I've always wondered where that saying comes from... you know the one: You can't teach an old dog new tricks. And just what qualifies has an "old dog"? Clearly this is a false statement, though I suppose it is true that any animal becomes less adaptable and therefore makes it more difficult to learn if they don't keep up with constantly learning new things. I remember a few years ago I tried to teach an elderly family friend how to use his new cell phone. To the younger generations this is such a simple thing it's almost impossible to actually explain how to do it. You turn it on, you dial a number, you hit send... and voila. It's not that different from any cordless landline phone one might already have in their home. But to the older generation, particularly those who have not kept up with new technologies, a cell phone is nothing like a cordless phone. You have to turn it on for one thing. You have to plug it in to charge it. You have to hit a button to make it dial after you key in the phone number. That is NOTHING like a cordless phone. Anyway, it was just something I was thinking about the other day. Regardless, here's a quick video of Summit doing a few of his newer tricks (and a few older tricks that we had kind of let slip by the wayside).
Please excuse the disaster that is our apartment and my hair... I took the video after rolling out of bed and going for our morning walk. That's his breakfast he's working for so the first few tricks he's a little excited about. And when he gets excited he tends to just throw all his tricks at once and then barks at me like "why aren't you giving me food, I did all my tricks!"
Spin and crawl ("be stealthy") are the newest of all the tricks which is why there's still a big lure and lots of mistakes. It kills me to watch the video of him trying to crawl because he's just so awkward at it!
Showing posts with label Summit obedience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summit obedience. Show all posts
Monday, November 21, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The most important lesson
As far as I am concerned training is one of the best ways to bond with your dog and to prevent behavioural problems. However, that is my opinion and I realize not everyone is interested in training. That being said though, there are two things that every dog needs to know. Come and stay. These are not optional commands in my books. They are necessities. They may very well save your dog's life one day, and if not they will at least save you a few heart attacks.
I posted a little while ago about Summit's recall issues. To recap, his recall is amazing except in two situations... when he's doing zoomies and when he's running with other dogs (mainly non-greys). So to this respect we have been doing some work.
The problem was he would start zooming right by me, and even if I reached out to grab him he just kept going. Scolding and using my "angry mommy" voice had no effect when he was that geared up. A change in approach was needed. So I went out and bought a 20ft lead. I figured that would give me something to grab onto as he ran by and haul him back to me. This approach essentially forces him to come and doesn't afford him the opportunity to not listen or evade. I also found the added benefit that with the line dragging he seems to think he's actually still attached to me and listens much better. On the first recall I often had to grab the line and reel him in to remind him of the objective, and after that he started to come back every time. After only a few sessions in the backyard he no longer needs the long line, and in fact he now does one lap and even if I don't call him he comes right back. At this point I am confident that he gets the idea... at least in the backyard, which means it is time to take this show on the road and do the same training in other small, fenced areas to reinforce the lesson. Following that I am going to start adding in dogs, Summit's greatest weakness. After that I will probably test him in a larger space, possibly with other greyhounds.
And at one point he yelps. Don't worry. He wasn't hurt in the slightest. When he felt the tug on the line he turned to come back but got the line tangled in his feet and had a mini freak out. That's my boy... afraid of long skinny things on the ground... leashes, electronic wires, hoses....
I posted a little while ago about Summit's recall issues. To recap, his recall is amazing except in two situations... when he's doing zoomies and when he's running with other dogs (mainly non-greys). So to this respect we have been doing some work.
The problem was he would start zooming right by me, and even if I reached out to grab him he just kept going. Scolding and using my "angry mommy" voice had no effect when he was that geared up. A change in approach was needed. So I went out and bought a 20ft lead. I figured that would give me something to grab onto as he ran by and haul him back to me. This approach essentially forces him to come and doesn't afford him the opportunity to not listen or evade. I also found the added benefit that with the line dragging he seems to think he's actually still attached to me and listens much better. On the first recall I often had to grab the line and reel him in to remind him of the objective, and after that he started to come back every time. After only a few sessions in the backyard he no longer needs the long line, and in fact he now does one lap and even if I don't call him he comes right back. At this point I am confident that he gets the idea... at least in the backyard, which means it is time to take this show on the road and do the same training in other small, fenced areas to reinforce the lesson. Following that I am going to start adding in dogs, Summit's greatest weakness. After that I will probably test him in a larger space, possibly with other greyhounds.
