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November 2010 Training Logs

Updated 11/21/2010 - Return to Working Housedogs

August-September 2010, November 2010

Saturday, 11/13/10 - Crazy lately, 5 shows in 6 weekends. Sunny is an AKC champion, Sirius is almost an AKC champion (14 pts, 4 mjrs), Akai has a major (3pts), Hoodoo has 2 majors (6pts). Storm has 2/3 UWP, and Wyatt has 1/3.

Rally training - Sera (RE), Wyatt, Pax & Bright (RN)

Obedience training - Sera, Tom, & Singer (BNs)

Weightpull training - Storm (2/3), Wyatt (1/3), Pax, Akai, Yogi, Theia, Tori & Amak (UWPs)

Harness team training (WTD) -
    Sunny, Bright
    Pax, Storm
    Maestro, Honey
    Sera, Wyatt
    Amak, Tori
    Akai, BaRoo

Harness lead dog training (WLD) - Sera, Sunny, Maestro, Amak, & Storm

Monday, 11/15/10 - Obedience training on the flat in the big yard down next to the highway -- in the rain. Each dog is working through one string cheese stick and then we quit on a happy upbeat note. Some dogs get a LOT of work out of one stick, but the ones that go through it quickly really NEED the reinforcement at this stage. We just started back training seriously November 1st. They have all had a long break this fall, after intense Summer trianing @ ORKC -- June, July, August, then a break while we went to 5 shows in 6 weekends for conformation and weightpull.

Seranade (5y) is working both Rally Excellent and Beginner's Novice and it's too much for her all at once. This is the dog with the 50% Q rate because she stresses so.... we're dropping the BN because the stay is REALLY worrying her. OK. We have 4 days at the Franklin show in January, we'll aim for RE and let her relax the rest of the day.

Tom T. & Singer (nearly 11yos) are working Beginner's Novice. Heeling & Figure 8s are their downfall. She doesn't have an automatic sit and both meander. But their sit for exam, stays, and recalls are pretty durned wonderful. <G> Yeah, I want the titles, but more than that, I want to say, they are HERE at a show, competing as 11yos... <hubris maybe, or simple pride>

Wyatt (2y) is working for his Rally Novice and BOUNCES all over the place, happy, forging, exuberant.. considering how much work we put into head shyness when he was a puppy -- FOUR puppy classes -- I am hesitant to correct this wild excitement, knowing it will dim down a LOT when we get into public.... we're going to have to start working the 5 of them in city parks... to see just how MUCH dimming we're going to see..

Pax (2y) is also working for his Rally Novice and also BOUNCES. <LOL> He's better on heel position, by a little bit, but worse on his down-stays by a lot....

Bright (2y) is the least prepared, but we have 2 months to decide who goes -- close date is 1/12.

Saturday, 11/20/10 - 1m Single dog Groundwork is done, now we do 1m Groundwork teams -- 2 dogs in sledding x-back harnesses on a 2-dog gangline back to a 19" truck tire. I have a 10' horse lead hooked to the same eyebolt that the gangline is hooked to, the eyebolt run through the tread and secured with washers and locknuts. This is a scooter gangline with a light-weight bungee in the gangline. Love this. And I do NOT use necklines if at all possible. GROUND work because I'm on the ground, not on wheels, and have significantly more control because the speed is significantly slower -- i.e. safer.

The path is out the main gate, down the gravel driveway -- very slick -- across the front of the property on tall yard grass, into the ditch, up out of the ditch and across a hayfield mowed tall. Across Highway 27 to old Hwy 27 that had the roadbed ground up and grass planted. This is hayfield grass and unmowed. Down to the firehall, turn around and reverse. So except for crossing the highway, this is grass and hayfields and a short gravel driveway.

The teams are one experienced dog and one younger dog who has been doing individual groundwork once/week since September, temps were our issue.. The young dog is praised when they are leaning into the harness with the experienced dog. Encouraged (sometimes sharply) when they lag, and praised again when they get it right. Teaching the team to HUP, EASY, COME BACK, WHOA, LINE OUT, HAW, GEE, and ON BY. Am NOT using a neckline at this point, I want the dog to choose to work with the team mate, and I don't want to deal with tangles every 20 feet. No physical corrections or praises. I am often walking beside the pair, but I don't touch them or encourage them to look to me. When I call a halt, they get tons of pats and rubs, but only when I am the one calling the halt.

7y Sunny WTD UWP, and her daughter 2y Bright (80# & 80# x-backs) - They are very compatible structurally. Sunny knows the job, puts her head down and does it. Bright got tangled a few times. Stepped over the line and turned around for a tangle. But she only did it a couple of times. She wanted to wander off and follow scent trails a couple of times, but we kept going head down at a driving walk, and when the line yanked her, she scurried to catch up, she got lots of praise for running up next to Sunny. On the way back, she figured it out and was head down, stride for stride with her mama Sunny. Until a suicidal squirrel run under their legs and the girls got tangled trying to chase it under each others legs... After I quit laughing, we lined out and kept going, but both of them had their heads up looking up the old sycamore the squirrel was sitting in. Two halts on the way down and two on the way back. Mostly because Sunny was doing the majority of work.

8y Storm WTD UWP and 2y Pax (70# & 90# x-backs) - they are NOT compatible structurally, it's Mutt and Jeff. He's got her by 3" and she's all short coupled and low center of gravity. He's all rangy and long legs. But he has a very low to the ground crouch for weightpull and when he's digging in and she's digging in, they are very much compatible. But he can nearly step over her when she's head down and low to the ground working and he's, well, not so much. Pax likes to jump the gangline. He works like a fiend, but he gets distracted and when he spies something interesting, he'll jump the gangline and go investigate, regardless of the direction we WERE going in. He got better after the first half mile, but then he would jump the gangline to be on the side I was walking on... so I hung back and he was better.

Sunday 11/21/10 Team groundwork weekend - maybe if I hadn't gotten hurt last year, twice, or I was 10 years younger, or I was running Siberians, or the teams were already trained, I wouldn't be going so slow with these guys. But I am going slow. Individual Weightpull (groundwork) training for a month. Now Team Groundwork for however long my legs last, then we'll add wheels. But not until I am confident we won't run out into traffic.

But today, bright and crisp and cold, is the 11th birthday for the SnowSong litter -- Rider X Summer, and Tom & Singer went for a run to show the whippersnappers how it's done. Snowman in Florida is working on his agility championship, and well on his way. Wihnona is in Minnesota, and Solo is in Washington.

11yos Tom WTD WLD WWPD & sister Singer WTD WLD (100# & 90# x-backs) get their morning run this morning for their ELEVENTH birthday, WTD Tom T. & Sing-Sing... See pics. These kids are NOT retired, oh, no, not yet...

Monday 11/22/10

	7y Maestro WTD UWP & 4y Honey (80# & 80# x-backs) - Very compatible structurally, he's an inch taller than she is, both have compact backs and good length of legs, which is why I bred them to get Kiowa, I guess. <LOL> Maestro is a lover boy with the ladies. Unless he's in harness and then he's torn between impressing them by his daring do and goofing off to get their attention. Honey isn't really sure what's going on yet. She let him do most of the work and although her line as taut, it wasn't thrumming from the workload.
	5y Seranade WTD UWP & 2y Wyatt (90# & 100X x-backs) - this team is a lot of power, both of them 85# and tall, so when they want something to move, it moves.
	3y Akai & 2y BaRoo (90# & 70# x-backs)
	4y Tori & 3y Amak (80# & 80# x-backs) are both green. But Tori is Tori Baby WOW! when you put her in harness, so there is a lot of natural (if untutored) work ethic here.

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Contact Wayeh * 423-365-6039 * Spring City, (East) Tennessee
Wayeh Alaskan Malamutes last updated 11/21/2010

Member Oak Ridge Kennel Club since 1996, member TN Working Dog Association since 2008

Temperament, health, structure, working ability, and then type --
because a good Malamute has to be a good dog first.