Our agility class wasn't any longer than usual, but it sure felt that way. When we got there, only two other dogs were present so instead of being able to rest through the runs of 5+ dogs, and two jump height adjustments it was two dogs and one height adjustment. In the middle of the class we got one more dog who jumps the same height Kola does.
Notable events included Kolla being more worked up than usual about other dogs running her course; Kate, the terrier, coming over to tell Kola to shut up; Kola jumping on the teeter totter right on the fulcrum and then back off; Kola breaking early for the jump, having too much momentum to stop and executing a very apologetic/athletic leap over the triple jump right from the base.
Her weave poles have gotten better but we've still got a long ways to go. Homework for this week is weave poles and teaching Kola to lie down between Jesse's legs so that he can line her up for the jump more easily.
Herding:
I was pretty pleased, for the first few minutes of our practice session today the sheep were not pressed up against me, or past me, they were right where they belong between Kola and me. Then I thought to myself, "hey, look at this, I'm not wet yet." Shortly thereafter a bunch of wet sheep were pressed in tight on all sides.
Kola didn't do as good a job taking her "down" commands today. She seemed pretty tired though.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Weave videos
Here are a couple of videos of Kola's weaving lessons:
At brigands (admittedly after some home practice also:
At home:
One time she did a beautiful run at home where she was weaving in and out just like a pro. She got a lot of praise for that effort but it has yet to be repeated.
At brigands (admittedly after some home practice also:
At home:
One time she did a beautiful run at home where she was weaving in and out just like a pro. She got a lot of praise for that effort but it has yet to be repeated.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Easy does it
General:
Kola is getting a new house! Its got 8,800 square foot lot. Most of that is in the back. Its got enough space for agility equipment. Although probably not a whole course. Its big enough to maybe fulfill my fantasy of getting some herding-broke ducks for Kola to work. Obviously theres a lot to do before that can happen. (Not the least of which is get Kola driving well so we can start her on ducks.)
Herding:
Dave is out of town this week (and next week and, shockingly, the week after that) so we practiced on our own on Thursday at brigands. I used all six practice sheep because I thought that would be fun. Dave suggested that we do some work along the fence line working on Kola keeping her distance and working on her keeping the sheep between us, and so on. That was moderately effecting. I also introduced a new command: get out. Its not really new per se, but "out" is getting transferred over to agility and so I'm making a fresh start with "get out." So far so good. She's moving off me pretty well. The problem is that she doesn't know that she's supposed to be moving off the sheep! Oh well, that will come in time.
The best thing we did was use her "down" command to work on "easy." I was reading a sheep herding book recently that reminded me the importance of keeping "down" from becoming a correction. Even though most of the time it kinda is. I kept my "down" commands nice and pleasant until she ignored it and then she got the growly kind.
When she hit balance I asked for my "down." Once she was down and I'd gotten a little distace I'd ask for "easy walk" as soon as she trotted (which was frequently right away) I asked for another "down." If she walked nicely for her "easy walk" I'd tell her "good girl." This almost invariably caused her to start trotting. So basically I spent my time repeating a command followed by good girl followed by aigh (correction noise) followed by another command. Rinse repeat.
The good news is that by the end she was slowing down when she hit balance, she wasn't resenting being asked for the "down," she held an easy walk progressively longer and longer, sometimes even after being told "good girl." She also didn't do any crazy flanking but I think that's because she felt pretty in control of these sheep.
Agility:
Kola had her first lesson in Advanced Agility class. I think she did really well, and boy was it a lot more fun.
For one thing, instead of patiently waiting in line while dogs are introduced to various obstacles with varying degrees of success, we ran a small course (usually 6 to 12 obstacles) one by one. Much more fun for me to watch. Also much more educational. Beginning agility doesn't do very much to teach you about being a handler. Watching other people and their dogs run a course and then running it yourself and then watching more people run it is a great way to learn. Another thing that was cool is the jumps are higher so Kola has a little more challenge. The courses are run off-leash, which is how Kola has been trained at home and has eliminated that difficulty we were having before.
Kola did a chute for the first time with no problem. I think it really helps her to watch other dogs do something like that.
Weave poles are the biggest thing we need to work on to keep up with the rest of the class. I was relieved to see that we're not the only dog who doesn't have the weave poles down yet. Right now we're practicing at home with the poles in a Weave-a-Matic style set up. Which is to say they're set at ~80 degree angles alternating left and right to help Kola see how she needs to weave. I'm thinking of switching to 2x2 and a clicker. I don't want to confuse her though. Also, 2x2 is probably the most tedious way of teaching the weave poles I know of.
Kola also needs to work on not blowing through her A-frame and teeter totter work. We're using the same word for slowing down while herding as slowing down for obstacles. Easy does it. Unfortunately we can't "down" her while she's on the equipment. Oh well, she'll get it eventually.
