Training Session 1

My health and a number of other things going on (Shawnee in heat, Molly with a problematic toe injury, and a sick horse) have prevented me from getting to the training goal before today. I just did a short session with the girls--worked Shawnee while Molly was on mat then worked Molly while Shawnee held a stay (She isn't advanced enough to mat on anything like Molly is). I started with a few post-it targets on hand then quickly advanced to my knee. Once they did that a few times, I moved the target to the doorbell. No problem--they targetted it there. Molly did have her usual "are you sure I'm not supposed to retrieve this?" issues but Shawnee was easy going and confident.

Unfortunately they are not yet pushing hard enough or precisely enough to ring the bell, but I am sure we can work that out with time.

I'm very proud of them for remembering the yellow target when it has been so long since we last trained with it and we had done so few training sessions on it.

Finally Training Again

I did a short mat session with the girls yesterday. Even though it had been a long time since either had seen their mats, they did really well. I decided yesterday that I should test Shawnee on it today.

While the girls were out in their fence, I put the mats into place. Although Molly passed this level ages ago, I like to include her in practices and tests. It makes her feel a part of things.

As soon as I let the girls in the room, both ran to their own mats. I knew right away that Shawnee would pass her test.

Armed with my clicker and some fish flavored dog food, I started test. I sent Shawnee to her mat, and she went right to it. I told Molly go to her mat as well. Then I threw treats off the mat and repeated the commands. Both still went directly to their own mats and lay down. That passes L2 mat for Shawnee.

Molly reminded me how well she distinguishes different commands. I asked her to take Shawnee's mat and she took the right one. She took the mat as opposed to doing a mat behavior on it. She did the same with her own mat.

Then we played for a while, until Shawnee was good and tired. I crated her.

Then I decided it was time to do some were finished training with Molly. I haven't trained her at all lately. That she knew what she was supposed to do right away. She still won't hold eye contact while moving. But she is very quick to reconnect after she moved wherever I am.

Later, while Molly was out in the fence alone, I did some watch training with Shawnee. I've only done it in the bathroom before so this was new to do it lying on the sofa. She figured it out pretty quickly, but I only got up to a two second hold.

I need to get to training more with the girls, but it's hard for me right now. I'm frustrated by my pain levels and stressed with the government issues. It's also much more challenging to work with two dogs than just one.

Working on Watch, Daily Life, and Taste in Treats

Molly and I have been working on watch whenever she wants to play with toys. I've got her past a 30 sec test, but I'm going to work more to improve her response to the command and to solidify it even more. Passing watch is very significant progress for L3 training, because we need it to train two o fthe other behaviors (finish and heel).

Beyond watch, we haven't been training so much. But Molly always is busy being my SD. In a typical week, she has to empty the washing machine once or twice, pick up an uncountable number of dropped objects, fetch my blanket from another piece of furniture at least once a day, and usually also help me strip the bed. Her help is really making it a lot more possible for me to be productive in a day. She generally also gets a few roudy play sessions outside with her human daddy and lots of good inside play with both of us. Additionally, she spends a lot of time keeping me company and helping to keep me warm.

Today we tested mat while I was working in the kitchen. She held a mat command on a kitchen rug, not her usual mat, for 2 minutes. This was wihle I was making some dough and had my back to her a lot of the time. So I am really proud of her for holding it so well while I was ignoring her.

Now we get to the treats stuff. I wanted to give Molly a good reward for her mat and keep her busy for a little while so I could finish what I needed to do and my DH could finish what he was working on without her bringing us toys and putting them down near us. So I took a little bit of peanut butter and smeared it into her kong. That worked really well.

Like her daddy, Molly LOVES peanut butter. She is lucky to get to share some of it with him. They both hope that Molly's American grandmother will send them more soon! We can't get peanut butter very easily here and what we can get is nowhere near as good as the American peanut butter.

Another love she shares with her human daddy is marshmallows. Molly will do, quite literally, anything to earn a bit of marshmallow. My DH has had her heeling for marshmallows for months. Unfortunately he hasn't figured out how to transfer it to a normal nehavior, but at least she gets the idea when marshmallows are involved. But we're out of those again, so Molly will have to wait until DH finds more in a Danish shop (it happens occasionally) or her Grandmom and Granddad take pity on her poor marshmallowless state (and DH's) and send a fresh supply.