And at one point he yelps. Don't worry. He wasn't hurt in the slightest. When he felt the tug on the line he turned to come back but got the line tangled in his feet and had a mini freak out. That's my boy... afraid of long skinny things on the ground... leashes, electronic wires, hoses....
And yes, I am aware that sometimes I call him more than once. No, you shouldn't do that. It should be one call and then go get your dog if he doesn't listen. Sometimes as I'm going to go get him though I repeat the command. Can't tell you why or how I got into that bad habit, but it's something I try to remember not to do when I retrieve him. And yes, occasionally there's a little edge in my voice if he doesn't listen... just a reminder to him that I won't be happy if he doesn't obey. But notice that even when I have to catch him or "scold" him, that when he gets to me there's praise and rewards. No matter how angry you are because your dog just took off through the forest for 20 minutes and wouldn't listen to you, you still have to get out the high pitched squeaky voice and the treats when he does finally come!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Total recall
I must toot my own horn just a little bit by saying that Summit's recall is really quite good. Being my first dog and being a greyhound no less, I am quite impressed with how far we have come in such a short time. Summit has only been with us for 10 months and I would say that with no distractions his recall is 99%. I don't think any dog's recall can be described as 100%... I don't think you can ever know that for sure. But 99% is pretty darn good. With certain distractions I would give his recall about 95%. Distractions like people, calm dogs, unfamiliar places, food. His one big pit fall is running dogs.
Why do I care to call him when he's running with other dogs? Because he's a jerk. I said it. He runs well with other greyhounds, but something about non-greys running works him up into an excited fervour. And I'm not talking about small fluffies exciting a prey drive (of which he has none). He loves running with small dogs but he's much more polite with them. It's dogs his own size that are a problem. He gets overstimulated and turns nasty. I think he doesn't like how they body slam and try to wrestle. But then that begs the question... knowing that other breeds do this why does he so desperately want to run with them? My hypothesis is that he knows he can easily beat them and he's competitive. I'm not sure how much of that is just imagination and how much is fact. But the teeth come out, he'll bat with his front feet and he will quite literally be on the verge of starting a fight. Go figure. And he will not come when called. I refuse to chase him around because that is not appropriate, and yet I can't just stand there and do nothing when he's being a total ass-face.
For the most part he isn't allowed off-leash time with non-greys for this very reason. However, every once in awhile it is unavoidable. This morning, for example, we were in the tennis court while other dogs ran off leash in the park. They came over and were running the fence line together. This is great because they can't make contact, Summit is less of a jerk, and therefore more receptive to listening. However, someone then let their dog into the tennis court with him. He was actually fairly well behaved, to my surprise, but of course had no listening skills. The problem is that even with all the dogs on the other side of the fence... he will start to respond to a command and then someone takes off running and he forgets he was coming and takes off. It's really something we need to work on. Unfortunately there aren't many opportunities for us to do this, and with him being worked up and running off leash there's no way to force him to come back to me. I had thought about putting a long line on him so I can call him while he's running and then carefully reel him in. However, I don't want to risk him tripping on the line and falling on the asphalt (let's face it that would be stitches for sure!).
So this is the conundrum and I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do about it. He comes when called at greyhound runs... but he's not a jerk and he's just so much less stimulated. I have no idea what it is about non-greys that riles him up so much. I will post more about this as we continue to work on it.
