Today was the first day of a new session of the Intro to Rally Obedience class I co-teach at Metro Dog. After the students left I brought out Dragon and we went through the course. Initially he was a bit suspicious of the signs but after sniffing a few he was willing to work around them. He did the course beautifully! I was so proud, and I really wish that I'd gotten it on video! I rewarded him every two or three signs with a game of tug. He did start to lose interest in the tug toy around the tenth sign or so, so I switched to treats. If I'd been using his very favorite toy (a tennis ball on a string) he probably would have worked a bit longer. He doesn't yet have much stamina for long chains of tricks or heeling for a long time. I think that I tend to fall into the same trap as many people who enjoy teaching tricks -- I spend a lot of time getting brand new behaviors, but I don't spend as much time getting them on cue, proofing them, and building stamina for behavior chains with lower reinforcement schedules. Hmmm, this is something I need to start fixing ASAP or I'll be working against our plans to compete!
This weekend we have a working spot in a Denise Fenzi seminar about drives and motivation. I can't wait! I just hope I manage to get up at 5 AM both days -- I usually get to sleep in until 9!
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