Thanksgiving was at my boyfriend's parents' house this year, so the four of us packed into the car and headed west.
Sadie still whines and whines and whines in the car. We left Tuesday night after work, fighting the traffic going across the Tap. She alternated jamming her head between the passenger door and my head, and trying to slither into the front over the center console. The noise, wiggling, and doggie-breath were not appreciated. It took a few hours for her to give up and lie down in the back seat. Even when I flattened my seat to nap, letting her snuggle up with me over the headrest, she would only settle for a few minutes as a time.
Maxwell is a fantastic car dog. He doesn't cry at all, and spends most of the trip stretched out in the back. Every once in a while he sits on the console and grins over his shoulder when one of us rubs his behind. As a bonus, him sitting there prevents Sadie from being there.
We stopped in State College, PA, for the night. The Holiday Inn there is dog-friendly and has decent rooms. We got in shortly after 1am, fed and 'emptied' the pups, and crashed in bed by 2. Sadie took her usual place between our feet, and Maxwell crammed himself in the tiny gap between the bed and the wall. We all slept soundly until just after sunrise. Other guests started walking around, which was not okay with Sadie. She would leap of the bed with a solid WOOF, stand stock still at the door for a few seconds, then WOOF again before being cajoled back to bed. Snooze 15 minutes and repeat. Maxwell, on the other hand, was the perfect travel dog. Not one bark, no whining, and he even joined us on the bed for the last few hours of the early morning (unheard of at home).
At checkout, the desk attendant gave my boyfriend biscuits for the pups, and on our walk around town the mailman gave them each several treats. Not a bad morning to be a dog! They even made a new friend, a 10-month-old Lab puppy who wanted so badly to play with Maxwell. He, in turn, was enamored of her... though possibly because she was just coming out of heat.
Sadie was much better in the car for the longer day on Wednesday, though both dogs were overjoyed to get out and see their grandparents. They said hello to their mini-Doxie cousin, Omar, and later that night met their human cousins, my boyfriend's niece and nephew.
The kids seem to like the pups. Nephew calls Sadie 'Big Doggie' and likes to grab her tail. For her part, she tolerates lots of physical roughness and waits for him to drop food. So far he has spilled milk on the floor twice and dropped a few crumbs. She also waited patiently for him to drop his guard, and took a good drink from his cup of milk, straight out of his hands! Maxwell has mixed feelings about him; on the one hand, he makes the tennis ball move, but on the other he waves around a scary plastic golf club. For my little guy, the baby niece is more interesting. He loves the way she squirms and makes noises, and nibbles at her socks.
Both dogs were fabulous at the family party. Though they were put in a bedroom during the meals, they got to schmooze a fair bit and show off some of their tricks. Maxwell amazed me by being fine with all the noise and hubbub, visiting people for rubs and to throw the tennis ball. When he felt overwhelmed, he'd find a quiet spot to curl up for a bit. Only at the very end of the night did he start to show real stress, following me around but just out of reach.
Poor Sadie couldn't find anyone who knew her signals, and ended up having an accident in the basement. It only ever happens in a Sadie-emergency, so I can't blame her. I just feel bad that it came to that! (All the kids thought it was so gross!)
The rest of the trip should be much quieter for the pups. They'll still have their human and canine cousins to play with, but not the myriad people that were here yesterday. Nephew runs around and gets them riled up. He loves to watch them play-fight, but has already gotten knocked over once. Lots of tears, but no real harm.
Then they can 'enjoy' the 14.5 hour trip home in Sunday. Can't wait...
Friday, November 25, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Teaser 5
You just got hired into your dream job! Unfortunately, it’s four states away from the training club you’ve grown to love, and you don’t know any dog people there. You’ve searched the internet a bit, but aren’t sure which facility is really the best fit for you and your dog. One of them doesn’t seem to have updated anything except its class schedule in months! Though you plan to visit them after you get settled in, the clubs seem to be on opposite sides of the city. If you had a good idea about them, it might affect where you look for an apartment. After all, who wants to drive an hour to class, if you could have been 10 minutes away? You wish there were an easy way to talk to people who already train at these places.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Agility, Plus Random Clicker Training
Friday night was yet another fantastic class. Sadie and Maxwell both ran well, though they are obviously at different levels.
