on a .... Dog Training Soapbox

Patty CGC !!!

2011-08-26T14:52:00.002-05:00

Some of you know that in April I received a two year old feral dog who I named Patty.
She had no exposure to people, no socialization, never had collar on, never been inside, basically knew less than nothing.

Needless to say having Patty and working with her for the last 4 months has been an unbelievable learning experience. I have learned a lot about creative training, dog behavior and about the amazing resilience of dogs.
Last night Patty passed the AKC CGC test.

She has a long way to go with everything. But I am completely amazed how given half a chance dogs can completely Overcome!

This dog is smarter than me (Patty adventure Day 2)

2011-04-08T12:36:00.000-05:00

The first night Patty sleeps happily downstairs in a comfy dog fort, full of dog beds, bones, and blankets. But the next day it becomes clear that confinement of any kind make her very uncomfortable and so begins our battle of wills that Patty will ultimately win and that will define our relationship thereafter.

I decide that Patty needs to sleep downstairs confined to her dog fort. Not only because she has no house-manners but because I have not introduced her to my other dogs or my baby daughter yet.
No big deal right? For all my other dogs a baby gate fastened into a doorway has always been enough to ensure their confinement. I set up the baby gate as Patty watches me, as soon as I am done she reaches down and moves the gate aside with her nose. Oops ... clearly this is going to take more thought.

Next I set up two gates securily fastened on opposite sides of the doorway. She examines the gates for a minute and than in a single hop she is on the other side. Umm.....okay....so now I go all out.....two gates and two chairs, to add not just height but also depth to the barrier. Good, Patty is stuck on the other sided looking at the clutered doorway. I head upstairs, and after a moment I have a feeling that I am being followed.....I turn around and there she is .... Patty is following me up the stairs! How did she get out?! I go back downstairs, the gates are untouched, the chairs have been carefully moved back .... okay .... your on.....two can play at this game.....

I recruit my husband (an engineer) and together we design a series of three barriers in three different doorways. The first one is tall. The whole doorway is full of boxes. The next one is heavy. We wedge extra pieces of baby crib, dog crates, the baby's car seat, an old chest full of old dishes. We fill the whole landing with any awkward heavy big object we can find. In the kitchen we create an obstacle course, chairs are wedged against each other and walls, baby gates in between, blankets covering everything. In the final doorway we create an unstable barrier. A book, a tray, a plastic box, and a few other nick-nacks are balanced in the air teatering upon pieces of wood weaved through the doorway, the smallest nudge of the wooden supports will result in the whole thing collapsing. As a final touch I hang a single bell from the top of the barrier and set up the baby monitor by it.

Of course I forgot to provide Patty with water. It takes me a half hour to make my way through the barriers with my husbands help. There is no way she is getting out.

Regardless I don't sleep well that night. I have a nightmare that Patty appears in our bedroom upstairs confronting my sleeping dogs who she has not yet been introduced to. My dogs are startled and a huge dog fight ensues. I wake up from this nightmare just in time to hear a single quiet bell ringing in the darkness over the baby monitor. NO WAY! I run downstairs and meet Patty in the living room she is panting hard, she must have been working for hours. I look at the barriers. Untouched. Unbelievable! To this day I can't understand how she did it.

I look down at Patty and realize that she is much smarter than me. At least I know when I am beaten. I decide to accelerate dog introductions and revise how I will teach her house manners. Okay Patty we will do this your way.

OMG she is climbing the fence! (Patty adventure Day 1 continues)

2011-04-07T11:05:00.005-05:00

We have one hour at home before I need to load her into the crate again and take her to the vet. She had never before been indoors so taking her into the house is out of the question. I drag her screaming-and- kicking into our yard and leave her there. I make sure to attach a long line to her collar, knowing she will never voluntarily come to me.

I go inside to get her water, I look out the kitchen window to see her climbing the chain link fence along the back boarder of our yard! My panicked re-appearance in the yard is enough to get her off the fence and scrambling. I go inside to get her food, when I return to the yard carrying the bowl of food she is gone. I panic again. Surly she didn't get herself and the long line over the fence without getting tangled up? Than I spot her in the far corner of the yard pressed against a tree almost invisible. I sit down on the other side of the yard, the food and water between us and I beginning talking sweetly to her. It takes half an hour, she approaches slowly sniffs the food and eats it, drinks some water, and returns to her spot by the tree. She lays down, listens to the birds, watches the cars pass, listens to people working in their gardens. We sit across the yard from one another. Another half hour passes. It is now time to take her to the vet, there is a clean crate in the car and Chris is home to help me shove her in it. I approach her, she wags her tail, I reach down, she wants her ears scratched ... And just like that we are friends.

She doesn't pee or poo in the crate on the way to the vet.

This dog is NOT shy (Patty adventure Day 1)

2011-04-07T10:49:00.004-05:00

So on Friday I get the following email:

In the endless march of canine lost causes, I have stumbled on another one in the Shelby County dog pound – she’s a maybe 2 year old (her general appearance is puppy less than 1yr but she has some tartar accumulation on her molars) Golden-size dog that strikes me as just that – a Golden retriever in a black coat. She does have a blue right eye but gives no appearance of Aussie/BC/Husky. She is in a horrible pound that is a stray-hold then euthanize facility in a rural area – no one to work with the dogs, they basically get food and water, don’t go outside, no windows or fans, kennels cramped and wet and soiled. This dog was running at large and doesn’t know about leashes and fights the collar and is just terrified when she comes out of the kennel – hits the ground and crawls, trying to get away to go back in the kennel or climb in to one of the dog houses – she wags her tail when people come near her kennel or are walking behind her letting her go back to the kennel but doesn’t seem to understand people being close or petting her – she doesn’t get nippy or anything, just shuts down and goes ‘inward’ or looks away with the 1000-yd stare…she is a gorgeous girl who needs lotta work – I don’t think she’s had ANYONE show her anything or introduce her to the world and I am impressed that she is that scared yet never even thinks about biting. Do you know anyone who would work with this kind of dog? She could be a very interesting project and I bet she’s incredibly sweet under all her insecurity. I’ve attached an of her …She’s in a super high kill shelter.

P.S. – she does have a full tail but her entire back end was soaked with….well, you know, shelter yuck that she is sitting in in her kennel. Lovely.

Most dog people receive at least one such email per week. But somehow this felt different, I loaded a plastic crate in my car and drove the 1.5 hours to Shelbyville. The animal control holding facility was something out of a nightmare, the sight, sound, and smell of it haunt me still.

The black golden mix in question ran to greet us at the kennel door, and than valiantly fought the collar being placed around her neck, and the leash being clipped to it. She fought in a sincere and determined, gentle and non-aggressive way. But it was with leaving her kennel that she took real issue. She dug her nails into the concrete floor, put her whole body weight into the collar and fought to return to her kennel. Dragging her out into the pleasant spring sun onto the soft green grass only strengthened her resolve, and now she was panicking in earnest she tried to back out of her collar, she threw all her weight into it and frantically shock her head. When she felt tension on the leash she pasted her whole body onto the ground a glazed look would fill her eyes. Fear? Avoidance? Submission? Shut-down? She tried desperately to make it back into that dirty small kennel. "You know there is something wrong with a dog that would rather be in there" the police officer with me observed. My only question was "would she take a treat?" I had brought just the thing, ultimate temptation: sausage. I held the sausage out to her and for a brief instance she stopped smelled it and than ate it out of my hand with a mouth as soft as any pedigree gun dog, the moment ended and she resumed her fight. But Now I KNEW: (1) she was not shy (no shy dog greets strangers at a kennel door) and (2) I could work with her (though the road we will travel will be a long one...I had seen a glimmer of hope).

Within minutes we had her loaded into the crate in my car and she and I were on our way home. She peed in the crate at least twice and pooped too....I drove all the way home with the windows down.

I'm Back

2011-01-12T21:43:00.006-06:00

As you have no doubt noticed this blog has been neglected for some time. I wrote a grand total of 3 entries in 2010. I have a good reason for this. My daughter, my first human baby, was born last year.

However it is now 2011 and my daughter is now 6 months old. So it is about time to get back into it.

My goal is to post something at least once a month. I am happy to be back.

Joy

2010-02-22T10:31:00.001-06:00

Joy can be spread, from the dog to handler and back again. Joy helps you find just the right spot behind the ear to rub. Joy cannot be made, it cannot be copied, and it most certainly requires compassion and caring. Joy is a happy dog.

- DogSport Magazine

AKC does the right thing

2010-01-15T14:56:00.006-06:00

AKC does away with the idea of separate classes and separate titles for mixed breeds at performance events. Hurray for AKC!!!!

Letter from AKC below:

Dear Trial Secretary,

We are pleased to inform you of a decision made by the AKC Board at the January 11, 2010 meeting, which will enhance the AKC Canine Partners program. This exciting new program allows mixed breed dog owners to list their dogs and participate in AKC Agility, Obedience and Rally events starting April 1, 2010.

While each club's participation in the AKC Canine Partners program will remain voluntary, clubs may now choose to allow mixed breed participation at any AKC Agility, Obedience or Rally event. Mixed breeds will compete in the same classes and earn the same titles as their purebred counterparts.

This decision was made following a lengthy discussion and review of feedback from enrollees, delegates, clubs, show and trial chairpersons, current purebred exhibitors and potential mixed-breed exhibitors, prompting a reevaluation of the current program. AKC staff took into consideration the prior feedback received from the AKC Delegate body about the program and contacted each individual member of the AKC Delegates Committee for Obedience, Tracking and Agility and others regarding this feedback.

New changes, effective April 1, include:

1. Mixed breed dogs will be permitted to compete in the same companion event classes with purebred dogs. Competition will be head to head for the same titles and awards.

* This change involves - Obedience, Rally and Agility

* This eliminates all previously published mixed breed classes – mixed breed novice a or b etc.

2. At the option of an event-giving club, mixed breed dogs can participate at any event open to all-breed obedience, rally, or agility offered by the club.

* Please remember that mixed breed dogs must meet the eligibility requirements to enter an AKC event.

3. If your club has applied to have mixed breed dogs in your competition prior to this notice, you will need:

* To contact your event operations representative at eventplans@akc.org or 919-816-3579 to make changes complying with the new regulation changes regarding classes, judges, and other information.

* Please contact your event operations representative immediately if your premium list is already released.

This positive step forward for AKC and dog owners enables us to share our passion for dogs and our commitment to responsible dog ownership with an even greater audience. It will simplify the planning and management of club events, while benefiting mixed breed dog owners by giving them more opportunities to participate in events in their local areas.

Please contact AKC Canine Partners if you have any questions or comments you would like to share.

Email - akccaninepartners@akc.org

Penny Leigh - 919-816-3749

Sydney Suwannarat - 919-816-3521

Sincerely,

John Lyons

Chief Operating Officer

American Kennel Club

Doug Ljungren

Assistant Vice President

AKC Canine Partners

Curt A. Curtis

Assistant Vice President

AKC Companion Events

Beginning Open Obedience Syllabus (Revised)

2010-01-14T10:44:00.002-06:00

Week 1:
*Introductions
*Starting DOR (drop on recall)
(1) Teaching the Drop movement
(2) Introducing dogs to the bar

* For advanced students: beginning DOR games (anticipation game 1)
* Evaluate Heeling

Week 2:

*DOR continues:
(3) Introduction to drop-at-bar game
(4) Handler begins to move back
*Starting the Retrieve
(1) Evaluate the Dogs
(2) Choose methods – Intro first steps

* Heeling

(1) Work on Heeling issue #1 Attention (stationary)

*Working for Speed Begins:
(1) learn control of food and “get it” game

Week 3:
*Jumping Begins:
(1) Demonstrate how to teach jumping and jumping steps.

(2) Evaluate dogs jumping
*Starting Out of Sight Stays
(1) Evaluating Dogs Stays
(2) Taking Yourself Out of the stay-picture
*DOR continues:
(5) dogs moves back / handler moves forward
*Retrieve Continues:

* For advanced students: heeling, change of pace, and sitting with dumbbell in mouth.
* Heeling

(2) Review heeling issue #1: Stationary Attention

(3) work on heeling issue #2 : Head Position & moving attention
*Working for Speed Continues:
(2) Introduce front chute

Week 4:
*Jumping Continues:
(3) Review Jumping steps

*Starting Broad Jump:
(1) Intro steps
(2) “get it” – “get it” or “get it” -front game using chute (3) Intro wrap object
*Out of Sight Stays continue:
(3) Add Chairs
*DOR continues:
(6) dog and handler move back – add occasional recall
(7) showing dog what to do

* Heeling

(4) Introduce British-pick-up game
*Retrieving Continues:

*For advanced students: begin working on jumping, and turning with dumbbell in mouth.
*Working for Speed Continues:
(3) Introduction to tugging,

(4) Introduction to Rah game.

Week 5:

REVIEW WEEK

Week 6:
*Jumping Continues:
(4) Introduction to high jump
*Broad Jump Continues:
(3) Evaluate person-less broad jump
(4) Evaluate wrap – front
*Out of site stays continue:
*DOR continues:
(8) Evaluate DOR – occasional recall over
(9) Fade bar + add two bar

* For advanced students proofing begins
* Retrieve Continues:

* For advanced students: Teach dog to retract feet during retrieve
*Working for speed Continues:
(5) Intro to “watch my hands” game
*Start Figure 8:

Week 7:
*Jumping Continues:
(9) learning to walk, run, jump with something in mouth
*Broad jump continues:
(8) Putting it all together --- fading the props
*Out of sight continues:
*DOR continues:
(10) Evaluate DOR and fade of bar
(11) Corrections for DOR

*For advanced students proofing continues

* Heeling Review
*Retrieve Continues:

Week 8:

* Fading food and using praise, how to insert yourself first

* Corrections in dog training and how to use them.

REVIEW WEEK

The essentials, quote

2009-12-31T17:36:00.002-06:00

Understanding your dog and knowing how to control him, develop his potentials, and resolve behavior problems, emotional conflicts and frustrations are no less essential than love and respect.

--Michael W. Fox

Happy New Year Everyone! Here's to a great 2010!

Christmas 2009, Sundance Utah

Obedience Seminar Weekend in MO

2009-11-23T11:05:00.004-06:00

Three day of obedience in St. Louis, MO with the great Sylvia Bishop (shown above with her dog Misty). Very inspirational as always. Lots of great people there too. Me and all three dogs had a good time.

Obedience Seminar weekend in WI

2009-10-18T11:11:00.000-05:00

Linda Koutsky seminar in Milwaukee, WI with Rosco and Lola.

Teaching The Broad Jump

2009-10-13T10:53:00.004-05:00

The broad jump is an exercise that seems simpler that it is.
The two most common mistakes that you see on the broad jump exercise is (1) the dog will walk across or between the boards and (2) the dog will cut the corner of the broad jump.
The first mistake (1) is a result of the dog no fully understanding the broad jump as a JUMP. The second mistake (2) is a result of not separating the jumping action from the finding-front action and as a result the dog is trying to do both at the same time.

As with all exercises there are many ways to teach the broad jump; using leg to keep dog jumping straight across jump, using chicken-wire or some other unseen deterrent place on the floor of the jump in the corner to deter dog from landing there, using targets, lures, or toys (thrown and placed) to get the dog to drive straight over the jump. I don't like to teach the dog the broad jump using any of above methods either because they are de-motivating to the dog (making him worry about a leg coming out to "move" him to the center of the jump or worrying about landing on chicken wire) or they don't create the desired behavior (lures and targets can cause a dog to jump flat and cause him to go out straight which makes it harder to find front, not to mention that if there if something on the floor in the ring it may be hard to convince a dog trained in this way that he shouldn't go investigate it).

The way I like to teach the broad jump is to break the exercise up into 2 pieces, a piece (A) Jumping piece and a piece (B) turning and coming to front piece. Piece A & B can be taught concurrently and than put them back together.

Jumping Piece (A):
GOAL: Your dog should jump UP and Over the broad jump independent of where you are.

Step 1: Your dog should be comfortable jumping a normal / PVC / agility jump. He should understand what the "Jump" command means when you are running by the jump with your dog (on both sides), on the same side of the jump as your dog sending him over, and recalling your dog over the jump when you are on the opposite side of the jump from your dog.

Step 2: Add broad jump boards to either side of the normal / PVC / agility jump. Let your dog come up to them and see both the jump and the boards. Repeat Step 1 above with this set up.
The normal / PVC / agility jump height should be LOW, only as high as your dog needs to lift them up over the broad jump.

Step 3: Figure out what your dogs broad jump width your dog will be required to jump in competition and how many boards this will require. Using the appropriate width and the right number of boards (this is important) set up the same set up as Step 2. Where ever space between the boards has a normal / PVC / agility jump in between it. You may have to play some with the spacing and legs of the agility jump to get this to work out. Repeat Step 1 above with this configuration. Start using the verbal command you intend to use for the broad jump. If you are planning to use a hand signal instead you will introduce that later and so in that case continue using your "jump" command. I prefer a verbal command for the broad jump since it allows to dog to fully focus on the jump and not on my body motion. I also use "jump" for both the broad jump and regular jumps.

Step 4: When your dog is comfortable at step 3. Start fading the bar, by lowering it and than taking it away. Look for your dog to still be jumping UP and over the broad jump. If you dog starts jumping flat add back the bar and stay at step 3 for a while longer. Repeat Step 1 without the bar.

Step 5: Start fading the jump stanchions by slowly moving them away from the jump so that finally the jump is alone, you may also add an additional (optional) step where you lay the stations down on their sides. Again repeat Step 1 as you slowly move the stations further away from the broad jump. Remember to make sure you dog is not jumping flat.

Step 6: Your dog should now be able to jump the broad jump NO MATTER where you are standing. Your position should not be important part of their broad-jump-picture.

Turning and Fronting Piece (B):

Step 1: Teach your dog to wrap an object with their right shoulder. Such that when you indicate the object they will run out and wrap it such that their right shoulder is on the inside (clockwise). I like to clicker train this behavior and I like to start with my dog on one side of a big round object such as a garbage can, such that the garbage can is between me and my dog, I peek around the right side of the can and when my dog comes to me I click and treat. Of course this exercise can also be lured if you prefer to train that way. I often label and add a hand signal to this wrapping behavior calling it "pole" or "wrap" if that makes it easier for the dog.

Step 2: Transition from using the garbage can to something smaller, I like to use a jump stanchion. But you can use anything including a very small piece of wood (or anything else) on the ground. Your dog should understand that the "wrap" command can correspond to any object. Use garbage can, chair, jump station, etc ... this makes it easier to fade these props later.

Step 3: Add the Front Chute and the get-it-get-it-front game to the wrap motion. Such that you ask your dog to wrap and than play the game with him and than ask him to front. See: http://dogtrainingadventures.blogspot.com/2009/10/creating-and-using-front-chute.html for more details on Front Chutes.

Putting it together:

When your dog is proficient at all the steps of both pieces (A) and (B) above. It is time to put them together.

Put the jump station (or whatever you dog will wrap) at the end of the broad jump. You should be able to ask your dog to "jump" to "wrap" and than to come play his front game. You should stay at this stage for a while to let your dog build this habit.

I will add video and pictures to this post when I get the chance to make the concepts more clear.

The Dreaded DOR

2009-10-07T10:00:00.004-05:00

DOR = drop on recall

I think that 70% - 80% of all dogs will do the drop-on-recall correctly if you just DO IT without teaching the dog anything. However in this case it is impossible to understand exactly HOW the dog understands the exercise since you didn't teach it. (Let me give you an example of this concept. Say your dog is on the other side of the yard and you say "Fido Sit". Your dog runs all the way up to you and sits at your feet. If Fido understood SIT the same way you do, he would have sat in place on the other side of the yard, but obviously Fido thinks SIT has something to do with his proximity to you, perhaps something to do with looking into your face, perhaps something to do with his tail for all you know. All of this is a consequence of how you taught Fido to sit, which may have been while he was next to you, perhaps looking in your face, etc ...) So back to the DOR, say you decided NOT to teach the DOR and just to DO-IT, and say that after some time your dog starts messing up something about the drop (the DOR is the MOST failed open exercise). What do you do? Do you correct the dog for things you never taught --- assuming he should understand them the same way you do (which remember from the Fido example above is likely NOT true), even though you never explained them to him --- and for all you know the mistakes he is making are still correct based on how he first "understood" the exercise (remember you never taught him different). That isn't fair. Perhaps you simplify the exercise --- back up one step --- that makes sense, make it simpler for the dog --- but wait. If you never Taught the dog how to do the DOR what is the last step? Your first step was the last step so you are forced, in this situation to actually START again from scratch. Perhaps you change your drop word and /or hand signal and start again --- poor dog.

So lets instead TEACH the DOR. By teaching this exercise we will ensure that our dog understands this exercise in the same way we do and if we ever run into a problem we will be able to simplify the exercise by going back to the last step of the teaching process.

TEACHING THE DOR:

There are Many ways to teach the Drop-on-recall. My favorite is to use a bar as a marker for a spot where the dog should drop. You will need a square bar (not round since they roll away), a bar jump bar works well, or any other "thing" that will not roll and that your dog won't ignore. I like this method because I find you get the least amount of hesitation and anticipation with it.

(1) First you must teach the Drop action. Dogs can Down in at least 2 ways. (A) Sitting first and that bringing their elbows to the floor (this is likely how you taught your dog to down if you lured them into a down with a treat). (B) With front feet NOT moving, folding their body backwards or placing their elbows down before their rear comes down. This is sometimes called a Fold-Back Down. If your dog is doing the sit-first-than-walk-forward-with-front-legs-to-down type of down, type (A) above there is no need to worry. But for the DOR you will want to teach the Fold-Back Down type (B) above.
There are two reasons why you want this type of down. Reason1: It stops forward motion. You signal or say drop and your dog locks his front legs and folds back --- all his motion is backwards. Reason2: It is faster and doesn't involve the sit intermediate where many dogs get stuck.
If your dog is doing down type (A) when you say "down" you will have to use another word "drop", "splat", "crash", "lay-down", etc... for the other type of drop, type (B).
Teaching Drop type (B), the Fold-Back Drop:
* If you are going to lure to teach the Fold-Back Drop; leave your dog is in a standing position move the treat from in front of their nose to between their legs, if you dog follows the treat with their eyes they should fold into the down position.
* If you are going to free-shape the Fold-Back Drop; than you will need to kneel on the ground holding a treat down between your knees, let you dog work to get the treat, when to dog lays down in front of you in an effort to get the treat, mark and reward this moment.
* Alternatively any method of down-ing your dog that is taking place "in front of you" such that the dog can not move his front legs forward (if you are in front of the dog you are blocking this option) and such that your dog transitions from a stand to a down without sitting first, will likely result in the correct behavior (Fold-Back down type (B)).

(2) Introducing the dog to the bar. Your dog should not be scared of the bar, should not be scared of his feet touching the bar, should be comfortable running over the bar.

(3) Starting the drop-at-bar game. Step 1 of this game is to stand in front of the bar, such that the bar is touching your toes, your dog should be standing on the other side of the bar. Ask the dog to drop. Look for your dog to drop in a fast consistent way that meets your criteria on the other side of the bar.

(4) Once your dog is comfortable with step one. Start moving back from the bar (You move back). One step at a time. At each stage down your dog (who is transition from a stand to a drop on his side of the bar).

(5) Once your dog understands that he is to drop at the bar no matter how far you are away from the bar. It is time to move your dog back and yourself forward up to the bar. I do this dramatically which means I move my dog back a lot (a good distance) at one time. This is to ensure that my dog can pick up some speed before reaching the bar. If you move your dog back step by step he will learn to walk or step toward the bar and you do not want to put it in his mind that it is okay to walk on the DOR. At this stage I also move myself forward, up to the bar, such that the bar is once again touching my toes. I call my dog and down him at the bar which is at my feet. Don't stay at this stage too long.

(6) Than start moving yourself back again, step by step as before, only now you are calling your dog to come, before dropping him at the bar (asking him to down at bar). Go slow, make sure your dog is doing the drop well before taking another step away from the bar. Make sure to maintain your criteria.

(7) Once you are a good distance from the bar (as is your dog, on the other side). Start adding straight recalls over the bar. Sometimes call your dog over, sometimes drop him at the bar. This is where you will start getting mistakes --- your dog might drop without you telling him to or he might start coming slowly, or he might stop dropping at the bar. This gives you an opportunity to clarify what it is you want to your dog. You can simplify the exercise by backing up a step or two if you think your dog really might not understand what you want from him. I find the most useful thing to do at this stage is to SHOW my dog what to do. I stand next to my dog on the same side of the bar and I say "come" (I know strange since I am next to them) and I RUN with them over the bar to the other side and celebrate. Than I do the same thing but with a drop in the middle, where I will pause at the bar, say drop, and make sure they drop. I find that SHOWING your dog in this way that you want a run and drop and a run or just a run over the bar works the best to clarify this situation in their mind and to make it all a fun game.

(8) Once your dog is comfortable recalling over or dropping at the bar. It is time to fade the bar. I fade the bar by transitioning from the bar jump bar to a piece of wood (optional) to a leash to a string (optional) to nothing at all. I find that the first transition is the hardest and requires backing up a step or two in your training to make sure the dog understands that this new object functions the same as the bar did. I find every transition after that easy and dogs understand the transition to nothing easily as well.

