And then there was the Vacuum

Once again, Raezor has amazed me.  In the rain, with a blind start in a negative area.  Out looking for scent.  Off checking this trail or that one.  Looking like the pro we're hoping she'll become.


The world doesn't seem to scare her.  She can race through it.  Fly over it.  Leap upon it.  She studies situations and sizes them up, and figures out how to get past them.  It seemed as though there was nothing she couldn't handle.


Nothing.... until she met the vacuum.

She has studied it.  She has sized it up.  She has tried to figure it out.  But she just can't get past this one.  She knows the sound it makes just rolling on the floor, not even being turned on.  She tries to approach it... sniff it, bite at it, but still it confounds her and she MUST bark at it.  She must try to intimidate it away, except she isn't all that intimidating.

 

 Luckily, there aren't any lost vacuums we must search for,  because I think that's where we'd run into problems.

Hungarian Leaping Rainforest Dog

How many ways can she amaze me?  Between the last post and now, I am not sure I can list them all.  She worked a night problem with a brand new subject and in a brand new portion of forest.  Raezor moved out in front, never hesitating, never worrying.  Just pushed out and worked.  She checked trails to either side of the path- ON HER OWN and worked her way right on down toward the subject.  And when she had moved on beyond the subject, the fact that her nose was working was obvious when she came to a very loud, very definitive screeching halt in the dirt that I could hear without seeing her, spun herself around and launched right into the subject.  The second problem was equally impressive with her automatically checking both sides of the path, and any opening into the forest.  When she hit the scent cone, she glided through it right to the subject.   We drove home that night with our mouths agape and our minds whirling.


Tonight... we did a blind problem with me as a subject, her starting in a known negative area, and me as an unresponsive subject, anticipating beginning the refind/alert sequence in a forest new to her.  Just how many curve balls can one puppy take?


She was FABULOUS!  With the go find - out she went ... looking for scent.  As soon as she crossed my trail she lit up like a Christmas tree - initially she back trailed me.  My partner let her work that a bit and then redirected her.  She got into air scent and that was all it took.  She flew right to me, circled me, slightly worried about the noise of the very large deer behind me (at least I hope it was a deer... after hearing the stories of the bear from the fire captain up there, I am actually forcing myself to believe it was a deer) and then she dove into me.   She was thrilled to pieces to find me.  It took a little coaxing from my partner, but she did leave me and zipped back to my partner, launching herself onto her without any command (can we say jump alert???) and flew right back to me... I was blown away!


But wait, there's more!  For the low low price of puppy love, she took one more curve ball and hit  a home run... A friend met us up there, and then Raezor did a 3/4 blind problem in the dark with a brand new subject she had NEVER met before this training.  She studied him leaving with great care.  Just a whine or two escaped her lips... but she stared intently into the dark, waiting to be released.  And when she was  - BOOM - off she flew.  NOTHING and NO ONE could stop her.  She picked up where he left the path and went into the woods with ease... right on into him and with a bit of coaxing, right back to my partner with a flying leap at her and no issue getting her to go back to the subject.


We are amazed.    I am not sure that 2 steps ahead are going to be enough.  We might need to be a mile ahead of her....

Keep Swimming

What a fabulous training today.

Raezor did her first stranger runaways in a brand new forest.  She showed great drive and great focus and was thrilled to pieces to party with a new subject.   And her hitting and following the scent cone was an absolute thing of beauty.   She had a blast!!!! 

Later we went to Station 17, where she explored the woods, and showed more of her independence that will be invaluable.  When we made it to the lake, she watched Kaeden swim with envy.  She wanted to do what he was doing.  She wanted to be where he was.  But she couldn't bring herself to do it.  She climbed the rocks, and then scrambled BACKWARDS up them.  She flitted about on shore, getting her toes wet, then her legs... but still, she couldn't quite screw up the courage.

And then she just did it.  Leaped from shore with all her might and splashed in.  Much to her surprise, water is wet and you sink when you hit.  But, true to form, up she came and swam with all her might back to shore.  

