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:
Content warning: this week’s diary is not for those of you who feel disgust easily when it comes to the things a dog might find on their walk. If this is you and you want to be absolutely sure you do not accidentally read about such things, skip September 29 and 30 as well as October 1 and its footnote, or skip this entire post.
September 27, 2023: deep taco-inspired thoughts on society (and some dog training too)
Activity level: average
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone during Game’s (short) morning and noon loops.
Solo adventures
Moring fun with Dina
Chai went on two solo adventures: one in the morning at the Urban Enrichment Jungle where we met Daniel and Dina. The two dogs played lovely together and it was great catching up with Daniel after his Morocco and my Austria trip.
It is a life, and it is not a bad one I don’t think. And then again: there is no way out of this life. I’m not familiar with Octavio’s educational background, but assuming they are unlikely to be hired for a job that pays more, I cannot imagine that they are able to save a lot of money. They probably support their aging parents. They will continue on in their house en el estado for another generation if they go the traditional route of marriage and children and such.
I think about these things as we joke over the counter of Octavio’s bike-drawn mobile taco stand – their eyes gleaming, a big smile showing bright, white teeth, short dark hair molded into a triangular prism, slightly bent to the left for a daring, playful, boisterous look. A washed-out white t-shirt with a band logo, fashionably torn blue jeans, sneakers, dark brown eyes. Octavio is slender and moves fast behind the metal counter screwed to their bicicle trailer, strong hands with long fingers tossing and turning tacos on the hot plate, ladeling taco meat, snatching a styrofoam plate. Octavio is moving smoothly like a DJ turning the tables, like someone dancing to a song only they can hear (maybe Complicado by Gera MX, Jayrick and Ervin River). They are young, they are strong, they are handsome and they know it.
Theirs is a good life, I think to myself after, if it is the life you want. An excellent life if you’re a people person who gets along with their parents and wants that traditional thing with the kids in the multi-generational house and all. You know you’ll be a home owner one day, and till then, you never have time to get bored anyways. From a young age, you have the responsibility of being your parents’ (and potentially your kids’) financial caretaker. If it is the life you want, that responsibility might feel good: you are part of what keeps the family afloat. People depend on you.
A while ago, I read Abolish the Family and the other day, I listened to an interview with M.E. O’Brien. I remember how Sophie Lewis calls the nuclear family the smallest unit of capitalism. I agree. I agree that a free society that relies on family structures (biological or chosen) is an oximoron. It’s not that a free society can’t have people sticking together – we are social animals after all and people will stick together. It’s just that in order to be truly free, family cannot be a means of survival anymore than capitalism, gender or the police. A society that is truly free is radically different, not only slightly so. A society that is truly free (we’ll get there one day, but not in my lifetime) will have to be THAT different from the society we live in today that we wouldn’t recognize it and that the arbiters of power won’t be able to perceive it as a society at all. You are rightly scared of it if you like your life because your life in a free society will be unrecognizably different.
In any case, Octavio seems content enough. Until Chai recalls away from everything, we will have regular chit-chats when I get tacos and sometimes, we’ll banter or flirt a little across the counter because it’s what you do in the society that actually is.
I think of Zane and how he believes that we tend to always see our actual life in a kind of golden light and frame it as a choice we have made rather than the only option we had in order to feel less at the mercy of things. Like Swankie in Nomadland who is dying of cancer and wants to take one last trip to Alaska rather than die in a hospital …. I thought it was a beautiful, romantic and bold choice. He thought it was sad, depressing and very much a lack of a choice. I tend to contradict Zane’s arguments (I like to think I’m free to make choices myself) but sometimes, I wonder if he’s right.
If the person I am today had Octavio’s life, I would not be content. And then again, there is no way I’d be the person I am today if I had Octavio’s life. It is perfectly possible that, if I had Octavio’s life, I would like it as much as they do. It is also possible that they don’t like it at all and just don’t show me.
“¡Hasta luego!” I smile, take my tacos and leave with my Border Collie.
Picking up the formal recall again
Chai and I walked to the Urban Enrichment Jungle. After an off-leash loop, I did an easy “Schnee” recall (formal recall) rewarded by a taco. The second taco will be for more distraction training!
Leash walking in manners mode (collar)
We walked in manners mode to a corner store (5-20 steps between treats) where Chai waited outside and continued manners mode practice on the way home. She’s now passed out on the floor, looking content.
The Game of Chai
Throughout the day, Chai and Game played a lot. Maybe they missed each other while Game and I were gone!
Both dogs stayed home alone for about an hour when I went to pick up Kristen and Zai’s washing machine. In the late afternoon, Chai stayed home by herself while Game and I ran a quick errand.
Afternoon solo adventure
Chai and I walked to the Toy Play Plaza. She ran around, chased squirrels and played in the fountain. I had brought one of my fleece tug toys and we did a brief tug-and-chase session. WOW, her tugging has improved! What a strong, confident girl! (No video.)
After some more running around, we worked on sits and fold-back downs (they have gotten hard again) both on a park bench and on the ground.
We walked home in collar mode, going between 5 and 30 steps between treats.
September 29, 2023: the best kind of enrichment (content warning: it’s disgusting!), an easy recall and otherwise a regular day
Activity level: on the lower end of average
Solo adventure
Chai went to the Urban Enrichment Jungle by herself for half an hour in the morning. We met Dina and Daniel again and our dogs chased and raced each other. Chai also made time to steal another dog’s ball 5 or 6 times.
Then she had her most enriching enrichment experience yet. This is where you’ll want to stop reading if you have a low tolerance for disgusting stuff. Pick back up at the PM Adventure heading.
She discovered bandages someone had tossed into the bushes. It was partly actual bandages, partly banana (?) leaves, dripping with what I suspect was human puss. It was bright yellow and I don’t remember the last time I’ve smelled something this disgusting. She slurped down some and rolled in some more (she was in heaven!) before I picked it up and threw it into a trash can.
How we experience disgust …
(Keep scrolling down if you don’t want to read about this!)
Seeing Chai slurp puss and tossing out the bandages/leaves felt SO much more disgusting than when my dogs have rolled in human poop – and that already feels quite disgusting.
It’s interesting how this works: other animal’s poop hardly bothers me at all. It’s the human animal that brings out this visceral response in me. Someone – I don’t remember who it was – told me that this is because as humans, we are most susceptible to bacteria, viruses and parasites that affect our own species. Therefore, we respond most strongly to things that might contain potential dangers while our response to, say, the poop of a different species doesn’t bother us as much since the associated bacteria, viruses and parasites are less likely to be dangerous to us. It’s a mechanism of self-protection.
I don’t know if that’s true or an urban myth, but if it is, judging by my visceral response, human puss is more dangerous than human excrements. It makes sense I guess: if there’s puss, there is probably an infection and avoiding close contact may be smart. If there’s poop, it may be perfectly fine.
Chai got home full of energy (and puss) and, after taking a shower, wrestled for another half hour with Game. Apparently, it was an animating find!
PM adventure
In the afternoon, I walked with both dogs to the Dead Poultry Park and looped around a little. It wasn’t a long walk today but squirrels got chased and Chai got an easy taco recall in (no video).
Home alone in the PM and beyond
Chai and Game stayed home alone for a few hours hours when I visited a friend to co-work in the afternoon.
Chai also briefly stayed home by herself during Game’s last night loop.
September 30, 2023: another day without special events (and disgusting enrichment, part 2)
Activity level: lower end of average
Solo adventures
Skip the first paragraph below if your disgusting-things tolerance is low! The second paragraph is safe.
Chai went to the Urban Enrichment Jungle for 30 minutes this morning. Once again, it was VERY enriching: she found part of the puss-covered banana leaves I had missed yesterday (apparently, none of the other animals in the park are into this delicacy), a few licky-mat-like spots on the ground and got to eat some of the bread the person who feeds birds every morning didn’t shoo her away from today.
