Starry G was doing what all puppies do — jumping up on me. This is adorable when they are little but not safe when they get older. Since jumping up is a behavior — and not a developmental mandate like chewing that will stop naturally with time — I like to prevent jumping up from becoming a habit. It seems unfair to let a puppy do something and then suddenly change the rules on them.
Tommy Topaz at a work meeting — it was very stressful 😂
So when Starry G jumped up, I just ignored her in a perfectly pleasant way. No pushing, kneeing, or otherwise being a bully to a baby. Just — nothing. She would then drop down and sit, and then I would give her a cookie.
I tried to catch her before the jumping up and reinforce with a cookie because I did not want her to decide the desired behavior pattern was jump up, sit, get a cookie — but puppies are fast so that did not always work.
Starry and her littermates are clever, having been primed from a young age to seek mastery. This is Jasper figuring out a new wobble board.
When a puppy has been primed to learn, you can see the wheels turning in their mind. “Is this what you want?” “How about this?” And they offer behaviors, trying to pinpoint what will be reinforced.
Hans Solo Sapphire 💙
They are unafraid of failure because they know nothing bad happens if the guess is wrong, and they seem to understand that wrong guesses help narrow things down.
And so in the space of just a few hours, Starry G taught herself (and me) an alternative behavior. Instead of jumping up, she now does this.
How cute is that?! And how cute are these Gems?! Every one of them.
Happy Thursday ❤️