Isaac and the future –> SchH 1 anyone?
Now that Isaac has passed his BH and seems to be barking a little bit for the sleeve it seems we’ll be moving forward with bite work towards a SchH 1. It seems apparent that we’ll have to do everything through prey drive and he’ll have to be barking for the sleeve as a toy – at this point it seems obvious he’s not going to work for the man. In fact in my estimation at this point the man is just going to shut him down – he’s too soft. He’ll bark for the soccer ball, strike the soccer ball, and even take drive and stick hits from me. Now would he do it for someone else? Also the soccer ball is a lot softer and more pliable than a trial sleeve (but it’s progress).
He’s got a solid bark for the ball and is also barking when people who don’t belong around are around – for example when the ComEd guy showed up at the meter he had a very solid bark, not backing down and would have been interesting if he had gotten out of the kennel. Here is a picture of Isaac and Noah doing some bite work 
It’s Noah’s version of the escape combined with the courage test – the bad part is that he’s not wearing a sleeve (though it hasn’t seemed to curtain this activity – Noah is kind of thick).
So moving forward here’s what needs to occur (in no particular order)
- Clean up his obedience – begin applying more pressure – automatic corrections (i.e., sit)
- Make more OB when not doing official obedience (needs to have OB when checking in and receiving critique) did this while at the park on Sunday with kids and Kerry’s friends (on lead entire time)
- Work on retrieve – start with dowel rod (eventually on flat and over obstacles)
- Add in the jump and wall (I know he can jump because on walks I have him jump a fence onto a picnic table at pavilion at the park – it’s a meter high)
- Start doing more longer tracks (these were going well for awhile, but I stopped in the heat of the summer and was too focused on the BH) – of all the phases this is the one Isaac seems to excel the most at
- Bite work (need to figure out schedule with soccer and training days at ICSC so I can actually do protection work on a regular basis or else it’s going to go nowhere)
The items that will be totally new to Isaac are the retrieve and the wall – he’s had exposure to everything else.
The real challenge is going to be fitting in time to do protection work at the club with the soccer schedule, total nightmare! Need to just get Noah and dog and quick soccer….
Isaac vom Geistwasser BH H.O.T
Isaac is now Isaac vom Geistwasser BH H.O.T – for those non-schutzhund people below in BLUE is the skinny on the BH.
Isaac and I attended the North Central Region Championships hosted by Fox Valley Police & Schutzhund Club which was judged by Frank Phillips, USA. Isaac and I were very late entries due to unforeseen circumstances and I was a little (understatement) nervous showing at a regional event - FVPSC members and spectators were gracious and supportive, they even had to bring out a dummy dog because there were only 3 BH entries and I drew 3rd.
Below is an article that was posted where our performance got a mention -
Chris Duffey also handled a German Shepherd that was feeling spunky but remembered his manners to successfully complete the routine, doing a nice job of it.
Chris Duffey, Isaac vom Geistwasser BH H.O.T and USA Judge Frank Philips
Isaac got a nice medallion for passing the test -
Noah attended the event – though he had to hide during the OB portion of the test because Isaac likes him better than me. Once Noah stepped to the fence to listen to the critique Isaac got a little “spunky” which is code for acted like Marmaduke! I suppose that’s better than biting the judge when he checks a tattoo (which I had memorized, but didn’t need to rattle off).
Here is video of the Obedience portion of the BH – If you’re interested in comparing Isaac and me to what a 97 Point SchH3 OB Phase at last years Regionals looked like click here.
It’s Been awhile
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted updates with regards to training – so here we go. I will be going to Wisconsin this weekend to attend the North Central Regional Championships where I hope to get Isaac his BH. I had hoped to do his BH at the ICSC trial a couple of weeks ago, but Kerry getting labyrinthitis kind of hosed that plan. Though I’m thankful they are doing BHs at Regionals and I’ll have the opportunity to get it out of the way – It really wasn’t my venue of choice to be showcasing our skills! Maybe all the attendees will be busy with other things as I walk down the field like a drunken sailor.
Took a link out of the pinch today – When I worked Isaac at lunch today it seemed a lot better than last night which was encouraging, but isn’t quite this yet.
