Boston is a very bad city. You see, not only did it steal my dog trainer, but it also stole my kidlet. I love the kidlet. She's funny, and smart, and her most redeeming feature? Maisy likes her. Seriously, there is no other explanation for this video:
This video was taken at the end of an hour long class, so Maisy was a bit tired. On top of that, this is at least the third or fourth time that the kidlet took her through the agility course. Despite all that, Maisy kept going. She didn't have to- she could have chosen to blow the kidlet off. And while there were cookies involved, there weren't enough of them to make it worthwhile. No, I think it's quite obvious: Maisy likes the kidlet.
And Boston stole her away from us. Bad Boston! Go to your room!
Showing posts with label agility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agility. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Clicker Expo 2011 (Chicago): Eva Bertilsson and Emelie Johnson Vegh- Let's Make Some Noise!
Maisy hates things that move under her feet, and she's not too fond of strange noises, either, so when I heard about this session on building confidence in dogs by using noise and movement, I knew I had to go. At the same time, I was also a bit skeptical. My general experience has been that when dog people talk about building confidence in dogs, it's in mildly worried dogs, not the truly terrified ones. I'm often left with the feeling that, yes, that might work... but not for my dog.
I did not leave Eva and Emelie's presentation feeling that way. To the contrary, I felt like they really, truly get what an anxious dog is all about. I believed that they have met dogs like Maisy and worked through their issues. They did a great job of breaking down the concepts, explaining ways to make it easier, and offering alternative solutions. I was super impressed with them, their presentation, and their ideas.
Eva Bertilsson and Emelie Johnson Vegh are agility people, and their book, Agility Right From the Start, has received a lot of positive buzz. So naturally, they are concerned about dogs learning to love noise and movement because of the agility obstacles, especially the teeter. However, they were quick to say that their session was about more than just agility, and that noise and movement is not simply a distraction to overcome. Our lives are full of noise and movement, and if a dog doesn't learn to enjoy it, his quality of life suffers.
Although they did discuss applications to agility, and used agility-related videos, as a non-agility person, I did not feel this detracted from the presentation in the least. They did a great job of presenting the concepts of noise and movement as something people like me could use to help their non-agility dogs. Again, I was so impressed.
Eva and Emelie shared that there are several ways to approach noise and movement with dogs who are cautious or fearful of it. The first is habituation, in which the dog simply ceases to respond to the stimuli. When a trainer helps a dog to habituate to noise or movement, the goal is for the dog to not mind or not notice when it happens.
The second method is to teach the dog to like the noise or movement through classical conditioning. This isn't a bad approach, and in fact, Eva and Emelie said you need to do this step before you can move on to the next one. Basically you teach the dog that when they hear a noise or feel something move, great stuff will happen. It's not contingent upon the dog's behavior; the dog is simply experiencing awesome treats and super fun games and toys as a result of noise or movement.
Eva and Emelie shared that this is a great thing to do for all agility dogs, even the ones with a solid temperament. If they love noise and movement, they'll be eager for it to happen, and you'll get a far more enthusiastic performance from your dog. For the worried dogs, though, it's vital. When you are pairing the noise and movement with good things, you'll need to gauge whether your dog was simply cautious or whether he was truly scared. Depending on where he's at, you'll need to adjust your training. Dogs on the cautious end of the spectrum can receive relatively low-value treats and work for many quick repetitions. Dogs on the more fearful end of the spectrum, though, might only be able to do one or two trials a day, and will need the awesome thing- whether treats or play (and they prefer play because it's a higher energy activity that results in a better, happier response)- to happen for a very long time.
With conditioning like this, it is vital that you get the order correct. The noise or movement happens first, then the awesome thing. This is especially true if your dog dislikes noise and movement and you do it the other way around, you'll associate the treat or the toy with bad feelings. They called this “backwards conditioning,” and said it will cause you far more headaches in the long run.
Another suggestion for truly worried dogs, is to be sure that you never use noise or movement as an aversive. Don't say “ah-ah,” don't make “sst” noises, don't yell “no!” Doing so will work against you. Your goal is for noise and movement- any noise and movement- to predict great things, not punishing things, no matter how small that punishment might be.
