Adrift

Dog Blog Post #166: I'm feeling a bit adrift at the moment. With puppy class over and nothing "official" lined up until mid-January, the risk that time will just slip by is very great.

For all my lists and charts and graphs (oh, my!) I'm actually not that good at staying motivated on my own... which might explain why I make so many lists and charts and graphs (oh, my!)

I guess that means it's time to make some new plans, starting by planning what should be planned.

• New Training Levels: Henry will continue working on Sue Ailsby's New Training Levels. Level One is essentially finished, so let's try for finishing through Level Two Step Three (although I'm not sure he's up to 1 minute duration activities, so we might have to wait on those) plus 50% of Level Four by the time the next round of classes start.
• Conformation: I really need to call around to see if I can get a private conformation lesson or two lined up. I really need to work on showing for a "judge" (hands-on) and gaiting. If I wanted to, I could show him as early as February. Well have to see about that.
• Photography: The more I do it, the more I love it. I definitely want to continue with Photo of the Week, and will post the "results" on Wordless Wednesday. I want to do more things outside, weather permitting, as well as "Greeting Card" type shots (staged cuteness).
• Enrichment Activities: I had started thinking about this over the summer but got derailed by life. Time to try again.
• Henry's Curriculum: It's time to take Zachary's Curriculum and create Henry's Curriculum from it. I'm thinking much, if not all, will remain the same, but I need to create new copies, buy new binders, and critically reassess what worked and what didn't, etc.
• Field Trips: This probably falls under his Curriculum, but I wanted to call it out specifically to make sure it doesn't get lost.

And don't forget my "support system", which helps keep me motivated:

• Blog - BZ Dog Activities: Must work harder to get the Weekly Worksheet updated on BZ Dog Activities every week, on Monday. Period. I used to be so good about it, but I definitely got out of the habit when we lost Beau. Perhaps I just need to reduce the number of things I list so that I can be more assured of getting things finished!
• Blog - BZ Training: It's usually feast or famine here, but if I think in terms of at least posting on certain days (say, Sunday night - weekend summary and next week plans, Tuesday night - for Wordless Wednesday, and Thursday night - week summery and weekend plans) I might be able to even things out a bit. Or not. It might not even matter.
• Web Site - BZDogs: Poor BZDogs. Just about the time I was getting somewhat familiar with CSS, I lost Beau, and everything came to a screeching halt. It's well past time to pick it up, dust it off, and come up with a true vision for it.
• YouTube - BZFischer: The one place where things are going along reasonably fine!

As Zachary is on a diet, I'm afraid he'll have to be content with some long walks, plenty of play time with his puppy. And non-food games like "Find It!". He loves Find It!

Puppy Preschool

Zachary 8-10 weeks

Dog Blog Post #117: I've decided that Zachary's Primary School Curriculum isn't going to work for One-of-Ten (my placeholder name for my puppy-to-be.)

While I started it when Zachary was a puppy, by the time I got it settled he was practically a dog (well, a teenage dog, but certainly well beyond an eight week old puppy.)

So, back to the planning board I go, trying to determine what is reasonable for a puppy to accomplish -and- what kind of timeline it is reasonable for whatever-it-is to be accomplished in.

Let's see, what do I have to work with?


Yes, I'm thinking as I'm typing.


No, that's probably not a good idea, but I only have so much time...

• Goals and Resolutions tend to sprout at the new year
• I'll be getting One-of-Ten near the end of September
• There are three months between the end of September and the New Year (see mom, all those of years of college weren't a waste after all)

So there you have it. One-of-Ten's Preschool Curriculum will be based on whatever it is I think a puppy can/should learn in three months.

Hmm.... I wonder what a puppy can/should learn in three months?


(That's from 2 months until 5 months (or 8 to 20 weeks) for those playing along at home.)

Wow... That's a really critical time period.

Zachary at 6 weeks

The first 2/3 of that is when they tell you as much socialization with dogs, places, and people as possible should occur. It's also when they tell you to keep puppy far away from all those nasty germs that dogs, places, and people have.

No, I don't understand how to do that either. If someone could explain it, I would be eternally grateful.

The last bit continues the socialization, while building up skills (such as the elusive recall and loose leash) that hopefully will be strong enough to withstand the onslaught of The Terrible Teens, which start somewhere in Month 5 and probably extend well into their first year (although Zachary was really easy and Beau... wasn't.)

Yikes.

This is much to important to leave to random thoughts typed into a blog.

So I will leave you with what I shamelessly stole from Wikipedia under "Preschool Education" as the Development Areas for a human child:

• Personal, social, economical, and emotional development
• Communication, including talking and listening
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Creative and aesthetic development
• Educational software
• Mathematical awareness and development
• Physical development
• Playing
• Self-help skills
• Social skills

I'm thinking there is enough there to work with, especially given all the puppy books I have laying about, Stitch's Blog (which I am heartily enjoying! I'm on Week 17) and a new puppy book I just ordered that is on its way ("The Focused Puppy: A Training System for Raising a GREAT Companion and Performance Dog" by Deborah Jones PhD and Judy Keller).

So much to do, with Puppy Preparations and all, and yet I know if I wait to plan out his first few weeks/months until One-of-Ten actually arrives, it will never get done.

Training "Stuff"

This past weekend I broke down and purchased two sturdy 18 gallon Rubbermaid containers (henceforth known as boxes) to put my Canine Homeschooling "stuff" into, having discovered said stuff has migrated pretty much all over the house.

I know Human Homeschooler's of young children are instructed to assemble a variety of cheap items that can be used for a variety of things (think: crayons, pasta shapes, aluminum foil, paper plates, and plastic cups...) that can be turned into things for counting, measuring, building, stringing, decorating, etc.

So I'm thinking the same holds for the Canine Homeschooler...

... but what to put in the boxes?

Right now they contain:

Bigs Box (so called because it contains bigger things)

• Two mats (for lying on)
• 1 basket (for carrying)
• 1 dozen cheap, flimsy, kiddie soccer cones
• 1 paper bag full of scrunched up paper wads (not shown)
• 1 square magnetic white board (for planning Rally courses)

Smalls Box (yup, the home of smaller things)

• 1 Empty, never used, gallon-size paint can containing...
• 1 small 8" plastic tube dog toy (for teaching Hold)
• 1 telescoping clicker (Look At This)
• 2 cheap paint brushes (Hold)
• 3 Empty, never used, pint-sized paint cans (Shell Game)
• 3 never used small plant pots (Shell Game)
• 1 canvas bumper (Retrieve)
• 6 small disposable plastic lids in zippered pouch (Scenting)
• 4 bigger kiddie plates (I haven't a clue, but they were just $.99 each)
• 4 small kiddie bowls (I haven't a clue, but they were also just $.99 each)
• 4 canning rings in zippered pouch (should be 12 but I haven't found the rest)
• 4 sturdy coasters in zippered pouch (Touch)
• 2 packs of cheap white paper (for scrunching)

Things lurking yet unfound in the house:

• 3 gloves (Retrieve)
• 1 dumbbell shaped toy (Retrieve)

The boxes are stacked on atop the other, and on top of them are a stack of empty soda boxes (moved from the top of the fridge) for "Find It!". Shoved between the boxes and the wall is small pine board (1"x8"x18") for Contacts.

