Training Agenda

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Jamie

"Bring it back? What fun is that!?"

January is Train Your Dog Month sponsored by APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers). Even though there is rarely a day that goes by when I don’t train with Risa, I decided to set myself a goal of training Risa to retrieve in honor of this month. (Note that I’m just starting the training this month. I have no plans to finish it before January is over!)

Retrieving is one of those things I’ve always struggled with teaching Risa to do. She loves to chase and grab toys so that’s not the issue. The problem is in the returning the item to me. When I play fetch, I generally “cheat” and have two toys so that the first is at least brought back to somewhere in my vicinity. (Oftentimes 5 or more feet away.) But, since I’m planning on earning high-level titles in APDT Rally, I figured I’d better have a viable retrieve (it’s one of the bonus exercises in Level 3). Not to mention this is something that could be helpful at some point. Especially since I have a fun idea for a freestyle routine that involves a retrieve that I can’t do because Risa doesn’t bring stuff back!

So I’ve started backchaining it. I’m taking a toy Risa has never played with and using it exclusively for this exercise. I have her sit in front of me and I offer the toy. Ideally, I would like her to take it on her own but we’ve play too many “It’s Yer Choice” games that sometimes she simply stares at me instead of grabbing the toy (she thinks she is supposed to ignore it until I give her permission to take it). So sometimes I tell her to “Take it!” and then I click her for holding it. I’m going to have to spend a lot of time on this portion. Firstly, that’s the point of backchaining. To make the last behavior the strongest. Also because this is the part she struggles with. The bringing it back to me and letting me take it. I’ve only spent a couple days working on it so we’ll see how it goes.

On top of that, we’ve switched gears again. Since I’m still undecided where we stand in regards to AKC Rally (are we going to go for our Rally Excellent title or not?), I’m back to training freestyle and APDT Rally. Especially since we have competitions in both coming up this summer. Since I’m training some new behaviors and working on fixing some old ones (right side heel especially), I’ve gone back to the clicker for most stuff. But I don’t want to give up on what I’ve been doing as it has really helped increase Risa’s focus. Not to mention it is a lot more fun. 🙂

Why shouldn't training be more like a game?

So, after a clicker-based session early in the day yesterday, I made sure to have a super fun one later on. No treats. Only reward was a tug toy. I kept tug sessions short to keep her interested. I did have to be careful, though. If I managed to rip the tug out of her mouth at the end of the session, she started to relinquish it early and get a bit concerned about playing the game with me. So I made a couple adjustments to keep the game fun and going well for her.

Along with using the tug as a reward to make training more of a game than a boring learning session, I decided to use a different method to deal with Risa wandering off while we work. (Yes, this is still an issue!) After attending a seminar, I learned that you can gently grab a dog’s collar and move them away from whatever has distracted them and bring them back to work with you. While I have nothing against this method and it does totally jive with my training methodology, Risa didn’t like it. Of course, she’s not supposed to but she seemed to get more shut down and upset that I was coming to grab her and drag her away. Either way, I wasn’t especially thrilled with the results I was seeing when I used it. What I really want is Risa to stay with me because it’s more fun to be with me than to check out the other stuff. Not because, if she doesn’t, I will go get her and make her leave the other stuff alone.

I recently read Pamela Dennison’s book Click Your Way to Rally Obedience and she had a great way to deal with this issue. If your dog disengages from you, say “HA!” and take off running in the opposite direction. When your dog catches back up with you, have them do some heeling and then reward that. So I tried it yesterday. And I saw a much happier dog racing back towards me as I laughed like an idiot and ran off on her. Her heeling once she got back to me was nice and focused and I rewarded it with a game of tug. Not only did Risa seem happier with this method but I did as well. It was less negative in my view. I saw it as an opportunity to have Risa come after me and chase me in a game rather than getting her away from the distraction and back to work. I’ve only done this during the one training session but I think it will be more effective than pulling her away.

