Video of today's session:
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Working on the db hold
Admittedly, I have not put frequent or regular work into our retreive. Life seems to be spiralling out of control right now, and I am not getting much dog training in at all (which is greatly frustrating). Monday, Fizz was VERY chewy on the wooden db. After speaking with a woman at a trial yesterday, I decided to try a metal utility article today. This yielded excellent results, with only 1 episode of chewing. YAY! :) Tried working the wooden db in, and had good results with it. Plan for this week: find 3 days this week to work twice daily on db holds.
Video of today's session:
Video of today's session:
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wizzle goes to work!
I started walking dogs in late August, and have been thoroughly enjoying my time. Recently, it dawned on me that my poor Wuppy was not getting nearly the time or exercise that she had, prior to my employment. This weighed heavily on my heart. In analyzing the situation, I knew I had built good/strong relationships with all the dogs I'm walking, I felt confident in understanding their temperaments, and being able to introduce something new and wild. So......I bit the bullet and brought Wild Wizzle to work today. What an AWESOME day we had!!!! :)
The first dog we walked with is a young lab, 10.5mos. She's extremely distracted by other dogs in her class (she's taking her FIRST class ever), and is VERY bouncy and happy. My concern was that the conversation would go like this:
Fizz: "Hi, I'm Fizz, I *LOVE* to play!"
Sophie: "Hi, I do too.......let's GO!"
At which point.......my shoulders would promptly be released of their duty as intact joints and happy mayhem would ensue.
Sophie walks on a pinch, Fizz was in her "blue nose collar" (as James calls it). After a very bouncy, happy, leash-entangling greeting (as I extracted Fizz from her car crate), I got them on each side of me, gave them approximately 1" of leash each, and off we went. There were several attempts at Mayhem and Madness, but quickly, both dogs settled into a good walk. Fizz was on my right, and was even working at giving me nice 'side walking, heads up' work. VERY happy with this choice! She was rewarded (and Sophie was oblivious!). Several times I asked them to sit, both did, though Sophie was slow....she did take her cues from Fizz (who sat fast and tight). Rewards to both for good sits. And, by saying a name before feeding, NEITHER dog tried to intrude upon the treat headed for the other dog. GOOD girls!! :)
In looking at this pairing, Sophie needs work on working around other dogs, and Fizz is always looking for opportunities to work through and around distraction. Lots of chances here to work with both girls on their "issues." I'm thinking of putting Fizz in stays, and walking Sophie around her, etc.
The next dog that Fizz got to meet is an older Lab bitch (approx 6yrs) who can be reactive to other dogs on our walks. That said, she's NOT generally a reactive dog, and is actually very calm and laid back. I knew if the intro went well, that they'd be just fine. With Keely on leash, I got Fizz out of the car, and it was very interesting to see Fizz read Keely and react differently to her. She tried one "hihowareya!" leap, and then settled into typical dog greetings. Keely was mildly stiff and I made sure Fizz didn't get too into her space. We headed off on our walk, and they were like two old souls who'd been walking together for years. YAY!!! I'm particularly excited about this b/c Keely and I typically go through downtown of a large town/small city, and see lots of stuff that Fizz would never see in our little town.
The coolest part of Keely and Fizz was their amazing response to "sit!" when we got to crosswalks. Both of those butts dropped like rocks on one gentle, "not loud" command. It was impressive to watch, and put a big smile on my face. I saw several heads turn to watch too! :) Looking forward to putting on the "LabWeiler" obedience show downtown over the upcoming weeks and months. At one crosswalk, Keely self-released after reward (I think that's what she's learned in her training), and Fizz continued to hold her sit. I was very proud of her....and thought ahead to Novice obedience and the line of stays, when one dog breaks......lots of ways to practice that with these two! :)
Fizz's final walk of the day was with a 3rd Lab bitch, this one is the same age as Fizz, and just out of standing heat. I knew these two would want to play, but also knew that Jasmine is not a total spazz like Sophie. Had them both on leash at the back of my car, and grabbed a bag of treats to put in my pocket. Didn't realize it had a hole in it, and treats went everywhere. Rut roh! Had no idea what to expect from either dog, and seeing as they'd *just* met, had no idea if 'diving for treats' would be viewed as an offense by either one. Quickly got them into a sit, and life was fine. Neither was bothered by the actions of the other in the initial treat snarfling.
We took a nice walk, and popped in to visit with an agility friend from a few years back. Poor JudyJo, I didn't quite have hold of everyone and she got a chest full of LabWeiler. Sorry JJ!!!! Fizz gave me lots of heads-up heeling on this walk, I don't think I'd have taken any bet that on Day 1 of "walking with OTHER DOGS!!!" that my Wuppy would choose to work with me (vs. play and be a wild child!). SO very happy!
The final 'learning event' of the day for me (about my dog) was that she doesn't care if other dogs join her in her crate. !!!! Upon returning to Jasmine's house, we went to the back of my van, and I had Fizz jump up into the crate. Jasmine decided she was going too (where ever it was that we might be going!), and hopped right on in. Suddenly, I have 2 24", 75-ish pound bitches in one 500 crate. Eeek! Had Jasmine outta there in a flash, and Fizz was like "where did my friend go??" :)
So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that:
1. My puppy is starting to mature, and will choose me/work over play with other dogs (MAJOR shock to learn this!)
2. My puppy does not guard high value treats, even from dogs she's just met.
3. My puppy has no crate space issues. :)
4. My puppy will hold high-reinforced behaviors under greater distraction than I thought possible, don't be afraid to challenge puppy / raise the bar.
:)
The first dog we walked with is a young lab, 10.5mos. She's extremely distracted by other dogs in her class (she's taking her FIRST class ever), and is VERY bouncy and happy. My concern was that the conversation would go like this:
Fizz: "Hi, I'm Fizz, I *LOVE* to play!"
Sophie: "Hi, I do too.......let's GO!"
At which point.......my shoulders would promptly be released of their duty as intact joints and happy mayhem would ensue.
Sophie walks on a pinch, Fizz was in her "blue nose collar" (as James calls it). After a very bouncy, happy, leash-entangling greeting (as I extracted Fizz from her car crate), I got them on each side of me, gave them approximately 1" of leash each, and off we went. There were several attempts at Mayhem and Madness, but quickly, both dogs settled into a good walk. Fizz was on my right, and was even working at giving me nice 'side walking, heads up' work. VERY happy with this choice! She was rewarded (and Sophie was oblivious!). Several times I asked them to sit, both did, though Sophie was slow....she did take her cues from Fizz (who sat fast and tight). Rewards to both for good sits. And, by saying a name before feeding, NEITHER dog tried to intrude upon the treat headed for the other dog. GOOD girls!! :)
In looking at this pairing, Sophie needs work on working around other dogs, and Fizz is always looking for opportunities to work through and around distraction. Lots of chances here to work with both girls on their "issues." I'm thinking of putting Fizz in stays, and walking Sophie around her, etc.
The next dog that Fizz got to meet is an older Lab bitch (approx 6yrs) who can be reactive to other dogs on our walks. That said, she's NOT generally a reactive dog, and is actually very calm and laid back. I knew if the intro went well, that they'd be just fine. With Keely on leash, I got Fizz out of the car, and it was very interesting to see Fizz read Keely and react differently to her. She tried one "hihowareya!" leap, and then settled into typical dog greetings. Keely was mildly stiff and I made sure Fizz didn't get too into her space. We headed off on our walk, and they were like two old souls who'd been walking together for years. YAY!!! I'm particularly excited about this b/c Keely and I typically go through downtown of a large town/small city, and see lots of stuff that Fizz would never see in our little town.
The coolest part of Keely and Fizz was their amazing response to "sit!" when we got to crosswalks. Both of those butts dropped like rocks on one gentle, "not loud" command. It was impressive to watch, and put a big smile on my face. I saw several heads turn to watch too! :) Looking forward to putting on the "LabWeiler" obedience show downtown over the upcoming weeks and months. At one crosswalk, Keely self-released after reward (I think that's what she's learned in her training), and Fizz continued to hold her sit. I was very proud of her....and thought ahead to Novice obedience and the line of stays, when one dog breaks......lots of ways to practice that with these two! :)
Fizz's final walk of the day was with a 3rd Lab bitch, this one is the same age as Fizz, and just out of standing heat. I knew these two would want to play, but also knew that Jasmine is not a total spazz like Sophie. Had them both on leash at the back of my car, and grabbed a bag of treats to put in my pocket. Didn't realize it had a hole in it, and treats went everywhere. Rut roh! Had no idea what to expect from either dog, and seeing as they'd *just* met, had no idea if 'diving for treats' would be viewed as an offense by either one. Quickly got them into a sit, and life was fine. Neither was bothered by the actions of the other in the initial treat snarfling.
We took a nice walk, and popped in to visit with an agility friend from a few years back. Poor JudyJo, I didn't quite have hold of everyone and she got a chest full of LabWeiler. Sorry JJ!!!! Fizz gave me lots of heads-up heeling on this walk, I don't think I'd have taken any bet that on Day 1 of "walking with OTHER DOGS!!!" that my Wuppy would choose to work with me (vs. play and be a wild child!). SO very happy!
The final 'learning event' of the day for me (about my dog) was that she doesn't care if other dogs join her in her crate. !!!! Upon returning to Jasmine's house, we went to the back of my van, and I had Fizz jump up into the crate. Jasmine decided she was going too (where ever it was that we might be going!), and hopped right on in. Suddenly, I have 2 24", 75-ish pound bitches in one 500 crate. Eeek! Had Jasmine outta there in a flash, and Fizz was like "where did my friend go??" :)
So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that:
1. My puppy is starting to mature, and will choose me/work over play with other dogs (MAJOR shock to learn this!)
2. My puppy does not guard high value treats, even from dogs she's just met.
3. My puppy has no crate space issues. :)
4. My puppy will hold high-reinforced behaviors under greater distraction than I thought possible, don't be afraid to challenge puppy / raise the bar.
:)
Monday, October 22, 2012
Working on calm holds
It has been absolutely forever since I updated this blog, and for that I sincerely apologize. We've had many things over the past few months that I thought "I need to get this up on the blog" ........ but somehow life is just running me ragged and I haven't had time/energy to keep up with this. Started Dog Walking in August and dearly love it. However, it's one more thing that uses up my time during the day, and all my other responsibilities to kids, dogs, family, house etc still remain. :)
Fizz and I have been trying to work on a calm hold with the db. Our training in general is very sporadic at this point, often done in 1-2min spurts w/out pre-planning (bad bad trainer!). We've worked on this off and on. What I've seen recently is that the first hold will be calm, and then the subsequent ones will be mouthy, and the bar on my db is getting trashed (and its maple!). I tried bringing out heavier Db's to work with (my SchH1 and SchH2 db's), but still the chewing. And when I look in her eye, it is not stress that I see, but rather "Imp eye" .......playful, mischevious, puppy. Pure and simple: puppy!! Yes, she's 13mos, and many times I get very intense adult-like focus and work. HOWEVER, as Rottweilers go, she's still very young and I have to keep that in mind. I suspect that this issue will resolve itself most easily with maturity, and I refuse to make a problem out of what is not really a true problem.........and so we've not been drilling on this or saying "I must have a hold by X deadline!" and forcing the issue.
I decided today to do a bit of work, using one of her chew bones. It's a very dense rubber nylabone, shaped like some sort of femur. She enjoys chewing on the epicondyles, but will often carry it around the house very calmly. B/c I've seen her carry this calmly of her own accord, I chose to use it for today's training. She'll also carry James' rain boots very calmly, but I suspect I should not encourage that by using them in training. ;)
I've been working with her holding calmly = I say "out" and take the db from her. If no calm hold, no "out" and no reward is available. At times, I'm also using a "yes" to mark the calm hold. If she starts to chew, or lies down with it, I simply take the db away, no negative verbals......simply the loss of opportunity to be rewarded. If you're not calmly holding your db, you have no ability to earn reward. I was happy with how today's session went over all. We'll be taking our alternative db to training this afternoon. :)
Fizz working on db hold
Fizz and I have been trying to work on a calm hold with the db. Our training in general is very sporadic at this point, often done in 1-2min spurts w/out pre-planning (bad bad trainer!). We've worked on this off and on. What I've seen recently is that the first hold will be calm, and then the subsequent ones will be mouthy, and the bar on my db is getting trashed (and its maple!). I tried bringing out heavier Db's to work with (my SchH1 and SchH2 db's), but still the chewing. And when I look in her eye, it is not stress that I see, but rather "Imp eye" .......playful, mischevious, puppy. Pure and simple: puppy!! Yes, she's 13mos, and many times I get very intense adult-like focus and work. HOWEVER, as Rottweilers go, she's still very young and I have to keep that in mind. I suspect that this issue will resolve itself most easily with maturity, and I refuse to make a problem out of what is not really a true problem.........and so we've not been drilling on this or saying "I must have a hold by X deadline!" and forcing the issue.
I decided today to do a bit of work, using one of her chew bones. It's a very dense rubber nylabone, shaped like some sort of femur. She enjoys chewing on the epicondyles, but will often carry it around the house very calmly. B/c I've seen her carry this calmly of her own accord, I chose to use it for today's training. She'll also carry James' rain boots very calmly, but I suspect I should not encourage that by using them in training. ;)
I've been working with her holding calmly = I say "out" and take the db from her. If no calm hold, no "out" and no reward is available. At times, I'm also using a "yes" to mark the calm hold. If she starts to chew, or lies down with it, I simply take the db away, no negative verbals......simply the loss of opportunity to be rewarded. If you're not calmly holding your db, you have no ability to earn reward. I was happy with how today's session went over all. We'll be taking our alternative db to training this afternoon. :)
Fizz working on db hold
Friday, July 13, 2012
We did it! :) :)
I found out yesterday that there would be a CGC in CT late this afternoon. What's another try, right?? Decided to give it a shot.
