Latent learning, I guess :-)

So, I have certainly raised my fair share of puppies and have trained many agility dogs and it never ceases to amaze me just how much they learn in between training sessions!

I am very often lamenting the fact that I just do not get enough time to train my own dogs and am very aware that when I do get to actually train that it is super important to be prepared, as it were, with a game plan.

Regardless of how much time I may or may not have to train I have always been a believer in the value of quality over quantity and the incredible value of latent learning in dog training.

However, as much as I believe in latent learning I am still quite astounded at times of how powerful it is!

This comes to me as I bring up my youngest pup Danger. I have had the most incredibly busy first half of 2010 and feel like my training opportunities are pretty darn sparse yet he continues to learn and improve between training sessions at a rate that is almost unfathomable! A couple of examples being his 2on/2off teeter bottom behavior and his outside turn cue "back".

These are behaviors that I have introduced in pieces in most of the training sessions that we have had, however, I was not exactly seeing the overall understanding of these behaviors that I thought I should be seeing in the last couple of sessions. I was "expecting" a better verbal recognition of the "back" command by now and really felt that he should be more proficient in the 2on/2off execution as well. I was left with these thoughts as I headed off to my next teaching gig in Salt Lake where after a long day of teaching and a couple days with no training I brought out my portable tiny teeter plank. Danger jumped right on the end of the board and stayed there as if he had been doing this his whole life! I was even able to tug a bit with him on the end of the board without him coming off!

Where did he learn this, were the agility training fairies visiting while I slept?? I don't think so, instead it was just all the more affirmation that breaking things down into simple pieces, rewarding appropriately, doing a couple of quality reps when time permits, and, always ending on a successful attempt is the perfect recipe for progress in a forward direction.

Don't get me wrong, dogs DO NOT train themselves, but, if you follow a clearly defined training plan and establish and maintain clear consistent criteria you can get off your own back a little bit in regards to life getting in the way of obsessive amounts of training.

So, essentially the same thing happened with his outside turn cue, "back." Danger was absolutely brilliant at this behavior if I used a hand signal or better yet a toy, however, my mission is always to get the same behavior and reaction whether it is physically or verbally motivated. Well, when I would offer the verbal only cue he would simply stare at me as if I had 2 heads and either do nothing or actually turn and face me! This was not the behavior :-)

So, I started to at least minimize the hand signal, etc... and once again off I went to my next teaching gig in Minnesota, when I returned a few days later and took my boy down to my training building he offered both a left and right outside turn on verbal cue alone the very first time I asked!! I guess those agility training fairies had returned!

This is just one example of what I love so much about dog training, the rewards for the handler are absolutely as numerous as the rewards for the dogs should be.

Danger is learning so many new things and even though it is always little bits in a very hit and miss fashion he is progressing absolutely as fast as I could ever hope and continues to amaze me with his brilliance, drive, desire and talent!!

Have fun with your doggies!

Another new leaf...

It has been ages since I have sat down and visited the old blogspot so here goes! I generally use the excuse that I am away so much that I just do not get a chance to write and truth be told that is very accurate and very much why I do not get a chance to write very much. However, although I am not at home as I write this, I know shock and awe, I packed my laptop computer that I rarely ever use hoping there would be WiFi at the Hotel so that I could actually write! Well, no WiFi but even better, a free computer in the lobby so here I am!
I made a quick pit stop at home after the Rocky Mountain Regional in Salt Lake City this past weekend, just long enough to vaccuum the floors, throw in some wash, and, pack another bag. I am coming to you tonight from the awesome metropolis of Minneapolis, or am I in St. Paul?? One of those twin cities!
Anyway, it has been a crazy busy couple of months with way more going on than I am going to have time to write about tonight but there are a few key points I really feel like talking about. :-)
One, the Regional, Wally, Maze, SoBe and Merger all got to play on teams and were wonderful each in their own right! Wally ended up thrid overall 22" team dog and Maze number one 26" dog. All 4 teams qualified and a good time was had by all!
Maze is officially fully semi-qualified for all events at Nationals that you can earn semi final byes in and the Wallymeister has his Steeplechase semi final bye. I would love to say that he is fully semi-qualified as well but his handler had a major brain fart in the 2nd round of GP as it appears that Wally may be slightly off physically and she was so busy watching the dog that she neglected to pay attention to the course or where it was going and had an unfortunate off course! Wally goes to see Dr. Keesling tomorrow afternoon to determine how much of anything he does for how long, starting today. Everyone think positive thoughts and I will keep you posted.
SoBe continues to get better and better and also continues to turn her mothers hair gray while making her smile at the same time! I love that little girl :-)
SoBe did so many wonderful things this past weekend including qualifying on team without one single E, but, she gave me the most gorgeous running dog walk in Masters standard on Sunday I could have, OK should have, stopped right there and been the happiest handler on earth :-) She is so gonna have the dog walk I have been dreaming of!!
Merger managed to get himself a spot on the second place DAM team, thanks teammies!!!!
Also a shout out to my hubby who qualified his Rumor dog for the P-GP semi's, and won the PVP tournament with his teammates Gosia S. and Gromit! She was a Q'ing machine all weekend long and is closing in on that LAA Platinum very quickly!
The show was so incredibly well run and organized and the weather could not have been more perfect! Combine that with Kevin Hawkers smoked pulled pork and homemade slaw and you have a weekend many only dream of!
I am also very proud to report that many of my students and also a couple of my grand babies (canine!!!), were superstars this past weekend!
Congratulations to you all!!!
So, what is this new leaf? Well, have you ever just been so tired, stressed, overwhelmed that you allow the little things in life to become ginormous?? I have, and, all too recently I am ashamed to admit! It is amazing how these "things" can get blown out of proportion until you are so mired in the muck that you have no clear idea how to dislodge yourself.
Fortunately a night or two of good sleep and stepping away from the issues for a little while does amazing things for your overall emotional well being! As does just taking a mental inventory of what really matters in your life, what your priorities are and what kind of person do you want to be.
I am a very fortunate individual, I have a great husband, great kids, fabulous dogs, amazing friends, awesome skills, a kickass profession, and the ability to decipher what really matters in my life!
My latest turning of a new leaf is to let go of the garbage, appreciate those who are real in my life and not allow the other stuff to have any power over me or my life. I am the only one who has control over my thoughts and feelings and I choose to ignore the stuff that causes negative energy.
I want to enjoy life to the fullest and be happy in that life. I am one of the luckiest people in the World that I have the opportunity to meet and share ideas with so many awesome people and animals and that my job not only allows me to share my ideas but constantly learn from others! I am lucky that I have the choice to spend my non-working hours with people who truly enjoy my company as much as I enjoy theirs.
And on that note, I am off to bed.... tomorrow I teach! :-)