Asher: Herding Champion!

I have really been enjoying my half days this summer. Lots of fun different classes, and then plenty of the rest of the day left afterwards. If only it wasn’t too hot to do anything like agility or hiking … but Summer is almost over, and it will be so nice to be able to do all the things again. You can do things when it’s cold, but not when it’s hot.

We have done a bit of agility, and boy is it apparent I screwed up with Asher. Ah, hindsight shows me I should have been really precise and incremental with his training. That’s less fun though! I think that is my big failing with both Asher and Bryn, they would have really benefitted from me actually, you know, having a plan and systematic approach. We totally just winged it for multiple reasons, and it shows. To be fair, I was going with the tried and true, “Just make sure they’re having a good time and the fill in the gaps later” plan. Which works … except with dogs that find the act of running so self reinforcing that you really can’t go back and fix those things easily, not after letting them run with the wind in their hair.

Still, I KNOW I skipped all sorts of steps with Bryn, as she was soft in training. Asher I feel like I actually did at least SOME of the work. He DID collect, we did all the foundation behaviors. But as soon as the bars went higher, and Asher went higher, WHOOOOSH, out went all that. It always makes me feel a little better seeing his siblings act the same way. Gladys was in a extension/collection workshop and she would actually jump WIDER when Heidi gave her a collection cue – it’s like it just wound her up. And I was like, “Ah-HA – it’s not just me!” And Gladys CAN collect … if she wants to.

Anyway, so we are attempting to go back to our natural motion collection cues, and he does actually respond really well to them … eventually. Not the first time, or the second time, or the third time, or the fourth time … but when he finally settles down and recognizes that he needs to pay attention to me for once. Man, I created a monster.

Especially with Bryn, she was a good experiment in the whole “feral puppy” or “just let them grow up before you start trying to really train them to do things” method. I had done that with my rescue dogs, obviously, and what I often thought with them is, “Man, it is so much easier to do this right the first time rather than deal with the fallout for the rest of their lives.” I was listening to a podcast about learning and they were talking about how much easier it is to learn new behaviors and retain them into ‘working memory’ when you’re young. The older you get, the harder it is to do. The podcast was about people, but I could see this with dogs as well.

The point being, I think it was harder to work with Bryn just getting her a little bit older. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think if I had gotten her when she was 8 weeks she might have been easier to teach ‘how to learn’. A lot of what I messed up with Bryn was because problem solving in a thinking way made her stressy. I didn’t want to stress her, so I didn’t work on things like I normally do. We did what didn’t make her stress, which was action based. Which wasn’t a bad decision, but needed to be balanced with more thinking training, which didn’t happen. And she is much better now at training of all sorts, but I’m now fighting the habits she picked up when she was young, and it’s so much harder now.

That said, I’m not unhappy with either dog – I very much enjoy training both of them because they really do love it. They love it in part because we always focused on the fun. I love dog training and sports because I like having fun with my dogs. I don’t really care if any of them is ever ‘successful’. But in agility, the heart of the fun is working together with that communication on course, and it shouldn’t be as hard as I apparently made it. I didn’t make Asher overaroused, and I didn’t make Bryn flanky – I just didn’t at all attempt to really change those behaviors. I tried to side step them assuming they’d take care of themselves once the dogs really got into the game and understood what their job was. That didn’t work so well, because those behaviors are so intrinsically reinforcing.

Live and learn, it’s always easy to see in hindsight what you should have done. I’d like to think I’ll take that to heart with my next dog, and make sure I do better job setting them up for success. It’s not like I don’t know what I SHOULD do. And, once again, I’m not upset with where my dogs are right now. I also know what I SHOULD do from here – it just won’t be as easy as if I’d done it right the first time.

So let it be said, I’m thrilled with what Asher can now do when you throw in a stride regulator for collection jumping. He doesn’t do it without the stride regulator, but step one is to get the behavior. For Asher (and his litter in general), they need a different approach with collection, so this has been good to take me on a journey of really looking at different jump training ideas. The BEST option is to get a dog that just naturally jumps well and turns tightly … that is not Asher. So we’ll keep working on it.

With Bryn we continue to go back to foundation and work on the flanking ALWAYS. She’s also made huge progress (even if it doesn’t show in a trial!). And BRYN can collect, it’s only the straight and speed curves that get her where she can’t control the flank. And just when I think we’re getting past all of it, we try putting things together and … yeah.

In our attempts to catch up with the COVID puppies, we are joining the AKC agility league! Lori is hosting one at her gorgeous arena on a night that actually works for me. It’s about an hour away, with hopefully not too much traffic. It’s like 12 weeks I think, and the pilot program courses actually looked really nice. Appropriate spacing, interesting courses – way better than USDAA at home. Hopefully we can practice just a bit on the course, run them for real and let it lie. I do NOT like how those At Home programs have encouraged running the dog into the ground again and again to get the Q. I don’t care if we’re ‘clean’, but what a great opportunity to get the dogs out in a new environment where it’s a little ‘trial like’, but can still make sure to give them plenty of support before and after. So we’ll see, it’s a commitment, but something I feel would really benefit us.

