Petie the Norwich Terrier and Sonny the English Cocker at the Tracking Seminar

Petie is a Norwich Terrier and Sonny is a field bred English Cocker. They were the two smallest dogs in the class. Here is a shot of Petie, Sonny, and Lynda with Cavall, while we were talking about article indications at the seminar. It looks sunny out, but note the winter jackets and toques!

Below is Charity with Sonny on day one, doing a footstep track with bait.

And here is Sonny on day two. By this time he had done a few short, baited tracks. Notice how he is already going out ahead a bit! He is very thoughtful and focused in his work, and on a nice loose line as he moves out on his own.

And below is Petie on day one...he might be a small guy, but he is so game and worked as tirelessly and with as much drive as the big boys!

And on day two, he did a dirt track and filled up on treats! Tracking on dirt is much like tracking in the snow, because beginning handlers can see their tracks. It helps immensely with handling skills and confidence in the beginning and this fresh dirt has a lot of scent.

I thought I took a close-up shot of his harness but I can't find it. It was blue with yellow dog bones on it. Very stylish! These were both neat dogs to watch and they were very similar in their working styles.

We interrupt this tracking blog for a special snow report...

This photo was taken by the Alberta Motor Leagues live cameras in the past hour. There is a severe winter storm warning in place for a large part of Alberta tonight, with up to 20 cm of snow expected, strong winds and the possibility of highway closures and power outages. The only good thing about this is that we really need precipitation, as it is SO dry here! The farmers are happy, and hopefully people will stay safe over the next 24 hours.

I stocked up on water today on my way home from work and made sure I have stuff I need in case I get stuck at home with any problems. The dogs are having fun, they love the snow! I got cozy on the couch tonight to watch some TV, and Ted decided he needed to lie right on me. I grabbed my cell phone to take a picture...what a great dog he is. I love him so! One nice thing about storms, it feels very cozy to be indoors with the dogs around!

Wordless Wednesday

Ben

Beginners Tracking Clinic - Field and Urban tracking in Olds, Alberta

On the weekend, I gave a tracking clinic in Olds, Alberta. Lynda Caughlin of Fionavar K9s is pictured above with her Belgian Cavall - and isn't he looking pretty nice with his nose down! She wrote a nice description on her blog! So I will just give a link for everyone to have a look. I will put a few more pictures up over the coming week, to feature some of the dogs. We had three Belgians, a Weimerainer, an Aussie, a Lab, a Border Collie and a Norwich Terrier. All of the dogs were great and by the end of day two, had already made so much progress! As always, I was very happy to share with beginners to the sport.

Lynda's blog is in the sidebar menu...Fionavar K9s.  It feels funny, but in a nice way, to be on another blog this way! Thanks Lynda and everyone who came out to the seminar!

Below Gail and her Weimerainer Siegfried had just completed a mini-TD, and the crowd of participants shows their enthusiasm for a job well done! Lynda is in the background getting ready to go. Can you tell how cold we were? But, it was great tracking weather.

A vet visit and it's points to ponder

Today I took Jack in to get his heartworm/lyme test done. The scale tells me he has a couple of pounds of winter weight to lose. (don't we all) But he did fine as always. I expect no less of course.

And from that visit here are today's "points to ponder":

*

I don't let my dogs greet other dogs in the waiting room of a vets office. Frankly, I am always surprised at how many people do. First there are some pets waiting that may be contagious. If you are counting on the owner to warn you of that fact then think again. Either it doesn't occur to them or they do not know their pet is contagious because they are WAITING to see the vet. See how that works? (It's a waiting room people!)
*

Some pets also get very stressed at a vets office and because of that may be on edge. This can affect their behavior negatively. Add to that the fact that many people don't do doggy greetings properly. Letting them greet face to face and keeping the leash tight is a recipe for disaster. (it changes a dogs natural body language and can look like an aggressive stance to another dog who may lash out in "the best defence is a good offence" reaction) Loose leashes are important so they can sniff each others back end. Hey I don't make the rules, this is how DOGS greet remember. Some people get embarrassed by this and interfere causing issues.
*

So my professional tip is, don't do it. And if you are going to anyway then ASK the owner if their dog is friendly with other dogs, if their pet is there because it is sick or is itchy. (itchy pets sometimes have fleas-do you want those hitchhikers?) It is good manners to ask before approaching any dog but I think it is extra important in a vets office.

