The frontsit

After the dog picks up the dumbbell and zooms back to you comes another rather conflicting situation: the switch from retrieving to frontsit. Your dog should be running as fast as possible towards you, but then he has to start thinking, slow down (but not too much), sit in the precise right spot, and immediately calm down so he can hold the dumbbell properly.

This is everything but easy for the dogs, and it is imperative that you spend ample time practicing the frontsit with the dumbbell itself, without the added complications of retrieving. Only then will your dog be able to perform it under pressure and with speed.

Pay attention to ensure that your dog is sitting straight in front of you, not too far away, and not touching you at all. I always say that if I had to choose between whether a dog touches me during the frontsit or sits too far away, I would choose him being too far away. Touching or—dog forbid—crashing into the handler is non-negotiable. That’s a guaranteed point deduction. Sitting too far away is ambivalent—one judge might take points, but another might consider it still within limits.

Holding the dumbbell

After a correct fronsit, an even calmer and more focused part of the exercise takes place: holding the dumbbell. I always say that a superb retrieve can be recognized by having a calm, collected handler who does not have to rush anything during this phase of the retrieve.

The sequence of events should look like this:

• The dog performs a correct fronsit and switches immediately from rushing towards the handler to calmly sitting and holding the dumbbell.
• The handler waits for three seconds and does not rush to take the dumbbell from the dog.
• The handler puts their hands on the dumbbell with a controlled motion and leaves them on the dumbbell for a second or two while the dog does not react to the hands of the handler moving at all.
• The handler says the “out” command without moving their hands and the dumbbell. The dog outs the dumbbell, pulling his head backward and letting go of it completely and still looking up at the handler.
• The handler leaves the dumbbell in place, not moving for one or two seconds, without the dog reacting to this at all—no biting into the dumbbell or any other form of unrest.
• The handler puts the dumbbell, with a controlled motion, in their right hand and stands still for about three seconds with the dog still not moving and still looking up at the handler.
• The handler says the “heel” command with the dog changing position from the frontsit to the basic position very quickly, switching from low and calm energy to a swift motion.
• The handler waits for three seconds before praising their dog as the regulations permit.

Concealing errors and imperfections

The above-listed sequence of events is what’s ideal. These are what the entire retrieving process should look like and what you should strive to teach your dog. Any rush during this process is usually caused by handler error (being nervous at the trial and rushing things) or trying to conceal an error.

Handlers tend to rush outing the dumbbell when they know their dog can’t hold it calmly. They rush putting the dumbbell away to their right side when the dog might bite into it again after the out. They rush the “heel” command in fear of their dog switching positions on his own.

It makes sense, though. If you know your dog has problems with a particular part of the final section of the retrieve, it is usually a good idea to rush it a bit and not let the dog make a mistake. A good judge will pick up on that and might deduct half a point, which is still better than losing a full point or more for a mistake when the dog drops the dumbbell or bites into it.

So, rush something if you know it’s necessary, but train and control yourself to not rush involuntarily at the trial. And if you know a particular part is very good, prolong it to show it off. Let your dog hold the dumbbell a second or two longer than necessary to show he has a really calm hold. Generally, try to do this section as calmly and collected as possible.

There you have it. What is seemingly one exercise actually consists of almost a dozen little sub-exercises that you have to train separately and then put together in a controlled, well-thought-out manner. Having a perfect retrieve is very hard and demanding; every dog has his limits, and you have to know how far you can push him. However, I think it is important to know the ideal performance technique well so we can strive for it.

How is your retrieve? Do you have any problems with it? Which part do you struggle with? Let me know, and always try to be mindful when training such complex exercises.

The post Retrieve Components Overview – Part 4: Frontsit and Holding the Dumbbell appeared first on Mindful Dogs Sports.

The balance between fetching and sitting

Regardless of which one of the three focus options that we discussed last week you choose for your dog, the procedure after throwing the dumbbell is the same. You let it set on the ground—or in the case that it rolls or bounces, you will wait for a second—and then you give the command to fetch or you reward your dog for his patience.

This is one of the critical balancing acts involved in this exercise. You have to have a good balance between sending your dog to fetch and rewarding him for sitting still, as described in this article. Overdoing it—one way or the other—would either make your dog nervous and not remain still while throwing the dumbbell or make them unwilling to go fetch upon hearing the command.

This balance could make or break your retrieve, so pay close attention to it, and tweak it to perfection. This is the key to balancing out the calm and still part that you should have while throwing the dumbbell with the explosive part of fetching, which contradicts that initial state.

Running towards the dumbbell

After the fetch command comes probably the easiest part of the whole retrieve: running towards the dumbbell. Very rarely have I seen dogs having problems with this part.

Sure, you can have an unmotivated dog who is slow to run for the dumbbell or, more precisely, slow to run anywhere or do anything. However, that is not exactly a problem with the exercise but rather an overall problem with motivation. You can check out this article and try some new methods to reward your dog to make this better if this is something you’re concerned about.

Usually, a properly motivated dog will run towards the dumbbell pretty easily with no problems. You can sometimes encourage him while he runs away from you, but don’t overdo it. He might turn to look at what is going on, and if you do this too often, he might hesitate when there is no encouragement from you—like at the trial.

Picking the dumbbell up

The next part is collecting the dumbbell. Most dogs, I would say probably about two thirds, usually don’t have a problem with this part when the exercise is properly built up and when the dog’s motivation to get back to you and get his reward is high enough.

Sometimes, you have to deal with dogs running over the dumbbell and then turning and collecting it while returning to you, which is not correct. You can also have dogs playing around with the dumbbell, sometimes even using their paws to kick it around, which is obviously a mistake as well.

