International Youth Camp in Mullsjö

Very soon I will write a review of the camp in Mullsjö, please be patience!

IPO Practise in Loviisa (last day)

Sunday 24/6-2007 During the third and last day at the camp, our group had to take the cars to our other practise place about 30 kilometres from where we sleeps. But I have to say, that I'm glad that we had to go to that place. Cause it was very calm and quiet there. And the area that we were practising at was much larger than it was at the original area. Before we started practising IPO, I and Nira were practising obedience with them who's competing in the WC! Quite fun, showing our great contact in obedience!

The third day were the best practise day of them all. Now she didn't have any problems with the changeovers. And she did show with her whole body that she wanted to get the bite sleeve in following the pray. And when she got the opportunity, she camed with full speed right in to the bite sleeve! A perfect bite! She was really zealous about get the bite sleeve! But she still did a very good and "clean" job. And she released the bite sleeve at first command with no problems. She trusts me as handler, and then it really goes forward! We practised IPO twice before it was time for lunch. She did everthing that she was supposed to do, I was the only one who maked the wrong decision once.Teijo, who slept in the same building as we did, showed us the day before how to hold the line so it doesn't slip right through your hand. When I was using that grip for the first time, I had the line around my left finger. Nira lied down, waiting for me to commend her to start. I was never really prepared for the hit, so when I command her to start my finger was pushed down with a lof of power. I was real close breaking it there! It still hurts a lot, but it doesn't matter. I can still practise with her. :) The practise was going real great, and later at the afternoon after a quick lunch, we went to the breeders who has Kennel Atlas Dreams. There we went to see some puppies after my sisters male Qwerro. Pictures can you find in my sisters blog, under "Loviisa, Finland".

After meeting the puppies, we went back where we lived in Loviisa. There we took the opportunity to practise IPO one more time before we were going back home again. Nalle was the helper, and that practise was the best of them all! She did everything that she was supposed to do, and in the end of the practise I'd released her from the lead that was around the tree, and put her on my own leash. I took a steady grip of the leash and I had to use my own power to hold her back when Nalle was working with Nira. When Nalle said that it looked great I released Nira so she could jump and take the bite. And then it was just to run to the car. And after that practise we saw that we had succeed with our goal for the weekend. To get a cleaner and better changeover, better aggression, a better bite and more speed when she's jumping in to the bite sleeve.

When I've put the pictures from the camp up on my web gallery, so can you see the whole last IPO practise on a video!

Hope you enjoyed reading this!

IPO Practise in Loviisa (second day)

Saturday 23/6-2007

The second day started real good for the helper (baitor) Jusa. The dog that you can see on the picture is very powerful and here he crushes a bite sleeve! Jusa can't get loose and he had to lay down about 10 minutes before be dog finally released the bite sleeve on the handlers command! And everyone who was watching could not do anything but laughing! :) Under the weekend the dog crushed two bite sleeves, both time on Jusa!
Better luck next time Jusa! ;)

Anyway, I and Nira had to wait a long time before it was our turn. We practised with the helper Nalle today too, like we did the whole weekend. The advantage with practising with Nalle is that he lives in Vaasa, on the west coast of Finland. And there they speak both finnish and swedish. So we could go through the practise on swedish. And I think that's very important when you're practising IPO/Defence.

The second day the practised really got forward. I was certain as handler and I gave Nira a lof of praise under the practise. That maked her satisfy, when she knew that she was doing a great job! The changeovers was so much better and she was quiet when she followed the prayer. And she got a perfect bite every time! And when she got the bite I command her to sit, so she could relax, having the bite sleeve in her mouth And then I command "lie down", took my hand around the necklace, command "release" and kicked away the bite sleeve! That was her best IPO-practise so far! And when it started looking real great, she got the bite and we ran to the car, and there she got water, and of course a lot of praise!

