Teamwork

Ready... Set...

I love the picture on the left.

It's a "still" from a video I made for a contest on the Training Levels Group: How quickly can you click/treat 15 treats?

(To see more: Zachary - Quick Flick: Simone's Contest)

You'll note I'm hunched over, clicker in mouth (to free up my hands), mere inches from Zachary so as to reduce delays and/or flicking errors. And while the contest was fun and I learned a lot about speed of delivery, smoothness of flicking, consumability vs. flickability, the tackiness of dog slobber, palm friction, weight  and thickness and bounce height and many other properties of treats I have never considered before, and so forth... the thing I will really take away is much more basic.

As I posted to the Training Level's group, the thing that really made an impression on me was that:

"...there was something very... connecting... about being so close (physically) to Zachary while working on this. There were times our heads were inches apart and I could actually see his focus and concentration.


And when I whispered if he was ready (no need to shout, he was right there) I could almost see him thinking "Yes! We are a team!)


(Beau just drooled more and tried to snuffle the treats out of my hand!)


I guess I hadn't thought in the past about the distance that usually exists between us when we are working. In this case, close was nice. Close fostered teamwork."

Teamwork.

I don't normally think of training like that. I view myself as a teacher, my dogs as my students, and where I lead I kind of expect them to follow (or at least give it the old college try.) Some performance sports (for people as well as dogs) speak of teamwork, but it often looks more like "me glorious leader, you faithful follower" than Merriam-Webster's definition: "each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole."

I realize the picture quality isn't that great, and I'm sure I'm biased because it's my dog and I was there when it was taken, but I think the image above shows teamwork. Zachary is the epitome of concentration. He knows his part of the job (eat treats as fast as possible) and he is waiting patiently for the signal to go.

Note that at that moment he is still. Perfectly still. How often have you seen Zachary perfectly still? He is still because he knows exactly what is going to happen, and what his role will be.

I am also still. I am waiting for the perfect moment, when hands and eyes and mind are all aligned and hopefully will all be working together.

And then we begin, and for 8.3 glorious seconds, Zachary and I are a team...

... and it is awesome.

Now this is the game for me!

Beau and I were never a true team on this exercise as he was always too focused on the treats.

In fact, Beau I were a true team only once, that I can recall, on a Rally course long ago. But for those few dozen seconds, as we wove our way amongst the cones, the world seemed to melt away and there were just the two of us, each focused intently on the other, both moving together as one.

Isn't that what teamwork is all about?

Training "Stuff"

This past weekend I broke down and purchased two sturdy 18 gallon Rubbermaid containers (henceforth known as boxes) to put my Canine Homeschooling "stuff" into, having discovered said stuff has migrated pretty much all over the house.

I know Human Homeschooler's of young children are instructed to assemble a variety of cheap items that can be used for a variety of things (think: crayons, pasta shapes, aluminum foil, paper plates, and plastic cups...) that can be turned into things for counting, measuring, building, stringing, decorating, etc.

So I'm thinking the same holds for the Canine Homeschooler...

... but what to put in the boxes?

Right now they contain:

Bigs Box (so called because it contains bigger things)

• Two mats (for lying on)
• 1 basket (for carrying)
• 1 dozen cheap, flimsy, kiddie soccer cones
• 1 paper bag full of scrunched up paper wads (not shown)
• 1 square magnetic white board (for planning Rally courses)

Smalls Box (yup, the home of smaller things)

• 1 Empty, never used, gallon-size paint can containing...
• 1 small 8" plastic tube dog toy (for teaching Hold)
• 1 telescoping clicker (Look At This)
• 2 cheap paint brushes (Hold)
• 3 Empty, never used, pint-sized paint cans (Shell Game)
• 3 never used small plant pots (Shell Game)
• 1 canvas bumper (Retrieve)
• 6 small disposable plastic lids in zippered pouch (Scenting)
• 4 bigger kiddie plates (I haven't a clue, but they were just $.99 each)
• 4 small kiddie bowls (I haven't a clue, but they were also just $.99 each)
• 4 canning rings in zippered pouch (should be 12 but I haven't found the rest)
• 4 sturdy coasters in zippered pouch (Touch)
• 2 packs of cheap white paper (for scrunching)

Things lurking yet unfound in the house:

• 3 gloves (Retrieve)
• 1 dumbbell shaped toy (Retrieve)

The boxes are stacked on atop the other, and on top of them are a stack of empty soda boxes (moved from the top of the fridge) for "Find It!". Shoved between the boxes and the wall is small pine board (1"x8"x18") for Contacts.

... and that's it.

In truth, the mats could be stacked on the boxes as well, leaving me one nearly empty box and one about half full.

That's it? 

Well, the dog toys have their own basket, the dog books go in the bookcase, the dog bones (food, treats) go in the kitchen cupboard, the dog adornments (collars, scarves, coats, boots) and other dog necessities and frivolities (meds, records, pictures, etc.) also have their own locations.

So... yeah, that's it.

But shouldn't there be more?

Well, you would think so. I'm thinking there should be:

• a variety of things to:
• find
• hold
• retrieve
• touch
• things to make picture taking fun (costumes and props)
• things to use for Learning Games (but what???)
• etc.

But I'm just not sure what those things should be.

