Hawk, my first TD - 20 years ago

Recently on the AKC Tracking List people were discussing memorable titles. It made me think about my first tracking dogs, Hawk, Robin and Kate. These were my first tracking dogs. earning their TDs in 1991, '92 and '93. Here is Hawk's TD story. Others will follow.

Robin (left), Kate (centre) and Hawk (right) were three great dogs. Winter 1993 in front of my home in Thunder Bay.


Hawk (1987 - 2000) Lindau's Knight Hawk CD TDX TT - "Hockey Puck"

Earned his Tracking Dog title in September, 1991 on our second try



Hawk's grandsire was Covy Tucker Hill's Mazarrati, littermate to the famous Manhattan who won Westminster handled by Jimmy Moses. His dam was Sigrid Appelt's (breeder) lovely Heide-Marie who came down from German lines and was a TDX dog herself and wonderful nose-down tracker.



Hawk was originally a flyball dog. He was a member of the first flyball team in Thunder Bay and to his dying day, he would hit the nearest low surface with his paw then look with his ears up hoping to see a toy or cookie delivered - the habit was so ingrained. In 1989 he had elbow surgery and his flyball days came to an abrupt halt. Looking for something to do with Hawk, I signed up for a tracking class with CKC judge and local tracking rep Dawn Sanderson.

Above, me with Robin and Hawk in 1993. He was a big boy!

Dawn had organized a Glen Johnson tracking clinic that I attended (I still have the notes) and I was interested in tracking. In part, I thought I might get into Search and Rescue because I worked with a Conservation Officer who had a highly decorated Bloodhound named Nero. Nero had many credits to his record for helping find lost people in Ontario. It sounded like a great, worthwhile thing to do. However, there was no SAR involving dogs in Thunder Bay. So I threw myself into CKC tracking.

Year one - first year of tracking with Hawk, I broke my leg and that took me out of going to Winnipeg - the nearest test. Year two - 1990. A few days before heading to Winnipeg, Hawk and I were tracking in silence. I still remember saying 'good boy' at one point, and he nearly leaped out of his skin he was so in the zone. At about the same moment, a skunk also leaped out of the grass and Hawk took off after it. I panicked and yelled NO! Miraculously, Hawk stopped chasing it. If he had been sprayed, I would have pulled from the test. So, my friend Cindy and I drove to Winnipeg for our first test judged by the late Margeurite Charter.

 

Hawk was the wisest, sweetest dog. Here he is with my niece Rachel (who is now 16!)

The test was at Bird's Hill Provincial Park. Each track started on one side of a hill-like berm. We were driven in a stranger's car to the scent pad and dropped off. I recall the car reeked of cigarette smoke. (I would refuse to get in today). Every dog made it about as far as the crest of the hill and completely lost the track. The wind was blowing, and a few green tracklayers seemed to be confused as well. Not the best test in my mind and many would have packed in tracking after that experience.

Two dogs passed - Hawk's dam Heide with Sigrid handling. Heide so nose down, did a breathtakingly beautiful track. The other was a Golden, handled by Susan Venn (then, Smith) also of Thunder Bay. It was a tough drive home. Cindy's Dachshund dove into a burrow on her track and never came out! Hawk missed a turn. But when the majority in the test failed, it was not too bad. I got very determined!

Me and Hawk. We were a great team.

Year Three, 1991. Hawk and I gelled into an amazing team. We were SOOOO ready! The Thunder Bay Kennel and Training Club organized it's first tracking test for September of the year. In August, I took possession of my new house in the country. Everything was going so well - and then - DISASTER!

A week before moving, I was tracking with Hawk one hot morning. After his track (which I remember turn for turn) I took him for a swim, and we played fetch with a stick. Within an hour, he was in bloat and torsion. Thankfully, I found a vet, Diane Maki, at her clinic on a Sunday, checking on some dogs. I banged on the door. I was a member of a local dog committee and Diane was on it too, so when she opened the door I babbled about Hawk. He was visibly swelling up. She rushed him right into surgery and with no assistant to help, I held out my arms as she slung his intestines over them. I will never forget it. She saved Hawk's life and he pulled through with flying colours. In fact, she said he was in great shape and this was from all of our tracking! With his bad elbow, it was the best exercise possible.

Hawk's bloat scar. What a nightmare, and a blessing he survived and lived to be 13.