For her second solo adventure, Chai and I went back to Urban Enrichment Jungle in the afternoon. We successfully did her distraction recall challenge (loose back tie) for a delicious taco de canasta con chicharrón, looped through the park and played tug and fetch with a fleece tug.
I was also going to start working on the hug-an-object trick … but I just didn’t get around to it.
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone for about an hour when Game and I went shopping.
October 1, 2023: two parks and a new trick
Activity level: average
The AM
We went to the Urban Enrichment Jungle for Chai’s solo adventure.
Shaping
I love how in the video below, you can really see an instance of shaping with marker cues making a difference: “Good” (room service) and “Get it” (chase thrown treat) have different meanings and allow us to communicate more effectively!
We had a second 4-in session (since this one was so short, I thought two a day couldn’t hurt) and her first two sessions of shaping the hug-an-object trick (which she very much enjoyed!)
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone for Game’s noon loop.
Afternoon solo adventure
Skip everything under this subheading if your dog-finds-rotten-animals tolerance is low and/ or your love live poultry! It’s safe to continue reading under the next subheading: Husbandry.
Chai and I walked to Dead Poultry Park, did a big loop and an easy taco-rewarded formal recall. Chai’s favorite part of our outing was finding a torn plastic bag with a long-dead rooster in it (the maggots and the smell gave away the length of his death – or maybe you don’t need to be dead all that long to start smelling and turn into maggot central? I wouldn’t know.) She had rolled in it quite a bit by the time I realized what she was doing and relocated the rooster to a trash can.
Here’s what’s puzzling to me: WHY do folks not compost their dead roosters, put them in the trash can or feed them to their dog? Why is it always plastic bags by the side of the road or in a park? The back story of said roosters is (I guess – this is a just-so story I’m telling myself) the loss of a cock fight. Alright. So you don’t want to keep your dead or injured loser rooster around. But why get rid of them in THIS particular way? I don’t understand.1
Poor Chai had to take a shower – the second one this week – once we got home. She smelled too much like dead rooster to welcome her on my couch otherwise. But now she’s all shiny, showered and brushed.
Sleepy pup post rooster-rolling adventure, a shower, drying off and getting brushed!
Husbandry
+ Brush (regular brush). + Claws (both front paws). This time, Chai stayed completely relaxed for the first paw and mostly relaxed for the second one. We got over that brief hump of not liking to have our nails done fast!
In other news
Chai peed on the living room floor today – something she hasn’t done in a long time. I’m pretty sure the reason it happened was that I accidentally closed the bathroom door for about 15 minutes. Since Chai doesn’t have a concept of not peeing in the living room, she didn’t hold it but just went. Oh well. I hope this stays an isolated incident. If it happens with the bathroom door open, I’ll consider harshly telling her “No” before picking her up to have her finish her business in the shower. While I am not mad at her for peeing anywhere (she can’t help it), it would be nice to one day live in a place where I can unmurphy the bed while the dog is out!
October 2, 2023: by now we are done with this week’s disgusting things. I promise!
Activity level: average
The AM
Chai and I briefly went to Urban Enrichment Jungle, starting with an off-leash recall away from an empty kitchen towel target in location 2. Chai checked in with me before getting to the point I meant to call her and I used the check-in as a start button for my formal recall. Immediate response and she loved her taco, and then went to check out the empty target. You can’t see a lot on my video due to Chai’s angle of approach, so I’m allowing myself to not edit or upload it – it really is time for a major video editing break!
Shaping
+ 4 paws in a bowl session (no video). + 2 hug-the-pole shaping sessions.
Kiba time!
Game, Chai and I walked to Kiba’s park to meet Alan. Chai found LOTS of street food and the two girls played together and briefly with a group of other dogs.
Home alone
Both dogs stayed home alone while I walked to the tlapalerÃa to get an empaque (whatever this is called in English).
Leash walking
I realized I needed a second empaque and went again, this time taking Chai. On the way back home, we walked in collar mode, going between 5 and 25 steps between treats.
I’ll change my collar approach for Chai: I’m going to go “up to” X steps from now on, but mark, treat and reset my step counter anytime she looks at me before reaching the X threshold. I wonder how far and how fast I’ll get her eye contact up this way. Knowing Chai, I bet it’ll be easier to then go to intermittent reinforcement … We’ll see!
October 3, 2023
Activity level: lowish average
The AM
We met Daniel and Dina at Urban Enrichment Jungle in the morning, and the two dogs played as long and joyfully as I haven’t seen Chai play in a while. Watching those two is a great way to start the day – they seem SO happy (and Dina is SO fast!)
Chai was ready to doze off for the rest of the morning while I worked. She had quite the workout with Dina!
We’re turning into tlapalerÃa regulars …
I took both dogs on a walk to the tlapalerÃa. I’m rigging up my washing machine drainage system, and it’s turning us into tlapalerÃa regulars. Maybe one day, if the dog training thing doesn’t work out, I’ll be a plumber. What I’ve come up with may not be perfect – but it sure works!
There was probably more going on today …
… but I didn’t take notes. So we’re ending our week 26 digest here, with two sleepy puppy pictures future C just took when proofreading this post on December 11, 2023:
October 1, 2023: Chai’s first two “hug an object” shaping sessions!
Very happy with how today’s sessions went!
Notes for next time:
+ Take turns standing and kneeling myself. + Only click for paws on the respective outside of the pole (to eventually get up to pole between paws). + When appropriate, select for paw curls around object/reinforce duration; whatever makes more sense depending on what Chai offers!
October 2, 2023 – a tiny bit of duration and paw curls
Today’s two sessions! I’m now trying to select for paw curls on either side and have stopped clicking for paws on the “wrong” side of the pole. Catching those curls is difficult though – Chai is moving fast!
October 7, 2023: back to shaping after a break!
After taking a few days’ break from shaping, we picked back up with the “Hug an object” trick. In this session, I get quite a lot of variation to select from! I end up clicking the jump-hug once or twice because it’s the first time I get both paws, but then stop clicking it because Silvia has warned us: we don’t want a dog who ends up leaning on the object, but a dog who sits and hugs it independently. You see a bit of confusion in Chai when I stop clicking the jumps. I still have to say: love the variation! Maybe next time, I’ll start out with a sit.
October 10, 2023: 2 sessions!
2 sessions today! We started from a sit.
Session 1
Session 2
October 11, 2023: getting nicer hugs with the pole close and feeding in a sit!
Silvia’s feedback “Very cool! Just yes, put the pole close to her chest so she can’t lie down. If she still does, reward so high that she needs to get up first to get the reward. In general, reward higher if getting a down – and lower if getting sit up.”
Based on their feedback – today’s video:
October 14, 2023: duration!
Silvia suggested I aim for duration next. This is tricky with this behavior because Chai doesn’t offer duration. I wondered whether I should try and shape it the same way I shape duration on a hold with a chompy dog: wait out 2 or 3 re-bites before clicking and hope the dog eventually figures out that they might as well simply keep their mouth closed for the time it would take to open and close their mouth 3 times. I went into today’s session with the plan on feeding every 3rd paw sweesh past the pole. But Chai totally surprised me and gave me duration right on the first try!
The cut in the video is me re-loading my hands with food. Chai didn’t immediately offer the same behavior again, so I counted 3 paw swabs … after a little messiness, she gave me duration again though! WOW! I was so excited I took it and fed all my treats even though she was half-way leaning on my arm. Go puppy! We are getting somewhere!
October 16, 2023: duration gets hard again
I asked Silvia what to focus on when getting messy duration as above. Here’s their response:
“Great – should be easy from here on!!! Just continue like this, focusing on duration. Once you have that consistently, start looking for firmness of the hug – pulling the pole away gently and rewarding for resistance.”
It wasn’t easy for Chai today though: at first, she tried leaning against the pole. I seem to have communicated that that’s not what I want, so she kept sliding off instead … I realized it was partly because she was too far from the pole, but when I try to get dog and pole closer together, Chai has a tendency to scoot backwards, away from it. The video below shows some messy communication between Chai and me!
