Janae Ulva - Reflections on positive dog training

Catch Up and Frosting on the Cake

2011-12-28T16:00:00.010-06:00

WOW, I have been so busy training that I just could not keep up with the blog. So first I am going to catch you all up then post a thought that is what spurred me to do this post.

Catch Up

1 year Hip and Elbows x-rayed and Vet declared Hips as Excellent and Elbows Normal. SV rated the hips A-1 and elbows normal

Canine degenerative myelopathy DNA test - N/N meaning Minka does not have the disease nor is she a carrier

CERF - no abnormalities

BH earned under Nikki Banfield on 11/12/2011!

Still doing agility training and fighting her overly friendly, gotta greet the dogs :)

Training for our Schutzhund 1, hopefully this spring (June)

Frosting on the Cake
It is great when a dog wants to work and I understand that there are times when they need to understand that they MUST work. However, I wonder if sometimes compulsion is added like "icing on a cake". If compulsion is always added to a behavior, how can the dog to prove it has work ethics; - a natural Must Work attitude. Just a thought.

I am certainly inexperienced in this whole dog training thing, but this go around with Minka, I will be adding compulsion when needed not just as another step in the training process.

BH Photos

Schutzhund - 08.13.2011 Super Fun!

2011-08-13T13:32:00.001-05:00

Yahoo! We are doing a bark and hold with Reveir! So cool! I worked Minka every morning on Jeff, who held a tug. Send her in "Reveir" and if she grabbed the tug, a simple "nope" then "pust" and pulled her back to send her in again. After a few of those Minka figured it out - this is no fun, run in clean and I get to tug!

By Friday morning we were doing all clean runs except the first run.

So today at Schutzhund, all that work paid off. Minka was doing a bark and hold in the blind and running in clean half the time :) No big deal. She has drive and is learning the rules.

One of the club members built a "table" and Minka got to break it in. We put her on the chain and the table lifts her up making her feel more in control and confident. Then Rolando could work a bit on bringing out the defense in her. She did great!! No problems and great drive!!

Also, we have been tracking every morning this week and did a track at an Edgerton field. Then went and did some obedience at the club. Minka found a Schutzhund 2 dumbbell on the ground, picked it up and jumped over the jump and ran over the A-frame with it in her mouth. She has never been taught to pick up a dumbbell before. What a riot!! She is such fun!!

Damn I had fun today! Minka had fun today! My girl did so well!!!

Agility 4

2011-08-13T13:22:00.001-05:00

Thursday was class 5 of 6 for agility 4. We are having a great time and Minka is showing a ton of enthusiasm for the obstacles. She has no problems jumping, tunneling, dogwalk or teeter-totter. Her focus on me is great, while we are waiting our turn. I work a lot on heeling positions left and right in between runs.

However, we still struggle with Minka's extreme social personality :) I keep saying to myself "I'm just glad she is not dog aggressive." But every obstacle is a battle to keep her from running to the sideline to greet a dog.

So now I am calling her between every obstacle and rewarding her with a treat, then on to the next obstacle, come here, treat and on until we do the run. Hopefully, this will work because the "phooey" and small pop on the collar is not working. If anything, I think Minka associates me coming to get her with the pop not that I am popping the collar because she is socializing, and that ain't good.

So management of the situation combined with reward will hopefully work. Also, I have notice Minka to be a tad chubby so I am cutting back on her food and that is making the treats during class far more appealing.

Little Minka is going to be a great agility dog I do believe!

Critique My Dog

2011-07-12T18:38:00.004-05:00

Minka z Diehlomov obedience 13 months

2011-06-26T10:12:00.003-05:00

Minka z Diehlomov on YouTube 14 mos

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Minka - obedience training

2011-06-22T20:26:00.003-05:00

(image is Minka at 13 mos)

1 year old and a little minx

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GRRRRR

2011-06-09T20:31:00.004-05:00

Tracking like a train on rails

2011-06-05T19:19:00.002-05:00

Minka has been formally tracking now, everyday except one, for a little over a week. She is doing great especially after my trainer, Rolando, straightened me out. Ah yeah. Last Sunday I laid my form of track and demonstrated Minka's training. I'm smiling inside watching my drivey little girl zipping happily down the track and Roando is like "no, no, stop that's awful!" I actually had to laugh because we were so far apart in our thinking.

Anyhow Rolando laid a track with food in each footstep, then he took Minka and told her to "stopa" track and she did. Slowly, with methodical focus, head swings left, eat the food, head swings right, eat the food. All the way to the end of the track. Ahhhhh so that's how it is suppose to be done. And that is how we do it now.

Today I added a corner, a triple-laid arcing corner. She followed it without hesitation and like her nose was on rails, and worked the track to the end. I'm excited about tracking and so is Minka!

Minka proves she is a K9 Good Citizen

2011-06-04T09:32:00.006-05:00

Yep, this morning Minka passed her AKC CGC - Canine Good Citizen test at the Badger Kennel Club. Nope, we did not take a class to prepare, we went in cold and came out hot! The only section of the test I was concerned about was Test 8: Reaction to another dog
This test demonstrates that the dog can behave politely around other dogs. Two handlers and their dogs approach each other from a distance of about 20 feet, stop, shake hands and exchange pleasantries, and continue on for about 10 feet. The dogs should show no more than casual interest in each other. Neither dog should go to the other dog or its handler.

Minka loves animals of every species and size and if you read any of my previous blog post you will know that focus in the presence of other dogs/animals has been an on going challenge. Maybe challenge isn't the right word anymore, but I am constently reenforcing her understanding that she doesn't play with other dogs or the cats for that matter. We occasionally meet a friend and her young dog so Minka can play with another dog but for the most part I am her playmate.

Anyhow, Test 8 went well. I had Minka sit in the heel position when we stopped for me to shake the stranger's hand. Minka leaned forward and across my legs to try a sniff at the dog. "ah ah!" nipped that behavior in the bud. The CGC is a lot easier than the German equivalent of a BH because the AKC - CGC allows you to talk to your dog during the tests. But this was good preparation for the BH as it gave me a glimpse into how Minka is going to behave and which areas I need to work with her. Can you guess what needs more work? Yep, focus in the presence of other dogs . . .

I'm thinking it's time to think about adding an aversive to correct this behavior. I'm fully convinced that Minka knows it is taboo to "lunge in for a sniff" when we walk by other dogs or when other dogs walk by us. I need to think on this carefully because I don't want to create any superstitious behavior nor do I want to damage her trust in me. So I am really hesitant to use punishment. Ahhhh I just don't know. For sure the degree of compulsion will need to be appropriate and followed up with a reward for compliance. But I need to be clear so Minka understands what she must not do - interact with other dogs without permission and instead give me eye contact/focus. The problem we have run into is that the lunge and sniff behavior is just enough self- rewarding for Minka and that is why we have reach a plateau and my feeling that some form of compulsion is needed. I'll have to think about this. Maybe I'm rushing to judgement because she is 90% there. Patience patience I have patience for my little girl.

I'll talk to my trainer about helping me get this done correctly.

5.18.2011 was prelim hips and elbows

2011-05-19T20:45:00.005-05:00

WOW what a great day!! The veterinarian Dr. Link, who is the area's go-to-vet for hip x-rays, rated Minka's hips as "EXCELLENT" and her elbows as "no evidence of dysplasia". I'm going to submit them to the SV for A-stamp. Hopefully they rate them the same! We are happpppy!

Schutzhund - 05.15.2011

2011-05-18T17:51:00.012-05:00

WOW my Minka!!

Happy Birthday Minka!

2011-05-11T20:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Minka! 1 year old today

You are the best and I love you!

First day of agility 2

2011-05-10T20:51:00.003-05:00

And Minka is in heat. I blogged about our last agility class where Minka was in heat for the first class. That was probably the most frustrating class ever. Check out the entry in January if you don't believe me.

We almost didn't go today but in the end I packed up Minka's heat panties, a bag of treats, water and the drag leash and off we went.

Good thing I didn't judge Minka's future behavior based on her past behavior, since she is maturing and training has been continuous and making advances. Minka was super great tonight. She was focused, excited and remembered the obstacles. She is my super star!

German Shepherd Dog Height and Weight Standard

2011-04-30T18:40:00.005-05:00

Males:
Height at the wither 60 cm to 65 cm (23.62 inches - 25.59 inches)
Weight 30 kg to 40 kg. (66.14 pounds - 88.18 pounds; Midrange = 77 pounds)

Females:
Height at the wither 55 cm to 60 cm (21.65 inches - 23.62 inches)
Weight 22 kg - 32 kg (48.5 pounds - 70.55 pounds; Midrange = 59.5 pounds)

Ref: http://www.germanshepherddog.com/regulations/breed_standard.htm

Today, at 11 days shy of 1 year old, Minka's weight is 57lbs. I measured her at 22 inches but maybe I need to re-measure. She just seems small compared to the some GSD.

A dirty nose and my ball in a shoe

2011-04-29T19:12:00.002-05:00

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The Dynamic Duo - Weird Al and Minka

2011-04-25T19:01:00.030-05:00

Minka is simply the cutest! Watching her and Eli and the cats makes me smile. Got some good pictures today, after a long day working at the computer. Coding is exhausting. However, taking a walk and playing with my animals always rejuvenates me and I really feel happy.

Minka and Alley Cat
Alley Cat aka Weird Al loves Minka and she loves her Al. They have loved each other since the two met; that being the very day I brought Minka home. What a pair of dorks. The last couple of days I have noticed that Minka and Al can hang out together and I don't have to worry about Minka chasing or wrestling Al. It helps that Al is so weird that Minka can run full speed and skid to a stop in front of him and Al doesn't even blink much less run! Minka skids up to him and drops her ball at Al's feet with a big smile on her face, tongue lulling out the side of her mouth. And Al could care less. However, if I allow it Al will follow us everywhere. When Al tags along on a plain old walk (meaning no ball so no fetch) Minka tends to wait for him and that is slow and can get annoying. When I get annoyed I try to capture Al and lock him up in the dog pen. Al might be weird but he's smart so frequently I can't catch the little tag-along. Then I'll try to out run him :) Usually, if we can get across the corn field without him he won't follow. Lately Al has gotten more gutsy and then he will follow anyhow. Oh well, not a big deal since Al doesn't run and Minka doesn't chase.

The hole and disappearing dogs
During our end-of-the-work-day unwind walk that included Eli, Weird Al, Minka and me, we stumbled upon a big animal hole. The hole has two openings, one I can see down and one that is reallllly deep. So what does Minka do? She drops her ball down the really deep hole, deliberately . . . then procedes to crawl in after it! Holy Cow! That animal hole is so deep that Minka almost disappeared, literally, only the tip of her black tail was showing. Worried that her collar or harness would get stuck on a root or a rock, I kind of frantically called her out. Minka backed out and I grabbed her. Guess who jumped down the hole to get the ball while I was busy restraining Minka? Maybe you guessed it - the fetch crazy HUGE Lab! Truly, that is how big the hole was. All that was showing on Eli was from his loin back! Crap! "Eli get your big brown ass out of there!" I yelled. Eli backed out and there was the orange chuck-it ball grasped in his big bear-like mouth.

