Back in Action

Seven long months ago Ruby was diagnosed with Idiopathic ITP. As a result Mary Jane and I had to pull her from competition and training while we treated her for low platelets. Last month we started her training again and yesterday returned to the ring for the first time since that horrible day back in September. The saving grace through all this, aside from the great medical help we have received from Texas A&M and Angela, our vet at Westlake Animal Hospital, has been that Ruby has never acted “sick”. She is as full of life as ever. When we restarted training, Ruby was driven! She was eager to play and seemed to have fun running with me.

This weekend MJ and I competed with Ruby in Belton, TX at an AKC event. We chose to compete on Friday as this is usually a calmer day compared to Saturday and Sunday, where emotions run high, and the number of dogs doubles. We ran in 4 events and I had one very specific goal “have fun”. I do love to win, and I do love the titles, but today was about getting Ruby back into the ring and just enjoying the day. Overall, she ran great, she had a few “Ruby Moments” but overall she was athletically beautiful to watch and clearly had a good time in the ring. Outside the ring she was relaxed and calm.

Back in action

In the coming months Ruby and I will work on her weaves to figure out why she balks. I was perfectly happy to finish this run in Second place with a qualifying time. Besides, red looks good on our girl!

Negative is not necessarily a bad thing

I just heard back from Ruby’s doctor at TAMU clinic and the more thorough tests for Tick Borne Diseases is negative. Part of me is disappointed because I want to know WHY, but another part of me is relieved that we don’t have secondary issues to deal with on top of the immune response issues we already face. So, for the time being, we’re in a holding pattern. Ruby is getting steroids daily and we will recheck her platelets on Tuesday to figure out the next steps. In the mean time we have cancelled her competitive schedule for the next 2 months and will figure out “what’s next” after the vet visit Tuesday.

So, we just need to keep her happy (she’s hungry all the time on the drugs) and try to keep her from licking her bare skin. We finally resorted to Vet Wrap to protect her IV injection site. It’s still healing and must itch like crazy. Here is a photo MJ took after I took off the bandage and just gently scratched the skin for her, she was frozen in pleasure.

I can’t wait for her hair to grow back!

Ruby’s Back Home

We just arrived back in Austin with the golden girl. She has a bit less hair than when we dropped her off, but she was EXTATIC to see us. Earlier today we got the news from the docs at Texas A&M Small Animal Clinic that Ruby’s platelet count was up to 66,000 and that was good enough to bring her home. (When MJ got the news I was in the middle of my teaching my web cast so she quietly wrote it on the white board in my office.)

Now that she’s home it’s going to be pretty calm, no interactions with dogs and no agility training until she back to healthy. The drugs she’s on suppress her immune system, so she can’t fight infections. (Think Bubble Dog)

Ruby rode home with Shamu, but didn’t get into the “zone” until entering the house. After a roll in the yard she grabbed Shamu and headed to the office with me to watch me post this update. You can see where the clinic shaved her for her ultrasound (which was negative!)

The doctors at TAMU were awesome. They care so much for Ruby and it appears that Ruby really liked them because as she was greeting MJ and I she was also mashing her head into the docs in her ever persistent need to be loved-on. After a quick good bye to Renee we headed home.

Thanks to everyone for their words of support. We’ll have updates as Ruby works through this next phase of recovery.

Mary Jane and Matthew

Good Day Gone Bad

We have been working Ruby through the summer to prepare her for the busy fall agility schedule. When it gets cooler we tend to have more trials in this part of Texas. Yesterday we were back in College Station for a NADAC trial. Ruby and I are competing in Elite for some events now. What I am finding is Ruby is ready and I need to elevate my game.

Elite Jumpers

What you will notice about this run is how focused Ruby is on me (after she breaks her stay...) for the rest of the run she is brilliant, right up to me mis-queueing her over the wrong jump. All in all a great run for her...not so much for me.

Chasing the dog…

And Then Things Got Worse

After the run MJ was rubbing Ruby's belly and noticed some red blotches on her belly, thighs and near her tail. She flagged me down and after looking her over we decided it looked worse than we were comfortable with (she had crusty blood on her tail and it just looked scary), so we packed her up and headed to the on-call vet. The folks at Kingdom Vet Hospital were really great about taking us right in. (Quick note to anyone traveling with a dog, scan your rabies and vaccination certificates and save them "to the cloud" so you always have them ready. In my case I keep them on SkyDrive and just sent a link to the vet. This made it a lot easier to get right in.)

Following a brief examination the vet told us it could be a number of scary things but wasn't a simple allergic reaction. A quick blood test revealed that Ruby had no platelets. There are a couple reasons why this could be the case, none of them good. Generally, it's either a tick borne disease (TBD) or autoimmune reaction. Ticks carry all kinds of horrible diseases and they are very bad for dogs. Autoimmune issues are caused by the body going after itself for any number of reasons. It could may be a tumor or for some unexplained reason. The thing is, we may never know. The vet knew that the help we needed was over at Texas A & M University Vet School. They arranged a referral and we headed right over and admitted Ruby. They confirmed the diagnosis and the gravity of the situation.

