UPDATED.
Now we’re gonna see if I can write everything, I’m sure I forgot most of the stuff but… I’ll put some pictures from last winter to get you into the winter mood, since I don’t have any new ones…
Saturday: I was the coordinator of a group of people training area search and tracking with their dogs. We met up in a place I didn’t know with people I didn’t know. I also knew very little about the actual searching and tracking. But, it turned out fine. I went with the area search group, and learnt a lot! Now I know what it’s like. I did some searching with Vazy in leash, releasing her every time she caught the smell of someone. I have done that before, but never with us making a lot of tracks in the area to “confuse” her. So she was tracking back and forth.. I have to practice more.The other people were very experienced and taught me a lot. Afterwards we went to train some obedience, and Vazy was alright, we did the thing that’s not similar as in obedience, the “forward sending” in leash. She’s not really practiced that before, but she runs ahead fast and then she walks for a little bit. But I got some good tips on how to work with this, and how to even shape it with the clicker. Another girl borrowed Aila to do some tracking. But I found out afterwards that it was quite difficult to get her in a good mood without me there, she didn’t really wanna go with them, and then she was unlucky and had some incident with dogs off the leash chasing some horses or something, running over her track, and also making her more insecure. But she did take the track in the end, so no worries…
Sunday: Another area search day. On Sunday I knew the group a bit more, and I also knew more about what had to be done, so it was a lot easier and nicer. Vazy went on last, after all the other dogs. This time I was trying out another technique. That was making sounds. So like that I could release her from the path, and she went searching straight away. I started with everyone playing with her like crazy. Then I went to warm up while the other ones went to hide, on on each side of the path. They hid really well, one down in the ground hidden, so eventhough she started off when hearing the little noise, she ended up searching properly, and really working with her nose to find them. When she found them she’s supposed to want to play with them, but she smelled that they had meatballs, so she just wanted to eat. I sent her out in the same way 4 or maybe 5 times, and she really got the hang of it. The last time I wanted to send her without any noise at all. And I did, but it was too hard. She was searching, but she couldn’t find her. Still, she was working well for a long time until she actually found her, by circling the area in smaller and smaller circles. I want to do the same model a few more times, but with the person hiding the last time (without noise) in an easier place to find. I want her to search like crazy with the little noise, because I know she doesn’t give up, and she will learn how to use her nose, and not go only on the sound (which is only to trigger her interest really), and then put out a person easy to find on the last sending, without the noise. Ofcourse I will have to vary the amounts of times sending with and without noise. I hope to be able to take the noise away completely quite quickly.
Monday: Agiity training. I got there half an hour early so I walked the dogs for a bit, then I took Vazy out to train some obedience. I did it on the agility track, which is quite hard because she loves agility so much that she wants to jump and run instead. First I did some heelwalking with sausages as reward, she was REALLY in the mood and was walking quite far a head, because she just loves sausages now days. I went circling around the track close to the jumps and everything to see if she got disturbed by it. She did once, but then walked on perfectly. It was windy and dark, and some stuff on the track blew away making weird noise. At first she only looked in that direction, but I went there with her, she smelled the thing, and then we continued as if nothing had happened. Afterwards I sent her on the square, and it was PERFECT, from the first sending and 10 times on…. It was a pleasure to see! Ofcourse I’m gonna go and ruin it later on during the week, so I have to work on it today too….
Aila did some agility, and we were only 3 in the group, so I took some time to reward her jumping, and going away from me. It was a turn with three jumps, where she had to go out in a wider circle.. she just didn’t want to do it at first, but I ended up doing it so many times during the night, throwing sausages away from me, that she finally did it fine. I was just reinforcing everything that I normally don’t, like jumps, tunnels, and other stuff. I know I should do it more often, but since we’re mostly training on tracks, it takes too much time to give her treats all the time, so I don’t work on it as much as I should. I should also practice more combinations off track, same as slalom and tunnels, and other stuff. This spring I will try to get better!
Tuesday: I went to train with Åsa on Tuesday. The dogs came with me to uni, waited in the car for a bit, and then I went straight to Åsa’s place. We went for a little walk, then I did some training, and helped Åsa with some stuff. Vazy was alright, but I didn’t have sausages (which was a planned move, I try to use “boring” treats at training, so that she will really want the sausages so bad that she can do anything). We practiced some down-stay, as I’ve done all week. Ofcourse, for Vazy, that is the easiest exercise! Then I did some square work, and she did go straight to the middle, but not with the same speed as monday. So I started throwing balls, ofcourse, once I ruined it all by throwing to the left by accident! Damn me!! After that she didn’t go straight anymore, but with some work I got her back in there and rewarding her a lot. But I was still a bit dissapointed in myself. She had a nice heelwalk, but the retrieve was not the best. She still doesn’t know exactly where to hand it off. I guess I’ll have to work on that this winter. I will also try to go to the vet to take her tooth away, I need to do it! It’s looking quite bad now… Just don’t know how to afford it….. Creditcard?
Aila got to stay in the car after the walk. I’m trying to cut down on her training, and it’s not turning out too good. She’s not as good in general any more, she doesn’t walk next to me as much, and she doesn’t listen as well either. Oh well, it’s gonna have to happen, because I can’t train 5 days a week during the winter!
