More drain games!

So we've spent two more days playing the drain game. On Wednesday we went to Lincoln Avenue, our local downtown area. Man that street is covered with drains, access boxes, covers - they are all over! There was one spot where it was too much - a storm drain at the street, a big metal sheet in the middle of the sidewalk, and several access boxes along the wall. Mom was really patient though (and I guess Mo was, too). It turned out that Mom was willing to click and give me cheese-filled hot dogs just for taking a step forward there, although after a while I think she stopped paying attention so I actually had to approach the big plate. Finally I was able to step on it and not only did I get the click and some hot dogs, but we RAN on past that horrible spot.

We got to go into several stores and of course some of the shopkeepers gave me treats. Stupid Mo wouldn't even take most of the treats! I was happy to take his. He wasn't being too wussy, though - he even let some people pet him. He was most excited when we met a big Bernese Mountain Dog, but I wasn't too impressed with him.

You know that horrible spot? It wasn't so bad the second time we went past it, maybe 'cause we came from the other direction? Not sure.

On Thursday we went back to downtown Campbell. That's where the farmers' market had been, but of course it wasn't there that day. Most of the sidewalk wasn't too bad, although there were a couple of corners with really nasty storm drains. Near the end of our walk, when we had to pass a really bad one, Mom went and hooked Mo's leash to a bench in the shade a few strides away (my strides, not his - he's SO short!). Mom and I went back to the drain. While I was working on getting her to feed me treats near it, some guy came by and started to talking to Mom. He ended up standing right ON the grate of the drain, in the street and everything! And for a moment I forgot myself and went to get petted by him, because of course I never get enough attention. Maybe it was because Mom was distracted and I needed to get her to focus on the important things in life, i.e. giving me some more of those cheese-filled hot dogs (there were also pieces of Mo's tiny little kibbles in there, too!).

Today, we didn't go out - not even to JavaDawgs, which I miss going to. Mom took Mo instead! But then she came home without him at lunchtime, and when she did come home with him he smelled really funny and was acting all sleepy and stuff. She said I should be nice to him because he'd had surgery "at both ends" (his eye smelled funny and so did his boy-dog bits!). But mostly she put him in the Girl's bathroom to rest. I got my usual "Mom's leaving" treat and Mom took off again - this time leaving the computer on, so I could write this!

Maybe we'll do more drain games this weekend...

Mo, and The Drains

It's been a while since there's been enough "new" to blog about, but now we've got a couple of things going. The first is we have another small dog staying with us. His name is Mo, short for Mohawk, and Mom says he's just here for two weeks while he learns to be less scared of humans, and gets some surgery on his eye and his balls. (His balls? So far I've only seen him try to play with my tennis balls - no fair, they are MINE!) At first he was so scared he barely moved, and that was just fine with me. Now he's realized that Mom and Dad and even the Girl are great humans, and he's trying to get attention from them a lot. They are also MINE but he is not listening that well to me. Ah well, they say it will not be long before he's gone.

The other thing is that my fear of access covers has returned. You know access covers - manhole covers, storm drains, those metal or cement or plastic plates in the middle of the sidewalk - all those things that suddenly make you feel like the ground you walk on is no longer solid, wafting up smells of moving water or rushing electrons, making clanky noises. Ugh! I used to be terrified of them when I first came to live with Mom (now THAT is a reasonable fear, Mo!). Mom taught me first to be OK with them, then to actually like walking on them (at least the solid plate ones, not the grates!), then to ignore them.

And years went by like that. Then, I don't know, it just all came back. The sounds, the movements, the smells! Maybe it was that time I jumped over a low stone wall and landed on a big plastic grating with a 30 foot drop underneath. That was... it was awful. But I was OK with access plates for quite a while after that. Now, well... they're just UGH!

Dad noticed it first. He sometimes takes me for hikes up a hill, or long walks outside of our immediate neighborhood, early in the morning. When I see one of those access plates I feel like bolting to the end of my leash, and I could see that it really annoyed Dad (but what could I do?). He would tell Mom - but frankly, early in the morning is not her best hour. She'd mention treats and Dad would nod, but that would be it.

Then this Sunday we went to the Campbell Farmer's Market. Now dogs aren't allowed in the market, but the farmers' stalls run down the middle of the street, and lots of dogs come with their people on the sidewalks, so the family brought me along. There were grates, plates, and covers everywhere! And to make it worse, Dad and the Girl split off from Mom and me and walked through the market I *hate* it when Dad splits off!). Now it was Mom who got annoyed.

