Distraction recall, iteration 6L3: 1/2.0/3.C: 6th training plan adaptation, 3rd location (L3), levels 1 (hand-held long line), 2.0 (tether) and 3 (off leash) with distraction C (liver; difficult).
October 25, 2023: upwards and onwards to our third and last real-world location!
Tacos de canasta! Chai prefers them filled with chicharrón. My favorites are de papas y frijol.
We restocked on delicious tacos de canasta de chicharrón (¡5 por $MX40!) and did an easy taco recall at the Urban Enrichment Jungle yesterday. Today, it is time for the next step on our game board: recalling away from the liver distraction on a long line!
I had hoped I’d get away with Chai not knowing it was a set-up, but she did, resulting in a funny video: after my release, she went straight to the tripod (that wasn’t hidden this time) and looked for the distraction there before finding it under the trash cans (where I had put it because she keeps finding food around there in off-leash park contexts). Her long line toppled my tripod, but the phone kept recording and I picked it back up just in time to show you Chai actually finding and enjoying her liver. Achievement unlocked!
… and here’s our progress on the board:
Jumping back into the ocean where an easy taco recall awaits to recharge for the swim!
October 27, 2023: the little Border Collie keeps moving towards the treasure!
After yesterday’s easy taco recall at the Urban Enrichment Jungle, we did the tether (front-clip alternative to back tie) session in park #3 today. Chai nailed it once again! She knew it was a set-up. In the video below, you can see her check in with me twice – knowing there is a distraction has become a cue for her to ask me to call her! I wanted to let her get closer today and didn’t call in either of these instances. When I finally called, I got a turn on a dime. And then an amusing search for the distraction Chai knew was there … it just wasn’t where she thought (right by the tripod).
Plan for the next session
For our most difficult and final recall session – off leash in location #3 – I will call Chai earlier again – the first time she looks at me or at the latest when she’s at the spot she looked back the second time today. I’ll also place the camera right with the distraction next time. Chai knows these are set-ups, so why not give away the location. If we still get a single-rep success … we get to open the treasure chest!!
But first things first: let’s not forget that the very next formal recall needs to be an easy taco one. We need to charge back up for that last big challenge of the Tacos & Border Collies game!
Tacos & Border Collies: the game I didn’t know I needed but clearly did!
I better not get too cocky just because we can already see the shore! If Chai doesn’t nail a recall, her avatar will have to go back to the free taco behind the closest LL field behind and work back up from there!
October 29, 2023: wooohooooooo!
After yesterday’s easy taco recall at Los Dinamos, today, we DID it! Easy, says Chai: recalling away from a slice of dehydrated liver – a difficult distraction – at our third location is a walk in the park! She got a taco de canasta de chicharrón and an immediate “Okay” release to go find her distraction as a double-reinforcer.
I bought a second extra taco – I’ve decided that the key to the treasure chest is one last easy taco recall. Then, finally, we get my BIG reward: giving Chai off-leash freedom in the streets. I haven’t opened the treasure chest, but I know that off-leash street freedom is what’s in there!
Off-leash freedom in an urban area
If I hadn’t needed off-leash freedom as a motivator to keep me working on the formal recall, I’d have let Chai off leash on the sidewalks several months ago already. But a while ago, I said my criteria for off-leash freedom included finishing my distraction recall protocol – thinking I’d get there much faster!
When I didn’t get there as fast as expected AND decided to make my distraction recall training goal harder (not just kibble, but also liver), I also decided to wait on the off-leash freedom: I wanted something to keep me working through the protocol!
It would have been easy to allow Chai that kind of freedom sooner: she is a friendly/shy-in-the-face-of-startles dog in an off-leash world where not having a great recall on your off leash dog is culturally okay.
But no: I wanted to show my students that I could modify my protocol to teach Chai to come when called away from a VERY difficult distraction – not just kibble – with positive reinforcement. And today, I did: I met my goal!
One more easy taco recall to unlock the treasure chest, and Chai is FINALLY going to go on REAL off-leash city walks!Go puppy! Go me! Here’s to the power of the taco!
Distraction recall, iteration 6L2: 1/2.0/3.C: 6th training plan adaptation, 2nd location (L2), levels 1 (holding on to long line), 2.0 (back tie) and 3 (off leash) with distraction C (liver; difficult).
October 18, 2023: on to our second location!
New location – new post! Yesterday, Chai got an easy taco recall at the Urban Enrichment Jungle: I called her when she was already looking at me, tongue-clicked as she came running and ran away to make it more fun. She got a taco de canasta and lots of praise when catching up with me!
Today, recharged and ready for the next step in our game, we found ourselves a new location – the second one I want to proof the difficult distraction in. In this first round, Chai does not know it’s a set-up. The tripod is hidden in a hedge and I sneakily placed the liver slice when she was ahead of me; then caught up with her, long-lined her and meandered back towards the distraction. I wanted a spot that wouldn’t need a visual target this time, so we played on mowed grass. You can see Chai find the distraction by means of following her nose after recalling. I suspect it was the smell of the distraction that prompted her to check in when she did (which I used as a start button; calling her earlier than I had planned on).
(She knew to take the gap in the hedge on her way up the hill because that’s where we had come down as well.)
Difficult distraction – long line – location #3: success!
