DAY 50- ONLY ONE DAY OF REAL TRAINING LEFT!

DAY 50 (Tuesday, October 20, 2009):
This morning when I got up it was pouring rain. We walked (on the flexi) anyway (1.3 miles). We practiced one 2-minute stay. We walked in the dark and came back looking like a muddy mess. Crosby got dried off and then I was off to work.

After work, the rain had stopped, so I was able to ride. We rode for a little over an hour. The temp was probably about 45°. The trail was muddy. I asked for obedience “right out of the starting gate”, as usual. We practiced all the exercises, all in a row, with “down time” in between, just like what might happen at a Road Trial. I also gave no treats until all exercises were completed (although I did give lots of praise between and sometimes during the exercises). Crosby performed each exercise very, very well. A little forging on the hock; a little whining on the stay; but these are just points off. His condition is also good, and his conditioning seems to have paid off. I am just so thrilled with his progress.

I can honestly say that I feel just as comfortable with Crosby “off-leash” as I do with my own dogs. He responds to my commands all the time. Of course, the Road Trial will be a new location with new distractions, so we will see, but I am confident he understands what I want of him, and he wants to please me. MILEAGE: about 5

Perfect Hock!

This is a video taken on day 47 of the Hock exercise with Crosby (red collar, closest to camera), and Rad. It's a beautiful example of what Dalmatians do best!

I forgot to remove the "tab" (piece of rope) from Crosby's collar, so it is swinging while he gaits, and it probably affects his front action, but this is a lovely video of the hock exercise.
Video taken in my front hay field, in front of the house in Crane, Montana.

DAY 49: Training walk on the flexi in AM in the dark. After work it was off to the vet for a health certificate. Then it rained until dark, and it was a cold rain, so I decided not to saddle the horse. I did stop at the park in town in the rain with Crosby, and we practiced some quick heeling, come, and stay in the rain in a new location. MILEAGE: 1.3

SPEED! Keep up with a galloping horse? Not a problem!

This is a video taken Saturday, Day 47. It shows Crosby (red collar, closest to the camera), and Rad practicing the "Speed" exercise. Obviously, Crosby has no problem keeping up with a galloping horse!

SNOW! (Well, a little snow...)

This is a video of Day 45, the day we rode for 9 miles in preparation for the Road Trial. It was a cold day, and the cold turned into snow before we got done. I actually cut the ride short a little due to the weather. As you can see in the video, however, the cold does not seem to bother Crosby, as long as we keep moving!

DAY 44 (Wednesday, Oct. 14):
I walked the dogs in the AM, but didn’t have time to ride after work. We practiced sit-stays (2 minutes), random recalls, and heeling. Mileage: 1

Day 45: (Thursday, Oct. 15):
No school today, so I was able to ride. My goad was a good long ride; perhaps nearing the 12 mile distance. I walked the dogs in the morning, so that was about 1 mile. Then I mounted up Shadow for a long ride with Crosby and Rad. We went out to Gartside Reservoir, and then 3 or so miles up the canal road, and another mile up some dirt road, and back again. It started snowing on us about an hour into the ride. The snow then turned to rain, which is worse (if you don’t have raingear). I was not dressed for rain, so we headed home. Crosby practiced several recalls (staying recalls and free-run recalls), and several hock exercises, and three sit-stays ( two minutes each). He was PERFECT in every one. It was a good ride. The mileage we did today was a lot, but I needed to do it today, because I may not get another chance for high mileage before the Road Trial, and if I’m going to do “high” mileage, I need to do it at least 5 to 7 days before the actual Road Trial. Then a day of rest. Then “maintenance” mileage until the trial. MILEAGE: 8 or 9.

DAY 50 (Friday, Oct. 16): Crosby gets a rest today for muscle building. We walked in the morning (1.3 miles), and we practice stays. MILEAGE: 1.3

This is a video of riding in the Seven Sisters forest. It shows how close Crosby stays, even without a command.

DAY 43

DAY 43 (Tuesday, October 13, 2009): No walk in AM. Horse ride after work. Windy and cold, but above freezing. Successful 2 minute stay on the first try. Great hock, great speed, great stay. Crosby wouldn’t leave for a recall, but he did come quickly to hock when I called him from about 15 feet away. Later I made him stay for a recall. He wouldn’t stay at first, but performed a perfect stay-recall the second try.
Mileage: 4

Here Chicky, Chicky, Chicky...

This is a video of practicing the "hock with distraction". At a Road Trial, the "hock with distraction" exercise is where Crosby must remain at hock while we pass a hiker with another dog on leash. I don't have anyone to walk by with a strange dog to help me practice, so on this day we hocked past the cat and the chickens. The video was taken a few weeks ago.

