Foundations for Agility 2 Week 1

Today Jackie started Foundations for Agility 2 class, with much success.  We continued working on contacts; for now it is best to use a nose target at the end of the contact for every time we play.  This is to be sure the contact behavior is 100 percent solid so when we progress to the actual dog walk on an agility course she has already perfected the behavior and has a very high chance of success from the outset. It also helps to avoid injury by teaching her to keep her balance front and forward while moving across the dog walk or A frame.

For only the second time in her life, Jackie saw an agility tunnel today, and aced taking the cue, running through, and coming out all while staying connected to me.  Because she is a superb dog to be sure, but also because our coach has taken the time to show us the building blocks necessary to achieve error-free success for each novel behavior. I am really beginning to understand why foundation games are so important; as with dressage, the sexy stuff comes easy when you have solid basics.  And for dog agility, solid basics means a confident dog that stays engaged with the handler and has a very high rate of success and thus reinforcement, and masters each small step before moving on to the next behavior. 

Our homework this week is to focus on reinforcing contact behavior using the plank and the nose target. We can begin to work on adding a little distance, as Jackie understands the two-on-two-off behavior I can begin to send her ahead to the plank and reinforce her for "Feet!" as well as have her sit-stay and then I go out in front of the plank and release her "Break! Go walk! Feet!" and reinforce her for the two-on-two-off behavior.  I'm loving Jackie's new plank from Cato Outdoors products:

Jackie has only seen a tunnel one time in her life before today:

Pearls:

• All-important foundation games are giving us momentum
• Homework includes continuing to reinforce two-on-two-off "Feet!" contact behavior, and adding distance in front of and behind the handler
• Thanks to a solid foundation from a fantastic coach, Jackie is nailing more advanced novel obstacles like tunnel with a very high rate of success

Basic Obedience Graduation

Jackie has truly blossomed these last six weeks, and I am so thankful for all I’ve learned with Jackie and from Jackie. Robin Barber, our coach at Cowtown Dog Sports, has gone above and beyond in her patience, and has helped me establish a great foundation from which to springboard into learning to play agility, and further obedience should we choose to do so, and I’m grateful.

Jackie and I have joined one another in our collective journeys seemingly at a seminal moment, and taking the time to reflect on how I am learning has been interesting and insightful. I am amazed by how much Jackie has taught me about both teaching and learning, and how by teaching the “same things” to different learners, the teacher begins to learn the subject matter in a new light. Sincerely having my dog’s best interest at heart, and with a different awareness of consent and choice on the part of the learner, has allowed me to evaluate my own teaching and learning manner.

Indeed I have previously educated rescue dogs, and other herding dogs and Border collies. Each new dog is a huge step in the learning ladder, and much of what I’m learning from Jackie is to listen to the dog and what she is communicating. From our coach Robin I’ve learned in a new way the idea that the dog has a choice; Jackie doesn’t have to do the behavior for which I’m cueing, if  she chooses not to do the behavior nothing bad happens, she has that choice.  When Jackie does choose to follow a cue and offer the behavior in which I’m interested, she quickly learns that all kinds of fun and other good things ensue. There is so much good information coming from Jackie about how fast or slow the process should go, and how we all are our own individuals and no one has to follow a script. 

Jackie graduated from obedience class today at Cowtown Dog Sports! She received her certificate of completion and some cool swag- a Cowtown Dog Sports magnetic bumper sticker. 

In class today we participated in “the Olympics” of dog obedience, where there were five rings on the floor and inside each ring we had to play an individual game we learned in class, such as “sit,” “down,” “stay,” recall, nose touch, and loose leash walking around a barrel.  

We also learned about ideas for calm greetings and keeping all four paws on the floor when greeting people and playing.

Pearls:

• Grateful for a patient coach who believes in my dog, and truly has Jackie’s best interest at heart
• Jackie has learned so much, and taught me so much, these last six weeks of basic obedience class
• Consent and choice on the part of the learner, and taking time to reflect on how I both learn and teach has been insightful 
• A career in obedience, Rally, or agility are all within the realm of possibility, and we are excited to continue the journey

Jackie wagging her tail as we celebrate graduation from basic obedience

Tunnel!

