Kamal Fernandez's Obedience Seminar

Hi everyone! I am Mint!

Last weekend I attended a two-day seminar by one of the world's best dog trainers, Kamal Fernandez!!

Do you know Kamal? He is a professional dog trainer based in England. He had been to New Zealand a few times to do seminars before. But, Mum didn't attend them because she thought that we were not up to that level. However, this time she didn't only sign up for the seminar as soon as it was announced but also she even secured a working spot for me!

Do you want to know how we knew him? Well, we learned how to heel nicely through his online courses at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy (FDSA), and that's where we came to know him.

Of course, we had learned how to heel from several instructors before that, such as several instructors at our dog training club as well as a few other instructors who taught us privately. We also learned it through a couple of other courses at FDSA. But, nothing worked better than methods that Kamal taught us. So, Mum and I really looked forward to the seminar!!

In the seminar we learned a lot of foundation skills rather than specific skills for each obedience exercise including heelwork.

Before our first work session, Mum asked Kamal to ask others to make sure to close their food containers so that I wouldn't go to hunt for other dogs' treats. But, Kamal said that her request was unrealistic and instead he showed Mum how to teach me to ignore others' food. It seems I should expect Mum to do that exercise with me a lot :-P 

However, I think it was an unnecessary concern. As long as the training is fun, I won't go anywhere but near Mum! If fact, I had no trouble staying focused on her during the seminar. Mum just needs to remember to prepare larger pieces of treats so that I can find them more easily!! Look! Kamal was saying the same thing!

During the two days the most difficult exercise we did was "Simon says"!! We dogs had to sit wherever our handlers put their hands on. I had no problem when Mum put her hands on her head, shoulders, or hips. But, I sometimes made a mistake and lied down when she put her hands on her knees. When she put her hands on her toes, it was really confusing!!! 

Anyway it was so much fun overall!! Mum, thank you for attending the seminar with me!!

Fenzi TEAM Titles

Hi! It's Cinnamon ;-)

Ooops! We didn't post anything for nearly a half year... Yes, Mum has been busy as you may have guessed, so she couldn't help us write posts for our blog.

Well, since my last post about Rally Freestyle Elements (Rally-FrEe), both of us have gained a Rally-FrEe Intermediate Title and a leg toward a Rally-FrEe Masters title. Also, in Musical Freestyle Mint gained his Musical Freestyle Novice title and I gained my Musical Freestyle Veteran Novice title.

Do you think I am talking about titles too much? I agree. To be honest I don't care about them. It's only humans who care about them. After all they don't bring us anything we can eat unlike local dog sports events where we can sometimes get food as prizes :-)

Having said that, I am going to talk about titles again as the title of this post indicates. The difference is that the titling program that I am going to talk about involves FOOD!!

Do you remember that Mint gained his Trick Dog Champion title last year? When he did that through video submissions, he was able to enjoy food rewards during his exercises. So was I when I did exercises for the title I am going to talk about ;-)

Fenzi TEAM Titles is a new program launched recently by Denise Fenzi, the CEO of Fenzi Dog Sports Academy that offers a wide variety of online courses. Mum is a big fan of Denise because she is always cheerful and supportive. Thanks to Fenzi courses, Mum has learned to make our training lots of fun for us as well as for herself, instead of putting us under pressure and stress.

In the Fenzi TEAM Titles program, as the name TEAM (Training Excellence Assessment Modules) indicates, the progress of your training is assessed and tracked, unlike real obedience competitions where only the accuracy of the finished product is judged and compared.

For example, the Level One assessment comprises the following exercises:

1. Engage the dog for 10 seconds without formal cues and show focus in heel position
2. Find “heel” position from 6 ft (2 m) away (three different angles) AND pivot 180° with foot target
3. Find “front” position from 6 ft (2 m) away (three different angles) with foot target/platform
4. Position changes from 5 ft (1.5 m) away with a foot target/platform
5. Go around an object AND back up
6. Send dog to vertical target placed 5 ft (1.5 m) away
7. High jump or bar jump (height or width must be minimum of ⅓ dog’s height)
8. Touch a retrieve object 
9. Identify correct article (out of 3) by scent
10. “Stay” under distraction with handler close by

Also, this program's stance on dog training is symbolised by the "Not Yet" designation that is given to unsuccessful attempts. In general the results of examinations are either "Pass" or "Fail". But, in this program you never fail. Receiving the "Not Yet" designation is like you are advised that you need to learn a little more to achieve the required level of excellence, and the judges always let you know why you were "Not Yet" and how you could improve.

And, the best part of this program is that in the basic levels you are encouraged to use food as external reinforcements and you can do it at home where there are no other dogs around! Yay!! That perfectly suits me!!

It was so much fun to try it out and here is my successful submission for the Level One, after a "not yet" attempt where Mum made a few mistakes.

It looks like fun, doesn't it? Would you like to try it? For more information about the program, visit the Fenzi TEAM Titles website.

Practising playing!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Recently Mum has been very strange. She wants to play with me, but she doesn't give me any treats or offer any toy to play with. How strange!

Mum says that playing with no food or toy is called "Personal Play" and that if I learn it I will be able to ignore other dogs better, or at least that's what Mum is hoping.

