Aging our hides

Worked exterior hides again today.   The tins themselves were aged about 30hrs since I took the Qtips out of the odor jar.   The hides were put out at 9:05a, and we ran them at approximately 12:15p.    The winds have been building all day, and were a steady 10-15MPH when we worked.

I was very happy with how quickly she worked and found the hides.   On the first one, I wanted to reward the hunt (vs the find), so I told her "yes" as soon as she got to source, even though she hadn't pinpointed it for me (she was an inch or so past when I said "yes").   The other two, I waited for her to pinpoint.

On hide #3, the lawn, I purposefully started us far back to make the hunt a larger portion of her work.   She already had odor when I told her to 'show me,' and we were about 30-35yds from the hide.

3hrs was a bit long to age them, for where she is in training.  1-1.5hrs would have been more ideal.  However, this is how life runs, and so we work with what we have.   :)

Exterior hides with anise

What better to do on a gorgeous early Spring day than work on exterior hides?   :)

I chose to use anise today.   It has been well over a month since I've refreshed the scent, so Friday night, I put oil into the jars, and as of this afternoon, they'd cooked about 36hrs.   For Fizz, this should be SCREAMING hot scent.  Therefore, I only put 1 q-tip per tin.   We worked 2 sessions, 3 hides each session.   

Session 1, the hides were out for maybe 5 minutes before I brought her out.   No real wind to speak of, but for the little bit that I could detect, I tried to bring her in down wind, since we've not worked exteriors in a long time.   I was surprised at how quickly she found them!

Session 2, I allowed the hides to age for 20 minutes.   Again, she seemed to have little difficulty.   Will start working on aging the hides longer, 1hr to start and beyond.  

Future plans will also be to start working off site (i.e. not at my house).  


Session 1: 







Session 2:

And so it begins!

I've been horribly remiss in keeping up with the blog (le sigh!).   Dogwalking keeps me busy these days, and I often feel like between kids/hubby, house, dog walking and trying to get my own girls exercised.......I have time for little else.   Quilting has long gone by the wayside.  :(

Fizz and I started an online Nosework course with Denise Fenzi and Margaret Simek on January 7th.   I have been interested in NW for some time, but was never able to make any of the beginning classes that are offered locally (due to my schedule).   When I saw this online class, I was SO excited.

Fizz LOVES nosework!  Her pedigree is loaded with SchH3 and FH titled dogs, including her grandmother who was DM-FH champion in Germany, and also carries an FH2.   So her talent was not a surprise ... but the joy she gets from it.....it's so much FUN! :)

Nosework was developed by K9 narcotics handlers in California, and is essentially 'narcotics work for pet dogs.'   Dogs are taught to recognize 3 odors:  birch (smells like wintergreen), anise (ew!) and clove.   Each trial is made up of 4 component searches:  containers (boxes, suitcases, purses, lunchbags......anything!), interior (inside a building), exterior (outside) and vehicles.  There are 3 levels of titles, NW1, NW2 and NW3.

Trials are hard to host (they require MASSIVE amounts of space), and rather sparse in offerings still.   Therefore, slots are treasured.   Before you are allowed to enter a trial, you must prove that your dog can recognize the odors that will be in that trial.   NW1 = birch only.  NW2 = birch & anise, NW3 is all 3 odors.   Today's ORT = Odor Recognition Test.   It is not a title, but proof that Fizz knows, and 'announces' the odors.   She does not yet have a specific indication behavior, and won't need one until NW3.  

Today was the beginning of our journey together into the world of trials.   Hopefully, we will be trialing in Obedience, Rally and Nosework, as well as earning Tracking titles.  It's been a long time since I've trialed a dog in anything, I think my last Agility entry was in 2006.   It felt so GOOD to be back! :)  I look forward to the journeys ahead of us, the friends we will meet and the fun to be had.    Welcome to the working world Fizz!!  :)

Shaping the broad jump for obedience

When I asked my obedience coach how she teaches the broad jump for obedience, her answer was "it depends."  :)    I've taught it for agility, but am not up on current methods, and was looking to expand my training repertoire.   So, we're going to shape Fizz to jump the broad jump.

Yesterday was our first attempt, and we worked her in 2 short sessions of roughly 5 minutes each, and approximately 10 minutes apart (you can see the clock in the background).    We started with two boards, and the criteria was simply "pass over the b.j. "    Early in Fizz's life, we did a lot of work with proprioception, which included ground pole work (and avoidance of stepping on them) as well as getting up on any thing that I went near and didn't ask for another behavior.   We worked a lot with wiggly, unsteady, non-level objects.    I knew that Fizz would try in some fashion to get ON the broad jump, and she did not disappoint. :)

Unfortunately, I forgot to start the video, so the first minute or so of interaction is missing, however, it's not very different from what you see on the video.   The very first thing she did was stand on the 2nd board, all 4 feet on, and hold her balance.   As soon as she came down off of it, having crossed over the full jump, I clicked and treated, and away we went! :)  

About half way through our first session, I stopped clicking for walking through the jump, and increased the criteria to "jumping the jump."   Fizz has a very high threshhold for frustration and does not give up easily.   She understands, and seems to enjoy, free shaping, and I am often able to take fairly big steps in raising criteria with her.  






You could almost see her mentally tiring, so we put her up in her crate for about 10 minutes to process what she had learned.    She was very excited to come back to the work.    In reviewing the videos, I see much less walking through the jump in Session 2, and more jumping.   She's understanding the criteria and showing me that we didn't raise it too quickly or too much.    One comment here is how poor my placement of reward is.   I thought I had cut hunks of cheese that were big enough, but nope..........they were small, bouncy, and not tossing very well.   Optimally, I would have been tossing cheese such that where she went to get it for reward set her up correctly for the next rep.   However, she is frequently to the side of the jump and coming to it on an angle.   

