Abby RL1

Abby has a title. And by the look on my face you can see that I couldn't be happier. Who would've thought 3 years ago that this little feral dog would have a title?

While a part of me could care less if Abby ever got a title or not, another part of me wanted her to get one, just to prove that she was a "real" dog and could do anything that all those other dogs could do. I'm sure I'll have many more dogs in the future that will get many more and more extraordinary titles, but this one is extra special. This is not only the first title I have ever gotten on a dog, this is probably the most worked for title that I will ever have. I'm proud of Abby, but I'm also proud of myself for sticking with this crazy little dog and working through all the joys and all the set backs that come with training a special needs dogs.

Way to go Abby!

working vs WORKING

vs





I've never owned/lived with/worked with a true working dog. I've asked both mole and Abby to work for/with me, but they have only done so because they love me (ie: I have super awesome food!) And while both of them have truly enjoyed working with me, they really only do it because I have asked them to and because they like to make me happy.

Abby has really benefited from working with me. She excelled at agility (well, excelled for a puppy mill Iggy) and she still does great at our Rally classes - and not just for a rescue but for any dog! Abby has come a long way from that shivering mess that she was almost 3 years ago, and I truly believe that she wouldn't be as well adjusted as she is if it weren't for the confidence that she learned from working.

After living with a true working dog for almost two weeks, I am starting to see the difference between a dog working because they love me and working because they have to. Sniper is extremely well trained, but he needs constant reinforcement from me. If I am not reinforcing his good behavior, he will find something that is rewarding to him - and that can be something as benign as finding toys and entertaining himself, or something worse, like trying to play with the cats. If I am giving him negative reinforcement for something he is doing that I don't like, it doesn't mean he will stop doing it - it just means that he will try again later when I'm not looking. And while I can tell my kids to "go lay down" and they will understand that as "go away and settle by yourself"; if I tell that to sniper, he reads that as an actual command and he will down in an alert position waiting for my next command.

Its an interesting experience living with a dog that needs so much. And while living with Abby has been a ton of work in the past, she has been relatively easy to live with for quite awhile now. Sniper is generally easy to live with, but he still needs a lot of work, and he needs it in a very different way. Where Abby needs calm, stability, Sniper needs active, entertaining, go-go-go. In my years of training dogs of all shapes and sizes, I've never had to train a dog to settle. And while I am training sniper in agility and rally, I'm also working on the seemingly basic "settle". It is also a challenge to me to work with him in a more positive fashion. Working small, easy dogs using strictly positive methods is easy. But working both a physically and mentally strong and large dog using positive methods is harder. It's much easier to put a pinch collar on him and make him behave. And while I have used more corrective methods with him, I am also working on adjusting what I can and am moving towards a more reward based system.

This experience is a huge eye opening one for me. I'm truly enjoying the learning experience as well as sniper himself. He is easy to love, fun to train, and as sweet as can be. But I have a new respect for the breed and for people who work with and live with working dogs all the time.

Staying Power

Abby's sit-stays are falling apart. She either pops up right away or goes directly into a down. . . I'm not entirely sure why this has happened in the past week, but I do have my suspicions.

The first thought is that we aren't training sit stays much.

The second thought is that Abby is uncomfortable doing sit-stays.

The third thought is that Abby is just being lazy.

Staying has always been difficult for Abby partly because of her phobias. She is either afraid of something that she hears or sees, or she is afraid I'm going too far away. Because of her natural issue with being away from me, I never really worked on having her stay too far or for too long. It seems to stress her out unnecessarily so I never really worked that hard on it. Plus, IGs, like many sight hounds, have funny sits and siting for long periods becomes uncomfortable. When we did actually work on stays, I would always put her into a down stay. Another problem is that our training areas are either concrete or are hard wood, so I trained Abby to stay on a mat. Now, whenever we work at home, she actually does stay on the mat. . . but that doesn't transfer to other places. . .