Then weird Al decided to check out the hole. I wasn't so worried about him because I didn't think he could get stuck. Also figured there weren't any animals in there at the time. I've got to watch those dorks when we go walking by that hole from now on.

Hiking in the drizzle

2011-04-16T17:25:00.008-05:00

What a great day! I've been a little worried because Thursday night and then again last night, Minka got up from her snooze and hopped about 3 steps holding her back leg up. I'm terribly paranoid about stifle cruciate ligament injury because both of my previous GSD ended up with them and had surgery. The knee is never the same again. The thing is, in Minka's case, she puts the foot down and isn't showing any kind of limp. She runs up and down the steep farmhouse stairs leading upstairs. So maybe I'm worrying for nothing . . .

So how does that make it a great day? Well I decided that Friday Minka would have lite exercise so no fetch only walks off leash. She still bombs around but it's all on her own accord. Considering this is really not much exercise for her, she was very well behaved and calm Friday. Today, Saturday, she woke up a maniac! I had decided that we would not do Schutzhund because I am worried that if, indeed, Minka has a slight injury to her leg then Schutzhund would be too strenuous. But I had to do something with the zoomie pup!

Decision made, I packed Minka up and drove north to our favorite DNR land, in the drizzle and cold. We were the only hardcore (fools?) hikers and had the woods and fields to ourselves and little chance that others would show up. We walked for close to 3 hours and explored all corners of the 600 acres. We hiked down to the border which is designated as the stream. Hiked along the field and stream hit the main trail and headed to the bridge. Minka enjoyed looking down at the swollen, fast moving stream rushing under the bridge. We walked on and headed hard left down a clearing to the stream. I threw sticks in and after a few hesitant attempts to grab a stick as it floated by, and missing, Minka jumped in. She jumped in a few more times but once made the mistake of trying to climb out at a steep section of the bank. I helped pull her up but I think it stressed her a bit because Minka wasn't so hip on jumping in again. She tried the long reach, then she had a big case of the zoomies along the bank but she wouldn't go in. So I pushed her :). Minks didn't seem to mind and swam to the stick and brought it back. I made a big deal over her success and we called it quits.

Minka and I headed to the far end of the land then headed back via the ridge, which was a beautiful choice. The DNR had burned off the field at the top and it was open and greening! We hiked the ridge down to the main trail and back to the car.

Super perfect! Now I sit by the wood stove while Minka sleeps. Super great day!

My Funny Girl

2011-04-16T17:22:00.001-05:00

Minka is 11 months and still such a puppy! This week I was working from home and have a small office upstairs in our old farmhouse. I gave her a rawhide that she chewed in half and proceeded to toss it around like a cat. She was particularly frisky throwing and pouncing on her rawhide when she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirrored closet door

Then she decided she needed to HIDE her rawhide! She went from room to room, giving a little occasional whine, dropping her rawhide in boxes, my husbands open gun case, closets, climbed on some storage stuff to look for a hiding place, and her eventual favorite hiding place behind the open room doors.

Kind of reminded me of the commercial where the little dog can't sleep worried about the safe keeping of his bone, and keeps moving it from place to place.

My previous female, Jazz, liked to hide her rawhides too. Once she found the dirt rough-in for a bathroom in the basement and buried it there. I only figured that out when I saw a small pile of dirt on the concrete floor because she buried it so well.

Schutzhund - two days shy of 11 months

2011-04-09T14:18:00.015-05:00

First Swim of 2011 - almost 11 months old

2011-04-06T17:32:00.013-05:00

Little Girl; Big Sleeve!

2011-04-03T09:36:00.010-05:00

Schutzhund Yesterday -
Schutzhund training moved outdoors and Minka moved up to bite the full sleeve! Yep, and I am proud of her.

Obedience -
I have not kept up on Minka's progress in obedience, but we have been busy working on energetic straight recalls (german heir) and heeling left (velvo)/right (spravne) positions. Really! She also knows a between the legs command (mezi). Fun stuff with coveralls on but I wonder how it's going to work in the summer. What am I talking about? When Minka goes from the mezi position to a heir, she likes to reach up and grab my coveralls and yank herself into position. Have to say she's quick and energetic!

We've also been working on sit (sedni) and down (german platz) stays where I walk in front of her and around her. Going behind Minka is the kicker, she wants to swing around to keep an eye on me, but we are getting better.

While playing fetch with the chuck-it, I am able to drop her into a platz or sedni at a distance. This is after she has got the ball. Eventually, I will work on having her wait to go out after the ball and eventually stop her mid-run to the ball. But those are for later.

Last weekend Schutzhund -
Last weekend, Rolando had me do a runaway bite where he steps out of the blind and runs around the back of it. Minka, instead of running after him, tried to cut him off going the other way. Rolando changed direction thinking she would continue after him and around the back of the blind. Nope. Minka snuck UNDER the blind without even knocking it down! She's a little spunky dinky!

Schutzhund - good focus and moved up to the sleeve!

2011-02-27T19:06:00.016-06:00

Minka's focus was great! She ignored other dogs and people while doing obedience. However, I need to work on straighter sits in the heel position. Problem is I think the sit looks straight but the trainer is saying ah ahh. Going to get a mirror and practice pivots etc. Here are pictures my hubby took of Minka doing protection work today.

Slam the teeter-totter

2011-02-20T16:54:00.005-06:00

Last day of beginning agility and we had a riot! we ran a course and Minka was pretty good following direction. The first run thru was halting in that Minka had to sniff almost every orange cone that was placed by each obstacle. Those were new this session . . . She is so nosy. The big teeter-totter was new too. Minka doesn't walk it and hesitate as it tips down, no she SLAMS it down, obviously enjoying the sound of the slam and being momentarily airborne! Funny girl.

Minka received compliments from the instructors and an observer for her weave pole style. Minka really gets them and is enthusiastic running them. My feeling is they were introduced properly meaning her first experience was done with a super high value treat (ham) and lots of excited verbal cues. OUT and a push with my knee then jumping away from the poles combined with a ham lure and an excited cue IN!

I read somewhere that the introduction to a behavior should include a super high value treat and really positive body/verbal language. Whatever, Minka is my little happy pill.

Agility & Schutzhund - clever & bold

2011-02-13T13:08:00.013-06:00

Exciting weekend doing agility and Schutzhund. My husband says I work my puppy too hard. I hope not. She is sleeping now after a great Schutzhund session. Yesterday, we went to agility and then visited a friend with an 8 mo. old Dutch Shepherd/Malinois mix so Minka could play. Yep, tired girl by the time we got home. We didn't do anything else in the afternoon. I don't plan on doing anything strenuous this afternoon either.

Agility and hot dog treats made for another good focus session, combined with the fun of climbing and tunneling. Interestingly, Minka is not really hip on the plain ole jumps. So I've got to really make a big deal when she jumps them, then maybe she'll become more enthusiastic negotiating them.

OK focus on focus. As I started to say, Minka does seem to really be getting the focus work. Not only are we working on focus at agility and Schutzhund obedience, I have instituted it in a major way during the fetch games that Minka and Eli play every morning and every afternoon. Eli breathing down Minka's neck is a great distraction :)

Schutzhund obedience presented the best distractions yet - barking, tugging dogs and a dog perched on an ice cooler practicing a long down. Minka was doing pretty darn well but I did have to put a leather tab on her nylon collar and introduced small corrections when the verbal cue of "eyes" was ignored. At this session, it was not unfair to use small corrections because Minka knows what the focus cue means. The small tweaks on the collar worked, however I need to be careful of superstitious behavior. The corrections given by the dog on the cooler had her behaving like she needed to avoid the dog not the real issue, which was the loss of focus. Next time I will make sure to back up in my training and use a good (careful) balance of verbal cues "good" and treat or "phooey" and small corrections to communicate what I want when we use other dogs as distractions.

Schutzhund was a riot. Spunky Minka had Rolando impressed some more; I love that. He said "this bitch bites so hard . . . " and lifted her up to his eye level, hanging in a full mouth grip on the bite wedge, then spun around in a circle and put her down. Didn't faze her a bit. We worked more on bark, Rolando steps forward, bark, Rolando steps forward, until he is close enough to give Minka a bite. A fundamental behavior for the bark and hold - with patience and barking you get what you want. It was kind of cool when Rolando muttered, "I want a puppy . . ." and I thought he was thinking it was fun working Minka-the-puppy but then he finished his sentence with "from this bitch." WOW A COMPLIMENT OF BIG MAGNITUDE in my opinion.

We finished with Princess Minka trotting around the room showing all the people and especially the couple of watching puppies, her bite wedge that she won with hard work. Eventually she gets to run to the door, still holding the wedge tightly, and out to the truck. She only drops the wedge at the car to get a drink of water. She might be little but she is bold and clever.

Snowshoeing with Minka II - Exhausting!

2011-02-09T18:16:00.028-06:00

Went hiking for a couple of hours today on one of our favorite DNR properties, however we had a big blizzard here last week and the snow was deep! At home, the snow has a good crust over most of the fields so as long as I stay out of the big drifts I can walk fairly well in my snowshoes and Minka can walk on the crust, barely falling through.

That was not the case at the DNR property. The snow was deep and soft. Even with the snowshoes I was sinking a half a foot to a foot and little Minka couldn't even touch the ground 90% of the time. For much of the 2 hour hike, Minka trudged along in my trail meaning each step I was fighting the snow as well as dragging along my 51 lb pup on the back of my snowshoe. Exhausting!! But still fun!

We heard turkeys then saw them flying from their roost in the pine trees. Minka found that to be very interesting. We saw lots of deer trails but no deer. That might have something to do with my periodically talking out loud to let the deer know we are coming. This is my solution to keep Minka from learning to run deer - no deer, no running them.

Even though Minka was following in my trail most of the time, she was getting a workout. I'd look back and I could see her fighting her way through the snow and occasionally she would stop with her chest resting on the snow and give me a look that seemed to say, "really? are we almost back yet??" She did have fun however, jumping on snow covered rocks, getting boosted up on snow covered fallen trees and smelling all the wild animal smells.

Sweet Weekend!

2011-02-06T13:18:00.006-06:00

Ya-all are probably getting bored with my Minka-is-Great weekends but it's true. She is just rock'n! It's weird because at home she is a quiet, little thing and then I get her out to Schutzhund bite work and she is a little Minx (definition - a bold girl). Minka bites rock hard and rock solid! Rolando even got on the floor with her and wrapped his legs around her. He said she never got chewy, which is a common reaction. Minka just hung on.

Today Rolando moved up from the bite wedge we have been using for the last couple weeks to a bite pillow that is made out of the same jute that a full sleeve is made of. He said the bite wedge was too soft for her now and that she is biting clear thru it. So we moved up to the jute pillow. It was apparent that she recognized the difference in the pillow but no problem, she still took a hard, full bite and trotted around the training facility like a rock star.

We started the ground work for the Revir or blind search and the bark and hold. Rolando had her chase him around a blind to get a bite (preparation for revir) and another few times he backed up against the wall and we rewarded Minka's bark by moving a step forward every time she barked until she was standing in front of him barking without lunging. Very cool!