Overall I think we fit in pretty nicely with this group, although now I need to learn a new set of dog-handler names. (Oh, who am I kidding, I really only ever learn the dog's names.)
Kola is getting a new house! Its got 8,800 square foot lot. Most of that is in the back. Its got enough space for agility equipment. Although probably not a whole course. Its big enough to maybe fulfill my fantasy of getting some herding-broke ducks for Kola to work. Obviously theres a lot to do before that can happen. (Not the least of which is get Kola driving well so we can start her on ducks.)
Herding:
Dave is out of town this week (and next week and, shockingly, the week after that) so we practiced on our own on Thursday at brigands. I used all six practice sheep because I thought that would be fun. Dave suggested that we do some work along the fence line working on Kola keeping her distance and working on her keeping the sheep between us, and so on. That was moderately effecting. I also introduced a new command: get out. Its not really new per se, but "out" is getting transferred over to agility and so I'm making a fresh start with "get out." So far so good. She's moving off me pretty well. The problem is that she doesn't know that she's supposed to be moving off the sheep! Oh well, that will come in time.
The best thing we did was use her "down" command to work on "easy." I was reading a sheep herding book recently that reminded me the importance of keeping "down" from becoming a correction. Even though most of the time it kinda is. I kept my "down" commands nice and pleasant until she ignored it and then she got the growly kind.
When she hit balance I asked for my "down." Once she was down and I'd gotten a little distace I'd ask for "easy walk" as soon as she trotted (which was frequently right away) I asked for another "down." If she walked nicely for her "easy walk" I'd tell her "good girl." This almost invariably caused her to start trotting. So basically I spent my time repeating a command followed by good girl followed by aigh (correction noise) followed by another command. Rinse repeat.
The good news is that by the end she was slowing down when she hit balance, she wasn't resenting being asked for the "down," she held an easy walk progressively longer and longer, sometimes even after being told "good girl." She also didn't do any crazy flanking but I think that's because she felt pretty in control of these sheep.
Agility:
Kola had her first lesson in Advanced Agility class. I think she did really well, and boy was it a lot more fun.
For one thing, instead of patiently waiting in line while dogs are introduced to various obstacles with varying degrees of success, we ran a small course (usually 6 to 12 obstacles) one by one. Much more fun for me to watch. Also much more educational. Beginning agility doesn't do very much to teach you about being a handler. Watching other people and their dogs run a course and then running it yourself and then watching more people run it is a great way to learn. Another thing that was cool is the jumps are higher so Kola has a little more challenge. The courses are run off-leash, which is how Kola has been trained at home and has eliminated that difficulty we were having before.
Kola did a chute for the first time with no problem. I think it really helps her to watch other dogs do something like that.
Weave poles are the biggest thing we need to work on to keep up with the rest of the class. I was relieved to see that we're not the only dog who doesn't have the weave poles down yet. Right now we're practicing at home with the poles in a Weave-a-Matic style set up. Which is to say they're set at ~80 degree angles alternating left and right to help Kola see how she needs to weave. I'm thinking of switching to 2x2 and a clicker. I don't want to confuse her though. Also, 2x2 is probably the most tedious way of teaching the weave poles I know of.
Kola also needs to work on not blowing through her A-frame and teeter totter work. We're using the same word for slowing down while herding as slowing down for obstacles. Easy does it. Unfortunately we can't "down" her while she's on the equipment. Oh well, she'll get it eventually.
Overall I think we fit in pretty nicely with this group, although now I need to learn a new set of dog-handler names. (Oh, who am I kidding, I really only ever learn the dog's names.)
Friday, May 7, 2010
Obstacles (not the metaphorical kind)
Wooo! Kola learned something from our terrible time last week. After a lesson of trying really hard to bring me the sheep and failing, this week was awesome. For one thing, I sent Kola a different direction. Usually I send her away from the fence so she has a chance to bend out. This week I sent her along the fence to make it easier for her to cover the draw from the fence. Kola looked at me like I was nuts, but she crept up the fence line and voila! I had some sheep. That was my shining moment of being the brains of the operation. After that I was just the target/oppose-able thumbs. We went through the Y-chute and Dave explained to me the error of my ways trying to approach it dead on. Then we did a blind chute? A blind something or other. its like a U chute. The sheep go in one way and one direction and follow the chute around a U turn and come out again right next to where they come in. I'm not describing it very well, but, no matter.
Kola did not want the sheep to go into either of these obstacles. Sheep going through obstacle != sheep balanced on handler. I cant really say I find this attitude displeasing. She is trying to do well. Now its my job to explain to her that we're re-defining a little bit what it means to do well. Dave thinks we might teach her some driving soon and I think that will help clarify things for her a lot.