So, if anyone has any thoughts for what should go in a "Canine Homeschooling Box", things that I can mix and match and have some fun with, things that can be used for "Enrichment Activities", things that every Canine Homschooler shouldn't be without, feel free to share!

Scrapbook - Find It!

Step 1: Take a stack of paper (I used 24 sheets of cheap notebook paper) and wad each sheet up into a loose ball.

Step 2:  Toss the paper balls into a paper bag. (To add an element of human enrichment, place the paper bag on the opposite side of the room. Two points if you make it, three if you make it cleanly, and four if you can keep your dog from pulling the wads out as fast as you toss them in.)

Step 3: Take your dog and put him in a sit or down, whichever he is more likely to hold. (Three guesses as to which I put Zachary in.)

Step 4: Dump the paper wads onto the floor in front of the dog. (Is your dog still where he's supposed to be? What a good dog!)

Step 5: Show the dog a cookie, then wad it up in the middle of Yet Anther Piece of Paper.

Step 6: Make a big show of shuffling the wads around. (Is your dog still where you left him? Pat yourself on the back for teaching a great stay!)

Step 7: Stand back, and give your release/Find It! command.

Want to make it harder? Instead of tossing the balls into a bag, put your dog into a down and toss the wads on the ground in front of him. To make it easier, set the whole thing up with your dog blocked out of the room.

Beau didn't have any problems with this at all. He is a careful, methodical searcher and found the right wad the first time, every time. His way of indicating is to take the wad and nose it out of the pile, at which point I open it up and give him the cookie, toss that one paper wad (tainted with cookie smell), put him back in a down, get a clean sheet of paper, and start up at Step 5.

It took Zachary a few tries to figure out what game we were playing. I think he was just having a lot of fun shuffling the wads around, until he finally figured out there was food in one of them. After that, he settled down to searching, but his technique is poor (random and rushed) so it takes him longer. His method of indicating is to put a paw on it and attempt to disembowel the helpless paper wad.

(As always, you can click on the image above to see it larger)

(Editors Note #1: I got this idea from a Zoo's Enrichment page while trying to find a definition for Enrichment that I could actually understand for my Canine Enrichment? post. While I failed in my original quest, I think the boys enjoyed this particular activity.)


(Editors Note #2: The incredibly observant might notice a slight change in the description of this blog. 

1. It was brought to my attention that without the words "dog blog" in either the title or the description, the search engines have a hard time indexing it correctly -and-
2. It can't be "A" journey (singular), as I have TWO dogs.)

Canine Enrichment?

I don't hear much about Enrichment with regards to domestic (pet) animals. Perhaps that is because we assume they are already enriched with our presence(?) or at least by being in our homes, although we do talk about enriching children's learning and experiences...

I tried to look up the definition for Enrichment (as in Behavioral Enrichment or Enrichment Activity) and found:

Enrichment is “… a process for improving or enhancing animal environments and care within the context of their inhabitants’ behavioral biology and natural history. It is a dynamic process in which changes to structures and husbandry practices are made with the goal of increasing behavioral choices available to animals and drawing out their species-appropriate behaviors and abilities, thus enhancing animal welfare (AZA/BAG 1999)."

(I kept looking...)

Enrichment is an "animal husbandry principle that seeks to enhance the quality of captive animal care by identifying and providing the environmental stimuli necessary for optimal psychological and physiological wellbeing" Shepherdson, D.J. (1998)

(Right... ummm... perhaps we should just move on...)

Wikipedia, ever practical, says "Most enrichment stimulus can be divided into six groups" and lists them as:

• Sensory: visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile, and taste
• Feeding: Different methods of food presentation encourage animals to think and work for their food as they would in the wild
• Manipulative Toys: items that can be manipulated in some way via hands, feet, tail, horns, head, mouth etc. simply for investigation and exploratory play
• Environmental: enhance the animals' zoo habitat with opportunities that change or add complexity to the environment
• Social: the opportunities to interact with other animals
• Training: training animals with positive reinforcement

... and if you go browsing on various Zoo web sites you'll often find a page that lists various animals' enrichment programs, or how enrichment is done. Disney has a nice site for the average reader, including some simple examples (like THIS ONE for an Anteater.)

Ok - enough background, what about my captive animals (the four-footed ones)?

• Sensory: I think they really love the texture/hardness/give of the Lacrosse balls, the softness of the woolie toys, plus they get to play "Find it!" every day.
• Feeding: They certainly get a large variety of foods, from kibble to cookies to carrots. Peanut butter is a crowd pleaser, as are hot dogs, deli-chicken, and cottage choose. But the mode of feeding isn't at all imaginative (bowl/fingers) and has nothing to do with "the wild".
• Manipulative Toys: They have plush toys that they love to carry around, toys they like to find, toys they get to eat (chewies), toys to chew (Lacrosse balls make AWESOME chew toys), and toys for playing tug. They get to rip apart boxes/bags (frequently!) and sometimes I put things into the boxes/bags to make it even more fun.
• Environmental: Their environment is my environment, but as they don't use a computer, watch TV, or have their own set of earbuds, their environment is probably lacking. There is a yard, which they are free to go into, but other than to get rid of the zoomies they rarely go there. They do get walked a couple miles each day, but that's about it. 
• Social: So long as human's count, we're good. These are house dogs, who live and sleep with us. Plus they have each other for company, and they really do seem to enjoy being and playing together. They also get out to the pet store and sometimes to meetings or classes.
• Training: Yes! They love training (class) time, and they get at least 5 "formal" sessions a week. They also get countless mini-sessions as an excuse to toss them a cookie.

