Sometimes When a Door Closes . . .

Sometimes when a door closes, a whole wall of sliding glass doors is flung open and the opportunities that come along are unexpected and absolutely delightful!!

Last February I had posted this:

Endings Happen

. . . after Dean was sidelined from Agility due to his hip issue last winter.

I came to realize later that the main source of my disappointment was that Dean and I had worked so hard for so long to help him be happy and comfortable running Agility - at least in class - and that we would no longer be able to enjoy the fruits of that work.

I was wrong.  So very wrong.

Because I thought Dean might not run Agility anymore, I put him in Rally FrEe.  He didn't love it off the bat, but he did come to enjoy it a great deal, and before long I truly loved taking Dean and Tessa to that class together.

Then we went to our first competition. I almost backed out of it with him at that point, but thanks to the judge and the competition host, I realized that he had potential to enjoy himself in competition that I hadn't seen before.

So, we started taking classes through the Fenzi Academy, in hopes of finding that enjoyment.

The Obility class, in particular, changed Dean in ways that I would never have expected, and he started to thrive in Agility class - to which he had returned, jumping 16, without a whole lot of enthusiasm.

Now it is possible that he will start to love working in the ring in entirely new ways!  We continue to train Rally FrEe and we truly love it.  I am hoping that he will compete in Advanced sometime next year, at least by video!

And next weekend, he will return to Agility competition for the first time in a very, very long time.

I don't know if he will be different, but I am eager to find out.

Had Dean not had that injury last winter, I never would have branched off in a different direction with him.  We would have continued as we had been, and nothing would have changed.  That would have been OK, but how much we have learned together and how much we are enjoying ourselves now!

Dean and I have a working partnership now that we have never shared in all of his years with us.  I have always loved him as my companion and pet, but for most of his life, he was my "should have been" dog.  Now there are possibilities ahead that we will meet with joy and anticipation.

Back in February I really wouldn't have thought this possible!

Engagement

So far the biggest thing that I have taken from the Bridging the Gap class is the concept of engaging the dog.  It amazes me that I missed this, but in a way it makes sense.

Speedy was a very unusual dog.  Even now if I forget that I need to be a lot quieter when I work with him, he can go over his stimulation threshold before I realize what is happening!

Maddie was so soft that even a squealy "yaaaaaaaaaaay!" would cause her to worry and go down on her side!

Since a very quiet approach worked well for both of them, I have always handled Dean in the same way.  I am not a totally silent trainer and handler, but I tend to use my clicks and treats to communicate more than "regular" communication.

Now we are working on engagement, which is consisting a lot of me acting like a regular person when I work with Dean!!  Don't get me wrong - the treats and the toys are still there.  But I am learning how to use them in new and better ways.

Here is a video of Dean working on this a bit.  He actually does this better outside for toys, but this was indoors for food.



This isn't really all that different from the Give Me a Break game that we have been playing for a long time.  There is just a little bit more of a focus on the actual engagement than on the reinforcer.

It is particularly interesting to me that this is something that I have just done with Tessa naturally.  I think because she is naturally more engaged with me, I have responded by being more engaged with her.  Now I am looking to create this with Dean in reverse, and I believe I am starting to see a difference.

Can't wait to see where this goes . . .!!!

Pre Ah Ha Ah Ha!!

I want to feel as comfortable walking into a ring with Dean without food on me as I do walking into a ring with Tessa.

Ah Ha!

Dean and I don't need a start line routine.  We need a start line mindset.

 

Bridging the Gap

Dean and I are taking - at the "silver" level - a class through the Denise Fenzi Academy called "Bridging the Gap".  The point of the class is to learn how to effectively move from needing the direct presence of reinforcers (toys, treats) to working effectively without them in competition performances.  Silver level means that I can participate in discussion and ask questions, but not post videos.

I may still take some videos and post them here, though.  I haven't yet, but I might.

The class has barely begun and I have already had several "AH HA!" moments.

The first exercise involves getting a baseline of the dog's engagement if you have toys and/or treats on you, you go to a space, but do not ask the dog to work.

In all of my years training, I have never done this before.  I have done something sort of similar, but I have always been actively looking for a working focus.  I have never taken the step of engaging the dog while acting normal and natural.

