Often I get asked by people with injured dogs about ideas for activities that they can do with their dogs. And with Flori not being at full activity level, it's even more relevant! Here are my thoughts on what to do with your dog when they are sick, or injured, and what you need to think about doing with your non-sick or injured dog just in case this happens.
What do you need to be doing now, with your well dog?
Crating.
I now follow Sarah Stremming 'Happy Crating' protocol, over crate games. It's really important to me that a crate is a happy, quiet, relaxed space, and not a working space.
Separation in the house
I think it's important that all dogs in a household are used too, and happy with, being in separate parts of the house. At the moment Flori is at the end of the house that is fully carpeted, and by herself a lot because she plays really hard with Deo and Evo. But she's had alone time her whole life, so being separated now isn't a huge deal.
Meeting, and being checked / handled by healthcare professionals
My dog's regularly visit, and are handled and checked by vets, hydrotherapists, physios, and more. It's important to me to keep them sound and comfortable and these regular checks are part of this. This becomes even more important if they become unwell or injured as these checks might be more frequent, or when the dog is sore or not feeling well. I want to have 'money in the bank' for happy and great visits.
Putting weird things on
Basic cooperative care training
If you can train weave poles, you should be able to train some basic cooperative care such as handling for examination, restraint, teeth checking and more. These are also great things to train on miserable winter nights where you don't want to leave the house.
Fitness foundations
Not only is fitness essential for a performance dog, but having taught the basic fitness skills are really valuable if you ever have to rehab your dog.
A wide base of foundation training
Because you know what? Things happen, and there is also the chance that the dog you got to do agility is not able to do agility. So it's important that you both have other options.
So what are some ideas for your unwell or injured dog?
Enrichment is a normal part of my dogs. And when life gets in the way and I don't get to do as much walking or training as I would like, I up my other enrichment activities.
I've made a document here with some enrichment ideas for dogs that are under restricted activities. This document is read-only, so if you want to share it with anyone please share this blog post.
If you have questions or want lessons training anything discussed on this blog email me on hybriddogtraining@gmail.com
I remember that when I started agility I just wanted to do the jumps, and weaves, running sequences. I was annoyed and didn't understand why we had to do other things.... because isint agility just actually doing the things??
Fast forward a few years to instructing at a club setting, and I remember being disappointed at the reluctance of the class organizers to put more foundation skills into their classes. Because that wouldn't keep people coming and taking classes. However, there were so many issues with the handlers and dogs that could be resolved with some of these skills and training!
Take another leap into the future, and now what I sometimes see with people coming to me for lessons. A reluctance to work on some key areas, because they just want to do the 'sexy stuff' that looks like agility.
So what are the things that you should have mastered before starting sports specific skills, or entering the ring?
Handler training mechanics
If you cannot train your dog to turn in a circle on the flat with clear and consistent communication and clean mechanics, that produces fast and low error training without stress or frustration, then how the hell can you expect to train a complex skill, like a collection agility jump?
The foundation handler training mechanics that I work hard on with my young dogs (and myself as a trainer) before starting sports specific skills include:
- using reinforcement markers like a clicker or verbal markers
- Having a variety of reinforcement options
- Picking the most appropriate reinforcement for the dog, and the behavior
- Timing of marking, and handler mechanics e.g. movement of hands
- Being able to split a skill into smaller training sessions, and criteria, and knowing when to increase your criteria towards the end goal.
- Being able to be strategic about the environment, and equipment set up to increase the chance of success.
- Being able to plan a training session to make a clean loop of reinforcement for any skill
- Being able to read behavior to decide when to change your plan, or end a session.
How have I ensured this was an effective training session?
Foundation skills
There are so many foundation skills that are relevant for dog performance sports that are not adequately trained. This can have a huge impact on your sports, and also on your life with your canine teammate. I would expect these skills are not only well trained, and highly reinforced, but have also been generalized to different environments and contexts.
- An alternative behavior to demaning handler interaction
- Waiting in a stationary position
Body movement and strength
In every dog sports that I compete in, or watch I see dogs with movement, strength, or lameness issues at every single training session or competition. I understand that it's hard to learn about how animals move, and what good movement looks like. But I feel like it's our responsibility as performance dogs owners and competitors to seek professionals to help us make these judgments if you are unable to do so yourself.