Drove down to an amazing field dog training kennel, such an incredible property: long dirt roads for working dogs, fields with cool patterns cut into them for bumper work, a stunning outdoor agility ring.........yeah, just what makes a dog trainer say "do you take tent reservations???" :)
The test was being held outdoors, in the agility ring. For once, I was thankful that Fizz has no clue about agility! Knowing that it was outdoors, I needed to make sure she was well exercised. Ugh. I figured no problem........and then we walked, and walked and walked. In the funky cut field, up and down the dirt road............and 20min later, I was getting attention heeling and no pottying. Doh! Finally took her into the field, with permission to let her off, and an acceptable spot was found in the back corner. Boy did we have fun going up the diagonals and across the cut grids (in otherwise waist-high field grasss). Makes an awesome place to play 'hide n seek' and watch yer puppy go blasting past! :)
Greeting strangers went well, she held her sit as asked. "Vet exam" was fine as usual. Out for a walk, something smelled good on the weave pole bases. Right as "about turn" was called, she caught a scent. In order to not tight leash, I went an extra step closer to the weave poles, whirled about and set off at pace. She came right with me, head up, attentive and happy. Finished with a lovely sit at halt, still with strong attention. YAY girlie! :)
Next we had to greet another dog. She was showing strong interest in the completely neutral CH/MH GSP bitch......so I spun around in a quick/tight 360, got her back with me, and approached with a dog at my side, under control, being attentive and not looking at the other dog. :) We shook hands (I didn't even look at the other handler........boy did that feel wrong!), and then continued on. PASS! :)
Sit, down, stay and recall were spotless, and supervised separation........the CT State trooper holding my dog told me I wasn't allowed to take her back home. :) He even picked up her paw and had her wave "bye bye Mommy!" HAHAHA! :)
We stayed so I could be "crowd" for several other dogs (met my first Black Russian Terrier!), and at the end, I got to play with 9wk old GSP and Lab puppies. What a wonderful finish to an awesome evening!! :) :)
Fizz, CGC :)
Drove down to an amazing field dog training kennel, such an incredible property: long dirt roads for working dogs, fields with cool patterns cut into them for bumper work, a stunning outdoor agility ring.........yeah, just what makes a dog trainer say "do you take tent reservations???" :)
The test was being held outdoors, in the agility ring. For once, I was thankful that Fizz has no clue about agility! Knowing that it was outdoors, I needed to make sure she was well exercised. Ugh. I figured no problem........and then we walked, and walked and walked. In the funky cut field, up and down the dirt road............and 20min later, I was getting attention heeling and no pottying. Doh! Finally took her into the field, with permission to let her off, and an acceptable spot was found in the back corner. Boy did we have fun going up the diagonals and across the cut grids (in otherwise waist-high field grasss). Makes an awesome place to play 'hide n seek' and watch yer puppy go blasting past! :)
Greeting strangers went well, she held her sit as asked. "Vet exam" was fine as usual. Out for a walk, something smelled good on the weave pole bases. Right as "about turn" was called, she caught a scent. In order to not tight leash, I went an extra step closer to the weave poles, whirled about and set off at pace. She came right with me, head up, attentive and happy. Finished with a lovely sit at halt, still with strong attention. YAY girlie! :)
Next we had to greet another dog. She was showing strong interest in the completely neutral CH/MH GSP bitch......so I spun around in a quick/tight 360, got her back with me, and approached with a dog at my side, under control, being attentive and not looking at the other dog. :) We shook hands (I didn't even look at the other handler........boy did that feel wrong!), and then continued on. PASS! :)
Sit, down, stay and recall were spotless, and supervised separation........the CT State trooper holding my dog told me I wasn't allowed to take her back home. :) He even picked up her paw and had her wave "bye bye Mommy!" HAHAHA! :)
We stayed so I could be "crowd" for several other dogs (met my first Black Russian Terrier!), and at the end, I got to play with 9wk old GSP and Lab puppies. What a wonderful finish to an awesome evening!! :) :)
Fizz, CGC :)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
DWDH
DWDH......don't wanna, don't hafta. You know......when you're trying to get your awesome dog to do something (any particular thing) with you, and they decide they'd rather do something else (prefer a 'better toy', sniff a fascinating new smell.......anything).
Yesterday afternoon, Fizz had a second-hand bone with plenty of good chewing in it. And as this had originally been Vikka's bone, it's even MORE exciting. She brought it out of her crate and right outside. I was trying to get her to play fribbee (a FAAAAAVORITE pastime) with me before the chickens came out in the yard for a few hours.
Puppy lying and chewing on her treasure, me with a frisbee, trying to entice her. She watched, and finally paid me enough attention to lift her head away from her chewing. DWDH. Not playin' fribbee mom, sorry. I gots a good boney.
So, what else is there to do but go play frisbee by myself!?! :) And so I did. I even gave myself a good solid "readyyyyyyyyyyy, steaaaaaaaaaadyyyyyyyyyyyy............GO!!!!!!!!!!" Toss and dead sprint at the frisbee where it had landed.
Still chewin' this boney.......but that was pretty interesting!
"WAHOO!!!!!!!!! Look what IIIIIIIIIII have! I have a friiiiiiibbee! Wanna get it?? YEAH!!!!! Reaaaaaaaaaaady?????? GO!!!!!!!!!!!!"
At this point, Fizz has an E.T.esque neck and has no clue what my problem is, but it's VERY interesting! :)
"You waaaaaaaaaaaant it?? GO!!!!!!!!!!" And yet again, I'm sprinting across the yard to the frisbee that I just threw about 40yds away. This time, as I go to pick it up, I hear the feet pounding behind me.
Here I are!! Me-n-my boney! Wanna play??
Needing a bit of a break from sprinting about the yard (I'd already done a 3mi run that a.m.), I started tossing the frisbee in the air, and catching it, running away and hooting with joy. She followed me around, very interested in playing, but completely unable to put her bone down. She was offering me interaction: jumping up on me, trying to cut me off, but still not willing to take the frisbee and play tug.
So I started shoving her away from me, and taking off. When she caught up to me, I was doing rapid changes of directions and slapping her on the butt as I took off. The frustration was coming off her like steam........but still couldn't bring herself to part with the bone.
Another shove, and take off, and being VERY excited about the best frisbee ever........and suddenly she's coming at me, ready to grab the silly thing........no boney! Hoorah, success. or not. B/c right as she gets there to grab the frisbee (which I'm now holding out at her level).........she throws on the brakes and tears back to the bone she left behind. Doh! BUT....I've made a break through on some level, which means its time to up the game.
We continued racing about, me shoving her away, teasing her with the frisbee. She set the bone down several times, would come near me, but then turn back to it. Such conflict for a Wuppy!! Finally, she came over, and grabbed the frisbee hard! SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We played a short game of tug, and then I sent her back to her bone, and took off for inside, yelling about my awesome frisbee the whole way in. She came trotting quickly behind, with bone, but didn't want to miss out on any fun. :) In all, I had probably spent 12-15 minutes trying to get her to drop that bone and come play tug with the frisbee. I knew I wouldn't get a game of "go get it" in, the bone was too valuable, so I was looking for tug: choose my game over your favorite bone, and play with me. We did it! :)
So this afternoon, we're outside again, and the bone is still a treasure. I grab the frisbee, show her I have it, and take off across the yard, and then head to the other side of the garden (lawn wraps all around a garden island). She came tearing after me, and as soon as she got near me, I ripped off in the other direction. She's trying hard to play: jumping on me, sailing past me in the air, body slamming me. Sorry, but that's not the game we're playing today.
I took off, and hid, and she came tearing after me, and sailed right past. She realizes I'm not where she thinks I am, drops the bone and comes flying back to find me. Thankfully, I still had the frisbee, b/c she's coming in fast, mouth open. :) Game ON!!!!!!!!!!! And it's MY game, not hers. She CHOSE to play with me (and not her bone). :) :) :) :) :) We played tug with the frisbee for a bit, and then I threw it for her. She was absolutely on fire to play with it, and as she flew back to me, I decided to toss some obedience into this game.
I asked her to 'set up' and she was all cockeyed across the front of me. Nope! Her poor puppy brain wasn't giving up though, and as I moved off somewhere else and asked again, she stuffed herself into position and tried really hard to put her chin in my hand (a side effect of chin heeling! a rather funny one actually!). I threw the frisbee and she exploded after it. We played more tug as she came back, and I worked 2 more set ups.
And in all this, she hadn't once looked for the Blessed Bone. Not even a thought of it. I found two other toys in the yard, and quickly changed up to playing with them. One was higher than the frisbee, and one was definitely not. But at this point, she was so riled up about playing games, that she was willing to play with anything I tossed out. After she brought me the low value footless-cuz (it's now low value b/c it doesn't honk), I sent her to find the bone. It actually took us a minute or two to find the silly thing. :)
I am THRILLED for the payoff in sticking with it last night, working through the DWDH attitude. It was physically tiring, but pouring energy into that silly frisbee convinced her that I was worth choosing over something which her inner being wanted (a marrow bone to chew on). We're in a teenage phase of grand proportion right now, but I refuse to give in to it. Time and effort now, to work through, and reinforce what I want (a team) can do nothing but pay off in the future, of this I have no doubt. :)
Don't accept no, and don't force "have to." Convince the dog to choose you.........and be sure you're worthy of that choice. No half-heartedness allowed, you must pour yourself into it........if you expect your teammate to do the same. :)
Yesterday afternoon, Fizz had a second-hand bone with plenty of good chewing in it. And as this had originally been Vikka's bone, it's even MORE exciting. She brought it out of her crate and right outside. I was trying to get her to play fribbee (a FAAAAAVORITE pastime) with me before the chickens came out in the yard for a few hours.
Puppy lying and chewing on her treasure, me with a frisbee, trying to entice her. She watched, and finally paid me enough attention to lift her head away from her chewing. DWDH. Not playin' fribbee mom, sorry. I gots a good boney.
So, what else is there to do but go play frisbee by myself!?! :) And so I did. I even gave myself a good solid "readyyyyyyyyyyy, steaaaaaaaaaadyyyyyyyyyyyy............GO!!!!!!!!!!" Toss and dead sprint at the frisbee where it had landed.
Still chewin' this boney.......but that was pretty interesting!
"WAHOO!!!!!!!!! Look what IIIIIIIIIII have! I have a friiiiiiibbee! Wanna get it?? YEAH!!!!! Reaaaaaaaaaaady?????? GO!!!!!!!!!!!!"
At this point, Fizz has an E.T.esque neck and has no clue what my problem is, but it's VERY interesting! :)
"You waaaaaaaaaaaant it?? GO!!!!!!!!!!" And yet again, I'm sprinting across the yard to the frisbee that I just threw about 40yds away. This time, as I go to pick it up, I hear the feet pounding behind me.
Here I are!! Me-n-my boney! Wanna play??
Needing a bit of a break from sprinting about the yard (I'd already done a 3mi run that a.m.), I started tossing the frisbee in the air, and catching it, running away and hooting with joy. She followed me around, very interested in playing, but completely unable to put her bone down. She was offering me interaction: jumping up on me, trying to cut me off, but still not willing to take the frisbee and play tug.
So I started shoving her away from me, and taking off. When she caught up to me, I was doing rapid changes of directions and slapping her on the butt as I took off. The frustration was coming off her like steam........but still couldn't bring herself to part with the bone.
Another shove, and take off, and being VERY excited about the best frisbee ever........and suddenly she's coming at me, ready to grab the silly thing........no boney! Hoorah, success. or not. B/c right as she gets there to grab the frisbee (which I'm now holding out at her level).........she throws on the brakes and tears back to the bone she left behind. Doh! BUT....I've made a break through on some level, which means its time to up the game.
We continued racing about, me shoving her away, teasing her with the frisbee. She set the bone down several times, would come near me, but then turn back to it. Such conflict for a Wuppy!! Finally, she came over, and grabbed the frisbee hard! SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We played a short game of tug, and then I sent her back to her bone, and took off for inside, yelling about my awesome frisbee the whole way in. She came trotting quickly behind, with bone, but didn't want to miss out on any fun. :) In all, I had probably spent 12-15 minutes trying to get her to drop that bone and come play tug with the frisbee. I knew I wouldn't get a game of "go get it" in, the bone was too valuable, so I was looking for tug: choose my game over your favorite bone, and play with me. We did it! :)
So this afternoon, we're outside again, and the bone is still a treasure. I grab the frisbee, show her I have it, and take off across the yard, and then head to the other side of the garden (lawn wraps all around a garden island). She came tearing after me, and as soon as she got near me, I ripped off in the other direction. She's trying hard to play: jumping on me, sailing past me in the air, body slamming me. Sorry, but that's not the game we're playing today.
I took off, and hid, and she came tearing after me, and sailed right past. She realizes I'm not where she thinks I am, drops the bone and comes flying back to find me. Thankfully, I still had the frisbee, b/c she's coming in fast, mouth open. :) Game ON!!!!!!!!!!! And it's MY game, not hers. She CHOSE to play with me (and not her bone). :) :) :) :) :) We played tug with the frisbee for a bit, and then I threw it for her. She was absolutely on fire to play with it, and as she flew back to me, I decided to toss some obedience into this game.
I asked her to 'set up' and she was all cockeyed across the front of me. Nope! Her poor puppy brain wasn't giving up though, and as I moved off somewhere else and asked again, she stuffed herself into position and tried really hard to put her chin in my hand (a side effect of chin heeling! a rather funny one actually!). I threw the frisbee and she exploded after it. We played more tug as she came back, and I worked 2 more set ups.
And in all this, she hadn't once looked for the Blessed Bone. Not even a thought of it. I found two other toys in the yard, and quickly changed up to playing with them. One was higher than the frisbee, and one was definitely not. But at this point, she was so riled up about playing games, that she was willing to play with anything I tossed out. After she brought me the low value footless-cuz (it's now low value b/c it doesn't honk), I sent her to find the bone. It actually took us a minute or two to find the silly thing. :)
I am THRILLED for the payoff in sticking with it last night, working through the DWDH attitude. It was physically tiring, but pouring energy into that silly frisbee convinced her that I was worth choosing over something which her inner being wanted (a marrow bone to chew on). We're in a teenage phase of grand proportion right now, but I refuse to give in to it. Time and effort now, to work through, and reinforce what I want (a team) can do nothing but pay off in the future, of this I have no doubt. :)
Don't accept no, and don't force "have to." Convince the dog to choose you.........and be sure you're worthy of that choice. No half-heartedness allowed, you must pour yourself into it........if you expect your teammate to do the same. :)
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Hold it!
Per my training log, Fizz hasn't seen a dumbell since May 1st (doh!). I brought it with us to class on Monday night and she tried to climb up my side, to get to it. We worked a few reps of take (I think I almost lost fingers!) and then checked on grip.....yep, still firm, and still with pull against me to get it. So I put it on the floor. Fizz has only ever worked her db in the house, in our den specifically. This is by NO means a generalized behavior, but her reaction to simply seeing it in class told me I wasn't anywhere near overfacing her with it. After about 5 floor to hand pick ups, we had a big party and put it away.
