Today I took time to do training with all four dogs.
As always, Speedy was first. I got the platform out to do some platform work with Tessa (more on that below), so I let Speedy play with it a bit. He LOVES to play with the platform.
After we did stationary position refreshers on the platform, I put him in front with the platform in heel to see if he could find heel on the platform. That was amusing. He got into position with his front paws, but didn't quite know what to do with his back paws!! He wiggled around and tried to find where I was waiting for him to be. He finally did put one back paw up on the platform, so he got a click/treat for that. Then I helped him (with a treat) get his other back paw up.
After that, we did some moving position exercises. I had a cone in the Fireplace Room and a chair in the Dining Room. We did outside heel around the cone, through the kitchen, around the chair, back through the kitchen, switch to outside right side, around the cone, through the kitchen, around the chair, through the kitchen, and then the whole pattern again inside heel, and inside right side. He did really well with it. I focused on clicking when he was driving strongly in the correct position. He still LOVES this work!
Then we did a trick. I rolled treats in a mat, so he could work on pushing it to unroll it.
Finally, we went through a sequence that I hope to use in an improv routine.
Next it was Dean's turn. He did the platform work, too. He was funny about it. I had to click fast or he started to offer paws off the platform!! But he got it.
Then we did the heel work that Speedy had done. He did well with that. He also got lots of clicks and treats for driving strongly in the correct position.
For his trick work, I introduced putting toys in a basket. I am hoping to train him to open the basket, put toys in, and close the basket. For today I had him pick up a ball, and put it into the basket, which I was holding, and then go get the other one and do the same. It was a challenge, but he seemed to enjoy it.
We also did a bit of distance work.
After Dean, it was Tessa's turn.
I got the platform out for her because I want to try using the platform to teach her clearer position. Last year when I did platform work with her, I could not do the exercise where she stood on the platform and I moved from heel to side to front because my movement toward her spooked her. Now she is really ready, and she did well with the exercise. Last year she was suspicious and ready to bail off the platform if I moved into her space. This year she had bright eyes, a waggling tail, and she seemed very amused by the whole proceeding.
After we had done that, I did the same exercise with her that I had done with Speedy and Dean, but Tessa is working with a food lure because she is just starting to learn to drive strongly in position. I'm not sure if this approach is going to get me the results that I want, but I'm willing to give it a shot. It certainly won't hurt.
For her trick work, we worked on backing. This will also serve us in Freestyle. She is starting to get the hang of it when I move with her, but I want her to learn to back away from me independently. So, I set up two chairs and lured her in between them in front of me. Then I gave her "back" cue (which she seems to understand), and she did take two steps back! I clicked and tossed a treat behind her. We did this about 5 times, and each time she took a step or two back.
After we stopped that, I put a hula hoop on the floor and clicked and tossed treats when she put her paws into the middle of it. The sound of the beans inside the hoop still bothers the heck out of her, and I remedied that after the training sessions were over!
Sammie was last. I played the hoop game with him, too, and I had him unroll the mat for treats, as Speedy had. Sammie loves these trick training sessions! He may not become fluent in any of them, but he loves the games we play to teach them!
After I was finished, I decided to drill a hole in my two hula hoops to take the beans out. Yes, I could desensitize Tessa to the sound, but it's not something I want to make an issue of, so out the beans went. There was a heck of a lot more of the stuff inside each hoop than I expected! It took a while to get most of it out. After I did that, I let Speedy hop through them! He gets a kick out of that.
I'm hoping to follow up on this session at least two more times this week. It's time to get more focused about training!!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Tunnels
Tessa has a rather odd tunnel quirk. She often runs to them, and into them, but then comes moseying out instead of running.
I had a theory and I tried it out tonight. Nobody else came to Dean's class, so after he had done his work on the course, I took Dean and Tessa out together and sent Dean into the tunnel. She not only ran in and ran out, but she kept right up with him. And Dean is FAST on tunnels!!
