Dog Dayz

The pool boy metaphor

2010-03-16T11:35:00.006-04:00

Let's say there's this kid, a teenager we'll call JC. Now JC has a great cushy life; he doesn't have to work, parents pay for everything, fridge is always stocked, he's got an Xbox and tons of friends to hang out with.

Once a week, mom tells JC he's got to clean the pool. Really, it's the only thing he's asked to do and truthfully, it's not that monumental a task because the pool isn't even that large. JC doesn't mind cleaning the pool, after all he likes using it and he's been 'in charge' of the pool since he was younger. Plus, skimming leaves off the water is kind of fun.

Just recently though, mom says he's slacking on pool duties. Sure there's nothing floating in the water, but the filter is clogged and the chlorine is unbalanced. It seems like every time she wants to use the pool, the heater isn't set properly.
She's nagging, blah blah blah, and he's responding with 'yeah yeah yeah' and nothing is getting done right because in the end, it just doesn't matter. Mom can screech all she wants and JC is still gonna get to play in the pool.

Ok this time, let's say that JC and his mom live a less luxurious lifestyle without the ipods and the internet or even a nice big bed for the entire family to cuddle in. There's still enough food to eat, and lots of affection but no couch to sit on or TV to watch all day. JC's bored and just waiting for something to do. The most important thing in his life is that pool.

Now mom tells him that she has a job for him. He'll have to clean the pool properly and only if he can do that(even cleaning out the nitty gritty stuff like the filter), he'll earn total user privileges.

Think he'll deliver to the best of his pool cleaning abilities? I'm counting on it because it's going to be a very long 48 hour experiment until we get to take another dip in that grimy pool.

Believe

2010-03-01T11:43:00.009-05:00

So the 2010 Vancouver Olympics are over.

For 17 awesome days, Canada united as a country and believed. We kind of had to, brainwashed by the media into listening to that song over and over again.

There were so many firsts for Canadians in this Olympics. First gold on home soil, first ice dance gold, first ski cross gold, first time we heard O Canada officially played 14 times and unofficially sang hundreds more.

And there was a first for me too. For the first time in my life I fully grasped the emotions that these athletes go through during the course of competition. Ok, hardly on the same scale of world grandeur, but somewhat comparable on a personal level.

Take what happened to Cheryl Bernard. During the very last moments of the gold medal game in Women's Curling, she missed a shot that every single Canadian knew she could have made in her sleep. A shot she has made a thousand times before.

"Pretty routine double," Bernard said. "Rubbed it, missed it by a millimeter. Couldn't ask for an easier shot."

Bernard runs out of magic

While the rest of the country sat in disbelief at what they had just witnessed, I thought, 'I know how that feels'. Then I realized, wait a second, I do know how that feels. Lola and I, in the past, have run a flawless jumpers course only to have her dash right by the very last obstacle; the tire, hoop, that horrible burning ring of fire, which is how I saw it that day.
Yup, we know what's like to be in second place when you wanted that gold so badly. But we also know what's it like to have friends and family rally around you and declare what a great run that was, point out your exceptional footwork, and say you'll get it next time.

I have to believe that Canadians will rally around Cheryl Bernard, declare what a great tournament that was, point out all those stones she amazingly curled, and say you'll get it next time.

2010-02-04T22:00:00.001-05:00

Must Kill Squeak

2010-02-03T01:06:00.013-05:00

Tonight I discovered how to melt my Border Collie's mind.

Lola and I are trialing this weekend and were working on equipment during practice tonight . For the past couple of weeks we've been working on handling skills, which is great for me, but usually right before a trial I like to work her on the dogwalk, the weaves, the table, and a few jumps just to see where she's at mentally and get in some last minute tweaks if I can.
Our normal equipment routine consists of using treats and a tug toy, both of which make her very happy. Tonight in the smelly dirty unheated barn, her tug toy got especially gross with dirt and her enthusiasm for grabbing it as a prize waned with each supposed reinforcing toss.
I needed to borrow a toy from Andrea. I hated to ask but the trial is only four days away and practicing with an undesirable tug toy would not do! I grabbed Phoenix's squeaky bowling pin* and proceeding to work the dogwalk with Lola.

*

I blew her mind with the very first squeak.

Her eyes bugged out of her head, her tail shot straight up as if propelled by an electric current and she bounced of the ground like it was covered with hot coals. MUST KILL SQUEAK! I sent her to the dog walk and she flew over it with little regard to her safety and her contacts.
MUST KILL SQUEAK! What was this madness?

Let me explain my astonishment. Normally I have an easygoing albeit excited, happy to play dog. She's motivated to weave well enough by toys and has lovely 2 on 2 off contacts for the right treats. I react smugly when my agility friends speak of spastic Border Collies and think to myself that I must be a good trainer since my dog is problem free. Sure there are mistakes here and there, but her demeanor remains relatively calm throughout class and we can work through the kinks easily enough.

MUST KILL SQUEAK! With those 3 words, Lola officially joined the ranks of super spazz. She jumped on me, she leapt for the toy, she raced through a tunnel, she parachuted off of the dogwalk, and this was all while I was trying to get her to sit. That toy definitely breathed new life into our training session. MUST KILL SQUEAK! My sense of accomplishment when she did effectively perform what was asked of her was matched only by her sense of satisfaction at being rewarded with the chance to kill the squeak toy.

