Fluency and Stimulus Control

Fluency The ability of the dog to perform a behavior under any and all circumstances. When a behavior is said to be truly fluent, it a) happens every time it's cued; and b) is never offered when it isn't cued.

Rules of Stimulus Control: 
1. Behavior is not offered in absence of the cue 
2. Behaviors is offered every time cue is given 
3. Behavior isn't offered in response to a different cue 
4. No other behavior occurs in response to the cue 

Today we are working on a tricky area - fluency of the alert behavior while I am lying on/in my bed.  Setting the foundation that this behavior is only done on cue.  No scent involved.  

Lily has never performed the alert behavior, "Poke", in this environment and with each of us in different positions.

So we began with just cueing the behavior and the physical ability of Lily to do the behavior lying down as well.  Later I will move her to standing on the bed and standing beside the bed.  But today we are working on teaching Lily that she can nudge me with her nose while lying beside me.

She positioned herself beside me, her head resting between her paws.

When I first cued "Poke" I expected that she would nudge my torso, but she nudged my arm instead, firmly enough to move my arm.  That's alright.....I think.  But it caused me to pause.  And to think it through.

I know that I don't want her nudging me on the face.  I know that I don't want her nudging me on my feet or my legs.  The first I just don't like.  The second I don't know if that would transfer to nudging my legs while upright and/or moving.  More to think about.

But, for now, prone and on the bed and assuming sleep, arm, torso, shoulder would all be acceptable.

Using the ABC (Antecedent (cue), Behavior, Click) model, the sessions went as follows:

A, B, C  X10

Repeat X10

Repeat X10.

All 3 sessions she firmly nudged my extended arm.

A, B, pause, 2-fer, C
 A, B, C
  A, B, C
    A, B, pause, 2-fer, C
      A, B, pause, 2-fer, C
        Repeat to total of 10

Did that for 2 sessions.  Still nudging my extended arm.

Then we began training fluency - poke/no poke

B2 (head resting between paws), C
  B2, C
    B2, C
      B2, C
         A,B,C

Lily is learning on her own, that a nudge is a nudge, whether nudging an arm or my torso.  We did that a couple of times and called it a day.