April Showers?

They say April showers bring May flowers, what do late April snow storms bring? I am in Durango Colorado right now to teach a 3 day seminar and I almost didn't make it because we are in the middle of a wicked snow storm! 

I had the good fortune of getting on an earlier flight and here I am. The unfortunate thing is that I had to fly rather than drive and so all the dogs had to stay at home. Geoff is home and most likely stranded for the next couple of days as the forecast is for up to 3 feet of snow! It is supposed to be 70 degrees on Monday so by the time I get back the remnants of the storm will a few puddles and probably a lot more damage to the exposed insulation in the roofless portion of my building!

The structural engineer was out on Tuesday and according to the latest report the building is repairable so now we just haggle with the insurance company and hopefully get it done before too much more damage.

Today with the weather being what it was there was no training to be had for the pups but there are definitely more thoughts to share from yesterdays session, other than just how incredibly spoiled SoBe is :-)

So, the Merger man is really starting to get it together or grow up or something, he he not only ran a much faster dog walk yesterday but he was putting together simple 3 and 4 obstacle sequences. I do not do straight line sequences with baby dogs, i always incorporate turns so that I can keep up and make sure I am directing the dog, giving timely cues, etc...

Merger was sending to a jump, wrapping back to another jump, front cross to a tunnel, what a good boy!

The send was very impressive as he went a good 10 feet away from me to pick up the jump, he is definitely starting to try out his big boy underpants!

Merger is definitely getting the hang of the pounce off the end of the teeter board that SoBe just wanted to assault!

So, I was in California this past weekend competing in a 4 day USDAA event that I try to get to every year and Mergers mom Gina was there, she was amazing! I have only seen her run a couple of times before this trial and I have to say she was fantastic! I can only hope that the big boy runs close to as fast as mommy! Speaking of big boy, we measured Merge at the trial this past weekend he is 22 and 3/4 inches tall! He is a very powerful young man, I see a very long stride in his future and another reason to get in better shape.

Vandal got to play at Kathleens yesterday as well, and play we did :-) I am still taking it very slow with Vandal but we are working on the 2on/2off position as well as lots of body awareness stuff. Vandal is a champion at perch work and loves to balance on the inflatable balance pad and the peanut ball, he should certainly end up with a strong core.

I am still riding the fence regarding what to do with SoBe's dog walk contact, OK I think I have really decided what I want to do I am just a bit frightened of taking the leap.

Yes, I really want to do a running dog walk as well as A-frame with her. This is for a couple of reasons, I really like the fluidity and of course, the speed. 

Although it is truly harder to train a running contact than a 2on/2off once you have it, you do not have the same type of very fragile criteria to maintain,  or not :-)

Hmmm... what to do?

If I decide to pursue the whole running contact theme again I do need to have a very good plan for transitioning from the full stop to the running. I have taught a cue for the 2on/2off behavior that will need to change for the running contact so that I do not confuse SoBe or lose the ability to use that cue in the future. There is also the fact that I use the same cue for the teeter, more things to think about! I do love dog training, you are forever thinking, planning, improvising, what a rush!

I will try to get some video of the metamorphosis of SoBe's dog walk and some stuff of Merger. Cross your fingers for nice weather for the seminar.

There once was a very spoiled little BC...

...named SoBe! 

I guess the only way that there can be a very spoiled little BC named SoBe is by having a very indulgent owner named Stacy :-) Wow, that all rhymes!

SoBe has been cleared to start doing 16" jumps, (a few per session) and she can start doing limited amounts of contacts and tunnels. The PT does not yet want her jumping full height or doing weave poles or the tire jump.

Now, I am sure you are asking, what could this possibly have to do with the blog title for today? Well, first let me say that one of my greatest fears while SoBe was "resting and recuperating" was that she was going to lose all drive and when it was time to start working her again I was going to have a disinterested, slug dog. Not so much!!!

The very young and inexperienced SoBe dog has come back guns blazing and mouth working overtime! 

Not only is she doing everything as if she has been shot out of  cannon, she is very clearly pointing out where the "holes" are in our training. Holes that I was not quite so acutely aware of until now. 

Don't get me wrong SoBe has bunches of skills, that she uses when, and, the way she pleases. For example, my vow to never again have a dog that does not have a start line is being seriously tested, as stay seems to be optional in SoBe's world. 

Oh, she stays, until she feels like getting up, at which point I try to suppress the giggles as I attempt to get her back to the original spot where the stay originated, the whole time Princess SoBe is barking wildly and spinning like a top.

Of course I clearly explain to her that this is completely unacceptable behavior while at the same time realizing I have just allowed her to grab the flying squirrel that is in my hand and am engaging in a rousing game of tug back to the "spot". Well at least she is quiet now, right?

