Dylan 8-12 weeks

Dylan 8-12 Weeks

A puppies trainability, or learning facilities, are operating at full capacity now. This period marks a time when the puppy will learn at a fast and furious pace.This is why you will see so many fun learning games and interactions with Dylan.

GOALS:

Keep safe
Grow his love of training with me as his partner
Grow his CONFIDENCE in all different environments
Be HAPPY AND HEALTHY

MY GOALS

SOCIALIZATION: At least 3 field trips a week; if possible daily meet someone new. The first 4 months are so important and Karen has done an amazing job with this especially with children
RECALLS: Taking Recallers course since recalls are criticaly important for not only safety but also with all the hiking we do with wild animals.
Training always with rewarded with positive reinforcement and clarity of learning task. Always integrating play into training. Trainig is FUN!!!
"I love my crate"
"It's your choice"
For health, fun and preventing injury - balance discs regularly. They help grow body awareness, balance, and prevention of injuries.
Have Beckett become a good friend to enjoy in play, hikes, and learning from.
Relationship building; always being clear and consistent in his training

WEEK 1 & 2: LEARNING EXPERIENCES

SOCIALIZATION: If possible meet at least one new person a day and plan at least 3 field trips a week which will include children, and adults
DATA COLLECTION FOR LEARNING: How much training and what type of training to build in the coming days. How does he learn? How much confidence does he have? What does he know? How long can he focus? What is his confidence and level of comfort in new places? What fears does he have? What toys does he like? Preference of toys or food?
Safe INTRO TO BECKETT if that seems appropriate. He will be in x-pen when not with me, training, interacting with people or Beckett.
Intro to pivot dish
Into to different types of balls and retrieving: good to do before bed time in safe bedroom.
PROPRIOCEPTION - BODY AWARENESS with fun on balance discs
I love my crate: crate manners and crate games
Know his name and begin RECALLS and recaller course fun - collar grab game this week
Play i x-pen alone and learn that he can entertain himself
Walking on leash without pulling; perhaps short 5 minute around property
SIT when at door or x-pen before release word, "BREAK"
GROOMING: brushing, touching feet, ears, looking at teeth; more work with nail trimming and dremmel...
Enjoy riding in car
Stay quietly in car while Beckett is training. Started this on Day 1 and took Beckett and Dylan to Cottonwood training field. Car did not have back open and had doors shut for Beckett's work.
Intro to soft crate (large round crate) in my office to be there while I work in office and hopefully someday be able to be in soft crate at shows and when traveling.
Loose lease walking and learning to come to the REINFORCEMENT ZONE for reward at the seam of my pants - DID NOT GET TO DO.
"It's Your Choice" game --- used for so much in training to help puppy learn the right choices for behavior such as no counter surfing.

REPORT ON DYLAN'S WEEK 1 TRAINING AND PLAY as he enters WEEK 9:

Crate GAMES..."I love my crate." He runs in for his treat into the crate and SITS until released with his move word, "BREAK". Sits until released if door open or closed.
"IT'S YOUR CHOICE" game. This took 2 days. I offer my hand to him with treats inside and he will back away and sit until I say "break and release him to the treats. So important to prevent counter surfing and so much more such as meet and greet.
"FOCUS ON ME". Petra Ford showed how since this is so important for our obedience that she makes this apart of each training session so we do this with treats in both hands up and my side and he gets a "yes" and rewarded when he looks at me and not my hands.. Doing well.
Teaching him about a place to settle - a collapsable chair called "spot".
Loves getting into large pivot dish and now a box; Just started offering the small pivot dish with no lure to put 2 feet up on it with the words "paws up"... Doing this more reliably for 2nd day.
SITS when x-pen, crate, or doors open until released. Sit has become his position of choice while waiting for his release word "Break"
RECALLS... He will come to me from anywhere in house when I happily call his name.
GROOMING: brushing, touching toes, looking in ears and mouth; dremmel one for noise; touch toes when it is not on
"COLLAR GRAB" game --- happy to do this when released to ball or anything playing with.
Starting leash walking and beginning of reinforcement zone as place for rewards.
SOCIALIZATION; He has met one new person every day and for the next few days a number of people.
Tugs and not afraid of Beckett who is patiently teaching him behaviors not to do like biting and jumping on his face
Balance Disc work.. Pretty much allow him to explore and climb on them.
Release of tug toy when told "release"

All of this is short with only 2-3 reps and play in between. We do a lot of the training in a very low distraction area but then move to doggie gym for the pivot dish and letting him play and explore on this own. A lot of play. All of this with mental stimulation helps a very busy border collie settle to rest --- at least for a short time.

