Prosper and the Premack Principle.....

Okay, so, first....Confession Time....




Prosper (2-yr old intact male blue merle Rough Collie), has been given 2 years of "lienency" and coddling...I will Admit that we have "embraced the puppy" far too long. But in Defense of this, he is Such a sweet, loving, cuddly, NICE dog, that truly nothing more than a stern look is all he needs. He learns faster than ANY other dog I have Ever had. He dances, he retrieves, he runs agility, he loves to do whatever I ask. But he is a "soft" learner....Translation....be harsh with him (even a loud voice), and he will Leave. Yes. Leave the room, area, MY side.



I have had to greatly modify my teaching techniques with him. Break things down in small pieces, and he catches on...try to show him the BIG picture, and we Both become frustrated (Our James was Always so quick to bust in and turn things to chaos whilst learning....). It is a brand new avenue for me....



Prosper is not even really a food motivated canine. He'll work fine for super-yummy treats, but if there are distractions out there, well, he'd just rather go sniff and, oh yes...pee.



Which brings me to the subject of the day.



Peeing is probably Prosper's second favorite thing to do. Being loved by ME is his very first priority--he Adores me--(I mentioned he's my cuddly boy), and eating follows perhaps third in the lineup of favorites.

Peeing. He pees till he runs out of pee, then Continues to pee. Boy dogs....who Needs em?



Of course, whenever I walk my dogs, I do NOT allow ANY peeing whilst on the walk. They pee at the driveway before we take off, and then, the rest of the way is "dry." The older 2 Collies pretty much adhere to that Law, but Prosper....ah....I think he is trying to learn how to write his name in cursive....



Okay, so...this also brings me to the PullingOnTheLeash subject. THIS is the First dog that I have ever had who FORGES. He is Always "out front," no matter what techniques I have tried to convince him otherwise. We've used the Gentle Leader (head halter AND body halter), and those work quite well, but never good enough to "convince" him that we must do this close-in walking ALL the time, halter or no.



So, I continue to walk. Using method after method that I have learned and read about. I'm a Good dog trainer! Truly, I am! I can get a dog to do practically Anything!.....Sigh.....Prosper, my dear, Sweet liddle boy has become the Great Challenge in my ability to teach. It would be so much better if he did not look up at me with so much love and adoration.



Today, I decided that we were "going to Toni Bootcamp." By golly, if he forged today, I was gonna be a "sporatic 2-year-old-toddler" and turn and run the other way EACH time he got in front.....But First.....FIRST we went for a bicycle ride.



I have a wonderful device called a "Springer," that attaches to my bicycle seatpost and is worth every penny (about $40) I paid for it (online at www.springeramerica.com). There is not very much exercise in it for me, but for the boyz, it is Excellent. They can run solid for a mile at about 6 or 7 mph in that wonderful wolf gait that Collies do so beautifully. I won't stop here to tout its benefits, only tell you that it has been a great tool for me, who is philosophically opposed to running...



I attached the leash to Prosper today, and we took off on the bicycle. Now....please note that when we are bicycling, we are going Waaaay too fast to stop and pee, so that issue is out of the question. As for forging, well, once again, I can turn those wheels faster than the boyz can pump their legs. So, we biked for over a mile. Then came home and attached the leash for Walkies. Tired puppies are GOOD puppies...



I did the "go pee at the end of the driveway," and we trekked on up the cul-de-sac to the same route that we biked. Prosper did not forge. He stayed right beside me. Tired puppies are GOOD puppies. Whenever he got the Least Bit ahead, I did the "two-year-old-toddler" thang, and all was well. Cheese helps. I always have cheese....but it is Never the Ultimate Reward. Prosper only takes a cursory bite, sometimes not even that.



Then, a HUGE Lightbulb went off in my head!!! We walked a few feet, Proppy right at heel, then I released him with, "Okay! Go Hurry!" and he drove to the end of the lead and threw that hind leg up! Back at my side, we happily walked, loose lead, close to heel, for half a block. Once again, I released him to "hurry up," same scenario, same return to heel nicely. I did this several times, and I've never seen a happier Collie! I even offered him cheese, and he completely ignored it....

We shall see what future outings bring, but right now, I "think" I might just have a bit of a solution....Who knew!?



This could possibly lead me on a trail of Embarrassment when I encounter folks who do not understand the Premack Peeing Principle....but I shall take my chances.....

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Home.....The Best Place on the Planet.......

I'm Home. The Very Best place to be!  Many of my "followers" (you Know who you are!) have written me asking if I were Home yet....Because I didn't do a "final" blog regarding my Route66 journey. 

You know how it is....Ya get Home, and hit the ground runnin' to catch up on what you've neglected for the past few weeks.

Now, let me make one thing Perfectly Clear. Rob had the house all clean and spiffy and vaccumed and "licked up" quite nicely when I got Home.  He is the Best at making sure I have a Proper Homecoming and can arrive, unload the van, and completely Destroy all his "neatness" efforts in less than 30 minutes.

Rob was in Dallas (judging bands at Sandylake Amusement Park) when I got home. It looked like he had
"cleaned his way out the door." There were even clean sheets on the bed.......sigh.....

The boyz and I arrived home around 8 pm, and I turned them out into the yard to rip and snort. Spent the next hour unloading all the rocks and dirty laundry, then soaked in the tub until my muscles relaxed and my fingers turned to prunes. Home is the Best Place to be.

The yard was in dire need of mowing. The flowerbeds were overgrown with henbit and various unwanted grasses. The pond plants were beginning to emerge. And the dogwoods and the redbuds were in full glory. Even our newly-planted tulip tree has small buds on her! This place is just....well.....just like Home....

Here's a few pics I took the last night on the road.....

Eating a supper of California Strawberries and blogging on the computer at the Motel6:

James, being awakened from his sleep right beside the water bowl....Well, ya gotta guard Something!

And, then, of course, a picture of a truck I spotted in a nearby alley here in town.....Yeh....You just gotta love being Home.....