DAY 41 (Sunday): A day of rest! I woke up late and didn’t even have time to take the dogs on a walk. This was a planned day of rest, anyway. When building endurance, the muscles need rest days to build muscle tissue.

DAY 42 (Monday, October 12, 2009): I walked the dogs at 5:30 AM in the dark. It was about 25 degrees outside, warmer than I expected. Crosby practiced one sit-stay with distractions. Again, he did not hold the sit for the entire minute while I waved my arms, etc. After one correction, however, he stayed for the full 2 minutes. After work I saddled Pate and we rode for about 3 miles. We practiced the judged exercises right “out of the gate”. Crosby did well in the hock (although he still forges) and the recall, and we had a GREAT speed, but on the stay, he got up almost immediately (as I moved the horse away). I did not re-command; I just quietly got off of the horse, calmly approached Crosby (who was standing), and grabbed his “tab” on his collar and gave a firm correction. After that, he did stay for a full minute and a half (all I required). Later, we practiced the stay again, and he stayed a full minute; then I moved the horse around behind him, and that was too much – he got up. I re-commanded, and he sat back down (positioning himself so he could see me). I feel we are making good progress here, but I will have to keep up the practicing with distractions, just to make him more solid on the sit. It was about 34° when we rode; the dogs were not bothered at all by the cold.

Mileage: about 4

HOCK WITH DISTRACTION and DAY 40

This is a video, taken last week, of Crosby (red collar on my left) and Rad hocking next to the horse as we pass a house with loose, barking dogs. Usually when I pass this house, the dogs come running out after me. On this day, they stayed on their own property and just barked. Crosby and Rad were very good dogs, and remained at hock. Crosby is totally off-leash in this video. He is wearing a choke collar with a "tab" attached (a piece of rope). At a Road Trial, Crosby will be expected to remain at hock while we pass a hiker with a leashed dog.

DAY 40: (Friday, Oct. 10, 2009): We walked this morning in the COLD. FRIGID would be more precise. It was 12 ° this morning when we walked. That’s right, TWELVE. And windy! Crosby handled it just fine. His tail carriage was good throughout the walk, so he was not particularly bothered by it. I didn’t ride until afternoon. The temp was up to about 28 by then. I took Crosby out by himself (so he doesn’t always cue off of Rad).

Today was a “maintenance” day, where my goal for mileage was to keep him in shape, but not do too much. He was a good boy. He still doesn’t understand the sit-stay. I think he has a “clock” inside his head, and he expects a treat or reward within about 50 seconds. When he doesn’t get that reward, he thinks he’d better try something else. I’m sure he is thinking, not just “disobeying”. He’s used to “asking for it”, so when I tell him to stay, and he stays for a while, but then he doesn’t get a treat right away, he begins to wonder if maybe he’s not doing the right thing, and he tries something else, to see if that will get him the treat. So I have to “reset” that clock in his head, to about TWO MINUTES.

We practiced “on the ground” stays again today. Not the classic type, but stays with distractions. As soon as I put him in the stay, then I begin to walk around, wave my arms, make meowing sounds, bark, kick my legs, etc. Anything that might make him wonder. Then, if he moves, I put him back in the sit-stay. This helps him understand that the “stay” means “forever” (or at least until I TELL him to get up… no matter what happens). This is very important for the RD sit. If the horse fidgets, or moves around, the dog must still stay (unless the dog is in danger of being stepped on). Today when I was practicing moving around and making noise during Crosby’s stay, I found that Crosby could stay through about everything – EXCEPT if I sat down. When I drop to the ground, Crosby drops! So let’s just hope I can stay on the horse. Then Crosby should be fine!

MILEAGE: 4

Long-Distance Recall

Finally! I got Crosby to "leave" me so I could call him back!

This is a video of Crosby in an open field in Seven Sisters Recreation Area. It is one of the few times he ever left my side on a 5 mile ride. You can see that Crosby found some sort of exciting smell (probably a dead animal - sorry, Barbara!), and he was engrossed in it when I called him. It is VERY hard for a dog to "leave" a great find like that, and return to the handler, but Crosby does it! What a good dog! I want you to notice, that Crosby not only "comes", but he comes to "hock". In other words, he could have come to the closest side of the horse - that would have been the "right" side of the horse. I expect Crosby to understand "hock" as coming to the LEFT side of the horse, and the left side ONLY. If Crosby had come for a treat on the right side, I would have corrected him and sent him to the left. (I teach each of my dogs to "hock" in a specific spot. Crosby's spot is the left side.) The fact that Crosby came all the way AROUND the horse to the left side shows he understands "hock"! I'm so excited! The video was actually taken last week, when the weather was still in the 50's.