The hour before the bite work and the day before at agility I worked very hard on rewarding Minka's focus in the presence of distraction. She is getting better by leaps and bounds. However, today Rolando advised me not to do too much heeling until I had rock solid focus. Without that, I am actually practicing a heeling behavior of focus, focus, peek, focus, etc. and we don't want that. So my goal will be small movement with long duration of focus and reward. Two to 4 steps of heeling with intense focus on the cue k noze (heel in Czech) and retain that focus for the steps. Another exercise is to have her just plain focus and have a ton of distraction and feed, feed, feed when her focus stays on my eyes. We have our mission and we will be successful!!!

Agility was a riot! Again, with Minka focusing on me instead of doing her lunging meet & greet at the other dogs, we had super fun running all the obstacles. The A frame and dog walk were made taller and Minka is actually digging the weave poles. hehehe, it was funny because the last exercise was each team of dog/handler had to run all the obstacles in a specific order. Well we did all the obstacles however it was not the suggested order :) Minka has a mind of her own and decided on the pattern she wanted to run. Oh well, she was having fun and I wasn't about to make a big deal about it. Learning to watch me for direction will come with time and experience.

We are having a great time. I sure do love my little black pup!

Great Weekend - Agility and Schutzhund

2011-01-30T15:51:00.003-06:00

As could be read in my last blog post, agility was, well you could say, frustrating. Between Minka's puppyish desire to play with the other dogs combined with owner-unawareness on the part of a few of my classmates I had a tough time getting Minka to focus on me and the agility task at hand. However, as usual, Minka learns fast and the focus work paid off this weekend. Minka's focus was 100 times better and she really rallied in agility. The obstacles were nothing for her and that combined with focus made for a fun and successful class. Even the weave poles are making sense to Minka and she shows enthusiasm on the "in" part of the weave.

Sunday morning was Schutzhund obedience and bite work. Holy-heck-a-roni! Rolando gave me some advice that proved helpful in cementing the focus on me not all the other activity going on around you Miss Princess Minka. She did really well in obedience and absolutely shinned in the bite work. We are using the bite wedge that mimics the sleeve structure (narrow at the molars and wider at the incisors) so that her bite remains full when we move to the full sleeve. Her bites were strong, full mouth, calm and her carry was calm and solid. Even Rolando was amazed by the carry compared to her last session. In his own words, "she is a great dog." Rolando said, she would bite the sleeve but he did not want to rush her. Cool! He is confident that she will be running blinds in the spring.

The Schutzhund Club is super great. Obviously, I love Rolando as the trainer and the club members are hard working, knowledgable and nice to train with. WOW. So far, more than good.

Agility Class - it's more about focus

2011-01-23T09:08:00.014-06:00

Saturday noon is beginning agility class. Minka attended puppy agility last year December so the next level is this class. The first day was last week Sunday and Minka was in heat and had been sick all day Friday. She woke me up at 2:00 am Friday puking then we got up again at 3:00 am to go outside. I stayed up with Minka the rest of the morning until work, cuddled on the recliner in front of the wood stove. Anyhow, I had debated even going to class last Saturday and finally decided I would go and let Minka dictate the pace. Treats were also kept bland.

All of these issues played into a frustrating first agility class. Minka was off - in the past puppy agility classes I kept Minka's attention with her tug and food treats. The first beginning agility class was a lesson in patience. The bland treats were not cutting it and Minka was not interested in the tug. It almost seemed like Minka remembered her puppy socialization classes in this building so all she wanted to do was meet and greet the other dogs. We made it through class mainly by asking the class members to back off and give Minka some space so she could focus on the agility instead of the other dogs.

Back to yesterday noon, second beginning agility class - I came armed with tons of yummy meaty treats and Minka's favorite tug. We got to class and Minka was excited about tugging. Good indication that she was more herself. Oh, and she is out of heat so another change from last week.

We decided to warm up while waiting for the rest of the class to show up. There is one guy in class who seems kind of oblivious to things around him. Last week his dog peed on the floor while he stood there, leash in hand and mind off in space, while someone else cleaned up after him. Why am I bringing up the Spaceman? Because in his walking coma, he proceeded to stand in the way of one agility object exit ramp that Minka was on. When Minka came down she lunged to see his dog. I stopped her with the leash and harness, told her "phooey" and tried to redirect Minka with a treat. It worked for a second but since Spaceman was on Mars he didn't notice that his standing in the way was not only rude but creating a focus problem for Minka, whom we all have to remember is still a puppy so I'm trying to keep things positive. So Spaceman continued to stand there and Minka continued to ignore me and pull towards Spacy's dog. ENOUGH! I grabbed Minka by her harness and yelled "phooey" again and physically spun her away from Spaceman's dog. That brought Spaceman back to earth and got Minka's attention. I rewarded her when she looked at me with a handful of yummy treats and Spaceman with a cold shoulder.

After that I decided agility was taking a backseat to focus work, which was what Rolando, the Schutzhund trainer, has been talking to me about. My biggest concern is balancing the focus work with the fact that Minka is a puppy and too much pressure is not an option. When Minka would pull towards other dogs I physically stopped her via leash and harness and then rewarded focus with verbal praise and treats. Most of the class helped out by giving Minka space. However, Spaceman and his friend, a clueless women and her dog (maybe they are genetically related) had to be reminded constantly to back off. And I want to point out that they literally climb up your a** - it reminded me of lines in a hospital clinic where they had to require people to stay back behind a line in order to provide some privacy at the counter. Come on wake up people!

By the end of class Minka was getting the focus thing. How could I tell? Because she would, more often than not, look at the other dogs then quickly return her attention to me without a physical cue. I rewarded that focus with super excited verbal praise and treats. By the end of the hour, Minka was not pulling towards the other dogs and her focus was mostly on me, even when the pair of clueless Space Travelers stood tight on our heels. FYI, the agility objects don't pose any problems for Minka. She loves climbing, the tunnels and even did a fairly good job on the in-out weave poles. Search and Rescue would be right up her alley. Too bad I can't find an SAR group in my quadrant of the state.

Feeling tired but pleased, Minka and I packed up and went to leave. Guess who was standing right in front of the door with his dog? Let me give you a clue - big and clueless. If you guessed Spaceman you would be a winner! I stood there looking at him waiting to see if he would deduce that Minka and I wanted to leave and he was standing right in the way. Clues again? My coat was on, water bowl packed up in my training bag that was hanging across my shoulder, plus class was done and others had already left. Nope clueless Man-in-the-Moon stood there watching his clueless counter-part hanging her dog up on the dog walk. Yep her leash got caught on the dog walk just as the instructor warned and the dog was yanked off the 4 foot platform. Luckily for the dog, it was not hurt. The clueless Spaceman gave me a weak look and stood there like a freaking clueless rock. Minka and I set off with a positive, assertive step straight towards the door and Spaceman with his dog. There was no recognition thus no movement on their part so we were forced to veer around them and I used my body to block Minka as we walked around the space junk. In my mind I pray, God give me the patience I need . . .

Out of heat

2011-01-21T17:59:00.001-06:00

Minka seems to be out of heat. Just keeping track :)
WOW forgot what a hassle a female in heat is. However, she has some adorable doggy panties.

Minka's Hot!

2011-01-07T19:06:00.002-06:00

She 's in her first heat. Started I think Monday. Wish I could remember how old Jazz was when she had her first heat. Seems like 7 going on 8 months is on the early side for a GSD.

Schutzhund Lesson 2 - Bite Work

2011-01-02T18:49:00.005-06:00

The Schutzhund Club met again today to do bite work with Rolando. As you all might recall, the club met 2 weekends ago for bite work and that would have been Minka's first real lesson. Making today, lesson 2.

Rolando showed up with a puppy bite sleeve and a soft bite sleeve sans bite bar. Feeling how much thicker the puppy bite sleeves are compared to the rope tugs I have been using sent my overactive, worry-wart mind into overdrive. On one hand I was worried that Minka would not bite well; on the other hand I was excited to see her bite a sleeve.

Rolando kicked the puppy sleeve back and forth across the floor to build up drive then he picked up the sleeve and ran into Minka's reach. She leaped up and took a full mouth bite, clinching and trapping Rolando's hand within the sleeve. "Ow, that bitch (meaning female dog) can bite!" said Rolando, unable to get his hand out of the sleeve. Rolando gave Minka one more bite on the puppy sleeve but switched up to the soft sleeve after Minka once again crushed his hand within the sleeve. Cool! I was so proud of Minka and she was obviously proud prancing around in a circle gripping the puppy sleeve in her mouth and showing it off to everyone in the room, kinda how she shows Eli the ball when they play chase me.

We finished off the second lesson with two "send her" bites on the soft sleeve, where I back into one corner with Minka and Rolando is in the other diagonal corner - then let er rip! Both times Minka blasted down the floor at Rolando and he caught her in a spinning four-off-the-floor catch! Doubly COOL! Rolando's comment was "she'll bite anything you put in front of her!" and "she bites like her dad" both high compliments.

What I have to work on: "Tug, run, cradle, run" to get Minka use to holding the tug calmly, in preparation for that same behavior on the sleeve after it has been slipped by the helper/Rolando. Right now she acts like she's worried I'm going to take it from her. I also need to work more on focus while doing any obedience work. She is darn good now, but I truly need to up her focus duration.

My little black puppy rocks!

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Trump

2010-12-29T18:16:00.002-06:00

Noticing this week that Minka has become my shadow. She wants to sit with me in my chair (OK) and had to move her bed closer to my side of the bed. I finally trump Eli!

Snoozy

2010-12-27T20:44:00.002-06:00

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Thanks Aunt Robin!

2010-12-27T17:08:00.015-06:00

My Xmas gift from Robin gave Eli and Minka much joy! Yummy dog cookies and two 2 packs of Kong Balls - Big orange balls and big yellow balls. To top that off, they squeak!!

Eli wants everybody to see how slim and trim he has become as a result of keeping up with his sister.

My Big Girl

2010-12-24T07:02:00.001-06:00

52 lbs today! And she is all muscle and bone; a lean machine!

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Snowshoeing with Minka

2010-12-22T16:09:00.010-06:00

Another super day, doing one of my favorite activities - hiking with Minka. Seems all my favorite activities involve my dogs :)

Along the way, we kicked up a doe and she dashed across the narrow clearing in front of us. Luckily, Minka was busy sniffing the brush and snow where some critter must have been so she didn't see her. The long line was clipped back on Minka just in case there were more deer following the doe. We walked ahead and no other deer came out of the brush so I unclipped her from the lead. My mistake. Minka shoved her nose into the hoof holes in the snow and knew that deer had just come thru and she took off like a black, deaf, shot trailing that deer across a fence line and into the woods!

Now my other female GSD (Jazz) would run deer if she was out far enough ahead of me and I was slow in stopping her, however I never had her run off after deer on scent alone.

Anyhow, I kept yelling for Minka and she did eventually turn around and come back; that was scary. I reached into my pocket and gave her a fist full of treats.

MIA: 6 Chuck-it Balls

2010-12-21T20:38:00.006-06:00

I should buy stock in Chuck-it balls. So far this winter we've lost in the snow:
1 orange ball - snow fence area
2 orange balls - alfalfa field in the fetch area
1 glow-n-the-dark ball - alfalfa field at corner edge of the corn field
1 whistler ball - soybean field by the fence line
1 orange ball - soybean field upper hill
1 whistler ball - corn field by woods, lower
1 orange ball - corn field by woods, upper

The cold, dry air and heavy snow makes it much harder for Eli and Minka to find the balls under the snow. They are getting really good scenting practice! Cute how quickly they learn to sniff snow-holes for the balls.

