[nagdu] additional tasks

Thu Sep 29 17:27:38 UTC 2011

Oh, how fun! Never thought of using boxes for that... I used playground
equipment for some agility stuff when Mitzi was a yearling, and we still
will play on the kiddy stuff when we can sneak in a chance at the
park. /lol/ But I never thought of using boxes for the tunneling...
Hm...

I think that clicker training makes a huge difference, but I'm biased,
you know. /grin/ Well, positive reinforcement training in general makes
a difference in the interaction between human and animal, and it does
seem to affect how the animal problem solves in the cooperative
relationship between animal and trainer. The clicker is a great tool,
though, because it captures behavior so explicitly and immediately. Took
me awhile to get the hang of using it effectively when I added that to
our toolkit, but then things really took off! And Mitzi has been great
about teaching me to use that for fun stuff, too. /grin/ What a hoot!

Well, keep those menfolk busy while you play with the dog. /grin/

Tami

On Thu, 2011-09-29 at 08:57 -0500, Julie J. wrote: 
> 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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