Going Forward and Backward

It's a lovely cold day in the Midwest. I had trouble sleeping and what with it being my birthday today hubby let me sleep in. This is NOT good (although I can't be angry, his intentions are good!) as this puts me waaaaay behind schedule. So only time to work some fine-tuning with the dogs. It is very time consuming to train THREE dogs at once. Shiloh worked the glove #3 pivot. I found a huge hole in my training in that I never taught him how to move his rear. He can walk backward heeling, but he cannot pivot. Gosh no wonder we always lose points on glove #3!
Blitz just continues to be amazing and eager. He is a thrill to train. We did some fronts and finishes with him. His biggest problem is crooked sits so I'm helping him learn the "straight" command. He tries so hard and is so excited.
Moto....*sigh*. It is hard to be patient with him. Yesterday I was excited in that when playing with the dogs, for the first time ever he retrieved the ball. Not once, but several times. I thought we had a breakthrough. The dumbbell though is still a huge problem. He does not realize that he has to come TO it. I found myself getting frustrated and I could see he felt it so we stopped and did some more fun, moving stuff (some heeling and recalls). Then I decided to throw the dumbbell with all five dogs present. Shiloh, Dusty and Blitz all fought to get it. Moto saw this and I was hoping he'd fight to get it, too. Then I realized Daisy was trying to take over the game and wouldn't let Moto play. So I removed everyone but just Shiloh and Moto. I'd throw the dumbbell, Shiloh would get it and get rewarded with tons of praise and a treat. Still, Moto didn't try to get it. So I put the dumbbell on the ground, leashed him and said "take it" and moved him to it on lead. He did it and brought it back (we are talking about 1' of freedom). I praised enthusiastically and treated. We did this three times with Shiloh screaming to get it. Finished with Shiloh getting the dumbbell, showed it to Moto, played with it myself so that he was jumping to it, and then I put it away. I need to do this several times a day. Maybe. My biggest fear is putting a negative connotation with the dumbbell. But, we HAVE to get a retrieve. Without it I can't move on to scent discrimination or gloves.
Meanwhile heeling is coming along nicely. He needs to go to the prong as he is forging (a good problem to have). He's learning he has to pay attention as I'm upping the ante. He is also getting his finishes and fronts are coming along. So much more to teach, not enough time!

Back to Training

After a good month off the weather broke and I got out all the training gear and trained Shiloh, Blitz and Moto. I want to see where these dogs are at and if I can show any of them in our upcoming dog club's show in March.
Shiloh: Utility only, as he's a very naughty dog in Open (goes and visits other dogs - thank God it happened after the OTCH). Some minor tuning up in heeling, fronts and finishes. He's very willing to work. Articles were fantastic. Turn to glove #3 is very nasty and will need a LOT fo work. Signals - while correct - have a new problem: he creeps on each one. It could be a fluke but I don't want it to happen twice. We are doing some major backchaining to straighten that out. Everything else is just minor tweaks. He is enjoying himself. I am hopeful he can show in March.
Blitz: maybe. His heeling is so awesome. He wants to work so bad and is so eager. I can't train him too hard as he tires easy. Everything will depend on his health. But gosh, he feels good, his coat feels the best it's ever felt - soft and his skin is supple. He still is taking lots of medications and it's hard to tell if he can hold it together long enough to go through all the exercises AND sits and downs. I'll proceed carefully but he needs serious fine-tuning if we are going to go into Novice with him.
Moto was thrilling! He was very eager. Of course, it helped that he had to sit in his crate and watch Shiloh and Blitz having so much fun. He picked up pretty much where we left off. I haven't introduced the dumbbell again, will do that tomorrow. But pivots and laterals and all those little bells and whistles heeling stuff was great, as was his heeling. Again, not precise, I want attention and attitude and he gave me what I asked for. Maybe, maybe we can do rally novice with him.
It's to be gorgeous all week so I'm looking forward to training every day. There is a sho n go on Saturday and all three boys are entered.

Poopsicles

It's been subzero here for several days now and I've noticed an interesting - or rather disgusting - trend with my dogs. Of course their poop freezes, it's been delightful chipping them off the ground and into the bucket. For whatever reason the dogs now view these as frozen treats. When it's -20 outside (wind chill factor) one does not feel like running outside and scooping up poop. In fact, you CAN'T run outside as you need to get dressed just to go outside, leaving just the eyes exposed. It's so cold my eyes tear, and then the tears freeze. Not fun. Anyway this has been a Snack Bonanza for the dogs. My new creed is "the poop bucket is NOT a snack bin" but they don't seem to listen.
On the plus side it snowed last night, so we will have a White Christmas. This is Moto's first Christmas and yes even the dogs get presents. All is done so now it's just time to visit friends and family, continue the feasting and enjoy the holidays.
I hope everyone out there does same.
Back to training and training blog notes after the Holidays.

NOI Musings

The Eukanuba National Championship has come and gone this past weekend. Much hoopla and television time was devoted to conformation and agility. Obedience, sadly, continues to be the red-headed stepchild of the AKC.
If it were not for some loyal obedience folks with a laptop, those of us who were unable to attend would not have known who made it to the finals, and who finally won. AKC has made it quite clear they are not going to devote much time to the sport until - as they say - "obedience has a wider following."
Something needs to be done about this, and fast. I am hoping to meet with one of the AKC board members in '09 and see if we can develop a game plan of some sort. Obedience does not need to be dumbed-down, it does not need more titles, and perhaps it doesn't even need any significant change. What needs to be changed is how it is marketed (this is all just my opinion of course). Somehow Obedience is viewed as "boring". No, it's not exciting like a basketball game, full of action, but look how many millions of people watch golf!
People need to be inspired to join the sport. I think a top-down change involving the AKC getting on board with a proper marketing program is a good beginning. Wish me luck, change doesn't happen quickly or easily but for the sake of Obedience, it NEEDS to change.

