Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Jefferson as baby "Sonic"

I can’t believe it has been three summers since Jefferson came into my life!  I brought him home at 14 weeks old on July 25, 2009 and would have never guessed that I would love training him so much, let alone, compete in dog agility.  Wow…to think about how far we have come since the beginning is simply amazing.

First Visit to the Vet

He is my first dog and my first agility dog so we have been through quite a bit together.  We took Puppy Class at LCDA during the fall of 2009.  He did very well and was quite the wild puppy with so much energy and eagerness to learn.  Next, during the winter of 2010 we took another Puppy Class at the IOP Rec center.  He especially enjoyed rough housing it with all the other pups during puppy play time (but was still bit leery of the bigger pups).  After this class, we signed-up for Intro to Agility in the Winter of 2010 at LowCountry Dog Agility.  Little did I know what I was about to get myself into when we began our dog agility journey in the Spring of 2010….

Pre-agility jumping up on the couch the 1st day home.

We took as many seminars and training classes that I could find – we still do because it really helps me to learn from all the different trainers.  It adds a lot to your training to gain another’s unbiased perspective.  I have yet to go to a seminar or training session where I did not learn something that I could use in my training with Jefferson. 

We began trialing in December of 2010 right after he turned 18 months and it was (and is!) so much fun.  Our first trial was a complete fiasco – Jefferson ran around and did not complete a course.   For added comic relief, he even jumped over the fence running toward participants who were eating near the field!  But, still, we both had a good time!  Whenever I get discouraged about where we are today in our training, all I have to do is think back to that first time in the ring and recognize just how far we have come since that day.

Our 1st trial in December 2010 with my dad and mom

Now, he competes in a few USDAA Advanced events and one AKC Open event.  Sure, we are in Starters/Novice in the rest of the classes, but I am so very proud of our progress.  In fact, we have even improved since the trial earlier this month when Jefferson was stopping on course.  I have made a valiant effort to train a few different handling techniques such as how to handle pinwheels with different kinds of crosses (who knew that he actually was the fastest and most confident whenever I blind cross him…interesting!)  I have had some time to experiment with our on-course communication so it does not break down while we run a course.  I have learned that he needs to know way ahead of time where the next obstacle is he should take.  In other words, he is definitely an obstacle focused agility dog and my job is to let him know EARLY on course what obstacle is next.

During run-thrus this past Sunday, Jefferson did SO WELL and I was very proud of him.  It was extremely hot (he does not normally run in the heat) but he eagerly ran for me.  He stopped after the 3^rd jump, almost heading for the off-course double, but I got him back on track and he kept on running the rest of the course up to the weave poles.  The first time in the weave poles he popped out at the 10^th pole.  I did not get this on video, but I’m fairly certain he was following my movement.  But, I said “Nope” in a neutral tone and we went back around to the entrance and had a “do over."  He successfully completed the weave poles the second try!!  And he was fast too...Yay!  This is great progress for us since he normally does not allow me to “correct” any of our mistakes during running a course. 

A pooped pooch after a hot day of agility!

So, I am thrilled with how far we have come in our dog agility journey and excited about where the journey is going to take us next.

"Always concentrate on how far you've come, rather than how far you have left to go."   ~Unknown

Do You Like Green Eggs and Ham?

After much thought and reading TONS of dog training materials online and on my Nook, I have devised a training protocol for Jefferson.   Much of Susan Garrett’s training blogs, and even quite a bit of her “Recallers” training really made me think and reassess my training.   In fact, I have developed a bit of an analogy between Team J-Dawg’s agility performance and my feeling much like “Sam I Am” from Dr. Suess’ “Green Eggs and Ham.”   

If you are not familiar with the storyline, here’s a brief synopsis taken from Wikipedia.  A character known as "Sam I Am” (This would me ME…the handler!) pesters another character (this would be Jefferson….the doggie) to taste the bizarre-looking titular dish (this would be agility). He declines, claiming to dislike the delicacy in question. However, the persistent Sam I Am (ME) will not cease following him (Jefferson) around and trying to encourage him to try the green eggs and ham (agility), asking him (Jefferson) if he will sample the dish (agility) if he does it in various locations (like a boat or a house) and with an assortment of dining partners (like a goat or a mouse). At the end, the disgruntled character (Jefferson) gives in to the nonstop nagging of Sam I Am (ME) and tries a bite of green eggs and ham (agility), which he finds he does indeed like.