We give Molly garlic pills to help cut down the risk of fleas and ticks. These are another thing that Molly considers a treat. She is the same with her fish oil pills. She isn't so keen on vitamin E but she will take them. Fortunately, her willingness to take pills extends to dewormers, antibiotics, and anything else she might need on occasion. No need for tricks or force with this girl!

Mat a 10 Feet

I've not been on much lately--my laptop died and working at my desk is
very painful. Poor Molly also hasn't been training much because of my
health issues and stress of trying to get through the system for a
pension or something.

Molly's mat has been outside on the clothes line since we got back
from the US. It needed to be sure to be flea-free and bad weather
kept leaving it wet when I wanted to bring it in. But it finally came
in this weekend and spent some time drying out totally before I got it
out to Molly.

So I decided to test her in the kitchen for doing the mat from the
proper distance. I put it down on the floor while she was out of the
room then called her in. She immediately ran over to her mat and lay
down. I think she was happy to see it.

Then I called her to me at about 10-12 feet away--the furthest
possible in the kitchen. When she came to me, I then told her to mat.
She ran immediately over to HER mat, ignoring the small rug I was
standing on, and lay down perfectly, completely on it. She stayed
with no problems. I treated her and did it again to make sure it
wasn't a freak. Nope. She ran to her mat and did it again. I
started dishes while she stayed without fussing or anything.

So she finally passed L4 mat and I am once again reminded of the
advantages of putting a tough thing aside for a while to let it settle
into her and get exciting again.

A New Mat for Molly

With the time of our airplane trip quickly approaching, I had to hurry up and make a thick warm mat for Molly like I've been planning. I started with a wool blanket we bought at a thrift shop and some pieces of stiff foam about 1 cm thick. I'd hoped to make it with two layers of foam, but two layers didn't quite work, so we ended up with one.



Molly took to it right away. She seemed quite eager to test it out. DH also gave it a quick test to make sure that it is warm enough.

We want to be able to clean her mat when necessary, so the one end has a zipper to allow us to take the foam out. Then we can just wash the wool cover and put it back on when it's dry.

For a mat to be easy to take on a trip, it has to be possible to make it portable. The foam is cut in half the long way so I can just fold it that way. The mat cover is sewn in the middle as well so it keeps that spacer and avoids ending up with a lump from the foam overlapping.

I also sewed in two tie straps, so the mat is equipped for being rolled and tied into a little bundle.

Overall, I'm really proud of my construction. I think it is nice in looks, easy to use, and warm. Molly seems to love it too. We did some mat training today with it and she lay on her mat silently for 5 minutes despite distractions of me moving around and a toy in sight on the coffee table. She also hurried over to lie down on it with her toy when I was playing with her.

Lots of Public Access Practice, Eating, and Training with a Toy

Wow. We've been busy. Too busy to blog enough.

Two days ago when DH and I ran errands, I took Molly into a big store in town. For you Americans, it reminds me a lot of Best, if you remember those. You walk around the store and look at all the stuff. When you find something you want, you fill out the info on an order slip. When done shopping, you hand in the order slip and wait for them to get your purchases out of the back--in nice sealed packages and without anyone in the store having had the opportunity to fiddle with them. Some really cheap and special sale items you can just take out of bins, but most stuff works on the order slip method.

So anyway, the first time we were in the store ages ago, I'd seen someone come in and wander around a little while with a small dog on leash right past store people without anyone saying anything. It wasn't an SD. So I didn't bother about asking for permission, figuring I'd explain, apologize, and leave if asked. But no one said anything. So while DH returned the broken item we had, Molly and I walked around. She was so good!

Then DH also wanted to look at some other stuff so Molly and I went with. She continued being quiet and very well behaved. A very successful PA practice. Also the floor there is superslippery, so it is really good practice for the airport and other businesses.

Yesterday DH needed to go see the dentist for a follow-up so we went into town again. We sat down on a bench and worked on sit stays and mat for a while. Molly did really well and was much quieter and calmer this time. I think she'd just been a little excited the first time in town because of having been stuck home so much while in heat. She only made noise once and it was to bark once at a little kid wandering around alone. No idea why she barked at him. But maybe she was picking up on something I didn't notice. It was a 5-6 yr old boy walking through a busy town without any signs of an adult, so who knows. But parents are much more relaxed here in DK about leaving their kids alone, so it might have just been someone who lived locally.

