Project Stay: Duration Check-in

Rip and I are now on day 5 of Duration stay work.  I must admit that I've only made my goal of twice-a-day training sessions one day so far.  But I have been working on stays every day, which is progress!

I've been increasing at 30 second increments each session - expect for 2 sessions at 2 minutes long.  He broke at around 1.5 minutes the first time we did 2 minutes, so we did not add time for the next session.  I'm not adding time unless he's successful.

We are now up to 3 minute stays in both the down and the sit.


What I've noticed:

• I need to stay a bit closer to him than I thought I would.  Most of the time I'm 3' to 4' away.  I can tell he's just learning what I want (stay in the same position, in the same place), so I find staying closer to him seems to make him more sure of what he's doing.
• Watching him closely pays off.  This way I can tell if he's making little shifts that might lead to a break in position.  When I see this, I step a little closer in to give him support.  I'm not rushing in to correct him (which would make him even more confused) - it's just a quiet step in his direction, reinforcing the position.

Something I'm trying with Rip that I didn't do with my other dogs is differentiating his downs.

For the downs needed in the non-stay exercises, I've trained Rip to do a quick "sphinx" down -- folding back into the down position.  For stays I'm training him the command "hip" (I'm saying this instead of down) and asking him to rest on his left hip in the down.

Why am I doing this?  First, this is the sort of down my dogs tend to do when they're resting on their own, so I'm assuming it's more comfortable for a longer period of time.  Second, I want him to know that with the "hip" type of down, he's going to be there for a while.  With the "down" down, I'm likely to ask him to do something else pretty quickly (e.g., recall, stand, sit).

I'm not sure if it will work, but it's something I've been considering for a while, so Rip gets to be my test dog ;)

Rip demonstrates the "hip" down 

that we're using for our stays

Compared to

The "down" (aka sphinx) down

that we use for the other exercises

Project Stay - Yes, I'm Finally Training the Wild Dog to Stay...

Stay is boring!  Rip likes to run!

Ok, I'm a little ashamed that I have a nearly-3-year-old dog who really does not  understand the concept of "Stay."  Since I want to get Rip into the Rally & Obedience rings in the near future, this is a *bit* of a problem.

So, finally, I've decided to really work on "Stay" with Rip.

Coincidently last week I was in a managerial effectiveness class, and we had to work with another person and coach them through developing a plan to tackle a non-work project.  I chose to think through training the stay.  After helping me through the plan, my work colleague said, "and that is why I don't train my dogs."  Fair enough.


The goal:
At the end of Project Stay Rip will be able to hold a 5 minute sit stay and a 7 minute down stay in "public" with me 40' away.


The plan:
Take on the 3 "D's" of the Stay.  Duration, Distraction & Distance.  I've chosen to break it down this way based on what I learned from a Laura Romanik seminar I attended a couple years ago.


I'm taking on Duration first:

• This work will be done at home, or outside in our yard - places that Rip is really comfortable with.
• We will start with 1 minute sit and 1 minute down.
• We will work up to 7 minutes in sit, and 7 minutes in down.
• I will stay within 6' of Rip at all times.
• Plan to work on duration for 7-10 days.  2 sessions per day.

Next is Distraction:

• I'm breaking distraction down into "new places" and "what is mom doing?"
• Rip and I will go to at least 4 new places to work on stays.  The distraction part is all the new stuff that will be going on around us.
• We'll also work with distractions at home.  I'll introduce new things and use things that normally distract Rip to test his resolve.  We'll do at least 9 sessions of these "what is mom doing" distractions.
• All distraction work will be on leash, with me no more than 6' away from Rip.
• Plan to work on distraction for 7-10 days.  2 sessions per day.

Then we'll get to Distance: 

• Work will be done mainly at home, and at the club building where we normally train.
• Work at home will be off-leash.  Work away from home will be on-leash.
• Every session I'll move 1-2' feet further away.
• Goal is to be able to do out-of-sight stays at home.
• I'll work on distance for 7-10 days.  2 sessions per day.

Finally, we'll put it all together:

• In reality, this will continue as long as Rip is doing obedience, but we'll continue the stay focus for a final 7 days.
• We'll go to 4 new places and work on distance (on a long line).  
• The goal here is to get 50' away from Rip, and be able to hold the sit stay for 5 minutes, and the down stay for 7 minutes.

To keep myself honest, I'll post quick updates on the blog at least twice a week, and a summary of each phase as we graduate to the next.

Obedience "must train" - The Nose Touch

I've had a number of occasions lately to be thankful that I have taught my dogs to touch their nose to my palm -- something I call the nose touch.

What is the nose touch?

The nose touch is when I say "touch" and the dog firmly presses their nose into my outstretched palm.

Why do I find it useful?

It's a great way to maneuver a dog without having to pull on the leash, grab the collar, lure with food, pick them up, etc.

With Ziggy:

• Ziggy is a sweet dog.  He is also rather lazy, and has a bit of a stubborn streak.  If he doesn't want to go somewhere, a pull on his collar only leads to a dog who puts on the brakes even more.  No fits.  He just anchors himself into place and gives me a completely impassive look.  
• But the nose touch gets him to move!  It frees me from having to beg, pull, or push him into place.
• The logic seems to be touch = food = something I can do to get a reward!
• The folks at the ISU vet school rehab center also appreciate the nose touch, as it allows them to get Ziggy to do his rehab exercises more easily.