Tonight, I pulled out my borrowed book and checked in on what was next: hold. This is the one step that I had trouble with Froli...and the whole reason I learned about clickers in my training many years ago. Even verbal praise from me generated enough excitement in Frol that she got chewy.......so I went to calm/neutral marking via the clicker.
First I checked Fizz's response to my hands on top/bottom of her muzzle. It's not a grab, it's not holding the dog by its face, or any kind of pushing in on gums. Simply gently holding the upper/lower jaws, if dog chooses to pull back, they pull back, no big deal. She turned her head to an angle the first two times, and then just sat there while I "held" her. Praise/reward (food).
Next, I brought the db back into the picture and worked several takes/outs with her, having very nice committed grips. As soon as I started trying to work the hold, she wanted to spit the db to get the food in my hand. In trying to work with the method exactly as written, I chose to work through this tonight. I held the db, held her muzzle, and had a single piece of food in my fingers. I did get 3 or 4 good holds with a committed grip, but otherwise, she was trying to get the food in my fingers.
Currently, when I ask for a take, the food isn't on me at all. Its in a bowl, sitting somewhere nearby. We will try holds again tomorrow, and I will have no food in my hand, but instead, in the bowl as she knows and see if we can get more settled holds, closer together. I think that was the root of our issues tonight, the food being right in my hand.
However, all that said, I'm very happy to see how eager she is for the db after a 2 month layoff from it, and to see how positive her association is with it. Once the hold and deliver to hand are solid, we'll start bringing the db with us many places and work on generalizing the behavior.
Fizz is a really fun puppy and I'm enjoying the journey of our training adventures! :)
Tonight, I pulled out my borrowed book and checked in on what was next: hold. This is the one step that I had trouble with Froli...and the whole reason I learned about clickers in my training many years ago. Even verbal praise from me generated enough excitement in Frol that she got chewy.......so I went to calm/neutral marking via the clicker.
First I checked Fizz's response to my hands on top/bottom of her muzzle. It's not a grab, it's not holding the dog by its face, or any kind of pushing in on gums. Simply gently holding the upper/lower jaws, if dog chooses to pull back, they pull back, no big deal. She turned her head to an angle the first two times, and then just sat there while I "held" her. Praise/reward (food).
Next, I brought the db back into the picture and worked several takes/outs with her, having very nice committed grips. As soon as I started trying to work the hold, she wanted to spit the db to get the food in my hand. In trying to work with the method exactly as written, I chose to work through this tonight. I held the db, held her muzzle, and had a single piece of food in my fingers. I did get 3 or 4 good holds with a committed grip, but otherwise, she was trying to get the food in my fingers.
Currently, when I ask for a take, the food isn't on me at all. Its in a bowl, sitting somewhere nearby. We will try holds again tomorrow, and I will have no food in my hand, but instead, in the bowl as she knows and see if we can get more settled holds, closer together. I think that was the root of our issues tonight, the food being right in my hand.
However, all that said, I'm very happy to see how eager she is for the db after a 2 month layoff from it, and to see how positive her association is with it. Once the hold and deliver to hand are solid, we'll start bringing the db with us many places and work on generalizing the behavior.
Fizz is a really fun puppy and I'm enjoying the journey of our training adventures! :)
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Know the rules
We failed. Again. And the greatest failure/frustration is mine, in that apparently, I'm completely unaware of the standards for the CGC these days. One tight leash anywhere = fail. I was unaware that the CGC holds higher standards than either Rally or Novice obedience. I owe Fizz an apology for misunderstanding the test, and for entering her before she was ready. The failure is mine, completely.
Fizz did a much better job on all stations. She sat while the friendly stranger approached, shook hands and talked. The stranger left, Fizz stood, I told her to sit, and she did. She failed, b/c she didn't maintain her sit. I was surprised to see this 'fail' b/c she did sit the whole time we were greeting. For greeting the stranger, in which the stranger pets the dog, she was perfectly behaved, and equally so for the grooming/foot/ear inspection.
On out for a walk, we were fine through most of the heeling pattern. Good attention, a nice right turn and a perfect sit on the halt. In one corner, some sort of smell grabbed her nose. She had a tight leash, I called her to come with me, she did and we finished up with a great about turn, 2 more lefts and a fantastic halt at the end. We failed b/c of the single tight leash. You can earn a CD leg w/ tight leash....you lose points, but you don't fail. I find this aspect of the way CGC's are being administered absurd. One tight leash does not an out of control dog make. But apparently them's the rules (and I wasn't aware of their stringent nature).
Sit and down on command were fine, as was the 'stay,' and the come when called. I even got a nice straight come with front sit (we've sort of been working on that). :)
Crowd with distraction was fine, even though they were bouncing a giant exercise ball, I was able to keep her with me and moving on (I know she was dying to play with that ball!). The two dogs that I 'helped' with, by being part of the crowd, did not have that ball.
Greeting another dog. Fizz sat, held her position and we exchanged pleasantries. As we went to leave, Fizz crossed in front of me and we failed. She didn't get anywhere, I had her on a very short leash, and she didn't greet the handler or dog, but the fact that she even approached = fail.
I was very happy with the improvement in Fizz's behavior/performance. She gave me some lovely heeling on the walk, held her sits when I asked her to, and was a good girl around the other dog and the big bouncing ball.
We will not be re-attempting the CGC anytime soon. I was unaware that I need a fully obedience trained dog to pass this test. In the past, that is NOT how they've been administered (I've put CGCs on 6 dogs, never with a failure). However, the standards have apparently changed, and now I clearly understand them. I do not have the money to take CGC prep classes (they're offered around here....for $150-180). I don't have the money to do $25/wk drop in classes to practice greeting other dogs (and not the same dogs we always see in class).
In the past, I have tested all of my dogs between 7 and 9mos of age. They've been judged on their temperament, their behavior and the level of control they demonstrate (to handler). Because THAT is the standard of the CGC that I've known since I did my first one in Dec of 1996, that is why I entered Fizz in April, and now. For April, we were ill-prepared. For today, for the standards of testing that I've known for the past 16yrs, we were ready. I am disappointed in myself for not understanding the rules of the game and for setting her up for failure. We will not be attempting this again any time soon, as our heeling is not formalized, and I don't see how you can pass these days without competition ready heeling.
Fizz did a much better job on all stations. She sat while the friendly stranger approached, shook hands and talked. The stranger left, Fizz stood, I told her to sit, and she did. She failed, b/c she didn't maintain her sit. I was surprised to see this 'fail' b/c she did sit the whole time we were greeting. For greeting the stranger, in which the stranger pets the dog, she was perfectly behaved, and equally so for the grooming/foot/ear inspection.
On out for a walk, we were fine through most of the heeling pattern. Good attention, a nice right turn and a perfect sit on the halt. In one corner, some sort of smell grabbed her nose. She had a tight leash, I called her to come with me, she did and we finished up with a great about turn, 2 more lefts and a fantastic halt at the end. We failed b/c of the single tight leash. You can earn a CD leg w/ tight leash....you lose points, but you don't fail. I find this aspect of the way CGC's are being administered absurd. One tight leash does not an out of control dog make. But apparently them's the rules (and I wasn't aware of their stringent nature).
Sit and down on command were fine, as was the 'stay,' and the come when called. I even got a nice straight come with front sit (we've sort of been working on that). :)
Crowd with distraction was fine, even though they were bouncing a giant exercise ball, I was able to keep her with me and moving on (I know she was dying to play with that ball!). The two dogs that I 'helped' with, by being part of the crowd, did not have that ball.
Greeting another dog. Fizz sat, held her position and we exchanged pleasantries. As we went to leave, Fizz crossed in front of me and we failed. She didn't get anywhere, I had her on a very short leash, and she didn't greet the handler or dog, but the fact that she even approached = fail.
I was very happy with the improvement in Fizz's behavior/performance. She gave me some lovely heeling on the walk, held her sits when I asked her to, and was a good girl around the other dog and the big bouncing ball.
We will not be re-attempting the CGC anytime soon. I was unaware that I need a fully obedience trained dog to pass this test. In the past, that is NOT how they've been administered (I've put CGCs on 6 dogs, never with a failure). However, the standards have apparently changed, and now I clearly understand them. I do not have the money to take CGC prep classes (they're offered around here....for $150-180). I don't have the money to do $25/wk drop in classes to practice greeting other dogs (and not the same dogs we always see in class).
In the past, I have tested all of my dogs between 7 and 9mos of age. They've been judged on their temperament, their behavior and the level of control they demonstrate (to handler). Because THAT is the standard of the CGC that I've known since I did my first one in Dec of 1996, that is why I entered Fizz in April, and now. For April, we were ill-prepared. For today, for the standards of testing that I've known for the past 16yrs, we were ready. I am disappointed in myself for not understanding the rules of the game and for setting her up for failure. We will not be attempting this again any time soon, as our heeling is not formalized, and I don't see how you can pass these days without competition ready heeling.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Recallers saved me $46.50
Yesterday was the consummate 'perfect' summer day: sunny, warm bordering on hot, and when you're out in it all day....it tends to make thinking less than optimal. We were at the Mason's Grandmaster's Fair for the day in Charlton. It was just lovely, kids had a blast and we came home ready to rehydrate and rejuvinate.
I let the dogs out individually to potty, hit the grocery store, and then came home to find hubby/kids still at the local lake cooling off. Perfect time to go for a quick run before working on dinner. By the time I got back in, it was around 6:30. Vik was still loose in the house as I'd left her, and Fizz was chillin' in her crate. While I was prepping dinner, Fizz started squeaking. She's on the recovery side of a UTI, so I didn't let her languish for too long before sending her outside.
Having all the green beans picked and the salsa chopped and flavors melding, I thought it would be a good time to get the chickens out to free-range a bit. Typically, they come out in the evening after the dogs have had time to be out and running about. As it gets dark, they put themselves away in the pen (or even up into the coop) and then we close them for the night.
I grabbed a small handful of kibble, and called Fizz through the open screen door. My normal voice, my normal call, nothing special. At that point, hubby shouts "the chickens are already out!!" Epic fail in household communication now coming to light. And Fizz has been outside for at least 20min, with chickens. This is the moment when you're torn between the dead sprint to assess the damage and wanting to hide under the covers and wish it all away.
Meanwhile, Fizz, who went through Susan Garrett's brilliant Recallers class as a very young puppy, came at a dead run to the first call I'd given her. Not knowing that chickens were loose, or the emergent situation present, I had simply called her. Once. And she came, at a dead run, tail up, happy to see me (and NOT a feather or blood spot on her!). She's currently 9.5mos old.....in the "teenage" period where some trainers claim that dogs become less responsive, more wanting to check out their environment and surroundings. Thankfully, we have relationship to pull us through that!
After I got Fizz put away, with HUGE praises from me for coming, and her kibble rained into the top of her wire crate for a fun game of 'get it!'......I went to assess the damage. The Bigs were just coming out of their side of the pen, none looking worried or trying to huddle/hide (as they did for days after the hawk got into the pen and killed one). Quick count of 5 (correct number!) and no obvious piles of feathers.......they seemed ok, and not traumatized.
Where were the Littles??? None in sight, and couldn't hear them. But since none were evident, I figured they must be hiding somewhere together........and hopefully still numbered 5. As I circled the koi pond garden I started seeing movement under the bird-planted sunflowers. 2 Wyandottes......1 black sex-link. So far, 3 of 5. The Araucuna soon showed up, and then there was only one black sex-link to find. She was apparently off on her own adventure and came to see me when I called "chick chick!" YAY!!!! All 10 chickens accounted for, no one seeming traumatized or missing feathers. Truly, I was in disbelief at how well this had turned out.
Recallers is so much more than teaching your dog to 'come.' It's about relationship. It's about trust, about being a team together. A dog learns self restraint through "It's Yer Choice," and not to simply self-serve rewards when available. I am ever-thankful to Susan for this amazing class, and beyond a doubt, I think that it saved my chickens (whom we sum-total paid $46.50 for). Fizz has lots of prey drive, its what I like in my working dogs, and what I hoped for when I chose her pedigree/breeding/litter. Fizz has recently demonstrated very strong herding instinct. In learning from various judges and instructors, the ability to call a dog off stock is based in large part on relationship..........between handler and dog. Recallers has given us relationship in spades!!!
For any who are interested in the class, I can't recommend it highly enough. You'll learn insight into the hows/whys of training, and gain so much more than just 'come.' You will build a strong relationship, and show the dog the value of correct choices. And I will continue to look forward to our first batch of "homegrown" eggs!! :) :) :)
I let the dogs out individually to potty, hit the grocery store, and then came home to find hubby/kids still at the local lake cooling off. Perfect time to go for a quick run before working on dinner. By the time I got back in, it was around 6:30. Vik was still loose in the house as I'd left her, and Fizz was chillin' in her crate. While I was prepping dinner, Fizz started squeaking. She's on the recovery side of a UTI, so I didn't let her languish for too long before sending her outside.
Having all the green beans picked and the salsa chopped and flavors melding, I thought it would be a good time to get the chickens out to free-range a bit. Typically, they come out in the evening after the dogs have had time to be out and running about. As it gets dark, they put themselves away in the pen (or even up into the coop) and then we close them for the night.
I grabbed a small handful of kibble, and called Fizz through the open screen door. My normal voice, my normal call, nothing special. At that point, hubby shouts "the chickens are already out!!" Epic fail in household communication now coming to light. And Fizz has been outside for at least 20min, with chickens. This is the moment when you're torn between the dead sprint to assess the damage and wanting to hide under the covers and wish it all away.
Meanwhile, Fizz, who went through Susan Garrett's brilliant Recallers class as a very young puppy, came at a dead run to the first call I'd given her. Not knowing that chickens were loose, or the emergent situation present, I had simply called her. Once. And she came, at a dead run, tail up, happy to see me (and NOT a feather or blood spot on her!). She's currently 9.5mos old.....in the "teenage" period where some trainers claim that dogs become less responsive, more wanting to check out their environment and surroundings. Thankfully, we have relationship to pull us through that!
After I got Fizz put away, with HUGE praises from me for coming, and her kibble rained into the top of her wire crate for a fun game of 'get it!'......I went to assess the damage. The Bigs were just coming out of their side of the pen, none looking worried or trying to huddle/hide (as they did for days after the hawk got into the pen and killed one). Quick count of 5 (correct number!) and no obvious piles of feathers.......they seemed ok, and not traumatized.