So the next day, when she took Mo and me out to walk, she brought treats, and we started playing the target game with the access covers. I would look at them or move forward, and Mom would click her clicker and feed me a small treat Too small! I wanted more (well, I always want more!). So I'd do it again, and she'd do it again. Then I'd do it again, but maybe she didn't see, so I'd go a little closer, and then she'd see for sure and click/treat.

Some of those things are pretty solid - cement covers, or plastic boxes. Those were pretty easy. Pretty soon I was putting my nose or my paw on them, and then soon after I was stepping right on them. Sometimes Mom would offer me the treat from her hand, and sometimes she'd put them right on the plate.

There are others that are harder - actual manhole covers, and those nasty, nasty storm drains. But even those I was able to approach and touch some of the solid parts with my paw or nose. (I'm very careful about it, though).

Today we did the same walk, with the same thing, except I remembered the game and for the easy ones I was able to run up and stick my nose right in the little holes some of them have. I got a lot of treats! The hard ones are still hard, but I actually found myself looking for them - not so that I could bolt away, but so that I could show her how brave and clever I am.

Mom says that it helps that I was off-leash, and she wants to go somewhere new and do it again on-leash. We'll see!

Pancreatitis!

I was NOT feeling very well last week. When Mom offered me food I ate it of course, but somehow I didn't even notice that it was a meal time. Can you imagine? Also when we went for a walk I kinda hung back and walked behind Mom instead of being in front. Also when The Girl and her friend were making a lot of noise, and the moms were clapping at them, I just didn't feel like barking at them.

Mom thought maybe there was something wrong so she took me to the vet place. You know, I've been nervous about that place ever since the time I went there and all sorts of terrible things happened - I was throwing up and they made me swallow some icky black stuff and they poked me. Mom said I'd eaten rat poison but shouldn't poison taste bad? I did find some new treats in the garage, that's all. Anyways I'm still not sure about the vet, although this time I was feeling so blah that I didn't jump nervously from seat to seat or jump up on the counter to knock down all the business cards there (they're the vets' cards, not Mom's). Well it turns out they were very nice to me (though their butt-sniffing is a bit, um, intrusive) and gave me lots of treats.

Mom said I had a fever and high levels of amylase which she says is a chemical made by my pancreas (one of the organs that would probably be really yummy in say, a chicken). So now I'm getting two pills twice a day (in canned food, yum!) and you know what? I'm feeling much better. In fact, The Girl and her friend are making some noise in the other room so I'd better go see what it is (she was crushing goldfish crackers in there the other day!).

It's been a while...

So Mom went off for a week on a trip that she couldn't take me on (she said it was very hot, dusty, and noisy - so maybe it's just as well I didn't go). While she was gone the computer wasn't really left on, and I kinda got out of the habit of blogging (d'blogging?).

Anyways Dad is now off on a backpacking trip... the first one that I have not gone on. Mom says I'm a little too old to keep up on a backpacking trip now. I'm a little out of shape I think but I could have kept up... maybe... But I'm enjoying being here with Mom and The Girl.

Yesterday I took Mom to our dog training club, JavaDawgs. We did a RallyO course there and it was *really* hard... because someone left a big bowl HEAPED with CAT FOOD right next to one of the Rally signs! When I noticed that bowl of cat food, I forgot about everything else. I could dimly hear Mom calling me but my mind was just full of the smell of that amazing cat food! After a while I noticed that Mom was laughing - hard - between repetitions of my name. When I was finally able to tear myself away from the cat food, Mom made it up to me with several servings of my treats (which were pretty darn good that day anyways). We did a few more practices of "come" and then Mom had me wait a second while she went and took a handful of those cat food pieces, and then she gave them to me.

We did a few more rounds of the Rally course and of course that cat food was right there the whole time, but I was able to handle it better!

Dog days

It's been a while since Mom let me use the computer... Tonight Dad took me for a walk in the evening. I could tell he was not in the best mood and maybe that made me more nervous, but I was really worried about all those grates and drains that are often along our roads. I try to go WAY around them but sometimes I can't, and then I just want to stop or at least go really slowly so I can keep my eye on them. Dad didn't like this one bit. He got so annoyed that Mom had to go out with me to see what was going on. She said some of the grates I was seeing were really just plastic-coated ramps they've put in at the intersections, and when she squatted down by them I was able to come closer and see they weren't really that bad. But I keep forgetting that. I think everything I look at is getting just a little cloudier or fuzzier, I don't know why. But maybe that's why scary things that I had gotten used to have become a little scary again.

Mom says she'll help me get over them (again). We'll see!

