Once more unto the breach, dear friends....

(Whispering)...I took Raff to Flyball practice last night.

I made special treats for him (recipe below), and fed him almost no supper before practice (he got maybe 10 kibbles, just so there was something in his bowl while the others ate.)

And at practice, he actually did pretty well. My ability to keep his focus on me is no longer an issue. I can even have him loose, off leash (as long as I'm paying attention to him every second.) So that's huge progress in and of itself!

We had the fencing between the lanes, and during the first round, there was just another green dog in the other lane, and we alternated running them. So he was pretty much running by himself, and he was fine. His turn totally went to hell when he got tired, but he did many (apparently too many) successful full down & backs.

In the second round, a teammate volunteered to have her seasoned dog run in the other lane, opposite Raff. Now THAT was another story. I foolishly started him too far from the box, so the first thing he did was run up to the fencing and start barking at her dog in the other lane. I said his name in the death tone, scooped him up, and took him down to the middle of the lane to try again. More confusion and anarchy, but he did a little better.

Third time, I wised up and took him to right in front of the box (which is what I had TOLD myself I was going to do in the first place, even before we left the house, but I didn't do it when we got there because...I'm a complete idiot?? Yeah, theat must be it.) He was still very distracted by the other little dog, and his turn was utter crap, but he did make it to the box, he did get the ball, and he did bring it back to me. We ran several more times, each time successful (but crappy turn, even w/a box jump), each time backing up a bit further from the box. We got all the way back to the third jump from the box, and my teammate was starting her dog from there, too. So by the time we were done, he was starting with another dog right by his side in the other lane, and he did his job. Woo-hoo!

I've accepted that his turn may just be spotty at best. It could be when he gets used to the distraction of the other dogs (IF he gets used to the distraction of the other dogs), his turn will recover. And I can certainly work on his conditioning more, so getting tired shouldn't be such a factor. And during the week, I'm going to try to have him do a few turns here and there, with the clicker, so I keep reinforcing what is a correct turn. We'll see.

For the moment, I'm going to keep him in Flyball. May doG have mercy on our souls!

RECIPE:

Raffy's Chicken Parmesan Re-Treats

*1 chicken breast, boiled, then pureed in a food processor w/enough broth to make it the
consistency of canned dog food
*2 eggs
*1 t garlic powder
*2 T parmesan cheese
*1 1/2 c whole wheat flour (more, if needed, to make the dough stiff)

Mix together well. Press into greased 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes. Cut into desired size pieces and refrigerate or freeze.

Dog Training: My First Lesson in Operant Conditioning

It's 1998, and I'm in my kitchen trying to teach the Down command to my 11 month old Keeshond puppy girl, Peeka. My experience at this point with dog training is typical of most people's: almost non-existent. I teach Sit by pushing the dog's butt down, and then giving a treat when the butt hits the ground. I teach Down first putting the dog in Sit, and then luring them to the ground with a treat. I've only owned dogs for about 9 months, I've only tried to train one other dog, and I've never taught any other commands.

But my method is not working with little Peeka. When I try to lure her into a Down, she puts her nose to the ground to follow the treat, but her butt pops back up in the process. I try another method: pulling her front legs out from under her...but no success there, she only wants to play-bite my hands.

After far too many attempts with both unsuccessful methods, my back hurts from bending over her, and I'm frustrated and sweaty. She's confused, but hopeful (I'm still holding a treat, afterall.) I straighten up to stretch my back muscles into a normal human posture, and then I stand completely still for a moment, just looking at Peeka, just wondering what to do next.

Peeka is looking at me in return. She knows there is still a treat in my hand. She is trying to think of some way to get it from me. She starts with the obvious (to her): she puts her front paws on my belly. But this method is unsuccessful--I merely turn away from her and mumble "off" (a command she does not know). So she tries something else.

Little Peeka, mixing resignation with an invitation to play, splats herself down onto the floor.

But she's a quick little thing, not one to linger. She's up off the floor in a heartbeat. Because I'm still not responding the way she would like, she cycles through those behaviors again...just because it didn't work once, doesn't mean it won't work a second time, dang it! This time when she splats down onto the floor, I notice that she is--for one fleeting fraction of a second--doing exactly what I want. She's in a Down. And then...poof, she's not!

I hold my breath, hoping she does it again. This time I will be ready. I get a Sit. I get jumped on. And then, I get the splat-down! My hand swoops in, depositing the treat into her little pink mouth. Woo-hoo! Let's do that again. Let's do that a few more times. She does! I start saying Down as she's splatting. We're both excited and happy. She smiles and so do I.

Six years later, I will begin to learn about Operant Conditioning, Clicker Training, Shaping, and Positive Reinforcement from some very knowledgable sources. But I'll never forget the day that little Peeka gave me my first lesson.