Oops -stepped on paw!

Oops – stepped on paw by accident!!

I was teaching Pip how to get the newspaper. Well – cute pup that he is – got the idea to get the paper, but then decided that it was a play toy! Grrrrr – shake shake, paw on the ground, chew, chew!!!

Okay Pip – “Give” “Give!!” “GIVE!!”

Try it again! (as I can’t bend over, getting the paper from the mouth is no easy feat. And I want him to learn to give it to me).

Pip – fetch paper – Good boy! – Give! Give! GIVE!! Oops – stepped on paw! YIP!!

Calm down, kneel next to him, gentle talk, it was an oops. But you know – I see it in his eyes that he is taking this as a punishment. Okay we try again – but he won’t go near the paper. Genny, the good ‘ol lady, comes in and shows him what to do – she gently gets the paper and gives it to me. Lots of cookies. We repeat this a few times. Genny really happy as she is working and getting cookies – Pip carefully watches. I am waiting for him to try again. I can see he wants a cookie. After a good Genny praise, I tell her to lay down and try Pip again.

Cautiously, he sniffs at the paper and then takes it and looks at me. I take the paper and YEA!! BIG PRAISE! Cookies!!! We try again – and end up almost back at the paper game, but just as he is about to start the play he looks at me and I quickly grab the paper and PRAISE!!! COOKIES!! We do this one more time with the same result.

Result of this period – I think he is confused as he thinks he got a big correction with the paw step. As he does not understand that it was a mistake, I am trying to make the paper fetch a good thing. He is careful and unsure. I decide to stop then and will pick it up again tomorrow.

Off to another game. That is the thing with dogs – I find that short and sweet (the sweet being the important part here) works best. If we push and push too much – hammer in the behavior – then we lose them. They try but it is too much. I want my pup to have joy in all of his work with me. Not to do it because he has to. I wonder if that can also work with kids in the classroom?