Beckett is One Year Old on May 27, 2017
For the past year we have tried to focus on letting Beckett explore and experience being a puppy... having fun, playing, learning to love to interact with me, learning how to great all the people and children he LOVES without knocking them over, and building his body awareness, core strength and proprioception. We have played with obedience, tricks to focus his mind and to learn about learning, and of course all the fun work which all my dogs love on the balance discs.
Now that Beckett is one year old (May 27, 2016) he is ready to begin herding and moving on with his obedience work... hopefully being ready to start rally next winter. The first 4 videos show where he is at now with his sports and learning.
Just starting this page... so come back often to watch for new photos, videos and the journey that cool little Beckett is taking.
Now that Beckett is one year old (May 27, 2016) he is ready to begin herding and moving on with his obedience work... hopefully being ready to start rally next winter. The first 4 videos show where he is at now with his sports and learning.
Just starting this page... so come back often to watch for new photos, videos and the journey that cool little Beckett is taking.
VIDEOS
VIDEO 1: While I love training tricks to show the puppy and dogs how to think, I like to build in the use of the balance discs. In the feet in the box trick Beckett offered on his own to step back onto the FitBone. The dogs started very early exploring balance discs and love the work. This is where we are at.
VIDEO 2: Beckett's Jump Foundation. I still love how Susan Salo teaches dogs to jump. I realize that some people do not like her jumping grids and methods, but I have seen so many dogs that do not have an understanding of how to jump: where the correct take off point is, correct form, how to sit correctly at the start line for balance on the first jump, how to use the body for variable distances and different types of jumping challenges. The spider is an excellent way to teach the correct take of place. Jumping grids build confidence and understanding in the dog. The slow motion in this video helps to see the dogs jumping form.
VIDEO 3: One Year Old Obedience. The focus of Beckett's work has been to try to have fun by introducing interesting things like the dumbbell, scent articles, perch for pivot work and finding heel position and of course building HUGE VALUE for heel position where all exercises begin. We have spent a lot of time on getting positions done correctly: SIT, DOWN, PUSH (sit from down), and SIT TO STAND. My goal now is to build more play for 10 seconds before we begin things like our heel work. Also going to focus on finding his PLACE (heel position) from different angles.
VIDEO 4: Beckett Starts Herding. When Beckett was 6 months old we put him on sheep to see if he had any instinct never expecting that he would be crazy about the sheep since he never paid any attention to them in their pens and very little when my other 2 Border Collies were working... But he seemed to love this new game and chased the sheep in circles. I decided that this was not good for a young pup or any dog to do.... running and running circles and especially chasing the sheep. So I decided to wait until he was older. Now that he is one year old it was time to try again. AND, I was very pleased with his progress. Also when they are a little older you can begin to put a little pressure on them to let them know they are not to chase the sheep and what their job really is.
VIDEO 5: Beckett's second time on herding geese. Dawna want to try him last week and I wish I had had my camera. He was so funny when they flapped their wings.. She said he closed his eyes... He is doing an amazing job with herding. He on his own understands how to collect them when they split and then continue with his fetch. So much fun to watch.
VIDEO 6: Duration for the dumbbell hold. Beckett has been retrieving the DB to me for some time but has no duration holding it when he gets to me (as you saw in video 3 of his obedience work). Thus, I cannot work on his fronts being straight and I should NOT be rewarding him for his DB retrieve when combined with FRONTS that are not straight. Time to break this down into 2 training behaviors: DURATION of DB hold until I tell him to release it AND straight FRONTS.
VIDEO 7: Progressing Beckett's Utility Scent Articles. Our progression involved first having Beckett sit next to me as he will when showing while the scent articles are arranged in front of him. He is doing very well with the SIT AND WAIT. This is the first video where he is out of his settle bed. Next, I am increasing the number of articles: for metal he is up to 6 and for leather he is up to 5. Leather are more difficult due to the smells in the leather and he had new leather articles made. I want him to be successful so begin with a few articles and increase. We are also now working more on teaching him to work the pile when we have a larger number of articles. You will see this with the 6 metal articles. Since the only behavior being taught is to find the scented article, I am not looking for FRONTS and do not want him rehearsing wrong fronts so I walk into him as he bring the article to me.
VIDEO 8: Introducing Beckett to the 3 obedience jumps: high, bar and broad jump board. Susan Salo offers her insights into correct jumping with using the set point exercises. A V-shaped placement jump is used to help teach the dog the placement of his hind feet (set point) which facilitates correct weight transfer and balance. Repetition done correctly creates understanding of jumping.See the entire page of obedience jump training.
VIDEO 9: Beckett's obedience work - age 15 months. I have had the privilege of working with Laura Romanik on Beckett's foundation obedience work. My goals with Beckett were - no pinch collar, no popping, no motivational popping, no ear pinch or any aversive methods. Laura has studied with Bob Bailey for some time and has learned from him how animals learn. It has been wonderful working with and learning with her. We have been working on positions (STAND, DOWN, SIT FROM DOWN) for some time as well as heads-up focused heel work. Beckett was introduced to the pivot platform when he was very young and he loves doing his pivot work. Laura also uses the pivot platform to start heel work since it puts the dog in the correct heel position and helps them to learn to to stay at that position. I start his warm-up on the pivot dish; progress to pivoting at my side off the dish and now we are starting Laura's Heeling Grids where the dog learns progressively longer heeling without reward but never knowing when the reward will come.
We have been working on the correct position for FRONTS from different angles; correct fronts from the DB retrieve; and finishes. Beckett also is doing his scent articles (see previous videos) and is doing nicely with the glove retrieve inside. Here is the video of where Beckett is at.
VIDEO 2: Beckett's Jump Foundation. I still love how Susan Salo teaches dogs to jump. I realize that some people do not like her jumping grids and methods, but I have seen so many dogs that do not have an understanding of how to jump: where the correct take off point is, correct form, how to sit correctly at the start line for balance on the first jump, how to use the body for variable distances and different types of jumping challenges. The spider is an excellent way to teach the correct take of place. Jumping grids build confidence and understanding in the dog. The slow motion in this video helps to see the dogs jumping form.
VIDEO 3: One Year Old Obedience. The focus of Beckett's work has been to try to have fun by introducing interesting things like the dumbbell, scent articles, perch for pivot work and finding heel position and of course building HUGE VALUE for heel position where all exercises begin. We have spent a lot of time on getting positions done correctly: SIT, DOWN, PUSH (sit from down), and SIT TO STAND. My goal now is to build more play for 10 seconds before we begin things like our heel work. Also going to focus on finding his PLACE (heel position) from different angles.
VIDEO 4: Beckett Starts Herding. When Beckett was 6 months old we put him on sheep to see if he had any instinct never expecting that he would be crazy about the sheep since he never paid any attention to them in their pens and very little when my other 2 Border Collies were working... But he seemed to love this new game and chased the sheep in circles. I decided that this was not good for a young pup or any dog to do.... running and running circles and especially chasing the sheep. So I decided to wait until he was older. Now that he is one year old it was time to try again. AND, I was very pleased with his progress. Also when they are a little older you can begin to put a little pressure on them to let them know they are not to chase the sheep and what their job really is.
VIDEO 5: Beckett's second time on herding geese. Dawna want to try him last week and I wish I had had my camera. He was so funny when they flapped their wings.. She said he closed his eyes... He is doing an amazing job with herding. He on his own understands how to collect them when they split and then continue with his fetch. So much fun to watch.
VIDEO 6: Duration for the dumbbell hold. Beckett has been retrieving the DB to me for some time but has no duration holding it when he gets to me (as you saw in video 3 of his obedience work). Thus, I cannot work on his fronts being straight and I should NOT be rewarding him for his DB retrieve when combined with FRONTS that are not straight. Time to break this down into 2 training behaviors: DURATION of DB hold until I tell him to release it AND straight FRONTS.
VIDEO 7: Progressing Beckett's Utility Scent Articles. Our progression involved first having Beckett sit next to me as he will when showing while the scent articles are arranged in front of him. He is doing very well with the SIT AND WAIT. This is the first video where he is out of his settle bed. Next, I am increasing the number of articles: for metal he is up to 6 and for leather he is up to 5. Leather are more difficult due to the smells in the leather and he had new leather articles made. I want him to be successful so begin with a few articles and increase. We are also now working more on teaching him to work the pile when we have a larger number of articles. You will see this with the 6 metal articles. Since the only behavior being taught is to find the scented article, I am not looking for FRONTS and do not want him rehearsing wrong fronts so I walk into him as he bring the article to me.
VIDEO 8: Introducing Beckett to the 3 obedience jumps: high, bar and broad jump board. Susan Salo offers her insights into correct jumping with using the set point exercises. A V-shaped placement jump is used to help teach the dog the placement of his hind feet (set point) which facilitates correct weight transfer and balance. Repetition done correctly creates understanding of jumping.See the entire page of obedience jump training.
VIDEO 9: Beckett's obedience work - age 15 months. I have had the privilege of working with Laura Romanik on Beckett's foundation obedience work. My goals with Beckett were - no pinch collar, no popping, no motivational popping, no ear pinch or any aversive methods. Laura has studied with Bob Bailey for some time and has learned from him how animals learn. It has been wonderful working with and learning with her. We have been working on positions (STAND, DOWN, SIT FROM DOWN) for some time as well as heads-up focused heel work. Beckett was introduced to the pivot platform when he was very young and he loves doing his pivot work. Laura also uses the pivot platform to start heel work since it puts the dog in the correct heel position and helps them to learn to to stay at that position. I start his warm-up on the pivot dish; progress to pivoting at my side off the dish and now we are starting Laura's Heeling Grids where the dog learns progressively longer heeling without reward but never knowing when the reward will come.
We have been working on the correct position for FRONTS from different angles; correct fronts from the DB retrieve; and finishes. Beckett also is doing his scent articles (see previous videos) and is doing nicely with the glove retrieve inside. Here is the video of where Beckett is at.
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