Work today, though I was able to leave early since I'm sick. We went to Home Depot and walked around for 40 minutes. I didn't take any pictures this time.
I reinforced him every time he happened to walk next to my side (either side). If he pulled on the leash I would stop until he turned and moved back toward me. He kept picking thing up in his mouth. I tell him "trade" and then stick a treat in front of his nose to prompt him to drop the item. At the end of the trip he was starting to look at me and drop the item when I said "trade", if it was something he considered low value.
He is starting to become operant!! That means that he knows that he can offer behaviors to elicit positive responses from me such as treats and petting. I've been capturing sits for the past few days, and today he was often sitting and staring at me, and then giving little barks in frustration if I didn't respond. ("This is supposed to get me treats and attention! Why isn't it working?!") While we were working on his nose target he offered both sits and downs. With mat training, he now quickly goes to the mat and sits or lies down on it as soon as I put it down on the floor. This is where the exciting training really begins!
In the evening, for the first time, he willingly lay down on my lap and went to sleep.
We had multiple potty accidents in the apartment today. I blame the fact that I'm less alert because I'm, well, sick as a dog.
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