When this super hot weather breaks, I need to get my tunnel out and play with this a bit. Maybe she will learn to run in and out of the tunnels!!!
I had a theory and I tried it out tonight. Nobody else came to Dean's class, so after he had done his work on the course, I took Dean and Tessa out together and sent Dean into the tunnel. She not only ran in and ran out, but she kept right up with him. And Dean is FAST on tunnels!!
When this super hot weather breaks, I need to get my tunnel out and play with this a bit. Maybe she will learn to run in and out of the tunnels!!!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
How Far We've Come!!
I was thinking the other day - I forget about what, exactly - but within that train of thought I figured out how long Tessa and I have been competing in live events together.
Six months.
It doesn't seem possible.
On Sunday at the competition, I was eagerly anticipating going into the ring with her. I knew that she knew her moves, and could give a solid performance.
That makes me think back to that day, back at the very end of December, when we were driving to our fist live competition - the New Year's NADAC trial. It was only six months ago, but it feels like about two years ago! I remember being so nervous, wondering if I was moving this along too fast. Wondering if she was going to be able to handle the environment, if she was going to be able to function.
I was downright shocked at how well she did, and how comfortable she was!
And how I felt on our way to our first Freestyle competition, again, not knowing if she was really ready, although by then I knew that she would most likely do fine in the environment.
And she did her best and then some!
The thing that rattled me so much was the feeling that I really didn't know what to expect from her in a competition setting. Speedy and I started trialing in 2005, and I know what to expect from him in the ring - the good, the bad, the ugly, and the stunning! I pretty much know what to expect from Dean - brilliance or brain freeze!! And Maddie was like an old shoe. As long as she was in the mood to run, I knew I could depend on her to be solid and consistent. And if she wasn't, I knew that pretty much right up front!
Tessa was such an unknown.
The Agility was probably harder because I was missing Maddie every time Tessa and I trialed. It wasn't until this last one, right here at our home training facility, where Maddie and I had never trialed together, that she and I moved beyond that and finally found our chemistry as a team.
Freestyle has been easier because Speedy is still with me, and dancing. Rally, too, because Dean is still at it.
I am getting to the point where I know what to expect from Tessa. Not every detail - of course, that is always a surprise. But I know she is going to be attentive. I know she is going to try her hardest to do what I ask. I know she just may be a little creative!! I know that tail will be waggling! I know that if something spooks her, she can recover. And I know that if a mistake is made, it is probably my mistake!!
And, when I think about it, the fact that this has happened in six months is extraordinary. And I'm not tooting my own horn here - I'm tooting Tessa's!! I'm the same handler who slams into brick walls with Dean on a regular basis. Tessa can do things after less than two years of training that Dean can't do after almost six! And I don't say that to put Dean down - a lot of his difficulty stems from an anxiety disorder that neither of us chose. Dean and I make the best of it, and I am very, very proud of him.
But it does make me appreciate Tessa.
If she doesn't go into the higher levels and succeed, it will only be because I didn't do the work. I don't know if I'm equal to that challenge, but we're going to try!! I guess if Tessa can survive life on her own for 3+ months, learn to trust again, learn to find joy in life again, and, after all that, put her heart and soul into learning, performing, and running, I can acquire some discipline and do the training!!
I couldn't ask for a better training partner!
Six months.
It doesn't seem possible.
On Sunday at the competition, I was eagerly anticipating going into the ring with her. I knew that she knew her moves, and could give a solid performance.
That makes me think back to that day, back at the very end of December, when we were driving to our fist live competition - the New Year's NADAC trial. It was only six months ago, but it feels like about two years ago! I remember being so nervous, wondering if I was moving this along too fast. Wondering if she was going to be able to handle the environment, if she was going to be able to function.
I was downright shocked at how well she did, and how comfortable she was!
And how I felt on our way to our first Freestyle competition, again, not knowing if she was really ready, although by then I knew that she would most likely do fine in the environment.
