A special delivery!

This week's work schedule has been really rough... I have like 4 blog posts in mind and I just haven't had the time or motivation to write them.

So what perfect timing to receive a special package in the mail from Loretta of Full Tilt Border Collies! I knew I had won a contest on her blog, but I've been a little distracted lately, so it was a pleasant surprise to come home to!



I know about her husband's sock monkey fetish so I was sort of thinking that might have been involved in the prize somehow. :) But I had NO IDEA how amazing and extensive our prize would be!



I could barely get the dogs to hold a stay... Norman was especially amped up to get at the goodies. (And no, I didn't bother to sweep before taking these pictures)





Wolfie found one of the bully sticks and decided that nothing else was as worthy of his time.



Scorch predictably decided that squeaking the tennis ball repeatedly and loudly was the best way to spend his time.


Norman commandeered control of the sock monkeys and immediately concentrated on pulling the fringe off of their hats.




Unfortunately, Norman couldn't handle the concept of "sharing" so he's sequestered in his crate right now. He doesn't handle excitement well. There are still some edibles left in our box; Norm can enjoy his bully stick in private. Scorch has decided that the tennis ball is still more important (OH MY GOD THE SQUEAKING IS ENDLESS) for now.


The dogs have been very bored with my new schedule and this really made our day! One of the sock monkeys has a giant hole where his jaw used to be, but actually they're holding up really well to all the abuse!

Loretta, I cannot thank you (and Klink and Gator and Ace and Even and Lynn and Crackers and Vittles and the sheep too!) enough!

Drop on Recall breakthrough!

Today was a banner day for Scorch.

Today, I feel like we actually will be ready for Open by August.

The only real hurdle left was the drop on recall. Everything else has been at least satisfactory; we just need more practice and proofing.

1. Heelwork and figure 8 - Scorch tends to go a bit wide on about turns. We, of course, always have a forging problem, which will undoubtably get worse when we're in the ring. He forges partly out of excitement and partly because he's just SO. DAMN. FAST. I've learned that speeding up my pace considerably helps with his positioning. However, that also makes my footwork sloppier on halts and about turns (which might explain why he goes wide).

His attention is great, however, and that's really the important part. Everything else is fixable; our necessary foundation is there. Also, his figure 8 is usually amazing.

2. Retrieve on the flat - Amazing. His fronts even seem to be straighter when he has a dumbbell. My only concern is if he is too excited, he might break his stay and retrieve the dumbbell before my command, but that rarely occurs in practice. Also, my throwing could be better.

3. Retrieve over a jump - Amazing. Again, I worry a bit about him breaking his stay but other than that, I'm pretty confident that he'll jump.

Actually, another competitor chatted with me after her Open run; her Weim went over the jump on the way back from retrieving on the flat. She was still happy because she'd rather he be eager to go over the jump. She'd been working on him retrieving horribly thrown, off-center dumbbells and making sure he re-aligned himself with the jump. So even though he should have stayed on the flat, he had a decision to make and he chose the jump. I definitely want a dog who jumps, especially after Jack's refusal pattern.

4. Broad jump - This just needs more practice. We worked on it a lot when prepping for our Rally trial. He jumps it straight most of the time; I need to wean him off of me moving or me tossing something to keep him straight.

5. Out of sight stays - I need to work on increasing the length of time; my only real concern is him going down on the sit. I need to find several ideal spots to work on this instead of just our driveway or my training building.

6. Drop on recall - This was the single greatest area of concern I had. We just weren't getting it. He would generally walk in unless I stepped towards him and used verbal and signal combined. I tried using a barrier and he tended to drape his paws over it... he takes shaping very literally at times and we both get frustrated. That was what he thought I wanted and it kept too much focus on the barrier. Then his downs in general became slower and he was folding into a sit first.

So I've just been dropping him more frequently throughout the day. I also make him sit at curbs on our walks, regardless of his position. Yesterday, the dogs were being obnoxious at dinnertime, so I boomed, "DOWN!" This was mostly directed at Wolfie and Norman, who were leading the obnoxious charge, but they of course ignored me. Scorch, on the other hand, hit the deck hard. THAT was what I'd been looking for!

So this morning, I took him out on the retractable. When he was ~20 feet ahead of me and nearing the curb, I'd tell him to sit... and he DID IT, without attempting to turn or come back to me. So he got his off leash run and then we went to teach a class. Before class, we worked with the dumbbell a little. After class, I decided to work on some drops.

I dropped him, then tossed the treat behind him. As soon as he ate it, I dropped it again. This was a drill he was familiar with, but his drops were much faster and more confident. Then, I called him to come and dropped him. He walked in and downed. I told him, "Try again!" and brought him back to the starting point and put him in a sit. Then I walked across the room and called him to come. He wasn't a crazed maniac this time, and I called a down.

