Derby Goes Fast

I sure hope I'm better at record keeping things when I'm actually agility training him ;)

He turned 7 months old on the 4th of July and really looks like a real dog now. He's still pretty small, I'm starting to wonder how big he'll get. But I would appreciate a dog on the small side more than a super sized BC. He's around 30 pounds, roughly weighed. And about 18-19 inches...roughly measured next to derby haha.

Finally shaped more things. He backs up and bows now also. Working on building duration with both.
I'm going to start working more on his hand targeting. It's been one of those things I didn't want to screw up so I've been putting it off.
Also still fighting the balance of toy and cookie. And most recently balance between tug stick and big ball. Balls are soooo cool according to Chippy. Have been working thru some good "don't wanna, don't hafta" moments.

Of course the hot topic lately is recalls. Derby's isn't great, but I know he gets distracted by less than Chip so I'm not very concerned about working it too much with him at this point (more than i already do atleast, by always having cookies for him when we're out in the field).
Chip however, gets visually distracted much easier. Everything catches his eye, especially if there are toys laying about. I don't have the relationship with him yet that I have with Derby, so it worries me more that he won't come back at this point.

I have a lot of students with similar problems, and they thankfully want to work on them! So I'm going to try and organize some study sessions for us to get some cookie in the bank.
I'm wAiting to see what brilliance Susan Garrett comes out with this week.
Although I'd really like her to be working on getting a contact training DVD out... At least before it's time for me to start Chip! I plan on a running A Frame, but I LOVE the idea of a 2 on 2 off AND running dogwalk. I just think there is too much of an advantage having a stop to do a complete running DW.

On the Derby front he needs one more QQ for his MACH. Hopefully our next trial the beginning of August will do it. I'm just looking forward to getting it over with. I've moved on to other goals so this isn't as much of a push as it uses to be.
Once we get that taken care of, I'll move him to 26" and start qualifying for WT tryouts next year!
We have northwest regionals this weekend! Need one Grand Prix leg for nationals, fingers crossed! I'm super siked, it'll be a fun weekend!

I

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Chippy is working on staying in a short
x-pen when derby is out playing with a toy. He has jumped out twice and started this session screaming his head off, but he was much calmer after a few minutes and lots of cookies.
He's doing a great sit stay with distractions now. Learning a stay by sitting the the bosu ball/stool/bucket really has been great. I got back to the stool when I introduce a bigger distraction like tossing a toy, or working Derby. We took our sit stay out to the big field this weekend and he'll hold it for an infinite distance now. I can say anything and swing the toy and my arms around. I'm still releasing him before I toss it. When I have the flexi on him, I'll actually toss it so I can stop him if he breaks.

We've been starting circle work and deceleration work. Really has a good "when I stop, you stop".

Other than that he's getting huge and a lot of big boy hair is coming in! He's still obnoxious over night. Some nights worse than others, but he either starts screaming in his crate at 7am ish or sittin at the bedroom door screaming when we let him sleep out.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Chippy got to go to his first puppy workshop tonight. He was a real super star, as well as being the youngest one in the class by 2 months.
He had great attention walking around the other dogs. His reinforcement zone position on both sides is looking great and he's getting the hang of stopping when I stop.
He got his first taste of "see wood run" on the flat dogwalk boards, surrounded by baby gates. We walked over on leash and rewarded the first time. Then after that he did 2 great fast recalls.
His self control work on boxes is still going really good...continually working on distractions.
Shaped a little bit of going thru a hoop.
Played "bang it" games on a 3 inch drop teeter end...very comfortable with the movement.
Did very baby collection & extension drill with jump bumps thru wings. I need to introduce him to a drive plate, but he got the idea after eating a cookie off one once. He gets really frustrated when someone holds him as I run away, squealing and leaping around.
We also played "leave the cookie to get the cookie" which is also a name recognition game.
I've put off starting crate games with him until I can sit down and watch the DVD again. However he always goes in very willingly and when I feed him for being quiet he happens to be sitting. So I thought what the heck let's see what happens.
Sure enough he sit while you open the door, waits to be released, come out and turns around to go right back in and starts it all over again. He's a genius! ;)

I'll do more crate stuff this week with him.
Also work more on shaping the hoops.
Finding RZ from different positions.

