Wow, Alana, thanks so much for all the constructive criticism. I learned a lot watching the video again after reading your comments!
This morning we did our first training session in a different area, about half the size and simpler in terms of plant structure. (It’s a small section of the area in the third picture above.) Mo had nice enthusiasm that does indeed look different than his quail enthusiasm, and he nailed all three targets in about 90 seconds.
You asked if I primed Mo before this video began. I did–I try to run through the same ritual before every houby session, and it’s similar to but a bit different than our quail session priming. The primary differences are that Mo wears a harness during a mushroom session vs. an orange collar during a hunting session, and in my cue word: “houby” vs. “bird.” Do you think I should try to make each priming ritual more distinct from the other? Or maybe you were thinking that I should tailor my priming to his enthusiasm and focus–either pumping him up more, or keeping things more subdued, depending on his mental state?
Finally, I have a quick harness question that I’ll post for you or Kristin in the chat thread, since I think it could be relevant or of interest to other students. Thanks!