The drumming challenge!!

My favorite dog trainer, Silvia Trkman, has put out a challenge to teach your dogs to drum!! Roscoe got it in no time!! He LOVES to drum!!! LOL!! It so feeds into his frantic hyperactivity!! Notice he adds some singing? I tried adding the tambourine, but he seems to prefer to drum.

OK, so here is the deal. Please click to "watch on YouTube" and then click the "like" button. If we get enough likes I win a free DVD!! And please pass along the link to your friends so they can "like" it, too!!! I have until June 5th, so I will be bugging you all for more "likes"!!! :D

The boys are so different

And I think it's interesting how different I am with them. So much patience and soft voice with Spur. Roscoe gets less patience and more demanding. Huh.

Learning to pick up the bottle and hold it. A "thinking" trick. The dogs must put together two behaviors. Fun watching them figure it out!!



Roscoe starts with offering all sorts of behaviors, including his flat on the side trick. He's so frantic and quick I don't click enough for his efforts, but that's my attempt to wait him out for SOME stillness. Regardless of my poor clicking he is starting to get it. I bet in one more session he will have it figured out. Spur may take a little longer. He has to thoroughly think things through.

Worshipping at the Silvia Trkman church and a sad day for animal welfare........

We have been doing our "homework". She asked everyone to try teaching their dogs to hold a bottle or object. She wants to see as many dogs as possible learning this behavior. She calls it a "thinking trick", meaning the dog has to actually think on their own about a chain of behaviors. Ultimately, to pick it up and hold it without our help. Spur, in four short (five minutes each) sessions, figured out I wanted him to hold it. He has chosen the one arm hold, but has offered with both a couple of times. He seems to prefer one arm. Curious if I promoted his left arm or if he is naturally left "handed". Next to see if I can get him to pick it up himself, instead of me having to offer it to him. This stage almost seemed too easy for him. He's so smart!!! -



The Pin Heads are still at the paw grabbing the pole stage, which is the start of this trick. They are so frantic and offer a million behaviors it is hard to click for the paw grabbing hold for any length of time, but they are getting it. I know once they get that it will come quickly. Spur is my thinker and thinks things through very carefully and thoughtfully.

And to those of you who are not from here or are from here and live in a bubble, not reading facebook, the news or watching TV, it was a very sad week for animal welfare. The kennel owners of the puppymill bust where Spur came from got off "Scott free" this week. Barely a slap on the wrist. In 17 months they can be back in puppymill business again. It is a horrible travesty of justice that occured and I have no explanation. Just a very, very sad thing.

The state spent hundreds of thousands of dollars caring for these dogs, the least that could have happened was for these two asshole to foot some of that bill. They caused the problem, they should pay. It is just not right. I am sorry my sweet Spur, no justice for you I am sad to say......

Bored on a snow day!

I can't believe it, MORE SNOW! Just when the snow mobile trails were getting good for the wee dogs, more snow. UGH! Must get to the beach for some EXERCISE!!! It's just been too darn cold and at this point GETTING to the beach means trudging through the deep snow, unless we go to the popular beach and that just ain't happening with my wee dogs and Mighty Mad Spur.

So, we handle the boredom with silly tricks. I decided to just see if Spur would bring me a Kleenex when I sneezed. He retrieves well, so why not Kleenex? Yep, not an issue he got it! Roscoe? Hates to hold things in his mouth and the tissue grossed him out. Wierdo. Colby wanted to tear it up, but I think with some work she would have it pretty good. Spur, he got it. :D

I have been working on Spur with the suitcase trick. It's easy and fun and he was getting it. He is nervous about it, so we have worked a few sessions slowly. Roscoe? OMFG.....it's a trick made for him. The first session he had it down. Second session I had to hold him back!!! LOL!! He is a peice of work, that Roscoe!!!! And Shannan asked for video of his "Rev Yer Engines", so we stuck that in there. His signature move!!! :D

What do we do on a rainy day? I mean POURING rainy day?

The dogs are SO bored, so we train. Tricks, mostly, since those are easy and fun. I need to "tighten" up Colby's put away her toys trick. She is expecting a reward for each toy and I have never asked for more before. I need to wait her out so she puts away ALL the toys then gets her reward. And she still wants to, on occasion, remove the toys. Silly girl!



