Training Log - December 2009

Date	Comment
October
2009/10/26	Very tired when I got home, but finally mustered to energy to do some training - it really energized me. I was able to do some tidying around the house after we were finished.
November
2009/11/06	Outing. He did well with our loose leash walking practice (in front of strip mall, small pet store with small critters, vet clinic). He started out very excited but it only took a few minutes to settle him down. He needs to get out to more places - my aim is 10 minutes into Russell or Embrun every day.
2009/11/06	Stopped in at local Dollarama to ask about service dog training access. The clerk at the desk and one of the managers were very supportive, but the store/district manager was totally against it. He was afraid that there'd end up being 10 or more dogs in his store... and some of his employees are allergic... I'm afraid I was not well prepared. My plan now is to make up a sheet with a copy of the Dr. letter, his CGN certification, a photo of him in his service vest and on the reverse side include a copy the Ontario Access rules. I may even make a short video that I can have on my ZEN to show the store managers.
2009/11/07	Outing. Walk around Russell, encounter a little girl with balloon, some dogs (we really have to work on ignoring dogs - this is a biggie for us), squirrels, and other people. Practice sitting for petting - I have to hold a treat and let him chew on it to divert his attention (he loves kids). To Lori's for wedding shower. 7 or 8 people plus a bunch of cats and a dog. This was great as he had to quietly lie on the floor in front of me and ignore the cats (he's only seen one a few times) and also the other dog. I did release him at one point to meet the dog. He also did his tricks off leash with the dogs and cats there. We were there for over 2 hours. He sat for greeting "with help". This needs lots of work.
2009/11/08	Outing with dogs to blood clinic in Kanata. Practice in front of clinic with dog distractions. He got pretty excited about some of them. Asked for advice from a lady waiting with her dog - she gave some excellent advice which I will try (classical conditioning - when he looks click and treat). Apparently eventually he will look quickly at the dog and then back at me. Will practice with some very high value treats at first. Head to Petsmart and then to Bark & Fitz to wait for results. Some dog interaction and people too. I have to clarify in my mind what is allowed when meeting people. Also I find this high distraction training exhausting, Spike was pretty worn out too.
2009/11/09	Take truck to garage. Spike was into reception area. Little girl and mother - he has a hard time sitting for petting, especially with children. Not sure if I will teach down for petting as small children will have to lean over him and may fall. Loose leash walking infront of grocery store - went well until Carm left and went into the store - had a hard time keeping his attention on me. Good practice though as there was improvement. Trying to get the hang of clicking for looking. At home we worked on paws up - he was catching on well but we are still luring. For stays out of sight I'm leaving all 3 dogs in the kitchen while I take their dinner (raw meat) to their crates (about 40' away). Its a hard one for them but they are getting better. We will start working on duration in a few days.
2009/11/10	At home we worked on paws up -  we moved from luring to a hand-signal - 90% success. Did a few "find Carm" practices in the living room and other parts of the house. We have to take this outside where there isn't so much confusing scent.
2009/11/11	Outing to Russell. Timing was good as church services had let out not to long earlier. Some people on the sidewalks. Passed lots of teenagers going to school. Pet by some little girls - still very excited but can be distracted with food. We were invited into a little gift shop crowded with stuff including on the floor, lots to sniff but he managed himself well. Not 100% but not out of control. A "leave it" would break interest. The owner invited us to practice there anytime. Walked past another little strip mall. The woman from the newspaper came out to see him and then invited us in. He wasn't keen on stepping on the very dirty carpet by the door but otherwise was obedient. She also invited us back to practice. I told both ladies what we were doing and they were very supportive.
2009/11/11	Practice in the laneway with distractions. Carm leashed one of the other dogs and walked then ran past us with Spike at a sit stay. He was very good. Got a bit excited when Carm used excited talk and we ran behind him. A few repetitions and he corrected himself when he got ahead. Not enough distration.
2009/11/11	Outing to Embrun. Carm went ahead of us into the garage receiption area. I told Spike to "Find Carm" and he did a pretty good job. It was a very difficult situation as we had to cross a large expanse of ashphalt, then some colored bark, across another little road and then across another wide expanse of parking lot. He did need some guidance, but once we were on the last stretch of pavement he took right over and went straight to the door. He either did this from memory as we were here 2 nights ago, or he's starting to use his nose. We'll practice at home on the grass some more.
2009/11/11	Continue of outing to Embrun - walk over to grocery store. Loose cart in the parking lot so figured I'd bring it back. He was a bit nervous of the cart but would touch it and slowly became more relaxed. We have to practice with walking closer to my side behind the cart, but that will come. In front of the store there were lots of people coming and going. Starting further out from the commotion I'd have him sit beside me at a stay, gradually moving in. He got up a few times to smell people when they went really close to him (1 or 2 feet) but otherwise became quite relaxed. We walked around a bit returning with another cart. As we were putting it away in the covered area infront of the store a few people brought carts back and some came and got them - this was a bit much and I wish I hadn't rushed so much. He didn't do anything but I could tell he was stressed. We backed away quite a bit after this and relaxed.
2009/11/12	Outing to Embrun. Walked around in parking lot - lots of cars coming and going as well as people with carts. It was pretty hectic - he was well behaved but stressed. As he relaxed we moved to infront of the store. Lots of people passing and he did very will with sits as people passed sometimes even 1 foot from him. He did break a few times, especially when people talked to him. I was very pleased with his progress. He seemed comfortable with the commotion. Little girl stopped to pet him - he stayed sitting and we were able to move the treat away from his mouth to clicking/treating  every second or two up to several seconds without breaking. This is a very good breakthrough for him.
2009/11/12	Picked up a few grocery carts around the parking lot - much better today - I slowed down a bit and lured him in close at first and then just CT often to maintain position. He started keeping his position for several steps. A man with a motorized wheel chair came out so I asked him if it was okay if I followed him for a bit as I wanted Spike to be comfortable around chairs. He was fine so we chatted as I followed him. Within a few feet it was obvious that this was NBD so we moved up beside him and walked with him for the length of the parking lot. Spike walked beside the chair within 2'.  I'm VERY pleased with how well he is doing and how hard he is trying. I think he's going to be great!
2009/11/13	give him a bit of a break - just a few Paws Up and other simple practices
2009/11/14	Outing to Embrun. Walked around in parking lot. Practice infront of store. Very good at not sniffing as people passed, even when passing very closely. Does break stay to say hello if people talk to him. Getting better at sitting while being petted. Fine with carts passing close by. After we got back to the car I had Carm walk down the grass verge and go between some cars. Spike took me right to him, dispite all kinds of garbage and food junk in the grass.
2009/11/14	Cathey arrived with Harmony. Went to top of laneway and slowly worked our way down CT for a loose leash. Needs work! He did manage a sit say within a few feet of Harmony at which point I let him off leash to visit. It was a good practice opportunity. At supper he stayed lying down under the table on his mat. He did break when the other dogs stepped on him!
2009/11/15	Outing to Petsmart. This started out very badly. Carm took Bella and Kabira ahead into Petsmart and we worked on getting to the door on a loose leash. He was so distracted that he wouldn't even take treats. Finally I gave up and took him in to get Carm. He suggested sitting calmly with them until he relaxed and then moving about. This worked well. After a few minutes we were able to move around the store, without the family.  We worked up to keeping a loose leash unless the other dogs were within a few feet and especially when they came right up to him. We practiced not sniffing around although this is probably the hardest environment for that - food, toys, dog pee...
2009/11/15	Home Depot. This went VERY well. He was attentive and not distracted by other people. We could brush by people in the asles without sniffing. One sales person came to see him and was very good helping us to teach sitting for petting (she was a dog person and had very good calm energy). Spike was good about standing quietly while we looked at stuff. He was afraid of a pallet loading thing, but approached and then stepped on to it confidently. We did one "find Carm" that went very well. Spike & I had wandered off and when we got back to the cart Carm was nowhere to be found. So I sent him to find Carm - he headed straight ahead in a confident manner. He stopped at an asile but then a big saw started with distracted him. Since I didn't know where Carm was I couldn't help him to refind, but instead went back and forth around the big saw. Turns out that where he stopped was the asile that Carm had gone up.
