What a Day?

I know every dog has a bad day but yesterday was the worst. Not only did Rogue have a bad day but so did I. As a team we missed all 5 training aids. I’m not going to worry about the first one because there was some confusion about the perimeters of the search area. When we started the search we were up wind of the aid and didn’t make to the downwind side. Once we got the correct search perimeters Rogue had no problem finding it. The second training aid was hidden on the gate of a chain link fence. We searched this gate while we were searching the exterior and Rogue had no change of behavior (COB). Once the perimeter was done we went back to the gate to go inside the fenced area. Rogue stood at the gate with his nose no more than a foot or two away from the aid while I got my keys out and unlocked the fence. The only reason I can think of as to why he didn’t find this aid was because his head was up his ass. I had my head up my ass on the next training aid. Inside the fenced in area is a small shed. Rogue was searching off leash and he spent enough time near this shed that I thought he should have found anything there. What I should have done was open the shed. If I had I’m sure he would have found the aid inside the shed. This training problem was a self confirm problem so my trainer wasn’t there to tell me I was screwing up. We kept searching not know that so far we had missed 3 aids. Rouge did have change of behavior (COB) and I let him work it until he left the area. When he left I felt pretty sure that there was nothing there and later I found out I was right. I don’t know what caused the (COB) but Rogue did a good job working it. Training aid number 4 was in a roll of paper towels sitting on a self. I have learned that the best thing I can do while Rogue is searching is to stay out of his way and just make presentations when he misses an obvious productive area. So while Rogue was searching the pallet in the corner and the stuff around it I saw the roll of paper towels and thought to myself “What a good hiding spot for a training aid.” I should have listen to that voice but I didn’t. Rogue put his nose about 2 feet to the left of the aid and on the floor under and then he went high to the right of it. If I had just presented the roll he would have found it. The last training aid was a combination of him not following his nose and me not making sure he searched everything. The aid was in a wooden flower plot in the middle of some couches and file cabinets that were stacked near each other. There was room for both of us to fit between the couches but for some reason (head up ass) I didn’t cast Rogue back between the couches. While we were about 20 feet down wind Rogue did have a small COB and I let him work it but he didn’t or couldn’t follow the odor to source so when he lost interest in the area. I thought something had peaked his interest but it wasn’t what we were looking for. Once we had searched everything inside the area we exited through the same gate we came in, the one with the training aid. As Rogue walked past the aid this time nothing changed. He still didn’t have a COB. I told my trainer the area was clear. I was sure she had set up a blind problem. I won’t tell you what I said when she told me we had missed 5 training aids. We talked about the first aid and found the problem so we went back to it and got on the correct side of the aid and Rogue responded. When we got back to the aid on the gate it took several minutes before Rogue found it. I didn’t want to present the aid because I don’t want him to learn that if he misses one I will take him back to it and point it out for him. He has to find them on his own so if I have to stand there for 30 minutes before he finds it then I will stand there for 30 minutes. I have no clue as to why this aid was so hard for him to find. I was right about the third aid. As soon as I opened the door to the shed he found it. Before we went back to the fourth aid I asked the trainer to take us to a blank area. I made Rogue search the blank area again to see if he would false respond. I don’t want him to think that just because I take him back to an area that there is an aid there. Rogue had no COB and quickly got bored with the area so we moved on. Rogue had no problems finding aids number 4 and 5 once we went back to them.
Normally this would have been the end of training for the day but my trainer wanted to do one more training problem. I think she was doing this for me to prove that my dog just had a bad training problem and to reestablish my faith in him.
For the second training problem we searched a theater. Inside the theater Rogue found all 4 aids without any help from me. Normally when we search a theater I cut him off leash and he runs up and down each row of seats. Not today. Once I cut him off leash to search the seats he ran back to either the first or second aid. He was using his memory and not his nose. I had to put him back on leash to complete the search. I can’t blame him for not searching the seats like he was trained but I will be doing some more training on searching seats just to make sure he knows how. The trainer said we only missed one. Once I found out where the aid was the argument started. Our trainer wants the dogs to be able to find training aids even if they aren’t giving the command. I agree with this 100%. The way she has been going about this is by putting large training aids outside of the search area but along the path we will walk to get to the search area. The idea is that the large training aid will get the dogs attention and they will pull the handler to source. Again I agree with this 100%. What I don’t agree with was where she had the training aid today. It was upwind of us but was 15 feet away. I feel that if Rogue would have responded everything would be great but if he didn’t it is no big deal because it is so far away. I don’t think he should be given a miss for this. It would be a different story if the aid was only a couple feet away. I lost the argument but I think I got my point across.

Getting Better

The first aid of the day was inside a cubical wall and the second was tacked to a cork bored. I decided to do today's training off leash. When Rogue went into the cubical with aid I went into the next cubical and got up on the desk so I could watch him without him knowing it. As soon as his nose hit source he sat and look at the doorway of the cubical. I gave him his toy without him knowing where it came from. While we were playing he kept wanting to go back to source even though he already had his ball. I'm taking this as a good sign. I think he is learning that if he is at source I will play with him.

I was about 20 feet away when he found the second aid. Without saying anything I started making more presentations. This didn't fool him, he just sat there until he was rewarded.

I Remembered

We did a small training problem today. There was only one aid and Rogue had no problems finding it. I put a new tug toy with the aid. After he responded I remembered not to say anything, I just gave him his reward. Because Rogue was off leash I was on the other side of the room when he found the aid. As soon as he responded I started walking toward him. If he broke position I stopped walking until he put his nose back on source. I had to do this 3 or 4 times before I made it across the room. I was afraid that he would get bored and just walk away but he didn't. I was very happy with today's training.

Old Fashion Training

We didn't do anything fancy or hard for today's training. It was just an old fashion training problem so my trainer could see how Rogue is working. He found all three aids and did a great job but she did notice that I have (without knowing it) put Rogue on a two reward system. After he responds he gets verbal praise and then he gets his toy. To her it looks like he is working to get the verbal praise and then he gets to play with his toy. He isn't working to get his toy as he should be. This may be part of the problem of him not wanting to stay at source. His drive for the verbal praise isn't that strong. She wants me to stop giving him the verbal praise and just use the toy as his reward. Of course once he gets his toy then I can praise him up however I want. The hard part of doing this will be to recondition myself not to say "Good Boy' when Rogue responds but I'll give it a try.

No training today.

Sorry.

Good Job

Rogue had a great change on the first aid yesterday and worked it until his nose was on source. He pulled me to source with a strength that I've only seen in him when he is chasing something. I wasn't going to push my luck so I didn't tug on the leash once he responded.

I think I found a new reward for Rogue. It is called a silver streak. Basicly it is a ball on a rope. Rogue went crazy after he got it and I had a hard time getting it back from him. I've had it for a while but it got lost. It was kind of old so when Rogue broke I wasn't too shocked. He will have to wait until I can get a new one now.

Lesson Learned AGAIN

Rule #2 of K-9 training. TRUST YOUR DOG!

The only training we did today was planting some drop aids while doing a vehicle search. Every now and then when I put Rogue into the back of a van he won't go to the front of the van and search it. This doesn't happen often enough for me to worry about it but when I get a chance to work on it I do. So I asked the handler that was with me to put an aid behind the driver's seat. The plan was for me to put Rogue into the back of the van and he would find the aid near the front reinforcing this behavior.

The back of the van had several boxes in and the other handler put the aid between two of them as close to the driver's seat as he could. I put Rogue into the van and he searched it with no change of behavior. The other handler pointed out where the aid was and made him search it again. At this point I should have trusted my dog and what he was telling me. He was telling me there was no odor in the van. Did I listen? NO, and I made him search it again. Rogue did as he was told and still couldn't find the aid.

I got him out of the back and kept searching the van because I needed a minute to figure out what the problem was. As we made our way around the front of the van and got to the open driver's door Rogue started to put his whole head under the driver's seat. That is when I realized what was going on. The wind was pushing the air from the back of the van into the front. Rogue didn't have a change of behavior in the back of the van because all the odor was in the front of it. Rogue pulled his head out from under the seat and tried to stick it between the seat and door frame. I'll give him good marks for trying to fit that big skull of his into such a small whole but it just wouldn't go so he looked into the back of the van and responded.

I felt better knowing that he hadn't missed an aid but felt like a rookie because I had to learn lesson #2 again.