K9 Musings

It’s hot here. Like super duper hot. Today’s temps are in the low nineties with high humidity.

I know. This is typical summer weather for all those who live south of, say, Kentucky. But I’m in Michigan and it could easily be 100 degrees colder six months from now. So this it hot.

Today’s actives included the river. This branch of the Black River is usually a bit more impressive but due to how dry it’s been here lately, it’s pretty low right now. The dogs often swim here but today they could only splash. They didn’t seem to mind.

I took two toys to play with. But these two are like kids in that the best toy is the one that the other one has. Almost to the point where they’d let one toy can float away while competing for the other. The “mom” voice is used at times…

Our time pretty much went like this –

“She has the toy. I want it”

“Neener, neener – I have the toy!!!”

“Just try and take it! I dare you!!”

“Double dog dare you!!”

“Well, since you insisted…”

” I got it! I got it!”

“Harrumph. Be that way. I really didn’t want the old toy anyway”

“Except I kinda do want it”

And so on and so on.

It was all quite humorous.

In the end, Kenzi ended up with both toys. Mission accomplished for the bossy dog!

I had about three ideas to blog about tonight. And started writing another blog post. And then I just sat here looking at my dogs. Happy, content, sleeping at my feet.

It was hot today – 92 with high humidity. Then it stormed. So I didn’t do too much with the dogs. A bit of disc, a little trick training, some running around the farm.

And now we’re just settled in for the night.

*big happy sigh*

Every so often when I’m out and about training my dogs I hear comments.

“I want to get a vest for my dog so I can take it into stores, too”

“I’m going to get one of those K9 dogs and it can go everywhere” (psst – K9 and dog = the same thing)

“It must be so cool taking your dog everywhere”

And more.

So a couple things. Since that is not at all how it works.

First of all, as search dogs, my dogs sometimes get extra access privileges to certain “no dogs allowed” areas. But it’s not a right. It’s where I’ve asked for and been granted permission to take my dogs places for training or education purposes. For instance, hotels, public buildings, several airlines will often allow search and rescue dogs access for training and education purposes. Because the more exposure and training our dogs have, the better they will be able to work when needed.  And those access privileges sure help with training and exposure.

But those are all privileges, not public access rights that service dogs have. While my dogs may perform a public service with their work, they don’t help mitigate a disability that I have – which is what a service dog does – and therefore are not granted access rights under the ADA.

Second, I really want to ask people “do you know how much extra work it is to take a dog to all those places?”

I mean, I certainly don’t have a complete picture of what it’s like to have a dog with you pretty much everywhere. But I do have a partial picture of it. And, while you’re getting used to it, it’s kind of like taking an extra two year old with you everywhere. You have to think of keeping your dog comfortable. You need to make sure they have food and water. To find/give them a chance to receive themselves. To clean up after them. To change your plans up if your dog is uncomfortable. To answer lots of questions from a curious public. To have people come up and try to pet (and end up distracting) your dog without asking – or better yet those people who come and try to show you how to “train” your dog (had someone try to grab the leash out of my hands) once. You’re always thinking dog first, me second. It can kinda put a crimp in your personal plans.

And there’s that time when your dogs wakes you up at 2 am at a hotel. And you have to get up and dressed and go through a lobby full of people to take your dog out to potty in a strange location. So. Much. Fun….

Yes, it’s kinda cool at times. But it’s not nearly as glamorous as many people seem to think. There is an amazing amount of work and commitment that is going on behind the scenes each time you see a working dog in public.

I loved everything about raising Kolt. The cute blank slate puppy with wide eyes and a sponge for a brain. The chance to put good training foundations on from the beginning. The opportunity to mold and shape him. He was my first puppy and I wouldn’t trade any of that (or him!!) for the world. And there absolutely will be more puppies in my future.

But when I think towards my next dog, I kinda lean towards a rescue pup/teenager.

Why?

Because I see potential in those crazy ones. I see dogs with misguided drive and the need to work. I wonder to myself “what would be possible if they were in the right hands?”.

The crazy ones. The ones who drive pet owners nuts. The ones who get into trouble. The ones who are misunderstood.