... and that's it.

In truth, the mats could be stacked on the boxes as well, leaving me one nearly empty box and one about half full.

That's it? 

Well, the dog toys have their own basket, the dog books go in the bookcase, the dog bones (food, treats) go in the kitchen cupboard, the dog adornments (collars, scarves, coats, boots) and other dog necessities and frivolities (meds, records, pictures, etc.) also have their own locations.

So... yeah, that's it.

But shouldn't there be more?

Well, you would think so. I'm thinking there should be:

• a variety of things to:
• find
• hold
• retrieve
• touch
• things to make picture taking fun (costumes and props)
• things to use for Learning Games (but what???)
• etc.

But I'm just not sure what those things should be.

So, if anyone has any thoughts for what should go in a "Canine Homeschooling Box", things that I can mix and match and have some fun with, things that can be used for "Enrichment Activities", things that every Canine Homschooler shouldn't be without, feel free to share!

Canine Enrichment?

I don't hear much about Enrichment with regards to domestic (pet) animals. Perhaps that is because we assume they are already enriched with our presence(?) or at least by being in our homes, although we do talk about enriching children's learning and experiences...

I tried to look up the definition for Enrichment (as in Behavioral Enrichment or Enrichment Activity) and found:

Enrichment is “… a process for improving or enhancing animal environments and care within the context of their inhabitants’ behavioral biology and natural history. It is a dynamic process in which changes to structures and husbandry practices are made with the goal of increasing behavioral choices available to animals and drawing out their species-appropriate behaviors and abilities, thus enhancing animal welfare (AZA/BAG 1999)."

(I kept looking...)

Enrichment is an "animal husbandry principle that seeks to enhance the quality of captive animal care by identifying and providing the environmental stimuli necessary for optimal psychological and physiological wellbeing" Shepherdson, D.J. (1998)

(Right... ummm... perhaps we should just move on...)

Wikipedia, ever practical, says "Most enrichment stimulus can be divided into six groups" and lists them as:

• Sensory: visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile, and taste
• Feeding: Different methods of food presentation encourage animals to think and work for their food as they would in the wild
• Manipulative Toys: items that can be manipulated in some way via hands, feet, tail, horns, head, mouth etc. simply for investigation and exploratory play
• Environmental: enhance the animals' zoo habitat with opportunities that change or add complexity to the environment
• Social: the opportunities to interact with other animals
• Training: training animals with positive reinforcement

... and if you go browsing on various Zoo web sites you'll often find a page that lists various animals' enrichment programs, or how enrichment is done. Disney has a nice site for the average reader, including some simple examples (like THIS ONE for an Anteater.)

Ok - enough background, what about my captive animals (the four-footed ones)?

• Sensory: I think they really love the texture/hardness/give of the Lacrosse balls, the softness of the woolie toys, plus they get to play "Find it!" every day.
• Feeding: They certainly get a large variety of foods, from kibble to cookies to carrots. Peanut butter is a crowd pleaser, as are hot dogs, deli-chicken, and cottage choose. But the mode of feeding isn't at all imaginative (bowl/fingers) and has nothing to do with "the wild".
• Manipulative Toys: They have plush toys that they love to carry around, toys they like to find, toys they get to eat (chewies), toys to chew (Lacrosse balls make AWESOME chew toys), and toys for playing tug. They get to rip apart boxes/bags (frequently!) and sometimes I put things into the boxes/bags to make it even more fun.
• Environmental: Their environment is my environment, but as they don't use a computer, watch TV, or have their own set of earbuds, their environment is probably lacking. There is a yard, which they are free to go into, but other than to get rid of the zoomies they rarely go there. They do get walked a couple miles each day, but that's about it. 
• Social: So long as human's count, we're good. These are house dogs, who live and sleep with us. Plus they have each other for company, and they really do seem to enjoy being and playing together. They also get out to the pet store and sometimes to meetings or classes.
• Training: Yes! They love training (class) time, and they get at least 5 "formal" sessions a week. They also get countless mini-sessions as an excuse to toss them a cookie.

If I was to give myself a grade?

• Sensory: C
• Feeding: C-
• Manipulative Toys: B-
• Environmental: C
• Social: A
• Training: A-/B+

Obviously, there is much room for improvement...

Speaking of Enrichment - below is the Word Cloud (using Wordle) for my previous post, "Find It!". Words like "boxes, squirrel, hiding, hunter, squeaky, and activity" give me hope...

Find It!

"Find it!" is one of the boys' favorite games. We play it every day at lunch, each dog getting three "finds" of the beloved Squeaky Squirrel (which replaced long-suffering Duck (of Duck Zen fame.))

Beau hunts first (of course) in the Living Room, while Zachary gets the back bedroom. I'd like to do it the other way around, since Beau is a much better hunter and the bedroom affords more hiding opportunities, but Beau gets... animated... while watching Zachary hunting.

As the Living room is visible from the Holding Area, and Zachary is a less then stellar hunter (ie: takes forever) and we happen to like our neighbors, we keep things the way they are.

Yesterday, in my quest to enrich their Enrichment Activities, I pulled down our relatively large collection (eight) of empty soda boxes which we carefully store (or precariously perch, depending on whether they avalanche on you) atop the refrigerator.

They are there so that we can toss one to the dogs every so often to give them something to rip up (Yet Another Enrichment Activity.) It's also fun to show them a ball, drop it inside a box, crimp down the top, and then give them box. To see their frantic shredding of the hapless box, you would think the ball was suffocating in there.

Today, while Beau was hiding in a sit-stay, well out of sight, I took the entire collection of boxes (all eight) and spread them out on the Living room floor. I added a couple brown paper bags to the mix, stuffed Squeaky Squirrel in one of the boxes, and called "Find it!"

I sometimes wonder about the intelligence of my dogs - both purebreds from a breed believed to be reasonably smart. For the past four (yes, four) years I have been playing "Find it!" with Beau - and over the course of those years I've hidden the Treasured Object (at the moment, the above mentioned Squeaky Squirrel) under pillows, sofas, behind curtains, on shelves, tucked into blankets, behind boards, in baskets, in heaps of laundry, in the bed, under the bed, on top of dog crates, inside boots, I've stuffed it behind/on top/and under hubby and son, I even tucked it under my shirt once and wandered around the room (really had him going with that one!)

But in all those years - for thousands of "Find It!"s - there has never been a pile of boxes mysteriously deposited in the middle of the Living Room floor.

Ever.

Don't you think he would be at least a little bit suspicious????

Nope, not my boy.

He came roaring into the room, practically fell over the boxes, sniffed the first one as he ran by and then proceeded to check out the Usual Places - carefully picking his way through the maze of boxes to do so.

(sigh)

Meanwhile, Zachary, who had seen the whole hiding process from the Holding Area, was practically beside himself with excitement, making noises I never knew a dog could make (any higher in pitch and I'd have been sweeping up broken glass.)

Finally, the Usual Places searched and double searched (Beau is a very thorough hunter) he decided to explore the boxes. He did redeem himself slightly by finding it in short order, but still - I have to say I was more than a little surprised by his lack of initial curiosity about the cardboard chaos I had created.

After that find the boxes were retired, Beau had his two more "normal" finds, and the dogs switched places. With Zachary in a sit-stay (who am I kidding, I'm sure he slumped as soon as turned the corner) I proceeded to dump the boxes and bags back onto the floor, stuffed the Squirrel into a bag this time, and called "Find It!"

