Fig started learning 1 and 2 today.
She had it down in under a minute.
We used blue marbles, which she collected under her foot for a while.
You will notice in this picture that Fig has a tiny patch on her right leg which she occasionally plucks at. When I first found her she plucked both legs bald, so her anxiety has gotten significantly lower in the last 8 months. She is such a sweetheart.
(below)
Fig is studying 13 colors regularly, daily, but not too seriously.
The colors are meant to lead to communication which will enable her to take instruction in other games, and activities down the road a ways. I have given them the names as listed on the cards.
Given a choice of two cards or strings and asked to identify one color, Fig can choose the correct color item almost 100% of the time. As the selection to choose from goes up in number, Fig's ability to choose the correct color item goes down. So far she has uttered three color names well, and had a try at several others, but her language ability has a ways to go.
The 13 colors are white, black, brown, pink, gold, silver, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and clear. Respectively named ah, ko, ha, ka, Rah, Arr, aka, oh, ki, do, ao, oa, and no. Fig likes thick string better than thin, and string with a knot better than straight string, so I usually mix thick and thin, knotted and unknotted to make certain she is choosing a correct color rather than a favored color or string. I have not used any food rewards in training thus far, just praise.
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