surprise dogs that were too close either, so it wasn't a bad day, it just wasn't good.

Which means: bad Monstermom!

No I wasn't! Oh, wait, you? Yeah, OK.

Bad Monstermom! Bad!

Wow, I'm really not good at this, am I?

I did actually set a goal for today, but I didn't remember to post it. So now you'll all think I'm lying, and just picked something random I'd already done today, right?

Dang, you caught me. In fact, everything on this blog is a lie! I don't even have a dog! You've all been pranked!

Um. Sorry about that. Don't know what came over me...

See what I have to live with?

So, my lying resolution for today was: Make five consecutive, successful recalls of Monster, off leash.

I'm not sweating the details. As long as Monster comes when called, with good speed, and stops when he reaches me, I'm not worried about him completing a heel position or the like.

Enough with the "stay" already, have you got any idea what the cold is doing to a certain part of my anatomy!?

Aaaaaand: Mission accomplished! 

Finally!

Good Monstermom!

New Day, New Goal

In light of my great disappointment with my weak character (it's not like it's news, but I suppose that's all the more reason to do something about it), I think I'm going to try something new. I'll set up a goal each day, a kind of mini new year's resolution. Nothing big or impressive, just something small I'd probably do anyway. And it has to be concrete, no "I'll get better at x" or "I won't do y so much".

I'm hoping this will help me both make sure I get one specific thing done each day, and that the emphasis on this goal being reached (even though it's small and everyday) will act as a positive reinforcement on myself, making me better at... Well, everything ideally!

Wait seriously? I knew she was kind of dim, but...

Today's mini resolution: I will... stop three times while out on our midday walk and work on obedience with Monster. No less than five minutes for each break, no more than ten.

(To be clear, this is not all I do with my dog in a day, it's just highlighting one thing. If you're new with dogs, and you're looking around to see how much time you have to spend with them, this is not enough.)


Aaaaannnnd..... Mission accomplished! Good Monstermom!