FoxTal Pupster

winter walk with the dogs

2012-01-20T21:22:00.000-08:00

What does a Wisconsin dog owner do when the snow falls? takes the dogs out for a walk, of course! I hope in the near future to regale you with tales of my dog-sledding adventure but since I have yet to order harnesses, that will have to wait. Today I was on foot.

Marco had to run by himself. I'm concerned that he would plow into Roya and injure her. He is not malicious, but he simply gets the big body going and it doesn't stop. And, it is better for him to spend time with me alone and being rewarded by me for attention.

Fresh snow is something that brings out the joy and wonder in a dog. They run, and scoop the snow up with their nose. You can't help but laugh!

I took some photos of weeds in the snow and played with them in the photo program. I saw a program on television the other day about a woman who started taking nature photos and turned it into a fabric and design company. I tried to envision some of these photos as fabric. I may find a company and check it out, if only for my own purposes. I think they turned out pretty cool! The one on the left reminds me of an Asian silk.

Cooper and Roya were able to run together. Since she is his momma, he has more respect for her and doesn't body-slam her like Marco does. This was Roya's first walk to the mailbox since her surgery. Dark brindle dogs in white snow are not an ideal situation without flash but I did snap a couple pictures. On left is Cooper, pretending to be a pointer.

And this is little Miss Mischief, Roya, in her one-sy. Poor girl, you can see the pink stitches in her muzzle and the IV shave on her leg, but she was happy to be back outside with me, checking on the chickens (3 large eggs today!) and getting the mail.

Stay warm, everyone!

No Cancer for Roya!

2012-01-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

This is Roya in her One-sy, napping on her fleece bed in the living room. We've had quite a week! Following her initial visit to Dr. Strickfaden, I made an appointment to consult with my regular vet, Dr. Jay Peters at Countryside. Had Dr. Strickfaden not seemed to back off in her belief of the accuracy of the bicom, I probably would not have gone. The pronunciation of "no cancer" was good enough for me!

But since Dr. Strickfaden had pursued the Xray and blood-test and we discussed opening Roya up to see what was going on, including a quote of how much that would cost, I wanted to see what the comparable service with Dr. Jay would be. He wanted to take another Xray, and this one showed her spleen back in it's normal location, though somewhat flattened. The question remained that something was out of order, so do we just open her up and perhaps find nothing? I figured we would spay her so that at least the invasive procedure was mildly justified. However, she would have to be opened up from sternum to groin so that Jay could view all the organs.

Last Thursday I took Roya in for her surgery. She weighed 50.3 lbs. At around 10 a.m., Dr Jay texted to let me know he was beginning surgery. The next notice was that there were no obvious tumors or vast ugliness (my term, unscientific!) but there was some discoloration on the spleen and the liver. We had discussed the potential options in advance and if he would have discovered huge tumors, metastasized to other organs, I would let her go on the table. The last thing I wanted was to prolong pain. Since since was not the case, he took the spleen (an unnecessary organ) , spayed her and took a liver biopsy. It was all good and I allowed myself to think perhaps it was just an old dog thing.

A short time later, another call cast those thoughts aside when Dr. Jay said that he had cut into the liver and it didn't look good. Oh no! Back to the C-word. Taking the spleen is the protocol for cancer or benign tumors, which can also burst, but if cancer had spread to her liver we would be looking not at months for survival, but weeks. Days. Hey, I know!-- I Googled it! With medical issues I like to know all the options and all the "what if's". That way I can wrap my brain around what the best choices will be. The surgery was long, lasting 2 hours. Roya had lost alot of blood, as well. I expected to be taking her home that afternoon, but that wasn't to be. Her temperature had also plummeted and she was in a warming wrap and under blankets, being heated. She was also on IV fluids. I called Tom to meet me there so we could visit her. I did not want to leave her there overnight because there is no one there to watch her and check in on her, but I knew that was the best place for her. There was also concern that she would throw a clot. This was around 3:30 pm and she had not truly awakened from surgery. Her eyes would briefly open, but there was not tail wag or recognition. We petted her, told her we loved her and stroked her beautiful little ears. We left, unsure that we would ever see her again.

I told Tom I wanted to sell any dog over 5 years old so that I would never have to go through this again. In the past several years, we have lost Jinx, Digit and Ali. Too many dogs. Now I just had to wait until the next morning, for the phone call that would either bring good news... or bad.

Shortly after 8, Dr. Jay called to tell me Roya had made it through the night. She wasn't out of the woods yet and he wanted to keep her on fluids for the remainder of the day, and I agreed. I was scheduled to attend a seminar, so I spent part of the day trying unsuccessfully to distract myself, and tearfully relating the outcome of the surgery. I wondered if I had done the right thing. Did I have my baby cut from top to bottom, cause her pain only to die anyway? How long would we have? I left the seminar early to meet Tom and go to pick her up, and that evening we were in our living room with Roya instead of our season-ticket holder seats at the hockey game.

Andrea D., from the Animal Referral Center, who had helped me so much with Jinx's rehab, gave me the one-sy in the picture. I'm not sure who makes it, but it has been a god-send. It has a rolled neck and a snap-crotch, so that you can just roll it up when the dog potties instead of having to pull it off, and yet it covers the entire tummy which a T-shirt would not do. When Jinx was recovering from surgery, she wore an UnderArmor compression shirt, but we only need to protect the shoulder area. I also got a soft cone from Andrea, but then Darcy B. told me about another awesome product, an inflatable neck roll, that we purchased at PetCo. As it turns out, we never had to put any type of cone on Roya as she did not mess with her staples at all. Good girl!

Tom and I spent the week taking shifts of sleeping in the recliner or on the couch so that Roya could be comfortable and not have to be crated, and we could get her out regularly to potty. She would get up and come to us when she needed to go outside. We administered Clavamoxx twice a day (12 hours apart) and Tramadal rpn. After the first day I learned my lesson about staying ahead of the pain. I picked up raw meat patties and special canned food, because that made the poop easier to pass. She had pooped when we picked her up on Friday and I was becoming very concerned when she had not gone again by Sunday!! When she finally pooped Sunday afternoon, I think I was as happy as if she had become valedictorian! I learned that the pain meds can cause constipation. Popping the pills down her throat was met with resistance; holding it out, wrapped in a treat, was met with suspicion; I finally just mixed them in her moist food. The first time she discovered she had swallowed a pill--- too late-- she stopped and gave me an incredibly affronted look! She walked away from the dish as if I was trying to poison her. However, this is the dog who didn't meet a pound of bacon or 12 pack of Heartguard that she didn't love, so it didn't put her off for long and since then has become the means of delivering her drugs.

Yesterday she had the staples removed. I held her front paws and she stood on the hind legs while Dr. Jay removed the staples. She weighed in at 49.7 lbs. The day before I had called for results of the pathology. I was worried that he wasn't calling me because it was bad news, and wanted to tell me to my face. The reality is that their phone lines had been down! So when I called and they told me the results were on his desk, I held my breath. I wanted to be prepared mentally for our appointment so that I could ask important questions with a clear head. I held my breath and waited. When he called back, the voice on the other end of the line said "no cancer!!" It took a minute to register! What? no cancer? what had we seen? what had we cut? I have a copy of the pathology report, but the bottom line is that there is no malignancy!

It looks like Miss Roya will be celebrating her 12th birthday after all! We will do a follow up liver function test, and examine holistic means of helping the liver. I'm still babying her... making sure she gets her medication, tethering her to me when she sleeps on the bed so that she can't jump off, and getting her out to potty every few hours. She is still sleeping quite abit, but after all , she is, what, almost 84 in human years. She deserves the right to nap when she wants! Tom adores this little monkey, too! We bought steps at PetCo, so she can walk up onto the bed instead of jumping. Such a baby! Every time I think "no extraordinary means", I look at my dog and go that extra mile. The surgery at Countryside, however, even with the fluids, keeping her longer, etc, was still $400 less than the Countrycare estimate. And that $400 can go toward treats, food, and new stairs for the Queen....

On to the next adventure with Miss Roya! I'm so glad we have more time together.

Roya's trip to the Witch Doctor

2012-01-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Our old house-dog, Roya, will be 12 this summer. She is a Dutch Shepherd, mother of our "B" and "C" litters, and Queen Ruler of the house. For the record, and though she may deny it, she has also been responsible for eating multiple packages of HeartGuard Plus for 51-100 lb dogs like candy and should be pretty well to those worms for life. Recently she has been experiencing some anxiety. During the summer, it appeared connected to thunderstorms or barometric pressure. My vet prescribed two different medications to try, to see if one or the other made a difference; they didn't. The behavior seemed to subside, however. Until now. We would wake to find her standing over us on the bed, panting. She seemed restless and unwilling to lay down. It usually occurred around 3 a.m. We would take her outside, and she might urinate a little but it was without urgency. Or we might be awakened to the crashing of items from the nightstand as she attempted to squeeze between the wall and the headboard.

She has also had several accidents in the house if we do not wake up, but as distasteful as that is, the stools were firm and she is not incontinent. She has a good appetite, and she still likes to play.

Last year, Roya had two tumors removed. In January, it was a spindle cell tumor from her footpad. Spindle cell cancer is slow growing and from what I read, usually reoccurs in around four years. A few months later, a lump appeared on her muzzle. This one we removed in the office but did not send in for biopsy, because there is nothing I would have done differently for treatment. Roya was such a good girl, too! Dr. Jay injected the numbing agent (technical term!) and used the punch to remove it and she just stood there like a champ.

With this in mind, and recalling my journey with Jinx, cancer is always in the back of my mind. I hate to think of it. Two years later, I can't even mention Jinx without tears. But something just didn't seem right with Roya, so I made an appointment with Dr. Strickfaden at Country Care Animal Complex for a bicom treatment. I asked for an appointment with the Witch Doctor. Seriously. I can't explain how bicom works, or why, but it does. And it involves a wand that is similar to water divining. The treatments work on electromagnetic fields and I believe they not only helped to diagnose Jinx but also to treat her. I thought this would be a good first step, without invasive tecniques. I spoke to Tom by phone as I was on my way and he phrased it perfectly. He said, "Roya will like that because she likes it petting; and it's like internal petting." She did like it. She layed down on the floor and fell into such a sound sleep during the treatment that she twitched in dreams! Dr. Strickfaden said that the bicom showed fear and pain, but didn't know what it was from. I felt good when she said, however, that it did not see cancer. Still, she wanted to run a blood test... and then Xrays. Since we were there, I agreed. The blood tests were actually good for an older dog. The Xrays were something else.

The spleen is squished up on the left side of the screen. It is enlarged, and not supposed to be there. The stomach drops down in between the spleen and the liver on this film. Dr. Strickfaden thought that there appeared to be a mass on the spleen and also the liver.

Needless to say, I asked "but the magic wand said it wasn't cancer?" To this she was not so certain. I think I had more faith in it than she does, at least at that moment. She said that we could schedule an ultrasound at roughly $600. If something was identified as out of place, we would still have to open her up. I left to consider my options and will confer with my regular vet at Countryside Vet Clinic next week. They do not offer the holistic options, but I have an excellent working relationship with them for all other treatments and use them as my primary vet. I know that Dr. Jay Peters will answer all my questions without being insulted and will understand and accept my decisions. As I understand it, anything on the spleen is bad. A cancerous tumor leaves the dog with literally days to survive. Even a benign tumor can rupture, causing the dog to bleed to death, as the spleen is so vascular. If something is found on the tumor it is generally removed entirely for biopsy. A benign nodule on the liver can be removed and life goes on for the dog. So, we could open Roya up, spay her while we were in there, and cut what needs to be cut. The ultimate question becomes what to do if a mass is found on the spleen? Maybe Jay will just tell me that her enlarged spleen is nothing more than normal for an old dog and not to worry. Yep, I'm going to go with that one. The most important thing is not to lose this moment, for fear of the next.

For now, my sleeping beauty is stretched out on the living room rug, waiting for me to go to bed. She gets a flower essence 4 times a day, to see if that helps with the anxiety. Will I really even know? Possibly not, since it doesn't occur every day. So the fact that she is not exhibiting problems does not mean that there is a problem tonight. Sweet dreams.

simple solutions in the shark cage

2012-01-05T22:25:00.000-08:00

My poor hands have taken a beating, thanks to Marco and his gi-normous mouth. In using food reward for training, I have suffered significant bruising and it has made training unpleasant. I asked another trainer (a more well-paid, and therefore assumed to be more learned) for advice and was told to punch him in his snout and tell him "no". Sometimes I did, simply because it hurt so much and I needed to tell him NOT to eat my fingers! But it never seemed to have much of an impact, and a minute later he was snapping in big gulps at the treat.

Not training him was worse. I resorted to trying a variety of gloves to protect my hands. Normal, cop-kevlar gloves saw holes torn in the the thumbs. Not working. Gloves meant for filleting fish protected my hands, but left me with cramps because they were so stiff that bending the fingers to grip the treats was tortuous. I found a happy medium with a lighter weight glove meant to protect from knives but the big lummax, though not piercing, was still bruising my thumb with his teeth.

Viola! I found the answer last night. This may not surprise most men, who already know that duct tape is the answer to any question. It was to mine! I made a "thumb cast" by wrapping duct tape in a dandy little blanket, layer upon layer, around my thumb. It fits nicely in the glove and I don't feel his teeth at all. I tried it without the glove, and just the thumb cast and one time Marco grabbed and pull the bandage, to which he received a sound rebuke (rebuke sounds nicer than saying I yelled and gave his muzzle a whack!) and after that he took the treats very gently. He does not respond by fainting away or being hesitant, but stopped mugging with his entire mouth. It is possible that, since I don't feel his teeth, I don't expect to be hurt and therefore am not snatching my hand back, or something like that. I don't know. All I know is that my duct tape thumb cast has solved the problem that $50 gloves did not!

baby helpers

2012-01-03T23:48:00.000-08:00

Ah,well, we don't really have babies as helpers. Or decoys who help babies. What we have is inexperienced helpers. One, to be exact. I think many clubs struggle to find good helpers and then to keep them. If your club is in a rural area, you are immediately at a disadvantage. Statistically you won't have as many opportunties to draw from the population. But every now and then the stars align and a prospective helper comes your way. Barring back injuries and felonies, it's time to get busy training your baby helper. Which brings us to another problem. Not everyone is interested in using their dogs to train the new helper. Oh yes, they will definately be first in line to use said helper once he is trained, but when it comes to risking any set backs with their dogs, they refuse. So it is left to the person who is willing to let the new helper practice on their dogs, to bring the skills up to a useable level. Retired, experienced dogs are great for this. Even just experienced dogs that can be worked on basic concepts safely. The new helper cannot problem solve and has yet to develop cat-like reflexes to protect himself from the dog that releases and redirects or does not target well. Problem solving is outside the scope of the new helper but it is not too early to begin to quiz them on how they will respond in the face of a certain behavior. For example, you see the dog spinning on the back line, what should you do? You are setting up a triangle-- where is the dog placed? The question that leaves strong men quaking is "why did you do that?".
When you find a man in relatively good health who thinks learning how to work with the business end of biting dogs is crazy fun, it's time to celebrate! So when a man with a martial arts background volunteered, I was thrilled. We have only one other helper in our club, and he is only able to attend sporadically due to starting a new business and other obligations. Big dreams require consistent helper work. Enter Matt.
We had a really great training session tonight, his best so far. The pieces are starting to come together and we can communicate without extended conversation. Teaching a new helper is much like dance instruction, or so I imagine. Since I have never taught dance, I could be wrong. The first step is to learn a few basic, or "go-to" moves. After that, put the moves in a simple formula. Maybe a swing step. Oh wait, that's dancing again. The magic triangle is excellent for this. Which, come to think of it, sounds like...........you said it......a dance move. Or an adult film.
I digress. Tonight Matt was on it like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. The moves were on the money! I barely had to lead.
Well done, baby! Well done!

Curse of the Director

2012-01-03T14:28:00.000-08:00

Today I'm going to address the Curse of being Training Director. For all the directors out there, I'm sure you will be shaking your heads and nodding; for everyone else, I hope to inspire at least a little understanding. Sympathy, perhaps. I am addressing schutzhund club directors, but it could well apply to a range of other volunteer director positions within other dog sports.

The training director is an unpaid position. It generally falls to the person with the most experience in a club. This can vary greatly. Quite often the training director is the person who started the club, a dual role with being President. In larger clubs, however, there can be obedience directors and the helpers who direct their own portion of the training. Or there may be no direction at all, and members simply do what they want and attempt to emulate more experienced members to figure out what they are supposed to do. When members leave to form a new club, the new director may have limited skills but yet be the most experienced-- or most vocal-- of the new group.

Schutzhund is a gathering of people who may have nothing in common outside a desire to participate in the sport. Even that participation has levels of commitment. There are the social butterflies, who care not to title a dog or subscribe to the "if you throw enough shit against the wall, something will stick" theory of training, whose main desire is to belong to a group, and visit. There are the extremely focused and goal-oriented folks who yearn for the podium. The solid club-level competitor also has a place. They might not have a dog that will go to the Championship, but they work hard to be the best team they can be, and respect what their partner gives them. Outside of the sport, the members represent many different careers and personalities.

And yet the training director has to work with them all. There are essentially three routes that the director can take. One to let everyone do their own thing. Training begins, people take their turn and call for a group as needed, or gunshots, but are not given any specific training guidance. If they want additional help, they will seek out private lessons or seminars. For the most part, they try to copy what they see someone else do. The opposite end of the spectrum is the director who specifically dictates what training method they will use and does not allow members to attend any outside training. Somewhere in the middle is the director who provides guidance on request, helps to steer and mentor new members, and supports the goals of all levels of members.

End of the year awards do not encourage people to accomplish more, or to remain club members. Even personal gifts for earning titles, while seemingly appreciated at the moment, do little to motivate in the long term. I think that the USA organization discovered this with their GEC awards, which passed on for lack of support.

The curse of the training director is that schutzhund is a sport of volunteers, and not a business. The training director has neither the carrot nor the stick to emply to motivate members. Some clubs do carefully select and restrict members and therefore may be better able to choose a specific personality but some are simply grateful for more bodies, and enough names on the roster to remain active! For years I have included goal-setting as part of our annual meeting. Because goals are best accomplished when they are made public and the assistance of the group is enlisted,as well as peer pressure, this works well in business. Accomplishment of goals in business is tied to pay and promotion. For myself, I like to list my goals for the year so that I am actively working toward something. Sometimes life gets in the way, as it has when my mother had a very difficult heart surgery, or when my favorite dog died of cancer, and maybe everything doesn't get crossed off the list. It isn't a sign of failure if you gave it your best under the circumstances. You pick yourself up, and move it over to the "to do" column. However, that isn't the reaction I got from club members. Little by little, the goals became more modest. It was not encouraging them to reach for the stars. Because we cannot subscribe to the business model, I think the best training director may, in fact, be one who has learned that he/she is not responsible for motivating the members and that they need to take on that responsibility themselves.

The curse of the training director is also that he/she uses so much time and energy helping and directing other people, that the director's own dogs suffer. They are the last to be worked, and sometimes not at all because you just don't have the energy left. Going first is not an option, because members are not present and ready to train at the start time and therefore, being first would be like working alone with no group, or distractions.

The curse of the training director is that he/she is responsible for organizing training and being present. Someone has to be standing on that training field who is in charge, whether it be to collect waivers or fees, to make sure things are done safely or direct training. The director, therefore, may feel restricted from attending seminars or visiting other clubs or events. However, the club members do not feel the same need to be there. When they want to take a weekend with the family, or attend another seminar, they don't clear it with the training director; this one way street can lead to resentment and attrition.

What is the first thing you hear at a trial when a dog team either does spectacularly well, or struggles/fails? "where do they train?" And the fingers point right back to the club and the training director... if they do well, other people want to come and train there. If not, the fingers point at the lack of good training at the club. If points are taken for handler error, the director is on the line when the handler claims they were never told of such a thing! Own a rulebook? no, but the training director should have told me! If you learn new methods at a seminar and want to share them, you are accused of being inconsistent. The directors I see who handle this with the least stress are again those who do not feel any personal responsibility for the difficulties of their members.

The curse of the director is also that they are part of the front line of representation of the parent organization. When there are rule changes, they are tasked with understanding the and relaying them to the membership, even if they do not agree. When they remind members of the changes, they are likely to hear the backlash of those personal frustrations. The director has to let those wash over him or her, and not take it personally, despite privately thinking "stop bitching at me!" I would bet more than one training director would like to be the guy sitting back on the porch, or in the lawn chair, chatting with other members or complaining about this or that instead of ending the day with aching feet and back from walking up and down the field a thousand times, helping people.

The other curse of being a director? You can't give it away. Of course, every now and then a young, enthusiastic member will actually want to take over this position! Bless 'em! I don't think I am alone in hoping that my club continues long past my existence in the sport. In another 50 years, I hope that the Fox Valley Police & Schutzhund Club is still on the active USA club rolls, led by a new generation. The curse is that the people who are just in it for themselves and not to further the sport, are unwilling to donate their time. The ones who are observant and sensitive see that there is no way to please everyone and choose not to have people target them for personal failings or frustrations. The smart ones see how much work it is, and how responsible you have to be about being present and just want to be one of the masses. As much as the director tries to bring members on board by asking them to take on small tasks, and learn how the organization works, with the hopes of someday turning those over, for the most part people are not volunteering.

To summarize, the curse of the training director is that they are placed, by virtue of stepping up and doing a job other people are unwilling to do, with no pay, in the dubious position of the hated "supervisor." The "you can't tell me what to do" attitude is true when there are no employees, only volunteers. If awards and goals fail to motivate, and spending time with members trying to teach new training methods only creates jealousy and resentment, what is left?

Let members take personal responsibility for learning about the rules and organization. It's on the website; look it up. Buy a rulebook. Let someone else be responsible for organizing training and being the bad guy, or even just being present. Feel free to attend other training and seminars and show up at club training when it is convenient to you. Do not feel responsible for the success or failure of club members. Don't care if they do attend other seminars and create problems; that's on them. Don't expect them to share what they learned, either, even if it could benefit the club. Unless someone volunteers to coordinate a seminar or event, do not suggest it or push members to improve. Providing gifts and awards are a waste of time and only serve to create a false impression of a relationship that does not exist. Don't think these people are your friends. You provide a service and once they are dissatisified or fall out of interest, they will tell you that they never liked you or your advice. Ever.