WEEK 3:

CONTINUED SOCIALIZATION.. PLUS proper manners for meet and great new people.... Sits on chair at front door and is OK with knocking o door and door bell. Released to visit a guest and has to sit in front of them for their attention and patting. Rewarded with their attention and a. treat.
Starting work on retrieves
Loose lease walking and learning to come to the REINFORCEMENT ZONE for reward at the seam of my pants
Rotation on pivot dish... doing very well and seems to have great value for the dish and so happy working on dish
Loves to get inside large pivot dish and sit
Fun in the gym on the balance discs...He gets to choose them and explore
Walk off pivot dish and come to me in front
Harder "it's your choice" with food on floor in front of him
Harder "crate games" -- are you a gambler game
Relaxation on mat for grooming and dremmel
RECALLS... need some people to help with this. Doing in house and it is going well.
Continued play with Beckett who is great teacher: tugging and doing "facie-facie"

10 WEEKS OLD.... NEW ADDITIONS & REINFORCEMENT— Many recalls including RESTRAINED outdoor recalls with increased distance
— Games to begin going away from me and then returning to me seen in higher levels of obedience
— Going out doors by sitting at door until released
— Going out front door; sitting with me quietly as door opens and not going out until released
— Target stick and hand targeting
— NEW - Introduction to Nosework games. I have used nose work games with my last 2 Border Collies to grow into their utility scent work. No pressure since this starts very early as a game and over time progresses to scent articles. The dogs have always loved doing this work and do well with it in competition. Look at Beckett’s pages on “how I taught scent articles” to see more advanced work. Today we started Dylan’s first introduction to odor - a tin with 2 birch q-tips. On hand has treats which is closed and the and with odor is open. The dog must choose the odor tin to be rewarded.
NOTE: food is used for positive reinforcement (of course along with toys and tugging) but I do not use the Scent Work venue that teaches searching for food first since when a dog is taught to search for food it could lead to things like counter surfing and stealing of food when it was not offered. My dogs have never surfed for or stolen food on the counter.

— Working on picking up dumbbell - carry not necessary.

VIDEOS

VIDEO 1: Dylan's first 2 days in doggie gym

VIDEO 2: Dylan and Beckett's first tug and new friendship. Dylan just arrived and this is Day 2. I never imagined that Beckett would accept a puppy and especially tug but they both had fun with their first tug. Beckett has been so good with the puppy letting him know appropriate behavior.

VIDEO 3: Dylan's First Time Outside with these fun body awareness stations.
Dylan had been outside 2 days ago and found everything of interest so I decided he perhaps should spend some time outside. For fun set up 4 stations to explore. His knowledge of how to walk on ladder greatly improved for the 3rd try. He had been on a large pivot dish inside but not this smaller one. He did amazing well with all outdoor distractions for his first time.

VIDEO 4: Dylan's 3rd Time Outside with fun awareness stations - no lures this time. DYLAN just turned 9 weeks and has been with me for 6 days. He was introduced to outside fun for body awareness and partnership 3 days ago and this was the first time outside with any play or work. His first time with these obstacles he was lured to show him what was being asked for; the 2nd ad 3rd time he did them without lures..... Pretty amazing for 9 weeks. Also this is his first time with hind end movement and awareness on the pivot dish.

VIDEO 4: Dylan advancing on his outside fun. Love his focus and enjoyment with the reinforcement-based learning.. AND already great value for the pivot dish which he seems to really like.

VIDEO 5: "I Love my Pivot Dish"
The pivot dish is great for hind end and total body awareness. It is also great for for someday finding position for heeling and of course reinforcement zone. Today we are also focusing on coming off the dish straight to in-front of handler with a sit which he does automatically. He has, in this short time, build great value for the pivot dish.

VIDEO 6: "Learning to Go Away from Me"
In the higher level of obedience - utility - the dog has to go away from the handler to perform a skill and then return. Petra Ford, in her Puppy Fundations, has several fun games to introduce puppies to to learn to go away from their handler. In this video we will see 2 being introduced to Dylan - the platform and the cone.For these games I felt totally comfortable without the longline….. he was so focused and happy to work that I did not feel we needed it.
In these videos he is learning: a game for going away and coming back to me; recalls were incorporated using the word “here”; he choose to do fronts and square sits. The cones were just started today and as he progresses with both of these games I will move back to increase the distance.

VIDEO 7: Introduction to Scent Work and Odor
This is Dylan's first day being introduced to odor and scent work games. These games lie a strong foundation of confidence in the utility scent work since they are fun games and there is no pressure to compete for some time with utility articles. The tin shown in the video was used with 2 AKC scent birch Q-tips.

VIDEO 8 (NEW REPLACES ONE POSTED YESTERDAY THAT HAD TOO MANY THINGS THAT WERE INCORRECT)
Everything we do in dog sports (obedience, herding, agility) is done from our side.. but what value does the dog have for their treats or reinforcement since day #1… coming front. We need to now install great value for coming to correct position at our side, especially in obedience, on our side at the seam of our pants….this is where heeling should eventually be at. We also need to do both sides so dog does not only use his right side and hurt his neck.

The reinforcement zone emphasis is also the basis for teaching loose leash walking. Yesterday I started teaching this indoors but was so incorrect in my technique and delivery of reinforcement that I decided to do a second more correct one but outside. Dylan is so focused and loves our interaction that I did not need to use his long line or leash outside for this. He loves learning and interacting.

Thanksgiving was a perfect day not only for Dylan’s socialization with 10 people who came by for several hours before we all went out to dinner. He also got to practice some amazing new skills of sitting in his chair until the guests were singularly let in the front door. Guests were instructed outside to bring in treats provided and only pat him if he sat. Dylan was amazing with no barking and perfect sits in front of guest waiting for his treat.

Great puppy Puzzle: Dylan was able to figure it out completely in one session.....
Outward Hound Nina Ottosson Dog Brick Interactive Treat Puzzle Dog Toy, Intermediate