We also tried penning for the first time. Kola tried her little heart out, and got super sick of having the sheep run around the pen every time. Eventually, between Dave coaching me and Kola getting tired of watching the sheep run around the pen, we got 3 out of 4 sheep into the pen. It was pretty cool! Call me crazy but I think Kola might wind up being a really good penning dog. I hope so anyway because I'm not going to shape up to be a very good penning handler so I need a good dog. My project for myself is to work on remembering that "uhhh, other way!" is not a flanking command.
In conclusion, squeeee!
Kola did not want the sheep to go into either of these obstacles. Sheep going through obstacle != sheep balanced on handler. I cant really say I find this attitude displeasing. She is trying to do well. Now its my job to explain to her that we're re-defining a little bit what it means to do well. Dave thinks we might teach her some driving soon and I think that will help clarify things for her a lot.
We also tried penning for the first time. Kola tried her little heart out, and got super sick of having the sheep run around the pen every time. Eventually, between Dave coaching me and Kola getting tired of watching the sheep run around the pen, we got 3 out of 4 sheep into the pen. It was pretty cool! Call me crazy but I think Kola might wind up being a really good penning dog. I hope so anyway because I'm not going to shape up to be a very good penning handler so I need a good dog. My project for myself is to work on remembering that "uhhh, other way!" is not a flanking command.
In conclusion, squeeee!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
More control please
It stings me a little every time Chris points out that we need more control of Kola. It stings because in a lot of situations Kola is very in control. On leash with imminent cheese is not one of them. She becomes an obnoxious monster. She wont even hold a sit. Part of her problem is that any pressure on her collar at all and she thinks its time to go go go. Another part of her problem is that she thinks Chris is calling her (and arguably Chris is calling her) so she wants to bolt on over to the nice lady with the cheese. Mostly though, she's just hyped up by the cheese, and other dogs getting cheese/attention from the lady with the cheese.
I think we need to practice more obedience on leash than just walk by my side and don't pull me.
Also, "leave it" is getting better but there is still a long way to go. I'm thinking pinch collar time.
Chris is worried that Kola's lack of control will keep her from moving on to more advanced agility classes. We shall see what we can do about that.
I think we need to practice more obedience on leash than just walk by my side and don't pull me.
Also, "leave it" is getting better but there is still a long way to go. I'm thinking pinch collar time.
Chris is worried that Kola's lack of control will keep her from moving on to more advanced agility classes. We shall see what we can do about that.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Tough guy, eh?
We went to a new herding facility in Yamhill (capital city of Nowhere.) It was really beautiful and Kola was allowed to run around off-leash. The male bearded collie really wanted to mount Kola. Kola really wanted to run around and sniff and ignore him. It worked out well. He followed Kola around and she pretended he wasn't there. If Kola stopped for too long she had to do her classic my-eyes-are-over-here spin on her front end. Dave's kelpie also thought Kola was pretty cute.
The actual herding was good too. Dave was pleased with our progress in general. Out outruns still suck. Kola went out basically straight, I pushed her out far enough to get her on the sheep's shoulder and she wound up pushing the sheep the entire way around the pen and then some. Kola gave me this look, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, as if to say, "Mom, this really isn't working." Finally she got out far enough to give the sheep an excuse to come to me. Kola was pretty amped up so she overflanked a lot. She calmed down eventually and did some pretty good work, albeit always pretty pushy. She held a down while I walked with the sheep all the way to the other end of the pen, but they still refused to lag behind me. Dave said the pen is too small for that.
The really exciting part was when the black sheep decided he'd had enough of Kola and turned to face her and refused to move. Kola was PERFECT! She didn't show a trace of fear, didn't get distracted or discouraged, she just stared that sheep right back in the eye with complete and perfect certainty that the sheep was going to move. "I am dog and you are sheep. You will move now." Is what her face said to me. The sheep tried this several times and always backed down from that placid stare.
I'm so proud of my girl.
The actual herding was good too. Dave was pleased with our progress in general. Out outruns still suck. Kola went out basically straight, I pushed her out far enough to get her on the sheep's shoulder and she wound up pushing the sheep the entire way around the pen and then some. Kola gave me this look, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, as if to say, "Mom, this really isn't working." Finally she got out far enough to give the sheep an excuse to come to me. Kola was pretty amped up so she overflanked a lot. She calmed down eventually and did some pretty good work, albeit always pretty pushy. She held a down while I walked with the sheep all the way to the other end of the pen, but they still refused to lag behind me. Dave said the pen is too small for that.