Class this past week was very frustrating because she simply wouldn't sit still. Most of the time she went into a down, and I'm wondering if it is her back and elbows that are bothering her. Once we get through the first half of the class, Abby's auto-sit also disappears too. . .But, I'm not an "enforcer" either when it comes to Abby and training so, when she doesn't do what I ask or when she does something else instead, I simply ask her again and wait until I get it. She doesn't have to do anything. She usually does what I ask because she wants my food. . . but being a little dog and filling up quickly, means that the food has less value the more we train. And while Abby does "work" Abby is anything but a working dog. Her drive isn't there so I have to keep working just as hard as she is in order to keep things moving.

So, for this week, we are going back to the basics. Duration, distance, distraction. We are going to work in that order too. If she can't even hold the sit with me sitting next to her, I'm going to put her on some NSAIDs for a few days and see if that helps. If she can do it, then I know that we just need to train it more.

Two Down. . . One To Go. . .

Abby got her second leg today towards her RL1 with a score of 204 and 5th place! That is one point more than we got last time, with the same placement. We had to do another run off this time too! But this run-off was much better then her last one as she actually completed this one!

Abby was pretty stressed out again at this trial. Her tail was tucked and she wasn't her wiggly self like she normally is in class or in the Run-thrus. She was a bit wary when walking towards the crowd and flinched a bit when people laughed or cheered. But, un-like last time, I am not beating myself up over it. I realize that Abby is always going to have issues with certain things and we are just going to keep on going and hope that over time, things get better and less stressful. I've worked really hard with her, but I can't fix everything that was broken before I got her.

I was much more comfortable at this trial. I wasn't as stressed out, and I know that Abby sensed that, and I think that it helped some. For starters, Abby wasn't walking 10 feet away from me this time. My voice was in normal range instead of how it was at the last trial when it was so squeaky I'm sure I could only be understood by bats! I was calm enough to remember to treat my dog when appropriate. I was also able to remember the course which helped me stay more connected with Abby instead of trying to figure out where we were going next.

I think that this was a much better trial for us. I was much more comfortable and, while Abby was still stressed, she recovered really well. The people that were at the trial were great. Everyone is super supportive and encouraging. And I think that they are just as proud of Abby as I am!

Good job Abby! I'm super proud of you!!!!!

Training Room

We have a Rally trial coming up in 2 weeks and Abby and I need to polish up a few basic skills. We also need to seriously start training for some of our level 3 stuff. We really don't have a good place to train regularly. We have no yard, and out house is tiny and oddly shaped. I had to improvise, and I hope that LB doesn't mind too much.

New training space:



what used to live in that super awesome space:



Now that we have that super cool space, whose ready to work?


No surprise there. This guy will do anything for food!


great. . .we get to work with alien dog again. . .

The training space makes it so much easier to do distance work - a huge component of level 3. It also helps us work on stays - something that we haven't been working on very much lately. Abby does OK on down stays, but her sit stays S.U.C.K! She almost always goes into a down. I think part of it is structural (Never Say Never Greyhounds say that sit-stays are harder for these breeds) but I think that some of it is training. I allow her to go down because I know that it is easier/more comfortable for her and, honestly, I don't care what position she is in as long as she stays put. She still stays on her short sit stays for rally class, so I never really bothered to train a longer sit stay. . .but I guess it is something that we should work on. . .and it really isn't that hard. . .it's just so boring, and I feel like I'm nit-picking her. . .and neither of us like that. . .

Run Thru

Abby and I had a run thru this past Friday. We almost didn't go because the weather man was calling for S.N.O.W. Really? At sea level in CA?? Yep, they were calling for snow. That wasn't what almost kept us from going, it was the possibility of ice. This CA girl doesn't drive in ice. But the weather wasn't supposed to get bad until midnight and I was hoping to be back home and snug in my bed by then. I'm really glad we went because we had a great time and really learned a lot.

This run thru was run level 3, 2, 1. We ran level 2 and level 1. I was interested to see if she would do better in level two then she did in level 1 since the last time (which I didn't blog about, but was run Level 1,2,3), we did better in level 2. Here were the courses:

Level 2 map


Level 1 map



Both courses seemed surprisingly easy. And we did a pretty good job on both courses. However, Abby did NQ on the level 2 course. She broke a stay! I think that her broken stay was due to her excitement. She anticipated the recall on sign 5 and came running at me full speed and slid to a sitting halt. It was hysterical! Everyone in the place laughed and laughed! I laughed until the food bowl exercise where she got distracted and we had to take a moment and regroup. Other than that, she had a blast and we did pretty well.