Here is a video of our practise session yesterday. As you can see, Mum was moving around overly excitedly. Sometimes I even found it a bit overwhelming.

This morning Mum was doing a little better, although I lost focus from time to time.

Now I wonder what our play will be like when we have mastered it.

Our Year 2011

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Can you believe that another year has passed already? What was the year like for you? The year has brought us a lot of changes and surprises.

January 2011

In mid January Mint was hospitalized. It seemed that Mint had eaten something toxic, which paralysed his nerve system, but the vet couldn't figure out what Mint had eaten. It took a few weeks before he got back to his normal self.

In the following week after Mint came back home, we moved from our previous house to a rental house where we lived for two months until our humans found, bought, and moved to our new house. When we were living in the rental house, we had a chance to go on a trip to Rotorua.

In late February there was a big earthquake in Christchurch and many humans and doggies lost their houses, which was really sad. And less than three weeks later there were even bigger earthquakes in Japan. Watching roads and buildings being pushed away and flattened by big waves caused by Tsunami was really saddening. Many lives were lost. Now, more than nine months later, there are still areas no one is allowed to enter because of radiation contamination. All I can now is believe in people's strength to overcome challenges.

Four days after the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, we moved from the rental house to our new house. Our previous house was close to the city centre, only fifteen minutes by bus from a bus stop in front of the house to the city centre. Our new house is far away from downtown, but for giving up the proximity to the city centre, we got a great living environment for both humans and dogs.

In early June, I had the honor to be a member of the judge panel for my friend Honey the Great Dane's "Dancing with the Doggie Stars" contest. It was rewarding to see so many doggies and their humans with no experience in dancing working so hard on their routines while enjoying the time spent together. A few days later Mint got placed the first for the first time in an Obedience trial!!

In mid July my dearest boy friend Mango the Mastiff took me to a Dream Date full of adventures!!

In late July I turned four years old and on my birthday I enjoyed my birthday cake that Mum had made for me.

In late October we went to Porirua, Wellington, 600km away from our house, to compete in a national dog dancing competition, and, as many of you know, I won and Mint got the second place in the Elementary Freestyle class!

In November Mint made a debut in an agility trial, and in December I won the Elementary B class and Mint got his first clear round in another agility trial!

December 2011

Well, that's our year 2011.

We wish you all the best for the year 2012!!!

Crate training surrounded by many other dogs

Hi. It's Cinnamon.

Today I was so cross! Why? I was cross, because Mum put me into my little crate where I had to stay quiet while many other dogs were walking by. It was unfair, as while I was in the crate, Mint was doing some obedience training with Mum!



Last week Mum made a cover for the crate, because someone had recommended that she cover my crate so that I can't see outside. Yes, as some readers with wisdom may guess, Mum was looking for a way to keep me quiet around other dogs.



Although I can stay quiet fairly well in our training facility, even if some other dogs walk by, as long as Mum is with me and beside me. But sometimes I have to wait without Mum by my side when she is training Mint.

So, today she took my crate to our training and put me in it while Mint was training. I don't mind entering a crate and staying in there at home, or when Mum is around. But, if she leaves me alone and doesn't come back soon, usually I start barking. But today I didn't bark, and instead I scratched the crate to let Mum know that I was very unhappy. What do you think Mum did then? She KICKED the crate! Can you believe it? She is such a wild woman! I stayed quiet after that, because I didn't want Mum to kick the crate again.

Of course, I did some training with Mum after Mint's training finished, but it was a very short session. Anyway I am cross about what Mum did to me today. Don't you think my Mum is mean!?

My Lollipop again!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

When I performed my Lollipop routine at NDTA (National Dog Training Assembly) 2010 last October, my Mum told me that it was our last performance of the routine and that she was going to start choreographing a new one for me. But, she hasn't done anything with our new routine yet, because she was so busy renovating the house, selling it, moving, buying a new house, and moving again until just recently. So, when we decided to participate in demonstration of Paws N Music (dog dancing) at Pets Picnic in the Park held by the Humane Society of New Zealand last weekend, we had no choice but to perform the same routine again.

Our dancing team on stand-by

Last Thursday we practised the routine for the first time after the NDTA. Until then, Mum was worried that I might not remember all the moves, but in fact I didn't only remember them all but also really enjoyed doing the routine!

When we did the same routine in the same event last year, I kept picking up acorns and eating them from the start to the end. So, Mum was anxious if I would be able to show some improvement this year. She always worries too much!! Of course I have improved a lot in many ways.

I must admit that I was very naughty a year ago, but I changed after I attended a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Foundation course at Manukau Dog Training Club last year. Mum says that it looked almost reckless to attempt for CGC with me. Back then, I never let anyone touch my muzzle. I never failed to snip anything or anyone trying to touch my muzzle. I always jumped up to anyone who came to greet me or Mum. And, needless to say, I often barked aggressively at unknown dogs when they came close to me. But, Mum gave it a go anyway.

When I was attending the CGC assessment preparation course, the instructor of the course recommended that we try competing in obedience trials because she thought that I was really good at heeling. So, I started competing in obedience and also attended competition obedience class after successfully gaining the CGC Foundation status. But, it didn't go as well as Mum wanted. It was not only once that I lunged at my classmates in the class. To be honest I was not comfortable in the environment. The class was held in a large building where as many as sixty or seventy dogs trained at the same time. So, late last year Mum switched my training from group training to private one, which made a huge difference!

