Bungee Baby!

On The Road Again!

Greetings from our traveling house! We're off again, this time for a long weekend of spring camping to a favorite lake. As we're currently crawling through metro Toronto's rush hour traffic with full signal, I thought I'd put the low speed traffic jam time to good use with the racing fast high speed connection we're getting at the moment.

I received some fantastic "new" family photos today from Bungee's Auntie Helena in Finland. Helena owns Bungee's brother One (new photos of him next!) As you can see she takes the most beautiful photographs! I wanted to attach several of them to my post called "Play". But our family expert on all matters of the net insists I should not go back and add things to a blog that way. OK, a new post then. Here we go...

Baby Bungee - 5 weeks old!

Awwww! How adorable is this? I've never seen this one before! What a sweet puppy, making some plans about sheep I see :-))


Bungee at 5 weeks - already retrieving!

Way to go Mia teaching that puppy all she needs to know early! :->> Mia assures me she put all of her hardest courses and the obedience rulebook under all the puppy's pillows every night and they are prepared to pass with top scores!

Bungee tugging with her new mom at 9 weeks old, while attending her 1st family reunion!

Lots going on behind the scenes this picture does not show. This is more than just "puppy tugging" but puppy tugging in the presence of about 50 other dogs, all busy training obedience and agility, in various areas all around her on the field. This picture was taken at the annual kennel reunion at Tuorla, Finland; a fabulous event the likes of which I have never attended before. Not only is all that activity going on all around us, but I'd known Bungee fewer than 3 days at that point in time. What a big heart this little puppy has had from the beginning!

The point of all that is playing with the pups starts young!

Back to our road trip! The traffic is moving again, the cement of the city is turning to grassy hills now, and we'll be where we're going in no time at all. Time to dig out the camera and get ready for some grilling too.

Special thanks to Helena Tiainen for the beautiful photgraphs!

Bungee's Perfect!

Great News!

I'm thrilled to report our fitness efforts with Bungee have had great results! She went for a re-check with the physio Dr. today and she is doing really good! The Dr. said she was now "very strong" and was really pleased with the improvement. A thorough exam found her sound from head to toe. Then Bungee had a 20 minute session exercising in the underwater treadmill with another therapist and myself. I am delighted to report she took it all in stride! I thought I'd have at least one funny story of "wild child meets water" but she was great with the water and the whole treadmill experience, acting like she'd been doing it all her life. We are getting more exercises to keep the great work going, and I'm learning new stretches for her, but in the meanwhile, all the "get fit" work, hiking & steep climbing are really paying off!

PLAY!

How often do you "break it off" and play?

I cannot in good conscience talk about Bungee's homework list without talking about play and how much of it she actually does during our training sessions! In Bungee's mind, work is play and play is work and that's the way we like it.

And so, as I share our giant homework list of fun stuff with you, I must emphasize the importance of rewarding dogs frequently while they work, especially when shaping and introducing new things.

I also cannot stress how important it is to keep training sessions short, giving the dogs regular and frequent play breaks during, and rest breaks (for the brain & body!) in between.

Bungee, like all my dogs, begins and ends every training session with a game of tug. Even when using food, we break off work frequently for a tug game. At one time these breaks were often called "relationship building", and that they are. Now you will hear them called "stress breaks", "play breaks", "break it off and play time", whatever you call them just do them!

"What is reinforced is repeated" Bob Bailey

The reason we reward the dog is communication.

What is rewarded is reinforced, what is reinforced is repeated, simple as that!

If you want more of a specific behavior, if you like what they do, REWARD! That is how you tell your dog you like it - plain and simple.

Rewarding the dog is telling her "that was right!", "do that again", "do it just like that". It is your #1 tool of communication and in positive training, it is everything.

RR
During work I maintain a very high "rate of reinforcement" (RR), particularly with new skills. I am rewarding every piece of correct work I can isolate and reward.

As skills advance, the ratio changes where time between rewards may increase. But this happens little by little as skills grow. Working through an entire performance without a reward is a long time away! Even then she will be frequently rewarded before & after.

Meanwhile, there is a HUGE exchange of information between her and I that must be communicated before I can expect highly reliable behaviors. That exchange only happens by making good use of rewards.

Remember: Rewards are a hotline (communication) to our dogs!

Types of Rewards: Our foundation work is built on the dog learning to accept and enjoy any reward I might ever need to use. Bungee learned early on to retrieve, to tug, to let go of a tug, to accept food rewards, and to have self-control in the presence of food or toys on the ground until released to go and get them. (Self-control skills need regular maintenance just as "food vs. toy" issues may also need regular maintenance with some dogs)

Accepting any reward I choose to give is a fundamental building block of our training success. These early lessons precede other training and make all the difference.

Time
In shaping, one minute is a long time! On the field, 2 or 3 minutes of steady work is a long time! To keep track of time I use a little, digital, kitchen alarm timer that keeps track of seconds and minutes.

In handling, the value of good rewarding continues to hold true. I am constantly stopping to reward for quick responses, smooth moves, correct moves, rewarding for position, again and again and again.