Level 1 was amazing for us. This was the first time that she wasn't walking wide. And we only got 2 tight leashes!!!! I was SOOOO proud of us! We did get dinged because I had to give a double command on the first sit! It was crazy because I had spent the entire warm-up doing jack-pots for sits! (well, not a full jack-pot, but a super cool, Abby jack-pot!) We did super awesome on sign 8, and I was very happy as that is something we have been working on a LOT.

Even though we technically NQ'd on level 2, I think that this whole run thru was the best experience we've had so far. We were really working as a team. Plus, her energy put me in a great mood from the beginning and we were both able to have a great time. My nerves were non-existent and I think that she knew that.

I am learning a lot about my dog in these run thrus - and it's not just about competition. I'm learning a lot about team work and that is the kind of relationship that I want with my dog. I want to be part of a team. And after almost 3 years, I think that we are getting there!

Real 2011 Training Goals

After a unscheduled hiatus from training classes, we finally went back this past Sunday. The first thing we were required to do, write down our 2011 training goals. . .

SERIOUSLY?

The last thing I wanted to do was figure out our top 3 goals that we are going to be working on for the next 12 months! But I had to do it since it was "required". . . I wrote down
1) earn rally novice title
2) learn a retrieve
3) have fun at a trial

I think that those are good things to work on. I am a bit worried that our goal for earning a title will jinx us into not getting one. . . but that is just my pessimistic attitude. Abby does have a real chance of earning a title this year. We could probably earn a level 2 title but we won't be trialing that much as we are only able to do one trial during each 4 trial weekend. Technically, we could do two trials each trial weekend, but I don't want to push Abby. Two a day means a really long day for her and an exhausted and stressed out Abby isn't conducive to earning a title.

Learning to retrieve is a great goal for us to work on and something we should be able to manage. Having fun at a trial. . . who knows about that one. Having fun at an agility trial, sure, we will always have fun there because it isn't so serious and we really have no chance in hell of winning anything, so whats the point of doing it if you don't have fun. But Rally trials are a bit different as we are really only competing with ourselves. Sure we are competing with everyone else, but I don't actually care about placements, and even if we don't place, we still get to keep the points we earn. Since each trial really matters, they become less fun. But I am going to try not to worry so much and have more fun, so that Abby has more fun too. After all, Abby can't read, so she has no idea what letters are and what they mean.

I didn't really want to think about my training goals this year - i just wanted to have some fun with my dogs. . . but since I had to do it, I'm actually looking forward to seeing how far we progress this year and how close we come to achieving those goals.

Retrieve Training 101

There are many important parts to training a retrieve, the most important one is probably the dog picking up the item it is supposed to retrieve. This is a very basic behavior and one that most dogs do naturally. . . Abby is not most dogs. Despite everything that Abby has eaten, I have never seen her pick any thing up. I have seen her gnaw and gum things to death, but never pick anything up and carry it. I knew that this would be my biggest challenge in training the retrieve.

So far, Abby has done great with the training. I found the perfect object for her, and spent some time getting her touching the object. We spent so much time training it, that Abby will touch her "naughty bone" any where, any time. She LOVES it. This part of the training was very easy as she already has a basic "target", but it was still fun and easy to work on.

Teaching her to open her mouth and put it around the bone was going to be a very messy endeavor. I had a few ideas, but my instructor had the best one when she said to put peanut butter on the bone and "hand it" to her as if you would hand a cookie. When I heard that, I wanted to slap my head and say "doh!" Of course Abby opens her mouth for treats!