PERFECT!!!

I super-jackpotted him, and then, I admit it, I got a little greedy. I jazzed him up and set him up in a sit-stay again. Called him, dropped him...

PERFECT AGAIN!!!

Finally, my sensible trainer side stepped in and I ended it on a high note. We stopped all training for the morning and hopefully that's resonating in his mind. I might tempt fate and work on it some more tonight (along with the broad jump and some left-turn-stars).

Affording the cluster of shows is still a concern, but at least, from a training standpoint, I feel like we have a shot. I have an Easy Walk Harness on order in Scorch's size so maybe I can finally get a handle on his loose-leash walking. I've been "dialing the wrong number" with my techniques for too long. Time to bring in a training aid. It's amazing that a dog with such a beautiful heel has such an atrocious casual walk.

Sick and tired of being sick and tired.. after being hit with the flu a couple of months ago, I have a sort of mini-flu taking me down now. I'm sweating buckets, and training is just NOT happening right now.

Add in the stress of the unknown, because Bryan got laid off of his job, and our training schedule has ground to a halt.

I'm still hoping to do some showing in the show cluster coming up in August; but maybe instead of debuting in Open, we might have a more enjoyable experience in Rally Excellent. If I can afford any showing at all.

At the very least, I've started taking our loose-leash walking more seriously, and Scorch has gotten some good work around the neighborhood. He's still just a FAST dog, and that may always be a hurdle for us.

Ugh. Here's hoping for a change in luck.

The Transporter

(Please note: all of the pictures in this post were taken by a cell phone. So there is some bluriness/fogginess in some of them)

So. I've had a temporary job description change. I've been working extra-hard lately to bring in some outside lines of puppies at work, who will hopefully go on to become breeders. It's at times frustrating and disappointing, but also exhilarating and exciting.

And, oh, did I mention adorable?


That little girl earned her wings (check the bottom of her coat) after flying to Florida with me from Montana. She's my most recent transport. She was a champ, enduring 2 long flights without so much as a peep (either vocally or accident-wise). Of course, as soon as we arrived at Tampa airport, I rushed her outside, thinking she'd be ready to burst. She simply looked at me and chewed on some sticks. I brought her back inside to head towards the parking garage, and she finally squatted on the tile floor. Oh well.

I actually went to Montana with the intentions of picking up an 8 month old female. Every potential dog that we visit must have a family history full of very specific health clearances. However, they also must have a stable, confident, trainable temperament.

The female I went to evaluate spent the good part of an hour looking like this:


Needless to say, I didn't go home with her. Luckily there was another puppy available. There was still some question about some of the health history, but I decided she was worth taking.

Where I stayed in Montana:


I love watching the milk bar:


Last week, I also made a trip up to Maryland. I had two puppies to choose from:


I chose the one who had a softer mouth. Otherwise, temperaments seemed very uniform and I could have taken either.

I stayed in Baltimore:




...which was sort of hilarious because I am NOT used to parallel parking. I managed to do it, and was so proud of myself for being straight and not hitting anything... until I realized I was a foot away from the curb. Oh well, it's still an accomplishment.

I picked out a restaurant on Yelp that sounded promising. The reviews did mention that the restaurant looked a little rough... yeeeeah, a bit of an understatement. I think there was a drug deal going on down the street while I was there. But whatever, because THIS is the magnificent sandwich I got to eat:


I've never had a crab cake whose size I could compare to a tennis ball. I was full for the next 12 hours or so.

Puppy was amazingly well behaved on the plane. I've really encountered very little static from airport staff, thankfully. These pups are service dogs in training, and legally I'm allowed to bring them with me. But that doesn't mean everybody knows that. I think the super-dose of cute, plus the peaceful behavior of the pups I've worked with thusfar, make acceptance much easier.


I also transported a lab from the east coast of FL. I could drive for that one luckily. I don't have a great picture of him, but I do have a photo that documents Norman's tolerance... he's finally learning how to deal with incoming dogs.


I sent a trainer to Louisiana, and my searching partner sent a trainer to Georgia. My upcoming planned trips include Wyoming, Virginia, Arizona, and Chicago. Traveling is exhausting but also fantastic. Scorch wasn't speaking to me much when I returned from this last trip... I don't think he's much of a fan of me leaving all the time. I keep promising him it's only temporary.

Scorch CD RA

The nice thing about competing with Scorch for the 10th time is that things are starting to come together. I wouldn't call him "seasoned" yet, but today was the first time I really felt like we walked into the show site and he knew exactly what he was there to do. And we went in and he did it. He was pretty much perfection today. I couldn't have asked for more.