Where were the Littles??? None in sight, and couldn't hear them. But since none were evident, I figured they must be hiding somewhere together........and hopefully still numbered 5. As I circled the koi pond garden I started seeing movement under the bird-planted sunflowers. 2 Wyandottes......1 black sex-link. So far, 3 of 5. The Araucuna soon showed up, and then there was only one black sex-link to find. She was apparently off on her own adventure and came to see me when I called "chick chick!" YAY!!!! All 10 chickens accounted for, no one seeming traumatized or missing feathers. Truly, I was in disbelief at how well this had turned out.
Recallers is so much more than teaching your dog to 'come.' It's about relationship. It's about trust, about being a team together. A dog learns self restraint through "It's Yer Choice," and not to simply self-serve rewards when available. I am ever-thankful to Susan for this amazing class, and beyond a doubt, I think that it saved my chickens (whom we sum-total paid $46.50 for). Fizz has lots of prey drive, its what I like in my working dogs, and what I hoped for when I chose her pedigree/breeding/litter. Fizz has recently demonstrated very strong herding instinct. In learning from various judges and instructors, the ability to call a dog off stock is based in large part on relationship..........between handler and dog. Recallers has given us relationship in spades!!!
For any who are interested in the class, I can't recommend it highly enough. You'll learn insight into the hows/whys of training, and gain so much more than just 'come.' You will build a strong relationship, and show the dog the value of correct choices. And I will continue to look forward to our first batch of "homegrown" eggs!! :) :) :)
Saturday, June 23, 2012
More than just vegtiddles!
James has finally progressed from saying 'vegtiddles' to 'vegetables,' but I think his initial pronunciation will always be in my head. :)
We went to a local Farmer's market this a.m., my first and of course, Fizz came along. What a wonderful place for a happy puppy!!! We worked on loose-leash walking, not playing with dogs, not rushing to greet, and sits and downs. As we get further in our training, this will be an awesome place to do sit (and eventually, stand) for exam.
The set up is two rows of canopies, with various farmers/vendors set up. Upon our arrival about 20min after the opening, there were roughly 50 people milling about. Also present, 2 Labs, one was chocolate, on a harness and jumping/barking and really carrying on. Of *course,* Fizz, who is quite fluent in "I play!" thought that looked just wonderful. What put a big smile on my face was her first look at that dog, and the quick head snap back to me. GOOD girlie!! Lots of treats for that one. As we approached the dog, it saw Fizz and was doing all it could to play (this looks like a much older dog, starting to grey in many places). She did hit the end of the 1ft of leash she had to work with, but I stopped, she repositioned and we moved on past, on a loose line.
The 'yellow' (white?!) Lab came to see us, after we'd spent some time visiting with her 2 young girls (maybe 7 and 5?). I backed up Fizz and said that we weren't greeting, due to an upcoming test, and needing to be behaved and 'not playing with all dogs.' The owner was very gracious and immediately put his dog in a sit, and Fizz maintained one next to me. The two dogs were about 10ft apart. Again, lots of rewards. :)
In our wanderings, we met lots of kids, several elderly adults, a few people in big hats, and many with delicious smelling drinks/edibles in hand. Fizz was exemplary in her greetings, sitting and not fussing at the food. VERY happy with my girlie! A story was being read to kids sitting on a quilt, including my two. Put Fizz in a down a few feet back (so as not to worry any who have breed prejudice issues), and listened to the story. She didn't even consider the Mom who was feeding her 2yr old son a HUGE muffin, not a second glance. The one thing that caught her eye was an unclipped Border Terrier racing about on the end of its leash.....it did look like a toy!
Final excitement before leaving was the passing commuter rail train (7 cars plus engine). James of course was stoked to see a train, so we were plastered to the protective chainlink fence, and could feel the breeze given off as the train sped past, not more than 20ft away. Fizz was not bothered by the noise, or the size of it (or the horn blasting)......but I think her ears told me that prey drive was turning on. The LAST thing I need is a train-chasing dog, eek!! Despite her increased interest/drive, she maintained her sit.
Looking forward to more visits through out this summer and future ones to come. What an AWESOME place to work training, especially things like sit/stand for exam, gloves, article discrimination (as well as heeling and stays). There's a different market on Fridays that we're hoping to check out this coming Friday. The more ability to generalize behaviors and expectations, the better behaved my dog will be. :)
We went to a local Farmer's market this a.m., my first and of course, Fizz came along. What a wonderful place for a happy puppy!!! We worked on loose-leash walking, not playing with dogs, not rushing to greet, and sits and downs. As we get further in our training, this will be an awesome place to do sit (and eventually, stand) for exam.
The set up is two rows of canopies, with various farmers/vendors set up. Upon our arrival about 20min after the opening, there were roughly 50 people milling about. Also present, 2 Labs, one was chocolate, on a harness and jumping/barking and really carrying on. Of *course,* Fizz, who is quite fluent in "I play!" thought that looked just wonderful. What put a big smile on my face was her first look at that dog, and the quick head snap back to me. GOOD girlie!! Lots of treats for that one. As we approached the dog, it saw Fizz and was doing all it could to play (this looks like a much older dog, starting to grey in many places). She did hit the end of the 1ft of leash she had to work with, but I stopped, she repositioned and we moved on past, on a loose line.
The 'yellow' (white?!) Lab came to see us, after we'd spent some time visiting with her 2 young girls (maybe 7 and 5?). I backed up Fizz and said that we weren't greeting, due to an upcoming test, and needing to be behaved and 'not playing with all dogs.' The owner was very gracious and immediately put his dog in a sit, and Fizz maintained one next to me. The two dogs were about 10ft apart. Again, lots of rewards. :)
In our wanderings, we met lots of kids, several elderly adults, a few people in big hats, and many with delicious smelling drinks/edibles in hand. Fizz was exemplary in her greetings, sitting and not fussing at the food. VERY happy with my girlie! A story was being read to kids sitting on a quilt, including my two. Put Fizz in a down a few feet back (so as not to worry any who have breed prejudice issues), and listened to the story. She didn't even consider the Mom who was feeding her 2yr old son a HUGE muffin, not a second glance. The one thing that caught her eye was an unclipped Border Terrier racing about on the end of its leash.....it did look like a toy!
Final excitement before leaving was the passing commuter rail train (7 cars plus engine). James of course was stoked to see a train, so we were plastered to the protective chainlink fence, and could feel the breeze given off as the train sped past, not more than 20ft away. Fizz was not bothered by the noise, or the size of it (or the horn blasting)......but I think her ears told me that prey drive was turning on. The LAST thing I need is a train-chasing dog, eek!! Despite her increased interest/drive, she maintained her sit.
Looking forward to more visits through out this summer and future ones to come. What an AWESOME place to work training, especially things like sit/stand for exam, gloves, article discrimination (as well as heeling and stays). There's a different market on Fridays that we're hoping to check out this coming Friday. The more ability to generalize behaviors and expectations, the better behaved my dog will be. :)
Friday, June 22, 2012
Men in hats
I was going to title this post "We gave Fizz away today" and head it up with the photo of Fizz and Jeff...........it was sooo tempting! :) But that wouldn't have been very nice. :P
We ran errands this a.m. and came home to find a tree cutting crew, including a large crane, right outside the house. This was VERY exciting for the kids, and it soon dawned on me that this was a great training opportunity. Loud things, unexpected crashes as limbs fell, odd smells, BIG huge trucks moving about, men in hats, gloves, goggles, etc. Why miss out on a training opportunity????
Got Fizz out and worked a bit of short heeling, focus on me, and then sits and downs. Downs became VERY difficult as the kids ate PB&J sandwhiches (this cool event rated a 'bottom of the driveway' picnic!). All of my dogs are peanut butter junkies, to the Nth degree.
After our 'work,' Fizz just hung out with the kids, relaxing and enjoying the show, despite our blazing heat. And of course, who could pass up the opportunity to have a good stick chew when bits of tree are flying about??
I was able to spend some time talking to the officer working the detail, and it turns out he used to train K9's in the nearby town. He knows the Billings, Kenny Ballinger, and a host of other people from my former life in Working dogs. We had a great time chatting.......had to laugh about Jagermeister in the live blind....ah the memories! :)
Fizz was not bothered at all by any of the men, wiggled and wagged to meet everyone of them, no matter what they had on their heads, eyes or hands. I was very thankful that she didn't think Jeff's beautiful white gloves meant "game on!" :) :)
Every day presents us with new training opportunities, ability to socialize and just add yet another thing to the list of "oh yeah, that's just life." I'm so thankful to the trainers in my life who have opened my eyes to this way of thinking, and encouraged me to seize such opportunities. THANK YOU! :)
We ran errands this a.m. and came home to find a tree cutting crew, including a large crane, right outside the house. This was VERY exciting for the kids, and it soon dawned on me that this was a great training opportunity. Loud things, unexpected crashes as limbs fell, odd smells, BIG huge trucks moving about, men in hats, gloves, goggles, etc. Why miss out on a training opportunity????
Got Fizz out and worked a bit of short heeling, focus on me, and then sits and downs. Downs became VERY difficult as the kids ate PB&J sandwhiches (this cool event rated a 'bottom of the driveway' picnic!). All of my dogs are peanut butter junkies, to the Nth degree.
I was able to spend some time talking to the officer working the detail, and it turns out he used to train K9's in the nearby town. He knows the Billings, Kenny Ballinger, and a host of other people from my former life in Working dogs. We had a great time chatting.......had to laugh about Jagermeister in the live blind....ah the memories! :)
Every day presents us with new training opportunities, ability to socialize and just add yet another thing to the list of "oh yeah, that's just life." I'm so thankful to the trainers in my life who have opened my eyes to this way of thinking, and encouraged me to seize such opportunities. THANK YOU! :)
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Herding Instinct Testing
Fizz and I travelled to central Connecticut today to test her on sheep at an AKC Herding Instinct Test, held by NESA (Northeast Stockdog Assoc). What a day it was!! Gorgeous 75 degree, sunny day, with a light breeze to keep bugs away, and no humidity.
There were 2 tests, with 2 different judges. In order to earn the HIT, one needs 2 legs under different judges. Test #1 was in the a.m., and Test #2 was in the afternoon. Fizz had a blast with the sheep!!! Herding is definitely in our future.....she loves it, and I'm fascinated watching a dog do something that is in every fiber of their being.
Fizz showed me a strong desire to be with the sheep, but also a nice responsiveness to my handling and guidance (what little there was in this test). She sat when asked, willingly changed directions, and was not hellbent on eating sheep. Instead, she was happily driving them, and willing to calmly (and with nice focus) walk up on them when they were stuck in a corner and staring her down.
Video from Test #1:
Herding Instinct Test #1
Between the two tests, we enjoyed playing with many breeds of dogs, and seeing several herding breeds whose faces hide behind fur/hair. Awesome socializing experience! We worked on obedience, learning to get in the kiddie pool, and recalls from play. We also worked on some loose-leash walking, and 'not greeting' strangers, in practice for our upcoming CGC re-attempt. :)
Shortly before Test #2, we were playing with a 6mos Briard puppy, and Fizz was a bit more winded than I should have allowed as we came to the test. They kept the afternoon assessment very short, due to the heat (in consideration of both stock and dogs). The judge was releasing teams as soon as she saw what she needed to see.
We ended up with the same set of sheep for both tests, though they were rotating through 3 regular groups, and a 4th came in at the end of Test #2. She was quite happy to be back in there, and the down is something she offered, not something I asked for. :)
Friday, June 8, 2012
Real life CGC
Tonight, we're enjoying the Green Mountain State. Took Fizz quickly, upon our arrival, to the center of town, walked a circle around a traffic light....and came back to where we're staying. After I had time to get some dinner, and get the kids to bed, decided we should take a spin through Ludlow.
Again, we crossed the swollen Blackriver, rushing hard under the bridge. Very visual, very loud.......and she wasn't bothered by it. As we rounded the corner and headed down main street, our leash was loose. I can't tell you how thrilled I am with her! I had maybe 10 pieces of Natl Balance roll on me, and occasionally rewarded her, but for the most part, we just went for a nice loose-leash stroll.
As we neared the end of 'town,' there was a large, loud, group of teenagers gathered on a boulder. So of course, we headed across the street, at a 90 degree approach. No one seemed to pay us any attention, nor did I see any of the gals wanting to see the 'cute puppy,' so we skirted around. As we came back to the sidewalk, a guy who was easily 6'5" came up behind us, yelling back to his friends, altered..........er..........aroma ......... you can guess. Two skate-boards swinging in his hands, and nearly nailed her in the butt with one.
Not ONCE did she give him a second thought, nor any hint of suspicion. Next up: the guy leaning into/against his car, at rather a tilt, and not looking quite, erm, sober. Perfect! Guy?? What guy?? Loose-leashed right past him. GOOD girl!
Finally our biggest challenges: two groups of people who REALLY wanted to meet her. The first was a small group, 4 people. She was good and waited for me to send her. The second group........she hit the end of the leash and went right to see them. BUT!!! Despite the fact that half of this group (actually, the male of each couple) was holding 'doggie bags,' she did NOT go to see one of them! One of them even had spare ribs. YAY!!!! She was SO happy to see women who were ecstatic to see her. Two comments just went to my heart: 1. "Where do you train? She's wonderful!" and even more so..... 2. LOOK at her smiling!!! She's so friendly and happy, she SMILES! To have people view a Rottweiler as happy and smiling (which truly, this dog is!)......oh it just made me burst with happiness!! :)
YAY Fizz!!!!!!!! I just ADORE this puppy!!! So confident, so happy, so outgoing, and so trusting in our relationship. To go somewhere so different than anything she's used to, at night, after a long car ride (another new experience) and take it all in stride like nothing......just LOVE it! So looking forward to the road ahead of us, and glad she's taking me along for the ride! :)
Thank you to Erika and Laurie for an AMAZING puppy, and to Esther for building and encouraging us. So much is yet to come! :)
Again, we crossed the swollen Blackriver, rushing hard under the bridge. Very visual, very loud.......and she wasn't bothered by it. As we rounded the corner and headed down main street, our leash was loose. I can't tell you how thrilled I am with her! I had maybe 10 pieces of Natl Balance roll on me, and occasionally rewarded her, but for the most part, we just went for a nice loose-leash stroll.
