Reactivity Can Be Good

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Jamie

The ability to change direction quickly is a huge benefit to a coursing dog. They have to be able to react quickly to the change in position of the lure.

This sounds crazy, doesn’t it? With all the whining and complaining I do regarding Risa’s dog reactivity, you’d probably think that I wouldn’t consider such a behavior to have any benefit. But it does. If it weren’t beneficial, it wouldn’t exist in so many dogs!

In this case, I’m not really talking about fear reactivity specifically. While the term ‘reactivity’ is generally used by many to mean a dog who behaves aggressively out of fear in an attempt to drive away that which frightens him, I’m speaking more about the dictionary definition. How quickly a dog responds to a stimulus.

Reactivity is incredibly common in herding breeds and sighthounds. It occurs frequently in terriers as well. When you think about the history and purpose of these breeds, it’s not hard to see why reactivity is so common. All were bred to be incredibly in tune with movement. The herding dog needed to be able to change directions quickly to keep the flock in line. The sighthound needed to be able to adjust its position rapidly to keep up with the hare. And terriers needed to be able to keep track of the vermin they hunted. All of these dogs needed to have quick reaction time to do their job properly. All of these types tend to be very visually oriented and in tune with movement. This reactive behavior makes them incredibly good at what they were bred to do. But it can also turn into a disaster when they overreact to things in their environment.

Even outside of their original purpose, these reactive dogs tend to make excellent competitors. Y’know. . .if you can manage to get them in the ring without having a reactive meltdown. 😉 Their keenness on movement makes them outstanding at reading your cues and body language. They’re also quick to adjust themselves to your cues (which can be good or bad depending on your skills as a handler). With a reactive dog, you can really harness their ability to make quick decisions. Especially in fast-paced sports like agility.

Of course, I’m not implying that your next competition dog should be a highly-reactive one. Reactivity, especially fear reactivity, brings about a whole other set of potential problems that might keep you out of the ring. Just saying that reactivity isn’t really as much of an anomaly among dogs as one might think. That it truly did/does have a purpose. 😀

Posted in Lure Coursing, Reactivity, Training | Leave a comment

Blog the Change: Clear Path for Veterans

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Jamie

Situated on picturesque land overlooking some of the most gorgeous parts of central New York State is Eagle Ridge, home to Clear Path for Veterans and their Dogs to Vets program.

Dogs to Vets exists to help veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military sexual trauma (MST), and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI) by pairing them with a dog that they learn to train to become their service dog. Most of the dogs enlisted in the program come from local shelters. The dogs get a second chance at life and get an opportunity to make life easier for one of our servicemen or women. Unlike many service dog programs, the dogs are not trained first and then paired with a veteran. Instead, the veteran is in charge of learning how to train their own dog.

Callie, one of the young pups who was donated to the Dogs to Vets program. I've been working with her on her basic obedience skills and controling her enthusiasm. Hopefully, she'll be paired with a veteran soon.

Clear Path has not been around very long; they got started earlier this year. I have been a volunteer dog trainer with them since February and it’s been incredible. 🙂

If you’re interested in learning more about the program and how you can help, check out their website at Clear Path for Veterans.

Blog the Change

Posted in Causes, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Risalphabet Soup

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Jamie

Risa with her 1st place ribbon after her first Q in AKC Rally.

She’s just a shelter mutt. She’s not a breeding dog. Why do you even bother competing with her? It’s not like the titles mean anything. You’re not trying to prove breed-worthiness. Not to mention she’s fearful and dog reactive. Is it worth the stress you’re putting her through just for some extra letters, ribbons, and awards?