This morning I started working on clicker training again. I got a lot of tips from Erin (Z's owner) so I am finally feeling confident that I won't devalue the clicker by not giving treats but playing instead. It showed me how way out of practice we are. I tried training Watch, a very important L3 behavior. She used to be able to give me 10-20 secs eye contact on command without much trouble, but I was lucky to get 10 this morning and she wasn't responding well to the cue. I realized I needed to back up and rebuild the behavior.

When I put the toy away, Molly wasn't happy--she really wanted to play with the squeaky yellow hedgehog, the only one she's ever had WITH squeaker (usually DH pulls them out for safety). I decided to use this excitement as a training opportunity and sat down near where the toy was on the shelf and invited Molly up on my lap on the sofa. After a while, she volunteered eye contact so I clicked and treated. In a little while, I got up to 15-20secs of voluntary eye contact. She was even offering eye contact while the toy was in her mouth. A few more days of this and I should be able to recue it and get her back on track for L3 watch.

As for eating, Molly got 1 handful yesterday morning (we went from one kibble the night before to the small approx. 32 piece handful). She immediately ate it and kept looking for more. So last night it was 2 handfuls, again eaten right away. This morning she got 4 and also devoured it.

We're going to stall out here at 4 handfuls for a little while. We want to wait to up it until she is reliably devouring that much _and_ looking for more. Then we can try building up really slowly.

I will try to get some pictures up a little later today if I can find time. I have tons to do, but Molly wants to report on her small friend that arrived in the mail yesterday, so I will try to find time to get pictures online for her.

Doing Better and Public Access

We've been taking it pretty easy and Molly is seeming a lot more like herself. I gave her treats for coming into the laundry room, which she ate gladly and without signs of stress. We did some mat training today to build up time. We're also doing lots of named retrieves with things she knows, like mat, pants, and phone. She is gettign really good at the retrieves, even from quite a distance.

Today we took her to Farm Fun, which is a petting zoo-like place next door to us. The place is crawling with kids and dogs on leashes. We got ice cream for us and sat down. Molly mostly did okay, but she was whining a lot. She still responded to sit, down, and target commands, but didn't take treats (so she also passed on the road L3 zen).

The whining was mainly aimed at dogs and kids. We need more practice!!

Our thanks to everyone who has worried about Molly and sent her good vibes. I hope to be able to report that she's completely back to normal within a few days. We're going to stay taking it easy a little longer and not add any new behaviors yet. We will probably continue trying to improve and practice things she is already doing easily like we've been doing.

Improved Item Recognition

Molly hasn't been showing any sign of distress with retrieves, so I've felt comfortable working with those.

Yesterday I did several short sessions of "take phone" using only the phone. Then in the early evening I needed to take her for a walk. I was in the kitchen so I told her to find and take my pants. She ran through the dining room and into the living room and grabbed my pants off the floor. I followed to make sure she got the right thing, but she already had my pants and was on her way to me by the time I got through the dining room. She gave them to me and a sock fell out of the leg when I took them. She grabbed the sock and ran out into the kitchen.

So she definitely knows "pants" without a problem. :-)

In the evening, we did more practice with item recognition and she was able to fetch pants, her mat, and the phone without problems. She was also able to distinguish the correct one--I put the phone and a cloth down at the same time and she brought me the phone. I put phone and pants down at the same time and she brought me the one I asked for. She was also able to deliver to me or to DH on command regardless of which of us issues the take command.

Molly Reports "I Got Ice Cream"

Today was warmer again. Mommy let me spend a lot of the day outside in my fence. But if I barked at the neighbors, she made me come in. It's no fair--they get to be outside and make a lot of noise but I can't. Mommy keeps saying, "Just because the dog next door is being a fool doesn't mean you have to be, too."

Mom made pancakes for them for dinner but I got some, too. I love pancakes. But Mom is silly and made me pick pancakes up off the floor when she dropped them. She gave them to me to eat afterwards. She says it's for "practice." Oh well, if it makes her happy.

After dinner, they went out and worked in the vegetable garden. They were mean and wouldn't let me help. But they did let me be out in my fence while they worked. They were picking this weird green stuff they called "spinage." I didn't think it tasted very good, but they seemed to think it was important and packed it into plastic bags in the freezer.

Then we all had ice cream! Mommy and Daddy had popsicles. I got a pupsicle that mom made special. She says it is made of tykmaelk, which is like yo-gurt, and has kibble in it. I just know it was YUMMY!



