Quick Summary of Last Month

May was an incredibly busy month. Cold. Rainy. Wet. Busy.

It seems every spare moment I had outside of work were spent outside in the garden pulling up weeds. My garden had gotten invaded by a ton of these MISERABLE weeds that are apparently in the clover family. A cazillion sprouts. And that doesn't include the usual ragweed sprouts which need to be dug out rather than pulled. They have strong roots that refuse to give.

On the dog front -

I think I stopped at Week 3 (?) of the last session.

Just going over the last three weeks as quick as possible, the boy and I shored up on the different exercises, and we are signed up for a new session starting next week.

Week 4-5 were usual classes that seemed to get a bit more fun each class. It is always fun and enjoyable when you have your dog's full attention and he's doing all the exercises right.

Week 6 - was sort of like a fun match. Everyone got their turn in the ring and did what was essentially a proper novice run through. We did off leash healing for the first time in the entire session, and Jack did well. Only problem was the recall, because he came in crooked. Again.

May 26 (I think), we did a fun match at a local club. The same one where I took Jack to puppy classes. I discovered an issue that may come up when we get into the show ring. Jack is noise-phobic. He associates loud noises with thunder and immediately goes into an anxiety attack (shaking, panting, trying to get away from the noise). This was also our first experience training him in a place that was a little warmish. He was distracted and lagged during the routine - though I felt he did better than I expected going into the ring. When we went into the ring, I had a problem getting him to sit in place next to me. He was zoning out. By the time we got to the off leash heel, he was a lot better. This wouldn't help in a real show, where you only get one chance, but I felt that a second run through the ring would have been quite different.

Note to self- make sure he's warmed up before going into the ring, avoid outdoor shows, train him in places where there might be random noises.

THIS WEEK'S PLAN:

I'm planning to work on figure 8's (on leash) and then off-leash heeling outdoors. I'm working him outside despite the heat, hoping to train him out of the lagging. I'm keeping the training sessions short so it isn't too much.

Just:

# 2-3 figure 8 rounds.

# 1 Quick straight line offleash routine (three sits, two about turns, fast, slow).

#4 or 5 recalls, trying to get at least two perfectly straight recalls before moving on to swings

#2-3 Swings - working on getting a perfect swing on voice command alone. This is working out great.

#3 Retrieves - this is for fun and his reward for training. I'm using the dumbbell and am training him to come back and sit. I'll work on perfecting retrieve-fronts later, but at least he has a head start.

SOMETHING THAT WORRIES ME:

I was hesitant about posting this elsewhere, because I know somebody who suddenly lost her 1 year old dog. It is a reminder that death can come suddenly and it is ridiculous to be squaffling about the realization that your dog might have questionable genes.

This is my hypo side rearing up, but I was going through Jack's breeding line, curious about the types of dogs in his background. Just to see who he takes after.

He is two years old and starting to firm up into his prime. He's darkening to a warm golden color, his muscles are filling in, his coat is growing out, etc... <- I get resentful when people point at the blondies as the 'real show dogs', because of course Jack does have the correct confirmation if I wanted to show him.

I discovered that he has a Gold Rush background.... which made me a little nervous, because supposedly the Gold Rush goldens have a higher propensity for early cancer than other lines.

All dogs generally do die of cancer. I've somewhat reached a point where I feel that if the dog is 12-15 years old, then the cancer is simply the effects of his body starting to fall apart. Just as with people.

If the dogs die of cancer at eight or nine though... then that is a huge problem and a tragedy. When a golden is eight or nine ... that is when they transition into their third stage of life. Yes, it's old age, but it is when they achieve a dignity and sweetness. It was the time when our other old dog (Sam) earned his nickname "Sun Chaser" (his real name was Star Chaser Sam I Am), because he would happily lay in the sun along our patio door and watch sunbeams outside the window.

The odds are, Jack has plenty of other dogs in his breeding who are long lived and we can expect him to live 11-15 years.

Still, when I saw postings about Gold Rush goldens bemoaning the loss of their goldens at 8-9, I suddenly cringed at the thought of having only six or seven more years with him.

More than any dog we've had, I wonder sometimes when something is going to happen and wake me up. He never barks. He's content to sleep and relax when I do. He is going to be GREAT at obedience shows and already shows signs of going wherever I want to take him. He is just too perfect. I don't want to lose him too soon.

Week 3

Was a superwonderfuliscious week for the dog.

I got there ten minutes before class time and had open floor to do a quick loosening up session. This is hugely important if you are getting ready for show. The dog will have a little pent up energy from riding in the car and then arriving in a really cool and fun place. Getting there a few minutes early gives you enough time to get your dog acclimated and warmed up.

