Dog Park

In preparation for the AKC Rally National Invitational I have upped Phlox's training in regards to focus. He has come a long way since his last trial and I am really enjoying the process.

Today we worked right out side of a dog park. I've made it my goal to try to work around as many dog parks as possible before nationals. It kind of simulates the hustle and bustle of a dog show and we need that.

Here are a couple of short videos. I'm really trying to film myself more often because every time I do I see something that I could be doing better. If you aren't in the habit of videoing your training sessions start!

I couldn't resist a few pictures as well

Like mommy like daughter. Baby with Phlox's dumbbell 

Show Dog

Most of the time I totally forget that I got Phlox to show not just in Obedience but Conformation as well.

My sister is handling him for me in the breed ring. She often laments the fact that I have "broken" him. "he wont stop looking at me" "He wont watch the treat" "He wont run out front" "He's pacing not gating" and on it goes.  

Here is is in class Tuesday night Strutting his stuff while my sister tries to "fix" him.

He is headed off to a show this weekend and I'm keeping my finger crossed for a point or two but honestly I don't care if he ever finishes. He is one hell of a "broken" dog.

2013

Train to win. Trial to learn.
My new motto for 2013. I have a nasty habit of shutting down at trials and not seeing them for what they are, a great big learning experience. No more will I get frustrated at trials. I am there to learn.
On the flip side my training is no longer casual. I am training to win.

My goals are less about titles this coming year and more about being prepared.

We will be

1) Psychically prepared 

    My dogs and I should be able to work for extended amounts of time with out becoming tired. Right now   we can only work a total of 10-15 minutes before calling it quits. This also includes getting the dogs back on raw.

2) Mentally prepared

    Knowing the rules and exercises before showing in any current or new venues/sports. 

3) Prepared for anything

    Working in the rain, on grass, in crowds, tight spaces, anything I can think of we will proof for it.

I expect 2013 to be a very exciting and can not wait to get it started. We have many things to look forward to Obedience, Rally, Conformation and agility. There is also the possibility of Weight pull, Tracking, Dock dogs, Carting and IPO. The possibilities are truly endless.

Happy New Year!

Weave Update

I moved the poles up again. As you can see he is a little confused but starting to use a little weaving motion.

Training has been made even more exciting by the discovery of his brand new most favorite ball ever!

This ball has been great because it is much softer and easier to squeak than the Cuz or squeaky tennis balls. He loves to pick it up and squeak it over and over again. I don't think it would last long if I just gave it to him but as a reward and interactive toy I can see it lasting awhile.

Field Trip

Parking lot Obedience "But moooom I want to go in!"

I told him that mice were once dogs but they were naughty and didn't focus on their training. From the look on his face I think he believed me.

"Your going to buy it all right?"

More parking lot obedience on the way out.

"I swear I saw a squirrel"

 

Teaching Expectations

I decided at the end of the trial this month that I needed to start back at square one with Miss V. Not to reteach her what she already knows but to teach her what she doesn't. What I expect her to do.

My expectations
She must perform at her best with out rewards of any kind (food, toys, praise), as long as I want, no guidance from me(except commands) and in any and all environments.

Where went wrong
I got lost in an attempt to create a happy looking, golden style heel. I lost touch with the fact that Violet is an 10-11 year old pit bull and simply does not show enjoyment in the same way. Don't get me wrong she really does enjoy the work her body, face and personality just express it differently. Even at home she is not what you would call "perky". I ended up not working on anything except "attitude".

What I am doing about it
Short random sessions with no feedback during exercises. Put her through her paces in random places. Work "Heel" and "Go out" until she knows what I expect in all situations.

End result
I hope to achieve a reliable maximum expectation of behavior. The next time we enter the ring I want to know that we will qualify and that I will have the confidence to make it happen.

V Happily sunning herself.

V happily posing for a picture.

UKC

In the beginning I was determined to compete in UKC obedience and not AKC. I wanted my dogs to be APBTs and not those inferior Amstaffs. The way things turned out the UKC just did not have any clubs or events close enough to me.
To be honest I like the AKC a lot and I'm happy that I started in that organization. Also, It turns out those inferior Amstaffs are just APBTs with an uppity name.

Now back to the topic at hand. I just signed up for my very first UKC obedience and Rally trial. Unfortunately Charlie is the only one I was able to register in time. He is signed up for Rally and Obedience on the 23rd.
This will also be my first outdoor obedience trial. It is going to be a great test for Charlie. He has come a long way but I usually do not trust him off leash out side. The recall over the jump will be another challenge. I don't train jumps with him almost ever and because of that they confuse him.
I have my work cut out for me but I think it will be a wonderful experience.


 

Award

Well here it is my very first blogging award! Thank you Samantha and Rugby for thinking of me and my pups.

Spiffy aint it.

