Archive for Dog Training

As a Special “Thank You!”…

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

 It’s that time of year…time for giving thanks!

As a special thank you to all our Spot on Agility clients, followers, subscribers, and fellow agility competitors worldwide, we are offering 25% off our popular re-released Spot on Agility 2on2off Dog Agility Contact Training DVD from November 24-29, 2011!

Regularly $29.99, for a limited time you can purchase our 2on2off  Dog Agility Contract Training DVD that’s praised by dog agility trainers all over the world for only $22.50!

Spot On Agility’s 2on2off  Dog Agility Contract Training DVD provides easy to follow contact training behavior that’s fun and entertaining for dogs. It provides unprecedented ease in training 2on2off contact behavior for novice dogs or experienced dogs that need refreshed or retrained contact behavior. The lessons and exercises included in the DVD are easy to follow and make it efficient and fun for both dog and dog trainer.

Stacy Peardot-Goudy, world renowned dog agility trainer, owner of C Spot Win Agility in LaPorte, Colorado and recent 2011 USDAA Steeplechase Champion with her dog Wally recently reviewed Spot On Agility’s 2on2off dog agility contact training DVD. “It’s so easy training dogs with Spot On Agility’s Contact Training DVD that anyone can have successful results, whether they be novice or masters level dog agility trainers,” shared Goudy. “I love how the dogs instantly understand the criteria and drive to the 2on2off position you are asking of them, making contact training very enjoyable.”

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. Spot On Agility’s 2on2off  Dog Agility Contract Training DVD can help you and your dog have the successful and fun contact behavior you’ve been looking for; and it makes a great gift for agility friends and students! Click here to purchase and enter code ‘HOL2011’ at checkout to receive 25% off.

Happy Holidays!

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Categories : Dog Training, Foundation, Obstacles in Agility
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Follow Up to Dog Trainer & Cobbler’s Children

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Monday, October 24th, 2011

YouTube Preview Image  This is a follow up to Friday’s note on my Dog Trainers and the Cobbler’s Children comparison. Please read that article first.

Going into the weekend with my own ‘plan’ really made for a fun and successful trial for both me and my dogs. So what was my plan you ask?  Well, in a nut shell:

  • I wanted focus from my dogs during our runs (focus on the handling cues and obstacle criteria they’ve been taught). In return;
  • I promised myself I would focus on 1) providing clear handling to my dogs and 2) maintaining the obstacle criteria I’ve trained them for.

By working on what I HAD trained, I could easily overcome the anxiety I was having on what I had NOT yet perfected (the weaves) and it was easy to obtain a measurable and well-deserved success.  So let’s take a look at some of the runs I had with my dogs.

The first one above is with Zulu.  Some of the positives:

  • A nice stay at the start.
  • He left the start line only when released.
  • He read the rear-cross to the #3 jump nicely and drove down to the tunnel when indicated.
  • He read the remainder of the crosses really well and took every obstacle in front of him.
  • He had nice speed and showed a willingness to work (without a toy or treat on me).

As expected, I also learned a few things too!

  • Initially I wasn’t happy about the knocked bar. But after reviewing the tape, I can see he generally clears the jumps with plenty of room, so I’m not going to worry about that at the moment.
  • No surprise, he really doesn’t understand the weaves yet.
  • I’m LATE on my front cross cues!

Next, let’s take a look at one of Ru’s runs with a video below.

Some of the positives:

  • A nice stay at the start line.
  • She remained in place until released.
  • Came back after her momentary ‘visits’
  • Drove to the tunnel as directed
  • Got her weave poles!!!!
  • Great speed and enthusiasm!
More things I learned!
  • I need to practice the release and motion maneuvers at the start line.
  • I need to continue to work on the concept of ‘stay with me, we’re a team’ with Ru.
  • I’m REALLY LATE with my front crosses!

So while I did make my goals and I celebrated them all weekend, it’s now time to move forward and address a few of those weak areas. I hope you enjoyed the videos as much as I enjoyed the runs : )

 

Happy Handling!

