Happiness is... a stick

I just backblipped 6 other blips (starting the 8th), as I hadnt really uploaded anything in over a week. Sorry.

This will be a doggy one, about sticks and frisbees and training and stuff.

As I have said a few times before, I am still learning this doggie stuff - but I know what my dog likes

- foraging for food
- hunting a squeaky toy
- the chase

but, more than the chase even...

- chewing, especially a nice stick

She will fetch a stick, but once she has the stick she will often settle down and chew it. Or walk around with it until she figures out where to settle-and-chew. When we are on a walk she might suddenly lie down if she sees a stick. She will try to carry the stick home, and spend a lot of time trying to get the stick through the door (yes, she has tried to bring really long sticks home, they are piled by the door in the garden).

When we have to cage her because we are leaving, a stick in the cage really makes the cage a tempting place after all.

Funny how a simple stick can be so much fun!

On another note we have finally had some breakthroughs on the training front.

First I think she finally has clicked on that clicker thing. She just wasn't getting it, just not getting that this was a game and the game was that we were trying to get her to do something specific. And I had done several "loading" sessions where you click and treat any behaviour that isnt undesirable until the dog associates click and treat - i think she might have done that, but not the "all right what do you want me to do" mindset.

I was trying to get her to touch my closed hand with her nose, and click and treat. And yesterday for the first time I could see she figured out that we are trying to elicit actions. She started to do the behaviour even with no treat in my hand, and started jumping to touch the hand. Although after a few times she did tend to sit and whine, "seriously you want me to do that? cant i have a treat without it" but then would just do it. So I think she did figure it out, finally. Now must work out on making her do those things faster instead of after 20 seconds of "cant i just get a treat?" wait.

Also this morning I managed to get her to actually try to grab a frisbee disk our of our hand. We have tried a while and she just doesn't see disks as toys. Balls, yes, squeakers yes, stuffed toys, yes, even socks or cameras... but disks, no. Not even a squeaker disk I got...

I still try, occasionally, when she is in a playful mood I will try to wave one around her head looking playful myself, in hope that she starts to see them as a game. Well she wasn't much more inspired this morning, but I was inspired by some youtube videos (yes, i must admit it is good for something besides time wasting after all) to just keep trying.

I tried with the big disk, no interest. I tried with the little squeaky disk, no interest. I tried with a tupperware lid... and it worked. She did snatch it and, of course, started chewing it. But hey, it was worth sacrificing a tupperware lid for (actually it still closes, too), because after that she started to go for and snatch the little yellow squeaker frisbee too.

I showed it to Robb later and not only did she do it again, she brought the frisbee to Robb. Perhaps she knows that he is the one who really wants a frisbee dog?

All she does now it play grab with the disk in our hands, but that is a step! Who knows, she might grow into it after all.

PS: now if i could only figure out why she is so finicky with her food! She just likes everything the first time, but after a few days she starts not eating it. Then she likes something else again. Dogs arent supposed to care about variety, so cant she just eat? Fishy ones seem the most consistent though, thankfully it does not make the dog smell of fish after all. Got some Orijen food now and that seems to be exciting, but for how long?