With Rip:

• I use the nose touch A LOT with Rip.
• I use it to get Rip where I want him to be.  
• I  ask him to "bounce" - or come off the ground in front a bit - to touch, which he finds very motivating.
• The nose touch comes in handy when teaching him things like finishes.  I have him bounce up to touch my hand, to get him to move left or right, then I use the touch to bounce him into place.
• I'll feed Rip his dinner as a reward for touching my hand (Touch = a small bit of food from my hand), so Rip is very motivated to touch.  
• I'll even use "touch" in place of "come" from time to time.  I seem to have built more rewards into touch, so Rip almost always barrels towards my hand.  But that's probably more a fault of my recall training than a benefit of "touch."  ;)
• I ask him to touch a lot when we're heeling.  
• I have him touch to get his attention.  Rather than correcting him when he looks away, I ask for a series of hand touches to get him back in focus.  
• I have him do a little "bounce" touch to get more drive when heeling -- like during the transition from slow to normal pace.

With Maggie:

• Oh, heck, let's face it - Maggie is an old lady who is deaf and gets to do what she wants most of the time - but she still remembers that touch is high reward, and she'll gently press her nose to my hand if I hold it out there for her.  And she always gets a treat for it!  :)

(Maggie was at rest during my "nose" photo shoot, 

so I just took a nose picture of her snuggled up in her bed)

How do I train "touch?"

Touch is a fairly straightforward thing to train.

Criteria

When I train the nose touch, my criteria are that a corgi nose is firmly pressed into my open palm.  I don't want teeth + nose.  I don't want near touches, or gentle tap nose touches.  I want a nice, firm nose touch, wherever my hand may be - close to the floor, behind my back, above the dog's head, etc.


Initial Training

The nose touch is easy to train if you're clicker training, or even if you're not.

I clicker trained Rip and Ziggy to touch, clicking for ever-closer progression toward my palm, and delivering the treat from the hand that I've asked them to touch.  Using the clicker to train touch is now my favorite way to train it.  It's a great thing to train when just learning to use the clicker, as dogs tend to catch on very quickly.

Maggie I trained without a clicker (this was before my clicker days).  She is hugely food driven, so I had small treat in my hand, and rewarded when her nose came in contact with my hand -- which it naturally did as part of trying to get the treat.  I think it took her about twice before she figured the game out.


Maintenance

Though my dogs know "touch" very well now, I continue to offer a high rate of reward for it.  I'll often just do touches for treats, or touches for bits of their meal so that it I have a lot "in the bank," allowing me to use touch without it becoming boring, or low reward.

I hope you and your dogs enjoy the nose touch as much as The Pack and I do.  I am regularly thinking of new ways to use it!

Rip's Training Diary #4

I realize that I haven't posted lately about what Rip & I doing with our training time.  My work duties (travel! projects!) continue to be onerous, so my training time is a bit sparse.  We are making progress, though!

Right now we're working on:

• Go out games - including hitting the stanchion, taking cheese off the stanchion, and running to a pvc box, turning towards me & sitting in the box.
• Retrieving - Rip loves retrieving!  We're working with wood, plastic, metal, and leather dumbbells.  Rip now reliably retrieves when I throw the dumbbell (though I still have to hold his collar to keep him in place while I'm throwing).  We're not doing any fronts - I'm just having Rip bring it back to me and drop it when I release him to the treat I've thrown.  
• A better dumbbell hold.  Naughty Rip likes to play with the dumbbell when returning to me - mouthing it instead of holding it politely.  No surprise there - why just hold a dumbbell when you can hold it, run, AND chomp on it?!
• Side-passing (horse people will know this term) - I'm training Rip to walk sideways when facing me - moving to stay perpendicular to me as I move back & forth.  Prep for fronts.
• Heeling!  We love to heel!  Now we're adding in automatic sits and slow pace.  
• A new trick that I really hope we can pull off.  I'll record it and post it on YouTube if I can pull it off.  So far Rip hasn't had an "I get it!" moment, so we'll see.

What we should be working on but aren't:

• Agility (sigh. where does the time go?)
• Stays.  Must start seriously working stays.  I know it's bad of me not be working on these more often.  I'm just so thrilled to have a dog who loves to play that I hate to "waste" our precious training time on the stay.

Since I don't have a training picture, I'll end with a picture that shows what happens when Rip is bored due to lack of training.  Naughty dog.  Or maybe he just wants to play MarioCart on the Wii.

Obedience "must-train" -- The Practical SIT

A strange thing happened to me last week.  Two different people in two different "venues" commented on what a well-behaved dog I have.  This would not be unusual if I were out with Maggie, but it is VERY unusual as the dog I had with me both times was Rip.  Yes, Rip!

Perhaps he's just growing up?  Is he a changed dog?  I wouldn't go that far.

Well, Rip does look calm in this picture.

Until you notice the "I-might-cause-trouble" glint in his eye.

The thing that has changed Rip's behavior in public is one simple command:  SIT

This may sound a little crazy, as sit is pretty much the first thing taught in obedience class, and Rip has been training since he joined our pack.  But I'm talking about a more practical version of sit.

I had an "ah-ha" moment during my first lesson with Bridget.  Between exercises, or when Bridget was giving me feedback, Rip was sniffing, looking around, and wandering to the end of the leash.  Then I had to correct him for sniffing, wandering, etc.

Finally Bridget asked me if my dog knew how to sit.  Of course he does - didn't she see those nice, quick, straight sits while he was heeling?

Oh, not that kind of sit.  