On the agility field I am breaking every skill down, isolating and rewarding behaviors constantly. This is how I give Bungee the information she needs and deserves. We all need to know when we are correct, dogs too!

This type of teaching creates fabulous results and dynamic behaviors. By breaking things down and generous use of rewards, you can build terrific performances.

Or you can be stingy, withhold rewards, not wanting to take the time or trouble, and wonder why you have slow, unmotivated dogs with mediocre behaviors, easily distracted while they work, or dogs with high drive and plenty of speed, but a very high error rate and lots of confusion as to whether they are right or wrong. At an extreme end you can even see dogs spinning frantically, barking at their handlers, trying to bite at them as they run their moves and more - all signs of frustration. These dogs are begging "please tell me what you want me to do!" Just pleading to know, "when am I right?!!!" All problems that don't need to exist, if the owners just understood the power of communication from good rewards.

In conclusion
"One must take the time to constantly reinforce - reward, reward, reward." Susan Garrett ~ Definitely one of the most important lessons I have ever learned.

Rewarding often, isolating things you like, breaking work down into small quick sessions, making smooth transitions between rest & training, these are the real secrets to achieving great success in purely positive training.

When you are training, PLEASE remember to play often with your dogs too!

Homework List - Mid-May

Here's Bungee, just looking good, like everyday!








Here's her homework list,
(...or why we don't get to our blog every day! :-))

Fitness
Hill climbing - walking not running on long, steep hills, alternating days, 40-45 min.
"Dance" - standing up on rear legs, moving forward & back, turning.
Stair climbing, again, walk not run - we get lots of this in a 3 story house.
Several of the tricks & turning moves add to the rear-end build-up list.

To bring you up-to-date, when we returned home from 3 months in our RV, Bungee was really flat in the quads. Opportunities for conditioning had we been home over the winter would not have been much better with the snow & ice winter brought. After veterinary consult with Dr. Leslie Woodcock, we came home with a plan to start putting some proper muscle on her for safety in agility. Leslie's clinic has a fabulous physio pool & underwater treadmill but as it is really far and our training schedule was not set at last visit, I opted first to see how well I could do with her improvements from home.

We are going for a re-check, a turn in the underwater treadmill for strengthening and a swim in the pool Wed. evening. As Bungee has not yet learned to swim or been "in water" other than a bath, we should have lots to tell you about by Thursday!

Jump Grids
About once a month I set up puppy-beginner jump grids for Bungee that I've documented and learned at Susan Salo seminars.

When she was younger she would work grids with me one morning a month. Now I generally school her with jumping for 2-3 consecutive days, with about 15-20 min. of grid work spread over 2 or 3 sessions in a morning or afternoon. Then we take a break for 4 - 6 weeks with little to no jumping. It has been 2 weeks since her May grid work. This week we did do some work over a single jump on a low height, while working some handling skills.

Bungee's session this month included these grids:
Set-Point Jump with "Spider"
Even Grid
Progressive Grid
One-Stride Grid
Bend Work

There is one other grid for diagonals we may work on once at about the 3-week point, using jump bumps only. We will do only 2 or 3 two-minute sessions one morning, just to work evenly on different leads (if she is right-footed or left-footed working both helps her become equally comfortable on both leads). Once she is older these are the kind of things I will leave set up for a week at a time, and hit them for about 1 minute every day in warm-ups, start-line practices, etc.

Balance
Four Paws In A Bowl - I use a soft, flexible silicone rubber, water bowl from "Planet Dog". Bungee will stand in any small thing but this is really comfortable for her and rolls up to travel.
Bungee started balance work so early, she can balance on just about anything including:
Dyna Discs of all sizes, two small Dyna Discs stacked, Dyna Discs of various inflation levels increase or decrease the challenge to balance, round balance boards, big & little Buja balls, giant peanut ball, big Balance Ball, a step stool, wobble board, a log, a narrow stump, a big pillow, whatever "opportunity" we have around.

I shaped Bungee to get on a single Dyna Disc and on a wobble board about 12 weeks of age, before advancing to other things.

For safety & fairness I help stabilize anything that will roll!

Rear-End Awareness
Perch work - (Bungee's perch work is amazing!)
Back-up - looking for distance with head down
Lifting right rear leg - up & down 10 times
Lifting left rear leg - up & down 10 times
Back-up 3 or 4 stairs to our backyard deck or front porch
Back-up into crate
Back-up over a low board
Back-up around a bend, two bends
Ladder Work - Walking through ladder on ground, carefully using all 4 feet.
New: Back-up through Ladder on ground, we're at 6 rungs at present.

Note: Backing up through a ladder is Stage TWO of this exercise. STAGE ONE Ladder work is walking through forward, carefully with all 4 feet.

If your dog can back-up on cue, and walks carefully through a ladder using all four feet comfortably, and you decide to try this, here is a tip: start at the last rung and back over one rung only, then two, then three, etc., as the dog can handle it.

