Photos Taken Today

These photos were taken today.

Photos Attached -

Found that the latest internet browser made it difficult to add photos. So am using Firefox for this. The first picture is taken with my mum's Cavalier aged 11 months, the other one is with my daughter.

Treat N Train - Going out to a Target

Have been teaching Tia the Treat N Train. She goes out and touches a stationery target and then goes to the Treat N Train for the reward. Some of my clicks are a bit late and some times the machine doesn't dispense the treat but despite that she seems to be getting it.

Here is a link for more info about the Treat N Train.
http://landofpuregold.com/tat.htm

Obedience Training and Tug

Have just started Shirley Chongs Clicker Retrieve, we are up to step 5, I reward her for interacting with the dumbell.


I am also working on increasing her tug drive. In this video I am recalling her to the tug in the family room.


I am also working on having her touch a target stick with her nose, I keep the sessions short as she is easily distracted as food is not a high motivator for her. My husband is busy in the kitchen which provides a bit of distraction that she has to work through. I will wait for her to work out what gets rewarded. I take the target stick away when she is not interacting with it as I don't want to nag her with it.


Tia is following the target stick, I may use this to teach heeling, she seems quite interested in the moving target.


I am working on tug and getting her to drop the tug for another toy that I have. Hopefully she will learn that the tug is more interesting when I have it then when she has it.

Just Starting to Offer Behaviours

Have been working on sit at my side, this has been quite challenging. She is slowly picking it up.

Went to brush her the other day and got out the Treat N Train, a remote control device that dispenses treats making a beep sound. I operated this to get her mind of me brushing her seemed to work. Then I sat at a distance from the machine and set it to dispense a treat each time she gave eye contact. Then I waited for her to do something else, and she offerred a drop so rewarded that. In another session I got her to run to me to target my fingers then go back to the machine for a reward.

Took her to the Supermarket on Saturday, and stood outside whilst waiting for my husband. She saw many different people including people with thongs on. She also was quite close to the automatic doors and trolleys going past. She took it in her stride and fell asleep.

When I feed her in the morning she dives at her food bowl, and will try and help the other dogs eat their food as well.

At the moment my mums Cavalier who is 11 months old and slightly taller than her is at my place. The two of them play wrestling games all day.

Took her to Warrandyte last night to do some water training. I entice her to swim with a food lure. She also met an 18 month old German Shepherd who she enticed into playing with her. She would run up and play bow and then run away and then come back again. The shepherd would play bow back. It was quite funny to watch.

Tia More Confident Around My Other Dogs

Tia is starting to get more confident around Moses my Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, and is trying to entice him into games. She runs up to him and then runs away so he will chase her, then she rolls on her back. He is very gentle with her. Then the game starts again. I am still at Bairnsdale.

Tia is getting more confident in water.

Have been taking Tia to the water with the other dogs just about every day. She is getting more confident. At the moment I am at Bairnsdale helping with the fires, I will be here until Friday. My husband took Tia to the lake, and she swam after some ducks and then came back, so that is a big step forward. My husband also crossed the creek, and she had a winge and then jumped in and swam across.

Here are photos of Tia taken this morning, on my front lawn.

Tia Getting Yet More Confident

Tia is getting more confident and more food obsessed. Showed her the agility tunnel today. Costs $10 from "The Warehouse". My daughter held her at one end, while I called her at the other end to the 'tug' in my hand, then I sent her back through the tunnel, to my daughter who rewarded her at the other end of the tunnel. Her ears are starting to prick up. Here are some updated photos. Have been starting to teach her rollover. Have also been getting her to spin in a circle in both directions have heard that it keeps them more supple. Watching her I see that she is naturally very pawry, tends to give paw whilst sitting. I like this. Also notice that she walks backwards naturally.

Tia Getting More Confident

She is starting to get more confident. Everyone who sees her likes to give her a pat. At Kintala Club she met lots of puppy's and older dogs. I have reduced her daily meals, with training treats to make up the difference. She is getting more food motivated now. Her ears are starting to prick up. She has learnt drop, stand, sit, and starting to do roll over. She also knows spin, and to target my fingers.

Little Breakthrough

Last night took Tia socialising, two people patted her and she pissed herself.

After listening to some advice I have started feeding her out of her food bowl. Tonight each time before I gave her some food, I clicked my clicker. She started responding to it a little. I then threw her kibble a few feet away and clicked when she turned her head and threw another piece the other way. She enjoyed this and started trying to turn quicker than what her body could do. Very funny to watch.

