Training update

I've not really been updating the blog the last few weeks. I blame it on the sunshine and long walks with Grey and his friends. We've settled into bits of training. Lots of socialisation round town and walking with other dogs which has really paid off. He seems to have really calmed down. Yes, still a monkey and very much a character, but I'm learning to work with it. We've got a weekly session with J locally and that gives us more than enough to work on. At the moment we're working recalls, retrieve with a stuffed toy that he brings to me to get a treat out of it, twist, heelwork and general calm around traffic, leave it training around food.

He is able to look at approaching vans now and more or less not lunge. I haven't had a lunge for a week. That is really good and I'm really proud of him. It's a huge step forward for us.

I'm trying to plan ahead and think what I'd like to do with Grey. I have always thought it might be nice to do some kind of activity. He enjoys doing stuff and it would be nice to find something that I can manage timewise and that will get his tail wagging. So what to do: agility, scentwork or some specific gundog training?

This weekend it was really hot and he laid up most of Saturday. We went out to the beach in the evening and it was really lovely. Shame about the messy summer beach users leaving a trail of rubbish in their wake. He unfortunately scoured discarded BBQs, but thankfully no bones found.

Ha ha I just spotted lots of pics of Grey

From last year's slovak fun day. See if you can spot him:

http://www.slovakianroughhairedpointerclub.org.uk/events.htm

He was about 6 months old then.

Lily the weimie service dog in training video

Really nice video of a weimie called Lily who is a service dog in training following The Levels programme.



See, HPRs can do this stuff!

training diary

Grey has got into aunty J's school. Grin.

Today we went out on the lead to the park with L and the baby in the pram. While they went on the swings in the little kids' play area, Grey and I walked on the lead round the park with a bag of treats. We had a brief spell off lead with his toy in the enclosed basketball court until a park rubbish collector told me I could get fined for that. Although there are no signs up?

While in there I was throwing his toy for him and enticing him back for cuddles and a bit of tug and not insisting he let it go. Basically getting him to come back to me for good things and if he lets go we throw again and keep the game going in quite high energy.

Today we worked on teaching him 'twist' at home which is an anti-clockwise spin.

Last night we had gone down the beach and I was playing find it by clearly throwing a treat and then calling him into me for a puppy recall to get a treat from my hands. He stayed much much closer to me and he was very engaged. Came back on the whistle a few times and it was much easier to finish the session on a positive not and loose lead walk home.

He's doing really well on the lead now. I can manage the odd lunge at lorries but more often than not he's rewarded for being calm around them.

Sink fishing

Grey can now reach into the utility room sink. Note to self: Do not leave things in the utility room sink.

tasty treat recipes

Mmmmm homemade treats from Willow.

Lead training

We're doing some waiting for offered behaviours with Charlie, so I was interested to see how Ian Dunbar's lead walking would work out. In the past I've not had much success with the be a tree method as it usually resulted in Grey sniffing the floor, going round me in a circle and generally finding something else to focus on. But as part of a structured and active training session it worked really well. The key is to keep the pace up and interested. Not long so he doesn't get bored or stressed.

Ian illustrates it in this video here:



It basically trains in a sit when you stop. Obviously, Ian is performing this on stage and not on a street with lots of doggy smells. But I tried it out with Grey this morning. Starting with one step, then two steps, three steps etc. it worked really well and it's similar to 300 peck heeling by adding a step each time. We went out on the quiet Sunday pavement, which is a fave training day of mine. We had a spin round the carpark and then back on the pavement.

Are domestic dogs pack animals?

More Jean Donaldson! An article that discusses the reality that domestic dogs differ from wolves and that when allowed to free roam they do not form packs.

"During the tenure of dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu, a poorly thought out reconstruction effort in Romania resulted in the demolition of thousands of houses and the relocation of thousands of families into small apartments throughout the country. For family dogs, this meant being turned out onto the street, where they have multiplied and eked out a marginal existence ever since.

A sad situation from every possible angle, the explosion of free-ranging dogs in Romania is an unintended experiment that challenges one of the most taken for granted aphorisms in the dog behavior world: that dogs are “pack animals.” The dogs in Romania have not formed packs. Their associations with one another are brief and casual: a couple of dogs may hang out together temporarily and then part company. Dogs are often drawn together by a scarce resource like a food source or estrous female but once this magnet is gone, they go their separate ways."

Jean Donaldson on motivation

Nice video of Jean Donaldson conditioning her dog buffy to happily accept the Gentle Leader headcollar.



And another of her discussing rewards and motivation in training. I really like how Buffy is allowed to come in and sit on the Buffy Chair! Putting pay to the theory that dogs take over the world if allowed on the furniture.

The importance of testing for infections

I was reminded by Gunner's owner about the importance of not ignoring continued tummy problems for prolonged periods. Gunner's condition probably worsened because his infection went undiscovered and further the anti-inflammatory medication masked the effect of the infection. There have been many reports of prolonged tummy problems in slovaks that I have come across. I don't believe this is down to a genetic predisposition. In many cases the problems came down to GI infections. Unfortunately, tummy upsets in young pups can be down to 101 different causes. But if it continues for more than a few days after settling puppy into his new home, I would get fecal and urine tests done. So much is put down to puppy being stressed with a move.

We think Grey had infections from being tiny because his baby teeth had very patchy enamel that the dental specialist spotted when he had his first work done to rectify his overshot jaw. I have been in touch with two of his littermates and all had treatment for infections like campylobacter and giardia. It is important when infections like this are discovered that any dog that has come into contact with an infected dog is tested and given treatment and that the environment where they reside is disinfected. Otherwise the infection can remain in the environment.

Gunner is now doing well on his medication and we cross our fingers he'll be back to good health soon.

Sunny times and progress

I was reminded this week to take stock of just how far Grey has come in the last few months. I went out with a friend for a few lead walks and she mentioned how different he is now. So much calmer and pulling less. More able to manage himself and focus. So, yes, mr monkey, I'm very proud of you. Even though you did nick the sugar bowl off the table and had an attempt to swallow all of his dad's mashed potato last night.

We've done a lot more lead walking the last few weeks. All on the halti and occaisionally heelwork on the flat collar. He can now do heelwork with sits when I stop. This is obviously really hard work for him to keep up with and so I only use it in short bursts. I'm not interested in him heeling all the time. That would be really stressful. Heeling to me is very tight to my leg with him looking up at me. For general walking around town leadwork, a slack lead is the goal. I've started having my lead long again from yesterday, so I can cue him to 'go sniff' occaisionally to give him some freedom and variety on the walk. 'Go sniff' can also be a reward as well as the food.


We have been playing hide and seek in the park when it was empty. Doing lots of fast changes in direction with him off the lead. Getting him to follow me and see where I'm going. Then a few times we've been up to the lido with a walk round the highstreet to keep working on his experiences around distractions. He has improved loads. He still has the odd lunge at vans, but are becoming infrequent. He seems to be ignoring motorbikes now. But if a van or vehicle appears near the beach or park, he will still take off chasing. So still got to work on that.