October 17, 2023: back to looking for deep single-paw hugs
Silvia’s feedback on my last video:
“[L]looks like she is actually confusing it with “sit up with support for front feet”… So maybe focus some on getting just one paw first. Reward lower to encourage that. Look for nice, deep 1 paw hugs to clean up the behavior some before going for duration again.”
Silvia sees what I see, too. I’m surprised they expected the behavior to smoothly progress from the previous video – that speed of understanding is not what I’m used to with my dogs. I wonder if Silvia typically gets this much understanding this fast! (Not that I’d complain if I got it; it’s just not what I expect.)
In any case – below is our next attempt:
October 18, 2023: continuing (trying) to clean up deep single-paw hugs
The cuts in the video below are me getting treat refills – this was a single session.
September 30, 3023: a messy session with 2 nice reps
Training plan:
Only bowl #5 – 2 “Good”s followed by 1 “Get it!”
Only bowl #6 – “Get it!”
Only bowl #5 – 2 “Good”s followed by 1 “Get it!”
Only bowl #6 – “Get it!”
Home position: treat hand on thigh.
Today’s session was messy – my head wasn’t in the game and neither was Chai’s balance in the first part of the session. However, (3) and (4) – the last two bowl reps – looked great. Let me show you those so you can see what we are aiming for!
My goal is a session that looks exactly like this one – minus the paw coming out (see the freeze frame in the video above). We’ll get there!
Plan for the next session:
Practice without a dog first; then repeat today’s session – but shorten it to:
Only bowl #5 – 2 “Good”s followed by 1 “Get it!”
Only bowl #6 – “Get it!”
Home position: treat hand on thigh.
October 1, 2023: woohooo! A most excellent session!
Chai nailed this session! The adjustments I’ve made over the last few sessions are paying off: with my treat hand on my thigh rather than behind my back, Chai manages to stay in bowl #5 until the “Get it” marker. By keeping the session short (each bowl only shows up once), she has the stamina to do it all.
I also love how well my different marker cues work in this session. Good choice for this one!
Plan for the next session:
Repeat as above, but move home position of my treat hand behind my back again. This will build a little more duration. Stay at that stage until Chai can stay in bowl #5 until the “Get it” marker with this session profile as well.
The next session!
Because today’s first 4-in session was short and good, I went ahead and implemented the plan for the next one the same day:
I like how this looks. Chai does jump out of both bowls with her back legs, but it happens both times when I’m saying “Get it” (a terminal marker). I’ll count it as a success!
Next session:
+ Repeat just like this one but add the “Four” cue again!
October 2, 2023: adding the “Four” cue
I repeated the same session with the Four cue for both bowls. However, this time, Chai’s back feet came out after every marker. We’ll stay at this stage until I get another session where her paws stay in when I say, “Good” (room service)! (Got video but allowing myself not to edit and share so I get more training and book editing done instead!)
October 10, 2023: back to training after being sick
Wheee, C! This is the first time after being sick for a week that I managed THREE shaping sessions (two hug an object ones and this one)! Slowly but certainly, I’m climbing back out my hole of exhaustion!
More of the same … but this time, I’ll show you a video. As a reminder, the current criteria are:
+ Home position: treat hand behind back + Bowl #5: “Four!” cue – 2x “Good,” 1x “Get it!” + Bowl #6: “Four!” cue – 1x “Get it!”
We’ll stay at this stage until Chai’s paws stay in bowl #5 until “Get it.” I’ll likely video all sessions, but only show you every second or third one to save on editing time. In any case, I’ll be sure to show you the one we meet all criteria!
October 14, 2023: room service and balancing success in bowl #5!!
Over the last few days, I’ve had daily sessions, but Chai didn’t manage to stay in bowl #5 all the way to my “Get it!” marker. So while I filmed, I didn’t edit these videos – I prefer time spent training over editing! Yesterday, she almost did it – she held her balance until after the second “Good!” Today, she DID it and held her balance in bowl #5 until my “Get it!” (terminal) marker! Woohoo! Video proof of the superstar below:
Session profile of the video above:
+ Home position: treat hand behind back. + Transition behavior: blink once. + Goal post: stay in bowl #5 until “Get it!”
Notes for the next session:
+ Start with only bowl #6. + Single “Good” followed by a single “Get it!” + If this goes well, the next session after will have 2 “Good”-s – and then, I will call the trick complete!
October 16, 2023: success with bowl #6!
While struggling to gain her balance at first, Chai found it – and then stayed in bowl #6 until my “Get it!” release! Go puppy!!!
Notes for next session:
+ Same as today, but do 2 room service “Good”s before the “Get it!” + Stay at this stage until Chai finds balance right away. Then, declare the trick a success!
October 18, 2023: Chai’s balance improves!
In yesterday’s session, Chai lost her balance after the first “Good” (room service) marker. Today, she made it until the second “Good!” We are – slowly but surely – getting there!
October 19, 2023: duration on “Four” cues in our smallest bowl – marker cue shaping SUCCESS!
SO proud of my superstar! This concludes our “Four” journey! Bowl #6 was the smallest one I aimed for – and Chai just held her duration for 2 “Good”-s until the following “Get it!” Balance queen! Let’s celebrate!
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).
Chai stayed with a dog sitter while Game and I went to New York and Austria. Game had a GREAT time getting to run around the Austrian countryside and did SO well on the journey – but since this is Chai’s diary, I’ll focus on her instead!
It was hard for me to leave Chai with someone I hardly knew, but I’m glad I did. I got daily photo updates (always blurry and usually in dark rooms, often showing 1/3 of a moving dog). While the photo updates weren’t useful, I am grateful for the honesty of the sitter, Gerardo.
The first morning, they let me know they could already touch her but she was still suspicious of their mother.
They texted me when Chai allowed them to take her outside for the first time 2 or 3 days later. This means that day, she allowed them to put on her harness for the first time. I’d given them the back attachment one even though it used to be my no-pulling-allowed harness. It’s faster and easier to put on though, and that mattered more to me. I’m sure they’d let her pull (their own dogs wore bungee attachments), but that’s less important than her being handled against her will. I could tell that this sitter tends to get reinforced for reliably taking dogs for walks and suspected they would even if I asked them to wait, simply because to them, walks is what it means to take good care of a dog. Which is totally legitimate; it’s just not my priority when leaving Chai with a pet sitter.
Gerardo also reported in the next day after when Chai didn’t let them take off her harness after a walk. I asked to just leave it on rather than forcing it – and they did (as evidenced by the fact that it had been partially eaten by the time I picked her up). And I repeated it was okay to not take her for walks at all and let her play in the patio with Marley instead.
Later that day, she allowed for the harness to be taken off again and Gerardo told me that too.
They also let me know when Chai ate a sandal and a leash (Gerardo had left them lying around unattended and easily accessible to my little thief). They reported that as I had asked them to, they had not punished or reproached her. (From the way it was phrased, I could tell some sort of correction would have been their default approach. That’s okay – everyone gets to have their own approach. I’m really happy Gerardo respected mine even though it probably wasn’t in line with their own philosophy. THAT is what makes a trustworthy sitter.) I just apologized and offered to replace the sandals and the leash, and they accepted.
That is all the updates I got – I don’t know if they left something out, but I appreciate the updates I did get and the fact that Gerardo humored my approach to Chai to some extent. (Did they do so at all times? Maybe; I only know they tried, and also that it is difficult to remember other people’s philosophies when you have a different one and the other person isn’t around as a reminder.)
Getting back my little Border Collie
When I picked Chai up this morning, she was SO happy to see me! This dog? She loves me just as much as I love her. Gerardo’s mother handed her over and I could tell Chai was no longer afraid of them touching her – excellent!