Sadie breezed through the course. Mr. Trainer actually commented that it was too easy for her, though I think there were a few good spots for both of us. On her part, I asked for more distance and solid running contacts. She gave me excellent lead-outs with a fairly good slice across the first jump. She also sends to the weaves pretty nicely these days.
On my part, I'm learning to read the best path for her, rather than what the course initially looks like it calls for. There was a moderately tight curve of 3 jumps ending in a hard left over the double. The first time we ran it, I felt that a front cross between 2 and 3 seemed appropriate, giving her a right lead over the double. I instead ended up in her way and she took the double at a wide turn. Mr. Trainer suggested I try keeping her on my left for the curve, the rear crossing the double. It worked beautifully, and she tightened up the turn.
Maxwell can still be a little nutcase, but he is improving in leaps and bounds. He loves the weaves, which makes it tough to call him into a turn when they are on his line. He also has very wide turns, which we will need to reign in. On the (very big) upside, he charges his dogwalk, allows me lots of space, and can be left in the weaves to give me a head start.
He is also incredibly cute. He has a new trick on the table, where he has a nearly instant auto-down. As soon as he lays down, he puts his head down between his front paws. It give him a resigned, pleading look, like Gee, can't we just keep going? Mr. Trainer loved it.
I also discussed with him what height to enter Maxwell at for the New Year's trial. He jumps 20" completely clean, and accidentally (on our part) took a 24" without a blink in class. So, 22" it is! The performance height would be 16", which he would consider a joke. And it's hard to believe he'll measure into the 26" category. Sadie and Maxwell will be in the same height class!
I had some fun clicker training tonight.
With Maxwell, I teaching a new way to retrieve. He has this super-sized tennis ball that he can only just pick up. We were playing with it last night, and he happened to nose it. That gave me the idea to teach him to push it back to me! It's very cute, and he's already getting good at it. I can ask him to back up, put the ball in front of him, and then ask him to PUSH. He love backing up because it means a game is coming, and he'll wait for my PUSH cue because sometimes I feed just for waiting. And of course he loves the new game, because he's insane for anything ball-like. Win all around!
I've modified the same idea for Sadie. Since she is a non-retrieving Retriever, I want her to learn to carry a tennis ball. I'm using a standard sized one, to make it easier, and started clicking just for her nosing it. That quickly progressed to open-mouthed touches, then light nips. Before I knew it, she was lifting it off my open palm! I know that's not a retrieve, but it's a darned good start.
So, anyone have other cute tricks I should teach the pups?
Sadie breezed through the course. Mr. Trainer actually commented that it was too easy for her, though I think there were a few good spots for both of us. On her part, I asked for more distance and solid running contacts. She gave me excellent lead-outs with a fairly good slice across the first jump. She also sends to the weaves pretty nicely these days.
On my part, I'm learning to read the best path for her, rather than what the course initially looks like it calls for. There was a moderately tight curve of 3 jumps ending in a hard left over the double. The first time we ran it, I felt that a front cross between 2 and 3 seemed appropriate, giving her a right lead over the double. I instead ended up in her way and she took the double at a wide turn. Mr. Trainer suggested I try keeping her on my left for the curve, the rear crossing the double. It worked beautifully, and she tightened up the turn.
Maxwell can still be a little nutcase, but he is improving in leaps and bounds. He loves the weaves, which makes it tough to call him into a turn when they are on his line. He also has very wide turns, which we will need to reign in. On the (very big) upside, he charges his dogwalk, allows me lots of space, and can be left in the weaves to give me a head start.
He is also incredibly cute. He has a new trick on the table, where he has a nearly instant auto-down. As soon as he lays down, he puts his head down between his front paws. It give him a resigned, pleading look, like Gee, can't we just keep going? Mr. Trainer loved it.
I also discussed with him what height to enter Maxwell at for the New Year's trial. He jumps 20" completely clean, and accidentally (on our part) took a 24" without a blink in class. So, 22" it is! The performance height would be 16", which he would consider a joke. And it's hard to believe he'll measure into the 26" category. Sadie and Maxwell will be in the same height class!
* * * * *
I had some fun clicker training tonight.
