#I'd rather not buy more FDSA courses but here we are

[blueboyluca]

BH315: Hidden Potential

I didn’t get that much out of Hidden Potential. I think overall I found it very concept-heavy without a lot of practical solutions. It just felt quite vague. What I’ve been struggling with this whole time is pinpointing specifics. I didn’t find the prompts or exercises in this course did a lot to help me figure this out. For example, in one of the lectures Sarah wrote “How can you help your dog to feel a more positive CER, if his current one is negative?” and I found this frustrating because I thought the point of the course was to help me figure out how to foster a more positive CER.

Here are my current notes on some of the lectures but not the ones I felt were impractical. I would like to try some of the games more and come back to this for a second evaluation. I will also work through my new course, BH265: Strategies for Training and Competing the Sensitive Dog, and see how it compares.

1.1 Assignment: Never Wrong/Sometimes More Right

I did a session or two of this, but I could try doing it again. I struggle with these types of things as value of rewards is so hard to figure out with Marceline. If one food is of lesser value she will usually just reject it outright, so this kind of game is difficult.

1.2 Information Gathering: Identifying Issues

Does your dog approach other dogs when out in the world, or avoid them? Yes, she will approach other dogs but can get intimidated by large dogs.

Is your dog hyper social with people, wanting to jump on them, or would he rather not be greeted by your friends? She likes people fine, as long as they respect her size. She will beg for treats from people she knows.

Do loud noises bother your dog? A bit, not to an extreme extent.

What about crowds? She hasn’t been in large crowds before.

2.1 Assignment: The Consent Signal

I do a test with tug first, then do a warm up using sitting by my side, hand touch and pop ups. I might try to introduce something else like eye contact. I also have a verbal “are you ready?” that she can respond to. She has established consent signals for other behaviours.

2.2 Talking Point: Accepting "No"

I recognise that I need to do this more. I have a tendency to try again when she says no to something. I think there are some instances where asking more than once is fair, like if she wants to go out, because she shows other signs of wanting to consent. In those cases I try to remove the barriers that are stopping her saying “yes”. But during a session, I think I need to stop and put her up if she is saying a clear “no”.

2.3 Information Gathering: Operant Counterconditioning

I honestly have no idea what to do for this one. None of the examples were applicable and I can’t easily identify one single, specific thing I could improve with counterconditioning. That’s not to say there isn’t something, just that I can’t think of it.

2.4 Assignment: Ring-Sustainable Reinforcement

I have created a “stash” marker cue and have incorporated this into our training.

3.1 Assignment: Using an Opt-Out Signal/Safe Space

I didn’t even try this because I struggled to think of an item that would be neutral value that she would still like to chew. I could try it with a supermarket style chew I guess. I also struggle with set-ups like this because in reality this isn’t what my sessions look like. I don’t know if that says something bad about my training but I found it hard to conceptualise putting this into action practically. When Marceline opts out, she doesn’t go to a base, she prefers to engage with the environment. She would not choose to be put up. But I guess I could improve this in general by rewarding her with something more like a chew when she is at her station.

3.2 Talking Point: Reading Opt-Out Signs

It’s definitely clear that I am still not responding appropriately to opt-out signs. I need to figure out a better response to these signs.

4.2 Assignment: Energiser Patterns

I do this a bit, but I could certainly incorporate more energising pattern games into my warmups.

4.3 Talking Point: What IS Reinforcement?

What reinforcement scenarios are working for you? Generally I start with tug, switch to food from hand to warm up and then use a lotus ball to reinforce a sequence

Which ones are not? I think food from hand within a sequence is not working. I think I should switch to a food toss marker if I need to re-engage in the middle.

How can you add more sustainable reinforcement strategies to your training? I’m still trying to incorporate a stash cue as a major reinforcement strategy. I think a lotus ball is pretty sustainable, but food toss and food from hand are not.

4.4 Information Gathering: Hidden Aversives

Of the four things Sarah describes (confusion, pain, sensory input, fear and anxiety) I think the relevant one is confusion. I wonder if part of the problem is that I think things are trained better than they actually are?

5.3 Talking Point: A Culture of Choice

I think that I could offer more choices for Marceline. I keep things varied in her life, but I rarely present her with a clear choice of one thing or another.

6.3 Talking Point: Honouring the Dog

I think I should incorporate more solo enrichment time for her in general, rather than being with Luca or doing agility. Marceline highly values opportunities to sniff, roll and swim. I think I could offer her more of those opportunities on her own.