Usually, these issues arise when your dog’s motivation to return is not high enough, so try working on that. Rarely is it necessary to really work on collecting the dumbbell in particular. If that is the case, though, you can try one of two simple solutions: choose a heavier dumbbell, like the 2 kg one for IGP3, or try throwing the dumbbell to a fence.

A heavier dumbbell compels the dog to take the act of picking it up more seriously. He can’t really play around with it and instead has to focus on collecting it. Some dogs even have a calmer hold with a heavier dumbbell, so that might help you, too.

Additionally, throwing the dumbbell to the fence prevents your dog from running over it. He has to run to it, pick it up, and go back with much fewer options to play around with it. The downside is that this could slow your dog down, so use this tactic with caution, and really throw towards a somewhat see-through fence rather than a solid wall.

Returning with the dumbbell

After collecting the dumbbell, the dreaded return part of the retrieve is up next. I always say that you can recognize a good fetch by looking at the return part. Having a fast, flashy run towards the dumbbell is easy—you can just raise the motivation for the dumbbell, and your dog will run his heart out to get it. Teaching your dog to run back towards you just as quickly is much more difficult.

The point is that your dog should maintain his speed both running away from and running back toward you. If there is a significant speed difference, such as when the dog will usually slow down on his way back, you will lose points.

To achieve this consistency, it is imperative that your dog does not consider the dumbbell to be a toy but rather something uninteresting, only a means to an end—the end being his beloved ball or a favorite treat that he can get from you.

If he views the entire fetch exercise as one long path towards his ball, a path involving grabbing a funny-looking wooden thing on the way because Mum insists on that, he will be just as fast running away from you as he will be running towards you. Make sure your dog thinks about his ball first and foremost and about the dumbbell second.

The dog is now finally returning back to you with the dumbbell—so, actually retrieving—and arguably the most difficult part of the exercise lies ahead: a correct frontsit and hold. We will discuss how to approach this final section next week, so stay tuned!

The post Retrieve Components Overview – Part 3: Retrieving appeared first on Mindful Dogs Sports.

I have already written an article about how you, as the handler, should approach throwing the dumbbell, so go read that one if you haven’t already. Being able to throw the dumbbell perfectly will make your dog’s job of fetching significantly easier.

Three focus options during throwing

What I haven’t addressed in that article is how your dog should behave while you are throwing the dumbbell. The obvious issue is he should be sitting still and not moving. You can find out how to go about that in this article.

Having said that, have you ever thought about where your dog should focus as you throw the dumbbell? This seems like a minor issue but is pretty important and can greatly help your dog. There are essentially three options:

1. As you start throwing the dumbbell, your dog looks forward and watches you throw the dumbbell, seeing where it lands. He then stays focused on the dumbbell and starts running to fetch it upon your command.
2. Your dog is focused upward the whole time as you are throwing the dumbbell. He does not watch the dumbbell but instead keeps his focus on you. Then, he runs to fetch on your command, having to quickly figure out where the dumbbell is lying while on the go.
3. The third option is a bit of a mix of the two options above. Your dog looks forward and watches the dumbbell drop to the ground. He memorizes the spot where it lands and then refocuses upwards on you. After that, you give the command, and he can then run and fetch.

Any of these options is okay according to the regulations, so you personally have to choose the one that is most suited to your dog. As with many things in obedience, you will have to try and experiment to find out which tactic is best for your dog and stick with it.

The two extremes

Option 1 is good for low-drive dogs or maybe older dogs. Keeping their focus on the dumbbell makes it easier for them to start running straight toward it after your command has been given. If they were to focus anywhere else, it might take them a second to realize what is going on, and the retrieve could look unnecessarily slow because of that.

If you have the polar opposite—i.e., a high-drive or maybe nervous or anxious dog—letting him focus on the dumbbell would probably be a big mistake. He might not be able to contain his excitement, he might rock forward and backward in anticipation, or he might move his front paws, aching to run. In extreme cases, he might even run to fetch before you give the command.

All of the above can be pretty point-expensive. If you have a really extreme dog, option 2 is your best friend. By maintaining your dog’s focus upward at all times, the chances of him making some of the mistakes described above is much lower.

There is a slight disadvantage when it comes to your dog having to quickly find the dumbbell without knowing where it landed. This means that it is critical that you throw the dumbbell correctly. However, if your dog is very active and keen, he should have no problems zooming in on the dumbbell in a split second and fetching correctly.

Option 2 is really only for extreme cases. To illustrate the rarity of this for you, not even my Archer has to do option 2; he is a solid option 3 dog. I have used this option only a couple of times for the hundreds of dogs I have worked with.

The middle ground

Option 3 is the best choice for the majority of dogs. I usually start with this one, and only when I see it is not a good fit will I consider one of the other two. This option combines the best of both worlds.

The dog can comfortably see where the dumbbell lands. He can even plan how he will run towards it in his head. After he does that, he will refocus upward. The beauty of this technique is that you will immediately know that he is ready for the command.

It’s like your dog saying, “Okay, Mum, let me see how your throwing has improved. Oh wow, not bad! Almost exactly the perfect spot! You really improved after reading the article on mindful dogsports! Kudos! Yeah, this should be about six jumps, a quick grab and turn, and then straight back to get the ball—no biggie.”

Then, your dog’s head refocuses upwards, as if saying, “Give the word, Mum. I am ready to go.”

With this option, you will rarely have the problem of your dog not accepting the fetch command—which can happen with the other two options. The dog focusing on the dumbbell might miss you saying something. The dog focusing upward might not realize it’s fetching time. When using option 3, the dog himself will inform you that he is ready for the command. Try playing around with this technique, and unless your dog is an unusual case, he will probably enjoy this, and it will help him with his fetch.

