Friday, March 8, 2013

What Do You Want from Me, Anyway?

This morning I was doing some training with Isaac.  I put a chair in the hallway, sat on it, and gave him the command to get my meds.  Of course, I never sit on a chair in the hallway, but I am working with him to be able to go get my meds even if I am in a different room when I need them.  So I'm starting with the hallway, and I'll work my way down the hall to the bathroom and bedroom.

Isaac was a little wound up and when he gets that way, sometimes he doesn't stop to think.  Typical teenager, right?  He knew I was asking him to do something, and since I was near the light switch, decided maybe I wanted him to turn on the lights.  When he did that and I didn't praise or reward him, but just gave the command again, he decided to try something else.  He's smart enough to do that and he never gives up.  So he ran into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door.  Of course, that wasn't what I wanted, either.  I ignored the open fridge and gave the command to get my meds again.

Not sure what to do then, Isaac spotted his stuffed tiger, pounced on it, and brought it to me.  I'm pretty sure he knew that wasn't what I was asking for, but I guess he thought it might be good enough.  When I didn't take the tiger, he started spinning around in circles, like he was looking for something else to do but  had no clue what it should be.

Mind you, Isaac brings my meds on command all the time.  It's one of his favorite tasks.  I don't know why, but he loves doing it.  But he's never been directed to do so from the hallway before.

I told him to drop the tiger and sit, which he did.  I made sure I had his attention, then gave the command again.  That time, he got it.  He ran at top speed to the table in the living room where I usually keep my meds, snatched them up, and returned to me at top speed.  He got extra treats for that one.

2 comments:

  1. Kudos to you for hanging in there so he learned what you were asking him to do! It's hard to train a dog and it's certainly not something I would be good at. I spoil my pets. You were very smart in being persistent until he got it exactly right! How cute that he was so excited and got recognized with extra treats. You two make a great team!

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    1. I probably spoil him more than I should. My cats are all spoiled rotten and I like spoiling them.

      I pretty much always work with Isaac until he gets it, so we can end a training session on a positive note. If he hadn't been able to figure it out, I would have moved closer to the medication, right next to it if necessary, to make sure he knew what I wanted.

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