Overall, I feel I’ve made a lot of positive strides in my training over the last few months. While I’m certainly still a clicker trainer, I’m really getting a lot out of adding in different rewards and mixing things up with Risa. Making training more of a game has really increased her focus and bond with me and made training even more fun. I wish I had learned and incorporated these things before!! Better late than never, I suppose. 🙂

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Excuses Excuses

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Jamie

Sighthound mix Risa running free!

I love hanging out with dog people. I love listening to them talk about their dogs. The struggles they face. The stories they share. I love being able to compare notes between them and my dog. To share our journey as well. Online and in person, I love to talk dog.

I sometimes find that people have some sad, preconceived notions about dogs though. Usually breed- or type-related. “Oh he’s a terrier. You can’t expect him to do that.” “Sighthounds are too independent and prey-driven to have a reliable recall.” “That’s why most people don’t show insert breed here in obedience. They are too insert chosen characteristic here.” I find such statements incredibly close-minded.

While I do know that some breeds DO have natural tendencies that can make it difficult to train certain behaviors, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. In fact, I find that most people are simply using it as an excuse as to why they can’t train to that level. Sure, it’s more difficult to get a CD on a greyhound than a golden retriever. The golden was bred to work with people. The greyhound was bred to work independently. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It simply means you need to work harder.

Plus, these breed stereotypes don’t do anyone any favors. You cannot compare the working ability of a German shepherd to that of a chow. They were bred for entirely different things. Expecting a chow to work like a GSD is going to set you up for failure. Know what you have and work with it. Don’t expect your dog to be something he’s not.

I find it’s generally more helpful to look at your dog as an individual rather than a breed. MOST golden retrievers are bubbly, dedicated, happy workers. They bond well with their people and will do backflips to work with you. They’re also a gregarious breed and very social. But not all of them are. I’ve seen goldens who shy away from other dogs and people. And some of them simply do not enjoy performing. It does a great disservice to your dog to assume that, simply because he’s a golden retriever, he will do well in obedience. Training is not inherited. It requires effort on your part. And some dogs don’t have the right temperament or breeding to do well at it.

It’s also bothersome that some people think someone is less of a trainer or doesn’t know what they’re talking about because they have a more tractable breed that they work with. “Well, of course, she has Labradors so what she does doesn’t work with my breed.” While this is sometimes the case, that doesn’t mean they have nothing to offer. Training is all about finding what motivates your dog. Once you know that, you can train them to do anything (with the exception of some instinct-based behaviors like herding). Some dogs are going to be better at it than others depending on their natural tendencies, of course. But I don’t think it’s fair to automatically limit your dog simply because of his breed.

Even dogs without pedigrees to explain their behavioral tendencies can have issues that make training difficult--but not impossible.

Having a mixed breed dog, I don’t run into such stereotypes much myself. No one is quite sure exactly what is in Risa’s background though I would place a significant sum of money on her being a sighthound mix. Sighthounds are not known for being good obedience dogs. They’re generally regarded as independent and have incredible prey drive. You don’t see many of them outside of the conformation ring when it comes to dog shows.

Add to that Risa’s poor temperament. Her fearfulness which manifests itself in neophobia (fear of the new), fear of strangers, and dog reactivity. Many people would assume that a more independent, prey-driven, fearful dog would make a poor competition dog. That you’d be working with a dog who would never achieve anything in high levels of competition if you could even get her in the ring at all. I knew this early on. I’ve always known this. And yet I have a dog who has earned high-level titles in various venues.

Do I have to work harder to get a solid performance out of Risa than I would if I had a more stable dog? You’d better believe it! I have to work incredibly hard to get Risa to focus on me and do what is required in the ring. But that makes it all the more satisfying when I get it. 🙂 You value that which you have to work hard to get more than something that is just handed to you. In this case, it also makes you a better trainer. Sometimes you have to think outside the box and work your tail off to earn it. To me, that’s far more valuable.

There are times that I use excuses to explain Risa’s behavior (I’m just as guilty of using them as anyone else! 😉 ). “She’s so fearful and there is so much going on. She just needs to keep an eye out for things that might get her. That’s why she won’t focus on me.” “I sometimes wonder if she’ll ever be able to focus on me consistently because she’s so hyper-vigilant.” The big difference is, I still work on these issues. I don’t just accept these excuses as limitations. More like a challenge that I fully intend to overcome. 😀

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Happy 8th Birthday, Risa!