Most of the population wants a dog who hangs out quietly on the couch for 23.5 hrs a day and then turns on to play a rousing game of frisbee and go for a short walk around the neighborhood.

Me? Well, I also want a dog who can hang out quietly sometimes. But that’s a learned skill. I want a dog who needs to do something. A dog who wants a problem to solve. One who isn’t content just being but rather needs to be *doing*. The kind that, if they’re expected to just be, quickly turn into the crazy ones.

Because those dogs who are currently “bad dogs” in the wrong situation can be oh so good in the right hands.

I started training tricks to have fun with my dogs. I like those cool behaviors and I get bored easily. I wanted the dog that picks up the laundry, the dog that can sit pretty, bow or high five.

I did it to have fun. What I didn’t realize was just how much it would improve my working dog training skills.

I learned how to break down behaviors.

I hadn’t truly explored this pre-trick training. I mean, I had a little bit, but not to the same extent. Instead of just slicing the loaf of bread, I started cutting it up for croutons. Instead of rewarding my dog for picking up that object, I started rewarding one part of a behavior – glances, a step in the right direction, a touch, anything closer to what I wanted. So, when a dog wasn’t quite getting something in search dog training, my first thought became “how can I break this down for them to be successful?” Instead of “what do I need to correct?” or  something along that line.

It’s always okay to break something down further. Because, when you’re doing it correctly, it’s really easy to up the criteria as soon as the dog is solid in it.

I learned timing.

No training method works effectively without good timing. With tricks its click, reward. And at the right moment. Break down those behaviors, look closely for what I wanted and mark/reward it. The more I practiced (both with the dog and on without) the more I perfected my timing and reward skills in all areas of training. And the better your timing, the better the dog understands what you want.

I believe that any trainer getting good results – regardless of training method – has excellent timing skills. For me, I wasn’t interested in thinking about honing my correction skills. Sure, my dogs get corrected on occasion. But my interest lies in focusing on what I want rather than what I don’t want. So the clicker, and shaping behaviors with it, became the perfect tools to perfect my timing skills.

It gave me a platform to experiment.

If something has worked for years, then am I going to create a training issue if I break it down more? Am I going to make my dog more dependent on rewards and reinforcement from me and less of an independent worker?

I’m slow to experiment with something when it could be life or death for someone. But training for tricks gave me a platform to experiment with timing, rewards, clickers vs. verbal marker, taking a step back to make something more clear when it wasn’t going as I wanted. In experimenting, I found what worked well for my dogs. In experimenting, I built a better communication system. In experimenting, I gained confidence in my ability to break down and precisely reward behavior. And then I applied to the work.

Part two to follow later… 🙂

And I took pictures. Lots of pictures.

And he got a present. Because who doesn’t love presents?

(and I needed an excuse to take MORE pictures)

Just looking all handsome

“What is this thing in front of me?”

“Can I PLEASE quit posing and look?”

“Person, seriously!”

(note – 2 y/o Border Collies are about as patient as 2 y/o children when it comes to opening presents)

“FINALLY!”

“I’ll just rip this thing right open”

“Woo-Hoo – look at this!!!”

Apparently it must be unwrapped all. the. way. before one can play with it.

“I’ve almost got it…”

“Taa-da!”

“Umm, person, seriously – put the camera down and throw it already”

When I brought Missy home, she had no trust. Three years old, shut down, fearful. The first thing she did when I got her out of the car was dive underneath it and flatten herself to the ground.

She had learned that the world was scary and people were unpredictable.

But underneath was a dog who wanted to trust.

I let her sit in a corner of the living room for the first few days and figure out her new world.

Three days later I let her off leash for the first time. Probably not the wisest thing for a scared dog but I lived on a large farm and the only place she really wanted to go when outdoors was back indoors.

So I took the leash off and a family member held her while I walked several yards away. I turned and called her. Five seconds later she was plastered to me feet with a tentative look on her face. I told her she was a very good girl and her face lit up.

It was the first glimpse of trust. It was powerful. Here was this creature taking a chance on a person she barely knew.

