[nagdu] clicker and scavenging/impulse control

[Julie J.]

Yes, it's impulse control that is the underlying issue.  You have the right 
idea about the training, but I'd start even smaller.

I'd put food across the room from you, keeping Crocus on leash next to you 
out of range of even possibly getting the food.  If he pulls toward the 
food, just wait, when there is slack in the leash c/t.  If he doesn't pull 
toward the food, then I'd c/t when he looks away from the food.  Think in 
terms of braking down the behavior into tiny bits.  What is the least thing 
he could do that is approaching the correct behavior?  Once he does that, 
what is the next smallest thing he could do that would be correct?  Then you 
up the ante and move on to the next thing.  For food refusal the layers or 
building blocks or successive approximations might look like this:

slack in the leash
looking away from the food
looking at you
repeat above 1 foot closer
repeat with different, tastier food
repeat with food on the floor, food on the table, etc.
repeat in a different room, outside, at a friend's home etc..

Once he is able to be around food he can't physical get to, I'd move on to 
food within reach.  I teach this first  with food in my hand or by 
positioning it where I can easily cover it with a hand in a split second.  I 
c/t as soon as the dog moves away from the food.  I do not give the training 
food as a treat.  I use separate treats that are distinctly different. 
Depending on your particular dog, you may want to start with something only 
mildly tempting like lettuce and use amazing treats like his favorite meat. 
Gradually you will increase the attractiveness of the training food and 
decrease the treat awesomeness.  In the beginning though make the obvious 
choice to be what you have on offer.  You are conditioning him to look to 
you in the presence of food and the best way to do this is to program his 
neurons that better things come from you.  If you make that connection 
strong in the beginning, later your dog will pass up steak on the floor to 
get kale chips from you.  I know this sounds insane, but I swear it works. 
Monty dropped a slice of pizza on my foot in exchange for a piece of kibble 
and a couple of pats.

Once he is looking to you in the presence of food, I'd work on duration 
next.  So far you are c/t immediately when he looks away from the food to 
you, now wait half a second before c/t.  Gradually increase the time until 
you have the duration you want.  It is important to only increase the 
difficulty level of the exercise in one area at a time, distance, duration, 
difficulty, do not work with lettuce across the room to steak under his nose 
back to back.  If you start out with lettuce across the room, then move it 
closer, then switch to steak you need to make the distance further away 
again.  The goal is to make the learning difficult enough so that he has to 
think and work at it, but not so difficult that he gets super frustrated or 
isn't able to be successful.  Making the training opportunity too easy won't 
hurt anything, but it won't teach anything much either.

So far you've done food out of reach and food within your control, next I'd 
set up food like what is described in the guide dog training blog from the 
clicker conference.  You do want to be sure he can't actually eat the 
training food though.  So putting the food on the floor with a milk crate 
over it or in a plastic container with a lid or something so he can see and 
smell it, but you could intervene before actual ingestion.   I'd start this 
phase with him on leash and the food nearby, but not immediately in your 
reach.  On the floor by your feet or something should work.  Repeat the 
above, no pulling, looking away, looking at you exercises.  By this time he 
is probably going to have caught on to the whole thing and will be skipping 
steps.  He might pull for a split second and then look to you or he might 
look at you as soon as he sees the food.  that's great, just go with it, c/t 
for good behavior.

Next, I'd start walking about with him on leash and food nearby, but still 
unattainable.  A training assistant would be helpful at this point, but I 
know those aren't always available. If you do have someone willing to help, 
it would be their job to supervise the food and prevent it from being eaten 
by covering it or taking it away.    Again, use something not extremely 
tempting at first, lettuce? and work up to more tempting food gradually. 
Keep the distance up at first, so the food is not in your line of travel, 
very gradually moving the food closer to you.

The finale of all of this should be a dog who looks to you in the presence 
of food, no matter what sort or where.  It will be important to keep the 
rate of reinforcement up pretty high at first because this is a difficult 
behavior for him with a lot of history.   If he does get food while you are 
out and about, it will set you back some in the training process.  I know it 
isn't possible to put your life on hold while you work on this though.  I'm 
currently working Jetta through a dog distraction/reactivity issue and while 
I'd love to never put her in a situation where a dog gets too close or barks 
at her, the reality is that other people take their ill behaved beasts for 
walks and I can't predict when or where they will be.  You just have to do 
the best you can do and realize that it will take time, perhaps a lot of 
time.

Short bursts of training a few times per day works best.  Commercial breaks 
during your evening TV program is good.  I'd work on it for no more than 5 
minutes at a go maybe 3 to 5 times a day or more if you can.  Typically I 
notice progress in the first couple of days or week, then it seems to go 
slowly after that.  It helps me to keep a training log for planning, but 
also to look back and realize that I'm making a lot more progress than I 
thought.  Getting discouraged is my biggest hurdle.

HTH
Julie