We Are All Human ...ALL of us, even Susan Garret

SG posted a video of two spills Swagger had on the warm up day at Ontario East Regionals. They weren't fun to watch - in one clip he wiped out as he came blasting off the dog walk in the other he lost his footing as he took off for a jump and somersaulted through it. In both cases he jumps right up and is, as far as I can tell, ready for more. She clearly states that spills like this are why she hates doing agility in the rain. But she needs to do agility in the rain. If she's representing Canada and flown half way around the world and it's raining she has a responsibility to run. (She also has a responsibility to keep her dogs safe - and I am quite sure if she knew conditions crossed from unpleasant to unsafe she would pull them no matter where she was).

Conditions and equipment weren't unsafe in this case. They were wet and unpleasant and Swagger is a young dog who doesn't let a little something like wet grass slow him down. He may have learned a valuable lesson about how to keep his balance on Friday. I am sure SG will be doing more rain work with him this summer too.  SG is an athlete who knows her dogs are athletes. She keeps herself in good shape, working with a trainer, paying attention to what she eats. She does the same for her dogs. 

She is NOT a weekend warrior who only runs in the rain if she paid an entry fee. Her dogs work in all conditions, on varied surfaces and they need to. Should she have pulled Swagger? No more than any other dog there should have been pulled, perhaps much less than many should have been. I wasn't there. I was an hour away thinking "Yuck today is gross I am glad I am not playing agility today". The trial hosts have lots of experience with agility and I haven't heard a whisper that they thought about stopping the event. 

Were there other dogs there that maybe should have been pulled? I'm going out on a limb here and guessing yes - there were probably dogs running there who shouldn't have been running no matter the weather conditions. Urban dictionary suggests a weekend warrior is "a person who holds a regular job during the week which restricts their ability to party/go on trips/partake in awesome activities, and thus plans epic weekend adventures to compensate."  in terms of agility I worry that weekend warrior dogs go to class/training once a week and get leashed walks once or twice a day with little opportunity to truly build fitness or muscle memory for the obstacles we expect them to do.

 It's pretty hard emotionally to withdraw from any competition. You've paid your entry (not cheap for our sport), changed your schedule, perhaps traveled a long distance and then you realize  you shouldn't be there. Peer pressure is likely going to come into play. I have heard people say "she doesn't look that bad" and "maybe he'll work out of it"  to people with a sore dog. Nobody wants to be the one to say "Why would you run that dog now? You may do irreparable damage if you do". Being negative is no fun. We have huge demands placed on us to "suck it up" "be tough" and "get the job done".  Pulling out runs counter to all of those things. Last year when I had to withdraw from Regionals to work I felt enormous pressure to do it all somehow  - and that was actually physically impossible!

I totally get why people want to play - and I think they should play. I also believe that they should not cast stones without a good  hard look in the mirror.  There is a very big difference in asking "Why didn't you pull your dog?" and "You have completely lost my respect" (just one of a slew of frankly hostile comments on the SG video). We are all human. SG made the same choice everyone else did on Friday. Swagger fell, twice. With games and sports comes risk. Would I be terribly upset if it had been my dog? Yes. Was SG upset? It sure seems she was. Was Swagger upset? Not so much - he won the gambler's class yesterday and was second in standard. I have every confidence that SG will get him the best care and work out a solid plan of action to help him recover from any trauma (physical or mental) he may have suffered and learn to deal with varied conditions better. While she may be sorry she posted the video I am glad she did. It's provoked conversation and thinking - and perhaps more weekend warriors will actually think and withdraw from events when it's in their and their dog's best interest, rather than simply tell other people what to do when they aren't even present!

Sure hope Swagger and SG are ok!

the power of positive ...

I was looking at the mandate,mission statement, etc of the Pet Professional Guild the other day. Lots of really great stuff in there. It got me thinking. My life with dogs horses and people have continually reinforced the power of positive. Learners rarely, if ever, make mistakes out of spite, a desire to "get you", or because they want to be wrong.

Mistakes get made. Much more frequently than recognized  playing working with animals most of the mistakes are human in nature. In human teaching the same is true though perhaps even less discussed. If a class of 14 year olds is over exhausted or over excited it is probably not a great time to introduce a new concept - far better to review and reinforce something most students are close to understanding.  (Same holds true in animal land but somehow seems easier for one handler to adapt for one animal- though I have watched drilling that was planned and therefore "had to be done" even though it wasn't likely the best/smartest move.)