1. Thank the giver(s) and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.

I did if you remember what you read up top. Thanks again! 

2. Reveal your five picks (with less than 200 readers) and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.  

1.Multibulls I enjoy reading about their exploits in UKC Obedience, Conformation, Agility and Rally. Cute foster puppies and beautiful pit bulls keep me coming back for more. Go check them out.

2. Proudest pug Who doesn't love a puglet? especially one with a talent for Rally and Agility. So what if they are from Canada give them a try!

3. Two Dogs One Camera How could I forget my friend Trish. One dog does Rally, one is getting ready to fly onto the agility field and I will some day convince her to do Obedience.

4. Exercise finished Not sure how many followers she has but I know many people would enjoy this blog. I see a lot of my dog in her dogs struggles and I am always excited to read a new post.

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

See above image :)

New Title and Lessons Learned

This last weekend was long and exhausting but well worth it.

On Friday Violet debuted in Utility. I was bracing myself for the utter humiliation of showing a dog that had not had enough training. I could picture her on the articles just sitting there staring at me too afraid to move or deciding that she didn't know what a go out was.
Despite my fears Violet did a wonderful job. In fact the only thing we didn't qualify on was the first article(Brought back the wrong one). Even then she only hesitated for a second before going to the pile. It wasn't a perfect performance but to my great relief I was in no way humiliated. 
It helped that I kept a genuinely upbeat attitude the entire time.


On Saturday I showed Charlie in Novice. He hadn't been to a dog show since this time last year so I wanted to get there an hour early. A little before 10am I walked in and went to get my number. The steward informed me that I was next. Chuck and I went in cold.
This heel pattern was the result

I could not have been happier. He usually shuts down at shows and his heel falls apart. I think that fact that I didn't have time to warm up and stress him out helped a lot. He did blow the recall when he got to me though. No front sit and he tried to check out the people behind me.


I spent the duration of the stays holding my breath and praying to what ever god would listen. I just knew that after a year off he wouldn't hold it. To ad to my fears there was a small boy throwing a tantrum right out side the ring not even 3 feet from Charlie.
He held both stays and qualified with a 191 1/2. I lack the words to express just how proud of him I am.
He is now

Plake's Sir Charles of Allston CD RN CGC

On Sunday Violet showed in Utility again. It was a much worse run but still not totally humiliating seeing as most of the other Utility A exhibitors where having just as hard a time. The judge loved V though and kept saying "Look how cute she is. Look at that face. She just absolutely loves you!". 

My friend Trish and her dog Grace also earned their RA on Sunday with a first place! Now I'm hoping to get her into regular obedience too ;-)

All through out the weekend I also got to see Phlox's siblings Dot and Dylan and their owners. I enjoyed getting together and talking about our dogs and the breed in general. His siblings are both beautiful and I hope to see more of them in the future. 

Looking back at the weekend gives me renewed hope that Violet is still young enough and enjoying Obedience enough to continue. I made huge improvements on my attitude and have a new commitment to train year round and not just right before a show.

Wednesday. Not Wordless But Plenty Of Pictures

Some pictures of Phlox hanging out at a show and go.

Here Violet is at a show and go last weekend. Every exercise we did was qualifying however I opted not to do the scent exercise because I am still building up her confidence. It's going pretty well she is now heading to the pile with out hesitation.

Not too shabby for an old lady. We have training tonight, a C match tomorrow and then the show on Friday. I'm trying not to be nervous but it feels like I am getting ready to enter the ring for the first time again.
I will try my hardest to get some video but no guarantees since I will have the kids with me all three days.

Show And Go

My courses were a hit! Well, not exactly but at least no one had any complaints. I had wanted to post the course maps but, having absolutely no computer skills, I can't figure out how.

I took Phlox with me just to work on being quiet and relaxed in his crate. I wasn't planning on running him through anything but since we were there any way I took him onto the novice rally course.

I released him often and tried to make sure he just enjoyed himself. He lost focus every now and then but I was pretty happy with his performance.



Notice that at the end even though there is a dog right on the other side of the gate he doesn't take his eyes off of me.

------------------------------------------------------------

The reliant show closes on Wednesday and I haven't signed up yet. Charlie and Violet will be competing. Charlie will finish up his CD and I'm hoping to enter V in Utility or wildcard utility. I will be doing a run through tomorrow to determine what to show her in. I'm hoping some one can video it for me because there has not been enough Violet on the blog lately. 

Violet's Session

Last night Violet and I had what I can only describe to be the best training session ever!

It wasn't so much that all the exercises went well, some were down right awful. But the energy was AMAZING!