Yesterday I tried this with Dean in the yard.  At first we were both a bit awkward, but we soon seemed to fall into an understanding.  He moved around, looked to me to see what we were doing, carried his toy, and threw himself into heel and bounced!!  It was very clear that after a few minutes of that, he was completely engaged and ready to move into structured work!

So, at Agility class a bit later on, I tried it again.  As we were moving out to the start line, I just meandered a bit, dropped his toy a few times, and saw what I would see.  I usually try to "jolly" him up going into the ring.  We tug, I get him focused, and then usually use the tug to get him sitting at the start line.  This time, once he was engaged, which hardly took any reinforcement at all, I had him sit without using the toy, and we were good to go!  His attitude was excellent!!

I plan to play around with this more, and, of course, I look forward to learning more and more in this class.

When I move into a ring with Tessa, I am not worried about the fact that I don't have treats on me.  I know she will be with me 100%, engage 100%, and will put everything she has into what we are doing.

I don't have that with Dean.  It has been flying by the seat of our pants!  Sometimes he's engaged and sometimes he's not - it's hit or miss.  This might be the "missing link" that takes him from where he is now to a place where he goes into a competition ring with enthusiasm, engagement, and joy.

Here's hoping . . . !!!!

Happy Gotcha Month, Miss Tessa!!!

I often think of the day I went to a shelter to evaluate a dog who had been picked up off the streets and was absolutely terrified in the shelter.  I will always remember meeting her in her kennel and how she very intently tried to be as invisible to me as possible.  I will always remember her walking through the shelter on a leash, completely ignoring the dogs that were barking at her from their kennels.

"Maggie" at the shelter

I will always remember that odd feeling I had going home, wishing I could have taken her with me, and then being glad that I got to go back and get her.  I will never, ever forget how she tricked me as I put her in my car and managed to run away!  And I will never forget the words I said to her as I drove home and she watched me from the crate in the back, "You're my kind of dog.  It's a good thing I have four already or I'd be tempted to keep you, and it would not be fair for me to ask you to live the life I would ask you to live."  I will never stop being happy that I was so completely wrong!  I don't think there is a dog in the world better suited to the life that Tessa and I enjoy together.

"Maggie" at my house after her . . . very interesting . . . bath"

Tessa doesn't have a Gotcha Day, she has a Gotcha Month!  October is Tessa month in our house.  In early October I evaluated her.  A few days later I took her home.  And a few weeks later we officially adopted her.

My Tessa, two and a half years later

Even from the first days she was in our household, I have had a very deep level of respect for this dog.  She's a tough, tough girl.  She's smart and resourceful.  Of course, I have come to know her other side even better.  She is soft and sweet and affectionate, and brimming over with fun!

As we continue to share our daily lives together, and as we grow as a performance team, I am deeply grateful to have the opportunity to have this wonderful girl in my life.

Happy Gotcha Month, Miss Tessa!!

Breakthroughs!!

Last night we had an awesome Rally FrEe class!  Both Tessa and Dean are really making some nice breakthroughs in their training!

Dean went to the line with so much enthusiasm and he was eager to set up to go!  That is great to see!  He is focused and eager and I love his attitude!

He struggled a bit on a back around off the right on the first turn, but the second time he did it on hand target only!  On our second round, we practiced a backward weave as a Free Choice!  That is very new and he is doing a great job with it!  His 360 left pivots were perfection!  And he is doing OK with backing up in left heel.  That is tough for him since there seems to be a physical reason why he backs crooked.  But he really did do a nice job.  As long as he moves with me, it will be fine!

Through it all, he was focused and happy with the perfect level of drive!  It was nice!

Tessa also had a great class.  I did have to use a lure on the back around, but on the second try, I let her offer the backwards movement, only luring the turns.  She did well with it.  A little more practice and she is going to be the back-around-queen!!  For Free Choices we did a sit pretty up into her standing on her hind legs and a jump over my arm!  Flashy stuff!  She is really coming along!  Her pivots are also getting to be super nice and her backing in heel really solid!  Even with people sitting along the gate where she was backing up, she was focused and happy to work!

I was proud of my Rally FrEe dogs last night!  They really are very close to being proficient on most of the Intermediate exercises!  Still need to work laterals and finish some of these other behaviors off, but all in all I am very pleased with notable progress!!