Back to Obedience

I almost forget to write about our second trip to obedience class. The first one went well but I had a lot of stress in my life so I lacked focus and it really came across in our performance. Chili knew I wasn’t myself, and took advantage whenever she could. Not this time, this time, I was ready. My head was on straight and I was ready to have fun. That’s right, have fun. Obedience doesn’t have to be about ‘showing the dog whose boss’ or ‘taking control’. Once your head goes in that direction, I think you’re starting in the negative. Start from fun, and go from there. You’ll both get more out of it.

We had a lot going for us in this class. We were focused; it stayed light out till late so we could work outside; Connective Training is located by a school where there are obstacles, things to jump on, and a field; and best of all, we had a great trainer and a great group of people and dogs. The trainers’ style is key to a great class. Michele has a calm way of dealing with incidents and challenges immediately, without any negativity. She makes every experience a learning experience for everyone. She also realizes that we’re all different so she doesn’t try to apply the same set of rules to everyone.

Chili loves to perform. She realized ‘it was on’ and she gave it her all. I forget sometimes just how trained she is overall. I find when I’m working so closely with her, I don’t see her focus and sharpness anymore. I think she’s being good but I’m missing just how good she is. One of the evenings Michele used her as a demo dog to demonstrate what she was about to teach us. I was in awe watching them. I didn’t want the demo to stop. You could see how much fun Chili was having. She was tuned into everything Michele did and everything she asked. The sharpness of her body movements was beautiful. I was so proud of her.

On another night, we switched dogs. I took a moment to watch the other owner working with Chili. At first the owner was a little tentative. Having 80lbs of Boxweiler enthusiasm running towards you can be intimidating. However, once she saw that it was all positive, again, it was great to watch them. I really do love working with Chili and I really do love watching other people working with her. You get to see things from a whole other perspective and it’s so rewarding. I think it’s great that she can happily work with other people and not just me. She should be comfortable with others.

I hope I don’t ever forget the value of working with my dog. Life and routines sometimes get in the way and somehow there doesn’t seem to be time for anything else. Although going to training, any kind of training, is great, even 5 or 10 minutes just working on obedience in the driveway will do. One thing I can count on is Chili. She’ll always remind me that we’re not working together enough and pull out The Bratty Dog when life starts to distract me.

Tug-Of-War

Do you play tug-of-war with your dog? I do. If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, you’ll remember that our first trainer recommended against playing tug-of-war. Since then, I’ve read and seen that a lot of other trainers don’t recommend it either. The thought is that as the dog grows and becomes stronger, you will lose the game and in turn, lose your leader position. Suddenly, your dog is looking down on you. OK, I can see how this can happen, considering how big and strong some dogs grow. However, what if I want to play tug-of-war? What then?

I like options. I would prefer to be told, “If you want to (fill this in with whatever you want to do), then you’re going to have to (fill this in with a description of the hard work), and if you’re not prepared to do that, then forget it.” Take this seriously. If you really aren’t prepared to do the work, then don’t fail the dog by giving half effort. In the end, it’s the dog that pays. I do acknowledge that there are things that don’t have an option. Where there is only one route. I can live with that, as long as I’m told why.

Remember, I have a VERY strong Boxweiler (Rottweiler/Boxer cross) who has no problem taking over and being pushy. She certainly has the power behind her to do it at any time, but she doesn’t, anymore. Well, most times. It’s a never ending process. I’ve invested a lot of time, hard work, and tears to get this dog to respect me. I don’t want to do anything to lose what I’ve gained, at least not intentionally. A large part of our success came from marrying the obedience training and play. Of course, it’s all tied together. Isn’t it? You can’t have one without the other.

I was very lucky to be taught how to play with Chili in the right way, before I even realized there was a wrong way. If you don’t understand what I mean, then you must have a naturally submissive dog. I was taught to not give up my leader position. Besides, like I said, I’ve worked my ass off to get it and I’m not letting some punk Boxweiler take it away, even if she throws her cutest at me. When we play tug-of-war, I do let her win sometimes. What fun would it be for her if she didn’t? Then, I win. Then to add some obedience in the mix, I stop the game in mid play. As she tugs, I tell her to ‘stop’ and then ‘out’ or ‘drop it’. Once she lets go of the item, I tell her to ‘sit’, then I usually walk backwards from her and say ‘ready’, then I throw the item to her and we start playing again. I like that she is able to give up the tug item in mid play and acknowledge that I have control. I love watching her when she’s really into the game, it’s like a wave goes down her back as she puts her whole body into it. I can’t help but laugh. Although when she’s really into it, if she wasn’t trained to let go, I wouldn’t win.

None of the successes we’ve had have come easy. It’s probably the hardest and most mentally challenging work I’ve ever done. You can’t ask the dog why it’s doing something or why it won’t do something. You just have to figure it out and try, try, try. Sometimes the answer comes in the very first technique you try and other times it comes in the tenth technique. Have patience, it will come, but never give up.