*

It isn't just dog people either. Many species come through and I have seen cat people guilty of similar stuff too. (Which never goes well, cats are much less likely to want to say hello to a strange cat BTW.) And for all you cat people: We KNOW you love showing off your cat but PLEASE for the LOVE OF GOD use a carrier!!! There are many types and they are MUCH safer than a leash or wrapping them in a towel because they love to be held. We do not appreciate having to move all the dog food to retrieve a cat that escapes your arms no matter how cute or adorable they are. There are also dogs that eat cats in our waiting room sometimes and not all of them are under the control of their owner. We are behind the counter and may not be able to help you get your cat out of that dogs jaws in time. You have been warned.

*

But again, let me repeat, there are better places to socialize your dogs to keep them healthy.
*

And now for our photo portion of today's post. Jack and I took a walk on the local boardwalk after the vet visit. I LOVE it there. It is a beautiful place to walk. And it was a cold chilly day which is always Jack's favorite. The drizzle stopped so we even stayed dry. I happened to have my camera with me so I got a few nice pics. (Because my dog is GORGEOUS!! Just saying.) I wish my camera had that setting where it took a 5 second burst of multiple shots tho. I really think getting just the right shot would be way easier with that.

I have been trying for months to get a good shot of this art piece (below) with the dogs. The sun is always in the wrong place. A cloudy day was helpful but it would look better if the trees had some leaves. I think I need to get closer and try a different angle too.

Hopefully I'll get some good pics of the dogs with it eventually. Practice makes perfect right?

The Best Kept Secret in Dog Training - Criteria!

I was in the process of writing a blog post questioning WHY dog handlers don't give the concept of predefined Criteria the attention it deserves...when it dawned on me. Have they ever been told of the need for planned Criteria?

So for the heck of it, I did a little surface research to see if Criteria is mentioned in common training definitions.

GENERAL DEFINITION OF TRAINING*
First, I looked up the general term 'Training' and found two relevant, accurate and interchangeable definitions for human & dog training. The definitions are 1) "acquiring of skill: the process of teaching or learning a skill or job." 2) training is an organized activity aimed at imparting information and/or instructions to improve the recipient's performance or to help him or her attain a required level of knowledge or skill.


While there were some great key words used, the word Criteria was no where to be found.

DEFINITION OF DOG TRAINING*
Next I looked up the term Dog Training. Dog training is defined as - a standardized program of training for dogs calculated to give owners mastery of their dogs at all times. 


OK, I can't help the sarcasm and getting a little off topic here, but REALLY?!?! That was the best definition Websters & Wikipedia and other referral sources could come up with? I'll have to devote yet another blog post to this topic called 'What IS Dog Training' . But back to the current topic...again, no mention of the word Criteria.


READING BETWEEN THE LINES
While the word Criteria was not specifically used in any of these definitions, words like...

• Process - a series of actions directed toward a specific aim 
• Instruction - a spoken or written statement of what must be done
• Skill - A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both
• Knowledge - all the information, facts, truths, and principles learned throughout time
• Calculate - to consider a situation carefully and decide what is likely to happen

....were used. So the question all dog trainers should be asking themselves is "How do I come up with a process? How do I give instruction? How do I teach a skill? How do I share the knowledge of what I want my dog to do? And how can I calculate what my dog is likely to do?"


