Author Archives: dazzlesmom

The following are my notes from a ClickerExpo 2016 session by Sarah Owings

Back-chained release cue:

• All stationary behaviors need SOME release cue (either trained release or cue next behavior)
• Trained release cue tells dog to move
• Teach one cue for explosive release (start line, dock diving, retrieve, etc.)
• Teach another cue for calm release (go say hi, out of crate, through a door, etc.)
• RELEASE CUES ARE “CLICKS” Only cue release when dog is doing something you like!
• Zen Bowl Steps (calm release)
  • Put food in bowl, say release cue, THEN move bowl down to make food available in a way that the pup has to move to get the food. Repeat till pup anticipates moving when cue is heard. *** Cue THEN move, not simultaneous***
  • Get a brief stationary behavior, then mark that with the release cue then present the bowl.
  • Get some duration, mark with release cue then offer bowl
  • Add bowl/handler movement as a distraction
  • Have dog wait while bowl is placed on the floor
  • Ask dog to work nearby, then release to the bowl.

• Explosive release:
  • Use a high value moving reward (water from hose, tossed toy, dragged tug, flirt pole, etc.)
  • Restrain pup, say cue, release pup just before you move the reward
  • If possible, have reward farther from pup so he is running before the reward moves
  • Build in stationary behavior/wait so restraint is not needed
• Go Sniff!
  • Stand with dog on short leash next to mat (scrunched up towel) with good smells on it (odors of food, other dogs, other people, critters, etc.)
  • After eye contact, release to “go sniff” (the mat)
  • Click/reward dog for eye contact with you and use reward to pull dog away from the mat
  • After eye contact, repeat till dog is bored with the mat
  • Ask for a few behaviors before giving “go sniff” cue and toss reward into the towel
  • Repeat in real life environments where dog wants to sniff
• Uses for go sniff:
  • Teaches on-duty/ off-duty cue
  • Reinforces check ins without nagging
  • Gives dog opportunity to “ask to work” when ready/able
  • Stronger recalls (environment isn’t the forbidden fruit)
  • Allows dog to get info about the environment, dogs, people, critters
  • Can reinforce behavior (premack)
  • Relieves pressure/stress

Knowing just how many different things I want to train Voodoo, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all.  How will I ensure I am progressing through the check lists for everything and not skipping or missing something important?

So I came up with this system:

I have a pencil cup full of “craft sticks”. On each stick is something I want to work on (& for which I have a training check list). Each day, I’ll pick out some sticks at random and note the next steps for each that will be worked on that day.  Then I’ll put those sticks into the other jar.  This will continue each day till all the sticks are moved to the other cup.  Then the process will be repeated. This will ensure everything gets worked on and I’m working on the next steps in the progression for each thing.

Each of the 42 sticks in the cup in the photo above has a different thing to be worked on, so he has a LOT to learn! But by breaking down each thing into very manageable steps, using a training check list, it should all move along smoothly.

As behaviors are mastered, it can go in a “maintenance” jar. Or if something needs more attention, it might get put back in the original jar, giving it more times “in the rotation”. I think this will work better than the weekly check list I used for Dazzle.

What happens to the pups prior to growth plate closure has a big impact on the development of hip dysplasia. All puppies are BORN with perfect hips but how they develop as the cartilage changes to bone and as they grow can have a big impact. Most of the factors can be controlled by breeders and owners to help increase the proper formation of the joints.

http://www.louisdonald.com/blog/the-10-most-important-things-to-know-about-canine-hip-dysplasia

The ultrasound showed an estimated 8 puppies!  This could be the first glimpse of Voodoo!

Feb. 29th is the date that is scheduled for an ultrasound on Shelby (Voodoo’s mom), to confirm that she has pups. Keeping my fingers crossed for good news!

Voodoo’s mom’s due date is March 27th (Voodoo’s potential birthday)! Praying all goes well and there are boys in the litter to choose from. 🙂 (Photo is a pup from one of their previous litters)

The same parent’s litter last year had 6 males and 3 females. In 2013, their litter had 3 males and 7 females. This will be her 3rd and very likely her final litter.

From the website:
This breeding is a ‘three-peat’ – previous Shelby x Ruger litters have proven to be exceptionally smart, athletic, fast and have the Eromit mark of versatility that we strive for. Puppies from the first litter are competing at the master level in agility and several are closing in on their championship already at just over 2 years of age. Puppies from both litters are also excelling in training for obedience, rally, hunt tests and search and rescue. This pair produces puppies with extreme levels of drive, a very high energy level, and a great willingness to please. They are best suited for serious performance homes or very experienced & active companion homes. We anticipate that this will be Shelby’s last litter.

“Beyond tolerance- Shaping for demand” is an older article from Clean Run that I just found, but I really love it for it’s clarity.  The author, Julie Daniels, is teaching an online course starting Feb. 1st (registration open now till Feb 15th) at the Fenzi Dog Sport Academy on this very interesting topic. http://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/courses/6279#course-details

The Empowerment class will have updated and expanded information that will apply these concepts to many different dog sports. It will help you help any dog or puppy to be empowered and be, not just tolerant but confident with multiple things he may encounter in various dog sports. It will teach you how to break down something challenging, like the agility teeter example in the article, into not only easier behaviors, but how to master the CONCEPTS involved (balance, motion, noise). And it is a class I am really looking forward to taking!