She was referring to the kind of sit that means I tell my dog sit, then I can pay attention to something else because I know that my dog will be sitting in that same place and not sniffing.  The criteria for this sit aren't the same as they are for a "sit stay."  Rip can look around, he can even shift a paw if he wants - he just needs to stay sitting in that same place and keep to himself.

It's weird that this was such an epiphany for me.  It seems so obvious, but the world of "sit" was opened up for me again.  Sit means sit and keep sitting.  I may shift my attention off of you, my dear dog, but you need to keep sitting.  You may want to jump up and lick that small child, but you just keep sitting.  A dog is walking by who you just KNOW wants to be your friend, but you keep sitting.

Since that time I have heavily reinforced the "practical" version of sitting.  Here are some examples:

• When we're out on a walk and we see another dog, I tell Rip to sit next to me.  When he's sitting, a regular stream of treats is deposited in his mouth.  
• At first I needed to hold onto his collar to reinforce the sit, and stand between Rip and the other dog, but we've moved on to just sit + treats.
• If someone wants to pet Rip, he is told to sit.  I then kneel down next to him and feed him treats when his front feet stay on the ground, and his rear end stays in a sit.  
• This one is really hard for Rip, as he thinks everyone must be licked, so most of the time I'm not yet able to stand up when he's being petted - but we're getting there!
• When I'm training and setting up for a new exercise, Rip gets to sit.  He gets the occasional treat for maintaining the sit.

This version of sit has allowed me to reinforce the good and quit nagging Rip so much.  After all, it's hard to get into too much trouble if you're sitting in one place.  I can reward the sit and not nag about sniffing, etc.

As a bonus, all of this reinforcement of sit has made my life so much more pleasant.  At last week's soccer game, Rip was a jewel.  He sat as kids petted and hugged him.  He sat as dogs other dogs went by.  (I didn't even have to hold his collar!)  It made taking him to the game such a pleasure.  And, yes, he got lots of treats for all of this good behavior.

I highly recommend training a "practical" version of sit.

Rip's Training Diary #3: Incompatible for Conformation?

I love training Rip, and I'm really trying to make obedience training as fun as I can.  I'm hoping this fun will transfer into the ring, and the games I'm training now will help us in obedience, rally & agility.

I'm afraid, though, that some of the things I'm training Rip to do may be "inconvenient" for conformation showing.  Oops!

Here are the things I'm probably going to have to apologize to Carolyn and Mandy (and anyone else who may show Rip in conformation) for:

Backing up

Ok, this one I don't feel TOO bad about, as Carolyn told me I should train Rip to back up on command, I'm just not sure this is what she had in mind:

I took on a challenge of training him to back up using the clicker, and it worked!  He now backs up far and fast (Rip likes fast) when asked.

Rip also "offers"(does it when not asked to just to see if he'll get a treat) the back up when he thinks you want him to work.  This offering of the backup became a little inconvenient even for me (hard to pet or leash up a dog when it up when it keeps backing up with a big smile on its face), so I decided to teach another trick to get Rip to come to me.  This led me to training him to...


Go Through my Legs

OK, I taught this one using the clicker, too.  It was so much fun to teach!  It's also handy because, after Rip goes through my legs, he puts himself into heel position and smiles wildly up at me.  So, so, cute.  And useful for obedience & agility!





But, oops, Rip thinks this one is super-fun, too, so he offers it when he wants to work, or if he wants attention, etc.  Part of training this included him really pushing himself through if my legs are close together (so much fun - he really has to work for it!) - so he's not dissuaded by standing with legs close together.

I recommend that whoever shows him in conformation wear a knee-length skirt, or pants.  Otherwise things could get ugly.


Hit the Stantion

This one has nothing to do with counteracting something else I've taught him.  I taught Rip to paw at the station so that we have a game to play to reinforce go-outs later on.  It was a fun thing to teach, and Rip loves it -- you should see the look of glee on his face when he's frantically pawing away.

But it did occur to me the other day, when Rip knocked down 2 sections of my ring gates with his enthusiastic scratching, that perhaps this one isn't so great for the conformation ring.

But maybe Carolyn can just keep him off the rail unless she's really keeping his attention.  Because, oh, did I mention that I clicker trained this one, too, and we both think it's really funny, so he'll offer it from time to time if standing on leash by a stantion.



I think these are the only "incompatible for conformation" behaviors I've taught Rip so far.  Unless you count really fast downs, circles to the left and right, and weaving through my legs as a heeling game.  But I'm choosing not to count those, so there you go.

I AM trying to make up for this by teaching him a useful ring command.  I won't commit to it in writing now, though.  Because either:
A) I want it to be a nice surprise for Carolyn and Mandy (and I mean that seriously)
OR
B) I've never trained it before and I have no idea if it will work

I would promise to not train any other incompatible behaviors, but we're already working on barking on command, so I guess I can't do that.  Sorry!

Rip's Training Diary #2: We love J & J dog supplies!!

Training a new dog new things is an excuse for me to visit one of my favorite online stores, J&J Dog.  They sell many, many fun things for  "performance" people.  The best thing (for me) about J&J is that they're located in a city about 45 minutes from my house, and they pack and ship quickly so my UPS ground orders sometimes arrive the next day!

My order this time consisted of 2 ring gates with stantions,  2 REAL fleece octopus tug toys, and one stuffing-less beaver toy whose belly can be loaded with treats.

So what have I done with all of this?  We've played much tug as a reward for working, and Rip has become a stantion-pawing fool.