The third method- and the one Eva and Emelie prefer- is to teach the dog to create and then demand noise and movement through operant conditioning. While classical conditioning is controlled by the handler, operant conditioning gives control to the dog. Since worried dogs often feel like the world is out-of-control, giving them the power to exert influence on their world can be transformative.
They start by simply teaching the dog how to create the noise through the handler. They do this by treating the noise or movement as a secondary reinforcer, just like a clicker. They will shape behaviors using a noise or some movement in the place of the click. You can use any noise- jingle some keys, or hit two spoons together, or shut a cupboard door- and then follow it up with a treat. Using movement is a bit more difficult, but they recommended having the dog on a very small wobble board or even in your lap, and just moving slightly in place of the click. This results in a dog who wants the noise or movement to happen. It also lets him control how often the noise happens. They did say it should be offered, voluntary behavior, because if you use a cue to get the behavior, it can both wreck the cue (because the cue will predict something scary), and it takes away the dog's choice.They demonstrated this concept with pretty simply behaviors- turning, raising, or lowering a head, for example.
Next, they teach the dog how to create the noise and movement on his own. They shape the dog to do things that like knocking over a book or a soda can, putting metal spoons in metal buckets or on baking trays, etc. Start small- knocking a book over onto carpet is a fairly muffled noise- and build up to larger noises, like knocking over huge stacks of pots and pans. You can choose to click either the dog's movement or the product of his movement (ie, the noise/movement). Eva and Emelie said it doesn't really matter which, as long as you are consistent.
Finally, they work towards having the dog demand the noise and movement. This is really just another level of “create,” but it's a more intense, active version. During this phase of training, you will make creating the noise or movement more difficult by adding resistance. For example, if you're teaching him to shut a cupboard noise (which will both move and bang when it closes), you might hold it lightly so that the dog must push it with more intensity.
No matter which level you're working at, you want to keep your sessions very short, with very slow escalation in the amount of noise or movement. They recommend doing 1 to 3 reps at a time. Any more than that and the dog's brain starts to produce adrenaline because of the fear reaction, which makes it harder for him to learn from the process. They also recommend varying the intensity. The first rep might be very easy, the second quite hard, and the last somewhere in between.
Always watch your dog's expression as you start a session. Eva and Emelie said that the way a dog approaches a session tells you more about how he's feeling than the way he reacts during the session. That said, if you see any signs of worry during a session, do a very easy rep, and then take a break- a long one. They recommended taking breaks of a few days to a few weeks long so the dog has time to forget that it was scary. Remember the goal is to make noise and movement fun for your dog, not simply something to tolerate. Always make it a fun, easy game.
These are some pretty cool ideas, and I know my words do not do their concepts justice. How can you boil down 90 minutes of brilliance into a thousand words? Like I said- I walked away really believing that this would work with Maisy, and that doesn't happen too often! Their video was amazing, and really helped clarify how to use these concepts. Still, I hope that this at least gives those of you with cautious or fearful dogs some ideas of how to proceed. I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried these ideas!
I did not leave Eva and Emelie's presentation feeling that way. To the contrary, I felt like they really, truly get what an anxious dog is all about. I believed that they have met dogs like Maisy and worked through their issues. They did a great job of breaking down the concepts, explaining ways to make it easier, and offering alternative solutions. I was super impressed with them, their presentation, and their ideas.
Eva Bertilsson and Emelie Johnson Vegh are agility people, and their book, Agility Right From the Start, has received a lot of positive buzz. So naturally, they are concerned about dogs learning to love noise and movement because of the agility obstacles, especially the teeter. However, they were quick to say that their session was about more than just agility, and that noise and movement is not simply a distraction to overcome. Our lives are full of noise and movement, and if a dog doesn't learn to enjoy it, his quality of life suffers.
Although they did discuss applications to agility, and used agility-related videos, as a non-agility person, I did not feel this detracted from the presentation in the least. They did a great job of presenting the concepts of noise and movement as something people like me could use to help their non-agility dogs. Again, I was so impressed.
Eva and Emelie shared that there are several ways to approach noise and movement with dogs who are cautious or fearful of it. The first is habituation, in which the dog simply ceases to respond to the stimuli. When a trainer helps a dog to habituate to noise or movement, the goal is for the dog to not mind or not notice when it happens.
