HOT NEWS! I won one of two grand prizes in the BlogPaws sweepstakes to attend this new pet blogger conference. The event team and sponsors will cover my airfare, hotel, and registration. And, it’s about the best news I’ve had in a long, long time. Three cheers for me!
Back in the mid-1990s, when I was on staff at the American Animal Hospital Association, I helped with logistics for the big annual veterinary
conference. Think of it like throwing some 50 special events every day for thousands of your closest colleagues in a strange city for four straight days. It is exhausting. The exhibit hall was
always one of big draws, with oodles of free schwag and other tantalizing things to get people into the various booths, where the oh-so-charming sales folks could work their magic. …
Allow me, please, a brag. In just a few clicker sessions, Lilly learned a new trick we call CLEAN UP. We were inspired by this video of a ridgeback putting away his toys. Lilly got the idea in just one session, but she tossed the toys into the basket with such oomph that they bounced out, which was against the rules. She caught on fast, though, and began holding the toys down with one paw, which is just about the cutest thing. …
So, we continue to chip away at our new trick CLEAN UP, where Lilly is learning to put away her toys. After just 3-4 short clicker training sessions over the last week or so, we’re making good progress. She will now pick up and put away up to four toys in succession. BUT, I’m stuck at soft toys only at this point, including plush babies, ropes, soft frisbees. I cannot get her to generalize the behavior to any rubber, chew, or food-delivery toy (like a ball, Kong, Canine Genius, or Busy Buddy Waggle). …
Lilly loaded up and went with me to run errands on Tuesday. When the weather allows, I use the frequent stops as part of our ongoing transition training (where Lilly learns to hop of the out car in a variety of locations, SIT, and relax quickly … thanks to classical conditioning). That continues to go well, but I’m always surprised how many dogs we see traveling the canyon, the highways, and local roads completely unrestrained in the car. Roadworthy, my recent article for the AKC Gazette, addresses this safety issue. …
After seeing this video of a ridgeback putting away toys, I decided that’s something I want to teach Lilly. So, we started shaping the behavior with a clicker and cheese last week. The first training session made me laugh. She got the idea quickly, but her enthusiasm for the job hampered our efforts. Lilly flung the toys into the basket with such abandon that the toys often bounced back out. No clicks for that, I decided, but it completely stumped Lilly. She often got frustrated and offered a DOWN with CHIN, which has become the universal sign that …
In early 2009, I pitched and sold a magazine feature article about Van and Bobaji (the sidecar dog), whom we “met” when I first posted photos of Lilly in a motorcycle sidecar back in October 2008. I’ve posted a couple of their videos before. You can see many of them on YouTube, just search on “vanschannel”. Well, the article on them was originally slated to run in May 2009, then in July 2009, but it finally ran in the current issue of Fido Friendly (Sept-Oct 2009). Savvy readers will …
Yesterday, I sat in my office poking at a few things on my desk, when I heard the distinct sounds of Lilly trying to sass the mules next door. While the mules actually handle her barking and bossing quite well, I’d rather she not get kicked. So, I went to the front door and said in a mostly normal tone of voice — “Lilly, COME.” And, she did. I’m not saying it was perfect, but here is what made it better than your average recall. …
Here’s another little 30-second video I shot and tried to edit. It shows Lilly doing her SHAKE and OTHER HAND trick. Whichever hand she gives me first is SHAKE, which makes the other one OTHER HAND. I did not teach this as right-left thing. You also get to see her worried, round head … when Ginko comes into the room behind me. …
You have my apologies for being so far off our primary topic lately. After all, isn’t my objective to see if some day, somehow, Lilly might actually be a competitive agility dog? Well, I’ve actually accepted that won’t happen, but I do want her to be a confident, well-trained, agility-minded girl in her daily life that more and more includes being around more dogs. I point only to the distractions from the outside world, the dog world, the work world as my excuse for all the craziness lately. Seriously. How much can one girl think about/worry about before her head …