If I was to give myself a grade?

• Sensory: C
• Feeding: C-
• Manipulative Toys: B-
• Environmental: C
• Social: A
• Training: A-/B+

Obviously, there is much room for improvement...

Speaking of Enrichment - below is the Word Cloud (using Wordle) for my previous post, "Find It!". Words like "boxes, squirrel, hiding, hunter, squeaky, and activity" give me hope...

Find It!

"Find it!" is one of the boys' favorite games. We play it every day at lunch, each dog getting three "finds" of the beloved Squeaky Squirrel (which replaced long-suffering Duck (of Duck Zen fame.))

Beau hunts first (of course) in the Living Room, while Zachary gets the back bedroom. I'd like to do it the other way around, since Beau is a much better hunter and the bedroom affords more hiding opportunities, but Beau gets... animated... while watching Zachary hunting.

As the Living room is visible from the Holding Area, and Zachary is a less then stellar hunter (ie: takes forever) and we happen to like our neighbors, we keep things the way they are.

Yesterday, in my quest to enrich their Enrichment Activities, I pulled down our relatively large collection (eight) of empty soda boxes which we carefully store (or precariously perch, depending on whether they avalanche on you) atop the refrigerator.

They are there so that we can toss one to the dogs every so often to give them something to rip up (Yet Another Enrichment Activity.) It's also fun to show them a ball, drop it inside a box, crimp down the top, and then give them box. To see their frantic shredding of the hapless box, you would think the ball was suffocating in there.

Today, while Beau was hiding in a sit-stay, well out of sight, I took the entire collection of boxes (all eight) and spread them out on the Living room floor. I added a couple brown paper bags to the mix, stuffed Squeaky Squirrel in one of the boxes, and called "Find it!"

I sometimes wonder about the intelligence of my dogs - both purebreds from a breed believed to be reasonably smart. For the past four (yes, four) years I have been playing "Find it!" with Beau - and over the course of those years I've hidden the Treasured Object (at the moment, the above mentioned Squeaky Squirrel) under pillows, sofas, behind curtains, on shelves, tucked into blankets, behind boards, in baskets, in heaps of laundry, in the bed, under the bed, on top of dog crates, inside boots, I've stuffed it behind/on top/and under hubby and son, I even tucked it under my shirt once and wandered around the room (really had him going with that one!)

But in all those years - for thousands of "Find It!"s - there has never been a pile of boxes mysteriously deposited in the middle of the Living Room floor.

Ever.

Don't you think he would be at least a little bit suspicious????

Nope, not my boy.

He came roaring into the room, practically fell over the boxes, sniffed the first one as he ran by and then proceeded to check out the Usual Places - carefully picking his way through the maze of boxes to do so.

(sigh)

Meanwhile, Zachary, who had seen the whole hiding process from the Holding Area, was practically beside himself with excitement, making noises I never knew a dog could make (any higher in pitch and I'd have been sweeping up broken glass.)

Finally, the Usual Places searched and double searched (Beau is a very thorough hunter) he decided to explore the boxes. He did redeem himself slightly by finding it in short order, but still - I have to say I was more than a little surprised by his lack of initial curiosity about the cardboard chaos I had created.

After that find the boxes were retired, Beau had his two more "normal" finds, and the dogs switched places. With Zachary in a sit-stay (who am I kidding, I'm sure he slumped as soon as turned the corner) I proceeded to dump the boxes and bags back onto the floor, stuffed the Squirrel into a bag this time, and called "Find It!"

Zachary, a credit to his breed, went straight to work snuffling the boxes and bags, and while he took a bit longer to find the right container, at least he knew to look in the containers!

Anyway, needless to say a good time was had by all and this Enrichment Activity received two very big paws up.

Gold Stars

(Editors Note: Yes, I know I'm only on Step 4 of 7 in our problem solving process, but I can only take so many days of this soul searching stuff before I need to do something concrete.)

One of the items in the "My Action Items" section of my List of 100 ways to make class fun for the dogs was:

#76 Ask other people how they keep training fun

... and so I did. I posted my question on July 15 (Thursday) to the Training Levels Yahoo! group and boy they come through with some really great ideas.

Some great implementable ideas.

As I'm not really sure the "public domainess" of such conglomerations of peoples ideas from a group, I will not dump the summary here (if you are just dying to know you can always join the group and search for it: "Lack of Enthusiasm - Summary") but I do feel pretty safe in pointing them out as I try them:

1. Movement: I have been sprinkling spins, weaves through legs, walking backward,... etc. during training time and I've been seeing good results. Both dogs love that sort of thing and just a few seconds of it (with clicks and treats, of course!) is a noticeable pick-me-up for both of them.
2. A new training book: I went to the bookstore today (one of my favoritest places in the whole wide world) and picked up: How Dogs Think - What the world looks like to them and why they act the way they do and How to Speak Dog, both by Stanley Coren. Who knows, maybe if I get inspired enough I'll try my hand writing a book review. Or not. (Click images to see details on dogwise.)
   
