Wild Idaho 50k 2013

Ultra Running makes me jump for JOY!

This was the 3rd year I lined up at the starting line of the Wild Idaho Endurance Race.  In 2011, this was my first official 50 mile finish and in 2012 I opted to do the 50k since I was training for a marathon that I wanted to do well at the following month (seeing as how this course has over 8,500 feet of vertical in the 50k that was probably not the best training decision ever and my race time the following month would reflect that), but this year I was eager to run the 50k again as I’ve achieved the main goals already for the year (Boston (BQ) and a Belt Buckle (Antelope Island Buffalo Run) and many other races already this season.

This was the perfect place to soak away any pre-race tightness in my IT band! It was bubbling hot and heavenly!

Wayne and I decided to come alone this year and leave the five kids with my parents. That turned out to be a really nice decision. We were able to unwind, relax as we settled into camp and then we headed out to the Boiling Springs natural hot springs after the pre-race meeting and dinner with several friends for some soothing time in the warm water, which I was sure would be beneficial to my IT band, which had been causing me problems in the last two races.  I think it helped too! I felt calm and my muscles felt great after a nice, long soak.

I set up all of my gear the night before on the separate bed in the tent trailer (another perk I had since the kids were at home and not sleeping in it!) I set my alarm and then settled into bed with Wayne and got some shut eye. Usually I don’t sleep very well the night before a race, but I fell asleep pretty easily (maybe I should always take a hot bath the night before races to mimic the effects of the hot springs in the future!)  I woke to the sound of the race director, Ben Blessing (a former Marine and current National Guardsman) playing Taps, which I thought was awesome – even though it was 5 am and I’m sure some of the deer and squirrels might not have appreciated the early wake up call in an area that is usually so nice and quiet at that time of day!

Getting psyched up before the race!

I was happy that Wayne decided to get up with me and see me off at the start. He’d considered sleeping in and enjoying a little more shut-eye before going fishing with his buddy, but it was nicer to have him there with me in the early morning chill to keep me warm and to take a few pre-race photos which are always excellent souvenirs for later!

Wild Idaho Race Start

I walked as far back as possible to avoid going out too fast since I’d had IT band troubles in the last two ultras I did in July and wanted to stay conservative in the first half to keep any more troubles at bay.  Ben counted down and we were off!  I settled into an easy pace and noticed my sweet friend, Mariah Crump was near me and so we settled into a comfortable pace and started catching up.  Mariah has been such an upbeat, fun addition to the Boise Trail Runners gang.  I first met her last year while pacing IMTUF 100 miler.  She was at the last aid station (a huge robin egg blue bus out in the middle of nowhere, which had me questioning my sanity at first since I thought it was a mirage!)  She was perky and fun and helpful at her aid station and she was dying to do her first ultra, which is always fun to see in another runner!  She set her sights on working hard and doing all the races in the Ultra Series so she could do well at the IMTUF race herself in 2013!! And, she’s knocked out race after race since that time – always smiling, always staying positive and it was fun to listen to her talking about the journey she’d had to get this far, with much success this year!

The morning was just dawning as we ran down the dirt road and then jumped onto a fun bush-whacking bit of early morning fun through the pine trees and bushes, hopping over logs, dodging rocks.  There was plenty of chatter at the back of the pack and we did our best to warn those behind us when a tree branch would come smacking our way or a big rock would be suddenly underfoot, threatening to trip us up “BRANCH!!” “ROCK!”  It was fun!

My legs felt great and my spirit was light as I ran the familiar dirt road up towards the Silver Creek Lookout saddle aid station at mile 4.4.  Once I hit that, I knew there would be more uphill to the Silver Creek Lookout tower and I was looking forward to the gorgeous vista that awaited me at the top.  I saw my pal, Mark at the aid station along with his two golden retrievers, Cali and Norman and said hi as I checked in and out and headed up the climb.  The dogs have ran with me before and must have thought it was time for a little leg stretch as I headed by because within a couple minutes they were both running right beside me! I heard Mark say “No, Cali! No Norman! Come here!” I paused and thought they did too and were heading back but before long I heard panting and there they were again – right in front of me – leading me up the hill.  I giggled, thinking how it looked like I’d just adopted two really strong climbers to pace me up the climb!  We had a fun time, too running up the hill and saying hello to my faster friends who were coming back down from the summit on the out and back.  I had a pretty good laugh when I looked up and saw my friend, Derek running fast downhill with a new black pup by his side too! I yelled out, “Hey! You got a dog!!!” And he said, “You got TWO!” and we both started laughing.

By the time I reached the lookout, I’d heard my friend Tony was at the top taking the race photographs, so I had already planned out how I wanted to do a leaping shot.  Tony was quick with the camera and captured me in midair on the first try, which was pretty cool! The guide at the top saw the two dogs and offered them some water, which I thought was really nice. I’d been sharing water from my pack with them, but this was in a nice dish on the ground, which was a lot nicer for the pooches!

Silver Creek Lookout

After their drinks, the three of us headed down! I was feeling frisky and ready to test out the legs on the downhill (one of my all-time favorite sections of any race course I’ve ever done since it’s a nice grade and the dirt road is smooth and not technical at all!) You can really let loose and FLY on those couple of miles coming down and I didn’t hold back! I just relaxed and let my body do what it loves to do more than anything when I run – head downhill, gobbling up ground with every quick turnover, lightening fast!  Mark had hiked up the climb and headed back up to the top to hang out with the dogs until most of the runner traffic was through and I headed back down to the Silver Creek Saddle aid station at the bottom, smiling, feeling free and (as my friend Ray would say.. “Living the dream!!” )

I flew down that section, logging my fastest miles of the race – Mile 8 was a 6:34 pace (a PR mile for me actually, which was fun to see and it didn’t feel hard at ALL), and mile 9 was 6:51. I was grinning from ear-to-ear, passing several people and having a ball! That has been my experience on that section three years in a row.  But, quickly I reminded myself of how things went badly for my IT band in 2011 after I had too much fun hammering this downhill, so I eased up after checking into the Silver Creek A.S. again and then headed to the left towards one of my very favorite sections of this course – some sweet, roller coastery mini hills along the ATV trail, through lush greenery and forest.  At this same section last year a deer had come bounding out from the forest above the trail and nearly collided with me as I came running along. I stared up into the trees wondering if a repeat was in order, but all was silent and still.  I breathed deeply of the fresh morning mountain air and smiled as I ran.  I thought of all the friends I’d passed along this section (another out and back) as we high-fived or hugged or said hello along this path and it made me feel really at home and happy to be there again – reminiscing with some wonderful old memories.