(9) I often go back to the bar in my training if I need to or if I am working on another part of the DOR and don't want to put pressure on the drop part of it. I also will add a second bar such that each bar is 1/3 of the way between me and my dog, to test a more experienced dogs understand of the drop and the drop signal. I will call them over the first bar and drop them at the second or vice versa. Also if a dog is NOT ABLE to make it past step (7), somehow they just can't understand that sometimes they pass over the bar and sometimes they drop at it, adding a second bar and dropping them at one or the other will sometimes clarify this confusion for them.

(10) The only thing left is to proof the DOR and get it ready for the ring. Remember to sometimes bring back the bar and remind your dog that this is great fun game.

I will add pictures and videos to this post to make it more clear when I have the chance.

Creating and Using a Front Chute

2009-10-06T09:08:00.011-05:00

Say you are working on /doing a retrieve, you throw the dumbbell out, send your dog ..... your dog does a wonderful pick up and a wonderful fast turn and than comes back in ..... and sits in a slightly crocked front .... what do you do?

Do you praise the retrieve -- ignoring the front?
Do you fuss the dog, correcting the front, losing the chance to praise the retrieve?

Perhaps you were smart and you eliminated the front --- by either squatting down or by running away from your dog --- any thing that presents them a different picture of your body position in which they are not required to or can't "front". By doing this you have given yourself an opportunity to praise the retrieve. However, by doing this you have lost the chance for your dog to practice the front. The front is PART of this exercise (in this case the retrieve), in addition the front is something that must be first taught but that is than perfected by practice --- making a straight front a HABIT for the dog. Your dog should be able to run into a straight front from any angle with anything in his mouth after a jump or a down or whatever without having to think about it or worrying about you fussing him about it.

When I am working on an exercise where the focus & therefore the pressure, will be on another aspect of the exercise other than the front, but where I want to, never the less, add a front in order to build the front-habit for my dog and to show my dog that a front is part of this exercise, I like to use a Front Chute.

Building The Front Chute:

* use cardboard (light, and won't hurt dog if they run into it, but not long lasting) or wood (if using wood ensure that the bottom piece is thin enough that the dog won't stub their toes when running into the chute, and that the wood contains no splinters).

* Your chute should consist of a bottom piece that the dog will sit on. This piece should be just wide enough for the dog to sit on it comfortably with their legs square underneath them without their body touching the sides (for more on sides see below). The bottom piece also should be long enough that when the dog sits on it their whole body, feet to base of tail fits on it, and should not be longer than whole sitting dog + extra half of sitting dog.

* Your chute should also have sides on it. The sides should stand up by themselves. If you are using wood heavier pieces of wood will work, if you are using cardboard you will likely have to place (or tape) another piece of cardboard to the outside, to hold the sides up. The sides should be tall enough so that your dog won't ignore them and can't sit on top of them, but not so high that they reach over the dogs head. Elbow to shoulder height on your dog is usually a good place to aim for.

* Your chute must be open on both other sides and on top. It should look like a 3 sided box or like a square U.

Using The Front Chute:

* First make sure your dog is comfortable with the Front Chute. Encourage your dog to touch the chute with their nose or paw. Move your dog backwards into the chute so that their back feet and rear rub against it, encourage them. Than lure them into the chute (or otherwise encourage them into it) ask them to sit once inside, than let them run out of it. Make sure this is a pleasant experience and that your dog is not scared of the chute.

If your dog is scared of the chute. You have some options.
*You can instead use 2 boards placed dog width distance apart. You want to ensure that the boards are length of the sitting dog to, a max of, the length of the sitting dog + half of sitting dog (so you don't want to use, say, broad jump boards since they are just too long). I like a chute better because the size of how-far-apart-the-sides-are is defined and I don't have to fuss with trying to place the boards the right distance apart each time, however some dogs will tolerate the boards better than the chute and for them this is a better option.
*You also can use a platform IF AND ONLY IF your dog will sit square on the platform and is sensitive about putting and keeping their entire body on it. If your dog will happily sit on the platform while half their body is hanging off the platform or manages to sit crocked while on the platform, than a platform will not work for this purpose. In my experience platforms require a dog to think more and require a dog to lift his body onto them so they function to slow most dogs down quiet a bit as they are coming into front. If you are looking for your dog to think about the front more or to slow down as they approach the front a platform may be the right choice. Platforms work very well for teaching sits after go-outs, where the dog must turn and sit at a distance, but I think for fronts where most people are looking for speed, precision and not much thought from the dog chutes work better.
*Lastly you can play a variation of Susan Garrett's "Crate Games" using the chute. These games will result in making the chute a desirable place to be. The best way to do this is to watch Susan Garrett's "Crate Games" video and modify the exercises to use a chute rather than a crate.

*Once my dog is comfortable with the Front Chute and sitting in the Front Chute, I introduce them to the "get-it, get-it, front" game. The foundation for this game is the "get-it" game. For the "get-it" game I get a hand full of food (white food like white cheese works best since dogs can easily see it on dark floors). I throw out a piece of food and tell my dog to "get it" as soon as they eat it I throw another piece of food in another direction again telling them to "get it". If this game makes your dog too crazy you can add an element of control to it by asking your dog to sit and throwing the food out but, in this case, only letting them get the food if you actually say "get it". You may have to have a leash on your dog to ensure that they do not "cheat" if you are adding this aspect of control to the game. Think about who your dog is --- is control no problem but speed, motivation, and drive are? .... than you likely don't need this extra piece of control, you want you dog to focus on you LESS and learn to RUN. Is control and food on the floor a problem? ... than go ahead and add the controlled sit or even sit-stay + leash to the game.

* Now we are ready to teach the "get-it, get-it, front" game. This game will teach my dog to run into the chute. Make sure your dog is comfortable with the chute and with sitting in the chute before you begin. I stand to the side of the chute such that the 2 open sides are perpendicular to me. I throw a treat out and tell my dog to "get-it", than I call my dogs name while holding another treat in my hand over the middle of the chute, just before my dog gets to that treat, I throw it away from them at the same time saying "get-it", so that my dog runs through the chute. I repeat this a few times till my dog is happy and fast at this game. Than instead of holding a treat over the middle of the chute. I step in front of the open side of the chute call my dogs name with the command "front" and lure them into the chute and into the front with a treat if needed (you should only have to lure the first few times when your dog is learning this part of the game). The game doesn't stop with the front. I now release my dog from the front one of 3 ways (1) I throw a treat between my legs commanding "get it" (2) I produce a tug toy and tug as I walk backwards walking my dog out of the chute (3) I turn my whole body to the side and throw a treat behind me commanding "get it" (if you do this make sure to alternate sides).

* Once your dog understands and enjoys the "get-it, get-it, front" game you are ready to use the chute whenever your primary focus of an exercise will not be on the front. Lets use the example of a broad jump. I ask my dog to jump he does a wonderful job, I stand at one open end of the Front Chute and do one of two things (1) ask him to front (or just stand at the end of the Chute which the dog will come to understand as a front) than praise him for a great jump since the front will, thanks to the chute, be straight. (2) stand in the chute and at the last minute the side and start the "get-it, get-it, front" game.

* The Front Chute is not a replacement for teaching a front. A dog must be taught a front first without the chute, however as long as the front is taught without the chute and the dog demonstrates understanding of the front without the presence of the chute, than using the Front Chute works well to keep fronts fast and straight and builds a very nice front-habit in the dog. In this case the Front Chute can also be faded easily.

I will add pictures and video to this post to make the concepts more clear when I can.

Beginning Open Obedience Syllabus

2009-09-23T09:44:00.002-05:00

Week 1:
*Introductions
*Starting DOR (drop on recall)
(1) Teaching the Drop movement
(2) Introducing dogs to the bar
*Starting Jumping
(1) Teaching the “get it” game
(2) Teaching dog to tuck legs by playing “get it” game over low bar

Week 2:
*Jumping Continues:
(3) Teaching spike jumping to regulate stride – fade “get it” add “jump” command
(4) Teaching turning over jump
*DOR continues:
(3) Introduction to drop-at-bar game
(4) Handler begins to move back
*Starting the Retrieve
(1) Evaluate the Dogs
(2) Choose methods – Intro first steps
*Working for Speed Begins:
(1) Learning to Tug / How to play with your dog handout
(2) Evaluating Tugs

Week 3:
*Jumping Continues:
(5) Teaching angled jumping (introducing directed jumping hand signal)
(6) Adding speed to jumping
*Starting Broad Jump:
(1) Intro to front platform / chute
(2) “get it” – “get it” or “get it” -front game
*Starting Out of Sight Stays
(1) Evaluating Dogs Stays
(2) Taking Yourself Out of the stay-picture
*DOR continues:
(5) dogs moves back / handler moves forward
*Retrieve Continues:
*Working for Speed Continues:
(3) Intro to restrained recall followed by “get it” (teaching twist back with dumbbell)

Week 4:
*Jumping Continues:
(7) Evaluate Jumping
(8) Jumping corrections
*Broad Jump Continues:
(3) Intro wrap around object
(4) Change “get it” – front to wrap around object front
(5) Add broad jump boards around jump (remove yourself from picture)
*Out of Sight Stays continue:
(3) Add Chairs
*DOR continues:
(6) dog and handler move back – add occasional recall
(7) showing dog what to do
*Retrieving Continues:
*Working for Speed Continues:
(4) Intro to restrained retrieve (with toy or dumbbell)

Week 5:

REVIEW WEEK

Week 6:
*Jumping Continues:
(8) Introduction to high jump
*Broad Jump Continues:
(6) Evaluate person-less broad jump
(7) Evaluate wrap – front
*Out of site stays continue:
*DOR continues:
(8) Evaluate DOR – occasional recall over
(9) Fade bar + add two bar
*Retrieve Continues:
*Working for speed Continues:
(5) Intro to “watch my hands” game
*Start Figure 8:

Week 7:
*Jumping Continues:
(9) learning to walk, run, jump with something in mouth
*Broad jump continues:
(8) Putting it all together --- fading the props
(9) Broad jump corrections
*Out of sight continues:
*DOR continues:
(10) Evaluate DOR and fade of bar
(11) Corrections for DOR
*Retrieve Continues:
*Work for speed Continues:
(6) Intro to Rah-game
*Figure 8 continues:

Week 8:
*Work for speed Continues:
(7) Play Rah-game from sit & down
(8) Happy Pop-ups

FCI Agility World Championships

2009-09-16T11:00:00.003-05:00

The FCI Agility World Championships are taking place in Dornbirn Austria, Sep 18th - 20th.

Agility Vision and Clean Run are offering free live streaming video from the Team Practice Day at the 2009 FCI Agility World Championships in Austria. For complete information on how to access the free stream, please go to

http://tiny.cc/2SGJQ

What is a Title?

2009-09-01T14:34:00.004-05:00

Not just brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive score.

A title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor the dog, an ultimate memorial.

It will remain in the record and in the memory, for about as long as anything in the world can remain.

And though the dog himself doesn't know or care that his achievements have been noted,

A title says many things in the world of humans where such things count.

A title says your dog was intelligent, adaptable and good natured.

It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that pleased you however crazy they may have sometimes seemed.

It says that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed and in the end, your faith was justified.

A title proves that your dog inspired you to that special relationship enjoyed by so few. That, in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a title was greatly loved and loved greatly in return.

And when that dear short life is over, the title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend.

Volumes of praise in one small set of initials after a name. An obedience, agility, flyball, herding, etc title is nothing less than true love and respect - given and received and recorded permanently.

---- Unknown

Novice 200 (and 199)

2009-08-25T09:48:00.012-05:00

When you are training it can be useful to see how a perfect performance (the ultimate goal) is suppose to look (in this context a perfect performance is defined by a score of 200).

Below are some videos of dogs earning scores of 200 (and one 199) in Novice. (I apologize they are all Goldens doing Novice but that is what I had on hand).

* OTCH Coppertop Celebration UDX8 OM2 TDX JH WC CCA 
VCX CanCD (Dixie)
http://www.coppertop.net/dixie/index.htm
(scroll down until you see the Novice video, Dixie
earned her CD with 3 scores of 200)

* Coopertop Lil' Red Waggin' UDX TDX JH CCA VCX
(Spirit) 
http://www.coppertop.net/kids2/spirit/index.htm
(scroll down until you see the Novice video)

* Gaylan's Fire in the Sky CD (Zahra) 
(below is video of Zahra, I am not sure if this
is her score 200 performance or another high
scoring performance from that weekend)



Here is the Zahra receiving her 200!
(pretty good deep class of Novice B qualifiers)



* U-CD Tanbark's Number Two Pencil, CD, JH, AX,
OAJ, OF, JS-E, GS-O, RS-O,NAC, WCDex, SRD (Quiz)

Rent Dog Training Videos

2009-08-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

I love dog training videos and really see the value of them over say a book or a verbal description of how an exercise is done. There is nothing quiet like actually SEEING it. However dog training videos are often expensive and often you only need to watch them once, either because once is enough to learn everything the video has to offer or because the video does not offer what you were looking for. Sometimes you can manage to borrow a video you want to see from a friend but sometimes your choice is "don't see it" or "buy it". Well not anymore... check out this cool site (see below) where you can RENT dog training videos:

http://smartflix.com/store/category/51/Dog-Training

They don't have everything but I found some videos that I have wanted to see.

SAY YES TRAINING REMINDERS by Susan Garrett

2009-08-21T09:23:00.005-05:00

The following is by Susan Garrett the full article can be see at: http://www.clickerdogs.com/trainingreminders.htm.

1. Work=play=work. All play is fun and so all work should be as well. If your dog makes a decision during play (example he grabs his toy without being invited to do so) you are reinforcing his right to make decisions during working with you as well (ahh, maybe I will chase the cat rather then practice A Frames right now!).

2. POSITIVE does not equal PERMISSIVE. This is the guiding principle of Say Yes Dog Training. You must be consistent. If a behaviour is acceptable at home (example the dog choosing not to lie down when told) it is also acceptable during work. Approach training and home life with a patient disposition and a strict application of what is and isn’t acceptable. Training happens 24 hours a day 7 days a week; your dog is always learning regardless if you are actively training or not!

3. Behaviours are shaped by CONSEQUENCES. Be aware of what is reinforcing your dog. Review and alter your list of reinforcers as your dog grows up, especially the “activities that reinforce” section.

4. Use your RECALL, to evaluate your relationship with your dog. Be diligent at making improvements each day in the level of intensity your dog has for working with you. Work at building a better relationship with your dog rather than making excuses for his performance. Work with the dog on the end of your leash -- and turn him into a dog other people wish they had!

5. Be aware of what RESPONSE you are rewarding each time you give out a cookie or toy. What did you click—did you see eyes? Did you want to see eyes when your dog is performing that skill? What did you intend to reinforce? Does the dog know?

6. VIDEO at least one training session every second week. More if possible.If progress isn’t as fast as you think it should be for one particular skill, video three or four consecutive training sessions of that one skill (each video clip should be no longer than 3-7 minutes). Review each video individually upon completion – then view and evaluate the entire series. What did you reinforce? Can you pick out why your session isn’t progressing as fast as you would like? If you can’t critique it yourself, ask a friend to review it with you.

7. THINK, PLAN, DO, REVIEW (Bob Bailey). Plan your work and work your plan. Time your session or count reinforcements so you don’t train your dog to exhaustion. Do not begin to train until you have worked through your mechanical skills and planned where you will deliver your rewards. Keep your training session short! After each session, write in a journal recording your progress and plans for future sessions. Do what will assist you reaching your goals; do not get wrapped up in “finishing as sequence or exercise”. Do what is best for your dog!

8. MIX UP YOUR REINFORCEMENTS so that you are working with toys and food. Only offer a reward you know your dog will want. Once a reward is offered, do not accept your dog not taking it. You can use food to reinforce an attempt to play (or the other way around) but never use food to reinforce a dog that has declined the opportunity to play or decided to stop playing. What would you be rewarding? Of course you would have rewarded your dog for making the decision to NOT play with you (and remember work=play).

9. Whenever frustration sets in remind yourself that “YOUR DOG IS A MIRROR IMAGE OF YOUR ABILITIES AS A TRAINER”. Only when you take ownership of your dog’s shortcomings will you be able to turn them into attributes.

10. CLICK FOR ACTION REWARD FOR POSITION. (Bob Bailey) If your dog barks after each click and you feed them, what are your reinforcing? When initially shaping or re-training skills. it is important to deliver your rewards as soon as possible after the click (1-3 sec) – remember the reward reinforces everything the dog does between the time he hears the click and when receives his reward.

11. Train to IMPROVE YOUR WEAKNESSES. All of us tend to practice what we are good at, or the dog we find easiest to train, it is reinforcing for us. If there were exercises you felt uncomfortable with this weekend it could be a result of a weakness in your current training program. Be sure to work short sessions on the skills you are not as graceful at performing.

12. Bob Bailey attributes training problems to: timing, criteria or rate of reinforcement. Have someone observe your timing with your clicker, alter your criteria so your dog can succeed and keep your rate of reinforcement as close to 70% as possible.

13. Cheap responses once rewarded will always be lurking (Bob Bailey). Be aware of ‘what else’ your dog may be doing when you click him for a desired response (i.e., barking).

14. Are you a double L? (…a lurer & a lumper) Your dog’s lack of progress may be due to your not “splitting” the desired behaviour into small enough responses. Be certain you are returning the hand that delivers the treat back to starting position after each rewarded response. Work to create a “thinking” dog not a dog that needs to be prompted by you before he can begin his work.

15. YOU CAN’T HAVE SPEED WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING. Got D.A.S.H.? If you are working many new environments and you start each session with the maximum amount of “D”, the “S” will come once you have the “A” Do not try to make your dog be fast until he first understands how to be correct without prompts or lurers from you.

16. WHAT IS YOUR CRITERIA? Identify it, learn it, work it live it. Maintain criteria, ALWAYS. The easiest thing to do is to train a behaviour. It is a far, far more difficult thing to do to maintain your criteria for the life time of your dog. That is what makes a great trainer.

17. Don’t ever ignore your dog while training. If you are getting further direction or clarification from an instructor, tug with your dog or, hold his collar & stroke him or put him into a relaxed position or in his crate. What ever you do, do not finish an exercise and turn away from your dog to talk to an instructor; it shows a lack of respect for your canine partner. Your dog should always be recognized for his effort to work with you.

Building Drive by "being" a bad dog trainer by Susan Garrett

2009-08-20T06:24:00.000-05:00

I just LOVE this Susan Garrett video. Be warned it WILL make you laugh. I still laugh every time I watch it. Watch how by using the wrong command and than "fussing" the dog (essentially replicating what a bad dog trainer may do) Susan is causing the dog's drive increase, notice how much more motivated Buzz is to play the tugging game at the end of the video than he was in the beginning.

Great Blog by Fanny Gott

2009-08-19T09:21:00.005-05:00

I found something ... a great Blog by a professional dog trainer who lives in Norway named Fanny Gott (isn't the Internet great) .
She competes in agility, obedience, does search and rescue, and teaches tricks. Her blog is full of wonderful training tips, beautiful pictures, and fascinating videos.

If you have time check it out at: http://www.fannygott.com/
I suggest going back through the her post achieves and learning about how she is teaching Squid to heel, look especially at her posts from Dec 22 2008 - Dec 24 2008.
I also love the post from Aug 16 2008 that contains a video of Fanny and her dog Missy competing in the Finals of the Norwegian Obedience National Championship (the obedience competitions in Norwegian are held according to FCI rules, for more about FCI see my post from July 2 2009 entitled "FCI obedience").
Finally I suggest Fanny's post: http://www.fannygott.com/how-to-prepare-your-dog-for-obedience-trials.

Enjoy.

"Great Dog, Shame About the Handler"

2009-08-16T13:21:00.002-05:00

Rosco and I ran agility this weekend ... at least we attempted to. Rosco did wonderful BUT my handling could not have been worse. We ran wrong course after wrong course. After NQ-ing multiple runs on Saturday I decided it was a better use of my time to stay home and clean the house on Sunday. Did I mention Rosco did wonderful and at least the house is now spot-less. As Greg Derrett would say "great dog, shame about the handler".

Hopefully you have never had an agility weekend like this, but if you have, know that you are NOT alone. Here is an agility bloopers video from the Agility World Championships in Basel in 2006.

My Dogs Heeling

2009-08-14T13:00:00.000-05:00

Rosco

Lola

Gwyneth

Romancing The Cookie by Linda Koutsky

2009-08-07T12:47:00.001-05:00

The article below is written by Linda Koutsky and it appeared in Front & Finish July, 1996. I love the title "Romancing the Cookie". Enjoy.

Like many other obedience competitors, I started training my first dog at a local club. The club had a rich tradition, and had been in business for many years. So I joined, and quickly became hooked on dog training. I loved working with my dog, and never missed a training session. The problem was my dog didn't love it. The more we trained, the more she hated it. At the time, I felt that her poor attitude toward training, was because the club didn't approve of food and toys. I now know that was only part of the problem. The real cause of my dog's poor attitude was my own lack of knowledge, a teaching program that focused on physical corrections, a system that lacked balance between positive and negative, and my dog's own soft temperament. In reality, her dislike of obedience had little to do with food and toys. But in my mind, all she needed was positive motivational training. I wanted ears up and eyes bright. I knew in my heart that the positive trainers had the answer...if I was just reinforcing enough, my dog would love to work for me. So for the next four years, I took off my leash, filled my cheeks with food, my pockets with toys, and had a wonderful time teaching my dog.

To obtain my goal, I embarked on a quest for knowledge, that continues today. I attended every motivational seminar, watched every video, read every book, even joined the clicker list on the Internet. My vocabulary expanded, and I learned the difference between a lure and a reward, between positive and negative reinforcement, positive and negative punishment, between primary and secondary reinforcers. I studied schedules of reinforcement, and knew that variable schedules with a variety of reinforcers, produced the best results. I developed both verbal and physical Conditioned Reinforcers for use in the ring. I put my heart and soul into learning as much as I could about learning theory itself. BF Skinner became a household name, and Operant Conditioning was the game. In the back of my mind, I knew Skinner's work included both positive and negative, but I wanted to believe that I could achieve what the marine mammal trainers have achieved. The more I worked with my dog, the more positive my training became. Corrections were a thing of the past. My dog was simply stunning, with ears up and eyes bright. She loved training and so did I. Together we romanced the cookie.

You see, pure positive, or pure motivational training (call it whatever you want), was a "feel good" method, and I felt wonderful. It's a very romantic idea. Imagine actually training your dog without any negatives. Teaching your dog to offer a vast array of behaviors in hopes of reinforcement. Imagine walking into the obedience ring with a dog that displays the utmost in willingness and enjoyment, simply because you positively conditioned it. The creativity in teaching behaviors, via hands off shaping, is a high in itself. Further reinforcement came from our results in the obedience ring. In Novice A, we brought home nothing but Blue ribbons, in Open A we placed on every leg. The move to Open B was a piece of cake. Our first OB trial, and there we were in the front row, along with three OTCh teams. I was hooked, and I was in love with cookie-power. Looking back on those four years, I wonder just how much pure positive had to do with dog training. For me, it may have had more to do with self validation.

Though we never quite achieved the same level of utmost in the ring, that we enjoyed in training, we scored well, and she was basically a happy worker. But there were little nagging problems undermining our journey through Utility. We finished the UD with two firsts, and a second placement, but behaviors had started to break down. We're now working on the UDX, and those little nagging problems that we never really faced, are no longer little problems. Under the pure positive (no physical aversives ever) approach, when behaviors break down it's often thought that the behavior simply isn't reinforcing enough. I still believe that theory is true, but I now know the answer is not always another cookie. Where did the romance go sour for us? I feel that we encountered three major areas of breakdown in teaching performance exercises, using a totally non-corrective approach. My dog learned what behaviors to do, but never learned what not to. I failed to lead with my relationship, and lead with rewards instead. Reinforcement schedules for training and performance were not balanced.

First, because the focus was always on correct behavior, my dog never learned what wasn't an option. Yes, she tends to escalate those behaviors that bring reinforcement. But she still explored other options, and she learned some interesting things from that exploration. She learned that the environment is jam packed with it's own wonderful array of reinforcers. She learned that if she chose not to do the behavior I requested, because something else was more reinforcing, that her choice carried no negative consequence. Sure, I withheld the cookie, but she was reinforced anyway. Besides, she could always earn a cookie later whenever she wanted one. She actually learned that the environment was more reinforcing at times, than I was. Because our training was correction free, we encountered problems in training when she would refuse to do a behavior. I only had two options, one was to abort the exercise, the other was to bribe her through it. Neither are acceptable. I watched her like a hawk, for any sign of stress. Whenever she showed the slightest sign of aversion, I would work around it. I had not taught my dog to deal with stress, to learn that she could be successful when presented with a challenge, I had not given her the confidence that achievement brings.

My next area of breakdown when using a pure positive approach was the lack of developing a meaningful working relationship with my dog. While our relationship in life is incredible, our relationship in training never reached that same level. Reflecting back, I believe that my mistake was in leading with the reinforcer, instead of my relationship. I had both verbal and physical Conditioned Reinforcers. Like many other trainers, I had taught my dog that the word "yes" meant that you did the right behavior, and that you have earned some reward. I did not teach her that her behavior pleased me, or that it was fun for her to do. No, I romanced the cookie, and lead with my reinforcement. Earning the cookie became the focal point in training, and I was the delivery boy. I actually took myself out of the training picture. What happened to verbal and physical praise, the interaction between teammates, the joy in working? I offered it, but in reality it was nothing but a distraction. She was not learning what I thought she was. I thought I was being reinforcing, while she continued to romance the cookie.