   
   
   
3. Start with something easy and end with something easy: Sounded good to me, and was really easy to do!
4. Create a Gold Star calendar for days trained: Another low-hanging fruit idea that worked out exceptionally well since the local office supply store had several varieties of cheap calendars that actually run July-Jun (who'd a thunk it - must be for school?) Even better, the pages are tear-off, so I stuck the current month in my clear clip-folder of Weekly Worksheets. I made it last, turning it so it "looks" out the clear back cover. I bought some little sparkly gold stars to mark items completed, and sparkly rainbow-colored happy faces for days trained. Awwww... I will admit my track record for keeping calendars up-to-date is extremely poor, except for the one I keep at work, so we'll see how long this actually lasts. I'm thinking of adding a Calendar page to this blog, but I'm having trouble imagining anyone cares but me, and I have the original so I don't need it on line.

... and I guess that just about does it. For now!

List of 100 - Sorted

... And the same list of 100 ways to make class fun for the dogs, grouped into broad categories.

Add Fun
  10. Include activities they enjoy
  14. Include games they like
  15. Include fetch
  16. Include tug
  17. Include some competition
  19. Add water (for Zachary)
  20. Add scenting (for Beau)
  22. Include interaction with me

  23. [Include] Rapid motions

  24. ... like spins

  25. ... or chasing
  26. Add finding things
  31. Include toys
  43. Include things they already know how to do
  44. Include things "just for fun" (tricks)
  87. Incorporate more "life" rewards

Replace Boring
   1. Use a variety of cookies
   2. Have action activities
  12. Use different props
  39. Break "boring" stuff into bits and work on them separately
  32. Have a toy box just for training time
  33. Have a special reward at the end of training
  38. Try many different warm-up activities
  54. Come up with creative distractions
  69. Try to make a game for every activity
  70. Make games that work on bits of boring things
  72. Create a freestyle "routine" to work on heeling (ie: to music)

Mental Stimulation
  66. Include thinking games
  67. Challenge their minds
  68. Include problem solving (ball in the box) activities

Class Environment
  11. Hold class in various locations
  18. Go outside
  35. Train at the pet store
  36. Train in the park
  37. Rent Wendy's yard
  41. Have stations in various rooms of the house and moving from station to station during one training session
  63. Create a class room
  73. Bring in outside things to augment training

Class Pacing
   3. Less quiet/down time
   7. Don't do anything for too long
   8. Be organized before I start
   9. Keep the waiting dog waiting for less time
  21. Reduce distractions
  28. Shorter training for a particular thing but more time overall
  29. Swap the dogs more frequently
  46. Don't let the camera slow things down

Class Structure
  27. Include other people in the family
  30. Train them together
  34. Train with a friend
  47. Incorporate more of what I want to train in everyday activities
  49. Break it up into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions (2-3 minutes each)
  50. Ask for behaviors right before something they want (like a walk)
  71. Take a day off and do nothing but fun/known things
  78. Give the non-working dog something to do while waiting
  85. Stick with at least 5 days a week

Class Content
   6. Don't do the same thing every day
  13. Make the exercises look different
  42. Turn on lively music (Stars and Stripes forever!)  45. Don't try to do too many things at once
  52. Spread out things they don't like so we aren't working on more than one at a time
  65. Include "harder" things so they have to think
  88. Include training of behaviors that will allow them to do things they would really enjoy
  94. Finish behaviors so they can show them off - they love the attention!
  96. Have a "recital" once a week for family - they love the attention!

Class Instruction
   4. Keep the lesson understandable
   5. Reduce frustration
  40. Understand what I'm training before I try to train it
  48. Have son do some training
  56. Try different approaches to explaining something to them
  57. Keep track of what works and what doesn't (to avoid the first and do more of the later.)
  64. Throw a party when they succeed
  74. If something isn't working, stop doing it
  75. If something is working, do more of it
  81. Work with their instincts
  89. Fun in contagious - figure out what I enjoy and include that too
  95. Show off things trained to family - they love the attention!

General Thoughts
  53. Be enthused about things they don't like (maybe it'll be contagious)
  59. Don't get upset when things don't go well
  60. Don't wrap my self-worth up in their success/failure
  61. Don't focus on the negative, focus on the positive
  79. Show more enthusiasm for small successes
  80. Be genuine with praise
  84. Be more fun to be around during training
  86. Don't blame them if they don't learn something - it's the instructors fault
  90. Remember that they want to please - it's my job to see they are successful
  91. Punt early if something is obviously not working
  92. Don't give up on something too soon, give it time to work
  93. Push through "the wall" (90% done, and holding)
  97. Don't be the teacher you hated in school
  98. Do be the teacher you loved in school
  99. Don't compare the dogs
 100. Don't try to train them the same way

My Action Items
  51. Figure out their learning style (is there a list of dog learning styles?) and try to accommodate them
  55. Come up with creative training methods
  58. Check YouTube for ideas about making training fun
  62. Create a sign that says "My Dogs are the Best" and hang it up where I can see it when class starts
  76. Ask other people how they keep training fun
  77. Find a training partner for Zachary
  82. Figure out what their instincts really are!
  83. Watch how they play together and see if I can use some of those behaviors during training time
 101. Discover what motivates them, and use it
 102. Discover what is demotivating, and avoid it

List of 100

Continuing on our problem solving quest...

