Ten Already???

So there it is 10 years has gone by since I got my little brindle and white runty puppy from the RSPCA. What a 10 years it has been :) The Saxy Man has taught me so much over those years that I have no idea where to start, and if I did this blog post would be far too long for anyone to want to read!! :)

Saxon has had his issues and hard times over the last 10 years and has shown me a different side to dog training and how to be a more humble person - thanks Sax. He is a wonderful boy with such enthusiasm for everything he does. A big hearted dog who loves people and his ball more than anything you could imagine. A giant softie and a great mate.

Thanks for the last 10 years Sax and look forward to many more with you.

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY SAXON

Double Trouble

"Jetzen & Phoenix"

"Phoenix & Jetzen"

Yes, so very cute. Don't they just look like butter wouldn't melt in their mouths?? YEAH RIGHT!! These two when they team up really are "Double Trouble". I swear with the noises you hear outside sometimes, that they are egging each other on to see who can dig the biggest hole under the trampoline (just as well the grass was already dead under there!).

Then there is stalking each other around the outdoor table, with lots of paw lifts and play bows, followed shortly after by tearing off and racing madly around the yard playing catch me if you can. It's a bit much for poor Saxon some days. As soon as Nix & Jetz start this he is off to the safety of his kennel!!

But you look at those faces with their big Kelpie smiles and you just can't resist giving them big pats and cuddles. It's not so much Double Trouble then, more a Double Act - double the love, double the fun!!

The Three Amigos

Just some recent pics that I have taken around the house of the hounds together. The old man of the house Saxon (almost 10yrs old), Phoenix, who absolutely rules the roost (2 1/2yrs) and Jetzen, the newcomer (9 months). Three VERY different personalities, each of which brings me different joys and challenges - but I wouldn't be without a one!!

"SAXON"

"The Old Boy"

"PHOENIX"

"The Ruler of the Roost"

"JETZEN"

"The Newcomer"

"THE THREE AMIGOS"

"Phoenix ~ Saxon ~ Jetzen"

Where did the time go???

Seriously folks... Where has the start of the year gone?? Summer is nearly over already! So begs the question.... How did my plans for training go? Well I was pleasantly surprised at what I got done. Not quite as much as I had planned but I was still happy.

PHOENIX...

1. Dog Walk - We are progressing nicely with her understanding of the end criteria. I thought I would test this at training Wed just gone. Previously Nix had been hesitant on the down ramp but this has greatly reduced now. She is still slower than I would like but is running straight to the end now instead of hesitating and then walking into the contact.
2. Weavers - Aaarrghh the weavers. They are improving but still have a LONG way to go. Nix is getting the footwork happening and has a good understanding of the entry and even the exit! If she misses a weaver she will then miss another one before the end so that she exits on the correct side - go figure. I guess I have reinforced the exit well :) We just need to get the consistency still. So we will say the weavers are still a work in progress!!
3. Handling - Ok so this was more about me and what I do than anything Nix was doing! With a lot of concentration and several mistakes in the beginning it seems, from all accounts, that I am no longer confusing my poor dog so much! It shows too, as she is running a lot nicer and faster. I still need to work on my timing so as not to pull off from an obstacle to early, but we are getting there.
4. Stand For Exam - Lots of informal work on this. Any time Phoenix has been standing next to me I've touched her back in some way, gradually increasing the pressure as I go. She will now quite happily stand for me and allow me to do a proper exam. Now I have to pair that with my moving towards her to do it instead of starting already at her side. It's a vast improvement from the start of the year, but still a long way to go!
5. Trick - I have been working on teaching Nix to walk backwards while standing only on her two hind legs. She manages about 5 steps. Now I have to get her to do it in a straight line instead of curving away from me.

JETZEN...

1. Targeting - Hmmm... Seems this one went by the way side a little, and became more about focusing on me rather than his environment. Must be working as he was much more responsive and far less distracted at training on Sunday just gone.
2. Flatwork - My main aim here was just to do more of it!! So in that sense we have achieved well ;-) I still have to work harder on holding Jetz with me on the right but it's definitely improving!
3. Barking - Well I can at least call Jetzen off the back fence now, instead of having to go and fetch him when the dog over the back is razzing them up!! He is quite the barker at the moment and I have learned well that the more I stimulate him mentally the less he barks - or maybe he has trained me well!!
4. Positions - I'm really happy with the work Jetzen is putting together here. He is so eager to work and to please that he is doing things at a million miles an hour which is great but challenging my timing :-)
5. Trick - Ok, I'll be honest here - we haven't done one!! I couldn't decide what to do and thus it hasn't happened.... to be continued ;-)

Summer Fun

With the warm weather well and truly upon us, what could be better than spending a few hours at the beach with your best mates? Not much I say!! It was a great morning, made even better by the fact we had the beach all to ourselves :-)

I love taking them to the beach because you really get to see their different personalities come out. Jetzen will plow straight into the water without a care in the world. The lead comes off and he is off and running.

