Yoshi Training Diary

Yoshi Training Diary - November 2005

By Ellen Clary
(reverse date order)

Feedback is welcome:

Mon Nov 28 - Wed Nov 30
Susan Garrett's Shaping Success book (the one that really should be called Bringing up Buzz) has arrived. Now I get to feel guilty for all the luring I do. I just love the smaller photo of Buzz on the cover. One ear up and one ear down. The perfect rogue.

Raining this week so mostly indoor training and lazing around.

Sat Nov 26 - Sun Nov 27
Still at Redding. Sat I went snowshoeing at Shasta and he enjoyed hanging out with Terri and her mom and grandmom. Sunday took him to play a little in the snow at Lassen

Fri Nov 25
No class today. Introduced a right hand (round the back) finish to him. Just luring it. First, had a treat in both hands and then moved to a hand signal with the right and a treat in the left (and saying "By me" when he comes around to encourage him to sit on my left.)

Wed Nov 23
We're going to be going up to Redding for Thanksgiving tomorrow so tonight will be cooking, so not much training will be happening. I have put tarps over the teeter and the A-Frame.

Tues Nov 22
Will work for Crostini.
Ok, this is just too Noe Valley (that's probably too local of a reference isn't it? Oh well, you'll get the gist). Next he'll be in a multilanguage advanced preschool academy or something. I bought some "rustic Italian crackers" (crostini) for myself an gave a little bit to Yoshi. I had the most devoted "I'll do anything that you ask" dog right then. he almost put a dent in the floor when I said "down." Ok, we've gone from bread to bread sticks to imported crackers. What's next? Home made? I am making bread tomorrow so I shouldn't make such jokes. I suppose I shouldn't knock it - having a dog who works for bread instead of prime rib is a feature. He also loves cheese, but I can only give him a little or he gets clear-the-room gas.

Mon Nov 21
Ordered the GenCon and Susan Garrett's new book Shaping Success from Cleanrun. Dogpark in the evening.

Sun Nov 20
Rented Sharon's field with Cathy Barber. I did it mostly to work on his dogwalk, but he did the dw fine several times only started to do it slowly when he got tired. She also had a jump chute set up and he was terrific at it (he's a great bounce jumper.)

I put him through 12 weavepoles and he started popping at 10 and he misses entrances, so I'm getting back the other six from Mark and loaning him the A-Frame.

Fri Nov 18
Agility class. He's not showing any teeter issues at all today! in fact he did great in class. I can do lead out pivots and front crosses no problem. His teeter, chute and A-Frame all look good. And he did 12 weave poles no problem! I even deliberately put him over a 12" jump one time and he seemed fine. He's still cautious on the dogwalk and the mini-dogwalk doesn't appear to be similar enough (the horizontal board is too short) so it appears that I'll need to rent fields to get him on lots of different ones. His table stay is fine while I'm walking away, but if I start to approach him he wants to pop up.

He's starting to enjoy himself (and I'm thus enjoying it more) and is worrying about the other dogs less. If he starts to get snarky, I pull him back and have him do a "watch" which he'd rather do anyway. He more starts to talk his displeasure rather than bark and lunge so I now have the leisure to tell him to "stop." Still haven't bought the Binaca, but he may not need it.

Sharon showed me a Gentle Leader alternative called a GenCon which she got at Scottsdale. It's very nice and the dogs don't fight it so much as it's all one piece. I want one. I can get them through Clean Run.

Thur Nov 17
Sharon says via email that we'll work more on the teeter issue in class tomorrow.
He's gotten better about settling down around other dogs that I'm leary of using Binaca on him. I don't want to undo our progress, though I am getting more firm with his inappropriate behavior and I'm stopping him even before he has a chance to lunge.

Dogpark. At night. Oliver's mom had Yosh chase around the laser pointer for a good while. Oh happy, happy dog.

Wed Nov 16
Very tired from a very busy week, so didn't go to obedience class. Worked on the contact equipment and took him for a good walk. This was at night and he did quite well though we didn't see any dogs. Bristle a little at some people walking but settled right down and he let a baby stoller pass him without comment.

Tues Nov 15
Dog park at noon with Spark the Cardigan who was more interested in sniffing the whole park rather than playing. Yoshi instead had a grand time playing with Elvis a rat Terrier who was actually taller than Yosh was.

Mon Nov 14
Dog walk. At night - he did fine. Growled at one dog, but soon chilled out.

Sun Nov 13
Dog park

Sat Nov 12
[Haven't gotten the Binaca yet - probably by class next Wed.

Note to Agility Instructor Sharon:
Hi Sharon,

When you get back from the USDAA Nationals (congrats on Rip's 5th place in the Steeplechase)...

I have an interesting inbetween teeter performance that I'm sure you've had experience with.
Since working on the bang game, Yoshi is quite happy to jump up mid way on the teeter, so now he thinks an ok teeter performance includes a side mount. Now what?

He still doesn't run to the end [before it starts to tip], but he doesn't flinch as much. Even though it's slower, it doesn't bother me too much to have an extra second of hesitation on the teeter as that's easier on their shoulders.