Personally, 'wrong' does not bother me, and I do NOT view it as 'bad.'   It is a choice the dog has made, and each new choice brings information.   She is refining her understanding of what brings reward and what does not.   By figuring it out for herself, her understanding is more clear, and in my opinion, more solid.    The same reasoning that causes a parent to say to a child "figure it out for yourself........put up 4 fingers on this hand, and 3 on that one, and tell me how many you have".....when asked "what is 4 + 3?"   In my limited experience, shaping is FAR FAR more powerful (and lasting) of a teacher than luring.   It requires patience, and the ability to read one's dog (and know if you've pushed too far/too fast).....but the rewards are great! :)

Here is session 2:

Scent discrimination, 2 Jan 2013, part 2

In thinking through this whole process, and trying to decipher which scent the dog is keying on, I got to wondering about something.   Interestingly, this same subject came up while discussing our progress with my friend / Fizz's breeder.   When one re-uses a hot/scented article, and puts it back in the pile for the dog to find, a new scent is added (heavily!) to it:  the dog's own scent, via saliva.    But I want her finding MY scent.   Therefore, I need a fresh article for each repetition.   B/c once she's chosen and grabbed the hot article, it's contaminated with her saliva/scent.   So......more canning rings received sharpie marks today, and now I have 6 to work with as my hot article. 

We worked 2 sessions like this today (versus previous sessions where I was just re-using the same hot article).   The first rep of the first session, she was quite slow, worked for a long time, and chose the wrong one.   After that, she was correct each time (5 more reps).  However, she was still working slowly, and I could tell she recognized a difference in the game.

2 hours later, we came back for our 3rd session of the day, and our 2nd with new hot articles for each search.   This time, she was fast, confident and correct.   I kept adding more rings to the pile, I think at one point, we were up to 14 in the pile.   I could really hear her sniffing out the pile, checking and looking for the right one.   And when she found it, she confidently grabbed it.  YAY! :)   I also added in some favored 'shopping' items from around the house, things she dearly loves to hunt and carry.   She didn't even consider looking at them.

Our final rep was a bit of a stretch, and I knew it as I set it up.  However, I also know that Fizz is not easily over-faced, failure is not 'bad' to her (or to me!), and I wasn't worried that 'things go wrong' would be some unrecoverable incident......so forward I went.   We had played tug with an old jute tug that she really likes.  I put it down, near the pile, and between Fizz and the pile.  She would have to cross over it to get to the pile.  I also sat her back from the pile, and then called her in, while I stood near it (instead of me sitting right at it).   She didn't even look at that tug as she bee-lined for the pile, got in and worked it confidently, gave me the correct ring, and then we had a tug party!  :)  :)   When I tried to toss aside the ring so I could hold the tug better, she went and brought it back! HA!  GOOOD girlie! :)

Scent discrimination 1/2/13

Continuing on, I decided to increase the number of ring, and add in some distraction.  Fizz LOVES James' matchbox cars.  I wanted something that was also metal, so cars are the distraction.  Normally, she loves to find them, and then trot around with them, showing off her "prize."   They seemed to bother her not one whit in her work.  Was VERY happy to see her choosing to work, vs. taking something that is self-rewarding (carrying a car around).   :)   

This session has 18 reps and 2 errors.   In one set, her errors are very convicted, she gives me a full indication (eye contact, presenting me the ring, etc).   I simply took it and looked back at the pile.  No correction and no non-reward marker.   Lack of reward is message enough, and I liked how she handled this, and that there was still the same intensity in her work. :)

Scent Discrimination

After watching Denise Fenzi's blog post regarding her puppy Lyra (who at the time, was 13.5 weeks old), I decided it was time to get started with Fizz on scent discrimination.   You can see Denise's blog here. 

I purchased some children's puzzles at the local dollar store, because they came in metal tins (and didn't have the smell that altoid tins have).   Dumped the puzzles out into bags for the kids, and started working with our tins.

Our first day went very well.  It didn't take me long to get her from 1 tin with food, to 2 tins, one with food and one without.   She was 100% right.   I removed the tin with food, put in a new '2nd tin' that only had my scent and allowed her to work.  Still 100% correct.  Her natural behavior is to pick the tin up and give it to me, so that's what I accepted.   I am NOT looking for a formal retreive, this is not currently about the retreive, but rather about her choosing the correct scent.   We worked up to 4 tins, and only a handful of mistakes were made.   I did not record that session, and thus, couldn't data-keep.

However, being one who LOVES data, I recorded this session, and then sat and made myself a data spreadsheet.   It may not tell me anything now, and it may not tell me anything later.   But hopefully, when a "big" problem crops up one day, I will be able to look back at my data and see where the issue started, and then have a more clear idea of how to resolve it.    But truth be told, I'm a science geek and I love data. :)

We start with our puzzle tins again.  No food in them, simply using my scent on the Dora puzzle.    We start with 4 tins, and quickly move to 5 tins.  On the 8th rep, I replaced the Dora tin with a new tin that had my scent.  It took her  2 seconds longer on this rep, but she was still confident in her indication and selection (and she was correct).   After that, we changed to canning rings.   This was new, and again, her first rep took 5 seconds, instead of her usual 3 seconds.   After that, her next 2 reps were 3 and 2 seconds respectively.

I noted the following parameters:  Rep #, number of objects, if she was correct on her first presentation, where the hot object is located relative to others, and to her approach, the time she was on the pile working it, and the time she presented me with her choice.   If there were any other oddities, they were noted too.   Overall, this session went 8.5minutes.    The first error does not show up until 5:23, it took her 6 seconds to choose the wrong one, and then 5 seconds to find the correct one. :)

The hot canning ring is marked with blue sharpie, from long long ago.  The sharpie should not be a noticeable smell to any effect.

My goal is to have Fizz working a full Utility pile of metal & leather articles by the end of January.   I will be curious to see how her percentage correct changes, and if her time in finding the right article improves or not.

Of note in this session:  Rep #4, she mouths the correct tin, then goes to check the others before bringing me the correct one.   Rep #12, I flung a canning ring too far, it was about 3ft from the pile (off camera).  She comes in, scoops it up and brings it to the pile, and then immediately puts it down and brings me the right one.  Her presentation of her choice is very clear:  she makes strong eye contact with me while distinctly  presenting  me with the object.  In scooping up the wayward ring, she never made eye contact, and never showed me any interest.  It was very typical of her 'around the house' carrying behavior, and clearly NOT a presentation to me of choice.   At Rep #14, she makes a wrong choice, and very clearly presents me with the incorrect ring.    Big difference from the 'wayward ring.'

