Another Year .....for Training and the 'Old Man'

Another year for Yasser, my lovely old man and honorary kelpie ! (We think there is a little bit of kelpie in there somewhere, along with the BC and ACD. ) This is his 14th Birthday portrait.

To celebrate I made the boys ice cream cone cakes - a doggy muffin jammed into the cone then covered with low fat cream cheese frosting, tiny bacon pieces and a blueberry on top, covered with finely planed doggy chocolate - gotta get those antioxidants. No complaints from the canine customers so I guess it was a winner. Plus I'm addicted to the microplaner grater thingy since I saw it on 'Jamie' - although I don't know what he would say about using it for doggy chocs.

Atilla is having a break from training at the moment, much to his disgust.

The end of trial season visit from the muscle therapist is happening next week. Since the end of the trialling year he has already had a few weeks off , so hopefully we will be able to ease back into training after that. I still feel that something is not quite right with him, so we will see.

We have been working inside with the clicker to sharpen up some of his tricks - now that I am doing this with both Tilla and Cruz at the same time, I can see a difference in their progress with both freeshaping and working through the clicker. (eg: the click does not end the behaviour- wait for your release cue) Cruz is way better at both these things which really makes me feel as if I didn't really use it to its best effect with Tilla in the beginning.

So nothing like a refresher course - for him and for me. And I think the clicker was almost invented for kelpies - they love the independence it gives them in trying out behaviours for themselves ........ plus the rewards for getting it right! Yes, another lightbulb moment.

I have also started retraining Cruz's weaves with Susan Garrett's 2X2 method - not that I wasn't happy with Cruz's weaves, but one thing that I have neglected with him is really working those difficult entries, so since this method is meant to train these I thought I would give it a go.

Day 6 so far and I am blown away by the results. We are on 4 poles, still slightly open even though I know he can weave straight poles - but the entries he is making are amazing. I know that a week ago he would have needed so much assistance from me to get them, but now he is doing it all by himself. I'm sure he thinks I'm losing my mind (I know L does!) as I am so excited by this that I am yelling 'yes, yes, yes' as he goes through the poles - note to self : Be silent next time. I am also impressed with his new found perserverance when he gets it wrong. I never used to let him fail at anything more than twice, and once we had two 'failures' I made the exercise easier. But this is one thing that Garrett now cautions against when teaching this method - let the dog work it out for himself without making it easier for him.

We had 5 'failures' in a row the other day - and it killed me not to help him out, but I didn't..... and then he got it right! As Elicia would say, 'Yeeeeee Harrrrr!!!!!!! ' Plus this is now also paying off in both his work and also his attitude. No shutting down and refusing to work, no frustration barking - which is also carrying over into the work we are doing inside using the clicker.

We should probably move to a location outside the yard now for a bit of proofing, so that may be a weekend project.

I have decided that once I get to the 'challenge' exercises, if he can still make the entries (eg: I've actually trained it properly!) then I will also retrain Atilla - who I thought had really good entries until I tried some of these with him.

One thing that I really wanted to do with Atilla over Summer was work on the cloth tunnel. He has never had any difficulty performing this before, although it's not my favourite piece of equipment. Personally I think it's an accident waiting to happen, especially with the design of many being used in Australia including those awful heavy canvas ones. Atilla got tangled in one on a Masters Agility run at Warrnambool in November. He has been tangled in chutes before and this has never caused him any problems, but in the following Masters Jumping run I got 3 refusals at it before he decided he would go in. That's never happened before, even back in Novice. Got it out at training the next week and he wouldn't go in either. So I brought one home from club for the summer break as it's the one piece of equipment that I don't own. Put it out on my agility area and as soon as I brought him in, he took off away from me and made straight for it, running through no problems and then looking at me like 'that was fun, let's do it again'. Several repetitions later, all fast and confident....... where was the problem again?

So after all the effort I made to get it home, it's now sitting in the bungalow gathering dust!

