Daydreaming while waiting impatiently!

[Cecilia's-life]

@tortoise ! I have a question. How would you go about training a dog with little to no food drive and zero toy drive? She loves other dogs but I'm not sure how to make other dogs into a reward? Thoughts? Where is your book when i need it!

 

[tortoise]

Decent day here. I had to sit through a Zoom meeting, and DH is off work. Considering that, my productivity has been acceptable. I am eager for DS6 to be back in school next month.

 

[tortoise]

@tortoise ! I have a question. How would you go about training a dog with little to no food drive and zero toy drive? She loves other dogs but I'm not sure how to make other dogs into a reward? Thoughts? Where is your book when i need it!

Oh, you asked for a book?!

The only dog with no food drive is a dead dog. Usually when a dog has low interest in food it's because of general anxiety or environmental concern. I would have you pick up a copy of Control Unleashed. There are 3 books in the series, I recommend the puppy book. If you're not a reader, the author has DVDs and streaming video available online, as well as some limited free content on youtube.

If it's a new-to-you dog, start by establishing daily routines. When the dog's body clock has adjusted to your feeding schedule, then you can reliably predict when the dog is physiologically hungry.

Movement, enthusiastic praise and petting, novelty, and controlling the environment are other reinforcers. If this is the Mal puppy you mentioned, see if you can try Treibball training. Treiball is a way a dog can immediately exert control over the environment, by nudging the ball. It's a great way to manage herding instinct in non-working dogs.

Take your time and get to know the dog well, it's like peeling an onion.

 

[Cecilia's-life]

If it's a new-to-you dog, start by establishing daily routines.

She isn't, she is our 3 year old female who's temperament just stared to settle out, turns out shes real stubborn. We certainly need a routine.

Treiball is a way a dog can immediately exert control over the environment, by nudging the ball

I just googled it- I LOVE that idea!!

Oh, you asked for a book?!

No lol, but you should really write one. I'd be first in line!!

 

[tortoise]

She isn't, she is our 3 year old female who's temperament just stared to settle out, turns out shes real stubborn. We certainly need a routine.

I just googled it- I LOVE that idea!!

No lol, but you should really write one. I'd be first in line!!

Unusual rewards, like playing with other dogs can work for training. You don't get as many reps in, but sometimes it's the only way. My dog has unusual motivations. After noticing his strongest behavior was one that he performed right before I turned the tub faucet on (he likes drinking running water), I decided to try using the tub faucet as a reward for recall. It worked!

He is sometimes very food motivated, but usually not. If I don't have whatever exact treat he is imagining, he won't participate. (jerk!) But he will work for rawhide. He has a good out, so I can take the rawhide back for another repetition, but it's still slow going.

I'm very frustrated with this dog, he wasn't always like this so I'm not sure what is going on. I'm not in a mood to pay for a treat buffet to figure out what he likes this week, and I don't have much time or energy to figure it out. Maybe someday. I want a responsive easy-to-train obedience demo dog. I don't think he can do it between his treat/motivation issues and his reactivity. I'm maxxed out on dogs until Baymax passes. She looks like she will keel over any day and acts like she has a decade left. She's tough. But she is declining. She gets cyanotic every time she swallows food now.

 

[Cecilia's-life]

Unusual rewards, like playing with other dogs can work for training. You don't get as many reps in, but sometimes it's the only way. My dog has unusual motivations. After noticing his strongest behavior was one that he performed right before I turned the tub faucet on (he likes drinking running water), I decided to try using the tub faucet as a reward for recall. It worked!

Haha good to know! I will maybe try it out. Shes super weird with her favorite things too!

She looks like she will keel over any day and acts like she has a decade left. She's tough. But she is declining.

Yeah, I get that. It breaks your heart, but sometimes you wonder if they will ever go.

 

[tortoise]

Yeah, I get that. It breaks your heart, but sometimes you wonder if they will ever go.

Right?! My vet already had "the talk" about quality of life with me. But DH (also a vet) thinks she's doing "fine." IDK, I'm really torn.

I think the hardest part for me is trying to keep my frustration and desire for an obedience demo dog completely out of decisions about Baymax.

On the other hand, her health problems are related to mine, so I feel like I can't give up on her, ever.

I had made a decision a while back that if she got under a specific weight I would put her down. When she loses too much weight, the muscles behind her eyes atrophy, her eyes sink into her head, and she can't see. But that happened when she was boarded this past summer and she's still here. She has been completely blind in one eye since the first week of August. I've done vision therapy with her to rebuild the atrophied muscles, but that doesn't work if she can't see. I thought she would be over it in a couple months.

DH wants to plan our vacations for next year and I can't imagine boarding her again. She has not recovered from last time!

 

[Cecilia's-life]

On the other hand, her health problems are related to mine, so I feel like I can't give up on her, ever.

It's not giving up, it's giving her peace. I had to remind myself that 1000000000 times with Sammy. She had no quality of life very suddenly, and she lost an entire pound. And before she was only 5 pounds. Her whole life. Five pounds. Very suddenly it was 4 pounds. Very jarring for everyone.

DH wants to plan our vacations for next year and I can't imagine boarding her again

Oh what a nightmare.

 

[tortoise]

I found a training treat for my fussy dog. We got a decent training session in.

The treats?

 

[tortoise]

DS14 got a cold/cough from school. Rumor is there's quite the non-COVID virus. DS14 tested negative for COVID. I have a tickle in my throat tonight and I'm angrily refusing to cough. I hate getting sick!