And she did her best and then some!
The thing that rattled me so much was the feeling that I really didn't know what to expect from her in a competition setting. Speedy and I started trialing in 2005, and I know what to expect from him in the ring - the good, the bad, the ugly, and the stunning! I pretty much know what to expect from Dean - brilliance or brain freeze!! And Maddie was like an old shoe. As long as she was in the mood to run, I knew I could depend on her to be solid and consistent. And if she wasn't, I knew that pretty much right up front!
Tessa was such an unknown.
The Agility was probably harder because I was missing Maddie every time Tessa and I trialed. It wasn't until this last one, right here at our home training facility, where Maddie and I had never trialed together, that she and I moved beyond that and finally found our chemistry as a team.
Freestyle has been easier because Speedy is still with me, and dancing. Rally, too, because Dean is still at it.
I am getting to the point where I know what to expect from Tessa. Not every detail - of course, that is always a surprise. But I know she is going to be attentive. I know she is going to try her hardest to do what I ask. I know she just may be a little creative!! I know that tail will be waggling! I know that if something spooks her, she can recover. And I know that if a mistake is made, it is probably my mistake!!
And, when I think about it, the fact that this has happened in six months is extraordinary. And I'm not tooting my own horn here - I'm tooting Tessa's!! I'm the same handler who slams into brick walls with Dean on a regular basis. Tessa can do things after less than two years of training that Dean can't do after almost six! And I don't say that to put Dean down - a lot of his difficulty stems from an anxiety disorder that neither of us chose. Dean and I make the best of it, and I am very, very proud of him.
But it does make me appreciate Tessa.
If she doesn't go into the higher levels and succeed, it will only be because I didn't do the work. I don't know if I'm equal to that challenge, but we're going to try!! I guess if Tessa can survive life on her own for 3+ months, learn to trust again, learn to find joy in life again, and, after all that, put her heart and soul into learning, performing, and running, I can acquire some discipline and do the training!!
I couldn't ask for a better training partner!
More Cyber Rally
Because today is July 4th, the classes that I teach this evening were rescheduled. My Rally class and I met yesterday morning and, because it was our last class of the session, we did a videotaping session. I did the course with Tessa to give them a chance to run the camera and I ended up getting a take that I could submit. Actually I ended up with three of them!
The first take is the one that I chose to submit. Tessa did a really nice job - her tail waggling almost the whole way through! She made one mistake - on a 180 left turn, she sat and raised her paw! It's very cute. I noticed that she did that, also, in her Freestyle performance, when I paused to cue a spin. Something that I am doing is obviously sending her a cue to do that - she is offering it very eagerly, as if she thinks that's what I'm asking for! Retries are allowed in Cyber Rally, so we just backed up and redid the sign and all was good!
Her heeling was good - she came up and moved with me really nicely. That is something that we have been working on in training, and need to work on more. Her movement is lovely when she heels up next to me and raises her head just a bit.
We had a funny moment on a finish loop wait. I cued her to sit after the finish and, instead of sitting, she stood there and waggled intensely at me! A stand wait is acceptable there, so I did accept it. The odd thing is that she did that exact same thing on all three takes! Didn't do it anywhere else. How did she know she actually didn't have to sit there . . . ?!!?
Here is the video of the run that I submitted:
I did our second take off leash. She did a nice job on that, too. The one mistake in this one was actually mine! I started to walk past the second cone on the serpentine (must have thought it was a spiral for a second), and I saw Tessa look between the cones, where we were supposed to go and remembered that it was a serpentine!!! She had only done the course once and she already knew it!!!
The second run is good, too, although I didn't see as much of the really nice heelwork. There was a good bit, though, especially coming toward the camera near the end of the run. I really, really, really need to practice heelwork with her. She's very stylish when she hits her stride.
I did go ahead and submit the on leash run, and it was a Q! Now she only needs one more to finish the Level 1 CRO title!!