October 20, 2023: tether success (and SQUIRREL success!)
Yesterday, Chai got an easy taco recall at Urban Enrichment Jungle (no video). Today, we tackled our next distraction stage!
After our tether success – I would call it a back tie but it is actually a front tie because Chai is wearing her front-attachment harness! – we looped through the park off leash. As we were nearing the exit, I called her back informally and she didn’t come – I didn’t see the distraction that held her interest, and for some reason, my formal recall came out of my mouth. Chai turned on a dime and shot back to me; I saw she was turning away from A SQUIRREL! and emptied out the kibble left in my treat pouch for her (since I was all out of tacos) and then cued “Birds!” (the release to chase critters) and went looking for the squirrel together with her. It took us 30 seconds, but we found it and Chai had a good chase.
I wasn’t planning on using her formal recall in this kind of situation and without a taco reinforcer – but she rocked it! However, I will definitely do an easy taco recall next! Recharge, recharge, recharge!
October 21, 2023: easy taco recall in a new location
I bought tacos de pechuga de pollo con frijol y nopales at a subway stop and played at a park nearby that we’ve never been to – not the very best of ideas, it turned out, since Chai’s inital reaction told me that the meat may still have been hot when she took her reward.
I decided to make up for the potentially hot taco with another easy taco recall tomorrow before going back to our last distraction stage at location 2/3: off leash, unprotected liver!
October 22, 2021: another easy taco recall
I did another easy taco recall in the house – just calling Chai from the couch to the kitchen and surprising her with a delicious, chicken-breast-stuffed taco (no video). NOW we are ready to tackle our next challenge!
October 23, 2023: we DID it! Chai just nailed an off-leash liver recall at location 2/3!
Look how far ahead this puts us in the Tacos & Border Collies game! We’ve ventured across island #2!
Despite our detour (2 easy taco recalls before today’s off leash one), we are well on our way towards the treasure!
Our next recall will be an easy taco one – time to recharge at the shore before jumping into the ocean again! – and then we’ll tackle our third real-world location in the next post in this series!
Distraction recall, iteration 6L1: 1/2.0/3.C: 6th training plan adaptation, 1st location (L1), levels 1 (holding on to long line), 2.0 (back tie) and 3 (off leash) with distraction C (liver; difficult).
We’re ready to face down our nemesis – the most difficult food distraction – or so I hope! First things first though: our next session will be an easy taco recall, no distractions. We need to keep that response sharp and fun! And then … we’ll gamify!
Tacos and Border Collies, the game
Then, I will play with liver in 3 locations. I made a game board (thank you, Canva) to hopefully not skip any steps. From experience, I know that if I accidentally skip a step, Chai will outsmart me! Here’s our board: all of the steps below and we will have reached our distraction recall goal.
This is how we (plan to) beat our nemesis – the most difficult food distraction! The little Border Collie and I will hike and swim from island to island until we reach the treasure chest: it contains off-leash privileges out in the streets of Mexico City! Because hiking and swimming is hard on the body and mind, Chai needs to recharge with an easy taco recall after each distraction she masters!
October 11, 2023: rising to the first challenge on our the path!
Yesterday, we did an easy taco recall at Dead Poultry Park. Today, we went to location #1 for our third and most difficult distraction – liver – and had a successful recall on a long line!! Go Chai!!
On the path to recall success!
October 14, 2023: back tie success!
After another easy taco recall the other day, Game nailed her back tie recall in location #1/3 today! Go puppy!!!
October 16, 2023: off leash SUCCESS!
Yesterday, we went to Chapultepec and I brought my last taco de birria … unfortunately, I forgot all about it because I was there with friends. So instead of getting an easy taco recall out and about, Chai got an even easier one back home in the living room.
And today, we finally did it: our first off-leash recall success away from the most difficult distraction – liver – in our first of three real-world locations!
Go Chai, master of swimming across oceans! Tomorrow, you’ll get to recharge again:
The title of this iteration is 6L3: 1/2.0/3.B: 6th training plan adaptation, 3rd location (L3), levels 1 (holding on to long line), 2.0 (back tie) and 3 (off leash) with distraction B (kibble). Slow and steady wins the race!
The day before yesterday, Chai had an easy taco recall at the Urban Enrichment Jungle. Today, we are back to the first distraction session in our third location: Kiba’s Park!
October 5, 2023: first session in location 3
We’ll start out with holding the long line in my hands. I’ve got a taco de canasta con chicharrón ready and will release Chai to the intermediate distraction (kibble) by dropping the long line after a successful recall. Let’s see how things go today!
Success!
Our next recall will be an easy taco one, followed by one with the distraction in the exact same location at Kiba’s Park … and a backtie! Slowly and steadily, we are getting closer to our highest value distraction!
October 7, 2023: back-tie success!
After yesterday’s easy taco recall at Toy Play Plaza (no video), today, it was time for the back-tie distraction recall! Chai knew this was a set-up but she didn’t know exactly where it was:
You can’t see the back tie – but it stayed loose! Go puppy!
I should do the easy taco recall tomorrow in the same space since there will be no empty target session this time! And then … off leash!
October 9, 2023: intermediate distraction off leash in location 3/3 – success!!!
