Posts filed under ‘Food’
Clicker-training Boogie: EYE CONTACT
* This blog post was written over a week ago. I have only just published it.*
We started with hand-targeting. Now it’s ATTENTION/Eye-contact.
I wanted to do this because Boogie seems to be super fixated on my clicker/treat hand.
New treats: Natural Balance salami – two thin slices chopped up into 100 tiny morsels
Time: 15 minutes
This one was hard! The goal is to have Boogie look at ME, give me eye-contact instead of staring at my hand (with the clicker and treats in it). I am supposed to click the split-second that he shifts his gaze to look at me.
There were a few difficulties:
1. His eyeballs shift up and down so fast! I see his eyeballs shift up for like 1/5th of a second then down to my hand again, and it’s hard to click at the precise moment!!! By the time I click he is already looking back down at my hand. My timing was repeatedly off.
2. Sometimes I can’t tell if Mr. Wall-Eyes is really looking at me or staring into space. LOL.
The only times that Boogie gave me eye-contact were:
1. When I cued “Watch me!” and pointed my finger at my face at the same time. The verbal cue “Watch Me” on its own sans gesture had no effect.
2. When I called his name “Boogie!” He would look up at me quickly, then back down to my hand again. This happened so fast it was still hard to click at the precise moment.
3. When the session was over and he came to sit at my feet, BEGGING for more treats. By this time, I no longer had any treats or the clicker near me.
The “Watch Me” command is something that we have practiced pre-clicker, usually when he was sitting or lying down on leash. In those cases, it was easy to tug lightly on the leash and call his name to get his attention. However, in today’s clicker-training context, Boogie was so fixated on my hand that it was difficult to get him to look at me. In fact, he was in such an intense state of staring at my hand that if I so much as moved my foot, he jumped back 5 feet. (He has issues with people’s feet lifting up near him. We think he was kicked by his previous owners)
According to Karen Pryor, if an animal doesn’t respond, it’s not because the animal is stupid, stubborn or rebellious (<–I often struggle to agree in Boogie’s case!) it is always at least one of the following reasons:
- it doesn’t know how to do the behavior
- you haven’t trained the cue yet
- the animal doesn’t recognize the cue because something different about it (eg, wrong hand, different face expression)
- the animal doesn’t perceive the cue at all
- you have trained the cue in one environment and you didn’t teach the cue in changing circumstances
- you mess up the cue by adding extras (eg, changing tone of voice, adding hand gestures etc…. it becomes too much noise)
- there is a medical reason and animal can’t do the behavior
I wonder if he doesn’t know the verbal cue yet and perhaps I need to find another way to teach this. The problem is – the only time that Boogie gives me his full attention is when he is begging for food or hypnotizing me to throw his ball. (Yep, he’s got it all sorted out. He usually wins) I am not sure that I want to reinforce “begging” by capturing and clicking these moments.
Update: Instead of “Watch Me”, I am now just using his name – “Boogie!” to get eye-contact. We have a much higher success rate!
Check out this video –
In the comments, the owner wrote:
This trick only took a few hours to teach!! 🙂 … you just have to break it down. The first time Crash did this he got super excited and brought beer after beer and piled them up on the couch. He also punctured one and sprayed my entire living room with beer, so may I recommend encasing the beer in a drink cozy (sp?)!
WHAT? Only a few hours???
IF (and this is a very big IF) Boogie had the skill to open the fridge door and fetch drinks, I would have to hide my dinner leftovers, cake and candy in the freezer…
Allergies – pink face.
The Boogs has a rash on his face – it’s the same one that he has had all summer – pink, raw, itchy, weepy skin in between the folds of his face. I give Boogie skin+coat supplements and have applied hydrocortisone cream, neosporin, zinc oxide, baking soda (it’s supposed to relieve itchiness), nu-stock…… I can’t tell if any of these work because when I’m not watching, Boogie rubs the stuff off his face onto his bed, the couch, or the carpet…
The bald patches on his face look worse at night – really red and sometimes bloody. And I can’t see the skin healing and the fur growing back in a hurry because the area is always damp from tear stains.
Dr R. gave him a cortisone shot about 1-2 months ago and that seemed to help A LOT. Boogie stopped scratching and his face started to heal. This steroid medication lasted about 2 weeks and then his face looked really bad again. When we went back to the vet yesterday for another cortisone shot, Dr R. didn’t think it was such a good idea as repeated cortisone shots can bring about horrible side effects including liver damage. (Like Prednisone) So we came home instead with some Panalog cream.
