Skip the training, just make treats

The human in this partnership has been slacking about keeping Abby's blog up-to-date. Our training sessions have been a bit unfocused of late.

We still continue to work on our City Walking skills and have been working on a "Go To Your Mat" command. The latter involves asking Abby to go, on command, to her fleece dog mat. It is just a simple fleece covered pad that I got to put into her crate. When it isn't in her crate, they are lying around the house.

I have two of them, one in my bedroom and one that usually is in the living room. However, now that afternoon thunderstorm season has arrived in earnest, that mat has now been relocated to the guest bathroom. Abby isn't too into thunderstorms and lightening and prefers to hide in the bathroom or my closet. Yes, Abby is a smart Indiana dog that knows strong storms can spawn tornadoes and the best place to be is in an interior room away from windows. I can't have my princess Abby lying on just the tile floor.

Anyways, when I remember to bring the mat back out to the living room, I will work on directing Abby to her "MAT". When I have the clicker, treats/kibbles in my hand she does a better job of finding the MAT and automatically going into a sit or down. Without the treats, the response time is much slower (with this and also with "sits"). Yes, I have to admit, Abby is a "What's in it for me" type of gal. Patricia McConnell had a recent blog post about this on her site "at the other end of the leash".

We do vary which "MAT" we go to, but we tend to do this exercise the same time every day, Dinner Time. Abby knows that to get her meal she needs to work for it (sits, downs, some Rally-O exercises), so I wonder how much is her knowing that it is dinner time and expecting to do these things and since mom is staring at my bed, I guess I'm doing my sits and downs there. Yeah, a leap, and I should take the time to work on really making sure she understands the concept of "going to her mat" and proofing that at other points during the day rather than just dinner time.

I did manage to have a week of "Utter Adoration" from my dog, and that was the week where I made her CORN DOG BISCUITS (muffins). This recipe is from "Throw Me a Bone" by Cooper Gillespie and Sally Sampson. Abby really loves these and when I have them out, she comes over, sits in front of me with these most adoring and intense eyes. I almost think that she loves me, but alas, I know better, she loves my cooking :). Though I did ponder how I could use these muffins to clicker her train her to clean my bathrooms. Yeah, she was really that focused on getting these corn dog biscuits.

CORN DOG BISCUITS

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat or all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2-3 tbsp honey
• 1 large egg slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup corn (fresh or canned)
• 1/2 cup chopped hot dogs (turkey or chicken dogs preferred)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease muffin tin pan with oil or spray. Alternatively, use muffin paper liners
3. In a large bowl, mix cornmeal, flour and baking powder
4. In a medium sized bowl, mix honey, egg, yogurt, oil, corn and hotdogs. Stir to blend well. 
5. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour and stir until blended. 
6. Spoon batter in the muffin tin pan. 
7. Bake for ~ 20-25 minutes, muffins should be golden brown.
8. Cool to room temperature. 
9. Store in ziploc bags or other airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

This weekend I'm going to bake Abby some peanut butter cookies. I'll bake some for me too, but mine will also include chocolate chips!

I-Qube

A few weeks ago, the dog store in our neighborhood, Completely Canine had a Yappy Hour. Abby and I decided to go over and meet some new people and dogs, besides a Happy Hour on a Monday is a great idea! While there, I was checking out the toys. Abby really doesn't need any more toys; she has two baskets full of them. She only has about 10 minutes of "play time" a day, where she runs around like a maniac tossing a toy about the apartment. Her playtime is very much an "on/off" thing. She is ON for 10 minutes, usually around 7 pm. Just as quickly as she starts playing, she stops. OFF. Completely OFF. Given that her interest in traditional dog toys is very fleeting, I am looking for something that will work her brain.

I have read good things about the Nina Ottosson interactive dog toys. These toys are made of wood and/or plastic and designed for the human to hide treats inside of them. The dog then has to use its problem solving skills to move the parts around and find the treats. Toys like this are nice when you are not able to give your dog as much physical exercise as you would like. Making your dog work his/her brain can be as tiring as going on a long walk. I know when we used to go to "dog school" (obedience or rally class), Abby would come home exhausted and immediately went to bed.