So, from all that I have read, I have gained much insight and my take on the situation is three-fold.  First, I believe that much of our difficulties lie in the gap of my training – more specifically – obedience training.  While the sport of agility does not require the rigid heel positions as obedience or rally, it does require that your dog has focus on you, the handler.  One simple fix I have in mind is to retrain the “Come” when called command.  Jefferson blows me off whenever I ask him to “Come;” so I am re-training using a different word, “Here” and using lots and lots of goodies for whenever he comes “Here” to me.  Whenever I watched our videos from the CPA trial, he was wagging his tail a few of the times he stopped on the field during a run as if to stop to play a “come and chase me” game.  At a trial, I end-up participating in this game and then we run out of the ring earlier and he gets to his treats.  In other words, he is getting something out of this unwanted agility behavior of stopping during a run.  Inadvertently, I have been rewarding the behavior that I do not want.  Here is a video from this Sunday's practice run-thru, but whenever Jefferson runs off, I am successful in getting him back to complete the course because I do not go "play his game."

Madison wants to know why that darn ole dog gets so much attention!

 Secondly, I am working on gaining much of his attention and having him in the state of mind to be “On” for training and focused on me.  Whenever I think about the truly successful agility teams, they are the ones whose dog is focused on the handler way before they enter the ring for their run.  In fact, the dog and handler team are “On” prior to even getting near the ring.  So, I have read training materials about being able to turn your performance dog “On” and “Off” in order to have a good run.  Finding the balance between having a dog that is too revved up and one that is not revved up enough is a fine point of which I need to do a lot of work.   I plan on using food and toys to continue to get Jefferson “On” for whenever he runs.  Likewise, I want him to learn to recognized when it is time to turn "Off" from agility or training.

Thirdly, I have learned from reading many different training books that instead of focusing on the “Bad” behavior, I should be focusing on training the “Good” behavior that I want.  Instead of trying to psychoanalyze my dog to determine the “why,” I should read his trial behavior as an opportunity to identify gaps in my training.  Much like the character in “Green Eggs and Ham,” Jefferson (and me too) need to learn to work through our stressors and be able to run an agility course no matter the environmental or social stressors.  I have already worked on distractions during last night’s Weave Pole Issues class.  Since he does not have any real weave pole issues, I took him off leash and had him walk with me around the field for about 15 minutes.  He stayed right with me – attentive the whole time – while I treated him and asked him to perform various commands.  I was so pleased with how well he did with this spontaneous exercise.  We will be working this behavior quite a bit!  

 

I like green eggs and ham!
I do!! I like them, Sam-I-am!
And I would eat them in a boat!
And I would eat them with a goat...

 

I have thought a lot about how much our non-agility behavior is manifesting itself in the agility ring.  We will be working on our basic obedience in hopes that this will make us a more proficient agility team on the field. 

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. "
 

~Aristotle

Challenges

Well, this weekend’s Carolina Piedmont Agility trial was one of the most discouraging events in which Jefferson and I have participated.  While I was not at all preoccupied with “Q’s,” I was expecting Jefferson and me to at least run ONE course together.  One out of fifteen isn’t too much to ask?  Apparently, for one Cocker Spaniel and handler it is….

We were eliminated in nine out of fifteen runs.  We only received 3 ribbons because there were two or three entered in our classes.  I was really surprised he did not run with me because on Thursday night’s
For Exhibition Only run, he got his weave poles, stayed with me, and caused me to have absolutely no reason to doubt our upcoming trial performance.  So, after months of our training and working on running a course as a team, we are officially back to square one.  

Here's a sample of our meltdowns:

On the positive side, our problem is not primarily my handling our Jefferson’s obstacle performance; rather, his not running a course with me  - refusing to run is more like it.  He would start out great, running fast and performing the obstacles, until, BAM…he would stop in his tracks and refused to go on.  Until you have a dog that does this, it is so hard for anyone to understand how that feels.   He has had very good practices over the last several months, only shutting down after a bout with diarrhea.  I have officially tried different pre-trial routines and none has really made any difference.  We don’t practice for a week; we practice the day before; I don’t feed him breakfast; I feed him breakfast; he gets steak as a reward; he gets peanut butter; he does tricks for me; he doesn’t do tricks for me; he gets brought out right before his run; he stays out a long time before his run; we enter a couple events; we enter five events; the list goes on and his running for me is still as unpredictable as ever.

 

 After this emotionally exhausting weekend, I have seriously been considering not running him in agility anymore.  When do you give up and throw in the towel?  It is interesting to me that I like to run and even have completed three half-marathons.  I am a runner – an extremely slow one, but I really enjoy the personal satisfaction in training my body to run 13.1 miles to accomplish my goal.  I am keenly aware that I am not in competition with the Kenyans – even more – I am not in competition with my thinner, faster friends.  I am aware of my physical limitations and have accepted that fact.  Instead, I am proud to run and finish any race I enter.  Even if I finish last, I am far ahead of the person who stayed in bed that morning.  

