Our visit at Acadia Rehab today was shadowed by a college student. Studying pyschology at Millersville, she needs 20 hours for a course and this counts. She also attended the KPETS orientation on Saturday. A different therapist, also a Terri, was at today's session. She has been present for at least one other session and is a dog owner, and had been well briefed on the details.
We made some effort to have Ump match hand and verbal signals, but mostly this didn't happen. I realized that he has never tossed River a treat to catch. Thinking this would be easeir, I demonstrated how to drop a treat straight down, from directly above River's head and say "catch it", but when Ump did it, he held it in the right place, said "catch it" but never released the treat, then reached down and gave it to River saying "Awwww". I didn't get a chance to discuss if this is still a goal or not. Our plan to start with and focus on a single trick and it's signal/verbal command has not been very effective. Ump wants to do all the tricks that he has seen and can think of and not necessarily repeat the same one multiple times. I guess it is up to the therapist to set the goals and format if they want to work on it.
We had a pleasant visit overall. River demonstrated his usual, down, roll over, play dead, beg tricks. He did a littel heeling with Ump, which he seems to enjoy. He always remembers to tell him to sit when he stops, although River does do that automatically.
We did one "find it" with a treat, then River also spotted the basket of toys they keep for dog visits and he snagged one of the stuffed animals, so we played a bit of keep away with everyone. River got treated to some homemade dog biscuits that Ump had made. He is planning to take the rest to the Humane League.
One idea that came up when we were discussing the puppy, Noche and I mentioned that I would try to bring in a new picture - I suggested we should take a photo of River with Ump for him to keep and Terri suggested that a fact page about River might be a good plan as well. I was thinking about this as I drove to Philly today. How about a board game - like a lotto board, with photos of River alone, River with each of us, with Noche, etc. Matching cards, maybe with names on the back. I don't know if Ump's impairment precludes reading, but it would be useful for anyone else to have. I'm interested in hearing what the therapist thinks of this idea.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Acadia and Verbal/Hand Signals
Last week's visit we discussed trying to have Ump match hand signals and vocal commands as a goal for him. The therapist and I had agreed to work on sit and situp/beg to start. So that is what we did and it was interesting to see what happened. First of all, River tends to sit anyway, so it was hard to tell if he was following a command or just relaxing. He did do "beg" on command, but Ump still got it confused. Ump wanted to have him lie down and play dead, but he would say "roll over" and give the "Play dead" hand signal. Sometimes River rolled over and sometimes he played dead. Maggie hit on the idea that if she said the correct voice command and asked Ump to repeat it after her, he would use the right word to match the hand signal. He didn't always wait for her and said a different command then he signaled, but when he followed the sequence, it worked well to get voice and hand signal matched. We did it quite a few times in a row, well, maybe about 6, then moved on - to conversation and just petting. I didn't see progress and wonder if it is something that can change or if there is anything to be gained by working on it,but Maggie just said that she expected it to be hard and we can keep working on it. River is quite patient about repeating tricks - why not, he gets treats, so we will continue to work on this if the therapist wants to do so.
There will be a new therapist at tomorrow's visit; so I don't know if we will continue with this. There will also be a college student shadowing us tomorrow, so that's 5 people and one dog. Hope we get a bigger room.
There will be a new therapist at tomorrow's visit; so I don't know if we will continue with this. There will also be a college student shadowing us tomorrow, so that's 5 people and one dog. Hope we get a bigger room.
Another Lesson Learned - Check the Cell Phone
Guess this one should be obvious, but I needed a reminder. Arrived at Schreiber on the dot of 10:30 today, but there was no sign of Pink Girl, who is usually early. Well, she had canceled and Schreiber had left a message on my cell phone. No one had answered the home phone, so they tried the cell without leaving a message at home. I guess we were both in the shower and somehow my cell had turned off, so.....
We were able to briefly visit with the preschoolers who spotted River in the hallway. They seemed to enjoy petting him and since we had his tunnel along, he showed off how he likes to run through that and several of them demonstrated their tunnel skills as well.
We were able to briefly visit with the preschoolers who spotted River in the hallway. They seemed to enjoy petting him and since we had his tunnel along, he showed off how he likes to run through that and several of them demonstrated their tunnel skills as well.