Schutzhund Club Sunday

2010-12-21T20:04:00.005-06:00

FUN! Minka's lineage is Schutzhund. Unfortunately, the area club that has the most potential (in my opinion) hasn't been meeting regularly. At least not this year. Why? I believe it has to do with the quality of club helper. He is excellent! Thus he is in great demand here and in Germany, where he trains club dogs, police dogs, and performs helper work in some of the biggest Schutzhund competitions.

You should know that Schutzhund clubs pretty much live or die according to the availability of a good helper. This "helper" person I speak of is crucial to the success of the club because they must be knowledgeable in modern training techniques, in reading dogs, and physically capable. They are the one that "catches" the dog on a bite sleeve or suit. On top of these "decoy" or "bad guy" qualities the helper must be able to communicate instructions to dog owners possessing various degree of skill and owning dogs with varied abilities and personalities. Helper work is an art and Rolando is definitely tops. Hopefully the Rolando drought ends this year!

So, where am going with this? Well Minka and I went to the Schutzhund club when Minka was maybe 12 weeks old. Rolando worked her with a puppy tug and wasn't real impressed with her bite. My fault. He pointed out that I was playing tug improperly. Who knew? Rolando explained that when playing tug I needed to allow and encourage Minka to bite with a full mouth molar grip. If the grip is poor Minka needs to learn that she can and should re-bite with a full-mouth grip. Yeah, I've done Schutzhund with my past two GSD but things have changed a lot since those days . . . And for the better it seems to me. Don't get me wrong, it was fun and there were a lot of great people back then but I like the positive bent in today's training.

Now fast forward to last Sunday when Rolando was able to make an appearance. Minka is now 7 months old. Geez, how has Minka's bite progressed? Did I mess her up? NOPE! Rolando was very pleased with Minka's drive and bite! I was so proud of her. Rolando also expressed approval of Minka's obedience (sit, down, stand, stay). After watching Rolando's dog's obedience, I am inspired to step it up with Minka.

The club is loaded with nice, capable people with nice, capable dogs. I'm excited about this club. However, I am committed in allowing Minka to be a well rounded gal, so we plan on continuing her sheep herding and agility training as well.

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Catch me if you can

2010-12-14T17:33:00.014-06:00

Minka plays with Ivan

2010-12-11T17:54:00.002-06:00

Today Minka got to play with Ivan, a Czech (lineage) German Shepherd and police dog (career). She has had only a few opportunities to see other German Shepherds and none from the Czech Republic like her parents are too. Ivan chased her around thru the snow which is Minka's favorite came - Chase Me! Minka, even with some puppy stumbles, turned on the agility leaping over Ivan's back and leaping full speed on to the front porch, thru the snow drifts and around the side of the house. She was doing the puppy scoot with Ivan in hot pursuit. Ivan gave Minka a real run for her money and it shows - she has been sleeping for hours.

7 Months Saturday

2010-12-10T20:21:00.003-06:00

WOW Minka will be seven months old Saturday. Time is flying! Just in the last week I have noticed, I will call it, maturation behavior. Already mentioned was the anticipation whine when pulling into John's driveway for sheep herding. Yesterday while playing fetch, I called for a "hier" (come in front) and Minka knows that means the ball will be thrown upon its completion. Minka came in with a nice fast front, looked up at me intently and gave a whine of anticipation. Then today she and Eli were playing a competitive game of fetch, with Minka having the edge in speed and agility while Eli has her beat in brute strength. This morning brute strength was providing Eli with more orange chuck-it ball wins. At one run out Eli shoulder checked Minka and plucked the ball right from under her nose, she let out a frustrated whine and grabbed his ear! Yeah my little girl loves the games and I'm seeing she has a streak of determination.

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Super Great Day! Sheep and Hiking!

2010-12-08T17:11:00.007-06:00

Minka had her 3rd sheep herding lesson with Yellow Boots owner and trainer, John Wentz. I am Minka's anchor, helping to slow her down a bit while encouraging her to follow the sheep around the circular pen.

Today Minka whined when I turned into the John's driveway, that was my first inclination that she knew where she was and that Minka was excited about how this would play into her realm of fun. Oh yeah!

As you might recall from the last training session, we wanted Minka to platz (lie down) facing forward with her attention on the sheep, not swinging around to face me. At home I worked on this by having Jeff get Minka's attention then I, while standing behind her holding the leash, would cue platz and Jeff would reward her with a yummy piece of dried tripe the moment her belly hit the ground. This worked well, with Minka catching on real quick.

Once she understood this behavior, we moved up the approximation ladder by doing everything the same as described above except when Minka would platz I would mark the platz and treat her. I also tried having Minka platz occasionally while fetching - hold the leash, throw the ball, cue platz and release her the instant she hit the ground. This worked OK, however she was still inclined to swing sideways to see me.

Back to the sheep pen - when Minka was very focused and pulling after the sheep, I tried a cue for platz. It worked. She went down slow but did platz. I marked it and the reward was to jump up and chase the sheep. In order to keep the pressure low, I only asked Minka to platz 6 times during our 45 minutes of training.

This session showed an increase in drive to herd, with less poop eating and more consistent focus on the sheep. At one point John suggested a break so we went outside the pen to talk. Nat, the number 1 Border Collie, was quietly laying against the pen. Minka went over to her and wiggled hi. But that was the extent of her interest; unusual for Minka and another indication of her maturing. Minka's focus was on the sheep and eventually made it clear she wanted back into the pen by digging under the fence and sticking her head thru the pen slots. OK we get the message, and back into the pen we went.

No doubt, right now Minka's motivation is in catching the sheep, twice she got a mouth full of wool when a ewe made the mistake of splitting off from the herd. Wool, such simple pleasures to a dog :)

We left John's and drove to the DNR property that Jazz and Rummel literally grew up on. It's been ages since I walked this land and it was beautiful! More Oak savannas, sandy soil and an adorable trout stream that borders 3/4 of the property. Minka and I hiked the entire perimeter and that took us about 2 hours. Hiking with my dog is my heaven on earth.

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Minka's first snow

2010-12-05T17:17:00.020-06:00

Trademark dirty nose pixs

2010-11-27T19:30:00.004-06:00

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Minka's second herding lesson

2010-11-27T19:15:00.011-06:00

Yellow Boots here we come! Jeff, Eli, Minka and I loaded into the truck early yesterday morning with sheep herding gear in hand - a repurposed Schutzhund collar and 6 ft. multicolored horse lead with a bronze clip that looks big enough to hold an elephant.

Nat, John's best dog (his words), rounded up 6 sheep and moved them down to the oval pen for Minka. "Where's your dog?" John said to me as he nonchalantly sat on the bench by the pen with Nat quietly lying at his feet. Ok I'm not really dumb, just indoctrinated from years of Schutzhund training where the student didn't do anything without direction from the trainers. Most of all, you didn't bring your dog out when other dogs are about without explicit authority. Sweet feeling to have such a lay-back dog sport and trainer.

Minka performed well, not that walking along behind the sheep on her horse lead is complicated. But she had retained her interest in the wooly critters and seemed concerned when they became un-herd-like. My job was to discourage her distracted sheep-poop and wool eating inclinations and help her with position and speed. Minks is funny, occasionally she would interrupt herding to wiggle puppy-like at Nat through the sheep pen wire fence.

Our new principle in this lesson is to teach Minka to lie down, just for a second, behind the sheep. Sounds simple enough however we have a small problem. Upon my saying "platz," Minka wants to swing around and lie down looking at me not the sheep. Ummm Minky the sheep are getting away when you're not watching them! During our fetch games Minka will platz, on cue, immediately and either close or at a distance from me. But she is, by virtue of the game, always facing me. So lying down facing the sheep and not at me is new and an illogical position to her. We continued the herding lesson with an approximation of the behavior, by only asking Minka to stop briefly with her concentration forward on the sheep.

At home I'm introducing a down with me stepping over Minka, one leg on each side of her. My idea is to attain a platz between my feet, simulating a down with Minka looking forward and not at me. This technique is being worked into the fetch game and meal time feeding. We shall see how that works.

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Minks experiences bath time . . . Twice

2010-11-21T13:33:00.008-06:00

Stinky Minky rolled in yuck yesterday. She was so stinky you could smell her upwind! So into the shower she went with the can of Wellness puppy food. Minks was not thrilled but the food reward took the edge off her unhappiness. Ah the loveliness of a vanilla smelling pup. Today it warmed up enough that Minka needed a quick rinse to clean up the muddy belly, legs, and tail. Again, I used canned food to keep the process as positive as possible.

I'm sure some folks reading this, and possibly watching me would think "just do it, she will learn" and yep that is probably true but my feeling is keep the stress low-grade at her young age so she can learn to deal with it instead of being forced to succumb. And I remain the good gal in her life that she can trust. That makes it worth it to me.

Minka's First Herding Lesson

2010-11-18T18:54:00.014-06:00

Took a ride north to start herding lessons with John Wentz, herding handler, trainer, instructor and judge. His business, Big Yellow Boots Stock dogs, specializes in training all dog breeds and their owners for herding.

John used Faye, his Hurricane Katrina rescued Border collie to round up about 6 sheep and move them to the circular pen. It was pretty cool to watch and I liked how John (and Shannon) don't yell out their commands when working the dogs. Verbal commands are given calmly and in a quiet tone of voice. What a difference in comparison to how it was (is?) in obedience and Schutzhund were trainers/handlers were taught to shout commands. Shannon and her crew use whistles to communicate with their dogs (versus verbal commands) when they are out in a big field. John actually was whistling (again fairly quietly) with his fingers to control Faye - pretty cool.

Minka and I went into the circular pen and John told me to let her go. Minka was definitely interested in the sheep and this time she got to, pretty much, do her thing while John watched and assessed her interest and instinct. She became pretty wild and gripped a few of the sheep in excitement. Interestingly Minka grips on the neck, which from what I read is a typical (and the desired) place for the German Shepherd Dog to grab. John then put her on a long line to regain a little control and slow Minka down.

Eventually I took the line and walked behind Minka, behind the sheep, to help her slow down, learn how to move the herd from behind and not run directly into the group. This also gave me the ability to deter her from getting too carried away with the one little "bottle" sheep. A bottle-sheep is an animal that is raised by hand (on a bottle) which makes them tend to follow the people around instead of grouping with the herd. Because this odd little bottle-sheep was a bit smaller and hanging conspicuously outside the herd, Minka instinctively knew that it was vulnerable and thus inclined to pick on it. She would specifically target it for a chase and a grab. After my running interference and redirecting Minka to herd the bottle-sheep back to the flock a few times she seemed to settle down with it a bit. There was one moment when they were standing nose-to-nose, literally. Very cute.

There was one big ewe (I'm guessing ewe because I really don't know my sheep yet) that would turn towards Minka, stomp her foot and try to stare Minka down. The first time that happened John encouraged Minka to move forward into the ewe/herd and used his body to help move her forward as well as help to ensure the ewe wouldn't run at Minka. That was another remarkable moment because you could see the light bulb go on in Minka’s head and the ewe's tough-act didn't worry her in the least; I think she actually liked it when the ewe would challenge.