The Nina Ottosson toys are on my wish list for when I have a few extra dollars. In the meantime, I have started making Abby earn her evening meal with the tricks we are learning (the retrieve, spins).  At Completely Canine, I saw an I-Qube, and bought it. It was more reasonably priced than the Ottosson toys and would introduce Abby to the concept of "finding treats".

The I-Qube is a felt square with holes in it to hold four soft squeaky balls. There are openings on all six sides of the cube. Abby isn't so interested in the balls, squeaky or not, but she does like food. I have been using the I-Qube for her breakfast. I make sure all four balls are in there and then add in her morning kibble. She doesn't have to work hard at all to get her kibble; the holes on the I-Qube are large, her kibble is small. She does, however, have to move the Qube around with her paws or muzzle to get the kibble to fall out. Anything that encourages her to problem solve, even if it is a small problem, is a good thing.

She seems to be enjoying this type of "foraging for food". I have also started to stuff the Qube with other items (some of her other toys) to "plug" up some of the holes and make her have to remove the balls in order to liberate her kibble.  This also works for me in that in the morning my brain is not yet fully functional and it isn't that much different pouring kibble into felt toy compared to Abby's food bowl. It is also gives Abby a chance to work on her sit (or down)-stay while I get the kibble and fill the Qube.

Rabbits and the Tortoise

Abby and I spent Memorial Day weekend at my parents. Since we last visited three weeks ago, there has been a Bunny Explosion! Due to the hot weather (temps in the 90's!), I made sure Abby and my parent's dog Charlie had an early morning walk. Okay, early morning by my standards which is before 10 am!

Charlie and Abby, December 2007 (?)

On each our morning walks we saw at least six rabbits and bunnies and most of the smaller ones were sitting on the grass and not very aware of their surroundings. The tags on Abby's collar jingle quite a bit, and with two dogs, connected to two leashes and with plastic "Bags on Board"  holders knocking against each other, we weren't sneaking up on anyone.

As mentioned in our last blog post, I like to keep count of the bunnies that I spot vs. those that are spotted by Abby. It was about 50/50 this weekend. Charlie, however, didn't take any notice of the rabbits. Maybe he really does listen to my Dad and does indeed leave the rabbits alone. Armadillos, on the other hand, are a different story and really freak Charlie out and we did not encounter any of them on our walks.

Once Abby realizes that there are rabbits around, her nose is low to the ground and looking in and around bushes. She has a pretty good memory as to where the rabbits were before and focuses in on those spots. Abby is on a 6 foot leash, so she cannot do too much exploring or get deep into the palmetto bushes. I have been warned to stay out of them (and other bushes). If you are lucky, just a few wayward golf balls in there, but there are snakes in the bushes and I am not an expert in herpetology.

I should admit that if Abby does see a bunny, I will let her lunge at it. Not a big lunge, remember she is on a 6 ft. leash, but enough of a one to make the bunny move for cover. Hey, she is a hound dog and should have a bit of fun :).  On our last walk of the weekend, we did encounter a very large turtle, which intrigued Abby almost as much as the rabbits. The turtle was pretty calm and collected in that the presence of two dogs did not send him into his shell. I didn't let Abby lunge at the turtle; I didn't want to find out if it "snapped".

Fortunately, we did not have a repeat of last year's 4th of July incident where Abby did indeed catch (and killed?) a baby bunny. Apparently in a small bush right next to the parking lot and fire hydrant that all the neighborhood dogs piss on, a family of bunnies decided to make a home. I had Abby and Charlie out, and while Charlie was marking the hydrant, Abby stuck her nose under the bush and came out with a brownish/grey thing in her mouth! Yikes. Abby does know the "LEAVE IT" command, and in my shock I was able to tell her to "Leave it". She did! She dropped the bunny.  I took the dogs back in the house and then came back to check on the bunny, but it was gone. Later in the day, there were some ospreys circling around the bush, so I wonder if Abby provided them with a 4th of July feast. For the next three weeks, Abby made a beeline for the bush and kept hoping to flush out another bunny, but I think they wised up and moved out.

As for tricks, Abby is still fetching her dumbbell in the house. We haven't gotten a chance to try it outside. I am also working on her "rear-end awareness". More on that in the next post.