A good thing about the change is that my private instructor is a completely positive trainer - she never uses physical corrections, which makes me more relaxed and less anxious. Mum says that, since I started training privately, my reactivity to other dogs has lessened and my focus has improved a lot, leaving aside my competition obedience skills.

Oh, I've got off the track. Getting back to talk about our demonstration on the weekend, I think I did really well, considering that I had practised it only once before the demonstration. Yes, I did sniff the ground a little bit, but it was because Mum dropped a piece of food in the middle of the routine!! Who could have ignored dropped food?

Do you want to see how much I improved in the last one year? Here you can see how I did last year. I missed so many moves!

And this is how I did this year. I still did some sniffing but much less than last year.

I hope you agree that I made a big improvement!

Now that we have moved to our new permanent home, we have more time to practise. Now I look forward to seeing the second routine Mum is going to choreograph for me. It seems she is going to make a routine for Mint too. Way to go, Mint!!

I've got too good a nose!!?

Hi! Cinnamon here.

It's been very wet here in Auckland for the last several days. We were planning to go to obedience ribbon trials in Mangawhai, one and a half hours north of Auckland, on the weekend, but we didn't go because my humans thought that it wasn't worth such a long drive if it rained, as the event was held outdoor.

Well, today I will show you what I start doing as soon as I catch smells left by another dog who has just passed by.

As many of you know, I find it very hard to stay calm when I meet other dogs that I don't know in the street. I know that my mum has been working hard to teach me to ignore those dogs, but it is still so hard, although I think that I actually have improved since I first started training not to bark at other dogs last November.

Mum always tries to keep distance from other dogs that we don't know, as I can stay relatively clam by playing 'Look at That' game*, if the other dog is at a distance like on the other side of the road. She also tries to avoid walking in a place where another dog has just walked, if she can, because I have got such a good nose that I just can't ignore the scent other dogs left. If I pick up such scent, I can't help tracking it. And, tracking other dogs' scent, I get excited and it becomes hard for me to stay clam.

*) In 'Look at That' game, I can get click and treat if I look at Mum as soon as I find a dog in the street.

Does anyone know how I could ignore other dogs' scent?

From Cinnamon's mum:

Today we went to St Heliers to have a walk in a break between rain showers. It seems many people thought the same way, as we met so many dogs there.



When we walk in St Heliers, we usually walk on a footpath along Tamaki Drive to Kohimarama. The footpath is relatively wide, but not wide enough for Cinnamon to feel safe. Also, you can't cross the road to the other side easily, because of the traffic.

When we were practising meeting other dogs in preparation for the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) assessment, we went there several times in a week to desensitise Cinnamon to encounters with other dogs, as in our neighbourhood we don't meet many dogs that we don't know. Although we passed the CGC assessment with luck, Cinnamon's reactivity to other dogs hasn't been fixed yet.

Today in St Heliers Cinnamon reacted to other dogs so badly that I almost felt like crying. What made things worse was that Mint started barking at other dogs even when Cinnamon was well under control by playing 'Look at That' game.



It was a good reminder that I can't afford to have a break in Cinnamon's training, at least not yet.

Obedience Class #2

Hi. It's Cinnamon.

The owl charm I am wearing in the photo is
a present from my Japanese blog friend Mini the Beagle.

I went to my obedience class last night. This time Mint didn't attend his class because his stitches hadn't been removed yet after his neutering operation. So, I trained for the whole hour unlike last week.

Yesterday it was nice to see my instructor who hadn't been there for the first class because of flu. I know I am not a great obedience dog, but in the class the instructor used me as a model dog because she knows me very well, having taught me dancing since last October.

I already knew many of the things we were taught yesterday, because they are also basic moves for dancing, such as the Touching and Following the handler's hand. One of the things I was told to do for the first time was laying down between the handler's legs. My mum was pleased to see me doing it, because I used to be very reluctant to stay under her when I practised Paws trick sitting between Mum's legs.

At the end of the class there was time for off-leash free playing. But, at that time I did something very very bad. As soon as I was let free, I lunged at my classmate Indy. I don't know why I did it, but I just couldn't stop myself! Of course I was caught on the collar immediately and kept on the lead for the rest of the play time while other classmates were all playing happily. Mum looked really sad. I am sorry, Mum...

Our first real obedience class!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Mint and I attended our first real obedience class at Manukau Dog Training Club yesterday. Although I had been in obedience trials, I had never trained in an obedience class apart from domestic obedience classes that I attended as a puppy.

Usually puppies attend the Puppy class or the Domestic class first before advancing to the Competition Obedience class. But, the instructors allowed Mint to start in the Beginner Competition Obedience class, as he could do some things taught in the class already.

A problem was that Mint's class and my class, Beginner class for those with some experience, run in the same time slot, from 6:30 to 7:30. But, after discussing with the instructors, Mum decided to work with Mint for the first half of the class and then with me for the rest.

So, I was watching what Mint was doing when I was waiting for my turn. I think he was doing very well.