But, with dog agility, I have not accepted our team’s limitations and am still trying to compete with the “Kenyans” and my thinner, faster friends of the dog agility world.  It would be one thing if I knew that Jefferson did not possess the technical agility skills.  He does.  While my handling is not the greatest, I do pretty well for a beginner and understand how my body’s motion works to give my dog information about how to run a course.    The thing is, I KNOW that we can do it and CAN run great together as a team.  We do well in practice.  Herein is the extreme frustration of not being able to transfer that behavior to a trial. Truthfully, it is pretty embarrassing to always be the dog and handler who make a fool of themselves at every trial.  He is so darn cute and cannot hide in the sea of shelties.  We stand out like a sore thumb!  

A few good-meaning people casually asked me if I had considered “getting another dog.”  OF COURSE NOT!!  Did my parents exchange me for an Asian child prodigy whenever I did not turn into a piano virtuoso!!??  Keep those “working” breeds.   I want to run agility with MY dog and I want him to WANT to run with me.  

I have started re-reading a few good dog training books such as "Don't Shoot the Dog!" to refresh my training repertoire.  We have a lot of work to do!! 

“Don't give up! It's not over. The universe is balanced. Every set-back bears with it the seeds of a come-back.”
― Steve Maraboli

Mayberry is a State of Mind

I was saddened by the news that Andy Griffith died yesterday at the age of 86.  Sure, he was an actor, but he created the memorable character of Sheriff Andy Taylor.  Although his character was a simple, sheriff of the North Carolina small town, Mayberry, he was a great, calm leader.  Many Facebook tributes, newscasts, and media have spoken of Andy Griffith’s legacy – even President O’Bama had something to say of Andy’s death.  Ron Howard, who played Opie Taylor, the son of Griffith’s iconic sheriff tweeted,  "His pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations & shaped my life.  I'm forever grateful."   This last quote really resounded with me as I get ready to travel with Jefferson for a three day trial just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.  

As for the first part of Ron Howard’s quote, we (team J-Dawg) have been in pursuit (hot pursuit - the temps are crazy!) of excellence in our agility practices this past month.  I have worked very hard on reinforcing Jefferson’s nailing fast, weave pole entries, hitting  his running dogwalk contacts and going to a fast down on the table.  I have brought in some unexpected chicken treats to up the ante.  But, knowing that during a trial atmosphere I cannot treat in the ring, I have relied more on my verbal praise of Jefferson’s performance.  This has worked extremely well as he really feeds off of my energy.  So, I am learning to verbally praise him as he runs the courses or exercises we have had in our classes.  Of course, I am still a work in progress and need to push myself to consistently keep my energy up and use verbal praise more during our runs.

Another part of the quote about taking joy in creating really struck a chord with me.  Agility is fun and it should be joyful while we work with our teammate.   To my team’s detriment, I had forgotten the “joy in creating” a unified team.  Recently, one of my agility friends unexpectedly lost her heart dog and reminded me that nothing is better than having fun with your dog.  I intend to savor every run – for better or for worse – with Jefferson.   During this weekend’s trial, we will have fun running together as a team, even if we make up our own courses from time to time!   And we WILL eat a big, juicy steak one night too....

Finally, regarding the passing of iconic Andy Griffith, his character, Sheriff Andy Taylor taught lessons of patience.  He was always the calm, collected sheriff when interacting with the likes of Floyd the barber, drunk Otis Campbell, goofy Gomer and Goober Pyle, his pre-pubescent son Opie, but especially with his side-kick, blundering Deputy Barney Fife.   Regardless of what unanticipated event transpired during the show, light-hearted Andy had unwavering faith that things would resolve themselves.  He showed a kind spirit and patience to all those memorable characters who surrounded him in Mayberry.   This is the kind of patience I need to exhibit in agility as Jefferson and I learn how to better work together as a team.   Patience in my making mistakes in handling; patience in Jefferson’s spunky unpredictability; and patience that we will be in synch and have many great runs together as a team.  There is no need to rush; rather, savor every moment as a training opportunity to learn how to be a better team.

So, on the eve of our heading up to Andy Griffith’s stomping grounds in North Carolina, I am excited about us having our own little “Mayberry” experience this weekend.  Afterall, we did have a run-in with a copperhead snake last week and according to an old wives tale (and Anderson Cooper)...that is a sign of good luck!!!

Read about it here: http://www.andersoncooper.com/2012/07/02/15-signs-of-good-fortune/#10_encountering_a_snake

"I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."

~ Thomas Jefferson

The Ultimate "Proofing" Exercise for the Weave Poles

With one week remaining before traveling to the Carolina Piedmont Agility trial in Raleigh, North Carolina, we have been practicing the weave poles, dogwalk and table.  We have made great strides and I continue to be pleased with Jefferson’s weave pole performance, especially his driving to them and my ability to work from a great distance while he completes this obstacle.  I am feeling confident and positive about our 3^rd agility “road trip” next week!

