All the little things...and a glass more than half full

I worked from home today so I got to sneak out to the club's facility for an hour to do a little work with my boy. We were working on the retrieve over high jump, among other things, and I got to thinking about everything it takes to do that one "simple" 30 second exercise. And then, I thought about everything else we all do with our dogs -- every day things -- that seem simple, but really are not if you deconstruct it.

For a perfect retrieve over high jump, you have to teach the following, which you then have to break down even further AND keep in mind that any dog can (and probably will) very easily have issues with one or more of these exercises separately which will blow the entire exercise out of the water:

1. Sit
2. Sit-stay while you throw the dumbbell
3. Release command
4. Jumping (also keeping in mind that some people, cough, me, cough, do not have jumps of their own)
5. Retrieving the dumbbell
6. Returning with the dumbbell
7. Jumping
8. Front
9. Hold
10. Give
11. Return to heel
12. And don't forget the dog has to do it with a judge in the ring (dog is off leash!), dogs all around, in a strange place, etc.

So, when I get frustrated that an exercise isn't going as well as I'd like it to ("Jeez, it's only a figure 8!") this helps me remember it's not just __________ (insert exercise here). Same goes for everyday things. It really helps me keep things in perspective and realize just how difficult it is or can be for the dog. But, even if my dog fails just one of these items, he completed 11 others perfectly. Once you think of it this way, it's so much easier to feel happy, grateful, proud or whatever feelings you have for your dog when you realize how wonderful he is and it's so much easier to be positive about the other 11 things he did well versus focusing on the one thing he did not do well.

I tried to get a picture of him today, but it wasn't easy.

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Your assessment is 100% spot on. I've been working very hard with Bruce on just basic retrieving. Heel, sit, stay, mark, send, pick up, returning, heal, sit, hold, give. Assessing their performance, correcting, praising, rewarding.

DW and I were walking the dogs the other day, and we were wait for cars to pass so we could cross a busy road on our route. As we were waiting I kept wondering how does someone teach a dog to help a blind person to cross a road like this? It was hard enough for me to judge where the cars were and how fast they were going. How the heck does a dog learn this??!!

All I can say is in the right hands, these animals are capable of truly amazing things.

That's it. I am sending Barley to you for training.

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Originally Posted by Moby and Barley's Mom

That's it. I am sending Barley to you for training.

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You can do it, too! It's an amazing journey. :) When I train alone at the club, I almost feel like I've been to the meditation center. I just feel enlightened, for lack of a better word. Dogs never cease to amaze me.

What gets me is when I have deconstructed an exercise and then reconstructed it and the dog just sits there and looks at me. I've been working on the broad jump with Jed for years. The only time we see it is occasionally in Rally and I usually just chalk that up to an automatic IP (10 point deduction). I had Jed at a rally competition last week, there it was again. Our auto-10 point deduction. I approached the jump running, gave the command like always, but this time HE DID IT. We got 18 points off in other areas, but he did the broad jump like a PRO. I guess he wanted to prove to me he could do it! He was gorgeous sailing over it.

I'm grateful to train with a bunch of folks, most of whom have WAY more experience than I do. It's good to have their eyes on you and the dog. Your deconstruction is very enlightening, and so true! BUT, add to that the miniscule ways our tone of voice, body posture, hand signals etc. impact the dog's performance. I was a marshal (dead duck wrangler, actually) at a Master stake last May. It was amazing to see how the game was won or lost almost from the moment the handler and dog exited the holding blind.

In our training group, I've learned (though not perfectly) to be very humble. The minute I start to think the dog let me down... someone will tell me how I screwed up the dog.

You're right. You get further by assessing all the things your dog is doing well. It's so easy to get frustrated otherwise.

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Originally Posted by TuMicks

I'm grateful to train with a bunch of folks, most of whom have WAY more experience than I do. It's good to have their eyes on you and the dog. Your deconstruction is very enlightening, and so true! BUT, add to that the miniscule ways our tone of voice, body posture, hand signals etc. impact the dog's performance. I was a marshal (dead duck wrangler, actually) at a Master stake last May. It was amazing to see how the game was won or lost almost from the moment the handler and dog exited the holding blind.

In our training group, I've learned (though not perfectly) to be very humble. The minute I start to think the dog let me down... someone will tell me how I screwed up the dog.

You're right. You get further by assessing all the things your dog is doing well. It's so easy to get frustrated otherwise.

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Our dogs often succeed in spite of us, not because of us. They are resilient and patient. Saints, really, if you think about it. If my dog messes up, I know that it all comes back to me -- whether I messed up the signals in some way or asked my dog to do something he was not fully prepared to do in a place he was not ready to do it in. It's one of the reasons I won't use punishment or negative reinforcement in training, at least not in the traditional sense. Dogs can make mistakes, we all do from time to time. I believe most errors are training errors though. Doesn't mean I don't get frustrated sometimes. My point was, it's easy to focus on the things dogs do that we don't like or the places we feel our dogs are weak, and it's also really easy to take for granted the things our dogs do well that are actually pretty amazing, not to mention complicated!

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Originally Posted by JenC

What gets me is when I have deconstructed an exercise and then reconstructed it and the dog just sits there and looks at me. I've been working on the broad jump with Jed for years. The only time we see it is occasionally in Rally and I usually just chalk that up to an automatic IP (10 point deduction). I had Jed at a rally competition last week, there it was again. Our auto-10 point deduction. I approached the jump running, gave the command like always, but this time HE DID IT. We got 18 points off in other areas, but he did the broad jump like a PRO. I guess he wanted to prove to me he could do it! He was gorgeous sailing over it.

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That's awesome!

You know, I think that sometimes it just takes time for things to "click". I wonder if it's a Lab thing? I feel like my dog is the only dog in my class that goes from seemingly not understanding something to suddenly getting it and being perfect at it. Actually, the Newfie in class is like that as well, now that I think about it. They are the only sporting breeds other than the poodles who are just different IMHO than other sporting types. The other dogs, mostly herding types, are way more gradual and improve in measured steps.

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Originally Posted by Labradorks

That's awesome!

You know, I think that sometimes it just takes time for things to "click". I wonder if it's a Lab thing? I feel like my dog is the only dog in my class that goes from seemingly not understanding something to suddenly getting it and being perfect at it. Actually, the Newfie in class is like that as well, now that I think about it. They are the only sporting breeds other than the poodles who are just different IMHO than other sporting types. The other dogs, mostly herding types, are way more gradual and improve in measured steps.

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I know this is a lab forum. I'm not going to get a lot of argument. But there is something incredibly remarkable about this breed. Look at the range of things that they do unbelievably well. Except being attack dogs. They wouldn't be my first choice for that. But if it is about heart, and smarts and devotion... and a keen nose...

Is there anything they can't learn?

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Originally Posted by TuMicks

I know this is a lab forum. I'm not going to get a lot of argument. But there is something incredibly remarkable about this breed. Look at the range of things that they do unbelievably well. Except being attack dogs. They wouldn't be my first choice for that. But if it is about heart, and smarts and devotion... and a keen nose...

Is there anything they can't learn?

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No, I don't think there is anything they can't learn. For many, many years I've said that Labs are very smart, while not very obedient, it's the ability to think that makes them such versitile and amazing dogs. Since I've had Bruce, I've had a change of heart. Labs are incredibly smart, and with much hard work and effort, they can be very obedient. I just wish I had the capability to get the best out of them. I think I've done well with Bruce, but I know I'm the weak link in our chain.