Reply To: Lois and Monza (August 2014)

[Alana McGee]

TDC Instructor:

First off, it is great you rewatch your own videos. For other students reading this thread, we highly recommend you video tape yourself working with your dog. Not only can it be a fascinating way of documenting progress but you will see areas that need improvement in your own handling skills as well as some mistakes you made. So you can learn from them. Video and review are fantastic tools for learning.

Again Kristin will have a voice over for you if possible.

After watching video, the first thing I notice… What enthusiasm! Love it. You do a nice job of directing away AFTER having rewarded at source and then again when she comes back to the same location. I know this first set up was before watching your classmate’s commentary which also applies in your case, but nicely done regardless.

I see what you are talking about with boxes in your reference and yes, she starts to show a bit of confusion and throw out possible behaviors based on previous success, but your timing is decent when she does get to the correct source. Good of you to notice though!

One thing I would like to point out that is good for other students who may be unaware, is the truffle odor is located in the same box all throughout this scenario. Odor lingers. We try to limit possible sources for confusion.

The Chin targets and bows are actually great! Again, this will all be a part of what you may want to shape into an alert or as a piece of the alert behavior chain. All of these things are useful pieces in a behavior chain and keep her engaged with you at the site of a truffle find. A chin target will likely morph a nose target, and we can eventually help it along, but for now, just keep it up.

In the second hiding scenario I just, again, want to point out to other students, that here you (Lois) do an AWESOME job of allowing Monza to locate without offering input of your own. It’s only a few seconds, but you allow her to locate the column and odor source without direction from you and she offers a beautiful alert. Loved that.

After you opened up the box she nose targeted it! We talk about shaping alerts next lesson, but you will be able to elongate some of the behaviors she exhibits here into a really nice clear alert I think. It will be fun to watch it progress.

Great job taking the box out with you.

And yes, time off is great! Remember, it should always be fun!