So, I switched my guy into his training collar and got him out on the floor. We started out with loose play-walking. This is me talking him and letting him grab the leash and jump around if he wants. Then I do a quick heeling run with attention games (dropping the leash and running away if his attention drifts) and also a few sits.

And that is it.

The type of dog he is means he expends a lot of energy as he works, because he throws his all into it. So I don't really want to warm up too much or risk him getting worn out mid-class.

Same thing is true at a show. You don't want your dog to be freaked out and jittery when you are heading into the show ring. But the other BAD thing is to have a dog who's lagging or tuning you out because he's tired, bored, and/or stressed.

Jack was perfect at everything. Except fronts (boo).

The teacher pulled me aside and told me that he is going to be one of those dogs that I can have a lot of fun with (meaning he will go far and score high in shows), but she wanted me to stop helping him out so much with the recalls. This is so stupid, but when I see him coming in crooked, I use my hands to guide him. <- A very bad habit.

Rather than buld a front machine, I'm going to use the 'front boards', which is essentially setting up a visual parking spot for the dog. He has to focus on getting his butt straight when he comes in, because he's going to be conscious of those boards on either side.

Currently debating if I want to drive to a fun match about 20 miles away from my house. I want to. But argh. I feel so drained today. Need sleep.

There was another guy at the class with a golden. His dog is a little bit showier looking than Jackie, but he's got minor attitude problems. The guy had his dog on a pinch collar because it helps him pay attention in the class. But then through the class the dog acted somewhat stressed out. I think the dog was picking the mood up from the owner. Still, the put the dog on a buckle collar and were going to see if that helped him relax.

I guess that guy was one reason why I felt a little uncomfortable about just joining the class, because I'm really just cleaning up and 'training with distractions'. The other people are still teaching and learning how to do everything, so at different points during class I kinda felt uncomfortable about showing off.

Like off leash healing.

I've been training Jacks off leash since he was a puppy. As a result, I don't need to say anything to get a perfect heel. I can't get away from him. <- Which is how it ought to be, at least in Novice. I'm not sure what he's going to think of Open when you leave the dog behind and go somewhere out of sight for five minutes. !!!

Week 2 - Review

Huh...?

*scratches head*

Yesterday was one of those days when I really kinda felt like I wasted my money - sad to say.

Have you ever gone from a small class learning whatever and gone to a really big class learning whatever and witnessed the teacher running around with her head cut off? That was exactly what it felt like. :O

We started off with heelwork - which was fun, except it was at a lower level than I'm used to. That was OK, because I knew that would be an issue before I signed up with this class. This is a lower level class than the one I completed back in December.

They were just practicing footwork when stopping, which uh-erm... (is boring).

Next we did figure-eights. We had a group of three where I stood, so I stood for the two other people and then grabbed my dog for our turn. By then the teacher was right there rushing us. She said she would stand there and watch. And she watched us go exactly ONE time around (as in I was just completing the eight) when she stopped me and told me "You did that really well" (which we didn't, Jacks was forging and I put my hand back to guide him back into place, mondo points off in show ring, OK?) and told me to work on keeping my pace up and regular throughout.

I was like OK and wanted to try again (as the other people did two times around for practice), but ACK! She moved on to the next exercise - which was still more practicing footwork with sits (boring).

Then the topper was when she wanted everyone to do fronts with the front machine. She leant me her front machine (which is a wooden board glued or nailed to three little blocks of wood) and proceeded to show me how to use a clicker to get him to TOUCH the surface with a toe or whatever. Jacks danced around the board (like I thought he would) trying to get at the food in her hand.

Then she told me to practice fronts - suggesting I could continue to work on the board or do them regular.

I felt like it would have been too rude to shove the stupid board aside after she leant it to us, and I figured I might as well make a show of trying to show Jacks how to get on it.

And my way of doing that btw is reverting to a 'force' (pushed the board up to a wall and stood on the other side with the treat in my right hand to lure him up on the board between me and the wall) and the already taught word 'hupp' (which he knows means I want him to get up on something). After three or four 'touches', he got up on the board.

The episode (including her doing the clicker 'touch' thing with my dog) took about five minutes. I was THINKING about moving on to do at least one regular front (far, far away from the stupid board), when I heard the teacher gathering everyone's attention and moving on to something else.

Oh!

And that something else was 'moving from the stand exercise back to the heeling exercise to set up and heel around the room'. Should have been fun, right?

It almost was, except I was flustered (still dwelling on the fact I didn't get to work on fronts).

He stood/stayed and then I released him and moved him out. Only I forgot the setup part and tried heeling him around the room. I was called back and did a makeshift setup and then heel. But it bothered me that we didn't do it exactly right. So I was hoping for a second try.