To start with, he practised to move from Mum's front to her behind and sit in the heel position nicely with his nose right beside Mum's leg. Then, he practised trotting, following Mum's hand without jumping up to get the treat. After that, he practised sitting between Mum's legs.



Here came my turn. The instructor of the class is actually my dancing instructor. But, she was sick yesterday, so someone else taught us instead.

In addition to heelwork and sit and down stays, I practised how to lie down in the right way. I was told to lie down without moving forward. I didn't move forward when I lied down, but I tended to move sideways when I lowered my body. So, my Mum held food in front of my nose and moved it downward to prevent me from moving sideways. But, I was very confused because that way of guiding was similar to the one Mum uses when teaching the Bow trick!



Also, when Mum told me to stand, I couldn't help raising my right front paw to show her that I was willing to do the Limp trick, i.e. walking on three legs.

My first obedience class ... and some report

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Well, as you know, I have been training hard with Mum recently and I often go out without Mint. He says he gets bored, as he has so much time without me. On Sunday Dad took pictures of Mint to show us how he was doing when Mum and I were not home.





Last night Mum and I went out without Mint again. I attended my first obedience class. Ah, well, that is not really true. I thought I was attending a class, but it turned out that the course had finished a week before, and yesterday they were doing a practice Elementary obedience test, or a mock trial, instead.

Of course we entered the trial and my running order was the third, as my Mum registered our entry very early without knowing how many people and dogs were coming. If she had known that so many were entering, she would have let some other people register their entries before us so that she had time to prepare herself for the trial. I could sense Mum's extreme nervousness from her voice and breathing.

When we were called in the ring, I tried hard to calm her down by ignoring her a little bit. Then, I was given a tug on the lead as soon as we started walking, because I was still trying to calm Mum down by sniffing the floor. But, I realised that that was not what Mum expected of me doing, so I brought my head up quickly. Then, somewhere in the middle of the heel exercise, I picked up some nice smell and was tempted to go to find where it came from. But, seeing my nose starting to move away from her leg, Mum said "Leave it!" firmly, so I brought my attention back on her. I think the source of the smell was treat that someone had dropped while practising before the trial. The rest of the heel work was not too bad, I think, although Mum didn't look entirely happy.

The next exercise was the recall. When Mum left me, I waited without moving an inch. But, when she said "Cinnamon, come!!", I suddenly remembered about the smell I had picked up earlier. So, instead of going straight to Mum, I went over to the spot the smell came from before going to sit nicely in front of her. Later she told me that at that point she had thought about going home without doing the stays. But she decided to stay and I did the stays without problem in the end.

When we were waiting for the result, we were called into the ring to do the recall again in the runoff. This time I did it nicely without detouring.

And ... to my surprise I was placed the second and got a certificate and a toy as a prize!!



Although Mum's face was clearly saying that she couldn't believe it, I was just so happy and proud!! Mum, you always worry too much!


Before I go, I have something to report today. Now I can stay in my crate calmly without barking or digging my bed when my humans are out!! How do you think it happened? A trick is my brother Mint. My humans have decided to move my crate to beside Mint's so that I don't feel lonely. Look at this photo. We stay in our crates happily even after Mum opens the latches of the crate doors when she comes home. :-)

Training weekend

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!! Our weekend was full of training, which I really enjoyed.



On Saturday I met up with our blog friends, Lexi and Jasper the Great Danes, in Mission Bay. It was not just a play-date. Lexi and Jasper's human helped my training not to react to other dogs. Thank you so much, Lexi and Jasper's human!!!

Our humans wanted me to meet as many dogs as possible and that was one of the reasons we met up in Mission Bay, where usually many dogs come down to have walks on the beach. But, we didn't see many dogs on Saturday. However, fortunately Lexi and Jasper's human had brought two dogs under training to become mobility dogs as well as my friends, Lexi and Jasper, so I could practise walking pass them in turn one at a time. Although I sometimes couldn't control myself well enough not to pull my lead toward the dogs, I didn't bark much. :-)

Among other things, the Dane friends' human pointed out that my Mum needed to behave more confidently. The more confident Mum behaves, the less I need to try to protect the pack, which means Mum and me. I thought that was a good point, as I could see Mum getting nervous and in tense whenever she saw another dog coming. Although I didn't realise myself that I was trying to guard ourselves, now I can see why I felt so nervous when I saw another dog coming. Actually some of my blog friends also mentioned the influence of the handler's feeling over the dog in their comments to Mum's post. Thanks, friends!

Hee hee. My barking was not entirely my fault after all!! Mum needs to practise more and more to become a good reliable handler!

After the training, our humans, Lexi, and I went to a cafe in Mission Bay. Because the cafe is next to a burger shop, Burger King, many families who came to the burger shop found us sitting or lying by a table and came to pat us. Then, those families were surprised to see more dogs in Lexi's human's car parked in front to the cafe. If they had been small breeds like me, they wouldn't have been so surprised. But, in addition to Lexi, there was Jasper, another Great Dane, in the car. I wished Mum had filmed it to show you their reactions!!

Then, we went to Waiatarua Reserve together, although we couldn't stay there long as it started raining soon. Actually I couldn't enjoy running around with other dogs much, because I was busy eating rabbit poos and looking for the right spot to do my business. What was funny was Jasper! He kept following me when I was busy. I had to tell him off so many times!



My mum says that Jasper really liked me. If she is right, I am sorry I behaved like that, Jasper. I will play with you more nicely next time we meet up!



On Sunday we trained with our dancing instructor. One of the things she taught us was how to turn when heeling. She showed Mum how to gently pull the lead to keep me close to her knee and when and how to give me reward.



I had a great time in the training because I got to get so much treat!! I felt so full, when we left the place, that I fell in sleep as soon as I got in the car.

Telling a lie might be a good idea

Today's post is by Cinnamon's mum.

It seems that I need to follow advice by some of our blog friends that I should tell other dog owners a lie that my dogs have a skin disease or something.

Today, when I was walking with Cinnamon on a narrow footpath, I found a woman and her Labrador coming. Because the road was busy with traffic, there was not an option to cross the road to the other side. I looked for a driveway where we could walk in and stay until the other dog was gone, but there was none. So, I decided to turn around, go to the nearest corner, and wait there. But, when I did so, pulling Cinnamon who didn't want to move, the other dog owner quickly followed us, saying "He is a friendly dog!" Apparently the woman thought that we were running away from a dog that we thought might be aggressive.

Also, I might need to start carrying a bottle of water again when I walk Cinnamon. When I was intensively training Cinnamon not to bark at other dogs before the CGC assessment, I always carried a bottle of water and gave a splay over Cinnamon to distract her whenever she barked, which seemed to be working. Those who advocate 100% positive training might disapprove of the use of water in that way, but I think it is far more humane than pulling her lead to stop her pulling.

This is what I was doing a year ago

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

When I was browsing old photos and videos on Mum's computer with Mum, we found a video filmed exactly a year ago. I was practising pivoting trick with Cookie then.




Watching the video, I missed Cookie so much! He was always calm like this and enjoyed learning new tricks with me, proving that even middle-aged dogs can start to learn tricks.

Back then, pivoting was one of the few tricks I could do. I have learned so many tricks in the last one year. My pivoting has also improved a lot, so I hope to show you how I do the trick now sometime!



From Cinnamon's Mum:

Today I took Cinnamon and Mint for a walk together in late afternoon, although I usually walk them separately. Now I regret that I did that.

As soon as we went out of the gate, we saw a dog coming in our way. If it had been either Cinnamon or Mint only, I might have been able to control them. But, Cinnamon started barking really aggressively, so I turned around to walk away from the dog. Then the owner of the dog followed us with the dog and even tried to let the dog meet mine. Being unable to control Cinnamon as well as Mint, who was pulling the lead, I got so stressy that I couldn't say anything when the other dog's owner asked my dogs' ages, which means I effectively ignored the person.

After putting Cinnamon and Mint in a down stay for a while to calm them down, we started walking again. Then, only ten seconds or so later, another dog appeared, and again his owner came in our way wanting to say hello to us, when I was trying to ignore them. Again Cinnamon started barking aggressively, and when I was struggling to control my two dogs, a person who was with the person walking the dog came and tried to give me a hand. But, again, I couldn't do anything but saying "I am fine."

Then, again, less than a minute later, another dog came in our way, and Cinnamon behaved in the same way.

It was a very weird afternoon. We usually don't meet so many new dogs walking near our house. That's why I took Cinnamon to many different places by car when I was trying to teach her to stay calm when she met new dogs, in preparation for Canine Good Citizen assessment.

I was reminded that training NEVER ENDS!!

Yes, I can do it!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

My Mum looks very happy today. I can tell you why. That is because our dancing instructor said to her "Cinnamon is a good dog. You should do obedience."

Do you wonder how that comment could make Mum so happy? Back in February the same instructor said to her "How can you put up with this? Are you really getting another Beagle?" (Of course, it was a joke, I know, as she is a very nice human) when she helped us create a short routine to perform in the one-minute busking on the last day of the Paws N Music national camp. At that time I couldn't do proper heeling, although I could walk staying close to Mum, and I didn't listen to Mum or the instructor at all, being busy sniffing around the camp ground.



On Sunday the instructor spared some of her time for us and showed Mum how to walk in obedience competitions (After seeing Mum walking in an obedience trial, the instructor said to her "You were walking like a Japanese girl [in kimono]"). Mum had never been taught such competition-specific skills before. The fact that the instructor offered to help her was enough to make Mum happy, but the remark I quoted earlier made her even happier, because she had thought that the instructor had given up on training me long ago.



By the way, Mint has turned out to be another loud barker. When he is tied while I am doing training, he keeps barking loudly. Mum had always said to other humans "Mint is a good boy, because he doesn't bark like Cinnamon!" But, she was wrong!!! It seems he learned to bark as he grew. I think it was all Mum's fault. She didn't try to correct him when he barked, because he usually stopped barking soon without any intervention ... until just recently. It is a result of her negligence in Mint's nature as a barker!

Making a fresh start in a new warm jacket!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

After the obedience trials last weekend, Mum has decided to make a fresh start in our training. The first challenge she took on is keeping my attention when she takes my lead off. She now gives me heaps of yummy treats before letting me off, and she gives me more treats if I stay close to her. Sounds good?

