Lessons Learned Along the Way – Challenges and a Time to Reflect on New Directions

My dogs are my friends, companions and partners in our adventures. I have always enjoyed taking my dogs for hikes and exploring the beautiful Sedona landscape. Looking at animal tracks and wondering who came before. In the summer we enjoy swimming in Oak Creek or a run on a California beach. To me these experiences are some of the best and happiest times I share with my dogs. 

I have always wanted to experience each of the dog sports that are most interesting to me: agility, herding and obedience. Each brings new challenges and new learning experiences. My dogs usually let me know which one of these they can excel in and perhaps stay healthy and sound for many years.

This spring I had the opportunity to take Susan Garrett’s “Recallers” course. It has been one of the best training and learning experiences that I have had since I started training my dogs. The course was so much more than recalls…. And for me it changed the course of my dog training and the decisions that I would make or reflect upon each step of the way.  We learned about the value in creating games as a way to overcome challenges and to teach new behaviors. Always looking for the positive and joyful way to teach and train.

This philosophy that I have come to believe in added a new challenge for me this past week. 


I have been looking forward to starting Myst herding. I put her on sheep at 5 months of age and she seemed to not only have a lot of instinct but also to really enjoy this natural genetic talent to work with sheep.  Realizing how important foundation work is for each of these performance sports, I wanted to work with someone who is currently very successful in open field herding. I chose a woman who is one of the top open field handlers in the country and traveled to northern California with both dogs this past week.


I was very excited to have Myst work with a top handler and begin with a good foundation. What I was not prepared for is that some of the top handlers have little patience for dogs that have issues that may take time and patience to work through. Myst's challenge was her intensity for the sheep and not wanting to give distance asked for by the handler. This woman told me that it would be a long road of training to train this pup and by the way "look at how wonderful these other one year old Border Collies that she is training are doing."


I was disappointed to say the least and was prepared to give up herding with Myst and focus only on our obedience and agility. I told myself that I was not prepared to venture into the world of negative corrections for this wonderful puppy that I had such a good relationship with and that was working so well with me in all of our training. In fact, my blog post over the weekend clearly stated I was giving up herding.


Time is a healer and driving provides a great opportunity to reflect and consider choices, new directions and what is really important. I continued to be very disappointed that I would never herd with Myst and today talked to my trainer in Arizona about Myst. She had seen Myst work and told me that yes she would take time but she believed that patience and time would help Myst learn to work correctly. She reminded me and had several stories about Border Collies that she had been told would never do open field work. Yes, it took time but if we love our dogs and are willing to put in the time and patience different doors can open.


So today a new direction and perhaps new goals... but I can say that my evaluation of Myst's herding will continue to be her joy in what she is doing. Myst clearly LOVES sheep and I enjoy herding and the learning journey.

What's the value in that?

In Susan's Blue Print for Change video a key point was made at examining what things our dogs really value and what activities are really rewarding for them.  It was heavily suggested that we take the time to do this inventory and make a list.  Here's my lists:

Gemini High Value Rewards:
    Chasing a rabbit that runs from her
    Chasing a real fur lure
    Tugging a flat furry toy
    Chasing or playing with squeaky toys
    Chasing her squeaky ball
    Food -- generally prefers soft real meat treats overall
    Also likes liverwurst or certain dog foods from squeeze toys
    Natural Balance Roll/Chips

Gemini High Value Activities:
    Lure coursing
    Practicing
    Down on the table game
    2 on/ 2 off games

Twig High Value Rewards:
    Beef rib bone/baked
    Liverwurst in squeeze tube
    Real meat, steak more than chicken
    Fresh Pet
    Greenies pill pockets
    Treat pouch
    *****The only thing she will reliably tug is a beef bone

Twig High Value Activities:
    Going for a ride/going to practice
    Spin right
    Speak
    Playing shaping games -- likes the sound of the clicker

Its interesting that the girls have 2 very different lists.

I did an experiment yesterday and linked working a curved tunnel to the table/down game.   Doing downs on the table have always been one of Gemini's quirky traits.  She just loves to race to the table and fly into a down.   It was amazing to see how Gemini's speed and drive for the curved tunnel increased by including one of her favorite games.  I could even get funky tunnel entrances and exits if she knew that table/down game was involved.   Who would have thought the table would help Gemini's tunnel performance???

Rising to New Challenges aka Coping with Adolescence

Unbelievably Gemini is now 7 months old.  Just before her 7 month birthday some fiendish dog decided to possess Gem.  Almost overnight my little ready to play puppy decided that she had other things on her list of Fun Things To Do and working with me was not one of them.  Admittedly I went into my own personal tail spin and lamented what I'd possibly done that had created this behavior.  After seeing a trainer/friend and biting my nails over his diagnosis of the situation he delivered the news:  an acute case of puppy adolescence.  The treatment basis would be to use a bit more creativity to maintain connection with Gemini and realize that its normal for things to fluctuate and change.  Oh ya, don't lose too much sleep over it especially as I'll need to be on top of my game.

As fate would have it, I got an email about Susan Garrett starting a new Recallers Class (now that's good timing) and I came across some excellent materials about goal setting--how to set appropriate goals, how to measure them, and really how important the entire process is for moving forward especially when you are at a challenge point.  Clearly Gemini's adolescence is a challenge for me.

A couple days ago I went to the training field with my list of goals for that training session.  Gem's big sister Twig had her own set of goals which looked something like this:  tighten up serpentines and German turns (can use same set up), full teeter work looking for drive to end and include difficult entrances.  Gemini's list looked something like this:  Increased drive to tunnel/curved tunnel, single jump cik/cap (which I call Zig/Zag) with drive to jump, into and out of turn, and figure 8 between 2 jumps using zig/zag.  Gemini apparently failed to read her training goals for this session.  Tunnel sends went well.  I was surprised that she didn't want to work for her fuzzy toys but instead wanted Twig's squeeze tube of liverwurst.  Well ok I can throw a squeeze tube.  When it came time to work her zig/zag she looked at the jump at 4" and stared.  Then she tried to stand on top of the bar, walk around the jump, lie down, give me a paw, bite at my shoe laces, an in general do anything but her zig turn -- a skill that she has done well for a month!  None of her toys worked and no treats helped her to see the light so I put her up and worked Twig some more.  Gem was going nuts wanting to get back in the action so I decided to redo my goals and see if she would just chase me and a toy thrown over the jump.  Ahh success.  In 30 secs her world was magically different and she could do full speed single jump wraps with tight turns!  I abandoned the rest of her goals and ended the session by playing with the girls.  Who knows what was up with her?

Recallers 3.0 hasn't started  yet.  In fact registration doesn't start until tomorrow.  Her mini lessons leading up to the start have class have been very thought provoking for me.  Much of it involves problem solving by using games.  Aren't adolescents experts at playing games????  She has outlined a 10 step process to help us employ games in our training and she has made it clear how important record keeping is in getting it all to work.  So I am going to step up my game and use this blog as my training journal summary site.  I can only hope that class begins soon!