We’ve been working on our own version of the ‘engage-disengage’ game. (If you want the longer explanation with examples of the engage-disengage game, read my post titled Look at her now! ) Today, Sasha added her own twist.
“I’m cute & clever, too!”
Once Sasha disengages from barking at an approaching dog, I verbally “click” and treat. Ironically, we haven’t encountered many dogs while walking in the past few weeks, so Sasha apparently decided a creative adaptation was needed. On today’s walk she paused, barked briefly–at nothing I could see–and then looked at me for her treat.
She then proceeded to test her “bark followed by no-bark gets me treats” strategy by responding to dogs barking behind fences, dogs in houses, and (being an equal opportunity barker) at two kittens dozing in the sunshine across the street.
One thing’s for sure: training is never boring where Shelties are concerned!
Ha, ha. She has you figured out! Shadow has done similar things. And he’s refused treats to let me know when he doesn’t want something–like getting his ears cleaned. I’ll hold it out and he’ll just look at me like, Really? I’m not that dumb.” 🙂
Shadow and Sasha have us well trained!
That is too funny! It gave me a good laugh. Smart girl!
It’s never dull during our training sessions!
Ha, ha! How cute! You have trained Sasha to bark.
Not my intention, but it sure looks that way!
OMG, Katie does this too! We used to give her a treat if she’d stop barking when she was getting all hysterical barking out the windows at whatever in the back yard. Now she runs to a chair, jumps up, barks once or twice, then turns and grins at us and rushes over to get her “stop barking” treat.
They’re super-smart, aren’t they?
I love it! They are smarter than we give them credit. One of my dogs–Bear–barks at whatever. When I tell him to stop, he stops; but then he always has to get the last bark in! 🙂
Love our super-smart dogs!
Brilliant! Shelties are so clever, it doesn’t matter how you try to ‘win’!