Boarded!

I was out of town for a wedding this weekend, and just about anyone who could have watched Cohen was out of town with me. So we boarded her.

As I've said before (a lot), Cohen is not an easy dog. She's rambunctious, loud, and has a history of guarding food and toys from other dogs. While talking with the woman who was boarding her, I stressed this... a lot. I wanted to make sure that she knew what she was getting in to before she was stuck with my dog while I was out of the city for five days. Better safe than sorry and all that.

Well, it turns out apparently I was worried over nothing.

I got Cohen back this morning. Apparently she did really well. She was fine with all the other dogs, large and small alike. Apparently her barking was under control. And most noteworthy to me, there were no reports of guarding (all food and toys were carefully controlled). The only vague negative was that Cohen could "get a bit silly"... your guess is as good as mine as for what that might mean. All in all, it was a success.

All this gives me hope that Cohen and Chihuahua-Megatron will coexist peacefully when Adrian and I finally move in. Of course this won't completely stop my worrying, but it'll lessen it. At least for a little while.

Yeah, we do 'gility.

Looking particularly calm in her crate at our fun match.

Unfortunately I don't have any action photos. I have some video of our runs, but since they're instructional, with lots breaks in the action and mistakes they're not particularly interesting to watch.

Today was the second trip out to Daytripper Dog Training. I sign up for their instructional fun matches -- 4 different courses with toys and food allowed in the ring, plus a walkthrough and handling tips by a judge. It's a great way to spend a day out with friends and dogs, and a fabulous learning opportunity.

The courses are designed at roughly the starters level with a few more challenging bits thrown in. It's a great prep for September's potential trial.

Today was filled with a lot more good than bad. Here's a summary:

The Good

• Cohen is working well at a distance from me.
• Her contacts were much (much much) improved from last time (still not perfect, but better).
• Her focus-front is pretty good, with room for improvement.
• I managed to shape/lure her into the pool. She wasn't a big fan, but the water kept her perfectly cool despite the sun's heat.
• Her jump form is nice and tidy. 
• Her teeter was great! She was almost all the way to the other end before the bang, and stuck her contacts like a pro. 
• Between runs she was much less whiny than the last time.
• Her focus on me in the ring walking up to the first jump is adorable -- in a perfect heel, excited and ready to go.
• She is tugging really well around other dogs.
• She greeted other dogs at the trial politely. 
• Peeing on cue is just about the most handy thing I've ever taught her.
• I'm really learning to trust Cohen more. I can simply point her at a line of equipment and have confidence that she'll take each properly.
• Cohen's unusually focused on fetching when we're at Daytripper, and a few good throws are a great way to take her edge off between runs.
• Cohen is a big hit there. People are always complimenting her to me: she's pretty, she's soft, she's fit, she's improving... :)

The Bad

• Cohen got tangled in the chute and misjudged the following jump, tripping over it and knocking it around. Luckily she's pretty resilient (both physically and mentally) and suffered no lasting damage.
• Cohen knocked a bar or two (in addition to the tumble) during the day.
• She seems to be weaker weaving on my right side -- she popped out at the 10th pole a few times, and missed others. 
• Her table seemed unusually rusty. She didn't seem to put a lot of effort into sticking it. Maybe she was feeling some discomfort? I need to remember to decelerate in advance as well.
• I got lost on a few of the courses, and mis-labelled an obstacle or two. (Chute =/= tunnel)

I went up with my friend Kat and her Ridgeback Kiki. Kat's a bit newer to agility than I, but is coming along really well. She's still struggling with contacts and motivation. Sometimes I wonder what it's like to have a dog who actually gets tired.

Both dogs were thoroughly passed out on the ride home, and it's 6p.m. and Cohen is still sleeping. Maybe I won't have to walk her tonight after all.

Oh hey, more not-action photos!

Kiki and Cohen taking a break.

Could you say no to this face?

Chronological list of cues - count: 62

New cues:

Weave, high five, target w/ back legs, around, tug, "through" (reverse weaving through legs), blow bubbles, handstand (still needs refined), go behind, focus forward "watch it".

