[nagdu] clicker and scavenging/impulse control

[The Pawpower Pack]

Tracy, 
I would first start with food in your hand. Clicking when he turns away from it, even a little, and clenching your fist around it and pulling it away when he tries to grab.  Once you have 10 reps of 10 with him ignoring it in your hand, put it on your knee.  You will want to keep your hand close to your knee in case he tries to go for it, if he does, cover the food.  
Again, work until he will ignore the food 10 out of 10 on your knee.  Then move it to the floor by your foot.  
Once he ignores it when you are sitting, you can try with it on the ground I would advise you to use something stinky, like tuna, and put it in a baggie, so even if he grabs it, you have a couple more seconds to get it away from him.  You can also have and additional cue of the sound of him touching the bag before he gets it. 

In the mean time, do you have a head collar for him, like a halti or newtrix?  I would use that.  And a basket muzzle if you relieve him in public places.  
I have struggled, and continue to struggle with Soleil on this issue.  I keep nose off the ground at a very high rate of reinforcement.  So for example, I know she loves to scrounge and sniff around lamp posts.  She has learned that if she walks on by, I will give her something good.  I do this fairly often because there are times when she will ignore food and I won't know it.  So I want her to understand that the majority of time, she will get good things for ignoring something she finds very rewarding, and have build up enough good associations that when I don't, she will ignore it anyway.  
You can use his regular food for this training.  Instead of giving it in his bowl, you can use it to train. 
@Let me know if this is clear as mud. I might need to drink more tea before  explaining things next time! 


 Rox and the kitchen Bitches: 
Mill'E, Laveau, Soleil
Pawpower4me at gmail.com
Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 2, 2015, at 9:59 AM, Tracy Carcione via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> OK, I've been reading the blog Rox sent, and it has a section on impulse
> control!
> 
> It sounds like what I would do is put some food on the floor, far from me
> and Krokus, but where he can see it.  Then I c&t for not going for the food.
> If he goes for the food, I catch him, turn around, and take him far away for
> 10 seconds, then we come back and start over.
> 
> Gradually, we get closer to the food, over a period of days or weeks, I
> guess.Have I got this right?
> 
> Since I can't stop working him in the meantime, and NYC is a garbage dump,
> will my efforts be ruined by him picking up junk when we're out, and is
> there anything I can do about that?
> 
> This is pretty exciting, especially if it works.
> 
> Tracy
> 
> 
> 
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