Jackie had a milestone day in her Foundations for Agility week 6 class today: her first introduction to the tunnel! She did a great job figuring out this novel obstacle, and after a few tries she was seeking the tunnel and going in on her own "Go Tunnel!" 

Jackie is also progressing well with two-on-two-off, where she keeps her hind paws on a raised plank as she walks across the plank "Go Walk!" and lands with her back paws still on the plank and her front paws on the floor "Feet!" For now we are using a nose target (a small plate) to keep her focus forward and on the obstacle in order to keep it safe for her as she stays balanced on the plank, which will eventually become the elevated dog walk.

Today was our sixth and final class of Foundation for Agility 1.  The next progression in the Cowtown Dog Sports agility program taught by our coach Robin Barber is Foundation for Agility 2, in which we have enrolled. 

These last six weeks I have learned so much, yes about the sport of agility but more importantly about myself and my dog.  Jackie has not necessarily followed the written Border collie text, but she has taught me so much about being patient and the value, the true value, of a solid and deep relationship.  Jackie has bloomed these last six weeks, and while we still need time for our bond to continue to deepen, I am so grateful for all we've learned this far.

Gunner running and Jackie in the classic play bow.  Jackie has done so much in these last six weeks, and I'm very proud of her!

Pearls:

• Graduation day from Foundations for Agility 1
• Tunnel was introduced with much success!
• Jackie has experienced so many milestones in the short time she's been in our family, and I'm very proud of her and so grateful for the growth in our relationship
• Homework includes continuing reinforcing two-on-two-off for contacts, continuing reinforcing start line, and continuing reinforcing forward drive to a target
• Onward to Foundations for Agility 2, which starts this coming week

Rally Week 3

Gunner and I performed our first mini Rally course tonight! It was two signs, "Halt" and "Halt, walk around dog." "Halt" is where the dog sits in heel position next to the handler as the handler stops and stands still for three seconds. "Halt, walk around dog" is where the handler stops and the dog sits in heel position, the handler pauses, then the handler gives the "stay" cue and walks around the dog while the dog remains in a stationary sit stay and the handler arrives back in heel position.  

Seems easy right?  And it is, but we learned how close to get to each station cone, which is fairly close and at a catty-corner angle to the cone, and how to be sure to give your dog plenty of space as you walk around him, which gives him confidence to stay in position since he is not worried about being stepped on or you being out of his visual line, and how the handler and dog have to stay on their side of the plane of the cone for the exercise to be counted for any points.

Our biggest homework assignment is reinforcing Gunner keeping his hindquarters tucked in toward me in a tight heel position.  Perch work as the handler moves around an overturned rubber feed pan and the dog moves his hindquarters toward the handler as the handler pivots will help teach keeping the hindquarters tucked neatly in toward the handler.  Also cueing with and delivering cookies with my left hand will help keep Gunner in good heel position. Our homework also includes continuing to reinforce sit-down-sit in heel position, and sit-stand in heel position. 

I am learning to give the visual cue with my left hand and Gunner is learning to stay in close heel position as he takes the visual and verbal cues.  This seems simple but when you break all those behaviors apart, that is a lot of individual tasks being learned by each of us both separately and together. Gunner and I are accomplished at working with distance between us as in agility and distance tricks, and it seems Gunner uses his vision best when he is about three or four feet away from me, versus directly at my side almost touching each other in heel position.  And I am a committed right-hander so using my left hand for both cueing and delivering treats is taking some real effort on my part.

But never mind, if the last 20 years showing dressage has taught me anything, it's how to follow silly and finicky (or not) rules about costumes, seconds counted, steps counted, geometry in an arena counted; so we're well equipped to adapt to the necessary rules of the game.  (Yes, the FEI does have a rule concerning boot color based on the rider's coat color, and we had to learn and abide by these rules. So we're ready for you, Rally regulations!)

Gunner and I are learning the slightly more sedate sport of Rally, versus running around like a chicken!

