What I learned today:
Ice is slippery and when people hit it, some of them fall down
Ice is slippery and when people hit it, some of them fall down
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Ice is slippery
We went for a walk today. Pretty cold, just a little snow on the ground, but lurking underneath were patches of ice. Luckily, when I slide around, it doesn't much bother me, but not so my person. She fell. Twice. I felt pretty bad for her, but what can you do.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
10 days: 10 things I've learned
So, I know I said I was going to write one thing I learned every day. But, well you know that problem of being dependent on someone with opposable thumbs who also has a demanding job as an academic.
I sometimes think I take precedence over her students, research, and other commitments, but these last 10 days, I've been decidedly further down the list. It's not that she doesn't love me, I know. And I know she feels really bad too. So, I'm cutting her some slack (that's the good thing about us dogs--we don't really hold any grudges). But, to catch everyone up, I'm going to write down the things I've learned since Feb. 11.
Feb. 12:
Flyball practice on Saturday throws everyone off schedule
Feb. 13:
There are "valentines". My friend Jake sent me one that he got as part of a fundraiser for Valentine, a foster available from Great Lakes Border Collie Rescue.
Feb. 14:
Some dogs really don't like it when you get near them while they're chewing a bone. Not me though.
Feb. 15:
If you stand up and "shop" the kitchen counters, you often find tasty treats AND your person will pay attention to you (that's the main lesson--the treats are really just a lagniappe)
Feb. 16:
Anything can be a tug-toy
Feb. 17:
People have "birthdays". Dogs have "welcome home days".
Feb. 18:
Three dogs can really wear a single human out.
Feb. 19
Running up-hill in the snow is excellent training for competitive dog sports like flyball (doesn't hurt the humans either).
Feb. 20
Sundays are really no different from any other day if you're a border collie. Except that the people are around more and dress differently.
Feb. 21
When people go away, they almost always come back so there's no need to worry. Even when they're gone for several days.
And the thing I learned today?
Nothing says "I love you" like a peanut butter-filled toy
I sometimes think I take precedence over her students, research, and other commitments, but these last 10 days, I've been decidedly further down the list. It's not that she doesn't love me, I know. And I know she feels really bad too. So, I'm cutting her some slack (that's the good thing about us dogs--we don't really hold any grudges). But, to catch everyone up, I'm going to write down the things I've learned since Feb. 11.
Feb. 12:
Flyball practice on Saturday throws everyone off schedule
Feb. 13:
There are "valentines". My friend Jake sent me one that he got as part of a fundraiser for Valentine, a foster available from Great Lakes Border Collie Rescue.
Feb. 14:
Some dogs really don't like it when you get near them while they're chewing a bone. Not me though.
Feb. 15:
If you stand up and "shop" the kitchen counters, you often find tasty treats AND your person will pay attention to you (that's the main lesson--the treats are really just a lagniappe)
Feb. 16:
Anything can be a tug-toy
Feb. 17:
People have "birthdays". Dogs have "welcome home days".
Feb. 18:
Three dogs can really wear a single human out.
Feb. 19
Running up-hill in the snow is excellent training for competitive dog sports like flyball (doesn't hurt the humans either).
Feb. 20
Sundays are really no different from any other day if you're a border collie. Except that the people are around more and dress differently.
Feb. 21
When people go away, they almost always come back so there's no need to worry. Even when they're gone for several days.
And the thing I learned today?
Nothing says "I love you" like a peanut butter-filled toy
Friday, February 11, 2005
Still smooth sailing
I just kind of feel like writing in green today. Things are still going pretty well with our new friend Tansy. In fact, I kind of think she might be the dog leader me and Renzo have been needing. All the information about her said that she's timid and shy, but we've found that she's really pretty sure of herself and doesn't care one whit if one of the people call her off something (like a cat). When I get called off, I usually need to go right over and give lots of kisses and butt waggles, otherwise they might stay mad at me (I'm kind of like one of my people that way--though she tends not to do many butt waggles).
On the flyball front, well, yesterday my regular person trainer had to stay at work, so my other trainer person took me instead. I tug like a maniac when I'm watching other dogs play flyball (just not when I'm playing) and so my people thought it might be a good idea to use a harnass so that I don't strangle myself with my own excitement. I found it was just a different way of getting tangled up, but don't tell them or anything. I like to humor them.