With Maxwell, I teaching a new way to retrieve. He has this super-sized tennis ball that he can only just pick up. We were playing with it last night, and he happened to nose it. That gave me the idea to teach him to push it back to me! It's very cute, and he's already getting good at it. I can ask him to back up, put the ball in front of him, and then ask him to PUSH. He love backing up because it means a game is coming, and he'll wait for my PUSH cue because sometimes I feed just for waiting. And of course he loves the new game, because he's insane for anything ball-like. Win all around!
I've modified the same idea for Sadie. Since she is a non-retrieving Retriever, I want her to learn to carry a tennis ball. I'm using a standard sized one, to make it easier, and started clicking just for her nosing it. That quickly progressed to open-mouthed touches, then light nips. Before I knew it, she was lifting it off my open palm! I know that's not a retrieve, but it's a darned good start.
So, anyone have other cute tricks I should teach the pups?
Thursday, November 17, 2011
And So It Begins
There is a USDAA trial being held over New Year's weekend up in CT. I've been debating entering Sadie. On the one hand 4 runs in one day (5 if I find a pairs partner) is mighty attractive. On the other hand, it'll be New Year's Day!
A conversation with my trainer tonight decided it, though. Over dinner, he asked if I was going. When I said I wasn't sure, he hemmed and hawed a bit, then said that if I was going it might be a good place to try Maxwell. That's right! He suggested entering Maxwell in one or two runs! I would treat it like a match. If we get a few obstacles and run out, that's just fine.
Now, does anyone sell gift certificates for entry fees? At $15/run, potentially 7 runs for the day, I see a serious market for this. What better holiday gift for that hard-to-shop-for agility nut in the family? Am I right?
A conversation with my trainer tonight decided it, though. Over dinner, he asked if I was going. When I said I wasn't sure, he hemmed and hawed a bit, then said that if I was going it might be a good place to try Maxwell. That's right! He suggested entering Maxwell in one or two runs! I would treat it like a match. If we get a few obstacles and run out, that's just fine.
Now, does anyone sell gift certificates for entry fees? At $15/run, potentially 7 runs for the day, I see a serious market for this. What better holiday gift for that hard-to-shop-for agility nut in the family? Am I right?
* * * * *
Here's another great training video, this time about working on leash reactivity. It's a bit long at 20 minutes, but definitely worth the time.
I need to get this disciplined about Maxwell around large vehicles. I know I mentioned it a while back, but his truck-chasing is getting worse. Though I try to feed whenever he notices them, it's tough when walking two dogs. Especially when one of them is a bottomless pit... er, Lab. Today he even tried to go after a parked, but idling, moving van. Eek! Sometimes he seems to do this out of fear, with his ears pinned and body swung away. But sometimes he perks up and just lunges, like tonight.
Scary.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Changing My Tune
As I was heading to class last night, Maxwell managed to charge out the door ahead of me. Since I don't take him to Sadie's novice classes, he was naked; no collar, no harness, no nothing. He paused on the walkway briefly, a puppy grin beaming at the world. Then he bolted.
I called his name while holding back a struggling Sadie. Getting no response, I shoved her back inside (much to her chagrin) and ran after him. Luckily he ran down the steps to the parking lot, rather than up to the street. By the time I got down there he was two buildings away. I called him again. He just looked over his shoulder at me and tensed to spring away.
Then I realized what I sounded like. Here I was, yelling his name in a panic. I must have sounded pissed! So I changed the tone of my voice, and called his name again in the sing-song, high pitched voice I use when we play inside. He came at a dead run! Better yet, the puppy grin was still intact.
I couldn't risk his taking off again if I played with him as a reward. Instead, I picked him up, scratching him in his favorite spots, and carried him inside. As soon as we got past the near-panicked Sadie (OMGwe'regonnamissclasswehavetoleaveNOW!) I ran and gave him a huge treat.
This was something I've been taught, that I've told other people, and that I'd always believed. But I'd never had to put it into practice like this. Here I was with a hyper black puppy outside in the dark, with no physical means of control, and a fairly unreliable recall. The difference simply changing my voice made was enormously positive. And boy, am I glad!
I called his name while holding back a struggling Sadie. Getting no response, I shoved her back inside (much to her chagrin) and ran after him. Luckily he ran down the steps to the parking lot, rather than up to the street. By the time I got down there he was two buildings away. I called him again. He just looked over his shoulder at me and tensed to spring away.
