First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for all the wonderful comments I've received on my little journal. I had no idea it would be so popular with everyone, but then, neither did I know that I would have so much to say! I thought for sure I'd be out of stuff to write by now, but I seem to still be going strong. I think I can make it through 2 more weeks without too much trouble. ;-) Since a number of people have asked me too, I've been saving all my posts and will put them up on my website soon. I plan to add a number of other articles from the list that the authors have given permission for, I think it's great that this list has such a great signal to noise ratio compared to most canine lists!
So, what to talk about today? My sister and brother-and-law are picking up a new sheltie puppy tomorrow, and I've spent a fair amount of time on the phone with them, giving them advice for socializing and early training. I think one of the things that's helped me so much with Taz is that I did so much work with him as a puppy on things that I wanted for agility...many of these same skills have helped me immensely in freestyle, things like working on both left and right, and responding to cues to turn certain ways. As well as a lot of emphasis on speed and enthusiasm in his work.
The one area it seems I fell short was in socializing and getting him used to strangers. Certainly I took him everywhere, but to this day, Taz is not real comfortable with strangers, particularly children and it's obvious I didn't do as much work as I should have. I have to admit, I do prefer a sheltie that is a bit stand-offish, the ones that I have had that were real outgoing just didn't seem to be *my* dogs as much. And thank goodness Taz is nowhere NEAR as bad as my old sheltie Tosh was when he was younger. I would never worry about Taz hurting anyone, even a young child, no matter how much he dislikes being petted by them (although certainly I don't take chances). And he does get petted, since I have a young niece that just adores dogs, and just HAS to pet him every time we visit. He's learned to tolerate it, but given a choice, he'll hide in the other room.
In general, this has not been a major problem for us. In sports like agility and flyball, the activity itself is so engrossing for him, that thousands of people could be packed around the ring and he wouldn't even notice. Freestyle, though, is another matter altogether. I almost wish I had the problem some of you mention, of a dog that wants to run off and say Hi to the crowd...the last thing Taz would ever do is leave the safety of Mom. The problem we have is him not moving the way he does when he feels relaxed and safe. When he's scared, he tends to be distracted more, will miss commands, won't move away from me, etc. I really learn to improvise then!
Thankfully, this is becoming less of a problem, as he does more routines, and learns the crowd won't interfere during them. Clapping is not a big deal, he's heard so much of it doing agility, that doesn't bother him. And he's nowhere near as sound sensitive as some shelties, a major issue when you perform in some of these big indoor arenas. Overall, though, I find freestyle almost on par with doing Utility work...the amount of attention and concentration needed from the dog, and the amount of effect the lack of it will have on the work.
I'm hoping by really putting a lot of work into getting Taz into the routine, doing one he really enjoys, I can minimize these problems. Certainly our last routine was much more fun for him, and we had a big improvement in his attitude and attention during it. There's no doubt that he likes jumping and weaving, etc. enough that he doesn't worry about anything else then. It's a lot more difficult to keep him happy and moving on spins and turns and laterals and distance work. And when he starts getting worried, he needs more help from me to stay on task... and I can't do as much dance-type moves myself.
The time this is most apparent is in practice at the building, if someone comes in the door. Like most dogs, Taz loves to bark at people at the door (he IS a sheltie after all!). At home, he has learned that he has to be on a sit stay before I will go to the door, but that doesn't stop him from barking and making a fuss when that doorbell rings, and he will keep woofing at the stranger from his sit until they leave or I release him. The training building, unfortunately, is like a second home to him, and whenever someone comes in, he sees no reason to continue what we are doing until he has had a chance to run over and bark at them. Even once they are settled, anytime we approach that end of the building, or he is doing a circle or turn that faces him in that direction, we had little attention lapses. This has been a problem with us training freestyle there for years, and it still drives me nuts.
I'll admit I am not the most patient trainer in the world. I'll try to work through the distraction, but often he'll just be so nuts, I have little choice but to stop. Usually what I do is just stop and work on whatever move we were having trouble with at that point. It's sort of pointless to try and do a routine with a dog that is not the least bit interested in what I am asking him to do.
The good thing with performances is that he doesn't really know where the door is and isn't really "at home" enough to care even if he did. I'm a little nervous about the spectators being on every side of the ring for this competition...for a dog like Taz, it makes them feel much more "trapped" than when the spectators are just in front. I'm hoping there will be plenty of room between the ring and the spectators, to minimize this to some degree. Of course, that would also help the dogs that have trouble with wanting to visit!
For me, there is one more major thing in getting ready for this competition that most people don't have to worry about. Due to my years of lots of computer work, I suffer from varying degrees of chronic tendinitis. It's sort of like having carpal tunnel, just tendon related rather than nerve. It will most likely be a problem for me the rest of my life.
Basically, I have what is commonly known as golfer's elbow in both arms. At times, it was so bad I had to take extended leave from work. I've been through physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, and a host of other treatments (please, don't anyone email me their own ideas) in an effort to be able to just do my job every day. At times, I had to resort to using voice software to control my computer, as it was just too painful to use my hands. What has helped the most is wearing braces on my arms, using arm supports that screw to my desk, and being sure to take breaks and stretch regularly. And do as little computer work outside of work as possible. NOT something that is easy for me at all.