Also, this week she bought me a new jacket so that I can stay warm when walking even in the coldest day. Although it doesn't snow here in Auckland, we still get some frost like this in cold mornings.



The new jacket is not only warm and waterproof but also breathable according to the seller's description of the jacket on TradeMe online auction website.

Mum hopes that my new coat will ease the discomfort from arthritis in my hips.



When I had a walk in this new jacket for the first time, Mum videoed me practising my new attention exercise.



Do you think exercise like this is helpful for the purpose? I am not sure...


Before I go, I will show you a photo of Mint wearing a raincoat. This morning Mint had a walk in this raincoat for the first time. Mint wiggled and tried to bite the coat when Mum was putting it on him. But, Mum says Mint didn't mind it when he was walking, which I didn't see because Mint and I walk separately.



It is a miserable day with lots of rain here. I hope it will clear up on the weekend, which is unlikely though.

Obedience trials again

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

I entered obedience trials again on the weekend. As there has been no dancing competitions or demonstrations since my public dancing debut in April, my humans thought that it would be a good idea to enter obedience trials to get used to the competition environment.

As I reported in my previous post about my first obedience trial, I didn't get placed in the trial despite my great performance, because my mum made mistakes without knowing the competition rules. But, now that Mum has learned the rules, she has no excuse.


Now I am handing today's post over to Mum so that she can write about the weekend's trials, as she says she wants to keep the record of them.


Hi. This is Cinnamon's mum here. As Cinnamon has just mentioned, I am going to write about how we did in our trials as our trial record.

The trials we entered on the weekend were part of a championship event, AEC Benefit obedience Championship. You have to register your entries in advice in order to enter championships, but the Elementary class is not a formal competition, so we registered our entry on the day (Entry fee was five NZ dollars each day).

In Saturday's trial, Cinnamon's heelwork didn't go as well as it did in our first trial. Her attention was not focused, and neither was mine, because I hadn't seen Cinnamon do her business in the morning and I knew that Cinnamon cannot focus when she wants to go to toilet. Originally our running order was the second, but I asked the judge if we could change it to a later order, hoping that she would finish it by then. Fortunately the judge was flexible and agreed to make it so. But in the end Cinnamon didn't do it until our turn came.

Without having done a warm-up that we usually do before any kind of competitions, we went into the ring. I got a little panicky when I saw Cinnamon's nose moved downward, as soon as the steward asked 'Are you ready?' and I said 'Yes'. But, to my relief, she brought her head up soon after, and she started walking nicely. However, at the first about-turn, Cinnamon went a little too far from me, and at the end of the exercise she sat in a little angled way.




After our run, our dancing instructor Jan told me that my walking had looked like shuffling, which needs correcting.

In the recall, again her sitting position at the end was angled, perhaps because I was standing with my feet closed, giving no room for her to sit in front of me.



In the 30-second sit stay, I got a little panicky again, when I turned around and saw Cinnamon scratching her neck with a leg, but she held and stayed sitting without standing up. Good girl, Cinnamon!

In the 1-minute down stay, Cinnamon did really well, staying laying down, even when some of the dogs stood up after a dog barked.

Overall, we were placed the third and got our first ribbon!!




It was raining heavily on Sunday morning. I think the noise of rain hitting the roof somehow disturbed our concentration. Cinnamon's heelwork was not too bad, but in the recall, she took off when I was about to leave her after the final command, although she eventually came back and then did a nice recall.

It seems that Cinnamon wanted to go and check the next dog waiting at the entry to the ring. Actually this is her usual response when I release her soon after she sees a dog coming in her way or passing by. When we practise tricks and dancing in the park or a tennis court of a nearby primary school, she always does this, which I have been struggling to correct.

In the hindsight there might've been another reason for her take-off. Although I knew that Cinnamon responds better to hand signals than to verbal commands, I forgot to use a hand signal - placing a hand with the palm open in front of her nose - in the recall.

In the stays I was very impressed with Cinnamon's behaviour. When the dog next to Cinnamon stood up as soon as the 30-second sit stay started, she looked at him but didn't stand up!



She looked very relaxed even when she was doing down stay that she hates. Usually she starts shaking, perhaps from stress, as soon as I put her in a down stay. But, this time, she was so relaxed that she was even resting her chin on the floor, which she rarely does outside.



Overall, we weren't placed of course, because of the big deduction for taking off in the recall. But, otherwise, Cinnamon did very well again I think.

Considering that Cinnamon has to perform off lead in dancing, we will have to work on her response when she is released from the lead. Also, maybe we should attend some obedience classes to get better understanding about obedience trials.

Lessons learned:

* Don't worry about toilet. Cinnamon can wait. Trust her
* Use hand signals especially when putting Cinnamon in a stay or wait

Issues to work on:

* Angled positions when heeling and sitting
* My shuffling walking in small steps in the heelwork
* Cinnamon's response when released from the lead

I am a good citizen!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Today I have great news!! I passed the Foundation level of Canine Good Citizen! Can you believe it? A half year ago no one would have thought I would.

We did it!

Last November I had a couple of private training sessions with a renown dog behaviorist, Flip of Flip's Top Dog, because my reaction to other dogs was so bad that I even barked at dogs walking on the other side of a road with lots of traffic. At that time my friend Honey the Great Dane and her human observed our training and gave us some helpful advice too!

