Day 30!

We made it! 30 days of training for Lyon-Martin!

This was definitely a success for both of us. I got ample opportunity to practice patience -- both with Pickles & myself -- and also found that the experience of feeling out when she's ready to move to the next skill level has already translated into making me a better human trainer at work.

And of course, Pickles has worked hard all month. Here's a quick video showing off her "Grab it!" skills, as well as the eagerly awaited Secret Vincenzo Trick:




Next step: keep working! "Grab it!" will turn into a full retrieve before too much longer, and "Play possum!" is a stop on the road to "Roll over!" Now that we're in the groove of regular training, who knows what we'll be up to by the time 30 Days of Health 2015 rolls around. Maybe we'll be ready to train her to drive me to work in the morning.

With the support of so many generous family & friends, we smashed our fundraising goal of $700, ending up at $870, and Lyon-Martin exceeded its overall fundraising goal of $20,000! Every penny goes toward keeping this vital service in operation, providing excellent and culturally sensitive care to an incredibly underserved community. If you didn't get a chance to donate & would still like to, please click here. Every dollar is needed & appreciated!

Oh, & as promised, every donor to my project will receive an autographed photo of Mrs. Zoey Pickles herself. I'll get those out to all you kind individuals over the next couple weeks. Thank you again to everyone who supported us -- monetarily, morally, or both!

See you in 2015!

Day 29: Guest Blogging Special!

Whew!  For a short month, it's been a long 30 days!!  Time for a Guest Blogger!

Hi! Amanda here for the Guest Blog.  Pickles is doing a fine job of continuing to go farther for the tubetato as well as perfecting the secret trick for the dog that shall not be named.  Not because the dog is evil, but just because it is secret!  Also: I am too lazy to keep up the links in reference to the trick!

Anyway: Sea Otters!

This sea otter wants you to know that there is still time to donate to Lyon Martin!  Help folks out with quality healthcare!

ps: Pickles!

Day 28: Thank you, Christine!

A very big thank you to Christine (not me...a different one -- that happens all the time) for her donation today! We've now beat our goal by $170! Thank you so much, everyone!

Still working at 10 feet today. Once, she accidentally held the tubetato for the full turn toward me -- that's a preview of the next level, and very exciting! Go Pickles!

Today's photo was taken by her friend Erika. Here is Pickles, looking down on her grand estate from the back door:

Next step: keep working at 10 feet, & wait for her to do more full turns with the tubetato in her mouth.

Two days left!

Day 27: Thank you, Paul!

Thank you very much to Mr. Paul Weir for his generous donation today! We have now officially smashed our goal, and are at $835! WOW!

Also exciting, Pickles & I were featured in the Lyon-Martin monthly newsletter, as long-time supporters & participants in 30 Days of Health. This our fourth year running (well, my fourth, her second). Thanks for including us, L-M!

This is the picture of the effervescent, carefree dog that greeted everyone who opened the email today:

It's like she was on the verge of discovering a cure for the common cold, & we had the audacity to interrupt her for something silly like a photo. Such a serious dog.

She did great during training today. We're moving along slowly, but steadily. Only three days left!

If you would like to help us not just smash our goal, but completely obliterate it, please click here. Thank you!

Day 26

Moving ten feet away from the tubetato threw Mrs. Zoey Pickles for a loop. Between intermittent pick-ups of the tubetato, she tried sits, downs, touching a toy with her paw, waving her paw in the air -- basically, trying every trick we have ever taught her in an attempt to get a treat. It was pretty cute, but not very productive, so I went back to six feet, and gradually worked up to ten feet over the course of the session. She eventually got the hang of it. Good job, Pickles!

Meanwhile, I'm putting the Secret Vincenzo Trick on a verbal cue. I'm not sure she'll be able to fluently do it on cue at the end of the remaining four days of 30 Days of Health, but we'll keep working & see how far we get!

Here is a photo of classic Pickles -- taken in April 2012, eating a pig ear after her very first bath and nail clipping at our house:

Next steps: stick at ten feet!