I even got to eat in the living room with them but Mom said I had to keep it on my mat. That isn't too hard though. I've been practicing staying on my mat a lot, so I've gotten good at it. I even lay on my mat with a bone to chew while they ate pancakes.

Mom added pictures of me eating my ice cream so you can see for yourself how yummy it was. They didn't even make me share with them!

I'll write more another time. Now it is time to play some with Daddy before we go to bed.

Mat Training

Before starting mat training, it helps to understand what the point of a mat is once the behavior is trained. The mat and its behavior is sort of like a cross between a crate and down-stay. The mat doesn't have walls, so requires much more self-control than crating does. However, it is more relaxed than a typical down-stay, because there is a physical marker and the dog is allowed to change positions.

Initially it is a good idea, according to my reading, to stick to the same mat. This also gives the dog the comfort of a familiar item. Later when the dog is more experienced and the behavior is more solid, you can use anything you find as a mat, like a park bench, a jacket, or a leash.

I really want to get Molly mat trained because I think it can be a very useful thing when she is working as a service dog. I can use the mat to encourage her to settle down in one spot. Bringing her mat with us will give her a familiar smelling spot and something comfortable to lie on no matter where we go. I picked a throw rug because it is easy to wash and handle. This way I can keep it clean and presentable, so I always have a nice looking mat when going places. Additionally this means that Molly lies down on something I take with me again. If she does drop any shedded hairs or anything, they will leave with us on the mat if handled properly.

Having her mat should also be a help while waiting in the airport and sitting in the airplane. It will add something familiar to the foreign environment and make it easier for me to show her exactly where I want her to lie down.

I actually got started with training the Levels Book as an entire program because we were having trouble with mat. But now that we're doing the whole program, mat is easy. Last night Molly passed Level 3 mat, which requires her to go to the mat on command, lie down on command, and stay lying calmly on the mat for a minute.

When I was originally training mat, I varied the method a bit from the guidelines. I used a higher value treat any time she offered a down on the mat. Now downing on the mat is getting to be Molly's default behavior. So she didn't need the extra down command--just the mat command.

To make sure that the dog associates the behavior with the mat itself, not the location, it is important to move the mat and the handler's location--just not both at once before the behavior is getting reliable. So Molly has practiced mat all over the living room. We even took her mat along to my in-laws the other night and used it there. Even though she was only holding 30-45 seconds reliably when there (this was before the test with 1 min), it was still a help that we could send her to the mat if she was being a bit too eager for attention. She loves my in-laws and they like her, but sometimes the limits on behavior are a bit too fuzzy for her. Sending Molly to her mat calmed her down quickly and gave her something to do that everyone could praise her for.

Mat training is basic shaping. You click and treat when the dog gets near the mat. Then for a paw on the mat. Eventually you work it up to all four paws on the mat and get the command in. Of course somewhere in there you mix it up by moving the mat around and a little bit away from you. That way you can send the dog to the mat at a reasonable distance wherever the mat is. Molly isn't great at recognizing and finding her mat yet, so mostly she has to see me put it down to find the right mat. Otherwise she finds something that looks likely and lies down on it, for example, she's pulled a blanket off the sofa for a mat, used the sofa itself, and even crawled under the chaise longe when she wasn't finding her mat.

To help make sure that Molly thinks her mat is fun, I've also sometimes given her extra yummy treats and chews on the mat. I also try not to leave her mat lying around if I'm not paying attention to treat her for being on it. I don't want to discourage the behavior by accident by failing to reward it. So usually when a mat training session is over, I ask Molly to take the mat and give it to me. Then she gets an extra treat for delivery.

Molly's Report on the Last Few Days

It's been a hectic few days here. Mommy and Daddy had a lot they had to do, which means Mommy has been tired and hasn't had time to blog. She was supposed to let me at the computer yesterday, but she fell asleep. Oh well.

Saturday--that's what Mommy says it is called anyway--was a pretty quiet day. Mommy rested a lot and Daddy did some things outside. Part of the day I stayed in and took care of her and part of the day I got to run around and play in the pony pasture while Daddy was out there. Then they got showers and put on nice clothes.

I think they thought about leaving without me, but I asked nicely so I got to come along in the car. The sun was shining, so my crate stayed covered to keep me cool. But I could hear lots of things going on and rest. After a while, Mommy came out and sat with me. She was hurting--she said she sat too long--but I couldn't make her feel all better. I did lick her fingers and make her smile though. Then Daddy came and we went home. They said it wasn't a good time for me to practice.

