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My first thought is that Moo did the same sequence many times in a row. Some dogs think that something is wrong when they repeat the same sequence over and over. I wouldn’t run the same sequence more than a couple of times. Even if you are at a run thru, make up your own sequence and run that instead, starting in a completely different area on the course.
Good job switching up your toy! And great job using the Snuffle Mat as a decompressor in between runs!
Since Moo struggled with the tunnel on the third run, I would throw the toy to help him explode out of the tunnel.
Do you use a Lotus Ball with food inside? It looks like food is his top reinforcer.
Maybe the journey to build mental resilience looks like 2 runs per day, one day trials, twice per month. And then build from there.
Yay!!!! You can get really creative using the Snuffle Mat. Keep using it when you have to separate the dogs because one is being worked or even leaving Grizzly in your car while Bear goes in for therapy work.
I think sniffing is good, always. A few things to consider to help with the sniffing:
– Put it on cue when you are taking a walk with him on a regular leash. When you want to give him time to sniff, then cue “Go Sniff.” When you decide it’s been enough, cue “Let’s Go.”
– I agree that allowing him to practice sniffing on walks is a better choice than eating things on walks. Dogs that can relax enough to sniff is a helpful indicator of how they are feeling. I have worked with dogs in NYC that are so overwhelmed or fearful of the environment, that they will not sniff. As their anxieties begin to reduce, sniffing is one of the first behaviors we start to see. A good thing!Great work at the AKC trial!! Do you have a typical routine that you practice before your runs (class, home, trials)? Dogs do well with routines in general. If you can ritualize things for Skye, it is specifically helpful for his anxiety.
Relaxation Conditioning is different from Relaxation Protocol, because you as the handler do not move. It’s also helpful when practicing in different environments because your presence anchors the dog. We will be practicing Relaxation Protocol as well in the next few weeks.
What specifically has Dr. Overall recommended regarding Skye eating things, other than meds and the exercises you have been practicing?
So the hard part of your property is that you don’t have any space that is clear of leaves. The environment itself acts like a context cue. Plus your property is likely where he has practiced the majority of the eating behavior, simply because that’s where Skye lives. For now, I recommend going somewhere that is clear of leaves and such for disc work and agility training. Are there places you could rent where you are working indoors for agility? I feel strongly that it is not worth battling him (continuously interrupting him from picking up things) while in your yard. Might be best to just keep the mask on him.
Ok, I would like for you to start teach a Sit-Stay on the Cato platform. Lots and lots and lots of treats! 🙂 You will want to build a ton of value to sitting on that Cato platform.
Thanks for explaining in detail. Can you ask someone to take video of you practicing Counter-conditioning and desensitization, per the assignment, in different environments?
Ok, so clearly her arousal drops in the agility environment because of the pressure she likely feels around her. This is helpful to know. Keep practicing the assignments I have posted so far. This is a building block process. And sometimes, it can take a long while.
Have you done any station work? Teaching Dellie to hold a sit-stay on a platform, such as a Cato platform? If not, do you have a platform? We are going to play a lot of games using a platform which will help the startline worries.
In the third video where you are showing me the environment as well as Dellie, do you think the dogs and people walking around is causing her to appear skittish? She is scanning the environment, watching all that is going on around her. I would like for you to feed her frequently at your side while you are moving from point A to point B. This will help bring her focus back to you while also pairing food with whatever is going on around her.
Last video was informative- practically no one was around and she ran the course!
Ah, yes! I know that sound! So clearly Tess is super excited about Dock Diving. 🙂
Does Tess every bark like this at agility?
You can send 4-5 videos per exercise. Can you please post a few more so that I can get a better picture of what’s going around you? Can you ask a friend or family member follow you guys and take video?
Hi Bonnie!
The under-arousal that you are referring to is a result of the anxiety he is likely feeling in the trial environment. Dogs sometimes experience different levels of anxiety in trial environments.
A great start to the Relaxation Conditioning. Don’t necessarily reinforce Moo when he puts his head down. I don’t want him to think that putting his head down is what is getting him the treat. 🙂 For now, give Moo a treat every 3-5 seconds. Do this for the next 3 sessions in a row. If you can post video on this, I can give you more feedback.
Hi Lori!
Do you have videos of you training with Grizzly in class or at home? Running a sequence or course?
Can you leave the dogs in the car safely and not crate them in the building?
I understand about the therapy work. It is amazing that you are spending your time doing that.
In the meantime, keep practicing the assignments. 🙂
Great thinking! And you can do it from your living room couch, lol!
