Time for some Anthropomorphizing !
We were out for a wonderful walkies today. Maren calls them "field trips". Dogs appreciate beautiful autumn days too! We were full of zoom! We were happy to run and play and explore the forest trails. Maren always seems to get her camera out on days like this so we stayed nice and close so we could have a chance of getting our picture taken!
Whenever Maren stops along the trail we know there is a pretty good chance of something good happening. Positive reinforcement works wonders! Kinda like gambling ... if there is even a slight chance of getting a jackpot (the good treats from the left pocket this time?!?) then it is worthwhile to keep trying it out. Lots more stories about that ... but back to today...
So Maren seems to always have us in the corner of her eye at all times. Whenever one of us checks in and looks at her she acknowledges us and then VOILA she says "Yes" and we get some kind of reinforcement ... sometimes a treat, sometimes praise, sometimes a scritchy scratchy, maybe a stick or a chance to run alongside her or play hide and seek in the brush or ... ooops, getting carried away ... it's just good to check in with Maren 'cause she finds fun and interesting and tasty things when we do that!
Our names are also important and worthwhile responding to! Same thing ... never know what kind of fun or good stuff happens after we hear our name. After a while Rocky doesn't bother responding to the name Trixie, or Baxter doesn't both responding to the name Opal, but if thier name is spoken ... instant HEAD FLICK!
Sometimes Maren calls the whole group to come with a whistle. I think there is video of that on the blog too ... the whistle is the BEST! It is always followed by the extra high value reinforcements (fancy dog trainer language but reinforcers can be different depending on the individual ... can't imagine why not all dogs love sticks like me but hey, I guess not all dogs love being petted either ... their reward might just be sweet talkings ...) anyway ... got carried away again talking about rewards! Maren's dog Opal turned on a dime once when a deer bounded away right in front of her ... hard to imagine but the whistle had been sooooo well reinforced and the response was so visceral and automatic that when Maren blew the whistle Opal just spun around and came! We are in awe... but our whole group turned away from a bear about a month ago too so I suppose we're awesome too!
So back to today ...
Oh, actually one more thing ...
Us dogs that have been hanging around with Maren for a while know the Gather Around Routine well. She stops. We gather around. Polite is right! Don't sit too far away but pushiness doesn't pay off either. If some dog tries to push another dog out then the other dog gets a treat. If some schmuck tries to hoard the treats then he gets pushed outta the circle (simply stepping into another dogs space works wonders). Some dogs are worried about other dogs coming close but even they soon learn that there is no threat there ... if a dog comes close then the treat rate actually goes up. Cool! I learned that one! I actually like other dogs getting into my space now! And, the longer you stay sitting, the higher your chances of more coming your way. Don't have to yell at us to stay! We like that idea! Then the ultimate reward ... give eye attention to Maren and then she leads us on the next part of the adventure!!! Arf Wuff Arrrooooooooo!
Twice today we encountered a motorcyclist. I don't know who heard the loud vroooming noise first, Maren or us dogs, but the sound of a motorcycle has become emotionally conditioned to mean good things to us. Maren moves off to the side at a wide part of the trail (the start of the Gather Around Routine that I just told you about.) Some of the dogs that have been doing field trips for a while actually turn to look at Maren at the first sound of a motorcycle ... or bicycle for that matter ... no yelling and compulsion or aversive training techniques needed to stop a bike chases ... but that's for another blog entry ...
So today ... yes, back to today again ... Dogs are sometimes said to have a sixth sense but Maren swears she didn't consciously hear the helicopter coming ... she had the camera out and was videoing us playing the "Name Game" when suddenly it was almost overhead ... and LOUD!
We had played the "Gather Around" game with the motorcycle earlier in the walk so the routine was fresh in our memory. Noise + Maren stops = Gather around and have the extra good treats from the left pocket and happy praise and take turns and make eye contact and then be released to romp and adventure some more!
Moral of the story?
"Why check out or chase or worry about a motorcycle or helicopter or whatever the case may be ... when Maren leads us confidently aside and makes it worth our while!" We trust our leader and take our cues from her!
Dog Star Daily has a lot of good advice and hey, here is that fancy word!
http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/what-anthropomorphism
Some of the training games that Maren uses with us are taught in her Training Workshops. Check out http://pawinhand.blogspot.com/p/step-one.html
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