Why do I care to call him when he's running with other dogs? Because he's a jerk. I said it. He runs well with other greyhounds, but something about non-greys running works him up into an excited fervour. And I'm not talking about small fluffies exciting a prey drive (of which he has none). He loves running with small dogs but he's much more polite with them. It's dogs his own size that are a problem. He gets overstimulated and turns nasty. I think he doesn't like how they body slam and try to wrestle. But then that begs the question... knowing that other breeds do this why does he so desperately want to run with them? My hypothesis is that he knows he can easily beat them and he's competitive. I'm not sure how much of that is just imagination and how much is fact. But the teeth come out, he'll bat with his front feet and he will quite literally be on the verge of starting a fight. Go figure. And he will not come when called. I refuse to chase him around because that is not appropriate, and yet I can't just stand there and do nothing when he's being a total ass-face.
For the most part he isn't allowed off-leash time with non-greys for this very reason. However, every once in awhile it is unavoidable. This morning, for example, we were in the tennis court while other dogs ran off leash in the park. They came over and were running the fence line together. This is great because they can't make contact, Summit is less of a jerk, and therefore more receptive to listening. However, someone then let their dog into the tennis court with him. He was actually fairly well behaved, to my surprise, but of course had no listening skills. The problem is that even with all the dogs on the other side of the fence... he will start to respond to a command and then someone takes off running and he forgets he was coming and takes off. It's really something we need to work on. Unfortunately there aren't many opportunities for us to do this, and with him being worked up and running off leash there's no way to force him to come back to me. I had thought about putting a long line on him so I can call him while he's running and then carefully reel him in. However, I don't want to risk him tripping on the line and falling on the asphalt (let's face it that would be stitches for sure!).
So this is the conundrum and I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do about it. He comes when called at greyhound runs... but he's not a jerk and he's just so much less stimulated. I have no idea what it is about non-greys that riles him up so much. I will post more about this as we continue to work on it.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Formalities
I apologize for not getting those videos up. We had our greyhound picnic last weekend and everyone was just so tired from all the sun and festivities that I didn't end up getting around to it. Summit got lots of new things... which means I spent a lot of money that I really shouldn't be spending... oh well. He got 2 new martingales, 2 new muzzles, a new blanket, and lots of treats. His old kennel muzzle is just a mess, so we bought him a new one of those. We also decided to try out the Australian Nylon muzzle. We'll see how that goes at our next run (whenever that might be).
We found an agility trainer, but unfortunately they have no classes running right now. They do have higher obedience though, so we're taking level 2. Summit took a level 2 back home already, but this one sounded a little more intense so we signed up. And boy was I right. It certainly was more intense than back home. This guy trains Shepherds for all sorts of obedience and dog sports. For example, when we took level 2 originally in the winter the down/stay was just for maximum 2 minutes and with basically no distractions. This time we were asked to put them in a down (well, the other 2 dogs did a sit the first time) and then he went around bouncing balls, throwing toys, turning on drills, dragging planks of wood, walking behind the dogs, knocking on the walls, stepping over the dogs.... The room lighting was a little dim and I think that made Summit a little nervous as he was definitely off. At the end we went outside to try the A-frame and he was amazing. He had the benefit of having seen an A-frame before, but he'd never done one this high (it was about 3 feet tall). But he was super excited and ran up and down, stopped and waited in the contact zone. He was great. Made me sad we couldn't be doing agility. The class did make me realize that I really need to work on his sits though. I've largely ignored them because I rarely use the sit command in day-to-day life and I have no intention of pursuing competitive obedience any time soon. However, it might be good just for something to do. He likes to back up several steps before he sits so in heel position he always ends up behind me, and when he fronts he ends up 2 feet in front of me. He also never holds his sit for more than a few seconds.