2009/11/15	Did some other small practice around the house, but I think he needs a break - he seems pretty tired. And I know that I'm exhaused after our outings - its hard work keeping that amount of concentration.
2009/11/17	Trip into Russell. He was very excited and maybe overwhelmed. First time in dark and tons of traffic. Wait infront of puppy class. Took ages to get a loose leash.
2009/11/18	Russell streets. Better today. Tons of traffic again. Walked on bleachers. Into gift store and 2 people petted him. His doing much better although he does still need help with this (i.e. treat farther from face to keep attention)
2009/11/16	Practice tucking tail - he hates this so we keep practice short. "Find Carm" 750 ft with 4 turns - he ran the track! 3 food dishes on floor with raw meat. Pass them with only 1 reminder to leave it. After that we passed right on top of them several times without him looking. Off leash heel throw handful of kibble onto the floor - he ignored it. Aside from those small practices I gave him a bit of a break today.
2009/11/17	am - practice tucking tail and stand/stays with dropping things around him - he did well and only moved when Carm was also in the bathroom stepping over him.
2009/11/21	Home Depot. This went well. He was attentive and not distracted by other people. We could brush by people in the asles with very little sniffing.  We did encounter another dog which gave us an opportunity to ct for looking and for loose leash. It took a minute or 2 to be able to walk past with a loose leash. We practiced a few find Carm's of varying difficulties. He did really well.
2009/11/21	Class. OMG - this was a disaster. I'm pretty sure he thought they would be playing soon as he was anxious and excited for 1/2 the class. Once we started doing things he calmed down quite a bit. It was a good training opportunity and I have to remember that is the reason we are there and not be embarassed by his behaviour.
2009/11/21	St. Laurent shopping center. This was a first. It was PACKED. Walking went best with Carm on the other side of him. We did progress to a bit of walking on our own in the crowded areas.  We were in busy area waiting for Carm - Spike was a magnet. It was difficult to manage the petting. We need to work up to this amount of attention all at once. We got to practice sitting for being petted, but there was so much commotion that I had to use lots of treats. He was not stressed.  We found a place to sit outside the store Carm was shopping in. Nice chair and carpet. Spike lay down and relaxed even with people, wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, shopping bags passing within a foot of his head.
2009/11/21	still at St. Laurent shopping center. Escalators! He was horrified and pretty sure they were monsters but we positioned ourselves a comfortable distance and let him watch. I CTd for relaxed interest.  We moved closer over a period of a few minutes till he was comfy standing at the top. We also experienced a glass wall to the lower level. Again, we started several feet out and worked our way till he was walking right beside the glass. He was curious and we did stand for a while by the glass so he could watch the people moving below, the escalators, and the things floating overhead. We ended with relaxed interest.
2009/11/21	still at St. Laurent shopping center. Had lunch at a small booth. Spike lay under the table and didn't get up at all.It was a bit busy with people passing but he showed no real interest. I think he was pooped!
2009/11/22	Grocery store. Find Carm down grass verge, across road, into store (first time through those doors). Lots of people and carts. Did well with people passing and carts. Still occassionally sniffs.
2009/11/22	Dawn's visit with puppies. Approached her from 30' away and over the course of a few minutes made it the whole way on a loose leash. Same thing with puppies. Did not let him loose until he was calm(ish). He played well with them except when a toy was involved. We did a few recalls from play and a few sit/stays with the puppies playing around him and even bumping into him. He did very well and controlled himself well.
2009/11/22	Gentle - I'm not sure that I really understand this yet. He doesn't like my fingers in his mouth but that may be due to teaching him to move away from food unless given the okay - maybe I should start with rewarding a lick? I'll have to reinforce for smaller increments. I think I get the idea why - its like the head-down/calm down cue I taught the horses. It makes more sense to me than the "yes" for look at the dog. Maybe I can get the timing better?
2009/11/23	Foggy night so no trip into town. Practice gentle, stays, downs, bed at home.