I find it important to trust in the competency of others and not try and control everything. That’s easy when it comes to people and their own dogs: after all, folks get to raise their dogs in whatever way they want.
But relative strangers and my dogs? This is difficult for me, especially with a dog like Chai who is less than a year old. It is important to me that things be done a certain way when it comes to my own puppies. I am proud of myself for having left her in Gerardo’s care and not having been disappointed! Thank you, Gerardo, for further tipping my scale towards trusting in the competency of strangers.
Chai was shedding extremely when I picked her up. When I had dropped her off, she had just begun to shed. By now, she is really blowing her coat! In Game, this will often happen before she goes into heat. I’m curious to see if it will be true for Chai too!
Notes on Chai’s behavior post sitting
+ Chai didn’t pull on her leash more than normal when we walked home from the dog sitter’s. Yay!
+ She responded to dogs and people in the street just like she used to: curious or indifferent. Again: yay!
+ She was extremely cheerful and looked like she was smiling the whole way home. When we met one of her friends (a mix she knows from the park), she got very excited! Overall, she looks bigger and seems more confident to me. That might just be me – in any case, I believe the experience of staying with Gerardo and their mom for a week was a good one for both of us.
+ She peed outside and got treats, and also in the shower (her bathroom) back home – not in my living room! She was happy to see Game … but not nearly as excited as when she first saw me and could hardly contain herself. Except for Phoebe, none of my dogs have been THIS excited to see me after a longer absence. It felt good: a dog’s way of loving a human, turned all the way up.
+ She was as confident as ever going into a large pet store and navigating a busy intersection – she’s her old self and I’m SO happy to have her back!
+ Chai stayed home alone for Game’s noon loop. No vocalizing and no problem – this, too, is something she hasn’t forgotten! I’m really, really happy how well her dog sitting experience went and left Gerardo a nice review.
Harness switcheroo
I decided to switch my harness contexts around after Chai had already had a pet sitting experience where she likely pulled on her (previously no-pull) back clip harness: from now on, the front clip harness (inherently less comfortable to pull in) will be my no-pull harness and the back clip one is “pulling allowed” (within reason). The circles on her back-clip harness haven’t significantly decreased pulling (not that Chai pulls a lot to begin with), so at some point, you’ll have to recognize that a particular method isn’t the one for the dog in front of you: Chai LIKES running circles while I don’t like circling for the sake of circling. The front-clip harness makes circling less fun which should be setting us up for more success.
Btw, the reason I originally started with a back-clip harness as the no-pull one was that I bought the first cheap puppy harness I came across right after getting her. (She had neither a collar, a harness nor a leash when she came to me as a foster because she hadn’t left her previous human’s house, so there was no need for equipment.) That first one I saw just happened to be a back-clip harness, so that’s what I got.
Both dogs went to Fresa Parque for half an hour and I did some Game brushing. I can see what my students tell me over and over again happened to their stellar puppy recall happening to my informal recall (the throway pup-pup-pup recall): it’s getting weaker and weaker becauser all I’ve been doing is use it rather than actually work on it. It is fun to observe how different her response is between this one and the formal recall I’ve been building!
The remains of the day
Getting back home, Game was feeling horny! She’ll go into heat soon. The horny phase is one of her early tells. A little play, and then Chai said enough and I separated them, letting both settle down with a chew. (A chew is a good place to put your horniness, says Game.)
All three of us were feeling lazy and kept the day low key.
Home alone
Both dogs stayed home alone when I went out with friends for a few hours.
September 11, 2023: renaming Fresa Parque
Activity level: average
The AM
We spent 45 minutes at the Urban Enrichment Jungle (the new name I’ve given to Fresa Parque). I’ll put together an Urban Enrichment video compilation sometime – it is quite impressive! This morning, the dogs found:
+ Soaked popcorn: Game loved it after having turned her back on it yesterday when it wasn’t soaked yet. + Chai found an apple and stuck with it even though I scattered kibble to compare values. Game preferred the scatter over the apple. + Both dogs snacked on these little artificially colored heart-shaped candies someone had dropped and that were partially crushed into the ground, turning them into an excellent food toy.
Once upon a time, that’s how today’s food toy must have started out. Pixabay image by omnigrapher (thank you!)
Apart from food enrichment – apples have been common recently and Chai is a fan! – the Urban Enrichment Jungle also comes with:
+ Social contacts in the form of familiar and unfamiliar humans and dogs. + Other dogs’ toys that can be chased together with other dogs or stolen and traded for treats. + A dog playground (aka agility-ish equipment in the dog park we sometimes have to ourselves). + The Antagonist Chai likes to try and outsmart (a person who puts bread crumbs for pajaros on the ground every morning and mostly, but not always observes said birds from a bench across from the crumbs). The person has a long stick, and every time a dog comes close to the crumbs, they will use that stick to try and shoo the dog away without getting up. Chai tends to run and check for crumbs. She navigates the person like a challenge, making sure to stay out of the reach of the stick, bouncing back when the stick comes close, but then trying to go for the bread again. I’ll remove her out of respect for the person, but it is FASCINATING to observe the interaction (which sometimes happens before I get there). + Speaking of pajaros: Game very much enjoys running into a flock of pigeons who often hang out on the other side of this park. Game will chase them off and then check for their food source – it’s either grist, which she doesn’t like, or bread, which she’ll inhale. + Sometimes, we even see a Bengal cat being walked on a leash at the Urban Enrichment Jungle. + Occasionally, there’s George a squirrel or two. This isn’t the most squirrely park we frequent, so the squirrels are surprise highlights!
But back to this morning! We left when Game greeted Eva (a BC friend) with too much of a Malinois attitude for Eva’s taste. Before going into heat, her play style typically becomes more physically intense. That goes well with dogs who know her well, but weirds out others. So far, Eva and Game have only played running games, and Eva felt overwhelmed by a wrestling-mood Game. Game is clearly getting close to her heat: both her joy about small things and her likelihood of getting highly aroused by small things go up. I can see that in her play behavior and her interactions with me and the world. Hormones are wild! (I assume heat in dogs is caused by hormones, but I don’t actually know that – if it’s something else and you know, please enlighten me in the comments!)
In any case, it is fascinating to observe! This morning, we got to the park half an hour earlier than usual and Game was SO peppy! Shiny eyes, running bouncily back and forth like a playful, juvenile dog who can’t get enough of the world. These are two sides of the same coin. The time before she goes into heat really seems to emotionally sensitize her: she’ll express her feelings more than she does the rest of the year. Her joy looks twice as joyful and her wild play gets twice as wild and more easily tips into overarousal.
Maybe tomorrow, I’ll only take Chai to the Urban Enrichment Jungle and Game and I will go biking or inline skating later instead.
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone for 30 minutes while Game and I skated errands.
Solo adventure
Chai and I walked to the Toy Play Plaza for some running around and a recall set-up in the afternoon.
We walked part of the way back home in collar mode with between 5 and 40 steps between treats. Chai was being brilliant and only overstepped once!
In the evening, we had a frog session on the couch – without a pillow. Both of Chai’s legs were stretched back all the way! I believe this was our best session yet!
September 12, 2023: squirrels, street food and some training
Activity level: average
The AM
I took Game on a loop around the block and then Chai by herself for half an hour’s Urban Enrichment Jungling. Game in her pre-heat-days is not the best fit for the ruckus of the morning park dogs. She’ll get to go on her own outing later.
Chai played briefly with two of her friends, but then showed more interest in non-social enrichment like the apple she found and ate and stealing two balls. She’s growing up to be a most excellent ladrona. I like that streetsmart gangstery side of hers – the one that dodges The Antagonist and steals toys to trade in for food. She’s benign trouble; the best kind.
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone for Game’s mid-morning walk.
