Reply To: Annie Ingersoll & Dottie

[Alana McGee]

Annie your self analysis is well thought out and insightful as always.

In response to your self analysis of your session, a few comments:

good. Cues and adding labels can be helpful, as you know, but not the main goal of training at this point.
We agree with your assessment on this. These foundational building blocks and building confidence are key to long term success. Reward history and repetition are marvelous things.
Toys are a great resource! If the crinkle toy keeps her energy up and engaged, this is great- you’ll be able to use this a variety of different ways later now that you know she responds positively to it in this environment while still being able to re-shift focus into the truffle game. Once outside with it, you may have to build/ work on transiting in and out of the games as there are more environmental factors at play
This is good. Truffles are not metal tins or tuperware boxes, so the behavior may alter organically when you start working with the real thing, but it is good to solidify your desired behaviors. It will make transference to the different object easier.

Video:
0:11 GREAT. As you said in your own analysis you can see her hit the scent column and more confidently track to source. This hide was also a bit inaccessible and she does a great job of indicating, staying at source, and re-alerting. Love it!

She is definitely more confident in her alerts. The crinkle toy is a fantastic reward for her, and a very nice transition at 0:57 (the video cuts there, but we assume- based on her body language that it was a transition back into the game- please correct us if we are wrong.)

1:09 interesting to note her checking elevation at old locations. It is fascinating (and great!) when this happens as you can see that she has associated success criteria with the presence of source, even if odor is still present in that area.

1:27 you have the right inclination to move away from the area of the previous hide in order to get Dottie to search a new section.

1:52 is hard. Well done. You recognize her body language here that she has indeed found it, (notice the initial alert at 1:32)- she just can’t access it easily. 1:37 is a look re-alert, and again at 1:43.

You’re doing a great job on your energy in rewarding Annie. You and Dottie look great, again not a lot of comments on things to alter. Well done.