7 Months, 2 Weeks: Training - Day 75

Emma had a busy day today!

Socialization.  Many people think that socialization means exposing the dog to a lot of people and other dogs, but that is not all that socializes a dog.  The dog also needs to explore many surfaces, sounds, smells and sights as well as meeting new dogs and people in a proper manner which doesn't foster aggression or fear.  Confidence is built within the dog as they discover what had once seemed frightening is just another way of earning rewards from the handler.  For Emma, socialization with people and dogs has been done and she's able to be around new dogs without fear or aggression and new people without loosing her mind and jumping on everyone.  She's also experienced new surfaces including carpets, wood floors and decks, gravel and pavement, grass and slick floors and shiny floors.

That is not the only type of surfaces she should explore; there are narrow walkways and high walkways (such as the mall) and even bridges she has not explored yet.  There are unstable footing such as teeters and loose rocks and logs.  There is areas where she's covered such as tunnels and narrow aisles.

Sounds are another thing she needs a wider exposure too.  Chickens, goats, horses and cows are common in our area, so hearing the sounds they make and not becoming highly distracted by them is important.  Other dogs barking in the distance she hears daily and a rooster lives in our area which crows at odd hours, but she hasn't heard a Morning Dove sing or other song birds until this spring.  Phones, car horns, loud trucks, motorcycles and more need to be sounds she hears and learns won't harm her.

She's seen her owners in funny hats and flowing clothes as well as some strangers wearing them.  Children on bicycles and scooters have become common sights in my neighborhood and even garbage trucks and UPS trucks are becoming common sights for her.  She's seen many common things, but the strange happens in public access and so I am exposing her to new sights such as a tunnel in my living room or geese in the park.  Each time I reward heavily for looking at and dealing with a new and somewhat frightening experience and with each she's become more confident as a result.

Today I brought out the tunnel for her to play with.  The story of the dog eating tunnel is below - but I must say her ability to overcome her fright and explore the tunnel was heart warming and a confidence booster for both of us.

Today's Lessons:

Focus

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 2 Focus.  In this step Emma is asked to keep eye contact with me or her handler for 2 seconds.  Emma is still not able to offer a steady 2 second eye contact cold.  Today I worked again from eye flicks to eye contact and built up to 4 seconds eye contact while hovering and paying heavily for 2 second eye contact.  I think taking Emma outside and working a bit on eye contact there and rewarding heavily for any form of eye contact will make indoor eye contact easier for her.

Last night in class I paid heavily for 1 and 2 second eye contact and got up to 4 second eye contact while in class.  This was still, technically, an indoor exercise, so I think re-explaining that I want her to look into my eyes outside will help her understand the overall concept.  I will begin working on that concept today when I take her out for her long line work.

Down

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 4 Down.  In this step Emma is asked to hold a down 1 minute while I stand 20 feet away from her.  Today Emma was able to do a 50 second down on her first session and a 55 second down on her second session.  I will continue to work this step until she can do a 1 minute down in the house and then take it outside to work again in the yard.

Follow The Leader

Emma is in Finishing School at Diamonds in the Ruff which means she has homework for the classes.  The homework happens to complement all the training she's had so far.  Today I did one of the homework assignments in front of the house.  I used the neighbors mailbox and my van at the two focal points and put Emma on a 15 foot long line.  I would walk toward one focal point and when she ran past me turn and start for the second.  In short order Emma was pacing me and not passing me as we worked up and down the street.  It was a great time outside and Emma did a fantastic job.

Evil Dog Eating Tunnel

Ronda gave me a tunnel to work the dogs with.  Max is my tunnel expert and the moment I cued him to go through it at Ronda's house he shot through the tunnel without hesitation.  Max has done many different sized and shaped (curved or straight) tunnels in the past and we were just checking to see if I could get Jack to do that tunnel eventually.

Today I brought out the tunnel and let the dogs explore it.  Just as Emma was getting really curious about the tunnel Max shot through making a horrible noise and causing the tunnel to rock and move toward her.  She and Jack bolted for the hills, convinced the evil tunnel had eaten Max, but things only got worse as Max was ejected from the other end.  The next thing I knew Emma was behind my chair with that "Are you trying to kill me?" look on her face.

