When I Look In Your Eyes

Hello, Sebastian pug here!

Because I was a naughty boy in my last Rally Advanced Trial, my owner has made me start a stupid dance class --- she calls it Canine Freestyle, and she has learned all sorts of stupid stuff that she says will make me a better performer.

Since she took this fancy online course with freestyle teacher Michelle Pouliot, my owner keeps mumbling fancy things like "cure the lure" and "clean training".

What? She's taking away lures?! I thought I had made it abundantly clear that I ONLY work for food!

She says she doesn't agree with me though and says we are going to "retrain" .... whatever that means. She says that our 1st and primary goal will be "Clean Training".

I asker her, "What on earth is 'clean training'? Are you going to make me start cleaning the blasted house?"

She said, no, really, "clean training" has to do with my skills as a handler and I'm going to have to retrain some things that I did as the human.

(Ha .... I could have told her that! I've been trying to teach her for years now!)

She says she is going to try to avoid creating "visual cues and lures" which I have come to rely on.

Things like:

*she initiates training sessions showing me the treat pouch and toys (the visible rewards) 
*she initiates training sessions by showing me the blasted clicker ... doesn't she know that the clicker is an AURAL marker, not a VISUAL marker? 
*she moves her hand that gives me the treat at the moment she clicks -- this "blocks" the sound of the click and makes it less effective so I don't really pay attention to anything but the treat. (duh)

*she always lets me look at the treat when she asks me to do something, instead of making me look at her face and eyes. 

(By the way, I think this is probably going to be our blasted theme song from now on ....)

My owner/handler is also going to try to stop using physical lures more than just a couple of times (if I need a little help at first learning a new trick) in order to get me to do something. (Ha ... good luck with that one LMAO!)

She also said she is going to need to work on her clicker skills -- specifically, when exactly to click. (It's really funny ... sometimes she'll have the clicker upside down and try to click when I sit or bow or do some cool move, but when she finally figures out how to click it I'm already scratching my ear or licking my privates. What? She wants me to do this in front of an AUDIENCE?! Jeebers.)

So, I guess she really needs to decide if she's marking:
a) when I do my awesome bow
or
b) when I scratch my ears

(I probably ought to tell her that, IF SHE OBSERVED ME CLOSELY, she would actually see that I'm giving her signs that I'm about to perform a specific behavior. Maybe that would give her time to figure out how to work the clicker! lol.)

So, according to all these training courses, if she clicks the clicker, then that tells me that I'll receive a reinforcer! But, when she clicks the clicker when she's actually reaching for the treat in her treat pouch, then I'm thinking, "OK, I guess I got that click and am going to get a treat because she is reaching for a treat in her treat bag. My how limber her arm is reaching behind her back to get that treat .... from the pouch THAT I KNOW IS THERE! duh.

So, my owner says she is going to try to work to deliver the reinforcer as a distinctly separate physical motion from the event marker. Or, more simply put, "CLICK .... THEN TREAT", not "CLICK WHILE REACHING FOR TREAT."

She says this is important because: 

*" If she lumps the click and the reward delivery into one action, the impact of the click is likely to be diluted or even blocked. (Heck, I'm not going to hear that click when she's showing me a handful of Filet Mignon!!!)

To reinstate, if my owner's treat hand is already in motion at the time she clicks, I'm going to be totally focused on that handful of Filet Mignon instead of the click! The click will be “blocked” by the motion of my owner's hand flashing around the filet mignon! I'm not going to notice what behavior or movement I was doing that triggered that click .... I'm ONLY going to notice that delicious filet mignon!!

But this click can also be "blocked" actually by ANYTHING that distracts me from my awareness of the behavior I'm performing during the click. It could be an action, a noise, a visual stimulus that is occurring before or during the click. 

-hand movement
-showing me the food pouch
-body movements (she always stands a bit straighter just before giving me a treat!)
-words spoken before or during the click (if she would only stop talking I could hear the clicker!)
-pointing the clicker at me is also distracting ... it's a sort of "false click". Remember, the clicker itself should not become a visual cue for the dog to respond, only the SOUND of the clicker is the intended behavior marker.

She says that clicker training is most powerful when the I'm not distracted by false signals or “clicks” from other events.

Any of these things will prevent me, the dog, from understanding what my owner is actually rewarding me for! (Was I sitting? I didn't notice!)