Practice was so much fun and so productive that I'm going out today to invest in one of these:

THE BALL WITH FEET IS GOING TO BLOW HER MIND.

2009-12-21T23:35:00.002-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

They'll work it out

2009-12-19T18:12:00.003-05:00

What does that even mean??

No, no they won't, is what I should have said. Unless by working it out you mean that your dog will continue being a bully and my dog will continue being scared. Because unless either one of us steps in, that is what will happen.

We're at the neighborhood park, not the dog park, but our dogs are loose and they all know each other and Lola is just at that threshold where she won't be able to tolerate any more dogs especially ones she doesn't know. Sure enough, a couple I've never met before show up with their two big black Lab crosses and let them off leash to play. One runs over to where all the boys are running (you've already guessed that's where JC is, right?) and plays nice, the other charges towards our group, hackles up and full of loud noises. Oh don't worry, we're told, she's just all noise.

Of course that just means to me that these people have no understanding of how animals communicate. either that, or they've chosen to believe that a dog with an obnoxious personality is perfectly acceptable in a social situation.

It isn't.

That dog zoomed in on Lola immediately and proceeded to torment her, invading her personal space, growling and posturering.

My dog is timid. She doesn't like that, I said. I was being polite because they are neighbors and I also kind of expected them to contain their dog.
Oh, she won't do anything, I was told.
Yeah, but my dog might snap at her, I said, a little more forcibly this time and actually readying myself to step in because Lola was very agitated.

And then the lady said it. They'll work it out.

She didn't say, oh I'm sorry, let me get my dog. She certainly didn't say, hey dog, stop that!
I would have ok with either of those responses, more than ok, I would have been impressed.

They'll work it out.

Her husband called the dog off and kept a firm grip on it after that. I guess he has some understanding of how women communicate and he correctly picked up on all my signals.

The Dog Park

2009-12-01T18:16:00.007-05:00

A pictorial essay as seen through eyes of JC:

And now, Lola's experience. The same day.

The methods behind the madness

2009-11-18T20:24:00.033-05:00

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

2009-11-13T09:32:00.002-05:00

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

2009-11-08T13:43:00.019-05:00

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.

Gone with The Wind...

2009-09-09T13:44:00.036-04:00

.. over the Purple Hill, that's where our summer is.

Our days were long and full and fun. Lola and I continue to grow and develop as a team and our runs improve with every trial. JC only wants to please me with an intensity that some might think unhealthy, but a Border Collie owner regards as typical.

The Sheepdog Trials in Kingston were a highlight of the summer for us. If I stare for a long time and squint my eyes real hard, I can swear that's JC coming around the bend with those sheep. In this dream, I don't even need the whistle that I have but haven't figured out how to use yet.

Lola waited out the rain on trial days to reward me with ribbons and qualifying scores in Jumpers, Standard, and Snooker runs.

I can't remember if she had stopped contacts or running contacts in her winning runs, but because I reward mediocrity, I'm satisfied with whatever I could get. We won't be able to feign ignorance for much longer though as Lola turns two this week and with her last legal measurement the serious business of big girl agility (maybe even Regionals!) will have to be established.

Our Holy Grail continues to be that second Jumpers Q, but like any good adventurer knows, getting there is half the fun. At least that's what Lola keeps telling me.

The best days of our summer were spent playing at Kathryn's farm, famous as Ontario's premier non sporting home. A Simpsons sky and the smell of manure will forever be linked to Spot On in my mind. As will chocolates, pizza, and good friends.

The days now are too short to be packed with the multitude of activities that became customary for us. The evenings, too cold.

Like children going back to school, we head back to the barn within the next couple of weeks. Our winter clothes and indoor training tools will have to be found and dusted off. We'll revert back to one walk per day with a lot of household tricks and training being worked on. Maybe there will be more time to update this blog, hopefully there will be enough happening to blog about.

Bringing Up Baby

2009-08-02T11:18:00.011-04:00

How do you know when your baby is all grown up? Bring home a new baby, that's how.

I cannot pinpoint the exact moment that my puppy was not a puppy anymore. Lola is an old soul, but to me, JC has always been the baby and has such, been treated like one. This week with the help of a visiting friend, a real puppy, I observed that my little one was little no more.

Pete is staying with us for 10 days and in true puppy form has been a bouncing obnoxious ball of energy and excitement. If I thought that when put together both puppies would play and play then I wrong wrong wrong.

JohnnyCash displayed his total annoyance by getting up and moving away every time that Petey bounded up to him but mostly he just emitted this crazy low growl from the center of his chest that I had never heard before. I guess Pete knew what it meant though, because he showed respect for my dog.

I suppose it's time that I do the same. Not making excuses for his imperfections because he's a baby, not forgiving his bad behavior because he's so cute. Stronger corrections! A tighter leash! I can do all of that. A dog is a dog is a dog will be my new motto!

But birthday cupcakes are ok too.

