05-27-2009

Standing in the back of the Ranger.



Here are Ziva, Duece, & Joker leaning into the wind as we drive down the road.




Here are Ziva & Duece climbing the pallets and jumping around on the old washer and spool.



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05-26-2009

Duece is getting to be more confident and is willing to try more things, especially if Ziva does it in front of him. This evening he climbed up a stack of pallets and stood on them waiting for a treat. One of the empty wire spools was stolen and was moved by the house to be used as a garden table. Now it's pallets pile; to old washer; to other spool; and back again. Over the long weekend it was up into the Polaris Ranger and back out again, many times with lots of short trips and an occasional longer trip. We made one trip with a Bloodhound, Corgi and Aussie sticking their heads through the roll cage, with their noses into the wind. Have to bring a camera along next time.
We put out some cadaver scent in an area we seldom work and left it for awhile. Duece got his vest and command and he went right for the area we do most of our training and it wasn't there. He decided to check a larger (former stock watering tank) flower pot by just jumping up and walking through it and not just jumping up on the side. Even though we ended up circling almost the entire yard and had to work through a number of distractions, Duece did rather well. He stopped to watch the neighbors racing horses, with their dog, down the road next to where we were working and other dogs barking. Duece was impressive when he didn't even slow down when the grass got tall or when checking out some old vehicles. He almost crawled under one vehicle checking it out. When we got downwind of the scent he made a 90* turn into the wind and walked directly to where it was hidden. He stuck his nose right in the area, stopped for a little bit, but then moved on. He circled the area and we ended up back in the area again and after I asked him to show me he sat down by it. Overall it was a pretty good search but the indication isn't where is should be - maybe my fault for changing the scent source for every search.

05-21-2009

We've all been having fun! I had taken the sides off the Polaris Ranger's box and picked up Duece & set him inside and Ziva jumped in herself via the front seat and over the seat back. I had treats with me and drove really slow across the yard. Duece was looking around a lot but took treats and stayed inside for the trip. Later on with the Ranger parked and shut off, we played some "get up" and both Duece & Ziva got treats for jumping up on the seat, via the floor boards and over the seat back and into the box. Then a treat for reversing the trip. They had a blast and didn't want to quit when I was running out of treats. Later on I got both of them into the back and drove back and parked inside the barn. Duece was fine getting out, but Ziva wanted to stay and go for another ride. We did some more jumping up on the spools and the trailer. I put some bone out in the PVC pipe garden and left it for over an hour. Duece got his vest on and away he went. He checked out the pipes and when he checked the right one he didn't even need a reminder to 'sit.' Duece & Ziva have been playing 'Get the toy' with a rubber frisbee and with another plastic toy. I just need to remember to give the command to "Get toy!" when I throw it as neither of them have any idea what a 'toy' is when we play.
Here's what I mean when I say "PVC garden" and there are 6 of these pipes stuck in the ground and one is marked so we always use the same one for holding the scent. The glass jars we use just barely fit inside the pipe.

This is Mattie. She was working on becoming an
excellent cadaver dog until the medications she was
taking to control her epilepsy made her so sick
that only blood transfusions would have
kept her alive and there was no
way of knowing her quality of
life even with the
transfusions.
"Mattie"
May 9, 2006 - Sept 16, 2008

05-19-2009

I've been working with Duece and Ziva around the yard. I throw a rubber frisbee and Ziva usually gets to it first and brings it most of the way back to me. Then Duece grabs it and brings it the rest of the way. Sometimes they both grab it and it becomes a tug-of-war most of the way back. I'll just let them be puppies and we'll build on it as we go along. I think that was the frustration problem where I wasn't patient enough. We have a couple of large empty wire spools on their sides with an old flat-top washing machine between them. I can get Duece to jump up on one and then move across the three with stops for treats. Duece is learning he sometimes needs to take a run at something to get up on it. Ziva tried 2 or 3 times to jump up but when she couldn't quite make it she took a look around and climbed up a stack of pallets and jumped over to the spool. She is pretty independant and figures things out pretty fast. Duece has been slow to jump up on the utility trailer, but with Ziva already on the trailer getting treats, he seems to forget his fears and finds himself jumping up on it before he realizes what he's done. It's a lot more fun working with them when I let them do it at their own speed. :-)

05-17-2009

I talked to a couple of people about my frustrations and came to the conclusion I'm probably pushing Duece too hard. We're going to slow down and let him be a puppy for a while longer. We've done a few very short rides in the suburban and even a couple rides in the back of the Polaris Ranger. The first ride in the Ranger went well as he got a lot of treats along with Ziva. The second ride was just around the yard and it's not as smooth as the road and he wasn't as impressed with it. We did one hide in the yard with the cadaver scent and he did just fine other than he needed a reminder to sit when he found it. I need to build some introductory agility items, just to make him aware and let him play on them. He's getting pretty good with the 'come' command but his 'heel' isn't great. Not too worried about the heel as much as the come which he needs to work.