But yep - that was when she moved on to something else. Practicing fasts....

And later on she mentioned how she wanted people to think about teaching their dogs tricks to loosen them up between exercises. Then she came up to me and suggested I go on this website to teach my dog a hundred things to do with a box.
Which is fine, because I think teaching your dogs tricks is FUN. But I was trying to figure out why she made a special trip over to me just to tell me. My dog does tricks. *weeps* We aren't slackers in that territory. And yes, I'm thinking about going through our repertoire of tricks in next class. Just because. We aren't slackers. At. All.

*sits down and sulks*

And yes, I know this post makes me sound like one of those know-it-alls who complain about having to read Tom Sawyer (a book about a eleven year old) in eleventh grade (when you are sixteen and really want to be reading about people your age). <- Yes, I sulked-dourly about that too.

The good news is we did get stays in there and Jacks STAYED!!!!!!! <- Yes, line of eps are absolutely evocative and necessary.

I'm also thinking that getting him over to a fun match this week might make me feel a lot better. I MIGHT DO IT.

If my car is safe to drive to either X or Y (both locations which are nearly an hour away from my house).

Back to Training - Post Week 1

Have been on break over winter - partly because of finances, partly because I REALLY HATE driving around when it's dark out. It makes me feel depressed and windblown inside.

Spring session just started up -

I had a choice between open floor classes or repeating Novice 2 (we cleared Novice 3 and technically are in that fuzzy gray area where you just keep repeating classes until you feel your dog is mature enough to handle the show ring), and I chose Novice 2, partly because the open floor classes can be a zoo.

The new teacher is fun. I definitely like her better than the one we were with all last year. The one from last year was good, except she didn't understand the difference between the way you handle a working dog and handling a sporting dog. Working dogs you have to be more assertive. Sporting dogs, or at least golden retrievers need a softer hand. Especially when they are as neurotic as my little guy.

We are also going to start doing fun matches soon. Probably next month after we finish this 'brush up' round of classes. Yay.

One thing about the new teacher that has me scratching my head... my dog was the only one who completed a perfect front. But she was suggesting I use a 'front machine' which is essentially like a raised 'park it' mat that you have to train your dog to sit on.

I feel like this will mess up his fronts if I start introducing something like that this late in the game. :O

Main problem we face is the stay. He is doing all right, but still isn't solid on the stays. That isn't new, but still frustrating, because he is deliberately breaking the stays when something spooks him.

And with Jacks - just about ANYTHING is categorically spooky.

He's started clawing his way into closets when he hears booms (nearby shooting club) outside. Gun dog he isn't.

The Power of YES

Just a quicky 'here I am' update -

As mentioned in the previous post, I've been weaning the doglet off of food training in preparation for shows - when we can't use ANY food. :]

So far so good -

I've been making sure I train him when he want to 'play'. This is usually late, just before bedtime. Usually, this is after I've changed into my favorite nightshirt and am prepping my computer. He comes running up with toys and bounces around with bright eyes <- So I take advantage of the moment and put him through a few quick exercises.

Last night, it was off lead heeling with attention and quick sits. Each time he did something perfect, I said "YES" in a loud happy tone. This "YES" is the exact same method that clicker trainers use - they click their button thingy every time the dog does something perfect.

Like with the clicker, when you start doing the "YES" thing - it always precedes a treat or you have a PARTY BREAK (stopping the training, clapping your hands, patting him, and encouraging dog to bounce around like a goofball).

Like with the clicker, when the dog 'gets' a training exercise, you start weaning him off the food or 'party break'. This could be giving him a treat/party every other perfect sit and so forth, until you are only giving the treat/partying at the end of an exercise. In my dog's case, the party includes a few toss/retrieves of his favorite toy.

Ideally, you want your dog to enjoy training like mine does. The way you get that is by making that training time short, positive, and rewarding to him. And again, aim for those times of the day when the dog is 'on' and wants attention.

Special crow - dog's fronts are getting solid. No more leans left or right. Yay.

Weaning and the Importance of the Retrieve

Weaning

While preparing for dog trials later this year (first fun matches, and then hopefully the real thing late summer and early fall) - I'm working on weaning the doglet off food-training completely. This means I'm shortening the training sessions and making sure I'm consistent and LOUD with my praise.

This means that I'm dealing more with 'distractions' and silliness. If I don't have food on hand, dog is more likely to break off lead to bring me toys. This is standard young golden 'work-avoidance' behavior. They are trying to please you without having to work for it.

On the other hand, I've noticed that the doglet's fronts are becoming straighter. He isn't fronting to my pockets or hands. He's fronting to my face and waiting for the cue to 'have a party'.

