THE "SECOND SKIN"

This Friday, Spring will officially "arrive".  Hurrah!  The March winds may blow, temperatures may struggle to get above freezing, but soon we'll be engaged in warm weather activities.  K-Lee and I will be able to wander the countryside again, hopefully finding woodcock that have returned to our fields and forests.

Barely acknowledged by anyone, there is another "sign" of Spring in these northern climes. It is our shedding of   a "second skin".  Nature has a way of renewing itself, allowing for growth and health.  Snakes are masters of it.  They shed their skin.  We New Englanders do as well.

When cold winter winds come, folks who spend time outdoors start wearing "long johns" beneath their clothing.  In effect, they are putting on a "second skin" to moderate the effects of winter weather.  They/we wear them all winter long--taking them off only for a washing or a very indoor event.  The "second skin" becomes so intimately comfortable that without them, we secretly loathe to go outside.

"Long johns"  generally come in two styles--either two- piece sets or one-piece "union suits".  They vary in color, and some even have "prints" that make them look more like sportswear.  They come in various fabrics too--cotton, wool, polypropylene, the new space-age fabrics, and the old favorite among the active sportsmen, silk.  I have to confess that I've never owned the more expensive (and warm) silk, but the idea appeals to me.

When Spring is finally upon the wearers, there is a rush of energy to abandon the "long johns".  It is overpowering.  Wearers can no longer stand to have that additional, protective layer on their body.  Involuntarily, they shed their "second skin" and with unfettered abandon, enter into the season of renewal.

How do you know when Spring has really come to New England?  Check out the clotheslines.  If you see "long johns" flying in the breeze, Spring has sprung!

DIVERSITY

The winter weather in the upper Merrimack Valley has driven us nearly crazy!  How grateful I am that we plowed a "runway" in the field to exercise and drill!  We've done all sorts of routines with bumpers and a Dokken mallard. We mix up basic commands with various "retrieving games".  

Speaking of  commands,  an exercise that we do on 'whoa' (stop, stay still, don't move) was initiated by my grandson when he was visiting.  He's only 11 and  couldn't throw the bumper far enough to satisfy himself, so he put K-Lee at 'whoa' and walked about 150 feet, threw the bumper, then walked back to the dog and sent her on the retrieve.  He did that several times, and then varied his toss locations.  It was good exercise for both of them.  I wish I had taken a picture, but "Papa" (I) saw that things were "good" with those two, so I turned my attention to my little grand-daughter. The four of us had a great time in the snow.    

A guy has to know his priorities.

Now that the grandchildren have gone back home, it's back to 'K-Lee and I'.  We both miss them, but we don't let that hang us up.  We've started working on a "diversity" theme.  With some PVC training aids, bumpers and even water filters (yep) from our "force-fetch" training days, we've mixed it up a bit. Diversity--a good word for mixing it up to avoid boredom.

We've even increased tracking exercises. A nice new harness from "In The Company of Dogs" cost about half of the cost of "professional" ones.  The only visible difference was that this one is red and the pro ones are mostly paramilitary colors.  I can live with that.  Her vest is fitted with  Velcro strips on the side to add messages such as "Service Dog", or "Therapy", "Search & Rescue", "Do Not Pet", etc.  I didn't want the Velcro strips to get all clogged up with lint and debris, so we put an "IN TRAINING" strip on the side and called it "good".

It didn't take long for K-Lee to  associate the harness with a tracking exercise.  It's wonderful to see her work a scent and track.  Today, she blew by a 90 degree turn, realized she lost the scent and went back, picked up the trail and made the turn which led her to her reward.  It doesn't take much, but it's a great way to break things up a bit.  Just a little diversity does the trick.

I have to admit, I'm a bit envious of my friends who are using their German Shorthairs as sled dogs in this weather.  They look like they're having WAY too much fun!  I play the video streams and watch those dogs run in the snow.  It's very apparent that they are loving it as much as their handlers!

What else y' got boss?

I'm a one-dog guy, but there still may be an opportunity here.  The field is fairly flat.  If I used a bit of wisdom, I could plow a trail, pick up a sled and trappings, ... all in the name of "diversity". 

What are you doing to break things up and maintain "diversity"?

THE STILL SMALL VOICE

Fellow NAVHDA member and professional, Blaine Carter of Merrymeeting Kennels in Maine once shared with me great insight.  He said to me that handlers should always speak as softly as they possibly could to their dog. I gave his words some serious thought and decided that I would do my best to take it as "counsel".

It wasn't long before I could see improvements in the relationship between K-Lee and myself.  Interestingly, the dog is able to "think" and "problem solve" more efficiently. (Some might even say they act less "neurotic". )
I'll share an example of problem solving:


We were doing a drill in which I place a bumper at twenty yards, another at thirty yards, a third one at fifty yards and sometimes another farther out.  The purpose is for her fun, her exercise (deep snow limits our activities), and of course, repetition of retrieving basics. 

 

After K-Lee had retrieved the closest bumper, I would line her up and send her for the second, then the third and so on.  Mingled in with other 'exercises', she enjoyed the drill immensely.  We ran  it several times over the several weeks. 

Last week, she decided to change the game.

I sent her for the first bumper.  She fetched it, came to my side and sat at heel--waiting to give it up.  She was given praise and petted.  After the bumper "changed hands",  I calmly stroked her flank, softly praised her, and then sent her for the second.  She ran to the second, picked it up and ran to the third.  She picked up the third along with the second and brought them both to me in one trip.  I thought, "Now that's a 'double retrieve'!"

I know what you're thinking:  "Wow, you don't want to let that become a habit!"  You're right.  We immediately stopped the multiple retrieves and went back to single retrieves.  However, yesterday, I tried the drill again to see what she'd do.  You guessed it.  Two at a time.  That will easily be corrected.  Larger bumpers or repetition on singles.

What really amazed and intrigued me was her "problem solving ability".  Who says dogs can't reason?  The "still small voice" helps them build trust, confidence and "mental" room to grow.  

Perhaps we should practice that "still small voice" with each other.  ...What do you think?