I ran for about a mile and a half to the 50k turnaround and then headed back up. I turned on my IPod and started rocking out to some Queen and Pink and started playing air guitar for every pal I passed, trying to make them smile! I was having fun, feeling sassy and the miles were just ticking off easy as pie!  When I arrived back at the Silver Creek Saddle A.S. for the third and final time, I waved at my pals manning the station and then headed back down the dirt road I’d climbed earlier that day back towards Boiling Springs.  I was all alone by this point and just in my element. I used the downhill to practice good, tall running form and a tucked in pelvis (being mindful of some of the poor posture that may have contributed to IT band issues I’ve had in the past.) I felt wonderful, glanced down and saw I was comfortably still hitting a 6:30 – 7:30 pace and stopped to pop a Werther’s coffee candy into my mouth and do a little stretching. I was feeling perfect, but figured I shouldn’t push too crazy hard since the worst of the race (and the bulk of the climbing) were coming up in the second half!  As I stood there on the side of the road stretching, I suddenly heard someone coming up fast behind me.  My instincts kicked in and without so much as glancing back I bolted back to my previous pace, knowing someone was hunting me down!

After about a minute my pursuer caught up to me. He was a red-beared man with a friendly smile and flowing red hair and he said “Great pace, girl!” I smiled and said, “Thanks!” That’s when I realized who he was! He was Johan Steene, a really fast runner from Sweden! He was running the 50 miler (which involves two trips up to the Lookout and another little out and back at the bottom of the ATV trail so he was several miles ahead of me in distance) and after glancing at my watch I realized he was on pace for a course record!!!!!! I gave him due respect and told him I wished him well! That mile or so was definitely one of the highlights of the entire race for me, though (since he did in fact, go on to win the race and smash the course record!) He came to me later, after the race and told me he’d enjoyed our chance to run together for that small section, which I thought was really nice!

After letting Johan go and settling back down to a pace that seemed smarter for me, I ran until I was back at the start/finish at Boiling Springs – a little over 18 miles into the race according to my Garmin. I saw Johan leaving the aid station just as I came in.  I was excited to see my husband waiting there, ready to offer me assistance! I handed him my Nathan and asked for 40 oz of cold water and ice and I headed to the porta potty for a quick stop.  After I grabbed a quick bite at the aid station – choosing some watermelon and considering the avocado which looked delicious, then heading back out for the second part of the course – which I knew from past experience was a grueling, steep climb up to the Skunk Creek aid station via the Wet Foot Trail.

I was really happy about a mile into this section to hear footsteps behind me and see my friend April catch up! I just love April and it was nice to have a close friend nearby for some good conversation! We would happily end up spending nearly all of the the last half together, which was awesome! This was April’s first time doing this race so it was nice to let her know what was coming up next and to help each other pass the time up the steep climbs in the heat of the day on the very dusty, steep and somewhat technical trail.  About a mile up the trail, I saw my buddy, Jose running towards us and he was limping.  I stopped to find out what had happened and learned he’d fallen hard and hurt his knee pretty badly and was heading back to the start/finish to drop from the race since he was concerned the injury would get worse if he kept running on it.  We hugged him and wished him well, then headed up, up, up the Wet Foot Trail.

I have so many good (and bad) memories along this section! My IT band seized up on me in my 50 miler in 2011. I was limp/hiking up and down this pass at a much slower pace that day, swatting the swarms of horseflies that kept biting at me.  This time the IT band was feeling great and there were no horseflies in sight! I pointed out the huckleberry bushes all along one section of the path to April and told her I’d eaten my very first huckleberries right there two years ago in the middle of the night when my friend had given me a few. Fun times!

We took some tasty watermelon at the Wet Food A.S. then headed up towards Skunk Creek for a couple more miles. We survived the climb (which I have to admit by the third year in a row wasn’t so bad at all), we headed into the Skunk Creek aid station at mile 25. April and I were on pace for a sub 8 hour race, which was my goal and we were in good spirits! We sat down at the A.S., enjoying the company of some friends of ours who were taking great care of the runners, when all a sudden, I heard someone whooping and running fast into the A.S. It was my buddy, Derek!!!!  He was cruising quickly right at us and just before he reached us he leaped into the air for an epic heel-click (something Derek is known for – he’s definitely a runner with a little flourish!)  Just as he came down, I saw his face contort and he cried out and grabbed his leg. I rushed to him and tried to keep him from falling and helped him limp over to a chair.   It turned out his calves were cramping up pretty bad with the combination of the extreme climbing and the heat.  The aid workers quickly went to work massaging his calves and getting him hydrated and offering him S caps! They were attentive and on-the-ball and I wished Derek well and April and I headed back down towards the finish!

Running down, the heat started to creep up in intensity and April and I found ourselves taking more walk breaks than anticipated and I realized that we would probably not hit our sub 8 hour goal after all – but that we would be very close and I would likely get a PR.  As the finish line drew closer, I started to smell the barn and just took off running strong and feeling awesome. I stopped when I heard a friend say my name and realized it was my buddy, Nicole who’d gotten lost just 1/2 a mile from the finish. I yelled over my shoulder, “Follow me! I know the way!” and Nicole and April chased me into the finish.  I came barrelling in with a big grin and did my own epic heel click finish! I beat my finish time from last year by 22 1/2 minutes with a finish time of 8:12, which was totally awesome!

Coming into the finish line at Wild Idaho 50k

My Spectacular Heel Click Finish at Wild Idaho 50k! What FUN!

After the race, I headed straight for the ice cold River and sat down in it and soaked away any aches and pains while several other runners soaked with me and we all shared our tales of the trail together. It was a fantastic ending to a pretty perfect day! I said to my  husband, “Why don’t I do more 50ks? This is so great to be finished and still have plenty of energy and daylight left!” I may have to think about that!