My final point of failure in the application of a pure positive approach, occurred as I got better, and better at it. I knew my dog was quite context sensitive, and that she knew cookies wouldn't be falling from the heavens in the ring. So I did what any savvy pure positive trainer would do. I started to mix up my reinforcers. I used various kinds of food, toys, and finally added games to the training picture. I thought I had it all figured out. Well while this plan sounded good, and while my dog was marvelous in training, a strange thing happened. I had made training so wonderful, and stress free, that the AKC ring with it's limited reinforcements, and all of it's formality, could never measure up. I taught my dog, and myself, that the ring was no fun, and that it was a very stressful place.

Today I'm trying a more balanced approach. I'm thankful for the great learning experiences that I have encountered. Through my initial Correct and Praise club experience, I learned to focus on the positive, not the negative. Through my use of pure positive, I've learned to focus on the positive, but include the negative. From my dog, I've learned that she is not a dolphin, that she is my dog and she is the true master of this game. That she has her own needs, abilities and limitations. That my job is to foster an environment where she can learn to be the best she can be. I've learned that she is my friend, my partner, and a very honest creature. I've learned that the AKC ring with it's limited fixed reinforcement schedule, is not Sea World.

I've learned not to base behaviors on types of reinforcement that I can never deliver during performance. I've started to enlighten my dog that all behaviors have a consequence, some are positive, some are not. I'm not avoiding stress issues. I'm working through them. I'm leading with my relationship now. I'm working to become the jackpot. I've learned that correction does not have to be painful, that correction can enhance learning and build confidence. I've learned that corrections should never be made in anger, or used to make up for a trainers lack of knowledge. I've learned that they are a valid teaching tool.

Our goal now, is to interact and play, to gain attention and approval...not to earn a cookie. I'm working to develop ways through sounds and gestures, to actually reinforce my dog in the ring. I don't want to tell her that she will get her reward after the performance is done. I want to reinforce during. I want her to love working, and being with me. We still enjoy our cookies, but now the romance belongs to us.

Reward is defined by the Dog (short story)

2009-08-06T08:01:00.003-05:00

The other night I didn't have much time to train. So I decided I would train all three dogs at the same time. Warning: This only works for certain exercises, but it can work well, and can even build a dogs confidence that they are doing an exercise correctly (when dogs around them are doing the same thing) or increase their drive and motivation (if they decide they are competing with the other dogs around them).
We were doing signals. I left all three dogs standing, walked across the room, signaled down, they downed, signaled sit, they all sat, and I released them (my release command is two hands raised in the air often accompanied with a verbal "hurray").
And than something interesting happened . . .

Rosco ran straight to the kitchen and positioned himself in front of the cookie jar.
Lola ran to me for a snuggle and some pets.
and Gwyenth happily jumped around in circles and grabbed a toy off the floor.

I repeated this experiment and the same thing happened.
It was funny watching the dogs running off in three different directions after the release and it was really interesting to see the dogs choose their own Rewards.

Remember that what constitutes a Reward is defined by your dog, not by you, and also keep in mind what you can and can not bring into the ring with you.

Cooperation by Terri Arnold

2009-08-05T07:08:00.004-05:00

The following is an excerpt from an article written by Terri Arnold. The full article is available at: http://terriarnold.com/article_cooperation.html. Enjoy.

I think this article is going to be one of the most helpful articles that I have ever written! I am excited about beginning it, which is a really good sign. I love the title and know that without complete cooperation between you and your dog, all training is going to be a struggle. First, you must be willing to be completely cooperative with your dog. How do you know that you are being completely cooperative with your dog? You must make a decision that you will only train when you have your dog’s complete cooperation. At first this will seem difficult, but I promise you that the results will be well worth the effort!

After many years of successful dog training, I have spent much time trying to understand why I am successful. This has been a long process of self-reflection. I realized that learning to pay attention was the first of a series of steps. This first step is the most difficult and the most important. Not only do you have to pay attention to what you are doing; to what you want to happen, you must learn to pay attention to what is happening as well. To make this even more difficult, you must learn to pay attention to what your dog is thinking, feeling, understanding, and enjoying. Dog training is a challenging sport, both mentally and physically, but I think the biggest challenge is learning to pay attention! To be successful, you must be able to live in the moment. Awareness is the most helpful tool you can develop. Not only self-awareness, but awareness of your dog, your environment, and all the while keeping your perfect mental picture clear in your mind is a task of great magnitude.

I have spent a lot of time, watching my student's struggle with the enormity of the task. I have come to realize that there are no real short cuts to learning to become a successful dog trainer. No matter how much I want my students not to make mistakes, I realize that they will make them. These mistakes come not from a lack of understanding, but more from a lack of being able to pay attention to all of the necessary awareness that are needed. Again, self-awareness, dog-awareness, distraction-awareness, environment-awareness, perfect mental picture-awareness, and in the moment-awareness can be and are overwhelming. When I look back at my growth as a trainer, I realize that I did not develop this ability overnight. It came after years of growing a little better with each dog.

In my heart, I want to help each one of you to not make the same mistakes that I did. I want each of you to achieve your goals as quickly as possible. I want you to become a better trainer so that some day, you may be empowered to help others. But no matter how much I want this process to be quicker, I have come to realize that learning to pay attention is the hardest skill to master. This is because of all the different attentions needed in this sport. I watch my students and I am beginning to really understand the magnitude of this task. I 'll. bet each one of you can identify with the following example. I will use heeling as my example.

How many of you can do your handling a lot better without your dog? How many of you lose your footwork as soon as your dog is with you, as now you are trying to pay attention to your dog? How many of you can heel pretty well by yourself, but lose it when commands are given? How many of you can heel better when there are no boundaries such as ring gates? And finally, how many of you find it hard to put an entire heeling pattern together in a ring and with a judge? I know most of you will be able to answer yes to many of the above question. This is because of the multitude of types of awareness needed.

First question: self-awareness, Second question: dog-awareness, third question: environment-awareness, fourth question: outside distraction-awareness, and last question: perfect mental picture-awareness. When you think about all the skills that are needed, I know you will begin to understand what you are going to master. Take some time to think about how difficult this is and give yourself a pat on the back. You are trying to do what few people are able to do and you are trying to do it well. As I thought about this article, I really came to understand why it might seem as if you are never going to GET IT!

I will continue to do my best to help you get it, and achieve your goals. I think this article will be one more step, on your journey to success! The title of this article is cooperation, and its purpose is to help you develop dog-awareness and to enhance your self-awareness at the same time. To be successful, you must learn to pay attention to your dog and to get complete cooperation from him. I am going to list four behaviors that you must begin to recognize as the behaviors that lead to cooperation. The behaviors are:

1. Attention
2. Movement
3. Speaking
4. Play

Before I train a dog, I must have the four behaviors to cooperation. I will go into detail what these behaviors are, what they mean, why they are important, when to use them and how to get your dog to begin to cooperate. As you can see, these are the same questions you find in my books, what, why, when, and how. Learning to ask these questions and to make sure you are always in a state of cooperation with your dog are the first steps in awareness. I am getting so excited as I write this article because I know it is going to be brilliant!

1. Attention
I know that you have heard me say the golden rule of dog training, is "Never give a command to a dog who is not paying attention." I have realized that many of you do not understand what kind of attention I am talking about. You must have a dog that is actively looking at you. Many dogs look at their handler, but they are doing so passively. The difference is that they are simply either sitting or standing and are looking at you. They are not "with you". The difference between a dog looking at you and a dog being "with you" is enormous. Learning to recognize this difference is important and is the first step in dog-awareness. Refusing to try and train a dog that is not "with you", is the first step in self-awareness, and in perfect mental picture-awareness.

My first assumption here is that each one of you desires to have a happy and willing partner. Personally, I will not show an unhappy dog. Attitude is of utmost importance to me. The way a dog looks at his handler leads to a happy performance. If a dog is passively looking at you, he may be able to respond to a command, but the response will not be brilliant. I can tell how an exercise will be performed, just by observing how the dog is looking at his handler. When a dog is passively attentive, his response to commands is slower; distractions can interfere more easily, the dog may appear disinterested, second commands become necessary, more corrections are needed, and the overall performance becomes less than what is desired.

Many people make a common mistake when they see this happen and I think you know what that mistake is, they get food. And guess what, it seems to work! Suddenly, the dog comes alive and pays better attention and they get instant gratification. His attitude seems to improve and everything gets better. This is such a difficult problem to get beyond, because using food to buy cooperation is the easiest solution. For the most part, we are used to buying almost everything we want. And if we could bring the food into the ring, that would be all that is necessary for success. I do not think anyone would complain, if all they had to do, is remember to bring a couple of hot dogs in the ring with them and they would get a perfect score. I'll bet the hot dog industry would prosper.

The hardest part of dog training is learning to give your attention to your dog. Each of you must learn to give of yourself and make yourself the object of your dog’s desire. This takes energy, understanding, patience, consistency, trust, laughter, acceptance, and love. Handing out a cookie is so much easier. Passively attentive dogs can suddenly become actively attentively dogs, when food becomes part of the training. What you fail to realize is that the dog is paying attention to the food. This suddenly becomes obvious when you walk into the ring without the food. I think a lot of people give up on obedience for this very reason.

Using food when you train gets your dog’s attention for you. This would not be that bad, if we could use it in the ring. I can not stress enough the importance of developing a good relationship with your dog. Ultimately, it is this relationship that you bring into the ring with you. It is this relationship that you show off to the judge and exhibitors the day of the show. I think this is why there is so much pain in your heart, after a bad or "poopy" performance. It is always easier after such a performance to blame your dog, the conditions, the method of training, or a million of other reasons. But the truth is that you must look deep inside yourself and look at your relationship with your dog. I know that 99% of the reason for a "poopy" performance is that you have yet to learn to pay attention to your dog and make sure your dog is paying attention to you. You are still using food to get cooperation from your dog!

When you set out to train, you must learn to put the food away until you get cooperation and then once you have cooperation, you can use food to reward your dog for a job well done. A dog which is cooperative, exhibits the four behaviors I mentioned before; they are actively attentive, quick to move, able to speak loudly, and willing to play. When you have cooperation, it should feel as if your dog is on the verge of anticipation. I know the most difficult part of getting cooperation, is learning how to be cooperative. Think about how many times you continue training, even when you see poop face starting to come out of your dog. Think of how many times you get food out when you start to see poop face, in order to get rid of it. Think of how many times you see your dog sitting backwards in the sit and you still give him a command. Think of how many times you feel that your dog does not want to be working with you.

The following are some of the signs that your dog is not in a cooperative state of mind. Dull or glassy eyes, any motion that is directed away from you, slow unsure motion, unable to speak readily, or frozen still in the sit. Your mental picture of a cooperative dog, should be ears up, eyes bright, happy tail carriage, leaning forward in a sit, and a connection to you, not to food! If you see less than this from your dog, learn to stop training and get rid of poop face by using your own energy and attention. To see the earliest signs of poop face, you must learn to pay attention to your dog! I have been trying to get each one of you to understand how important this is to your success. Beautiful performances in the ring stem from beautiful attention between dog and handler in training.

When I see a dog that is leaning forward in a sit, ready to move, I know that the exercise is going to be done beautifully. There is a connection to the handler. All of the dog’s energy is aimed at his handler. This is active attention. Active attention is necessary for a brilliant performance. Active attention means that the dog is "with the handler". Cooperation is shown by active attention. Ears up and forward exhibit active attention, eyes are bright, all the dog’s motion is directed towards the handler, the dog is quick to speak when asked and may even speak when not asked, and it seems as if he is ready for anything. I know each and every one of you has seen your dog in this state when he wants something. It is of course our part of the teamwork, to get our dogs to want to train with us. Training must be fun for both of you. Training is fun when you have a cooperative dog!

When you go out to train, your goal must be to get and keep active attention. Learn to recognize when your dog is blankly staring at you. So, let’s get started on getting cooperation from your dog; active attention is the first step. When you go out to train, let your dog relieve himself and give him time to get familiar with the surroundings, especially if this is an unfamiliar location. Now, it is time to get active attention from your dog. I want to explain that getting active attention is going to be harder in new locations. Your dog wants to investigate and may not feel like training right away. This is really important to dogs and should be respected. Just think how you feel when you get to a new show site. You want to know where are the bathrooms, rings, food, crating area, and your friends. How would you feel if you walked into the show site and were immediately asked to go into the ring? I know you would be flustered and not give your best performance. We all need a few minutes to settle and get our bearings. It is no different for our dogs.

I have begun to realize that we may be causing a lot of our own problems by forgetting to honor our dog’s needs in new locations. We may even be setting ourselves up for failure, by not letting our dogs get relaxed in new locations before we ask them to work. This may be a huge contributing factor as to why your dog does better at home or in places with which he is familiar. If you try to fight your dog to work for you right away in a new location, you are fighting his very nature. You are making this new location negative. It does not take long for your dog to lose his desire to work and become dull. It is this dullness you see at the show that sends shivers up your spine. Now, you run to get some really special food and try to buy a bright attitude. Most of this would have been avoided by honoring his needs and spending a few minutes letting him settle.

When you go to a new location, let the dog potty, sniff, and investigate. If you have friends with you, remember how important a dog’s greeting ritual is to him. When I get together with my friends, I let my dogs say, "Hi", to the people and dogs that are our friends. I never allow them to go up to strange dogs and just say, "Hi". I am talking about people and dogs that my dogs go for runs with and play with. When all the niceties are over, I put my dogs on a curl drop and let them look all around. I do not let them sniff everything in sight, but I do allow them the freedom of checking things out. Once I see that the original excitement has died down and I have a relaxed dog, I know that I can start to ask them to work for me. I know that I do not want to be correcting them for the joy that they feel, by asking them to do something that they can not do. We must all learn to honor our dogs' needs!
I think we may cause a huge problem when we ask our dogs to work immediately in new locations. By insisting that they ignore their needs, we may be teaching them that new locations are not fun. We may be setting ourselves up for failure. We must never forget that dog shows are always in new locations and we need our dogs confident and relaxed, so that they can turn in the kind of performances we are seeking. Make sure that you are not setting yourself up for failure by making your dog think that here we are and now comes the corrections. Do not ask your dog to work, unless you have the four behaviors of cooperation, attention, movement, speak and play.
I have taught you the moving watch, but I do not think you fully understand what your goal should be with this exercise. The moving watch is one of the most valuable behaviors to cooperation. Without it, all work that you ask of your dog will be done defensively and with poor attitude. Once you feel that you have honored your dog’s needs in a new location, and know it is fair to ask him to give you his complete attention, you must insist that he give you his attention. The first thing you must understand is that your dog may not want to pay attention to you. He has his own mind and desires. He is not wrong or bad because of this. But you are his leader and you have the right to ask him to pay attention to you.

some more European Agility Courses

2009-08-04T09:34:00.003-05:00

Here are some more courses from the European Agility Open, go to http://www.belgians.nl/English.htm and click on "various" at the bottom of the page.

On that same page you will also find many other courses organized under the picture of the judge who designed them.

Many of them have different challenges and traps than the ones we commonly see in the USA. I had a fun time looking through them and deciding how I would handle different sequences.

European Open Agility 2009

2009-08-02T20:43:00.002-05:00

The European Open Agility International Competition was held the last weekend of July (July 25 and 26) in the Sportcomplex Papendal in Arnhem, Netherlands (or Holland).

The European Open is the largest international Agility event in the world.

I have included a link to the course maps from this event. They are VERY difficult. Tight, precise, and did I mention Very difficult.
Usually when I watch top agility teams compete I am amazed at how EASY they make running complex courses look. That was NOT the case at this competition. Below is a link to the video of the winning runs in each height class. The winning runs did NOT look easy at all, which I think is a testament to just how hard these courses were.

The results are available at:
http://www.europeanopen.nl/Resultaten.html

Video of the winning runs can be seen at: (there are also some other interesting videos, for example video of teams practicing. Often there are multiple dogs on course at any one time and it is interesting to see what different teams choose to work on).
http://europeanopen2009.agilityvision.com/winners-individual-european-agility-open-2009

Here is a link to the course maps from that weekend:
http://www.belgians.nl/Parcoursen/2009/072509EO.htm

The Nose Bridge

2009-08-01T11:26:00.005-05:00

I saw the Nose Bridge for the first time at a Sylvia Bishop seminar. I was impressed by this behavior, but I missed the true importance of it and the reason for teaching it.

Recently at a Celeste Meade seminar I saw the Nose Bridge presented again. Celeste explained the Nose Bridge as an ACTIVE STATE (a JOB) the dog preforms while in heel position. The Nose Bridge gives the dog something to DO while in heel position rather than just passively watching. I really like this idea, I also really enjoyed how Celeste taught the Nose Bridge.

So now I am re-inspired, and this time I am in the process of teaching the Nose Bridge behavior to my dogs. Celeste has recently posted some training videos on her website. Among them are three videos detailing the various stages of teaching the Nose Bridge. For more information on the Nose Bridge and how to teach it, see:

http://www.americank9country.com/ak9c-tips.html

And if you are likewise inspired, you are welcome to join me in teaching this behavior to your dogs.

Here is a video by Linda Koutsky showing how the nose bridge is used in competition.

Keys to Success from Petra Ford

2009-07-31T04:53:00.002-05:00

Petra Ford and Tyler won the 2008 AKC National Obedience Invitational. Perta Ford was interviewed by Vita Allison (Dog Sport (Volume 8, Number 4, July/August 2009). Vita asked her what she thought the key to success in this sport was. Pertra answered:

1. Having great trainers! Without my trainers there is no doubt in my mind that Tyler and I would never have come this far.

2. Building a great relationship with your dog. You want to have an equal partnership. It is a trainer's job to be fair, consistent, and build confidence in the dog.

3. Attention to detail without nagging - to be competitive in this sport you must have an eye for detail, but it is very important not to nag or drill the dog.

4. Quality is more important than quantity. I don't always train my dog for a long period of time. I makes sure that my training time is memorable.

Below is video of Petra Ford and Tyler doing Utility in the final round of the National Obedience Invitational.

Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Entering a Trial by Marie Sawford

2009-07-30T08:55:00.000-05:00

The following is an excerpt from "Preparing for the Obedience Ring, Canadian Style! How to prepare for the Obedience Ring at any level" written by Marie Sawford, and published in Dog Sport (Volume 8, Number 4) July/August 2009.

1. Has my dog been consistent in his home training building?
If your dog is not showing consistency in his home environment, it is not likely that it will improve in a new environment.

2. Can he do twice the amount of work?
Your dog should be able to handle doing back-to-back routines without a problem. To clarify, I don't mean 1/2 point deductions I mean keeping mentally focused to do the work twice (one routine followed by the other) and work within the criteria you have set out for him.

3. How many different environments has he trialed in?
Change in environment is a big thing for dogs you need to give the dog as many different scenarios as possible since things come up like crowds behind you, the sun shining behind you making your signals look different, not having enough space as you are use to for heeling, a different feeling floor or matting While these details don't mean a great deal to us, they will make a big difference to your dog.

Frosting on the Cake

2009-07-29T12:55:00.011-05:00

"After training your dog, enjoying the obedience trial experience is also a learned skill."

-- Marsha Houston

"Enjoying the atmosphere at an obedience trial" Dog Sport (Volume 8, Number 4, July/Aug 2009)

Passing VST/Champion Tracker story by Denise Whitfield

2009-07-28T08:52:00.004-05:00

The following is a story written by Denise Whitfield that details her and Dasher's passing the VST tracking test and thereby earning their CT. Denise Whitfield is a marvelous dog trainer who I have long admired and who I have been fortunate enough to train with. Dasher isCT OTCH-H Fireside's A Dash Of This, UD, RN, UDX-H.
Here is Denise's and Dasher's Champion Tracker Story in Denise's own words:
I decided to share the LONG story of Dasher & I's passing VST/CT track with my friends. Obviously it's a topic I'm passionate about, so I held nothing back. I'm not even sorry it's so long. This was a once in a lifetime kind of experience and I know I experienced it because I have an absolutely amazing dog and a wonderful network of friends and family helping us to be our best.

Our "Moment of Truth" turn, aka the "MOT" turn is turn #2. Dash doesn't get to the exact corner because there was a little sports utility vehicle sitting there! Now here's the rest of the story:
Dasher and I were fortunate enough to have our name drawn first in the lottery draw to participate in the Tracking Club of Wisconsin's (aka TCOW) July 5th 2009 VST held on the lovely campus of University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. I had entered this test because I knew the test draw would be at 5 a.m. putting the first dog on the track at daybreak. This is my kind of test. I am a morning person and I don't function well in heat. I came up last year and loved the upbeat attitude of the club. These people totally love to track and impart confidence that the VST is attainable. Since I know attitude is everything, I loved the atmosphere here. Last year, we drew the last track, #8, and ran at 11:30 a.m. in 88 degree heat with a lot of folks milling around the campus. This year, we drew track #1 and dealt more with a.m. dog activity, LOTS squirrels (gasp), usual parking lot contamination from a work place and bicyclists lining up for a race. We went to our start flag at 5:20 a.m. Dash and I have been trying to improve our start routine by spending more time at the start flag and Dash picking up the start article. Maybe I should say I have been trying to improve the start. Dash wasn't buying into it this particular morning and gave me a look as he sat just behind the start flag that I knew meant "I'm not picking that up.....now get out of the way...." The start article was a cute little red, white and blue bandanna making the first article cloth. It was tied to the start flag - something a lot of clubs are doing now to keep the start article from being taken by passerbys. When I said "Go to the flag", Dash leaped forward, put his nose down to the flag. sniffed the start article, and as I suspected he would, took off tracking without it! Not the quality time at the start flag I hoped for, but obviously the dog knew what he was doing. I was left trying to yank the article off the start flag with one hand and hanging on for dear life to the tracking line attached to the "Dashing" dog with the other. Down the long first leg we went, confidently tracking in grass, through the morning fog. For those of you not familiar with VST work, the dog must be able to track a combination of vegetation and non-vegetation through an urban setting. The combinations usually include asphalt,concrete, dirt, sidewalks, streets, parking lots etc. There is a significant point in the track lovingly referred to as the "Moment of Truth", or MOT. The MOT consists of a turn on pavement that occurs at least 30 yards in from vegetation, demonstrating the dog's ability to track on non-vegetation. On our passing track, I felt the real moment of truth for ME and my dog was the first turn, on grass. I'm told this is where 50% of VST failure occurs- on grass! So I am proud of the fact that I worked the corner as well as I did in this test because a year ago, I think I would have been the cause of failure in this same situation and given up. Dasher showed loss of scent right as he passed four large boulder type of rocks. Probably our first turn? Timing is everything. I (and DASH) noticed a flurry of squirrel activity in the trees ahead, slightly to our right and MANY squirrels leaping around the base of the trees just off to our left. Dash has HIGH prey drive and this was a real dilemma for him. He was now well past the rocks and as I approached that area, I noticed multiple piles of dog poop and lots of fresh marking on those rocks. I didn't know it at the time, but this was exactly where our 1st turn was - only to the right. Dash and I spent probably 20 minutes working that corner doing the VST dance.....forward, backward, "leave it", "track".....is he searching or tracking? Searching...but for what? The track? The squirrels? Being a dog? He would start to right and get distracted again by the squirrels that seemed to have a condominium right where we were. The track in this area last year went straight ahead. I felt Dash wanted to go to the right, but struggled against the leaping squirrels everytime we started to track that way. Finally, Dash came back behind the rocks. I was able to back up and off to the right we went. The rest of the track would be a piece of cake for us. The 2nd leg took us across a combination of concrete and asphalt, going along a drive, crossing a sidewalk, parking lot and then up a flight of stairs. Dash was so sure of himself through this whole stretch. Just past the stairs, plastic article #2! Ahead was another sea of asphalt, concrete, several buildings, cars and a little utility vehicle. Dash worked a straight line through all of it, ignored a truck loading dock, and tracked up to ANOTHER little flight of stairs. He checked out a doorway entrance, looked over the railing to the parking lot below, came back down the stairs, checked to the left of the stairs, right of the stairs and then right back up the stairs to the landing and down a concrete ramp on the other side. Full steam ahead. He worked around the little utility vehicle and turned to the right. Now we're on leg #3 and Dash is very determined and tracking with confidence, on all that pavement no less! All the way out the parking lot to a small strip of vegetation, another little parking lot with a few cars, straight across it and to vegetation again! No time to kill in his mind. Through the vegetation, down a grassy hill, to a sidewalk and a street where there were bicyclists starting to gather for a race. Dash hung a left through turn #3 and tracked straight ahead to the #3 metal article!!!! This is now the furthest we've gotten in a VST and I needed to stay focused. I started to get out the start article to re-scent Dash in case this wasn't our track layer's article and Dash gave me one of "those looks" - ya know, like "are kidding me? Have you watched me tracking? Do I look confused? Do I look like I need your help???? Did YOU get us here, or did I??" Point well taken. I put the start article back in my pouch, said "track" and tried to stay out of his way. lol. Up ahead, he would cross another street, onto grass and now actually casted at this corner, hung a determined left and tracked the next 110 yards without hesitation. Of course, the judges and gallery knew this was our last leg and I have to say, I knew it about halfway down the leg. The gallery was dead quiet. I could FEEL the electricity behind us, like what you feel at a tournament or something. I began really keeping my eyes open, scanning for the last article in the unlikely event my dog didn't see it or smell it. That wouldn't happen. Dash pulled hard until he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face me with the beloved #4 article in his mouth. There are no words to describe that moment. I was in awe of my dog. I was tearful, grateful, ecstatic, euphoric. I have told Dash a thousandtimes he is MY Champion Tracker. Nice to have the two little letters from AKC with a passing track like this one!
As many of you know, I had foot surgery February 2nd and Dash and I just got back tracking about a month ago. We actually hadn't done more than a 350 yard track since surgery until July 5th! Our passing VST track was 642 yards, 240 non-vegetation. Although the first turn was a lot of work, I was pleased to be able to stay calm and believe in my dog. I know Dash loves to track and is very skilled at it, so all I had to do was stay focused and believe in myself and my dog to work it out.
Since the passing track, many kind folks have e-mailed me interesting statistics such as Dasher became the 201st dog to pass the VST since AKC began awarding the title in 1995. He is the 30th Golden Retriever to do so and the 4th dog in our state to be a Champion Tracker. I am still on Cloud 9 and wanted to share the details with those interested. Thanks for letting me go on.