We found an agility trainer, but unfortunately they have no classes running right now. They do have higher obedience though, so we're taking level 2. Summit took a level 2 back home already, but this one sounded a little more intense so we signed up. And boy was I right. It certainly was more intense than back home. This guy trains Shepherds for all sorts of obedience and dog sports. For example, when we took level 2 originally in the winter the down/stay was just for maximum 2 minutes and with basically no distractions. This time we were asked to put them in a down (well, the other 2 dogs did a sit the first time) and then he went around bouncing balls, throwing toys, turning on drills, dragging planks of wood, walking behind the dogs, knocking on the walls, stepping over the dogs.... The room lighting was a little dim and I think that made Summit a little nervous as he was definitely off. At the end we went outside to try the A-frame and he was amazing. He had the benefit of having seen an A-frame before, but he'd never done one this high (it was about 3 feet tall). But he was super excited and ran up and down, stopped and waited in the contact zone. He was great. Made me sad we couldn't be doing agility. The class did make me realize that I really need to work on his sits though. I've largely ignored them because I rarely use the sit command in day-to-day life and I have no intention of pursuing competitive obedience any time soon. However, it might be good just for something to do. He likes to back up several steps before he sits so in heel position he always ends up behind me, and when he fronts he ends up 2 feet in front of me. He also never holds his sit for more than a few seconds.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
First day of spring!
Summit and I haven't been too busy recently, hence the lack of updates. I haven't come up with anything else to teach him in the house, therefore no new videos. The weather is looking up here in Ontario though! It has been quite nice for the last week or so (no snow, not too cold... bit of rain, but that's expected), and today is the first official day of spring! Spring is here! And with spring comes grass and warmer temperatures so that I can start working with Summit outdoors! We have been working on some of our obedience in the tennis court in the park by our house, however he is loathe to put his bum or belly on the asphalt for very long, and I can't say I blame him. It's also a little far to trek with a tripod and camera. However, it has some distractions which is exactly what Summit needs to take things to the next level. He is perfect in the house where there are no new sounds or people walking by. He did very well this morning actually. The park attaches to a school yard and the kids were out for gym class running around the park. For the most part he was able to do his "watch me", "sit", and heeling exercises with little trouble. Fetching outside is improving too. At first he was so distracted by everything that he would chase down the toy and then forget to bring it back! He still does occassionally, but is much improved. Whenever he forgets to bring the toy back I ask for something he is good at like "watch me", treat him, and then ask him to "go get it", and he usually trots over and brings it back.
Hopefully the backyard will dry out a bit more so I can take the camera out there and video what he learned in his obedience class. I tried this weekend but it was so wet and he was in such a mood that he just started tearing around in mad circles, tearing clods out of the ground. So I quickly leashed him up and took him to the tennis court instead hoping my landlord wouldn't notice the claw marks in the yard! The yard will be great for working on his drops. Those are hard to work on in the house since we mostly have hardwood, and the tennis court is also a no go because the ground is so uncomfortable... he will do his down grudgingly but then pop up immediately.
So hopefully we will have some more interesting posts coming up in the future with the better weather and also with obedience starting up in a little over 2 weeks!
Hopefully the backyard will dry out a bit more so I can take the camera out there and video what he learned in his obedience class. I tried this weekend but it was so wet and he was in such a mood that he just started tearing around in mad circles, tearing clods out of the ground. So I quickly leashed him up and took him to the tennis court instead hoping my landlord wouldn't notice the claw marks in the yard! The yard will be great for working on his drops. Those are hard to work on in the house since we mostly have hardwood, and the tennis court is also a no go because the ground is so uncomfortable... he will do his down grudgingly but then pop up immediately.
So hopefully we will have some more interesting posts coming up in the future with the better weather and also with obedience starting up in a little over 2 weeks!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Choose the right trainer for your dog
First of all a little disclaimer... it's Reading Week (i.e. Spring Break for all you American friends) hence all the free time for blogging. I'll be lucky to make an entry a week after this. :( Summit and I have also had a lot going on recently, so lots to write about!
We had our second obedience class last night, and the experience made me remember how important it is to find a trainer/obedience school that is right for you and your dog.
I chose the obedience school we attend because the head trainer was recommended to me by a friend. I had actually attended her final agility class with her and her two dogs, so I'd met this trainer and seen her working with the dogs. I really liked her and how flexible she was. She acknowledges that you know your dog best. She gives suggestions and pointers but doesn't have the idea that her way is the only way to do things.