If you are having an issue with a particular skill (like weaves) your first point of call should be ruling out both injury, and a lack of strength that may be contributing to your dog's performance issue. And I just don't want to hear 'oh the vet says they are fine' because you know what? Vets do NOT receive orthopedic or sports medicine training. They are not good (well most!) with orthopedic issues, and most have no idea about the physical pressures that our dog's sports put on our dogs.
And I don't just mean agility. I can tell you that the vast majority of obedience, and gun dogs that I have seen competing have the same issues. Lameness, muscle imbalance, lack of strength, and poor movement.
I really believe that fitness training (cardio, strength, balance, etc) should be a part of every performance dog's training schedule. As high-level athletes cross training is important. Not only that but you can often pick up subtle changes in fitness work, like posture in a stand, that may be a sigh of an early injury and not evident in performance training or competition.
Optimal working state of mind (arousal, stress)
I'm sure most of you that follow me already know that I think a dogs arousal level can have a big impact on training, and competition. Whilst I think that some dogs are genetically predisposed to being outside what we consider the 'optimum' arousal zone (e.g. low and stressy, or high and over aroused), I think that much can be done in your training and competition planning, set up, and trainer techniques, to keep your dog in the optimum zone.
This involves not only reading your dog's behavior, but having trained and practiced your processes and patterns to help keep your dog 'in the zone'. These are things that you should have trained and practiced thoroughly before starting sports specific training.
Delayed reinforcement strategies
So often I think that the problems that I see in the ring are related to the ring being a different place than in training. Because so often in training the handler has treats, and a toy on them at all times, and reinforces liberally. Now don't get me wrong. I'm all into throwing all the treats and giving all the toys. The problem becomes when this always happens in training, and never in a show. That's really confusing! And frustrating, for both handler and the dog.
Working on delayed reinforcement strategies are part of ring readyness and a clear communication system. And this should be with food, and with toys. And again, this is something that you really need to have working on BEFORE you start competing!
In my opinion, the vast majority of agility 'problems' can be related back to an issue with one of the above areas. That's why I believe that sometimes just practicing the agility, isn't going to fix the agility issues.
I totally understand the reluctance to work on some of these things when you just want to do the agility. And I sometimes find myself moving too fast through the foundation skills and putting skills into an agility setting earlier than I should. But you know what? Taking more time earlier will mean your skill will progress faster later on. And hopefully without issues arising that you have to go back and fix! I've learnt this the hard way.
A year is the time it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun. 365 days. 8760 hours. A year can feel like a lifetime, or go by in a flash.
This week Flori turned a year old. And how fast this time has gone! It seems like just yesterday that she was a tiny wiggly black beast.
We've achieved so much over this time. I've learnt about the awesomeness of having a spaniel in your life. I've learnt about gun dog training and competitions. I've learnt what that increase in spaniel tail bum wiggling in the field means (watch out.... I've found bunny smells!), what a bumper is, and what it's like to have a bitch in season in a multi-dog house!
I, along with the school, have learnt about the benefits of having an amazing dog like Flori at school full time, working with students. Every day I am amazed by how she is with the students, and at the impact that she has.
Flori and I have developed as a team, working through lots of foundation skills, gaining a trick dog champion title, working through cooperative care, my first gold Fenzi online class spot, seminars, and more. We still have lot's to work on... but that's normal, everyone always has 'to work on's'
Unfortunately, the next phase in our training is not in the direction I was hoping for. I was looking forward to starting agility foundation skills and progressing some gundog work. But instead, we are looking at rehabilitation and the possibility of surgery.
After Flori's first season her posture and movement patterns changed. And didn't get back to the normal patterns expected. So I took her to an orthopedic specialist, who has diagnosed her with luxating patella's. At the moment we are looking at rehab, and reassessing in six months if surgery is required.
So I don't know for sure what our sporting future will be, which is scary, and disappointing. I know we will find something fun to do together that we both love, that her body can handle, but it's still a bit gutting to possibly not be able to train her in the sport I hoped she would compete in. Actually extremely gutting.
So make sure you are getting your young dogs checked, especially before starting any sports specific training! I'll keep you all posted on how our rehab is going.
This year I have quite a few online classes coming out, which is pretty exciting! With some of these I'm experimenting with some different online formats, and/or platforms. This is so I can find the platform that works best for the style or material in a particular class. Also because whilst I love Facebook there are inherent issues with the groups as an online class.
For the latest online class: Rock Solid Stands for Agility Measuring, we will be using a self-paced instructional Google document, with a support Facebook group. This group will also have units of work (the same units in the document) if you prefer to work through Facebook.
These units allow me to organize the Facebook group, and also means you can also hit a button, which tells me (and you) when you have completed a unit of work.
This class get's slightly geeky about measuring. The traditional way of teaching a dog to stand for measuring stick was to lure it under. But as a measurer for many years, I have seen more dogs that not who are not just unhappy about this process, but terrified.
The cool thing about the way that this skill is broken into smaller chunks is that it gives you step by step information, to build a dog that LOVES being measured. Also, these skills are really transferrable to other skills such as cooperative care.
Here's Flori's first ever time being measured by another person to illustrate this skill:
This course is available to individuals, or clubs for purchase.
Individuals have access to the Google document, and Facebook group (with learning units) for the one-time price of $40NZD. This allows you to not only access the information but ask questions and post videos of any of your own dogs for feedback, at any time.
Clubs have the ability to purchase for access for the club instructors, and committee members. Please note that whilst these concepts can be applied into the class situation, all course content (text, videos, and pictures) cannot be shared with other club members. Club's purchasing this class will nominate one person to have access to the file, and Facebook group on behalf of the club. This person may post videos also, on behalf of themselves, the committee members, or instructors. Club access is $100NZD.
Please email Kelly on hybriddogtraining@gmail.com for more information, or to access the class. Please note that this class content will be released starting from the end of May 2019.
I'm excited to have the amazing Gaye Stammers running some Nosework classes in the upcoming weeks at Hybrid Training.
Gaye has written this post, to introduce Nosework and her upcoming seminar and class at Hybrid Training.
So I'm sitting here writing a "blog" waiting for some hides that I have set up for Java to age, just a little bit before putting n her harness and asking her to search...... thinking I know a little bit about training odour for scent detection for sport ... and not very much about blogging...
I heard about a seminar being held in Auckland with the guest speaker being Debbie Kay about 4 years ago. Apparently, an expert about nosework... so I signed up for a working spot with no idea what I got myself into!! Which is normal for me... sign up for something and then deal with the consequences later! Had an awesome day learning a lot of stuff, which at the time I thought was a bit pointless as there were no organizations running Nosework trials at the time, and I'm a dairy farmer not a detection dog handler. Java picked it up real fast even with all the environmental stuff that sent her into overload by the end of the day.
Then I heard that Sue Williams from Noseworx was running a trial in Hamilton... cool! Something to aim for to train for! That was back in 2016 and Sue impressed about the fact that I had taught my dog odour obedience by myself utilizing online resources (FDSA).
Here's the thing though. It's not so much about the competition for me, it's more about I love watching Java using her nose to find that odour and get rewarded. It's something we can do anywhere and when she's in search mode she doesn't worry about other stuff that normally keeps her on red alert.
Now that Nosework is starting to get noticed in NZ. But it doesn't matter if you are a competitive person or not, because if your keen to do something different with your dog ... that you can train anywhere and in all seasons, that doesn't require lots of expensive gear, that allows your dog to utilize one of it's most important senses (smell) ... then this is for you and your best mate.
Now best I go let Java do her search ... before it's too dark to see. Not that it will matter for her as she will just follow her nose!
This seminar is suitable for all dogs, any age / stage / breed / temperament, and handlers wanting to learn about nosework, the latest dog sport to hit NZ. We will be looking at concept games to imprint odour, games to encourage odour obedience, odour hygiene, and more. We will also be discussing hunt drive and how the sport is currently developing in New Zealand. The 4 week course will be a combination of different games each week to encourage confidence in your dog to work out problems independently and give you the handler the confidence to allow your dog to take the lead, while being an active team member.
WORKSHOP:
Saturday the 18th of May, 9am - 12 at Hybrid Training, Morrinsville. Handling is $80 which includes an intro kit, and auditing is $20. Handling places are limited.
WEEKLY CLASS: 4 weekly classes, at Hybrid Training on Thursday nights at 7pm, from the 23rd of May. $120 for the full course.