Five dogs and a Christmas Tree

It sure is great to be back home again. I've been in California (visiting Mom and sister & family) then on to Arizona (visiting daughter & family) and am now back home, jet-lagged and extremely exhausted but happy to be in my own bed again.
Got home late afternoon and after dinner I insisted we put up the Christmas tree and decorate the home. After all, it's only once a year so I want all the festivities to begin as soon as possible!
We have one of those trees-in-a-box that you just pull out and there it is, ready to decorate. It's always fun bringing up the ornaments - some of which we've had since our childhood - and all the memories that come with them.
However, I'd forgotten what it's like to have Christmas trees, ornaments, garlands, and lights with puppies around. Blitz was ill last year so we didn't have an accurate Puppy Representation. Moto filled in that spot this year getting into everything with his big nose, tangling himself in garland, knocking over the tree several times, and then trying to pull off some of the more interesting looking ornaments. Of course all the commotion excited the other dogs who did a great job running around the house barking. It was the liveliest Christmas decorating we've had for quite some time!
In the end the tree finally got decorated, nothing broke and things look very nice around the house.
I'm hoping to get some rest and begin training tomorrow. My goal is to enter Shiloh, Blitz and Moto in our March trial. Shiloh will do Utility B, Blitz Novice B and Moto Pre-Novice. So I need to get busy!

A Day to Give Thanks

Gosh, I'm really feeling thankful today. A huge weight is off my shoulders from the Secret I was carrying. Not proper time to reveal it, but everything is going to be OK and I am so relieved and happy. Truly, it's a beautiful day.
Yesterday (Wednesday) was a great training day with Moto. He really is beginning to get it and understands corrections. It sure has been stretching my training abilities teaching this dog, he is so very different from any other dog I've had. He never will be flashy but I am beginning to have hopes that he will turn into a nice Obedience dog. The attention is really coming along. With very little work, the swing finish is greatly improving. And he is now able to pick up the dumbbell from the ground. This is really going to take a lot of work to get properly. Once we get the retrieve completed he needs to understand the urgency of picking up the dumbbell. He's so laid-back that he needs to learn to turn in nice crisp work.
Tracking continues to be just amazing. One our fifth lesson he did four turns with an aged track of 30 minutes. He is very easy to read and works so beautifully. I am very confident that he will be ready to certify in January, February at the latest.
Blitz really desperately wanted to work so yesterday we did all the novice exercises. He was practically over the top happy. It's like having a Thoroughbred horse the way he prances and gives everything he has. What a joy. But, once it was over I could see how much it took out of him. If we ever do show him, it can only be one day not a full weekend, and I will need to be cautious not to over-exert him. I do hope at some point I can enter him. This magnificent dog deserves a title by his name.
I'm off to California, then Phoenix to visit family. I'll be back first week of December. YIKES. So much still to do!
Happy Thanksgiving to all, I hope you have a wonderful day!

A Really Exciting Weekend!

What a great weekend, I feel so blessed! It started with Friday as I was scooping poop and all five dogs swirled around me barking and playing. Five dogs is a lot but moments like that make it all worthwhile. Friday night sweet Dusty fell off the bed around 3:00 a.m. I heard the THUD, turned on the light and found him wandering around kind of dazed. He was fine, not even scared, just trying to figure out what the heck happened. Back up on the bed he went between Erik and I and then something so sweet happened: Dusty started to walk to the foot of the bed and up came Shiloh, herded Dusty back towards Erik and I, and he lay protectively at our feet ensuring Dusty's safety. Shelties are the BEST!
Saturday was an Obedience fun match. Blitz is doing OK but I could tell he didn't have the stamina to come along so it was just Moto this time. Another good surprise: Moto actually did an entire novice heeling pattern with attention! He only looked away once, during the fast, as we approached the gate. I was absolutely thrilled. Good attitude too! Stand for exam: perfect. Figure 8 - perfect (attention wise). Recall - quick and happy but he did a really sloppy finish which we will continue to work on. I only did one heeling pattern as we had success and I wanted him to realize THAT is what I want - good boy! Now that is he getting it we can begin the fine-tuning of correct heeling. Oh, he did great on his stays too. I was really really thrilled and proud!
Today the best news of all: The story of my very first dog, Sunny, was finally published in a book called "Tails from Beyond: the true story of our immortal pets". It's been years in the making. While I'm thrilled, proud and excited there is a lot of emotion there too. The after-life contact with my beloved dog was so personal and moving, and now it's out there for everyone to see. He'll be immortalized on those pages. Seeing such a close personal experience in print is very emotional and I can't really describe the depth of my feeling. But, I'm very, very glad and I hope this helps other folks dealing with the loss of their beloved furry or feathered friends.

By Jove, I think he's got it!

Today was HUGE! For the first time ever, I came away excited after training Moto. We worked on attention. I've backchained almost to the very beginning as I don't feel he fully understands that watch means Watch - even with distractions. We trained on the road with cars going by, by the fence with my other dogs barking at him, with toys on the ground, and he caught on pretty quickly. I was very pleased. We then worked on his folding down - he does it very nicely but he needs to be straight consistently. That cleaned up right away.
I wish the weather wasn't so nasty so we could work on go-outs and directed jumping more. The winds have been howling for days, it seems, and blow over the jumps.
The very best part was finishing the training, Moto seemed very pleased with himself, jumped up on his own with lots of tail wagging.
I've also noticed he's bonding to me more, choosing my company over the pack.
So progress really IS being made - there's hope after all!

