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.
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.
Swim and a bath
We were playing in the open field and Isaac decided to go investigate the pond. I tossed some sticks in and he walked in up to his chest. I tried to coax him in for about 20 minutes, even stepped in. He is getting closer, but he definitely isn’t a water dog.
He then got a bath in the driveway, though he wasn’t 100% compliant he did stand nicely and didn’t vocalize like he’s been known to do. When he was a lot younger I’m sure the neighbors thought I was poking him with an ice pick.
The two hose game is getting very very solid, Isaac brings them in fairly close before dropping them and seems to have made the connection that I need to be involved for it to be fun. He’ll retrieve them, jump and grab for them when he comes back in if I hold it out to the side, he will also play tug with them. We’ve been working on this daily for weeks and it is paying off. I still want to continue the play with the hoses as I know it will make positive reinforcement that much easier when he’s willing to work as hard for toys as he is for food.
His favorite game seems to be being restrained while Noah runs 100 yards out in the field and then Isaac runs out to him balls to the walls.
Couple Updates
Yesterday I received the two fur-saver collars I ordered from Hallmark K9 on Friday (standard shipping…nice and fast). Jim Hill, the owner, even dropped me a call to clarify a question I had sent him via email since the order was different than what I was asking (Chrome verses Stainless Steel). Second order I’ve placed with Hallmark K9 and would recommend them for your ‘dog’ needs.
Isaac is 6 months old and weighs 62 lbs so I ordered the 21″ and 23″ fur-saver collars. The 21″ fits (maybe a fuzz loose). Once he’s done growing and I know what size I’ll need I’ll purchase the Stainless Steel version. If you’re ordering one keep in mind that Herm Sprenger collars are measured from outside of ring to outside of ring. Keep in mind NO COLLARS in Kennel or Crate or when your beast isn’t supervised!
Quick comparison
Just a couple of pictures of the dog with Noah in the background so you can see his growth. He went to the kennel this AM and was in the run next to his mother, he’s closing in on her height.
Tracking
Isaac has been tracking really really fast in anticipation of the jackpot! I’ve also always been tracking him hungry, his meal spread across the track.
Tonight I fed him dinner at 5:30 and then just tracked him at 8:15 in hopes of slowing him down a little, less frantic. I also put a lot smaller jackpot at the end of the track. It went fairly well and I think I’ll try this approach for a week or so.
Still not doing any OB work with the pooch other than hay don’t kill the little dog or the kids. His broken K9 fell out and the new one is coming in so he’s playing with a soft freaky silicone ball. The two ball is coming along nicely (IMHO) so the playing is paying off huge. Still doesn’t drive him like food does, but it’s getting close.
Not sure if we’ll make the trip to the Schutzhund club in the AM or not.
Almost 5 months (if the math is right)
I took a few pictures today at lunch, if my math is correct Isaac is about 5 months old.
Development and Promotion
Isaac has turned a corner with regards to ‘playing’ with the rag, KONG on a strap, and anything else he sees as ‘prey’. The weeks of playing with him have paid off, he barks, snaps, jumps, chases, and generally works for the item consistently. He stays engaged for 10 or more minutes.
Yesterday I did a litmus test to see if he’d ‘work’ for it, he will (not focusing on this yet). Rather than have him ‘work’ for it I’m going to see if I can get the retrieve down. i.e., this morning I got him going with the puppy rag and then would toss the KONG, when he picked it up I would praise him, start the puppy rag moving again to bring him back, and would let him begin chasing it and grab it as soon as he dropped the KONG. We’ll get some two ball out of him at some point.
May have to take a break as his chipped puppy K9 is very close to falling out and I don’t want to give him cause to not hold/engage because of teething pain. Doesn’t seem to bother him, but it is way way loose and is bleeding a touch.
Haven’t been updating photos so I’m going to try and get some pictures posted something in the next couple of day.
Another weekend no Schutzhund Club
Marissa’s 19th b-day party was last night and I decided I wasn’t going to get up Today and head up to ICSC. Saturday in the early morning and late evening Isaac was good to go, but during the heat of the day he was zapped. Figured I’d sleep in and keep him out of the heat.
Unfortunately now that I look at the Calendar I’ll be missing the 17th of this month because Marissa goes back to school.
Good news is that I’m still tracking him and working on drive with the KONG, not too much formal obedience (little here and there nothing stellar). Better news is that his stomach seems to have settled down (keeping fingers crossed).
Kerry weighed him yesterday (or Friday) and he’s at 49 or 50 lbs. All I hear is he’s “SO” skinny….I think (and the vet confirmed) that he’s at a very good weight. I think his hips and elbows will be happier in the long run (plus one fat-body in the family is enough).