The second method is to teach the dog to like the noise or movement through classical conditioning. This isn't a bad approach, and in fact, Eva and Emelie said you need to do this step before you can move on to the next one. Basically you teach the dog that when they hear a noise or feel something move, great stuff will happen. It's not contingent upon the dog's behavior; the dog is simply experiencing awesome treats and super fun games and toys as a result of noise or movement.
Eva and Emelie shared that this is a great thing to do for all agility dogs, even the ones with a solid temperament. If they love noise and movement, they'll be eager for it to happen, and you'll get a far more enthusiastic performance from your dog. For the worried dogs, though, it's vital. When you are pairing the noise and movement with good things, you'll need to gauge whether your dog was simply cautious or whether he was truly scared. Depending on where he's at, you'll need to adjust your training. Dogs on the cautious end of the spectrum can receive relatively low-value treats and work for many quick repetitions. Dogs on the more fearful end of the spectrum, though, might only be able to do one or two trials a day, and will need the awesome thing- whether treats or play (and they prefer play because it's a higher energy activity that results in a better, happier response)- to happen for a very long time.
With conditioning like this, it is vital that you get the order correct. The noise or movement happens first, then the awesome thing. This is especially true if your dog dislikes noise and movement and you do it the other way around, you'll associate the treat or the toy with bad feelings. They called this “backwards conditioning,” and said it will cause you far more headaches in the long run.
Another suggestion for truly worried dogs, is to be sure that you never use noise or movement as an aversive. Don't say “ah-ah,” don't make “sst” noises, don't yell “no!” Doing so will work against you. Your goal is for noise and movement- any noise and movement- to predict great things, not punishing things, no matter how small that punishment might be.
The third method- and the one Eva and Emelie prefer- is to teach the dog to create and then demand noise and movement through operant conditioning. While classical conditioning is controlled by the handler, operant conditioning gives control to the dog. Since worried dogs often feel like the world is out-of-control, giving them the power to exert influence on their world can be transformative.
They start by simply teaching the dog how to create the noise through the handler. They do this by treating the noise or movement as a secondary reinforcer, just like a clicker. They will shape behaviors using a noise or some movement in the place of the click. You can use any noise- jingle some keys, or hit two spoons together, or shut a cupboard door- and then follow it up with a treat. Using movement is a bit more difficult, but they recommended having the dog on a very small wobble board or even in your lap, and just moving slightly in place of the click. This results in a dog who wants the noise or movement to happen. It also lets him control how often the noise happens. They did say it should be offered, voluntary behavior, because if you use a cue to get the behavior, it can both wreck the cue (because the cue will predict something scary), and it takes away the dog's choice.They demonstrated this concept with pretty simply behaviors- turning, raising, or lowering a head, for example.
Next, they teach the dog how to create the noise and movement on his own. They shape the dog to do things that like knocking over a book or a soda can, putting metal spoons in metal buckets or on baking trays, etc. Start small- knocking a book over onto carpet is a fairly muffled noise- and build up to larger noises, like knocking over huge stacks of pots and pans. You can choose to click either the dog's movement or the product of his movement (ie, the noise/movement). Eva and Emelie said it doesn't really matter which, as long as you are consistent.
Finally, they work towards having the dog demand the noise and movement. This is really just another level of “create,” but it's a more intense, active version. During this phase of training, you will make creating the noise or movement more difficult by adding resistance. For example, if you're teaching him to shut a cupboard noise (which will both move and bang when it closes), you might hold it lightly so that the dog must push it with more intensity.
No matter which level you're working at, you want to keep your sessions very short, with very slow escalation in the amount of noise or movement. They recommend doing 1 to 3 reps at a time. Any more than that and the dog's brain starts to produce adrenaline because of the fear reaction, which makes it harder for him to learn from the process. They also recommend varying the intensity. The first rep might be very easy, the second quite hard, and the last somewhere in between.