2009/11/24	Russell streets. Only passed 1 dog but did get to practice LLW. Gift shop with person he knows. Excited but did control himself. Sat for about 30 seconds of petting before I released him. After a brief greeting I recalled him to a sit. Needed a bit of help but heaps better. Shop woman commented on the changes just in the last few weeks.
2009/11/24	In front of dog classes - good practice and he did much better. The difficulty was when the other dog quickly came over to us before he was calm. I asked the owner to keep her dog near her and then we moved forward (and back) till we could walk the whole distance on a loose leash. There were 2 puppies as a distraction. A bit of practice inside the school before the others came in - Michelle was there. He managed himself well but was excited.
2009/11/25	Raining night. Training in the house including free shaping lying on the mat. This was his first free-shaping time so it took him a while to stop offering the default behaviours (sit, down, eye contact) but eventually he started to catch on. In the end he did 2 good 4 paws on the mat lie downs! Sit/stay while I take their food dishes to their crates is getting much better. Spike only broke once to peek around the corner. Did other out of sight stays and a few long downs.
2009/11/26	Another yucky and tired night. Just did some more free shaping on the mat. He really caught on - you could see the wheels turning and he started trying something and then looking at me. We did some other little practice stuff like stays, etc. but mostly a quiet night.
2009/11/27	Petsmart. Took less time to get in on a loose leash even though there were other dogs. Practiced no sniff and loose leash in the cat area away from the hard distractions. Did well. Mom came and we were able to approch her fairly quickly on a loose leash. He sat for petting for several seconds and then I released him. I did find it difficult to concentrate on him, but realized quickly that I had to give my focus on him and mom & I would visit later. Worked up to the harder smelling isles with other dogs and he did very well. Put a bag of really smelly treats on the floor and after a few passes were able to pass it without even a sniff.
2009/11/27	Homesense. This was somewhat challenging as the isles were really narrow and lots of stuff was low to the ground. He still did very well, but we do have more work to do on the not sniffing thing. He stood quietly while we looked at products, even when other people passed behind him. There were carts passing as well. At the cash register he was perfect. We had to wait for 2 people to clear the cash and there was someone with a cart behind us. He sat quietly while all this went on. The lady at the cash commented on how good he was.
2009/11/27	Wendy's. This was his first real restaurant experience (last weekend we were barely inside and just for a few minutes). He was wonderful. Still a bit of work on the sniffing and keeping really close when people are coming. He was perfect in the lineup and also while we were ordering and waiting for our food. I was very pleased. At the table he went under and lay down - there was a bit of food underneath that I had to tell him to ignore, which he did. I did pick it up after a few moments as I wanted us both to have a chance to relax. He stayed lying down and mostly asleep except for 2 times. Once I kicked him (oops) and the second time an elderly woman noticed him and started telling me how lovely he was. Her face just lit up when she saw him. He lay back down when told and remained until we got up to leave. I was VERY pleased with him as we stayed for over an hour! If he can manage that he can certainly manage an hour meeting at work.
2009/11/27	Jim's birthday party at the Legion. 200+ people, crowded, loud, tons of kids running around, dancing, food on floor. All in all he did very well. He did score some pets and managed himself well (mostly). He is good about not soliciting pets from others until they talk to him or call him. Then all bets are off! Poor little mite tries so hard though. We ended up downstairs at the bar with a bunch of people. He crashed under the table and didn't move even when someone almost stepped on him (they didn't realize he was a living being!). He made me proud. This dog is amazing and he tries so hard.
2009/11/28	The Brick. Looked at coffee tables. Purchased 2. Spike was great and thankfully didn't jump on any furniture. I realize that some of my hand signals might be construed as jump up - may have to revisit that! The salesman was charmed by him and did ask to pet him. I released him for a pet twice and then asked for attention back. This is getting better but it is hard for him to refocus.
2009/11/28	Class. Much better. Terry Green was in the waiting room with his std poodle when we arrived. We practiced loose leash and calm for a few minutes which was good. Then the puppies started coming out from the previous class - he had a hard time but did manage to keep a stay for some of them (they were a foot from him). He couldn't resist if they came right up to him though. Class was better and it was good to have someone point out my errors. Next class I have to be sure to ask them to continue!