A few new routines:
- I have started Boogie on Comfortis – an oral anti-flea med, instead of Frontline/Advantage.The vet tech warned that there may be some vomitting at first if he is not used to this…
- I am introducing HALO pet food to Boogie’s diet and ordered an Intro Kit. I don’t know yet if I will do a full switch where I will feed exclusively Halo… I read that mixing up his diet – feeding a variety of proteins will prevent the possibility of developing an allergy to a single protein. (He has been eating THK turkey all year)
- My complimentary Thankdog Bootcamp classes have ended but I might be enrolling in a program of maybe 2 or 3 classes a week. This is great discipline for me and good obedience practice for Boogie. He still hates the wet grass and protests like nobody’s business but well, what can ya do….The amazing thing is that at home and on our walks – he understands and obeys! Well, maybe only 60% of the time but hey, that’s a HUGE improvement.
Food and Poop!
(I have this on my kitchen wall for Wes to refer to, if I am away)
Boogie has been eating The Honest Kitchen for about 1 1/2 years now. I alternate between most of the formulas: Force, Embark, Keen, Thrive ... but stick mostly to Keen because:
- Boogie does better with grains in his food and Keen has oats.
- Keen is cheaper than the other formulas
- Keen takes the shortest amount of time to absorb water and firm-up. The other formulas, with the exception of Force, stay “soupy/liquid” for a longer time.
- Keen produces the least amount of poop (Will elaborate on this, later! :))
We have had no issues with The Honest Kitchen at all. He has been doing really well on it (compared to previous foods that made him throw up) but I am still always on the lookout for other brands that are of the same high quality as THK . I don’t want to become totally dependent on one brand and its limited range of protein choices. I am also always trying to give Boogie some variety in his diet.
Lately I have been mixing in some HALO’s Spot’s Stew .
I first read about HALO on Tracie Hotchner’s blog.
See THIS post, and Tracie’s reply in the comments:
Halo’s Spot’s Stew is now the only kibble my dogs are going to get because I learned that they use only meat that is fit for human consumption in their dry and canned foods. You can’t get better than that! It is also a high protein kibble at 33% but the vital fact is the origin of that protein. You don’t really know what is being counted as protein in foods with much higher protein levels (EVO being one). Remember that melamine AND the wheat gluten which it polluted were both being counted in a total protein percentage when neither was really bio-available to the dogs digestive system. So don’t be sure of what exactly caused it when your dog has a bad reaction to a food – just avoid it! As for The Honest Kitchen, my dogs have been eating it for years as 1/3 of their meal. As large dogs, I have always given 1/3 of the meal as kibble but now I can feel really good about it! And Halo has joined me as a website sponsor – along with THK – so you’ll be keeping it all “in the family.”
70/30 THK Keen + Halo, with Perfect Form & Ultra Oil
Our local pet store doesn’t sell HALO kibble so I am starting him off with the canned stuff.
I mix it in with THK – maybe 30 – 50%, and Boogie loves it and we have had no problems. So far he has tried the Chicken, Salmon and Lamb. One thing I notice is that when I feed mostly Halo (approx. 80%) Boogie’s poop is harder, darker and sometimes “pebbly” – perhaps a sign of constipation? I wonder if this is because there is lower water and fiber content in the Halo canned food than in THK? Boogie doesn’t drink much water to begin with. (He’s a strange dog)
Speaking of poop…
I think most THK people are already aware that this food produces a HUGE amount of poop compared to other brands. Which can be a little scary at first. For my friend Christa, whose Emma is incontinent and wears a diaper, the poop issue is more problematic. Here’s a little list that Christa and I came up with after comparing our THK “feeding and pooping” notes.
The Honest Kitchen POOP CHART. Yes, I am a crazy dog person.
If you feed The Honest Kitchen and/or Halo, please share your thoughts!
And again
Posted Date: : Aug 19, 2008 11:56 PM
Boogie woke me up at 6AM this morning. He was sitting on my bed facing me looking really uncomfortable. He wouldn’t move. He wouldn’t lie down. He just nudged my hand and continued to sit there looking at me. When I got out of bed to get dressed, he ran to the door whimpering. I opened the front door, he stepped outside, and vomitted on my porch.
And then he pulled me all around the block to Rodney Drive and diarrhea-ed.
I know Boogie often does naughty things like go through the trash, destroy cushions and move furniture around when I am out. I haven’t found a solution to these sorts of problems yet, but I am so glad that he is so well “housetrained” to the point where he will hold in his vomit or poo until he thinks it’s an ok place to “release”. Any other dog would have puked there and then on my bed, or even on the floor. I didn’t even know it was possible for a dog to hold in his vomit.
Don’t worry, Boogie is fine now after some white rice and canned pumpkin. Poos are still a little softer than normal but otherwise he has been happy and playful all day.
No More Treats!
Posted Date: : Jul 15, 2008 4:29 PM
When we were out walking this morning, Boogie had a vomit.