Now you know how to set up your dog for the perfect retrieve, and next week, we will discuss the actual fetching. Go figure out which focus option is right for your dog, stay tuned, and be mindful.

The post Retrieve Components Overview – Part 2: Throwing and Focus appeared first on Mindful Dogs Sports.

In this article series, I want to describe the different parts of the retrieve. We will go over how the ideal retrieve should look and point out what you should focus on. Today, we will start with everything that is going on before you even throw the dumbbell.

The dumbbell stand

To really have a complex view of the retrieve, you have to start with getting the dumbbell from the stand. Here, you should really try different approaches to the stand to discover what is best for your dog.

It is rarely a good idea to approach the dumbbell stand directly. Most dogs would find that uncomfortable and might break their heeling focus as you approach the stand. Usually, it is better to stop on the left side of it to “shield” your dog from it while you take the dumbbell.

There are, however, many other options for how to approach this. Try them out for yourself, and watch your dog’s reaction. I recommend you really think about this and figure out how to use the stand to your advantage. It is even possible to slightly correct an overexcited dog by demanding a sharp turn right at the stand. Be creative and adjust to your dog’s needs.

I recommend you also think about where your dog should be focused while you are taking the dumbbell. It is usually not penalized (with the exception of maybe extremely high-level competitions) when your dog does not focus upwards on you while you take the dumbbell from the stand. He must not change position and must remain in the basic position—that’s a given.

However, you can choose if you will demand an upwards focus from him even when reaching for the dumbbell or if you will let him look at the dumbbell as you take it and then refocus back on you. This very much depends on your dog.

For my little Finka, it was much more comfortable to look at the dumbbell as I took it, especially when it was a strange dumbbell that other dogs had had in their mouths before her, like at a competition. She would just look at it and reassure herself that it was a normal dumbbell, even though it smelled a bit funny. After that, she had no problems focusing back up on me and heeling.

Archer is a different story. Letting him look at the dumbbell is not a good idea at all. He can get a bit overexcited. He might squeal with joy because one of his favorite exercises is about to begin. He might even break the basic position to get a better look. So, with Archer, I trained a straight upward focus during this part. I don’t mind if he quickly glances at the stand to realize where we are, but other than that, he has to keep his head up.

Heeling with the dumbbell

The next sub exercise of the retrieve—one that is often overlooked by handlers but is very important—is heeling with the dumbbell. There are some trials where you heel a significant distance with various dumbbells (IGP 3 comes to mind), so this is something that should definitely be trained and not just skipped.

Holding a dumbbell in your right hand might have an effect on your dog’s heel. He might forge a bit. He might push forward. He might even break concentration and look at it from time to time. Another problem could be the dog slowing down in anticipation of stopping for throwing the dumbbell. As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities for him to make mistakes.

What I recommend is doing a dumbbell heeling training session from time to time to address this. I will just take the dumbbell at the beginning of the session and do all of my heeling (which I usually do at the start of the session) with the dumbbell in my hand. I will do about turns, changes of paces, even the group, all with the dumbbell in my hand.

I pay close attention to Archer’s heeling, correct mistakes, and reward as usual. This type of training makes the distance you have to heel from the stand to the line or obstacle and back a piece of cake for your dog.

Sometimes, there is a line drawn on the ground (usually at competitions). If that is the case, pay attention to stop your heel before the line. Neither you nor your dog should overstep the line. Let your dog sit next to you in the basic position, and usually, you will have to wait for the judge’s command to throw the dumbbell.

Next week, we will discuss all the intricacies of throwing the dumbbell and sending your dog away to get it. Please think about what you just read, and try integrating it into your training sessions. Be mindful and you will have a perfect retrieve in no time.

The post Retrieve Components Overview – Part 1: Before the Throw appeared first on Mindful Dogs Sports.

Bite the bad guy!

Dad, I assure you, no introductions are necessary. I am sure everyone is aware I am awesome and that you seriously slacked off in the ball department that day. Anyway, back to the story.

After some tug of war with the ball, I got to carry it back to my car, and I got some back scratches from Dad, which is awesome. What more can a dog ask for? My mouth was full of my beloved ball, and Daddy’s scratches were in exactly the right places.

Then, there was some more waiting, but I am not deaf. I could tell other dogs were getting it on with a bad guy, and that could only mean it would be my turn very soon to show that son of a bitch who is boss! Let me at him!!

Finally, Dad came, and he told me to not even try to step out of line, and I knew that meant we were going to let the bad guy have it Malinois-style! I see no point at all in running around those funny yellow things when the bad guy is out and about. However, Dad seems to care about it, so I always zoom at light speed to get it over with—and there he was, in the last yellow thing, sure enough!

So, I started barking at him, challenging him to try to move, just a little bit—give me a reason! Dad took his sweet time coming over, so I had to take a break for a second to catch a breather, but then, I barked at the bad guy even more.

Dad called me over to himself which annoyed me a bit; I wanted to bite the bad guy so bad. Fortunately, the baddie made a mistake and tried to run away. That was my cue, and finally, finally, I had him.

Dad was awesome as usual; he always knows best when to fight, when to take a break, and what to do. We overpower the bad guy every time! We are such a good team!

Only when we were walking behind the bad guy did I think that I should be a bit closer to watch over him if he tried some funny business, but Dad eventually caught up with me, and everything was good.

I even got to run over half of the field and give it to him good! He was barely able to stay standing after I barreled into his arm. That will teach him to shout at me! Needless to say, I was having a blast.

In the end, I didn’t get to rip the guy’s arm off like I usually do, which made me really angry, and I didn’t want to leave the field. Dad had to drag me away, grass flying. Then, I had to wait again while the bad guy just casually walked away to drink some water. Dad shook hands again—What’s with this, really? Can’t they just smell their butts and be done with it like any normal dog?—and we left the field, much to my dismay.