Chai got an easy taco recall at the Dead Poultry Park yesterday, and today, I picked up 3 freshly made tacos de canasta de chicharrón and we tackled our last stop in the intermediate distraction recall stage: off leash, unprotected intermediate distraction (kibble), location 3 with the first taco. She did it!!! Another easy taco recall next, and then we’ll be ready to start with – drumroll – DIFFICULT distractions!
Chai’s distraction recall plan – all the way across the finish line!
Next recall: easy taco recall (whenever possible, get tacos from the stand across the street from the community center).
Repeat long line/kibble, back tie/kibble, off leash with empty visual target (if the location calls for a target), off leash/kibble in 2 more locations.
Intersperse all distraction recalls with an easy taco recall and always release Chai to the distraction after the recall.
Then, go through 3 locations, using all the same splitting steps, with a high-value distraction (chicken or liver). If it turns out to be necessary, test out what Chai prefers and, if it’s not a taco, switch to a different and even higher value street food reinforcer.
September 27, 2023: getting back into the groove – supercharging “Schnee” with an easy recall followed by a taco reinforcer
Location: Urban Enrichment Jungle
Tacos de birria from Octavio for our first 3 recall rounds!
I’m going to make this park the second location for kibble-distraction recalls. Since we go there most mornings, I’ll have plenty of opportunities to train!
We’ll have our next session tomorrow morning:
+ Approach kibble on a long line, call when the leash is still loose. + Aim for an immediate response on a loose leash. + Make sure Chai can’t reach the kibble in case she does not respond.
September 28, 2023: Long line/kibble success!!
Location: Urban Enrichment Jungle (a different spot than yesterday)
We started our morning outing with a recall on a long line. Chai was a superstar – but unfortunately the video doesn’t show things well because the angle isn’t quite right and I didn’t bring a tripod. In any case – here’s the superstar rocking her recall!
Our next recall will be an easy taco one again – and the time after we’ll move on to the backtie stage I am doing as a fail-safe instead of stepping on Chai’s leash!
September 30, 2023 – back tie loose leash recall success and tacos de canasta!
Yesterday, Chai got an easy taco recall (no video).
Today, it was time for the back tie! I believe Chai knows this is a set-up. In any case, we got a beautiful recall on a loose back tie! Only hickup: the jogger bumping into her. But she doesn’t seem to mind! Her reinforcer today was a taco de canasta – the first one she has had, I believe – with chicharrón. I’ve got two more for the next recalls, and I had two for lunch myself: one with frijoles and one with papas. Yumm! It’s safe to say we are fans!
October 2, 2023: empty target success!
Chai successfully recalled away from an empty kitchen towel (visual target) at the Urban Enrichment Jungle off leash! Go puppy! I took video but most of the action happened off screen, so I won’t bore you with it.
October 3, 2023: off-leash taco recall away from intermediate distraction – check!
… we mastered the off-leash taco recall!!
The video above concludes our intermediate distraction sessions in location 2/3. For our next sessions, the plan is:
+ Easy taco recall. + Recall away from intermediate distraction (kibble) on loose hand-held long line in location 3/3. + Easy taco recall. + Recall away from intermediate distraction (kibble) on back tie in location 3/3. + Easy taco recall. + Off-leash recall away from intermediate distraction (kibble) in location 3/3!
Deciphering this post’s iteration code: 6L2: 1/2.0/3.B: 6th plan, location 2, levels 1 (hand-held long line), 2.0 (back tie) and 3 (off leash), distraction B (kibbel).
I’m naming this post iteration 6.1/1/2-2.0/3.B because in the course of this post, you’ll see me develop my plan to a more nuanced degree that differs from iteration 5 – so I’ll call it iteration 6. In this post, you’ll see me train in location 1 (L1). We’ll work on levels 1 (long line, no barrier), 2.0 (line dragging/back tie as opposed to the original meaning of my 2nd level, which is barrier/helper) and 3 (unprotected distraction, off leash dog) with our now intermediate food distraction: kibble (B). I know my “iteration” categories are long and crazy – no need to keep them straight if you’re reading along. They are mostly just for myself.
August 30, 2023 – session 1: Dead Poultry Park
I started on a long line. Chai knew it was a set-up – and she definitely knew she was on a long line because on the way to the distraction, she reached the end twice. That said, she recalled beautifully on a loose line:
45 minutes later, I took what I thought was a reasonable next step. I was confident because we had done SO well on that loose long line recall. I didn’t let her drag the long line but went straight to off leash!
Session 2: other side of Dead Poultry Park. Off leash!
Again, Chai knew this was a set-up. See her do that double take? It was my spontaneous “AY!” and the second “Schnee!” that got her to come – not the first one, that’s for sure. I’m not calling it a success. I was tempted to repeat right away or soon after, according to what I thought in the moment and say into the camera. BUT I was smart enough to not do that but head home to think some more how to best set us up for success! On the walk home, I came up with what I believe is a better plan than what I said into the camera … but watch the video first! More below!
Instead of sticking to the plan I made in the end of this video – repeat on a long line, then long line dragging, then off leash – I’ll try and find an even higher value reinforcer. What if instead of cream cheese, Chai got a taco for mid-level distractions and above? I know she likes stuff with seasoning, and as far as I have seen over the last several weeks, her stomach is now at a point where she can eat small amounts of most food items and be okay. A single taco recall a day should be fine.