Pearls:

• Gunner's first mini Rally course taught us a lot, including positioning in the ring and in relation to each cone sign
• Homework includes continuing to reinforce tight heel position, sit-down-sit and sit-stand, as well as front tuck sits
• Adapting to the minutia of federation rules is a speciality of mine, tho it always takes effort!
• Today marks Gunner's fifth anniversary of Gotcha day!  

Here are Gunner and his dad the day we adopted Gunner from All Border Collie Rescue in Houston five years ago:

Gunner and sixteen year old Prissy the day we adopted Gunner five years ago:

Gunner, a five year younger Rosco, and Prissy at sixteen the day we adopted Gunner five years ago:

Gunner today, celebrating his fifth anniversary of Gotcha Day with his brother Rosco and new sister Jackie:

 

Gunner celebrating his fifth Gotcha Day with brother Rosco and new sister Jackie today:

Basic Obedience Week 5

Jackie is continuing to open up in a classroom setting.  This week we learned to spin in a circle right and left, where I lured Jackie with a treat in a small circle, then faded the treat to just a hand lure, and once she learns the behavior I'll name the dog spinning to the dog's right "Gee!" and the dog spinning to the dog's left "Haw!" "Gee" is right for a driving mule and "Haw" is left for a driving mule.

In thinking ahead to Jackie's agility career, the handler cues with the handler's right hand when the dog is turning to the dog's left, and the handler cues with the handler's left hand when the dog is turning to the dog's right.

This week's homework will include continuing to reinforce recall, loose leash walking, sit stay with distraction, down stay with distraction, and hers whats.

Pearls:

• Homework includes: continuing to reinforce sit/down stay with distractions
• Loose leash walking
• Recall
• As a new behavior this week we learned spin
• Next week will be our last basic obedience class in this series!

Jackie practicing her obedience games while out for a hike:

Agility Foundations Week 5

Jackie was excellent today in agility foundations! I'm so pleased with how much confidence she is gaining. Today when we got to class she actually climbed up into our coach's lap for a quick cuddle, which makes me so happy that Jackie loves her coach.  We started foundation games to learn contacts, as well as starting front paws on a perch today.

For contacts, I will need a 1' x 4' plank about 4" off the ground.  Jackie walks across the plank that will eventually become the behavior for the dog walk, and pauses with her back feet still on the plank while her front feet are on the floor. With my clicker and treat, I reinforce the behavior of first walking across the plank and then landing with her hind feet still on the plank with her front feet on the floor. Be sure to work in a circle and approach from both directions/sides and with the handler on both the left and right of the dog. We also want to reinforce body awareness by luring Jackie to turn in a small circle while keeping all four feet on the plank (rather than stepping onto the floor) while she turns around on the plank.

In order to begin learning sending to a perch, first we had to introduce Jackie to the perch; we are using an upside down rubber feed tub about eight inches in diameter as our perch.  I will continue to build value for the perch by teaching Jackie to place her front paws up on the perch and reinforcing that behavior.  Once she understands "Perch!" then I can begin to send Jackie ahead of me to the perch with "Go perch!" Be sure to use the arm and hand closest to the dog to cue the behavior.  We will continue to build value for nose touching a target.

In continuing Jackie's agility foundation education, I think a good question for myself as a handler is "Where is the value?" It has been challenging finding a food treat that Jackie loves, and as well as homemade treats and cat treats, I've been using training while out walking with success, since Jackie stays more excited and engaged while out exploring and running. My goal is to be sure that the value lies in the cue and carrying out the behavior, and not from where the treat is being dispensed such as my hand or the physical target.  I've learned to reinforce Jackie after saying her release work "Break!" so that she knows driving rapidly forward is the key to getting the reinforcer, not just following my hand or a target that has a cookie in it.

