2017 July August

est method of training as leaving bad habits to work on later only
makes them stronger habits.)
When I wrote my previous installment of Mystery Pup, I made
a vow to really work on the stop and stay and have it well trained
before it came time to write another installment. I have kept that
promise and Toto has absorbed the training.
I am a student of schutzhund, which has out-of-motion downs,
sits and stands, so I am well versed in training out-of-motion stops.
I normally use the method of walking with the dog at my side on
leash, not in a formal HEEL but rather an informal LET’s GO. I
give my stop command and then suddenly pivot myself so that I am
now facing and in front of the dog. If I’m teaching just a momentary
pause, I would praise and then immediately move forward with
the dog again; momentary pauses will slow a dog down without
taking him off contact as a down will do. If I’m teaching a solid
stop (which I teach after the Pause is learned), I remain facing the
dog and stabilize the position. After much praise and some passage
of time, I give my RELEASE command. When handler pivots are
no longer necessary, this exercise is progressed to us moving faster
and faster when the stop command is given. Then, when the dog
is performing well from a run, the leash becomes a long line and
the progression is feeding out more and more line.
I personally don’t care if the dog downs, sits or stands, so I
train a non-positional stop and let the dog choose. My dogs have
normally chosen to stand. I think they feel more in control of the
stock than when forced to down. If I am making them hold a spot,
they may sit or down after a while. They seldom have downed right
away, the exception being certain dogs on ducks.
Today, I had some people come to buy goats. It has been raining
since yesterday, but the silly buyers came without muck boots or
even rain coats! The goats were holed up in their shed with lots
of mud and puddles to traverse to get there. So, I remained at the
pen gate and set Toto to the other side of the pen to the large shed.
She got them all out of the shed and into the pouring rain, which
goats hate to be in, and then moved them across big puddles and
out of the pen. She then took them to a covered dog kennel, which
the goats have never been to before, and put everyone inside it for
buyer examination, even the young and still pretty stupid kids.
Good dog.
Mystery Pup Esau
Spring is here and our little place in the world has gotten
green again. My training suffers as my workload increases in the
real world this time of year. Also, we’ve attended several trials
this spring so the time away from home compounds this problem.
For the most part we’ve been fairly consistent and our results have
been good. But there is room for improvement in several areas and
we’ll address them this summer.
One of our most obvious problems is my lack of experience
trialing and knowing when to move on during a run to maximize
our score. I’m stubborn and don’t like to give up. No amount of
training will fix that and I just need to become more aware of the
task at hand. Another of our issues is my timing, particularly on
sheep and ducks. We’re getting better on sheep but ducks are just
difficult for us at times. I’ve got ducks but rarely work them so I’ve
got to change my mindset to be competitive on a consistent basis.
Finally, Finals!
We’ve enjoyed competing in the trials that we normally attend
and also in venturing out to new places. Everyone has made us
feel welcome and we’ve made some new friends. We’ve also seen
some very nice dogs work so we need to keep our focus and not
become complacent. We just need to continue to improve and with
a little luck I am hopeful we will reach our goal of making the cut
for Finals in Texas.
(OBEDIENCE AND MORE . . . continued from page 83)
We play lots of games as part of training sessions. I always
teach my pups to play tug as it is something we can do in a small
space, and I can use it to rev him up before competition. I have
one of those large plastic peanuts made for dogs, and I teach my
pup to stand on it to improve core strength and balance, always
using lots of treats to make it fun. We have a small black plastic
“dish” I bought at the feed store. I turn it upside down and teach
my pups to put their front feet on it facing me. I guide them with
food as I move around the dish, keeping their front feet in place
and turning their rear. This teaches them body awareness while
laying the groundwork for fronts.
I love games that teach my pup to move away from the reward
to get it. The simplest way to start this is to teach “Touch”. I hold
my hand near the pup. As he investigates it, he will usually touch
the hand. At that point, I give him a treat from the other hand. He
will go back to the treat hand looking for more, but nothing happens
until he again touches the first hand. He quickly gets the idea and
starts pushing on the target hand to get his reward. This targeting
can easily be transferred to other objects such as a ring stanchion for
go outs. Moving away from the treat to earn it is a key component
of much obedience and agility training, so I like to start this early.
The games you can play with your pup are only limited by your
creativity. You can take anything you want to teach and turn it into
a game. There are only a few caveats. Above all, keep your puppy
safe; remember that he has a baby’s coordination and structure, so
be sure he doesn’t get hurt. Be sure he isn’t frightened. This may
mean introducing a game gradually, but if he is frightened, it may
carry over to training for the rest of his life. Remember that you
are building a bond of affection and trust. You are the human, so
you are the guardian. And to be a game an activity must be fun, so
lots of treats and praise are in order.
As I have said before, I believe in balanced training with both
rewards and correction, but I don’t believe in correcting a dog until
he understands what is expected of him. I want my dogs to enjoy
their work, and teaching with rewards and praise helps them enjoy
the learning process. There is plenty of time for correction when
he understands what I want and chooses not to comply. Puppies
love to play, and I love to play with my puppies while we build
trust and learn skills we will use for a lifetime.
82 AUSSIE TIMES May-June 2017