Wednesday: It was the start of the area search course, and I went like 1,5 hours in advance to have time to do some training before. But hell no, I got stuck in traffic and it took me more than an hour to get to the club, when I turned in to the road leading to the club, there was a huge truck blocking the way. So I had to stay there for another 20 minutes. Argh! No training for us, But Vazy and Aila got to stay with us listening to talk about area search in theory, I wish they could understand what we were saying, then Vazy could do good on the exercise next week. I don’t know if I really have time or MONEY for this course. I want to go quite bad, but I find it difficult to make it…. Because it turns out being training or course 3 days a week, and with my next course at uni, with a lot of reading, it’s gonna be difficult to manage it all. Especially since I have to work extra too ’cause I’m completely broke….. Couldn’t there be more hours in the day, and more energy in my body?… We will see how I make it, I will try to keep it up for as long as I can anyway…
Thursday: Thursday nights will be HI-indoors training night. The first time was super nice! All 10 of us came, and we started talking about heelwalking. It was interesting to hear where everyone was, what their problems was and their ideas how to change it. I’m quite alright with the heelwalking with my two dogs, but ofcourse it’s varying from day to day. Vazy has started to walk a bit too far a head lately, and she has a few minor problems. So does Aila. We got some help and tried out different things. I managed to help the others too, I hope that my tips can get them to move on a bit, not getting stuck.. We will see! Then I tried to practice some square work.. NOT a good idea! The place was small, with dogs all along the sides. Vazy was already quite tired, and quite worried about going too close to the others. Her eyes were darting this way and that during our heelwalk and all as well. Anyway, we put the square up, and I sent her. Ofcourse a dog was tied on the other side (eventhough it was not that close), Vazy was insecure and didn’t wanna go to the square. She did go finally, but just put herself next to a cone. DAMN! Where was the square work from monday?! The whole last week was super as well… Argh, why do I have to ruin it just a few days before the competition.. Anway, I managed to get her to the center, and I rewarded her a lot with treats and play there.. I decided not to do it any more at that time. I started practicing some retrieve instead, same problem as before… She does run quickly to get it, but when she comes back she doesn’t know what to do…. Have to work on that!
With Aila I was working on her heelwalk. She wasn’t as focused as usual, but she thought it was fun. I also had time to practice the square, and it worked brilliantly. I’m so happy about the way I’ve done it, with a small square from the beginning. I got the idea from a friend, Nina, from the beginning when I was competing with Vazy. It has worked so well with Aila. Now I can make it as big as a normal square and she still goes to the middle. Wohoo! She loves it too, thinks it’s so much fun… I also started working with putting the head down when she’s lying down, and has to stay down. I’m gonna shape that. It will be a good idea I think. But she did stay down for 2 minutes when we practiced that.. Why can’t she do that on competition?! I guess she’s more insecure then, because I’m nervous and so on…. Vazy was ofcourse staying down as a statue when we hid for 3 minutes in the cupboard. The other dogs went up, one sitting, the other one moving… She’s really good at that though!
We have different themes every two weeks, working on different exercises. These two weeks being heelwalking, and the next 2 weeks being “down” and so on… I hope I’ll get some help with the retrieve when we get there. Next HI-training we will show where we are with the heelwalk, a bit competition like, everyone watching. I was super happy about the group, and the way we put things together, I think I will learn more than ever this winter!
Friday: I had to work on Friday morning, as I did on Thursday too. It kind of sucked to get up at 5.30 in the morning, since I’m not used to it. I was supposed to have studied for my exam already on Thursday, but ended up sleeping instead. So Friday I had to study. I went with the dogs to my friend Fredrik, and it was nice studying with tea and chocolate. I could see that I acctually knew most of it, I just have to study on minor things. So we ended up hanging out there all day, Mathieu coming after work. It was funny, because Fredrik is a musician, and played some instruments for the dogs. Aila is SOO curious, but scared at the same time. She just stands there, staring, and barking or growling at the same time. Weirdo! It didn’t matter what instrument. Once during the night she got scared of Fredrik, and started barking like crazy. She’s such a wuss!! But after a bit of relaxing and calming down, she decided that he was nice again, and went up to him, getting petted. Weirdo! (again!). We didn’t get home until 11.30 at night, and the dogs got their walks around town during that day.
Today I’m planning on chilling, studying, and taking a nice walk with the dogs (not too long, I want Vazy to be bored!). And then I’m gonna do some “square” exercises with amazing sausages, so that she will remember it in a good way until tomorrow.. Wish me luck, I hope I haven’t ruined all my work, because she was soooooo good at the beginning of the week. Stupid me…
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Later on…
I did try the square, she went straight on it, and stayed in the middle! Phew!! I threw the ball a few times to get some speed, ofcourse I did throw it on the side, so she went a few times to that side, but then it was no reward and I restarted. I had sausages too, she loves that, and when she did it right, she got lots of them… I also had her stay in the middle, when I went to point at all the cones, and then I went and rewarded her again in the middle. She did 80% right I would say, but we finished on several good ones, so I think it’s gonna be alright. The first one, the most important, was really good so….
Ofcourse I brought the camera on thursday, but did I take any pics……….?……. No I didn’t, as usual! Damn me… again…
). Now I’m talking about the first sending ofcourse, because I did some heelwalking and other stuff for maybe 5-7 minutes, and then sent her again, and then it was totally perfect, running like crazy, stopping in the middle, standing and waiting for me to pick her up.