Scratches and other good stuff

I wanted to be really angry at Dad, but he got all emotional, gave me so many scratches, and called me his awesome, perfect boy. Well, how can you be angry at someone when he does that? I tried, but then he hit exaxctly the right spot above my tail, and suddenly, I forgot what I was mad about.

So I forgave him.

Arch did a great job in protection, no problem with blinds. There was a small pause during the barking in the blind, and we messed up the back transport, as I expected. I really have to work on it and figure it out for our IGP 3.

Archer did all his outs nicely and really outperformed himself. The points from the judge were a disappointment, again, but who cares? I know we did some good work there, and I was very proud of my crazy, beloved, psychotic Arch.

I thought that was it. Usually, after I beat up the bad guy, we go home; but this time, we went to have our photo taken. That may sound all noble and everything, but it’s just a fancy way of saying I had to wait and not move some more. Why do hoomans always have all that ‘not moving’ stuff? It’s crazy.

Fortunately, right after that, we went for a long walk and a swim! Oh goodie, I love swimming! I got to chase my yellow frisbee, and all the hardships were forgotten. It’s good to be the best, most badass, and most adorable Malinois in the neighborhood.

Back to Dad

Thank you, Archer, for this very unbiased and objective look at our trial. It was a pleasure having you actively participate on the blog. We’ll see if we do this again.

On a more serious note, please note the important takeaways from our trial and learn from them:

• Notice how much thought and effort I put into the preparation phase.
• Take some inspiration from how I tweaked the way I structured our last training sessions for maximum performance on trial day.
• Accept that everything will never be perfect, and be ready to deal with mistakes at the trial.
• Take notes of your dog’s performance at the trial and later use those to improve your training in preparation for your next trial.
• The most important lesson, direct from Archer himself: just enjoy the crap out of it. It’s just a trial; it’s not life or death. Enjoy it, celebrate afterwards, and love your dog for what he has done for you. You can be sure he left everything on the trial field.

Arch was awesome at the trial. I couldn’t be more proud. He has his issues, but we will work on those and come back even better for the IGP 3. I hope you enjoyed this report and maybe learned something from it.

Archer says hello and reminds you to be mindful, just like a dog is most of the time. He also insisted on me telling you to go give your dog some scratches—especially at that special spot, you know, right above the tail. So, please go do that, or he will go on and on about it.

The post Archer’s IGP 2 Series, Part 4: Protection and Aftermath appeared first on Mindful Dogs Sports.

I told him I was writing about our trial day, and he insisted he would be the one to describe it to you. I managed to convince him to let me do some commentary, but other than that, take it away, Arch!

The weird morning

Hi, folks. Well, finally, I got a word in. How many articles has it been and not a single word from the most important member of this team, the one who holds all this together, me? It’s a disgrace, if you ask me. Please let Dad know you want more articles from me.

Looking back at the trial day, I can tell you I knew something was off right off the bat because Dad came to walk me and Finka way earlier than usual. I was sound asleep, chasing some cats in my dream, when he woke me up. I didn’t object, though, of course. Who am I to protest against a walk and a full bowl of food?

We had an early wake-up call. The judge insisted on coming very early—not something I would enjoy, considering we hit the pub the night before, but here we were. I know Archer wouldn’t be able to track very well on an empty stomach, so I made sure to feed him in advance so he had time to digest everything before we had to go.

Dad, please don’t interrupt. Nobody cares what you have to say. I am going to say it better. So, where was I? Oh, with my belly full, I dozed off for a while again, and then Dad took me out to the field.

I was overjoyed! Playing again? We had been playing so much lately that I couldn’t believe my luck! But, if this was a game, it was a pretty dull one. I had to sit and not move while a strange guy was touching me. Lucky for him, Dad had his stern look and said I couldn’t move and that it was just for the man to read the chip. Strange men never touch me, no sir! Women, that’s another story—those, I like.

Eating from the grass

Finally, something interesting happened when we drove off. I always watch where we are going, and sure enough, it was eating-from-the-grass time! I love it!

You wouldn’t believe it, folks, but sometimes, there grows a strange sign from the ground at a meadow, and if you carefully smell the trampled grass underneath, it it will lead you to all kinds of treats! It’s awesome!

Dad can spoil it a bit, insisting I go slow and not make mistakes, but other than that, it’s a blast. This time, it was really easy, very short, and had no tricky corners like yesterday, so I had no problems getting to the end at all.

There were a few of those annoying smelly things on the ground, and get this—Dad did not even reward me with meat when I downed at them! That pissed me off. I mean, I only do those for him—I would much rather keep going—so it’s only fair that I get some of that delicious meat, isn’t it?

To show my contempt, I took my sweet time lying down. That would teach him! Oh, and let’s not forget, this time there was no food at the track. I checked. I smelled really hard and close to the ground—no food.

Fortunately, there was another sign growing from the ground close by, which Daddy lead me to after shaking hands with the strange guy from before, and this one had my favorite treats! Finally, I got some meat for another article, so I was happy.

I was happy as well. Arch had a very nice track. We lost just a few points for his leisurely article indication, but his track following was nearly flawless. I always reward him with a short track with treats after the trial track, and he enjoyed that very much.

Finally, play time!

Back at that awesome place where we always play together, I had to wait for a while and the other dogs got to play first. I really don’t get it. Why should anyone else but me be playing? I can play better than anyone; it should always be my turn.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long, and Dad came to get me and told me it was finally my turn. I was overjoyed to go play that game Dad calls “obedience.” It’s a pretty stupid name, if you ask me. What does it have to do with obedience? I am certainly not obedient. I always do whatever the hell I want.