Receiving my finisher bat and a hug from Race Director Ben Blessing

 

 

 

So it’s like training a dog

Everyone is dealing with raging sexism nowadays, it seems: the atheist/skeptic community, the video game community, the philosophers, everyone…including the SF community. Over on Making Light, I read something hopeful, though — a comparison between what we’re seeing now and dog training.

In dog training there is a thing called the Extinction Burst. Let’s say you’re training the dog to not bark when someone comes to the door. You’ll be chugging along, working your operant conditioning like a boss, and you’ll notice your dog is finally starting to catch on. “Oh, you mean if the doorbell rings and I woof my servant monkey turns her back to me and ignores me, but if I don’t make a noise I get a treat? Awesome!” But just when you think the dog has it all down and it possibly the smartest dog in the universe, your friend will ring the doorbell and the dog will go bugshit crazy, barking, woofing, yelping, whatever, and you’ll just want to sit down with a pitcher of margaritas and give up. Don’t do that. Keep going, because what you’ve just experienced is the Extinction Burst. A few more tries and your dog will be so silent it’s like she’s bored whenever the doorbell rings – like she never even reacted in the first place.

OK, I can hope — we’re going through an Extinction Burst in sexist behavior (it’s not entirely valid to extrapolate from individual psychology to sociology that way, though). I still want that pitcher of margaritas right now. Now, you hear me? I’m waiting.

My Blog

EM&I LIMITED and what was, Electrical Maintenance & Installations has, for the major part of the last 15 years, been the main and for the most part, sole provider for the local District Council Maintenance of Domestic and Corporate Dwellings.

 

The Company is presently engaged once again in the maintenance of Domestic and Corporate dwellings for Warwick District Council providing field maintenance to Housing stock and caring for the Corporate Stock.

 

The company Managing Director; Roy W Briscoe, has over 37 years of experience in the trade, most of which has been involved in Authority based works. EM&I was originally a partnership which decided to dissolve in order to separate the finances in March 2009. This was due in the main to losing a long standing contract which has now been regained. The company was very successful.

 

We provide a 24 Hour response in line with all requirements as set out within the existing contract currently with sixteen operatives and six apprentices. Our operations are co-ordinated from ourcentral office in Warwick’s, Heathcote Park Industrial Estate with the Managing Director leading  a highly qualified and experienced crew. The Senior Administrator collates and delegates the jobs through two other Directors, a Quality Systems Manager and two administration supervisors.

 

Co-Director and Qualified Supervisor, Steven Smith operates ‘all’ incoming corporate maintenance work, delegating and overseeing a crew of six operatives. These may be added to through the Main Contracts& Maintenance Manager, James Silver who operates ‘all’ PIR and Void property Testing & Maintenance works in the domestic dwellings. We serve approximately 5,500 dwellings for Warwick District Council and have recently been appointed to the maintenance list where we conduct similar operations for Bromsgrove District Housing serving approximately 3,000 properties supporting  their main contractor. Such a large and diverse portfolio of dwellings ensures that the team is always busy!

 

On amonthly basis we continue to assess and repair the communal lighting throughout the area and have a ‘Call Out’ rota of 24 hrs every day with a cascading back-up system in operation. Technology allows the company to operate all communication via Hand Held email reactive devices creating a smooth transition of incoming jobs to our in-field team. The paperwork is returned, completed and reconciled through the computer based MIS system.

 

The Corporate work is uniquely attended by our Senior Technician providing a wealth of knowledge, on-site experience and back up for the Contract Administrator. This forms an important part of the maintenance process.

 

We provide expertise in all facets of Maintenance and Installation works, dealing with Fire Alarms, Emergency Lighting, TV array, Telecommunication and even provide logistical support for areas of heating including storage and wet system, door control and system reset on all corporate control systems.

 

At EM&I  we pride ourselves on the service we provide and always strive to achieve and retain excellence in our customer/tenant/client relationships. We aim to continue to be considered as one of the area’s premier Maintenance businesses and all of our operatives operate with this in mind. All operatives are Fully Qualified to the most recent edition of the 17^th edition and carry ECS cards. Each operative is trained in Level two Asbestos works and Health & Safety to at least Level 2 compliance. The Directors are all Nebosh trained and Certificated on the General Certificate. We also have PV, Working at Heights, Nebosh Fire Risk, IOSH and First Aid training in full.

We utilise The Building Safety Group as our third party consultants, are members of ECA, JTL, JIB and of course NICEIC.

 

4 NEW Dog Training Classes Now Enrolling « Kansas Humane Society News and Events

The Kansas Humane Society is pleased to offer dog training classes and pet behavior workshops for dogs and their owners taught at KHS by our expert staff.  Enroll in Puppy Kindergarten, Basic Manners, Help for Your Reactive Dog or attend our Pet Behavior Lecture Series. Our quality instruction and intimate environment will provide you and your dog the skills you need to have a long and happy, well-mannered life together. Find the most up-to-date information on our website.

STOP! Escaping 101

Saturday, June 4 at 11:30 am

Our workshops, taught by expert KHS staff, are open to the public and held on Saturdays in our Learning Center at KHS. Lectures are 90 minutes, include a Q & A session and have a suggested donation of $ 10.

Topics include:
- Find out why your dog escapes and what to do to get him back to you.
- Use our doggie detective tips to discover how your dog gets out.
- Easy to use, helpful solutions to prevent escaping.
- Discuss your dog’s escaping with our expert staff.
- Workshop Fee: FREE however we ask for a suggested donation of $ 10

Help For Your Reactive Dog

Does your dog bark at everything she sees or lunge when on leash? Are you walking him at midnight just to avoid other dogs, squirrels, cars and other stimuli that makes him lunge on a leash? We can help!

With the use of positive reinforcement dog training, you’ll learn to encourage calm behavior from your dog in situations that previously resulted in distress, why your dog behaves this way, what the triggers are, and how to reduce reactivity.

- For dogs 6 months and up
- Class size: 6 dogs
- Must be current on age-appropriate vaccinations (including rabies).
- Instructors: Karla Hartlep – CPDT-KA, KHS Director of Shelter Operations and Kelly Spencer – CPDT-KA
- You may need to provide training tools such as treats and training guides (such as a Gentle Leader, Halti, harness)
- Sorry, no human/canine dangerous aggression dogs. Please contact us for a private consultation.
- Class fee: $ 120

NOW ENROLLING for Session 3
July 5 - August 16 – Tuesdays from 6pm to 7pm
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developing those pesky behaviors of excessive digging, jumping, and chewing. In your dog training class, you and your dog will also learn loose leash
walking.

