Dale Update(s)!

We have now moved off the table with the trained retrieve. Dale is learning to hold the object while on the ground. This is a difficult transition for some dogs.

Dale has fully adapted to kennel life...eating 4 cups of feed in the evening....enjoys his "happy time" twice daily with 6 other dogs in the exercise yard....and is becoming very intense with his bird work!

I did give him the rope toy....He has not caught up with the other dogs in training because he hasn't been here but one week.....He seems to be very intelligent and is a quick study. I feel he will be a very nice hunting companion.

Take care,

Phil & Jane

And in an email from last week....

I collar conditioned Dale today using the Dogtra 1200 NCP. I have developed a technique in which I use the vibrating pager for reinforcement of the learned command instead of low level stimulation. This method causes Absolutely No Discomfort to the dog. Dale showed an understanding of the situation and was able to turn off “vibration” by obeying the command.

Take care,
Phil & Jane

Basically....many hunters use electric shock collars to control their dogs while out in the field. This trainer doesn't. He uses a "vibrating pager" setting. Many people are familiar with the feeling of a pager or cell phone vibrating. That's the feeling that Dale will get when he's off leash and doesn't follow a command. It's a "Hey, I can still touch you even though you're 50 ft away and think that I can't..." type reminder.

And that's one thing we had really been struggling with Dale with. We'd take him to the dog park and he'd start chasing robins. We'd call him in using his commands, he'd take one look at us, then keep running, ignoring us and able to stay outside of reach...which isn't a good thing in the field.

A real Twister...o.O

The school I've been subbing at had a walk for Cystic Fibrosis today! A really great event. The 8th graders got to walk in the morning, while the 7th graders got to walk in the afternoon. One of the teachers, Mr. C., was supervising the 7th grade walk, when a student (whom he did not know and had never taught nor interacted with) walked up to him, grabbed him by the nipple, twisted, then said "What's up Mr. C?"

The kid got suspended for 10 days.

What I want to know is "What the heck was this kid thinking?"

Where would this kid have thought that this was appropriate behavior.

I betcha, though, I know what he (the kid) said to the Dean...

"It was just a joke....I thought it was funny."

Initiate Lockdown! Initiate Lockdown!

I've been subbing in a special education classroom fairly long term, and will be through the end of May. This classroom has one other teacher and an aide. So there are 3 adults.

10:58 a.m. - The students are at their specials classes (art, music, etc.). The other teacher is in a meeting, and the aide is with one of the students, leaving me alone in the classroom reading a book. The PA system pings and I hear "Initiate Lockdown! Initiate Lockdown!" Having been at this school before during a Lockdown drill, I know the...erm...drill. I turn off the lights, close the blinds, and head to the door to lock it, only to find that there's no key.

10:59 a.m. - The classroom phone rings and it's the other teacher who tells me that she's got the key, I should try and find another classroom and duck into it before that teacher locks the door. Once doors are locked, teachers are not to open it for ANYONE...not a student, other teacher, janitor...no one....except for an Administrator or Police Officer, and then only after they give the "Safeword." I dash out into the hallway and find at least 6 of the closest rooms are empty...they're all on a field trip....and the other classrooms are already locked. So I head back to the room I'm assigned to, close the door and go to the corner of the room that's not easily visible from the door or windows. Since the door is unlocked, I duck under the teacher's desk in that corner and settle in.

11:00 a.m - 1:00 p.m. - No Announcements are made. No sounds in the hallway. Outside, the muffled sound of a helicopter circling. In my mind I'm thinking "Oh crud, something's going down...." My legs are cramping up from being curled under the desk. So I stretch out. Every random sound in the hallway (muffled thumpings, the sounds of footsteps) I pull myself back in under the desk and hope that it's an Administrator.

1:00 p.m. - The PA system bings. The Administrator gives the "Safeword" and announces that the Lockdown is still in place, but we can go back to our desks. We need to wait though for an Administrator to come around and let us know what's happened.

1:05 p.m. - The other teacher comes back up to the room and says that we can have lunch really quick.

1:10 p.m. - They start dismissing students to walk quietly down to the lunchroom, get their lunches and walk back up to the classrooms. We're still under lockdown, but we can do limited movements.

2:40 ish p.m. - An announcement is made that police have requested that students not be dismissed to go home until clearance is given, meaning that we may be required to stay in school past regular dismissal time.

3:10 ish p.m. - All after school activities are cancelled and students and staff are told to go straight home.

Turns out there wasn't an issue at the school...Thank God! But there was a hostage situation a few blocks away that caused the police to request that the schools be locked down to prevent children from being hurt.

Such an exciting day at work!

If you'd like to read the article.... http://www.southtownstar.com/news/957739,0519burbankstandoff.article

Pea Ridge Kennels

We want to say that we have full confidence in Dr. Fortner and his wife in training Dale. We arrived in Tennessee yesterday at around 3 p.m and spent a good 3 hours talking to Dr. Fortner, seeing the facilities and watching Dale's "assessment." We were amazed by the cleanliness, the care and love that Dr. Fortner and his wife give to all the dogs there, and their knowledge and obvious dedication to the well being of the dogs in their care.