Everything I know about life I learned from a border collie

2009-07-24T22:23:00.032-04:00

1. Unless people say something at least 3 times, they don't really mean it.

2. Barking gets me nowhere.

3. Make friends with everyone.

4. If the pillow is big enough, it's ok to share

5. It doesn't matter what others look like, as long as they smell good

6. I take my work very seriously.

7. I take playtime even more seriously.

8. If I get hurt I will keep on playing.

9. Sports are good for the soul.

10. So are naps.

11. Being in a bad mood is a waste of time.

12. The sooner you settle down, the sooner the picture is over with.

13. Be a good listener.

14. Be loyal to your family and friends.

15. Never stop learning.

breaking the Jumpers curse

2009-07-14T12:04:00.024-04:00

Lola and I have been cursed when running our Starters Jumpers courses from the very first trial. It's true, I swear I'm not being superstitious. There are pictures, videos, and a lot of painful memories that prove what we've been through.

There was that awful hoop shaped like a boat boey that Lola wanted no part of jumping through. There was one course that had such a horrible tunnel entry, I thought for sure that Lola would forsake her love of the tunnel forever. There have been jumps missed, off courses, rainy days, sunny days, bars at 16", bars at 22", distractions from spectators, distractions from ring crew, confused handling, panicked handling and just plain bad handling.

Lola and I were doomed to remain in Starters Jumpers for the rest of the summer.

Then this past weekend, we broke the curse. The very last run of the weekend, when everyone had packed up and was ready to leave, we ran a flawless 23 second course.

I didn't ask anyone to film it (luckily someone did), I didn't expect anyone to be paying much attention, since everyone was busy packing up, and I was mentally drained from from such an exhausting weekend.

We didn't have any family members there to cheer us on and I probably had a full bladder from avoiding the 2 day old port a potties. I was tired and hungry and thinking about what to have for dinner.

Best of all, I had left all my bad feelings in the roots of a strong old tree with the false promise of going to back to collect them after the race. Like George Costanza I did the opposite of everything I normally do without putting pressure on my self to succeed.

And that's how we broke The Jumpers curse.

Cookie Cutter Training

2009-06-30T19:28:00.018-04:00

Must every dog fit into the mold of of the chosen training pattern or can we adjust the training to fit the chosen dog?

It's been a herding roller coaster these past two days. Does that even make sense? Yeah ok, sheep are not a funpark ride, but we are certainly down and up, left and right, high and low. I think I might have whiplash, and it's not the good kind.

Monday it seemed like everything was wrong. Wrong dog, wrong trainer, wrong handler, wrong sheep. It was a tough session and I spent the rest of the day frustrated but more so than that, I spent it confused. Self doubt is the mother of all evils when it comes to herding, I have decided. As for doubting your dog, well, that's just pure Hell.

The moment you have to decide just how far you want your dog to go and just how much training you are willing to invest on this journey can be very overwhelming. In order to get JohnnyCash competing in Open Trials I would have to change his entire lifestyle, our entire lifestyle together.
The first time I disciplined him for being himself and he seemed so hurt I didn't feel like I was doing the right thing. This is a young energetic dog with so many future possibilities in all dog sports; would I wreck his chances of being a succesful agility dog by molding him into a farm dog? Probably not, but my mind was out of whack from all the deliberating I had been doing.

So, I resolved that I was not going to fight against his core being and that I would talk to our instructor about altering our exercises to more suit our needs. Maybe JC and I will only ever trial on Novice courses and maybe he only ever remains a mediocre herding dog, but I will work with the dog I've chosen and together we'll go as far as he can take us.

Of course, as soon as I made this decision to stand firm by dog, he rewarded me with a fantastic training session the very next day. In fact, the class was spent working on my shortcomings as a handler which was absolutely wonderful!

Possible first place in a Novice Division herding trial, here we come!

Just a quick note

2009-06-27T11:58:00.002-04:00

Lola has inspired more art

Counting Sheep

2009-06-19T09:52:00.021-04:00

Because their early work was to gather sheep from the hills, Border Collies are, by nature, gatherers rather than drovers or tenders. They can, nevertheless, be taught to drive stock away from the shepherd and even to keep their charges within certain boundaries. They are also sensitive to commands from their handlers and can distinguish slight variations in the many whistles they understand, responding appropriately to each tone.

Shepherds look for exceptional athletic ability, a biddable nature, and superior livestock sense. In general, a dog that is light on its feet, flowing in its movement, quick to cover its stock, and has great endurance is the most valued. The dog's temperament must be sensitive enough to bend its will when asked, tough enough to stand up to the pressures of training, eager to learn, with enough confidence and determination to carry on with its work without constant guidance. Some Border Collies are reserved rather than outgoing, but they must love to work with and for the master. While innate livestock sense is bred into all good working collies, their working style can vary. Most people admire a dog that works with its head low to the ground, with its hindquarters high and its tail tucked between its hind legs. They can run as fast as the wind, yet stop in an instant or switch directions without stopping. They don't take their eyes off their sheep. Their intense gaze is focused on the stock, willing them to obey, to go where the dog directs them, to stop if the dog blocks their path. The stock aren't rushed or afraid, but they certainly respect the dog. A good Border Collie's obsession is its livestock, and this is as it should be.

It's always two steps forward one step back when it comes to herding I've determined. Now it seems that JC is not keeping an eye on his sheep as much as he should be. So, since JC has exceptional athletic ability and a highly biddable nature, obviously he is going to lack the superior livestock sense. Such is the drama of my foray into herding.
His instructor claims that he is predisposed to watch me (See my New World vs Old World blog) and that is an unfavorable trait in a dog working livestock. The consummate herding dog has to breathe, eat, and sleep sheep. Wait, maybe not eat really, but he's got to watch the sheep!

