Judge's Gifts - Necessary or Nice?

I was recently at a table where an AKC Agility Judge announced that they would never return to judge for a club if they didn't receive a judge's gift to thank them for their services. Another judge at the table had the opposite opinion and felt their fee was more than sufficient.

It has been my experience that judges, exhibitors and clubs each have a pretty clear opinion on the topic.

I've noticed that those who come from Conformation generally believe a judges gift is tradition and a must. On the flip side some clubs such as the Board of the Puget Sound Labrador Retriever Club firmly believe that agility judges make enough in payment and they won't authorize a judge's gift (except for club merchandise).

While I don't agree with PSLRA's reasoning, my personal belief is that a gift for judging isn't a requirement. But I will admit that it is a NICE surprise and has never failed to put a smile on my face! Ironic since the last sentence in Wikipedia's definition of Gift is "By extension the term gift can refer to anything that makes the other happier...especially as a favor, including...kindness."

I have to admit, I have all of the gifts I've received over the years. For my very first assignment, they gave me a beautiful handmade wood clock with a hand painted picture of a Dalmatian - I love that gift and it has sat prominently in the living room of every house I've lived in.

There are many treasured gifts throughout my house and the cost of the item isn't what makes a gift great.

For example, a club that Dan was judging for contacted me to get pictures of his dogs. Their timing was great because we had just received professional photos back of Burton. The club used the picture to create a personalized coffee mug which Dan uses every day (and I'm not allowed to touch ). The thoughtfulness of a gift is what makes it so special.

So, I'm curious...what do most people think?

Lisa

Rouge's First Agility Trial

Video of May 29, 2010 - Nov Std Run

Today was Rouge’s first ‘official’ agility trial and I was a bit nervous. 

The problem with being a dog trainer and a perfectionist is that I’m always thinking “I should do more work on (fill in the blank)”. I’m also keenly aware of the areas I haven’t trained completely (i.e. weave poles) and our potential weaknesses (i.e. her healthy curiosity).

But for once I followed my own advice and thought it wise to pick and then focus on just one goal to execute during our runs. In this case, I decided that our goal would be to stay connected and work together as a team throughout our run. 

Rouge is very knowledgeable on the equipment (yes, I do need to finalize my weave training which was temporarily put on hold when her love of life disabled her ability to concentrate), and she has wonderful sit stays, an automatic down on the table, an amazing 2-on-2-off contact performance, great collection work over jumps and she reads rear-crosses like a pro. But like a lot of young dogs, her exuberance can elicit visions of a crazed mad-woman dashing around the mall on a timed shopping spree!

So  our goal of working together as a team during our run was not only fitting for her, but also for me. It recently dawned on me that as her trainer, I needed to touch-base/check-in/be aware/stay connected with Rouge at a specific point between each obstacle as well. Additionally, I also needed to take a step back on the drivey portion of our run and focus on quality when in new environments.

As much as I like to run at full-speed, I had to also be aware that for the moment, the adrenaline rush that comes with running in a new heightened environment was overtaking Rouge’s ability to think clearly about her job(s) in Agility. So, I toned my running down a bit and made sure I had her attention at each point of the course, whether that was on an obstacle or between an obstacle.

For us, this was the winning formula that enabled me to keep her on task and to share continuous ‘good job’ rewards to enforce all of the positive behaviors she was offering.

Sure, we had our technical faults (a run-by to a wrong course), but what I am most pleased with was how quickly Rouge collected, returned to me and got back on track to continue the course. I’ve always said that how fast a dog recovers when a plan goes awry can be an important indicator as to where they’re head is in the game and how far they’ve come (or how far they need to go).

Let’s talk brilliant moments because Rouge had one that nearly blew me out of the water. Our Standard run (in the rain) used the short chute to the broad jump to a ‘C’ shaped tunnel. To the left of the tunnel was the dog walk (have I mentioned how much Rouge LOVES her contacts?). I was behind her and so she was left to make a choice between her favorite (a contact obstacle) or the tunnel and she did an AMAZING job of checking in and correctly choosing to drive to the tunnel entrance. I was stunned. Happily of course!

Another brilliant moment occurred on both courses when Rouge checked in with me and chose to correctly take my forward movement cue (again, I was coming in from behind) and actively sought out the last jump on the course and drove to the obstacle. Yeah for her!

After each run, multiple people asked “Did you qualify?” Gosh, I felt like I’d just climbed a mountain and our achievement was far bigger than a Qualifying ribbon. Today's runs have increased my confidence with her and have motivated me to move toward finishing our weave pole training. 

Our next trial will be at the end of July at the Chuckanut show and I'm really excited to come out even stronger and better trained there. It's nice to have a clear cut goal to work toward!

The eagle has landed

Wordless Wednesday ~ Clinic cat edition

Semper Gumby!