As we neared the end of 'town,' there was a large, loud, group of teenagers gathered on a boulder. So of course, we headed across the street, at a 90 degree approach. No one seemed to pay us any attention, nor did I see any of the gals wanting to see the 'cute puppy,' so we skirted around. As we came back to the sidewalk, a guy who was easily 6'5" came up behind us, yelling back to his friends, altered..........er..........aroma ......... you can guess. Two skate-boards swinging in his hands, and nearly nailed her in the butt with one.
Not ONCE did she give him a second thought, nor any hint of suspicion. Next up: the guy leaning into/against his car, at rather a tilt, and not looking quite, erm, sober. Perfect! Guy?? What guy?? Loose-leashed right past him. GOOD girl!
Finally our biggest challenges: two groups of people who REALLY wanted to meet her. The first was a small group, 4 people. She was good and waited for me to send her. The second group........she hit the end of the leash and went right to see them. BUT!!! Despite the fact that half of this group (actually, the male of each couple) was holding 'doggie bags,' she did NOT go to see one of them! One of them even had spare ribs. YAY!!!! She was SO happy to see women who were ecstatic to see her. Two comments just went to my heart: 1. "Where do you train? She's wonderful!" and even more so..... 2. LOOK at her smiling!!! She's so friendly and happy, she SMILES! To have people view a Rottweiler as happy and smiling (which truly, this dog is!)......oh it just made me burst with happiness!! :)
YAY Fizz!!!!!!!! I just ADORE this puppy!!! So confident, so happy, so outgoing, and so trusting in our relationship. To go somewhere so different than anything she's used to, at night, after a long car ride (another new experience) and take it all in stride like nothing......just LOVE it! So looking forward to the road ahead of us, and glad she's taking me along for the ride! :)
Thank you to Erika and Laurie for an AMAZING puppy, and to Esther for building and encouraging us. So much is yet to come! :)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Chickens and choices
Our 'older' chickens have moved outside, and are living in a dog kennel. They can still fit out through the bars. This morning while Fizz was outstide, 2 stupid chickens decided to exit their kennel. I called her to me, a minor chase ensued, but she called off the birds and sat herself. I was VERY happy with this response. :)
After that, I decided we needed to work on ignoring the chickens. Fizz is a rambunctious 8 month old puppy, and I knew this would be an adventure for both of us. Following are 2 videos, successive in nature. Beware, the first one is LONG and if you're on a slow connection...........it may take awhile!
We did very well with ignoring the chickens initially. I also saw that chicken smells and food rewards were of higher value than playing tug at that moment. I always want playing with me to be of highest value, so we took an extended 'balance break' to work on play/work/reward and build up the bank account of our relationship in this new context.
In part 2, we go up to see the chickens, and again, a small chase ensues. It took me about 30 sec to get hold of the long line. No chickens were harmed, and Fizz was definitely not in 'kill' mode, but rather in 'chasing is FUN' mode. You can see how much less responsive she is to me after the chasing.
Again, WONDERFUL information for me as a trainer, in knowing how to work through this and to see what her weak spots are. When James gets chickens upset by trying to grab them, she gets MUCH more keyed in on them. We will continue to work through this, and I will use kids to roust/wrangle chickens, in order to create high level attraction/distraction for Fizz.
Of interest, at dinnertime, she was out again, and once again, stupid chickens decided to leave the kennel. I heard upset chirping and went out to find Fizz chasing a Barred Rock, but again, not in a frenzied state, and not to kill. The B.R. ran under a bush, and I called her once, and she flew to me. GOOD girl!!!!!!!!! We ran inside and she got about 1/4 of a bratwurst. :) I'm very happy with her responses to me, which are not really based in much training in this context, but rather on our relationship. A wonderful reading of the barometer! :)
After that, I decided we needed to work on ignoring the chickens. Fizz is a rambunctious 8 month old puppy, and I knew this would be an adventure for both of us. Following are 2 videos, successive in nature. Beware, the first one is LONG and if you're on a slow connection...........it may take awhile!
We did very well with ignoring the chickens initially. I also saw that chicken smells and food rewards were of higher value than playing tug at that moment. I always want playing with me to be of highest value, so we took an extended 'balance break' to work on play/work/reward and build up the bank account of our relationship in this new context.
In part 2, we go up to see the chickens, and again, a small chase ensues. It took me about 30 sec to get hold of the long line. No chickens were harmed, and Fizz was definitely not in 'kill' mode, but rather in 'chasing is FUN' mode. You can see how much less responsive she is to me after the chasing.
Again, WONDERFUL information for me as a trainer, in knowing how to work through this and to see what her weak spots are. When James gets chickens upset by trying to grab them, she gets MUCH more keyed in on them. We will continue to work through this, and I will use kids to roust/wrangle chickens, in order to create high level attraction/distraction for Fizz.
Of interest, at dinnertime, she was out again, and once again, stupid chickens decided to leave the kennel. I heard upset chirping and went out to find Fizz chasing a Barred Rock, but again, not in a frenzied state, and not to kill. The B.R. ran under a bush, and I called her once, and she flew to me. GOOD girl!!!!!!!!! We ran inside and she got about 1/4 of a bratwurst. :) I'm very happy with her responses to me, which are not really based in much training in this context, but rather on our relationship. A wonderful reading of the barometer! :)
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Brick walls aren't real
Fizz has been enjoying her tracking work, and is progressing nicely. We are training her in a component fashion. There's no reason you need a multi-hundred pace track, aged for long periods, in order to teach a dog how to work challenges, and so, most of her tracks are short (60-80 paces) and aged roughly 15-20 minutes....basically enough time for me to lay it, walk back to the car, log it in my book, get the camera set up and running, and then go back to the car again and get Fizz.
Today's challenge was visual barriers. The first portion was working through a narrow pass, with high grass on one side, and a rope running overhead on the other. After coming through the passage, Fizz's track had a big curve in it, turning us around to head right back into the tall grass/wildflowers, head-on. The point of heading straight into tall stuff was to teach her that "brick walls aren't." While it may seem that the track should end b/c there's something in the way, today she learned that one should instead forge through the tall stuff and find big rewards.
I was very pleased with how she handled this. Neither the narrow passage or the tall grass bothered her, nor did she show any hesitation or confusion. She did get onto some sort of a scent just after the passageway, and I still have no idea what she found....but it was apparently quite yummy.
Here's a side view, from Fizz's level, of the difference in cover, of her 'brick wall' that she went confidently into.
Today's track:
Today's challenge was visual barriers. The first portion was working through a narrow pass, with high grass on one side, and a rope running overhead on the other. After coming through the passage, Fizz's track had a big curve in it, turning us around to head right back into the tall grass/wildflowers, head-on. The point of heading straight into tall stuff was to teach her that "brick walls aren't." While it may seem that the track should end b/c there's something in the way, today she learned that one should instead forge through the tall stuff and find big rewards.
I was very pleased with how she handled this. Neither the narrow passage or the tall grass bothered her, nor did she show any hesitation or confusion. She did get onto some sort of a scent just after the passageway, and I still have no idea what she found....but it was apparently quite yummy.
Here's a side view, from Fizz's level, of the difference in cover, of her 'brick wall' that she went confidently into.
Today's track:
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Back to the db
Fizz hasn't seen or touched her dumbell since March 17th. I decided tonight to re-present it to her, and see where we were. We're following Sue Sternberg's Inducive retrieve method.
As soon as she saw the db, she grabbed it hard. Big praise, and reward. We went through 4 reps of that, and then I put it down to the floor. She immediately grabbed it, and I praised/fed her. I was sitting on the floor, and only looking for her to grab it.
Since all seemed to be well settled in her head, I decided to move forward to the next step: lifting from the floor to my hand. I wondered if she'd balk at this sudden increase in criteria and was pleasently surprised at the answer: nope! She picked it up and held it long enough that I was able to bend down and get it (from a standing position). Huge praise and a small jackpot of food.
We worked through quite a few reps, took a balance break of tug inbetween to keep arousal level high, and returned to grabbing from the floor. There were two failures, in which she dropped the db before I could bend down to take it. Nothing from me, and she immediately picked it up again and held it til I got it. GOOD girl!! :)
Final rep was one in which she picked it up (while she was standing), and then held it long enough to put herself into a sit (I have no clue why she sat, and at this point, it matters not). I was thrilled with the progress that we'd made and ended it there with a huge jackpot.
Plan to work on this some more tomorrow, with the goal of her bringing it up to my hand, without me bending over at all. We finished our evening with a good game of tug, and she retired to her crate with a bit of pig's ear.
2 May 2012: Worked a bit more with this today, here's some footage from our work this afternoon. :)
As soon as she saw the db, she grabbed it hard. Big praise, and reward. We went through 4 reps of that, and then I put it down to the floor. She immediately grabbed it, and I praised/fed her. I was sitting on the floor, and only looking for her to grab it.
Since all seemed to be well settled in her head, I decided to move forward to the next step: lifting from the floor to my hand. I wondered if she'd balk at this sudden increase in criteria and was pleasently surprised at the answer: nope! She picked it up and held it long enough that I was able to bend down and get it (from a standing position). Huge praise and a small jackpot of food.
We worked through quite a few reps, took a balance break of tug inbetween to keep arousal level high, and returned to grabbing from the floor. There were two failures, in which she dropped the db before I could bend down to take it. Nothing from me, and she immediately picked it up again and held it til I got it. GOOD girl!! :)
Final rep was one in which she picked it up (while she was standing), and then held it long enough to put herself into a sit (I have no clue why she sat, and at this point, it matters not). I was thrilled with the progress that we'd made and ended it there with a huge jackpot.
Plan to work on this some more tomorrow, with the goal of her bringing it up to my hand, without me bending over at all. We finished our evening with a good game of tug, and she retired to her crate with a bit of pig's ear.
2 May 2012: Worked a bit more with this today, here's some footage from our work this afternoon. :)
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday night's class
Fizz was brilliant tonight at class! She gets exercised before class, and as soon as she's done, she turns tail and beelines HARD for the building, drags me through the door, past the owner (who wonders why my obedience dog is dragging me about willy nilly) and straight into the ring. I have enjoyed seeing her enthusiasm for class build and have not done anything about it.
Our new rules are "no leash dragging, ever." I expected an extended attempt to get into the building. Took all my stuff in, set James up with the iPad, and went to go get Fizz. I had made a special baggie of diced chicken breast specifically for the pre-class work. Fizz and I are blessed with an amazing trainer who takes a genuine interest in her students. No sooner was I in the building, than she asked if she could come outside and help me. That really meant a lot to me, and I was slow to answer. Esther, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! :)
As soon as I got Fizz out to potty, she was next to me, and had only one tight leash (at a stop and sniff spot). I was fully expecting our usual drag, and it never appeared. Even after she finished, she didn't bolt, but stayed with me. At that point, Esther was out talking with another student, and Fizz was fully aware of her presence.....but she CHOSE to stay with me! :) What a puppy!!!!!!! We made a few passes back and forth past Esther, and there was one particularly noticable "I look at her, but I look right back to you, and don't bobble from it" moment. Her choice was clear and concise. click and treat, oh yeah!
After a few passes, we tried a sit and greet. Got as far as hand shake and a brief few words when Fizz couldn't contain herself. She broke to see Esther. I immediately stepped back, and re-set up. I asked her for a sit, but as I was saying "sit," she offered a down. This was quite interesting to me, b/c of the three basic positions (sit, stand, down), down has *always* been our weakest, and very rarely can I think of times that she's offered it up. Either sit or down is acceptable to me for greeting, as long as she stays at my side and does not self-invite. She held her position through another handshake, chatting, and all without any rewards from me. I finally gave her the ultimate reward: permission to go say hi. When it was time to move on, she came right with me, and again, click/treat.
Following that big success, we were able to easily loose-leash it all the way inside. I didn't have to back up once. She also offered a down outside of the ring, and I asked her to hold that a bit before proceeding in. We worked and played while others came in. No darting off to greet. And at the very end of class, I was even able to walk right up to another student, whose Border Terrier was out on leash (vs being in her crate), and Fizz did not make ONE attempt to greet either dog or owner. YAY!!!!!!
I was truly amazed at the success we had tonight. I feel that her pattern of behavior at class (dragging me about) is fairly ingrained, and figured I had a long road ahead of me re: fixing it. We will continue to work around stronger distractions, including a local dog park (don't worry, I would never consider to enter one......but it will be an awesome 'bad dog behavior' distraction from outside the fence!), the bus when Emilie gets off (this is HUGE excitement for Fizz!), and work up to visiting Home Depot on a crazy Saturday morning. :)
Our new rules are "no leash dragging, ever." I expected an extended attempt to get into the building. Took all my stuff in, set James up with the iPad, and went to go get Fizz. I had made a special baggie of diced chicken breast specifically for the pre-class work. Fizz and I are blessed with an amazing trainer who takes a genuine interest in her students. No sooner was I in the building, than she asked if she could come outside and help me. That really meant a lot to me, and I was slow to answer. Esther, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! :)
As soon as I got Fizz out to potty, she was next to me, and had only one tight leash (at a stop and sniff spot). I was fully expecting our usual drag, and it never appeared. Even after she finished, she didn't bolt, but stayed with me. At that point, Esther was out talking with another student, and Fizz was fully aware of her presence.....but she CHOSE to stay with me! :) What a puppy!!!!!!! We made a few passes back and forth past Esther, and there was one particularly noticable "I look at her, but I look right back to you, and don't bobble from it" moment. Her choice was clear and concise. click and treat, oh yeah!
After a few passes, we tried a sit and greet. Got as far as hand shake and a brief few words when Fizz couldn't contain herself. She broke to see Esther. I immediately stepped back, and re-set up. I asked her for a sit, but as I was saying "sit," she offered a down. This was quite interesting to me, b/c of the three basic positions (sit, stand, down), down has *always* been our weakest, and very rarely can I think of times that she's offered it up. Either sit or down is acceptable to me for greeting, as long as she stays at my side and does not self-invite. She held her position through another handshake, chatting, and all without any rewards from me. I finally gave her the ultimate reward: permission to go say hi. When it was time to move on, she came right with me, and again, click/treat.
Following that big success, we were able to easily loose-leash it all the way inside. I didn't have to back up once. She also offered a down outside of the ring, and I asked her to hold that a bit before proceeding in. We worked and played while others came in. No darting off to greet. And at the very end of class, I was even able to walk right up to another student, whose Border Terrier was out on leash (vs being in her crate), and Fizz did not make ONE attempt to greet either dog or owner. YAY!!!!!!