So how do I teach a border collie to keep that famous eye on the sheep?

Brainwash him?

Trick him? Reward him?

Meh, I'm sure he'll be fine once he figures out what I want. Or even once he figures out what he wants.

Divide and Conquer (the dogs have taken over)

2009-06-15T09:24:00.013-04:00

I have become lazy and in doing so, I've allowed two highly intelligent brains to take over the household. Normally this wouldn't be an issue but the takeover has begun to filter into our sports. Or maybe it was always present but I've only just noticed it and now I need a plan of action.

This past weekend, Lola earned her second Gamble run Q and moves up from Starters to Advanced. I'm very proud of her but honestly, the Gamble is a spastic run where she basically plots her own course as I try to keep up with her and grab her attention in the final seconds to get over the three last jumps. Now Lola thinks that every run should be a gamble and her stubborn streak(remember the one that made herding unbearable?) has begun filtering into every other type of course. Watching back the videos from some of our last runs it's so obvious that she runs independently of me and that I'm struggling to keep her away from the obstacles she wants to take. So, no more Gambles for us.

If this wasn't bad enough, the little one, the light of life, my heart dog, has been a brat during his last couple of herding classes. while JohnnyCash is far from stubborn, his problem right now is that he remains in a childlike state of mind. Yes, all of his good collie qualities are still there, eager to please, good judgment, natural instinct, but his work ethic isn't maturing and at this point we need to move forward. So, no more babying the baby.

The dogs are spoiled, I admit it. Obedience isn't so much a part of our household routine mainly because these are two very sweet, and for the most part, well behaved dogs. But I have allowed a certain lack of structure and now that I see it affecting their performances in sport, I have to re evaluate my approach to some of our issues.
From now on: Lola crying to be picked up and put on the bed? Too bad. No jumping up, no bed for you. JC pulling the entire way to the park? One more tug and no park for you! Both dogs getting carrots just for being cute?? No more carrots! EVER!

Ok, I'm kidding. I'm not going to be an extremist and my dogs will always be coddled and at times, overindulged, but I am going to shake it up a bit. I did make a list of some changes I would like to see and I believe those changes are best achieved by working one on one with each dog and having them become less dependent on each other and more willing to work for me. I started yesterday by leaving one dog crated and spending quality time with the other and then visa versa.

I better go. I have to put Lola away and take JC out for a bikeride and then work on walking with him to the park without him pulling, then I want to play some crate games with him before leaving him alone to take Lola for a run and then do some distraction work with her and maybe even teach her a new trick to keep her from getting bored and this all has to take place before my scheduled workshift.

Or I could just take them to the park and throw the frisbee for 20 minutes knowing that will knock them out for the rest of the day...hhhmm...

8 Days A Week

2009-06-10T00:29:00.009-04:00

is not enough to show I care

It's Tuesday and I have this overwhelming feeling that I've not done anything productive with either dog since last Thursday at least. Horrible! Or maybe I have been doing stuff with them but I'm not disciplined enough to actually sit down and blog about it every night.

Let me think.

Did I mention that in a sudden attack of cone envy, Lola licked herself a hotspot and got to wear the cone for night? Her pitiful Lola face made the situation all the more ironic.

Lola's sad face is also what caused her to get attacked (twice!) at the dogpark last week. I'm sure I must have blogged about that. I force Lola to go to the dogpark the way my mom made us take swimming lessons every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am in the city pool. Actually Lola's distaste of the dogpark would make for a great blog entry.
NOTE TO SELF: BLOG ABOUT LOLA'S FEAR OF THE DOGPARK
Anyway, there was this crotchety nine year old (overweight) Border collie there who wanted desperately to herd or control all the younger dogs. They were all off and running though, so the only dog left to pick on is, of course, timid little Lola who is not running with the pack but hanging back by me. We have not been to the dog park since.

Then of course there's the unveiling of Mondy's latest painting, inspired by my border collies. She is planning on displaying it at her next art show and had it up for sale. WHAT?? I can't have my beautiful doggies hanging on someone else's wall! I must have this painting.

I am certain that I blogged about that.

There's a trial this weekend and Lola is signed up for four runs. I wish I had more free time from work to prepare but we only have Thursday evening to train. Since the last trial we have worked out some of our previous issues. I went back to basics last week and retrained her contacts with the help of tasty chicken livers. I feel confident that we'll do great and have a good time. It's inconceivable that I would not have blogged about our training sessions these past two weeks.

Either there's something wrong with my computer or there just isn't enough time in the day.

Ode to the cone

2009-05-27T23:21:00.004-04:00

Ode To The Cone
~JohnnyCash

I licked my leg until it bled
I licked my leg until it bled
I licked my legggg until it bledddd

So for now I wear this cone to bed

My leg was real itchy I swear
My leg was real itchy I swear
what's happening to me isn't faaaair

Because now I wear this cone to bed

Maybe tomorrow I'll feel better
Maybe tomorrow I'll feel better
I hope that tomorrow I'll feeeel betterrrrrr

But for now I wear this cone to bed

New World vs Old World

2009-05-22T15:47:00.026-04:00

In very general, you will likely notice that Old World wines tend to be more subtle in flavor and more reserved in profile than the bolder, expressive counterparts found in the New World wines. Old World wines pride themselves on the grapes' soil location and New World wines may mix grapes from a few locations to build the best bottle of wine.

