Lily and I just got home after another good mentoring session with Dale.
The weather here has been horrible for the last four days - incredible winds and rain. We all have cabin fever!
So, because of the inclement weather, Dale and I met in the Clubhouse of the city golf course. The three of us found a large table in a relatively quiet corner of the dining room and that is where we set up to begin our training session - Flip and tripod, mat, treats.
Distractions were plentiful: the Sports Bar was open and it was Happy Hour, five TVs were showing five different sporting events, waitresses were serving and setting up, customers (including some children) were coming and going. There were crumbs on the carpet and the floor to ceiling windows showed a panorama of the active storm outside.
This environment would have been impossible for an inexperienced dog to handle, but Lily has been well socialized and has had hours of public work so we really were able to work in our "quiet corner". You can easily observe her calm and focus improve as the session progresses. And, as always, Lily is working off leash.
We began the session as we begin every session....with Zen. Because we were doing this behavior in a new and different location we reviewed Floor Zen, prepared to re-teach if necessary:
a) moving away from a covered treat on the floor,
Zen: Level Two: Easy Beginnings: Paragraph 1
b) staying away from a covered treat on the floor for 5 seconds,
Zen: Level Two: Easy Beginnings: Paragraph 1
c) and staying away from an uncovered treat on the floor for 5 seconds.
Zen: Level Two: Easy Beginnings: Paragraph 2
Then we introduced a variation of Floor Zen...stay off a treat on the floor and be treated instead from a treat in Dale's hand. In this exercise, Lily does not receive the treat on the floor. In "real life" there will be times when she must stay off of something and not EVER have it. We are introducing that Zen concept below.
Variation
Small beginnings developing step by little step.
Next we re-introduced Go to Mat Level 2.
Initially there are two things that we are teaching in Level Two Go to Mat:
a) to BE on the mat
Go to Mat: Level Two: Easy Beginnings: Paragraph 1
b) to GO to the mat
Go to Mat: Level Two: Easy Beginnings: Paragraph 1
Dale found that if he hesitated when Lily returned to the mat, she would lie down on it.
Once it became clear that Lily understood both the a) BE on and the b) GO to concepts, Dale moved the mat a few inches and re-taught the behavior.
We moved the mat three more times, always just a few inches at a time. Sometimes to Dale's left, sometimes to the right. Finally the mat ended up about three feet from Dale. At that location, Lily demonstrated that she understood BEING on and GOING to, so Dale began playing The Clock Game: 1X on/ 1X off, but tossing the treat "around the clock" (around the mat) to 3 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock, etc. showing that Lily would return to the mat from many directions.
Go to Mat: Level Two: Easy Beginnings: Paragraph 1
Small beginnings developing step by little step.
We introduced a new behavior - Level Two Watch. Lily has a lovely, strong Eye Lock but she has never been asked to Watch for anyone but me.
Dale began by Clicking for Contact. For a glance. 2 pairs of eyes meeting. Dale's timing is excellent and he caught every glance. X20. This is SUCH an important behavior (I say that a lot, don't I?). This is SUCH an important behavior and Dale knows that "Slow is Fast". We're not in a hurry. We're building a foundation. Step by little step.
Watch: Level Two: Easy Beginnings: Paragraph 1: Line 1
From Clicking for Contact Dale began adding a tiny bit of duration. Two glances. Then we experimented and gave the Watch cue (lumping! but intentional lumping!) Success!
Watch: Level Two: Easy Beginnings: Paragraph 2
Small beginnings developing step by little step.
Dale took a break and helped me with a more advanced Zen exercise that I wanted to explain to Lily. We were working at a round table that seated eight. Dale helped me remove the chairs and then placed treats all the way around the edge of the table. Leashed and vested, I began walking Lily around the table once again "explaining" that this was a real life time when she will NEVER get the exposed object (on the table, which was at Lily's nose height). No sniffing. No touching. Nada. Do you recognize this behavior from earlier in today's session?
This was simulating "Service Dog Walking with Handler through a Buffet Line" Zen. Lily did well. She recognizes a set-up. When the exercise was over and my attention diverted, she snarked a treat! Right off the table! And I bonked her on the top of her head with the sheet of paper that I had been using as a "plate". (No, I didn't bonk her with a plate. Just a sheet of paper.) I reacted. What an example I am for Dale!
The remainder of the session Dale did some SDW (Service Dog Walking) away from and returning toward me and we discovered some "holes". On turns Lily wants to revert back to Dale's left side from his right. So this coming week I will train Lily on my right side, off leash and on. And next week we will begin the focal point part of Leash: Level Two using me as the focal point.
Our final behavior of the afternoon was introducing Lily's public service dog help behavior - lying beside me on the floor (any floor, any where, any distractions) with Dale standing by to make any necessary explanation to a concerned public.
Chutes and Ladders building Duration.
All in all, a full, diverse and successful training session. Our first indoor training session. Dale's first training session with Lily vested. Different distractions. Different challenges.
Small beginnings developing step by little step.
Despite the weather. Despite my leaking roof.
