Sniper was already training in agility and had competed in Dock Dogs and doing well despite some of his odd behaviours. As I mentioned above, in order to further his training I needed to "unlock" the box that would allow us to connect through the learning process. At the time, we would get through concepts and he would pick them up and remember them but linking things together were hard for him. They were hard because I didn't understand how to put the equation together for him. This is now my responsibility to make the learning path make sense in his brain. I know he is brilliant and functions in a different level. He is certainly challenging my training knowledge and opening new doors for me which ultimately makes me a better trainer.
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| Sniper at 6 months |
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| Sniper at 6 months |
to throw in the water. He suddenly got very serious and assumed a "sit" position with out me asking and was very serious about the job in front him. Now I am a firm believer in letting instinct play our first and then shaping technique if necessary. I tossed the toy about 7 feet out and released Sniper. Out of nowhere this little puppy pops himself into the air and lands right on his toy. Zero hesitation just pure joy! At this time i had no idea of Sniper's autism but the joy I saw in his face when he was swimming back to me has left a lifetime memory in my brain. I said to myself then, that is the joy I want to see in everything he does. I am so happy that the look of gratitude and happiness I see on his face when we step on the dock has been captured in pictures. These are the moments that stick in my brain that i want to share with the world. This is the joy Sniper and I share.
We have played on dock dogs for over a year now and Sniper's technique has never changed but he is jumping 20 feet now from about the same place on the dock. It is quite unheard of and many dock competitors can't believe the distance he can get. Not all of our jumps are pretty or the correct form but Sniper doesn't care. No matter what happens he always gets to swim and he always gets his toy! How can you not enjoy playing with a dog that just wants to play no matter what the outcome is. While I have competed with my other dogs at an international level for years, it has never been about the ribbons and the achievements but rather taking home the best dogs, my dogs. I love them all to pieces and having the ability to play in many different venues allows us to spend more time together meeting new people. Most importantly, when Sniper is playing people forget about the dog that spins like a top and see him for who he really is, experience his joy and love of life.
Because our "technique" is little unorthodox it has taken some time to connect the dots from release to toss to catch to the water. It is all over in a blink of an eye and who knew it would be so precise. Like any sport it takes practice. I put a pool up in the back yard three years ago for Arson. Just a simple 9x18 above ground pool for swimming. Who knew that it would become and interim jumping practice between the times we got on the dock. Sniper was lucky and stepped into the yard with the pool and learned to swim in it at six months old. It didn't take Sniper very long to figure out he could launch himself off the ramp and jump into the pool. I won't lie, there was one day he almost cleared the pool's 18 feet! Yes I did scream and fortunately since then we haven't repeated that episode.
In the summer we are able to make some trips up north to play with Xtreme Air Dogs and Aaron Grant. A quick two hour drive and the boys get to practice jumping and compete about once a month over the summer. Aaron has been great in helping Sniper and I perfect our technique and getting the most we can out of our jumps. What I feel on the dock and what is actually happening are two different things so it was great to have a watchful eye on the sidelines to give us pointers.
In September 2015, we took our skills to a new venue of competition, Ultimate Air Dogs at Spruce Meadows in Calgary. All the disciplines are similar but have different games and sometimes, slightly different rules. Sniper loved jumping inside and quite enjoyed the crowd cheering.
Our routine when he gets on the dock starts and the bottom of the stairs. I take the leash off and let him run up the stairs ahead of me. When Sniper gets to the top of the stairs he starts spinning in circles which gets the crowd laughing at his enthusiasm. Little do they know that the spinning is part of his autism not a trained cue. Unfortunately, being indoors and far away from our vehicle there was no quiet place for Sniper to get away. He was functioning in the red zone all day. Over the top crazy. The only part that brought him back was jumping in the pool. The shot below says it all...low jump and the tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. Once I join him on the dock we walk all the way out to the edge of the dock and then Sniper performs one last spin and assumes a perfect sit. He puts his game face on and waits for my cue to jump. It really is the cutest thing. I knock the bumper on the dock and throw it out in the water. Sniper leaps out to 20 feet from a stand still! No running just sitting to 20 feet out in the pool! It's crazy! The crowd cheers and Sniper is so happy as he gets his bumper and heads back to the ramp. Never a happier moment than watching your dog do something they love so completely.
Surprise to me both of the boys made it to the finals and low and behold Sniper won a division called Chase-It. It is a timed event of jumping in and chasing a bumper to stop the time. He thought the game was fantastic! His win also brought home $150! Good boy Sniper. He was pretty proud of himself at the end of the day especially knowing that there was new toys coming with his winnings.
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