Today was Day 39. The dogs and I walked in the morning. It was about 27 degrees outside. Crosby was just fine with it. His tail was out and wagging the whole time. Rad was cold by the time we were half done, and Rad's tail was hanging down. I believe tail carriage is a great indicator of the dog's physical condition. Not "show" tail carriage as in: "that dog carries his tail too high"; but tail carraiage as in: "that dog normally carries his tail a certain way, and but now the tail is down; what's wrong?" I have found that a very tired Dal, or a very cold Dal, or a Dal with an injured tail will carry the tail low or tucked or drooped. A Dal with a healthy condition and attitude will carry the tail "out" from the body. The tail carriage is a good indication of current physical condition. Crosby's tail carriage was good, even though it was REALLY COLD. We did keep moving, though!

I also practiced sit stays "on the ground". Crosby seems to have a clock in his head set at 50 seconds. (He needs to stay for 1 minute to qualify in a Road Trial). After about 50 seconds, he gets up. I think he is wondering why he hasn't gotten the treat yet, and he figures he must have misunderstood me, and maybe he should try something else! So we had to practice several times before we got a 2-minute stay (I always train for more than is required).

Later in the morning we rode the horse. It was cold and windy with snow flurries, but I was glad we did 2 1/2 miles in the AM, because the PM was WORSE! Crosby did very well. He sits well on verbal command now, but he is still questionable on the length of the stay. More to work on!

Mileage: about 3.6

DAY 38: Distractions and Diversions

DAY 38: I didn't walk this morning with the dogs - I wanted to get on the horse and get things done early. Yesterday I took Crosby out by himself - it is hard to leave Rad at home (Rad gets SO SAD), but Crosby needs to prove he can behave all by himself. Of course, Crosby was great. Today I took both dogs, and my goal was to ride for about 2 hours; making about 8 miles. Crosby did GREAT! The temp outside was about 38 degrees F. Pretty cold! I wore "hot hands" type warmers in my gloves and my shoes.

I practiced all the exercises "out of the starting gate". I've always felt the dogs need to understand they must obey at all times - not just when they are tired! Crosby passed all exercises with flying colors. He still forges a bit on the hock, and I wouldn't say he's solid on the stay yet. I need to practice more stays on the ground.

We had gone about 5 miles when we took a new route - and we passed a new construction house with a LOOSE DOG. It was a Corgi - so as soon as I saw the Corgi coming out to "greet" us (my Dals did not see him at first), I urged the horse (Shadow) into a fast trot, hoping the short-legged Corgi would give up and let us pass. We trotted for quite a while, and I thought we had lost the Corgi, so I slowed down.

I was about to reach down and put the leash on Crosby (so we could turn back, in case we passed the Corgi again), but the Corgi caught up to us. Ooops. I guess slowing down just let the Corgi catch up! Un-neutered male. Now, you are probably thinking we had a fight on our hands? No way! Both Crosby and Rad just turned and sniffed, and the Corgi certainly held his own. They got along just fine! I called Crosby to hock, and he came! Then I put the leash on Crosby just to make sure we wouldn't have any trouble (I was worried the Corgi would cause trouble - not Crosby). The Corgi followed us for quite a distance, making a nusiance of himself (mounting behavior). We turned back finally, and had a hard time getting the Corgi to stay home. He finally stayed when his owner came out to the path and grabbed him. I was very proud of Crosby, though, for not attacking the little dog, and for ignoring the little dog when I asked him to. That was a great Distraction Exercise practice! And a testament to the good temperament of both Crosby and Rad!

The cold is here to stay. I may make a coat for Crosby.

Mileage: about 7 or 8.

Time on trail: 1 hour, 50 minutes, with a short water break after 4 miles (otherwise, no rest time)

FURRY CRITTER SUCCESS!!!

DAY 37: Furry Critter Success! Crosby and I rode out to Gartside Reservoir, and just as we came in sight of the picnic area, a squirrel ran across the path up ahead of us. Crosby saw it, too. Crosby perked right up, watched it carefully, but stayed right by me! Crosby was not "at hock" at the time - he was "at rest", and basically had been given permission by me to run at will, but I was trotting the horse,and Crosby tends to fall into "hock" whenever I trot.

