Catching Up

Mimi, November 2008

(All the photos in this post were taken by FastClicks.)

It's been a stressful, crazy week at work. But this blog isn't meant for my whining about that. Still, all week long I've only felt like coming home and playing with dogs, not sitting at the computer.

Harry still has one stubborn toenail that bleeds when we play ball in the carpeted dog room. It isn't the horrendous ripping off of his entire nail like we were dealing with back in December and January, but it does bleed a bit. Not sure how it will hold up on rubber matting but we've got yet another week for the cyclosporine to work its magic.

Mimi and Gracie are just ripping it up in class. They are still in separate classes but Gracie is showing so much improvement and focus that I hope she can move up soon.

Mimi in November 2008 (The Unfortunate Incident occurred at this trial but at least the photo is nice)

The table and weaves are Gracie's big issues now. I work her on weave-a-matics at home but at class Debbie also uses a set of channel weaves. For a few weeks, Gracie has been struggling with the classic channel failing: she runs along one side or the other but not in the channel. However, I've been patient and have been rewarding her even if she only does 8 or 10, and I especially reward if she hits the entrance. On Wednesday, she managed to do all twelve weaves with a small channel at full speed within a sequence. It was totally awesome.

Her table problem is odd. She'll nail her landing, brake properly, drop into a sit, but won't hold a down if her life depended on it. Tonight, instead of playing ball, Gracie got to go back to remedial down training. I used my "tiny table" that I built for Iz when she was having table flyoff issues. It's only 1 1/2" tall and 2x2 feet in area. It requires the dogs to really focus on what they are doing. Small improvement after tonight's session, but I plan to work on this regularly for a while.

Mimi is my little agility queen. I used to call Iz that but I think Mimi is earning that title too. She is utterly awesome.

Mimi's first agility trial, Aug 2008

Cap continues to blossom and Circus K9 Ruff Love camp continues. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, I refer you to Susan Garrett's book Ruff Love. While she presents a pretty extreme training method in her book, most of the rest of us use a watered-down version of Ruff Love in real life.

I want Cap to be focused on me, to become obsessed with playing with me. He can't decide he doesn't like this toy and suddenly runs off to get that toy. He doesn't get to decide when the game is over. It is the tug or ball that I select or nothing. Doesn't play with the toy I chose, he goes back in his crate. Doesn't bring the ball back, back in his crate. Doesn't grab the tug fast enough or drops it too soon, back in his crate.

But this presents a perfect opportunity to play crate games with Cap, another Susan Garrett training tool. Tonight, I put him in his crate, left the door open, walked to the other end of the dog training room (about 15 feet away), released him, ran to the target board with the X on it, told him to hit it, and as he flipped off the board, I turned and ran back the other way dragging the tug, which he ran and pounced on. This is a game to build drive and focus.

And the crate is not punishment, it's really just a place for a short time out. I might get another dog out and play for a bit but often Cap only has to wait in there for less than a minute before I get him out for another try.

I am also playing crate games with his dinner since he eats in a crate. I usually have him do all sorts of obedience work but restrained recalls are part of the routine as well. I prepare his dinner, carry it to his crate, open his crate, release him, then call him to me at least 6 feet or more from his crate. I gently hold his chest, say "ready ready ready" and when I feel him tense up or start to push against my hands, I release him and say "get in your box!" and he runs into his crate. This game builds drive too. Technically, these are a sort of restrained send since I'm not calling the dog to me but sending him to the crate, but the idea is the same: run top speed to something/some person to get your reward.

Mimi will literally slam herself into her crate from any angle in her frenzy to get her dinner/reward. I most often practice lead outs with her before she gets her dinner. Cap is starting to show the same appreciation for the crate as a super duper reward place.

G. has been asking if Cap chases the cats. He often charges them or pounces at them but they ignore him. They are far too dog-savvy and world-weary to notice something as annoying as a puppy.

Lola may have lost an ounce or two.