Cross-wise

54 degrees and a wind of 21 mph and I thought "tracking!!"  When the wind is blowing, I get going, so to speak.  In tracking, the best attitude is to greet distractions and seeming difficulties as opportunities to learn.




 Especially when I am teaching the fundamentals of staying at the source of the odor, I like to make long legs cross-wise to the wind direction.  There is no reward where there is no human scent, and the dog learns to get themselves back to the source of the odor. In these windy day tracks the cross-wise legs are baited at random but quite heavily so that if the dog does leave the track there is reward when he returns.


Today we were doubly "blessed" by vehicle tracks across the area. If you have ruts, grain-cuts from lawn mowing, trails or other,  laying your track "cross-wise" to those is also helpful.  The dog is not rewarded for following those areas of heavy disturbance that do not contain the scent that he was started on, and he learns to negotiate those unrelated scent profiles.  I do not bait through those, leading the dog with food; I bait before and after the distraction.  If the dog is drawn off onto the rut/tire impression or whatnot, he very quickly recognizes there is no human scent there, and moves back to the track... where he finds reward.  

 I should note here that this is not a trailing exercise. By the time tracks such as this are run, the dog understands the scent circle exercise and knows that where there is no human scent there is no reward, and if he makes one step outside that area, knows to return to the area of human scent.  He has likely seen serpentine tracks as well as had unrelated people walking near the track layer when the tracks were laid.  He is beginning to understand that anything that does not contain the scent of the tracklayer is unimportant.  I stay close to the dog and if he does step off the track to explore another scent, I say nothing.  I do not physically or verbally correct him.  It is up to the dog to find the track and be successful.  However, he does not have 30 feet or even 10 feet to run around and air scent.  As I said, I stay close on the line and give him one or two steps before he feels back pressure on the line.  He needs to convince me that his direction is correct.  He pulls against the pressure to get back to the track... and the reward.  


On the track, I also start to give some gentle back-pressure on the line as the dog moves to a piece of food, building the same "convince me" pull. Just as soon as he gives me resistance, I release the pressure, he finds reward and I say soothingly "good."


In the photo below, taken with my cell phone as I was tracking with Buzz, you can see the track at an angle to the vehicle tracks, moving right. You can see it just at Buzz's right shoulder.

Any time you track, be grateful for distractions and challenges.  Just be sure to provide an opportunity for reward equal to the difficulty.  Once the dog understands articles, you can also alternate legs with bait, and legs with articles and use the articles to reward a successful movement through difficulty.  Create confidence for yourself and your dog and have fun with tracking!

Sophie and Cooper-- the No Labels Tour

Not long ago, I taught a seminar for people who work with the foster dogs in rescue, preparing them for their forever homes.  I told them that, although the seminar was billed as "Clicking to Calm and Challenge" if there was a sub-title it would be "The No-Labels Tour."

Almost all my private lesson clients these days are rescue dogs.  There are many opportunities for the well-balanced, nicely behaved dogs but where do the rest go? Their owners try the local obedience classes, because that's what they've always done before.  Only this time, with this dog, the stimulation is too much.  Sometimes they shut down and mentally flee. Sometimes they lash out at people or other dogs.  In the worst case scenario, unskilled trainers advise the owner to put a prong collar on the dog and force it to march around in endless, yanking circles. Or they suggest the owner step in front of the fearful dog to block it's view or a host of other useless parlor tricks.

Without ever teaching the dog what our desired behavior is, it is patently unfair to correct it.  Don't tell me that your dog is "leash reactive!"  How can it be anything but reactive if it never learned how to sit or heel properly? Additionally, if your dog is fearful you must take him out of that environment in order to learn.  Group classes are not helpful to these dogs until they have the skill set to be able to perform alternate behaviors.

Enter Sophie.  I can't give you a full appraisal of what Sophie has been through in her training except that she attended *special* classes.  Her handler, Matt, started attending my schutzhund club training and showed him how to work with some of my dogs on basic obedience.  Matt is a quick study and grasped the concept of using verbal markers and the clicker.  Instead of maintaining her original label, Matt chose to teach her basic obedience using the same methods. He showed me the work he had done and demonstrated beautiful and correct heel position.  It was time to bring her into a group environment.  In order to make that transition, we first begin by pairing Sophie with a calm, obedient dog who is not going to make strong eye contact or threaten her.  The dog must first learn that it is safe working near another dog before you can ask it to hold things together with an disobedient dog. This is why group classes, filled with dogs that do not know how to sit and behave or heel, is a recipe for disaster for the dog that believes its life is in danger.

If the dog cannot sit in the face of stimulus or distraction, begin there.  Don't label the dog or make excuses, address the behavior in front of you.  With the many rescue dogs I work with, I seek to challenge them and their owners as we develop their confidence.  So here are some photos of a recent session with Sophie.  She worked opposite two different male dogs that day, Quinn and Cooper. We take the behaviors she knows and work them in the presence of different dogs; we do not ask her to learn new behaviors then, we merely change one thing in the environment to reinforce to her that she is safe and capable.  The photos below are of her session opposite Cooper:

The first photo does not show the attentive obedience Sophie is capable of, but she is not lunging, she is using calming signals by attempting to sniff the ground.  She discovered that Cooper was nothing important in her world, and turned her attention back to Matt.