Always watch your dog's expression as you start a session. Eva and Emelie said that the way a dog approaches a session tells you more about how he's feeling than the way he reacts during the session. That said, if you see any signs of worry during a session, do a very easy rep, and then take a break- a long one. They recommended taking breaks of a few days to a few weeks long so the dog has time to forget that it was scary. Remember the goal is to make noise and movement fun for your dog, not simply something to tolerate. Always make it a fun, easy game.
These are some pretty cool ideas, and I know my words do not do their concepts justice. How can you boil down 90 minutes of brilliance into a thousand words? Like I said- I walked away really believing that this would work with Maisy, and that doesn't happen too often! Their video was amazing, and really helped clarify how to use these concepts. Still, I hope that this at least gives those of you with cautious or fearful dogs some ideas of how to proceed. I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried these ideas!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Will Work for Cookies
Maisy is a complete food hound. She will go with anyone who has cookies, and will do just about anything to earn them. Case in point:
Maisy had never interacted with weave poles before, and yet there she is, happily going in and out of them, working her little heart out for the possibility of a cookie or two. The kidlet also sent her through tunnels, over jumps, and on a wobble board.
I really wish I had video of that last one- Maisy has a strong aversion to things that move under her feet- and yet she was completely willing to get on it in exchange for a cookie. She also promptly freaked out when it moved, prompting the kidlet to declare that Maisy “has issues.” Oh, honey. If only you knew how amazing it is that she did it for you at all.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Maisy Jane: Agility Super Star
Maisy has a long history of being afraid of objects. She especially hates stepping on objects that move, even if it's only a very slight movement.
Which is why, despite the fact that these two videos are probably pretty lame to those of you who are real agility super stars, I'm super excited about them.
The second one is my favorite, if only because it combines scary objects with children (also scary, although not this one). Oh, and also because when we showed this to my trainer, her jaw literally dropped.
Which is why, despite the fact that these two videos are probably pretty lame to those of you who are real agility super stars, I'm super excited about them.
The second one is my favorite, if only because it combines scary objects with children (also scary, although not this one). Oh, and also because when we showed this to my trainer, her jaw literally dropped.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Examining Maisy's Conformation
One my my favorite bloggers, Joanna at Ruffly Speaking, recently wrote a post on soundness. What I loved about this post is that she demonstrated how to evaluate a dog's conformation. I've never been much good at evaluating conformation, not back when I was into horses, and not now that I'm into dogs, but this post was quite good, and inspired me to try my hand at evaluating Maisy.
Now, I've had a hands-on evaluation when we went to our Performance Dog Conditioning class, so I have a general idea of what Maisy's structure looks like (short answer: decent, not great). Still, I wanted to try it myself, so here we go. I'm quite sure that I've messed something up- this is my first try, after all- so please feel free to critique my work!
Here's the reference photo (click on any photo for a larger version):
This picture was taken in June at my aunt and uncle's lake cabin. The very first thing you'll notice about the picture is that she is not standing square. In fact, in photos, Maisy rarely stands square. Part of the problem is that in photos, she rarely stands still, but the point stands. It may be a coincidence, but it may be an indication that she stands askew in order to feel more comfortable.
Joanna says the first thing to do is to draw a vertical line through the shoulder and elbow, and one across the topline:
Already, I'm not sure if I'm doing this right. I chose to draw the topline from the withers, but look how much higher her rear is! Well, I guess I knew that- I was told that she's butt-high at our conditioning class, and in the comments, Joanna comments that she's roach-backed. When I look at pictures of Maisy as a puppy, it seems that this roached back is due to her genetics, and not an injury, especially since Joanna said that puppy-mill poodles often have a roached-back, and I was told Maisy's dad was a puppy-mill poodle. Assuming I've drawn this line in the right place, although it's not particularly pretty, Joanna says this upward curve is still sound.
However, when you look at the quadrants, we start to see problems: she's carrying too much weight on the front. According to Joanna, when you draw these lines, you want all of the head and most of the neck to be in one. If you see that, then you know that the shoulder is laid back correctly, and that most of the weight is behind the neck, not under it. Since I learned at our conditioning class that 60% of a dog's weight is carried on the front legs, good shoulders seem to be vital to soundness. Unfortunately, I already know from that class that Maisy doesn't have good shoulder angulation... and these lines seem to tell the same story.
