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The Instructions:
For this experiment, you need two items that are unfamiliar to the
dog and that you won't mind a dog sliming or even chewing. Plus a
timer (or watch), clicker and treats!
Set the timer for five minutes. Make a big fuss over one of the
items by hugging it, whispering sweet things to it, etc. When your
dog is curious, start the timer, put the item down and start
clicking for any interaction with the item. Only click the same
interaction three times in a row, then wait for the dog to do
something different. If the dog chooses to alternate two behaviours,
that's fine, you can keep clicking them--it's just more than three
identical in a row that you stop clicking.
At the end of the five minutes, make a list of all the behaviours
you clicked and a general sense of how long it took your dog to try
something different when you stopped clicking after the third
repetition. Give your dog a break, ideally in a different room or
outside--a little alone time.
Set the timer again, go get the dog, and repeat with the second
object. Again, click for any interaction but stop clicking after the
third repetition in a row.
At the end of the five minutes, make a list of all the behaviours
you clicked and a general sense of how long it took your dog to try
something different.
The general question: was your dog more creative or less creative
with the second item?
M. Shirley Chong
The Well Mannered Dog http://www.shirleychong.com
Grinnell Iowa
mailto:eithne@pcpartner.net
My Results:
(All dogs were confined to crates while not working, I did all six sessions one right after the other.)
Round 1-Frisbee
Dog 1 (Tess)
Spent the time shaping her to be near the frisbee.
She sniffed the frizbee as soon as I put it down, but when I c/t, she forgot it existed, and came over to wait (eagerly)
for me go tell her what I wanted her to do.
Almost a year ago, I tried to do "101 things to do with a box" with her, but she just lay in front of me, waiting.
This time, when I just kept staring at the frisbee, she went through all her behaviors, and walked around, looking. I think
she was starting to "get it" by the end.
Dog 2-Max
I forgot to set the timer.
He knew I wanted something, and was really trying to figure out what it was. (He and I have done some shaping before.)
In the beginning, I was worried the frisbee would be more fun than the treats, but I anticipated that, and was using tuna
brownies instead of Cheerios. At first, he kept trying to pick it up, but would drop it when I clicked to get the treat.
We almost had a problem when I stopped clicking for that, though-he didn't care that I wasn't clicking, and started to carry
it off. But he dropped it, and it fell rim-downward, so he couldn't really get ahold of it. The session went well after that,
with these behaviors (roughly in order of appearance):
Touch with nose
Try to bite it
Push forward with nose
Push back with nose
Push with feet
Whack with foot (when I stopped clicking for left foot, he looked at me, and whacked with his right foot!) :-)
Dig at it with both feet
Lay down while biting it
Lay down with it between paws
Lay down beside, touching with nose
Dog 3 - Isis
She doesn't really understand this whole "clicker" thing
but I think a light-bulb went on just now. Because she is new, I was *very* generous about what I clicked. I tried to
keep the rate of reinforcement high, and not have many "dry" spells. So, I clicked:
look at it
sniff rim,
sniff bottom
sniff rim while on other side
sniff bottom from other side
sniff so it moves
step over it in confusion
eat treat out of it (my aim was getting better!)
She came over to me a number of times, more in the beginning, then tapering off. At first, I think, to check out the
treats on my lap, later just looking confused. I think she did make the connection between frisbee=treats, but I'm not sure
how well she understands click=treat.
Round 2 - cardboard egg carton
Dog 1 - Tess
She sniffed the carton several times right away, I c/t, but I wondered if she thought she was "goofing off",
but just couldn't help but sniff? It took her a bit to really get that sniffing the carton was the thing. But almost every
time, she'd lay down to wait for me to tell her something. When I didn't, she offered all her behaviors (that could be done
lying down (down is her default behavior)), then pace around, sniff carton, c/t, get treat, lay down, repeat. Most of the
session was like this. She didn't offer any other behavior toward the carton than just sniffing it.
Dog 2 -- Max
Tough choice between egg carton and treats!
No sniffing, he went straight to:
Nibble
Bite
Lick
Push with nose
Turn it over with nose
Slap with paw
And one pounce!
After a while, he pushed it under the desk chair. Max doesn't have any problem getting to his toys under there, so I
figured it was still "in play", and didn't move it. He reached under the chair from one direction, and I clicked
for his attempts to get it out. He picked it up once. When I stopped clicking after 3 similar tries, he stops (frustrated/confused?),
then tries a paw whack. I c/t, so he starts using his foot, but the timer goes off soon after.
Also, at 2 minutes, he came in front of me and laid down-surprised me.
Dog 3 - Isis
Again, the egg carton was almost more tempting than the treats. She quickly realized that sniffing the egg carton was
the key. Then I started clicking for different sniffs:
This end
That end
Side
Deep sniff
Then she started to bump it with her nose. She got stuck on a certain odd little bump to the right, but when I quit clicking
for it, she paced a circle, came back and tried it again, still no click, then tried something new! C/T! We were making
progress (she was obviously trying to think it out the whole time) when time ran out.
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