This is a record of my developing relationship with Lusi our Dalmatian dog and our training together. As a carriage driving enthusiast I wanted to have a Dalmatian working in its traditional role as a carriage or coaching dog. I have discovered that there are other sports that Lusi enjoys; biking, hiking, agility and tracking...and possibly more to come in the future!
Today we went out into the cornfields; the snow now several inches deep and Lusi excited to be out running.
I used Michael Ellis' strategy of delivering the food reward as though it were moving prey as Lusi hurtled in towards me. I've also been using the hand target as a moving target for her to come in close to me on either side of my body and to bring her round me in a 360 degree turn.
Using Premack's principle the real reward of the day was hunting voles! She actually caught a live one the other day when she was out with Victoria.
This short video clip shows Lusi doing a recall in slow motion. I have found it fascinating to replay over and over just to watch how Lusi launches herself into a run from a stand: She bends her elbows and knees, by crouching slightly, and then drives herself forward like a coiled spring releasing the energy into forward motion. Her hind legs drive her forward and her front legs almost jump into action.
Lusi returned happily yesterday from her K9 expedition trip. It was clear that any small issues had resolved themselves during the day because she was curled up fast asleep in the crate next to Stanley when Emily's van pulled in.
Emily said that she had been almost perfect on the trip. What a nice report card to come home with! I could tell that she had bonded well with Emily by the way that she turned towards her; Emily had used praise and patting and not treats while they were out. She said that after a few minutes during which she made sure that Lusi would recall to her she dropped the lead line and let her run with Stanley. Apparently the two of them got on really well. Stanley likes to be chased and Lusi likes to chase but would rather not be chased. I think that they must have run quite hard because Lusi arrived back very quietly! This morning she is ready to go again I think!
I am really looking forward to seeing the photos that Emily took on the trip which she hopes to post later today!
We have been practicing our "attention games" as part of our short indoor training routines that we initially learned at our puppy agility classes.
Puppy agility class: recall games and attention training
We do not have enough indoor space at home to practice the recalls like this though! We did, however, have a very dedicated recall on our walk on Saturday that required Lusi to either follow a U turn on the pathway or cut across the scrub and grass. I was really surprised when she chose the U-pathway. Her speed and focus were incredible. Her silhouette elongated and she took really long, even, effortless strides; just perfect balance and motion! Her focus on me meant that her head never moved except in a direct horizontal plane.
I have only seen Lusi do this once before when she was about four months old and we had taken her out into the field with the horse so that she could get used to playing around him. As I held the horse on a lead line and let him graze, Lusi's playing had gradually taken her across the field from where we were standing, when she suddenly realized the distance between us and returned in a flat out run. Again her eyes never lost focus of her target! Her ears flapped as she moved but everything else about her body was precision movement.
This elongation of the body frame that a Dalmatian makes when running is one reason that it is not recommended for Dals to work on indoor treadmills for exercise. The treadmill is simply not designed to be long enough for the Dal's elongated stride.