Before I do this, I’ll test whether tacos really are higher value than cream cheese (I think they are but there’s no guarantee). In order to test this, I will pit a taco against cream cheese. I will randomize which item goes left and right, make sure both contrast well with the ground and attempt to use the food item Chai doesn’t choose to lure her away from the one she does choose. Stay tuned! So tomorrow there will be no taco recalls, just a reinforcer test. (I don’t want to feed her more than one taco a day for stomach reasons.)
If the taco is higher value, I will follow the plan I made in the video (long line, long line dragging, off leash), but always reward with a taco. By the time we reach off leash status, Chai hopefully trusts that she will get something amazing if she comes back.
September 1, 2023: reinforcer tests don’t lie! The taco wins!
September 2, 2023: a recall fail(ish). My bad!
Location 1 (we are starting the count over): Toy Play Plaza
I set up smartly so Chai didn’t know we were approaching a set-up and started with the first condition: Chai on a long line, kibble distraction, surprise taco reinforcer. The tacos de birria stand was closed today, so instead, I got a taco de bistec con salsa roja.
Recall reward, ready to go!
I set up with a hidden tripod, kibble on a paper napkin to increase contrast to the ground and then got Chai from the car on a long line and walked right towards the distraction.
I wanted to be sure she saw and smelled it before calling, and since she didn’t know it was a set-up, I made the mistake of letting her get too close. Yep, that’s exactly what my students will often do! By the time the last syllable of “Schneeeeeeeee” had come out of my mouth, Chai reached the kibble and grabbed a mouthful before I tightened the leash. Since we have lots of giving in to leash pressure practice under our harness, she responded to the pressure cue. But unfortunately, at this point, she had already eaten a mouthful of kibble. She happily finished off the taco (until a very alarm-barky dog showed up – you can’t see Chai’s body language change behind the bushes but she clearly felt uncomfortable). She finished the taco anyways because – ¡TACOS! – and then was eager to go back and finish the kibble as well.
Once again, Chai has proven to be a smart, smart Border Collie! She 100% knows when a distraction is or isn’t accessible. I hope that once I have convinced her that if she recalls in the face of a medium or high value distraction, she will ALWAYS get an even higher value reinforcer AND the distraction, she will still choose to recall – even if on occasion, like today, I don’t stop her soon enough in the early stages.
Notes for the next session:
+ Repeat the same session in the same location with a call-no-later-than-here marker for myself!
September 4, 2023: recall on a loose long line!
Location: Toy Play Plaza
We repeated the exact same set-up – today with another taco de birria because the taco de birria folks are back during the week! – in the exact same location. Chai did not see me set up and my tripod was hidden in the shrubbery, but she knew what was going on because we were approaching the same spot from the same angle. This may be part of the reason she was successful today: zero latency on a loose long line!
I don’t mind if the repeat location helped: I want to get as many successful reps under Chai’s harness as possible. Every success – even if she knows it is a set-up – will help her understanding that she is going to receive both the AMAZING reinforcer and the distraction. I hope the weight of the taco reinforcer to eventually help her choose to recall every single time – even off leash, even when the distraction is better than kibble. And every taco Chai collects is putting force behind her recall! C: 1 – distraction: 0!
Notes for next session:
+ Same location, a little closer to sidewalk, long line dragging so I can step on it (make longer with rope?); mark the latest spot to call.
September 5, 2023: a recall oops!
Location: Toy Play Plaza
I called later than planned and didn’t step on the long line … oh well! It happens. We learn from it and move on with our lives!
This session wasn’t all bad, either: while Chai ate some kibble, she then did recall (with latency) on a long line after all. Good puppy making up for the slack in my training!
Notes for the next session:
Set myself up for success: tether the long line to a sturdy object and make sure it will stop Chai before she reaches the kibble. If the human (in this case I) isn’t reliable, outsource long-line-stopping to a sturdy object (if there’s one thing you can always rely on, it is a sturdy object).
Decide up front when I will call (at a specific point where the long line is still loose) and mark that spot.
Since this really is hard for Chai: going forwards, every second formal recall will be easy, distraction-free and rewarded with a taco. I want to put more torque behind that behavior!
Repeat all three kibble steps (long line, dragging or back tie, off leash) just like this in 3 locations. No shortcuts!
September 6, 2023: an easy recall and a TACO!
As by the plan I made yesterday, today, I just waited for a good moment (Chai had been sniffing and lifted her head to look at me – then I called), used her formal recall cue, ran away as part of my reinforcement strategy and then fed a taco! We’ll be charging up that cue like there is no tomorrow!
You’ll see me first restrain Game a little so Chai gets the majority of the taco and then I let her dig in as well. A little sibling rivalry may up the distraction value more (neither of my dogs guard food from each other in this kind of scenario; otherwise, I would not do this).
As of point 3 above: after today’s easy taco-rewarded recall, the next one gets to be a distraction one again!
September 7, 2023: back tie recall. It needs a repeat but the set-up works well!
Location: Toy Play Plaza
Today, I used a longer rope (since my long line is only 5 meters) and back-tied Chai so I wouldn’t have to worry about stepping on the line in time. I attached one end of the back tie to the car and made sure my kibble distraction – in its usual spot – was out of reach even on a fully extended rope.
