Speaking of outings

It turns out that my local Lowe's is VERY dog friendly. I decided to go check out the rumors myself with Jenny today. They definitely have no problem with dogs in the store. They even keep dog treats all around the store for all those that come in. We were invited back. The exact invitation was "Come back anytime. We are super dog friendly. All dogs are welcome. We love dogs here." Well I guess it can't be more clear than that!

She looks so impressed doesn't she?

I want the screen door seen behind her.

Here we are picking up more fencing for signs. I now have enough for a full course set. It took her a few minutes to recover from the big scary moving doors. By the time we left, after some practice with those in the garden area, she had gotten the hang of them. I think she even figured out she could make them open herself. I think she likes having the power. I better be careful, to much power may go to her head. You know how pugs are, today sliding doors, tomorrow the world.

Rally signs part 2

So I decided to twist the top pieces down abit more from my original design. The pieces just being folded over were catching on each other when I stacked them. It was annoying.

I also discovered (purely by accident) that if you forget your clothes pins for the corners you can simply tuck the sign under the folded top pieces and the sign will stay.

But the clothes pins are better.

I now have a box to hold signs, holders and the corner pins. No more forgetting. There is a Rally match coming up in May that I am planning on taking Jenny to. There is an APDT rally show sooner in my area as well but I know I won't be ready in time for that. I also don't know the difference between the APDT and AKC signs. (and honestly I am still learning the signs) I may go watch though. Plus Jenny has never been to a show so I need to get her used to a show site first. So unless something else comes up sooner, the May match may be our first official Rally outing. Is it to soon to be nervous?

How to make your own Rally O sign holders

I admit it. I love finding ways to make something that saves me money. This idea came to me after seeing this post: http://rottweilers.brilliant-disguise.net/2009/06/14/rally-obedience-signs-the-illustrated-version/

However I feel I have improved on the original model. First you start with a section of cheap garden border fencing. It looks like this in the store. (This is a 18 inch by 8 foot section folded in on itself.) This is one section from the fencing.

You can go this route and simply clothes pin your sign to the section with it pushed into the ground like this:
Notice I didn't cut the end pieces off yet. (seen on the right side-those should be cut off if you are going to make these type of holders) I wasn't completely happy with that model because it meant I could only use the holders outside on grass and soft ground. I thought about it and came up with this design instead:
I simply turned the section over, cut off the side pieces, bent the pieces that would normally be pushed into the ground, and then bent the now bottom piece under so it would be a stand alone piece. Here is another view:

And from the back:

Now don't throw away those cut off side pieces.

On windy days those can be used as tent stakes (on grass or soft ground) to keep the sign from blowing away. You just need to open them up abit so they fit. Needless to say I am VERY excited to finally have some affordable Rally sign holders. One ten foot section has 6 sections and only cost $4.47 at my local Lowes store. That equals 6 sign holders. Since you need 28 signs to do a full course you can get enough to make 30 holders for under $25 total. Much better than the 50 or 60 bucks I see the official rally sign holders selling for. Plus they are very easy to make. All you need is a pair of wire cutters and pliers. I made this one during my lunch break. (and took most of the pics then too) Quick, easy and cheap. The trifecta of back yard do it yourself. VBG

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I downloaded and printed off a full set of beginner signs awhile ago on one of the the many Rally e-mail discussion groups. I keep them in a binder in plastic covers. This means I can keep them organised and find which ones I need easily. I also leave the plastic on to protect the signs from damage from the elements. I do need to go through and see which kind I have (AKC vs APDT) and to also check and see if any have been changed since I downloaded them.

I also printed off a few set course maps. This helps me be able to come up with practice courses aside from my own which may not be proper. (I readily admit that I am pretty much a Rally beginner.)

I have been taking a Rally class locally with Jenny which has been a lot of fun. It has gotten my own training juices flowing. So much so that I sent in Jenny and Jack's application to APDT so I can compete in either venue if I desire. I also finally got Jenny's corrected AKC pal listing paperwork back so she is all official now.

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I hope this idea is useful to other Rally O converts out there. Rally On!!

Wordless Wednesday

Cute puppy photos

Play is hard work!!!

Puppy videos!

Having puppies on the program means we need to make sure they get play time with other dogs as much as we can. There is a window of socialization that closes with puppies if you don't expose them to other dogs when they are young. If you miss that window you may end up having to do counter conditioning to other dogs instead. I want to make sure they don't miss that window being in such a controlled environment. Fortunately some staff at the facility bring their dogs in sometimes so they have met a few other dogs as well. Here are some video of dogs I have brought for the handlers to work with and for the puppies to socialize with after we train.
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Here is Jenny, my pug, begging for treats from one of the handlers while the pups play with each other. She did interact with them more when she first got there. Then she got focused on the treats after I had one of the handlers work with her. Patty was a little standoffish with Jenny at first but she recovered well. The videos may look a little odd because I was trying to keep the handlers out of the frame to protect their privacy.



This is Patty and Jack playing with Brutus, a yorkie cross puppy, and being around my sisters bulldog Minos. Minos did got some off leash time with them as well once he settled down a bit. I had to make sure he wasn't going to be to rough because of the size difference. Brutus is a bit shy with new people so it was good for him to learn how to be around strangers as well. (and is also the reason I had him drag his leash)



More of Brutus with the pups.



Today I took a jack russell pup named Lucy that they learned to work around as a distraction. Lucy was learning to walk wearing a head collar. Because she can be reactive with other dogs we didn't let them interact very much. Instead we covered how to create a greeting between dogs that don't always behave appropriately (and ones who do) and the handlers learned about the proper use of a head collar. (when, why and how) I like head collars for reactive dogs because with them you can control the dogs line of sight when needed. They also give you a leverage advantage for large strong dogs. Unfortunately my camera's battery pooched out on me so I have no video or photos of that to share.
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Things are going very well for the pups. I need to get more pics and video of actual training but at this point I forget my camera until after the real work is done. For anyone interested in the applying for either of these pups you have to contact the www.humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org for more info. I have NOTHING to do with the adoptions. I just wanted to make that clear because I have started to get calls and e-mails.

How To Train Your Dog To Stay-How To Teach Your Dog To Stay

A short video giving you basic dog training skills on how to train your dog to stay. Training your dog to stay is the basis for a huge portion of other dog commands, and is the command you will probably use the most.





Video Source: YouTube User fordummies


Related Post: How To Train Your Dog To Sit


For further information on typical dog behavior, including resources for training how-tos and loads of detailed information on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors,visit Kingdom of Pets