Escape Artist
River is pretty adaptable which has been handy, because we never know what physical space we will be in there. They have been rearranging things at Acadia- including the entrance, so sometimes we have a closed room, sometimes not. We have shared space with exercise equipment - which River always inspects. Open space can present another challenge. Sometimes River decides to go exploring/visiting. He is pretty deliberate about it, waiting until we are not focused on him and then he makes a dash for it. It's not a problem to retrieve him, but he is NOT doing a recall when he takes off. So, yes, we do drop the leash or even take it off, depending on what he is doing. It's in the way for roll over and jumping. If the space is open, I try to leave it on, to simplify nabbing him and minimizing the embarrassment of our "trained" dog taking off.
We are easily able to get him and he probably would return on his own after briefly exploring. Still, we could do some more work on recall, just not drop the leash, stick to only closed rooms or all of the above.
We are easily able to get him and he probably would return on his own after briefly exploring. Still, we could do some more work on recall, just not drop the leash, stick to only closed rooms or all of the above.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Acadia Visit with Crossed Signals
The first crossed signals were mine. It's great to maintain an Outlook calendar. So easy to update from emails and my Ipod Touch. Now if I would just check it before heading out. OK, so I missed that our appointment was changed by an hour, due to a field trip and we showed up at the usual time. To be fair, I had scanned my calendar, just missed the change from 1- 2 . Luckily, we live quite close, so we zipped home and I went back a bit later. River was a little confused, but adapted quickly. Amanda didn't return as she wasn't feeling that perky to start and was fading, so I took River solo.
The other crossed signals I wanted to detail are the ones that Ump gives River. Ump often says one command, while giving the hand signal for a different one. He might be saying "roll over" while signalling "spin" - then River usually does "spin". Or he often waves his arm to the side, somewhat like "play dead" but says something else, like "Ready?" while River is sitting. Sometimes River is confused, but mostly he follows the body language or hand signals.
Today Maggie (therapist) asked Ump if he realized that his words and signals don't match and also asked if he would like to to work on that. She said it might be hard. He said he had not realized it and "ok" to working on it. So, as she was walking us out,we discussed how to tackle this.
My suggestion is to have one of us demonstrate and model the verbal command and hand signal for just one trick and then have him try it - just that trick. We often show him a few and then give him a chance to work with River, choosing what he wants him to do and I realized this may be confusing. Maybe a specific sequence and a smaller menu of choices would help.
Considering what to start with; "Roll over" and "play dead" are favorites of both River and Ump, but both sometimes need the "down" command first and then are directional - that is, River only rolls over to his left and goes on his right side to play dead, so those are more complicated. I think we should try "sit" and then "beg". From there we could add "catch it" for rewarding him. Sit and beg have clear hand signals - the hand moves in the same direction as River is to move, and "catch it" just involved a toss.
I say just, but have realized in other situations, that I am making an assumption there about throwing ability. The kids at Schreiber have not been able to do a toss that River can catch. Although, hmm, he might be able to catch a treat if they just drop it straight down from high enough - the way he catches ice cubes. We'll have to test that out. I think that Ump, on the other hand, does have the coordination and strength to toss a treat that River can catch most of the time.
So sit, and beg and then catch it are three separate tricks and I think we should really break them up separately and do one at a time. And then do them in a sequence and alwasy repeat them in that sequence. It's somewhat against dog training tenets, because River is likely to anticipate things if we always repeat a sequence, but I think it might help Ump to remember and link the hand signals and verbal commands. I'm eager to hear what Maggie think of the idea, and if approved, see how it goes.
The other crossed signals I wanted to detail are the ones that Ump gives River. Ump often says one command, while giving the hand signal for a different one. He might be saying "roll over" while signalling "spin" - then River usually does "spin". Or he often waves his arm to the side, somewhat like "play dead" but says something else, like "Ready?" while River is sitting. Sometimes River is confused, but mostly he follows the body language or hand signals.
Today Maggie (therapist) asked Ump if he realized that his words and signals don't match and also asked if he would like to to work on that. She said it might be hard. He said he had not realized it and "ok" to working on it. So, as she was walking us out,we discussed how to tackle this.
