Agility Addict

dream weaves .. and house league report ...

2012-01-29T17:59:00.000-05:00

Good dogs sums it up well

Sally was a little high in the second class (and I was a little scattered - always a tough combo) but she pulled herself together to do a JUST BEAUTIFUL set of weaves while I was inside the gamble box (we were playing a non traditional jackpot course).

Brody ran like the superstar he is. Quick and thoughtful - he wasn't setting speed records but he put "smooth is fast" to work. Sally was great - one bar on a jump after a triple on a long line I thought might get her strung out but otherwise a lovely jumpers run!
The first game was fun - snakes and ladders - twist your way up and back until you run out of time. Brody wasn't happy weaving the first time- we did them ok but I had to work harder than usual. We played Jackpot in the second game - both dogs were great - I wish I had a better plan for Sally. Brody's worked perfectly! Jumpers was lovely smooth and open - the dogs both appreciated it!
Lucky to have such a neat venue to play in. Enjoyed my judging too!

Must have's ...

2012-01-28T19:35:00.000-05:00

What can't you imagine living without in dogland?

I have things that I can't imagine doing without for each dog ... a few relate to agility but most are general must haves ...

the list varies by dog of course .... though some things are required for all ...

Crates ... I like all dogs to happy in a crate. At trials they are essential even if just for course walking, at home they are helpful for feeding or when work is being done at the house or when there is a new foster animal. We only have one crate set up in our bedroom and another in the living part of the house.

A good collar and leash ... my preference is for rolled leather - mostly because of shaggy dog hair (umm Brody) getting caught in it. We use 6 foot leashes around here. 4 feet leashes drive me crazy! We use flexi)-leads for road walks in the county but never in the city. I have actually seen dogs that were hbc (hit by car) on a flexi-lead. Not nice.

Toys for interactive play. Tug toys, balls, empty water bottles - whatever works is fine!
Toys for self play. Brody loves rawhide and marrow bones. Sadly with Sally's allergies he is deprived of his favourites. Sampson is addicted to kongs. Addicted might not be strong enough as a word to describe how he feels about kongs.

Coats and clothes .. not really our thing but Thea does require coats living in Ontario in the winter. Sally also wears a coat when it's really cold.

Comfy spots to lie are essential to these pampered pooches too. Chairs, dog beds, our couches, whatever works goes around here.

Food dispensers are essential for Sally. Treat sticks, Kong wobbler, tug a jug, tornado- the more variety the better. Stainless steel bowls are required for everybody else. Easy to clean and no risk of black noses going brown due to contact with plastic!

A mixed variety of treats. Ultimately I think the mixed treats keep every dog interested and working hard for their pay. Zukes, leftovers of meat and cheese, kibble, Charlies, all kinds of different foods make it into the mix.

What couldn't you live without?

finishing friday fotos ...

2012-01-27T22:42:00.000-05:00

some of my favourite pics from the summer

Someone like ....

2012-01-26T20:12:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about next dogs a lot lately.

No real reason but random thoughts keep popping into my brain.

Brody is coming up to 12, Thea will be 9, Sally 6 and Sampson will turn 3.

Sally and Sampson's palliative status has cleared but perhaps it weighs on my mind.

Brody is happy happy happy and Thea is full of beans and life

but too many of our canine friends have died too young.

Today would be my aunt Ash's birthday.

I miss her, and her sister Joce (who died way back in '94), daily.

Maybe that's why I am thinking forward.

I have no idea what breed would work for us.

I'm thinking young female.. and small.

A poodle mix would be fun but

we don't see too many hot agility prospects of that mix in rescue land.

Someone like Brody is obviously on my mind.

Saw this clip and cracked up totally .. from Saturday Night Live

love the song too

work is play

2012-01-25T23:04:00.000-05:00

and play is work ...

and always the two shall intersect, overlap and weave together if I have anything to do with it!

Had a hilarious breakfast with Sally the other day. She was tugging right over her breakfast bowl. She would rather have had breakfast (I think) but she was quite happy to grab onto 2 different tugs and play.

Took some time to revisit tug-release- tug -sit with Sampson, you can literally see his mental gears turning as he works out the rules of games.

Brody is being a cranky pants about having a couple of mats removed so I'm taking my time and convincing him that it is FUN to be touched with scissors. Seems we have to revisit this game often but it's worth it.. not sure about him but I sure feel better when he's mat free!

Thea is dying to play in the house. She finds it cold outside so is looking for things to do inside. We played a rousing game of zipping down the hall after me without any blind crosses. Probably should have started playing that game 8 years ago.

Real world life is busy this week but hopefully a few more work/play sessions with the dogs can be built in soon!

Cattitude... and more...

2012-01-21T12:26:00.000-05:00

We live in a multispecies house. There are always dogs, cats, parrots and rabbits around and the range of animals that has come through the door is staggering.. most birds (chickens, finches, budgies, doves, quail, large cockatoos etc) most small "pocket pets" (hamsters, gerbils, rats, mice), turtles, lizards, chinchillas, guinea pigs and probably more I'm missing ...

It is not always peaceful in our wild kingdom but generally it's much more laid back then someone who was in a single or dual species home would suspect.

Introducing cats to dogs and dogs to cats is a fairly straightforward process.
Puppies or kittens make the job much easier as they have no preconceived notions that anything might be exciting about this. If you aren't sure of the history of either in the pairing go SLOWLY.

New dog in house ....
unless you can directly supervise them both keep them separate. Period. Possibly forever depending on the size of the dog and how things go. Here Sampson (the resource guarder) will likely never be out alone with the cats. Accidents can and do happen in a heartbeat. You being there may not be enough but odds are good you will see tension rise and be able to deal with it. Sally will occasionally bounce at a cat but she never threatens them or makes contact. The cats here are very dog savvy and rub up on all of the crew here. We make the choice to have the small dogs and Sally loose in the house with the cats when we are out that could change at any time. Our house is set up so there is a dog free zone - I actually think that is a really big part of why the foster cats adapt so relatively quickly to the chaos!

When you first introduce cat and dog it is much easier to have two people, a relatively small space, something high for the cat to sit on and some time and patience. The two people means that each person is assigned to keep one animal calm and happy. Cat is up on high spot, dog is brought in. If there is no reaction that's perfect. Both are praised and rewarded. Dog sniffs cat gently. Cat bristles but stays calm? Also perfect. Praise, reward. Dog tries to leap at cat? Not terrible but back dog up til things are calm. Then reward. Don't bribe the dog or cat. Don't shove them together for ages if either are stressed. Many short positive meetings are the goal. There is no point in jerking, smacking or punishing anybody if the meeting isn't calm. A deflection, then a redirection and then a retry with a different plan in place is the way to go. The last thing you want is either the dog or cat believing that the other species causes stress or bad things to happen. The best things should happen when everybody is calm together!

If you do nothing else to get ready for the introduction read the story of Song and the Sheep. Patience is a key to long happy relationship building and ideally that's what you want, right?

Questions? Please ask - I have done this HUNDREDS of times - with many dogs and many cats, many puppies and many kittens including cat killing dogs and dog attacking cats. You can negotiate a peace. It may not look like the pictures on this post

but it can be done.

closing day

2012-01-20T13:20:00.000-05:00

yup - 256 acres of amazement

the promise

the gratitude

Buy land, they're not making it anymore.

Mark Twain

Land really is the best art.

Andy Warhol

We did not inherit the land from our fathers.

We are borrowing it from our children.

-Amish Proverb

This little patch of earth

and this little pile of stones

I can wash the dust from off my face and skin

But this earth is in my bones

-Ralph McTell

Cats ... wordless Wednesday ..and a little foreshadowing perhaps?

2012-01-18T18:38:00.000-05:00

sometimes it's the small things ...

2012-01-17T09:02:00.000-05:00

It's easy to lose sight of where you started from sometimes.

Me? Naughty? Never!

Last night Sampson and Sally played with a rope toy for an hour. They tugged with it. They each took turns waving it in one another's face. Sally lay on the big bed and Sampson dragged her (and Thea who was napping on the same bed) around the kitchen floor. Sam didn't snark, or lift a lip, or freeze up, or in any other way behave inappropriately. Resources have been a tough haul with him. I doubt he'll ever be as easy with them as our first two dogs were (the things you don't know to appreciate sometimes) but maybe one day a toy basket with many lower value toys will be able to be out again. (Don't worry about the abuse-all the dogs who want toys get daily supervised toy time!)

I'm a good girl - all I do is sleep! I'm never frustrating.

The little things sneak up on you -and you don't realize how forwards you've moved sometimes. Puppy people getting frustrated? Take a deep breath and think about how much your puppy has learned. Is the house training better? Are sits better? Have you and puppy learned a new behaviour or trick? Are you playing a new game? I can promise you you've come further than you feel when you are frustrated!

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,

but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

Monday and the week looms large ....

2012-01-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

day surgery, employer evaluation, bah phooey

much more fun to reflect on agility!!

Sally got all her contacts yesterday. That said I'm not sure a stopped contact is the way to go with her (I seem to have to manage them) I'd love to watch some big long striding dogs with running contacts particularly on the a frame. Her teeters are great. Her dog walk I can see improving even without much work. Maybe I just need to get 20 reps a day back in somehow. All the bars stayed up too -which was lovely as the striding is often pretty tight in that hall. She wasn't running flat out, nor was I, but it was much smoother and open than the last house league standard was.

Brody was FAST - his standard run was the 3rd fastest clear of 9 dogs ... and right up there across the board. He ran faster than Sally by close to 8 seconds. I suspect his lovely running contacts had something to do with that. He did 5 aframes in one snookers class. Probably my only bone dumb move of the day but he enjoyed a massage last night and will enjoy it again today! He is so much fun to run.

Enjoyed the judging too I seem to end up judging large dogs quite regularly in house league and I enjoy it. Keeps me focused on watching handlers and dogs. The only down side is Sally sits in a crate pretty much all day and runs without her full and usual warm up but I make up for that at the end of the day with her -and it's good for me to run her high.

house league report ...

2012-01-15T17:36:00.000-05:00

Great dogs - great fun!

It was crazy cold out so Thea stayed home (no wonder the poor dog is a play dog!)

Snookers was up first - our tunnel version

Sally earned 52 points the first run (we worked 3 sets of 5 point weaves and obviously something else too!)
Then 45 points as we worked the 6 point teeter 3 times then carried on to the closing - so it should be 48 points I think ... oh well math isn't my strong thing!

Her standard run was fault free too... what a good girl!

Brody ran well too. He was happy and FAST .... 51 and 59 points respectively and then a fault free standard run too. Good fun day. The compilation video for today is Sally and her sister Sophie!

Still enjoying snookers, love the thinking piece!

Drawing the line ...

2012-01-14T17:40:00.000-05:00

We hear it all the time:

"S/he crossed the line"
"I draw the line at giving friends money"
"I drew my line and dared them to cross it"
"It's time to draw the line"

It's a phrase used to take a stand, stake turf, and it's always struck me as somewhat confrontational in nature.

That said it's important to draw your lines clearly when it comes to much of life, dogs included.

Positive is not permissive.
That means if you don't want your dog on the kitchen island -that's OK!
That means if your dog is losing it's furry,funny,much loved mind by having a butt tucking hairy fit over your couch and under the dining room table it's OK and even important to interrupt him or her.

It may mean you are driven to tears when you just can't think of a positive way to deal with a line your dog is crossing. I very clearly remember standing beside my car tearing up as I just couldn't get Rufus to willingly get in a car and so badly didn't want to force him. It was so frustrating I honestly did not know what to do. Standing in the park watching our Irish Setter dance just out of reach drove me to that point even longer ago. You know something? That's OK too. You are allowed to be frustrated. It's not OK to react to that frustration from a place of anger - but if you do - just like people who love you - it's pretty likely your dog will forgive you and trust you again. (Though what a pain regaining that trust can be).

Options for dealing with crossed lines around here include: slapping myself upside the head for not realizing there was a line; tethering pooch to me so the line won't be crossed; a short time out with young dogs (sometimes as simple as holding Sam's collar and sitting with him for a minute or two); redirection of energy - playing either a dog or people game. In many ways I think the multi-dog house helps with this - when I'm fed up throwing a ball or two for the big dogs relieves that stress.