Flip's advice was to strengthen my heelwork, and we spent most of the time during the training sessions for practising heelwork with or without distractions. Of course, there is no miracle that can change a dog's behaviour instantly, so I continued to practise heelwork with my mum after that.

In addition to practising heelwork, my Mum and I did lots of attention exercise: i.e. Getting praises and rewards for looking at Mum as soon as I find a dog in the street (This exercise is called 'Look at That! game' in "Control Unleashed" by Leslie Mcdevitt).

In the result of our collaborative hard work, my heelwork improved a lot, which was proven in an obedience ribbon rial that I entered for the first time, as I reported in this post.

As my heelwork improved, so did my reaction to other dogs, but not as significantly as my heelwork. When I attended the first class of the eight-week Canine Good Citizen course at Manukau Dog Training Club two months ago, I barked at my classmates so badly that I was told to lie down under my Mum's legs while she was sitting on a chair with other human attendees. According to our trainer, putting the dog in a Down Stay is helpful for controlling dogs barking.

At home we did a lot of Down Stay exercises. For example, Mum placed a dog bed under her desk and made me stay laying down on it while she was working.

Also, Mum thought that I needed to meet more new dogs, but in our daily walks in the neighbourhood we don't meet many dogs and I already know most of the few dogs that we meet. So, for several days before the assessment, Mum and I went to many different places, such as St Heliers, Kohimaraka, and Mission Bay beaches and Cornwall Park, to practise ignoring other dogs.

Mum even used aroma therapy to relax me. She found information about dog aroma therapy on a Japanese website of her friend's natural soap and cosmetics shop Ringa Ringa, The Natural Skincare Co. (209 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland) and made special aroma oil (10ml of Sweet Almond Oil, 2 drops of Lavender Angustifolia, and 1 drop of Ylang Ylang 1st) for me. She massaged me with the oil every time before we went out for a walk. (Photo on the right: Mint and Ringa Ringa's canine staff, Anko & Kurosawa)

Being patted by a friendly stranger

On the assessment day she massaged me with the oil before entering the assessment venue, but the meeting-a-stranger-and-their-dog exercise was the third from the last in the 17 exercises in the assessment, so the aroma had gone by then. Nevertheless, I did pretty well in the exercise, walking nicely toward a stranger and her dog and staying beside Mum with my tail wagging, although I got to bark once - Yes, just once! - as soon as I started walking after meeting the new dog. (According to the rules of the assessment, excessive barking is not allowed, which means some barking may be permissible.)

Meeting a stranger and her dog

Another exercise I almost failed was staying tied on lead with the handler in sight for five minutes. As you know, I hate staying alone. So, I just couldn't help whining from the beginning and I barked weakly a couple of times trying to call Mum back. But, after Mum said "Stay", giving me a scary face, I gave in and decided to stay until she came back to me.

This time five humans and their dogs, including my Mum and me, attended the assessment and all of us passed!

Congratulations to everyone!

For those who want to sit for the Canine Good Citizen Foundation assessment, the following exercises are included in the assessment (copied from NZKC website):

1. Appearance, handling and responsibility
  a. Responsibility and care
  b. Public cleanliness and identification
  c. Examination of the dog by handler
  d. Grooming and inspection of the dog by the assessor
2. Food manners
  a. Person eating
  b. Dog eating
3. Accepting a friendly stranger
4. Accepting being patted by a friendly stranger
5. Walk on lead through a door/gate in a controlled manner
6. Return to handler
7. Walk on lead
8. Controlled walk through people and distractions
  a. Pedestrian traffic
  b. Distractions
9. Stay tied on lead
10. Meeting a stranger and their dog
11. Supervised separation
12. Playing with the dog


Here is a footage video that My Dad made so that you can see how I did in the assessment (If you can't view it here, click here).

Now I can declare that I am a Good Citizen, can't I?

My hardship

Hi, it's Cinnamon.

Today I am going to write about a hardship I have been suffering.

I am not sure if I have told you, but I just hate being left alone. I used to have my reliable brother Cookie with me when my humans were out. But, since he crossed the rainbow bridge last December, I have had to stay all by myself, which I just can't stand!


At first I kept barking without knowing what to do otherwise, when left alone in my crate, like this.

But, gradually I learned to stay quiet and instead I started digging my bed.

Many humans have recommended that I get a Kong so that I can stay occupied for one hour or two without feeling anxious. But, my humans didn't buy me one, because they remembered that I had quickly destroyed a Puppy Kong when I was a puppy, and they thought that Kongs would not last long.

A while ago, my friends Bella and Barry the Beagles' human wrote about an extremely durable Kong called KONG Extreme Goodie Bone in their blog. According to the post, Bella and Barry's new Extreme Kongs had lasted at least for a week at the time of the post, unlike standard Kongs, which lasted only three days. So, my humans bought me the so called toughest Kong.



When I tried my new Kong with peanut butter smeared inside for the first time while my humans were out, I dropped it under my thick bed by mistake after only three minutes, and couldn't pull it back, so I started digging my bed as I usually do.

So, when my humans had to go out the next time, my mum replaced the bed in the crate with another one with edges that would hopefully prevent the Kong slipping off the bed. This time my Kong, filled with some biscuits as well as peanut butter, didn't slip off the bed, but one hour later I found myself digging my bed again.

After one hour's chewing, my Kong became like this.



BIG Sigh...

I think it's partly my humans' fault. They should read Honey the Great Dane's post more carefully. My humans haven't made enough effort to desensitise me. But, after this latest failed attempt with the Kong, they must have been convinced of the need for it. So, hopefully I will be able to stay alone for a longer period of time in the near future.

My first (unexpected) obedience trials!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Tell you what! I entered my very first obedience trials on the weekend!

As you may know, I have done hound racing, agility, and dancing, but I have never attended an obedience course to prepare for competitions. I did attend a five week obedience course when I was a puppy, and more recently I have been doing some social obedience training at Manukau Dog Training Club that I belong to for dancing. But, that's it! So, when a trainer at the training club told my mum on Thursday that we should enter the trials on the weekend, she looked a little confused.

As Mum didn't know what to expect in the trials, she asked Bodie's human by email if it was something even those with no experience like us could enter (Bodie the Border Terrier is an experienced obedience competitor, and also his human always gives us helpful advice on dancing). In her reply, Bodie's human assured us that there would be no problem with us and explained what kinds of exercises we would have to do. Thanks, Bodie's human!! Then, on Friday, the day before the trials, Mum finally decided to enter them.

There were two trials in one day, one hosted by All Breed Dog Training Club in the morning and the other hosted by Counties Dog Training Club in the afternoon.

The first trial started at 9am in the morning. Our turn was the third in the Elementary class. It started with heel work, which I did excellently. The next was recall, where Mum made a mistake by telling me to move a little closer to her to adjust my sitting position after I sat in front of her, without knowing it was subject to a penalty. Brody's human, who had been watching by the ring, gave us advice on the mistake. Thanks, Brody's human! After all the competitors completed the heel work and recall exercises, we all did sit and down stays together. Then again Mum made a mistake and used hand signals while I was staying. She thought extra commands were allowed in the Elementary class, but she was wrong! After our trial finished, several kind humans reminded my mum of her mistakes, but it was too late. Actually it turned out that we would have been placed if Mum had known those rules and there hadn't been reductions for them!! I was a time for the sixth place, when up to the fifth were given ribbons.

Despite her own mistakes, Mum is not only pleased with the result but also thrilled with my performance, especially my heel work which got only one point deducted from the full points (20)!

Here is a video of my heel work and recall.



In the afternoon there was another trial. When the second trial started, I was already very tired, as I hadn't had a decent rest since early in the morning. Do you still want to know the result? Well, this time I made mistakes. In the recall exercise, I couldn't wait while Mum was walking away from me, because I had found a piece of food on a corner of the ring when I was entering it, and I just couldn't resist going there to pick it up. Also, in the down stay exercise, I couldn't resist the urge to lick my bottom and I forgot that I had to stay laying down. But, Mum didn't blame me because I had done wonderfully in the morning.

Both Mint and I are learning

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Yesterday Mint had his first tricks lesson with my dance instructor who had taught me in my beginners dancing class late last year.

The instructor had been so busy with her work that for a few of months she hadn't been able to come to Ardmore New Zealand Kennel Club Exhibition Centre where I practice dancing every Thursday. Yesterday I met her for the first time since the national dog dancing camp in February. When my Mum told her at the summer camp that we were going to get a new Beagle puppy, she said that we should start training the puppy as soon as possible once we got him. But, she didn't have a chance to show us what to do until yesterday.

To start with they did 'Nose Touch' using a clicker. In 'Nose Touch', the handler lures the dog with some treat in one hand and does click-and-treat as soon as the dog touches the hand with his nose. Mint did it very well, so they proceeded to the next step, 'In Front', where the dog gets click-and-treat as soon as he comes and stands in front of the handler. In this exercise, the most difficult part for many dogs is that he has to stay standing instead of sitting in front of the handler, which is what dogs are usually taught to do.

Usually, in 'In Front' exercise, the handler throws a treat to make the dog go there to get the treat before coming back to the 'In Front' position. But, my Mum told the instructor that she didn't want to throw treats, because she didn't want Mint to learn picking up food from the ground. It is said that dogs recognise the difference between picking up food from the ground after a click and doing the same thing without any cue, but Mum believes that Beagles don't think that way. She thinks you should never allow a Beagle to pick up food from the ground. So, she is always very careful not to drop a treat when practising dancing or tricks with me, although in every training session she still drops one or two pieces of food, which I happily pick up and eat.

Yesterday the instructor came up with a really good solution. She suggested teaching Mint targeting first and making Mint go to the target and come back. In yesterday's lesson they used a little frisbee as a target, and it worked pretty well although he may need some more practice to figure out what he is expected to do.



At Ardmore I did some social obedience training in addition to dancing. I practised heeling on a slack lead, meeting another dog without barking, staying, recalls, and some other exercises. I think I did very well, but my Mum was not completely happy because I tried to jump up several times when I shouldn't. She thinks I need a lot more practise. Phew...



While I was doing obedience training, Mint was playing with a cute girl. He looked so happy!