Boogie's blog

The smallest behaviors, Boogie & Squirrels.

May 15, 2012 at 6:05 pm 7 comments

Following on from the previous “Premack” guest post, and thinking about this illustration that I did ages ago…

There’s just one problem with the way I visualized Premack in this Boogie-Squirrel scenario…. The truth is, when your dog doesn’t even know that you exist, he is not going to suddenly turn around and check in with you or respond to the sound of his name.

Example: Squirrel Fixation video.

That video was taken a couple of years ago – I used to CARRY him away from the tree because there was no other way to get him to move. I don’t believe that Boogie was consciously “blowing me off”.  When extremely magnetized by a squirrel, I don’t think he even hears me or registers that any other sights, sounds or smells exists. He is in another zone.

Suzanne Clothier writes:

In a laboratory experiment, a cat was wired with electrodes that helped researchers see when an audible signal was received by the brain. When a tone was played, the cat’s brain responded with a blip. Tone, blip; tone, blip. Then researchers put a mouse just outside the cat’s cage where the cat could see it but not reach it. They were curious to see how the brain processed the competing stimuli of mouse and tone. Their theory was that the brain would register the tone but that the cat would consciously disregard this stimulus in favor of the mouse. To their surprise, when the cat was completely focused on the mouse, the brain did not register the tone at all—it was as if the tone had ceased to exist within the cat’s perception of his world.

Furthermore:

…we routinely ignore our dogs when they tell us that they are busy. I am not saying that you should stand there helplessly waiting until your dog decides he is finished watching squirrels or whatever. I am saying that you need to respect the reality that your direction or command or request may not even have been perceived. Our response to being ignored should not be the same as our response to not being heard. In order to communicate to the dog what you would have him understand, you have to find a way past his focus on something else and turn it back to you. And at a very fundamental level, the dog’s disengagement from you speaks to a quality of connection that may need some work. But using force to ask for a dog’s attention (unless it is a matter of life and death) is just as insane as slapping someone upside the head because he did not respond to you while his focus was elsewhere.

One day by accident, I found a very successful way to call Boogie’s attention away from squirrels and back to me. I have used this method every single time since and it has worked like a charm.

When Boogie stares at a squirrel, I say nothing and pay very close attention to his face.

The trick is to wait for the teeny tiniest natural movement or break in concentration: an eye-blink, an ear-flicker or a tiny shift of his head. It’s a bit like in BAT: wait for a polite signal or loosening up of body language. When I see any tiny sign of movement on his face, I seize the moment and I call his name. “Boogie!” This is the moment that Boogie can actually hear so he turns his head to look at me.

As soon as I get eye contact, I mark “YES!” or “Thank you!”

He moves away from the tree, I give him a treat, and then we return to the tree to look at the squirrel.  Boogie takes a look at the tree (squirrel has disappeared by now) then moves away, sniffs the ground, and we continue walking. I suppose it’s not strictly Premack because I am using food, but I have found that when Boogie’s concentration breaks, he is no longer magnetized by the squirrel and I am able to reinforce his attention to me and still use “looking at the squirrel” as a functional reward.

These days, when Boogie sees a squirrel, he is more easily able to “let go”, redirect to me sooner, and move along. 

Now if I could only apply these principles to my own fixations and bad habits. 🙂

Entry filed under: Training.