Coming Along!

I was actually a bit encouraged at our obedience lesson yesterday! Moto did very well with the drills (he HATES drills) and the most exciting part is he seemed to prefer praise over food - HOORAY! This is huge, especially for my piggie puppy. He did pivot drills, glove drills, sit & down drills, stand for exam (two people going over him) and recalls (about 10). Sit/down stays were fantastic. The only thing he did not do well was heeling. But that is because I wanted heeling with attention, I don't think he is ready to heel with attention with the distraction of other dogs in the same room moving around. So while my trainer was calling out heeling patterns, I was in the center working on attention. This still needs a lot of work. He does great attention at home, now he needs to give attention with distraction at other places. He can do it at home anywhere on our five acres, in the street, but outside of home now needs practice.
Those motivating pops are really helping (pop to release) and he is responding nicely to these.
Once again, I'm encouraged.
He will never be what I call "crisp" but he can work at moderate speed and I'll always have to make sure he responds immediately. If I allow a slow sit once, I'm afraid it will become a problem.

Tracking Lesson #4

Moto had his 4th tracking lesson this past Friday. It's very cold here in the Midwest and the wind chill factor that day was about 32 degrees and it was HOWLING out there. My trainer decided to up the ante and lay a track with 2 turns and let it age 15 minutes. Not a problem for Mr. Moto! He did get lost on the very first turn but stuck with it, found the scent and drilled his way to the glove. Amazing. We laid another track so he got to work with the wind, against the wind, and with it coming from either side. He doesn't like going into the wind much (zig zags) but he's extremely precise in any other direction. With the wind he either trots or runs! What a little guy, so young yet he can do this. It's thrilling.
Sunday Five Dogs were given a bath by the Blonde. It was an all-day event as every dog was bathed, blown-dry, combed, ears & nails done. Now everyone's coat is so soft!
With two days off from Obedience Moto was really on the mark today. He really was lovely. Great attitude and he seemed very pleased with himself. I still wish for more drive as he's happy and not stressed, but he's always happier to stop working *sigh*. But I'll take what I can get - he is only six months old.

Backchaining

I have to say training Moto has been the biggest challenge of my brief dog-training experience. I trained my Novice A dog Dusty and it was always fun. I trained Shiloh to an OTCH and while it was very difficult, the time with him always flew by. Blitz was amazing and incredible. Moto....well...it's different. I thought we'd had that big breakthrough but Tuesday's lesson at my trainer's was not very inspiring. OK, maybe I'm being a bit tough on Moto. He did his pivots and while he was not enthusiastic (even with his beloved Cheez Whiz) he did it and he did try every single time. In fact, he did everything asked of him. There's just no SPARK. This time it was the heeling he didn't want to do. Well yes he did it, but he didn't feel like giving me attention. I need to re-evaluate this. I love attention heeling so very much but it has been SO HARD with him. If I really, really want attention heeling we are going to have to do some major backchaining. He can give me nice attention at home. He can also give me nice attention in different places, if he has the desire to do it. But if he's not in the mood, do I really want to start correcting this? Heeling to me states what your relationship is. It's everything. This dog can heel, and I believe he can do it very well, but it may not be in his being to do it with attention. I will be chewing on this for awhile as we continue our training.
Meantime he continues to roar ahead in tracking. Now THAT training is thrilling. He now works with his tail wagging he is having so much fun. He's fast and accurate.
Blitz is worrying me. He appears OK but is increasingly clingy. And the other dogs are excluding him from their playtime. When the dogs play Blitz now comes and cuddles with me or Erik. I am trying to make him feel special by giving him special snuggle time with me in the evenings now. He comes on the bed with Dusty and I when I watch TV or read before going to sleep. The vet said he would live to be 2, and if we were lucky he would make it to 6. Blitz will be 2 in February. Again, nothing physically appears wrong but I am concerned.
Maybe it's just the gray dreary day. I hope the sun comes out to cheer my mood!

I have a secret

I don't want to know it, but I do. To know it is both an honor and a burden. I will not reveal it as it is both beautiful and awful, and I do not want to demean the integrity of the person who dared bare their soul to me.
If, over time, it is the right time, I will share it.
For now, I need to at least share my heart, it hurts and is beautiful. Never in my life have I felt so alive and dead at the same time.
Please pray for us.

Gaining Momentum

Moto is almost six months old now and beginning to come into his own. Tracking by far is his favorite sport and the progress he is making continues to amaze me. In just three week's time he has learned to track, down at the articles and can do turns in any direction without working the corner. He is such a confident quick worker and it is thrilling to watch him.
Even Obedience is picking up the pace. He now comes to the dumbbell and takes it so now we can work on going lower and lower until it is on the ground. He is giving me nice attention for a good length of time. We are working turns (left and right) and circles, stops and starts. Those laterals are now translating into lateral fronts and he is understanding the "close" command now. I still would like him to go deeper on the swing finish and if I present it as something to figure out he does it so I am thrilled. He is most consistent with an "around" finish in terms of being straight.
He loves utility signals! We are now working on go-outs and directed jumping. Of course the jumps are only at 8". I have the jumps close together so that he cannot fail unless he works hard at it.
He is learning so fast I need to train more than twice a day. I am hoping by our club's March Obedience trial that I can have him in the Pre-Novice class. We will see but I am really encouraged by the rapid progress he is making. Motivation is still my biggest challenge but as our bond is getting better, I see more effort and less challenging of me.
I am becoming encouraged by him. He has been my most difficult dog so far!