I paid attention to when I’d have to call to make sure Chai had a chance to recall on a loose leash after noticing the distraction.
I followed my plan to a T and called the exact moment I had planned to. Chai did not respond on a loose leash but hit the end of the long line and immediately came back – tongue click, taco and praise – “okay” release to the kibble (I untied the other side of the backtie while Chai had her taco to make sure she could reach the kibble after my release.)
Notes for the next-but-one session (not the next one since that one will be an easy taco one!):
Repeat just like today.
Make sure I say, “Okay” before Chai starts moving towards the kibble after I’ve handed her the taco.
September 9, 2023: an easy taco recall at Los Dinamos!
Location: Los Dinamos
My friend recorded this recall for me. I wish they had held the camera in Chai’s direction rather than mine so you could see her turn on a dime! In any case, this was an easy surprise recall for Chai: she didn’t know I was going to call her and I didn’t have the taco on me, but in the backpack that we ran to together! I waited for her to look in my direction before calling and running. Superpuppy!
September 11, 2023: another back-tie attempt
Location 1: Toy Play Plaza
I was going to repeat the EXACT same set-up as last time, but my car was blocked in by another car, so I couldn’t use it as a back-tie attachment. We walked to Toy Play Plaza and improvised. The sidewalk I’m setting up on in this video is the one right before the row of bushes on the other side of which I usually have the distraction. However, since I couldn’t tie the rope to my car today, I had to change the location and our angle of approach. This time, the distraction is on the sidewalk and we are coming around the corner, out of the park.
I’m surprised that Chai did NOT seem to know it was a set-up even though I had tethered her out of sight when setting up. (The reason I suspect she doesn’t know is that she takes her time approaching the distraction and slows down to sniff around the lamp post.)
The second observation I made today is that I truly believe Chai thought she was off leash: I had hooked the back tie to her harness before taking off the regular leash with my usual announcement (“Leash off”). I had used the regular leash for tethering. The regular leash is, just like my pink long line, heavy enough that Chai probably feels it and knows she’s not “free.” The yellow rope, on the other hand, is extremely light. I don’t think Chai realized she was wearing it before hitting the end.
I can’t wait to find out what will happen next time, when I back-tie her to the car again and put the distraction back in its usual location (which is only about 5 meters from the spot on the sidewalk you can see in this video).
Today’s recall reinforcer: the first one of these three tacos de bistec with piña, aguacate y habanero.
Points for me: I called Chai when she reached the spot I had predetermined to call and I said “Okay” early – when she was still busy with the taco. (You can’t hear the “okay” in the video because I’m not saying it loud enough for the camera mic to pick up.)
Notes for the next two sessions:
+ Next session will be an easy (distraction-free) taco recall anywhere. + For the session after, I’ll go back to Toy Play Plaza and repeat that same set-up. Remember to “okay” release before Chai releases herself to the kibble!
September 12, 2023: an easy taco recall at Dead Poultry Park
Our next recall will be a back-tied one at Toy Play Plaza again! Let’s find out if it’s true that three time’s a charm!
September 13, 2023: a back tie recall success!! 3 IS a charm!
Location 1/3: Toy Play Plaza
There are several elements I am happy with in this video. The first and obvious one is that Chai recalled before hitting the back tie. YAAAAAAAAAY!!!!
The second is that I stuck to my criterion of when to call, and the third one is that I got the “Okay” release in before Chai started moving towards the kibble.
She did not finish her taco this time. (Good thing it was the last one of 3 – I’ll get a different kind next.) I suspect the habanero may have been a bit much. Chai has skillfully opened every single little plastic bag of salsa people have dropped that I’ve seen her find and slurped down the salsa, spicy or not – but maybe there is a certain degree of spicyness she’s not a fan of and this particular taco may have had too much salsa in it. Or maybe it’s the piña? In any case, I’ll go back to our tried and true tacos the birria!
Notes for the next session:
+ Taco de birria + Easy, distraction-free recall + Why not do it in the exact same location we usually have distractions set up?
I also just had an idea for the next session after – splitting things down even more finely: what if for the first off leash recall, I put just the paper kitchen towel (visual target) in its usual location – without kibble or with brown cardboard scraps (looking like kibble) on it? Let’s do this, really splitting things down as finely as we possibly can!
Thursday, September 14, 2023
It’s easy-taco-recall day … for a change in the exact same location I did the last two distraction ones on a back tie. Look at how well Chai does!
Since she offers a check-in, I use it as a start button to call her. Not required – never a bad thing if you happen to get reorientation and can mark it with a recall cue though!
August 15, 2023: recall away from an empty visual target in its usual location
Two lessons for next time:
Get the reinforcer out faster so Chai isn’t tempted to turn around and go for the target/distraction in between responding to her recall cue and receiving her reinforcer (this is what happened today).
Say “Okay” earlier so she only starts moving towards the target/distraction after I’ve given the release cue.
September 16, 2023: SUCCESS!!!
Off leash, unprotected intermediate distraction (kibble), SUCCESSFUL RECALL!!! Wooohoooooo! Go Chai and C!
We’re going out with a bang: this is likely the last recall session before I head to NYC and Austria (without Chai).
