Stepping out ...

Last week I taught Marley to "STEP" on things.  I was working with a 2-step folding stool in the hopes that by the time he's recovering from an injury or surgery, or old and weak, he will readily walk up the steps into the car.  We learned that when a dog is not feeling well, and doesn't like to accept help is NOT the time to try to get them to use something new, even it would be a hundred times easier than jumping into the car.

So, with a foam circle (craft item) and treats I accomplished what had been nearly impossible the week before.  He will now readily put a foot on either step, depending on where I put the foam circle.  Since "TARGET" (formerly TOUCH) is done with the nose, I had to start with a different behavior that was already established.  So we moved from "HIGH 5" to "STEP". 

By holding the foam circle over the hand he was to HIGH 5, he started by doing the HIGH 5 on the circle.  Then I started putting the foam on the bottom step of the stool.  It only took a couple of tries and he had it.  Then the top step.  Then places on the floor or furniture. 

Today we took a new step (pardon the pun) in working with this behavior.  I had him STEP on the stool without the foam circle.  It only took a minute for him to move from a physical/visual target to STEPPING where I pointed.  Then I pointed to his ball, his bone, a box.  All immediately were either stepped on or pulled.  He loves to curl his paw and pull, hard.  He sometimes draws blood when that paw hammers down on my hand or arm and pulls.  Need to figure out how to tame that power.

We had to go back to the target when I asked him to STEP on the boot tray that contains his food and water dishes and their drips.  He wanted to do it but was very reluctant.  Once I put the foam circle in the corner of the tray, he was STEPPING right where I asked.

I think, beyond the use of the step stool, STEP is going to be the basis of some very useful behaviors in the future as we build on it.  For example it's an alternate way to indicate a choice.  (When I "stuff" his Kong Ball I hold out 2 cans of different flavors and let him choose which one he wants.  He sniffs both, then repeatedly bumps the one he wants.  Liver is big this week.)

I fill every other slot with the flavor paste (think of the "easy cheese" spray can cheese) and he licks & chews it out while I set up the coffee pot, feed the cat and get ready to slowly start the day.  It buys me 10-15 minutes before we start the "greenball" fetching/feeding game for his breakfast.