When we got home, Daddy took me for a walk then everyone went to bed. I stayed by the door until they were asleep then went to bed myself.

Sunday was a lot more fun. They slept late and were slow getting moving, but they were both in here with me for a while. I walked around, trying to get something to happen. Finally it did--Mommy got out my mat and trained me.

She put the mat by the wall next to a chair and told me "Mat". The first few times, I just stood on it and she gave me treats, but then she waited until I lay down. Then she was really happy and clicked and gave me a couple treats. So after that I lay down on it when she said "Mat." She kept working me for a little while, making it harder all the time. I kept having to stay lying down longer and longer before I got treats. For example, she'd tell me mat and I'd go lie down on my mat. Then a little while later (mom says 10 secs is a good example), she'd click and give me a treat. I'd stay lying down and she'd wait again (she says she did it the same time for each mat command) before clicking and treating. After about 5 waits, she'd send me off the mat to go get a treat. Then I'd go back to the mat and do it again. Each time I went back to the mat, she made me wait quietly a little longer. Sometimes Mommy and Daddy talked while I lay on the mat--but I knew I had to stay there if I wanted my treats, so I did. Mom says I got up to 30 secs consistently in that one training session. She and Daddy were really happy with me and praised me and pet me a lot.

In the late afternoon, they said we were going out. I got my harness on and my leash and my SDIT vest. We got in the car and went for a drive. When we stopped again, we were at Farmor and Farfar's! Farmor and Farfar are Daddy's parents. So I got out of my crate on leash and walked nicely with Mommy on crutches along the road and into the garden. I pottied on command in the yard. Then we went in the house. I wanted to go say hi, but mom reminded me that I was working. So I went with her to go help get her shoes off. I was a good, quiet girl and sat nicely when mom said. Then daddy took off my vest and mom said I was off duty. So I ran to say hi to farmor and farfar and sat down so they could pet me. They said I looked great in my uniform.

It was a nice evening. Mommy brought my mat so I could practice more and show off how good I was. I got to go outside and run around in the yard several times, but when the dogs in the neighbor's yard teased me so I barked, mom and dad made me come inside again. Farfar dropped a crutch once, so Mommy told me to take it and give it to him. I did it, of course, and got treats and lots of praise. I also practiced down and stay some. Mommy says my mat work is consistent at 30 seconds on one cue (mat only, she doesn't have to tell me to lie down) despite the distractions and all the fun waiting to happen.

When we got home, I helped Mommy get ready for bed then they went to sleep. Daddy got up and went to work in the morning like usual, but Mommy went back to sleep. I finally had to make her get up when morning was almost over. She says she's lucky I did. It wasn't long after I got her up that she had to go to her "training." I helped her get her shoes and stuff ready to go, but stayed home. I don't know what she trains, but she is usually tired and smells like chlorine when she gets home. The good thing is that she often feels better the next few days.

After she got home, she gave me my kong with liver pate and kibble in it. I got to eat and play with that while she started dinner for her and daddy. After I emptied my kong the first time, she filled it up and I ate it all again. Then daddy got home. I was so happy to see him. He took me with him for a drive and mommy stayed home. When we got back, I got another kong of kibble and pate and they ate dinner. After dinner, we snuggled for a while all three of us.

But then mommy fell asleep so I stayed quiet for the rest of the evening. Then they went to bed and I got to sleep in my own bed. Now we are at today. I've already had two kongs of kibble that was extra-tasty because Daddy put soup on it. Mommy promises to train more with me. She is feeling better. I've also warmed her sofa for her while she ate breakfast and we've enjoyed a few snuggles. She even tossed my kong for me and let me chase it.

The weather is really windy and nasty, so mom wants to stay inside. But that's okay, because she is good at keeping us both busy and entertained in here.

Clicking with a Toe

I've mentioned a few times in earlier posts that I work my clicker with my toe so I have free hands when training Molly. Someone on one of the mailing lists I frequent asked how I manage this, so that's the purpose of this entry.







I have two clickers. I can't use the type of clicker where you have to push on a metal plate even when I click with my thumb. My thumb is too weak in the joints for that. The clicker on the right I bought here in DK. The one on the left I ordered online from the US. It's a i-Click and is very easy to click with finger or toe. Both work for me for toe clicking, but the shape of the i-Click makes it a more comfortable choice.