We ended the lesson on a good note with Minka wanting more. John explained that with a young dog, like Minka, it is important not to pressure her too quickly and that twice a week would be enough exposure to herding for her for now. He explained that starting out, even making her work too slowly could affect her desire to herd. John’s analogy in regards to the sheep in the dogs mind is that the sheep are the cookie and it's crucial to keep the pressure such that the cookie is worth the effort.

Totally fun!

Minka earns her HIC (Herding Instinct Certification)

2010-11-14T16:36:00.017-06:00

The minimum age allowed to test for the HIC is 6 months and Minka just squeaked under that wire when she turned 6 months last week Thursday. So at 6 months and 3 days old Minka entered the circular pen where her 3 sheep stood huddled together at the far side, gazing expectantly at her.

Shannon Wolfe, herding trainer, instructor and judge, handled Minka while I stood outside the pen watching and smiling. It was obvious that Minka was a puppy having a great time yet with good instinct and confidence. Shannon’s comment was “Very nice dog. Good work!” and she mentioned that at times she thought Minka was going to try and play with the sheep. Since this is not something she wanted to encourage, Shannon showed considerable skill in stopping that behavior without dampening Minka’s enthusiasm to work.

As described on Shannon’s website, “She will walk the dog around on the leash to show the dog that the sheep will move away from him willingly and he need not be afraid or use excess force to make them move. Once the dog pulls on the leash to go around the sheep instead of straight into them, Shannon will drop the leash and let the fun begin. Your dog may want you in there also, and then Shannon will help you work your dog”

Besides the fact that Minka has good herding instinct, what I was most proud of was that Minka was the youngest yet was 1 of only 2 dogs (of the 12 I watched) that worked without the owner having to enter the pen. She worked happily and confidently and never once left the sheep (physically or visually) to find me. She was all (puppy) business.

The HIC testing form scored Minka’s performance in several categories as:

Style – Shows gathering instinct (versus driving or no style preference)
Approach – Runs wide (versus runs through training or runs close)
Wearing – Shows wearing to keep herd grouped (versus shows a little wearing or shows no wearing)
Bark – Works silently (versus force barks or barks a good deal)
Eye – Shows medium eye (versus shows strong eye or shows loose eye)
Aggressiveness – Forceful without excessive aggressiveness (versus uses excessive force for the circumstances or shows no force (appears weak))
Temperament – Appears readily adjusted (versus easily distracted or frightened of situation)

Minka's HIC On YouTube:

Mobile Phone Link to YouTube video

Nostalgia

2010-11-13T14:30:00.009-06:00

Got out to the DNR public hunting grounds at 8:00 am today (11/10/10) where I hiked probably every day for 10 plus years, oh maybe 6 years ago, with my previous beautiful GSD dogs, Jazz and Rummel. So I unloaded Minka and off we ran, down the pine-lined trail and into the Oak savannas that are the natural habitat for the area.

There is absolutely nothing I enjoy more than hiking with a dog in this scenic country. And this particular piece of land brings back so many good memories from all those remarkable and totally relaxing hikes with Jazz and Rummel. I had Minka hop up on fallen logs and big rocks that had been there so many years ago and knew the paws of my other dogs; nostalgic three generation natural agility objects!

We kicked up a big doe on the top of the ridge. Minka sat quietly, mouth closed, intently watching her bound away down the hill. This was Minka’s first deer encounter and she did not attempt to chase even though Minka was hiking off leash. I kept quiet, watching her for any indication that she was going to pursue because Minka does have a strong prey drive. Only the future will show if Minka displayed good manners or was hesitant to chase an unknown beast that is bigger than her.

We hiked the limestone ravine that leads to a dead-end cliff that in the winter, when the fields above it melt just right, turns into an intense waterfall! To crawl out of the ravine’s steep dirt flank necessitated a scramble on hands and knees. Minka seemed concerned for me in this posture. Both of us collapsed at the top smiling and happy. We have such fun together!

2010-11-08T09:38:00.002-06:00

October 28 - Minka is now sleeping at night without being contained to the bedroom. She has been super! No accidents of any kind. No destruction. Sweet puppy!

I'm too cute for my harness

2010-10-24T08:10:00.005-05:00

2010-10-23T13:36:00.003-05:00

Exciting day - skunked in the early morn, successful agility class late morning, and a chimney fire early afternoon. Darn. I wanted to sit back and relax. Not going to happen today . . .

2010-10-23T04:54:00.002-05:00

3:30 am walk - the dogs tangled with the smelly black & white kitty. Stinky skunk dogs!

2010-10-07T17:54:00.001-05:00

Smog is back! Minka, Eli & I were walking way up in the corner cornfield. Heard meow! He's limping but OK. I carried him back. He's happy! I'm happy!

Busy behind the scenes

2010-10-06T07:38:00.002-05:00

There hasn’t been much writing in my blog lately, but that doesn’t mean training is not occurring. I have been busy busy busy working with Minka – socializing, exercising and playing with her. Training has continued with Eli and he has been a big part in Minka’s education. He is a fetching fool and has played a role in building Minka’s drive to retrieve.

Minka’s training is focused on setting up a foundation of teamwork with me. It’s been tough competing with the animals for Minka’s focus. Try being more fun than a dashing cat or barking dog. I’m teaching Minka to work out what I want her to do in order to gain what she wants. We are having a lot of fun and making good progress.

One exercise we are working on is a Michael Ellis technique to prepare a puppy for formal competition retrieving. The technique requires that the dog allow you to gently hold his mouth shut and lead him forward by the muzzle this way. With a can of Wellness Puppy food, I hold Minka’s mouth with both hands, mark it and reward with a glob of food. What I like about this exercise goes beyond retrieve preparation. Minka fights restraint of almost any type, so this was not something she was thrilled with. However, using a really high value reward like her canned puppy food is overcoming that attitude. Today she willingly moved forward with me! Success is when she actually shoves her muzzle into my hands to initiate the behavior.

Not only is this laying the foundation for further retrieving techniques, but Minka is learning to be compliant and to trust me.

Love to Fetch

2010-10-03T18:59:00.015-05:00

2010-10-01T06:31:00.002-05:00

Landmark day - last night Minka spent the entire night out of her kennel! She's still a week plus away from 5 mos. I don't remember how old my other dogs were.

2010-09-28T09:03:00.001-05:00

4.5 months old and 37 lbs. Minka is getting bigger! Jeff still says she is dinky-mink. Whatever. She is acting more mature everyday and learning fast!

2010-09-24T19:48:00.002-05:00

4.5 months old; seeing big changes in Minka. Protective behavior and very aware of her surroundings not only when she's outside but while riding in the car.

Finally

2010-09-13T19:38:00.008-05:00

2010-08-27T10:39:00.001-05:00

Wednesday was puppy class. Minka was a star :) she learned to play nicely with the other puppies and spent most of her time trying to get them all to chase her.

Mark and Reward – the importance of timing

2010-08-22T19:36:00.006-05:00

Last week I watched video of Michael Ellis’s basic philosophy in dog training. I was reminded of the importance of the timing used in MARK and REWARD operant conditioning. It really drove home how simple the concept is but how difficult really good timing can be.

Michael Ellis clearly points out this very central timing theory of MARK and REWARD:

The MARK must come BEFORE the REWARD as in Mark, hesitate, Reward.
The MARK must be given at the exact time the dog is doing the behavior you want.

Sounds simple but I have caught myself violating all of the important and critical timing points. It has been proven that if you MARK and REWARD at the same time (so the dog is chewing while you Mark) the Mark will not be associated properly. Or how about missing the behavior by Marking to late!

The Mark is essential because it:

Tells the dog that at that instance they were doing the proper behavior
Tells the dog that a reward is coming and bridges that gap in time between behavior and reward.

In fact we are "marking" a particular slice in time when the dog is doing the behavior we want to reward. The only way this can happen is if we MARK, hesitate, REWARD.

The Michael Ellis System of Dog Training

2010-08-21T06:08:00.001-05:00

Minka, almost 15 weeks old, launched herself into my lap. I was sitting on the recliner chair. Cute. Jeff thinks it's a problem. Nahhhhh :)

Update on Down from a Stand

2010-08-15T06:45:00.010-05:00

It turns out that Minka's down is correcting itself without a rug.

The down I want is easier to describe as what I DON'T want followed by what I want to see:

NO, sit to a down motion; YES, collapse with front and rear going down together
NO, relaxed lying on her side down; YES, sphinx position with feet tucked underneath

What has happened is that now Minka knows the routine of:

I make a motion for down
followed by her going down
mark the behavior with "Jo" (pronounced like a rapper Yo) and reward with food
lure Minka out of position to set her up for the next behavior

In anticipation of moving again and to facilitate that movement, Minka's position is more sphinx-like. Yea!!

Minka and Mealtime Training

2010-08-14T17:02:00.004-05:00

Thursday evening I started teaching "sit" and "down from a stand" using Minka's mealtime food as reward. I was feeding Minka in her cage in the bedroom so that is where I thought I would do the training. However, I realized that her down position is sloppy for competition and I think it's due to the slippery wood floors. So I am putting a small area rug in there to see if that helps.

Saturday, here in the park

2010-08-14T17:00:00.001-05:00

Took a morning walk in town starting at the coffee shop with a destination of a little deserted park 4 blocks away, where I took her as a puppy before she had all her puppy shots. I’m really noticing how well Minka is walking on the leash. When we got to the park she immediately remembered being there before so I unclipped her leash and she bee-lined for the jungle gym stairs. She loves sliding down the little slides even with slippery water pooled at the end of them. The tunnel that connects two platforms poses no problems for her. Minka even gave the covered, curvy slide a try but ended up landing on her side (not fast and hardly a drop) so she wasn’t scared but preferred the other two slides. No force or coaxing is used for these types of activities; however, rewards of food and praise are given after all attempts.

Water

2010-08-14T16:42:00.001-05:00

Wading in the kiddy pool and biting/chasing the water from the hose (on high pressure squirt) are Minka’s new favorite games since here interaction with the Capital Square sprinklers. When I fetch or tug in the yard with Eli and Minka, I fill the kiddy pool so they can make dashes into the water to cool off. After fetch has lost some of it’s appeal, the hose comes out so Minka can bite and chase the water. Eli isn’t so hip on getting squirted with the hose but he loves the pool. Good recreation in this hot, humid weather!

3 Months old – August 11th!

2010-08-14T16:35:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, Minka and I took another trip to my office building where we, again, met friends and then continued on for a leisurely expedition around the Capital Square. These trips are all for Minka, so I try to let her explore at her speed, choose where she wants to go and I’m only there to basically keep her out of trouble and play with her.

We stopped for probably 30 minutes to talk with Mohammed, a homeless man, whom I see occasionally around the square. What an interesting, intelligent and personable guy. He was very interested in Minka and her training and Minka was very patient while we talked. Mohammed makes me really wonder what his homeless thing is all about but it’s not my place to pry.

Continuing on, we watched the street construction up close. That was a beneficial experience because there was some equipment that, at first, made Minka nervous but she got over it quickly.