The Marines have a motto. It is "Semper Fidelis" which is Latin for "Always Faithful". When I was stationed with the air wing we had a modification of that motto to "Semper Gumby" which meant "Always Flexible". Things could change quickly on a flightline hence the reason for our modified motto.

Today Jack came with me to the prison to be a distraction for the dogs during their session. When I decided to take him my plan was to possibly let him meet and play with Walker since Walker is still a puppy. I under estimated how over stimulated Walker would get however so it turned into a completely different session. It turns out that flexibility is also very important in dog training.

It took him awhile but he did finally settle down. (we did a lot of parallel walking and move aways) Instead of letting him say hello when he calmed down I decided to wait until another session to let them meet. I want to get him working with other dogs around and NOT expecting it to lead to playtime every time. I'll be switching up the dogs I bring as much as I can.

In Coopers case I wasn't planning on letting them play but maybe do a greeting. Instead Jack got to play the role of distraction dog with him too. We've learned that Cooper will only work for hotdog bits and that the hand signals make him flinch. Instead of not using hand signals I am hoping pairing them with the treats will help counter condition him to hand movements. Very rarely do I believe dogs have been hit in the past like many adopters do. They see a dog react to a hand movement and assume they were all abused. Most of the time I see normal reactions to movement, not true flinching. Some of those dogs are also just being shy or showing submissive body language. In Coopers case however (and I should have taped it!) I do think he may have been hit. We need hands to mean good things to him now so we are also going to up the clicker work with him. And because we want him to like being touched we are actually training him to jump ON people. (on cue only of course) Interestingly he does his stretch and bow calming signal while in the upright position as well as on the floor.

It is fascinating to see how different these two dogs are. It is also a great example to the handlers how the training needs to change based on the dog you are working with. They ARE all different! So please remember that when you are working with your own dogs. Stay flexible because sometimes not everything goes as planned and that's ok! Sometimes the new plan turns out better than the old plan in the long run.

I think Semper Gumby is an excellent motto for people training dogs everywhere. Hmmm, maybe I should make that into a t-shirt.

Criteria - How To Train It

This is the 4th Blog in the Criteria Series. Below are links to the previous Blogs.

Blog 1 - The Best Kept Secret in Dog Training - Criteria!

Blog 2 - Criteria What is It and Criteria in Dog Training

Blog 3 - Criteria Planning Sheet

**************************

Thanks to the worksheet in Blog 3, you should have your criteria established and are excited to start training. There's just one question left to answer...how to train it! 

The question of 'How to train it?' is sort of like asking 'How to loose weight?' There are a ton of options, theories, myths, opinions, science and experience out there and deciding a course of action can be a head-spinning challenge.

I like to keep things simple, so personal experience has taught me:

• Agility should be fun for me.
• Agility should be a game for my dog (fun).
• Ultimately, I want my dog to be responsible for performing the trained action/goal automatically or with one cue from me (consistency so the dog knows how to earn rewards, which equals fun).
• I want to focus on rewarding the correct behavior (fun) instead of managing or threatening them if they don't do it (not fun).
• Life is hectic and I want to be efficient and have quality training time with my dogs (fun) vs. inefficient quantity time (not fun).

The Art of Rewards
As a dog trainer and especially a dog trainer in Agility, I've taken the luxury to train all sorts of ways and have tried almost every method out there. 


When it comes to training a new skill, hands down, I can say with confidence that a reward for correct/wanted behaviors works the absolute best in a criteria-based training program. The best part? It fits with a simple, precise and successful training/showing lifestyle!


In Blog 3 I mentioned that our job as Trainer to The Dog is to:

• Teach our dog the skill or job
• Impart information
• Instruct to improve performance
• Attain a required level of  knowledge or skill

How we do that is purely optional. 


However, when I think back on the mentors, teachers and trainers I've had in life, those that supported, encouraged and had my best interests at heart are the ones I remember the most and the ones who taught me the most (or was it that I was more willing to listen more?)...after years of success, trial & error, I've learned that it IS simple to be all of those things to our dogs.


Dear Dog - Criteria is GOOD!
Remember when I mentioned in my last few Criteria Blog posts that dog training is about the dog? Well, a reward system of training embraces that mantra. When I'm training one of the criteria steps defined in my worksheet, I start out using:

• Treats for...
• Rapid reinforcement as a way to tell my dog "Now THIS is exactly what I want and when you do that step, GREAT things come your way." My time at Chicken Camp (Day 3) really helped to reinforce this.
• I spend a ton of time reinforcing (i.e. making a positive impression) 
• I'm NOT stingy with treats. Actually, as fast as I can hand 'em out, I do.
• I don't move to the next step until my dog is doing the current behavior, independently, 80-100% of the time!

