Meeting Nika

Meeting Nika by Frances McCormack | Learning with Nika The puppy who launched herself across the sofa to bite my nose stole my heart. It made me laugh then, but at three o'clock in the morning being treated like a rubber chicken (and, if we're honest, making similar noises as a result) is less entertaining than that endearing introduction that set her apart from her littermates. Now, though, as her physical skills develop, she pins me down, a front paw on each side of my face, as she manoeuvres to find just the right angle to awaken me with a canine (tooth and species) up the nostril. So wonderful to watch them develop! She's only been here two weeks, but I’m already intimately familiar with the feeling of warm dog wee between the toes (no shoes or socks in this house, and not merely because they’re so appealing to her ever-underemployed teeth) and I’m adept at standing on one leg while disinfecting the tainted foot under the shower head. Eight weeks in a whelping pen means that learning to toilet outside will be a work in progress for a while as the warmth of the living room is at present more rewarding than cold, wet grass. Attentiveness, guidance, and acceptance that there will be puddles to clean up will support the process. The dog ramp in her foster home was a real boon: not only can she climb to places that a puppy her size ought not be able to climb, but she can do it butt-first. She can leap from sofa to the coffee table, scale the raised beds in the garden to drink from the bird bath, and squeeze through the tiniest gaps to find the things least suitable for chewing. Management is constantly tested as she milks every ounce of adventure, exploration, and discovery out of her day. This appetite for learning about and exploring her world is so hugely reinforcing. To observe her incipient physical and motor skills, the refinement of her sensory perception, and her puzzle solving is such a cherished gift. The emergence of her predatory skills leaves me breathless in awe. Watching this novice learner filter information from her environment to figure out what brings the rewards she craves is humbling: the patterns of behaviour of her humans that form chains that let her know when an outing is on the cards or when food is about to be delivered – our mistakes, her rich learning experience. And that learning is constant. She has observed and discovered which way each door in the house opens so that she can position herself optimally to race through first; she lies on the mat in the kitchen watching me cook dinner in the hope that there will be some novel

ingredient of which she is offered a taste; she has been attentive to our strange human sounds and understands that “pocket,” “ shopping ,” “bedtime,” “car,” and “outside” are among the many words relevant to and meaningful for her. She understands that “Nika” means “you” and “Tighearnán” means “ not you ,” but opts to tag along on “not you” adventures just in case… Rather than overloading her with what I want her to learn, I’ve been watching to find out who she is and what will benefit her as she grows. That hands are a source of rewards provided the curriculum for our first planned learning session together, and their free offerings changed her perception of my sausage-fingers from…well…sausages…to beneficent dispensers of the ever-sought food. I dropped the ball on doorway learning , and this now becomes a priority for everyone’s safety. Her world expands from the familiar environment of the car, built on a foundation of learning that it is a place of comfort and rest whether on the driveway or in car parks. From here, she has encountered all of the hustle and bustle of the world, become familiar with the sights, sounds, and smells of various stimuli that will feature in her environment if her comfort level allows. For her world will only ever expand in accordance with that comfort level which, at the moment, seems to be capacious. The sound of the blender draws her to the kitchen in case a taste of breakfast smoothie is on offer; a can falling four feet to the floor is an object to be explored; and if it can be walked on, climbed over, rolled about, tasted, or dragged, it will be. I look forward to seeing the adult she will become, but with the knowledge that her current fearlessness will require a very particular kind of attentiveness and planning to that which her brother, far more reticent at her age, needed. Astonishment of Tighearnan now he understands exactly what he wished for ... vs the Confidence of Youth T, for whose benefit we decided another dog in the household was essential, is well and truly smitten. Previously a lone dog in the house, the species-specific games that he increasingly solicited convinced me that with continuing attentiveness to him and an ample supply of all that he most cherished, a new canine resident would be most welcome. The timing was right: a period of working from home, coming into spring when the weather was good for outdoor play and morning toileting excursions in the garden (hers, not mine). But New Year visits to family would need to be postponed, planned research trips cancelled, leisure activities curtaile

