Agility 1 Week 15

Graduation day! We played rear crosses today, this time with the dog starting on the handler's right and rear crossing to end up on the handler's left. 

Pearls:

• A rear cross is when the handler switches from one side of the dog to the other by passing behind the dog.
• Jackie is progressing onward to Agility Level 2! 

Jackie learning rear crosses:

Agility 1 Week 14

Rear crosses, where you drive the dog ahead of the handler and the handler crosses from one side of the dog to the other side while behind the dog, were today's focus. Our coach set the dogs' line with a hoop, hoop, tunnel sequence. 

Starting with Jackie on my left hand, you release the dog "Break!" and keep your left hand up pointing at the hoop.  Allow the dog to get in front of you, and when she is committed to entering the second hoop bring your right hand up (in the don't spill your beer maneuver) and describe her line into the tunnel with your right hand, as well as pointing your feet and body along the line of travel from the hoop into the tunnel.

Like this:

Pearls:

• Keep your left hand up, pointing along the line, then bring your right hand up smoothly to meet it as you cross to driving the dog with your right hand
• "Here!" means turn toward me while "Back!" indicates turn away from me
• Be patient to let the dog get out in front of you before turning the dog or changing sides
• Keep your starting arm up, then as the dog passes you bring up your opposite arm to turn the dog away from you "Back!"

Rally 1 Week 6

Gunner and I played an abbreviated intermediate course tonight without food reinforcements.   Gunner did a great job, we are now working on polishing the details with an emphasis on reinforcing tight heel position in walking heel work and sits especially. I’m very proud of Gunner, and for sure he meets the criterion of enthusiasm over sheer military precision. 

Gunner is already registered with the AKC in the Canine Partners Program, which means he is considered an “All American Dog.” Looking forward to video recording our first courses, I’ve been reading and reviewing the AKC Virtual Rally handbook:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn-origin-etr.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/29154722/AKC-Rally-Virtual-Program-Guidebook-12-2021.pdf

Pearls:

• Homework includes continuing to reinforce enthusiastic, brisk heel work, and reinforcing tight heel position especially for sits
• Take off sooner as I ask Gunner to finish left and walk forward for “Call Front Finish Left Forward” sign, so Gunner has to catch up to me
• Enthusiasm is high, and I’m grateful for the gift in my life that is GUNNER

Tricks Class Week 5

Tonight we practiced backing up onto a platform, where you begin with reinforcing the dog in 2o2o position along the long side of a 2" platform, then lure the dog forward until the hind feet are just off the platform and then lean only very slightly forward with your lure so that the dog steps back onto the long side of the platform in 2o2o position and mark and reward. Eventually this will progress into Back up 5 feet which is an advanced trick.

We also played front feet on paw pods. Jackie loves this trick since she loves putting her feet up on many items.  She also successfully placed both front feet on the paw pods with both hind feet on a platform. 

Jackie has earned both her Novice Trick Dog Title her Intermediate Trick Dog Title and we've recorded three of the five required tricks toward her Advanced Trick Dog Title ("Bravo!" [Bow], "Guilty!" [Head Down], and Wave). We need two additional advanced tricks to complete her advanced title. Back up and Tap a Button are both advanced tricks we are polishing.

Pearls:

• Homework this week will be to reinforce backing onto a platform, and front feet on paw pods with hind feet on a platform
• Play paw pods for only a couple minutes at a time, unless you have already gradually built up to your dog being very fit; this is a strenuous activity and it takes much effort on the dog's part to perform
• This set of six balance pods hedgehogs will arrive tomorrow; Jackie played with both the smooth and nubby pods last night and seemed to like them both; I got the nubby ones to get started
  
  
  

Spaniel snoods

With the colder weather I've been keeping Rosco's ears and haircoat longer. Since pumpkin, fish oil, blueberries and mushrooms are added to his kibble, Rosco found himself in need of a good snood. I found a wonderful small businesswoman who makes snoods, and her company Maple and Paws has been wonderful to work with for fitting and ordering these 100% cotton handmade snoods.

Rosco's wardrobe is bespoke all the way

Pearls:

• Long, fluffly ears are kept clean and dry with snoods from Maple and Paws
• Fish oil, pumpkin, and other food-toppers stay in the bowl and out of the ears
• Rosco's ears and haircoat are kept in tip-top shape at his regular groomer The Paw Pad

Travel Crates

Since Gunner, Jackie, and I are often traveling together to and from Cowtown Dog Sports for training, and in anticipation of traveling to agility and rally trials, I have upgraded my travel crates to Ruffland Performance Kennels. I love the Ruffland kennels for many reasons, including design elements that improve the dogs' safety, removable doors on both the front and side of the crates which is convenient, improves airflow, and gives additional access in case of emergency, and ease of securing and fitting the crates in my vehicle.

Both dogs' kennels have been outfitted with custom-made purple Primo Pads and a custom printed Ruffland nameplate. I attached D-rings to the built-in tie-down connectors on the crates so I can anchor the crates in my vehicle with the tie-down straps I ordered. 