In Rep #16, there's an interesting behavior of piling together the incorrect rings.  Never once does she make eye contact with me, or any indication that she thinks those are 'right.'   She's just busily moving them, and then grabs the right one and brings it to me.   Dogs fascinate me in their behaviors.   We took a play break at that point with an old SchH tug from Frol-dawg. :)    On Rep #17, she presents me with 2 incorrect rings.  Interestingly, I had just moved those rings, and touched them more solidly than the others that I moved around.  :)

The video shuts off at rep 21, I know we did at least 5 or 6 more, and they were all correct.   In the last recorded rep, she starts to grab the right one, bonks it under my leg, and then seems unable to find it.  I waited this out, and she did figure it out.  One other missing rep, she has 2 rings in her mouth (b/c they were touching).....recognizes that she has 2, puts them both down and only presents me with the correct one.   GOOD girlie!! :)

We had a lot of fun doing this, and can't wait to work on more! :)

Working on the db hold

Admittedly, I have not put frequent or regular work into our retreive.  Life seems to be spiralling out of control right now, and I am not getting much dog training in at all (which is greatly frustrating).   Monday, Fizz was VERY chewy on the wooden db.  After speaking with a woman at a trial yesterday, I decided to try a metal utility article today.   This yielded excellent results, with only 1 episode of chewing.  YAY! :)   Tried working the wooden db in, and had good results with it.   Plan for this week:  find 3 days this week to work twice daily on db holds.  

Video of today's session:

Wizzle goes to work!

I started walking dogs in late August, and have been thoroughly enjoying my time.   Recently, it dawned on me that my poor Wuppy was not getting nearly the time or exercise that she had, prior to my employment.   This weighed heavily on my heart.  In analyzing the situation, I knew I had built good/strong relationships with all the dogs I'm walking, I felt confident in understanding their temperaments, and being able to introduce something new and wild.   So......I bit the bullet and brought Wild Wizzle to work today.   What an AWESOME day we had!!!! :)

The first dog we walked with is a young lab, 10.5mos.  She's extremely distracted by other dogs in her class (she's taking her FIRST class ever), and is VERY bouncy and happy.   My concern was that the conversation would go like this:

Fizz:  "Hi, I'm Fizz, I *LOVE* to play!"
Sophie: "Hi, I do too.......let's GO!"

At which point.......my shoulders would promptly be released of their duty as intact joints and happy mayhem would ensue.

Sophie walks on a pinch, Fizz was in her "blue nose collar" (as James calls it).   After a very bouncy, happy, leash-entangling greeting (as I extracted Fizz from her car crate), I got them on each side of me, gave them approximately 1" of leash each, and off we went.   There were several attempts at Mayhem and Madness, but quickly, both dogs settled into a good walk.   Fizz was on my right, and was even working at giving me nice 'side walking, heads up' work.  VERY happy with this choice!   She was rewarded (and Sophie was oblivious!).   Several times I asked them to sit, both did, though Sophie was slow....she did take her cues from Fizz (who sat fast and tight).  Rewards to both for good sits.  And, by saying a name before feeding, NEITHER dog tried to intrude upon the treat headed for the other dog.  GOOD girls!! :)

In looking at this pairing, Sophie needs work on working around other dogs, and Fizz is always looking for opportunities to work through and around distraction.    Lots of chances here to work with both girls on their "issues."   I'm thinking of putting Fizz in stays, and walking Sophie around her, etc. 

The next dog that Fizz got to meet is an older Lab bitch (approx 6yrs) who can be reactive to other dogs on our walks.  That said, she's NOT generally a reactive dog, and is actually very calm and laid back.   I knew if the intro went well, that they'd be just fine.   With Keely on leash, I got Fizz out of the car, and it was very interesting to see Fizz read Keely and react differently to her.   She tried one "hihowareya!" leap, and then settled into typical dog greetings.  Keely was mildly stiff and I made sure Fizz didn't get too into her space.  We headed off on our walk, and they were like two old souls who'd been walking together for years.  YAY!!!   I'm particularly excited about this b/c Keely and I typically go through downtown of a large town/small city, and see lots of stuff that Fizz would never see in our little town. 

The coolest part of Keely and Fizz was their amazing response to "sit!" when we got to crosswalks.   Both of those butts dropped like rocks on one gentle, "not loud" command.  It was impressive to watch, and put a big smile on my face.   I saw several heads turn to watch too! :)   Looking forward to putting on the "LabWeiler" obedience show downtown over the upcoming weeks and months.    At one crosswalk, Keely self-released after reward (I think that's what she's learned in her training), and Fizz continued to hold her sit.  I was very proud of her....and thought ahead to Novice obedience and the line of stays, when one dog breaks......lots of ways to practice that with these two! :)

Fizz's final walk of the day was with a 3rd Lab bitch, this one is the same age as Fizz, and just out of standing heat.   I knew these two would want to play, but also knew that Jasmine is not a total spazz like Sophie.  Had them both on leash at the back of my car, and grabbed a bag of treats to put in my pocket.  Didn't realize it had a hole in it, and treats went everywhere.   Rut roh!   Had no idea what to expect from either dog, and seeing as they'd *just* met, had  no idea if 'diving for treats' would be viewed as an offense by either one.  Quickly got them into a sit, and life was fine.   Neither was bothered by the actions of the other in the initial treat snarfling.  

We took a nice walk, and popped in to visit with an agility friend from a few years back.   Poor JudyJo, I didn't quite have hold of everyone and she got a chest full of LabWeiler.   Sorry JJ!!!!   Fizz gave me lots of heads-up heeling on this walk, I don't think I'd have taken any bet that on Day 1 of "walking with OTHER DOGS!!!" that my Wuppy would choose to work with me (vs. play and be a wild child!).   SO very happy!

