Titles Achieved to date...

Monumental A to Z High On Liberty
NW1, RATI, RATN, RATO, NW2, L1I, RATS, L1E, L1C, L1V, L2C, L2I, L2E, RATM, R-FE/N, PKD-TL, PKD-N, ADPL1, ADPL2, TD, UWP, ADPL3, NTD, TKN, L2V, ADPL4, SDS-N, ADPL5, ADPCH, ADP1(2), ADPL1(GC), ADPL2(2), ADPL2(GC), VPN, AP, UWPCH, ADPL3(2), ADPL3(GC), NC, NI, NE, SCN, SIN, SEN, CZ8B, NV, NN, ADPL4(2), ADPL4(GC), ADPGCH, ADPL5(2), RATCH, CZ8S, AI, TKI, AV, AE, AC, AN, R-FE/X NW3-V, NW3-E, SI, RN, R-FE/NS, CZ8G, SC, SV, SE, SN, SEA, SBN, SWN, SIA, SCA, ADP-1(Th), ADP-2(Th), ADP-3(Th), ADP-4(Th), ADP-5(Th), and ADP-CH(Th)... 81 and counting...

Sunday, September 25, 2011

The Project - Day 16 and Dog Show for Distraction

My plan had been to go to the Gig Harbor Kennel Club show after church.  We had a church membership meeting and by the time that ended it was pouring rain in Dupont. I know most of the Gig Harbor show is outdoors, so I didn't think we'd be going.  However when I got near home where I'd have to take the exit, the sun was out and the sky almost clear, so headed for Shelton.  Naturally, right before we got there it started raining again.  As we arrived it was drizzling, but I decided to get out and at least do ten check-ins and some other stuff so it wasn't a total waste of gas.

When we got there it was already 2:15, so many people had already left.  We took our time wandering in to the grounds.  We watched the last of the Basenjis from a distance of about 30 feet.  Then sat and watched a couple groups from about 60 feet.  Gimme was excited and interested in all the goings-on, but not out of her head excited.  She couldn't work, but did give me check-ins and the occasional offered sit.  Then the tear down crew came and removed the gates between us and the group ring, so we moved a bit closer. 

We started at about 30 feet from the group ring and Gimme was doing really well.  Even when the whole group would run around the ring together, she didn't get too distracted by it.  She'd watch it quietly and then turn to me and say, "well aren't you going to give me peanut butter or something?"  We moved around several times and by the time the terrier group was in the ring, we were within 5 feet of the ring's corner.  

Gimme did really well.  The only time she expressed concern was when someone walked by with an English Setter that was pulling on its lead and seemed to be trying to hack up a lung.  There were other dogs she took an interest in, watching them intently.  A very young pointer held her interest for quite awhile - she was just certain it would play with her if she could just catch its eye. 

From time to time she would get bored and then would pester me to work with her.  So she'd get a few cues to respond to and be treated.  There were times she'd lay on her belly with her legs stretched out behind her and calmly watching some activity or another.  I was very pleased to see her be bored - that's a good thing in my book.  I think it made a big difference that most of the dogs she was seeing were experienced show dogs, so they were really well behaved and fairly calm.  The ones that didn't fit that category were much further away.

The funniest thing was that Gimme really does believe that the whole world revolves around her, of this, she has no doubt.  So every time the group winners were selected and the spectators erupted in applause, Gimme would leap to her feet and strike a pose, the better to be admired, doncha know.  She has the most wonderful natural stack I've ever seen - at least 90% of the time her poses are ring ready.  She'd be ring ready 100% of the time with just a hint of training on that. 

After we got home and I was working in the yard... Gimme was just sure there must be local people who would need to admire her.  So she spent quite a bit of time striking a pose on the baby dogwalk in the front yard.  She's always done that when people walk by, but tonight she was just doing it and then holding it for several minutes without pedestrians.  I'm going to have to stop wearing sweats when I do yard work so I'll have pockets to put the camera in.

As we left the grounds heading to parking, we practiced some heeling and overall she did a really nice job.  Since we'd been there 2:30, I wouldn't have been surprised to have her be too tired to work.  She loves to work and she loves to be admired.  Once she realizes that the Rally and Obedience rings all have spectators, there'll be no stopping her.

Apple - back into a box, back feet only
After finishing the yard work, I did a short session (20 repetitions) of the apple behavior.  I've been doing this on leash to help her "get" the concept of backing in.  I decided tonight to not use the leash (okay, really I couldn't find it with the mess my living room is in as I'm reorganizing and ripping up carpet).  Instead, I took a page from what I'd decided before, I think on Melon, to:

  • ignore bad attempts - stepping through front feet first
  • minimum reward - side-stepping in
  • jackpot - backing in
Naturally, she very quickly figured out which efforts paid the most and soon the vast majority of the attempts were backing in.  It seems she has also figured out that the base board tells her when she is aligned with our little box.  She will then back up until she feels the side of the box with her hocks then neatly step her feet in - most of the time.  Once doing this, she hopped both feet in together.  I love that and if I see it again, she'll get the biggest jackpot she's ever seen.  I'll make sure to have a big piece of chicken ready just in case we need that super jackpot. 

Right now she is sound asleep.  Its been a pretty full day for the little munchkin.

Orange - get onto a small perch with all four feet
Grape - dead bug (on back, feet in the air)
Peach - head under a chair
Melon - push cube with nose
Not trained today.

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