THE HOLY GRAIL OF DOG TRAINING - CRITERIA
All of the above (Process, Instruction, Skill, etc.) uses Criteria as a means to obtain the wanted outcome. Think about it, Criteria is the necessary base to train specific behaviors. Need further proof, how about all of the pros use it (agility, baseball, football, etc.) so why shouldn't you?


Give Criteria some thought as it deserves attention when it comes to dog training. As a little tidbit, something to remember is that in dog training, Criteria is a bunch of small little steps that ultimately make up a specific end-behavior. 


I'll be writing more about criteria, but in the meantime, ask yourself "Can you define what the expectations are for your dog in a factual and logical manner? Do you have a clear and concise blue print to work or train by?."


If you answered 'No' then you need to add Criteria to your tool box. Not sure how? Well stay tuned for more on Criteria!


*On-line references used: Websters, Wikipedia & Encarta

It was so beautiful out that I took some video.

First a cute one of the prison pups Jack and Patty playing. More video and photos of them can be seen on their facebook site. (It's a pain to upload to YouTube to post here sometimes.) They are slated to graduate the program on Tuesday.

And one of me and Jack heeling. Now as a disclaimer this was our FIRST heeling practice in I don't know how long. Obviously working with a small fast dog has affected my speed and my lack of awareness of his larger body around the cones. (bad handler!)

I know I need to work on a few things but he is so gorgeous I thought I would share it anyway. I'm just glad to see he looks happy while working. Snicker away.

I also took Jenny out for some tracking practice. She did ok on the second two tracks. The first was what my son would call an "epic fail". All my fault of course. And that's all I'm gonna say about that!

For my troubles I was rewarded with an embedded tick on my back that my daughter had to pull off. Thankfully I had one of these babies on hand:

They work like a charm. Simply slide the hole over the tick and slide it up to the v shape (keeping the key next to the skin) and pull gently but steadily. The whole tick comes out. No fuss, no muss. It even tells you which side up on the key itself. I keep it on my key ring and have used it on a dog as well with the same excellent result.

It's been a very busy weekend. Lots of clients and lots of dog stuff in general. Oh and I saw "The Backup Plan" last night with my daughter. (I know, a J Lo movie. Yes I am ashamed. In my defense the guy that is in it used to play a vampire on a show I watched. I loved him in that. He was less than exciting in this movie aside from when his shirt was off.) CM also had a cameo which I was not thrilled about. (and out of place considering his real life audience vs the scene audience) I probably wouldn't have gone had I known that ahead of time. The boston terrier in it was an adorable scene stealer though so that helped make up for it. A little.

Netflix sent "Hachi" so I will be watching that soon. I've heard they did a good job with it. I've already run into someone that recognised Jack's breed due to the movie on one of our walks. Hopefully the movie going directly to DVD helps diffuse any over breeding that can happen after a movie with a specific breed is released. Time will tell I guess. Fingers cross for akita (and shiba) rescue this next year.

Sunny saturday

Sometimes a little vacation is in order

Those that follow me on facebook (www.facebook.com/K9SolutionsDogTraining ) already know that I was away for a couple days with my husband. No kids, no dogs, no special location. I think everyone needs some time away now and then to relax and re-group. We took a trip to Portland for some much needed R&R. We got to sleep in, eat out, and have no timetable to follow. It was most excellent. I even finished a book I had recently started. (Non-dog related for a change.)

On my first morning I looked out our hotel window and saw this:

It is a group of police officers and their K9's. Needless to say I was very excited. I love watching working dogs do their thing. They were practicing some basic obedience exercises. I saw a guy carrying bite work sleeves inside and noticed they were taking turns going into one of the buildings. I'm sure that wasn't a coincidence. They may have also been doing drug training inside as well. Or they may have been testing due to the variety of departments that were there. I got to see them everyday that we stayed at the hotel.

Of course I did have to go over for a closer look one day. Like moth to a flame as my husband said. There were lots of German Shepherds and Malinois. You could hear the barking as soon as you stepped out of the hotel.