I've been looking at some other blogs lately and I think I might be too wordy. So from now on, I'm going to try and write just one screen's worth of stuff. Maybe I'll try with just "what I learned today" (kind of like the guy who is writing about his awful roommate, but nicer).
So, what'd i learn today:
Tennis balls are pretty hard on the teeth when they're frozen
On the flyball front, well, yesterday my regular person trainer had to stay at work, so my other trainer person took me instead. I tug like a maniac when I'm watching other dogs play flyball (just not when I'm playing) and so my people thought it might be a good idea to use a harnass so that I don't strangle myself with my own excitement. I found it was just a different way of getting tangled up, but don't tell them or anything. I like to humor them.
I've been looking at some other blogs lately and I think I might be too wordy. So from now on, I'm going to try and write just one screen's worth of stuff. Maybe I'll try with just "what I learned today" (kind of like the guy who is writing about his awful roommate, but nicer).
So, what'd i learn today:
Tennis balls are pretty hard on the teeth when they're frozen
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
New stuff at my house
So, it's been a while since I posted I know. I've had a couple of flyball lessons since my last post. Right now we're working on moving me to the tug toy as a reward for playing flyball. I'll pretty much do the jumps and the box, but only for food. Now I need to learn that the tug is really fun, too--way more fun than food.
My person's been practicing at home, so we'll see how I do tomorrow at class. I've been doing pretty well at my companion obedience class. This week we had to be willing to give up a tasty rawhide if our person asked us to. That's a piece of cake for me (I know both give and drop it). Then, we also had to ignore other dogs coming around while we were chewing our bones. We also had to do some heeling and staying. Then we got to play the game "My dog can do that"--that's really fun and so far I can keep up with everyone just fine.
On a really exciting note, I've got a new friend living at my house. My people brought home Tansy last week-end. She's a border collie like me, but already 4 years old. The person who had her for the first 4 years really neglected her (she wasn't actively abused we don't think, but definitely deprived of the kind of environment us border collies need. As far as we know, she lived in an outdoor pen her whole life and really never learned much of what dogs need to know if they're going to live with humans.) She's doing great at our house, fitting in just beautifully and even Renzo doesn't seem to mind having her here.
I love it because she wants to play as much as I do! She's going to come to flyball class with me tomorrow just to watch. I bet she'll be really excited.
My person's been practicing at home, so we'll see how I do tomorrow at class. I've been doing pretty well at my companion obedience class. This week we had to be willing to give up a tasty rawhide if our person asked us to. That's a piece of cake for me (I know both give and drop it). Then, we also had to ignore other dogs coming around while we were chewing our bones. We also had to do some heeling and staying. Then we got to play the game "My dog can do that"--that's really fun and so far I can keep up with everyone just fine.
On a really exciting note, I've got a new friend living at my house. My people brought home Tansy last week-end. She's a border collie like me, but already 4 years old. The person who had her for the first 4 years really neglected her (she wasn't actively abused we don't think, but definitely deprived of the kind of environment us border collies need. As far as we know, she lived in an outdoor pen her whole life and really never learned much of what dogs need to know if they're going to live with humans.) She's doing great at our house, fitting in just beautifully and even Renzo doesn't seem to mind having her here.
