You gotta do what you gotta do...

Eventhough I'm sick, the dogs had to go out. And I had also promised to walk Sacco again. So I gathered all my strength and went out. It was amazing weather and really nice.
Sacco was already happy to see me when I came. He was also happy to see my dogs, and Aila didn't bark anything!
He's already getting used to my rules. Not going out of the door before I'm telling him and all that. But I on the way, I noticed that he could go out into the street all of a sudden (luckily I saw it and could quickly get him back). So I practiced a bit of "don't cross the road until I say so". It went well. My dogs are used to that, so I don't have to keep them on leash all the time. But now I know I have to watch out and train a bit more with Sacco on that.
Then I walked with him on leash over to some nice fields next to a lake. When we were far enough from the road, I let him go ( I only let him go on fields where I can see if any animals are coming, since I heard he chases them sometimes...). He ran like crazy with Vazy. Aila didn't care so much. Vazy gets so upset that she can't catch up with him (he's fast!). But he calmed down after a while. Then he came to me and wanted to do some stuff. That's funny, I love that my dogs come to me when I sit down, and chill around me. And that they follow me and come and take contact with me on walks all the time. But it was super nice that Sacco did that too! As I sat down, he was staying next to us. And same when I was walking. He came running super fast when I called him. So no problem having walks with him.

On the way back I noticed a Rune stone, and then it all of a sudden turned into a sightseeing tour. I love the rune stones! They are amazing, and thinking of how old they are.. It amazes me every time! Maybe people around here are used to them, but I'm not. So, we got a nice tourist picture with the dogs next to it. Nice huh?

Now I have to rest, 'cause tonight we're going to Kista for Aila's agility course...

Sick

The poor dogs are getting neglected at the moment. Too sick to train or do any long walks... Tomorrow I'll hopefully feel better. I have to since it's agility course for Aila! I'm going, no matter what... I guess I just have to stuff myself with painkillers and nose spray....

Walk in the rain

The walk went really well!
A very nice dog! I could even let him off the leash a little bit on a field, 'cause he loved my reward so much (ham-cheese on tube). He always came when called, and after a while he just sat next to me, hoping for some more..
It's raining and raining now. I'm getting a bit sick.. Damn!

Playing petanque (boule)

Yesterday the dogs were a bit neglected, I have so much to do for my course at university at the moment..and then I also had the basic obedience course again. Yesterday they got to try different scent exercises. It was really fun and it inspired me to do a bit more of that..! This summer I would like to start training "area search". we'll see...

Anyway, afterward we went to a park in town playing petanque. The dogs got a small walk as well. While we were playing I had put them lying down in the shadow. And they stayed there for the whole game (and even 2). About an hour or so.. ! Even with dogs, people, bikes passing. People playing freesbee next to us.. They're amazing! And Aila didn't bark! She only let out one little bark when an Amstaff came running towards them. But they didn't get up! So proud of my little doggies!

Today we're gonna have a "dog-day". First I have class, but after that I'm going to walk a German Shepherd called Sacco. My dogs will ofcourse come with us. Then I'm planning on going a bit early to the club to train Aila and some obedience before the training group in agility.. We'll see if it starts to rain, because I'm getting a bit sick I think.. so I better stay in if it's raining too much (but I'll still go to the agility training)..

If anyone feels like training some area search with me, just give me a shout! I'd really like to try it out....

Film clips - competition and training

First I have to thank Jessi for filming and giving me the right to put them on the blog!



Here is the "down-stay". It's always a 10 for Vazy. But she's still a bit onfocused at certain times there. But I don't mind.



I could practice this some more. She could sit and stay. But I still got a 10, so it doesn't matter.



Heelwalk was nice. Too bad that it was itching so on her side. I also know that she can keep more contact, during the whole walk. Which she didn't do. She got some good smell in her nose and looked forwards at certain times. But I'm really happy with it anyway. She's so nice in her heelwalk!



The "down" was a bit slow. But otherwise it was perfect. I think I'm not gonna get to the competition as early next time. So that she's got a bit more energy. I felt her a bit tired, but still focused.



She's not sitting straight. But I don't mind. I think the speed is more important! She's faster now than she used to be!



The stand was good too. She was staying standing when I came, that was super good! I think it's the same here. When she has more energy, she's faster at the "stand". But she's often taking a few steps. Looking good otherwise I think..



The "fetch" (still don't know what it's called!) is good here! She's got a broken tooth and doesn't like to take the object any more. So this is really good for her. I think that she'll like it even more when we can remove her tooth. At the training a few days before she did it even better.



She loves the jump! It's sometimes hard to get her to not go and jump straight away. But she made a good one here..



Here is Aila's heelwalk where we are at the moment. I still have to practice more right turns. Been focusing too much on the left ones (because I think they are harder) that she's too used to "only" turning left. Haha! But as you can see it gets better after a few tries. She was a bit over excited, that's why she was barking..



