Eerste oefenwedstrijd ( 19,5 maanden) in de DIT-Hal

Results:

DK

VP 3e plaats foutloos met tijdsoverschrijding ( afloop schutting) = finaleplaats

JP 1 lat eraf, plaats 7

Finale 4e plaats A-klassers , 1 weigering

Aandachtspuntjes n.a.v. testwedstrijd:

Afloop schutting trainen: VJ heeft moeite met het materiaal. Nog een oude afloop gevonden die we voor de training kunnen gebruiken. Dit is een gedeelte van de contactvlaktrainer van Favoriet, die we 10 jaar geleden in onze tuin hadden staan. Gelukkig niet weggegooid.

Eerste Seminar ( 20,5 maanden)

Doelen: Vicky-Joe seminar-manieren leren en testen of ze presteert zoals op privétrainingen.

Resultaat: prima seminar-manieren, geen gekrijs in de bench en geen vervelend gedrag t.o.v. andere honden. Prestaties zoals normaal, alleen is de sit-stay niet zo solide als ik gewend ben van haar. Aandachtspuntje.

Nieuwe dingen die nog niet goed gingen: pull through en geluid elektronische raakvlak.

Front cross negeren bij erg afleidende toestellen en rechtdoor lopen.

My lovely Border Collie Elle ( 2 years old) does not understand sequencing. Basic foundation training went fine, but suddenly Elle started doing strange things during training. As she is a dog that has difficulties understanding shaping, I tried something else. Elle is a dog that learns by doing, not through thinking. Examples: she could not understand 2x2 weaving, so I used wires. She would not come off the contacts after a while, so I put the leash on and we ran away from the contact together. She can jump, but she does not jump three jumps in a row. I used the leash and some gates ( hekjes) . So I have to be creative and use unconventional methods. Interesting. We will need at least one year extra training before she can run a trial. If ever. If we will not succeed, it does not matter, because she is such a nice dog. She makes me laugh all day. She is like a cross between a cat and a Border Collie. Where can you find that ? She is worth putting so much effort in training. If ever she understands this game, she will be flying through any course. So we will keep trying.

With Luca, my anxious BC, I started this program. It seems to be a good follow up of our soundtraining and a good preparation for agility trials.

With Luca, my anxious BC, I started this program. It seems to be a good follow up of our soundtraining and a good preparation for agility trials.

The program was designed by Leslie McDevitt, and consists of a course book and a DVD-set. Both available through Clean Run and Media Boek.

All exercises are on the DVD, and the book describes how to teach the exercises. The CU-program is designed for class work, but can be done individually as well.

I tried the individual approach, and trained at home in a closed and controlled situation. After that, I trained in a dog sport facility with enough distance between us and the other dogs.

Basics of the program:

CU is a behavioral program about counterconditioning and desensitization. It is about teaching dogs to feel better. It is ment for anxious, agressive, distreacted, excited and reactive dogs. Always work subthreshold ( onder het niveau waar de hond op zijn omgeving gaat reageren, verder weg blijven van lastige dingen, nooit de hond verder pushen dan wat hij aankan, dat maakt het probleem erger).

The CU program is about teaching dogs that their triggers are no big deal, and that they can feel calm, safe and happy in the face of what used to scare them, and bond with the handler.

Luca's work on CU:

1. Passive attention exercises, first at home, after that move to a dog sport facility.

Try to connect with your dog by whatever puts NO pressure on your dog.

Calming work, massage ( Ttouch) , "awareness walk" = relaxed walk, away from agility, no pressure, just concentrate on your dog. 

Very simple boxwork, walking with your dog in a small space, just rewarding orienting to you, relaxed.

Giving treats when the dog is on a mat. 

Crate your dog when you can not pay attention to him, or if something unexpected happens + give him a lot of treats in the bench ( management of an anxious dog).

2. Preparation work for further training:

Training a default behavior like offering eye-contact, jump-up, sit ( standaard gedrag dat de hond vertoont zonder dat je erom vraagt).

Training a calm release cue, not the same as a release of the contact zone. Something like "enough, we're done, all done".

Reorienting after a threshold ( drempel). Looking at handler after passing a threshold, coming out of the crate etc.

3. Active attention exercises. First at home, after that, move to a dog sport facility.

Hand target - Zen/eye contact - more mat work ( send to the mat, lay down on the mat, stay on the mat) - leave-it ( impulse control, dog does not take food on the floor) - tugging -  advanced box work with turns and circles - close - heeling - Look at that game - tricks.

Look at that - game = a counterconditioning game. A change of associations. It learns the dog to cope with his environment, instead of watching his handler all the time to avoid problems. 

The game is about rewarding a dog for looking at something scary ( dog, judge, children, strangers).  The dog does not have to worry about his environment. He looks at it, looks at the handler for his reward. This game decreases anxiety. It turns something not funny into happiness. 

4. More arousing active attention games:

Off-switch-games

Other games can only be done in a CU-class situation ( dealing with loose dogs, there-is-a-dog-in-your face etc). So I can not do these exercises in a controlled environment. This is not Luca's main problem anyway. I try to train if I see a possibility during trials and trainings.

5. Solving problems.

a) Not tugging in a class situation or at trials because of  strange noises, to many dogs etc. ( stress of distraction).

Combine tugging with giving treats, in a controlled environment, an empty building . Stop a game ( playing-tugging-circle work- mat work) buy sending the dog away-release, wait for the dog to reorient to you, wait longer, and restart after a one minute break. Give me a break game.Rewarding the dog for asking to continue a game.

If the dog can play this game, try to play the game in a dog sport facility. If there is something that causes anxiety, try to overcome that seperately ( such as certain noises, other dogs). Try to play after release of the mat, then send back to mat for relaxation and food, then release and throw a tug toy. 
 
6. Applying CU to agility trials and trainings. Do what you have learned.
Organise your "station" : crate, mat, chair, treats.
Play passive and active attention games in an agility environment.
If necessary, do only a few obstacles and take a break. Treat. Wait till the dog wants to continue. Build this up to a sequence.
If a dog fears another dog, do the Look-at-that-game .