We took some pictures of their facility.

When we got home this morning, there were already two emails from them with pictures of Dale.
The first one was sent at 9 p.m:


Joanne & Michael,
We enjoyed meeting y'all today and I am looking forward to beginning Dale's formal training. I was quite impressed by his initial contact with birds...he seems to have a lot of natural ability.

We know it was difficult to leave your dog and that you will miss him....I hope you feel confident that we will take excellent care of him!

Take care,
Phil & Jane

PS. He ate very well tonight!!!

The second email arrived at 10:30 this morning.

Michael & Joanne,
Introduction to birds:

Dale had another productive session with increased intensity on his points. He ate very well last night. I had him in the exercise pen ealy this am with the other dogs and he played with them with no problems.

Hope y'all had a safe trip home.

Take care,
Phil & Jane

Why we're sending Dale to be trained.

Mike and I have gotten numerous questions and criticisms for our decision to send Dale away to be trained for hunting. We have not made this decision lightly and are, even now, still discussing if this is something we REALLY want to do, and we leave tomorrow morning to drop him off.

When we got Dale, we got him with the ultimate goal in mind of having both a hunting dog and pet. That is the main reason we got the breed we did. Llewellin Setters are known for their strong hunting instinct as well as their friendly family attitudes.

We worked very hard to train Dale to be a good house pet. He knows numerous commands and has very good manners, even if he's still a bit exuberant with his greetings.

But we've reached the limit of our capabilities.

We have neither the space, the birds, nor the skills and knowledge necessary for training a dog to hunt. And though Dale has strong hunting instincts, we do not want to run the risk of taking him out hunting, untrained, and have him get shot or run away.

Just as we spent many months researching what dog breed we wanted to get, and the pros and cons of each; we have spent months looking for a Trainer whom we feel comfortable enough to entrust Dale to for training. Dr. Fortner has impressed us, not only with his philosophy and in conversation with him, but we've checked references. We've talked to previous customers of his to find out what they thought of him.

A couple of days ago, I wrote an email to him because I was still concerned... I wanted to know more about how Dale would be spending his day...How many hours would he be confined to a kennel? How many hours in training? What about adjustment? How many dogs will be there? Who else will be working with him?

Here's the response I got...

Joanne,

I appreciate your apprehension and concern about leaving your dog with a compete stranger…it is a huge “ leap of faith”….I don’t know if I could do it with our own Llewellins….we have seven and they are all our “babies”.

I think once you meet us, see our kennels and the training facilities you will be more comfortable with the situation….you will still miss your dog, of course, but you can be assured he will be well taken care of…we will treat him like he is one of our own.

Each kennel run has an individual fan with a large fan at each end of the building. He will adjust to kennel life within 3-5 days.

I do the training myself….Jane does assist in certain training procedures. We send photos via e-mail every 9 – 10 days with a written report…she also makes you a personal CD of every photo taken.

A typical training day is as follows:

I am at the kennel by 6:00 am….the dogs are put in the exercise yard for 30 – 40 minutes of “happy time” while I clean and bleach the kennels. The dogs are then worked on various commands in sessions of 15 – 20 minutes each…the dogs are placed so they can observe each other….they learn from repetition and association. The same procedure is repeated in the PM. Dale will enjoy every moment of his 90 day program…he will have a minimum of 300 bird contacts while he is here….this will increase his hunting instinct and prey drive….this is what he was bred for, but he will still be an enjoyable pet while at home.

Your dog will bond with me within 7 -10 days but will “re-bond” with you quickly after he returns home…you will need to continue to reinforce the training he has received.

Please visit our web site at www.llewellinkennels.com to read previous owner’s comments.

I will address any other questions you may have when you arrive.

Take care,

Phil & Jane

PS. I keep music on 24 hrs. per day at the kennel….the dogs enjoy the “oldies”…..especially Elvis!!!

I am still worried, and Mike and I both know that we will miss Dale terribly. He's our baby. I will miss coming home from work and seeing him in the front window waiting for me. I will miss the puppy cuddles, the ball playing and his chasing the flash light. I will miss a lot of things.

BUT.

We will have a better dog for this.

And anyway....if we get down there and we don't like the facilities or Dr. Fortner or something feels "wrong," we aren't going to leave Dale.

Dale Goes to School

Some good news and some bad news.

Good news! Dale's been accepted into a hunting training program that's highly recommended by people we know. Bad news, it's in Tennessee, it's for 3 months, and we have to drop him off by next week Sunday.

How will I survive without my daily puppy cuddles?

Here's this trainer's webpage if you'd like to check it out. We were very very impressed with his training philosophy and the quality of his references.

http://www.llewellinkennels.com/

Dale's a bit stressed

I think Dale's a bit stressed out lately...he can't seem to settle down at all!

See what I mean?!