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Each moment

Today begins the last week on the beach, and as is typical, I find myself counting down the days.  Change in plans--instead of thinking "only 6 days left", I'm changing that to simply enjoying each moment at hand.

If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is "thank you," that would suffice.
Meister Eckhart


Christy
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Posted January 23, 2012
 

SHE is the reason I run agility

After running agility with Parker for the last 7 years, I rarely look at the photos anymore. How many photos can you have of tunnels and jumps and weaves? Parker is as gorgeous as ever, but at some point, they start to all run together in my mind.

However, someone recently found photos from a July trial this year, two weeks before Parker turned nine, and I had to have them. Looking at the intensity and joy in her face as she attacks the equipment, I know that the love of this game has not changed one iota for her. Despite a handler whose skills are far less than what she deserves, she puts her whole being into each and every run. SHE is the reason I run in agility, not ribbons, not titles, but for the sheer joy of seeing how much she enjoys what she's doing. They are all special moments when I'm with her.

Christy
http://dobetalk.posterous.com/

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Posted October 4, 2011
 

K9 Nose Work--Monty and Lisa!

Monty has a new handler.  For the short term.  Lisa is going to be working Monty as we introduce him to "odor" and prepare him to take the Odor Recognition Test (ORT).

 
After a crazy play session with his BC buddy, Lisa and I decided to take him to a little vendor area at the park, and give it a try.  It was about 94 degrees out, midday sunny, but I had his Kool Koat along to keep him cool and comfortable.
 
I was right there filming, not sure if I would be a distraction, since I always handle him, but felt pretty confident that all the months we've spent using boxes would pay off--the boxes would be the most important thing to him.  And they were!  He cared about one thing, finding the "rabbit" in the box!
 
At one point the BC's owner came up to take come photos, and Monty was quite interested in her,  but Lisa paused at the threshold until he re-focused on the boxes and he was off to find the goodies--a Q-tip scented with birch oil is in one box with some high value treats, and then Lisa would run in and give him more treats, keeping his head in the box.
 
On the last hide, he hears voices and leaves the search area.   His job is to "guard" and he was making sure everything was OK, once he decided it was safe, he returned to the hunt and quickly found the source of the odor and the food.
 
 
Lisa and I were very pleased.  He really didn't care who was on the end of the lead, the important thing is the boxes and the odor one holds.  Good boy Monty!

Posted August 26, 2011
 

Parker gets a new vacuum

We have some fancy schmancy vacuum that I don't like, so someone other than myself uses it.  <G>  The main reason I don't like to use it, is because Parker doesn't like it.  Scares her.  So, I decided to get a vacuum just for Parker and I--lightweight, easy to use for those "touch-ups" between heavy duty cleaning done by someone other than myself.  :-)  And I wanted Parker to be comfortable with a vacuum.

I brought the new vac home today.  Out came the clicker and some roasted chicken.  I started by taking the vacuum out of the box, piece by piece, and tossing a piece of chicken as each piece was removed.

Once it was out, laying on the floor, I clicked and treated her for exploring it.  Pretty soon she was thinking this was a pretty cool addition to the house and happily touching every piece of it.  Dave snapped the pieces together while I treated her for each "snapping" noise. 

Now, we were ready to turn it on.  Lots of treats in hand for this and off we went, Dave running the vacuum while I fed her.  He ran it over rugs, and the hardwood floors, turned it off and on, and let it stand so she could touch and treat again.  I think we're off to a good start.  Now I have to use it.  :-)

 

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Posted August 2, 2011
 

A Very Special Day

One year ago today, I received this email:

Hey!
I volunteer with coonhound rescue.
was onsite today to look at this pup.

he is a great young guy.
maybe 4 or 5 months.
smart.
the facility is really good to work with, too.
vetting is reasonable.

we thought he might be a doberman.
wondered if you could help him,
or know of someone that can?

thanks
deb barreiro

After some "back and forth" about who would foster and who would pick up the little guy, Dave and I decided we would foster and I would meet Deb outside Savannah and get him.  His name was Monty.