What We Do Know

We know that Ruby has no idea that she is sick, and that's a good thing. We also know that if you are going to have a veterinary emergency it’s great to have instant access to a Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital like TAMU. The medical staff is in love with her. Many times this disease goes on so long the dogs is VERY sick and cannot fight the battle. We caught it very early. Early tests are negative for TBD and the X-rays of her chest and abdomen are clear, so no gross tumors. The treatment at this point is to get her platelets back up, so that means steroids to suppress her immune system. Tomorrow they will perform an ultrasound to ensure there is no cancer and they'll take blood for a more definitive TBD test.

The worst part yesterday was driving back to Austin without Ruby, then spending the night without her on the bed, then waking up without hearing her wagging tail pounding on the mattress. The house is very different without her. Please keep Ruby in your thoughts and prayers. We'll post updates as we learn more.

Focus, Focus, Focus

Back At It

After a bit of a hiatus, Mary Jane, Ruby and I are back at it. We headed to College Station, TX yesterday for the first of 3 trials. MJ and I have been training Ruby at a new level since she will be competing under tougher times and harder courses. One of the things I have really been focusing on is Ruby’s motivation, mostly her motivation to stay with me in the ring and not “run’d oft”. There are a ton of little things that go into a “clean run”, but her attention on me, and my ability to keep her on course are the basic necessities. This time around, I think she showed amazing improvement.

The other focus for us is FUN. We don’t want to stress her out by being agility freaks, though by some accounts we are still a little freaky, it was nice to see how relaxed Ruby was at this event. When we were not competing she would either sleep or sit and watch the other dogs in the arena, no panting, no scratching, just chilling out.

One of the things I love about this sport is it can be played two ways (or both ways at once). You can compete against the other dogs in your class (and be awarded 1st-4th place ribbons) and you can compete against the course. Most courses have a Standard Course Time, SCT, and if you “run clean”, with no faults like dropped bars, and you finish under SCT, you are awarded a Qualifying run (a Q) and points toward your title. 30 points per class awards a title. So for example, we entered this event with two previous qualifying runs in Novice Tunnelers, so Ruby had 20 points toward her title. All she needed was one more qualifying run in Novice Tunnelers to get her Novice Tunnelers title and move up to Open. After 30 Open points she’ll move up to Elite. This explains how a dog can be Novice in one challenge, like Tunnelers, and elite in another, like Jumpers.

Elite Jumpers

Ruby loves Jumpers and she’s very good at it. This was our first time competing at the Elite level. The course had 21 obstacles, the most I have ever faced in competition. Mercifully, the course really flowed. Ruby took two departures from the course, both my fault. You will see me encroach on her and push her off the jump. After getting her back on course she finishes strong. We had no course faults, but were 2.4 seconds over time. not bad for our first Elite run!

Watch her clear the last jump, a huge leap!

Novice Tunnelers

Tunnelers is just plain fun! Ruby is still a novice because I only just started entering her. This was a great run and she completed it in Elite time. This was her third Q and earned her a Novice Tunnelers title.

Run Matt, Run!

Open Weavers

Ruby and I have been working on weaves. I finally invested in a set of real weave poles and will add 6 more this week. In practice she is fast through the weaves, in competition she slows way down. So it’s time for me to figure out what I am doing differently. She also lost focus for a second as she comes out of the tunnel, watch her chase a dirt clod that she kicked. She did Q on the run though.

Great weaves

Regular 1 & 2

Constant Readers will remember that Ruby has had issues flying off the contacts in competition. In practice she has not been doing it, but the ring is a whole different story. In her first run she executes perfect discriminations but flies off after my spastic and horrendous front cross at the A Frame. In the second run she runs clean for 1st place and a well deserved Q.

Beware of low flying dogs

Look at that contact!

What a day

The tally for the day was 5 Runs, 4 ribbons, 3 Qs, 1 new title! Ruby really seams to be enjoying the attention.

Bizarro Ruby

Today was a weird day. Ruby has advanced to the Open class for her events. This means I have to handler her through more challenging courses and she has to pay attention to me more than she has in the past. We signed up for 4 events, two she excels at (Jumpers with Weaves and Standard) and two that we have not been successful at (Time to Beat and FAST). As usual, nothing we do goes according to plan…

Jumpers

This course had a couple challenges for us, the first is the turn away from the tunnel into the weaves. I knew I had to throw a big signal to Ruby to get her around (big dogs tend to take big turns). Next time I’ll get a flare-gun.

Turns like a Battleship

Standard

This looked like a fun and challenging course for us. Ruby has had solid contacts and her focus on me gave me confidence that we’d do great. Ruby had something else in mind, at the A-Frame she missed her contact and blew the run, then to add insult to injury (and thankfully she did not get hurt) she launched herself off the top of the down ramp to finish our run. Every thing else was beautiful. Back to remedial contact training for us!