Two key components I believe any educator, handler, or trainer truly trying to be positive, in any setting with any species needs to embrace, beyond the guiding principles of groups like the Guild, are  be FLEXIBLE and PATIENT.

Flexible captures the need to be able to adapt to the learner in front of you.We are all individuals after all! Being flexible means planning (you have to have something to adapt) but being able to asses, regroup and change things as needed. When something works well not presuming that is the only way to do it, or that method will work as well in all situations. Flexiblity also implies an ability to stretch - adding more things to a toolbox as needed; pushing yourself for more; delving into subjects wholly. Considering the person/dog equation and work in a framework that is comfortable while pushing boundaries. If expectations are too high and you are getting frustrated work with a trainer or training buddy. Note the things that are positive- often if there is frustration you may not even realize there are things going well. If things are stagnating work with a trainer/training buddy - challenge yourselves, change things up. Balance is a key component to  flexibility.

Patience really is a virtue in education and training. It's a tough one to internalize but so critical to being able to enjoy the journey. Without a patient attitude I cannot understand how playing training can be any fun. Patience allows ongoing assessment that is honest and critical of where you are and where you should be aiming next. If you need to regroup and step back with patience you will be able to see it's part of the journey. Without it you may be disappointed or angry about a perceived set back.

How things change ...

When Brody and I started agility it never occurred to me that there could be any way to do 'real' agility at home. We did street agility when we saw something to jump or walk along but basically agility was a once a week activity. Brody weaved through the rolls of Christmas wrapping paper planted in weighted down glasses in my living room. 

We started trials and about 6 months later I got a teeter for my birthday. I used it occasionally and appreciate the way both Brody and Sally understand teeters. I am sure having our own to play with made a big difference.  I'm loving having it with Yen at the moment too.

Now I have more space than I know what to do with, a complete set of contact equipment, a few jumps and tunnels, and  I have never even had the dogs on the dogwalk. Crazy right? One day having the time, space and energy will all come together. This I know.

We do play at home though. In a funny shaped yard that has undulating ground. 

There are some other challenges to playing here at the moment too. 

A dog who isn't seeing well, a dog in her prime, a young dog and a puppy - and occasionally a rocket fueled Chihuahua and a goofy  golden - all have very different needs. Being ultimately lazy I hate resetting things multiple times. There are a couple of designs that allow me to work very very different skills with each dog. 

Here is my current favourite: 

The table is sometimes used just as a waiting pad for Sally and/or Wyn.

I've only numbered 2 variations but there are literally hundreds ... Sally is enjoying the distance work we play with  drectionals and leaving me are both lots of fun for us, Brody loves the tight wraps around the standards. Wyn has done a little bit of work through the standards only  turning and moving with me. Yen has begun to think about the principle of GO... racing ahead of me to a plate, she's also starting to understand that a straight line may not always be the desired path. Sam loves  blasting through straight lines and Thea just loves running!  

I believe that jumping is a skill that dogs need time to work on and develop - I don't jump daily, but I do use a box, a pinwheel and a fair bit of one jump work to make sure the dogs all understand how to jump (Wyn and Yen are both still on poles on the ground and will be until each is one-they are getting plenty of cross country jumping on our walks!).I also set up grids particularly for Sam and Sally who have long strides that they need to learn to adjust. I see much grid work in Wyn's future too! (He's a brick with legs, a little pin head,  at the moment!)

if I had to pick one thing to have (or fake) at home it would be a jump. Ideally 3 or 4 jumps, and a tunnel or two. Today's back yard training event will have lots of great ideas to try.  Maybe one will bump my number one setup out! The amazing organizer, Steve, has over 70 set ups listed! Check em all out and tell me your favourites!

My Brain Might Just Explode

Just finished a great weekend of learning and have LOTS to share but this representation of something Sally taught me a long long time made so much sense to me I had start with this chart.

If you consider your dog and then consider you  you will see that you could add scores for a total. Our presenter this weekend suggested that we strive for 11 as our ideal score.

We were looking at this chart in reference to drive level but it would work in many different ways. Precision, obedience, activity level, even house training vigilance could benefit through consideration of the scale. Let me explain. Wyn is a 10 in house training, I can very happily sit at 1 and wait for him to ask me to go out. In a new place he will go to whatever door we came in to ask to go out. He understands house training and has demonstrated this in many different ways. Yen has moved up to being about a 3 now. She'd prefer to potty outside (usually) but if I don't watch for her to get active, think about how long since she's been out, think of how recently she ate or drank - so an 8 on the scale- she has no issue with sneaking away to find a spot to do her business. In a strange place she would likely revert to being a 1 and I would tether her to me (a 10).