Lately, as Lola improves on the agility course and JohnnyCash continues to excel at working stock, I have been thinking more and more about the obvious differences between these two border collies. Having worked in the restaurant industry for years and having and having enough knowledge of wine to understand grape varietals, I've begun comparing my dogs to wine; the Old World border collie being the dog that encompasses all the traditional qualities necessary in a working farm dog and the New World border collie that dominates the universe of dog sports.

Lets take Lola. My first border collie, I was certain that Lola and I would shake up the dog world with our beauty, our brains, and our unflinching spirit. She was the smartest little puppy with an abiding love for tricks and treats. Lola proved herself a quick student on training days and mastered each new agility obstacle with ease. At home she was the typical border collie we all hear about too often; wanting to play play play, tug, fetch, and having no off switch. It's a good thing I knew what I was getting into when I chose to live with this breed but I can certainly understand how people quickly become overwhelmed by a dog with so much energy especially if they are not prepared to meet the level of activity required to channel it.

So I had this young vibrant intelligent border collie and watching her obsess, stalk, or 'herd' my two ferrets, I contemplated the notion of having her work stock. She is a border collie after all; isn't that what they are bred to do? I was lucky enough to begin lessons with a dynamic seasoned instructor on a beautiful 57 acre working sheep farm.
This brings us to Lola's unflinching spirit or in the Old World lingo, what ranchers refer to as an unbiddable dog. It was eight months before I finally gave up trying to mold Lola into a decent stock dog. Eight months of aggravation, taking a step forward one day only to take two steps back the next, classes that left me in tears, questioning everything I thought I knew about dog psychology. Herding was primal terrain for us. There are no tricks, no treats, no cheerleading (as my trainer put it one day that I showed over exuberance for a minor accomplishment) and Lola was lost. She's a 'what's in it for me' kind of girl and if the only thing in it for her was the privilege of fetching me sheep, she wanted no part of it. So, my border collie was perfect in every way except for one tiny little thing: fulfilling her border collie predestination. In the end I gave up my dream in order to preserve our relationship. I could have broken that dog, I did not want to.

Good choice, as the New world trainers are quick to say, because now we can focus on the sport of agility and a world filled with sardines and chicken livers, ribbons and rewards. I encourage her to be driven and it's expected that she be worked up and mentally unrestrained. We don't play Flyball but I know that uncontrolled speed and fervor are just two requirements essential in the dogs that do.

While I did acknowledge that the herding instinct had been bred out of Lola, I still did not want to give up the time I was spending on the farm. I was lucky enough to have a young border collie to start anew with and still dense enough to believe that a dog from the same bloodlines as Lola would be any different.

But he was different.

From the moment he entered my life, JohnnyCash had my heart. He was so even tempered and untroubled. A far cry from my high maintenance, demanding Lola. He played, he slept, he definitely had an off switch, in fact the biggest issue I can remember having with him was the barking..the constant yap yap yap. As he got older it became clear that JC didn't thrive on reward. This was something new to me, I could get him to behave in a certain way just by letting him know that I was pleased. The one time that I used correction on him was when he did not come back to me while running in the park, and since then his recall has never failed us. Was this a biddable dog, I wondered? I researched his family tree and found that his mother came directly from Scotland, imported from a long line of herding dogs. I rejoiced! He was the chosen one! A modern day border collie with enough of the Old World left in him to thoroughly discombobulate most theories on bloodlines and the importance of the family tree.

My herding instructor remained skeptical.

She changed her mind after our first lesson. JC remained calm, controlled, interested, and most of all, quiet. There was no barking ( he still has not barked once while working), no frenzy, none of the neurotic behavior most of us choose to ignore in our new world border collies. Best of all, for performing his tasks correctly, therefore pleasing me, his reward was his sheep; and that was good enough for him.

So I have two very different border collies and both have a very strong hold on my heart. When Lola wins ribbons I'm exulted because we have worked together and we have achieved so much. When I finally call off JohnnyCash from sheep with 'That'll do' I'm exulted because he has worked for me.

I am so extremely fortunate to have the best of both worlds.

Piece of cake

2009-05-17T18:11:00.013-04:00

Take one young fast border collie and one slightly muddle headed novice handler, and you've most certainly got a recipe for agility disaster. But with a sprinkle of concentration, a dash of purpose, and a lot of practice, the feeling of accomplishment after a weekend trial is totally sweet.

And earning a Qualifying score in a Starters Gamble? Well, that's just the icing on the cake.

Lola and I also ran two standards this weekend for the first time and I'm really satisfied with the results. Satisfied but also certain that I've got to go back and re examine some of the main ingredients.

Weaves? Not enough seasoning.
Contacts? Stale expiration date.
Table? Self rising.

I finally got my focus in order and now it's time to get Lola's back on track.
Getting back to basics will be our goal for the next month but for now we'll have today's cake and eat it too.