Then we came upon the in-ground sprinklers. The highlight of Minka’s trip! We’d seen these on the last visit to the Capital Square but this time Minka was really into biting the water and running from sprinkler to sprinkler. We had an audience of people who got a real kick out of my little drenched black rat attacking the water. Minka would bite the water right up close to the spigot where the pressure was more intense then run up the stream to the end of the water spurt.

After 3 hours we left downtown and stopped by Jeff’s parents house, where Jeff was working. We stuck around there for an hour and when Minka began to nod off that was our cue to head home and rest. We had another great day!

Swimming & too many guts

2010-08-14T16:33:00.001-05:00

Tuesday evening - Eli and Minka went on a field trip to another DNR location where Jazzy & Rummel grew-up. Such great memories! Anyhow, we went to a spot that has a nice little pond where my other dogs spent time swimming. The pond is nice, clean and safe, all ya got to do is avoid the snakes and snappers :)

A floating Kong was thrown from shore and Eli did the classic Lab-leap into the pond. He was in seventh heaven!! Fetching and water - it just doesn’t get any better than that! Minka is exactly 3 months today and never have I had a puppy this young adapt to water like her. That is saying a lot because my Jazzy girl swam like a gator and Rummel was a strong swimmer too.

Minka went right in after Eli and swam like she’d done this 100 times already. As Eli would swim back to shore Minka would jump in and swim to him then turn around and swim back to shore along side of him. Eli, being bigger and stronger, would be out and half way back to shore before Minka got to him but it was still a good swim for her.

Things were cool until one throw. On this particular throw Minka was not to be outdone and with all kinds of guts, leaped into the pond swimming all the way out with Eli and then turned around to swim back beside him. The distance was half way out into the pond. “OK” I thought. “You are a strong little swimmer and think you can do it.” Then Minka made a critical error, she swam in front of Eli. One of Eli’s paws hit Minka’s hind end, pushing it down a bit and throwing her off her stroke; her style became frantic and inefficient and the high paddling was getting water into her eyes. Minka closed her eyes and was paddling her hardest to get back to shore.

I was ready to go and grab Minka if her momentum stopped and/or she looked like she was going to go under. BUT I really wanted Minka to work through the fear/stress and pull it out on her own. Trying to remain calm I encouraged Minka to keep swimming plus I couldn’t really tell if her eyes were totally shut or not so I figured she had my voice to keep her ruddering towards shore. She made it. Once Minka got to shore she didn’t seem especially scared but her no “guts no glory” swimming attitude was subdued and she played it safe by wading.

We left the ponds and finished the trip with a short hike that Minka, Eli, Jeff and I enjoyed. I guess only the future will tell if this swim affects Minka’s outlook on swimming.

Puppy Coat turning to Curly Coat down the Back

2010-08-10T19:37:00.005-05:00

We have noticed that Minka's puppy coat is changing. When I got her (July 3rd) her coat felt like a little grizzly bear, then it became soft and now, yesterday, we noticed that Minka has a curly coat running down her back right along the spine. How cute!

2010-08-10T15:59:00.001-05:00

Minka was enthralled with Diva's opera singing in the Fifth Element.

2010-08-08T10:10:00.001-05:00

It's confirmed. I have silly dogs. Out walking in the misting rain and Eli submerged his nose into a MUDDY puddle and blew bubbles.

Fear

2010-08-08T08:21:00.001-05:00

Haven’t seen much of any fear in Minka but when I think she should be concerned, she isn’t and the few times she showed fear of any degree, it usually surprised me.

When we walked on the scary grate or watched Jeff shoot his gun – no problem. Then this morning I was throwing and tugging with Minka using her big blue teething ball. One throw landed in the tall grass. For some reason it spooked her. She cautiously, with hackles raised, stalked to the ball. I encouraged her to “get it” and with watchfulness she did go in and grab the ball.

It was very apparent that Minka felt she had overcome something and was proud of herself. Can’t really figure out what spooked her about the situation.

On a whole, Minka has demonstrated very strong nerves and a lot of confidence.

Hike, Shoot, Sand oh My!

2010-08-07T18:54:00.006-05:00

Super fun day hiking at the outdoor gun range. We had the range to ourselves and it’s hundreds of acres consisting of my favorite hiking terrain - sand, pine trees, scrub oaks, grasses and low growing foliage found in sandy areas. Minka got to hike off leash, climb her first sandy hill, eat deer poop, carry pinecones and watched Jeff shoot his .45 cal at steel silhouettes.

After some hiking we took a break, sat in the shade, probably 100 yards from where Jeff was shooting his handgun. Minka seemed oblivious to the sound of the gunshots as well as the bullet hitting the steel plates.

We had a great time and the hiking and the heat wore Minka out. Cool :)

Dress Like Minka Day

2010-08-04T12:43:00.018-05:00

I took the day off from work and decided to pack Minka up and take her to work to visit all my friends (OK I admit I don’t have a whole lot). After all, they’ve had to endure weeks of listening to me pronounce how cute, beautiful and smart Minka is along with countless anecdotes. It was about time that my friends got to meet Minka and corroborate my declarations for themselves. We had a great time and I have some great friends who made Minka feel special. Thanks :)

Minka is all black and wears a red harness, so WEREN’T we surprised when Aunt Robin and Aunt Nicci came out to greet Minka and they too were dressed in black and red. Thus, I declare today to be “Dress Like Minka Day.”

After we left the work gang, we took a leisurely meander around the Capital Square where commotion abounds. Today was Farmer’s Market, every street corner seems to be ripped up and the gardeners were out watering and landscaping so the sidewalks were filled with people, heavy equipment was deafening, sprinklers were spritzing water all over and Minka took it in stride – interested, relaxed and enjoying the activity.

The funniest moments included walking by the glass bank with the reflective windows; it took a while for Minka to finally figure out that she could see but not play with the puppy in the window. In frustration, Minka would rear up and paw the window reflection, ahhh but to no avail. I let her take all the time she needed to work it out in her mind. She chased birds (darn that Al and Smog) and met tons more people who told Minka she was cute, especially when she goes upside down for a tummy rub.

A Capital policeman didn’t believe she was a purebred GSD because she was black. Hmmmm. A young, black bicyclist stopped his commute, cello strapped to his back, to pet Minka and admire her. He mentioned that the German Shepherd is a favorite breed of his and was impressed with her looks and European bloodlines.

One of the most astonishing moments, when even I marvel a bit at Minka’s confidence, is when we walked on a grate that had a deep concrete hole below, the grate spaces were wide enough for her paws (but not her leg) to slip through and warm air was blowing up and out. The strange and somewhat scary footing didn’t faze Minka a bit. Truly, she did not hesitate even a moment to walk on and around the grate.

Finally, it was obvious that Minka was getting hot and a bit tired so time to head home. Her sense of direction and where she has been is amazing to me. Then again, I can get lost in a circle. When Minka gets hot and tired on our excursions, once we start back in the direction of the car, and particularly when she is retracing her steps she knows she has been there before and she jogs all the way back to the car in a gotta-get-there-now pace! The German Shepherd, with its long back and angulated hindquarters, is structured for a long, enduring trot and you can really see it in her gait.

Minka arrives at that air-conditioned car and sleeps like a champ all the way home. Upon getting home the black tornado is ready, again, to play. So we fetch a while with Eli. What a great day we had and what great friends Minka and I have.

Catch Up - Pixs of Minka and Eli

2010-08-03T20:19:00.012-05:00

I'm so cute! Jeff says I have big ears . . . what do you think?

Sleeping quarters include soft bed, skull & crossbones food bowl, fan, bully stick and best of all a window with a view!

I love Eli, he is so good to me; a gentle giant

YIKES!! My head fits in Eli's mouth!

2010-08-03T06:54:00.001-05:00

We R on a roll - another sleep N until the humans get up. Then hello AL, 1, 2, yahoo morning.

2010-08-02T05:58:00.001-05:00

Great Morning, Everybody slept straight thru the night. Minka actually bypassed Al of her own accord heading out this a.m. And she did her business 1, 2 yahoo!

Bellagio Midwest

2010-07-25T19:19:00.016-05:00

Custom made, by my handy husband - insulated cedar dog houses! With a porch and overhang roof!

Scary Saturday Evening

2010-07-25T18:49:00.005-05:00

Well, Saturday started out great and ended up a horrible night. Minka was a super busy girl all day and had pretty much skipped eating her breakfast. I didn’t think too much about it because she was feisty and energetic. She ate a little bit for dinner but then proceeded to play with Eli. Maybe it was too much exercise, too much heat and eating then running around with Eli. Yeah I know that eating and exercise don’t mix but I didn’t think she ate much. Whatever, Minka ended up vomiting 5 times, mostly at one time but once before she went to bed. Awwww man I was scared. She is little and skinny and such a scavenger. I have to watch her like a hawk because Minka tries to eat rocks, sticks, grass, and icky dead things. Actually, she managed to eat a part of a big dead nightcrawler worm right before she puked, maybe that was it? It would make me puke.

After her belly seemed to calm down, I put Minka into her new bigger, airy cage for the night and gave her just a little IAMS beef & rice canned dog food merely to get some fluid and nourishment into her. The cat sentries sat outside her sliding door all night - both Al and Smog. Such a strange thing those cats have for this puppy, and she for them.

It worked, this morning Minka was doing fine however today was a mellow day and we started a routine where Minka and Eli get walked in the morning then fed in their outdoor pens and they stay there for at least an hour before any exercise. Same thing for dinner, eat and rest. That was too scary.

Tired and Upside Down

2010-07-24T17:11:00.006-05:00

Took a walk on my favorite DNR acreage, Jazzy and Rummel's old stomping grounds. It's been a long time and things really looked different. Minka had a GREAT time seeing and smelling turkeys and deer and butterflys. She did super, off leash and followed me nicely. Occasionally Minka trotted out in front or to the side but never too far away. Now she is zonked out tired. Sleeping upside down is her trademark.

Life situation as a positive reward

2010-07-24T06:40:00.002-05:00

Ha! Mother Nature helped with housebreaking – It happened again yesterday. I'm trying to coax Minka to poop before today’s onslaught starts and she is dinking around. The rain starts and she wants to go in. I stand there like a post that speaks “go potty” and sure enough she got down to business – SUCCESS! And we ran to the house. What a perfect life situation to train something.

Mother Nature

2010-07-22T19:18:00.004-05:00

Not digging the Tornadoes & T-storms. They messing with my haus breaking . . . Well so far no accidents but if it doesn't let up soon Minka will have no choice.

OK a slight letup in the downpour, only 2 inches a minute instead of 5 and no tornadoes about. So I scooped Minka up called Eli, figuring she would want a doggy buddy to keep her company in the rain, and dashed out into the downpourish.