In quite an unexpected agility "proofing" exercise, we had a run-in with a copperhead snake after Tuesday night’s class.  I decided to go to the darker, back field to practice our weave pole entries and work “around the clock” with a jump that was already set-up.  Ironically, I threw his new toy into the edge of the woods and thought to myself, “Wonder if there are snakes in there…yuck!”  In a hurry to get the toy, I called for Jefferson and he quickly found the toy and ran out of the weeds and back into the lighted portion of the field.  “Whew…I am glad that he got that toy out so fast!  No snakes!”   

So, we went back to practice driving to the weaves and wow, was he nailing those weave entries!  YAY!!  Needless to say, I was feeling pretty good about my boy – when suddenly, while he was finishing his weaves (about pole 9 or 10) he raised his back legs up and his front legs were still on the ground.  He does "hop" in the weaves....but, what in the world was up with that move!?  He did not yelp but just keep on going to complete his weave poles.  And that is when I saw it…a scary, slimy brownish speckled snake slithering across the base of the weave poles!!! YIKES!!! It was scary…but I got Jefferson to come to me, leashed him up, and went over to peak at the snake to get a description of its markings.  I called for another agility friend to come over and help me check out the snake.  He came over and we watched in slither back into the woods….but, we did get a good look at it and confirmed with a few others that this in fact was a copperhead snake.  Poisonous.  I was scared but pretty certain that Jefferson had avoided the snake.  So, I made sure that Jefferson had not been bitten and was doing fine before I left the field to come home.  

Here is a link that has some great information about snake bites and dogs:  http://www.petmd.com/dog/care/evr_dg_snake_bites_and_dogs#.T-vQ6vWRGxM

This sure was a wake-up call for me to be more observant of my surroundings while training Jefferson.  I was lucky that J-Dawg avoided the snake and wanted nothing to do with it.  It is a good thing that he is so athletic and able to perform an improvisational "handstand" while completing his weave poles.  Another type of dog may have barked at the snake, tried to chase it, and would have resulted in getting bit.  I also have learned how to identify poisonous snakes, what to do if my dog gets bit, where the emergency vet clinics are located and which ones carry anti-venom.  Above all, I have learned to remain calm in order to keep my sweet cocker spaniel safe from all those nasty critters out there.  Eww….yuck!!!




"Look before you leap, for snakes among sweet flowers do creep."
~Proverb quotes

Summer Agility Staples: Pumpkin and Blue Bell Ice Cream

Today marks the longest day of the year, the summer solstice.   To us dog agility nuts, that means extra time to train our doggies!  So, we will attend class tonight and run a Starters Standard Course.  Fingers crossed that we are successful.  Reflecting on the past week of training, I have focused on getting independent, fast weave poles.   At last night’s class, he ran fast and nailed his weave poles.  Looks like the tug toy and the treats have really worked well:-)

However, during last Thursday night’s class, we had a set-back and I was disappointed in our progress.  Sometimes it seems like we take one step forward and two steps back.  It was the first time in quite a while that Jefferson stood there and refused to run.   The course was a standard course and we could never make it past the 6^th obstacle (there were 19 obstacles).  He wanted nothing to do with running agility.   Not to mention that he had the “poopies” all over the field!   Earlier in the day, we had spent a couple of hours at the beach; Jefferson is a great swimmer, frolicking in the waves and even body surfing the waves back to shore.  He also loves to swim in the shallow pools of water that line the beach as the tide recedes back into the ocean.  He is quite a sight to see – digging and rolling in the sand after his swim.  Spaniels are water dogs after all!  

Apparently, all the time at the beach resulted in his consumption of lots of ocean water.  We had a big day at the beach – and excess saltwater, sand and treats consumed in the heat.  Looks like the beach and agility do not mix too well with my pup (me too, for that matter…I didn’t feel too good myself during last night’s classes.)   Luckily, I keep an extra can of pumpkin in case Jefferson has belly problems; he consumed almost a whole can after having belly problems for 2 days.  Poor boy…

This week the heat and humidity are on the rise so I am going to be extra cautious with Jefferson.  He already is extremely sensitive to the heat so I will not be taking him back to the beach on days we practice dog agility.  And, before we practice, I am going to cool off his belly and underarms with water and ice.  Sometimes he will not drink enough water so I need to be extra careful to keep him hydrated as we practice.   Once he is hot, he is D-O-N-E!    Maybe a spot of Blue Bell ice cream couldn’t hurt either…

So, in the in summer, we will need to practice early morning or late evenings to avoid the heat as much as possible.  Thank goodness next month’s trial hosted by the Carolina Piedmont Agility Club will be in an indoor, air-conditioned venue.  

“Summer's lease hath all too short a date.”
~William Shakespeare