Today, we spent out time clicking and treating for any tooth on the bone itself. It took a few minutes to get her started as she tried to lick all the peanut butter off the bone, but once most of it was gone, she started to put her teeth on it. At first she seemed confused to be getting clicked and treated just for eating peanut butter, but I think that she was getting the idea towards the end of session. Well, at least, as soon as I offered the bone to her, she immediately put her teeth on it and let go the second I clicked knowing she was going to get a cookie. I think it is going to take a few more sessions of this before she is ready to have the bone on the ground. But Abby is smart and I think that she will eventually get it. But until she completely "gets it" and we can wash the bone, we are going to have to manage it like this:

Ok, So I Lied. . .

A few posts ago I said that I needed a break from dogs, and that we were going to take a break from training. I was hoping that the training break would last until January... I had a feeling that it wouldn't, but I was still hopeful. All sings were pointing to a nice long break until our rally instructor said that Abby would be ready to move up to level 3 for the next set of classes.

Normally, this would have made me very happy and proud. A few months ago, I fully believed that Abby would be in level 1 for the rest of her life. I truly thought that I would never be able to ask her to do all of these exercises and do them off leash. But, Abby proved me wrong, as she continues to excel at this odd little sport. I am very proud of her, but now I have to start training again!

Most of the level 3 exercises are built off level 2. Some are new to level 3, but not new to Abby - we just haven't practiced them in awhile. But there is one new exercise that I knew was coming, but I had since chosen to ignore: the retrieve. Ack! Abby can't retrieve! How in the world am I supposed to teach Abby to retrieve? Sure, there was a time when Abby couldn't do an A-frame, or a tunnel, but those were different! This is a retrieve!

So, now our *vacation* from training is now a super intensive retrieve training. Luckily for me, a wonderful trainer is teaching her dog to fetch (aka, retrieve), and she is posting videos on her blog. Her dog started out a lot farther along than Abby. Right now, we are just C&T for a touch on her absolutely awesome new retrieve toy:


I was trying to find something plushy and small enough for her to carry. I also wanted something that squeaked as she *sometimes* gets excited about squeaky noises. When I saw this, I knew it was made especially for us. I know it is technically a Christmas item, but Abby is naughty all year long, so I figured it was ok.

So Worried For Nothing

There have been many times in my life when I was worried for something that, looking back seemed so trivial. I would would get anxious, nervous, feel like I can't move, then the queasiness begins. After the ordeal was over, I realized that I had nothing to be worried about and felt foolish for getting so worked up.

This past Sunday in class was one of those scenarios. Our instructor thought that it would be a great idea to do a distracted heeling exercise through a crowd of people and their dogs. When she first mentioned this exercise I thought for sure she would have us sit this one out. Imagine my horror when she said that we were going to be the first ones!

I managed to stand up, but couldn't get myself to move. I honestly couldn't figure out a way to make this a successful exercise for Abby. I must have looked sick because she asked me what was wrong. I told her I was feeling a lot of anxiety because heeling through people and dogs is almost impossible for Abby. She recommended that we heel along the outside of the group - we ran. That was the only thing I could think of that would keep Abby happy and not stress her out for the rest of the hour.

After the heeling exercise we took our turn in the group and people heeled around us. I knew that Abby could handle this as she has pretty good stays and has amazing focus when I ask her to. But I knew that our time was coming around again and the anxiety was sticking around. But having had a few minutes to see different scenarios, I was able to come up with a plan for Abby to actually go through the people. Given Abby's great focus on the stay part of the exercise, I figured that she might do ok - meaning, she might not panic - heeling through the same dogs that heeled through us. I figured that I would give it a try and if it failed miserably, at least I would know for the next time.

I got Abby amped up, I set us up, and asked her to heel. As we started getting closer to the group, I thought she might loose focus, but she didn't! She heeled right through those people and had a great time! I was so proud of her and she seemed to be quite happy with herself too. Everyone clapped and I think that everyone was just as happy to see her do that as I was. It was very rewarding to see her accomplish something that has been so difficult for us in the past. I felt silly for being so anxious over nothing!

Rally Trial: Score 203

Its taken me a long time to get to this; partly because things have been so hectic and partly because it took me a long time to process all of it.

On paper, things look great. Abby got a score of 203 out of a possible 200 w/ 10 pt bonus. That is pretty amazing. Abby also tied for 4th place!!! We had a run off because you can't actually tie, and Abby ended up with 5th place. Not too shabby for our first trial - and we really haven't been doing this for very long. Abby did better then some of the pure bred, perfectly bred, bought dogs!