Zachary, a credit to his breed, went straight to work snuffling the boxes and bags, and while he took a bit longer to find the right container, at least he knew to look in the containers!

Anyway, needless to say a good time was had by all and this Enrichment Activity received two very big paws up.

Gold Stars

(Editors Note: Yes, I know I'm only on Step 4 of 7 in our problem solving process, but I can only take so many days of this soul searching stuff before I need to do something concrete.)

One of the items in the "My Action Items" section of my List of 100 ways to make class fun for the dogs was:

#76 Ask other people how they keep training fun

... and so I did. I posted my question on July 15 (Thursday) to the Training Levels Yahoo! group and boy they come through with some really great ideas.

Some great implementable ideas.

As I'm not really sure the "public domainess" of such conglomerations of peoples ideas from a group, I will not dump the summary here (if you are just dying to know you can always join the group and search for it: "Lack of Enthusiasm - Summary") but I do feel pretty safe in pointing them out as I try them:

1. Movement: I have been sprinkling spins, weaves through legs, walking backward,... etc. during training time and I've been seeing good results. Both dogs love that sort of thing and just a few seconds of it (with clicks and treats, of course!) is a noticeable pick-me-up for both of them.
2. A new training book: I went to the bookstore today (one of my favoritest places in the whole wide world) and picked up: How Dogs Think - What the world looks like to them and why they act the way they do and How to Speak Dog, both by Stanley Coren. Who knows, maybe if I get inspired enough I'll try my hand writing a book review. Or not. (Click images to see details on dogwise.)
   
   
   
   
3. Start with something easy and end with something easy: Sounded good to me, and was really easy to do!
4. Create a Gold Star calendar for days trained: Another low-hanging fruit idea that worked out exceptionally well since the local office supply store had several varieties of cheap calendars that actually run July-Jun (who'd a thunk it - must be for school?) Even better, the pages are tear-off, so I stuck the current month in my clear clip-folder of Weekly Worksheets. I made it last, turning it so it "looks" out the clear back cover. I bought some little sparkly gold stars to mark items completed, and sparkly rainbow-colored happy faces for days trained. Awwww... I will admit my track record for keeping calendars up-to-date is extremely poor, except for the one I keep at work, so we'll see how long this actually lasts. I'm thinking of adding a Calendar page to this blog, but I'm having trouble imagining anyone cares but me, and I have the original so I don't need it on line.

... and I guess that just about does it. For now!

List of 100 - Sorted

... And the same list of 100 ways to make class fun for the dogs, grouped into broad categories.

Add Fun
  10. Include activities they enjoy
  14. Include games they like
  15. Include fetch
  16. Include tug
  17. Include some competition
  19. Add water (for Zachary)
  20. Add scenting (for Beau)
  22. Include interaction with me

  23. [Include] Rapid motions

  24. ... like spins

  25. ... or chasing
  26. Add finding things
  31. Include toys
  43. Include things they already know how to do
  44. Include things "just for fun" (tricks)
  87. Incorporate more "life" rewards

Replace Boring
   1. Use a variety of cookies
   2. Have action activities
  12. Use different props
  39. Break "boring" stuff into bits and work on them separately
  32. Have a toy box just for training time
  33. Have a special reward at the end of training
  38. Try many different warm-up activities
  54. Come up with creative distractions
  69. Try to make a game for every activity
  70. Make games that work on bits of boring things
  72. Create a freestyle "routine" to work on heeling (ie: to music)

Mental Stimulation
  66. Include thinking games
  67. Challenge their minds
  68. Include problem solving (ball in the box) activities

Class Environment
  11. Hold class in various locations
  18. Go outside
  35. Train at the pet store
  36. Train in the park
  37. Rent Wendy's yard
  41. Have stations in various rooms of the house and moving from station to station during one training session
  63. Create a class room
  73. Bring in outside things to augment training

Class Pacing
   3. Less quiet/down time
   7. Don't do anything for too long
   8. Be organized before I start
   9. Keep the waiting dog waiting for less time
  21. Reduce distractions
  28. Shorter training for a particular thing but more time overall
  29. Swap the dogs more frequently
  46. Don't let the camera slow things down

Class Structure
  27. Include other people in the family
  30. Train them together
  34. Train with a friend
  47. Incorporate more of what I want to train in everyday activities
  49. Break it up into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions (2-3 minutes each)
  50. Ask for behaviors right before something they want (like a walk)
  71. Take a day off and do nothing but fun/known things
  78. Give the non-working dog something to do while waiting
  85. Stick with at least 5 days a week

Class Content
   6. Don't do the same thing every day
  13. Make the exercises look different
  42. Turn on lively music (Stars and Stripes forever!)  45. Don't try to do too many things at once
  52. Spread out things they don't like so we aren't working on more than one at a time
  65. Include "harder" things so they have to think
  88. Include training of behaviors that will allow them to do things they would really enjoy
  94. Finish behaviors so they can show them off - they love the attention!
  96. Have a "recital" once a week for family - they love the attention!

Class Instruction
   4. Keep the lesson understandable
   5. Reduce frustration
  40. Understand what I'm training before I try to train it
  48. Have son do some training
  56. Try different approaches to explaining something to them
  57. Keep track of what works and what doesn't (to avoid the first and do more of the later.)
  64. Throw a party when they succeed
  74. If something isn't working, stop doing it
  75. If something is working, do more of it
  81. Work with their instincts
  89. Fun in contagious - figure out what I enjoy and include that too
  95. Show off things trained to family - they love the attention!

General Thoughts
  53. Be enthused about things they don't like (maybe it'll be contagious)
  59. Don't get upset when things don't go well
  60. Don't wrap my self-worth up in their success/failure
  61. Don't focus on the negative, focus on the positive
  79. Show more enthusiasm for small successes
  80. Be genuine with praise
  84. Be more fun to be around during training
  86. Don't blame them if they don't learn something - it's the instructors fault
  90. Remember that they want to please - it's my job to see they are successful
  91. Punt early if something is obviously not working
  92. Don't give up on something too soon, give it time to work
  93. Push through "the wall" (90% done, and holding)
  97. Don't be the teacher you hated in school
  98. Do be the teacher you loved in school
  99. Don't compare the dogs
 100. Don't try to train them the same way

My Action Items
  51. Figure out their learning style (is there a list of dog learning styles?) and try to accommodate them
  55. Come up with creative training methods
  58. Check YouTube for ideas about making training fun
  62. Create a sign that says "My Dogs are the Best" and hang it up where I can see it when class starts
  76. Ask other people how they keep training fun
  77. Find a training partner for Zachary
  82. Figure out what their instincts really are!
  83. Watch how they play together and see if I can use some of those behaviors during training time
 101. Discover what motivates them, and use it
 102. Discover what is demotivating, and avoid it

List of 100

Continuing on our problem solving quest...

Problem: In what ways might I improve class (training) so both the dogs and I will enjoy what we are working on and I will remain enthusiastic about reaching my goals.

Step 3: Analyze the Problem

Let's try the List of 100 way...