I was truly amazed at the success we had tonight. I feel that her pattern of behavior at class (dragging me about) is fairly ingrained, and figured I had a long road ahead of me re: fixing it. We will continue to work around stronger distractions, including a local dog park (don't worry, I would never consider to enter one......but it will be an awesome 'bad dog behavior' distraction from outside the fence!), the bus when Emilie gets off (this is HUGE excitement for Fizz!), and work up to visiting Home Depot on a crazy Saturday morning. :)
Loose leash and non-greeting training
Since I failed our CGC on Saturday, we've been working on two things: loose-leash walking and not rushing to greet people. Fizz's leash pulling has never bothered me before, that's why I didn't fix it previously. However, it is required for the CGC. Also, she may not greet anyone until she's held a sit or down, and is given permission to go say hi. This includes family members upon our return home from any outings.
For most of her training, I have not used a clicker, and am not even judicious about using a verbal marker. I focus mainly on placement and timing of reward. I do tend to use a verbal marker, but not consciously so....more because I'm a chatterbox. For this work, I felt the clicker was a more noticeable mark of "yes, that's correct" and so it now comes with us for all on-leash work. I hold the clicker and leash in my left hand, food is in my right pocket, and delivered with my right hand.
We started on Saturday afternoon with simply being able to go down the driveway. That probably took us 10-15min. I she pulled, I backed up. Pulling = no forward, or a complete direction change by me. We were able to work down to the street, and maybe go 20-30 yards from the driveway. I ended the session when my food was out, and we went back to the house. Later that afternoon, we went out again. Her understanding of the new idea was showing nicely and we made it easily down the driveway (about 125ft) and out into the street.
As soon as I said "let's go for a walk," Fizz would surge ahead. I backed up, or circled around, and clicked/treated when she was back in place and we were moving forward properly. Simply coming back to me only was rewarded maybe 4 or 5 times because that was not the final behavior, and I upped the criteria. On our 6th attempt at "let's go for a walk!", she stuck to me like glue, hard staring at me and demanding her meatball for good behavior. She got three! :)
Yesterday, we were able to progress not only to the block, but about 1/3rd of the way around it. There we met up with several strong distractions that used up a lot of direction change and reward for choosing correct position. A robin running along the side of the street (and she is an AVID robin chaser in our backyard!), a man who came out of a house, using a very LOUD and seemingly somewhat agitated voice to yell back to his buddy inside, and a group of children playing in a yard where they were obscured from vision by scrub and trees. Fizz loves kids and pulled real hard at this one.
Today, we took our show on the road. I wanted to track her, and then head to the store for bones and food. I had hoped to work with her outside the park while James played on the playground, but no dogs allowed anywhere on the property, so that plan was scrapped. I explained to the staff at the store about our failure, and how we were working on it, while I paid for my food. Then, went back to the car and got Fizz and went back in.
There are 2 doors to go in, and she sat at both automatically, and waited for me to invite her through. This is not something I've worked on in a long time, so it was rewarded both times. Her reward was leftover cheeseburger, chopped into bits. I also had a tug with me, covered in real rabbit fur. There was initially a good bit of pulling because we entered near the elk antlers and various other kinds of natural chews. I simply backed up each time the leash tightened. She was rewarded for coming back to me. Initially, she was rewarded for simply looking away from high value treats when I called her name.
Fizz has been in this store many times. She enjoys it, and they enjoy her. Today, the slick floor bothered her. And as she stressed about it, she knuckled up her feet, making her footing worse. At that point, I learned that food has higher value to her than tug. I am still learning about Fizz, and she is still maturing, so I recognize that preferences are in a state of flux. I know for Xcel, ALL toys always trumped food. For young Banja, all food trumped toys, but as she got older, some toys (cuz!) trumped most food except for the very rarest of beef. She put her mouth on the tug and gave me a half-hearted grip, but it was not a real tugging session, and was not able to release her stress about the floor.
However, she did work well through the stress and settled down. We worked on a down stay, return, leave again and recall (as was done in Saturday's test). We worked on sitting and not greeting while several customers came in and walked near by. And we worked simply on loose leash walking, which she was giving very nicely after the initial "I must see all treats." Finally, I was able to ask a staff member to help us, by coming to say hi to me, but not to her. Fizz broke on the first time after we were shaking hands and talking. I replaced her (she was in a down), and tried again, this time she held it and got a handful of cheeseburger.
We then had loose leash walking all the way back to the car. I am VERY happy with how she is doing. Our BIG challenge will be class this afternoon. She loves class, she loves Esther, and she drags me hard to get in there every Monday. We may spend the first 20min of class just trying to get inside in n appropriate manner, and if that is the case, so be it. That is what we need to work on right now, and so we shall. :)
For most of her training, I have not used a clicker, and am not even judicious about using a verbal marker. I focus mainly on placement and timing of reward. I do tend to use a verbal marker, but not consciously so....more because I'm a chatterbox. For this work, I felt the clicker was a more noticeable mark of "yes, that's correct" and so it now comes with us for all on-leash work. I hold the clicker and leash in my left hand, food is in my right pocket, and delivered with my right hand.
We started on Saturday afternoon with simply being able to go down the driveway. That probably took us 10-15min. I she pulled, I backed up. Pulling = no forward, or a complete direction change by me. We were able to work down to the street, and maybe go 20-30 yards from the driveway. I ended the session when my food was out, and we went back to the house. Later that afternoon, we went out again. Her understanding of the new idea was showing nicely and we made it easily down the driveway (about 125ft) and out into the street.
As soon as I said "let's go for a walk," Fizz would surge ahead. I backed up, or circled around, and clicked/treated when she was back in place and we were moving forward properly. Simply coming back to me only was rewarded maybe 4 or 5 times because that was not the final behavior, and I upped the criteria. On our 6th attempt at "let's go for a walk!", she stuck to me like glue, hard staring at me and demanding her meatball for good behavior. She got three! :)
Yesterday, we were able to progress not only to the block, but about 1/3rd of the way around it. There we met up with several strong distractions that used up a lot of direction change and reward for choosing correct position. A robin running along the side of the street (and she is an AVID robin chaser in our backyard!), a man who came out of a house, using a very LOUD and seemingly somewhat agitated voice to yell back to his buddy inside, and a group of children playing in a yard where they were obscured from vision by scrub and trees. Fizz loves kids and pulled real hard at this one.
Today, we took our show on the road. I wanted to track her, and then head to the store for bones and food. I had hoped to work with her outside the park while James played on the playground, but no dogs allowed anywhere on the property, so that plan was scrapped. I explained to the staff at the store about our failure, and how we were working on it, while I paid for my food. Then, went back to the car and got Fizz and went back in.
There are 2 doors to go in, and she sat at both automatically, and waited for me to invite her through. This is not something I've worked on in a long time, so it was rewarded both times. Her reward was leftover cheeseburger, chopped into bits. I also had a tug with me, covered in real rabbit fur. There was initially a good bit of pulling because we entered near the elk antlers and various other kinds of natural chews. I simply backed up each time the leash tightened. She was rewarded for coming back to me. Initially, she was rewarded for simply looking away from high value treats when I called her name.
Fizz has been in this store many times. She enjoys it, and they enjoy her. Today, the slick floor bothered her. And as she stressed about it, she knuckled up her feet, making her footing worse. At that point, I learned that food has higher value to her than tug. I am still learning about Fizz, and she is still maturing, so I recognize that preferences are in a state of flux. I know for Xcel, ALL toys always trumped food. For young Banja, all food trumped toys, but as she got older, some toys (cuz!) trumped most food except for the very rarest of beef. She put her mouth on the tug and gave me a half-hearted grip, but it was not a real tugging session, and was not able to release her stress about the floor.
However, she did work well through the stress and settled down. We worked on a down stay, return, leave again and recall (as was done in Saturday's test). We worked on sitting and not greeting while several customers came in and walked near by. And we worked simply on loose leash walking, which she was giving very nicely after the initial "I must see all treats." Finally, I was able to ask a staff member to help us, by coming to say hi to me, but not to her. Fizz broke on the first time after we were shaking hands and talking. I replaced her (she was in a down), and tried again, this time she held it and got a handful of cheeseburger.
We then had loose leash walking all the way back to the car. I am VERY happy with how she is doing. Our BIG challenge will be class this afternoon. She loves class, she loves Esther, and she drags me hard to get in there every Monday. We may spend the first 20min of class just trying to get inside in n appropriate manner, and if that is the case, so be it. That is what we need to work on right now, and so we shall. :)
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Today I failed our CGC
I took Fizz for a CGC test today, knowing full well that we have greeting issues. She LOVES to greet. People, other dogs, you name it. She is a very socially outgoing puppy. I am very thankful for her open and upbeat temperament, her lack of suspicion and her love of people/dogs. In this breed, with its PR crisis, I'll take it. We can fix this! :)
This is the first time in 16yrs that I've failed a CGC. Why did I fail? Because I didn't train my dog. Gee, rocket science, eh?? <rolling eyes here>. Because I have allowed her to pull on leash on walks. Because I've allowed her to drag me into training every Monday night. Because I haven't trained my dog. Period. Our failure points? Greeting people. Not maintaining a loose leash while walking to meet a stranger and their dog. Not waiting to 'go say hi' to the friendly stranger (but instead, self-inviting herself to say hi).
Failure does not bother me, and it is only true failure if you can not learn from it. In 16yrs of titling 3 bitches in Agility to Top 10 rankings, of putting BH/AD on two dogs, and taking one of those dogs through SchH2 & BST.........I've had plenty of failure. In the past, it did bother me. I worried too much about "what *they* would say." What "they" would think, the rumors that would fly, etc. For the Rottweiler world loves nothing more than to see people fail, and then trash-talk the dog, the breeding/breeder and of course, the idiot handler. Agility taught me to accept failure as information from my dog, and to also look at a performance and see the good in it. Excellent A has a VERY high rate of failure. At times, it can seem the norm almost. To walk out with genuine happiness and say "did you SEE that weave entry?!?!?" and not care that a contact was blown, or a bar dropped. It was one of the most valuable lessons of my dog training career.
Fizz is a new journey for me. I am training her without correction, no "ah ah!" no harsh verbals of any kind, and not one leash correction. I've been told that I can't do that with a Rottweiler. I've received the "smile that is really an all-knowing-smirk" which says "yeeeahhhhh riiiiight!" I know "they" are waiting for our failure. Guess what? I failed today, and the world has yet to cease rotating. :)
The 'old me' knows how to fix our problem, I could probably clean this up in 3 or 4 sessions at Home Depot on a busy Saturday a.m. and some "appropriately timed corrections." But that's not going to happen. I will fix my lack of training, and it will be done without correction. :) I started this afternoon with Fizz, snapping a leash on and heading down the driveway. We didn't get very far, for leash walks are very exciting. Lots of pulling. Each time, I'd merely stop, and walk backwards. Pulling = no forwards. When she turned back to me, click and treat. Rarely do I use a clicker, but for this issue, I think it is a very elegant solution, as she has no prediction of it's arrival (no intake of breath, no unconscious turn of my head to look at her before verbally marking.....nada).
Quickly the critera was upped to be "next to my left side, leash loose." We spent about 7-8min working on this, and got a bit out into the street, but no more than maybe 20-30 yards from my driveway. Each pull = direction change from me, but no pops, no corrections, and no verbal NRMs.
After a few hours had passed, I took her out again. Funny enough, this time, I had heads-up attention going all the way down the driveway. I'm NOT looking for heads up attention, that's not natural on a walk. I *do* want a loose leash, and no pulling. I need to teach her a release to go sniff, and a 'lets get back to walking' command. It will come. I saw something quite interesting.....as soon as I said "let's go for a walk!", she surged ahead. Direction change for Mommy. It took maybe 5-6 or tries of this and suddenly, when I said "let's go for a walk"....my dog was hard-staring me. "I am NOT forging. I am where the click happens. I WANT a meatball!" :)
Hopefully we'll get some "before" video shot tomorrow, and then some "after" video in a few weeks. There's another CGC in late June, and possibly one before that, I have to inquire. I will have us ready for this, and without force or "have to." It will be by Fizz's choice. :)
This is the first time in 16yrs that I've failed a CGC. Why did I fail? Because I didn't train my dog. Gee, rocket science, eh?? <rolling eyes here>. Because I have allowed her to pull on leash on walks. Because I've allowed her to drag me into training every Monday night. Because I haven't trained my dog. Period. Our failure points? Greeting people. Not maintaining a loose leash while walking to meet a stranger and their dog. Not waiting to 'go say hi' to the friendly stranger (but instead, self-inviting herself to say hi).
Failure does not bother me, and it is only true failure if you can not learn from it. In 16yrs of titling 3 bitches in Agility to Top 10 rankings, of putting BH/AD on two dogs, and taking one of those dogs through SchH2 & BST.........I've had plenty of failure. In the past, it did bother me. I worried too much about "what *they* would say." What "they" would think, the rumors that would fly, etc. For the Rottweiler world loves nothing more than to see people fail, and then trash-talk the dog, the breeding/breeder and of course, the idiot handler. Agility taught me to accept failure as information from my dog, and to also look at a performance and see the good in it. Excellent A has a VERY high rate of failure. At times, it can seem the norm almost. To walk out with genuine happiness and say "did you SEE that weave entry?!?!?" and not care that a contact was blown, or a bar dropped. It was one of the most valuable lessons of my dog training career.
Fizz is a new journey for me. I am training her without correction, no "ah ah!" no harsh verbals of any kind, and not one leash correction. I've been told that I can't do that with a Rottweiler. I've received the "smile that is really an all-knowing-smirk" which says "yeeeahhhhh riiiiight!" I know "they" are waiting for our failure. Guess what? I failed today, and the world has yet to cease rotating. :)
The 'old me' knows how to fix our problem, I could probably clean this up in 3 or 4 sessions at Home Depot on a busy Saturday a.m. and some "appropriately timed corrections." But that's not going to happen. I will fix my lack of training, and it will be done without correction. :) I started this afternoon with Fizz, snapping a leash on and heading down the driveway. We didn't get very far, for leash walks are very exciting. Lots of pulling. Each time, I'd merely stop, and walk backwards. Pulling = no forwards. When she turned back to me, click and treat. Rarely do I use a clicker, but for this issue, I think it is a very elegant solution, as she has no prediction of it's arrival (no intake of breath, no unconscious turn of my head to look at her before verbally marking.....nada).