I love it because she wants to play as much as I do! She's going to come to flyball class with me tomorrow just to watch. I bet she'll be really excited.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
The words I know
We don't have practice today, so I thought I'd give a run-down of all the words I know (My buddy Renzo knows most of these t0o, so I'm not really showing off). Right now, I know 80 words and phrases (by "know" I mean that I will do the desired action or provide the desired response 80-90% of the time in ideal, non-distracting conditions. For most commands, I will do the action 70% of the time or better with distractions--depending on what they are, of course. My people work with me every day to "proof" many of the commands, especially basic obedience)
Basic obedience commands (15 words):
Sit, Down, Settle, Come, Wait (my people use this instead of "stay"--I don't know why), Heel (honestly, I'm not that great at Heel, but I know what it is), Leave It, Off, Quiet, Back, Yes (I've completed whatever command I was given), No (I've chose something that I really shouldn't), Wrong (I did the wrong command or did something I wasn't supposed to--less serious than "no"); Okay (I can be released from command); Oops (Wrong command--basically synonymous with Wrong),
Useful commands (24 words):
Bring your X, Get your X (synonymous with Bring), Drop It (I'm pretty much 100% with this command), Find (your) X, Where's X (bascially synonymous with Find), Up, Go to Bed (for crate in bedroom where I sleep); Crate up (for crate in living room where I hang out); Go to the Couch; Get in your Boat (my people call the plush bed Renzo and I share our "boat"--I don't know why and think it's a little weird), Easy; Let's go (when sniffing and snorfling around on walks), Come along (synonymous with Let's go), Right, Left, Watch, Catch it, Push (hit something with my feet), Touch (hit something with my nose), Through (just a general command for going through something--I have more specific commands for going through agility obstacles), Tug, Give, Hop up (get in the car), Bring it Here (put something in person's hand)
Things my people call tricks (12 words):
Bow, Crawl, Bang (this is basically play dead), Twist (turn clockwise), Spin (turn counter-clockwise), Left shake (shake with left paw), Right shake (shake with right paw), Wave, Whisper, Speak, Weave (walk in Figure 8 through person's legs), Shut the drawer
Commands specific to agility or flyball (12 words)
Tunnel, A-frame, Walk It (dog walk), Tire, Over, Big over (I'm not sure I really know this, but my person thinks I do--this is for the broad jump), Target, Teeter, Table (again, I don't feel that confident with this one), Jump (this is for flyball hurdles and differs from Over in that I'm supposed to jump flat for this one and jump "hilly" for over), Ready (means something's about to happen-it's more a cue for me than a command to do something), Weave pole
Names of people or things--these words can be combined with "Bring" and "Find" and "Where's" (7 words)
Renzo (my good buddy), Fritz (kitty I especially like to chase), ball, toy, puppy (specific toy), Susan (one of my people), Robin (another one of my people)
Random phrases that elicit a response from me (10 phrases)
Wanna go for a walk, Wanna play flyball, Wanna do agility, There's your friend X, You're o.k., Are you hungry, Want your dinner, Want your breakfast, Want a Kong, Want a cookie
Commands I know by hand signal (7 commands)
Sit, Down, Come, Wait, Bring/Get, Bow (rather than hand signal, I do this when you blow in my face), Bring it here
Words I'm learning now (9 words)
Talk, Loose (for loose-leash walking), Get ready (this is for flyball and means face the course and get ready to run), Line up (synonymous with get ready), Leash, Hold it, Sit up, Shut the cabinet door (with nose), Fuss (heeling on the right),
Words that my person would like me to know but isn't ready to teach me yet:
Roll-over, Roll the ball, Ring the bell, Turn on/off the light, Sneeze, Gather the laundry, Backwards weave, Frisbee
Basic obedience commands (15 words):
Sit, Down, Settle, Come, Wait (my people use this instead of "stay"--I don't know why), Heel (honestly, I'm not that great at Heel, but I know what it is), Leave It, Off, Quiet, Back, Yes (I've completed whatever command I was given), No (I've chose something that I really shouldn't), Wrong (I did the wrong command or did something I wasn't supposed to--less serious than "no"); Okay (I can be released from command); Oops (Wrong command--basically synonymous with Wrong),
Useful commands (24 words):
Bring your X, Get your X (synonymous with Bring), Drop It (I'm pretty much 100% with this command), Find (your) X, Where's X (bascially synonymous with Find), Up, Go to Bed (for crate in bedroom where I sleep); Crate up (for crate in living room where I hang out); Go to the Couch; Get in your Boat (my people call the plush bed Renzo and I share our "boat"--I don't know why and think it's a little weird), Easy; Let's go (when sniffing and snorfling around on walks), Come along (synonymous with Let's go), Right, Left, Watch, Catch it, Push (hit something with my feet), Touch (hit something with my nose), Through (just a general command for going through something--I have more specific commands for going through agility obstacles), Tug, Give, Hop up (get in the car), Bring it Here (put something in person's hand)
Things my people call tricks (12 words):