*

I also got to hit Fetch since it was just down the street from us. I had a great visit with Jessica who runs SOME Pit! who I had previously met at our own Loyal Biscuit store. She is awesome and it is always fun talking to fellow dog lovers. (some call us obsessed but what do they know? VBG) They had some wooden obedience dumbbells so I picked up a new one for Jenny that is more her size than the one I had. I've been practicing with a metal dumbbell but I think she'll find the wooden one more comfortable.

*

When we returned I got to try out the new dog wash myself for Jack. After a few days in the kennel he needed a bath. It was awesome to be able to wash him as soon as we got home. Jenny is small enough to do in the tub thankfully. (A big thanks to everyone at Perry Greene Kennel for taking such great care of them both. It is nice having someone you can trust take care of your dogs so you can truly relax while away.)

Heidi was kind enough to snap a few pics of Jack soaking me when he shook. That big fluffy coat sure does hold a lot of water! I had to remove my glasses after this photo.

The wash area is awesome and Jack came out smelling and looking great. I am in LOVE with the blow dryer. It made him nice and fluffy. We finished the bath off with a nice walk and headed home.

*

Back to the real world tomorrow. It sure was nice while it lasted.

Jet's Urban Track - mice, a rabbit, a crow, a snagged line - and she did well!

This track was 325 meters and just over one hour old with four turns. One was on a parking lot. The first article was a piece of work glove and the second was a plastic CD container base. It was a misty, light rain when I ran the track which was nice. Jet worked really hard, through every crazy thing that happened. It was one of those tracks where you say "OK, throw stuff at us cuz we feel ready!" I wouldn't want tracks like this too often. But it felt good at the end. Below is the video in two parts, and some photos of the track...

She started off a bit shaky, on a boulevard at the edge of a parking lot up on a hill. She keeps wanting to go a bit over the crest of the hill. At an orange snow fence she gets her wish and heads down some stairs on the other side of the road. Along the sidewalk I am thinking, "ooh, sweet" when she is suddenly focused on mice climbing into the bottoms of windows! I could see the mice myself. It was pretty gross. I had to use my "get out of that" command. It worked, but as a result, Jet nearly takes the turn dead-on and ends up circling a little and overshoots, gets tangled, but comes back right to it - when my line gets snagged! Poor thing, she is yanked and does not go back to the actual track because of it. She finds a piece of bait, does a bit of casting, then gets right on the track to find the first article.

Below is "the mouse wall..." The mice were going in and out of those ridges.

After that, you can see her ears going up - that is because a rabbit is running along the edge of her final leg! She misses her turn as a result. In the meantime, when she finally turns, a crow has been hopping along getting the bait (I missed getting it on film). 

And here is the rabbit! I think it is actually a hare, still white from winter! Jet's article was to the left of that fir tree it is running towards...I took this picture, then started to film again...

She finds her turn, and gets to the last article. It was hilarious! I was very proud of her. She is a hard worker.

(for some reason I can't open Google Earth to put a map on this post but I will)...Basically the track went south, east down some stairs and across a road to the mouse wall turn, south onto the parking lot, east to the article, east to the last turn, and north to the last article. It would be described as a CHIMNEY track with two walls on either side, a flat roof and a chimney, like so below. The track started at the right and went to the left... the Xs mark the articles.

  __x___

I            I____

I                    I

I                    I

X

Here she is, all business, indicating her final article. My little peanut.

Nose Hill Calgary

Yesterday I spent the day in Calgary poking around and met a friend for lunch near the University. I went to check out Nose Hill Park, which is the largest Municipal Park in Canada. It is the highest point in Calgary and very bare of trees except for scrub. There are walking paths and cycling paths and it was full of people and dogs. I took the gang out for separate walks to check it out. I'd like to go back and get to the plateau at the top to get some photos of the view. I didn't get the mountains in the background in this shot of Cade and Jet. But they were as spectacular as ever. And hard to believe they are still snow-covered while it was HOT in Calgary yesterday.