A week later I moved into the new house. I was a wreck over Hawk who was home and in an ex-pen in the living room. We were entered in the test, but not able to practice. I didn't want to pull him, the test was three weeks away - who knew what he would be capable of doing in three weeks?

The day before the test, I did a short leg laced with treats on my front lawn. On test day, I was a basket case. Hawk had a shaved tummy but seemed to be doing so well and was his normal self. The test was held on fields we were never able to use again (prison farm) and I can't remember the pattern, except for the final turn. It was an open angle. I was not used to these. The judge was a very serious German man, who stood waiting for me to follow my dog (this appears to be the story of my life)... When Hawk was going off on an angle I panicked. No, I would NOT fail again! I actually recall a look of pained impatience on the judge's face when I scoured the area for an article. I finally took some trepidatious steps behind Hawk, and he picked up steam and I realized he was ON TRACK.

He stopped at the glove and I will never forget the joy of seeing that article. It was my first TD and I burst into tears and landed beside him to hug that great neck. I had to stop typing here for a minute because I just had a little cry and my mascara is stinging my eyes! At the lunch later, I hugged that judge (I don't think he liked that) and burst into tears again as I told him about Hawk's bloat a month before. I have to go look up this judge's name. He was also a SchH person, and German, and despite being pretty stern, I can see a little smile on his face in our photo.

Here is our picture. I am 31 and that is the year my life changed and I became a tracking addict.

I promise to look up this judge's name. Here I am with Hawk - a photo captures "the day my life changed!"

I took this picture (below) when I got home, in my backyard. I could not have been more proud. There is NOTHING like a first TD, and seeing that glove at the end of the track.  *Sadly, I have no pictures of me tracking with Hawk to show you.

OMG !! We passed !!!

It has been wonderful to share this story about my beloved Hawk. There are a million Hawk stories, but I've tried to stick to tracking here on the blog. Hawk was the dog who sold me on German Shepherds and because of him, I could never, ever be without one. In fact, when I lost Thorn in 2007, I just knew I had to get a male GSD to fill the void, and that's how I have Caden! Despite the fact that Caden is not related, he reminds me so much of Hawk. He has many of the same qualities that Hawk had, that made Hawk such a great friend and a great dog.

After finishing up the TD stories, I'll share the story of Hawk's TDX. There was no urban tracking back in the day, so once he got his TDX, we were through with testing. But he continued to track as long as his legs would carry him, as a demo dog for my tracking classes, and through my classes, Hawk introduced many other people to the love of tracking.



Hockey Puck at Christmas, back in Thunder Bay.



Into his old age, Hawk ALWAYS had a glove or mitten in his mouth and was so proud of himself.

 

GOOD BOY HOCKEY PUCK. I LOVE YOU! 

Thank you for being the best tracking friend, for putting up with me and for introducing me to this sport.  

Hawk died of simple old age at home when he was 13 years old. I sat with him all day and thought about all of our great times together over the years. Just before his last breath, he actually lifted his head and looked right into my eyes. I will never forget him. He is often with me on the field when I train and track with my dogs.

Spiritdance Church - my little house all dressed up

Just took photos while waiting for a friend who is coming for some Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi-Mahi and Maui Onion Salad - both recipes from Hawaii!

Today's Walk, with some good training thrown in!

River and Ted on the front steps of Spiritdance Church

That's my house, with the black pitch roof - the old Church. I love this part of town, it's older and I can walk to the Post Office and Grocery Store from where I live, plus the yards are bigger in the older part of town. You can see my car parked in front.



Here are River and Ted doing a down stay outside of the Post Office.

I actually brought them in with me though.




Here is Ted, also knowns as Mr. Happy Feet because he has a tendency to bomb around quickly without really putting thought into it. I love him, but he has a tendency of even running right into other dogs, me, fences, trees or doors. He's just so exuberant and full of joy, but his feet do outrun his mind at times.

Now look at him, walking beside me and paying attention. I've been doing the lessons assigned to me by Elvin Kopp to have them both in a neutral state of mind, so we can approach our sheep calmly.





What is interesting, is that when he is on a leash, Ted always seems a bit submissive and reacts very poorly to a tug, usually hitting the ground. Off lead he is very happy and becoming more confident in himself. If he oversteps and goes beyond me, I just give a very low growly reminder and he self-corrects, bless his heart.



(I love this photo below...)