We are in that boat with a bunch of titles now! We need one more Freestyle Novice Q, one more CPE Standard, one more CPE Fun, and one more CPE Handler Games (all Level 1), and now one more CRO Level 1 Q to get the titles. How fun would it be to finish all of them this year?!!?
The thing I love best about working with Tessa as my sport partner is that she is so willing. She really wants to learn and work with me out there. I love watching that waggling tail, and I love the look in her eyes when she is figuring things out!
The first take is the one that I chose to submit. Tessa did a really nice job - her tail waggling almost the whole way through! She made one mistake - on a 180 left turn, she sat and raised her paw! It's very cute. I noticed that she did that, also, in her Freestyle performance, when I paused to cue a spin. Something that I am doing is obviously sending her a cue to do that - she is offering it very eagerly, as if she thinks that's what I'm asking for! Retries are allowed in Cyber Rally, so we just backed up and redid the sign and all was good!
Her heeling was good - she came up and moved with me really nicely. That is something that we have been working on in training, and need to work on more. Her movement is lovely when she heels up next to me and raises her head just a bit.
We had a funny moment on a finish loop wait. I cued her to sit after the finish and, instead of sitting, she stood there and waggled intensely at me! A stand wait is acceptable there, so I did accept it. The odd thing is that she did that exact same thing on all three takes! Didn't do it anywhere else. How did she know she actually didn't have to sit there . . . ?!!?
Here is the video of the run that I submitted:
I did our second take off leash. She did a nice job on that, too. The one mistake in this one was actually mine! I started to walk past the second cone on the serpentine (must have thought it was a spiral for a second), and I saw Tessa look between the cones, where we were supposed to go and remembered that it was a serpentine!!! She had only done the course once and she already knew it!!!
The second run is good, too, although I didn't see as much of the really nice heelwork. There was a good bit, though, especially coming toward the camera near the end of the run. I really, really, really need to practice heelwork with her. She's very stylish when she hits her stride.
I did go ahead and submit the on leash run, and it was a Q! Now she only needs one more to finish the Level 1 CRO title!!
We are in that boat with a bunch of titles now! We need one more Freestyle Novice Q, one more CPE Standard, one more CPE Fun, and one more CPE Handler Games (all Level 1), and now one more CRO Level 1 Q to get the titles. How fun would it be to finish all of them this year?!!?
The thing I love best about working with Tessa as my sport partner is that she is so willing. She really wants to learn and work with me out there. I love watching that waggling tail, and I love the look in her eyes when she is figuring things out!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Second Novice Leg
Yesterday Tessa and I went down to Beltsville, Maryland for the Star Spangled Swing. It was certainly one of the more interesting competition experiences I've had in a while, but it was very much a positive one.
This past Friday a lot of severe storms moved through Maryland. We actually had just a tiny bit of it, as we were at the tippy top end, but compared to what they got to the south, we got nothing. I was surprised, as we got near the competition site, to see a lot of tree branches strewn all over the roads, and one tree down that covered half of the road. That was my first clue that the storms that had gone through there were a lot worse than normal "bad storms". When we got to the competition site, we were met with an even bigger surprise - there was no power! That meant no lights, no air conditioning, and few ways to keep our dogs cool in the close to 100 degree weather!
I have to give major credit to the host club, though. They made it work. The facility had sky lights in the ceiling (never even noticed those before!!), so there was plenty of light in the rooms. There were battery operated lanterns in the bathrooms and changing rooms. There was running water. They couldn't run the sound system, but they had a battery operated boom box for our music. And a small pool was set up outside under a tent, so we could have our dogs dunk to get cool. Everyone was cooperative, accommodating, and supportive, and I actually think I may have enjoyed myself more. There was a real sense that we were accomplishing something good together.
I got there at about the middle of the first group, and we were close to the end of the second, so I had plenty of time to bring in my stuff, get set up in the crate building, and then Tessa and I went into the performance building to watch some of the other competitors.
