Go check out the photos from yesterday's match......so cool!

Did you see the Applewoods Today blog post from yesterday?  Go check it out, it was a terrific day for Applewoods and our many, many students.

Roxanne

Graduation Photo

                           Here are some other photos I snapped during your test day class.

Congrats to each graduating student/dog team!

Really proud of each of you and the steady work it took to graduate from this EC class.  Elice has your graduation photo and has been terribly ill for over 2 weeks.  When she is well, we will upload that for each of you.

Which of you graduating students are planning on attending the upcoming MSC, this Saturday morning, Aug 10, from 7:30 am - 8:30 am?

HATS OFF!

Roxanne

Video of turns learned in class yesterday

Right About Turn for dog paying attention to handler.


Right Training Turn when dog is wide.

Left Training Turn for toy breeds....what hand position is missing? Yes, remember to slap the leash with your left hand on your left thigh just prior to making the Left Training Turn...this keeps the dogs head out back enough so you don't trip AND your foot can effectively move the dog. Remember...do this gently with a toy breed.




Left Training Turn for med to large dog forging slightly.

Class tomorrow morning is outside.

Class,

Because we will have one extra student joining for the remaining 2 classes, and because we have a nice sized "Peanut Gallery" coming, there isn't room enough for everyone to be downstairs in our ADT studio.

So, heat or no heat, we will have class tomorrow outside.

Dress cool and put on bug repellent as the bugs are vicious right now.

Roxanne

Applewoods Pool Party & Sugar is rapidly recovering!

Place

Double Place (notice the increased sag from Sherpa's weight?)

Every dog wants the bumper..

but Sugar is the fastest dog to launch for it.

After the pool party, tis time for cake.  Wait...what to do with all those wet dogs?

A 45-minute Down/Stay so all dogs could dry out.


What a great way to spend a summer Saturday afternoon-:)

No laughing at me now, we ALL had to start somewhere

Here are video's of Sugar, as a very young puppy, and I, as an Applewoods beginner, learning exactly what you are learning in class.  Notice how careful I am and quite insecure on if I am doing the right thing at the right time?  Please forgive the camara gal...she was 5 years old and these videos are all I have of this training moments so very long ago.

No laughing at me now.....


Sugar learns Sit/Stay, Days 3 & 4. He moved a foot so got a slight correction.








Ho..hum...ok he's got this exercise down pat now! The point of these video's is priceless...if I can learn to do this so too can you:) Roxanne

Video of 3-step heeling with Sit correction

Here's the 3-step heeling you were taught that teaches you how to halt correctly and help your dog to a correct Sit every time.

In this video, I'm teaching the Sit (so have completed the 400th Sit) and have moved into the Sit correction. However, you can use the same 3-step heeling sequence in preparation to halt by doing the first 200 Sits (molding of the dog into Sit) and Sit count 200-400 (molding + saying Sit) if that is where you are in your Sit count training process. The basic mechanics are the same, it's just after the 400th Sit, the molding ceases and you do Sit corrections from then on.

The key here is to set your hands up correctly with your feet so your Left, Right, Sit movement is smooth. Also, remember your verbal Sit begins on your 400 Sit and you will continue to use your verbal Sit at this point in the training.

Confusing as mud, yes? If it's any consolation, I had a tough time learning how to halt correctly with my feet, get my hand/leash sequence correct and remember to say Sit at the right time. I remember thinking, "WHAT? I don't know how to do this! WHAT, WHEN, HOW, HUH?"

LOL...Patience and practice will help you to memorize the correct sequence. If I can learn to do this, so can you.

SUGGESTION: Practice this with your leash and Fido, your invisible dog, until you can think "halt" (or have someone call "halt") and you can do the correct leash/feet movement easily and smoothly. The more you practice WITHOUT your dog, the smoother you are in communicating clearly what you want your dog to do as you are working it.

Perfect practice makes perfect.

Leash & collar payment?

Just going through my paperwork and realized our records don't specify when you paid for your leash and collar?  Please let me know that you have done so and would you be so kind to let me know how you paid for it, i.e. cash, check or PayPal?

You can respond to me at Roxanne@ApplewoodsDogTraining.com.

Thanks...sigh, paperwork:(

Roxanne

Update on Sugar

Sugar is steadily improving day after day. We are up to 15 minutes walking, 2 x a day, and he is moving well.  We started a 5 minute walk after one week when he came up to me and told me, "Ok..you are not taking me to work - ADT - and we are NOT going for my 3+ mile off-leash hikes, nor are we doing ANY obedience training.  I'm going nuts, please work me?" As an FYI...does his recuperation mean he does not work right now?  No, he is working, just not anywhere near what he was doing prior to surgery.

