Thursday, February 13, 2014

17 Months: Training - Days 264 - 267

Sleepy head!
Monday

Whew!  I have been mass producing blogs to catch up after the major flare in my arms.  I am going to be suffering again from this, but getting so far behind can result in my not getting you the information you seek, which is, "How is Emma doing?"

Emma is doing great.  She arrived in a great mood and jumped right into training.  I set aside 30 kibble to reward her randomly during the day for calm behavior, such as sitting at my feet instead of jumping and moving calmly through the house or stopping barking when shushed.  It is working and I am glad to see her calming faster as I reward those behaviors.

Today I pulled out a sock and put it loosely on my hand.  I she promptly took hold of it and started to pull, but not with enough force to pull it off.  After a few clicks she got the idea and pulled it free, though I saw some paw lifting.  Once I heavily rewarded the good behavior she was spot on and pulling it off no matter how much I put it on. She finally pulled it off when I had it fully and tightly on my hand.

I then put it loosely on my foot and she promptly targeted my foot and pulled.  No paw lifting this time, but still not enough pull to remove it.  A few clicks and she had it.  We got up to my sock being on 3/4ths of the way and her pulling it off in a smooth even action.

I have also been insisting she not climb on me all the time, but lay at my feet like she would if she was working.  She is getting more comfortable with this and no longer acts like she's whipped if I tell her I don't want her on me.  Her self confidence is increasing also.  I am very happy seeing this.

Tuesday


Emma - Tug Task Training


The snow on her back legs turned
into ice within a minute or two of coming
into the house.
Emma is working on task training now and doing such a fantastic job of it.  She has been learning some of her tug tasks, such as helping with undressing and making a bed or even opening a door.  I have worked this week on just pulling off socks and will work on jackets, pants and shirts over time.  Today I filmed what happened, so I won't be talking about the training as much as about her poor cold self.

Yesterday 3 inches of new powder fell, making my yard into a winter wonderland with the already existing snow from the past two snow falls still laying on the ground.  She came in from her outside playtime yesterday with loose packed snow in her coat, but not a lot of had packed snow.  Today the temperature went up and the snow became sloppy and sticky.  She had a hard time with the snow in her coat.

Snow balls packed into the fur around her legs, between her toes and into her pads.  She had it on her back legs so deeply that it went to the skin and she was distracted by it as it began to pull and clump into ice balls in the house.  I looked over as I was preparing to train her and saw her turned and chewing on her fur in a way that would remove huge clumps of it and hurt her.  I had to brush the ice out of her fur and then towel dry her, but even then, she was soaking wet.  Her legs and feet didn't dry between each outing, which means she has moisture against her legs for hours on end.

Jack, who recently had his coat cut, got a very tight cue on his lower legs for this very reason.  Though the fuller look is very pretty, in weather where snow, ice and water can gather in fur that takes up to 2 hours with a blow dryer to dry after a bath and then 2 hours of air drying after to fully dry, the fuller look on the legs can be an issue for keeping her dry overall.

Jack was a quick brush with a towel to remove the snow and a quick dry of his tightly trimmed feet and legs and he was dry within 5 to 10 minutes after coming in from outside.  When we were at the groomers we'd spotted pink, slightly swollen tissue in the depths of his pads from water resting there after playing in the snow and wet.  We did a major clean up between his pads to help dry them and are now working to prevent an infection in his feet.

I am worried that Emma is at risk of an infection in her feet and legs if we can't find a way to keep her dry or dry her out sooner.  I will continue to do what I can to dry her out - but even 4 hours after towel drying she was still damp against her skin.  This can't be good for her in the long run.

I am fairly certain that isn't my chair any longer.
Wednesday

Wednesdays are busy days here and not always a promise I will get formal training done.  Jack was scheduled to stay the day at his home, so a later start in the day than normal was a nice change of pace.  Emma, for a couple of weeks now, has been waking me by barking and setting the house off.  The week prior Malcolm had still been sleeping in his crate and Emma had access to the living room.  Twice she went out and barked at some things she either heard or saw and set the whole house off at extremely early hours.  Now that Malcolm has joined us in the bed and is learning to sleep through the night without eating the house I have the room once again gated.  Emma woke us on Tuesday by barking at something and Wednesday she did it again at 7:45 AM.  Not sure what she's hearing, unless it's the first kids going to school and the long cold winter and reduced physical exercise is finally making her batty like everyone else in the house.

I had been giving her carrots at night with the other dogs, which she took and ate, but stopped after 4 mornings the previous week being woken to her vomiting up some of the carrot in the morning.  Not sure why they do that to her, but they do appear to make her a bit urpy and I am not exactly happy to wake to her bringing up some bile in the morning.  This week, without giving her any carrots, the urping has stopped - so this is a good thing.