He was such a good boy not to chase the squirrel right off, that I gave him a treat. Then I slowed the horse to a walk, and again commanded "Rest", telling Crosby he could run. Crosby left my side immediately then to search for the scent of the squirrel. He had obviously found it, and was about 50 or 60 feet away from me, firmly tracking the scent of the squirrel, when I called, "Crosby, HOCK". Crosby returned to my side immediately, leaving the track of the squirrel! YEAH CROSBY! FURRY CRITTTER SUCCESS!!

I am still feeding treats generously. Current treats are deer jerky. Crosby still wears a choke collar with a tab (piece of rope hanging down), but other than that, he is off-leash.

Weather was bad. Cold and windy. It started to rain on us at one point, but the rain was light. Crosby was not bothered by any of it. Once the rain started, we kept moving to keep warm. I did stop at one point in the really bad weather to practice a sit-stay. Crosby wanted to move every time the horse fidgeted. I was riding Pate today (different horse), so that was good practice, but Pate does not stand still very well for the stay, so this is also good practice for Crosby. We had a good practice! And great responses! Mileage: about 5.

The countdown is on!

DAY 36 (Tuesday, Oct. 6): The countdown is on! Just a little over two weeks of training left!

I spent the weekend in Florida at my nephew's wedding, so no training for Crosby over the weekend! He got a 1 mile walk as soon as I got back yesterday.

Now that I am back, I took him out today on a leisurely ride to Seven Sisters. He was a very good boy. He still stays TOO close - he never gives me much opportunity to correct him - so I worry that some furry critter will distract him during the judged exercises, and we won't have had as much practice as necessary on that!

He seems to have survived the "weekend off" quite well. No lameness, stiffness, or lack of energy. He moved out nicely, and seemed to enjoy the ride without any sign of stiffness. We practiced all the exercises a few times, excepting the "distraction" exercise. Couldn't find any loose dogs! Mileage: 4

DAY 30

DAY 30 (Wed. Sept 30): Today was a GREAT day! We walked in the morning on the flexi, with the usual random comes and random sits. The weather has turned off cold, and the wind was so strong I had a hard time standing up. I must admit, it is hard to make myself "work" the dogs when the weather is that bad. I just want to finish the walk and get home!

Later in the day, though, the weather improved. Rain threatened, and the wind was blustery, but the temps got into the 50's. Because I am leaving for Florida on Friday, I needed to "put some miles" on Crosby TODAY. So Rad & Crosby & Shadow & I rode out to Seven Sisters (recreation area/hunting preserve) on the Yellowstone River. It is about a 5 mile round trip, so total mileage would be about 6 for the day (with the flexi walk).

We did a lot of trotting to keep warm. When you trot a horse, you can sit the trot, which can be kind of bumpy, or you can "post", which means you lift yourself up and down in the saddle to the beat of the horse, being careful to let yourself down gently, so as not to bump the horse's back. When I post, I sing a song in my mind. That song on the radio about "you belong with ME -ee- ee" is a great song to sing! ("She wears high heels, I wear sneakers, she's cheer captain & I'm on the bleachers..."). You have to speed that one up a bit to keep up with the horse, but it can be fun. If I'm all alone in the forest, I'm likely to belt out a line or two just to see if anyone is listening... but I digress.

With trotting more than 50% of the way, the dog is getting good conditioning. Moving along for a sustained amount of time at this speed can also raise a dog's temperature. A "working" dog (a dog that is moving quickly most of the time) that is in good shape will reach a plateau with his temp, or a "working temp". A dog's regular temp is about 99 (degrees Farenheit). An ideal "working temp" is about 101 to 101.5. Dogs that are worked when they are NOT in shape will have "working temps" that are at 103 or 104. On a very hot day, an out-of shape dog may have a working temp that is much higher, and therefore more dangerous. At the national Road Trial in Kentucky in 1993, when day temps neared 100, some of the dogs came into the vet check with working temps of 105 and 106. In other years, there are often dogs that come in with temps of 103 and 104.

One way to gauge conditioning is to take the dog's temperature. So today I took Crosby's temperature at rest, in the house. 99.3. I decided that was his "at rest" (or normal) temperature. I didn't take his temp again until we had been out on the trail for about 1 1/2 hours. I made sure I trotted him for a while just before I dismounted and temped him again. (That was quite a sight - me trying to tie the horse, get out the thermometer, temp the dog...). I am VERY HAPPY to say, Crosby's temp was 101!!! That's right! 101! That is a GREAT working temp! I'm so proud of him (and his breeder! At age 10, this is great!). This is AMAZING!
Admittedly, it was not hot outside, but still, for a 10 year old dog to have a working temp THAT LOW... well, all I can say, is, "This dog was BUILT for this!" (yeah, we knew that!)

Now I'm off to Florida for the weekend for a nephew's wedding.