So what does an alert look like from start to finish? Last night, I was able to take some really crappy video of Major doing a classic "Major" alert. I was sitting at my desk working on the computer, and Stella was in her room. He gives me "the stare", then puts 2 paws on me. As for the rest? Well, just watch and see after the jump...
Oh my goodness. I love these dogs. I am so glad you filmed it. And I loved Stella, "Why are you taking pictures?" You tell her why and then she's like, "Oh, are you filming then?" Such a beautiful girl and family you have.
ReplyDeleteFrank,
ReplyDeleteYou ask Major to show you. What is this command used for? Do you always give this command after an alert? I'd love to hear more.
Jenn
Hi Jenn,
ReplyDeleteWe have taught Major different alerting behaviors to signify a low or a high BS. It is still a work in progress, and he is getting better at it. He "waves" for a high, and "bows" for a low. I normally ask him to "show me" AFTER I have checked and know what it is to verify and confirm what he is smelling. That way, I can reward and reinforce and know that he absolutely has gotten it.
Show me is our own thing, some people ask "What is it", but with Major and Raven, asking "what is it" promotes an excitable false alert, they see "what is it" as more of a prompt to go through the motions.