Fun Photos

L1: Zen

Bully Stick Zen!

L1: Homework

L2: Come

L2: Go to Mat

L2: Down

Outdoors and off-leash

L2 Sit: Step 4

L2: Distance, Duration, Generalizing

L2: Target

L2: Handling

L2: Trick

 "There's a fly on your nose!"

L3: Retrieve

L 3: Jump

L3: Crate

L3: Zen

Wait at door.....

no matter who walks by

Bliss

RELAXATION PROTOCOL/KAREN OVERALL/NAD, WEB, & ROO

Nadador, Webster, and Rooster are relaxing to Karen Overall's Relaxation Protocol, Day One while Lynn and Lily snooze in the back.

Inspiration

Aase is a Norwegian Levels trainer. Below she and Kaisa are demonstrating Level Three.

Look at Kaisa's focus and attention. Off leash work.

This video has inspired me for a very long time.

Ocean Beach Dog Beach

November 18, 2010
1:00-2:00
Jan/Nad – Cathy/Rooster

Criteria:

• Nad and Rooster were to remain calm and quiet while dogs went back and forth to the beach.
• Nad and Rooster would remain in the car with the back door open
• No cues, clicker or treats
• Good behavior was expected not clicked or treated

There were  dogs of all breeds and sizes, on and off leash, some quiet some barking.  Some dogs stayed by their owners, some strayed coming over by the cars.  A steady stream of cars drove in and out of the parking lot.  Adding to the anticipated distractions, were  birds (pigeons), bicycles, skateboarders, people with children.  There were several people that appeared homeless wandering up and down the sidewalk in front of the sand.  Being a weekday, it was not as crowded as weekends and there were periods of  time that no dogs walked by for a bit.

We started in the parking lot in 2nd row with the backs of the car open and the dogs facing the beach.  After about 15 minutes, Jan moved back to 3rd row to make it easier for Nad.  Cathy and Rooster remained in the second row.

Jan and Nad:


This was Nad and Jan's first time ad OB Dog Beach.  Nad is used to going to the beach but not here and not having to remain in the car and just chill.  


We just sat in the back of the car watching the world go by and watched dogs go by from a distance and close up.  There were about 35 dogs that passed.  About 4 or 5 passed right in front of us.

There were pigeons (must have followed us from OH) walking and flying right by the car.  One even walked right up to the car.  Nad watched intensely, and yet never broke his position.

Nad stayed in the back of the car the whole time.



Cathy and Rooster:


This was Rooster's third time at Dog Beach,  the first time on a weekday.  On the weekends there is significantly more traffic, dogs,  noise, and stronger smells.  Also, it was not a very warm day.  


My criteria for Rooster remained the same as in the past.   As with Jan and Nad, I remained in the back of the car with Rooster and just chilled (literally).  Rooster was relaxed and calm, observing as dogs/people etc. passed by.  After Jan and Nad moved back another row we remained as we were for a bit longer and then I changed the criteria.


New Criteria for Rooster:

• No clicker, treats
• good behavior expected
• no barking/lunging
• Rooster would remain on a loose leash either standing, sitting or on a down out of the  car (at the back) while I sat in the back chilling.

The last 15 minutes at the beach, Rooster remained calm and quiet on a down (self determined) as again dogs, birds, and people passed by.

Observations:

• There was no barking or lunging 
• Dogs arrived and left in cars parked directly to our sides and R remained in control.
• Rooster remained  calm and quiet both in and out of the car, choosing to be on a down and either watching or chewing his bone.
• He did exit the car once but not in reaction to anything specific and he showed no reactiveness.
• He was equally relaxed both inside and outside the car.  
• Except when we walked back to speak with Jan,  Rooster did not leave the area next to the car.
• Though the first row is right next to the beach,  the dog action and distractions are better in the second row so I don't think I will park closer but might in the future work levels w/R closer to the sand.  Eventually I would like to be able to work directly on the beach.  (a dream for the future, like "......just taking my dog for a walk")

Possible Next Steps:

• (on another weekday) RP in the back of the car/ outside the car using Sit, Down, or Stand.

