Motivational games

Hi Kaye,

The past few days I've been looking for that happy balance between teaching
Fido the things I'd like him to be good at (like sit and stay for instance)
and giving him the things he loves doing (like chasing things and jumping up
on things).

It has been very stimulating having the DVDs Julie loaned me. I'm interested
in the term 'height seeking'. It means jumping up and more I'm sure. I
haven't quite gotten to the underlying connotations, but I suspect there is
'dominance' involved and in Fido's case an eagerness to greet most
enthusiastically. Our little teenage scrub poodle is often beside himself
with jouie de vivre and even trained 'doggie' professionals find his
enthusiasm and charm irresistible. What chance does his humble 'life coach'
have. It is a fine example of 'little dog syndrome' in the making.

Being 5'4" my self, I sympathise with 'height seeking'. I also know as life
coach I cannot ignore such anti social behaviour, even in a world of
seriously mixed messages. We were at the plant nursery recently. Me, driven
by the urge to dig in the dirt after all the rain, and Fido, on the lead,
hell bent on making as many best friends as he could manage, in the shortest
period of time. The owner of the nursery walked past. Fido was bouncing off
the end of the lead. The owner said "I thought he was supposed to be a well
trained dog" and then walked up to him. She let him jump on her, invited it
really, got all girly and animated, dropped 50 odd years behaviourally and
ruffled his mohawk whilst telling him 'what a naughty boy you are XXXOOO'.
'Stop it I like it?' Good grief! What's a teenage scrub poodle supposed to
make of that?

I have been pretty vigilant at organising the training environment lately
but am I bold enough to organise the Nursery owner and other innocent public
training menaces.(In time we may relish them as usable distractions.)

We have been doing regular lead sessions around home and out. He is pretty
good most of the time, though clearly he can't contain himself all the time.
I am reinforcing 'Attention' very vigorously and I'm hoping it'll pay off in
time, so he is more interested in me than in the inevitable string of
hysterically compulsive puppy molesters.

I will take him on a training outing this afternoon, perhaps to Brunswick
St. and see if I can reinforce some of the good work we've been doing at
home. Perhaps I'll find a buss seat where the pedestrian traffic is not too
heavy, nor too close. I'll try to get up the courage to elicit the help of
anyone interesting in giving him a pat. Maybe it could go like this: "Would
you like to give Fido a pat. Hold on, I'll get him ready. Fido 'Sit'! Righto
now you can bend down and pat him under the chest."  If they manage I'll
'click' and give them a Tic Tac.

I have been putting emphasis on getting bouts of high containment like
'stay'. About three minutes worth and then we do jumping, chasing, tugging,
visits to the duck pen or a little walk. I want to talk to you about a
comment Ted Turner made berating dog trainers for having so few reinforcers.
Food, balls and patting seem to be the most common ones. Turner talks about
how 'engaging' unpredictability is to dogs. They love a surprise he reckons
and Fido agrees.

It is one hell of a creative activity being a teenage scrub poodle's 'life
coach'. At the moment I certainly don't feel like his 'trainer'!

Cheers,

Richard