- This topic has 24 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 1 month ago by .
-
Posts
-
OK, here’s my week 3 homework video–blind hides on a misty, foggy day. I did not know where the targets were, but as Mo got “shroomy” on the first and third trials, I did see the partially-obscured teals just before he alerted.
After the first find, there’s a break in the video. On the second trial my videographer, who’d hidden the teaballs, told me Mo was on one when his behavior resembled an alert. I clicked and treated, but Mo didn’t stay at the site, making me wonder further about this alert. Then it turned out there was no teaball, and my helper apologized. I explained that I didn’t want to be told where they were, and then I went to reset Mo for the next trial. At this point, as I’m taking Mo back to the downwind side of the search area, I pick up the video again.
As I’m preparing to begin again and am trying to untangle myself from the lead, Mo alerted on a target. I didn’t see him do so, as I was still untangling myself, and I was about to unknowingly pull him off the target. My helper smartly let me know that he had alerted to avoid that mistake. Thus, the second trial is a bit discombobulated but we avoided a potential screwup.
Upon starting the third trial Mo is clearly distracted by the quail in their pen, and later by scents outside the perimeter of our search area, but I was able to reset him and he alerted correctly on the target.
Thanks in advance for your critique!
Thanks once again, Alana, for the insightful critique. To be honest I’m not sure if some of your questions were rhetorical, letting me know what I should be pondering on my own, or if they were questions you wanted an answer for. So here I go–whether answering you, or thinking “outloud” for my own sake!
You asked about Mo’s body language and my joint energy in the sequence of interactions right around 1:10. If my joint energy looks awkward, I’m pretty sure it’s due to one of two things. It could be because I’m still experiencing some pain in my left knee, post-Lyme disease, and that has me squatting awkwardly in a way that I never would have before this year. Another possibility is that ever since you pointed out in the last class that Mo seems to back away from heavy touch/body direction coming down on him from atop, I’ve tried to not lean in quite so much and I’ve tried to give touch praise from underneath, on his chin, neck, or chest. After you pointed that out I could see that tendency in Mo when almost anyone is interacting with him. It seems especially obvious to me when my younger (13-year-old) daughter is interacting with him, but it could be simply because she handles/trains/interacts with him more than anyone other than me. More frequent examples.
You do mention that Mo’s “stiffness” could be rather natural for Mo. I’ll watch for that and consider that question.
You also asked about the transition from the first hide to the second (in the context of my awkward joint energy/posture). I went back and looked at the unedited tape, and most of it looks unexceptional to my untrained eye. After the reward sequence, Mo and I sat for a moment looking at each other in still silence. I then stood up, and Mo stepped back a bit while maintaining the same directional focus and (to my eye) the same posture/body language. I untangled the lead from his front leg, gave the cue “houby,” and he resumed hunting. I can post that sequence if you’d like to take a look. I’m always amazed at what you see, and are helping me see.
Finally, you noted better energy in the final reward. I don’t remember it being intentional, but it could be because the last find did take a bit longer and I saw him distracted by several scents outside the search area. It also could be that I just remembered on that reward that generally I should be a bit more enthusiastic. I’m a pretty typical northern Minnesota guy, fairly stoic. My younger daughter told me that she read in Hare and Woods’ _The Genius of Dogs_ that dogs generally respond better to female voices/interactions than to males, though males could be taught or socialized to improve their communication style with dogs. I’m trying to be more demonstrative and willing to sound or act in a way that a month ago I would have found mildly amusing or embarrassing.
Thanks again, Alana!
OK, here’s my week four homework. Blind hides in an area that Mo and I had never been in. Sorry about my videographer’s Blair Witch Project style, if you’re old enough to remember that! She promises to be more steady and leave it panned out next time.
Breeze was flowing right to left. I started on the left side of the training site perimeter, but Mo began by bounding into the tall grass to the right of the search area and taking a very, very long pee. I cut to that point to start the video.
When I went back and watched this, I realized that Mo alerted at 0:12, but I didn’t see it. Unfortunately I was off camera at that time, but I can tell you that I was ducking under the canopy of a bush and making sure that Mo’s check cord wasn’t wrapped around two or three bushes. I totally missed it. Unfortunately Mo didn’t stay at source and re-alert, but he did go back to that one around 0:53.
I think there may have been scent seeping through the rock pile and coming up a bit downhill from the final target that Mo found. A couple times he seemed focused on the rocks in places that proved to be downhill of a target.
After your previous round of feedback, in which you pointed out that puppies change and maybe Mo is not longer intimidated by touch coming down from above, my daughter and I seemed to confirm that, so I didn’t worry so much about giving touch praise from below. I do, however, like to get down at Mo’s level to love him up a bit.
Thanks in advance for the feedback!
Here’s week 5 homework video. When we have helpers available, Mo and I have been working on blind hides in unfamiliar areas, which is what you see here. No sound in this video because my helper had to field a phone call from her 100-year-old grandfather just before shooting, and she talked with him throughout the video.
Mo shows his puppy side here through distractions outside the search perimeter (we’re in a public park with people and dogs walking by) and by playing a little rodeo with his lead. (He’s still sometimes chewing on leashes, especially when my older daughter walks him. She just let him destroy one yesterday.)
What I find fascinating is that twice in this video after I refocus Mo on the task at hand he goes straight to the area of a target; one time he even went straight to it and alerted immediately, as if he already knew it was there. I went back and looked for body language indicating earlier recognition when he was in that area (1:01-1:05 or so), but I couldn’t see any.
Alana, Kristin–
Just wanted to thank you for the course and let you know that in the last week Mo and I have shifted focus to birds, with grouse season open here in Minnesota and a pheasant trip to North Dakota coming up in a few weeks. Between all the bird hunting coming up and the fact that if we have a typical fall I should expect hard freezes (and eventually snow) in the coming weeks, Mo and I won’t be full students in the third course. We may audit, or we may wait until next year and work through the curriculum in the lead-up to our trumpet season.
Thanks again–Mo and I have had a lot of fun, and we’ve certainly learned a lot!
Curt
I see pecan truffles are in . . . Mo and I remain interested in the 2-3 oz. indicated last spring. Alana, I know you said we are “on the list” and I hope we are in line to get some!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.