100 Ways to make class fun for the dogs...

1. Use a variety of cookies
2. Have action activities
3. Less quiet/down time
4. Keep the lesson understandable
5. Reduce frustration
6. Don't do the same thing every day
7. Don't do anything for too long
8. Be organized before I start
9. Keep the waiting dog waiting for less time
10. Include activities they enjoy
11. Hold class in various locations
12. Use different props
13. Make the exercises look different
14. Include games they like
15. Include fetch
16. Include tug
17. Include some competition
18. Go outside
19. Add water (for Zachary)
20. Add scenting (for Beau)
21. Reduce distractions
22. Include interaction with me
23. Rapid motions
24. ... like spins
25. ... or chasing
26. Add finding things
27. Include out people in the family
28. Shorter training for a particular thing but more time overall
29. Swap the dogs more frequently
30. Train them together
31. Include toys
32. Have a toy box just for training time
33. Have a special reward at the end of training
34. Train with a friend
35. Train at the pet store
36. Train in the park
37. Rent Wendy's yard
38. Try many different warm-up activities
39. Break "boring" stuff into bits and work on them separately
40. Understand what I'm training before I try to train it
41. Have stations in various rooms of the house and moving from station to station during one training session
42. Turn on lively music (Stars and Stripes forever!)
43. Include things they already know how to do
44. Include things "just for fun" (tricks)
45. Don't try to do too many things at once
46. Don't let the camera slow things down
47. Incorporate more of what I want to train in everyday activities
48. Have son do some training
49. Break it up into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions (2-3 minutes each)
50. Ask for behaviors right before something they want (like a walk)
51. Figure out their learning style (is there a list of dog learning styles?) and try to accommodate them
52. Spread out things they don't like so we aren't working on more than one at a time
53. Be enthused about things they don't like (maybe it'll be contagious)
54. Come up with creative distractions
55. ... creative training methods
56. ... try different approaches to explaining something to them
57. Keep track of what works and what doesn't (to avoid the first and do more of the later.
58. Check YouTube for ideas about making training fun
59. Don't get upset when things don't go well
60. Don't wrap my self-worth up in their success/failure
61. Don't focus on the negative, focus on the positive
62. Create a sign that says "My Dogs are the Best" and hang it up where I can see it when class starts
63. Create a class room
64. Throw a party when they succeed
65. Include "harder" things so they have to think
66. Include thinking games
67. Challenge their minds
68. Include problem solving (ball in the box) activities
69. Try to make a game for every activity
70. Make games that work on bits of boring things
71. Take a day off and do nothing but fun/known things
72. Create a freestyle "routine" to work on heeling (ie: to music)
73. Bring in outside things to augment training
74. If something isn't working, stop doing it
75. If something is working, do more of it
76. Ask other people how they keep training fun
77. Find a training partner for Zachary
78. Give the non-working dog something to do while waiting
79. Show more enthusiasm for small successes
80. Be genuine with praise
81. Work with their instincts
82. ... figure out what their instincts really are!
83. Watch how they play together and see if I can use some of those behaviors during training time
84. Be more fun to be around during training
85. Stick with at least 5 days a week
86. Don't blame them if they don't learn something - it's the instructors fault
87. Incorporate more "life" rewards
88. Include training of behaviors that will allow them to do things they would really enjoy
89. Fun in contagious - figure out what I enjoy and include that too
90. Remember that they want to please - it's my job to see they are successful
91. Punt early if something is obviously not working
92. Don't give up on something too soon, give it time to work
93. Push through "the wall" (90% done, and holding)
94. Finish behaviors so they can show them off - they love the attention!
95. Show off things trained to family - they love the attention!
96. Have a "recital" once a week for family - they love the attention!
97. Don't be the teacher you hated in school
98. Do be the teacher you loved in school
99. Don't compare the dogs
100. Don't try to train them the same way
101. Discover what motivates them, and use it
102. Discover what is demotivating, and avoid it

Problem Solving (was Ambition)

Editors Note: No, the above photo has nothing to do with this post - but after much angst (bleeding out onto these pages) Beau finally passed Training Levels Four Contacts and I just had to share! Just don't ask how Zachary is doing...

As a refresher, here are our problem solving steps from "The Happy Manager":

• Find the right problem to solve
• Define the problem
• Analyze the Problem
• Develop Possibilities
• Select the Best Solution
• Implement
• Evaluate and Learn

This is what I have so far:

Step 1: Find the right problem to solve

• Lack of progress toward goals.

Step 2: Define the problem

Continuing on...

Looking over yesterday's answers to The Happy Manager's questions, I feel the following subset best defines the problem:

• I want to be making verifiable progress toward my goals
• I have been having difficulty motivating myself to work on the things on my [goals] list
• Class time is no longer fun (for me) but work.
• I want to work on fun stuff, but know I should be working on "real" things (like duration activities, Training Levels things, etc.) and even the fun stuff I have on my list just doesn't seem that much fun lately.
• [I want to] see the boys enjoying themselves learning new things.
• [I want to] realistically enter Zachary in a Rally trial this fall.
• [ The problem began when ]I fell out of the training habit/rut and haven't found the rhythm again.
• I want to return to the happy way I used to feel after class time, when I could cross things off the list or watch the videos I made, and know that progress was made.

Now I just need to create a problem statement out of that. I did a bit more googling, and came across Einstein's Secret to Amazing Problem Solving, which had several useful nuggets, including:

• Find Multiple Perspectives (my POV, the dog's POV,...)
• Assume a myriad of solutions: "In what ways might I..."
• Make it positive
• ... and they even suggested a formula for the stuck: “In what ways (action) (object) (qualifier) (end result)?” as in "In what ways might I package (action) my book (object) more attractively (qualifier) so people will buy more of it (end result)?"

THEREFORE, keeping all the above in mind, here is my problem statement:

• In what ways might I improve class (training) so both the dogs and I will enjoy what we are working on and I will remain enthusiastic about reaching my goals.

Whew!

Ambition (part 2)

As a refresher from yesterday, here are our problem solving steps from "The Happy Manager":

• Find the right problem to solve
• Define the problem
• Analyze the Problem
• Develop Possibilities
• Select the Best Solution
• Implement
• Evaluate and Learn

This is what I have so far:

Step 1: Find the right problem to solve

• Lack of progress toward goals.

Continuing on...

Step 2: Define the problem

Remember, the Happy Manager says: "The secret to defining the problem, is really about attitude. Try to see every problem as an opportunity."

They also provide a Question Checklist to Investigate Problems - and that is what we are going to do today.

Not sure what to make of the Opportunity comment, but I can following a checklist, so here goes:

What

• What (exactly) do I want to achieve? 
• I want to be making verifiable progress toward my goals.
• What are the facts? 
• I have been having difficulty motivating myself to work on the things on my list.
• Productivity is down. 
• Class time is down. 
• The boys seem to be having difficulty with the latest things, but I'm pretty sure it's how I'm teaching them and not any problem on their end. 
• Class time is no longer fun (for me) but work. 
• I want to work on fun stuff, but know I should be working on "real" things (like duration activities, Training Levels things, etc.) and even the fun stuff I have my list just doesn't seem that much fun lately.
• What would happen if no decision was made or solution found? 
• I will loose momentum, fall out of the training rut, and nothing will happen at all.
• What do I need in order to find a solution?
• I need to understand why the wheels feel off!

