Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - FF475: Advanced Cookie Jar Games

Course Details

This course continues the journey from Cookie Jar Games, the class about the advantages of delayed reinforcement. The prerequisite course (required for Gold students only) is FF470, Cookie Jar Games.

Delayed gratification is not hard-wired, but it can be learned without stress! We'll review some of the core concepts. And then we will take off running with games which are built on the Cookie Jar principle that delay is the better deal for the dog.

All of my games of delay play by the rules of dog's choice. All of the Cookie Jar Games are built from a win/win strategy. This approach is central and necessary! Cookie Jar Games helped your dog choose to work. In Advanced Cookie Jar Games, we will nurture your dog's desire to remain patient and keep working. Your dog will understand that the delayed reinforcer will be more valuable than the currently available one. No matter what serves as a reinforcer in the moment, we can make it better through delay, and we can help our dogs understand how to control that delay.

It is exciting and gratifying to see the Cookie Jar concept take hold in your dog's life! Essential for competition dogs and incredibly useful for all dogs. If you want to compete successfully then delay of reinforcement is mandatory. It is a huge advantage for any family dog to feel relaxed when he has to wait for things or work amid distractions. This class will help you give your dog the gifts of patience and resourcefulness. Your dog can learn to prefer to work no matter what. It all comes together when he understands about building interest in the bank of reinforcement, all for the greater reward later.

Take this class for fun and games built upon your dog's desire to trade up his reinforcement from a small reward now to a larger reward later. We will take "choose to work" to a higher level.

Instructor: Julie Daniels

Julie Daniels (she/her) won her first award for writing in the fourth grade, and she was training dogs long before that. Today Julie Daniels is one of the foremost names in dog agility in the United States. She was one of the early champions of the sport and helped many clubs throughout the country...(Click here for full bio and to view Julie's upcoming courses)

Syllabus

View Full Syllabus

WEEK 1

The Cookie Jar Context - Happy Place is Real

Adv CJ Recall Games

CJ Delay Game - More is Better

Review and Expand Magic Mat Steps 2 and 3

Using CJ Stations to Create Value for Delay

WEEK 2

Adv Loading the CJ - How to Let Your Dog Choose his Treats

Using CJ Cousins - Remote Reinforcer and Cookie Bowl

CJ Two Mats Game

Adv CJ Triangle Games

WEEK 3

Using CJs to Create Patience

Trade Up Treat Games - Choose to Work

Pedestals! Open Treats mean Delay is a Better Deal

CJ in the Middle Game - Circles and Stations

WEEK 4

Interest in the Bank Games - Open Bowls

Using CJs in the Ring - Improve Focus and Commitment

The Hurry Up and Wait Game

Cookie Bowl now or Cookie Jar Later

WEEK 5

Multi-Tasking with CJs Improves Life Skills

Position Holds with CJs

Moving CJs Outside the Ring - the Transition

Building Reinforcement Loops with CJs

WEEK 6

Working Feels Better than Eating or Cheating

The Bait Bag Game - Manipulating What has Predictive Value

Two CJs in Play - Layers of Work by Choice

Exit Strategies - Rituals From Ring to CJ

Prerequisites & Supplies

View all Prerequisites & Supplies

Gold students only must have taken the course FF470, Cookie Jar Games. Gold students will need to come to this class with a dog who has a Cookie Jar in his life and knows how to use it!!!

There is no prerequisite for Silver or Bronze students. Thank you for your interest!

As for equipment, if you will be using the Cookie Jar in conjunction with a dog sport or specific activity, then you might want to have on hand some equipment which will transfer to that sport. For example, if you want to work on a ring competition sport, then a sample ring gate would be useful as a marker for "in the ring" vs "outside the ring." Likewise a piece of dog gear such as a particular harness or leash might be useful as our class goes on.

Sample Lecture

HAPPY PLACE IS REAL! - By Julie Daniels

Classical conditioning affects our minds and our bodies, and the way we perceive the world around us. It affects basic functions like heart rate and blood pressure, and feelings, and yes, salivation. All at the level of the autonomic systems of the body. Classical conditioning does not need your permission. It is ongoing whether you know it or not, and whether you like it or not. The saying is that Pavlov is always in the room. I think we should remember that Pavlov got there first.

 Because classical conditioning is always in play during your training sessions, you are better off knowing what you are doing. Notice the effect you are having! How you set up each session of your training in this class is important. Each time you establish operations to train, every time you and your dog load your Cookie Jar and prepare to play one of our games, you are adding to your dog's aggregate level of happiness for the work we are doing here. Your dog's feelings about his Cookie Jar are under your power as his trainer! Every session is an investment for the next time.

 What associations do you want your dog to make with the CJ? You are already doing very well with that, no doubt. I know that your training spaces at home are among your dog's favorite places. You have a good solid foundation of happy, non-stressed fun with the CJ. So now you have a strong predictor of fun that you can carry from place to place.

 Over the course of this class, we are going to be taking that CJ to many different places. The positive power you have generated with it already is very important, because those feelings will transfer. The happy feelings you have built for your dog will help you turn everywhere you do CJ work into a Happy Place. It is your job to keep that sentiment strong! It is much more important than any particular skill! Happy Place is real, and Happy Place means more than "cookie place." For both you and your dog, Happy Place means place of personal power, place of win/win choices, place where dog and handler do fabulous fun work together as a team. How you and your dog feel about the CJ away from home will have a LOT to do with how your dog feels about increasing delay of reinforcement away from home.

 Be sure to set about creating exactly the emotional state you want. That little Cookie Jar is going to be one of your best training tools ever! You have already been doing a great job of that at home in your training spaces. In this class we are going to be moving your training spaces around each time you are ready to bring a new game out and about. I want to be sure you recognize the importance of bringing the HAPPY PLACE mentality with you. Your dog’s Cookie Jar will be a powerful part of his positive Conditioned Emotional Response (CER) to training, wherever you go, just by signaling that he is about to play and win some very fun game.

Thank you for letting me join your CJ training journey. In this class we will expand our concepts and improve our skills. Then we will take them out into your larger world, all while keeping every training space a Happy Place!

Julie Daniels
Deerfield, NH

Testimonials & Reviews

Read All Testimonials

A sampling of what prior students have said about this course ...

I loved this class and will continue to incorporate cookie jar games into my obedience training. Julie is a fabulous instructor in every way - she goes the extra mile, provides clear materials and many examples of everything we did. Terrific video examples and commentary. I was hampered this term as I was away during the holidays and was out of sync more than usual. Nonetheless, it was fantastic and I will continue to work through the sections that I missed!

Julie Daniels is an amazing, caring, insightful instructor. This class was phenomenal. So many insights, so many small things that make a big difference. I just wish we had more time. Please please please can we have a cj3 class!

Thank you Julie! This has been a great addition to CJG and really furthered the understanding of delayed reinforcement.

I took this course with a seasoned competition dog. I had CJG in my library so reviewed it with my dob before this started and took my dog through it. I thought it would be a bit elementary for him but it couldn't hurt. I gotta say, it seems to be the filling a hole in our foundation!!

Thank you Julie for another excellent class. I'm so glad that Cookie Jar Games are in our life, and they're here to stay!

Julie tailors materials to where the students are at. Julie cares about her human students too, not just the canines!!