I hope you all don't mind more videos! The difference between the two videos in my last post is so dramatic that I didn't want to detract from them by including extra ones, but I have more that I want to share!
Bike Reactivity
One of Maisy's triggers has always been motion- whether it's a dog running or a bike whizzing past, it's usually unsettling. In the interest of full disclosure, this was one of the areas where we'd made great progress with behavior mod alone. Still, she occasionally had trouble with motion, as this video from last fall indicates:
Since adding medication to the mix, though, she's doing much better with bikes. She's still not entirely comfortable with them (notice how her body stills when she sees them, and how her tail goes up as the pass), but she doesn't feel the need to lunge at them anymore!
Encountering Novel Objects
Maisy has also always struggled with novelty and sudden environmental changes. I was fortunate enough to catch this on tape last fall when we went on our usual walk through the neighborhood only to discover a couch on the side of the road! As you'll see, she's quite cautious to approach the couch, and normal road noises (which she didn't usually find upsetting) caused her to jump.
Compare that to this video I took just a few weeks ago. In it, we encounter a large waste bin in our alley that hadn't been there before. Although she's still cautious, it's much less pronounced than it was with the couch. She approaches, checks it out, and that's that.
Strange/Trigger Dogs
I don't have any good before video, but I have two great videos of Maisy around “trigger dogs.” Maisy was pretty reliably unnerved by large, dark dogs with prick ears- Dobermans, German Shepherds, and Bouviers, for example. In fact, the first dog she ever demonstrated reactivity toward was a Great Dane, so I consider them the ultimate challenge. As it happened, I was going for a walk with a friend, and she had invited another friend with a Great Dane.
It did not end in disaster like I thought it might, although Maisy did lunge at the dog once. It felt horrible at the time, but when I reviewed the video, it didn't seem that bad at all. No barking or growling, and she recovered pretty quickly. In fact, she even laid down about 90 seconds later! She wasn't entirely comfortable (her body is tense, her tail is low, and she's panting mildly), but I still think this is a pretty big deal.
And here's a second video, about 45 minutes later. She's still alert, but more relaxed than in the previous video. She also deserved WAY MORE COOKIES for her behavior here- total mom fail. It was kind of funny, actually, because as we were watching this video at Maisy's appointment, I sighed and said, “I needed to give more cookies,” and Dr. Duxbury kind of laughed and said, “I was just thinking that!”
I am so, so proud of how my little dog is doing. She's improved so much since beginning meds that I can't believe it sometimes. We are now able to do things that I never dreamed possible- hanging out in a group? Unreal. And yet very real. Medication has changed our lives.
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Recheck with the Veterinary Behaviorist: Before and After Videos
It probably wasn't fair to leave the last post hanging like that, mostly because Dr. Duxbury and I didn't really discuss the logs. She thanked me for bringing them in, but the bulk of our appointment was spent watching videos.
Because she had three students in the room with her, I showed the “before” videos that complemented the "after" videos so they had a frame of reference. I'm really glad it happened like this, because I don't think we would have watched the before videos otherwise. Why would we have? We both were there, we both remember what Maisy was like... right?
The truth is, when I watched the before videos, my jaw dropped. I didn't remember Maisy being that anxious, that vigilant, that slow to bounce back from stress. What I remember is Maisy being herself, and that she'd improved a lot through the training we'd already done.
Here's the before video. For context, this was taken at my reactive dog class last fall. We were pushing Maisy a little bit harder than usual because we wanted to make sure we got good video for the initial appointment. (I was later told that wasn't necessary, so I do not recommend you do the same thing.)
And here is the after video. There are some differences between the two videos- different location, different dog, different orientation- but not enough to cause the drastic change you will see in Maisy's behavior.
Amazing, right? Let me tell you, if I had had any doubts about whether or not medication was the right choice for my dog, well... they're gone now. Instead, I turned to Dr. Duxbury and said, “Why didn't I do this sooner?”
Because she had three students in the room with her, I showed the “before” videos that complemented the "after" videos so they had a frame of reference. I'm really glad it happened like this, because I don't think we would have watched the before videos otherwise. Why would we have? We both were there, we both remember what Maisy was like... right?