If you are working a dog that responds aggressively toward another dog, the best place for you to be is on the RIGHT.  That is because any correction you give moves the dog to your right and away from the other dog.  It also requires the dog to look at the handler fully.  In this photo, I have just crossed in front of Sophie and Matt is about to make an about turn.

Both dogs sitting and giving their handler's attention.  Sophie is at a stage where Matt is using lures in the presence of another dog, so that there is ample reward for good behavior but you can see her posture is relaxed and open and she isn't worried about the dog nearby.  Since this was Sophie's first time working opposite another dog like this, we were also careful not to encroach on her parameters where she would begin to worry.

Pretty darned close, and no concern. The most difficult position for a worried dog is the down.  Not only is it a submissive position, but it does not allow for the dog to run for it's life quickly if circumstances require it!  If you have a dog who barks, the dog is the least helpful position for making calm because you do not have a means of enforcing quiet.  The sit position is a dog handler's best friend.  Sit= quiet.  You do not need to add an unnecessary command, it only serves to bring your own emotional state into play.  Simply teach and reinforce that no barking is allowed in the sit position.  Teach attention to the handler.  While I can address more about this in the future, that does not translate to the cutesy trick of having the dog sit in front of you as you wave treats.  Attention is not relative to the dog looking at your face because as you heel your face will be forward, and if the dog thinks it is only rewarded for being in front/looking at your face, you will struggle to keep it in proper heel position.

With Sophie obviously relaxed, we had some fun doing synchronized obedience!  We would count 1-2-3 and then.... spin... or down... sit... or touch!  Both dogs know the finger touch on command, which is also a very helpful tool.  As you can see, Sophie is totally into it.  Again, not a new behavior, simply taking something she already knows and putting it in a new environment.


1-2-3  SPIN

1-2-3   TOUCH!!

NOT THE END.  

THIS IS THE BEGINNING!

On the Cheap

In a lesson this week, we used a section of decorative fence, an end table and two bales of hay with a board for an impromptu agility course.  The decorative fence had slates, which, when laid on the ground were elevated slightly to create a walkway.  The end table because a "pause table" for positions.  The hay bales and board were a raised dog walk.


Not long ago, when I was teaching the foundation of the blind search I used a large plastic garbage can and a chair.  The moral of the story is that you don't need to pay ridiculous sums of money for specialized equipment in order to get good training done.  A couple pieces of PVC or stakes and plastic bags can create blinds and jumps.  An end table found on the curb can become a nice pause table.  You won't feel badly when you cut a few inches off the legs, either! 


 In USAR we love our "junk agility" and teaching the dogs to walk on unsteady surfaces.  This is good for  building confidence in any dog.  Got some old chain link, snow fence and some wood pallets?  Make certain you don't have sharp edges or places the dog can get stuck, and you have a nifty little environmental challenge course.  I think most everyone has a ladder at home.  Place the ladder on the ground, resting on a couple concrete blocks and you can teach your dog rear-end awareness which the cheapest cavaletti on earth. Fiber glass poles and hula hoops can create interesting weaves and guides.  And while we're at it-- if you want realistic tracking articles, visit your local Goodwill and pick up some small toys, old wallets, etc.


You can still drool over the catalogs, and bend the pages of the equipment you would love to have, but don't put off your training because you can't afford a thousand dollars worth of pretty plastic. Look in your garage, and do it on the cheap.

Jimmy runs blinds

Jimmy is a Boxer whose owner came to me because Jimmy needed more obedience and control.  Jimmy is a pet, who lives in a household with several other dogs and he also needs to interact with nieces and nephews.  His exuberance and prey drive were getting him into trouble with the kids.  Jimmy is a young male, so he brings that teen-aged enthusiasm.

Since beginning private lessons, Jimmy has learned many of the things we teach our sport dogs.  It teaches him control while finding an outlet for his energy.  His owner, Jay, also enjoys challenging Jimmy with new things to learn.  Recently we taught Jimmy to run blinds.  Actually we taught him first to go around simple obstacles such as chairs and garbage cans, learning the concept that he can "go around" anything Jay designates.  Jimmy won't be entering any schutzhund trials but this is a simple behavior that can be used to exercise Jimmy mentally and physically without having to purchase fancy or expensive equipment. I'm all about using common (cheap) items for training!

Today being a lovely day to be outside, I set up the schutzhund blinds.  I'm sharing these videos because I have seen people struggle with teaching blinds, and use long lines and prong collars to force dogs around them.  Here is a pet dog with minimal training, who learned in several lessons to run two blinds for a food reward.  

In this next video, Jay is giving direction from the center position, without moving as much to help Jimmy.  You can see that Jimmy gets stuck for a moment at the second blind, and then makes a good decision to go around.  He is then rewarded with his jackpot reward,  a soccer ball.

 I did not show the beginning steps of teaching the exercise, which were taught using food and clicker or verbal markers.  While it may not have the precision or speed of the final product we expect for competition, and I am particular with my own dogs on how they circle the blind, the point is to demonstrate that it is a fun exercise that can be easily taught to any dog who will work for reward, whether food or toy. Jimmy can do it--- how about YOU?

Narcotics Detection Class June 11, 2012

The next Narcotics Detection class at FoxTal Training Center begins June 11, 2012.  It is a five week course, teaching passive indication of narcotics. Contracts for the purchase of a suitable canine for the course must be secured three months in advance.  If interested, contact Debra Krsnich at Foxtal@aol.com

winter walk with the dogs

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!

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.