Previous cues:

Touch, sit, down, speak, come, stand, paw, stay, bang, roll "over", back up, go pee, go to bed, go outside, heel, front, heel in reverse, bow, jump "up", jump "over", jump into "arms", circle, circle in reverse "beep beep", pivot, spin, twist, weave, find a toy, figure "eight", get it, drop it, leave it, table, tunnel, head up, head down, nose bridge "push", pop, beg, balance on back legs "be people", crawl, "cross" paws, "open" door, "close" door, scoot, teeter, walk (obstacle), mark, formal retrieve, out, quiet, limp.

List of learned cues starting at 9 weeks old to present. Quotation marks indicate word used for each behaviour.

Teaching Cohen a handstand

Process is slow since I've focused on building it up in stages. Plus, it takes a lot of core strength which takes time to build up.

_____

Step one is teaching your dog to target an object with their back feet.

Steps two - seven are slowly increasing the size of the object your dog is targeting.

Step eight is getting the dog to push itself up from a vertical object. It's around here that I start adding a name to the behaviour.

Step nine is working on duration.

Step ten is the finished behaviour with no wall support and longer duration.

_____


Steps eight through ten are theoretical right now, since I've not gotten there yet. I might end up changing my plan a bit if I run into trouble at some point. So far the toughest step has been one. Once I got that it was just a matter of time.

Yes, this behaviour seems almost totally pointless, but it's pretty fun and a nifty party trick.

Baby it's cold outside.

It's -17c outside, -25c in the wind. Cohen has the right idea.

Photo day.

Cohen as a Japanese horror movie villain.

Some photos from a recent trip to the ravine.

Goals for 2011

Entering into 2011, Cohen is 15 months old and is starting to come into her own. Last year served as both of our first introductions into competitive dog things, and, well, I'm hooked (I can only assume she enjoys it too).

She successfully earned her CGN and RN, but then I stalled and lost momentum. I put off advancing her Rally title in the hope of getting professional lessons. As time goes on it becomes evident that Rally just isn't as popular here as I would like, and people willing to pay for lessons are few and far between. All classes I'd signed up for were cancelled. So it's evident that I can't sit around waiting for a class to happen. I've got to step it up and get the training done myself. (Oh, how tedious...)

Cohen's agility abilities are progressing nicely. She'll never be a speed demon, but I think she'll grow to be enthusiastic enough (and reliable enough) to put on a decent show in trials. The next step in her (our) training is to focus on my handling skills -- that's the real challenge. Cohen is a great student. I fear I won't prove to be as adept at learning.

I have a job on the horizon working as a part time training assistant at my favourite dog training facility, which is fantastic. Not only does it afford me opportunity to learn under some formidable trainers, but to advance my relationship with Cohen. Not to mention, free classes. I've had to hold myself back in signing up for absolutely everything right off the bat, as I do have a life outside of my dog. (Though sometimes I wonder.)

With all the free classes I want, I figure I'll end up having taken all of them pretty soon. Clearly the only way to continue to take advantage of this perk is to get another dog to take to classes. Clearly.

So, goals for 2011:

Earn Cohen her RA.

Earn Cohen her NA (and maybe NAJ).

Work on her continued reactivity to large black dogs.

Earn Cohen her CD.

Chronological list of learned cues -- count: 52

List of learned cues starting at 9 weeks old to present. Quotation marks indicate word used for each behaviour.

Touch, sit, down, speak, come, stand, paw, stay, bang, roll "over", back up, go pee, go to bed, go outside, heel, front, heel in reverse, bow, jump "up", jump "over", jump into "arms", circle, circle in reverse "beep beep", pivot, spin, twist, weave, find a toy, figure "eight", get it, drop it, leave it, table, tunnel, head up, head down, nose bridge "push", pop, beg, balance on back legs "be people", crawl, "cross" paws, "open" door, "close" door, scoot, teeter, walk (obstacle), mark, formal retrieve, out, quiet, limp.

Working on: foundation for handstand, removing socks on cue, reverse heeling through my legs, lifting her back leg.

My dearest Cohen,

My house looks as if I have a toddler living here. But no, it is just you and your toys. Please learn to pick up after yourself.

Signed, The Management.

I owe you more exercise. It's tough in the winter, and I feel guilty. You, however, seem relatively happy.

Or, rather, you act the same way whether I've just run you ragged a few hours before or I've kept you cooped up inside the house all day. You're perpetually rearing to go regardless of your activity levels.

CGN RN

Four novice rally qualifications. Scores of 90, 98, 97, 95.