My suggestion is to have one of us demonstrate and model the verbal command and hand signal for just one trick and then have him try it - just that trick. We often show him a few and then give him a chance to work with River, choosing what he wants him to do and I realized this may be confusing. Maybe a specific sequence and a smaller menu of choices would help.
Considering what to start with; "Roll over" and "play dead" are favorites of both River and Ump, but both sometimes need the "down" command first and then are directional - that is, River only rolls over to his left and goes on his right side to play dead, so those are more complicated. I think we should try "sit" and then "beg". From there we could add "catch it" for rewarding him. Sit and beg have clear hand signals - the hand moves in the same direction as River is to move, and "catch it" just involved a toss.
I say just, but have realized in other situations, that I am making an assumption there about throwing ability. The kids at Schreiber have not been able to do a toss that River can catch. Although, hmm, he might be able to catch a treat if they just drop it straight down from high enough - the way he catches ice cubes. We'll have to test that out. I think that Ump, on the other hand, does have the coordination and strength to toss a treat that River can catch most of the time.
So sit, and beg and then catch it are three separate tricks and I think we should really break them up separately and do one at a time. And then do them in a sequence and alwasy repeat them in that sequence. It's somewhat against dog training tenets, because River is likely to anticipate things if we always repeat a sequence, but I think it might help Ump to remember and link the hand signals and verbal commands. I'm eager to hear what Maggie think of the idea, and if approved, see how it goes.
Bring Extra Balloons
That's what I learned yesterday, that I should have had a back up. River doesn't usually pop the balloon - this was only the second time, but he did it in the waiting area this time, before Pink Girl started her therapy. And yes, I have not worked on switching him to "touching" the balloon with his nose; he swatted it with his paw. Ironically, he did do a "touch" first and then switched to a swipe. And his grooming is overdue, too, so his nails might be a tad long - I also scheduled that today.
Pink Girl was having a tough day. She was being floppy and not generally cooperative with her mom beforehand; wouldn't try to walk at all for her therapist. It's hard to remember she is only four. Therapy sessions ask alot of her and it's pretty normal to have some "off" days. She did perk up a bit and survived the measurements they needed to take and seemed to enjoy standing tall and holding the hula hoop for River to jump through.
Even though it wasn't her best day, I was told by her therapist that her behavior with River present was a tremendous improvement over previous sessions when she was much less cooperative and might spend half the time crying. Hearing that is both a reward and an incentive for me.
Pink Girl was having a tough day. She was being floppy and not generally cooperative with her mom beforehand; wouldn't try to walk at all for her therapist. It's hard to remember she is only four. Therapy sessions ask alot of her and it's pretty normal to have some "off" days. She did perk up a bit and survived the measurements they needed to take and seemed to enjoy standing tall and holding the hula hoop for River to jump through.
Even though it wasn't her best day, I was told by her therapist that her behavior with River present was a tremendous improvement over previous sessions when she was much less cooperative and might spend half the time crying. Hearing that is both a reward and an incentive for me.
Who's Got The Treat?
I mentioned that River transfers well. I imagine that most well trained dogs can do this at least to some extent, depending on the behaviors being requested. It has been very handy for us in a variety of visiting situations.
I hand one or a few treats to Speaker and tell him to "Watch Speaker" while pointing to him. He knows to listen to them and mostly does, at least until the treats are gone. I mentioned that Speaker like to have River "Speak!" I don't always give him the treat - sometimes he doesn't like to get his hands messy. But he can give the signal, pointing at River - and I also give it, standing behind him. River usually responds to him, but sometimes needs reinforcement. River seems to know when the person is confident or not. Sometimes he does try to take advantage of this and get treats before finishing a trick and I have to remind him to behave. I guess it's double handling, but needed in some situations.
We also have been visiting at Acadia Neurological Rehab facility. We regularly visit one 50ish man there who has had a traumatic brain injury and we have also filled in for other teams a few times in a group therapy situation.