Why

• Why do I want to achieve a solution? 
• So class time can be fun again. 
• So I can see the boys enjoying themselves learning new things. 
• So I can realistically enter Zachary in a Rally trial this fall.
• Why did the problem or opportunity arise? 
• Perhaps because we moved on to hard things? 
• Or things that take longer? 
• Or possibly because I fell out of the training habit/rut and haven't found the rhythm again.
• Why do I need to find a solution or way forward at all? 
• Because if I don't I'm afraid I'll quit working toward my goals. 
• Because there aren't any classes around here that I can enter Zachary in, and I want him to keep learning. 
• Because they are both smart dogs and I hate to see them bored.
• Ask 5 Whys: 
• Hmmm... not sure what to do with this one at the moment...

How

• How will the situation be different? 
• (I'm guessing this means compare the current situation with the "solved" situation) I want to return to the happy way I used to feel after class time, when I could cross things off the list or watch the videos I made, and know that progress was made.
• How relevant is the information I am gathering? n/a
• How can I find out more? n/a
• How can I involve relevant people? 
• The dog groups are both good sources of input, if I can pinpoint a particular (relevant) problem.

Where

• Where did the issue arise? 
• At home.
• Where does it impact? 
• Both at home and On The Road, I guess.
• Is the "where" important? 
• Not for the problem, although possibly for the solution.
• If so, why? 
• Perhaps a change of venue will put a spark back into things?

Who

• Who am I trying to please? 
• Me, me, and... uh... well... me!
• Who cares about this situation? Who is affected? 
• No one cares at all but me. No one is affected but me.
• Who is involved (information, help, action)? 
• The dog groups might be a source of information and/or help.
• Who needs to be informed? n/a

When

• When did the issue arise? 
• This spring, during the time Zachary was taking the CGC class, when my son was playing Lacrosse, and during Finals. I believe we also started Training Levels Four around that time.
• When do we need to act? 
• The sooner the better!
• By when must be resolved? 
• The sooner the better!

... you know, after all that, I actually think I have a germ of an idea - but this post is already too long and the boys await, so it will have to wait until tomorrow.

TO BE CONTINUED

Ambition

Merriam-Webster defines ambition as "an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power" and a "desire to achieve a particular end."

While the first definition might apply to a subset of Canine Educators, those striving for titles or placements, I'm definitely not one of them and the sort of ambition I'm talking about here falls under the second definition: a desire to achieve a particular end.

Now, I generally believe that ambition is a good thing. Ambition keeps us heading toward our goals, even when our lives are too busy, the conditions adverse, and the work is hard. But there is a negative side to ambition - and not just the sort that was portrayed so well in the 80's movie Wall Street.

I believe that ambition turns from good to bad when we become so focused on the act of accomplishing something that we loose sight of why we are trying to accomplish it.

... which leads up to the topic of today:

If anyone has been watching the Weekly Worksheets over the last few months, they will probably have noticed two things:

1. I'm not making much headway on many of the items there
2. The number of subjects/activities I'm trying to cover has been slowly increasing

(In case there is any confusion on the matter: more stuff plus less done does not equal success.)

If recognizing there is a problem is the first step towards solving it, then consider step one accomplished: "Houston, we have a problem."

Googling "steps to solving a problem" turned up this list, from "The Happy Manager":

1. Find the right problem to solve
2. Define the problem
3. Analyze the Problem
4. Develop Possibilities
5. Select the Best Solution
6. Implement
7. Evaluate and Learn

(... actually it turned up lots of lists like this, but I liked this one the best because of the first item. It does no good to create a solution to a problem until you are sure you have the right problem.)

Step 1: Find the right problem to solve

Let's go with: Lack of progress toward goals.

I think it is important to emphasis "progress" here, as that's what seems to be lacking. I do not believe this is an attainability, capability, or trainability problem. While my goals might be overly ambitious for me, given how much time I have available, the worst that should happen is that I fail to accomplish some of them, not this dead-in-the-water syndrome I seem to be stuck in.


Step 2: Define the problem

... and here Happy Manager notes: "The secret to defining the problem, is really about attitude. Try to see every problem as an opportunity."

Right.

Huh?

Back to the Happy Manager I go, and find yet another page with yet more questions to answer.

Alas, as this post is already getting a bit long, I have much to ponder, and the dogs' vacant expressions suggests time spent on the computer isn't helping their education (or my progress) one bit.

TO BE CONTINUED

Preemptive Strike

Zachary doesn't like thuds, thumps or banging noises coming from outside. Period. He responds to such noises with a series of Gatling gun barks, with a growl thrown in every now and then for good measure.

Beau couldn't care less if there were thuds, thumps, or banging noises outside, but will dutifully back up his housemate with his heavy Howitzer bark.

Since fireworks falls under the category of "bangs", and I didn't care to have my house sounding like a war zone Sunday night, I figured a preemptive strike was in order.

So shortly before the rockets were due to launch, I tuned to the PBS channel on TV (fortuitously replaying the National fireworks display backed by patriotic marching band songs and the 1812 Overture - an advantage to living on the west coast) and cranked it up really loud. Then I pulled out the cookies, and proceeded to march around the house with a pair of oblivious Golden Retrievers marching along right beside me.

We had a grand time.

I have never done much heeling with both of them at the same time, but that night I gave it a try. It was a riot. We were marching forwards, backwards(!), and I was flinging cookies left and right.

Then I switched to some glove retrieves. Two dogs, two gloves at 20' - on your mark... get set... Bring!

Zachary was the clear winner, paws down, and when things slowed down because Uncle Beau isn't the fastest retriever in the west, Zachary "helped" by grabbing the glove from Uncle Beau and quick-timing it back to me.

I'm not sure if either of them learned a darned thing, but there were lots of laughs (from me) lots of cookies (for them) and nary a bark to be heard.

I guess you could say that all was quiet on the western front...

... well, except for "Stars and Strips Forever" blaring away in the background.

Unit Studies

(Just when you thought I couldn't possibly rip off anything more from child homeschooling...)

The world of Homeschooling is a seemingly endless supply of wonderful ideas just begging to applied to our four-legged family members.

Take, for example, Unit Studies.

Now, I'll be honest here, perhaps I grew up in too dark a cave, but until I pulled a Homeschooling book off the Library shelves, I'd never even heard of the term before.

Wikipedia doesn't have much to offer (CLICK HERE to be unimpressed.) An internet search wasn't much more useful. THIS ONE seemed to do as good a job as any, although it lacks an example. Here's one with an EXAMPLE, although you'll need to scroll down a bit to find it.

Of course, none of it has anything to do with dogs.

But it could.

A Unit Study appears to be no more than taking a single theme and learning about it in a variety of subjects, all at the same time. So if you were to teach a Dogs Unit Study, you might take your child to a Guide Dog school as a Field Trip, watch a video about War Dogs for History, study mammal anatomy using a dog as your model for Science, read a classic dog story for English (and write a report),  do math with pieces of kibble, and draw a picture of dog for Art...

... or something like that.

But that's for kids, and this blog is supposed to be about dogs...

Right.

So, I have decorated this post with three different images of three different ways to approach a Unit Study for dogs.

For one, I have taking a Training Levels approach, and grouped the behaviors so they would fit on a page. You might try to come up with an On The Road activity that would incorporate whatever items you were working on (a Loose Leash walk to the park, doing a Sit at each street corner, Zen past any trash you might find, Distance around the stop sign poles, Recall once you get there... etc.)