Wow! Pretty damned depressing, isn't it? If you can be the person described in the paragraph above, you likely have a very strong personal self-image and if people don't like you or appreciate your effort, it is because they are ungrateful idiots and not because you didn't find a way to help them, to motivate them. Their knowledge is their own journey and not your responsibility. I have never been able to separate caring deeply on a personal level, from the sport and the work itself.

The real curse of the training director? Caring.

2012

2012-01-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe another year has passed. I just don't know where the time goes. We think back to when we were kids and how each school year felt like an eternity, but summers were too short. Now we leap from appointment to appointment at lightning speed and as soon as I flip the calendar to a new year I am greeted by scheduled events. And when those events include trials and Championships, there is an immediate pressure to begin to prepare. I can look at 2012 and already know what I will be doing most months. It is only January 2 and yet I have to look to 2013 to find a blank calendar.

I have a need to fill those blank spaces on the calendar. It creates quite a conflict. Fill the spaces, then look for a few hours of free time for ME. I generally start out planning to set aside a particular day or days each week when nothing is scheduled, but inevitably there is a club member who needs help, or a lesson with a dog that just can't wait, and I add them.

I always begin a new year by reviewing what I have accomplished and what my goals are for the upcoming year, involving my dogs. The more personal goals I write in journals I have kept since junior high. In 2012 I trained and competed with Pre, a malinois owned by my friend, Sam. We did compete in all the events that I had indicated in my goals, but were not successful in all. At the AWDF Championship we earned an IPO2 and were IPO2 Champions. That was a proud moment, to be on the podium at a National Event, and a first for me! At the WDC we did not pass tracking. We earned our IPO3 at the North Central Region Championship but did not stand on the podium there as I had hoped; neither did we do that at the AWMA Championship, where our participation was terminated due to injury following a dog attack upon reporting in. Training Pre consumed most of my time.

I had hoped to pass Cooper's USAR Type 1/CE certification at the test in Milwaukee in the spring, but it just did not come together. I wrote about it in an earlier post, and our performance really set me back. I really wondered if I had it in me to carry on at all. After taking some time to consider it, I decided that Cooper was up to the task and that I owed him my best in achieving that. I thought about how the spring test had gone wrong, and how we could improve and we practiced those things. In autumn, we traveled to Tennessee and were successful. Not only successful, but we made an awesome pair and I felt good about our performance. Cooper became my second dog trained to that level. My search team boasts the only Type 1/CE dogs in the State, and two of us have trained 2 dogs to this level.

2012 will be a schutzhund year for Cooper. He has the foundation in the sport, has his BH and also an RH1 which we earned this year, and since we don't have to recertify in USAR for several years, my plan this year--- my goal, as it were--- is to earn Cooper's IPO 1-3. There is the WDC in April, the AWDF in May, our club trial in June, and then the Regional Championship and the Dutch Shepherd Nationals in the fall. I have to see how his early spring training goes and then how he travels to big events, but he has been a good traveler and done well working in new environments. It is all possible at this moment! One thing that I need to look into is the UKC Championship and whether doing obedience with him is also something to investigate!

I have several other young dogs that are included in my goals for 2012; Marco and Ridley both need to earn at least a BH this year, or more. Quinn is insisting he isn't retired and I have been using his talents to train a new helper. He should be added to my list for some sort of title that is within his physical ability. He has so much enthusiasm yet that I hate to put him on the shelf. I have debated on whether to train Chica to HRD detection but I would prefer to sell her just because I have so many other dogs to train, and Excel still needs a home. Until they are placed, I will continue to train them, as well.

So there. I've put it out there and you can feel free to hold me accountable. If I don't meet every goal, I haven't failed if I have given it my best. 2012 promises to be a wonderful year!

ViVi meets Quinn

2011-12-18T11:14:00.000-08:00

ViVi, our "Mongoose" x Lazer girl, is home for the holidays while her handler, Sam, is off cavorting in Europe. Today she met Quinn for the first time and I documented their introduction. Quinn has random tufts of blowing coat and wasn't groomed for a photosession, and ViVi is wearing an e-collar because the dogs were going to be running loose in an area where there are deer, in case I needed to absolutely stop her.

I let Quinn out of the kennel first so that it was ViVi who came into his area, not vice versa, giving more power to him via possession of territory. I did not want her to ambush him and have the element of surprise. I didn't have the camera in position at that point, as I wanted to be able to react if there was a problem that required interference. ViVi apparently can be somewhat dog aggressive. Previously she has been good with Roya, her surrogate mother but today was getting a little out of hand, wanting to play too aggressively with the old girl. I haven't introduced her yet to Cooper, whom she likes to act more aggressive toward in his crate or kennel. I decided that a good first step would be to let her run with a totally confident adult dog who would not hesitate to smack her down if needed, though I have never seen him have to do that. His posture alone has always been enough to gain respect.

When Vivi met Quinn, she was hackled from neck to tail and held a very low posture. She didn't engage him, but rather skirting around submissively. She would follow but jumped away if he moved toward her. I called Quinn and Vivi followed and she started to loosen up a little.

Off we went to the field and acreage behind the house and this is what it looked like:

Then Quinn needed to take a potty break, which allowed Vivi to get a little braver.

hey! hurry up! wanna play now?

uh-oh! I'm not sure you have good intentions!

This is a good photo showing the calming signal of licking, communicating to Quinn to calm down, she's no threat

getting to know you......

getting to know all about you....

playing around

now let's get our positions straight! YOU go on the bottom!

and the walk ended with the two of them running down the trail and through the fields. Quinn pretty much just ignored her, and was more interesting in coming back to me for treats. That worked out well because she would follow him and they would both be rewarded. Vivi was relaxed enough to try to engage him with some "hit and run" play but Quinn neither responded aggressively nor played interactively with her. I know now that I can run the two of them together without problems.

Happy Trails to you!

"My Dog is Friendly"

2011-12-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

I just have to share the link to this great article. For anyone who is working with a reactive dog, or a young dog who is the victim of those "my dog is friendly" stalkers who do not respect personal space, this is for you:

http://jessdolce.tumblr.com/post/13560756717/my-dog-is-friendly-a-public-service-announcement

Your SAR puppy

2011-11-30T12:38:00.000-08:00

One of the member coordinators of my Search and Rescue team said she often fields inquiries asking what members should look for in a puppy, and asked for group input. As I formulated a response, I thought that the information would potentially be helpful to a larger audience. Here is what I would say to the member:

I am so glad that you asked this question! Both you and your new canine partner will be much happier if you make a good decision, and that decision begins with research. Not every dog is a candidate for SAR. Begin first with your end of the leash. Being a dog handler whose actions can make the difference between life and death, or the recovery of a loved one, is serious business. It isn't about having a dog with a cool vest and playing on the weekends in the woods. Are you in good health? Are you physically capable of training and working with a dog? While other types of dog activities can be adapted to physical disability, SAR isn't one of them.

I won't break your heart yet by asking if you have considered the expense! When I am looking at pups I expect to spend between $1500-3500. Are there cheaper dogs out there? Oh yes, some breeds cost less than others and maybe you will be the lucky one. The purchase is a minor expense in consideration for what is yet to come, with food and vaccinations, emergency expenses, seminars, crates, toys and travel. Food for thought. Be certain that you can afford it before having your heartstrings tugged by a puppy.

I assume if you are asking about becoming a dog handler, that you have attended training and learned what it involves to work with a dog. If not, start there. If you lack the commitment to attend training and observe how others handle their dogs then you probably are not going to be reliable as a dog handler. You may be a better dog owner, as opposed to being a handler. There is no shame in that, and it is better to realize this before you obtain the wrong dog or potentially put lives at risk.

You've already done this? Terrific! Most likely you have asked the other dog handlers where they obtained their dogs and what their recommendations are. Ask advice from the people who are in the position you aspire to. Don't regale them with stories about your favorite dogs or your opinions about dog training you've never done. Listen. DO ask reasonable questions about the care and maintenance, travel and expenses and how a working dog is maintained in the home as opposed to a pet. Then realize that there may be differences between how each handler answers these questions. There is no single "right" answer.

The "right" answer depends on you. Make a practical evaluation of yourself and your lifestyle. If you have owned or trained a dog before, what parts did you enjoy most? least? what qualities of that dog, or dogs, drove you crazy and which did you appreciate? Identifying your own temperament as a handler can help to steer you in the direction of the right dog for you. If you lack patience, an excitable, reactive dog may not be the best choice for you. Look at your home and lifestyle, as well. Where will you be keeping this dog? Do you have other pets in the home?
When you watched the other handlers, what attributes of their breeds attracted you?

Which breed to choose? Remember the square peg-round hole concept? Choose a breed that suits the job. There are many people competing in dog sports who love a particular breed and will do the best they can in their venues, accepting that the breed may not be the ideal choice. For them the breed is first, the task secondary. This is fine for sport. It is entirely unacceptable for SAR. We cannot cajole and bribe a dog into wanting to search when the day is long and difficult; the desire must be innate to the dog. The most commonly used dogs are herding and sporting dogs, with hounds joining the ranks as single purpose trailing dogs.   So what do you want to do? Tracking, trailing, Urban Search and Rescue, detection work (HRD), area search are all examples of the opportunities available to you. What are you interested in? Next identify the breeds most suited to that task. If you can't live with spit towels and gobs of saliva spewed on your walls, take the bloodhound off your list no matter what you plan to do; neither of you will be happy.

All dogs within a breed are not created equally. There are hounds that are bred specifically for trailing and whose breeders are well-known within SAR circles, and there are hounds bred for conformation shows. Conformation shows judge a dog on how well they conform to the breed standard. It does not judge their scenting ability, willingness to work for a handler or any other attribute than movement and appearance. Also, conFIRMation is not the same. Look it up. They are not used interchangeably and if a breeder tells you the dog has good confirmation, either ask if they are good Catholic dogs or run away screaming! In most breeds there are splits between the conformation, or "show dogs", and the working dogs. In some cases, such as the Labrador you have even further divisions which include the show dogs, hunt test dogs, field trial dogs and British dogs. You need to understand the differences before you go looking for a dog. There is a distinct difference in the work ethic in a dog that has been bred selectively for generations for scenting ability and hunt drive, and one who has not.

Once you have selected a breed and a type, familiarize yourself with the abbreviations commonly associated with the working and genetic tests for that breed. The reason for this is so that you can ask good questions and not be overwhelmed or "snowed" by a seller who throws unfamiliar jargon around in order to impress you. Know the difference between a MH (Master Hunter), FC (field champion) and CH (conformation champion). Understand if the SchH, VPG or IPO titles (schutzhund) are more important to you than an OTC (obedience trial champion). Is your breed predisposed to ocular degeneration and require a CERF test, and are the hips and elbows of both sire and dam proven to be free of dysplasia by either OFA or PennHip?

I prefer to look for working titled parents, whose work I am familiar with. I know what they bring to the table as natural characteristics, and what is a result of training. One of the most basic things evidenced by a title is the dog's willingness to work with and for a handler, their trainability. You can see this is some certifications, but they will only bear weight if you are familiar with the testing organization and what was required; otherwise it is just an interesting piece of paper.

Will you get a male or a female? This decision may be made for you by virtue of your personal preference or by the existing animals in the household. In general-- and this is a broad statement--- males work more independently, but you don't have to deal with estrus (heat period).
If you bring a young female into the home and you already have an unneutered male, you will need to be familiar with the signs of estrus and prevent unwanted mating. Do your research concerning the effects of an early spay/neuter, as this may affect the working life of your dog. Early spay/neuter results in more long bone development. Males do not develop secondary sexual characteristics, and therefore will look more feminine. More importantly, it can lead to incontinence in females and has also been shown statistically to have a higher incidence of ACL tears. Ultimately, your lifestyle will determine what choice will be best for you in this regard but you should make an informed decision.

I'm sure by now you are thinking "but I just wanted to know what to look for in the puppy!!!" Yes, I know. That is why I have emphasized that you need to look first to your end of the leash. Finding the right SAR prospect is less about the dog than about knowing yourself. If you are honest with yourself, you will make a good choice.

Which leads me to this question: do you get a puppy or a dog? This, too, is a decision made by knowing yourself. Without a doubt, puppies are adorable! What is your experience with training puppies? A puppy will require several years of training before testing for deployment and that means years of making sure you have provided the right foundation of training to shape pup's abilities. Puppies are a crap-shoot. Even in the most carefully planned breeding, there can be an aberration and you need to consider up front what you will do if this puppy does not work out. Is your household able to take on an additional dog if this pup has health issues or you do a poor job of training? Or will you drop out of SAR and have a nice pet? My advice with puppies is to find a responsible breeder that you trust, that has been recommended by other dog handlers in your same area of interest. Ask the handlers for both positive and negative opinions of locations they searched for candidates. Be aware that many good breeders will not sell their best dogs to someone who is unproven. Anyone can make claims of what they plan to do; it's another thing to demonstrate what you have done to prepare and come with a reference. Make sure the breeder carries out the proper genetic testing as recommended for the breed. Do not take their word for it; ask for documentation. No responsible person will be insulted by this. Once you have made a choice in the breeder and the litter, you will be asked to place a deposit and wait for the puppy to be born. Sometimes you will begin your search at a time when a puppy is immediately available, but the biggest red flag to a breeder is the shopper who wants a puppy NOW.

If you have done your research and developed a relationship with the breeder, they are the best source to select your puppy. In all likelihood, your decision will be made with your heart and not your head. Selecting your SAR partner based on the odd patch of white, or the one that is clinging to your leg, rather than factors that a breeder observes day in and day out, is a poor decision. As puppies grow and develop, they change. The pup engaging in dominance play today may be tomorrow's underdog.  Pups are more active at certain times of day, and spend much of their time sleeping. If you make one or even two visits, you may not be getting a complete picture of personalities just due to timing. The breeder is in position to make daily observations. The Volhard test is geared to pet dogs and can give you some information but with my own litters, I did not find it to add any information that I had not already gained via observation. The age at which puppies go to their new homes is too young to perform many searching tests but there are several things I look for. I want the pup who checks in with me (does not ignore my presence) but who is not clinging to me. I want to see it out and exploring as we walk, which means the pup will follow and respond to "puppy, puppy" calls. Do not choose the one who is underfoot or shy, no matter how cute. Let them follow you into tall grass or over unstable footing. Ideally, this is done in an area unfamiliar to the pups so that you have a true impression of how they handle new experiences. I prefer the pup who shows strong prey/chase instinct. It is less important to me that they retrieve the item, because I know how to train that, but for a novice having a strong retrieve drive may make things easier.

Because I engage in other activities with my dogs, I look more closely at the puppy's strike and grip on a toy, as well. This can reveal nerve strength, but isn't something that a novice would be aware of. This is another reason why it is important to find a breeder that you trust, who is familiar with what you are looking for and knows how to select the right candidate. Take another handler with you as a second set of eyes, to make impartial observations.

Are there successful dogs who have come from nondescript, newspaper-ad litters? Sure. But if your intention is to make an educated, informed decision and to mitigate problems you will do everything possible to be in the "statistically likely to succeed" column. Recognize the knowledge that you do not possess, and use the experience of those who have tread that path to assist you. It is to your credit that you are at this point and asking what to look for in a puppy, instead of presenting it to the team and asking "will this work?"

There is another option. You can find a young, adult dog that has been selection-tested for working qualities. This is a more expensive option but you will have a dog that you can immediately put into a preparatory program. You know that the dog is in good health, that the hips/elbows/eyes/ other genetic issues, are all good and that he or she has the drive and ability to do the job. You also know what the adult temperament is like, and whether this dog is something you can live with. Most of such candidates will be imported from Europe. This may seem a more expensive option, but remember that you are paying not only for the health but also the time someone else spent in teaching a proper foundation. For the novice, this is an excellent option. It will also provide you experience that you can use should you elect to obtain a puppy in the future, with a more complete understanding of the qualities you need.

You may wonder why I have not suggested a shelter dog. If you are looking for a puppy, consider all the hours of planning and genetic testing that a responsible breeder performs in order to create a healthy, willing canine partner. They carefully nourish the pregnant bitch, and then the puppies. They provide environmental enrichment and challenges to help the puppies grow and explore with confidence. Vaccinations are done sparingly and over time, to minimize the issue with site cancers and immune-deficiency.   Contrast this with an abandoned litter, likely without proper gestational nutrition and genetic testing, raised in a concrete kennel, vaccinated and neutered young; the choice is clear. Occasionally you may find a young adult dog in a shelter who is simply too much for the owner to handle, but not a bad dog in terms of fear or aggression. If you know what you are looking for and the shelter allows you to test the dogs, you may find a gem. It still does not address the health issues and you will need to decide whether you will pay for Xrays on a dog you may not keep, or whether the shelter will even allow this to be done. Some shelters are better than others about allowing dogs to go to working homes, and they remain a possibility, with considerations.

Finding a puppy is so much more than merely looking at a litter! You would be wasting time if all you did was run from newspaper ad to ad, checking out the "free to good home" section. Or even some of the exorbitantly priced AKC Champion pups that are pretty pets. So when you ask "what do I look for", you first need to know the answers to the questions above and narrow your search so that you are selecting the best candidate from the best potential litter. The best turd in a pile of turds is still a turd.

After you find your canine partner, and are astonished at how quickly he or she learns and how wonderful it is to look at the years ahead, it will your turn to shake your head when someone asks "what do I look for in a pup" and say, "Well, let me tell you....."

Tracking with Fiona and Cooper on November 25

2011-11-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

Sue and I met for tracking yesterday. We have been doing alot of "in the hand" work with our dogs lately, shaping position and playing doggie games, and we had not tracked for some time. Sue had her two dogs and I had Fiona and Cooper with me. Fiona is a young female German Shepherd that I have her to train and title, and I had her for a few weeks when she developed panno and returned home. I had been working scent pads and the beginning of tracking with her, so I was anxious to see if I had lost any of the training in her absence. Cooper had a foundation in tracking before he made a career shift to USAR. After Jinx got sick and Cooper had to step up, my attention was to get him trained and certified and the tracking was put on hold. Once we passed our Type 1 test last month I decided it was time to get back to schutzhund with him since he doesn't have to recertify for two years, and I can get his SchH3 done by then.

I laid a track for each one of them. Fiona had only done scent pads and very short tracks prior to this, and since this was meant to see where we were at with things to make a training plan, I laid a track that was approximately 50 feet to a right turn, and another 50 feet to an article. I have a particular way of teaching the article indication and have not finished that with Fiona, so in placing an article at the end of the track I move along side her to that position and cue the down for now. The tracks were aged approximately 45 minutes- 1 hour. I was very, very pleased with the fact that Fiona had not lost any of the foundation. Both dogs wear a boettcher to track so that they have an additional physical cue to the activity. Particularly for Cooper, this is important to make clear that tracking is different from other behaviors. In USAR he goes "naked" and is released from a slip collar to search. I stayed along side Fiona as she track to reinforce that she check every footstep and she did well with that, as well as the corner.

Cooper wasn't as calm at the start of his track as Fiona was. Fiona is highly food motivated and was intent on the scent pad, but Cooper showed his "I'm crazy to get going" behavior where he revs forward and back. He was less interested in the scent pad than what was beyond, and I had to show him that he wasn't going to run down the track. After that, he demonstrated nice attention to the footsteps and nailed the multiple corners. The food I used blended with the grass surface and the grass was just long enough that it fell into the footprint indentation. Perfect! The dogs couldn't look up ahead and see food, so were less tempted to skip steps.

I was very pleased with the tracking behavior. Both dogs will need a gentle reminder that they cannot skip a footstep, and must check each one, which will require a minor equipment addition, and Fiona will need to learn her article indication. Cooper knows it, and gave me a nice down at the article, so we will move in the future to what we learned from Debbie Zappia and place multiple articles in a row, concealed. I have come to enjoy the challenge of tracking and look forward to putting all these pieces in order!

The only bad part about our track yesterday, is that I like to continue my progress by letting the dogs earn their meals on the track in the beginning. I had plans to meet other schutzhund club members this morning but came down with a bad cold and between the rain and the sore throat, had to make a decision not to make myself more sick than I already was. That doesn't get them off the hook for training, however; instead, we worked on heeling position INSIDE! Tracking will be continued next week.....

What I am Thankful For

2011-11-26T17:36:00.000-08:00

1. I have a husband and partner (fortunately the same person!!) who is supportive of my passion for dogs. He never whines that I am leaving for yet another competition, certification, or training or questions the ridiculous sums of money spent on maintenance and vet bills. It doesn't hurt that he loves them, too.

2. None of my dogs passed away in 2011. I lost Digit in December of the previous year and our oldest dog in the kennel now is Donar, who will be 13 in April. We have dogs who will turn 10,11 and 12 this coming year and I am thankful to have this "experienced" group in good health and spirits. While it is a shock to lose a young dog, we can't overlook the lessons learned in the lifetimes of these old guys and how they have shaped the person we are.

3. Our health. Aside from a few aches and pains, both Tom and I are in good health. When I meet or hear about people who struggle with chronic ailments or injuries, I have to give Thanks for our health. From one day to the next it cannot be taken for granted. There is always someone who has overcome worse.

4. Advances in technology that allow me to be "friends" with someone half a world away and share their knowledge of dogs. The internet opens a world of travel to the training techniques of someone in Belgium, or a seminar in South America.

5. I am Thankful that all of these things serve to improve me as a trainer so that I can help other people and dogs to become better partners.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T08:11:00.000-08:00

Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier, aka The Creed for the Disabled

I asked God for strength that I might achieve.

I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health that I might do greater things.

I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy.

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

I asked for strength...

I asked for strength and
God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for wisdom and
God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity and
God gave me brawn and brains to work.
I asked for courage and
God gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for patience and
God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.
I asked for love and
God gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favors and
God gave me opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted
I received everything I needed.

My prayers have all been answered."