The other thing I faced the previous week was Emma peed and pooped in the house.  I am letting her out often and all dogs get a run outside right before bedtime, but for some reason she was having bladder and bowel control issues.  It happens with all dogs and I just shrugged it off for the week.  I am happy to report a dry week and no midnight pooping - so things are back on track with her.

Knowing I had a very trying afternoon, I reserved my energy for it.  I fed the dogs in the morning and we just enjoyed a lazy morning with me catching up on some TV programs and a little light house work.  I have a trip coming up and was considering what I would need to pack the Thursday night (which will take me most of the night) to be prepared with two dogs attending me.  I also had an expectation of Walter coming over to get the routine for this years babysitting of Dieter and Victoria and knew I needed to put together a few things for him too.

I crated Emma and Dieter when I left for a 4 hour run of appointments.  I had let all the dogs outside for a good 15 to 20 minutes before I left and let them play and run off energy and get themselves cleared out.  I gave Emma a bone they'd been working on during the week in her crate and decided to crate her in the big crate instead of the smaller one she normally crates in and put Dieter in that crate instead.  I should have reversed it.

I had a physical therapy appointment, a vet visit to recheck Max's ears to ensure his ear infection was cleared up and weigh Malcolm to find out if my increase of food had him growing on track again and a client consult.  I left at 2 PM and would return just after 5:30 PM.  When I came in the house I could smell poop and wondered which of the two dogs had an accident.  It turned out to be Emma.

She had pooped, a lot, in her crate while I was gone and sat, laid and walked in it.  I let her out and sent her outside for the time it would take me to clean up the crate and floor (poopy foot prints) and get the bathroom setup to bath her.  I then clipped her lead on and walked her into the bathroom and bathed her.  She was very unamused with the sudden bath, but there was no way I was sleeping with her that way nor sending her home that way.

The poop was a little runny so it may have been a slightly upset stomach or simply she wasn't happy being crated and she stressed herself enough to get an upset stomach and thus pooped.  I don't know.  She was happy enough when I let her out and didn't give any appeasement or stress signs at the time, so I am truly at a loss as to why she had such an accident.  Poor baby.

She was curly as all get out and damp for most of the night after that; it was unavoidable.  I can't let her stay covered in her own poop - it's not fair to her or her owners.  I was going to brush her out that night, since bathing her tightens her curls into little knots, but since I would be heading to Haute Paws Grooming the next day, I decided to ask them to show me the best way to make her coat look right after a brushing and brush her there instead.

She was in a great mood the rest of the evening and after she dried enough she wouldn't make me wet, we cuddled and she slept like a log during the night without any further incident, but it wasn't something I expected to return too.  I think from now on I'll just put her in the smaller crate where she doesn't have as much room and see if that prevents a repeat of this surprise when I return from required errands.

See ya next week!
Thursday

Her curls were so tight when she woke and she looked like a little hobo with her hair all flat.  I knew I had an early morning and needed to head out to Max's scheduled grooming for my trip, so I didn't do any formal training, but instead packed up the entire household with Walter and headed out just after 9:40 AM.

Emma was happy to go and a bit surprised we'd packed up Dieter also.  Sandi and Ralph, who own Haute Paws, had invited all four dogs to come for the day while I worked on training their puppy Pi and they tormented Max with a bath and brush.  I had to look like some over taxed dog walker walking four dogs across the parking lot - Max working on my left and Emma, Dieter and Malcolm walking like a mini herd on my right.  Funny thing is, all three walked pretty much loose lead - though Emma is back to pulling again so I will need to work on that more.

Emma was happy to hang out and sniff the three Bermese Mountain Dogs (two puppies and an adult) and Lulu (a Pug) and hang out watching the activities.  I take her to the groomers once a week and drop her off and she doesn't see me for 3 days after that.  This was a visit to a groomer without my leaving - which I hope helps her relax a bit with my taking her to her regular grooming appointments.

It was a great day and I saw lots of fantastic behaviors from her that I rewarded randomly during the day.  She laid quietly watching us and being very confident and regal.  Sandi, who has met Emma previously, was highly impressed with Emma's improvement.  She could see she was calmer, more confident and relaxed.  Nice to hear!

We put Emma up on the table and Sandi showed me a better way to groom Ms. Emma.  We got her tight curls brushed and trimmed and dremmeled her nails and cleaned up her potty area a tiny bit to make her daily care easier.  She was great for the brushing, but nail trims are a nightmare for her and I had to hold her and reassure her we were not removing her feet.  Poor baby.

I had asked Sandi and Ralph to do Max as quickly as possible so I could be back in time for Emma's pick up time.  I set a two hour block aside for the family to pick her up in, and though I know they generally don't arrive at the top of that 2 hour block, I make myself available during it anyway.  I had Walter walk each dog out individually (except Max) and cue them to potty and load them in the van as we prepared to leave.  He said that all but Malcolm pottied - Malcolm had gone potty a short time before that and simply didn't need to pee.  He reported that it took Emma some time to get to business, but she did go.