Tessa loves lying on her mat, listening to the music, and watching other dogs perform. She is just an absolute delight to have with me at a competition. Her one and only "problem" is that I still have to have someone sit with her while I used the restroom or got changed. But she is making great progress with being left in her crate. I can do it at our regular training building, and I don't think it's going to be long before I can do it at competitions, too. I will take that "problem" any day of the week over a dog who is bothered by other dogs barking, or has issues with noise.
When our turn came, Tessa was a bit on the warm side. I did cool her in the pool, but she wouldn't lie down in it like she does at home. She did put her feet in and I splashed the water on her belly. But warm or not, when our turn came, we were all ready to go.
I was very, very, VERY pleased with her performance. She wasn't as animated as she usually is, but she was willing, she enjoyed herself, and she did almost everything I asked her to do. And when she didn't do what I asked, she was trying.
We even got applause when Tessa did her pivot on her pedestal!! That has been one of the tricks that we have been working on in Tricks 2 class and it is becoming one of her best!!
Here is the video of her performance:
I knew that the performance had a chance of qualifying, depending on whether or not the judge considered the content sufficient. In a way I didn't care if it did or not, but of course I was thrilled when I got my scoresheet and saw that we had!! 8.0 Technical and 8.3 Artistic.
The judge recommended using the prop more, and even doing our ending on the prop. I had actually been considering that, so I think I might.
After lunch we watched more of the competition, and at the end we had our Innovations performance. We did her jumping routine. She did a really nice job. Again, she was warm. She did stop at the jump on the Rally Move jump, but she did take it.
At the very end of the day, after everyone had finished, almost everything was broken down, and we were waiting for awards to start, the electric finally came on!!! It was nice to have air conditioning, even if if was just for a little bit at the end!
I don't feel ready to be thinking about Intermediate with Tessa, but apparently that is where she means to go! We only need one more Novice Q to finish the title, so we will be working on getting ready for that for Barkaritaville in November.
There is a lot of work to be done. After watching the video several times, I have these goals:
This past Friday a lot of severe storms moved through Maryland. We actually had just a tiny bit of it, as we were at the tippy top end, but compared to what they got to the south, we got nothing. I was surprised, as we got near the competition site, to see a lot of tree branches strewn all over the roads, and one tree down that covered half of the road. That was my first clue that the storms that had gone through there were a lot worse than normal "bad storms". When we got to the competition site, we were met with an even bigger surprise - there was no power! That meant no lights, no air conditioning, and few ways to keep our dogs cool in the close to 100 degree weather!
I have to give major credit to the host club, though. They made it work. The facility had sky lights in the ceiling (never even noticed those before!!), so there was plenty of light in the rooms. There were battery operated lanterns in the bathrooms and changing rooms. There was running water. They couldn't run the sound system, but they had a battery operated boom box for our music. And a small pool was set up outside under a tent, so we could have our dogs dunk to get cool. Everyone was cooperative, accommodating, and supportive, and I actually think I may have enjoyed myself more. There was a real sense that we were accomplishing something good together.
I got there at about the middle of the first group, and we were close to the end of the second, so I had plenty of time to bring in my stuff, get set up in the crate building, and then Tessa and I went into the performance building to watch some of the other competitors.
Tessa loves lying on her mat, listening to the music, and watching other dogs perform. She is just an absolute delight to have with me at a competition. Her one and only "problem" is that I still have to have someone sit with her while I used the restroom or got changed. But she is making great progress with being left in her crate. I can do it at our regular training building, and I don't think it's going to be long before I can do it at competitions, too. I will take that "problem" any day of the week over a dog who is bothered by other dogs barking, or has issues with noise.
When our turn came, Tessa was a bit on the warm side. I did cool her in the pool, but she wouldn't lie down in it like she does at home. She did put her feet in and I splashed the water on her belly. But warm or not, when our turn came, we were all ready to go.
