Our Agility Foundations homework this week includes beginning the 123 go game: practicing a sit stay, then walking ahead of Jackie a few paces while maintaining eye contact so we stay engaged (with her on my left side), giving her release cue "break!" while I remain still, then running forward and rewarding her with a treat from my left hand as she runs to catch up with me (being sure to start with the treat in the other hand and moving it to the hand nearest Jackie after I've started running). Then repeating the game with Jackie on my right side and giving the reinforcement from my right hand.
One way to create arousal is by tugging with a toy. Jackie is not yet interested in toys, she is barely even interested in food, so this is a work in progress. In class today while the other teams were working on tugging, Jackie was more interested in gazing at the other dogs than engaging with a tug toy or treats. Playing nose touch a hand target games and "get it" games with treats tossed on the floor give Jackie the option to decide if she wants to engage with the game, or if she prefers to wait in her crate. It may be that I will need to engage in nose touch a hand target and "get it" games for a few repetitions over time until such time Jackie gains confidence and chooses she wants to play outside of her crate. It is her decision, and the best I can do is make it easy and fun for her by playing the simpler hand touch or get it game, and give her time.
In class today Jackie performed a brilliant sit stay, and didn't budge when I gave the release word. Additionally, she was nervous about being outside of her crate while everyone else was crated, and was in general a bit timid and over-faced. Which gives us some good information: 1) That Jackie needs to be allowed to choose to engage, and that includes giving her time and freedom to decide she wants to play, 2) That Jackie needs clarity to understand what the release word means, and 3) That Jackie needs time to learn a single behavior, and focus on a single cue until she understands that individual element, without stacking more than one behavior at a time. In other words, Jackie needs to learn the very simplest element of a game before we can even begin to do more. We need to get one simple thing right in order to do the more complex behavior later. Simple games like hand touch a target or get it may help give Jackie more confidence over time.
In making a recent move from a more humid climate to the drier climate in which we live now, I have discovered a novel challenge I never dealt with in Houston-- static electricity. When working on nose touch a hand target this week, Jackie's nose got mildly shocked right at the sensitive tip of her nose when she touched my hand. She didn't like that; neither did I. So I will make a concerted effort to discharge built-up static electricity each time before I zap her; it was an unpleasant experience, and not one I am interested in repeating.
Our agility coach is going above and beyond in her patience and guidance, and I am grateful. I'm discovering that the prospectus of what I had in mind to learn with Jackie is evolving into Jackie actually teaching me more about patience, decision-making, and consent than I ever knew I needed. I'm definitely learning some valuable insights. It turns out the lessons Jackie is teaching aren't necessarily the ones I wanted to learn, but they are the ones I need to learn.
Experience with past herding dogs and Border collies has taught me that the more you teach, the better they love to learn. In a very sincere effort to give my new adoptee the enrichment and engagement my perception of what a young Border collie needs, I've tried to do all the things: play, stuffed kong toys, long-lasting chews, lickit mats, interactive toys, a long menu of possible reinforcing treats, games, operant conditioning, long walks and runs, swimming, clicker training, various substrates and environments to explore, lots of pets and cuddle time.... yada yada yada. Maybe Jackie just needs a day off? Go for a walk, and relax around the house to continue to build a relationship. Maybe relationships don't have to include such a long list, maybe just being together is enough?
I'm trying to learn what I should, I really am. And Jackie is a wonderful teacher.
Pearls:
- What I set out to learn is not moving along the linear path I had envisioned, but Jackie is teaching me valuable lessons
- Agility Foundations homework this week includes: continuing to work on reinforcing stand-stay, playing tug and let go-- which may be a work in progress for later, and 123 go game to begin practicing agility course starts
- Static electricity was not an ally this week, now I know to discharge extra static while training before I touch Jackie
- A coach who truly has your own and your dog's best interest at heart is a godsend
