Class is over

Yesterday was the last class before tonight’s Canine Good Citizen Test and Therapy Dog Evaluation. The entire class was run as if it were the real thing. Although not all the dogs have therapy work in their future, the tests are so similar, we all did both. Starting with a greeting, the dog was seated next to the owner and an evaluator came up, asked to pet the dog. Then (the therapy part), the evaluator ran a brush over the dog, touched its paw and tail. Next step was loose leash walking. Set off, turn right, walk, about turn, walk, left turn, walk back to the start, with a slow and fast pace in there somewhere. Third part was walking through a crowd, with greeting people thrown in for therapy, with distraction (banging food dishes). Fourth was a down stay, owner walks twelve feet away, returns to the dog, walks away twelve feet and calls the dog. Fifth was leaving the dog with a trusted stranger while the owner disappears for three minutes, returns to the dog who doesn’t get hyper. Sixth and final was a greeting with another dog being walked. Owners stop, dogs on the outside, shake hands and walk away, with the dogs not reacting.

When we got to class, there was a little tyke at the table with a coloring book. This was a perfect set up for Parker, who loves little girls, so I took him over to her and asked her if she’d like to pet him. She came up to us and started running her hands over him and he sat quietly, with his eyes closed, slowly leaning into her. (Imagine sixty pounds of dog leaning into thirty pounds of little girl.) I thanked her and we went out into the ring to warm up. He was so happy. Then we left the ring when class started.

When it was our turn, we went out and Parker sat nicely. When the evaluator came up to us, he got up and took a couple of steps toward her (he wasn’t on a stay). This is a monumental improvement for my shy boy. Then he sat and she pet him and, using the brush I brought, ran it over him, touching his feet and tail. Hey, he’s a Poodle, he’s been groomed a lot. No problem. Then we started our loose leash walk, which is not a heeling pattern. Just in case, I had the leash looped over my shoulder. Parker was perfect. Right up to the end, when, for the last several steps, he hopped on his hind legs, his front paws being busy, balancing on my butt. I think the evaluator was too doubled over with laughter at this to mark us down.

On to the wandering through the crowd. He did stellar, not going up to anyone or shying away, until I asked him to meet each person. He sat quietly for the man, who rubbed his ears (Parker likes that); sat nicely for the evaluator in the wheelchair, another teacher he had avoided throughout the classes, who pet him gently; standing by the teacher in the walker who has held him before every class while I would run to the bathroom, who disliked all Poodles until meeting Parker and now loves them; and finally getting some time with his little friend, laying his head in her lap. The banging food dishes didn’t distract him. He reacted by looking at them, but otherwise ignored them.

For the next part, he sat when I asked, but took a minute to do the down. I don’t like repeating myself, so when I said, “down,” and he didn’t, I said, “Uh oh,” and repeated the gesture. That time he flopped onto his belly. I told him to wait, walked away, turned around and came back and then walked away again. And he followed. That was entirely my fault. Not only did I not tell him to stay, but I started off on my left foot, the signal to follow. So I took him back, had him sit, told him to wait and walked away, this time starting on my right. Perfect. I turned and called him and he rushed to me, leash dragging, which he normally hates.

He had no problem being left with someone in a chair while I went outside. When I came back, he remained sitting, but I could see his tail wagging and another person holding another dog said he started to smile as soon as he saw me. But He Didn’t Move. W00t!

We had to wait for a meet and greet until another person was ready. One of the teachers had her Golden Retriever there for that, which worried me. Parker’s good buddy Missy is a Golden and he gets very excited when he sees another one. But she was busy, so we did it with another student who has a Chocolate Lab. Parker did great, not sitting when we stopped (we weren’t on a heel, just a loose leash) and he didn’t react when the Lab stuck his nose in my crotch.

We would have passed!

The real test is tonight.

News at eleven.

I think he's got it

Yesterday I took Parker into the bedroom to do some training. Not my first choice of venue, but we were having another day of pouring rain, so it was inside or nothing. He trotted in with me without hesitation (I had chicken!) and, as soon as I shut the door on a disappointed Emmy and turned around, Parker started throwing behaviors at me! He's never done that before, always waiting for me to ask for something. Yes, it can be frustrating when I want to work on fronts to have a dog doing rapid sits, downs, spins and whatever else he can think of, but it was a special moment to see that he finally understood that I wanted something and he was willing to try to second guess what that something was.