Author Unknown

Cooper goes to College

2011-11-17T07:02:00.000-08:00

Cooper went to College yesterday. I was asked to speak to a class at UW-Oshkosh where the students are to find topics that interest them about dogs, and write about them. Because there was reportedly a wide range of interests I said I would answer whatever questions they had and let them steer the conversation. So, I introduced myself and my experience and opened it up for questions. Nothing. Zip, nada, zero. I spent the remainder of the time doing free association, asking the students what their topics were and addressing those. In the meantime, I was pondering the wisdom of having Cooper as a side-kick because the kids just wanted to pet him! He is an entertaining fellow, and highly social. Several times he leaped from a stand still onto the table, and they enjoyed watching his tug play. I was able to point out that I could command him from a whisper and that dogs actually can hear without being yelled at! We never did address what he does (Urban Search and Rescue) at any length, despite the fact that the professor had advised several students were interested in 9-11 and the search dogs there. I was prepared to talk about some of the associated scams, as well. In the end, they may only remember that there was a cool, friendly dog in the class room but I hope they left with a wee bit more knowledge about dogs and training, or a spark of interest in learning more. Someone commented, "so it was a waste of time?" No, it was not. I never consider it a waste of time if I have the opportunity to leave one person with a desire to learn more, or put to rest some myths about dogs and training. If I can influence one person, they can share and the circle widens. I might never know that I reached someone with my presentation, so it cannot even be weighed by immediate feedback (though I do love that!). Mr Cooper was happy to travel with me and meet new people, and he was a wonderful ambassador. It's all good, but P.S.- could you please give Cooper an honorary degree?

Titan training on November 12, 2011

2011-11-13T07:36:00.000-08:00

Our recent snowfall left conditions perfect for meandering snow trackings, with serpentines and corners that can be done without flags and markers. Titan's track took him the length of our national-level proportioned schutzhund field.

You notice that the kibble on the track is visible. It was only after I noticed that Titan was skipping steps to see the treats that I was reminded to use tracking treats that match the ground surface, to avoid this. The other reminder is to step deeply toe-first, so that there is a little cave to drop the food in and the dog has to stick their nose all the way in there to find a treat.

You can see below that the length of stride is pretty well perfect. The dog should flow from step to step. If the steps and treats are too close together, the dog will hunch up and come to a stop, sometimes turning sideways. If the steps are too far apart for a young dog, they may start to search out where it goes using the other sense available to them instead of keeping their nose to the ground.

This is Titan working out a corner. He has taken one step forward of the corner but is still on the track. Because it is in snow, the handler can clearly see those fine details. You can see Rich's hand in the photo, clasping treats. He will drop the treats on the corner, behind the dog, and then tap the leash directly back if the dog continues another step forward, not as a correction but as guidance, and act like there was a party that Titan missed. Where did those treats come from??!

In this instance, Titan does not continue off the track. He notices there is no scent where his nose is, and moves back to the track

The puppy should check every footstep. The handler walks along side, if necessary so that if so much as a single step is not checked, they can drop treats and tap the dog back. Also, from the beginning, the handler sets the speed for tracking. The puppy is not allowed to race down the track. You can also surprise him now and then by having a jackpot midway or at a location on the track other than the end. We communicate that every footstep contains information and has value.

After tracking, Titan did protection work. He is teething, but other than one ear being somewhat soft, there is no difference in him or his working attitude. Here Titan puts on his Game Face and barks to make the helper go active.

This final picture is my favorite.... in addition to the nice front extension, Titan is clearly telling Rich that he worked hard for the rag and it is HIS! He is quite proud of himself!

Miss Tiki

2011-11-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

Bob Hanus was a Milwaukee police officer who bred and trained dogs. My patrol dog was purchased as a green dog from him. He also bred malinois, and Tiki represents one of the last bonds between what he created and what he passed on to Tammy. Tiki has earned multiple SchH3 titles. Not long ago she was diagnosed with cancer. This first set of photos are during the period of treatment, which left her feeling sick.

and here is Tiki, after Tammy discontinued treatment..... doing protection work with Greg Doud and feeling spunky! She is clearly loving her quality of life at the moment!

This photo just proves she's been hanging around too much in Milwaukee

TIKI, YOU ROCK!!

other club dog photos

2011-11-12T19:36:00.000-08:00

URIK

COOPER

OTTO

FRITZ

LATTE

ROYA (retired)

MARCO

URIK

training pics from November 12, 2011

2011-11-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

I originally grabbed my camera so that I could document Cisco's first track, but then took a few additional shots of some of the other dogs who were working.

Zoe, owned by Eric R.

Ozzie, owned by Lisa B.

Titan, owned by Rich T.

Otto, owned by Linda H.

Yoli, owned by Eric R.

and last, but not least..................

CISCO!

Cisco learns to track

2011-11-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

Meet Cisco. Cisco is a 5 year old Yorkie-poo. He wears a coat. Thankfully, his coat does not match Linda's but I hesitate to mention it because it may happen in the future. Apparently, Linda channels Cisco, as she asked "what about Cisco? Cisco wants to do something!' at schutzhund training today. I accept part of the blame for encouraging them. He's just so darned cute! And he is very food motivated and willing, so it's fun to teach him behaviors. Last week we had him doing a spunky relay between Manners Minders.

We had been "blessed" with a recent snowfall that left the conditons perfect for puppy serpentines in tracking. That mushy, snowball-packing snow that leaves a perfect impression of your foot when you walk, is great for laying meandering, multi-turn tracks because you can see exactly where they go! No need to throw markers or place flags. There are only a couple things you need to remember. One is to walk toe-first, so that your toe digs an impression where you can drop the food, and the second is to use food the same color as the surface. String cheese is a good choice. The caution is that if you use a dark colored treat, the dog will use his/her eyes and simply run from treat to treat instead of using the nose. With a small dog such as Cisco, depending on how large your own feet are, you may need to place food in both the heel and the toe. After all, the length of my foot is roughly the same length as his body!

Cisco starts his track.

Linda laid the track out of sight of Cisco and took him to the scent pad; once he saw there was food there, he thought Linda was pretty clever for figuring out he would like to follow where some silly person dropped food on the ground!

Here Cisco works out the corner

Tracking on a loose leash

SUCCESS!!

good thing we reminded Linda that they have to complete a BH before moving on to the TR1.

Look out, world!

My testing adventure! The travelogue.

2011-11-12T17:33:00.000-08:00

As you know by now, Cooper and I traveled to Collierville, TN. The tests were offered by the USAR Foundation and the Tennessee Task Force. It was extremely pleasant to travel with a dog who doesn't destroy his bed or get nervous diarrhea, let me tell you! The weather was good for our drive down here, which, other than being long and extremely boring, as fine. Hwy 57 and 55 took me the length of Illinois. Straight, flat and dull. I passed one "drug check point" where they announced the check point was just up ahead... and oh gee, there happened to be an exit prior to that location. I had to pee but was not about to take that exit!! My route also took me into Missouri and Arkansas. That was slightly unnerving and left me momentarily wondering if I had somehow taken a wrong turn.

The Days Inn hotel that I stayed at was across the street from the Schilling Farms development. It has wonderful green space around it to exercise dogs and each room exits outside, which makes it nice for hauling in crates and such.

Cooper and took a walk through the Schilling Farms area. For anyone interested in a little history check out:

http://www.boyle.com/ContentView.aspx?ContentArticleId=464 to read about the Schilling Farms development. I thought it must be part of a historic site, perhaps a family farm sold, but as it turns out it is the vision of the developers. Amazing! It reminded in some ways of the Greenbelt community of Greendale. The developer created a multi-use space with green areas, that maintained the intregrity of southern architecture. The hotel is located across the street from the Schilling Farms development, which is bordered by beautiful white fences and gabled buildings. Collierville was actually burned to the ground after a battle during Sherman's "March to the Sea" and was later rebuilt.

The following photos were taken on our walk about Schilling Farms:

After our test, we visited the Town Square of Collierville. http://www.mainstreetcollierville.org/walking_tour.htm
It was very quiet, with several people sitting on park benches and reading. There was no loud music or squealing tires. Cooper and I walked around the Square, reading the signs commemorating the Confederate bravery. It leaves a Yankee with a different perspective because you realize that all those lives lost were the sons and fathers of someone who loved them and believed they were fighting the right cause. My great-great-grandfather is buried in Dickson, TN, having been killed in battle as a Union soldier. There are a number of plaques located around the square, explaining the significance of pieces of Collierville history.

I thought that it would be nice to eat dinner there, perhaps get a taste of regional cuisine. Since I noticed a cafe right there on the Square, I popped in. The proprietors appeared to be of Asian ethnicity, and I saw a buffet. I was still optimistic. There could be redneck Asians, right? I ordered a bowl of something I recognized to be a southern dish, more cajun than Tennessee, but what the heck. I asked for a bowl of red beans and rice. In modern parlance, apparently what I got was "fusion". A bowl of red beans (kidney beans) and sausage that did have a delightful cajun flavor, and on the side.... sticky rice! I do love sticky rice and found it quite good along with the beans and sausage, but it certainly wasn't the customary dirty rice. The fortune cookie on the table made the final twist to my palate! Unexpected, but still very good.

"Unexpected, but still very good" can also describe my drive home. I was up at 4 am, packed and on the road by 5. I wanted to get home before dark and avoid the suicidal deer that had littered my drive down. Near Perryville, Missouri, my van broke down. Again. One minute I was whipping right along, passing a semi, and the next.... no gas....off to the side of the road I coasted. It seems to be a matter of routine to be towed in each state I visit and by now, I just take it in stride. AAA should be on my speed dial. I'm just grateful that they don't have a cap! A wrecker was dispatched and apparently AAA, after discovering one dealership had a 3 day waiting time for an appointment, wanted to send me 40 miles back the way I had come. The wrecker driver, bless him, knew a local shop that he said specialized in getting stranded motorists back on the road. Go for it, I said! He took me to TLM Auto Body in Perryville, Mo. http://localgads.com/tlmautomotive/. If you are EVER near and need help, this is where you want to be! I hauled Cooper's crate out and perched myself out back on a log while they worked on my van. Tim, the owner, is assisted by his father and another man; his father brought out dog biscuits for Cooper. At lunch time, he invited me to share their meal and we ate heartily of ham hocks and beans, with cornbread, cooked up there in the crockpot. Oh my goodness, was it delicious! I have never been treated so well at any of the places I have broken down before. These are genuinely nice people.

What could have been a horrible day, was brightened by the goodness of these folk. My distributor was chewed up and had to be replaced, and once that part arrived and was installed, I was on my way again. This made my day later than I had hoped and it rained for the last few hours of my journey. Friends in Milwaukee had invited me to stop there if I was tired, but when I was within three hours of home, I just wanted to press on. It was a good thing I did. Within an hour of arriving home, sleet was pelting the window and the next morning I was greeted by a blanket of snow.

So there it is, another cross-country trip where I had unique experiences and met great new friends! I'm looking forward to returning to Tennessee for another visit. In a new vehicle.

Full Access Pile

2011-11-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

Reporting in (not me). Dog and handler have to report in the evaluators at each site, confirm whether any new hazards or information has emerged since the briefing, introduce themselves and their dog's capabilities and advise a search plan. You then have 20 minutes to search the pile, which represents a collapsed three story structure. On the Full Access, as the name implies, you can move anywhere. The caution for handlers is to let the dog WORK. If you micro-manage, and keep calling the dog back to you,, it will end up being a walk in the park instead of as search. When you complete your search you have to draw a map of your search area, indicating the victims located and permanent markers that can be used to pinpoint the area (hint: a bulldozer is not a permanent structure) and what your follow up recommendations are.

I didn't bring my smaller lens, so could only capture long distance photos. This is the view toward the full access pile.

And this is the full access pile. The handler is advised what is out of the search area (areas that would be hazardous), which included a ridge that dropped off to a gravel pit on one side. The handler must have sufficient control over the dog to direct it away from the hazards, if necessary. Also consider that this is an active work site, so there are trucks on the roads surrounding the search area.

See (below) this sneaky log? There is debris located about 20 feet off the main body of the rubble. Naturally, in a disaster this can occur. Just to the left is a tree that was indicated as the far boundary, so it was tempting to the handler that was not observing his/her dog carefully, to call the dog away from the boundary. I started my search plan with a perimeter, air-scenting exercise on leash, commonly known as a "patrol route" in police K9 training. Cooper alerted to scent and I released him to where he ran just downwind of that log and arched back immediately to indicate. I can always tell when Cooper has found a victim, as, in addition to barking, he tries to penetrate by digging, scratching, biting. It makes it very clear to me that it isn't just a novel scent attracting him.

This is a labrador, indicating at the victim by the log.

I thought this was hilarious. I was told it was a Cajun SAR dog. This labrador sat loose, in the back of his truck, under the umbrella, as the other dogs worked. I know I wouldn't be able to leave Cooper loose like that and not expect him to join in the fun. It wouldn't be safe for me to leave a dog unattended like that, but for this one, it seemed to be customary.

And of course, since I have a camera in my hands, I am invariably going to walk around and take scenic photos of such things as.... tree branches?

One last pic. This is a satellite tower, disguised as a Christmas tree. Pretty cool

The Limited Access Pile

2011-11-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

These are photos of the Limited Access pile. Between the two piles there can be from 1-6 victims, buried and inaccessible to the dog. There is also food and clothing as distractions, much as you would find in a real disaster scene. If the dog gives a final response over a distraction, it is an automatic fail. In the Limited Access pile, you are limited in where you can move about; hence, the name. An area that is deemed structurally sound is your start point and the handler must remain there until the dog barks a minimum of 3 times, indicating it has located live human scent. You can then move to where the dog is and mark the location. You must remain within 5 feet of that location as you send the dog to continue its search. There is some strategy involved, as you can elect to return to your original start position or redirect the dog to one of the other victim locations, in order to gain a better position to continue your search. You have 20 minutes to complete your search, though you can terminate it earlier if you believe your dog has located all the victims there.

Cooper, Type 1/CE

2011-11-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a day! Cooper passed his Type 1/CE today at a test hosted by the USAR Foundation in Collierville, Tennessee. I trusted my dog, supported him with exuberant play and praise and let him do his job... and he rocked it! 3 victims on the Limited Access pile, and 2 on the Full Access, one located in some debris about 20 feet away from the main body of the rubble. I am so proud of my brindle boy, the product of my own breeding program. He received many compliments on his work ethic and temperament.

Once I get home, I will download some photos of the pile and add a more complete description. The hosts and people I met here are all super nice folk. The complex is only 6 minutes from the host hotel, and driving around here is very easy. It is a very safe town, quite historic. I would love to return. Right now, Cooper is tucked up in his crate, snoozing with a full belly and I doubt he appreciates his accomplishment more than simply getting to do what he loves, and be rewarded for it!

The most poignant moment of the test came when I had cast Cooper out and it was clear he wasn't coming up with any further scent. I verbalized it and the evaluator asked "do you trust your dog?" If you followed our experience from the spring, you know how meaningful this question was to me. I responded "yes, I do" and called time, ending our search. Teamwork, baby, teamwork. I do love this dog!

Titan learns "touch"

2011-10-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

This is a nifty exercise that can be used to send a dog out to a place to "touch" something. I actually separate this from "place" which, for my dogs, means to go to a location with their feet/body and not 'touch" with the nose. This relay game can be used for the foundation of the send-away. It also begins to show the dog how to follow your directions to go to a location, such as the blind search, because you eventually call the dog and then send them on.

Using the "Manners Minder" contact toy is another idea I stole from Debbie Zappia. I ordered mine through Amazon.com and they have a base and an expandable rod with red bulb tip that is placed in the base. They wobble when touched, which causes to create more interest by the dog. Unless the dog happens to be my Marco, who knocked the whole thing over with his tail over and over! You can expand the rod depending on the size of the dog.

Initially, of course, we need to communicate to the dog that touching this oddity is what we desire. If the dog has experience with clicker training, this will move quickly. If not, it is still easily taught. As with any other behavior, we reward AT the source of the behavior. Feed, feed, feed at the bulb. When the feeding stops, the dog will likely try and figure out what behavior earned the reward. Don't expect too much-- he is trying to make sense of what happened! If he so much as glances at the bulb, mark and feed, feed, feed, at the source. There is no command given until the dog is freely moving to touch the bulb.

When the MM (manners minder) is "out of play", meaning that you are re-loading treats or taking a break, or simply finished, pick it up. If you want to create curiousity and possessiveness, clasp it to your chest as if it was the most precious thing and what dog wouldn't want it? You can ask "look what I have?"... "want it?"... and then place it down dramatically. The dog will likely move to it out of curiousity and when it makes contact, mark and reward at the source of the behavior (the bulb). For the more reluctant dog, don't be afraid to snatch it up and carry it away again. If you find it necessary to do that more than a couple times, the dog probably doesn't understand what the whole point of this gadget is and you will need to slow down and help the dog make contact so it can be rewarded. You can tap the bulb, or even start by rewarding (at the source) if the dog looks that direction.

Now, for the dog who understands clickers, they may think that what you are shaping is the glance or the head turn and stop there. if this happens, just raise your criteria and wait it out a little for the dog to try to figure out what brings reward. How we react to the dog's attempts (how much or little we demand) will depend on their level of understanding how to drive our behavior!

Once the dog knows the behavior and we have added the command "touch", we can begin to send the dog to the MM from different distances and directions. After that, we can stand in between the two and call the dog back and forth with "here".... "touch" as he step in that direction with our arm extended, just as we would do in the blind search. The dog learns that where the handler directs, he will find reward and he already knows the final respose (touch) that is required there.

At the end of the lesson, you have a dog who, instead of wandering away, looking for treats or attention elsewhere, stays focused on the handler and asks, "Dad/Mom, what are we doing next?"

Titan learns to move off leash pressure

2011-10-31T12:20:00.000-07:00

Even a young puppy can learn how to move off the leash pressure, an exercise to teach the dog how to move their rear. Dogs don't seem to understand that their rear end can be independent of the front, so there are a numer of exercises that can help with the hind-end awareness. This is one of them. Once mastered, it makes for a very precise left turn!

Titan works on a flat collar. The treat is trapped under the thumb and first finger against the palm and the hand is held on the outside of the muzzle. The handler puts pressure on the leash, drawing it straight across in front of his body, which creates an opposition effect. The dog moves the opposite direction of the pressure and into the hand, and just as soon as the rear end moves, the pressure is released, the behavior is marked and rewarded. It is very important that you release the leash pressure immediately as the dog complies when he is learning.

Over-exaggeration is good. We bring the dog behind our knee once he knows how to move off the pressure. From here, you can continue and teach the dog to back around you and back to heel position. But this is what the first steps look like. Titan doesn't even realize he is being taught a new behavior! He thinks this is simply another opportunity to earn treats!

Giving it another Go-- Cooper and I

2011-10-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

I drove to Milwaukee yesterday to train on the rubble pile with Cooper. I have an incredible supporting team in People and Paws; they scrambled "victims" for me, since I am prepping to test in Tennessee next week. I drove down, did two search exercises, and drove back home. It was all done for Cooper and I. I cannot express often enough how grateful I am to this team.

We failed our Type1/CE test in Milwaukee last spring and we're giving it another try. I have been practicing wearing all my gear, marking the victims and going through the required information so that it will be second nature in the test. Cooper seems to be searching well and in fact, is barking strongly instead of his customary squeak. I can always tell if he has a victim because he does everything he can to penetrate, as well as barking. It is quite clear, if not an unwelcome surprise to some of the victims to have a brindle face poking into their hidie-hole and demanding reward! Team Cooper is feeling positive.

When we came off the rubble, he greeted the "victims" with big kisses as he ran around. I love that about him. He is such a stable dog, who can move between the aggression required in protection work, to being a sociable, friendly dog. And, he is a total rubble monkey! He amazes me at how easily he covers unstable footing!

I didn't take any photos of him on the rubble but here is one I took on Saturday.

Titan practices heeling position, October 30

2011-10-31T09:33:00.000-07:00

Here is Titan, the super star puppy of Fox Valley Police & Schutzhund Club. His legs have grown exponentially and this week he looked more like a coyote and less like the fuzzball he was last month. Eventually he will become a Noble German Shepherd Dog! Notice the matching blaze orange of Titan and his handler.

First Titan waits patiently while Rich loads the treats. I learned this from Debbie Zappia. Place your treats on a chair or table and only carry a few in your hand. The dog learns not to mug the container by covering/protecting it with your hand and marking/rewarding when he moves off the food and waits. Now, re-loading becomes an activity the dog and handler do together! You take the dog with you, using a leash at first if you need to, and it not only allows the dog to be active but connects you to the dog. This is different from what I have seen advocated elsewhere, where you race away from the dog. Never leave your dog behind!

Next, Rich warms up Titan with some "spins". Particularly with the long-backed dogs, I like to warm them up with some exercises like this before we do alot of demanding physical movements. This is the warm-up to your fitness class, and it also lets you measure whether the dog is in the right frame of mind and ready to work. Spin to both directions. Dogs, like people and horses (and probably other animals, as well) have a side preference, so be sure to work the off-side. I tell handlers to think of the "wax on, wax off" of the Karate Kid. If you want to spin to the left, sweep your hand across the front of your body from right to left, and vice versa. The spins move into a front position and also begin to shape the return to heel.

With the front position, the handler continues to take baby steps backwards so that the position is close to the handler and the dog moves his rear end up to his front, instead of rocking back.

And next, Rich works with Titan to shape the proper head position for heeling, adopting the Knut Fuchs method of working with the dog between his legs. This allows him to shape the head position without having to nag with a leash or worry that the dog is not in correct physical position.

As they begin to move, you an see the beginning of the drive off the rear that results in the extended, flashy forehand movement.

and when Rich moves him to heel position, it looks something like this...

Titan's First Tug Session

2011-10-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

Titan is the baby puppy of our club, and we are having such fun with him and his owner, Rich Tegge! This is Titan's first tug session. He barks for the tug, has nice prey drive and (so nice) a full, calm grip.

what makes me happy

2011-10-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

It makes me happy to make a difference. I train, breed and compete with my dogs, as well as belonging to a SAR team and participating in different dog clubs and organizations. It isn't the trophies or awards that I find most fulfilling. It isn't the personal accolades. What makes me happiest is to be able to make a difference in the relationship of a dog and owner.

In the private lessons I offer, my clients are generally dogs who have worn out their welcome in obedience class. They are aggressive toward people or other dogs, or so ill-behaved as to be unable to be worked in a class environment. Today was a happy day! In the future, I will discuss further some of the things I do with these dogs, but this morning I had a lesson with a female German Shepherd who has been fearfully aggressive. It is raining so we moved to my pole building for the lesson. In addition to being a new location, there are dogs barking, different smells and the rain pounding on the metal roof. Even for a dog without environmental issues this can pose a challenge. I taught them how to begin the "spin", and sit with attention so that the dog could focus on the handler and be rewarded, to the exclusion of everything else going on. Rewarding baby steps and effort and throwing a party for success, they were able to work together and the dog was happy and wagging her tail. Her posture as she exited the building was free and happy, a completely different picture than when she walked inside.