OK, it is obviously time to check out how well she has maintained her limited knowledge of contact behavior. I started with the teeter which was set at a nice low training height. Because I am teaching SoBe to pounce off of the board, helping her to understand the job is to get your front feet on the ground as soon as possible, and not to think about making the board move. To accomplish this, before SoBe got hurt we had started to improve her performance by my holding the board a few inches off the ground then asking SoBe to jump on the end of the board, with all 4 feet on the board, offer the bang, at which point I drop the board while she maintains the 20n/2off position until released.

That all sounds really good doesn't it! Well, Slug dog Sobe proceeded to throw herself onto the board all the while barking and screaming madly, after several stifled laughs and many "Bang" commands she found her way clear to put her feet on the ground, at which point I rewarded her with another game of tug. This game of tug she truly deserved, however, bad trainer Stacy certainly should not have laughed at her silly behavior, nor should Stacy have asked her multiple times to offer a behavior, but... I did!

On to the dog walk, I think you can guess how that went. I think we got a solid 2on/2off stop on about attempt number 4. This was of course after several false starts with SoBe's alternate version of stay. This too, made me explain through smiles and stifled giggles required me to tell SoBe how extremely naughty she was being.

You see, the dog I was afraid was going to lose all drive while recuperating seems to have found another gear while she was "resting!" 

This I am thrilled about, not that speed was ever an issue but, WOW! Who knew there was so much more! 

To finish off our training session today, SoBe got to do 2 C-shaped tunnels which she performed perfectly :-)

The moral of this story? I love my dogs each and every one of them, and they each bring something completely different to my life. SoBe brings me many things but one of the most obvious is laughter and pure unadulterated joy!

You see, I may not be doing everything perfect from a training standpoint and she may be a bit on the naughty side but together we will get there, and, she will be an amazing agility dog all the while the whole race to the finish line will be awesome and wonderful and difficult and trying and the most fantastic learning experience for both SoBe and I, because you see, we always get the dog we need, even if we did not know on the onset that it was the dog we wanted.

Speaking of, let's talk about Vandal for a minute. Have I mentioned lately how much I love this very cool little puppy? Well, in case I have not I am saying it now. Of course with that said it is always so interesting to raise a puppy and really get to know them. 

Very often there are things that sort of throw you and are quite unexpected, Vandal is no exception.

We have already formed an amazing bond and I can say in all honesty we are equally attached to one another, this is of course a huge part of the teamwork that will be necessary on the agility field but I am learning as I do more and more with Vandal that he has a bit of an all about me issue. Vandal loves to work and loves to play and loves to hang out and he loves all of this on his terms :-) 

This is something that I am learning as he grows up and as we start to do a bit more training. Is this a bad thing? Not in my opinion it isn't.

I have to be smart enough to recognize this behavior trait, and do my best to circumvent it. 

From the day Vandal came home I have been feeding him from my hand, (he now eats out of a bowl, bonding mission successful and complete:-), anyway, he never over ate because he was completely attentive and would sit and eat with perfect concentration until he was done, then he would walk away. I thought this was so interesting but did not read anything into it.

So now we start training and Vandal is very toy motivated as well as toy motivated, until he's done. He loves to offer behaviors and learn new things, until he's done. I have made mental note of this and have been very careful to always end each session or portion of a session before he does in order to keep it fun, interesting, and most of all clear that "I" end the game, not Vandal.

Next phase, putting a bit more pressure on the little man to work through a minor distraction or call off of something he thinks is better than what I am asking or offering, when pushed Vandal thinks it is a good idea to leave, I, of course do not think this is a good idea :-)

My job is to help him understand that although leaving is not an option, I will make the decision to stay easier by simplifying what I am asking for, rewarding any small "give" on Vandals part and engaging him in play of whatever nature he will respond to in these situations.

As the trainer, it is my job to find out what "works" with each and every dog in each and every situation, with the ultimate goal being Vandal working happily because he wants to, NOT because he has too.

Is this the type of dog I dreamed of having as my next puppy? NOPE, but, I would not trade him for anything, he is obviously the dog I need and the best part is, he is also the dog I WANT!

Guess what, Merger has found his rear feet and he ran across the dog walk today!

What a weekend!

Well, I just got home from my 1 and only truly local USDAA trial and because of the snowstorm that hits without fail every year for this trial I spent 2 nights in a Hotel less than an hour from my house!! I find that very ironic to say the least :-)

The good news is the Hotel I stayed at was very nice, offered breakfast, and a hugely discounted rate with a nominal pet fee of $5.00 as a special for this trial!