W00t!

Don't remember if I ever said that Parker and I have been attending a friend's rally classes. One of my teachers had recommended that that would be a good place to take him in my continuing efforts to get him socialized. Lots of other dogs and dog-people. From the first, the teachers in that class have been asking me if I wanted to take Parker through the course. Every time I've said I would after the class was over, if there were time, but there never was. But yesterday, due in part to my apparent inability to read a clock, we got there fifteen minutes early, and when I got the same question and gave the same answer, one teacher said, "No one else is here -- do it now!" So we did. Of the fifteen signs, there were two I couldn't figure out and, I was told after, several I did wrong. But *I* did them wrong. Parker did everything I asked! No, not properly or elegantly. His fronts were crooked, and each time he did a three-sixty first (he would be in a crooked front, I'd take one step back, he'd pop up, spin around and sit in a crooked front). When we came to a sign for a down, when I asked for one, instead of the beautiful elegance you'd expect from a Poodle, he threw himself onto his back and waved his legs in the air. But he did it!

But the best part was that he went through the entire course with his tail held up high and wagging with vigor. Bouncing. It was pretty damned cool.

He was easier when he was shy

Another class day today. Parker was raring to go when we got there, although he managed to control himself when we got there early and watched the puppies. Somehow I’m going to figure out how to steal the little collie and take it home. Then they put up some agility stuff and we were told to walk our dogs around. Parker headed right for the tunnel, but another dog was there first. So Parker started barking! Parker never barks! He was dancing on his hind legs and pulling to get at it, so once the other dog cleared the tunnel, we took off at a run, or as close to a run as I can mange. I dropped the leash and he plowed through the tunnel at top speed, getting to the other end before me and spinning around on a dime to leap up by me. So we did it a second time. Only this time, instead of waiting for me at the end, he took off to go greet the other dogs. Yes! Parker! He eventually came back, but he was hyped up and very excited. We did the other stuff, but his heart wasn’t in it. He wanted the tunnel. Right before the tunnel, they had put a ladder on the ground and he was so focused on the tunnel that he never seemed to notice that he was walking through the ladder. Something he normally doesn’t do.

Even when the put a u-turn in the tunnel, stretched it out to its full length, and turned it into a s-shape, he had no hesitation running through it. He was in heaven.

Sadly, the new schedule of classes is out and there’s no agility listed for next time. So I’ll either have to choose between rally and pre-novice or maybe do both.

Day Four of Basic Two

One of the teachers today told me that Parker should fly through the Therapy Dog evaluation. Since that’s one of the reasons I wanted a Poodle, that was what I wanted to hear. Of course, in order to pass the test, he has to have a clean fecal, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Class today was fine. I probably should have taken him for a long walk before class, because he was awfully excited about being there and didn’t heel all that well. But this isn’t an obedience class, so that’s no big deal. He didn’t pull or act up. Just too joyful for quiet heeling. When we put the dogs in kennels and left them to hold another dog, whose owners then went outside, he went right in without a fuss. He was one of the few not to bark, although he kept his eye on me the whole time and greeted me with a happily wagging tail when I went back for him. Then I handed him off to another person and went outside. When I came back (two minutes later), the woman holding him said he sat the entire time without fuss.

He let all the teachers come up to him and pet him and took chicken from each of them, although he refused the tasty meatloaf one of them offered.

All in all, a good day.

Before I make it sound too much like he’s a perfect dog, he’s learned how to jump onto the bed from a stand and he proved it this morning while I was trying to make it. Didn’t seem to understand why I wasn’t pleased with him. Mike wonders how long it will take him to realize he can jump the fence around the backyard, which is only four feet high. I suspect it will just take the right incentive. Like me being on the other side.

Day Three of Basic Two

We didn’t have class last week, so this is day three, although week four. You’d think that, with an extra week to practice, we would be much improved. But not if you know me.