Not sure if you should let your dog off leash? Look at the scale. How's your recall?

So many uses. So easy to understand.

still up to my eyeballs

in agility and thinking and running and having fun but the end is in sight - Sally will be devastated!

I'm trying to unpack a little of what I've been working on in order to make sure there is nothing that needs clarification before Webb Anderson leaves town again.

On Friday we worked on contacts and weaves. Interesting.  Found a hole in Sally's training (jump into an onside offset entry - I would have thought it was simple but it's the exact entry she had to repeat at Nationals now that I think about it). Brody is weaving like he wants to speed up and figure out footwork - he's had an epiphany it seems! Contacts are improving day by day with Sally and staying awesome with Brody.

Saturday was the handling day. Ran Thea in session one mainly - fun fun fun to have the pipsqueak out! The afternoon was a little more challenging so ran Sally mostly. (I think Brody had a turn but honestly can't recall!) Practiced smoothing out my handling .. more flow less sudden had a great afternoon but wasn't feeling great about my last run with Sally.

Sunday was building confidence. Thea had fun with nascar and drag racing. Then we ran the fun match courses. Lots of fun but lots of hard work too as many people showed up. Webb videoed for feedback but I haven't gotten feedback yet.

Tuesday was another lesson. We started seriously proofing Sally's contacts. She was a good girl! Her dog walk entry wobbled though - it's always something!! Played a few minutes with Brody's weaves again. Thinking fast foot work first - then distance - it's amazing to see him looking for the entries by himself!

Wednesday was course work. Webb set a course and everybody played on it. Sally had plenty of faults (shame about the handler stuff) and the young dogs ran beautifully. I lie ... handler was running for broke and having a blast. I figured what was the point of showing Webb a carefully executed and managed clean run? What feedback could I get from that?  Sally's contacts were pretty solid I have to admit. Brody and I ran for broke too - he is such fun to run!

Just Saturday left - starters handling in the am then a 3 person workshop in the afternoon. Not sure what we'll be doing. Know it will be fun.

Why does Brody play agility?

He doesn't do it for any great deep abiding love of the sport. 

He doesn't do it because he loves to GO GO GO.

(He is a lapdog after all)

We didn't start agility because of his endless energy or drive. 

We started agility because it was offered in the same church as his puppy classes were and it looked like something different to try.

Brody plays agility to make me happy. 

He loves making me happy. 

He does not like making mistakes and doesn't like leaving me. 

At home or on course - he is happiest at my feet!

Have we done things to help him enjoy agility for agility's sake?

Sure.

He loves a game we call "Bouncy, bounce".  I hold a treat in each hand and I bounce from foot to foot while facing him. Eventually I take off (in either direction) and he chases me. When he catches me - he gets the treat. 

Simple? Very.

Motivating for Brody? Very. 

Playing at Nationals

I can easily play this at the in gate. It has literally become an on switch over the years. 

Clean Run has a great article about help the disengaging dog in the Feb 2012 issue.

 By Leslie McDevitt,  it is for dogs impacted by ring stress but reading it I realized that the same techniques could help build a love of agility. She outlines identifying stressors for your dog and dealing with them directly. She talks about the concept of not using up your dogs energy bank at the start line~ something I have always avoided doing.She further outlines using Mat Work, the Look At That Game and the Gimme A Beak Game. She builds a neat twist onto Gimme a Break Game. 

She suggests doing one obstacle, rolling a treat along the floor and going to sit in a chair as you say "Good bye". When the dogs comes to see what you are doing return to the agility game and do two obstacles; then roll a treat away say "good bye" and go sit down. Repeat, adding one obstacle at a time until your dog has completed a sequence of obstacles and is begging for more work. 

I LOVE this concept. I suspect Brody would adore this game. 

Brilliance I say, sheer brilliance! 

Can't wait to try it. 

Patience, Persistence and Positive Training

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!

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

• 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 ..

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?





Some fun ...

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!

a little bit of everybody having some fun!

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!

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....

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?

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!

A study in dog language

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!

finding balance ....

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.

 

 

KKKKKKKK OOO YOT EEEE!

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

Practise ...

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!

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

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 ...

Wideo Wednesday ...

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