Bow, Crawl, Bang (this is basically play dead), Twist (turn clockwise), Spin (turn counter-clockwise), Left shake (shake with left paw), Right shake (shake with right paw), Wave, Whisper, Speak, Weave (walk in Figure 8 through person's legs), Shut the drawer
Commands specific to agility or flyball (12 words)
Tunnel, A-frame, Walk It (dog walk), Tire, Over, Big over (I'm not sure I really know this, but my person thinks I do--this is for the broad jump), Target, Teeter, Table (again, I don't feel that confident with this one), Jump (this is for flyball hurdles and differs from Over in that I'm supposed to jump flat for this one and jump "hilly" for over), Ready (means something's about to happen-it's more a cue for me than a command to do something), Weave pole
Names of people or things--these words can be combined with "Bring" and "Find" and "Where's" (7 words)
Renzo (my good buddy), Fritz (kitty I especially like to chase), ball, toy, puppy (specific toy), Susan (one of my people), Robin (another one of my people)
Random phrases that elicit a response from me (10 phrases)
Wanna go for a walk, Wanna play flyball, Wanna do agility, There's your friend X, You're o.k., Are you hungry, Want your dinner, Want your breakfast, Want a Kong, Want a cookie
Commands I know by hand signal (7 commands)
Sit, Down, Come, Wait, Bring/Get, Bow (rather than hand signal, I do this when you blow in my face), Bring it here
Words I'm learning now (9 words)
Talk, Loose (for loose-leash walking), Get ready (this is for flyball and means face the course and get ready to run), Line up (synonymous with get ready), Leash, Hold it, Sit up, Shut the cabinet door (with nose), Fuss (heeling on the right),
Words that my person would like me to know but isn't ready to teach me yet:
Roll-over, Roll the ball, Ring the bell, Turn on/off the light, Sneeze, Gather the laundry, Backwards weave, Frisbee
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Huck
See this cat? This guy weighs in at over 24 lbs (just for reference, I'm about 34 lbs) and is one scary feline. Actually, that's not really fair, it's not that he's so scary, it's that he and my buddy Renzo have a long-standing disagreement about whether or not dogs or cats take precedence in the Huck's household. Renzo thinks dogs do, but Huck lets him know in no uncertain terms that dogs "drool" (you know, like in that dumb saying, cats rule, dogs drool). Anyway, I tried to stay pretty agnostic on the whole matter, seeing as I was a guest in Huck's house and all. But, once Huck got riled up at my buddy Renzo (who has no fear and so doesn't really care that much if Huck is mad--in fact, Renzo thinks it's great fun to egg Huck on), it was over for all us dogs.
And seeing as I'm a bit of cautious girl, Huck saw me as an easy mark. Basically he terrorizes me everytime we visit. I try to stay out of the way, mind my own business and all, but NOOO, when Huck smells dog, he's ready to rumble.
It's great for my people, though, because Huck keeps me pretty well contained in a room and I don't have much desire to get into mischief because he could really be anywhere...
I'm glad that only one of the kitties at my house is a caninanthrope and she pretty much just wants to be left alone--she doesn't actively seek out dogs to harrass
And seeing as I'm a bit of cautious girl, Huck saw me as an easy mark. Basically he terrorizes me everytime we visit. I try to stay out of the way, mind my own business and all, but NOOO, when Huck smells dog, he's ready to rumble.
It's great for my people, though, because Huck keeps me pretty well contained in a room and I don't have much desire to get into mischief because he could really be anywhere...
I'm glad that only one of the kitties at my house is a caninanthrope and she pretty much just wants to be left alone--she doesn't actively seek out dogs to harrass
New flyball class started
Hey, it's me again--two posts in one day, can't beat that. Some of my fans have complained to my person that I'm not posting very often. Luckily, she doesn't try to pin the blame on me, but still it makes us both pretty embarrassed. Anyway, a couple big milestones for me in flyball this week.
First, I've been getting to go to practice all by myself because my poor buddy Renzo had to have his dew claws removed and has been out of commission for the last couple of weeks. Poor guy, but hey, it means I get sole attention from my people at flyball practice (and it's pretty quiet without Renzo barking out his cries of joy over and over and over and....).
So, anyway, last Sunday one of my people decided that we had to try a new strategy for keeping me focused on flyball and not on going to visit. So, she told all the people to be really mean to me (actually, she just told them to tell me "no" if I came over, but as far as I'm concerned, she might as well have told them to kick me in the gut...). And then they did tell me no--I went from person to person, wiggling my whole body, trying to lick and say hi, but they all said "no" adn some of them even stamped their feet at me. I was really confused, I mean, really, really confused--I thought everyone really liked for me to come and say hi and I know that I like it. But all the while my person was also calling come and it was so much nicer to be with her than with all those people being mean to me. So, slowly but surely, I'm starting to understand that I can only go visit when my person says it's o.k., not when I decide it's o.k. Hard knocks, really, but my person hopes that I'll start to see that flyball is really the ultimate fun. I probably will.
