The first 6 months of Bo's life have been fun. In December he took and passed his first SAR test in beginning tracking. He passed with ease and has moved into the Air Scenting phase. He is now truly a SAR dog with our unit. 

The Run 'N Hides have progressed from hear and see the person, to a new site and longer hides. At first we worked in the familiar fields and woods of the land out back. In January as the cold set in, we moved to the woods and fields of Camp Robinson, a 36,000 acre wildlife Management area.

His first experience was fun and he had just short finds. Three in a row...each a little longer. I then put him away and worked Fox and Magic.  He was not a happy camper, sitting and watching. He wanted to play, too.

After all of the dogs have worked, we all go for a hike and the dogs get to romp and play off lead. It was a scary moment with Bo...and I was not sure if he was going to come. I guess I have to learn to believe in training, for he not only CAME...he checked in often and searched the surrounding brush and fields by himself.

As the weeks progressed, we ask more and more of the run 'n hides. The woods got deeper, the field runs were into heavy brush and tall weeds. We added time to wait after the person ran into the hide. He took all of it in stride. I was beginning to get excited. I had failed at this point many times...so many never make it past the simple fun of the search games. I was beginning to hope.

The end of January was a breakthrough. I had sent Marty to hide in open woods. He had watched her go...and I had released him with the "find her" command...and off he had run with that wonderful zig-zag pattern he was beginning to use in all searches. He was adding the refind on his own. The first hide was fine. The second I had her go over the other's path to confuse the scent for the first time...and he did it!. The third time, I had her run into the trees back towards the cars and people. Bo started to search, and soon approached the scent of all of the people next to the cars. I saw him head straight in...and worried I had set him a problem beyond his young age...Bam...he hooked her scent and turned his run to come back up the scent cone and to Marty!! What a dog...and what a great feeling to see him work.

It has gone smoothly now and we move the search area often to introduce new places. You have to change things one at a time...and this stage is building a memory of the game...it is the same no matter where I place the person. He has found 100% of the time...and it is time to change a new factor. Distance. So the next few runs we begin to increase the distance up to a 1/4 mile. Bo has NO trouble at all, as long as I move along as he searches. I can see he is a better sector searcher than Magic. He gives me lots of distance and is a great pattern dog. Lots of long zig-zags and turning into the scent cones with ease! I can feel the excitement of his searching...he is having fun. That is important in a pup.

Next we add more terrain problems. I had found this wonderful area next to the FIRING range. It has guns going off, and lots of rocks and nooks and crannies. It requires agility skills and slower searching to find the hidden victims. He does not disappoint me...he is great. But I see a new thing...he is spooky at the first find. Not the second or third. Just the first.

Now all dogs go into a "fear period" and the best I can do is lay off of the search work for a bit to allow him to develop. I start to take him back to obedience classes as my demo dog in my advanced puppy class I am teaching at the dog club. It is a great change and lots of dogs and new strangers to meet. I see the confidence building.

In my classes I help new puppy owners bond and gain confidence with the adolescent dog. It is at that time, most owner send Fido to the pound. I give hope and promise to the handler and the dog with games, new commands, and control. Bo is at this same stage in life. He is now 8 months old.

Each day I can see the knowledge grow as we practice sit stays, downs and waits with recalls. He had been allowed to be a puppy up till now, with sit and downs lasting only a brief few seconds. Now he is building to a 2 minute sit and 5 minute down that will be so important in his search world. They are often asked to wait long periods of time on searches while the handlers are getting info or helping set up the search. Bo is showing he COULD be a good dog. But still the play and jumping continue. I don't want a competitive obedience dog, just a controllable search dog that knows when to stay, down and come.

I then I begin to add all of the agility to his training. Although he is really too young to jump, he can be taught to climb, tunnel, and jump little 4" jumps. It is the commands, not the heights that make the training.

I start with long runs over 4 to 5 jumps. First we do one, then two...then three with each run being rewarded. By that week, we have a clean wait, and call through the 4 jumps. He is fast to fly and quick to learn. He is truly Magic's son. A nice working Schip.

I start to add the chute and teeter. None of it phases him. One after the other, he simply asks for more. I begin to run with him and push and pull him into the jumps with verbal and body signals. He is now going to three or four different obstacles without a problem. I am still using targets for reward stations. He loves it. I have to have patience as he is now just turning 10 months old.

He spends a few days at the spring SAR seminar we put on at the end of March. He has no problems with greeting complete strangers or big dogs. His favorite is Asta, a large and soft German Shepherd. She is owned by Greg of St Louis. We have many fun and funny romps with this big wonderful friend. Bo is very much at home.

The hides are about to begin with the start of spring. He is a happy and loving pup, that eagerly awaits my game. He has had fun in agility and
obedience and is enjoying the visits to Petsmart. The woods call again...I see him look beyond the fence for the runs we enjoy so much. It's time. And we'll let you have an up date as soon as we see if he will go back to work.

 And it is time to get a bark. You see, Bo is silent. He has never offered to bark at anything. In the seminar, he woofed a few times at strangers in the dark. Maybe we WILL have a bark alert after all. 

I hope you are all enjoying this log. Bo is sweet, even tempered and quick to please. He opens doors, digs to China, fetches toys, and loves belly rubs just like all Schips. He is all puppy, with a special look in those eyes. You know the one...it's called the look of eagles.

See ya soon!  --BO

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