Right after the event, I was feeling really bad about the trial. I was thrilled with our score, but I was really upset because Abby wasn't her self. She was stressed out for so many reasons and I was angry at myself for putting her through it. I tried to get there late so that she didn't have to be crated for very long, but that didn't work out. We still got there too early so I drove around and found a park and took her for a long walk. But she still ended up being crated for longer than either of us wanted. Then, we ended up with a different judge then I had planned. The judge was still very nice, but she was different and Abby doesn't really like different. THEN, as we were walking in, the judge kept going on and on about Abby being an Iggy and how much she wanted an Iggy. So not only was there a strange person in the ring, but that strange person was talking to us. The run off was the hardest because it was the very last thing that happened and everyone was in the room with their dogs, watching, and waiting for the ribbons. It was very loud and very stressful. I felt like a lousy owner asking Abby to work with me in a situation that was obviously very difficult for her.

I felt like a bad parent for almost an entire week. Everyone told me that Abby did great, but I could see the stress. I kept beating myself up about it. I always said that we weren't doing this for the ribbons or the titles, that we were doing it for fun and it didn't matter what our score was. But seeing Abby stressed made me feel like we were doing this for the wrong reasons. And hearing everyone cheer about Abby's score only made me feel worse.

But a week after the trial, we had regular class, and Abby did great. Most of the people in our class are new to level 2 - and that makes us the "experienced" pair! Who would have thought! Abby showed off and strutted around. She went back to her old self. I started to feel better about the last week because it was obvious that there were no lingering effects. But then I started thinking about it in a whole new way, I started looking back on everything that we had gone through to get to the trial, and how I routinely put her in stressful situations to get there. And how that putting her in low-level stressful situations over a period of time has actually been beneficial in the long run because it has opened up her world. I can't imagine where Abby would be if I only kept her confined to her safe space. Sure she wouldn't ever have stress, but she wouldn't ever really have fun either. And Abby has a TON of FUN doing rally.

After thinking through all this, I took another look back at the trial. I realized exactly how well Abby really did. Sure she was stressed, everyone is stressed at a trial, but Abby continued to work with me the entire time. She never shut down, and she did everything I asked of her. I remember a time when Abby would shut down completely when stressed, and we are so far past that now. I started feeling better about my role in this whole thing too. I did ask her to work through her stress and through the trial, but when it came time for the run off, I pulled her (well, sort of). I asked her to try, but when it was obvious that she really didn't want to do it, I asked her to sit, gave her a bunch of cookies, and walked off. When push came to shove, I did what was right for my dog, regardless of the ribbon.

Working my dogs is a whole new experience for me. For years, I have only had PET dogs, and I have always treated them as pets. But asking my dogs to do something only because I ask them to is still a strange concept. Sure they have a ton of fun, but it's still a bit strange. I mean, who really needs to walk a figure 8 around a bunch of cones? I've gone through a lot of emotions through out the various stages of training, and I've questioned the why a lot as well. I want to make sure that I am doing this for the right reason, and that reason is Abby's over all happiness. I think I get it wrong sometimes. Sometimes I make poor training decisions, and sometimes I get frustrated; but I think that more often than not, we get it right. And Abby has come so far from that feral dog I took in. She is able to work in a stressful situation with strange people, strange dogs, and loud noises. And now that all is said and done, I am finally proud of the score that we got. Because it really isn't about the number at all, it's about the work that we have put in since day one - for over two and half years. And it's about the relationship that has been built through out that time. It's about the love that I have for Abby and the trust that she has in me and that together we can accomplish incredible things.

Foto Friday: Way To Go Abby!!!!

Good Trainer, Bad Trainer

Some days I feel like I am pretty good at training Abby, and some day I feel like I need need remedial lessons.