The gentleman we'll call Ump, has a fondness for baseball as well as dogs. Because of privacy concerns, we usually don't get any background info,so we learn as we go. Our visits with him are more typical of Animal Assisted Activity, because we do a lot of general visiting, conversations about the dog. His therapist does use our visits as a topic of conversation at other times and does try to have him review and see what he recalls. Details like our names, breed of dog, River's age we touch on each week as Ump as memory issues. She also reviews with him some of River's tricks and the commands and hand signals that we use with each.
Usually we chat and visit first for a bit. River is always excited to be there. He waits a bit anxiously in the waiting area, listening for any voices and footsteps as people pass in the hall. I'd like to say he recognizes the therapist and client we visit, but actually, he is eager to greet anyone who acknowledges him.
We try to do just visiting first, because once the treats are out, River focuses on them and doesn't just "visit". After some chatting we usually ask if Ump would like to see some tricks or do some tricks with River - and he always says yes.
Often we (Amanda or I) demonstrate his tricks, using verbal and hand signals and rewarding with treats. Then, with encouragement, Ump will try a few tricks. The interesting part is, we are never quite sure what trick Ump will ask for and he usually confuses the hand signals. Fortunately, River usually responds reliably. He seems to favor hand signals over verbal. River is well trained enough that I am not concerned about him getting confused by Ump's crossed signals, especially since we are not participating in competitions where it might matter. As an example, sometimes Ump decides to walk and seems to want River to heel, but he doesn't necessarily start with River in heel position or even on his left side or use the command we do. Still, River improvises, walking along with him and usually getting on his left during a turn and usually sitting when he stops, although Ump usually seems to think that requires a command. I guess we could try to get them lined up to start and remind him of those details, but they both seem to enjoy it they way they are doing it now.
I hand one or a few treats to Speaker and tell him to "Watch Speaker" while pointing to him. He knows to listen to them and mostly does, at least until the treats are gone. I mentioned that Speaker like to have River "Speak!" I don't always give him the treat - sometimes he doesn't like to get his hands messy. But he can give the signal, pointing at River - and I also give it, standing behind him. River usually responds to him, but sometimes needs reinforcement. River seems to know when the person is confident or not. Sometimes he does try to take advantage of this and get treats before finishing a trick and I have to remind him to behave. I guess it's double handling, but needed in some situations.
We also have been visiting at Acadia Neurological Rehab facility. We regularly visit one 50ish man there who has had a traumatic brain injury and we have also filled in for other teams a few times in a group therapy situation.
The gentleman we'll call Ump, has a fondness for baseball as well as dogs. Because of privacy concerns, we usually don't get any background info,so we learn as we go. Our visits with him are more typical of Animal Assisted Activity, because we do a lot of general visiting, conversations about the dog. His therapist does use our visits as a topic of conversation at other times and does try to have him review and see what he recalls. Details like our names, breed of dog, River's age we touch on each week as Ump as memory issues. She also reviews with him some of River's tricks and the commands and hand signals that we use with each.
Usually we chat and visit first for a bit. River is always excited to be there. He waits a bit anxiously in the waiting area, listening for any voices and footsteps as people pass in the hall. I'd like to say he recognizes the therapist and client we visit, but actually, he is eager to greet anyone who acknowledges him.
We try to do just visiting first, because once the treats are out, River focuses on them and doesn't just "visit". After some chatting we usually ask if Ump would like to see some tricks or do some tricks with River - and he always says yes.
Often we (Amanda or I) demonstrate his tricks, using verbal and hand signals and rewarding with treats. Then, with encouragement, Ump will try a few tricks. The interesting part is, we are never quite sure what trick Ump will ask for and he usually confuses the hand signals. Fortunately, River usually responds reliably. He seems to favor hand signals over verbal. River is well trained enough that I am not concerned about him getting confused by Ump's crossed signals, especially since we are not participating in competitions where it might matter. As an example, sometimes Ump decides to walk and seems to want River to heel, but he doesn't necessarily start with River in heel position or even on his left side or use the command we do. Still, River improvises, walking along with him and usually getting on his left during a turn and usually sitting when he stops, although Ump usually seems to think that requires a command. I guess we could try to get them lined up to start and remind him of those details, but they both seem to enjoy it they way they are doing it now.
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