The bad news is SoBe and Merger had to stay home because schlepping 6 dogs in and out of a hotel room does not even begin to sound like fun to me :-) There was also the issue of the incredibly cold temps. that forced me to crate inside the facility for this trial another thing I try to do as infrequently as possible!

This storm brought hours of pouring rain that turned to snow and glare ice roads to begin with, followed by a day of monstrous winds, blowing and drifting snow, how special! Today warmed up and the sun came out it was a glorious day.

The trial itself was wonderful, it was so nice to be back showing in USDAA, my last USDAA trial was the first weekend of Dec. it ha been a long dry spell. 

I had a fantastic weekend! I ran 3 dogs this weekend, Able, Maze and Mr. Wally Woo. They all performed wonderfully and made it very clear that I had better get serious about getting back in shape!

Able is a tired man tonight and is definitely feeling the effects of his almost 10 years but as always he was brilliant and among other very impressive feats this weekend he won the PNS and both rounds of the PSJ, I love my Able dog!

It is really tough to wrap my mind around the fact that Able is almost 10 years old, it is even harder to realize that the number of agility runs he has left are limited. I am no more ready to stop showing Able than I ever was ready to retire, Jack, Buzz or Secret. 

It is such an incredibly special bond that we have with our canine teammates and I cannot imagine a life without these awesome dogs.

Don't get me wrong I have no intention of retiring Able anytime soon, but I have started to cut back on the number of runs he does in a day or over a weekend, I also realize that although he still gives 100% every time he runs a course there is a price to be paid. At the end of the day he is stiff and sore and reminding me that it will ultimately be up to me to decide when it is time to hang up Ables' running shoes.

This is not a day that I look forward to, time goes all too fast and before you know it our puppies are geriatrics of the household. It is a not so subtle reminder that we should always appreciate every run, every piece of every run and all of the precious time we get to spend with these amazing animals. 

It is also a reminder in a different way to take time with our dogs, let them be young, let them grow up in their own time and be patient, even when it feels like it will never come together it always does if you are patient, fair and clear with your instruction :-)

Todays post was absolutely not meant to be a downer I just really got thinking about how much I appreciate all of my dogs and how quickly time passes and I don't mind reminding myself on a fairly regular basis not to wish my life away, enjoy every moment!

OK, next topic... As you all know I have made the decision to keep a running Dog Walk criteria with Wally, there was a lot of thought and back and forth indecisiveness involved in the ultimate decision to keep a running Dog Walk. 

I realize that there are going to be misses and I have to be willing to accept that. I realize that I am going to have to stop the middle age spread and truly think about exercising to be able to keep up with a 1.3 second Dog Walk performance.

These are a few seriously difficult things for me to accept but I am willing to do so knowing that in this new age of agility every hundredth of a second counts, BUT, and this is a very big BUT, I am not willing to accept judges penalizing a running contact because they cannot get to the end before the dog does. 

So, before I go further let me also say that if agility organizations would do away with judging the upside contact of dog walks a judge might actually be able to accurately judge a running dog walk with more consistency I have been a proponent of abolishing the upside criteria for a long time and now it just seems like it is necessary to guarantee any level of consistency in judging a dog walk performance.

However, since at present the up "and" downsides are judged it is becoming harder and harder for judges to place the dog walk in a position on course that gives them even a fighting chance and judging both. 

Herein lies the problem, in the "old" days if a judge somehow found themselves out of position to judge either the up or downside of a contact they erred on the side of the dog. This is as it should be.

In the "new" era of agility I am finding a complete opposite judging performance. It seems to be through my own experience as well as the many hundreds or thousands of runs I see every year that judges are unable to see both up and downs sides of the dog walk in particular and are faulting running contact performances that they obviously cannot see.

I am not saying that these calls are not sometimes accurate, that is not the point. The point is that if the judge does not feel 100% certain that a contact was missed they simply should NOT call it. 

It is almost like judges do not want to admit that they cannot run as fast as the dog so they "pretend" that they can see both. Well, I know that I can not beat my own dog from end to end in a foot race across the dog walk.

In order to be at the down contact at the same time or before Wally gets there I would not be able to tell you with any degree of certainty whether he hit the upside or not. Now, Wally does not miss the upsides of his contacts but once again that is not the point. The point is, very few people are going beat a Border Collie or any fast long strided dog from end to end of a dog walk. 

It is definitely time to rethink judging the upside contacts of dog walks and we need to get back to a more realistic judging approach, if I don't see it, I can't call it.

