Olive- swimming out

   Olive swims out for a bumper/person without problem right now, but I still need to teach her the command "go out".  First I take Olive to the point just before her swimming depth.  From there, I take one step forward, so she takes her first stroke to follow me.  When she takes the first stroke, I click and reward her.  I repeat this process many times and put "go out" command as she gets used to.  Next step is to tell her to "go out" a few strokes by herself while I'm staying at the starting point (just before her swimming depth).  I do not need anyone calling her or throw a bumper to retrieve.  I want her to understand "go out" means she swims and goes away from me.  (I use same "go out" command in obedience.  Doing Open and Utility obedience really helps my dogs to build confidence to work in distance.)
   The other thing she needs to learn for swimming out is to go out when she carries something in her mouth.  I basically repeat the same process of teaching "go out".  Just put a bumper or a line in her mouth, then tell her to go out.  When she takes the first stroke, I praise her.  If she needs me to help her to hold into her mouth, I just gently support her chin as she swims out.  If she is solid for "hold" command, I use the word, too.  I've seen so many dogs just drop a line or a bumper after their handlers send them out to rescue a person or a boat at water tests.  It is very disappointing to see the dogs are willing to go out, but fail because they are not solid to swim out with something in their mouth.
    Eventually, I will drop a line or a bumper (with a line attached) in water.  Then I tell her to pick it up, then go out.  After she masters this level, I will start backing out her toward beach.  After she can reliably go out from beach, I make her work a little bit harder.  I step on her line while she is on the way to a calling steward or a boat.  If she drops the line, she must pick it up, then keep going out.  If she shows me that level, then I feel she is a little bit closer to take a test : )  When she is ready to do WRDX in the future, I will use this technique in the delivering a line to shore.  It is just in opposite direction.

Olive-water training started

I think it's time to teach Olive basic skills of water training.  She swam several times so far since I got her last Sep.  Now I know she can at least swim and swims for fun.

Today I took her and Louie, my 9 year old veteran swimmer who obtained WRDX a few years ago (WRDX is the highest level of NCA Water Work), to swim.  I put her on a lifejacket since my friends and I noticed dogs who started with lifejackets seem to learn "leveled" swimming.  There are two kinds of swimmers.  One who swims leveled to surface (hindend floats) and the other who swim unleveled (hindend under water).  I want my dogs to swim leveled because it is more efficient and energy saving.  And I know it will help her to do "Capsized boat rescue" in WRDX in the future.  Both Louie and Maya (who also has WRDX) are not leveled swimmer.  The Capsized boat rescue was the most challenging exercise for them.  Today Olive kept swimming and swimming endlessly to retrieve her bumper.  I'm sure the lifejacket saved her energy, so she could keep going.

I was watching her carefully.  I wanted to know what she naturally does in water.  She seems to be ok to dunk her face into water (which is advantage for Underwater Retrieve in the senior level test).  She comes out to me without hesitation, but kept turning left in front of me ("left" from her point of view), so did not go around me before turning back to shore.  I need to start making her go around me EVERYTIME since I want to make sure she gets to a drowning victim who needs to be able to touch and grab her in order to be rescued.  She also tried jumping off a dock today.  Not a natural jumper.  But I'm sure she will do it if I can make it fun.  First time I ran with her and she jumped in with me.  But she also realized it's a little bit scary (she dunked her head completely).  Since she doesn't mind to wet her face, I'm sure she will get over it and learn not to sink herself completely (she's been putting her muzzle into a water bucket in our house...that's her own play).  I think I don't worry about her water skills, but today's biggest finding was she LOVES to munch grass while she is on beach.  I need to be clear that is not acceptable from now since I don't want her to keep munching whatever on beach and not to work (play with me in water).  I want her to think playing in water is much more fun than staying on beach.

2012 Newf National in Carlisle, PA.  Louie's placements. 3rd in 9 yrs and over at Regional on Monday. 2nd. in 9 yrs and over at Veteran Sweeps on Wed. (1st. was Lincoln who won BOB 3 times at National, so I was very excited to place in 2nd.  It's like winning the class !!!)  4th. in VN class among younger boys on Thurs.  It was a very long week for my old buddy, but he and I enjoyed very much.

 Emmy enjoyed her first trip to National (and her new Frog toy).