For puppies age 8 weeks – 6 months.
Age exceptions must be approved in advance by instructor.
Must be current on age-appropriate vaccinations (including rabies).
Class fee: $ 85

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Basic Manners Dog Training Class

Have fun with your dog in our positive reinforcement dog training class. Learn basic obedience skills including come, sit, stay, and down and humane solutions to the challenges of jumping, barking, digging, and chewing. Your dog will also learn loose leash walking.

- We recommend that your dog attend Puppy Kindergarten prior to this class or have a comparable skill level.
- For dogs 6 months old and older.
- Must be current on age-appropriate vaccinations (including rabies).
- Class fee: $ 95

NOW ENROLLING for Session 7
June 4 – July16 – Saturdays at 2:30pm
Click Here to enroll

Call us at (316) 220-8714.
Email your question(s) to Erica Davis.
Visit us at 3313 N. Hillside (just south of HWY 96 on Hillside).
Online at www.kshumane.org

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What’s the importance of the bark collar?

It can be very helpful to both the dogs and dog owners. Dog lovers need these bark collars to stop dogs barking without letup. More than that, these collars serve as tools for training dogs to be good. Remember that when the animal causes plenty of noise, you need to do something about it. This is a need among dog lovers. This responsibility must be performed despite the restrictions. But before that can be done, it is vital to get down to the real cause of the issue.

Heredity and Dog Barking

All of a sudden, the dogs may develop the barking syndrome. Heredity shapes the dog’s inclination to bark. There are some breeds that bark more than the others. Still, all dogs can always resort to excess barking depending on the situation. The bark collar can help in resolving this difficulty. It is a tool but you still need to handle the root cause.

The key to resolving the issue of inappropriate barking is to figure out the incentive that evokes this approach. This means that owners leave the dog locked up in enclosures or rooms for longer duration. Infrequently, the poor animals are incarcerated in dark areas or yards without food, water, correct exercise or defence against the rain or extraordinary heat. This inhumane treatment can cause all these upsetting behaviors like rash barking. There are more Problems like aggressive animals, separation foreboding and dogs with a hot temper.

Bark Collars Provide Solutions

Over barking is a severe disposition problem that may cause more heavy results. Before you conclude that the bark collar will be offering the best answer, you’ve got to find out the other possible concerns. You need to discover if your dog barks due to insufficient shelter or wrong confinement. If this is the difficulty, the dog must be given comfortable living quarters. You can attempt to increase the amount of exercise for the animal. This is the time to think about indirect intervention methods.

This bark collar can be controlled by the owner and generated by the barking of the dog. You want to study the benefits, functions and special features of this collar. When you have learned about the performance of collars then you can start inquiring from highly regarded providers. The truth is the rationale to get to the bottom of the issue of excess barking of dogs is to comprehend the cause of this conduct.

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Dog Training Las Vegas | Las Vegas Dog Training Blog

What is DockDogs?
DockDogs is a fun, performance sport for dogs. DockDogs Events are held Regionally, Nationally and Internationally. Most DockDogs Competitions are comprised of four contests; ‘BIG AIR’, ‘EXTREME VERTICAL’ (EV) and ‘SPEED RETRIEVE’ and the new sport ‘IRON DOG’ which is now held at National Competitions.
Who can compete?
Anyone can come out, [...]

Posted on July 28th, 2009 under DockDogs, Dog Training Las Vegas, Retrieval Dog Training, Water Dog Training. Comments: None

Summitting Mount Saint John | Painted Buffalo Inn"s Blog

August 12, 2013 at 6:37 pm Painted Buffalo Inn

For those who follow our blog, you may remember that I wrote about my attempt of St. John last summer. The trip was horrendous. It failed on multiple levels – group communication, leadership, route finding and we had a injury to boot! So when one of my friends who accompanied me on the trip last summer asked if I was up for round two I decided that I couldn’t let a mountain like St. John keep me down. I agreed to pick her up at 5AM the next morning.

I have to say, I really have this early morning wake up to go climb a mountain thing down pat. When I rolled out of bed at 4:30AM I get dressed in the clothes I laid out     the night before, throw the peanut butter banana oatmeal I made with walnuts in the microwave and take the dog out. By the time I’m back the oatmeal is done and all I have to do is jump in the car where I have already put my pack and boots. Done in 15 minutes.

After picking up my friend Crista and reaching the trail head we strapped on our boots and turned on our head.. wait a minute. We didn’t even need a headlamp. At 5AM it was already bright enough to pick out the trail. We cruised along the Jenny Lake trail until we reached the trail to the Lake of the Crags. That’s when the real hike began. The trail is steep right from the get go. While it was exhausting there is one benefit to a steep trail – it’s shorter. The trail also provides beautiful views of Jenny Lake below. As we started to ascend the canyon clouds formed from the lake and chased us up the valley.

By 8AM we reached Ramshield Lake and the Lake of the Crags. It was so beautiful so early in the morning with the soft glow from the sunrise and the stillness of the water. We took a break to refuel and rehydrate. We both discussed the route and where we think that we went wrong the last time. We headed up the couloir, checking for signs of kairns or small trails. Fortunately, we found some kairns so we knew that we were on track. It was amazing how much easier it was the second time around. Maybe it was because we knew where “not to go”, maybe it was because it was just two of us instead of four, either way it was almost embarrassingly obvious which couloir we should ascend.

Once we reached the steep scree in the couloir it was slow going. However, the views kept improving with every step so we didn’t mind taking short breaks to catch our breath and take in the scenery. The most breathtaking view was when we reached the top of the couloir and had a view direct into Paintbrush Canyon and of Jackson Lake. It was only a short scramble to the top from that point but it was definitely the most challenging part of our hike. The exposure was overwhelming as we shuffled along a small rock ledge. Then we had a class 5.2 climb to the top – without protection and with some serious repercussions. If you are afraid of heights this is not the hike for you.