Tracking update
Did some tracking this evening, he was a little scattered but finished with no checks.
Also did a little OB earlier in the day, the food keeps him in drive (haven’t tried toys yet, still just playing with those in short intervals).
Teeth and updates.
Isaac is losing teeth (not just starting). Finally we are getting to a point where his mouth isn’t full of needles, though what he is lacking in sharpness he is making up for with power.
Haven’t had any diarrhea issues since the weekend of July 19th.
Been spending most time on just playing with him with the KONG(s) and occasional obedience. Been playing ping pong with him between Noah and me which is getting his come when called a little more solid.
He’s gone for some car rides and seen more dogs and kids (socialization continues).
He has done some minor chewing on the new bed in the kennel, but it’s still functional and he uses it on a regular basis. On occasion when he goes out at 11:00 PM before bed he wants to sleep outside rather than in the crate (can’t trust him with that one). All I need with all my crazy neighbor issues is a dog howling at the moon all night.
Pretty sure the North Central Region’s site is complete.
Built Dog Bed
Isaac spends some time outside in his kennel and I noticed he was getting some rough spots on his elbows from laying on the brick. He didn’t seem to mind, but I figured I’d hook him up with some luxury.
I decided to build him a dog bed (they are kind of expensive to buy). Here are the instructions I kind of followed. He seems to love it, we’ll see how long the Duck Fabric lasts (couldn’t find Cordora). Since it’s 100% cotton I’m not sure how it will hold up. For $7.99 a yard it seems affordable enough to replace. Also when I replace it I might use straps to tighten it rather than screws. I actually glued the PVC instead of just pounding it together like the instructions suggest. Also I didn’t order the special furniture fittings and just used standard 1.5″ PVC fittings (didn’t use the 1.75″ PVC as suggested).
Here are some pictures.
So far so good
The plan is working thus far. Laid some nice logs @ 11:00 PM Monday night on the way home from Gus and Glory’s house. Just keeping the fingers crossed that he can make a successful transition to the new Canidae formula.
Hoping to get some more recent pictures of the pooch posted.
Getting very close to completing the North Central Regional website. Not terribly happy with the gallery and the forums, but I think I’m ahead of the curve compared to most of the other regions sites.
The Plan of attack
Here is the plan of attack after fasting Isaac for 24 hours (H2O was allowed). He was back to his normal self this AM, not lethargic like yesterday.
Monday will consist of three meals containing:
1/2 cup Rice cooked in beef broth
1/4 cup softened Canidae mix 50% old 50% new
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/4 Cups total x 3
Tuesday will consist of three meals containing:
1 cup Rice cooked in beef broth
1/2 cup softened Canidae mix 50% old 50% new
1 heaping spoonful of canned pumpkin
1 1/2 Cups total x 3
Wednesday will consist of one meal containing:
1 cup Rice cooked in beef broth
1 cup softened Canidae mix 50% old 50% new
2 Cups total x 1
Wednesday will be finished with two meals containing:
1 cup softened Canidae mix 50% old 50% new
1 Cup total x 2
Could it be Canidae’s fault
So we went to the Wisconsin Dells Fri/Sat/Sun and left Marissa home with Isaac. 12:00 AM Saturday night/Sunday morning Isaac had diarrhea in the crate and then again at 7:00 AM. She called us at 8:00 AM to report there were problems. At about 1:00 she called her Grandma and Grandpa to check him out because he was lethargic. Bob reported he was playing with Stella and looked OK. I told them to pop an imodium down his gullet. He hasn’t had any stool loose or otherwise since I got home at 2:30 PM.
So what is it this time? Had his final round of shots on Wed. and then Thursday night started to transition him to Canidae’s new formula. There was a rawhide bone laying around and it looks like he ate a quarter of that on Friday.
He’s on a 24 hour fast (still gets water) and we’ll start him on rice tomorrow. Here are things that could have caused it.
- Canidae switched his formula
- Shots on Wed
- Half a raw hide Friday
- Teething
- Ate a foreign object
- To much time out in the heat (don’t think this was it)
- Missed Kerry, Noah, and me (stress related)
Will report on the stool consistency tomorrow. Just hope imodium didn’t plug him up too much. I’m leaning towards the fact that Canidae changed it’s formula, we’ve been mixing the old 50/50 with the new (didn’t have enough to transition slower).
