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.
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.
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.