Level 3: Surfaces

SURFACES

Dog confidently walks over a floor grate.
V

There was a perfectly wonderful grate in the center of our training space.  A grate with wide slats - more difficult for Rooster's big paws than for Nad's smaller ones.  Both Cathy and Jan have been shaping different grates in training this Level 3 behavior.

See: http://resourceflips.blogspot.com/2010/11/floor-zen-help.html  to find another great use for this particular kind of grate.

The Case for Reviewing the Behavior BEFORE Training

LEVEL 3

SIT

The dog Sits from a Stand on one cue only from 10' away.

There must be an immediate response to the cue.

This behavior must be done with no food or clicker in the area.

NV

SITSTAY

Dog Sits and tays while the trainer walks 20' out,

stays away for 30 seconds,

and comes back.

Appropriate cues.

There will be one mild distraction.

NV

Our goal was to work on the Distance portion of the Sit Stay.  But that's NOT what we are training here.  This is a perfect example of why we need to have Steps open.  And review the CRITERIA before we set our training plan.  I was at fault here.  I gave the wrong directions.

Watch the video.  We weren't teaching Sit Stay.  We were teaching Sit:  Dog Sits from 10'.

What we should have been doing was putting the dog in a Sit and then, using Chutes & Ladders, begin turning away from him, walking away from him, clicking at the distance and returning to deliver the treat.

L3: SitStay/DownStay/StandStay

Working Duration and Distance separately.  Both dogs have these behaviors at home.  But here we are with somewhat challenging distractions competing for their attention.

We all felt that Cathy's work with the Relaxation Protocol has proven to be a great benefit to Rooster.  Cathy and Rooster are on Day 6 of the RP.  Jan and Nad, Day 2.

Here the CRITERIA was to use Chutes & Ladders and build towards 15 seconds of duration.

While Jan continues working C&L adding one second at a time,

Cathy's CRITERIA changes.

She will also use C&L

but C/T in 5 second intervals.

Goal is 30 seconds.

Now we all C&L in 5 second increments.

The goal is to see how much time we can build.

We are counting as follows:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

2, 2, 3, 4, 5

3, 2, 3, 4, 5

etc

Cathy and Rooster got to 20, 2, 3, 4, 5

Nad valiantly handled bird distractions

as Jan begins building 15 seconds of duration

in the Down position.

Car Work: 11/18/10

Cathy/Rooster
Jan/Nad
Lynn

LOCATION: Beside Il Fornaio on SD Bay, Coronado

Exercise 1:  ZEN  

For 15 minutes, the dogs remained in the car, no clicker, no treats, no cues, within 5' of the sidewalk and the world passing by.  Dogs on leash, strollers, bikes, gardeners w/blowers.  Overhead - helicopters passing quite low to the ground.  Jan and Cathy expected quiet relaxed behavior and that's what they got.

Exercise 2:  Sit Level 3

Still in the back of the cars, we begin working on L3 Distance: the Sit/Down/Stand from 10' away.

Our stated CRITERIA here was to cue the Sit; reposition the dog; cue the Sit etc looking for latency.  5 reps at a time.  IF it became necessary to repeat the cue twice, go back to the beginning, drop the cue and re-teach the sit.

Working the dogs in the back of the car prevented them from moving forward when cued.  Our ultimate goal will be to cue the behavior from 10' away.....using Chutes & Ladders to increase our distance.

Our CRITERIA was to stand directly in front of our dogs.

So we began again.....with much better results.

Nad's latency really improved when Jan returned closer to him.

We discovered some cueing issues that will need to be resolved.

Both trainers at times needed to add a hand signal WITH the verbal cue

in order to get the behavior.

When training, back to the beginning.

Level 3 requires a solid Sit from a Stand before introducing any distance.

