We had a rare opportunity for training this morning. i don’t know if it were a result of getting massive amounts of burrs cut out of her fur this morning or an upset tummy, but, for whatever reason, Emmy didn’t eat breakfast this morning and showed no interest in anything food related. Tilly is so deaf these days that she can’t hear the clicker. So Parker and I could do some clicking without interference.
Armed with bits of cheddar cheese, I got out the target stick. The first handful of click/treats came when he just looked at the stick, but we were there the last time, so I wanted more today. When he looked at the stick and I didn’t click, he sat back on his haunches and stared at me. I held still while he slowly cocked his head to the side, glanced at the stick, glanced at me and then stretched his neck toward the stick. Click/treat. Several repeats of this until I withheld the click again. Another sit with stare and cocked head, then he slowly stretched to the stick and touched it with his nose. Click/jackpot treat.
About ten more of these and I had run out of treats.
This is progress.
An odd aside -- Parker doesn’t know how to take a treat from my hand. He will not -- absolutely refuses -- to pick it up with his teeth. If I hold a treat on an open palm, he’ll lick at it, but that’s it. So treats have to be tossed onto the ground for him to get them. I’m not sure whether or not to encourage him to change this behavior. I kind of like the idea that he won’t take a treat from the hand, considering how big and scary his mouth and teeth might be to a small child.
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