Somehow, I didn't get a picture of Ted! He was out with River (my usual pairing is River and Ted, Caden and Jet - by personality, not breed).

Some people practice tracking here. People tend to stick to pathways, and it is wild grass and scrub. It would be great for TDX practice with the paths and crosstracks, and varied terrain. I did check out the U of C for tracking (was there for hours). It is a very busy campus with lots of buildings and sidewalks and nooks and crannies. I really need to go back on a day that is not so hot, because I didn't take my trailer and so chose not to park in one of the paylots, as I couldn't leave the dogs. I LOVE my trailer for that reason! But it is a tough thing to bring into town and try to park with in a pay lot.

PS the link above to Nose Hill Park is really interesting, especially if you are a history buff like me. My FUR TRADE HERO David Thompson wintered right near here and wrote in his journal about it, and it was a wintering area for bison herds. There are apparently circles of stone that are reminders of tipi circles. Wow, like an Aboriginal Stonehenge. I'd like to come back with one dog and just walk the area. It is huge. I was in the Many Owls Valley off John Laurie Drive.

Leap into a New Dog Sport - DockDogs

Zulu Doing DockDogs (click on this link to see a video)

Yesterday, Dan and I took a leap (literally) and tried a sport called DockDogs.

DockDogs has several events to compete in so Dan and I decided to focus on one called Big Air. The idea was simple - see how far your dog can jump into a pool of water. DockDogs provides the 40’ long dock so the dogs can get a running start, as well as the 40’+ pool for a soft and fun landing.

We provided a toy for our dogs to run, chase and dive after as well as permission and encouragement to be as wild and excited as they could get. Zulu, our Border Collie and Burton, our Chocolate Lab were the two dogs who joined us since they are our water and toy maniacs!

Last week we had planned to head on over to our friend’s house to borrow their dock and lake to acquaint our dogs with the notion of diving, but unfortunately life threw us a curve ball when Spot passed away. So instead we went to Plan B which in our household is commonly called “The Wing-It” Plan.

Dan had to work so I headed over to the Spring Puyallup Fair on my own with both dogs, all of the supplies (including a camcorder) and a huge smile on my face. I was excited! After a review of the rules (no pushing or assisting dogs into the water, no live or formally living ‘toys’ can be used, etc.) it was my time up on deck for Zulu’s introduction.

The DockDogs folks as well as several of the competitors were awesome and walked me through the basics. Zulu was excited to see the water, but diving off of a ramp 2’ above can be a daunting experience, so to start him off, we simply dropped the toy into the water. After quite a bit of squealing, barking and enticement from us, he finally jumped in and proceeded to do a few victory laps around the pool after retrieving his toy. With all of the pre-jump activity, I figured he deserved the opportunity to wave at his new-found fans! Burton’s reaction was exactly the same and soon, both dogs were dragging me up the steps to the pool deck wanting more.

Dan arrived in time to see Burton’s second training run and after seeing his success, he was a proud Dad! After handing Burton off, Dan jumped in line as he was anxious to give this new sport a try for himself. Keith and Beth had arrived earlier with Jazzy so we had a chance to turn this new adventure into a family event and the men bonded while waiting for their dock time.

In summary, our dogs loved it, we loved it and now Dan’s asking when we can go back for more. I have to say that all of the encouragement from our more experienced DockDog friends across the country really helped to make the event for us. They answered our questions, put us at ease (after all, we were the new kids on the block) and celebrated our accomplishments and enthusiasm at the end of the day.

This was another great example of how going out on a limb (or in this case taking a leap) to jump into a whole new world is worth the risk. Heck, I could have ended up face first in a pool of water (and thanks to Burton, I almost did) but instead I came away with some great video of my dog having a blast, memories of my husband thriving on the fun he was having with his dog and a chance to hang out and start a new sport with my in-laws.