Training
+ We worked on the 4-in bowl #5 trick and I successfully re-attached the “Four” cue (no video).1 In my next session, I’ll take another stab at – drumroll! – bowl #6! + We worked on the sit up trick with the paw target (no video, but I am feeling less weight on the plate now – Chai is making progress!) + We worked on putting the nail clippers in the china bowl and the smaller plastic bowl. + Chai did a crooked frog after the dogs’ evening loop.
PM adventure
If you see a dog who’s not the color they originally came in, it’s probably one of mine.
Game, Chai and I walked to Dead Poultry Park and spent about an hour there. Game chased squirrels, Chai found and enjoyed parts of un melón and a fun mud hole and did an easy “Snow” recall for a taco she then shared with Game.
Left: multi-squirrel tree. Right: just a Malinois running up a palm tree in pursuit of said squirrels.
Popcorn and a movie Squirrels and a muskmelon.
Husbandry
+ A shower (after enjoying a mud hole at Dead Poultry Park) + “Brush” (Chai looks so handsome and shiny after today’s bath and brushing session!)
September 12, 2023: formal recall success and feeling better about pedicures!
Activity level:lower end of average
The AM
Game got a loop around the block and Chai went to the Urban Enrichment Jungle. She was SO happy to see her friend Dina and play and run with her – the two of them haven’t seen each other in a while and it made me smile to watch them.
Later in the morning, the dogs and I went to Toy Play Plaza for another back-tied recall session. Chai ROCKED it today! We’ll work off leash next time …!
Both dogs ran around the plaza for a little bit and Chai briefly played with a BC-mix looking dog we hadn’t met before.
Shaping
+ Four in – I successfully added bowl #6 – the smallest one! – into bowl #5 (see today’s video). + One object in another on the roof (nail clippers) – Chai got 2/3 on the first try in the china bowl (the third one needed a second try) and THREE out of THREE with the smaller plastic container (no video)!
Home alone
Both dogs stayed home alone for several hours.
Husbandry
+ Brush + “Claws!” (right front paw) – again, way better than the last time! We’re almost back to feeling neutral about mani-pedis! + Since the right front paw had gone so well, I did the left front paw after a break as well. This one was also better than last week (or was it two weeks ago?), but Chai was less calm about it than about the right one. I wonder if that’s because this paw is more sensitive OR because this was the second paw I worked on today. Note to self: if I remember (a big if), reverse the order next time and see what happens!
September 14, 2023: nothing wildly exciting, but headphones are tasty
Activity level:average
The AM
Chai stayed home alone for Game’s morning loop and went on a solo adventure to Urban Enrichment Jungle, and then both joined my morning errands. Chai did okay on her back clip harness in terms of not pulling a lot even though Game was off leash and ahead of her. Good puppy!
Home alone
Game and Chai stayed home alone for 3 hours.
Recall and Toy Play Plaza
We did the easy taco recall of the day at Toy Play Plaza. Chai rocked it and both dogs got to hang out outside for a bit. I had been planning on training after getting home, but ended up feeling too tired. Lots of video editing in the morning and then 3 hours of Spanish peer-supporting … The dogs and I took a snuggle break and called it a day, watching The Lady and the Dale instead. I know people love this documentary but I’ve got some issues with it … anyways, that’s a topic for another day!
Chai ate my headphones, which is sad but right on time: I tend to need new ones before international flights. Story of my life!
September 15, 2023: Dead Poultry Park adventures
Activity level:average
The AM
Chai stayed home alone for Game’s morning loop and then got to go on a brief solo adventure at Toy Play Plaza for our next formal recall step – recalling away from an empty paper target in its usual spot! Success! – and some running around.
Then both dogs stayed home alone while I ran biked what felt like a gazillion pre-travel errands.
Adventuring at Dead Poultry Park
I met a friend at the park and we spent a few hours walking loops, climbing art and taking fun pictures. Both Chai and Game got to come and enjoy chasing squirrels, running and, in Chai’s case, rolling in a mud puddle – one of her favorite things in the world!
Chai, proudly presenting her war paint after the first mud puddle she encountered (when there was still some white left on her face).
September 16, 2023: recall success and meeting a new dog sitter
Activity level:average
The AM
I took both dogs to Toy Play Plaza for their morning adventure, knowing it wouldn’t be as crowded as the Urban Enrichment Jungle. We started with an off leash recall away from the kibble distraction in our usual spot and Chai ROCKED it. Bestest Border Collie ever!
I am still amused that my own dog has been more difficult to distraction recall train than most client dogs I’ve worked with over the last 5 years or so. It feels like we are playing a strategy game where Chai’s goal is to know when she can reach the distraction without coming back first and my goal is to convince her that coming back first is worth her while. There are days that feel like she knows it is worth her while but prioritizing her goal is simply more fun. That is probably not the case since dogs tend to be opportunists, but I like thinking about it that way because it cracks me up. Chai is smart and serious about this to the degree that it doesn’t matter who meets their goal at any given day (she or I) – we just keep playing, and THAT’s what the game is really about, for me anyways: we both have fun. Bernard Suits would say it is an open game – not the kind of game recall training typically is!
Husbandry
+ “Nails!” (both back paws; Chai was super chill and relaxed about it – back claws are easier than front paws!) + “Brush!”
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone for a little under 1.5 hours while Game and I walked errands.
We went to visit Chai’s dog sitter so she could meet them and their dogs a day before being left there. Gerardo, the main sitter, is a BIG person. While Chai has a decent number of human friends, they are all MY friends and we’re all scrappy, lean and athletic. We’re kind of like Whippets and this person was like a Anatolian Shepherd. Chai is more on the Whippety side of canine personality and morphology as well and I had to protect her a bit from Gerardo and their mom so they wouldn’t touch her.
I hope they will humor me and only touch or put a harness on Chai when she approaches first. Sadly, Scarlett is out of town, and Alan is having the craziest work week and can’t take a second juvenile Border Collie (Kiba is already kicking his butt because he doesn’t have enough time for her).
I hope Chai will be the same dog I dropped off when I come back to pick her up again. In any case, Alan will drop by sometime next week to check on her and put my mind at ease.
Chai got to play with the sitters’ own dogs Marley (a well-matched play partner for her) and Tae (who barked nonstop while we were there, which didn’t seem to bother the sitters at all).
Marley (left) and Tae (right). I didn’t take these pictures; Gerardo sent them to me yesterday. Today, they were both wearing choke chains. (No problem for me as long as Gerardo keeps the promise to only walk Chai in her harness or not walk her at all, which I really hope they will.)
On the way home, we stopped at the Urban Enrichment Jungle and looped around a little to decompress. Now Chai is passed out on the couch. When she wakes up again later, we’ll work on the 4 in trick.
September 17, 2023: good-byes are hard!
The AM
After a brief loop, we all went back to bed. Around noon, we took a brief walk to the not-particularly-enriching (today) Urban Enrichment Jungle.
Then, the three of us met Alan at Kiba’s Park for good-byes and Austria-related emotional support. Thank you, Alan, for being here and knowing just the things to say. I hope I am able to do this for you, too.
Chai’s off on a multi-day solo adventure …
At 7pm, I dropped Chai off with the sitter … and let me tell you, it was HARD. I love the sensitive little Border Collie.
In any case, it’s a good exercise for ME to leave Chai with Gerardo, who is a very different person than I. I genuinely believe most people are competent, even if they are competent in ways other than my own. So I remind myself: trust that Chai will be okay. She has proven herself to be a resilient dog time and again – this life experience will make her even more so.
This week, you’ll see me run out of video-editing steam. Recording is fast and fun, but editing is not (for me). Because I was running out of steam, I videoed less and took pictures instead or didn’t bring a phone at all (my preferred way of leaving the house).
My original plan was to video and document Chai’s life until I adopted her out.
We only spent 15 minutes at the almost empty Fresa Parque: Game crashed into a park table/chair, whined and stopped putting weight on her left front paw. So we headed right back home, she got a dose of Rimadyl and is now sleeping on the couch. Pobrecita!
