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HULA DOGS: TRAINING SCHOOL

Jake's Training Diary

by Heather Spragg and Linda Wilson

31st July 2011 - week 10

Jake's Final Lesson

Today was Jake’s 10th and final training session with Lynne Davies Dog Training, and it was to be a very different lesson. This week it was an off site walk with Trainer Dan and Junior Instructor Bev at Caldecotte lake so the dogs and owners had an opportunity to consolidate the learning from the weekly training sessions in a “live” situation.

It was a lovely sunny day and the local beauty spot had many people out enjoying the weather with dogs (on and off lead), children, pushchairs, and bikes etc.. so there were lots of potential distractions.

I have seen how Jake has calmed down in lessons and learnt to take less notice of other dogs around him but this was completely different for him, and he took it all in his stride. Because it was so hot we all stopped in shady spots along the way where he would lie down with the other dogs and just relax and watch the world go by before we would go off again.

Jake still sometimes thinks he can stop and “mark” the territory every few yards as we go round new places and I still think he can’t! To start with he did try his luck a few times but soon remembered he couldn’t stop every few yards and walked along nicely. He did notice some other dogs that weren’t in our group and sometimes became quite alert, but Dan says the trick is to distract him prior to him becoming so alert, which once he has settled down into a new environment is a lot easier, particularly with sausage of course! The “whats this” ? in a jolly tone, or the “watch me” command has really become effective with Jake in a lot of circumstances and with more training I’m sure it will become even more so.

All the dogs were really well behaved and the walk was a pleasant Sunday afternoon stroll with no incidents, (Unless you count the Labrador curiously carrying an empty pint glass around the lake - not one of our group I may add)!

At the end of the walk we all had a chat with Dan as the dogs lay down in the shade of some trees and relaxed after their walk. It was so nice to see Jake lay down right amongst the other dogs and within inches of a pretty little Doberman and a large German Shepherd totally relaxed, with his only interest being persuading Bev to part with some sausage, using his big brown Rottweiler eyes. (It worked)!

Photo of Jake

As this was Jake’s last lesson I know he would like to say Thank You to:

instructor Dan and the team at Lynne Davies Dog Training for helping him along
to all the other dogs and owners in the Sunday 2pm class who have been great in helping Jake learn some social graces!

I’m sure he would also like to say a special Thank You to Julian for kindly sponsoring his lessons in the first place as I really do believe it will help find him the right forever home that everyone hopes is just round the corner!

A message from HULA.... Thank you also to Linda for your dedication to Jake. For giving up your time through rain, mud and the occasional sunshine :) to give Jake this wonderful opportunity to change his life. And for keeping his training diary so that he can share his success with all the members of HULA (staff, volunteers and supporters).

17th July 2011 - week 8

As Hula had an open day last weekend Jake had a week off from training so he could be at the sanctuary to meet any prospective new owners in the hope of finding a permanent home. I’m sure the right home will come along for Jake soon but in the meantime we went off for training this week as normal his positive progress continues!

We started as normal with the calming down, where Jake displays so much more attention now. During the next part of the lesson we practiced our “pick ups” and turns and finishes to “heel” and “close”. We haven’t done this very much and Jake finds the finish to “close” easier to understand than finish to “heel” but a couple more weeks and I’m sure he will have them both down to a fine art!

We then did some distance recalls, and with a bit of encouragement from trainer Dan and junior instructor Bev, we did them completely off lead. It’s reassuring that the training field is completely enclosed so if any dogs do decide to go for a wander there really isn’t anywhere for them to go. Jake did the exercise twice and although there was a slight detour for a sniff on the first attempt he came straight to me the second time.

It was then time for meet and greet, and it was obvious that Jake is becoming less anxious around the other dogs in the group as although they were only sat a few feet away he sat nicely on my left side and it is much easier to hold his attention with a piece of sausage!