Last thought from the weekend, what an incredibly talented area I get to live in. The Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, South Dakota agility folks are definitely some of the best around and it is great to have such competitive individuals to constantly keep us on our toes, trying to train and handle to perfection :-)

The retractible roof...

Wouldn't it be awesome if there was a training facility with a retractible roof? Well, it would be awesome if you could actually close the roof again after opening it! Mother Nature thought I needed more light but did not remember the fact that no roof is definitely not better than a giant skylight!

Unfortunately, Geoff came home to a real life disaster on Sunday night. The entire north side of the buildings roof was gone as was a whole lot of fencing and our 2 horses!

The Electric Co. was here and fixed the power lines that the roof tore right through and fortunately the horses were found and are being cared for by our wonderful neighbors while we work out what to do next.

If you do not live in the mountainous areas of the wild west you can never truly understand the power of the wind. They say there is no perfect place to live and although there are many perfect parts to living in Colorado the price you always pay is the sometimes continuous wind!

We have already started clean up and the insurance company seems to be working with us and has really gotten the ball rolling, we are waiting for a structural engineer to determine the fate of this building, but whatever is decided it would truly be a treat if the repairs/rebuild were actually performed in a manner that could withstand Colorado wind!

One would think that contractors in the state could figure it out but not so far!

Other than the building issues things are great! Merger is smiling because he was a great boy doing agility today :-)

We had to take a field trip to be able to train, for obvious reasons. But down the hill we went, Merger, Wally ,SoBe and Maze :-) Yep, Maze is back! Maze thought he would like to come back to the states to trial for a while and my very dear friend Julie was kind enough to allow it to happen, now we just have to do her proud!

So, having to schlep myself and the dogs down the hill to train is not something I am used to but thankfully another friend very generously offered me her training field whenever I want so I loaded everyone up and down we went.

It was very nice for the dogs to be able to train somewhere else, because I have been spoiled for so long I do not leave the homestead to train very often.

As I was heading out I realized that not having my own stuff and my own place I needed to be a lot more organized than usual. I had to really take inventory of what Merge knows and very carefully plan what we were going to work on. Then the plan had to be adjusted for what equipment was et up or available.

As it turned out Kathleen had a great course set up and although Merger is not doing course work there were many opportunities to practice his flat area behaviors, jump work, channel weaves and contacts. He was awesome! 

Mergers running A-Frames are coming together very nicely and his confidence on the dog walk, one he has never seen no less, was much improved! He is also really taking to the teeter, I could not be happier with his progress.

We are continuing to work on jumping skills and tight turns over jumps, his long back is very conducive to quite a turn and he is really reading my hand signals and body language very well. Merger is definitely getting the concept of stride collection and how to read acceleration and decelleration correctly.

It has been a while since we have worked on outside turns over jumps and he seems to really get a "left outside turn but "right" is a problem, HMMM.... I detect a pattern here. His handler/trainer, oh yea that's me, is very left-sided and once again it is coming through in my training. Note to self, work right turns 2 to 1 over lefts. It is important to do a greater number of reps of the difficult side but do not eliminate the good side all together or you will still end up with a "sided" dog.

Merger all 22" of him seems to really be grasping the concept of stay as well and that is great! 

Wally and Maze got in some really good contact and weave training, with lots of work on the tough entries. 

Both Maze and Wally are turning on a dime and have really got their game on. I am so incredibly excited that my USDAA season starts this weekend.

SoBe was cleared to do a couple of "low" jumps in a straight line. She thought that meant run like a bat out of hell over 2 12" jumps and try to damage yourself before you even get fully healed :-) This would be the mind of a Border Collie, right?

OK, you could ask, who is the one with the big brain? That is supposed to be me and I think I have learned that regardless of the configuration of jumps or the height there is only one way to attack them... AT FULL SPEED!!!

She seems to be no worse for the wear but I seriously doubt that her Physical Therapist would call what she did today starting gradually! 

I have to admit, it was so incredibly intoxicating to have my girl back around agility equipment, she is a mania and I enjoy the living daylights out of training her, but, I am going to to be smarter next time. I so want her better but I really want her BETTER and I do not want to go through this rehab stuff with her again if I can help it!

She certainly had a big smile on her face though! That is always priceless.

Vandal had to have his little puppy training session in the office today, he did fine with that. 

Vandal is learning a wonderful 2on/2off I'm so proud! He played on the wobble board today and we did some perch work. Vandal had to work out how to get all 4 feet on the stool today which was a bit of a feat considering how much he has grown.

His heel and side positions are coming along very nicely and we have started stay training. Most importantly though we played! Lots of toy time and wrestling which as I have mentioned on numerous occasions is paramount to the level of training I am going to accomplish with this little genius!

Have a great day!