The final 'learning event' of the day for me (about my dog) was that she doesn't care if other dogs join her in her crate.      !!!!     Upon returning to Jasmine's house, we went to the back of my van, and I had Fizz jump up into the crate.   Jasmine decided she was going too (where ever it was that we might be going!), and hopped right on in.   Suddenly, I have 2 24", 75-ish pound bitches in one 500 crate.  Eeek!   Had Jasmine outta there in a flash, and Fizz was like "where did my friend go??"    :)

So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that:

1.  My puppy is starting to mature, and will choose me/work over play with other dogs (MAJOR shock to    learn this!)

2.  My puppy does not guard high value treats, even from dogs she's just met.
3.  My puppy has no crate space issues.  :)
4.  My puppy will hold high-reinforced behaviors under greater distraction than I thought possible, don't be afraid to challenge puppy / raise the bar.



:)

Working on calm holds

It has been absolutely forever since I updated this blog, and for that I sincerely apologize.   We've had many things over the past few months that I thought "I need to get this up on the blog" ........ but somehow life is just running me ragged and I haven't had time/energy to keep up with this.   Started Dog Walking in August and dearly love it.  However, it's one more thing that uses up my time during the day, and all my other responsibilities to kids, dogs, family, house etc still remain.  :)

Fizz and I have been trying to work on a calm hold with the db.   Our training in general is very sporadic at this point, often done in 1-2min spurts w/out pre-planning (bad bad trainer!).   We've worked on this off and on.   What I've seen recently is that the first hold will be calm, and then the subsequent ones will be mouthy, and the bar on my db is getting trashed (and its maple!).   I tried bringing out heavier Db's to work with (my SchH1 and SchH2 db's), but still the chewing.   And when I look in her eye, it is not stress that I see, but rather "Imp eye" .......playful, mischevious, puppy.   Pure and simple: puppy!!  Yes, she's 13mos, and many times I get very intense adult-like focus and work.  HOWEVER, as Rottweilers go, she's still very young and I have to keep that in mind.   I suspect that this issue will resolve itself most easily with maturity, and I refuse to make a problem out of what is not really a true problem.........and so we've not been drilling on this or saying "I must have a hold by X deadline!" and forcing the issue.

I decided today to do a bit of work, using one of her chew bones.   It's a very dense rubber nylabone, shaped like some sort of femur.   She enjoys chewing on the epicondyles, but will often carry it around the house very calmly.   B/c I've seen her carry this calmly of her own accord, I chose to use it for today's training.   She'll also carry James' rain boots very calmly, but I suspect I should not encourage that by using them in training.  ;)

I've been working with her holding calmly = I say "out" and take the db from her.  If no calm hold, no "out" and no reward is available.   At times, I'm also using a "yes" to mark the calm hold.   If she starts to chew, or lies down with it, I simply take the db away, no negative verbals......simply the loss of opportunity to be rewarded.  If you're not calmly holding your db, you have no ability to earn reward.    I was happy with how today's session went over all.   We'll be taking our alternative db to training this afternoon. :)

Fizz working on db hold

We did it! :) :)

I found out yesterday that there would be a CGC in CT late this afternoon.   What's another try, right??  Decided to give it a shot.  

Drove down to an amazing field dog training kennel, such an incredible property:  long dirt roads for working dogs, fields with cool patterns cut into them for bumper work, a stunning outdoor agility ring.........yeah, just what makes a dog trainer say "do you take tent reservations???"  :)

The test was being held outdoors, in the agility ring.   For once, I was thankful that Fizz has no clue about agility!   Knowing that it was outdoors, I needed to make sure she was well exercised.   Ugh.   I figured no problem........and then we walked, and walked and walked.   In the funky cut field, up and down the dirt road............and 20min later, I was getting attention heeling and no pottying.   Doh!      Finally took her into the field, with permission to let her off, and an acceptable spot was found in the back corner.   Boy did we have fun going up the diagonals and across the cut grids (in otherwise waist-high field grasss).   Makes an awesome place to play 'hide n seek' and watch yer puppy go blasting past! :)

Greeting strangers went well, she held her sit as asked.  "Vet exam" was fine as usual.   Out for a walk, something smelled good on the weave pole bases.   Right as "about turn" was called, she caught a scent.  In order to not tight leash, I went an extra step closer to the weave poles, whirled about and set off at pace.  She came right with me, head up, attentive and happy.    Finished with a lovely sit at halt, still with strong attention.   YAY girlie! :)

Next we had to greet another dog.  She was showing strong interest in the completely neutral CH/MH GSP bitch......so I spun around in a quick/tight 360, got her back with me, and approached with a dog at my side, under control, being attentive and not looking at the other dog. :)   We shook hands (I didn't even look at the other handler........boy did that feel wrong!), and then continued on.  PASS! :)

Sit, down, stay and recall were spotless, and supervised separation........the CT State trooper holding my dog told me I wasn't allowed to take her back home.  :)  He even picked up her paw and had her wave "bye bye Mommy!" HAHAHA! :)

We stayed so I could be "crowd" for several other dogs (met my first Black Russian Terrier!), and at the end, I got to play with 9wk old GSP and Lab puppies.   What a wonderful finish to an awesome evening!! :) :)

Fizz, CGC  :)

DWDH

DWDH......don't wanna, don't hafta.    You know......when you're trying to get your awesome dog to do something (any particular thing) with you, and they decide they'd rather do something else (prefer a 'better toy', sniff a fascinating new smell.......anything).

Yesterday afternoon, Fizz had a second-hand bone with plenty of good chewing in it.  And as this had originally been Vikka's bone, it's even MORE exciting.   She brought it out of her crate and right outside.   I was trying to get her to play fribbee (a FAAAAAVORITE pastime) with me before the chickens came out in the yard for a few hours.   

Puppy lying and chewing on her treasure, me with a frisbee, trying to entice her.  She watched, and finally paid me enough attention to lift her head away from her chewing.   DWDH.   Not playin' fribbee mom, sorry.   I gots a good boney.

So, what else is there to do but go play frisbee by myself!?!  :)   And so I did.  I even gave myself a good solid "readyyyyyyyyyyy, steaaaaaaaaaadyyyyyyyyyyyy............GO!!!!!!!!!!"   Toss and dead sprint at the frisbee where it had landed.

Still chewin' this boney.......but that was pretty interesting!   

"WAHOO!!!!!!!!!  Look what IIIIIIIIIII have!   I have a friiiiiiibbee!   Wanna get it?? YEAH!!!!!   Reaaaaaaaaaaady?????? GO!!!!!!!!!!!!"