Then I realized what I sounded like. Here I was, yelling his name in a panic. I must have sounded pissed! So I changed the tone of my voice, and called his name again in the sing-song, high pitched voice I use when we play inside. He came at a dead run! Better yet, the puppy grin was still intact.
I couldn't risk his taking off again if I played with him as a reward. Instead, I picked him up, scratching him in his favorite spots, and carried him inside. As soon as we got past the near-panicked Sadie (OMGwe'regonnamissclasswehavetoleaveNOW!) I ran and gave him a huge treat.
This was something I've been taught, that I've told other people, and that I'd always believed. But I'd never had to put it into practice like this. Here I was with a hyper black puppy outside in the dark, with no physical means of control, and a fairly unreliable recall. The difference simply changing my voice made was enormously positive. And boy, am I glad!
Monday, November 14, 2011
For The Love Of The Game
Maxwell joined the Intermediate Agility class two weeks ago. We switched to Friday nights for a variety of reasons, the best of which is the small class size. Including Sadie and Maxwell, there are four dogs. They each get lots of course time, and I can really work each one to their full potential.
Sadie is, as usual, running beautifully. She follows my cues, has great self-control, yet shows drive, and smiles her way around the room. She is oblivious to the change of time/day/classmates. Though she still occasionally drops bars, it is no longer because she drops her hind feet or mis-judges her distances. Instead, she has begun to hug her turns, sometimes so closely that her body pushes the standards out of the way. I believe it is a good problem to face. Her increased confidence is letting her push herself, and she has swung to the opposite extreme. Now I think she will learn how much she can drive and cut, and ease off again until she is running in balance.
Maxwell was a nutcase the first class of the session. He is soooo obstacle-focused that he pretty much ignored me. He was fast, smooth, and clean, but would not follow my lead if it wasn't the obvious line. The most drastic example was actually pretty funny. There was a curve of A-frame, broad jump, bar jump on the left lead, with a sharp rear cross at the bar to take a tunnel to the dog's left. However, a set of weaves followed the tunnel, and happened to sit across the visual path of the rear cross. Maxwell repeatedly charged the jump and threw himself into the weaves. I had to step back and click/treat just for a head turn at the cross.
Happily, he is an extremely fast learner. He ran much more attentively last week, taking full courses with hardly a blip. I still need to regulate my handling (I'm so used to Sadie) and slow him down, but he understands his 'job' very well. He loves agility, and it shows. We had a make-up lesson on Sunday, and he improved even more! He followed my cues, stopped 99% of his contacts, and ran with joy. I actually found myself rewarding him less and less as the class went on, because it seemed like that extra pause in the course was more of an annoyance than anything else.
Sadie was bouncy and happy as well. In the warm-up jump grids, I was able to send her to the target from the second jump (of four), from 5+ feet laterally, and other challenging positions. She may have stepped on a facilitator jump or two, but she drove forwards hard and straight. Distance work is probably our biggest challenge at the moment, so this was a definite win.
Mr. Trainer's comments for the day:
Sadie is, as usual, running beautifully. She follows my cues, has great self-control, yet shows drive, and smiles her way around the room. She is oblivious to the change of time/day/classmates. Though she still occasionally drops bars, it is no longer because she drops her hind feet or mis-judges her distances. Instead, she has begun to hug her turns, sometimes so closely that her body pushes the standards out of the way. I believe it is a good problem to face. Her increased confidence is letting her push herself, and she has swung to the opposite extreme. Now I think she will learn how much she can drive and cut, and ease off again until she is running in balance.
Maxwell was a nutcase the first class of the session. He is soooo obstacle-focused that he pretty much ignored me. He was fast, smooth, and clean, but would not follow my lead if it wasn't the obvious line. The most drastic example was actually pretty funny. There was a curve of A-frame, broad jump, bar jump on the left lead, with a sharp rear cross at the bar to take a tunnel to the dog's left. However, a set of weaves followed the tunnel, and happened to sit across the visual path of the rear cross. Maxwell repeatedly charged the jump and threw himself into the weaves. I had to step back and click/treat just for a head turn at the cross.
Happily, he is an extremely fast learner. He ran much more attentively last week, taking full courses with hardly a blip. I still need to regulate my handling (I'm so used to Sadie) and slow him down, but he understands his 'job' very well. He loves agility, and it shows. We had a make-up lesson on Sunday, and he improved even more! He followed my cues, stopped 99% of his contacts, and ran with joy. I actually found myself rewarding him less and less as the class went on, because it seemed like that extra pause in the course was more of an annoyance than anything else.
