[nagdu] additional tasks

Julie J. julielj at neb.rr.com
Thu Sep 29 13:57:38 UTC 2011


Tami,

Laundry is kind of out for me right now.  My washer and dryer are in the 
basement.  I did finally figure out how to get down there last week, but 
I can't carry laundry down with me.  So the men folk have been learning 
valuable life skills! LOL

Last night I had Kiddo bring up a large empty box from the basement.  I 
untaped all the flaps to open up the box completely.  then I taped the 
flaps to each other in the open position to make a tunnel.  Kiddo and I 
taught Monty to go through the tunnel box.  It was fun.  Monty was a bit 
reluctant because he had to crouch a bit to get through.  I find it 
fascinating to see how different dogs problem solve differently.  
Monty's solution was to use his muzzle to push the box up in an attempt 
to make it taller! LOLWhen that didn't work he tried bending down.  I've 
never seen a dog do something like that before though.  Monty is also my 
first dog trained primarily with clicker though.  I wonder how much of a 
difference that makes?

Tonight I think I'll get Kiddo to bring up another box and I'll create 
some sort of new piece of poor folks agility equipment! LOL    It was a 
lot of fun and a break from our usual training which is usually for some 
sort of service dog task.  I forgot how much fun it is to train 
something for the pure pleasure of it.

Julie


On 9/28/2011 5:17 PM, Tami Kinney wrote:
> Hm... Mitzi shows me things I drop, which is handy. She will find a
> number of things by name, so she's actually helpful that way. If she
> wants to be. I trained those things as a game to keep her entertained at
> home, so the full service dog efficiency isn't there. Still, it's
> useful. She taught Daisy to do it, too. /lol/ We most often work t into
> our ball games around the house, and sometimes the dogs will show me
> something that isn't there just to see how long they can keep me looking
> for it... So somebody has trained somebody. /lol/
>
> I sort of played around with training her to do laundry, again without
> going all the way. So she knows a number of clothing items by name, and
> she uses the foundation behaviors in funny ways when we're playing.
> Well, the goal was to keep her entertained at home, so I guess that
> worked. Kept me entertained, too. Sometimes she will initiate a low key
> game of those behavior, say by bringing me her bone and putting it on my
> lap and expecting me to figure out what I'm supposed to do in
> response. /lol/
>
> I would think that teaching anything that keeps the interaction between
> the two of you strong while keeping his mind active will go a long way
> to keep him (an you!) mentally fit and to make the transition back to
> your regular travels easier and safer. I've been noticing that Mitzi
> catches on to changes in my vision before I do and will start testing
> me, challenging my limitations and making a game out of having me look
> for things or respond to something at play... Then she uses this in her
> work. Another one of those things that is impossible for a dog to do but
> that has been so undeniably consistent that, well, I have a hard time
> avoiding that conclusion. Who know? /grin/
>
> Let us know what creative things you come up with and how it works.
> Mitzi's a bit small for actually doing the laundry, and her jaws and
> head aren't really designed for heavy lifting and pulling... We  have a
> front loading washing and dryer now, and sometimes I'm tempted to see
> what would happen if I tried extending the training to putting clothes
> in the washer. The dry is on top, so she couldn't reach... Well, if we
> ever get bored enough, I'll probably find out. /grin/
>
> Your big fellow, with that boxer mouth, though... I can just see it
> now. /grin/
>
> Tami
>
> On Wed, 2011-09-28 at 12:52 -0500, Julie J. wrote:
>> Hello all!
>>
>> I've been thinking lately about additional things I could teach Monty.
>> He already knows a few tricks like give me five and roll over.  He also
>> knows how to bring in the newspaper from the front porch.  I've been
>> working on brace, which has been a big help since I broke my foot.  I
>> was wondering what things have people taught their guide dogs for fun or
>> to help out around the house.
>>
>> I still can't walk, so guide work skills like find a chair or trash can
>> aren't going to be teachable right now.   I'm more looking for ideas
>> that might be useful or fun here at home.
>>
>> Thoughts? Ideas?      stories? Brags?  Let's hear them!
>> Julie
>>
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