At this point, Fizz has an E.T.esque neck and has no clue what my problem is, but it's VERY interesting! :)

"You waaaaaaaaaaaant it??   GO!!!!!!!!!!"   And yet again, I'm sprinting across the yard to the frisbee that I just threw about 40yds away.   This time, as I go to pick it up, I hear the feet pounding behind me.   

Here I are!!  Me-n-my boney!   Wanna play??

Needing a bit of a break from sprinting about the yard (I'd already done a 3mi run that a.m.), I started tossing the frisbee in the air, and catching it, running away and hooting with joy.     She followed me around, very interested in playing, but completely unable to put her bone down.   She was offering me interaction:  jumping up on me, trying to cut me off, but still not willing to take the frisbee and play tug.

So I started shoving her away from me, and taking off.   When she caught up to me, I was doing rapid changes of directions and slapping her on the butt as I took off.   The frustration was coming off her like steam........but still couldn't bring herself to part with the bone.   

Another shove, and take off, and being VERY excited about the best frisbee ever........and suddenly she's coming at me, ready to grab the silly thing........no boney!  Hoorah, success.    or not.   B/c right as she gets there to grab the frisbee (which I'm now holding out at her level).........she throws on the brakes and tears back to the bone she left behind.   Doh!     BUT....I've made a break through on some level, which means its time to up the game.

We continued racing about, me shoving her away, teasing her with the frisbee.   She set the bone down several times, would come near me, but then turn back to it.   Such conflict for a Wuppy!!  Finally, she came over, and grabbed the frisbee hard!  SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    We played a short game of tug, and then I sent her back to her bone, and took off for inside, yelling about my awesome frisbee the whole way in.   She came trotting quickly behind, with bone, but didn't want to miss out on any fun. :)   In all, I had probably spent 12-15 minutes trying to get her to drop that bone and come play tug with the frisbee.  I knew I wouldn't get a game of "go get it" in, the bone was too valuable, so I was looking for tug:  choose my game over your favorite bone, and play with me.   We did it! :)

So this afternoon, we're outside again, and the bone is still a treasure.  I grab the frisbee, show her I have it, and take off across the yard, and then head to the other side of the garden (lawn wraps all around a garden island).   She came tearing after me, and as soon as she got near me, I ripped off in the other direction.   She's trying hard to play:  jumping on me, sailing past me in the air, body slamming me.   Sorry, but that's not the game we're playing today.    

I took off, and hid, and she came tearing after me, and sailed right past.   She realizes I'm not where she thinks I am, drops the bone and comes flying back to find me.   Thankfully, I still had the frisbee, b/c she's coming in fast, mouth open.   :)   Game ON!!!!!!!!!!!   And it's MY game, not hers.   She CHOSE to play with me (and not her bone).  :)  :) :) :) :)    We played tug with the frisbee for a bit, and then I threw it for her.   She was absolutely on fire to play with it, and as she flew back to me, I decided to toss some obedience into this game.

I asked her to 'set up' and she was all cockeyed across the front of me.  Nope!   Her poor puppy brain wasn't giving up though, and as I moved off somewhere else and asked again, she stuffed herself into position and tried really hard to put her chin in my hand (a side effect of chin heeling! a rather funny one actually!).   I threw the frisbee and she exploded after it.  We played more tug as she came back, and I worked 2 more set ups.

And in all this, she hadn't once looked for the Blessed Bone.   Not even a thought of it.   I found two other toys in the yard, and quickly changed up to playing with them.  One was higher than the frisbee, and one was definitely not.  But at this point, she was so riled up about playing games, that she was willing to play with anything I tossed out.   After she brought me the low value footless-cuz (it's now low value b/c it doesn't honk), I sent her to find the bone.  It actually took us a minute or two to find the silly thing.    :)

I am THRILLED for the payoff in sticking with it last night, working through the DWDH attitude.    It was physically tiring, but pouring energy into that silly frisbee convinced her that I was worth choosing over something which her inner being wanted (a marrow bone to chew on).    We're in a teenage phase of grand proportion right now, but I refuse to give in to it.   Time and effort now, to work through, and reinforce what I want (a team) can do nothing but pay off in the future, of this I have no doubt. :)

Don't accept no, and don't force "have to."   Convince the dog to choose you.........and be sure you're worthy of that choice.  No half-heartedness allowed, you must pour yourself into it........if you expect your teammate to do the same. :)

Hold it!

Per my training log, Fizz hasn't seen a dumbell since May 1st (doh!).  I brought it with us to class on Monday night and she tried to climb up my side, to get to it.   We worked a few reps of take (I think I almost lost fingers!) and then checked on grip.....yep, still firm, and still with pull against me to get it.   So I put it on the floor.   Fizz has only ever worked her db in the house, in our den specifically.  This is by NO means a generalized behavior, but her reaction to simply seeing it in class told me I wasn't anywhere near overfacing her with it.   After about 5 floor to hand pick ups, we had a big party and put it away.  

Tonight, I pulled out my borrowed book and checked in on what was next:  hold.   This is the one step that I had trouble with Froli...and the whole reason I learned about clickers in my training many years ago.   Even verbal praise from me generated enough excitement in Frol that she got chewy.......so I went to calm/neutral marking via the clicker.

First I checked Fizz's response to my hands on top/bottom of her muzzle.   It's not a grab, it's not holding the dog by its face, or any kind of pushing in on gums.   Simply gently holding the upper/lower jaws, if dog chooses to pull back, they pull back, no big deal.   She turned her head to an angle the first two times, and then just sat there while I "held" her.   Praise/reward (food).

Next, I brought the db back into the picture and worked several takes/outs with her, having very nice committed grips.   As soon as I started trying to work the hold, she wanted to spit the db to get the food in my hand.    In trying to work with the method exactly as written, I chose to work through this tonight.   I held the db, held her muzzle, and had a single piece of food in my fingers.  I did get 3 or 4 good holds with a committed grip, but otherwise, she was trying to get the food in my fingers.