We arrived at the tail end of the puppy class (I do adore watching the puppies), and started with a floor covered with agility equipment. A pause table, a couple of very low jumps, a pause table, a wheelchair, a vacuum, and two barbershop poles lying on the ground. I have no idea what the last was about. In spite of his first experience with the pause table, when his newly shaved and slippery feet caused him to slide off, Parker went right up to the table, hopped on and gave me a sit without my asking. He climbed the stairs like a pro and again sat, this time looking at the pause table, where another dog was lying down. So he hopped off the steps, went to the pause table, climbed up and lay down. Good boy! Although I guess it would be better if he waited to see what I wanted him to do. The wheelchair and vacuum got sniffed, the jumps jumped and we walked through the barbershop poles.

The class officially started with some heeling work. Parker was a bit too enthusiastic (hey! I had chicken!), going out in front, but a few turns got him lined up again. As long as we weren’t too close to any other dogs, he sat reasonably straight.

Then half the class put their dogs in crates, came back and took our dogs from us and the rest of us went into a bathroom. It’s hard to describe the look, but if Parker’s ears could be said to droop, that’s what they did. He didn’t whine, jump or pull, but he had a horribly abandoned look about him. I watched his reflection in the bathroom mirror and he was heeling nicely with the stranger, but his tail was tightly tucked under his legs. After two minutes we were allowed back. I walked up to him without looking at him and he kept still by the stranger, not whining or jumping. When I took back the leash I asked for a hug, and he put those big front paws around my waist and leaned his head up against my chest.

Then it was Parker’s turn to go into a crate. Man, he didn’t like that, but he allowed it. Again, for the two minutes I was with another dog, he didn’t whine or bark. But he about knocked over the crate with his wagging tail when I went back to get him.

We did some in and outs around a circle. His focus was pretty good as long as the other dogs didn’t get too close. And he allowed most of the others to reach out and pat his head, although, for some unknown reason, he kept circling behind me for one of them, the last to try. Maybe he was just tired of it.

So all in all, a good day. And, as usual, he’s collapsed at my feet now and will probably remain so for the rest of the day.

I suck as a trainer

I just did another training session with Parker. Having attended another rally class yesterday (without Parker who was getting beautiful at the groomer’s) it was so-o-o-o clear that he has a long way to go before we can hope to do rally together.

So, spurred on, I armed myself with some chicken (he’ll work hard for chicken), I took him into the bedroom to work. He followed happily, tail up and tongue out (“Oh boy! Chicken”) and, as soon as we got into the room, he threw himself into a down. Now I’m well aware of how many posts I’ve put up, despairing that he would never learn the down, but now that’s all he thinks to do. I say, “Sit!” He does a down. I say, “Come!” He does a down. I say, “Watch me!” He does a down.

So I’m confused about how many different things to do in one session. Since, really, he only wants to do one thing.

grrr...

Grrr...

Mike decided to work from home this afternoon, so he took off from work and came home by way of dog school to watch. He hadn't done that yet. So, of course, Parker chose today to put on his goofy. When I asked him to sit, he'd give me a down. When I asked for a down, I got a sit. A very crooked sit. He interpreted heel to mean get out in front of me and walk -- or bounce -- backward. Or to flip over to my right side. As a consequence, whenever he did it right, I'd treat him. So after class, Mike's comment was, "You treat him way too often. You're teaching him to be a squirrel."

grrr....

Mostly in class we worked on the sorts of things that we will have to do to pass the Canine Good Citizen Test and a bit on the therapy dog evaluation. So real obedience stuff wasn’t high on the list, and Parker did rather well. He continues to be a gentleman, and while he’s not fond of my leaving him or other people getting too close, he doesn’t jump or pull, whine or bark. We walked through other people and dogs walking and he paid pretty close attention to me, although he kept a close eye on what was happening around us. He wouldn’t go up to a person in a walker or a wheelchair, but I think it was more because there was a person there, rather than that there was a wheelchair. He was on a down stay when one of the teachers suddenly dropped a metal bowl on the floor, and he didn’t startle or budge. And he did let others pet him, although it was clear that it wasn’t his first choice.

So I’m pleased with him. I’m just not all that pleased with Mike.