We had agreed before the lesson began that it would be brief, and that we would end with success, careful not to push the dog to a point where she shut down or stopped working. We repeated the exercise outside (where it had stopped raining) and I saw that when the dog heard the word "ready?" she was already giving attention to the owner and wagging her tail. I was able to demonstrate how to hold the food trapped under my thumb so that the dog comes underneath the hand to reach the treat instead of using the fingertips to deliver it and the dog was nudging my hand for more. This from a dog whose owner was afraid to drop the leash for fear the dog would bite! That single act made me so happy! It made me consider how those moments can be so powerful and important. It is what keeps me doing this.

when experience is not a good thing

2011-10-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

I met a gal the other day with a Dutch Shepherd. I asked her how she made her selection of breeders, since she recognized my kennel name but had not contacted me. She mentioned a large-scale breeder and said she didn't want to get a dog from a big operation, and also didn't want a serious type protection dog. Another was ruled out because she found the contract too strict. Several people she talked to worked with each other, so of course, made positive references to each other. duh. Apparently we didn't make the cut because we bred more than one type of dog!! I'm going to assume that she didn't bother to read our website or she would have found that in the past 20 years we have bred 3 Dutch Shepherd litters and 5 Small Munsterlander litters. Not what you would call high volume, as if we couldn't devote time to each litter. She would have learned that those litters produced multiple SAR/USAR dogs. She mentioned that the breeder she selected uses KNPV lines. Our Dutch Shepherds are also from KNPV lines and the sire of the "B" and "C" litters was Nico van Neerland, the 2002 KNPV PH1 Champion. So, without making any other comparisons, we were excluded simply because we train and title more than one breed of dog. Instead of seeing that experience as positive, that understanding dog behavior and genetics of several breeds would be a good thing, this person felt that made us less knowledgeable than a person who only has one breed. There was absolutely no mention of health guarantees or genetics in the decision-making. I don't know why I should be surprised, because I often meet people who have purchased dogs with the same type of logic. Part of me is disappointed that I haven't done enough to properly convey the quality product that we have; another part is grateful for protecting our dogs from people who don't deserve them. Who knew experience was not a good thing!

Sherri must be laughing! (ohhhh, Marco!)

2011-10-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sherri must be laughing! Up to now, I have had medium sized dogs that I could, if necessary, pick up and carry. None of them dragged me around. Then came Marco. At one year of age, he is over 80 lbs of lean weight. Just walking him from house to kennel run keeps my chiropractor in business. Marco is a German Shepherd Dog, so I am also reminded that I have breed, trained and competed with Dutch Shepherds and Malinois for a very long time and there are breed differences. He lacks the body awareness of the dutchies and mals and throws himself at obstacles in his path. If the door is closed when he runs to it, he jumps up and crashes his front feet into it because sometimes it opens! He is an optimistic dog and since I don't always shut the door tightly behind me, he figures the odds are in his favor that he can force entry and make a lap or two before going to his crate. Just last night, as he was happily leaping around, waiting for me to catch up and go inside to feed him, he ran over my brand new solar light next to the sidewalk... and broke it. There was shattered glass everywhere.

Last week he chased my chickens. I forgot that they were loose when I let Marco out,and he found those feathered critters far too tempting to ignore. I ran after him yelling "no! no! no!" Marco ran after the chickens, not entirely sure what to do about them. The chickens ran because a monster was chasing them! Luckily for them, there really was no malice in his heart, just curiousity, and apart from a nip of feathers, they were none the worse for wear. Chickens are actually very smart, as they have no fear of Roya, who forages among them, particularly when she thinks what I am tossing to them may be dog-edible. They also figure that Cooper looks and acts relatively the same, and don't scatter from him, either. But let Marco appear and they cluck and flee!

For the past 5 weeks I have been teaching a patrol dog course and both Marco and Cooper have gotten to ride along every day. Some days are too busy for me to fit in training for them, but usually there is something for them to do such as tracking, obedience or protection work. In the morning when I leave for my work day, Marco has eyes only for the van, and finding his place inside. Now when he hears the K9 warnings called out, he adds his voice! "Posting" takes all my strength, but he is coming to understand the "revier" and to move forward, barking, and find a nice rhythm. And it feels sooo good when he isn't pulling my arms from the socket!

So here I am, a previously self-proclaimed "DS/mali person"... with a gigantic sable German Shepherd at the end of my leash. It drives me crazy sometimes when he is running in circles around me, spinning me around as a human pivot point, or taking the food in obedience so aggressively that I must wear gloves, but he is so HAPPY it's difficult to be upset with him. Adapt, adapt.

I swear I hear Sherri laughing!!

Hello, Deer!

2011-10-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

Not a typo. I'm talking about deer today. Our deer. Yes, I know technically we don't own them. We can't even keep them contained on our property in all likelihood, but I feel proprietary about our little deer family. This past summer we watched a very pregnant doe standing near a patch of willows, just north of our training field, near the pond. The next day, there she was with tiny twins. Since that day, they seem to have made this area their home base. We often see them moving between the fields and our driveway, very comfortable with the daily noises of dogs and machines. In fact, they are apparently amused and will stand and watch the dog training! Yesterday, as we were doing open field searches, the trio stood on the lane. Dogs were barking, people yelling and yet there was no panicked flight, no white flags of fear. Last night when I returned from training off the property, around 9 pm, they were standing in the driveway and moved off to the side so that I could pass. We don't feed them, so there is no unnatural attraction to the area but I like to think they feel safe. We have a pond, creek, nice cover and alfalfa/clover, and are surrounded by corn fields so I think it is pretty much a deer heaven. I dislike baiting, whether for entertainment or hunting. It changes the natural patterns and turns the deer into feedlot animals, moving nocturnally from bait pile to bait pile. Natural selection would indicate that losing fear is not good for survival. They aren't tame, just habituated. I support deer hunting; I just don't want MY deer killed! I heard a shot this morning and my first thought was, I hope that wasn't one of the family. Frankly, they probably are in greater danger of being hit and killed on the highway but I hope they avoid cars and bullets at least until they leave their Momma. After that, I have the ability to appreciate venison and will give thanks to the land that supported them to provide food for our table. Just don't kill the babies or leave them without a mother for the winter!

home stretch

2011-10-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

We're coming down the home stretch of Police Patrol K9 course. The handlers are, naturally, worried about their final practical exam. I think they are less concerned about the written exam because we have reviewed the materials throughout and they should feel confident in their ability to problem-solve. Although they will continue with the weekly maintenance, I try to teach them how to break down exercises and understand what the goals are, when to reward... and sometimes, when to take a step back. Leaving a patrol class is much like having completed FTO training and being on your own as a newly minted officer. Your training officer made sure you covered all the materials and now you have to experience them. I feel like a mother bird, pushing the little ones from the nest and it is like this with every class. Left to me, I would likely have them in training for a year, waiting for perfection! However, the other part of me is looking forward to having a schedule without all the blocks filled in again. Barnes and Noble put my picture on a milk carton!

In a few days, this class will be over. Tracking, area searches, building search, handler protection, patrol route, apprehensions and call offs, directed search, article search, agility and obedience. Tactical obedience, neutrality to gunfire, jump tracking and hard surface work. Ground disturbance vs pre-scented. Muzzle, bite suit, concealed sleeve, exposed sleeve. I review the list to make sure we have covered it all. It's amazing to see how far they have come. The best part of all is watching the handler's expression as all these things come together. Fly little birdies! Fly!

Rock'n the Rubble on October 16

2011-10-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

Cooper and I have a date in Tennessee in a couple weeks, to make another attempt at his Type 1/CE for disaster work. We both fell apart at the last test and that really stung, so I've worked at overcoming that experience. Cooper knows how to search. He is good at it. So, my own feeling of unpreparedness must have gone down the leash to affect him. To combat that, we have been practicing training like a test. I report to the evaluator and cover the checklist. I have my streamers and puff bottle, my white handkerchief or the vet check. The victims are deeply buried so that Cooper cannot use his eyes to confirm their visual presence. I considered that, because we had practiced with victims who could toy reward at the source, when he could not penetrate or see them, he was uncertain. I call out that my dog has "Focused barking, indicating live human scent." Reminders of the things I need to do (mark the location, call out to the victim, ask for second dog to confirm and tech rescue) are listed on piece of white tape on my vest. Upside down so that I can read it, of course!

Cooper barks his alert and I move across the rubble to him. We play. I mark the site, verbalize the required statements to the evaluators as well as my deployment plans, considering the wind direction, and send Cooper off to continue his search. Elizabeth Kreitzler's words echo in my ears, to play more at the source. Make sure that the find is truly rewarding to Cooper. If I can possibly remember all of this, I should be fine. I have an incredible team in People and Paws. They come together to supply victims so that I can prepare, when it is a day that calls for being pretty much anywhere other than buried in a hole covered with concrete and debris. We have skilled trainers and evaluators who can ensure that the practice is set up to challenge us, and that I can complete my tasks smoothly and confidently. If it becomes second nature, the only thing I need to do is watch my dog and consider a search strategy.

The final exercise for Cooper was an on-lead perimeter search of a full access pile. For the police dogs, this is a patrol route exercise. Cooper knows this well. We move slowly in heel position as he sniffs, and when he has detected scent, he pulls across my body to prevent further movement. I should be able to rifle-sight between his ears to his nose and know exactly the source of the odor. What is amazing to me is that, despite safety officers on the pile, he can tell the difference between the buried scent and those safeties. A dog's nose is truly beyond belief. Cooper hit that one perfectly.

Today I feel pretty darned good about our test. I haven't seen the pile in Tennessee and no one I know is familiar with it, but I expect Cooper to search no matter how it presents. He is a monkey on rubble, balancing and crossing the impassable. We can do this! I have a great dog and a great team.

Who is this for? Adding a dog to the family

2011-10-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

We met a really lovely couple this weeked. They brought their adult female Munsterlander to meet a prospective new addition to the family, Excel. Excel was freshly bathed and beautified to meet the lady friend. Problem is, he had no interest in her. Zero. As "girlfriend" zoomed around the field, exploring, Excel only had eyes for the humans, staying next to us and reveling in the petting. If they passed one another, there was no acknowledgement, no play bow or happy faces. It wasn't terribly surprising. "Girlfriend" is a business-like dog, who actually lifts her leg to pee and throws back the soil to scent mark. There is clearly a good deal of testosterone there! Excel is much like our other hunting dogs who will search a field together but are not interested in playing. So, neither dog solicited attention and they went about their respective business.

We all had a nice long walk around the property on a beautiful autumn day, with two handsome brown and white dogs. It was not, however, a love fest. Though they were not meant to be sexual partners, I'm sure there was a hope that having another dog would bring out the playful side of "girlfriend". I contrast that with what I would have seen from Pre, who immediately would have sniffed, licked and most likely, humped. Or attempted to. Different breeds, different individuals; different behaviors.

In the end, the couple left to ponder the meeting and I haven't heard back from them. The dogs may warm up to one another, but "girlfriend" showed no interest in having a buddy. She was somewhat timid to approach me, not a social butterfly to begin with. It made me wonder who the new addition would be for? I didn't get a sense that "girlfriend" had a desire to share her family or want a friend. She wasn't possessive over the humans, and didn't show a concern or interest over their attention to another dog. I would be interested to see her response to a puppy who insists on fawning over her and licking, to see if she would enjoy that or try to escape? (naturally, I don't advocate sacrificing a puppy for the sake of my curiousity but generally a bitch will just smack them down without injury if the attention is unwanted)

If the addition was because the family wanted a dog to cuddle with who would love to be physically touched and petted, in contrast to a more aloof dog, then that would be fine. If the purpose was as a playmate to their other dog... not so much. The two may warm up to one another, or they may simply exist in two separate universes under the same roof. This would be a good match if the family wanted a second dog to spend time with, as opposed to something to occupy their other dog. They left saying they would ask "girlfriend" her opinion; I think it will be "no, thank you. I'm happy with the way things are."

I am disappointed that Excel may not have found his own home, but the most important point is that it is the right home for HIM.

Pre at home

2011-10-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

Pre is back in Madison with the Leinweber family and doing just fine. I know readers are wondering how the transition went. On Saturday night of the Malinois Championship I shed many tears over saying goodbye, having him injured, not being able to fulfill the dream I had for him. I wondered how I would be able to drop him off at home. Maybe I would pull in, hurry him out and leave before I cried again? As it turned out, there would be no crying. Pre got out and ran around the yard and into the house where he acted as if he had never left! His favorite walking buddy, Sam's aunt from next door, stopped over. Pre reunited with the family dog, Shelby, who wasn't as thrilled to see him! The family joked that she had hoped he was gone forever and there he was, back again! I left knowing that Pre would be loved and spoiled and he was perfectly happy to lounge without training demands, eating home-made yogurt. In case you were wondering, there is a happy ending.

The Last Hurrah--- farewell Pre

2011-10-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

This is much harder than I anticipated. Pre has not been the easiest dog to keep. He is destructive and has cost me alot of money in repairs, both to himself and everything around him. He chewed the dog house and broke teeth. He tore up the tarp that covered the outdoor kennel. He plays tug with any bucket in his kennel, and chews up the rubber ones He climbs on top of the dog house and hangs out over the top of an uncovered kennel if he thinks I am leaving him. I have spent hundreds and hundreds on training seminars, working to hone his skills specifically with the Malinois National Championship as our end goal. He is a nervous traveler, and I am overly familiar with the trick of actually picking up stool the consistency of butter. He eats better food than the dogs in my kennel and I buy raw food for him when we travel because of that.

Oh, but when he is performing he is a sight to behold! He prances and flows and exudes joy. Looking at him makes me smile. He can be a total goof, and a cuddler. If I wore lipstick, his face would be a panorama of colors from all the smooches I've given him. I knew that after this weekend I would be saying goodbye to him and leaving him with Sam's family to retire. I kept reminding myself of the bad stuff, the unpleasant or costly pieces so that it will make it easier to say goodbye. And then I look at him, and I smile.

Being able to work with Pre this past year has made a better handler of me, and we have learned so much together. We have traveled to Kentucky, Iowa, Illinois,New York and Minnesota to train and compete. As I write this, the two of us are resting at my hotel room where we attended the Malinois National Schutzhund Championship. Pre passed tracking yesterday with 86 points, in 50 mph winds. Not all the dogs were successful, and I was very proud of him. This afternoon, we prepped for obedience and I felt good about it. We heeled beautifully onto the field, but Pre became distracted by the dog next to him. He sat next to me, but looked at the other reporting team. The other dog took Pre's look as a challenge and as the handler reached for his collar, the dog attacked Pre. Fortunately, only minor injuries were suffered and we didn't have to make a run to the emergency vet, but that ended our competition. Afterwards, as is, unfortunately, usual, there was talk and rumor and I heard someone say that Pre is dog aggressive. He has NEVER been dog aggressive. His best buddy is my young male German Shepherd, and he is in a sick love relationship with my elderly Dutch Shepherd female. Humping? yes. Fighting? no. He is most apt to go into a play bow and act the fool. He was stupid to be eyeballing another dog who did not have the same intentions, and it was a lack of control and focus for him to do that, it is true. Ideally, he should have been looking at me, and not the other team.

I am very disappointed. This is not how I envisioned Pre's last trial to be. Selfishly, I wanted glory. I have to be honest and acknowledge that Pre has no such agenda. He lives only to play and have fun showing off his skills, which earn him the praise, food and tugs he desires. And so, tomorrow afternoon I will drive north and leave him behind. I'm trying to steel my heart to that moment, but he makes it difficult by flopping over for a belly rub. I hope that he enjoys his retirement and is a good boy.

FoxTal Training Center offers Decoy and Protection seminar

2011-09-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

FoxTal Training Center wrapped up our most recent seminar with Mark Chaffin this week. I brought him in for 3 days of intensive training during our first week of patrol class, and opened it up to other FoxTal K9 teams and officers with their agencies who are interested in learning decoy skills. The intention is to offer a Basic Protection and Decoy seminar and an Advanced level seminar. It would be unsafe to place dogs into an Advanced seminar who lacked the skill base, though I have certainly seen that happen in other places!

One thing that our handlers learn is that I am a stickler for safety. During our working careers we have probably all experience the "how could this accident have been prevented " form. Working with and training biting dogs carries an inherent risk. While a handler or decoy may be injured, I work very hard to insure that it will not be because they were not properly trained, instructed or equipped. This is a far cry from my first introduction, where they put the newbies in a bite suit and told us to "run that way"... somewhere in the background I heard laughter as they sent a huge German Shepherd to flatten me to the ground with a tricep bite from the back. I know from experience that not only can the new decoy/helper be injured but more importantly, he or she could fall on the dog and injure it. I cringe when I see an officer allow an untrained person to put on a sleeve or other protection equipment and take a bite from their dog. I wonder if their agency knows that they are putting a $20,000-plus investment at risk?

You also will not find videotapes of the training here or on the internet. There are plenty of sport videos available if you want to see a technique, but the internet is forever and training advancements improve. I am very proud of our teams, and very protective of their training and reputations.

I was very pleased to have decoys from different agencies; it will definately be helpful to those K9 teams to have a trained decoy available to them. Both the K9 teams and the decoys were exposed to the basic elements of protection work. We worked with the types of equipment they will see and basic techniques of control and application. Muzzle, bite suit, concealed sleeve, exposed sleeve. Multiple suspects targeting one, obedience under distraction, area search, guarding and release. We had several supervisors join us to observe the training and we welcome that. It is important that a K9 Supervisor understand how much training is required to maintain the skills of a patrol K9. All the dog teams and the decoys did an excellent job and will be able to move to advanced skills in the next seminar.

If you are a K9 handler or supervisor interested in attendance at future seminars, contact me at: Foxtal@aol.com

Tracking Titan

2011-09-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Meet TITAN, a tiny tracking fool! This is Rich and his new GSD puppy, Titan, who are new members of Fox Valley Police & Schutzhund Club. Titan is from the kennel von Gildaf and his sire is Bill Kula's dog, Boy.

Rich came to the club four weeks ago with his 9 week old fuzzball. So often, I receive calls from people interested in the sport who have wasted a year (or more) with pet dog classes and such, teaching habits we will only have to un-do and then decide they want to try schutzhund. I had been in contact with Rich as he made his search for the right puppy, and was so excited to be able to work with Titan from the beginning.

We began with tracking on his first visit. Puppies are ruled by their stomachs. Tracking is much easier to do with a young, small dog rather than trying to manhandle an 80 lb speedster, and if we lay in that foundation when they are young we can always return to it. I like to go back to tracking when the puppy is teething, too, and then resume biting after that.

We started with scent circles. Titan showed exceptional focus to the scent. With the scent circle, the puppy learns to associated the odor of human scent and ground disturbance with food reward. There is no track initially and if the pup ventures outside that defined area while food remains in the scent circle, the handler does not guide or correct him back, but remains at the leash length (silently) until the pup returns to the scent circle. While there are one or two pieces of food left, the handler gently pulls the dog back and away, leaving him wanting more. Learning the lesson that there is no reward to be found where there is no human scent is critical to that initial learning. Without that, the handler is left to force the dog to remain at the source of the odor.

After several series of 3 scent circles (with rest in between!!) with Titan working calmly footstep to footstep, we ended with a short track. Because Titan was so small, I instructed Rich to carry him to the track and to carry him off when he was done. This also avoids having to correct the puppy for trying to track before reaching the start. With puppy just behind the scent pad, Rich takes a piece of food, brings it to Titan's nose and tosses it onto the scent pad with the command "such".

The track is laid walking one foot in front of the other, with the distance between steps appropriate to the size of the dog. Ideally you want the dog to move smoothly from step to step; if they steps are too close together the dog will skip steps, and if too far apart they will begin to search for the next, possibly moving off the track. The puppy has the width of your foot to be correct. There is food in each step when they are learning. The beginning phase of tracking teaches that every footstep contains information and reward.

The puppy should work footstep to footstep on a loose leash. The first track we did was only around 15 paces. The following week, after practicing during the week, I had Rich lay a 75 pace track that made a left turn to 10 paces. I showed him how to introduce Titan to turns, teaching him to back up if he continued a step and found no human scent.

I noticed that Titan was moving with more speed and that Rich was holding a tight leash. You can see in the photo above, Titan is pulling against the leash. Tension creates speed and speed kills in tracking.

In our track today, which wound its way around the agility equipment and had many spectators, I instructed Rich to simply walk with Titan slightly in front of him but to hold his hands at Titan's waist instead of using leash pressure and use that method to guide Titan. My friend, Sam, has used this method successfully with ViVi. Rich was still using hotdogs as reward in the track, and those are a little too visible in shorter grass so that it encourages the puppy to move too quickly and use his eyes. Using a treat that matches the color of the material you are tracking on or blends in is a better choice. I am not suggesting you use "green" hotdogs (yuck!) but something such as soaking the puppy's kibble in water for a half hour and then using that as bait OR burying the hotdogs under the grass will encourage Titan to search it out with his nose.

Until Titan is working each step methodically, we will not introduce articles on the track. He should drive into each step, and he is, in fact, doing that now. By concealing the treat there we will develop even more attention to the track. It is exciting to see how quickly he is progressing!! Rich and Titan will be so much farther ahead by starting young.

PRE-paring for the Championship

2011-09-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Our North Central Region Schutzhund Championship will be held this weekend in Hazelhurst, Wisconsin. Pre and I will be heading up there on Friday morning, with a practice time set for early evening, before the draw. We have spent many hours together, preparing. The road has taken us this year to the AWDF Championship, where we won the IPO2 Championship...to the WDC where we bombed out in tracking... and now to the Regionals. The last stop for this train is the AWMA (American Working Malinois Championship) in Illinois in October. When that is completed, Pre will return to his family in Madison.