People ask me why I don't punish the dogs when they cross a line - sometimes they ask directly and sometimes they ask by their actions. (For example yelling No if Sam jumps up to check a counter). I really don't believe there is a point in punishing usually - all it does it suppress the habit when people are present.
Much better to not have anything of interest on the counter as my habit! Or have something positive like a stay on a bed in place for when the counter is a mess. A crazy out of control young pooch is usually overtired or overwhelmed. Yelling and punishing aren't going to be constructive in that situation either. A down time is likely to get much better results. If the crazies happen predictably you can take preventative action.
Big T coming home makes every dog happy- CRAZY happy - leaping, barking, maniacal happy. It didn't take long at all to have Sampson hear Big T at the door and run for the back door -where I would toss a Kong out for him. Then I worked on Sally. She now flies to a bed and lies waiting. That means Big T can come in the door greet the small dogs, go get changed and then come down and love on Sam and Sally! Much easier for us all then having a screaming fit every time he comes home!

A routine that avoids issues is such a relief - figuring out that routine is an excellent use of time and energy. Picking your lines is FINE. Important even - remember positive is not permissive - but dealing with the line need not be punitive!

As Elbert Hubbard so wisely stated “Punishment - The justice that the guilty deal out to those that are caught.”

how can I be worthy?

2012-01-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

What an awesome responsibility comes with the love of a dog.

Wonderful and inspiring and just a little frightening at times.

Puppies Test Boundaries ....

2012-01-11T09:21:00.000-05:00

Oh yes they do ... and I usually know my bad little puppies are settling in to their homes a little too well when I don't hear from adopters for a few days in a row!

Some puppies discover that they don't have to do what they are asked (for example they may pull on a lead, they may not come when called). They may decide that in their sweet new life they should be the ones controlling resources.

Theorique didn't get rawhides here (Sally is dreadfully allergic to beef so no beef of any sort even gets in the door for the dogs). At one of her puppy sitters recently she had a rawhide and got growly with it! I was SHOCKED when told she was "still" possessive as she had never been possessive here but on reflection realized it's happened before and will again I'm sure. Smart good puppies test boundaries! So if you find yourself in this situation this may help...

This is a behaviour that can escalate to other toys, or even meals so it's something to address with your dog early on in a positive way. (Lots of traditional trainers have methods for dealing with this too -but they are force based and can both destroy your relationship with your dog and be dangerous!)

It's easiest to understand the basic method (in my opinion) as it applies to meal times. The best resource I have ever seen on this is Jean Donaldson's book Mine. If you are struggling with the issue or working with a tough case it would be a good investment! My short -prevent little problems becoming bigger version of her protocol is below -but I have actually worked with her book open step by step with at least two head cases! If you aren't experienced please do not work through true aggression around resources by yourself. Get a pro to help you!

Fitz

If all your pooch does is stiffen or eat faster when you are near this will help them too!

Give your pooch his or her kibble meal. (If you feed home prepared-give them the most boring part of the meal) Drop super tasty food (roast beef, chicken, yummy stinky treats from the store whatever your dog will love) into the bowl in small amounts. Use a big bowl so you don't have to aim too closely. Repeat over at least 3 meals - more if you need to. Repeat several times through the meal.

Meal 4 (or more) start the same way but get closer to the bowl before dropping treat - pooch may decide to not eat kibble and wait for the good stuff. That just means things are going well and you can move on. Once your hand is actually in the bowl to drop in the treat (and I'll be honest here -with crazy Fitz I used kibble only and took 2 weeks to get to this point) pick up the bowl and put the goody in the bowl then return the bowl to the floor. If there are other people who can play this game so much the better -and don't forget to keep working on new things if you are doing this as a preventative thing - new bowls, new locations! This is not a bad game to play throughout a pooch's life. Brody thinks it's a great game to this day. I also play a variation of this game that starts with just one or two pieces of kibble then add kibble to the bowl.

Toys are similar -some dogs value some toys very highly. We trade for better toys and delicious food regularly around here. That is say Sampson has a Kong (his number ONE thing in the world). I offer him something tasty; swap it for the Kong then give the Kong back. Or say he has a rope toy - I might swap him the rope toy for a Kong as a special treat. He will now swap my back for the rope but that took quite a bit of work! A little backsliding happens with toys sometimes - perhaps there is a new toy or the dog discovers a new way to play -don't stress just repeat the game. Swap, return, swap, return, swap replace with something else.

No Kong handy? Sampson can find great joy in any toy!

Yelling, using "NO", taking the toy by force or not following through on the trade (or treat) are all counter to this process. They increase stress and can convince pooch there is something SERIOUS worth guarding! It's a game... as you may know if you've read my posts before I enjoy my dogs no matter if we are training, walking or lounging -life with them is about playing and keeping it fun for us all -no matter what skill we are working on!

Relationship Building

2012-01-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

"If there were a single snapshot moment that encapsulates a relationship, it might be simply this: how a person and a dog walk together."

-- Suzanne Clothier--

No doubt at all our walks at the private park are relationship building for us all.

Life is about timing ...

2012-01-09T08:33:00.000-05:00

so says Carl Lewis (with 10 Olympic medals to his name who am I to argue?)

Dog training is surely about timing too. The impact of reward, punishment (if you use it) No Reward Markers (if you use them) and cues are all profoundly affected by timing.

Tom had the big dawgs out for a road walk yesterday and I wanted to play with shaping. I had nothing in mind but a happy Thea and Brody were staring at me. I played some tug with Thea which she loved and then started shaping Brody to "go to bed". We had a friend over watching and she was fascinated by the process of shaping. She didn't understand why there was no cue. (I didn't understand how Brody has lived with us nearly 11 years and had never been taught this- it's a great great foundation behaviour).

Sally has "go to..." down to a fine art ..even when she doesn't quite fit!

I was very quickly able to get a down on the bed as Brody has done a fair bit of shaping and was very quick to understand what was paying. He had a couple of typical, for him at least, gap out moments where he stood and stared at me or sniffed the floor but I didn't fall for it. I held out for a down on the bed and sure enough I got it. Going backwards in marking behaviour (which I would have been doing if I had marked him looking at the bed after he was already getting on it) is so tempting but ultimately slows things way down. The Training Marketing Queen of Canada (TMQ?) , Susan Garret has an expression: "average or better".

I'd heard of her before but this book hooked me
The fact Sally was doing her thing as I read it probably helped
TMQ - thank you!

It's a great phrase and one that is influencing my day to day work with the dogs. Why reward something that is regressive in nature? If your timing is average or better - don't do it! Hold out and then pay well for excellence. I have always thought there was value in meritocracy, at least ideologically if not practically. Dog training is a great place to practice this principle. (So is my day job actually!)

It's pretty hard for any of us to ignore Thea

it's the end of the holidays as we know it ... and we feel fine

2012-01-08T21:06:00.000-05:00

Lovely lovely break - lots of farm 'gility and walks at the private dog park.

A little training.

Visitors and visiting.

Lots of family time.

Having fun with the camera - even when the dogs weren't!

RUNNING

and rewarding awesome recalls

Thea ran, and ran and did her best to keep up with the big dawgs!

in case you are too young to get the title of the post ...

one percent ....

2012-01-06T22:09:00.000-05:00

Some one I have a great deal of respect for pointed out on a FB thread that those of us doing what many of 'us' do are the "1%" of dog people.

By that I think she meant educated, committed, self aware, societally conscious, and with highly defined moral values when it comes to our animal friends.

She posits that simply knowing not to buy a dog from a mill does not put you in the one percent. I would hope that is true but I'm not sure. I bet it puts you in at least the top 10 percent or so (at least if you expect any comprehension of why mills might be problematic!)

Understanding that a dog is a commitment for life puts somebody into a pretty elite echelon in my experience.
Thinking about vet care, diet puts a person up right up there. Using the thinking you've done to have informed discussions and chose a diet puts you even further up the scale. (Never vaccinating or feeding any diet because you heard it was the best but know nothing about the pros and cons of either slides you down the scale ~ at least to my mind).Training, using positive methods, slides you right back up the scale again.
Making choices in your life to have dogs as companions and partners not just commodities, working to understand their needs (both emotionally and physically) and offering them enrichment and security all combine to a pretty unusual attitude towards dogs.

Sad isn't it?

Lazy winter dog days

2012-01-05T18:53:00.000-05:00

Dogs are so happy - they could care less if we are walking, wooding or just hanging out!

101 Things to Do With A Puppy or Pooch

2012-01-03T12:51:00.000-05:00

I tell adopters the story of Thea as I want them to socialize their new additions as well. or better than we did. Coming up with new things is tough for some people (it was really hard for me at first) so, in case you are bringing home a puppy soon here is a list of 101 things to do with a puppy to help the socialization/confidence building process along. A few of these things are more than one thing of course - different people/places make them different.. but this should get you going.

Some caveats to keep in mind first though - make sure you can control the situation - overfacing your dog is worse than not exposing them. For example I would not introduce a dog who had never met a baby to them at a party with 20 children under the age of 2. Positively reinforce the attitude you want and let the dog offer that behaviour rather then forcing the interaction. Better to have one quick sniff of the new thing offered than shoving pooch into a stressful situation. You can always revisit anything you try. In fact it takes very little to make it a new experience all over again - change one element and it's new!

meet new men
meet new women
meet new children
meet babies
meet new people who are "strange"to the puppy (varied ethnicity, accents, older than dog is used to, limps, whatever!)
meet people wearing different cloths (pastors, big floppy hats, loose clothes, uniforms etc)
meet people using canes, carrying umbrellas, in wheelchairs etc (sometimes with a particularly shy puppy (or for some objects!) meeting the object away from a new person is a gentler approach - and fine! at a recent trial I was at some dogs got spooked by an electric scooter -my guys looked at me- got a treat and spent the rest of the trial trying to get me closer to the scooter for more treats)
vary the location of all of the above - at home, away from home inside and outside are all different to a dog!
Play Pass the Puppy (at least three of you spread out a little - call the pooch to you - huge fuss a treat, and then somebody else calls- lots of fun and gets dog used to the notion that all people are worth paying attention to)
sign up for, and attend, at least one session of doggy school - it's fun!
introduce your puppy to inert: bikes,
skateboards,
rollerblades,
strollers,
then introduce to them to: bikes in action,
skateboards in action,
rollerblades in action,
strollers moving.
Take a: car ride,
bus ride, subway ride,
Ride in a basket or box - Sally loved being in a cardboard box and dragged around.
Ride in a cart, wagon or other moving object
Change where the puppy eats: crate,
kitchen,
bathroom,
bedroom,
car,
outside, etc. I actually think this is a valuable skill for all dogs to have - see a meal - eat it.
Eat out of different things in different ways: normal bowl,
a plate,
hand feed a meal,
play swap this - once the dog is comfortable with you being around the food bowl drop something lovely into the bowl and take a piece of kibble out, and reverse it - take kibble out and offer something fabulous *** this may not be appropriate for all dogs and all people - know your dog!
feed on a cookie sheet, in a cup whatever you think of.
Go into a store - small independent merchants are often the best bet for this, banks are usually great too. Before final vaccines I'd stay away from pet stores unless puppy is small enough to be in a cart - and you are diligent about not letting dogs you don't know have contact (I've seen enough parvo to last us all a life time)
Sit outside a library, school or other similar place - amazing how many new things that accomplishes!
Walk on different surfaces and places: grass,
concrete,
snow,
mulch,
pine needles,
wood floor,
carpet,
linoleum,
bubble wrap,
a tarp,
a raincoat,
a piece of cardboard,
in a puddle
along a beach, beside running water
along a busy road
along a country road
up a steep hill
down a steep hill
a sewer grate, etc - without pushing puppy let them explore as many different surfaces as possible - reward if they approach and step on it - ignore and make no big deal if they are nervous - I'll model once then move on .. retry a few days later - pushing too hard can create a very real fear .
Go through things - hang a light material down and let puppy push it aside to get to you .. build up the material til puppy knows to push when invited
have puppy cross logs, curbs, walk along rock paths
Walk on moving surfaces - an easy way to do this is put a tennis ball under something solid
Carry the dog. Small dogs need to be on the ground lots but big dogs need to learn to be carried too.
Meet new dogs, of all ages and sizes and dispositions - being careful not to expose your puppy to dogs with unknown vaccine history or that are going to be nasty - telling a puppy off is one thing - attacking it is quite another
Meet cats or new cats - let the cat be up higher than the dog and keep the pooch on leash
Meet new other small animals - parrots, rabbits, guinea pigs whatever you can find to introduce go for it, respecting the other animal of course
Meet large animals - Sally met a camel when she was about 8 months old - she thought that was the best day ever in her life to that point!
Visit the vet just for a cookie and weigh in
Trim (or mock trim) nails, hold feet, smell feet, rub feet - get other people to do this too!
Groom or mock groom puppy - with a wide variety of tools - brush, comb, slicker brush wrong way round if dog is very short coated
Towel your dog as if it was soaked
Wipe feet with a towel
Handle every bit of your puppy and make it a game ... hold the muzzle for a second and let go; pick up a foot, release and have a party; look inside ears and exclaim "oh what beautiful ears you have"
Bath time - make it easy and short at first - every time you add an element it's something new ... soap, standing water, rinsing, a drier .. all change the picture (I'd be shocked if my dogs get even one bath a year once they get this is not a death sentence)
expose your pooch to noise ... not too loud at first but different sound exposures really pays off : music
workmen with things like jackhammers
hammering
chainsaws
dogs barking
metal clanging
knocking
crumpling paper
door bells
bells of any kind
clapping
popping sounds (I love bubblewrap)
offer new toys - everybody loves this one - people and puppies and pooches all!
fuzzy toys that make sounds
toys that move weirdly - one of the most fun Thea had when a little puppy was watch a train set run
tug toys you can interact with
balls in all sizes you can roll and play with
empty water bottles are a number one toy here
empty boxes are great too- what happens if puppy is in a box? can they stand on a box? put a foot in a box? there is a great shaping game - 101 things to do with a box - that inspired the title of this blog post
Kongs - wubba kongs, kongs on ropes, plain old kongs fuzzy kongs
Frisbees - soft is best if you are going to try throwing them to be caught- but my guys like chasing down plastic ones rolling on their edge too!
Watch and interact with things that beep, shriek and otherwise are unpredictable
Play dress up: coats or teeshirts on,
boots or socks,
hats or head gear,
funny collars, again whatever you can think of.
expose puppy to new smells - what can you find that pooch won't know the smell of? open bottles and let them sniff - their noses are much much more sensitive than ours so be gentle with this one
work tricks and training in a new spot - again a bathroom and a kitchen are very different places - let alone outside or somewhere the dog hasn't been before - three great ones to work on follow this suggestion.
Doggy Zen (also known as It's Yer Choice by some) just a game of self control - fun to try with new things and in new places. Quiz loved this game.
hand touches - I don't ever use a verbal cue I need to do my own video on this apparently.
go to place/mat/bed (great video - tho I no longer "charge a clicker"
Find your own new things that you can enjoy with your dogs - agility became a passion of mine simply through the desire to have fun with happy, engaged dogs! We also enjoy curling up on the couch together- don't doubt that power either!