After a few deep breaths and some technical maneuvers we reached the summit. And what a glorious summit it was! The view of Jackson Lake, the valley as well as the Grand Teton 11,430 feet were stunning – one of my favorite views in the park! We both ate our lunches that consisted mainly of peanut butter and some bread product and reflected on how frustrating our first attempt at the summit was.

The descent was steep and surprisingly took almost as long as the ascent. Since the scree is so loose you need to hike slowly to make sure that you don’t misstep and send yourself tumbling down the hill. The day was gorgeous – clear and sunny so we didn’t mind the slower than normal descent. I have to say, if you are looking for a first time summit objective in the Tetons Mt. Saint John is a great choice. Aside from a few technical maneuvers on the summit cone the hiking is pretty straightforward and relatively (though steep) easy. We were able to hike it in 8 hours from car to car. Not bad for a summit hike in the park! Just be sure to bring bear spray and have some knowledge of route finding since the trail is barely marked once you leave the Lake of the Crags. “A Climber’s Guide to the Teton Range” is a book a recommend to anyone interested in getting into climbing or mountaineering in the Tetons. Just be safe and have fun!

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Entry filed under: Hiking, National Parks, Summer Activities. Tags: “Mount Saint John”, Climb, grand teton national park, Hike, jackson, Jackson Hole, wyoming.

Dogs Unlimited Issues Pre-Season Warning – The 5 Things You Need to Know for the Upcoming Upland Bird Hunting Season

News Sources wrote an interesting post today on
Here’s a quick excerpt
Conditioning, Training, Feet, Nutrition, Patience – Dogs Unlimited advises that these 5 vital pre-season items be addressed so your hunting dog is prepared for the hunting season.
(PRWeb July 29, 2013)
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This entry was posted on Monday, July 29th, 2013 at 1:54 pm and is filed under Dog News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

What to do if your puppy bites you OUTSIDE of a training session

By Emily Larlham

Every time a puppy is reinforced for putting teeth on human skin, a bite-reinforcement history is being created.  Take mouthing seriously and make sure you do not reinforce it!  Ignoring biting is a bad idea because it is self-reinforcing!

There are many ways to stop biting from being reinforced.  Use your judgment as to which technique works best for your puppy to lower his arousal.

The first step is setting up training sessions to teach your puppy not to bite.  Follow the instructions in these videos to train your puppy not to bite you.

Teach your puppy not to mouth or bite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c77–cCHPyU

Teach your puppy not to mouth or bite the leash, your shoes or your pants:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR7TvrUQ_1k

While you are training your puppy not to bite or mouth you in training sessions, here are some things you can do to stop your puppy biting you OUTSIDE of training sessions:

1. Interrupt and redirect: Call your puppy away from the person being bitten- “pup,pup, PUPPY!” and redirect him to a toy or something more appropriate.  You can also interrupt a bite by simulating the “Yipe!” of another puppy, but this can actually have the reverse effect on some puppies and make them want to bite you more!  So use your common sense.  Also you want to teach your puppy what you do want him to do first, before using this technique.  Do not use this technique to scare or intimidate puppies.  You simply want to sound like you are in pain.

2. Remove your attention: Stand up and withdraw your hands if the puppy is biting them.  Resume when the puppy is calm. You can also step over a baby gate to prevent interactions until the puppy calms down.

3. Use prevention: If you know that your puppy ALWAYS bites in certain situations, set those situations up as training games first. If your puppy ALWAYS bites your feet when you go up the stairs, click the puppy as you approach the stairs and click and treat as you go up for the absence of the bites.  Give your puppy a chew or take the puppy for a walk BEFORE his witching hour begins rather than trying to work through it.  You can also put your puppy in his pen if he starts to act over-excited.

At no time should you use physical or psychological intimidation to stop your puppy biting, as this can cause unwanted side effects like fear, over-arousal, and even aggression.  Instead, simply stop your puppy from practicing and finding biting reinforcing.

Spending time on the handling exercises and teaching default calm behaviors like a settle will increase your puppy’s abilities to cope with exciting situations and help him make the correct choices.  Dogs can start to become mouthy when they are over-excited.

If you are teaching a young puppy to never bite you, keep in mind that you also want to train your puppy to have bite inhibition.  This means that you want your puppy to bite softly if he ever were to bite.  You teach your puppy this by constantly training him with treats, or every week feeding him some of his dinner by hand, so he learns to control his mouth.  You can also let your puppy play with other puppies and adult dogs, to learn to control how hard he bites.

 

 

25 Dog and Puppy Training Tips:

For each month of the year, I will release 2 training tips that will be accessible for free at dogmantics.com.  If you simply cannot wait for the information to be published online, and want to support my work, you can buy the collection of all 25 training tips in an ebook format here: 25 Dog and Puppy Training Tips  Thank you!

This is a list of all the tips included in the ebook, and that will be eventually available online:

1. Teaching a dog previously kept outside to be calm inside the house


2. The problem with ignoring unwanted behaviors


3. Fading a lure


4. Adding a verbal cue or changing a cue


5. Dogs and babies


6. Socializing tips- Our world can be a scary place!


7. What to do if your puppy bites you OUTSIDE of a training session


8. Changing your thinking from “I don’t like” to “I need to work on”


9. What to use as reinforcement


10. Treat deliveries


11. Teaching your puppy appropriate greetings on leash


12. Teaching “All done” for training sessions and dinnertime manners


13. Variety is the spice of life… and training!


14. Teaching your puppy to walk off leash


15. Don’t let your dog free feed


16. Don’t only work on one behavior at a time


17. Separation training tips


18. Monkey see, monkey do- Take advantage of social facilitation


19. Always remember to release your dog!


20. The importance of handling


21. Chewing


22. Teaching “Drop” and “Get it”


23. What to do if your puppy sits and refuses to budge on a walk


24. Generalizing


25. Training your dog to do absolutely… NOTHING!

Straightforward Pet Dog Training Techniques That Go A Long Way

Written by joshua at September 9, 2012

Irrespective that you are about to have your pet dog from internet pages just like: check it out here or you actually possess one, you should learn handful of issues. Every dog owner should take the time to give his or her dog at least some basic training. Training your dog is how you learn how to communicate effectively with him. You’ll find that life is easier for both your dog and you once you’ve done some proper training. The dog training principles we’ll be sharing in this article are used by many professional trainers and will work well if you apply them consistently.