Then, I started a new flyball class on Thursday with a new instructor, Pam Shulz from Slammers flyball club. She's pretty cool and was able to keep a pretty unruly bunch in line. I got to run and noodled off to visit, but remembered after just two no's that I was supposed to stay with my person. I did really good on the box-=hitting it hard and coming back to my person. I'm also feeling more and more confident. I think I'll be pretty close come summer, but who knows, life is so full of fun that you never know what might be waiting for you around the corner...
I'm also taking another obedience class at Country Kennel with my good friend Neva. I'm the baby in the class. There are several labs and they are just really different dogs than me. I don't get the whole laying around thing, but that's what makes it such an interesting world--we're all a little different.
First, I've been getting to go to practice all by myself because my poor buddy Renzo had to have his dew claws removed and has been out of commission for the last couple of weeks. Poor guy, but hey, it means I get sole attention from my people at flyball practice (and it's pretty quiet without Renzo barking out his cries of joy over and over and over and....).
So, anyway, last Sunday one of my people decided that we had to try a new strategy for keeping me focused on flyball and not on going to visit. So, she told all the people to be really mean to me (actually, she just told them to tell me "no" if I came over, but as far as I'm concerned, she might as well have told them to kick me in the gut...). And then they did tell me no--I went from person to person, wiggling my whole body, trying to lick and say hi, but they all said "no" adn some of them even stamped their feet at me. I was really confused, I mean, really, really confused--I thought everyone really liked for me to come and say hi and I know that I like it. But all the while my person was also calling come and it was so much nicer to be with her than with all those people being mean to me. So, slowly but surely, I'm starting to understand that I can only go visit when my person says it's o.k., not when I decide it's o.k. Hard knocks, really, but my person hopes that I'll start to see that flyball is really the ultimate fun. I probably will.
Then, I started a new flyball class on Thursday with a new instructor, Pam Shulz from Slammers flyball club. She's pretty cool and was able to keep a pretty unruly bunch in line. I got to run and noodled off to visit, but remembered after just two no's that I was supposed to stay with my person. I did really good on the box-=hitting it hard and coming back to my person. I'm also feeling more and more confident. I think I'll be pretty close come summer, but who knows, life is so full of fun that you never know what might be waiting for you around the corner...
I'm also taking another obedience class at Country Kennel with my good friend Neva. I'm the baby in the class. There are several labs and they are just really different dogs than me. I don't get the whole laying around thing, but that's what makes it such an interesting world--we're all a little different.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Now it's been a really long while
Well, so, my person figured out how to change the text color (and did so in irritating fashion). It's been a long time since I worked on my blog, but that's not to say that I haven't been thinknig about flyball. I think about it a lot. As is usually the case with things like flyball, I continue to make a few steps forward and a few steps back. I had made some really great strides last week and even went over a couple of jumps before hitting the box.
Last Thursday, I was really, especially good and went chasing over the jumps after my person and didn't veer away even once. Good for me.
Then came Sunday. Everything was wrong. It was too early for one thing (we usually practice at 1, but on Sunday we started at 9:30). There were also lots of people there, more than usual and I just couldn't help myself. I just wanted to see them (and really wanted to see them way, way more than I wanted to do flyball).
So, everytime I got brought in, I ran away from my people and ignored them when they said "come." Me ignoring them made everyone else give my people advice on how to encourage me come, but the more they tried, the less I wanted to come. And the less I wanted to do flyball.
So, ultimately I didn't get to play very much and my person was in a bad mood for the rest of the day, which is kind of drag. I know that she was trying not to be mad at me (and truthfully, she wasn't), but I could also tell that she was really disappointed.
I wish there was some way that I could tell her what I need to make me really into playing flyball. The thing is, I'm kind of scared of new things. Like today, we were playing on the box, but I suddenly got scared of it and didn't want to play on it anymore. In fact, I didn't want to go near it at all. I think that I'm in a fear period and nothing is really going to be very exciting until I get over it.