Here’s the plan – we will keep going as soon as I’m back en la ciudad que lo tiene todo (according to a billboard near me):
Next recall: easy taco recall (whenever possible, get tacos from the stand across the street from the community center).
Repeat long line/kibble, back tie/kibble, off leash with empty visual target (if the location calls for one), off leash/kibble in 2 more locations.
Intersperse all distraction recalls with an easy taco recall and always release Chai to the distraction after the recall.
Then, go through 3 locations, using all the same splitting steps, with a high-value distraction (chicken or liver). If it turns out to be necessary, test out what Chai prefers and, if it’s not a taco, switch to a different and even higher value street food reinforcer.
I’m naming this post iteration 5.3.A because we are still on our 5th attempt at distraction recalls and will be working onlevel 3 (unprotected distraction, off leash dog) with the easiest new food distraction (A).
August 28, 2023 – location 1: Kiba’s Park
I set up the fish distraction while both dogs were back in the car and hid the camera in some bushes. No scaffolding! Got Chai back out for a surprise recall that wouldn’t feel like a set-up … Well. Turns out I had hidden my tripod so well that I didn’t find my distraction anymore. So we meandered around the area looking for it (me) and enjoying her run or potentially also following the smell (Chai). She ended up approaching it from a different side than I did. I only realized she had found the distraction once she had started eating. I called (off camera) and she responded IMMEDIATELY! YAY! While I had planned to call her before reaching the distraction, this works as well. For most dogs, it will actually be harder to recall once they have started eating something – so we’ll call it a win! Chai enjoyed her cream cheese and then finished off the entire pile of fish. Unlike yesterday, I hadn’t touched it but poured it out of the bag – that alone (not smelling of me but of found food) may have upped its value. Or maybe she was just hungry. In any case – off-leash recall away from unprotected fish in location #1 is a win!
August 29, 2023
Chai didn’t know it was a set-up in either of today’s sessions. In the first one, I set up, tripod hidden in the bushes, and then let her out of the car. She runs back and forth on the path before going in the direction of the fish that I indicate because (I suspect) she is used to be let out of the car together with Game. Game stayed in the car and Chai is likely looking for her.
Location 2: Fresa Parque
Location 3: Toy Play Plaza
Chai didn’t know it was a set-up in this session either. She and Game were chasing squirrels as I poured a pile of fish on the ground. Then we approach and I recalled when they were close to it. Game also came running. I wouldn’t usually feed her, but can’t have only one dog eating cream cheese, so she got lucky today! I released both of them to the distraction and it is really interesting to see how much Chai’s enthusiasm about the fish treats is upped by the fact that Game is eating them as well:
The distraction recall plan going forwards
I’ve succeeded in 3 off-leash unprotected low-value food recall sessions. Now, it’s time to make things harder and go for the distraction I originally didn’t master: kibble (henceforth distraction B)!
Chai has taught me that food distractions are MUCH harder than anything else for her (by now, I have successfully recalled her away from dogs, people, squirrels and birds, pet cats and farm animals. Street food is paws down the hardest for Chai.) Because of this and because a strong recall is my favorite behavior, I am upping my own challenge: I will work up to unprotected kibble (intermediate food value) in 3 different locations with Chai off leash, and then unprotected LIVER (high value) in 3 different locations with Chai off leash.
I am sure some of the items on the list of found food I’ve made are even higher value than liver. However, for anything other than my 3 food distractions, rather than systematically working up to it, I will bank on the force of habit, lots of high-value reinforcement for easy formal recalls in our recall “account” and the trust that Chai will be sent back to eat the distraction that we’ll build in the next steps of her recall distraction plan, which will always include access to the distraction within training sessions – but only after coming back to me. She will be sent back to eat whatever she has found in real life as well – except for the very rare occasion where I can’t let her go back. In general, I want her to learn that coming back unthinkingly when called pays off BIG time. Once we’ve mastered the difficult food distraction recall, I will make her formal recall a rare and coveted word she can’t wait to hear – precisely because it is special and is followed by a-ma-zing experiences.
I’m naming this post iteration 5.1/3 because we are still on our 5th attempt at distraction recalls and will now be working on levels 1 (long line, no barrier) and 3 (unprotected distraction, off leash dog) with the easiest new food distraction (A).
The plan …
… is vague for now. The first time I work without a container again – with something lower value than kibble this time – I will go back to a long line. When I get a long line success, I will try off leash right away in the same location. Whatever happens, I will then head back to headquarters and decide how to continue.
August 25, 2023
Dead Poultry Park
Since Chai has outsmarted me at the unprotected-distraction stage several times, I’m going to take it r e a l l y slowly this time! I started with her lowest value food (that I have found so far): dried fish treats. I went back to Chai on a long line and scattered the treats under her favorite scavenging draws: trash cans.
Session profile: Distraction: dried fish Reinforcer: cream cheese followed by eating the distraction Distraction safe-keeping: long line Immediate response on a loose long line: NO
Round 1
Round 2
I did this one right after the previous session, but approached from the other side this time. Immediate recall success because Chai knows I have Philadelphia (if I had to guess why!)
Round 2 profile: Distraction: dried fish Reinforcer: cream cheese followed by eating the distraction Distraction safe-keeping: long line Immediate response on a loose long line: YES
Round 3
Same location; right after session 2; approaching from the original direction again.
