I have a cat you can borrow <g>.

Andrea Robinson wrote:
> Lynn, so nice to hear from you. I'm copying another Yahoo group about
> dog training because I know you won't mind.
>
> Answers are below:
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: lynneverhart1 <lynneverhart1@...>
> To: clicker-training-video@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 4:20:21 PM
> Subject: [clicker-training-video] Hi Andrea! I need your advice!
>
> Hi Andrea,
> Been a long time, hasn't it?
>
> --Yes, it has!!
>
>
> Look, I just took in a foster dog from SharPei Savers where we had
> gotten blind Murray years ago. This little girl is 5 years old and
> blind too. Her 80 year old owner got sick and her "friends" took
> Angel to the pound. SharPei Savers rescued her, but because no foster
> homes were available, she was put in a kennel to wait for the past 2
> months. I decided to be a foster home for them, and she is my first
> one. She is very sweet.
>
> --Good for you!
>
> Trouble is she is OBSESSED with my 3 cats! I
> mean, she won't stop looking for them constantly! We just got her
> Sat. so I let her have the run of the house, and even though she's
> gotten smacked 3 times so far, it doesn't stop her.
>
> --What's happening is that the reinforcement she gets from chasing the
> cats is more important to her than the punishment of having the cats
> swat her on the nose. When that happens, you have to arrange the
> environment so she doesn't have the chance to constantly rehearse the
> bad behavior, because she's currently reinforcing her own bad behavior
> over and over. When the dog doesn't get the prize she is looking for,
> she will be more open to taking a "consolation prize" from us.
>
> She smells them as they pass and she's off and tracking. Even if they
> don't pass her, she's looking, all the time. This afternoon I finally
> left her leash on her harness and kept her with me. Right now the
> leash is hooked over my shoe as I am on the computer, and for the
> first time she is laying down.
>
> -- Now you're talking! By controlling her movements, you've
> interrupted her ability to perform the self-reinforcing behavior. Now
> it's time to take the next step and set up the environment for a
> series of lessons. Because she's blind, it will be a little more
> complicated, but the essence is the same. Read on...
>
> She would run around here for hours and hours before and
> never rest. So how can I fix her fixation? I did buy a new clicker as
> I gave my old one away, do I get it and click it now as she is
> resting and give her a treat?
>
> -- Yes, please buy another clicker. Blind dogs love it. If she is
> resting quietly, you can capture that behavior and click and treat
> it. But what are you going to name that behavior? Think of something
> you would like to say when the cats are present. Let's say you want
> to teach the command "leave it."
>
> -- Get a friend to help you with this. Have the friend hold some
> treats in his hand while you have the clicker and some other,
> different treats available. Tell the friend to lower his closed hand
> close enough to her that she can smell the treats but to simply keep
> his hand closed so she can't get them. He's got to leave his hand
> down there while she tries to get the treats out. In the meantime,
> you say "Leave it" and wait until she gives up trying and looks away,
> even if it's for a split second. At the precise instant that she
> looks away, you click and treat her and your friend removes his hand.
> Do this several times until she looks away as soon as you say, "Leave
> it."
>
> -- The last time you do this, say, "Wait," instead of "leave it," and
> when you click, let your friend open his hand and give her his
> treats. (You see, "Leave it" means that the dog is never going to get
> it. "Wait" means that the dog can have it, but has to wait until you
> say it's okay.) I always like to end a training session on a high
> note like this. Training sessions should only last about 10 minutes
> or so.
>
> -- Next step: You really can't do this next step if the dog has free
> run of the house, and I do recommend you using baby gates or some
> other means to define the areas where your dog is allowed. Putting
> her on a leash or in an x-pen are fine for the next part.
>
> -- Anyway, put away all the cats except one while your dog is confined
> to an area. Put the one cat in a cat carrier, and consider covering
> it with a towel or something so the cat will not be afraid when she
> sees the dog. Bring the carrier within "noseshot" of your dog, but
> far enough away that the dog will not be able to reach it. Say "Leave
> it," and let the dog struggle to get at the cat, because you know that
> it will never work.
>
> -- At the precise second that the dog seems to give up or turn away,
> click and treat! Make a big fuss like it's the best trick you've ever
> seen. You'll need to repeat this over and over with the various cats,
> taking as much time as you need. Remember that you should only do it
> for 10 minutes at a time, so it may be once a day for several weeks,
> several times a day for a week or two, or whatever. The behavior of
> the dog and the cats is what will determine how much time you need.
>
> -- Don't be too stingy with the click and treat at first. For
> example, the dog may only turn away for a split-second and you've got
> to be quick enough to click and treat before she goes back to trying
> for the cat.
>
> -- If this does not work at the distance you've selected because the
> dog simply never looks away, try it again with the cat a little
> farther away.
>
> -- The main thing to be careful of is to make sure the cats don't get
> traumatized during this experience. You can also use some cat-scented
> item instead of the actual cat if you like. If the dog doesn't
> respond right away, you can rustle the item so it sounds more like a
> live cat.
>
> And what else can I do? HELP!!!
> Lynn
>
> --Lynn, I'm glad you asked and I certainly hope this is of help!
> Please let us know how it goes! So nice hearing from you!! :) Andrea
>
>