Well Minka was NOT a happy girl. There was only one thought in her doggy brain and that was to “get inside the house not ASAP but NOW” so she is running in circles at the end of the leash tugging towards the house and whining. I’m trying to coax her with “go potty” so she finally squats to pee and then tries to beeline to the house. AHHHH I feel so rotten keeping her out there but I KNOW she has to poop and this might be the last chance for a while. So she starts whining again and runs over to my legs AHHHH damn I feel like a rotten person but I keep coaxing “go potty” and suddenly out of nowhere struts Smog the cat and he sidles up to her and it’s like everything changed for Minka. It’s like if I could read her mind I swear she was thinking, “If Smog the cat came out here then things can’t be so bad after all” and then Smog sauntered away (remember now this is happening in a rain storm!) And Minka trotted over by the barn pooped and I let her off the leash so she could scamper back to the deck and Eli, where I let them both in the house. What is truly weird about this is:

Smog doesn’t like the rain.
Smog doesn’t really hang with Minka, Al is the cat that does.
Why would the cat being out there calm the puppy down?

Whatever, it worked. Both dogs came in and I dried them off telling each one how super great they were and I do believe Minka agreed.

The growing girl

2010-07-21T17:17:00.003-05:00

On July 6th Minka weighted 9 lbs not much more than Al the cat. Today, July 21st Minka weighted 14 lbs! The Vet felt she could stand to gain a bit more weight and I explained that right now Minka is free feeding; food is available all the time except for when we go to bed. I also carry a mixture of her puppy chow and Zeke's Natural Treats as rewards throughout the day. So there's not much more I can do. Minka is eating what she feels she needs.

My daydream came true

2010-07-21T15:13:00.011-05:00

:) OK I know everybody is going to laugh at me but here goes – For those months while I waited for the litter to be born and Minka to reach 8 weeks, when I could bring her home, I would daydream about all the chores around the farm that I would tackle and the two dogs would tag along with me. Eli already does that so I assumed Minka would follow him and thus learn to follow me. I envisioned tag-along dogs and myself as the worker-pied-piper.

However, the cats threw a monkey wrench into the reality of my daydream. Number 1 - I already was the pied-piper to the cats. Number 2 - Minka was obsessed with the cats. Thus, wherever I went the cats came and Minka after the cats. That seems like it should have worked except it didn’t take long for the cats to hightail it into the cornfields or the alfalfa field or the tree line and god knows what kind of lost-and-trouble a puppy can get into in those places.

So, the reality was a bit depressing and as mentioned in other posts I ended up having to take Minka off the property, just the two-of-us, and establish a relationship that way - without the distractions of the cats and Eli.

However, today my daydream came true; my perseverance paid off! I put Minka in her harness and attached a short dragline and brought her and Eli outside. I filled up the kiddy pool, put Minka’s food in her pen with the door open and started to tackle a chore - cutting down the burr bushes in the back area. She and Eli played together for a short while but eventually Minka tired of him and decided to follow me around! She followed me while I cut the burr bushes and when I pushed the wheelbarrow back and forth to the dumpster. Minka took time out to dip into the pool (all four paws). She took breaks to eat a little bit. But she always came back to where I was working. Eli spent his time mostly wandering around the general area. Finally! I have become more interesting to Minka than the animals.

Minka Poolside - What a funny little puppy Minka is. Watching her in the pool is a riot. She sticks her entire nose under the water to grab leaves and at the same time blows bubbles out her nose to keep the water out.

Near the end of the burr bush chores Minka decided it was too hot to follow me to the dumpster, plus it was getting around the time for her noon snooze, so she went on the deck and waited for me and Eli to get up there and let her into the (cool) house. I put my tools away and went to the deck to go inside and wasn’t I surprised to see BOTH cats were fast asleep on the deck. Minka had not even bothered them! Amazing! I am so happy and proud of Minka.

Patience, positive techniques and constant monitoring is paying off

2010-07-20T20:00:00.007-05:00

The one-on-one time with Minka that occurs daily and lasts for hours is paying off big time. There is an obvious improvement in the attention Minka pays me and that includes following me in the yard even when the cats are around.

The cat games have also been curtailed. Minka is allowed to greet the cats but she must do so nicely and that means there are no longer any wrestling matches. Minka is growing and I don’t think the cats are digging her Muay Thai grappling and I realized that her interest in them would lessen if the interaction weren’t so rewarding. This new rule has turned out to be a win-win for the cats and me. What I find interesting is that in the old days of negative reinforcement I would have “corrected” Minka when she tried to wrestle the cats. However, with positive training I instead calmly, gently and consistently hold her back from clinching the cats and praise her for quiet interactions with them. She really understands the new rule. That is not to say that she doesn’t try to occasionally wrestle but if I stop her she doesn’t keep trying and more often then not, she ignores them.

In the house, Minka’s behavior has also improved. Again, no negative corrections are used instead I calmly stop and redirect unwanted behavior, such as chewing on anything other than her toys or Eli.

FYI – Eli has been wonderful with Minka. Both dogs get along very well and I make sure to spend one-on-one time with Eli too. His ring-the-bell is super great and his fetch has really made dramatic progress. I think the attention sharing has made him try harder.

What I love about this kind of dog training is life with the animals feels calm.

Just the two of us

2010-07-19T18:24:00.003-05:00

Minka is very animal orientated making it difficult to get her attention when the cats or Eli are around. So it’s important that Minka and I get out, just the two of us, so that she can experience fun things in the company of me without the distraction of the other animals. Accordingly, the last 6 days I have been taking Minka places, just the two of us, and we have been having a great time.

We found two single runner ramps at a car dealership where I lured her up and down the ramp a couple of times using Kick’n Chicken treats. At the top of the ramp she pauses to survey her surroundings. Minka thought this a great trick and proceeded to climb up and down, up and down, up and down of her own volition . . . puppies are just like kids – once they learn something new that gains them attention they repeat it over and over almost to ad nauseam. I finally resorted to distracting her with a rawhide so we could continue on to something new.

The next stop was negotiating the stepped walls by Target, climbing up the steps and walking along the narrow wall to the end. After that we stopped to run down a shaded sidewalk while big, heavy, noisy dump trucks arduously passed by just yards away. I was amazed, Minka didn’t bat an eye at these trucks with their gears grinding, tires roaring, brakes hissing and squeaking, and the compressor kicking on and off with a shrill ppssss hiss sound. Minka and I walked down the sidewalk and then ran up the sidewalk back to the car. After a couple of such trips Minka learned to recognize the car and beelines to it for her cold drink of water from the thermos I carry inside.

Last stop, a little park with playground equipment to explore and climb. She climbs the steps and walks thru the tunnels without hesitation. Minka was eventually coaxed to walk/slide down a small slide. She turned around and climbed back up the slide. What a little scamp!

At the park is a nice, small, aerated pond. Minka waded in and then walked off into swimming depth water! Her eyes got a little wide and she reflexively started swimming back to the shore. She scooted out of the water and zoomed around the grass then went into a wild crocodile roll! After a bit of this, Minka ran back to the water, waded in and swam again! Repeating the zippy running and rolling. When we got home Minka and Eli played in the kiddy wading pool.

Needless to say, Minka slept for hours after we went into the house and in her favorite place, tucked up close in front of the fan. Though all the water created a bit of a housebreaking problem - 4 pees in the house after days of not a single accident. I would take her out and she would pee and then 5 minutes later she was peeing in the house again! Guess I need to be extra vigilant when Minka swims.

Minka visits Robin

2010-07-17T16:10:00.007-05:00

Al and Minka - the dynamic duo

2010-07-14T16:50:00.010-05:00

Just wanted to post two cute pictures of Al and Minka. One is Al and Minka wrestling, which is their favorite pastime. The other is a poor quality picture of Al sleeping outside on the deck on the other side of the sliding glass door from Minka's crate. We had the door open with only the screen door closed so I am sure they both knew each other was there. Cute! Funny little animals.

What were the results of Minka’s hitching?

2010-07-14T15:17:00.013-05:00

So far Minka has had three sessions of hitching. One session yesterday and two short sessions today, because these were the first days that didn’t feel like an episode of True Blood.

Yesterday (July 13th) I hitched Minka to the clothesline post. That post is sturdy, I could hook the line up above her making it harder for it to tangle, and I used a light plastic coated tie-out with her roman style harness. The session was early enough in the day that the post was in the shade, however, even so for any other sessions of hitching I put a (heavy) bowl of water by her. My station was on the deck where I had a clear view of Minka and she of me. Al sat by to watch too.

At first I didn’t think Minka cared nor was she going to fight. But I was wrong. After a bit of time when she was no longer content to sit away from Al and me she decided to come over and as is typical of her, Minka took off with gusto and hit the end of the line pulling her off her feet. She tried the run-at-top-speed solution a few times. Then she ran around the post and lunged a couple of times. She spent some time chewing the tie-out. Then she decided to dig her way out. Actually, I am thinking the digging was frustration and a type of avoidance behavior not really escape logic. Minka did bark at one point and then the serious effort began. Her logical method of escape was to try and back out of her harness; and she tried extremely hard – lunging backwards, shaking her head and pulling as hard as she could backwards! I actually became worried that she would manage to get out of her harness and once a dog learns that trick forever they remember it!!

I would say she her antics lasted for maybe 20 minutes (wish I had looked at a clock). She ended up resting next to the post. Phew! I got up and calmly walked to her and gave her treats, petted her and told her “Hodná” – good girl in Czech. She did not seem upset in any way and was just basically happy to see me. She did seem to sleep extra long that afternoon.

Today (July 14th) I hitched Minka again, in the same place. She totally accepted the hitch and waited calmly. I rescued her and rewarded her. I also tried hitching her to the back of the kennel. Same thing, once she realized she was hitched she calmly laid by her water bowl.

We will need to try hitching in another place. However, we did do a little inside-the-kennel acclimation yesterday and today. Minka and Eli were in their side-by-side pens while I mowed lawn. Minka did bark some (I think it was at Al) but on a whole she was calm. Not sure how much of that was due to watching Eli who remained relaxed and calm. Interestingly, she didn’t try to dig her way out. Cool.

Hitching

2010-07-14T14:35:00.015-05:00

Yesterday, July 13th, the mosquito population is finally under-control in our yard. It took 3 sprayings of non-toxic mosquito killer and comprehensive lawn & field mowing. We tried two types of non-toxic solutions, one recommended for use in barns and paddocks and another (expensive) one that can, in fact, be used in ponds. Both worked and we almost think that using them together was the way to go. We have a 25-gallon boom sprayer that is pulled behind the Dixon lawnmower. Now I can play with the dogs in the yard, the training field and the pistol range. Sweet!

Sheila Booth recommends something called “hitching” that can be started with a puppy as young as 7-weeks-old. The goals of hitching are:

Acclimate the puppy to the collar, in Minka’s case the harness, without making you the bad guy
To reinforce calmness & acceptance
Provide early insight into your puppy’s behavior such as, how vocal is she? How much does she fight? How soon does she give up? What methods does she use to get free? How does she greet you when “rescued”?

How to hitch your puppy:

Use a short light line that isn’t too long. Make sure the post is strong, the line cannot be chewed through and that the collar / harness is tight enough that it can’t be slipped. Obviously, Don’t Choke the Dog!
Let the puppy drag the line for a day or so
Sheila says not to touch the line unless it’s stuck
The hitch should be done in a quiet, safe place
You sit about 20 feet away and watch quietly

What might happen and what you do:

Most puppies will fight the restraint. You need to sit quietly and watch. If the puppy isn’t hurting itself do not go to her until she stops fighting.
Once the puppy stops fighting you can go in and “rescue” her. Make sure you are rewarding calmness and acceptance. Praise, pet and feed her.
Unhitch the puppy and let her follow you with the leash dragging. Do NOT touch the leash.
Hitch 1 to 2 times daily in different places

After the hitch – when your puppy accepts being hitched calmly:

Hold the leash and now your puppy should be happy to walk with you.
Keep feeding, praising and petting her.
If the puppy lunges away from the direction you are going, just stand still. The puppy should turn back to you. REWARD HER WELL!

Summary – the leash serves one purpose: to prevent unwanted behavior.

2 months old today

2010-07-11T16:50:00.030-05:00

Minka was born May 11, 2010 making today her official 2 month birthday. Today is also a milestone because yesterday and more so today, she has recognized me as someone to watch and pay attention to. Up until now she has been very animal focused, first with Eli and then with the cats.

It’s been an obsession between Minka and Al (and visa versa). Minka is still drawn to Al and Al to her, however she now will come to me if I call her name even when Al is playing with her.

Minka is not as “crazy” bouncy - pouncey obsessed with Al as she was. Instead their play attitude is an intense but more relaxed wrestling. Definitely a UFC mixed martial arts style. Most often, Minka takes a hit to the button but comes back with some quick footwork and eventually taps out Al with a top mount combined with a face-hold. Al doesn't dig the face-hold.

Al gives Minka a tap to the button

Minka responds with some fancy footwork

Then Minka moves into the top mount, it's almost over with folks

To be clear, Al likes to tussle with Minka even if it looks like he doesn't. He usually flops over, making it easy for Minka and if Minka ignores Al, he does everything in his paw-er to get Minka to wrestle. Al and Smog wrestle too.

After the wild UFC match, Al decides to eat dinner with Minka. She politely allows him to share her food. What a riot.

This morning Al showed Minka what real prey drive was all about by catching a mouse and playing with it in front of her. Minka investigated and the mouse nipped her nose. Yip! Later Al and Minka explore the depths of the deck, most certainly wondering what beasts could be living under there.

All in all, a busy day for the little GSD girl who now lies tuckered out and sleeping in front of the fan.

Friends

2010-07-08T04:44:00.004-05:00

Eli and Minka

Pictures are worth a thousand words

2010-07-07T13:09:00.015-05:00

Minka - spunky, curious, confident, determined, has a serious prey drive, amazing nose, energetic, smart and beautiful. That's what I see in her.

Bragging and I don't care

2010-07-06T15:06:00.013-05:00

Minka - Day 4
Minka has turned out to be everything I was hoping for in a puppy. She has a great personality and the necessary energy level for the training I want to pursue. Now it’s up to me to bring out that puppy potential I see.

What is it that I see? Minka is curious but not overly sensitive. She notices sounds and movement and has a confident curiosity. When she gets hurt, like when Al the cat attacked her the first 5 minutes of getting to her new home, she reacted, but showed no lasting fear, however she did learn the black and white puppy was really not.

Today, Day 4, I don’t worry about her with the cats (both Al and Smog). Actually, Al and Minka seem to be fascinated with each other. When we go outside, Al always shows up to follow Minka. When Al shows up, Minka has to go see him. Smog joins in but doesn’t seek the puppy out like Al does. This morning the 2 cats and Minka all had their paws on the big-dog water bucket doing little tongue laps at the water.

Minka has a great attitude and energy level and loves to play hard. The baseball-curling game has become a favorite indoor sport. I love watching her run and hearing her puppy feet patter like a small buffalo across the wood floor after the tug toy and then Minka does her slam-slide-and-ride it to the end.

Minka’s nose – never have I seen a puppy this young sniff things out like she does. She is very alert to new scents like peanut butter sandwiches and mosquito repellent. She tracks down dead cat trophies (ick), her poops (ick), and even the dog treat cupboard (great). Yep, she was on her hind feet scratching away at the cupboard doors and sniffing through the cracks. Might have to consider relocation.

OK I’m probably bragging like a new mom but I don’t care. I am pleased with the personality of my puppy and I think she is adorable and that’s what counts.

Minka's Great Adventures Continue

2010-07-05T16:25:00.011-05:00

Minka – Day 3 continues

I barely have to monitor the Cat / Puppy interactions. The cats are easy on Minka giving her the occasional tap on the head if she gets too rambunctious. One cute instance, the cats were tousling and Eli was watching while Minka gently tugged on a cat tail. Yeah. Later the cat grabbed her tail in a gentle tug. Guess "turnabout is fair play" isn’t just a human idiom.
Minka and I made up a baseball - curling version of playing with a tug toy. I get her attention and then slide the tug as fast as I can down the wood floor. Minka adds her own flair by running full speed at the fetch toy, hitting it in a grand slam slide and straddling it to finish her slide across the wood floor. Then she battles it like a cat would do. Hmmm maybe she has been hanging with the feline species a little too much?
Had a pee accident this afternoon - my fault. After a wild game of tug-curling-sliding Minka went out to the screened in porch and I caught her in the act of peeing, so I just plucked her up and took her outside. No big deal.
Eli, Minka and I all took a nap on the big dog bed.

Minka

2010-07-05T06:52:00.015-05:00

Minka – Day 1 - Drove 6 plus hours one-way to pick up Minka. Took Eli with. Here are the highlights:

Minka made the trip home with no bathroom accidents
Minka slept on the console between me and Jeff
Minka made an attempt at taking a rawhide from Eli’s mouth. She learned whose who in the firm but non-violent way good dogs communicate. She respects her elders now.
Minka slept most of the way on the passenger floor between my feet basking in the air conditioning
We stopped twice and both dogs peed
Got home and Al the cat gave her a lesson in whose who too. Yip! I’m pretty sure she was more surprised that the black & white puppy really wasn’t!
Minka likes to stand on tip-toe and crane her neck to drink out of the big dog water bucket, often ignoring the puppy bowl next to it. She and the cats like drinking from kiddy wading pool too.
Mosquitoes are swarming and that’s no exaggeration. Makes for itchy housebreaking :(
Put a little harness and long light line on Minka so I have some control. She is quick and obsessed with following the cats around, who are also obsessed (especially Al) in following Minka around. Slowly they are getting familiar with each other and learning to get along. They are fascinated by each other but leery just the same - and for good reason!

Minka – Day 2

Housebreaking is going super great. One pee accident due to the need to dress for the bloodsucking mosquito outbreak. Took too long. But I managed to pick her up and she finished outdoors.
Don’t remember my other two Shepherds being so small. And Minka doesn’t seem to eat much. I put her in the crate with food so she has to slow herself down and eat. I can hear her complaining about the confinement while she is chewing her kibble. Funny.
Eli and Minka really get along well. Eli is a calm and tolerant mentor. He has helped greatly with the acclimation to her new home.
The nose on Minka is amazing. Twice, I watched her track, nose down, a dead, gross cat trophy and had to pry it from her strong little jaws. Ick.
When I talk to Minka she really listens. Meaning she really focuses that cute heart-shaped face of hers on my face and my voice.

Minka – Day 3 is starting

12:30 a.m. - Walked out the door with Minka on leash and harness (with Eli of course) and came face to face with Al and Smog. They both rubbed up on Minka and she was still half asleep and didn’t try to pounce. Amazing! The rest of the early morning walk was spent trailing the cats. Minka can’t get enough of them and really appears to understand that they have claws and the proper manners that allow her to get in close. She loves that. Sniffs their tails, licks their noses, occasionally she can’t help it and does a puppy jump. Hiss! OK she gets it.
3:30 a.m. – another jaunt into the rainy, blood-sucking outdoors. Cat / Puppy relationship of the early morning still intact and just as obsessive. I could watch the 4 (2 cats Smog and Al, Eli and Minka) interact all day long. So cute and entertaining. I am there just to moderate the cat / puppy interactions and ensure that Minka doesn’t get trapped under a rolling Eli . . . his head is about as big as her body.
The only reason I have time to post this is due to the hot, humid weather. It seems to wear Minka out pretty fast. Her favorite place to sleep is in the living room on the big dog bed.
Minka is tired; I am tired

No Second Chances

2010-06-28T19:16:00.020-05:00

Ring-the-bell has reached a point where sometimes Eli acts like he doesn’t understand what the cue means. It happens, I want to say exclusively, when I am standing in the kitchen at the entrance to the hallway instead of IN the hallway. Remember, the bell is hanging on the doorknob at the end of the hallway.

When this “confusion” occurs, Eli throws out various behaviors such as, sit, down, pawing the air, even tipping his food bowl over and standing on it similar to his favorite elephant act of target-the-bucket. Interestingly, I have never had him target his food bowl. Now and then Eli has even glanced at the door & bell but doesn’t continue the effort by actually walking to the bell.

I remembered Michael Ellis’s remark, in a video of his, where he said that giving a cue and waiting too long to provide help (via gesture or lure) - in my case help is merely taking a step into the hallway towards the door - teaches the dog to continue to work off the gesture instead of the word cue. The reason is two fold:

Dogs learn gesture cues easier and faster than verbal cues
Timing in dog training is crucial. Waiting too long between a verbal cue and the behavior means the dog will not associate the cue with the behavior.

I decided to try Sheila Booth’s suggestion to give the cue (once) and if you are sure the dog knows what you are asking, then show him the reward (treat) but put it back and walk away. She recommends waiting at least an hour before trying the cue again.

So, I did a few things:

First I wanted to be fair, meaning make certain that Eli really knew the verbal cue. Here is what I did:
1. A few sessions close to the bell as cue, gesture, mark it and reward.
2. Followed by a few sessions close to the bell with absolutely NO body language – pure verbal cue, mark it and reward.
I did a few sessions where I gave the cue closer to the bell, marked it and ran Eli to another room to the treat jar there, for his reward. This way no treats were seen in the area of the bell.
I had a couple of occasions where Eli presented behaviors other than ring-the-bell. Eventually he appears to give up. He stops trying behaviors and instead lies down quietly waiting me out. So I did it - I put the treat away and, without saying a word, walked out of the room. An hour later I went back and gave the cue again. However, I make certain to set it up so Eli would succeed by positioning myself fairly close to the bell.
Finally, I did a dinner session where I stood in the kitchen (at the distance that gives Eli trouble) and gave him the cue with NO body language. Eli hit the bell and his jackpot reward was dinner.

My thought? Eli likes staying close to the reward area. Going down the hallway to far from me and thus his reward, in his mind, is not such a good idea.

Solution - More work on cue & reward in other rooms as well as delayed rewards by giving the cue in one room, marking it and immediately walking into another room to reward. I’m also going to work on target-the-bucket (outside) from varying distances.

Minka

2010-06-25T21:00:00.005-05:00

One of these cute little girls is going to be Minka! I'm so excited!!! I can hardly wait to see them in person and I am sure it's going to be hard to make a choice.

Respect and Admiration

2010-06-24T19:14:00.004-05:00

Eli and I went jogging today in town, surrounded by cars, people, and noise. We took a jaunt through Mounds Pet Store, up and down the aisles where Eli sniffed the treats but never grabbed. Eli behaved so well and tries so hard. Every time we work together I respect him more and come away feeling recharged. What a fantastic attitude; what a fantastic dog; what a fantastic species the canine.