Problem: In what ways might I improve class (training) so both the dogs and I will enjoy what we are working on and I will remain enthusiastic about reaching my goals.

Step 3: Analyze the Problem

Let's try the List of 100 way...

100 Ways to make class fun for the dogs...

1. Use a variety of cookies
2. Have action activities
3. Less quiet/down time
4. Keep the lesson understandable
5. Reduce frustration
6. Don't do the same thing every day
7. Don't do anything for too long
8. Be organized before I start
9. Keep the waiting dog waiting for less time
10. Include activities they enjoy
11. Hold class in various locations
12. Use different props
13. Make the exercises look different
14. Include games they like
15. Include fetch
16. Include tug
17. Include some competition
18. Go outside
19. Add water (for Zachary)
20. Add scenting (for Beau)
21. Reduce distractions
22. Include interaction with me
23. Rapid motions
24. ... like spins
25. ... or chasing
26. Add finding things
27. Include out people in the family
28. Shorter training for a particular thing but more time overall
29. Swap the dogs more frequently
30. Train them together
31. Include toys
32. Have a toy box just for training time
33. Have a special reward at the end of training
34. Train with a friend
35. Train at the pet store
36. Train in the park
37. Rent Wendy's yard
38. Try many different warm-up activities
39. Break "boring" stuff into bits and work on them separately
40. Understand what I'm training before I try to train it
41. Have stations in various rooms of the house and moving from station to station during one training session
42. Turn on lively music (Stars and Stripes forever!)
43. Include things they already know how to do
44. Include things "just for fun" (tricks)
45. Don't try to do too many things at once
46. Don't let the camera slow things down
47. Incorporate more of what I want to train in everyday activities
48. Have son do some training
49. Break it up into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions (2-3 minutes each)
50. Ask for behaviors right before something they want (like a walk)
51. Figure out their learning style (is there a list of dog learning styles?) and try to accommodate them
52. Spread out things they don't like so we aren't working on more than one at a time
53. Be enthused about things they don't like (maybe it'll be contagious)
54. Come up with creative distractions
55. ... creative training methods
56. ... try different approaches to explaining something to them
57. Keep track of what works and what doesn't (to avoid the first and do more of the later.
58. Check YouTube for ideas about making training fun
59. Don't get upset when things don't go well
60. Don't wrap my self-worth up in their success/failure
61. Don't focus on the negative, focus on the positive
62. Create a sign that says "My Dogs are the Best" and hang it up where I can see it when class starts
63. Create a class room
64. Throw a party when they succeed
65. Include "harder" things so they have to think
66. Include thinking games
67. Challenge their minds
68. Include problem solving (ball in the box) activities
69. Try to make a game for every activity
70. Make games that work on bits of boring things
71. Take a day off and do nothing but fun/known things
72. Create a freestyle "routine" to work on heeling (ie: to music)
73. Bring in outside things to augment training
74. If something isn't working, stop doing it
75. If something is working, do more of it
76. Ask other people how they keep training fun
77. Find a training partner for Zachary
78. Give the non-working dog something to do while waiting
79. Show more enthusiasm for small successes
80. Be genuine with praise
81. Work with their instincts
82. ... figure out what their instincts really are!
83. Watch how they play together and see if I can use some of those behaviors during training time
84. Be more fun to be around during training
85. Stick with at least 5 days a week
86. Don't blame them if they don't learn something - it's the instructors fault
87. Incorporate more "life" rewards
88. Include training of behaviors that will allow them to do things they would really enjoy
89. Fun in contagious - figure out what I enjoy and include that too
90. Remember that they want to please - it's my job to see they are successful
91. Punt early if something is obviously not working
92. Don't give up on something too soon, give it time to work
93. Push through "the wall" (90% done, and holding)
94. Finish behaviors so they can show them off - they love the attention!
95. Show off things trained to family - they love the attention!
96. Have a "recital" once a week for family - they love the attention!
97. Don't be the teacher you hated in school
98. Do be the teacher you loved in school
99. Don't compare the dogs
100. Don't try to train them the same way
101. Discover what motivates them, and use it
102. Discover what is demotivating, and avoid it

Problem Solving (was Ambition)

Editors Note: No, the above photo has nothing to do with this post - but after much angst (bleeding out onto these pages) Beau finally passed Training Levels Four Contacts and I just had to share! Just don't ask how Zachary is doing...

As a refresher, here are our problem solving steps from "The Happy Manager":

• Find the right problem to solve
• Define the problem
• Analyze the Problem
• Develop Possibilities
• Select the Best Solution
• Implement
• Evaluate and Learn

This is what I have so far:

Step 1: Find the right problem to solve

• Lack of progress toward goals.

Step 2: Define the problem

Continuing on...

Looking over yesterday's answers to The Happy Manager's questions, I feel the following subset best defines the problem:

• I want to be making verifiable progress toward my goals
• I have been having difficulty motivating myself to work on the things on my [goals] list
• Class time is no longer fun (for me) but work.
• I want to work on fun stuff, but know I should be working on "real" things (like duration activities, Training Levels things, etc.) and even the fun stuff I have on my list just doesn't seem that much fun lately.
• [I want to] see the boys enjoying themselves learning new things.
• [I want to] realistically enter Zachary in a Rally trial this fall.
• [ The problem began when ]I fell out of the training habit/rut and haven't found the rhythm again.
• I want to return to the happy way I used to feel after class time, when I could cross things off the list or watch the videos I made, and know that progress was made.