She and all the other dogs, after an adventure of new people, dogs, smells and sounds were exhausted and slept on the way home.  Once here they all tanked up on water and I finally got a chance to clean up the yard.  I haven't been able to get to that job since the snow flew about 3 weeks ago.  With five dogs using .12 acre to go in, it can get a bit thick if not picked up regularly year round.  With the snow almost a foot deep at one point and the poop hidden and then a sudden thaw that left the yard a swamp for 3 days I simply couldn't get the job done until today.

I let her and the boys out with me and they played and romped in the yard while I picked up.  She was outside when her caregiver came to get her.  She was in fantastic spirits after a good romp in the yard and I watched as she walked tall and jumped in her van to head out for the long weekend.  She won't return until Next Tuesday and a long day of dog friendly public access was a good end to her week and then a fun filled weekend with her family.

I am happy to see her confidence and mental and emotional health improve so much.  She showed no fear signs all day and had a great day and I do believe she'll handle other public access situations with more confidence now.  I am looking forward to restarting that part of her training.


Level 1
Zen Target Come Sit Down
Step Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed

Level 2
Zen Come Sit Down Target
Step Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed
Focus Lazy Leash Go To Mat Crate Distance
Step 3 Completed 2 Completed 2
Jump Relax Handling Tricks Communication
Step 1 3 Completed Completed Completed

Level 3
Zen Come Sit Down Target
Step 3 Completed 2 1 1
Focus Lazy Leash Go To Mat Crate Distance
Step 0 Completed 0 4 0
Jump Relax Handling Retrieve Communication
Step Completed 2 Completed Completed 1

Level 4
Zen Come Retrieve Target Relax
Step Completed 0 Completed 0 0
Focus Lazy Leash Go To Mat Crate Distance
Step 0 Completed 0 5 0
Handling Communication


Step Completed 0


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

17 Months: Training - Days 259 - 263

Excuse me sir, I was here first.
Monday - Friday

Emma returned with her spirits high and her bounce in full force.  I had hoped that the small changes I was seeing the week before, better focus, confidence and persistence would continue and I wasn't disappointed.  She was a new dog!

Emma has been, since she was a baby, a challenge to train.  She was uncertain, even as a baby, about taking food when offered and some days she was so fearful she would slink away and pee herself.  It was a challenge to bolster confidence and work at a pace that kept her from shutting down.  Had I even thought that teaching her to eat would change so much in her I would have done it ages ago.

She worked 3 Rounds of Tug Tasks with me.  We worked on the cabinet door, the easier of the tasks to start teaching the concept she can pull as well as push the same item.  She had been barely opening the cabinet before this and lifting her paw as she did, her sign she was worried.  Even with Malcolm making a fuss behind the gate across the kitchen she would just glance at him and then go right back to the task at hand and was IN THE GAME.

Do you know this dog?


She was up, her tail waving happily and her face relaxed and happy.  She was working on the task with a steady improvement each time she pulled and though the paw was coming up, she was starting to lift less and work harder, a sign her confidence was improving.  She got the cabinet half way open, the furthest she's ever opened it and she was totally ready to keep working when her time finished.  Who is this dog and why hadn't she shown up before?

We then worked Swing Finish and for the first time she wasn't shy, worried, slow, hunched, low to the ground, but up and almost dancing!  Who is this dog?!  For 2 Rounds she was playing and having a great time with zero fear!  I love it.

Tuesday was a no training day.  I had appointments and I wanted her to think on what I had worked on the day before.  Returning to full training needs to be done with some care and I want her fantastic mood to stay.  She's eating without hesitation and dancing when I bring out the food and I am loving it.

Wednesday I had only Emma and Malcolm to train since I had afternoon appointments and Ronda and I decided to keep Jack home.  She was once again ignoring Malcolm who was whining at the gate like he was be tortured - which he was, since I was giving food to someone else.  She would glance at him and work on her tug task - which was once again opening the cabinet.

She continued to improve and her entire body was relaxed and I had very little paw lifting.  She opened the cabinet! I have it on film and I was thrilled.  Once she got it open she was flying.  She knew she had it figured out and the paw lift just faded away as she improved on the skill.  I am so happy with her progress!

We again worked on pivoting as I pivot.  I was standing at the time, but will transfer it to a chair and finally the wheelchair.  It's a safety factor to keep her feet out from under the wheels and makes her look more professional when working with the chair.  She was so happy and focused and even began getting the idea of backing up with me.  This is just plain fun now.