City Walking with my Canine Good Citizen

City walking gives Abby and me a chance to put into practice many things we have learned in our "dog classes", particularly the class prepping us for the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test.

The CGC exam is a series of 10 mini-tests (see link above) that evaluate how your dog reacts to several common situtations including be petted by a friendly stranger, being able to walk nicely on a leash (that is, not drag the human down the road), and do so when there are distractions like kids on bikes or a person in a motorized scooter around. When I have done the  CGC exam with my dogs (my first dog Morgan need three attempts to earn her initials, Abby passed on the first time), it was done at the training facility where we took our classes. Going live on the streets of a major city takes it to a new level.

Walk nicely on a leash for the CGC is defined as having the dog at your left side and walking so that the 6 ft lead (not a flexi-leash) is loose and not taut. The dog does not have to be in "obedience heel" position where the dog is precisely positioned at your left leg / hip as you walk. As long as the dog's head is within arm's reach and the leash is loose (there is a bend or J), that is acceptable. This is pretty much how I usually walk with Abby. I'll let her forge ahead or lag behind so that her hound dog nose can get a full workout. Our daily walks are for fun and exercise, and fun for Abby is sniffing stuff.

However, there are instances when I do have to call Abby to "heel". I use the word "heel" as a noun to describe a position rather than an action. Thus, in our house, "heel" is Abby sitting (or standing) by my left leg  with her shoulders pretty much even with my leg. Other people use "heel" as a verb and as a command for the dog to "stay glued to my left leg and keep your eyes on me" wherever I go.

From the list of CGC tests, these are the ones Abby and I encounter the most:

• Walking through a crowd (#5)
• Reaction to another dog (#8)
• Reaction to distraction (#9)

The crowds that we encounter share the sidewalk with us. These include people waiting at bus stops, walking with their groceries or other shopping treasures, families with strollers and plenty of clueless people yakking on their cell phones paying no attention to their surroundings.  There are also a lot of restaurants with outdoor seating in our neighborhood, so people dining al fresco with tasty food also attract Abby's attention. In these spots and at bus stops, the sidewalk often narrows such that I do call Abby to heel and ask for a few moments of controlled walking by my side.

I am fortunate that Abby doesn't react to other dogs, and we do meet several each night on our walk. She does show interest, but if I give a "with me" or "leave it" cue, Abby will, for the most part, keep walking by my side and just give the other dog a passing glance. It also helps if I have remembered to bring the treats and can instantly reward her for giving her attention to me rather than the other dog (or people).  This meeting a friendly dog exercise in the CGC test was the one that gave my first dog Morgan the most trouble and why it took us 3 tries to pass.

Distractions are plentiful on the streets of Miami. Cars running red lights. People honking their car horns all the time. Bicyclists. Trash, especially from the fast food restaurants, which means the possibility of finding a half eaten roll (GROSS!). Again the "with me" and "leave it" commands are the ones to let Abby know she needs to pay attention to me. There are a few spots where there are elevated planters with densely packed bushes. These planters are right at Abby's nose level when she is standing erect, thus making it very easy for her to "survey" for such trash. If she had her way, she would methodically search under the bushes inch-by-inch! I try to remember to walk on the other side of the street. Saying "leave it" continuously for three city blocks is not fun.

Finally, there are the intersections. I would like Abby to have a nice "auto sit" in that if I stop moving, she automatically sits. We are working on this in the apartment, and the apartment hallways. I would also be very happy if Abby would "sit on command" even with all the above distractions and obstacles. However, her "sit on command" in these situations is 30/70, rising up to 50/50 if I have good treats. At the intersections, there is too much going on, and if I do ask her to sit and actually want some hope that she will do it, I really do need to have eye contact before I give the sit command. At intersections, I do use food as a lure to try and get Abby to sit, but it doesn't work every time.

On the bright side, Abby does have an AWESOME "wait". As we are walking along, I can say "wait" and Abby will stop moving. Yes, she is standing (not sitting), but the key thing is that she has stopped moving. This has been invaluable when we come across someone on bicycle, a jogger, or fast walking people approaching from the opposite direction. Of course, it is very important at street corners while we are waiting for light to change so that we can cross the street.