Round 3 profile:
Distraction: dried fish Reinforcer: cream cheese followed by eating the distraction Distraction safe-keeping: – Immediate off leash response: YES
It is fascinating to me that in the third session – the video above – Chai doesn’t even want the fish anymore. In only three recall rounds, I have turned fish from something she’d try and blow off my recall for even though she was on a long line into the most boring treat in the world that she has very little interest in.
I don’t want to jinx it, but if I were cautiously optimistic, I would say: found food (including fish) trumps anything except for cream cheese. I would love to be right about this one – it would solve all my recall “problems”! But I know I need to be careful. Chai’s recall is a flighty animal and needs to be approached with great caution! I know that today’s success is, at least in part, because – as Tracy (Tracy, in case you’re reading this: I love this metaphor you’ve used for Huck!) would say – I have used the earlier two sessions as scaffolding for the third (successful) one. And as I would say (to Tracy or any other student): a successful off-leash recall only bumps you up to the next level once you’ve succeed after a break, un-scuffolded!
I’ll think about this some more but I believe what I’ll do is try this same set-up in a different location and see if I get a recall on a loose long line on the first try. I won’t make the mistake of going directly to off leash in a new location!
August 26, 2023
Fresa Parque
Chai knew this was a set up. That said, she did GREAT in both sessions. Already doing better than yesterday by keeping the leash loose in the very first rep. I did the second one pretty much right after – using it as scaffolding as Tracy would say.
In both sessions (because Chai knows it’s a set-up), she offers eye contact while we’re still far from the distraction. I keep heading that way anyways to make it a little harder. If I wasn’t filming and trying to be clearly visible on screen, I might have marked the check-ins with a recall cue right away.
Round 1 profile:
Distraction: dried fish Reinforcer: cream cheese followed by eating the distraction Distraction safe-keeping: long line Immediate response on loose line: YES
No break – round 2, off leash, same location:
Round 2 profile:
Distraction: dried fish Reinforcer: cream cheese followed by eating the distraction Distraction safe-keeping: – Immediate response: YES
Notes for the next session:
For my next session, I’d like to have a helper set up the fish distraction, come across it as a true surprise for Chai on a long line and see if I still get the success I’m after. If this works, I’ll take a break and try the next session after – again with a helper – off leash.
August 27, 2023
Location 3: Kiba’s Park
My friend had to take his mom to the hospital right before we got a chance to do a set-up (no worries – all is well with his mom). I managed to sneakily set up anyways. This time, there is no way Chai knows there is a distraction set-up …
Session profile:
Distraction: dried fish Reinforcer: cream cheese and eating the distraction Distraction safe-keeping: long line (accidentally) dragging Immediate success: YES!
The first rep in the video above shows that Chai didn’t realize this was a distraction recall: I called pretty early, Chai responded and then headed off in some other direction rather than going towards the fish or sticking with me.
I wanted a distraction recall that wouldn’t feel like a set up and where she actually knew there was a distraction! So I didn’t point the fish out to Chai, but looped back around and let her get really close this time. This time, she clearly knew there was a distraction (but hopefully not that it was a set-up)! She responded beautifully and then went back to eating the fish with much more gusto than in the previous sessions – maybe precisely because she thought she had found street food rather than a distraction I had placed? Who knows.
While this session went really well (as in: Chai did really well), I did not stick to my training plan: I was going to hold on to the long line, but in both these reps, I let go of it and just let her drag it. Which really doesn’t help anyone because Chai is too far ahead by the time I call. The long line isn’t long enough for me to step on it if I needed to. Its weight may still have helped create an on-leash feeling, but the session I ended up having today was not the one I planned on having. Note to self: ALWAYS read your session notes right before you train!
Notes for the next sessions:
I feel ready to give this a try off leash and without scaffolding. I will do the next session at Kiba’s park again, where Chai has already succeeded with the long line dragging, but probably in a different spot of the park. f Chai gives me the response I’m hoping for – a single-rep off-leash success – I will then go for a single-rep off-leash fish recall success in two more locations before making the distractions more difficult:
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I’m calling this post iteration 5.2 because it is (still) the fifth stab at distraction recalls and we keep playing at level 2 (barriers).
The plan
After consultandolo con la almohada for a few days, I decided that my next step was going to be a high-value distraction in a container rather than a lower value one without a barrier. I came to the concusion that repeating 3 different parks with 3 different containers, each holding a high-value distraction Chai would gain access to with my help, would best prepare her for taking another stab at off-leash distractions. Below are the next steps: 3 locations per container (not always the same 3), resulting in a total of 9 challenges at level 2 (off leash dog, distraction C – difficult – behind a barrier):
The reinforcer would be the same value as distraction (liver) from my hand, followed a release to the distraction itself which I would then open for Chai who values distractions more than treats from my hand. The reason I treat from my hand rather than using just the distraction as a reward in this scenario is that treating from my hand teaches the dog to come all the way back rather than predicting an immediate release – and in an emergency situation, that’s what I need.