The past week we've been working on:

• Touching the stantion with our paw.  Rip is an over-achiever here, and sometimes when I say "hit it" he'll paw the stantion with both paws, nearly knocking it over.  I've had to start clicking for less rather than more, which is a bit odd for me after years of encouraging more effort in Ziggy.
• Retrieving the dumbbell.  I'm using the clicker here, too, making him hold it for longer each time.  I've even started to throw the dumbbell (I have to hold his collar, as the dumbbell is FUN and Rip still has little self-control) - then I call him back to me and have him climb on my lap to deliver it.
• We've also been working on holding the leather and metal articles.  I'm using the clicker here again.  We're just beginning so I'm rewarding for the pick-up and a very short hold.
• Heeling games - he's getting better/quicker at circling by my side and goes between my legs when walking with only a very slight hand cue now.
• Down, and backing up while in down.  I'm trying a new training technique here, as the way I had been working on it was not really producing great results.  Now I'm using a target stick instead of my hand to get him to back up, and throwing the treat behind him when he's correct, to encourage him to move away from me.  Even though his backing while down isn't great yet, his already fast down has become even faster!
• We've also been playing a bit at finishes, but not as much work here.  He offered an around finish the other day when he wanted my attention, though, which I found encouraging.

Next week I'll continue to work on our current list of obedience games, and hope to add in a bit of agility training a couple of days.   I'll let you know how it goes!

Rip's Training Diary #1: Rip meets Bridget

I realize that my blog has been very Ziggy-focused lately.  Mainly, that's because my dog life has been very Ziggy-focused lately.  But Z isn't the only dog in the house, and I realized a few weeks ago that Rip will be 2 years old at the end of May.  Hmm, maybe I need to get more serious about his training?

While I train Rip a decent amount, our training thus far has been a little haphazard.  We've done a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  He knows a few things all the way, and lots of things half-way.  I am finding it hard to chart a path for Rip, so I just work on things as the feeling strikes me.  I need help.  I need structure.  Rip has the potential to be a GREAT performance dog, and I don't want to mess it up!

A few weeks ago, I went to another training seminar by Bridget Carlsen.  I went to one of her seminars 2 years ago, and used some of her training ideas on Ziggy.  This latest seminar was even better than the first (and I really liked the first) - I learned a lot, and I really like her motivational training style.

Then it occurred to me.  Bridget only lives two hours away.  Why not have her help Rip and I?  No reason why not to, other than the inertia of my own laziness and lack of planning.  So I did it - I contacted Bridget and set up a lesson time.

On Friday morning, I loaded Rip into the car for the trip to the Chicago exurbs.

The lesson was great!  We worked on a little bit of everything we know so Bridget could get a feel for who are and what we can do.  I say "we" because this is absolutely about training me, too - Rip just does what I ask (most of the time).

So what did I learn?  
Rip has some nice heeling, but he gets bored easily, so I need to keep fun with lots of tricks & games.  Rip really toned down during the lesson - most likely because he was unsure in a new place.  This means I need to work on ways to quickly re-engage him and put him into drive when things are new.  Rip only has 1/2 hour of on task work in him -- meaning next time we'll  split the lesson in 2 parts with an hour rest in between, or we'll just do 1/2 hour.  Oh, and Bridget thought Rip was really cute -- especially when he started to offer random "how about this one" behaviors while clicker training the stantion touch.

And what's our homework?
We left with a long list of tins to work on, including:  dumbbell hold, getting Rip to move his whole body laterally, twist & spin, building value in a target, heeling with tricks, touching a stantion with with his paw, going out to and sitting in a box, driving more in our finish right, and a more reliable kick-back stand.  Oh, and I also want to teach him to bark on command.

Do you think we have enough to work on?

My plan is to keep a weekly or bi-weekly training diary on this blog to help keep me on task...

This is what happens when Rip really has to think and work.

He slept the whole way home.

Graduate Novice Retrieving Game

I've been trying to figure out ways to help Ziggy understand the game that is the dumbbell retrieve in obedience.

I started by trying to clicker train the dumbbell retrieve.  I succeed in getting a dog who loved to pick up hte dumbbell, but one who also promptly spit it out as I approached, anticipating the treat that always follows the click.

Since I now had a "hold" problem, I tried teaching him to take the dumbbell, then hold it.  He looks at me as if he's long-suffering, and drops the dumbbell as soon as I step away.

Next I tried a "restrained recall" retrieve.  I'd get Ziggy all revved up, hold his collar, throw the dumbell, and release him with the retrieve command (I use "take it") while he was still eager.  This helped get him running after the dumbbell and bringing it to the front position.  Then promptly dropping it.  Hmmm...  Noticing a pattern?

Then, last night, I was reading an article in a back issue of "Front & Finish" magazine.  The author was talking about the benefits of the non-regular AKC obedience classes.  She talked about how many of the non-regular classes build skills for a nice progression through the levels of obedience.

One of her examples stood out to me.  She mentioned how the Graduate Novice recall-with-the-dumbbell exercise taught dogs the useful skill of holding the dumbbell, not just chasing it and bringing it back.

Tonight I was doing a bit of training with Ziggy and that comment came to mind.  I decided to work on that exercise:  sit the dog, tell the dog to take the dumbbell, leave the dog, walk away, call the dog to front, take dumbbell from dog.