I called her to me and sat on the floor with her in my lap and let her watch the dogs explore and play with the tunnel.  She wouldn't take her kibble and was convinced I was about to feed her to the tunnel.  She bolted the moment I relaxed my hug and I had to call her back to me several times before she was convinced I wouldn't force her into the tunnel.

Since she would take kibble I figured it was time to pull out the big guns and got her treat pouch from the night before.  I tethered Jack and crated Max and let Attitude, who was wandering in and out of the tunnel (Attitude had never done a tunnel before in her life), explore with Emma and I working on Emma just engaging the tunnel.

Emma poked it with her nose and got a click and then she looked in at Attitude and got a click and then she put her head in the opening and got a click and then she explored with her feet and got a click.  I picked up Attitude and put her in the chair and tossed some treats in a line down the tunnel and Emma went in and followed the line of treats to the other end, where I was waiting with a big jackpot.

We kept this up and occasionally scooped up Attitude to get her out of the way for a few more minutes before Emma entered the tunnel without treats and went the length of it to me.  After that I started cuing her to "go in" and she would enter and run the tunnel for the rewards at the end.  At one point I was even on my belly on one end when she peered at me from the other and I called her to me through the tunnel and gave her a handful of treats.

Her tail was up, she was relaxed and calm and she was showing greater confidence that something which has frightened her so badly before this was not as bad as she had first thought.

In the end Emma went through the tunnel a good 12 times before I packed it up for the day and put it away.  What a great experience for Emma and what a brave girl for trying out new things when she'd been so worried about it to begin with.

Field Trip

Yes, Emma had a busy day today!  Today I took Emma to the Zips closest to my house.  When we arrived I waited for her to calm down in the parking lot before starting for the building.

Emma was very excited and distracted and this shows me she's not ready to try to make a purchase while in the building.  Across the street there is a truck stop and between it and the strong smells of the semi trucks and the strong smells of the restaurant, Emma had a very had time focusing on what we were doing.  It took us several back ups and refocus exercises to walk loose lead to the front door.

At the front door she entered politely into the area between the exterior and the interior door.  I had not intended to go further until she was focused because she suddenly lost her focus when we entered where the food smells were much stronger.  Unfortunately a man was exiting and held the door open for us and the only way, in that tiny tight space, for all of us to pass each other was for me to enter the building.

Emma was tense and worried inside and I worked her toward the bathrooms and away from the seating area to bring back her focus.  I kept her on a loose lead and was able to get a Sit, Down, Zen and Target out of her while working on keeping her focus.  She found it very hard to give me focus.  Emma is not ready to continue with moving to make a purchase at this time.  We'll return to work in the entrance a couple of more times before we can go further with her restaurant training.

I am hoping to take her to the truck stop on Thursday, given my energy level and how busy I am, and work with her outside on just exploring and viewing the busy location.

Observations

I am planning on finding ways to build Emma's confidence each week.  This week we are exploring tunnels in my home and will so explore tunnels in the yard.  Next week I hope to show her she can walk along a board a couple of inches off of the ground and not die and then work on funny sounding footing (hallow or crinkly) and build up her experience with new items in her world that she can conquer and earn rewards with.

She is a lot more confident now than 2 months ago.  Two Months ago she would never have recovered from the fright of the tunnel and tried to explore it - even for bits of hot dog.  She's willing to try uneven surfaces in my yard now that I have a cement slab that is broken up and piled up by the garage.  She's not as reactionary to new stimulus, such as people entering the training center last night at the end of class or seeing new people outside of my yard.  She's ready to try new things because a trust between us has developed and she believes I won't allow her to be hurt - thus she is willing to push that boundary of fear to learn about something new.

I am pleased with Emma's continued progress toward becoming a bold and confident adult dog.


Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	5	2	5	4	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	2	2	2	1	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	1	1	Completed	1

Level 3

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

Level 4

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

7 Months, 2 Weeks: Training - Day 74

Emma looks amazing!  Thanks Puppy Pad!

