billi get food later?

billi want food!

billi mad.

But even if you want to think of it as an action-reward system, I feel like there are enough videos that evidence that it’s not just about that to the animals involved, which — yeah, okay, wishful thinking, BUT! Billi’s owner posted a TikTok recently where she asks Billi what she wants — a question Billi comprehends — and Billi just responds “Happy Billi”.

Also, I’m fascinated with the fact that three of the dogs who are using AAC to communicate have demonstrated an understanding of water in the abstract. Typically, a handler will model the word “water” with water in the bowl. I remember the first time I saw that Christina Hunger video where Stella accidentally broke her “beach” button — it wasn’t immediately able to be fixed, so the spot on the board remained vacant. Stella strung together the words “help water outside” after looking at the place where the “beach” button should be. Up until then, for me, it was just kind of a neat thing.

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A post shared by Christina Hunger, MA, CCC-SLP (@hunger4words) on Nov 11, 2019 at 12:47pm PST

Then Bunny displayed several uses water in the abstract. When her owner declined to take her to the beach, Bunny tried to get around the no by asking instead “please water walk”. (Can’t find this video right now though I promise I tried.)

She also responded to high tide flowing beneath their house by saying “water sound”, and later the same night when it rained, “water outside”.

There’s also Polly on TikTok, who has used “water” and “play” while outside, presumably to get some hose or pool time in. She also strung together the words “water treat,” resulting in a homemade pupsicle.

It’s just neat to me that they recognize water as water in different states (ice, the ocean, in a bowl, rain) enough to use it to indicate things they want or hear or see! I think Bunny also called a baby seal a “water hippo” at one point (because she has a button for her squeaky gray hippo toy). Like, Bunny has pretty much figured out times of day and is now trying to figure out “yesterday” in relation to “today” and “tomorrow”. How do you model “yesterday” to a dog??? She’s also self-reported injuries to her paw three times — two of those were barbed foxtails embedded between her toes that her owner didn’t know about!

They were able to train horses to ask for a blanket when they were too cold and ask for their blanket to be removed when they were too hot.

Now, in this case there is a direct reward (temperature correction), but they were given the choice between blanket on, blanket off, and no change, and chose what an outside observer would consider to be the correct option. (And furthermore, it demonstrated the basic understanding that blankets are, indeed, warm).

I made 30 Nerd and Jock episodes in 2018. Here’s few of my favorites!

Me: you will not earn what you desire by banging the cabinet door.

My cat: This is a test of wills, is it not? We shall see if your ability to put up with my incessant banging outlasts my eternal lust for snackie treats. Years of conditioning have hardened me for this purpose. bang bang bang

Me: ksst!

My cat, throwing herself to the ground like she's been shot: Oh! Oh I have been assailed in my own home! Have mercy, have pity! Surely in the cruel darkness of your heart there is some mote of goodness that might stay your hand! Do not strike me, I pray you!

Me: ok

i realized this was also lost in the fall of the CH website so

I was beginning to think Foucault’s writings on the “disciplinary society” were becoming irrelevant. But then my niece started the 5th grade. Her teachers add and subtract behavioral points in an app shared with her mom. Note that she lost a point for using the restroom today.

I once asked a university professor for permission to go to the bathroom.

I cringe to admit this, but it was all I knew. I was just out of secondary school; it was deeply ingrained. How was I supposed to just know the exact point in life when asking that becomes inappropriate and strange?

“Yes good”

“AND EAT THE BAD ONES”

“Wait no”

“EAT THEM”

You better watch out

You better watch out