I've been away from the blog for the last two months, partly due to the dog training instructor course I've participated in from the end of october to the beginning of december. It was a Norwegian kennel club ground level instructor course. The exam consisted of one multiple choice test, one theoretical and one practical part. I'm quite satisfied with my 38/40 on the multiple choice and that I passed the theoretical and practical exam. However, I still don't know if I'm going to try to become a Norwegian kennel club authorized dog training instructor. To become that I have to compete with my own dog in certain dog sports at a high enough level, and have clocked 20 hours as assistant instructor. If I do all that, I am still only allowed to be instructor in puppy classes, "every day obedience" and ground level obedience.
Link practicing retrieving of the wooden dumbbell.
I think I will try to compete with Link in obedience (one of the approved dog sports). What I will have to to there is getting at least a second place in class 2. I don't know exactly what this is the equivalent of in the AKC system, but I guess something like open class. Anyway this means Link and I have a lot of work to do. I have decided that if, and only if, we manage to achieve this, I will try to get the hours as assistant instructor so that I can get the authorization.
Me and Link at the gun dog course in August.
The other option is to compete with Link in field trials for retrievers at a high enough level. I don't think it is very likely that we will do very well though. One of the requirements of the dogs for them to be allowed to compete at all it that they are quiet. Link will whine and bark the second he thinks that there will be a dummy to retrieve. He gets so excited that he just can't help it! And I must admit that I really love seeing Link so clearly loving it that I have a hard time telling him to stop. So I think we'll just stick to obedience. Link doesn't find it even half as much fun as gun dog training, so when we do obedience, he is (for the most part) quiet.
Link retrieving a dummy during the gun dog course we attended this summer
I finally brought home my newly purchased pheasant wings today. I'm going to use them to train Link to retrieve fowl and not just dummies. I figured it would be fun to see what his spontaneous reaction would be to them, seeing as he has never seen nor smelled anything like it before. So I set up the camera, grabbed some treats and put the wing on the floor.
A pheasant wing.
His reaction surprised me. He was afraid of it! He was very interested and wanted to check it out, but something about it spooked him so he decided to try barking at it...
Not exactly a desired behavior for a future working gun dog, but as perseverance is key to success, I was not about to let this slight setback deter me. I tried using the clicker at first, but Link gets a bit too eager when he hears the click, so instead I decided to use a verbal "good" ("bra" in Norwegian) and treat. I did 6 sessions with 10-15 repetitions per session, where I praised and rewarded him for smelling/pointing at the wing with his nose. In the 6th session I felt the behavior was reliable enough for me to add the cue "bird" (or "fugl" in Norwegian). The goal is that he will find and retrieve the wings, but in the beginning I will settle for him showing me where the wing is by pointing at it.
Link pointing at the pheasant wing.
Being a Golden Retriever and not a Pointer, pointing is something he has to learn, it does not come naturally for him. This is where his hesitant behavior actually comes in handy. He will stop and smell it before doing anything else, which gives me ample opportunity to mark and reward the pointing behavior. Another positive side of Link's hesitation it is that Link most likely never will try to tear a bird to pieces, at least not if I do the training right. Right now he has way too much respect (or probably fear, not respect) for the "bird" even to dare to mouth it, let alone chew on it.
I've also bought a "pheasant dummy", i.e. a dummy with the plumage of a pheasant on it, but I think I will train Link with the wing for a while before I introduce it. When we've gotten further in the training I will make a video about it and show you all.
Two weeks ago, Link and I participated in the second weekend of the therapy dog course I've mentioned before. Friday and Sunday were normal lecture days, and the big test, or rather mentality assessment, was done on Saturday. You find the post about the first weekend here.
To get an idea of how the dogs were tested/assessed check out this video from Link's test.
The test was between 15-20 minutes, and I've cut it down to four and a half minutes, so clearly the test is more comprehensive than what is shown in the video. It is not meant to be a thorough description of the test, it is just meant to give you an idea of what kind of things a therapy dog has to be able to handle to get approved. And again, like I mentioned in the first post about this course, Link is not a terapihund (literally "therapy dog", but in Norway that is a dog that works with a professional, and that is paid work), he is a "besøkshund" (directly translated "visitation dog"), something that is done by a volunteer.