It's quite funny as I type this Sam is watching out the window for Big T's return (they've been together for 13 days and nights straight) Sam is turning the radio volume up and down as he rests his sad head waiting. Not phasing him at all - so it seems we did an ok job on that phase of exposure for him!

The precursor to the post to follow ....

2012-01-03T12:03:00.000-05:00

the next post is ridiculously long even with out this bit so I decided to splice it off - I nearly axed it then decided that the way Thea came to join us may amuse you ...

When I send people home with their adopted puppy (or under socialized young dog) I tell them the story of Thea.

How I adopted a chihuahua partly because of a message from beyond and partly because of a bet.

I dropped Thea's very pregnant mother, Emma, off at her foster home (one of our amazing vets!) the same day as I picked up Joe's ashes. Joe was a 6 pound chocolate chihuahua monster. He was also a dear, sweet, loving soul that had congestive heart failure (and all associated breathing issues) when he was dumped at a shelter. He did not, to be polite, show well there. He came home with us to assess and by the time he died three + years later he was a huge part of our life. He actually became much more social with everyone and his adoration for people he knew was absolutely touching. Once Joe's friend it was for life - however he was a little "funny" until he knew you.

When Emma came in we knew her "puppy father" was a chihuahua - we had him too! As I dropped Emma off at the vets I joked quite loudly that if she had a chocolate female we'd know Joe expected the puppy to live with us.

Well

Yup three chocolate girls were born. We didn't want a puppy. We had Laurice and Brody and were fostering whatever was in need. Two dogs were plenty and Brody was my heart dog. No room at the inn. Then I started screening homes for the puppies. Idiots poured out of the woodwork; well intentioned folks who had never had a puppy before; gentle good people who lived on farms and didn't think dogs should be indoors; people who worked 10 hours days then hit clubs all night; youth who lived with their parents and weren't allowed dogs; we had one applicant whose reference told me they wouldn't adopt a rock to them. The foster parents wanted one puppy. A client at the clinic wanted one puppy (the non chocolate male went to them). Another amazing vet was dithering over adopting one puppy. One puppy was going to be left. Back to screening. Back to calls that left me shaking my head. The number of people who wanted to be just like Paris Hilton astounded me.

Then somebody made me a bet. They bet a chihuahua could not be as friendly as other dogs and could certainly not do agility.(I wasn't an addict then but I was a little curious about the sport- hard to imagine life before agility now).

Challenge on!

Thea came home permanently! (She and her sister's had spent time with us prior to adoptions happening to give Emma a break). Her first day with us my Mum and aunt and I drove to Montreal, stayed in a no dog allowed hotel and had dinner out. Thea was all of 1.5 pounds then so she just snoozed in a handbag. Yup - i ended up channeling my Inner Paris!

I was determined that Thea would be the best socialized puppy on the planet. I read voraciously and decided that she was going to do 10 new things every day for 2 months. Then 5 a day until I was out of things to do. Thea is the best socialized chihuahua on the planet. In fact she's an exceptionally happy well socialized any breed of dog.

measuring up, down and all around ...

2012-01-01T22:31:00.000-05:00

“Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.”
Brian Tracy

"Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives."
Viktor E. Frankl

"Who aims at excellence will be above mediocrity; who aims at mediocrity will be far short of it."

Burmese Saying

Yup it's that goal setting time of year, but wait ... what's this I see?

Well, not me, but the dogs sure are perfect just as they are. I had a great year in agility land. Brody is running better and better and I'm truly, deeply grateful every time he zooms around a course. He's loving it and I get so much pleasure from every run. We did 1 AAC trial (2 jumpers Qs - 1 title) and 4 CPE trials earning 27 Qs in that venue out of 29 classes - both errors were entirely mine. Brody is running at level 4 CPE nothing to sneeze at - the missed Qs have been my fault too, as usual!

Thea astounds me. Much of the winter, and July and August she was in full time residence elsewhere .. I think she did 3 CPE trials - 19/20 Qs - her only miss was a snookers Q that I skipped # 3 in the closing for. Really would like to get her weaving in place. Will look for a couple of CPE trials for her to keep working on our Level 1 point title - I think she's about half way there.

Sally was fantabulous too. 1 AAC trial - gamblers Qs and a snookers Q. Advanced jumpers eluded us mostly due to my inexperience running over 5 yps! She came to each of the CPE trials so 4 of them over the year. 20 Qs of 26 efforts- the missed Qs were too often missed contacts.

Sampson got to do a little more work than I had planned and he was lots of fun to ~~play with~~ train.

For the number crunchers among us that means a whacking lot of Qs ... and a pretty successful year by that measure. Good dogs! More importantly to me I embraced my mission!

"To run every run with intention, passion and commitment; to hone my handling skills and maximize my dogs' potential for excellence."

Lawn 'gility, Farm 'gility, Regionals, CPE trials, AAC trials, Nationals - it didn't matter where I was - with very, very few exceptions I grabbed the mission and hung onto it - and made it work for us all! (Well actually the dogs made it work - I like to think I helped a little!)

Looking forward I am excited to see how living the mission plays out for us in 2012. It may be a year of change for us all. As I am very serious about not letting Brody have one bad day at agility - his retirement looms large on my horizon - in fact given the issues around AAC regionals in Ontario I suspect he's already retired from that organization. I'd like to get Sally to an AAC trial or two this year if it works out - would be fun to finish a title with her there - and we are only one starters snookers Q away from a SGDC.

2012 holds great promise for us and the ride should be fun!

Happy New Years to you all :)

2011-12-31T22:16:00.001-05:00

Thanks for being part of the journey!

2011 In Review ...

2011-12-29T21:53:00.000-05:00

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." Henry Ward Beecher

"Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have."

Unknown

"Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."

Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."

Buddha

2011 was a year of reflection, grieving, hope and planning for us. It was a good year in many many ways. Losses as always in this crazy fostering life (Lizzie, Kizmet, Mama) but fewer than in recent years.
The video runs 4 minutes - Enjoy! It's agility +

Snow is here and so is the cold

2011-12-29T11:52:00.000-05:00

Puppy people around the province are suddenly noticing that well house trained puppies don't know that snow is a good place to potty. Cold toes, unknown surfaces, new sounds, and anxious humans all contribute to the issues. Not to mention bodies physically react to cold. The need to potty can vanish in the cold. Then it returns right after warming up. In and out is often the name of the game as the puppy works through this.

Natural? Yes. Frustrating as all get out? Yes.

I'm sure there are lots of brilliant trainers out there who never have set backs. I have never professed to be a trainer though - and set backs seem to be part of the learning curve for house training around here.

Set backs I now expect:

Weather - pottying in rain, snow, extremes of heat all affect systems!
New surfaces - any change poses a question - grass is not mulch is not concrete is not stone etc

New places - my classic classic example of this was poor Rufus (our first golden).We were visiting my Dad's apartment and Rufus needed to go out. Rather than indicating in any way at all he quietly snuffled around until he found a tree (a tall indoor houseplant) and very happily watered it. It was his only house training error ever with us but it looms large in my mind and means that every where new I am I am diligent about making sure all dogs know where the correct place is to potty -no matter how much I trust their cleanliness generally!
New diet - or change in activity level... both of these affect frequency - if you aren't aware you can put your dog in an uncomfortable position .. you will learn your own dog's habits ... I promise

and the grandfather of all them -complacency! Once a dog seems to "get" it it's very easy to let up on the vigilance and that's a prime time for mistakes to occur.

** and thanks to those I worried - yesterday's pictures are ones I managed to get over the holidays - just don't have some pictures of somethings I am very grateful for - cousins, mum, in law siblings, god sons,friends and other furred and feathered family - the core group of us is together ... see Wordless Wednesday is tough for me.. should have left title at Gratitude ...which is what it started as....

in no particular order and missing many of the family and friends I am truly deeply grateful for

2011-12-28T19:42:00.000-05:00

Patience, Persistence and Positive Training

2011-12-27T15:34:00.001-05:00

Positive, force free, clicker, modern, whatever you want to call it, training is incredibly rewarding.

It is, sadly, not always absolutely intuitive nor is it always quick. Trying to figure out how to solve issues without using force or compulsion can be frustrating for people who aren't used to breaking down behaviours into little bits and taking their time. When an issue is affecting other people it can become very tempting to go for the fast fix.

(Barking and jumping are two types of behaviour that leap to my mind that can provoke a decided lack of positive good will - others may occur to you)

I got an email question today about an issue, a good question and there was no indication that the folks who posed it had considered any "traditional" ways to solve the problem of barking during meal prep but they had legitimate concerns about the neighbours. It was a Great question and something I deal with regularly - having a minimum of four dog meals to prepare at each meal time (and some slightly "on" dogs)

For me, with multiple dogs, sending each dog to it's place and having him or her wait (depending on dog in a sit, down or self chosen position) seems to work best. Brody is, of course, allowed to stand optimistically at my feet. In nearly 11 years of living with us he has never barked for a meal. Thea,at the wise old age of 8, knows the deal - she waits patiently on the couch. Sampson wants to be good. He so desperately wants to be good. But he can get a little squirrely at meal prep time. He is sent to the porch at the school house. And he sits. And waits. When he breaks his sit I resend him to the porch. When I am in good trainer mode he rarely breaks his sit as I reward him quite frequently (usually with a little bit of kibble, sometimes with something high value, sometimes with a pat or verbal praise). Sally is sometimes sent to the bathroom and she stretches and stretches in an effort to see around the corner. When her feet fall off the ledge she quickly snatches them up in an effort to not get caught breaking her position. It is actually much easier for her when she gets sent to a mat or chair to wait. She simply sigh, lies down and waits. I suppose if I always did exactly the same thing she would be resigned about whatever we did. I, of course, being an educator by profession not just avocation, always have to push the limits!