I love playing with Dad, but what I really don’t enjoy is all the waiting. I mean, I know it’s part of the game, but come on. Let’s just go heel together, or let me bring that funny wooden thingy instead of just waiting around.

I could tell that, for some reason, Daddy really wanted me to do well today, so I tried really hard. I didn’t squeal once until almost the very end! I have to admit, I did use the opportunity to get a better view of Dad while we heeled together. I know he doesn’t like that, but he didn’t seem to mind that day and didn’t tell me anything.

I also sat down from standing the moment he came back after walking away. I know he always insists on telling me when to sit, but do I look stupid? I wanted my ball, so I sat down right away. Why the wait?

Come to think of it, that play session was remarkably ball-less. I did get a little kick out of biting the dumb wooden thing I had to bring Dad three times after he threw it away, though. Beats me why he always throws it away when he wants it so badly.

I was getting really anxious for my ball already. Fortunately, we went back to the starting point, and I knew what that meant: run like hell and get my ball at the end of the field. I was ready, muscles all tense, and finally, after a short walk, Dad let me run. And boy, did I run.

I was just a little bit away from where I knew the ball had to be hiding when I heard dad shout “Down!” Excuse me?? Down? Now? There is surely a ball hiding there!

Then, I remembered how Dad has this annoying superpower of teleporting my ball to his hand with the word “down,” and so I stopped and looked at him in anticipation. In the spur of the moment, I might have forgotten ‘down’ means elbows on the ground, so Dad had to remind me. And guess what? I never got my ball—even for that performance! Now, where can I file a complaint about that?

Dad came over to pick me up, and then he turned to walk to that bloody spot where I have to just lie down. He knows I hate that spot, and he wanted me to walk right over there, I could tell.

Now, that was a bit too much for me, and I let him have it. I barked my disappointment from this play session at him and at least jumped very high right next to him to do something more fun. But, Dad insisted, so what should I do? I know the rules of the game.

After some annoying waiting time, I lied down and watched Dad’s back, hoping he would move and do something funny to spice it up a bit. Alas, he didn’t, and then he came to get me, and we walked over to the strange guy from before again. Dad shook his hand again—I mean, why does he keep touching him?!—and we walked to the edge of the field where finally, finally, I got my ball. Took you long enough, Dad!

Arch really tried his best. He was utterly silent, not a squeak or bark from him until we heeled over to the down under distraction spot. His heeling position was a bit off, so I have to figure out a new way for him to hold it. He chewed on the dumbbell a bit, and I had to give a second “down” command as his elbows were a few centimeters above ground during the send-away. All in all, a very nice performance, and I was proud of my boy.

The points from the judge did not reflect this, though, and we received much less than we anticipated. The judge was apparently not fond of crazy, high-energy Malinois. Well, his loss, I suppose.

Next week, Archer will let you know how protection went, and I will sum up everything you can learn from our mistakes and hardships. Stay tuned, and be mindful!

The post Archer’s IGP 2 Series, Part 3: Tracking and Obedience appeared first on Mindful Dogs Sports.

Tracking

In tracking, we had some issues with articles. Archer has had his share of problems with articles for his whole life as they, in his opinion, fall under the category of “boring stuff you have to stay put for.”

So, they are not his favorite part of the track. He would much rather continue sniffing than bother with articles. Our tracking preparation was, therefore, mainly focused on them and also on getting used to tracking on grass.

His work with the articles improved considerably as we went on, and I was very satisfied with our work in tracking and confident we would do well.

Protection

As I mentioned last week, we were lacking a bit in training volume in protection, so I was pretty nervous about it. Archer didn’t help this anxiety at all when, to my horror, he decided to not out on command for the first time in his life. I worked hard on his outs, and they have always been flawless, but it wouldn’t be Arch if he didn’t decide to play my nerves at the last moments, of course.

Other than that, we had big issues with back transport, and I decided to just wing it. I knew we wouldn’t be able to polish it to perfection. I knew Arch would be able to get through the exercise and that we would have to hit it really hard after trial. That freed us up to work on the outs and guarding phases.

All in all, I was afraid of the outs during protection—those could get us disqualified—and I knew back transport would be bad. Other than that, I knew Archer had it in him to succeed.

Heeling

Obedience is, ironically, Archer’s worst discipline. His nerves are just not made for all the waiting, patience, calm, and concentration-heavy parts.

So, I knew we had a lot of work to do to really make sure he was ready come trial day. We probably worked the hardest on obedience. Archer’s strong suit is that he actually thrives on frequent training sessions, so I was able to work him almost every day—literally every day—for the last week.

During heeling, I was trying to balance an interesting problem: when using the ball as a reward, his heeling position got better, but he would squeal and sometimes even bark in anticipation of his ball. When using treats, he would be silent but his position would suffer a bit. So, I was balancing these two out, trying to find the perfect ratio of him shutting up and holding a good heeling position.

Apart from that, I found out that I had to change my pace during heeling again. It’s our regular ritual: once or twice a year, Arch decides he wants to mix things up and forces me to change my pace and get used to walking either slower or faster, whatever his current whim may be.

Out-of-motion exercises and recall

Out-of-motion exercises aren’t Archer’s strong suit, but I was actually pretty happy with how they looked during training. Archer is very, very tense, so he never really sits very quickly, but his down was decent, his recall was obviously lightning-fast like usual, and we finally managed to have a good stand out-of-motion.

In IGP 2, this exercise includes coming back to a standing dog and him waiting for the command to sit down, which is arguably harder than a recall from stand out of motion in IGP 3. Surprisingly, this was no problem with Arch, and he nailed it every time.