Once my dog is solid in the behavior I've reinforced, if appropriate I work to quickly:

• Take myself out of the equation by adding movement (of my position) while feeding/rewarding my dog.
• Look for an opportunity to toss food between my dog's paws so I don't have to walk to/from my dog.
• Add a release word.
• Make reinforcement variable.
• Often I won't jump in to help my dog because I want them to think things through and take responsibility and pride in their actions. Why deny my dog the feeling of accomplishment and pride when they figure out and get rewarded for a task? However, I may help them follow through when they make a move in the right direction and I will always reward in position and default to rapid reinforcement to help celebrate with them.
• I don't move to the next step until my dog is doing the current behavior, independently, 80-100% of the time! (Sound familiar?)

For each step in my Criteria Planning Worksheet I start all over with Treats For....(see above) and progress through the steps listed above as appropriate. It's really that simple and my dogs love the game that I've created.

It's good old Operant Conditioning at its best. It's proven, easy and works GREAT with a criteria-based training program.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Lisa

Criteria - Planning Worksheet

Welcome to Criteria Blog #3. 


This is a continuation on a discussion about the use of criteria in dog training. Here are links to the two previous blogs which will bring you up to date for this entry.


Blog Discussion 1
Blog Discussion 2
********


Here is some great advice:


Make a goal you can be confident in and invest in the steps that lead to criteria.


To help myself and my clients, I created the Agility Criteria Planning worksheet* to the left. But before I talk about how to use the worksheet, there are a few important points to remember in order to make a criteria based training plan successful.

CIDT (Criteria in Dog Training) should be:

* a specific and consistent standard for a particular action/goal

* a clear yes/no judgment as to whether the criteria was fully met. Criteria is very clear cut. The dog either does the expected criteria or it does not. There are no excuses, no points for ‘but he tried’ or ‘it was my fault’ and no worries if they don’t do it. With that said...

Remember, our job as Trainer to The Dog is to:

* teach our dog the skill or job
* impart information
* instruct to improve performance
* attain a required level of  knowledge or skill


Criteria - Plan It!
I'm a huge subscriber to the theory that a little bit of planning goes a long way in time management and training efficiency. So when it comes to planning my criteria, I use the worksheet* attached as a way to guide me through the thought and training process. While I'd love to share all of the details and tidbits of the worksheet in this blog, I've chosen to focus on just a few highlights. (For information on how to view the full 2-page sheet in detail, please e-mail me.)


Planning - Where to Begin (at the end...)
In my last Blog post, I mentioned that the place to start criteria planning was by deciding exactly what the end behavior was going to look like - from the dog's point of view. This is the information that goes in the top box of the worksheet.


Once the end behavior is known, I go to the next section where there are several lines available for planning each SMALL physical step a dog will do that will ultimately lead to the final goal/action listed in the top box.


A couple of tips:

• Focus on the physical actions of the dog during planning & training
• Think small steps the dog will do and be rewarded for (and don't be stingy with treats!)
• Start with a sterile environment. Once the behavior is solid, then you can move to proofing (another form I've created)
• Don't move on to the next step in training until your dog is offering the current step 80-100% of the time independently
• Are you Shaping or Back Chaining? As the worksheet indicates, if you start training at #1 you're shaping. If you start training at #8 you're Back Chaining
• Did I mention don't be stingy with treats and to reward, reward, reward?

Have Criteria...Now What?
Now you train it. But how do you train it? Stay tuned for the next Blog post.



* While I have made considerable additions/changes on its relevance to dog training, the base of this worksheet (sometimes seen as a stepping ladder via Terry Ryan of Legacy Canine) has been around for decades and used by scientists, students and researchers. (I wish I could specifically remember the exact resources, but I at least wanted to give a nod to those unknown authors).

Jenny vs a junebug

Jenny was having fun but Jack was unimpressed. Who knew how entertaining a bug could be?

An alpha roll on video

This is video of Cooper and Walker, our two newest dogs on the K-9 Corrections program. I accidentally caught what is commonly referred to as an "alpha roll" on video. I say accidental because I wasn't expecting it. You can hear the handlers laughing in the background because they don't realize that what they are seeing isn't normal happy play. (while some dogs do roll each other in play sometimes look at how tense Cooper is when doing this) It is a great example of what an alpha roll really is however.

Notice how the larger stronger dog CHOOSES to submit and roll over, he is not physically forced to do so. If he didn't chose to submit to the body language of the other dog there would have been a fight instead. When people roll their dogs they are only physically forcing the dog into a body position, who knows what the dog is thinking. You cannot guarantee a dog is mentally submitting to the roll. (or giving up in some cases also known as learned helplessness when done repeatedly) Those that don't give up when let go may chose to bite. This can be because being forced to lay down in that position (physically forced) reads as an attack to many dogs. Dogs being a fight or flight animal only have two choices in that situation. If they are prevented from flight one of those choices is taken away from them. Guess what that leaves them?

