Search Training: Take One

Now that it has ended well, I will confess that it was my idea. After three snow storms in a row averaging 10"-16", we have some serious snow piling up. Why not use it for a practice session with Molly?

Molly is a working dog. She is a young working dog and can't yet be trusted with the animals alone, but in time and with much reinforcement, I am hopeful that she will be all that we have hoped for. If not, it won't be from lack of time, attention, or trying on any of our parts. Since Molly was 6 weeks old, we have been training her with various commands. We begin with one command and make training a game for her. Short sessions work best and we always end on a positive note, so that training is more than work, it is fun for Molly too. One of the best qualities Molly possesses is her desire to please. Teamed with natural instincts to bring items back to us and her intelligence, training is coming along nicely.

Every activity we attempt is broken down into multiple steps. For Molly's search training several games were introduced and practiced repeatedly over a span of months. First, Molly was trained to understand the command of "Come." Sean and I stood on opposite sides of the room and took turns calling Molly to us. When she went to the right person, she got either a food treat or praise. That game was expanded to one of us moving out of her sight while she was with the other person, so that she had to look around a bit to locate where we were. We practiced this each night for 10-15 minutes for several weeks.

The second game used to hone her search skills is a simple retrieval game using a tennis ball. The game started with us simply throwing a ball and letting Molly chase after it. Once she got the hang of that, we added her bringing it back to us using the command, "Come." If she came with the ball in her mouth, she got a reward. If not, we simply threw the ball again for her to chase after. We never punish her for not doing what we want during training. We simply continue the game. But, we reward her with praise or treats when she does it correctly. It hasn't taken long for Molly to catch on. After Molly mastered this game of chasing, catching, and bringing her ball back to us, we challenge her with new steps for her to master. "Stay" was added before she was released to chase after her ball. Then, we threw the ball further, purposely out of her sight, to learn the command "Find it." We use the command "To Me" when we want her to bring us whatever she has found. After Molly was in the habit of returning her prize to us, we implemented "Drop it.", the command we use to tell her to release her ball into our hand. "Off" means for her to stop whatever activity she is engaged in like searching or chewing on something. "Hold" is used for her to keep whatever she has in her mouth and not to drop it.

We are still in progress with this training. One goal is for Molly to be able to differentiate different objects and retrieve the specific one we are requesting. Ultimately, these learned skills will be of use in moving goats from the wooded pastures back to the barn. Or, in finding hens or other animals who have not returned home to roost. Of course, in both these situations, we will not want her to pick up the animals in her mouth and retrieve them to us. So, other skills will have to be learned and mastered such as signaling to us when she finds an object. But each new skill builds upon the last. Time is needed to really master one skill before the next one is introduced. We take our cues from Molly as to when she is ready to move on or if we need to continue practicing.

Back to the point of this post, I was relating how Sean and I took advantage of the nearly 4 feet of snow that has fallen

Sean's hiding place.

upon us in the past 10 days. I suggested that we dug out an area inside one of the huge snowbanks living in our yard to Sean. My intent was that he would hide inside it, completely obscured from sight. The plan was for Molly to try to find Sean when he called for her. Sean thought it would be a fun activity and was game to try. He modified the plan by hiding inside the truck cap obscured by the snow instead. With cell phone in hand in case of any unforeseen trouble, Sean crawled into the space the truck cap provided. I shoveled the entrance closed behind him and called for Molly to come to me.

Waiting for the game to begin.

After her initial exuberance of being outside in the magic snow, Molly settled to listen to what I wanted from her. We began with the command of "Sit/Stay". Look at how intensely she is waiting. Though it is hard to see in the picture, in real time I could see her muscles all tensed for action, just waiting to be released.

After half a minute, I gave the command, "Find Daddy." and Sean began to call, "Molly, Come." Initially, Molly was confused, but very excited. She jumped up on me, wagged her tail vigorously looking for the ball or other toy. I told her "Off." and repeated the command, "Find Daddy." with encouragement in my voice. The howling wind shifted and Sean's voice carried to us. Molly took off like a shot... in the wrong direction... towards the house. She was looking for Sean, just not in the right place. 

So excited for play time! "What are we going to do?" she seems to ask. 

Confused, Molly stuck her head and shoulders deep into the snow, nosing it intently. Then, she would pop out of the snow and run for another area of the yard to repeat this process. From the porch to the woodshed, over to the barn, to the gate to the back yard. She stopped to listen several times. Molly could hear Sean calling, but it took about 4 minutes of frantic searching in the wrong places before she returned to where I was standing. She tried to jump up on me again in an effort to see if perhaps, I was hiding Sean on my person, maybe in my pocket? I repeated the command, "Find Daddy." I am not sure why she made the correct choice this last time, but she followed the partially shoveled path to the buried truck cab. This time, it took just a few seconds for Molly to nose around before she began digging herself a hole to where Sean was hiding. The video tells the rest of the story:

Molly was over the moon at finding Sean, pouncing with forceful puppy enthusiasm. It would have been really cool, if she had just naturally, dug a hole wide enough for Sean to slide out of easily, but that is unrealistic. She will also have to be trained to reign herself in and not attempt to wrestle with her "finds". But, that can be worked upon. All in all, not bad for a first attempt.

Thanks for stopping by to visit today, friends.
~Sean, Sonja & Molly

Puppy Training

I am never getting anything accomplished again in my life.

I reveal this knowing full well I brought this upon myself and that though I have the power to change it, I won't. I can't say I really mind it all that much. I am smitten. This is a case of full-blown puppy love. Quite literally.