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Jamie

Risa wearing her Birthday present. An awesome martingale collar she'll probably wear for freestyle.

Happy 8th Birthday, Risa!

It’s hard to believe you’re not still that adolescent pain in the butt I brought home from the shelter. People rarely believe you’re that old. You certainly don’t act like it! There are times I notice you slowing down a bit. And this year your right hind leg was a bit stiff after long lure coursing days. Aside from those rare moments, it’s hard to tell you’ve aged at all. (Though that grey is creeping in everywhere on your coat!)

You’re such a special dog to me. I haven’t planned anything in particular for today. We attended a rally trial over the weekend and, if that wasn’t a bonding experience, I don’t know what is! Just like last year, you managed to come away with a new title days before your Birthday. I’m incredibly proud of how far you’ve come. You’re such a joy to be around.

Here’s to many more happy, healthy years!!

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Hard Work Pays Off

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Jamie

Risa with her New Title rosette, Fourth Place rosette, and qualifying ribbons.

This weekend, Risa finally earned her AKC Rally Advanced (RA) title. We’ve been seeking this title for a while. Almost exactly a year ago, Risa earned her RN in AKC Rally. Since she seemed to be doing so well, I decided to keep going. I signed her up for the show in April last year to start her journey towards the RA. It was not pretty but she did earn one Q over that weekend. Risa was so distracted and stressed out. I debated giving up on rally with her completely. It was only after trialing her in APDT Rally that I decided to give AKC another chance. I simply vowed never to trial her at that particular location again. It was too much for her to handle.

So in November, we trialed again in AKC. Both of us NQ’d on the first day (Risa walked across the broad jump and I missed a sign) but I saw improvement from the last time we worked in such a crazy place. The next day she qualified with another decent performance. She was still distracted and did some sniffing in the ring but I saw a lot of improvement.

After that trial, I stepped up our game even more. I worked really hard on increasing her focus and attention on me. I also wanted to make heeling itself more enjoyable. Between working on precision stuff, I started rewarding more with vigorous petting and fun games. We’d play tug or start games of chase for focused, attentive heeling. I even had her do some heelwork before dinner and used her meals as a reward. This not only built in joy for the behavior, but increased her drive to be with me. I became more of a reward.

We entered a trial over the weekend in the hopes that she could finally finish her RA. The day before the trial, they had open ring time so I signed us up for a chance to play around. We couldn’t bring food in the ring so I had my pockets stuffed with toys. I allowed Risa some time to sniff the ring before I asked for any behaviors. I cued her to “Go sniff” and then followed her around the ring. She had an opportunity to investigate the space and I hoped that would help keep her nose off the ground during the actual trial. I worked her on several behaviors afterward and rewarded with tug, tossed toys, and petting. I didn’t reward with a game of chase for several reasons. I was concerned about taking out the rally signs or running into the jump. 😉 But mainly, I didn’t want Risa to get so incredibly revved up that she lost control and resorted to zoomies. It does happen rarely and, given the situation, I decided to avoid the chance that it could happen. I was also able to set up her crate in an ideal location where she was less likely to get a lot of people and dogs walking by.

The morning of the trial came and I was excited. My least favorite station to see was not a part of the course. No off-set figure 8! I will admit that I was happy to see it wasn’t there but I had practiced for it and was a bit bummed we wouldn’t get a chance to prove we could do it. I walked Risa around the show site to allow her a chance to get comfortable but otherwise, I kept her crated. This particular location is very crowded and tight. It just takes so much effort on my part to keep Risa at a safe distance from other dogs that she spends most of the day in her crate relaxing. I don’t think she minds, though. Every time I checked on her, she was curled up and napping in her crate. I’m sure her Thundershirt helped some but, even once I removed it, she seemed totally fine.

Because we were located so close to the ring, I didn’t have to get her out too early. When the dog ahead of us was waiting for the dog before them to finish, I got Risa out. We stood near to the ring gating so that I knew the area around us would be relatively dog free. I mostly rewarded her for looking at me rather than drilling her on behaviors. When it was our turn to enter the ring, I was starting to feel like a bundle of nerves! I really had nothing to worry about, though. Unlike most of our ring entrances, this one went off without a hitch. Because I’d practiced how we’d start so many times over the last several months, it was old hat for Risa. The only thing I did differently was hold her collar after I removed her leash and handed it to the ring steward. People coming towards her makes Risa a bit nervous and I didn’t want to have to call her back to me and reset if she felt she needed to move. She never broke her sit and it only took me a second or two to get her focus back on me after the steward left.

Once the judge told us “Forward,” it was beautiful. The first four signs on the course were magical. Risa was with me. She was completely focused. She did the signs almost perfectly. As I walked along the gating at the far end of the ring, I smiled to myself. “This is great! She’s doing WONDERFUL!” As we made the left turn towards the jump, it fell apart. Risa’s nose became glued to the jump and she wouldn’t stop sniffing. (I noticed other dogs spent significant time sniffing that jump as well so there had to have been something on it.) I was able to get her attention back and recue her over the jump but she was now a bit unfocused. She wandered a bit but not too far. Once I got her back and refocused on the task, the rest of the run was quite nice. We scored 92 points and got our final qualifying leg. Risa did not earn a placement but I didn’t care. She did it! We did it! And we finally looked like a cohesive team!

Even though she’d finished her title, we had still signed up for two runs. I could have moved us up to Excellent but I had made the decision not to long before I’d even sent in our entries. Excellent courses have the Honor Exercise. That means that while you run your course, there is another dog doing a sit or down stay out there with you. Then you and your dog also have to do a sit or down stay while another dog does their run. Given Risa’s history, I do not feel comfortable asking her to do that. So we stayed in Advanced and did a run for fun!

By the time we got in the ring Sunday, I was done. Everything seemed to move so slowly on Sunday and we didn’t get into the ring until almost an hour later than we had on Saturday. I was tired. My back was bothering me from standing around so long. I just wanted to get in the ring, get it over with, and go home!

Despite not being as into it as I usually am, our run on Sunday was also very nice. Risa was focused from the get go. She was attentive to me. There was much less sniffing and wandering off. And, if she did leave my side, it was relatively easy to get her back. Her score on Sunday was a 94 and she got fourth place.

I am so glad I didn’t give up on AKC Rally. It is incredibly difficult and exhausting for me to compete in AKC with Risa. The shows are crowded and extremely busy. I know it’s hard for Risa to concentrate with all the activity. But she did it! I’m not sure whether or not we’ll continue to show in AKC Rally. Starting in April, there will no longer be an Honor Exercise in the Excellent level so we could. I am just undecided about it. Certainly, it’s hard for us showing in AKC. But if we can do it there, we can do it anywhere! 😉 However, I think it’s time for a change. I’m going to start working on freestyle again (and some APDT rally) for our competitions in the summer. We’ll give AKC Rally a break for the time being.

Posted in AKC, Dog Sports, Fear, Rally, Reactivity, Thundershirt, Training | 2 Comments

The New Year

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Jamie

Onward to 2012.

Last year was pretty awesome for Risa. She had plenty of opportunities to go lure coursing, attended training classes, got to meet up with friends, traveled to various trials and seminars, and competed more times than ever before! Ris also made great improvement with her dog reactivity and took home plenty of new titles and placement rosettes. It was a great year for the pair of us.

In 2012, I’m hoping to continue where we left off in 2011. My goals for Risa are:

Continue to compete in WCFO freestyle (in both live and video competitions) and maybe get her W-FDM/MF (Intermediate title).
Finish her RA in AKC Rally. This will hopefully be accomplished in early January!
Continue to compete in APDT Rally and work towards earning her RL2, RL1X, and the ARCH.
Go lure coursing as many times as possible and earn her WCX (Wylde Courser Extreme) and maybe some legs towards her CAA (AKC Coursing Ability Advanced).
Keep working on building focus.
And, as always, continued improvement on her dog reactivity.

Happy New Year, everyone!

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