Record Keeping

From Phase 4: Dog 4

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Changing Alert Cue to Olfactory Scent (sample)

This blog is a conversation between Rachel and some recipients of DADs in their home (non-trainers).  Laurie (an experienced DAD trainer and mother of a T1 diabetic son).  It contains such excellent information on a variety of subjects and should be STUDIED!!!  Here, however, is an excerpt about RECORD KEEPING and also addresses GENERALIZATION.  

I think Lynn is nudging me to reiterate AGAIN, in this thread:
IF YOU WANT A DOG THAT ALERTS **ANYTIME** /** ANYWHERE**, THEN TRAIN **ALL THE TIME** AND **EVERYWHERE**

I always tell people that it reminds me of playing 'Clue" ( i think of keeping the log of information gathered and marking "mrs green" and "kitchen" and "knife") I stress that everyone needs to keep GOOD RECORDS of their scent training. I suggest a spreadsheet with a place to log AS MUCH INFO as possible:
~where did you train
~what was your body position
~what was the BG of the sample
~what time of day 
~what was the dog doing
~how did you reward

and i stress reviewing that log to make sure that you train ANY PLACE YOU WANT THE DOG TO ALERT, in ANY BODY POSTING (siting, standing, moving, stationary) that you might be in when you want the dog to alert

 IOW, since Kiva has told us that she understands that the odor has value in the kitchen with a BG of 55, while i am sitting on the stool, when i have her focused attention in front of me . . . I must now ask her "do you understand the value of this odor when I am standing? when we are in the den?, etc"