If I were nice, I, Sebastian pug, would tell my poor owner that she always moves her reward hand too early to get the treat ready. So, I'm thinking that the movement of her hand is the cue for reward coming, rather than MY awesome bow or sit causing the reward to happen. 

But, she can't read my mind, evidently.

If I were a nice pug, I'd tell my owner that she needs to practice on how to more cleanly deliver the reinforcer as a COMPLETELY SEPARATE EVENT from the click. She needs to make sure the click and the delivery of the reinforcer do not overlap, but happen sequentially: click and then treat. Otherwise, I'll stay a booger forever and only work for food until I'm in a pug nursing home.


Maybe I should sing her this song at the next training session?

So, for our 1st session, I will work to CURE THE LURE. In dog training, anything that prompts the dog to perform as a result of sensing (e.g. seeing or smelling) something it desires is a type of lure that can easily become part of the cue.

A lure could be food in the hand, physical movement of the handler, a bait bag, a toy sticking out of the pocket, etc.

I remember my owner mumbling something about her "ULTIMATE GOAL" --- that she, as the owner, would be the strongest lure to me.....that my mere presence (without her needing to hold food or toys) would prompt me, Sebastian pug, to perform. 

Well, I guess I'll humor her and let her keep striving for enthusiasm in my cute little pigs fly pug self.

I think we both learned the hard way that lures can be problematic in a training program, especially when the ultimate goal is to perform without the presence of a lure. So, maybe if she "cures the lure" then I might consider doing sit strikes in the next trial!

Might. 

Well, here are some video clips from our 1st dance class -- ahem, canine freestyle training sessions. We worked on what she called "Attention Duration". It was really VERY simple ... all I had to do was look into her eyes. Every time my eyes met hers, she clicked and I got a treat! (I really felt like I was back in Kindergarten, but it was still fun.)

SESSION 1: ATTENTION DURATION:

According to that freestyle teacher, Michelle Pouliot, "Attention is the most important foundation behavior a freestyle dog must have. Attention is the ability and desire to focus on the handler throughout an entire routine in a distractive environment." "In freestyle performance situations the dog must be able to maintain full attention to the handler in a distractive environment, for up to 5 minutes. Full attention means the dog is able to maintain 100% of his attention on the handler without the handler giving ongoing prompts or additional cues."

So, my I guess I need to give 100% of my attention to my dancing partner's! I'm going to need to be able to take cues immediately or perform fancy dance moves in time with the music -- my owner said we're going to have some tricky choreography! 

My owner says that the more fun we have, the more we'll enjoy learning, and the better and more attentive dance partner I'll be. So, I hope these sessions stay FUN!  

In the video, you'll see that my owner broke this session up into 6 TRAINING STEPS:

STEP 1: For the 1st step, ("introduction to duration attention"), my owner clicked and then rewarded anytime I look up to her face and eyes. (She wasn't allowed to use a lure to get me to do this .... so, lol, she had to wait for me!) She kept changing where she was standing in relation to me .... so we ended up in different positions. I got to stand on this fancy platform that she made. I look pretty snazzy!

STEP 2: For the 2nd step, ("stationary attention in specific positions, no distractions present")  iI had to stand still on the platform while my owner moved into these different positions: 

1)  Me, Sebastian, standing on platform, owner standing on my right side

2)  Me, Sebastian, staying in the standing position on platform while my owner walked over to stand on my LEFT side.

3)  Repeat steps 1 and 2 

4)  Me, Sebastian, standing on the platform, while my owner stood in FRONT of me (like a "come front" except with with a stand)

5) Switch directions … so I faced the other wall, the other way on the platform, and my owner stood in front of me again

6)  Switch from my owner standing in front of me, to my side of Sebastian --- then changing to all sorts of directions.

A few extra goals: 

*I noticed that my owner worked  to increase the time of my attention ("duration") by waiting a bit before clicking ..... but I had to keep watching her all along!  

*She also alternated hands that gave me the treat (it's almost like if I anticipated one hand, she used the other etc.) Pretty tricky. It really made me pay attention!

STEP 3: For this step, ("stationary attention with low-level, controlled distractions"), my owner did a couple of things differently:
1)  Using food, she had me sit in front and watch me. Then she took some food in each hand and opened her hands apart .... I had to keep looking at her and NOT look at the food. (It was REALLY difficult, I'll admit!) When I was successful, she clicked, THEN, brought the food back to the center of her body and then rewarded me by giving me the food! Once again, she alternated which hand gave me the reward. 