Now I just need to create a problem statement out of that. I did a bit more googling, and came across Einstein's Secret to Amazing Problem Solving, which had several useful nuggets, including:

• Find Multiple Perspectives (my POV, the dog's POV,...)
• Assume a myriad of solutions: "In what ways might I..."
• Make it positive
• ... and they even suggested a formula for the stuck: “In what ways (action) (object) (qualifier) (end result)?” as in "In what ways might I package (action) my book (object) more attractively (qualifier) so people will buy more of it (end result)?"

THEREFORE, keeping all the above in mind, here is my problem statement:

• In what ways might I improve class (training) so both the dogs and I will enjoy what we are working on and I will remain enthusiastic about reaching my goals.

Whew!

Ambition (part 2)

As a refresher from yesterday, here are our problem solving steps from "The Happy Manager":

• Find the right problem to solve
• Define the problem
• Analyze the Problem
• Develop Possibilities
• Select the Best Solution
• Implement
• Evaluate and Learn

This is what I have so far:

Step 1: Find the right problem to solve

• Lack of progress toward goals.

Continuing on...

Step 2: Define the problem

Remember, the Happy Manager says: "The secret to defining the problem, is really about attitude. Try to see every problem as an opportunity."

They also provide a Question Checklist to Investigate Problems - and that is what we are going to do today.

Not sure what to make of the Opportunity comment, but I can following a checklist, so here goes:

What

• What (exactly) do I want to achieve? 
• I want to be making verifiable progress toward my goals.
• What are the facts? 
• I have been having difficulty motivating myself to work on the things on my list.
• Productivity is down. 
• Class time is down. 
• The boys seem to be having difficulty with the latest things, but I'm pretty sure it's how I'm teaching them and not any problem on their end. 
• Class time is no longer fun (for me) but work. 
• I want to work on fun stuff, but know I should be working on "real" things (like duration activities, Training Levels things, etc.) and even the fun stuff I have my list just doesn't seem that much fun lately.
• What would happen if no decision was made or solution found? 
• I will loose momentum, fall out of the training rut, and nothing will happen at all.
• What do I need in order to find a solution?
• I need to understand why the wheels feel off!

Why

• Why do I want to achieve a solution? 
• So class time can be fun again. 
• So I can see the boys enjoying themselves learning new things. 
• So I can realistically enter Zachary in a Rally trial this fall.
• Why did the problem or opportunity arise? 
• Perhaps because we moved on to hard things? 
• Or things that take longer? 
• Or possibly because I fell out of the training habit/rut and haven't found the rhythm again.
• Why do I need to find a solution or way forward at all? 
• Because if I don't I'm afraid I'll quit working toward my goals. 
• Because there aren't any classes around here that I can enter Zachary in, and I want him to keep learning. 
• Because they are both smart dogs and I hate to see them bored.
• Ask 5 Whys: 
• Hmmm... not sure what to do with this one at the moment...

How

• How will the situation be different? 
• (I'm guessing this means compare the current situation with the "solved" situation) I want to return to the happy way I used to feel after class time, when I could cross things off the list or watch the videos I made, and know that progress was made.
• How relevant is the information I am gathering? n/a
• How can I find out more? n/a
• How can I involve relevant people? 
• The dog groups are both good sources of input, if I can pinpoint a particular (relevant) problem.

Where

• Where did the issue arise? 
• At home.
• Where does it impact? 
• Both at home and On The Road, I guess.
• Is the "where" important? 
• Not for the problem, although possibly for the solution.
• If so, why? 
• Perhaps a change of venue will put a spark back into things?

Who

• Who am I trying to please? 
• Me, me, and... uh... well... me!
• Who cares about this situation? Who is affected? 
• No one cares at all but me. No one is affected but me.
• Who is involved (information, help, action)? 
• The dog groups might be a source of information and/or help.
• Who needs to be informed? n/a

When

• When did the issue arise? 
• This spring, during the time Zachary was taking the CGC class, when my son was playing Lacrosse, and during Finals. I believe we also started Training Levels Four around that time.
• When do we need to act? 
• The sooner the better!
• By when must be resolved? 
• The sooner the better!

... you know, after all that, I actually think I have a germ of an idea - but this post is already too long and the boys await, so it will have to wait until tomorrow.

TO BE CONTINUED

Ambition

Merriam-Webster defines ambition as "an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power" and a "desire to achieve a particular end."

While the first definition might apply to a subset of Canine Educators, those striving for titles or placements, I'm definitely not one of them and the sort of ambition I'm talking about here falls under the second definition: a desire to achieve a particular end.

Now, I generally believe that ambition is a good thing. Ambition keeps us heading toward our goals, even when our lives are too busy, the conditions adverse, and the work is hard. But there is a negative side to ambition - and not just the sort that was portrayed so well in the 80's movie Wall Street.

I believe that ambition turns from good to bad when we become so focused on the act of accomplishing something that we loose sight of why we are trying to accomplish it.

