Lena accompanied us to the dog shows in Oshkosh last weekend, with a goal of generalizing behaviors, and desensitizing her to noises such as dryers.
Lena passed the first goal with flying colors! She applied her "fronts up" cue to a large metal dog bowl, a cardboard box, and a suitcase. Why go to great efforts to teach her to perform what seems like a useless behavior? Because it is a cure strengthening and focus exercise, and one which has helped her learn the cue to wait. I'll also use this for teaching heel position.
The desensitization was a bit more challenging. She was able to remain quiet if she had something good to chew on. Covering her crate also helped significantly, both examples of good management. We used her breakfast to pair the dryer noise with eating, a classic use of counter-conditioning and desensitization.
The last few days were spent working on teaching 2 impulse control exercises - taking treats slowly and decreasing her compulsive circling behavior.
Lena's excitability leaves her prone to gulping treats. This makes her more likely to move out of position whenever working with food. To change this I work multiple times each day delivering treats from hand to mouth VERY SLOWLY. Any movement from Lena makes the treat move away, teaching her to be patient and remain under control, which decreases the "grab and gulp."
The circling behavior is a struggle. I am working to change this behavior with two approaches - management with a leash (prevents the rehearsal) and marking and rewarding any behavior that is not circling
The circling is really an outlet for excitement and energy. I also now know that if I play "find it" a few times prior to a training session her circling behavior is significantly less.
Until I can get these two behaviors under control other, more precise behaviors, are hard to teach.
And oh, she's in season, so hormones are also a factor now. We march on!
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