As for the dogs, the experience and their reactions are almost indescribable and unbelievable! Let’s just say they squealed, barked, were wide-eyed, howled, cried and pulled us around all in the name of excitement, anticipation, pleasure and happiness.

So, if your dog likes water you should give DockDogs a try!

Google Earth results - Urban plotting for tomorrow

I have been playing around onscreen and came up with four potential UTDX tracks and six potential UTD tracks to scout out tomorrow. Here are two I am interested in. Since I have never been to the University of Calgary, it will be interesting to see how these pan out on the ground!

Potential UTD starts at the bottom and ends at the top. WHERE would you put your first article? The last article will be leather, at the end. This has a nice long veg start. The rules say only the first 25 m have to be veg...not a lot (but I have rarely seen that).

I would put the article after the second turn; although I would also consider putting it where the track emerges from the gap in the trees. It would depend on the paces (meters) to that point as it must be no less than 100 m from the start. This track has the minimum 3 turns, is approximately 1/3 non-veg, and does not have a lot of proximity to buildings to create confusion for a beginner's urban track. It is 337 meters, so meets the distance requirements though it could be a little longer. I tried some other configurations, but ended up with the dreaded box with two parallel legs.

This is a potential UTDX track. It is 635 meters and approximately have non-veg. Do you notice that it is the same track as above to start? But it carries on along a sidewalk, across a road and to another parking lot. It has the minimum number of turns (5). I could keep the articles in the same spots as above, though would also consider putting the second article after the road cross depending on the amount of veg there for the dog to pick up the track again (and also, looking at the potential for it to be undisturbed during aging).

Now that I look at the above map, I see some other ideas. That fourth leg could keep going straight into a whole new area. Hmmm....one thing about doing this beforehand, is it prevents too much wandering when you really don't want to mess up a perfectly good track. But I could do some drive-bys before committing to one layout.


Below is one more potential UTDX that shows what I mean about parallel legs. It would start at the bottom. The third leg parallels the first leg. The joining leg must be 50 meters to separate them. I have also used a building so that they are definitely not creating a box to trap scent. This one is 625 meters with 6 turns. It is more evenly alternating veg and non-veg compared with the track above, so they might be considered equal in difficulty, even though the above track has 5 turns (but longer spans of non-veg).

As for articles, I would put the first on leg 3, the second after the road cross and of course, the third at the end. BUT, I would want to see how close that 2nd article would be to the turn. If it is too close - this would require some thought! Read your rules - can you put two articles on non-veg? Can the second one be at the edge of the parking lot after the n-v turn? And for that matter, what about two n-v turns?

That's right, this is a tricky business. The answers are: 10.10 (e) says AT LEAST ONE 90 degree turn shall occur on a non-veg surface. So there CAN be two. And 10.10 (c) says AT LEAST ONE article shall be left on a non-veg surface. So there CAN be two on n-v. Starting the dog again after an article on n-v can be difficult, so for article two to be at the edge of the first parking lot, in the fold of the curb, gives an easier time for picking up the track again. For me - article placement is so important!

I don't even know if I can park or have access to these areas. But there are others. What I like about these two track is that they are linear, meaning they keep going up and away and don't form any kind of box that can trap scent. If I have to plot a track that forms a box of some kind I look for natural barriers such as a building or row of trees to divide the areas and hopefully keep scent from spreading to create any confusion - which I believe can cause a dog to start doing that 'grid pattern' that we all cringe over when we see it.

I have 6 UTD possibles, and 4 UTDX possibles after playing with Google Earth. Tomorrow, I will see this place in real life and there are always surprises - good and bad. Stay tuned! My goal is to get there, scout it out, and lay by tracks by 2 PM. I'll lay the UTDX first, then the UTD. I will run the UTD at just over an hour. By then the UTDX should be about 1.5 hours old. This is when I read a book for awhile - not quite enough time to go to IKEA!