Roscoe - he just started this trick. Still pretty frantic and not sure, but he figures things out pretty quick after a few more sessions -


That would be Spur in the background screaming, wanting HIS turn. He got his turn, but he is worrying about the sound of the balls hitting the bottom of the metal bucket. Oi, that Spurminator can find ANYTHING to worry about. We'll get it, though. In a few sessions I bet he has it all OK.

OMG, I gotta have this thing!!

I just sent it to my FIL to see if he could make me one. He's handy and retired and loves a challenge like this. I hope! It looks a little complicated to set up. Not easy to just put down like the "hit-it" board I have borrowed, but OH MAN, SO COOL! Spur is ALL about his BALL!! It's how I have gotten speed out of the little buggar running his dog walk!

I am a terrible clicker trainer! I seriously am! I have always said that. I suck at clicker training!!

You can see that in this video. This is part of an on-line training challenge to teach your dog to "Whiz" on cue. This is session three with Spur. The Spurminator being afraid of jump bars - he HATES to knock a jump bar - is worried about the jump bar target I am using. However, I think it is fun enough work that he soon becomes OK about the jump bar and starts to forget about it after a while. Especially when I start being a dumb trainer and clicking for the wrong thing. I think in this video you will see me click at least FOUR+ times for his hind leg MOVING!! That's NOT what I want, dumb ass I am! I want STILL leg in the air, thank you very much!

Did I tell you I suck at clicker training?? Really! It just isn't my forte. I used to love it when Sherry Britton would click for me in obedience class. THAT was the BEST!!! Someone else could click for me and I didn't have to worry about my poor timing! That was awesome!! In fact, I am of the opinion that very FEW people are good clicker trainers. Like, I mean GOOD clicker trainers. Very few. Sherry, she is good. Brenda Buja, good. Lo Baker, good. Me, I suck. Most people, suck. It's just the way it is, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't try it or that it won't help you. It will. Dogs learn in spite of our poor timing, they really do. They learn no matter HOW DUMB us humans are, dogs are SMART creatures! They figure things out!

Spur gets frustrated part way through this video and starts barking at me for being such a dumb trainer. We'll get it, though, don't worry. Dogs are so forgiving of our stupid training abilities. They manage to learn in spite of us, somehow, good dogs! And I think this is good work for him. He is forgetting his jump bar worry, while yelling at me for being a stupid trainer and that's all good stuff! :D

This video is Colby's session 3. SHE is much easier to work with since she isn't afraid of the damn jump bar. (And just so you don't wonder - YES, I could teach Spur a different way, but isn't it good that I am getting him to deal with his jump bar issue AND teaching a new trick???? YES!!! Cuz, really, I don't care, it's a silly trick and if he doesn't learn it lickity split, so what???) Colby, she gets it. She does get distracted at one point because of the dogs in the yard barking in front of the door watching me train her. My other dogs are not exactly good, patient observers. They bitch and bark and swear at me for NOT training them!! :O

Where's Roscoe's video? Um, it'll come, in time. He's different. Still doing his nutty handstands and offering WAY too many other behaviors and it doesn't make for a good video. Too many pauses for me to take a breath and try to regroup and settle him down and laugh at him and start over. But, we'll get there. And once he does, it will be solid, I know. That's how it is with Roscoe, Muffin Heads!

So, there is this little trick training challenge going on!

What do I love more? A trick training challenge or chocolate? Um.........geez, that's a tough one! We were given a Lizzy's Chocolate Cheesecake for Valentine's Day from one of Rich's radio reps. OH THANK YOU Radio Rep!!!