I could spend meal time prep time yelling No or physically grabbing dog's faces but that doesn't sound like much fun to me nor would any of us learn from that. I LIKE sharing the responsibility for behaviour with the dogs. They make good choices they get a reward. They make poor choices nothing interesting happens. Sometimes when I'm in a rush I wish I simply managed the behaviour - shutting each dog in a crate would be one pretty easy way to manage it - and I have used that lots with foster dogs or back when Sampson was still all about the resources! Management is a very important step sometimes - it can buy you the patience and time you need to tackle a question from within a positive framework.

It isn't always easy being positive. Two dogs screaming for you to throw the stick requires some focus to ignore. One dog pitching a fit because she thinks it's dinner time and your neighbours are asleep is disconcerting.
Figuring out how to set yourselves up for success actually becomes fun. Capturing the behaviour you want is a challenge. Having your dogs quietly watch you as you prepare a meal, pick up a stick, or wait on a start line is so rewarding!

a photo essay of a lovely bit of Christmas Day

2011-12-26T10:30:00.000-05:00

We went for a walk at our dog park (aka the farm)

The ground was frozen enough that we could cut right through the hay fields. In completely unshocking news Sally found sticks, STICKS and more sticks for us to throw.

Sampson got in on the action. Also completely unshocking. Big T throws way better than I do.

I could watch dogs run all day. (Wait a minute, I often do!)

The moment of release.

Hope.

Joy.

Optimism. Thea and Brody know where the cookies are!

A portrait of a beauty.

Jake and Frannie Visit ...

2011-12-25T13:17:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas Eve includes my Dad and his wife Jean.

They stay overnight (bringing an awesome Christmas Estonian Feast with them)

We do a breakfast, stockings and a gift exchange Christmas morning.

It's become a lovely tradition at the school house

Rick and Jean live with two darling Cocker Spaniels now ... Frannie (above) and Jake.

They came in through rescue and while Jake has Cushings he is responding well to treatment.

They are delightful, happy, sweet dogs.

They give the breed such a good name big T would be happy to have one!

Hoping everyone has a wonderful, peaceful (or productive if that's your desire) Christmas, no matter what you celebrate! We are just back from a walk at the farm. Soon off to my Mum's for a low key dinner and another gift exchange. How spoiled can you be?

tonight's gonna be a good night

2011-12-24T13:23:00.000-05:00

Happy Christmas Eve to you all

1.27 minutes of house league fun for your viewing pleasure

Naughty? Nice?

2011-12-23T20:09:00.000-05:00

Trying so hard to be good!

Always good!

Feels absolutely no need to be anything but Sally!

Knows he's naughty; knows he's kingpin!

On building confidence

2011-12-20T12:45:00.000-05:00

It's hard to balance confidence and common sense sometimes. As humans we face that dilemma on the start line, in class, when training and in life. Our dogs (especially when young) face the same challenges. Loud noises and sudden movement are biologically frightening. Allowing a puppy some distance to regroup just makes sense to me. Pairing loud predictable noises with yummy food creates a classical association that hopefully creates confidence around the noise. (In agility the bang game with the sound of the teeter is a classic example of this and this is an ultimate bang game video which goes further than I have seen before - actually not sure of the need for this extreme version - but the dog seems to be enjoying the work!)

“Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.” James Stephens
Theorique is a cautious puppy. She is not over the top fearful but it's obvious her time on the streets (yup, she was STRAY- people make me crazy) induced a sense of caution. She is however also very curious and we have been able to use that to benefit her. Brody's food dispenser rattles as it spins around and quite alarmed Rique the first time she heard and saw it. It took one casual introduction in about 15 seconds (I dropped half of one meal into it|) for her to recover quite completely and she now stands on top of it hoping somebody will spin it for her! I ignore a fearful response - as her fearful response is to boot it to under one of us and sit and watch whatever is scary. When her nose pokes out we tell her she's fabulous. It takes mere seconds for her to recover from a fright now. We treat Thea exactly the same way. Coddling only happens around here if there is a physical trauma - and the only reason that happens is I simply can't stop my mother hen reflex! If I could I would!

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.” A.A. Milne

Dogs learn confidence from other dogs and the people around them. They learn more than confidence of course - they learn recalls (or not!) they learn things like "settle down" and house training but I really appreciate my bold dogs teaching the more cautious dogs that new things are INTERESTING and FUN and just may pay handsomely! Swimming is a good example of this. When dogs are obviously having a wonderful time in the water other dogs get interested and curious and perhaps paddle or even swim thanks to the evidence of a good time.

“We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” Carlos Castaneda

I have found it important to give a cautious dog space to think on their own. Throwing them into a situation can actually escalate fear rapidly. In the picture above Sampson is giving himself plenty of space to watch Rique. He is actually braver and happier playing with her than we've ever seen him with a puppy. This is partly due to previous low pressure exposure, partly due to Rique's own laid back nature and partly because we don't pressure him to engage with something he's afraid of. When he chooses to engage the puppy appropriately we reward him or tell him he's a good boy. When he's stressed by puppy antics we deflect the puppy away from him onto something else fun for her and less pressure for Sampson.

The biological imperative of fear is life saving. It takes a brave human to let a dog work through natural fears without intereference but at the end of the process you end up with a more confident dog than any pressure could create.

Sunday night and the living is good ...

2011-12-18T21:12:00.000-05:00

House league was fun

too cold for Thea or Theorique to travel with us but Sally and Brody ran well and had fun ... Sally gave me a HUGE flyoff ... which is on tape so I may show you someday ... she was a nut in the last class but the course was tight and nearly impossible for me to run .. the first class was fun (Helter Skelter - you looped in to a table then back out then back in again until the clock stopped) and the second was steeplechase - ran nicely too). I should have opted out of the last class but , as usual, hindsight is 20/20. We did some nice work despite the bumps - so I'll rack it up as learning and move on.
Brody ran well and seemed to be having fun!

Cupcakes

not just pretty and seasonal but DELICIOUS

Great music Super people Good dogs

Sophie, Sally's sister showing off her CPE ribbons

The girls are playing so nicely at home it's really cute too

the night before house league ...

2011-12-17T22:48:00.000-05:00

And I'm writing up individual score cards ... some people thought last year was too competitive (when we posted results) and some people this year want to know how they are doing ...

I have known for many years you just can't make all people happy all the time - but some people insist on trying! To be fair, if it's possible I'm happier when folks are happy but I also have no trouble saying "sorry, just not possible!" Oh well, I'm quite certain someone will complain no matter what I do.

Theorique is still here ... and not going anywhere tomorrow ... loads of good leads suddenly popped up - will take awhile to sort them out.

We took the dogs, well Brody, Sally and Sampson for an hour long walk at the lake today. Was lovely. Sampson swam. What a boy!

Friday Night Musings ...

2011-12-16T22:08:00.000-05:00

Still feeling pretty good about the intention demonstrated last weekend. Ran hard, ran fast and had fun.

A replicable feeling I know

screening homes for the baby and hating every minute of it
fully expect she'll be gone as early as Sunday

Quiz update....

2011-12-15T19:56:00.000-05:00

Got a lovely email from Gracie's new people - they love her .. her spay went well and she's enormous ...

She pulls on leash and has lost her recall - which I find interesting, hilarious and somewhat frustrating. Hopefully it's an adolscent phase that they will work through. So aggravating to see such a solid solid foundation allowed to slip ... that said I'm delighted she's in a lovely loving home. She looks happy.

Man, fostering is hard on the heart ... Theorique is wiggling her way into our hearts awfully quickly too!

Long boring record keeping post ... CPE trial - Red Barn

2011-12-13T19:09:00.000-05:00

Thea
Fullhouse - Level 1 - 25 points earned Q, 1st
Standard 1-Level 1-clean, Q, 1st
Colours 1- Level 1 - clean, Q, 1st
Wildcard - Level 1, clean, Q, 1st
Jackpot - Level 1, 36 points, Q, 1st
Standard 2- Level 1, clean, Q, 1st
Colours 2- Level 1, clean, Q, 2nd
Snookers, Level 1, 20 points, NQ

can't find the ribbon with the sticker for Colours, Wildcard, Jumpers right now - but she earned all the Qs ... Jumpers was level 2!

"mine, all mine!"

(love love love CPE stickers!)

Sally
Fullhouse - Level 3, 26 points earned Q, 1st
Standard 1-Level -missed dog walk contact NQ
Colours 1- Level 3 - off course, NQ
Wildcard - Level 3, clean, Q, 1st
Snookers - Level 3, 51 points, Q, 1st
Jackpot - Level 2, 48 points, Q, 1st - finishing her title with this one
Standard 2- Level 1, Q, 2nd - finishing her title here too
Colours 2- Level 3, clean, Q, 1st
Wildcard - Level 3, clean, Q, 1st
Jumpers- Level 3, clean, Q, 1st (1st of all dogs at 3/4/5/C that ran clean .3 seconds behind 1dog)

"why does she get to touch it?"

Brody
Fullhouse - Level 4, 26 points earned Q, 1st
Standard 1-Level 4, clean, Q, 1st
Colours 1- Level 4 - clean, Q 1st
Wildcard - Level 4, clean, Q, 1st
Snookers - Level 4, 51 points, Q, 1st
Jackpot - Level 3, 44 points, Q, 1st - only one left to finish all level titles
Standard 2- Level 4, clean, Q, 1st
Colours 2- Level 4, clean, Q, 1st
Wildcard - Level 4, clean, Q, 1st
Jumpers- Level 4, clean, Q, 1st

"maybe I can sneak a chew in"

in CPE the same courses get used for different levels sometimes .. so for example Brody and Sally ran the same Snookers course .. Fullhouse and Jackpot were designed for all levels which was fun Brody, Sally and Thea were not the only dogs in their classes but I didn't actually note how many dogs were in each class - I think Sally was one of about 6 for most of her classes. Thea had a few classes where she was alone but in a few classes she was 1 of 3 dogs. There were between 2-4 dogs at Brody's level and height for his classes I believe.

"this looks so tasty!"

The judge makes the coolest little trophies for 51 snookers runs ... I thought Sally might get one, was thrilled with hers, figured why not try with Brody and he did it too! Amazing!

The many faces of adorable ...

2011-12-13T14:05:00.002-05:00

here are the out takes

2011-12-12T20:21:00.000-05:00

Oh La!

Compilation Video ...

2011-12-12T19:10:00.000-05:00

reducing 30 runs to 3 minutes was tricky ...the out take video will actually be shorter - that's got to be a good sign right?

what a weekend .....

2011-12-11T21:51:00.000-05:00

the short version - as my notes and course maps are still in the car - it was a good weekend!

Sampson hung out with Big T

Brody ran 10/10 including a jackpot .. (all level 4 except jackpot which was a level 3)
Thea ran 9/10 and wracked up a bunch more points for her level title
Sally ran 8/10 all in level 3 except standard (level 1) and jackpot (level 2) - she finished two more titles this weekend...

Sleepy Thea - her little legs found 10 classes hard work

Brody and Sally earned 51 point snookers .. which blows my mind! (and probably deserves a whole own post)

Brody ran fast and happy every single run

which if you calculate it means we had a 27/30 weekend and a perfect day today ...

Sally is finally tired

as I posted on FB my gratitude knows no limits right now

Theorique enjoyed one day at the trial. I was VERY grateful when Big T offered to puppy sit Sunday though!

a good good day ...

2011-12-10T21:36:00.000-05:00

Thea ran 4/5 clean Q runs the only one we missed was a snookers run ... (in which I missed the number three jump - whoops!)
Fullhouse started a little lookie loo but she settled down and ran well
Her standard run was nice too- a little tiny think about the dog walk but a tiny yay got her in gear along the top plank ... at 3.1 yps it wasn't her fastest run by any stretch but she was not hesitant at all
Colours was a nice open course - we chose the wide open option .. and she flew the back line! 3.8 yps !!
Wildcard was nice too - she is a lot of fun to run :) It was our slowest run (2.8 yps) but felt quite strong anyhow.

