So I am asking for advice and probably just need to wait but I felt if I asked I would be put at ease or get answers. I am happy with Captain's ears and no they do not need to be tapes again but I wish they would he would keep them up more and not laid back. My experience with Malibu since she came home her ears were always up and she only turns them sideways to hear things. As you can see I bought Captain a nylabone chew which he is loving. I was hoping this would help to develop his ears more and I thought I saw on Showcardi some one talk about supplementing with vitamin c but could not find it in the archives. I think they said it would help with the cartilage. I know with time his ears should be fine but I don't know how to get him to keep them up in the ring when he wants to lay them back a lot. They naturally lay down when he goes around the ring but I have a hard time getting him to put them up when he stops. He seems to do better in the morning then the afternoon. On that note he shows this week and weekend Thursday thru Sunday in Santa Rosa. Thurs at 2:30, Fri at 10:00(also puppy show), Sat at 8:45 and Sunday at 8:00. As of now all for days are at a 3 pint major if all dogs show up. So any suggestions are very welcome and if I am over reacting just let me know. Enjoy the pics of Cappy with his new nylabone.
I am sure he'll love his new bone, but what you're talking about (the dog himself laying his ears back) is more of a training issue than a physical one. If his ears are not flopping, he doesn't need more vitamin C. Just practice looking alert and pretty.
ReplyDeleteLots of people will train the dog to show expression (with the ears forward, eyes happy and focused, mouth closed) on command; it's great if you can do it with "Cookies!" or "Ears!" or whatever. A ton of what good handlers are doing in the ring is just keeping the dog in that posture as much as possible - that's why they toss bait around, offer the dog little bits, use squeakies, etc.
If you can figure out how to get him to consistently put his ears up and look interested - try throwing popcorn in the air; mine love that - then you can connect the movement to a command like "Ears." If he knows that every time you say "Ears" and he puts them forward he gets a treat, he'll start coming up to you and flashing them on his own. Then just extend the period before treating, so you say "ears" and he has to hold them for five seconds to get his liver. That's as much time as a show dog typically has to show expression for a judge, so you don't have to make him do it for minutes on end or something.
For whatever reason, my Clue does it for "say hi!" which is very convenient for the down-and-back because it looks like she just wants to kiss the judge (which she does, but she does it with ears forward). I wasn't smart enough to teach her that; she did it on her own. But tying it to words like that may be good for him so you can use a command but not have it sound like you're asking him to do anything.
Joanna's right. His ears are fine, he just needs to get happier using them in the ring.
ReplyDeleteI have this problem with Huxley and with Molly as well. Sometimes funny sounds will make him prick them up.
I have also found that if on the down-and-back I stop the dog facing straight in to the judge that they will sometimes be soft and not want to put their ears up. But if I turn the dog toward me just slightly and bait them I have better luck.