I decided to work on V's confident with the articles. Before now I had been praising when she got to the right article. I noticed she was relying on my praise as a cue to pick it up. Last night I sent her and she worked the pile with enthusiasm until she got to the right article. She sniffed it, put her mouth on it then turned to look at me. I asked her again to "Find it" and she worked the whole pile over once more ending at the right article. She sniffed it looked at me and sniffed it again. I could she that she was almost ready to shut down so I decided to tell her what I wanted. She brought the dumbbell back and we took off around the room playing chase and tag.
I set it up and sent her again. This time after searching the pile she only hesitated for half a second before trotting briskly back to me with the correct dumbbell in tow. We took off again for a few minutes of play.

Go outs were a disaster but hey no need to stop the party. I got a little improvement and back to tag and chase.

By the time we got to signals and heeling Violet was literally jumping for joy. She was so engaged and enthusiastic it blew me away. I'm sure my enthusiasm and engagement blew her away too.

I'm pretty sure we both left the session exhausted and thinking "that bitch has been holding out on me!"

Sorry no pictures or video I was busy playing :)

Phlox's Session

For some reason I thought it would be a great idea to head out side for some training. I must have had a mild case of amnesia because I forgot we live in Houston. It's 93 degrees and sunny.

We had a little fun and I introduced him to the broad jump. I wanted my husband to film it but the kids were not cooperating and did I mention it was HOT!

These are the clips I managed to get myself.

This one was filmed at the end of our session and we both just wanted to go inside and get something to drink. It's been over a year since he was on a table so he was not on top of his game.

After a good drink we practiced or conformation skills inside. I think we have both improved a lot in the last few months. I'll have him back in the ring in the fall.

Red Alert...

All hands to battle stations...er, training stations!

I sat down and entered several shows today. Phlox is entered in the Houston Kennel Club and Galveston County Kennel Club shows on March 17th and 18th. I entered him in 12-18months and I'm really hoping that it's the right class. This will be my very first time in the conformation ring. I am incredibly nervous for a few reasons
1) I can't see past my now gigantic pregnant belly
2) I can't really bend over because of my gigantic pregnant belly and
3) Every time I set out to train for the conformation ring I get bored and end up doing obedience instead.
I need to spend the next couple of weeks figuring out what exactly it is that we both need to do in order to at least not make fools out of ourselves.

I also signed Violet up for the Brazos Valley Kennel Club shows on March 31st and April 1st...In Utility!
I have been so bad about procrastinating that I know we will not be ready by then. However, I find that having a goal really gives me the push I need.
We have made a lot of progress over the last two months so maybe if we kick it into high gear we could pull off a Q, maybe.

Even a 3 year old can stack a dog better than I can.

Winner!

I rarely if ever win contests but once in a while my luck changes.

I won a Lapper from http://www.ollydog.com/ in their Friday contest on Facebook.com. I chose the orange squares and think it will look great at trials.

I really like a lot of their products and prints. I particularly like their treat bags. I had one for a while but lost it when I lent it to a client and never got it back. 

Frustrating

I had a frustrating class with Phlox this afternoon. From the outside Phlox looked great but to me he was slow and unfocused, even if he did look up at me the entire time. Every little thing he did bugged me. To me he even played tug wrong today.

I know I shouldn't be so hard on him. I think at times like this I am actually getting frustrated at myself. I can see all the tiny holes in my training, in my ability to train. There in that little black dog all my short comings are set out for every one to see. To judge.

Rather than brush the day off as a failure I decided to really dissect it.
What today showed me is that my training has been slow and unfocused. I have been doing too much of the same thing and not pushing forward, becoming bored with the whole process.

My plan of action
Move on to more advanced exercises- I'm brunt out on heel, stand, stay, come, sit and down.
Train more often- it's hard to make changes and improvements when you only work once a week.
Train in new places- new environments are challenging and stimulating.
Keep the big picture in mind- Everything we are doing is leading up to our final goal.

Phlox will be doing his first match this month and I'm hoping for a very positive reaction to his training. Because I train mostly on my own shows and matches are the only time I get feedback from other exhibitors and judges. If there are any gaping holes in my training they are sure to be pointed out.

Small Title and A Normal Dog

Some people are blessed with normal dogs. I have never been one of those people. My dogs have always been found or adopted because they had problems that no one else wanted to deal with. Through hard work and dedication they have all turned into wonderful loving dogs but none are what most people would call "normal".

Yesterday I put Phlox through what in my mind would prove that he is in fact one of those elusive "normal" dogs.
My sister, husband, son and I headed to the park to play some disk golf. Phlox of course tagged along.
We spent several hours throwing disks at ridiculously far targets while Phlox trotted along side us with his leash on the ground.
Other dogs passed by, balls and disks flew over head, bicycles zoomed past and there Phlox was by my side the entire time. If I chose to give a command he complied without hesitation. If I chose to ignore him he would check in every few seconds to make sure there wasn't anything I wanted him to do. An off leash border collie even ran up and stuck his nose in Phlox's butt with out so much as an annoyed glance by my little dog.
We then went and watched my son play on the playground with a number of other children. A few kids and parents came up to pet him but mostly he just sat calmly at my feet. No barking or whining he was just happy to be there.