That's o.k., though, because I know that my people are patient and don't want to push me or anything (or only push hard enough to help me build my confidence).
Last Thursday, I was really, especially good and went chasing over the jumps after my person and didn't veer away even once. Good for me.
Then came Sunday. Everything was wrong. It was too early for one thing (we usually practice at 1, but on Sunday we started at 9:30). There were also lots of people there, more than usual and I just couldn't help myself. I just wanted to see them (and really wanted to see them way, way more than I wanted to do flyball).
So, everytime I got brought in, I ran away from my people and ignored them when they said "come." Me ignoring them made everyone else give my people advice on how to encourage me come, but the more they tried, the less I wanted to come. And the less I wanted to do flyball.
So, ultimately I didn't get to play very much and my person was in a bad mood for the rest of the day, which is kind of drag. I know that she was trying not to be mad at me (and truthfully, she wasn't), but I could also tell that she was really disappointed.
I wish there was some way that I could tell her what I need to make me really into playing flyball. The thing is, I'm kind of scared of new things. Like today, we were playing on the box, but I suddenly got scared of it and didn't want to play on it anymore. In fact, I didn't want to go near it at all. I think that I'm in a fear period and nothing is really going to be very exciting until I get over it.
That's o.k., though, because I know that my people are patient and don't want to push me or anything (or only push hard enough to help me build my confidence).
Friday, October 29, 2004
It's been a while
Well, hey, it's sure been a while since I've written. Believe me it weren't for lack of trying--it's just when I'm dependent on someone with opposable thumbs for getting my entries in, I kinda have to go by her schedule and lately that schedule has had little on it but W.O.R.K. I'm glad I'm a dog.
But, the good news is that i'm really starting to make serious progress. Ever since my friend Brody came to visit, I've been getting more and more focused and more and more attentive to my person. In flyball practice (which I have twice a week--once in class and once when my team practices), I'm hitting the box pretty well--mostly always getting at least three feet on the box and getting four up there about 60% of the time. The way they try to trick me to really jump is by putting a really high board (it's got to be about 2 feet high) right in front of the box, angled based on the direction I turn. That way, I have to jump over the box to hit it at all. It didn't take me long before I was doing that, but I can still make that big jump and hit the box with only three feet. They keep working though and I keep getting better.
I'm also able to go back and forth over all four jumps without noodling away to try and visit folks. I'm still a bit unsure of myself and not feeling entirely confident a lot of the time, but I'm getting better. Yesterday, I was so excited to chase my person that I did forget myself and really let loose--I gave a glimpse of the potential I have by really stretching out and single stepping between the jumps. Overall I'd say it was a good practice and I'm getting very good at paying attention to my people (though I have to say, I still REALLY love it when I get to visit--I am just still such a wiggle worm).
But, the good news is that i'm really starting to make serious progress. Ever since my friend Brody came to visit, I've been getting more and more focused and more and more attentive to my person. In flyball practice (which I have twice a week--once in class and once when my team practices), I'm hitting the box pretty well--mostly always getting at least three feet on the box and getting four up there about 60% of the time. The way they try to trick me to really jump is by putting a really high board (it's got to be about 2 feet high) right in front of the box, angled based on the direction I turn. That way, I have to jump over the box to hit it at all. It didn't take me long before I was doing that, but I can still make that big jump and hit the box with only three feet. They keep working though and I keep getting better.
I'm also able to go back and forth over all four jumps without noodling away to try and visit folks. I'm still a bit unsure of myself and not feeling entirely confident a lot of the time, but I'm getting better. Yesterday, I was so excited to chase my person that I did forget myself and really let loose--I gave a glimpse of the potential I have by really stretching out and single stepping between the jumps. Overall I'd say it was a good practice and I'm getting very good at paying attention to my people (though I have to say, I still REALLY love it when I get to visit--I am just still such a wiggle worm).
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Brody
I guess the biggest news is that I'm starting to get all four of my feet on the box. That's important for two main reasons. First, having your back legs on the box means that you can get a good push off for your return. Second, and probably more important, having all four feet on the box generally means that you're actually doing a "swimmer's turn" and being able to do that makes it a lot less harsh on your shoulders and back. That, in turn, means that you can play flyball for a lot longer and when you do have to retire, you probably won't be as prone to arthritis and other ills that plague athletes of all species when they get older (just think about all the stuff that former pro football players have to contend with...)