2) Then she made it more challenging by lowering her hands a bit! That food was getting closer and closer. I could smell it ..... ahhh..... 

STEP 4: For step 4, ("stationary attention with moderate-level, controlled distractions"), my owner put one of my favorite toys on the ground nearby trying to distract me. That wasn't so difficult really, for a pug I mean, BUT, then she moved the food from one of her hands to the other .... side to side ... back and forth .... ugh. I had to keep watching her all along and NEVER look at the food if I was to ever get a click and treat.
         

STEP 5: For step 5, ("stationary attention with high-level, controlled distractions") she tried to distract me by having someone else stand a bit away from us and squeak the blasted toy over and over. I had to keep watching her, and never look at the squeak toy.

To be honest, this wasn't so difficult for me, SO she pulled out the big guns. She started having her helper "ding" my ding bell. My FAVORITE ALL-TIME BELL! This, was difficult. Wow. Pretty much impossible at first.

THEN, she had her helper start playing my piano. MY PIANO! This was torture. Not only was her helper playing it ALL wrong, but I really, really, really, really love to play my piano. 

Of course, if I ever looked at the piano, I didn't get the click and treat. I had to keep looking at my owner's face and eyes. 

"When I look in your eyes ...... I hear my piano being terrorized ..... and I fear my promised treat will vaporize ....."  
             

STEP 6: For the last step, ("moving attention with no distractions"), my owner introduced movement to try to build my duration attention. This was easy peasy after that piano torture session!

Well, here are the results of our efforts. In ALL HONESTY, who do you think is training whom? Ahem. 

VIDEO         
 

Master Pug Rapper

In honor of starting back to Rally Class tonight (September 10, 2015!) after a LONG summer break, the Master Pug Rapper, Sebastian Booger, has written a rap ....

Master Pug Rapper

Sebastian-Booger, CGC, RN

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=6mxYTileXnI

Here's my Rap Sheet:

Yo Yo, this here's Sebastian

I'm a smart pug, I'm a bad pug,

I'm a cute and undeniable pug

I was a rally rock star

digging those moves and

digging those grooves

But then I lost the joy - the joy - the joy -the joy - the joy

You see .... I only work for food - for food - for food - for food

Only treats and food put me in the mood

If you indulge

I divulge

My secrets on how

I win and spin and make those judges smile

But then I lost the joy - the joy - the joy - the joy - the joy

You see .... I only work for food - for food - for food - for food

I did a sit strike,

which my owner didn't like,

and then I decided to take a hike.

I sniffed the judges' fancy shoes

because I had the no-treat blues

Then I showed 'em my elusive side-step

looking as cool as Johnny Depp

doing the highland fling out the ring

toward the woman with the fancy bling

And guess what? Then I got my treat - my treat - my treat - my treat

I got my owner trained and contained 

I entertained and she ascertained

that the pleasing entity of the treat and liver

really can deliver. 

Yo Yo, this here's Sebastian

I'm a smart pug, I'm a bad pug,

I'm a cute and undeniable pug.

Enjoying life again . . . .

Just an update on our "retraining". Sebastian has been attending weekly rally classes sporadically. We are enjoying random treats (perhaps 4-6 within the course ... plus one at the start and LOTS after the finish.)

We are having FUN. If he ever seems to not enjoy any aspect, we don't push and we take a break. He seems to be getting back to where he was back in his 'prime', and we haven't had any "ring escape attempts" in months.

Actually, by February he was back in his groove and we haven't had any escape attempts since this class .... (here he is with his rally class teacher):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXO71q-xO30&feature=share

You can see how happy he was after the May 7th class. (We worked on group sit and down stays following class for a little extra drill.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjEuB9kencc

And, even though it's really starting to get too hot, he is still enjoying class. Only 2 treats throughout a VERY challenging course (with backs and all sorts of jumps ....AND the bowls filled with treat distractions!!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWTQBMqmAbQ

Sadly, rally class will break for the summer very soon (the building is not air conditioned and Alabama heat + pugs doesn't welcome that scenario) so we will enjoy some "easy" training inside at home over the summer.

Over the summer we'll enjoy some inside training at home and I would like to introduce "play" sessions for reward (tug-a-war .... tricks etc.) and NO treats for some of the training sessions.