The game part came in when Maggie got wind that we were training.  She happened to be on the "training" side of the baby gates, and demanded to be part of things.  So I used her experience and keen attitude to my advantage.  Here's what I did:

• I took both dogs and put them in a sit next to each other.  
• I had Maggie take the dumbbell and hold it.
• I left the dogs and walked down the hall.
• I recalled both dogs to me.
• Ziggy (the non-dumbbell holding dog) got to me first, so I threw a treat and sent him through my legs.
• I closed my legs back together, and had Maggie do a proper front.
• I took the dumbbell from Maggie.
• I put both dogs in a sit, but this time gave the dumbbell to Ziggy.
• I left both dogs and recalled them.
• Again, the non-dumbbell dog (Maggie this time) got to me first, so I sent her front through my legs to get a treat.
• I closed my legs back together and had Ziggy do a proper front with the dumbbell.

And guess what?  Ziggy held the dumbbell the whole time, and didn't drop it when he came to front.  His position at front was ugly, but he held the dumbbell!

I repeated a few times.  Both dogs thought the game was great.  Maggie was barking (which is how she expresses her joy) and Ziggy was even wagging his tail!

I just might have to work on this game a little more.  Recalls got quicker, Z is holding the dumbbell, and the old lady Maggie gets some low-impact work.  And, if the AKC ever makes Graduate Novice a Brace event, I'll be set ;)

Here's the setup:

Both dogs sitting 

One dog (Ziggy this time) holding the dumbbell

Both dogs awaiting the recall command (look at Maggie's eager expression!)

Rip and the Seminar

As I mentioned in my previous posts on the Laura Romanik Seminar, I took Rip along with me, and had a working spot.  I'm not sure the working spot was great with a green dog, but taking Rip to the seminar was well worth it, as we both learned some important lessons:

Black Dogs are SCARY!!

The first day, we met a couple of new breeds of dog.  Rip was scared of one of these breeds....  The dreaded Newfoundland!

Rip says not to let this innocent face fool you.

The Newfie is a big mountain of a dog 

and it must be thoroughly and vigorously barked at.

There were two Newfies at the Seminar.  The first day Rip did a LOT of alert barking at them.  Even after going up to meet one of the dogs, he still continued to bark.  Not fun.

One of the women I was chatting with mentioned that some dogs don't like black dogs because their expressions are harder to read.  Maybe that's true -- it helps explain Rip's dislike of Gordon Setters, too.

On the second day Rip only did a bit of barking.  On the third day there was no barking at all.  We also got to meet a black Flatcoated Retreiver, and a black Field Spaniel.  On one of the breaks, 2 Newfies, the flatcoat, the field spaniel, and a dobie were all doing stays in the ring.  I made sure Rip got a good and keep-it-positive-aren't-black-dogs-nice look at that scene.  So from a black-dog socialization standpoint, the weekend was great.

No More Playing

While Rip learned that black dogs aren't so scary, I learned that I have been too indulgent with Rip.  I let Rip meet-and-greet-and-play with a few dogs on the first day.  He's a happy, friendly boy, so what's the harm?

I soon realized the harm, as Rip became FIXATED on the dogs he played with.  For the rest of the weekend he would stare at these dogs.  If they got close, he was desperate in his attempts to get to them. Not mean aggression.  Just play drive gone wrong.

This was an "ah-ha" moment for me.  Rip no longer gets free play time with other dogs when we're in a show or practice situation.  I was allowing this to keep him socialized.  I think I overcompensated a bit after Maggie (who in her younger years was not a fan of other dogs) and Denzil (who has some stranger-dog issues when on leash).  In an attempt to make sure Rip didn't have trouble, I'm afraid I've overcompensated a bit.  Time to change the rules and insist on good manners first.

Learning to be Quiet in a Crate

Taking Rip to the seminar, and having him in the hotel with me -- just the two of us -- was also good practice for the life of a performance/show dog.  He got to spend quiet time in his crate during the day (he still needs a sheet over the crate so that he stays quiet).  I got to reinforce coming nicely out of the crate.  We got to practice resting in a crate, coming out, warming up briefly, and getting right to work.

Rip also got to learn more about hotels.  Since it was his first solo-dog hotel trip, I didn't leave him alone in the room for more than 1/2 hour total.  But it was good for him to get used to the sights, sounds, and smells of a hotel.  I also learned that Rip barks a few times when I leave, but then quiets down (whew).  I had a room on the ground floor so I left the room, went outside, and stood by the window for a while to wait for the barking to stop.

Hotel Perks

This is the life!

Why do the CATS get the bed at home?!?

Rip also learned that being a bed dog is fun.  He tried unsuccessfully to jump up a couple of times (it was a tall bed), so I thought, "what the heck?" and I put the ottoman near the bed so Rip had stairs.  Needless to say the naughty boy loved sleeping with me on the bed.  Next time I'm brining an extra sheet to put over the duvet.  I used some extra towels I had with me to create a sleeping spot on the bed, but - as the picture shows - Rip ignored those completely.

All told -- scary black dogs and restless bed-sharing- dog considered -- Rip and I had a nice weekend.

Laura Romanik Obedience Seminar: Days Two and Three

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent last weekend learning more about competitive obedience from Laura Romanik, one of the most successful competitors in the country.

Days 2 & 3 of the seminar were about how Laura trains her dogs for the exercises needed in competitive obedience.  I appreciated Laura's approach to the exercises, and how she talked about them.  The approach was very methodical and logical.