Making History

Of all my voting life, I've never been on pins and needles, been glued to the TV, anxious like I am for this Presidential race. No matter who wins, history will be made and I was thrilled to be a part of it. The air practically crackled with excitement this gorgeous fall morning and even the crowd was pleasant, polite and excited as we waited our turn to cast our votes.
Tomorrow - a new president. I hope and pray it is my candidate.
Back to ordinary life stuff:
Moto is really turning on to tracking. He had his 3rd lesson and actually tried to crawl out to the track. We tried a turn and no problem. Tried another one in the other direction no problem. He did four tracks (a lot for a not-6 mo old pup) with enthusiasm and focus. Tracking is not my thing, but it sure is his, so we will be pursuing this venue.
Meantime he really is getting the pivots now, thanks to Cheez Whiz! Heeling is really coming along, and he is beginning to have a nice cadence to his stride. What I like is I will really get to step out quickly in the ring since he is so big. I need to remain vigilant on quick sits, fronts and finishes. This dog likes to do things right the first time and is very thoughtful.
Well back to the TV. I'm running on adrenaline!

OMG - He Pranced!

I had a sense, even tho Tuesday's obedience lesson was dismal, that we were on the edge of a major breakthrough. I dare not jinx it by putting it into words. Yesterday, there it was - a puppy with attitude! Was it where we were training? We were in the "front yard" (three acres in front of the house) and the other four dogs were at the fence watching. Whatever the reason Moto is getting it! During heeling his mouth parted in a smile and out puffed his chest and he pranced as he heeled. Oh you bet I rewarded that behavior. I even had a puppy that was forging. Now that is a problem I love! Even pivots were good and no combativeness. I was absolutely thrilled with this.
Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke I put the dogs in the basement this morning and we worked in the fenced back yard. Yup I have a puppy with attitude! He is enjoying his training now and I cannot say how thrilling that is. I hope this keeps up as we made huge strides today. He's coming into the dumbbell now and can hold it for several seconds without me hovering around him. He is very proud he can hold the dumbbell. I offer the sit or down command unexpectedly and the sit is a bit slow but the down....WOW it is beautiful. Fronts are lovely. Even finishes are making progress. I might actually have an obedience dog! One thing I did differently just to break things up is offer Moto "brains in a can" (Cheez Whiz) during pivots. This is the piggiest dog I've ever owned and he literally turns inside out for spray cheese. When he pivoted nicely and worked hard at sitting correct he got some cheese. He really loved that game this morning.
Blitz begged and cried to work so we did a little bit of heeling and a recall. This set Shiloh off so we did some articles and go-outs. Even old Dusty then wanted a turn so we did a short track and he adored hunting for the hot dogs in my footsteps.
To end all the training I gathered all dogs up for a sit and down drill - what a hoot! Whomever sat or downed first got a treat first. Even Daisy who shuns work came in and worked for treats. Their morning ended with the usual game of fetch so I left five tired and happy pups at home with Dad who is working from home today. I'm pretty happy too!

Tracking vs. Obedience

Yesterday's obedience lesson was less than inspiring. Even though Moto had not eaten breakfast he still was not willing to do mechanical work such as his nemesis, the pivot drill. Out came the microprong (again *sigh*). My trainer says he will just have to be made to do this, to work on the happy part once he gets past this rough spot. Unfortunately I'm afraid I agree. Now heeling is fine as is the "fun stuff" like lateral work and side work, which is very much like dog dancing. He is also readily accepting the dumbbell which is really great. He has a nice fast recall and he's beginning to understand how to be correct on fronts. Finishes - oh dear. Not horrid but with a dog like this we NEED to be correct out of the gate. The little mini bull terrier is doing so much better than us, as is the Dobie puppy. It's great to see all these different breeds, I just wish we were ramping up faster than we are.
Now tracking - hoo boy what a star! I laid two tracks this morning and already Moto is bored. I need to contact our instructor as he gets it and is ready for more. Now he rapidly trots, head down, to the glove. He is already offering the down behavior at articles. I believe he is ready for turns. He's moving at warp speed and I believe the TD will be his first title.
But again, this proves Laurie's "problem solver" theory. Moto loves to think, can remain focused and solve problems. This afternoon we will train again so I need to come up with some obedience training puzzles for him.
Hubby has a business dinner tonight so I get to eat what I want: liver yum! I bake whatever is left over into doggie treats so everyone wins!

Dogs Are Problem Solvers

Gosh, wish I'd thought of that title myself, but it's trainer Connie Cleveland who says and teaches this method. After talking with my friend and brilliant trainer Laurie, I think this will be Moto's creed. After spending time with him tracking (the dog is amazing) and remembering how quickly he learned the weave poles, she helped me come to the conclusion that this dog prefers to think rather than be shown that to do. In other words, he's too darned smart! Of course there are some things he will need to be shown the mechanics of but I need to change my training program to be a series of puzzles and problems for him to solve. If he can think it through he will be far more interested than me simply saying "this is the way to do it, now do it". I knew he would be challenging me but now I'm really being challenged!
Saturday morning we all got up and I was going to take the dogs out to train. I took one look at Blitz and knew immediately he was going on another downhill slide. Nothing drastic, but it was the look in his eyes, the earset and tailset that said that wonderful joy of feeling great was gone. We've gone through this for almost 2 years now and you would think I would be stronger, but it breaks my heart every single time. I want to hug him and cry, but I don't want him to feel my sadness. So I smile, take a deep breath, swallow the lump in my throat and we move through our day. Clearly he's not well enough to train so will go back to just enjoying his life and making him comfortable. Just writing this puts tears in my eyes.
On a happier note, I was thrilled my friend Kathy called to say her new puppy earned a 200 in OPEN! Her other dog got a 199.5. How amazing is THAT???
That was how my Sunday night ended. Hearing her weekend report puts the fire in my belly and with a new method of training to think about, we begin our week.
Onward and forward - all five dogs are here and I'm grateful for them all!