Once fall classes start back at the training club we will introduce these new rewards (plus some treats perhaps again) and begin the weaning process again. I am hoping that we will "wean" from treats and "station parties" more gradually this time around and have more success at a possible winter or spring trial.

We shall see!!

Friday's Soirée

It has been awhile since Boog has graced us with his musical talents. A fitting end to a long week of boot camp.

Rally Class Day!

Today is Booger's 1st Rally Class since his 2nd rally trial meltdown.

See owner anticipate boog's escape .....

See Lexi be bonker for bonkers! 

(We had to roll new ones because she thinks they're chew toys!)

See the Boog's phenomenal warm-up in vacant ring. (WITH TREATS, of course).

See a pug almost surpass a Golden with sits, fronts, and downs faster than the speed of light!

The boog was amazing.

See boog enter the rally ring (with NO treats.)

See pug start to lag.

See Bob ready with "bonkers" to throw at the boog lest there are any unexpected dramatic exits.

See Boog decide to leave ring.

See Bob throw bonkers at boog.

See the poor boog's tail go down.

See Boog learn that leaving the ring without permission is naughty!

See Boog look for a loop hole.

See the Boog sneak along the ring gate while owner/handler tries to untangle the ridiculous string to "reel him in."

See the Boog stealthily sneak through (literally, THROUGH) one of the holes in the ring gate.

Yes! The Boog found the loop "hole"!

See owner start to laugh hysterically.

See Boog look incredulously at his owner and say, "What did you expect? I am smarter than all of you. I bet you never saw THAT one coming!"

See owner become fed up with bonking the boog.

See BOTC (Birmingham Obedience Training Club) teacher, Bob Baker, suggest another plan.

See Boog get treats. See owner learn to "treat" the fade-out correctly. (Fading out the leash plus treats was just too fast for the poor owner. Boog, however, was just fine, as he always found a way to treat each situation until he got his treats!)

See Sebastian have fun again.

See Sebastian enjoy Rally.

See owner decide to more randomly treat the boog.

See the Sebastian pug become a gambler.

See Sebastian pug go to Vegas.

See Bob and Boog's brilliant run of the rally course at the end of class. (A COMPLETE transformation from the boog's tail-down, 3 foot lag and loop-hole fence crawler at the beginning of class).

See owner decide that rally will ONLY be fun. No more bonking the boog.

See Boog get one final training session after class, lest his only positive experience be with teacher Bob. Boog is learning to look at knee, not handler's eyes, when heeling.

Smile little pug, smile!

Washday Wednesday - Boot Camp Day 8

Whew, wash time definitely increases with 5 dogs but it had to be done lest our neighbors started to think our septic tank was backing up.

All of my dogs have always hated the blow dryer, but I purchased one specifically for dogs when we got our new "show pug", K.K. After a bit of getting used to it, Charlie and Sebastian LOVE grooming. In fact, Sebastian Boog is SO cute when he actually "purrs" during bath time. 

So, that plus washing all their crate beds and scrubbing out the crates took all of my free morning time. 

Since Monday was a lazy day, and yesterday was a "buy a new car" and camp outside (on our front driveway nonetheless, WITH all the dogs!) day, I HAD to make a point to do some structured training .... even after a LONG day of teaching. 

I watched a few of  Connie Cleveland's training videos and we learned spin (right and left). I always forget how FAST this little Sebastian booger learns!

Of course KK needed a little training too since she has a show weekend after next. I didn't attempt the "circle a cone".... I will try this in the morning. I am thinking it will be challenging since he has trained to always be at my side or front. We never learned "go out" or anything like that. But, we'll try tomorrow! 

To be honest, this video actually seemed a bit more in line with Washday Wednesday's energy level..... 

Another one of Connie's videos reminded me of "bed" (which boog used to LOVE) so we finished up with this one. Made it a "group adventure" which was probably not the best thing. (It's difficult to train multiple dogs!)

Needless to say, we're now running low on the tripe treats! To be honest, I don't know if I have the stomach (lol) to cook that stuff again. But, I might give it one last try and use the advice a friend suggested to soak the tripe in milk overnight, then pour out the milk before cooking. Perhaps a good project for this Saturday Valentine's! 

Tripe ... it's what's for dinner.

  

Training humans is SO easy! Boot Camp Day 7

Sadly, the Boog received absolutely no training on Monday due to his owners packed day with fun "life stuff" (including purchase of a new car).

