CathyC.
New member
Well, day one down and we are back at our campsite resting. Obi is one tired dog!
The morning portion of come, take it and hold it were the building blocks needed for water rescue tasks.
In the afternoon we had the chance to put these skills to use. Despite really disgusting water with goose feces we all ventured in, many with wet suits, to do the handler and dog swim. This is similar to healing on land but of course as the water drops off you end up swimming. You don't want the dog to forge ahead or cut you off or try to climb on you. Obi did fairly well especially with treats to lead the nose forward. I was instructed to gently lift his back end a bit so he could swim better. After swimming out a bit we turn around then the handler (me!) holds onto the dog's haunches and everyone on shore calls the dog excitedly to come. The dog pulls the swimmer into shallow water and instinctively, when the dog can touch bottom he turns around to look at the rescued swimmer/handler and of course receive a delicious treat. The handlers get pretty scratched up from the swim out and I was glad to treat my little scratches with tea tree and lavender oils to ward off infection. Still, it was great fun to be pulled ashore by a dog!
The next task was to send the dog out (go out!) to a stranger in trouble in the water. The stranger would treat the dog then lead the dog to swim around the person. I guess this makes it easier in a real rescue for a person to grab the rope/flotation device the dog would take out. Once the dog has come around the handler on shore calls the dog to come and everyone cheers. I guess this could build up to the dog towing a person or boat back to shore.
The third task was a lot of fun and easy for obi. It was fetching a bumper tossed into the water and bringing it back. The only thing new for obi was the actual bumper and water component and he took that in stride going out again and again. It is required that the dog learn to give the item to your hand and not just drop it on the ground. The work I've already done with obi on picking things up for me really paid off here. I use the command thank you instead of give but the result is the same.
After that we washed the dogs and returned for dry land work on a boat. The boat had a platform on the back. We had our dogs heal then gave the command table to get them up on the platform with us. Then we instructed the dogs to come around us again so we were facing the back of the boat and sit. We sat, too and gave the dog praise. They waited a bit. Then the dog was instructed to wait while we stepped a few paces away and gave the jump or come command to encourage the dog to jump off the boat onto the ground. Obi did pretty well on his second attempt. Since I prefer obi on my right side I had to do everything backwards but this doesn't matter unless you want to do obedience trials or something. Tomorrow we will try this in the water.
The last exercise was the go out command again but this time we were on land and the person being rescued was sitting in the boat. Again, this could be combined with taking out a tow rope or paddle or towing the boat back to shore.
Tips for anyone interested: use really high value treats. Use a choke chain collar because it allows air to circulate and reduces the chance of hot spots. Save any broken leashes and use the clip end and a few inches of leash, knotted at the end, to use as a tab leash. This gives you something to control the dog with in the water if necessary without the dog tripping on a long leash and thinking he is getting a correction. Highly recommend using water shoes and a wet suit.
The morning portion of come, take it and hold it were the building blocks needed for water rescue tasks.
In the afternoon we had the chance to put these skills to use. Despite really disgusting water with goose feces we all ventured in, many with wet suits, to do the handler and dog swim. This is similar to healing on land but of course as the water drops off you end up swimming. You don't want the dog to forge ahead or cut you off or try to climb on you. Obi did fairly well especially with treats to lead the nose forward. I was instructed to gently lift his back end a bit so he could swim better. After swimming out a bit we turn around then the handler (me!) holds onto the dog's haunches and everyone on shore calls the dog excitedly to come. The dog pulls the swimmer into shallow water and instinctively, when the dog can touch bottom he turns around to look at the rescued swimmer/handler and of course receive a delicious treat. The handlers get pretty scratched up from the swim out and I was glad to treat my little scratches with tea tree and lavender oils to ward off infection. Still, it was great fun to be pulled ashore by a dog!
The next task was to send the dog out (go out!) to a stranger in trouble in the water. The stranger would treat the dog then lead the dog to swim around the person. I guess this makes it easier in a real rescue for a person to grab the rope/flotation device the dog would take out. Once the dog has come around the handler on shore calls the dog to come and everyone cheers. I guess this could build up to the dog towing a person or boat back to shore.
The third task was a lot of fun and easy for obi. It was fetching a bumper tossed into the water and bringing it back. The only thing new for obi was the actual bumper and water component and he took that in stride going out again and again. It is required that the dog learn to give the item to your hand and not just drop it on the ground. The work I've already done with obi on picking things up for me really paid off here. I use the command thank you instead of give but the result is the same.
After that we washed the dogs and returned for dry land work on a boat. The boat had a platform on the back. We had our dogs heal then gave the command table to get them up on the platform with us. Then we instructed the dogs to come around us again so we were facing the back of the boat and sit. We sat, too and gave the dog praise. They waited a bit. Then the dog was instructed to wait while we stepped a few paces away and gave the jump or come command to encourage the dog to jump off the boat onto the ground. Obi did pretty well on his second attempt. Since I prefer obi on my right side I had to do everything backwards but this doesn't matter unless you want to do obedience trials or something. Tomorrow we will try this in the water.
The last exercise was the go out command again but this time we were on land and the person being rescued was sitting in the boat. Again, this could be combined with taking out a tow rope or paddle or towing the boat back to shore.
Tips for anyone interested: use really high value treats. Use a choke chain collar because it allows air to circulate and reduces the chance of hot spots. Save any broken leashes and use the clip end and a few inches of leash, knotted at the end, to use as a tab leash. This gives you something to control the dog with in the water if necessary without the dog tripping on a long leash and thinking he is getting a correction. Highly recommend using water shoes and a wet suit.
Ronnie