Dumbbell Training

Yesterday was a rainy cold day so we started some dumbbell training with Mr. Moto. I use the Platt's method of introduction as I like it best: open dog's mouth, insert dumbbell, hold mouth closed, stroke dog and gently say "good hold" for a few seconds, say "out" take out dumbbell and quickly treat. I feel this teaches the dog it's not a toy, instills the importance ot taking the dumbbell, and is far more kind than the ear pinch for introduction. Well Moto didn't like it much and bit down HARD on the wooden bar. Today I'll use a plastic dumbbell. Yesterday we did the dumbbell about five times, each time he didn't want to take it. He's a smart little guy and I'm hoping he'll learn to take it for a treat in short order.
Meantime I'm brushing up Shiloh in Utility since he needs the mental stimulation. It's paying off big-time in that he's much less restless in the home and he realizes he "gets" to work with me so his attitude is really drivey. Shiloh always was a good worker and fun to train but he's getting far more pleasure out of being with me than previous.
And Blitz of course is beside himself and keeping him calm while working is the biggest order of the day. I keep he and Moto's training very brief: Moto because he's still a baby dog and Blitz as i don't want to stress him. Don't know if that can cause him to have a setback with his disease. Yesterday when I came home from work (Blitz had trained briefly that morning) he had a sneezing fit, and bled lightly from the tip of his nose.
On Sunday Moto will have his second tracking lesson. This is the venue where he is showing greatest promise so far. If all goes as planned we can certify him in a few months as he is picking it up in leaps and bounds!

A lovely Fall Day

I love Tuesdays since they are my day off. I sleep in if I wish (typically about 6:30 a.m.) and don't have to rush. All I need to do is get ready for my Obedience lesson in a few hours. This morning was kind of special as Blitz has really been feeling good and we've had no further bleeding incidents. I took both Blitz and Moto to class. The joy in Blitz was palpable and he worked like a demon, simply for the joy of working. This is one special dog, and could have competed in Crufts. His heeling style is perfect for the UKC program. I had forgotten how beautiful he was heeling and what a joy it is to work with him.
I swapped both dogs back and forth pretty quickly so no one dog worked more than 10 minutes at a time. I started with Blitz heeling and then brought out Moto and he did some pretty nice attention heeling as well. But of course, we're just doing some circles and making it fast, fun and dynamic but he is keeping his head up nicely. Then some pivots with Blitz who could barely contain himself. Next was Moto who wasn't in the mood for pivots. He was sluggish and extremely sloppy. Food lures were not motivating him to do better so back out came the microprong. He needed one pop and he perked back up. He is so like his dad in that you can see the Storm Clouds brewing in his eyes...after that pop he was seriously thinking of challenging me but thank goodness he remembered that he doesn't win those fights. One thing about this dog is he's very in tune with my emotions and he can feel disappointment as well as approval. I tried very hard to give him "good vibes" when he put forth some effort to please. Gosh, when are we going to break through this? I do hope we pick up steam at some point.
So my lesson was really an eye-opener for me as I had two dogs that I have to train completely differently: with Blitz you just show him and he will do it. The downside with Blitz is his extreme sensitivity to being touched. If we ever step back into the show ring he will need lost of conditioning so that he knows things won't move and touch him. Moto, on the other hand, can work under most any condition - a tornado could be coming and he will stil work. His downside is he doesnt' seem to enjoy actually working! He needs a strong pack leader who is always consistent. So two opposite ends of the spectrum - I am being challenged to the limit of my training abilities! Lord help me!
Coming home the winds picked up and there is a chill in the air. The beautiful fall leaves are coming off the trees. Ladybugs buzz by in the hundreds. We were treated to a lovely storm with thunder and lightening and this inspired me to make some white chili with cornbread. YUM!
Fall is just the best!

