Jackie's training journal

Discussion in 'Your Training Logs' started by SevandJack, May 8, 2016.

  1. Stacia

    Stacia Registered Users

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    Of course you did well! Labs are not the easiest dogs, full of fun and boisterous and it sounds as if you made great strides. You cannot expect a young dog to behave as if he has just got a degree when he has only started kindergarten :) Ignore your father!
     
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  2. jessieboo

    jessieboo Registered Users

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    Ignore your father. It sounds like you are doing really well. How old is your sister's dog? I am sure that was once a playful puppy too. A well behaved dog takes time and effort, which it sounds like you are putting in. jessie is a terrible jumper at dogs and people. I just keep working on it and it is slowly getting better. Good luck. X
     
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  3. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    I took Jackie to a dogwood today. (I don't know if that's what they are called in English, but it's a fenced off area of wood specifically for people to exercise their dogs). We spent about 100 mins there, most of them off his lead and on the move as Jackie wanted to sniff everything and then pee on it. It was warm and muggy, but I'd brought plenty of water and it being a wooded area, we were in the shade the majority of the time. We were mostly alone the entire time, only a few hikers on the paths that ran beside the fence, and an elderly lady with a border collie that arrived maybe 20 mins before we left. Jackie tried to play with the dog, but she was clearly uncomfortable with it, as she was much smaller than Jackie, though she was good at telling Jackie when to back off. They didn't play long, as Jackie was making her really nervous, so I put him back on his lead and went the other direction than they were heading.

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    getting him to stop and drink was a bit difficult, but I managed by re-leashing him and sitting down so he couldn't go anywhere.

    I did a bunch of awareness exercises with him, basically About Turn from Total Recall (which I've recently bought), with seemed to frustrate him a bit. He'd rush off in one direction (though staying withing sight), then I'd either turn around or turn 90 degrees and suddenly I'd hear him stop up and realise that I wasn't going where he thought. He'd come thundering after me at full speed, then circle me a few times. I think he was trying to determine where I was going before he started off in the most likely direction. I'd turn again, and he'd rush to keep up, then circle me again. After a few of these, he'd start rushing farther off before trying to find me, so I'd start a chase game for a while.

    Towards the end, it had started to get much too hot, as Jackie had started trying to burrow into the sandy soil, so I called for pick up.
     
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  4. charlie

    charlie Registered Users

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    Jackie is gorgeous, you are making progress and having fun! :) x
     
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  5. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    Training on BASIS 2 starts on sunday, and I am very nervous. It's with a different trainer than BASIS 1, and I am not sure I can get Jackie to be reasonably calm the first time. He's been acting up, nipping at my knees and bum, chewing through a line, jumping more that usual, he's even started trying to chase red cars and all bikes on our walks. When I tell him off, or try to redirect into a sit or down, he'll bark in my face and do it again. I know it's because I'm not entertaining/activating(?) him enough anymore, but I am hoping that the training will help somewhat. Our walks just get longer and longer, and he's started pulling like a plow horse again.
    I really don't want this new trainer to think we're a waste of time, or that I'm not taking the training seriously.
     
  6. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    Right, so after writing that, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and work on the pulling. I took him for half our normal walk, but every time he pulled, we turned around and walked the other way. Took an hour to get home, about a third of that was getting him out of the driveway on the way out. There was a god bit of progress by the time we got home, so I'm going to try to do that on every walk for a while.
     
  7. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    I've completely forgot to add that my dummy trouble is over. I clickertrained him to pic up the one I had, but then a few days ago my sister gave us two firedog dummies that Jackie LOVES.
     
  8. zrinka

    zrinka Registered Users

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    Jackie is beautiful. And wow, you have a dogwood! :D Is that a hurtta harness he is wearing?
     
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  9. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    Thanks, and yes, that is a hurtta harness. Dogwoods are actually fairly common in Denmark, I don't think I've ever been anywhere that a Dogwood wasn't within driving distance.
     
  10. zrinka

    zrinka Registered Users

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    Well, feel free to visit Croatia. If we are lucky we have a dog park in the neighborhood. There is a park/wood where dogs are allowed without a leash, but I don't any place that can be described as a dogwood.

    I am planning on buying one, but not sure about the size I should choose, as I do not have the ability to try it on first. Our Hurtta t harness (size 80) became to small :D
     
  11. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    Jackies is also a size 80, though it is a half-Y harness. It's a bit big and loose on the front, as it is a padded ring that can't be opened. Jackie is pretty slim-built though, so that might be why. I've been thinking of getting a harness with a front-end attachment, as I've heard that they're good for pulling dogs.
     
