Rawr~

Hi, I'm Megan. I like dogs and food.

[meimogui]

We are not dead 😂

[meimogui]

[gustavowasright-deactivated2022]

hello, hope you’re having a swell day. can you recommend any resources on teaching a good retrieve? my dog is p good at holding objects without chewing for extended periods of time and will race to the dumbbell, pick it up quickly, and race back. but the getting back into heel position without dropping the dumbbell part is the part that doesn’t work for us. any advice? if you have the time to answer and want to do so, thank you

I don’t have resource recommendations unfortunately - does anyone else have recommendations? I have a similar issue with Happy and it springs fully from not emphasizing the hold enough initially, it is easy for a lot of dogs to value the GO FAST (whether away or to you) aspect of retrieve more than the hold imo. or vice versa. I plan on going back eventually, emphasizing her mouth CLOSING onto the retrieve item, practicing handing her a retrieve item when she is in a down/on a platform/etc then bringing it to front, basically you want them so convinced of the value of possessing the retrieve object that they don’t think about letting go. I used Megan @meimogui‘s system for retrieve and really like her approach, I messed it up and I don’t believe it is typed up anywhere but it hinges upon creating value for the retrieve object via frustration. 

personally with heel position I would practice your dog being in a down holding the dumbbell, then popping up to heel with the dumbbell, then finishing with the dumbbell… etc… which with most dogs means taking tinier steps than mentioned here…. i.e. putting the dog in a down, and having them practice the hold there; putting the dog on a pivot bowl, having them hold, rewarding, then rewarding for any rear movement; etc; thinking about how to slice behaviors down into tinier pieces basically. this might not be great advice but it is how I would approach things! 

something major I contemplate before each session now is:

how can I make this more clear, and

how can I make this more fun

and the questions I have saved in a google doc are much more detailed than that, both for before the session and after, and I am trying very hard to refer back to them in my session planning. just asking yourself those kind of questions helps a lot ime. get into the frame of mind of your dog and what makes them tick and shit gets SO much easier! it’s never easy, but it does get easier

[meimogui]

I reblogged this and Tumblr did something weird so here's what I said oops

[anxietyproblem]

[meimogui]

Me, waiting for embark to give me my results

[meimogui]

I understand that you have no intention of breeding dogs whatsoever, this is just a fun hypothetical question. But what do you think puppies from Jarvan and Happy would be like

That's actually a litter that has been in the works for years . I expect large and in charge, + big ass ears .

[wanderingredleaves]

Alexis Rateau

[gustavowasright-deactivated2022]

oohh in addition to that last anons q abt dogs being civil and sharp, could you maybe explain the meaning behind different terms often used in bitework?

Hmm yes but upon anyone asking this I forget all bitework terms lol.

Civil: will bite you for real

Sharp: low threshold for aggression. Often associated with thinner nerves

Agitation: the helper or decoy provokes (“agitates”) the desired drive state of the dog for bitework. Most of the time this means getting the dog’s prey drive up... good agitation is an art form, it requires the ability to read the dog and know how to adjust minute aspects of your body language to fan the flame of their drive. It is super cool to watch a skilled training decoy perform. Their reactions are so smoothly transitioned from the dog’s efforts, it can almost look like the dog is physically touching them

Helper: the human opponent/bitey person in IGP

Decoy: the human opponent/bitey person in all other bitesports

Drive (as in “the decoys drive the dogs”): once the dog is on the bite, the decoy runs into the dog, using stick hits and yelling to pressure the dog. This is also an area where it’s cool to watch a skilled helper/decoy work. It’s like they emit a different, monstrous aura for a few seconds. The entire exercise shows you a lot about a dog’s character and how they respond to pressure.

Pulling: the dog counters in IGP by pulling on the bite, using their weight as ballast to try and stop the helper

Pushing: dogs in PSA and Belgian Ring are taught to push on the bite, continually trying to force more of the target into the back of their mouth. This style is also common for police dogs

Dominant: dog who possesses a strong desire/enjoyment in overpowering the helper

@meimogui do u have any to add

[meimogui]

Expanding on :

"Pressure"/"pressuring" the dog : this is kind of like , making a dog uncomfortable either physically (such as keeping the dog on a grip for a long time so it's tiring, having your body over the dog in a dominant way where they feel less powerful, strong eye contact , wrapping the dogs head In a head lock on a bicep grip , stick hits etc) or environmentally (often slick floors, water, darkness, loud noise - cans, weed blowers , or other props that make the environment uncomfortable) .

A strong drive should pressure a dog because they're being hit , their footing is not secure, and they must hold the grip through movement instead of a position of advantage.

Decoys teach dogs to 'withstand pressure" and overcome the stress of these types of things. When done properly, a good decoy teaches the dog to defeat these scenarios by showing more drive, more fight , and ultimately relieving it. The end goal is to build a dog who is not phased by these things. Pressure for one dog or another can look very different. Too much pressure is pushing a dog too far where they crack and give up. Not enough pressure can lead to a dog bored or not super committed, not ready to take any type of future pressure because they haven't seen it

[gustavowasright-deactivated2022]

Ok, sorry if this is a dumb question, but I see a lot of decoys holding whips in bitesports; what do they do with those? Do they wave it around to agitate the dog or?

Pretty much, they are used to get the dog excited in agitation and to drive the dog.

[meimogui]

And whip the dog sometimes 😂😂😂whodathunk

[meimogui]

My fall lady <3

[meimogui]

A damn fine specimen if you ask me

[meimogui]

Jarvan trial pics

I think of dog sports like art . That balance between control, power, instinct, adrenaline... It doesn't matter how good or bad a performance is to me - watching them always fascinates me

[gustavowasright-deactivated2022]

Concentration faces at the book store @meimogui @chienjax

[sweetener]

excuse me officer i would like to report a murder

[meimogui]

Cracking up at this all day

[meimogui]

What’s all the fuss about Fetch?

The team at Canine Arthritis Management (CAM) can often be heard telling owners that ball throwing is not an ideal activity for their arthri

Ball throwing is definitely dangerous and the source of almost all Jarvans injuries he has sustained . We try to do a warm up and cool down walk and I know I've posted about stretching ! Will take fetch from him over his dead body but it's definitely rough on him

[gustavowasright-deactivated2022]

CONGRATULATIONS TO MEGAN AND JARVAN FOR GETTING THEIR PSA PDC!!!!!!!!

With High Obedience and a PERFECT heeling score 😍😍😍😍😍😍💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[meimogui]

Thank you Milly 🥰🥰🥰

[boofblr]

YOU'RE NOT WASTING TIME IF YOU'RE NOT TRAINING. YOU AND YOUR DOG DESERVE TO ENJOY EACH OTHER IN WHAT EVER WAYS MAKE YOU HAPPIEST.