He isn’t acting “sick” (he is still lively and attentive) but I think he is feeling nausea as he licks his lips and swallows from time to time. My first thought was – Oh no, it’s because I hadn’t hydrated his food for long enough. That must be it!
I usually prepare Boogie’s food the night before and stick it in the fridge overnight, but I forgot to do this last night so this morning’s meal was a bit of a rush job….warmer and more “liquid” than usual because I had also added too much water… Maybe it was a bad mix… hence the puking. This is the first time he had puked in over 2 months…
And then this afternoon I came home from lunch and noticed something under the coffee table.
This WAS a ziploc bag of “Boogie treats” that I had taken with us to the beach yesterday. It once contained a handful of Honest Kitchen chicken & buffalo dog biscuits and Zuke’s mini peanut butter treats. I don’t know where Boogie got this from. My tote bag? Or had I carelessly left these treats on the coffee table? I don’t remember. In any case, as you can see, they are all gone.
Now I don’t know if he had eaten these treats BEFORE or AFTER the vomit. So far his poo has been normal…
I hope Boogie is ok. I could kick myself…
Another “poop” blog entry…
I even started a thread on WOOF Forum about this issue and some people think it’s because I had been adding “fillers” like rice; or it could even be all the vegetable ingredients in the new food which Boogie’s system has not yet adjusted to. I mean, his poop looks fine. It’s firm and not runny at all. There is often green vegetabley looking stuff in it (which they say is normal) and maybe they’re right – the veges are just going in one end and out the other. Perhaps he is not absorbing them nutritionally… Do dogs NEED vegetables in their diet? I don’t know. As a filler, it’s healthier than corn, wheat, gluten, or processed grain right?
Yesterday the probiotic supplement that I’d ordered from a WOOF forum member arrived and I started adding this to Boogie’s food. It’s called FastTrack Canine Microbial Supplement and you can only order it online. It resembles acidophilus ‘white’ powder and is pricey, but you only add 1/4 tsp. per day so it will last a long time.
I am not expecting this supplement to solve “the problem”but I thought what could it hurt to give him something that will prevent GI/digestive problems and boost his immune system in general? I may be way too obsessed with my dog’s health but I remember Jazzy’s stomach tumors and I don’t want anything like this ever happening to the Boogs.
Interestingly, today was different. After the monster log of poo this morning, Boogie did not poop on every single walk. This is the first day in a long time that he has had a normal “3 times a day” pooping schedule and I am feeling hopeful. I wonder if the probiotic is doing some good already? Or is he finally done with the purging? I don’t know.
Fingers crossed!!!
Can this dog be trained to hack a safe?
Posted Date: : Jun 21, 2008 8:52 AM
Last night I gave Boogie a couple of these new “Pecks” treats which he happily ate and then begged for more. It’s a gamble with this dog… he is very picky when it comes to crunchy biscuity treats. He would rather have meat or something soft and chewy.
Unfortunately I made the mistake of leaving the jar on the coffee table. Well, the truth is I didn’t think Boogie would chew through plastic. (This isn’t like a cardboard tube of Pringles) I thought it was safe to leave this on the table.
Tonight I wanted to give him a treat and I couldn’t find the jar.
Lo and behold, somebody had “buried” the jar underneath the couch. Not only that, the lid was off and there were cookies spilled out on the floor. I don’t know how many Boogie had eaten but obviously he didn’t love them enough to eat them all up. The jar was still practically full. (Sometimes I am so thankful that he is a picky eater)
The thing that baffles me is – How the heck did he unscrew the lid off this jar? Wes thinks that I mustn’t have screwed the lid on tightly enough, but still… the lid had not been chewed off. It had definitely been unscrewed off.
One of these days I must install a camera in this apartment.
Boogie’s new (improved) diet and lifestyle
I started cooking for Boogie about a week ago. I have been frying up white rice with meat (so far – chopped up chicken, pork or minced turkey), a few veges, pinch of parsley and garlic… and then I put some warm hydrated Honest Kitchen Force over the rice like a mushy gravy and he loves it.
I cook up about 2-3 days worth of meat & rice each time and yes, it’s time consuming (and more expensive) and I don’t know how long I can keep up with this routine, but already I am finding it really hard to open another can of Hills i/d. I feel so much better knowing exactly what he is eating. I don’t even feel so bad about giving him the occasional decadent ‘human food’ treat (No, not krispy kremes).
With homecooking and new food, the greatest incentive of all is being able to see the difference! Boogie’s coat is looking nicer (it could also be the new Kelco shampoo that I am using), his eyes are not as watery and goopy as they were a week ago. He hasn’t puked, he has been playful and happy and his poop is looking good. TONS of it but smaller and more “pickable” (ie, “cleaner”) units.