Sally ran 3/5 clean Q runs. Her errors were honest (the judge called a missed dogwalk contact - I thought she had it - it happens!) and in a very tricky bit of a course she entered a wrong tunnel, realized her error and flipped around .. too bad the errors weren't in the same course!
Even with the bobbles she ran well and I am pleased with her too. She pulled the oxer down too, luckily in fullhouse, so it was an error easily recovered from. the fullhouse Q was earned with 26 points.
Her standard run of dog walk infamy was 5.3 yps. Colours (the off course tunnel flip) was 3.9 yps even with the extra miles. The wildcard course ran nicely and her yps was the same as Colours.
her snookers course was a thing of beauty - as was Brody's. Our judge, the awesome Pat Saito, brings little cones to trials for 51 point snookers courses. I was doubtful but determined. Both Brody and Sally succeeded in getting their cones! I was so impressed!

Brody had a good day too. Level 4 isn't easy and, as usual Brody handled the courses cleanly and with his usual high standards! Fullhouse was shorter than with Sally but clean all the way so they tied for points. Standard was a tricky course - a wrap, off course tunnels and jumps shouting all over the place. 3 yps was enough to earn the q! (Although only a second place - hardly an issue to me)
Colours was a zippy 3.5 yps. Wildcard was 2.8 yps and we did 2 sets of weaves! Unreal. I had been worried about 5 runs for Bman - no need - the last class (snookers) was Brody's best class of the day. I literally just sat on the floor at the end and admired my rockstar!
I will put together a little video compilation to bore you with soon!

a milestone of sorts maybe ...

2011-12-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

Not sure what prompted me to figure this out but this weekend may well see Brody earning his 100th Q. It's not likely but it's possible. In many ways that seems just unbelievable to me.

100 Qs isn't a big deal to folks who trial every weekend or every month I'm sure but given that I think this will be about his 35th trial (most one day; most 2-3 classes at the most - a few 2 day 5 class days) I am amazed. 2 years nearly completely off and trials once a month if we are lucky most months. last trial Nationals in August. Even if he doesn't get his 100th Q this weekend I have decided that 100 Qs is our next goal.

Baby steps. Amazing dog.

Theorique ... and the girls

2011-12-08T22:53:00.000-05:00

Wordless Puppy Raising ... what matters to me...

2011-12-07T19:24:00.000-05:00

Puppy 101 - what I want your puppy knowing before it leaves here

2011-12-05T08:55:00.000-05:00

being clean in the house is good
going into a crate pays big
offering a sit (or with some puppies a down) pays well
collars won't kill you and leashes are ok too (I actually do most of my with me work off leash)
people are good - all people - our puppies meet as many people as I can find
dogs can be fun but you should respect them - I am careful about dogs I don't know
cats can be the best playmates ever but let the cat decide
tugging is fun - and you can tug nearly anything
it's ok to eat slowly and share - there is always more food coming
dog beds are nice to sleep on (even when they are covered in hair)
cars take you to fun places
being handled in any gentle way is THE BEST ... mouth, nails, on side, back, whatever - it all rocks

What have I missed?

(You may notice yesterday's post was written from a plural point of view - I wasn't being Royal at all - Big T is totally helpful and amazing when it comes to helping babies feel good about life and nuturing them.Training stuff is my domain - hence the return to first person here).

I'm sure there are a thousand more articulate posts on this ..

2011-12-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

in fact there are a whole lot of, perhaps excellent, blogs devoted to the subject!

that said I think my perspective may be a little unique on this subject

Puppy Raising 101

We are not breeders but we have opportunities to play with puppies quite regularly ..some of these puppies seem to have had an OK start but many many more arrive at the door ill, scared and out of balance. Most of these puppies stay 2 or more weeks and our goal is to make up for the tragedy in their early life before heading to a forever home. The puppies are always different breeds (often unknown) but the basic principles of how we rehab them is the same.

Ronnie knew screaming meant attention
when he arrived in program!

Have you heard of attachment disorder? In a nutshell it's a human thing where a child, after being neglected or abused in infancy, becomes disassociated with people (usually parents) and extremely difficult. When some puppies arrive it is obvious they have either had no attention or they have been coddled to such a point they many have never been asked to think for themselves. In many ways they show some of the signs of this reactive attachment disorder. This state is not how we want a puppy leaving our house.

We combat both of these extremes in the same way. Clear, consistent routine and tons of TLC. Foster puppies do not sleep in our bedroom - yes in an ideal world they would but reality is some homes won't have a dog in the bedroom and we need our sleep! House training isn't actually slowed much in my experience by having an x pen sort of set up overnight with an open crate, water, a couple of toys and pee pads down in one corner. Theorique slept through last night from 11- 7:30. By the time they are 8 weeks old it's not at all unusual to have them clean overnight.

I am VERY careful to let them keep a clean crate. After Brody (who was endlessly kenneled before he came to me) I'd prefer a dog never ever have to do anything in a crate. I can generally tell the pet store puppies quickly tho as they will cry once or twice then make a mess. We learn to react pretty fast to a little noise in those cases!

That said if I know a puppy is empty and comfortable we have no qualms at all about letting a baby whimper and fuss for a few minutes. Unless they have been over coddled before joining us they usually cry less than 5 minutes and fall asleep or find a toy to play with. If they have been coddled they can carry on for a LONG time before settling. This is known as an extinction burst and is a ROYAL pain. Super important lesson I can share here - DO NOT reinforce the nonsense or it just gets worse next time. Eventually you'll have to work through it so you might as well do it now!

A quick note on coddling ... we truly do not believe you can spoil a baby of any species .. when a puppy is tiny and baby coddle to your hearts content. We will make sure little puppies are tired before we leave them alone- I set them up with a hot water bottle (actually a snuggle safe in our case). Try not to forget that puppies grow up much faster than humans and your baby will be a pre-teen in no time at all. Limits matter for youth!

Balance is the key in puppy raising ... find a routine that works for you and pup and stick with it. Provide lots of non judgemental love and let the puppy have lots of contact with you (Theorique is currently snoozing in the chair beside me) but also make sure you start rewarding Independence. (There is a small crate on one side of the chair and a small bed on the other side - Rique is learning to use both - as Quiz and Coco also did). More tomorrow on the concept of training a baby - what can they learn?

Theorique - Day Two

2011-12-03T21:54:00.000-05:00

Sampson is still leery and suspicious but he is being very good about the little one ...

Big T makes lots of time to snuggle Sam when he's stressed - stress relief for both of them methinks!

Theorique went to visit at Mum's with us today - new place, new dog and person and we worked the magic game of tug in a new place. It was a good day to be a puppy under our watch!

Day one ...

2011-12-02T15:52:00.000-05:00

I ended up at home today. Dogs thought that was just great although poor Sampson is not confident about the puppy. He is being much braver than he was for either Coco or Quiz though so I continue to tell him he's a super star and try to work in special Sam time.

Sally is enchanted but puppy is small and a little scared so Sally is being gentle. She likes them 12 weeks old or so on best I think.

Coming up with a name for a dog you can't begin to imagine as an adult is tough ... I think she'll be fairly small, she's already demonstrating she's smart ... another naturally talented puppy I suspect

ohh boy!

We worked on settling in a crate, eating from hand without freaking, lying at my feet instead of on me (tho we did lots of that too) following me and being clean in the house ... all projects going well so far

and the phone just doesn't stop ringing ...

2011-11-30T21:24:00.000-05:00

this time a STRAY puppy ... 4 weeks old

People - get a grip- bring your unwanted pet to a shelter -tell the truth -pay the 20 or so dollar fee - then we know age, health, and anything else that might help us with your problem... as utimately that's what you are doing - making your problem ours ...

she seems bright and happy - she probably ate garbage yesterday as her tummy is a bit unsettled but she's full of beans ... fingers crossed being found soaked to the skin in a puddle will have no lasting harm for her.

We don't know what she is ... right now the fact her ears are prick is unusual in a puppy this young ... she sort of has a husky feel but with her frosted hair is perhaps a keeshound mix instead ... time will tell as it always does ...

As usual my very very accepting house is welcoming the little one. The boys aren't thrilled but they are being very polite.

Some fun ...

2011-11-28T20:18:00.000-05:00

When I get home from work Sally is a little, um, eager. Eager to work, play, cuddle, bounce, train, run, do tricks, learn something new, chase a stick, catch a Kong. Pretty much ANYTHING goes. I try to ignore her for a bit but she has me pretty well trained now.

Tonight we played chase the Kong up and down the hallway and then I thought I'd work her brain.
I went into the living room (aka agility storage and dog training zone!) and saw a box. Grabbed a clicker and started playing with offered behaviours at a box. Took Miss Smarty Pants two tries to consistently stick her head in the box. One paw, and then front feet followed quickly. Back feet also came quickly but my timing was just not quick enough to get all four feet in the box at once. She was hopping through the box. She either hopped through the box or jumped right over it. It was darling and hilarious and had I been able to work for 4 more minutes we would have had it I'm sure but I ran out of time. Been awhile since we played with just pure fun shaping with no end goal in mind. They sure don't forget once they learn that way!

T.A.B.L.E.

2011-11-28T12:27:00.001-05:00

After bypassing the table in House League last week I figured we'd better work a little table this weekend.

Working table now means saying "table" and watching Sally drive onto a flat surface she can see, hanging on it and lying down. Sunday we worked on a wide variety of surfaces (as you'll see) and me being in varied positions (including sideways to table, back to table and sitting on the ground).

Sally was great. Drove to table and only once waited for a cue to down (the cue of putting one arm behind my back - something she inadvertently learned when very small).

Wobbly picnic table makes a great test.

Calm and ready

After the down cue (I was sitting for this one)

She wasn't sure she fit on the bench but she did and then was very pleased with herself.

Always ready for action!

Never thought I'd see the day ...

2011-11-27T12:23:00.000-05:00

that Brody played, in any way at all, with Sampson.

awfully cute

Brody really quite despises Sampson. He threatens him at doorways and pulls ugly faces at him whenever he can. We don't encourage it and it does occasionally worry Sammo but, as we keep telling Sam, that's the cost of living with a cranky little old man.

Just the boys and I were out on the lawn today and Sampson raced past Brody. Brody played bowed to him - and away they went! Miracle of miracles I had my camera with me!

Goofy, funny, adorable boys!

house league number one

2011-11-21T08:44:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again

House league started yesterday with a tunnellers, jumpers with weaves and standard run. Thea did tunnellers then played with the chute and dog walk after the event. She was EXCELLENT! It was loud and chaotic and exactly what we needed! She was incredibly opinonated in her crate though.

Brody was foot perfect - apart from gakking up a treat after the start line in jumpers. If you choose to watch the video you'll notice I choose to let him stand on the table and told the judge I was bypassing the table with Sally. For Sally it was very close to the teeter and I want her to drive onto the table and auto down. It would have been impossible to get what I wanted in that set up. I love house league!
This was the first time either dog has seen a contact in a course since Nationals. (Sally did three teeters in isolation one night) Brody is quickly becoming living proof that less is more with well trained dogs who are maintaining fitness otherwise. Sally continues to be proof that short daily workouts would be awesome!

It was good to be able to concentrate on the dogs and on scoring. I did judge 2 of the large dog classes but I actually really enjoy that too.

Another fun day!

that mental management thing ... again

2011-11-19T17:52:00.001-05:00

I've been doing some coaching lately in sports that are not in my comfort zone ... one of my responsibilities at work is now the co-curricular program at the school (events that take place outside the classroom). Trying to get up to speed fast involves a steep learning curve so I'm tackling it by being assistant coach to the junior boys basketball team. That way I can see exactly what the coaches need to do first hand. Why basketball you ask?

Not for any great abiding love of the sport. More because the coach is amazing and talented. And that works just fine for all of us.

How can I contribute to this team? It's not through attending all practices (some start at 7:30 am and Sam's daycare doesn't open til 8 am). It's not through my mad bball skillz. It is partly by doing doing paperwork. It's partly by attending practice when I can. I also think it can be about teaching them the mental side of playing sports.

What key elements can I distill for the team from my knowledge base?

if ain't fun ~ recalculate
know your team -train weaknesses, play strengths
know yourself - what helps you be in the right head space?
be fit enough to be able to keep your mind on
what is your right head space? are nerves useful for you - or do they interfere?

Now figuring out how to teach all this 15 year old boys who have only really played street ball to this point presents its whole own challenge!

Friday night ...

2011-11-18T21:42:00.000-05:00

and it seems very quiet around here

one husband
one mother in law
five dogs

and

me

roaring fire
bright stars

all seems right ...(except of course missing chickens, cats, rabbits, guinea pig, parrots etc)

4 ticks, 20 minutes, 1 dog

2011-11-16T08:24:00.000-05:00

Good thing he's cute!