The CRITERIA for Sit L3 (and Down and Stand):

SIT

The dog Sits from a Stand on one cue only from 10' away.

There must be an immediate response to the cue.

This behavior will be done with no food or clicker in the area.

NV

We needed to review our Steps criteria before beginning the Sit exercise.

One cue only

Sit from a Stand

Oops!

When training these 3 behaviors, refer back to Steps.

DOWN

Dog Downs from a Sit on one cue only from 10' away.

V

STAND is not performed from a distance.

STAND

Dog Stands from a Sit on one cue only.

Note that this behavior is performed with the dog beside or in front of the trainer.

This behavior must be performed with no food or clicker in the area.

NV

Supervised Vested Training: Starbucks, Coronado

A coffee to warm up.  A planning session.  Suddenly it was 2 hours later.  We had to awaken the dogs when it was time to leave.

Yes, "Shake" was an issue with both dogs, much to Jan and Cathy's surprise!

Settling in at Starbucks

Two hours later.....

The FD SDiT are practically invisible.

Jan and Nadador:

I was fortunate enough to find parking close to Starbucks (thank you Parking Karma!).  I was watching Nad closely to make sure there was no sniffing going on and looked up to find Lynn had disappeared.  I had a very short leash and continued walking to the end of the block.  I walked into a couple other coffee shops to look for her and was able to do some door work.  On my way back around the corner, there was a woman with a Beagle straining at the leash.  When she saw Nad in his vest, she pulled her dog in - I had asked Nad to sit and I stood on the side where the straining dog was.  Nad held his composure.  We then found Starbucks (and Lynn) and passed a couple small dogs going into the coffee shop.  When we left to put more money in the meter, I had forgotten to watch for his shaking, which he started to do.

While we were in line he stayed standing most of the time directly on my side.  I did ask him to sit when I noticed him starting to look around.  When we got to the counter, I used Touch to move him in front of me between me and the counter.  That is what we used also to wait for our coffee so he would be out of the way of people passing by.

Nad remained down (sleeping on and off) during the time we were sitting down, with only getting up once or twice to reposition.  When we were getting up to leave, I worked on him staying down until I was up and in position to try and prevent him from shaking.  I walked out with my hand on his back to prevent him from shaking until we were outside past the tables. 




Cathy and Rooster:


Unlike Jan w/parking Karma,  Rooster and I had to park a bit away which really was a good thing even thought Starbucks  makes no effort to make its presence known.  I didn't vest Rooster on the long walk from the car though now that I think about it, I probably could have.  At that point my criteria was to find Lynn and Jan as effortlessly and inconspicuously as possible.  Rooster did a great job on our search, LLWing,  no sniffing, and sticking with the program.  Just as I was about to ask an innocent passerby (who had a very small dog on a leash and was talking on a cell phone ... I was waiting for her to finish...) if they knew where Starbucks was, Lynn appeared and the vest went on.  Rooster's new job as a SDiT began.  For the next two plus hours Rooster did great and I learned even more.

 Rooster has never been inside a location where food was being served.  He has never stood in line waiting for me to order or waited for the order with wonderful smells right in front of his nose and people all around.

What I learned:

• There is a "science" to all this
• Rooster is a big dog and I need to be very aware of his "footprint" especially in small spaces.
• I need to be very aware of the people around me  and where I place Rooster in relation to them
• ditto when there is food at his level
• the unfolding value of "Target"

• Rooster seems to understand the vest means something but I'm not sure he knows for sure exactly what yet
• using the Sensation harness in the past  has something to do with this,  I think he really learned to respect it...
• Yes, he will shake and I need to be prepared 
• This is exhausting work for him.  He slept non stop from the time we left SD until the next morning and  is still tired.