It has been nearly 20 years since I have had a puppy in my life. We've had dogs and still do. And they are fine creatures; good companions, excellent listeners with just the right balance of pain-in-the-buttedness. We tend to get dogs when they are past their puppy stage. Our dogs usually find their way to us via adoption when they are between the ages of 2 and 6 years of age. House training has been accomplished by the time we come along. As is spaying/neutering... usually. Any little personality quirk or allergy is well-documented and comes as no surprise to us. Puppies are a different thing all together. They are all surprises, all the time. From their terrible puppy breath and needle-like puppy teeth to their frequent use of their puppy bottoms, puppies are tiny bundles of care.

So, how about an update on Miss Molly's first days as part of the Twombly homestead?

It took three days, but we are finally getting into a training routine. It looks like this:

I ate all my breakfast.

Like an infant, Molly sleeps with us. Usually, she curls up in the hollow of my arm or lays on my pillow, resting on the top of my head, like a hat. It is important that Molly sees herself as part of our pack, with Sean and I at the head. She has the natural tendency and desire to be part of her pack. Our training works with that inclination. She sleeps where her pack sleeps, when her pack sleeps.

Molly wakes us between the hours of 4am and 6am with whining indicating that she needs to go outside. Sean handles this early morning task, usually bringing Fenn with him, too. She is learning to follow us outside- we go through the doors first and she follows. Sean leads her down the stairs calling her to "come." Then, Sean says, 'Go pee, Molly." And, she does. If she has other business to attend to, she does that, too. Sean praises her for being a good girl with pets and loves. We make a big deal when she does what we want her to do. At this age, she wants to please her pack leaders. Sean calls and Molly follows him up the stairs and back into the house. Again, Sean walks through the doors first. He is the head of the pack. Sean deposits Molly back into bed and we all go back to sleep until it is time for us to get up.

Upon awaking, it is breakfast time. Molly gets her breakfast fed to her separately from the other dogs since Fenn can be food aggressive. This morning breakfast was boiled egg. After breakfast, it is my turn to take Molly outside. She has quickly learned to pee on command, which is convenient. I have quickly learned to take her outside every 2 hours. She whines when she needs to go outside, but she does not hold it for long!

After breakfast is playtime. We pounce and play together. I made a ball from an extra sock and we play catch. This entails her growling at me while I bat the ball back and forth. I roll the ball to her and one of two things happens. 1- Molly gets hit with it and ignores it completely in favor of charging me or 2- Molly gets hit with it, pounces upon it and runs under my bed with her treasure. This game is a work in progress.

Molly LOVES the snow. 

Once playtime is ended because I really have to get some work done, I prepare her snack. This morning's snack was carrots. I give her snack in her basket, which sits beside where I work. While she eats, I get set up. When snack is finished, we take another trip outside and then, Molly is ready for a nap. Like a new mother, I snap into action the minute those eyes close, eager to get some work done while I can.

The rest of the day is made up of lunch, outside, play time, outside, snack, outside, and evening nap before Sean returns home from work. He cares for his farm chores and then joins me for a game of "Call the Puppy." In an effort to train Molly to come to us whenever we call for her, we take turns calling her to us, back and forth, through the house. She is rewarded with treats and loves when she gets it right. Coming when called is an important first training step. Once mastered, we'll begin training "Sit" and "Stay". "Lay Down", "Off", and "Release" training will follow.

All in all, I am pleased with the results of these first days. In the last 3 days, she had an accident in the house twice. Once when she woke us at 3:00 and we were not quick enough to respond to her whining and the other when the girls were watching her while I worked. Molly comes to us about 30% of the time the first time we call for her. We have some progress to make there, but I see promise.

That's it for us for today. Thanks for popping in for a visit. :)
Sonja

Molly

Four Puppies 6 Weeks Old.

"We are not keeping a puppy." For the past 16 weeks I have repeated these words over and over and over. This, in response to the "accidental" mating between my daughter's two unfixed dogs. Accidental in that their dogs had not yet been fixed and succeeded in mating while Maggie, their registered Yellow Labrador Retriever, was in heat.

For the nine weeks of Maggie's pregnancy, I repeated to anyone and everyone who would listen... "Yes, they'll be cute. No, we are not keeping a puppy." For the past seven weeks, chock full of nine puppies developing from small, blind, helpless blobs into nine very loud, wriggling puppies full of yips, nips, and pounces. That's right, NINE puppies."I agree, (insert name of various child here). They are the cutest things I have ever seen (besides goat kids~ I add in my head) and they will look even cuter in their new homes with their new families. We are NOT keeping one."  I stressed adamantly.

Six puppies met six new couples and found six new homes to grow up in and bless within just a few weeks. I have no doubt that the other two will find equally good homes. What's that? Something is wrong with my math, you say?

Well, the missing puppy is currently snuggled in our bed in the crook of Sean's arm, fast asleep and snoring. Her name is Molly.

This is what I want,
except with goats. 

THIS is what we have.

Molly is 1/2 Lab, 1/4 Border Collie, and 1/4 Stratfordshire Terrier. We hope she'll grow to be calm, docile, and loving like her
mother and as quick and clever as her father. Molly is to be a working dog. It will be nice to have one of these. Our current lot are champs at chasing around our much smarter cats and guarding the favored napping spot. Fenn knows the added tricks of howling loudly non-stop, for hours, when he feels the call of the wild and running away any time the chance arises. No, our pooches were all much too old and set in their ways to be of any use on a goat farm by the times they found their ways to us. We love them just the same.

There were other compelling reasons to keep a puppy, of course. I had gotten rather used to sleeping through the night, for one. We had nothing living here to chew on my limited supply of shoes or the cords to my computer for another. And, I hardly ever awoke to puppy breath in my face and sharp teeth lodged onto my nose or finger tips. Clearly, something was missing in our lives.



Ah well, sleep is over-rated. ♥