Articles Day 3

February 18, 2025

She has caught on very quickly. She's giving me not just a sniff and a nudge at the article, but at least half the time a down. Of course, smart girl that she is, some of the time she will just try a down in front of me, wherever the article might be--if a down or sit works, it works! Once or twice I reflexively rewarded that, which of course was counterproductive, but I have also learned to wait and make her go the the article and try it again.



Comments

  1. JudiFebruary 18, 2025 at 6:05 PM

    She’s getting it! Make sure you stay clear—she is clicked for touching the article, not for sitting away from it. She is ALWAYS fed ON the article—no exceptions. This is the time to be kinda inflexible—I love the offered down/sit, I want it associated with the article—so not touch, scoot, down/sit, but rather touch-click-closed hand, palm down, ON ARTICLE—this WILL make her offer a down, and it will be on the article, or the article will be between her paws. And, since she has clearly proven she CAN down, let’s train the down. That way, on a nasty, sleeting, rainy, wet day…you’ll get a sit. Down is clearly quite possible, so let’s train that.
    Tomorrow, let’s elevate you on a stool/ottoman/low chair/cushion. If the first half goes well, WHILE SHE IS EATING, toss the article a bit further away.
    I LOVE that she is using her nose, and not her eyes, to find the articles.

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  2. JudiFebruary 19, 2025 at 9:11 AM

    I’m about to write a blog post about what we are doing here….so I want to make this part super clear. From here forward, we are going to practice the principle of “Different Every Day.” So far, you have sat in the same spot, and put the objects in about the same place—this was good. Now, each morning, you will change ONE thing. ONE. Not Two. Not three. If, for example, you move to sitting on a slightly elevated surface, you will place the articles approximately where you have been. The next day, you can move your seat, and change nothing else. Day after that, seat stays the same, and the objects move further away. Your reinforcement remains the same (closed hand, palm down, on article until she OFFERS (no words or motions from you) a down, at which time you quickly flip your hand over and let her eat). I guarantee her behavior is going to grow stronger by you changing one element every day (and it will grow weaker, and get more garbage behaviors if you keep the same set up).

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