And I suspect, that is how she will be with most things.  Jumping in with all four feet and figuring out how to swim.

One Step Ahead

She's growing up so fast.    She goes and goes and goes and stops.   This is a stopped moment.

Yesterday was a fun fun fun training day for her.  I decided that since she seems bored by the 2nd runaway, we'd change it up a bit.  We'd do one long half blind run/walkaway, see how she did, then put her away and work Kaeden, and then do another problem.

The first run/walkaway jazzed her to no end.  I hid IN a hole.  She was just sure she knew where I was and when I wasn't in her 'profiled' spot.... her brain kicked in and used her nose to figure it out.  She was racing toward me, then blew by me.  But alas, after she blew past me, there was no more scent.  She flipped around and followed the scent right in to me!!!!  This was the first problem where she wanted to play and play and play....  we went back to the truck playing the whole way.  

Then we worked Kaeden.  I didn't know Raezor knew how to howl.   I don't think Raezor did either.  She whined.  Cried.  Whined some more.  Then an odd sound came out.  Then more whining.  The odd sound.  Then a full on howl.  It was all we could do to not laugh out loud and distract Kaeden from his job.  A job he did beautifully I might add.

Back to Ms Raezor.  So to throw more curve balls at her, we decided to do a totally blind problem.  We got back to the truck, I left the putting of Kaeden away to my partner and I just kept walking.  I went to a predesignated spot and just waited.  I left a scent article along the way to introduce that concept too.  I was nervous.  Was I throwing too much at this young pup?  Was asking her to search for someone in an area she had never been to before, never seeing them leave, tossing in a scent article and doing it at twilight when all the shadows are as scary as they can be just a bit too much?  Was I making a horrible mistake?

I have to admit as a sat at that tree with 3 bats swirling around me (who needs mosquito repellent when you have your own bats???)  that I thought about what advice I would give if a handler had come to me and said: It has been three weeks since we started puppy runaways with my dog.  She seems a little bored after the second one now that we've switched to my wife being the victim, what should we do?  I don't believe I would have said to advance the problem to a fully blind problem in a brand new area, while tossing in a scent article.  So, while I bit my nails worried I just screwed up, my partner said: GO FIND.

Raezor first went screaming over to where I had been, pounced, and I wasn't there.  Not deterred in the least, off she flew.  She put two and two together and went through the gate, and along the fenceline.  Still not finding me, she zipped back toward the gate and found the scent article and was thrilled!!!  My partner praised her and told her that was awesome, now go find her...  and all business came out in full force.  I was able to watch the whole thing (and tried to encourage the bats to find a different viewing post) and it was awesome to watch.  She coursed back and forth over my trail, all the while moving forward, picking up speed.  This time she only made it a little ways past me before realizing she needed to alter course.... and this was one proud proud proud puppy of what she had done.

I am amazed.  I have thought more than once that she came to us a puppy, programmed with dog already with a lot of her actions.  Now.... I am wondering something a little more spiritual....

Trust and Intelligence - and a little pouting for good measure

Show her something once.... maybe twice.... and WOW.... it seems she's got it.

Example?  She likes to jump, especially up.  So....This morning I placed her on a chair and motioned for her to jump up to me.  It took twice, and she got the idea (and had the trust) to jump into my arms.... tonight she is doing it on the command "Arms".....

And.... punish or correct her???  I think this little girl was a queen in her previous life... Or maybe a 3 year old. She doesn't take kindly to being told NO or that what she is doing is wrong...  She has a phenomenal pout.  Like don't talk to you, lay in the other room, back to you for 20 minutes pout.  It is actually funny to watch.  I can see it being an issue  that we will have to work through with her and search work.

She was introduced to cadaver Friday.  She has a natural interest in it, so her continued training should turn out well... and letting her watch Kaeden work really amped her up for the next round of introductions. 

My partner will be doing pretty much all the handling from here on out.... I get to be the subject for a few, then the transition to different people and then longer problems will begin....  We will be spending the rest of this dogs life figuring out how to stay one step ahead of her... or probably two steps....maybe three....