 

Lisa

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Categories : Agility Videos, Dog Articles, Dog Training, Goals & Planning, Handler Articles, Handling in Agility, Our Dogs, Rouge - Dalmatian, Zulu - Border Collie

Dog Trainers and The Cobbler’s Children

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

My hubby and I are entered in an agility trial this weekend over in Yakima. I love this trial and especially love the beautiful fall days that generally accompany these dates as well. Last night as we were headed to dinner, Dan says “I can’t wait to run my dogs this weekend! They’re doing so good!” And you know what? He should be excited because he has two fine working dogs and they’re ready for competition. Me on the other hand…not so much.


As if sensing my thoughts, Dan says “You’re excited too…right?”


Well, the truth is, I’m not excited and I decide to carefully say so (after all, I don’t want to burst his bubble). Being the caring man Dan is, he asks “Why not?” and I truthfully say “Because I’ve been so busy with other things,” (moving into the new building, judging, meeting judging deadlines, working on a few new training projects and more) “that I don’t feel like my dogs have received the training time needed to go in to competition.”


It’s like the old story of the cobbler’s children who have no shoes…isn’t it ironic that the dog trainer’s dogs aren’t trained?


So, the situation is what it is and now I need to decide (ahead of time) how I’m going to handle it. Keeping a sense of humor is important,

  • So first, I’m doing the obvious thing which is to cram all the training I can get in over the next 2 days. While this method NEVER worked in the past, there’s always hope it will work this ONE time.
  • Second (and being serious for just a moment), I have to be prepared, which means I’m not going to blame my dogs for my lack of training.
  • Third, if I’m embarrassed by what happens well, I’ll either plan and train more in the future or
  • I’ll talk myself into…err, um…I mean accept the fact that I’m a human with a full and rich life outside of agility <g>
  • Next, I’ll reassure myself that my dog’s lives are not negatively impacted by this one single event and;
  • Instead realize that it’s only my ego and competitive nature that’s really taking the hit here <g>

Well, now that I’ve talked about ‘worse case scenario’, it has dawned on me that this isn’t such a terrible ‘bad’. I mean even if I have horrific runs with my dogs, I’ll still go back to the RV and love on ‘em and enjoy their company. I’ll still BBQ with my friends, I’ll still camp under the stars (the bonus of having an RV) and of course my dogs will still be tormented with loads and loads of kisses.


After all, winning is nice, but it’s secondary to making and achieving that special moment with your dog. In this case, I’m going to focus on great obstacle performance (minus the weaves where I’m playing around with a few training methods), fun, criteria and playing. Now that’s a goal I can get behind and be excited about.


Happy Handling Everyone!

 

Lisa

 

This blog post continues with the ‘after trial’ recap HERE.

 

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Categories : Daily Life and Agility, Dog Articles, Dog Training, Lessons Learned, Ugh Moments, Yeah Moments

Research on Training Sessions – Frequency & Duration

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
As many of you know, I’m a big believer in short training sessions. Along those lines, here is the Abstract to a great research article (available from the authors for purchase should you want to read all the details) on this topic.
Enjoy!
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The effect of frequency and duration of training sessions on acquisition and long-term memory in dogs.

Abstract

Most domestic dogs are subjected to some kind of obedience training, often on a frequent basis, but the question of how often and for how long a dog should be trained has not been fully investigated. Optimizing the training as much as possible is not only an advantage in the training of working dogs such as guide dogs and police dogs, also the training of family dogs can benefit from this knowledge. We studied the effect of frequency and duration of training sessions on acquisition and on long-term memory. Forty-four laboratory Beagles were divided into 4 groups and trained by means of operant conditioning and shaping to perform a traditional obedience task, each dog having a total of 18 training sessions. The training schedules of the 4 groups differentiated in frequency (1–2 times per week vs. daily) and duration (1 training session vs. 3 training sessions in a row). Acquisition was measured as achieved training level at a certain time. The dogs’ retention of the task was tested four weeks post-acquisition. Results demonstrated that dogs trained 1–2 times per week had significantly better acquisition than daily trained dogs, and that dogs trained only 1 session a day had significantly better acquisition than dogs trained 3 sessions in a row. The interaction between frequency and duration of training sessions was also significant, suggesting that the two affect acquisition differently depending on the combination of these. The combination of weekly training and one session resulted in the highest level of acquisition, whereas the combination of daily training and three sessions in a row resulted in the lowest level of acquisition. Daily training in one session produced similar results as weekly training combined with three sessions in a row. Training schedule did not affect retention of the learned task; all groups had a high level of retention after 4 weeks. The results of the study can be used to optimize training in dogs, which is important since the number of training sessions often is a limiting factor in practical dog training. The results also suggest that, once a task is learned, it is likely to be remembered for a period of at least four weeks after last practice, regardless of frequency and duration of the training sessions.