... which leads up to the topic of today:

If anyone has been watching the Weekly Worksheets over the last few months, they will probably have noticed two things:

1. I'm not making much headway on many of the items there
2. The number of subjects/activities I'm trying to cover has been slowly increasing

(In case there is any confusion on the matter: more stuff plus less done does not equal success.)

If recognizing there is a problem is the first step towards solving it, then consider step one accomplished: "Houston, we have a problem."

Googling "steps to solving a problem" turned up this list, from "The Happy Manager":

1. Find the right problem to solve
2. Define the problem
3. Analyze the Problem
4. Develop Possibilities
5. Select the Best Solution
6. Implement
7. Evaluate and Learn

(... actually it turned up lots of lists like this, but I liked this one the best because of the first item. It does no good to create a solution to a problem until you are sure you have the right problem.)

Step 1: Find the right problem to solve

Let's go with: Lack of progress toward goals.

I think it is important to emphasis "progress" here, as that's what seems to be lacking. I do not believe this is an attainability, capability, or trainability problem. While my goals might be overly ambitious for me, given how much time I have available, the worst that should happen is that I fail to accomplish some of them, not this dead-in-the-water syndrome I seem to be stuck in.


Step 2: Define the problem

... and here Happy Manager notes: "The secret to defining the problem, is really about attitude. Try to see every problem as an opportunity."

Right.

Huh?

Back to the Happy Manager I go, and find yet another page with yet more questions to answer.

Alas, as this post is already getting a bit long, I have much to ponder, and the dogs' vacant expressions suggests time spent on the computer isn't helping their education (or my progress) one bit.

TO BE CONTINUED

More Contacts

Yes, we are still talking about Contacts. We are still working on Contacts. We are still thinking, dreaming, and obsessing about Contacts.

Tonight was by the far the best practice session yet, both per dog and in total. Beau is pretty nearly there, especially since this is an optional behavior and I’ll never do Agility with him. Zachary is still playing “101 Things to do with a Contact Board”, although after the first dozen or so passes he settles down to something approximating the desired result.

I upped the criteria again and now expect all four paws on the board plus stillness and, not surprisingly, that final paw wasn’t nearly the challenge that lack of motion continues to be.

I brought the mat back out and once again put it at the end of the hall. Beau was a bit hesitant, as it is now a good fifteen feet or more from the Contact Board, but Zachary zoooooomed down the hall and threw himself on the rug, looking more like a Golden Border Collie than a Golden Retriever.

Sometimes I just held them for a few seconds, but on at least one occasion both dogs were held there at least 20 seconds and neither looked like they would break. I thought the change from running the board to lying still would be harder for them, particularly Zachary, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Once again, that which I think should be hard turns out to be easy, and that which should be easy is nigh impossible.

All in all, though, a good nights work from both boys and a nice start to the end of the week.

Editors Note: Well, I finally took the plunge and switched from the old-style Blogger template to one of the new ones. I’ve been considering it for quite some time, as the new styles support additional features, but it was a hard decision as I really loved the previous lighthouse image that seemed to so perfectly represent this Blog’s description: “A Journey Toward Canine Enlightenment.”

Anyway, until I find something that speaks to me equally well, don’t be surprised if the background and look don’t morph a few (dozen) more times.

Boring Stuff

I hate practicing the "boring stuff" - usually defined as duration activities requiring me to stand around patiently waiting for the clock to tick off a certain number of seconds/minutes while one of the dogs remains in roughly the position I left them in.

Yawn

Yes, I know the "boring stuff" can be important. Yes, I know patience is a useful skill. Yes, I realize life can't always be exciting. But I'm old enough to feel I shouldn't have to do something I don't want to in an activity I'm doing just because I want to do it.

Right?

So tonight I tried something different.

Tonight I pulled out my Go To Mat mat and put it at the far end of the hall. Then I pulled out the Contacts board and laid it out in the Living Room. For the remainder of "class time", after every half-dozen runs across the board, I sent the dog to the mat for a few seconds. A click/treat, and back to the board they were sent.

What I'm hoping is that I can get to the point where one dog can lay on the mat while the other works for a few minutes, and then switch them. I figure this way they get their duration practice in and I don't have to stand there and stare at them.

At least, that's the plan.

Will it work? I have no idea, but it's looking good so far.

As for Contacts, I have gone back to pure shaping. The light bulb is starting to flicker on in Beau's head, and he is getting very good about stopping at the end (usually four paws on, but sometimes two on/two off.) Zachary is still in "101 Things to do with a Contact Board" mode, but he is getting better. I'm at the point where I was with Fronts, where I'm mostly looking for still (always a problem with Zachary) plus three paws on the board. Three paws on makes him pointed roughly down the board, which is good.

One Rear Toe On had him side-stepping across the board - cute, but not what I was looking for.

I have this nagging feeling that I made Contacts much too hard by being in a hurry, and had I just stuck with shaping both dogs would be done by now.

(Perhaps there is something to be said for practicing patience after all.)

Sit Happens...

... but apparently not for two minutes...

... at least not at my house.

In fact, had I decided to video all my efforts to capture the elusive Level Four (two minute) Sit-Stay on video, I would have quite the Keystone Cops collection by now.