Quickly the critera was upped to be "next to my left side, leash loose." We spent about 7-8min working on this, and got a bit out into the street, but no more than maybe 20-30 yards from my driveway. Each pull = direction change from me, but no pops, no corrections, and no verbal NRMs.
After a few hours had passed, I took her out again. Funny enough, this time, I had heads-up attention going all the way down the driveway. I'm NOT looking for heads up attention, that's not natural on a walk. I *do* want a loose leash, and no pulling. I need to teach her a release to go sniff, and a 'lets get back to walking' command. It will come. I saw something quite interesting.....as soon as I said "let's go for a walk!", she surged ahead. Direction change for Mommy. It took maybe 5-6 or tries of this and suddenly, when I said "let's go for a walk"....my dog was hard-staring me. "I am NOT forging. I am where the click happens. I WANT a meatball!" :)
Hopefully we'll get some "before" video shot tomorrow, and then some "after" video in a few weeks. There's another CGC in late June, and possibly one before that, I have to inquire. I will have us ready for this, and without force or "have to." It will be by Fizz's choice. :)
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Tracking begins
Fizz's pedigree is strong in tracking, many FH's and even an FH Championship lie close behind her. I've seen behaviors in our yard that led me to believe she'd be not only a competent, happy tracking dog, but a focused one as well.
Fizz's breeder, Erika, lives on the other side of the country from us. We're trying an experiment where I take Fizz out tracking, with a set of instructions and record our work. Essentially, these videos are for her, so that she can see what we're doing, and give us our next guidance. Its experimental for both of us, and I appreciate her patience in working with us in this way.
Below are videos of our first two tracks. #1 was yesterday. Its on grass, at a location that is a well known dog park area (read: off leash dogs abound). I laid my track well away from where the loose dogs typically are, and was unbothered. But of course, as soon as we get out to the track (about 50yds from our parking area), a father, teenage daughter and their over-sized, over-weight Cocker Spaniel show up and start playing with a golf ball. Yay. The dog was roughly 30yds from us. Fizz is highly distracted by this dog, and each tim she stops working and her head comes up.........she's staring at the dog. Emilie was my videographer, and it's a bit bumpy in places. ;)
What I did see of her tracking in #1, I was happy with. Calm, focused, not pulling hard into the line, nor trying to race down the track. Food is in each step, we're using Natural balance. It had a few ants on it, after 18min of aging the track. Track is 35 paces long.
Track #2 was this morning. We're in a moderate, almost severe, draught in this area, and the dirt is essentially dust. The field looked like grass, until I walked out on it, and then realized that it had been turned probably 2 weeks ago, and is now full of weeds. It's conservation land, but used for hay growth.
Track is again 35 paces, this is first thing in the a.m. (as opposed to yesterday's mid afternoon track). Bait is the same. I cut it a bit small, and it was falling down into the cracks in the dirt (it's about 3/4" deep in those big wide cracks.....laying the track was like walking on broken puzzle pieces).
Was very happy with her work. She was calm, working from heel to toe of each step. She stayed focused on her work. Occasionally the cars driving by would cause her to lift her head, but she went right back to the track. Around 2:55, she checks a car track crossing our path. What I liked was that she came right back to her work, happily. :)
Fizz's breeder, Erika, lives on the other side of the country from us. We're trying an experiment where I take Fizz out tracking, with a set of instructions and record our work. Essentially, these videos are for her, so that she can see what we're doing, and give us our next guidance. Its experimental for both of us, and I appreciate her patience in working with us in this way.
Below are videos of our first two tracks. #1 was yesterday. Its on grass, at a location that is a well known dog park area (read: off leash dogs abound). I laid my track well away from where the loose dogs typically are, and was unbothered. But of course, as soon as we get out to the track (about 50yds from our parking area), a father, teenage daughter and their over-sized, over-weight Cocker Spaniel show up and start playing with a golf ball. Yay. The dog was roughly 30yds from us. Fizz is highly distracted by this dog, and each tim she stops working and her head comes up.........she's staring at the dog. Emilie was my videographer, and it's a bit bumpy in places. ;)
What I did see of her tracking in #1, I was happy with. Calm, focused, not pulling hard into the line, nor trying to race down the track. Food is in each step, we're using Natural balance. It had a few ants on it, after 18min of aging the track. Track is 35 paces long.
Track #2 was this morning. We're in a moderate, almost severe, draught in this area, and the dirt is essentially dust. The field looked like grass, until I walked out on it, and then realized that it had been turned probably 2 weeks ago, and is now full of weeds. It's conservation land, but used for hay growth.
Track is again 35 paces, this is first thing in the a.m. (as opposed to yesterday's mid afternoon track). Bait is the same. I cut it a bit small, and it was falling down into the cracks in the dirt (it's about 3/4" deep in those big wide cracks.....laying the track was like walking on broken puzzle pieces).
Was very happy with her work. She was calm, working from heel to toe of each step. She stayed focused on her work. Occasionally the cars driving by would cause her to lift her head, but she went right back to the track. Around 2:55, she checks a car track crossing our path. What I liked was that she came right back to her work, happily. :)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Tracking articles
So not only did Fizz come with an "auto sit to greet" feature, being the Deluxe model, she also came with "perfect article indications" for tracking. I swear I almost looked at her last night an said "come on, that's not funny!" Article between legs, in a gorgeous down. Umm.... ???? Where did THIS come from? Certainly it does not approximate any other behavior she's EVER been rewarded for. And quite frankly, of the 3 static positions (sit, down, stand)......I would say our 'down' flat out sucks. The whole episode was quite bizarre.
I had planned to just show her articles and try to free shape an indication. I put the first one on the ground, she ran to it, dropped in perfect position and indicated. So of course, me being the brilliant trainer that I am, said "nuh uh!!!" and got out article #2 (which looked entirely different from article #1), and threw it on the ground. Bang....article indication. WTF?!?! Erika?????????????
For her dinner last night we worked 2 similar round leather articles (look like beer coasters), a small black rectangular leather piece, a wooden block and a carpet square (boy does THAT rate high in Fizz's world!!!). Rotated through the various articles, and she was nailing her indications. I was doing NOTHING but standing, and throwing articles on the floor.
Twice, she looked at the article, than came to me and laid down in front of me. "I saw it, here I am!" I did not a thing, and she quickly got up, ran back to the article and laid down with it between her front paws. I NEVER ONCE lured this behavior. The hand-lure to the article was something that Froli got stuck on, so I swore I would only free-shape Fizz's articles. I hardly needed to do that.
Her only other bobble was lying down with it under her sternum. I laughed quietly to myself (so as not to reinforce an incorrect indication).....remembering Froli's SchH1 track on a cold morning in NY with hard frost on the long grass.....and Frol had planted herself firmly on top of the article. I kept pushing my hand further back under her, trying to grasp it, I swear I was almost to my elbow being at her elbows. That Frol dawg was NOT about to budge! HA!!! :)
After several rounds of putting the article out on the floor, I then called her into the hallway and had her sit. Returned to the room, put the article down, and then sent her into the room. Again, picture perfect. Worked through all the articles, and I even brought her into the room via a different entrance......no matter, lovely indication.
This afternoon for lunch, I decided to burst this silly bubble and see where we really were. Truly, what I had seen must have been a fluke. We took our articles outside to the lawn and she worked for her lunch. Sat her, tossed an article a few feet away, told her to find it. Off she went, nose hit article, dog in down. Seriously?!?? Two more, both gorgeous. Ok, fine. A line of 4 articles, about 6ft apart. Find it! Right to the first one perfectly. Reward, pick up and hold high to show our pretend judge, release dog to find it. thankfully, she didn't continue in a straight line to #2. I think I would have lost my mind at that point (as we've done NO tracking work). She went out on a current of wind, came back hard left and nailed #3. Wow! She worked #2 easily, so I set up 2 more in another area.
This portion apparently had more ground wind. She circled around a lot, and at one point, walked between two articles, each being about 12-14" from her. The fact that she went right past them was a pleasing sight.....it told me she was using her nose, NOT her eyes. YAY! :) She probably worked for 2-3 minutes trying to find those 2 articles, and I had a good chance to observe her body posture, behavior, etc. She was calm, focused, and when she was distracted by an 18-wheeler's loud horn, her head shot upright, she stopped, and then immediately went back to working the scent as if nothing had happened. VERY happy with that. Very happy with her work ethic in looking for the articles. Big praise party when she found the first one (carpet) and a jackpot to reward the prolonged work.
Our final article was planted about 20ft away, in a tall tuft of grass, right near my agility table. She almost bee-lined to it, found it quickly with some sniffing, and then kept nose touching it (vs. lying down). I'm not sure if the proximity to the table (purposeful) bothered her in the need to lie down, but it was intersting to see. I asked her "show me?" and she nose bobbed it hard and then looked back at me. I waited her out, and suddenly the down appeared, and she got the bowl with her remaining lunch. :)
I think we're soon going to try some tracks, and she will have articles on them from a very early stage. :) Just ADORE this puppy, she amazes me in almost every session we work. So much fun ahead!!
I had planned to just show her articles and try to free shape an indication. I put the first one on the ground, she ran to it, dropped in perfect position and indicated. So of course, me being the brilliant trainer that I am, said "nuh uh!!!" and got out article #2 (which looked entirely different from article #1), and threw it on the ground. Bang....article indication. WTF?!?! Erika?????????????
For her dinner last night we worked 2 similar round leather articles (look like beer coasters), a small black rectangular leather piece, a wooden block and a carpet square (boy does THAT rate high in Fizz's world!!!). Rotated through the various articles, and she was nailing her indications. I was doing NOTHING but standing, and throwing articles on the floor.
Twice, she looked at the article, than came to me and laid down in front of me. "I saw it, here I am!" I did not a thing, and she quickly got up, ran back to the article and laid down with it between her front paws. I NEVER ONCE lured this behavior. The hand-lure to the article was something that Froli got stuck on, so I swore I would only free-shape Fizz's articles. I hardly needed to do that.
Her only other bobble was lying down with it under her sternum. I laughed quietly to myself (so as not to reinforce an incorrect indication).....remembering Froli's SchH1 track on a cold morning in NY with hard frost on the long grass.....and Frol had planted herself firmly on top of the article. I kept pushing my hand further back under her, trying to grasp it, I swear I was almost to my elbow being at her elbows. That Frol dawg was NOT about to budge! HA!!! :)
After several rounds of putting the article out on the floor, I then called her into the hallway and had her sit. Returned to the room, put the article down, and then sent her into the room. Again, picture perfect. Worked through all the articles, and I even brought her into the room via a different entrance......no matter, lovely indication.
This afternoon for lunch, I decided to burst this silly bubble and see where we really were. Truly, what I had seen must have been a fluke. We took our articles outside to the lawn and she worked for her lunch. Sat her, tossed an article a few feet away, told her to find it. Off she went, nose hit article, dog in down. Seriously?!?? Two more, both gorgeous. Ok, fine. A line of 4 articles, about 6ft apart. Find it! Right to the first one perfectly. Reward, pick up and hold high to show our pretend judge, release dog to find it. thankfully, she didn't continue in a straight line to #2. I think I would have lost my mind at that point (as we've done NO tracking work). She went out on a current of wind, came back hard left and nailed #3. Wow! She worked #2 easily, so I set up 2 more in another area.
This portion apparently had more ground wind. She circled around a lot, and at one point, walked between two articles, each being about 12-14" from her. The fact that she went right past them was a pleasing sight.....it told me she was using her nose, NOT her eyes. YAY! :) She probably worked for 2-3 minutes trying to find those 2 articles, and I had a good chance to observe her body posture, behavior, etc. She was calm, focused, and when she was distracted by an 18-wheeler's loud horn, her head shot upright, she stopped, and then immediately went back to working the scent as if nothing had happened. VERY happy with that. Very happy with her work ethic in looking for the articles. Big praise party when she found the first one (carpet) and a jackpot to reward the prolonged work.
Our final article was planted about 20ft away, in a tall tuft of grass, right near my agility table. She almost bee-lined to it, found it quickly with some sniffing, and then kept nose touching it (vs. lying down). I'm not sure if the proximity to the table (purposeful) bothered her in the need to lie down, but it was intersting to see. I asked her "show me?" and she nose bobbed it hard and then looked back at me. I waited her out, and suddenly the down appeared, and she got the bowl with her remaining lunch. :)
I think we're soon going to try some tracks, and she will have articles on them from a very early stage. :) Just ADORE this puppy, she amazes me in almost every session we work. So much fun ahead!!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Retrieve - Day 2
We worked a bit last night on lowering the db towards the floor, and Fizz had no problem with it being in any position. Today's goal is to get it on the floor, and have her start lifting it. I'm not looking for a delivery to had yet, that will come. Worked a short session this afternoon with good success. She was willing to work with the db on the floor, and with my had being away from it. I also had the treats behind my back, out of sight, so no obvious lure, as well as a slight delay in reward being built in.
Twice in our session, she actually picked it up. We'll work on this more later, with me waiting out the actual lifting of the db from the floor. It has been my experience when increasing criteria that some increases go smoothly, and others not. Patience is the biggest key in working through such issues. I look forward to seeing how our next session is. :)
Twice in our session, she actually picked it up. We'll work on this more later, with me waiting out the actual lifting of the db from the floor. It has been my experience when increasing criteria that some increases go smoothly, and others not. Patience is the biggest key in working through such issues. I look forward to seeing how our next session is. :)
Friday, March 16, 2012
Adventures and retrieves
Fizz had a morning of adventure, and a lunch time of learning retrieve work. :) We went to a local farm in Sherborn to pick up fresh eggs. They have a petting area there for kids to go in and see the chickens, ducks and rabbits. Fizz was able to go up to the fencing, and the animals were not in the least worried about her. She showed active interest in the birds, but was not coming unglued. I asked to her 'set up,' and then give me 3-4 steps of heeling. She NAILED it! :) :) GOOD GIRLIE!!! She easily and happily left her cool feathered friends to come work with me, and we were all of 2 side-steps away from that fence. Super happy about this! :) She also got to see a few horses up close. Again, actively interested, but not obnoxious, jumping, barking or otherwise alarming the horses.