Currently, when I ask for a take, the food isn't on me at all.  Its in a bowl, sitting somewhere nearby.   We will try holds again tomorrow, and I will have no food in my hand, but instead, in the bowl as she knows and see if we can get more settled holds, closer together.  I think that was the root of our issues tonight, the food being right in my hand.

However, all that said, I'm very happy to see how eager she is for the db after a 2 month layoff from it, and to see how positive her association is with it.   Once the hold and deliver to hand are solid, we'll start bringing the db with us many places and work on generalizing the behavior.  

Fizz is a really fun puppy and I'm enjoying the journey of our training adventures!  :)

Know the rules

We failed.  Again.   And the greatest failure/frustration is mine, in that apparently, I'm completely unaware of the standards for the CGC these days.    One tight leash anywhere = fail.   I was unaware that the CGC holds higher standards than either Rally or Novice obedience.   I owe Fizz an apology for misunderstanding the test, and for entering her before she was ready.  The failure is mine, completely.

Fizz did a much better job on all stations.   She sat while the friendly stranger approached, shook hands and talked.   The stranger left, Fizz stood, I told her to sit, and she did.   She failed, b/c she didn't maintain her sit.   I was surprised to see this 'fail' b/c she did sit the whole time we were greeting.  For greeting the stranger, in which the stranger pets the dog, she was perfectly behaved, and equally so for the grooming/foot/ear inspection.

On out for a walk, we were fine through most of the heeling pattern. Good attention, a nice right turn and a perfect sit on the halt.    In one corner, some sort of smell grabbed her nose.  She had a tight leash, I called her to come with me, she did and we finished up with a great about turn, 2 more lefts and a fantastic halt at the end.   We failed b/c of the single tight leash.   You can earn a CD leg w/ tight leash....you lose points, but you don't fail.   I find this aspect of the way CGC's are being administered absurd.  One tight leash does not an out of control dog make.   But apparently them's the rules (and I wasn't aware of their stringent nature).

Sit and down on command were fine, as was the 'stay,' and the come when called.  I even got a nice straight come with front sit (we've sort of been working on that).  :)

Crowd with distraction was fine, even though they were bouncing a giant exercise ball, I was able to keep her with me and moving on (I know she was dying to play with that ball!).  The two dogs that I 'helped' with, by being part of the crowd, did not have that ball. 

Greeting another dog.  Fizz sat, held her position and we exchanged pleasantries.   As we went to leave, Fizz crossed in front of me and we failed.   She didn't get anywhere, I had her on a very short leash, and she didn't greet the handler or dog, but the fact that she even approached = fail.

I was very happy with the improvement in Fizz's behavior/performance.   She gave me some lovely heeling on the walk, held her sits when I asked her to, and was a good girl around the other dog and the big bouncing ball.

We will not be re-attempting the CGC anytime soon.  I was unaware that I need a fully obedience trained dog to pass this test.   In the past, that is NOT how they've been administered (I've put CGCs on 6 dogs, never with a failure).  However, the standards have apparently changed, and now I clearly understand them.    I do not have the money to take CGC prep classes (they're offered around here....for $150-180).   I don't have the money to do $25/wk drop in classes to practice greeting other dogs (and not the same dogs we always see in class).  

In the past, I have tested all of my dogs between 7 and 9mos of age.  They've been judged on their temperament, their behavior and the level of control they demonstrate (to handler).   Because THAT is the standard of the CGC that I've known since I did my first one in Dec of 1996, that is why I entered Fizz in April, and now.   For April, we were ill-prepared.   For today, for the standards of testing that I've known for the past 16yrs, we were ready.   I am disappointed in myself for not understanding the rules of the game and for setting her up for failure.    We will not be attempting this again any time soon, as our heeling is not formalized, and I don't see how you can pass these days without competition ready heeling.

Recallers saved me $46.50

Yesterday was the consummate 'perfect' summer day:  sunny, warm bordering on hot, and when you're out in it all day....it tends to make thinking less than optimal.  We were at the Mason's Grandmaster's Fair for the day in Charlton.   It was just lovely, kids had a blast and we came home ready to rehydrate and rejuvinate.  

I let the dogs out individually to potty, hit the grocery store, and then came home to find hubby/kids still at the local lake cooling off.  Perfect time to go for a quick run before working on dinner.   By the time I got back in, it was around 6:30.   Vik was still loose in the house as I'd left her, and Fizz was chillin' in her crate.    While I was prepping dinner, Fizz started squeaking.   She's on the recovery side of a UTI, so I didn't let her languish for too long before sending her outside.  

Having all the green beans picked and the salsa chopped and flavors melding, I thought it would be a good time to get the chickens out to free-range a bit.  Typically, they come out in the evening after the dogs have had time to be out and running about.   As it gets dark, they put themselves away in the pen (or even up into the coop) and then we close them for the night.

I grabbed a small handful of kibble, and called Fizz through the open screen door.   My normal voice, my normal call, nothing special.   At that point, hubby shouts "the chickens are already out!!"   Epic fail in household communication now coming to light.   And Fizz has been outside for at least 20min, with chickens.   This is the moment when you're torn between the dead sprint to assess the damage and wanting to hide under the covers and wish it all away.  

Meanwhile, Fizz, who went through Susan Garrett's brilliant Recallers class as a very young puppy, came at a dead run to the first call I'd given her.   Not knowing that chickens were loose, or the emergent situation present, I had simply called her.  Once.   And she came, at a dead run, tail up, happy to see me (and NOT a feather or blood spot on her!).   She's currently 9.5mos old.....in the "teenage" period where some trainers claim that dogs become less responsive, more wanting to check out their environment and surroundings.  Thankfully, we have relationship to pull us through that!


After I got Fizz put away, with HUGE praises from me for coming, and her kibble rained into the top of her wire crate for a fun game of 'get it!'......I went to assess the damage. The Bigs were just coming out of their side of the pen, none looking worried or trying to huddle/hide (as they did for days after the hawk got into the pen and killed one).   Quick count of 5 (correct number!) and no obvious piles of feathers.......they seemed ok, and not traumatized.   

