Ryder Starting Obedience

[XTRAWLD]

I forgot to document Ryder's second last class. Must have been because of Good Friday!

 

This class was a lot more fun than any of the others. Went into class, did the usual circle. We then walked around the arena with the dogs, being told when to stop. When we stopped we were to put our dogs in a sit. We were told to walk fast, slow, on left side, on right side. Ryder did great. I wasn't able to get a halti or gentle leader so I just used his harness and he was fine. We then played a game of musical hoops. 6 hoops, 6 dogs. When the music played we went around the hoops, when the music stopped we were to get our dogs in a sit inside the hoop! Ryder placed 4th of 6 dogs - yay we weren't last!!

 

We then taught them how to sit and relax when greeting another person and another dog. Finally we taught them how to leave an object alone that we don't want them touching. He got a whole hot dog as a reward

 

Next week is his last class. I asked if DH wants to come to see him. There will be a little performance by the agility/flyball border collies which should be fun. The dogs in the class will be assessed in their ability so he can point us in the right direction for future training whether that would be agility or advanced obedience, etc.

 

I guess I'll figure out what to do with him next week. IMO he's got a 50% chance of passing LOL His shyness really gets the better of him.

[XTRAWLD]

I forgot to update his final graduating class!

 

We showed up for a performance of Howard's 10 year old border collie - Zed, showing us what Agility, Flyball and Freestyle Frisbee is all about. I've seen it before on TV and Flyball once in person, but it sure was a treat for some owners that had never heard of it before.

 

DH came with me to watch from the sidelines for his kid's final class. It was like a Parent-Teacher Interview for him!

 

We did the traditional circle of friends and sitting. Ryder did well. He was approachable and he sat for people that asked. He was by the end of the course supposed to sit when someone approached, but I never got around to working with him on this, but he does certainly sit if you ask. Yay!

 

Then we played a game of Simon Says. We did ok. He refused to sit for me when asked and I never did get a gentle leader for him. There were certainly two stars of the show though. After this first portion, he allowed us to do what we wanted at the agility course using only the tube, a small jump and a tire, while he pulled people and dogs aside to give them their evaluation. Everything else was off limits.

 

DH and I were determined for Ryder to learn tube so he would get over his fear of the first classes! Thankfully Howard had 3 tubes, so for us to use 1 wouldn't hold anyone else up in the class. DH held him at one end, and I went to the other. We shortened up the tube and with a lot of encouragement RYDER WENT THROUGH. When he first came to me I almost started to cry I was so happy. A few more passes and we extended it further. Ryder willingly entered the tube to see us at the other end. We continued to lengthen the tube and he was able to do passes through each end with it fully extended. Other people from the class began watching our attempts and some folks saw Ryder going through the tube and were elated. Everyone there but DH knew how stressful the tube was for Ryder when we tried it on the second class.

 

We moved onto the tire and he jumped through! He also jumped the small jumps. Doing this class on my own would have been next to impossible. I was so happy DH came with me to help Ryder out.

 

We then went up for our assessment. Howard was impressed the most by how much he has come out of his shy shell. He (and I) both felt that the socialization for the sit and the circle did absolute wonders with him. He suggested we take the same course again. Not an advanced course, or anything agility, he wants me to spend money to do the exact same thing...all over again. It was expected but I was a bit bummed about it too. This is the class, he stressed, that has the best socialization.

 

At the end we received a certificate and Ryder has officially passed Family Dog Level 1!

[Yamaha_gurl]

Woo hooo! Way to go ryder! I've gonna start searching for some type of fun classes for Bella to do in this area. You inspired us Ryder!

[krissy]

Woo hooo! Way to go ryder! I've gonna start searching for some type of fun classes for Bella to do in this area. You inspired us Ryder!

 

Pfffft, but Summit winning his agility class doesn't inspire you and Bella?

 

Way to go Ryder! Do not underestimate the importance of socialization and having good basic control of your dog. You will get much more out of more advanced classes if you have a strong bond built on trust. Summit is not the most natural agility talent in his class. The smaller, younger dogs definitely have fewer reservations about the obstacles. The tunnel was not natural for Summit and took more than one class to finally get him through, whereas all the other dogs went through in the first class. He really dislikes the teeter but we're working through it. And yet because we have built a solid foundation, because he trusts me (and because I have delicious hot dogs and left over pork bits) he is the best dog in his agility class and won the timed course this week (video on my blog) hands down. People are always remarking in our class about how good my control of him is, he's at a point where he does all the obstacles immediately when asked (except ocassionally when I give a bad signal or my body language is wrong). And this is a greyhound. People are telling me how well trained my greyhound is (that I've had for 6 months) and they're jealous and can't wait to get there (with their lab/shepherd/poodle/etc. that they've had since 6 weeks old).

 

I know it's probably a little frustrating because you started this whole endeavour because you were interested in getting him into agility, but in agility there are all these new things going on, it's LOUD (I find myself constantly yelling at Summit simply because otherwise he can't hear me over everyone else yelling... was not expecting that after how quiet and civil obedience was), and there are strange people and dogs constantly beside you, running near you, jumping around, escaping owners, people holding your dog for you... so if socialization is something he still needs work on I definitely suggest you keep working on it. You want agility to be enjoyable for him so that it will be enjoyable for you too.

[XTRAWLD]

For sure Krissy. I need to work on him on my own this year before pursuing Agility. Sounds like you are having a great time with Summit.

 

Agility is no longer on my mind because of how much work I see ahead of me just to make him an obedient dog. Maybe next year, who knows. But it's not fair to put expectations on Ryder if I'm not prepared to work on the deficiencies in our training - regardless of attending the same class or not.

[EllenEveBaz]

Yay, Ryder! I've enjoyed following your adventures.

[3greytjoys]

Congratulations!!! Way to goooo to both you and Ryder!!!

 

Thank you so much for your detailed class posts. I hope this will give many others inspiration to do obedience training with their Greyhounds.

 

Someone mentioned block cheese. Another cheese that works well is low-sodium string cheese. It's easy to bite off or cut into bite size pieces.

 

Important note for all readers:

If anyone asks that a retired racing Greyhound be tethered, please try to find another solution. Not everyone realizes that Greys are sight hounds that can run up to 45 MPH. If a Greyhound sees something that captures his/her attention, a Grey can reach full racing speed in 2-3 strides. If tethered, this can easily cause a broken neck or back. Many rescue groups' contracts include a "no tethering" clause. This is even more important if a tether leash is attached to a choke D-ring of a Martingale collar. Just a friendly caution...

Edited May 10, 2011 by 3greytjoys