Day 25

Old Pickles had three long walks in the park today, so she was pretty pooped out this evening. In fact, she slept right through dinner time. But we got in a few good reps, and I think she's consistent enough with the quick pick-ups to move to the next level, and increase the distance between me and the tubetato.

Here is a photo on one of her walks today, taken by her good friend Erika:

Brave dog, to be standing on a dolphin like that! (I realize it looks like an eel. Or a slug in pain. But it's a dolphin.)

Next steps: start training from ten feet away.

Five days left! It's not too late to get your autographed photo of Mrs Zoey Pickles! Please click here to donate!

Day 24

I'm back!

Today, we kept at it, as usual. But Mrs. Pickles was distracted & wasn't having much fun, so I cut it short. We still got in some good repetitions on both tricks, though, so all is well.

It's been a while since I posted a picture of her sleeping, & this one that AJ took was so cute, that I can't help myself:

Sorry about the dog hair on your couch, Amanda.

Next steps: keep on truckin'! 6 days left!

Day 23 - Wherein I go to bed and someone else blogs for me!

Hello! Guest blogger AJ here to take over for your regularly scheduled programming. Some people are very tired and have to get up very early for work. So I have volunteered to contribute tonight's posting.

Today I had Christine run me through her training routine with Pickles and the tubetato. I jumped in and did some work with the cue and the clicker. What she says is true! That timing is tricky - trying to make sure to click before Zoey drops the tubetato. You don't want to to get greedy seeing if she can hold on just a little longer and then BAM! you've reinforced a whole different (pick-it-up-and-drop-it) behavior. Lucky for us, Zoey is very patient with us and has come a long way from the rescue dog that had to learn to trust us enough to play and try new behaviors.

It is most excellent that Christine and Pickles hit the fundraising goal. But that doesn't mean you still can't reach into your little ole pocket and give something. Lyon-Martin needs it and the folks who rely on the health care they provide need it too! Maybe you gave already, but you bought a most excellent scratcher ticket at the corner store and you have a tiny windfall you'd like to share. You can give again! And how could you say no to this face?

Day 22

We had a very busy day today, but of course we still made time for training!

Pickles is doing a great job with picking the tubetato up, including many instances of turning toward me with the tubetato still in her mouth. It's so great to see how far she's come in just 22 days!

Meanwhile, thank you to AJ, who got a better video of Zoey's excited rooing for Lyon-Martin:




Next steps: keep doing what we're doing!

We've hit our fundraising goal, but there's still time to donate if you want your own autographed photo of Pickles. Just click here! Thank you!

Day 21: Thank you to John Lloyd & Obie O'Brien! We've hit our goal!

More big thank yous are in order! This time to John Lloyd and to Obie O'Brien, who pushed us up over our goal of $700 to $735!

Mrs. Pickles, how do you feel about that?




Thank you so much to everyone who donated & helped us raise so much money for Lyon-Martin! The clinic couldn't do it without your help!

Meanwhile, we still have 9 days to go on our project. Just because we have reached our fundraising goal doesn't mean we stop training!

Today, we continued to work at the same level: picking up the tubetato several feet away & getting the treat near me. A couple of times, she did do the thing where she held it for an extra second while turning towards me, which is basically a preview of the next level of difficulty. Very exciting! Great work Pickles!

If you haven't donated & are sad that now you have missed your chance for an autographed photo of Mrs. Zoey Pickles, it's not too late! Lyon-Martin won't turn your donation away! Please click here! Thank you!

Day 20: Thank you Val & Jenna!

Huge thank yous to Val & Jenna for their generous donations yesterday, which have gotten us to 98% of our goal! SO EXCITING! Thank you!

Still working at the same level as yesterday with both tricks. Both of us are making steady progress. I'm not sure we'll be fully there by the end of the 10 days left in the project, but the end goal was always less important than the process & the money we're raising to support Lyon-Martin. By those measures, we're doing great!

Mrs. Pickles is lying around napping again right now (and I have it on good authority that there are only so many sleeping Pickles pictures you can bear in a 30-day period), so here's a blast from the past:

Next steps: keep on keepin' on!