Halfway through out time at Starbucks, I left with Rooster (still vested) to put change in the parking meter.  As we walked down the street he didn't falter once and he had many opportunities:

• a big black barking dog under a table that charged out at him as we walked (SDWed) by
• a small child in a stroller at the same table
• many people on the street walking in both directions.
• the same dog under the table barking as we returned (except this time the owner was under the table holding its mouth closed telling it to be quiet)
• The man that attached himself to Rooster's vest as we were SDWing down the street (and remained attached as Rooster continued to walk as if he, the man, didn't exist)  This man did ask, as we were walking, if R was a SD and I said,  "Yes,  he is in training, thank you for asking" and kept right on walking.  
• I still had trouble finding Starbucks a second time but was glad to return to our safe cozy spot in an out of the way corner.

It was a learning day for us all and especially for me. 

MILESTONE: Rooster and Lily

Rooster and Lily met their first bagpipes today.

The piper is the father of a Navy SEAL serving in Pakistan.

Other MILESTONES experienced by Rooster today:

• Over 5 minute OOS with another handler
• Remaining in control in the open car w/ no barking while strange dogs walked close-by and next to the car. (no clicker, no treats, no cues)
• Walking to and on the beach with dogs and smells everywhere, keeping a LL. (Leash: L4)
• Running off leash on the beach (a milestone for me, Rooster was fine with it)
• Recall on beach......carrying his leash.....and then off leash recall
• Sharing the back of the car with Lily as we drove to lunch at the Base.

Easily 45 dogs passed within 5' of Rooster
(including 5 who came up nose to nose)
and Rooster's demeanor never changed.
Cathy just "expected" good manners
and that's exactly what she got.


Lily and I were in our car right beside them
and doing the same thing.
Cathy and I just sat and chatted for over half an hour
while R and L relaxed and watched every breed of dog in the entire world walk by.

MENTORING SESSION AGENDA: 11/18/10

Will be held at Ocean Beach Dog Beach.

PLAN
Other Dog Zen to incl threshold/ Lazy Leash/Relaxation Protocol/duration and distance w/sit, down, stand,watch.
Or maybe only Other Dog Zen.
We're out to discover holes.


L3: Sit/Down/Stand/Watch.....from a distance
L1: OTR around car (incl SDW)
L3: V/NV
Public Access Test #1: Controlled Unload Out of Vehicle
CGC


DIRECTIONS
Take 8 west to the end of the freeway
L on Sunset Cliffs Blvd
R on Voltaire to Dog Beach

We will meet in the parking lot.

Mentoring Group Vested Work at Balboa Park: 11/4/10

The name of our bus was "Lily".

Our single criteria

C/T any volunteered Sit or Down

while the bus was moving

We used Go Ahead getting on the bus

A new 3-minute behavior for Rooster and Nad.

We asked each dog to Sit Stay at the top of the steps

while we got off the bus ahead of them

and then recalled them to us.

Rooster voluntarily carried his leash down the steps.

This was the first trip of the morning for our bus.

Only 5 people shared it with us.

We sat on the bench seats at the very back.

Before our next bus trip

we want the following behaviors:

Go Ahead

not only to enter the bus but to then precede us up the aisle

People Zen

no sniffing people as we pass them

Sit Stay

on a single cue

Vested time

(Distance work)

and Non Vested time

(CGC behaviors)

Distance work

This picture is for Beth!

Honorary Training Assistant, Marilyn

Marilyn really got In the Game and directed traffic around us

while we experimented with the turnstiles.

Cathy introduces Rooster to the musician

(Jan is putting money IN, not taking money out!)

Rooster and Nad enjoyed the music.

Do you remember Sue's story about Stitch and the stuffed bear in the RCMP suit?

Well, that was Lily and the saxophonist.

Don't know if she was barking at him or at his music.

But we worked threshold with her

needing to move all the way across the paved area to the grass on the other side

until she was comfortable and could look and listen quietly.

It took about 5 minutes to work our way this close.

We will return to "stalk" the saxophonist until he becomes Lily's

newest best friend.

Stay tuned for further photos!

*Another public lesson learned

Getting permission before phtographing strangers