Hopes, bars come crashing down

That bee sting at 4:00 a.m. should have been a sign but did I listen? Nooooooooo. Saturday morning we got up to get ready for Shiloh's agility trial. All the dogs went out to potty and when they came in I noticed a bug of some sort on its back. Puppy Moto went to check it out and jumped back quickly and ran away. This was not good and on closer inspection I realized it was a bee. I had to chase down the poor little guy and saw the stinger still buried in his nose. Now I had to run thru the house and quickly find tweezers, quickly find Moto again and somehow hold him still and tweeze that stinger out. Bless his little heart he held still long enough for me to get the whole thing out and fortunately he didn't seem worse for the wear...no swelling and no pain evidenced. Whew that was close! Now I was fully awakened and finished preparations for our departure.
Sign #2 it was going to be a bad day: total confusion at the check-in desk, the computer had printed everything out with no order whatsoever, not alphabetically, not in any reason anyone could locate themself. So tempers were flaring as people tried to find themselves on the check-in sheet. Once I got in there and found my name I realized the move-up wasn't reflected. ARGH. Back to trial sect'y to get it straightened out.
Once all that was done I got the course maps and they were nice! Really well-laid out, flowing courses. I was confident and actually excited to get into the ring. Standard was first and we took off running beautifully. After the A-frame (which was close to the end) my mind went blank. Crap! As I looked around for where I was to be next Shiloh came off his contact frustrated, I remembered where we were to go but of course I was out of position - it was the triple which really needed support so Shiloh went around it - NQ. RATS. I was really devastated by my brain fart. Well don't give up let's try Jumpers. Again, a really nice course. I even walked it with no front crosses so I wouldn't get turned around. The course was nice and again I thought we could do it. Since I'd majorly blown the triple in the previous course I supported the heck out of this triple but Shiloh had lost confidence in me and crashed it. Don't give up, keep going and into the weaves we went...crap....my mind went blank again! Look around, he's finishing the weaves, there's a jump take that it was right but where next there's another jump take that RATS I should have gone into the tunnel....we finished the course, I celebrated with Shiloh and of course he got his treats. But gosh how devastating. Failing your talented dog is not a good feeling. Poor Shiloh, he's stuck with me, his memory-impaired mom.
It's hard not to beat myself up mentally. I'm trying to look at it as "when one door closes, another one opens". So we are in a point of seeing what new path we will take. Shiloh is too good of a dog to retire completely. Couch-potato-hood does not suit him.
Agility aside, Moto did well at the trial and went through his obedience training very well. Noisy surroundings do not bother him and he can do his job anywhere. This is great stuff! And Blitz is BEGGING to work. I think I will take him to my lessons with me and swap he and Moto back and forth and see how it goes. This has always been unprecedented territory and no one knows how stress of training and showing affects DM dogs so I need to be very careful. Maybe Shiloh will return to the ring to do Utility? We'll see. Only if he wants to and enjoys it.
We're expecting some snow this week - just flurries. I harvested the rest of the peppers, cut them up and froze them for future use. Brought in the remaining basil and made more pesto. Good-bye little garden. Thanks for all the wonderful bounty you brought us this summer!

Future Tracking Star!

It's so much fun doing all the different venues and finding out what each dog excels in - Dusty enjoyed Obedience, Shiloh agility, Blitz Obedience, and I think Mr. Moto is going to LOVE tracking. Honestly this is the smartest dog I've ever had. He went to his very first tracking lesson yesterday afternoon and as he watched, my trainer laid a long track (50 paces) with a hot dog in every other footstep with a glove at the end. I was concerned that the track was too long but she said to give it a go. Well no worries needed Moto took off so fast he actually missed a few hot dogs. He went straight to the glove. He was so fast and so good my trainer asked if I'd worked with him previous to this which of course I hadn't. So we laid another track with the same results. WOW! So we tried one more where my trainer held Moto as I laid a track. This time he was a bit more methodical and made sure he got every single hot dog but his head never went up, never looked around, he stayed true to his work and went right to the glove. Amazing.
So we will do some tracking and hope to certify in the spring. I was very proud of my baby boy!
This weekend Shiloh and I are off to an agility trial. I feel good and confident. I've struggled with remembering courses but I'm not going to let that get in the way of our qualifying this weekend. Shiloh deserves to have a MACH but it's up to me to remember those blasted courses. He's a good fast consistent runner and can do it if I can hold up my end of the bargain.

Retrieving Daze

It's a typical fall day in the Midwest - in the low 50's, light rain with a breeze. Perfect Sheltie weather but not so good for training outdoors! So I thought I'd take advantage of being indoors to work on our retrieve and some smaller training blocks.
First, I realized I'm going too fast on teaching the Front. He really doesn't understand what it means so I've back-chained to where I'm just inches away and lure with food. He's got better control of his rear now and I saw that now he is able to do a nice tuck-sit straight. Moto learns really fast so I need to do this correctly from the beginning. So far he's coming in and raising his head - I don't need the famous "Sheltie bonk" nose touch! I need to do this a few times a day before we can move forward. No call to front on the recall for awhile.
The retrieve: oh, dear. Moto really doesn't care to play with toys. I brought out one he'd never seen before and while his eyes brightened seeing it for the first time it took a LOT for him to chase out and get it: I had to make it move a lot, let him chase it a bit like a cat, then threw it out. If it went too far (3 feet seemed to be the deciding factor) he would not go get it. I'm using the flexi to bring him back quickly and had to re-throw quickly or he would lose interest. Couldn't do this more than 3 times. If I use food as a reward his desire to retrieve drops to zero. Then, I tried to engage him in a game of tug. He'd play politely but seemed to do it just to please me rather than be interested in the actual game. Rolled around with him, roughhoused and again he played but it was very polite and not real active play.
We didn't work for more than 10 minutes but he was done, wanted outta there and back with the pack.
If this trend continues I will probably isolate him when I'm at work, then we'll train and play when I come home, THEN he can see the pack.
We'll see what tomorrow brings. More than heeling or anything else, I need to be his treat, not the pack.

Great Class!

Blitz update: after speaking with the specialist I'm not worried at this point. He'd never heard of such a thing so I did some research (so lucky to be in the days of Google!) and found out that some humans who have DM have experienced esophageal bleeding. I've always suspected the esophagus has been affected as his voice has always had a husky quality to it. So he gets excited, his blood pressure goes up, and those tiny veins burst in the weakened areas causing bleeding - that is my theory. Interestingly enough we had a good tug game today as well as the daily run/fetch and he didn't bleed at all. Was he less excited or was this just a quick downturn? We'll never know I hope!
Today was supposed to be the first day of obedience puppy class but no one showed up...one person was sick, another had car trouble, and another was at their nationals and out of town. However one student came early with his American Pit Bull so we did some training with them. This dog is a lovely representative of her breed - wish there were more responsible owners like these people! She failed to hold her stand for exam because she was so excited I came to "pet" her and wanted to kiss my hand. She's a very bouncy happy dog and it was a great test to see if we could do some attention work with the bouncing bully dog! Moto is like his dad it seems in that he is a very serious worker and he paid attention whenever it was asked. I was thrilled with this. We did some lateral work which is coming along very quickly.
The next big obstacle is to really work that retrieve. He still doesn't have a good concept of it yet, and we'll be introducing the dumbell in a few weeks, once most of those adult teeth are in.
But today was a great day and I'm very proud of my Moto Man!

It was nice while it lasted

I spoke too soon, Blitz is not getting better. Instead we have a scary new development. I went to the Lawrence, KS obedience trial to visit friends, watch the show and socialize Moto. When I came home Blitz was so up and happy and gave me a vigorous jumpy greeting. Then he produced a tug toy begging me to play and of course we immediately began a fun game of tug. Then I noticed there was blood on my hand. Thought he'd somehow nicked me then I saw blood in his mouth. Checked all his teeth (fine) checked gums (nice and pink) and just thought it was a fluke...maybe a small cut from playing. Today when we went outside to play a good game of fetch Blitz started sneezing and sneezing, then the tip of his nose started bleeding and there was blood in his mouth. I brought him inside to check him out and he was acting like "what is all the fuss Mom?" He obviously was in no pain or distress and once he quieted down he stopped bleeding. This cannot be a good sign. Tomorrow, I pray his specialist is in town so I can speak to him. I just gave Blitz a hug and said "well at least it was a great couple of days".
Moto training diary:
Moto did great at the Obedience trial. Was well-behaved in his crate and never uttered a sound. I was free to walk around the rings without worrying about him barking. He met many children and people and never once balked at being petted by a stranger. This dog is unflappable! I checked in with my friend and trainer Kathy to see how he is progressing. She gave me some good pointers (do not yo-yo treats, do not present treats until work begins) and DO NOT PUSH TOO HARD. I am not patient. He is doing GREAT, he just turned five months this weekend! She also gave me some good lateral exercises I can build on and I am excited to start teaching this. Kathy is my inspiration - she's been to Crufts twice, won the NOI and had the #1 Obedience dog, all breed, in OTCH points. No one person has ever achieved all that. She is in the AKC hall of fame. One can only hope to be as good! And....she's a nice person too!

Shooting Stars, Rising Stars

The weather in the Midwest has been fantastic - dry air, clear skies, moderate temps. At Shiloh's agility class on Wednesday we all were treated to a meteor crossing the sky - a huge blue flame that broke apart into a shower of light. Simply amazing. Then at Moto's agility class last night there was a shooting star flying across the heavens.
Along with that and my recent attendance at a psychic fair, I'm feeling, well, psychic!
Both Shiloh and Moto were fantastic at their respective classes. Shiloh flew over all the jumps and even though he's almost 9, he is picking up speed. Not good for me as I can't remember the courses when he goes that fast! It will be our challenge...me remembering courses. We'd be well on our way to the MACH quest if it weren't for my brain farts. Moto was fearless learning all the new obstacles and I can see he is going to have a gorgeous jumping style. He may not be fast, but he will move beautifully through the agility course.
Coming home last night Blitz greeted me with unusual enthusiasm. His eyes were clear and he pawed and pawed at me. I had a flash of insight from him - he feels good! He wants to work again! I remembered an article on dermatomyositis that said "sometimes a dog can spontaneously heal. There is no explanation for this." Will this happen to Blitz? If he continues to feel good, we'll cautiously begin training again. It would be so special if he could enter the show ring again. We'll see. Even if not, I'm enjoying seeing the sparkle in his eyes again.
Moto training diary:
Today I introduced the "mark" command. He is very bright and learned it after 3 tries. I also introduced the glove. We'll need to work on quick clean pickups but he does like the glove. Heeling is now moving along quickly. I need to continue to be patient. We no longer need the microprong as he is working with a great attitude. Pivots, finishes, and fronts are coming along nicely.

New AX Dog

I received quite the surprise in the mail yesterday - a large envelope from the AKC. It looked like a certificate envelope, and I thought it was one of those "thank you" certificates they hand out when you volunteer for some AKC events. I'd already been thanked in such a manner twice for working the same event so I was thinking - again? Why do they keep thanking me - enough already! When to my surprise and delight, it said Shiloh had achieve his AX on September 14. This was kind of stunning, as I'd thought we'd NQ'd that weekend. So...either the judge made a mistake (missed an off course) or I made a mistake and thought we'd NQ'd, didn't look at the results sheets, when in fact we had qualified. So one more AXJ leg and we'll be off working double Q's towards that MACH. My '08 goal with Shiloh is half achieved now!
Moto training diary:
After an AWFUL class last week, all the hard work paid off! I had a dog with a nice attitude, willing to work, great attention, did everything willingly. The most exciting part was my trainer, who in the past did not like attention heeling, worked with me and actually HELPED me with his attention training. I'm so lucky to have a trainer who is willing to change with their student's needs. We did some pivots, some very minor attention heeling, worked on finishes (I was thrilled with his finishes!), fronts and recalls. Moto is an unflappable puppy, and as such we are moving him into the novice class next week and I am very excited about that!