For another, I use the six "subjects" I like for a Curriculum approach. In that case you might pick something like "Birthdays" as your Unit Study. You might take a field trip to the Bakery, practice Calm in Car while driving there (for Family Member), sitting for petting (outside the bakery) for Citizenship, no surfing off the coffee table (after you put the cake on it), Sit and Stay (Core Studies) for a greeting-card picture (Extracurricular Activity), followed by a few quick tricks to entertain whoever might be there (Just For Fun).

Finally, there's what I'll call (for now) the Learning approach, which is mostly composed of the different ways I could think of to help a dog to learn something. While I actually think that this one might have the most potential, since it would teach something in the broadest terms from the dogs perspective, I also know I don't have it right (as in, I don't actually know all the ways a dog learns) and I also can't think of a simple example of how/when I would use it... indicating (again) there is still work to be done on what's in it.

So there you have it - Unit Studies that are finally going to the dogs, instead of just being about them.

(As always, click on any image to see it larger)

Drills - Examples

You may recall I babbled about Drills the other day...

Well, now I have a few examples of what I'm thinking of. Nothing fancy, mind you, nothing overly original (sigh), but at least a hint as to what is bumping around in my head.

I just know there have to be lots of these out there, somewhere, but my google searches have come up empty. I would like to create a nice little binder of these kinds of short "training warm-ups" (I like that term better), perhaps laminate some cards, so that at the start of a Homeschooling class session, or when things are dragging, I can just pull one out and get the boys moving and engaged.

At least, that's the thought.

(Truth in advertising: I'm kinda jumping the gun posting these now, because with the exception of "Find Me" (a classic) I haven't actually tried any of them... yet... but I will!)

As a reminder, here's what I thought made a good drill/warm-up (after watching my son's Lacrosse training):

• Well Organized
• Clear Goals
• Short Cycles
• Fast Pace
• Less Talk, More Action
• Competitive/Cooperative
• Positive, Immediate Feedback

(And yes, I also know I'm missing Summary descriptions on my examples, but these are just Proof-of-Concepts at this point.)

-------------

Warm-up Name: Target Tag

Summary: TBD

Skills: Target/Touch

Equipment: 2 Targets (mousepads are nice since they don't tend to slip, but you can use anything the dog knows how to target: plastic lids, Easy Buttons, place mats, bits of cardboard, etc.)

Instructions:

1. Place Targets 10' apart and stand between them
2. Cue the dog to touch the Target on your left, click, and drop the reward between your feet.
3. Immediately repeat with the target on your right.

Repeat 2-3 times

Variations:

Try a variety of Targets

• A. Once the dog learns the rules, slowly back away 2-3 feet from the center (forming the tip of a triangle with the targets as the other two points)
• B. Once the dog is good at (A), reward by tossing the treat onto the other target. See if you can get the dog to run from target to target.
• C. Once the dog is good at (B), start the dog in one target, send to the second and either reward at your feet or back on the first target.

-------------

Warm-up Name: Find Me

Summary:

Skills: Sit, Come, (Stay)

Equipment: None

Instructions:

1. Put the dog in a sit-stay, go to another room and hide
2. Call the dog and reward when he finds you.

Repeat, leaving the dog in that room and going into another

Variations:

• For dogs without a Stay:
• Drop a few cookies and quickly hide while the dog is eating
• For dogs without an out-of-sight Stay
• Hide in the same room
• Hide just around the wall and call immediately
• Hide in plain sight in the other room
• Leave the dog in a Down
• Leave the dog in a Stand

-------------

Warm-up Name: Basic Obedience #1

Summary:

Skills: Sit, Down, Heel

Equipment: 2 Cones (or other place indicating marker)

Instructions:

1. Set up Cones (A and B) 10-12' apart.
2. Start at Cone A. Cue the dog to sit
3. As soon as the dog sits, hurry to Cone B, encouraging your dog to go with you.
4. Once at Cone B, Cue the dog to down
5. As soon as the dog is down, hurry back to Cone A, again encouraging your dog to go with you.

Repeat 1-2 more times

Variations:

• If your dog has a good Heel, have them Heel with you as your hurry/fast pace/run between Cones.
• Switch up Sits and Downs at random
• Cue the dog to Stay, start toward the Cone, and then cue the dog to Cone - see how much of a head start you need to beat him to the Cone (you may need to move the Cones further apart)

Homeschooling - Planning Guide

You may recall the other day, that I was bemoaning the dearth of Homeschooling Workshops out there.

One of the things I would like to see most is the Canine Homeschooling Curriculum Planning Guide that would almost certainly be handed out on Day One - a guide that would help me figure out the things my particular dogs should be taught. It would include questionnaires and lists of ideas to help create your dog's personalized Curriculum, pointers to helpful programs (like Sue Ailsby's truly wonderful Training Levels) plus all the paraphernalia needed to plan out their studies and keep track of their progress.

Such things exist for Homeschooler's of Humans, why not for Canines?

Using what I've already done, and what I saw on Human Homeschooler's sites, I could picture it looking something like this:

============================================================
Canine Homeschooling Curriculum Planning Guide

Introduction

• Family Pet vs. Family Member
• Why Homeschooling?
• What a Curriculum is (and is not!)

Overview

• Core Studies
(What every dog should know: Sit, Down, Come...)
• Family Member
(Developing a dog you can live with)
• Citizenship
(Developing a dog welcome in society)
• Extracurricular Activities
(Organized/Purposeful Fun)
• Just For Fun

Getting Started

• Long-Term Goals
(The big picture - where are you headed?)
• Curriculum Definition
(The big plan - what do you need to do to reach those goals?)
• Reality Check
(Can you get there from here?)

Basic Planning Guides

• Monthly Lesson Planner
• Weekly Lesson Planner

Additional Planning Guides

• Unit Studies Planner
• Projects Planner
• Learning Activities Planner
• Field Trips Planner

Basic Planning Templates

• Long-Term Goals Form
• Yearly Goals Form
• Monthly Manager Form
• Weekly Worksheet Form

Additional Planning Templates

• Project Form
• Activity Form
• Performance Schedule Form

Tracking Templates

• Progress Tracker Form
• Report Card Form
• Student Evaluation Form
• Student Academic Record Form
• Achievement Forms

Additional Resources

============================================================

... or at least that is what the Table of Contents might look like.

Last night I created a web site that I will devote to Canine Homeschooling. At the moment, it is just a shell - a gutted facade of the template I started from - but should it blossom into something more, I'll let you know.

Until then, if anyone knows of anything already out there, please let me know. You'll be saving me a whole lot of work!

Homeschooling Revisited

I wish I could find a Workshop for people who are Homeschooling their dogs - something to help you discover your goals, devise a comprehensive plan to meet them, give you strategies for staying the course, tricks to make things easier, tips for avoiding pitfalls, all wrapped up in a neat little bundle and topped off with a gold-star certificate to mark your successful completion so you can stuff it in your dog's Accomplishments binder.

(My preference, of course, being a serious introvert, would be for an on-line Workshop - something that you can tailor to your own needs, do at your own pace, and yet would still have the feel of a real Workshop.)