I have taken 15 courses so far at the Fenzi Academy (almost all at Bronze) and LOVE them!  Each term I think “I think I can skip this term” and then I read the course descriptions and find at least one, if not more classes that I really want to take!  It is like an addiction and the instructors are top notch and make learning so fun! I am blown away by just how much can be learned from an online dog training course!

If you take the class at Bronze, it is like an observer spot at a seminar.  You can see everything that is posted (by the instructor, and the gold/Silver level students) but you don’t get to interact on the class forum. For those on facebook, there are private groups set up for each Fenzi class where the bronze level students can ask questions and post their training videos. While the instructors are not in those facebook groups, there are often others who are experienced with the class material that can and do answer questions and can offer feedback on your videos.

So if you are bored, or in a rut, or need something to work on during the cold winter, check out the offerings at the Academy. But I warn you, the classes are like potato chips, you can’t take just one!

I just found out from the breeder that a pup from a recent litter was registered as Eromit’s Black Magic (call name of Magic), so my pup’s registered name will be

Black Magic of Eromit

Which I kind of like even better!  It sounds like a book or movie title and his life will hopefully be able to fill a book and Lord knows there will be plenty of video of his life! 🙂

I have been tossing around lots of name ideas in my head, some were contenders for quite awhile, others were dismissed fairly quickly. But the call name I keep coming back to has a few different meanings, is easy to say, can be shortened, and it’s unique. And the registered name fits with the pup’s color.

Registered name:

Eromit’s Black Magic

Call name:

“Voodoo”

Nicknames:

Voo or V

The name is representing more of the mystery and magic aspect than any “evil” aspect of black magic and voodoo. Some people think +R training is kind of like magic or some creative art form. And of course the pup will have black fur, so I wanted to have “black” in the registered name.

I had narrowed the choice down to three possibles, but I kept coming back to Voodoo and it’s the one I like the best. So now rather than “the puppy” I’ll be able to use a name!

I have been contacting MANY breeders by email and phone, and went to visit one in person but none have been exactly what I want. In talking with one person, they mentioned a breeder in TN and also in that same conversation mentioned Eromit (Air-o-mit) Labradors. Somehow, my brain combined the two and I thought Eromit was in TN.  I was surfing their website (eromit.com) and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED all the detailed information I was seeing! I found:

• Extensive health testing
• Photos/videos of the parents (including photos that let me evaluate their confirmation- which is lovely!)
• Information about temperaments
• How they do early neurological stimulation and extensive puppy enrichment
• An extensive buyer questionnaire (showing they care where their pups are going and about matching the pup to the correct home)
• The breeder posts LOTS of puppy photos/videos and updates to her facebook page and the puppy buyers get a disk of their pup’s photos/video.
• AND she titles her dogs in MANY different sports! They even have an all Lab sled team!
• And her pups are competing and being trained in MANY sports and services from Service Dog and Search and Rescue to Agility, Dock Diving, Obedience, and so much more!

I was SO EXCITED and went to the “contact us” page and found out they are all the way on the pacific coast of CANADA! My heart sank. There is no way my body could handle a flight to the pacific coast. I posted her website on my facebook page as an example of exactly what I was looking for in a breeder and a pup hoping that someone would know of someone closer. That’s when a friend I would trust with any puppy or dog said she would be willing to pick up a puppy for me!

A glimmer of hope was restored.

I filled out the breeders questionnaire and crossed my fingers. I got a quick reply and learned about a pairing she has planned (that’s not on the website yet) that sounds like it will meet my needs perfectly! The female is in season right now, so would be due in early April, with pups going home at 8-9 weeks in late April or early June (depending on when they are born). I had lots of questions and all were answered. I’m just waiting to hear back on how to place a deposit.

Import and flying- what a headache!

This will be the first pup I have imported or had to fly and I’m finding it adds a bit of difficulty. I was just looking up flights to get an idea of costs and finding there are ZERO direct flights. The best I found was a flight with 1 stop between Indy and Vancouver and then I’d need to find a flight from there to Prince George or Quisnel. Not only are there no direct flights, but also I had to look at the pet policies of the various airline choices.  Of course the best flight options are on airlines that require puppies to be 10 or 12 weeks old, like Air Canada 😦  And I’m not willing to give up 3 weeks of socialization that will effect the rest of the pups life just because of airline policy. So staying with a single airline for the trip doesn’t seem possible (as far as I can find) which means additional pet fees. So I think the travel expenses will be just about as much as the puppy!

But I’m not discouraged. 

Everything I have heard about Eromit from people that know the breeder or have an Eromit puppy or know an Eromit puppy has been 100% positive. The breeder is doing everything I am looking for in a breeder and the pairing I am looking at seems like it will produce exactly what I want! Still lots of things that could not work out, but I’m in a “hopefully optimistic” state right now. 🙂