Loke, a Flatcoated retriever/poodle mix who were approved for therapy dog work.
Link showed us that he still is a bit uncertain of what the right course of action is when he gets scared/insecure. In the video you see him barking at the person in the wheelchair, that is definitely not desired behavior for a therapy dog! What is good was that he clearly wasn't so scared that he was overwhelmed by the situation, seeing as he still listened to cues and both ate treats and played with the "test person" (in lack of a better word), even though she had been "scary" just moments earlier. He never "shut down", and he showed that he didn't have issues with resource guarding or guarding and area (when there was a knock at the door). What he needs is more training and time to grow up. So I'm going to test him again next year. He was approved for some kinds of work, but not with people that can have erratic or aggressive behavior (like some patients that have certain diseases that cause their behavior to change, e.g. some forms of dementia), but with calm patients or visits to one patient at a time, he should not have any trouble. I don't know how many visits we will do before the next test, for now I feel we should have more training first.
One of the dogs that was approved for therapy dog work, the Samoyed Sara.
On Sunday we had time for some training sessions too. Many of us had discovered things that we had to work on with our dogs. The Samoyed Sara needed to learn to not steal food that she could reach. The instructor showed us how to teach our dog to "leave it".
Sara not stealing food :)
Another one of the dogs, Ziwa, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, needed to practice playing. So the instructor gave us some really helpful tips on how to increase a dog's willingness to play.
The instructor puts small pieces of hot dog in a tug toy, and Ziwa is definitely interested now!
Ziwa about to try to grab the toy, stuffing it with treats really helped :)
Ziwa going for the toy!
Another thing we were told to do is teach our dogs tricks. First of all, it is good for our relationship with the dog, but also it is good to have some tricks on the therapy dog's repertoire. When visiting patients with your dog, some will not want to touch the dog, but like watching it. For those patients it can be more fun to see a dog do something, than a dog just lying there. Also it is good for the dog, when it gets insecure in an new environment, to be asked to preform a behavior it likes doing and that it knows well. A trick is often better than a "sit" or "down" in these situations, since those cues are often told to dogs when we want to stop what they are doing and to remain passive(so in a way the cue means that the fun is over), while a trick is just fun for the dog. It will feel happier when asked to perform a trick than it would following a cue for a "normal" behavior. Of course, if you are a really talented trainer who are very good at reinforcing the wanted behavior, than a "sit" cue can be just as calming and fun as a cue for a trick. But for the rest of us, this trick training can really come in handy.
Loke, a poodle/flatcoated retriever mix, learning how to "sit pretty" (or "sit like a bear").
One of the attendants of the course had gotten a new puppy since we last met, a Pyrenean shepherd called Easy. She was adorable!
Little Easy, with her "sister" Minni the Rottweiler and with Varg the Siberian Husky.
The reason why I haven't written about this sooner is that Link has been really ill lately, he is getting a lot better now, but during the last week most of my energy has gone to taking care of Link. Due to this I haven't done any training with Link nor any writing on the blog. Hopefully Link will stay healthy now so that I can commence both the training and writing.
I've spent the better part of the early morning hours caring for Link. He woke me up at 2:30 a.m., standing by the door whining. I took him out, but he didn't do anything so we went inside again. He wasn't able to relax at all though, just pacing and whining. I thought it was hormones again, like earlier this summer, so I basically just ignored him and told him to be quiet.
One hour later he started vomiting. First came all the dog food he had eaten the night before and then came a big wad of grass and sticks that he probably ate while being off leash in the forest the previous evening. Then he wanted to go outside and what came out the other end wasn't exactly pretty. After that we fell asleep for a couple of hours before he started vomiting and had to go out again at 7 a.m. To say that I was tired at this point is an understatement.
We are also taking care of my boyfriend's family's dog Scott, so I walked him too after Link was done, and gave Scott breakfast. Link has been on a strict 1-2 tablespoons of Hill's i/d canned dog food (canned food for sensitive stomachs) every other hour and a probiotic paste (called zoolac) every 6 hours since 4:30 this morning.
When he threw up at 7 a.m. I decided that if he did that again, I would have to go to the vet with him. I work at the vet, so I know not to wait to get your dog checked when it vomits. If it only has diarrhea, I'm not so worried, but vomiting can be caused of a number very serious conditions. Also since he had eaten a lot of grass I was afraid that some of that might have passed from the stomach to the intestines and gotten stuck. More than once have we had to surgically remove grass from the intestines of dogs that show the same signs as Link did this morning. When dogs eat a little grass it is not a problem, but when they eat a lot, it can get stuck and block the intestinal tract. This is fatal if not treated, so vomiting should always be taken very seriously.
Vomiting can also be caused by poisoning, and when that is the case, you have even less time to start treatment than when there is a blockage. Poisoning can either cause death directly, or indirectly by first causing organ failure, depending on what the dog is poisoned by.
Luckily for us, Link has not vomited any more, none of the canned food he has eaten has come back up. So either he ate something that he couldn't digest (well yes, the grass) or that he is sensitive to. Or he, like so many other dogs here in Tromsoe, has gotten the stomach flu that is going around right now. Often dogs will eat grass when they don't feel well, so that seems plausible.
While what comes out the other end can best be describes as a brown watery mush (Sorry for the vivid description!), Link seems to be in good shape and he wants to eat, so for now I'm not worried. Let's just hope what he has isn't contagious, since Scott is here.
Here's to hoping that Scott won't be waking us up tomorrow morning...
If you want to know more about what to do if your dog has the same symptoms, check out my blog post about that here.
A radiograph of the intestines of a dog with the stomach flu, after it had been given some contrast solution. In this case there was no blockage, as the contrast solution has passed through the system. This picture is from a previous post I've written about the stomach flu and you can read it by clicking here.
I'm getting rather nervous. Sunday two weeks from now, we will know if we passed the therapy dog test. If we pass it, it means that we will have the opportunity to visit nursing homes, day centers for the elderly and medical facilities to visit the patients or people living there.
The test is really a test to see if my dog is suitable for this kind of work. We will only pass if Link appears to be comfortable with the different test situations. He does not have to be done with his training to pass the test, he only has to prove that he likes working with people, that he isn't easily scared and that he doesn't show any signs of aggression.
Link and his Siberian husky friend Varg, who will also take the test in two weeks.
I really hope that Link will pass the test, it would feel so good to be able to brighten people's day with a visit.
A dog can often be a better visitor than a human. There are no awkward silences with a dog, the dog doesn't make you feel bad if you forget something or say something "inappropriate". A dog can just be there and you can tell it anything you want, or tell it nothing, just share a quiet understanding that you are there in this moment together. A dog can also provide a chance to get physical contact, something that often is lacking in institutions.
So I'm getting nervous... In two weeks time we will know. Now we're going to just keep on training Link to be able to relax in many different environments and to keep his cool around other dogs. Wish us good luck!
As I've previously mentioned I took more than 1400 photos during Saturday's dog show here in Tromsø, and I felt that I wanted to share some more of them with you all.
English Cocker Spaniel
American Cocker Spaniel
Kelpie doing agility.
Basenji
Border terrier keeping a close eye on it's handler.
A longhaired Chihuahua on the judge's table.
Dogo Canario during the BIG final (Best in Group)
Dutch Shepherd dog in the BIG final.
English Cocker Spaniel on the judge's table.
English Pointer.
English Pointer.
A puppy and an adult Flatcoated Retriever.
The Flatcoated Retriever that got BIS 2.
French Bulldog.
German Pointer
The judge looking at this Golder Retriever's teeth.
Large Münsterländer, the winner of the BIG in the gun dog group.
Irish Softcoated Wheaten Terrier
Kerry Blue Terrier
A Labrador (I think) competing in agility.
Lancashire heeler doing agility
Little Lion dog aka Löwchen in the BIG final
A Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever doing agility
Miniature Bull terrier
St. Bernard
Rhodesian Rigdeback
Whippet doing agility
Shetland Sheepdog
White Swiss Shepherd Dog
Whippet
Dalmatian, BIS winner!
Rottweiler in the BIG final
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever in the BIG final
Golden Retriever in the BIG final
Bullmastiff in the BIG final
Spanish Waterdog
I think this is a Shih Tzu? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
For the main blog post about the dog show, click here.