Monday already?  Emma looks amazing!  She was groomed on Friday and the groomer, Puppy Pad, did an amazing job.  Thank you so much for making her look professional and cute at the same time.

Emma arrived with a full blast of energy and pounced on Dieter while I was talking with her owner.  We'll need to work some more on small dog manners with Emma.  She then bounced and played a bit with Max and Jack before sauntering off to find a bone to chew on.  She's so at home here now that she just walks in with "Hi, I had a great weekend" attitude.

Jack was excited to see Emma and did some play pounces at her and tried to get a good game of bitey face started.  It took a few minutes to let everyone settle before I could start this mornings lessons.

This week Emma starts Finishing School.  I am looking forward to seeing how well she'll do in a new class of new dogs and how well she'll focus on the lessons presented.  I'll keep everyone updated - but since her classes are on Monday's I may have to wait to post her posts on Tuesday if I am too tired to work on them after her class.

Today's Lessons:

Focus

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 2 Focus.  In this step Emma is asked to hold eye contact for 2 seconds.  It's been a while since we worked on Focus, so I walked back to "making eye contact" to remind her what I was paying for today.  We spent one session on just making eye contact.  At first she was a bit flighty about making eye contact, but shortly got the idea that was paying and started to give me more meaningful eye contact.  I will continue to work this step until she can give solid 2 second eye contact.

Down

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 4 Down.  In this step Emma is asked to hold a down for 1 minute while I stand 20 feet away from her.  Today Emma held her down for 30 seconds while I stood 20 feet away from her.  I'll continue to build up her duration on a down by 5 second increments.

On our second session Emma was able to do a 35 second down while I stood 20 feet to her right. Emma was relaxed and didn't fidget while waiting. She's figured out the beep of the microwave ends the behavior, so I am guiding her back to the spot I placed in the down and ask for another down before treating her.

On our third session Emma did a 40 second down with me standing 20 feet away from her.

On our fourth session Emma did a 45 second down with me standing 20 feet away from her.

Emma is progressing nicely with this behavior.

Pivot

I set the book down for Emma to stand on and she stepped onto it automatically.  I am very happy to see this.  She also remembered she needed to move her back feet and keep her front feet on the book.  She was able to pivot both left and right and did a full pivot all the way around the book to the left.  Emma is progressing nicely with this training.

Finishing School

Emma is taking Finishing School this month.  It is a six week course in which Emma will learn how to work with duration, distance and distraction.  Since Emma has already been working on these behaviors here, it will be wonderful for her to practice them there.

This class has two German Shepherds, a Labrador, an Australian Shepherd and a Pitbull in the class.  Only the Pitbull has been in a class with Emma previously.  This is a dog who needs help dealing with high stress and working around other dogs, and thus is behind gates and blankets to block her view of the other dogs in the classroom.  One of the German Shepherds, a 3 year old, is a fearful dog who is afraid of his own shadow.  Emma's focus on me and not on him has truly aided in his ability to sit in a new location within the building.  The other German Shepherd, a 12 month old, is well socialized and friendly.  The Australian Shepherd is also friendly, but very active and the Labrador is a 5 month old boy who loves everything he meets.

Emma was highly focused on me during class and able to do the Zen and Level 1 Behaviors asked of her without hesitation.  She stayed at my feet and though curious about the other dogs, didn't loose her mind or ability to focus and train.

The only time she lost her mind was when her owner stopped in to pay for the class.  We'll need to begin working on greeting known people calmly and without throwing herself into a frenzy.

Next week we are to bring a list of cues Emma knows.  This list includes context cues.  Emma knows when I hold her leash she is to sit and let me put it on and when we go outside she is to sit and wait to be released - these are elements of her vocabulary and communication with people.  I will write up Emma's vocabulary and share it on this blog.

She is also to practice this week on Sit for Petting.  This means that when someone goes to pet her she is to remain seated and not jump up or move unless cued to do so.  She is to build distance with her sit and down, which she's been working on and start working on a long line out in a park or other open area to build her recall with distractions.  I'm going to have a busy week with Emma.