However, the "new" car (a used 2007 Nissan Pathfinder) will have plenty of room for dog crates en route to classes and future dog events!

Here's KK and Jeff in our "new" car!

In retrospect, Boog actually did get some training yesterday ... but of the "dog-training-owner" variety. Sigh. (How is it that I keep letting this dog out smart me?)

I let him come down the stairs with me to the studio just as a student arrived. Instead of going in the studio x-pen, (where he and KK usually stay while I teach), he decided he would RATHER initiate a "catch me" game. So, instead of coming when I call him, he started doing the "ears back/tail down/tummy to the ground" circle runs around the studio. Actually, it reminded me of when he was a puppy. That was some FAST running! (Made me think of this video of him when he was a puppy ....)

He was having the time of his life. The student tried to help me catch him but eventually, given that I had to get on with the piano lesson, I gave in and lured him to the x-pen with some delicious freeze-dried lung treats.

Sigh.

So, once again, he was reinforced that "I will get a delicious treat if I disobey mom and run from her."

Note to self: I will NOT let this happen again. The "string" is going on him before descending into piano studio.

Savory Sunday - Boot Camp Day 6

Savory Sunday - Boot Camp Day 6

In the Atlanta shows last weekend we met a vet at breakfast who had a beagle mix with the most beautiful, shiny coat. So, of course, I asked her what she fed him and she said "whatever we eat!" Fruits, veggies, meats .... pretty much anything that wasn't toxic to dogs. She didn't think dry dog kibble was enough for a well-balanced diet because that was almost like eating cereal for every meal.

I still think Fromm is amazing, so I'm going to continue with this....

but I'll also start adding some veggies into the mix....

Given that Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest :) I decided to let Sebastian simply eat his breakfast this morning. However, then we went outside and worked a bit on straighter fronts and finishes..... 

This evening we'll need to do some more training. I'm not sure if we should introduce signs/cones and try an actual course (WITHOUT treats) or perhaps do some exercises from "When Pigs Fly". 

   

My gutt instinct is to keep away from "Rally" per se for a bit longer. Who knows. Eventually, we need to deal with it! If we try an actual rally course tonight I better find a way to attach that "fishing line" to his fancy, new muscle shirt!

I'll let you know what work of art we'll have after tonight. Will it be A or B?

A      B

Saturday Sloth - Boot Camp Day 5

Saturday Sloth - Booger's Boot Camp Day 5

OK, Boog's owner was very busy on Saturday so training only consisted of a brief breakfast drill of some back leg movement .... sides and backs and spins.... 

There was no time for a Saturday afternoon or evening training session. There was not even time to update the blog yesterday and I SWEAR that little boy knew this because he didn't seek out my lap and, in fact, really didn't want to have much to do with me at all! 

Who knows. He won't talk to me. 

In fact, I'm reminded of a piece of art I saw last night at a dinner party. The couple collects amazing and unique art and there was one piece that looked something like this (though framed of course framed) ....

Yep, this definitely portrays Sebastian in the ring lately ..... D - E - A - F!

Day 4 of Booger's Boot Camp

AM
Once again we began Day 4 with the usual breakfast work camp. He had to earn every morsel. Since I needed to clean up the den, we revisited an older "game" which he learned around age 1 --- putting his toys into his toy chest!

A bit later this morning I reached out to pet him and he backed away. (A booger game he thinks is fun). So it seemed time to try-out the "fishing line". (Actually, I was worried about the fishing line I bought so we're just using a simple light weight string at first.)

Of course, wouldn't you know, he has come EVERY single time I've called him since I attached the string to his collar (and my wrist). And, did I mention the string chaos?

I am DEFINITELY going to need to learn more about this string stuff ....especially since my rescue, Lexi, obviously has a leash fettish! The Wisdom Panel results said that Lexi had a lot of Golden Retriever in her. I've heard GR's can not resist leashes and often take themselves on walks. Thought I'd google youtube ..... Yep ... lots of videos like this one ...

In a few minutes I'm taking the Boog to the vet for his annual shots. It's his first visit with our new vet and I'm looking forward to seeing how his back legs (hips and knees) are doing. They seem a lot more 'wobbly' to me so I want to make sure there's nothing we could be doing to help prevent them from wearing out. Who knows? Maybe he doesn't like all the sitting involved in Rally because of the joint problems?!

TGIF. Long teaching day today, so I'm not sure if we'll get anymore training in today. Perhaps tonight and, if so, I'll update tomorrow!