Things to Think about: When training a low drive dog

2009-07-26T12:32:00.009-05:00

Low Drive, Low Motivation, Low Work Ethic dog ---- you know the one. He lags while heeling (especially in the ring), he does everything at a walk (far be it for him to trot and running is OUT of the question), everything he does, he does slowly with his head down, if at all possible. He makes everything look hard and painful. Do you know that dog? I know him too --- in my case his name is Rosco. Training a low drive, low motivation dog is a challenge. But it is also a blessing. I have learned more from training Rosco than I have from training my two higher drive girls combined. When training a low drive, low motivation dog remember that teaching him to DO the obedience exercises is only 5% of the battle, the remaining 95% is teaching him HOW to work fast, precisely, and with energy. While a higher drive dog may offer this type of work (fast, precisely, with energy) naturally or even as a preferred-way of working. Your low drive, low motivation dog must be TAUGHT this. It is important that you never just ALLOW your low drive, low motivation dog to slowly go through the motions of an exercise. Now here comes the creative part --- you must think of a way to make each part of each exercise a game, in which the dog must run, drive, and exhibit energy. The simplest game can merely be running along side your dog as they are preforming the exercise (say a go-out). By doing this you are SHOWING your low drive, low motivation dog HOW TO run, drive, and do the exercise in question with energy. By playing these games your are effectively teaching your low drive, low motivation dog how you want the exercise to look and how it should feel when he does it. You are making drive, running, and energy part of the exercise and eventually a habit for him. So remember: It is important to teach the pieces of the exercise first, it is also important to sometimes make the exercise look formal in the practice so the dog understands how the "picture" will look in the ring. But for low drive, low motivation dogs, like Rosco, there is an additional equally, if not more, important step. You must in addition, teach these dogs how to drive and exhibit energy during each part of each exercises. It is important for them to understand that driving and exhibit energy is a PART of the exercise. Now the good news: I believe it is easier to get BETTER scores with a low drive, low motivation dog. Yes believe it or not, that is what I think. The reason? If you take the time required to teach a low drive, low motivation dog to drive and exhibit energy during each part of each exercise than this dog (unlike a higher energy dog) understands that energy and drive are PART of the exercise. Lets consider the dog returning to you with a dumbbell or scent article. A low drive, low motivation dog must be TAUGHT to RUN with the dumbbell or scent article in his mouth, since he will not choose to do this naturally. He must LEARN how to do this properly. It becomes a habit for him, but he also understands that RUNNING is PART of this exercise. It is something that is un-natural and hard for him to do (not his choice) so he must put thought into that part of the exercise whenever he does it. A higher drive dog, on the other hand, may run with the dumbbell or scent article in his mouth because this is his preferred working style - to run. It is a habit for him, but most importantly it is HIS CHOICE. In the trial setting as he feels more distraction and pressure he may choose to not run. And he would not be wrong to do so, since he was never specifically taught that RUNNING is PART of the exercise. Just something to think about ...

Obedience Seminar Weekend in IA

2009-07-20T09:57:00.006-05:00

Rosco hanging out in his huge new crate (WARE Deluxe Pop-Up Playpen, size= Large, source= Petco.com) at a Celeste Meade Obedience Seminar this last weekend.

Obedience "Drive" by Catherine L. Zinsky

2009-07-15T16:31:00.003-05:00

The article below is written by Catherine L. Zinsky and can be viewed on her wonderful website: http://www.gettoready.net/.

The other day I was asked an intriguing question: someone who is getting a new (Golden) puppy asked me what I meant by ‘drive’ in a dog. At first I thought it was a strange question. After all, everyone knows what drive is, right?

Well, her question prompted me to ask some of my colleagues how they define drive. I was delighted by their enthusiasm and appreciation of the question. Here are the responses that were returned to me:

I think 'drive' means how a dog responds to stimulus in his environment, including that given to him by his handler. In some dogs it takes very little stimulus to trigger a response. But I also believe that the dog’s response must be directed to a specific activity. Nowadays everybody wants a 'high drive' dog, but I see many dogs that are termed 'high drive' that I would call just plain hyper because they seem unable to focus and their energy is directed to no specific activity. In my opinion a dog that has 'high drive' must also have ‘directability,’ and to me that means the dog has the ability to follow directions and still satisfy his drive. I guess I think that a dog with 'high drive' must be able to truly enjoy the energy he has instead of looking like he is having his 75th nervous breakdown of the day!

Submitted by Leslie Townsend

Sorry I didn't get my thoughts to you on "drive" but I do think it is a misnomer. Most people mistake a hyper dog as having a lot of drive but I don't think that is true. I would rather have a dog with attitude & confidence.

Submitted by Betty Cunningham

A dog with "want to" . . . who has a strong desire to get out and learn (or do) whatever it is we ask of it, and will not fold because it is corrected for a mistake or called off the wrong behavior.

Submitted by Lesa Storey

Drive in a dog can be equated to the degree of "Want To" in a dog. The more "Want To," the higher the Drive Level will be for a particular activity or behavior. "Want To" is dependent on how motivated the dog is. In other words, the more motivated the dog is, the degree of "Want To" and the level of Drive will increase. Drive, "Want To" and Motivation are all interrelated.

There are two kinds of Drive: Natural Drive and Taught Drive. Natural Drive is what the dog naturally has; and if it is high drive, the dog is generally much easier to teach and work with. This dog is self-motivated to work. However, the trainer must channel this drive into teaching focused attention—a focused attention on the trainer and in the obedience exercises. Taught Drive: a trainer is able to develop Drive in a dog, but it will probably never be as high as a dog with a high level of Natural Drive . Taught Drive takes time and careful, interactive and motivational training of "Want To" in a dog that does not have a Natural High Drive .

Regarding obedience, there is another factor to figure in with Drive: is the dog soft or hard in temperament? Hard, high drive dogs (Ex. "Divot") need careful training, because they can be very independent and "take charge" and want to do things according to their agenda. This type of dog needs to know who the alpha partner is and what the rules of the game are. A soft, high drive dog (Ex. "Twister) is a good combination, as long as you develop a strong, positive relationship between you and the dog. This dog will want to work for you, rather than for himself, plus he has high drive to keep him up and motivated in training and showing. A hard, low drive dog (Ex. Duncan) is difficult to train, as this dog is often stubborn and has a mind of his own and little drive to work with in training. This type of dog has to learn to respect you first and also develop a positive, interactive relationship with you, besides teaching the dog Drive or "Want To". A soft, low drive dog (Ex. Luc), is probably the most difficult to train, as you have to develop a very strong, positive relationship with the dog, where he has total trust and respect for you. Then you have to teach him to have both confidence and drive/ "want to". This type of dog has to learn he can and will do it and also learn to do it with drive and "want to". Not an easy task!

Please note that these four basic types of dogs are just a generalization and there are many dogs who fall somewhere in between these four types.

Submitted by Louise Fox-Meredith

Thanks for asking about drive – it is making me think – as I start looking for a puppy. Good timing. Drive – A dog with DRIVE is one that has an intense interest in its world. I believe puppies with curiosity often develop drive as adults. A dog with drive has stamina, chase (or prey) instinct, and an interest in learning. They naturally try to figure out their world and are confident enough to attack new things with gusto. Dogs with drive also often disregard their own bodies and pain to accomplish a goal. Unfortunately many dogs with drive injure themselves because the goal is so important to them – whatever that goal may be – retrieving a ball or dumbbell, digging a hole after a gopher, rounding up some sheep, flying across a dogwalk, or chasing a plastic bag on a string. Although I want drive in my dogs for training, dogs with drive can have troubles if not well rounded socially. Most people have seen the Border Collie twirling in a run, a Sheltie that fixates on flickering light, or Saluki that runs into the street after a cat. I believe these are examples of misdirected drive.

After writing the above – I realize that most dogs have drive. If it is not visible, it is probably due to illness of some sort. Dogs must have healthy bodies and good temperaments to actively demonstrate drive. Some dogs will work through more pain to demonstrate drive, but most dogs have a goodly amount of natural drive. To help a dog develop the most drive – they need to be kept healthy, given a chance to explore their world at a young age and in a safe environment, they need to be encouraged to learn and rewarded for attaining goals in such a way as to make the attaining the goal an intrinsic attribute.

Submitted by Kathy Moore

When I think of a dog with drive, I see enthusiasm, self-confidence and strong instinctive traits specific for that breed. But, drive is never one thing---rather it’s a combination of hard-wired traits that you hope are evenly balanced. I like Volhard’s breakdown of drive into prey, pack and defense. Too high or low in any of these traits can create an unbalanced dog that will create more challenges for the trainer. But, unfortunately I don’t think there’s any way to accurately predict the strength of these aspects in a young puppy with our tools available. But, we do the best we can with puppy tests, examination of previous generations and a lot of hope

Submitted by Pamela Murphy

Everyone wants a dog with 'drive' but the kind of drive a dog should have for obedience is a variation on the single-minded determination that a dog exhibits when digging furiously for his bone in the back yard. A dog that charges straight out to the water on a go-out because there are ducks swimming out there certainly has drive. Likewise, a dog that runs out to the dumbbell and continues on running after a skateboarder also has a strong prey drive - no doubt about it!

But when we watch an awesome dog with lots of drive at an obedience trial what we are seeing is a dog that is bold, energetic and has a great desire to be engaged in activities with his handler.

A dog that focuses intently on the dumbbell waiting for the command to retrieve and then runs briskly out, snatches it up, turns on a dime and then stares right up at his handler's face when coming to a brisk front. These individual behaviors are taught, but once learned by an energetic dog with a strong desire to work with you, the sky is the limit. The dog has a job to do and gosh darn it, he's going to do it! That's the kind of drive I like!

Submitted by David Zelitsky

Drive? Who knows? I don't believe you can train drive into a dog. That doesn't mean you can't train them to run when they should and look interested, but that dog won't ever look like the dog who is driven to gather up his body and go for it. I think they come hardwired with whatever drive they have. One will stretch out on the couch all day and wait to be called for dinner...and the next one will wake up with a list of things to do, "so-let's-get-going-and-the-sooner-the-better." The best thing that can happen is that you get the one you are comfortable with. Nothing nicer than to be with a K9 partner that you feel in sync with. Can you pick a puppy that will have this drive? Don't know. Maybe not. I do believe it is just as frustrating to a dog to be with someone at the other end of his leash who has a different life rhythm. I personally like high drive but there truly is a limit to how high. "What? You wanted a glove. Here are three."

Submitted by Sandy Walton

And as for my own contribution, it follows: When I look for drive in a dog, I want a dog that has energy, curiosity, and a strong tendency to chase things. A dog with drive should want to push through and not quit, providing the skill/exercise is understood. A dog with drive should have the mental power and the physical energy to get things done. Certainly there are variables and different degrees involved in drive. But enthusiasm, energy, and push are, for me, the fundamental attributes of drive.

Video Taping Training Sessions

2009-07-13T09:48:00.010-05:00

I finally dug out my old video camera and started video taping some training sessions this weekend, and I was SHOCKED . . . .
Shocked at what a useful tool it was to video tape a training session,
and Shocked at how atrocious it looked . . . no not the dogs . . . ME.

It was really nice to see my dogs working on video there were a few little things that I was unable to see when I was working with them that showed up clearly on video. Some sloppy things I will have to change.

However what I was not prepared for was to see all the things that I was doing wrong. I discovered that I walk very strangely when my dog is heeling next to me. From the way I am moving it looks like I may have a peg leg. I discovered that I can't run -- all the arm and leg flailing as I hustle to the other end of the ring surly does more to confuse my dogs than to clarify anything. I discovered my utility signals are not consistent, in speed, or location. And worse of all I discovered that I don't like how I interact with my dogs between exercises during training. Once we finish one exercise I praise and get busy thinking about and setting up the next exercises, during this time I totally disconnect with my dogs and they are left to sniff, or plod along behind me, or sit where I last left them aimlessly. I was stunned how much this "in between" time really amounted to over the course of the training session. It was clear that my dogs were learning as much from this dis-connected time as they were from the exercises.

After seeing the first video I made an effort to change the major problems. I attempted to walk more naturally and to relax my left side especially my left shoulder when heeling with my dog (though clearly from the next video this will take more work). For my running issue I attempted to run cleanly and straight and to be conscious of what my arms were doing (I also vowed to start going to the gym again to build up my strength and coordination -- though we will see what becomes of that). I practiced my utility signals in a mirror and will continue to practice without a dog until I am convinced they are consistent. And between exercises I made a concerted effort to stay connected to my dog. I played tug, I worked on their "front" attention for which I use the cue "with me" and reward them giving attention in front, I pushed them around, and I ran around with them, all the while I set up for the next exercise. Training in this way was more exhausting than I expected and I left the ring sweating for the first time in as long as I can remember. It was also clear to me that if I plan to train in this way I will have to plan out my training sessions in far more detail than I am currently doing since I won't be able to disconnect from my dog and think about the next exercise any longer.

Below is a video of me heeling Rosco taken this weekend. I have posted it so that you can have a laugh at my peg-leg walk and my awful about-turns.

Gear-Up? or Gear-Down? and how to train with this in mind

2009-07-09T13:00:00.008-05:00

No matter how much you try to make your training look and feel like a trial to your dog (at least on occasion), chances are you won't be able to replicate every part of the trial environment, and since dogs are very situational, it is therefore likely that your dog will preform differently at a trial than in training.

This is one of the biggest frustration people experience when showing their dogs. A dog that exhibits a wonderful enthusiastic attitude in training may act like he has no idea who you are in a trial. This is a common problem. Don't let yourself believe that your dog doesn't "like" showing, if he likes training there is no reason he shouldn't like showing, what you are seeing is your dog responding to a new and strange situation.

Let us consider the differences between training and trialing. Some are obvious, some are less obvious:
* no toys, treats in the ring during a trial.
* no verbal praise or correction during the exercises during a trial.
* different duration of work expected before praise or reward is given is often different at trial than in training (for example 90 seconds of heeling in trial required, whereas maybe you only do 15 seconds of heeling in training at one time).
* often trial is held at a different time of day than when you usually train (perhaps your dog is accustom to sleeping during that time, say 10am).
* crating and short warm up session at a trial perhaps different from routine used when training.
* perhaps you are in a different place than where you usually train (different mats, smells, lighting, etc....)
* perhaps you are in the same place but now there are new people there (crowds, sounds, new dogs in your dogs club, etc...)
* Your nerves. You maybe stressed, sweating, worried, your tone of voice may be higher, you may smell different.

Some of the above things you can control for, and try to practice for, some of them you just can't. So what can you do . . .
First of all you must know your dog. Presented with new and different situation (some of which are listed above) how is your dog likely to respond? Is he likely to Gear-Up or to Gear-Down?

Gear-Up: Get more excited, more out of control, scatter brained, show more energy and enthusiasm.

Gear-Down: Get worried, sluggish, start to lag, to show avoidance behavior, seem very low energy.

The vast majority of dogs Gear-Down at trials. I often hear people complain about what a wonderful job their dog does heeling at home and how at trial he always lags when heeling or heels with his head down. However some dogs do Gear-Up, and get more excited, perhaps forging on a heel pattern when they never forge in training. Remember that you can't tell if your dog will Gear-Up or Gear-Down from a trial just based on their breed, drive, energy-level, or age. Each dog is different and whether a dog Gears-Up and Gears-Down for a trial is a consequence of how your dog responds to new environments and new situations.

If you are not sure which way your dog is likely to go (Gear-Up or Gear-Down) go to some show-n-gos or enter some trials, you should be able to tell right away. Sometimes just walking your dog around that environment will tell you what you need to know.

All dogs Gear-Up or Gear-Down to various degrees. Some Gear-Up or Down so little you may not notice, others Gear-Up or more likely Down so much that you swear it is a different dog. Rosco is this way, he Gears-Down so much a trial that I don't even recognize him or his working style, this was a problem that plagued us for a long time.

So once you know what you are likely to get from your dog at a trial (Gear-Up or Gear-Down) what can you do about it?

* Increase Your Dogs Confidence about the Exercises:
This is accomplished by Proofing. Remember to spend at least a month proofing all the exercises once your dog knows them and is comfortable doing them well. This will enable your dog to generalize the exercises in different contexts and will greatly increase his comfort level and confidence. There are several good proofing books out there, I really like "The Art of Proofing: Preparing your dog for Obedience Trials" by Adele Yunck. Also see my "Proofing" post May 8, 2009.

* Increasing your dogs comfort level with different trial environments and as many aspects of trialing as possible.
This is accomplished by going to matches and show-n-gos, competing in other venues (like rally), or bringing your dog along when you are competing with another dog. Anything that puts your dog in the trial environment and takes the novelty away from him being in his crate, getting taken out of the crate for a little work or interaction with you in the middle of the day, getting put back into his crate, being surrounded by the sounds and smells of a crowd of people and other dogs.

* How to TRAIN knowing that your dog will Gear-Down at trial.
Now here is the KEY. Training KNOWING your dog will Gear-Down (or Up, see below) at a trial. If you know that your dog is going to be slower, sloppier, lower energy in trial than in training than you must require more than you need from your dog in training. Require even more energy, more precision, more speed in training than you will need to qualify at a trial. If your dog gives you an 8 in training and you get a 4 at a trial make sure you require a 12 in training so that you can get an 8 at a trial. This is especially important for dogs that Gear-Down a lot. Rosco is like this. He works at a trial like someone has "let-all-the-air-out" of him. So I make sure I train with this in mind. In training I ALWAYS require that Rosco jump into the air on his finishes (which requires lots of energy and speed). Despite this Rosco has only once finished by jumping in a trial instead he quickly trots into position, which is fine and we don't lose any points on this. However if I allowed him to quickly trot into finish position in training I am sure he would be slowly walking into finish position in a trial. And if I allowed him to slowly walk into finish position in training I am sure in trial he would stop mid-way through the finish to look around and than sit himself somewhere near finish position. All this is to say make sure you train for MORE energy speed and precision with a dog that you know will GEAR-DOWN in the ring. These dogs should never walk or trot in training everything should be a run. These dogs should never drop their head while heeling or retrieving. These dogs should never do anything slow! Everything should be done with lots of tail wagging, energy and enthusiasm. You may have to do lots of motivational training and maybe even lots of cheer-leading initially to get your dog into this state of mind but this is critically important if you want a nice performance in a trial from a dog that Gears-Down.

There are also things I allow from a Gear-Down dog that I might not otherwise. I ALWAYS LET a Gear-down dog Forge, because this means he is giving more energy and speed and if he gears-down in the ring that Forge will get a bit laggy and result in a perfect heel. Let me be clear at this point I do NOT TEACH a Gear-Down dog to Forge! this is important, you want the dog to understand the exercise, so it is important that he be taught proper heel position, however if my Gear-Down dog is giving me more energy and excitement in training and he is forging, I allow it, I praise it. I don't worry about ever seeing the forge in the ring and I always Value Energy with Gear-Down dogs.

Another thing I like to do with Rosco is I train him when he is tried. I get him really wore out mentally and physically and than I do some training. I find this lowers his energy level and enthusiasm to the levels I usually see at a trial and therefore by teaching him how to work at this level and more importantly, how to work through this level, I find he does a better job working through his low energy level when he Gears-Down at a trial.

* Training knowing that your dog will Gear-Up at trial.
If you know that your dog is going to be more hyper, exhibit higher energy, and put more emphasis on everything he does at a trial. Than it is critically important you get him in a trial-like environment whenever possible so he can become accustom to that type of environment. You also want to get these dogs very accustom to the ring protocol and to the order of exercises in the ring, yes pattern-train if you must. This means lots of run-thrus and show-n-gos. You want the trial to feel familiar and totally comfortable for them such that they can do the exercise in their sleep.

It can be very useful to train your dog while he is in a high energy state to teach him how to think and work despite his brain being scatter and body running a million miles per hour. Perhaps just as your arrive home from work and your dog is crazy and hungry, you can grab a ball or favorite toy and place it in his sight but out of the way, and than attempt to do some obedience exercises with him. This is a much better place and time to teach your dog to work through this hyper state than at a trial.

You must balance your dog's Geared-Up state by staying very calm and quiet yourself. When I work with a Gear-Up dog I make sure I give all my commands very quietly so the dog learns to listen to me and I only give them once. I stay very consistent with my body posture and commands and I also teach the dog a word that begins an exercise like "lets work" or "ready" (which you can use in the ring) and a word that ends an exercise like "okay". I use these consistently so the dog can clearly understand the difference between work-time and play-time. Remember with a Gear-Up dog in the trial setting their brain will be going a million miles per hour and they will need these familiar signals and cues to help ground them. I always tell my Gear-Up dog what we are doing next, I say to my dog "we will be HEELING next ready for HEELING" I do this in training and at the trial between exercises.

I also play a lot of control-at-a-distance games as described in my "Considering Distance in Obedience" post from June 19, 2009 and later "Games for Distance in Obedience" from June 24, 2009. This is important because it establishes your control over your dog at any distance. One last thing you can consider is to choreograph the ring routine completely for a Gear-Up dog such that you are able to make things crystal clear and very familiar for them. You can see more about this in my "Between Exercises: Reconnect, Praise, Relax, Motivate, and Control" post from May 29, 2009, see the last item "control".

Remember that all dogs Gear-Up or Gear-Down for trials to different degrees. The vast majority Gear-Down. So don't let the fact that your dog works differently at a trial, than in training, shock you or frustrate you. Plan ahead for it, and teach your dog to work through it.

My Dogs

2009-07-07T13:19:00.007-05:00

Pace Changes: To Gait Change Transition or Not

2009-07-06T11:00:00.001-05:00

This post is intended to be a continuation of the "proper gaiting for heelwork" post from May 18, 2009.

As I wrote in that post, ideally a dog will trot at normal pace, walk in slow pace, and canter in fast pace. This requires a dog to TRANSITION from a walk to a trot, from a trot to a canter, from a canter to a trot, and from a trot to a walk. Smooth and seem less transitions between gaits must be taught and practiced. More about gait change TRANSITIONS below.

Alternatively, remember that by extending or collecting a gait your dog can almost do any gait at any speed (within reason). Also remember that you want to pick your normal walking speed based on your dogs normal trot speed. So, your dog could trot for normal, do a collected trot for the slow pace, and do an extended trot for fast pace. Since obedience rules don't require your dog to change gait only to change pace this is a viable option. The disadvantage of this choice is that there is a chance the dog will not change pace (since they are maintaining the same gait throughout). The advantage is that there are no gait TRANSITIONS to worry about teaching and perfecting.

Videos of both of these alternatives are shown below. Notice that both alternatives are equally successful (and both dogs show in videos below have OTCH titles). The first video is of Bridget and Soupy. You can see that Soupy trots at normal pace, walks in slow pace, and canters in fast pace. Since she changes to a new gait for each pace she must, and does, seamlessly TRANSITIONS between all three different gaits. The second video is of Soupy's son Tailor (sire = Canyon, 2005 litter). Notice that Tailor never transitions gaits. He does the normal at a trot, the slow in a collected trot, and the fast pace in a extended trot.

Soupy (pace change TRANSITIONS)(heeling begins at 3:35)

Tailor (no TRANSITIONS, extension and collection of gait)

It was important to me to show you two closely related dogs (Soupy and her son, Tailor) in the videos above since structure of the dog can and does play a role in whether you choose to teach your dog to transition gaits or not and I didn't want you to be biased by that fact when watching the two alternatives. However that is an important point to remember, you must consider your dogs ability to transition to, and maintain certain gaits (as well as your ability to run fast enough or walk slow enough) when deciding what gaits and gait transitions to use. Remember that you can ALTERNATIVELY teach just ONE SET of gait TRANSITIONS say: walk for slow, TRANSITION, to trot for normal, NO TRANSITION, extended trot for fast. Whatever you choose to do remember to be consistent and require consistency from your dog, they should use the same gaits and/or the same extension or collection at each pace each time (see post "proper gaiting for heelwork" May 18, 2009 for more info).