Needless to say no training took place this weekend, though there was progress on the North Central Region USA website.
info on the canidae change (not sure how valid any of it is)
Canidae-All-Life-Stage-Dry-New-Formula-Healthy-Dog-Food-Pet-Food-Danger-Guage
Seefido.com dog discussion forum
Could it be Canidae's fault
So we went to the Wisconsin Dells Fri/Sat/Sun and left Marissa home with Isaac. 12:00 AM Saturday night/Sunday morning Isaac had diarrhea in the crate and then again at 7:00 AM. She called us at 8:00 AM to report there were problems. At about 1:00 she called her Grandma and Grandpa to check him out because he was lethargic. Bob reported he was playing with Stella and looked OK. I told them to pop an imodium down his gullet. He hasn’t had any stool loose or otherwise since I got home at 2:30 PM.
So what is it this time? Had his final round of shots on Wed. and then Thursday night started to transition him to Canidae’s new formula. There was a rawhide bone laying around and it looks like he ate a quarter of that on Friday.
He’s on a 24 hour fast (still gets water) and we’ll start him on rice tomorrow. Here are things that could have caused it.
- Canidae switched his formula
- Shots on Wed
- Half a raw hide Friday
- Teething
- Ate a foreign object
- To much time out in the heat (don’t think this was it)
- Missed Kerry, Noah, and me (stress related)
Will report on the stool consistency tomorrow. Just hope imodium didn’t plug him up too much. I’m leaning towards the fact that Canidae changed it’s formula, we’ve been mixing the old 50/50 with the new (didn’t have enough to transition slower).
Needless to say no training took place this weekend, though there was progress on the North Central Region USA website.
info on the canidae change (not sure how valid any of it is)
Canidae-All-Life-Stage-Dry-New-Formula-Healthy-Dog-Food-Pet-Food-Danger-Guage
Seefido.com dog discussion forum
General News
Isaac had his picture published in the July/August issue of the official Schutzhund USA Magazine. OK I’ll admit that they only used it because one of the editors happens to be the wife of the Breeder I got the dog from and they needed a puppy picture, but either way it was pretty interesting.
I’ve been working on the site for the North Central Region of the United Schutzhund Clubs of America. It’s not beautiful, but it’s something and it’s up so feel free to check it out. Info, Blog, Gallery, and forums….maybe I’ll toss a site meter on it and see how much traffic it gets. Just keep in mind I don’t iron my clothes and wear white socks with everything so the ‘design’ isn’t award winning or anything.
Isaac had his last set of shots today and the vet was happy with how well behaved Isaac was. He told me to watch the chipped tooth and he claims that Isaac will weigh 100 lbs. Says they are at 40% of their body weight at 16 weeks of age, we’ll see. Since they couldn’t even tell me what was causing the shits (failed to even mention teething) this simply adds credence to my claim it’s all voodoo! Don’t get me wrong the guy was nice and helpful, but so are a lot of people. It kind of reminded me of the carnival guy with the scale….
Knock on an old growth tree we’ve had solid stool for a long time (that’s no shits in lame men terms).
Chipped Canine Tooth
During the daily going over I notice that Isaac has chipped/broke his right canine tooth. How he did it I have no idea, haven’t seen blood anywhere or noticed anything during play. He hasn’t had any bones or chew toys since the diarrhea episodes we were having. My guess is that a rock did i
He has slowed down substantially on the rock carrying, chewing, and searching for but I can’t guarantee he didn’t get a hold of one. The tooth hasn’t slowed down his eating, mouthing on stuff, or chasing down the Kong or other balls.
He wasn’t to cooperative for the portrait
Puppies are usually born without any teeth. The temporary (or deciduous = “fall out”) teeth begin to erupt around 3 weeks of age. By 8 weeks of age most breeds of dogs will have their full complement of deciduous teeth – 28 in all. These are comprised of 6 incisors (the small front teeth), 2 canines (the “fangs”) and 6 premolars (3 on each side) on both the top and bottom jaws. These deciduous teeth are quite brittle (hence they can break easily) and they have very long roots compared with the size of the tooth.
The adult or permanent teeth begin to erupt (with the loss of the associated deciduous tooth) at about 3 months of age starting with the central incisors. All of the permanent teeth should have erupted by 6 months of age and no deciduous teeth should be left. Some of the toy breeds can be a little slower than other breeds as far as eruption goes. (source)
Dog fine, Noah OK, Bethany not so good
- Dog is onto boiled chicken mixed with Pumpkin, low fat plain yogurt, and low fat cottage cheese. Laid some logs this evening.
- Noah is onto a piece of white toast, pedialite, and a popsicle. Stopped tossing his cookies about 9:00 AM or so.
- Bethany got a suppository and some pedialite. Just stopped vomiting after getting the magic bullet.
I’m eating crackers and Jello though I’m thinking about going big and just cooking a pizza. Might as well eat well if your going to feel like crap anyway.
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