Tig's Seasoned Land Test

This video was made Saturday when I was a handler for my mother and father-in-laws dog Tig.  I was able to work with her as a pup on obedience training, but since she has been trained by Aliy.  I usually ship Tig out once or twice a season to hunt with me and she has turned into one heck of a dog.  She is running the Seasoned Trials this weekend and she successfully passed both days.  She needs one more pass to receive her Seasoned Title and start competing in the Finished Hunt Test.  This will also give you a look at many things that I will be working Tuvuk on in the next few months.  I will post Tig's water test in a few days.

Tuvuk's Video From Saturday

This is the test that was ran on Saturday for the Started Dogs.  In this stage of training you are looking for your dog to be able to Mark a single bird.  Once they are sent out for the bird the process of hunting it up is encouraged to teach the dog to use their nose.  Once found the dog is required to deliver the bird to hand. I know that this does not look like a very tough challenge, but when you bring a 9 month old dog (youngest in this category) to a place that is completely foreign it can be a challenge.  If you think about it Tuvuk has never even hunted around trees or cattails.  It is pretty funny on the very first run that if you watch Tuvuk he is a little freaked out by the guys that are manning the thrower station.  We normally train with visible throwers, but in this test the bird throwers are hidden behind blinds.  I will post the trial that I handled Tig on ASAP.  This will show you what we will be working for over the next 3-4 months with Tuvuk.

Successful Weekend

Well we have finished our first weekend of hunt tests.  Tuvuk and Tig both pasted their tests and moved further towards getting their titles.  Tuvuk will need to pass 2 more UKC test, which I will be running in August.  Our next trail is scheduled for June 17th which is an AKC Junior Hunter trial.  These two test are a little different.  Tig will need to pass only 1 more Seasoned Hunt Test to receive her title.  Aliy was the handler for Tig today and she had a great run.  Congrats to both dogs for receiving their passes.

Tuvuk's First Hunt Test

CONGRATS TO TUVUK AND TIG

Well today was the big day for Tuvuk.  To start we had to fly from Nome to Fairbanks on Thursday night. Once we arrived we had all day Friday to do some last minute work before the test on Saturday.  I was also going to be in charge of running Tig which is Aliy Zirkle's labrador retriever.  I will briefly explain the types of test that we were running and what had to be achieved to receive a pass.  I will first start with Tuvuk's test.

This test is called a UKC Started Hunt test.  It involves having to retrieve 2 single birds on dry land and 2 single birds in the water. I will post videos when I have a little more time to edit them.  He had to pass both segments today to get his first full pass.  To get his started title he will have to achieve 4 passes.  This weekend he has a chance of achieving 2 of these.  

Tig is in what is called the UKC Seasoned Hunt Test.  Tig is about 2.5 years old.  This involves again a dry land test and a water test.  On the land she has to mark and retreive a double mark, a blind, and a walk up bird.  There are also many small metrics that I will not go into right now that can fail a dog in this type of test.  I know that this may be a little foreign terminology for you but I will also try and post a video of Tig's test.  For the Seasoned Test you have to pass 4 times before you receive the Seasoned Title.  Tig now has 2 passes and will be going for her 3rd tomorrow.  I have had the privelage of helping in the early stages of her training on mainly obedience.  Aliy has done a great job with her since starting these test.  We have also shipped Tig out to Nome for several hunts with me in the past 2 years. She is a great dog and I love getting the chance to work her in a competition.  

Just so you know Tuvuk is on the lefthand side of the picture and Tig is on the right.  

Finally Water in Nome

Well it has been a long winter here in Nome.  We finally have water that Tuvuk can start working on water retrieves.  This video is only his second time introduced into the water.  He has really picked up on it quick, and he does not hesitate a bit.  We are doing some final preparations for his first hunt test which will be on May 28th and 29th.  I will try and video his hunt test and post to the blog.

Wagon Wheel Drill

I wanted to show you a drill that concentrates on how to ensure your dog runs straight lines.  This is the first time I have done this drill with Tuvuk.  I wanted to keep it simple but also challenge him with multiple decisions.  Another great lesson this drill teaches is for the dog to rely on you for direction.  This drill will also help start a trust relationship between you and your dog.  You can tell by the end of the video Tuvuk was moving very well between positions when I was lining him up for the next retrieve. Also be very careful of habits and sending the dog immediately when you say mark.  They will pick up on this and then start anticipating your release command.  If you have any questions just let me know.

Intro to Force Fetching Re-look

I recently had a buddy from college call me about dog training.  He wanted me to repost another video showing how to start a dog on force fetching.  I have done another video on this which I hope will help.  Just keep in mind that when you start a dog on this take it easy and slow if need be.  As soon as you get a good response give the release command and praise, praise, praise.

Force Fetching to a Pile

Well I am finally back in the video mode again.  After a very successful Iditarod I have been able to return to get some footage.  I have continued to train Tuvuk throughout the race, but was not able to video much. In this video I am concentrating on teaching Tuvuk how to retrieve a bumper from a pile and return quickly.  I am using a Dogtra 3500 to apply the pressure needed to get a quick response.  Again this is only used to teach Tuvuk how to get the pressure to turn off.  If you keep this in mind you will not see any hesitation from the pressure.  I apply the pressure as soon as I give the command on this drill and then it is released when he returns to heel.  This drill will allow us to stretch Tuvuk out to 150-200 yard piles very soon.  This teaches the dog to run straight lines and also builds confidence that there is a bird out there if you send them.  Hope you enjoy the video.  If there are questions with areas that you would like me to refocus on for your training needs feel free to let me know.

Iditarod Start 2011

Well this is a little different dog training post.  This weekend is the Start of the 2011 Iditarod.  I flew in to Anchorage on Thursday night and have been assisting Aliy and Allen as a dog handler for this years race.  If you do not know much about the race I would encourage you to follow the race.  It is a very exciting time for our family and it is amazing how many fans and sponsors the kennel is privileged to have.  For further coverage you can click on the SP Kennel's weblink in my pages section or visit www.iditarod.com.  I have not been able to post any new training videos, but hopefully I will be able to get back into the swing of things next week.  

Tuvuk's Pedigree

For all you Genetic Buff's out there here is Tuvuk's Pedigree.  The link provided below shows a more detailed version with his parents and grandparents UKC titles received.  The certificate below will just show the titles received from the AKC hunt tests.  Also the link below will allow you to view 5 generations that Tuvuk is made up of.  I think it is very interesting to know where your dog comes from, and the potential that they may have due to years worth of breeding.

http://www.huntinglabpedigree.com/pedigree.asp?id=23045