No time for scratching

FAST

OK, to review, the object in FAST is to get points. You will hear the judge calling numbers out as we complete obstacles. We can run it in any manner we choose, except for the “send”. For that Ruby has to move to the other side of the line and perform two obstacles in order. After Ruby comes down the A-Frame you will not hear the judge…because she failed to get her contact…again. After that she is awesome and then I tried to push her into the weaves from a bit too extreme of an angle. Seeing her hesitate, I decided to move on. Listen carefully at the finish line and you will here the “buzzer of doom” just as Ruby crosses the finish line. Turns out she managed EXACTLY 55 points at EXACTLY the course time. That means, though it was not pretty, it was good enough for a Q and 3rd place.

Beat the clock

Time to Beat (T2B)

Time to Beat is new to us. There are no classes, all dogs run separated only by jump height. I know Ruby is fast, and these courses flow, so you can get up a lot of speed, but Ruby and I need accuracy. Ruby does a good job with the run, but I know we can do better. My missteps cost us time, as such we finished about 10 seconds slower than the fastest dog, still good enough to qualify.

Handler in training

Bizarre Day

So Ruby did great at courses she usually does not, and poorly on the ones she usually crushes. All day I was anxious too, though I don’t know why. I imagine that translated down the leash to Ruby.

SAR Dog Demo in Slidell, LA

My constant readers know that I have a soft spot in my heart for the kids in Slidell, LA. After arriving home from our Ireland trip, MJ and I packed up Ruby and hit the road for an epic push on Friday to talk to the kids at Our Lady of Lourdes School about K9 Search Austin, Staying Found and SAR Dogs.

The kids were wonderful and Ruby did a great job for having spent 7.5 hours in the car and then being thrown up on stage. We left the house at 5am and MJ drove most of the way in order to get to Slidell in time for me to change into my uniform and start the presentation at 2:00.

I had just asked the kids to “Do the Impossible” and hold their voices down for Ruby. Usually she’s amazing in front of an audience. Today she was a little skittish on a new stage. I said “…this will be hard to do, but wait until she does her search to ‘Ohh and Ahhh’” That is where the video picks up. Here is a short clip of the fun.

Ruby and Matt present at Lourdes School

Happy Birthday Mary Jane!

This month we’re celebrating Mary Jane’s birthday in several special ways. We kicked it off by attending the Waco Agility Group Trail in McGregor, TX. Mary Jane was happy to make her birthday a “family day” with Ruby and Me. It was a great day. We got 4 runs in, saw my niece Rene (which caused Ruby to completely LOSE HER MIND!), we finished just after noon, and Ruby gave MJ two first place ribbons for the wall (and two purple Q ribbons too).

Ruby and I have been working extra hard on our agility skills and it really showed in this trial. In the past I have had a hard time with Ruby on the first run, she may run off or fly off a contact. Our training with Becky and the Megan Foster seminar has been particularly helpful with Ruby’s attention (and my ability to maintain it). I have also been running more so that I can keep up with Ruby when she runs. I prefer to run with her rather than handler her from a distance. For me, it’s more fun.

I try to never blame Ruby for my mistakes. My trainer Becky says that the handler is always at fault (though in most trails you will here handlers berating their dogs for “doing the wrong thing”). The video always shows the truth, there is always something you did to indicate to the dog the wrong action. She says, fundamentally, there are two major mistakes that handlers make, errors in handling and errors in training. You will see both in the following videos.

Novice Tunnelers

We should have CRUSHED this course. It was a fun course with several visual challenges. I got complacent in my handling and after the second tunnel I stopped giving Ruby good information about where to go next. As she exits the third tunnel I call her off the fourth. She did exactly what I asked, she came to me, breaking her direction of travel, handling failure. NQ

Novice Tunnelers

Open Regular

This was another course that we have trained for. If you saw Ruby’s run from the last time, you know we have had attention issues. This is a failure in training. I looked at the course and flashed back to the previous event. I decided to handle the start without a lead-out so she would start with me and then move away to the weaves (which we have been working on for the past two weeks). After that, the challenge is the obstacle discrimination at the dog walk, Ruby has to do the dog walk and not the tunnel. Watch Ruby kick up dirt when she rounds the corner after the tunnel and hoop, I call this level of effort from her “Dog on Fire”! When she’s in the zone, watch the dirt fly.

Perro de Fuego!

Novice Chances

Totally my fault, after Ruby clears the first two jumps on the Send I give her a tunnel command, and she does it. The problem is I should have done a better job and indicated which tunnel. Handling Failure, NQ.

Not that tunnel! THAT tunnel!

Open Jumpers

Last run of the day. We needed one more Open Jumpers Q to advance to Elite. I was REALLY nervous when I stepped up to the line. Ruby had been scratching at every start (training failure) and I did not want her to break her stay. The course flowed with two tricky spots. Ruby crushed it, hanging with me the whole time, even when I threw in an awkward blind cross between 11 and 12. First Place, Q10 and Open Jumpers Title!

Hustle and flow

Good Girl!

Ruby had a great day. I am so pleased that the training is really paying off. I am also looking forward to working the little kinks out of my handling and moving Ruby up in these events. I love spending the time with MJ and Ruby, I like the ribbons and Ruby likes the toys and we’re all having too much fun to stop.

Megan Foster Training Seminar

With all my travel lately it has been difficult for Mary Jane and I to attend trials with Ruby. I really want to move Ruby (and myself) along in our agility training, so we recently attended a seminar on advanced handling taught by Megan Foster and sponsored by K9Xpress Agility of Austin.

Megan is a national and international agility competitor, trainer, handler, and judge. She recently launched her own site http://synergydogsports.com/ and is preparing for a busy 2013.

The focus for many of us was motivation, clear handling communications, course reading and footwork. Ruby is doing much better than I am in many cases. (Though I really need to work on motivation and focus…)

Here is a short video of one of the courses and a handling drill for a “reverse post turn” (though I prefer “Ass Pass” as it pretty much sums up how I demonstrate the maneuver.)

Ruby and Matt and the Ass Pass

So, needless to say I am losing weight and running a bit more so I can keep up. Ruby is really enjoying the extra training. We even set up a series of weave poles in the backyard to work on Ruby’s weave speed. I have also added a toy to motivate Ruby through her obstacles. We’re signed up for an event on the April 7th and again in May. I plan to stay on my feet.

Darkest before the Dawn

Today did not start well. OK, that’s an understatement. In hind sight MJ and I laugh to the point of tears watching Ruby’s run…and run…and run…while I stand there…watching.

Did this guy actually train that dog?

Open Jumpers

After our first run I was a bit concerned, though Ruby was amazing.

Is that the same dog?

Novice Tunnelers

Tunnelers is just fun. With a dog as fast as Ruby I had to run my butt off. (There are Border Collie handlers who just stand in the middle and have the dog orbit around them…someday.)

Run Forrest! Run!

Novice Regular

When MJ and I talked about our plans for the day I wanted Ruby to have fun and I wanted one good Regular run. Ruby only needed one more qualifying time to advance to Open class. The thing I like about NADAC is most trials offer 2 Regular runs a day, so Ruby had two chances to get it right. In the past she has struggled with the texture of the dog walk and A frame. You will hear the audience feel my pain as Ruby completes all of the obstacles except the last contact.

Nearly Perfect

So we had one last chance. Ruby rocked it and the part I love is the crowd reaction when she hits the last contact.

Good Dog!

Moment of Zen

Not a bad day. Ruby scored 3 qualifying times with 2 firsts and 1 second place finish. Lee Martin trains “Sam” a champion Norfolk Terrier in agility. We had a chance to help socialize 3 of his puppies at the event, when they napped I did too…

Puppies!

Ruby’s First Open Trial

MJ and I entered Ruby in her first multi-day trial this weekend. We discovered that trialing on Fridays is very different from Saturday. First, it was more relaxed, it felt to me like a day off. Added to this is Ruby is now competing at the Open level. This introduced a higher degree of difficulty and more competitive dogs (and handlers).

My goals for this event was to get a feel for Open and try to attain Ruby’s final two Novice Jumpers Qualifying scores so that we can compete in Open for all events (last week Ruby titled in Standard and FAST).

Novice Jumpers with Weaves

Let’s get this out of the way…she did it. Her second run was NOT pretty, but even with all her goofing around, she was 2 seconds over standard course time, good enough for a Q. We talked about it later, she said she was sorry… :)

11/09 JWW Second Q

It ain’t pretty…3rd and Q.

 

Good FAST

Again, Ruby got a bit “zoomy” on me near the end, but I was able to redirect her and collect enough points for her to get her first Open class qualifying run.

Get the handler out of her way!

Crazy Standard and Crazy FAST

I am including these videos for those of you who have said that “You and Ruby make it look easy.” Up to now I have only posted the great runs. Her…less than prefect runs are pretty funny to watch as well. These 3 are from this weekend.

Ruby’s focus was elusive this weekend. On her fist Open Standard run I think she spotted MJ in the stands when she was on the starting line. You can hear MJ on the video and see Ruby’s head pop up on the dog walk, that’s when the wheels fell off.

Look mom, I can FLY!

On her second standard run she blew the down contact on the dog walk. Then, she goes on to finish with a beautiful, near perfect run.

Nearly perfect

Her second FAST run was a bit better than her first. I was the weakest link, nearly running her over in a poorly executed cross. Then she begins the send, the part where she has to cross the line that I cannot and execute the jump-tunnel-jump combination. She clears the jump, dives into the tunnel and the gets that wild child look and tears off. We’ll get it next time.

Zoom, zoom…

Chilax

As a parting shot, weather you train dogs or just love them, I always set a “calmness goal” for our golden girl. In early shows it was that she would just relax and stop panting (the trial environment can be very stressful to first time dogs). Later we wanted her to be calm enough to rest (dare I hope for a nap) during the trial. I would model this for her with Willa by crashing for 15-20 minutes right there in her crate, Ruby would sprawl out on the mat touching me and Mary Jane for security. Later, only a few months ago, we began to bring Shamu with us, and Ruby relaxed enough to enter “the Shamu zone”, where she meditates while nursing on Shamu’s head. Up to now she still did not like the crate. This trial saw a change in that too. Here it is, your moment of Zen.

Me and Shamu, watching the world go by…

Three for Three

What a great day! Mary Jane, Ruby and I were up early for the hour drive to Belton, TX for another AKC Agility event. The Bell County Expo Center is a huge facility, so there are always a couple of different things going on. Last event it was a conformation dog show (a ’la “Best in Show”). This time it was Dinosaurs! So we could hear the roar from the other side of the blacked out fencing. (Training Note: You NEVER know what sounds you need to prepare your dog for…ever.) The side benefit was that there were tons of parents and kids standing in a line that wrapped around the building, so, many of them came to our event to cheer for the dogs while they waited out the line.

I love having new folks in the audience. They have tons of questions and “Ooooh” and “Ahhhh” at all the right times. The adults watch in amazement at the dogs, the kids laugh and sometimes wonder aloud “That looks easy” and “I could do that!”. Then the wise parent asks “Could you get OUR dog to do that?” or “Can you imagine [insert pet name] climbing the teeter totter?” to which the child usually begins to giggle at the thought.

We got to talk to one such family who came for the dinosaurs and stayed for the dogs. The mother asked about Ruby and we got to talking. Turns out mom’s name is Ruby too! When I began our pre-run routine with Ruby I pulled out her favorite treat, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Their son commented “Mom loves vegetables too!”. Way too funny!

FAST

Our first run of the day was Fifteen and Send (FAST). This is a game of points and time. You can make up any course you like as long as it includes the “Send”, a group of obstacles with a line that the handler cannot cross that must be performed in a certain way. You have to get 50 points (including the send) and run under 32 seconds. Ruby got 61 (and first place) even though she got a little “zoomy” near the send. The thing I like about running FAST at the beginning of the day is there is no penalty when the dog gets a little crazy, so you can get the “ya yas” out before the more challenging runs.

This was Ruby’s third run in Novice to receive a qualifying time, so in the next event we’ll be running in the Open class.

AKC Novice FAST with Ruby

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jumpers with Weaves

With all of Ruby’s great runs, Jumpers with Weaves has alluded us. Once she left the ring to investigate the arena seating, another time she broke her starting line stay and was past me before I knew what happened. This time she was focused and brilliant! This was a clean run and Ruby’s first qualifying time for JWW and first place.

AKC Novice Jumpers with Weaves with Ruby

Standard

Going into the last run of the day Ruby was being very social. At this point the kids from the “dinosaur line” were hovering, petting and cheering for the dogs. At one point I looked over at MJ who was busy with about 5 kids, from toddlers to 5, all loving on Ruby. I think the parents were wise to capitalize on the free entertainment. While we were preparing for our run a loose dog ran into Ruby’s face. She was unphased but clearly a bit tired from the day’s activities. For me, this means she’s focused. Like FAST, we needed one more clean run to Q and advance to Open class. Ruby delivered the Q and took first again.

AKC Novice Standard with Ruby

A Great Day

It really was a great day. Mary Jane and I are figuring out how to manage the events and keep Ruby in the zone. (A big shout out to the crew from Trials by Lotus for their smooth handling of the event and the amount of coordination that they perform!) And we got our BBQ on at Miller’s Smokehouse in Belton. The next trial is next weekend in 11/15 and 16 in Austin! Ruby will be competing in the Open class both Friday and Saturday.

Begin with the End in Mind

I am often asked “How do you get Ruby to do that”. The short answer is I use positive reinforcement, a clicker, treats, love and patience. Here is a short video, shot in real time, for how we trained Ruby on one behavior. It builds on skills that we had previously taught her and serves as a good example of how effective clicker training can be.

The Process

Steven Covey popularized the concept of beginning with the end in mind. The idea is to visualize your successful outcome. I often use this in dog training. The other way to think about how to train a behavior is to imagine the progression to the desired outcome as a flip-book. Drawn on the last page is the picture of what you want the dog to do. Drawn on the first is where the dog starts. It is up to you to draw the intermediate pictures and train your dog for each step along the way. You may chose to start at the last behavior and work backwards. This is called “back chaining” and is commonly used to train retrieve. Teach the dog to give you the ball first, then work backwards to the throw.

In this video Mary Jane and I teach Ruby to go forward, further and further to a target hidden under the peninsula. I start with the target in hand and reinforce the right behavior with a clicker. Ruby knows the click means she did what I wanted and a treat is on the way. It marks the exact right behavior. (The same technique is used for Killer Whales, you’ve heard the “peep” of the whistle.)

Background

We taught Ruby a “Target” command as part of her agility training to show her where I wanted her to go (or stop). It is a very useful command for videography too. Using a hidden target, I can send her to a spot in the scene. The target itself does not matter. I usually use a can lid, but I have also used a laser pointer, a piece of tape, anything that she can differentiate in the environment.

In our kitchen we installed under-counter lights that are triggered by a touch dimmer under the peninsula. When I get up in the morning it’s dark and the dimmer is an easy mark for me to hit. I figured it would be easy for Ruby too.

Clicker Basics

There are many, many resources for clicker training, I don’t intend this to be all inclusive instruction. You should:

• Keep the sessions short. In my case I keep it to 10 minutes or less
• Use plenty of small rewards
• Keep it fun
• End on a success

Mary Jane captured some cool things on the video if you watch Ruby. There are a few moments where she stops and thinks, then acts. I love to watch the wheels turn. Of course I love the sudden bursts of exuberance, the pounce, and the kisses!

The Video

With the exception of the part where I cut the lid, I left the video in real time so you can see the training progression. This is a short training, less than 7 minutes. Following this session, we did very short reinforcements each day. (Three commands at most, less than a minute.) Mary Jane added “Light” once Ruby was performing the behavior consistently, after about 2 days. In the mornings, in the dark, I would send Ruby to the target and reward success. At the end of a week we had a consistent “Get the Lights” command, and I don’t run the risk of stubbing my toes on the way to make coffee anymore.

Training Ruby

Focus on Obstacle Discrimination and Weave Poles

As Mary Jane and I evaluated my performance at the last trial we decided to spend the time between trials focusing on obstacle discrimination (like a tunnel under an A-frame, where I have to tell Ruby which one to choose) and her weave pole entries and speed. Our trainer, Becky Saltwick, helped us out during class and private sessions and Ruby has responded in a big way. Watch the videos and tell me if you see Ruby really watching me and even looking for me while she’s in flight over a jump. 

Trials

We spent Saturday in College Station at a NADAC trial. We ran 5 events and took home 4 qualifying runs including Ruby’s first Open Jumpers class Q. (1 First Place and 3 Second Place finishes!) We decided to add Weavers to the mix because of our focus on the event. All I can say of Ruby’s performance is WOW. Mary Jane captured all the runs, here are the best four. But first, a little more background on the sport.

Agility Organizations and Classes

When you first start competing in agility there is a staggering amount of information to understand. There are a number of sanctioned agility organizations and each group has it’s own set of rules. So far Ruby and I have been focused on NADAC and AKC, but there are many others popular in other parts of the US.

In general dogs are grouped by ability (Novice, Open, Excellent or Elite) and then by size (height class). Once your dog is officially measured that determines how high the jumps are. (Ruby jumps 20”.) You start in Novice and after you “run clean” (no missed obstacles or dropped bars) and you are “under time” (each course has a Standard Course Time that you must beat) you are awarded a Qualifying Run (or “Q”). You can get a Q regardless of how you finish compared to the other dogs in your height class. This separates the Qualifying run (beat the course) from the place finish (beat the other dogs).

Generally, after you have 3 qualifying runs at one level, you move to the next. At our last trial Ruby received her 3rd Q for Novice Jumpers, so now we compete in Open Jumpers. After 3 Qs in Open Jumpers we’ll move up to Elite (yikes!) 

Open Jumpers

This was a dream run. This is the first time Ruby and I have run in Open. Ruby followed my lead and looks beautiful. I finished feeling like we had “danced” beautifully!

Ruby Open Jumpers

Novice Tunnelers

This was our first run of the day. I used to consider this my “throw away” run. Ruby doesn’t!

Ruby Novice Tunnelers

Novice Weavers

Like I said, we have been working on Weaves. Mary Jane and I set up weave poles in the backyard and have both been rewarding Ruby for good fast weaves. We have found that Ruby is motivated by broccoli and cauliflower! Forget the salmon, Ruby weaves for broccoli! You’ll see her miss the entry for the last set of weaves, this was TOTALLY my fault. I crowded her and Ruby paid for it.

Will weave for broccoli!

Novice Regular

This was our last run of the day. I was so worried about the first discrimination that I nearly flew in front of her, if you watch you’ll see her commit to the tunnel very early. What was I worried about? My next error happens at the weaves (again). I crowd Ruby and when I step to the right I pull her with me (she did what my body told her to do…).

Dad!!! Get out of my way!

What a DAY!

I am so proud of how well Ruby demonstrated what we’ve been working on. The next month will be reinforcing the current work and adding more distance so we can get better at events like Chances!

Ruby’s Busy Agility Schedule

This has been a busy month for Mary Jane, Ruby and Me with two Agility trials on back to back weekends at Texas A&M in College Station. Each trial was for a different governing body, one for NADAC and one for AKC. There are similarities and differences between the two organizations. It has taken me a bit to wrap my head around the rules for each.

The other goal for the month was for MJ and I to get better at organizing and attending trials and for Ruby to be comfortable at the trial venue. It can be very stressful for a dog. The AKC trial included about 250 dogs, competitors and spectators packed into the arena. Between the barking, shouting, blaring announcements it makes it hard for the dogs to be calm. MJ and I work together to keep Ruby happy, entertained and “peed out” so she can run her best. (Shamu is a big help too.)

NADAC Trial

We have been breaking Ruby into Agility Trials with NADAC competition. She has been doing great, too. This event was close by in College Station so my niece Renee was able to attend.

Jumpers

Ruby has been doing great in Jumpers. She needed a Qualifying Run (AKA: a “Q”) for her first title. She had to run clean (no tipped bars) and under Standard Course Time. Check it out…first place and a Q.

Jumpers

Chances

Chances is similar to AKC FAST (below) there is a No-Go line that I cannot cross but Ruby can. It enforces skill at distance. I need to work more on this with Ruby.

Chances

Regular 1 & 2

These two runs are essentially the same course run in two different directions. We took a first on one and second for the other, since both runs had faults neither was considered qualifying, but you can see how good she is getting!

Regular 1

 

Regular 2

 

 

AKC Trial

Having exposed Ruby to the arena and dogs the week before in NADAC made it a lot easier to compete at AKC. AKC has tight height requirements and Ruby managed to get her permanent height card for jumping 20” which is great. It means she jumps the same height in both NADAC and AKC. She was a lot calmer and more “present” for AKC. You can see her intensity at the starting line.

Jumpers with Weaves

This is an example of how much teamwork is required in this sport. You may think that I just have to get Ruby pointed in the right direction and send her out, but if you watch me mishandle Ruby’s exit from the tunnel you will see that I am pushing her out to the white jump, the wrong jump. Ruby did great on this event, it was her partner that failed.

Jumpers with Weaves

Fifteen and Send (FAST)

This is a game of points and time. You have 32 seconds to accrue 50 points. Ruby pulled in 71 points in 26 seconds. Ruby took first and got her second Q.

FAST

Standard

The challenge on this run was right at the start. I had to get Ruby to clear the first jump and then make a sharp left rather than go straight to the broad jump. Then I had to keep her with me and not get sucked into the tunnel. After the tunnel I had to keep her from jumping over the table. (More than half the dogs came flying out of the tunnel and could not slow down to stay on the table.) Ruby rocked it, 1st place and a Q.

Standard

Summary

For those of you keeping score. Ruby now has a NADAC Novice Jumpers Title and 2 of 3 qualifying runs for her AKC Novice Standard and FAST titles. We could not be more proud of our girl.

Willa McDermott (1999-2012)

Last night Mary Jane and I said goodbye to our beloved Willa. She lost her fight with cancer and passed quickly. We will always be proud of how she touched so many lives, most deeply, our own.

The vets think that the cancer we fought in her mouth, the cancer that we know has been advancing into her lungs, spread to her brain and caused the seizures.

The thing that kept us going these past few weeks was that she was happy. Happy to be with us, happy to go on walks and happy to wait in bed with Mary Jane and wait for me to return with her turkey-wrapped before breakfast meds.

We officially retired Willa in August. APD held a wonderful ceremony for her and the Chief of Police presented Willa with a commendation for her service to Austin. The Statesman followed up with a great article. We were also asked to work with a local hi-tech company that is producing technology that can help SAR operation. This was a chance for me to get suited up and bring Willa back into the field. She treated the whole thing with her usual professionalism and delighted in being back on the job. Here is the picture we took that day.

Mary Jane and I miss Willa terribly. Everything we do, every move we make, used to have a “Willa component”. She was as much a part of our lives as breathing. It was automatic and seamless. If I was traveling and called Mary Jane, she would tell me what she was doing and I could tell her exactly where Willa was. Sitting on the couch, Willa is on the hearth, cutting cucumbers for salad, Willa is underfoot, waiting for cucumber.

It is clear that Ruby misses Willa too. She continues to listen for her and search for her. She knows Willa’s patterns too. Willa had a place in my office, Ruby looks for Willa there a few times a day.

The thing that buoys us up and keeps the despair away is the constant reminder from relatives, friends and professionals who knew Willa, that she was a great dog. She was more that a pet, she was a personality, she was more than a Search Dog, she was a Search Professional that was always ready to serve. The condolences that we have received from Facebook, Twitter, and email has been profound. Everyone is sharing their memories of her and her impact on them personally.

Seeing is Believing

This weekend was Ruby’s first Dog Agility match. If you are a dog lover and have not watched an agility competition, you are really missing out. This is an action sport that requires patience, timing, patience, love, patience and well, agility (for both the handler and the dog). The goal is to have a “clean run” no obstacles missed, out of order or faulted and under the course time. The result is placement, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. and (if you run clean) Qualifying points toward your Title. For example if you run clean and under time you may not place first because other dogs run faster, but if you beat the standard you can still get a “Q” toward your title.

Ruby’s First Run

Ruby’s first run was “Jumpers” all jumps, nothing else to get in her way. I love Jumpers and as you’ll see, so does Ruby. She crushed it. Remember, there is a LOT going on around the ring, 2 hours before this run Ruby was a panting distracted mess. The sites, sounds and smells of an agility match held in a rodeo arena can be overwhelming. The goal of this first match was just to familiarize Ruby with the “game”. As you’ll see in the video, she had something else in mind. Ruby finished in 1st Novice Jumpers with a Q!

Willa’s Tunnelers Run

We entered Willa in “Tunnelers”. The course is all tunnels, no jumps or other obstacles to get in the way. You can imagine it’s FAST. Willa gets a little time advantage due to her age, but you’ll see she does not need it, I had a hard time keeping up. She took 2nd and got a Q! (Listen to the crowd when Willa crosses the finish line! My heart sang!)

What a Great Day

MJ and I had such an amazing day. Back in June we never imagined we would be competing with Willa in attendance, much less with her in the ring! Ruby ran the additional events. I learned that Ruby is so fast that I have to time my direction better. Here is tunnelers.

I also learned that you can train your dog when they have a real issue in the ring. In this case Ruby had never seen a black dog walk or A-frame before. After her first run I decided to use her second for training.

Willa’s Big Day

Today Willa received the “Chief’s Coin” and a Certificate of Appreciation for her service to Austin. Our commander read a short biography highlighting Willa’s service career and then the Chief of Police, Art Acevedo, presented me with Willa’s certificate. The award reads:

On behalf of the Austin Police Department, thank you Willa McDermott for your sacrifice and service on the many hazardous and demanding missions you undertook to unite families with their loved ones. We wish you the best in your retirement.

Willa likes the Chief, you can tell by how she’s looking at him here:

The award was part of a ceremony honoring Police Officers and employees of APD that have earned recognition from the Chief. He went on to recognize the members of the SAR team that attended and gave Matthew Olguin special recognition for leading the team. Willa made the local news too, we hope to get a link to the video posted for you to see.

P.S. While we were inside for the awards ceremony some guy crashed into our new SAR truck! Right in front of Police Headquarters! He also hit two other police cars and stopped just before hitting my car.

New SAR Truck for APD

In the record breaking 112 degree Austin heat and with everything going on with Willa it has been hard to even think about conducting a search. We have to be prepared and part of that has been all the work Matthew Olguin has put in on getting a new truck for the team. Anyone who has see the old APD SAR command truck knows it’s a sad truck, long past it’s prime.

This week Matthew Olguin and I took delivery from the APD Fleet Services of a NEW (to us) old truck that used to be the Dive Team’s and has been relabeled as our SAR Truck.

When we took delivery the great folks that did all the lettering told us that they had not put the dogs names on the door because they wanted to be sure they got it right. So after a little pow-wow we decided to pay respects to a great dog that worked with Willa. We put Kobe first because he passed first. He was Willa’s “boyfriend” and search partner for 10 years.

It did not take them long to fix the door. I think it’s perfect. Look for the addition of Ruby and Oso after they get their SAR Dog certifications.

In loving memory of Kobe Wilson!

Spa Day

This morning was a spa day of sorts for the girls. Willa has an appearance coming up and is looking a bit shaggy. I try to keep both dogs well groomed particularly in the heat of the summer. In Willa’s case she still has the reverse Mohawk from her time at LSU. I worked on the margins of the clip to ease the edges a bit, blending it in. I also take care of nails and that oh-so long between the toes hair that makes their feet slip on the wood floors.

It was while I was trimming Willa’s back feet and clipping her nails that I noticed something. Willa does NOT like me to mess with her paws, particularly her nails. Now, I am pretty good when it comes to nail trimming, but Willa is a squirmy bag of trembling dog flesh when nail trimming time rolls around. So I sit on the floor with the stinkiest of stinky treats and prop Willa on her back so I can control her and her foot. She resists but the treats keep her in place for the 18 snips it takes to finish the job. Then, when I finish the front ten, I pivot her 180 degrees so I can do the back 8. At this point she’s panting but not struggling anymore.

So, she’s laying on her back, mouth open, and I grab my camera and snap this…

OK, so there is a bit of Salmon jammed in there too, but what I see is fresh pink palate and a very small grey spot. Compare this to the first shot and you can see that it looks like it is healing. Add to this the fact that she is choosing to chew her hard chews on that side and I think her mouth is healing. She still has the chapped lips from the radiation treatment, but that looks better every day too.

I still have a bit more clipping to do before they are ready for “show” (and I’ll post pictures when I finish) but I wanted you all to see for yourselves. This has been a good, although very hot, day. I think we’ll be playing in the sprinklers later today…