Keywords: Acquisition; Dogs; Massed training; Spaced training; Retention; Long term memory

Authors:

Helle Demanta, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author, Jan Ladewigb, Thorsten J.S. Balsbya, Torben Dabelsteena

a University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Science, Dept. of Biology. Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 København Ø Denmark
b University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Life Sciences, Dept. of Large Animal Sciences. Grønnegårdsvej 8, DK-1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

Accepted 17 May 2011. Available online 15 June 2011.

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Categories : Dog Articles, Dog Training, Research
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Agility Lessons Learned From TSA

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Recently I had a ‘pleasurable’ weekend with the fine TSA folks at the airport. I travel a lot (3-4 times per month) and can always tell when new TSA agents are on the job. So I knew immediately that this trip was the first day for the majority of the crew.

The Situation

It started like this…My hubby and I, like usual, walk up together to the security podium. My hubby hands the TSA agent both tickets with each individual drivers license on top of the appropriate ticket (just like we always do). I park my happy little feet in the exact same spot the person prior to us had been standing.

The TSA agent first, freaks and says “Oh NOOOO! One ticket at a time!” and quickly hands back one ticket and one matching drivers license. Next, he chastises me with an “Oh…you…you need to be back (6 inches) to the front of the podium.” Ahhh…okay…

Where Did I Go Wrong?

After taking a small step backward, I look around for the directional signs I may have missed which stipulate the expectations of my new TSA agent. Hey, maybe they adjusted the rules since I’d last flown (3 days earlier). No surprise, there were none. Nothing on the podium that says “Stand Here”, nothing along the maze-like route directing me to be front and center and certainly nothing that says “One ticket at a time” (after all, it is customary for traveling groups/families to approach together). NOTHING!

Next, I check the ground for the magical piece of tape indicating the appropriate position where I am to stand and/or not cross prior to being given permission. Again, there was nothing.

I can’t help but think (in order):

  1. I’m confused…the rules just changed…
  2. How the heck am I supposed to know what my newly-hired-TSA pal expects from me when he wasn’t even courteous enough to tell me ahead of time?
  3. What a jerk for not telling me his expectations in advance.
  4. What a real jerk for chastising me on something I couldn’t possibly know.
  5. This person is in a position of authority????
  6. I don’t have faith in his abilities; and
  7. That’s unfair and I’m a little mad at that!

The Lesson Is…

So you’re asking yourself, what does the TSA have to teach me that pertains to agility? The answer is…fairness and consistency.

Let Me Explain…

If I do the exact same steps every 3-4 days for 3+ months (that’s how often I’ve been traveling and interacting with the TSA) and my actions have always been met with full acceptance, it’s reasonable to understand that I’ve come to believe my actions fully meet the TSA expectations.

Now think of me as your dog…if you (the TSA agent) has accepted certain behaviors from your dog for a period of time and then suddenly, without notice or retraining, changes those expectations (say at a trial) and then chastises said dog for not following the new-out-of-thin-air-rules, the dog is potentially going to feel the same way that I did.

How Can I Prevent Being ‘Unfair’ To My Dog?

