Category: Common Problems ¤ Author: Annie Fitt ¤ Title: Princess Training Too¤ gaby writes: > You bring up variety - do you think it is possible I do too much with her > and in her mind she has "preferences", or perhaps depending on what > we did before she "rather" would do the "other" thing? > For example, if I did "fronts" first (she is usually good at that) and > follow that with, I don't know, Agility poles (just an example), do you > think she may "tell me", that she doesn't "feel like" doing the poles, she > rather would do more fronts? It struck me reading this that perhaps what you are doing here is the *opposite* of premacking - you are going from an easy/learned behavior to new/hard behavior. Also, in your earlier post you wrote about continuing with the reps after a good result. Working with sighthounds over the years I have found they have a very limited tolerance for rep work. I no longer believe that is because they get "bored" - which was the explanation of choice back in my J&P days. I think they are exquisitely sensitive to nuances in performance and that they get horribly frustrated by the poor human's lack of ability to communicate just exactly what they are looking for. I get the best results with splitting things *way* down, and the minute they make an obvious connection/advancement I gave a big, happy party and if I ask any more work we move onto something else, almost always an easier/comfortable/familiar behavior and as soon as I get a good rep of that we have another big party and quit. It means many small sessions rather than one long one, but in the long run it works out as much faster. My gut reaction reading your posts is that Lollie wants to please you very much but she is frustrated/confused. Your other dogs might be more forgiving, better at lumping themselves, or more confident so they just say to themselves "Oh, well, Ma might not know what to do, but *I* do!" and get on with it. With Lollie she isn't sure, sometimes she guesses and guesses right, sometimes she guesses wrong, and others she says "Well, I *know* Ma likes it when I "watch", so I will do something I know she likes!" Even though you feel Lollie has all the groundwork down pat, I'd bet real money that if you asked *her* she wouldn't agree. I'd also bet when you two work it out and are a real team (and have no doubt that you will do this) she will blow the competition out of the water... Annie Annie Fitt www.anniefitt.com www.anniefitt.etsy.com & the Ragtag Horde ~ Whippets of Mass Destruction! Wake, Virginia