1 Year Old
Dylan is growing up and what a wonderful surprise each day to see how this age maturity translates into new behaviors, skills, and talents. For example when crossing a small road for construction trucks in Flagstaff he lunged and bark at a passing truck as we waited for it to pass. Today when I took him on his field trip to downtown Sedona I expected to see this behavior as we watched cars and trucks go by and also crossed several times in a cross walk. He was fine and even at times quite focused in this new area.
Have given a lot of thought to his training and showing - not wanting to push him too much so he will continue to enjoy all he is taught especially in obedience. He has LOVED scent work since day 1 and does amazing with finding my scented article with any number of articles in a pile. He is just starting herding on goats after being introduced to them a few times during the spring. So my plan is:
Have given a lot of thought to his training and showing - not wanting to push him too much so he will continue to enjoy all he is taught especially in obedience. He has LOVED scent work since day 1 and does amazing with finding my scented article with any number of articles in a pile. He is just starting herding on goats after being introduced to them a few times during the spring. So my plan is:
- Continue with his obedience at home and in new places: he is doing some lovely work with DB retrieves (both over low 8 inch jump and on the flat), gloves, go outs, early heeling a few focused steps, fronts, finish to the right and left, recalls.
- Work on his NOVICE RALLY.. taking an excellent class from Fenzi on notice rally. I have done rally before but wanted to be in a class to see how it is taught. Excellent class with early work on focus and heeling since there is heeling a few steps in rally. The pivot dish is used which the dogs love. Then all the moves are slowing introduced.
- Expose him to the show environment with other dogs and people through what comes so easy and enjoyable to him - SCENT WORK. He is entered in 2 NACSW L! trials this fall: one in Sedona ant the other an overnight in Tucson. Also several NOVICE AKC trials. Even if he qualifies in all elements he will not move up to Advanced. The goal is more than titles but exposure to other people, dogs, showing and distractions which one can only get at shows.
- Then when he is ready we will start NOVICE RALLY, continue with scent work and he should be ready to start preliminary herding tests on sheep/goats. No hurry to start obedience but just build a solid foundation with focus in rally and scent work.
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SCENT WORK COMPETITION
VIDEO 1: Chino Valley AKC Novice Scent Work Trial - Sept. 2024. Dylan had just turned 1. He needs one more Q in containers and exterior to have his novice title in AKC scent work.
Spring 2025: Dylan has just finished his AKC Advanced Scent Work title and is working on the Advanced Elite title.
Spring 2025: Dylan has just finished his AKC Advanced Scent Work title and is working on the Advanced Elite title.
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I have not recorded much of what Dylan is doing especially now he is 15 months old so decided it might be a good time to record some of what we are doing.Also looking for some new conditioning work. Found some interesting new work with cavelettis that can be done inside in a small space. Since we do so much conditioning and proprioception work I only used a small amount of this lesson from Fenzi and added my own modifications. I did like the way she used jumps in a bend.
I decided to take it outdoors and add a few other things we are working on: always straight GO OUTS to a mark with longer and harder to see distances; FRONTS, bending around a jump; confidence with obedience jumps and the new caveletti bend and extension work.
I decided to take it outdoors and add a few other things we are working on: always straight GO OUTS to a mark with longer and harder to see distances; FRONTS, bending around a jump; confidence with obedience jumps and the new caveletti bend and extension work.
Getting Ready for Novice Rally and Eventually Beginner Novice
Trying to determine which heel method to use and decided to use clicker for focus on me and reward with treat. Trying also to have no treats in hand and trying treats in mouth to encourage him to look at me for his focal point. This video shows our work with this along with minimal treats for rally...He is only rewarded when he looks up at me.
Since he needs treats for his attention and focus I am trying to minimize and vary his treats. Now I am trying to only reward with treat when he looks up at me rather than lure him with treats.
Since he needs treats for his attention and focus I am trying to minimize and vary his treats. Now I am trying to only reward with treat when he looks up at me rather than lure him with treats.
Continuing the Chaining of Open and Utility Exercises
Dylan is now 18 months old and he is doing wonderful work for the Open and Utility exercises. Below are 3 videos of his work.
VIDEO: UTILITY - GO OUT; DIRECTED JUMPING, GLOVES:
Dylan is learning complicated exercises through chaining. First he was taught the Go Out and increased the distance to 15 feet. In order to know he is to go straight we also did go outs in 5 positions. Next he quickly learned directed jumping.
