teetered out--I am firing myself from this job

[dinahprincedaly]

Since the last post Stella has been acting weirdly spooked about the teeter at home... the last three times we got it out to practice she's been heading tail down for another room... its a HUGE setback and so hugely disappointing because we worked on it hard all summer and she was starting to love it--it seemed

Comments

[ndozo]

What if you kept it out near where it usually is and encouraged the cats to play like crazy on it? Put it kind of out of the way so it doesn't seem like you're going to ask her to do anything with it. Just keep getting the kitties to jump and play and skitter around on it until nothing they do or it does is new or surprising anymore. I'm with Stella. New things scare me too.

[dinahprincedaly]

I could try that... sort of... she would need to be rewarded every time the cats move it... so we couldn't leave it there when we were not going to be there too... but thats a good thought... she's so traumatized though now---who would've thought... and I just thought it was funny... the cats getting in the mix, meanwhile I totally screwed up the dog for B whose supposed to compete with her the first weekend in October

[ndozo]

Why reward her? Act like it's furniture. She's being silly. If you reward her that complicates everything. I don't know what I'm talking about of course, but it seems like when a kid falls and you make a big deal about it they get upset, but if you just let it pass without much reaction they take that cue that it's no big deal and keep on with what they were doing. What does B think?

[may_fly]

my two cents: try setting the teeter where it can't move (on the ground or in freeze-mode--I don't have one so I don't know how this works but basically set it up so it can't move and freak her out) and completely ignore it. then set some nice fish or whatever on it, let the cats play on it, walk around it, act like you're having a lot of fun, and be extremely nonchalant about all of it. let her see this for a couple days - maybe ignore her and pay attention to the cats while they're on it - and then maybe she'll come up - if she does, pay attention to her too, but not making a huge deal, she's just like one of the cats, not overcoming a phobia... if she doesn't come over, after a couple days of teeter-is-no-big-deal reminding, you can pull her over nonchalantly and give her mackeral or whatever on it. then next time you get her back up there, keep the cats off. possibly permanently until she likes it. and yes i think at this point ignoring negative reactions is a good strategy to try since the desens isn't working. i got vala to stop

[fjoiris]

This isn't forever, I've fixed this sort of problem with lots of dogs. It might take you a little time because it's the kind of thing that requires really good timing, and that's just something that comes with experience

thanks

[dinahprincedaly]

great--i'll try it--i assume i should lock the cats away whenever we do teeter work now...

[may_fly]

ooh, this is cool too! reminds me of a muzzle desens handout we had, readjusted for the teeter!

[dinahprincedaly]

when you say: Start with Stella as far from the marked line as you can, given the space you're in. Toss a treat so that it lands --half way between where you are and the line-- and let her chase and eat it.

where did you mean we should be standing? not at the teeter? somewhere behind her on the safeside of the line... so with all the first sessions treats - she is moving away from the teeter...
oh lord, I'm thick, but I'll figure it out... I think given our apartment space tho, I'm gonna be throwing treats for her into the other room