Next steps for fundraising: we're only $15 from our goal of $700! Can you help us get to the finish line? Please click here! Thank you!

Day 19

Today, I tried pushing on to the next level with both tricks, & Pickles rose to the occasion!

She was picking up the tubetato with good consistency when we started training, so I went ahead & moved to the next step: changing my position from kneeling right next to the tubetato to standing a few feet from it, & giving her a reward near me instead of tossing it randomly. The idea is that even though she is dropping the tubetato before coming to get the treat right now, eventually she will hang on to it for an extra beat as she turns to come to me, and that's the behavior that I will click for & build on. She was a little thrown off by this change, but figured out what to do. I was thrown off, too -- it's harder to see what she's doing over there, so my timing was a little screwy. More practice!

If it's interesting or useful information, I am basing this part of my training plan on the one Jean Donaldson lays out step by step in Train Your Dog Like A Pro. This is my favorite training book -- it's incredibly clear, concrete, and systematic. Which is how I learn best. :)  The DVD it comes with is very helpful, as well. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in teaching their dog how to do things.

As for the Secret Vincenzo Trick, of course I can't say what new step we moved on to. I will just say cryptically that today I started fading the lure...

Today's Pickles Photo is another of Erika's:

Pickles in motion!

She doesn't roll around on her back in front of just anyone, so she must really like this new friend of hers!

Next steps: keep working at this level, and wait for Old Pickles to do something magical!

Please help us get to 90% of our goal! Just $20 will do it! Please click here to donate to support our project and the vital services that Lyon-Martin provides! Thank you!

Day 18: Thank you Katie!

Another big thank you goes out today to Katie, whose donation gets us to 87% to goal! Thank you very much!!

Zoey showed her appreciation by starting to inch up into the next level of difficulty: building consistency picking the tubetato up off the floor.

She's also continuing to make good progress on the Secret Vincenzo Trick. Smarty puppy!

Earlier today, Zoey went out to the park with her new friend Erika. Here she is, enjoying (eating) the scenery:

This would be better with Thousand Island.

Thank you for the picture, Erika!

Next steps: continue working on picking up the tubetato. 

Another $20 gets us to 90% to goal! We're getting close! If you can help us, please click here. Thank you!

Day 17: Thank you Kate!

A very big thank you to Kate, who made a donation yesterday and got us to 84% of our goal! Thank you so much!!!

Today I decided to push on to the next step with Zoey: only clicking when she picks the tubetato up off the ground. The timing of the click is turning out to be even trickier, since it's hard to be positive in that exact moment that she puts her mouth on it whether she's actually picking it up or just touching it. I ended up going the route of clicking for both, giving her a lame reward for just putting her teeth on it, and giving her a much better one for when she actually picked it up. She seems to be getting the idea, so maybe that's a good stopgap while I continue to work on my timing. And psychic ability.

After training, she took a good long nap in this giant blue chair we have on the porch:

Happy little pup.

Next step: continue at this level until she builds consistency picking it up off the ground.

As for fundraising, $15 gets us to just over 85% of our $700 goal. If you happen to find $15 in change in your couch this week and would like to donate that to Lyon-Martin, please click here! Thank you!

Day 16

Today, Pickles approached training with great gusto. She's clearly building consistency with teeth-on-tubetato, and is also picking it up off the floor fairly regularly. I think we're getting ready to move on to the next level.

After training, she got some good play time with one of her favorite toys, a beach ball:

Nothing seems quite as satisfying as destroying a beach ball.

She also got a bath today. Big day for Mrs Pickles.

Next step: if she's still pretty consistent at this level tomorrow, I'll start being more selective with the behaviors I'm marking, and only click for when she picks it up off the floor.

Can you please help us get to our next level in our fundraising? $25 get us to 82%! Please click here if you can help! Thank you!

Day 15: Thank you AJ!

A very big thank you to AJ, who has donated $25, getting us to 79% (ok, let's just call it 80%) of our goal!

