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.   :)

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 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:

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

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!  :)

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! :)

Brick walls aren't real

Fizz has been enjoying her tracking work, and is progressing nicely.   We are training her in a component fashion.   There's no reason you need a multi-hundred pace track, aged for long periods, in order to teach a dog how to work challenges, and so, most of her tracks are short (60-80 paces) and aged roughly 15-20 minutes....basically enough time for me to lay it, walk back to the car, log it in my book, get the camera set up and running, and then go back to the car again and get Fizz.

Today's challenge was visual barriers.  The first portion was working through a narrow pass, with high grass on one side, and a rope running overhead on the other.  After coming through the passage, Fizz's track had a big curve in it, turning us around to head right back into the tall grass/wildflowers, head-on.    The point of heading straight into tall stuff was to teach her that "brick walls aren't."  While it may seem that the track should end b/c there's something in the way, today she learned that one should instead forge through the tall stuff and find big rewards.

I was very pleased with how she handled this.  Neither the narrow passage or the tall grass bothered her, nor did she show any hesitation or confusion.    She did get onto some sort of a scent just after the passageway, and I still have no idea what she found....but it was apparently quite yummy.

Here's a side view, from Fizz's level, of the difference in cover, of her 'brick wall' that she went confidently into.

Today's track:

Back to the db

Fizz hasn't seen or touched her dumbell since March 17th.  I decided tonight to re-present it to her, and see where we were.   We're following Sue Sternberg's Inducive retrieve method. 

As soon as she saw the db, she grabbed it hard.  Big praise, and reward.  We went through 4 reps of that, and then I put it down to the floor.  She immediately grabbed it, and I praised/fed her.  I was sitting on the floor, and only looking for her to grab it.

Since all seemed to be well settled in her head, I decided to move forward to the next step: lifting from the floor to my hand.  I wondered if she'd balk at this sudden increase in criteria and was pleasently surprised at the answer:  nope!    She picked it up and held it long enough that I was able to bend down and get it (from a standing position).   Huge praise and a small jackpot of food.

We worked through quite a few reps, took a balance break of tug inbetween to keep arousal level high, and returned to grabbing from the floor.   There were two failures, in which she dropped the db before I could bend down to take it.   Nothing from me, and she immediately picked it up again and held it til I got it.  GOOD girl!! :)

Final rep was one in which she picked it up (while she was standing), and then held it long enough to put herself into a sit (I have no clue why she sat, and at this point, it matters not).   I was thrilled with the progress that we'd made and ended it there with a huge jackpot.

Plan to work on this some more tomorrow, with the goal of her bringing it up to my hand, without me bending over at all.  We finished our evening with a good game of tug, and she retired to her crate with a bit of pig's ear.

2 May 2012:    Worked a bit more with this today, here's some footage from our work this afternoon.  :)

Monday night's class

Fizz was brilliant tonight at class!   She gets exercised before class, and as soon as she's done, she turns tail and beelines HARD for the building, drags me through the door, past the owner (who wonders why my obedience dog is dragging me about willy nilly) and straight into the ring.   I have enjoyed seeing her enthusiasm for class build and have not done anything about it.

Our new rules are "no leash dragging, ever."   I expected an extended attempt to get into the building.  Took all my stuff in, set James up with the iPad, and went to go get Fizz.  I had made a special baggie of diced chicken breast specifically for the pre-class work.   Fizz and I are blessed with an amazing trainer who takes a genuine interest in her students.   No sooner was I in the building, than she asked if she could come outside and help me.   That really meant a lot to me, and I was slow to answer.   Esther, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!  :)

As soon as I got Fizz out to potty, she was next to me, and had only one tight leash (at a stop and sniff spot).  I was fully expecting our usual drag, and it never appeared.  Even after she finished, she didn't bolt, but stayed with me.  At that point, Esther was out talking with another student, and Fizz was fully aware of her presence.....but she CHOSE to stay with me! :)  What a puppy!!!!!!!   We made a few passes back and forth past Esther, and there was one particularly noticable "I look at her, but I look right back to you, and don't bobble from it" moment.   Her choice was clear and concise.  click and treat, oh yeah!

After a few passes, we tried a sit and greet.  Got as far as hand shake and a brief few words when Fizz couldn't contain herself.  She broke to see Esther. I immediately stepped back, and re-set up.   I asked her for a sit, but as I was saying "sit," she offered a down.   This was quite interesting to me, b/c of the three basic positions (sit, stand, down), down has *always* been our weakest, and very rarely can I think of times that she's offered it up.   Either sit or down is acceptable to me for greeting, as long as she stays at my side and does not self-invite.   She held her position through another handshake, chatting, and all without any rewards from me.  I finally gave her the ultimate reward:  permission to go say hi.   When it was time to move on, she came right with me, and again, click/treat.

Following that big success, we were able to easily loose-leash it all the way inside.  I didn't have to back up once.   She also offered a down outside of the ring, and I asked her to hold that  a bit before proceeding in.  We worked and played while others came in.  No darting off to greet.  And at the very end of class, I was even able to walk right up to another student, whose Border Terrier was out on leash (vs being in her crate), and Fizz did not make ONE attempt to greet either dog or owner.   YAY!!!!!!