  1. Plan ahead. Know before you train and/or practice what you want.
  2. Criteria is your friend. Understand, train and expect the same behaviors from your dog.
  3. Be Consistent. Don’t let your Criteria slide, even just a little.
  4. Be Fair. Don’t change the plan without first retraining it.
  5. Reward It! If you like what your dog is doing, reward it often and with quality. Make it clear you LIKE what they did.

So let’s learn from the TSA about what NOT to do and let’s all agree to treat our dogs better than the newbie-barely-trained TSA agent treated me on my last trip.

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Categories : Dog Training, Goals & Planning, Travels
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Dog Training – the Chicken Camp Way Day 1

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (0)
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

YouTube Preview Image  This past week I once again treated myself to a fun working vacation with Terry Ryan which consisted of 4-days of Chicken Camp held at Legacy Canine in Sequim, WA. (To read about last year’s adventure, click on Day 1&2, Day 3 and Day 4).

This session focused specifically on Cueing, something we often take for granted in dog agility.  For the heck of it, I looked up the word Cue or Cueing and here’s what I found for a definition:

  • the trigger for an action to be carried out at a specific time (Wikipedia)
  • on sheet music helps ensemble musicians to coordinate their playing (Wikipedia) or Lisa’s agility definition “ensemble handler & dog to coordinate their agility….”
  • anything serving as a signal to do something (Your Dictionary.com)

So what does a cue look like? When do we introduce it? How do we train it? When do we introduce it? Don’t I cue all the time…so why do I need 4 days of chickens to teach me all about a cue? These are just some of the questions I came to Chicken Camp with.

The good news is I didn’t have to tackle all of the questions on Day 1. Instead, we focused on training our chickens on specific behaviors such as pecking at a black dot…all in preparation for cueing. As you can see by the video, we worked on specific behaviors, rewarded them and rewarded them even more.

Stay tuned for Day 2 of Chicken Camp…

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Categories : Dog Training, Handler Training, Other Species
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Dog Agility Handling – The Back Side Jump Challenge

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (2)
Monday, December 27th, 2010
Agility Handling - Push Out

Agility Course Map - Push Out

Dog agility handling has come a long way since I first became involved in almost 16 years ago. One of my favorite blogs, AgilityNerd, recently wrote a nice article on the “Back side jump” maneuver.


My prediction is that the back side jump challenge will be 2011′s hot new dog agility handling how to.


Why? First, it’s a legal agility course option in just about every major organization. Second, it’s new. Third, it provides trainers with an opportunity to showcase a unique dog agility training skill and fourth, who doesn’t appreciate a new challenge now and then?


As an AKC Agility Judge, I’m lucky to have a Rep who embraces my need to find unique and fun sequences. So when I forwarded this agility course on for approval (yeap, it has a push back in it), it was warmly welcomed. However, I was concerned that the handlers weren’t going to be as accepting! (fyi – to make the picture of this agility course larger, click on it)


I chose an area of the country that was known for solid handling and would probably have been exposed to USDAA‘s international-style agility courses where push backs are used more often.


I was excited to see the course run and to my surprise, I didn’t hear any complaints about the #4-6 sequence. Either these were great sports or they were quite talkers. Either way, these competitors did a fantastic job!


I intentionally made this push back simple by taking out the majority of wrong course options. In theory, the handler only needed to push on the dog’s path to prevent them from taking the front side of the jump. However, these competitors were smart and took the upcoming sequence in to account when planning their strategy.


To handle the push back at #5 and the upcoming sequence, most competitors took a straight path by keeping the dog on their right side after the dog walk, pushed toward the ring gating and followed the dog to the back side of the jump. Once on the back side of the jump, they did a front cross which put the dog on their left. The other advantage was that it allowed them to remain on the inside of the circle for the next sequence (dog on their left, while they went down the right side of the weave poles).


To the best of my knowledge, this is the first push back used in a regular AKC agility trial (i.e. not a National or other special event). Enjoy the course and I’d love to hear how it runs for you!


For more information on how to train the Push-Back, click HERE.

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Categories : Course Analysis, Course Maps, Dog Training, Featured Posts, Handler Training
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A Trainer or A Coach?