The other reason for the long line is to build her loose leash walking by giving her a choice to walk with me.  The goal is to walk with the dog on a long line without talking and/or encouraging the dog to join me and walk to a set focal point. If the dog passes me I turn 180 degrees and go to a new focal point.  We continue forward as long as the dog is behind or beside me.  Each time we reach a focal point the dog gets a reward and allowed to sniff and we do it again.  Over time the dog realizes that it's their job to pay attention to where I am.

This is going to be a very long week.  I have three dogs who'll enjoy this game and not enough energy for all of them.  I guess each dog gets a day of the week this week.

This class should polish known skills for Emma and prep her for the harder work of going into new public locations.  I am looking forward to Emma's progress!

Observations

Emma has gained a lot of confidence and bravery.  She is bold and ready to try and learn new things, even if sometimes they look a bit scary.  I am happy to see her confidence build each month.

She is teething again - I can't see which teeth she's bringing in, but I can tell by the amount of chewing I have seen all day long.  Given any free time, even playing in the yard, and Emma finds something to chew on to bring in those teeth.  Emma may slow down on her training if her jaw starts to bother her while bringing in the new teeth.


Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	5	2	5	4	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	2	2	2	1	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	1	1	Completed	1

Level 3

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

Level 4

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

7 Months, 1 Week: Training - Day 73

This will be my last blog post for this week, since Emma is scheduled for a grooming first thing tomorrow morning.  I will be waking her in the morning and running her to the groomer by 9 AM.  Next week though will be much more exciting for Emma; she's starting Finishing School on Monday Evening.

Today started nicely with Emma waiting for me to release her from the crate and all of us enjoying the warmer than normal morning as she played in the yard.  She's gotten to the point of chewing on a bone or laying on my bed when I shower in the morning and next week I'll leave the gate down when I shower to add some freedom for the ten minutes I am unable to watch her.

Today my son Wayne visited and I was pleased to see Emma's normal door behavior has improved.  She was still very happy and wiggly to see him, but she didn't jump on him or paw at him when he came into the house.  Later Josh came over and she barked a little, but came to me to see if she was safe and seeing I wasn't concerned by Josh's presence relaxed and ignored him.  She's not certain about Josh, but is learning he's part of the group of people who come to my home.

The interesting thing about Josh and Wayne is neither want to engage the dogs, so ignore them.  This is not normal behavior for people in Emma's mind, since she's one of those dogs people seem to melt over and find too adorable to ignore - even when she's being rude and jumping on them.

We are working on solid door manners and greeting people in the home here to ensure she doesn't become the jumping and annoying dog that people dread to see when the door opens.  Having her on lead and insisting on a sit before meeting a new person, pulling her back so she can't jump on them she her front feet come off the floor and keeping her on lead until she's calm has made a huge difference in her behavior and today I saw a lot of that when Wayne walked through the door.

This weekend I would like the family to work on Level 1 Behaviors in new locations and the Hide and Seek Game with her.

Today's Lessons:

Down

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 4 Down.  In this step Emma is asked to hold a Down for 1 minute while I stand 20 feet away from her.  Today I had a phone call when training her, so I spent the phone call rewarding her randomly while she held a down in the living room.  I was unable to time her, but she kept her down for almost 10 minutes total while I worked with her and randomly treated her for her down.  I am very pleased with this level of control she's showing.

Pivot

Emma is still working on her targeting on a book so she can learn to pivot beside a handler or a wheelchair when working. I have been working for the past two days to get Emma to stand on a book and begin to pivot with her hind legs to follow me as I circle her.  I don't want her front legs to move, just her hind legs, and for her to keep facing me as I circle her - this will eventually work into a full pivot at my side, but until then, she needs to learn she can turn without moving her front feet.

Today she promptly stepped onto the book while I was seated, so I stood and worked the lesson again.  She again quickly stepped onto the book and for the first time started to move her back feet and turn with me.  Though we don't have a full turn or a full understanding of what I am asking, she is figuring it out and I am very pleased with her progress.

I will continue to work this lesson until she's doing a solid pivot beside me.  Please watch the attached YouTube video that shows where I am working toward with Emma in regards to turning with me when I am working with her on a book.