I want to wrap up my thoughts by borrowing a cup of sugar from Andrea, who borrows from Susan Garrett, and express gratitude for my wonderful teammates for all you do; walking the course with me, giving me real feedback, listening over and over again to my many half baked ideas and most of all for always cheering us on. It is your support that keeps us from falling flat.

Gone to the dogs

2009-05-13T12:19:00.007-04:00

A day in the life
And I thought not having kids would be easy

7:00am: JohnnyCash starts crying and demanding breakfast
7:45am: alarm goes off
8:00am:breakfast
8:05am: JC poops, Lola does not. Collect poop for vet appointment
8:10am: Wake up Lucy for vet appointment, look for Jack
8:25am: Still looking for Jack, panic
8:30am: Find Jack, load everybody into the truck, rush to make 8:30am vet appointment

8:45am-10:45am: vet

Lola examination- Vet touches her everywhere, no problems. Why couldn't vet be the Canine Good Neighbor Evaluator?
Lucy examination- Gum disease. Too much candy. Antiobiotics needed.
Jack examination- still deaf.
JohnnyCash- Broken tooth, X rays taken, surgery needed. Leave Lola alone with vet tech while looking at Xrays. She stays quiet and calm; why couldn't vet tech be the Canine Good Neighbor Evaluator?
Everyone put on Revolution™ for heartworm, flea, and tick prevention.

11:00am: Unload everyone back at the house. Give Lucy medication, put ferrets to bed.
11:10am: Start all laundry, dusting, and vaccuuming. Clean up random ferret poop.
2:00pm: Have a piece of bread for lunch
2:15pm: Take JohnnyCash for bikeride around the neighborhood. Leave Lola home. She cries the entire time
2:30pm: Gather dogs, equipment, carrycase, treats, snacks, water.
3:00pm: Leave the house.
3:50pm: Arrive at Spot On.
4:00pm: Find out water was not closed properly and has spilled all over bag. Air out bag.
4:05pm: Work Lola on weaves, the tire, and 22" jumps rotating her breaks by putting her in the truck and taking JC out to play frisbee. Use sardines for training with exceptional results. Leave sardine can on top of truck to use washroom in Kathryn's house to wash sardines off hands. Open back of truck to get JC, use old towel to wipe off sardines when they fall over JC and crate. Cry, vow never again to use sardines as training motivation.
6:20pm: On the way back home take dogs to the Ajax Conservation Area for their last walk of the day. Spray everyone with Off™ because of all the bugs by the lake. Now stink like sardines and bugspray.
6:25pm: Feel great because JC is soo happy running running around in conservation area.
6:30pm: Swallow a million bugs, put Lola's bandana over face like a cowboy, keep walking.
7:00pm: Hose off dogs in driveway. Someone stinks like dead fish. Could be me.
7:15pm: Feed dogs.
7:30pm: Shower, make dinner, watch TV, drink wine, go to sleep.

Run Lola Run

2009-05-05T19:07:00.017-04:00

"If you let me play sports
I will like myself more;
I will have more self-confidence,
I will learn what it means to be strong.
If you let me play sports."

Is Lola really an athlete? This is a hot topic debate I'm involved in with a co-worker (yeah Andrew, I'm looking at you) right now. So, is she? I say, absolutely, without a doubt, 100% yes; and more than just Lola being an athlete, we are an athletic team.

I am coach, I am sponsor, I am trainer, I am handler, I am partner, I am her number one fan. Lola is sprinter, she is jumper, she is trainer, she is forgiving, she is my number one fan. Together we will play hard, we will train hard, and we will achieve..... everything.

And by everything I mean, running nice clean courses, being in sync, winning ribbons, taking really awesome pictures, and good times with friends. All of the other accolades that come with sports are secondary; we may never get to Nationals, we may never make the world team, but today Lola worked through all her fears and jumped through every tire at every height. She did it for me, and some tasty Timbits, and she made it look effortless.

Good girl!! Take those 22" jumps with confidence, fly through that tire, weave with ease, run fast, have fun. You are without a doubt, an athlete.

Just do it, Lola.

If it ain't broke don't fix it

2009-05-01T18:43:00.006-04:00

"A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash

It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named Sue.

My breeder thinks I can wait at least another year but my vet wanted it done 4 months ago and somewhere between the two, my big guy is about to find himself a boy named Sue.

Yup, you can put that loaded gun away, Johnny Cash
cause you ain't gonna be needing it ever again.

Funny but the decision to have any of my pets spade or neutered has never bothered me before, but just this past week, this testicular fate has become paramount in my thoughts. I believe it's because I've never waited this length of time before having a pet take the asexual plunge so the maturity level has never factored in.

I mean, when a puppy or a kitten is only 6 months everything is still so new and happening so fast, personalities are just starting to develop and sexuality isn't even an issue. So, you think nothing of a snip here or there. As long as your pet is healthy and happy and growing up strong, that's all that matters. Fast forward to 11 months of age and your bouncing chubby Border Collie puppy is now almost fully mature; he's a big strong beautiful dog.

It's a whole different story. At this point, I feel like, for the first time, I am going to take something away from him. Two somethings in fact. It's actually making me sad! His personality is so defined right now that I don't want to mess with that, but the red flags are there. He has dominant tendencies, he roams, he protects, he likes the ladies. While he is not aggressive, I can see him bringing out the worst in other dogs, and then not backing down. That being said, he does also bring out the best in most dogs, because he's friendly and fun and he loves to play.