I was very, very, VERY pleased with her performance. She wasn't as animated as she usually is, but she was willing, she enjoyed herself, and she did almost everything I asked her to do. And when she didn't do what I asked, she was trying.
We even got applause when Tessa did her pivot on her pedestal!! That has been one of the tricks that we have been working on in Tricks 2 class and it is becoming one of her best!!
Here is the video of her performance:
I knew that the performance had a chance of qualifying, depending on whether or not the judge considered the content sufficient. In a way I didn't care if it did or not, but of course I was thrilled when I got my scoresheet and saw that we had!! 8.0 Technical and 8.3 Artistic.
The judge recommended using the prop more, and even doing our ending on the prop. I had actually been considering that, so I think I might.
After lunch we watched more of the competition, and at the end we had our Innovations performance. We did her jumping routine. She did a really nice job. Again, she was warm. She did stop at the jump on the Rally Move jump, but she did take it.
At the very end of the day, after everyone had finished, almost everything was broken down, and we were waiting for awards to start, the electric finally came on!!! It was nice to have air conditioning, even if if was just for a little bit at the end!
I don't feel ready to be thinking about Intermediate with Tessa, but apparently that is where she means to go! We only need one more Novice Q to finish the title, so we will be working on getting ready for that for Barkaritaville in November.
There is a lot of work to be done. After watching the video several times, I have these goals:
- Work more on prop tricks. Lengthen the duration of the pivot, and teach a few more
- Re-choreograph the routine, breaking tricks up somewhat to create more interest
- Work on bringing more "bounce" to duration heelwork
- Work on moving cues she knows to verbal
- Work no backchaining to teach her to move from one move into another without needing to think a lot about it
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Walking Club
This summer Speedy, Tessa, and I are the Walking Club!! We went, for the second time, to King's Gap, and took a short hike. It is hot out today, and Speedy isn't exactly in top condition, so we did keep it short. It was nice, though.
Because it is so buggy (the bugs are horrible this year because of the mild winter we had), I made sure to put on some Avon Expedition. The scent of Avon Expedition in the woods on a hot day always reminds me of letterboxing on the Outer Banks!! Good times!
Out on our walk. Speedy is definitely happy to be out walking in the woods, and Miss Tessa approves just as much!
Last time we stuck to the short paved trail, but this time we went further afield. We ended up on the paved trail at the end, though. I got a nice shot of the tall pines. I love pines - I think that's why I enjoy hiking around here so much.
I tried to make Speedy and Tessa pose for a picture, but neither were impressed!
Tessa: Stop playing photographer! Let's hike!!
It was a nice hike, in spite of the abundance of insects. I'm hoping that we will go at least twice a week. I'd like to see Tessa gain just a bit more strength and power. I'd like to see Speedy gain back a little more strength. And I want to lose 15 - 20 pounds.
Good goals for the walking club!!
Because it is so buggy (the bugs are horrible this year because of the mild winter we had), I made sure to put on some Avon Expedition. The scent of Avon Expedition in the woods on a hot day always reminds me of letterboxing on the Outer Banks!! Good times!
Out on our walk. Speedy is definitely happy to be out walking in the woods, and Miss Tessa approves just as much!
Last time we stuck to the short paved trail, but this time we went further afield. We ended up on the paved trail at the end, though. I got a nice shot of the tall pines. I love pines - I think that's why I enjoy hiking around here so much.
I tried to make Speedy and Tessa pose for a picture, but neither were impressed!
Tessa: Stop playing photographer! Let's hike!!
It was a nice hike, in spite of the abundance of insects. I'm hoping that we will go at least twice a week. I'd like to see Tessa gain just a bit more strength and power. I'd like to see Speedy gain back a little more strength. And I want to lose 15 - 20 pounds.
Good goals for the walking club!!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
"The Handler Gets the Dog he Deserves"
Years ago, when I used to train at a different facility, those words were printed on a laminated card that hung on the wall of the training building.
And I always hated them!
