Dog Training

Besides blogging, something else I haven't been doing is training my dogs. Since that's pretty much all I used to do you may wonder what I have been doing. I wonder that as well.

I believe Pie has been retired since I stopped writing the blog. Fancy as well. Dottir is still going strong but I was not trying or training her in agility or obedience or IPO or tracking or herding or anything. Obviously people's Hobbies can change over time but I didn't have a new hobby that was taking the place of dog training.

One reason I thought I might not get Kip was because I wasn't sure if I would be able to get myself motivated to get back into dog training. Of course he also is a great pet and doesn't have to compete in different venues, but if I was getting him just for a pet it probably wasn't a good idea. Not only because I knew he would be a high energy dog, but I also had four dogs that were good pets at the time. When I got him I did not do very much training at first. I said it was because I like to let puppies grow up but there's plenty you can do with puppies that is not really training but still is. So my worry that I wouldn't get back into dog training just because I had him was a valid worry.

This little piranha needs a job

Eventually I started private agility lessons with him with the trainer I've been going to Forever. I would have liked to do more foundation work but instead we kind of jumped right in.

Screenshot from his first time doing the dog walk.

I ended up entering him in his first trial because it was the same location as Salty's first show. Then we continued our momentum but now I'm taking a break from trialing so I can get more training on him and we can be a better team. I did not do much if hardly at all training with him at home.

Then Salty came along. I worked on his gading and stacking but no obedience and no agility because I did not get him to be an agility dog. So he knew how to gait and stand and wait at places such as the door or a gate. He did not know lay down or sit.

Before he was trained

2 weeks ago I started thinking it was probably a responsible not to expose him to more situations and train him. I hardly even socialized him. I guess I did enough socialization because he's pretty solid. One of his sisters needs more socialization. Interesting in the whole nature versus nurture debate since they are from the same litter and have different needs when it comes to socialization. Or maybe just a little bit I did do with him was enough. I didn't totally neglect his socialization. I took him to work and when he was at work I took him around different places and met some different people. I can't really a member what else I did. Maybe that was the extent of it. Looking through my pictures I remember I took him into the Navy base to the different fields I let my dogs run in. Even though he hadn't had all his shots yet I feel those locations are safe because no other dogs go there. Once he got his shots I did take him to the pet store and a few other places that I was reminded of through the pictures. Good, I'm glad I'm not a completely terrible puppy owner.

Checking out my work and learning about being on high places. He was totally unconcerned and walked all over my desk.

Meeting other dogs at an agility trial. I don't believe I was entered I think I showed up to socialize my puppy.

Chasing the big dogs on the Navy base

Learning about posing and also being introduced to heavy equipment. Both are equally as important.

Ok, like I said I see I am not a total puppy socialization slacker.

Back to dog training. Salty has been in his puppy agility class for the past 2 weeks. The trainer knows I have experience dogs so she keeps asking me if I've already trained Salty to do what we're working on. I keep assuring her I have not. Because it's an actual class with other students we are given homework and I get motivated enough to do it so I don't disrespect the teacher by not practicing and being unable to move on and holding the class back.

 Since I'm training salty I also got motivated to train Kip. He needs a lot of work on his weave poles. The yard is just big enough for one set of 12 but can't practice different entries and because you can't move the poles around once he's good at them in that location doing them over and over isn't actually training. It's just practice and not helpful. I drug the poles out the front yesterday. I live in a cul-de-sac so I was doing them in the street.

Street weaving.

After I was done working with him and I had already previously worked with Salty I got Dottie out and worked on tricks and some utility work. Maybe someday we will get our UD. Maybe not though.

Today is the Monday I have off. I work 9 hour days so I get a Monday off every other week. I have a tunnel on my back patio and in class so far with salty we have done the tunnel but the instructor holds him and you walk to the other side. Since he does have a nice wait/ stay I started working a tunnel with him on our own. At the end of the session he was going through the tunnel with me walking next to it. Obviously that is what most agility dogs learn as tiny puppies but it's exciting for me because I hadn't trained it at all before. We have also been working the tire and class again with the instructor holding the dog and as calling them through. Working on it he also goes through with me next to it. Such a good boy!

Kip also occasionally has trouble with the tire. He'll go around or because he's so small he can go between the tire and the frame. I was practicing setting him way off to the side with the tire way out of the way and having him still go through it too. He was doing well. Then we worked go on for just a little bit. Since we didn't do a lot of foundation is this got overlooked. And because he's so fast he definitely needs one for the straightaways. The hard part is he has a diagnosed I condition that makes it hard for him to see far away. Happily it does not affect his jumping but it makes it so if I put a toy at the end of the jumps he cannot see it. I have to throw the toy and let him go and then even then he can't find it. But I've known that since we started training him and is just something I have to figure out how to work around.

After Kip it was Pie's turn. I had the tire and jump set at 12 inches and because her back is so bad, we played around at 12 in. Just for fun for her. She always loved agility and it's sad when dogs are injured and can no longer do it. I had her do 6 poles and she did it right every time which surprised me. GWe just did little sequences with the tunnel that jump and the tire. Then we worked on some tricks. She does not know play dead where you say bang and they are supposed to lay down and either go onto their side or their back. She was offering me both so I'm trying to decide which one I want to ask her to do.

This picture shows the size of my backyard. There is the wall and there is the patio. Not great for agility but great for watering and mowing. In fact I need to mow today. Also not great for keeping the grass alive because of the high number of dogs and small amount of square feet.

So happy to be doing work and of course to be chomping on the ball as well.

12in jumps are just as fun and are much better for the completely fused spine.

This is her silly play dead pose.

Pie was happy to be working again and it gives me guilt that I have not worked my dogs consistently for about 3 years. Lots of dogs never get worked or trained but they are used to not being worked, and some pet dogs and even some working dogs don't even enjoy working. But all of my dogs used to love to train. Fancy maybe didn't enjoy showing in obedience and she enjoyed showing in agility a little bit but the Malinois were always Overjoyed to train and show.  They do say dogs live in the moment so they probably were not pining away remembering their Glory Days but they also didn't have a lot of fun in their lives.  I'm going to try my best to stay motivated and enjoying dog training not only for myself because I do like it but also for my dogs. It's sad when you can't get pleasure out of the things you used to be so obsessed about. Obsessed about in a good way. Not having Hobbies is not fun.

Good thing I take so many pictures, going through them it also reminded me that even though the dogs are mostly bored they weren't bored 100% of the time.

I took them all in one or two hikes. This was Kip's very first hike as a puppy.

We would go to my parents house and play in their backyard with their dogs.

We took a nice walk in the Channel Islands Harbor

And ate at Toppers afterwards

The dog park was an occasional destination. Now that the dog flu seems to be dying down we should head back there.

And we took some walks. Definitely not as many as we should have. I do enjoy walking but sometimes did not have the motivation for that either. This is all four of them walking on the Navy base probably at lunch.

Fancy and Kip we're lucky enough to get to go on a Jeep trip. Tug and Lucy were with their owners.

So now it does look like my dogs were not completely bored but these actually make me look good. On a day-to-day basis they were neglected in their training and enrichment. Happily though my dogs also seemed to really enjoy laying around with me.  As everybody knows one reason dogs are so great is because they do not judge you. They may give you sad eyes and reproachful glances but they still love you and you're happy to live with you.

I got some good dog training done today. Looking forward to training some more tomorrow.