Clicker training in the Himalayas

Back in the USA!

2009-11-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

We have landed in Seattle!

We will board a plane for Eugene in 3 hours and then home. I am very grateful to be home safe and sound. It will be much more interesting to watch the Kathmandu politics from the USA rather than a front row seat.

My favorite game to play with the Nepali handlers was "Connect the Dots". After using and practicing with soccer dots in the compound, we took it on the road so to speak. The attached pictures show our daily 9 AM walks down the river bed. We would take each dog's morning kibble and feed them breakfast using river rocks as our markers to click. By the 6th day, there much more slack leash to see. You could see the handlers grow in confidence with the technique.

The scenery was possibly the best in the world for loose leash walking practice. This had been my first view of the Himalayas for me. The beauty absolutely brings tears to your eyes.

I will post lots of pictures and reports on other clicker training games.

Thank you for positive thoughts sent to us, it helped.

Back in Contact

2009-11-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

WOW! We are back in Kathmandu. It was a long time without Internet/phone contact.

Clicker training in the Himalayas was sooo much fun! Conditions for the humans were a little difficult but we got used to them fairly quickly.

Dog lovers are the same everywhere however.

Although the dog training was nothing like I had envisioned, I feel like we accomplished a lot.

Starting with TagTeach was a good move. Language barriers are not an issue then. And language barriers were a huge problem. Although we had communicated by email in English, spoken English was a different matter. The program director is Dutch and the only other foreigner was German. Apparently my American accent was not readily understood by anyone. I was grateful that I had spent time studying Nepali. By the end of our time dog training, all the Nepali handlers were mimicking how I say "Good job!" all the time. A good thing to mimic.

Click/Khanne is now a part of 6 dog handler's life.

We fly out off Kathmandu this afternoon and have a long layover in Seoul. I will post about the clicker training specifics then. Along with great pictures of playing "Connect the dots" along a river in the Himalayas. That is something I will remember all my life!

Send positive thoughts our way please. We need to get out of Kathmandu in a timely matter. The Chinese Maoist have scheduled a "stoppage" in Kathmandu on Sunday. Apparently this is a public protest where the international airport is closed-period. The Embassy is warning Americans to avoid all protests. They are not evacuating American (or any foreigner). But, I am grateful to be out of here before the "stoppage".

I will contact you all from Korea tomorrow.

Thanks for best wishes

Lynn

In Nepal-almost there!

2009-10-27T05:24:00.000-07:00

We have landed in Kathmandu!!
A very long road from Scio, Oregon.
We flew from Seattle on Saturday and landed in Seoul on Sunday.
Korea was not kind to Hunter and Maggie. After 20 hours in a crate, Incheon airport decided we must take the dogs out of the airport for the 10 hour layover (at 8 PM at night). There was also no water bottles on ther crates anymore. Where did they go? No wheels on their crates either.I shutter to think of the possibilities.
OK, we thought the worst was over. Wrong, Korean hotels do Not allow dogs in rooms. It was bad. But after intense bribery, a young manager let us actually sneak the dogs in the back door of his hotel. The 5 month old puppies then walked through downtown Seoul on a leash to a park. They were true troopers. They acted like they grew up there. I was pretty proud. As a treat (probably more for me then them), we all slept together in a double bed.
Ok,on to Kathmandu. Long 8 hour flight but much kinder to Maggie and Hunter.
Kathmandu is chaotic and wonderful. 8 million people crowded in a valley at the base of the Himalayas. It was everything that I thought it would be. Almost as exotic as a movie. Plus it was my 55th birthday! Wow.
The pups are acting like seasoned urban dwellers now. Maggie is people watching out of the window of our fifth floor (no elelvator) hotel room.
The puddle jumper to Pokara was uneventful. Since noon today we have walked around rural Nepal at the headquarters of the dog rescue squad. This is the ultimate off leash park for dogs. They love these dogs here. We did have a little glitch. We did have to explain to Maggie that cows are sacred here. But a couple of minutes clicking and treating for not barking at sacred cows, she was good.
Tomorrow at 6 AM, we leave on a 4 hour bus ride to the dog training center in the mountains and then just a 2 hour walk. We will have finally arrive by 12 noon tomorrow. Then we will get to the dog training part of this adventure. I am started to get really excited about it.
We are having server difficulties ( not too big a surprise). We will stay connected as best we can.
Thank you for best wishes and thoughts.

Puppy Update

2009-10-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

Maggie and Hunter are 4 months old now. They are a handful, but a fun handful!

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They each weigh 28 pounds.

We are waiting for their rabies titers to come back from the lab. If it is inadequate, they will not get through customs in Kathmandu. Please keep your fingers crossed.
I have only trained behaviors that can be life saving in transport. They have a rock solid recall and do pretty well on a leash. Leave It is also started. This way, their new handlers can train them during the clicker seminar. It is so much fun to clicker train a young pup! These are great clicker dogs. In the video, you will see Maggie being "shaped" to go to her crate.