Sadie was bouncy and happy as well. In the warm-up jump grids, I was able to send her to the target from the second jump (of four), from 5+ feet laterally, and other challenging positions. She may have stepped on a facilitator jump or two, but she drove forwards hard and straight. Distance work is probably our biggest challenge at the moment, so this was a definite win.
Mr. Trainer's comments for the day:
- On Maxwell - Watch out for Mad Max! (noting his eagerness and drive)
- On Sadie - She has really learned to love this. (given her history, a huge compliment)
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Whistle Recalls Video
The link to this fantastic whistle recalls video was sent out by one of my club's instructors. I imagine this would work just as well for a verbal cue, too. I think I'll start doing this with Maxwell. He needs lots of recall work!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
ClickClickClickClick
One of the first things I learned when I started classes was one click, one treat. Every time you click, or otherwise mark a desired behavior, your dogs gets a treat. Every. Time. There are some people who click any desired behavior, even if it's not their end-goal, and don't reward the dog each time.
Not rewarding the dog when you click means that you dilute the power of the marker. After all, why should Fluffy get all happy and excited if he probably won't get anything?
It's unfortunate to see a friend fall into the habit of clicking good things, but not rewarding them. And the dog works so hard, and is so forgiving. They are a good team, and have improved so much since I met them.
At least they still have the love of the sport. His dog is truly happy to be working for him, and that counts for a lot.
Not rewarding the dog when you click means that you dilute the power of the marker. After all, why should Fluffy get all happy and excited if he probably won't get anything?
It's unfortunate to see a friend fall into the habit of clicking good things, but not rewarding them. And the dog works so hard, and is so forgiving. They are a good team, and have improved so much since I met them.
At least they still have the love of the sport. His dog is truly happy to be working for him, and that counts for a lot.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
A Borrowed Dog
A friend from the club is out of town this week, leaving her pup (let's call him Fake Mudi) and her foster to stay with our instructor. She was kind enough to bring them to classes yesterday, so I could work Fake Mudi during his regular class before Sadie's.
It's really interesting working a dog that isn't my own. I've certainly interacted with him a lot before, if mostly to offer free treats, but this is totally different. The poor guy is living in a new house, with a zillion strange dogs, and now he has to work for someone who isn't his mommy!
My friend has done a fantastic job with him. I quickly gave up on the leash. It just got in the way, and FM would turn on a dime to come when called. When I needed to, I could just hold on to his harness. He was more than willing to do anything I asked, and never seemed to get stressed.
His strengths:
His development points:
My friend has every right to be very proud of her little Fake Mudi. They are a great team, and he was completely willing to work with me also. He's a fun dog to work with!
It's really interesting working a dog that isn't my own. I've certainly interacted with him a lot before, if mostly to offer free treats, but this is totally different. The poor guy is living in a new house, with a zillion strange dogs, and now he has to work for someone who isn't his mommy!
My friend has done a fantastic job with him. I quickly gave up on the leash. It just got in the way, and FM would turn on a dime to come when called. When I needed to, I could just hold on to his harness. He was more than willing to do anything I asked, and never seemed to get stressed.
His strengths:
- He has fabulous weave poles. I could send him from nearly any angle, and from quite a good distance, and he would find his entrance. He was not fast, but he was accurate. I definitely pushed him, giving him sharp angles. He made it nearly every time.
- Tolerance for frustration - Even when he got something wrong a few times in a row, the 'worst' behavior I got was him offering a wrap around an object. Usually it was when he was bored. He'd trot off, loop around a random jump standard, and come hopefully back.
- Attention - This is a double-edged sword. He has fantastic focus, but to the point that it gets in the way sometimes. He checks in constantly. This made him easy to sequence, though. (unlike my scatterbrained Aussie...)
- Contact behavior - My friend has him running all his contacts, and he seems to be very accurate. He keeps his head up, so I tossed food ahead on the ground, but he only missed his contacts a few time. And that was when we were practicing calls and sends on the teeter (tough new skills), so I'm not sure that should count.
His development points:
- Drive - I know my friend is working on this one. He's a great worker, but he doesn't always offer the speed or zest that one ideally wants in an agility dog. Happy to play the game, but that is usually enough for him.
- Attention - As noted above, her gets in his own way a bit. I specifically worked on this, with the instructor's recommendation, by sending him over jumps to a baited target. I'd hold his harness until he pulled towards the food, then release him.
- Self-control - This one sounds like the opposite of drive, right? But he so badly wants to please his handler that he has trouble sitting and waiting to be released. I worked on this with him at the teeter, only letting him walk it if he waited a second or two first. I think my friend can get nice stays with him, so this was probably 99% due to me not being his mommy. In any case, I'd say this is a good problem to have!
My friend has every right to be very proud of her little Fake Mudi. They are a great team, and he was completely willing to work with me also. He's a fun dog to work with!
Teaser 4
Your dog is doing great! In fact, she’s racking up agility Q’s like there’s no tomorrow. She flew through Novice, Open, and Excellent A. Now she’s tearing through Excellent B, rapidly approaching her MACH. But wait, was that 8 double-Q’s she’s already earned, or 9? And how many points are you waiting for? You know you wrote most of it down on the handy title tracker you printed out, but darned if you can ever find it. Isn’t there a better way to track this stuff?
Monday, November 7, 2011
Mine!
Sometime a rousing tug-and-chase session is just what you need. Especially if you have two dogs careening around the apartment, sometimes both attached to the toy at the same time!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Reality Check... 1... 2... 3...
We had a gorgeous, sunny day for the trial today in Staten Island. Brisk, but nice. There was white frost still covering the grounds as we arrived around 7:30, and I walked my FAST course in several layers. By noon I was happy in a fleece pullover and sunglasses.
Sadie did her typical first run, pretending she had no idea what all this stuff was for. Well, not really that bad. Just after we got to the start line, there was some kind of problem. We couldn't run, and I couldn't leave to ring with Sadie to get her more treats. I tried to play with her, but her attention just drifted off... I ran as soon as we got the "go," not trying for a real start-line stay. She blew me off for about half the course, but I was able to recapture her attention and finish with dignity. It meant some on-the-fly course planning. Novice FAST should have been a simple, flowing course. In fact, you could have run it for 52+ points without a single lead change. Since Sadie went a bit nuts, however, I wanted to end together. She knocked some bars as she careened through the end, but it was better than ignoring me!
Jumpers was immediately after FAST, and I had high hopes. The course flowed nicely, and I didn't feel there was anything that Sadie would have trouble with. I forgot to take into account the sun. The starting sequence faced directly into the early-morning sun, which was fiercely bright. Sadie took the very first bar down, along with one or two thereafter... all facing into the sun. She also decided to skip the weaves and go straight to the tunnel. Sigh. I could tell she was still (mostly) mentally with me, though, so I called her back and re-tried the weaves. Success! The trial photographer even got a really nice shot of it. And you know what the best thing about that photo is? Here's a hit. Think about what's NOT in the shot. Me! I knew we had already NQ'ed, so I decided to challenge her and go ahead while she was in the poles. So we got distance on an outdoors course, which is huge.
There was a super long break before our last run. Mrs. Trainer took out her elderly golden retriever, and I got both my pups, and we walked along the neighboring beach. Maxwell was fixated on the sea-birds the entire time. It was really nice, though. We humans chatted about non-dog stuff, the pups got to sniff, and we all got to relax. Maxwell was offered one of Mrs. Trainer's toys to play with, and he was in love. He'd catch it, writhe on the ground with it, and chase it all over.
I also volunteered as the gate person for half the excellent standard course. It was a mess, as people moved, re-moved, and un-moved their dogs around. Some people had already written stuff before I took over, much of which was difficult to read. One person got a bit nasty with me when I hadn't written a move in correctly, and another complained about how hard it was to read the run order. People, gimme a break! It's my first time as gate, and half that stuff wasn't me! I hate to say it, but maybe that's why you had such a hard time finding volunteers... (And oddly enough, this happened after Mrs. Trainer and I had a conversation about how people at AKC trials generally were pretty nice.)