Of all the seminars I've been to (and if you read this blog, you know I've been to more than a few), this one would be GREAT for someone who's just getting started in competitive obedience.  Her approach to training is easy to understand, and should be (I hope) easy to implement and remember.

That doesn't mean the seminar isn't good for more seasoned trainers and competitors.  A few of my friends (who've shown a lot more than me) went to the seminar as well, and came away with many new insights.

I won't summarize the whole two days, but below are some of the things that provided "ah-ha!" moments for me:

There are 11 basic skills that need to be really solid to succeed in AKC obedience.  If these skills are week, or the foundation isn't strong, somewhere along the way trouble is likely to surface.  The skills are:  down, sit, stand, heel, stay, come, front, jump, fetch, go out, and scent.

• I appreciated this way of thinking about the skills.  Lately I've been in a "so much to train, so little time" state - so my training approach has been a little scattered.  Thinking of it this way should help me focus a bit.

A better way to think about Stay

• Laura talked about the "3 D's" of the stay:  Duration, Distance, Distractions.  When she trains, she adds in the Distance last.  
• I appreciate this insight, as I am having trouble with "Stay" for Rip.  The wild man (surprise! surprise!) just doesn't see the point.   
• Focusing on duration and distraction before moving away will give me a good place to start, as I need to go back to the beginning here.
• Laura also trains the sit stay first - as this is a good default behavior to have for obedience.

When to cue

• Timing of cues is important for a dog's learning.
• When adding a cue to a behavior, add the "unknown cue" just before giving the "known cue."   For example, if a dog has been lured into a down with a treat, and you want to put it on a verbal cue - say "down" then lure into the down.
• This thinking makes a lot of sense to me, and I've got to say I've never really thought about it before.

The Seminar Overall

• One of the things I like the most of Laura's training techniques is that they are very thoughtful and intentional.  Like the timing of the cue mentioned above, she's really thought through how she trains dogs.  It's logical and it makes a lot of sense.  I'm working to bring this thoughtfulness into my training.
• Laura is also a very observant dog trainer, and was able to provide good feedback to the handlers, alerting them of things they were doing to cause the problems they were having.  She would be a great person to take individual lessons from.  Too bad she lives so far from Iowa...
• I had a working spot, and Laura does a nice job of managing the number of people on the floor, etc.  I don't know if it was quite worth the extra $$ for a working spot with a very green dog.  The folks who had challenges that they were working through seemed to get much more out of it.
• I recommend Laura Romanik's seminar if you're ever able to attend one. 

Laura Romanik Obedience Seminar: Day One

This past weekend I spent 3 days learning more about competitive obedience at a Laura Romanik seminar. Laura is one of the top obedience competitors in the country, and campaigned her dog Flare to Obedience Dog of the Year in 2009.

Training Philosophy

The first day of the seminar was lecture only - no dogs working.  Laura explained her training philosophy including how she builds the confidence, fluency, and motivation needed to succeed in the obedience ring.  She talked about the background behind how she teaches, conditions, and proofs.  Unlike many other seminars, she also talked about the how and why of corrections to help dogs improve their performance.

I've got to say that I was a bit worried about sitting through 8 hours of lecture on obedience theory, but Laura did a great job keeping things interesting and engaging.  Even though I was jet-lagged (I arrived home from Germany the afternoon before), I had no trouble staying awake!

Some key take-aways for me:

• In the teaching phase, when the dog is learning a skill, you want the dog to be successful most of the time.  Keep things positive so the dog likes each exercise, and thinks they're fun.  This fun foundation is needed for long-term success.

• Dogs need mental stamina for obedience.  Some of this stamina can be built through work.  Some of it just comes with age.  This was a big one for me.  With a bright dog, it's hard not to push and expect too much too soon.  With Rip I need to be very mindful of this.  I don't want to ruin the game for him.

• Remain upbeat even if you have to correct your dog.  A dog making a mistake means that they're learning.  Anger or frustration only makes things unpleasant for the dog (and who likes to work if it's unpleasant?).  

• Something I've been doing right is taking Rip to fun matches (obedience practice shows) since he was a pup.  Even though he does very few (if any) "formal" exercises, we go in the ring, do some heeling and play, play, play.  I want Rip to think being alone in a ring with a judge is FUN.  I should have done more of this with Ziggy....

The thing I appreciated most about the "philosophy" day is that it provided an opportunity to learn about many of the things that make for successful obedience training and performance.  This type of insight is based on Laura's years of experience and success, and is hard to learn/find out.  It's the stuff that folks just forget they know and had to learn when they were new to the sport.

I'll talk about the 2 training days in another post.

Handler Helpers

One of the things that drives me crazy as a performance person is handler errors.  To clarify – it drives me crazy when I make handler errors.  I feel empathy when others make them.   

In Obedience and Rally, handler errors most often mean points off.  Precious, lovely, points that just go away – never to return. 

If I’m going to lose points in the ring, I want to lose them for things I can’t control in the moment – like a hairball that looks like string cheese rolling in front of my dog just as I've thrown my dumbbell (guess which one Maggie chose to look at?).  

I DON’T want to lose them for things I can control in the ring – like failing to return to my dog properly after a stay, or forgetting what a Rally sign means. 

I’ve made more than a few mistakes in the ring.  In addition to reading the regulations and practicing exercises as if I’m in the ring, I’ve tried to figure out ways to improve my performance.  Probably none of these is a completely original idea, but I thought I’d share a few things that have worked for me.  I’ll post these “Handler Helpers” over the next couple of months.  Stay tuned for:  dumbbell throwing, Rally practice, figure 8’s, footwork, etc.   Hopefully the things I've worked on to correct my handler errors can help others....