"The Honest Kitchen" donates dog food

2009-09-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

The Honest Kitchen's natural pet food recipes are made in a human-food plant, to ensure the highest possible quality control and production standards. The facility is FDA inspected - and humans actually taste their foods, as part of the QC process! This nutritious dog food has been donated by The Honest Kitchen, to feed Maggie and Hunter. It is the perfect "in transit" food, as it is dehydrated. This makes it lightweight and convenient. It will be easy to know that the dogs are eating well while in the airport in Seoul and Kathmandu. I have started them on it now to help meet their growing nutritional needs.

Check out their website: www.thehonestkitchen.com

Thanks Christin!

PetTech is going to Nepal!

2009-08-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

Pet Tech is the first international training center dedicated toFirst Aid, CPR & Care for dogs and cats. I am a PetTech instructor.

What better place to teach the course than remote Nepal. The skills learned in this couse could easily SAR dog's life. So, in addition to a clicker training course, I will be presenting the PetTechFirst Aid & CPR course.

Check out their website: http://www.pettech.net/ Lots of info!

And to make things wonderful, Cindy and Thom (creators and owners) of PetTech are donating the workbook associated with the course. Each handler will have their own reference book.

The Himalayan Rescue Dog Squad Nepal is excited.

Now my only dilema is how to get CPR mannequins to Nepal! I suspect that there will not be stuffed animals there to substitute for mannequins.

Local paper publishes "Clickers for Nepal" story

2009-08-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Moody of the Albany Democrat Herald wrote a great story about our project.Here is a link to the story:

http://www.democratherald.com/articles/2009/08/12/news/people/5peo01_dogtraining081209.txt

Not only did she report on the trip itself , the difficult logistics of the trip, the puppies going on the trip,but she also clearly grasped clicker training and the reason for a clicker training seminar in Nepal. While interviewing me, she seemed a "natural" to clicker training. Need to sign her up for classes!

Thank you Jennifer.

Hopefully, the article will generate some interest and maybe a sponsor for Nirung.

Meet the puppies going to Nepal

2009-08-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

Meet Hunter(the liver colored little boy) and Maggie (the ticked little girl). They are 9 and 11 week old German Shorthair Pointers. They will be going to Nepal with us and will become a permanent part of the Himalayan Rescue Dog Squad Nepal. Between now and late October, they will learn their basic training, with me. They know how to sit and are working on "Come". The usefulness of a leash escapes them right now but I have 10 weeks to convince them. Wish me luck!

Young Photographer from Shyauli Bazaar sends a preview

2009-08-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

Nirjung is a 13 year old aspiring photographer. He has sent a photographic preview of the last leg of our trip to the Rescue Dog Squad compound at Shyauli Bazaar. Note that the people on this trek are wearing flip-flops!! I won't be.

To see this preview of our trip , folllow this link:
http://s558.photobucket.com/albums/ss28/lynnmartin/Getting%20to%20Shyauli%201/?action=view&current=da322c46.pbw

Many thanks to Nirjung for his effort and "eye".

Read Nirjung's email. He is in need of a sponsor.

Dear Lynn Martin, Ingo showed to me your Obedience Academy website and you have
also a blog there. Please post some of my picture there also. I will be honored.
Also if possible post my request for a sponsor so I can buy a laptop when you
come maybe? Do not bring laptop from USA...here laptop is chepaer made in India.
So many thanks if you can do it. I promis to be yours penpal after thatsincerely
Nirjung

For info to become Nirjung's sponsor, go to :http://www.hrdsnrescue.org.np/pages/news.html

map to Nepal

2009-07-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how to get to the Himalyan Rescue Dog Squad Nepal?

Drive from Scio, OR to Seattle Washington. Then board a 13 hour flight to Seoul Korea. The next morning, board a 5 hour flight to Kathmandu, Nepal. Oh, and you thought you were there? Nope, then rent a mini bus for a 2 hour ride to Pokhara, Nepal. Then, get on the bus "to the end of the road" and then walk 2 hours to Shyauli Bazaar. WOW!

Here is a link to a map.

http://http//www.communitywalk.com/scio/or/clilckers_for_nepal/map/410862

Meet the Himalayan Dog Squad Nepal

2009-07-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

The Himalyan Rescue Dog Squad Nepal provides search & rescue teams and medical aid in the event of natural disasters such as earthquake, avalanche, flood and when trekkers are reported missing or injured. These young men and their dogs are part of the team.

The director of the squad, Ingo asked the Karen Pryor Academy if any of their certified training partner would be interested in providing a clicker training seminar to the dog handlers in Nepal. That's where I come in. I will be traveling to Nepal October 24th of this year to present a clicker training course. The rescue teams will acquire the skills needed to train their dogs ANY behavior that the dog is physically capable of performing, with a clicker and the sound principles of Learning Theory.