Caden and Jet. These are the two harder dogs to work. But if I pair up Ted with Jet or River with Caden, my two sweet dogs get upset at the tone I use. So, I pair up these two, ready to be more stern. Today, they were so great I wanted the walk to go on forever! Caden was fussing beside me onlead, and Jet was offlead and keeping pace beside, dragging her line, paying attention. I can hardly wait to bring this dog back to Elvin to see how my work is paying off.

Please dear dog god, let Jet behave herself when I do...

I did more down stays with these two, because they are so reactive to things. They are good but like to check everything out. So as cars and people went by, I had them do downstays. I am now trusting Caden in a platz and letting go of his line. There was a time, not long ago, that I would not have done that.



People were everywhere this afternoon with kids in tow. It was great to have such different distractions.









Here they are on another stay.




And another stay. Caden in a sit, and Jet in a stand stay, which is another thing I am working on - a standing stop.

So that was our walk today, on this warm day - I had no mittens on, it was hovering around the freezing mark! As I fiddled with photos, I caught this one of River, who is very happy to be home and resting on the bed. She is showing her age, but I am determined to keep her active and healthy.

THE END(S)

Separate Lives, Soundtrack of my life...

And on another note, while I am thinking of good music, here is a song I can rarely listen to without bursting into tears, by Phi Collins, who pretty much wrote the soundtrack to my life for a decade or so. I can hardly listen to this song without bursting into tears. I was just talking to a friend about this, and found this version to share here... if you have ever loved and then lost someone, have your kleenex handy...



I have always found Phil Collins to be a very authentic and genuine performer, who sings from the heart.

And I added these photos a bit later... I was a bit blue listening to this song, and here is how Caden comes and puts his head on my arm when he senses I am sad...

So I thought, I need a pick-me-up. Talking more with my friend, I thought about this song, which is from the late 70s, a bit before Phil Collins. This is Van Morrison and Wavelength from Saturday Night Live, back when it was a really awesome show, with an intro by Steve Martin and a skit with Gilda Radner following...

Techno sound of the 70s, I was barely paying attention to music at this time - but think I was heavily into Bruce Springsteen about this time... but wasn't Van Morrison just a cutie then... the song is Wavelength -

New member of the pack...

I'm reading on other blogs and on Facebook that everyone else is getting new dogs or has puppies at home. Well, here's my news. I have a new wineglass! With snowmen on it! It is more work than you think...

I am introducing my new snowman wineglass to the pack. It's a little full of itself, but the others seem to be accepting it. I may spend a little time with it alone, just to bond. Thank goodness I still have a few days off. I think I am up to this task...

Celtic New Year

Nothing to do with dogs, except that they might howl when they hear the tin whistle. Here is a lovely version of Celtic New Year by Van Morrison. I think it's interesting that he uses a couple of phrases my Nanna used to day, and she was also from Belfast. The first line - if I don't see you through the week, I'll see you through the "winda" - was one of her sayings!



This song is so lush with an orchestra. It is from the Jools Holland show and he is on piano. Since I play piano, I love any arrangement with more piano, like this one. It's very appropriate for this time of year, and is romantic yet bittersweet. It makes me sigh to hear it. I hope you enjoy it! I can't even imagine a World without beautiful music like this in it.

Santa Came!



A good haul for Caden. He has been a good boy!



Ted says, 'why is River's sock so much bigger?' Thinking this is trickery, he chooses to ignore the socks.



Note: Ted is happy as usual, and Jet is sour-faced and says "This is not a real sheep, Santa!"





River says, if you aren't having your cookie, I will have it! (Ted got a cookie, no worries!)





Jet says "And Santa, do I have to share this with HIM?"
Jet still believes in Santa, but the bone is really from their friend Sting the German Shepherd (via Pam) 



Jet and Caden work on 'Neutral Mind' with distractions

On the night before the night before Christmas, the die-hards were out training! I continue to work on having my dogs focus with distractions. First Caden (and actually, Caden came in twice, with a break in-between to cool off). Also, Jet and Ted, as they need this too.

Caden, SchH work

Caden and me. His obedience is really coming along and I actually can see a BH and a SchH 1 in 2011. Our biggest problems are 1) my ability to be a strong leader, 2) his drive and excitement levels are very, very high and 3) ability to focus when other dogs are working. I think we have a handle on all three.

By the way, #2 is not really a problem, it is a gift and mine to manage well.



Caden Fuss! That is German and the SchH command for attention. When we walk, the dog walks at our side smartly, sitting when we stop and always looking up at us with attention.