Lately, Abby has been doing awesome in class. She has a ton of energy and we both seem to be having a great time. This most recent class was one of the best we've had in a while. She was off leash almost the entire time (aside from the first exercise which was right next to the row of 11 seated students and dogs). Abby had an almost perfect rally run thru this past Friday too. She pranced and danced and was practically smiling through both runs. Her head was up, her tail was wagging, and she had a great heeling speed. She was flawless. It is at times like these that I feel like I have FINALLY figured out what Abby needs from me as her trainer. We have figured it out together and we are not only have a great time, but we are doing very well.

But then there are the other things. . . the things that make me feel like a bad trainer. I miss signs, I don't know my right from my left, I give Abby cues for other behaviors that she knows which goes completely against what I need her to do, I don't give her enough space when heeling through cones. There are just so many things I do wrong that I am amazed she is doing so well. To be fair to me, most of these mistakes aren't actually training mistakes - they are simple dumb human mistakes.

There are also other things, things I can't quite figure out what is going wrong. That not only makes me feel like a bad trainer, but it also makes me feel like a bad mom because I can't make everything simple and stress-free. The most recent training issue that we are facing is Abby's extreme distance in her heeling during run thrus. Abby stays as far to the side of me that she can possibly be without straining her leash. This is a behavior that we only see in run thrus. We just saw it on Friday, but there was no hint of it on Sunday - not even after I stepped on her toes! The first time I saw it, I attributed it to our higher stress level. But this most recent run thru was much more relaxed than our last one. I went into to not caring at all about our score - which is probably why I didn't pay any attention to the signs - or to my right and my left. I can't quite figure out why we have this very odd occurrence during run thrus; and if I don't know WHY it's happening, I can't fix it. And if I can't fix it, that makes me feel like a bad trainer/dog mom. I also talked to a friend, someone with years of experience on me, who had some interesting ideas about it. But even if she is right, there is still nothing that I can do about it.

I've been giving myself a hard time lately and have felt like I'm letting my team down. It's a far cry from last year when I had all these high hopes and a pretty good ability, but I didn't have a dog that could keep up. But rally is such a great, fun sport, and Abby really excels at it. She is now doing so well that my short comings are becoming more and more obvious. I try to tell myself that I am still pretty good a this - after all, I have been able to get Abby this far. And really, Abby doesn't care if I screw up - she doesn't know how many points we get at the end of the run - her cookie is just as big...

Run Thru Re-Do

Abby and I went to another Rally Run Thru this past Friday in preparation for our upcoming trial in October. We went to one last month too, and learned a lot, and it was important for me - training-wise to go to another one. Boy did I learn a TON!!!!

The run thru was set up a bit differently this time - level 1 ran first, and we were the first dog on the line. Abby spent a tiny bit of time in the crate while I helped set up, but there was a ton of commotion with everyone coming in and setting up. I was a bit worried about how she would handle all the craziness going on, but I think that she did ok considering that she was still willing to work with me after it all.

We didn't quite as well as last time. We NQ'd the first run - my fault completely, I skipped a sign.... Abby followed directions and we only got a 3 points off for tight leashes and we got a 6 out of 10 on the bonus. If I was a better handler and didn't miss the sign, we would have gotten a 203. Pretty good for us. But that run and that potential score didn't make me that happy because Abby looked miserable the entire time. I had to work really hard to keep her moving. I actually felt bad for her.

For the second run I decided that we were going to throw a party in the ring and the only sign I wanted to do right was the one I missed. It was an easy sign so I didn't have to put any pressure on either of us to actually do it right. Our score this time was a 195 and I was quite happy with it. Abby had a great time, her tail was wagging and we were having a ton of fun. I rewarded her by throwing the treats and that brought out her fun side and kept her wanting to work with me. It made me feel good that we could go out there, have fun, and still do well - even if we didn't get the best score. But a 195 is still quite good - even for us!

I learned a HUGE lesson this week, and it is one that I have always known, but one that was really obvious this time - Abby depends on my stability for her stability. I was really nervous on the first run and I know that it traveled down the leash because it showed in the way we worked together. Abby was at least arms distance from me the entire run. I'm sure she noticed my discomfort and wanted to give me plenty of space in case I had a break-down or something. The second run she was much closer to me, was having fun, but still kept some of her distance. At the time I thought that we just needed to work on tighter heeling . . . then we went to class on Sunday and we were back in perfect stride. We did some great on-leash and off-leash heeling AND we had a ton of fun. I have to find a way to keep my nerves in check so that it doesn't effect Abby's already fragile mind.