Observations

What a change in this little dog lately.  She's not giving me the Wilting Willow behavior as often, though I still expect to see it from time to time as she matures.  It's a stress behavior and a clear sign she and I need to take a break when it happens.  I have learned to read her stress signs better and kept her just below that threshold, while building it up for her as she matures.

Her ability to contain herself is increasing each day and I am seeing improved play and social behavior with her overall.  I am very pleased with this phase of her maturity.

With the addition of warmer weather and her being able to play in the yard with kids riding bikes by the house and playing down the street, her barking fits over stimulating things has all but left for the most part.  She still has her moments, but overall, she's learning to come to me when something is frightening or over stimulating and thus her need to bark at the world is decreasing.

Next week should be exciting as we enter her next class and work on her advanced leash skills.


Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	5	2	5	4	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	2	2	2	1	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	1	1	Completed	1

Level 3

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

Level 4

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

7 Months, 1 Week: Training - Day 72

Emma says, "I hate being crated when she leaves!"

What a beautiful morning!  Emma now waits patiently for me to wake and doesn't fuss when she hears the alarm go off or the snooze hit.  She is content to wait for me to let her out.  This morning I let her out and stood on the porch enjoying the warmth of the early morning before bringing her back in to enjoy my morning coffee and a bit of Castle before taking my shower.  I don't crate her when I shower now, but instead gate the bedroom to keep her out of too much trouble when I can't watch her for the ten minutes I am showering.

After Jack arrived I took the crew outside so I could enjoy a second cup of coffee and let them play in the yard.  Emma was racing about the yard with a rope in her mouth when her owner arrived at the gate.  We chatted for a couple of minutes while her owner played with her over the gate and then we left.  Emma was overjoyed to see her owner this morning.

Today's training went extremely well.  Emma was engaged and willing to work on basics and her more advanced skills.

Today's Lessons:

Sit

Emma is working on Level 2 Sit Comeafters.  If you remember from yesterday's blog post, Emma is learning how to hold a sit on a new surface or when I step through a door.  Today I selected to work on the door Comeafter.  I used my office door and had her sit in the entry.  I worked up to 5 seconds while I was on one side of the threshold and she was on the other.  She did very well and we'll eventually work up to the front door and Emma holding her sit while I stand outside the front door.

Down

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 4 Down.  In this step Emma is asked that she remain in a down while I walk 20 feet away and stay there for 1 minute.  Today I got up to 25 seconds while Emma remained in a down.  At times Jack stood blocking her view of me and/or one of the other dogs would walk up to her and sniff her.  Emma did extremely well with this level of distaction while I worked on this step.  I will continue to work this step with Emma until she has a solid 1 minute down.

Pivot

Emma worked again on targeting a given location with her front feet so we could eventually work up to a good pivot lesson.  Today I brought out a book and shaped her to put her front feet on the book.  She remembered out lesson from yesterday and was quicker to play with the book and try new things with the book to figure out what I was paying for.  She finally got her two front feet on the book, but currently has no duration on the book.  I will continue to work this lesson until she fully understands I want her to keep her front feet on the book.

Lazy Leash

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 2 Lazy Leash.  Today I had a rare chance to work Emma with a much higher level of distraction then ever before.  The neighbor children were riding their bikes three houses down.  I took Emma into the street and worked on loose leash walking toward the neighbor children.  All of them were gentle and patient with Emma and gave her time to become comfortable with them before trying to pet her.  Emma was worried about the three girls and a bit about the bikes, so I worked on her keeping her leash loose and giving rewards for looking at and checking out the bikes and girls.  Even though she would sometimes duck behind me, she mostly was out and sitting beside me looking at them and accepting the treats I offered.

She let one child touch her without fear and went too and took treats from all three girls, which empowered her and helped her relax with them.  She then did a bit of loose leash walking while the bikes rode by her and even did a sit/stay while a child rode a bike in circles around her.  The bike was less than 5 feet away from her and though she was watching the bike, she was not overly fearful of it.  She did keep her sit and she did spend more time checking in with me than watching the bike.

It was an amazing amount of socialization to bikes, children and even passing cars while working her basic skills.  I am very amazed and pleased with Emma's polite and focused work.

Observations

Emma enjoys playing in the yard and has learned each time she goes into a rolling barking fit I call her into the house and she looses her outside time.  She's stopped barking at the children playing in the street and even stood at the fence and watched them play on their bikes off and on today.  Her ability to see things in the neighborhood outside of the fence and not react to it is getting better every day.

She did go into a bark fit when she saw a neighborhood cat, so I will have to ensure I have plenty of treats on me when we are playing in the yard and reward for looking but not barking at the cats she sees.

Like Jack, she's having a huge issue with my leaving her in the crate when I have to leave the house.  I don't hear her barking or throwing a fit when I return home, unlike Jack, but she does go into a full jail riot when I first leave her in the crate and prepare to leave.  I will work on her being quiet in her crate the rest of this week.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	5	2	5	4	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	2	2	2	1	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	1	1	Completed	1

Level 3

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

Level 4

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

7 Months, 1 Week: Training - Day 71

What a busy day I had!  I had two appointments today, which meant that Emma and Jack both had to be crated while I was away.  It sounded like a prison riot whenever I left with Emma screaming she was framed and she wanted her phone call and Jack rattling his bars and demanding a lawyer.  I will have to work with both of them on being calm when left in the crate when I am not near.

I chose this morning to just feed Jack and Emma their breakfast in their bowls and skip training.  I had to groom and prepare Max for our outing and get the house setup for the day to keep the dogs from overheating while I was away.  I don't have my air conditioners in yet and on these warmer days my home rises to 80+ degrees indoors if I don't crack open windows to allow a breeze in.

When I returned at mid-day Emma was ready and raring to train.  I am starting some of her critical service dog skill training now that she's old enough and focused enough to learn them.  Today she started the first step on learning to properly work with a  wheelchair.  It won't seem so when you read the description - but I don't want to put the cart before the horse with her and screw up what could become a lovely loose lead walk with a wheelchair - be it manual or power.

Today's Lessons:

Sit

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 5 Sit.  Today I tested her again on Level 2: Step 3 Sit adding the final five seconds time to her duration and she got it!  Emma sat, with the dogs milling between her and I, ten feet away from me for one minute!  Way to go little girl!

Level 2: Step 4 Sit is also completed off lead!  I can walk around Emma when she's in the yard, on the street (on lead) and in the house.  I want to work it again with her on lead and build up more locations until she's confident in this step, but she's ready to start Level 2: Step 5 Sit!

Level 2: Step 5 Sit asks for Emma to apply sit to life.  What can we think of that Emma needs to sit for?  Greeting a new person?  Waiting at the door to go outside?  Getting her leash put on?  Emma will be practicing sit as applied to real life events.

Level 2: Step 1 Sit Comeafter asks that we add walking in different directions from Emma while she sits.  If you remember, I walked the entire compass around her.  Emma has passed this Comeafter.  Emma should practice Step 1 and it's Comeafters at home with her owners.

Level 2: Step 2 Sit Comeafter asks that we work up to a 30 second sit while Emma is on a different surface.  We are working that Comeafter in the front yard on Grass and on the Ramp, which is wood and on the street, which is cement.  I will continue to build duration with new surfaces and distractions.  I will also work on her sitting for duration on an elevated surface, such as my bed to improve this skill.

Level 2: Step 3 Sit Comeafter asks that Emma keep her Sit/Stay while I step through a door.  I will work this in combination with Step 2's Comeafter.

Level 2: Step 4 Sit Comeafter asks that I walk around Emma while she has the leash on.  I have started this Comeafter and will work it in many different locations.

Emma will soon pass Level 2 Sit!

Down

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 4 Down.  In Level 2: Step 3 Down Emma was asked to hold her down while I walked ten feet away and returned.  Emma passed that step today without blinking.  All of the Sit/Stay work we've done has built up her ability to handle my walking a distance from her and made that step very easy for her.