Standard was last, hours after jumpers. Poor Sadie had definitely been cooped up too long, and showed it. She started off okay, but got refusals on the table, the first tunnel, and the A-frame. Consecutively. It wasn't her usual zoomies or distracted sniffing, either. Her head was down, but I got the sense that she was simply stressed. The second half of the course was much more difficult, with a hard turn from the chute to the broad jump (nearly a U-turn), another sharp turn to the dog-walk, and an about-face from the weaves to the finish tunnel. She did all of that just fine!
Not a bad trial, but I have to say that I'm disappointed. She has been so reliable lately, picking up at least one Q each trial. I guess today was her reminding me that she still has a lot to learn. We'll have to wait until the trial in December to finish her Novice Standard title.
Good dog.
Sadie did her typical first run, pretending she had no idea what all this stuff was for. Well, not really that bad. Just after we got to the start line, there was some kind of problem. We couldn't run, and I couldn't leave to ring with Sadie to get her more treats. I tried to play with her, but her attention just drifted off... I ran as soon as we got the "go," not trying for a real start-line stay. She blew me off for about half the course, but I was able to recapture her attention and finish with dignity. It meant some on-the-fly course planning. Novice FAST should have been a simple, flowing course. In fact, you could have run it for 52+ points without a single lead change. Since Sadie went a bit nuts, however, I wanted to end together. She knocked some bars as she careened through the end, but it was better than ignoring me!
Jumpers was immediately after FAST, and I had high hopes. The course flowed nicely, and I didn't feel there was anything that Sadie would have trouble with. I forgot to take into account the sun. The starting sequence faced directly into the early-morning sun, which was fiercely bright. Sadie took the very first bar down, along with one or two thereafter... all facing into the sun. She also decided to skip the weaves and go straight to the tunnel. Sigh. I could tell she was still (mostly) mentally with me, though, so I called her back and re-tried the weaves. Success! The trial photographer even got a really nice shot of it. And you know what the best thing about that photo is? Here's a hit. Think about what's NOT in the shot. Me! I knew we had already NQ'ed, so I decided to challenge her and go ahead while she was in the poles. So we got distance on an outdoors course, which is huge.
There was a super long break before our last run. Mrs. Trainer took out her elderly golden retriever, and I got both my pups, and we walked along the neighboring beach. Maxwell was fixated on the sea-birds the entire time. It was really nice, though. We humans chatted about non-dog stuff, the pups got to sniff, and we all got to relax. Maxwell was offered one of Mrs. Trainer's toys to play with, and he was in love. He'd catch it, writhe on the ground with it, and chase it all over.
I also volunteered as the gate person for half the excellent standard course. It was a mess, as people moved, re-moved, and un-moved their dogs around. Some people had already written stuff before I took over, much of which was difficult to read. One person got a bit nasty with me when I hadn't written a move in correctly, and another complained about how hard it was to read the run order. People, gimme a break! It's my first time as gate, and half that stuff wasn't me! I hate to say it, but maybe that's why you had such a hard time finding volunteers... (And oddly enough, this happened after Mrs. Trainer and I had a conversation about how people at AKC trials generally were pretty nice.)
Standard was last, hours after jumpers. Poor Sadie had definitely been cooped up too long, and showed it. She started off okay, but got refusals on the table, the first tunnel, and the A-frame. Consecutively. It wasn't her usual zoomies or distracted sniffing, either. Her head was down, but I got the sense that she was simply stressed. The second half of the course was much more difficult, with a hard turn from the chute to the broad jump (nearly a U-turn), another sharp turn to the dog-walk, and an about-face from the weaves to the finish tunnel. She did all of that just fine!
Not a bad trial, but I have to say that I'm disappointed. She has been so reliable lately, picking up at least one Q each trial. I guess today was her reminding me that she still has a lot to learn. We'll have to wait until the trial in December to finish her Novice Standard title.
Good dog.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Shaping Fun
Having spent much less time than usual working with the dogs at home, I'm back to business.
Both dogs had already started to offer backing up, but I'm trying to do it over again the right way. I get a dog standing in front of me, then click any backwards motion. I'll accept any paw, and even a strong shift of their body weight. Sadie started by just lying down and looking pathetic, so I had to get her back on her feet by stepping back myself. She quickly began offering backwards motion, starting with her just adjusting her stance, but moving a paw backwards.
