More Training!

After Tessa had been here almost a week, I was inspired to try some noodling around with a jump with her. I don't mean that I set out to train jumping. She is nowhere near that point. But I decided to see how she would be near a jump and start to make her comfortable with the piece of equipment.

I set up a jump, with the bar set at 4, in my living room. Of course Tessa was wary of it, but she very willingly approached it since I had a handful of chicken.

Chicken! This girl adores chicken!

I walked toward the jump and handed pieces of chicken to Tessa (from behind me as I faced away), as we approached the uprights. When we got close, she stopped. I put a piece of chicken on the floor right where she was and then I put a piece
closer and I sat on the floor and looked sort of away from her. She slowly moved in and took it. I put a piece right next to the bar, but still on her side. She slowly moved in and took it. I noticed that as she moved in for each piece, she didn't back off once she had taken it.

Finally, I set a piece on the floor on the other side of the bar. She put one paw over the bar and ate it. She stood there. I put another piece down where she was and then one just ahead of her. She ate the first one then put her other front paw over the bar and ate the second piece. I did that until she had moved forward to the point where she still had her back paws behind the bar, but she was streeeetching forward to get the chicken off the floor. We took a break, she ran into the living room and hit the sofa, I got more chicken and she came back all on her own.

We did what we had just done and then I put a piece far enough ahead that she would have to get a back paw over to get to it. It took a few seconds and a few extra pieces where she was, but she finally got one back leg over! Then we got the other one over!

She liked that. I could tell. She didn't get happy or excited, but she was VERY interested. I went to get more chicken and this time she stood in the fireplace room and waited for me with a very interested look on her face! We did that three more times. Neither of us wanted to quit.

That brings us up to yesterday as far as Tessa's training goes. I took some time last night to work with her with the clicker again.

I again loaded the clicker for her a few times - click/treat, click/treat, click/treat. Then I tossed a treat on the floor so she had to turn away from me to get it and I clicked when she started to turn back. I repeated that a few times and then waited for eye contact when she turned back. She offered it after a bit - it was fleeting, but I managed to click it. We did that a few times and then I moved into the doggie zen game. After that we went back to me tossing a treat and clicking her for turning back.

Today that session bore fruit. I did the same thing with her today and she ROCKED it! I am not sure if she is really understanding yet that her choice to turn back toward me is making the click happen, but I believe I am starting to see some understanding of that with the doggie zen and the eye contact. He tries are still tentative, but I can see her brain is working and she is starting to deliberately figure things out! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Tessa is starting to learn how to learn how to learn!

I wanted to give her a big reward for such a great training session, so I got a NADAC hoop out. I did the same thing with her that I did with the jump a couple of weeks ago. This was different for her since she would have to pass under something that was not too far above her head.

Again, I sat on one side and tossed a few treats over to her. After doing that, I placed one on my side of the hoop. With very little hesitation, Tessa moved forward and got it. She worked up to the point where she was all the way through except for her back feet with just a couple of treats! It took a bit more to get her to step all the way through. As soon as she had eaten her treats on the other side, she skittered back to her starting point. It's funny - she doesn't realize that she just went through the hoop on her own to get back where she started! We repeated this three times and by the third time she was coming through pretty easily.

We quit there, but Maddie still had a training session to do. I decided to work with her with the hoop and to let Tessa stay out and watch. I'm not really teaching Maddie anything right now, so I just had her send to it from a very short distance. Tessa wanted to play, but didn't know what to do. At first she stood off to the side and wagged her tail with all her might! Then she sat!!!! That has gotten her some treats lately and she is starting to offer it! Finally, she moved forward, all on her own, and followed Maddie through the hoop!!

I am having so much fun with this!

On another note, I took a picture of Tessa yesterday that I LOVE! I hope that someday this is her demeanor no matter where we go or what we are doing!