The next line is the weight-bearing line, and is drawn through the middle of the paw:
This line should appear to be through the body, not the neck like it does here. Again, Maisy's front end is carrying more weight than it ought to, indicating that she may have shoulder problems down the line. (Indeed, she already does- we started seeing a chiropractor last year when she became intermittently lame on the front right foot.)
The next line is the rib line:
This one is drawn vertically at the last rib, and lets us know if the dog has enough lung capacity to do its job. It should be more than half the dog's body, and I'm pleased that Maisy has finally passed a conformation test!
Next, we draw in the shoulder and hip angles. I have to admit, these may not be correct, but I felt Maisy's body, traced the bones, and I think I'm close:
The balance actually doesn't look too bad- both angles are similar. What doesn't look good is when she moves. Joanna looked at Maisy's rally video (I'm assuming from this post) and thought that her back legs had short strides. I've thought that myself, and have noticed that Maisy's back legs sometimes swing from side to side instead of forward. Joanna says this type of movement puts stress on the spine, and based on Maisy's chiropractic visits, I'd say this is true for Maisy.
In fact, in light of Joanna's comments, I went back and felt for the rear angulation several times. Her rear angulation, as drawn in this picture anyway, isn't bad. My understanding is that you want it to be no more than 90 degrees- any more and there isn't enough power for running and jumping. But in our conditioning class, I was told that Maisy has nice rear angulation, and in feeling her body, I have to say, it's definitely not where I would put it based on the picture. If that's true, if she does have good rear angles, then the short strides would probably point toward an injury. Maisy did pull an iliopsis muscle last fall, so perhaps it's related to that? I'll have our chiropractor check her out more closely on the next visit, though, just in case something is still going on.
The front angle, though, is not good. It's open more than 90 degrees, which indicates a high or straight shoulder. Of course, this isn't really surprising, given what we learned when we divided her in fourths, and again when we drew the weight-bearing line.
So, assuming I've gotten the lines somewhat accurate, it's the same picture: weak front, decent the rest of the way around. Given that Maisy's already had issues in the front, I am a bit worried about her long-term soundess. Although we were told at the conditioning class that we could do enough conditioning that Maisy could probably do agility, I have to wonder if it's worth the risk. Add to that Maisy's reactivity, agility definitely seems to be out of our reach. I guess it's a good thing I enjoy both rally and obedience, and that there are enough opportunities out there for us to compete for as long as Maisy's body will allow her.
Now, I've had a hands-on evaluation when we went to our Performance Dog Conditioning class, so I have a general idea of what Maisy's structure looks like (short answer: decent, not great). Still, I wanted to try it myself, so here we go. I'm quite sure that I've messed something up- this is my first try, after all- so please feel free to critique my work!
Here's the reference photo (click on any photo for a larger version):
This picture was taken in June at my aunt and uncle's lake cabin. The very first thing you'll notice about the picture is that she is not standing square. In fact, in photos, Maisy rarely stands square. Part of the problem is that in photos, she rarely stands still, but the point stands. It may be a coincidence, but it may be an indication that she stands askew in order to feel more comfortable.
Joanna says the first thing to do is to draw a vertical line through the shoulder and elbow, and one across the topline:
Already, I'm not sure if I'm doing this right. I chose to draw the topline from the withers, but look how much higher her rear is! Well, I guess I knew that- I was told that she's butt-high at our conditioning class, and in the comments, Joanna comments that she's roach-backed. When I look at pictures of Maisy as a puppy, it seems that this roached back is due to her genetics, and not an injury, especially since Joanna said that puppy-mill poodles often have a roached-back, and I was told Maisy's dad was a puppy-mill poodle. Assuming I've drawn this line in the right place, although it's not particularly pretty, Joanna says this upward curve is still sound.
However, when you look at the quadrants, we start to see problems: she's carrying too much weight on the front. According to Joanna, when you draw these lines, you want all of the head and most of the neck to be in one. If you see that, then you know that the shoulder is laid back correctly, and that most of the weight is behind the neck, not under it. Since I learned at our conditioning class that 60% of a dog's weight is carried on the front legs, good shoulders seem to be vital to soundness. Unfortunately, I already know from that class that Maisy doesn't have good shoulder angulation... and these lines seem to tell the same story.