Whew it's hot!

Here in our part of the world, it is HOT this week! My mom is pretty much keeping me inside all the time (except to go potty of course, and to chase the water from the hose, what fun!). It's cooler in our house. I'm pretty much sleeping through the days. I hope we'll go for a walk this evening when it cools down again.

All you doggy friends out there, watch out for dehydration (fancy term for being so thirsty you get sick) and also for hot, hot pavement! Your human is probably wearing shoes when they take you out and they might not even notice how hot the ground is (especially streets with that black smelly surface). Try to stay on the white pavement, or grass. If your feet are hurting let your human know by picking them way up (it makes you walk funny but they catch on). Hopefully your human will think to just place their hands on the ground to feel it. Also make sure they bring water for you to drink, too. (Remember they can always make a water bowl out of an unused poopy bag.)

Stay cool my friends!

Fourth of July

Ugh, they're going to do those dang fireworks again. Mom says there are some going to be right over our new back yard! (The Girl is very excited about this.) Last year Mom gave me Melatonin to help but it didn't, even though it helps lots of other dogs. So this year she's going to let me do a sleep-over somewhere else, away from the nasty booms.

If you're worried about the noises, check out my Mom's advice on it here: http://www.wagntrain.com/independence_day.htm

Here's hoping for quiet evenings and lots of dropped hamburgers for all my doggy friends!

Dog Training Secrets, Revealed!

"Behavior B.F. Skinner developed his theory of operant conditioning, animal trainers functioned in a very different fashion. There was a magical quality to it all. The secret to training a difficult trick was as closely guarded as a witch doctor's sacred incantation. Each trick had its own special formula to be followed in order to be trained, and there was little or no connection between the formula for one trick and that of another. And there was even less connection between the way two different trainers trained the same trick, unless of course one trainer taught the other how to do it. Confusing? Just imagine the confusion of the young apprentice when he was told the only way to learn how to train animals was to spend a year or so scooping last night's dinner from its enclosure in the morning.... Then B.F. Skinner developed his theory of operant conditioning, a simple, clear method of analyzing and modifying behavior. It revolutionized the training of [animals]. The theory was simple to understand and it allowed the trainers to apply the same approach to solving any training problem."

Mom just read me this quote, by Timothy J. Desmond. Really, people didn't know that all training was basically done the same way? I found this hard to believe until I found out that there are still trainers who advertise for business saying that they know "secrets" of dog training that other trainers don't want you to know. Sheesh!

Mom likes this quote

Mom just read me this quote (I'm part Border Collie so I just memorized it - it's a skill I don't show off that often):

"As trainer we can still show compassion and feeling for the animals under our care, we can even use anthropomorphic references if we desire, but we can not afford to make reinforcement decisions based on anthropomorphic thinking."

This is by some guy Mom knows named Ken Ramirez, and I think he is spot on. I mean, if Mom based her reward decisions based on how she and most humans think, she would never use freeze-dried liver as a reward! Or, for that matter, the chance to go sniff a pee-soaked bush. I don't know why humans don't care for these things, but it's clear they don't!

Better still!

I want to make sure to do a bark-out to the nice vets who took care of my when I ripped off my claw. The vet's office is a little scary (I keep remembering that time that Mom rushed me in there and they started poking me and putting drops in my eyes and then I was throwing up and it was AWFUL, and Mom said I had eaten rat poison but I just remember finding some yummy treats in the garage....). But the people there are all so nice; they don't seem to mind when I jump up on the counter and knock their cards around, and they all give me a few big treats. They were very good taking care of my paw and claw and treated me really well. So if you need to see a vet for any reason, and you live near here, you can go to my friends at Lincoln Ave. Vet Clinic in San Jose.

Meanwhile, yesterday was Mom's birthday. She says she's 40! That must be in dog years... do humans really live that long?! Anyways, she and The Girl went out for breakfast so there was no hope of spilled oatmeal for me. Then Mom came back without The Girl and started playing with her computer. I kept reminding her of the promise she'd made me, and finally she remembered and we got in the car. We drove for a bit but ended up in one of my favorite places, Sunol Ohlone park. I can go off-leash on the trail there! We hiked up the trails and played in the water. Mom kept saying things like, "Remember you used to be afraid of the water?" and "Remember you used to forget to check in with me when you were off-leash?" and "Remember you used to try to eat the horse poop?". (I need to point out that yesterday there was no FRESH horse poop so it's easier to bypass it). It was a lot of fun, and didn't even mind when they went out to dinner without me. But I hope she has another birthday again soon!