I definitely go through flare-ups where I have to be much more vigilant about what I am doing, and then there are times when I am approaching normal. At such times, life is SOOO good! That old saying about good health is sure true, you don't appreciate it until it's gone. It sometimes amazes me that people can be so unhappy when they are healthy and pain-free. For me, such times are so few and far between, I can't help but enjoy them. Yet I know that were I to every be 100% free of the problem, in time I'd be blase about it as well.
Planning this trip brought me up against a major issue, though. There are some things that I still have trouble with, due to the sensitivity of my arms. One of these is driving. Generally, I can do an hour, maybe 2 without a problem. But once I'm on the road for more than that, I really start to feel it. A couple things seem to contribute to the problem. The fact that I am confined and not able to stand up and stretch is one. But even more, it seems to be the vibration of the car that irritates the tendons....when I'm driving and actually griping the wheel, this is even worse.
This show was a dilemma for me. As far as I know, no one else from down my way is going (if you are, or know anyone, please let me know!!), and it is at least a 5 hour drive. The most I've done on my own in 2 years is a little over 3 hours. Yet, my arms are also consistently better than they've been in all that time. I can do a 1-1/2 hour drive without a problem. And the show being on a Saturday evening, I had a good stretch of time to drive up and Sunday to drive back, plenty of time to stop frequently and take breaks.
So, I decided to bite the bullet and do the drive myself. I was tempted to fly, but that's a lot of extra expense. But it is scary for me, what if I get there and am in too bad a shape to make it back? Once my arms get bad, there's no much I can do, it takes a long time for them to calm down again. I remember the last 5 hour trip I did, I spent much of the weekend sticking my hands in ice to try and numb them down. And I had someone else driving on that trip!
So part of my preparation for this event is to try and have my arms as pain-free as possible when it's time to go. I am a compulsive computer user though, and I definitely go through work-a-holic periods where I am working an extra hour or two a day trying to get stuff done. I'm work straight through the day with no breaks, even though I can hear that little voice telling me to stop. And of course, right now I am in the middle of trying to finish my big programming project, my Webstore for online commerce that will be a nice source of income for me. As any programmer will tell you, it can be hard to slow down and take it easy when you are close to finishing something you've spent months on...that's where I am right now.
I don't think of myself as handicapped...my little problem can't even be compared to those that have true disabilities. But it does make me appreciate how much I've lost. Those days when I wouldn't have batted an eye at driving 10 hours for an agility trial, or could lift 50 pound boxes without a problem. I've wanted to be more involved in freestyle, but it was the rare demo or trial that was close enough for me to get to without flying. We take so much for granted sometimes. I don't feel sorry for myself, or look for pity; when something is part of your life all the time, you get used to it, and really don't even notice it. There were times when I was so depressed, not so much because of the pain, but because of my fear of not being able to stay in the one career I'd found that I truly loved. I no longer have that fear, and have been able to do more than I ever thought I'd be able to do again. What more could you ask for?! Well, I'm asking to make it up and back without major problems. I hope that's not too much to hope for.
Training a sheltie for freestyle sure has its good points and bad points...as is the case with ANY breed. They certainly are an athletic, agile dog, and of a size that makes certain moves like weaving fairly easy to do. They are quick to learn and eager to please. However, they have one real problem, (other than the shyness that runs in the breed which I covered previously) and that is barking!
I don't think there are many breeds as vocal overall as shelties. Certainly there are individuals within any breed that are barkers, but shelties certainly have one of the worst reputations as barkers, and it is well-deserved. It's actually a bit of a pet peeve with me, as many sheltie breeders debark all their dogs, and make no attempt to improve this problem behavior in the breed (and I don't mean just yappiness, I mean true problem barkers that NEVER shut up).
I have to admit, I really HATE barking. It was one of the reasons I quit doing flyball, and it drives me up the wall no end at agility trials, the people that just leave their dogs barking in the crate all day. I've always taken great measures to make sure I got shelties that would not be real bad barkers, and trained them from day one to be relatively quiet. Taz, for instance, does flyball without barking AT ALL. He also barks very little in agility and obedience, and in fact, is the quietest sheltie I've ever had.
However, there are certain things that he just can't seem to help barking at. Barking at the door, of course. He barks when he does herding. And he certainly barks everytime I let him out in the backyard, to chase any squirrels away. In agility, any time he has to stop dead and change direction, he will bark, and if I ask him to do our around-the-back move...always a bark (he does the same thing when playing frisbee, runs around me and barks).
Likewise, there are just some things in freestyle that he is always going to bark on. Jumping over my legs for instance; I can maybe get away with one or two jumps, but more than that and I get barking. The around-the-back move...if I do it in freestyle, I get the barking. Weaving is another good spot for it.