We had a great lesson last week. Summit was really on fire and willing to work really hard anddo lots of repetitions. Yesterday he was a bit off all day. He didn't want to train in the morning at all really. He was better that evening at class but still not really at his best. In his defense he's had a long couple of days. On Tuesday he had x-rays taken of his foot to confirm that the swollen toe I noticed at Christmas was just an old injury and not osteosarcoma. His initial x-rays taken 3 weeks ago were inconclusive. The second time around the news was better. It's definitely just an old injury. The reason this actually all came up was because I was having him enrolled in the blood donor program, and they decided to make sure the swelling wasn't cancerous (which would disqualify him from the program obviously). Since his x-rays were clean I was called and asked to bring him in the next day (Wednesday) to donate because they were very short on blood. So yesterday he was in for his first blood donation, and a few hours later we went to class. So he had a tough couple of days and I can't blame him for being a little off. Unfortunately, our trainer's daughter had just suffered a concussion. She had one of her other trainers teach the class instead.
Now, the supply teacher seems like a good trainer, but I just don't think she's right for us. First of all, I don't think she's ever worked with or knows much about sighthounds. But maybe I'm just bitter because she kept making comments or jokes which basically implied that greyhounds are dim. I was disappointed that Summit was not at his best because that would have shut her up for sure. However, I was amused when she borrowed him for a demonstration and couldn't get him to sit (he just stared at her) and she made a comment about how he wasn't much of a sitter (she had seen him sit earlier in the class), and after handing him back to me I asked him to sit and he did so instantaneously. Maybe I shouldn't be proud of the fact that my dog only listens to me, but gosh if I wasn't just about livid with all the "greyhounds are dumb" implications.
But beyond my own bitterness or irritation, although I was elated that we did manage to get him through the tunnel this week, I was not overly thrilled with her initial approach. We did everything almost exactly as we did the previous week with our regular trainer (trainer holding dog at entrance of tunnel, tunnel shortened as much as possible, me lying in the tunnel from the other side with treats luring him in) however our regular trainer doesn't try to force Summit. She prevents him from trying to run away or run around the tunnel to get to me, but she doesn't keep a heavy hand on his collar or force his head into the tunnel. This trainer did. I felt she was putting far too much pressure on his collar trying to keep his head in the tunnel once we got him that far (he would get his head and shoulders in and then would sort of panick and back out in a hurry) and it just caused him to statue, which I think is a pretty normal reaction for a greyhound compared to many other breeds. I was just about to tell her to stop and I'd work on him again later, when she came up with a better idea. What we eventually did was send my friend's dog through first and Summit seemed to say, "Well, gosh, if that little bugger can do it, I can't let him outdo me".
I guess the point of this very long post is to make sure your trainer is right for you and your dog and that you are comfortable with their training methods. If you ever feel uncomfortable or you know that something isn't working for your dog, you should say so. To me the hallmark of a good trainer is their ability to acknowledge that you know your dog better. If their method isn't working for you and your dog, a good trainer should have another method to suggest or be creative enough to come up with something else for you to try, and NOT insist that you're doing it wrong, or your dog is dumb/stubborn/whatever else.
We had our second obedience class last night, and the experience made me remember how important it is to find a trainer/obedience school that is right for you and your dog.
I chose the obedience school we attend because the head trainer was recommended to me by a friend. I had actually attended her final agility class with her and her two dogs, so I'd met this trainer and seen her working with the dogs. I really liked her and how flexible she was. She acknowledges that you know your dog best. She gives suggestions and pointers but doesn't have the idea that her way is the only way to do things.