Where were the Littles???   None in sight, and couldn't hear them.  But since none were evident, I figured they must be hiding somewhere together........and hopefully still numbered 5.    As I circled the koi pond garden I started seeing movement under the bird-planted sunflowers.   2 Wyandottes......1 black sex-link.   So far, 3 of 5.   The Araucuna soon showed up, and then there was only one black sex-link to find.   She was apparently off on her own adventure and came to see me when I called "chick chick!"     YAY!!!!   All 10 chickens accounted for, no one seeming traumatized or missing feathers.   Truly, I was in disbelief at how well this had turned out.

Recallers is so  much more than teaching your dog to 'come.'   It's about relationship.   It's about trust, about being a team together.   A dog learns self restraint through "It's Yer Choice," and not to simply self-serve rewards when available.   I am ever-thankful to Susan for this amazing class, and beyond a doubt, I think that it saved my chickens (whom we sum-total paid $46.50 for).    Fizz has lots of prey drive, its what I like in my working dogs, and what I hoped for when I chose her pedigree/breeding/litter.     Fizz has recently demonstrated very strong herding instinct.   In learning from various judges and instructors, the ability to call a dog off stock is based in large part on relationship..........between handler and dog.    Recallers has given us relationship in spades!!!

For any who are interested in the class, I can't recommend it highly enough.   You'll learn insight into the hows/whys of training, and gain so much more than just 'come.'   You will build a strong relationship, and show the dog the value of correct choices.    And I will continue to look forward to our first batch of "homegrown" eggs!! :) :) :)

More than just vegtiddles!

James has finally progressed from saying 'vegtiddles' to 'vegetables,' but I think his initial pronunciation will always be in my head. :)

We went to a local Farmer's market this a.m., my first and of course, Fizz came along.   What a wonderful place for a happy puppy!!!    We worked on loose-leash walking, not playing with dogs, not rushing to greet, and sits and downs.   As we get further in our training, this will be an awesome place to do sit (and eventually, stand) for exam. 

The set up is two rows of canopies, with various farmers/vendors set up.   Upon our arrival about 20min after the opening, there were roughly 50 people milling about.   Also present, 2 Labs, one was chocolate, on a harness and jumping/barking and really carrying on.   Of *course,* Fizz, who is quite fluent in "I play!" thought that looked just wonderful.   What put a big smile on my face was her first look at that dog, and the quick head snap back to me.  GOOD girlie!!   Lots of treats for that one.   As we approached the dog, it saw Fizz and was doing all it could to play (this looks like a much older dog, starting to grey in many places).   She did hit the end of the 1ft of leash she had to work with, but I stopped, she repositioned and we moved on past, on a loose line.

The 'yellow' (white?!) Lab came to see us, after we'd spent some time visiting with her 2 young girls (maybe 7 and 5?).   I backed up Fizz and said that we weren't greeting, due to an upcoming test, and needing to be behaved and 'not playing with all dogs.'   The owner was very gracious and immediately put his dog in a sit, and Fizz maintained one next to me.  The two dogs were about 10ft apart.  Again, lots of rewards.  :)

In our wanderings, we met lots of kids, several elderly adults, a few people in big hats, and many with delicious smelling drinks/edibles in hand.   Fizz was exemplary in her greetings, sitting and not fussing at the food.   VERY happy with my girlie!   A story was being read to kids sitting on a quilt, including my two.   Put Fizz in a down a few feet back (so as not to worry any who have breed prejudice issues), and listened to the story.  She didn't even consider the Mom who was feeding her 2yr old son a HUGE muffin, not a second glance.   The one thing that caught her eye was an unclipped Border Terrier racing about on the end of its leash.....it did look like a toy!

Final excitement before leaving was the passing commuter rail train (7 cars plus engine).   James of course was stoked to see a train, so we were plastered to the protective chainlink fence, and could feel the breeze given off as the train sped past, not more than 20ft away.   Fizz was not bothered by the noise, or the size of it (or the horn blasting)......but I think her ears told me that prey drive was turning on.   The LAST thing I need is a train-chasing dog, eek!!  Despite her increased interest/drive, she maintained her sit.

Looking forward to more visits through out this summer and future ones to come.  What an AWESOME place to work training, especially things like sit/stand for exam, gloves, article discrimination (as well as heeling and stays).   There's a different market on Fridays that we're hoping to check out this coming Friday.  The more ability to generalize behaviors and expectations, the better behaved my dog will be.   :)

Men in hats

I was going to title this post "We gave Fizz away today" and head it up with the photo of Fizz and Jeff...........it was sooo tempting!  :)  But that wouldn't have been very nice.   :P

We ran errands this a.m. and came home to find a tree cutting crew, including a large crane, right outside the house.   This was VERY exciting for the kids, and it soon dawned on me that this was a great training opportunity.   Loud things, unexpected crashes as limbs fell, odd smells, BIG huge trucks moving about, men in hats, gloves, goggles, etc.    Why miss out on a training opportunity????

Got Fizz out and worked a bit of short heeling, focus on me, and then sits and downs.   Downs became VERY difficult as the kids ate PB&J sandwhiches (this cool event rated a 'bottom of the driveway' picnic!).  All of my dogs are peanut butter junkies, to the Nth degree.  

After our 'work,' Fizz just hung out with the kids, relaxing and enjoying the show, despite our blazing heat.   And of course, who could pass up the opportunity to have a good stick chew when bits of tree are flying about??   

I was able to spend some time talking to the officer working the detail, and it turns out he used to train K9's in the nearby town.  He knows the Billings, Kenny Ballinger, and a host of other people from my former life in Working dogs.   We had a great time chatting.......had to laugh about Jagermeister in the live blind....ah the memories! :)

Fizz was not bothered at all by any of the men, wiggled and wagged to meet everyone of them, no matter what they had on their heads, eyes or hands.   I was very thankful that she didn't think Jeff's beautiful white gloves meant "game on!"  :) :) 

Every day presents us with new training opportunities, ability to socialize and just add yet another thing to the list of "oh yeah, that's just life."   I'm so thankful to the trainers in my life who have opened my eyes to this way of thinking, and encouraged me to seize such opportunities.   THANK YOU! :)    

Herding Instinct Testing

Fizz and I travelled to central Connecticut today to test her on sheep at an AKC Herding Instinct Test, held by NESA (Northeast Stockdog Assoc).  What a day it was!!  Gorgeous 75 degree, sunny day, with a light breeze to keep bugs away, and no humidity. 

