Finally, Some Work

I took the bonito flakes and sat in an x-pen waiting for Orrick.  Well Set jumped in first so we started doing some targeting, then orrick joined in and I started working them both.  They both were targeting well, but Set got stressed with Orrick, who has been such a pain, intentionally harrassing Set, that he stopped working and started sniffing around.  Danu joined in and she actually was working for food.  So the bonito flakes will help with that.  They both did very well. 

I took Set in to the bathroom to work.  It was a pretty novel environment and one that really belongs to Orrick.  I did notice though that he does better when I click and then set the container of bonito flakes down and let him take a bite rather then hand him a flake or put it on  a plate.  Next time I will probably lock Orrick and Danu in the bathroom and work Set.  He should be more comfortable that way.

Bonito Flakes

Orrick's bladder infection seems to have cleared up.  Finally!  I was really starting to get worried.  Now I am planning on getting him and Set neutered next week.  Hopefully that will curb some of their fighting.  It will at least making training easier.  I got some bonito flakes and they really are like kitty crack!  I had every cat in the house following me around like I was the pied piper. 

I tried to click and treat Orrick and Set for looking at each other, but if there isn't enough distance between them then Set gets stressed and won't take food.  I was working on my desk so being able to work on the floor is a must.  They did better until we moved. Now there isn't enough places for them to get away from each other and we are having problems. My current plan is to teach Orrick to go to a mat and keep him on the mat while I work with him and Set.  That should give Set enough room to feel comfortable and give Orrick a job so he isn't in Set's face.

EEK!

I am just as bad as all those other people who almost never update their blogs. Things have been a little crazy here, but basically I have done no training. Orrick has a bladder infection. We had him on antibiotics for two weeks, which helped but it still flared back up. Then we tried pills. I have never before had an animal dog, cat or ferret that I couldn't medicate. Until Orrick. After a week on pills (sorta) we went back to the liquid. Now we are on our third and hopefully final week of antibiotics. I haven't wanted to use food to train because I am putting the drugs in food and I want him hungry enough to eat all of it.

I can't find the cat dancer either. It is probably in a box still at the old house. I will start training again after we get Orrick fixed up. Silly as this sounds I don't want to train the others and not him. I feel guilty enough working with the dogs and not the cats. It really is great to me that clicker trained animals enjoy there work so much.