Friday, January 25, 2013

Pooches: On Coyote and Roadrunner "Training Techniques"

Through all the training classes we've gone to with the pups, sometimes the most traditional methods just don't work.
See, our Mr. B....isn't quite that smart.
Maybe it's in comparison to Miss M who is a regular circus dog, but traditional training methods don't quite work with Mr. B. After all these years, he's still confused about the difference between sit and down. Sure he doesn't need to be a trick dog, but we still needed to teach him some basics. So we've been training him through the Art of Surprise.
It started when he would get anxious when we left the home. We would try to confuse him, opening and closing doors, playing a soundtrack of our voice, and sometimes popping out of closets. He stopped equating certain cues with us leaving. And maybe thought he was never alone because we could pop out of anywhere.
Then it evolved. He started to become comfortable and do things he would never do if we were home. Like go on the couch.  A few times I would lay in wait behind the kitchen counter, waiting for him to go near the couch, then pop up to surprise him. Though he takes a joke well.
Though, these techniques don't quite work with Miss M. When we were bachelorettes together, I had a little rug in my bedroom where Miss M would sleep at night. I started to suspect she would leave the bedroom in the middle of the night, sleep on the couch, and come back before I woke up. One night I decided to set a trap. I made a pillow body on my bed (ala: Ferris Bueller).
I put a comforter on the couch and hid underneath. I thought I could wait for Miss M to try sneaking onto the couch, and I would pop up and scare her. I waited, and I must have fallen asleep. That morning I thought I needed to apologize to Miss M, but when I went to my bedroom I found the comforter on my bed rumpled, and some stray brindle hairs....
Have you ever been outsmarted by your own dog?

Also:
Clever!
Or is she?
He just keeps trying

9 comments:

How Sam Sees It said...

With Monty, everything is about contract negotiations. He tends to win all the time.

Sam

Anonymous said...

Maybe Mr. B is French, or Italian, and he needs commands in his native language?!!! I took Melvin to an obedience class when I first rescued him and they used clickers and ever time he'd hear a click he'd flinch and pee a little.

Kiira said...

I briefly saw the word coyote in the title, and I thought you were going to talk about coyote sightings in the hood. I have seen 3 in my area while walking with the boys--all in the past month!
More on topic, I am so smitten with Mr B. I've watched the 'Mr B tries so hard' video way too many times, but it always brightens up my morning.

Sarah said...

Hurley outsmarts me on a daily basis! And would totally outsmart me on the bed/sofa switcheroo too.

Pitlandia Pooch said...

I think Athena has a habit of snuggling up in the bed when we take showers....

I've noticed that the past few times I've gotten out of the shower and gone into the bedroom Miss Athena was sleeping on our pillows. When she sees me enter the room she quickly jumps off the bed and runs to her own bed.

I wonder how long this have been going on!

Two French Bulldogs said...

Those are the nuttiest and funniest techniques!
Benny & Lily

jet said...

HAHAHA that story about Miss M is so great! Barbie just whines until she gets her way, so she can't really claim to have outsmarted me, just bullied me perhaps.

liliana876 said...

Miss M sure was sneaky! Reminds me of how Sasha was sneaky. Sasha never had separation anxiety, and thus never destroyed things at home, even as a puppy when left alone. However, when we got Argus, he was a destroyer. He put a whole in our garage that went to our neighbors garage. Knowing how Argus was the destroyer, we never thought that the one who would rip papers in the car when we left them while we did errands (with AC or Heater on mind you!) After a while, Carlos decided to find out who was the culprit. After walking into a store, he sneaked out to catch Argus in the act. To our dismay, it was little innocent Sasha, who was ripping all the paper she could find in the car!

We felt so bad for blaming Argus, and we've since learned to never assume unless we are 100% sure.

Whoa, I did not intend for my comment to drag so long!

liliana876 said...

Miss M sure was sneaky! Reminds me of how Sasha was sneaky. Sasha never had separation anxiety, and thus never destroyed things at home, even as a puppy when left alone. However, when we got Argus, he was a destroyer. He put a whole in our garage that went to our neighbors garage. Knowing how Argus was the destroyer, we never thought that the one who would rip papers in the car when we left them while we did errands (with AC or Heater on mind you!) After a while, Carlos decided to find out who was the culprit. After walking into a store, he sneaked out to catch Argus in the act. To our dismay, it was little innocent Sasha, who was ripping all the paper she could find in the car!

We felt so bad for blaming Argus, and we've since learned to never assume unless we are 100% sure.

Whoa, I did not intend for my comment to drag so long!

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