He is also being really good about releasing his tug. For a few weeks I just always plopped a cookie on the side of his nose and he would spit the toy for treat then go back and tug again. Now i can just tough then side of his cheek and he will drop it and then I reward.

Derby is still brilliant of course, the past 2 Fridays we've gone to world team tryouts practice to run international courses. He ran majority of them clean. Mistakes cause by me not doing the best I could.
After the qualifying period for this year is over, I think we'll move to 26" to collect scores for next year.

Going to be a super nice day tomorrow, hope to take the boys for a nice hike!

This is their difference in begging styles ;

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

As of this week:
Chip developed a retrieve. He would never bring the toy back prior to last Thursday, then just over night he decided to do it. So I wait for him to offer a sit or down then toss it. He brings it back, spits it out and gets a cookie. I've done very little release word work with him, I need to be doing more.

He has also figure out that if he goes to the door and barks or scratches that I'll get right up and let him out. Most of the time he really does have to potty. But lately he's been using it an excuse to just go outside and explore.

He's always had a good cookie to tug ratio, but our last few training sessions he started to get that glazed over toy look. "I don't want that cookie, give me my tug! Ok ok fine I'll take the cookie, but I'm not chewing or tasting it!" is pretty much how it goes. It is getting better though, but I'll need to keep balancing it.
I got his registration papers yesterday too. Gotta send those in! I really appreciate his breeder selling him on a full registration. I have no intent to ever breed (although collecting from Derby to save for the future keeps crossing my mind!) but I don't like being locked in to neutering a dog. Unless there are behavioural issues I think it's just an unneccassary surgery. I have it when other people control your decisions and seem to do it for the money, so I really appreciate that!

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

We are working on adding a cue to roll over.
As he does it pretty consistenly now when i sit on the floor. We've been shaping down and sit from down. At first I got about 10 roll overs in a row, it's hard to not be amused and want to reward them.
He was also offering setting his chin down on the ground and then laying flat on his side.

Right now he is entertaining himself by running circles around the couch with his toys. He should be good and ready for bed soon!

He is being very good about asking to go outside. He will stand by the door and eventually scratch at it if I'm not paying attention. Then runs down the deck stairs, does his business and runs back. Getting in a very good habit!

I've been really glad that he doesn't have much interest in other dogs. I think it helps that Derby ignores him and Derby is really the only other one he is around daily.
He will play with other puppies if they engage him but would much rather be with people. Which is perfect by me! I've never been someone concerned with my dog wanting to play with other dogs.
He has started "border collie things" with Derby though. Like hanging back and watching Derby and then jumping out and biting his legs when Derby runs by. Or Derby will go out running and Chip will chase him half way, lay down, then get up and chase him when Derby runs back by. Or jumping and barking at derby, stuff that is obnoxious and I'm trying to not give him the opportunity to do.

I'm trying to work hard to foster his love of toys and food. They are both strong and I want to keep them that way.
He came to me loving to tug and loving cookies. He happily goes from tug to cookie and back to tug. Love the Smack da Baby game, and really starting growling when you do it to his chest.

We've been working on resource guarding. The first times I fed him he growled when I would touch him or his food bowl, but that went away after a few times of taking the food away.
He got his first stuff meat bone this weekend and really didn't want me to take it away. He is better now after getting it taken away a few times for growling. But we need more work on it.

He taught himself the chute barrel this weekend. We were doing a little agility demo at a local feed store and Chip was able to be loose in the area when there was no one there. He kept walking back and forth thru it on his own, so I eventually got cookies and shaped him to go thru.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

So I really keep trying to give this blogging a try, but it hasn't worked out so far! I downloaded a livejournal app for my iPhone, thinking it would be easier, but I've accidently deleted like 3 posts. I think the app could use to be updated, seems like it has some kind of bug.