Was this the first time you practiced this in front of the television?
Try doing this with Luke on leash; hold the leash so that Luke only has half the length. With Luke running back and forth to the TV, he is still acting out the upset he feels. The leash will interrupt that pattern which should prevent the arousal from continuing to increase. If he is still lunging towards the tv, you will have to sit with him further away from the TV. Makes sense?
Also, I would love to see video of you practicing this in other situations where there are dogs around. Just be mindful of being safe by maintaining distance. 🙂
Hi Lori!
I copied and pasted your post, inserting my comments, below:
Regarding “Thresholds”—Grizzly is a “Velcro” dog, so that when I leave home or kennel him at a trial, he is unhappy, whereas his half brother just curls up and goes to sleep. Examples:
1. When I leave home and can’t take the dogs with me, (they know when I’m leaving) they both try to zoom past me into the garage, so I don’t forget to put them in the car. If they can’t go I either have to return them to the house or block their exit (not always easy with a 80+ & 90+ lb dogs). I always give them a treat. If it’s Bear, he gobbles it down, but if it’s Grizzly (they are both “foodie’s), he won’t take the treat. If for some reason I can only take Bear and have to leave Grizzly home alone, that treat is still there, uneaten, when I return. I’m assuming Grizzly is “Over Threshold”, but what else can I do?>> You do your best. If Grizzly is not happy about being alone at home, then he won’t eat. As long as he isn’t in distress or panicking, you’re okay.
2. If we’re at a trial, they both have to be kenneled and I always try to kennel them with me. Bear curls up and goes to sleep and Grizzly is at attention almost the whole time. If I have to leave to check the board for example, Grizzly is watching. This also means he’s not resting for his event either.
>> Is it possible to crate them in your car? That way Grizzly has a break from the trial environment. This is an important component in management.
3. They are both Therapy Dogs, but I can’t take them in the facility at the same time. Because the facility’s schedule can’t be changed at the Residential Treatment Center, I alternate each week of which dog I take in first. The teenagers (I visit with Girls first & then the Boys units) want to see both dogs, so it’s not an option to always take Grizzly in first. When Grizzly can’t go in first, he gets anxious again. If he can go in first, then when I return him to the car to get Bear, he is so mentally drained from the visits, that there is no problem.
>> Again, you do your best. Does he stay crated in your car while you take Bear in for therapy work? Is it possible to always bring Grizzly in first?
In all of the above examples, he has never been destructive to my things (thank goodness) and eventually appears to calm down, but he doesn’t rest until I’m back.
I don’t know how to destress him when I have to no choice to leave him and maybe you’re addressing this in a future lesson.>> Again, you do your best. 🙂
Regarding “Focus & Drive”—Whether training or trialing, Grizzly is very sensitive to corrections and I’m trying to not use the “no” word. However, in training you have to correct the wrong move and teach him the correct way, but he shuts down and loses all drive when he figures out he’s done it wrong.
>> Do you have a video example of this? We will be doing some work to help dogs with recovery.
He definitely can’t focus at the start-line nor listen. He loses it and wants to take off immediately if he’s in a “sit-stay”, which precludes me from getting a few feet ahead of him. If I’m too firm in that “sit-stay” (and I usually point at him and glare), he loses focus by looking around or rolling on the ground and scratching his back (something he does normally in our backyard, but I’m wondering at the trial if it’s a stress reliever), or he immediately takes off without me telling him to “go”. He is so different from his brother Bear, who is super obedient, but has no motivation to move at the start line until he’s darn good and ready and then sometimes at his own “Winnie the Pooh” pace.
If any of the above is addressed later in the class, let me know and I’ll wait.>> We will be doing many things to help address his worries. For now, I would like for you to pause on trialing, perhaps for the remainder of the year. Let’s build up his confidence and then explore how to work with him in the trial environment. If you are trialing with Bear and it’s going well, keep doing it. We can work with Grizzly at the trial environment outside of the ring.
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Try doing FEO in November. Please take video and post it so the I can give you feedback.
Will he eat food in a trial environment? Topper, my blonde terrier, will play with a ball in the ring. Marvel, my red terrier, will only take food. What I did was give the verbal cue, “Let’s get your cookie!” and then we ran out of the ring to reward. Then we ran back into the ring and kept running the course. I made sure to let the scribe, gate steward, and judge know this beforehand. I never had any pushback for doing this. The key is to practice this method of reinforcement at home, in class, and seminars before doing at a trial. And you to have the verbal cue on stimulus control. 🙂