Dogs often have separation anxiety, and this isn’t always a simple problem to overcome. This is a fairly common problem, and one reason it’s hard to treat is that the problem behavior occurs when you aren’t around. There are a few things you can do to make it less likely that your dog will misbehave when you’re out. Your dog may be used to your leaving and being gone all day; to change this habit, leave the house and return soon as often as you can. When you are leaving the house, do so without making a big deal out of it. Nor should you give your dog a huge greeting every time you return. If you want your dog to get over this separation anxiety, you have to be a little distant when coming and going.

Giving your dog plenty of exercise isn’t a training technique, but it’s something that’s very important if you want a well behaved dog. A lack of physical activity is usually the primary component behind why dogs have behavior

Straightforward Pet Dog Training Techniques That Go A Long Way

Greetings: Meeting the Friendly Leashed Dog

If your clients walk their dogs regularly, as a professional dog trainer you can anticipate hearing from them – “what do I do when I encounter other friendly, leashed dogs?” Clients dog walk for a number of reasons: exercise for themselves or their dogs, socializing – again for themselves or their dogs, and mental stimulation, among others. For your social butterfly clients, you’ll find that they will have a strong desire to allow their dogs to interact with dogs they encounter on walks. Here are a few positive dog training tips for successful leashed dog interactions.

1. Control.

Before on-leash introductions take place, there should be slack in the leashes of both dogs. This means that each dog displays a level of control and training that allows them to walk on a loose leash when faced with distractions, especially the distraction of other dogs. Convey to your client the importance of approaching with slack in the leash. Many clients understand that the leash should be loose while the dogs greet. Demonstrating self-control in the face of distraction, keeping arousal levels low, and maintaining good (fluid and relaxed) body language on the approach can set the scene for a much better interaction. 

2. Dog-friendly.

Both dogs should be friendly with strange dog. What if the dog is unknown to your client? Then certainly they can ask if that dog is friendly to other dogs. First, it is important to ask before the dogs begin to approach one another. Second, it is not uncommon that owners misrepresent or simply don’t fully understand how strange-dog friendly their own dog is. So, explain that there is some risk inherent to any interaction with a strange dog. That risk is multiplied when the owner is unable to read body language indicating increasing arousal levels, or even aggression.

3. Keep it fluid and brief.

Keep slack in the leash, and be sure to keep the leases untangled. That can involve a bit of a dance on the part of the owners. Also, interactions should be brief and at any sign of escalation, concluded. Escalation can include feet bouncing off the ground in excitement, hackles rising as arousal increases, or a stiffening of posture indicating increased stress or aggression.

Read more tips for creating successful greetings in our Greetings series: “Greetings Meeting the Friendly Stranger,” Greetings: Mom, You’re Home!” “8 Tips For Introducing New Dogs To Your Household” and “Greetings: Choosing Not To Meet Leashed Dogs.”

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What You Need To Know Before Bringing Home Your First Pig

Home » Farm » Bringing Home Babe: What You Need To Know Before Bringing Home Your First Pig

When most people think of their ideal pet a certain breed of dog or cat instantly comes to mind. However, for those that love more exotic pets and are willing to put in a little more time and effort a pot-bellied pig can be an ideal choice.
“Pot-bellied pigs, including mini and micro pigs, can make good indoor and outdoor pets,” said Philippa Sprake, Clinical Assistant Professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM). “Pigs are social animals and each has their own personality.” While pigs are unbelievably intelligent and undeniably adorable, as seen here, there are a few things pet-owners should know before bringing little Wilbur home to stay.
The first thing future owners should do is check with their local homeowners association as well as their home’s zoning regulations to ensure that pigs can be kept on the property. Pigs can be extremely noisy, especially when adapting to a new environment and the last thing any new pet owner wants is an angry neighbor or landlord trying to have the pet removed.
“When it comes to deciding on a piglet, it is very important to choose one that is at least 8 weeks old, weaned, and comes from a reputable breeder to ensure that it is healthy,” said Sprake. “Also, even though they are called miniature, micro pigs can still grow to around 40 pounds and full size or traditional pot belly pigs can reach 100 pounds or more so it is important to see the parents of the pig you are planning on taking home to evaluate your piglet’s potential adult size.”
When it comes to training your new pot-bellied pig, it is important to remember that pigs can be as intensive a pet as dogs, and as such they need exercise and social interaction or they may develop health and behavioral problems. Pigs can be trained very similarly to dogs using positive reinforcement techniques such as clicker training. They are also highly food motivated so it is important to make sure that their treats are low in calories, such as fresh fruits or vegetables, in order to prevent obesity.
“When it comes to feed, young pigs should be fed a youth mini-pig feed until they reach around two years of age,” said Sprake. “After this, they can be fed adult or senior foods which are high in fiber and relatively low calorie to help curb obesity. Pigs should also have access to fresh water at all times, and should never be fed human food as the high salt content can cause salt toxicity.”
When it comes to deciding where to place your pig’s bedding, the first thing a pet-owner must decide is if they want to keep their new pet inside or out. Regardless, all pigs need access to the outside so they can root, which is an instinctive behavior where the pig digs in the ground with their snout searching for food and obtaining iron from the soil, which is vital to prevent anemia.
“Pigs are sensitive to both hot and cold temperature extremes,” said Sprake. “Therefore they need shelter from the sun, wind and rain. If kept outside, in Texas, for example, they will need fans to compensate for the hot summer months as well as a kiddie pool or shallow pond to wallow in and cool off. Pigs can also be kept inside as they are easily house-trained or litter-box trained.”
Pet pigs, like their livestock counterparts, should be checked regularly by a veterinarian to ensure that they are healthy as possible.
“Pet pigs initially need to be vaccinated to avoid several diseases, and should be spayed or neutered to prevent behavioral issues, unwanted litters, and other health problems,” said Sprake. “Pigs should also be wormed several times a year and need their feet trimmed regularly. The biggest problems veterinarians see in pet pigs usually comes from owners providing an inappropriate diet.”

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Perhaps the biggest pet peeve of all dog trainers that work with owners and their pets is this: they repeat themselves over, and over, and over, and over….it never stops.

Anyone who knows dogs can look at a helpless pet on the other end of the leash and see the confusion and frustration plastered on their face.  After all, all our dogs want to do is please us.  The problem is, we’re not speaking their language.