The problem with using physical force to manage or intimidate your dog into behaving means you MUST be present 100% of the time for that to happen. Because it is management using suppression of behavior you don't want, not teaching them the behavior that you prefer. For the best long term results you shouldn't just stop behavior, you should change behavior. (sometimes that includes the need to change the emotion of events for your dog)

What dog owners also need to know is that "dominance" is a contextual relationship between dogs and not a set description of a dog. Many dogs that people label as dominant are really bullies. A true leader within a social group doesn't need to use any physical force to control the other dogs. A good leader is benevolent, not violent. Something we humans could stand to remember when dealing with dogs and other people, but I digress. Bullies tend to be insecure dogs in general. (sidenote: resource guarding is not about dominance)

Cooper is actually very interesting because some of his social cues seem slightly off. He vocalizes when he wants to play but it sounds more like a warning growl. He isn't showing pilo-erection (hackles raised) but he seems conflicted to me. I haven't seen him do any of the stress yawning but he is bowing and stretching instead. (also known as calming signals-see Turid Rugaas FMI) His handler reported that he nibbled gravy off his hand instead of licking it off. He hates the rain, refusing to move if it touches him, and he is more trustful of women then men upon meeting people. Oh and he tends to mark in new places. (who wants to adopt that?)

It is obvious he didn't have a great life where ever he was before coming to the shelter. He is improving and some of our goals with him include getting him to relax around people more and hopefully even learning how to play with toys. We are also going to teach him that when he growls at another dog the other dog will go away. (This means we will be teaching Walker to move away from Cooper when he growls.) This way when he plays in the future he will have some control over the interaction, hopefully with a socially appropriate dog, which should help him be more relaxed in that situation.

At this point I would like to see him go into a home with another dog because he does seem to be more relaxed with another dog around. (much like another former K-9 Corrections dog Grizz) This would also take the pressure off of him that being an only dog can bring. But it is early yet and I may change my mind based on his progress. I can see that he obviously really likes his handler so that is a great sign.

Wish us luck!

Quick Update on Training w/ Toys

I wanted to give a quick update on how the toy training is going with Rouge and Zulu, my two test dogs. To sum it up in one word - AWESOME!


I like to pair my blogs with pictures and I have to admit that I haven't figured out how to include a video in my blog yet! To add insult to injury, I videoed Zulu on my fancy cell phone and can't figure out how to change the orientation of the video so it's sideways on YouTube. Yes, I'm technologically challenged!


However, the video is worth watching as it is a great summary of how my 2 on 2 off contact training with toys is going. Here's the link of Zulu self-rewarding. Just turn your head to the left for the full effect...


As for Rouge, I've laced her toys are laced with food (turkey sausage to be exact) and that gets her soooo excited to work. The other day I pulled out the toy to go do some basic box work (so we could practice our front and rear crosses) and when she saw the toy she started jumping all around and was so flipping excited. 


I was a little surprised at her enthusiasm (Dalmatians do tend to be more food motivated), although I guess if I'm playing the game right, I shouldn't be 'cause it just means I'm training correctly! Any way, it was fun to see her motivation for agility, our interaction and play.


It's very rewarding to see these leaps in development!

Dog Beers - Yes, These Are For Real...(and not for the dogs!)

This past weekend in OH we not only judged, but did a few fun things as well.

We went to this amazingly HUGE grocery store called Jungle Jim's where they have every specialty item you could ever dream of. We seemed to be stuck in the wine, beer and cigar section (one of Dan's hobbies) and being the dog enthusiast I am, I took the opportunity to take pictures of the dog-themed beers.

Here were some of the names we saw:
* Ellie's Brown Ale - featuring a chocolate lab of course!

* Garde Dog

* Tire Bite Golden Ale

* In Heat Wheat Hefe Weizen

* Raging Bitch

* Labrador Lagar (from Thirsty Dog Brewing Co.)

* Old Leghumper (also from Thirsty Dog Brewing Co.)

The only one we were able to try was the Ellie's Brown Ale (in honor of Dan's Chocolate Labs Sadie and Burton).

On a slightly different note, we were able to take our beer, wine and Dan's cigar selections back to the hotel and picked up some great take-out from Olive Garden. We plucked a large blanket from the hotel room and nabbed a shady spot in the grass under a tree behind the hotel for a little picnic.

Within minutes, several exhibitors joined us (they're always welcome!) and soon we had a crowd hanging out on the blanket, enjoying wine, beer and cigars (the men...). The weather was gorgeous and I think it was one of the most amazing evenings I've had in a very long time.

I told my hubby he needs to plan a picnic for us in the future. It was a simple luxury and I highly recommend it. 

Courses - Hamilton Dog Training, OH May 21-23, 2010

This weekend Dan and I were judging for the Hamilton Dog Training Club in OH, just outside of Cincinnati.

I judged for this club about 8-9 years ago and have fond memories of their outdoor location. As time has gone on, they've moved to an indoor soccer arena like most parts of the country. It seems the outdoor trials are becoming a thing of the past and I'm a little sad about that.