It is a bittersweet journey. I've known and trained Pre since he was a youngster and working with his handler, Sam. The agreement with his parents was that Pre would revert to a family companion when Sam left for college. I wrangled one competition season out of that, so he became my dog for the year. We have traveled together to seminars and trials, and I've learned the best ways to motivate and manage. He is a brilliant dog who loves to learn and be challenged. He can be quite a goof at times, and very affectionate. He knows that the my van is the mechanism to take him to fun times, and if the door is open he is in there and helping himself to the toys he finds. We have been working daily on the pieces we will need for the Championships. There is no do-over. Either we succeed, or not, but we will not have the opportunity to change, to fix things, to grow after next month.

Last month I drove to New York to train with Debbie Zappia for three days. I've spent tons of money on training and travel with Pre, and I can apply what I have learned with dogs that follow. Pre has allowed me to hone my own skills at a higher level. Our schedule includes almost daily tracking, obedience sessions and jolly ball play and if we are lucky, a protection session in the evening. A tired puppy is a happy puppy!

Tomorrow morning we will do an early track, simulating the time of day we are likely to run this weekend, in the cool, wet grass. After that I will drive into Appleton to pick up the frozen rabbit patties that I feed Pre when we travel (he has a sensitive stomach). In the early afternoon Pre and I will do a jolly ball obedience session, practice the recall and a jump and send away. Around 6 pm, Eric will arrive for a last protection session, putting the last touches on our back transport. Schutzhund defines the saying "any given Sunday".... you work to prepare, but on any given Sunday you may get a bad draw, something might not go perfectly in your routine... and the underdog wins. Or loses.

On Friday we will drive to Hazelhurst and hit the field for our practice time. I will get Pre over the jumps and do a send-away. We practiced on that field last month, so it won't be a totally new location for him. The trial will be held on a baseball diamond, which has a deceptive curve to it. The handler needs to take a clear center-line in the obedience routine and while running blinds. I will probably get him around the blinds for a couple run-outs and that will be our prep. Then it will be time to find out our trial times at the draw and try to get a good night of sleep.

If I concentrate on each phase, on each small step, I will be less likely to consider that, after this weekend, Pre and I have only one more month, and one more trial together. I keep telling myself that he is a difficult dog to keep, and he is. He has a sensitive stomach when we travel. He can be destructive. He chews on dog houses and dog beds. I say that I will have more time to spend on "my own dogs" when Pre goes home. All of this is true, of course. But underneath all the bravado, I will miss him very much. I kindof hope he will miss me, too.

How we grow

2011-06-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

A simple comment at training today sparked the idea for this post. A new member noted that he had inquired of a local trainer that he had taken a problem dog to, what she thought about schutzhund. To her credit, she spoke positively of the sport and said there were two area clubs. She thought that they had been together at one time but that some people got mad and left.

This gave me pause. It wasn't inaccurate, but required more explanation. This is how the sport grows. Schutzhund in this country began with only a couple clubs. It expanded to groups of new enthusiasts. Over time, groups broke away after disagreements in philosophy, training methods or simply personality. Some times new clubs form when experienced members move to new areas, but more often than not, they are created by people who seek a change. To explain this by saying, "they got mad and left" leaves a huge gap in understanding and I don't feel it serves us well.

If we believe in a mentoring philosophy, the goal is to inspire and train people to replace you. How, then, does it become an insult when this happens? Children grow up and seek independence; so do the children of our parent clubs strike out on their own, finding their own way. And, as with children, they don't always walk in your footsteps but you still love them. Sadly, this isn't always the case in schutzhund. We need to change this.

We take pride in the pedigrees of our dogs; let us take pride in the pedigrees of our clubs! Recognize that for most of us, we did not simply drop into existence with an immaculate conception of purpose... we learned from someone, and generally in some other club. Wouldn't it be nice if we recognized our roots? My "roots" take me back O.G. Bierstadt, where I was mentored by Gordy Esselman in my early years. I will always be grateful the time he spent teaching me and introducing to me other folks in the sport. For many years I remained a member and drove that distance for training, but ultimately I decided that something closer to home would be nice and felt prepared to start my own club. O.G. Bierstadt will always be considered my parent club, and without their influence and introduction to this great sport, I wouldn't be writing this.

My own club has since given birth to one new club. I know of many other people who have broken away from their clubs to either be independent or form their own clubs. THIS IS HOW WE GROW! If not for this, how many clubs would exist? We expand because training changes, and perhaps a new group espouses a different philosophy that better suits them. In schutzhund, one size does not fit all. There are clubs who highly restrict members to only the most competitive. Some clubs pay a helper to come in on a regular basis. Some make training a social event, others not so much. At times it is a matter of exposure. When we start out, we don't realize there are other options. Or we get a new dog who demands more/less/different guidance. In some clubs, the training is very individual and in others the instruction is left to the member to seek outside of club training. The bottom line is, there is something for everyone. Find the club that suits your personality and your goals. The compromise becomes in how far you want to travel, and how much you spend.

If you are the "offspring" of a parent club, don't be a hater! Recognize that people can have differences and split off and it does not make one or the other "bad", only different. Good members will support events of their parent club without using them as a forum to air grievances. Remember what your mother said? If you can't say something good, don't say it at all? That applies to being the guest at the event of another club. Please don't attend only to disparage the performances of the competitors and loudly announce how much better you could do, or how you could "fix" their problems.... if only they came to your club!

As a parent, take pride in the accomplishments of your "offspring" but recognize their work independent of your tutelage. Isn't it your goal to have more people exposed to the sport? To have more training available, and more choices? I always encourage prospective members to check out other clubs and determine whether the training, the goal setting and the social environment fits them. Why lose a schutzhund supporter simply because your own club wasn't the right meld for them? People can leave a club and not "be mad". It can simply be time for them to grow their own wings. There is no need to create turmoil where none needs exist, or drama for it's own sake. Just say "it wasn't the right fit for me".

This is how we grow.

Cooper's Type 1 test. The good, the bad and the VERY ugly.

2011-05-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I certainly don't like to write about failures, but there it is, slapping me in the face. Cooper failed his Type 1/CE USAR test last Saturday. I posted my immediate disappointment to FB, of course, but it has taken until today to feel up to making a more complete comment.

With our late snows and not being on the rubble pile until recently, I stlll felt very good about the test. He was searching well and problem solving, and barking strongly. Tom built search boxes so that I could practice at home and not have a visual confirmation for Cooper when he alerted to scent. I was quite confident that he would pass easily.

We had several extra boarding dogs in the kennel and more barking commotion than normal. I noticed that when I took Cooper out to train he was already tired, so several days before the test I moved him to the house where he could rest. I elected to drive down the morning of the test in order to keep our routine, thinking it would feel like a drive to training for the boy. Everything seemed in order for success.

We were third to test and arrived without too much extra time. Got him out and pottied. He peed again on our way in to test, so the excessive urination seemed out of the ordinary, but nothing more than that. Persons testing are not supposed to be able to hear other testers, but due to the location I was parked I heard the dog before me bark for two subjects on the limited access pile. I didn't know if there had been barks prior, or whether that dog alerted to food or clothing in the pile. While no assumptions are drawn, in the back of my mind I was pretty sure that there were at least two victims there. I reported in to the evaluators and Cooper seemed ready to go, on his toes and revving his engine! At the limited access pile I had to remain in one area while Cooper searched, and stay there until he gave a bark alert of at least 3 barks to indicate he had located a live victim. It was taking too long. Cooper never takes that long to find a victim, I thought. The evaluator with me said not to worry, that it had *only* been three minutes. THREE MINUTES? Something was definately wrong!

He finally alerted, which allowed me to move to his location, reward, mark the spot and send him to "find another." Only he wasn't searching as he normally does, following the scent to whatever reaches it was carried. Instead, he stayed central, didn't push out to the perimeter even when I tried to get him to move there and he just stood there and looked at me. I said "he's done", more to myself than to anyone else. One evaluator said "what does that mean?" I knew it meant what I said. Cooper was done. Done, freaking done. Not working. Need a dictonary? Instead, I said that I was waiting for the time to expire, sent him out on one more futile attempt and then called time. I knew we had missed at least one victim.

I felt like crap but put on a happy face and told Cooper what a good job he did. I gave my debrief to the evaluators. I recommended that when the second dog is brought in to confirm the alert, that it search the perimeters because Cooper didn't push out that far. Then one evaluator asked me how I felt about the search. I FELT like shit. I FELT crushed, like a loser. But what I told her is how I thought I did, not how I felt. I lied and said I thought his body lanuage indicated there were no victims where he had searched. The risk is that either they think I am a total moron for not reading my dog, or the confident bluff works in my favor if we pull off the rest of the test.

We had a brief rest and proceeded to the full access pile. I began by walking Cooper off the pile and letting him airscent. He alerted, ran up and barked at a location, then left it!! He alerted to another location, which I marked and called. I never called the first location because he didn't stick with it. He has never left a victim like that. I suppose he suddenly got a nose-full of the one he ran to, a stronger scent, but in hindsight I should have either encouraged him or called it. I think that was a big mistake on my part, in not letting him know at that moment that he was doing a good job. There was a victim there. I cut the search area from the top as the scent seemed to be rising, and he alerted at another victim. This victim did not follow instructions, and actually answered me when I called out! It was nice to have the confirmation at that point. Cooper was not working independently as he normally does.

Then Cooper moved to a location downhill from the confirmed live victim and stood and barked. I believed he was just barking at scent from the higher victim and verbally relayed that. I do know now that there was no victim there and I don't know what else might have been going on.

Another teammate went next, and I watched as his dog moved confidently and quickly and was simply wonderful. He barked strongly, and located the victims we had missed with ease. At that same instant that I felt pride for their search, my heart sank. It was obvious we were not going to pass and it made me sick to my stomach. I hate, hate, HATE these tests. I enjoy trialing in schutzhund and when my dog doesn't pass, I can identify the reasons and know what I need to do. In this USAR test, I had no idea how to fix things. Cooper had worked so well in practice. If it is a matter of the deeply buried victims having a more diffuse scent pattern, I am unable to train for that because I am limited by the rubble pile we use. Unlike my teammates who live nearby, some within blocks, I have to drive over 2 hours each way just to do that much. And I have been happy to do it, under the belief it would make a difference. Jinx passed her Type 1/CE with the same group of people, though. I have struggled to recognize Cooper in his own right in this area, and had developed trust in his abilities. This test proved me wrong and rocked me to the core because what I believed I had was not there when I needed it.

I waited to be present when the evaluators were thanked, and the team members and the persons who passed were congratulated and received their certificates---- everyone except me. And then I left. In the rain, everyone was gathered under one small tent and I could not bear to run that guantlet of sympathy or silence in order to get my evaluation. At other tests, there was privacy to make these discussions. I drove north with my little dog, hoping the predicted rapture would swallow me up.

This was Cooper's second run at the Type 1. The first time I didn't feel so bad to fail, as we had just completed our FSA and he was tired. He searched extraordinarily well and I was proud of his work. This time, I was left to wonder if I had been deluding myself, as well as wasting the time, good will and money of my team members. Most of all, I felt I had let my team down. I am not one to run from a challenge but when practice looks so good and reality so bad, where do you go? I am flat out tired. Tired of driving. I don't want to have to drive halfway around the country to be this embarrassed.

Going home and regrouping was in order. Getting back to our roots. Cooper has a BH and a foundation in schutzhund, but I had put that on a back burner until after this test so that he was not barking at something he could see. I wanted him to have every possible chance to succeed. On Sunday we joined the schutzhund club training and relaxed. It was so much fun! I was happy to see he remembered his work and later this week I'll see what his tracking looks like. Cooper turns 4 in August and I have to consider how many working years I have with him. People don't know what to say.... sorry? better luck next time? My schutzhund friends and people who know me have sent messages affirming that I am a good trainer and we'll get it next time. I'm just not sure what "it" will be.

I still love my stripey boy. And isn't that what is most important?

ViVi goes to police dog training

2011-05-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight I took ViVi with me to Police K9 training. I thought it would be a good opportunity for her to travel, and to explore new locations and surfaces. However, when I took out my camera to document the adventure, I discovered I had left the memory card in the darned computer. She simply moves too fast for cell phone cameras. She seemed to enjoy herself, strutting around and tugging on her leash. ViVi got to play chase and tug on the slippery gymnasium floor, too, which was excellent. When she came in the door initially, she wasn't sure she wanted to walk on that shiny floor, but forgot all her hesitation once the toy was thrown. I count that as a postive experience for little ViVi.

Need a Clone and/or lottery tickets!

2011-05-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

I think I need a clone. Or several clones. And I need to win the lottery!! This spring seems to have me running in so many different directions that I am looking forward to even a small gap in the action. However, I know that if I don't have a dog event or training pulling me to action, there are plenty of things around the house and property that need attention!

The events so far have involved Pre (male malinois) getting him to the various championships. Therefore, the seminars have also included him. We earned our IPO2 at the AWDF Championship and were IPO2 Champions at that event. At the Working Dog Championship, we fell short in tracking but had passing scores in OB and Protection. Our next big event will likely be the Regional Championship, and conclude the year with the Maliniois Nationals. I did want to get that IPO3 behind us, and am considering our club trial. Just not sure yet.

Different "followers" here have their own favorite dogs and I find people asking me about this dog or that....and aren't I still working them? The answer is, yes, I am still working a large group of dogs but usually don't have the means to take photos. Unless someone else is taking photographs of the work, my own are relegated to walks and play. And if I am taking pictures, I can't interact as much, so the camera isn't a part of my general play.

Marco (male German Shepherd) has been the traveling companion for Pre lately, because he needs the travel/hotel experience. We practiced obedience at the Debbie Zappia seminar and protection with Greg Doud. We will be concentrating on obedience and tracking once I wrap up my USAR test this weekend.

Which brings me to Cooper (male Dutch Shepherd). People and Paws SAR, is hosting a Type 1/CE USAR test this weekend in Milwaukee. The weather has been horrible this year for doing any prep work at the rubble pile, but from our last several practices, I think working search boxes here has helped tremendously. We fell 3 barks short out in CT. Hopefully, my little stripey boy will bark loud and strong and locate all his victims quickly. The test is on Saturday. I really do not want to have to drive across the country for another test, nor do I want to have to do his FSA again. It could be that I am just worn out, but I am not certain I could work up the energy to continue if we are not successful. Time and perspective is a beautiful thing, so tomorrow could look different. Cooper did earn his UKC Conformation Championship, as well, so he is a good looking boy who also works. He has a lovely temperament and is very sociable and confident.

ViVi (female malinois) will be leaving us in June, headed to liberal Madison with Sam. Thank goodness for her conservative foundation or I might worry! She is absolutely adorable.

Roya (female Dutch Shepherd) has been helping to raise ViVi properly, encouraging her to play and explore and correcting her when she is too much the brat! When she isn't busy with puppies and jollyballs, she snoozes on a bed in the livingroom...or our bed... and tries to convince me she has not been fed yet. She had a cancerous tumor removed last year and it is reportedly a slow growing type so I hope old age catches up to her before the cancer does.

Quinn (male malinois) retired from schutzhund and then earned his MR1 last year. This spring he helped to train the new police officers in protection and had great fun. I still have thoughts of earning his FH. Time and field accessibility limits how many dogs I can track with, though. We'll see.

Chica (female Dutch Shepherd) was supposed to have been sold as a detection dog, but the buyer kept asking for more tests, hip and elbows (all good), blood tests (all good)... and then decided not to get a new dog yet. ugh. I thought I might train her for HRD but at this point, for the price of the spay and to the right home, I would just like to find her a home. She is a small girl, a very happy dog. Kenneled now but she is crate trained.

Ridley (female Dutch Shepherd) is a dog I got as a possible Cooper girlffriend. The timing of her arrival was bad, as Jinx was sick and all my attention was on her, so Ridley took a back seat. I've been working her all along, but not concentrating on her, so now its time to step up the work and find her a career calling.

The other dogs in the kennel are Tom's Small Munsterlanders. There is a young adult male who would like a pet or obedience home. He is a soft, affectionate dog.

I will try to get some photos up here again soon of all the favorites so you can see how they have grown and changed. I have some nice photos of Pre from the Championships, too, thanks to 5 Dogs Photography. Now you must excuse me, as I need to go buy lottery tickets and hope to win enough money to keep me in gasoline.....

WDC Closing

2011-05-19T07:49:00.001-07:00

The final performances at the Working Dog Championship this morning sealed the placements, leaving Jason Wiggins in first place, Dan Cox second and Terri Limbaugh in third. The three of them train together in Kentucky and I had the good fortune to visit with them this weekend and found them to be such nice people. There were some exceptional performances throughout the event, and some that fell short. What struck me was the atmosphere of support and camaraderie that existed.

The weather remained cool, but at least we were much drier than on Saturday morning! I felt a little like one of the Three Bears! AWDF was toooo hot; WDC was toooo cold; I'm searching for the "just right" pudding! The weather was mostly enjoyable for the dogs, however, who were very spunky in the cool temps. Machtig Strom isn't a large club but still pulled off this major event, with help from a few sports friends. Jeff Govednik, in addition to competing in the FH Championship and a host of other duties, took photographs and each competitor received a photograph taken of their performance, commemorating the event. That was such a thoughtful touch! I was also a big winner in the raffle!! yayyy!! As I was leaving the stadium, Eric B asked how I did and said "you placed, right?" I started to say, no, we hadn't passed and he looked at me intently and said, "but you PLACED, didn't you?!" The answer is, YES, I did place. From last to first, each of us has a place and that place was at the Working Dog Championship. What a refreshing view!

Thank you to all who made this event a success, from Machtig Strom to each spectator who came to support the event! It was such a wonderful weekend of seeing my sports friends! I hope everyone has much success in this 2011 trial season and that you keep in mind all the lives you touch through the sport.

If you are experiencing withdrawal next weekend, don't forget the O.G.Bierstadt trial and Regional Conformation Show, held in Campbellsport, Wisconsin!!

signing out until the next adventure,

Deb Krsnich

Day 2 WDC-- Singing in the Rain

2011-05-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

Day 2 started out with duck weather, raining and cold. I had made a little shopping trip after my arrival and chosen a new outfit to wear for obedience/ protection, to compliment the color of my dog. The label said "slimming", and I thought that sounded like a good thing. Needless to say, it was buried under 3 layers of clothing and a rain-suit so no one ever knew! I was in the first team on the field, and went to the long down. I know Pre doesn't like to be wet, and had gotten him out and made sure he was wet first, with the idea that he wouldn't need to shake. Not wet enough, apparently! While I was tucked away in my blind (after I was yelled at by Johannes for peeking through the hole!!) Pre got up 3 times, shook off, moved slightly and laid back down again. Unfortunately, each shake took him further from the down position and he lost all the points!

The field lay out was changed from the way we practiced it. Because people had complained at the previous National event that the curvature of the baseball diamond was a problem, they placed chairs with sandbags and tape to give the field a square configuration. The send away was in a different place, and they marked it with a white sandbag,so it appeared there was something out there for the dogs to run to. The blinds were now farther apart, because when we practiced the infield was covered with tarps to protect it for the game. Relatively minor things that the experienced dogs handled in stride. Less experienced dogs allowed themselves to be more distracted.

In the good news- bad news department, Pre rocked his motion exercises! At the AWDF he had become distracted and I did not sense that he had even heard the command, and so just froze instead of sitting. Today, he nailed it! There were other minor points taken, and I sure would have liked to have had those 10 points for the long down!! Still, for a dog who is attempting his SchH3 in his second stadium event, experiencing all the ins and outs of travel (plus the break down enroute) he definitely had some positive aspects of his performance. He was a good little man over all ,with 85 points to show for our efforts.

In protection work he earned 86 points. Pronounced courage and fast outs. The rest I can work with, such as the fact that he TOTALLY lost his secondary obedience! I can see heeling for obedience with great stimulation/distraction in his future!! So, okay, it wasn't the day... or weekend... I had hoped for but at the end of the day, I have a dog who didn't quit, who shows a lot of spirit but needs a little more control, that I really enjoy working. All good stuff.

North Central Region member Susan Dooling earned a qualifying score for the WORLD Championship qualifier!! Everyone needs to encourage her to declare and GO! For many of us, that would be the experience of a lifetime. You just never know if you will get that chance again. GO!! I was lucky to meet Susan's family, as well. Her 86 year old mother and two sisters traveled here to watch Susan compete. They must be very proud, and I think it is wonderful when family comes to see the sport we love so much!

There is one more flight to do obedience and protection tomorrow. Check the results page to catch up on all the scores. From our region we have me, Susan, Donovan, Bob Cook... I think that's it unless I'm forgetting someone? Two people I consider "honorary" members, because they spend so much time in our region, are Mike Williams and Roni Hoff. Good luck to Mike tomorrow!! ... and Michelle, you are STILL doing at great job!! (tell Wayne you got another compliment. That and $2 will probably get you the cup of coffee that Mike Williams owes me!! haha)

I am having a terrific weekend. I've met new sport friends and gotten to see so many really great people. Custom K9 Creations, where I bought my lovely pink vest at AWDF, had new GSD t-shirts and the artist was here. I met him and let him know how much I enjoy his work. He does fantastic schutzhund artwork! I ordered a video from Shellshots, too, so that I can make sure to address all those pesky point losses. All the judges have been strict, but pleasant. I wish everyone was able to travel and support their club or region members, or just be able to see the inspiring teamwork of some of the competitors. I'm not the best reporter when I'm competing myself, as I tend to either be preparing to compete, competing or.... talking. Are you surprised? I watch and ooh and ahhh at the excellent performances, gasp at the faux paux but don't take adequate notes to be able to relate to you a specific performance.

Next on our Regional agenda... the CHAMPIONSHIP! Also check out the GSD National Championship and the American Working Malinois Assoc Championship, held in Leland,IL. So, get out there and jump into your club trials and make plans to attend the Regional and National level events, if only to be inspired and meet great sports-friends!

Deb Krsnich

Friday Update from WDC and Mysteries of the Universe

2011-05-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

***I thought I would post my updates from the Working Dog Championships here for the folks who don't subscribe to the lists where they were originally posted. Enjoy!***

What would a trip to a major event be without road drama? At least, for me! After my struggles to make it to Minnesota last weekend, I thought I had all that behind me. But nooooo.... the night before I was to leave for the WDC my van sputters to a stop, redlining the battery, on the outskirts of my town. Whew! Once again, the good news was that I was within walking distance of a bathroom, and could call my husband for help, without a tow! He put in a new battery and on Wednesday, I hit the road. This time I made it to Madison until I noticed that the battery light had again edged into the red and I coasted down a nearby off-ramp. Good news? Walking distance of a bathroom, of course!! This one required a tow to the local GMC repair, and I learned that the problem was not the battery, but the alternator! I hauled the fold-up crate into their waiting room, indulged in free coffee and bad court TV until they had the part in and made repairs. It only took a few hours, but it was late enough that my practice time had come and gone.