We had some issues with him getting a bit lazy coming to the basic position from the front sit, though. I explained to him that I can tolerate some mistakes due to his crazy autistic nature, but I sure as hell could not put up with him being unable to move his body—it’s all he does all day! He agreed, and it worked out nicely.

Retrieves and obstacles

With retrieves, we will probably always have minor issues with Arch chewing the dumbbell when sitting in front of me. We approached it in many different ways, and he tries really hard. I can see him trying, but his nerves usually get the better of him, and he chews a bit. I worked on mitigating that as best as I could while also making sure he would sit still when I throw the dumbbell. Otherwise, his retrieving is perfect. He is as fast as they come.

The hurdle is not a problem with Archer either. I paid very close attention to teaching him the correct jump style, and he is very reliable. At the A-frame, I have to make sure he doesn’t jump straight over it and actually takes his time to really climb up and down, but other than that, no problems. The chewing is also not as bad with the retrieves over the hurdle and A-frame, so I would consider those our better exercises.

Send away and down under distraction

Send away is always a tricky business. Archer loves to run, but he is pretty sensitive to being downed. He is perfectly capable of running like crazy for 20 to 30 steps and then immediately downing without my command when I overdo it. So, again, I was carefully balancing everything to make sure it would work out.

Down under distraction, however, I wouldn’t hesitate to call our bane. Not moving for such a long time? While another dog is performing his beloved exercises? I am pretty sure Arch would rather sacrifice a leg than have to do down under distraction.

Fortunately, I have patiently explained to him that he has to work hard during down under distraction, and I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time on the exercise. There was an almost year-long period where Archer would be downing for extended periods of time before every meal. Brutal, but it worked, and now he tolerates the exercise and actually does a really good job at it, not being distracted by the other dog at all and really downing reliably.

Lately, he, unfortunately, started having issues with coming to the down under distraction spot at our training field. I am not exactly sure why. Once downed, he is content lying down. But heeling over to the spot and then waiting there? That was probably our biggest problem during training, and I did what I could to calm him down and explain he has nothing to be nervous about.

All in all, I was a little anxious about our obedience as it very much depends on Archer’s mood, and I knew it was crucial that I really made sure he was in the best mindset possible on trial day. I felt we were better prepared than for our IGP 1, which we scored 95 points in, so I trusted Arch to not let me down.

Apart from tracking, obedience, and protection, I made sure Arch was in top-notch physical condition. Running, swimming, rollerblading, extra-long walks, you name it. I wanted the muscles to be bulging on him, and they did. He got through all three phases with no problems on trial day and then happily swam for another half an hour after the trial.

As you can see, we had our work cut out for us; and we did our best, working hard over the short four weeks we had at our disposal. I was very proud of my Archer. He may be a crazy, chaotic crackhead at times, but he is also a dedicated hard worker. Not once did I notice any fatigue in him. Not once did he give up when it was hot or the session was especially taxing.

The preparation was over, and trial day was upon us. Archer will take it up on himself to describe the trial to you next week, so stay tuned and be mindful!

The post Archer’s IGP 2 Series, Part 2: Training appeared first on Mindful Dogs Sports.

Only four weeks‘ time

We had four weeks after my clients’ trial. Of course, we trained before that, but I really had my hands full, so I had to squeeze the intense trial preparation phase into just four weeks. It was not ideal, but I knew my Arch was more or less ready with primarily only minor issues we had to work on.

One of those four weeks I spent at our training camp. You might have seen some photos and videos from it over on my Instagram page. That was fortunate because, at camp, I usually only work with clients for half a day. The other half is dedicated to protection and tracking with different trainers, so I am free to work with Archer. We also had the opportunity to train protection almost every day at camp, which helped immensely.

Setbacks and misfortunes

During the month of our trial preparation, we had a number of issues and unfortunate events. It was the first hot days of Spring/Summer. Arch, even though he is a crazy little energy bundle, has his issues when the weather changes from pretty cold to very hot for the first time in the year. He is just not used to the hot temperatures after the long winter. I had to adjust our sessions accordingly and train later in the evening.

Apart from that, my car was robbed two times during this period. I lost some training equipment I needed, including my tracking line and my training jacket. Good riddance, mister thief. I wonder what you are going to do with that stuff. The jacket stinks of treats and was many years old, and the tracking line is literally just a long piece of rope. What the hell? Oh well.

We also had some problems finding good terrains for tracking. The trial track was to be on grass, so we had to train accordingly. I live in a big city, so grass is much harder to come by than fields or dirt. I had to drive for like an hour to get to some decent grass to track in. The training camp helped us out a bit again with plentiful meadows all around it.

We also struggled with protection sessions. This year, we weren’t able to train nearly as much as I would like, and I was feeling like we were trying to catch up quickly before the trial. Working on protection almost every day at camp was a life saver.

Last week before the trial

We let nothing stop us and really worked hard, and I was beginning to see that it was paying off. Arch was really stepping up his game, and our sessions got better and better. I was really happy with the progress, and then it was the last week before the trial—the crucial one where you have to make sure you prepare your dog to be in top-notch condition on trial day, physically and mentally ready to take on the trial.

For most dogs, this means plenty of rest, maybe some easy last-minute sessions, some walks, and general relaxation. Unfortunately, for Archer, it means double shift: the entire last week, we were training two disciplines a day. It was tracking and obedience most of the time, where I would take him tracking in the morning and then do some obedience in the evening after I was finished with my client’s training, but we also had two protection sessions thrown in there as well.

This sounds crazy—and believe me, it is—but I know this is what Arch needs, what he thrives on. During the course of the week, I could see him calming down and getting more focused, and the sessions kept improving every day.