There are several reasons why I compete with Risa. I got Risa with the hopes of her being my competition dog. I wanted to do agility with her and the shelter worker who had spent the most time with Ris thought she’d be a great agility dog. We hit a couple huge snags right away that kept us from trialing: her fears and her dog reactivity. There was no way I was going to be able to take her to a trial and have a good time together when I first got her. Even once she knew many different behaviors and was prepared for the obstacles in AKC rally she still wasn’t ready for the competition ring. Heck, for years a CGC was completely out of the question. Yet I still dreamed and ached for the time when we could compete together. I knew she’d be amazing. I’d seen what she was capable of. I knew she enjoyed performing in front of an audience as she shined demonstrating behaviors and tricks in her obedience classes. She also seemed to enjoy showing off her freestyle moves in the demos we participated in. I wanted so desperately to compete with her. To show the world what she could do. To prove that even a “worthless shelter mutt” could do whatever she put her mind to.

So I worked hard with competition as our goal. I built up her confidence in new places. I gained her trust. I helped her overcome her fear of people, dogs, and novel items. It was a long journey. It had its ups and downs. She wasn’t cured. Her issues were still there just better managed. She learned how to cope. After almost four years together, I finally decided she might be ready to trial. As canine musical freestyle was her first love, that’s where we started. And we’ve never looked back. 😉

The titles she has earned are proof of the hard work we’ve done together. A way to validate our journey. A way our progress can be measured and proven. They are a reminder of what I thought we may never achieve. No one who knew Risa as a 2.5 year old dog would likely recognize her today. I laughed at the thought of her earning a CGC when I adopted her and found out exactly how fearful she was. I’m not sure the me from back then would have ever expected Risa to earn so many titles in a variety of venues.

First place in WCFO freestyle earning her second title in that venue.

But it’s not really about having something to prove. At the end of the day, it’s about fun. I like trialing with Risa. I get to meet a lot of like-minded people. I get to spend a weekend with my dog. Working towards trialing has strengthened our bond together. Besides, I love training new behaviors and working with Risa. I might as well have a goal for my efforts. It forces me to be a better trainer knowing I have competition and a strict set of rules to follow in the ring.

Does Risa get stressed when we trial? Sure. But so do I! Even when I competed in sports in high school I would get stressed out before an event or a game. I can’t remember how many times I felt the stress and pressure of performance when I was getting into the blocks at the start line. Or how often my muscles would freeze when someone passed me the ball and I went to take a shot. But the rush and joy of the sport kept me coming back for more. It was too much fun to get out there and do something! It was worth the stress beforehand.

Despite the stress Risa feels from the show environment, she loves to trial too. Once we get in the ring, it’s just her and me. That is where she shines. And that is where she wants to be. She has shown me that time and again. I do my best to keep her stress levels low before and after ring time. The more we compete, the more comfortable she gets. The more fun we both have.

Whenever I think of titles and what they mean to me, I’m always reminded of this:

What is a Title Really?

Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores: a title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor the dog, an ultimate memorial.

It will remain in the record and in the memory, for about as long as anything in this world can remain.

And though the dog himself doesn’t know or care that his achievements have been noted, a title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count.

A title says your dog was intelligent, adaptable, and good natured.

It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy then may have sometimes seemed.

In addition, a title says that you loved your dog. That you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed and in the end your faith was justified.

A title proves that your dog inspired you to that special relationship enjoyed by so few; that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return.

And when that dear short life is over, the title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend. Volumes of praise in one small set of initials after the name.

A title is nothing less that then true love and respect, given and received and recorded permanently.

By Sandy Mowery

And that about sums it up.

Posted in AKC, Fear, Lure Coursing, Rally, Reactivity, Training | Tagged | 1 Comment

CAT Dog

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Jamie

It's a bit hard to see, but Risa was covered in her own spit after her run Saturday.

Risa and I have been incredibly busy these past few weeks. First the Michele Pouliot seminar. Then trailing in APDT rally. We capped off our super weekends with an AKC Coursing Ability Test. Thankfully, I knew Risa wouldn’t need her brain for this one. 😉 Just her incredible prey drive.

