Category: The Norbert Project (Cats)

The Norbert Experiment, part 13: what’s next?

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I am happy to report that Game can now watch cats moving slowly or being stationary at baseline distance without getting up or getting excited. She is interested, but – just hanging out and looking, and then going back to snoozing. No matter whether the glass door is open or closed. This is a HUGE difference from baseline – here, as a reminder, that first video I took around 2 weeks ago:

Versus today!

I’m calling this a big win, and I love how fast it happened!

Just hanging out, watching a cat walk past at baseline distance!

We have walked past resting cats at about 1m distance from Game in the yard (Game on a leash and muzzled; better not to risk anything), and I can tell her to leave it and she will keep the leash loose and make a little curve to indicate that she is leaving the cat alone. I’ve walked towards a cat and recalled her from up close to resting cats (the ones who don’t mind dogs) and recalled her from them in the yard as well – again, without problem and without using chasing as a reinforcer, muzzled (just in case the cat is suicidal and tries jumping into Game’s mouth) with the leash staying loose the entire time! What a superstar!

Crazy cats and cats closer than baseline distance

While Game can’t chill in this situation yet, we can play tug when cats are close and running/hunting/playing crazy, or sitting right in front of the glass door staring in (some are really curious) – even if the glass door is open. Game and I have come up with a tug – LAT hybrid for this where she’ll look, I’ll cue tug, she’ll tug for a few seconds, I’ll cue an out and then a look, mark the look with my tug cue, tug for a few seconds again etc. Doing this a few times in a row will lead to Game not looking when I give the LAT cue, but keeping her eyes on me. This is how I know that she is ready to move on, and I can cue a (kibble) scatter.

Cat LAT tug hyprid:

If I were to stay longer …

… this is what I would build on: I would start with tug LAT and then add behaviors that are less arousing. Brief ones at first, and more as she keeps succeeding (here, success would be defined as staying engaged between “look” cues).

This is how I would get to a place of working in the presence of up-close tempting cat distractions. (Work meaning that Game has gotten her needs to look out of the way and is able to stay in the game – or the work – with me until we end.) I won’t be able to do this here because we’ll move in a few hours – but that’s what I would do if I lived here permanently. Check out Sara Brueske’s Bomb Proof Behaviors class at FDSA to learn more about where to go from a place like this! It’s a concept class that can be used for any behavior and any distraction.

Finally: more cat photos for your enjoyment as we are packing our bags to leave!

There are two more cats around here that I didn’t get a picture of – apart from these two, I believe you’ve now seen all of them in some post or other.

Conclusion

Things have been going well! No cats were harmed in the making of this project! When we see Norbert again, we’ll be better prepared for sharing a space – at least for a little while!

The Norbert Experiment, part 12: from cat watching right to kibble scatters

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Ready to go from cat watching right to kibble scatters?

Video 1

First session – and Game is being a superstar! Go Game!!!

Notes:

  • Door status: glass door closed.
  • Let’s repeat this with the door open!

Video 2 – door open

Notes:

  • Door status: glass door open
  • I LOVE that Game looked at the cat and then at me (that’s what I mark)! There is a moment of looking back catwards before the last treat though. We’re going to repeat this again; I want to see her succeed without looking back at the cat before the treat magnet or last scatter treat.

Video 3:

Notes:

  • Door status: glass door open!
  • Game status: SUCCESS! Wheee! Go Game!

The Norbert Experiment, part 11: from cat watching right to a high value scatter

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The hope is that at this point, the cat’s arousal level is only moderately high – ready to be met with a high value scatter!

Video 1

This was hard! Game had to go back to watching (at 00:05) and couldn’t finish the first scatter right away, even though she responded to the treats cue at baseline speed. She went back to eating quickly – but I want that first scatter to be eaten without interruptions before I proceed to kibble scatters. So we got some excellent new information here, and I conclude: we’ll stay at this level until I get a no-latency response, and Game finishes the entire scatter without interruptions before following my treat magnet to the bedroom.

Notes:

  • Door status: glass door and screen door open.
  • Two scatters because Game didn’t finish the first one without interruption (at 00:05 in this video, she briefly looks at the cat).

Video 2

Several sessions down the line, Game is rocking it!

Notes:

  • Door status: glass door closed
  • I want to repeat this with the door open and see the same response before moving on – but in any case, REALLY happy with this one! I could have marked looking at me at 00:01/02 right away rather than waiting for Game to look at the cat again, since looking at me was cued by seeing the cat.

Video 3: high value scatter, door open, Game rocks it!

Notes:

  • Door status: glass door open
  • Upwards and onwards – we’ll try kibble scatters next!

The Norbert Experiment, part 10: from cat watching right to kibble from hand

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Same stair case – but kibble rather than high value treats!

In the video below, Game and I are having a long conversation about the cat (it’s the red cat and it starts out on the chair to the left of the umbrella). I aim for 5 treats from hand in a row before going to the kibble scatter, and have to start counting over again multiple times because Game needs to collect more information about the cat and its whereabouts before being able to give me 5 reps of eye contact in a row. That’s totally fine: she can earn the same treat in two ways: by looking at the cat, or by looking at me.