The next line is the weight-bearing line, and is drawn through the middle of the paw:
This line should appear to be through the body, not the neck like it does here. Again, Maisy's front end is carrying more weight than it ought to, indicating that she may have shoulder problems down the line. (Indeed, she already does- we started seeing a chiropractor last year when she became intermittently lame on the front right foot.)
The next line is the rib line:
This one is drawn vertically at the last rib, and lets us know if the dog has enough lung capacity to do its job. It should be more than half the dog's body, and I'm pleased that Maisy has finally passed a conformation test!
Next, we draw in the shoulder and hip angles. I have to admit, these may not be correct, but I felt Maisy's body, traced the bones, and I think I'm close:
The balance actually doesn't look too bad- both angles are similar. What doesn't look good is when she moves. Joanna looked at Maisy's rally video (I'm assuming from this post) and thought that her back legs had short strides. I've thought that myself, and have noticed that Maisy's back legs sometimes swing from side to side instead of forward. Joanna says this type of movement puts stress on the spine, and based on Maisy's chiropractic visits, I'd say this is true for Maisy.
In fact, in light of Joanna's comments, I went back and felt for the rear angulation several times. Her rear angulation, as drawn in this picture anyway, isn't bad. My understanding is that you want it to be no more than 90 degrees- any more and there isn't enough power for running and jumping. But in our conditioning class, I was told that Maisy has nice rear angulation, and in feeling her body, I have to say, it's definitely not where I would put it based on the picture. If that's true, if she does have good rear angles, then the short strides would probably point toward an injury. Maisy did pull an iliopsis muscle last fall, so perhaps it's related to that? I'll have our chiropractor check her out more closely on the next visit, though, just in case something is still going on.
The front angle, though, is not good. It's open more than 90 degrees, which indicates a high or straight shoulder. Of course, this isn't really surprising, given what we learned when we divided her in fourths, and again when we drew the weight-bearing line.
So, assuming I've gotten the lines somewhat accurate, it's the same picture: weak front, decent the rest of the way around. Given that Maisy's already had issues in the front, I am a bit worried about her long-term soundess. Although we were told at the conditioning class that we could do enough conditioning that Maisy could probably do agility, I have to wonder if it's worth the risk. Add to that Maisy's reactivity, agility definitely seems to be out of our reach. I guess it's a good thing I enjoy both rally and obedience, and that there are enough opportunities out there for us to compete for as long as Maisy's body will allow her.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
I'm Beginning to Think I Shouldn't Call Her Reactive Anymore...
Last night, I took Maisy to a Performance Dog Conditioning class taught by Lin Gelbmann, a vet tech with thirty years of experience in equine and canine rehab. The class is designed to do structural and gait analysis of your dog, and then provide exercises to get and keep your dog in the best shape possible. I signed up because I really wanted to get a structural evaluation on Maisy, mostly because I wanted to know if there was anything there that would preclude starting Maisy in agility classes.
And it was awesome.
The class was held at held at On the Run Canine, a local agility school. When I signed up for the class, I didn’t really think about what that meant, so when I walked in and saw all the motion, heard all the barking and teeters slamming, and realized that it was basically just controlled chaos (in the way that agility is, not because of anything this school was doing), I was pretty sure that this was not going to work. Even worse, the classroom area was not blocked off with visual barriers (let alone sound barriers), and I began to silently panic.
Still, I’d paid good money to be there, so I figured we’d try it. I figured the worst thing that could happen would be that we’d be have to leave, in which case I’d try to schedule a private consultation. I picked a spot on the edge of the class area, as far away from the agility ring and the rest of the dogs as I could, and set up my mat and treats. Then I went out to the car to get Maisy.
We walked in, and I fed her lots of treats. She pulled a little bit on the leash because she was so excited, but it was happy excitement, not stress excitement. When we walked into the class area, she spotted her mat and promptly flopped down on it, and offered her “flat dog” behavior.
We were there for 90 minutes, and during that time, she did not have a single reactive episode. Not one! There was one soft “wuff,” and one very low and brief growl (quieter and shorter than another dog, even). She even had a fairly soft mouth throughout the evening. After we’d been there about 20 minutes, she did have a short period where she took the treats harder, which usually indicates an escalation of stress, but that abated after five or ten minutes, and she returned to taking the treats softly again.