Caden Platz! SchH command for lie down. In SchH you don't add 'stay' you just stay Platz and keep walking. There is not even a pause, and your dog must drop on the spot and stay there. I am just loving that he is lying there while two other dogs were working around him. He also must lie in a sphinx position, not settle onto one side or get lazy - and he must watch me, faithfully waiting for the next command. SchH tests the dog's willingness and ability to work in a demanding environment, and it's loyalty to the handler, always on the ready.

Since Caden comes from herding lines, I sort of expect him to have the genetics to do this, as herding dogs work in the presence of livestock and still must have a stop, a down and a recall.

In SchH a dog will do a down stay as part of its routine, and as an honour on the side while another dog is working its obedience routine, and lastly on the go-back where it runs full speed down the length of the trial field and then, is commanded to platz! It is a very emotional moment and always gets a lot of applause as it is the last exercise.



Caden Sitz! SchH sit command is given as you walk at a brisk pace. It is called a Sit out of Motion and the dog must plant its butt and not move until you return, watching you steadily the whole time. Recalls are not given from a sit, ever. Recalls only come from a down or stand (called a Stay). And rewards for these commands are always given by tossing in the opposite direction to 'come' so that the dog never anticipates it will be rewarded by coming to you, thereby not shifting its position forward, ever.

The footing for the sit is fun. Right now I say SIT! and I kind of keep jogging on the spot then pretend to be running forward but in slow motion, giving him a chance to get used to my motion beside him while he sits. Sometimes I just say SIT! and whirl to give him a reward as soon as he sits, because it has to be instant, fast and accurate for full points.

PS It was about at this time Dan told me to put my iPhone away and concentrate on training (blush)
 

Pam and Sting, Dan and Ali, SchH 



Dan Waters works with Pam and Sting on obedience. Pam has trained and competed with cutting horses. She's also had working GSDs before. So her training is so consistent and methodical. Sting is only a year old and his obedience is awesome. Dan is so generous with his time, helping all of us. There was another dog there, and in the New Year, we'll have a few more friends join us. It's not 'a class' - we just work together in this great space we found through friends. It's actually a doggy daycare that just opened.

This is Dan with Ali, who has been #5 and #6 in Canada in the past two years. He is always keeping her tuned up and she is a very intense but happy dog, totally devoted to Dan. When Caden was a year old, I found Dan in Red Deer and begged for help, LOLOL. He was a good boy but I had moved across the country and had not had the time to invest in foundation training. My NEXT GSD will be trained the way Pam and Dan trained their pups. However, Caden *(handicapped by me) is now really doing amazingly well, thanks to help from my club, Dan, and great clinicians. Working with someone of Dan's caliber and seeing his dogs also gives you something to strive for.

Jet working on focus and 'neutral mind' 



Jet did not escape working. Ted also worked but I have no photos of him this week. I worked on Jet's 'neutral state of mind' as recommended by Elvin Kopp. In the new place, around different dogs, she had to walk by my side, down and stand. She actually was just amazing. I can hardly wait to bring her back to a sheep field and see how this neutral state of mind will carry over in the presence of stock.

She is such a hot little dog, it is important for her to be in control of her own actions and emotions when she works sheep. Elvin thinks this will go a long way to fixing her outruns for starters - having her in a calm state of mind at the post on the trial field. I actually have tried to use this idea with Caden as well because a neutral state of mind (capping drive) is important for him on the SchH field too.



Jet walked beside or behind me on a loose long line, focusing on me and not trying to sniff, visit or forge ahead. She is so hilarious as she glares at me, and walks like a little mechanical doll, all stiff legged. I can't say how much I adore this dog. She is brilliant and as much of a gift to me as Caden is as a GSD. I really hope we can trial in 2011. She could probably also get a SchH BH and TR 1 (tracking) if I put some work into that. She'd probably LOVE the bitework too, but we don't want to encourage that in Jet, hahahahahaha. (that is my insane laugh)

I have some video of Jet that I am going to try to upload from my iPhone so you can enjoy her hilarious little march as we walk about. I laugh, but it is so awesome how hard she is trying.



We also socialize on training night! Here is Jet with her new found friend Dixie, Pam's little dog. SchH people have 'little dogs too' - not just stockdog people! Dixie and Jet are like soulmates with similar personalities. And they both think they are big dogs.

Dixie and Jet might get to travel together when Pam and I go to Vancouver Island in the New Year! (don't tell the other dogs though, OK?)

No pics of River or Ted, but trust me, they were in too. River mostly visited and demanded treats!