Tag Archives: hikes

And another one bites the dust

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Another weekend gone by. I really don’t know how they go this fast anymore. It’s been a stressful weekend with Abby up at Cornell sick with no direct answer yet as to why. I know they are taking good care of her but i’m still a wreck especially because she is puzzling all the doctors there with her abnormal anatomy in her abdomen!

ready for the command

With the nice weather Kara and I have been able to get up to the state land behind my house and work the girls almost everyday. Erik is amazing enough to hide for us all the time and i’m pretty sure Raina has a crush on him!

pullllllll

We have been working on building raina’s nose time in her search problems and placing the subject in heavy brush. Her third test will be a 30 acre heavy brush test which will be one of our hardest! I have been doing blind problems on a regular basis so that i know how to read my dog in all terrain and wind conditions. Raina has taught me so much these last few months!

Eme is also working on some nose time, as well as getting her bark as strong as her sisters. She has always been a thinker and i see it now more then anything. She needs to fully understand what she is doing to get it down, but when she does there is no fault in the process at all. Once her barking starts she delivers the full out bark and bounce just like her daddy Quax!

Alerting to the find

The time is flying by, and i cannot believe its already may. We have a lot to cover before the summer is up and many more tests to tackle so we can get the girls fully operational! This weekend will be a nice break when we attend a Bill Dotson seminar up in the finger lakes area of New York. He is a SAR legend and i’m sure i and the girls will learn a lot from him!

Keep moving

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The girls spend most of their time off leash either working or hiking so we must practice self control exercises and focus work while out and in the field. The girls are used to this on our land and while out together or with our other dogs in the pack but they also need to be able to do the same with more distractions and in variable environments.

Stay work

The environment is new, we have never visited this state land and felix is a dog that was turned over to Life Long Tails and is currently in training with his K9 handler Kara for Search and Rescue with Amigo Search Dogs.  A simple training command that is obeyed so perfectly at home can be a challenge if to many variables are changed to quick. Both girls did great this time as we have been practicing separate and together in varying environments for the last few months.

Girls

The hard work pays off!

Everyone looking like stars

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As always the girls impress me when day after day i ask so much of them! Just a short video clip of last weekends fun time after of course a day of work. More updates to follow!

 

 

Not spring thats for sure

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Woke up at 6am this morning (got to sleep in whooo hoooo) to a whoping 2 feet of snow. I couldn’t even open the back door, had to slip out and shovel off the back porch so the door could open and dogs could get out. Most didn’t want to go it was over their head but the shepherds couldn’t wait and took off clearing paths for the smaller dogs. Poor Fugly got lost in the snow banks!

 

With a state of emergeny in Broome County plans of in town training was demolished. Instead we played in the backyard, went on a short but tiring hike and did some small scent problems. The girls were still happy.

 

 

All in all not a bad hang around the house snow day. Man and we could see green grass yesterday…………..

 

Family time

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Waking up to half a foot of snow at 5:45am i was torn to whether it was going to be a good day or a bad day. My focus this morning was getting some work done around the house, updating some logs, trying to stay off my sore knee and then taking to the backyard for some pictures of the pups. What may be our last big snow fall was enjoyed thoroughly by my canine companions.

snow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

crazy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We really do love winter, the snow is great, the lack of mud is even better, and its a different experience to get out there and train your dog in the winter.  The chihuahua’s could do without the cold weather and the snow up past their little heads but the big dogs are pretty good at giving them worn down paths all around the back yard. We spend just as much time outside in the winter as we do in the summer and the change of seasons is always a relief.  Thank you 2011 for a fun winter experience, here is to a nice dry mild temperature summer!!!!!

Strike a pose

A little of this a little of that

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The weekend was busy and the girls didn’t get work everyday like they are used to. Snoopy had surgery on friday and came through it like a champ. He is recovering and doing well. This old man won’t have to worry about any more surgery for a LONG time to come.

Saturday kendal and I headed down to work with a few clients and to get her service dog “test” completed. She passed with flying colors and is just a true testament to what a rescue dog can turn into. She also spent the weekend as Life Long Tails donation dog raising money and raising awareness to what it is we do for helpless animals!!

YAY Kendal!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday the girls finally got there day. Kara and Mika jumped in the car and we headed down to the school for some work for the girls and some good dog teaching for the kids.   The kids had built a snow cave last week and we were able to get Mika and Eme on the first snow cave ever!  Eme did amazing, worked the scent out great, stayed committed, and crawled all the way into the cave to find her subject. We worked on her recall, indication and refind with the snow cave as it gave a different scent picture and environment which always challenges the puppies!

 

My butts sticking out of the cave!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She worked a total of almost an hour and still had to play ball all the way back to the truck with the boys.  We got our excercise in walking in snow shoes the whole time!!! It was better then falling 2 feet deep into the snow drifts though!

Off to work we go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course Raina needs her time too and she wow’d us all with how well she works!!! She knows her job and she knows when its about to start. I just introduced her vest in and she gets so excited to get dressed.

back talk to mom!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raina has been lucky enough to get the perfect flawless training method where mom makes no mistakes (yet) and she has yet to have a big hang up. I know its coming, shes only 4 months old, but her nose work is natural and amazing, and her refind and indication to me is phenomenal. Of course shes pretty crazy too!!

mom mom mom i know where he is!!! mom mom mom!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day was a good one. Mr felix blue the newest shepherd that we took in was introduced to cadaver and we did a few short runaways with him as well. He loves food, and loves to play ball, and loves to search!!!

Hello working world!!!

day to day fun

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My posts normally occur after my weekend of working dogs but while trying to kill time before training starts i figured i would give an update on the rest of the canine co pilot pack.

 

Everyone seems to be doing well, even with the cold temperatures lately and the crazy amount of snow and ice.  Our day to day training and fun includes obedience outside and inside, group downs and stays, and Simon says games. Kendal has been working on her obedience so that i can get her tested for her PAT (public access test) and then once she is my service dog move her into certification for therapy dog as well. While Kendal tries to just be a funny clown of the house she has a serious working side as well and knows when she is out with mom she needs to be in tune and responsible at all times.

hum the world seems different from this view!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a Life Long Tails rescue Kendal is the perfect picture of what a rescue dog can achieve if given the appropriate training, time, and owner.  Kendal is also Life Long Tails donation dog and canine mascot.

Shepherds playing in the snow in the backyard

Unlike so many trainers out there our dogs love training time. It is not a time when they get thrown on the ground, alpha rolled, beaten, yelled at, or dominated. It is a time when we get to have fun together, learn together, and communicate in a revolutionary  new way. This is what ensures the ultimate relationship, amazing obedience, and a bond that never dies.

Is this really my life?

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Sometimes i stop and think, wow am i living a dream or is this really my life? Everyday is a new experience, a new lesson, a new opportunity to learn more about how best to communicate and live with dogs and exercise that every second of every day.  I really do live a dream, and this weekend was a great one!

Friday was a fun day at home depot with kara and mika training and working obedience. Rainas SAR training is progressing so fast, now that i finally have a kink free method of back and forward chaining and a smooth way to teach nose work, recall, and refind, while also working her indication for a bark outside of the search work. I realize how quick she will be up and going now that i know how to do it perfectly for these shepherds.

Raina loves to tug

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eme is also doing great and while working two dogs this close in age is tough its worth every second.

Eme after her SAR problem

Saturday brought a training session with a client which was powerful and successful. It is always the best when i get to see another pack of dogs improve because of what i am teaching.  It helps remind me that my understanding of canines is correct, and my communication and my foundation that i lay prior to working with a dog is what really gets them started on the right track. I’m happiest when i get to teach someone else how to have a canine co-pilot for life!

 

 

 

 

Saturday was another pack visit day, we worked on some Life Long Tails grants and got the website updated and looking pretty. We also went out and did a short problem with both girls so the other members of the rescue were able to see how it all works. April was nice enough to hide and flank me and nick did the same even though he couldn’t feel his feet!

Ok whats next?

 

It was another good successful find with both eme and raina getting some practice with new subjects.

Getting ready to start

 

Sunday came quick and 6am found the girls and I, kara and mika, and stacey in the truck headed to an old IBM builing at Tech City in Kingston. We had access to 3 floors of empty building to work some SAR problems. This was Eme and Raina’s first time doing any building work and i was BLOWN AWAY.

 

Eme was quick to catch on and we did a few short run aways to get her into the scent picture of a building. Air flows VERY differently in buildings especially when there was some heat and duct airflow. Eme blew through problems and delivered a perfect refind, bark indication as long as i asked, and show me back to the subject. There was NO light what so ever and the dogs were asked to work in PITCH BLACK. Eme would body slam the doors to open them and clear the room as soon as i asked her to “check”  She took direction perfectly but also worked independently on her own.  We worked some longer problems with her and she stayed frustration free, giving me no false indications, only pin pointing the subject, coming back to me to tell me and  bringing me right back.

and....... SEARCH!

Raina was baby steps but by the end of the day she was doing short blind problems with her recall back to me. We started out by placing subject in the door to the dark room and making her bark to get in and get her reward. Then we moved to short run aways like that, then to longer run aways where she had to actually search a few rooms. Then we would place a subject and give her 3 rooms to search to find him. It was so great to see a  young dog take to working scent in a difficult environment. You could hear her stack her breaths when in scent and you could watch her follow the scent cone into the subject!

Focused and ready

The holy day of the week

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My girls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sundays are another good training day with the co pilot pack. This weekend we headed down to ritas with the girls all in tow to work some of the regular obedience, socialization, and of course SAR.

hanging at the school

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raina spent some time at the school, in the gym working on recall obedience then just hanging out with the kids. We practiced her commands with a lot more distractions present and upped the requirements a little.  We also did her short problems with a refind back to mom. Raina has A LOT of subject loyalty and while her indication (a bark and hold to mom) is coming along great we need to stop the game at mom for awhile to get the fast bounce back for refind.

 

With my ball after the find

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We set up a short problem for Eme to see how her refind and indication would hold up. It turned into a bit of a mess but she found the subject, came  back, indicated upon asking, and did a good show me! We solidified it with a few more short drills and let her take her prize to the top of the mountain of snow!

Both girls did great and enjoyed playing with Mika and Tank who is Raina’s brother. Another wonderful training with my good friends.