I don't know if my toes are weird and that is why it works so easily for me. My guess is that most people could click with their foot with a button clicker. It probably even works with shoes on. I am a bare foot person.



I find toe clicking to be especially helpful when I want both hands free for something. I use it a lot when an item is involved. For example, when working on teaching Molly to target a stick, I can put the clicker under my toe and have the stick in one hand and treats in another. I don't have to try to juggle things and I can keep clicking precisely on time and deliver treats promptly as well.



I wish I'd figured this out when I was working on her early retrieve training, because I had a horrible time working on hold when trying to hold objects, the clicker, and treats. The only way I got it to work then was by training hold on a metal pipe that I could hold between my knees.




When I set up to take these pictures, I got an extra bonus from Molly. I used her mat under the clickers for that picture. As soon as I put down the folded mat, she showed perfect mat behavior, even though it was too small for her to fit on. So a shot of that is the extra bonus at the bottom. Of course she got praise and treats.

Another Update

We haven't had many formal training sessions in the past few days. I haven't felt up to them. We have worked enough on mat to start adding a cue and it is going well. We've also done a little work on targeting the end of a stick, but not much.

Mostly we train in everyday things. Every interaction we have is training. It is learning what I expect of her and what to do. Even just snuggling on the couch is training. It's building up a credit of good experiences and trust that helps when I want to call her to me somewhere sometime.

A Great Mat Training Session

Molly and I just had a great session working on our mat training. Mat training is teaching the dog to lie down on a mat or bed and stay there until released. It is sort of like a virtual crate. When the dog is on the mat, it should stay there and be settled down and not go anywhere. It leaves the owner free to do other things but is more relaxed and comfortable for the dog than an extended down stay.

I've tried this with Molly before but didn't feel like she "got" the mat--that she understood she got treats for being on the mat. She was very good about downs even though I wasn't expecting those of her yet, but she didn't get on the mat when I moved it.

I want her to be strong on this behavior for service work. I think it would be great to be able to put her on a mat in the airplane when flying so she can relax but know to be quiet and settled through the flight. I also think this will be a great resource in restaurants and when visiting people. The mat will serve the additional advantage of collecting any hair she may shed (although I intend to keep her well-groomed to limit that) to help make others more comfortable with her presence.

When I was having trouble training it earlier, I decided to back up and really follow the Levels Book 100% and now I'm really glad I have. Not just because it has improved her mat training here, but because I've gained a lot overall and bonded better with her. I thought I could hop around and just take what I wanted, but following the program really has given me a more well-rounded and better grounded dog. The stuff she could already do but hadn't been trained in a completely positive way, we retrained to strengthen the connections she had to the behavior. The stuff she has been trained in positively, I'm just testing her behavior to check her current level. It lets me make sure I don't have holes in her behavior and we're really bonding even more closely.

Now back to this mat session.

Molly's mat is a throw rug that we already had. We can easily get more rugs later to once she is steady on the behavior. It's inexpensive, discrete, warm, sturdy, and easy to carry. The rug is also very washable, so it's no problem to keep it clean and fresh for taking on the road. Molly will need a familiar mat for her trip to USA to help her be comfortable in the airplane, everywhere we go, and in the car.

I hadn't started feeding Molly yet when we trained this morning. To make it really exciting, I used a can of shrimp as her training treats. I started with her mat to the left of the recliner I sat in. I clicked and treated about 10 times for her having anything on the mat, throwing 9 on the mat and the 10th off. I did this 3 or 4 times without moving the mat. Then I moved the mat to in front of the chair. Molly impressed me by immediately getting onto the mat to earn more treats. I repeated the 10 times clicking and treating once or twice then cut down to five times a few more times to see how strong her return was--it was VERY strong. So I moved the mat about two feet to the right. She got onto the mat right away again. I did a couple 5 times clicks and treats then jackpotted (gave lots at once) with the last of the shrimp because I was running low. She got to clean the can out then handed it to me as soon as it was empty. Good Molly!

Even then she stayed on the mat, so I got some Frolic treats and fed her some of those one after the other while she lay down on the mat and I praised her. Then I encouraged her off the mat and put it away.

To really make her feel good, we went outside for a short play session. I am so proud of her that she picked it up so quickly today. I think all the other groundwork has helped. Plus the work we've done before on mat that has had time to sink in during her time off from working on mat.