Back then I was working with Speedy in his earliest stages of training and I often saw that sign and wondered, "What could I have done to deserve this?!!?" Speedy was fearful of dogs and people, and far too easily overstimulated. At that time he was both fearful and reactive and I was a new handler who was just learning what to do with a dog like that. There were times when it was completely overwhelming, frustrating, and absolutely discouraging. I just wanted to learn to train and have fun with my dog. How on earth had I merited a lifelong behavior modification project?
In retrospect, I know that I didn't deserve Speedy. There is nothing that I could have done to deserve a dog who is that creative, artistic, perceptive, and talented. As I observe him at 11, I only see the amazing dog that he truly is, and the "issues" that we dealt with back time are properly in perspective. They were serious issues and I don't pretend that they didn't require a lot of work and learning to work through. But, also in retrospect, there is nothing that I could have done to deserve the opportunities for learning and growth that Speedy provided. Speedy is, and always has been, an amazing dog who deserves my respect. I no longer think of him as a "lifelong project" but as the gift of a lifetime.
But I still hate that phrase. It always seemed judgmental. It probably wasn't intended that way. It probably meant something as innocent as, "if you train your dog, you'll have a trained dog and you'll deserve a trained dog because you trained your dog". But I always took it to mean, "if your dog has issues, you caused them because you get the dog you deserve, so you must be at fault".
The more I work with dogs, especially now that I am working with a dog with a rock solid temperament, the clearer and clearer it is to me that nobody "deserves" a dog that is reactive, fearful, anxious, easily stimulated, or overstressed.
Certainly, good training can help a dog with a less than perfect temperament become more confident, relaxed, at ease, and in his or her right mind. That can take years of dedicated work, and a long process of one step forward, five steps back, but there is always potential for incredible improvement, and can help the dog considerably. At 11 years old, Speedy is normal in almost all situations. He is no longer reactive to any triggers, and his fear only rears its head in response to certain triggers, such as dogs barking at him from crates. He plays off leash on the beach with other dogs running about, he walks through public parks and streets, and nobody would ever know he had been so severely fearful and reactive to begin with.
However, because of his underlying fearful temperament, he will never be entirely free of fearful responses in certain situations. In other words, he will never been completely "normal".
One thing that is often overlooked is that a dog's temperament is what it is. Training can help override it to some degree. Training can help a dog develop coping skills. But temperament is not created through training, and it cannot simply be trained away. Tessa has an incredible ability to recover and bounce right back from a fear response. Dean needs some recovery time to come back from a fear response. After experiencing fear toward something, Tessa does not usually regard that thing something to be avoided at all cost - in fact, she is often downright curious about things that originally frightened her. Dean will avoid anything that he associates with a noise that put him into panic mode and it will take careful work on my part to change that association. The difference is temperament.
And a handler doesn't "deserve" a dog's temperament. I didn't deserve Speedy's fear of dogs and people any more than I deserved Maddie's natural love for, and enjoyment of, dogs and people. I don't deserve Dean's tendency to stress any more than I deserve Tessa's rock solid ability to bounce back. And I didn't deserve Speedy's early reactivity any more than I deserve his natural ability to move beautifully to music. I didn't deserve Maddie's early lack of drive for Agility any more than I deserved her sheer enjoyment of the trial environment. I don't deserve Dean's noise phobia any more than I deserve his 100% unconditional love and affection. And I don't deserve Tessa's hesitation toward people any more than I deserve the most strength and resilience that I have ever come across in a dog.
Truly, I don't deserve any of these dogs. They are all gifts from God, given with love and boundless generosity. If I must work with them on various and sundry issues and challenges, it is not because I "deserve" those issues and challenges. It is because God has seen fit to allow me the opportunity to learn and grow as a trainer, and to give something of myself to these dogs who give me far more than I probably even realize.
"The handler gets the dog he can learn the most from and grow the most with". That is what I would love to see on the wall of a training building.
And I always hated them!