Steve Romard’s Leaked workout routine
Lenny and Erik van Gogh – since the video is kind of busting Steve’s balls I figured I give him props by posting a good pick of his son and his dog enjoying a bike ride.
Scary
How scary is it that when you search google for schutzhund usa magazine in Belgium my dogs blog shows up as the 4th result.
Click here for results
Just glad I could help our partners in sport from Europe with my insane knowledge and advice about Schutzhund. I’m not sure what this says for schutzhund usa magazine – they may want to consider developing their brand
Today’s Bike ride with Isaac
Took Isaac while Marissa showed me the back way to sneak into Elburn Woods from town.
Isaac’s trip to St Louis
During Isaac’s trip to St Louis he got to meet 4 little dogs (American Eskimo, Cocker Spaniel, white cotton ball, and some little terrier). He also got to meet to minature ponies on one of our walks.
They came trotting up to the fence and he ran over to investigate. Sniffs were shared – and all was fine until they made a horse noise and Isaac realized they weren’t just big dogs. He didn’t bark, but he did puff up and give them the hairy eyeball. Wish I had my phone or a camera.
Also have NO idea how anyone trains their SchH dogs in down there. At 1:00 AM it was still 95 with 100% humidity! Can’t even imagine when you’d track.
Obedience Progress
Here is a little video of our progress towards the BH (in August) – added the about turn last night and need to work on the front. Sit in motion is coming along, but still worries me a little.
I need to work on my coordination so that I can use a longer lead and still reward him the ball while keeping him ‘tethered’ to me.
New Look
Got kind of tired of the theme I was using for the past two years and I couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t render 100% correct in Google Chrome so I decided it was time for a change.
This theme is based on Allure 2.0, but I’ve modified it. It’s a two column theme with support for Featured Content plugin, I just added the bottom posts from the Schutzhund Training Category under the two main columns.
Removed all the menus from the top (pages and categories) and kept all widgets on the far right side. Changed the header logo and only used text because the featured content plugin allows me to dynamically assign/change the number and which pictures are displayed. Seemed more flexible.
Am in the process of reworking categories and making sure items are located in appropriate categories for a little easier management and navigation.
Also just hit over 5000 visits – not bad for two years considering it’s just me rambling about a dog. My experiment with Joomla wasn’t terribly successful – little to cumbersome for my needs.
5-19-2010
Aug 20 – 22 ICSC BH (got Isaac’s score book)
After 2 trips to ICSC Isaac is at least barking & half-assed going after the prey – seems more interested in the man. Jen suggested corrections- seems to shut him down & flatten him a little (he’s used to e-collar not the pinch). This was older notes from my note book, corrections have worked out after sticking with them for awhile and always getting him back in drive after a correction.
Moved back to basics – Did a little sitz @ lunch and he gets it – might break fuss & look apart. Need to continue with fronts with food and clicker. Keep using the look command for attention only.
James playing catch with Isaac
Kerry had James tossing the ball for Isaac while he was over tonight – the strange thing is that James is afraid of Stella (the miniature schnauzer) but doesn’t seem to be bothered by Isaac.
Latest updates
Just posted recent activity and progress here under Schutzhund Training Updates. Bottom line is that we’ve been plugging away and are making some progress. The OB is a lot better and he’s matured enough that he’ll do a little barking for the helper.
Shooting for a BH in August at the Indian Creek Schutzhund Club fall trial – info for the trial can be found here.
5-18-2010
It’s been quite some time since I’v posted anything relevant on the BLOG – at one point I had given up all hope that Isaac would ever do protection work. Well the protection work is looking a little more promising these days. Keep in mind he’s not hard hitting the sleeve with a solid hold and bark, but he is barking for the sleeve as well as carrying the sleeve.
Here is a little video of him barking – took him until just over 2 years of age to get to this point. He’s definitely soft and for that giant head of his doesn’t have a rock solid grip or anything, but he is barking and carrying. From what I’ve seen he also isn’t short on either side of the puppy sleeve so he’s got that going for him. The whip this past weekend kind of put him off – courage test? We’ll see.
His obedience is coming along quite nicely in my opinion – ball drive is there, has a decent long down just needs work on left turns. He is also now receiving corrections during OB work.