1 Nightmare, 2 Good Days

Saturday night, I had "the nightmare" again. I wonder if other owners of DM dogs have this dream? See, when the disease first presented itself in Blitz it did so with a tiny bald spot, and each day it grew dramatically until he had no hair on his face, it fell out over all his knuckles on his feet and he was covered with blood blisters. It was horrifying. He fortunately recovered from the initial outbreak and while he grew lots of hair back, when he has another setback I discover it by chunks of hair falling out. So, I dream that he comes out of his crate each morning completely hairless. The sad part of this dream is if he lives long enough, eventually it will be true. But for now he has most of the hair on his back and sides and some on his face. Anyway had to write it down to see what brings on these dreams, if there is a pattern.
Now on to the fun part! We had a fun match on Sunday and I brought Moto and Blitz. Blitz was so happy to get out and do some work. With absolutely no training whatsoever he only missed the first halt (didn't stop, came to front) but heeled like the Tennessee Walker style he has which is so flashy and pretty. He never missed at all with his attention which was lovely. It was so much fun to have him out there and he was so happy to be working again.
I put Moto in the sit stays before taking him into the ring. He was perfect on his sit (on leash, me six feet away). But on the down he decided to challenge me by downing but rolling onto one hip. He struggled a bit but finally gave in to a nice straight down and we got in about 1.5 minutes of the long down.
When warming up Mr. Moto, for the ring he was his usual "ho-hum" self (ARGH) so I put on the micro prong collar. Fortunately that was all it took, he remembered the correction. So into the ring we went! We did some round ring heeling and he managed to keep his head up most of the time which I richly praised and rewarded with food. We didn't do a sit...one issue at a time please! Stand for exam was fine as was the recall. Moto gave a good effort so I was pleased with some progress.
Then this morning was the best in a long time! Moto was very up and we did pivot drills with good attitude AND accuracy. Heeling was good too! Again not many sits, just walking in circles, a change of pace (fast, his issue) and he did it and had great attitude and attention. I was absolutely thrilled. We did some nice recalls and I reinforced the down. The finishes are really coming along, especiall the "around" finish. All good!
Tomorrow is our lesson. I need to be careful and not push too hard, I don't want to undo the positive work I've done these past few days. I think (hope) he is getting it!

Heeling woes

It's SO unfair to compare one dog to another! I have to stop doing this. It never was a problem with Dusty and Shiloh and Blitz, but once I got Blitz I realized this was the dog that could do everything I ever dreamed of, and he loved Obedience with the same passion I do. Well, he's too ill to work or show now so that is that.
So I have Moto - the son of my beloved OTCH dog Shiloh - and I got exactly what I asked for: an intelligent, strong, CHALLENGING dog! While I love him with all my heart (he gives the best puppy hugs) this one does not love Obedience despite food, toys, play and all the positive work I've tried to do with him.
I shouldn't be surprised as I had to correct this strong-headed dog at eight weeks old - he was trying to be the pack leader! I've had to use some compulsion with a 4-month old puppy in training and it is VERY discouraging to have to do so. But, when a dog digs in his heels and refuses to move out came the microprong, one pop and he launched to bite me.
He's young and the battle was short. I think I made a good enough impression (I hope and pray) that I don't have to do it again. He did heel after that, and heel well, but not with the heads-up attention I desire.
We broke off, did some fun stuff (side walking, backing up, fronts, finishes, fast and dynamic) and I had to try heeling again. Moto ignored the food lure and off we went, with me vigorously praising as he was keeping pace nicely. Finally he looked up at me (food was at my eyebrow) so I praised and released. Off we went again, he looked up, I made sure we had a few paces with head up praise and release.
Does he understand THIS is what I want? That it is fun? I don't know yet. But at least, we are back to square one.
Good: he has good fronts (still puppy stage). He likes the swing finish. He enjoys the recall.
Bad: He doesn't like heeling. Mediocre on around finish. Terrible retriever.
Average: stand for exam, stays, utility signals at 3 feet
Let's see if we make any progress. I need to be patient. I need to be fair.

Brave New World

Well, it's time for me to stretch my wings and grow a bit. I have some wonderful dogs and big goals to achieve. I figured if I start a training diary in blog form, it would hold my feet to the fire to remain consistent. I could also look back on my entries to remember the good days when I have a really bad one and trust me, I have LOTS of bad training days!
Here's my story in a nutshell:
I got my first obedience Sheltie, Dusty almost 14 years ago. We did reasonably well but once in the "B" classes of Obedience I realized that I wanted to do better than just qualify. Old habits were too hard to change and with a shoulder injury Dusty retired after his UDX.
So now my attention turned to Shiloh. He was already 2 when we started with some bad habits of his own. With LOTS of hard work we overcame many obstacles and got his OTCH. Obedience is not Shiloh's first love and after giving me my dream I am giving him his due and we are in agility now, trying to pursue the MACH. That journey will be followed in this blog as well.
Next came Blitz. He was everything I ever wanted in a Sheltie with a work ethic and temperament to die for. Sadly he developed a severe case of DM (dermatomyocitis) and is not expected to live very long. He had to retire before he even began his career. I struggle letting go of such a wonderful dog, and watching the progress of this disease is very trying.
So...next comes little Moto. Shiloh was bred to a lovely bitch in Kansas and that produced two beautiful puppies. Moto was my pick puppy. I have big aspirations for this dog, but Moto insists on being Moto, which is thrilling and difficult at the same time.
Moto is the inspiration for this blog as I need to keep track of our training....the good, the bad and the ugly. And so, I step into the Brave New World of blogging.
Let the journey begin!