Back then I was working with Speedy in his earliest stages of training and I often saw that sign and wondered, "What could I have done to deserve this?!!?" Speedy was fearful of dogs and people, and far too easily overstimulated. At that time he was both fearful and reactive and I was a new handler who was just learning what to do with a dog like that. There were times when it was completely overwhelming, frustrating, and absolutely discouraging. I just wanted to learn to train and have fun with my dog. How on earth had I merited a lifelong behavior modification project?
In retrospect, I know that I didn't deserve Speedy. There is nothing that I could have done to deserve a dog who is that creative, artistic, perceptive, and talented. As I observe him at 11, I only see the amazing dog that he truly is, and the "issues" that we dealt with back time are properly in perspective. They were serious issues and I don't pretend that they didn't require a lot of work and learning to work through. But, also in retrospect, there is nothing that I could have done to deserve the opportunities for learning and growth that Speedy provided. Speedy is, and always has been, an amazing dog who deserves my respect. I no longer think of him as a "lifelong project" but as the gift of a lifetime.
But I still hate that phrase. It always seemed judgmental. It probably wasn't intended that way. It probably meant something as innocent as, "if you train your dog, you'll have a trained dog and you'll deserve a trained dog because you trained your dog". But I always took it to mean, "if your dog has issues, you caused them because you get the dog you deserve, so you must be at fault".
The more I work with dogs, especially now that I am working with a dog with a rock solid temperament, the clearer and clearer it is to me that nobody "deserves" a dog that is reactive, fearful, anxious, easily stimulated, or overstressed.
Certainly, good training can help a dog with a less than perfect temperament become more confident, relaxed, at ease, and in his or her right mind. That can take years of dedicated work, and a long process of one step forward, five steps back, but there is always potential for incredible improvement, and can help the dog considerably. At 11 years old, Speedy is normal in almost all situations. He is no longer reactive to any triggers, and his fear only rears its head in response to certain triggers, such as dogs barking at him from crates. He plays off leash on the beach with other dogs running about, he walks through public parks and streets, and nobody would ever know he had been so severely fearful and reactive to begin with.
However, because of his underlying fearful temperament, he will never be entirely free of fearful responses in certain situations. In other words, he will never been completely "normal".
One thing that is often overlooked is that a dog's temperament is what it is. Training can help override it to some degree. Training can help a dog develop coping skills. But temperament is not created through training, and it cannot simply be trained away. Tessa has an incredible ability to recover and bounce right back from a fear response. Dean needs some recovery time to come back from a fear response. After experiencing fear toward something, Tessa does not usually regard that thing something to be avoided at all cost - in fact, she is often downright curious about things that originally frightened her. Dean will avoid anything that he associates with a noise that put him into panic mode and it will take careful work on my part to change that association. The difference is temperament.
And a handler doesn't "deserve" a dog's temperament. I didn't deserve Speedy's fear of dogs and people any more than I deserved Maddie's natural love for, and enjoyment of, dogs and people. I don't deserve Dean's tendency to stress any more than I deserve Tessa's rock solid ability to bounce back. And I didn't deserve Speedy's early reactivity any more than I deserve his natural ability to move beautifully to music. I didn't deserve Maddie's early lack of drive for Agility any more than I deserved her sheer enjoyment of the trial environment. I don't deserve Dean's noise phobia any more than I deserve his 100% unconditional love and affection. And I don't deserve Tessa's hesitation toward people any more than I deserve the most strength and resilience that I have ever come across in a dog.
Truly, I don't deserve any of these dogs. They are all gifts from God, given with love and boundless generosity. If I must work with them on various and sundry issues and challenges, it is not because I "deserve" those issues and challenges. It is because God has seen fit to allow me the opportunity to learn and grow as a trainer, and to give something of myself to these dogs who give me far more than I probably even realize.
"The handler gets the dog he can learn the most from and grow the most with". That is what I would love to see on the wall of a training building.
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