Backyard Nose Work

I finally got off my duff and did some Nose Work hides in the backyard yeserday. I think this is only the second time doing searches at home despite having Porter in training since last October. I'm horrible at managing the two dogs. One is always jealous and wants in on the action and causes a huge ruckus when placed elsewhere. But Porter needs to start revving up for a trial so it's time to get in gear.

Porter passed his ORT (Odor Recognition Test) in Birch in June. It's a preliminary test using 12 containers to show your dog knows his odor. After passing this test you are eligible to begin trialing (if your dog is of age). After that test our training time has dramatically decreased. Part of it is due to a change in my work schedule. Porter used to come to one of my classes. And part is due to my daughter being home for the summer. Although if I were smart I'd have her do the hides; she'd probably love that.

With Porter locked inside I got my tin ready in the garage and went around the side into the backyard to place the first side. I started with the side yard since it's a small space and I wanted his first hide to be quick and easy. I took note of the way the wind was blowing and placed the hide closer to the start line so there was plenty of room downwind if Porter past it.

Porter knew what was up the instant I came inside to get him. He was completely focused as I held his collar and led him outside and to the start line. He passed the odor, went about a foot farther and turned back, locating the source quickly.

The second hide was in the other side yard but not as easily accessible. Once he was in odor I waited to see how close he would get, then I move a trash can blocking his way. After double checking the trash can, he quickly found the right spot.

The third hide was tucked into a patch of clover in the grass. This was more difficult because the area was larger and the tin was hidden from view. Porter found this one quickly as well.

The fourth hide gave him some difficulty. It was placed under a plastic mat under a kid table. Porter ran back and forth along the back fence (not near the spot) several times. He lifted his head, air scenting. If I didn't know better I would have thought the hide was either in a crack in the fence or just on the other side in my neighbor's yard. He did several head whips and was taking in a lot of air. I wonder what was back there?! Finally I directed him closer to the true location. He circled a few times and then found his mark.

Oh, and he also peed before he found that 4th hide! :( Bad handler. I should have made sure he was empty first.

Last I ended with an easier hide on a chair, which was partially covered by a mat draping over it. He did great finding this hide so it was a good place to end the session.

I need to get in the habit of bringing my Nose Work kit with me when we go places so I just throw out a few quick and simple hides. I think with more practice in new locations he'll be ready for his first trial in the fall. Hopefully there will be something in SoCal.

Agility Update

With summer in full swing our 10am agility class is heating up. I purchased a Chilly Buddy Cooling Coat a month ago and it finally just arrived. It seems to fit Porter well and is really light weight. He didn't seem to tire out as quickly at yesterday's class but it's hard to tell if it was due to the coat or not. We had a private lesson this afternoon at 4pm and he was dragging even with the coat, but it was quite a bit warmer than yesterday.

Porter's contacts are coming along. I've decided to do a down after the A-Frame (Four on the Floor; Modified Running Contact). Down is his default position so it comes so naturally to him. When Indi took lessons with Ann Croft and she taught us this method I didn't think it would be a good choice for her, since Indi hates to down in a lot of situations. But for Porter, this is perfect. I was considering doing Rachel Sander's Box Method but I don't have the DVD yet and my instructor doesn't teach this method as a regular part of her classes. I'd still like to learn about it, but for now the down is going well. We are doing 2 on 2 off for the dog walk and teeter and things are progressing nicely with that, too. I can walk quickly past his target or hang back and he still hits his spot. I need to vary my speed and lateral distance even more, but we'll get there.

Porter's flatwork needs work!! He's a bit distracted so I need to just take a long line out to a park and really work on it. I'll probably toss in some of Leslie McDevitt's ideas in there to help him along.

In our private lessons I've been working on Porter following his line. He tends to skip the last jump in a short sequence to get into heel position. Even more so if it's a wing jump. When we can practice several in a row he does better, so we'll just need to stay on top of it.

I finally found a toy that looks like it's working and it's really helping with this issue. This Rip and Tug toy can hold treats inside and the dog can break into it to self reward. Porter will follow a normal toy and chase it but then either 1) ignores it once it's "dead" or 2) grabs it and runs victory laps while playing keep away. Neither is good for his training. But with this toy he gets the thrill of the chase and then when the toy is dead he stops and lies down and self rewards. No running off with it or getting bored and walking off to sniff. It also keeps him mostly pointed in the original direction if there are more obstacles for us to do once I've rewarded him for the first part. And so far, the food hasn't flung out and all over the field on accident as it can do with some other stuffable toys.

He's doing ok with his 2x2 weave poles, but would be much farther along if I practiced at home more. This new toy will help with that practice as well.

Porter's sense of timing is amazing. In the last ten minutes of class yesterday Porter started to get antsy and became pulling like mad in the direction of the pool (which he cannot see from the agility field). He knew his swim lesson was about to start. He never does this on Wednesdays after our private lessons since swim is only on Tuesdays.

Porter's Dog Show Debut and Odor Recognition Test

Last Friday Porter and I traveled to Long Beach so he could take his Odor Recognition Test (ORT) for K9 Nose Work (http://www.nacsw.net/ or http://www.funnosework.com/). Before a dog can enter a trial he must pass his ORT for the target odors used in that trial. The first target odor is birch and it is the only odor in the first level of competition.

For his ORT, Porter entered a room with 12 identical boxes spread out at least 4 feet apart from each other. Within three minutes Porter must find the box which contains the odor and effectively communicate that to me so I can call "alert" and tell the judge exactly which box it is in.

Once a dog passes his ORT for Birch he can enter an NW1 trial, but passing an ORT does not mean your dog is trial ready yet. In a trial a dog must pass four different elements (a container search similar to the ORT, an interior search, an exterior search, and a vehicle search). You must be successful in each element to earn your dog's title.

Porter entered the room for the ORT like a sled dog. He couldn't wait to get inside so his leash walking manners went right out the door. Once were we at the start line I could tell Porter knew what his job was and he was ready to do it. He made a beeline towards the back corner of boxes, sniffed one, sniffed another, lingered, I almost called alert but wanted to be sure. He moved on to another box and then became distracted by some lint on the ground and some nearby chairs. I had him do a full circle to hit every box and he came back around and lingered on the same one, this time pushing it with his nose and then putting his paw on top of it.

Of course he was right, and he knew which one it was immediately after we started. I hesitated because he didn't look as sure as he does in practice, but I hear that is common. They are not as clear but you need to know your dog. Trust the nose. Since I had 3 minutes I thought it would be better to be sure. But it was a gamble, since some dogs after alerting and not being rewarding would just give up and not alert again since it didn't work the first time. I'll need to be careful not to mess up Porter's training by second guessing him.

That Friday was our first time in a competition like setting.

This Friday, today, Porter made his debut in the show ring. I stayed on the sidelines like an overeager and overly anxious stage mom and snapped hundreds of pictures.

Porter had only met his handler once, just this past Tuesday when we made the hour and a half drive to Riverside so she could bathe and groom him. But despite not knowing her, he worked well for her and looked amazing out there. I was able to to stand ringside without being too much of a distraction. He did look at me a few times, but didn't bolt or whine. He stacked for Kristina much better than he does for me! It's amazing what a skilled handler can do with a green dog. And if I had practiced with him more he would have been perfect. Gotta work on his stands!!

Porter ended up getting second in his class (12 - 18 month dogs). I was pleased with that. But I was more happy with him having a good time and not being stressed out. His tail was wagging almost the whole time. Such a happy boy! :)

Once back in San Diego, Porter has his post show fun.

Happy Birthday!

Porter turns one year old today. Sometimes it's amazing how fast it went and other times it seems like he's been a part of our family forever.

Some of my lofty training goals for him have not been met or even touched on. I have balance discs that have only seen the light of day twice. There's a chuck it since in the packaging. And Porter is no where near ready for a rally trial.

His daily life in the house is wonderful. He doesn't chew on inappropriate things; he doesn't counter surf; he doesn't maul us when we have food at the coffee table. That last one is pretty important in our household since we do a lot of eating on the couch. Porter still needs to be watched a bit; he's not like Indi where you can have food on the coffee table and leave the house for hours without it being touched. But he's doing amazing considering his age. If left for short time periods (a quick trip to the kitchen) our food has remained as we left it. He's a great couch potato and doesn't need miles of hikes daily to remain sane. I love having a dog who is always ready to work but also has an off switch in the house.

Porter is still crated at night and when we leave during the day. This is completely for Indi's wellbeing and not because I think Porter would get into trouble. With the size difference and Porter's bull in a China shop attitude it's just not safe for Indi to be curled up under the covers if Porter decided to leap on the bed in the middle of the night. One night we were too tired to crate him and he did fine. He slept on the floor until his normal wake up time and only then came up on the bed to wake us up. One of his new spots to hang out when I'm in bed is right by my nightstand, as close to me as he can get without being in the bed.

He still sleep on the bathroom floor right outside the shower when I'm in there and waits patiently by any door I've gone through until I return. He's a momma's boy and I find it adorable. Sometimes it's trying...he isn't happy being locked outside if I'm inside even if there's several other people outside (including my husband) to keep him company. He is very well mannered in the crate it the car unless he can see or hear me and then he demand barks.

Porter's grown has stagnated and he's now right about 62 pounds, which is right at his parent's adult weights. His feathering is minimal and just perfect for me. It's long enough to run your fingers through and to look beautiful but not so long and fluffy it mats or catches burs. Foxtails seem to slip right out and he dries off in no time.

I've been neglecting his recall so we'll be starting his whistle recall training this week. He's not ready for a rally trial but he has the moves mostly down. What we need to focus on is working in new locations so he can work well with all the distractions.


All in all it's been a great year. Porter has been a wonderful addition to our family. Sure, sometimes I want to strangle him, but I think that can often be said of teenaged boys.

Water Baby

Despite being a retriever, having parents who swim, being taken to the beach many times, and being obsessed with playing in water, Porter refuses to swim. Because of this fact, oh yeah, and I'm a little nuts, I signed Porter up for a doggie swim lesson.

Unfortunately there are no pictures since my memory card was full :(

The lesson started with Porter in a life jacket and Trish (the instructor) holding him on the second step. I walked half way down the edge of the pool with treats and called him. He just stood there at first. Then he tried to get out of the pool to come to me but Trish held on tight. Finally she guided him a little into the water and he swam towards me. He wanted nothing to do with the treats so after a couple of rounds I grabbed a plastic toy bumper Trish had. I started with treats since Porter typically prefers them over toys but that day something about that toy turn on a switch.

Once I had the toy he was even more enthusiastic about getting to me. After another few rounds we left the stairs and used the platform in the deep end. It's height adjustable so she lowered it so Porter could just barely stand on it while in the water. He was so into the toy and swimming by this point that he was take off from the platform before I even threw the bumper. He swam right to it, grabbed it, and wouldn't let go until he got to me.

I was really impressed! It was a great workout, too. He had just come from his agility lesson and then swam for 30 minutes but was begging for more. We had to drag him out of the water and he almost pulled me into the pool since he wanted in again.

I can't wait to get him back there and keep reinforcing that swimming is fun! I'm hoping this also improves his fetch! I better go buy a bumper to start practicing with, too.

Here are some pictures of his adventures with Kylie.

Tough as Nails...Almost

Today in agility I threw a ball for Porter's reward after a short sequence. The ball continued to bounce off the field and Porter gave chase. He came up limping with a 6 inch stake stuck to the bottom of his foot. After pulling it out I noticed the nail which must have embedded itself into his pad. As soon as the nail was out Porter took off for his ball without a second thought and he happily trotted back to his crate with his reward.

I'm amazed at Porter's high pain tolerance. He never yelped and only limped when it was stuThankfuck in his foot.

I'm also impressed with his ability to hold still when I need to help him. Last week he stepped on a bee and was well behaved as I checked his paw and flicked the stinger out.

Thankfully another student is a vet and she didn't seem concerned about the injury and Porter didn't know what all the fuss was about. He's not favoring that foot or licking it. Now that we are home I can't even tell anything happened to his paw when I closely inspect it.

Despite being impervious to pain, Porter is a delicate flower when it comes to the heat. It was barely in the low 70's today but the heat was sucking Porter's energy away quickly. His crate is placed in the coolest spot with the most shade and he has his cool pet pad inside, but working in the sun for a few minutes at a time is almost too much still. I foresee skipping a lot of summer trials.

11 Months Old

I cannot believe it's been over 2 months since I updated. I get behind a few days and then it seems overwhelming and I push off writing even longer. I just need to break the cycle and write something as well as dump some pictures I have taken with my phone.

Porter and Super Ted enjoying Fiesta Island.

Porter is now 11 months old! He weighs 63.5 pounds which is only a pound more than his dad. Everyone one kept saying how much he has grow so I assumed he was over 70. I don't know his height, but I am suspecting it's just over 24 inches.

Porter is doing amazing in K9 Nose Work. He's working on finding the first target odor (Birch) and has his Odor Recognition Test on June 22. For this test, he must find the one box which contains the odor out of 12 identical boxes. He'll have 3 minutes to do so, but at a recent ORT I helped with the dogs alerted on the correct box in under 30 seconds, some as quick as 6. I'm getting together with a few other local Nose Work trainers so we can practice for the test. I discovered that Porter had a much harder time finding someone else's birch tin so it's important we practice with others and in new locations.

Silly Puppy decided to take a nap in the tub.

I took his target odor with us on our walk last week and would randomly drop it along the way. Then I doubled back and positioned Porter the same way we do during a search. He instantly knew what to do and would find the tin within seconds. Then it was back to walking. I love how he was able to transition between the two activities seamlessly. I was pleased that he didn't try to mark either.

Porter is convinced that the laser eyed dog in the other room knows where the hide is located.

I still need to put his sit and down on stimulus control. He does well with these commands, but occasionally mixes them up or just opts for his default down. I haven't put in the time to really fine tune them.

Learning how to be a little dog from his big sister.

I just bought a sheepherding whistle and plan on using Pam Dennison's Whistle Recall method with Porter. Man was it hard to get used to that whistle though! I love how you can make a variety of pitches and I hope to have some of Porter's behaviors on different whistle cues.

Princess Indi doesn't care why I stacked everything on the couch just as long as her throne is soft and comfortable.

We still crate Porter at night. It's not to keep him (or our things) safe anymore, but mostly to keep Indi from being stepped on. Porter is still an ox when he climbs on to our bed although he's getting a little better. In the morning he's allowed up on the bed to snuggle as long as Indi is not hidden under the covers. I also want to keep his crate behavior strong so I can use it when needed. He's still great crated in the car and only so-so when crated in the lobby at work. He was crated in another room while I attended a training seminar at work and he did much better than expected. I had three kongs stuffed with peanut butter and chicken to keep him busy.

In our neighborhood Porter walks very nicely on leash, but new areas he's more inclined to pull. Which just means that I need to get him to new areas more often and work on it!

At it again at grandma's house.

Agility is coming along nicely. He's doing better at noticing where I am and where my body is signaling him to go and making tight turns. He used to swing very wide. We still need to work on it but he's following my body cues nicely. His contacts are coming along, especially since I haven't worked them at home much. We are doing 2 on 2 off on the dog walk and teeter. He often sits or downs as well, which I am fine with. We mostly work on a plank, since I want his behavior strong, but this week I used the dog walk and he did even better. I think the steeper angle made it easier for him. With the plank barely off the ground he's more likely to hand a foot off the edge while he sits or downs. Hmmm, maybe sitting or downing isn't a good idea...

Enjoying bullysticks

The heat really gets to Porter. I notice that if it's just slightly warm at agility his energy is sapped. I have a cool pet mat that fits perfectly in his crate and that helps. I also need to get a cool collar or coat.

I have not taken Porter to any conformation shows. There was a match nearby but the timing didn't work out with my daughter's school schedule (it was on a Friday afternoon). If I want Porter is the show ring I think our best chance will be to use a handler. At least maybe for the first time or so. I know he'll show better with me but using a handler will ease my nerves a bit (and I won't have to buy a whole new outfit!). I think Porter would do great in the ring. His brother and sister sure are!

Nylabone pacifier