  12. zrinka

    zrinka Registered Users

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    He does look a bit slim-built but quite tall, i would expect he would be at least 90.
    Kona will be a year old on 26th, so she'll get few more pounds. Her chest size is 79 cm, so we could use size 90, but I'm afraid it would be too small soon. The chart says size 90 is from 80-90 cm, and size 100 for chest measurements 80-100 cm. I was considering Y updated harness because of the front ring, i think it could be used for that purpose.
    We have a Ruffwear front range harness (on the avatar), with buckles on the back and on the chast, it is quite expensive but great quality.
     
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  13. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    BASIS 2 - day 1

    Well, the training went exactly as I feared. Jackie was irrepressible, constantly trying to get to the other dogs and ignoring me for most of it. Exactly how he was on the first day of BASIS 1. We managed to get through the whole process, but it was exhausting, and the new trainer had me using his collar for my main lead rather than his harness. Good thing I had the safety line on his harness the entire time, or he would have been loose and running after the other dogs at least twice, slipping his collar. At least I have the comfort of knowing that he'll be better next week.

    Things trained:
    Sit
    Down
    Roll-over
    Doop
    Leave it
    Heel
    Walk to heel
     
  14. edzbird

    edzbird Registered Users

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    Oh heck this happened to us this week. All dogs (Coco included) had had a run around together and were back on lead, lining either side of the indoor horse arena, and Bub the lurcher was allowed off for a solo run - he ran up and down, bucking as he went with his young handler running with him. Coco (who "knows" him from another class) suddenly did a massive lunge and pulled free from me, cavorting up and down after Bub. He wouldn't recall, I couldn't catch him. The trainer caught him eventually. Then held on to him until Bub had finished. :oops:

    Jackie is doing well, that's a lot of things you trained.
     
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  15. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    Well, this Sunday's training was canceled due to thunder. About an hour and a half before training we got the message, which was a pain, cause Jackie and I had already gone to my sister's place to get ready, which was an hours drive. Also, about half an hour after the cancel message went out, the weather cleared up completely. *sigh* We ended up having a 'play date' with Linda's dog O'Neill.
     
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  16. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    Last weeks training was also canceled, so it's been two weeks since we've been. I am dreading it, not going to lie. With the local bitch in heat, I haven't been able to grab his attention for home training for more than a second at a time, and his responses have been far from consistent. His recall is in the crapper at the moment, and his name-response is awful as soon as we are out of doors. I'm exhausted just thinking about training at the club. I'm bringing extra special treats, but that didn't work last time. I'm trying some different ones again as well.
     
  17. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    BASIS 2, day 2.

    Things were much better today. We managed to get through all the exercises nearly completely unscathed, though there was a single episode of Jackie trying to squirm out of his harness. There were so many other dogs (and their people) as the BASIS 1 groups were starting up at the club concurrently.

    We were doing the same basics exercises again, trying to get the obedience under control. Jackie's focus was sporadic but still better than the first day of BASIS 2. Sometimes he would walk wonderfully at heel, other times he practically ignored me. It is pretty much the same progression of focus as on BASIS 1.
    His 'sit' and 'down' were really good, he did well with recall, and the 'leave it' was pretty good too, though he did manage to steal a sausage at first. At the end of that exercise phase, he was in a down with a sausage bit on his paw, so he did really well.
     
  18. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    BASIS 2, day 3.

    Behaviour-wise, things were again better than the last time. I still can't get him to go for the dummy once we're out the house, even tried wrapping it in a slice of cheese. One unfortunate episode was; We were standing with our backs to the path, so I couldn't see anyone going up and down the path, and I was splitting my attention between listening to the trainer and keeping an eye on Jackie. Suddenly, while I was trying to listen to the trainer, I am wrenched off my feet and drug a few meters while Jackie is trying to chase down someone on a pony riding up the path. The line tangled around my hands in such a way that a piece of skin/flesh from my little finger was pulled off. So there I am, on my knees, trying to keep my little devil under control and bleeding from my finger while this pony walks by. The trainer-in-training came by to see that I was alright, and of course, Jackie sat sweetly for her. This was just at the start of the session too, so I spent the rest of the session with a bloody sore hand and large grass stains on my pants. I can't say that I particularly enjoyed the days training, and we did end up skipping the last exercise ( a retrieve) because at that point I was exhausted and Jackie was having trouble concentrating on anything but the cute GR-pup that we'd been paired up with. Ugh, what a day.
     
  19. Xena Dog Princess

    Xena Dog Princess Registered Users

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    A pony? Why does your trainer have you training in a field with horses?! That's a pretty big distraction for young dogs!

    I also spend most of my classes trying to get Xena's attention on me (my vocal repertoire is rather impressive now) and the only thing that makes me feel better is knowing that 99% of other lab owners struggle with the same problem.
     
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  20. SevandJack

    SevandJack Registered Users

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    They don't, the path that runs through the clubs area's is public, so they can't stop anyone from riding down them whenever they want. Unfortunately, people do it all the time.

    I wish I could believe that, but there are two other labs in my course and they are both obedient angels. It never fails to leave me feeling incompetent.
     

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