Alas, I know of no such beastie - but if anyone out there does, please let me know!

Instead, I fumble along here, spitting out list after list, posting about things that go well (yeah) or badly (sigh) all the while feeling overwhelmed, undereducated, ill-equipped, and rather alone in the world.

It's not that there aren't a lot of resources out there. Sue Ailsby's Training Levels is truly outstanding (truly), there are classes at the local (regional, world) level for those so inclined, quite a few Internet groups and lists covering a wide variety of topics, and far too many blogs and websites to count.

So what's the problem?

There just doesn't seem to be anything comprehensive, tailored specifically to dogs and further tailorable to my dogs.

The way I see it, when it comes to dog ownership, most people fall into one of three camps: You have the "three squares and a walk" camp (aka the owners of the average Family Dog) - who treat their dog like a well-loved goldfish that you can hug. You have the "performance" camp - who have one or more organized activities in mind (agility, obedience, rally...) and need a dog in order to participate in them. And finally, the Working Dogs - who have real life jobs to do (police work, drug detection, assistance...) and probably have had more specialized education than most kids I know.

(Yes, I realize Performance dogs and Working dogs are also Family dogs, but that's kind of like saying a Rocket Scientist is also a person - just because it's true doesn't mean it's relevant to the topic at hand.)

So what's the problem?

What if you want more than a goldfish, need less than an employee, and don't enjoy being on display? Where's the program for General Canine Education - something akin to what we provide for children?

I send my son off to school everyday, content in the knowledge that he will learn what needs learning - the state provides for that. If I had instead chosen to Homeschool him (an option where I live) we would be marching along using one of the several quality comprehensive programs out there, neatly laid out to help the Homeschooling parent teach their kid a wide variety of subjects, visit a wide variety of places, and engage in a wide variety of activities.

But when it comes to my dogs, I'm left entirely on my own. Sue's program, as wonderful as it is (have I mentioned that it is Truly Wonderful?) is not a comprehensive education program for The Complete Dog. It's not supposed to be. It seems mainly like the three R's portion, with some PE thrown in to keep things interesting. These sorts of things should be the backbone of every dog's education, but I don't view them as all a dog needs to know or do.

A complete program could start with Sue's program (or something like it) and then add in suggestions for places to go, things to do, plus ways to enrich your dog life - enriching your own life, in the process.

There are books that touch on some of these things, usually as a means to and end - puppy socialization lists are a good place to start, as are lists developed for those raising service dogs.

But what then? There doesn't seem to be much at all for Continuing Education that doesn't involve being on display.

(I'm rambling again, aren't I?)

Ok... how about this: In summary, I want a program that helps my dogs live as fulfilling a life as possible, in ways that I enjoy, with the understanding they will never be "more" than Family Pets.

Therefore, I will make my goal this week to revisit the concept of a comprehensive Canine Homeschooling Program. I know I touched on that early this year, but I seem to have gotten sidetracked over time with Levels and CGC and Rally. Now there is nothing wrong with all those things, and want to continue to pursue them, but I also don't want to lose track of the forest for all those trees.

Loose Leash (not)

Want to know a secret?

I have zero luck with loose leash walking. Ok... not much of a secret, I admit, as anyone who has seen me out walking my dogs is already in on it.

It's not that my dogs pull or are rowdy, they just don't keep a loose leash unless specifically instructed to do so (and even then it can be iffy.)

Beau seems to the think the point of the leash is to keep track of his humans, and therefore the leash should  be taut. I know this, because he will walk happily on a totally loose leash if I am gently touching his plumy tail - which he holds just high enough for me reach.

When he was young, it was suggested we play "Penalty Yards". You pick out something - preferably something the dog wants to get to - about 20 feet away and you start walking towards it. If the dog pulls, you turn around, return to your starting point, and repeat.

Unfortunately, Beau could do this all day.

Forget whatever is 20 feet away, Beau just seems to find the act of moving all by itself to be rewarding. He basically doesn't care if he is going this way or that, he just wants to be moving.

Standing still as a form of penalty (aka "Red Light - Green Light") doesn't work any better, since Beau could do that all day, too. Standing still means you can sniff the breeze, sniff the ground, sniff the landscaping...

Nope, standing still is quite all right with Beau.

Now Zachary... I don't know what to make of Zachary. He will walk on a loose leash if I have something he wants (ie: a cookie) or if he knows we are "training" (ie: knows he will eventually get a cookie) but if we are just out for the daily walk, then he doesn't seem to get the concept of loose at all. Again, he's not pulling, the leash just isn't loose.

Zachary also doesn't mind Penalty Yards - probably because he figures if I wanted to turn around, then he wants to turn around, too.

Zachary can be quite accommodating that way.

"They" (those mysterious "they" who never seem to have any problems teaching anything to their dogs) say that in order to teach a loose leash, you must never ever let the dog get anywhere on a tight leash.

It sounds like it might work. In fact, it probably would work. But let's face it, it's just so impractical for most people (well, at least for me, and I'm hoping to hide my failings by surrounding myself with my own set of like-minded "they"s) as to be worthless.

Maybe that advice was invented by people with small dogs, who can scoop up their little pullers and carry them wherever they need to go if they don't have time to insist on a loose leash.

Maybe that advice was invented for people who have no time constraints on their lives, who can afford to spend three hours walking to their car (to the door, to the car, to the door, to the car...) before they go anywhere.

Maybe that advice was invented for people whose dogs don't need several miles of vigorous walking each day, where three hours spent walking back and forth (and back and forth and back and forth...) between the front door and the side walk just isn't going to cut it.

I just know that that advice is not meant for me.

Which is really too bad, as I honestly, truly, think it would work and I can't much think of anything else that will.

Public Service Announcement: It has come to my attention that not everyone who reads these (all three of you) know that there is a wholly other blog out there related to my boys, used mainly for listing what I'm working on each week. If you happen to actually be interested, you can find a link to it at the top of this page, on the left, right below the boy's picture - or look here: http://www.bzdog.blogspot.com/

Rally Syllabus

OK… here it is… my summer battle plan for Rally Novice - a Homeschooling program designed to span 6 weeks (much like a "traditional" class would do.)

On the left, you should see a checklist of all Rally Novice exercises, grouped by exercise type (click on it see it larger.)

Of course, there are many ways one can group things, and this may or may not be the best way, but it’s good enough for me.

For now.

Subject to change without notice.

The next step was to decide what order to teach things in. I quickly eliminated going by groups. How dull would that be? A week of nothing but sit… woo-hoo (not!)

So after shuffling my Rally Business Cards around a bit, trying to spread out like items over the weeks and avoid multiple left or right turns in a week (accept for Week #1) this is what I came up with:

Week 1 (this week):

• 3. HALT-Sit
• 4. HALT-Down Dog
• 5. Right Turn
• 6. Left Turn
• 7. About Turn-Right
• 9. 270 Right Turn
• 10. 270 Left Turn
• 19. Normal Pace

Week 2:

• 8. About “U” Turn
• 18. Fast Pace
• 24. Serpentine Weave Once
• 26. HALT-1, 2, and 3 Steps Backward
• 30. HALT and Walk Around Dog

Week 3:

• 13. Call Dog Front-Finish Right-Forward
• 25. HALT-1, 2, and 3 Steps Forward
• 29. Left About Turn
• 31. HALT-Down-Walk Around Down

Week 4:

• 14. Call Dog Front-Finish Left-Forward
• 17. Slow Pace
• 21. Spiral Right-Dog Outside
• 23. Straight Figure 8 Weave Twice

Week 5:

• 11. 360 Right Turn
• 15. Call Dog Front-Finish Right-HALT
• 22. Spiral Left-Dog Inside
• 28. HALT-Fast-Forward from Sit

Week 6:

• 12. 360 Left Turn
• 16. Call Dog Front-Finish Left-HALT
• 20. Moving Sidestep Right
• 27. Stop and Down

… you may notice that Week #1 has a lot more stuff in it, but just about everything except the two 270 turns should be very familiar.