We then went off and did some barrel searches. Bev took Jake’s treat bag, (we are still working on getting him interested in his new Tigger toy) and after showing him she had it, she took it away and hid it under one of the metal barrels, she then came back and showed Jake her hands were empty and then I told him to “find it”. Having not completed this type of search before I didn’t really know how Jake would get on but I needn’t have worried, he wasn’t going to lose his treat bag full of sausages if he could help it! He put his nose to the ground and with me loosely holding the long line he trotted off to the barrels and went to work. He was quite methodical sniffing a couple of barrels before smelling his treat bag under the correct barrel and started pawing at the ground. I asked him to sit and then went forward and told Jake to “wait” whilst I took the treat bag from under the barrel and made a big fuss of Jake and fed him some treats in situ to reinforce he had done a good job. The second time we did the exercise I asked Bev to make it a little harder as Jake had done so well the first time so she pretended to put it under one barrel but actually placed it under a second barrel. Again he put his nose to the floor and started sniffing the barrels. He took him a little longer but again, he was methodical and found it and was duly rewarded!

After this it was time for a little one to one with Dan who had us walk up and down and when I felt confident I had Jake’s attention I had to drop his lead but carry on doing some heel work. Jake was so busy paying attention to the treat in my hand he didn’t even realise I had dropped the lead and just carried on walking beside me which was great to see.

It was as the lesson was ending that the heavens opened and the rain came pouring down, necessitating a well received towel down for Jake before popping him back in the car.

The training lessons he attends are really good mental stimulation for Jake as well as physical, and as on this occasion as I was taking him home as opposed back to HULA I thought I would share a photo of the effect of the lesson on Jake!

3rd July 2011 - week 7

It was a very warm and humid Sunday afternoon as I collected Jake from HULA ahead of his 7th week of training but as always Jake was raring to go.

Today we were in Georgie’s class which started as normal with the calming down followed by the heel work. Jake takes this part of the lesson in his stride now and spends the majority of his time paying attention in the hope of a piece of sausage. He wasn’t even distracted by the dogs either side of him today.

We then moved onto an exercise aimed at consolidating what the dogs had learnt in previous lessons, which included waiting to go through gates until asked, left and right turns, and a few little jumps in between. The first time round the jumps were just for fun and the second time they were a bit more controlled with Jake having to sit in front of the jump as I went to the other side of it before calling him over and asking him to sit again. Jake did really well through the exercises although he did find the jumps a little laborious on a hot day! It was after this part of the lesson I took Jake to one of the little paddling pools that are put out on hot days, to see if he wanted to cool down but he didn’t seem very keen to get his feet wet at all! Things were then made a little more difficult for the handlers as we were split into two groups. We had to control our dogs through the exercise again, but this time we had to hold a cone with a football balanced on top in our left hand as we navigated the course, which ensured we only used our right hand on the lead. Thanks to Jake responding to commands so well, we managed to navigate the course together without the ball being dropped!

We finished the lesson with a distance recall. Bev, one of the junior instructors, held the long line as Jake sat and waited patiently whilst I walked away from him re-enforcing the wait command as I went. When I was about 20-25 feet away I turned and called Jake, using the “come” command. Having told Georgie that Jake would wander slowly in my general direction and would make me work hard to get his attention until he would eventually come to me, I was so pleased that as soon as I called him he started trotting quickly straight towards me without any deviations to his route! I’m sure Jake had no idea why I was so pleased with him, and in the three weeks we have left I haven’t lost hope of him increasing his trot to a jog!!!

At the end of the lesson it was then time to clip Jake up to the fence with the other dogs, where it was so nice to see him lying totally relaxed between them all.

19th June 2011 - week 6

Jake had missed last week’s training due to both Heather and I being away but he was as keen as ever to jump into the car and get going when I collected him on Sunday afternoon.

Jake really enjoys being out and about however If I allowed him to stop and sniff everywhere he wanted to, it would take a very long time to walk anywhere including the short distance down to the training field from the car park. Jake is therefore learning he can’t stop & sniff every time he wants to.

He has become more relaxed now when we get to the training field and spends most of the time just chilling waiting for the class to start.

