Clicker Expo 2017 - Day 2

Bridge Over Troubled Water: Critical Client-Conversation Skills - Susan G. Friedman

Morning started with wonder lecture of conversation skills. Susan first defined what makes conversations crazy. Reason were pretty usually that takes all of our skills to control ourselves like: opposing opinions, strong emotion, broken promises etc. Anything that is important or has emotions attach to it makes conversation base hard. I know I have hard time holding myself down if subject is close to a heart. Conversation skills is skill we need to learn and evolves during time when we practice it. We had to list reasons to learn to be better in conversation skills and I had many situations that I would benefit like better client service, better out comes and to have better skills to make a difference.

So how become better? Most import is to secure the free flow of information to the pool of shared information. This mean that we need to make sure everyone stays in safe place share that information and we are interested about it. So if conversation get too hot (emotional, I'm right stage) - change environment. Behavior is always a function of current condition. So all around us and our partners in conversation can affect the conversation. It is import to realize that our way speaking can great scary or tense environment. Also the surroundings can affect is the conversation comfortable to the other person (public place, closed room). Next to have your story right which means keep to the fact. Don't assume what the other person is thinking ask and give room to their side of the story. Susan told about story telling roles that should be avoided: Not me!, All you!, There's nothing I can do! These roles that stops the founding of common goal.

Conversation is only really done when you have action plan how to resolve to issue. During conversation is important to keep it open so that there could be resolution in the end. We need self exploration and exploring how other react and think. It is also important to keep your own goal without over powering others. These skills that all of us can train become better at it. It takes time and practice but can have much better results in many aspects of life. How we talk and resolve conversation challenges things can make all the difference. Susan lecture was really good and gave lot to think about.

Assessing Function - The Sexy Side Of ABC - Susan G. Friedman

This lecture went through about the ABC ( Antecedent - Behavior - Contingency) of behavior. First Susan talked about what are known about mind and what we know about it. How our brains developed. Then how everything is connected to each other. When we train we train emotions. Condition produce emotions and frustration is emotion that can happen when we don't get the wanted out come. This is phenomenon happening in training too if we don't plan the training good enough. ABC analysis really makes think what happen and why. Goal is to change the environment to get a change in the behavior and make unwanted behavior irrelevant. This gives power to the learner to control the our comes.

Assessing the problem behavior should be done in detail. When it happens, how often it happen and what happens before it. Then you try analyze the motivation of the behavior. Everything happens for a reason and every action has motivation. Test your findings and make plan for a behavior training by changing first the environment to get the wanted results. Susan also showed how to keep data of the progress. Data will really tell you has the plan worked or not. I think this way of analyzing works also in all dogs training. We have problems for example in OB task. We could try to brake it pieces to find out the motivation why dog does the unwanted behavior. In the end all behaviors have motivation why they occur. We just need find them out so we can change training plan (environment) to get behavior we want. This was a really eye opening talk about everything that happens around us. We shouldn't label everything so easy without analyzing the behavior chain at first. 

Smart Reinforcement - Ken Ramirez

Last in the day I had a training lab with Ken where he told us how to built a non- food (or toy) reinforcement. This meant that you would built clapping or thumbs up to be strong enforcement to animal. This was very interesting idea especially to sport like ob. It would cool to have " toy" in the ring. Ken showed us a protocol how to build up this kind connection to for example to clapping. This process was very long and needed a good training plan to achieve. He should how keep data and how to proceed. Using clapping as reward would need a constant training but it had been successfully done with number of different species. The idea of having reward always with you is very attempting. I thought this was a so interesting that I'm going to try to built it. 

In the lab we tried the first steps in training. It was nice see fast the dog pick up the training. Ken was really good instructor for teams. I would love to one day to attend seminar where I could train my own dogs.  

That's all for day two! We had a very nice evening dinner with Panel Discussion, where the audience could ask questions from the faculty member. This year questions were extra good and we got a lot of interesting conversations about it.

MPL

First day at Clicker Expo 2016

 CLICKER EXPO EUROPE 2016

It's been a cool to be back CE. Lots new people to meet and new things to learn. At opening session Ken Ramirez talk about the butterfly effect - a small swing of wing of butter fly can create a storm. This he used as metaphor how we can be part effect and spred the word around about positive training. Also he talked about being open minded so we would shut down people with different view from our clicker community. He talked about clicker training coming sometimes to cult kind training that judges other methods and shuts down to communication with different kind of training groups. I think this could improved everywhere. In Finland we have also people that judges other because their training background. Learning is process that should be open everyone without judgement. So lets welcome everyone to learn more and not judge people what they have done in past.

