There is one truth that rings clear when training Lilly. If what I’m asking makes sense, she catches on very quickly. Sometimes, it’s just 3-5 clicks. Sometimes, it’s just 10 minutes. And, she’s totally on board. Other times, I’m clearly doing something wrong, and she simply doesn’t get it.
One example is to bow on command. I’ve tried to shape it, lure and reward it, but she never catches on. We have the same trouble with a stand from a sit or down. No matter what I try, she either blows it off or travels in her quest to rise. Plus, since I don’t come from a competitive obedience background, it’s just not something I thought to teach early on.
I’m beginning to worry that blinking or sleepy eyes is another thing that makes no sense to her. We worked on it a few minutes each night last week, but she has yet to really offer it, like she understands that’s what is being rewarded. Well, that’s true when we’re training. But, Friday night, while sitting in front of the fire while watching TV, Lilly had very heavy lids. At first, I thought she was simply tired, but I suspect that she was trying to catch my attention. So, that’s potentially good news. I still haven’t named it yet, though, because she’s not offering it consistently and on purpose enough for my tastes.
The lay your head down idea, however, she got in 3 clicks. We’re calling it CHIN. In a training session, she does it well on every try, but so far it hasn’t transfered 100% to other places. But, we’re working on it. She already has a ground target cue (SNOOP), but that’s more for when she’s standing or sitting. The CHIN cue is more about putting her head down flat, while in a down.
We’re also working on riding a skateboard I just bought for her. We’re calling it SCOOT. Because she already has the exercise ball ROLL IT trick, where she pushes a big ball in front of her and walks behind it, she transfered that idea to the skateboard the first day. So, she’s putting her front feet on it and pushing it along. There are also times when she gets a run at it, and she pushes off and sort of “rides” it for a couple feet. But, beyond those first few training sessions, we haven’t made much progress.
As I’ve mentioned, I’m feeling a bit of training fatigue. Perhaps it’s impacting the quality of my training technique … hence the lack of big-time progress on any front.
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