Thursday we worked on shaping a back up to help her learn to pull open a drawer.  We moved our tug task to the drawer, but she was again at that, I don't know what you want and was starting to shut down.  I changed tracks and asked for a back up and low and behold, she's swinging into a heel!  Clearly she has that on her mind and has been working it out.  I can see her looking to get into the right position and it's just plain fun to watch.  What a smarty pants.

We also worked on tugging a sock off of my hand.  I had it loose on my hand and started the tug task she'll need to help her handler pull off his clothes.  She got the idea, but I had the sock on very loosely.  I then went and got a jacket and hung it over my shoulder with my arm in the sleeve and she was able to solve and pull my jacket off my arm.

She was soft on her pull in the beginning and it took a lot of click and pull to get there, but once she pulled it off the first time she suddenly got it and pulled it with gusto the second time.  She is better with my right arm than my left, but I will continue to build up to removing a jacket proper.

Friday she went for grooming, so she ate breakfast and we left for the groomers.  Unlike the last time, she wasn't shaking in fear when we arrived, but she wasn't totally happy to be there either.  Inside she kept trying to pull me away to the front door.  At least it was nerves this time and not full blown fear.

What a remarkable change in this tiny mite of a pup.  I am very happy with her and will soon rebuild her public access training and see if she can't improve on that and not have the fallout I've seen in the past.


Level 1
Zen Target Come Sit Down
Step Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed

Level 2
Zen Come Sit Down Target
Step Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed
Focus Lazy Leash Go To Mat Crate Distance
Step 3 Completed 2 Completed 2
Jump Relax Handling Tricks Communication
Step 1 3 Completed Completed Completed

Level 3
Zen Come Sit Down Target
Step 3 Completed 2 1 1
Focus Lazy Leash Go To Mat Crate Distance
Step 0 Completed 0 4 0
Jump Relax Handling Retrieve Communication
Step Completed 2 Completed Completed 1

Level 4
Zen Come Retrieve Target Relax
Step Completed 0 Completed 0 0
Focus Lazy Leash Go To Mat Crate Distance
Step 0 Completed 0 5 0
Handling Communication


Step Completed 0


Monday, February 10, 2014

17 Months: Training - Days 255 - 258

Her face has matured so much.
Tuesday - Friday

This will be a short blog post because not a lot happened last week for Emma outside of her continuing to learn to eat.    We had spent the week before working on learning to eat from a ceramic bowl with great success.  She was more confident in her daily activities and handling stress better overall.  I was very pleased with her continued progress.

I changed from the ceramic bowl to the metal bowl on her return on Tuesday after a long weekend with her family.  She once again choose not to eat when I set the metal bowl down and after a slow count to five I picked it up.  I watched her look up in a bit of surprise that I was still serious about her eating when presented with her food and went about the rest of my day.  That evening she ate her meal without hesitation or stopping.  It was a short battle between us with a single missed meal reminding her that despite the type of bowl she was to eat when offered.

For the remainder of the week she continued to improve on her confidence and emotional well being.  She was more upbeat, highly excitable at time and quick to recover from frights or concerns throughout the week.  I even did little bits of training with nothing more than praise and no food.  I wanted her kibble to raise in value and teaching her to eat did that.

The only problem I had is she peed in the house twice during the night, despite being put outside prior to bedtime.  She used the pads I lay out for Dieter, but it's not the first time I've had her pee in the house while I am sleeping and I don't know if it is because Dieter pees in the house or not.  She tends to lift her leg on my power chair and I've had her do that three times now.  A pee pad is now set along the edge of the power chair to prevent her peeing directly on it.

She also had a poop accident in the house during one night.  Still don't know what that was about, but I didn't react and just cleaned it up and it hasn't happened since.  She may have just had a couple of bad nights - but I am now not filling the water dish after 6 PM.  They have fresh water all day, but between Emma and Dieter I want to stop the process of learning they can sneak off and pee when I am sleeping.

Overall, Emma's progress with this two week protocol has truly improved her attitude overall.  She's a happier, more relaxed, less worried dog who is now curious about training and wants to join in when I am working with the other dogs.  I am truly looking forward to returning to regular training, but I think this break now has truly made a turn around for her.


Level 1
Zen Target Come Sit Down
Step Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed

Level 2
Zen Come Sit Down Target
Step Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed
Focus Lazy Leash Go To Mat Crate Distance
Step 3 Completed 2 Completed 2
Jump Relax Handling Tricks Communication
Step 1 3 Completed Completed Completed

Level 3
Zen Come Sit Down Target
Step 3 Completed 2 1 1
Focus Lazy Leash Go To Mat Crate Distance
Step 0 Completed 0 4 0
Jump Relax Handling Retrieve Communication
Step Completed 2 Completed Completed 1

Level 4
Zen Come Retrieve Target Relax
Step Completed 0 Completed 0 0
Focus Lazy Leash Go To Mat Crate Distance
Step 0 Completed 0 5 0
Handling Communication


Step Completed 0