Torture cages of the Mexican Song Dog.
So this wouldn't be a good dog agility blog without a training journal vibe to it, now would it?
Wait come back non dog agility readers! Remember dog agility is the new brown!
Remember I have this pup (1 year old? 2 year old? 8 months?). Someday I have to pick an age and register him with USDAA.
Here's what he's been learning/not learning. We are so off the Jim and Nancy protocall right now it's not even funny.
We have started weave pole training day 1 in the driveway, on cement. It's a start. He's got the channels open and the gates up. He doesn't have the idea to use his normal speed for this yet, but I am going to take his dinner bowl out there today and try it and I think the need for speed will go right it.
Contact board. I think he is actually going to end up doing a running foot touch on dog walk and a-frame, but I am teaching a nose touch 2on/2off right now just because I can and it's useful to have. Not sure what teeter he will have yet, we have a lot of time for that. It's the last thing I teach and I like to use the table method which means he's got to have a real contact first. Likely he will learn a flop into down on yellow teeter. He's little.
Walk and run close near me. Works great on a leash and where there are no distractions.
Be a good boy at dog shows. Except when I am out running another dog. Then scream like a monkey when they are coming to get you. Out of the tree into the drug test lab. Make everyone glare at me when I come back from a run. Sorry. But he can walk around on a leash now even near the agilty. And be at class near the agility and do sits and downs and stuff like that.
Run free off leash. OK. He does not have a solid, smashing recall. He is so not a herding dog. I am so not a religous trainer. Boy do I miss the whole ball obsession thing. Otterpop, albeit with her issues, was so much easier to train because of the frisbee obsession. But I am letting him run loose, he runs far, I call his name and he comes back. There is a lag time though, and he doesn't always run right in to me, just to my group. He runs farther out than I would like. But he's got to be able to run loose if he goes places with us. So we're working on it. I need to go actually teach the recall in these places, this is a training hole of mine because I go to places where dogs run.
What have we learned about his learning style?
Easily distracted, mind of a flea. Very terrier! Could be doing other things like getting under the house to find the cat or looking for gophers! He has border collie looks, terrier mind. Does not have super strong "wanna kill it" prey drive though. More like a party boy, having a good time. So have to figure out what is going to make his speed drive tick during agility. Loves food! Loves food in his dinner bowl! Loves to tug when you are playing so need to teach it to him as more of a reward.
Training has to be really fun for him. He gets bored easily. Flea mind! Must make it seem like a big fun frat party with all the free beer a tiny dog could ever want. Spring break! Margaritas! Strippers! Party on Dude!
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