Yes, Dorcas was alone in the Purple Room, and Maddie and Jemimah were playing in their Bunny Cottage on the front lawn, in their pen. Mom was hanging out on the front porch swing, wearing that self-important House Rabbit Society tee shirt, playing with her computer and showing the training aids to her fiance.
Dorcas was alone in the Purple Room because she had a torn toenail the other day and couldn't go outside yet because there was still risk of infection. She seemed a little sad and lonely without her peers so Mom brought in the target stick and the new clicker and helped herself to a handful of the Vitakraft treats on the window sill. Dorcas knows one sure trick for getting treats already -- standing on her hind feet and begging. So, of course, as soon as she heard the jiggle of the treats' box, she started standing on her hind feet. The trick was to get her to focus on the target stick instead. It didn't require much. Are rabbits easily distracted, or is there something about a ball on a stick, as not naturally occurring in nature, that it grasps her attention? Out of curiosity she approached and touched the stick with her nose (was this just good luck?), and I clicked and gave her a treat. She tried standing on her hind feet for a treat as soon as she had finished her first treat, but I just waved the stick around in front of her. Again, it seemed to distract her from her stunt, drawing her attention. She once again approached and -- half-standing on her hind feet as if for a treat -- touched the stick. I clicked and gave her a treat. After two treats she had had enough, and I just patted her a few times, spoke sweet nothings to her and left the room. I realize that I will need to start picking out their favorite foods from their pellet mix instead of using the Vitakraft drops -- they will be plenty eager to train but I can't give them so many of the yoghurt drops in one day. . .
Then Mom went outside and started to work with Maddie and Jemimah in their pen. They were still lounging at their beauty rest in the bottom level of the Buny Cottage, but the shake of the treat box necessary to dump some treats into my hands was enough to fire them into motion. Both started standing on their hind feet to receive treats. This was going to be tricky working with two at once, clicking and rewarding the one rabbit who was doing things right without confusing the other rabbit. Fortunately, Maddie just went away so I could work with Jemimah. Like Dorcas, Jemimah twice put her nose to the stick and received two rewards. . . Then Maddie regained interest in treats and reappeared, just once touching her nose to the stick.
This is such a simple and natural beginning, its hard to believe and imagine what all of this could lead up to if they will really consistently follow the stick with their noses!