Maxwell gave me his best, most intense JustTellMeWhatToDoAndI'llDoItC'MonTellMe! He gets so serious when he's "working" that he doesn't offer behaviors. For this, I moved myself into his space, eventually causing him to yield and move back. It's funny how I've spent tons of time acclimating him to me being in his personal space, so now I have to be practically on top of him before he moves.
I'm also shaping Maxwell to lie down across my lap when I sit on the floor. He tries to cheat by just plastering his face to my leg, but remaining standing. It doesn't look comfortable! I just sit quietly until he plops down, then give him lots of kibble. Between reps, I toss a few bits down the hall and ask him to FIND IT. It's great because he races out for the food, but also races back to me for the next try.
Sadie's other new trick is built on her EARTHQUAKE move.Once she's sitting between my feet, I walk forward or backwards a bit bowlegged. Sadie maintains her positing relative to me, matching my movement forward and backwards. If her head gets too far back or too far ahead, the kibble stops magically finding her mouth. She's getting quite good at this one.
Not shaping, but I'm working with Maxwell to learn disc-play. I bought him a small, soft throwing disc that is also appropriate for tugging. He seems to be nearly as keen for it as for a tennis ball... though not quite! I give him easy tosses. He gets clicks only for catching it in the air, and earns treats and/or tugging. A good tug session earns treats and the next toss. If he misses the catch I won't tug, and ask for something easy (SIT, DOWN, or TOUCH) to earn a toss and another chance at a click.
I'm also excited for the new class session at PCOTC. Sadie's Novice Competition class started last night, and this time there are only 5 dogs. (And one wasn't there anyway) She's doing really well, and the instructor noticed improvements in her jumping and weaves. This Friday both dogs have Intermediate Agility. My little boy is in the same class as his sister! There are four dogs, which means lots more running time compared to Saturdays (when there were eight dogs). I'll be run a bit ragged I expect, since my dogs are half the class! I'm very interested to see how Maxwell does with a wide-open floor and a longer sequence.
And tomorrow, shelter doggies!
Both dogs had already started to offer backing up, but I'm trying to do it over again the right way. I get a dog standing in front of me, then click any backwards motion. I'll accept any paw, and even a strong shift of their body weight. Sadie started by just lying down and looking pathetic, so I had to get her back on her feet by stepping back myself. She quickly began offering backwards motion, starting with her just adjusting her stance, but moving a paw backwards.
Maxwell gave me his best, most intense JustTellMeWhatToDoAndI'llDoItC'MonTellMe! He gets so serious when he's "working" that he doesn't offer behaviors. For this, I moved myself into his space, eventually causing him to yield and move back. It's funny how I've spent tons of time acclimating him to me being in his personal space, so now I have to be practically on top of him before he moves.
I'm also shaping Maxwell to lie down across my lap when I sit on the floor. He tries to cheat by just plastering his face to my leg, but remaining standing. It doesn't look comfortable! I just sit quietly until he plops down, then give him lots of kibble. Between reps, I toss a few bits down the hall and ask him to FIND IT. It's great because he races out for the food, but also races back to me for the next try.
Sadie's other new trick is built on her EARTHQUAKE move.Once she's sitting between my feet, I walk forward or backwards a bit bowlegged. Sadie maintains her positing relative to me, matching my movement forward and backwards. If her head gets too far back or too far ahead, the kibble stops magically finding her mouth. She's getting quite good at this one.
Not shaping, but I'm working with Maxwell to learn disc-play. I bought him a small, soft throwing disc that is also appropriate for tugging. He seems to be nearly as keen for it as for a tennis ball... though not quite! I give him easy tosses. He gets clicks only for catching it in the air, and earns treats and/or tugging. A good tug session earns treats and the next toss. If he misses the catch I won't tug, and ask for something easy (SIT, DOWN, or TOUCH) to earn a toss and another chance at a click.
I'm also excited for the new class session at PCOTC. Sadie's Novice Competition class started last night, and this time there are only 5 dogs. (And one wasn't there anyway) She's doing really well, and the instructor noticed improvements in her jumping and weaves. This Friday both dogs have Intermediate Agility. My little boy is in the same class as his sister! There are four dogs, which means lots more running time compared to Saturdays (when there were eight dogs). I'll be run a bit ragged I expect, since my dogs are half the class! I'm very interested to see how Maxwell does with a wide-open floor and a longer sequence.
And tomorrow, shelter doggies!
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