Day 3 - Boot Camp Hiking Day!

Day 3 - Hiking Day!

AM

If someone had seen this cute pug's eyeballs almost popping out of his head during breakfast this morning (while licking peanut butter off the lid attached to the target stick), they might question our use of the term "boot camp"!

However, if our 1st goal of boot camp was to re-establish (strengthen) or bond, then it's working!

Here's the sweet boy sitting in my lap as I type....

Most days he finds a quiet spot in the house to snooze after breakfast, but today he sought out my lap! (And he could be sitting with my husband in the comfy recliner!)

I guess getting 100% attention, being hand fed breakfast, and a.m. and p.m. peanut butter trots agrees with him.

I think this retraining of looking at my leg, not eyes, during heeling is going to take some time. It seemed to work better when I faced the tie dyed (bright colors/patterns) duct tape toward him .....

Perhaps I can eventually put some of this duct tape on the side of my pants leg!?

AFTERNOON

We worked on "recalls" --- lots and lots of 'em --- during an afternoon hike. I started out just giving a food treat on the odd number recalls and a pet or high-5 etc. on even numbers. Eventually, I treated every 3rd recall. Given that I usually give him a kibble every time he comes up to my side while hiking (off leash) that was more limiting than usual! I don't want him to ever stray too far when hiking. (I'm always worried that some fox, owl, big dog, or mean hawk might hurt him!)

Here's a video of our recall efforts . . . .

I finally picked up the fishing line at Academy Sports. There was no Rally class tonight, so we'll have more time this week to try it out before heading back to the class ring. Still not exactly sure how to use this, but I'll see if I can find some videos on YouTube in the morning.

On a great facebook page, Balanced Obedience, I got some feedback about the "rolled-up-towel- training" from a trainer named Gary Wilkes. (Perhaps this is the guy that led the workshop my local training friend/teacher attended? I need to ask her. I might be conversing with a famous dude! :) )

At any rate, I learned that it's called "bonking" ....

LOVE IT!

Bonking the Boog.

I'm going to watch some more of his videos in the morning to see how to bonk the boog properly :) lol .... (That is, IF I decide to use the technique again. We have a great bond right now. Knowing him, however, I'm sure we'll need it again.) 

Another trainer suggested NOT to use this in the ring in case Sebastian is stressed lately. I'm thinking that his "yawning" at the start sign 2 trials ago is a definite sign of stress. Mainly because he was SUPER fired up as we warmed-up outside the ring. Who knows. He won't talk to me.

Foxy Mama is too tired to train tonight so we are going to call it a day. His PM training will be some kisses and loving. :)

Snore little pug, snore.

Booger's Briar Patch (Boot Camp Day 2)

Booger’s Briar Patch (Boot Camp Day 2):

It seems little Brer Rabbit has really out foxed us all. He has worked it so that he gets lots more treats and lots more attention. And all by simply not doing what I asked him to do (in the ring)!

Ahem. Well, if I have to be the fox, at least I could have the title "Foxy Mama" or something, right?!

So, since the last posting, we had 1 fun training session last night in a separate room from all the other dogs. We had a bag of yummy home-made tripe and veggie treats, and we revisited lots of old fun tricks we haven ‘t done in years (like crawl, close the door.)  He remembered them all!  We did all of the old tricks WITHOUT ANY TREATS until the very last “game” (guess which hand).

Last night, instead of learning a new “trick”, I decided that we’d work on eye contact and “watch me”. Also, I introduced the “positive interrupter” sound which 2 of my other dogs are learning now in puppy class.

BUT GET THIS! 

He didn’t want to make “real” eye contact with me for quite awhile! 

He would sort of “almost” make eye contact (looking at my nose, or giving me that nose down, eyes up, “hairy eyeball" look.) I think he KNEW what I wanted, though, because he used to be awesome at “watch me”. However, to be on the safe side, we did lots of shaping ….clicking for even the BRIEFEST millisecond of true eye contact. We worked a long time and he finally ‘submitted.’

I thought this was very telling (and a little sad!) that he wouldn't make real eye contact. (EVEN when treats were involved!)

We ended the session with some fun fetch and tug-of-war play. (He hasn’t been able to do this without other dogs interrupting for a long, long time. It took us awhile to get back that play raport and trust that we used to have.)