I also finished my agility class on Tuesday. For the most part I did pretty good and I didn't have much trouble with any individual piece of equipment--but, boy, did I ever lose my focus trying to go through 13 one right after the other. It was just too much for my 11 month old brain.
The other big news for the week-end is that my buddy Renzo and one of my people have gone all the way to Memphis for a flyball tournament. And, one of our teammates is staying with us in his place. Brody (that's him up above), is a great big boy--he's a pit bull/lab/greyhound mix. His head is about twice the size of mine and he's all legs when he runs.
He's a really nice boy, though and we've already had good fun playing in the backyard. I don't think my person is going to be strong enough to walk him, though.
It's been pretty interesting to see how he reacts to the three cats I live with (and they to him). I just had to chuckle when Inci growled and swatted at him for no good reason other than he was in her line of vision. She does that to me and Renzo, too, and I've just always thought she didn't like us. I guess she just doesn't like dogs in general. Go figure
I also finished my agility class on Tuesday. For the most part I did pretty good and I didn't have much trouble with any individual piece of equipment--but, boy, did I ever lose my focus trying to go through 13 one right after the other. It was just too much for my 11 month old brain.
The other big news for the week-end is that my buddy Renzo and one of my people have gone all the way to Memphis for a flyball tournament. And, one of our teammates is staying with us in his place. Brody (that's him up above), is a great big boy--he's a pit bull/lab/greyhound mix. His head is about twice the size of mine and he's all legs when he runs.
He's a really nice boy, though and we've already had good fun playing in the backyard. I don't think my person is going to be strong enough to walk him, though.
It's been pretty interesting to see how he reacts to the three cats I live with (and they to him). I just had to chuckle when Inci growled and swatted at him for no good reason other than he was in her line of vision. She does that to me and Renzo, too, and I've just always thought she didn't like us. I guess she just doesn't like dogs in general. Go figure
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Where to begin??
A lot can happen in a week....Since the last time I wrote, I had my flyball class, another agility class, went to a tournament and ate a kitchen sponge. It's hard to know which of those make for entertaining reading....My flyball class was pretty fun. There are 8 dogs in the class, five of us have had some initial training and the other guys are just starting out. Our jobs during class were recalls (never really my strong suit at the club) and hitting the box, which I did pretty well, but not nearly as solidly as I do it at home (but that's always the case--home is home and away from home is, well, distracting). My recalls weren't very good because I REALLY wanted to go and see everyone else. I could tell that I wasn't doing the right thing, but I just lost control of myself. By the end, though, I was much, much better and over the week-end, my person worked with me a lot on coming. We'll see what happens at class this week.
At home, we've been working with hitting the box for a tug and my person added a new wrinkle in--she put a traffic cone in front of the box so that I really have to get all my feet on the box and can't just hit it face-on. that's working--most important thing is that I get my tug! I tugged madly while i watched the dogs at the tournament--so hard in fact that it wore out my person's arm. I also got lots of compliments because in addition to being so excited, I'm not bad to look at. Our teams did pretty well. You can see a video of our "A" team doing each of the parts (going over the jumps, hitting the box and passing).
Agility last night was pretty cool--I'm finally getting the hang of the weave poles (though I still don't get the point), and we did lots and lots of jumps, which I love. Plus the weather was really great.
I guess that's it for now--we'll leave the kitchen sponge story for another time...
At home, we've been working with hitting the box for a tug and my person added a new wrinkle in--she put a traffic cone in front of the box so that I really have to get all my feet on the box and can't just hit it face-on. that's working--most important thing is that I get my tug! I tugged madly while i watched the dogs at the tournament--so hard in fact that it wore out my person's arm. I also got lots of compliments because in addition to being so excited, I'm not bad to look at. Our teams did pretty well. You can see a video of our "A" team doing each of the parts (going over the jumps, hitting the box and passing).
Agility last night was pretty cool--I'm finally getting the hang of the weave poles (though I still don't get the point), and we did lots and lots of jumps, which I love. Plus the weather was really great.
I guess that's it for now--we'll leave the kitchen sponge story for another time...
