Nablopomo: Contextual Learning, or Teenage Antics

My mother looooves Caleb.

Caleb walks all over my mother, literally and metaphorically.

When I travel and Caleb stays with her, I get updates on the new culinary experiences she has allowed my puppy. Waffles ('Just a bite!'), Avocado ('I wondered if he had ever had one!'), Salad ('He looked like he wanted it...I think he just wanted the Ranch Dressing!'), the list goes on and on. He has even picked up a bad habit or two from her Boxer/Mastiff mix, Scout (Scout taught him how to sit in the kitchen next to the counter with the puppy biscuits on it and look pitiful until someone offers him one, *sigh*.)! What about good manners, you ask? Forget it, at Grandma's house, we don't need no stinkin' manners!

This afternoon I got one of the best examples of contextual learning I have ever seen. My Mom came over to play with him and he was hysterical to see her, as always. I took some treats out of his treat jar and put them on the coffee table, so I reward him for NOT dancing all over Mom when she sat down on the couch (an effort made much harder when she obviously enjoys being danced on). Caleb was in between us on the couch when he realized there were treats on the table.

Normally, he does not have to think twice, when he sees something on the coffee table he wants, he looks at me and gives me a nice down. But I soon realized we were not in the context of, 'I am at home, where we have rules and regulations for how everything is done around here', he was in full 'GRANDMA MODE', which basically means help yourself and look cute doing it, and you are safe.

Caleb jumped off of the couch put his front paws on the coffee table, and snatched up the treats. Three things happened in quick succession: My mother burst out laughing so hard I thought she was going to break something, Caleb realized he had committed two major NO-NOs in my presence and started running, and I shot off the couch to catch him and retrieve the treats that were not given to him. I was on him so quick I do not think he realized what was happening until it dawned on him that I was holding the soggy treats that were once in his mouth.

My Mom joked that it must be his teenage rebellion acting up, but I was quite sure it was because he was in GRANDMA MODE and thought he could get away with it. It is interesting because this is the first time the context was so clearly a person, not a place. For example, he always performs his obedience tricks MUCH better when we are at Downtown dogs, he has learned that in the DD training room, he has to settle down and get to work. He is always hysterical when we go to DD in the morning and head for the playroom door, because he knows he gets to PLAY CHASE, HIS MOST FAVORITE GAME EVER all day long. When we get to my office, it is time to chill out and wait for my coworkers to show up to pay homage to the furry one, rather than run around the office like a loon.

It is also interesting that he thought GRANDMA MODE trumped the normal rules associated with being at home, in my presence. If my dog goes this crazy when Grandma is around, what is this woman going to do to any human offspring that come along in the (distant, not-any-time-soon, so do not get your hopes up, Mother) future?