Margot is teaching a "Lights, Camara, ...ACTION!" class for advanced students who, like me, want to be able to do commercials and etc., with their trained dog. Last Saturday, without Sugar, I attended that class.  I got to use Sherpa to learn the mechanics of teaching an on-command "Jump" using a new training tool, the Jump stick.

With Sugar still recuperating, there is no way for him to do a full blown jump of any height.  However, I can teach the mechanics of this new command and so he is learning this new command on  very tiny, short 12" jump heights.

Additionally, as a puppy, Sugar was taught "Touch" which is a great way to teach a dog to target the palm of your hand and put its nose on it on command.  From that foundation, you can then teach a dog to target something else and go to it on command.  So, Sugar is getting 'worked' in the house, when outside in the back yard, and on our walks with the "Touch" command.

Sugar's training continues, as always, it just has changed shape to accommodate where he is at right now physically.

How is everyone doing?

Gasp,

I DETEST HUMIDITY!  Yuck!  Anyway, wanted to know how everyone is doing on their Week 3 homework?

Roxanne

Place using a Place cushion, Days 1 & 2, Days 3 & 4, Days 5 & 6

Class,

In these 3 video's you will notice the following:

Days 1 & 2: The Sit (molding) is happening and the Exercise Finish is part of the training.

Days 3 & 4: The Sit (molding + verbal Sit) is happening  and the Exercise Finish is part of the training.

Days 5 & 6: The Sit Correction has been added and the molding of the Sit has ceased.  Continue to use your verbal "Sit" command to help your dog understand what to do.

You can do more, but you must complete the 600th Sit by class next week in order to advance to the Sit/Stay. The Exercise Finish can and should be incorporated into your Place training sessions. It makes it easier to keep your Sit counts correct in your head and or tracking in a log.

 *CAUTION FOR YOUNG PUPPIES...it is better to do smaller segments of these sequences several times a day than to barrel through doing a days worth of training at one time. Puppies get tired and their muscles are still developing so less, done well, more often, is a sound training approach.**

*GROWN DOGS ..The rest of the class with grown dogs, work your training sessions as directed. A grown dog needs the mental discipline this training works.

These video's will help your dog to learn Place, Exercise Finish, and completing their Sit assignment this week.

Please note in the videos the homemade "Place cushion" which is simply a pillow sham stuffed with new carpet padding.  Roxanne had at least 8 of these made and keeps them in her car, around the house, and take them with her when traveling as "Place" is a portable command.



Place... Days 1 & 2

Place... Days 3 & 4

Place....Days 5 & 6

Delighted with this classes commitment to learning this correctly. You can do this and be ready for next weeks class which is Week 4 - the Sit/Stay.

Happy Training,

Jan

Exercise Finish - 1 step only

Remember that the Exercise Finish is set up with correct hand positions before you take a heeling step.

Here's the correct sequence:

1) Ready position,

2) Left, Right...(hand positions only here no foot movement yet and keep your knees soft not locked)

3) "Dogs name" BEFORE you step off as your left hand is positioned for a Sit correction..

4) As you step off..say "Heel",

5) Then say "Sit" as your left heel touches the ground.

6) As your right foot closes, you do a Sit Correction.. The Sit Correction is with your thumb upwards to the sky (thumbs up) and the Sit correction is done instantly. Collar should 'zing or pop' if you've done it correctly.

7) If your dog sits correctly, instead of a Sit correction, very soft stroke on dog's right side of face with quiet praise.

 Repeat a couple of hundred times...it gets easier.


 Jan

How to build your Negative Space

Negative Space:

Purchase PVC pipe and 4 elbow joints. Cut two pieces of PVC 22” and two 28”. Use PVC that is no more than 1” or less than ½” in diameter. Best to glue the elbows to the 22”pieces and leave the 28” pieces free, then put it all together and VOILA...you have a negative space. This facilitates carrying it around as well as storage.

Some good news and some not so good news

Sugar had his post - op today.  He was checked for Kennel Cough and doesn't have a fever or any other indications of Kennel Cough.  He is off pain meds (yeah).  However, he is fatigued and lethargic so to keep him on the healing track, he will be at home for another 3 weeks.  No ADT for Sugar till 3rd week of July.