I get so excited about these things. I will let you know how it goes... and will be drawing my own maps and taking notes to compliment the Google Earth versions.  Oh yeah - I have to figure out the long way around to get back to my car after laying each track too - or I create just another big BOX don't I? !!! It's great exercise, but always easier if you have a buddy who can pick you up at the end - which is sometimes essential for test plotting.

It's finally here!

The self serve dog wash at The Loyal Biscuit Co. has arrived!

I popped in after work yesterday to grab some food and took a quick peek.

Coincidentally Nani and Tomo were there trying it out.

I think mom may have been having more fun than Nani but she took it all in stride.

Tomo was happy to rest after his bath while waiting for his sister to be finished. I am very excited to try it out with Jack. He loves going to his groomer (and still will when I need him to look his best) but I will love having another option that will be kinder on my back than my own tub, and nicer for him than the outdoor hose and cold water.

Check out this link for more information. I hope I am never in need of the "emergency" bath visit.

Playing with Google Maps

This weekend, I will explore some urban areas in Calgary.


View Larger Map

These are the Google Maps I am starting with...you can click on 'view larger map' to see a bigger view, but you will leave my blog if you do! (just so you know...)


View Larger Map

I'll use Google Earth to actually play around with options for tracks. I will keep you posted on the planning, and on the ground results!

Spring Cleaning, gearing up to do some serious writing

I've been spring cleaning and getting ready for summer sun! Last week I decided to move my dining table over by the French Doors to take advantage of the sun and have a view. This let me move my couch back a bit and suddenly the room feels so airy! Now that I have attended the writer's conference in San Francisco, I am gearing up for some serious writing and this feels like a nice set-up for that.

I've also removed the carpets and changed to lighter colours, replacing the winter "Morroco" orange and purple look to colours inspired by my new IKEA pillows (you can see one on the couch). They are embroidered in primary red, green and blue, and look like something my Grandma would have had. The little blanket on the floor will have to do for now. My neighbour brought it home from Mexico for me! I apologize for the cluttered counter - I am home today so it has my thermos of coffee and computer up there. I have wireless now, so can put my computer anywhere I want. It is fantastic! Doesn't River look cozy on the couch? She approves of the set up too.

Before shots: this is a nice arrangement too, but it is nice to see out my doors at this time of year, and be right next to my back deck. Now I need to buy a BBQ!

Swan Pitstop near Highway 2

I was taking a shortcut home on a range road and saw these white birds that make Canada Geese look tiny! Swans! With all the traffic going by in the background on Hwy 2 in the background, it was weird but cool.

There is so little water around here that every pond is covered with birds at this time of year. They put benches and viewing platforms by a lot of them for people to enjoy the sights. This is so unlike northwestern Ontario where we try to drain water to enjoy a little bit of land, LOL.

Wordless Wednesday

Field Track - Motivation Day, April 3

On April 3 I took the gang to a nearby field for some fun field tracks. I like the idea of having a day like this to remind my dogs that tracking is easy...in particular this works for River who learned field first. In this photo (above) you can see my neat dog trailer in the background. I feel so organized and my training goes better with this - compared with the "clowns in a volkswagon" scenario I had with everyone in my car!

Below is a map showing River's track. I had just done a difficult track on a windy, dry day at Olds College. River did well, so on this track I wanted her to have a good time. It was roughly 400 meters long with 4 articles, 5 turns and was aged for one hour only. The articles were cloth, plastic, wood and leather *I forgot to mark plastic on the 3rd leg in this map below. In an actual field track (TD, TDX) you would only find leather articles.

My other dogs have all been taught to track on a variety of surfaces. But in the field I expect less wavering from the track. On hard surfaces in urban tracking, and especially around buildings and structures, scent behaves eratically. I train my dogs to stay as close to the primary track as possible, even though I know that at transitions and in certain situations the dog will have to go off track to find scent clues.

