Remote Control Shaping

Ah, we haven't done this for a very long time.  Although Lily's persistence and her shaping stamina (history) keep her In the Game, this exercise seemingly goes on forever.



CRITERIA:  Interact with the coffee table.

Retrieve Challenge: Playing "Keys"

Lily and I played "Keys" this morning.  Find the keys.  Lily is on a Sit/Stay next to the kitchen, where I can quickly go OOS.  She found the keys hidden in:

• the toy box
• the clicker basket
• under the rug
• in my shoe
• on the commode
• under the dining room table
• upstairs in the hallway
• just outside the front door 

No Flips.  Just a verbal record of a fun morning exercise.

More shaping fun with the Big Blue Ball

A quick review that big balls are for NOSE TOUCHING.....no teeth, no feet.

Now we play with the ball and the nose touch.

NEXT?
Maybe Treibball

Remote Control Shaping

Ah, we haven't done this for a very long time.  Although Lily's persistence and her shaping stamina (history) keep her In the Game, this exercise seemingly goes on forever.

ULTIMATE GOAL:  Interact with the coffee table.

1

• moving toward the table (altho backwards)
• turning head toward table
• don't look at the chair - that's not it
• a glance at the table AND a turn toward the table

Moving toward, glancing at the table

Oops!  Not the chair.  Not the stool.

Backing up? ? ?

Turning my head? ? ?

Turn my head?

Back up?

Turn my body?

Still In the Game.

Still trying.

But still not a clue.

Aha!  A couple of steps forward in the right direction ! ! !

....... and then a turn ! ! !

I move to a different chair.  will that help?

Backwards steps, closer to the table

Head turns toward table

My timing gets bad here

I reward backward movement again

Turning head

Then turning head AND shoulders

Re-load

And keep going

Still In the Game and still trying.......but still hasn't a clue

Oops!  I missed a good head turn

Finally a slight turn to her right

Walk backwards?

Sit?

WHAT?

The piano bench?

Maybe tossing a couple of treats will give her an idea

Even tho I know she's looking for treats, I missed several opportunities to click

Re-load

Well, treat tossing didn't help Lily's understanding

Sit?

Are you sure it isn't the piano bench?

Still In the Game

Still guessing

Definite turn to her right

But.....it was just a guess

Cute.  She thinks about sitting again and then thinks better of it

And then tries it anyway

Tossing the treat again

So many opportunities to click her ... that I ignored

Another tossed treat

A treat behind the rocking chair

I should have been clicking like crazy

Aha!

A pattern is developing: back up, turn toward piano bench, turn toward table

Then a turn to the left, go around, click when she reaches the table

Finally!

A breakthrough

Then, while I re-load, she loses her train of thought again

Thinking.......thinking.......trying

Oops again!  I missed another great opportunity

Then she starts walking toward the table

I have to re-load at a crucial time

Click for walking toward the table

Now I'm telling her it's THE TABLE, not just walking toward it

For a while she thinks it's: walk toward the table, turn in a circle and then return to the table

Here I raise my criteria too quickly and miss lots of opportunities to reinforce good work on Lily's part

OK.  Here I am.

Piano bench?

Table?

Oh ... table ! ! !

Now ... interaction with the table of any kind

Go around the table is OK, too

But touching the book is better

After re-loading

Lily hits the jackpot!

At last.

Relax: Level 2: beginning Step 4

"Bounce back and forth between enthusiasm and relaxation until she's good at changing."

Wendi worked Steps 1, 2, and 3 while I was in Hawaii.  Now they are beginning Step 4.  Wendi is using Lily's tail as the barometer for relaxation and adding time little by little.