Ashlyn playing one of Leslie McDevitt's pattern games with Dear Mister Jebediah Wade 💕 Jebby loves coming to tiny teen socials, but he doesn't love other puppies in his face. This was a really fun way to give Jebby his own little activity that didn't include direct engagement with other puppies 💕 #patterngames #controlunleashed
Daisy (fka Peggy-O at OTAT) came in super nervous for her first social. She spent some time just lying down watching but wasn't comfortable enough to explore her side of the room. We started playing Leslie McDevitt's Pattern Games and she turned right on! She was comfortable offering eye contact, so her eye contact is my cue to mark, move to the other station, and reward. I ended up adding the step stool in as a third station, which was awesome. She was super happy to play the game and occasionally check out the puppy on the other side of the room. Note that if she hadn't been comfortable making eye contact, I would've just rewarded her back and forth without waiting for any behavior from her. Pattern Games are amazing! 💕
#patterngames #controlunleashed
Little Lucy Bean showing off her stellar recall skills 💕
Posting for accountability! Lucy has historically struggled with taking pills. I've always tried to hide them in really smelly high-value food, but piglet won't be fooled and will now leave sardines untouched if she thinks there might be pills inside.
@rainorshinecaninepdx challenged me to up my game and train Lucy to take her pills voluntarily. I read the brilliant protocols by @lauravanarendonkbaugh and @eileenanddogs and decided to take the plunge! Lucy loves to eat, so I'm simply teaching her that eating a piece of food is a reinforceable behavior.
I started with a bowl of kibble and little balls of stale bread and a bag of homemade dog-safe meatballs. I used the verbal marker "yes!" when she ate a piece of food from the bowl, then rewarded her with a meatball. I knew she'd eat the presented food, so I introduced the verbal cue "pill poppin'" during this first session.
I have empty gel capsules that I'll work into this game in the future! ❤️
I'm thankful for this beautiful bean! We're playing around with the game @hannah_branigan calls "Whack and Back" -- it's a paw target with distance.
At one point Lucy forgets what the game is. I would've intervened if she hadn't figured it out! I gave her a jackpot when she did, because that was really hard for her AND she didn't dissolve into a barky pile of frustration.
Watch her at the end -- she's getting tired of the game (you can see her visibly slow down) so she chooses to perform a completely different behavior. Of course I reward her for opting out! 💕