Just one month earlier (May), when the helper Kenneth came to us, she started not barking all the time in the changeovers. And now she's quiet! These finnish helpers really knows what there are doing! Their helper practise takes about 3-4 years, including one year just beeing with the helpers.

I'm going to make my helper practise in Vaasa, with Kenneth and Nalle just to get a good and wide education as possible. Hopefully I can start my helper practise next year.

The last practise for the day was the best so far. I didn't say anything to Nira when it was our turn. I'd just walked to the tree, putting her on the lead. The lead that she was put on was around the tree, so the helper could on a easier way practise with her. I command her to "lie down" and she had to look in my eyes before I command her to start. I didn't have to praise her so much like earlier, cause now she knew what she was doing right in the changeovers. When she got the bite I command her to sit so she could relax, having the bite sleeve in her mouth. And when she was doing a real great job I released her from the lead, and with full speed she jumped in to the bite sleeve! It was a perfect bite and after that we ran to the car. I've never seen her jumping with that speed in to the bite sleeve! So she got a lof of praise after the practise!

After dinner I and my sister Ann-cathrine had a freestyle-show, something that both we and the spectator enjoyed! Nira showed how fast and good she was at going "slalom" between my legs! She did also spin around, biting me on the fingers when she got the opportunity! (I had her favourite ball in that hand) She jumpes over my legs and in the end me and my sister created an"eight", having my left foot next to her right foot. And Nira ran between our legs like an eight! So it was fun, even if Nira didn't understand everything! ;)After the show we practised a bit obedience, and that was the best obedience practise we ever done! It seems like I had get better contact with Nira after giving her a lot of praise under the weekend! She did everything that I wanted her to do! And after the obedience practise I played with her. It was such a surprise for me, that the practise was going that great! I'd never thought that she was going to surprise me like that!

After that lucky practise day she got a well-earned rest, food and water. And after a while I went to Niras mothers owner. I got the opportunity to meet her, play with her and take some pictures. The owner promised me that he would send me some pictures and information about Yang. Please, look at the pictures below on Yang! :

IPO Practise in Loviisa (first day)

Now I got the translation of all the words that was missing for writing a review of the camp in Loviisa. Enjoy!

Friday 22/5-2007
The first day started with an assembly 8 o'clock in the morning. Breakfast was 7 o'clock. There were about 200 persons that camed to the assembly. They called out all the handlers name and race of the dog, and in which practise group they were going to be with. The group that me and my sister were in had to go 30 kilometres towards Kotka, to a football ground. That because the original area wasn't enough for all the handlers, dogs and helpers/baitor. Our group included about 30 handlers and helpers. All the helpers in our group had experiences from the WC. The helpers were very calm and certain about what they were doing. It was fun watching how the handlers that had been in the WC practised their dogs. During the practise the helpers children played with their equipment. The next generation of dog handlers and helpers, maybe??

The picture on top is Nalles daughter and the picture below is Japes son.

The time just ran away and suddenly it was our turn! I took here for a 15 minutes walk before the practise. The first practise was just an ordinary practise so Nalle could see how far we had camed with the IPO practise. When I started this practise so were my knowledge quite little about how Nira's supposed to react in some situations. But after that weekend in Loviisa so are my knowledge in that subject area much better and wider.

The first practised was good, but not great. If I and Nira would do that practise now after that weekend so would it be much better! He saw that her changeovers wasn't that good. So he said to me that's goal for the weekend. To get cleaner and better changeovers. Cause, if you got a great changeover on the dog, the dogs bite, aggression and speed when she's jumping in to the bite sleeve will get so much better!

After practising with Nalle, Nira got a two hours rest before it was our turn again. We were going to put Nira on a lead that was around a tree, so Nalle could work on an easier way with her. I were going to praise her a lot too, and hold in the leash so she didn't were going to get any injury when she's supposed to go from defence to following the pray. This practise was a bit better than the last one, but we had to practise lot before we would see any change.