It's been awhile, hasn't it??

Geeze. Some blogger I am.... lol. I made this blog to hopefully chronicle the training of Koenig, and keep me moving forward. Worked for awhile it seems. I promise, I haven't just STOPPED working my dog! 

 At the end of March, Koenig got his JHD title (Junior Herd Dog) at my Schutzhund clubs annual herding instinct test. The test involves 2 legs, of the same course. The sheep start out in the middle of the pen- you ask your dog for a stay (any position) and the handler approaches the sheep- the rest is pretty self explanatory if you watch the video. Your dog has to move the stock through at least 3 panels (I believe Koenig and I did 4, out of habit) in a controlled manner. "Controlled" can mean many things, depending on the breed.... ;) Koenig's herding style is VERY different from the average dog, but it works! At the end, you have to ask your dog for a stay again- this time OUT OF MOTION, while you open the gate to pen your sheep. This was our best moment- Koenig's down is like a ton of bricks, hitting the ground! I had very experienced herding people telling me that day that they wish they had a down like I do. :) THANK YOU, Schutzhund training, and training in drive. If I hadn't previously trained my dog while he was in drive (playing tug, obedience in front of a decoy, etc) I wouldn't have that beautiful down. That's where my whole "Train like you PLAY" comes in, and you see the rewards. Koenig knows that if he downs hard and fast, I let him up sooner to resume the fun. (in this case, herding) Unfortunately for Koenig, I tricked him at the trial, and didn't let the sheep back out... ;) Koenig is now officially Koenig BH, JHD, CGC. :) Go brindle beasty dog!

 This is the 2d leg of our JHD.

   

 Since the herding trial, we haven't been back out to Ewetopia. Shame on me... :( What can I say- money is tight, and time is tight! We'll be going back out regularly soon- more on that later. Other then herding, we've not gained any titles since my last blog. Awww, shucks. As far as what we've been doing- much of the same.

Trying to be ready for our IPO 1 in late September. I can have Obedience ready, I'm sure of that. Still need to work more on our 'Send Away', and our retrieves may not be picture perfect- but they are very functional, and I've got a happy willing dog. That'll work for me. We need to refine our protection work, and practice the routine, but I'm not worried about that coming together at all. Our real challenge is tracking. Koenig and I didn't get the best start and guidance tracking, which lead to us both learning some really bad habits. I'm working hard on my handling skills, and giving him clear signals. He's working hard on WORKING. He seemed to think that tracking was just a game, and he could stop when he wanted to. No...... not really dog.... With the help of another (crazy) brindle dog owner, and lots of practice, our tracking is back on the correct track. (haha, get it?? On the track?) I've had to use a little bit of pressure, or force to get my point across- but it's working, and Koenig is still happy on the track. We're using lots of articles to give him a break, and basically starting over from the very beginning so he relearns it all the CORRECT way. My super-fantastic buddy that helps me says he's got a really great tracking style, and once we work out the kinks, we'll have wonderful tracks! Yay! Wow- I've learned SO much with my first sport dog. I'm almost happy that I started with him as an adult ( 1 1/2 when we started IPO, I got him at a year), and didn't start with him as a puppy. That would have brought on another world of challenges. As hard as it was starting with a 80lb dog that had no manners, I was able to harness the drive that he had, rather then try to nurture it from a pup. I knew the dog I had when I got him- rather then trying to mold a pup into what you want it to be. I don't know if that made sense- I'm just so very pleased with my dog. He's come SO far. I tell people in public that he's a rescue, and they are shocked because of him lovely manners. ;)

 Here is a super short video of Koenig doing some ladder/body awareness work. It's not as good as it should, or can be- but it's hard to help my dog while getting him in the frame of a video camera. ;)

   

 A few more videos, just Koenig and I having fun. Heeling in the backyard last night

   

 Position Changes last night

   

 In other exciting news, we got a PUPPY! We, being Richard and I. The puppy is his to train, but a family dog, just like Koenig of course. She's 11 weeks old now, and we got her at 10 weeks. Highland Glenn's Aden Faline (meaning: little fire, in charge) is a Naturally Reared English Shepherd. English Shepherd's were the original farm collie type dog. They are a herding breed first and foremost- with a loose eyed style (unlike a border collie) they are known for bringing just as much power to the stock as they need- not being over the top, but strong enough to work cattle. Here is a link about the breed- check them out! http://englishshepherds.webs.com/characteristics.htm SUPER neat little dogs. We're really excited about her. If you're not familiar with natural rearing, it's essentially the most basic, natural way to raise a dog. Letting Mom wean the puppies herself, not on your time schedule. Feeding a natural diet to both the dam, and the puppies (RAW, of course!), removing all chemicals from the environment (including standard cleaning products- natural works just as well!). Both Aden's parents were naturally reared, and are the ultimate picture of health. Aden will be vaccine free, except as required by law (in WA, Rabies). She's never been wormed (chemicals!) but is worm free. She's never had flea medication or baths, but it flea free. Raw feeding is amazing. When a dog is as healthy as possible they are not a good host for parasites, fleas, worms, etc. The way we are feeding/raising Aden, she'll have 'natural immunity'. It's pretty darn cool, IMO!

Here is a link on Natural Rearing written by our breeder. http://englishshepherds.webs.com/whatisnaturalrearing.htm

 If you've never heard of natural immunity, PLEASE take some time and read this link. http://www.freewebs.com/englishshepherds/Natural_Immunity.pdf Help me dispel the myth that vaccines, worming, and chemicals make for a healthy dog.

If you're really interested in learning more, there are lots of good links to start with on this site. http://englishshepherds.webs.com/furtherresearch.htm (scroll down, you'll pass English Shepherd info, and get into the good stuff- vaccines, and nutrition)

 Aden will be a herding dog, hopefully get into nose work, agility, and IPO style tracking and obedience - after being an ideal family pet! Even in the 6 days we've owned her we've both seen the neat spirit of the breed. She gravitates to the kids, is friendly and bold, seeks out eye contact, and is just a adorable little ball of black and white fluffiness! :D

   

 MEAT, it's whats for dinner.

   

 Aden comes from a small mountain town called Republic- we made a 11 hour drive for this little girl! It also gave us the chance to see my parents 160 acer property in Republic for the first time. Stunning. 

Having all this land available to us we got the perfect opportunity to let Aden wander, and go for a nice long walk. She's only 11 weeks old, and has already been on her first hike, and played in her first mountain stream! She's met cattle, rabbits, chickens, and eaten every protein source you can imagine, from the average (organic) meat you can find in a grocery store, to ground and tree squirrels, rats, and other goofy critters her breeder 'found' for the puppies to try. In the first few days Aden was torn from her small secluded home with her litter mates, tossed to us, exposed to my brindle beast (who's adjusting to having a puppy in the home VERY well!!) taken for her first ultra long car ride, gone for a ferry boat ride, and climbed flights of vibrating stairs on the ferry just to start the list- all without a sign of fear! What a bold little girl. :) 

 That's all for now- I hope to be better about keeping a log of Koenig's and my adventures again- maybe even a few puppy pictures here and there. ;)