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (1)
Thursday, October 7th, 2010

Well, today’s lessons were plentiful. Let me start with the non-dog related and I promise to very quickly move to the doggy stuff after that.


I wanted to take a quick moment to acknowledge that they found the body of the boyfriend of one of my young students. He’d gone missing over a week ago. He was a straight A student and while I’d never met him, the fact that he chose ‘her’ as a girlfriend shows he had smarts, talent and was an amazing person. Out of respect for everyone, I’m keeping names to myself, but suffice to say that all involved were beautiful people. I still can’t believe that tragic things happen to good people. It just seems so unfair…

Okay, let’s talk about dog training now because I have some good thoughts today!

While in the course of training, a great question came up. Of course this question turned into a dog training philosophical moment and I wanted to share. Here’s the scenario – there is someone who uses the words “all right” as their release word. Another person asked “Shouldn’t they use a word they don’t use in daily conversation?” Now that is a very fair question and after years of experience, I personally agree that in a perfect world, they should. Heck, that is why I now use the word ‘free’ (instead of okay). HOWEVER, that’s MY personal choice and I recognize that may not be a good fit for everyone.

As I see it, my job as a trainer isn’t to force onto others what works for me. Instead, it is my job to make them successful, to capitalize on their strong points and to embrace them for who they are. At the same time I  also need to develop and guiding them on THEIR journey.

In the case of the person using the term ‘all right’, we’ve had some indepth conversations on the subject. I’ve noted that there are some drawbacks to their choice of words and I’ve pointed out that if their dog breaks during the course of a normal conversation (because the handler used the words ‘all right)’, that they could not (in all fairness) get upset with their dog. They get it. They understand the drawbacks.  They understand the potential pitfalls.

However, their mind still draws them to the term ‘all right’. So ‘all right’ it is! As a trainer, I have to work with what is natural for my students and not with what comes natural to me. Sure, there are times I guide them down a certain path because I know what’s best, but their word choices are completely up to them. They have to manage it, train it and ultimately be responsible for the outcome. As for my opinion, the old saying ‘choose your battles’ is a perfect analogy for this scenario.

It’s important to work with your students. While I may not personally chose to do everything that they do, as long as I’ve informed them of the good, the bad and the ugly, I’ve done my job. Later, my job is to help them remain consistent and fair given their choices.

That’s what makes a good trainer a great coach.
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Categories : Dog Training, Handler Articles, Handler Training
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The Power of Dog – Ryder (aka Boo)

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (6)
Monday, September 27th, 2010

Every day is a lesson. Sometimes they are good lessons and sometimes they are heartbreaking.

Today my friend’s, Katie and Andy, lost their young Golden Retriever to a blood-type of disorder. For the average human reading this, some may wonder how the loss of a dog is blog-worthy. For those of us who are into dog sports, they understand without another word. But regardless of which side of the fence you’re from, this blog subject is worth the read because it talks about the power of love and the power of dog.

It’s no surprise that dog folks often equate their 4-legged kids with 2-legged human children. Today it dawned on me why this analogy is so correct!

When people have human babies, they put time, energy and a part of themselves into that little life. They teach them, shape them, impart information, create their world, oversee the life lessons that are a part of growing up and open the deepest parts of their soul to share a vulnerable side reserved only for special individuals. Human parents do all of this with care, thoughtfulness and with a relish for this labor of love.

It may be hard to imagine, but dog parents do the same for their 4-legged youngsters. While we don’t give birth to our chosen young, just like those who adopt, we look into that little sweet face and fall in love. A maternal/paternal instinct kicks in. Maybe it’s the want to care for the innocent or maybe it’s just the need to develop a bond with something warm, interactive and emotionally stimulating. Whatever the reason, the 4-legged surrogate children worm their way into our hearts and become members of the family.

This brings me back to Katie and Andy. Today they lost one of their kids and at the moment there is a place in their heart that is aching, empty and pleading for their beloved Boo to come back to them. While this is the hard side of loving and loosing, we have to remind ourselves to never lose sight of how it felt while our dogs are with us. Forgetting the time together would an injustice to the one who touched our heart and it would negate the love they brought into our lives.

