Working in short sessions, I (as well as my wife, I'm pleased to say) am impressed with the results and progress we're making already!
We've made a lot of progress with naming Gracie's kong, wubba (which she destroyed late today, so that's out until she gets a new one), and bone (nylabone). We ended up in the last session today with her picking up her kong from among 3 toys on the floor, bringing it to me on the couch, and dropping it in my lap. No reinforcement for early drops, but no mistakes on which toy I wanted! I'm a proud doggie dad!!!
She continues throwing sits, downs, and "flats" (down with head on the floor between her paws, something else I shaped before beginning blogging). I do see a lot of these when she gets confused with a new behavior, and am finally getting the hint that we need to take a step or two back in shaping. I'm just so impressed with how quickly she is picking up things and how quickly shaping is actually taking place.
Gracie is a very smart dog, but I am by no means under the illusion that she's some sort of dog genius. She is just an average mutt who may just be at an advantage because I discovered this training method. It seems to be working well for her. It's so much fun to watch her working through things to figure out what she did to get the click / treat, and to see "the light bulb come on" after a few correct responses, then seeing her zip toward the goal. I can almost see the recognition in her eyes! How cool!!!