I was truly amazed at the success we had tonight.  I feel that her pattern of behavior at class (dragging me about) is fairly ingrained, and figured I had a long road ahead of me re: fixing it.  We will continue to work around stronger distractions, including a local dog park (don't worry, I would never consider to enter one......but it will be an awesome 'bad dog behavior' distraction from outside the fence!), the bus when Emilie gets off (this is HUGE excitement for Fizz!), and work up to visiting Home Depot on a crazy Saturday morning.  :)

Loose leash and non-greeting training

Since I failed our CGC on Saturday, we've been working on two things:  loose-leash walking and not rushing to greet people.   Fizz's leash pulling has never bothered me before, that's why I didn't fix it previously.  However, it is required for the CGC.   Also, she may not greet anyone until she's held a sit or down, and is given permission to go say hi.   This includes family members upon our return home from any outings.

For most of her training, I have not used a clicker, and am not even judicious about using a verbal marker.  I focus mainly on placement and timing of reward.  I do tend to use a verbal marker, but not consciously so....more because I'm a chatterbox.    For this work, I felt the clicker was a more noticeable mark of "yes, that's correct" and so it now comes with us for all on-leash work.   I hold the clicker and leash in my left hand, food is in my right pocket, and delivered with my right hand.

We started on Saturday afternoon with simply being able to go down the driveway.   That probably took us 10-15min.  I she pulled, I backed up.  Pulling = no forward, or a complete direction change by me.    We were able to work down to the street, and maybe go 20-30 yards from the driveway.   I ended the session when my food was out, and we went back to the house.  Later that afternoon, we went out again.  Her understanding of the new idea was showing nicely and we made it easily down the driveway (about 125ft) and out into the street.  

As soon as I said "let's go for a walk," Fizz would surge ahead.  I backed up, or circled around, and clicked/treated when she was back in place and we were moving forward properly.  Simply coming back to me only was rewarded maybe 4 or 5 times because that was not the final behavior, and I upped the criteria.   On our 6th attempt at "let's go for a walk!", she stuck to me like glue, hard staring at me and demanding her meatball for good behavior.   She got three! :)

Yesterday, we were able to progress not only to the block, but about 1/3rd of the way around it.  There we met up with several strong distractions that used up a lot of direction change and reward for choosing correct position.  A robin running along the side of the street (and she is an AVID robin chaser in our backyard!), a man who came out of a house, using a very LOUD and seemingly somewhat agitated voice to yell back to his buddy inside, and a group of children playing in a yard where they were obscured from vision by scrub and trees.   Fizz loves kids and pulled real hard at this one. 

Today, we took our show on the road.  I wanted to track her, and then head to the store for bones and food.   I had hoped to work with her outside the park while James played on the playground, but no dogs allowed anywhere on the property, so that plan was scrapped.  I explained to the staff at the store about our failure, and how we were working on it, while I paid for my food.  Then, went back to the car and got Fizz and went back in.  

There are 2 doors to go in, and she sat at both automatically, and waited for me to invite her through.   This is not something I've worked on in a long time, so it was rewarded both times.  Her reward was leftover cheeseburger, chopped into bits.  I also had a tug with me, covered in real rabbit fur.   There was initially a good bit of pulling because we entered near the elk antlers and various other kinds of natural chews.   I simply backed up each time the leash tightened.   She was rewarded for coming back to me.   Initially, she was rewarded for simply looking away from high value treats when I called her name.

Fizz has been in this store many times.  She enjoys it, and they enjoy her.  Today, the slick floor bothered her.  And as she stressed about it, she knuckled up her feet, making her footing worse.   At that point, I learned that food has higher value to her than tug.   I am still learning about Fizz, and she is still maturing, so I recognize that preferences are in a state of flux.   I know for Xcel, ALL toys always trumped food.  For young Banja, all food trumped toys, but as she got older, some toys (cuz!) trumped most food except for the very rarest of beef.    She put her mouth on the tug and gave me a half-hearted grip, but it was not a real tugging session, and was not able to release her stress about the floor.

However, she did work well through the stress and settled down.   We worked on a down stay, return, leave again and recall (as was done in Saturday's test).   We worked on sitting and not greeting while several customers came in and walked near by.   And we worked simply on loose leash walking, which she was giving very nicely after the initial "I must see all treats."    Finally, I was able to ask a staff member to help us, by coming to say hi to me, but not to her.  Fizz broke on the first time after we were shaking hands and talking.  I replaced her (she was in a down), and tried again, this time she held it and got a handful of cheeseburger.

We then had loose leash walking all the way back to the car.   I am VERY happy with how she is doing.  Our BIG challenge will be class this afternoon.  She loves class, she loves Esther, and she drags me hard to get in there every Monday.   We may spend the first 20min of class just trying to get inside in n appropriate manner, and if that is the case, so be it.   That is what we need to work on right now, and so we shall. :)

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.   :)