I feel like we have a head start. The challenge is to teach your dog to "Go Whiz" on command. The trick is not the whizzing part, they all do that, but a leg lift that looks like the dog is whizzing. My dogs all have some sort of hind end awareness. As you saw with Roscoe's videos, he will kick and climb something with his back feet into a hand stand. Spur will limp, a little, still working on getting that better. Colby has some some hand stand back end work, but not much. So, here's how it went last night our first session.......
Colby just surpassed both Spur and Roscoe! I should have figured. She has done SOME hind end up on the couch before, but really not much so she was kind of a clean slate. I am using a jump bar held vertical to try to get really specific targeting. She gets it! If she were a human I think she might have slapped her hands together said....."Got it! Next trick, please!", but it isn't on cue or perfect by any means. Cute, though, that she so quickly figured out to lift her back foot and search to feel for the bar and hold her foot still on it! Miss Colby Carlson is another smaartiepants! Another session and we may have it on cue? She can be SO quick learning tricks, which is kind of silly because I haven't taught her that many.

Spur - he is still thinking. My thinker. And he worries about jump bars, that one. So, this is good work. Him putting his back foot on the bar and holding it is good work! He'll get it pretty quick. He is offering without prompts, some, but at times I have to adjust him and manipulate his body in place so he can hit the bar to get him going again. He already knew leg lift, so it's pretty easy for him once he stops worrying about the blasted jump bar. Worry wart!

Roscoe, good GRIEF, he is SO not getting it. My doer......offering kicks, hand stands (seriously, I had to stop and laugh at him because he was doing a La handstand - back feet thrusted sky-ward, nose on the ground!!), back ups, certainly nothing STILL!!! OI! At lightening speed, so capturing a still foot is near impossible. I ended up actually holding his foot in the air and clicking that. Will that work? Is that just lame? I dunno, but at least I was clicking for stillness, damnit. :O This was session one.

Roscoe's fancy tricks!

OK, so I was asked to video Roscoe doing some of his fun tricks. The first one is "Be a bat". I call it that because when he finishes the trick he kind of looks like a bat hanging on the wall. I did this video outside today since it is SO nice out! He'll do it against anything. Tree, couch, wall. Whatever. It's really cute! Love how he is reaching with his back feet! Cute little smaahtiepants!!!

This next one is his "Rev Yer ENGINES", where he kicks his back feet. He will do it for "rev yer engines" or "kick". Either cue works. Really cute and fun to do while warming up in the start line area at agility trials. Everyone thinks it's SO adorable!!!

This next one is just a combination of stuff......back up, roll over, kick! Silly little man!

Bored during major storms? Don't be! Train - don't complain!

I mean, really, there is so much we can train our dogs to do. This made the rounds last week. For those who didn't see it here it is. LOVE Sylvia Trkman! My all time favorite dog trainer -




Today I started teaching the dogs to roll a jump bar. Spur has a real issue with knocking bars. He totally melts down and crumples into a worried mass of paussie fur. It's been a real issue with his agility training. We do a TON of jump work, single jumps, jump grids, all with his ball or frisbee. In high drive mode he is OK. Put jumps into a course and he worries and jumps too big. Sometimes it isn't an issue, but I can see a real pattern here and I want to fix it before it gets much worse. So, I thought perhaps I would focus on giving HIM control of the jump bars. Learning to roll it puts him in control. When he jumps and knocks the bar, he feels out of control. So, I want him in control. Rolling the bar, having it knock against chairs in the kitchen and such might help? I don't know, but I am going to give it a go.

I may even teach him to pick up the jump bar. I think I will have to wrap it in vet wrap to give him enough grip, but that's a later project. Right now I am starting with just rolling it on the ground. Funny, how the dogs all learned that differently this morning. Colby got it in about five tries. Got it so good she could roll it across the kitchen on command!! That good! In about 3 minutes!! Smartie pants! Roscoe is so frantic he is doing all sorts of his tricks near, around, over, and with the bar!! Kicking it, pouncing on it, nose touching, but only JUST barely rolling it and since he is SO quick I clicked for his feet rolling it. So, now I have Roscoe scooting it with his front feet, silly nutty Roscoe. Kind of cute, but not exactly what I was after, but it doesn't matter, which is why I love teaching tricks. Easy, no pressure, no need to be picky or demanding.

Spur, he's a little slower to get it. That worry. I have to be more patient. It took a couple of 5 minute sessions before he figured out I wanted it rolled with his nose. He's rolling it, but just a few inches. I quit there. No need to push him, I push him enough and that's part of our issue. I need to back off, so back off I did this morning. He's more thoughtful and concerned, so we go a little slower.