Notes:

  • Door status: glass door closed
  • I will stay at this step for a few more cats until it is easier for Game to offer 5 reps of eye contact sooner. I will also want to see this on an open-glass-door occasion before removing the kibble-from-hand step from my staircase.

Also, here you go, another (and I promise this will be the last) round of – wheee! – self-promoting, which I dislike – feel free to stop reading here!

Registration is still open for the December term at FDSA, and I’m teaching Finding Five.

It’s a class about …

  • finding five minutes to train your animal (of any species) every day – you are welcome to continue with a previous training project we started together in a different class, or try something new. This class has been taken by dogs, cats, birds, and a Bactrian camel. This time, we’ll be having … wait for it … a horse at Gold for the first time!
  • Time management and self care.
  • Improving your relationship with your animal.
  • Playing ridiculous games (because life does not have to be serious all the time).
  • Retreating to a virtual island in case you need a break from this holiday-infested month or the looming new year. What gets shared on the island stays on the island.

I’m also trying a different kind of “just in case you’re in the mood for it” background fun every time I run this class. This term, we’ll be having a book club.

Come, join! (Finances and time allowing, that is – if they do not, no worries whatsoever. The class will come around again, and you’ll be just as welcome in the future as you’d be today. No need for FOMO. Please put yourself first!)

The Norbert Experiment, part 9: from cat watching right to high value treats from hand

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The staircase has only four steps now:

I’m also changing the colors of the stairs to reflect the fact that hopefully,
considering cats is becoming less arousing than it used to be!

I’m counting 5 treats for looking at me (rather than the cat) before going from tongue click treats to the scatter. Go Game!

Notes

  • Door level: glass door closed.
  • You typically only see one video, but I am doing each of these exercises several times a day when we’re at the AirBnB – anytime Game sees a cat! What I share with you are glances into the project, but not all sessions (too much uploading/downloading/editing/uploading).

The Norbert Experiment, part 8: From cat watching right to kibble tosses!

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Here’s our updated staircase! Still 5 steps – but kibble instead of high-value treats:

Today, I am going for 5 subsequent reps of eye contact (rather than cat looks) before doing the scatter. Yesterday, I only did three – from now on, it’ll be five! I have to start over a few times. However, note that looking at the cat is being just as click-and-reinforceable as looking at me. I just don’t want to do a scatter when Game needs to go back and forth between the two (since for Game and I, scatters are ideally eaten without needing to look up).

Sorry to be out of the camera for most of the eye contact reps. The video is cut short, but the last two seconds of relaxation are right after getting to the bedroom and closing the door.

Notes about this video:

  • Door status: glass and screen door open.
  • Number of eye contacts pre scatter-for-eye-contact: 5

The Norbert Experiment, part 7: from cat watching right to high-value treat tosses!

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Here’s the new staricase Game qualified for in the last video I shared with you:

We now only have 5 steps, and there is no horizontal shift – vertical only!

This is going well! Go, Game!

Notes on this video:

  • Door level: glass door closed (I just hadn’t untethered Game yet; just closed it before the cat appeared).
  • Leash-status pre marker cue: tight, then loose (ideal would be loose at all times).
  • Game followed me as soon as I reached for the container with the high value treats rather than getting stuck cat-watching! Yay!
  • Number of clicks for eye contact: 3 only before the scatter. I will up this to 5 going forwards (new rule: 5 successive clicks for eye contact before the scatter, which will be for eye contact as well.)
  • I also became aware of yet another confounding factor: time of day. I can’t control what time of day Game sees cats, but this surely factors in as well. I am not going to take it into account though because I won’t be here long enough to tease out each of these variables, but want to point out that this is very much not a well controlled experiment.

Further cat-related notes:

I train more than I video. This is how I approach the sessions you’re not seeing:

  • When a cat is much further than baseline distance, stationary, and by themselves (there is only one cat), I allow Game to just watch and observe. This is now possible for her with cats at the white metal table/chairs outside!
  • When a cat is Way Too Close, I start with tug, like I used to (imagine: cat sticking their head through the open door or sitting right at the other side of the glass door staring in).
  • When a cat is just a little closer than baseline distance and I have already succeeded with the respective step at baseline distance, I may try the same step at this smaller distance. This is what today’s video is an example of. (I have already succeeded at this step at baseline distance, but did not video that one.) I call the cat “really close” in the clip, but it’s just a bit closer than baseline.
  • Otherwise, I try to just repeat the step I’m currently at a few times to make sure it’s solid. Not videoing, not paying attention to staying on screen – just paying attention to my dog.
  • I will only ever make things harder after having a good session with the glass door open. For example, after the video in this post, I am not ready to move to kibble tosses: first, I’ll want to do high value treat tosses with the glass door open.

By the way: sign-up is now open for the December term at FDSA, and I’m teaching Finding Five.

It’s a class about …

  • finding five minutes to train your animal (of any species) every day – you are welcome to continue with a previous training project we started together in a different class, or try something new. This class has been taken by dogs, cats, birds, and a Bactrian camel. This time, I believe we’ll be having a horse at Gold for the first time!
  • Time management and self care.
  • Improving your relationship with your animal.
  • Playing ridiculous games (because life does not have to be serious all the time).
  • Retreating to a virtual island in case you need a break from this holiday-infested month or the looming new year. What gets shared on the island stays on the island.

