When most of the family isn’t really ‘fit and active’ this is one of their projects - selling everything that can be carried! 🤪😅😂

Theres no filter in the world that can cover this outfit, the bad hair day or the obviously in expensive material we worked with this morning. But as I discovered last week neither Becca nor Hylsa was really sure that the word ‘jump’ was connected to the fence. So we began with backing down to jumping out and in and rewarding the jump.
With Iza I worked until she tried to find a fence, a bucket or anything that she could jump over. She really knew that word by heart.

That’s my goal, no titles, no points or trials in the world motivates me like a dog knowing a word by heart. So that in any situation, any time or place it really knows what is expected of them. That’s when succeeding becomes a reward in itself for the dog too.

We drove up to Lillestrøm Anette, Tilde and I with Hagel and Lucas. The sweetest hotel suite and the most crowded of shows but overall a trip to remember. Day one had the same judge as at the Danish winner show land Hagel gained the Nordic juniorwinner title from 2018 and was super handled by Ia Cannerhiem!
The second day resulted in a Norwegian juniorwinner title for Hagel and a bunch of titles for Lucas as he became Norwegian champion, Nordic champion and International champion just 2,5 year old!!!

Hylsa, just to explain this more clearly:
Eating toilet paper 🧻 does not take the need of going out to take a leak away... It might feel like it helps but I’m quite sure it is just a temporary feeling 😂

After yesterday’s dissection of the Out/directing command we diverted bits and pieces about the difference in “stand/lay down/sit/out/fetch” beside me. Figured out that out is exactly out nothing more than that to Hagel, but for Becca it means fetch and for Hylsa it depends on if she see the object or not.
The fetch command means fetch to Becca (every command could probably mean fetch in her opinion) but Hagel wasn’t sure about just the word and needed a hand sign as well, and Hylsa was not sure about that command at all.

The stand command beside me wasn’t probably grounded with any of them. And Becca isn’t exactly sure about sitting on just sound and Hagel is not 100% on just hand signals with sitting and laying down beside me.

So just because it feels grounded in front of me nothing is sure if I move or step away..,
There’s definitely work to do ☺️

The last days it has become obvious that my out or sending command is unclear. With Becca and Iza it hasn’t been a problem, as Becca can stay on a straight line for as long she remember the line (that might be half a second and some times two 😝) as she relies too much on sight. Iza worked 97% ish on scents so you just waited for her nose to start focusing in the right direction and then she was off.

With Hagel it hasn’t been that obvious, but with Hylsa it has become more and more clear. She is all of a sudden not steady right before I send.
And it’s all to do with her becoming more and more smooth in heeling and my pelvis more and more aching.
So I have had to take it down to following steps:
1. Sit in sitting position on my left side and reward
2. Take a step back with the left leg (the dog will follow with backing) to a new sitting (she has tried everything here from backing, to jump or stand) new reward. I have to do this as my sacroiliac joint on the left side aches too much, so my left leg can’t be used for sending a dog off on.
3. Higher my right hand in a straight line in the direction of the goal (reward when sitting, then add looking at my hand, then add looking in the direction of the goal)
4. Backing my hand towards the dog (signalling get ready) reward
5. Sending the dog of with a flick in the right direction and out to the goal and reward (I have to click on the start, than later on on speed and later on in the fetching of a dummy when the dog is sure about what to do and gaining speed.

Step 4-5 was added after someone shooting and wounding a bird while getting the dog ready for send off. Then I could choose either to send off on the first or redirect and send for the wounded bird. And I can prepare a send off earlier and withhold it if necessary.

This is how I spend my Tuesday mornings, dissecting every move I make 😝🙈🙈🙈😅

If I could’ve been a tiny little more like:
- Iza was, then I would be able to create a team in seconds. If she was standing amongst a group of tense testosterone loaded males, and all she had to do was start digging in the grass and the tension was gone and they all followed. I got the comment from an ‘old’ breeder- that dog can manage any group!
- Hagel I would manage anyone that want to push me with a tiny tackle or just make them trip a bit whenever they step over the line. She never do anything to push others, she just help them to fit in (with in her rules and routines obviously) and it can be quite chattering and loud, but there’s never any violence.
- Hylsa, then I wouldn’t reply at once. I would ask twice r a third time and probably understand more and react less. I would hear the difference between anger and frustration and tiredness. And I would know if it’s me or life in general that is the issue.
- Becca and see possibilities in every second of each day ❤️


I would like to just gain a tiny bit of knowledge from these four and all the others dogs I’ve had the honour to get to know, then I would be a better human, mother and wife 😍

BIS-3 Double Coat’s Carmela Soprano ‘Hylsa’ in baby class at Herning International dog show on Saturday! She made it to the finals again today, but there were way to many beautiful puppies, so she was not one of the top choices for the judge tonight.

Martin got his license to judge American cocker spaniel’s today!!! So now he’s allowed to judge English springers, English Cockers and American Cocker Spaniel #americancocker #cockerspaniel #FCIjudge