One client always comes to mind when I think of this topic.  His conversation with his dog went something like this: Picture a man with treats in one hand, his dog’s leash in the other.  His dog stands expectantly in front of him knowing treats are soon to come.  The dog has never been trained, so even sit is foreign language.  ”Sit Fido,” the man says. One second later, “Sit, sit, sit,” he says quickly. “Fido sit down,” he tries. “Sit, siiiiiiiit, siiiiiiit, sitsitsit!” he exclaims this time.  If I had not stepped in, it would have gone farther.  In fact, no matter how many times I stepped in, he continued.  The dog would remain standing the whole time, sometimes dancing his rear to one side and then the other, sometimes tilting his head, he’d stand on his back legs and reach for the treat, and even ended up barking at his owner once.  His owner remained poised with the treat, bent over slightly, treat between his thumb and index finger, eyebrows raised in expectation of his dog’s obedience.  Obedience never showed its face; frustration hovered around them like a cloud of horrible funk…I won’t go into detail about the funk, this is sickening enough right?

There are many sad, sad things about this story though.

First, you’ve done it.  You know you have, don’t lie to me or yourself.  I’ve done it…there…I said it.  I’ve done it.  Because all of us have been uninformed dog owners at one point.  We all expect our dogs to just understand us from day one, or we all did when we didn’t know any better.

Second, the poor dog is waaaaay more frustrated than the owner.  The owner is just frustrated with the dog.  Maybe a little bit with himself, but he sees nothing he’s doing wrong, he’s being “clear” with his words, saying them right, trying to say them different ways so they may get through Fido’s thick skull better.  He’s tried it all.  Fido on the other hand is frustrated with himself and his owner.  Not only is his owner making no sense what so ever, but he’s trying his hardest to please his owner and just doesn’t seem to be getting it right.  In the end, he got the treat.  Boy was it good! But his owner turned away from him after that for a while.  Next time his owner came back they played the same “game,” but this time, Fido got the treat for doing something else.  The first time it was when he stood on his hind legs, this time, its as right after he wagged his tail and moved his rump two inches to the left.  So what does “sit” mean?  Is it the same as “sit, siiiiiit, sit?” How about “sit down?” Do you see where we’re getting with this?

The third thing, and by far the biggest misunderstanding of most pet owners, is the language barrier.  Yes, dogs are domesticated.  Yes, you can probably point and your dog figures out that he needs to look where you’re pointing.  But that has nothing to do with language and everything to do with body language.

Dogs communicate 99% of what they’re saying through body language and here we are trying to talk them into obedience.  Imagine listening to someone speak a foreign language and trying to decipher what they’re saying.  If they repeat the same thing in fast succession three times does it mean the same as just saying it once?  What if they add a second word at the end? Do you even know where one word starts and the next begins?  If you’re like me, you don’t.

I’m not a computer geek, but this is a good example; do these all mean the same thing?

01

010101

01010000010000101

010101 01000 010101

Probably not, right? Does “to” mean the same thing as “too?”  If you don’t know, the answer is a resounding “NO!” Please visit dictionary.com right now and check it out.

Anyway, have I made my point? If you don’t see it, the point is that dogs don’t understand what we’re saying unless you teach them.  By teaching, we mean showing.  Our children don’t run before they walk and this is the same way.  In our obedience classes and private lessons, we always teach the dog the motion before we teach the command.  If I’m going to teach Fido how to sit, I’ll start by pushing his rump to the floor while I pull up on his collar gently.  When his rump hits the floor, he gets a treat.  We do this for a few days before we even add the word “sit,” and when we add it, we only say it when their rump is on the ground and they get a treat.  Sit is an easy command.  By the end of the week if you’ve worked with your dog daily for 15 minutes, your dog should be able to hear the command and follow it promptly.  All of this work though, and you’ve got to continue working for another six months.  If you don’t, your dog won’t commit it to long term memory and you’ll be back at square one.  Scooby learned sit in obedience class and graduated with honors, but tell him to sit now and he’ll look at you like you’re nuts.  He doesn’t know it because we don’t use it with him.  He knows “place” and “down” though.

What’s so ironic and sometimes humorous to me is that while we dog trainers tell people to stop repeating commands to their dogs, we are constantly repeating ourselves.  My students probably all mimic me to their friends, “say the command once, only say it once, just say it once, stop repeating yourself.”  Picture some smart face and a whiney voice.  You know, like a teenager does when they’re making fun of their parents or teachers.

When you’re teaching your dog a command, and you’ve already showed him how to do it without words, and he knows the meaning of the word, your lesson should go something like this:

“Fido, sit.”

One second pause and Fido doesn’t follow the command.

“No,” give Fido the correction (a quick, not too harsh, short jerk on the collar), mold him into the sit, “sit.”

Give Fido the treat the second his rump is on the ground.

So, if Fido doesn’t do what they are supposed to, you have 1.3 seconds to catch them in the act, correct them, and tell them “no.” Now that you’ve marked this unwanted behavior with a “no,” you can show Fido what you want him to do, say the command again (this isn’t repeating, now you’re showing him what the command means), and mold him into the command.  Treat.  Well done.  Rinse, lather, repeat.

The moral of the story is:

STOP REPEATING COMMANDS TO YOUR DOG!!! All you’re doing is frustrating yourself and your dog.

Another point to parents out there, or wives maybe; the more you repeat yourself the less they listen until you start yelling.  When you start yelling, chances are your dog is cowering and doing what he’s supposed to only out of fear.  We don’t want fearful relationships with our dogs.

If you’re ever in one of my classes, or any obedience class for that matter, and you hear the trainer tell you, “Only say it once, please,” please do as they ask.  It’s for both your sanity and theirs….and most importantly your dog’s.

Watch yourself this week now….how many times will you repeat commands to your dog? More than you think, more than you think.

 

How to Use a Clicker to Train Your Dog.

Clicker is a small and very useful training tool. Usually, it consists of a plastic box roughly a size of a thumb and a clicking mechanism.  There are two types of clickers: with a button and with a metal tongue. I prefer the button type, because they are quicker and more reliable.

