a training vignette - dustmop style
As you probably are aware by now, Brin and Eri have very different personalities. This was brought home to me very strongly yet again tonight when I was playing a little clicker training game with Eri - or so I thought!
The objective is that he will eventually knock over a stack of metal dog dishes and water buckets with a big crash thereby learning a) that he can control things that make noise, and b) that it's fun to make a big crash. So far we've gotten mostly nose touches and the occasional slight tip with one or two topples from the top (smallest) dish. H'es very polite with the dishes. I've never actually played this game with Brin...but...
Brinny's been watching this from a dog bed across the room and offering color commentary. (I have been really impressed that he was staying out of the clicker game when I tell him it's Eri's turn!) Eri doesn't really like the whole 'make things crash' game, so he was offering all sorts of other behaviors instead.
Suddenly, Brinny got up from the bed, STOMPED over to the pile of dishes, nose bumped it (*click*), looked at me, I looked at the tower of dishes, he smashed it with his paw so the whole thing went flying (*click*), I put it back up, he nose bumped it (no click), he SMASHED it again (*click), he looked at Eri ('that's how you do it!') and stomped back over to the dog bed where he gave a big grumpy sigh and laid down again to watch.
Now this didn't actually teach Eri anything, but I got a huge laugh out of the different way the two of them approached the new "work". Brinny got right in my face and *showed* me what I wanted; Eri very politely waited for me to let him puzzle it out at his pace.
Later in the evening Brin was rolled over on his back rubbing on the rug and was actually inviting Eri to play bitey-face games with him. Eri is understandably wary of this new and improved grandpa, but with some encouragement from me he was able to get a couple little kisses from the grumpus.
Love my brown boys!
The objective is that he will eventually knock over a stack of metal dog dishes and water buckets with a big crash thereby learning a) that he can control things that make noise, and b) that it's fun to make a big crash. So far we've gotten mostly nose touches and the occasional slight tip with one or two topples from the top (smallest) dish. H'es very polite with the dishes. I've never actually played this game with Brin...but...
Brinny's been watching this from a dog bed across the room and offering color commentary. (I have been really impressed that he was staying out of the clicker game when I tell him it's Eri's turn!) Eri doesn't really like the whole 'make things crash' game, so he was offering all sorts of other behaviors instead.
Suddenly, Brinny got up from the bed, STOMPED over to the pile of dishes, nose bumped it (*click*), looked at me, I looked at the tower of dishes, he smashed it with his paw so the whole thing went flying (*click*), I put it back up, he nose bumped it (no click), he SMASHED it again (*click), he looked at Eri ('that's how you do it!') and stomped back over to the dog bed where he gave a big grumpy sigh and laid down again to watch.
Now this didn't actually teach Eri anything, but I got a huge laugh out of the different way the two of them approached the new "work". Brinny got right in my face and *showed* me what I wanted; Eri very politely waited for me to let him puzzle it out at his pace.
Later in the evening Brin was rolled over on his back rubbing on the rug and was actually inviting Eri to play bitey-face games with him. Eri is understandably wary of this new and improved grandpa, but with some encouragement from me he was able to get a couple little kisses from the grumpus.
Love my brown boys!