Tuesday Topics 16 - Release Command
When it's time for Cabana to eat, she sits and waits very nicely. We release her to eat by saying "okay". But lately, probably in the past month, Cabana doesn't respond the first time we say okay. She just sits there and won't start eating. Sometimes, we have to say it several times or say it just the right way. Other times, I have to give her a little pat on the back of her neck before she'll dig in.
In the above clip, the first time I said "okay", I said it too softly--but mostly because I was being camera shy and didn't want my voice to be heard (not really too smart, considering the purpose of this video clip!). But even if we say it loudly and authoritatively, usually, Cabana doesn't respond the first time. Here, Cabana responds the second time, maybe because I said her name first. But there are days when we do this and she still doesn't respond.
We've never, ever punished Cabana for not waiting. She learned it very easily months ago and has done it consistently ever since. So I don't understand her recent hesitation. It's like she's nervous about doing it wrong.
And I don't want to teach bad habits by giving the command more than once. So I need to figure it out before it gets worse. Has anyone else had this happen? If we stick to our guns and only say "okay" once, then Cabana just sits and sits, drooling hungrily. Should we just wait it out, no matter how long it takes, and not give the command again?
Here's a clip of Cabana licking her bowl clean. She likes to get every last nuance of flavor. This clip is from the same meal as the above clip--the bowl has moved quite a bit on the rug!