Not quite as good as a "sit", but "wait" accomplishes my goal: having Abby be still until it is safe for us to proceed forward. 

I often wonder if Abby longs for the walks we had while living in Indiana. The subdivisions in the neighborhood there were loaded with rabbits. We would play "I Spy a Bunny" and I would try to keep track of who found the bunnies first. When Abby got a rabbit in her sight, she would stop moving, stare, have her front paw come up and bend, like this beagle below. Sometimes, Abby would do her version of a "bay" which was more like a "Aaaaarrrfff"than an "Aaarrrr-ooo". Some nights the rabbit count hit double digits. 

No bunnies here. When we go visit my parents on the gulf coast of FL, we might see a bunny or two in their neighborhood. I guess the other native critters in my parents' community (alligators, bobcats, and the occasional coyote) keep the rabbit population in check.

The Hound Retrieves!

Yes, Abby can now fetch a dumbbell! I am actually surprised at how quickly she has put it all together. Here is what "it" is:

1. Sit by my left side while I throw the dumbbell about 5 -10 ft away
2. When I say "Take it", go out and get the dumbbell
3. Put dumbbell in her mouth and carry it back to me
4. Sit in front of me with the dumbbell in her mouth
5. When I say "Give" put dumbbell in my hand
6. When I say "Finish", return to my left side and sit

I only work with her on this exercise for about 10 minutes a day, 3 days a week. I have been using a mixture of her food (kibble), jerky and stinky tuna treats as her reward.

I do vary her reward in that if it is something she already knows how to do, I will just give her a few pieces of kibble. If it is something that I have been waiting for her to do (i.e. sit with dumbbell in her mouth) I will jackpot her with a whole handful of kibble and treats but I give it to her a few bits at a time so it seems like 5-10 "little treats" rather than 1 big one that she immediately inhales. I let her "savor" the reward. 

I guess I should say that there are a few caveats to Abby's retrieving in that 1) I have a bag of treats within arm's reach and 2) we have only done this in my apartment.

We need to take our show on the road! I will try to remember to bring her dumbbell and treats to the park and go back to square one which is Abby simply "taking" the dumbbell in her mouth when there are all those distractions about: squirrels, kids, other dogs, squirrels, people on bicycles, yoga class and squirrels. Yeah, the squirrels are going to be a major distraction.

I also need to work with Abby in the apartment and see if she will retrieve for the sound of an "Atta Girl"and not reward her with food *every* single time she retrieves. Now that she understands what I want, we should be able to transition to verbal praise and begin to fade out the treats.

Marlin's Baseball Bark in the Park Night

Abby went to her first baseball game last night, Marlins v. the Nationals. The Florida Marlins with the Humane Societies of Broward and Miami-Dade counties sponsored a "Bark in the Park" evening. I think the number I heard after the game was over 665 dogs were in attendance and I didn't hear or see of one incident. Yeah well-behaved dogs, and yeah for over $4,000 being raised for the local animal shelters. The dog tickets were $6 with all the proceeds going to the humane societies, and they were also collecting additional donations through t-shirt and water bowl sales. 

The Marlins play in Sun Life Stadium, formerly known as Joe Robbie, Pro Player, and Land Shark stadium (I think I got most of the former names). It is the home of the Dolphins and University of Miami Hurricanes football teams and it is definitely a football stadium, not a baseball park. The dog section was in the upper tier sections 400-410 or so. They has to open up additional sections to accommodate the dogs! It was general admission seating which was nice, all the dogs could have plenty of room to sit, stand or lie down.  Abby and I were up in section 403, what would be endzone seating in football, but along the left field line and above the visiting team's bullpen.

I have to say I was really proud of my Abby. She handled the walk up the stairs to the nose-bleed seats very well, and that was with me holding onto her leash, a hotdog and a drink. Once we settled on seats, she spent most of the evening either sitting or lying down. I had brought a lot of her treats and doled them out liberally whenever she did sit (or down) on her own accord. She really didn't take much notice of any of the other dogs near us. She was, however, very interested in the humans, and really wanted to sniff them up good. She spent quite a bit of time sitting with her head on my lap, which is somewhat unusual for Abby. Abby likes her space and isn't much into "displays of affection", public or otherwise.

The game was a snoozer, with the hometown Marlins losing 7-1. The Nats jumped out to a 2-0 lead, then tacked on 2 more in the third. The Marlins had a chance to tie it when the game was 5-1 and they had the bases loaded, but alas, the Nats centerfield made a really nice catch on a shallow blooper to the outfield.

I think the Marlins have another Bark in the Park scheduled in late September. The Florida weather in the summer time really isn't conducive to it, but I wish there were more "take you dog to the ball game" nights. Last night's attendance was listed as 20,856, and I would guess that about 3,000 people were there with dogs. There were plenty of empty seats, so it isn't like the Marlins are packing in the fans. It is so nice to have a dog that I can take out in public and it makes all the time (and money) that I have spent learning how to work with and understand her worth it. Yes, most people call it "training", but it has been more like learning how to work together as a team.

CAKE. I want Cake.

Abby turned 5 (human) years on April 11th. However, I was in Detroit that weekend, so she spent her birthday weekend with Grandma and Grandpa, which probably was a good thing for Abby. My parents spoil Abby; mom feeds Abby from the table and they keep food on the counter, so Abby gets to go "surfing'".  It was a different birthday weekend for Abby because in the past, we spent it with our friends in Bloomington, Indiana celebrating Easter along with Abby's and Ellie's (4/12) birthdays.

To make it up to Abby, and in an effort to get to know our new neighbors a bit better, I decided to have a party for her at the local dog park. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn't get the invite, and it was a rainy Sunday morning, not ideal weather for a party in the park.

While in Detroit, my friend and I literally stumbled upon John K. King's used and rare books while wandering around Detroit. There were 4 floors of used books on every imaginable topic and quite a selection in the section for "Dogs". In that section, I found a cookbook called "Throw Me A Bone"by a Welsh Springer Spaniel named Cooper Gillespies and a human Sally Sampson. In flipping through it noticed they had several recipes for birthday cake, so that was enough to justify buying it.

I created quite the menu of dog treats for Abby's party, all taken from "Throw Me a Bone": Cake, Corn Dog Biscuits, and both Salmon and Tuna Treats. What I like is that almost all of the ingredients for the recipes from the book can be found in a decently stocked human kitchen. There are some ingredients such as soy flour and arrowroot that you may need to get at your local natural foods store. Hey, I now know where the Miami Whole Foods store is located.

Today I'll share the birthday cake recipe: Bow-Wow Cake. I made it in a 13 x 9 inch pan, thinking that we would have about 8-10 of her friends, but only 6 six dogs (and their humans) braved the off and on rain showers. It is a vegan recipe good for humans and canines, and from tasting the batter, really good from the human perspective! This high praise is coming from a chocoholic and someone who really likes chocolate cake and most other forms of sweet things. Abby also had a very good initial impression; she licked the bowl clean!

• 3 1/2 Cups of whole wheat flour  (unbleached all purpose flour can also be used)
• 1 Cup carob powder
• 1/2 Cup arrowroot
• 2 Teaspoons baking powder
• 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 Cups maple syrup
• 2 Cups soy milk
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 Cups canola oil

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Line pan with parchment paper (you could probably due pupcakes just as easily)
• You can use a large sheet pan, 13 x 9 in pan or muffin tins

1. Mix flour, carob powder, arrowroot, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. In another large bowl combine all the liquid ingredients: maple syrup, soy milk, vinegar, and oil.
3. Mix the liquid ingredients with a whisk (or large fork if you happened to lose your whisk in your last move).
4. Gradually add the liquid to the flour, stirring well after each addition. 
5. Pour batter into the pan (or cupcake tins).Bake at 350 F until tooth pick comes out clean. A 13 x 9 inch pan takes about 50 minutes. A large sheet pan should take about 25 minutes. Cupcakes about 15-20 minutes.  

• At this point you have a few options: You can leave it plain. If serving to dogs, frost it with a mashed banana carob icing, or if for human consumption only, I would recommend a dusting of powdered sugar. 

Here is the recipe I used for the Mashed Banana Carob Frosting, also from "Throw Me A Bone". Note: If you still want it to be vegan, you need to substitute for the butter. I found the frosting to be bland, but the dogs seemed to like it.

• 2 Cups of mashed bananas
• 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 Tablespoons carob powder
• 2 Teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
• If desired, garnish with liver bits, jerky treats, etc.

1. Place all ingredients (except for the garnish) in a bowl and mix well, ideally with an electric mixer. 
2. Spread onto the cooled cake or pupcakes. 
3. Cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen up to 1 month. 

We did have a lot of left over cake, so for the past 3 days I have been "supplementing" Abby's breakfast and dinner with cake. It reminds me of the Bill Cosby Chocolate Cake for Breakfast story. At over 9 minutes, it is too long for a "joke" or "skit". I hope Abby realizes how lucky she is to have gotten CAKE for breakfast AND dinner.

Despite the rain showers, I think the humans and dogs had a good time. There was hardly anyone else in the dog park, so they were able to get a lot of exercise running after each other and they all got along well and got to go home with a bag full of tasty treats.

Dumbbell Update

I think Abby is getting the idea of a formal obedience retrieve!

Just so we are all on the same page, here are the cues (commands) that I am using with Abby for this exercise:

• The dumbbell

• Take it = put dumbbell in your mouth
• Sit = put your butt on the ground (in this context with dumbbell still in your mouth)
• Give = place the dumbbell in my hand

When we started our "play session" on Thursday night, we had to go back to her sitting and taking the dumbell from either my hand or off the couch. Next, I had her do the "take it" part from a standing position, then take the dumbbell and sit. It wasn't always perfect, sometimes she went into the "down" position, and a few times she batted the dumbbell around with her paw as if to say "Hey, I'm playing with the dumbbell, make that click noise and give me a treat!"

Finally, I placed the dumbell a few feet away (~ 2 ft) and asked for all three things:

1. Take it
2. Sit (with dumbbell)
3. Give

She did it twice! Yeah Abby!

But... can she do it a third time? I didn't have a chance to work with her tonight on it, I had to go shopping for her party that is on Sunday. We will continue practicing this weekend.

Once Abby is reliably doing the retrieve from a short distance, we can gradually increase the distance that she has to go to fetch the dumbell (upping the ante). My concern here is that she may not like carrying the dumbbell in her mouth for more than 24 inches.

Some dogs have difficulty transferring things they know to new situations. For example, you may have a dog that sits very well in the kitchen for its dinner, However, asking the same dog to sit when they are people at the door, or even sitting in a yard without any distractions is like teaching something brand new.  With Abby, I have trouble getting her to "sit" when we are walking on the neighborhood sidewalks (another blog topic)

I would like Abby to be able to "take" any object I point out for her, so we will work in retrieving different objects like her rope toy, her new fuzzy kong toy, and maybe gloves. If we get back into doing traditional obedience with St. Hubert's, one of the utility exercises is a directed retrieve of one of 3 gloves. Chances of us getting that far in obedience are slim (right now due to the lack of any trials in the area), but it would be a fun party trick. However, I don't think we will have it ready for this birthday party. Maybe next year.

Blogging for dummies and doggies

Long time, first time. At least that is what they say on the call-in radio shows.

It will take me a few weeks to get Abby's blog organized. However, after playing with the layout and photos of Abby, I couldn't stop until I put something down about the tricks we are practicing.

• "The Cap'n"
• A dumbbell retrieve

This weekend Abby is having a belated birthday party with her new friends. Recap and photos to follow along with the recipes for her birthday feast.

In the next few weeks I will explain what our "Captain" trick is (if you are thinking of a pirate with his foot on a keg, you are on the right track).

Our other break through for today (besides starting the blog) is that Abby picked up her dumbbell that was laying a few feet away, came to me, SAT, and then dropped it in my hands.  Getting Abby to have the dumbbell in her mouth while sitting is something that has been tough work.

Pick up dumbbell? Check. 
Sit? Check (well most of the time).
Sit with dumbbell?  Yeah, right.

But tonight she did it! I jackpotted her with all the treats I had left and ended our "play session" on a very happy note. I can wait until tomorrow to find out if it was a fluke or not.