Have tried to clarify communication with just ONE command – a NO – a GOOD dog – and a FREE to release him. This seems to definitely be clearing things up – was struggling with the ball, the least and the clicker.
Have also tried to take a couple steps back and use the fuss command for position and the look command for attention.
Shooting for a BH at the end of August. Have the control – need to teach the following
- Finish
- About turn
- Front
- Sit and Platz in motion
Bottom line is that two things have occurred
- Noah worked on Gib Laut with the ball for A VERY LONG time after I initially taught him to speak.
- Isaac has matured enough where he is getting a little more ‘barky’ for things that he considers out of the ordinary.
Suppose if Isaac is going to participate in the bite work I need to get my ass out tracking a lot more. For awhile I had continued to track Isaac, but when the bite work wasn’t progressing I dropped the tracking and just worked on OB and getting him to play and bark. Silly beast -
Bark Bark Barking!
Here is quick video showing the progress – it’s not a hold and bark, and it’s not even a puppy sleeve – but it is progress. We’ll just keep plugging along and hope for the best – oh – Denise and Paivi I’ll cut his food back a little bit.
OB on 4-26-2010
We’re making some progress in the area of obedience – ball drive has improved because I continue to learn to play with the dog.
Earth Day Oddities
Strange things are afoot this Earth Day – the Geese have gone mad! Can’t recall the last time I saw geese perched on a roof top – was strange enough it put Isaac in a state of confusion.
Dog Park and the long down
Let me start of by saying I’m not a fan of dog parks – not at all! Far too many tards with dogs out of their control just roaming around looking for trouble if you ask me. This was the first time Isaac had ever been to a dog park though he’s been socialized with a lot of other dogs of all different shapes, sizes, colors, and intelligence levels.
I took Isaac to wait at the soccer fields while waiting for Noah’s practice to end and was working him in the open field he’s used to. Just a little OB and then was going to do the long down and decided he was ready for some real distractions.
The dog park only had four dogs in it (two Grate Dains were leaving as we entered).
When I took him in they all kind of ignored him because we were just walking the perimeter minding our own business. A Great Pyrenees came up and drooled on him and there were polite sniffs and he then moved on.
I took him to the far corner and platzed him – walked to a picnic table and had a seat. Dogs walked up and sniffed him a couple times and meandered around and he stayed rock solid. Even as one woman continuously tossed a Frisbee her dog never once ran after – she would just walk over and pick it up and toss it again. So all and all he spent about 10 minutes in one spot with quite a few distractions.
No more dog parks for us, but it was nice to see that the long down I’ve been working on isn’t just dependent on a magical spot in the couple fields we normally practice in.
FYI – he’s wears a Dogtra 2300NCP, though he didn’t need any corrections it was strapped on just in case. He only postured once when he completed the long down and I was giving him a tug with his ball and the Great Pyrenees wanted the ball – Isaac is tolerant of other dogs, but is not tolerant of other dogs that want to share his ball while he’s playing with it.
Let me see your war face!
You got a war face! AAAAAAAAHH! That’s a war face, let me see your war face! …… Bullshit. You didn’t convince me. let me see your REAL war face!……You don’t scare me! Work on it!
Isaac and Noah
Noah playing ball with Isaac – confusing him with quick succession of fuss, Gib Laut, and platz in who knows what order
Grumpy Isaac (part 2)
Kerry didn’t believe that Isaac wasn’t terribly happy to be pet while he’s eating his dinner. Again you can take the bowl, and put your hand in it, but don’t try and pet him. He got her to jump which I thought was funny – but was probably encouraging his behavior. Here’s the background
Since this just popped up figured I better nip it in the bud. Break out the hot dogs and the clicker. First day I fed him and I just barely grazed his ribs with my hand – quiet = mark and a chunk of hot dog. Did this the entire time he ate, expecting a little more each time (he knows what I was marking).
Second day I had Noah come down and do the same thing while I marked and fed. In four days only one grizzly growl and I was asking for it, but he stopped and I marked it. Think we’re well on the way to having back a tolerant food driven dog.
Interesting thing is that I’m sure it’s his over the top food drive that got him acting like a tard – yet it’s the same food drive that fixed it in a day (with 4 days of follow-up so far).
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