The very last training sessions

We drove to the field two days in advance and stayed there so we could train where the trial would take place. I knew I had to trick him into making some mistakes in his last protection session so that I could correct him and he would then be more alert during the trial. That tactic was successful, and I was very happy with our last protection session. It also helps that we have amazing helpers in our group who always know how to approach every problem.

The last track was to be very similar. I knew I had to make it very hard and let him make some mistakes. He would then be more aware of these possible flaws the next day and be extra careful during the trial track. So, I went out of my way to find a very dry meadow. It was very windy the day before the trial, and I purposefully made a track I knew had numerous things Archer usually has problems with.

Confidently, I let him track, and what do you know? He did everything perfectly. Everything. Not a single mistake. That little asshole didn’t give me an opportunity to correct him and just worked like it was an easy puppy track. I can’t describe to you how nervous this made me, knowing he would be overconfident on the trial track the next day. But, alas, there was nothing I could do about it now.

Our last obedience session went reasonably well; I just tried to calm Arch down and not let him get into his overexcited crazy mindset. This worked out reasonably well, so I crawled in my sleeping bag that night and, as I always do, went through my obedience and protection routines in my head until I fell asleep.

In the next article of this series, I will go over our training in detail and describe everything we were working on. After that, you can look forward to Archer giving you his view of the trial. Stay tuned and be mindful!

The post Archer’s IGP 2 Series, Part 1: Overview appeared first on Mindful Dogs Sports.

Can you look after your dog even when it’s awkward?

For example, many dogs don’t really like it when other dogs come too close to sniff them. Archer is one of them. He doesn’t really care for other dogs. He isn’t aggressive per se, but he takes his time getting to know other dogs and doesn’t really like to play with strange dogs. I always jokingly say that he is so full of himself and considers the others not worthy of his attention.

I know this about him, of course, and I make sure to always walk him on a leash when there is the possibility of other dogs being in the area. When I see other dogs I try to make sure we give them a wide berth unless I know it’s a dog Archer likes and would maybe like to meet and greet.

So far, so good; but every once in a while, you get those people with aggressive or simply out-of-control dogs who will just come out of nowhere, and this is the situation where I see many handlers fail.

Remember, your highest responsibility is your own dog. So, if a simple “Please recall your dog” won’t help, you have to do more. I know I have to make sure this dog doesn’t come anywhere near Archer at all costs. If I fail to do that, the strange dog might get hurt, Arch might get hurt, and I would even probably get hurt breaking apart a totally pointless, preventable fight.

My go-to is shouting expletives at the other owner and his dog at the top of my lungs, walking threateningly towards them, fully prepared to kick, shove, and do whatever to protect my dog. Being polite in such a situation and letting it escalate is failing to fulfill your responsibility towards your dog in my point of view.

Is your dog obliged to endure everything?

A similar situation is petting. Archer does not like to be touched by strangers. Well, male strangers to be exact. He loves women, especially blonde ones—I wonder who he takes that after… I never make him endure any unwanted attention from strangers, though. I don’t see the point in allowing anyone to touch my dog when he doesn’t like it.

Archer can behave himself at the vet and at trials when he gets his chip scanned, and that’s more or less all I need. I am not really a fan of over-socializing your dog for unnecessary things he doesn’t like. Why would I force him to learn to endure what he doesn’t like? Would that be responsible?

Many dogs are like my Archer. Then, someone comes with “What a cute doggie!” and rushes over to pet him. I see many handlers go, “Oh, he doesn’t like to…” and then they just trail off because the other person is already all over their dog, totally ignoring him being completely nervous about it.

No. Something like that can never happen. It’s your responsibility. Your dog counts on you to take care of such situations for him because, if you don’t, he might choose to take care of it himself, and you might not like his solution. The person petting him who gets some brand new holes in their sleeve or, god forbid, in their hand will certainly not like his solution either.

So, it’s up to you to ensure that this doesn’t happen. This means no trailing off. No giving up when the other one insists. Just a firm “No, he doesn’t like that” or some more shouting and expletives, if need be, but this situation rarely requires that.

You just need to stand up for your dog. You know he would defend you from all the mailmen in the world until his last breath, so do the same for him.

Can an authority figure make you forget your responsibilities?

Another situation I encounter far too often when working with clients is perhaps much more serious than this. Time and time again, a new client comes in, usually saying they have some problems with obedience. They will tell me their dog has insufficient motivation or that he is low drive or that he is stupid or something.

I tell them to bring him out in the field to show me, and that’s usually where the problem starts. I have seen dogs who didn’t even want to come out on the field once they realized it was obedience time.

I have seen happy dogs jumping out of their crate in the car, instantly changing their demeanor when they realize they have to go do obedience. Sometimes, the handlers have to drag them onto the field. I have seen dogs cower in fear upon hearing the command “heel”.

Now, sometimes, this is the fault of the handler. They might be old school. They might not know better. They also might be willing to learn. I appreciate that very much. I have the utmost respect for people willing to abandon their old ways and learn something new. That, I feel, is a manifestation of their responsibility to their dog. They have made mistakes in the past but are willing to fix them now. Thank you for that!

However, more often than not, I get a young girl (dog handlers are usually girls nowadays, I wonder why?) with her pampered first dog that she loves to the moon and back. He has his very own Instagram account with hundreds of pics. She offers him doggie treats that cost fifty bucks a package, and he looks like he would rather run away than go work with her on the field.

Joyless heeling, slow positions, fearful reactions… How is that even possible? After some careful probing, the scenario is always the same. She has been going to some trainer who gave her advice like yanking the leash while heeling, hitting her dog on the head for down, and similar bullshit.

I am standing there baffled, looking at a girl who would give her kidney to her beloved fur baby telling me how she was kicking her dog just because some trainer told her to do that! How is that even possible?!

