Error-less, force free training is as exciting for viewers as watching paint dry. There's no big reactions by the dog; no big exclamations or corrections by the trainer; no sense of danger or conflict.
By setting the dog up for success and incrementally increasing the difficulty, a "don't bark and lunge at livestock" session looks like a gentle stroll in a paddock.
Sessions are kept short, criteria and communication is clear, TV-worthiness is zero ;)
The next session will be on harness and long-line in the same paddock, but again a successful session will look like there's no problem behaviour being worked on.
*video of LAT session at 5x speed so you don't fall asleep watching it
First go at tracking for today's enrichment. She's a dog that loves nothing more than to use her nose, so this was a perfect activity.
Barrier frustration (aka fence fighting)
When you have two dogs separated by a fence they can find it highly reinforcing to "talk smack" with no danger of ending up in a fight. Running between two small areas that provide a glimpse (whether visual or olfactory) and yelling at each other is good fun for the dogs. Unfortunately, humans aren't that keen on listening to this new-found pastime.
Management is key. Adding a second internal fence, or using a longline in the garden to prevent practising the behaviour will speed up the training process.
I was prepared for a fun agility enrichment session today, but quickly switched to working on barrier frustration when the fence running, screaming and barking started. Axel obviously wasn't on lead at the time, and he would not disengage from the other dog. The only option was to go and get a lead and physically move him away.
This video shows 3 parts of today's training:
1. Following the initial explosion, we walk circles to calm down. Herding breeds often find movement more soothing than staying still. I keep my tone neutral. Once he settles sufficiently, we move to the problem areas for scatter feeding to change his focus from the fence to the ground, and also to engage that nose.
2. Mark and reward all behaviour that is *not* barking/lunging/running. Keep that rate of reinforcement very high.
3. Alternating holding the lead and dragging the lead. His arousal is high, but he disengages quickly. Look at that perfect choice he makes when the dog barks 🥰
After such a brilliant response, we moved away from the fence and went for a nice walk. End on a high note!
One short session won't give an instant fix, but with practice of desirable behaviour and prevention of undesirable behaviours, the garden will again become a pleasant place to hang out.
What better time to complete an enrichment assignment than on an enrichment visit :) Especially when the temperature outside is horribly hot.
Scent work is such a great activity. It not only exercises the dog's strongest sense, but it's inexpensive, provides endless possibilities for challenging their searching skills, and can be done anywhere. Perfect for rainy days or heat waves!
Axel was introduced to English Tea Shop: Chocolate, rooibos and vanilla tea for the first time, and was amazing 👏
Food enrichment is an easy way to not only feed your dog and give them mental exercise, but it's also extremely useful for confidence building, problem solving, and increasing persistence which leads to increased optimism.
Lulu was familiar with Kongs, but this week she has learned (and mastered) the Wobbler, navigated obstacles, eaten in low pressure and higher pressure environments, persevered with the Tumbler, and had a good nose workout with a snuffle mat.
Confidence is noticeably increasing, stress is decreasing, and she's not quitting as easily when the puzzle is challenging.
#canineenrichment #foodpuzzle
Progress like this fills me with joy. Lulu has generalised anxiety (basically the whole world is terrifying) and noise sensitivity.
Four days ago, walking out to the front of the house caused panic - pull to end of lead, frantic movement, and she sat shaking at the end of the driveway. She was way out of "thinking" zone and unable to respond to even her name.
Today we hung out in the front garden. Tethered on long line and harness for safety and freedom of movement. She could think, respond quickly, and just look at that happy tail <3
There's a lot more work to do - a lot more confidence building, problem solving ability, resilience and coping techniques to implement, but for today this made my heart happy :)
Building confidence in anxious dogs needs to be approached from multiple angles. Still getting to know Lulu and her triggers, but we can get a head start on increasing her problem solving skills and persistence by introducing different food puzzles.
A quick demonstration was enough to get her pushing and moving the toy around to get her food.