Tricks
Tricks are too much fun some time! (we have serious homework to do too you know!) But, they all serve a good purpose, even if it's just for fun, the list is always growing.

Sit Pretty (front paws up), strengthens back, hips & thighs
Dance - (stand on 2 back legs, Dr.'s orders)
Stretch
Take a Bow (also good stretch)
Sit & Wave Right Paw
Sit & Wave Left Paw
Cross Your Paws
Catch It! (catch a ball - pure fun)
Back Up and do any of the above
Doggie Yoga
Say Your Prayers
Find the Keys
Clean up your dishes (bring me your bowl!)
Watch Me - I've always taught this and like having a "watch" command on cue with all my dogs, not really a trick but didn't know where else to put it

Tricks we're avoiding
Any moves that send Bungee to pass behind me
Any moves that require tapping or pushing things with paws such as turning on those battery operated lights you press on-press off (to eliminate ANY confusion in contact position for nose touches and/or risk of "busy feet" at contact position).

Games
Crate Games* (see end of page for more info)
Sit-Tug-Sit ***
1, 2, 3 Go*** a start-line game
The Bang Game*** a teeter game - Kvarkin kids Mia knows this one!
The Elevator Game another teeter game (I think this one has been around forever, I remember breeders doing this with pups back in the 80's, but the name is new & pretty cute)
Two-Table Game*** (also could be a spin-off of Crate Games & 2 crate game)
Two-Toy Game*** teaches handling & understanding motion
Hide & Seek - just like you played as kids only with your dog, this one's our own game, it's great for recalls, laughing when your dog finds you (or laughing silently a tiny bit when they can't!) Great for generally keeping it light.

Agility
Circle work - handling
Contacts - nose touches off travel plank & stairs
Wrap it tight - bend work over one low jump
Side & Close (starting to be a bit out-dated with handling today)
Lining up (hands-free!) in a sit to my right or left (start line)
Front-crosses on the flat
Rear crosses on the flat
Sit stay
Chase Recalls
Release - always & forever...proofing the release
3 Directionals:
1. Left - awesome improvement!
2. Right - awesome improvement!
3. Go - drive ahead
Plank work
Introducing various pieces such as the tire - 6" setting, chute, table
One Jump work** - very limited work at this stage due to Bungee's age/growth, using just a jump bump or a 6" (13 cm.) bar, mainly to put value in jumping
**see One Jump work at bottom for more info
Weave Poles - not yet, but soon! We'll put this one on You Tube from day one. Very excited & anxious but we'll be good & wait until growth plates are closed.)

Obedience
Recalls - for speed & drive
Front - for position
Sit
Stand
Down
Long Sit
Long Down
Heel
Finish (we will do a swing finish so as not to conflict with agility handling)
Attention - and focus (!! our hardest lesson !! :-) Busy little Border Collie, so easily distracted by other dogs in obedience! ...not enough action as agility I suppose!


Is That All?
I have probably forgotten things here & there. Training time is probably only about 15 minutes a day total, usually spread between several small sessions throughout the day.

The important stuff (handing/contacts/strengthening/basic skills) we get to a couple of times a week, other stuff we're lucky to see once every week. I tried to shape one new trick every week for a long time. But now "real" homework has taken over. If you are like me you find that your dog reaches an age somewhere about 10 months to a year, where it seems agility homework increases exponentially. From then on it seems a challenge to keep everything topped up. But, we do it for fun and it is, I'm sure the variety keeps it interesting for both of us.

*Crate Game - You've got to learn this game! No matter what sport you do with your dog, this is perhaps the best, definitely most useful, most all-around beneficial game you will EVER play with your dog! I learned it 1st with my Border Terrier, creating big improvement in speed and drive, both in need of some repair after my earlier training mistakes. I taught it next to my very high-drive field Golden with brilliant results that stayed with her for life, allowing her to have the finest impulse control and start lines as any ever seen. Bungee is now my 3rd dog to learn this game and really enjoys it. The benefit she will know in her competitive career is enormous. Check it out - It is great stuff!

**One Jump work (a workshop and/or DVD) includes 17 agility handling exercises you can teach your dog using just one jump - brilliant stuff! Click on the name for a link. My "red dog" Ketch, field Golden extraordinaire, can be seen in this video for a brief moment, as we were there for the filming on one of the many times we've been to this seminar. I can't recall if I got in the shot too or not, but Ketchy OF COURSE makes it all worthwhile! :~))

***P.S. To give credit where credit is due, at least 95% of the rear-end and body awareness training, agility games, lots of other stuff mentioned here, plus all of the shaping we do, we learned from Susan Garrett or someone she brought to Say Yes, including Bob Bailey and his band of traveling chickens.

As you can see, we have enough homework to keep us busy about a year if we never took another class anywhere! But we continue to take classes, enjoying them thoroughly and in fact, excelling in them. I find that teaching these things, especially the 1st year of a dog's life before they can really do anything with equipment, keeps my dogs highly motivated, confident, happy, and helps brings me to the start line with a ready dog.