Several days later, I made the trip with Parker, and sent the following to Deb after we returned home.
 

Thank YOU, Deb!!!! It's a good thing there's not much traffic on Hwy 16 because I rode for at least 90 minutes with my review mirror down so I could watch him! He played with the stuffed toy, found another one, chewed on the antler, then the Galileo bone, back to the toy, rolled around a bit, and then would lay there staring at me in the review mirror!

 

I stopped to get gas, and walked each of them, he pooped and was just a very good boy. Funny thing is, instead of being interested in all that was going on around us, he kept looking at me and wanting to play with me as we walked! Can't ask for a better partner than that!

 

As we got into Atlanta, I was hearing this strange noise (he had been sleeping), and I thought, 'oh crap, is that my van????' I looked up and he was awake playing with his toy!

 

He had a shower when we got home--he thought that was quite fun, ran around the yard, and has been playing in his x-pen.

 

Thanks, Deb!

 

And so, Monty is the perfect addition. It's been a wonderful year, and more to come!

 

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Posted July 6, 2011
 

Volunteering at a K9 Nose Work Trial

Lisa and I took off Friday, mid-morning, to fly to Denver as volunteers at the K9 Nose Work® trial the next day. Despite an almost full plane, and seating I would love to rant about (I just might later), we had a good flight and took the opportunity to discuss lessons for our upcoming classes, as well as things we hoped we would be able to discuss with Amy and Ron.

It was suggested that we come to Dana Zinn's Zinn Dog Training Center from the airport--we were unaware that Ron and Amy were teaching Day 3 in their Instructor Program. Timing was perfect as we got there as Ron was discussing working with dogs who tend to try and retrieve the odor tin and bring it to their handler--Parker tends to do this if she can, and I've been trying to work through this. Ron's approach supported what I was doing and gave me some additional things to think about. 

 

 

 

 

Parker  practicing
a vehicle search
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Then we got the chance to watch the introduction of an exercise Amy calls 'chasing the bunny' which is a precursor to multiple hides, one of the more advanced exercises.  This was done indoors and got the dog hunting with purpose, to find the target odor.  Lots of fun to watch as it builds the desire to hunt.

Once their day ended, we stayed at the Center to help prepare for the trial--banners had to be put together, signage completed, and vehicles loaded for the trial site in the morning.

Saturday morning, Lisa and I were at the site at 7:30 to lend a hand any way that we could.  A lovely campus was used for the trial, providing enough room for the 4 search areas and not allowing even visual contact between the dogs as they moved from area to area, a crating area for reactive dogs, as well as a separate crating area for the other dogs.  Flow from one search site was set so that dogs moved smoothly throughout the day, and competitors were unable to see the search areas until they were on deck to begin their search.  An amazing amount of planning goes into the particulars of keeping this running smoothly and fairly.  And that's after an appropriate location has been scouted and secured.

Once some initial things were set up, Amy invited us to "shadow" her as she placed the "hides" for the container, interior, exterior, and vehicle searches.  (Since this was an NW1 trial, the only odor used was Birch.)  The judges were Ron Gant and Barbara Schwerdt who accompanied Amy and concurred with the hide placement.  Areas were then roped off, volunteers got their jobs, and the trial was ready to begin--it took about 2+ hours to get things set up, and an enormous number of volunteers.

For the morning searches, Lisa was given the job of Steward for the container search, moving each person into the search area, checking to make sure it was the correct team and then working as a back-up timer.  I was handed a video camera and was to video each container search.  When you volunteer, you get a very "up close and personal" opportunity to watch each team in the competition.  It's fantastic!

In the afternoon, Lisa was the timer for the interior searches, and I put together the ribbon table for the end of the day ceremony, and then filled in wherever Dana needed me, which gave me a great opportunity to watch the vehicle searches, which Ron was judging.  Once again, he was wonderfully generous in answering my questions, and sharing information when I had questions about why a dog didn't pass the vehicle search--some looked so close, but "close" is not what competition is about.