**Aging is a funny thing, because on a humid day, aging is different than on a dry day. This field was so dry that my shoes were grey with dust afterwards. I think a tumbleweed went by! So one hour on this field might seem like 3 hours in a lush field.

Here is the track:

River did well. She has never been a dog to do much of an article indication (and is the last of my dogs to track like this). This day, she gave articles a nod and pause and I accepted that - except at a wood article which she had ignored at Olds College! I dropped my camera here, so sorry about the dirt smudge that eventually falls off, LOL! On the last leg, she went off to the downwind side of the track. In the video you can see my line blowing in that direction. I tried to keep her ON the track by holding my ground and making her pull me more than usual.

I did a very short track with Caden...his first veg track of the year. It was a U with a serpentine built into the end. He did great but lifted his head a couple of times. Because he is doing SchH style tracking, I want a very different style - nose down, focused and calm. He lifted his head where the direction changed and he had a short stint with a crosswind. This is something I will bear in mind for next time.

Jet did a little veg track. Unlike her urban track the day before, she did not do any standing and thinking - she was all business to the end.

She indicates by lying down, but always turns to face me. I think this is because I trained her with a clicker in my kitchen one winter when she was a puppy. So she thinks she has to face me. In SchH the dog must lie in the track direction. Obviously this is better for continuing on - and yet Jet just picks up and goes when I give the command.

As with the other day, Ted was the clean up crew. I did let him "re-track" Jet's track and he found skipped bait. He was so joyful and right on track.

At the end, he got to play ball. I am still pondering how best to work Ted. He is such a bright dog and so eager to please. I want to keep his happy spirit but have him a bit more business-like and focused.

And then, when we were finished working, we played. No wonder it takes me hours to practice when I go out to track! River and Caden played with two balls. For awhile I three a ball for Caden and as he returned, I threw a second ball. This works way better than trying to get him to out it each time!

English lessons - points to ponder

One of the downsides to my other job at the vet is listening to owners yell at their dogs regularly. This most commonly happens when it is time to get on the scale. First they yell at them if they balk about stepping on it, then they yell at the dog to sit when clearly the dog has never practiced that particular exercise outside of their own home, if at all. People either lack patience or expect to much of their dogs in a stressful environment. (BTW it is not necessary to sit on the scale, simply standing still on it also works for our purposes of getting a reading.)

It occurred to me that when we teach children to speak we do it over a specific amount of time. No one expects a toddler to understand many words until they reach a certain age. Even then we are patient and understand they may not be able to communicate clearly nor understand what we are saying to them. Yet with our puppies, we expect that they should catch on almost immediately. People are always amazed when I explain that their dog might not know the meaning of a word, like sit, until we teach it to them over time.

Here is a simple test for your dog to see if they understand the word sit. Say the word (our verbal cue) without moving your body or your hand. Do they respond? Sit down in a chair and ask them to sit, do they? Lie down on the floor and say the word sit. What does your dog do? If they do not sit in each situation it may be because they do not really know the word. They may be sitting in response to an inadvertent body cue instead. To a dog standing may be part of their sit cue!

People need to understand that English (or whatever language we happen to speak) is not a dogs first language. Body language is how they communicate with each other. Sometimes they use vocalizations as well. Either as a way to vent energy, frustration, and excitement or as a distance increasing behavior. (Example- Barking with or without a lunge may mean "go away from me!") But for all dogs their body is their first communication. That is why our body language is so important during training. They are paying attention to that foremost.

Why aren't we as patient with our dogs as we are with our children? Dogs can only learn what are actually teaching them after all. They are also learning with every interaction from us which is why consistancy is so important. If we don't do the groundwork for each exercise, how can we expect them to know what we want in a distracting or stressful place? That hardly seems fair to me.

The next time you ask your dog to do something and they don't respond, ask yourself, do they really understand what it is you want them to do? Think about it. You may be surprised at the answer.