And I got the cutest little jump photo frame for Christmas I want to use. It's about 10" tall and 6" wide and looks like a tiny pvc jump but has slots to put in a photo. I am going to teach him to knock that over. I bet they don't teach THAT at Clean Run Camp. Knock the jump over? Probably not. LOL!!!

I am moving to Slovenia!!

OK, well, not really. But, you all knew that. I am SUCH a home body and hardly ever go anywhere outside of New England. Yes, I know, I went to CA once. That was ONCE, you read! Once in my life!

Here is why I am "moving to Slovenia" -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUPQ8EnQiCI

This is Sylvia Trkman's tricks class. HOW MUCH FUN are these dogs having????? My dogs all love tricks and this just makes me want to teach more. She is such a fantastic dog trainer/teacher. She was one of the World Team members I watched run a few weeks ago in Austria (video on demand - no I didn't go to Austria!!). I watched her runs over and over. I just love how her dogs work. They are happy and brilliant. Trick training may seem silly, but it teaches the dog to think and strive to learn more. Silly tricks are also so much fun for us!

One thing I look forward to with winter arriving soon........more time indoors to just play with my dogs doing tricks. Right now I have wood to bring in, perennials to cut back, windows to wash, agility to train before it gets to cold, pastures to tend to, lawn furniture to put away and the list goes on, so I haven't focused much on tricks. But, I do have a three day USDAA dog show coming up this weekend that looks like a HUGE trial and that means I will probably have plenty of time to hang out between my runs and work on some tricks with my dogs. Colby knows the head shake from side to side, but she doesn't move it that much or quickly. I need to tighten up that trick and get her shaking her head further from side to side. I'll try working on that this weekend, but she is on a Team which means she will be running the most this weekend. She doesn't have a Team Q, so that would be nice to get this weekend. We are teamed with two great dogs, so hopefully we can pull it off.

From Bat Dog to Drum Band?

This is a fantastic new video from Sylvia Trkman, my most favorite agility instructor. I know what I will be teaching next winter!!! And certainly Roscoe will have to be band leader!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuEyCONyCX8


We played around with the sequential photo feature of the camera at agility class. Lisa managed to get this one of Roscoe. I guess next week we will have to try from the other side where the sun is so he isn't a black shadow blog. We got a lot of empty tunnel holes, but we will keep trying.

I am off to BARK camp tomorrow, yesterday dogs got nails done, Spur had his paws trimmed, and the start of my TWO WEEKS VACATION!! YAY!!! It doesn't mean I won't be posting here, I go to BARK camp until Monday - oh I can't wait for BARK - then the rest of my time is here at home. Home, home, home, I love my home and a vacation at home is the greatest thing. I plan to ride sweet Jewel, garden, read books, paint the house, play with the dogs, have a swim date party for Spur. Little buggar needs some extra lessons on swimming. He WANTS to swim, but isn't that confident, yet. I will get to meet my friend's new African Grey Parrot, Lebec. She picks her up this weekend and I can't wait to meet her. TWO WEEKS VACATION!!! This will be the third time in my life I have taken that much time off. Wahoooooooooooo!!! Now, if it will just not rain the whole time that would be OK with me.

Look who showed up yesterday, hunting varmints (that's odd, I think of a fox as a varmint, too, and come to think of it perhaps there are days I call the Pin Heads - VARMINTS!!!! That means they all hunt each other? That's true, absolutely!!!) in the freshly mowed field. Handsome buggar! Miss Colby Carlson could smell him/her and was barking like crazy in the yard. I guess she wanted to hunt that varmint!!! Obviously, she didn't scare it off. I am just glad I didn't head out for a walk. We were going to, but AGAIN the radar showed a batch of red heading right towards Cape Elizabeth! It ended up just south of us and out to sea, but the sound of the thunder had Roscoe too nervous.

Heading in for a snack. You know a freshly mowed field often ends up with dead rodents that couldn't get out of the way of the tractor..............

Spotted me with my camera.........

I rained on it's parade.......

and off it went...........can you tell what it's thinking?..... Damn that human, what the heck, I was just out for a meal. Can't they share the bounty? Moments later it was back and I let it be. This morning it was joined by a juvenile. Cute little buggar!!!