Pace Change TRANSITIONS:

Consider the images above. Notice that to TRANSITION from the Walk to the Trot (a suspended trot is shown) the dog must drop his rear (put more weight into his rear end) and increase the angulation of his rear legs (rear legs are reaching further back). To transition from a trot to a canter the dog must further drop his rear, such that his front legs are able to come free off the ground and the dog must be going fast enough such that he can extend his body (legs reaching back and legs reaching forward at same time).
The images above along with a lot more information can be found at:
http://www.shawlein.com/The_Standard/09_Movement_1/Movement_1.html
For more information you may also want to look at:
http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2009/02/08/rsif.2008.0328.full
http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/saortho/chapter_91/91mast.htm

Teaching Pace Change TRANSITIONS:
Slow to Normal Transition:
* When I teach the slow pace(walk) to normal pace(trot) transition I begin by heeling the dog in a clockwise circle (dog on the outside). I want my dog in Slow or walk gait. By heeling the dog on the outside of the circle I have to go very slow for my dog to go slow (walk). Than I simply heel away or out of the circle (no turns just continue going straight on one side) at my normal pace. I encourage my dog to drive up and out of the circle into normal pace (trot). I want my dog to drive up so often I treat up and slightly in front of me just at the transition moment (remember you want the dog to drop his rear and increase the angulation of his legs). I don't ask for a jump into my hand as I do with jumping heel starts (post May 15, 2009). But I do ask him to drive up and forward. I do this first at the moment of transition and than start to require a few steps at the new normal pace (dog in trot) before I treat. I also often give small upwards tugs on the leash (not pops) just little nudges and encourage my dog ("up, up, up") in a sweet way. I NEVER look at my dogs. I am teaching them what my body will look like as I move from slow to normal so I want to make sure I keep the picture as clear and consistent for them as possible.
Normal to Fast Transition:
I teach normal to fast transition in much the same way except now I will enter a counter clockwise (dog on the inside circle). I begin by heeling my dog forward at normal pace (dog in trot) and than I go into my fast pace (my dogs canter pace) at the same time I start making a counter clockwise circle (dog on the inside). You may want to practice this without your dog first to get it right. As before I encourage my dog to drive up and forward. Only this time I will allow my dog to jump into my hand as with heel starts if needed. I may even take one skip step before I go into my fast pace to encourage my dog up. It is important for the dog to completely free his front legs in order to transition into a canter so I encourage jumping and lifting by skipping or asking for him to jump into my hand. Remember again DON'T LOOK at your dog and keep your movement and pace as natural as possible.
Normal to Slow Transition:
* I teach the normal to slow transition in by heeling my dog forward and than just at the point of transition entering a counter-clockwise circle (dog on the outside) and at the same time starting to put sustained pressure forward on the leash. By pulling gently forward on the leash the dog will resist backward and this will shift his weight forward, leading to resistance from the front, and force his legs under him, and allow him to shift to a slow pace (walk). Remember this leash pull should be as gentle as possible, it should not be strong enough for the dog to drop his head in order to resist it, and should be as centered (from the middle of his body) as possible. I release and praise right away initially, eventually I require a few steps in slow (walk) before I release.
Fast to Normal Transition:
* Moving on the clockwise circle (dog on the inside) in fast (dog in canter). I do much the same thing as above, I walk out of the circle continue straight as I shift to normal pace (dogs trot) and at the same time I apply and maintain a gentle forward pressure on the leash that the dog will resist and which results in the proper body movements that will allow the dog to transition to a trot. Remember that you don't want the dog to transition all the way to a slow (walk) so you will have to modulate the pressure appropriately. DON'T LOOK DOWN at your dog when doing this.

Remember that whether you want your dog to transition gaits during pace change transitions is totally up to you. Whatever you decide on should be the same each time, don't let your dog extend a trot one day for fast and gait transition to a canter on another day. Consistency is the key. If you do plan or requiring pace change transitions from your dog take time to teach them so that your dog understands what is expected of him and that they are as smooth and natural as possible. It can be very useful to video tape your pace change transitions or to work in front of a mirror so that you can keep track of how the dog is moving his body. Also notice that I do my slow and fast paces on circles (counter-clockwise and clockwise respectively) initially and only my normal in a straight line.

Results of Training

2009-07-05T14:09:00.001-05:00

In her book "Building A Bridge from Training to Testing" written with Shalini Bosbyshell, Marsha Smith writes;

The results of your training are based on:
Dog Talent + Human Talent + Time Spent Practicing.

where talent is the capacity or ability to perform the exercises, a combination of natural aptitude and learned skills.

This quote is one of the many parts of this book that has stayed with me. I really like it and I believe it is probably true. I like the idea that no matter what type of dog you have, and no matter your own short comings as a trainer, if you spend enough time thoughtfully practicing, you can attain a high level of success in your training. On the other hand remember that no matter how great your ability as a trainer and how talented your dog, if you don't spend time training, practicing, and working at becoming a team, you will not be pleased with the results. Which reminds me -- it is time to go practice with my dogs.

FCI obedience

2009-07-02T09:56:00.006-05:00

The video clips (see link below) show FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) obedience trials. FCI is the venue that holds obedience trials in most of Europe. Their obedience is very different from ours. If you are interested a copy of the FCI obedience rules complete with a description of the exercises they can be downloaded from www.dansk-kennel-klub.dk/files/pdf/*Obedience*_Regulations.pdf (Adobe Acrobat) or www.fci.be/uploaded_files/*Obedience*_EN.doc (Microsoft Word). Either document is in English.http://obeissancecanine.free.fr/videos.htmThe page containing the videos (link above) is in French. But, you don't have to know how to read French to use this site. These videos were taken at the 2006 World Championships (Championnat du Monde 2006). They are divided by country represented (each box is a different country). Than they are listed by Team (in Bold is the person and dogs name). And finally they are organized by exercise. * "suite" = heeling exercises, * "Grand Carré" = box heeling, one side moving stand, one side moving down, one side moving sit. * "Rappel" = from down, sit on recall, stand on recall, come directly to heel * "Enavant" = go out to box, stop command, down command, call to moving heel. * "Directionnel" = go out to cone/or marker on ground, stop, go retrieve, return to heel, * "Saut" = retrieve metal dumbbell over high jump, return to heel. * "Odorat" = scent discrimination * "Positions" = signals (including sit, down, stand ... order different each time, determined by judge). Just click on the exercise links to see the video.

Focus, Food, and Fun Philosophies by Patty Ruzzo

2009-07-01T05:43:00.000-05:00

Ever forward, slowly.
Reinforce means strengthen.
Behavior that is reinforced (while it is occurring) will increase in intensity, frequency, and duration.
Be quick, generous, variable and unpredictable with reinforcement.
Food is a powerful reinforcer. Be generous! Pair delicious food with smiles, compliments, touch, applause, and appreciation.
Dogs learn by association--Pair all things wonderful with Obedience.
To maximize results use a variety of high-magnitude, delicious treats. ie small pieces of (cooked) roast beef, pork, chicken or turkey, cubes of cheddar cheese, toast or leftover pizza, and cheese tortellini and homemade liver, turkey or salmon brownies. How about peanut butter to reinforce stays, or several small pieces of bacon. Yum! Yum!
Continuous use of reinforcement, lasting 7-17 seconds, while the dog is in an Obedience position, really makes an impact.
Soft textured food (rather than crispy) works best. Faster to swallow and no crumbs falling to the floor.
Cookie viewing is not reinforcing to the dog. Give him/her the cookie!
In the sport of competition Obedience, there is a process (training) and a product (showing). Enjoy both.
Be a handler who is clear, concise, and consistent.
Got a problem? Put a cookie on it!

Playing with Your Dog

2009-06-30T13:37:00.004-05:00

I am always stunned at how many people don't know how to play with their dogs. In my opinion playing with, and knowing how to play with, your dogs is the single most important interaction you can have with them. Play is the foundation for all the training, corrections, and day-to-day interaction I have with my dogs. And I play differently with all three of my dogs because all three are different.
I will discuss play in more details in later post but for now I leave you with this (click on link below):

Play Between People and Dogs

from Patricia McConnell's blog TheOtherEndOfTheLeash.
She also write several other posts about play as well:
http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/page/8/

something to think about: Anticipation

2009-06-29T13:09:00.004-05:00

I have been thinking about dogs Anticipating commands a lot recently. Mainly because I have been having a lot of trouble recently with Gwyneth anticipating commands in the ring.

Anticipation of commands is a huge problem for some dogs and doesn't seem to be much of a problem for others.

Even though it can be an NQ in the ring Anticipation is not a bad thing. The dog is working hard, thinking, and trying to do the right thing. Also many obedience exercises require anticipation, for example consider a drop on recall:
I set my dog up sitting at my side,
I command stay
I turn to face my dog, the dog MUST NOT anticipate the come command.
I command COME, the dog must come and MUST NOT anticipate the drop.
When I command DROP, the dog must drop and MUST anticipate the wait-in-a-down, and MUST NOT anticipate the next come command.
When I command COME, the dog must come and MUST anticipate the front and MUST anticipate the sit in front, but MUST NOT anticipate the finish.
I command FINISH, the dog must finish and MUST anticipate the sit in heel position.

This jumble of commands you want the dog to anticipate along side commands you do not want the dog to anticipate are a part of every obedience exercise. Think about the auto-sit during the heeling exercises (anticipation wanted), the waiting to be sent on any type of retrieving (anticipation not wanted), sits on front and finishes (anticipation wanted), sits on go-outs (anticipation not wanted).

How you make these distinctions clear to a dog, like Gwyneth, who has a clear understanding of the open exercises and clearly knows what is coming next and in her attempt to do-the-right-thing is anticipating commands, is not clear to me.

What I have been doing:
* When Gwyneth anticipates I stop the exercise, and say something like "oh you are cheating" in playful and fun voice. (no correction - remember by anticipating she is trying to be right).
* Than I try again this time giving lots of praise for not anticipating, such as returning to her and saying "good stay" as I give a food reward.
* I also try to break the exercise up at the points of most anticipation, such as doing the front with no finish.

I am still not sure if these methods are making the situation as clear to her as I would like but I did want to place this thought about anticipation out there for you to consider in your own training.

about Force

2009-06-27T05:36:00.001-05:00

I offer for your consideration this simple rule: If at any time in your training you must resort to force of any kind to achieve the behavior you want, you -and not the dog!- are doing something wrong. ... Take a break, sit down, and figure it out...

--Morgan Spector

I found this quote at: http://www.reddogblog.net/

something to remember

2009-06-26T06:27:00.003-05:00

Rely on your relationship, not on your leash.

--Sheila Booth

I found this quote at: http://www.reddogblog.net/

a TWIST on about-turn foot work by Celeste Meade

2009-06-25T08:17:00.006-05:00

I really like Celeste Meade's about turns.
Below is a video of Celeste and Zoom at the 2006 AKC National Obedience Invitational. Heeling starts at 1:45.
Notice how smooth Celeste's about-turns are, she looks as though she is spinning in place.

The key to Celeste's about-turns is a unique type of about-turn foot work (see video below).

Warning: You WILL watch this video multiple times.

Celeste Meade About Turn

Need Help?:

1. Start with Right foot (foot away from dog) and place it such that your Right heel is in front of but in line with your Left toe, and that your Right toe is pointing at a 45 degrees angle (from center line) to the Right.
2. Now with your Left foot, place it such that your Left toe is touching your Right in step (or ball of the Right foot), you will be spinning and stepping back.
3. Shift all you weight to your left foot, lift the toe of your right foot and twist (pivot) on your right heel such that your feet are parallel.
4. Walk normally (now in opposite direction).

Games for Distance in Obedience

2009-06-24T08:36:00.002-05:00

This is intended as a continuation of the post from June 19, 2009 entitled "Considering Distance in Obedience". In this post I have listed some suggestions for games, tricks, and ways to interact with your dog to make them comfortable preforming tasks at various distances (1-3) while still paying attention to you.

(1) Close Distance:
* Hand touch (of paw or nose) best taught using a clicker.
* Maintaining position at side either right or left or between legs. Dog can be oriented either forward or backwards this can be a moving or stationary exercise. Often taught in freestyle.
* Spinning circles both directions in front or on either side of you.
* Tugging with toy; in front, on either side of you, and while dog is between your legs
* Retrieving when toy is thrown straight up in the air. Perhaps you and the dog compete to see who can get to it first (you may be sitting on ground).
* Other freestyle exercises such as dog making a circle around you while you are stationary or moving around with them. This can be done with dog moving either backwards or forward.
Another good one is dog weaving through your legs. Again this can be done either backwards or forwards.
* Calling the dog through a tunnel.
* Position Changes often called Puppy Push ups, where the dog is asked to down, sit, and stand in random order.

(2) Medium Distance, Quick Task:
* Sending the dog through tunnel you running along side (the dog must now shift their attention from you to the tunnel to do this successfully).
* Retrieving thrown toys thrown away from you.
* Cookie toss games. Where you throw a cookie away from you and after eating the cookie the dog is asked to preform an action (such as down) while still separated from you. Or the dog is asked to return and preform an action close to you (such a front).

(3) Long Distance, Complex Task:
* "Find It" Game as detailed in Carol Lea Benjamin's book "Dog Training in 10 minutes".
* Teaching your dog to touch other peoples hands (or parts other parts of their body, the butt is a funny one, though, I must warn you, it is not universally appreciated). Sending them off to do this.
* Teaching your dog the name of a certain object such as "yellow ball" and on the command "yellow ball" your dog will bring that object to you. Be creative. Put "yellow ball" in pile of other objects and impress your friends or teach "get your leash" and save yourself having to get it.
(My friend has her dog pick up all her other dogs food dishes and bring them to her when they have finished eating -- very useful and helpful).
* 101 Things to do with a box: http://www.clickertraining.com/node/167
* Other complex tricks that require the dog to work independently at a distance. For example here is Bridget Carlsen and her dog Hootie demonstrating his Cookie Jar Trick:

Softball for Dog Training! by Noelle Nasca

2009-06-23T05:38:00.002-05:00

Norelle Nasca wrote an interesting article about how tips learned in a softball camp can just as easily be applied to dog training the full article is available at:
http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/650ca1103048a96085257362006a77a2/ce7e7f1ef7eb49c385257597006bbad8?OpenDocument
Here is an excerpt:

● Practice like it's competition; compete like it's practice. In softball, a fellow player telling her teammate, “If this were a real game, I'd have dove for the ball.” The translation for dog training might be, “If you want focused heeling, straight fronts, and square sits, practice them that way! Insist on that precision, only “pay” or reinforce the behaviors you want to see more of. Just because it's practice or training doesn't mean you should settle for less! Stop allowing crooked fronts or sloppy finishes to earn reinforcement! Help your dog get it right, or fix it when it happens!

● Don't settle, train it right!

●Practice at 110%. Bring your A game! Practice with gusto. Make practice harder than the real thing! Put the challenge into your workout! Make your brain and body expect greater difficulty. The translation for dog training might be, “Add challenge to the exercises your dog knows well.” If he knows how to Sit/Stay in the living room on the rug, practice a Sit/Stay with his leash underneath him, or on some damp grass, or a slightly sloping hill. The point being, make it more difficult than it will be in the formality of competition. That way he'll be so accustomed to these added challenges, when he gets to compete in the ring it will feel like a breeze!

● Small Pieces! The stride a pitcher takes often attracts attention. If a pitcher has a great big stride, they often have intense power behind the ball when it is released. Many coaches encourage the girls to take a great big stride (for the glam and the Wow factor) not realizing many of the other components which make a good pitch may be compromised because of this big stride. They want that glamorous, finished look before the pitcher is truly ready to make it all come together and work. It was advised at the clinic to keep the girl's stride short, to get her really comfortable and reliable with her pitches using the short stride, and then add some length. With this approach, if a problem occurs, it is much easier to locate the error and fix it.

The comparison for dog training might be heeling. Heeling was glaring at me with this one! I have often witnessed handlers taking dozens, if not hundreds of steps in heeling, when the reality is, the dog can barely execute proper heel position for three steps. Working forward in small increments of heeling is critical for your dog’s understanding and success. Taking it literally one step at a time, and adding to those steps only when you see the perfection you wish to see as the finished product, will you add another step. If at any time you encounter a problem with focus or proper position, it is much easier to identify it and pinpoint the moment it happens when using the small pieces approach!

● Muscle Memory. Practice in batting, pitching, catching. There are specific mechanics a player must perform to get the best results. Practicing over and over again in poor form or incorrect position will only create a bad swing, poor pitches, missed balls, etc. Whatever muscle movement you are working on is precisely what the memory of the muscles adopt. I think the translation for dog training is obvious! If we want our dogs to have nice square sits when we halt in heel, then we must practice those square sits each and every time we train! Create that muscle memory. Make it happen. Point out the position to the dog, lure them there, do what it takes to get their posture as perfect as you wish it to be. Then this is the posture the muscles will assume with ease. Take advantage of the programming that is happening each and every time you perform a repetition. Use it to your advantage; avoid having to go in later and fix the established poor behavior.

a little about Newfie Water Tests

2009-06-22T10:00:00.004-05:00

http://www.ncanewfs.org/working/water/

I have always really liked Newfies. They are such sweet, big, lumbering dogs. However there are also many instances on record of Newfies saving lives in water disasters. To encourage these lifesaving instincts, in 1971, a group of enthusiasts developed plans for a water trial consisting of 12 exercises, six each in two divisions, junior and senior. Two years later, the Newfoundland Club of America sanctioned its first official rescue test in Michigan. Over time, the rules have changed, mostly from observing the dog’s natural instincts, but the original concept remains intact.

Junior division exercises are fundamental. The first one, basic control, takes place on dry land. The dog’s willingness and ability to perform its owner’s bidding are tested with heeling, a recall, and a down stay. The five remaining exercises are performed in the water and consist of retrieving a bumper, retrieving a life jacket or cushion, delivering a rope to a swimming steward, towing a boat, and swimming calmly with a handler. Accomplishing all six tasks results in a Water Dog title, issued by the NCA.

More details on Junior division exercises:

* Basic Control

Following the judge's instructions, the handler commands the dog to walk with him without a leash. They will walk together making ring, left, and about turn and stops. the dog is to stay within arm's reach. The dog will than preform a recall, coming to the handler on command. Finally, all dogs, or a group of dogs, will be place in a "down" by their handlers. The handlers remain across the ring from their dogs for one minute, until instructed by the judge to return to their dogs. Note: Dogs with a CD title are excused from this exercise.

* Single Retrieve

The handler throws a boat bumper 30 feet out into the water. The dog has 60 seconds to swim out, retrieve it, and deliver it to his handler who waits on shore.

* Drop Retrieve

Two stewards in a boat row parallel to shore, 50 feet out. One steward silently drops a boat cushion or life jacket onto the water on the far side of the boat. The boat is then rowed away. The handler on shore draws his dog’s attention to the dropped article and sends him to retrieve it. The dog has 90 seconds to swim out, retrieve it, and deliver it to his handler.

* Take a Line

A steward treads water 50 feet from shore, splashing and calling the dog. The handler gives his dog the knotted end of a 75 foot line. The dog takes the line, swims out to the calling steward, and comes close enough that the steward can grasp the line or dog. The dog has 90 seconds to deliver the line to the steward.

* Tow a Boat

A boat is positioned 50 feet from shore with two stewards and an 8-foot line attached to a bumper. One steward splashes and calls the dog. The handler commands his dog to swim out to the boat, take the bumper from the steward, and tow the boat to shore until it touches bottom. The dog has 90 seconds to complete the exercise.

* Swim with Handler

Dog and handler enter the water together and swim out approximately 20 feet beyond swimming depth for the dog. The dog must not swim onto the handler or interfere with him in any way. At the judge’s signal, the handler commands his dog to swim toward shore. The dog turns and tows his free floating handler directly to shore. The dog has 90 seconds to complete the exercise.

In the senior division, the dog must retrieve two articles in the proper order, leap from a boat to fetch a paddle, discriminate between three swimmers and then carry a life ring to the one in distress, retrieve underwater, carry a line from shore to a steward in a boat and then tow that boat to shore, and leap from a boat to save its handler, who has “fallen” overboard. A dog that passes these six exercises adds the title of Water Rescue Dog to its name.

More details on the senior division exercises:

* Directed Retrieve

Two stewards in a boat row across the test area about 50 feet from shore. As they row, one attracts the dog’s attention by splashing, and drops two articles (a life jacket and a boat cushion) about 50 feet apart. The judge instructs the handler to send his dog to a specific article. The handler sends his dog to that article. The dog retrieves it and brings it to his handler on shore. The dog is sent to retrieve the second article. The dog has 3 minutes to complete both retrieves.

* Retrieve Off a Boat

The dog and handler ride out on a boat about 50 feet from shore. The handler throws a paddle or oar 10 feet from the boat. The dog has 90 seconds to jump from the boat, make the retrieve, bring the oar back to the handler or steward and relinquish it.

* Life Ring

Three stewards enter the water and swim about 75 feet out and 30 feet apart. One feigns distress, splashing and calling; the other two remain silent and still. The handler gives his dog the knotted end of a line attached to a life ring. The dog must take the line voluntarily. He must then swim directly to the person in distress, coming close enough that the steward can grab the life ring or the dog. The dog then tows the steward to shore. The exercise must be completed within 2 minutes.

* Underwater Retrieve

Handler and dog enter the water together walking to a point where the water is elbow depth for the dog. The handler throws an article of his choice 3 feet away from the dog parallel to shore. The article must sink immediately. The dog has 3 minutes to retrieve the article and return it to his handler. He may do so by submerging his head or pawing it to shallower water and retrieving it. The handler may throw the article at elbow depth as often as needed within the 3 minute limit.

* Take a Line/Tow a Boat

Two stewards wait in a boat at least 75 feet from shore. One calls the dog. The handler gives his dog a short line with a bumper attached. The dog may take either end of the line voluntarily. He then swims out to the boat, coming close enough for the steward to grab the line. The dog must then pull the boat to shore until it touches bottom. He has 2 minutes to complete the exercise.

* Rescue

Dog and handler ride in a boat to at least 50 feet from shore. At the signal from the judge, the handler falls or jumps from the boat. The dog must remain in the boat until called. He has 30 seconds to voluntarily enter the water without landing on the handler. He must swim directly to his handler and tow him back to the boat or to shore. 90 seconds is allowed to complete the entire exercise.

Created over the past 3 years by the Working Dog Committee of the NCA, the newest division is Water Rescue Dog Excellent, or WRDX. This test is for the elite working dog, who shows a drive and stamina and instinctive working ability beyond most Newfoundlands. The six exercises consist of searching for an abandoned boat, and returning it to land; rescuing multiple victims from the side of a boat; rescue of an unconscious victim; a rescue of a victim under a capsized boat; delivering a line to shore from a stranded boat; and taking a line to multiple drowning victims. Dogs who complete all 6 exercises earn the title of WRDX.

More detailed summary of Water Rescue Dog Excellent exercises:

* Search for Abandoned Boat

A steward will row out 75ft. from shore and will drop an anchor from inside the boat. The steward will gently place a floating eight-foot line with plastic or canvas boat bumper attached into the water on the seaward side of the boat. The handler will send the dog to search for the line. The dog will tow the boat to shore by either the boat bumper or the line attached to it, and will beach the boat.

* Multiple Person Rescue

The dog will board the boat and will travel with the handler while the boat is rowed out and anchored into position 150 feet from shore. While the boat is being rowed out into position the stewards will swim out to their designated locations. The victims will all begin to indicate that rescue is needed by splashing and calling for help. The handler will send the dog from the boat and to rescue the victims. The dog will swim to each victim. It is up to the dog to determine the order in which each victim is rescued. The dog shall swim close enough so that each victim is able to take hold of the dog Once the dog has made an actual pick up of a victim, they are returned to the handler at the boat, after each delivery the dog will be sent for the next victim. The dog will tow each victim back to the boat, where the handler waits on the platform.

* Rescue of an Unconscious Victim

The steward will swim away from shore into position at the 75ft. mark. The handler will command the dog to go to the steward’s rescue. Upon reaching the victim, the dog MUST take either of the protected arms or hands, or the life jacket of the victim into its mouth, using a gentle hold, and will tow the victim to almost wading depth for the dog. The handler will enter the water to assist the victim and the dog as the dog is returning with the victim in tow. When the handler has a hand on the victim, the judge will signal completion of the exercise.

* Rescue of Victim with Capsized Boat

At a signal from the judge, the steward in the inflatable raft will yell as he/she capsizes the raft, attracting the attention of the dog. The handler will command the dog to rescue the victim. Upon reaching the raft, the dog will swim in under the raft, whereupon the victim will immediately take hold of the dog. The dog will then exit from under the raft in any direction. The dog will tow the victim to just prior to wading depth for the dog, at which time, the handler will touch hands with the victim.

* Delivery of Line from Stranded Boat

The handler will direct the dog to take the line and then to jump from the boat. The dog will be directed by the handler to deliver the line to the designated steward waiting on the shoreline. However, the handler will retain the end of the line on the boat. The steward will encourage the dog to come to him/her once the dog is in the water and beginning to swim towards shore. The handler will feed the remaining line out to the dog swimming towards shore. The dog will deliver the line to the steward waiting on shore. The exercise will be complete when the dog delivers the line to the steward.

* Rescue of Multiple Victims

Two stewards will be rowed out 75ft. from shore. The two stewards will quietly exit the boat, one at a time from the platform. They will then move to the seaward side of the boat, where they will hold onto the lip of the boat. The stewards will call for help in a manner realistic with being stranded and as if their boat had overturned. The dog will enter the water and will swim directly to the boat. The dog is to swim close enough to one of the victims for that victim to reach out and to take hold of the dog while still having hold of the side of the boat. The dog may bring in one or both victims at the same time. returning towards shore with a victim (s) in tow. When the handler has taken hold of the hands of the second victim the exercise is finished.

Considering Distance in Obedience

2009-06-19T10:27:00.008-05:00

Obedience exercises can be divided into 3 types depending on the distance away from you the dog must travel and how much they must do while they are out there.

(1) Close Exercises: The dog is expected to be comfortable working close to you (effectively in having you in his space), or having someone else in his space (as with the stand for exam).
(2) Medium Distance Quick Exercises: While separated from you by a "medium distance" (usually about 10 feet) the dog must feel comfortable enough to preform one single quick exercise.
(3) Long Distance Complex Exercises: While separated from you by a "long distance" (usually the full length of the ring) the dog must feel comfortable enough to preform a whole series of exercise that may take some thought and patience.