When we arrived at the show site, she had no idea why we were there. As soon as she caught site of the moving lure, however, she knew. And she wouldn’t take her eyes off the field after that. 😉

The first day was a bit stressful at the start. They had to swipe her to make sure she wasn’t in heat (I know she’s spayed and is a Canine Partners mutt but it’s protocol). I didn’t know they would need to do this and Risa panicked. She had no idea who that person was and why they needed to check out her butt. (She is very uncomfortable with strangers near her rear.) I felt so bad for both Risa and the person who needed to check her. Eventually, I picked her up and they were able to check her. After that, they needed to watch her gait to make sure she was physically sound. Unfortunately, due to our close proximity to the field, she was straining and bouncing towards the lure’s location. No nice, pretty trot from her! 🙂

Her first run was beautiful. She was so happy. She’s never run so far after a lure before. Our usual lure courses are between 150-200 yards. The courses she ran Friday and Saturday were 675 yards long! Risa had 2 minutes to complete the course; it took her about 1 minute. She was SO happy. I could tell she was a bit leery about approaching the huntmaster as she swung wide at the end instead of slamming into the plastic bag bunnies like she usually does. It was also a bit difficult to catch her as she kept her distance from me. She also didn’t have a collar on; the dogs have to run naked.

The second day, she was amped as soon as we arrived. She knew exactly why we were there! I had to have her seat belted in the car when she wasn’t running because she probably would have destroyed my car otherwise. She gets that crazy about the lure. It was easier to have her swiped this time as I just picked her up right away. She trotted a bit nicer too but it was still difficult to keep her calm enough to do so! The weather was horrible. It was cold, windy, and rainy. But it didn’t stop her from being excited and run the course.

I think her second run was the nicest. She really got a good stride going. At the end, she still didn’t feel comfortable enough to rush in to grab the plastic bags. But she didn’t keep her distance as much and, once I crouched down and called her to me, she came right to me.

This morning was her final run. The weather was worse today than yesterday. It was cold, windy, and the rain was coming down hard. During our warm-up walk before we checked in, we met up with our friend and her three dogs. I slowly approached them with Risa to gauge her thoughts before we got too close. She seemed pretty comfortable so we eventually formed a walking pack. I watched her closely to make sure she felt okay. One of the dogs sniffed her face-to-face twice. I could tell Risa was a bit nervous about his advances but she didn’t react. She simply walked away. Way to go Risi! Awesome decision! I think she really enjoyed her early morning walk with some new friends who are also coursing crazies. 🙂

I was finally able to gait her nicely for her check in without her bouncing like a loony. Her final run was great though I’m sure she was pretty tired by that point. We took her final qualifying ribbon and she walked off the field with a new title. She’s now Risa W-FDX/MF RN RL1 (AoE) CA CGC WCM. Quite the alphabet soup these days! I think this was her most favorite title to earn.

Risa with her three CA qualifying ribbons.

I’m so proud of her for this new title. I like that it took no training for her to achieve it. It was completely her. Her instincts. Her drive. All I had to do was walk her out there and let her go. She acts like a complete, out-of-control, loon when we’re near the coursing field. She pulls, she barks, she wines, she bounces. And I let her. Risa is generally calm and she has great self control. So I’m willing to let her have this. She can lose her mind and I don’t care. This is one thing that’s completely for her and I love that she has an outlet for her natural instincts. 😀 Unlike almost everything else we do together, this one activity is totally about her. While she enjoys doing freestyle and rally, she does those things for me. Lure coursing she does for herself.

Posted in CAT, Fear, Lure Coursing, Reactivity | 4 Comments

Flashback Friday

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Jamie

Not all that confident around dogs, strangers, and in a new location.

Sometimes, it’s hard for me to remember how far we’ve come. It’s times like these that make me wish I’d started blogging about Risa as soon as I brought her home! Fortunately, I still have record of many of our struggles over the years. Today, I’m going to share one of our adventures from September 30, 2007 (exactly four years ago!):

Ris has a new nickname: the Oxymoron Dog. Why? Because she drives me nuts and she keeps me sane.

Y’know those kids that are really good at academics and sports? The ones the parents are so proud of? The same kids who, the minute you take them out in public, find the best ways to embarrass the heck out of their parents? If Risa were a human child, that is the kind of kid she would be!

I have learned from countless failures that exercising Risa before taking her somewhere where she has to behave is the best bet for success. So I took her on a walk before we left. I even decided to be stupid and let her off-leash in the courtyard to burn off a little bit of extra energy. She did pretty good paying attention to me and coming back into my vicinity when asked. Then she saw the birds. . .all I could think was “Oh great, I’ve lost her now!” She ran right at them, scattering them to the wind with a big grin on her face. I said “Risa, c’mon!” and she broke off her pursuit and came back to me. Hooray!

After a short break in the house, I packed her up into the car and we took off to the pet blessing. It wasn’t really too crowded but there were quite a few dogs and their people there. I also saw at least two cats and a rabbit. Ris is much better going to new places now and doesn’t freak out like she used to. She was a bit on edge but confident enough to walk around without her tail between her legs.

She was too busy looking around and taking everything in to notice her trainer was there. But eventually she figured out she was there and said hi to her and her dog (who Ris hasn’t met before). Ris actually met a lot of new dogs today and was very good about it too. Of course, it helps when the dogs aren’t rude dogs. They were all very good about sniffing nicely and not jumping right into Ris’ space. There was only one dog Risa barked and lunged at and when she did I backed her away from said dog and calmed her down. After that, she didn’t pay much mind to that dog.

When it was time for Risa to get blessed, I was wondering how she would react to this guy coming towards her. She checked him out a bit and then shied away so I crouched down and encouraged her to go see him. Ris approached him and sniffed his hands a bit so he started the blessing. He no sooner finished the first sentence and Risa left to go look at something over in the field. I laughed at her and called her “ADD Dog” and beckoned her to come back over so he could finish.

Playtime with the puppy!

We milled around after the blessing and met more dogs and people. Ris likes to investigate new people so I caught her sniffing many passerbys. If they reached out to pet her she’d back away and I’d tell them she’s a bit shy. Still, there were a few people she’d never met before who managed to get their hands on her. I was pretty surprised how social she was being.

One of the Ibizan Hounds we know was there and she found a great scent to roll in. Once she finished, Risa tried to enjoy a nice roll too. But I stopped her. Talking with the hound’s owner, I do think it’s possible Ris has some sighthound in her based on some similar behaviors. Another person who saw her thought she had some greyhound in her. Who knows!?

Eventually we ended up hanging out with the Rotti from the Head-Start class we assisted. Risa had only met him once before (other than seeing him from her kennel). Apparently Ris really likes him because she started playing with him on-leash! Ris doesn’t play with dogs she barely knows. The two of them were having a blast. The leash anchors weren’t! It was tough to have two dogs playing on 4-foot leashes. The Rotti’s owner dropped his leash since she knew he’d stay with Risa. I had to drop Ris’ at one point because they were tied up. I thought Ris would stay close by but I was wrong! Once she realized she was free she took off. She LOVES to run and she bolted right towards the road. Great. 🙁 I called to her and said some key words (like “dinner”). Other people there called for her as well. Eventually she came back away from the road and ran towards the open field. She was having a great time. I called to her and took off running in the other direction to try and get her to come with me. Ris started running back towards the group and ended up rejoining her Rotti friend. His owner grabbed her leash for me and I got her back. Everyone commented on how FAST she is. I honestly wish I could let her full out run more often. . .but we just can’t. 🙁

Overall, she was good. I was pleased with her behavior. She did eye the other dogs while she had a ball but it didn’t get any farther than that. I told her ‘Don’t start’ and the owner moved their dog away. It’s so nice to be around other people who can read dogs. Ris is as easy to read as a book.

Even with that mostly successful day, we were still a long ways away from the more confident dog Risa is today. But it was a good start and was definitely a sign of things to come.

Posted in Fear, Reactivity, Training | Leave a comment