I then did another session of tug, and played two toys game with two tennis balls, she retrieved right to hand. Then took her outside with my daughter who held her and said "ready, set go" and released her to play with the tug.

Will continue feeding out of my hand. She was actually jumping up at me to get the food which I like.

Day 2 & 3

Took Tia to puppy school last night, she started getting confident with the other puppy's but definately not over the top like some. Kept her away from over the top puppys. Her food drive is very low, you actually have to put the food into the mouth.

Did some tug play with her, she growls while she tugs. Did some push away games. Also got her to sit then tug, then sit then tug. While I was playing tug she saw the cat and was a little bit worried but then went back to playing tug.

This morning I fed my two dogs first, and she just about dived into Moses food bowl and he let her, so I moved her away and gave her her food bowl, she ate much quicker and more food today. I put small amounts of meat into her bowl (all she has been fed is kibble) and she actually seeked out the meat to eat.

Last night she sooked in the car for the first 5 minutes until she worked out that it was easier to lie down. After puppy school she sooked again in the car and then went to sleep.

This morning, I showed her the paddle pool and lured her in and also showed her the creek and got her to follow me across the creek, it is very shallow.

She is going to puppy school again tonight and will see her two brothers again.

Concerns
Low food drive.

Photos From Day 1 - 8 Weeks Old

Future Freestyler

Day 1

Picked up "Tia" from the breeder, Budwiser this morning and took her back to my mums place. At the moment she doesn't seem very food motivated, and a little timid.

Targetting
She already knows sit. I have taught her to target my fingers, I held my fingers out and click and treated when she touched them. I then repeated this 3 times, then added the word "Touch". I found that as soon as I click she seems to sit. So I always give the reward when she is standing. Will try and phase that sit out.

I showed her a pola bear on the end of a stick which I bought from Seaworld, she was a bit scared of it. I again showed her later on in the day. I then Click and treat whenever she touches it, left it at three repititions. I am using "meat" as a treat, as liver treats don't do anything.

Recall
I am calling her to me, with my hand down low, and as she is coming I click and then treat. At this stage I am still not sure whether she understands what the clicker is, as she is not particularly fussed about the food reward.

Socialization
I have been socializing her with my mum's 10 month old cavalier. She was a bit nervous at first. I kept the sessions short so she wouldn't be overwhelmed. After about 4 sessions, she is no longer worried about him.

Sand Pit
I showed her the sand pit, and she quite enjoys it. Loves to dig and is carrying the plastic spade around in her mouth and running out of the sandpit with it. The sand is making her a little bit frisky. The sand pit is one of those clam shells with sand in it.

Swimming Pool
I showed her my mum's clam shell swimming pool with water. I lured her in with a piece of meat. At one stage she had two front feet in and was trying to lift her rear legs even though all legs were in the pool. Did three repetitions of this.

Sit
I stood in front and told her sit, and she knows it on verbal alone. No food in the hand.

Drop
I had her in a stand and lured her back into a drop from me in front. She dropped quite well. I lured her two more times, then I took the food out of my hand, and just did the hand signals and voice. She dropped.

My sessions are only lasting a couple of minutes, have been videoing her and taking some photos. At the moment she is sleeping.

Play
She loved my mums broom, and at one stage had both front paws on it, and lying down at the front with back legs running. Likes to tug.

Comments
Seems to learn quickly. Learnt targetting and drop very quickly. Takes food gently out of my fingers and is not mouthing me at this stage. She warms to people quite quickly once they pat her.

Concerns
Does not seem to be to food motivated, so will need high value treats, chicken mince, will train before feeding. Seems a little timid of new situations, so will be doing a lot of socialising and showing new things. Cried a bit in the car whilst sitting on my lap on the way home (40min drive), but eventually settled down. Will need to work on prey drive. It is only Day 1, and she has been taken away from her parents and siblings, and stuck in a whole new place. So will see how it goes. Will run and hide when she feels overwhelmed by the other dog.

Just found Moses my Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever on youtube. We filmed this add about a month ago. The quality is not good. When he reverses through the legs, they are actually my legs I had to switch clothes with the actor.

Picking Up Pup - On Monday

Will be flying to Sydney on Sunday and picking the pup up on Monday and flying back with it. So many things to teach it. Have been going through "Quick Clicks" by Mandy Book and "Shaping for Success" by Susan Garret.

I am calling my new pup "Tia", here are her brothers at 6 weeks old. Two of them are going to Victoria.

Here are the pups at 12 days old, I don't know which one is mine.

Border Collie Pup

After having selected a breeder, went to visit my puppy, she is 1 of 6. One female amongst 5 males.