It will come out again in a couple of weeks so that I can design some sequences to run incorporating it for both dogs, just to make sure.

And I would still like to see it disappear from trials in the near future.

Merry Christmas

From my kelpies to yours .............

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and lots of training success in 2009, whatever your training goals happen to be.

And do you really think either of them would wear a Christmas hat for me? Not on your life - thank goodness for photo editing programs !

Training Kelpies - Some Thoughts

I joined a kelpie discussion list a few months back - which has been a largely disappointing experience I might add. The description of the group had the words 'training discussions' which I thought would be interesting, but have since discovered that the only type of 'training' that the moderators of the list deem to be acceptable is anything related to working livestock and if you dare mention the word 'agility' you are told in no uncertain terms that this list is for training - get thee to another list! The big implication being that working kelpies should be doing just that - working with livestock and nothing else, agility is the devil's playground.

No matter, but I find this a very narrow attitude for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I believe that any information shared about kelpies, whether relating to genetics, instinct, breeding lines, and even training for agility competition, promotes a better understanding of the breed in general - which is so important for working through training issues, not to mention living with them.

Secondly, understanding how kelpies work stock also gives some great insight into training by working with their natural drives for those of us who do other activities with our kelpies - which is the main reason why I am still a member of the list, albeit a lurker rather than a poster.

And every now and then , someone posts something a little more though provoking than usual which makes it worthwhile - after saving the following quote in my computer with the intention of giving full credit to its author- I have just realised that I forgot to copy the name of the original poster. Anyway, this post struck such a chord with me that I am going to quote it with apologies to the author and the assumption that you don't mind as it was contributed to a public forum to begin with.

'One of the things that I have noticed about Kelpies in general, is that they have a lot going on mentally. They are tuff yet can be extremely sensitive, they are intelligent and they are always thinking. A lot of this goes back to the fact that they were bred to cover thousands of acres and large flocks of sheep or large herds of cattle. They were bred to be intelligent enough to figure out how to get the job done even when no one is around. This can be both good and frustrating for us on small farms and trials because they like to think that they don't need us meddling in their business. But I have noticed that you can easily hurt their feelings if you are not careful. You just have to learn how to work these qualities to the best of our abilities. If something is not working take the time to think about it and figure out what it is you want and how to succeed at it. But when you do, the look on your Kelpie's face when the light goes on is unmistakable. Just don't forget to make a fuss over his/her success. Let them know they got it right and then quit on that for the time being. All 3 of mine thrive on attention and live to get that 'Good Dog!'

I don't think the author works dogs in agility, but if she/he did, I have no doubt that they would be successful as they seem to have a pretty good handle on the kelpie temperament - as it relates to my experience so far- and dog training in general.

The 'tough but sensitive' contradiction is hard for a lot of people to understand but for me it is a pretty accurate description.

They are bred to be tough in relation to the work they carry out and the conditions that they often work in - after all, no one wants a working dog that can't cut it and a good kelpie can do the work of many men on a big property, so I am told. I also have to admit that the first few times I saw Atilla work sheep I was dumbstruck at how hard he went in when it was necessary. Here was my 'soft' little kelpie pushing himself between the fence and the sheep to move them off with no hesitation and using a fair bit of force, but the same dog worked in an entirely different manner when put on ducks.

This has always been the one big difference that stood out for me compared to working my ACD on sheep. Again, I only make the observation from my own experience, but the ACD uses the same degree of force on sheep from start to finish whereas with the kelpies it is almost like watching a choreographed perfomance - go in hard, ease off, go in hard, ease off. They seem to have more of an innate understanding of when to use force, rather than just using it for the whole time because they can.

