Category: Common Problems ¤
  Author: M Shirley Chong ¤
   Title: Princess Training ¤

> Gaby Grohovaz wrote:
>
> "Madam Lollie" OTOH is wild when we play tug, and wild when running 
> around or going for walks, but so-so when actually training. Initially I thought
> she just isn't cut out to be a really top level Agility dog. More on the
> lines of "accuracy before speed" ideology and will do better in things like
> obedience. She offered heeling by herself from an early age. Her stays are
> very good. She is very smart and quick to learn new tricks, just not that
> keen to "run around at top speed" (in training that is - runs like a lunatic
> when we are on walks).

How demanding are you in training obedience? Do you want her obedience as 
badly as you want her agility?

> When I took her out a little later, people were packing up equipment (but no
> banging noises, just carrying it around) and dogs were barking (as is usual
> at Agility/Flyball matches), and all I wanted was for her to go round a pole
> and through a straight tunnel (she could see the opening at the other end -
> nothing scary) . she was looking around, and (pretended??) to need to keep
> an eye on all the going on around her . It took several attempts and even
> then she was in her "slow mode" around the pole (was perfectly fine doing
> LLW in that area and didn't look "scared", more like "I want to check out
> what is happening here").

Oh, I don't think she's pretending.

> OK, I thought, probably had an overdose of the show and wants/needs to 
> go home.

Nope.

> Lollie had not managed that exercise at home (at distance) when I did it a 
> few days ago, and yesterday she literally flew out of my hold - ran up the 
> steps and banged the door really hard looking very pleased with herself ..

BINGO!

The dog never lies, Gaby.

> I know she could watch Chippy do the wall touch, so perhaps she copied him,
> but she could not have seen him do the first exercise, it was far too far
> away. To me she was just being her normal unpredictable, self.

Has nothing to do with Chippy.

What is the constant in your training sessions? What is always there, no matter 
what you are doing?

> Before someone asks, yes, at home I have already put her away (stopped 
> training) when she is not up to expectation of that exercise, but it seems
> to make very little difference. She will, for example also do 3 "so-so"
> exercises, and then suddenly a really nice one. Or 2 good ones and then
> loose interest - she is driving me *mad*! She clearly understands what she
> needs to do, but doesn't do it at all times. I don't want her to be able to
> give me "bad" performances. I want her to do things "right".

Okay, Gaby, I was gonna toy with you for a while but I'm going to come right 
out and say it.

YOU are the constant and so is Lollie.

When you don't expect anything of her, she does well.

When your hopes are up, she doesn't do well at all.

In other words, she's one of those "away from pressure" dogs.

You can test this. Count out two sets of 20 treats.

On day one, pretend to read a book or watch TV and toss her a treat  
(no clicker in your hand) whenever she lies down. Time how long it  
takes her to finish 20 downs.

On day two, go for speed! Put down the darn book, pull out the  
clicker, and do everything you can do to get those 20 downs as fast  
as possible.

In fact, do this with both puppies.

Chippy will shine on day two. He's an "into pressure" dog. Put  
social pressure on him and he tries harder, faster, longer, more  
intensely.

Lollie will be great on day one but suck on day two (I predict).  
She's an "away from pressure" dog. Put social pressure on her and  
she starts to displace, try to escape, gets excessively worried,  
and quickly gets to the point where she's so emotionally distraught  
her little puppy mind fries.

>  If I don't click her for a behavior below par she "maybe" tries once more
> and if that doesn't work she usually stops "playing".

Yep. She does not handle pressure well.

You have to set up training so she is never wrong or as close to  
that as you can humanly get.

> So yes, I do click a lot of stuff that is not as good as I would like it, just 
> so she stays in the game. I am talking mainly speed here and also some  
> small increments in criteria.

What happened to dropping other criteria when you raise one criteria?

> For example a "front". At this stage she can do several "perfect" fronts 
> in a row - when she feels like it (oh, we did that yesterday as well - she 
> did that really nicely). But sometimes I give her a cue and it will be
> slightly crooked - so, no click and she will stop playing

Yep. You put social pressure on her and her brain fries.

What fun is it to go out with Mama and do things that make her feel  
yucky? I think she's a remarkably forgiving puppy to keep going  
back to playing the game with you at all.

Think of social pressure as if it's a spray of garlic juice in the  
mouth. There are dogs who would do backflips and handstands to get  
that spritz of garlic juice. There are also dogs who would be  
shocked the first time you spritzed them with garlic juice,  
offended the second time and the third time they'd take your face off.

Lollie does neither. She does not like social pressure, it leaves  
her with a "bad taste" but--she is a good little herding breed  
puppy, so she willingly goes out and risks getting that bad taste  
over and over and over for you.

I think she's pretty darn heroic for a little girl puppy. Most bitches 
are nowhere near as tolerant as your description of Lollie.

> She definitely does not have a problem in "understanding" the exercises. Her
> attitude spans all types of behaviors, but occurs more often on the "speed"
> things, but not exclusively.

STOP LUMPING! STOP LUMPING! STOP LUMPING!

Social pressure is a criteria. You've gotten lucky with Chippy and  
probably other dogs in your past. Those dogs saw social pressure as  
an inspiration.

Lollie does not. So you need to split social pressure into it's own  
whole set of criteria, add one criteria, drop all the others,  
reinforce until she handles that particular bit of social pressure.  
Drop that one, put in a new one, repeat.

What criteria, you may ask. Stuff like soft eye contact, direct eye  
contact, heavy eye contact. You leaning forward slightly. You  
staring pointedly in any direction. You tensing your hand on your  
clicker.

Videotape yourself shot from a position near Lollie's head height.  
Run through that video frame by frame and figure out what you do  
that she sees. Split all those things apart.

> We can play long sessions of "101 things to do with a .", hence her "giving
> up" when she doesn't get clicked again, is not a non-understanding issue
> (IMO).

The Lollie does not lie. She's telling you as graphically as ever a  
puppy possibly could what the problem is. There is nothing wrong  
with her work ethic, in fact it's probably better than Chippy's  
work ethic.

And don't kick her off the bed, she deserves a warm place to sleep  
snuggled up to Mama. It's probably one of the only reasons she has  
to keep on going out there and trying for you, day after day.

M. Shirley Chong
http://www.shirleychong.com
Grinnell Iowa USA