With the late start I decided to cut up some extra yummy stuff to add to her kibble and took her outside to work. We worked on Lazy Leash and Sit and Down with distractions. She was able to focus enough to stay close to me and in the zone when walking, but would occasionally loose track of what we were doing. This is actually much better than she was when we first made forays into the outdoors. Before I couldn't get any focus, but now she's regularly checking in. I am glad to see this.
I have a busy week planned for Emma, so I want to build up some of her skills to make the week possible. One of them is walking with me without trying to cross in front of me. I want to train her to walk with my wheelchair so she can join Max and I on walks in the evenings. It's time she learned how to work with a chair and I believe she's now ready enough to start the process.
This means we'll work on her learning to pivot with me while in position and then with a chair in my office and finally with my manual wheelchair and then my power chair. It'll take us a bit, but I believe Emma will soon be working with a wheelchair in my home and learn how to stay in position and not get hurt when walking by one.
Today's Lessons:
Lazy Leash
Emma is working on Level 2: Step 2 Lazy Leash. Today I took Emma out into the street and started by giving her a treat for each step we took and then built up to taking a treat for every 10 to 15 steps we took. Emma did extremely well, but still tends to cross in front of me when she's a bit excited. I will work on her learning to stay in position and not crossing in front of me.
Sit
Emma is working on Level 2: Step 4 Sit. Since I have taken Emma outside and changed the location and distraction level, I returned Emma to Level 1 Sit and worked up to Level 2 Sit. I was able to walk around Emma while she remained in a sit without reorienting on me. I will begin to add duration once Emma is comfortable with the distractions of the neighborhood.
On our second session with Sit today I took Emma outside and worked in the yard with the other dogs playing around her. The attached video will show you how focused Emma has become. I am very pleased with her ability to do a 10 second Sit/Stay in the yard with all the other dogs out. What a great day today for Emma!
Down
Emma is working on Level 2: Step 3 Down. Since I have taken Emma outside and changed the location and distraction level, I have returned Emma to Level 1 Down and worked her up to Level 2 Down. In this case I was also able to walk around Emma while she was in a down. I will begin to add distance once Emma has become comfortable with the distractions of the neighborhood.
On our second lesson of the day I asked Emma to guess what I was clicking for. Though she doesn't understand the question, it will become a cue which means she's to try different behaviors to find what out what is paying today. It is the beginning of getting her into the mindset of shaping. Once she figured out I wasn't paying for Sits, but Downs, she offered me downs with speed and joy.
Observations
Emma has a very strong independent streak in her. She likes to go off and do things by herself, which is good. This will make it easier for her to be left at home alone and for her to separate from her handler when needed.
She is also gaining confidence with age. Today when she walked by a group of barking dogs she was distracted, but not panicked. She was a bit fearful, but the continued rewards as we went by helped her and she came out the other side calmer as a result. I have a section of my road I call "the tunnel of dogs" which has a group of dogs on both sides of the street that bark and jump against the fences as we go by. Emma is not ready to go through the tunnel again, but it gave me an idea of what I need to do to build her confidence when passing barking dogs.
She was jumpy, but able to focus and take treats off and on. She also tended to bark a bit under her breath, so I will need to work up to and eventually through that tunnel when she's confident and not paying attention to the dogs barking at her.
| Zen | Target | Come | Sit | Down | |
| Step | Completed | Completed | Completed | Completed | Completed |
Level 2
| Zen | Come | Sit | Down | Target | |
| Step | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | Completed |
| Focus | Lazy Leash | Go To Mat | Crate | Distance | |
| Step | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Jump | Relax | Handling | Tricks | Communication | |
| Step | 1 | 1 | 1 | Completed | 1 |
Level 3
| Zen | Come | Sit | Down | Target | |
| Step | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Focus | Lazy Leash | Go To Mat | Crate | Distance | |
| Step | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jump | Relax | Handling | Retrieve | Communication | |
| Step | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Level 4
| Zen | Come | Retrieve | Target | Relax | |
| Step | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Focus | Lazy Leash | Go To Mat | Crate | Distance | |
| Step | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Handling | Communication | ||||
| Step | 0 | 0 |
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