Saturday, April 28, 2012

Today I failed our CGC

I took Fizz for a CGC test today, knowing full well that we have greeting issues.   She LOVES to greet.  People, other dogs, you name it.   She is a very socially outgoing puppy.   I am very thankful for her open and upbeat temperament, her lack of suspicion and her love of people/dogs.   In this breed, with its PR crisis, I'll take it.   We can fix this! :)

This is the first time in 16yrs that I've failed a CGC.   Why did I fail?  Because I didn't train my dog.  Gee, rocket science, eh??  <rolling eyes here>.   Because I have allowed her to pull on leash on walks.  Because I've allowed her to drag me into training every Monday night.   Because I haven't trained my dog.  Period.   Our failure points?   Greeting people.   Not maintaining a loose leash while walking to meet a stranger and their dog.  Not waiting to 'go say hi' to the friendly stranger (but instead, self-inviting herself to say hi).

Failure does not bother me, and it is only true failure if you can not learn from it.   In 16yrs of titling 3 bitches in Agility to Top 10 rankings, of putting BH/AD on two dogs, and taking one of those dogs through SchH2 & BST.........I've had plenty of failure.   In the past, it did bother me.  I worried too much about "what *they* would say."   What "they" would think, the rumors that would fly, etc.   For the Rottweiler world loves nothing more than to see people fail, and then trash-talk the dog, the breeding/breeder and of course, the idiot handler.    Agility taught me to accept failure as information from my dog, and to also look at a performance and see the good in it.   Excellent A has a VERY high rate of failure.   At times, it can seem the norm almost.   To walk out with genuine happiness and say "did you SEE that weave entry?!?!?"   and not care that a contact was blown, or a bar dropped.  It was one of the most valuable lessons of my dog training career.   

Fizz is a new journey for me.  I am training her without correction, no "ah ah!" no harsh verbals of any kind, and not one leash correction.   I've been told that I can't do that with a Rottweiler.   I've received the "smile that is really an all-knowing-smirk" which says "yeeeahhhhh riiiiight!"    I know "they" are waiting for our failure.   Guess what?  I failed today, and the world has yet to cease rotating.   :)

The 'old me' knows how to fix our problem, I could probably clean this up in 3 or 4 sessions at Home Depot on a busy Saturday a.m. and some "appropriately timed corrections."    But that's not going to happen.   I will fix my lack of training, and it will be done without correction. :)   I started this afternoon with Fizz, snapping a leash on and heading down the driveway.  We didn't get very far, for leash walks are very exciting.   Lots of pulling.  Each time, I'd merely stop, and walk backwards.   Pulling = no forwards.   When she turned back to me, click and treat.   Rarely do I use a clicker, but for this issue, I think it is a very elegant solution, as she has no prediction of it's arrival (no intake of breath, no unconscious turn of my head to look at her before verbally marking.....nada).  

Quickly the critera was upped to be "next to my left side, leash loose."   We spent about 7-8min working on this, and got a bit out into the street, but no more than maybe 20-30 yards from my driveway.   Each pull = direction change from me, but no pops, no corrections, and no verbal NRMs.

After a few hours had passed, I took her out again.   Funny enough, this time, I had heads-up attention going all the way down the driveway.    I'm NOT looking for heads up attention, that's not natural on a walk.   I *do* want a loose leash, and no pulling.   I need to teach her a release to go sniff, and a 'lets get back to walking' command.    It will come.   I saw something quite interesting.....as soon as I said "let's go for a walk!", she surged ahead.   Direction change for Mommy.   It took maybe 5-6 or tries of this and suddenly, when I said "let's go for a walk"....my dog was hard-staring me.   "I am NOT forging.  I am where the click happens.  I WANT a meatball!"  :)

Hopefully we'll get some "before" video shot tomorrow, and then some "after" video in a few weeks.   There's another CGC in late June, and possibly one before that, I have to inquire.   I will have us ready for this, and without force or "have to."  It will be by Fizz's choice.   :)