Even cooler than that is the fact that there was a point where something clearly upset her, and she began to lunge for it. She got about a foot off her mat, and suddenly stopped herself, turned around and slammed her body down on the mat. It really seemed like she realized, “I’m not supposed to be doing that! Mom likes it when I lie on my mat instead.” Needless to say, I jackpotted that.
I was pretty proud of my handling skills, too. Throughout the class, I was constantly monitoring her body language, and when she was more nervous, I increased the amount of treats I gave her. Then, as she calmed down, I reduced the amount of treats she got. It was difficult to shift the criteria that rapidly, but I think I got it right. It helps that I understand her triggers well- last night, fast moving people, loud dogs, and the sound of the teeter were all stressful for her. Understanding that, I was able to use the treats when those things were going on, and then could back off when it was quieter.
By the end of the class, Maisy was pretty relaxed, and was far less jumpy about noise and motion. We even got up and did some light obedience work! I put her in heel position, did pivots, and had her heel on both sides. And she worked beautifully! She was heads-up attentive, completely focused on me, doing ten foot stretches with turns with no treats. She looked like a real obedience dog!!
I was absolutely elated. You know how you feel at trials when you get a really great score, or a new title? It felt like that. I was so proud of her, and just thrilled to see all the hard work I’ve put into her is paying off.
Look out world: Maisy has arrived!
And it was awesome.
The class was held at held at On the Run Canine, a local agility school. When I signed up for the class, I didn’t really think about what that meant, so when I walked in and saw all the motion, heard all the barking and teeters slamming, and realized that it was basically just controlled chaos (in the way that agility is, not because of anything this school was doing), I was pretty sure that this was not going to work. Even worse, the classroom area was not blocked off with visual barriers (let alone sound barriers), and I began to silently panic.
Still, I’d paid good money to be there, so I figured we’d try it. I figured the worst thing that could happen would be that we’d be have to leave, in which case I’d try to schedule a private consultation. I picked a spot on the edge of the class area, as far away from the agility ring and the rest of the dogs as I could, and set up my mat and treats. Then I went out to the car to get Maisy.
We walked in, and I fed her lots of treats. She pulled a little bit on the leash because she was so excited, but it was happy excitement, not stress excitement. When we walked into the class area, she spotted her mat and promptly flopped down on it, and offered her “flat dog” behavior.
We were there for 90 minutes, and during that time, she did not have a single reactive episode. Not one! There was one soft “wuff,” and one very low and brief growl (quieter and shorter than another dog, even). She even had a fairly soft mouth throughout the evening. After we’d been there about 20 minutes, she did have a short period where she took the treats harder, which usually indicates an escalation of stress, but that abated after five or ten minutes, and she returned to taking the treats softly again.
Even cooler than that is the fact that there was a point where something clearly upset her, and she began to lunge for it. She got about a foot off her mat, and suddenly stopped herself, turned around and slammed her body down on the mat. It really seemed like she realized, “I’m not supposed to be doing that! Mom likes it when I lie on my mat instead.” Needless to say, I jackpotted that.
I was pretty proud of my handling skills, too. Throughout the class, I was constantly monitoring her body language, and when she was more nervous, I increased the amount of treats I gave her. Then, as she calmed down, I reduced the amount of treats she got. It was difficult to shift the criteria that rapidly, but I think I got it right. It helps that I understand her triggers well- last night, fast moving people, loud dogs, and the sound of the teeter were all stressful for her. Understanding that, I was able to use the treats when those things were going on, and then could back off when it was quieter.
By the end of the class, Maisy was pretty relaxed, and was far less jumpy about noise and motion. We even got up and did some light obedience work! I put her in heel position, did pivots, and had her heel on both sides. And she worked beautifully! She was heads-up attentive, completely focused on me, doing ten foot stretches with turns with no treats. She looked like a real obedience dog!!
I was absolutely elated. You know how you feel at trials when you get a really great score, or a new title? It felt like that. I was so proud of her, and just thrilled to see all the hard work I’ve put into her is paying off.
Look out world: Maisy has arrived!
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