Along with the need for him to rest and fully recover from the multiple prior infections, Crackers (his grandmother) also needs time to heal. Red (his mom) had an excellent check-up, but Crackers has been "off" for a couple of days. She's had some fatty tumors on her, but one had grown/shrunk on her belly, then grown again over the last couple of months.  Today's check-up revealed it was cancerous so it was removed.

Wished I'd had a video of the events coming home.  Crackers was carried to my car (Dr. Negola did not want her walking) and he put a Negola's Vet shirt on her instead of a collar.  Crackers really looks good in bright yellow shirts!  She was so disoriented that she kept doing a sing/song moan, groan, whine, whimper..and then repeated it all the way home.

I loaded up Red and Sugar and they both immediately went to her as if to say, "You ok?  What's with the crazy t-shirt getup you're wearing?"  On the way home, both Red and Sugar were thoughtful and considerate as she floundered about trying to get comfortable all the while doing her sing/song moan, groan, whine & whimper sounds.  I watched her in the rear view mirror and was fascinated at what was happening.

When she laid down, both dogs gave her whatever room she needed.  When she sat up, Sugar sat up next to her.  When she attempted to stand up, on very wobbly legs, Sugar stood up close to her as if to support her.  Then she'd crash down again and Sugar laid down next to her.  This went on for the entire 45 minute drive home.

A very drugged Crackers...but Sugar gives her room and quiet support

I  had to carry Crackers into the house (how can 60 lbs be so heavy)?  Currently, Crackers is wandering about the house like a drunken sailor.  Gratefully, her sing/song of pain have ceased and she stops, lays down and goes to sleep wherever.  Poor ol'gal.

Crackers sporting her new Negola's Ark attire on very wobbly legs.

Kennel Cough is making the rounds

You can research it, but essentially it's an airborne dog 'flu' with symptoms of a hacking/wheezing cough and sometimes a dog spits up white spittle. It is contagious and a dog can pick it up anywhere.

The incubation period is 2-4 days BEFORE symptoms show up and it can last from 14 to 21 days.

What to do if your dog gets it?

1) Rush to the vet, get medications, pay ALOT of money, and the dog gets over it.

2) Wait it out, let your dog rest, put honey on their muzzle and in their throat (it coats the throat), and the dog gets over it.

3) Try and keep your dog away from other dogs.  Good luck on that as often you don't know they have it until AFTER they show symptoms.  Usually, not always, but usually, once a dog has had Kennel Cough, their immune system builds up a resistance to it.

We are sorry to report that we have 2 young dogs with suspected Kennel Cough that have been at Applewoods recently. Your dog may have been exposed to it so just watch your dog and listen for a persistent cough.  We think it was brought in last Thursday or Friday.   It is your choice on coming to class this Saturday morning or not.   Young and old or dogs that are not healthy are more susceptible to getting Kennel Cough.  I will be there this Saturday as will Yuliya and Cassie to teach the class.

Please let us know if your dog shows any symptoms OR if your dogs doesn't show any symptoms.  That way we can track what is happening.

Roxanne

For Cayla: A current student shares her Applewoods retraining efforts with her 5-year old Poodle

My best advice for working the long down with a five year old dog is to have patience.  I'd also suggest making sure your bladder is empty and your chair is comfortable.  You do not want to give up before your dog is down for the 30 minutes and this could take several hours for the first week or so each day.

It is my belief that my five year old poodle was used to communicating with me in a certain way and this way is completely different.  He was not used to or comfortable with me not verbalizing what I wanted him to do. A younger dog has not been "set in his ways" so to speak.  Eli has figured out that he is supposed to go down and stay down until told to get up.  He still forgets and gets up 25 minutes in to a long down sometimes.  When this happens I have to remember my patience and start that time clock all over again.

Please do not get discouraged.  Although my Eli does do the long down at home, friend's houses, and even a nail salon, he will not yet do it at Applewoods.  Hang in There.

One other note when you are molding for the sit, stand, and down.  My five year old dog was in a state of confusion the first two days of each of these new commands.  Once I was able to verbalize, he was much more comfortable.  We are both learning how to re-learn.  The training will seem overwhelming at times.  Remember you are not alone.

Response to Cayla's question about Gir's refusal to do Long Downs..

Cayla,

 This situation comes up a lot with new students coming in with mature dogs.  Great question and you are correct that the Long Down is very important. However, remember Gir's life, what he has known and understood to be his life with you and Angel, has been totally uprooted and discarded.  He will do the Long Down when he chooses to yield to your leadership.