Not to worry! I called Michelle when I broke down, to advise that someone else could take my practice spot if they wanted. Al gave up his 6:30 spot on Thursday, so I was good to go. Michelle was super helpful in taking care of that. I was on the road once again. I love to listen to audio books when I travel and had been looking forward to this trip so that I could finish listening to "Know it all." I learned many interesting but obscure facts that I hope I can work into conversations before I forget them!

I am staying at the Super 8 in Davenport. It is near the stadium, very reasonably priced (dog fee only $5 per night) and has a great green space. I also have a microwave and refrigerator in the room, at a fraction of the price of the fancier hotels. It doesn't have a separate sitting room and expensive towels, but it's pretty darned nice.

The route from my hotel to the stadium is a lovely drive. The architecture of the older, brick buildings with beautifully landscaped yards and pretty tree-lined streets make the drive very calming. And who couldn't use that? Apparently there was significant flooding next to the waterfront as the sidewalks at the stadium are covered with dried mud and work crews are re-building parts of the parking area. The river view and the bridges are pretty, at least in the eyes of someone who doesn't have to drive over them every day.

Thursday was a 90-plus degree day, and I thought it was deja vu of the AWDF! The stadium is a baseball diamond, home of the River Bandits. It reminds me of trialing at Inselstadt, because the curve of the field is deceptive. What you think is straight... isn't. I got Pre over the jumps and did a send away, and Dave Kroyer (a total cheesehead-- who knew??) did a run-out of the blind and an escape bite for me in protection. The draw was held at the stadium last evening. To save money, the club did not produce catalogs but they have been quite good at keeping the scores updated on the website, along with having nice photos of the competitors.

http://www.2011workingdogchamp.com/ (go to "results" for that list)

After the draw, a small group of us... Mike Williams, Susan Dooling and Donovan, convened at the Texas Roadhouse, where Mike decided to make a bet with me regarding a red-haired female police officer handling a Dutch Shepherd at the 2006 NC Region Championship at Inselstadt. He claims to be checking his sources, but I think he can kiss his money goodbye on that one. I don't recall anyone but myself with a dutch shepherd there. Anyone? ka-ching!

TODAY WE TRACKED. I'm putting that in capital letters, and past tense so I can put the pain behind me. haha. First, let me say that I was in a really fun flight and got to visit with so many great people. Dan Cox and Jason Wiggins were in my flight, and both had very nice scores. Me, not so much! I had great hopes for Pre. He had been tracking so well but today he had a happy romp through the field instead. The temps were low, less than 60 degrees and the grounds were thick, lush green pasture grass on rolling hills. The rain that was predicted even held off! Craig Groh was the tracking judge and he was very pleasant to work with. Pre took off like a shot, but was clearly not tracking. He air-scented his way around the track but it was never convincing and he missed two articles, resulting in 59 points! Once he even pounced on something in the grass, and in general just had a terrific time out there as I was wishing for lightning to strike us! When I commented that I wish I knew what was going on in his head at that moment, one of my FB friends noted that is one of the mysteries of the universe. True enough! So there went our hopes of earning a SchH3 here.

Tomorrow our flight works in the stadium at 8..........hopefully cool weather and a spunky dog will be a good combination! Wish you all could be here to join us!

Deb Krsnich

Jollyball Wars with Roya and ViVi

2011-05-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

I bought a couple JollyBalls for Pre, and found them coveted... and then absconded with... by Roya and her partner in crime, ViVi! Roya is my almost-11 year old Dutch Shepherd who is the most awesome puppy teacher! ViVi is the young upstart malinois, trying to forge her own identity as the offspring of accomplished parents.

At first, ViVi did not know what she was supposed to do with this strange pink toy. Big dog is running toward it, so perhaps I should be doing the same?

Maybe I'm supposed to jump on Big Dog's head?

Oh No! That's not it!

Sorry!

Oh, I get it! I'm supposed to run very fast and try to beat the Big Dog to the toy... and the STEAL IT!

I am the Queen of the Lawn!

Traveling Shoes

2011-05-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

The road to the Working Dog Championships took me to Minnesota last weekend. My traveling shoes will soon need new soles! Sarah TenBensel stepped up to organize the weekend seminar with Greg Doud under the MVSV banner and did a terrific job.

It was almost the "trip that wasn't". I had planned to leave in the o-dark-thirty hours of Friday morning to make the approximately 5 hour trek to the Twin Cities, as I had work obligations the night before. Midway through training with the area police dogs I work with, I recalled that I needed more Easter Bunny. What, you say? That is code word for the frozen raw rabbit patties that I feed my dogs on the road. I advised I would be back in half an hour and scooted off to the pet store. Blocks from my return, something sounded odd. I turned down my full-volume tunes, and heard "clunk.. clunk.... spit"... and I had to muscle around the corner as the van shut down along with the power steering! I glanced at the needle inching to the red zone on the temperature gauge. damn. Exiting, I immediately observed that things smelled hot. double damn. I won't bore you with the mechanical details, but the result was that my vehicle remained in a parking lot in Appleton until it could be towed back to Black Creek the next morning for repairs.

In the meantime, I was not only worried I would miss my opportunity to tune up prior to the WDC, but that this might also impact my travel to the event! The good news was that the problem was a blown rear heater hose, which emptied the radiator. It was repaired and I hadn't pushed the issue far enough to cause permanent damage. I was able to arrive by evening and even got in a quick session.

If you travel to an event at the MVSV summer location, I heartily recommend the Microtel in Inver Grove Heights. I used Hotels.com to score my room at a reasonable price. They are a dog-friendly hotel. It is approximately about 10 minutes from the training field, has decent green space for pottying the dogs, a cereal/donut/fruit breakfast buffet, AND there is a gas station across the road and an Outback Steakhouse across the parking lot that you can wak to in one minute. Very convenient!

It was wonderful to see everyone again! There is so much fun in watching the progress of dogs and handlers I've watched in the sport, and reveling in their new partners. Two of Mike Scheiber's children stopped at out and watched as Angeli worked Mike's dog, Jett. I think everyone held their breath a moment to watch this new partnership being formed. Some of the dogs I have watched for years are getting older and doing light training or just riding along now, while the youngsters take their place. No problem. Some of us humans are running a little more slowly now, too! Being Northerners, we complained that the 75 degrees of Saturday was too hot (we actually sunburned!) and then complained that it was toooo cold on Sunday. Since it did rain, I feel that was justified, though it felt a little like the Three Bear's porridge; I wanted the day that was "just right!"

The training was "just right', though. And additional happiness was generated when I learned Greg is moving to the Chicago area at month's end to join Bridget Carlsen. We were fortunate to be able to watch Bridget train her Goldens When Donna Matey and Jill Fryling showed up, I thought we had somehow succeeded in luring them back from the dark side, but they were just there to borrow Bridget for a private lesson!

I was pleased with the training I was able to do with both Marco and Pre. For Marco, it was another road trip in what I expect will be many for him; learning to travel and to get out and work in new places. He has a wonderful, full grip and we worked on building stamina in those grips and ended with a few psuedo-long bites. I chuckle at those, as they currently lack the rocket-like, laser-focused commitment of the adults and instead he moves in a puppy gallop despite a very focused beginning. True, he is a gigantic puppy, but a puppy-dog nonetheless. His body is a few strides behind his mind at that point! For Pre, it was nice to be able to work through the pieces with a crowd present and in a few days I will head to Iowa for the WDC. I see we have a few competitors from our region who will be competing there. Good luck to all!

Each Step is Important

2011-05-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

This post is a result of teaching my club members a method that I saw demonstrated by Debbie Zappia, for teaching attention and position at heel. One of our members posted to the club list about the success she was having now that her dog believes the reward may be forthcoming at any moment and is not "checking out" on her.

I want to tell you how important the first step is; how important EACH step is. When you begin heeling from a sit, unless the dog understands this, the head will naturally drop and they will likely walk without attention until the point where a reward is normally forthcoming, or a physical correction is made. The dog who relies on a physical correction to fix problems does not have to think. It simply waits for the leash pull, and responds. As a result, the dog learns that only when it feels a leash correction does it provide a behavior, instead of learning that behavior drives reward.

Our dogs are not born knowing this; we have to teach it. The foundation of teaching is understanding that where we place our rewards tells the dog what we value. If we begin walking and only reward after walking 5 steps, for example, the dog will only begin to pay attention at 5 steps. We have told him, by withholding reward, that the first four steps are unimportant to us. What does this mean? When we are teaching, we must reward the FIRST STEP. This is difficult for handlers who just want to get out there and go! They feel that they are making progress by virtue of the number of steps they take, no matter what those steps look like. It is hard sometimes to take that step backwards and make baby steps again, but the end product of beautiful, correct heeling, is worth it.

What we teach is consistent between all three phases. In tracking, the first thing we teach is what tracking behavior is, and that each footstep is important and contains reward. In obedience, the dog learns what heeling behavior is (position and attention) and that each step is important and contains reward. And, in protection, we break down the striking, gripping and barking behaviors and underscore the same lessons. In beginning steps, the dog learns the behavior. In the intermediate phase, they learn that the behavior can occur anywhere. Finally, in the advanced phase, distractions are added.

The actual physical method that we are using, having gratefully borrowed it from Debbie Zappia, is difficult to explain and is better show in photographs, but involves providing a target for the dog and marking the proper behavior. Next, the target is removed from the picture and comes back in after the behavior is marked, with reward. It keeps the target and the reward on the left side of the body. Ideally, you continue to run to re-load your treats, so that the dog learns to give you the behavior without having pockets of food, much as he will experience in trial.

Most importantly, as we shape the behavior, we must reward the first step before we can expect two steps with attention. Don't tease your dog and never allow him to access reward. You will make a liar of yourself and he will not trust you, and will stop trying.

We must create "believers" of our dogs and not be predictable in where our rewards will appear. How many of us have seen dogs that drag around at the end of the leash but suddenly come alive with attention at the halt? That is because the handler has not rewarded motion, but instead has rewarded the dog for the stops. Once we have shaped the proper behavior, we can demand more of the dog and he will know that his efforts will be rewarded. For example, the dog has learned to respond to the motivational leash pops (which is not simply a series of nagging, but a specific action in conjunction with a behavior and reward) and you can use this to create the dog driving with their rear end underneath them and signal via markers that THIS is the behavior you want and will reward.

The people who train with me know how the system comes together. Just remember, as you begin, that each step is important. You will be evaluated on the picture you present which begins at that first step, so do not neglect it or try to hold your dog with physical correction; those will not sustain the dog through the routine.

I challenge you to take that first step................together.

Engagement is a team effort!

2011-04-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

Since I'm thinking about puppies, and things we need to remember it reminded me of something I learned at the last seminar with Debbie Zappia.

If you do this from the start, you won't have those worries of leaving anything in your training area for fear the dog will be "distracted" and snarf your food or steal toys. The puppy learns that food on a table is not "free." From the start the lesson is that reward is accessed through you, the handler.

Keep your food on a chair or table in the area you are training. Don't fill your pockets and carry more food on your body than you need for that little piece. Running back to the table gives you a chance to re-load and energizes the dog, giving them a little mental break, as well. The message is: don't touch the food. give me behaviors, and I will give you the food.

Naturally, when you begin, any dog is going to want to help itself. I think it is easiest with a dog just learning the concept, or a smaller, younger dog, to use a chair or low table. You cover the food with your hand and when the dog backs away (the doggie zen concept of having to give up in order to receive!) you verbally reinforce with your marker and give the dog a piece of food. You don't smack the dog or make punishment; it is your job to cover the food and reward the dog for appropriately moving away. Then take the dog away from the food with you, by leash guidance and go back to work.

When you need to reload your food, hold the dog by the collar and ask it “are you ready?.. let’s GO!” and run to the table where the dog can put their feet up. Keep the leash short enough as you approach the table to encourage the dog up. When I took off and raced Marco to the table, and he was still eating some food, dawdling, Debbie complained “Everyone is leaving their dog!! Take the dog with you!!”

This is a different approach than what a popular trainer is teaching, where you take off and run away from the dog... apparently to engage him to chase you. And this is what I did, thinking it was good. What I recognized afterwards was doing that was very similar to bribing the dog with a toy, instead of rewarding behavior with a toy. I took off and the dog weighed whether the dropped food, the crowd, or a host of other things were more exciting than me running away. And who was doing all the work? me!! Far better to make this a team effort and not allow your dog to check out on you. Your escape should not become a cue for the dog to pay attention.

Remember that when you do take your dog to re-load you don't just stand there and fill your pockets; it remains a team effort. Keep the dog in the picture by rewarding it for attention there, as well. With the dog watching, you verbally encourage with your "good" or "nice" and give a piece of food for attention without mugging.

A much better method of engaging your dog by remaining a team.

The Yard is a Big Place!

2011-04-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

I love to explore my new yard! Some things need to be jumped on, or tasted....

there are so many fun things to climb on! I take my job very seriously but my people seem amused when I help them with chores....

The raised flower bed in the front yard is pretty cool. It's like a jungle there and I can sneak up on Roya by hiding behind the wooden sides.

oops! sorry about that!

One of the most fun things is to chase my people when they walk and bite their legs. At first they thought it was funny. But I am very persistent and I try to take a bigger bite. I guess that pinches and hurts and they stopped laughing.

OOPS! SORRY!

(do I look suitably apologetic???) nawwwww

Foxtal's Vortex Viper, aka: ViVi (name pending)

2011-04-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

Meet ViVi.

She is a female Belgian Malinois puppy, 6 weeks old

Her full name (pending) is Foxtal's Viper Vortex, named after sniper scope.

I expect she will be deadly accurate, a force to reckon with.

Her momma is Lazer du Loups du Soleil, IPO3.

Her daddy is Mangouste du Loups du Soleil, MR3, FR3, 4x World Team Competitor.

Besides being from the famous Loups du Soleil lines, Lazer's dam is Fauxtois... the same mother as my Jinx.

The litter does not carry the Loups du Soleil name because only those litters bred by MichaelEllis or his partners can use that name, so I will be using my own kennel name. How lucky is that? I will have an awesome dog, from incredible lines... with MY kennel name!!

ViVi is so smart she will be going to law school with my friend, Sam.

He has big plans for her training. Although ViVi is quiet and sleeping at the moment, I have already wished revenge on Sam for having avoided this crate-training, I-miss-my-mommy period of ear piercing decibel levels.

The last puppy I got at 6 weeks of age was my Sofie, and she turned out pretty darned great! Ordinarily I would not do this, and keep my own puppies to 10 weeks of age, but I know that I have stable adults who can teach ViVi how to speak "dog" and that I can provide the environmental stimulation that she needs. The concern with taking young puppies is that they will not learn how to properly behave with other dogs and become dog aggressive. Enter Roya, my old Dutch Shepherd bitch. Roya has raised two litters herself and is such a great mother that she even nursed a singleton puppy our neighbor brought over.

Roya has helped ViVi transition to her new home. She takes ViVi outside to potty and gently, but firmly teaches her that puppies do not take food from grown ups. I have been feeding her raw and at first she didn't know who to bite off pieces of the patty. Once I mushed it up in my fingers, she dug in. That little body actually eats quite abit!

So, another puppy adventure begins..........too quickly they become young adults. For now, however, I will savor the puppy breath and frito feets.

2011-04-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

When I competed recently in the AWDF Championships, I had not been able to practice grass tracks. I thought the dogs from southern climes would have a distinct advantage considering my practice had been on SNOW! When we actually earned the high IPO2 tracking score and ended up winning the IPO2 Championship, I had to pause and evaluate what I had done to aid this success.

One of the complaints by competitors at all levels was that the legs of the tracks were too close together. In every Championship I have competed in, the tracks have been much shorter than regulation due to the large number of tracks that have to be fit into a small place. I have found this to be much more challenging than if the tracks were longer because speed changes are obvious and the dog has no chance to settle into a long pace.

At the AWDF, the tracks I observed were on pasture grass with rolling hills in a medium breeze. If the dog did not keep its nose down and instead raised it up to air scent, it was drawn to other legs or other tracks. The dogs that had good tracking ethic, did not have a problem. Pre did not lose his focus in this way. What made the difference? While I cannot say for certain, there are several things that I do in training that I believe contributed to our success.

One thing is that I teach and reinforce footstep tracking, and in training place on foot in front of the other. In this way, the dog has the width of my foot to be correct... or not. If you walk a normal, side-to-side gait, and allow the dog to cast like that, the dog is rewarded for trailing in the area between your footprints and it now has an area of several feet that it believes is correct. Add a breeze to that and the dog who does not understand how to work to the source of the odor--- the footstep itself--- and you have a mine-sweeper at the end of the line.

Almost immediately, if I have other people working with me, I instruct them to walk on either side of me while I lay my tracks (or they lay mine). If there is only one additional, they walk on the side upwind from the track, so that their track and scent is blowing directly to the dog. Ideally, the longest legs run cross-wise to the wind direction. The dog learns that the only reward is at the source of the odor that it is started on, and no other. Just as soon as a dog or puppy understands the tracking behavior, I introduce this. The people walking alongside, stay at approximately 5 feet off either side and also crossing the track at intervals. Since you are all walking together, the track layer can place bait/reward after these crossings. You do not lead the dog through challenges with food, you reward them for meeting the challenge.

I do the same thing with the police dogs I train. In fact, their work is much more critical than a sport dog. Their scenes are often very contaminated with scent by the time they arrive and so the dogs must work the scent they are told to follow, to the exclusion of all others. Here are several photos from a tracking exercise we did last week. This was after the dogs had completed tracks of over 1 mile in length, through varied terrain with multiple articles. Those tracks begin with a scent article that tells the dog which scent they are following. Any time I work a track that allows the dog more latitude in searching out the track, the next track we do is back to precision. In this track, three handlers laid long, straight tracks approximately 15 feet apart, each ending at an article. While one team ran their track, the others sat with their dogs (quiet and down) on the hillside, observing. As you can see, neither the near proximity of the tracks nor the other dogs caused a distraction from the task.

The dogs also learn that they are not beaten up, punished or corrected physically.... nor does the handler do the work for them by cueing them with the line. When they have problems at a corner, the handler instead acts like the dog missed a great party and encourages them. This is something I picked up from listening to Debbie Zappia, and I find the dogs don't become stressed and worried, or even worse--- lie to the handler to avoid punishment.

Tracking can be great fun when the team creates and meets challenges together. It is even more fun when you can walk next to a friend and chat while you lay your tracks, and doing so is to the advantage of your training! Many positive discoveries in training come from a handler or trainer trying to make things more efficient or easily understood. In my case, I found I could have new handlers walk alongside me as I described what I was doing in laying the track and it made things more clear to them. Then I found that it actually helped the dogs to understand their task, as well. Viola! A program is born!

Pre wins the AWDF IPO2 Championship!

2011-04-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Pre and I competed at the American Working Dog Championship in Kentucky. I am very fortunate to be able to train and compete with this wonderful dog for the year. I will write more detail later, but despite issues related to lack of coordination in the event, having to travel the day before the Championship, and trialing in 93 degree heat, Pre prevailed to earn a new IPO2 title under the sharp pencil of Championship judges. I purchased a CD of photographs and have to select from an incredible array, and various friends also took photos and video that I hope to get copies of.
I attended a seminar with Debbie Zappia recently and she worked on some technical points to maximize our performance, and they really helped. I plan to work with her again in the future as Pre and I have plans for the Working Dog Championship (Iowa/May) and earn our IPO3, North Central Regional Championship (Hazelhurst, Wi/Sept) and the American Working Malinois Championship (Illinois/October) before he retires to his Madison family. Sam gave Pre a wonderful foundation, and then I took him to college! A great team effort!

In the meantime, here are a couple photos from Kentucky:

Pre hanging out on the bed with me; we're watching Animal Planet

After our stadium work in 93 degree heat. Tapped out

Showing off his "sit pretty", a crowd favorite!

Perspective

2011-03-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Taylor died last week. There was an abundance of video celebrations and memorials to her life. No one I know met her. She never sat at my table, or attended a schutzhund trial. Her passing doesn't leave any holes in my heart but I still mourn the fact that an icon is gone. I know that there are people who did know her, and loved her dearly.

Last week a Wisconsin soldier, Spc. Justin Ross, from Green Bay,in addition to others serving in our armed forces, was killed in service. I didn't know him, either. I saw his family on television and cried to hear their tribute of their son. He died doing a job that protects my freedoms and I feel that loss.

A Fond du Lac police officer, Craig Birkholz, was also laid to rest last week, killed by a man who fired his displaced anger from a gun and then shot himself. Another officer and his police K9 were also wounded but are recovering. Fond du Lac is not far from here and although I did not personally know him or the wounded officer, we are all Brothers and Sisters in the badge. The community of fellow officers that I walk in, mourns that loss but are healing by helping Craig's family and reminding us to stay strong and SURVIVE.

Another man, loved by many, joined the list of those taken from us last week: Mike Scheiber. Mike was a long-time member of MVSV, one of the schutzhund clubs in our North Central Region. Mike and his dog, Jett, won the Regional SchH3 Championship last fall and I think everyone recognized and applauded Mike's dedication to the task and that the "little guy" could prevail. He was not a professional trainer, and worked very hard for his success. He had a wry sense of humor that sometimes left you wondering if he realized he had said something so hilariously funny. Mike was attending a training seminar at his club when he passed away.

Any time you are witness to the death of someone you care about, it is difficult. It may be somewhat selfish of me to imagine that it would be wonderful to die in pursuit of what you love. I know it must be difficult for the survivors, but to have lived many years and leave this world, not at work or in a car accident, or even as a result of lingering illness, would be a blessing, in my book.

We all become saints after death, and honoring the memory does not mean we pretend the person we lost is now somehow now more than a human. It does mean that EVERYONE is loved by SOMEONE. When death touches our life, think first of the honor and the pleasure it was to know that person. Consider smiles, laughter and shared experiences without which your life would be a paler shade. If there are lessons to be learned, hold those with gratitude. Perhaps it means seizing the moment more often; telling someone you love them; leaving a legacy for your children.