There were 2 tests, with 2 different judges.  In order to earn the HIT, one needs 2 legs under different judges.  Test #1 was in the a.m., and Test #2 was in the afternoon.   Fizz had a blast with the sheep!!!   Herding is definitely in our future.....she loves it, and I'm fascinated watching a dog do something that is in every fiber of their being.

Fizz showed me a strong desire to be with the sheep, but also a nice responsiveness to my handling and guidance (what little there was in this test).   She sat when asked, willingly changed directions, and was not hellbent on eating sheep.   Instead, she was happily driving them, and willing to calmly (and with nice focus) walk up on them when they were stuck in a corner and staring her down.

Video from Test #1:
Herding Instinct Test #1

Between the two tests, we enjoyed playing with many breeds of dogs, and seeing several herding breeds whose faces hide behind fur/hair.   Awesome socializing experience!   We worked on obedience, learning to get in the kiddie pool, and recalls from play.    We also worked on some loose-leash walking, and 'not greeting' strangers, in practice for our upcoming CGC re-attempt.  :)

Shortly before Test #2, we were playing with a 6mos Briard puppy, and Fizz was a bit more winded than I should have allowed as we came to the test.   They kept the afternoon assessment very short, due to the heat (in consideration of both stock and dogs).   The judge was releasing teams as soon as she saw what she needed to see.

We ended up with the same set of sheep for both tests, though they were rotating through 3 regular groups, and a 4th came in at the end of Test #2.     She was quite happy to be back in there, and the down is something she offered, not something I asked for. :)

Real life CGC

Tonight, we're enjoying the Green Mountain State.   Took Fizz quickly, upon our arrival, to the center of town, walked a circle around a traffic light....and came back to where we're staying.     After I had time to get some dinner, and get the kids to bed, decided we should take a spin through Ludlow.

Again, we crossed the swollen Blackriver, rushing hard under the bridge.    Very visual, very loud.......and she wasn't bothered by it.   As we rounded the corner and headed down main street, our leash was loose.  I can't tell you how thrilled I am with her!   I had maybe 10 pieces of Natl Balance roll on me, and occasionally rewarded her, but for the most part, we just went for a nice loose-leash stroll.

As we neared the end of 'town,' there was a large, loud, group of teenagers gathered on a boulder.   So of course, we headed across the street, at a 90 degree approach.   No one seemed to pay us any attention, nor did I see any of the gals wanting to see the 'cute puppy,' so we skirted around.   As we came back to the sidewalk, a guy who was easily 6'5" came up behind us, yelling back to his friends, altered..........er..........aroma ......... you can guess.  Two skate-boards swinging in his hands, and nearly nailed her in the butt with one.

Not ONCE did she give him a second thought, nor any hint of suspicion.   Next up:  the guy leaning into/against his car, at rather a tilt, and not looking quite, erm, sober.   Perfect!  Guy??  What guy??  Loose-leashed right past him.  GOOD girl!

Finally our biggest challenges:  two groups of people who REALLY wanted to meet her.   The first was a small group, 4 people.  She was good and waited for me to send her.  The second group........she hit the end of the leash and went right to see them.  BUT!!!  Despite the fact that half of this group (actually, the male of each couple) was holding 'doggie bags,' she did NOT go to see one of them!  One of them even had spare ribs.  YAY!!!!   She was SO happy to see women who were ecstatic to see her.   Two comments just went to my heart:   1.  "Where do you train?  She's wonderful!"   and even more so..... 2.  LOOK at her smiling!!! She's so friendly and happy, she SMILES!    To have people view a Rottweiler as happy and smiling  (which truly, this dog is!)......oh it just made me burst with happiness!! :)

YAY Fizz!!!!!!!!   I just ADORE this puppy!!!   So confident, so happy, so outgoing, and so trusting in our relationship.    To go somewhere so different than anything she's used to, at night, after a long car ride (another new experience) and take it all in stride like nothing......just LOVE it!   So looking forward to the road ahead of us, and glad she's taking me along for the ride!  :)

Thank you to Erika and Laurie for an AMAZING puppy, and to Esther for building and encouraging us.   So  much is yet to come!  :)

Chickens and choices

Our 'older' chickens have moved outside, and are living in a dog kennel.  They can still fit out through the bars.  This morning while Fizz was outstide, 2 stupid chickens decided to exit their kennel.  I called her to me, a minor chase ensued, but she called off the birds and sat herself.   I was VERY happy with this response. :)

After that, I decided we needed to work on ignoring the chickens.   Fizz is a rambunctious 8 month old puppy, and I knew this would be an adventure for both of us.    Following are 2 videos, successive in nature.   Beware, the first one is LONG and if you're on a slow connection...........it may take awhile!

We did very well with ignoring the chickens initially.   I also saw that chicken smells and food rewards were of higher value than playing tug at that moment.   I always want playing with me to be of highest value, so we took an extended 'balance break' to work on play/work/reward and build up the bank account of our relationship in this new context. 

In part 2, we go up to see the chickens, and again, a small chase ensues.   It took me about 30 sec to get hold of the long line.  No chickens were harmed, and Fizz was definitely not in 'kill' mode, but rather in 'chasing is FUN' mode.   You can see how much less responsive she is to me after the chasing.

Again, WONDERFUL information for me as a trainer, in knowing how to work through this and to see what her weak spots are.   When James gets chickens upset by trying to grab them, she gets MUCH more keyed in on them.   We will continue to work through this, and I will use kids to roust/wrangle chickens, in order to create high level attraction/distraction for Fizz. 

Of interest, at dinnertime, she was out again, and once again, stupid chickens decided to leave the kennel.   I heard upset chirping and went out to find Fizz chasing a Barred Rock, but again, not in a frenzied state, and not to kill.   The B.R. ran under a bush, and I called her once, and she flew to me.  GOOD girl!!!!!!!!!   We ran inside and she got about 1/4 of a bratwurst. :)    I'm very happy with her responses to me, which are not really based in much training in this context, but rather on our relationship.   A wonderful reading of the barometer! :)