We had a great lesson last week. Summit was really on fire and willing to work really hard anddo lots of repetitions. Yesterday he was a bit off all day. He didn't want to train in the morning at all really. He was better that evening at class but still not really at his best. In his defense he's had a long couple of days. On Tuesday he had x-rays taken of his foot to confirm that the swollen toe I noticed at Christmas was just an old injury and not osteosarcoma. His initial x-rays taken 3 weeks ago were inconclusive. The second time around the news was better. It's definitely just an old injury. The reason this actually all came up was because I was having him enrolled in the blood donor program, and they decided to make sure the swelling wasn't cancerous (which would disqualify him from the program obviously). Since his x-rays were clean I was called and asked to bring him in the next day (Wednesday) to donate because they were very short on blood. So yesterday he was in for his first blood donation, and a few hours later we went to class. So he had a tough couple of days and I can't blame him for being a little off. Unfortunately, our trainer's daughter had just suffered a concussion. She had one of her other trainers teach the class instead.
Now, the supply teacher seems like a good trainer, but I just don't think she's right for us. First of all, I don't think she's ever worked with or knows much about sighthounds. But maybe I'm just bitter because she kept making comments or jokes which basically implied that greyhounds are dim. I was disappointed that Summit was not at his best because that would have shut her up for sure. However, I was amused when she borrowed him for a demonstration and couldn't get him to sit (he just stared at her) and she made a comment about how he wasn't much of a sitter (she had seen him sit earlier in the class), and after handing him back to me I asked him to sit and he did so instantaneously. Maybe I shouldn't be proud of the fact that my dog only listens to me, but gosh if I wasn't just about livid with all the "greyhounds are dumb" implications.
Summit: Do I look dumb to you?
But beyond my own bitterness or irritation, although I was elated that we did manage to get him through the tunnel this week, I was not overly thrilled with her initial approach. We did everything almost exactly as we did the previous week with our regular trainer (trainer holding dog at entrance of tunnel, tunnel shortened as much as possible, me lying in the tunnel from the other side with treats luring him in) however our regular trainer doesn't try to force Summit. She prevents him from trying to run away or run around the tunnel to get to me, but she doesn't keep a heavy hand on his collar or force his head into the tunnel. This trainer did. I felt she was putting far too much pressure on his collar trying to keep his head in the tunnel once we got him that far (he would get his head and shoulders in and then would sort of panick and back out in a hurry) and it just caused him to statue, which I think is a pretty normal reaction for a greyhound compared to many other breeds. I was just about to tell her to stop and I'd work on him again later, when she came up with a better idea. What we eventually did was send my friend's dog through first and Summit seemed to say, "Well, gosh, if that little bugger can do it, I can't let him outdo me".
I guess the point of this very long post is to make sure your trainer is right for you and your dog and that you are comfortable with their training methods. If you ever feel uncomfortable or you know that something isn't working for your dog, you should say so. To me the hallmark of a good trainer is their ability to acknowledge that you know your dog better. If their method isn't working for you and your dog, a good trainer should have another method to suggest or be creative enough to come up with something else for you to try, and NOT insist that you're doing it wrong, or your dog is dumb/stubborn/whatever else.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Getting Started
Wednesday was our first Grade 2 Obedience class. Summit did great! He was actually one of the best students in class I thought. He had the best down/stay by far. I have proofed his down/stay enough so far that I can walk away from him, around him, behind him, unclip his leash, etc. and he won't move. The other dogs were moving around or at least shifting positions. I was very proud of him. We also started working on heeling exercises and drop recall exercises. Those are coming along pretty well, though I have to say that he seems to have some trouble with the idea of having to watch me and walk at the same time. He automatically wants to stop walking when he looks at me. He can't mutli-task... typically boy.
At the end of the class the dogs get introduced to agility obstacles. We did a jump, the table, and a tunnel. Summit has no idea how to jump. The first time over he stepped over it gingerly, which made everyone laugh. But after a couple more tries he was running and jumping over it. Next time I'm hoping we can get some more height as the bar was under my knee. The table wasn't a big deal, but we couldn't get him through the tunnel. He statued and wouldn't go. The best we got was his head and a forefoot in looking for treats. We will continue to work on that. This isn't even an agility course yet, so he's got time before he really needs to be going through it.
All in all it was a great experience. Can't wait for next week!
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