Now lets exam the obedience exercises and determine if they fit in the category 1, 2, or 3.

Novice:
Heel on Leash + figure 8 = 1
Stand for Exam = 1 (must feel comfortable with someone else close to them)
Heel off Leash = 1
Recall = 1 (though you leave the dog at a distance the object of the exercise is for them to quickly return to you).

Open:
Heel off Leash + figure 8 = 1
Drop On Recall = 2 (dog must be willing to stop, at a distance from you, and preform another action)
Retrieve on Flat = 2 (dog must leave your side and preform another action)
Retrieve on Flat = 2
Broad Jump = 2 (again, though they are not far away from you, the dog must none-the-less do something in another direction before returning to you).

Utility:
Signals = 3 (dog must be willing to preform a series of exercises while separated from you)
Scent Discrimination = 3 (dog must be willing to preform a complex task that takes patience and concentration and time while separated from you)
Gloves = 3 (dog must be willing to preform a task that takes some thought)
Moving Stand for Exam = 1
Directed Jumping = 3 (go-outs .... need I say more)

Summary:
Novice: 1,1,1,1 average=1
Open: 1,2,2,2 average=1.75
Utility: 3,3,3,1,3 average=2.6

From the pattern above it is obvious that Novice tests for how well the dog is willing to work near you, and to let other people near them, Open tests how comfortable your dog is to leave your side to complete one simple task when asked, and Utility tests weather your dog can be comfortable while preforming a whole series of complex exercises away from you.

Things to Keep in Mind:
I believe distance is a important component of obedience to recognize and train for.

* Think about when and where you are asking your dog to work and how you are telling your dog that they are no longer working (never let distance be the way you signal to your dog they are no longer working). Dogs have a definite sense of when they are working and when they are not. How many times have you notice a wonderful working dog that starts sniffing and running around once the handler is separated from the dog by a large distance in the agility ring. Sure this may be stress on the dogs part but it also may be that the dog is never asked to work at that distance. The "invisible leash" between dog and handler is broken or doesn't extend to that distance. The handler being 10 feet away, say, may actually signal to the dog that it is play-time, since that is the only time the handler is 10 feet away from the dog.

* Think about WHERE you are rewarding your dog. If all praise, toys, treats, etc... are given to your dog close to you (from your hands or mouth) then close to you becomes a WONDERFUL place to be. This is fine for Novice, in fact essential for Novice. But as you being moving through Open and Utility start thinking about ways to make working AWAY FROM YOU also a comfortable and rewarding situation. For example: Run out and treat your dog the moment they pick up the dumbbell out where you threw it sometimes, Give them treats at the gate or even through the gate for go-outs, throw a toy for them after the sit in the Utility signal exercise, you get the idea. You can run out to the spot where the dog is working and give treats from your hand, you can throw a toy, you can throw a toy containing treats (food tube or any number of toys with treat pockets), you can release the dog to a toy or sealed container containing food that is located in another part of the ring (such as a small tupperware container, important that it is sealed so dog doesn't release and reward themselves), be creative.

* Think about extending your connection with your dog (the distance at which you still have their attention). When I show Novice I walk my dog on a 6 foot (or even 4 foot leash) as often as I can (certainly at the show site, and likely on all walks the week prior to the show). I get them use to defaulting to being and staying close to me. When I show in Open or Utility on the other hand I walk my dogs on a flexi-leash (or no leash when safe). I make sure my control over them and their connection with me will stand the test of that distance.

* Think about your day to day interaction with your dogs and the games you play with them. Think about how you can add new games to extend the distance at which they are comfortable working. There was a wonderful article written by Rachel Tabor Flatley for Dec 2008 Clean Run Magazine called "Think Outside the Box and the Ring". In this article Rachel writes "what you do (and don't do) outside the ring enters the ring with you". Rachel goes on to talk about warming up your dog keeping in mind what will be expected of them in the ring. For example if a lot of sends and lateral distance is required on course, warm your dog up by allowing them to approach the practice jump with some independence (loose leash, walking at a distance from you, or walking ahead of you), and than practice sends to the practice jump. Play retrieving games (building the dogs confidence being sent away from you) such as sending the dog away from you and than throwing a toy as a reward. If on the other hand the course requires lots of tight sequences that require the dog to have lots of handler focus, than make sure you walk your dog to the practice jump on a short leash with lots of focus on you, and do some tight focused jumps or figure 8 over the jump. Play, handler focused games, like hand touches. What Rachel is talking about in this article is developing a proper warm up routine with the agility course you are about to run in mind. But I think that this can easily be extended into obedience exercises that require your dog to be comfortable working at different distances (as we enumerated above) and can be extended to your day to day play and interaction with your dog. For example if you are preparing for Novice play lots of handler focused, being-near-me-is-a-good-place-to-be games. If you are preparing for Open play lots of going-away-is-fun-games such as retrieving, sending out to a toy, and give your dog more independence on leash. When preparing for Utility your dog should be totally comfortable working away from you while still being able to feel connected to you and paying attention to you. Consider teaching tricks that require your dog to work away from you, or play find-it-games, or teach your dog to back away from you (the further they get the more reward they get and they are paying attention to you all the time). Give your dogs lots of independence and walk them off leash when safe. Make sure you teach the dog that being 40' from you is still a place where they can pay attention and work and not a signal that they are allowed to complete disassociation from you and do their own thing or a reason to panic.

In a later post I will give some suggestions for games and tricks you can teach to help your dog become comfortable working at each different level 1-3.

National Amateur Retriever Championships 2009

2009-06-18T12:17:00.004-05:00

The 2009 National Amateur Retriever Championships are in full swing. They last from June 14-20. This year they are located around Virginia, Minnesota.

I have enjoyed following the coverage at:
http://www.working-retriever.com/report/report.html

There are two retriever championships held per year. The National Open Retriever Championships held in November and the National Amateur Retriever Championships held in June. The site of the National championships is changed to a different location in each of the four time zones every four years. (Amateur means that the dog is being handled by their owner as opposed to a professional)

To qualify for either of the two National Championships is a difficult thing to do. Qualifying requires the dog to have a 5-point win plus two other points during the year preceding the annual championship stakes. Points earned toward qualifying for the National Open Championships must be earned in the Open All-Age Stake. Points earned toward qualifying for the National Amateur Championships may be earned in the Amateur All-Age stake or the Open All-Age stake if the dog is handled by an Amateur handler.

Retriever field trials are very competitive and earning points requires winning. A 5-point win means the dog won first place, for the two additional points which are needed, the dog could have won a third place (which is worth 2 points). Alternatively a fourth place is worth 0.5 points, so 4, fourth place finishes would also make up the additional 2 points needed. Just to put this into perspective, to attain a Field Champion title a dog must have earned ten points in Open All-Age stake, five points of which must be from a first place. So qualifying for the National Championships is nearly as hard as earning a Field Champion Title!

This event brings together 122 of the top retrievers in the nation. It is an amazing thing to witness (even if it is only on-line). Amateur handlers (in the case of this event) handle their dogs in land and water retrieving tests over an entire week. Dogs that pass the day's tests are "called back" for another day of tests, slowly the field of amazing dogs shrinks till in the end only one dog wins -- can't wait to see who it will be this year. . .

Handling For Teamwork by Patty Ruzzo

2009-06-17T08:18:00.002-05:00

http://www.schutzhundvillage.com/_patty02.html

Clear, concise, consistent handling is reinforcing to your dog.
Body Posture, facial expression, verbal tones, energy level, positive expectations and clear, recognizable signal and verbal cues all play a part.
Attention starts with the handler. Trainers who are totally focused on their canine partner will receive reciprocal attention from that dog.
Handler sets him/herself up first and checks own body position for straight alignment before expecting perfection from the dog.
Handlers feet in line and pointed forward, shoulders over hips.
Soft focus on floor in front of handler. See dog in peripheral vision.
Walk, think, focus on straight lines.
Give verbal and/or signal cues before commencing heeling, pivoting, and stays.
Shorten stride length on all turns, halts, and curves of the figure 8.
Double track (not single track) when doing left and right turns, the slow pace, and on both curves of the figure 8.
Take responsibility! The dog is exactly where you put him.

Smile and breathe!

History of Obedience and Evolution of Obedience Exercises

2009-06-16T09:29:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to an old obedience video (1929):

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=10104

Here is a link to an old practice session of a dog training club, taking place at a bar (1954):

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=47644

Both of the above take place in Britain, where obedience competition pre-dates American obedience competitions. Some things are strikingly familiar: the auto halt sits, the heeling in a circle, the hand position while heeling, the front and finishes, alas not the beer drinking at the end of class.
Watching these videos started me thinking about the history of obedience and how obedience exercises have changed over the years. I couldn't find much on the history of British dog obedience and even less on the evolution of obedience exercises in Britain so here instead is a short history of AKC obedience and the evolution of AKC obedience exercises:

Mrs. Helen Whitehouse Walker is credited as the founder of American obedience. To prove the intelligence of her Standard Poodles, Mrs. Walker created a series of obedience exercises modeled on the ones she had seen while traveling in England. In December 1935 she submitted a pamphlet of procedures to the AKC, and three months later the Board of Directors approved it. In April 1936, AKC published the first official "Regulations and Standard for Obedience Test Field Trials". The first obedience test was held in October 1933 in Mount Kisco, New York.

The concept behind obedience training was to develop a very close working relationship between human beings and dogs, while demonstrating the usefulness and enthusiasm of dogs. * In the 1930s when obedience competition in America first began the exercises were as follows: Novice exercises were: * Heeling On Leash * Heeling Off Leash * Recall * One Minute Sit * Three Minute Down All of there were performed as is done today but with different point values totaling 100 points. Open exercises were: * Heeling On Leash * Heeling Off Leash * Recall (done as in Novice) * Retrieve On Flat * Speak on Command * Long Jump (often called Broad Jump) * Long Sit * Long Down totaling 250 points. Utility exercise were: * 440 yard tracking test which was usually held on a different day * Scent Discrimination (on three articles of wood, metal, and leather) * Seek Back exercise (see description below) * Retrieve over a 42-inch obstacle carrying a two pound dumbbell (the dog was allowed to climb the jump going and coming andit was legal to wrap the bit of the dumbbell with cord or leather. This was requested by a group of Sporting Dog enthusiasts who claimed that carrying a wooden bit would cause a dog to become hard-mouthed).* Group stand for exam. Total Utility score was 400 points with tracking worth over half of these points. Seek Back Exercise:This Utility exercise was largely heeling and started with the handler carrying a leather glove standing with his dog sitting in heel position at a spot designated by the judge. The judge would ask "Are you ready?" and order forward. The handler and dog would then execute a Novice heeling pattern as ordered by the judge ending with a halt. At some point in the heeling the judge would order "drop it" and the handler would drop the glove. At the end of the heel pattern the judge would order, "Send Your Dog" and the handler would would be send the dog to retrieve the glove. As the dog was sent the handler could point in the direction of the trail. The dog would retrieve the glove, sit in front, and on further command finish.
Early changes to the obedience exercises including: * Adding the Stand for Examination to the Novice Exercises. The Novice Stand for Exam was originally done on leash. *Many people objected to teaching a dog to bark and the "Speak on Command" exercise was dropped from Open in the 1940s. (You can see the "Speak on Command" exercise being preformed at the end of the second video above) * Tracking was dropped as a Utility requirement and was made a separate event with its own title in 1946. * After World War II the Hurdle and Bar Exercise was added to the Utility Class. The Hurdle and Bar Exercise: This exercise was executed quite similar to how the broad jump is today. Only it took the full length of the ring, and instead of a broad jump two jumps (hurdle and bar) were used. On the long center line of the ring one jump (either hurdle jump or bar jump) was placed about one-third of the distance and the other jump at the two-third position. The handler with dog sitting at heel was positioned any place between one jump and the ring barrier. The judge would order, "Leave your dog" and the handler would walk to a point at the side and midway between the two jumps facing the opposite side of the ring. The judge would order, "Send your dog" and the handler would give a jump command and the dog would jump the first jump. After the dog landed the handler would give a command to take the second jump. When the dog was in midair over the second jump, the handler would do a pivot and the dog would come front. The dog then finished on command. * In 1949 the Hurdle and Bar exercise was changed to the Directed Jumping Exercise. * In 1966 the Seek Back exercise was eliminated. The Directed Retrieve exercise was developed to take its place. * In 1966 the wooden articles were eliminated from the Scent Discrimination exercise. * Retrieve over high jump was moved from Utility to Open. * Heeling on Leash was eliminated from Open and figure 8 exercises were added. On leash in Novice and Off leash in Open. * The Novice Stand for Examination was changed from On Leash to Off Leash. Novice people were having a great deal of trouble handling the leash and many of them were getting tangled when leaving the dog causing the dog to inadvertently move. Many judges would re-judge these errors. On the other hand some professional handler would use a huge leash that was one to two inches wide and ten or twelve feet long and when they left the dog the leash would be on the ground, this had the effect of ground-tying the dog. * In 1966 the bar on the bar jump was changed from a round to a square bar. The flat surface of the square bar made it much more stable. * The Recall in Open was replaced with a Drop on Recall. * The Signal Exercises were added to Utility. * In 1973 the order the the Utility exercises were changed so that they no longer began with Scent Discrimination and began with Signal Exercise instead. Making this change was a matter of some debate and discussion because many people believed that if the handler moved about the ring their scent would contaminate the area making scent work impossible. * High in Trial and High Combined Awards were instituted. * The Directed Retrieve Exercise was changed by requiring it to begin with the handler and dog facing away from the gloves, and than to turn in place to face the gloves before sending the dog as is done today. * In 1977 the OTCH was added. The first dog to earn the OTCH title was Tonka a Golden Retriever owned and handled by Russell Klipple of Pennsylviania. The following day Pauline Czarnecki and her Golden Retriever, Cicsco finished the second OTCH awarded. * In 1988 the jump height was lowered from 1 and 1/2 dogs shoulder height to 1 and 1/4 dogs shoulder height. * In 1988 the Group Stand for Exam was eliminated from Utility. The exercises stared by positioning up to fifteen dogs sitting at heel along the center-line of the ring and the judge would order "Stand Your Dogs" then "Leave your Dogs". The handlers would stand their dogs and give the stay command, go to the opposite side of the ring and face their dog. The judge would approach the dog from the front and examine it as in conformation and after examining all dogs would order handlers "Back to Your Dogs". The time the dog had to stand was a minimum of three minutes but slow judges often required over ten minutes. This exercise was replaced by the Moving Stand and Examination. * The UDX was added. * In 1992 the Halt in Fast and Halt in Slow were eliminated such that today all halts are done in Normal Pace. * The jump heights were lowered again. * In 2002, Hobi, a Shetland Sheepdog, earned 1,235 OTCH points to be the top OTCH-pointed dog in the country. As of this writing, 2009, Hobi still holds the record from the most lifetime OTCH points earned with 15,229. * I find it interesting that in the minutes from the 2003 obedience advisory committee it was noted that they had received several letters requesting letting non-pure breeds compete in AKC obedience. That 2003 committee did not discuss that topic, but as of this writing, 2009, AKC has announced that next year, 2010, mix bred dogs will be allowed to start competing, albeit, on a limited bases and in separate classes, in AKC obedience. * Today there are 2,000 AKC obedience trials held each year with 100,000 dogs competing.
Most of the information above is taken from a series of articles that Bob Self , Sr. wrote for Front&Finish from Jan 2006 to Aug 2006. Some of the information comes from the AKC website.

I also looked, briefly, at the history of Schutzhund: The first Schutzhund competitions were held in Germany in the early 1900s. Schutzhund exercises were drastically changed in 2004 in response to political pressure in Germany. The first Schutzhund competition in America was held in 1970 in California. On and off there has been talk about adding Schutzhund to AKC but to date that has not happened.

Below is another old video, this time of a Schutzhund trial taking place in Germany in 1936

a little about French Ring Sport

2009-06-15T08:32:00.002-05:00

Ring sport started in France and was introduced to North America in 1986.

Any dog including mixes can compete in French Ring sport.

The North American Ring sport Association (N.A.R.A.) is the governing organization and maintains a liaison with the parent French organization which operates under the auspices of the S.C.C. (Societe Centrale Canine), the French equivalent of the AKC. Titles earned in any country earned are recognized internationally.

Ring Sport Titles are Brevet, Ring I, Ring 2, Ring 3.

The Brevet is an entry level test that must be passed in order to go on to Ring I. Once this "entry test" title is earned, the same dog may not compete for it again. This brief, 15 minute test is very difficult to pass. The entrant must earn 80 of the 100 available points including 80% of the available points for each of the 30-point protection exercises.

Ring I, II and III are progressively more difficult both in the number and complexity of the exercises as well as the intensity of the opposition to the dog presented by the decoy. To progress from Ring I to Ring II, the dog must twice earn scores of 160 or better out of 200, trialing under two different judges and two different decoys. To progress from Ring II to Ring III, the dog must again attain two qualifying scores--this time 240 points out of 300 with different judges and decoys.

Each year in June there is a Championship trial in France called "Coupe de France". Approximately 25 dogs are invited to compete based upon their scores in three highly competitive selective trials for their region. To compete in the selectives, they have to have passed with a certain score in 7 different pre-selective trials under different judges and decoys. Two awards are given to the dogs at the end of the "Coupe": Champion of France in Ring is given to the dog that has the highest score totaling the scores of the selectives and the "Coupe"; the other is winner of the "Coupe." The competition is exceedingly demanding when you consider that France has over 700 ring sport clubs and over 2,000 dogs start the trial year hoping to make it to the championships.

In North America, there are two annual championships, one held by NARA, the North American Ring Association and the other by the CRA, the Canadian Ring Association.

Ring sport trials are divided into three sections: Jumps, obedience, and protection.

The Jumps always come first and the competitor can choose the order in which the jumps will be performed. The obedience follows immediately after the jumps, and the order of the exercises is drawn ahead of time. Directly after the obedience with no pause comes the protection, the order of which has also been chosen by lot. At the Ring III level, the dog and handler perform for about 45 minutes with no break, except perhaps drink of water for the dog.

JUMPS

Sometimes you will see a competitor attempt a particular jump up to three times. He may do this if the dog refuses or misses, or he may do it when the dog is successful so that he can earn more points with a higher or longer jump. The minimum size on the hurdle is .9 meters with the maximum height being 1.2 meters. Minimum length on the long jump is a remarkable 3 meters or 9.75 feet up to a maximum of 4.5 meters or 14.62'. The minimum height on the palisade, or vertical wall, is 1.7m or 5.5'. The maximum is 7.5 feet.

The bigger the jump, the more points can be earned on it.

Summary of Jump Exercises:
* High Jump: dog jumps a hurdle on command, then does a return jump on command and comes to a heel position by the handler, minimum hurdle height 0.9m for 8 pts (1m = 39.37in)
* Palisade: dog jumps and climbs over a wooden wall, minimum height 1.7m, then does a return jump and returns to handler
* Long Jump: dog jumps a pvc/metal "key" long jump on the ground, minimum length 3m

OBEDIENCE

Ring sport obedience can appear deceptively simple because it does not demand the rigorous style of Schutzhund or top level AKC competition. This is because it is very goal oriented rather than style conscious. One tightening of the leash -- whether it is for forging or lagging--and a score of zero is given for heeling. One piece of food eaten, or even picked up, touched or licked on the food refusal exercise and the score is zero--out of a possible 10 or 20 points depending upon the level of competition.

Summary of Obedience Exercises:
* Heel on a leash: in a pattern determined by the judge with multiple stops and starts, left and right turns
* Heel with muzzle: heeling off leash while the dog wears a muzzle in a pattern determined by the judge with multiple stops and starts, left and right turns
* Long sit/down: done with the handler out of sight, the dog stays in a pre-drawn position 1 min.
* Food refusal: dog is thrown 4 pieces of food (usually meat or cheese) while on a down stay with the handler out of sight. Dog must not eat the food, and if it is "accidentally" thrown into dogs mouth, he must immediately spit it out. The field is also baited with 6 pieces of food, in strategic locations (i.e. by blinds, jumps, area dog runs over during send away, etc.)
* Positions: the dog is told to sit, stand and down in a pre-drawn order. the handler is 18m away. points are lost for creeping forward during the positions, or failure to perform a position
* Thrown Retrieves: the handler throws the item at least 5m, on command the dog retrieves the item and presents it to the handler. the retrieve object can be any object such as a glove, wallet, rolled up sock, glasses case, etc.
* Unseen Retrieve: handler and dog are heeling, handler drops the object on the opposite side from the dog, a similar object is placed next to the retrieve object, at a signal dog and handler turn around, and dog is sent to retrieve the object. points lost for mouthing object, 0 points if dog retrieves wrong object
* Seen Retrieve: the handler drops the object on the same side as the dog and the dog immediately picks it up, runs completely in front of the handler who then stops walking, then dog returns the object to the handler
* Send Away: the dog is told to run in a straight line away from the handler until called, then it returns to the handler

PROTECTION

The protection phase is divided into attacks and exercises. The scoring is based on elements of the dog's control and the efficiency and "solidness" of the dog's bitework against a decoy who is trying to make the dog lose as may points as possible.

ATTACKS

The attacks in Ring III are the face attack (decoy facing dog), the fleeing attack, the attack with revolver and guard, and the stopped attack.

In the FACE ATTACK the handler commands the dog to "stay" behind the line of departure. The decoy, beginning about 10 yards from the dog, threatens the dog, hoping to make him break his stay. He then runs downfield of the dog to 30 to 50 yards, where he turns and agitates again. Upon hearing the judge's horn, the handler sends his dog. The decoy agitates the whole while, attempting to frighten or slow the down the dog. He may then attempt to side step the dog to make him miss his entry or he may create a fast and threatening " barrage " with the noisy, split bamboo stick, hoping to hold the dog off. When the dog bites, the decoy fights him, trying to intimidate him into quitting, losing his bite or getting so angry that he won't let go on command. After 15 seconds, the judge signals the handler to out and recall his dog. The decoy freezes AFTER the "out" command or whistle. The dog has 30 seconds to return to his owner. The only exception to this is the face attack in Brevet, when the handler has an option of having his dog out and guard.

The STOPPED ATTACK is performed the same as the Face Attack except that the decoy now wants to make the dog bite and may step toward the dog instead of trying to get away or intimidate. The handler tries to call the dog back as close to the decoy as possible to earn maximum points. The intriguing thing about the stopped attack is that it is only scored after the scoring of the face attack. This prevents weak dogs that would rather stop than bite from getting full points.

The FLEEING ATTACK is done with the same procedure as the face and stopped attacks except that the decoy runs away and tries to escape the dog as much as possible.

The REVOLVER ATTACK is begun like the face attack, but the decoy has a gun instead of a stick. The decoy runs to 40 meters and awaits the dog. He must fire the two shots before the dog bites, once at 12 meters and again at 7 meters. After a 15 second fight, the handler tells the dog to out and guard. The judge will indicate that the decoy should escape, the dog bites to control the escape (losing 1 point for every meter the decoy escapes), the handler outs the dog for another guard and escape. Then the judge indicates that the handler should go to disarm the decoy, after which he tells his dog to heel away with him.

Summary of Protection Attacks:
* Face Attack: the dog is told to attack a decoy who is facing him about 40m away behaving in a menacing fashion, with out/recall
* Fleeing Attack: the dog is told to attack a decoy who is running away, with out/recall after the bite/fight
* Attack with Gun: the dog attacks a decoy who is firing a gun, twice during the attack, and once after the bite. After the bite/fight, the decoy freezes, the dog lets go and guards the decoy. The decoy tries to escape twice, the dog bites each time, then the handler disarms the decoy and heels the dog away.
* Stopped Attack: This is done exactly like the face attack, with the decoy acting menacing and the dog being told to attack. When the dog is 1 to 4m away, the handler calls the dog who returns to the handler without biting the decoy. Points are based on the distance from the decoy when the dog is recalled, with 0 points if the dog bites. the handler must behave in every way exactly the same up until the recall command for the call off and face attack (EX sneeze during one, you better for the other)

EXERCISES

The exercises include the defense of handler, the search and bark with escort, and the guard of object. The DEFENSE OF HANDLER requires that the decoy approach from one end of the field, the dog and handler from the other; they meet, shake hands and converse, say "good-bye", pass each other, then the decoy sneaks up behind the handler to aggress him. The dog is permitted to bite at the moment of the aggression. He fights for 10 seconds, is called out, he guards automatically, and then is recalled. In the Brevet only, the decoy shoots a handgun two times when the dog bites.

The SEARCH AND BARK begins with the handler and the dog off the field while the decoy hides in any one of up to 7 blinds, according to the judge's directions. The dog and handler return to the field where the dog is commanded to search and bark. The search is free style with a time limit of 2, 2.5 or 3 minutes depending upon the size of the field. When he locates the decoy, the dog must bark, but not bite until the decoy escapes, shooting his gun. After the dog controls the first escape, and is called out, the decoy escapes and shoots again. After the dog controls this second escape, the handler will come to disarm the decoy. Then, leaving the dog to guard the decoy, the handler goes about 3 meters behind the decoy to begin the escort. During the escort, the dog stays with the decoy to control the 2 to 3 escapes the decoy will attempt. For every step (1 meter) the decoy can escape without being "well in grasp", the dog loses points.