I practice these things so I don't feel like this in the ring!

And trust me, this image isn't so far from the truth....

Skinny, lanky & bald + unmotivated = obedience!

Here's the situation:


Right now Rip is going through a bit of a "phase."

• He has been getting skinny - this one I can do something about - he's getting more food (which he LOVES)
• He is looking a bit lanky/leggy
• He is shedding strangely  - meaning his body hair is "gone" but his voluminous britches and neck fur remain.  Odd.  (puppy shedding?)

AND

Right now I'm feeling a bit "unmotivated" when it comes to competing

• There's "house stuff" that seems to keep coming up 
• I've committed myself to exercising more and eating better
• My international travel schedule for work is ever-changing.  Each international trip requires one, if not two, weekends away from home.  When travel dates keep changing, my ability to enter shows and trials is messed up.

SO

I've been working on stuff I  feel comfortable with and enjoy.  Obedience (mainly).  Since I can't quite bring myself to work on something else "new" (i.e., conformation) - especially when I have a skinny, bald dog - I shifted my focus with Rip back to performance for the time being.

It should come as no surprise that Rip really enjoys obedience.  And the good thing is that obedience work gets Rip out to new places, teaches him focus and attention, and involves learning some self-control.  All things that he needs for conformation, too  :)   

Ziggy is now Xtacee Tag You're It BN RA

Ziggy earned his Beginners Novice title today!

Unfortunately Slug Ziggy was back, and brought with him "I-don't-know-automatic-sits" Ziggy.  We still ended up with a 185, and again Ziggy lost zero points on his stay exercises.

After runs like today's, I tend to wonder if I should just "call it,"and let Ziggy be a couch potato.  But Ziggy was happy and waggy again, and he does seem to enjoy the training we do.  Also, getting out & about is making him a more confident dog.  Add to that the fact that I can use the ring experience, and I enjoy obedience.  I think we'll keep going.

I'm not sure what we'll do next -- Rally Excellent?  Beginner's Novice again?  Novice Obedience?

Things to work on:  fast in all forms, attention in ring, and quick sits.

Now it's time for me to finish up some yard work, bathe 2 dogs, and pack for Houston.

BN Obedience: Ziggy's Q #2

Ziggy and I were back at the Obedience Trial today, and things were better than yesterday.  The heeling wasn't as good as I know he can do, but it wasn't quite as slow as yesterday.  I really need to work on "fast" with the Z.

We ended up with a 194, which I consider a respectable score.  All of our points were lost in heeling - excepting 1/2 point lost on the recall.  He came in really close and bumped me with his nose.  I don't mind that, though -- he was pretty quick and sat nice and straight!

I brought Rip with me today.  There was lots of extra crating space in the building, and it's great experience for the wild man.  I think my time with Rip also served to make Ziggy a little jealous -- he was anxious to get out of the crate and work with me.  Maybe I'm on to something here...

Beginner Novice Obedience: Ziggy's Q #1

In terms of my dog show life, today was 180 degrees from last weekend.  Last weekend = wild, bouncy dog and new type of showing for me (conformation).  Today = lazy, calm dog and type of showing I've been doing for 8 years (obedience).

Today was my first time showing in Beginner Novice Obedience, though.  If you haven't heard of it, it's a new optional titling class as of July 2010.  For me, the class seems somewhere between Novice Rally and Novice Obedience.  Some differences between Beginners Novice and (regular) Novice obedience:

• All the heeling is on-leash
• Rally signs are used for instead of judge's commands for the heeling pattern 
• It's a sit for exam (with just a pat on the head) 
• No group stays - just a sit stay while the handler circles the ring
• A shorter recall with no finish
• You can give one bit of "praise" during each exercise

To prepare for the class, I watched some videos on YouTube, looked at a blank score sheet, read the class regulations online, and did a couple of modified-Novice class run-throughs at show-n-go's.  At our last show-n-go (aka a practice obedience trial), Ziggy was awesome  - happy, heads-up heeling, very attentive.

Today - not so much.

I posted to my blog about our performance at this obedience trial last year.  At the show last year, Ziggy was happy, but really not so great.  Unfortunately that same Ziggy (who my obedience instructor now calls "Slug Ziggy") showed up again today.

He was really relaxed at the trial site, and didn't seem at all nervous - which is a good thing.  Apparently our outings about town are paying off and he's feeling more confident in new places.  But he also seemed to have just one speed:  a cute, slow, tails-up trot.

Given his mood today Ziggy was really good at:  the slow heeling, the sit stay, the sit for exam, and the left-hand turn on the figure 8 heeling.  Correspondingly he was really bad at:  the fast heeling, the about turn,  and the right turn on the figure 8.  And when I say really bad, I mean tight-leash-with-lots-of-pressure-on-it bad.  I really don't think he sped up at all.

BUT...  we still managed to qualify with a 188 (putting us in last place).

Oh, Ziggy.  I love you, man.  But, since I love performance events,  I'm really glad I have Rip.

I love you, too mom.

But what part of "sofa dog" don't you understand?

Help wanted: Stalker for Ziggy

My  current training focus with Ziggy is to 

get more of this in the obedience and agility rings:

Shiny, happy Cardi smiling

and less of this

worried, suspicious, don't-stand-so-close-to-me Cardi

(a picture from puppyhood)

Ziggy is becoming more confident in the ring, but he still gets un-nerved when the judge follows him.  Unfortunately this is something judges seem quite likely to do.  It's as if they want to see how the dog is performing or something.  Go figure.  