But I really want to try and keep records of Chip growing up, because i really regreat not doing it with Derby. I've tried to be better at taking pictures and videos, which I have very little of Derby :(

He has been a pretty easy puppy. I just remember Derby screaming in his crate and waking me up multiple times. Chip has never woken me up in the middle of the night, or had an accident in his crate. I wake him up every morning, after sometime after ten hours. I swear he has a puppy super bladder or something.

He is starting to get really good at going to the door when he has to potty. Then runs right out and goes.
It's weird having to deal with a noise sensitive dog, since all our goldens aren't. If there is a dog barking way off in the distance, or a car door slams or loud plane flies over....he can't concentrate on going potty and just wants to go back inside. I've been doing a lot of desensitizing, and trying to find new things to use around him.

I've never been much of a puppy person but I'm really enjoying him, again since I think he's been very easy. I'm trying to savor the innocence and cuteness ( although most of the cute puppyness is gone) because I known it'll be gone soon!
He is starting to enter a gangeling goofy looking stage. His ears a up and tipped and looks just like a puppy with taped ears. Every now and then they tip all the way up so we'll see how they turn out. It's probably the least important thing to me in the world and I don't want to spend all that time and fuss taping them.

I've also been struggling with the idea of just letting him be a puppy for awhile or actually formally training things. Since it's seems like I'm always terribly busy, he has got a lot of just puppy time. But these are some of the things I've been working on.

Recall- generally pretty good. I can call him off other dogs no problem, or toys. But sometimes in the yard he doesn't think he can hear me. So on the flexi he goes!
He comes really well to me when I call him with a high pitched "come 'ere chipchip". I'm working on some different tones, as well as him coming to other people.

Shaping sitting nicely to get food. From the day he came home he LOVES food. He knew exactly what I was doing when I ate, and proceeded to leap all over me and the couch. He is pretty good at knowing that he needs to sit and wait for the reward to be delivered to him.

I've been working on teaching him what Reinforcement Zone is by trying to only feed him on my side when I'm standing. He's getting the idea of finding heel position on both sides.

Up on the box games. Pretty comfortable getting on discs and bosu balls, and understands that all 4 feet on is what gets the reward. Also getting on little boxes boards. Just started shaping the skate board too!

We've done a few sessions of Its Yer Choice. He was doing well on self control
with cookies in hand and on ground. Now we are doing it with cookies on the edge of the couch, since he has taken a liking to stealing food off there ;)
While moving on to the shaping part of Its Yer Choice, the first thing he offered was rolling flat on his side which quickly turned to roll over. It really quite cute. I haven't put a command on it yet.

He actually has a pretty good sit stay too. I don't put any command, but he offers a sit and will hold it while I work on the 3 D's.

He loves to tug, but isn't crazy hardcore about it. He goes from tug to cookie and back to tug easily. Also has a good sit-tug-sit and we're working on holding his sit while i slowly lower a toy saying "reeeeaaady" then he can jump for it on "get it!".

That's pretty much all we've done. I'm excited to have a lot of time to train this week between classess.

Hopefully there will be more posts coming!

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

So I really keep trying to give this blogging a try, but it hasn't worked out so far! I downloaded a livejournal app for my iPhone, thinking it would be easier, but I've accidently deleted like 3 posts. I think the app could use to be updated, seems like it has some kind of bug.

But I really want to try and keep records of Chip growing up, because i really regreat not doing it with Derby. I've tried to be better at taking pictures and videos, which I have very little of Derby :(

He has been a pretty easy puppy. I just remember Derby screaming in his crate and waking me up multiple times. Chip has never woken me up in the middle of the night, or had an accident in his crate. I wake him up every morning, after sometime after ten hours. I swear he has a puppy super bladder or something.

He is starting to get really good at going to the door when he has to potty. Then runs right out and goes.
It's weird having to deal with a noise sensitive dog, since all our goldens aren't. If there is a dog barking way off in the distance, or a car door slams or loud plane flies over....he can't concentrate on going potty and just wants to go back inside. I've been doing a lot of desensitizing, and trying to find new things to use around him.