A common thread that has emerged in conversations about Mike was his generousity of spirit and being a friend to new and old members in the sport. He visited many clubs to attend seminars and was a vocal cheerleader for the success of his friends. If we take that goodness, and apply it in our own lives it will be time better spent than mourning. In mourning we feel sorry for ourselves, for our loss. True, we not only deserve but need that time to own the emptiness of a friendship that did not live to see our old age but if we must be careful not to take up residency there. There are people who need us. Who need us to help them in the sport, to welcome them to our fields and be the smile that greets us at seminars.

Every death reminds us that our time here is finite. Don't let the opportunity pass by to learn from loss. Ask yourself "what would Mike do?" Step up to the grill, and be that person.

Breed Differences- Part I: A little history

2011-03-31T07:09:00.000-07:00

This seems like a good day to begin an introduction to you of my introduction to dogs. I had started this as a prelude to the "breed differences" post.
I thought a little background might be helpful. My father was given a Springer Spaniel named Jim, by his father as a wedding gift. Jim was an excellent hunter and so he was a meaningful gift, and the first dog of my memory. We had a series of mutt dogs. Since dogs ran loose and were largely unvaccinated the fact that they survived long at all is a wonder. Still, a lovely little girl named Ginger was the first dog I actually remember interacting with. She was an unrestrained femme fatale, who had litter of puppies sired by the neighborhood roustabout, Freddie. From that litter we kept Red, Son of Fred. Red was THE dog of my youth, a companion and partner for exploring the hundreds of acres of timber plantation surrounding our home. He was, as his name implies, red in color. He was a short-coated handsome dog, medium sized and he lived outside in a doghouse built under the eaves of the house. He was a clever dog, and never insulted a porcupine or a skunk. In fact, we would feed him in a large metal dish on the back porch and in winter added meat drippings to hot water and I recall looking out the back door to see Red sharing his meal with a skunk. To this day, I am amazed that he was not sprayed! Red was the darling of my childhood.

In my teens, apparently influenced by television, I decided I wanted a German Shepherd Dog. No "Lassie" for me; I wanted Rin Tin Tin! There must have been a miscommunication, because my father brought home a series of German Shorthairs. While attending college, I was given a Shepherd-Doberman mix, a very sharply aggressive female. I had no skills in training, and all her responses were natural. When prepared to moved to Appleton where I would live with another officer until I could find a place of my own, I read the animal ordinances and did not feel I could safely keep "Sable". I left her with another family. She was a bright dog, saddled with a sub-novice owner. I sometimes wonder what could have been accomplished, or changed, with the dogs I have owned, if only I had known more at the time.
My next un-Shepherd, was a stray bite-case that came into the Department; a scrawny cream and black female with ears the size of satellite dishes. I named her Radar. Radar was a sweet dog, but shy dog. She was well behaved on basic obedience commands but did not enjoy the commotion of classes. Then came my opportunity to add a REAL German Shepherd! Friends I had met through the dog club had a litter of puppies! A pure-bred, AKC registered, black and tan male named Baron von Linden. I called him Bear, because he looked like a fuzzy little bear cub. And yes, I realize the I lacked originality. The breeders were very supportive and helpful and because of them I took Bear to obedience classes. Granted, training has come a long ways since then, but I found that I enjoyed training. I attended fun matches and conformation shows with the breeder and learned more about the activities available to me. When Bear was approximately 4 months old, another friend observed him running and pronounced him "dysplastic." I knew nothing of this, and denied it. After all, this was a registered dog! However, when Bear and I traveled to Minnesota to compete for our Novice title, we earned one leg before Bear came up so lame that I left the trial and returned home to take him immediately to my vet. My friend had been correct. My dog was so horribly dysplastic that it was amazing he could walk, and he was clearly in pain. He was euthanized.

You would think that I would be turned off by German Shepherds with that experience. Quite the opposite was true. Bear's breeders had invited me into a world that I had not known previously, and I liked it. In fact, it was Dennis who took me (and Donna Matey!!) to our first schutzhund trial, at the Northern Illinois club!

My mission became to start a K9 unit for our Department. I did some research and found that the prices for police dogs were quite expensive, far beyond what I had as disposable income at the time. I don't remember how we had even met, but Sandee Filo offered to help me find a dog I could afford. In fact, that was quite a generous offer since the dogs I couldn't afford were theirs! As it happened, a Milwaukee police officer who bred dogs (Bob Hanus) had some dogs for sale and Sandee took me to evaluate them. One caught my eye. He was distinctive, to be sure; he had one ear that had been nipped off. As a puppy, he had apparently misbehaved to the extent that his own mother bit the top of his ear off! He had a perfect half moon scoop from the top of one. His registered name was Exx vom Heiliger Huegel.

This dog had been returned to the breeder when he became too much for the owners. Untrained behaviors that are cute in a puppy are not so in an adult, and relieving boredom by attempting to press past them and out the door, or sneaking along the fence in the yard and suddenly leaping up and barking at the neighbor, lost amusement value. To me, he had that sparkle in his eyes and joy of life that called to me and I bought him. The breeder had nicknamed him "Eros" and that is what I called him. Some time later, after his initial police dog training, I contacted the previous owners to tell them what he had accomplished and they said "he never gave us any indication of that." Those words have stuck with me. They had surrendered him when the axle broke on the trailer he rode in (to visit their cabin "up north") and it was either fix the trailer or get rid of the dog. They got rid of the dog. Yet another thing caught my attention, however; they had called the dog Bear! It was meant to be! I do think we receive "signs" when things are meant to be, and this helps you to understand how I felt about Marco.

Eros opened another world to me, one of police dogs and also schutzhund. We attended our initial police dog training at the Alabama Canine Law Enforcement Officers Training Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Together we traveled to Germany where we spent three months training at the Landes Polizei schule fur Diensthundfuhrers, honing our skills. We competed in the Police Dog Championships several times, and I made life-long friendships through him. Some of the saddest days of came when Eros retired and I had to go to work without him.

I owned a number of German Shepherds after Eros, but never made the same connection with them. They moved in and out of my life. Nice dogs, but not the right dog. They were, however, the "right dog" for other people and went on to become the special dog for those families.

When people come to me, having already made the choice of a less-than-suitable dog, I know how they feel. I also know that if I turn your back to those people, I may lose a wonderful supporter of the sport or excellent handler or simply made an emotional choice. It is unlikely that dog will be their last, so my obligation is to prepare them for better choices in the future and help them find fun in training positively. When people have physical issues, I know the heartbreak of having to make a choice to spare a dog pain but also how a big heart can carry a dog through physical disabilities. I can try to educate people, but I cannot fault them for learning via mistakes, as I did. Believe me, not every is so smart or blessed to have that first dog be the perfect specimen for everything you want to do and you may need to adapt to what the dog is capable of.

In another post I will tell you how the striped dogs, Dutch Shepherds, entered my life and became a life-long love!

Making due

2011-03-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

I was very optimistic when I entered Pre in the AWDF Championship, being held in Kentucky on April 7-10. When we had a nice thaw and I was able to be outside for one day, I was ecstatic. I, of course, imagined it would be followed by many more such days and I would be able to practice on a full field and tune up Pre's tracking skills, as well.

Mother Nature had other plans. 18 inches of snow fell and left a layer of doubt. I attended a seminar with Debbie Zappia and was able to work on some of the finesse of the obedience exercises, but it was held indoors. What was I to do? In Wisconsin, we sit on buckets and fish through the ice. I could certainly adapt, couldn't I?

And adapt I did. Enter: snow tracking. The weather has warmed enough that the snow is wet and leaves a clear footprint, where I can place rewards. The footprints sink into the snow, so the dog cannot see the treats and has to place his nose into the cavity, and the snow is so wet that it does not drift over my track. These are perfect conditions to lay serpentines, turns and sharp angles and let the dog learn to slow himself down.

Some people think that snow tracks are "easy" and that the dog just has to follow a rut. Not so. While it can indeed be helpful for the handler, as you don't need to flag your corners or find landmarks, if a dog does not know how to moderate is own speed and stay on course, he will just run wild across it. The dog, through self discovery, learns that moving more slowly is what finds reward.

While we still haven't been able to practice on a competition field--- no blinds, no full field obedience-- I am watching the thermometer and crossing my fingers. If not, we will just do our best and know there are things to improve.

Wish us luck!

Breed Differences

2011-03-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

Waylon suggested that I write about the breed differences between the German Shepherd, Dutch Shepherd and the Malinois. I can only tell you what my experience and observations have been. I have handled individuals from each of those breeds to multiple SchH3/IPO3 titles. I have earned an FH with two Dutch Shepherds. I handled one GSD police service dog, and a Dutch Shepherd earned DPO titles. Two malinois have titled to Mondioring1. I have trained and handled a Dutch Shepherd and a Malinois as Urban Search and Rescue Dogs.

My breed choices have come via the circumstances of my life. The only one I actively sought out and selected was the German Shepherd. Still, there are those herding breed similarities that I am drawn to, and the dogs I enjoy working have very similar temperaments, no matter the breed. Some people love a particular breed and will do what they can with that breed, accepting that it may not be the fastest, most skilled animal or take a place on the podium. They make the journey together, enjoying that and not expecting more than the animal can give. These people I respect. They do not abuse their dogs for the sake of their own ego, demanding accomplishments beyond the capabilities of the dog. Their dogs may be compared unfavorably to breeds that excel at certain sports or activities, but it's okay.

There are others who select the breed according to the sport they wish to pursue. In general, you will find more success and happiness with a dog who enjoys the activities you want to engage in with him. To do this, you must understand the sport and what type of dog does best. Even within the breeds, certain types of dogs and specific bloodlines perform better or provide differences you may wish to consider such as handler aggression. Your own temperament (and temper!) as well as handling skills also contribute to making a good choice. A reactive dog does not need a reactive handler.

Breed comparisons that I make are between the working varieties, not pet dog/AKC types. Just because a dog is of one of those three breeds does not mean it has the drive and temperament for work. I prefer the German Shepherd Dog for new K9 handlers, as they tend to be more forgiving of mistakes. They are also less reactive than the malinois and so make a good partner for an officer who is, himself, learning the program. For an officer who thinks with his muscles and has a need to prove he is the boss to his dog, or who is highly exciteable, a malinois can be a dangerous problem. I love my malinois, but they need to be worked from a calm place.

The sport of schutzhund was developed for the GSD. The full, calm grip that is a trademark of the sport, is also more naturally occurring in the GSD. If you choose to compete in schutzhund with another breed, you should recognize the natural qualities of those breeds and understand how they affect your training. I have spent months and months working grip with dogs of other breeds who prefer to prey-shake and loosen the grip. If you enjoy certain sports you should also check and see which are available in your area, and whether they are open to your particular breed. The German Shepherd is less body-aware and therefore, does not always jump as dramatically as a malinois and when we work them against obstacles it is less concerning to them to come into contact with the obstacle, whereas the malinois will spring away. They are somewhat slower to mature as puppies.

If you are interested in ringsport, the Malinois is your first choice to be competitive. Nerve strength can be an issue in some lines, but I think dogs who trial in Mondioring require more stability and are a good choice. The French line dogs are smaller and extremely fast, as the decoy steals points from them by evading (esquiving) their moves. Grip is not so important as getting there and holding on. The Mondio dogs are larger and the grip more important, as accessories provide pressure, not the movement of the decoy. So, your choice should be determined by what you want to do. Choice poorly and you will be penalized for, and struggling with a grip issue forever. Malinois puppies also need more exposure to the world, in a positive manner, when they are young.

I love my Dutch Shepherds, but they fall a little under the "I love the breed" category, even though they aren't winning championships. However, when they are cross-bred with malinois then you cannot use them as an example of what a Dutch Shepherd is, to suggest a temperament or drive type. I find them a very willing, medium sized dog that is not a reactive as a malinois but has a tendency toward defensiveness if this is worked in an immature dog. They seem to have more ability to "turn off" and not be active all the time. I have spent more time working grips with them in order to compete in schutzhund, as they prefer to prey-shake and fight. Calm has to be a shaped behavior. Dutch Shepherd pups are similar to malinois in that they need to have a good foundation and exposure to environmental issues as a youngster.

The breed you choose should ideally be one that shares your enthusiasm for the sport you wish to pursue OR you must be willing to adapt the vision and find something you both can enjoy together. To pound that square peg in a round hole will be unsatisfying and unfair. Your own skills and personal attitude also affect which breed would be a good choice. And sometimes, you make an emotional choice that has nothing to do with what breed would be best... and you love it, anyway.
Use the following guide:
1) describe yourself as a handler/ dog owner. are you exciteable? subdued? hate training and just want to hang out? short tempered?
2) describe your preferred method of training: compulsion or motivational
3) identify the activities you wish to pursue with your dog.
Now match those things with the breed descriptions and within the breed, those individuals or lines that most closely correspond to your answers.

And, if you answered "compulsion" as a teaching method for #2............get a fish.

Must have had a bad experience.....

2011-03-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

I realize I am far behind in keeping up with this blog, but I heard a conversation yesterday that I felt compelled to expound on. I was in an *unnamed pet store* and overheard a couple talking to the pet store employee and asking for advice on grooming because their dog doesn't like to be brushed. The woman said he moves away and tries to avoid it, to which the clerk responded "he must have had a bad experience."

First, let's examine our source of information. A pet store clerk. While it is possible this person is an experienced dog trainer, the odds are against it. Particularly in view of the comment, "he must have had a bad experience."
What this couple will take away from the conversation is an excuse for their pet's bad behavior, which they will likely pass along when they relate their brushing woes to friends. It ranks right up there with the "he must have been abused" suggestion that accompanies any shy dog.

It is certainly possible that they used the wrong brush, or pressed hard or just caught a twisted piece of hair and it caused pain to the dog. But since they did not admit to being the culprits, they appeared to be blaming whoever had the dog before them-- the breeder, store, rescue organization or shelter. It is also possible that the dog simply didn't want to be restrained and protested by moving away or trying to nip at them to stop it and they released him. Behavior that is rewarded is likely to be repeated. Therefore, if the dog learned misbehaving equals freedom, he will likely do it again. And a little behavioral phenomena called the "extinction burst" means that his attempts will persist longer and more fiercely the next time, and things will get worse before they get better. Much like an episode of Super Nanny. And the poor, bewildered "pet parents" fall back on the suggestion that their darling was abused, when what he really is, is simply a dog acting the brat.

Some dogs love to be groomed and some learned to tolerate it. Either way, they generally do not start out standing like little statues whilst you pull and comb at their hair. They need to be trained, and hopefully using positive reinforcement.

What I did not hear the clerk asking is "what brush do you use, and how do you use it?" The clerk did not suggest rewarding the dog for small successes. Or elevating it to a position where it felt less secure and likely to run off. Why? Because the clerk probably did not know. That isn't her job. Her job is to sell the products that their company tells them to stock and sell. She has no choice in the quality of those products. In one case, I advised a store that a food they still had stocked on their shelves had been recalled. But for some reason, on many occasions I have heard people in the pet stores asking clerks for training and feeding advice.

In your life with your dog, many people will offer advice. Quite often, the least knowledgeable offer that advice because they are thrilled to finally find someone who knows even less than they do! If you seek out advice, ask the person what their experience and training is in that area because you want to make certain that you are doing the best by your canine partner. We all start out not knowing anything, and there is no shame in that. Whether you remain that way is up to you. Choose your mentors and resources wisely.

Roya in the house

2011-02-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

Roya is back in the house. She lived in the house the last time when she had her puppies, which required the addition of double cylinder deadbolts and locks on the INSIDE of the doors. Roya knows how to open doors that have handles. Her little kitty buddy, Kia, is the feline counterpart to this. Our house appears to be inhabited by poltergeists, as Kia opens cabinet doors. After Roya's last house stay, I heard the door handle rattling and looked to see Kia, stretched and standing on her hind legs, trying to gather enough leverage against the handle to pull it down and open the door! Who says animals don't learn by observation!

I had noticed a spot on one of Roya's rear foot pads that was bleeding. It looked to be a rub spot, which dogs can sometimes get from pacing on a concrete kennel floor. The only problem is, Roya is not an active youngster any longer. She is 10 years old and does not pace. We tried pad-tougheners and other commercial products and still it bled. There was nothing I could think of that would have caused a puncture, and it didn't look like a puncture, but it just was not healing.

I took her to the vet, and on exam, the pad looked to have a crater, a small divot with a dimple center. Not a puncture. Very odd. Dr Jay opted to take a punch sample for biopsy and we learned she had a Spindle Cell Tumor. From my reading, it does not normally metastasize to other areas and in the slow growing form she has may recur in 2-4 years. It often appears on limbs and the median age is 10 years old, but Dr. Jay said they had not previously seen it on a foot pad. It does not respond to chemo and the treatment is to surgically remove.

Roya was an exemplary patient! She did not require a plastic conehead, and never bothered the sutures, so grateful was she to be in the house and on the..... yes, bed. She takes up such a small bit of room, being only a 45 lb dog, and she is a wonderful cuddler. No nighttime romps, she just curls up and goes to sleep. She also enjoys the therapeutic bed we had purchased for Jinx. The difference is that ALL of Roya fits on the bed!

In the meantime, Roya has adopted Kia as one of her own and insists on grooming her just as she would a miscreant pup. She grips Kia using her forepaws, and presses her shoulder down if Kia struggles. We watched Roya use this tactic when her pups would struggle and she would press them to the ground with her shoulder until they surrendered and behaved, so to see her do the same to poor Kia is quite amusing! Roya will hold Kia and do gentle grooming nibbles from head to tail. At night, they sleep next to one another on the bed.

All the dogs seem to love those red rubber Kong bones, and I see that Roya has stolen one. She will bring it for one of us to throw, and after 2-3 tosses, she carries it back to her bed and snoozes again. She isn't the high maintenance dog that I bought 8 years ago, nor the one who caused everyone to hide in their vehicles when I took her out for protection. She is a sweet matriarch now. Pre tried to engage her with play bows but when she stood over her, she ran after him, punching him with her front legs and barking. Pre acts like the pimply 12 year old, hoping to see a breast. He follows her around, makes sideways googly-eyes and hopes she will pay him some attention!

So, at least for now, Roya is living in the house. It appears she may stay.

Teaching the "hold"

2011-01-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

These photos are from May 2010 where I worked with Cooper at the Debbie Zappia seminar. I had missed a step in his retrieve, which was that he would pursue and carry but I had no mechanism for communicating with him what it meant to properly "hold" an object, or tell him he was incorrect if he dropped it.
Before you go any further, let me warn you that you can put about 5 Zappia's in one of me, but hey, you aren't here for the beauty.

In the lower photos you will see how we are each seated and Debbie has the treats and the clicker. I had both my hands full with the dog. The first step is for the dog to be comfortable seated between your legs and facing away from you. (having recently forgotten this and done it with the dog facing me, I think it comes down to which is going to make it easier for you to control the dog). If the dog is worried about that position, take the time first to click and treat and make it a positive place. With the dog facing away from me, I used my right hand (I am right handed) to insert in his mouth and kept my left hand free to control the collar. Again, I don't think there is magic in which hand you use, so long as it is comfortable for you.

The first step in this method is to teach the dog to accept your gloved hand resting in his mouth without struggle, holding it lightly. In this first photo you see Cooper struggling back against me while I hold two fingers across his lower jaw, resting just behind the bottom canines in the natural gap. It is the place where he will later hold the dumbbell. We don't want to teach holding an object with the molars where the dog will likely roll it in his mouth. We use a glove in this stage because the dog will close his mouth and pulse and perhaps try to rid himself of the intrusion. I think the position of having the dog with his back to you helps to keep your hand in his mouth because the natural impetus is for him to move backwards, away from your hand and you are restricting that. Do not just grab the lower jaw and hang on like a rodeo rider; I haven't seen it, but I think it would be possible to dislocate or break a jaw like that. We are only gently restricting their possibility for evasion.

In the photo below you can see my two fingers resting in that gap across Cooper's lower jaw. Two ways of inserting the fingers are to press the bladed hand against the gums/teeth in front, much like inserted the bit to a horse, or simply to slide the two fingers in from the side, into that natural gap. The second is probably the easiest.

At first you will click and treat just as soon as the dog accepts your hand in his mouth without struggle and stops chewing/pulsing on it. When the grip is still, click and treat. This is where it is nice to have the extra set of hands to do the clicking and present the treat to the dog. So, your first steps only require the dog to accept your fingers and be still about it. Be sure the marker, whether a clicker or verbal, comes at the moment the dog is calm and still on your fingers. Using the same language that we do in other training, once we lengthen the behavior we can say "good" to communicate to the dog to persist and a reward will be coming. However, in a first session it is enough to only ask the dog to accept your fingers in his mouth as instructed and be stop chewing.

Regarding this chewing and pulsing, imagine if you made this first step using a dowel, as many of us have done. How long before it resembles a toothpick, gnawed fiercely. Most dogs will not grip their owner's hands like they would a dowel and will learn to accept the object in their mouth by holding but not chewing, the same behavior we ultimately desire with the dumbbell. Notice that we are not using a verbal command yet. Add the "hold" command when the dog is willingly accepting your fingers in his mouth and leaving them in place, lighting holding, until you release.

With the release, leave your fingers in place when the click or verbal marker comes. It is the dog's job to take his or her mouth off of the object. You will not pull your fingers away. Likewise, when we introduce a dowel, when the click comes, the dog can drop the dowel, we do not snatch it away. Use one hand to catch it underneath the dog's chin, but once you say "yes" or click, he is free to open his mouth, drop what he has and take his treat.

In these photos you can see that Cooper has relaxed and is holding my fingers properly.

I took my gloves off to introduce the dowel, in a subsequent session, because I knew I was not going to have a battle to insert something in his mouth. Cooper had already been carrying things around and bringing them to me, so you may need more than one session before you are at this point. Don't rush it, because this is the foundation of your retrieve. As with most things, take one step backwards and review when you first begin your next session. Make sure the dog will indeed accept your fingers in his mouth calmly. If not, begin there. Photo on right, above, is from our first session. Photo on left (notice different clothes, but back to the glove again) is our review in the second session.

Here you can see the introduction of the dowel. At first, the head is thrown up and there is resistance. My left hand cradles under his chin and my right hand is used over the top of his muzzle to stabilize. You can see by the hand positions that I am not holding the dowel in his mouth nor am I holding his muzzle closed, I am simply providing guidance... and then the hand comes away.