Reminder: everyone who donates to support our project and Lyon-Martin gets a special autographed picture of Mrs Zoey Pickles herself!

We trained yesterday, but I didn't post about it. Too much computer this week! Had to take a break. Apologies!

Training today went well. Building consistency. Starting to put the Secret Vincenzo Trick  on cue. All is going well! I got a nice compliment on my clicker timing from our trainer-in-residence, AJ, as well. Thanks!

Meanwhile, Mrs. Pickles's Turndown Service seems to have run amok:

Thanks, but please leave some of the linens on the bed next time.

Next step: keep at it until she builds more consistency at the teeth-on-tubetato-on-the-floor level. I think we're getting close to moving to the next level, though!

Please help us get to our next level of fundraising! Please click here, if you can help! Thank you!

Day 13

Stayed at the same level today (teeth-on-tubetato on the floor), and Zoey is really doing well. Steadily building consistency. Definitely getting somewhere.

My precision in clicking to mark the exact moment she does the thing I want her to do is getting better, but it's really tough at this point of the training -- I basically have to put my head on the floor to see what she's doing to the tubetato. That just makes the timing and the mechanics of the whole thing a lot tougher, and that in turn is making the progress a little slower going.

Meanwhile, she had a breakthrough on the Secret Vincenzo Trick! It was very exciting. Smart puppy!

She even practiced the trick with me in a new place: my work. There was a little juggling of dog and errands and the heavy machinery outside the house today, so she spent the morning at work with me, sniffing all the new sniffs and lying about:

Sometimes I just want to lie under that table, too, Pickles.

It was a very fun adventure for all of us.

Next steps: keep doing what we're doing and build more consistency at the floor level. Maybe get a new tubetato, too. This one is beginning to disintegrate.

Please support our project & help us get to our next milestone: 80% to our $700 goal! Please click here! Thank you!

Day 12

Made more progress today. Sticking at the same level still, waiting for her to build up some consistency with teeth-on-tubetato on the floor before making the game harder by holding out for more accidental pickups.

Almost halfway through the month, & I'm very impressed with how quickly she's learning, and I'm very excited about how much I'm learning about guiding her through the steps at the right pace.

Pickles is snoozing right now. She's actually dreaming, & is woofing in her sleep. It's adorable, but I want to spare you yet another picture of her asleep on the couch, so here is a second Pickles Classic photo:

Mrs Zoey Pickles at the seaside

Next step: stick at this level until she builds more consistency.

Please help us get to our next level in fundraising! Another $25 will get us to 79%. If you can help, please click here! Thank you!

Day 11

Made more good progress today, with the tubetato on the floor. She actually picked it up a couple times. More or less by accident, but that's great -- that's how the next step starts!

While we were working, I noticed that she has started grunting each time she puts her teeth on the tubetato. It's the same grunt she makes when she gets frustrated, and I know she wasn't frustrated tonight, so what I think must have happened is yesterday when we were training, she must have grunted & then accidentally gotten the idea that the grunt is part of the trick. It's hilarious. She sounds like a little pig, grunting over & over again every time she touches the tubetato.

I couldn't get a good picture of her tonight, so here is a classic Pickles picture (showing pretty much what she's doing right now):

Next steps: continue working on the ground, & trying to capture those little pick ups.

Next steps for fundraising: we're nearly halfway through the month, and we're 75% of the way to our goal of $700. Can you please help us get to 80% by the 15th?! If so, please click here! Thank you!

Day 10

Today we achieved tubetato on the ground! We also made great progress on the Secret Vincenzo Trick. Good job Pickles! Good job me!

After training & dinner & fun time was over, Pickles laid down on the couch to take a nap, & unfortunately was eaten by the couch:

If it spits her back out, we'll resume training tomorrow with working on consistency with the tubetato on the floor.

I hope you'll consider donating if Pickles emerges from the depths of the couch. Please click here!

Day 9

Today was a big day for Mrs Zoey Pickles: her annual check up. She gets nervous about being poked & prodded, so I spent extra time training & playing games with her beforehand, in an attempt to tire her out:

Where are the treats?