And then I entered Asher in a herding trial (assuming we get in). A TWO DAY trial like 6 hours away. They have 2 runs of PN per day though, so that actually seems worth it. And will not be using the sheep they have been using for the trials around here, which would be nice to get on something different. Expectations are LOW. So very low. I’m only slightly optimistic because we’re going out to Idaho shortly before that and I’m hopeful we can work on some long distance stuff in new locations, as that’s usually where the wheels fall totally off.

Asher IS growing up. He’s going to be able to do this, I know he can. Maybe not this year, but eventually. He can do SUCH nice things, and I do love working with him. I don’t want to put him in a position where I think he won’t be successful … but he CAN do it. He might not, but I know he can if he does what I know he can do. We have a couple months … maybe it won’t be total shitshow. By the end of the weekend, any way.

And Asher is now a herding CHAMPION! Which makes me laugh, but shouldn’t be THAT surprising. He CAN do things – and having an experienced handler should make his job a lot easier. Carol ended up getting the win he needed on day one of the three day AKC trial with a 95.5 – holy crap! That definitely got him High in Trial and the last major he needed for his championship – and then ended up going Reserve High and Trial and High Combined for the weekend! They finished his championship in style.

I don’t remember how many trials Carol actually took him to, but it wasn’t that many – Asher really loves working with her and she does a great job with him. And it makes me feel really happy that he FINALLY listened and did what I know he can do with a good score to go along with the championship. Of course, now I’m a little sad that he got it, because now he just has a few loose ends to tidy up before handing over the reins to Navarre with Carol. I’m still surprised Carol agreed to take him, but such a great opportunity for him, I’m so thankful she did – and the championship is completely bonus!

And, yeah, Navarre is … not a herding champion. At least, not yet. But he DID get his Advanced ducks title, and Carol says he’s so much better on ducks. Navarre definitely prefers sheep – so, yeah, go figure. All the patience and feel that he doesn’t show on sheep he does quite nicely on ducks. And he still enjoys it, even if it it isn’t sheep. So he’s got farther to go than Asher, but Carol is optimistic. And I don’t care as long as he gets to play! We’ll see how long he drags it out for.

Haru has arrived! OMG, I just freaking love that kitten already. My faith in my ‘cat sense’ is renewed, he’s everything that I was hoping for with Marvin (and didn’t get!). You just look at Haru and he explodes into the loudest purr you’ve ever heard. He’s so snuggly and loves to be pet and sleep on your head (which, uh, maybe might be less endearing as he gets older). He loves to play (he retrieves!) and is very confident and even – oh, my heart. He’s the cat I was hoping he would be and I’m absolutely thrilled with him. Didn’t at all need another cat, but I’m so glad I did.

He came from Ohio and the breeder had a pet courier that was highly recommended to her when she decided she couldn’t fly her out herself. She had never used a courier, but I know it’s done quite a bit and I thought it seemed like a much better option than flying out myself (I haven’t flown anywhere since like 2006 and have zero interest in doing so!). Oh, that poor kitten though – I had no idea the process was just so unpredictable and chaotic. Apparently the couriers fly on stand by, and with travel being as it is, my poor kitten ended up taking an EIGHTEEN HOUR FLIGHT to get to me. I was just horrified, I had no idea that would have even been something that COULD happen – and the breeder didn’t realize either. Haru survived, but I would never have done the courier route had I known this was a possibility. Not that I’m likely to be flying any kittens again any time soon, but now I know – don’t use a ‘pet nanny’, just go get the cat.

Haru took it all in stride though, and he’s adjusting well to the household so far. He’s such a funny looking thing! He’s actually my first tabby of this sort, and he’s a ‘cinnamon tabby’, lighter than what I’m used to seeing. And he has such a funny shaped head compared to what I’m used to. I think he’ll be an attractive cat when he gets older, right now he just looks so different! He’s the one though, he’s perfect. I think he’ll have a nice easy coat too, not too much, hopefully pretty maintenance free.

He is one charming little cat, after a week of separation I let the cats meet and he was just a total relaxed gentlemen. The cats had nothing to be upset about, he was polite and non-confrontational. Surprisingly, Marvin was probably the most instantly accepting, I thought he might be an ass – but, so far, no. Dragon was neutral to paranoid, depending on the moment, but not overwrought. Fizban was actually the most put out about it all, and he can be SCARY when he’s upset … but not to Haru. Haru just casually followed him around and seemed not at all offended or scared – go figure! We have had just a couple evenings out together, but, knock on wood, so far so good. Not buddies yet, but I can’t imagine they’re not going to accept him at this point.

The dogs I was more worried about as I brought Haku in just to sleep on the bed and kitten was NOT HAPPY. He grew up with dogs so I was surprised he seemed so freaked out about Haku just sleeping there. However, he actually did BETTER meeting the dogs when they were awake and being nosey into his space. Haru will still hiss, but not like he was originally. Navarre is obsessed, Bryn is curious if he’s something she can chase, Haku finds him concerning as he’s hissing and Asher is TERRIFIED of the kitten. I think he associated hissing with being bad, and he thinks it’s something he’s doing so he’s just hiding. My drama boy.

No training with the kitten so far, just happy he’s eating consistently and relaxing and feeling comfortable in the new environment. I wouldn’t call him overly foody so far, but he packs it away even if he’s not super crazy about it when you put it down.

I didn’t need another cat, but I’m so happy he’s here – he’s just what I was hoping for!