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone for Game’s shortish noon loop (trying to let her paw recover – luckily no limping for now, but I can’t tell if that’s the Rimadyl or her body recovering).
Noon and PM: Chai’s solo adventure
Once I finished work, it was time to head out and meet a colleague and their dogs for some dog geekery. Chai got to hang and play at Dead Poultry Park for 4 hours. She is passed out on the floor now! I had hoped to do some morning shaping (but work got in the way) or afternoon shaping, but I suspect we’ll just let sleeping dogs lie today! This was a lot of exercise and fun! Lucky Chai found a stinky water hole to get muddy in, played with my colleague’s dogs Hilo and Nemo, earned lots of treats for staying within a mostly approved-by-me radius, found a tasty bone and did really well hanging out next to a park bench while the humans had tlacoyos. Good puppy!
Dirty dogs are happy dogs!
September 4, 2023: a formal recall success, 3 parks and a little shaping
Activity level: average
The AM
The three of us had 25 minutes of fun at Fresa Parque. Chai got to play with a young Mal and then found something to eat somewhere behind some bushes where I couldn’t see her. (Of course, my informal pup-pup-pup recall didn’t work because found food is EVERYTHING to Chai and I am not using my formal recall in real life yet.)
Game was running around cheerfully again even though I haven’t given her a painkiller yet – looks like she’s all good! YAY! So glad! That “I am in so much pain” face and whining as she came back to me after crashing into the park chair/table really had me worried for a moment. She usually dismisses pain entirely if it happens while she’s having fun, so that was a strong reaction for her!
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone briefly while Game and I walked errands.
Solo adventure and formal recall success!
Chai and I spent 20 minutes at Toy Play Plaza. We started out by repeating last time’s recall on a long line … and succeeded! Go Chai!
Then there was a taco de birria for the bestest girl and looping around the park, briefly greeting two dogs and playing in the fountain (our personal public baby pool) twice before heading back home.
Shaping
We worked on the sit up trick. Unfortunately, I believe I got what Silvia calls an “ugly sit” again but didn’t see it in real time: Chai’s back paws weren’t facing directly forwards but to the side. I’m going to have to experiment a bit more to learn how to see the perfect position in real time!
We also worked on one object in another on the roof. The smaller container I’m trying to use instead of the last one isn’t working either … I’ll have to find something else. It may be time to go shopping for more kitchenware and look for bolitos in all the sizes! (I’m very much not someone who gets excited about shopping … unless it’s for dog-related stuff! Or plants!)
I had planned on also working on 4 in as well, but work got in the way. Hopefully tomorrow!
Kiba’s park with Game
Game, Chai and I went to Kiba’s Park to run around dogs, screaming and running kids and large umbrellas for half an hour:
They also did a lovely job waiting for me outside a pharmacy.
September 5, 2023: park time, formal recall oops and a little training
Activity level: average
The AM
We started the morning with 40 minutes of park time for Game and Chai. Mornings tend to be enrichment-based (unless Chai is in a mood to play with other dogs): both dogs will scavenge all over the park, finding scraps of what folks left behind the previous night and pieces of bread and tortilla chips the bird-and-squirrel lovers sprinkle like perfect scatters in certain areas in the morning.
Scavengers in their element!Now that Chai’s stomach isn’t as sensitive anymore, she gets to have all the food-finding fun as well.
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone around noon when Game and I went out to get Chai’s recall taco.
Solo adventure
Today’s solo adventure was short – just long enough to get a formal recall oops in! But a solo outing is a solo outing, and we’ll take it!
Tricks and obediency stuff
We worked on 4 paws in, one object in another on the roof and down/good/get it in the afternoon at Fresa Parque (no video of the last one but Chai did very well!)
PM at the park
Before it started raining, both dogs got to go back to Fresa Parque for another 40 minutes. Together with Chai’s solo outing, we’re at our solid 1.5 hour outdoors average (not counting noon and evening pee loops).
Chai then went on to do her afternoon job: steal the balls of all the dogs in the park she could steal from to bring to me and trade for treats. She’s a busy Border Collie with a lot of jobs!
September 6, 2023: a typical BC fun-and-training day
Activity level: average
The AM
We spent 40 minutes at Fresa Parque and Chai had a good time with her park friends. Game did great taking treats for just letting everyone be, and then both dogs wrapped up with a little sniff-and-scavage fun.
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone while Game and I ran errands for 20 minutes. She hasn’t been home alone for longer periods of time lately, but we’ve been doing a good job keeping up with multiple weekly 5-30 minute home-alone sessions (without Game). Normalize, normalize and normalize again!
Chai, Game and I went to Fresa Parque, waited outside a store and practiced foot-on-leash downs at a papelerÃa for 1.5 hrs. The walk there took us quite a bit because Chai was in the mood to pull on her back-clip harness, resulting in many, many circles! I’m really happy Game is an off leash dog, allowing me to focus on Chai when I circle!
On the walk back from the park, Chai walked partly in collar mode. I reinforced every 5 steps today – that way, I needed hardly any nose bumps even though Game was off leash ahead of us us!
At the park, Chai played a bit with two new dogs, both her and Game scavenged and both worked on the tunnel cue since we had the dog park to ourselves. No solo adventure today, but a good day for dogs! Especially for Chai who got an easy formal taco recall (when she was already looking at me!) to super-charge “Schnee!”
Good dogs waiting patiently at the papelerÃa while someone is trying to figure out how to print a page without margins for me.
September 7, 2023
Activity level: going for low today to catch up with work and make sure every week has its low energy day! Let’s see if we’ll succeed …
Note from the future: I succeeded! Low it is!
The AM
Game and Chai spent 30 minutes at Fresa Parque, scavenging and, in Chai’s case, playing a bit with her friend Sam the Doberman. Game got brushed at the park: she is blowing her coat and there’s Malinois fur everywhere.
Chai got bullied a bit by another dog and came back to me to be protected. I love that she trusts I will look out for her, reinforced and did my best to keep the bully at arm’s length.
Happy morning play with Chai’s friend Sam!
Training – just a little bit!
We allowed ourselves a single sit-up session. I forgot to hit record, so no video. In any case: a single sit-up session is totally okay for a quiet day! We’re still within the boundaries of calm-day-ness!
The briefest of solo adventures
We went out briefly to practice a formal recall on a back tie at our usual spot and marvelled at a squirrel together. (Tip: show your dog that you share their interests!)
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone briefly while Game and I ran an errand, and both dogs stayed home alone when I went inline skating at night.
Watching Chai on a calm day
Chai has been really good! She played a little with what’s left of the dolphin toy tonight, tossing it up in the air and pouncing on it. She has been really good about relaxing and isn’t being a pushy, demanding pup at all, but totally able to entertain herself. I’m very happy with how she’s developing!
September 8, 2023: lots of training and fun with friends
Activity level: average
The AM
We spent 30 minutes at Fresa Parque. Chai played a little with now 5-months-old little Doodle Pipa and the dogs enjoyed their urban enrichment jungle (aka finding food and sniffing stuff) for the rest of the time. I ran an experiment with soaked tortilla-chip pieces someone had left for birds and squirrels by sprinkling kibble on top. These two food items seem to be the same value.
After I worked a bit, we did sit up on the floor and then I shaped a sit on a crate. I hope the crate is narrow enough to “force” Chai to keep her back legs facing forwards which, in turn, would allow me to work on the sit up trick ON that platform:
The video above ends right where I should have ended the session. Start to finish sit on a platform – perfect. Leave it at that; take the fact that a treat got stuck under my suitcase kitchen door as a good moment to end.
That’s not what happened in real life. See me continue for a few more minutes and Chai’s response below!
Solo adventure
Chai and I went to Kiba’s park to meet up with Alan. I got another successful recall away from Kiba before saying hi and we both worked our pups – Alan on leg weaves and downs and me on downs and stands, and both girls got to play single-toy fetch with Kiba’s ball.
We walked part of the way back in collar mode (5-20 steps between treats).