In Level 2: Step 4 Down Emma is asked to hold her down for 1 minute while I stand 20 feet away from her.  Today I worked her up to 20 feet distance while in a down, but no duration.  I will begin adding duration this week on her Down and continue to build her ability to handle my walking away from her on all points on the compass while she is in a down.

Pivot

Emma is learning how to pivot with me when I turn.  In the attached video you'll see Max and I working on Lazy Leash Step 2 and Max pivoting with me when we turn.  At one point Max does a complete circle with me while pivoting on my left.  This skill was long and hard to teach in the beginning because he didn't understand he could move his back feet and keep his front feet in position.  Emma is now learning that same lesson.

I am starting Emma the same way I started Max.  Though it may seem I am far off the mark, you must understand I have to give Emma the tools to recognize her feet and what I want with them.  The first part of this lesson is for her to target an object on the floor with her feet.  Tonight I began shaping her to putting her feet on a rubber Frisbee I have and recognize I am clicking for foot contact on the "mark".

I got several good foot contacts, but she's frozen into offering me sits and downs and with the recent refresher course on Zen she's not chasing treats when I toss them.  I will isolate her tomorrow to work on the target behavior again and see if I can't get her more involved in the game.

Eventually, I will raise her feet up onto a book and have her keep both front feet on the book while she learns to move her back feet to turn while facing me.  Over time I will turn that into her turning while aligned with my body and then build that to turning when I am in a swivel chair and finally in a manual wheelchair and end with my power chair.  By the time we have gotten to the power chair she'll be an expect in keeping aligned with a chair when it turns left or right and staying in position when working on leash.

This will lead to her learning to walk loose lead next to a wheelchair, both manual and power, and open the door for her handler's mobility as he grows.

Observations

It looks like it's time to start working on Crate as a project with Emma.  I want her to be okay when I leave with her in the crate and not have her throw a screaming fit when I do.  This means a lesson or two a week of her and I working on my being out of sit off and on while she's in the crate, and rewarding her before her screaming fit.

She has completed Level 2: Step 1 Crate and now needs to work on Level 2: Step 2 Crate so we can build up to the duration portions of Crate and improve her crate behavior overall.  This will be a busy week for both of us!

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	5	2	5	4	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	2	2	2	1	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	1	1	Completed	1

Level 3

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

Level 4

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

7 Months, 1 Week: Training - Day 70

Our day started late.  As I mentioned in Jack's blog, Emma arrived late today.  Her owner was running late and had her daughter bring Emma to me instead.  Emma didn't arrive until 11:30 AM this morning and was so hungry she was nipping my fingers when I was training her.

With the late start I decided to cut up some extra yummy stuff to add to her kibble and took her outside to work.  We worked on Lazy Leash and Sit and Down with distractions.  She was able to focus enough to stay close to me and in the zone when walking, but would occasionally loose track of what we were doing.  This is actually much better than she was when we first made forays into the outdoors.  Before I couldn't get any focus, but now she's regularly checking in.  I am glad to see this.

I have a busy week planned for Emma, so I want to build up some of her skills to make the week possible.  One of them is walking with me without trying to cross in front of me.  I want to train her to walk with my wheelchair so she can join Max and I on walks in the evenings.  It's time she learned how to work with a chair and I believe she's now ready enough to start the process.

This means we'll work on her learning to pivot with me while in position and then with a chair in my office and finally with my manual wheelchair and then my power chair.  It'll take us a bit, but I believe Emma will soon be working with a wheelchair in my home and learn how to stay in position and not get hurt when walking by one.

Today's Lessons:

Lazy Leash

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 2 Lazy Leash.  Today I took Emma out into the street and started by giving her a treat for each step we took and then built up to taking a treat for every 10 to 15 steps we took.  Emma did extremely well, but still tends to cross in front of me when she's a bit excited.  I will work on her learning to stay in position and not crossing in front of me.

Sit

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 4 Sit.  Since I have taken Emma outside and changed the location and distraction level, I returned Emma to Level 1 Sit and worked up to Level 2 Sit.  I was able to walk around Emma while she remained in a sit without reorienting on me.  I will begin to add duration once Emma is comfortable with the distractions of the neighborhood.