"Have a party" means that I release him from training and let him jump around for a little bit until I gather his attention and move to the next quicky exercise. Goldens LOVE to jump around and be praised.

This doesn't mean we are off food completely. I still have regular training sessions 1-2 times a week where I have food in my hand or pocket. During these sessions I'm focusing on speed and style (encouraging him to rack it out). These things aren't necessary in the show ring, but they do look nice and give spectators a better show.

And sometimes I do have a bit of food in my back pocket that the doglet gets on the last front. I'm trying to keep these random, because as I said I really want to get him so he is SOLID at the fronts. When he knows I have food in my pocket, he does a slightly crooked front and points his nose at my pocket. <- I have nightmares of this happening in the show ring. I wonder if the judge would make me turn my pocket inside out to ensure I'm not cheating.

Important of the Retrieve

If you have a retriever type dog - I can't stress how helpful this exercise can be. Not only are you training the dog to do something that he was bred to do, but you are also training the dog to do something that will be ultimately useful in the long run.

I do know that not all retrievers have the retrieve-drive.

A while back I took a retrieve class with one of my past goldens (Danny) in which we were going up against a lot of german shorthair pointers, hunt line goldens, and labs. These were dogs who were going to be used out in the field, and breeds known to be more serious and work-obsessed.

Golden retrievers have two seperate lines - show lines and hunt lines. With the show lines, the retrieve instincts have been somewhat bred out of them. The hunt lines are the smaller red goldens who generally are a bit more serious and retrieve driven. They are also stronger minded though, so you have to be firm with the training early on or you could have a golden playing 'retrieve-and-evade' games with you.

Our first golden (Charmer) came from a hunting line. We could point out live and running rabbits to him and tell him to 'take it', and he would pursue the rabbit and bring it right back to our feet. The rabbit would be alive and unmarked when he delivered it, even though it would invariably die of a heart attack. Rabbits have weak hearts and can't take too much of a shock.

Sometimes you do get a gem in the show lines, and these are the dogs you see going to the upper classes in obedience shows, where the dogs must retrieve dumbells and other items.

My Danny was such a dog, even though his poor elbow joints did not allow us to go any further than the first level in shows (he couldn't jump without pain). When I took that retrieve class with him, I wasn't sure what I expected. It was really a filler class until obedience classes resumed.

In a class of all retrievers and serious hunters who knew what they were doing... my dog was the only one doing regular, multiple, and blind retrieves on the first try. This was due to his natural retrieve instincts... and also the fact that for as long as I'd been training him, when I threw an item for him, I expected him to bring it right back to my feet.

This means that retrieves are always done on long line when the dog is still a puppy. You throw the toy, send the dog to retrieve, and then reel him in to praise and "have a party".

You only take him off leash when you know he will come back to you, and when he does return you make him feel like he is the most wonderful dog in the world and just did something AMAZING.

And you don't always have to THROW something to get your dog to retrieve. You can place a toy or object within dog's sight, point it out to your dog, and then send him to retrieve it.

This is important - when the dog goes over and touches the object that is when you say YES (or use your clicker) and give your "Bring it back" command.

And when he brings back the toy, throw a party and give him a treat. Make sure he knows that he is WONDERFUL.

As the dog gets better, you should be able to send him outside to retrieve all the toys or any object that he took outside when he went out for potty.

Today I was wearing shorts and was barefoot and really did not want to step outside to get the towel which my dog dragged outside with him.

Thanks to the retrieve trick, all I had to do was point out the towel and tell my dog to go back outside and bring it in. He did so in short order and earned a milkbone. :]

Remember to have fun with your dogs! And put them to work.

Westminster Show!!!

Will be on Monday night at 8PM.

The elegance, beauty and grace of the canine athletes combine with the excitement of the competition in the world's most famous sporting arena before a live national television audience. The result is an event that is the dog show world's version of the Super Bowl and Academy Awards. But even greater, The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a celebration of the wonderful canine spirit, reflecting our emotional and spiritual attachment to our dogs.

I will be watching to root for my favorite dogs. I always hope there will come a day that I get to see my favorite breed (golden retriever) win the BIS.

If you are watching -

- The dogs compete against those of their own breed to determine the best of breed.

- Then they compete against the best of breeds in their group (sporting, toy, hound, terrier, working, nonsporting, and herding).

- Then the best of each group goes up against each other to determine the best in show.

Like all other 'big' shows, there are certain dogs who always seem to win.

Go HERE for a list of the show winners going back the past 100 years.

When I look at the list, I see a LOT of terriers winning. No goldens. *weeps* I still hope to see the day happen.