Rock Chalk Dog Training

This week, my mom got her new 2011 lucky hoodie in the mail. For those of you who know her well, you know that she's a Kansas Jayhawks fan and believes that her 2008 lucky hoodie was responsible for the national championship. Because of this, the hoodie is treated as a sixth member of the family and often shows up sitting on the couch during basketball season. Since the new lucky hoodie arrived, she brought out the old one to keep it company in the house. (Believe me, this doesn't make sense if you're a dog either.)

But I've found a wonderful use for the old lucky hoodie, which smells a lot like Mom -- I sleep on it at night. Because of this, and the fact that I lie next to Mom on the couch during all the KU games, she has decided that I am not a Texas fan like Dad, but a Jayhawks fan like her. She decided to demonstrate this with a silly trick.

She's currently teaching me to run to the Jayhawk hoodie as opposed to the Texas hoodie when she says, "Which one do you like better?" This is experimental training, so we're not sure how's it's going to work, but she has started by placing the sweatshirts on the floor and giving me a treat every time I sniff or touch the Jayhawk hoodie. If I want a treat, I run to it. This is called shaping. She just waits for me to make the right decision and then gives me a treat when I do. Over time, I start making the right decision more often, and she can put the behavior on command. This is like clicker training, but she just says "good girl" rather than clicking. She can't wait to show off this silly trick to Dad. As for me, I just like the attention. Working with your parents, even if it seems silly to you, can be really fun. Try it!

Love, Fenway