Training Day 25-Kids everywhere

Today was Mall day. Now personally  I HATE the mall, but I thought it would be a great public place for Bailey to go because he would get experience with lots of people. So when I got to my Trainer's house I decided to do something new. I had my aide go inside and get Bailey while I stayed in the van. When my aide went inside Bailey was excited to see her but was clearly looking around for me. When she put him on the leash he began skipping and jumping towards the door with excitement. My aide was telling him "okay lets go see Eva", and clearly he understood.  She brought him out and he jumped right into the van excitedly wagging his tail when he saw me. But I think he knew he was vested and working because even though he was excited to see me he got in the van and jumped up on the seat and let himself be belted in just as calmly as usual.
When we got to the Mall I walked Bailey all over. He stayed right beside me and sat every time I stopped my wheel chair (even when I was just pausing for a second and not really intending to stop). We then went to the Wal-Mart attached to the Mall. When we were entering the store a man was exiting and had a small black Chihuahua in a stroller. Before I even noticed the dog it began barking at Bailey furiously. Bailey didn't even twitch a muscle. Not only did he not bark back at the dog but chose to ignore the little yapper completely! I was so impressed. In Wal-Mart there were about ten million kids scampering through the aisles. Bailey again stayed right next to me and sat every time I stopped my chair. He does kind of have a crotch sniffing problem- which I am fixing by having my aide teach Bailey the "leave it" game. It was pretty funny though when my aide told Bailey to "leave it" as he was sniffing some dude's crotch.
After Wal-Mart we left the store and were heading back to the Van via the sidewalk.  Because we were sticking to the sidewalk we had to pass a group of workers using extremely loud power equipment to cut some metal pipes. Bailey did great and totally ignored the loud noise not fearful of it at all. After we got back to the Van we loaded up and drove back to my Trainer's house.
I took Bailey out to get busy and then he crashed out. He did wake up for a few minutes to bark/greet a new dog that came over to my Trainer's for boarding this afternoon. We tried everything (all of  our positive reinforcement tricks) to re-direct him from barking. But Bailey would still bark as he was sitting, staying and laying on command. It was pretty funny. This incident told me that he definitely knows when he's working (like not barking at the mall dog) and when he's in chill mode at home (and he thinks it's okay to bark at the new visitor).
After lunch it was definitely time for some playtime. My trainer has a full house right now, seven dogs total! So playtime was pretty fun. One beautiful chocolate Lab kept putting her paws on my lap and giving me kisses. I want Bailey to do this also but he is too polite to ever do this on his own. But I noticed when the Lab was on my lap that Bailey would come next to me and lick my hand jealously trying to get my attention away from the dog giving me kisses. Hopefully next week I'll be able to teach him a new command "give kisses" and have him also put his paws on my lap and lick my face. I think he'll get this one pretty easily because I could tell today he definitely wanted to get on my lap too. Today I leave you with a video of Bailey playing with his brother Liam.

Training Day 24

Rain Rain Go Away. Today was kind of a difficult training today because it was pouring rain. Rain plus an electric wheel chair is not a good combination. So I had to limit my training to what we could do in doors. I wanted to teach Bailey auto "leave it". I wanted to do this for two reasons. First of all God knows what will be on the ground when Bailey and I are out in public. And second I'm a messy eater and while I let my pet dog be a "vacuum" I don't want Bailey to get into this habit. Since I'm going to be taking him to restaurants it's very important that he's not eating tidbits off the floor. Also I want to keep Bailey as healthy as possible so zero "people food". To train auto leave it I had my aide put some kibble on the floor and with Bailey on leash take him near to the food. The food would catch his attention (although he wasn't able to reach it). When Bailey would turn his attention away from the temptation on the floor, and look up at my aide, he would get a click and a chicken treat. He did fabulously. We then increased the temptation from boring kibble to yummy peanut butter. He again did great, even when my aide put the peanut butter close to him and within edible distance. Then came the chicken, one, two and then three pieces were put on the floor to temp him. He didn't eat any of them! Eventually I want to make an obstacle course out in the Tennis Courts with all of Baileys favorite foods and walk him through it, rewarding him when he doesn't grab the snacks.
After Leave it I did bell training and he did great. And of course then it was nap time.This dog sleeps more than any dog I've had before. After he woke up I wanted to try an experiment. Because I have full time aides it is important that Bailey learns to "get busy" while he is walking on leash with my aide, instead of with me. If I am sick, too busy with Grad School homework, or in bed, he needs to be cool with my aides taking him out to get busy. So today my aide put him on leash and took him out into the yard without me. He was definitely not happy when she shut the door and I wasn't out back with him. She said when she shut the door he let out a little whine and looked back to the doorway. He then looked up at her with an expression that said 'Ummmm what's going on here?" But as soon as she said "bailey get busy" he relaxed and understood it was pee time. After that it was lunch time and Bailey just slept. After lunch because I had exhausted all of my indoors training sessions and chicken treats I decided to leave a little early. So Bailey went back in his crate and I left for the day.