d, and funds redirected. Spring garden bulbs would either be sacrificed with the accompanying risks to health, or management would need to be put in place. The house underwent a radical reorganisation that needs to be constantly monitored and adapted as she learns to scale, scramble, and scavenge, and relentlessly pursues her desire to chew as many books as possible. Where on earth did that wire brush come from? And what attracts her to it? A mystery for Miss Marple books she finds so delicious, perhaps! T takes his role as hall monitor incredibly seriously, firmly but gently setting down the rules (the canine ones he handles for himself; he summons assistance from humans to sort out their own nonsense (“she’s chewing piano music again… you deal with it”)). He offers his ears and tail as toys, teaches her how and when to bark, decides he suddenly likes carrots and would also like one to chew thank-you-very-much, and occasionally reverts to a puppy state himself as he fondly reminisces about the feeling of the coffee table’s corner between his molars. Four meals a day, an assistant in hole-digging duties in the lawn, and the joy of having one’s face, tail, and ears bitten (if the volunteer is unwilling, an ear-dangle that tickles her nose will entice her to clamp on, he has gleefully learned): these are among the reasons why the Little One is in favour. From him, she’s learned the fine art, of canine criminality, extorting a food reward in exchange for the collection of her dinner bowl, raiding pockets to steal tissues to shred, and teaming up to indicate to him which out-of-reach objects she’d like him to help her acquire. The blossoming of this relationship is an endless source of fascination and curiosity to me as I learn so much more about the dog with whom I have lived for almost three years. Old strategies become replaced with new as she discovers what brings success: scratching your sleeping human’s head in order to wake them up for breakfast is far less effective than shrieking in their ear, and alarm clocks are now redundant thanks to the reliable chronometer of puppy hunger or bladder fullness. Her learning is so rapid and so eagerly sought that I am challenged constantly to examine its future and plan for flourishing. The enormity of the responsibility, the desire to serve her well, and the knowledge that I will make mistakes along the way are part of the pure delight that getting to know this marvellous being entails. Meanwhile, thankfully, she seems to have learned recently that no matter how often she tries or how many strategies she marshal

ls, my eyebrows will remain attached to my face. This will make you quite certain that people do not enjoy the same games that dogs do? The Experienced Dog Knowing your dog has receive sufficient preparation does not mean every eventuality, but a range of different conditions so that when the unexpected happens they will draw on their skills and solve the issue. Read More Obnoxious Puppy The delight of your new puppy is probably going to last a few weeks, maybe four if you are lucky. When 12 weeks old hits, and you will feel a slam, the Delight is going to demonstrate ungrateful, obnoxious traits. Read More A Road to Nowhere When familiarity is stripped away we seek recognisable signposts that will take us back to comfort and security. This is survival instinct. It is worth listening to as it keeps us alive. Read More Don’t Let Them Learn Becoming aware that we share our lives with premier learners, dogs, is about saving you frustration, despair, anxiety and endless hours further down the road. Read More A New Puppy. Oh Joy. Impulse buying the wrong sofa can be rectified if you swallow the expense. Impulse buying a puppy can result in personal grief for you and your family and quite possibly result in a very unhappy future or end the life of that puppy. Read More Dogs are Born To Learn We can build tremendous learners when we get beyond the idea that “dogs are trained”. Read More Building A Generous Future Maybe it feels like a doddle because my life with her wasn’t one of competing against who she is, trying to mould her into something else, or even just worrying about the potential fallout of every decision I made. Read More Surprising Puppy Surprising Puppy. With obnoxious moments. After introducing the obnoxious puppy as a youngster I am knocked over by the Delightful Young Man he is turning into…… Read More Be-toothed Learning Machines The thing they don’t tell you is that raising a puppy is DANGED HARD WORK. Biting everything, peeing everywhere, eating anything; not for the faint hearted. Read More A Day of Learning 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. Read More It’s Not Training A carefully planned learning pathway, paced to suit that particular learner for their life ahead. Read More Dogs are Born To Learn We can build tremendous learners when we get beyond the idea that “dogs are trained”. Read More Duration or is it Breakfast in Bed? Teaching duration has become a very muddied understanding or what it is and how to teach i

t. This is partly due to how we use words that are the same but have entirely different meanings. Read More Evidence of learning When we use the words “teach” or “train” child, person or dog, the operative term implies that the process is under the ownership of the teacher or trainer. What your teacher thinks you have learned may not be what you actually learned. Read More The choice of lure Luring teaches trainers essential skills: how to use suggestion and guidance, explain dynamic movement in the cues from our hands. Read More Reasons to use a clicker The concept of “being a clicker trainer” is always going to lead to argument and misunderstanding because it cannot exist alongside the science and technology. It is a “fakery” of our time. The clicker itself is a simple tool that when used in conjunction with technology provides clarity and understanding in teaching. Read More Preparation Preparation: before moving house or a training session, a key to stress free learning Read More Submit a Comment Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website Δ