05-12-2009

We haven't been doing our vehicle rides like we should be. I've been paying more attention to Duece and he seems to be a little anxious when we are together. It's like he can't relax and wants to be doing something. I was sitting on the couch playing with Ziva and when Duece saw us he had to come over and jump on my lap. When he did so he was panting and it was almost impossible to get him to relax and sit with me although I made him sit there for a little while.
I was gone all day and when I got home, Duece & I went outside for a little searching. The scent was in a flower pot and it was left for awhile and Duece got his blaze orange vest on to search in. When we went outside Duece checked out the ammo box we use to store the scent in and I forgot on the ground - away from the hidden scent. He moved on and check out the other containers and then indicated on the container. He was rewarded and praised and then we moved on. He circled around and I could see him working the scent cone downwind of the scent. The wind was SSE at 15 mph. It took a couple of circles with Duece looking up right at the scent but it was like he couldn't figure out what to do. I didn't want to step in too soon with the 'sit' followed with reward & praise. Pretty soon he sat for a second and then moved so we are making some progress. I took off Duece's vest and did a lot of praise up to the house and then inside. I went out and re-hid the scent and left it for a couple of minutes and moved the ammo can container.
Duece got his vest on again and we went back out. Duece ran over and checked out the places he last found the scent. I walk another direction and circle around to him after he shows interest. This hide was in another flower pot, even higher off the ground. Duece would show interest and then move downwind and find the edges of the scent cone and work his way back to the planter. It was fun to watch as he would look directly at the container and then move around. Finally after the about the third time he stopped and stared at the container he almost sat down so I went over and gave him a treat. We played a little "Show me" (where it is) and held his treat high so he had to jump up on the container and get lots of praise along with his treat. Then when we took the scent back to put it away I let Duece jump around and when I opened the container he sat at it for his indication and got another treat.

05-06-2009

Duece and I went on a repeat of the 3 mile ride tonight. He made the trip okay other than his panting and drooling most of the way. We played when we arrived as well as went on a short walk. I had to get back to get ready for my granddaughter's first dance recital so we didn't spend as much time there as we should have. Duece made an uneventful trip home other than the drooling and panting. I think it's anxiety and we're going to have to work on that.

05-05-2009

Frustration, frustration, frustration! Duece & I drove 3 miles to set out some scent for us and a friend to work. Duece was in the front seat and threw up about 2 miles into the ride. We set out some scent and then Duece & Ziva were let out to run around for awhile. Duece wasn't enthused about getting back in the suburban but did come to me so I didn't have to chase him around. Then he threw up about 1/2 mile from home. At least I had a bucket to catch it all, even though it's hard to drive while holding the bucket.
About 2 hours later, Duece & I headed back to the area and this time Duece made it to within 1/2 mile from the location before throwing up and it was bucket time again. When Bob and his dog arrived Duece had to be told to settle down as he was growling and started to bark at them. We put a quick stop to that and we stayed away while Bob worked his dog on the two scent hides. It gave us a chance to sit and watch someone else work while we were away from home.
When they were done, Duece & I worked the scent hides. I worked Duece on a long lead since this was the first time we worked away from home. Duece did a good job of searching as there wasn't muchof a breeze in the area we were working. He stuck his nose right into the hole where the scent was but neglected to sit, even after being told to sit. He then moved on and searched more of the same area and then went back to the scent source. He got his reward and praise even though it wasn't a picture perfect find.
After we moved on a ways I gave Duece his search command again and he searched pretty good and headed almost directly to the tree where the scent was hiding. This was a new scent source for Duece and the first high hide he has worked. He didn't do his sit at the tree but looked almost directly at it and then moved around but ended up back at the tree and when told to sit he did so and was given a reward and praise. He was there when I took it down and teased him with it a little and was given more treats and praise so I hope he remembers it. For the first large area search Duece did a great job so we need to do more of them. A good search sure helps with the frustration.
Oh yeah, Duece made it all the way home without throwing up although I glad it wasn't another 1/2 mile - it was pretty dark when we drove home so I wonder if that made a difference.

05-03-2009

I'm late with blogging again! On Thursday, Duece & I were out by the trailer to play 'get up' again. Only this time we brought Duece's playmate, Ziva along. Ziva is almost fearless, which can be scary when we are near a road, but it's also handy when you're trying to show Duece he can run up the ramp and jump over the trailer railing. Ziva ran right up the ramp and over the railing and got the treats I was dropping on the trailer boards. I even picked Duece up and helped him over the railing but it took his watching Ziva get all those treats to finally get him to jump over the railing. It's another little step in our journey. The way Duece can jump, he should be able to skip the ramp and jump right up onto the trailer bed but even with Mattie, we had to start somewhere and the ramp worked great.
Tonight Duece and I went for a ride, only this time we stopped and did some fun work before driving back home. We also played the CD from Through a Dog's Ear - Driving Edition on the trip. When we got to the play/work area I put Duece on the long (30'+) lead to let him move around while still keeping him from running off. Shows my lack of training in the "Come" department, I guess. Before we unloaded, I threw a plastic container of cadaver scent out into the grass a little ways off the path. We walked past it into the pasture, keeping up wind so he wouldn't find it right away and to give it time to put out some scent.
I picked up a small rock and let Duece look for it, not thinking he would actually find it but when he stopped I could hear it 'clinking' on his teeth as he had picked it up. He was rewarded and we threw it again for him to find it only this time I watched him closer and when he found it, gave the 'sit' command and he sat until I got closer and he left it for a treat.
Another little step in our journey.
On the way back to the suburban, I gave Duece his cadaver search command and let go. He didn't get too far from me but did locate the container and sat after the command. While rewarding him I threw the container again and he sat when he found it. I'd like him to sit a little longer, until I was standing at his side, but we're working on it. We did this a couple more times and went back to the suburban for the ride home.