This week we had Sarah as our instructor, and the training started as usual with the “calming down” followed by the “heel work”. Jake really has come on with his heelwork , he still gets a little concerned about the dogs working either side of us if they come close to him, but overall he is concentrating a lot more.

We practised Jake halting in the sit, down, and stand positions during the heelwork. Jake knows the sit command and as long as the other dogs are not too close to him, he will sit straight away. He prefers going into the down from the sit position at the moment but showed he can go straight into the down if he chooses! The “Stand” command is not something I had done with Jake before but he picked it up really quickly having been enticed once or twice with some sausage he would then do it when asked. He really can be a quick learner!

We consolidated these commands with an exercise Sarah put together incorporating heelwork, left and right turns and the halting in each of the three positions. As the exercises were completed one at a time Jake had plenty of time to lie down, relax and watch the world go by. This was great as Jake sometimes struggles to relax in his kennel at HULA as he can find it quite stressful despite the efforts of the staff and volunteers to keep him occupied.

When it was Jake’s turn to do the exercise he did really well, although he did find the poles marking out the exercise square a bit scary if he touched them! He showed off his new halting in the stand ability, and completed the exercise without incident. He completed the exercise twice and then it was the end of another lesson.

At the end of each lesson the dogs are clipped to the fence approximately a lead length apart so the handlers can enjoy a quick drink and a chat. I clipped Jake to the fence in the midst of the other dogs and then observed him as he just lay down calmly and quietly and watched what was happening around him and didn’t react at all to another dog that was, shall we say, rather vocal! It was then time to take Jake back to HULA just in time for his dinner being served!

5th June 2011 - week 5

Jake and I arrived at the Training ground nice and early, and sat and watched the ongoing classes. It was during this time I learnt just how much Jake loves a fuss! I learnt he loves having his back rubbed and Jake learnt if he looked appealingly at others, the way only Rottweilers can, they would fuss him too! He was definitely a more relaxed dog starting the “calming down” as a result.

This week we worked with other dogs and handlers either side of us instead of being on the end of the line and Jake coped with this well. After a fuss and play at the end of the calming down (although he wasn’t particularly bothered about his toy at this stage) we moved onto the “heel work”.

The “heel work” is getting better every week, Jake is gradually paying more attention to me in the hope of a bit of sausage and therefore it's up to me to make sure I don’t miss an opportunity to reward him if he is doing well and to make sure that reward is timely. Again we had a little play and a fuss to mark the end of the heel work, but again Jake really wasn’t too bothered about his toy and would rather have his sausage.

We then did an exercise involving the class walking around in quite close proximity to each other and then periodically stopping shoulder to shoulder with another handler so the dogs are sat calmly on our left (the dogs are always walked on our left) and then its up to the handlers to maintain their dogs attention on them and not on the other dog sat a short distance away or the other dogs doing the same exercise nearby. Jake’s only issue with this exercise was his attempts to avoid other dogs and to try to walk away from them rather than pass them or sit too close to them.

We also did a search exercise today which again is something I hadn’t done with Jake before and entailed Dan throwing Jake’s toy into an area and Jake then being told to “find it”. Jake was attached to a long line so he couldn’t wander off too far, but I remained outside the area as the idea is Jake does the work alone. As he had not shown much interest in his toy up to this point I borrowed a small soft Tigger toy which he was much more interested in and therefore there was more likelihood he would actually want to find it.

After Dan had got Jake excited about the toy he put it in the search area whilst I held Jake and then I gave the “find it” command and let go of the lead. Jake went straight into the search area by himself, found Tigger, picked him up and came trotting back with him when I called him. We had a good play with Tigger to reward Jake and let him know he had done really well before Jake dropped him when I asked.

Before returning to HULA Jake just had time for a little bit more fuss and a few more treats from some of the people in the class, all of which he lapped up shamelessly! (I should point out Jake doesn’t need to watch his waist line just at the moment)

29th May 2011

We arrived for Jake’s 4th training session on a windy training field which seemed to make Jake a little unsure at times, which is not unusual for some dogs, however he settled down to the calming down and heel work very quickly this week and is starting to respond to the “heel” command.