The really exciting part was when the black sheep decided he'd had enough of Kola and turned to face her and refused to move. Kola was PERFECT! She didn't show a trace of fear, didn't get distracted or discouraged, she just stared that sheep right back in the eye with complete and perfect certainty that the sheep was going to move. "I am dog and you are sheep. You will move now." Is what her face said to me. The sheep tried this several times and always backed down from that placid stare.
I'm so proud of my girl.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Herding education and agility
The last few times I've tried to go out and herd during the week no one was around. This means we have to work on a leash. This means its really really difficult for us to get just a few sheep out at a time. The first time I tried this I had a really long line made of twine. This turns out to be really dangerous if you're not constantly vigilant, so that was stressful for me. The second time I used an extendable leash which is much safer, but a little shorter. Both times I really wound up stirring the sheep up something awful before finally getting a few separated. Furthermore Kola was pretty stirred up herself. The best things I can say about these sessions is that 1) I've really learned a lot more about how dog savvy sheep react to various stimuli, 2) I've learned that sheep are pretty good at figuring out my plan and are willing to put up with extra pressure from the dog or a fence to thwart my plan, and 3) Kola can calm down after being revved up and the sheep have been willing to calm down substantially.
All our on-leash work has been in the round pen, so one thing we worked on is me stopping and Kola just holding the sheep. Its not her favorite thing but she's getting more willing to do it. She'd rather push the sheep slightly to one side and then switch sides and push them the other way. No one else likes it when she does that. I guess and additional thing I can say about the leash work, at least with the extendable leash, is that when she breaks down and chases a sheep I can stop her dead in her tracks. I don't think that's actually much of a deterrent, but at least it helps keep the behavior from being excessively re-enforced.
I've swapped Jesse in for agility lessons and the two of them have been doing really well. I think they might be the best team in the class. (I'm totally unbiased in this assessment, of course.) The team that's also really good is the woman with the Cairn Terrier. She's an experienced agility handler though, so its to be expected that they'd be good. Kola I think has a higher drive than the terrier.
Kola's gotten a little calmer about waiting her turn on the equipment. She didn't lunge on her leash much at all.
Here is a little summary of her progress so far:
Jumps - with Jesse she's very good, with me she's pretty good, she generally clears her jumps but knocks them down with her tail when she goes to get her treat.
Tunnel - She has no fear of the tunnel but she also recognizes that its not necessarily the most efficient way to the treat. If you assure her that she's not getting the treat without the tunnel she blasts through it with gusto.
A-frame - no problem. She even holds her two on two off position relatively well, although sometimes she likes to rotate around. I'm not sure the two on two off is the way to go for her, she'd probably be happier just keeping four paws in the contact zone.
Teeter - she'll do it if she has to. She's not especially fearful of it, but you can tell its not her favorite thing.
Weave poles - I started her on a few weave poles on Tuesday. I set them up in a weave-a-matic style, with the poles tilted. I also set them just ever so slightly off center. She hasn't quite gotten the concept. I may change tactics and go with the channel strategy. We'll see how chris likes to do it on Monday.
All our on-leash work has been in the round pen, so one thing we worked on is me stopping and Kola just holding the sheep. Its not her favorite thing but she's getting more willing to do it. She'd rather push the sheep slightly to one side and then switch sides and push them the other way. No one else likes it when she does that. I guess and additional thing I can say about the leash work, at least with the extendable leash, is that when she breaks down and chases a sheep I can stop her dead in her tracks. I don't think that's actually much of a deterrent, but at least it helps keep the behavior from being excessively re-enforced.
I've swapped Jesse in for agility lessons and the two of them have been doing really well. I think they might be the best team in the class. (I'm totally unbiased in this assessment, of course.) The team that's also really good is the woman with the Cairn Terrier. She's an experienced agility handler though, so its to be expected that they'd be good. Kola I think has a higher drive than the terrier.
Kola's gotten a little calmer about waiting her turn on the equipment. She didn't lunge on her leash much at all.
Here is a little summary of her progress so far:
Jumps - with Jesse she's very good, with me she's pretty good, she generally clears her jumps but knocks them down with her tail when she goes to get her treat.
Tunnel - She has no fear of the tunnel but she also recognizes that its not necessarily the most efficient way to the treat. If you assure her that she's not getting the treat without the tunnel she blasts through it with gusto.
A-frame - no problem. She even holds her two on two off position relatively well, although sometimes she likes to rotate around. I'm not sure the two on two off is the way to go for her, she'd probably be happier just keeping four paws in the contact zone.
Teeter - she'll do it if she has to. She's not especially fearful of it, but you can tell its not her favorite thing.
Weave poles - I started her on a few weave poles on Tuesday. I set them up in a weave-a-matic style, with the poles tilted. I also set them just ever so slightly off center. She hasn't quite gotten the concept. I may change tactics and go with the channel strategy. We'll see how chris likes to do it on Monday.
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