I've never been much of a puppy person but I'm really enjoying him, again since I think he's been very easy. I'm trying to savor the innocence and cuteness ( although most of the cute puppyness is gone) because I known it'll be gone soon!
He is starting to enter a gangeling goofy looking stage. His ears a up and tipped and looks just like a puppy with taped ears. Every now and then they tip all the way up so we'll see how they turn out. It's probably the least important thing to me in the world and I don't want to spend all that time and fuss taping them.

I've also been struggling with the idea of just letting him be a puppy for awhile or actually formally training things. Since it's seems like I'm always terribly busy, he has got a lot of just puppy time. But these are some of the things I've been working on.

Recall- generally pretty good. I can call him off other dogs no problem, or toys. But sometimes in the yard he doesn't think he can hear me. So on the flexi he goes!
He comes really well to me when I call him with a high pitched "come 'ere chipchip". I'm working on some different tones, as well as him coming to other people.

Shaping sitting nicely to get food. From the day he came home he LOVES food. He knew exactly what I was doing when I ate, and proceeded to leap all over me and the couch. He is pretty good at knowing that he needs to sit and wait for the reward to be delivered to him.

I've been working on teaching him what Reinforcement Zone is by trying to only feed him on my side when I'm standing. He's getting the idea of finding heel position on both sides.

Up on the box games. Pretty comfortable getting on discs and bosu balls, and understands that all 4 feet on is what gets the reward. Also getting on little boxes boards. Just started shaping the skate board too!

We've done a few sessions of Its Yer Choice. He was doing well on self control
with cookies in hand and on ground. Now we are doing it with cookies on the edge of the couch, since he has taken a liking to stealing food off there ;)
While moving on to the shaping part of Its Yer Choice, the first thing he offered was rolling flat on his side which quickly turned to roll over. It really quite cute. I haven't put a command on it yet.

He actually has a pretty good sit stay too. I don't put any command, but he offers a sit and will hold it while I work on the 3 D's.

He loves to tug, but isn't crazy hardcore about it. He goes from tug to cookie and back to tug easily. Also has a good sit-tug-sit and we're working on holding his sit while i slowly lower a toy saying "reeeeaaady" then he can jump for it on "get it!".

That's pretty much all we've done. I'm excited to have a lot of time to train this week between classess.

Hopefully there will be more posts coming!

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

( Read more... )

Never got around to uploading the videos from the last 2 days or writing about them till now.

The outcome was definitely a little frustrating and disappointing for us. He is such a good dog, I would love to see him get the recognition he deserves. However one little thing kept faulting us.

He never E'd, and definitely never made us look like fools ;) It was just a bar here (STP Semi Finals), weave entry there (GP semis), that kept us out of finals. He ran the courses brilliantly and quickly. Then got an A Frame call *gasp* (in team Standard.

But it was a very good learning experience for me, and really lite a fire to get ready and go next year. I know some weaknesses we will work on over the next year...contacts under more pressure and weave entries....more of the same.

I am still in utter shock that he held so many sit stays. They deteriorated towards the end, but still total shock we got the ones he did.

Until 2010!!



Today was day one of the Greg Derrett seminar of 2009. Man I wait all year for this!! We went thru lots of drills today, and will do world cup courses tomorrow.
Derby did great, and we got to do some interesting handling moves that I never saw coming. Definitely thinking out the the box..literally!
Threadles are still a weakness...but I got my handling clarified on them. It's just hard to do 2 or 3 consecutively.
Rear crosses are always stellar as he lets great pressure be applied to the diagonal line.

Got a few really great compliments today. 1st Greg said he got an email about how great we looked at Nationals, I was like wow geez idk who would email him that.
Then someone told me Greg said I was the best handler following his system in the US and my dog is brilliant. I was like HOLY CRAP! this is what I work so hard to achieve every time I run a course, and to have him notice is amazing. Especially when it is so easy for people to flip around to doing whatever the new hot thing is, I've really tried to stay loyal and committed to what I think is a great system.
Then after we left Jill said Greg thinks I'm a wimp for only jumping Derby 24", and that I should move him to 26 and take him to WT tryouts. Would definitely be a fun experience!

We will be back tomorrow! Can't wait!