(we currently use a tick twister to remove ticks - they are amazingly easy to use, so far every tick has survived the removal step which means less toxins injected under the skin apparently. The dogs usually stay very still while I twist (not Brody of course - he counts tick removal as grooming!)

words nearly fail me, yet again

2011-11-13T18:59:00.000-05:00

Sometimes words seem inadequate

A large piece of property around our 107 acres (aka the private dog park) was for sale all summer

It has now been purchased

It is joining our extended family and expanding our dog park (and farm) to a striking 256 acres!

It is a beautiful piece of rolling property - lovely trees, lovely glades, stands of apple trees, cherry trees and much more we haven't discovered yet

There are a million places to camp and play and enjoy the beauty that is PEC

There are many options now for agility, for walking, for being ...

lucky and grateful really don't cover it ...

I'm getting quite serious about hosting a

"I Can't Be at AAC Nationals in BC, 2012" Celebration

for my agility peeps

We could maybe have a mix of serious and fun stuff for agility (workshops? games?)

I'm seriously going to have a cross country option for anybody who wants to play that

lots of chance to walk and play in various spots on and off property

campers would have lots of on property options and non campers could stay very close if they wanted - Sandbanks is about 5 minutes away (or campers could camp at spots with more amenities if they wanted!)

What do you think?

I'd love more ideas ... and if you want an invite let me know ;)

you know what day it is ...

2011-11-09T22:14:00.000-05:00

pretty exciting news coming soon...

a little bit of everybody having some fun!

2011-11-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

a compilation video

too much fun!

why is it the girls around this place are noisy while the boys are quiet diligent workers?

(yeah, it applies to the humans too!)

three days of lawn agility in a row!

2011-11-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

and I feel great!

It's been a long time since all the dogs worked on agility three days in a row. (Actually Thea missed yesterday - but she hasn't done any agility since June so I'm still pleased).

We did our usual 2-4 minutes a dog thing - amazing the difference 12 minutes can make.

Thea - just worked on forward and with me... she is one noisy little brown dog!

Thea is also a mistress of camo!

She slays me!

Brody - a little weaving and running - a tiny bit of selecting the right end of the tunnel

LOOK!!! You can see all four dogs in one shot!!

Sampson - short sequences, a little start line type work - wow ... what a good dog he was! Today was amazing - foot perfect in fact!

Even I think he's beautiful here ..

Sally -noisy, crazy Sally loves this work. We did start line, jump drills, weaves, what dog!

This is intense ... this is Sally

I taped all the dogs (first three on the first day and Sally on day two.) Educational no doubt at all, mostly about me and my issues rather than dog stuff - man, am I ever SLOW to reward the dogs in a concrete way. I'm pretty floppy and sloppy too. Always good to have stuff to work on.

Sally's turn....

2011-11-05T22:27:00.000-04:00

Turned the camera on for Sally's lawn agility today .... lots of goof ups - and lots of fun (music is "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" by the Spin Doctors ~ we looked at a farm owned by one of them this summer ~ so it seems doubly fitting)

If you chose to watch this you'll see some mighty sloppy handling on my part .. SG would NOT be pleased I'm sure ;) bloopers are included - this is a fairly typical length of work out for me -perhaps even a little long

I worked Sampson a little too.. he was lots of fun!
Brody worked weave entries ... excellent work as always.

We also had a great work/play session at the farm... I'd better define what Sampson being a work in progress is as his recalls were fast, fabulous and 100% today.

Re-making a dog ..or perhaps re-making me?

2011-11-04T18:16:00.001-04:00

Sampson is need of a redo ... more of a make over now that I think about it ...

It isn't awful and in fact it's come a LONG way in the two years he's been with us but his recall is still broken ... Sampson still gets a little mouthy at times; and he hasn't forgotten the game of "keep away".
Apparently, like everything else in life, the work never ends!

He is a dear, funny, complicated fellow.

A little video measuring where we are right now (plus a little doggy porn thanks to Thea!)

Fabulous recall sometimes!

busy world ...

2011-11-02T21:58:00.000-04:00

Thinking everybody is busy, busy, busy - fewer comments on the blogs I follow and fewer regular updates too ...

Thea insists on regular Sally attacks to keep herself entertained

I sure am ... staying on top of life is a wee bit tricky at the moment ... but the animals are staying content with the level of attention they get. Training is not priority one right now, apart from as a tool to keep minds busy, and I'm OK with that.

Sam and Sally wrestle regularly

Daily walks, playing fetch, grooming (really only tick checks) and cuddles and then weekend running seems to be keeping everyone settled in the evening when I collapse . Sampson and Sally get some daycare time each week too - which includes walking and playing and generally letting loose and having a good time.

Brody dances and trots around at my heels but he doesn't play with the other dogs much.

A study in dog language

2011-10-30T19:29:00.001-04:00

or

Dogs Just Want to Have FUN!

Did some jump work finally with Sally, Brody and Thea - a variation of TajMutt's wraps ... both did it well - and just got faster and faster - Thea shot past the jump wrap back once but considering the last time she did any agility at all was June I was impressed.
The video was taken about an hour later. I thought about videoing the jump drills but this was more fun anyhow!

wonderful walks ... and dead deer

2011-10-24T22:43:00.000-04:00

A wonderful weekend of walking, working on fitness and helping Sally make great choices around STAY and HERE. We worked in the garden, planted bulbs and walked and walked some more.

Close up of a lovely stump

The dogs are great trail blazers

The sun was lovely across the fields

Can you see the lake view? It was hard to take a decent picture into the sun.

The view another direction from the same spot the lake view picture was taken,

And as promised - the dead deer. He was in the field right behnd the schoolhouse and attracting coyotes way too close so we decided we'd better move him back further into the woods.

He was quite amazing to see up close

Portrait of Brody

2011-10-23T13:21:00.000-04:00

My my dear friend Shelly of On Dragon Wings did this beautiful portrait of Brody.
It's been hanging up in a nook I keep threatening to turn into a home office.
If anybody needs a gift for a fellow animal lover she does amazing custom work!

wisdom from our kitchen ...

2011-10-23T00:04:00.001-04:00

fitting for agility too eh?

Worked on stay today with Sally - did she ever need it! Postively a quiver she could hard hold steady when a stick was thrown - she eventually settled and did some nice work.

Finally ... Gracie Two

2011-10-20T17:21:00.000-04:00

You knew her as Quiz - as did I.
Got the picture with a very short note today saying we love her and she's growing daily.

Look at her ears!!!

Love this dog so glad she's landed on all four paws!

finding balance ....

2011-10-19T21:01:00.000-04:00

Where did my balance go?

Sally got a little work the last two nights:

did 3 teeters last night
tonight worked on fetch, stay, start line set ups - all in our hallway

it was great to ~~find~~ force the time for that - and force really is the word this fall ... too many things to fit in and too little time to do anything but work and survival.
If I don't make agility/training time I'm going to get grumpy! (and Sally will lose her mind!)

We do basic fitness on the weekends and the dogs get their basic maintenance walks. Sally also goes to day care twice a week and gets 20 minutes of extra free play in a yard with someone throwing a ball for her on those days. That keeps the crew fairly fit and relaxed in the evenings but it doesn't further training or do anything for me. It was nice to find balance two nights in a row! Must try to keep at it.

cross country agility .....

2011-10-16T20:38:00.000-04:00

the weather truly sucked this weekend - rain and wind interspersed with sun and WIND - the thought of setting up formal equipment to work agility seemed way out of reach however that didn't stop the agility addicts from practising their agile skill sets - at the farm yesterday and at paradise today.

clambering up and down huge rock piles - as the water was very high and there was no beach to speak of

Leaping, jumping

Balancing

Chasing sticks (and chewing them)

Full body work out dealing with the wild wind

Everybody had a riot and fitness work was accomplished without much effort on my part!

KKKKKKKK OOO YOT EEEE!

2011-10-15T22:05:00.000-04:00

Yeah - just like like in the Road Runner - except real, furry, fanged and unhappy.

We surprised him (or her?) and he shocked us.

In leaping away from us he got his paw caught on a fence - briefly- but that gave Sally and Sampson time to get within four hysterical feet of him. Big T got to within about 8 feet of him. Luckily at that point he got free and went bounding through the forest with no sign of damage done.

not our coyote - ours had not just hackles raised but full body piloerection happening though
he had the same lovely face showing

Sally and Sampson did both recall off him. They bolted past us though and while I did nab Sally, Sam turned and followed the coyote trail for a few very long minutes (honestly probably not even two full minutes - but seconds seem like forever sometimes). Thank heavens for ongoing, consistent recall training. I really do have to wonder if ANY dog would have recalled off the coyote immediately and laid down quietly while the coyote RAN away. Brody was perfect - he didn't make a sound or even look at the coyote so I don't think his perfection can really count.

I found it really interesting how completely worked up both Sally and Sam were - Sally can go and out of high drive pretty easily usually and I often hold her when she appears to be aroused with little effort. When Sam was down the trail after Coyote Wild and Big T walked in the same direction Sally truly lost her mind - she actually pulled me over while she squealed and fretted. Brody was being held by my little finger as he had NO interest in the coyote at all. Sally is an extremely submissive dog (which is why when I realized I would have to chose one dog to focus on I chose her - I hoped the slightly bigger more assertive Sampson would not invite any attack from a coyote - or coyote friends)

I was deeply, profoundly grateful that Thea had chosen to stay home by the warm fire while the rain and wind lashed us today. We had a great walk but the 4 minutes or so of coyote interaction were alarming to say the least!

A soaked Sampson relaxing in the field after his great coyote hunt

you know what day of the week it is?

2011-10-12T21:03:00.000-04:00

it is never truly wordless Wednesday around this place :)

and what exactly have we accomplished?

2011-10-11T20:33:00.000-04:00

Two years ago this weekend Sampson joined us - a little smaller than Sally and a sweet, if worried boy, he slid into our hearts in a way that I wasn't expecting. Kidney diseased, resource guarding, soft mouthed, hard headed, anxious, dear, sweet boy he has added significantly to my skills as a shaper. He also cuddles beautifully and entertains well too!

Sally joined our family five years ago today. Words fail me often with Sally. She is my teacher, my joker, my challenge, my joy. The learning curve with her has been so steep it makes me dizzy at times.
I cannot imagine life being complete without her in it.

an unusual candid shot with three of the gang in it!

I am so very thankful to be surrounded by such a loving family Big T, Ma, Pa, the multiple Jeans, and all the young uns... and all the furred and feathered family too.

very cute dog/kitten interactions

2011-10-03T20:03:00.000-04:00

yes this is our life - often ... rarely is there a camera in hand though ...

Thea and Sally love kittens
Brody hates them
Sampson thinks they are better than puppies ...

the kittens are Pumpkin and Melon - suffering from URI and needing to grow - but eventually will be looking for homes ...

Perfect pooches....

2011-10-02T21:09:00.000-04:00

Brody

snaps when you wake him up -and has made contact
has been known to mark in a new house
will not tolerate being groomed with anything approaching grace
cranks off at poor Sampson
doesn't tug unless he feels like it
has been as little as .2 seconds overtime on course

Thea

has one of the most piercing barks on the planet
will chase cats
will eat cat food
gets underfoot
is afraid of the teeter
is bossy
hates the rain
began her competetive career by getting stuck in a tunnel (after freezing on the start line)

Sally

is walked on a sensation harness
can open the fridge, garbage cans etc
eats everything she can get her mouth on
is loud
is bossy
scratched my fil's arm right open leaping up on him
barks at strange dogs on leash occasionally
wakes up in the middle of the night and needs to go out -often
has IBD
has allergies
has had zero point snookers classes, and accumulated more faults than I thought was possible

what kind of perfect is this?

Our kind of perfect - loving, trainable, entertaining, joyful souls who enrich our lives in measurable and immeasurable ways!

a little of this ... and some of that ...

2011-10-01T11:12:00.000-04:00

Linked to a new blog today - "Supernova" - disc dog stuff - not something I aspire to but Angelo's addiction to his sport - matches my agility addiction - and I am friends with his sister. Not that Angelo knows I exist - but he and I moved together towards positive dog training and his sister was hearing about what he was doing as she watched my journey. Interesting for her!