Image from Amazon.co.uk

Image from Amazon.co.uk

Clicker is used to mark the desired behaviour as it occurs. You cannot always give the dog treats (unconditioned reinforcement) exactly at the right moment, but you can use a clicker (conditioned reinforcement) to indicate to the dog that you like this behaviour.

Clicker is a conditioned type of reinforcement, meaning that it works because it is associated with really valuable things that follow it. Clicker works for dogs is the same way as money works for people. You don’t value those rectangular pieces of paper with pictures, you value thing that you can get in exchange for them. However, for any conditioned reinforcement to work, one has to learn that it means valuable things. Young children don’t care about money until they begin to understand that money can buy them things. Teaching a dog what a click means is called “loading a clicker” and is not difficult at all.

Get plenty (40-50) of low-value small treats. You can use dry food, small biscuits, or cubes of hard cheese or vegetables – something that your dog will eat. Then just click and drop a treat on the floor. Your dog may get startled by the click in beginning, but will quickly get used to the sound and will expect treats to follow. You will see when your dog begins to associate a click with treats.

The next step is to practice with easy commands that your dog already knows well. This will help both you and your dog to adjust to a new way of training. You will practice being precise with your timing and to juggle clicker, treats and a leash. You will feel like you could use an extra hand (or a couple). I always suggest getting a treat pouch, which is more convenient that holding treats in your hand or your pocket.  In addition, you will avoid getting your pockets and hands all greasy and you will always be ready to clip it on your belt and have an impromptu training session.

Once you and your dog are comfortable, try teaching him some tricks like “high-five” or spinning around. You will see that it is more fun and less work with a clicker.

-always click at the same time as behaviour occurs, not before or after.

-each click must always be followed by a treat.

-never use clicks to get the dogs attention.

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Categories: dog training, dog training tools | Tags: clicker, dog training, dog training toolbox, reinforcement, training basics, tricks | Permalink.

Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind » Feature Writer Ann Chiapetta – Dogs in the News

Note: Ann is taking a break and Verona, the guide dog, is helping out.

This week we found two interesting articles on the human/canine partnership. The first one focuses on how dogs are helping people with dementia and early stage Alzheimer’s disease.

Two dogs were trained and matched with people in Scotland. One dog is a golden retriever and the other a yellow Labrador.

According to an article posted in the BBC news, dementia dogs can be trained to remind their owners where their clothes are, which medicines they should take, and even raise an alarm in case of an emergency.

“Dogs love routine. They love that predictability,” said Helen McCain of Dogs for the Disabled in an interview with BBC News. “By using that hook, we can then teach the dog to actually sort of remind people by the sound of an alarm to go and get the medication at the allotted time of the day.”

To read more, go to:
http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/dementia-dogs-give-patients-back-their-lives

The next article is about a hang-gliding dog, yes, you read that correctly. His name is Shadow and he is a psychiatric service dog. If you visit Utah’s Eagles Nest Hang Gliding, you might just see Shadow and his owner leap and catch an updraft. Now, that’s ten times more exciting than catching a Frisbee.

To read more, go to:
http://www.mnn.co/family/pets/stories/hang-gliding-service-dog-takes-to-the-skies#main

That’s it for this week. If you want Verona to write more articles about dogs in the news, tell her and Ann in the Reader’s Forum.

Does your dog bark? Barking can have serious consequences!

Excessive barking is probably the most common behavior problem in dogs.

Excessive barking results in dogs being abandoned and destroyed by the truckload. People can’t cope with it and they can’t seem to prevent it, they can’t manage to solve it, and they usually don’t under-stand it. So they wind up getting rid of the dog. Perhaps they are forced to get rid of the dog. Perhaps they are forced to get rid of their dog by justifiably angry neighbors or worse yet by the courts. Perhaps they get rid of their dog out of desperation or out of anger. The point is that the dog gets “the gas chamber,” through no fault of his own.

One question you should be asking yourself, is “why do dogs bark anyway?” Some vocalizations that dogs make are motivated by the need to communicate. For example, a puppy’s barking can also mean “I am angry, scared, frustrated, lonely, happy, protective, or want attention.” The meaning of the vocalizations depends on the circumstance and the type of bark.

However, barking can become a trained behavior. If you say a word like “speak” just before your dog is about to bark and then reward him with food or play, he will learn to bark on command. This can be helpful, especially when teaching a dog to bark intelligently; that is, at the right time.

Barking can also become an unintentionally trained behavior. Let’s say that you yell “shut up” when your dog barks. When yelling doesn’t work, you give him a dog biscuit or throw a ball to keep him quiet. Your reasoning is that your dog won’t bark while he is eating or playing. You are right, but what you are really doing is training your dog to bark to get his reward of food or play.

You can unintentionally train a dog to be a barker in other ways, too. Let’s say your dog is frustrated in his attempts to get you to let him out. So he barks out of frustration. You let him out to keep him quiet. You are training your dog to bark when he wants out. This could be a fine skill if it’s limited, but if your dog wants to go out frequently, your dog: and his barking can become a real nuisance.

A dog’s barking can also become a problem if you don’t intentionally control the learning situation. What happens if your dog is penned up or tied up in your back yard and passers-by taunt him or kids tease him? The dog barks. The passers-by go away or the kids run away, and the dog is rewarded for barking. With a few experiences like this, your dog will begin to bark at all passers-by. Your dog can easily become a nuisance barker in this environment. This problem behavior is an improperly learned and misplaced watchdog skill. You may think your nuisance barker is a “good watchdog” but he isn’t really. Remember the story of the boy who often cried “wolf?”

Some dogs learn to start barking when they hear the door close as their owners are leaving. Some wait until they hear or see the family car drive away. Some look out the window, watch their loved ones, and only start their lamentable chorus when they are out of sight. Such refined discrimination is the sign of a very advanced skill.

How do they learn this Skill of incessant barking? Let’s look at it from the dog’s perspective. You go out the door and close if. The dog is frustrated by the barrier. He barks, you open the door and calm him down, barking is rewarded. Or, your puppy is put in the den or a crate. He barks, you let him out. Barking is rewarded. Or your dog feels afraid when he is left alone. He barks for help. You come and console him. Barking is rewarded.

If you would like to learn how to fix this kind of behavior, contact us below and find out how to get your dog to stop barking today!

Learn More About Dog Training or Call 877-223-3647