Really good. I just have to walk and train her a bit more before so she's not so excited (barking..).



Here is the "come". She's doing it really well!



The "stand". She doesn't know this yet. So we're working on it. Some work to do still. She has to learn to stay standing. And she has to learn a command etc. Right now I'm just making a small movement and we'll see how it develops..



The "fetch" class I. She's really good! She just needs to stop chewing...



The fetch, class II. She's really good here too, a part from the chewing again...


That's all folks!

Jessi in Skarpnäck

Today I was working, when I got home I heard Vazy barking in "her" room. Damn! Well. I don't think she's barking all the time.. Hopefully.

Anyway. Jessi came just after so I went out training on the field just outside. With Vazy I practiced the "come-stand" with a target in the middle. That was working quite well. She LOVES the target. I don't understand how that could be so funny. But when she sees it she wants to do nothing but run there and jump on it. So that's good, cause she gets good speed to it. But that should be really fast to learn, the hard part, that I always struggle with, is to take it away..
I can send her like 50 meters out to a target if I want, but as soon as it's gone, she doesn't understand what to do any more. So I think I might mix this technique, with the one I did yesterday (target behind her, where she can go when she stops, like a reward behind her basically).
Then we did some distance training (sit-down-stand) and that was about all I had time for with her (that I can remember).

Then I practiced some stuff with Aila. Just went through the obedience class I program. She does most stuff quite well. But today she had a tendency to bark, cause she was so excited and wanted to train too much. And I still have to practice the "stand" which she doesn't know yet. It will come.. The fetching went well, but she still chews a lot. Any ideas how to get rid of chewing?

Next weekend we're going to Gävle to compete in "Lapphunds SM" (laponian dogs swedish championships). Gonna be interesting since she's not really ready. But we're doing it for fun mostly, and we'll see how we'll manage...

Tomorrow I'll post the films from the competition, and Ailas training today..

Have a good weekend!!

Course and training

Today I helped one of the instructors at the club with her course (it's the 3rd time now). It's just "every day obedience" with a nice group. It's so fun and interesting to see peoples different relations with their dogs, and how they develop during the course. It feels great to be a part of that. To see them change and to take in the little tips and tricks given to them.. Interesting.

I went there early to have some time for my own dogs. Went for a nice walk where I made them search for treats. I made a "square" of 15x15 meters. Where I only put treats at the end at first. It was great to see that both of them went out 15 meters straight.. Then I threw some more around, and I think they found them all. I think I'm gonna continue like this. But I will start to hide the sweets within gloves and other things. Then I will try and make them search for things to bring back instead. Like toys or other stuff. Gonna be interesting to see how that goes.

Then at the club I was training a bit. There were two girls training freestyle and obedience with their amazing dogs. They seemed nice so I asked if I could "borrow" their square made with cones (not the same as the ones we've been training with before). So I tried some with Vazy. She didn't get it. Cause there were toys spread out, and she rather went to them. Then I thought of what I read in Marlene's blog, about only trying once, then doing something else and so on. So after the 3rd try (when she made it), I did some heelwork. And then sent her back. She was quite confused. But went towards the square anyway (but stopped next to the cones instead of in the middle). Then I just called her back and made some more exercises. And then tried again, from different distances, not always straight at it and all. And she made some perfect ones in the end! Got quite a way to go before she's ready for competition though. She needs to learn the command more, so that she knows that she needs to look for the cones when she hears that.

I also trained some heelwork in all directions. The walking to the left is still hard (I mean when we're both facing forward, but still going to the left).. Right and back, no problem!
Then she did some really nice distance training (sit/down/stand). She does it now without moving forwards.

Then I also tried the target training with the "come-stand-come". It didn't work at first, cause I called her in two times without making her stand. Then she forgot about the target. So I made it easier, and just walked around, and told her "go on" when she could go to the target. She really loves the target, so she always turned straight away. I think we might get there one day. Just need more training.

With Aila it's great! She's great now after having finished her heat. She wanna do nothing but walk on heel, even on our regular walks. She comes up to me every one or two minutes, looking at me and walking perfect on heel, then sitting perfectly when I stop. Wohoo! Then I did some "down" and "stand". The down is great. The "stand" is not ready yet. But she stops quite well when I do a movement with my hand.
I also did some fetching (apport). And she can take it from my hand, hold it until I take it. I can also throw it, and she gets it perfectly when I give her the command. BUT, she's a little chewer. Damn... But it seems like it's getting a bit better. It seems like she chews less when running. I will see how it develops. If it gets worse, I have to do something about it...

I was supposed to train some agility too. But then the agility training group (class II) started, so I couldn't really. But then it was only 20 minutes left until the course started..
Then they've been nicely sitting in the car. Poor dogs huh?