We repeated last week's exercise of weaving our way through two lines of dogs and their handlers, and then I left Jake in the “sit” and “wait” before recalling him through the two lines. Again Dan held the long line just in case Jake decided to run off anywhere but we needn’t of worried as he just meandered in my general direction as I called him. Jake made no attempt to approach the other dogs, but he was not really sure where he was supposed to go. I continued to encourage Jake using a jolly tone of voice, and open body language, and finally got Jake’s attention for the last few yards when he raised his pace to a trot, wagged his tail and came to me for his piece of sausage and lots of praise.

As this exercise is quite difficult for the dogs we then moved onto some fun stuff with a line of the agility equipment consisting of the A Frame, tyre jump, tunnel, jump and finally a second tyre jump. Jake has done the A frame a couple of times before and as a result he was very keen to go straight up and down the other side. He has also had a go at the tyre jump during his first lesson and again after the tiniest of hesitation he jumped straight through. Jake hadn’t been through the tunnel before so Dan held his lead one end of the tunnel and I went to the other, knelt down so Jake could see me through the tunnel and then started calling him. Initially he tried to go round the tunnel which Dan prevented, but within a few seconds he worked out that if he wanted the sausage I had in my hand he had to come through the tunnel to get it and then there was no stopping him! There was a jump followed by the second tyre jump which he negotiated without any problems and he seemed to really enjoy the whole exercise. It was whilst we were waiting for our turn that one of the other dogs in the class decided to come over and say hello to Jake whilst his handler wasn’t looking. It was a friendly little dog and Jake’s reaction was just to just look at it before reversing away before the other dog returned to his handler.

Our final exercise of the session could be related to visiting the vets waiting room where we all went into the cabin one at a time and took a seat in close proximity to those dogs that had already gone in and those that came in afterwards. The exercise was carefully supervised and all the handlers needed to ensure their dogs kept their attention on them and addressed any naughty behaviours, and again although Jake was curious about looking around him he was well behaved and the exercise ran smoothly for everyone which was great.

This was the end of Jake’s 4th lesson and he did really well particularly in the lead work and really seemed to enjoy the agility.

Sunday 22nd May 2011

This was Jake's third week in Dan’s class at Lynne Davies Dog Training and wow what progress he made.

I collected him from HULA and again as he is learning the “wait” command, he waited patiently until he was invited to get into the back of my vehicle.

On our arrival at the training ground I again used the “wait” command whilst I put a lead on his collar before bringing him out of the back of the vehicle. Jake was curious and a little excited as we walked down to the training field but he waited again through both the entrance gates until I called him through, and then sat and watched the ongoing lessons calmly with just the odd bark at dogs that were quite excitable and were curious about him as he is still new at the training ground. We spent this time bonding over some sausages and giving him some fuss, in an attempt for me to become more interesting to Jake and therefore pay more attention to me than other dogs.

The lesson started with “calming down” on the lead and it does take Jake a little time to concentrate to begin with as it is all so new to him, but this manifests itself by him walking and looking elsewhere than he should rather than any unpleasant behaviour or hard pulling, (which is good as he can be a very strong dog)! He got plenty of praise when he was doing well, and when we finished this part of the lesson he had a good play on his toy and although he was having a lot of fun with it he soon gave it up on request which was great.

We then moved on to some more challenges for Jake which included “pick ups” which Jake is only just learning but basically means Jake waits in the “sit” and I walk forwards away from him, then turn around and walk past him, then turn again and walk back alongside him , all the time re-enforcing the “wait” command so he doesn’t move, then I give him the “heel” command as I walk alongside him again, and the theory is he comes with me! As this is new to Jake I only went a lead length away but Jake did so well, and didn’t try and move at all so I’m sure it wont be long before I’m going further away from him.

