What has your smart dog figured out?

[Nettle]

And folks say you can't train terriers......

[minkee]

Ah I had just the same thing yesterday. I was having a cuddle on the sofa with Scout, she was all tucked up and buried under the blanket with me, doing that contented dozy noise that she does, when all of a sudden WHOOSH she leapt up and ran off. After a second I realised that Lodger had put his coffee machine on and she has him well trained to throw the ball while he waits for it

[jacksdad]

classical conditioning....coffee pot noises mean ball time

[WufWuf]

classical conditioning....coffee pot noises mean ball time

=
Hmmm not sure this actually counts as classical conditioning, I don't have the energy to go get the definitions right now but classical conditioning would elicit a reflexive response in the dog (such as salivation or dilation of pupils), I think this falls under operant conditioning.

Best I can do from wiki

Operant conditioning is distinguished from classical conditioning (or respondent conditioning) in that operant conditioning deals with the reinforcement and punishment to change behavior. Operant behavior operates on the environment and is maintained by its antecedents and consequences, while classical conditioning is maintained by conditioning of reflexive (reflex) behaviors, which are elicited by antecedent conditions. Behaviors conditioned through a classical conditioning procedure are not maintained by consequences.[1] They both, however, form the core of behavior analysis and have grown into professional practices.

ABC of operant conditioning (Antecedent, Behaviour, Consequence ). So Scout and the coffee machine - Antecedent = coffee machine goes on, Behaviour = Scout goes to lodger, Consequence = Lodger throws ball.

[minkee]

There is an extra step of cleverness (I think) in that he doesn't switch the coffee grinder on, pull out the ball he's brought with him and call Scout for a game. He switches the coffee grinder on and hangs out in the corner of the kitchen for 5 minutes with not a lot to do but wait. It's Scout that capitalises on this idle time he has by *taking* the toy she wants thrown to him from an entirely different room when she hears the 'cue' of the coffee grinder.

In the same way she will bring toys endlessly to the feet of 'new' people because she knows they will endlessly throw it for her. She can spot an easy mark! She does ask to play with us from time to time but not with the absolute certainty and persistence that she has with new people.

[Sweetie's Human]

These are great!

Sweetie gets a frozen kong when we leave her home alone. For the most part, this is when I go to work in the mornings as OH leaves before I do. She learnt very quickly that the lady wearing perfume = kong time. To the point that I no longer put perfume on if I'm staying home so she doesn't expect frozen kongs all the time, and I make sure it is the last part of getting ready to leave so she doesn't get too excited too early

Who would have thought the pug's clever self-education would revolve around food?

[Erica]

Delta has started deliberately pushing his tennis ball under the couch while I'm eating so that I have to get up and retrieve it for him.

Which reminds me of how Opal has learned never to play with a food toy near an air vent as the food can go down between the slots...so she will carefully pick the toy up and move it away if it gets too close for comfort.

[minkee]

We had two policemen in our house at 12 midnight yesterday (this morning?) and by 12:30 Scout had one of them fully trained in squeaky-egg toy kicking. So much so that he felt the need to leave the room to play with her so as not to squeak in the same room as the upset girl in the room (everything is fine by the way! Family-in-law excitement going ons)

Anyway, I think this proves that Scout has absolutely no sense of propriety

[Nettle]

We had two policemen in our house at 12 midnight yesterday (this morning?) and by 12:30 Scout had one of them fully trained in squeaky-egg toy kicking. So much so that he felt the need to leave the room to play with her so as not to squeak in the same room as the upset girl in the room (everything is fine by the way! Family-in-law excitement going ons)

Anyway, I think this proves that Scout has absolutely no sense of propriety

Wonderful!

[gwd]

We had two policemen in our house at 12 midnight yesterday (this morning?) and by 12:30 Scout had one of them fully trained in squeaky-egg toy kicking. So much so that he felt the need to leave the room to play with her so as not to squeak in the same room as the upset girl in the room (everything is fine by the way! Family-in-law excitement going ons)

Anyway, I think this proves that Scout has absolutely no sense of propriety

Wonderful!

I agree! Wonderful! And I don't think scout is lacking a sense of propriety, but is in fact, a delightful diffuser of a situation.

[JudyN]

Aren't British policemen wonderful?

I hope all the excitement has calmed down now, MInkee, and everyone's OK.

[mansbestfriend]

Just before tea time my Kelly dog looks at Max the greyhound (now also mine since being adopted last week) then saunters outside and barks twice at nothing obvious. Max the greyhound runs outside excitedly to investigate, whence Kelly dog saunters back in and lies down in Max's spot. Coincidence? Maybe.