Maybe we could try disc? I don't have to bring it back to you do I?

You asked about 30 hamsters - it was actually 31 that day .. and 15 more have come in.. 46 in total 6 placed, 4 in what will likely be permanent foster homes .... so hopefully I won't have to be a crazy hamster lady for much longer!

I have been involved in large number rescues of various species over the years - too many cat hoarders to count - we brought in 38 cats one day though (very sadly that whole group ended up being euthanized - doing that gave me a whole lot of understanding for how compassion fatigue can overwhelm shelter staff.) The Misener's puppy mill bust at about 240 dogs was the largest dog intake I've been on the front lines for - 80 hours in less than 2 weeks and it sure didn't feel like enough.

I like the fields way better than the cages in the mill I was born in!
(likely Miseners in a weird confluence of fate)

I also provided the landing pad for a 26 dog intake from the basement of a pet store. 18 Boston Terriers, 1 Italian greyhound,1 whippet, and 1 french bulldog spent a couple of nights with me until we got more foster homes lined up. (We were able to have foster spots for the chows and shibu inus before they arrived at my house- thank heavens). 100 budgies arrived on our door step (thanks to my Dad's help in transporting them). Luckily a friend had unoccupied office space for 3 weeks - which gave us time to assess and sort them. By the end of the three weeks Shelly and I each ended up with about 25 and that somehow seemed OK! I also spent 2 weeks organizing and then driving about 130 guppy babies to new homes when a true animal lover moved into a house to find an abandoned fish tank full of guppies waiting for her!

46 hamsters really doesn't seem like that many!

especially when we are all so cute!

Full and Busy House...

2011-09-28T22:33:00.000-04:00

visiting dogs (Dad's away).. too much work ..foster kittens.... foster hamsters ....

all a little crazy round here ....

many thoughts - no time to organize them...

for your viewing pleasure ... hamster haven :)

pretty close to the only non work thing I've found time to do this week

Farm 'Gility!

2011-09-24T20:49:00.000-04:00

Big T need never worry about having clean ears when Thea is around!

Brody loves farm 'gility! Even if it leaves him breathless!

Sampson runs, runs, runs then runs a little more. Then pauses for a MINUTE!

Then right back to it!

Thea unleashes her inner border collie during farm 'gility!

Sally plays lookout while Brody eats a yummy apple.

Sally resting, as much as she ever rests, in between playing.

Winding up to start all over again.

She's OFF!

MORE MORE MORE

two crazy girls share good news ...

2011-09-22T21:10:00.000-04:00

to say Thea is thrilled to be out of crate hell is a serious understatement

Sally is very happy to have her little buddy back too

Thea gives as good as she gets don't let Sally's big mouth fool you

in the best news of the ~~day, month~~, year (so far anyhow!) Sally's liver values plummeted to absolutely normal levels... from 300 (normal range5-90) to 35 .. it makes no sense but given that lately I've been watching three agility dogs be NO agility dogs it's nice to know agility may be possible again :)

Practise ...

2011-09-18T21:36:00.001-04:00

Thea practised using all four legs today - YAY! Hopefully one more day of crate rest and this episode will be behind us.

I thought I practised 270s with Sally and Brody until I was thinking about it driving back to the city tonight and realized I practised right angles ... whoops - math is not my strong suit .....

It was a cool little zig zag - table, off to the right first jump - 90 degrees back to second jump then 90 degrees to weaves ... was not easy to do with Brody and his quirky weaves but he was zooming and having fun ... Sally was awesome too... any direction, any opening handling - nailing it right and left ... (all for a dead water bottle!)

Sampson did a couple of 90 degree jump sequences ... then took off to smell the world - he really is too funny!

Too much fun! I love agility!

I Broke Thea ...

2011-09-14T22:00:00.002-04:00

Poor pooch has been home less than a week and she's broken.

Maybe I didn't break her - maybe she broke herself but I feel awful. She ran out with the big dogs last night when I got home and flew off the back deck steps, landed, said "YIIII" and refused to put her hind left foot down for the rest of the night. At bed time she raced up the stairs, leaped up onto our too tall bed, danced around on all four feet then fell asleep. This morning she woke up sound. "YAY - PHEW" thinks myself and off to work I go.

Come home and a three legged chihuahua tears down the hall to greet me. I admit it. I swore. Picked her up. Carried her outside where she bravely hopped around had a pee and came to me to be carried back in. While Thea is a 6.5 pound little dog she is NOT a dog who chooses to be carried anywhere, ever.

She hopped a little, cuddled on my lap for awhile then decided even three legged it was time to play with Sally. Oh Thea!

She was not happy to be kept quiet.

Wonder if she'll wake up in the am sound again? My instinct says this is more serious than Sally's lameness of three weeks ago - let's hope I'm wrong! Love love love the pocket rocket ... hate to see her the least bit sore.

Thea!

2011-09-10T20:57:00.000-04:00

After her long long summer vacation with her other mother (the amazing Judy Au) the brat is back! She's a little ... ummm fluffy and a little greyier around her eyes then she was in June but her adaptablity is as evident as ever. She has been racing around here like she hasn't been away a minute!

Thea, Margaret and RP -lucky sister!

hard times...

2011-09-07T20:32:00.000-04:00

the dogs have been displaced by the real world of work ...

Really? All over?

They go from being central to all day every day to snoozing from 7:50 to anytime between 4:30 (on the best of days) to 7:00 (the worst of days - and I work VERY hard to make sure they are rarely completely alone for that long)

Sampson goes to daycare daily - he was crated his first year with us but he is quite anxious crated and is quite a mess by the time I get home ... he loves his buddies at Parkers Pet Care ... his human buddies that is - they have indiviual runs and play yard time and that suits both him and me best!
Sally goes to daycare with him occasionally - no more than once a week as she is too smart - she gets out of runs and works on her take over of the human race ... she doesn't need to rehearse that nonsense too often!

Brody snoozes at home. he is pretty bouncy when I get home but he sleeps quite a bit when I am home anyhow so I suspect he just follows he sun spots around.

The dogs get treats (chicken strips, stuffed Kongs etc) and meals in dispensers so everything takes awhile.

I don't love it, Big T doesn't love it, the dogs don't love it but it works for us!

Sticking our tongue out at the end of summer - as we enjoy it!

2011-09-05T21:49:00.000-04:00

the sound of happiness ...

2011-09-04T13:03:00.000-04:00

Sally is barking, dropping toys at our feet and wanting to PLAY, WORK, RUN, JUMP do anything that requires ACTION!

She was quite sound to watch yesterday but not wired to go - today she's wired and raring for action. Did some flatwork with her (directionals with me in motion too) and she stayed sound. (I'd say she stayed keen but that's a given with her no matter if she's sound or not).

Really, I'm fine now - let's do more!

Brody was gimpy Thursday but fine fine fine Friday. He has invented a new game - "fetch/zoom" with deadfall apples. He watches me collect (for the rabbits or compost) and starts humming. He has taught me that I am to pick a Brody mouth sized one and roll it across the lawn towards him. He pounces on it - then flounces around tail wagging furiously. Phase two involves getting me to chase him making monster fingers at him while he zips and zags around. He drops the apple when asked - and then the game starts over. He enjoyed Sally being rested apparently!

how do you manage a maniac? (living with a dog smarter than me!)

2011-09-01T21:39:00.001-04:00

A firecracker .. but not a maniac

not a maniac - in fact a very steady rockstar

uusual? yes
quirky? yes
maniac ? no

Sally is lame. Three legged, won't touch her toe to the ground lame. She came up sore in the very last 5 minutes of our walk at Point Petre. My fellow walkers were worried and so was I but she is hard on herself. Lame for a few minutes is not unheard of for the Sally girl. Since we got home she has been fairly good about resting but knowing Sally it won't last long.

Why do you push yourself so hard Sally?

This is an uncrateable dog. She will happily lie in a crate for as long as it suits her so people don't realize how uncrateable she it. For Pete's sake I can put her in the shortest of xpens and she'll stay in it for ages as long as it suits her. The minute no, the nanosecond, being confined doesn't suit her she leaves. I have no idea how Houdini dog has gotten out of some crates (including a varikennel). When she is locked in a run with a lid like she was for 3 days two weeks ago she hurts herself. She'd better not be lame for long and moderate rest better be the only recommendation I get. Crating her for 3-6 weeks would either require me to take her to work daily or to take a leave of absence (and while my employers are sympathetic and supportive of the animal work I do I'm pretty sure our huge HR department would have a melt down if I requested a leave to watch a dog in a crate!)

This made me think about life with nutty dogs. (Yup, more than one, I've had my share)
Living with them is largely about management. The old adage a tired dog is a good dog is very true - but if you get a maniac too fit tiring them out can be difficult. I have learned that mental work is an important component to the kind of tired that lets me surf the net in the evening. Actually truly ignoring a maniac can be tough. When Sally barks because she ~~needs~~ wants to do SOMETHING, AnYtHiNg (right NOW) doing nothing is virtually impossible if I'm a) on the phone b) talking in person to someone. When I am alone she doesn't bark at me - she simply stares optimistically at me so I KNOW I have taught her situations that I will respond to a bark. And to be fair to her any response on my part is fine - asking her to do directional turns, lie down, or throwing a toy for her are all perfectly acceptable reactions for me to offer her. My reward for being so easily trained? Silence. Golden, sweet silence.

Decide what is acceptable and stick to it. If going downstairs ahead of your dog matters to you - then do it every single time. (in my house I actually send the dogs ahead of me)

Routines are something I had always striven to have BS*. Maniacal dogs love routine. It lets them predict opportunities to be nutty which, in my experience, is not always a great thing. Sally actually does better with a little variation in life. If food always appeared at exactly the same time I'm sure she would develop a complex routine of her own to enhance her eating experience. I vary the dispensers she eats from too - as well as the location. Anything to make her think! Most dogs will learn to go to one mat/place/bed when sent to it (say when the doorbell rings) .. Sally understands the concept of place and will go to anything that fits the criteria in her head .. include the stairs in the front hallway.

Giving Sally jobs was a big part of appreciating life with a nut. If we didn't give her work she'd make up stuff to do and that just wasn't always the best plan (Remember this silly job? She still does that). Sally is responsible for supervising my work with the rabbits and chickens and watching for escapees. She tells me when a cat uses a litter box (she came up with this one but it works for us). She helps us weed and wood and shows us the path on the atv. She watches for whoever is out to come home. She is fabulous at entertaining other dogs who need to be entertained! She collects toys that are left around. She would certainly be type A if human. The word "No" is not in her vocabulary.

Our Whole Lot of Dog takes a whole lot of thinking ... and she's worth every wonderful second of it!

* BS - before Sally - a time I can hardly recall already ...

Just a Day in Paradise ...

2011-08-31T21:51:00.001-04:00

rough life

meet up with Lucy and Walter's Mom and the Cheerful Complainer in Cherry Valley and headed down to Point Petre - a true corner of paradise ...

7 dogs: Jasmine, Fannie, Walter, Lucy, Brody, Sampson and the incorrigible Sally .. the dogs were great - they had fun smelling new smells, rolling, playing in the water and ~~Sally~~ eating disgusting things!

The humans had a lot of fun too - what could easily have been a half hour walk turned into a 3 hour gab fest and walk ... it's a funny thing this blog land ... meeting people you don't know in person but know well in cyberspace is a little odd. Lucy and Walter's Mom is just lovely - every bit as humble about her awesome dogs and self in person as she is on the blog, every bit as nice as she seems. I didn't "know" the Cheerful Complainer (her name- not mine - I don't think she complains much at all - but the name is cute and so's she!) nearly as well but she is a treasure in her own right too -and she runs a small dog in agility - so that was fun for me too! I am so very glad we connected and would love for it to happen again.

Everybody should sleep well tonight!

word free wednesday ...

2011-08-31T09:41:00.000-04:00

where to go from here?

2011-08-30T21:38:00.000-04:00

While this picture was taken when I asked Sally what we should do after she missed a last weave pole and hit the teeter so fast (on course and DRIVING) that she completed it beautifully before I could think it sums up my current thinking quite well. (What I think I love most about this picture is that Sally held a very nice stop at the bottom of the teeter but the photographer took their time and caught this goofy moment! Knowing my big mouth they could probably hear me asking Sally if she knew what to do!)

I stop and think and Sally carries on (yelling at me to run faster!). Brody curls up and has a nap while I think.