I only do about 3 teeters a day (or a session) so as to not over work it. Right now, I have 3 contact obstacles jammed into my yard and he's loving it. He's going to be bummed when one gets swapped out for 12 weavepoles. He's coming along.

Fri Nov 11
No Agility class as the USDAA Nationals are going on this week.
Raced off to the dog park right after work. He had a nice time running around with a mini poodle and a jrt and when they left we went into the dog park and he had a grand time chasing after Oliver (who puts up with him as long as Yoshi doesn't nip him, if that happens he growls and warning snaps and Yosh backs off - good Yoshi deserves to be told off sometimes.) The dog park is not bad in the twilight. There's enough light to see.

Thur Nov 10
Talked to Lori on the phone for a while. She's suggesting that (calmly - you don't have to be mad) spraying some binaca towards his mouth when he barks may be just enough of an adversive to get the point across, and then reward him big time for being quiet. Can also through treats on the ground away from the dog he's worrying about. You don't touch their mouth when you're doing this so it doesn't affect teethbrushing - just get you hand in front of their mouth and spray.

Wed Nov 9
Looks like a nice day today. Perhaps we can do something at noon.
The USDAA Nationals are going on this week wish Cali and I were there. :(
Eventually Yoshi and I will get there.

[noon]
Took the tarps off the dogwalk and A-Frame and he was great on them. He seems to really like me saying "Go" when he's in the middle of the obstacle, so the rhythm is now "Climb" (he climbs) "Go!" (happy voice, but still a command - he decends). We maybe onto something so we'll go with this. Need to get the teeter out sometime but I'm not sure where to put it.

[class]
Lori was there and it was very nice to see her. Yoshi did surprisingly well and he let me walk behind him on a sit and down stay! What a difference. I commented to Lori that already his stay is better than Cali's ever was and she said "well you're less visible if you don't move." (that's a paraphrase - but the implication of cowering was there - she has dogs very much like him.) His stand is very good too though I didn't try walking behind him on the stand, but Hazel can walk up to him and touch him and he doesn't move.

Not sure if the tug n treat retrieve is going to translate to the dumbell, but it's worth a try. I do one or two tnt retrieve's and then do a dumbell one.

I'm just happy that he's not skittering out of the way when I move around him. Now to make sure i don't step on him.

He ws still reactive a couple of times when a dog came in.

Tues Nov 8
It's getting dark early these days so we're going to have to go back to lots of leash walking. 30 minutes today. House->court->encinal->versailles.
More tug and treat retrieve. he really enjoys retrieving the tug and treat. He will retreive the leather utility article but started to stress when I tried to teach him to hold it. Hmmmm.

Mon Nov 7
Rain. Tarps on the A-Frame and Dogwalk.
Interior work. Retrieve (tug n treat).

Fri Nov 4
Agility class. I took his PVC "hoop" (it's really the mini tire frame) that he runs under when doing the dogwalk and A-Frame, and he was great in class on them! No hesitation at all like he was doing when he was worrying about doing the contact right. The only problem with switching to running contacts for the dogwalk as well is that I may not be able to keep up with him once he really gets moving on the dogwalk. But it's so nice seeing him start to have fun that it's likely worth it (I hope this doesn't come back to haunt me.)

And! Coming off of that dogwalk, he hurtled without any problem over a 12" jump that was just sitting there (not part of the course). There's hope for 12" USDAA yet. Sharon thinks it's a very good possibility and she was happy to see him running over contacts.

He did have a case of the zoomies just before the dogwalk (I think he was stressed about the dogwalk at first before he realized he could just run over it.) When zoomies happen I just stop and let him run around (unless he's running after a dog) as it's just a phase. (I've never seen a 5 year old dog get the zoomies - it more seems to be a young dog stress reaction and it goes away with time and training.)

He is still being a pill about dogs arriving (even though he knew all of them,) but settled down fairly quickly. Perhaps this is just inappropriate greeting behavior.

I have to remember there's no class next week as Sharon will be at the USDAA Nationals. (Sigh, I just know that Yoshi will qualify for them when they're in someplace like, oh, Syracuse.)

Wed Nov 2
Breakthrough. in class, Yoshi let me walk behind him while on a sit stay!

To: PerformanceCorgis

Many congratulations to all the recent performance championships that 
corgis have earned.

I have a brag to keep things a bit in perspective. :)

After months of work, on a sit-stay, Yoshi let me walk around behind him 
with out him skittering  out of the way. :)

Ellen Clary
and Yoshi (well I just knew you were going to step on me)

His little outbursts of barking at arriving dogs are decreasing (though it certainly still happens.)
Met Hank the Bulldog today, pissed off one of the Open Poodles, and met Muffy. He was trying to bark and growl at Muffy so I held him by the collar at arms length while I said hello to Muffy (who is very sweet). That seemed to convince him that all was ok, so he introduced himself too (in his own pushy way).

Tues Nov 1
Jessie came over to play and use the A-Frame and Dogwalk.
Cathy thinks he's really starting to mellow out some.