Tuesday Training 42

Mother Nature's dealing us a crappy hand this week, which means we'll need to stay inside and weather yet another snowstorm in the next 24 hours. That leaves lots of time for potential training.

I totally stole this trick from Sara & Oreo.  Despite the fact that I knew cards would get punctured, slobbered on, and bent in the process (Marge is not as elegant and gentle with her jaws as Oreo is), I just had to try it for myself.

I first shaped Marge to pick a single card out of my hand using a clicker and treats.  Shaping it didn't take her long, as mouthing an object is usually one of the first behaviors that she offers.  She did have some trouble when picking one card from a hand of multiple cards, though.. I guess since the slobber made them stick together a bit..

At the beginning of the video, Marge was mildly distracted by Layla, who was hopping up on to the furniture to get as close to the heat vent as possible.

So, where to go with this simple little trick? Leave it as is, or build on it to teach Marge something more complex?

Let me know your ideas!