@Wryly Brindle - I know! That's why I love seeing Juno updates so much. It's little girl Sosuke.
@locksi3 There is a local SAR group that gets together and trains dogs and their people to be civilian search units, and I'm certified with them to perform searches. However, they only train using toy rewards and Sosuke is more food-oriented. Basically, they told me I could start training with them once I proved that Sosuke could be taught to search using food.
I don't know if this is going to work, but I'm giving it a shot. This is my first time training a SAR dog and I'm basically on my own. Ironically, I'm using training books suggested by them, which say quite explicitly that it's fine to train using food and ideas that you can only train SAR dogs using toys are simply misguided. *shrug*
The instructor we were doing agility with turned out to be waaaay too punishment-based. Despite her telling me that she was all-positive, totally reward-based, and totally fun when it came to agility, it turned out to be all talk. She jabbed dogs, she picked them up and stared in their faces and yelled at them, and then she alpha-rolled a border collie for running off the agility course to visit another dog. I mean, seriously, this is agility! It's a GAME!
Anyway, so I managed to get into the other agility club in town, which is really hard to get into since that's where everyone wants to go. There aren't enough trainers around here for the population. It's really hard to get in, but I told them I'd gone to the other trainer because she was the only one actually offering lessons, I wanted to go on to compete, but I absolutely would not go back to her because of her training techniques, and they took pity on me, lol. So, Sosuke's done two "team-building" private lessons and next week we'll be going into a beginner agility class.
Also, Sosuke's getting neutered next Friday. It's been hard to pick a good time because we've had lots going on with vacations and training, it never seemed like a good time. Well, I just need to get it done. So, he's going in when Rakka's getting her x-rays. Farewell, Sosuke's balls. I would've let him keep them if one hadn't hidden from us. Oh well!
Wow, that sucks about the agility trainer. That's why I haven't gone to the one in town here. She uses punishments, which is a recipe for disaster with Conker.
Aww, poor Sosuke! My first dog had cryptorchidism. It was odd when he only had the one ball until we got him neutered o_O
Good luck in surgery, Sosuke! and lucky your momma got you out of that agility class. It'll be all good from here. Juno sends love to her brother, and some licks in his ear. She's spayed and says its not so bad.
Omg, I'm glad you got out. When I had sasuke enrolled in petco, the trainer would spray him with canned air, jerk the leash, and do the dog whisper "psst" thing. When I told him I was leaving, he said a good book to read was dog training for dummies.
Well, here are two more search videos. These aren't very difficult or complicated and we haven't done a huge amount of training, but this is the basis of search training, and the fact that he does it easily is a sign that he can do SAR. I've sent these videos to the local SAR group and asked if I can start training with them now. If they say yes, then we're in! If they say no, then that's it for SAR. I think at that point, I will have done everything I can do to demonstrate that Sosuke can be a SAR dog and the ball's in their court. We might continue this training just for fun, but without involvement in an organization with experts to help, a group to train with, and the ability to be certified, there's no official SAR work ahead of us.
Sosuke is awesome! Look at him go- and a happy guy! I hope I can meet him someday. Maybe on your way to Seal Island you'll swing near enough to Vermont that Juno and I can meet you in Montreal or something.
@Heidi How did the SAR thing turn out? My little singleton might go to an owner who wants to do SAR and I'm trying to figure out how to confidently say whether she has the potential or not. I will be holding her back to evaluate until 12 weeks old.
It didn't turn out. I started training him, but the local group wasn't that excited about him because he's not toy-driven enough. I'm not sure whether he would have made a good SAR dog or not, but he was doing well in the training I did do with him. The main issue being that I didn't use toys to reward him and most SAR groups prefer to use toys exclusively as a reward.
I don't know about JA doing SAR, because I haven't worked with them. I do know that it helps for them to be high energy and toy driven.
Comments
Jen
Brother has a super fluffy tail like Juno,
(she also has the red webmaster- they are such twins!)
Great job ! Sosuke did very well and he's handsome
@locksi3 There is a local SAR group that gets together and trains dogs and their people to be civilian search units, and I'm certified with them to perform searches. However, they only train using toy rewards and Sosuke is more food-oriented. Basically, they told me I could start training with them once I proved that Sosuke could be taught to search using food.
I don't know if this is going to work, but I'm giving it a shot. This is my first time training a SAR dog and I'm basically on my own. Ironically, I'm using training books suggested by them, which say quite explicitly that it's fine to train using food and ideas that you can only train SAR dogs using toys are simply misguided. *shrug*
The instructor we were doing agility with turned out to be waaaay too punishment-based. Despite her telling me that she was all-positive, totally reward-based, and totally fun when it came to agility, it turned out to be all talk. She jabbed dogs, she picked them up and stared in their faces and yelled at them, and then she alpha-rolled a border collie for running off the agility course to visit another dog. I mean, seriously, this is agility! It's a GAME!
Anyway, so I managed to get into the other agility club in town, which is really hard to get into since that's where everyone wants to go. There aren't enough trainers around here for the population. It's really hard to get in, but I told them I'd gone to the other trainer because she was the only one actually offering lessons, I wanted to go on to compete, but I absolutely would not go back to her because of her training techniques, and they took pity on me, lol. So, Sosuke's done two "team-building" private lessons and next week we'll be going into a beginner agility class.
Also, Sosuke's getting neutered next Friday. It's been hard to pick a good time because we've had lots going on with vacations and training, it never seemed like a good time. Well, I just need to get it done. So, he's going in when Rakka's getting her x-rays. Farewell, Sosuke's balls. I would've let him keep them if one hadn't hidden from us. Oh well!
Aww, poor Sosuke! My first dog had cryptorchidism. It was odd when he only had the one ball until we got him neutered o_O
So, just waiting for a reply.
I hope I can meet him someday. Maybe on your way to Seal Island you'll swing near enough to Vermont that Juno and I can meet you in Montreal or something.
I don't know about JA doing SAR, because I haven't worked with them. I do know that it helps for them to be high energy and toy driven.