The truth is, when I watched the before videos, my jaw dropped. I didn't remember Maisy being that anxious, that vigilant, that slow to bounce back from stress. What I remember is Maisy being herself, and that she'd improved a lot through the training we'd already done.
Here's the before video. For context, this was taken at my reactive dog class last fall. We were pushing Maisy a little bit harder than usual because we wanted to make sure we got good video for the initial appointment. (I was later told that wasn't necessary, so I do not recommend you do the same thing.)
And here is the after video. There are some differences between the two videos- different location, different dog, different orientation- but not enough to cause the drastic change you will see in Maisy's behavior.
Amazing, right? Let me tell you, if I had had any doubts about whether or not medication was the right choice for my dog, well... they're gone now. Instead, I turned to Dr. Duxbury and said, “Why didn't I do this sooner?”
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Training Tuesday: Chicken Edition
With Thanksgiving in the middle of this last fortnight, our training schedule was significantly disrupted. Our travel plans also offered new opportunities for training that I don’t usually have. As a result, this update is not about relaxation, but rather about chickens.
Here’s a video of what we did:
This is why I both love and hate taking video of my training. On one hand, it’s fun to see where things are going well. On the other, it really exposes the flaws in my training. But then again, I do appreciate being able to pick apart those flaws so I can do it better next time.
I did three things well in this video. First, I put Maisy on a long line for (most of) the training. This helped prevent her from engaging in the behavior I was trying to eliminate. Second, I used very high value treats: tortilla chips. Maisy is a sucker for the crispy, carby goodness of chips, and I used that to my full advantage. Finally, I think my timing was pretty good. Although it’s hard to hear the clicker in the video, it seems like most of my clicks were well-timed.
I think the biggest thing I did wrong was not planning my training. I usually plan my sessions in some way, either on paper or in my head, but this one was completely unplanned. And it shows. There are lots of errors in this video, and I think they all resulted from a lack of planning.
I didn’t think about how I was going to approach the chickens with Maisy. I would have been better off doing some parallel walking instead of using a head-on approach which mimicked chasing. At the same time, walking parallel would have allowed me to keep a better distance away from them. It’s very clear that we started out too close to those exciting chickens, which made the task much harder for Maisy than it needed to be.
I also didn’t do a very good job of providing her with feedback. My rate of reinforcement could have been much higher if I’d spent a few minutes thinking about which behaviors were desirable. I was clicking Maisy only for turning away from the chickens to look at me when I should have also clicked for sustained focus, heeling, and offering behaviors such as sits and downs. Maisy really deserved to be paid better for her hard work.
Finally, I did a horrible job of adjusting the criteria, especially in the off-leash segment. Which, let’s be honest, I shouldn’t have even attempted. She was not ready to be off-leash, but she had done so well, and it was my last chance to work with Maisy on the chickens before we left. If I’d done some planning, I would have known she wasn’t ready. But even if she had been ready for it, I failed to adjust the rest of the criteria. When you make one part of the task harder, you should temporarily make the rest of your criteria easier. When I took her off-leash, I should have started further away, worked for shorter periods of time, and used a higher rate of reinforcement.
Despite my not-so-great training, Maisy really did a great job. Sometimes it amazes me that she learns anything at all with me as her trainer. Honestly, if I were to rename this blog, I think I’d call it “Shame About the Handler.” Maisy has a lot of potential, and I don’t have the skills needed to help her live up to it yet. Thankfully, Maisy doesn’t care about wasted potential. As long as I keep her in tennis balls and bully sticks, she’s thrilled to be my dog.
Here’s a video of what we did:
This is why I both love and hate taking video of my training. On one hand, it’s fun to see where things are going well. On the other, it really exposes the flaws in my training. But then again, I do appreciate being able to pick apart those flaws so I can do it better next time.
I did three things well in this video. First, I put Maisy on a long line for (most of) the training. This helped prevent her from engaging in the behavior I was trying to eliminate. Second, I used very high value treats: tortilla chips. Maisy is a sucker for the crispy, carby goodness of chips, and I used that to my full advantage. Finally, I think my timing was pretty good. Although it’s hard to hear the clicker in the video, it seems like most of my clicks were well-timed.
I think the biggest thing I did wrong was not planning my training. I usually plan my sessions in some way, either on paper or in my head, but this one was completely unplanned. And it shows. There are lots of errors in this video, and I think they all resulted from a lack of planning.
I didn’t think about how I was going to approach the chickens with Maisy. I would have been better off doing some parallel walking instead of using a head-on approach which mimicked chasing. At the same time, walking parallel would have allowed me to keep a better distance away from them. It’s very clear that we started out too close to those exciting chickens, which made the task much harder for Maisy than it needed to be.
I also didn’t do a very good job of providing her with feedback. My rate of reinforcement could have been much higher if I’d spent a few minutes thinking about which behaviors were desirable. I was clicking Maisy only for turning away from the chickens to look at me when I should have also clicked for sustained focus, heeling, and offering behaviors such as sits and downs. Maisy really deserved to be paid better for her hard work.
Finally, I did a horrible job of adjusting the criteria, especially in the off-leash segment. Which, let’s be honest, I shouldn’t have even attempted. She was not ready to be off-leash, but she had done so well, and it was my last chance to work with Maisy on the chickens before we left. If I’d done some planning, I would have known she wasn’t ready. But even if she had been ready for it, I failed to adjust the rest of the criteria. When you make one part of the task harder, you should temporarily make the rest of your criteria easier. When I took her off-leash, I should have started further away, worked for shorter periods of time, and used a higher rate of reinforcement.
Despite my not-so-great training, Maisy really did a great job. Sometimes it amazes me that she learns anything at all with me as her trainer. Honestly, if I were to rename this blog, I think I’d call it “Shame About the Handler.” Maisy has a lot of potential, and I don’t have the skills needed to help her live up to it yet. Thankfully, Maisy doesn’t care about wasted potential. As long as I keep her in tennis balls and bully sticks, she’s thrilled to be my dog.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Encounters of the Couch Kind: How Video Can Help Our Dogs
Maisy has always been cautious of new objects, especially those that suddenly appear where they shouldn’t. I recently got a great example of this on video:
I recorded this on one of our daily walks a few weeks ago. Although I didn’t set it up this way, I got lucky that the day I was taking video to prepare for Maisy’s appointment with the veterinary behaviorist was the same day that someone decided to put a couch out on their curb.
I really like this video because it clearly demonstrates just how nervous it makes Maisy to encounter something unexpected; she startles several times throughout the video. This is a long-standing trait of hers. She’d lived with me for less than three weeks when she first expressed her displeasure at something changing. In that case, she barked with all of her puppy might at a soda can that I had carelessly left sitting out. Since then, she’s grown up, and more importantly, she’s grown braver. A lot of this is because we’ve worked hard on dealing with environmental changes, so I’m very proud that she was brave enough to investigate an object she clearly felt unsure about.
I also like this video because it’s a nice example of what I’ve previously called the conflicted nature of reactivity. Even though Maisy’s not lunging, barking or growling here, you can clearly see the conflicted feelings that often lead up to such reactivity. (And, in fact, later in this walk, she did lunge at a biker- a trigger that she has largely overcome. You can see that video here.)
But what I really find fascinating about this video is the way she startles. Although it initially seems more like a double-take, later on, her jumpiness coincides with road noise from cars, something that doesn’t normally provoke a response from her. This suggests to me that relatively benign changes have the effect of increasing her environmental vigilance. In turn, this increased vigilance probably contributed to her reactivity towards the biker.
Beyond the insight I gained into Maisy’s behavior, this video also showed me that there is a clear advantage to studying a recording over assessing a dog live. Being able to watch the same event several times allowed me to see more nuance to Maisy’s behavior. It allowed me fully concentrate on what she was doing without needing to worry about what was going on around us, or trying to manage the situation. And good video always helps me see ways I can improve the way I interact with my dog.
Of course, this last bit can be difficult- no one likes seeing what they do wrong. For example, my handling skills are not great in this video. I should have offered Maisy treats as she first began to interact with the couch in order to reinforce bravery. Instead, she didn’t get a treat until after she moved away from the couch, which was, at best, ineffective counter-conditioning, and at worst, reinforcing the retreat rather than the approach.