Pearls:

• Reinforce contact behavior by having Jackie walk over a 1' x 4' elevated plank and stopping with her hind feet on the contact and her front feet on the floor
• Increase body awareness by reinforcing turning around on the plank with keeping all four feet on the dog walk plank to prevent falling later when she actually goes on the higher dog walk
• We will learn paws up on a perch, followed by send ahead to the perch "Go perch!" by using the arm and hand closest to the dog
• Where is the value? I want the value for Jackie to be in the cue and carrying out the behavior; clicker training has been my ally in transferring value to a specific cue; remember the behavior is learned first, then a cue is added
• Jackie using her own muscles and her own mind to generate the behavior, then being reinforced, then adding value to a specific cue is key; the value is in the cue, and carrying out the behavior is reinforced
• Especially grateful for an excellent coach that Jackie loves too

Jackie staying motivated while learning during hiking along the river:

Agility foundation props this week include a small rubber bucket used as a perch and a 1' x 4' board used to begin learning contacts:

Accessories

In acquiring Jackie, and beginning to learn the sport of Rally with Gunner, I’ve needed to shop for collars and leads.  

Rally rules state that the lead must be made of fabric or leather, and for Novice, the initial level in which Gunner and I will be starting, the lead must be six feet long. Collars must be properly fitted, with nothing dangling from the collar nor any decorations, titles, or other adornments.  From a long list of possibilities, the following suppliers made the short list: 

Dog IDs was recommended by our friend and dog nanny Jenevi of Jenevi’s Pet Services.

Hogan Custom Leather I found in an online Rally discussion group. 

Our coach Robin at Cowtown Dog Sports makes her own bespoke collars and leads, though she mentioned they tend to be a bit bulkier than the typical Rally obedience leads and collars.  We did purchase a tug toy from Robin, and custom is always appreciated. 

For Gunner’s Rally lead and collar, I am going for a minimalist look, to give the impression that he could complete the course without the lead and collar and he is only wearing them because of the rules. Which indeed is the case with Gunner! Ultimately I ordered a bespoke padded leather buckle collar in black and orange padding with a matching black bridle leather with twist braid accent 1/4 inch by six foot lead from Hogan Custom Leather.

For Jackie’s Rally buckle collar, I ordered the custom artisan padded collar in purple with pink leather padding and an engraved stainless nameplate from designer Kaydi at Dog IDs.

For Jackie’s everyday house id collar, I ordered a safety breakaway canvas satin lined collar from Dogs By The Bay.

That will go with this silicone heart shaped name tag from SiliDog.

For Jackie's agility schooling collar, I ordered a custom slip collar and matching lead in purple, rainbow, and pink made by our agility coach Robin Barber of Cowtown Dog Sports.

I am very excited to use Jackie’s bespoke agility slip lead, custom made by Brie Frances at Snuffles and Tugs.  Jackie’s purple and pink agility slip lead has her name embroidered in pink on the purple collar with the Latin phrase Non nobis solum embroidered on my end of the leash.  If  a dog, and especially a Border collie, isn’t the perfect embodiment of the philosopher Cicero’s ideas about our duty to live for the greater good of others, and not for ourselves alone, then I don’t know who is. Jackie’s agility slip lead:

Pearls:

• The more I learn from dogs, the more they teach me we truly were not born for ourselves alone: Non nobis solum

Rally Week 2

Gunner is excelling in Rally class.  This week’s homework is to continue to reinforce four-feet-planted-square sit, down, and stand stays in heel position while the handler walks around the dog, pivot around a platform with introducing reinforcing pivoting in toward the handler and sitting in heel position as the handler moves around the platform, heel-walk-sit, heel-walk-sit-down, and heel-walk-sit-stand maintaining heel position, and continuing to reinforce front tuck-sits.

We used Gunner’s new custom padded buckle collar and 1/4 inch six foot lead tonight.  I love how easy it is to hold in one hand, and I love that it gives the impression of the dog doing all of the behaviors on a piece of floss, which it very nearly is.

Gunner modeling his gossamer-like six foot lead in 1/4 inch black leather and matching orange-padded collar from Hogan custom leather:

Pearls:

• Rally homework this week includes reinforcing sit, down, and stand stays, front tuck-sits, and adding the stand cue while Gunner maintains heel position
• Gunner is using his leash because it’s an AKC rule, but can do all the behaviors with or without the lead and collar; if you have to wear it, it’s always preferable to look stylish!

Basic Obedience Week 4

Our homework this week includes continuing to practice sit stay and down stay with distractions, loose leash walking, laying on a mat, hers whats, recalls, and continuing to find ways to keep education from being monotonous by keeping it fun and interesting for the learner.

