Saturday 31 March 2012

Concluding Thoughts on Beginner's Agility and Other Updates

This coming Monday will be our last Introductory Agility class. I have mixed feelings about this session of dog lessons. For one, Puppy was less "behaved" in this class than in her Puppy class. She stayed on the Gentle Leader for all 4 classes thus far to manage her effectively in close proximity to other dogs. In our Puppy Obedience class, she was able to work off the Gentle Leader for durations. I think this might be the closer proximity of the equipment and other dogs.

That said, I am really happy with the socialization she received with SO many dogs in close proximity, and the progress she's made in class.

Some particularly proud moments:

1. Puppy demonstrated that she is ALWAYS willing to try something for the first time with me. We were introduced to a mini dog walk. This one was about a meter off the ground, and 30 CM thick(?). The first time we were introduced, Puppy walked without hesitation while I clutched nervously at her collar and got off without incident.

2. Puppy overcame hesitation and fears. So after our glorious first go on the dog walk, Puppy decided that she really wasn't too thrilled about walking 1 meter off the ground with her slightly uncoordinated hind legs and a jittery handler. She went into a down when I got near the ramp, and decided to stay there. That's okay, I don't blame her, I wouldn't be thrilled to repeat the experience again. To overcome this, I put a few treats on the ramp leading up to encourage her to get on. She took the treats, and when the treats weren't there anymore, she offered to get on the dog walk herself to earn some more treats. This took less than 10 treats. She walked straight off, more coordinated than she had ever been, and even was able to hold a "wait" in the ramp coming off. She now readily goes on the dog walk when I go near it, and has no hesitation left whatsoever. I won't be overconfident and mislabel this as her trust in my handling, but I am still very proud of her for overcoming her own hesitations and fears.

Not so good moments:

1. There's a little dog in my class that is a bit shy and fearful. She recently started barking at Puppy. Puppy became more reactive to her after she started barking. I've began to manage the situation as soon as I noticed it, and now she and Puppy stay on opposite sides of the room. Last class, while she was near Puppy and barking, I was able to call off Puppy's focus on her with an "OFF" command. 

2. I think I was very reliant on the Gentle Leader this class. My instructor's thoughts are the Gentle Leader will help refocus Puppy and prevent her from making jumping at other dogs a habitual behavior. I wish I didn't keep it on during all of the classes, and tested her more often without it. I guess I am still susceptible to the peer pressure and judgement of the instructor and of the strangers in the class. I realize this is incredibly stupid of me, and vow to improve for our next session.

Next week is her last class, and I'm not sure if I want to continue on with the next round of agility. The instructor mentioned that the next round includes off-leash work in class. I am hesitant because there are other reactive dogs in class that I don't 100% trust in case Puppy runs off and goes into their space. I KNOW Puppy will run off at least a few times, her recall is not there yet. But at the same time, I think this off-leash time will be a great chance for her to learn to focus on me even with the freedom. The other option would be to do a weekend class in Toronto with another school. I was thinking of When Hounds Fly.
Opinions and thoughts on this is greatly appreciated.

Outside of class, we've been working on Sophia Yin's Say Yes by Sitting, and house manners. Puppy is GREAT with offering auto sits in the house during training sessions, but not quite there yet when she wants something dearly. We're continuing to work on offering sits in the house, and upping distraction for formalized training sessions. We can successfully train right outside our apartment, in the relatively secluded parking lot. We have now moved onto the side walk near where she potties. This is proving to be a bit of a challenge, but I am confident that we'll be able to manage well. Her other obedience has been great. Her "down" while I continue moving is greatly improved, and can down at a distance as well. We stopped practicing "heel" as I wasn't sure about my methods and her positioning. "Stay" is great in the house and in quiet areas while waiting for toy release.

In terms of house manners, she is being tethered to my furniture on a long line for a few hours each day to just learn to calm herself down in my room while not in the crate. In the beginning of this week, she was so excited while in my room that she could not stop moving and just walked around non-stop. She passed out within a minute of being put into her crate. Yesterday, with her dinner, I got her to offer me a default down. I fed her dinner at increasing durations between each kibble drop while she held her down for over 10 minutes. She now offers the down more readily when in my room. I prefer this to the non-stop pacing.

I continue to not know if we have a bond, since I don't really know what I'm looking for. I know that she recognizes me and is at least somewhat fond of me since she chose me over a raw bone last weekend. I know I am already very attached and in love with her. I am disappointed that she is reactive to dogs, especially since I really wanted her to be my go-anywhere dog. But she is still young, so I am very optimistic that with continued training and exposure, and continued improvement in my handling skills, we will reach my goal.

Some pictures:

Puppy with a new toy. She likes the rope part much more than the ball part. I think I'll just stick to ropes and plushes from now on.

I don't understand this body language, but thought it was hilarious. Puppy looking at me while I nap.




5 comments:

  1. Good job Xuan! Proud of you.
    If you feel that neither of you are "ready" for the next class......retake the first class again.
    There is nothing wrong with doing so.....
    The bonding is happening......it may happen slowly...don't worry right now.
    Make life fun for her...not so much "you must do" for everything.
    ALWAYS remember....she is a young dog....let her be young too!
    I'm forever watching you! You are doing wonderful!
    Robin

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    1. Thank you Robin!
      Glad for the advice. My trainer said "everyone in this class is ready", and I am kinda tempted, but I think playing it safe is the way to go?

      Do you agree with the idea that she might run off for the first few times and then LEARN to focus on me off leash even with other dogs around?

      Training is a THRILL for her. Lots of high value treats, lots of excited voices, lots of play. :D

      Thank you for your support again!

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  2. Good progress on both of you, +U!

    Don't let her go off-leash if she's not ready yet. It's one of the most common mistake among dog owners. If I were you, I'd work on obedience until I have 100% recall from my dog. I just have Little Five redo the basic obedience lesson the past few weeks and both of us got a refreshed experience.

    - Little Five's mom ;-)

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    1. Thank you! I appreciate your advice! How is agility going for Little 5?

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    2. he's gonna do it in may.

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