Phoenix is a bit more cautious, especially around water. She would much rather hang back at my heels and suss everything out. I would say it takes her a good 20 min before she will investigate the water. Once she does though she has a great time playing chasey with the waves. She reminds me of a little kid standing, staring at the water and as the wave comes in they turn and run as fast as they can away from the water, and then, as it receedes they chase it back down again. It is hillarious when she miss times her run and the water touches her paw unexpectedly, she leaps sideways in the air to get away from it - funny!!

There was a great sand bar a little ways out and I decided to wade across and see if the dogs would follow. As I headed out Jetz came running from up the beach at a zillion miles an hour, as did Nix, however as they approached the water Nix hit the brakes while Jetzen bounded in. As he realised she had stopped, he sort of froze mid bounce through the waves, looked at me, looked at Nix and couldn't decide what to do. He chose to go back to Nix and then proceeded to jump into the water look at me, bark at Nix and jump out again. Look at the water, bark at Nix and jump in the water again. This went on for about 5 minutes. I swear he was trying to tell Nix it was ok!! Eventually Nix decided to come in and they had a great time running through the shallow water.

2010

Ok so the New Year has arrived - time to get off my butt, stop focusing on those things I have no control over and work on the things I do have control over. Time to stop making excuses for the things my dogs do that I don't like and find solutions to turn those behaviours into something more constructive!!

After a few weeks off training my dogs are well and truly ready to get back into the swing of things and so am I - time to switch the brain from holiday mode into work mode and get back into it.

So my to do list for the rest of summer.......

PHOENIX

1. Plank work for her dog walk - give her a solid understanding of what I expect as her end criteria
2. Weavers - Getting her consistency up on a straight set of poles without reducing her drive in them.
3. More single jump work - mainly to improve my consistency in signals that I am giving!!!
4. Stand for exam
5. A new trick - yet to be decided upon.

JETZEN

1. Targeting - lots of it.
2. Flatwork - circle work, come to hand, etc
3. Ignoring and not barking at the little yappy over the back fence that does not shut up!! Damn dog takes great delight in standing at the back fence and trying to raz my dogs up - grrr.
4. Positions - increasing duration.
5. A new trick - yet to be decided upon.

So there you go. Thats the start of my Summer training - deciding exactly what I want to work on - now to get on with it. So folks anytime you wish, please feel free to ask how it's going. No matter how accountable you are to yourself, there is always extra motivation in knowing other people are following up on what you are doing too!!

So to everyone - I hope you had a fabulous Christmas and wish that 2010 brings you much success in all you attempt, both with and without your canine friends. Here's to a great year!!

Yay for the Old Boy!!

Wahoo Super Sax!! Why so excited you may very well ask. There have been many times over the years that I have tried to trial Saxon, in both agility & obedience. Now whilst he has the ability, talent, and, without a doubt, the enthusiasm, we have hard a hard time over the years managing his arousal levels. Thus, we don't compete in CAWA trials. I continue to train with Sax as he enjoys it so much, and on occasion I will enter him in one of our clubs Members Competitions, be it agility or obedience.

So Wed night Northern Suburbs had it's last Agility/Jumping Members Comp for the year. I entered Sax in Pre-Trial (Equivelent to Novice but for dogs not competing at CAWA level) Jumping. Full of beans as usual he was ready to fly off the start line and I had a hard time making him wait. Got to the second obstacle and he was off!!! Although not a brilliant run by many peoples standards I was thrilled to say the least. All the bars stayed up, there was no spinning between obstacles, there was no cutting back to me and there was no barking (a few "woowoo's" though!!). I was so proud of him. Super Dog!!

So at the grand age of 9 1/2 Saxon won his first ever "Comp". Yup, thats right, he managed to take out first place - Yay Saxy Man!! I've got to say that I think he was pretty chuffed with himself too. He tugged so hard on his toy once he'd finished that he actually broke part of it - ripped it clean in half!! Oh well, you deserve it "Old Boy".