The Definition of Insanity;

Repeatedly doing the same thing, expecting a different result.

You have to change what you're doing.

Chances are if you are encountering an obstacle on your dog training journey, you are not going to be able to "work through it" by doing more of what you are currently doing.

On one hand, I know this. With Spencer I have learned that if he doesn't understand what I am asking of him to break it down and try to "explain" it in a different way. Often removing that problem behavior from context entirely to work it out. 

On the other hand, I obviously missed a couple of steps. Trying to work through shut down in the same way. The sport of agility tends to push having a toy motivated dog. Having a toy/tug motivated dog is supposed to help them work through fearful situations because they are more aroused/excited/focused on tugging with the toy. 

Which is fine. 

Until they shut down and won't play in public. Then it becomes less of a "Don't wanna, don't hafta" moment and more of a "I CAN'T because I am too worried" Pushing play just causes Spencer to disengage entirely, and because I have pushed it play isn't always fun anymore. Such a fine line between "working through" shut down and causing more of it.

So, we'll try something else and come up with a new plan.

A reward needs to be rewarding for the dog! 

Also, Penny was sad she's been left out lately in the photo department.

The Joys of Training a Fearful Dog

Oh baby dog. What am I going to do with you?!

I love pictures of Spencer. In photos I can capture the intensity and show some of the drive that this little dog has. He can be fun, so much fun. The key word there being CAN.







I want other people to be able to see that as well. I want for him to be able to reach his potential and be a crazy, fun little dog everywhere and not have to worry like he does. However, I also don't want to over face him with something that he just cannot handle just because I want him to do something. It's such a fine line.

Sometimes it's hard to tell what is shutting him down. We struggled at Flyball practice on Sunday. Spencer didn't want to play with a ball. Not Yellow Ball (his best, favorite toy) not one of the little tennis balls he's supposed to be getting from the box. Nothing. Not quite sure why, or what the issue might have been, but it gets frustrating sometimes. Then he'd tug with his hollee/tennis bungee toy, but again, wouldn't retrieve a toy. He's always retrieved but will often not tug in public, why the reversal?!

I'm good at identifying his triggers, and at breaking things down and working through steps with him. It's not his fault at all, I just wish sometimes that it wasn't 1 step forward and then 2 steps back.

Agility class on Monday night was a success though. He was happy and rotten and had good distance on obstacles, letting me layer a sequence.

I'm glad that even if we are struggling with one sport that we can be successful in other areas, be it dog sports or just in life in general.

He is doing better in agility. He's happy at practice in the barn. He was cute and excited at the March Fundraiser trial - one of the highlights of our Standard round was a woman saying what a fun little dog he is. Other competitors have commented on how far he has come. I have to try and focus on that a little bit more. He has come a long way. He is doing very well. Some things just take time, and with a worried, soft dog they take a little longer than they might otherwise. With the longer days and spring hopefully here we'll take the show on the road and practice playing/tugging and focusing in new places.

Patience, it is a virtue.

Sometimes it's just hard to remember that we don't always get the dog we want, but we do get the dog we need!

Toys. Fading rewards and Building ring behaviours.

We had a great time today spending most of the day out at Wet Noses. Spencer and I are starting to click as a team in the face of distraction, which is good, because he's entered in his first trial in 2 weeks!

It will likely be the last outdoor trial of the season and may be a *little* bit early to begin to trial Spencer. However, I want him to have a good experience at his first couple of trials and outdoors is easier for him. Less weird echos, not so crowded. No dogs that attack the front of their crate when you walk by benched right by the entrance to the arena. Outdoors makes things easier when you're a soft, fragile little dog!

Spencer is also comfortable enough (at Wet Noses at least) to full out play tug with me. The kind of toy obsessive tug that I get at home when my little guy isn't worried about his environment.

What I'm working on right now is fading out the toy being on my person or at least visibly on my person. When we run courses or when we work drills, I usually am holding his toy. So he KNOWS it's there. He doesn't track(stare) the toy as he works, which was a nice side effect of training weaves by 2x2's, but he's anticipating earning it. When he can't see it, he's not as sure about working.

Baxter didn't do this, but then he was training for much longer and I primarily used treats with Baxter, only using his cherished ball to teach that burst of speed at the end through the finish line. Treats build value in a behavior, but toys build drive for it. With Baxter I've had to work on re-building his toy drive due to the focus on food rewards. With Spencer I am working on keeping both toy drive and motivation for food intact during training. Not focusing on the "easy" one to the exclusion of the other.

We've done a lot of small handling drills and double box work so he's used to frequent rewards to create enthusiasm and drive for the behaviors. So I'm lengthening the sequences we run before he earns his toy. We're not up to running a full course without a reward yet. If we're not there by the trial, that's fine, I'll just do partial courses and then have a party with him.

I'm also juicing up nose touches as a rewarding behavior. They're already pretty rewarding, but now I randomly jackpot them as well. Why? So in the event my soft little dog shuts down on a agility course, I can ask for a hugely reinforcing, easy behavior that he loves to do.

Yes, it will get us (me) faults for touching the dog, but it can be my "toy" on the course until we can get off of it to get his reward. It will also enable me to positively influence his frame of mind to get one more obstacle done with focus and enthusiasm so we can get outta there and not reward shut down or other stress behaviors by just leaving. As the truism reads, plan for the worst and hope for the best! It's also just plain fun =D

Just passing by

Where'd it go?

Tongues