I'm excited to have these crates! It's a good feeling knowing the pups are safe and secure while we're traveling.

Jackie's crate is large (36") in orange, Gunner's crate is intermediate (30") in white

Gunner's crate is leveled perfectly with a foam platform from K9 Play Products

When both dogs travel together, Gunner's intermediate RLK crate fits on the folded-down back seat

Purple primo pads are made specifically to fit in each crate

All doors are removable and open both left and right

Tiedown D rings bolt directly to the kennel in pre-installed bolt-anchors on the top or bottom of the crates

Secured to the floor of the vehicle with cargo lash straps

Removable doors open both left or right swing; hinges right open here:

Jackie's large RLK crate fits nicely in the cargo area of my car, a small SUV, with room to spare and the backseats up

The custom nameplates turned out brilliantly

Removable doors open both left or right; hinges left open here:

Pearls:

• With the supply chain issue, these crates can be hard to come by; I got lucky and purchased the large orange one from an agility buddy and I found the intermediate white one at a big sporting goods store called Scheels outside of Dallas
• Love the feeling of security these crates provide and love the options for crating out of my car and traveling with both dogs secured
• Wishlist accessories include Ryobi battery/power operated fans to hang on the crates

Some good news

On January 12, 2022 Gunner saw his veterinary cardiologist Dr. Rebecca Fields Bennie, where a blood count showed that Gunner's kidney values were slightly high. Gunner's cardiologist Dr. Bennie wanted us to follow up with a check on Gunner's kidney values in eight weeks with Gunner's primary veterinarian Dr. J. Scott Mellina. Gratefully,  yesterday at that follow-up visit with Dr. Mellina, Gunner's kidney values were within normal limits. 

Gunner's kidney values January 12, 2022:  CREA  2.0mg/dL  (reference interval = 0.5 -1.8)

                                                                     BUN  29 mg/dL    (reference interval = 7 - 27)

Gunner's kidney values March 10, 2022:    CREA 1.4 mg/dL  (reference interval = 0.5 - 1.8)

                                                                     BUN 23 mg/dL     (reference interval = 7 - 27)

All other values from Gunner's blood chemistry yesterday (March 10, 2022) were within normal limits except for his reticulocytes (immature red blood cells) which were low, 8.5K/uL (reference interval = 10.0 - 11.0). Gunner's primary veterinarian Dr. Mellina did not comment to me about Gunner's RETIC. I emailed all findings from our follow-up visit with Dr. Mellina on March 10, 2022 to Gunner's cardiologist Dr. Bennie.

Pearls:

• Gunner's kidney values are within normal limits
• Gunner is doing well at home, and is continuing to enjoy playing Rally-O

Gunner, the keynote and anchor of the family!

Agility 1 Week 13

We're consistently stringing together numbered series of obstacles on the agility field. Today we played jumping both pinwheel circles and slice lines, as well as the A-frame and dog walk contacts. 

Pearls:

•  The handler must keep moving smoothly, and keep your arm up pointing along the line you want your dog to travel
• Turn your feet, body, eyes, and pointing hand smoothly yet obviously to indicate to your dog the line she should run
• In a pinwheel circle, the handler only needs to say "Here!" once to indicate the first turn toward the handler, then the dog should continue on the curved path the handler is pointing out to the dog
• Run! Jackie gets faster the faster I get

Jackie doing a nice job running this mini course:

Agility 1 Week 12

Jackie and I played our first mini-course with numbers today! We succesfully debuted "Round round round!" as a verbal cue (versus "Check check check! which sounds too much like our nickname "Jack Jack!") for collecting and turning tightly around a barrel. 

Pearls:

• Be sure to send Jackie well out and around a barrel; she follows where my feet, body, and hand point
• When sending over a jump it is more obvious to the dog where to go so the handler can allow more distance with a jump than while teaching a barrel
• At the startline, when I say "Break!" I move forward; having confidence in Jackie in turn gives her confidence to know what I want her to do
• Having a coach whose system has each dogs' well being, safety, and enjoyment at the heart of everything is a priceless asset
• Being in the company of peers who are learning to be excellent handlers with their teams is inspiring and motivating

Agility 1 Week 11

We played barrels today, this time we practiced wraps and post turns with the dog starting on the handler's left.  In a post turn, the dog starts on the left and ends up on the left. In a wrap, the dog starts on the handler's left and the handler does a front cross to have the dog end up on the handler's right.

Pearls:

• While reviewing our video, I noted Jackie looking back at me and even pausing or stopping when I gave the barrel cue. "Check check!" and "Jack Jack!" (our nickname for Jackie at home and how we often call her onto the sofa for cuddles) sound very similar. Jackie was probably confused that I was using a recall signal while driving her toward an agility obstacle.  I need to consider omitting this verbal cue, or come up with a new verbal cue for wraps and post turns

• Where your feet are pointing is very important, so be mindful to point your feet, body, eyes, arms and hands clearly and deliberately 

Videorecording training sessions is valuable for many reasons; what I did not notice in real-time turned out to be important after reviewing our video: