For as long as I have shared my life with dogs, training for particular activities, tasks, or program it is a daily event. It begins with planning, chopping of treats, working through the sessions, videoing, taking notes and more planning. It is often the hi-light of the day: a chance to connect with an individual and share their learning journey.

Recent weeks have pushed this aside, mostly due to a shortage of “energy” but also a desire to avoid that urgency and hurry to get the dog trained. Remember, training is something that we do TO the dog. A no-training day does not mean he gets a lazy day lying idly in the sun. Learning is still happening and this is significant and important for his development.

Learning is defined as a measurable change in behaviour. Something that is a change from yesterday and the recent history. A change that may be of direct benefit for both for good and for bad. A way of doing something new, a novel experience to process, or routine needing less support and prompts.

The purpose of learning, or change, is to gain “more and better rewards” (Schultz). Since my training, and their learning, centres around rewards, when I observe learning happening I note the change but also try to detect what rewards are gained, or what rewards are increased. This provides me with significant and critical information for future use.

This day began at 5.10am, sunrise when the local wildlife made a tremendous drama about leaving the garden. Their chosen exit route was not their chosen entry point, so much squealing and panic caused an early rise for all concerned.

Jeez, it’s only 5.15 ?

The early morning pattern follows its usual course with the girls enjoying their private garden leisure without a randy teenager in hot pursuit, so Himself comes into the kitchen for a 5 minute quality time as the kettle goes into action. Significant learning was the self-collecting of his person-play-toy, not requiring me to find it under the sofa for him. We have been discriminating between balls, which are dumped at my feet for future sheepball games, and all other soft toys which are to hand, for catch and eye co-ordination games. This morning 10 out of 10 hand-dumped correctly.

Reward? Instant consequence from me, no delay, catch and repeat.

Their breakfast follows mine and I see he is learning to turn his head around the bowl to scoop out the corners. Up to now he has needed to circle the bowl like a helicopter rotor blade rivetted by the nose shoving the bowl in every direction.

Reward? Not sure, possibly he can transfer the food to stomach faster? (and then get a chance to check out the other empty bowls)

First walks are race-and-run to the horizon variety. Gate stillness is very strong. Zip is the sheep and he rolls up his sleeves and takes out the work-book to Be The Collie.

Reward? Delicious high quality dopamine and the rest

This work only happens on the outbound path. Once we turn for home, Zip likes to follow at my side, and that Working Boy turns into Thug Boy biting her legs, and harassing her into a stop.

Reward? Controlling her.

This is not acceptable, so we divert this with a focus to a ball from my pocket giving her a chance to break free. Today he began to seek the ball as soon as the walk changed from outbound to inbound. No prompting required.

Reward? Ball games began early, and continued for longer.

Note to self: I will vary the field patterns so that outbound and inbound are not predictable, change directions and wander purposelessly to avoid the pattern. I do not want to become the Sheep-who-carries-Balls.

The morning was spent in the garden, enjoying the warm sunshine and generally amusing himself with the toys, some of which are old heavy mats he seems to enjoy carting around at full speed ???

Repeated regularly, evidence of rewarding activity.

Joining me for lunch I see he has used his early proprioception training to seek a new resting place now that his puppy bed is too small. Although there seems to be reward, we have more learning before this is completed.

Today is a venture out day. This is a regular, twice weekly, event, which may include solo walks to new places, or a car ride. Today was supermarket car park, with a short stop to watch ewes and lambs. We both learned that a ewe can bark like a dog!

New locations begin with familiarisation from inside the car before short See The World exploration. Today’s new wonder was the long train of trolley collection, which promptly stimulated The Sit of Thinking. A pose common to young men that can think better when their tackle is correctly earthed.

Reward: information filing of weird human activities from a safe distance.

I learned that electric cars can come at you when you least expect them ….. creepy beasts.

Home required him to assist me in wheelie bin collection, a new experience which he filed away with his usual shrug and enquiry for sausage. This is a 5 minute walk back around the buildings and I was rewarded to see full connection every 2-3 seconds. The noisy bin did not disturb the self-initiated connection.

That’s my boy.

I think that was a full load for an 8 month old brain to process so a quiet evening followed. One new reaction of note was a super sensitivity of foot touch. He is quite sofa hugger and sleeps deeply half-on and half-off my lap. From very early days I have fondled his ears, feet, coat, and various body parts when he is this relaxed and it has the appearance of pleasure. Tonite he thought I was sticking hot pins in his toes …. I shall need to note if this was a single event or a significant change.

No training today, but learning was progressing fast. My note book contains at least 13 significant changes in his behaviour or novel events that were calmly observed and processed. I am sure his brain was processing an entire cabinet of stuff he needs to file away, remember, anticipate, observe, explore, detect, analyse and conclude. Hopefully this brain work will keep him needing a full 10 hours of deep, overnight sleep.

7am please?

I processed learning as well, I still find a sense of guilt for not “doing some training”, but am content to let the small daily changes fill his learning capacity. These small birds will come home to roost in the future.

Perhaps this is the “modern training”?