The only downside to having a "normal" dog is that training is rather boring. No need to be creative or figure things out. The dog just learns, complies and is eager to please.

Later Phlox earned his Novice Trick Dog title (NTD). We decided to go ahead and just see what our dogs knew during our trainer class. Phlox knew almost every single one of the behaviors listed. My mom's Puglet Roxi and one of the other trainers dogs also earned theirs. It was a fun and lighthearted way to spend an hour. Violet and Charlie will get theirs next weekend.

Training Today

Charlie:
I took Charlie out to a very busy street with a small parking lot. We worked on heeling until we were both huffing and puffing. Unfortunately that only took 5 minutes.  We then did a handful of recalls and some sit, down and stand stays.
His attention was a lot better than it has been. I'm pleased with his progress since this summer and may try to finish his CD next month.

Phlox:
Phlox worked in the back yard again because he has the hardest time focusing there. We did a lot of heeling and halts. We also worked on stand for exam and sit for exam. My goal today was to teach him not to lift his head and sniff the judges(my sisters) hand. If his head started to go up I told him to "leave it" as soon as his attention was back on me he got a good boy and treat and the process started again. It didn't take him long to get the concept. In just a few minutes he had a nice solid stay from his nose to his tail.
We got out the dumbbell and worked on him picking it up the right way. He likes to just grab it where every so I want to fix that before moving on. Again it didn't take him very long to figure out what I wanted. I think this one will need a lot of work in the long run because he very much sees the retrieve as play.

I also practiced free stacking and general conformation stuff. After my last attempts at stacking I looked up pictures and videos of people doing it well and today I simply tried to emulate it. My mom was able to be my eyes and give me pointers on foot placement and movement. I think things looked much better today.

Roxi:
My mom's 8 year old Pug mix worked on not being so pug like. She is a fabulously but doesn't get worked with much.

My mom and I at the reliant show year before last. Roxi took 4th in a huge novice class with a 96.

Violet unfortunately didn't get a turn today. I was just too tired after I got done with the boys. I did get my hands on a practice bar jump so that we can really do directed jumping at home. I hope to work Violet tomorrow before work.

Today Phlox is 1

How did this year fly by so quickly? It seems like yesterday I was meeting this little guy for the very first time.

I most certainly did not want a boy. As soon as I saw that little black lump everything went out the window I had to have him.

6 Weeks

Can you really blame me for falling in love with him?

He has only gotten better with age. Potty training was a breeze, crate training was a snap, he is social as a lab, has the drive of a border collie and the intelligence of a rock(really theres not much going on in there)!

He spent today in daycare hanging out with some of his doggy friends.

Then we headed to the pet store for some food and treats for the big day.

My son walked around exclaiming "That's  my Phloxy" To any one who would listen.

He is currently passed out in his crate. I don't think you could find a more content dog at this moment. Belly full, ears scratched and toys played with his life is now complete.

Wish us luck on our upcoming year of training and trialing.

New Year New Goals

In the likely event that the world fails to end this year here are my goals for 2012 by dog.

Violet:

UD

UDX - Thats right it's time to get off my butt and get her working again.
High In Trial - Even if it's at the amstaff nationals.
TT - I have had a hard time finding a test in my area but I am planning on traveling this coming year and hope I will be able to find one.

Charlie:
CD
RA
Both will be easy.  I just have to make it to enough shows.

Phlox:
Ch - If I can improve my sorry handling we might just have a shot.
BN - I'm not in a rush to get him in the obedience ring but I would like to try out beginner novice.
RN
Tracking - I'm not sure if we will be ready to trial but I would like to be well on my way by the fall.
BH - I would love to get his shutzhund BH title

Badger:
CD
RA

Year end review

It has been a crazy year. Phlox certainly had his ups and downs battling Parvo and Folliculitis. He took so much time to recover that we barely met any of our training goals. He did manage to earn his STAR puppy and CGC by 5 months so what little training we did paid off.
Charlie and Violet have had to take a back seat to the new puppy and crazy schedule. Charlie did manage to earn two legs towards his CD.
Badger earned one leg towards his CD and worked through some issues that came to light at the show. He also earned his RN. I'm still very proud of his perfect score!
It's hard to believe that I only actually made it to three shows this year. Next year is a different story.  

On a non dog related note. My son turned three! It's scary how fast he is growing and how much he is learning. We also added a new member to the family a few months ago. A little parakeet named Hammie.

I hope every one out there has a safe and happy new year. I will be partying with the dogs here at Pup Scouts and hitting the sack around 10:00pm.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!