He went to work camp again for this morning’s breakfast, but we solely worked on “watch me”. He was still a little resistant, but we ended on a sit/stay (with me sitting on the floor in front of him) and he kept his eyes GLUED to mine for at least 2 minutes. True eye contact with soft (ok, googly) eyes. (I was going to aim for 3 minutes but I wanted to pour another cup of coffee.)

Tonight, we did another training session (in a separate room from the other dogs) working on a new heel position.

A pom owner recently suggested that it’s unnatural and uncomfortable for a small dog to look at the handler’s face while heeling. Boog has always looked at my face when heeling, (except of course in the recent trials …. ahem….), so it will be interesting to see if we can relearn this new way.

Here was our "plan":

1)  Revisiting the “touch” (using a plastic lid top attached to the end of a target stick). (Touching with nose, not paw).

2) We free-shaped actually LOOKING at the lid …. Every time he glanced at it I click and treated 

3) Then, we heeled while I held the target stick down, with the lid to the side of my left leg just below the knee. Working on him looking at the lid, not my eyes, while heeling. 

4)  Then, (when this didn't always work:), I put some peanut butter on the lid and we did it again. 

Here is a short video clip of some of our efforts ... 

Not sure how this "baby step" of peanut butter on the lid will help him, but perhaps it will at least get him more excited about the lid. (I'm flying blind here, trying to develop ways to train on my own!)

We'll try this new "approach" to heeling tomorrow for his boot camp breakfast :) 

Fly little Brer rabbit Booger, pug, fly!

Day 1 of Booger's Boot Camp

Day 1 of Booger's Boot Camp:

So the adventure begins! We started (last night) with a post on the Birmingham Obedience Training Club's facebook page seeking advice. What wonderful responses from so many experienced, brilliant, and ring wise savvy dog trainers! And, at the recommendation of one trainer, we asked to join the fb "balanced obedience" page. We're looking forward to getting input from these folks.

Boot Camp Day 1 started with breakfast. Sebastian had to earn every morsel. No easy life for him. We even reviewed things we learned years ago that were lost with all the chaos of a larger canine crew. For example, I forgot the "command" for "bed". (I said "crate" ... and the command was "bed". I forgot because, in those days, he slept in his bed not a crate.) We haven't done "wait" in forever and it was amazing he still remembered everything!

Also, I made a point to give him lots of attention and "catch me" games throughout the day. Most importantly, I NEVER asked him to come when I didn't think it would be successful and I NEVER asked him to do something negative after he came (like lock him in the kitchen). Sadly, I've fallen into that trap lately without realizing it.

We didn't do any hard core training ... just little snippets throughout the day .... and lots of attention.

I don't know if this was a good strategy, but my gut instinct is that we need to re-establish that special bond we had back before the "chaos of a larger canine crew".  

There is still a bit more time this evening before bedtime, so I'm planning on going to a separate room and working on some of his old tricks we haven't done in years ---  things like "close the door", and "say your prayers", and "crawl", :play the drums and piano". Only fun stuff. And, I'll only treat after all the "tricks" are completed with "guess which hand".

I'll also get my game book out and we'll learn 1 new trick (with lots of treats of course). The last one he learned was "Pawcasso". Here's his Opus 1 painting!

I haven't had a chance to get the "fish line" yet that was recommended. I'll get this tomorrow so we can work on it in this Thursday's rally class. If he wanders off and decides to do his own thing, I'll reel him back in! 

We'll practice this tomorrow at home before we head to class Thursday.

Onwards and upwards! Fly my little pug, fly!

Once Upon a Time - The Beginning

THE BEGINNING:
Once upon a time, there was a brilliant pug named Sebastian, B.G.R. (short for Booger). He was the 6th pug to live in the McLelland household (typically a canine family of 2-3 pugs at-a-time.) Sebastian joined the family as a young puppy in December of 2011.

It was obvious from the start that he was one smart dog. He learned things SO quickly and he got bored easily. Hence the "booger" look we grew to love so much ....

So, puppy classes seemed inevitable. He started puppy classes at Petco but left after a few classes because the teacher kept throwing him on his back and being overly rough. (She often commented on how she did not like pugs). So, he switched to Petsmart and LOVED his teacher, Blake Surrock, who often remarked that Sebastian was one of the smartest dogs she had ever worked with.

He loved learning. When we'd say "Ready to go to puppy class?" he would grab his leash and trot around the house with excitement.

