Midas’s class tonight was another difficult one focusing on control. We started off with the A-frame and a tunnel. The tunnel was set up to run underneath the A-frame and the opening was right next to it. They call it the sucking tunnel in class because dogs love to go in it. I was more worried about the A-frame than the tunnel because Midas loves to climb.

We were supposed to do multiple things. First, I was to block the tunnel with my body and send him up the A-frame:

That didn’t work so well, when Midas realized I wasn’t running alongside he bailed by jumping off the top, onto the tunnel and then tumbling the rest of the way to the ground, in an effort to be where I was. So, we had to remind him the proper way to be on the A-frame.

He got the hang of it after that:

He got lots of treats for that!

Next, I was to use my body as a magnet and pull him away from the tunnel, onto the A-frame. His Wait command is still going spectacularly:

And more treats:

Then I had to run with him, starting back at a jump:

Then I had to run with him and direct him into the tunnel. Since we didn’t get to practice that beforehand, he just rammed his hard head into my leg - leaving a beautiful blue bruise….

(in this photo I’m yelling, pointing and looking at the tunnel - is Midas? No. He’s looking at the A-frame)

He eventually got the hang of it:

Then we did the blocking bit and the magnet bit, but directed toward the tunnel:

Then we finally got to hang out and rest until everyone else finished that exercise:

Then we sent them over the A-frame and through the tire jump, which was an awkward angle to the side:

Then we did some mini-courses, labeled with cones and everything. The first one was extremely complicated, going over most of the obstacles two times. Part of it was to go on the dog walk, do a jump and then onto the table:

Then another jump and passed the entrance to another tunnel, onto the dog walk again, ignoring the tunnel on the other side as well. I stopped him and had him follow my hand and he never even glanced at the tunnel!

Then we did another mini-course, with less obstacles and more straight forward. But, this time it included the collapsed tunnel:

And of course the dog walk:

At the end of class, we set up the jumps closer to the height they would be expected to actually jump and sent them over those - Midas hardly noticed:

I’m interested to see what next week’s class will hold…

The boys (and hopefully Kya in the future) are really starting to be competitive and earn some awards and certificates. I was keeping everything in one binder but that was starting to overflow so I separated and organized.

Binders:

Search and Rescue

Dock Jumping

Agility, Rally, Non-Competitive Obedience

Misc - this one includes things like their AKC/UKC registration, OFA, shot records, raw diet information etc

Due to some disorganization, sudden changes of plans and long distance meetings, I missed the weekly training this week. Instead, my mentor said she would meet Mason, Eric and I to do some basic training stuff and some field support stuff.

We met at the Ionia County Fairgrounds. I let Mason out to have a look around and a potty and then we got started. One willing victim took Mason’s tug toy and while I kept him by the van, he went and hid behind some tall grass and a phone pole. I released Mason with his new command “Mason Go Search!” and he took off. I honestly don’t think he even noticed a person was missing, much less that said person stole his toy. So he was just running around sniffing when he happened to hit the scent and veer over. He still got rewarded with some tugging action and then proudly pranced back to me, holding his toy - praised all around.

The next time, he knew the victim had taken his toy and was straining to see where he was going when I distracted him. The victim moved to the new grass clump and I released Mason with his Search command and he took off, this time with purpose. His nose was alternately to the ground and in the air. My mentor said that he was very “ground-y” but commented that it was good when he used the air as well. He found the victim and since this was his last turn for now, he got to carry his toy back to the van. He knows from dock jumping that when we return (to the vehicle or to his crate) that we are done. He didn’t release it until I told him to and then he went in the van for a few.

This time Eric got to play victim and instead of the wide-open field, he went into some brushy undergrowth and trees. Rover, the labradoodle, was released and went plowing in. We followed at a run but couldn’t keep up. We paused to see if we could hear him (we couldn’t) and decided to turn one way right when he emerged from the opposite direction. There were doubts on whether he was on the right track but he led us straight to Eric. Eric said that he had appeared really, really fast so he definitely knew what he was doing.

Next it was Mason’s turn again. This time the victim hid in the edges of the trees off the side of the field and was further away. But, Mason now had the hang of what I was asking him to do, so there was no rambling and smelling, he took off like a shot, nose in the air and hit the scent cone at a run - spun the opposite way until he found the other side and zeroed right in on the victim.

In this photo, he’s hitting the far side of the cone. If you click on the photo, there’s a note showing where the victim was hidden.

We did that once more, he found the victim even faster this time and then he got to carry his prize back to the van. We went over some field support stuff and then we headed home.

It was a fun day - and our boots were AWESOME! They totally lived up to our expecations!!!

Tonights class was interesting on several levels. Kya was upbeat when we got there, tail slightly up, ears up and trying to go to anyone that in the past had given her a treat. She was focused and performed her commands quickly for a change.

The instructor had set up a mini-rally(ish) course.  There were rally signs but we didn’t actually follow what they were intended for. Instead they were a means for everyone to practice what they had learned in a course-type fashion, so they worked fine. I just had to make sure I did what she told us to do for each one, instead of what I knew the sign to be asking.

We started at Start, then we had to walk along a mat, in a heel, to a turn, which led to a sit (or down, I can’t remember because Kya doesn’t down, so we always do sits). Then we continued on in a heel to the next sign which was another sit and another corner, an about turn and then a sit/stay. The instructor said when I put her in the sit/stay, her ears are pinned, as I slowly reach the spot where I am going to turn and then release her, her ears slowly start forward until the point when I turn she is fully focused, ears up, on me. I thought that was pretty cool. When I released her she ran to me, ears and tail up and even wagged when she reached me!!! That was pretty neat considering her reactions to sit/stay/recall in the previous classes. I was excited!

We did the course twice. Kya was much more confident. She was focused on me nicely, without being scared, her sit/stays were very good and her recall was fantastic. She even wagged her tail when I spoke to her on the course and as we were walking around! After the class, she tried to get everyone to give her a treat and even allowed a lot of petting by one lady - who also convinced her to do the Look command (even though normally eye-contact by others outside of Eric and I scares her). When we left class she was just as perky as when we came in - it was a very good time!

On the recommendation of a friend who does SAR in Oregon, we both ordered some Asolo hiking boots. They are made of gore-tex and supposed to be waterproof and really comfortable, requiring a little-to-no break-in period.

When we opened the big box we both laughed, because it was obvious who’s boots were whose.