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

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Here is our adventures in "Get on your pedestal" training. We still have a way to go, but thank goodness we got over the initial stuckness thanks to our SD trainer.

The first goal is for Carbon to put both front paws on the pedestal (in the first attempt a tray and then I switch to a pot). Then the next goal is that he pivots around the pedestal keeping his front paws on the pedestal. Next he will do the same but in heel position in relation to me. Finally we fade the pedestal and this is the basis of tight pivots in loose leash walking.

We are only on the part where he pivots around the pedestal with me in front, but I'm proud of him as there was a lot of "operator error" on my part.

Like this. My favourite bit is when I try to get him to do both paws at once but he keeps alternating them: a left and a right and a cha cha cha!

But eventually we got a stand:

And then a pivot - yay!

 

[snowbunny]

Awesome! Your timing is so much better with the clicker than with your verbal marker! And you chatter a lot less when using your clicker. Keep doing that, it's brill

 

[Selina27]

I'll be fine in January, the house is quite cosy even in nasty weather

 

[HAH]

Fabulous @Emily_Babbelhund ! Impressed with your and Carbón’s focus - as Fiona says, you’re clearer with the clicker and you see Carbón react with a ‘oh yay, I get it!’ He so clearly loves your training sessions, it’s great to see

 

[kateincornwall]

Sterling work @Emily_Babbelhund loving this

I love winter in my beautiful Cornwall , it is quiet , we can park and most of the beaches are empty , I love to watch a stormy sea too , from a safe distance of course x

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

we can park

I have to admit a particular appreciation for this part.

 

[Jacqui-S]

Wow! Good work Emily.
Impressed muchly!

 

[Stacia]

It was interesting watching the progression and how well he did it.

 

[M.F.]

Wonderful how happy he is doing this! Such a willing, enthusiastic participant.

 

[Granca]

He’s really focused and happy - wonderful!

 

[Charlie]

Love it. The last video is great he really gets it and his tail NEVER stops wagging. Bless your boy xx

 

[FayRose]

It looks very impressive, well done. My pesky sound controls have gone wonky so I can't hear anything which ruins the effect because I need to hear and see the clicker effect. I'll fiddle around and hopefully sort it.

 

[Boogie]

Wow - very impressive, and Carbón is loving it.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Hola todos! I have been having very exiting adventures with my good amiga @Boogie. I have been showing her the sights of my German home Regensburg and she has been giving me deleeeecious meals and soft and gentle pets. She is just the type of buena persona that a Spanish Gentleman Dog such as myself can fall in love with. Te quiero mucho, nice lady!

Outside my very own door...


At the restaurant last night. My friend and ML did not share food but there was good stuff on the ground to discover, so I didn't mind SO much.


Doing some modelling at the castle. Are we not both very guapo?

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

First walk without Mags and with my bum foot was very interesting. Where Carbon was carefully keeping pace with me when Mags was by his side, now he keeps trying to go a foot or so ahead - just enough to tangle the lead and pull on me. Each time I stopped, asked him to do a nose touch to get him back into position, and treated him while standing in the desired position next to my left leg. Then he'd take a few steps while next to me and then get ahead again. Argh. I know he's frustrated and I'm not marking him in our normal way...mainly because I can't treat while in motion.

The most irritating thing was a guy on the street who called him over when I was (1) clearly working with him and (2) clearly very unsteady on my feet/crutches. I smiled at him, said hello and that we were working. We walked past him and then hear, "Hier, hier!" ("Here, here") turn around and there's now a girl standing with the same guy from before. And SHE'S calling Carbon. Good grief, people are dense. I think it's time to get out the 'in training' SD vest, that might dissuade (some) people.

I had been thinking that I should have cancelled my SD class tomorrow, but now am very glad to have it. Hopefully she'll give me some ideas on how to mark/treat correctly with NO hands free. I'm also going to go through the curriculum and try to pull out some new tasks we can do with me in a chair.

My foot will be a good challenge for both of us, I just have to wrap my head around it! Well, wrap my head around the challenge, not my foot. Wrapping my head around my foot would be REALLY awkward.

 

[Anne123]

Do you have a leash belt, the ones people are using when running with dogs on leash? Then you have both hands on clutches....

 

[Stacia]

I could see how happy Carbon was with @Boogie, very wagging tail and they both looked so attractive outside the building.

Does Carbon keep the same distance if he does walk in front of you and not pull? Rourke seems to walk ahead of me now he is on restricted lead walking but doesn't try to go any further, so I don't mind if he isn't doing strict walking at heel.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Do you have a leash belt, the ones people are using when running with dogs on leash? Then you have both hands on clutches....

I have an 8 way lead and like to wear it across my shoulder (like a cross body bag). This leaves me both hands free for the crutches and is easier to remove than having it around my waist. I just need a third hand for treats.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Does Carbon keep the same distance if he does walk in front of you and not pull?

Tonight he was walking just enough ahead of me to pull a bit, plus that position is awkward with my crutches as it puts him in the zone of where the crutches land as I move forward. I think we'll go back to practicing a bit indoors and then just go very slowly with lots of rewards outdoors tomorrow morning. He was getting this before Mags left and last week (we practiced before my surgery) so he may just have been off his game tonight. Hopefully!

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Hola todos! It is Day Two of my captivity. Only three walks a day, and we cannot even call them walks. Only a few steps away from my front door. Only two meals a day, que lastima! It is so triste, so incredibly sad. When the guapa @Boogie lady was here I had at LEAST three meals a day. I still love Mama Lady, but this captivity since she got her new big shoe is so aburrrrridoooooo! So boring! I sigh, I cross my paws, I lay my sweet Labrador head in her lap and say, "Can we not go to the beach now?" She says, "Someday we'll take long walks in Cornwall again, Carbon, but not today."

"Not today"? "Not today"? What is wrong with today, I ask you? Dogs are very wise and we know all about making the most of today. And today I say to ML, "Take off that big shoe and then we can goooooooo!". More sighing, more paw crossing. But dios mio, all she does is sit on the sofa.

I will give her one more day of such behaviour and then I will plan my escape. Lack of thumbs will not stop a Spanish Gentleman Dog. I will go to Eeeengland and find my friends Reuben and Pongo and Cassie and Molly and Benson and Monty and we will form a Labrador commune where we have breakfast six times a day and dinner ALSO six times a day. We will have lots of pillows and we will ask my friend @SwampDonkey to be our Monkey Butler. Que felicidad, what happiness!

Update: As Carbon was writing this, he was sprung from his (not really) solitary confinement by Nadine and Fine and is now walking around Regensburg hopefully happy as a clam. Let's hope this helps curtail all the sighing and paw crossing and thoughts of canine communes.
- Mama Lady