After puppy class he continued with beginner obedience and Click-a-Trick class (that was FUN!). He loved (and still loves) doing tricks!

His favorite? Playing his piano!

Then came obedience classes, Canine Good Citizen at Birmingham Obedience Training Club (BOTC). His crate tag was upgraded to "Sebastian B.G.R., C.G.C."!

Then came Rally classes at BOTC which he loved. After a few months of classes he entered his 1st Rally Novice and, (given that his owners were totally new to all this dog training stuff), it was always amazing and a testament to the Boog when he qualified and received lots of blue ribbons.

His "Booger Board" was filling up fast and his crate tag was changed again to "Sebastian B.G.R., C.G.C., R.N."!

Even a television debut of his piano playing!

Incidentally, by now other canines joined Sebastian and the old great dane, Bay. Below is a photo of (l to r) Sebastian, Bay, and Charlie pug (re-homed at age 2).

Sebastian didn't really like piano duets with Charlie. (He preferred being a soloist).

Sebastian REALLY didn't like watching Charlie's obedience class either.

And then came pug Peachtree's Kirkcudbright Kayleigh (K.K.), (in the photo below, sitting on top of Sebastian), who joined the family as a young puppy in June of 2014:

And, lastly (yes, that's 5 dogs) Lexi, a rescue Golden Retriever mix found on the interstate, who is exceptional at herding the pugs..... 

Sebastian's piano solos became angrier and angrier!!!

Obviously, Boog is getting less attention and training at home as we move onto Rally Advanced and the fun of "off leash", but he still has some private lessons to learn "back" and "side step".

Even so, he still does pretty well in his 1st Advanced Rally trial ... even getting another blue ribbon.

BUT, THEN .....

on the 2nd day of the trial ....

HE SHUT DOWN.

He decided to do a "sit strike" around sign 5 and refused to get up or do anything (presumably until he got a treat.)

After several attempts to get him to budge the judge said, "why don't you skip this sign and move on to the next one?" Knowing that he knew how to do the sign but was just refusing to do it, his master doubted if skipping the sign would work. However, the next sign was a jump (which he LOVED) so it was worth a try.

Nope. Instead, he decided to just walk away and start sniffing signs. He had never done this before. He wouldn't come when called him so the owner decided to ignore him and just walk out of the ring. Sebastian was like, "What? You don't want to play? Why are you leaving?" And his 1st NQ.

Sigh.

So, some new strategies were tried in the next Rally classes like "jackpots" at random signs. (Incidentally, he had gotten to the point in Novice where he would make it through the entire course without any treats and he practiced this quite a bit in class. But something was changing and now he was demanding more treats before he'd do anything ... in class, and at home.)

When that didn't work, we tried the "towel discipline", (where a rolled-up towel is thrown near him when an attempt is not made .... then a reward is given at owner's side after he finally does it.)

Miracle of miracles ... it worked! Everyone was ecstatic and hopeful that there would be continued rally fun!

And, then .....

it didn't work.

At the next Rally class he decided that he would just run out of the ring and the towel meant nothing anymore. And he ran out again. And again.

                                                                 "Where's my treat?"

"Ring wise" was a new term for us. This was new territory. But if others had gone through this there had to be a solution! So, he got a fancy muscle shirt that said "Give me another treat. I'm ring wise!"

And his owner got a new t-shirt that said "With enough thrust, pigs fly just fine!" and they headed to Atlanta to try Rally Advanced again. (The thinking was that Sebastian had just grown too comfortable with the BOTC ring in class and that a new environment might make him take it more seriously.)

He was GREAT in the warm-up outside the ring. He was having fun! He was pumped! He entered the ring and then .....

....... he started to lag more and more .... sit slower and slower ....

and finally, seemingly bored, he walked over and sniffed the judge's shoes and tried to run out of the ring 3 times.

Here he is in Atlanta ... perhaps one of the funniest (and saddest) videos of all time.

It was decided he skip the Birmingham Rally trial the following weekend and, instead, go to Boog Camp! According to one very experienced trainer, who had a ring wise golden retriever years ago, it took 6 months to retrain. And that was a biddable golden retriever! But, "when pigs ... ahem, pugs fly!" and, have you ever seen a more determined face?

So .... on with the chronicles of Booger's Boot Camp in the hopes that others might be able to learn from his owner's mistakes and, of course, enjoy lots of laughs as we share the adventures of this brilliant, head strong, ring wise pug!