I think I wore myself out more than Pickles, but the check up went well (clean bill of health & no one got peed on!) & the extra training time was productive. We're now doing teeth-on-tubetato at a level of about 6 inches off the ground.

I did some research this morning on my questions about my training plan, & I think I'm more or less on the right track after all. So, next steps for now are to continue to work toward getting the tubetato on the ground, with about 90% consistency before moving on to the next level.

Next steps for fundraising: another $25 contribution will get us to 79% of our goal. Do you have $25 burning a hole in your pocket? Do you want to put it towards a good cause instead of spending it all on pizza and beer? Then click here!

Day 8

Today we stuck at the teeth-on-tubetato-halfway-between-eye-level-and-floor level. I've become undecided as to whether I should put this on cue now, or whether I should wait until she's grabbing it at floor level to do that. Oh, the decisions!

We did two trainings today again, so of course she got an extra special treat: bully stick!

Crunch crunch crunch!

Next step: do some research & make up my mind about when to put this first part of the behavior on cue.

Next step for fundraising: we're 75% to our $700 goal! Please click here to help us get to 80%! Thank you!

Day 7

Today when I got home, Pickles had her coat on. I said, "Where are you going? It's time to do our training."

"But," she said, "it's Friday. I'm going out."

"Pickles! You can't flake out on our training! We made a commitment to do this training every day to raise money for Lyon-Martin!"

"But...ok."

So we proceeded with training. We stuck at the same level as yesterday -- teeth-on-tubetato at a level halfway between her eye level and the floor.

Feeling dejected at not being able to go out & meet her friends at the bar down the street, she consoled herself with some furious rooting in her special fuzzy blanket:

She caught on to our taking pictures of her, and let us know that she didn't appreciate it:

Then she did shots of Jagermeister and fell asleep. Just another Friday night around here.

Next steps: stick at the same level until she's at 90% consistency at that level. We will pick it back up tomorrow after she recovers from her hangover.

Please support Lyon-Martin and help us get to our goal of $700! Please click here!

Day 6: Thank you Uncle Kosher Dill!

Another thank you for another donor! Today our neighbor & friend, who apparently wishes to go by Uncle Kosher Dill now, made a generous donation, getting us to 75% of our $700 goal. Thank you!!!

Meanwhile, the training continues apace. Pickles is getting fairly consistent with teeth-on-tubetato at the midway point between her eye level and the floor. It's really hard to contain my excitement at our progress, & not go too fast through each step. This is going to be a very good exercise in patience, for more reasons than I expected.

We actually did two trainings today. Pickles got a special treat -- a bully stick -- for her diligence:

What's that smell?

Next step: continue lowering the tubetato to the floor level, step by step. Patiently.

Thank you so much for your support -- monetary, moral, or both -- of our project! If you would like to make a (tax-deductible) donation to Lyon-Martin, please click here. Thank you!

Day 5: Thank you Chris & Reinhold!

Today we received another donation! Thank you very much, Chris & Reinhold! You have pushed us up to 61% of our goal!

Training today was productive. Zoey didn't quite pick up where she left off yesterday. That isn't unexpected, & she got the hang of it again quickly, so all is well. I was able to proceed with lowering the tubetato a little below her eye line & still getting teeth-on-tube, as hoped, but her consistency with that is low, so I'm going to stick at this level for the next day or two, to let her get the hang of this change.

As for me, I'm definitely being challenged on timing and consistency. I haven't lost patience with either of us yet, so I feel very good about that.

I'll try to get an action shot of her in training tomorrow. For now, you will have to suffer through another cute bedtime photo.

Tonight, instead of taking her pre-bedtime nap on the couch, she went into our room & availed herself of the human amenities to make a nice little nest. I like to call this "Mrs. Pickles' Turndown Service:"

(We don't leave the pillows out because, when in a certain mood, she seems to find shredding them immensely satisfying.)

Thank you again to all our generous donors! If you would like to join this select and fashionable group -- and receive an autographed picture of Mrs. Zoey Pickles herself --  I'm sure they would love to have you. Just click here! Thank you!