I’m also trying a different kind of “just in case you’re in the mood for it” background fun every time I run this class. This term, we’ll be having a book club.

Come, join! (Finances and time allowing, that is – if they do not, no worries whatsoever. The class will come around again, and you’ll be just as welcome in the future as you’d be today. No need for FOMO. Please put yourself first!)

The Norbert Experiment, part 6: more adjustments to the plan

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I’ve decided to make a couple more adjustments:

  • I will keep going down the staircase once and then giving Game a break. She is doing really well with this.
  • I will measure progress by looking what she can do with a cat at average distance – the distance the cat was at baseline, which is where most cats show up. I will not count closer cats (like the one in part 5) or cats that are further away (like the one under the white table in part 2). Baseline distance is here is anywhere in the area I circled, and includes cats sitting on one of these two chairs:

Steps of progress from baseline with a single cat at baseline distance

  1. Skip tugging, and go from cat watching directly to tosses high value treats.
  2. Skip tugging, and go from cat watching directly tosses with kibble.
  3. Go from cat watching right to food from hand high value treats.
  4. Go from cat watching right to food from hand with kibble.
  5. Go from cat watching right to a high-value treat scatter.
  6. Go from cat watching right to a kibble scatter.

In addition, I may add some Give Me A Break CU game sprinkles anytime I toss treats, and it seems like a good idea. Will explain why it felt like I good idea in the commentary going along with my video.

It would be neat to start with a closed glass door, go to a closed screen door and then to the door open – but this may not be possible because the door is already going to be in a certain position (which will be different throughout the day) when uncontrollable cats are being spotted by Game, so I’ll make my life easier and not going to factor this in.

I may not be able to get all of the above on video – note to self: prioritize training – but I’ll video what I can and share. I suspect that by the time I get to #7, I’ll be moving out of this AirBnB – so that’s where we’ll stop. It seems a realistic goal for the time I’ll be here. Whether I get there, don’t get there, or get further than that – we’ll be having fun, and there are going to be treats. “The sun is chirping, the birds are shining, the water’s wet. Life is good, sweetheart. Life is good.” (Bonus points if you randomly happen to know where this quote is from without googling. It just popped into my head – and life is good.)

No video today – but here’s a pic of one of the cats (who would be further than baseline distance):


PS: Note that there are cats several times a day. I just don’t record most of them – my external harddrive is dying (sniff), editing takes too long, and I want to keep this fun for myself.

The Norbert experiment, part 5: a session with the new adjustments goes well … even though this cat is being difficult!

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This cat is closer than the baseline cat. It’s not always visible, but Game knows it is nearby, and is tempted to go back and figure out exactly where it is. I think today’s video is fairly self-explanatory since I’m chatting about what’s going on throughout. If it isn’t – ask away in the comments.

I’m keeping this video short – cut out a long part of our tug play and the end, but: I could easily guide Game into the bedroom (which is a small dark room, and that’s the reason we don’t usually hang out there), close the door, and relax with her on the bed for a bit, heading back out into the other room when the cat was gone.

In part 6, I’m going to share how I will try and keep something resembling data on these sessions. Not as clear cut as I’d like, but it’ll have to do, and I think it will work for our purposes. Stay tuned!

The Norbert Experiment, part 4: adjustments

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So much to learn from yesterday’s session!

The reason I ran out of both high-value treats AND kibble is that I did not expect to go more than 2 or, at the most, 3 sessions. But such is life! I learned:

  1. As long as the toy is out, Game will keep going.
  2. Game is indeed able to choose the toy over the cat after running down the staircase several times (her motivational state is likely different at that point due to being hot and tired because neither of us is used to this climate).
  3. Game can take kibble within this staircase marker game – at least starting at the 4th round.
  4. Once in the bedroom after the 7th scatter (no sight contact to cats or toys), Game is able to relax right away.

Based on this, I will adjust in the following way:

  • Remove the toy during the scatter (leaving it on the floor until then will give Game the option to grab it if she needs to earlier on).
  • Only go down the staircase once.
  • Move swiftly to the bedroom after the scatter and take a break – no matter whether there are cats or not.

Making it measurable

I’m going to do a session like this, and then decide how to best measure our progress. I also realize this is not necessarily going to be easy to measure because there are different cats, and the distance at which they appear often differs, too. Sometimes they move, and sometimes they are stationary. Sometimes there is only one at a time – and sometimes there is more than one. Sometimes, they stare at us (we are in a display window at this AirBnB – for people and cats). This means the sessions are not directly comparable, which is a shame. We don’t live in a lab!

If anyone readong along wants to throw their suggestions of how they’d measure this at me, go right ahead! I’m writing this up more slowly than I’m training, so by the time I read our suggestion, I will likely already have implemented whatever I came up with myself. But if you want to think along and decide what you would do in my situation – go right ahead and have fun with this in the comments, and I’ll be sure to get back to you there!

Since I have no video for you today – take one of the cats instead: