We did see a king snake just off the trail. Porter either didn't notice or didn't care, even when I got closer to take a picture. The snake was pretty chill and barely moved, so I think that helped the dogs not be so interested.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Lake Hike
Porter and I met someone from a local Meet Up group and took a hike around the lake close to our house.
We did see a king snake just off the trail. Porter either didn't notice or didn't care, even when I got closer to take a picture. The snake was pretty chill and barely moved, so I think that helped the dogs not be so interested.
We did see a king snake just off the trail. Porter either didn't notice or didn't care, even when I got closer to take a picture. The snake was pretty chill and barely moved, so I think that helped the dogs not be so interested.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Porter Weaves 6 Poles!
We've finally made a break though after being in a rut with our weave pole training.
Friday, May 10, 2013
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
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 :)
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 :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)