Now it's not like the boys, if sufficiently (self) motivated, are not capable of the physical act of sitting for two minutes at a time. I'm pretty sure I've seen them sit for five, maybe even ten minutes without twitching a whisker if they thought there was a chance something from the dinner table might find it's way to the floor.

Nope, what we're talking about here is me telling them to sit, me walking away 40 feet, turning around, and waiting for two minutes to elapse.

Today I thought I would try something different. Thinking a change in venue might do the trick, I took Zachary out back, set up the camera, and walked 40 feet way. Zachary did some lovely heads up heeling as we marched down the brick walkway - too bad we weren't working on that.

I let Beau tag along, figuring I could use him as my distraction. Otherwise ignoring the big dog, I pointed to my designated spot, told Zachary to sit-stay, and confidently walked 40' back down the brick walkway to the camera. I have to say I was a bit surprised when I turned around to see Beau sitting there as well.

Ok... synchronized sitting. There went one of my distractions, but I still had a tug toy and a ball at my disposal so I wasn't worried.

And I shouldn't have been, as 30 seconds later Zachary slumps into a down.

Rats.

With the Big Dog still sitting tall, I decided to wait it out to see what would happen. After a minute I tossed the ball.

Nobody moved.

At 1:30 seconds I tossed the tug toy.

Nobody moved...

... for about 10 more seconds...

... then Beau slumped into a down as well.

Off went the camera, and I marched back down the brick walkway. Four big eyeballs stared up at me and nobody moved a muscle. I think somewhere in the back of Zachary's little mind something must of clicked, because as I stood there and glared at them (and no cookies appeared) Zachary sheepishly returned to a sit.

Beau, with more experience, held fast to his down. He no doubt realizes by now that if he wasn't supposed to have laid down, switching to a sit at this point wasn't going to help matters any.

And he would be right.

Enter the Keystone Cops, for as I made my "Thou Shalt Sit (and I really mean it this time!)" hand signal, Zachary took off down the walkway in search of the ball I had thrown earlier. Then Beau took off down the walkway after Zachary, prompting a case of synchronized zoomies.

Joy.

I called Zachary (knowing it would have been pointless to call Beau) and attempted to reset things. I'll spare you the details - suffice it to say it wasn't pretty.

I gave it four more tries (yes, I'm a glutton for punishment) and never made it past the 1:30 mark again. Searching hard for a bright spot (between Zoomies, selective deafness, and dogs dropping and popping back up like Wack-a-Moles) I'd have to say that they did hold firm against all the distractions I tossed (literally) their way.

Now all I need is for them to grow a backbone.

Preemptive Strike

Zachary doesn't like thuds, thumps or banging noises coming from outside. Period. He responds to such noises with a series of Gatling gun barks, with a growl thrown in every now and then for good measure.

Beau couldn't care less if there were thuds, thumps, or banging noises outside, but will dutifully back up his housemate with his heavy Howitzer bark.

Since fireworks falls under the category of "bangs", and I didn't care to have my house sounding like a war zone Sunday night, I figured a preemptive strike was in order.

So shortly before the rockets were due to launch, I tuned to the PBS channel on TV (fortuitously replaying the National fireworks display backed by patriotic marching band songs and the 1812 Overture - an advantage to living on the west coast) and cranked it up really loud. Then I pulled out the cookies, and proceeded to march around the house with a pair of oblivious Golden Retrievers marching along right beside me.

We had a grand time.

I have never done much heeling with both of them at the same time, but that night I gave it a try. It was a riot. We were marching forwards, backwards(!), and I was flinging cookies left and right.

Then I switched to some glove retrieves. Two dogs, two gloves at 20' - on your mark... get set... Bring!

Zachary was the clear winner, paws down, and when things slowed down because Uncle Beau isn't the fastest retriever in the west, Zachary "helped" by grabbing the glove from Uncle Beau and quick-timing it back to me.

I'm not sure if either of them learned a darned thing, but there were lots of laughs (from me) lots of cookies (for them) and nary a bark to be heard.

I guess you could say that all was quiet on the western front...

... well, except for "Stars and Strips Forever" blaring away in the background.

4th of July

Scrapbook - 101 Things...

The other night I played "101 Things to do with a Box" using a Basket (Training Levels Four - Trick)

(To read about it CLICK HERE and scroll down until you find "Trick".)

I had been dreading this a bit, as Zachary already plays "101 Things..." with everything I set down in front him, which isn't necessarily a great trait as usually you are only interested one particular thing and not the other 100 he throws in, but I felt I owned him a bit of fun after all that Contacts/Rear-Paw-on-board stuff we've been working on (let's see, that would be on YouTube HERE and HERE.)

Anyway, suffice it to say that "101 Things..." is a game right up his alley. If you want see him in all his video glory, CLICK HERE.

Afterwards, I went through that video frame by frame and was appalled a the number of "Clickable Moments" I missed - a half-dozen or more. Times when he clearly did something different and I missed the difference entirely. Sometimes it was subtle, but often it was a paw switch on his part - doing something with a right front and then trying it later with a left front and me not noticing the change.

Anyway, I grabbed images from the video and put them in a few annotated pages. Time runs top to bottom, left to right, as though you are holding up two film strips side by side. The last page is the final shaping session at the end. Given his "artistic" nature, I didn't want to end the session without reminding him how we normally shape to accomplish something.

(As always, click to see larger)