Vic’s Web Log

This was week 4 of the 6 week class. There were a couple of additional signs introduced and routines that go along with them. The first was something called a spiral. The spiral is what it sounds like, that is spiraling loops around a line of 3 cones. The first loop includes cones 1, 2 and 3. The 2nd loop includes cones 1 and 2 and the 3rd loop includes only cone 1. There are 2 variations, sprial right dog outside and spiral left dog inside. Spiral right means that you want the cones on your right and with the dog on the left side at heel she is outside. Spiral left is the opposite.

The other new routines involved 4 cones and are called strait figure 8 and serpentine. With the figure 8 you start by approaching cones 1 and 2 with those cones on your left and go between the 2 cones and weave back between cones 2 and 3 and then back between 3 and 4 then on around 4 and mirror your path on the way back. Serpentine is simply the first half of the figure 8.

In the last class it was pretty challenging to try and get Dixie’s attention on the course so we’re doing extra attention work this week.

View all the previous Dog Training articles…

More to follow next week…

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We’re half way through the class and I’m only just beginning to feel a little comfortable moving through the various courses. It’s a little more difficult than I imagined. Dixie really likes going to the classes and it’s interesting to me how exhausted she is in the evening following the class. All that mental concentration I suppose just wears her out.

Last night there were 3 new signs introduced. The one called “Left about turn” was pretty interesting. Basically, you’re walking along with the dog at heel and you signal the dog to cross in front of you from left to right and continue around and at the same time you make a 180 degree turn to the left and end up with the dog back at heel. Dixie picked this up surprisingly quickly.

The other 2 signs called for a sequence of moves. In one you’re moving along and then stop and call the dog to front position. Then take 1 step back with dog following and returning to front. Then 2 steps back and then 3 steps back with the dog following and returning to front each time. The other sign was similar except instead of the dog in front she is at heel and you take 1 step, 2 steps, 3 steps forward with dog following and returning to sit at heel position each time. It’s pretty fun to do and fun to watch.

View all the previous Dog Training articles…

More to follow next week…

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This was the 2nd week of the Novice Rally Obedience class at Pet Behavior Help. Dixie was much more settled this week and did well on the courses. She actually did much better than me because I missed stations and made wrong turns etc. If she could read the signs for me we’d be all set.

For the past week we’ve worked only on her moving attention. She still has a ways to go with that but she’s making good progress. Of course we practice that walking along a sidewalk. When we’re on the training field it’s more distracting for her because of all the interesting smells so I may look for a more distracting place for her attention work.

There were a couple of new twists on the course this week. In the Team Building class when we learned the “front” command with the “swing” and “around” finishes the dog was taught to always end up sitting at my left side. In Rally Obedience while moving through the course we do the front/finish commands that way but we also do front/finish commands where we start moving forward as soon as the dog gets back to the left side. In that case if the dog actually sits it is an error so it is just a matter of good timing by the handler.

One other new station on the course was the side step. At a side step station on the course you’re walking along strait and take a quick side step to the right while continuing forward. The dog should be watching you and follow on a loose leash.

It’s a fun class for Dixie I think because we’re moving a lot and she likes that. Patience is not her strong suit.

More fun to come next week…

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We have a deck with a little more than 30 inches of clearance on one side which offers an unattractive view of our beautiful under the deck area and some of the things I store under there like left over french drain. You never know when you’ll need about 20 feet of french drain!

I’ve seen areas like this screened with lattice board but I find that almost as unattractive as the thing we’re trying to screen. Also, lattice is usually fixed in place sealing you off from the important under the deck storage area. So lattice was out.

Deb and I put our heads together (mostly Deb) and came up with the idea of building a trellis like screen which could be hung from the outside support beam on the porch. Being lazy and lacking tools and skill we started with a pre-made 6 foot section of deck railing and a few extra spindles. $30 from Home Depot…

Next we sawed off the extended top and bottom rail sections from one end and added some 1.5 inch deck screws to the remainder of the top and bottom rails to make the piece stronger to suit our application.

The next step was to attach the spindles to the rail section forming a nice trellis like pattern. We used 3 inch deck screws for this task. With the spindles in place we added 2 number 6 hooks to the top of the rail sections which we will use to hang the sections from the porch beam. The porch beam will have screw eyes in place lined up with the hooks on the railing. The final step was to give the new screening a coat of sealer and hang them. We made 2 sections to cover a 12 foot span. Here is the finished project, just needs a little finishing pine straw…

Looks much better than lattice, eh? This project took about 4 hours and cost about $75 and anyone with the most minimal skill can easily take on this project.

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Dixie and I went hiking at Little River Regional Park today with my friend, Jerry. This park includes 7 miles of hiking trails and it is very scenic with well maintained trails. We took the Ridge Trail and then the North River loop which runs right along side the river. The section along the river was just spectacular.

The River Trail headed away from the river after a half mile or so but offered a last view of the river from a bluff overlooking a bend in the river.

The park service has installed several rustic benches and the placement of the benches was very thoughtful. The overlook pictured above had a small clearing with a bench. One of the hikers is pictured to the right here resting on the bench enjoying the view.

The Park also has 8 miles of single track mountain bike trails and I’ll have to get back up there with my bike sometime soon.

