Homecoming of a wild goose

On Wednesday, we were up and out of the hotel early, headed to HYBAR for an obedience lesson with both girls. Before we headed out, Page made me laugh by sitting in front of the TV and watching the Weather Channel. She was probably hoping for an end to our rain! 

At HYBAR, Devon spent an hour working on open and utility exercises, with Linda showing me the progressions so I could work ahead at home. I can't wait to continue working Devon's heeling, fronts and finishes and moving on to some additional exercises. After an hour, it was Page's turn.

Luckily we could skip the proprioception exercises since I already know how to do them from agility. We did go over a useful "settle" command that will translate well into any venue. We then went right to learning proper ways to sit, down, and stand for the obedience ring. I also learned how to teach her puppy go outs, puppy recalls, foundation for heads up heeling, finishes, and fronts. We also talked about starting scent articles now, before she does pile work for field. Pile work is one of the few things that contradicts her obedience work, since in pile work the dog just needs to bring back any bumper and with scent articles they need to search the pile for the right article. 

After 50 minutes, we called it a session. I was really proud of this little one working so hard with me, when she had only been with me less than 48 hours. We have a lot to work on over the coming weeks!

And after all the driving the day before, both girls got back in the SUV and fell fast sleep as we headed toward Columbus. The photo at the top of the post is what Page looked like during most of her time in the SUV! After a stop for gas and a stop to visit "Uncle Dave," we were finally headed home. I told Linda this poor puppy probably thought she'd been placed with a homeless woman who just drove around all day and slept in hotel rooms!

Finally we arrived home! The girls had a grand time in the back yard, then they watched as I unloaded the SUV. After looking at this video, I have a feeling I'll get questioned if these two are mother/daughter!

Outside, Page showed what a great job Lise and Gayle did with teaching them proprioception. How many other 9 week old Goldens are this good with stairs?

Devon took the time to show Page where the toys where after the house was cleaned. Devon's such a good big sister!

 

And then it was time for dinner before she met the boys.

I decided to introduce Page to the boys on fairly neutral territory, at my parent's place. I got the added bonus of having Reece around to meet her too. As expected, Connor thought she was pretty neat on first inspection. He didn't play right away with her, but he did like her. Next, I brought out Reece. He is really great with puppies. And remembering Devon's reaction to seeing a black dog with pointy ears for the first time, I thought I'd get Page introduced to him before Ian. As the clip below shows, Reece really liked Page!

Finally, I held Page on my lap as I sat in a chair and we let Ian out. I was most interested/concerned about Ian's reaction to Page. When I introduced him to Devon, I expected him to be thrilled with a girl in the house. Instead he was terrified of her, and Devon quickly learned he'd run from her. Being chased by this strange creature Ian terrified him more, so they had to be separated for several weeks. 

However, I was pleased with Ian's initial reaction. He remembered what puppies where from his terror 3 years ago, and he had his ears up and tail wagging as he met her. He danced away and didn't want to stay long, but it was a much better interaction than his first meeting with Devon!

We ended our Wednesday with me cutting and repackaging Bravo in approximately 1 pound chunks for easy feeding. Page watched and commentated from her crate in the kitchen as I talked with Kathy of Agile Gold and updated her on our trip home. Kathy can testify to the tenacity of this litter to BARK! 

There's nothing like hearing a puppy bark for most of 90 minutes to make you thankful for a good night's sleep. It must have been the barking that wore her out, because Page slept from 10:15 p.m. to 5 a.m. this morning. Aaaaaahhhhh! The benefits and joys of sleep are never overrated!

Maybe if I just hit the chair harder....

Last week I posted about Devon foot touching the chair for cookies at the kennel club. This week we did the same routine of obedience practice, I teach for an hour, and then Devon has her class. Devon did great obedience work, even sending to a foot smack to a white lattice ring divider. 

Toward the end of Devon's agility class, I was once again sitting in a chair wanting Devon to lay down as the other dog on our side was working. Once again, little miss industrious started foot touching the chair. I decided not to reward, since it wasn't what I wanted and I was starting to get visions of Devon foot touching everything expecting a cookie (really not a bad thing, but...). 

Without the reward, Devon decided that I clearly just wanted her to smack the chair harder. So she set to work smacking the legs of the chair so that her toenails were ringing off the metal chair. It was really funny, and since she wasn't looking up at me I was smiling. Then I looked over and another person in our class who was waiting on her team's turn was watching Devon and laughing. I can only imagine what Devon looked like with her head stuck under this metal folding chair as she was smacking the bar across the back legs with all her might. She said, "What is she try to get under that chair?" I laughed and explained what was happening. Devon is not a stupid dog. Finally we had another turn, which ended the abuse of the chair!

We had the AKC Agility Nationals Finals course set up for our class. The advanced and intermediate classes ran the course, but the novice dogs (Devon's class) did not. Because of adjusting for a doorway in the building, the tunnel/dogwalk discrimination wasn't as hard because the jump prior to the dogwalk had to be shifted so it gave a much better entrance to the dogwalk. 

Devon had another fantastic evening of practice. She never missed her discrimination and drove through all her sequences. She easily nailed the ending half of the course with the two jumps to the weaves. In fact everything we threw at her with the weave poles she did perfectly and she worked hard all the way through them. I was really proud of her!

A good attitude leads to success

Last night we went to the kennel club for agility class. I got there early so Devon and I could practice obedience in the practice ring before the class I help with. Devon did a great job. She was prancing in her heeling and really having fun. I switched treats last night and used small pieces of string cheeset, and she really loved it. 

Since things were going so well, I decided to ask Devon to "smack" the wall (this is an intermediate step in teaching a go-out). She has really struggled to foot touch things, and I finally realized why last night. I believe this goes back to the very first time she put her foot on the teeter board (low) and it moved and banged. That really frightened her, and she doesn't like to foot touch anything that might move. The wall has been hard when she sees my shadow moving on it.

But now, Devon has figured out the foot smack on the wall. In fact, she climbs up the wall with her front feet she's so proud of herself. I was sending her to the wall and she was climbing up it and I was giggling at her. She just thought she was so funny to make me laugh, I'm not sure she really needed any treats. 

She "smacked" several walls and then we called it a session. She went into a crate while I helped with the intermediate agility class. An hour later she came out and did her novice agility class. The first thing we worked on was a sequence involving the weaves. It was jump, chute, 12 weaves. I was sure she could do it and she did! She flew through those weaves to a big reward. Everyone was proud of her since they knew we'd been struggling with weaves.

We repeated the sequence, this time with a rear cross at the weaves. Devon handled this just fine, but she popped out at 10 when I got too far ahead of her. I told her she was silly and she must do all 12 poles, and we repeated them with the rear cross. This time she was successful. She was strong all the way through all three times at the poles and just looked fantastic.

The rest of the class went really well for Devon. She never hesitated at the teeter which was surprising since she had trouble with it the previous two weeks. This was my first clue that being successful was leading to more confidence to be successful. 

Toward the end of class we were sitting in the observation area while the 24 inch dogs were sequencing. I had asked Devon to lay down and relax, but she kept getting up. Finally, I realized she was "shaping" me to be responsible for her position. I decided to turn the tables on her. I just looked at her and waited her out, and pretty soon she realized she was supposed to lay down and that would earn her a treat. 

Well, Devon has this shaping thing well in mind. Hummm, if I offer more behaviors, I might get more treats. She backed up, and I ignored it. She got up and went to the back of the metal chair I was sitting in. As I turned my head out of the corner of my eye I saw her foot touch the chair. I started smiling! She wanted that cheese in my pocket so badly, she was giving me her toughest shaping behavior! 

I asked her what she was doing, and she heard the smile in my voice. She gave me a foot touch of the chair, and I gave her cheese! Then I decided if she was still going strong after 45 minutes of agility class, we'd see what she could really do. I got the clicker and more cheese (this got her attention), and I went to the ring gates near the practice ring. It was quiet over here and I knew I could shape her. 

She gave me a nose touch of the ring gates and got thing. Then she reached forward and smacked her foot on the ground below the ring gates. That earned her a piece of cheese. A second foot smack just under the gates earned her another piece of cheese; but then I upped the requirement. The next foot smack on the ground didn't get her anything. Hummmmm ... and the foot went out and barely tapped the gates - jackpot! She gave me several more foot touches of the ring gates, and I laughed and gave her cheese and told her how brilliant she was on each one. What a girl!

Last night reminded me that you can either spiral up with your dog or down. If you're in a rotten mood, the training session tends to go badly and everything starts to spiral to the bad. Last night, I just enjoyed my dog. I had fun training and she made me laugh. This set the mood for the whole evening. It led to our confidence and success in the weaves and on the teeter, and eventually to the success of the foot touch of the ring gates.

Attitude is everything, and you must have a positive outlook on each and every training session. You choose your attitude. I heard in a sermon one time about a man who said he didn't think he loved his wife anymore. A counselor told him every day to do something for his wife as if they were newlyweds and act like he was in love with her again. This man brought home flowers for her, did chores around the house, spent time listening to her, etc. After a couple of weeks, his attitude changed and he fell in love with his wife again. His attitude and feelings followed his actions even if his heart wasn't in it at first.

This story has stuck with me, because I think it is a good parallel to our training. Do I always want to train? Not really. But if I act out a positive attitude in my training session, my session will be successful and positive - and fun. If I continue to tell my dog he or she is brilliant and smart, the dog will act that way. 

Devon’s obedience training

I haven’t posted yet about Devon’s obedience training. We started with a new private trainer in Ohio, Linda MacDonald. I’ve known Linda for years through the One Ash Kennel and obedience training. Since I’m taking privates with other trainers in Ohio, might as well throw one more in! Plus I’ve heard great things from my friends who train with her.

Devon is eating up this obedience training. She’s naturally good at it, and luckily the moving heeling I’ve worked on with her was solid so we could build on it and not start over (Whew!). Linda liked Devon a lot on our first visit. Of course Devon walked into the building with a bumper in her mouth talking away not knowing who she would find in this building but thinking it had possibilities! Linda said she naturally wanted to work with me, so weaning her off food wouldn’t be a problem. We worked my pace in heeling, right turns and about turns.

Linda also told me how to start scent articles. I’ve been working this process in the early morning up in the bonus room. While Devon’s not getting it as quickly as I expected her to with all her tracking work, I can see the wheels turning and she’s giving me her best. Even better is the look on her face as we’re working. She’s sitting at attention with bright sparkling eyes as though if she stared at me long enough she could just figure it out. Even funnier is when I say, “Hide your eyes” and I put my hand over her eyes, she waits patiently and doesn’t struggle to see what I’m going to present her with. It’s just too cute!

We’re also starting to teach her a focus word for go-outs, which she loves. Hey, tell her to look at food and then she runs to get it? She’s all about that!

So even though she’s doing four sports right now – tracking, field, agility and obedience – she’s really having a ball. I’m glad that Devon is in various stages of the four sports, doing advanced learning in field and tracking, firming up foundation in agility and doing fundamentals in obedience. All Devon knows is that she gets to have fun playing games with mom, and she loves it!