I had a chat with an agility coach I have a lot of respect for yesterday. He reminded me that qualifying two dogs for any national competition is something to be pleased about and to qualify two such very different dogs** is especially noteworthy. We talked a lot about the issues in running Brody and Sally on the same courses. He said some very nice things about me and the dogs. It felt good to be thinking through issues and the future with two brains.

I'd like to do Rgionals again next year. Nationals will be out of the question but I think planning to attend Regionals is reasonable. CPE Nationals would be fun too but I'm not sure I can get the 3 requisite standard qs with Sally. I will have to look at that as I don't think I'd just take Brody - he's had a CPE Nationals experience of a lifetime back in '08 .

I think should sit down with a calender and plan a trial a month between now and May.
I've been asked if I'd like to help with House League again too. That is good for my brain. I think one reason I get so much from agility is because it is good for my brain. In my little happy fantasy world I'd find a great indoor space close to home and set up my equipment in it and work twice a week all through the winter too. Unlikely to happen but wouldn't it be fun?

** they are very different - just look at a picture of them and you'll see it - but the one similarity they share is a very very solid work ethic. I think they work for different reasons but they both love to work. I am SO lucky.

Sampson's summer holiday

2011-08-29T22:33:00.000-04:00

and I think he had a good time!

same video -I just gave you a couple of ways to view it

his table is completely automatic -you whisper the word table at him and you get what you see ... until he is released even! Actually the whole video is a pretty good example of what Sam does with his day - you should know he eats at least 6 cups of food a day.

revisiting goals: finding motivation ... Part One

2011-08-28T10:36:00.001-04:00

Last time I formally goal set on this blog was way back in January.
Obviously I had goals for Regionals and Nationals I think I alluded to them - very pleased we accomplished them (and more!). Now it's time to look forward again.

2010 goals ...
Brody - get that last elusive jumpers Q; finish level 3 CPE titles; work on distance a little (for fun like); run happy and quick; and perhaps attend Regionals

Considering we had exactly 1 AAC trial between then and now I'm delighted Brody earned the jumpers q - I think all he needs in level 3 CPE is two jackpots - just because we have hardly seen them ... he's puttering away in level 4 very happily as well. His placements at Regionals (both in individual classes and overall) surpassed any goal I would have set. His work at Nationals and overall placement was way beyond my goal setting but lovely. He is running happily and quickly and just such a pleasure to play with.

Thea - work on getting 200 more level 1 CPE points; get another starters AAC Q (snookers most likely given she doesn't weave, do the teeter or like chutes); get another advanced jumpers Q
if Brody doesn't attend Regionals ~ attend them

Thea has done NO AAC and very very little agility. She has earned every q but one she was entered in which considering she usually just does agility at trials and house league blows my mind. She is so much fun!

Sally - earn a starters snookers Q (or 2!), fix the %^&$ aframe contact; earn another 2 advanced jumpers Qs; run advanced gamblers; earn level 1 CPE standard title; finish level 2 games titles (if I can find enough classes); run steeplechase and standard once aframe is working
Regionals? maybe .. need to give this some serious thought .. but I would like to have a dog there ...

Snookers q? done. Aframe - life long project I think but coming. No missed contacts at Nationals and One standard Q in CPE make me feel better about this one. She has jackpot classes left in level 2 (haven't been able to find them to enter) and is otherwise in level three( if I have done my math right)
Steeplechase is not an immediate goal of mine at this point. Regionals was amazing and Nationals was wonderful. She is an exceptional dog.

Sampson - continue to backyard train him .yup. introduce 2x2 weaves and contacts, nope challenge him with short sequences this, this is too much fun! Loving fooling around with this silly, nose driven fellow!

Me - participate in Regionals; continue having fun in this game I love; trust I will know when Brody wants to retire; tighten up my technical skills handling the variety of dogs I run; get the agility field up and operational; host something at the agility field; represent myself, my dogs and AAC well wherever I am playing

Fun? check..Trust myself with regards to Brody? check.. improve my skills? need coaching for this one... agility field? bust...represent well? I hope so...

a little agility ....

2011-08-26T14:05:00.001-04:00

Sally is a tidy jumper. Natural talent? I'd say so but I think the work we do helps. It certainly helps me be in the right place at the right time pulling my wieght on our team. We have had maybe 5 rails in trials. most of which are when I do something FUNKY and she is trying to translate for me and jump what's in front of her at the same time. Poor dog.

I did a lot of the exact same work with Brody when he started out. We still work but for every 5 jumps Sally does now Brody might do one. Brody is also an excellent jumper (he has pulled exactly one rail in his life - a 12 inch jump at CPE Nationals in 2008).

Sally has had a full week off any formal agility but as the summer draws to a close I know I want to put some decent work outs in the bank for those horrible fall/winter days when it's impossible. We decided to do jump work today. Collecting, stretching and listening. She was amazing.

She is amazing. My first time just leaving the camera in place- it worked fairly well. I held the camera during the warm up - apologies - take gravol to watch!

This is also a very typical example of what one of my lawn agility sessions might look like! I did not include our full warm up nor our cool down ( some spins, some sit/down sequences and a couple of recalls as well as a nice rub down).

Coach me, show me, teach me ...

2011-08-25T16:39:00.000-04:00

I'm an educator by trade ... it's how I make my living and I'm lucky enough to have fallen into a job I love.

Pedagogy fascinates me. How can I be a better instructor? Facilitator? Teacher? Trainer?
How do people really learn? How do dogs and other animals really learn?
Finding solid coaching in my animal world has made me look at education from both sides of the coin.

Some things I know are true:

everyone learns differently
positive instruction leads to better learning
perfect practise and opportunities to try things for yourself lead to best results

further; a good educator:

will help you set realistic goals
will also push you beyond where you thought you could go
will let you learn
will ground you
will offer CONSTRUCTIVE suggestions when you struggle but let you find your way
will keep you safe (physically and emotionally)

I have worked with a few different trainers and coaches in the agility world but my own lack of coachability interferes with making the most of opportunities.
A online assessment tool I used last fall had this to say:

Coachability This is about how well you handle criticism and your ability to make changes to improve your performances.
0-4 Below average - Improvement during training is slow, you have trouble managing your emotions when criticized.5-9 Average - You benefit from your coach's comments but can lose motivation during practice if there is a lot of criticism.10-12 Above average - You make adjustments quickly and enjoy the challenges of training with a demanding coach.

Your Score: 8 / 12

My coachability is directly influenced by my knowledge of pedagogy. I want to learn but I want the premise behind the educable moments clearly laid out as well. Frustrating for the brave suckers who take me on as a student I'm sure.
Asking me to blindly so something new is sure fire way to provoke a discussion. Not ideal in group classes for sure. Telling me that there is only one way to do something also tends to push me to prove the other ways something can be done.

I'm a lousy student for teachers to work with. I feel badly about that. I beat my own path and think through puzzles for myself.

I wish I was more coachable.

of course ....

2011-08-23T13:44:00.000-04:00

We go away for three days (five nights - just the way flights had to work) and everybody but Sally was fine

Sally's normal nose

Sally? not so much ...

Sally's nose today :(

I've never left her this long and while I knew she'd be safe I was also pretty sure she'd get bored and make some kind of trouble. The world thinks I'm crazy when it comes to Sally. This I know. I also know I'm not. Sally got 2 leash walks, a cuddle time, 2 plays in a play yard, 3 trips to an outside run and a stuffed kong given to her as well as breakfast in an all day dispenser each day. That is at LEAST 15 interactions a DAY with her ... and it wasn't enough ...

It took a friend, a boarding kennel, a vet clinic, my dad and his wife Jean, and my mum to replace us for our visit with our godsons .. that's some crazy math ...

the trip was lovely, wonderful, fun and the godsons are delicious ...

but I'm glad to be home with time to hopefully get Sally's sore raw nose healed up - what a dog... what a whole lot of dog!

By the time you see this ...

2011-08-18T14:29:00.004-04:00

Baby Quiz will be in her new home.
I'm happy for them and very very sad for Sally and me.
I put together this compilation of video and pictures (most of which you've seen probably if you've been here in the last week) for her people to enjoy. It's all about Quizzical!
Love fostering. Hate fostering. Love Quiz.

Wideo Wednesday ...

2011-08-17T10:20:00.003-04:00

The art of Zen with a pro and a baby
The joy that is Quiz

Tug Tug 3 dogs and Three Tugs

2011-08-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

All the talk this summer about being the cookie, working for free and having variations of rewards has made me think about tugging quite specifically and my expectations for tugging. I don't think a dog has to tug to be any good (Brody is a fine example of that) but I do think tug is a fun interactive way to reward a dog who enjoys it. It is a relationship building activity that is fun plain and simple.

Three of the dogs here like to tug. I have taught all three of these dogs to seek out tugging for fun. (Actually Thea really enjoys tugging sometimes too). Making the video was interesting as I couldn't direct tug and film at the same time. The dogs seemed to cope OK and you see their different tugging styles. I deliberately brought out three different toys to tug so you could see that they will all tug what is offered. I did not bring Sally's ultimate favourite tug out as I was quite sure I would not be able to control the camera and the flyer together.

The filming is a little crazy but you get some sense of the way tug works here. Sally couldn't believe it was all about tugging - she jumped a jump, ran through a tunnel, did right and left turns and pounded on various toys with glee. You may see me switch toys on both Sally and Quiz - who are both happy to tug what is presented. Sampson is too but he was having so much fun with the fuzzy I couldn't bear to make him work!

Keeping it real ... and some rambling ...

2011-08-15T13:58:00.000-04:00

Run Sally

Balancing my natural optimism, pragmatism and realism (in life not just agility) can feel like a bit of a juggling act. I don't want to be pollyanna-ish (from the World English dictionary: Pollyanna:n. a person who is constantly or excessively optimistic) and annoy those around me but by nature I'm pretty take it as it comes and make the best of what you have. That isn't to say I can't be plunged into a funk or completely situationally overwhelmed but I can often get my groove back reasonably quickly. I'm very very fortunate that way - and believe me, I do appreciate that!

Animals ground me. They give me an outlet for emotion that is non judgemental and positive. They allow me to be entirely true to who I am (or think I am) which allows me to rehearse being true to me. That means I can bring that sense out when something is difficult. I have a bit of a reputation at work for speaking my mind no matter who I am addressing (apparently Superintendents are rarely told they don't quite get an issue and then educated about it- whoops!).

Brody keeps me real.

When I reflected on the brand that is Susan Garrett last month I left something out. I left it out on purpose because while this blog feels private (or shared in a small circle now) it is very public. I also have not gone to Say Yes because there are people who would pay to attend the same workshop as me in the hopes that Susan would go after me publicly. They think that would be entertaining to watch as I am not easily intimidated. I didn't include this info in my last post as I don't know SG personally at all and had no clue if she knew there was a perception of her that included a yelling, losing it side. She wrote a post last night that makes it obvious she does know she has this side so I can include it as a further demonstration of my mixed up personality.

I am a great believer in capturing a good feeling and holding it so you can bring it back when you need it. I use this technique in life and agility often. I am also quite committed to the notion that you can and should plan interactions. Rehearse and visualize success but be prepared to adapt if need be. Stands me in good stead doing lawn agility and in the classroom.

Agility NOW please - enough talking - more action!

Quiz will be leaving us this week. It's taking some deep pulls from my fatalistic what will be will be side to be OK with this. She is going to a fabulous home that is part of the larger extended family of the rescue I work with so all is good but will Sally and I ever miss her. (The boys not quite so much).

Have been paid some very nice compliments during and since Nationals including "you have more just plain fun with your dogs than anyone I know!" from a fabulous handler/judge running fabulous dogs. That means more to me than just about anything*. I hope the dogs have fun with me too!

Pay somebody a compliment today - you may never know the power you give them!

Speaking of which - I am very proud of Sally's sister Sophie. She ran steeplechase at Nationals and did a heck of a job in a very distracting new environment staying right with her mom! They both were a pleasure to watch and be with. Nancy -you've done me proud! And I can promise you neither Brody nor Sally would have made it nearly as far in the weave ole challange either!!

* including being, forgive me, NATIONALLY ranked! Still blows me away!

Sampson

2011-08-14T14:05:00.000-04:00

he really is a handsome boy - even covered in pond sludge!

Yes, the bottle came for a nice long walk at the world's best private dog park too!