Yeah, I understand inconsistent weather makes for some worries and that setting up equipment and rings is time consuming. But there's nothing like a beautiful sunny day outdoors and a lush grass field to run on. These types of trials always afforded me a cozy nap under a tree or canopy with a soft breeze and birds singing in the background. I know my dogs prefer the outdoors and miss those cool grass naps too.

But back to the trial at hand and the beautiful indoor facility...

On Friday and Sunday I judged Standard. The courses were pretty straight forward and are attached.

However, on Saturday I judged Jumpers in a narrow ring that more than challenged my creative and design flow capabilities!

The ring size was 60 x 135 and the challenge is the width, or lack of width. Since there is a minimum distance a jump must be from a ring barrier, we're often left with less than 60 across to design with. For example, if a jump is facing a wall (so the dog is jumping toward the wall) we must have a minimum of 15' so now the 60' wide ring is narrowed to 45' of usable running space. Each time you add a piece of equipment, the spacing becomes smaller and smaller.

Given the above, it's no surprise that courses turn into a 'run up and down' type of design with a small circular something in them to facilitate the necessary change of directions or side-switches. Regardless, of the spacing, I thought my course made the best of a challenging situation and below is my Excellent Jumpers course.

As always, I want to thank the club for a wonderful time and beautiful weather.

Exciting news!

My sister and her fiance are getting another bulldog! She is Minos's half sister and her name is Glitter. (below on right) Here is Minos saying hello. The meeting went very well though Minos played the role of Pepe Le Pew. (I LOOOOVE you!) Fortunately he did back off when she told him he was being a pest.

Isn't she adorable? The bulldog on the right in the photo below is another sibling of Minos, a full sister. You can see the resemblance.

Glitter comes home next week. I'll be sure to share more photos then. Now we need to find her a tutu to wear to the wedding. I think she'll look great in pink.

Wordless Wednesday

NOT photoshopped. Talk about the beauty of timing!

River's "So Close" UTDX Attempt!!

Judge JoAnne Mcleod with River, sitting with Pat, Barbara and Chase

A huge write-up on the Alberta Kennel Club's urban test has been sent to the CKC Tracking Chat group. Below is only the portion describing River's track. However, in synopsis, of 11 UTDs, there were only two passes all weekend. The two dogs were both Goldens owned by Barbara Loree. What a great weekend for her! Barbara wrote up the bulk of the information below for the chat list, and my editorial comments are added. I could not be more proud of River, who did the entire track in very hot weather and in a strange place - we have never tracked at the University of Calgary. We went one day, but ended up not tracking as it was too hot. I just followed her on a loose line like I always do. She was awesome and as always, I love her to pieces. The judge, JoAnne Mcleod, said at the luncheon that River demonstrated what an urban dog should look like, and she told me we were a joy to watch. These words mean a lot to me. I have cried a few times, but I am ok...and proud!

The pass rate for UTDX is around 10% so to come that close is very meaningful. We'll keep trying! She loves tracking and everyone encouraged me to keep it up with her after seeing her do this track, which also felt great.

Here is the write-up...it was written by Barbara Loree for the chat group, and I have added a few of my own comments:

UTDX May 16, 2010

Track #1 – German Shepherd (F) Lindau’s Uncharted Course TDX UTD JHD HCT – Donna Brinkworth
SO close… *This is Barbara’s write-up with my notes added. Thanks Barbara, great tracklaying! Even though we did not make the last turn, it was a very proud day for me and my 10year old girl.

This track started in a park-like setting in full sun on a warm day beside a main road. River didn’t’ commit right away to the track after investigating the scent pad area, she tracked right and left in a circle then committed after a few short minutes. (Donna says: whew). Once on track she tracked true on her first leg and made her first turn into a small pathway through some bushes. She actually turned one pathway past where the tracklayer had entered but she completely recovered by checking left coming out of her pathway and picked up her second leg heading over the road dead on track.

She was still exactly on track as she headed over a grass berm into a parking lot where a family of 3 bold bunnies where standing to greet her (me: damn bunnies – someone has to say this!).

After a few barks of frustration from River the bunnies left and she then tracked into the parking lot right and made a beautiful right hand MOT turn and tracked straight to her first article (wood). (Donna says: at this point, I watered her, and had a short tug o war when she playfully grabbed my tracking bag, yeesh! She was in a very funny mood, she is a quirky dog, however her jovial mood made me feel very good about things).

She restarted well and headed for a shade tree (which was just past the 3rd turn). She enjoyed the shade and casted right and left and investigated a parked van before committing to the track which went over a road onto a sidewalk and heading for a small building. Before making the next turn past the small building she cast and investigated behind the building to the right then recovered quickly and tracked beside the building. She made her right hand turn on grass passed the building exactly on track. (Donna says: when River came to a set of wood stairs going up to the door of this metal building, she sniffed underneath, then went up one or two and sniffed – and at this point I was pretty sure the track passed along the front of the building so went with her).

The team tracked over another road onto a sidewalk where River was immediately pulled right of the sidewalk to a plastic cup lid (not an article). (Donna says: I knew it wasn’t, but I had this giddy moment where I was going to pick it up and happily wave back to JoAnne, but didn’t…) River continued to pull right of the track and went by her 2nd article that was on grass on the left hand side of the sidewalk (Donna says: at this point, that plastic lid did not seem so funny anymore…).

Here is her map. The B means "bunnies." Orange shows where she was off track slightly but she always came back...but at the end she got too far and it was a busy road to cross...

She indicated loss of scent then ventured further left towards the parking lot but all the time she was circling back towards the track. She searched the road and headed back towards the grass coming closer and closer to the article they had missed when all of a sudden her head snapped left and she committed to back tracking into the scent of her 2nd article (plastic) (PHEW). (Donna says: PHEW. Also, when I waved back, how nice it was to see everyone’s beaming faces. This is one of my very best memories of the whole track…)

Once back on track she checked the right side of the sidewalk a few times and the roadway once then committed to the sidewalk and tracked a beautiful long leg in front of a building passing by the main entrance. The team was right on track staying on the sidewalk as they approached a main road when she immediately committed hard across the road passing the final turn. (which was a left turn on the sidewalk onto grass before that road) She casted right and left on the other side of the road and unfortunately committed going right and heard the whistle. Once they were put back on track on the sidewalk, she easily made the turn and tracked the final 50 m of grass to her final leather article. SO CLOSE!

Donna says: SHUCK! (sorry, this is an in-joke from the test)

I’ll add here, that I am so proud of my girl too. I have had a few little cries, but want to share something here. Today I went back to work. I told one co-worker about my track and drew the fateful “missed turn” to explain it. He is a VERY experienced SAR person and understands this. He congratulated me for simply trusting my dog, and that is how I tracked the entire way, just following River.

But then, another co-worker came by to ask about my weekend. Again, I waxed on about the test. When I was done, I said “how was your weekend?” She told me her mother was in intensive care and they were worried they were going to lose her. When she left my office, I threw away my little sketch of that last turn. She is a friend so I know she didn’t mind hearing me out.

However, this is a good reminder to me about how lucky we are to enjoy such a wonderful activity with our dogs and our friends, pass or no pass. I hope that every person in the test appreciates the wonderful dog they went home with, and keeps on training to enjoy the company of friends and stillness of nature on lovely summer mornings.

And that is what tracking is all about! Good luck to everyone else this year.

Donna Brinkworth with great notes from Barb Loree, proud owner of two new UTD dogs!

Pat S and Barb L and their dogs TCH Hanna (Weim) and Likah UTD (Golden) on day one with JoAnne...

A very proud Chase UTD decided to bring me his leather after passing his UTD on day two. I love this photo!!!

Jenny's big day

Today I took Jenny to her first AKC rally match. Our very first rally match actually. I started with AKC because that was the class I took recently and those are the signs I have been practicing. There was also an APDT rally match today but it was farther away. (at Finish Forward Dogs which I look forward to visiting in the future) I don't know all of the APDT signs yet so I figured this match would be an easier way to dip our toes in the pool so to speak. Plus it was less travel time and gas. Jenny had never been to a dog show type event before and I didn't know how she would do so closer to home made more sense to me for her first one.


The car ride produced a bit of whining but it wasn't to bad. She isn't used to long rides as I am a bit of a home body. She did fine at the site. I kept her busy in her soft crate with chewies and having gotten her used to that crate previously helped I'm sure. What I absolutely hated was the waiting. Novice A goes in the ring DEAD LAST so I had plenty of time for ring nerves. HOURS actually. It is silly considering it was only a match, practice for the real thing, but I did get plenty nervous. I guess it is good to watch the other classes first, you learn alot and seeing others mess up certainly takes pressure off for anything perfect. But it still sucks. While waiting I doubted I would ever do this again. I even texted my husband "This is supposed to be fun??"


It was a SUPER windy day. If you look close you can see the pieces of a long jump holding the ring gates up in this photo above. Ironicly we have never practiced our Rally on a windy day because keeping the signs from blowing away is a huge pain. That will teach me! I didn't take many pics because I was to nervous. You can't tell from these pics but it was VERY well attended. It started at 10:30 and we got in the ring at about 1:45. (and it was just a rally ring -regular obededience was in another ring)
Thankfully it only bothered Jenny a little. She got spooked near the moving gate (from wind) once but other than that she did pretty well. Her nose was to the ground a bit to much but once I got her attention off the ground she did great. I messed up two stations so had two retries. We qualified with a score of an 87 (out of 100) and got a third place ribbon. (out of 4 in the class) Yay! Driving home I thought, of course I'll do it again! It was fun! What a difference before the ring and after the ring thoughts are! LOL I wasn't nervous IN the ring during our turn, just during our wait. I just hope I get over that in future events. That part wasn't much fun at all.

She looks so impressed right? I wish I had asked someone to tape it for us but I didn't know many people there to begin with and the ones I did know left before we went into the ring. I did get over my shyness to ask a steward to take this photo for me. I couldn't NOT get a photo of us at our first match after all! I've also learned I don't have any dog show friends on speed dial! Thanks to Jen for letting me interupt her at work to tell her our good news. I had to share with SOMEONE that understood! (my husband while always supportive wasn't as excited as I needed at that moment)

So we survived our first match and foray into the rally ring. I plan on doing an APDT rally match in July at Wag It. That one is a bit closer to home which will be nice. I cannot stress how much I hate traveling. (for anything) I know these are just match ribbons and no points are awarded but I don't care. I am PROUD of Jenny and want to show them off so here they are.

I've learned the hard way that you never know what tomorrow will bring so in THIS moment I am very excited. We did it!

Hachi ~ My overdue movie review

In full disclosure I am slightly jaded based on my own experiences. For instance, many commercials lately like to use images of dogs with their heads sticking out car windows into the wind with a blissful look on their faces. And I think most people see that image and think; Awww how cute, look at the happy dog! I see the same image and think OH MY GOD WATCH OUT FOR HIS EYES!!!! But I do work at a vets office so perhaps that is an extreme example.

Spoiler alert! If you don't already know what the movie is about, or how it ends, this is not the review for you to read. No complaining because you were warned.

I finally sat down and watched Hachi, the new Americanized remake of the Hachiko story staring Richard Gere. They did a good job with it. I cried. Of course that is hard not to do with that story. True there were some very unbelievable parts in it. In this country that dog would have been in rescue faster than you could have said, "look there's a loose akita in the same place every day" for instance. No responsible owner would have let the dog loose TO make his own decisions like the one in the movie either. And certainly a loose akita would wreak some serious havoc in a neighborhood if left to his own devices. But belief has to be suspended for many movies. This one is no different.

For me the sad part is the true story behind the movie. This actually happened many years ago in Japan. And while I understand times were different then, I find it reprehensible that no one could take the dog in. (which is how it was portrayed in the original Japanese version which I have) Living for 10 years as a stray just doesn't seem like a very comfortable life to me.

So for what it was, a story about a dog left on his own to mourn a missing owner, it is ok. Have your tissues ready. I even liked some of the effects they did from the dogs eye view. And they did explain a little about what an akita is and isn't. "They don't play fetch. They're not that kind of dog." (Nobody told my last akita that however.)

I liked the special features about training the dogs for the movie. Not sure why they didn't use actual akita puppies for the pup in the beginning. (tho the shibas were adorable!) And the make-up job they did on the dog for the last scene was amazing. I disliked where the dog lived in the movie. A real akita would have been very lonely out there. They prefer to be WITH their family. But I suppose that is a detail like when cops watch action movies, they count the bullets and know which shoot outs aren't realistic.

If nothing else it is a charming movie about a man and his dog with some beautiful akitas to watch. (even tho Gere's character is a Yankees fan, bleck VBG) For those that take this historical story about one akita as an example of how loyal the whole breed is, get a grip. All dogs are individuals and while the breed is known for being territorial and possessive of it's people, loyalty doesn't come without bonding and fair training. You have to earn that loyalty. Setting boundaries is also very important for akitas which is why this isn't a breed for everyone.

The jury is out on the effect this movie may have on akita rescue and back yard breeders looking to cash in. While the dogs are beautiful in the movie I think some people may realize they aren't for them based on some of what they say in the movie. Tho they show a dog that isn't realistic in other ways so it may be a wash. Who knows, only time will tell. Fingers crossed.

***Possession is NOT protection because protection implies there is a threat to the person. If there is no threat and a dog attacks a person simply for being near you then you have a problem, not a loyal dog.

A Tale of Two Urban Tracks

I have been having a lot of interesting adventures (and misadventures) with Jet in the past month. We've had bunnies, crows and mice, missing articles, evil non-articles near our tracks, snow, rain and sun! In this post, we have some good sessions with interesting results. So I call this post a tale of two urban tracks!

After years of tracking with River, going out with Jet is like starting from scratch. Her behaviours are different, AND I am training her differently than I trained River.  We are at the stage where I am starting to be neutral and encourage her to problem solve. I am allowing more freedom so she can take over from me, as I fade out of the picture. I am happy with her work but a few things have cropped up, of course!

One thing is that I have to learn to read a new dog and three things stand out.

• First of all, I need a lighter touch on the line than I have with a German Shepherd due to her size.
• Secondly, Jet likes to go slightly off track, face the wrong direction and think or take stock of the scent. When you watch the slideshows below, you will see it (and the video). A week ago at a track in Olds, she was standing there, and I was waiting, when we heard this loud HONK HONK! A car was coming along and I am sure the driver thought there was something wrong with me!! It did not phase Jet at all, of course.
• Thirdly, her little legs move SO FAST! I can't register what she is doing sometimes. River moves a lot more slowly and she is a bigger dog to observe - so everything is more obvious. So, this has been fun and challenging for me, as always...I learn with every dog!  