See Debbie to my right, with the clicker and treats in her hand, and the bag of treats on the chair with her. This is also important because our system of teaching the dog that he gets treats VIA us, and does not just get to mug them (why we run with the dog to "re-load" during our session, leaving treats out in the open)is consistent. He can see the treats there-- knows that person is holding them-- but he doesn't get them until he gives us the behavior we are asking for.

And here is Cooper, waiting for the dowel to be inserted. You can see he is focused and not looking elsewhere, nor turning his head and resisting. He is simply waiting for me to place the dowel and say "hold", so he can do his thing and earn a treat. When we practice the "hold" we place the object in the dog's mouth. They are not reaching for it. Hold is only the action of holding the object in their mouth. "Bring" is a separate action and a separate lesson.

****Marco had his first lesson in "hold" today. First of all, he is a squirmy, five month old puppy, so I am simply restraining him and not ordering him to sit. If I told him to sit, then I would need to reward him for that and if he struggled against my fingers would have to correct him, so what would I be helping? Not a thing. I would undermine his happy sit, that's for sure. So, I just held him by his collar. As noted, I had him facing me. That may turn out to be the easiest method at his age and skill level. I might have left this until he was older but Marco is a big boy, and I decided I want to get this over while he is still at a reasonably manageable size. I think that was a good idea! At the moment he has razor sharp puppy teeth, with some adult teeth emerging and it is like looking into a shark mouth. I definitely needed gloves! Still, in two brief sessions today we made great progress and at the end he was allowing my fingers into his mouth and holding calmly. IMMEDIATELY when that happened, my partner clicked and treated. Reward those tiny steps. I will try and remember to take photos of video of his next sessions so that you can follow our progress.***

Yep. It's another Marco video! Jan 17 2011

2011-01-17T21:25:00.000-08:00

This was my training session today with Marco, at the Winnegamie Dog Club Training Building in Appleton, Wi. Today Marco, Pre and Cooper won the training lottery. It went longer than normal, approximately 9 minutes, but during that time there was only a couple times when I needed to get his attention and that was because I had dropped treats on the floor. If I continue to be so sloppy I will need to keep a leash on him so he doesn't graze on the floor, but those darned sharp puppy teeth are tough! Today he was starting to make progress on the "object" as a place, and a little bit of rear end awareness with that and also the bark on command. Shepherds are a noisy, talkative lot in comparison to my other dogs and I figure it is best to put his voice on command and then I have a tool to "turn it off" when I need to. You can just see the little wheels turning in his head, especially on the object/place. If the videographer would have been in position, you would have seen the expression on his face as he looked at me, then looked at the tub... hmmm... how about if I down? how about....if I put my feet on here? Oh! THAT's what you wanted?? Well, why didn't you just say so! He is certainly a joyful boy.

Count the number of exercises we were able to practice in 9 minutes....

as a "head's up" and reminder to self, on my upcoming list of things to do is to begin to teach him the "hold" using my hand in his mouth. Before I do that I might post photos of Cooper doing that at the Debbie Zappia seminar. Teaser! This will actually be a good exercise for Marco, as he is not particularly fond of having his mouth examined. We made good progress, but it's on the list.

Yesterday Marco (and Pre) rode with me to Hartford, Wi where I attended the People and Paws SAR meeting. He met another of his Burr Oak friends, Terri. I am very protective over the experiences of my dogs, so before introductions to people there, I instructed them of what I expected, which is basically not to call to or reward the dog for not paying attention to me. We got out and Marco went through his training routine. By doing that he learns 1) new places are fun 2) distractions are simply a means of accessing reward from my handler and 3) same rules, different place. He seemed more distracted than normal until he reminded me that I had neglected to potty him before we went to work!! Bad handler! Once his brain was no longer floating, he was ready to go back to work. He is a good traveler and I haul him around with me everywhere. Such a smart boy! Enjoy your Marco fix for the day!

Make your 5 minutes count!

2011-01-15T22:26:00.000-08:00

We had schutzhund club training today and one of the things that I demonstrated, using Marco, was how to make your 5 minutes count. You might say "5 minutes? That's all the longer you train?" The fact is, too many people go out and march around without a plan on what they want to accomplish. The dog wanders away and only returns when corrected or called, if at all. Attention is sporadic. Your goal should be a session that is dynamic and in which your dog never "falls out" of attention. If you are like me, you will come out of a good session slightly out of breath! Time yourself; see how long you can work when you are moving constantly before you are out of breath, or the dog starts to fade on attention. If you can indeed work for 5 minutes without your dog stopping, looking around, waiting for you to talk to someone else or think about what to do next, good for you! If not, pay attention to how long you can do it, and start there.

While I had a nice session, I did not, in fact, have a full five minutes of attention. Marco thought that all those extra bodies in the building were quite interesting. All of our people are instructed to ignore a dog that is working and runs over to them. The last thing you want is the "aww, cute puppy" syndrome and have the disobedient pup get rewarded by leaving you. As Marco mugged Sue's yummy smelling treat fingers, I went to him, pushed him at the flank area to remind him that I was still there and he left her to go back to work. I also recommend keeping a leash on the dog, even if it is just dragging at times to restrict the roaming if necessary and keep the dog active. For some dogs, having the handler push them or touch them is worrisome (this is not a correction) and so it is better simply to restrict their options for mistakes. You can tap the leash lightly and move away and when the dog follows and shows attention be sure to mark it verbally and reward.

Step 1: GATHER YOUR TOOLS
Before you begin your training session, make sure you have the tools available that you will need. For this exercise, you need food because you need to keep things moving and not stop to get a toy back from the dog. Most dogs that we start this with do not know the gamut of the rules of toy play so you will be left stopping the exercise if you don't have proper grip, the dog tries to leave with the toy, or you can't get it back without a fight. Stick with food. Naturally, going back even further, this means you brought a hungry dog to training. A dog with a fully belly (except a Labrador, which seems to want to eat at any time!!) may elect not to interact when things are too demanding, or possibly stressful because he does not NEED the reward system you are offering.
Have your food accessible. Yes, this likely means dumping it in your pockets. And make sure you aren't wearing jeans so tight it takes a can of Pam and four strong men to get your hand into them! Some folks use bait pouches but be careful about anything that you cannot have during a trial that the dog may learn as a visual cue. Another thing that I like to do is to leave my container of food on a table or chair, and when I am "out" I run excitedly with the dog to re-load. For a dog, movement is rewarding, so you make even that part fun, and they don't lose attention while you fill up. Instead of a time limit, you may find yourself judging how well you are doing by how many "fill ups" you get per session.
Have a leash available, even if you aren't using it. Better to have it there at hand. The leash ideally should be without a handle or long enough that the dog will not catch their feet in the handle if it drags.
If you use a clicker for any part of your training, stick it in your pocket. Oh, and be sure it's not the same pocket as you just dumped your treats in. Take it from me, that gets very yucky. Same rule applies to cell phones. They don't like treat goo, either. (been there/wiped that off). If there is anything else you might need during your session, such as tubs or other place markers, have them ready.

STEP 2: GATHER YOUR THOUGHTS
Before you begin, take a moment to consider what you want to accomplish. If there is anything special that you will be introducing, consider how you will do that. Visualize your exercises and what you will do if your dog's attention wanders. If you have already thought through the process, it won't throw you off your game when it happens and you will be more likely to make good decisions. If you struggle to remember what to do next in the heat of the moment, consider buying a small white board and making your list of exercises, then placing it next to your food container so you will see it when you refresh. Remember that there is no rule that says you must do everything on the list--- always end with success and leave the dog wanting more!

STEP 3: GATHER YOUR DOG!
If your dog is coming out of his crate or car, give him a potty break first. THEN put on his training equipment. This will become a cue to him that he is going to work. If we want him to understand that he needs to turn on and be "into" us, then we need to make it clear to him by being fair and consistent. If we put on a prong collar and leash, let him drag us over to a tree and then yank the snot out of him for not paying attention to us it is not fair. Certainly, with more experienced dogs, they understand obedience commands no matter the equipment, but when a puppy or young dog is learning, we want to give them every advantage. Therefore, let them potty on their flat collar and a long line or flexi. Then put on the training equipment you will use and add a verbal cue. For my dogs, I say "wanna play?" for obedience and "lets go to work" for protection or searching. In this way, your dog is not left to try and guess what they are going to do. More likely than not, they would guess wrong and be corrected, when all we need to do is prevent that mistake by making their task clear.
An example of this would be if you were practicing martial arts and every time you walked in the door of the studio, you were engaged in a fight. You would come in expecting a fight. But today you enter, mentally ready to fight and when a man approaches you quickly and you hit him, they tell you" no, no, no! today is for meditation" . But then you walk into the library, and someone punches you. It will be difficult for you to learn and very stressful because you will not know what to expect. We all want things to be predictable, dogs included.

STEP 4: GET IT DONE!
Have the dog driving into your hand for food before you enter your training area. Don't enter your training field or building with the dog already not paying attention. Then go, go, go! Keep moving, keep it fun. Mark the behaviors you desire. One of the things that I say is "there can be no NO without a YES" which means that until a dog understands what the behavior is that earns "yes" marker, you can't tell him he is wrong! "No" (nope or uh-uh) only apply when a dog knows a behavior and is being wilfully disobedient. Keep it moving, keep it fun and quit while you're ahead. At this stage it is not about how long your dog is able to work, but how well. Do not push until the dog is merely surviving the experience rather than participating in it.
One other thing I do is add a verbal cue that tells the dog we are finished. I simply say "all done" and that means our exercise is finished. This can be helpful later on in protection work when we have a means of communicating to the dog that he can cease being on alert, in the search dog to let him know the search is over... it lets the dog know they can go back to being a dog again.

MARCO AS EXAMPLE
In a five minute session we were able to work the following behaviors:

"driving into my hand", pushing me back for treats
spins on both sides
the Knut Fuchs method of teaching heeling between the legs
heeling position on right and left with outside spins
sit
down
stand
recall
rear end awareness and turns
environmental distractions
working on elevated surface
place markers with object and 360 degree turn on object

The next time you set out for a training session, give some thought to what you want to accomplish and set yourself up for success by being prepared. If you discover that your dog "checks out" before the session is over, make note of that and be sure to make the next session shorter.. then once you have built up to holding his full attention for that period of time, you can increase it. Quality over quantity.

I hope it leaves you breathless....

Marco Learns a Lesson

2011-01-14T21:13:00.000-08:00

Today I let Marco out to load up in the van and he ran to the training building. You might think this is a good thing, and of course, I am very pleased that he is so excited to train that he felt compelled to short cut the whole process. Unfortunately, that meant he eliminated a critical element--- ME!!

Even if I am only going to my training building, I load up the dogs and drive there so that 1) they are contained in crates until it is their turn and 2) they learn that jumping in their crates and going for a ride leads to good things.

So today, when Marco ran to the kennel, I recalled him. He did not come. Instead, he jumped up against the door several times, hoping it would open to the Land of Fun Things. I do admit to calling him one more time, giving him the benefit of the doubt, being a puppy-head and all. He still failed to respond. I said "nope" and retrieved a long line.

Then I retrieved Marco. I did not call him and give him a chance to redeem himself or do something for which I would have to reward him, I just snagged him up. I did not correct him or yell at him. I simply walked him back to the house, and he bucked like a little bronco when he wasn't allowed to sniff the ground or run around as he preferred. I calmly took him inside the house and put him back in his crate without a word. And then I did something unspeakable-- I took out ANOTHER DOG instead of Marco!! Momma, Noooooo!!!! Not fair! Not fair! I let Pre out and put him in the van, went to the building and trained dogs for about an hour before returning to see if Marco had appropriately processed his lesson.

This time, I attached the long line to his collar, just in case I would need it (do not want to create an issue with grabbing his collar and having him associate it negatively) and let him out of the crate and out of the house. Smart little man that he is, he did not run off. He stayed with me, and focused on me and I rewarded him with treats for that and he happily hopped into the van. Success!

If he had decided to run to the kennel the second time, I would have calmly retrieved him and placed him back in his crate. He would go without training and without his meal until the next learning opportunity. For a little doggie who loves training and loves to eat, this is a powerful motivator! If I had yelled and yanked and punished, it would have been associated with me putting hands on him and retrieving him. If I had spent my anger doing that and still taken him to training, he would have been further rewarded for running away. He might think , "so what? a little yelling and I still get to do what I want!" Instead, I took away what he wanted. In behavioral terms, this is a negative reinforcer.

Withholding reward is a powerful tool in learning. Use it.

Rocking His World- control the food

2011-01-13T20:20:00.000-08:00

I had several lessons recently where we had to discuss the lifestyle of the dogs, and how things would need to change in order to motivate the dogs to work with their owners. I thought I would jot down some of those comments, as they apply to anyone either working a new dog of any age, or beginning to re-train one.

The goal is to become the Center of the Universe to your dog, so that, instead of having to nag and call and bully, you have a dog who wants to work with and for you, and who demands it. Most dogs want a clear leader for their pack and tend to act out when that leadership is absent or inconsistent. The pack leader is not abusive and does not have to physically dominate a dog; a leader controls resources.

What resources can you control? Food, play and access are three. Food is a powerful tool in training, but anything we use must have value to the dog. If the dog can eat whenever he wants he can choose to refuse our offering because he knows he can eat later. Food as a training tool is a better choice for teaching behaviors because we do not have to worry about all the rules of play/retrieve/release that come with using a toy. The first thing we control is the food, and we do that by determining how much the dog needs to eat to maintain a working, healthy weight. Remember that this can change depending on the amount of exercise the dog gets, and if it is entering a growth phase. It is best to visually examine your dog each day to determine whether he needs more or less.

So this first change is to put the dog on a fixed feeding schedule, as opposed to free feeding. When changing the way a dog looks at his meals and adapting your role to be more than that of just person who throws food in a bowl, I recommend feeding twice a day and feeding slightly less than what he would normally eat, so that he first begins to look forward to dinner time. For the first few days of this change, I wouldn't ask the dog to perform an obedience command for his dinner BUT I would put down the dish and give him 10 minutes to eat it. Later, my rule is that if the dog walks away from the dish, I pick it up, but at first a dog who is used to being free fed might think he can pick at his food at will. His world is about to be rocked!

Make sure your family is on board when you make this change, so that they do not feel sorry for the dog and sneak him other treats. It will only serve to undermine what you are trying to accomplish. By feeding twice a day, you know the dog will have another opportunity to eat. As a word of warning, he may go several days of only grabbing a mouthful or two until he figures out that the food is truly going away. We are not actively training during this time using food until we have created a mechanism to use as reward, which is desire.

Do not tease the dog with his food, remove it or otherwise interfere with his eating once he begins to eat or you will create food guarding behaviors. Instead, as part of your role as the "giver of all good things", drop a special treat or two into the dish as he eats. You want him to look forward to your presence and interaction as a good thing. If you had a delicious steak and someone kept taking it away from you as you ate, pretty soon you would position yourself to protect it and if the behavior persisted, you would probably clobber the thief! Your dog doesn't feel any differently about unfair behavior than you would. So instead, we show the dog that we are fair and bring good things to his table and that people near his food, or hands near his dish are good.

You can build on this by portioning off the dog's meals and then dropping handfuls or pieces into the dish. The dog will eat the pieces and look at you expectantly... drop some more. Again, you are simply showing him that your presence and contribution to his dinner time is a good thing.

When I have a dog who presents with food guarding/aggression OR I get a new dog, I immediately begin feeding by hand. With no dish on the floor, there is nothing to guard and the dog learns that all good things come from my hand. When you do this, you can't be lazy about it and think you're just going to throw a dish down tonight because you're tired.. the meals MUST come from you. My goal with the new dog in particular, is to attach him to my hand, so to speak, and have him working for his meals in a dynamic manner. You can begin to put his obedience sessions on cue by saying something such as "wanna play" (which is my OB cue) and then beginning your series of spins, recalls, positions.. all for food. The goal is never to have the dog leave you and "check out" during this session, the same as you would not reward the dog for wandering away from the food dish.

In addition to the positive attributes of controlling the resource for the purpose of training and establishing leadership, it can also be a critical element for the working dog. Without going into medical detail, particularly with the deep-chested breeds that are statistically prone to bloat and torsion, we need to know when the dog has last been fed and how much so we can avoid exercise and water intake that could prove fatal. By knowing when your dog has eaten you could potentially save his life. You also know immediately when your dog is "off his food" and not feeling well. In the case of some medical conditions, including a blockage this also could save a life. If you know your dog eats 2 cups per meal and consumes it within five minutes as a rule and that same dog eats a mouthful and then coughs it up or chooses not to eat, you immediately know something is wrong, and to keep an eye on it or get it checked out.

As with all dog training, patience is key. Remember that you are rocking the world of your dog as he knows it. Dogs --and humans-- will cling to that is familiar and resist change. For the dog, this may mean he refuses to eat under the new rules, at least at first. Resist the temptation to chum up his food to entice him. It would be an incredibly stupid dog who willingly choose to starve when there was food in front of him. This is not to say they won't hold out for longer than you would think probable, as evidenced by my boy, Digit, who decided he no longer wanted to track and went four days without more than enough food to make his stomach rumble before he decided to surrender.

Reward effort. The dog who has never had to work in this manner or taken food by hand is possibly not going to be glued to you the first time you try. Reward the small steps of success, to encourage him to keep trying. If you set him up to fail, he will stop trying and we don't want that. Be sure that when he comes into your hand for food you mark it "yes!" and give him food!! Small, easy steps at first, building toward the final behavior. The change may be difficult for both of you, but if you persist, it will be rewarding.

working for a living- Marco on January 9

2011-01-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

I usually put Marco's meal allotment in my pocket and he has to earn his dinner by practicing the various obedience exercises he knows or that we are working on. Today it was nice enough outside that I thought we would work a little on tracking again. Marco has a natural desire to investigate with his nose. I have to make some adjustments in our training because since he is not restrained, and he wants to be near me where it is rewarding, it is hard to lay a track without his assistance. What I end up doing is making a snow scent circle and placing food there and then walking backward and placing food in the steps as he works his way down the track, where I will then lay another scent circle, which gives me time to put in a few more steps! The positive part is that he learns to work through where other dogs have run, etc, and follow my footprints. Since I am also trying to take a few photos, I need enough distance to get a photo of him working the track! Talk about multi-tasking!

And here is Marco with his Orbee ball. I actually found these on line and ordered them for gifts for our annual schutzhund club gift exchange. I found the large size to be extremely large, far too big to use for training but a nice play object (which Pre also enjoys) and I think they will be useful for targets for send aways because the dog can hit them with speed and not break a tooth and the large ones are too big to swallow and choke. What they term the medium size is slightly smaller than the "large" balls on strings that I use for training. They look like a little globe. At any rate, Tom selected the gift I had brought and no one else wanted the Orbee ball so we ended up taking it back home with us. Now it belongs to Marco.

True to what I observed when we initially tested him, Marco prefers to possess and guard rather than retrieve. He will bring the ball back in exchange for food, though, but for the most part his toys will need to be on lines to ensure their return, I think.

Seemed like a good idea at the time

2011-01-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

This goes under the heading of "it seemed a good idea at the time." Marco had some of his early upbringing in the company of other dogs, so I feel good about his socialization skills. Since coming here, I had not allowed him to free play with other dogs. Instead, all of his reward and fun have come through me so that I am the center of his world, and not a dog buddy.

Today I thought I would let Marco stretch his legs running in the fields with another dog and that it would be a fun break for him. He has been very attentive to me in his training sessions so I did not think it would be harmful to that. So which dog to use? I didn't want to take out one of the adult males who might squash him mentally or physically, so opted to bring Chica, a small Dutch Shepherd female. Her momma, Roya, had been one of my greatest puppy teachers of all time, but she is older and Marco, at 5 months, is bigger and more exhuberant than her. I figured Chica could simply outrun the little goober if necessary.

Well, she could. And did. But since I have been working alot with Chica lately, as well, she also wanted to be near me. And every time she would come running back to me, Marco would body-slam her. Female dogs are generally very tolerant of puppies. I thought she should have a smack down, but she was too polite for that. Marco couldn't outrun her, but he could ambush her! I carried a bag with treats, a ball and a leash, in case I needed to separate the dogs. When Chica would run back I would tell both dogs to sit and then reward them with treats, thus saving her from another slobbering display of affection. I was practiced recalling Marco from Chica, which was also a good lesson. I was able to turn my good idea turned bad back into a good idea by making it an obedience lesson. In the future, however, it will serve both dogs better to have their own running time with me rather than sharing.

Pre gets a new jolly ball

2011-01-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

This really doesn't require words. I bought a Jolly Ball (horse toy) for Pre at Fleet Farm because Sam said he loves them. He was right. But I did have to tell him that HIS BAD DOG punctured the ball in his first play session!! Crazy dog.

Snow Day- Marco

2011-01-04T22:59:00.000-08:00

Of course, Marco got a Christmas Day walk! I didn't walk him with the other dogs because right now we are focusing on the fact that all good things in the world come from me. I always take treats with me, and we make a lesson of it, practicing recalls and positions. To Marco, it's just all fun and food!

what a head, eh?

Here is Marco, stuck in the snow. He discovered that the snow was deeper than he thought! After that, we stayed on the plowed trail. He has such a serious look on his face.

this is an artsy picture of Marco running with a snowball in his mouth. I didn't have a toy with me, so I would kick loose clods of snow and toss them and he would chase after them and attempt to carry them back... until they disintegrated!

we practiced a little tracking. if the weather isn't so cold that it hurts to breathe through my nose, I will track with the dogs and this was a warm, snowball-packing day. We had done a few snow scent circles so on our walk I would step out a scent circle, put down some treats (string cheese is good for snow, but some of my footprints had his puppy chow in them) and proceed to walk backwards, dropping treats in my tracks. In that way, I could put a few extras in a print and gain some distance on him! He was all about finding that food and loves to use his nose to the ground. The following day he did a very nice serpentine track.

Snow Day- Pre

2011-01-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

And this is Pre in the snow, on Christmas Day. He was totally crazy, leaping through the snow and then burying himself in it. He would stick his head into the snow and the push his rear end, tunneling until all that was visible was a piece of his tail. I tried to capture the moment he emerged, flinging off the snow, but it didn't quite work out. We have 40 acres, so he had plenty of room to stretch out.