Even more, the issue is that a sheltie having a good time is almost always a sheltie barking. I ride a fine line in freestyle..either my dog is having a lot of fun and I get some barking...or I make it into an obedience exercise and tell him he's got to be quiet, and I don't get 100% of his attitude. Actually, it's fairly common for me to get both...at our last competition I lost points for barking from one judge, and points for my dog looking unhappy from the other. So it certainly is a point of contention for me.
Personally, I think some barking should be overlooked in freestyle. This isn't obedience, after all, and if we are expecting the dogs to have fun and enjoy themselves, we can expect some of them to voice that. At the same time, I don't think there should be so much barking in a routine that it disrupts from the enjoyment of it for the audience. But if a dog gives a little woof of excitement each time he bounces over the hander's arm, is that really disruptive??
I for one am not going to correct my dog for barking. I could certainly tell him to be "quiet" during a routine if he starts to give me those little woofs of his. But to do so is to tell him, he's not here to have fun, and I won't do it. If I lose points for the barking, so be it. To me, it's a small price to pay for keeping my dog happy and enjoying the sport.
Betcha thought I was going to miss a day! Nope,I've just been out all day on various errands and only now have gotten back. I'm taking the time to type this up before chowing down and having some dinner (I'm used to eating after 9 pm anyway).
Friday night is also a Freestyle practice night, and we had another good practice! I brought my video camera, and put it on a box all the way in the corner of the practice building, zoomed as far out as I could and caught as much as I could on tape. It's nowhere near as good as having someone film, but better than nothing! There were only a few sections that I wasn't able to see.
Watching it on tape, it's plain to see that we're still rough around the edges with this program. I'm not sure we'll be able to really clean it up before the show, and I'm not sure it would matter a WHOLE lot since I can never really tell how slow or fast Taz is going to be moving until the actual show. Best I can do is try to get a happy medium in practice and feel strong enough with the music to be able to adjust one way or the other. But overall, I'm very happy with the program. I do feel the shorter length in our case works well. Our very first routine was 4 minutes, the last was 3-1/2, this one is 3. It seems three is just about right to get a lot of good moves in without losing the audience's attention. Watching my old routines, there were definitely sections toward the end that seemed to drag a little. This one that is not a problem.
I did finally give up and will stand for the first 4 beats of the music. It just was too tough to do it any other way. I've decided this music isn't *perfectly* ideal for us. Or at least, for me to move to. It's probably just right for Taz. Having come from CFF, I naturally pick music that works well for my dog, and I'm just now finding out that Taz and I don't quite have the same speed and what works for him is not real easy for me.
But there is an advantage in that it's easier for ME to adjust my speed and length of stride than it would be to get HIM to change it. As a result, the two of us match reasonably well, which I think looks rather nice. Although it does make my own movements more conspicuous, which I'm not real sure I want. ;-)
First thing this morning, we had herding. My instructor was really sorry to hear I would only be coming out one more time before Uptempo, and then after that, only one weekend free until June, due to agility. Taz has turned out to be really gifted in herding, and obviously could go far were I to devote my time to that. 5 lessons, and he could easily pass a PT (second level of herding tests). That's one real problem with a multi-talented dog, it can be tough to choose! I'd love to get herding titles, but I'd still like to get some big wins in agility, make it on some of the TV shows, so that's my choice for now. He's only 4 (well, almost) so we've plenty of time still to do other stuff.
After our herding lesson, I headed to the mall to get my hair done (definitely was time for it ). On the way, I thought I'd look at some clothes and see if I could find some pants, and maybe a jacket that would work for my routine. I wanted a pair of black pants, and of the three pairs I already have...one is tighter than I want, one is too short, and the last pair are palazzo pants which are very wide all the way down and would be a problem for Taz whenever he needs to get between my legs. After watching myself on tape, I knew I *really* didn't want to wear tight pants, on a number of moves I have to bend over, and, let's just say I don't want my back portion to be more obvious than it already is. ;-)
Well, while shopping, I did find a blazer that would look good, and some pants that were perfect. Even better, the pants were on clearance, over $20 off. But the blazer, well, it was $90. A LOT to pay for a freestyle routine. But I thought, well, if I could get a matching skirt somewhere else, I could also wear it to work or for job interviews. But it wasn't a *totally* perfect fit. Just a TAD tighter than I would like, but still not bad. But I really don't get dressed up that much for work very often, and seldom go on interviews. So, I left it in the store, and went to get my hair done.
While there I decided, what the heck, I'll get the jacket, and that way I'll have it if I don't find anything better. If I do, I can just return it. So, 2 hours later, I head back to the store...only to find the one jacket in my size gone! I did a quick scan of the dressing rooms, and then noticed a lady checking out...and sure enough, there was the jacket. Sob! I restrained myself and didn't beg her to let me have it...but it was a tempting thought. Certainly needing it for a freestyle competition would be more important than her reason! ;-)
Well, lesson learned. I won't make that mistake again!! So, will head out tomorrow for more shopping, and to get in some more practice. Only one weekend after this, aggh!!
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