I am still slowly increasing the amount of Force that I am feeing him in proportion to cooked food. I really hope that all continues to go well and that he doesn’t one day suddenly do a big puke and get sick like he did on the raw patties and also the California Natural canned “chicken and rice”. Maybe he’s just one of these dogs who doesn’t do well on “commercial dog food” ….
Now I have to stop him from rolling around in the grass as he loves to do. Today I noticed rashy redness all underneath his body – no doubt from dragging himself on the grass this morning. I think he does this because it helps him cool down in the heat. Memo to self: carry a small spray bottle of water on our walks.
On the weekend, Wes and I took Boogie for a short hike in Griffith Park. Here are some nice photos by Wes:
Vet Visit #3
It was Boogie’s third vet visit today. Good news is that his anal glands are better. Dr. Reina expressed them and some of the goopy medication from two weeks ago came out, so I guess he still has a medicated toosh and all should be fine in a matter of time.
Dr Reina also looked at his eyes and noted that the pink inner corners are more prominent and that his eyes are super teary. (Dr: “It is better that they are extra watery than dry”). I mentioned the itching and scratching and it appears that the Boogs might have allergies.
As for whether these are seasonal/pollen-related or food-related, we don’t know. Dr Reina doesn’t think that the symptoms are major enough to require anti-histamines but if they get worse then we’ll do something about it. He suggested more regular baths (in case it’s pollen-related) and to wait a while until summer is over to see if the symptoms are still there. If they are then we’re dealing with a food allergy and I may want to try him on a new protein source.
I have been cooking for Boogie these past few days – adding boiled chicken or salmon to his food and I must be giving him way too much because the Boogs has put on weight since his last vet visit which was only 2 weeks ago!(He is now a whopping 26.6 lbs!) I am also adding small amounts of The Honest Kitchen (dehydrated food) to the cooked meat and Hills i/d, and his poop is looking good aside from the occasional few plastic yellow corn kernels from his corn cob chew toy…
When we were at the vet’s today, a lady rushed in with a little white poodle she had found on the side of the road. The poor little dog was wrapped up in newspaper and bleeding from being hit by a car… he/she had no identification collar. The vet tech was great – she said that they will scan the dog for microchip id and she will take him home in the meantime until they find the owner. The lady who brought the dog in was asked for a donation to help pay the bill, and I offered some money too. I can’t believe that someone would hit a dog and drive off just like that. I hope they find the little dog’s owner….
Oh, and before I forget… see Boogie’s fabulous Myspace profile pic? This is a glittery painting of Boogie by my friend Dale Sizer. It is also one of my favorite birthday presents this year. Isn’t it wonderful?
Dale is a professional artist and he draws great dog portraits (he has two bull terriers) amongst many other things. His style is super slick and much more detailed and photorealistic than my style. If you want to pay him for a portrait of your doggie you will not be disappointed. Dale’s website: www.dalesizer.com
Back from the Vet (anal glands alert)
The wait wasn’t too long today, thank goodness… and in the small waiting room, Boogie did his playbow thing with a friendly pitbull who had his leg in a cast.
Dr. Reina suggested trying Pepcid for the nausea & vomitting and keeping Boogie on Hills i/d or a “sensitive stomach” or “hypoallergenic” diet. I already expected this response. He said that if I decide to get into serious diagnosis of Boogie’s tummy issues, we’re talking about ultrasounds (hundreds of dollars) and/or biopsies (over a thousand dollars) and Dr Reina doesn’t think we should go there for now if there is a chance that the food is working out for him. After hearing the figures, I almost don’t want to go there myself.
And then he had a look at Boogie’s anal glands and expressed them. I now take back what I said about wanting to learn how to check/express a dog’s anal glands. Nope. I don’t think I want to do this. I think I’ll be fine not knowing!!! 
Dr: “It takes experience”. (and he drew me the 4 o’clock & 8 o’clock diagram, which I already knew about)
Well, the bad news is that the Boogs has an anal gland infection.
There was gooey whitish puss coming out of his rear end.
Me: “I’ve been smelling it all week!” (hah! And Wes thought I was imagining this!)
So what they did was pack Boogie’s anal glands with antibiotics (some sort of white liquid which I hope won’t be secreted onto my furniture – eeek!) and in two weeks I have to bring him back for a check-up. No oral medication. They said that anal glad infections are not uncommon… some dogs get them some dogs don’t. I asked Dr Reina what causes the infection and he said that the glands get clogged up/backed up and bacteria builds up. That’s all there is to it. Me, I am not feeling thoroughly convinced. I hope we don’t have to go through this on a regular basis…
Dr. Reina also suggested that I feed Boogie three smaller meals a day, and keep a diary for signs of vomiting etc. Good idea. I should have been doing this anyway.
Boogie's blog 