Wouldn't you know, I had set up the course right in the middle of where a very large bird had been killed and eaten. All that was left was a bunch of feathers - and obviously some very good smells. Oh brother. I know we have to practice working around distractions but I'm thinking they won't have quite this much of a distraction during a competition. I got him past that spot and thought we'd do better the rest of the way. But it just wasn't meant to be today. Around the rest of the course were MANY rabbit droppings. Mmmm, puppy M&M's. We took four giant steps backward today. Grrr.
We ended by doing a long sit stay with some other dogs that met us there (they were doing obedience not Rally). Boogie finally did something right! Good Boy!
Lucky for Boogie, we had an event scheduled for him this afternoon where not only was he allowed to use his nose - he was encouraged to use his nose. Earthdog practice. The last time Boogie did earthdog he ran into the corner wall and just barked at it - he couldn't figure out how to make the turn inside the tunnel.
He was as excited as could be when he saw what we were doing. When it was his turn I set him at the start line and he didn't hesitate for a second. He picked up the scent and went barreling into the tunnel. And then.....silence. Hmm, where was he? He didn't come back out but there was no noise at the rats. After a bit we opened the lid to the tunnel, there was Boogie lying there completely motionless and not making a sound. He was just staring as intently as possible. This of course is not the desired behavior so we can’t let him think that is okay. So I reached in the tunnel and pulled him out and put him back in the RV. Hey! This is not what he had in mind at all.
We only made him wait about five minutes while another dog got to try and then we got him back out to try again. He was a maniac – as almost all the dogs are when it’s their turn.
He zoomed into the tunnel so fast he was a blur. Then silence. He didn’t come out and we heard nothing. So we opened the lid to get him out but he wasn’t there. Where was he….and what could he possibly be doing. Suddenly we noticed that a blockade had been left in from the previous dog. We took that out and sure enough Boogie zoomed right to the rats.
How funny that he hadn’t made a peep or fuss of any kind. Normally when a dog hits a blockade they back out of the tunnel. But not Boogie – he just laid there staring at the rats from a distance of about four feet.
The previous dog had gone to the rats but once he got there he would back way up. So to keep him from doing that they would put a blockade just behind him when he got to the rats – that way he couldn’t back up. But when he was done with his turn they forgot to take this blockade out as it is rarely used.
This time when Boogie got to the rats (they are very small rats) he barked for about 10 seconds before going into stare down mode. Since he had made some noise they really wanted to reward that. So they encouraged him to make more noise – and soon as he did they let the rat loose. Big reward.
Let me say at this point: This is the part of this sport that really gets to me. I have a really hard time just knowing that the dogs get to go after the rats (only in practice – never in competition). I guess it was pretty obvious by my expressions and body language that I was having a really hard time with this. A really nice lady came over to me and explained that the dead rats don’t go to waste. There is an animal sanctuary where all the rats are taken. They are fed to reptiles that are ill and being nursed back to health. So we purchase the rats, use them to train the dogs, and donate them to a place where they are used to help save the lives of others. Okay, that made me feel a little better…a little bit.
About forty five minutes later it was Boogie’s turn again. This time we made sure there was no blockade in the way! He zoomed down into the tunnel and to the other end in record time for him. Hooray, this time he was barking and digging with only minor encouragement from us (not allowed in competition). He probably “worked” the rat for close to 20 seconds before stopping. Big improvement!
When we took him out of the tunnel, he was so excited his whole body was panting. When he pants really hard his tongue curls up on the sides. It was curled so much it almost made a complete circle! He definitely loves this activity more than anything else we do with him. It’s really amazing how strong their instincts are to do an activity that they were originally bred for many many years ago.
We finished with practice about 7:00pm. At 9:00pm, after the dogs had time to settle down a bit, Billie came out and got Boogie and me to do some Rally practice. How nice is that! As it turned out, she ended up giving us a private lesson. Billie is amazing! I learn so much from her – well, I should say she teaches me a lot of really good stuff. I wish I could remember even half of what she shows me. It’s no wonder her dogs have reached the top of the ranks in everything they do! I’m so lucky to know Billie. In addition to being a great instructor, she is one of the nicest most giving people you could ever hope to meet.
And Boogie totally loves her! Boogie pays pretty good attention to me….until he hears Billie's voice. Then it doesn’t matter what we’re doing, I don’t exist anymore – all attention goes to Billie. I’m going to have to make sure she never says a word when we’re in the ring competing!
What a day….at least for one dog!
Debbie
12/3/07
No comments:
Post a Comment