While I am working on an idea to petition the AKC to get all judges to use binoculars and stand on the edge of the ring instead of walking in the ring, I realize this may take some time.

In the meantime I'm working to change Ziggy's mind, and get him to think that being followed is ok.

To do this, I'm pairing Ziggy being followed with the best treats a Cardi can imagine.  On open training night on Monday, I took the first step and asked one of my fellow club members to follow us around for a couple of minutes.  While we were being followed, Ziggy got a constant stream of "platinum level" treats.

We took our show on the road yesterday and went to PetsMart.  I didn't ask anyone to follow us there (I thought that would be a little weird and might attract the wrong kind of person), but I did give lots of treats when strangers were around, walking near us, etc.  

If I can convince Ziggy that being followed is a good thing, it should help our agility and obedience performances.  It's worth a try, anyway.

The boys at a Saturday show-n-go

Today the boys and I were out of the house by 6:30 am and made our way to Cedar Rapids for an obedience show-n-go.  Now you must know that I am NOT a morning person, so getting out of bed early on one of the only days I'm "allowed" to sleep in is a big deal.  I figure, though, that since I just posted about Ziggy needing to go to new places I should heave myself out of bed and go.

It was a great morning, and even worth getting up early and driving a long way.  Here's how it went:

Ziggy

My goal for Ziggy was to have him be comfortable and have fun in a place we've never been before!

What we did:

• Hung around outside of our crate for about an hour total -- this helped him get used to the environment, meet new people, and relax
• Before we went in for our run Ziggy and I played games - wrestling and running through my legs.  I looked like a fool, I'm sure, but he seemed to enjoy it and it got him wagging and playing
• In the ring, I had his breakfast in his "supper" bowl sitting on a chair. I didn't have any food on me.  At various points in our heeling pattern, I would tell him how great he was and we'd run back to the bowl for a jackpot.
• All heeling was on lead and Z seemed pretty happy 
• I ran to all new positions between exercises - especially the set-ups for recalls.  What fun!  I get to chase mom around the ring!
• We were off leash for stand for exam - and Z was really good and didn't seem too worried.
• Our recalls were great - he ran back to me quickly on both of them (I had him run through my legs on the first one).  The second one was more formal - he was quick, his front was straight, and the finish was quick and straight!
• Stays were great, too.  I went back to him to reward once during the sit and twice during the down.  He didn't look worried, and stayed in place very well.

Relaxing between our run and group stays.  

I thought I'd get some pics.

One of the workers thought she'd help by making a hissing noise to get Z's ears up.

What came next?  ROO! ROO! ROO! ROO!

("WARNING MOM!  That woman's making strange noises!")

To "fix it" we went up to the strange hissing woman and had her pet us and give us some steak.

Z watching a really high drive golden do its run.

Hopefully he's taking notes on how to have drive in the ring.

Rip

My intention with Rip was for him to meet people and dogs, and play in the ring (rings with judges are fun!).

What did we do?

• Met every human at the trial.  He was a popular puppy.  I warned them that he is shy and calm. (NOT).  
• He got lots of compliments on his cuteness, energy, and boldness.  Performance people don't mind a cheeky wild puppy.
• We also met the puppy-friendly dogs.  Rip particularly loved one of the goldens.
• We played and hung out outside of the ring.
• When hanging out, Rip got a stream of treats/kibble when other dogs went by.  I wanted him to connect mom=food=look at her  --  instead of other dog=pounce it!
• In the ring we did a very basic heeling pattern interspersed with lots of tug toy and mom-interactive play.  Again, I looked like a fool, but I want Rip to think inside the ring is FUN!
• We also had the judge do a sit-for-exam from both sides.
• Rip came out of the ring thinking rings are fun and judges who follow us around are nice, too.
• A successful outing for a pup!

 Look how cute I am...

Any more treats for me, mom? 

Maggie is an Overachiever

Lately I've been working with Maggie on go-outs for Utility Obedience.  The method I've decided to try with her is to send her to a target using the term "run."

I started by teaching her to touch her nose red part of on the target.

Here's a close-up look at the target.

It's highly visible and the post can be extended if needed.

Then I slowly moved the target further out.  Maggie LOVES to run to the target.  Heck, Maggie's just happy that she's working and learning something new (did I mention how fun she is to train?).  Then I taught her to turn to me and sit when she's out at the target.  All the basic components of a go-out.

But, Maggie's an overachiever.  Touching one's nose to the red ball is just too easy.  Here's what I get now:

See mom, look how well I'm doing!

Maggie RUNS out to the target, whips it out of the base (note how the base in the picture is overturned behind her), turns quickly, and sits.  It cracks me up.  

It cracks me up because I've never asked to to put the target in her mouth or pull it out of the base.  It also cracks me up because the post is metal.  You may remember from an earlier post that Maggie does NOT like her metal Utility articles.  Yet the target seems ok.  She'll hold it for as long as it takes for me to come out and reward her.  Hmm.

I haven't yet decided whether or not I need to get her back to just touching the target.  She's doing all they key things I want her to do to right now: run out to a point away from me, turn, and sit.  Eventually I'll need to fade the target altogether.  Do you think it matters that she's picking it up?

A training conundrum.  Yet I love errors of enthusiasm.