After the farm, we went to the bank. All of my dogs have spent time in our bank, the folks who work there just adore dogs, and have always been most gracious to my Rottweilers. Fizz got to experience automatic doors (the kind that open with a handicap button). I decided these things absolutely ROCKED for working on 'not bolting out the door.' Not that Fizz has that problem, we established sitting at doors at a young age. BUT.....to be able to sit with your dog at a door, push the button, have the door open, and you and dog are still set up (and you are able to reward the good choice to hold the sit)......totally awesome!! If I owned a training center, I'd have these installed for training purposes! :)
While in the bank, we worked on formal sit durations, and then after visiting a few customers politely, we did a down in another area. Again, very happy and eager to work in a new and distracting environment, without much time to check it out at all. I'm very happy to see how in tune she is to me, and how trusting she is. :)
Finally, after the bank, we came home to lunch. I decided to start Fizz's formal retrieve work today. We're using Sue Sternberg's inducive retrieve. I will not do a force retrieve on my dog, in any form. As I read through the booklet, I knew I was going to struggle with the necessary co-ordination of holding the db, holding the treats (we used broiled chix breast) and trying to pop the db into her mouth. Thankfully, she is a very patient puppy, and not hyper sensitive about her face/body being touched. She kept pushing at my had and getting me all out of position, so there was a lot of wiggling around.
Initially, I started with a wooden db, but quickly decided there wasn't room to get my hands in there where I wanted, and so changed over to a plastic one with a longer bar.
Session 1 was our very first attempt. The goal is manually place the db into her mouth and immediately reward with high value treat. At the end, a 'test' is presented in that the db is shown, and when the dog grabs for it themself (vs. the manual placement), BIG jackpot reward.
Session 2 was about 10 minutes later, after a bit of tug and playing. In this session, I was rewarding her for taking it herself. No more manual placement. She showed great willingness to take it. There was some nosing/licking, but I suspect that will quickly disappear, as it's not being rewarded.
Session 1: (long video, 10 minutes)
Session 2:
After the farm, we went to the bank. All of my dogs have spent time in our bank, the folks who work there just adore dogs, and have always been most gracious to my Rottweilers. Fizz got to experience automatic doors (the kind that open with a handicap button). I decided these things absolutely ROCKED for working on 'not bolting out the door.' Not that Fizz has that problem, we established sitting at doors at a young age. BUT.....to be able to sit with your dog at a door, push the button, have the door open, and you and dog are still set up (and you are able to reward the good choice to hold the sit)......totally awesome!! If I owned a training center, I'd have these installed for training purposes! :)
While in the bank, we worked on formal sit durations, and then after visiting a few customers politely, we did a down in another area. Again, very happy and eager to work in a new and distracting environment, without much time to check it out at all. I'm very happy to see how in tune she is to me, and how trusting she is. :)
Finally, after the bank, we came home to lunch. I decided to start Fizz's formal retrieve work today. We're using Sue Sternberg's inducive retrieve. I will not do a force retrieve on my dog, in any form. As I read through the booklet, I knew I was going to struggle with the necessary co-ordination of holding the db, holding the treats (we used broiled chix breast) and trying to pop the db into her mouth. Thankfully, she is a very patient puppy, and not hyper sensitive about her face/body being touched. She kept pushing at my had and getting me all out of position, so there was a lot of wiggling around.
Initially, I started with a wooden db, but quickly decided there wasn't room to get my hands in there where I wanted, and so changed over to a plastic one with a longer bar.
Session 1 was our very first attempt. The goal is manually place the db into her mouth and immediately reward with high value treat. At the end, a 'test' is presented in that the db is shown, and when the dog grabs for it themself (vs. the manual placement), BIG jackpot reward.
Session 2 was about 10 minutes later, after a bit of tug and playing. In this session, I was rewarding her for taking it herself. No more manual placement. She showed great willingness to take it. There was some nosing/licking, but I suspect that will quickly disappear, as it's not being rewarded.
Session 1: (long video, 10 minutes)
Session 2:
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Day 3 jump bump grids
Fizz and I went back to 6ft spacing on the jump bump grids. This was the first day I have not had Emilie to help. Thus, I was leaving Fizz in a sit, and then recalling her down the line. For several of the passes, I walked out, set up, shook the rope, then walked back and rewarded her for holding the sit, and then set up again for the recall. I saw no 'vulturing' in her sit, no anticipation. She held a very solid sit and I was extremely pleased with this. Our "Its Your Choice" work was really coming into play. :)
I use a ground bar to define the entry space to the lane. Something visual to say to Fizz "in this area, you must choose your take-off point." This is the first time I've done much back and forth down the lane with her (b/c of not having Emilie). On pass #5, you can see her make a HUGE jump on the final jump. I heard the landing before I realized what she'd done. That red/white bar, to define entry space, had suddenly become part of the lane in her estimation. So instead of jumping a 6ft arc, she added in the additional 5ft to the bar, and made an 11ft arc. Her take off was good, she shows maximum compression, and her head is down on take-off. However, she over-stretches in the air and lands ballistically, thus the thud I heard. Removed the bar, tried again........MUCH better!
Dogs are so incredibly visual, and I think too often we forget that and don't look at things from THEIR perspective. Jump #5 was a reminder of that today. Apparently there are people who correct their dogs for incorrect jumping. I am SO thankful I don't subscribe to that, she wasn't "WRONG," but rather trying to achieve what she saw: an elongated jump. GOOD girlie! :)
I use a ground bar to define the entry space to the lane. Something visual to say to Fizz "in this area, you must choose your take-off point." This is the first time I've done much back and forth down the lane with her (b/c of not having Emilie). On pass #5, you can see her make a HUGE jump on the final jump. I heard the landing before I realized what she'd done. That red/white bar, to define entry space, had suddenly become part of the lane in her estimation. So instead of jumping a 6ft arc, she added in the additional 5ft to the bar, and made an 11ft arc. Her take off was good, she shows maximum compression, and her head is down on take-off. However, she over-stretches in the air and lands ballistically, thus the thud I heard. Removed the bar, tried again........MUCH better!
Dogs are so incredibly visual, and I think too often we forget that and don't look at things from THEIR perspective. Jump #5 was a reminder of that today. Apparently there are people who correct their dogs for incorrect jumping. I am SO thankful I don't subscribe to that, she wasn't "WRONG," but rather trying to achieve what she saw: an elongated jump. GOOD girlie! :)
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Jump grids, Day 2
Tried Fizz on 7ft jump grids today, trying to get a feel for what is a good fit for her. We worked in two sessions, broken up by the camera battery dying. :)
The first session, she handled the distance pretty well. In the second session, she starts to tire, and her take-off place becomes variable between the jumps and her motion is not as fluid. After reviewing the video, we'll definitely go back to 6ft for now, until she builds the proper muscles for the impulsion. I may also check her at 5ft, just to see how that looks. Overall, still very happy with her work, and she had a blast! :)
And for anyone interested in following Vik's progress, here she is today. She's definitely showing improvement in form, getting her head down more and becoming more fluid in her strides. She's SOO happy to be working again!
The first session, she handled the distance pretty well. In the second session, she starts to tire, and her take-off place becomes variable between the jumps and her motion is not as fluid. After reviewing the video, we'll definitely go back to 6ft for now, until she builds the proper muscles for the impulsion. I may also check her at 5ft, just to see how that looks. Overall, still very happy with her work, and she had a blast! :)
And for anyone interested in following Vik's progress, here she is today. She's definitely showing improvement in form, getting her head down more and becoming more fluid in her strides. She's SOO happy to be working again!
Vikka on jump bumps
Yesterday, I posted video of Fizz doing her first set of grid work, or for that matter, any formal jumping. Fizz stands around 21.5" (roughly....based on how she compares to Vikka in height. Vikka is measured at 22 3/8" on her agility card). I've had questions about the jump bumps, and "aren't they too low to really see true jumping style." Simple answer: no.
Here is footage of Vikka, also made yesterday. Vik will be 10 in August. She competed in agility for several years, earned her Open titles and ran in Excellent, though we never finished our Excellent titles. She was a 24" jumper. Vik never went through Susan Salo's jumping program, nor did we do much work with Linda Mecklenberg's jumping rounded over one jump (at full height). She did not have issues dropping bars, and at almost 10, is not showing ill effects of her days in agility. HOWEVER, you can see in this video footage that her style is inefficient. Interestingly, Vikka has excellent overall construction. She has near perfect balance of front/rear angles (per Chris Zink, DVM, PhD), her turn of stifle is excellent, her angulation front and back is not only matched, but excellent. She moves effortlessly, and almost always comes to a perfect show stack when she stands. I personally think her construction is better than Fizz's (and yes, Fizz is still in puppy stages, but overall, Vik is better built). And yet, Fizz has a far better jumping style, naturally, than Vik does.
In this video, you can see how incredibly high her head is carried in the first pass, almost painfully so. The landings are ballistic and very unkind to the body. In the 2nd and 3rd passes, she starts to lower her head, and round her jumps more. This CAN be learned, but takes a lot of time/repetition to overcome what is naturally in the dog's wiring. Height of the jump bumps is NOT the issue, Vikka was an excellent jumper at 24", with many blue ribbons to show for her work, she was ranked in the Rottweiler Top 10 in agility when she trialed. What you see here is simply inherent jumping style. And what was seen in Fizz's video yesterday was her inherent (LOVELY!) jumping style. :)
Here is footage of Vikka, also made yesterday. Vik will be 10 in August. She competed in agility for several years, earned her Open titles and ran in Excellent, though we never finished our Excellent titles. She was a 24" jumper. Vik never went through Susan Salo's jumping program, nor did we do much work with Linda Mecklenberg's jumping rounded over one jump (at full height). She did not have issues dropping bars, and at almost 10, is not showing ill effects of her days in agility. HOWEVER, you can see in this video footage that her style is inefficient. Interestingly, Vikka has excellent overall construction. She has near perfect balance of front/rear angles (per Chris Zink, DVM, PhD), her turn of stifle is excellent, her angulation front and back is not only matched, but excellent. She moves effortlessly, and almost always comes to a perfect show stack when she stands. I personally think her construction is better than Fizz's (and yes, Fizz is still in puppy stages, but overall, Vik is better built). And yet, Fizz has a far better jumping style, naturally, than Vik does.
In this video, you can see how incredibly high her head is carried in the first pass, almost painfully so. The landings are ballistic and very unkind to the body. In the 2nd and 3rd passes, she starts to lower her head, and round her jumps more. This CAN be learned, but takes a lot of time/repetition to overcome what is naturally in the dog's wiring. Height of the jump bumps is NOT the issue, Vikka was an excellent jumper at 24", with many blue ribbons to show for her work, she was ranked in the Rottweiler Top 10 in agility when she trialed. What you see here is simply inherent jumping style. And what was seen in Fizz's video yesterday was her inherent (LOVELY!) jumping style. :)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Puppy bump grids - Day 1
Fizz just turned 6 months, and I've done no jumping work with her yet at all. We have no plans for agility (it just doesn't fit in my life right now), so I've had no reason to start her on anything. However, recently, I've seen her make a few jumps that have really impressed me. Not because of their height or massive ability, but because of what I thought I was seeing in HOW she jumped. Most dogs pull from their front, rather than using rear impulsion. A front-loaded breed like the Rottweiler, especially so.
Today, I took Fizz out to test what I thought I was seeing, and after some 'jumping,' and some video analysis, there it was. A dog who is NOT on her forehand. At all. Nope! :) :) :) Jumping on the forehand means harsh ballistic landings. Bad on the frame of the dog, not what you want in a long term working dog. Dogs are equally able to pull from the front as they are able to push from the rear. However, most seem to naturally want to pull from the front. Dogs, like horses, can be schooled, and taught good solid jumping technique. They can be taught impulsion, collection, compression and extension. And while it can be taught, I'm very excited to see it naturally occurring in my girlie. :)
I use jump in quotations because there is no height to the grid that Fizz is working, nor will there be til she's closer to a year old. However, in that time, using low, 6" jump bumps, she will learn scope, stride, and task. Pay attention to what's ahead of you, so that you can properly work it. Figure out where your best take-off point is, be sure you're on the correct lead both front and rear, round your jump, no matter its height. The footwork, the reading, the thinking can all be taught low, and then brought up when age appropriate. We are following Susan Salo's teaching in doing all of this.
In looking at how a dog jumps, you want to see them with their head low and their back rounded. Head held high = on the forehand. It also leads to a stiff, hard, pastern on landing, rather than one that is relaxed and able to absorb shock. Efficient jumping comes from maximum compression. Just like a spring, what is compressed releases forward with great energy. A dog who is able to compress and release is far more efficient in jumping than a dog who must put in extra strides to cover the same line. Compression is seen in how close the hind feet are planted to where the front feet are. Maximum compression is when the hind feet land forward of the front. This photo is a still grab from the video. While its quality is poor, you can definitely see how compressed she is, and that her hind feet are landing well forward of her front. This is her VERY first step into the grid, on the first time. It's just naturally there. :)
Here is video of our work today: (this is 8min long)
Today, I took Fizz out to test what I thought I was seeing, and after some 'jumping,' and some video analysis, there it was. A dog who is NOT on her forehand. At all. Nope! :) :) :) Jumping on the forehand means harsh ballistic landings. Bad on the frame of the dog, not what you want in a long term working dog. Dogs are equally able to pull from the front as they are able to push from the rear. However, most seem to naturally want to pull from the front. Dogs, like horses, can be schooled, and taught good solid jumping technique. They can be taught impulsion, collection, compression and extension. And while it can be taught, I'm very excited to see it naturally occurring in my girlie. :)
I use jump in quotations because there is no height to the grid that Fizz is working, nor will there be til she's closer to a year old. However, in that time, using low, 6" jump bumps, she will learn scope, stride, and task. Pay attention to what's ahead of you, so that you can properly work it. Figure out where your best take-off point is, be sure you're on the correct lead both front and rear, round your jump, no matter its height. The footwork, the reading, the thinking can all be taught low, and then brought up when age appropriate. We are following Susan Salo's teaching in doing all of this.
In looking at how a dog jumps, you want to see them with their head low and their back rounded. Head held high = on the forehand. It also leads to a stiff, hard, pastern on landing, rather than one that is relaxed and able to absorb shock. Efficient jumping comes from maximum compression. Just like a spring, what is compressed releases forward with great energy. A dog who is able to compress and release is far more efficient in jumping than a dog who must put in extra strides to cover the same line. Compression is seen in how close the hind feet are planted to where the front feet are. Maximum compression is when the hind feet land forward of the front. This photo is a still grab from the video. While its quality is poor, you can definitely see how compressed she is, and that her hind feet are landing well forward of her front. This is her VERY first step into the grid, on the first time. It's just naturally there. :)
Here is video of our work today: (this is 8min long)
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