Has been doing gloves for some time which go with the directed jumping mark. To all these exercises he is learning pivots and fronts and finishes as apart of the exercise.
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VIDEO COMMAND DISCRIMINATION, DROP ON RECALL AND RECALLS FROM NOVICE AND OPEN
The COMMAND DISCRIMINATION exercise which is challenging to the dog with mixed position changes is something we have been working on and now chaining position changes to the exercise in Open.
Since Dylan was very young we have played games with SIT DOWN STAND.. alternating them in the house and on balance discs in the gym. We have used a FitPaws disc so he learned not to move forward. It is not easy to transition from standing in front of the dog to moving away and asking for position changes different each time so I came up with using the utility bar jump and putting it in front of him to keep him behind it as I moved back away from him. Since he was familiar with the bar for drop on recall this was a great tool to use to help with position changes at a distance.
RECALLS: The hardest part of recalls is keeping the stay which he now does nicely.
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VIDEO: RECALS
Dylan has been using and working with a dumbbell for a long time -- how to carry and not chew, bringing it to front, adding finishes. The hardest part of this exercise was having him not chase the DB when it was thrown so what I do as you see in the video is how his collar lightly, throw the DB and then give him a treat before sending him.
VIDEO: Dylan's On and Off Lease Heel Work at 18 Months Old
We are doing a lot of heeling games to build motivation for heel work with many different rewards. The goal is for him to never know what the reward will be. This was done just before the video and included the jump, search for treats, find heel position as I walk away, and tug toys. Trying to slowly build duration for what he will have to do in the ring with his focus.
VIDEO: Teaching the Broad Jump
I learned about teaching my dogs to jump and land on the left side of the broad jump from Petra Ford in a webinar. When dogs have commitment to the left side, they don’t cut the corner and they have a better angle for fronts. I taught this to Beckett who has a lovely broad jump and after teaching it to Dylan for a few weeks you will see in the video of not only how quickly he learned but also what a good front and finish he has.
VIDEO: UTILITY - GO OUT; DIRECTED JUMPING, GLOVES:
Dylan is learning complicated exercises through chaining. First he was taught the Go Out and increased the distance to 15 feet. In order to know he is to go straight we also did go outs in 5 positions. Next he quickly learned directed jumping.
Has been doing gloves for some time which go with the directed jumping mark. To all these exercises he is learning pivots and fronts and finishes as apart of the exercise.
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VIDEO COMMAND DISCRIMINATION, DROP ON RECALL AND RECALLS FROM NOVICE AND OPEN
The COMMAND DISCRIMINATION exercise which is challenging to the dog with mixed position changes is something we have been working on and now chaining position changes to the exercise in Open.
Since Dylan was very young we have played games with SIT DOWN STAND.. alternating them in the house and on balance discs in the gym. We have used a FitPaws disc so he learned not to move forward. It is not easy to transition from standing in front of the dog to moving away and asking for position changes different each time so I came up with using the utility bar jump and putting it in front of him to keep him behind it as I moved back away from him. Since he was familiar with the bar for drop on recall this was a great tool to use to help with position changes at a distance.
RECALLS: The hardest part of recalls is keeping the stay which he now does nicely.
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VIDEO: RECALS
Dylan has been using and working with a dumbbell for a long time -- how to carry and not chew, bringing it to front, adding finishes. The hardest part of this exercise was having him not chase the DB when it was thrown so what I do as you see in the video is how his collar lightly, throw the DB and then give him a treat before sending him.
VIDEO: Dylan's On and Off Lease Heel Work at 18 Months Old
We are doing a lot of heeling games to build motivation for heel work with many different rewards. The goal is for him to never know what the reward will be. This was done just before the video and included the jump, search for treats, find heel position as I walk away, and tug toys. Trying to slowly build duration for what he will have to do in the ring with his focus.
VIDEO: Teaching the Broad Jump
I learned about teaching my dogs to jump and land on the left side of the broad jump from Petra Ford in a webinar. When dogs have commitment to the left side, they don’t cut the corner and they have a better angle for fronts. I taught this to Beckett who has a lovely broad jump and after teaching it to Dylan for a few weeks you will see in the video of not only how quickly he learned but also what a good front and finish he has.
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