Working with multiple animals in household - Ken Ramirez

My first session was with Ken Ramirez. Topic was multiple animals in house hold. He talked about how managed training session and gave different tools handle it. One basic tool was to use different shaped stationing mats. This application you could use everywhere and have a nice training set up multiple dogs. Other thing he underlined that all dogs should feel like they had the most attention and by doing that you could reduce aggression and other bad behavior issues during your training session. Dog can feel envy if the other dog gets more attention which can lead food aggression or etc. One thing Ken also emphasized was you have treat/give attention to the dogs that "do nothing" because they are waiting patiently to their turn. He showed lots of different ways to make the training session fair to each learner. We also went through some way to make dogs or animals work in the same time. I got lots tips to improve my training session because I train both of my dogs together all the time.

Last he showed a introduction protocol. First Ken showed a example clip how they introduced new dolphin in the aquarium to new pack. All of the animals did first basic training, then they started to do basic training. So that they saw it's other behind a fence. Gradually they worked some task together over fence like target training. After this basic training was done without the fence and then finally animals started work together in the same pool. This introduction gave them time learn about each other and work together which made final grouping easier. This protocol had helped to prevent aggression and fear when introducing a new animal in to pack.

Next Ken shared with us project where they had used this protocol with highly aggressive dogs. In this project they had 9 trainers working with this protocol to introduce three very aggressive dogs to each other. Even though this project had taken huge mount of man power and time 2,5 years, it was amazing to see former fighting dog that wanted kill any dog in sight to learn to play with them. Project gave a little peak that even the most aggressive can be change to better. Although this amount time and man power isn't realistic to conduct in real life but this study gives hope that we can change even the most aggressive animal to better. I hope this work continues! This introduction protocol has been very effective in everyday use with less aggressive case than they used in this study.

So this was just quick note from the morning part of the day. 

Stranger Danger - Emma Parson

First afternoon session I had Emma Parsons lecture of reducing fear and aggression against people. In this lecture we went through training protocol how to teach dog stay under threshold and learn how to have alternative reacting strategies. Actually this protocol was pretty familiar to me because I had used it Freya. Doing first at looking that game and then making other greeting alternatives is a very effective way to teach to dog to relax and take in information calmly. Reactivity can be reduced and then help the dog gather information first. It's like change the dogs way of thinking.

Simplyfying Complex Tools- Ken Ramirez

Last I had lecture of Simplifying Complex tools with Ken Ramirez. This was a interactive lesson. Ken first introduced the topics we could talk about and then voted what we wanted learn more deeply. Topics were: Jackpot, Keep going signal, Time out, Non reinforcement marker (NRM), End of Session marker, Least Reinforcing Signal (LRS), Recall Signall, Chained Behavior and Differential reinforcement (DRA). Room first choose Keep going signal, then LRS and End of Session signals. So here is little bits of everything.

Keep going signal is training tool that has no real science base. Although there are many practical example. KGS can be continued praise or sound or something that makes the animal keep doing what it's doing. It is debated if its necessary to use. Behaviors can be trained to have stamina and endurance of long work without reinforcement. In army (Bailey 2007) they used a sound to control the dogs movements so it would move until the sound stopped and then had to turn until the sound started again cuing a go signal. Many of us might use KGS in form a continuing praise and some behaviors might be feared to stop with out KGS. I think in the end it's up our training do we needed. If you train well back chained behavior or endurance to long working time task like tracking you don't need to have KGS. Some KGS can even work as a punisher when it has purpose of telling that animals behavior made to KGS stop and reward is not available anymore.

Second Ken told about LRS which is one the tools to have errorless learining circuit. LRS used when animal makes mistake then you have 3-5 sec pause (micro pause). During this pause trainers don't change their response or change environment. During pause animal should do a default position if its trained well. After pause you ask LRS which is something easy and simple task that the animal can do like target training. Goal is not to interrup the rhythm of reinforment and not to cause frustration to the animal. LRS is proven scientifically to work and help the learining process to be more effective. This is good basic skills to have when you doing positive training.

Last Ken talked about End of session - signal. This has no scientific background. Although many of use it to let the animal do their thing or stop the animal to keep offering behaviors. Ken showed us a film where they worked with sea lion as example that with dangerous animals this kind of signal could be dangerous. Animal might not think that session shouldn't end and reinforcement should be gone this and this could lead to trying to the trainer going out of the training area. With dog this isn't the case but do we need it? Does it really make difference? I think many of our animals learn when to work with us and when not from our behavior. Most of have routines how we end training - some might give water or play longer or take the dog to walk. I have used "go free" as  end of session signal. This means my both dogs can go and play together. This doesn't really make a difference to our actual training but it is routine we are used of doing.

In the evening we had a net working event. I had so much fun and I met a lot of new people from all over the world. Lots of talk about training and dog sport.. What else can ask?? :D So a wonderfull first day!!! Next post from the second day....

That's all from the first day!

