Wordless Wednesday

From our trip north in July:

Sleeping Arrangements

Beavers

Mountain Views

Worried about bears

Nosework - Continuing having fun

Over the spring and first part of this summer I took Nosework 101 and 120 from Fenzi Dog Sports Academy and Loved it! I did the first class with Sam and the second with Rosey. They both learn so differently and it was interesting to see how different their drive is for the game! Sam is so timid and so worried about doing the right thing that she will try and mark every box and forget the game is about sniffing. Rosey on the other hand is so driven to find the scent that she forgets to mark a the scent and would rather just destroy what ever is holding the scent to get closer. For entirely different reasons, I think these classes were perfect for them!

The second class started putting different search elements and moving the learned behavior outside. I found that I was having trouble remembering to keep things simple. The goal at this point, and like any new behavior, is to keep reinforcements high and encourage drive. I kept wanting to make the scent harder to find to really see her work and have fun finding it. Keep it simple and fun!

This is something we say all the time in foundation agility courses, Simple and Fun. I don't know how many times I've had to remind students to keep the reinforcements high, especially when adding a new distraction. Interesting that I'm having the same exactly problem when I start something new. Its just so fun! :)

Wise Words

Nose work has been awesome, and going great! More on that in another post, I'll need to download and put together some videos :)

I'm letting this post be about Sam and I and our progress towards our goal of being better bonded. We've been working hard with the nose work and I can see she's more confident while working, but I don't know how much of that is translating outside of nose work. Here's our plan I made 2 weeks ago:

Sam's 2nd JWW Novice P Q
- Ears forward, tail waggin -
Photo at the end of a trial, no dogs around.

1 -Work on weaves - Entries, completion, and speed
We've been working on this and I've seen great improvement, but I'm still struggling with her doing the weaves when she's over stimulated or already starting to avoid doing anything difficult.  
New plan - don't push the session when she's starting to loose focus. Also - pull out the weave-o-matics, I need to get her with some sort of rhythm! If she's got a rhythm, it'll be easier for her to stay in the poles.

2 - Obstacle focus - speed circles, and up the difficulty with angled jumps and maybe even a set of 6 weave poles.

Started with tunnel and jump, but haven't had time to set up a speed circle. On the list to do. Also, need to do lots of rewards after short sequences and tough sections - tug! I need her to realize that she's rewarded for doing extra hard things. I get so excited I want to keep going, but I should be playing with her and releasing the pressure at this point.

3 - Work on our relationship.

Samantha's 1st Title - Novice P JWW
-Ears are back: sign of stress -
She's worried about the dogs around her.

I was reading Denise Fenzi's post from today and this really hit home. I need to start looking at me and how I'm contributing to our issues. I know that with my expectation of how well I know she can do, I forget about how nervous she gets and how I've been playing into her nervousness, babying her. I've been told to give her more space to work and to stop worrying about "what if". I need to work on a few things (taken from Denise's post):

• Don't worry so much about what the course is in class, work the sections of the course to best reward and engage Samantha.
• Really look at the pieces of our relationship to encourage engagement:
• Best motivators (mainly select toys, fur, treats?)
• Surfaces we are best on (inside on matting) and worst (grass in a park)
• Times of day best to train (As soon as I get home from work, after a meal, other?)
• Environmental triggers that negatively impact (prey animals, unknown high energy dogs, start lines that are "open" to threat
• What exercises are more difficult in public/agility ring (weaves, serps, long stretches of jumps)
• How long before she gets tired (1-2 runs with moderate difficulty)
• What stress looks like (running to a door, sniffing, going around obstacles, ears back)
• Start throwing a toy and playing after harder sequences, letting her know she does a good job with a well placed "good"
• Don't just call her name where I think she's going to disconnect, be ahead of her mentally.
• Working independence in the field (see #2) and give her room to do her thing (mentally and physically)

Summary of #3, don't push her if she's in a state she can't learn. Be proactive and assertive. Keep it short and fun. Reward and praise in a timely manner. Take a step back to easier training in harder environments.

NoseWork - first day

Last night Samantha and I did our first lesson with nose work 101. I set up in our dining room to reduce the amount of distractions, but maybe the location isn't ideal because Rosey was separated only by a baby gate and made Samantha nervous. In the video you can see Sam looking back towards Rosey to make sure she was ok.

Even with the distraction, I'm super excited with how well Sam did! I think all the clicker training I did with her helped immensely and she quickly would try new things if she got "stuck" (first few seconds of video). She ended with some real commitment to sticking with the scent rather than look at me for a treat (very end of the video). Here's the video, compiled from 3 different sessions:

Just for fun I introduced Rosey to the Birch and she did really awesome! We played the first game and she didn't even bother with any treat hands and went strait for the scent. After a few clicks, I put her up and placed the box in a corner of the room (jumped ahead). When I let her out and told her to find it, she went to work and found it right away. :) Makes me glad I chose Sam to do the class, I would never learn how to really teach/do some of the lessons with Ro!! Maybe I'll try her tonight outside, that will be the real test!