 

In the case of Boo (also known as Ryder), he was amazing. I didn’t get to see him on a daily basis, but what I noticed immediately was that he brought pure joy to Katie and Andy’s life. He made them smile. He worked the two of them by pouring on the puppy love, adding a full-bodied tail wag and a look that said “I love you so much”. They couldn’t help but shower him with kisses, hugs and smiles. From my vantage point, I’m certain these warm feelings poured over into their marriage and that it brought the two of them closer as a couple. They smiled and laughed together over Boo and his antics and those happy feelings overflowed and was shared among their friends.

Boo’s reach was far beyond his immediate family. While judging him in agility, I couldn’t help but smile and root him on. He gave his all in each agility performance and was a force of good that swept through the course. Nobody could resist the happiness watching him brought!

But what I’ll remember most was the whirl of energy Boo and his handler (it didn’t matter if it was Katie or Andy) produced. They were like a micro-burst of fun on the agility course. It started the moment they came to the line and the impact continued even after they were gone. Dan (my hubby) and I would see them hours later and smiles would still be plastered on all of their faces (humans and dogs alike). It was infectious and a feeling that sucked us in. That’s how we became friends with them, in part, thanks to Boo.

So while Katie and Andy work through their grief, I wanted to salute Boo for having touched so many lives in such an amazingly positive way. He did touch many hearts and he brought joy to everyone who watched. He was amazing to see, lovable to all and so very special. I know that we are all better humans for having known that 4-legged little fuzz ball of joy.

Thank you Boo for sharing your gift with all of us and our hearts are with Katie and Andy during this time.

With Love,

Lisa & Dan

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Categories : Agility Reality, Lessons Learned, Ugh Moments
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Test Drive the Dogs!

By Lisa Selthofer · Comments (2)
Friday, September 24th, 2010

When I was younger and well before driving age, my parents would let me go out and start the car so it could warm up before they headed off to work. Even though it was 10 below zero, I loved that moment behind the wheel. It was a thrill, a job I had proven I was capable of handling and for just that one moment, a glimpse into my future.

Later, my role evolved and I was allowed to back the car down the driveway and not long after that, my Dad let me drive his truck around the property. All of these skills prepared me for real driving on real roads.

Training a dog in agility is much the same thing. We start our puppies/dogs off by instilling the safety rules of agility skills. Next we let them sit behind the wheel by sharing the keys of handling and soon they’re backing down the driveway of sequencing. Before we know it, they’re driving courses in the safety of our property…all in preparation for real driving on real agility courses.
This analogy came to mind when I recently took Zulu out for a little test drive in agility class. I have to say, it was a thrill! First, his contacts were amazing. As I pushed, he gave me 2on-2off contacts that were fast, confident and accurate. The timing couldn’t have been better as my 2on2off DVD will be available via download next week and soon available for shipping. It was a nice reminder that the training is GREAT and dogs just love it!

 

But back to my Zulu test drive…next, he sequenced with relish and was clearly enjoying himself while working with gusto. I couldn’t help but be proud of his skills and I have to say, it was fun to get a glimpse of our agility future together.
You may remember when a few months ago I took Rouge out for a few test drives on the open road at an agility trial and again at the Stacy Peardot-Goudy seminar. Those times gave me confidence that her visitation days were behind us.

 

It also means that it’s really time to start driving her like the little race car she is and to see exactly what’s under that sporty hood of hers. So I grabbed my best treats and off we went to race around the agility training course. To my surprise, she was just as hyped about the experience as I was. It seems the more I pushed, the more she gave. Pretty soon I was giggling, she had a smile on her face and we both learned how to burn a little rubber!

 

The lesson I’m reminded is that there reaches a point in each dog’s training where it’s time to buckle up, hit the road and see what’s under the hood ’cause it’s time for a real test drive. Relish that moment. You’re sure to have some great moments and if you’re lucky, you’ll walk away with a few specific items to work on.
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Categories : Dog Training, Lessons Learned, Obstacles in Agility
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