MPF

New winds and new ideas to catch

Agilitycoach course 2016-2017

I glad to be chosen to second level agility coach course. This course will deepen our knowledge in agility training and also our ability train the handler even more. We a training book that introduces the newest training tools in human sports and goes through how human physiology develops. This has been interesting to read even though some of it pretty familiar from own sport background and my studying in the University. I think this will be a very interesting journey in to more training tools. During this course I will also work with a dog team and train both dog and the human part of team. It will new thing to train more specific way the physical part of the human training. More I read it more I feel I want to know about it.

I have also started train in a gym. I haven’t done this kind of training in a long time but I think it will a good way built up my physic and also learn more about training from training classes in Mentor Gym. Learning to train right is journey. Sometimes you get too excited and train too much. Sometimes your training doesn’t take you anywhere. It’s cool to learn more tools to test and analyze training to make it more efficient. I have already got a some training how train and built up a sport dog but I hope learn from that even more during this course. Goal is to be able to train better both dogs and humans and give tools to become even better agility team.

Competition and training

We had a nice competition day in Kirkkonummi last weekend. Both Pixie and Freya did some nice runs even though we didn’t get a clear ones. I tried Pixie’s running A-frame in competition and it went pretty well. The hit was little too high to my liking but much better it used to be. We still need work on that in training. Pixie jumped really well this time. I hope her body starts be in good condition again. Freya had yet again amazing contacts. I just absolutely love her work with contacts obstacles. Freya and I had few spots where she wasn’t sure what I wanted with my handling. So we have some work to do with handling maneuver separation training to make sure she doesn’t always turn away from me when I put my hand down.

In Tuulias training last week we had the same turning away from me problem when I started to do a normal handling of a wrap. We did some work with it but it needs more training. Otherwise she did pretty nice job. Her jumping has improved a lot. Our forced front cross starts to look pretty ok. I need take off from marking site really fast to give her enough space and time to make a nice jump. Freya can really commit to handling maneuver and obstacle really early. This is something I need to learn to be faster and give her room to do her thing. Slalom was a little slow but we haven’t trained it so much so yet another thing we can improve to get more speed.

ClickerExpo 2017 and my first clicker training class

CE is coming again!! I can’t wait to be there again. Lots of super classes and lots new people to meet. New training ideas and improving my old skills. CE is one the best training events I have ever been. Your just get overwhelmed from all the exciting lectures and the faculty is just full of amazing trainer. If you haven’t been there yet you should go! This year it will be held in Denmark. So I have a very short fly to get there. I hope to have a backpack full new books to read and head exploding from new ideas.

I have also put together my first clicker training class. Well actually I want to share training tools that have helped me to get better performance in different dog sports. I have learned to use different target training in rally, obedience and dog dancing that has made training easier and make dogs performance even better than before. I have also included social learning to my course. I want share the wonder Do as I do protocol created by Claudia Fugazza. My dog have just loved to train copying. I have notice that their focus have improved and they pay much attention to my doings. I hope that this would be a nice plus for everyone that has passion for dogs training.

TALENT DOGS - TYÖKALUJA KOULUTUKSEEN KURSSI

That's all for now!!!!

MPF

Obedience training for Winner Class

Route to Winner Class

We have been to two trials in Winner Class. First one was one paw away from first price and second went more off. I first had in mind of just trying to compete but I got to my senses. I wanted to improve our weaknesses and built her ready better for the higher classes. In the end after one first price in winner class we have to make three first prices in OB4 to become ob champions. Freya is also pretty good in ob so we might even try our luck in the National Championships. But we have more few challenges ahead and the biggest one is her sensitivity.  

We have done lots of work to make her comfortable near people. In last trial she got distracted from work of ring guide. She wanted sniff her every time she showed us our new starting point. This little distraction and checking her our took part of drive. So we need to do lots of work to make everyone in the ring meaningless. She has done already a lot of progress. But as you can see from our training video from last week she still get tense every time we go near people. This same can happen with dogs when we do the laying down or sit in a row. Freya's confidence is pretty fine line but it can be built to be better.

In overall she has improved in every task. Our biggest challenge has been the box. Freya has had a habit of stopping before to first cones. We have done position work from close range and helped sending from  long distance ( by this I mean going half way to send her so that I'm closer to box). Work has finally started to pay off. I think we will be soon ready to take another try in winner class. She has speed and super work ethic but I hope we will over come her fear to people and dogs so that she can work with full confidence.

Here is our video from our last training. This was competition mode training where we did about three task in row without reward:

That's all for now!!!

MPF

Talent Code - What is talent??

Talents aren’t born, they are made.

I finally had time to read a book Talent Code written by Daniel Coyle. This books takes a research how some place have produced multiple super star in their field. Studies have shown that there isn’t talents. Talent is made with right guidance and support. More Daniel found out about the talent hot spots, more story seems repeat itself. Behind every talent is a coach that can support deep practice and motivation. Usually behind talent weren’t any fancy places and top class facilities. They just needed a teacher that ignited their motivation and fueled the hunger for learning for the rest of their lives. These stories came from music and sport world but similar way talents were created in business world.

Ignition

Sirpa Saari

When you start your sport or other hobby, you don’t need to have a super coach or teacher. The person just has to have a way of teaching that fuels your motivations to practice yours skills in your chosen sport or other trait. First touch to for example to new sport can be to key factor does your inner flame burst in fire and to learning start on the right path. This really makes it even more important to find the right persons to teach to first steps. When ground work has been done solid and motivating it can create a life long journey of learning. This can be transferred to agility too to both in humans and dogs. Motivation base must be built well to help the team go through the hardships and difficulties on the route. Passion must be fueled to help fire the learning. So do we support enough the learning of the handler and the dog to give start to route to become supreme agility team?

Deep practice

Sirpa Saari

Next part on the journey is to learn to train in deep practice mode. Deep practice is based on error solving. We learn most efficiently when process the mistakes we have made and divide them in to small pieces. This actually reminds of clicker training. There we chop up the skills in to little pieces and built them together. In clicker training we try keep learning error free but do animals learn also from mistakes? We all learn from our mistakes. Of course as humans we can make this process deeper but I think dogs will also learn from their mistakes in life and in training (this means when dogs don’t get rewarded which makes them change their behavior).  Deep practice is mental zone when we work more slowly and work the problem bit by bit. Deep practice actually helps us built myelin in our brain which enhances the neural transmission. This is a important part the learning in brain.  

Deep practice is something we can learn and train but to help it we need a teacher or a coach that knows how keep us in the deep practice zone. Super coaches can change way of teaching to match each learner. It key to find the best way individual learns and take the teaching in. Everyone has little things that helps them to keep in deep practice zone and coaches in the hots spots have learned see them in every learner. Coaching is another skill to learn to become a deep practice expert. It takes 10 000 practice hour to master a skill, it needs about ten years of training and deep practice to become the talent.

Sirpa Saari

The deep practice idea can be also transferred to dog training. I actually just had light bulb moment when I thought of jumping technique training – deep practice! We give dogs training exercises where they can learn and feel about the jumping and built up their myelin wrapping in their brain circuits. Of course the dog need to be in deep practice zone which in dog training terms is in the right alert state and motivated. So how can we take deep practice to more consideration when coach our dogs? One for starters remember built up everything from little pieces. Clicker training rules are quite like building animal to do deep practice. So more you understand science based training more you can coach your dog work in the deep practice zone. I know this is my conclusion but to me it really make a lot of sense.  My thought may not be totally true. But if it makes even few people to explore operant training this writing has open few new windows to clicker training world.

That's All for now!!

MPF

Finlands National Championships in Nastola

WE DID IT FINALLY!!!!!

What a wonderful National Championship Weekend in Nastola. Pixie was a part of TSAUs team. We had four dogs in our team Petri Mannonen and Bordercollie Fleet, Santtu Stenberg and bc Rairai, Pixie and I, Taija Salokannel and Iisi. Our team did the fast clean runs and got GOLD in team championships. This was our first clean run in big competitions and our first medal in National Champion level. This was a big win to me and my dog and of course to the whole team. Feeling just amazing to finally succeed in a big competition.

I have to thank you Tanja Kotti and Leena Piira to helping Pixie to become better again!!! All our coaches Janita and Jaakko from One Mind Dogs. We are finally starting to find right way to work together still lot to do but it nice to have little prize for all the hard we have done. We want to thank you Acana and Orijen for providing the best nutrition to my Queen. Here is our super run
from the team championships:

In National Championships we did a pretty nice run with one fault and we were first dog out of final but I was really pleased with our work during the whole weekend. We worked as a team and Pixie's jumping had improved miles from the work she has done so far. Her body isn't still perfect since her sick leave but we are getting there. Things are done right and it is starting to so in our work. I think this weekend you could see our totally improvement in agility. My vision and work have started work to our favor. Thank you to our jumping trainer class!! Lots of thinking have changed. It is process that is still going on. I like where this journey has started to take.

Here is our run in the jumping course in National Championships:





In few weeks we have National Team tryouts. I can't wait!!! We are so ready for them!! I have the feeling we have finally have found our team work. It has taken 6 years. Too long for Pixie, she could have been super dog but she needed to wait for me to develop to be worth of her skills. We have found a flow feeling.... We will cherish it as long as we can and Pixie has healthy year ahead.

That's all for now... Next time we will see do we ticket to Spain ;D ;D ;D

MPF

Training with Jaakko and Janita

Jaakko’s training

Koirakuvat Jukka Pätynen

Finally had a training session. It has been a long time since we have had someone to watch our work. We did a course training in Onemind Dogs Arena. I had develop my old bad habits back like forgetting to handle tunnels. Too much hurry in my head again. Pixie did pretty nice work but I had to remember real lines to find my right positions to do handling maneuvers. With both girls I needed reminder again about the connection. Especially Freya really got benefit from connection before slalom and also in other training parts. I wish I could slow down my mind even more. I don’t know why I have problem to keep the contact because in many cases I can be too far ahead.

One thing we also worked on was Freya cross bar jumping. She has tendency round up the jumps she goes behind and this makes it hard for her to get in to right rhythm in serpentine work. We did 8 figure work with nets that made a round circle behind the jump. The goal was to stop her from rounding up the turn behind the jump. Freya got the idea right away and started to do smooth and tight jumps cross the bar serpentine jumps. We also did this training in course in few little parts. Freya did really good job. Now we just need to train this a little bit more to make as skills she masters. This will give us more speed in serpentine tasks in competition courses.

Practicing on our own

Koirakuvat Jukka Pätynen

We continued our work with the serpentine jumps. I used jump bars behind the jump to guide her to do a tight and smooth jump. This worked as the same as the nets. It prevented Freya to round up the jumps. I did different angles and started to do more than one jump in row. I used a target toy in the end of the serpentine to help her keep her head and neck line in down position. This helped her a lot to find right rhythm. All jumps were maximum of 45 cm when I started this work. At this moment she can very nice and collected jump with 60 cm jumps. Still work but she is getting there. She has got a lot more confidence in her serpentine work.

One thing I have also tried to improve in the connection. I have my moments but I really need to concentrate to keep my eye contact with the dog. I have done this work with small practices because it has been hard for me. I want to give my self a little goals we can reach with my dog. I have also started concentrate to work in handling to make more calm and clearer to the dog. Still a lot of work and the hurry in head has given me a good fight. I think I have one some battles but the war with my brain is still going on strong. :D

Connection Connection - Training session with Janita

Yesterday we had a training class with Janita. Again we did a connection work. We did a course walk where Janita walked the dogs line and checked our connection. First I had hard time of giving up connection to obstacles but I did found my connection points. This is skill I need to still train. I feel often very unsure about the obstacle positions even though I have done the course walk. I need to concentrate even more to work a eye connection to my virtual dog on the course walks. Yet a new skill to improve in training and competitions. Here are some video of our training. Freya was just super little girl!!! 

Rally Obedience

Rally-O – our journey to a new sport continues

Rally-O has been a sport for every dog because of simple tasks and more flexible rules about aids and rewarding. Handler can use hand signals and vocal cue during whole the competition performance to help the dog to perform tasks. Dogs can also be praised all the time which can give boost to low drive dogs and more happy appearance overall team. We hardly are unhappy if we praise each other or dogs. This has given more relax mode to this sport. As obedience trainer these rules has been a new thing that you can do but old habits won’t die so easily. So I have teach my dogs to work mostly without any hand signals and I have hard time to use praise during tasks. Am I then a too serious Rally-O trainer? I don’t think so I just want to make performance as fluent and composed as possible. I think this Rally-O will more change to variety to how to do things. I think it is a richness. Our journey to this sport has been a fun one already! 

 

Finally we have had a change to enter our team to a rally obedience trial. This a nice sport because I can compete with both dogs at the same time. Our beginner class will be in few weeks. I have studied the rules and trained the signs. To my surprise I needed improve Freya back leg work to make spiral work. I have only done 90 degree turns and she couldn’t do properly turns that were milder. I did some turning work so that she keep the leg line all the time. It took few training session but now I have a dog that better uses her back end. This was one of the new tasks to train and made Rally-O even more interesting to me. I love improve my dogs bodywork to be as perfect as possible.

We have also trained stuff from the higher classes. I really love more trick type of things you need teach like “valkovuokko” (dog and handler turns out opposite direction to change healing sides) and tulip (“tulppaani”) were handler and dog turns in to opposite direction. This really tests the team ability understand healing and different direction. Both of my girls are pretty good at healing in both sides to we have been able train these more complex changes right away. I have had to also make a list of cue I use so I don’t mix them up. I learned to make these cue lists when I did my freestyle course. It has really helped to keep everything in track and also it has made it easier to come up cues that aren’t so similar.

Here is our work from todays training:

Dancing Queens on the road

Dog Dancing competition 3.4.16

I had entered both girl to a dog dancing competition in Ylöjärvi. Pixie did her first run at open class and Freya made first try in beginner HTM (heelwork to music).  Pixie's dance didn't go as well as I wanted it to but she ok and was only 0,7 points from honor prize. I think with her we will do a new program. Freya did routine to Maniac song from Flashdance. She did pretty well for her first try in this sport. We got 172 /200 points which meant that she got honor prize and ticket to open class. I was very happy with our work. I was too fast with my side steps and Freya couldn't keep up. Otherwise everything went almost how we planned. Here is our video from our performance, but the music is wrong... Youtube will block the video with the right song:

Acana treats for tasting

We got this seasons first testing bag from SLN imports. We got Acana Pork and Butternut Squash which has been a huge hit with my girls. They liked it so much that it is easy to use as training treat. I always carry part they meal in my pocket so I can train recall and passing of another dog or human. Kibble is very clean to keep in coffee bag in a pocket. My dogs are pretty greedy so this makes it easier to keep them in shape if use part of their daily meal in everyday skill learning.

Acana has kept my girls in shape for almost 5 years. I wouldn't change for any prize. Best quality, best content and very taste... Well my girls thinks so anyway :D :D

Jumping training begins.... So cool!!

Next week I start my training to become a jumping technique trainer. I hope this course with Vappu Alatalo will give tool to help my future agility students and their dogs to succeed even better. We will have our first training day in Lohja. Freya will be my project dog for this class so I will write more about her training here. I will also start a group that I will teach the jumping technique skills and I will work with them the whole summer. This will be an interesting route and lots of thing to learn. But more about this course in the coming weeks.

That's all for now!!!!

MPF 

Dog Dancing and agility

Dog dancing training

We finally got confirmed that both of my girls got place in a dog dancing competition. Pixie will dance in a open class level freestyle and Freya will make first try at beginner level HTM (heelwork to music). Pixie will do old routine with Jari Sillanpää’s song Bum Bum Bum. I hope our routine will be complex enough get us through the open class. We have been working on a new more difficult routine but I hope I this will be shown in the highest class in the end of the year. Freya’s music will be Maniac from Flashdance. It was just so her song. We did a pretty simple routine to it and we had a lot of help from Sanna Lipponen a member of the Finland National team of dog dancing. I hope this will be a nice entering routine for her and we will have lots of fun.

I think the best part of dog dancing is the training. I can use shaping with very creatively and even the dogs become more and more creative. Pixie has developed many new tricks during our shaping processes. It has been so much fun and also sometimes challenging to find away make the dog do certain things you have in mind. One evening few weeks ago I was training with Pixie with a paw target and doing 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 2 – 3 lifts in variable schedule. We had done this already many session and I started feel that this wasn’t working the way I wanted it to. Then on our third mini session I just adjusting my treats and target, Pixie started to do Spanish walk in continuous space. JACKPOT TIME!!! Pixie had super light bulb moment with our Spanish walk work. I was so trilled. These are the moments why dog dancing is just great. New things to learn and train all the time. It was sad I didn’t get this moment to a video but I try remember film our next session.

Jumping technique training and smooth runs

I have started a jumping technique trainer class with Vappu Alatalo. To this class we need first have project dog and later on own group that we train. I have started to do more of the basic training with my dogs and filmed the trainings. This has been already a very interesting project and I have learned more about dogs. Freya has been very good and adjusting her jumping to different exercises. Pixie in the other hand has shown a little decline in her jumping skills. So it has been interesting work with both girls and make confidence in jumping even better. Here are some of the training we have done so far:

Pixie has had a little problems with her body and we had to discontinue our competition in Lohja. After that we had Piira’s osteopathic treatment which showed that Pixie had multiple locks on her spine. 1,5 weeks of rest and some physical training to her right leg. Little brake and treatment worked well and we did 5 clean runs from 7 at Easter competition. This meant that Pixie had all the needed results team try outs and Finnish Championship competition. Best was that Pixie didn’t drop a single bar during two days of competition. This was a very relieving feeling. And of course when we had good flow in competition, I don’t have a single run on film. Freya had also her moments but I have still few things we need train on and one is slalom distraction. We had few spots that were little too hard for her. So more training to do but Freya found a totally new gear in speed. Super girls!! This is good point to continue.

That's all for now!!

MPF

Obedience training and our first winner class

Learning curve

I have trained Freya for the winner class in obedience. It has lot of new tasks and some that are more challenging version of open class tasks. It has been fun to see her progress and also to see how learning curve goes up and down. When you teach a new behavior chain it usually works pretty well at first. Then follows a testing time where dogs test can they get away with different kind of behaviors. This a normal learning curve period which tests the handlers’ patience and skills to overcome the testing phase. Today Freya had her test period with controlled retrieve. She had her stocking mode on and stopped to a U-shape position to watch the dumbbell. This was the first time she anticipated the retrieve part. It actually looked really funny. So I rewarded her from healing nicely to the dumbbells and next reward point was doing nice straight stop. This is just one example of the testing of the behavior chain in ob.

Scent discrimination

Freya have had problem of being in too high drive while doing a scent discrimination. When she is in a hurry she takes the next wooden object to the right one or she runs so that half of objects are behind her and when she doesn’t find the right one she just brings the nearest. I have tried in many ways to correct her working energy but I haven’t got the results that I wanted. I wanted to find something knew to change the way she worked. I got my answer from video library in Karen Pryor Academy.

I watched a lecture of Hannah Branigan from Clicker Expo 2015 library. She had a very interesting idea how to train scent discrimination. Hanna used a cover of a plastic containers to teach scent discrimination. You start with one cover to teach a strong nose touch, then introduce second cover that has touch only from the edge. You click every time the dog touches the right cover that has touched between hands (a hot target). At first the dog doesn’t know what it’s doing but it doesn’t take too long and the dog hits always the hot target. As soon as you have more than one cover you should change the order all the time. Later on you just add one cover at the time to make this search more complex. If you dog makes mistake, you just wait it to find the right one. With these cover you can easily stop dog from lifting the wrong one and you just click for the right one. Gradually you can also introduce distraction between the cover. Also you can start using retrievable object that you make as the hot object to bring the retrieve part to the task.

With this exercise I could make Freya find out hot object even though it was behind her. With plastic covers she couldn’t retrieve closed object as panic choice if didn’t find the real hot object. I could just wait her to look for the cover that she had left behind her. All together this way of training has made her scent work calmer and I have had change reward her more during one session. I think this plastic cover technique would we super to start to whole scent discrimination work even though I only used it to improve Freya work. Here is a video of scent discrimination work right now, not the best:

Winner Class

Today we had our winner class competition. Freya was in low drive mood but she did the task pretty well. We could have got even 1st prize but I didn't wait her to correct her position in the box. My biggest win today was scent discrimination!!! She got 9,5 points and it was just wonderful. Really liked her work. Few homework for next time but she did really well today. I hope that we get her competition confidence as good she has in training. She could be my best ob dog so far. Love her to pieces. Here is our whole winner class:

That's all for now!!!!

MPF

Pixies' dog dancing depyt

Dog dancing - finally we entered a competition. This has been a dream for a while. Pixie has done lots of tricks for her whole life. Finally I had time to train and take part in dog dancing. We really started training for this routine about three months ago and made it to its final from 1 month before the trial. We had also heat during this time so we couldn't train our routine in arena or with music. So I did lots of work by training the routine by myself and Pixie did little part on our living room mat.

Last Saturday we finally hit the ring. I had never been to a dog dancing competition so all was new to me. Competition started with 10 minute time to get to know to ring. You were aloud to bring your dog with you. So we did some distraction clicker training for few minutes and then I took my headphones and walked the through the routine without my dog. After this it was waiting for your turn. To my surprise it took some time to write the commentary after each performance. So you had a lot of time between each performance. We did few tricks as warm up routine and then we went to wait our turn to waiting area. It was really scary to walk in the ring for the first time. I just knew, I had to just start doing our routine see how it goes. We did few mistakes but in the end our team work looked good and total performance was fluent. End result 177/ 200 point and winning of the beginner class!!! This was more than amazing start in this new sport. Now we just need to work on new routines and head for the next class.

Here is the video of our routine in the competition:

That's all for know!!!

MPF

Quick note from Jaakkos training from yesterday

Agility training with Jaakko

Pixie 2011

It had been a long time since last training session Jaakko. Pixie had had a 3 week brake from agility do to Freya’s kennel cough. We had course with 36 obstacles. First round we did a competition run. We did pretty well. At one point we had few dropped bars from my bad handling. Next we did some talking about when to choose front cross or blind cross. This lead to interesting conversation about the dogs’ line. Do I see the realistic line or the perfect fantasy line? This was a very good note. I often think too much about “fantasy line” and get frustrated when we don’t achieve it. This really gave a good aspect to think when I train and plan my actions in a competition. There are just few things dogs really can do and some things you have accept. Some turns are tight and some will have longer curve to it. You just need see beforehand to make right handling maneuver.

Pixie 2011

Other matter we had was rhythm. I had few spots that I started to run way too early and made Pixie work in inefficient mode. When go too far it makes Pixie a little bit unsure and this shows in the speed. It very small change but it could be difference between winning and losing. It is my job to give my dog support as much as it need even though Pixie can do many things on her own. This is something I need to remember before I just start running fast away from her and have to wait her on another spot without any movement. We need to learn to keep the flow in our motion. 

Here are some nice runs from 3 weeks ago. Pixie did two clean runs:

That's All for now!!!

MPF

What is important in building up your performance dog?

Thoughts from these days

What to train? How much to train? When to start? How balance training? These are few questions that have been on my mind these days. I have been constructing a base line to a puppy class. Since Freya have had some issues in everyday life I have changed my thoughts what is important to learn during puppies first year. Last few dogs I have built pretty fast to competition form and I haven’t done so much everyday skill training. Freya made me really change my mind. With her I have had to train a lot of everyday skills like passing other dogs relaxed and control her re-activity. This has given her more tools to cope with scary and unexpected situations. Of course there are dogs that can cope with lots of things without any problems but shouldn’t we make “the good headed” dog ever better?

Many of buy a puppy to a certain sport in mind like agility or obedience. Most of thing about starting to train the task that will come in these sports. But how much we train the social and environmental aspects of the sport? Do train relaxation by the training field? Do we train relaxations after high drive play? Do trained to dog to be ok walking in the crowds and noisy places? These are scenarios that the dog need to cope to even do sport without extra stress. Many of train the dog to do agility and hope it will just fine in competition situations and don’t burn itself down the situation where there is lots of new dogs and people. Training for competition situation can take a lot time and effort when you have for example a sensitive or reactive dog. It can be done but how many are ready to do the work for the dog to get used to more to competition environment?

What about starting to compete? As soon as the rules lets you? Or do you wait your dog to be more mature and ready to handle all the distraction and your excitement in competitions? I started competing agility with Freya as soon as I could but later on I realized should have waited to let her grow to her role better and work more on her skills on the competition site. In obedience I have kept my mind and made her pretty ready to each level. I have really given more thought about letting your dog to grow up and enjoy teaching it new things and building up strong resistance towards different distractions. It is our benefit build a dog with strong confidence when it enter its first competition.

Bodywork out for performance dog and nutrition

More have done dogs ports more I have learned how important is to keep your dog in super condition. As wrote before we do a lot of balance work with my dogs. I usually use our evening or morning meals to train these exercises so that the dogs don't get too much extra energy. This time we got another delivery from SLN Imports. Freya and Pixie got Wild Boar Treats, which are freeze dried meat treats. These are so good that my girl get little wild. These are easy keep in you pocket because they are dry. Other bag was from Acana single series, where you can have on option with only one meat. This is good choice is your dog have any sensitivities.  We got to taste Pork and Butternut Squash. This food has 50 % of pork and 50 % fruits and vegetables. I like to use grain free food for my dogs to keep them in shape. Grains can make muscles to build up fluid and make more easy stiff. I have been super happy with Acanas and Orijens grain free products.

Here are some balancing work from our girls we try to do about 2-3 times a week depending on our other training session. I also your different object in the forest walks to do similar exercises. So I can do this training during our walks. Now less words and let the videos do the talking:

I hope these little works outs will give some tips how to built up your to more stronger and balanced.

That's all for now!!!

MPF

Planning the training year

Training year

I have read a lot about how to build up your training season. You need to have training, competition and rest period during your year program. In sports training people spend lots of time to build up their training year so that they could be at their best in the most important competitions. This is also something we need think with dogs. Especially in agility dog to high performance work that ask a lot from their whole body. As dog trainers we should also build up training and rest routine for our dogs. Did you know that you could roughly say that 1 year old dog needs at least one day to recover and 5 year old dog 5 days to recover from hard competition day? To me this was a little surprise how fast the recovery time rises. This would actually mean I could safely push Pixies limits only once a week and other times keep the training and competition work to minimal. With her it is pretty easy because she knows her stuff.

For whole year I make rough plan how I keep my training and rest periods. My plans evolve with how my dogs are doing and how I my own training is going. I usually keep a longer brake during Christmas time. At least 3 weeks without training. This is a recovery time for all of us. Other bigger brake is kept after tryout season. Then we usually keep at least 2-3 week brake enjoy the summer. I think, it’s important watch your dogs’ behavior and condition to make fast changes to your plan if needed. I have only seen improvement after our brakes. Learning goes forward and movement also becomes better.

During training season we work with three different areas. Body balance, muscle work and of course specific sport training. I think it is important to build up your dogs’ body as good as possible. Going to walks and run is part of it but one important piece is core work. More stable the body less injuries you get. We do core work three times a week with balance pillow, different platform and trick. At the same practice I also do stretching exercises. This helps to keep the body working smoothly. Usually training session last about 5-10 min. I have also thought my dogs to stretch with cue and I always praise long stretching. Muscle work includes hill work and also lactic acid training during walks just build up my dogs’ durance. I do lactic acid training only if I’m not doing hard agility training because agility is always anaerobic training because its high speed. Little things can sometimes make difference. Listen to your dog. Help it become balanced in body and in mind.

For everyday work

In everyday training it important to remember warm up work and cooling walks. Warm up are as important to us as it is to dog. You can try to run full speed 100 m run or do 20-40 tendon jumps without warming up. Next day you can feel how the dog feels if you do agility training without warming up. Cooling down is as important because it help body recover from anaerobic training with causes lactic acid to build up in muscles. Lactic acid is one the reasons our muscles get stiff and painful. I do usually warming up walks that last about 30 minutes and rise speed and stamina all the way of the warming up routine. Cooling down routine I do in two steps. 20-30 minute walk right after agility run /competition and second round two hours after when I do trot run about 45-60 minutes. With these routines I hope give my dogs the best treatment to keep them in good shape. Of course these routines make my body recover too.