Building our Bond

Starting Small
I've been seeing a lot of the online community lately express the need to build a bond with your dog outside of the agility field. I've always had a good bond with my girls, but it's been mainly in low stimulus environments like my living room, backyard or in class. I'm starting to realize that once we get into the big, wide, world, Sam and I just don't trust each other completely. I'm always worried that she may see a dog that makes her anxious and start making a scene, and I"m sure she's always worried about the same thing! I have been brainstorming on easy options for us to explore, while keeping it something that I enjoy and I know she could handle.

In order to find something we can both explore together, I've signed up for a 6 week NoseWork course through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. Rosey loves nose games and has been finding her toys in the house for years, but I figure I might as well learn how to teach the basics to Sam and see if she'll turn on to the game as well. Maybe if I can teach them to use their nose on cue, I can also teach them when not to use their nose (lost 2 runs with Rosey last weekend because of the nose!).

I'll try and share my experiences, mostly for myself to remember what I've learned, but also if anyone out there is curious about NoseWork. Class starts April 1st, next week!

Recap from weekend
This past weekend was the Golden Retriever AKC Agility trial and I was helping out the new Trial Secretary figure out the software and scoring process. Unfortunately its tough to always give 100% to my girls when helping out like that, but I gave it my best and was really happy with our results!

Rosey Qed in MasterP Standard on Friday and Sunday with 40 combined PACH points! Saturday I was happily shocked when Rosey turned on the speed and drive, enough to find an off course! Looking at the video, she was headed for the off course before I could even signal her to turn! She's going to keep challenging me, but this time in a good way - Faster!!! :)

                   Current progress towards PDCH: 2/20 QQs, 123/750 speed points

[Note: after helping out a friend this week by running her dog in class, I am starting to realize how late my cues are for Rosey and how great she's been in adapting to it! Thinking back on the weekend, I'm going to have to start learning to signal much earlier if I want to encourage Rosey to keep up with the new speed.]

Work plan for Rosey and I:
1 - Cue earlier
2 - Work distance
3 - Work verbal directions

I was pleasantly surprised with my Sam! Although we weren't 100%, I started to feel like she wanted to work with me and play the game. Our weaves were pretty weak, but we got 2 Qs in Novice JWW (got our first lucky Q last spring) and now moves up to Open JWW! I don't know if we're ready! I have my work cut out for me!

Here's my work plan to build our skill in playing the game:
1 - Work on weaves - Entries, completion (biggest issue), and speed (footwork)
2 - Obstacle focus - she has none. We'll start playing with some speed circles, and up the difficulty with angled jumps and maybe even a set of 6 weave poles.
3 - Work on our relationship - Maybe some drive games? Started working crate games into jump work, and she seemed to really turn on to that idea.
4 - Harness the crazy - I want to be able to direct her when she starts her Butt-tuck craziness, at least towards obstacles! Got a tunnel -> Jump -> Walk this week :) I might need to film this!

Wordless Wednesday

The pack grew by two this past week. But only for a week, they went home last night and now I have two tired and sulky black dogs at home. Always a sad day when your best friends go home.

Rest of the photos from this day

This past weekend was the first AKC indoor agility trial in the area. Its a one ring show with one judge and will often fill, unusual for trials in our area. This year we were able to get Linda Robertson (from TN) and I think the exhibitors were pleased with the choice, I know I definitely was! She was efficient, friendly, and had some great courses. My gauge of a good trial is the number of smiles in and out of the ring, and I saw lots this weekend!

The ultimate title that can be achieved in AKC agility is the Agility Champion (MACH, "regular" stream that has 24" jump height for my size dog) and Preferred Agility Champion titles (PACH, "preferred" stream that has 20" jump height).  MACHs and PACHs require 20 QQs (2 qualifying runs in one day - Standard and Jumpers with weaves) and 750 points (one point for each full second under standard course time). The path to a MACH/PACH is long and some people never get there, while others seem to pick them up every few months. It really depends on how consistent a team is and how often they trial. One of the top 5 flat coated retrievers last year had 19 MACHs, while another had 17 MACHs!

Rosey and I aren't aiming quite so high, I would be delighted to get to 1 PACH (we are in the preferred stream), and I hope one day we'll get there. This weekend was the second weekend to work towards this goal, and I think we did not too bad :). We were able to snag our first QQ and 45 points two weekends ago at a local outdoor trial, and it sure felt good! This past weekend Rosey and I managed to get another QQ on Friday with some beautiful runs. Saturday we were able to put together two more awesome runs, but I ended up not cueing a jump properly after the table and so ended up not qualifying in our Standard run.
( JWW on Saturday - 19 points! ) Sunday seemed to continue the luck of refusals, but I think we had two of the best runs of our lives on Sunday. :) I'm still beaming and so proud of her and all the work we've done!