I have seen a lot of people ruin good kelpies,when training them for agility in particular, because they hone in on this 'tough' quality but ignore the 'sensitive' one. Kelpies are very good at trying you out (right from the moment you first bring them home) and a lot of people respond to this with the 'me human- you dog' mentality and resort to physical punishment and the like to exert their 'dominance'. Kelpies do not respond well to any sort of harsh treatment - not that I've ever been harsh with mine, but have witnessed plenty with others. They are ideal candidates for positive training techniques (mine are both clicker trained) and you just have to be patient, consistent and occasionally outsmart them to get the pecking order clearly defined. (Not that it's all that easy to outsmart them of course)
And they are always thinking - anticipating what you want next, which can be a double edged sword on an agility course. Running my old BC cross or ACD in agility used to have a little room for slight handler error - not so running kelpies. I find that my position or body signal only needs to be a tiny bit out and there's an off course or a run by. Which is only fair and spurs me on to be a better handler.

I really like Suzanne Clothier's description of 'relationship based training' (if you haven't read 'Bones Would Rain From the Sky do yourself a favour and get a copy) as this is what I think agility training is all about. If you take the time to develop a relationship with your kelpie - based on mutual respect rather than dominance and force- then you will get much better results.

The other part of the quote that I really like refers to using those kelpie qualities to the best of your ability. I agree with Susan Garrett - dog trainer extraordinaire! that you need to 'train the dog you want' - but to get there I believe you also need to work with what you've got, rather than 'fight' your dog every step of the way. And if something's not working, think outside the square to change the picture for your dog in order to set them up for success. So I am thinking of the end product that I want and then backchaining to work out the steps I will need to train to get there in a way that 'sits right' with both me and the kelpies and enhances rather than damages our relationship.

And yeah, that look of the light going on is priceless - Atilla has had quite a few lightbulb moments over the past 12 months.

So these comments may be way off base to some kelpie owners and breeders - after all I am still pretty much a novice kelpie owner even though I did grow up with them as a child. But these observations totally fit with my experience so far. Looking forward to learning more about them as our training journey progresses.

Cruz Finally Makes his Debut

Well it took us until the last trial for the year but Cruz is finally no longer a trial virgin.
My training had reached the point where I needed to put him in a trial situation to see how he coped with all the distractions so that's what I did.
I only entered him in 2 runs for his first time - which I will probably continue to do for the next few trials as well.


First up was Novice Agility - a course with some extreme angles for Novice level, I honestly think I may have struggled to get Atilla around it clear.
Cruz showed a few stress signs at the start line which I expected may happen for his first time - plus I was actually nervous too which didn't help him. I don't get nervous running Atilla any more so it felt really strange to be so on edge.
We got through with 2 bars down which wasn't too bad for a first time, considering some of the angles. Plus I realised afterwards that it was the first full course he has run at 600 - bad trainer!


Novice Jumping we were first in the ring - but he appeared a little more relaxed at the startline compared to the first run. This time we were clear and won the ring which I certainly wasn't expecting to happen. So I am one proud kelpie mum at the moment.

Cruz with his first place trophy, sash and of course the most important part of the win - food!



Although more focussed than on his first run, he definitely didn't give me as much speed as he usually does but he has such a long stride that he still ran a reasonable time. I saw the 2nd and 3rd placed runs (BC and BC cross, both jumping 500) and they looked pretty fast to me so I was very surprised to clock up a faster time - but very happy about it ! And although it wasn't his fastest run , when I looked back at my trial diary and compared his time to Atilla's times in Novice, it was almost identical.

Plus he held both his startline stays - I went out 2 obstacles on the jumping course- and hit all his contacts and weaves in agility.

The only thing that I was really disappointed in was that he wouldn't tug with me before he went into the ring, which is unusual for him. The presence of the judge and timer in the ring didn't appear to bother him at all, I felt that the stress was more related to waiting outside for our turn.
So a lot more proofing with distractions and unfamiliar locations for us over the next few months.
And I need to experiment with finding the best warm up procedure for him to build focus. This is going to be more of a challenge than with Atilla - because he jumps 600 it is very likely that he will often be first dog in the ring which can make warming up difficult on occasion.

But I am very proud of my long, lanky boy who has now equalled Atilla's effort of qualifying and winning the ring at his first trial.

More Training .... and More Beach !

I finally have a training routine that I am happy with and appears to be working. Based on 4 times a week at home, which does not include the times I train at club, this is what I am aiming for :
1X Jump Grids (from the Susan Salo DVD)
1X Double Box or 'related exercise' (from Greg Derrett DVD's)
1X Sequence from Clean Run or Dogsport or anywhere else where I happen to find a sequence
that I want to work
1X Speed exercise - maybe a speed circle or something else straightforward where the focus is
on opening out and really running.


In addition to this, we usually go out for a 2nd very brief training session on each day to focus on weaves or contacts. Both training sessions do not last much longer than 5 minutes.


Yesterday we worked on a spin off of the Power Paws 'W' pattern and this was a fun sequence to run. It looks a bit like this :


This is designed as an exercise to work weave entries. I also changed the order to incorporate a threadle between 3 and 4, and a send to the tunnel. There were quite a few other variations listed in the article, but at this stage I have only tried a couple of them. Nothing worse than long training sessions, so we might set it up again next week and try some others.


Atilla had no problems with the weaves as they are numbered here - I got a fast entry into 2 and then after 4 I front crossed for the weaves at 5. This was a harder entry but he made it easily - even though the first time he had a lot of speed and the first pole whacked him in the face ! Made sure that I rewarded after that set of weaves as I want him to stay in and weave fast, even if the poles hit him, this has been an area where we have had trouble in the past.


I also ran the exercise with Cruz and even though I thought it might be a little challenging for him, he had no difficulty with it. I did have to 'babysit' the weave entry at 5 a lot more than Atilla but for a pretty green dog, I was very happy with his performance.


The 'agility year' is winding down - last official training session tomorrow night and last trial the weekend after - although if it is too hot I won't run. I find that I am really flat in the heat and it rubs off on the dogs. Plus I worry about keeping them cool even under a gazebo.


We went to the beach again on Monday, Ocean Grove this time, and both kelpies had a ball.
Although I love living where I do, I would consider a move to be closer to the beach - it's such a great fitness thing for the kelpies to run along the sand, not to mention swimming. Plus it's good for me too. I seem to be able to walk much longer distances in a seaside environment.


Cruz checking out the rockpools and deciding that there was nothing in them to hold his interest.
The kelpies met another kelpie on the beach and even though I don't normally let them run around off lead with a strange dog, I made an exception this once. They ran and played together for ages - in the end the other owner had to put her dog back on lead to get them to stop playing and continue walking.

Atilla and Cruz chasing each other in and out of the water. Another exciting kelpie game.

Atilla posing amongst the seaweed - there was an incredible amount in places with some unbelievable colours.................. especially that shade of pink. Who says seaweed only comes in shades of brown and green ?

A Fun Weekend at Warrnambool

After last year's disastrous weather at Warrnambool, eventually causing the cancellation of their trial, the 'agility gods' were definitely smiling on them this weekend.

The weather was perfect - even warm enough to run in short sleeves on Sunday but not warm enough to make the dogs uncomfortable. The predicted rain didn't eventuate apart from a few drops on Sunday around lunchtime.

The 'agility gods' were smiling on us too - we managed to come away with 4 qualifying scores and Cruz won the raffle on Sunday and scored a brand new dog bed.

There were some fast and challenging courses, especially in Masters, and I was very happy with the way we ran most of them. Atilla stayed focussed for most of the time, apart from an incidient with the cloth tunnel (which I'll describe in a later training related post) and was eager to work. I was especially pleased with his speed on many sections of the courses we ran.

Overall we earned a pass in Open Jumping (our first one as I don't run this event very often) and 2nd place behind another kelpie that is exceptionally fast, a pass in Masters Jumping (number 3) and 3rd place, a pass in Masters Agility and 4th place (number 6 - one more to go !) and a pass in Open Agility and 3rd place.

Although I have had 3 passes at the same trial a few times, I haven't had 4 since we were in Novice so I was very pleased with this result, plus I really enjoyed running most of the courses over the weekend, whether we qualified or not.

This is the trial ground in the foreground, with the neighbouring soccer ground behind. Pity I didn't think to take this with the agility equipment still set up as it would have made a much better shot.

All the dogs had an absolute blast at the beach. Atilla and Cruz got to have a good run along the sand on Friday after the long drive down. The beach was deserted as it was a bit cold by then, and they loved it ! They kept running way ahead of me, then waiting for me to catch up as if to say 'what's keeping you?', then taking off again.

They got to swim on Saturday and Sunday after the trial had finished each day - much to Bosnich's delight. He literally has to be dragged out of the water when there's swimming involved and if it were possible for a dog to sulk when we leave, then he most definitely would. As a 'non-kelpie', he sets the benchmark as far as swimming is concerned. Both the kelpies swim but not with the passion that Bozzie does - or should that be 'ACD mania' rather than passion ?
Even old man Yasser enjoyed his walk along the beach - at his own pace of course, which is way slower than the rest of them.

Warrnambool is one of my favourite places - located on the south-west coast of Victoria about 3 hours from Melbourne, and originally settled (I think) in the late 1840's as a maritime village - fishing, boating and related industries. I think I read something about sealing too but we won't talk about that ! There is a recreated maritime village set on the bay, but as they don't allow dogs I have never been in. Looks interesting though. The area is most famous for the legend of the mahogany ship- reputed to be buried deep beneath the sand dunes somewhere on the outskirts of Warrnambool. The following description comes from the Warrnambool Vic. Government tourist website:

'A Portuguese vessel fondly known by locals as the Mahogany Ship, reportedly ran aground off Warrnambool in the 1500's. This local legend is supported by the discovery of old Portuguese charts that depict Australia's southern coastline. It is believed these charts were drawn in the 1520's. '

There was a reported sighting of the ship's mast protuding from the sand dunes - although more than a hundred years ago I believe- but when a salvage party was organised the ship had disappeared and the coordinates of the sighting were not recorded by the person who believed they had found it. (You'd kick yourself wouldn't you?)

Anyway, it's a pretty cool legend whether true or not, and brings many tourists to the area in search of buried treasure, literally.

There are still a lot of old builings remaining in the town - I found this website which I really liked as it showed some of them as originals compared to how they look now.

http://www.warrnamboolcam.com/nownthen.htm

This is the view over Lake Pertobe, with the old breakwater in the distance, another reminder of the area's history. There is another good walking trail around parts of the lake that you can do with the dogs, accessed from the agility trial ground.

So overall a great weekend - can't wait for their next trial to roll around.

The Double Box Rules !

I'm now halfway through revisiting Greg Derrett's double box exercises and I'm really enjoying working them - with both dogs.

I've also been pleasantly surprised by how tight both kelpies can actually turn when I cue them early enough - especially Cruz.

I ran Atilla at Ballarat last weekend - not a trial that I usually enter but I haven't run anywhere near as much as I planned to this year - again. And I need to enter more trials to really consolidate all the training we've done this year. I only entered him in 4 Masters runs as sometimes it gets to be a pain running from one ring to the other trying to fit Open in as well. We had 4 good runs overall, with a Q in Masters agility and 2nd in the ring, and one small handling error on each of the other runs causing an off course. I can live with that!

There were some challenging courses and I don't believe I would have been able to handle them as well without all the double box work we've been doing - on one Masters jumping course I think I counted 6 Front crosses that I put in - and the only place that I didn't get there in time and decided to rear cross instead was where I got the offcourse.

So we'll definitely be incorporating the double box into our training every week from now on. I can't wait until the Greg Derrett seminar where we will get to work on these with 'real live' guidance, instead of working from the DVD.

Plus I am trying to continue with jump grids every week too. I am really pleased with the way Cruz is putting in minimal strides between jumps when he is running confidently. If only I could get Atilla to do the same more consistently.