This was definitely a smaller trial than what we're used to. But the audience ringside is growing when it's our turn to show. Scorch knows how to draw a crowd. We earned High in Rally Trial (I didn't even know that was a thing!) and won a pretty dog bowl. I just need to work on his loose leash walking in the venue... it's atrocious. Other than that, he's calmed tremendously and isn't as revved up when we go in now, which is a relief.

Welcome to your Rally Advanced title, Scorch. We did it, together.

Norman

I suppose it's time to introduce Norman.



Norman came to me as a foster from Cairn Rescue USA. He was described as a "border collie in a cairn terrier suit". He was dog aggressive, loud, and obnoxious, but would melt like butter with people. I remember the day I met him; his first foster mom brought him to the dog training facility I worked at. We wanted to do intros with my dogs on neutral turf. Norman came screaming and shrieking out of the car, ready to eat my dogs that were behind the fence.

Somehow, we worked it out and Jack, Wolfie, and Norman reached a state of tolerance that was acceptable to all. I fostered him for over a year; he was a demo dog in my classes and became a little shining star. He even made several doggy friends, including a Maltese named BeeJay who also hated other dogs. However, his involvement in off-leash playtimes with my group classes ended when he attached himself to a poor mastiff's face.

Still, he came a long way, and my mother adopted him to be a companion for her, my alzheimer's-stricken father, and our older Cairn Mugsy. Cairns tend to prefer the company of other Cairns, and despite Mugsy's reluctance, they became friends. She made her first canine friend shortly before she succumbed to various organ failures.

Fast forward to about 4 years later. Dad's disease has progressed rapidly in recent years and he was barely aware of Norman's existence. Norman still liked to sit by him and follow him, but when Dad would have a temper tantrum, Norman would often be in the way... and he got stomped. Norman's stress response is aggression... a bite occurred.

That was enough for everyone. We always knew it was a possibility that Norman would come to live at my house again, and the time had arrived. It's very sad for many reasons, not the least of which is that my mom has become very attached to him; he ended up being much more for her than my dad after all.

Someday, when it is safe for him to return, Norman can go back home. Until then, he's staying here with us. He and Wolfie have never been fully comfortable with one another, but after a couple of weeks, the posturing settled down. He has always liked Scorch, which is shocking considering how long Scorch was intact, so they're fine. He has an unhealthy love for the cat.

He did get snappy last night with Bryan and Wolfie. Again, his response to stress is aggression; yesterday, I took him to work for 2 obedience classes and then we had people over playing Kinect (lots of stomping). He snarled silently at Wolfie while sitting on the couch, and then later snapped at Bryan when Bryan told him off for sniffing a bag of Doritos. It's always an adventure in this house... but Norman will always have a home here if he needs it and overall I do think he's happy.

Awful picture, but I do have evidence of actual SNUGGLING... Scorch isn't too sure about the whole thing, but Norman wanted nothing more than to sleep next to him.

Houdini

Yesterday, I taught a private lesson to a client from my puppy class. The appointment was actually scheduled for Monday, but Scorchie was on crate rest... and if Scorchie couldn't make it, she wanted to reschedule. I swear, it's really all about Scorch, not me. :)

So the dogs had a nice little playtime, and then her cocker spaniel had a nice little lesson. My client, by the way, lives in a BEAUTIFUL condo with fantastic gulf views. Scorch considers himself a society dog after having been there. So we were working the dogs in the courtyard and then took them into the small parking garage for some off-leash playtime. We entered through the open garage door and rounded a corner. There was another slatted garage door there, pulled down. My client said, "They'll be fine in here, the only way out is the way we came in."

In literature, this device would be called "foreshadowing".

The boys were running around joyfully, and no sooner had the words come out of my clients mouth that Scorch found a gap in the closed garage door and squeezed through it. He stood right outside the door looking victorious, then started sniffing a bush while we stood there open-mouthed. When I recovered my senses, I called him and he squeezed back through.

There truly isn't much that can contain this dog. Bedroom doors, backyard doors, sliding doors, windows, soft crates...


...he has opened representatives from each of these categories with ease (although no destruction, thankfully). Now we can add GARAGE DOORS to the list.

It was a beautiful day outside, so after his demo-dogging job, we stopped at Bird Key park for our daily training session (daily!!! I've actually kept up training him EVERY SINGLE DAY!).


He was a little wired at first, as always, but it definitely took him less time to settle down. The new location work we've done lately has helped. He gave me some nice heelwork (forge-y, but our criteria was more attention than position) and we worked on signals. He needed some gentle reminding that he needs to look at me when left on a stand-stay because signals might be coming. He made some nice improvements.

And of course, we worked on "stays" so I could take his picture by the water. (All photos in this post are unedited cell phone pics, so pardon any weirdness)




Overall, a beautiful, successful training day... with standard Houdini behavior.