Jackie is a fast learner, and for that I’m grateful.  She is more like the kind of person who loves to stay at home, watch a foreign film, cook a complicated gourmet meal and dessert, then read a really good JRR Tolkien book.  Versus the kind of person that wants to run a marathon obstacle course after going white water rafting, hiking up a mountain, and then getting together with a dozen friends and going to a rave, experimentng with substances and seeing if you wake up the next day to do it all again. 

In other words, Jackie is the good kind of Border collie!

Jackie has enthusiasm, it’s just expressed differently

Much for which to be Grateful

There are many, many, many circumstances for which I am grateful when it comes to Jackie, Gunner, and Rosco, and our relationships.  Rosco is a baller, very biddable and loves everyone and is almost always happy.  Gunner is perfect. In Jackie we hit the lottery, she is the sweetest girl and such a good dog in the house and loves just hanging out and going for walks, and being together with her family.

But y’all I really wanted to learn agility. Like right now, time’s a wastin’, and the clock is ticking so don’t dilly dally. It’s likely we’ll get there, and I am learning to be patient.  Gunner has a real aptitude for agility, and indeed we had signed up to compete in our first AKC agility trial when we (again, gratefully) learned at his routine veterinary visit that Gunner has a heart condition.  After his initial cardiology work up it was suggested by our veterinary cardiologist that Gunner not run agility, in order to protect his heart.

So that is a many-layered disappointment. The discovery that Gunner’s heart was enlarged and pressing into his trachea came hard on the heels of several other life-changing traumas, including a forced relocation away from a city that we love, the retirement of my competition horse Jazzy due to navicular disease followed by his death from colic, and the euthanasia decision that had to be made on behalf of my retired FEI horse Rijkens. Both my parents had recently finally succumbed to age related dementia after a heartbreaking decline. Layer all of this into the collective suffering of living through a very scary global pandemic. 

Enter Jackie, into a loving home to be sure, but there’s a lot going on here from a mental and emotional standpoint.  I really just want to get on with learning agility.  There I said it.  And I was, and still am, under the impression that playing agility can be a really good thing for a Border collie. But heart disease, and really just the unavoidable passage of time, has stepped in my way.  I applied to BC Save to adopt our next Border collie while still living in Houston, before I ever even knew about Gunner’s enlarged heart, because I was very aware that at nine years old Gunner, as awesome as he is, would likely last at best another eight years.  

A good friend of mine is going through the research phase of acquiring her next puppy.  She said something that really struck a chord. “It’s not so much that I want another puppy, as that I want my current dog to live for another 20 years.” There is a reckoning I am struggling with between genuine gratitude for the animals in my life, versus the tremendous regret that they only live such a short time.  I want to “hurry up” and develop a great relationship with Jackie and begin to play agility.  Yet I want time to stand still so Gunner and I have more healthy, comfortable moments together.

There’s nothing for it.  Save gratitude.  I’m so grateful for the time and opportunities that I have had and continue to have with the animals in my life. Yet I admit there is part of me that somehow wants to beat the system, win over the house, cheat at life.  In adopting Jackie I thought I was being so clever in circumventing heart disease, death, loss….I thought I would jump right in to the deep end of beginning to learn agility.  Border collies love to learn, right? They are extremely active and focused on their owner, right? They have the mental and physical stamina to continue for hours at a time, right?  Well, no, of course not.  It’s ridiculous to expect any relationship to bloom in a moment.  It’s going to take time.

Because the house always wins.  So we all have to play by the rules.  Who was it, Thomas Hobbes, that said life is brutish and short? The best I can do is focus on how moments in life can often be the opposite of brutish, and that while short, it just makes me all the more grateful for the grand times.

Pearls:

• Gratitude.  When in doubt, look to the very many things in life for which to be grateful 
• We all wish the animals and other loved ones in our lives could live on, happily and healthily, ad infinitum 
• Since they can’t, I’m trying to be mindful of the good in the moment, and to be grateful 

Many moments, like this one, for which to be grateful: