Ramona Romp

My city dogs rarely get to stretch their legs and run off leash in a big area. There are not a lot of legal places dogs can be off leash. We have dog parks, but most in my area are pretty small and can be very busy. I don't trust most people to bring dogs who are well mannered. Plus, Indi can't go to dog parks since *she's* not well mannered. I also stress about taking Porter in a remote area off leash because what if he runs off! I know, not likely with my momma's boy, but it's still possible.

One of my clients was nice enough to offer the use of her fully fenced in 2 acre property so my dogs can have some fun. She lives about 30 minutes away which is about how far Fiesta Island is (the off leash dog park island near SeaWorld). It's not a bad drive at all and her property is great. It's covered in oak tress so most is nice and shady and it's mostly flat.

After Porter's agility class today we picked up Indi from home and headed on out. There were a couple of spots Indi could have squeezed out of the yard if she really wanted to, so I just made sure to keep a close eye on her and called her back if she got to close. I also kept them away from one corner since I noticed poison oak.

It was a great day and the dogs really enjoyed themselves. I found some dog toys so Porter chased a ball for a bit. Indi was more concerned with marking everywhere and sniffing the plentiful holes in the ground made by who knows what. Some were tiny and others big enough for a fox. I'm sure most were from squirrels or rabbits.

Anyone home?

We were very fortunate to have access to this property. It was nice to just let the dogs explore and be dogs and not be stuck on a 6 foot leash. It might not seem like much, but if you live in San Diego, this size of property is rare (or several million), so my pups have to make due with our tiny suburban yard.

Dogwalk at Location #2

This morning was Porter's class at J's. I mentioned to her the horrible time he had on the dogwalk this week at G's so she asked me to do just the dogwalk so she could see. He was a little slow, and almost stopped at what would have been the pivot point on the teeter, but continued. He wasn't shaky and didn't jump off. She had me do it again but without cookies and he did much better the second time around.

We did a short sequence with the dog walk as the second obstacle and then the reverse and he did fine...except for his contact behavior since I didn't have the target plate out. He still hit the contact, but didn't do 2on2off.

I didn't have his mat for the a-frame so he went really slow going down and did 4on. J didn't like his speed so I made sure to get his mat the next time and he was wonderful.

One thing I loved about Porter today is he was very focused when he was working. A few times his sequence ended with him facing the line of dogs waiting and his ball even rolled within a foot of one young female. Porter rushed over, grabbed his ball and turned back toward me! It's not like him to ignore a cute girl, so I was really happy! Especially since his reward was a toy not a food-filled toy. He knows though that if he gets the toy I'll bring him food, but it's not a lure or an immediate reward like the food-filled toys. He had to make a conscience choice to pick me (food) over playtime with other dogs.

Indi and Daisy

Daisy, the Dalamatian, came over today for a play date with Porter and so we could work on Indi getting to know her and hopefully like her one day.

We did this maybe a year ago and it went well but not perfect. I think I pushed it too fast so today I too it very slowly.

I had Indi locked in the bedroom upstairs so Porter and Daisy (mostly Porter) could get his crazies out first. Indi is much more hyped up and likely to be reactive if the other dogs are worked up. Poor Daisy though...she likes Porter, and will play with him, but usually he's watered down a bit since Kylie is there, too. But today Porter's full focus was on Daisy...and she really just wanted some peace and quiet to sniff the new to her yard.

Once Porter chilled out a bit I put an ex pen around the doggie door so Indi could come outside a little but not make contact with Daisy. When I let her out of the bedroom she came tearing down the stairs and to the back door. The doggie door was closed at this time since I wanted her to see Daisy through the sliding glass door first to gauge her reaction. Indi was yiping, but in an excited, not reactive way.

We spend part of the time tossing Indi treats, especially when we brought Daisy closer and the other part just hanging out with the dogs in the grass. Indi was mostly concerned with where her next treat was coming from. The only time I saw her the smallest bit upset when she was in the ex-pen was when she was getting treats and Daisy was really close. But she's like this sometimes even with her friends.

In the end we put both girls on leash and walked them around the yard. Daisy eventually came off leash since she wasn't interested in Indi at all. Indi stole a few butt sniffs while walking behind Daisy. She did react once...the girls were close and I was getting Indi's legs untangled from her legs. Porter stepped between the girls and Indi freaked out, but it was over in a split second.

I think if we do this more often Indi will be fine around Daisy. Not sure about Kylie though. Daisy is like Porter and things roll off her back. Kylie is more like Indi and likely to get all riled up, so the two might not make a good combo. On leash with some space they are fine...so we'll see if we get to the point we want to work on them being friends.

Dogwalk and Teeter Confusion

Up until last week, Porter had been doing great on his contact obstacles. He *loves* the dogwalk and A-Frame and is doing well with his contacts. In G's class we are working on the teeter and are now at the point where we give him treats right at the pivot point and then let him continue down to the end and do his contact. He seemed fine, you could tell he was gripping more with his feet, but he was still very enthusiastic about doing it.

Last Friday in J's class our first sequence was hoop, dogwalk, and so on. Porter ran up the dogwalk about 5 feet then bailed off the side...something he's never done before. I brought him back to do it again and he repeated the behavior. This time I stayed with him, I think I might have even had his collar to help guide him up and about 4 or 5 feet up he slowed down and started walking funny. I was worried maybe he hurt a back leg when he jumped off, but J asked if he had been doing teeters recently.

Apparently what is happening is Porter cannot tell the teeter and dogwalk apart. When facing those obstacles head on they look exactly the same (especially when the dogwalk does not have slats, and J's don't). He isn't the first dog to have this problem I've been told. So when he goes up the dogwalk he is slowing down and trying to find the pivot point.

I guided him all the way up and he was fine and was able to do the dogwalk a few more times.

Then this morning in G's class Porter had problems again. I wasn't expecting it since her dogwalk has slats. Porter was actually worse today than he was on Friday. I had to Hansel and Gretel treats all the way up and across. A few times he still jumped off and from the top as well! So we took it even more slow...treats every few inches, I stayed by his shoulder to prevent him from jumping off. His back legs looked shaky and he missed a few treats here and there. He was really stressed! But of course back ont he ground he was pulling to get back on the dogwalk (thankfully).

After the first try and we noticed he was nervous we backchained the end and he had no problem. G suggested I use the name when we backchain and are at the end but not to label it when we start him from the front and he's going to be scared. She doesn't want to pair his emotion with the obstacle name.

Porter has three turns on the dogwalk and while we made some progress he was still clearly having issues. I'm not used to seeing this dog worried about something. He's always been pretty bombproof.

I made another observation...a week or so ago he stopped taking treats from his Manners Minder in class and I thought it was because he was so exhausted from playing with Theo the night before. He was very slow and unmotivated in class, so I lumped the two. I also thought that the treats inside were not good enough since they were stale and getting hard.

He was very hesitant to go in his soft crate and looked worried about the manners minder so I turn off the beeping sound. It beep when a treat is delivered, like a click, it also does several loud, low beeps when it's jammed. I was concerned this noise was freaking him out.

Now that the sound has been turned off he seems better about the machine but still not 100%. I wonder if he's just bored with it? Or still unsure.

Maybe my dog isn't as resistant to being spooked as I thought? Can they go through a fear period at 22 months?

On a pleasant note, I have been able to use toys as a throwing reward in the last few classes. Int he past I had to use a food filled toy, but have progressed to a normal ty. Porter isn't taking it and running away, but he does expect a treat still and I'm fine with it!

We did some pinwheels in class today and Porter rocked them! I was able to stand pretty much right in the middle and just pivot and he was awesome :)

NW2 Clinic

In April, Porter and I attended a seminar to work on NW2 hides. Although I've read the rules over and over, I learned a lot of small details and cleared up how things are run.

I rarely do multiple hides with Porter and it shows. I'm horrible in my handling when it comes to preventing him from getting back tot he first hide he found. He's much quicker and stronger than I expect, although you'd think after a few times I'd learn, but not quite yet.

We avoided a lot of multiple hides earlier in our training since I wanted Porter to stay at source no matter what. I've seen other dogs find a hide but quickly move on in search of another. If their alert is subtle and their handler wasn't paying close enough attention the handler might miss that first hide. ome dogs might get back there and re-alert...others won't if they were not rewarded the first time. Plus I didn't want to get ahead of ourselves and focused mainly on NW1 strategies. But now I need to step up our training so we are prepared when a trial is close enough for us to enter. Currently all the NW2 trials that are on the books are several states away. Two friends are headed to Colorado next month for one.

At this seminar I elected to keep Porter on leash when we did interiors searches so I had more control over where he went and to prevent him from going back to the first hide over and over and over again. The first room was very small and packed with round lunch tables and chairs, so it wasn't easy to get out of his way. Once he found the first hide he did manage to make it back there once or twice more. I used the leash as well as blocking with my body to keep him from accessing that corner again. Unfortunately I realized that he wasn't finding odor on the side of the room he was on and to get to the fourth corner we had to pass the first hide very closely. It was tough, but I did it...hopefully without too much manhandling (doghandling?). He still found both hides in under 2 minutes.

The next room was larger with everything along the walls and Porter did very well. The second hide was inside a file cabinet but at first I thought he was showing a lot of interest in a small radio next to it. Luckily I waited him out until he committed and we got it correct.

The best part of the day was our exterior search. Porter was #7 on the running order, and all but one or two dogs before him peed (and one even pooped) on the course. Some of those dogs had a second turn before we went, and they peed again! Porter normally doesn't pee while searching, but just the week before when we were entertaining and out of town fellow certified nose work instructor, both of our males peed in the search area! I was floored.

So with all of that in mind I watched Porter like a hawk. He quickly started sniffing in the grass and I recognized it as his "I'm smelling pee" sniffing and moved him on. Later he beelined to a spot in the dirt where I could clearly see the dampness from another dog's pee, so I redirected elsewhere.

I was so proud he did not pee!! But...we did have trouble finding the last hide. I did not take the time to really look at the search area well or the way the wind was moving and we go stuck along a wall and some tall bushes where the wind was causing the odor to pool. Porter and I were circling and circling and instead of realizing he wasn't being productive and perhaps moving up wind, we kept at it. I need to tink strategy for when we get into a bind.

Agility Contacts and Weaves

Porter is really coming along in his agility training.

His contacts are not done yet, but they are looking really nice. I have noticed that we need to help him generalize. At his normal agility class he does that perfectly, and even without his targets. I am making sure I am changing up what my body is doing when he hits his contacts so he's not cueing off of me and I am building up a good lateral distance. But at his new agility location his behavior is not as precise. Not only are we on a new field but the ground is dirt instead of grass. Over the weeks he's gotten better but there is still a discrepancy.

We are also coming along with his weave poles. He's starting to be able to do a set of 4 now! Sometimes he want so skip the first set and do the second only, so we are working on that and it's getting better. we are also working on his drive since he's so slow!!! It's weird since everywhere else he's speedy, but in my training I've accidentally trained him to be slow :(

My friends have been raving about this new agility instructor so I decided to give her a try. It doesn't hurt that she's only 15 minutes away and no freeway driving!! Her location is awesome. She has a huge agility field on her property which is fully fenced. She also has an area the size of my backyard which is fenced in for the dogs to potty and run around off leash. I can back my car right up tot he edge of the field and keep Porter crated in the car which is great. He's much less barky that way.

So far, I really like J! Her style is very different different from G so I have to retrain myself a little bit. J competes in NADAC with her Border Collies and handles from a distance.  G does less distance with with her dogs, but since her dogs are slower and the venues she competes in don't need as much distance handling it works for her. She does have a BC pup now so it will be interesting to see how this dog will need to the handled.

G likes us to not use many verbal cues but mostly our body to communicate where we want the dog to go. I totally get this. Dogs are more in turn to body language anyhow. And this way, she says when you do need to use your voice the dog will pay attention since you haven't been babbling at him the whole course.

J uses a lot of verbal cues for her dogs, for the obstacles as well as which way to turn, to go out further, and so on. This has been hard for me since I'm used to being quiet. But, I have seen that giving Porter an early verbal cue to go into the tunnel has really helped him. I've been able to work him from a farther distance whereas before I'd have to go with him almost all the say to the entrance to the tunnel. I still need to work on giving him that information early enough though. I'm used to him not committing until the last minute so I typically wait to show him where to go next or he'll pull off an obstacle or drop a bar. But he's getting better at this so I need to catch myself up with him and handle him better.

J is very willing to alter things for me when what she does conflicts with what G does. That's been a big help.

Another thing I like about J is she gives you so much feedback on what to change, what you did that caused the dog to do what he did, etc. She is really paying attention and catches everything and has no problem calling you out on something. I love it!! I want all that constructive criticism. I want to be told (over and over again if needed) that I dropped my hand too soon or my feet were pointing in the wrong direction, or I was too late cueing him where to go next. I don't get offended. I need that info to grow in my handling. If Porter drops a bar, I want to know why. If he missed an obstacle I was trying to have him take I want to know what to change for next time to help him. It's always something the handler is doing.

Today several dogs took the wrong obstacle when they needed to discriminate between the two and I loved that J told the handles to just go with it, because the dog was just doing what their body told them to do. The dog was not wrong. The handler miscommunicated to the dog. So don't punish the dog; don't demotivate him. He did what you asked...just just asked the wrong thing.

Right now I am seeing both trainers but I'll probably need make a choice and go with just one. Mostly because the husband says I do (it'll get costly going to two classes at once), but also because some of the small differences might be hard to mesh.

But for this month I'm still attending both classes and learning so much!

ORTs

On Saint Patrick's Day, Porter finished his last two ORTs...Odor Recognition Tests for anise and clove.

I volunteered to help in the morning when the dogs were running birch, so Porter had a long day. He was great chilling in the car for several hours. It was nice a cool that day so no worries of overheating, but I still covered the car with my cool shades just in case.

For his anise run, Porter actually left the odor box, but I had a feeling it was there based on his behavior, so I had him do a 360, checking a few other boxes along the way, and brought him back to pass that box of interest and this time he alerted.

He was much quicker with clove, which is interesting since we haven't worked that one as much. I was about to leave the room and was reminded to grab my score book from the judge. In my hesitation, Porter was able to reach the odor box again and alerted so I rewarded him and while trying to get my book dropped treats. Luckily there are no faults, just pass/no pass.

He won't need clove for a long time since it's only used in the third level of competition, but it was nice to just get this ORT out of the way and not need to worry about it later or travel a long way to get it done.

Julian

In February we packed up the kid and two dogs into our SUV and headed into the small town of Julian for a few days. I was shocked that we just barely fit everything in my car which again brings me to day dream about a larger vehicle. My goal for this trip was to find a dog friendly property with a large fenced in yard in a town likely to get some snow.

The placed I selected was a nice sized Victorian home (3 bedrooms, 2.5 bath) with 2 fulled fenced in acres. They also had a barn/garage with a foosball table, basketball hoop and a teen room.

When we arrived it was a beautiful, brisk day and we were happy to find a small patch of snow still on the meadow. Porter was in heaven and started rolling around and rubbing his face in the snow.

Our friend and her dog, Theo, joined us and the two boys exhausted each other in battle.

Tulips were starting to emerge near this old wagon so I gathered the pups for a photo op.

Indi likes to run with the big dogs but since Porter is faster than her now she is often at his flank trying to take him down like a bison.

Snuggling with the snow.

Porter adores Theo.

The property was filled with Manzanita trees, my favorite!!

Porter barely moved all night after his first day of romping with Theo.

It was really fabulous to see the dogs have such a great time in on the large property. There were tons of oak and manzanita trees, flat meadows and small hills, a huge area of land to explore. The dogs were in heaven. I longed for a property like this so the dogs could have this much fun everyday!!

The last might of our trip we were lucky enough to have snow fall! By morning the snow was over a foot deep and so soft it felt like fluff. It was too dry to pack into snowballs, but that also meant I could wear sneakers and my socks didn't get wet! And it was too light and fluffy to sled in it. But the kid and dogs had a blast.

Porter and I practiced our nose work hides several times and the snow didn't slow him down one bit. It actually helps I've been told.

Ok, well Indi has a blast for about an hour and then she was over it.

Porter digging for gold. Black dog on a field of snow equals an impossible shot to expose properly! Ugh.

I better get a cookie for standing in this.

Derp, derp, look at me, a cute little snow bunny.

Typical Falt Coat pose after a long day.

It was such a great trip I know we'll be back.