Day 3: Let the (Training) Games Begin!

As I suspected, Margaret is something of an Olympian when it comes to training. She loves it - and will work hard and long for the satisfaction of performing, getting things right, and of course, a suitable level of reward!

So this morning after a good night's sleep in her crate (quiet as a mouse from 10.30-7.30) she was ready to go! We practiced a calm crate exit (no mouthing or jumping, as she was a little inclined to do, out of happy excitement to greet me and the day), calm leash walking all the way downstairs, and Sit-Stay before each door (french doors and side door) was opened until she made it outside.  All of this is god practice in self control and it is woven into her morning  activities so no treats are needed her rewards are "life rewards"  is getting to do something she wants to do, as a result of doing something I want her to do. She is getting the deal quickly and is happy to comply!

Then she was free to wander and sniff around the yard. She did her usual morning business, no sign of diarrhea, vomiting, or straining, and her bowel movement was normal, solid and healthy. BUT no sign of the rock either, which made me wonder if I imagined the whole episode yesterday. There has been zero sign of an intestinal blockage, and I am still hoping the rock will pass eventually, but I also called my veterinarian again and talked over progress to date to be sure we are covering all bases.  

Next - Breakfast School! Margaret worked for every piece of two cups of kibble this morning, and stayed on task the whole time.

We are working with clicker training for the time being, because it is helpful for building a training relationship  and helping Margaret understand what is being asked of her - and why it is worth her while to do it!

We practiced in short sessions - 5 -10 minutes- focusing on one task at a time, starting with Name (building focus and attention) and moving on to Sit, Down, and Stand (otherwise known as Puppy Pushups.)

We played a Drop It and Run recall training game all over the  upstairs part of the house. This quickly evolved into Hide and Seek, which Margaret also loved.  

After this more active training exercise, we played a calming, focused  game - Leave It. In view of her penchant for grabbing things in her mouth, this is an important, potentially life-saving, cue to teach. It starts as a game or puzzle,  as almost all good training does  -- Margaret had to figure out that to get me to open my closed fist and give her the piece of kibble inside, she had to sit back and not sniff, lick, mouth or paw at it.   It didn't take her long to figure this out, and by the end of a few short sessions she was able to refrain from grabbing a treat on the ground 6 inches from her paw. It was very sweet to watch her staring at it and willing herself not to snatch it.

Our last lesson was "Bed" an exercise which teaches Margaret to go to a designated mat or bed and lie down. It is also a foundation element of Stay and Settle training. Margaret did well even though she was getting full of kibble by this point!

Next - time to go for a walk! As I got ready, Margaret followed me  into the bedroom and grabbed a sock - so we took a little training detour, and played  "Swap the Sock" - a game that teaches Drop It by encouraging her to drop something in exchange for something else equally fabulous. Lucky socks come in pairs :) We traded back and forth, one sock and then the other, for a little while.

Another on the fly lesson was with the toilet paper roll. Margaret has been eyeing it for a couple of days and today dared to grab it and unroll it a little. I gave her a firm verbal correction (UH!) and glare -- followed by Leave It and lots of praise when she thought better of it and left it alone.

Whenever a young dog starts doing naughty things like scrambling toilet paper   it's almost always a clear sign that she is bored and has energy to burn. So we went outside for some activity - both physical and mental. We went for a walk in the meadow and on the driveway,  practicing leash walking, and then into the garden. I tied Margaret to  a post while I went into the chicken coop and she stayed nicely, watching me the whole time, no barking, leash chewing, or pulling to get free.

when I came back to untie her it was also a good chance to practice calm greetings - she was inclined to jump on me - so we worked with that for a little while until she as calm and I could untie her, and walk her off.

She is now in Morning Nap mode, on the floor at my feet, while I start her blog and take care of some other things.

Margaret tends to move around wherever I go, so when I went into the bathroom to have a shower, she came with me. She thought she might have one too, but I wasn't so keen on Very Wet Dog on Very Wet Day.  Still she really wanted to explore the bathtub, so in the interests of possible future bathing needs, I let her hop in.

Hmm. A bath would be nice

Or how about a shower? 

No bubble bath for this princess? OK, I'll get out now then. 

 Next in line for rainy day entertainment - collecting Ugg boots from the entry way. I watched Margaret from upstairs, since I always follow her  whenever she goes out of sight.  She likes to steal socks and shoes but is very gentle about it. In response,  I turn any stealing/ keep away games into  Fetch and Trade games instead.

Very carefully, she brought the boot all the way upstairs and dropped it in my hand -- I paid her in hypoallergenic  treats with much fanfare. Then I asked her to get the other one  - and after thinking about it for a bit, she went downstairs and brought that one to me as well. What a good girl!

 Next on the agenda - a play date with a Labradoodle puppy, Sophie, and two Labradors, Claire and Steamer. The puppy was a bit growly at first - she felt unsure about Margaret's full-on playful greeting.  But we went for a walk and soon they were getting on just fine.

Then we brought out the two Labradors, and everyone had fun chasing all over the meadow and snacking on elk scat for a brief moment until we redirected them back to play.

Three-way turkey tug

Senior Lab Steamer is too gentle and sensible for rowdy games

Ow ow you're KILLIN' me!!!!!

Margaret and new friends, Claire and Sophie 

***      

Later in the afternoon, The Moose arrived to provide more play partnering and  Debbie served as  an exciting visitor to practice polite greetings with.

This was hard work for Margaret - she does get very enthusiastic about saying hi! So we worked on this in several ways:
1) No pulling or dragging me to the visitor; only allowed to approach calmly; if pulling, loop back and try again
2)  Keep contact very brief (Let's Go U Turn as soon as Debbie engaged with her, and before she jumped - repeated multiple  times. She got so good at this I would  say Go Say Hi! and Margaret would go to Debbie, touch her hand with her nose, and then come away back to me automatically for a salmon treat (only the best treats will do for this kind of excitement work)  
3) If she jumped by mistake she dint get to greet at all and was walked away, no treats or contacts, then given the chance to try again.
4) Once she was calm, and her excitement had abated a bit, we practiced Sit to Say hi multiple times (Debbie petting  her while I fed rapid rewards for remaining seated)
5) At the end of the session Margaret was able to stand or sit and be rubbed all over without jumping up at all.  

Then it was time to burn off some energy in the meadow with the Moose, who tolerated her jumping in his face only so long - and then told her firmly to quit it. She did! Ahhhhh, if only we could really talk dog!

Margaret had one more training lesson over the course of the evening - a lesson in remaining calm and quit while restrained. She rested calmly in the crate in the back of my car, while I picked vegetables and attended to the chickens free ranging in the garden (for obvious reason,  Margaret couldn't be free ranging with them!) While I cooked dinner she was underfoot a lot, so I tethered her (leash attached to a door knob) on her mat to help her settle in one place. She immediately relaxed on her mat and went to sleep - and she is still there now, snoring every so slightly.

Sleep well everyone!