Probably the best-known Ring exercise is the GUARD OF OBJECT. Here the handler leaves his dog alone with a large basket to guard from the decoy's attempts to steal it. The dog must stay with the object and only bite the decoy when the decoy comes within one meter of the object. When the decoy is bitten, he pauses as still as possible, for 5 seconds, after which he tries to go away from the object. The dog must automatically let go his bite within one meter and return to the object.

This is the most advanced, complex and difficult exercise to teach the dog. It requires so much self control from the dog, yet at the same time so much drive to bite. The balance in training is supremely difficult to achieve, especially considering that the decoy is watching for any weak spots in the training, any slight lapses of vigilance, hesitations in the dog's decision making, etc., in order to steal the object.

From the decoy's point of view it is a real test of his skills...his ability to read the dog, his knowledge of training techniques, his speed, his subtlety. It would be easier for him if he simply were allowed to try to lure the dog away from the object by begging to be bitten, but he is not permitted to do that. He must honestly try to take the object, either with his hand or his foot.

Summary of Protection Exercises:
* Defense of Handler: handler, dog and decoy approach each other and have a short conversation, then continue walking. the decoy turns around and comes up behind the handler, and as soon as the decoy "attacks" (obvious "hit" on handler) the handler, the dog bites the decoy. After the dog is told to out, he guards the decoy until recalled. the dog must stay with the handler until the attack, most dogs are taught to heel facing backwards for this exercise
* Search, Hold, and Bark with Escort: The dog finds the decoy who is hidden in one of six blinds, and barks to indicate the decoy has been found. The decoy attempts to escape, while firing a gun, and the dog stops the decoy by biting. The decoy attempts another escape and fires the gun, dog stops decoy by biting. Handler outs dog, then disarms the decoy and retreats at least 3m. The dog escorts the decoy to a designated spot, preventing two more escape attempts by biting. The dog has no set pattern to run the blinds in as long as he finds the decoy in the allotted time.
* Guard of Object: the dog is told to guard an object, and the handler goes to a place out of sight. The handler does not participate in any way again, until it is time to retrieve his dog. The decoy tries three times to steal the object, and the dog stops the decoy each time by biting. as soon as the dog bites, the decoy must freeze for 5 seconds, however if the dog lets go then rebites, the decoy can begin to move. As soon as the decoy begins to move away from the object, the dog lets go to remain close to the object he is guarding. Points are lost for biting to soon, allowing the decoy to move or completely steal the object, being drug away from the object, etc.

You don't "fail" at Ring III, you receive either an Excellent, Very Good, Good or other rating. However to call your dog a Ring III dog, you must score at least 320 out of 400 possible points. If you score less then 240 two times in one year then you must go back to Ring II and re-qualify before you can move up to Ring III again.

When competing in Ring, the dog has no collar or leash on at any time except during the heel on leash. No food rewards or physical corrections are allowed at any time while competing. Also, excessive praise or petting will result in a loss of general outlook points. Points for an exercise will be lost for multiple commands, incorrect commands, or failure of the dog or handler to perform the exercise correctly. Control is emphasized from the moment the dog/handler team walks onto the field, until they leave at the end.

The information above comes from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Ring and from the links below.

American Ring Sport Organizations:
North American Ring Association:
http://www.ringsport.org/index.html
U.S. MondioRing Association:
http://www.usmondioring.org

Motivational Quote

2009-06-14T13:20:00.004-05:00

Motivational Quote posted to the Obed-Comp yahoo list:

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing -- that's why we recommend it daily."

Go-out - just the Turn & Sit part

2009-06-12T08:59:00.001-05:00

The Go-out is a hard exercise to teach and even a harder exercise perfect. Dogs are situational and it takes a lot of work to teach a dog to generalize this exercise such that they are comfortable preforming it in different places to different walls, ring gates, etc...

Often, however, trainers are so worried about the go-out itself that they neglect the "turn & sit" part of this exercise. And yet without a well taught and cleanly executed "turn & sit" you can derail your entire go-out effort.

Teaching the turn&sit:

I am not a big fan of the "scream your dog's name and when they turn back to look at you firmly command SIT" method. I think this method does little to teach your dog anything and nothing to explain to them what type of behavior you are looking for.

What are you looking for?:
(1) Turn in place
(2) Sit quickly facing directly back to you
(3) No steps forward

Six other methods to teach the go-out turn & sit:

(1) Spin -- You can teach your dog a "spin" command, such that you will command "Fido Spin" rather than "Fido sit". You will teach the "spin" independent of the go-out itself. You will teach your dog to go from a standing position to turning 180 degrees and sitting, upon the command "spin". You can start teaching this by luring this behavior with a cookie, but remember that the cookie must be faded and that it is important that the dog understand that "spin" means turn 180 degrees and has nothing else to do with your position (or position of your hand--- when luring). I really like the results of the "spin" technique. The handler says "Fido Spin" and the dog spins in place (sometimes even jumping up and around) and lands in a beautiful straight sit. (Now an admission: For what it is worth, I tried and failed to teach Rosco to turn&sit using this technique. I was never able to fade my body position and hand motion completely and get a totally independent turn&sit from him. This should in no way discourage you from trying this method if you would like to, it is just something I felt compelled to admit.)

(2) Quick Turn & sits -- You can teach your dog what you expect of them when you say "Fido sit" but physically turning them and sitting them facing toward you. For example as your dog is walking away from you, any old time at home, you can say "Fido sit" as you reach over and grab their collar (preferably under their neck) and quickly turn them around and sit them facing you. Make sure you give lots of praise. You can make this a really fun game that the dog will enjoy. This method will build the habit of turning quickly in a small circle and sitting facing you. It will also help the dog understand that the "Fido sit" command can come at any time and they must quickly preform it no matter what else they are doing. I know many handlers who have used this technique with much success.

(3) Cookie Toss -- I learned this method from Adele Yunck and have used it with my dogs. I have found it especially useful to avoid and eliminate steps forward on the turn&sit. You start with a hand full of cookies and you throw one away from you (I also say "get it" at the same time), as soon as your dog has eaten the cookie you command "Fido sit", if your dog doesn't spin to face you or takes any steps toward you, mark the incorrect action ("oops" or other word you use) and walk toward your dog such that they are sitting in front of you. I find that just saying "oops" (which my dogs understand as a marker for a mistake made) and stepping toward them will make them re-think what they are doing and results in a sit. However you can, and may need to, take hold of your dog and physically take them back to the spot they should have sat and sit them there. Than throw another cookie away from you (in any direction), say "get it" at the same time (optional), and as before after dog is finished eating say "Fido sit". When you get a nice small circle, of dog orienting back toward you, and nice clean sit, with no step forward, run over and reward your dog in that position, give more or better cookies than the ones you use for the toss. Keep this whole exercise a fun and happy game. Don't correct your dog too harshly or too much. Once your dog has done the exercise right several times, just saying "oops" and giving no cookies for incorrect turns is often enough (with no resetting or stepping forward needed).

(4) Go out box / platform /jump stanchions -- Many trainers use go-out boxes or platforms with great success. By teaching your dog to sit on, and than to, turn on and sit on, a platform. Or to walk into, turn, and sit in a box (often made of wood or PVC looks like a C (open end oriented toward you)) you can place this at the end of the dog' go-out and really clearly explain to the dog what you expect from a turn&sit and where you want it preformed. Once the dog has built this habit and muscle memory you will fade the platform or go-out box. Alternatively you can use jump stanchions or chairs and teach your dog that at the end of the go-out they are to turn and sit between these objects. These also must than be faded. One of my dogs veers to the left at the end of his go-out so I often use just one jump stanchion, or chair, or cone on the left edge of his turn&sit to re-enforce where he is suppose to be, and if he makes a mistake, to help me explain to him why he is wrong ("this side of the post buddy, remember between these two posts, not out here").

(5) Asking for turn in un-natural direction -- Dogs will almost always have a "preferred" direction in which they will turn and sit (this is the same way they will turn after picking up the dumbbell). You will be able to notice this "handedness" in your dog's turning immediately, and likely they will turn in the same direction every time. By teaching your dog to turn in the other direction, the un-natural direction, you can gain more control and therefore demand more precision on the turn&sit. By turning in the un-natural direction the dog isn't just "doing it" they will need to think about what they are doing more. And therefore you can shape a tighter turn and a cleaner sit. This "un-natural direction" turn&sit is often taught the same way as number 2 above. Which is to say, physically turning the dog (in the un-natural) direction, this time, and sitting them facing you. However you can teach it whatever way your dog will understand best. The important thing here is that the dog turn in the un-natural direction. (If your dog is one of the few that doesn't have a preferred direction, I am sorry you are out of luck with this method, but I strongly suggest that whatever way you end up teaching the turn&sit that you demand that your dog do it the same way each time and not allow them to choose.)

(6) Butt to the fence -- I know one trainer who used this method to teach her dog the turn and sit. I have not used it myself but for the sake of completeness I wanted to include it here. I think this method would be easiest to teach using a clicker to free shape this behavior. In the "Butt to the fence" technique the dog is taught that when they hear "Fido sit" they turn themselves around 180 degrees and sit with their rear TOUCHING the fence, wall, ring gate, etc... (of course in the ring you will pull them short of this) but by building the habit of going all the way to the ring barrier and than touching it with the rear you teach the dog to 1. do a full length go-out, 2. sit oriented back toward you with no steps forward. I am not totally sold on this technique because since you will never do a go-out all the way to the ring barrier in the ring you are risking the dog figuring out that the criteria you require in practice are not needed in the ring and that is dangerous ground. However for the sake of completeness I wanted to include this method.

Without a good turn&sit even the most wonderful go-out is not going to be well scored, not to mention that your dog might be badly set up for the jumps. However to get a good turn&sit you must TEACH the behavior. If you choose not to teach it and just "yell your dogs name and sit" than you are effectively allowing your dog to define their own criteria which may include, any or all of the following, (1) large loopy turns, (2) slow crocked sits, (3) steps forward. To be fair, you must "explain" (and by this I mean "teach") your dog what you want from them on the turn&sit. I hope the six methods above give you some ideas. You can try any of them or any of them them in combination to find what will work best for your dog. You may also consider using a word other than "sit" to mean "turn and sit facing me" (one of the methods above I recommend using "spin" since that method requires a completely new behavior for the turn&sit that really isn't a sit, however you may choose to do this for any of the above, just remember to be consistent and clear in what you require).

All About Corrections

2009-06-11T08:29:00.004-05:00

Corrections are an important part of a balanced training program. Yet they are quiet often misunderstood and/or misused.

A correction can be ANYTHING that accomplishes (and must accomplish) the two things below:

A correction:
1. immediately stops what dog is doing
2. offends the dog

How to use Corrections fairly:
Here is a flow chart from Connie Cleveland:

http://www.dogtrainersworkshop.com/default2.asp?active_page_id=103

I like this flow chart because I think it explains how and when to use corrections well.

Here are some things to keep in mind:
* Never use corrections when you are teaching, you WANT your dog to offer different behaviors at this stage.
* Once you are beyond the teaching stage decide on a criteria for each behavior, if the dog incorrectly preforms the behavior (doesn't fit into your criteria) immediately stop the exercise and simplify it.
*Never let dog fail more than 2 times, on the 3rd time make sure you have made the exercise so easy as to ensure your dog will be successful.
* Once your dog understands the exercise and how to preform it correctly and decides NOT TO (shows lack of effort) (see flow chart above). This is the time to correct (see types of corrections below).
* Corrections are not punishment!

Types of Corrections:
Below is a description of basic corrections that I give to my beginner classes. They include verbal corrections, physical corrections (+ or - verbal), and leash pop corrections. I classify these corrections into Level 1 (verbal) to Level 3 (leash pop). I describe them and explain how to teach them (see below). It is important that physical (level 2) and leash pop (level 3) corrections be taught.
However remember that a correction can be ANYTHING (that 1. stops what the dog is doing, 2. offends the dog). You don't have to limit yourself to these basic corrections (described below).

For example, lets consider a more advanced correction situation and different types of corrections. Lets say my dog is working slowly and lazily one day. I want to explain to them that I don't want half-hearted work and they are making a mistake by working in this way. How do I correct for lack of energy? I am looking for something that will 1. stop what the dog is doing --- being lazy (in this case) and 2. offend the dog --- so that they won't want to be lazy again. This kind of "motivational correction" is going to be dog specific. None of the basic corrections listed below will work in this situation, what is required is a more complex and dog specific correction. When developing a dog specific "motivational" correction, I often find it is useful to use something you use while playing with that dog that you know energizes them, but remember it must offend them as well. Let me tell you what has worked for my dogs.
Motivational correction for Rosco -- I pinch, pull, or "bite" (using my hand) his butt (or top of rear legs). Rosco HATES this, he tucks his tail, but he also turns around and jumps up at me and starts jumping around. So this is what I want 2. offended, 1. stops what he is doing (being lazy). So if Rosco is being down and working half-heartily I tell him he is "naughty" and I playfully "bite" his butt and he starts jumping around and working with lots of energy. (I have put the "naughty" word to this correction recently in hopes of one day being able to use the word alone as a lesser-degree of this correction).
Motivational correction for Lola -- I push her away from me. When Lola is distracted or sniffing or working in a lazy way. I silently and quickly push her away from me. Lola finds this very annoying (criteria 2.) and she comes back to my side running and than does a better job of working (criteria 1.).
Motivational correction for Gwyneth -- For Gwyneth I have two. (A) I "bite" (using my hands) at her front feet, (B) I lift her (just an inch) off the ground. I discovered (A) by watching some herding dogs play. These Aussies were biting each others front legs and the bites were making them very playful and at the same time annoying them. Since Gwyneth is a corgi I decided to try "biting" her front legs with my hands. This worked well. Gwyneth find this behavior most annoying and she starts barking, wagging her tail, and spinning in circles. I like to use this correction, however, having to "bite" the short little legs of a corgi is not always the most convenient motivational correction to try to give, so I developed a second one for her. (B) I lift her off the ground, just an inch or two. Gwyneth is very adamant that she is a big dog and she HATES to be picked up. So the threat of being picked up, by just lifting her an inch or two, gets her attention quickly, offends her, and gets her all hyper and excited.

* Remember to correct only once you are beyond the teaching stage, and only for lack-of-effort (not ever when to dog is trying to do the right thing). When the dog is trying to do the right thing just mark the incorrect moment by ending the exercise and simplify to help them.

* Remember also that corrections you use are limited only by your imagination and the fact that they must meet the following two criteria: 1. must stop what dog is doing, 2. must offend the dog.
____________________________________________________________________
How to use Basic Corrections (below is a handout I give out to my basic dog training students which covers the basic corrections, how to teach them, and use them)

Corrections in dog training

* First you must decide what you will expect from your dog. For example: When I say sit, I want my dog to sit quickly on the first command but he doesn’t have to sit completely straight.

* Once you have defined the criteria for each exercise in your head, you must be consistent.

* CORRECTIONS ARE NOT PUNISHMENT

* Corrections help your dog understand the criteria you have defined and result in a happy working relationship. Improper corrections result in mistrust. Be consistent with your criteria for each exercise and careful with the timing of your correction.

* A smart confident dog will try to push you to find the boundaries of each exercise. Corrections are a way of showing them those boundaries.

* Three levels of corrections are listed below. There are more extreme levels of corrections (not listed) but they are used in emergency situations and are never used in dog training.

* For some dogs level-1 is enough and level-2 is used only in extreme circumstances. For other dogs all corrections will be in level-3. You must know your dog and try different types of corrections to see what works. Remember to match the correction to the mistake.

* NEVER EVER CORRECT A DOG WHEN THEY ARE STILL LEARNING AN EXERCISE OR WHEN THEY ARE CONFUSED. This will make obedience training less fun for your dog and may result in them no longer being willing to offer behaviors. (It is very difficult to train a dog that doesn’t offer behaviors and/or thinks obedience is not fun).

Level-1 corrections

Just Voice

* Your tone is very important, depending on the mistake you can use:

“Oops”, “try again”-----in a mild tone and not unhappy body posture

“Un un”

“NO”--in a low deep unhappy tone and rigid unhappy body posture

“AH!”

* The correction lasts a split second, it just serves as a mark of the dog’s mistake, immediately after you return to your happy self and give the dog another chance to try. Use a more stern body posture and voice when issuing the command for the second time (if needed).

Level-2 corrections

Voice

Hands used to reposition dog

NO leash

* LEVEL-2 CORRECTIONS MUST BE TAUGHT BEFORE USE

* Use voice mark (i.e. “NO”) while simultaneously repositioning dog into correct position with hands. When dog is in correct position label it (i.e. “sit”) and immediately praise.

Level-3 corrections

Voice (optional)

Leash (never use a harness or head halter when using Level-3 corrections)

* LEVEL-3 CORRECTIONS MUST BE TAUGHT BEFORE USE

* Level-3 corrections are based on a leash-pop.

* These corrections work only if the leash is loose and held decently short.

* When the mistake happens, use a quick pop in the direction you want the dog to move. For sit = up, down = down, heel = sideways toward your leg, stay = backwards, come = forwards.

* Do not exert steady pressure on the leash. Do not use the leash to reposition your dog. Do not hang your dog with the leash. Remember corrections are not punishment.

* The leash-pop lasts just a second than praise and/or treat. In my experience is you praise just after the pop you usually caught the moment your dog’s attention is back on you. Perfect timing! Good Handling = perfect timing.

Teaching Corrections

* Before you being, corrections must be taught so your dog understands them. Failure to teach corrections will result in a dog who doesn’t understand and “can’t take” the correction. (Often this is manifested as a dog that melts into the ground or shies away from the correction).

* Level-1 corrections are not taught therefore your tone of voice, body posture, and timing are critical in your dog’s ability to understand them. Use a stiff, upright body posture, look down at your dog (but not into their eyes, direct eye contact should be associated only with good things), and use a low rumbling tone when speaking.

* Level-2 corrections relay on you being able to manipulate your dog with your hands. This must be taught.

--- To begin place one hand onto your dogs back just above the tail the other hand holding their collar behind their neck. Say, “sit” in a happy voice as you pull up on their collar and gently push down on their rear back. Praise and treat when they sit.

--- For down, tell the dog to “down” as you pull lightly on the front of their collar toward the ground and push down gently on their shoulders.

--- You are looking for the dog not to react to your hands on their body and for them to work with you rather than fighting against you.

--- Remember that because you have TAUGHT level-2 corrections you will praise your dog and give treats when they are learning them and later occasionally when you use these corrections.

* Level-3 corrections relay on your dog understanding the leash-pop. This must be taught.

--- Pop & Treat Method: Begin with your dog sitting on your left hand side, hold onto their collar and pull up in a quick pop, immediately give a treat. Once your dog begins looking for the treat when they feel to pop on their collar move to holding onto the leash. Hold the leash very short just above the collar, repeat the pop and treat exercise again.

--- This should be done in a 100% happy way. Remember we are training the dog at this point not correcting.

--- Don’t worry about your dog not understanding the leash pop as a correction later just because you have taught it in a happy way. In context your dog will understand it as a correction and they will also be familiar with it so they won’t react negatively.

--- Remember because you have TAUGHT the leash pop you will often follow it with a treat and/or praise, even when it is being used as a correction.

Using Corrections

* Corrections are not punishment!

* They mark the incorrect moment and that is all.

* Praise should outnumber corrections at LEAST 2-1 during each training session.

* Never set your dog up to fail. If they have done an exercise incorrectly twice, don’t do it again, do something easier that you know your dog will succeed in doing.

* REMEMBER TO KEEP IT FUN!!

Parts of the CGC and ways to practice them

2009-06-10T05:59:00.002-05:00

Below I have listed all 10 parts of the CGC (canine good citizen test) and ways to practice them.

There is more detailed info at www.akc.org if you are interested (type cgc in search line).

Every dog has the ability to pass the CGC. But of course the test is not the main goal -- by practicing -- you will solidify your dogs performance of each of these exercises. You want to work towards being able to add distractions and different settings so that your dog doesn't just behave nicely in the dog training club building but will behave nicely ANYWHERE. That is after all the whole point of dog training.

Part 1: Accepting a friendly stranger -- Sit your dog on your left, tell them to stay, the evaluator (friendly stranger) will approach you, shake your hand, walk around you. Your dog must maintain the stay position.

Part 2: Sitting politely for petting -- Sit your dog on your left, tell them to stay, the evaluator will approach you, and pet your dog. Your dog does not have to stay sitting but they can't jump on the evaluator.

Part 3: Appearance and grooming -- Sit your dog on your left, tell them to stay, the evaluator will approach and touch your dog's ears and feet. Your dog does not have to stay sitting but they can't jump on the evaluator.

TO PRACTICE::::: To practice the first 3 parts have as many people as you can pet your dog and touch their ears/feet while your dog maintains a sit/stay on your left. You can try this with friends that come to visit you, but strangers work better. Also asking your dog to this when someone comes to your house adds a additional element of dog-welcoming-person-into-their-home to the exercise, which is great, but at least initially it may be better to practice in a neutral place, any big pet food chain store that allows dogs will do.

Part 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead) --- You with your dog on your left and a loose lead in between you will walk a heel pattern. This will be the L shaped heel pattern - it will consist of a left turn, a right turn, an about turn, and a halt.

TO PRACTICE:::: Add more distractions to your loose leash walking. While walking your dog choose a half-a-block section and ask for a nice loose leash walk. If your dog does a good job repeat on your next walk. If not, ask for another nice heel a few blocks later. When I first teach my dogs to walk on a loose leash, I walk them up and down my drive way and the sidewalk in front of my house (the neighbors think I nuts) for about 15 minutes per day. It usually takes them about a week to really understand it.

Part 5: Walking through a crowd -- You with your dog on your left and a nice loose leash between you, will walk out and back across the ring while a group of people walk around. Your dog cannot jump on the people or pull (a lot) on the leash.

TO PRACTICE:::: Again any big dog food chain store, or any other decently crowded place that allows dogs (farmer's market is a good one in the spring). Walk your dog through and around people, maintain your dogs attention on you and on walking with a loose leash. Reward every little success. This is a new distraction so go back to rewarding the little steps.

Part 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place -- You will ask your dog to sit, you will ask your dog to down, from either the sit or the down you will ask your dog to stay and you will walk out 20ft and return back to heel position (standing to the right of your dog).

TO PRACTICE ::: If you have not done so already make sure your dog will sit and down w/o a food lure and on the first command. To practice the stay ask your dog to sit or down ask them to stay and work towards being able to leave the room and returning right back. If your dog can do this they should do fine on the test. You can repeat stay if you need to throughout this exercise.

Part 7: Coming when called --- From either the sit or stay position you will tell your dog to stay, you will walk 10ft away, turn around, and call your dog. Your dog doesn't have to sit when they come to you but they do have to come close enough that you can touch their collar.

TO PRACTICE:::: Call your dog all the time. From across the yard, from one room to another. Only call them for good reasons.

Part 8: Reaction to another dog -- You and your dog will be on one side of the ring on the other side will be another dog and handler. You and the other handler will walk toward each other, shake hands, and walk away. Your dog may not cross they plane of your body.

TO PRACTICE::: If your dog pulls toward other dogs when you are on a walk than you can use that to practice. When you see a dog coming ask for your dogs attention and try to walk him calmly past the other dog. You don't have to shake the persons hand or even be on the same side of the street, as long as your dog is distracted by the other dog you will have a chance to practice. Otherwise find a friend and practice with them -- different dogs are ideal but everything helps your dog get the idea of what you want them to do.

Part 9: Reaction to distraction -- Your dog will be sitting on your left hands side, someone will walk around you will a bag of cans, someone else will walk around with crutches. Your dog can show mild interest but they can't run towards or away from the distractions.

TO PRACTICE::: This is when your "watch me" and "leave it" commands will be very useful.
Remember we taught "watch me" by (1) holding treat at our eye, when dog looked into our eyes, we labeled that moment with "watch me" (2) holding treat away at arm length and asking dog to "watch me" when they looked into our eyes we gave them treat (3) without treat in sight asking for prolonged "watch me" from our dog ... asking them for longer than a glance but to actually spend some time watching.
Remember we taught "leave it" by (1) holding a piece of food in our closed hand, when the dog stopped trying to get the food out of our hand, we labeled that moment with "leave it" (2) holding food out in an open hand toward the dog and asking them to leave it, when the dog leaves it we reward that (3) putting a piece of food on the ground and walking around it with our dog -- when the dog looks at it we ask them to "leave it" we reward the dog turning back toward us (you can facilitate this by physically circling away for the food or popping your dog away from the food). So please work on "watch me" and "leave it".

Part 10: Supervised separation -- Your dog will stay in the kitchen for 3 minutes with a person who will pet and talk to them. The dog cannot show any visible signs of distress.

TO PRACTICE:::: This is a stressful exercise. I don't like to practice it. However you can ask your dog to remain with a friend in one room and have the friend feed them while you briefly disappear into another room only to reappear a moment later so that your dog starts to think of this as a good situation. You can even label this situation with a word if you like, and use that word on the CGC.

Remember that none of these exercises are natural to your dog. Dogs do not see the point of any of these behaviors. They are not trying to do them wrong they just don't understand what you want -- or where the boundaries of the behaviors lie. Please be patient and sweet with them. You have to spend a little time practicing every day in order for your dog to figure out what you want, otherwise you are not being fair to them.

Have fun practicing.

The Greatest Compliment

2009-06-09T10:13:00.002-05:00

I believe that the greatest compliment that you can receive is to be told (by a friend or a stranger) that they really enjoy watching you and your dog working together.

It is nice to hear that "you do a good job teaching your dog" --- but that is a compliment directed to your ability as a handler.