Chai also met Loki, a mix she enjoys playing with (see middle picture below), and found a dog food bag to climb into. Maybe she’s telling me to change our kibble brand!
September 9, 2023: out of the city with friends!
Activity level: high physical
Both dogs got their own morning loops today and then hung out at the house while I worked a little. Before it was time to leave on Chai’s solo adventure, Game got another brief pee loop by herself.
Solo adventure at Los Dinamos
Kristen, Kala, Luca, Chai and I went to Los Dinamos for the better part of the day. Chai and Kala played A LOT. Chai saw horses and mules – both grazing freely and with horseback riders – sheep, goats, got rushed by 4 of the shepherd’s dogs and recovered fast, saw various groups of suddenly appearing people and had no feelings about them, rolled in horse poop, played in the river and ate parts of an apparently delicious head- and partially legless rotten animal. It was mostly skeleton with little flakes of rotten meat stuck to it – probably either a small sheep or a mid-sized dog? I don’t know, but on the drive home, the entire car smelled deliciously corpse-like. Chai did not throw up on the drive there and back and did not get frustrated about Kala being squeezed in right next to her crate before getting to properly greet her. She was gentle with Luca and didn’t bother him at all, and interested in sticks and stones a kid tossed into the river for Kala and her. She also did an excellent C-runs-away easy taco recall – meaning the next one gets to be a distraction one again! The conversation with the shepherd was fascinating, and Kristen and I had a fun time. This may be the last time we’ll hang out because they’ll be moving abroad, but we sure made the most of it!
Left: Chai and Kala explore the river. Right: Luca is practicing being the cutest boy e-ver!
The last time Chai saw a horse, she got spooked. This time, she first contemplated this mule from a distance and then decided it was safe to go closer and sniff. (I didn’t worry here because Chai’s body language lets me know I’d be able to call her off and the mule doesn’t mind her presence.)
Chai and Kala came across a flock of sheep and goats!
The flock and two of the shepherd’s 10ish dogs. They are all related and puppies are raised with the flock, like lifestock guardian dogs traditionally are. Young dogs learn from older ones. They both guard and are able to keep the flock together. When nothing is going on, they doze in the shade. They are out with their human and the flock for ~6 hours a day. I learned so much from this shepherd, who was kind enough to hang out for a bit and answer all my questions about living with sheep and dogs as a small-scale subsistance farmer.
Left: right before Chai got rushed, she got just a little too close to the flock and the dogs made it clear to her. Right: watching the sheep from a distance after the shepherd has communicated to their dogs that we are friends. Chai’s herding instinct didn’t kick in – but it’s also possible she is still recovering from getting rushed and would have reacted differently to a flock without dogs. In any case, I’d venture it is safe to say that Chai is not magnetized to sheep. In the background story I have been told, her dad is a working sheepdog, but I am somewhat doutbful about the truth of this story.
I could have spent another hour talking to them, but didn’t want to keep them too long. While what I said above is what they told me, what follows are observations and parts I pieced together based on what I’ve read on this way of life in other parts of the world – it may or may not actually be the case for this particular shepherd and their flock.
The dogs and the life of subsistance farming (observations and thoughts):
The dogs are shepherdy-looking mixes about Game’s/Kala’s size; some with slightly more coat. From what this shepherd said, they are all related – so they have puppies and the puppies learn from their parents.
It is interesting to me that the dogs who are actually used for herding by people who do this for a living are not a particular breed of herding dog or even a landrace. I’d venture the most common breed in Mexico that is widely recognized as a herding breed is Australian Cattle Dogs (they are everywhere in the city, but usually not used to herd sheep), followed by Border Collies (used to herd sheep by people who do it for fun but not by people like this shepherd) and Old English Sheepdogs (who I don’t think are used for herding, but are a popular family dog breed around here). I’ve seen Australian Cattle Dogs throughout economic backgrounds while Border Collies and especiallyOld English Sheepdogs are fancier-neighborhood-dogs. I also have seen one ACD who was actually herding, but I was only passing by. I had the impression that this dog was an actual sheepdog, not a rich person’s hobby herding pal.
I found it extremely interesting that the dogs of the shepherd we met had a bubble around the sheep. There was clearly a boundary outside of which they allowed other dogs, but inside of which they would guard. Chai overstepped the boundary and their behavior changed immediately. Once they had chased Chai back of the bubble, they went back to chilling. I asked if the shepherd had taught the concept of the bubble to their dogs, and they said no – the dogs are doing this naturally.
It was also deeply fascinating to me that the dogs seemed to naturally surround the flock, protecting them from all sides. The flock did not seem bothered by the dogs at all and the dogs seemed very relaxed. The way they surrounded the flock kept the flock together and the invisible bubble kept intruders (like Chai) out.
I asked the shepherd if Chai and I might approach a little more so we could test how she’d react to the sheep when being closer (this is just something I’ve been meaning to test). The shepherd had control of their dogs – once they invited us into the bubble, the dogs stood back. (The shepherd had a stick and used body language to communicate with the dogs, but not in an aggressive way at all – they just communicated clearly that Chai was a friend to be welcomed into the bubble.)
I would love to spend a day with this shepherd, the flock and the dogs. I wonder what their everyday life looks like: how far from the green space do they live? How much do they walk? Are they always on the move or do they stick to one general area? How often is there a potential conflict? And is it always with visiting dogs or is there also wildlife or other pets to look out for? Maybe even humans? Is everyone on the same page about the shepherd using this (public) land for their sheep? What do the dogs eat (feeding 10 mid-sized to large dogs is a lot!) Do they have other sources of income or is it based on the sheep alone – on their meat? What does community or family structure look like? How much interaction is there with the wider capitalist society a subsistance farmer, whether they want to or not, is necessarily embedded in? If this shepherd had a kid, what opportunities will the kid have? Is it necessary for the kid to work as soon as they can walk in order to feed everyone or are they able to go to school, graduate, study; choose a totally different path in life?
I am curious about all of this, but it’s not my place to ask. I’ll probably never know. From the outside, to me, it’s easy to romantisize this life: it is calm. It has nature, animals, movement and little to no technology. It is physical and human-powered, not fossil-fuel-powered, and there is so much to observe about your animals, their interactions, the people you see, the changes of the plants, birds and insects around you through the seasons. I know there is a version of me who’d enjoy this life – its physicalness; the nailing of wooden planks to create a barn; the walking. Naming and observing your dogs. Keeping their puppies (the ones who survive); seeing them grow up. Observing local plants, birds, lizards; how their behavior changes with the times of day and year …
It is easy to romanticize because I wasn’t born into this life. If I were, I might feel completely different about it – after all, as it is, I did not keep the life I was actually born into and the same thing might have happened had I been born into a different life. And spinning that thought further: the life I was born into was a privileged one that allowed me to leave it behind. If I was born into the life of subsistance farming, leaving that life may not be an option. Or it may be just as much an option as it was for me and the live I actually got! I don’t know, but I can’t help but enjoy leisurly following these threads of thought as I’m clening up this pst at 2:30AM in the morning, a day before I’ll release kt.
Check the dog social post for today’s video of Kala, Chai and Luca!
Home alone
Chai stayed home alone for Game’s morning and pre and post solo-adventure walks.
I used to believe it was far more important for dogs to play with appropriate adult dogs than with dogs their own age (this is unsupported “common knowledge” floating around the R+ world). The just-so story is convincing enough: your dog is only going to be a puppy or juvenile animal for a fraction of their life; the conspecific interactions they will eventually have – if any – are mostly going to be with adult dogs. Plus what could a puppy possibly learn from other puppies? Adult dogs are the ones to look for in terms of socializing because adult dogs – other than puppies – actually have social skills.
Then I took Kristina Spaulding‘s excellent ethology class and learned that we do indeed know from actual studies (which I currently don’t have the bandwidth to dig out) that animals benefit from the opportunity to play with conspecifics of a similar age. This has changed my approach: I will now seek out more play opportunities for the puppies and juvenile dogs in my care – specifically with other young dogs.