On our second session with Sit today I took Emma outside and worked in the yard with the other dogs playing around her.  The attached video will show you how focused Emma has become.  I am very pleased with her ability to do a 10 second Sit/Stay in the yard with all the other dogs out.  What a great day today for Emma!

Down

Emma is working on Level 2: Step 3 Down.  Since I have taken Emma outside and changed the location and distraction level, I have returned Emma to Level 1 Down and worked her up to Level 2 Down.  In this case I was also able to walk around Emma while she was in a down.  I will begin to add distance once Emma has become comfortable with the distractions of the neighborhood.

On our second lesson of the day I asked Emma to guess what I was clicking for.  Though she doesn't understand the question, it will become a cue which means she's to try different behaviors to find what out what is paying today.  It is the beginning of getting her into the mindset of shaping.  Once she figured out I wasn't paying for Sits, but Downs, she offered me downs with speed and joy.

Observations

Emma has a very strong independent streak in her.  She likes to go off and do things by herself, which is good.  This will make it easier for her to be left at home alone and for her to separate from her handler when needed.

She is also gaining confidence with age.  Today when she walked by a group of barking dogs she was distracted, but not panicked.  She was a bit fearful, but the continued rewards as we went by helped her and she came out the other side calmer as a result.  I have a section of my road I call "the tunnel of dogs" which has a group of dogs on both sides of the street that bark and jump against the fences as we go by.  Emma is not ready to go through the tunnel again, but it gave me an idea of what I need to do to build her confidence when passing barking dogs.

She was jumpy, but able to focus and take treats off and on.  She also tended to bark a bit under her breath, so I will need to work up to and eventually through that tunnel when she's confident and not paying attention to the dogs barking at her.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	5	2	4	3	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	2	2	2	1	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	1	1	Completed	1

Level 3

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

Level 4

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

7 Months: Training - Day 69

Soon Emma will be practicing Mat behaviors in new locations.

I had expected a short day with Emma, since she was scheduled for grooming in the afternoon.  The groomer called Emma's owner that morning and canceled the appointment so other arrangements were made to get Emma to her owners for the weekend.  In the end we managed the transfer.

Emma did very well on her final day of the week - she had made huge gains in her Sit/Stay and Retrieve during the week and I was very pleased with her progress.  I look forward to her continued work next week on her basic skills and will start to introduce the idea of working with my wheelchair.

Today's Lessons:

Retrieve

Emma is working on Level 3: Step 2 Retrieve.  In this step Emma is asked to share holding an object in her mouth with me for up to 5 seconds.  I worked Emma slowly up to a good grip on the object, a pencil, and then would add small amounts of time between her taking it and my telling her Yes.  We got up to a good solid 1 second shared hold.  Emma is progressing nicely!

Observations

Emma is progressing nicely and I am pleased to see continued progress in her basic skill set.  I have noted though that her Zen behavior is sliding as is her response time for Sits and Downs.  I want to spend next week doing a bit of refresh and remind on her basic skills and introduce working with them outside with distractions.  I also want to reteach Zen Level 1 & 2 outside so she has a better concept of what we are asking with her Zen behavior.

I plan to take her out for a couple of outings next week, but my week is very full.  I have 2 appointments on Tuesday and 2 on Wednesday and Josh is returning on Thursday.  I will also be visiting my mother in the hospital on Monday evening after her heart surgery.

I hope to take Emma to Big R and Zips next week to begin her working in new public locations.  The goal of Big R will be to fully proof and test Level 1 behaviors while the purpose of Zips will be to walk up to and, if possible, into a restaurant without her becoming too over stimulated.  If I can not enter, we'll work on Level 1 behaviors in the parking lot.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed	Completed

Level 2

	Zen	Come	Sit	Down	Target
Step	5	2	4	3	Completed
	Focus	Lazy Leash	Go To Mat	Crate	Distance
Step	2	2	2	1	1
	Jump	Relax	Handling	Tricks	Communication
Step	1	1	1	Completed	1

Level 3

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

Level 4

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