It is also nice to hear that "your dog looks happy and obviously enjoys working" --- but that is a compliment directed toward your dog.

To hear that AS A TEAM you and your dog are a pleasure to watch --- is a compliment of your teamwork.

Happy Teamwork is an elusive and intangible element. It is built on mutual respect, fairness, and understanding.

I have given out this compliment two times. Each time to teams that I really enjoy watching who had an almost visible bond while working and who I find myself thinking about at later times.

I have also been fortunate enough to have received this compliment on six separate occasions. Three times from people I know and Three times from strangers. All these people went out of their way to approach me and tell me how much they enjoy watching me work with my dogs.

I consider this to be the Greatest Compliment and continue to strive to be worthy of it.

Proper Trial Etiquette

2009-06-08T07:35:00.001-05:00

7 DOG SHOW SINS (or WHAT NOT TO DO):

* Don't talk to anyone about-to or soon-to enter the ring. This is their time to relax and connect with their dog. They may be trying to watch the heel pattern one last time, they may be trying to visualize their dog nailing that sit signal. They may be trying to give their dog the last few treats in their hand and get them ready to work. You are not a part of that plan. Leave them alone.

* Don't talk to anyone who is exiting the ring. If they had a bad run, chances are they want to caught their breath and try to recover from it. If they had a great run, chances are they want to spend this moment celebrating with their partner (their dog) and not with you (as much as you may want to be a part of it). They want to give their dog a well deserved jackpot, to take them outside to play, to pet them and just spend some quiet time letting them know they appreciated the effort. Don't impose and make yourself part of that. Whatever analysis, praise, or criticism you have to share can wait.

* Don't gossip. The dog show world is a small one and chances are the person sitting behind you listening to your conversation knows who you are talking about or knows someone else who knows them. No better way to make enemies. Save gossip for private phone calls or better yet just keep it to yourself.

* Don't give out general criticism. Don't criticize a breed of dog. A type of training method. An organization. A training school. Again chances are that someone will over hear you and get their feelings hurt. And likely you will lose a friend before you ever made one.

* Don't openly criticize a trial, trial venue, bathrooms, parking, prizes, lunch food, or any other aspect of the trial. Again chances are you will be overheard by the people who organized and are running the trial. Putting on a trial takes A LOT of work and effort. It is also often totally thankless work. The secretary of an AKC obedience trial, for example, can't even show a dog in that trial. So this person is giving up their weekend (not even counting the weeks of preparation and work they have done) away from friends and family and their own dogs to organize this trial for YOU. Try to appreciate that. All the members of the trial committee work hard and try their best, and yes sometimes people do things wrong, sometimes things don't go as smoothly as they should, sometimes people are new and learning as they go. This goes for stewards and judges also. If you dislike a judge it is your choice not to show under them again, it is as simple as that. No amount of screaming or complaining you can do will change them or whatever happened. And remember stewards are often people who are new to obedience, maybe taking their first novice class with their novice A dog. Likely they were talked into giving up their weekend to steward for this trial because their teacher claimed they would "learn a lot". Make sure they learn that obedience is fun, and obedience competitors are a gracious and fun group of people, that can LIVE-THRU little mistakes. Always appreciate their effort and make sure you say THANK YOU to as many people involved in organizing the trial as you can find before you leave. It means a lot.

* Don't ever offer training advice. Say either "congratulations" or "good luck" or pick out one nice aspect of the performance "you had a wonderful front after the recall" or one nice aspect of the dog preparation "he is really watching you today". Never offer ANYTHING other unless you are specifically asked. It doesn't matter if you know the dog and handler well, if you have had the same problem, if you see some really obvious quick fix, if you are hot shot handler, or even if the team in question are students of yours. Never offer advice unless you are asked.

* Try to be considerate of others in your surroundings. When you are standing around talking with your friends or watching someone in the ring try to be aware of the person who is trying to get past you to get to their crate, or the group of Open Handlers who need to pass to return to their dogs. When you are warming up your dog with some heeling, try to watch for dogs rushing to line up for sits and downs, or dogs leaving or entering rings. As you are laughing or talking loudly, putting up crates, opening soda cans ("click"), eating, opening bags, playing with toys, try to be aware of the dog in the ring. Save your really "load" activities for the in-between-dogs-judge-is-writing-in-his-book times. This goes for stewards too. Stewards should be as quiet as possible and aware of what is happening in the ring. So that they can do a timely, and professional job that will enhance and not detract from the performance of the team working.

Now an admission: I am guilty of EACH AND EVERY ONE of the "Dog Show Sins" listed above, often on more than one memorable occasion. And at every dog show that I have been to I see EACH AND EVERY ONE of these things happen over and over again. Next time you show keep in mind the "Dog Show Sins" and make an effort to be one less person who partakes in them.

a little about Schutzhund

2009-06-05T08:20:00.005-05:00

The purpose of Schutzhund is to identify dogs that have the character traits required to be able to do demanding jobs. Some of those traits are: Strong desire to work, Courage, Intelligence, Train-ability, Strong bond to the handler, Perseverance, and Protective Instinct.

Schutzhund training tests these traits. It also tests physical traits such as strength, endurance, agility, and scenting ability. The goal of Schutzhund is to illuminate the character of a dog through training.

Dogs of any breed, even mixes, can compete in Schutzhund.

There are three schutzhund titles: Schutzhund 1 (SchH1), Schutzhund 2 (SchH2), and Schutzhund 3 (SchH3). SchH1 is the first title and SchH3 is the most advanced. Additionally, before a dog can compete for a SchH1, he must pass a temperament test called a B or BH.

The B tests basic obedience and sureness around strange people, strange dogs, traffic, and loud noises. A dog that exhibits excessive fear, distract-ability, or aggression cannot pass the B and so cannot go on to schutzhund.

The other schutzhund tests consists of three parts; tracking, obedience, and protection. A dog must pass all three phases in one trial to be awarded a schutzhund title. Each phase is judged on a 100-point scale. The minimum passing score is 70 for the tracking and obedience phases and 80 for the protection phase. At any time the judge may dismiss a dog for showing poor temperament, including fear or aggression.

Tracking

The tracking phase tests not only the dogs scenting ability, but also its mental soundness and physical endurance. In the tracking phase, a track layer walks across a field, dropping several small articles along the way. After a period of time, the dog is directed to follow the track while being followed by the handler on a 33 foot leash. When the dog finds each article he indicates it, usually by lying down with the article between his front paws. The dog is scored on how intently and carefully he follows the track and indicates the articles. The length, complexity, number of articles, and age of the track varies for each title.

Obedience

The obedience phase is done in a large field, with the dogs working in pairs. One dog is placed in a down position on the side of the field and his handler leaves him while the other dog works in the field. Then the dogs switch places. In the field, there are several heeling exercises, including heeling through a group of people. There are two or three gunshots during the heeling to test the dog's reaction to loud noises. There are one or two recalls, three retrieves (flat, jump and A-frame), and a send out where the dog is directed to run away from the handler straight and fast and then lie down on command. Obedience is judged on the dog's accuracy and attitude. The dog must show enthusiasm. A dog that is uninterested or cowering scores poorly.

Protection

In the protection phase, the judge has an assistant, called the "decoy", who helps him test the dog's courage to protect himself and his handler and his ability to be controlled while doing so. The decoy wears a heavily padded sleeve on one arm. There are several blinds, placed where the decoy can hide, on the field. The dog is directed to search the blinds for the decoy. When he finds the decoy, he indicates this by barking. The dog must guard the decoy to prevent him from moving until recalled by his handler. There follows a series of exercises similar to police work where the handler searches the decoy and transports him to the judge. At specified points, the decoy either attacks the dog or the handler or attempts to escape. The dog must stop the attack or the escape by biting the padded sleeve. When the attack or escape stops, the dog is commanded to "out," or release the sleeve. The dog must out or he is dismissed. At all times the dog must show the courage to engage the decoy and the temperament to obey his handler while in this high state of drive. Again, the dog must show enthusiasm. A dog that shows fear, lack of control, or inappropriate aggression is dismissed.

To earn SchH1 the dog must be at least 18 months old and have pass an initial temperament test . The dog must heel off leash, demonstrate the walking sit, the walking down, and the long down under distraction, as well as the send-out. The dog must retrieve on the flat and over a hurdle, and over the scaling wall. In tracking, the dog must be able to follow a track laid by its handler at least 20 minutes earlier. There are also protection tests.

For SchH2 the dog must be at least 19 months old and must already have earned its SchH1 degree. The dog must again pass all of the obedience and protection tests required for the SchH1 degree, but those tests, for SchH2, are made more difficult and require greater endurance, agility, and, above all, control. There is an additional walking stand exercise required. In tracking, the SchH2 candidate must be able to follow a track laid by a stranger at least 30 minutes earlier.

For SchH3, the master's degree, the dog must be at least 20 months old and must have earned both the SchH 1 and the SchH2 titles. Again, the tests now are made far more difficult. All exercises in obedience and protection are demonstrated off leash. The Walking stand is replaced by the running stand. In tracking, the dog must follow a track that was laid by a stranger at least 60 minutes earlier. The track has four turns, compared with two turns for SchH1 and 2, and there are three objects, rather than two, that must be found by the dog.

Two Main Schutzhund organizations:

*Deutscher Verband der Gebrauchshundsportvereine (DVG America): http://www.dvgamerica.com

*United Schutzhund Club of America (USA): http://germanshepherddog.com/index.html

The above information is adapted from http://germanshepherddog.com/index.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schutzhund.

Here is video of Lynette and her Rottweiler Blitz competing in the obedience portion of SchH1.

and here is a video of a Jack Russell Terrier (Mr. Murphy) competing in the USA Schutzhund Nationals in 2001.

various images of Schutzhund practice and trials in Germany in 1936!

Dog Training for The Public from John Rogerson

2009-06-04T06:00:00.002-05:00

The following three articles are from John Rogerson, who is a wonderful dog trainer from England (hence the British references through out the articles). If you ever get a chance to attend one of John's seminars I strongly suggest you do: http://www.johnrogerson.com/. I had the pleasure of having lunch with John and his wife about a year ago, I found John to be very knowledgeable and meticulous. I learned a lot at that lunch.

Since I have been teaching dog training classes and especially since I become Director of Training of my local dog training club issues of how to best teach and organize dog training classes for the public have become of great interest to me. I found the three articles below "Dog Training - What the Public Wants", "Techniques for Controlling Dogs" and "Practical Training" very interesting and informative. Enjoy.
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DOG TRAINING - WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTS

A few years ago a good friend of mine, Steve Collis, carried out a remarkable study to find out what the majority of the pet dog owning public wanted from dog training instruction. Steve distributed 200 questionnaires around Blue Cross Clinics, Hospitals and private vet surgeries in the London area which asked dog owners about their requirements. It should be borne in mind that 88% of the people questioned had never attended a dog training class.

Steve's questionnaire brought some amazing facts to light, particularly in view of the number of training classes available in the London area claiming to be geared towards the pet dog owner. A brief look at the study reveals that:

* Only 9% of owners would travel a distance of over five miles to attend a class.
* Mondays and Saturdays were the preferred days to attend while Thursday was the least preferred day (6%).
* Afternoon was given as the most convenient time of day to attend.
* Less than 3% of the people questioned wanted to attend classes in winter.
* The average fee that people expected to pay (1991) was £5 PER LESSON (approximately $10.00! This has now changed to an average of £10 per lesson (approximately $40.00).
* 68% of people wanted continuous training for as long as necessary rather than a fixed length course.
* The majority of owners would want the lesson duration to be between 30 minutes and one hour long.
* 78% of owners wanted classes of ten or less in number.
* The majority of people questioned would want the instructor to demonstrate a new exercise with their own untrained dog, rather than watching the instructor use their own or someone else's dog.
* In 1991 80% of people wanted dog related talks included as part of the lessons with THE DOGS DIET being the most popular topic. The most popular topic these days is the law and your dog!
* Nearly 90% of owners wanted time allowed at the end of class to discuss individual problems.

The majority of prospective pupils also wanted;
some form of final test, a certificate, no young children around, and time for the dogs to play together at the end of the class.
Finally, when asked for what reason apart from dog training, would you attend a class, the majority of people responded by saying 'because of their dogs behavior problem'.

I am indebted to Steve for granting me permission to use excerpts from his excellent study for use in this unit.
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TECHNIQUES FOR CONTROLLING DOGS

As if an instructor has not got enough problems in teaching and controlling owners who attend classes, the additional problems that are encountered with the dogs that are present are sometimes enough to really tax the patience of even the most dedicated of instructors. Communicating with people is not that difficult a task, communicating with dogs is a fairly simple task, communicating with both dogs and people simultaneously can be extremely difficult and demanding. A group of dogs that are assembled together on a regular basis for formal instruction will behave in the same way that we have seen a group of people behaving. Some of the stages that they go through are very similar, for example during the formal stage the dogs will tend to:

a) be feeling apprehensive and will both accept and desire some authority from the instructor.
b) will tend to show a desire to return to the same seat after finishing a floor exercise.
c) be uncharacteristically quiet, or by contrast, uncharacteristically noisy.
d) accept new dogs into the training area.

During the second, informal stage the dogs will tend to:
a) show their attitudes and feelings more readily.
b) accept one or more of the dog(s) as a group leader.
c) resent the intrusion by a new dog that is brought into the training area.
d) develop their own territories within the training area.

During the third, stable stage, the dogs will tend to:
a) be more tolerant of eccentric or disruptive behaviour from one or more of the dogs present.
b) as a pack, resent and, sometimes reject, the intrusion from other dogs into the training area.
c) establish a training pattern and predict extremes of exciting and fearful events that occur on a regular basis.
d) establish a pack hierarchy within the assembled population.

The instructor's role is to establish channels of communication with the dogs present and maintain overall control by ensuring that the more dominant and disruptive dogs in the class are kept at the first, formal stage, for as long as possible while the more nervous or insecure dogs are given a feeling of stability and security as quickly as possible. By controlling the seating order within class, the clever instructor can effectively suppress the pushier dogs (and owners) and encourage the quieter dogs to take o more active part in the training program.

Using the best seating arrangement, the rectangular U shape, ensures that the louder, pushier dogs are seated at the extreme top, or open, ends of the U so that they have only one dog at one side of them and therefore interactions are kept to a minimum. Seat the quieter dogs in the corners of the U so that interactions are kept at a maximum. If the instructor now stands towards the top, open end of the U this will give the maximum control over the more dominant dogs and the minimum stress to the more submissive dogs.

The owners of very dominant dogs should be told to always sit near the open ends of the U shape but never to sit in the same seat, or next to the same dog, for any two weeks in succession. This, in itself, should ensure that dominant dogs do not build territories or form strong alliances with other dogs to the detriment of the whole group.

The owners of very submissive dogs or those that are nervous should be encouraged to always position themselves towards the corners of the U shape and to stay in the same seat and, as far as possible, next to the same dogs each week. This should encourage a feeling of security and greater stability within the training area which will benefit the whole group.

The training lesson plans should be constructed in such a way that during the first, formal stage, dogs are worked individually as much as is practically possible in order to allow the instructor maximum control over each of the dogs present. During stage two, the informal stage, dogs can be worked in small easily managed groups. These should contain a mixture of dogs selected from different seating positions, i.e. avoid bringing all of the dominant dogs or all of the submissive dogs onto the floor at once.

When you have entered stage three, the stable stage, you can introduce exercises that get all the dogs on the floor at once and also 'team' games and exercises. When you reach this stage try to avoid allowing a newcomer to join the class. It is easier to bring in three or more dogs at this stage than one by itself.

Even though you may have the ideal seating arrangement for dogs and handlers, you will still find that individual dogs can still present a few problems of their own. A good instructor is able to deal with these problems, as and when they arise, without bringing the whole class to a standstill. I will now attempt to identify a few 'troublemakers' and give some suggestions on how to resolve some common problems in class.

THE BARKER

Possible causes;
1) Terrified of the other dogs, people, instructor, environment, sounds, movements.
2) Attention seeking, trying to get the owner to speak, touch and look at it.
3) Excitement triggered by the prospect of movement (retrieve for example), play time with other dogs, etc..
4) Aggression towards people or dogs.

YOUR ROLE
Desensitize to sounds (give owners a cassette tape of your class in progress to play at home), movements etc. Form pleasant associations with people and other reliable dogs in class.

The owner should not give any attention while dog is barking but give lots of attention when it is quiet. Remember to use a two minute disassociation time!

If excitement is predictable then a training exercise not compatible with barking such as holding a dumbell should be used and applied.

Where aggression is concerned a full behavioral consultation should be given by a specialist and the advice applied at training classes by the instructor. Please refer to section four.

THE WHINER

Possible causes
1) Insecurity.
2) Attention seeking.
3) Discomfort i.e. cold, etc.

YOUR ROLE
Give secure seating position.

Ask owner to ignore whining behavior and only give attention to quiet behavior using a disassociation time of two minutes.

Ask rest of class to ignore whining behavior and not to sympathize with the dog.

Bring dog's familiar blanket for it to lie on.

Put a small piece of sticky caramel high up inside the dog's mouth at the top of its gums so that the dog can concentrate on licking at and removing it (displacement activity), thereby stopping the whining behavior.

Refer to vet for health check.

THE DOG INTERESTED DOG

Possible causes
Other dogs in class are more fun to be involved with than the owner. Dog spends more leisure time at home playing with another dog than with its owner. Oversexed male.

YOUR ROLE
Teach owner distraction techniques rather than confrontation.

Use toys and food (taken from dog's daily diet) to increase dog's awareness of owner in class.
Teach owner how to have fun with the dog.

Decrease dog's play involvement with other dogs at home and increase owner's involvement in playing with the dog.

Refer to vet for hormone therapy or castration.

THE PEOPLE INTERESTED DOG

Possible causes
Too many uncontrolled play interactions with lots of people during puppyhood. Owners totally boring to be with.

YOUR ROLE
Tell everyone except the owners to totally ignore the dog (do not speak to, look at or touch it) while in training class.

Increase the owner's involvement in playing with the dog.

Stop all compulsion training.

Reteach exercises using motivational (food or toys) training.

THE SLOW LEARNER

Possible causes
Owner lacking in motivation/time to train. Wrong training method being used or applied to that particular dog or breed of dog. Stressed by training environment.

YOUR ROLE
Increase owner's motivation by setting realistic training targets.
Use owner and dog frequently to demonstrate exercises or parts of exercises that they can do easily.

Review training method being used and change if necessary.

Research breed characteristics.

Identify and rectify possible causes of stress in the training environment.

THE RAPID LEARNER

Possible causes
Highly motivated owner, highly motivated dog, correct training method being applied to dog.

YOUR ROLE
Not a problem in the true sense but if incorrectly handled by the instructor can rapidly demotivate the rest of the class.

Use only rarely to demonstrate an exercise or part of an exercise to the rest of the class.

Do not allow handler to work dog first during individual exercises.
Reward handler's progress without making the rest of the class feel inadequate.

THE PEOPLE OR DOG AGGRESSIVE DOG

Possible causes
Nervous, dominant, chase motivated, protective, territorial, sexual or redirected aggression.

YOUR ROLE
Refer to a vet and then to a behavior counselor.

Do not attempt to rectify problems of aggression during class apart from making the dog as safe as possible in that environment.
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PRACTICAL TRAINING

Pupils arriving for the first night of a training class have come to learn the practical based skills necessary to successfully train and control their own dogs.
These training exercises can be roughly divided into two broad categories - control and creativity.

Control training, as the name implies, is aimed at giving owners enough control so that the dog will respond to commands in as many situations as possible, regardless of distractions. The most sought after control responses in the order of importance to the average pet owner are:

RECALL: to return promptly to the handler whenever called regardless of distractions.

WALKING TO HEEL: walking on a slack lead under the direction of the handler, without exerting any appreciable pressure.

SITTING: sitting alongside the handler in a calm and controlled manner for short periods, until released.

LYING DOWN: lying alongside the handler in a calm and controlled manner, sometimes for long periods, until released.

All basic control training centers around these four exercises, all of which can be taught in class in a very short space of time and which are essential for owners to master before advancing their control training. You will notice that I have not included the STAY exercises because they are usually considered non-essential by most pet owners. Besides, if the handler cannot teach the dog to remain in a sit or down position calmly alongside them for several minutes, then how are they ever going to teach the dog to remain in that position while they walk away from it?

Advanced control exercises could include STAYS, DROP ON COMMAND at a distance, DROP ON RECALL and teaching the STAND position.

Creative training exercises are aimed at increasing the bond between handler and dog by allowing for a more informal approach to training exercises that will encourage expression of natural instincts. Creative exercises can only be trained when the dog has mastered basic control exercises and can therefore be used as a means of motivating handlers to progress their training at a reasonable pace. Typical creative exercises are:

JUMPING: agility style equipment is used to encourage coordination, suppleness, fitness and controlled excitement.

RETRIEVING: the dog learns to chase, pick up and return with a thrown article, usually a dumbell.

SCENTING: the dog learns to either discriminate between different scents (scent discrimination) or is taught to find general scents (searching). Scenting can also take the form of tracking, or following a line of scent on the ground.

The instructor's task is to ensure that all handlers are provided with the practical skills to first of all gain control over their dogs in the training class and then transfer this control into everyday situations, or into a working environment. Having established good control, the instructor then alters the emphasis on training so that the handler is able to make use of his dog's natural abilities. It should be understood that the training class is a completely false environment. Few dogs will relate their training exercises in class to real life situations unless the instructor has built this into the training program.

Practical training sessions are based on an eight week course of one hour lessons. There are ten dogs in the class with one instructor and two assistants.

The training is broken down into three sections, namely:
1) Basic handling skills and basic control training.
2) Advanced or specialized control training.
3) Creative training.

The lesson plans should be aimed at teaching exercises in a class situation and adapting them to the environment where they are to be used.

Novice "A" lessons from Jane Jackson

2009-06-03T05:18:00.000-05:00

Jane Jackson (took her Novice A dog, Murph, all the way to an OTCH) the following article is written by her and taken from: http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~may/nov

Many people have written to me mentioning that they are training their first dog, and wanted to know how I took Murph from Novice A all the way to an OTCH.

I hope you understand that there was no single "magic" technique that brought us success, so there's no simple answer to that question. I realize this is a frustrating answer - I remember asking people with nice dogs how they got the dog's attention or trained certain exercises, and was always discouraged when they couldn't really answer me - but now I understand from training Murph that a short answer really doesn't do justice to the years of hard work, where sometimes moving forward meant taking one step back first. Furthermore, what worked for Murph might be totally wrong for your dog - all dogs are unique.

Still, there are a few things I learned that really had an impact on me over the past few years. Those of you for whom training comes naturally can just skip this, but for those like me (I knew nothing about training when I started), read on ...

Find a Good Instructor

A good instructor isn't necessarily someone famous or the most popular person in your area or has the most titles (although all that may be true). A good instructor is someone whom you admire and respect, whose training style makes sense and is one that you're comfortable with, who has students who clearly enjoy what they're doing and enjoy working with the person (I know people who go to instructors they're frightened of - I just don't get it!). I'm also a firm believer in private lessons, at least on an occasional basis. The luxury of having someone's undivided attention really can't be beat, and since Murph always learned things at a different pace than the rest of the class (we took obedience classes for 1-1/2 years before I discovered private lessons), group lessons were always a source of frustration as we would fall behind the group.

Become an Information Junkie

Electronic obedience mailing lists, seminars, books, videos - there are so many wonderful resources for learning more about this sport and about training. I learned so much by stewarding at trials, and by watching top handlers and how they warm-up their dogs and interact with them in the ring. One caveat - there's so much info. out there, but please don't just started trying all sorts of things on your dog - you'll make him crazy! Sift through and pick out only the ideas that you think match your personality, your dog's temperament, and your needs. It's not just training hard that gets results, it's training smart.

Don't Be Afraid To Back Up

... or even re-train something from the beginning. It may seem like you're taking the long way, but sometimes backing up, breaking down exercises into teeny-tiny pieces and just working on those components or retraining from the beginning are really the fastest route.

Make the Ring A Happy Place

When I first started going to matches, I'd act like it was a real show and Murph picked up bad habits. Then I was told to use the match to correct him, and Murph learned that the ring was a scary place to be. To make things worse, I used to get really nervous - one match judge helpfully told me that I walked like I was in a funeral march! The end result was that Murph viewed the ring as a scary place where the zombie that replaced his mother would correct him.

To recondition him to think better of the ring, I took him to every fun match I could get to and played in the ring. I still go to as many fun matches as I can - we play less, but still cut loose a bit more than I can at a trial. I want him to feel comfortable in the ring, and taking him to lots of places for run-throughs where I could help him really helped. At the same time, I worked on my own attitude. My responsibility is to my dog in the ring, and if I'm so nervous that I can't walk a straight line, I'm not holding up my end of the bargain (after all, the dog didn't send in the entry!). I also worked hard on my handling - and still do (I'm the one walking around the parking lot with a metronome).

Don't Let Anyone 'Dis You or Your Dog

This ties in with finding a good instructor and is so important. You have to believe that you and your dog can DO IT. If you have an Angolian Basket Weaving Dog and your instructor says that ABWD's can't be trained, find another instructor. Seriously. I spent too much time paying people who told me that my Lab was impossible to motivate and was not "obedience material" - he could probably get a CD, maybe a CDX, but UD was beyond him. The really sad thing is that I started to believe some of that crap myself. Shame on me for not having faith in my dog. Run, don't walk, away from anyone who puts you or your dog down.

Good luck with your dogs!