C Spot Win Novice class

I audited this class yesterday. Basically Stacy set up a course and every one got the opportunity to work this a section at a time. This class focused a lot on how to read a course. One really important things is to always plan a course in the most efficient way. If your deficient in something, learn it. Here are some of the little messages I got.

• Shut up and let your dog think when you’re running. If your body is right and you’ve done the parallel path work the dog will follow your body language.
• Stand up… heard that before! When you bend over you are crowding the dog and it pushes them away.
• Letting your puppy stay at low jumps too long is demotivating.
• I need to get better at front crosses.
• The dog is watching my eyes so look at the obstacle so he can see where he’s going.
• If you are facing your dog during a lead out you are asking him to collect and that slows speed.
• After a front cross it’s imperitive to pick up your dog. The dog needs to go to you not you go to the dog. The dog’s need to be doing the work.
• When your hand is up that the line the dog is not to cross.
• Training with toys is a great thing. They run with toys in their hands and switch them back and forth. They are used as motivation.

This was also an awesome class and I feel like I really learned a lot about handling and reading courses.

C Spot Win Baby Basics

Vega and I took the Baby Basics seminar from C Spot Win on Sunday. It was a 4 hour seminar and a lot of fun. The first exercise was for the people in the class to split into 2 groups. 1/2 were handlers and the other 1/2 were dogs. The “dogs” all went outside and the “handlers” were given a task they had to teach their dogs. The handlers were given nickels as treats but were not allowed to talk. It is incredible how difficult it is to figure out what someone wants when all you get is a nickel every time you move in the right direction. Most people did not get it the first time through. When we switched roles it was a little easier. (I lured my dog – cheating but he got it.) It was incredibly enlightening as to what our dogs go through when we are teaching them new stuff.

Then we had various stations that we all had to complete with our dogs.

• Ladder: Vega walked through a ladder that was 3″ off the ground. She did great.
• Contact: I put Vega in the 2 on 2 off position on the frame and after the 4th time of placing her in it she actually hopped up and put herself in position! (I was so proud)
• Wrap: She had to run really tightly around a cone lured by a toy. She did great.
• Jumps: She had to offer to do some jumps without any luring. She did great on that too but we sometimes do 4″ jumps at home.
• Table: She had to play on the table. This was difficult at first but then she gave in. She doesn’t see to like to put her back feet on obstacles much. After she gave in the 1st time there was no hesitation again.
• Hoops: She had to run through 2 hoops. She did great here too.
• Buja Board: She was supposed to play on the wobble board and she doesn’t like this at all. She never did put her back feet on it. We’ll be making one of those soon.
• Backup: She had to back up between two boards. This was very impressive since she’s been working this in class and Lorrie helped me work it at home. Thanks.
• Teeter: Vega has a beautiful “bang it” she just hops right up and there’s no fear at all. That little one I made at home helped I guess.
• Touch: Last station was to do hand touches. Stacy has a different way of doing it than I originally learned and it worked really well. She holds the food under her thumb for the first couple of touches and then there’s no hesitation.

We also did a bunch of work on “Heel” and “Side”. Stacy was impressed with Vega’s. The goal was for her to be straight and it didn’t matter if she was sitting or standing as long as she was straight and in position and she always was. This helps with the parallel path of the dog and how important that is in terms of having your dog run with you. Vega has a fabulous restrained recall as well.

The Baby Basics class was awesome. I love the straight-forward way Stacy teaches. She has a fabulous sense of humor that made the class a lot of fun too. For me the seminar reinforced how fabulous our level of instruction is at Friendship Academy. I had done so much of what was discussed.

Freaky boy needs Prozac!

Merlin got to go with me and Vega to C Spot Win today for a couple of seminars. I brought him out of his crate this afternoon for a little while and it was just like he was at his first dog trial! He was hiding under chairs and behind kennels. I swear is was almost like we’d never made any progress with him. The lady sitting next to me told me her dog, Haley, was just like that and she said they hired a behavorist and they told her that there’s not enough time to desensitize the dog to everything so get the dog on medication. Her vet prescribed Prozac and her dog has been on it for two years now. She says she’s still a little nervous but nothing like she was. She’s obtained her AX, AXJ and just finished her RA title. We are so making a call to the Prozac doctor tomorrow.

Weigh in…

Merlin is 23″ tall and weighs a whole 35 lbs.! I sure wish I could get some weight on that boy. Vega is up to 26.5 lbs. and 19″ tall. Amazing that she’s only 8 1/2 lbs lighter than Merlin. She’s such a good eater.

Bye Dash

Lorrie is going to start training Dash in Advanced on Tuesday nights. I’m really grateful for the handler training he gave me but I think it’ll be a good thing for both of them. He’s a lot of dog and I think they will get further. I don’t have the patience Lorrie does. I hope they become an unstoppable team together.

Behaviorist search…

I finally decided it’s time to get on with making life easier for Merlin. I called an animal behaviorist in town and we had our appointment yesterday. Our appointment was supposed to be 45 minutes but ended up being 1 hour and 45 minutes. He has a hard time staying on task and focusing. Katrina mentioned this to me last week.

I believe he’s very good with dogs and could possibly help Merlin but I was not pleased with his suggestion of having Merlin live in the building for 3 weeks. He’d be in the back in a 3×5 wire pen (conicidentally that’s what I rescued him from!). He felt that totally “rocking” Merlin’s world and taking away every comfort he has would get him out of it. Maybe I’m an enabler to Merlin’s freakishness but I just don’t think I can do that to him.

He also wanted to start classes with me and given his first suggestion I don’t think I’m feeling great about that suggestion either. Oddly enough the other thing that bothered me that in his lobby he had a display of leashes and collars and all he had were choke chains, no martingales or slip leads. This particular behaviorist specializes in police dogs and if you all no Merlin he’s just not that type of dog.

I finally called Lorrie and she helped me understand my discomfort with this a lot better. I’m afraid of snakes and locking me in a room with them for three weeks would not make it better for me. If I lived through it I’m guessing it would be worse.

So after talking to Lorrie I called another behaviorist that is better known in agility and left a message. Both Katrina and Lorrie recommend I go with her. so I’ll see what she has to say.

Oops…

It sure didn’t take long for me to train something I didn’t want! This isn’t major like barking or anything but it’s a small lesson in being more careful.

I’ve been trying to get Vega to put all four feet in a box. So far I’ve gotten the two front feet but she doesn’t like putting her back feet in. So everytime she put in a back foot, even for a second, I clicked that. It occurred to me while we were training last night that she now thinks just walking through the box as long as one back foot touches is enough. She won’t even consider leaving the back foot in. Soooo, I’m buying a bigger box and then trying this again.

Dash’s visit coming to an end…

 

Well Dash goes home tomorrow after being with us for 10 days. He definitely has more energy than my five all put together. We played some agility in the backyard and he made friends with Merlin and Vega. He cuddled Alyssa every night. He did get to taste the cats a couple of times but for the most part he left them alone.

Dash’s favorite toy is a flat volleyball in the backyard. He taught Max the joys of keep away! He had my 12 yr old playing like a puppy!  All in all I think Dash had a good time though I’ve no doubt he’ll be glad to be home.

Vega weigh in

Vega’s weight is up to 25.7 and she stands 18.75″ at the shoulders. Last week her right ear finally popped up. I’m wondering if it’s going to stay the way it is because right now it’s a little crooked.