At the end of the day, the Ribbon Ceremony took place--wow!  This was very emotional.  Twenty two teams were awarded their NW1!!!!  This is the largest number to date at a trial!!!!  Aside from these awards, there were individual awards for the Top Search in each individual division--container, interior, exterior, and vehicle, the team awards, those who receive awards for "Pronounced", and the Harry Award given to the outstanding Rescue, and named for a wonderful Rescue whose impact on the early days of K9 Nose Work led to an award in his name.  What a ceremony!

Once over, there was still work to be done--the tear-down.  As long as the day was, the excitement of it keeps everyone working as one giant team.  And what better way to wind down afterwards,than a stop at a Mexican Restaurant! 

Sunday was our day to return to Atlanta, but since our flight was late afternoon, we were invited to return to Zinn Dog Training Center and sit in on Day Four of Instructor training.   We went outside to watch how the "chasing the bunny" exercise is used in the introduction to vehicle searches.  This was really fascinating!   Problems such as little dogs trying to go under the vehicle, and larger dogs jumping up and pawing/scratching the vehicle can be eliminated, and the focus is kept on the vehicle in a way in which the dog is driving to search for odor in a productive manner.  I can't wait to try this with Parker!!!

We watched some of the videos from the trial and discussed what we saw, or what Ron and Amy saw, and what we're learning to recognize.  There was so much to absorb!  But the bottom line, and the 2 primary things I came away with, were:

"reward at source"  This is not ambiguous.  This is a definitive place and action of the handler, running in when the dog indicates odor, and rewarding at the source, keeping the dog's head at source.  Source is not 3 inches in front of source, or even 2 inches away, it is AT the source of the odor.  I saw it time and again when I watched the vehicle searches.  Ron pointed out that the dogs had been rewarded close to, but not AT source, and therefore when it came to pinpointing where source was, the dog stopped 2 or 3 inches away and indicated, the handler called it, and they were wrong and did not pass.  From the beginning with food and boxes, to odor and exterior, interior or vehicle searches, the dog must be rewarded by the handler, (generously), AT source. 
And the other thing I came away with:  foundation, foundation, foundation.  A strong desire to hunt is built by putting in a strong foundation over time--there is definitely a big pay-off to doing that.

Lisa and I left exhausted, but energized by all we saw and learned, looking forward to putting it into practice and looking ahead to the next K9 Nose Work Seminar/Workshop/Camp.   Plus, we now have a good grasp of how much work is involved in putting on a trial, and would encourage everyone to find a trial that you can get to and volunteer!  What a learning experience!  What fun!

Posted June 6, 2011
 

Neighbor's chickens give Parker her mojo back

In the last couple of months, Parker has been reluctant to play with Monty.  He's not a lot taller than she, but he's so very solid, and is a typically wild and crazy boy who comes running at her like a locomotive.  (loco)  She forgot that he will roll around on the ground like a fool if she will just attempt to push him over.    Sadly, she was showing less interest in playing with me in the yard, even when he wasn't there.  There was nothing wrong with her, she's fit, had adjustments and massages and is in great shape, it's a mental thing.  And then the chickens arrived!   The neighbors decided they wanted fresh eggs, so, they bought some hens.  They're really quite lovely, and they have a nice low clucking sound, which fascinated Parker.  She now had a reason to go into the yard.   In typical Parker fashion, she will watch serenely and then explode with a few quick barks.  The chickens don't seem to mind, but we're working on stopping that behavior.  However, it's given her some new confidence!  I believe she may be dreaming of "Kentucky Fried" at night.

Betty and Blackie

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Once again, she loves going into the yard, in fact now, she wants to go back there.  Once there, she struts back and forth watching the hens--actually her strutting is a little like the strutting they do as they search for food.  If Monty comes out with her, she takes no crap from him while she's chicken watching.  And he respects that.  LOL
 
And her confidence grows--in the last couple of days she has been chasing Monty, and rolling him around on the ground and having a great time.  Parker's back!  Thanks chickens Betty and Blackie, you've not only got Monty and P playing again, but she's now confident enough to roll on the ground in play, a whole new twist to the relationship.  Take a look!

Posted June 2, 2011
 

K9 Nose Work® trial--here we come!

Look out Denver!   I haven't flown in several years because Dave and I vacation with the dogs, which requires driving somewhere, (St George Island), so I was stumped by all the new requirements regarding baggage.  Wow.    All liquids and gels must be in a quart bag.  OK.  Until I looked at the size of a quart bag.  Seriously?  I have to fit everything in there?  And then there's the size of the carryon.  I THOUGHT mine was the right size, and then I measured it.  Wrong.  Think half the size of what I planned on taking along.   OK, so, I've got my quart sized bag filled with sample sizes of my essentials, got my non-wrinkle clothes all rolled around stuff that wouldn't fit into the quart size bag, and checked to make sure I hadn't inadvertently put in something that could be construed as a weapon.

How small is a

quart bag?
Tiny.
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And then there's the question of food.  Can't bring anything (water included) past the checkpoint, but I can buy something once I pass the checkpoint.  Or, I can BUY some snacks on the plane.  That's funny.  I was never a fan of airline food when it was free.  And now they want me to pay for it.  LOL  Air travel has changed.  I'm in awe of people that travel regularly, it seems such a hassle.  Maybe I'm just not used to it. 
 
Oh well, now that I'm packed I can concentrate on what I'm doing.....................I'm flying to Denver as a volunteer to help out at a K9 Nose Work® trial with Lisa Rodier, the co-teacher of our K9 Nose Work® classes!  What a blast!  While I would love to be taking Parker along as a competitive team at this trial, flying her is just not something I will do.  Until she sprouts wings, we drive to our destination.
 
Looking forward to fun in Denver!!!!

Posted June 2, 2011
 

The graduates

Monty and Dave graduated from a "Manners Class" on Monday.  Both came home very hot and tired, the increased heat took a lot out of Monty--his temperature gauge runs a bit hot. 

Hotmonty

 
I'm really quite proud of them.  Proud of Dave for taking the time and making the effort to go to his first dog training class with a dog that is a bit over the top, and proud of Monty for being the sweet (slightly exuberant) boy he is.   He had to overcome the excitement of dogs in close quarters, and the loud train that would occasionally come by on the nearby train tracks.
 
While attempting to work on his training at home between classes, Dave is also working on the Susan Garrett online Recallers course.  This is a lot for even experienced handlers, and Dave has tried hard to keep up.  I know that one of the huge encouragements has been seeing the results of consistent, positive training.  The more you train, the better you get as a team, and that's a huge encouragement in itself.  Results!  Can't beat that.
 
I would have liked them to take another class, but after seeing how hot they were on Monday night, I realized that the heat would make training a lot less fun.  So, for now, we'll focus on the Recallers Course, some K9 Nose Work (which both of them love), and going new places in the mornings to get used to all the varied distractions of city living.  We'll start back in class in the Fall, preparation for our trip to Florida!
 
I'm proud of my boys! 
Christy

Posted May 10, 2011
 

Goin' to Camp

Next week, Parker and I leave for 5 days--we're headed to the North Georgia Mountains for a K9 Nose Work Camp.  Parker loves this sport and really excels at it--I suspect that she does so well since the human involvement is minimal and therefore, she does what dogs do naturally--HUNT!  As long as I step back and let her work, there's little chance of me messing her up.  And I love to watch her work!

 

So, today, we met with our roommate who kindly lent us a rain slicker for the upcoming adventure.  We're hoping it won't rain, but, one can never tell, we're in Georgia, after all.  Between our awesome Thunder Shirt for indoor wear, and our rain slicker for our walks, I think we have the bases covered.  We're ready!

100_0413

Christy

Posted April 1, 2011