Training Day 23

When we got there today all of the dogs, except Bailey were playing in the Tennis Courts. Bailey was in the den inside of his crate. He was so happy to see me today. Since the Tennis Courts were in use I decided to do bell training. He did amazingly well today and looked up at me, or came over to me every single time I rang the bell. I have kind of decided that the bell ringing meant "look at me" since Bailey is always around me. When we first began training I wanted the bell to mean "come to me". But since Bailey will always be near me(either on leash, hanging out or playing) I decided the bell just needed to mean "look at me" and then from that point I can direct him to the task I want.
So when his buddies went inside from the Tennis Courts it was time for another game of hide and seek. He totally remembered the game and did great! My aide is starting to phase him out of the verbal commands and starting to only use head and eye commands. He's excellent at sitting and staying without verbal cues.But since "Go find Eva", is new to him he's having a little more trouble figuring it out without using verbal commands. It will come. At one point he found me in the gated side run of the Tennis Courts. When my aide came in to start a new round of the game she told Bailey to sit and stay but when I turned to go and hide (like I usually do) he would not stay with my aide. Eventually after my aide went ballistic with happy voices/dances he finally decided to stay with her. He was having a hard time staying because unlike the previous games he could not see me out of the corner of his eye as I was leaving to hide.  After he was tired we went back inside and he crashed out.
When my aide was fixing lunch Bailey  found a small disassembled plastic squeaker from a ripped up toy (don't ask me where he unearthed it from). He was having a good old time chewing it up and I was nervous he was going to swallow it so I stared at him with intensity and he immediately dropped it and left it alone. What a good boy.
After lunch I wanted to do one more session of hide and seek. He did amazing! We walked him back to the house without a leash and when he was told to "get busy" he seemed to do it right on command. Then it was crate time and I left for the day.

Training Day 22

So I wanted to try something new today. I wanted to teach Bailey hide and seek. Now you might be wondering why I would want to teach him that. It's to build the foundation for "go get help". Being able to find someone is one of the most important parts of the "go get help" task. Here's how I taught him Hide and Seek. I had my aide take Bailey to one side of the Tennis courts and since he was off leash, verbally work on his stay, sit and down commands (another bonus of the hide and seek game). Then I would go hide (which for now is just the same as going to the other side of the tennis courts). Then my aide would release Bailey from his stay position by  excitedly saying "Okay, go find Eva!!!" . The very first time we tried this he was looking towards me but not 100% sure what to do until my aide said the command again and began to run towards me, while pointing. After that he knew exactly what the rules of the game were. Every time he found me he would get to lick a kong stuffing treat off my hand. He loved the hide and seek game and would excitedly race towards me every time my aide yelled "Go get Eva". My aide will soon transition from verbal down, sit and stay commands to strictly using eye and head movements as commands. Then we will switch roles and I will use the same head/eye commands to tell Bailey, "Go find my Aide" (aka help). Here is a video of Bailey's first game of hide and seek.



After coming back inside Bailey crashed out. One weird part of Bailey's teenage rebellion, he periodically jumps up on the couch and looks out the window. He NEVER use to do this and knows 100% that he is not allowed up on the furniture. Every time he is calmly told to get off the furniture with the simple command "off". Which he does. Funny way of rebelling.
    After lunch I wanted to play one more hide and seek game. I also wanted to do a little experiment. I wanted to see what Bailey would do if I kept him off leash when it was time to go back to the tennis courts (now remember he looooves running on the pool cover when he is not on leash). The yard is completely surrounded by fencing so even off leash Bailey would not be able to get out of the yard. Watch what happens.



I was really impressed by how well he did. Now I would never ever have him off leash while out in public, but I was just curious as to what he would do if he was off leash.
   I'm applying for another service dog. You all must be like "Why?" a couple reasons. First I found an organization that trains service dogs for non-verbal  owners, but they have a five year waiting list. As awesome as owner training is, I know I will be too busy to do it in the future when Bailey retires. SD's work for about 6-8 years before it's time to retire them. So I need to get my application in now so that when Bailey retires I will be able to get another Sd immediately and not have to wait five years.
After we played hide and seek it was time to go. I put Bailey back in his crate and left.