I don’t like to make excuses for my mistakes- I prefer to learn from them. However, in this case, the excuse actually offers a really good lesson. You see, I thought that it would be better if the veterinary behaviorist saw videos of Maisy “how she really is,” so I didn’t offer her as much guidance as I normally do. Unfortunately, my hands-off approach meant that vet behaviorist had less to work with when advising me. Considering how valuable I found her suggestions, I wish she could have seen more of how I normally interact with Maisy.
Still, I found that taking videos of Maisy in everyday situations was incredibly enlightening. Although I’ve been recording formal training sessions for a long time, I never realized before how much I could learn by watching videos of my dog outside of training. Doing so has allowed me to see new pieces to the puzzle that is Maisy- pieces that, when put together, have allowed me to see just how anxious my poor dog is… and it makes me feel confident that my decision to put her on medication was the correct one.
But enough about me. I’m curious to know how you guys use video. When do you take it? And if you haven’t, why not? Have you learned anything interesting about your dog? About yourself? How have you adjusted your training strategies as a result? I can’t wait to hear about your experiences.
I recorded this on one of our daily walks a few weeks ago. Although I didn’t set it up this way, I got lucky that the day I was taking video to prepare for Maisy’s appointment with the veterinary behaviorist was the same day that someone decided to put a couch out on their curb.
I really like this video because it clearly demonstrates just how nervous it makes Maisy to encounter something unexpected; she startles several times throughout the video. This is a long-standing trait of hers. She’d lived with me for less than three weeks when she first expressed her displeasure at something changing. In that case, she barked with all of her puppy might at a soda can that I had carelessly left sitting out. Since then, she’s grown up, and more importantly, she’s grown braver. A lot of this is because we’ve worked hard on dealing with environmental changes, so I’m very proud that she was brave enough to investigate an object she clearly felt unsure about.
I also like this video because it’s a nice example of what I’ve previously called the conflicted nature of reactivity. Even though Maisy’s not lunging, barking or growling here, you can clearly see the conflicted feelings that often lead up to such reactivity. (And, in fact, later in this walk, she did lunge at a biker- a trigger that she has largely overcome. You can see that video here.)
But what I really find fascinating about this video is the way she startles. Although it initially seems more like a double-take, later on, her jumpiness coincides with road noise from cars, something that doesn’t normally provoke a response from her. This suggests to me that relatively benign changes have the effect of increasing her environmental vigilance. In turn, this increased vigilance probably contributed to her reactivity towards the biker.
Beyond the insight I gained into Maisy’s behavior, this video also showed me that there is a clear advantage to studying a recording over assessing a dog live. Being able to watch the same event several times allowed me to see more nuance to Maisy’s behavior. It allowed me fully concentrate on what she was doing without needing to worry about what was going on around us, or trying to manage the situation. And good video always helps me see ways I can improve the way I interact with my dog.
Of course, this last bit can be difficult- no one likes seeing what they do wrong. For example, my handling skills are not great in this video. I should have offered Maisy treats as she first began to interact with the couch in order to reinforce bravery. Instead, she didn’t get a treat until after she moved away from the couch, which was, at best, ineffective counter-conditioning, and at worst, reinforcing the retreat rather than the approach.
I don’t like to make excuses for my mistakes- I prefer to learn from them. However, in this case, the excuse actually offers a really good lesson. You see, I thought that it would be better if the veterinary behaviorist saw videos of Maisy “how she really is,” so I didn’t offer her as much guidance as I normally do. Unfortunately, my hands-off approach meant that vet behaviorist had less to work with when advising me. Considering how valuable I found her suggestions, I wish she could have seen more of how I normally interact with Maisy.
Still, I found that taking videos of Maisy in everyday situations was incredibly enlightening. Although I’ve been recording formal training sessions for a long time, I never realized before how much I could learn by watching videos of my dog outside of training. Doing so has allowed me to see new pieces to the puzzle that is Maisy- pieces that, when put together, have allowed me to see just how anxious my poor dog is… and it makes me feel confident that my decision to put her on medication was the correct one.
But enough about me. I’m curious to know how you guys use video. When do you take it? And if you haven’t, why not? Have you learned anything interesting about your dog? About yourself? How have you adjusted your training strategies as a result? I can’t wait to hear about your experiences.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)