Blog | Page 18 of 49 | Canines In Action, Inc.

At the Dentist: Thoughts on Reinforcement Delivery

Last night, I was compelled by a strong odor to give one of my Dobermans, Valenzia, a bath. Those of you who have seen Valenzia in action or read about her know that she is kind of an anxious dog — as in, wound so tight she makes a Slinky look downright relaxed. Fortunately, she is also very food-motivated, so bath time — once a terrifying, stressful experience — is now just the occasional unpleasant interlude that she has learned to barter for cookies.

our lovely gate, courtesy of Jezroc Metalworks

What a Blind Dog Sees, Part 2

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series What A Blind Dog Sees

Part 1 covered Inky’s uncertain backstory and roller coaster of health issues. Today, we’ll talk about how we’ve trained through blindness, and what we’ve learned about obedience, perception, trust, and control.

Inky, in early stages of illness, before much hair loss or blindness

What A Blind Dog Sees, Part 1

This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series What A Blind Dog Sees

Inky, my husband’s dog, is blind. She wasn’t born this way; in fact, this is a fairly recent development for her, thanks to a very rare and unusual autoimmune disorder. We noticed her holding her head oddly one night, but thought it was just the light. By the time we realized she was having trouble seeing, it was progressing very fast. We estimate she lost most of her vision within two weeks.

My Husband’s a Keeper

Early this morning I saw Laurie’s fuzzy Valentine post about her husband and their dogs. It immediately made me want to write one of my own, but I was traveling by car all day and didn’t get a chance until late tonight.

OK Go & Animal Choreography

I’d been gone for a solid week, talking training in two states and running 16+ hour days. This afternoon I walked in from the airport, hadn’t even gotten my shoes off yet, and my phone chimed. “Have you been flooded with the new OK Go video yet?” asked a friend.

Silly Pet Tricks 102

I brought home a hula hoop a couple of weeks ago. Valenzia was a little shy of it; she didn’t seem to like the shoop-shoop sound the sand made, nor the fact that it swung around in a wide arc that barred her from Mommy (me). I didn’t want my dog to be uncomfortable with the hoop, and one of the best ways I’ve found to counter-condition a “scary” object is to turn it into a training target.

I’ve posted before about using shaping games and silly tricks to foster creativity or take the edge off a wired dog’s energy. Since I was doing a few minutes of shaping anyway, I figured I could use our short training session for the next video installment. So, here it is!

Getting It Wrong Doesn’t Help

English: A pile of McDonalds Chicken McNuggets... — (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Before I go any further, I need to emphasize that I have the best parents on earth, and my father did — is doing — a great job.

That said, this post is about a parenting event. 😉 Sorry, Dad!

Killing Creativity, in Dogs & Trainers

I happened across this video a couple of months ago and bookmarked it. I enjoyed it at the time, but even as I was watching, I was thinking of clicker training.

I really like shaping, and I love the results I get with a dog who has learned to offer and vary behavior. I hear frequently from clients or trainer friends who don’t enjoy shaping or don’t get satisfactory results, and while it’s true that not every dog adores it, I think that most of the time their failure to love it isn’t that they have the wrong dog — it’s that they, or their dogs, are diligently following this checklist.

This candy is not for eating!

This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series This Candy Is Not For Eating

A thoughtful person gave my friend Melissa a package of candy for her daughter Emma, and Melissa kept them for Sunday morning. Emma is just 3, and sometimes the morning church service gets a bit long, so Emma enjoys earning (silent) reinforcement with games during the sermon. She might repeat a key phrase the pastor used, cite a sermon point, or remain sitting quietly rather than kicking in the pew — her target behaviors vary according to her juvenile abilities and the need of the moment.

Do You Have a Double Standard?

Where do we draw the line between acceptable variance and dangerous disobedience? Where do we draw the line between an annoyance and real trouble?