Rally Run Thru

Abby and I went to our first rally run thru last night. I was a bit nervous, but figured that it would be a really good learning experience for both of us.

The run thrus are set up like a rally trial, so I decided that we would pretend it was an actual trial. I got there early, set up her crate and left her in there for a bit. I checked in, walked the course (level 3 - not what we were actually running). I sat for a bit and watched some people. About 6 people in, I pulled Abby out, pottied her and did some warm up exercises. Abby knew that something was going on, but couldn't quite figure it out. We still had a ways to go before our turn, so I put her back in the crate and let her rest.

Before I knew it, it was time for me to walk our course. It was actually quite an easy course, and one that we would have done well off-leash on if we were in our level 2 class. We were the second ones up, so I only did one quick walk through and pulled Abby back out to potty and warm up. I was a bundle of nerves when it came time to actually do the course. Even though it didn't "count" for anything, this was our chance to see how we were doing, and what we needed to work on. It's one thing when you are in class, but this was almost like a graded exam!

Silly me, I had nothing to worry about. Abby has this shit down. We ran the course twice and got a 201 and a 196 (out of a possible 200 w/ a 10 pt bonus). We needed to work on tight leashes (my fault) and doing a sit from a down (I got dinged for having to give a second command). Abby did well and seemed quite happy the entire time. I am especially surprised that she did so well after having a long day at work - our first run wasn't until 8:40pm and our second was at 9pm. That is quite late for a doggie who has an early bed time.

Confession time: when I added up Abby's first score, I cried a little. I was so proud of her. I felt like we really accomplished something. We have worked so hard at so much and I think that this is something that we can actually excel in. My silly little iggy not only likes this stuff, but is actually getting good at it.

Training Update

I haven't written a whole lot lately about Abby's training mainly because we took a few weeks off. In the past year and a half we haven't taken much time off from training because there was always something going on. But now that we can't do agility, its easier to take time off between classes. I've still been hiking with her and doing small things here and there, but no actual training.

A few months ago, I put together a training plan for Abby that consisted of 3 phases. The first phase was to get her out in new environments. The second was to do very basic training in environments that she was comfortable in. The third phase. . . well, we didn't actually come up with a third phase because we were still trying to work on the first one. I think that I have an idea for phase 3 that consists of training in new environments. . . but we aren't there quite yet.

Today Abby and I started phase 2.1 of our training plan. I had no idea that there would be a 2.1 when I started, but I knew it today when I saw it. Abby and I went to our favorite hiking spot. We don't go there a whole lot because it is a bit further than our usual hiking spot - and way more remote. Abby likes the quiet of this place but I am always worried about mountain lions and psychopaths. In these hills Abby will totally settle and actually walk and mark and will just be a dog. I knew that this was the right place to do more intensive training with her.

I wanted to do some training before our hike because I figured that she would be less interested in getting back in the car - one of Abby's favorite things to do because she gets an "all done" cookie after class and hikes, etc. Abby did surprisingly well on the basics, so we worked on some distance stays, and some mom being weird stays. I was quite impressed with her willingness to work in this environment, and more impressed that she didn't completely freak out when a car a drove by. After the training we went for our usual hike (well, maybe a bit slower since I took an ass kicking class at the gym yesterday. . .) As we approached the car, I got this silly little idea in my head about doing some more training BEFORE getting into the car. I have no idea what devilish imp gave me that idea, but I decided to run with it. I was completely shocked when Abby actually responded to the training commands. She really wanted to get into the car, but she still worked some heeling and some stays - and a "distance" down ("" because I'm really only 2-3 feet in front of her at this point). I was really proud that she was able to control herself with something so tempting in front of her.

I'm still super bummed that we can't do agility. . . and even more bummed about it when she flies over the ONE jump we do in Rally 2 practice. I'm sad that her body gave out because I think that she would have continued to do well in the sport. But even though I am bummed about agility, I'm really glad that we still have something fun that we can do together. And it's nice that we can practice closer to home rather than drive 30-60 minutes for training.