2009/11/29	Stay in today - we both need a quiet day. Did some free shaping on fetching. Started with a touch on his teddy and was able to quickly move to a fetch. Switched over to my little poodle purse. Within a few sessions of several minutes each he was bringing it to me at a trot, carrying it by the handle from across the room. It was incredibly cute. Once we get this really solid I'll start adding some weight. He'll be able to bring me my pills and some water :-)
2009/11/30	Shoppers Drug Mart. First time in this store. Needed a few minutes outside to calm excitement. Once in he did great. We had to stand in line for about 10 min - he was excellent. A few times he started quiet whining - as soon as he was quiet I had him do some sit, down, stand, hi5s. I should have walked around the store for a while before joining the lineup so that he was a bit tired. Other than a few times whining he was very quiet and patient. Someone joined the line behind us and he didn't even really look up. We talked to a woman with a little girl for a while, Spike was drawn to her but I was (mostly) able to keep him at my side. We need to practice this more with me keeping a bit more attention on him and more CT.
December
2009/12/01	Russell streets, arena, vet. What a find - the arena! Lots of kids, big rolling bags, etc. He was fine with everything but did need to practice passing a little girl sitting on the floor. By the 4th pass he wasn't looking anymore. The vets office was great. Its a big reception area so lots of room to keep distance. 2 dogs came in while we were there. Each time he's getting better and faster at slowing down.
2009/12/01	infront of dog class. Big improvement. Its taking less time for each dog and now he's starting to hit the end of his leash and automatically come back to me.
2009/12/04	garage, Tim Hortons. Not so good at Tim Hortons. It was busy and the line up was through the door. The door closing on him make him uncomfortable but if I positioned him between my legs he was more comfortable. He was great while we ordered and waited for our order.
2009/12/04	work. He did a great job here. He met TONS of people and got to practice his 2 greetings. It got so he did the sitting one very well, even a few times when someone petted without asking. I was very proud of him. The elevator was very scary (wouldn't take a treat) but dispite that he entered and exited well. He sat quietly going up and down. We lucked into an elevator that didn't make stops to pick up people so we went up and down for several trips. He was relaxing a bit but not completely. This will take time, if it ever happens - the elevators are difficult as they are glass. The stairs downstairs went well. We practiced going up and down a few times till it was smooth. When he's here full-time we'll do some work in the stairwells.
2009/12/04	bank street at noon hour. Very busy, but it wasn't the business that was the problem it was the manhole covers! Eventually we stopped in a quieter spot where we wouldn’t get run over and practiced stepping on one and then sitting. It took a few minutes of small increments but he tried his hardest and did touch with his paw and eventually walk on them a few times.
2009/12/04	Petsmart
2009/12/05	Petsmart. Reactive, barking, growling dog when we entered was not a good start. It took a few minutes for Spike to settle down, but he did so much faster than he would have several weeks ago. We wandered around the store and practiced LLW as well as ignoring. We visited with some people and their dog while waiting for Santa. He was excellent and only had to be asked to not approach the other dog a few times. He was great with Santa.
2009/12/05	class. Terry was in waiting room already. The approach was much easier and I got him to focus very quickly. We targeted the bag a bit to build that behaviour as well as to build concentration. Class went well although I sometimes feel stupid there. Sometimes all the activity of walking around is overwhelming for me. I wonder if I should mention that or just keep doing it? I really learn alot from these classes though - I'd like to continue after this set.
2009/12/05	Mom & Dad's - nice sits to be petted from both Mom & Dad.
2009/12/06	Parade - the beginning of the parade was great - even the fire engine and police sirens. A transport truck was hauling one of the floats and its horn really worried him - I've never seen him so scared. We walked behind that truck for the duration of the parade hoping to get some relaxation (he wouldn't even take a treat at first). He did relax a bit but I would have liked to continue. We met a firewoman in full fighting uniform so we talked with her a bit - she gave Spike a really nice pet - he was comfortable with her. After the parade we went into the little store to see Sandra - Spike waited till I told him to say hello to greet her - even though she was petting him! Good job.