Heather and Jake started doing some recall work last week, and we did more today. Junior Instructor Claire held the end of the long line and I went about 12 feet away from Jake having left him in the sit and re-enforced the “wait” command as I walked away. He waited until I called him and came straight to me, and sat when I asked before getting his reward of more sausage and praise which he was certainly enjoying a lot more than week one. The stakes then got a little higher when the ten of us in the class made two lines facing each other and took it in turns to weave through each line of owners and dogs, before leaving the dogs in a sit and recalling them through the middle. Jake did the weaving part really well, he did get a little curious about another dog at one point but soon returned his attention to me, (or rather the sausage I held in my hand). He was also extremely good when the other owners and dogs weaved past him in turn. He was happy to keep his attention on me and the hope of more sausage almost all the time, even to the point when another dog run over to him in an excitable manner Jake who was lying down at the time didn’t even notice until the other dog touched him, and even then his re-action was really positive.

Jake’s “recall” through the middle of everyone may not have been the fastest or the most direct, but he came to me for his reward and without incident, which was great, and I’m sure as we spend more time together this will become faster and more direct.

The last exercise today could be related to visiting pub gardens so Jake and I ensured we paid particular attention! Everyone sat with their dogs at an individual bench and table and took turns in getting up from our benches and moving an item that been had left by someone else from our table onto the next table. This dealt with two things: a strange person approaching us and putting an item on the table and then me picking the item up and moving it to an adjoining table whilst Jake stayed in the sit or down at the bench. The first time I got up from the bench Dan held the end of Jake’s lead as he hadn’t done the exercise before, (Jake not Dan)! but Jake stayed exactly where I asked him so on the second time I left the lead next to Jake and told him to wait and he did just as well.

This was the end of the lesson and Dan said Jake had done really well. He seemed to relax and enjoyed working and paid much more attention to me today. As I drove him back to HULA I was pleased to see Jake must have worked hard as he was so tired he actually lay down and had a snooze on the way back!

Sunday 8th May 2011

Jake has just started a ten week training course at Lynne Davies Dog Training. He is a lovely friendly dog, but is suffering from kennel stress. This has resulted in weight loss, constant panting, also pacing and barking when in the exercise areas next to the other dogs.

I took him in my car on Sunday, he was very well behaved. Did not jump in or out of the car until I told him to. He was excited to be somewhere different and see new people and dogs, but did not pull on the lead too much. I walked him round to settle down before the lesson and to try and gain his attention. This did take quite a while as he was so pleased to be in a lovely open space with new sights and smells.

Because he is not my dog and not bonded to me, the attention training work needed to get him to concentrate on me during the first part of the lesson was quite hard work. I did this with my voice tone, commands and of course, some sausage. Within about twenty minutes he was working quite well. We did a distance recall twice and he came to me, amazing as I am a bit of a stranger to him. Dan said I used the correct tone of voice which got his attention. I am learning as much as he is.

He already knew sit, down, paw giving and wait. He is a very bright dog and the main aim is to give him a break out of kennels and attention to handler training. He has no aggression problems, but does bark at the other dogs sometimes. This is being worked on using a water bottle and Lynne’s training procedures.

At the end of the lesson, we did some A Frame training to make it fun for the dogs. Dan said the previous week, this was new to Jake and he struggled a little with it. This week, he remembered it and went straight over. The third time he had to sit, wait, go over, then sit and wait again. He did it brilliantly !!!

Jake has eight more weeks to go, with Linda and Dan as teachers. I am sure it will help him deal with his stress issues, which in turn will lead to finding a loving home which he deserves. You can tell from his extremely good nature that he has had good ground work from a puppy and has no issues. He just needs to learn how to behave around dogs again, outside of a kennel environment which can be extremely stressful.

Lynn Davies’s team has been doing an excellent job training handlers how to help quite a few HULA and ex-HULA dogs. Such as Luke, Purdie, Dogburt, Kaiser (Oscar), Karl and now Jake.

Everyone at HULA and especially Jake would like to say a very special thank you to Julian Spragg for his generosity in funding Jake's training classes.