Still Having Fun

I was feeling pretty low earlier this week, but an awesome Rally class was just what we needed to get back on track.

Abby did awesome in class today. She learned two new exercises and we got to practice something that we haven't worked on in MONTHS! She did pretty good on her heeling off leash again. We were the last ones to run and some of the other class mates had started packing up and making noise, and while Abby was spooked, she kept working. I am actually quite surprised that she does so well off leash in that environment. But she picks things up fast, and once she knows what I want from her, its game on! We also have a bunch of homework this week. Its a bit sad that I am so excited about homework, but we really needed something new to work on. Both Abby and I were getting bored. . .

I am going to try not to get too sad about agility. Abby still has so much potential and we still have so far that we can go. I actually think that she likes Rally better because she gets to work closer to me and gets rewarded more frequently. I am going to try to look at the positive side of this. . .and I'm going to look for another sport to try. . . there has got to be something fun for old dogs to do!

Another Great Class!

This has been a terrific weekend all around for Abby. Not only did she do well at the fun match, but she also did great in Rally class yesterday. She had a lot of focus and her heeling was TERRIFIC! We even did an exercise that I haven't been able to get her to complete in class before - the step/sit exercise. It consists of step - sit, step-step-sit, step-step-step-sit. It is actually one of the easier exercises, but Abby generally gets anxious when we aren't moving along, so we regularly skip that one. But she was doing so well in class that I thought we should try it. . .and we DID IT!!! I was super impressed with her when a dog broke into our class and she didn't freak out! She held her sit perfectly until I realized that the dog was not going to go easily and I thought it easiest to pick her up. And the best thing about it was that she continued to work after that!!!! I couldn't be more proud of her.

From time to time I think back about how far Abby has come, but given that it is her anniversary, it happens more lately. I was thinking about how she was last year was when I actually really started training her. I would visit my friend's house and we would work the basics of agility - and I mean VERY basic. It took forever before I could get her to go into a tunnel! Then we took our first obedience class and struggled through most of it. Then we progressed to agility class and finally to fun matches and agility trials! It's really amazing to see how far she has come so fast. She is not only doing so well, but she is having a great time doing it. Its fun looking back on the progress that we have made and the team that we have become. I really enjoy this little girl and I hope that she is around for many years to come!

The Aliens are Baaack!

Abby had a really bad agility practice this week. It looked like she didn't want to be there. She barely did anything. . .It was so frustrating I wanted to leave, but since we were one of only two people in the class, we stayed. Doesn't she know how far I have to drive to get her there every week?

She totally made up for it in Rally class on Sunday. She was happy and focused (except when she walked by the open door). Her tail was wagging and she was doing great. We actually were first (maybe second) on the course this week, I was a bit worried that having an extra dog on the course would stress her out, but she was fine. She did so well in fact, that at the end, EVERYONE in the class gave a big whoop of approval. That immediately terrified her and made her bolt for her beloved open door. . . but she recovered quickly.

My only complaints with rally were more my fault than hers 1) she practically refused to sit 2) our cone heeling was strained. As far as the sits are concerned, I think it has more to do with our constant practice of "stand". She has been rewarded to frequently in the stand position that she wants to default to that. The cone heeling is completely my fault since I can hardly walk a straight line, so walking in curves is near impossible. I don't give Abby enough space to walk with me, so she will sometimes walk around the other side of the cone. I need to practice my cone walks a bit more!!!

Its Too Nice Outside

The time changed and it brought not only more light, but better weather. The kids and I have been enjoying some extra walks in the evenings - perfect to help take off all that weight we put on each winter! We still are doing training most evenings, though. Abby is practicing both her wobble board training and her rally stuff. I really wish that we had more space to practice in. . .

Here are some videos of Abby doing her Rally stuff. . . notice the chihuahua screaming in the background. I swear the neighbors think I beat my dogs! Sorry the videos aren't perfect. . .I'm still new at this. . .and I don't have a video editor!