I'm hoping to get out to a local park a couple times a week to make it more like a "real class" - we'll see what I can come up.

What's Next?

It’s just so cool.

With Zachary passing his Canine Good Citizen test on Wednesday, I have now, finally, at long last, completed an item on my list of Goals for 2010.

Yup. One.

(wait… wait… give me a moment to savor it… Ahhhh….)

Ok – moment’s past. No time to rest on our laurels - do you realize how far behind I am this year? Training Levels has taken the biggest hit in our quest for the CGC certificate, and Training Levels should be where my focus is. By the end of this year I had resolved to finish Level Three + OTR 1 (On The Road) for both dogs, Level 4 (OTR 2 for Zachary only) and Level 5 (no OTR for either.)

And where are we now (CLICK HERE)?

We are still stuck in Level Three, that’s where we are. And while we have made major inroads into Level Four, there is still much left undone. To make matters worse, at the moment, all the easy stuff is behind us and the more time consuming things (like scenting and retrieve and that !@#$ Sit-Stay…) lie before.

So, what am I going to do about it?

I’m going to start working on Rally!!!

(I never said was the clever one in the family)

You see, the other “undone” on my 2010 goals list is AKC Rally Novice (RN) for Zachary – not the title, just enter a match by the end of the year – and Rally Novice is filled with relatively easy things to work on - things we worked on in earlier Training Levels (sits and downs and such) plus things required but unfinished for Training Levels future (Heeling, Fronts, and Finishes.)

Alas, there are no Rally classes that work with my schedule, so it looks like Zachary and I will have to go it alone. Oh well, no matter. Homeschooling is the name of the game around here!

To that end, I whipped up an Excel spreadsheet last night with all the Rally Novice signs and descriptions, and printed them out on Business Cards (see photo above - click to see larger) with the sign pictured on one side and the exercise description (abridged as necessary) on the back. These will make handy flash cards for re-familiarization, as a few things have changed since Beau got his RN title (pre-2008.)

And then I started thinking about how I was going to set up practice courses in my rather long, narrow, sloping yard. (Short answer? I can’t.)

After much thought, I finally decided I might be able to do a substantial amount of practicing using just 6 cones. Each cone will be 6-8’ from it’s horizontal and vertical neighbors, making the 4 in a row just right for the Serpentine, Weave, and the change of pace exercises, while any 3 in a row would work for the spirals. The idea is to shuffle my cards and go stand by an outside cone (say, ‘F’.) I read the card and then perform whatever it says at cone ‘C’ (except those Serpentine and Weaves) and then move on the logical cone after that. So if I start at ‘F’, pull the Right Turn card, I’ll heel to ‘C’, turn right, and end up at ‘D’. From there I can stop, turn around, and then pull another card. If I want to do longer heeling, I can do so by skipping the center cone for the U-Turn exercises and heel all the way to the furthest cone.

I figure, using this method, I can get a lot of practice in using a pretty small footprint. If I don’t plan on working the Serpentine/Weave I can eliminate cone ‘A’ and need just 16x16 or less, depending on how much space Zachary needs to get turned around in.

(Will it work? I have no idea. I'll let you know once I've tried it.)

As one story ends so another begins. I can’t wait to get started!

More Interesting than Dirt

Nothing is more humbling than knowing that, in the eyes of your much-loved dog, you are less interesting than dirt.

This is not a new realization for me. I came to grips with that fact, years ago, when competing with Beau in Rally. That doesn't mean Beau does not love me, nor does it mean I can't get him to listen me. It does mean that, given his druthers, he would rather be snuffling around some scruffy patch of weeds than sitting at my feet staring up at me attentively.

Acceptance of that fact (that Beau puts me a distant second to dirt) was actually quite liberating.

Acceptance of something implies you are no longer in denial. Acceptance means you are no longer making excuses. Best of all, acceptance means that you can move on to mitigation vs. the never-ending search for a cure.

I wasted a lot of time time searching for a way out of my bottom-dwelling status in Beau's Me vs. Dirt poll. In the end, he and I worked out a backroom deal such that he would pretend to find me more interesting than dirt (when asked) in exchange for quality time with his true love (aka dirt.)

It works for us.

Zachary is not Beau, and while I am definitely not as interesting as some dirt in his eyes - perhaps even most dirt, depending on the location - I'm at least in the running and under the right circumstances I can even pull out an upset.

This is a somewhat novel experience for me and I'm finding myself a little unsure how to take advantage of it.

For example, as you might have read the Other Day, we did a run-through of the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test in class. I was dismayed (although not surprised) to find that for all exercises that required moving from point A to point B (over dirt) with my dog, I failed to actually have my dog. Or at least I failed to have the all-important brain of my dog.

Now, I will be the first to admit Zachary is working under a huge disadvantage. My desire for him to keep all the parts he came with means his brain has to work much harder than the "fixed" dogs do. And as I am well aware (oh, so well aware) with the intact boys, all sensory input going in the nose is passed through the testicles for detailed examination before finally being shuffled off to the brain for final processing. This rather circuitous route seems to take up a horrendous amount of CPU time, leaving very little left over for such mundane things as, say, walking next to me, realizing I'm turning left and I'm about to fall over him, realizing I turned right three steps ago and he is about to run out of leash - little things like that.

And we demonstrated that very fact (in all its glorious permutations) the Other Night.

What's interesting (at least to me) is that this isn't as permanent a condition for Zachary as it is with Beau.

That is, while Zachary was thought-impaired during the practice test itself, when the practice test was over and we were practicing that which needed practice, Zachary was the picture of attentiveness.

He trotted heads-up by my side, sat when asked, ignored the other people and dogs, and was pretty much all a Canine Good Citizen wanna-be is supposed to be.

How intriguing. How novel. How unfortunate that I have no idea why it happened later and not sooner, nor exactly how to make it happen again (say, on the day of the real test.)

I do have a few theories.

Theory One: With the practice test over (and him having "failed") there was no longer any pressure. Of course, since Zachary hadn't a clue that a practice test was on, let alone that it was over, the pressure must therefore have been mine, and thus the whole darn mess was entirely my own fault.


Theory Two: During the after-action practicing I was walking really slowly, bending very close to him, and chattering on in a cheerful, bubbly (some might say idiotic) fashion that he found irresistible, or worrisome, or at least worth paying attention to. Once again, the fact it worked later (if that was the cause) and not sooner (when I didn't try it) means the whole darn mess was entirely my own fault.

Whether you choose Theory One or Theory Two (or some other theoretical theory I have yet to come up with) there is no doubt - the whole darn mess was entirely my own fault.