Training Day 20 and 21

So I'm combining the past two training sessions because it's just easier to write one long post rather than two shorter ones. Yesterday I was asked to be a guest speaker at a University class for Special Ed Teachers. So naturally I wanted to bring Bailey. I thought it would be a good experience for Bailey especially since most of his SD career will be accompanying me to Grad School. So I picked up Bailey and went to the University. I wanted to get there early so I could walk him around the campus for a little while. I wanted to do this for two reasons; 1st I wanted to kind of tire him out before he had to sit in the classroom for an hour. And 2nd I wanted to expose him to all the crazy stuff on a college campus. He did great! He really enjoyed rolling around on the grass. We spent a good hour just chilling in the grass and walking around the campus.
   When we got inside the classroom he passed out next to me. He slept for about fifteen minutes. Then the students gathered around me and Bailey so that they could see how I communicate with my letter board. Bailey was pretty good but did try to get some pats on the head. It was very tempting, from his perspective everybody was watching him but nobody was petting him. He was easily re-directed to stop looking for pats And after everyone sat back down he just crashed out. At one point during the question and answer session I was having a spell of bad cramps and Bailey came up to me and started licking my hand until the cramps had subsided. I was really amazed!
   So after I did my spiel  I took Bailey out to the Van to get some food and water.  He's a funny eater ( this was the first time I fed him since usually he's eaten breakfast/lunch before I see him). He takes a bite of food and then drinks a sip of water. For every bite! I was cracking up. After he ate, I took him back to the lawn area to see if he needed to get busy. He peed quickly especially for being in a new place.
   Then my Physical Therapist (the Professor of the class) and I went out to dinner. When we sat down at the table I put Bailey's mat on the floor next to my chair and he laid down quickly. He stayed there on the mat the entire time only getting up once and then laying back down quickly. ( We were in the restaurant about an hour and a half). I was very impressed. Waiters and customers walked by constantly and he chose to ignore them.
After dinner I took him back to my Trainer's house and left for the night.
    Today he was understandably, kind of tired out. We tried to do light switch training and he wasn't having it. So we did an auto-sit session and then I wanted to see if he needed to go pee. So I put him on the long leash and he peed immediately. I think it's time for Bailey to get a hair cut because every time he pees his hair gets in the way and he gets it all over himself. Lovely! So when we got back inside I only had a chance to do literally one bell ring before he passed out.
   So knowing that today was not the best day for training  I decided to have a little fun time. I took Bailey in the side yard to play with his buddies and his brother, who returned from vacation just a few days ago. Bailey and his brother are so cute together. Since they are the same age they have a similar way of playing. Here's a video of them playing. I left after that.

Training Day 19

When we got to my Trainer's house today we immediately vested Bailey up and drove to Smart & Final. Smart & Final was pretty crowded with lots of kids and their bargain shopping parents. Bailey did excellent! He stayed by my side the entire time and sat pretty quickly when I stopped my chair. Also we had no drive by petters despite all the kids. Yay!
   After we got home I took Bailey outside to pee. He now totally understands the difference between when he's on the short leash and when he's on the long leash (and it's time to "get busy"). When Bailey is put on the long leash he immediately starts sniffing the lawn looking for a place to pee. But when he's on the short leash his focus is on me and he doesn't sniff the ground. What a smart boy! Bailey immediately crashed out when we got back inside.
   After lunch we did light switch training. I've asked my aide to use verbal commands during the beginning of this training process and then once Bailey understands the task 100% my aide will only use the clicker and treats to reward Bailey, and I will be the one to tell Bailey to turn on the lights by eye pointing. In the in between phase both of us will be telling him to turn on the light, her verbally, and me eye- pointing.  Here's a video of the beginning of our training session today (He didn't do as good as it looks haha).



   Although he did awesome in the beginning he still doesn't understand 100% that he needs to actually flip the switch to get a treat instead of just touching his nose to it. I frankly don't care whether or not he understands he's turning on the light, he just has to know that he is supposed to flip the switch. I'm very impressed with the progress he's made in just three short light switch training sessions. He's such a smart boy. After the light switch session it was time to go so we put Bailey in the side yard with his friends. We had a great week together.

Training Day 18

So here's how Bailey greets me every time I come over to my trainer's house. He's kinda not supposed to run on the pool cover but it's too cute to stop him(and it's totally secure so don't worry he won't fall in).



Since my Trainer's den was being cleaned this morning I decided to start with auto-sit training in the back yard. He did really well. He sat quickly and was focused even when all of the dogs were barking at him from behind the Tennis court fence. He's doing pretty well with only getting treats every once and a while.So after auto-sit training I took Bailey inside the house because  I wanted to do light switch training. I put the light switch extender on the switch and put the switch itself about halfway up. This didn't cause the light to go on but it made it easier for Bailey to "accidentally" turn the light on. He turned it on a few times and got a big reward, a handful of his favorite treat, chicken. He seemed to understand more today than he did on Monday but he still doesn't quite get it 100%. I was however, really pleased with his progress today. He also didn't get frustrated today. 
 After light switch training I wanted to take him back outside to go pee. He peed really quickly. I think my system of putting him on a longer leash when it's time to "get busy" has really helped. Bailey crashed after he came back inside. He slept all through lunch. After lunch I wanted to do one more light switch training session. I kept it short because I didn't want him to get frustrated. He did well and I ended the session on a good note-after he hit the switch and got lots of chicken.I then took him to the tennis courts for a little playtime with his buddies. I wanted to get a video of him playing with the other dogs but everyone was pretty mellow today from the hot sun.