The Long Down is a voluntary surrender, a yielding of the dog's will, to your will and leadership. Think of it as a quiet battle of wills. It may take many months of staying consistent in the Applewoods training for Gir to really understand his former life with you is really, really gone.  Some dogs get stressed, some dogs fight (bite an owner), and some dogs simply stand and refuse to yield/surrender/lay down as they are letting you know they do NOT agree to your leadership and they are NOT yielding. 

You have 5 years of training Gir already to be exactly what he is right now.  To expect him to willingly yield right now, in a short time, is an unrealistic expectation on your part.  Ask me how long it took for Red (Sugar's mom) to get over her inner outrage of me changing her prior life of being a princess and then a queen (when she whelped the puppies) and then, she lost all status as I started to train at Applewoods.

Sigh...unknowingly, we (my husband and I) made some early training mistakes by excusing Red's behavior and justified what she had become at 5 years old - a spoiled, rude dog with very little emotional or physical self-control.  Once I started training Sugar at 9 1/2 weeks, I knew I had to change the rules and start over with Red and Crackers (the grandmother).

IT TOOK 10 MONTHS OF RED POUTING THAT HER PRIOR LIFE WAS FOREVER GONE FOR HER TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY LEADERSHIP AND BEGIN TO PAY ATTENTION.  10 months of her ignoring me, barking like a fool, stress whining and refusing to pay attention to me at all.   10 months.

Did that stop me from doing the Applewoods training on her while she acted out her frustration?  Nope, I just became PIC (Persistent, Insistent & Consistent)and learned to be a CCC (Calm, Cool and Collected) owner and trainer.  I learned a lot from Red about training a dog with a prior background.  I learned even more about myself training Red and how easy it was to expect her to learn (or in this case, relearn) an entire new language as I was learning it. It was a tough journey for both of us.

Red taught me patience as she tested me - not in anger or biting - but she tested me to see if I meant what I was teaching her and would stick with it. At the end of 10 months, Red yielded on her own, and we began a new relationship based on leadership and respect.  It was an incredible learning experience for me.  Was it worth the effort, time and energy it took to get through this journey?  Yes, 1000 times, yes.   Red and I are better now for the experience.

Cayla, please, please, please try to understand Gir's world, as the world he knew with you, is gone.  He has an entire array of emotions he is trying to sort out mentally.  He is having to think (instead of manipulate you) and he is confused.  He is a very smart dog and he will figure it out. 

It will take time, an incredible amount of time and patience and you learning to be calm in the face of him refusing to yield.  Gir will yield when you have earned his respect and he chooses to acknowledge you as a worthy leader - and not until then will he yield.

You have the right to teach and train him to do what you expect him to do.  He has the right to be stressed or whiney (avoidance behaviors) and to be upset.  He doesn't get to avoid practicing the Long Down, but he does get to choose when to yield.  When he does, recognize it is a gift and an indication of his mind shifting in how he views you.

In the meantime (and there will be a lot of meantimes) relax, do what you need to do with him, practice the Long Down and someday, one day (not in this class or maybe not even in the Middle School Class) when you least expect it, he will choose to yield.  That is his choice and you MUST allow him the time he needs to choose.

So relax, go find a couple of places you like doing the Long Down, and do them.  Don't worry about whether Gir is doing the Long Down or not, you can't make him (that's the entire point of this exercise) so give it up, practice it when you can as much as you can and Gir will yield when Gir chooses to yield.

Wait and see...Gir's mental inner transformation is only just now beginning. 

The best is yet to come.

Roxanne

To hot to train?

I know it's miserably hot and humid out there, but how are you doing on your assigned 400 Sits this week?  Some of you have trained dogs, like Sam, so he doesn't need the 400 Sits, but you, as the owner/handler can and should be doing ALL 400 Sits (as taught already) with Fido so your mechanics are correct.

Remember, if it's to miserable outside you can do the Sits at home, in your basement, at a Pet Store (HUGE distractions there) some Lowe's & Home Depots allow dogs.  OUR FAVORITE training place?  The Bass Outdoor Pro Shop at Anne Arundel Outlet Mall.  They allow dogs and you can spend hours training a dog while another family member goes shopping.

How is everyone doing?

Roxanne

Sugar is so tired he fell asleep with a favored toy (he won it at an obedience trial) in his mouth.

Sugar is so tired (and doped up) he fell asleep with his toy in his mouth.

Sugar has eaten a bit today and is drinking water and peeing - all good signs that he is recovering.  

Roxanne