Our two latest tracks are below, in video and slideshow formats. The Google Earth maps are also below.

Track One - "The Do-Over" Track
Sunday May 9 morning
Weather - light rain in morning, warming up, no wind
370 meters
Just over one hour old

A couple of weeks ago, I was not happy with my article placement in one parking lot. After receiving advice (public on the CKC chat list and private from friends), I went back on Sunday and put a turn in the same place but went beyond the parking lines and put the article in a better spot. I videotaped this turn. I also had an issue in a previous track with both a NON-article (someone's sock just past my corner). On this track, there is another sock - what is with these college students and their socks??? I am so happy to report that Jet sniffs and ignores it. This is a huge win for us!

Track One Map

Track One Slideshow (missing sections are on video below)

Track One Video




Track Two - The "Interesting Scent Puzzle" Track
May 10 evening
Weather - sunny and warm, no wind, dry
340 meters
Exactly one hour old

Because I felt Jet was hesitating a little on this track and needed a good successful one - I did another track on Monday night. I loaded the first part of this leg with bait and used water on the turn. As the track progressed, I used less bait and other clues. I threw in a second non-veg turn at the end with no bait. By then she was on...but she did arch wide in her search for the article. In part she went to see a paper cup, but...

...I also followed the advice noted in track one, above. On the first nv leg and turn I was avoiding the yellow lines and making the turn away from the lines. She is dead on here. The article is way too close to the next turn (you should NOT find this kind of set-up in a test) but she does it beautifully, along with the next turn to veg.

For the second non-veg legs and turn, I did my usual thing and walked out along the edge of the lines. This more closely approximates what you would find in a test. There are a lot of variables at play here, but the difference in how she handles the non-veg is interesting. She chooses to make the transition a bit to the right rather than between the two cars, lining her up with a curb that she has to go over - not the best entry. Then, does she go off on that leg because of the cup, or does she go to the cup because of how the scent is behaving? I stay on track (at the edge of the lines) so you can see where she is relative to it. She is very sure of the location of the article though! A happy ending.

Track Two Map

Track Two Slideshow (missing sections are in video, below)

Track Two Video

Part One

Part Two

Part Three (to end)


I love working with my little Jet. She is ungodly smart, tough, and loves a job. Over time I look forward to having the same teamwork and comfort with Jet that I have with River.

Wordless Wednesday

Video of River's 23 hour old track

River does a body snap to find this metal article in part 3. I know it is not what you would find on a track (hopefully) -- metal on non-veg, between curbs, and by a light. But sometimes I do weird things in training, so I am prepared for everything in testing! She blew my mind when she did a body snap for it. I think it may be my favourite moment of the track (aside from the beginning, oh and the end).

The entire description of this track is in the post below (May 9). It was 900 meters and 23 hours old! I laid it on Saturday morning, and ran it on Sunday morning. The light rain freshened the track, and only one article was missing. I was shocked that a lot of my dried liver was still in place too. Clearly the critters at this college are not tuned into tracking yet!  So without any further comments, here are the videos (missing one small chunk, sadly due to my error) and the parts of the map to go with each. There are some new buildings at the college, so you will see the map is not always completely accurate, particularly in part 2 where her article blows up to a building that is NOT there on the map!!

Full map

Map of part one - start and first turn... (move that flag and start around the corner, oops)...when she made that first turn, I knew she was on. She goes offtrack for some personal business and I rush to turn of the film (!). Listen, I exercise my dog. She just seems to get her system going once she tracks. It is interesting, it looks like the scent rolled off the berm into the curb in one part.

Video part one



Map of part two (I missed a big section because I got muddled up...) ...in this part there is a duck on the track, and also - she finds an article that blew or was tossed off track! I am looking ahead while I film, so was so surprised! I thought I saw it ahead, but it was a straw in the grass, lol.

Video part two



Map of part three - the parking lot and metal article - but it starts with her marking duck poop (argh)...I guess seeing that duck earlier had her dander up! (Oh nice, and the thumbnail for the video is of River and the duck poop, yeesh! Can I change that?)

Video part three

Map of part four - not much going on here - wind our way through the residence area. I don't let her go into a children's play area. Pretty straightforward. She looks under a footbridge that I am sure attracted scent.

Video part four



Map of part five - there was a missing article after another non-veg turn. It was the only missing article! But she finds a piece of food. You may recognize those windows from a few weeks ago - when Jet found mice running up the walls in this exact spot. River checks out a chain link fence that can trap and hold scent, then goes up some stairs (another nice body snap) and as she gets to the last article, you can hear me getting choked up. She is my 'tracking champion' - in my heart!

Video part five


My special girl!