The park has an online presence complete with maps and directions. Durham and Orange counties and the Eno River Association should be commended for making this park such incredibly nice place to visit.

North Carolina is truly a beautiful state from the mountains to the beaches.

There are additional pictures from today’s hike in the Photos section. For additional information about this park and others in the area visit my NCDogFacts site.

Next up, Duke Forest…

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Last Wednesday night Dixie and I started a Novice Rally Obedience class at Pet Behavior Help here in Durham. I had never heard of Rally Obedience until recently.

I’ll admit in the past I didn’t properly appreciate the need for a well behaved obedient dog. My standards were a bit lower previously so basically if my dog would just come when I called her name we were good.

The way it works is you and your dog go through a course designed to test the handler and dog. The course is made up of 10-20 stations depending on level and each station has a sign explaining what the dog/handler team should do at that station. For example the sign might say, “Turn Left” or “Sit/Down” or maybe execute a 270 degree turn in a specific direction.

It is sort of a moving obedience challenge and it makes clear why the teacher kept having us work on attention in the previous class. If you can get and hold a dog’s attention you can get that dog to do just about anything. Our first run through this training course probably took the record for worst attempt. I was confused about what to do at most of the signs and Dixie was just not into training that night though by the 3rd try she was a little better. I’ll plan of getting to the class early Wednesday to try and get her settled a little beforehand.

If you’re interested in learning more about Rally Obedience there are several links on my NCDogFacts site.

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NetApp has a new brand. One of our founders shares his thoughts about it on his web log…

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Our house is 18 years old and the front and rear entry door locks are original. They still work of course, just not very smoothly and they are noticeably worn. So today’s project is to replace them. Deb and I were out shopping at Home Depot recently and purchased 2 locksets made by Kwikset. I have to say, these lock sets are of surprisingly high quality.

We decided on the Smart Key series which is a line of bump resistant premium locks. The interesting thing about these locks it the smart key feature. Essentially, they can be re-keyed without even having to remove them. Also if I replace any other entry locks with this type of lock I can easily re-key them to work with my current key.

If you buy one of these locksets you may notice a re-keying package among the locks for around $10. This kit includes 4 keys and 2 alternates. You do not need this kit to re-key the lockset you’re purchasing because your Smart Key lock includes the re-keying tool and 2 keys.

We’ll begin by removing the old entry lock; first the inside/outside part of the lock attached to the handles and then the bolt installed on the side.

The locks are removed by first removing the 2 screws through the lock from the interior half of the locks. With the screws removed both halves will slip apart and off. Next remove the 2 screws securing the bolt assembly from the edge of the door and remove the bolt assembly.

Follow packaging direction to install the new lockset but basically it is simply the reverse of the removal. When you install the bolt assembly pay attention to which side goes up. It will be labeled “up”. This is important with the bolt lock because it isn’t obvious by shape which side goes up since it looks the same both ways.

A nice feature of the Kwickset Smart Key locksets is that the interior side has a cover plate so you don’t see any screw heads at all. This really gives it a nice finished look.

Replacing an entry lockset is a simple task and requires a screwdriver and about 30 minutes.

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A while back I registered a new domain with the idea of building a community resource for anyone in the Triangle area who happened to have a dog. Whether you’re moving to the area or maybe lived here for a while but only recently added a 4 legged family member the site would provide a wealth of information and tips.

I’m happy to report that the new site is taking shape thanks to a lot of people who have kindly provided content, advice and direction. People with dogs tend to be passionate about animals so it’s no surprise that they are willing to volunteer time and content to develop the site.

The site content is managed by a wiki server, MediaWiki, and the wiki will facilitate collaboration by area volunteers who want to actively develop the site’s content. My thinking is that perhaps folks involved with dog training or sports or people working in such areas as grooming salons, shelters or rescue groups would collaborate to provide content.

If you are interested in dogs then by all means check out www.ncdogfacts.com. And if you have any ideas about how to improve the site then please leave a comment. All ideas, suggestions and especially content welcome.

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Tonight was the final night of the Team Building Obedience class at Pet Behavior Help. Most of the night was spent running through a series of tests to highlight the progress made by the class over the past 6 weeks. I was very satisfied with Dixie’s progress and frankly amazed at how far she’s come in 6 weeks. She actually seems to be just coming into the age and maturity where she can make rapid progress.

Something I noted from the tests tonight was that I have neglected to work on the “stand” command enough. Mainly I need to work on getting Dixie to understand that I might also want her to stay or wait while standing. She responds well to the “stand” command but we haven’t worked at all on “stand/stay”. She’ll pick this up quickly. I also need to work more on maintaining her attention while going through the heel exercises. Good attention truly is key to everything else. I see that more and more during each class.

It is interesting to me how Dixie’s attitude changes on class night. Ordinarily she is very affectionate and loves attention but when she gets onto the field she is suddenly all business and doesn’t want a pat on the head but prefers to just focus on the work.

Dog training is ultimately simple in concept but can sometimes be difficult in practice. This team building class has been invaluable to me in understanding what is involved in getting Dixie to the next level.

Next class is Novice Rally Obedience and starts Wednesday, March 13th. More dog training articles to come then…

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