Heeling disobedience under distractions

[Ravenbird]

Yesterday the club had a mock trial for the upcoming RH (SAR) trial. Ashas heeling went totally out the window. The obedience portion is similar to BH, a little longer in steps, the group has 4 people, 2 with dogs and they move in a circle and you walk a circle around them so dogs pass face to face. And a long down. And gunshot. It was cold, about 45 degrees, the area is tiny gravel, and it was damp and I was first with long down. Not sure if it was the cold or just being a drama queen, but she was channeling Blaze ( @Doberman Gang ) and started creeping. She hasn't crept more than one or two feet before on any long down. We don't have to have our backs turned in RH, but I was trying to avoid eye contact with Asha because that sometimes makes her worse at whining, so I was watching the other dog working when I saw the mock judge waving at me - looked over at Asha and she was 10 feet from where I'd left her. I repeated the Platz command and then it was time for group - In RH the long down handler leaves their spot and becomes one of the group. Asha held her down for that, watching me intently, but when I went back to my spot, she crept again like a high speed army crawl. Mock judge said go stand by my dog, so I did that. Then the gunshot and she got up off her elbows looking hard for where that sound came from and I had to down her yet again, twice. In my heeling routine she pulled like a freight train (fur saver only), very little focus, tight leash 50% of the time. When we did the group she wanted to nose-poke at the dogs as we passed (plenty of room, didn't touch them, not aggressive - more like a "what are you doing out here?" thing). We have done this before and she totally ignored the dogs, so not her first time seeing this. Then when we halted in the group, she didn't sit. Her auto-sits are one of her highlights and she just freaking stood there. The down in motion was disturbed by gunfire, but her recall was perfect. She has always ignored gunfire before. All the off leash obstacles - table, distance commands, plank, tunnel, rubble went fine, but then came the carry and hand over. We did practice with my neighbor (a guy because I knew chances were it would be a guy to help me in this exercise) and a guy was at the club that could carry her. She was fine until he set her down, then she started scrambling a little and when her feet hit the ground she barked (aggressively) in his face my nightmare. Her search for victim went well, a little distracted at first, but went on task, found the victim and alerted properly. But when I put her search collar on she knew what she was going to do and was dragging me to the start area like it was a Fast Cat. Collar has to be a flat break-away collar, but the leash fastens in a way that it doesn't break away while snapped on. If nothing else, it's terribly embarrassing to be dragged by your dog in a trial. When she's in the mode the word Fuss means nothing.

I think my biggest problem is that I can't train in a club atmosphere and nothing but nothing can replicate that. She's gotten so much better at heeling with focus at home (using a ball or tug on the ground for distraction) and in public places, but yesterday it fell apart. So freaking discouraging! It seems obvious her best training shows up in off leash active type work, and she gets too nervy when she's feels she's not in control, so I also feel like she's not trusting me fully to be in charge? Inserting psychology here. Long post, mostly whine/ranting because I know the best answer is to move to a city with a club I could go to weekly instead of monthly. Love my dog no matter what. Just had to share the bad & the ugly, since we tend to share all our brightest days.

 

[jazzies mum]

I get it! Living a lovely peaceful isolated life makes for difficulties when you get into other situations. All I need Jazz to be is relaxed and obedient, which she is most of the time, but when she ain't she ain't!

 

[Doberman Gang]

Congratulations on getting out there and competing. I tell my people all the time, it is not trial day but the journey of training with your dog that matters to them. We want titles, ribbons, trophies ect… they just want to spend time with us. You can’t emulate trial day, the smells, the different location, strangers and their dogs. Add all that to our nerves about trialing and suddenly we have a dog doing things that are unexpected. Keep with it and enjoy training with your dog there are always more trials. If you can find a club that offers trading on the field before the trial or even a mock trial where you can work on stuff I highly recommend trying that.

 

[Ravenbird]

Congratulations on getting out there and competing.

Your congratulations are premature, but thank you. This WAS the mock trial, training for a trial in February. I'm hoping I can post better results for the real trial.

Trained like crazy today, away from home, reinforcing doing the thing correctly and then lots of play and reward. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Ravenbird]

but when she ain't she ain't!

Don't we know this way too well???

 

[Dasz88]

Man dude, that sounds like a heavy duty trial!! Doing obedience work AND SAR stuff are two totally different mindsets, too, so it was probably tough for Asha to combine them. Gilly.has formal obedience classes where he has to listen and be super alert to ME. But in SAR, the human doesn't know where the missi g person or article is, they have to be equal partners with their dog, and the dog needs a lot of independence and leeway to just work. I feel it's hard to combine those two in one event, given the different headspace they both require!!

 

[Ravenbird]

Doing obedience work AND SAR stuff are two totally different mindsets, too, so it was probably tough for Asha to combine them.

Actually, the combination is not a problem, for her it's not obedience in itself, it's the distractions, the many humans, the eyes watching. She's just too acute on those things. At home or in familiar company it's a piece of cake. But then with a "real" job to do, the dexterity stuff, rubble pile, search, she goes into her own world of doing a job and can tune out the "watchers". It really is a test for SAR suitability on international level, and they want to see the dog in control at all times. A down stay under distractions, a "wait" command during any move. All that is for emergency situations and need to be proofed. It really wasn't mixing up the obedience and the independent search that disturbed her, it was more the involvement of people - especially the carry & hand off (again, proofing for emergency situations, nothing to do with being able to search). She has reservations about being touched & petted so to get her to be picked up & carried then handed to a stranger was a great advance, just not quite there yet. But a minute later she does all her dexterity tests off leash brilliantly. And her search was good & enthusiastic, the victim that she finds is passive and still and doesn't look at her - she isn't reactive at all to that.

I decided not to enter the real trial in Feb. as I just don't want a failure through not enough work on my part. I need lots and lots of exposure and involvement of people around her work and I just don't have it. I especially don't want a DQ due to aggression forever on her scorebook, which she could have gotten by barking defensively at the stranger carrying her.

I'm terribly disappointed in myself for not getting the work done to a point where I'd feel good entering, but that's life I guess. I know my dog is good but still has reactivity and I just have to work through & around it for her to present as successful.

 

[Kswoodssue]

I think both of you are amazing! These pups are so incredibly smart. They are like the kids in the gifted classes. They don’t just get A’s on the tests; they ask why and how and challenge the information they are taught. Creeping on the down makes total sense to me . You have the knowledge of how to tap into that intellect, and I am totally in awe.

 

[Ravenbird]

These pups are so incredibly smart. They are like the kids in the gifted classes

I've said several times: I've got a little Einstein but I'm only qualified to teach 3rd grade.
Thank you for your kind words.

 

[Two Dobes]

I congratulate you for moving forward and entering....it's rough not having that training in a club opportunity; I am in that position also; but would not give up living out here for that. MISS IT terribly, and training on my own is TOUGH.
It's hard not to be embarrassed, but that mock trial helped too. I go to Lowe's for people staring distractions. I pick a big isle like the one in front of all the registers, and heel back and forth, do down stays...everyone stares at the beautiful doberman . Most will talk to them as they walk by too..."Oh how beautiful you are!" And many times (at least where I live) people bring their dogs...so there is that MAIN distraction as they are wandering around...and pushing the small ones in carts!
I know it's not the same as club training, but it's a thought. I know you go to the parks to train too....Lowe's seems to help because it is a tighter space with alot of noise and people. Home Depot allows dogs too...(not sure it this is all nationwide)
Keep up the good work!!!!

 

[BGpa]

Very impressive

 

[Ravenbird]

Very impressive

Haha, time on your hands to read all these old posts and catch up! As you are seeing, I have dealt with a lot from my dog, nothing has been easy street, but she's been the dog I needed.