Day 4: Thank you Amanda!

A very big thank you to Amanda for your very generous donation today! We are now 46% to our goal of $700! Thank you thank you thank you!

We made good progress in training today, too. Pickles is getting her teeth on the tube about 90% of the time. I'm not sure how much more slobber this cardboard tube can take. It's beginning to look a potato:

A tubetato?

After that, we did a few reps on her secret Vincenzo trick, & then called it a day.

She followed me back to the couch with this look on her face:

What do you mean we're done?!

I would like to think that she's enjoying the fun games & is enjoying bonding with me, but in reality, I suspect she just wants more treats.

Disappointed in the treat machine closing for the night, she climbed on the couch for her pre-bedtime nap:

Sigh.

Next step: tomorrow I'll start out at the same level -- looking for consistency in her getting her teeth around the tube -- and if she's still good on that, I'll start lowering the tube from her eye level toward the floor.

Please help us take the next step toward our fundraising goal! Click here to support us & Lyon-Martin! Thank you!

Day 3

During our training session today, I tried putting a treat into the toilet paper tube, to see if I could encourage more tooth contact on the tube & less nose contact. Success!

Even better, I could see that she kept trying to figure out what to do to get the treat after I stopped clicking-&-treating for nose-only contact. She doesn't always stick with it & try to figure the game out when the rules change like that (which isn't a mean trick -- that's how we challenge her brain & move the training forward), so that was just great to see.

Here she is, eating a well-deserved dinner (out of a food puzzle toy -- also a good way to challenge her brain):

Next step: getting her to consistently take the tube between her teeth.

Please help us take our next step toward our goal of raising $700 to support the quality health care at Lyon-Martin! And don't forget that every donor gets their own autographed picture of Mrs. Zoey Pickles herself. Please click here to support our project!

Day 1 & 2: '30 Days' is here!

It's finally February & finally time to get started teaching Pickles how to pick something up on cue!

I have my training plan written out, and have gathered my tools:

Delicious chicken treats -- check!

Clicker to mark when she's doing the right thing -- check!

Toilet paper tube for her to practice with -- check!

I picked a toilet paper tube because it resembles one of her favorite toys: a paper towel tube. Cheapest dog toy ever -- put some treats in a paper towel tube, close the ends, & let her try to get the treats out.  Makes a big mess -- shreds of paper everywhere -- but she has a great time. I figure that the toilet paper tube is similar enough to the paper towel tube that she'll be more likely to put her mouth on it (rather than just sniff it), but different enough that she'll realize we're doing something different.

Lastly, dog reporting for duty -- check!

So far, so good! I'm starting with holding it at her eye level, so that it's similar to another skill that she knows -- touching my hand with her nose on cue. She's starting out strong, putting the tube in her mouth sometimes (see the slobber on the tube in the picture above), & just touching it with her nose sometimes. Next step: shaping her response so that she's putting it in her mouth each time.

So far, so good for our fundraising efforts, as well! We're already 32% to our goal of $700 for Lyon-Martin! Please click here to support our efforts and help us get closer to our goal! Thank you!

Thank you Corey!

A huge thank you to Corey Lloyd, our friend in Virginia, for her generous donation to Lyon-Martin today! Pickles & I are now 32% to our goal of $700!

Pickles wanted to say thank you herself, but she's still resting after tiring herself out with her performance yesterday as Dr. Pickles, Medicine Woman:

She suffers for her art.

Paging Dr. Pickles

On Friday, we received this message:

I am really on the fence about donating. Perhaps you could win me over with some pics of Mrs. P dressed up as a health care provider at Lyon-Martin? 

We always aim to please.

Dr. Pickles contemplates a diagnosis on a tough case.

Thank you to The Krelliotts!

A second donation! Another very big thank you goes out to The Krelliotts of Seattle for their generosity!

Zoey fainted in disbelief & gratitude when she heard the news:

She also pledged to try to learn a second trick this month -- she said she would like to dedicate it to the memory of The Krelliotts' sweet pup Vincenzo.