The Labraventures of Carbón, Spanish (ex-) foster dog extraordinaire

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Yay, happy Liberation Day, pups!

Interesting it's noted in his passport; which section does that come under? Ginny's doesn't have anything like that.

For Carbon, I know it was the date the passport was issued, as the shelter told me that they fill out a passport for each dog the day that they arrive at the shelter from the perrera. So there's no 'liberation day' section, just that I had a look at his passport to make sure that we were all set for the trip to the UK and realised his had been issued 23 Feb.

 

[Cath]

Happy belated Liberation Day, Carbon

 

[Stacia]

Happy Liberation day, but so sad for the ones who are not liberated. However, lovely to know that Paul, Carbon and Ginny are now the happiest of dogs x

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Carbon here. There was rain today, all day. Oh dios mio, way way way too much wet from above. Foster lady made me go out. The first time without my rain coat. I put my nose out the door and then stepped back. "No," I said, "No, no, no no!" Then FL went to the car and got my Swampy rain coat. That was a little better but still...

Odio la lluvia. I hate rain.

We only went for a little walk. I made two poos and FL said she was SO proud of me. Ojala! Thank goodness! I ate my cookie for pooing - yes, I get a cookie for pooing, don't you? - and then I went HOME.

FL says tomorrow will be more fun. Ojala! It'd better be. Señor Grumpypantalones is HERE and I'm taking no prisoners. I'd better get some fun tomorrow or I'll... well, I'll sit and make grumpy faces! That's what I'll do.

Pfftt!

Now I'm going to go cuddle my Bunny and hope for a better day tomorrow!

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

My Grumpypantalones faces...practicing on the stairs today.



I call this one "Blue Steel Grump with Flowers and a soupçon of a smile": my eyes say "Pfft!" but my mouth says "I could be bribed with a cookie".



And this one is "Blue Steel grump with foot... and my goodness foster lady needs to cut my toenails".

 

[Stacia]

Superb photos with the perfect accompanying words. I particularly love the last photo says Rourke.

 

[Rosie]

Oh, I'm in love.

 

[pup-pup]

He’s beautiful!

 

[HAH]

Be still my beating heart

 

[Cath]

Lovely lad

 

[Jacqui-S]

Oh Senor GP your photos are adorable. YOU are adorable!

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Oh, Foster Lady and I have SO much work to do that she has not let me show you any of the photos of me looking handsome. Que lastima! What a shame! Because I am a very smart Spanish gentleman (in addition to being very guapo), I am sneaking on here while she is on a 'meeting'. I suspect she is not paying attention in this 'meeting' like she should, but we won't tell...de verdad, true?

Luckily I am much better at my new job than FL is at hers. Here I am in a video that FL made for my new training job. If I look at her, I get a cookie! Que rico! How delicious! However...I am finding it difficult to keep my eyes on FL when she moves the cookie away from me. That is what is happening here.

FL says I have 'traveling eyes'. Pfft! I wonder how well SHE would do if someone waved a pizza in front of her face, especially now that she's doing something called a DIET.

I think she's even starting to look at MY CHEESE like she wants to eat it. I tell Foster Lady: "Don't touch!" and then, "Good girl!" when she doesn't eat my cheese. What a good human trainer I am! Ja, ja, ja, I am also a very funny gentleman dog sometimes, no?

Donde estoy? Where was I? Oh si, my training video...

 

[Boogie]

I love that constantly wagging tail - gorgeous boy.
.

 

[snowbunny]

Lovely boy, he's trying so hard!

If I may just give one tip? Try to get in earlier with your marker - you're raising your criteria too quickly if he is unable todo it. The problem with this picture is that when he looks at the cheese, looks at you, looks at the cheese, looks at you and you say "good", you've just reinforced him for all those looks back and forth, NOT just the bit you're after. So go back to the beginning and mark when he's looking at you with no cheese in your hand, then as you're reaching for cheese, then as you pick the cheese up.... but if you get to a step where he's following the cheese with his eyes, you've progressed too quickly so back it up again

I personally would also start with the hand moving without any cheese in it at first - the motion itself is very distracting, without adding his favourite thing into the equation. And when I started to up criteria and add food, I'd have a piece of broccoli or something low value in it to start off with, and feed with cheese from a bowl.

Hope you don't mind the input

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

If I may just give one tip?

Thank you for the tips!

I'm having a much more difficult time with this class than I thought. I read/listen/watch the lessons multiple times, take notes, then tackle it with Carbon and think, "Huh???!". Then I read the lessons again. As Carbon would say, 'Pfft!" I'm having my 1x1 video lesson with the trainer this afternoon and we'll go over all my videos on 'watch'. She's very good so I'm sure she will have comments! I'll take your suggestions and hers and tackle it again.

Despite my ham-handedness, Carbon LOVES his lessons. We've only been at it 1,5 weeks and I've noticed that I've become much more interesting to him and I get many more voluntary cuddles. Then again, that could be just the cheese.

 

[Anne123]

I'd have a piece of broccoli or something low value

Broccoli low value.....? I don’t think so....

Finn

 

[Boogie]

We hold the treat between our eyebrows to teach the ‘look’ cue. Then, after a week or two, just put our finger between our eyebrows, treat behind our back. Then, after a few more weeks, no finger.

 

[snowbunny]

We've only been at it 1,5 weeks and I've noticed that I've become much more interesting to him and I get many more voluntary cuddles.

Training is good for your relationship with your dog. Who knew?!

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Training is good for your relationship with your dog. Who knew?!

Yeah, but I didn't think that would mean him gluing himself to me after only a week. I really think it may be the cheese...

Also I had my live training session and she gave a thumbs up to your ideas. Two other problems: (1) she saw on the video with both me and Carbon that I was changing multiple criteria at once - in this case sometimes putting my hand at face level and sometimes at waist level, and (2) I thought we had to move through all the lessons to the end before moving on to the next lesson. As it turns out, it could take months to get to the last stage of each behaviour (proofing cue in different locations). So what I should be doing is multiple behaviours at a time (say morning lesson eye contact, noon lesson leave it and evening lesson dancing/preliminary heel work) and doing only the beginning levels for all of them until I'm really sure we're ready to move on. I've been trying to move through 4-5 levels in one session - so no wonder both Carbon and I are confused!

But it's all good, I've been told that this is a skill most everyone can learn - some of us just take longer than others!

 

[snowbunny]

Broccoli low value.....? I don’t think so....

I was channeling my inner Shadow