Now, don’t get me wrong, the blame is obviously on the trainer, and it is my dearest hope that people like this will sometime soon finally stop being able to call themselves dog trainers. But goddammit, how could you allow anyone to treat you and your dog like that?

Just because someone is a dog trainer or a vet or more experienced than you and tells you to do something to your dog that you don’t like doesn’t mean you have to do it!

This is the moment you have to show you are responsible for your dog even though it’s hard! The moment you have to stand up for him and say: “Thanks for your advice, trainer, but I don’t think I want to do that to my dog. Is there any other solution?”

You can be damned sure there is always another solution that doesn’t involve pointlessly abusing your dog. I sometimes have to recommend some, let’s say, “firmer” methods for some dogs, and that happens only when I am convinced it is the best solution for that particular dog. But I always respect the handler when they say they don’t want to do that. I will offer a different solution and explain why I think it might be less effective.

So, please think about this. You are responsible for your dog. He doesn’t have anyone other than you. You can never let anything bad happen to him. Even if it will make you feel awkward. Even if it means saying “no” to people you love. Even if it means looking like a raging lunatic shouting at someone. Even if it means standing up to some kind of authority.

Think about this, please.

Be mindful of any dangers—small or big—that your dog might encounter, and make sure you prevent those things from hurting him. You know your dog does the same for you from the very first moment he realizes you are his buddy for life.

The post You are Responsible for Your Dog appeared first on Mindful Dogs Sports.

The horror of the absent dad

Let me first describe what happened. I have this awesome power couple come to my training sessions with their adorable Australian shepherd. Let’s call her “Maddie.” Apart from obedience, Maddie is active in many other dog sports, both with her mum and with her dad as well: canicross, herding, dog frisbee, agility, puller, and I am pretty sure I am forgetting something. Her two handlers care for her very much, and they have a great relationship together.

Obedience is Maddie’s mum’s turf, but her daddy comes along to supervise the training sessions and take notes, which they meticulously follow. They really take dog sports seriously.

In the last training sessions before the trial, we noticed that Maddie seemed to check if Dad was still on the sidelines watching her from time to time. That would make her break her concentration during heeling for a second. It wasn’t a huge mistake, and I decided to leave it as the trial was just two weeks away, and I didn’t want to make any huge changes to the routine and correct something at the last minute.

Maddie was preparing for her UPr3, a pretty demanding routine where the tiny Aussie had to, among other things, fetch a 2 kg heavy dumbbell. It was difficult for her as it was without the additional stress of some last-minute changes.

I was satisfied with the preparation and was pretty confident the trial would go well. Both Maddie and her handler were prepared, and though I anticipated a few small mistakes overall, I was sure they would make a great impression.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Maddie’s mum decided to have her husband hide so as to not disturb Maddie. At face value, that seemed like a good idea, but boy, did it turn out wrong.

Maddie was totally distressed at not seeing her beloved dad. She couldn’t concentrate at all during heeling. She got all the out-of-motion exercises confused. She performed very nice fetches (there are three in this trial) but only after several extra commands. The judge didn’t even let her perform the down under distraction—there were just too many points lost already.

It was a mess, and I almost fainted watching it. My deepest admiration was for Maddie’s handler who kept her cool and did her best, but it was a lost cause. Maddie just wasn’t having it work without her beloved dad in sight, and she showed us she was adamant about that.

Well, an important lesson was learned, and I am more than sure Maddie will pass her UPr3 easily next time. However, let’s talk about what exactly went wrong.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions

You see, the problem wasn’t in hiding Maddie’s dad per se. I am pretty sure that if she had a few weeks to get used to him not being there, she would be fine. The problem was that something changed right before the trial. The very important lesson I want you to take away from this article is to never change anything in your training right before the trial.

This is an iron-clad rule, and I highly recommend you commit to it now and promise yourself to adhere to it because when the trial draws near, the temptation will be oh-so-high. There are always some imperfections before the trial, some little mistakes you know about that bug you. And those sleepless nights where you are imagining your routine in your head? Those are the breeding grounds for “genius” ideas on how to fix those mistakes.

Don’t. Just please, don’t do it—it will almost certainly backfire on you. Two weeks before the trial is not the time to be experimenting, changing, or teaching something brand new. It’s the time for polishing, maintaining, and preparing for the specific trial. Let Maddie’s example be a warning for you.

Stick to your training schedule

Depending on your trial schedule, the time for experimenting and changing major things might be in-between trials if there is enough time. I always recommend taking it easy one to two weeks after the trial. Take a break from training for at least that long, and let your dog unwind a bit and also forget all the mistakes he made during the trial.

After that, ease him into regular training sessions again, see if there are any issues in the aftermath of the trial that you need to fix, and start aiming towards your next trial.

Following this model, if you have two months between trials or competitions, you barely have time to let your dog unwind before you will almost immediately hop into another trial preparation phase. So, this is not enough time to work on anything major.

I always like to have at least a month to fix or change something minor, like trying to speed up out-of-motion exercises or retrieves, for example. If I have a major issue like having to rework a whole exercise, change the way the dog is being rewarded during heeling, or something of that magnitude, I leave it for the winter break if possible.

Something like that can take months before it really sits and the dog accepts it. Furthermore, when you start working on something like that, your dog’s performance will most likely go down for some time before it starts picking up again. It’s not something you should even bother with with an imminent trial approaching. 

The main takeaway of this article is “don’t change anything right before the trial.” But, perhaps, the bigger picture is to pay attention to your training schedule during the year. Know how much time you have between trials. Schedule your trial preparation periods and your unwinding periods. See how much time is left and work with that.

Be mindful, and I am sure you will figure it out.

The post Last-Minute Changes Before a Trial appeared first on Mindful Dogs Sports.