Next week he goes for his pre surgical examinations. I'm thankful that he is growing beautifully and that his character is what it is. Neutering him will not change the fact that he's my dog and always will be.

At least that's what I keep telling myself.

Good neighbor? We say scary neighbor.

2009-04-26T18:35:00.006-04:00

So Lola and I attended The Canine Good Neighbor workshop today and Lola did not pass the evaluation given at the end of class. I'd almost like to say that she failed for biting the instructor and then pooping on the floor (that's cause I'm all about GOING DOWN IN A BIG WAY) but no, she suddenly developed a weird shyness around the evaluator and wouldn't let the lady brush her.
Normally I would question if maybe she has given signs of shyness in the past that I might have missed, but everyone that knows her is very surprised. She excelled in the obedience sections and failed the social sections.
Was it the training facility that we were in? Was it the evaluator herself? I don't know. I also don't think that it bothers me too much anyway. Lola has a personality and I love her for showing it. I hate it when parents try to force their kids to sit on Santa's lap (he's an old freaky bearded man!) so how can I be upset that she didn't want a stranger brushing her for no good reason?

She also failed the 'being alone with a stranger' test and that one I'm actually all distraught about. Don't get me wrong, I'm not distraught because she didn't want to be alone in a room with someone she doesn't know holding her leash for 3 minutes. I'm actually torn because I don't really want to teach her that this situation is ok. Had she just dealt with it on her own instead of barking twice, I would never have to worry about it. But now, if I want to get her certified, I actually have to condition her that leaving me to be with a stranger is a good thing. I don't know if I want to do that.
"Lola, go sit on Santa's lap and then take candy from a stranger! Bad girl, get away from mommy!"

DANGER DANGER. I've decided that is what she must have meant by barking twice and in my opinion, that is being the best neighbor of all.

Dog Day Afternoon

2009-04-25T20:23:00.008-04:00

It's been too long since my last entry but I am blaming it on real life as opposed to laziness. I had absolutely no time for the dogs this week and I feel guilty about it.
But boy did I make it up for it today. We didn't work our minds but we destroyed our bodies by taking two, not one, big hikes.

First we went on a two hour hike by the conservation area and I shouldn't say that we didn't work our minds exactly as the number of people presented me with quite a few training opportunities. I had the dogs sit and stay until I released them whenever people on bikes, rollerblades, or joggers went by. We also worked on recall like we always do and Lola actually had to go on leash for a little bit because she lollygaggied (get it?) her way back to me. She didn't like that horrible punishment and returned quickly when called for the rest of the day.

But for the most part they ran and ran and ran...

Later, I took the dogs to play with their friends, Ripley and Abby and Owen, the terriers. Before they had even had a chance to fully nap from the morning's activities, they found themselves on a 3 KM excursion in Darlington Park. It was so much fun that we are going to do that as much as possible for the rest of the summer.
At first I worried that JC might have a problem with Ripley as both boys are intact. A few hackles went up, tails were raised, growls were heard, but they are both too easy going and the thought of running and playing was more overpowering to them than having to settle their differences with a real fight. So like a couple of teenage boys on a football field they acted like real jocks the rest of the walk, being so competitive with their running bursts of speed and daring each other to go down embankments, that we had to laugh at their true border collie nature. As usual, Lola hung back from the dog pack insanity and did her own thing enjoying the day in her own nerdy way.
Shona took lots of pictures ...

the pack (minus Lola)

the boys

the borders

As I sit here typing, both dogs are P A S S E D O U T and I couldn't feel less guilty about it.

Canine Good Neighbor week

2009-04-19T18:55:00.011-04:00

Next Sunday Lola will be taking the Canine Good neighbor course so this is what we'll be working on for most of the week.
I started tonight by taking her to a fairly busy grocery store where she sat nicely on the sidewalk while people walked by with carts and bags and baby strollers. Eventually I'd like her to get certified to be a therapy dog so that is something we will always be working towards as well.
I just need to get my hands on a wheelchair and maybe even an old person.

The Canadian Canine Good Neighbour Test™ must take place in a busy public area such as a shopping mall, hotel or community centre lobby, NOT a regular dog training hall. Vaccination certificate, license, grooming tool, plastic bag and leash with a plain buckle collar are required for this test. A dog straining on its lead, or touching anyone with teeth or feet is unacceptable, and therefore a failure.

Accepting a friendly stranger: a key in good neighbour relations with adults and children. Owner shakes hand with a friendly stranger
Patiently sitting for petting: a test for shyness and resentment
Appearance & grooming: owner's care & sense of responsibility show in how he keeps his dog
Out for a walk: illustrates handler's control of the dog
Walking through a crowd: shows that the dog moves around in a crowd without being unduly distressed and is under handler control
Commands: sit, down, stay, come: this illustrates that the dog has been trained and responds well to its handler/owner
Praise/interactions: shows the dog's relationship with its owner and that it can be calmed down easily
Reaction to passing dogs: this test demonstrates that the dog behaves politely around other dogs
Distractions: shows that the dog is confident when faced with common distractions
Supervised isolation: this test shows that the dog can be left with someone other than
its usual handler & will maintain its training & good manner

Cowboys are totally cool

2009-04-17T22:15:00.006-04:00

Today was an amazing dog day. Spent the day with Elvin Kopp from That'll Do Ranch http://www.thatlldoranch.com/ learning some really strong foundations that are useful for all working dogs, not just stockdogs.
This man (Rancher?Cowboy??) is such a down to earth, confident, natural dog person that I was drawn to him immediately. He spoke about eliminating mechanical training and challenging our dogs and the human stamp that people have put on them as pets. Of course that's everything my fellow canine aficionados and I discuss all the time, so I nodded wisely during this lecture and took lots of notes.