Current progress: 2/20 QQs, 83/750 speed points

Another year gone by

Summarizing 2013. Seems like it went by so quickly! Between dog shows, teaching, new house and all the family that we had to come visit, I don't know where to really begin! So that I can look back and remember what 2013 really was all about, here are the biggest moments of the year.

Biggest learning moment of the year - Learning Dawn Weaver's theories and ideas. Incorporating her style into my agility handling has made an unbelievable difference in my dogs. Rosey and I were getting close to figuring each other out at the beginning of 2013, but we still had lots of sniffing and were frequently over course time because of low confidence. Even though I feel like we still have a long way to go, Rosey has had more "real" runs in the past few months than in all our years previously. We still had to work on a few little things to clean up our runs - timing to keep bars up and contacts on the walk - but it feels like I'm finally running agility with a partner.

Happiest moment of the year - Rosey and I finally getting our Open P Standard title, it was over a year to work towards and always with small issues. That run marked the beginning of us clicking together and having fun out there as a team.

Best non-dog moments of the year - Hanging out in San Diego with my folks and siblings, nothing better than a beach nearby and family laughing around the table! Moving into our house, and being able to finally play in a backyard and spread out in the house! Participate in an amazing Sri Lankan wedding last spring (love those two!). And of course, being able to spend another great year with my best friend by my side :).

Staying Connected

I figured that today is a Dog Agility Blog Event and I might as well use it as an excuse to write. The topic is “The Mental Aspect of Agility”. To find more blogs exploring this topic, head over to Dog Agility Blog Events.

My view from the computer.

I find this topic well timed and very fitting for my situation, it seems that most of my failures on the agility field are when I’m not focused or mentally prepared. The mental aspect of agility can be pretty tough, especially in a show situation. I have dreams of having perfect runs, but I know what my limitations are and go into any agility situation with realistic expectations and aim my mental strength to improve as a team, not necessarily to Q or win every class (yeah right!).

Running a Flat Coat and now a GSP I understand I need a sense of humor, patience and love. I enter the ring with the goal of doing justice to my dog and being better than last time. For Rosey, my goal is to be on time with my cues so she doesn’t get worried about being wrong (and thus goes off sniffing), and for Samantha, my goal is starting together and finishing together… the middle section has yet to be worked out. My mental game is focused towards these goals, which in the long run will get me to Qs (so far its been working out).

I find I can break the mental aspect into 4 parts:

Knowing the Course

The most obvious part of agility’s mental aspect is memorizing the course; knowing where your path is and where you need to direct the dog to get around a course. I like to look at the map, draw my dog’s path and figure out where I need to be in relation to the obstacles and my dog. Then I’ll walk the course from both the dog’s point of view and then a second or third time from my point of view and I start memorizing where I need to be. The third aspect is to be able to visualize this course while standing on the sidelines. If I can’t remember something or can’t “see” where I should have been standing as they come out of a tunnel or after my front cross, I’ll head out for a last walk of the course to make sure the course is clear in my head.

Relationship building

The second mental aspect of agility is building a relationship and being able to be connected with my dog in the ring. This starts with the instant that she gets out of her crate/xpen. I make sure that I am completely ready to give her my complete attention before I go even to put my hand on the latch. This has been the hardest thing for Rosey and I, it’s been a really hit-or-miss aspect of our agility and really depends on everything going on around us. As we are getting more solid in our relationship, it’s gotten easier, but I still make sure that I’m 100% mentally there for her when I get her out to make sure that I don’t lose her trust again.

In the ring

AKC - October 2013 - Rosey

Keeping my mind in the ring and connected with my dog is the hardest part for me. I have learned that if I’m thinking too far ahead (or worrying about what people on the sidelines are thinking or if my dog might leave and sniff), my dogs will start to lose interest and get sluggish, start sniffing, and get zoomies. I’ve learned that I need to be actively playing with my dog, not just directing her where to go. As long as I’m in there with them (mentally), they are more than happy to keep playing with me.

Staying mentally sharp

Agility isn’t all about the dog, it’s about how physically fit and mentally acute I am. I find that a perfectly well thought out and well planned course can go completely downhill if I’m struggling with my mental sharpness. I make sure I always bring food for me to munch on and water to drink. If I’m feeling a little hazy I make sure I have some protein or complex sugars (bananas, apples, or protein bar) to perk my brain up. It definitely can get tough by the end of the weekend! All the training, all the practice and relationship building I work on is all worthless if I don’t take care of me. Without the right nutrition, it doesn’t take too long for my reaction time to slow down, my thinking get hazy and I start tripping over my feet by the time I get to the end of a run.

I’ve found that the idea of preparing mentally is starting to catch on in the agility community. It’s become a topic and I’ve seen more and more people talking about getting mentally connected with their canine teammates. I know its definitely made the difference in my dogs!

Throwback Thursday

Rosey when we first got her. This was taken in Utah on our drive back to Phoenix after picking her up. We couldn't ask for a cuter puppy!