Container 1, location 1: liver
August 12, 2023
As always, I use a tongue click when Chai turns towards me – and as almost always, in the video below, my microphone isn’t picking it up. The treat from my hand is a piece of liver – same as the distraction in the container she then gets to eat. I love how she doesn’t treat the container as a food toy anymore but waits for me to open it for her! She knows the drill!
Kiba’s Park:
Container 1, location 2: liver
August 13, 2023
Toy PlayPlaza
Today, Chai started towards the container while still chewing on the treat from my hand. She already knows she’ll get the distraction, and she is waiting for me to open her containers! I love it! I’ve been hiding my camera behind trees or bushes so it doesn’t become too much of a set-up cue. However, I suspect Chai still knows when things are set-ups. She’s just too damn smart to trick.
I didn’t film this one and am happy about this session for two reasons: one, Chai didn’t come across my stealthily set-up liver container right away. We had to stroll past it several times until I called her, almost nose on container, and got a beautiful response. This tells me that the tripod is a cue to look for a distraction and recall. Going forwards, every container will have at least one session I don’t record. The other thing I’m excited about is that I finally made it to an environment I haven’t done any distraction recalls in so far. I love mixing things up to help generalization!
Container 2, location 1: liver
August 15, 2023: Kiba’s Park
We mastered container 2 in its first location! I handled things the same way I did yesterday with container 1 at the Dead-Poultry Park: rather than filming, I set up the distraction stealthily and casually came across it. No tripods, no big production that may have given away that we were training. Chai nailed it and got both liver from my hand and from container 2! I’ll try and record the next recall again.
Container 2, location 2: liver
August 16, 2023: Toy Play Plaza
I tried setting up as casually as possible: first the tripod, then walk away, then walk past it, then place container #2 while Chai wasn’t watching. Of course she turned and saw it, moved towards it … and did a beautiful “Schnee” recall. I had planned to loop another loop before encountering it, but this worked too. It was lovely to see the recall work just as well in Game’s presence.
Container 2, location 3: liver
August 17, 2023: Dead-Poultry Park
After running around and working on other things for half an hour, we did …
Container 3, location 1: liver
… on the other side of the Dead-Poultry Park:
Container 3, location 2: liver
August 20, 2023: Chapultepec
The video below shows two sessions. In the first one, you’ll see Chai coming from a different direction than I do: left of screen. This is the first time in a while she didn’t give me a single-rep success on the first try! You’ll also notice that in both sessions (the second one was half an hour later and successful), Chai noses the container more than she has in the past. This is new as well. Part of it may be that we’re out here with a dog friend and Chai may be a little overstimulated and therefore more impulsive. OR yesterday’s “Schnee” recall failure at Fancy Park I (a recall that wasn’t part of my training set-ups) may play a role! I already know this puppy learns FAST and exactly what you teach her – which isn’t always what you want her to learn!
Generally, according to my recall protocoI, I would have a second go right after the first one and only take a break after getting a success. I didn’t do that in this case because Chai was very excited and my friend was waiting and keeping their dog from joining the fun. Taking a break felt like it was more likely to set Chai up for success – and my patient friend as well.
I can’t wait to find out how our NEXT mouse trap session will go: when Chai isn’t over-stimulated, will she succeed right away in our third location? Will she be as nosy as she was at Chapultepec? Stay tuned!
Container 3, location 3: liver
August 24, 2023: Kiba’s Park
Achievement unlocked at the first try! Party for the puppy!
… which brings us to the last check mark! We’ve made it through all 9 container challenges:
What’s next for Chai?
I do not want to go right to unprotected distractions. I’ve been there, done that and failed at it before. I’m thinking I’ll do liver (or maybe chicken to mix it up) behind a real-world barrier (fence) in three locations. Reward with something even higher value (cream cheese)? And then do unprotected low value distractions (dried fish?) in the real world and, once again, reward with something REALLY high value (cream cheese)? Maybe even go back to the long line stage before trying off leash? I’ll have to think about that one some more before taking the next step, becaus there is one thing I know for sure:
We will have to approach Chai’s off-leash distraction recall beast carefully. This dog is lightening fast when it comes to learning what is accessible to her and when! Stay tuned (well, if you’re into this kind of stuff. If you’ve read this far, I suspect you are!) The paragraph above is just my first thoughts; i.e. it’s musings, not a training plan and subject to radical change.
Named in honor of the impressive number of dead roosters or chickens in various states of decay – but always rotten enough that I couldn’t tell whether they were roosters or chickens and giving off a deliciously disgusting smell – that Chai has found and rolled in in this particular park. ↩︎
If I’m not mistaken, my reinforcer for the kibble recalls is liver in all the videos below (same value as chicken).
Container 3, location 1
I started on a long line. She reoriented as soon as she spotted the container – so I took a break to loop around the park and then set up in a different part of the park off leash!
Well done, puppy!
Container 3, location 2
Two days later at our toy play plaza. You go girl!
Container 3, location 3
Yet another park for our third location!
Session 1
In real time, I had the impression that Chai’s response was below baseline speed (even though it looks good on the video). To be on the safe side, I took a break and then did another session in a different part of the same park. (Note that my new Chai-tailored recall strategy is not like my distraction protocol: I get to take a break right away and then try in a different location.)
Session 2
After a 10 or 15 minute break; different location in the same park.
In the video above, Chai definitely turned on a dime! Achievement unlocked!