We got to work with him twice in between talks. The first time, in the enclosure with no sheep was all about the basic relationship between dog and handler. How to properly give corrections that match the undesired behavior, not applying too much pressure and causing submissive behavior but also how to properly follow through with correction when your dog challenges you. JC was focused and intent on working as usual, but he did provide me with ample opportunity to correct him which I was able to do easily with as little as a soft 'hey'. I was especially proud of him as he seemed to be one of the better behaved dogs while working in the training enclosure. Of course when tied to the fence he was teh only dog that whined the entire time until I had to get up and bring him back to my chair to sit with me so, it all balanced out in the end.

Because I was only attending the first day of the three day clinic, Elvin wanted to work my dog on sheep before ending the session. That was a real learning experience for me. I felt for the first time like I was able to control the situation between dog and sheep and keep it balanced and even more so, control my relationship with my dog while we are both working. I used gentle but firm voice corrections to bend JC out further when he got too close to the stock and released pressure by stepping away from him when he did bend out. We finished by having JC come to me rather than go to the sheep when I released him from a lie down command. THAT took more than a couple of tries.

One of the suggestions Elvin made about training was to record daily what you have accomplished and what you plan to work on next; approaching each training session knowing where you are and what you want to do.
I hope that's what I'm doing.

Body language

2009-04-17T10:53:00.003-04:00

Great training session with our coaches last night! It was nice to get some one on one time as opposed to always being in a class. We are finally done with the smelly barn! Outdoor summer sessions here we come!

Here Lola is running past the yellow jump because I was turning my shoulder inwards too soon.

After figuring out how to make her run to the yellow jump and a lot of sticking my chest out, we finally got it!

Paying attention

2009-04-15T18:42:00.008-04:00

When I watched the videos from our last herding session, one of the things that I noticed about myself was how aggressive I was actually being. My body language and my voice were very overpowering when there was little need for that. I guess I'm used to working a dog like Lola after so many months and JC is just so much more , well, biddable. So today I paid particular attention to that and used a softer tone in my voice and much less hand signals (such as pointing like an angry schoolteacher). We had a great lesson and worked mostly our 'Lie down' and 'Walk up' commands. He's good with the lie down but doesn't seem to understand yet what I want from him when I ask him to walk up. He wants to walk towards me and leaves his sheep to do so. By the end of our lesson he actually walked the sheep to me, so I think he'll get it by next week. I stopped making eye contact with him and that seemed to help.

Friday we're attending an all day clinic with Elvin Kopp and we are very much looking forward to that.

Some of Elvin's accomplishments are:

World Sheep Dog champion 1987
Five time “Alberta Open International” winner
Five times A.S.D.A. “Cow Dog and Sheep Dog of the Year” in succession
“National Nursery Cow Dog” champion
Won many other competitions too numerous to mention
Trained 13 dogs to win major open competitions in both sheep and cattle
Judged all the biggest sheep dog competitions in North America
Instructs Stock Dog training seminars in North America and has taught over 5000 handler dog combinations through his clinics

Last night, Lola had a great agility training session. We ran some simple courses and again, as usual, our biggest challenge is me.
This time I paid attention to my cheerleading; there's no need to call her a good girl after every obstacle, and how much I actually call out her name. Lola, Lola, Lola. Totally not necessary and actually hinders our run as she turns to look at me each time and we both lose focus.

My dogs are doing great. I can only improve. Right?

A gorgeous day off

2009-04-14T14:40:00.005-04:00

It's a gorgeous day today and I wouldn't feel right if I wasn't taking advantage of it.

We worked on weaves this morning in the backyard but I was frustrated because JC kept howling in the house so I finally had to put him in his cage and I could hear him barking the entire time. I want to have more one on one time with Lola but it's very difficult.

I have no idea what Andrea will think of Lola's weaves but I'm going to assume that I'm doing something wrong. That's usually a safe bet.

an afternoon hike is good for the soul.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T20:45:00.003-04:00

Tried to get her to hold the basket in her mouth but she wouldn't do it. That might have to be the next trick we work on.

New Blog!

2009-04-11T20:27:00.006-04:00

Ok I'm not much of a blogger or journal keeper and I get bored easily so lets see how long I can actually keep this up.
As I'm typing this the dogs are harassing me to play with them. This is after they took an hour long hike this afternoon, went on separate bike rides tonight, Lola worked on weaving 6 poles and then I took them for a second long walk in the park and 2 crazy games of far throwing, high flying disc.
Yes, these dogs are driving me crazy and yes it's not too far of a drive.

the dogs:
Lola

and JohnnyCash: