LOOK CLOSELY! Wait for it... Hock video

DAY 29 (Tuesday, Sept. 29): This is a video of Crosby and Rad at hock. WARNING: There is a lot of “dead” time!  I have to sit the camera on a bucket, and then get on the horse, etc! So don’t watch it unless you really are a Crosby fan! Crosby hocks on the horse’s LEFT, so the first time you see us pass, he is closest to the camera. Crosby also wears a red collar.

I had to work in the afternoon, so I had to get all training done by 9 AM. Exercise walk on the flexi by 7 AM. Out on the horse from 8 – 9. Crosby did very well; he still doesn’t always sit on the first command, though. I still haven’t reinforced that better on the ground, I guess. He did complete two sit-stays at more than 1 minute each. Today we rode to Gartside Reservoir, a small reservoir about a mile behind our property (although it’s about a 3 mile ride round trip). It’s a mostly dirt/gravel road ride, so it is good for toughening pads without being hot. The weather was cool – maybe 50 degrees, and WINDY, so it was cold!

Crosby got right into the water at the reservoir. It wasn’t hot outside, so I doubt he needed the cooling, but he probably thought he was on a California beach! He did not drink the water at all, though. Crosby only got in about to his ankles. Sorry, Barb, he is not the clean, bright white dog you brought to me! Being a “Road Dog” means carrying a little bit of the “road” with you! I promise I will bathe him before the Road Trial!  Great practice today! Crosby hocked beautifully, and stayed pretty close on the ride. He performed a stay-come very well. He is doing so well!

MILEAGE: 5

Give The Dog A Bone (Drop that bone and come!)

DAY 28: (Monday) We are back home in Montana. This video is of Crosby off-leash while I was saddling the horse. This is the first time I allowed him to “run free” as I saddled (usually, he is tied to the water spigot). I wanted to try the “off-leash” free running so I could see if he would stick around, or if he would take the opportunity to run off and chase smells. Rad was also off-leash and free running. Crosby stayed very close. At one point he found an old bone, and was chewing on it. That is when I decided to try a recall, to see if he would leave his treasure (or bring it), and come to me! He did! YEAH CROSBY! I’m SO IMPRESSED.

The dogs got a walk (on leash for Crosby) for 1.2 miles this morning. Crosby responds very reliably to random sits and comes now (for food). He has started pulling again at the end of the flexi, so I’ve started teaching the “Not too far” command. When he gets to the end of the flexi, I plant my feet and give a correction (chain slip collar) and say, “Not too far”. When I am riding the horse, “Not too far” is a command I give that means the dog has to come back a bit, but does not have to come all the way in to hock. “Come” or “Hock” means come to hock, but “Not too far” means … well… it means don’t go too far! My dogs usually learn to understand this command over a long period of time, so I don’t know that Crosby will “get” this one in the short time I have him, but it isn’t a required command for a Road Trial; it’s just a useful command for dogs who actually go on trail rides.

Today was the first day we let the chickens out during the day. We have been keeping them in the pen for most of the day because they get in the garden and eat the tomatoes! But the gardening season is about over (we’ve had a light frost, and a heavy frost is expected tonight), so Brad let the chickens out this morning. That means they are running loose all around the property. When we first got chickens, my Dals wanted to eat them, and had to be taught that the chickens are like our cats – NOT GAME!. This was hard on the Dals, especially Caden, because I have spent all winter training the dogs to flush pheasants. When we are out walking, if they accidentally flush pheasants, I give them a treat and tell them “Birds! Find the birds!” Caden is a natural bird dog, and she now hunts pheasants on our walks, and as soon as she finds and flushes some, she comes running back for her treat. So you can imagine what she thought of chickens in the yard! She thought she had hit the jackpot! And if they were slow enough not to fly away, then they why not catch them! It didn’t take much to convince her that the chickens were “taboo”, but it did take some training (corrections). She seems to have learned the difference between free-ranging pheasant and pet chickens. She still hunts pheasant for me (Flushed 5 or 6 of them just today).

I don't WANT Crosby to learn to hunt pheasant! Crosby really perks up when we are out in the field and he sees birds or hears their chatter, so when the chickens were out today, I took the opportunity to do some off-leash (dragging the leash) heeling right around the chickens. Crosby was perfect! As long as I have treats, he could care less about the chickens!

We also rode for about 3 miles later in the afternoon. Crosby was totally off-leash, wearing a “tab” (a 12” piece of rope hanging from his collar, to make him easier to grab if needed). We still need some work on hock position; Crosby tends to forge (get out in front), but he responded quickly to EVERY recall and call to hock, and performed a 2 minute sit-stay. He acts like he was just MADE for this! Oh. That’s right. He was. MILEAGE: 4

Days 26 & 27

DAYS 26 & 27: These were travel days to return to Montana. 6 hours of travel each day, with a stop to spend the night and visit grandkids in Livingston, MT. Crosby got basic obedience on leash, and a ½ mile walk each day, but no real mileage, and no horse rides!

NEW HORSE! OFF LEASH! NEW LOCATION!

DAY 25 (Friday): TODAY WAS A GREAT DAY! This is a photo of Crosby hocking to a different horse, in a field of cut wheat. I am still “on the road” away from home, visiting our vacant former home to try to get it ready to sell. At 8 AM this morning, I took Crosby into town (Soda Springs, Idaho), where I met with an old “horsey” friend, Janis Ozburn. Janis has farm land in town, right by the high school, where she keeps her horses. She graciously consented to allow me to try out my “loaner” dog (Crosby) with one of her horses. Janis rides occasionally with her Border Collie, so her horses have had some experience with dogs, but they are not accustomed to a dog that hocks “so closely” to the horse’s hock, as our Dalmatians do. This means there is some “risk” to the dog – one never knows how a horse will react to a dog that “hocks”. Of course, that is the same risk you face when you rent a horse at a Road Trial, so the experience was a great opportunity for both Crosby and me.
Janis let me ride Dakota, her Quarter Horse black & white Paint. Dakota is a good, solid, well-mannered gelding, and he was a joy to ride! While we were saddling Dakota, I had Crosby’s 6-foot leash tied to my waist, so Crosby was always as close to the horse as I was. When we mounted up, I started with Crosby on leash. It wasn’t long, though, before I took the leash off of Crosby. I did not just drop the leash and let him drag it – although I like to do that because it gives me a “handle” to grab, I decided not to, because Crosby tends to get in front of the horse and the horse steps on the leash. So I just took the leash off completely, and Crosby was PERFECT! He was never more than 15 or 20 feet away from me, and if I broke into a trot, he fell right back into hock without a command (like an instinct!).
The field we rode in was a “stubble field” – in other words, a grain field that has been recently cut. When they cut the grain, sometimes they come back and cut and bale the stubble as straw, but this field had not been baled. The stubble is very rough and sticks up about as high as a Dalmatian’s belly. This means it is a rather uncomfortable run for the dog. The fact that Crosby took it so well, and trotted wherever the horse trotted, regardless of the rough terrain, shows that he is mentally tough and has the aptitude for the work! This was very encouraging! He also did a two-minute sit-stay, and good hocks and recalls. He never really wandered far enough for a good recall, so I finally tried one from a sit-stay, where I put Crosby on a sit-stay, and rode the horse away from him. I only rode about 30 feet away, and then called him to hock, and he performed perfectly! This is so great! Of course, there were no furry creatures running around in the stubble field, so I still worry that Crosby will not respond to the hock command if there is a “good” distraction, but we will see. I need to set up some good distractions! Any suggestions out there on how I can simulate a squirrel or some furry creature crossing our path?
Crosby performed perfectly with me on a strange horse, and in a new location. He was just GREAT!
This is a photo of Crosby and Dakota saying “hi”. If you notice, BOTH Crosby AND Dakota have their tongues out! They were SO CUTE!

DAY 23 & 24 (Wed. & Thurs.)

DAY 23: Today we left for Idaho to go back to our old house and try to get it ready to sell. It is a 12 hour drive. We took all four dogs, including Crosby. Crosby got plenty of “heeling” and regular obedience work on the trip, and about 1 mile of walking after we arrived. Mileage: 1

DAY 24: We walked on the flexi today with the usual random sits and comes. Crosby never misses a beat on these now. He comes every time, and sits well on command. He sat for the full minute twice today. We also practiced regular on-leash obedience. I don’t have a horse in Idaho, though, so we couldn’t do mileage on the horse today. Tomorrow I will go out with a friend on her horse. Mileage: 1

DAY 22

DAY 22: I had to work today, and didn’t get up early enough to walk the dogs, so Crosby didn’t get any regular obedience in the AM. When I got home from work, though, at early evening, I saddled up Shadow and headed out with Crosby and Rad. I can’t ride Pate with Crosby right now, because Pate (the Appaloosa) has thrown a shoe, and the farrier is out of town. That’s too bad, because I need Pate to push Crosby out of the way! Shadow is very careful of Crosby, but Shadow has just learned to step around Crosby. I guess that’s good, because Crosby doesn’t get stepped on, but it hasn’t taught Crosby to be careful! I use a command “CAREFUL!” that I SHOUT when the dog gets in the way, or when the dog is in danger. Crosby seems to listen to that command, and is learning what it means. If Crosby were my dog, and I had all the time in the world to train him, I would let the horse step on him! Yes, I would! If you are going to have a “Road Dog”, you need the dog to learn caution around the horse. Of course, if you let a dog get stepped on, he may learn something, but he also may get injured. The injury would most likely not be serious, and would heal, but I don’t have time for Crosby to get injured! (Besides, he is NOT my dog, and I don’t take risks with other people’s dogs!). So Shadow and I are very cautious with Crosby, and Crosby rules the trail.
We made two loops around the property plus we explored the “back 20”; an area we hadn’t ridden in before. It is a smaller hay field that can only be accessed from the canal road behind our property. The hay had been cut and baled, so we rode the perimeter. Lots of good smells to distract Crosby. Lots of deer run in that field in the evening, and plenty of pheasants. We didn’t scare up any live game, and Crosby once again stayed very close. No problems at all on the recall! This is such a good dog! Mileage: about 3

DAY 21: FIRST TIME TOTALLY OFF-LEASH

DAY 21: Cold today! Wasn’t I just sweating in Helena, where the high temps broke a record??? Now I come back home to Crane, and it’s cold and rainy! RAIN!!! I can practice in RAIN. So no staying home for me today! It is historically rainy at the GWDC Road Trial in October, and I’ve been worried that I would not be able to get in any practice in the rain. Violá! It was out in the rain we went!
We walked on the flexi for 1.2 miles as usual, with some random comes and sits. The rain had stopped by the time I got the horse saddled, but on our second “lap” around the property, the wind was nearly gale force, and a light rain was falling. Crosby took it like a trooper! No problem for him! I took him completely off-leash, and he had no problem staying with me. As a matter of fact, sometimes he wouldn’t leave me, so I couldn’t even practice a recall. That means I will have to teach him to do a sit-stay for a “formal” type recall. That is much harder (IMHO) than teaching a simple “release” and “recall”. I’ll need to practice that on the ground first.
We also practiced the SPEED exercise. I’ve loped a few times with Crosby on leash, but it’s hard to tell if he would keep up with the horse on his own. So today, with Crosby off-leash, I “whooped it up” and galloped. Crosby was right with me! And he loved it! Sure hope I can get a rental horse that doesn’t mind me “whooping it up”!
I practiced the sit-stay twice today, and neither one was very successful. When I told Crosby to sit (off-leash, me on horseback), he just looked at me. It wasn’t like he was running off or ignoring me – he really just LOOKED at me. This means he doesn’t understand the word yet, or he isn’t LISTENING to the verbal command. I think he is too used to responding to body language and hand movements – he isn’t really LISTENING to the actual words that come out of my mouth. So when I said, “SIT”, and it was not accompanied by fingers in front of his nose, or whatever, he just looked at me like, “What? What is it you want? Show me?” He was off-leash, so I couldn’t correct with a collar correction, and I couldn’t be too rough with him (that would make him run from me), so after repeating the command several times with no correct response, I dismounted (Crosby thought I was bringing him a treat) and gently put him into the sit. I need to practice more on the ground, and on horseback, making sure I’m not giving some sort of hand signal. I need him to respond to my verbal command. That’s the problem with teaching Rally. You can do so many double commands and signal/verbal combinations, that the dog doesn’t learn to respond to simple verbal commands. More work to do!
The second time we practiced the sit stay, he sat on command, but then he got up after 30 seconds. He just doesn’t understand yet that when I say STAY, I mean FOREVER! (Silly boy!). You have to admit, though, he’s doing REMARKABLY well for having been here less than 3 weeks!
We went off the path today and traipsed through some of the bottom land on the back of the property. Crosby flushed some pheasants, but I don’t think he knew it! Good thing! Mileage today: about 4.

Crosby in Rally Novice B

This is a video of Crosby on the last day of the Helena shows in Rally Novice B. Crosby did very well, but I lost points for him by forgetting to make him sit after the "come front, finish right, halt". The first come front we did had no sit (so we did that one correctly), but the second one was a finish right with a "halt", or sit after the finish. I almost forgot the sit, and I started to move forward. You are not supposed to move your feet on the finish, so when I moved forward, it cost bookoo points. After a half a step, I remembered the "halt", so I stopped and had him sit. I don't know if it would have been fewer points off if I had simply re-done the exercise, but I didn't think of that at the time, so we lost whatever points for moving my feet. Crosby earned 2nd place two days in a row at these shows, with scores of 86 the first day, and 98 the second day. On this day he earned a 90. This is a video of Crosby earning his last "leg" toward the title, so Crosby is now Ch Quicksilver Rhythm & Blues, RN. DAY 20: We walked a little way this morning, but only about a mile. Some obedience training.

Rad in the Rally Novice B class

This is a video of Rad in the Rally Novice B class yesterday (9/19/09), earning second place with a 98 (out of 100). I took 3 dogs to the show to enter in Rally, and all 3 dogs earned their title. I'm posting Rad's video so his breeder, Lynn Luikart, can see it. I'll post Crosby's video next.

DAY 19: Leg THREE and FINISHED for the RN

DAY 19: Crosby finished! He is now a "three-legged dog, and can add the "RN" title after his name! He finished with a score of 90; I made some handler errors, but Crosby was great! He's so smart! Caden also finished her title, and Rad, who finished yesterday, got second today! The Dals made a great showing!

DAY 18: Leg TWO for the RN title

DAY 18: Crosby qualified in Rally Novice again today, and today he did not lose 10 points due to my handler error! Crosby scored 98 out of 100 points today, and garnered 2nd place. He only needs one more "leg" (qualifying score) to earn the RN title. Rad took 3rd with a 96, and Caden qualified with a 93. We got in lots of Rally practice today, but not much mileage. So while I am in Helena, Crosby is not getting the conditioning I would like, but the test of his obedience is worth the interruption in the conditioning. Crosby has impeccable show ring manners! He is very attentive to me when I ask for it, and he doesn't try to mark anything indoors or try to drag me around. He is just a gentleman. Mileage: 1

DAY 17 & First Rally Leg

DAY 17 CROSBY IS A ONE LEGGED DOG! Crosby earned his first leg to his Rally Novice title today! I entered Rally with all 3 Dals (Crosby, Rad, & Caden). All 3 dogs qualified (in spite of their handler), and Crosby ended up in second place! GOOD DOG, Crosby! They all lost 10 points due to handler error! One of the stations required a "Stop and Down". I stopped, the dogs sat. Then I told them to down. Apparently, that is an "incorrectly performed station". In the "Stop and Down", the dog is supposed to DROP (from a stand to a down). I didn't know that! The dog is not supposed to sit first. My bad. That's OK, though. I'm learning! Wish us luck tomorrow! Crosby and Caden have to qualify all 3 days to earn their title. (Rad earned a leg at nationals, so he could finish tomorrow if I don't mess up!)

Off to Helena! & SIT-STAY video

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DAY 15: Leaving tomorrow for the dog shows in Helena! This video is of a sit-stay we practiced yesterday while on the dirt roads in Crane (the town where I live). I asked the dogs to sit and stay right in front of a fenced yard with two barking dogs behind the fence. Crosby sits very well (Cadence is slow to sit), but the horse was bothered by the barking, and when the horse moved to get a better look at the "distraction", Crosby moved, too (so he wouldn't get stepped on!) Crosby sat back down again as soon as I asked, so that was very good! I had to work today (I work as a substitute teacher), so there was no exercise walk this morning. After work, in the evening, I saddled the horse and took Rad and Crosby for a ride. It was still 92° outside, and Crosby had already worked himself up because I had put him in the dog run for an hour or so (and he spends that time complaining about his situation!). It was also unbelievably humid! This was great, though, because it will be humid at the VA Road Trial. It may not be hot (late October), but it is always good to train in as many situations as possible, and the weather is something you can’t special-order! Crosby’s tongue was already hanging low, but we headed out to circle the property a few times for about 2 ½ miles of trotting. Crosby did great. He was out in front most of the time that he was allowed to be – in other words, he wasn’t dragging behind, even though it was hot and he was already tired. I dropped the leash pretty early this time (let him loose, dragging the leash), and he walked in front of the horse (blocking the path; at risk of getting stepped on) a little less this time, so maybe he is learning. I was riding a different horse this time (Pate, the Appaloosa), and Pate is VERY GOOD with the dogs. When Crosby did get in front of Pate and they got too close, Pate put his nose down and actually NUDGED Crosby out of the way! I think that helped Crosby learn as much as if I had had a crop to tap him with! Pate is such a good horse! Now, if I could only get a rental horse with that much sense! After the ride, I tried to practice some obedience on the ground with Crosby, but Rad kept getting in the way, so I doubt it was very helpful. We did get in a good off-leash, on-horse 1 minute sit stay. Plus some other stays, and some recalls. Crosby actually recalled to the moving horse and fell into hock very well today, but that is probably because it was so hot and he was already tired. I need to get that response out of him “out of the starting gate” – when he is fresh and the weather is cool. We’ll work on that. Mileage: 2.6 Day 16: This morning I had to work, and I am leaving for Helena dog shows (7 hours away) after work. I ran each dog through a Rally routine before work, but there was no time for an exercise walk. Then work called and said I didn’t have to come in until 10 AM, so I have a little more time to pack the car. Maybe I should do the dishes.

DAY 14 and RECALL

DAY 14: The video shows a recall "off-leash" (Crosby is running free, dragging the leash), with an expectation that the dog will remain in the hock position once he is called. As you can see, Crosby understands the call to "hock", but does not yet understand that he is supposed to remain in that position once called. He DOES fall right into position, however, once I get the horse going faster (trot). Crosby is much better at hocking when the horse is trotting. It's an instinct. No walk on the flexi today – not enough time. I had to go to Williston and buy more shingles and be home by 1 PM, so after pottying the dogs, I just saddled up and headed out for Seven Sisters. Crosby was allowed to run off leash (dragging the leash) for most of the ride. He was on leash for the first mile or so – in the town of Crane (dirt roads), but once we got over the railroad tracks and between the corn fields, I let him go. He did respond to the come, but he didn’t stay at hock after the come, until I started to trot. When I trot the horse, Crosby just automatically falls into hock and stays with me. The “dragging the leash” thing is not working so well for me. If Crosby were a horse, I would say he “doesn’t respect my personal space”. Actually, Crosby does not respect ANYONE’s personal space. This is not a bad thing – as a matter of fact, show dogs are usually trained to “ask for it”, so I shouldn’t be surprised. It would not be a problem at all, except he doesn’t respect THE HORSE’s PERSONAL SPACE. In other words, Crosby is not afraid of the horse at all! Crosby’s preferred position when he was “off-leash” (dragging the leash) today was IN FRONT of the horse. The problem is, when the horse gets close to Crosby, the horse steps on the leash, which stops Crosby’s forward motion, and puts him at risk of being stepped on! It was a REAL problem today. I let the horse have his head, so he could put his head down and breathe on Crosby’s back (that’s what Shadow does when a dog is right in front of him), but Crosby wasn’t even bothered by that. And of course, if the horse is that close, and the horse steps on the leash – well, there’s that risk again of being stepped on, and not being able to get out of the way due to the leash. In the past, with my dogs, I’ve ridden with a dressage crop so I can tap the dogs to make them get back, or get in a better position. I’m going to have to start riding with a crop so I can warn Crosby to get out of the way. I just can’t afford to let him go with no leash at all yet. I still need a “crutch”, or something I can grab if I have to run him down. Today, without a crop to tap Crosby, I had to watch him every minute and there was a lot of stop and go, so the horse wouldn’t step on Crosby. A crop presents its own problems – not only is it ONE MORE THING I have to hang on to, but if the dog becomes afraid of the crop, the dog then hocks too wide, or is always trying to avoid the crop. Maybe I need to do some more work on the ground at the CD level, so that Crosby learns to heel off leash with a tab on or a shark line, instead of dragging the leash. I just can’t have the horse stepping on the leash! Today we didn’t walk our 1.2 miles on the flexi, but we did do the loop in Seven Sisters, and so Crosby did 6 miles on horseback. It was pretty hot, too. Probably about 80 degrees by 9 AM. Crosby held up very nicely. Even at the end of the ride, he was always out in front (as opposed to my 11 year old bitch, who lags behind). After the horse ride, I took Crosby with me in the car to Williston to get the shingles, so that I could stop at a park on the way home and practice Rally in a new setting. It was VERY HOT by the time we got to the park, and we practiced in the sun. Crosby was great! Very nice responses, although he was slow to put his elbows down on the down! Only two more days of practice before he competes in Rally!

Days 12 & 13

DAY 12: (Saturday): Walked this morning on the flexi. Great response on the recalls and sits. We practiced obedience after the walk, and Crosby did very well. I need to remember to practice the stays, though. Crosby still doesn’t stay as long as he needs to. It is early yet.
On the last leg of our morning walk, as we headed back up the driveway to the house, I decided to let Crosby run (dragging the leash). He stayed pretty close, and responded to the first random come I gave. Then, when he was out in front again, one of our cats crossed the driveway in front of Crosby. Now, Crosby has met the cats in the house, but he has always been on leash when he sees them outside. And we haven’t seen much “game” out on the walks – the other dogs often flush pheasant, but Crosby has always been on leash. Crosby did show great interest in some chirping once – and I wondered if he has some latent game or furry critter chase instinct that I hadn’t discovered yet…
Well, today I discovered it! When he saw the cat, he started after the cat. I called him, he ignored me. He chased the cat into the brush, back towards the house, back out behind a bush, back out into the hay field … all the while I was chasing Crosby and yelling at him… Oh yes! He has an instinct for game! And I have a training problem!
I finally caught up with him and stepped on his leash, and scolded him verbally and shamed him. But of course, the scolding after-the-fact will have little effect on his instinct.
It’s not that I’m so worried about the cats – they are pretty savvy, and there are lots of trees to climb and places to run. The problem will be at an actual Road Trial. Obviously, Crosby does not “value” my commands (or my treats) over his chase instinct! At an actual Road Trial, it could be a rabbit, or a squirrel, or deer, or whatever… but if Crosby chases something when he is supposed to be hocking, and he refuses my command… well, that would be a problem!
So, I need to do more “long-line” work around planted distractions! And I need to make sure Crosby understands that he MUST obey me! This is hard to do in just 2 months, I suppose, but if I work at it, we may get on top of it! How to “plant” furry distractions will be the challenge! Or how to be ready for the real ones!
There was no riding today. We (Brad and I) spent the day roofing the addition. Crosby spent most of the day pacing in the dog run. Mileage: 1.2 miles (plus pacing in the dog run!)

DAY 13: (Sunday). Walked this morning on the flexi. Good responses again on the random sits and recalls. I did let Crosby run (dragging the leash) for part of the walk. Brad (my husband) met us as we were headed back to the house, and I was impressed that Crosby seemed to recognize him right away as a “friend”. Crosby has such a nice temperament. No obedience practice or riding today. For conditioning purposes, this was a day of rest (muscle building). Tomorrow we will try a 5 mile ride again. Mileage: 1.2

Off-leash Recall

DAY 11: This morning, after our usual walk on the flexi lead, and then some obedience work on-leash in the yard, I saddled the horse and took both Croby and Rad out for about 2 1/2 more miles. I let Crosby run "off-leash" for some of the ride (he was dragging a six-foot leather leash). This is video of Crosby performing his first "off-leash" recall. The video is from horseback, so don't watch it if it makes you dizzy!
Mileage today: 4

DAY 10: Hock, Sit, Speed

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CROSBY!! Today Crosby is TEN. What better way to spend your birthday than learning about your heritage? (For a Dal, that means learning to follow a horse!) Here is a video clip of Crosby hocking at a walk and a gait, of Crosby doing a sit-stay, and then of how Crosby reacts when I try the Speed exercise, where I drop the leash and let him run. Crosby was already pretty tired when we got to this point, but he is SO CUTE. I love it when he runs up and sniffs the camera at the end. You know I told him to do that.
Today we went for our usual walk, and Crosby responded to every random COME and random SIT. This is great! I haven't let him run loose yet while I am on the ground; it is much easier to catch a dog when you are on horseback! He was still snatching horse manure on the walk - he is very sneaky! We practiced Rally, and he did very well. Then I saddled the horse and took Croby around for 1.3 miles more, all by himself. That is when I took the video. Sorry that it is so long - it's hard to do this by yourself!

DAY 9

DAY 9: We did our walk this morning, and Crosby was full of energy! It was cool outside (if I didn’t live in Montana I’d call it COLD – 41°!) He responded perfectly to EVERY random come and random sit. No limping or favoring of the foot, either.
I saddled Pate (the Appaloosa), and took all three dogs for a ride. I didn’t ride on the property today. Today I crossed the highway and headed through the small town (VERY SMALL TOWN) of Crane, to go to the public game preserve – here they call it a “Recreation Area”. It is about 1 ½ miles from my house to the Seven Sisters Recreation Area which runs along the Yellowstone River. Once you get inside the recreation area, there is a nice ride through the woods, but I didn’t make that loop today, because I knew there would be bow hunters out there, and although they probably weren’t hunting at 9 AM in the morning, they probably wouldn’t appreciate a horse and dogs crashing through the woods.
The trip to the Recreation Area is along gravel roads, lined with a few houses and mostly farm fields. About a mile into the ride, there is a long straightaway lined by a tall corn field on one side, and a ditch and thick brush on the other. Crosby had been hocking so nicely on leash all morning, that I decided to drop the leash, let him drag it, and let him “run” for the first time. This portion of the road is a low-risk area, because the dogs have plenty of smells right at the edge of the road, and the corn and brush keeps them from running off in a perpendicular direction. So I let Crosby go (dragging his 6 foot leather leash behind him), and I gave him the command “Rest”, which means “run free! Do your business!” Crosby knows what the command means (I use it on the flexi and on the 6 foot leash), so he looked up at me like, “Really?” Then he trotted a little faster, crossed in front of the horse, and began to sniff and run like the other dogs. When he got a little too far out in front, I trotted the horse to keep up with him.
After about a minute of “free time”, I called Crosby to “Come”. He responded immediately (as did the other dogs), but he only ran most of the way in, looked at me, and then turned away again. He didn’t even come close enough to get his treat! So the other dogs got their treats, and I spurred the horse toward Crosby. Crosby wasn’t running off – he was just too busy sniffing to bother to come to me. When I got next to him with the horse, he looked up, and then sat, like –“Oh, yeah. This is what I do for a treat, right?” So he got his treat, and I leaned over and grabbed his leash (I’m long-armed enough to do that), and we proceeded on.
Later, on the dirt trail inside Seven Sisters, I let him loose again, but this time I told him to hock, and I kept the horse at a trot. He hocked perfectly! I stopped the horse after a time, and told Crosby to sit (off-leash command), and he did! GOOD BOY! I worked him aother time on the road off-leash (actually, dragging the leash), and he came when called, and then I called him again when he was very distracted (obviously going for a scent), and he did not come, so I ran him down on the horse again. This may take a while, but he will learn he must obey when I give a verbal command – if he doesn’t, I can catch him! He is learning that! He hocked again off-leash very well. As we got back toward the houses in Crane, he was back on-leash.
I’m so excited! He did so well! Probably 5 miles today, and he is moving soundly and full of energy still. This dog is in great shape! This might work!

Days 6, 7, & 8

DAY 6: This is a photo of 11 year old Cadence and 10 year old Crosby at hock from horseback.
Obedience this morning. Crosby was great! He gets it! Today was the first day I felt he understood the “sit”. Not that he didn’t sit before – he did – under the right circumstances. But today, I felt like he understood the word when I say it (not just when Barbara said it), and he realizes it can get him a treat! He’s also starting to lean in toward my touch – showing signs of enjoying my company, and showing signs of wanting to please me. Great progress!
Walk on the flexi: Crosby responded to my random comes! And my random sits! WOO HOO! For those of you who do not know what I mean with a “random sit”: This is when the dog is distracted, and maybe at the end of the flexi or leash, and is not expecting a command like “sit”. It’s OK if the dog hears the command and comes running in – he doesn’t have to “sit” at the end of the flexi. He just has to HEAR me, LISTEN to my command, and RESPOND. Crosby did just that today – he looked at me, and came to me, and then sat. GOOD BOY! It is a “transitional” exercise, designed to help the dog understand he may be asked to obey a command even when he is distracted, or not in a “formal” obedience situation. This is very important for a Road Dog, and a new skill for a dog who hasn’t spent a lot of time off-leash.

DAY 7: Monday. Holiday! Crosby responded to some of the random comes on the flexi, but not every one. I then took Crosby out by himself on horseback. We did the usual 2 miles, plus an extra loop around the property (about another 1 ½ miles). It was cooler this morning, so no heat problems. Crosby responded well to the sits – but he doesn’t stay for a full minute yet. He also discovered horse manure. He hasn’t bothered the old manure that’s lying around here and there, but today, when Shadow left some fresh stuff on our way out, Crosby snatched a few gulps of it on the way back. Nothing but the freshest and the best for Crosby! That’s OK. It gives me another distraction to train against.
The wind was terrible today. Hot, strong, and constant – it took my helmet to the back of my head, and blew the attached sun visor off of the helmet. The wind limited training – Crosby could hardly hear me over the wind.
Later in the afternoon, Crosby was favoring his right front foot. I checked his pad, and couldn’t see anything. He grumbled at me when I handled it, so I know it was hurting him somehow (I have handled his pads before, and he has not grumbled). He just seems a little sore with it – he seems to forget it if there is something to run for, but it was obviously bothering him the rest of the day. I inspected it again closely at night. No grumbling, but no obvious injury, either.


WEEK 2: DAY 8: Crosby was holding that right front paw up in the crate this AM. Once out of the crate, he seemed to favor it for a few steps, then seemed fine. Close inspection reveals nothing. He doesn’t wince or grumble with palpation of the pad, foot, leg, or shoulder. We went for our 1 ½ mile walk. He did not favor the foot. I may hold off on horse riding today, however. Rest between exercise days is good – it allows the muscles to recoup and build more muscle.
Obedience practice went VERY well. Crosby responded on the flexi to EVERY random come. On the leash in the front yard, he performed a sequence of correct responses without a treat. I am working on random rewards, instead of constant rewards. This will help prepare him for the Rally ring, where he will not get his reward until after we leave the ring. On the sit stay, he still can’t make a full minute (which is what I need for the RD). Of course, it has only been a week, and he does not need a long stay for the Rally ring, so I need to be patient! After we practiced our on-leash obedience, we played with Crosby tugging on the leash. Play is an excellent reward, so I hope I can help him understand that play can come as a reward for a chain (sequence) of correct behaviors.

Crosby learns to "hock"

Here is a video of Crosby learning to "hock", or "heel" next to a horse. If you look closely, you can see the geese in the pen on the left, and chickens in the pen on the right. Lots of great distractions! Also, you can see my other horse, the Appaloosa, running in the corral. Crosby is wearing a 6 foot leather leash and a chain slip collar. I use the command "Hock", and I give him a correction when he wanders wide. He also gets treats when he is in the proper position.

Crosby's first outing on horseback

These are photos of Crosby's first meeting with the horse! I tied Crosby up while I saddled the horse, and, as you can see, he was a bit "vocal" about being confined! Crosby moves so nicely next to a horse! He was born for this!

Champion Quicksilver Rhythm and Blues: "Crosby"

Crosby is Champion Quicksilver Rhythm and Blues, a top-winning Dalmatian owned by Jim and Barbara Lyons. Crosby will be 10 years old this month, and has come to my house to be trained to "coach", or follow the horses. Crosby will be here for 2 months. If all goes well, Crosby will compete in the Greater Washington Dalmatian Club Road Trial in late October (2009).

I live in Crane, Montana. The GWDC RT will be in Virginia. I own two Dalmatians, a Lab, and two horses. I have competed in Dalmatian Road Trials since 1992. I have titled 6 different dogs in Road Trials; 4 of them earned both the RD and the RDX. Crosby has had some obedience training, and has had extensive show training. I will train Crosby to the RD level, and hope to compete with him at that level. I only have 2 months.

DAY 1: Crosby came yesterday afternoon. What a beautiful dog he is! And so adaptable! He has such a delightful temperament.
Today I got up at 6 AM and pottied him, then we worked on basic, on-leash obedience. I hope to be able to get a few Rally Novice legs on Crosby in 2 weeks.
Barbara Lyons, Crosby’s owner, has already taught Crosby the basics of heel, come, sit, and swing. With treats, I worked him on those maneuvers plus around and turns. He did VERY well. This is a very nice dog.
Crosby gets along with my other dogs (4 yr neutered male Dal; 11 yr female Dal; 9 yr neutered Lab) very well. He had no issues with them from the beginning, and the worst thing they all do is have a “marking” contest on every blade of grass. I am LOVING this dog’s temperament!

DAY 2: Today we did the usual AM routine: potty then obedience work on the ground, on-leash. Crosby tends to lag on the heel, so today we worked on this with lots of praise and encouragement. The automatic sit is not there, but Rally doesn’t require it, so I am working on sits on command. He learned very quickly with slight pressure on his rump. He responds well and learns fast. Good dog.
After breakfast I took all the dogs for my exercise walk (2 miles). Crosby did it on a flexi. I don’t allow him to pull, and he learned quickly just how long the flexi is, and how to use it without getting a correction.
After the walk, I put the Lab indoors (he is new here also, and doesn’t have the stamina nor the training to go for a horse ride), then I tied Crosby to a water spigot while I saddled Shadow (the horse). (The other two Dals get to run loose during this time, because they have been trained to stay nearby). Crosby was a bit vocal at first about his confinement situation, but a scruff shake with a verbal scolding took care of that (he learns quickly!).
With Crosby on a sit-stay on-leash, I mounted Shadow. Then we started at a walk, with Crosby at “heel” on the left of the horse. I began using the Hock command (instead of heel). Crosby didn’t even seem to notice the horse, and moved along well from the start. We did about 3 miles at a trot, then put the horse up. What a great time! Crosby took to this like a Lab to ducks! It’s lovely to watch his smooth, ground-covering gait. I couldn’t trot the horse slowly – that was too slow for Crosby. I had to move at a nice clip. It was a good conditioning session!
I live at an elevation of 2,000 feet. Although this is not very high, it is higher than what a California dog is used to. So I will condition slowly, even though Crosby seems in great shape.



DAY 3: obedience work at 6:30 AM. Crosby was more attentive today. He had a real “spark”. I think he’s discovered the treats, and how to get them. He was better about not sniffing, and about keeping up. We trained in front of the goose pen, while the geese hissed at us. Great distraction!
From 7 – 8 we walked. 2 miles. On a flexi. Crosby showed some response to the Come command today on the flexi, but there is still no immediate response. He has not yet discovered that a “come” means treats.
At about 8 AM I saddled and rode Pate (the Appaloosa). Pate is much slower than Shadow, and tends to wander when walking, so this gives Crosby experience with a different horse. Crosby did very well on his stays. He even stayed while Pate stomped his impatient feet and tried to get me moving again (I backed the horse away from the dog on the stay, so that if the horse is impatient, the dog is not in immediate danger of being stepped on). I took Crosby out by himself today, so that I could focus on him, and not confuse him with commands/corrections to the other dogs.
Crosby doesn’t seem tired by all of this exercise. He is in great shape, and came inside and wanted to play!


DAY 4: Same routine. Obedience training on leash on the ground (Rally). Then 2 mile walk on a flexi. Then a 2 mile quick horse ride at a trot. For the obedience training, I began trying “random sits”. I still get resistance from Crosby on the sits. He sits well with certain hand signals (when he thinks it comes with a treat), but for the RD I need him to sit without a signal, so I am working on voice recognition. Crosby obviously thinks treats are for standing (conformation stack), and so he tries that first. Sometimes he sat, but most of the time he seems unresponsive. Actually, he is responding; he responds with a show stack. Good dog, Crosby, just not what I want! When I try random sits in the house, I suddenly have FOUR dogs accosting me for treats. Do you know how many treats I am going through? Yesterday I cut about 75 hot dog chunks. They were all gone before the morning ride; I had to make more for the horse ride. I will continue to work on automatic obedience sits on leash, and random sits on the flexi and in the house.
On our horse ride I set up the camera for video and set it on an electrical box. I haven’t looked at it yet, but it should show Crosby learning the hock for a short span.
Crosby did the one minute sit stay from horseback (on leash) very well today. He completed it well two times. This is very encouraging!
Crosby’s house time is spent mostly tied to my waist. This reduces his counter surfing, and helps him attach himself to me (literally)!


DAY 5: Today Crosby got no real training. I got up early to be in a parade in North Dakota (about an hour away). I rode the horse sidesaddle, with Caden and Rad at hock. Crosby, of course, was not ready for a parade yet; plus the asphalt and the heat might be too hard on his pads at this point. It was a very hot day, but Caden and Rad did well. We were done with the parade before the temps got above about 85.
When I got home in the afternoon, I put Crosby, Rad, & Caden out in the dog run while I got up on the roof to help Brad (we are building an addition). I can see the run from the roof (and the dogs can see me). Crosby was very unhappy with me, and spent the afternoon proclaiming his displeasure. It was very hot outside (100 degrees), but the run has great shade, so the dogs were probably out in about 85 degree temps. Crosby kept moving the whole time, which is great, because I got to see how he holds up in the heat. He got plenty of exercise in the run – he exercised himself. And he seemed to have plenty of energy for the heat. He is inside now, and still has enough energy to play. So he got his exercise today , even though he didn’t really get any training. My, my, this dog DOES NOT act like he is TEN!