Cassie is getting the hang of boundary games and goes on her bed automatically when we eat -- my question is if she goes there without the cue do I still reward her and give the release cue? Because she sits there sphinx like looking at me " I'm such a good girl" and I feel really mean. If I see her going towards her bed of her own accord I give her the cue, is that right?
If you se her going towards the bed, you can use your cue to reinforce it. You can also reward her on the bed whether or not you asked her to go there. The thing to remember is, if you cue her on it, you must alway release her off it. Even if she then hops up again uncued.
Ok, so it's ok to reward being on bed uncued, but should I use release cue then , or only use release cue when she's been cued on to it?
You can use the release when she's on it, if you want her to get off it. You want to: a) build value in being on the boundary b) build value in the release cue So, any time you reinforce either of these, it's a good thing. If you think of the cues being "on" and "off". You need to build value in that "off" as much as you do in the "on". You want your dog to love being on the boundary, but also to love being asked to get off it. In Boundary Games, I'm not really a fan of the term "release", because it makes it sound as if the dog is itching to get off the boundary. Rather than that, you want to make them two equally highly prized behaviours. So make sure you build as much enthusiasm for the "off" as you do for the "on". Does that make sense?
Yes, totally makes sense thanks, for clarifying. I've been practising "release" from the back of the car, I've always asked her to wait before getting out, but by using "break" and reinforcing that she now runs straight to me for her reward, instead of going straight to sniffs etc. I'm not saying this would happen if in very exciting situations but in familiar surroundings it's progress.