It set the stage for the rest of my time with her and the rest of my dog owning life. I want that trust from any dog I have. I want to develop it, nurture it and live up to it. Trust gives confidence. Not in the circumstances, but in the relationship. I’ve seen it manifest in different ways with my different dogs and, like every good thing in life, it always kind of amazes me and leaves me wanting more.

From Kenzi’s perspective –

Today we went an adventure. I wanted to go off and do my own thing (chase squirrels, roll in poop) but the person said I had to stay near her. She didn’t want me to get muddy. Sigh. Doesn’t she understand that it’s a dog thing to get good and muddy? I was a bit upset that it was so warm. When there’s snow on the ground she doesn’t worry about me getting muddy….

We stopped by the river first. It was high and fast. I knew better than to go in so I stood on the bank and watched.

But Kolt? He’s not as wise as I am. He wanted to go swimming! He stood on the bank and asked. The person said no. He wasn’t too happy about that.

So you know what he did? He ran to the other side of the hill and waded right in – without asking that time!!  He was just asking to get in trouble.

But I was good. I followed the rules and stayed out of the water.

The person told Kolt to get out of the water and we ventured on. I kept a lookout for squirrels even though I couldn’t chase them.

Kolt stopped to sniff stuff. Boys want to sniff EVERYTHING.

We continued on through the field. I kept checking in with the person to make sure that she was around to keep Kolt in line.

We saw squirrels – but didn’t chase them! (because, well, the person was watching…)

I found a tree to explore. I’m pretty sure that LOTS of squirrels live in that tree.

Kolt found a rock to stand on. He’s SUCH a showoff!

Kolt found more water. He jumped right in. Without asking. Again. That was kinda crazy since there was still ICE in the water.

But the person said we could play in this water.

So I went and got a drink.

Kolt kept looking for something.

And he found a ball!!!

But did he share that ball with me? No! He tried to keep it all to himself. He though he was big stuff since his legs are longer and he can run faster.

I was VERY frustrated and told the person. She wasn’t any help so I took matters into my own paws.

I kept watch and was finally able to snag the ball.  Yup. Busted mister. His legs might be longer. But those legs are nothing compared to my look.

Sadly, that was right before the person was ready to go back inside. So she took the ball and made us pose together. We humored her today and sat nicely for a picture. We thought that just maybe she’d give the ball back to us then. But alas, it didn’t happen.

Next time I’m hoping to sneak off quick for my own adventure before she tells us that we need to stick together.

Then I will play in the mud. And chase squirrels!!

Everyone loves that well trained dog. They’re mesmerized by the precision, the focus, the performance. The connection between owner and dog. Sheep dog trials to agility, fun tricks to freestyle, detection to disc. It’s cool. And everyone wants to be coolant have that cool dog.

But how much? Are they willing to adjust their life to attain the goal of a well trained dog? Sacrifice other wants to make it happen? For most people the answer is no. I get that – it’s a lot of work. Many people have other commitments, other “A” priorities. And that’s just fine. We can’t do everything.

But, for those who can, there is a difference between those who “want” it and those who really WANT it.

Since 2007, I’ve been training my dogs for Search and Rescue work. It’s insanely cool to me. Each time I watch my dogs use their nose with speed and accuracy I’m amazed. I love the team work and trust.

That doesn’t happen overnight. It takes one and a half to two *years* of work to train and certify a dog for search work. Training in 90 degree heat, training in rain, training in snow. Some days you leave training with a big smile, sometimes you leave frustrated. Some days everything goes right. Others? You wonder why you showed up or how in the world you ever thought that you’d be able to do this. You’ll wonder if you dog left it’s brain at home. Or if you really have any talent as a trainer.

You take a week off because you need a break. You dog needs a break.

But then you continue. You show up and train every week. You fail and try again. And again. You miss certification by – this – much and turn around and figure out how to do better next time.

Why?

Because you are driven. You make it a priority. You are disciplined.

In other words, you WANT it.

There isn’t room for many of these intense wants in life. You need to chose the priority and stick to it. A person can’t go to the olympics for both figure skating and hockey – you can do both for fun, but you can’t be great at both. You need to chose, commit and work to make great happen.

Can you guarantee that you can always make it happen? No. But it absolutely won’t happen unless you commit.

Unless you really WANT it.