Mexico and other places in Latin America I’ve been to have one big advantage when it comes to socialization: there’s ALWAYS dogs around. If you give your dog the chance to play every day, they’ll satiate (unless they are the rare dog who doesn’t satiate – these dogs do exist, just like there are dogs who never stop feeling hungry, but they are not the norm.) Given the opportunity to regularly satiate their social needs, they will be far easier to train, walk and work around other dogs. Win-win!
Below is a small selection of Chai’s play dates. These are just a few times I videoed over the course of the months and some I set to music (because it gives me joy) – but they are by far not the only ones. Chai has met other dogs of different ages every single day since she’s been with me. Some have become her friends; some stayed one-off play mates. You’ve seen some of these videos in Chai’s diaries already. In any case – here’s a chronological compilation with some context for each of them.
May 17, 2023 (day 41 with me): Chai plays with a new puppy
Chai played with (mejor dicho ignored in order to keep an eye on Game’s tennis ball) 5-months old puppy Archie at Chapultepec today!
May 28, 2023 (day 52): another new puppy playmate!
Chai made a new play-friend at Las Islas (UNAM), puppy Nenet! Enjoy the music and the play!
June 6, 2023 (day 61): playing with a new adult dog and practicing “pup-pup-pup” and whistle recalls … some of which are more successful than others!
Watch the video above to see my recalls – successful as well as unsuccessful! You won’t hear me use my formal recall cue in this video (“Schnee”). l’ll only use the formal cue in real life – outside of games and set-ups – when I am certain that Chai will respond. The informal recall and even my whistle recall? I don’t mind trying it sometimes and seeing it not work. These are data points that let me know where we are and what Chai’s ability to pay attention currently looks like.
After watching the video above with subtitles and voiceovers – think about the following questions and, if you’d like, leave your answers to any or all questions in the comments! I’ll be sure to read and respond to them!
Can you tell why I chose the first two recall moments (these recalls are not successful – but why did I try them at the points in time that I did?)
In one of the first two, can you spot an indication that Chai heard me even though she doesn’t come back?
Why do you believe I used pup-pup-pup rather than whistled in recalls #2 and #3?
Can you pinpoint (time-stamp) some of my favorite moments of the interaction between Chai and the other dog, Luna? What makes them stand out?
June 8, 2023: Chai (BC, 5.5 months) and Kiba (BC, 6.5 months)
We met our friends Alan and Kiba at the park and our girls had a blast playing together!
June 17, 2023 (day 72): adventures with Kiba at Chapultepec (and a sad, but beautiful song)
July 15, 2023 (day 100) – Chai and Kiba
Chai and I spent an hour with Alan and Kiba at the park today. As always, I started off with an informal recall away from Kiba (this is still HARD for Chai!) and then reinforced by releasing her to play. They also played with Kiba’s toy together!
Play-fighting and running together!
Good friends can share toys!
July 18, 2023: letting off steam after distraction recalls!
Today, we practiced really difficult distraction recalls! Chai needed to let off some steam after – and dog/dog play is perfect for this!
July 22, 2023 – all the Border Collies!
After shaping recalls away from Kiba, Chai got to hang out with her buddy and 4 other BC friends: Ivan’s dogs who were at the park with their dog sitters. Nicole, the child of the main dog sitter, tossed Kiba’s squeaky ball for Chai. I don’t mind informal toy play like this as long as it’s not with our formal training toys. It’s good for Chai to build a relationship with Nicole through playing! The last time, she got intimidated by Nicole who can be a little rough and wants to touch dogs from above or hug them (I suspect they’re between 8 and 12 years old, but I might be totally off – I’m bad at gauging the age of kids.)
August 8, 2023: new friends for Chai
My friend and colleague Kayla visited for a few days with her Border Collies Barley and Niffler and cat Norbert! This video is from the first evening Chai met all the new animals. (If you listened to our podcast chat, you may have already seen a shorter version of this video with a different song.) I like the fact that I’ve been able to introduce Chai to new dogs both in “her” apartment and in neutral spaces. She has also visited Nazli at Scarlett’s place and been to the apartment of friends who have cats.
August 20, 2023: fast friends!
Chai and Kala at Chapultepec! Kala is Zai and Kristen’s adult dog; this was the first time our dogs met!
September 10, 2023: Chai, Kala and Luca at Los Dinamos
We took a weekend trip to los Dinamos today! Time to not hear traffic noises and feel all naturey – even though this is still part of Mexico City! Luca, Zai and Kristen’s pug puppy, got to come as well!
October 15, 2023: Chai, Kiba and Elios
Today, Alan and Kiba introduced us to their friends Soto and Elios, Soto’s 11 months old Corgi!
October 22, 2023: Salazar with Daniel and Dina
Dina has become one of Chai’s best friends. Game and Dina are more acquaintances than friends, but they get along well enough. Today, Daniel (Dina’s human) and Dina showed us a hiking route outside Salazar. Game is wearing a muzzle because she’ll go into heat soon and tends to get easily over-aroused by other dogs running in the weeks before – it’s just a safety measure around Dina.
My bestest girl on the mountain. Mexico City in the distance to the left.
Snuggly girls on the car ride home. They were taking off each other’s burrs! (Poor Dina has a shaved paw because she needed to stay at the vet’s and get fluids for a nasty stomach infection the other week.)
At around 10 months – close to the time Chai went into heat the first time – she got significantly more socially selective. She still has her friends, but is less likely to initiate play with a new dog. She mostly just confidently ignores other dogs (or steals their balls). If given a choice, she’d rather work with me than play with other dogs.
This is a lovely development for a working breed. I see it in the other dogs her age as well: the young Dobi and a young Mal we used to run into at the park don’t play as much as they used to either, and Kiba and Chai, while still extremely close, treat each other more like family: “hey there, great to see you; I can basically read your mind just looking at you because we are the same; now let’s go do other stuff!” Their behavior is very similar; they grew up like siblings with Kiba being one month older. They even went into heat the same week. But there’s less playing from both of them: they seem to feel like grown up Border Collies around each other now. They will do stuff together, like sniff the same spots, greet the same dogs, lie down next to each other … But they rarely behave like puppies with each other (except for an exuberant greeting when they haven’t seen each other for longer than usual).
Dina, on the other hand, is still a favorite play mate of Chai’s. Dina’s play style is different – she’s a different type of dog. She’s built like a whippet and as fast as one, but wire-haired, incredibly gentle and giant-eared. I’m fond of her – and so is Chai. Dina is 3, but still loves to play chase games. If I were to anthropomorphize, I’d say that Chai looks up to Dina and thinks she’s “cool” – hence the continued playing! It’s unlikely that dogs find each other “cool,” but the thought makes me smile.
I suspect that over time, Chai will play a little less with Dina as well. They will stay close friends, but over the next few months, Chai’s behavior around Dina will probably start resembling her behavior around Kiba unless we are on a hike together (which doesn’t happen every day and tends to give the city dogs a boost of youth and bounciness!)
Chai and Kala would probably also keep playing a little longer into the future – or even on a permanent basis. They are extremely well-matched playmates. Kristen, Zai, Kala, Luca and their cats have moved abroad though. Chai says everyone, but especially Kala is always welcome on her couch if they ever miss Mexico City! (Chai is optimistic. I am realistic and would like to add: the cats would probably be safer staying elsewhere because of a certain Belgian Shepherd who lives on Chai’s couch as well and, while getting very good at not eating cats, can’t help the fact that they smell awfully tasty.)
Chai and Game, of course, will still play-wrestle as well. That’s typical for dogs sharing a house: anytime one of them needs to burn off energy, there’s a play partner right there! We just spent a few days at the beach and in this new environment, there was a lot of racing along the waves and chasing each other, too. I wish I had video!
