The methods behind the madness

Recently, I announced, mostly to myself, that I would be willing to work with other people's dogs and do some minor dog training and teach relatively easy tricks. In her usual critical manner (it's OK it's good for me) Andrea asked what method of training I was planning to follow. Because I had no set plan of action, that question led me to examine my own dogs and the systems I've put into place for them (See? It's good for me, really).



No matter what we are doing, I want to set up my dogs for success. I actually enjoy the learning process and I'm not impatient when it comes to getting them from point A to B. Most of all, I want us to have fun.

There are so many dog training methods out there that to actually make a conscience effort to choose the absolute best one could drive you crazy. I believe that people with a natural understanding of dog behaviors and a strong visual concept of what they want to accomplish will gravitate towards the process that best suits their purpose. At least, that's how it's been with me.



When it comes to agility, there is only one way I want to play with Lola. Nice clean straight lines, defined body language, and a strong connection with your dog are what I like best about Greg Derrett's system.

When Greg walks a course he never has to wonder how he is going to handle it. This is because he has developed a system of handling which is logical and clear to the dog. His consistent signals never cause the dogs to question what he is asking them to do.

I admit that I haven't tried other systems but I know what feels right to me and how I want Lola to run a course and I'm fortunate enough to have Greg chart out our structured training path.

Here's an example of such a path. (note: this is not a video of Lola. I know it's hard to believe, but trust me, it's not)



When it came to herding, I dove into it head first, not even thinking that there could be more than one way to train a dog. But, as is my nature, I did my research and absorbed as much stockdog knowledge as I could. As I began to understand what I was doing, and JC advanced, it became clear that the techniques we were using to improve were actually part of a training system.

Derek Scrimgeour's system to be exact.



His training method can best be described as:

" all about proper communicating with the dog, he says, not confusing gestures and 'barking' at them. 'These dogs are looking for logic all the time,' he says. 'They will keep guessing and guessing because they love the work so much. But the way we train them here, we give them the logic. I don't want to put the dog in a position where it has ever got to guess what I want. Sheepdogs are, he says, highly sensitive animals who can be brought to the brink of a nervous breakdown by poor training and bad treatment. 'I used to love fast, pushy dogs,' he says. 'Now I appreciate other things - like bravery, intelligence and control. In dogs, as in people, it's often the deeper, quieter, less immediately obvious qualities that matter most. His training is also about ironing out bad habits - which, in the process, can reveal as much about the dogs' owners as it will about the dogs themselves."

It's funny but my preferred method for training agility is much like any of the games that I enjoy the most. Sports with black and white rules and definite structure. Anarchy is not fun.

As for how I've actually lived my life, well much like the herding training JC receives, I've always been fairly easy going, very forgiving of my own mistakes, and accept that every experience is part of the learning process.
This is probably, why to me, it is easy to accept that agility is the greatest sport ever, and that herding is a way of life.

So back to the original question of what training methods would I use if I was just teaching basic good behavior to other people's dogs. I'm still not too sure, but I know that I reward mediocrity and that my own dogs are smart enough to have shaped my behavior through precise operant conditioning. Put it all together and I believe I must have the breakthrough training system right at my fingertips!

Patience is a virtue

This week we have been working a lot on patience patience patience!



Eventually I'd like for each dog to hold a nice stay until verbally released regardless of the distraction. At this point both dogs will stay while others are playing or if I purposely try to distract them, but split them up and it's anarchy.

JC is actually starting to show more willpower than Lola which I give credit to his herding training. I mean, if he can lie down on command while working livestock he can just about do anything. Lola is another story, mostly because she's spoiled. Her tolerance level while watching me play with JC is really low and my goal is to build it up much much higher.







I think I'm going to need a lot of patience.

The best things I ever did

1. Switched the dogs to a raw diet.





It's true, I went over to the dark side a little over a month ago and I can honestly say that the dogs have never looked or felt better than they do at this time. Lola's fur is soft like silk and JC will sit at my feet looking up at me with the eyes of his ancestors when they were just beginning to trust that man and fire might be a good thing. In a strange primitive way, I believe it has bonded the dogs to me like a bowl full of kibble never could.
Of course, feeding and preparing raw meals has been an experience all on it's own.
I have become the weird lady who buys pigtails for a buck and day old stewing beef at half price. I scour the supermarket meat fridges looking for turkey necks and chicken gizzards.
With my cleavers, and cutting boards, my plastic gloves, and even a hammer; I laugh and compare myself to the Swedish Chef from the Muppet Show.

Here chicki chicki chicki means SUPERTIME!




2. Changed our herding instructor

Sometime in August (August 11th), the herding world as we knew it completely imploded into itself. That day, the class started with our instructor putting JC on geese for the first time and he just stood there looking at me and wouldn't, or couldn't move them. I explained to her that he didn't even chase the ferrets at home so I wasn't surprised that the had no interest in the geese. She gave me the firm lip/head nod she uses when she feels I'm making excuses for my little dog.
We gave up on the geese and moved into the big field where she informed me that JC was going to help us separate the lambs from the ewes. There were a hundred sheep in this field and Frodo the maremma livestock guard dog. I was completely confused and beginning to be very miserable.
I sent JC to fetch the sheep and he did. Then Frodo chased him away. I called JC back to the sheep again, and Frodo chased him away...again. When I complained I got the firm lip/head nod.
I can't go into any more details only because I don't want to relive them. Needless to say that afternoon became an intense pressure cooker and when JC pooped in the field, I finally called it off.



I was angry at the mental torture we'd just imposed on my dog and frustrated with out instructor who had so readily set him up to fail. During our heated talk after class, she used his failure to criticize his herding ability and to denounce his character. I cried, I wiped snot on my sleeve, I was done. That was to be our last class with her.

All was lost and then we found Grant.
He trains with all breeds and he works with the big picture. There's no nitpicking of details with him. If the dog makes a mistake, then meh, he made a mistake. Suddenly all pressure was off and for the first few classes with our new instructor, JC spent most of his time running around like a spazz.



The fun was back in herding! In a sense, we let JC work through his own issues without micromanaging him and that was the best thing we could have ever done. Over the past 2 months, I've seen his confidence grow and his decision making improve greatly. Just last week he worked the sheep with both Grant's horse and maremma in the field.

It might take us a long time to get to a trial, but we are definitely enjoying the journey.

And finally, the third best thing I ever did?

3. Hitched my agility wagon to Andrea's horse.

In the spirit of Susan Garrett, and her spirit is with us often, I'm grateful for the agility training that Lola gets every week and for the people we get to train with.




Now that my first summer of trialing is over and Lola and I are taking a bit of a break, I can look back at all the dog/handler teams that we've come across and say with certainty that I'm very glad to be in the middle of the pack, so to speak. Maybe Lola and I will never go to the Worlds but at least we'll never be painful to watch. I just want us to be the best we can be and I believe that by continuing to train with Andrea (even in the smelly barn!) that we will be.