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Flyball and agility
Well, last night I had my agility class (agility is like a doggie obstacle course). We continued to work on the weave poles--have to say they are not my favorite and I don't really get the point of them. My person had especially bad food last night, so that sure wasn't any enticement. Plus, three of the boy dogs in the class kept going after each other and since I like to flirt with all of the, I was just in a dither. Luckily, I was able to check each one to make sure he was o.k. We also got to do some mini-courses. The first one involved going through a tunnel and then over an A-frame and then through a tire jump. that was fun and I really, really liked it (if truth be told, I was kind of bummed that I didn't get to keep doing it). The second course was going over two small jumps and then over the dog walk. that was o.k., but I think the dog walk is kind of boring. Here are some pictures of BCs doing agility.
On the flyball front, my people got a flyball box for me to practice on at home and I'm really liking it. We work on it a couple times a day adn today for the first time, I hit the box with both of my front feet and not just one. I got to tug for a long, long time for that. It was awesome. Running back to the tug is pretty fun (I don't know why Renzo doesn't like it), so I think it won't be that long before I'll do it in practice too. I start my formal flyball class tomorrow and I can't wait. I wonder how different it will be from regular practice....
On the flyball front, my people got a flyball box for me to practice on at home and I'm really liking it. We work on it a couple times a day adn today for the first time, I hit the box with both of my front feet and not just one. I got to tug for a long, long time for that. It was awesome. Running back to the tug is pretty fun (I don't know why Renzo doesn't like it), so I think it won't be that long before I'll do it in practice too. I start my formal flyball class tomorrow and I can't wait. I wonder how different it will be from regular practice....
Monday, September 13, 2004
Things are starting off great this week
I just love my fabulous life. I have so much fun and am so excited about all the experiences I get to have. Me and my buddy Renzo just got back from playing at our friends Andrew, Nancy and Monty's house. Our other friend, Zuri, was visiting too (that's her chasing Renzo last winter--they do a lot of that) and we romped and played a lot. I'm still low dog on the totem pole, so I make darned sure that the big guys know that I know my place. Andrew may find me to be a pest, but I sure don't want him to think I'm dissin' him!
Sunday's flyball practice
Well, despite my best intentions, I just wasn't able to focus on the tug at practice. There's just too much going on and so, so many people to see and greet that I lose track of myself. I did run over four jumps back and forth to my people. BUT, the only reason that I didn't run off to greet the other people was that the gating was up so that I couldn't go anywhere but over the jumps. Even though that seems like it should be a pretty easy thing to do, it's hard in such a new environment. I have to keep reminding one of my people that it'll all come together in due course. She sees how good some of my teammates (especially Cap, who grew up on the same farm that I did, but he's a week older than me--we are so proud of how well he's doing) are doing, but then I give her a quick lick and let her know that even though she may not see it, I'm soaking it all up.
tomorrow I have agility class, which I love 'cause I get to show off how athletic I am and be out in the late summer sun to boot. Even better, this week flyball class starts!! To get ready, my person and I practiced on the flyball box at home today. The flyball box is a box with a pedal on it. When a dog hits the pedal, it triggers a spring mechanism and a ball pops out. Having a "good" box is an important part of being a good flyball dog because, just like in competetive human swimming, the turn around can make all the difference. Also, like swimmers, flyball dogs tend to be fastest when they can do a "swimmer's turn". That's not always how it was, though. It used to be that the handlers actually walked the dog up to the box. Here's some more interesting facts in the history of flyball. As dogs have gotten better boxes, world records have also gotten faster. The earliest world record was held around 1985 by Canine Express and was 24.49 seconds. My team, Front Runners, were the world record holders in 1986 and 1987 (with times of 22.96 and 21.48), but now the fastest team is Spring Loaded and they just keep breaking their own records--most recently last week-end when they ran the course in 15.37.
I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to run the course in under 4 seconds--I just have to figure out how to ignore all the lovely people, other dogs, crazy barking, interesting smells and moving tennis balls. But, it'll come...
tomorrow I have agility class, which I love 'cause I get to show off how athletic I am and be out in the late summer sun to boot. Even better, this week flyball class starts!! To get ready, my person and I practiced on the flyball box at home today. The flyball box is a box with a pedal on it. When a dog hits the pedal, it triggers a spring mechanism and a ball pops out. Having a "good" box is an important part of being a good flyball dog because, just like in competetive human swimming, the turn around can make all the difference. Also, like swimmers, flyball dogs tend to be fastest when they can do a "swimmer's turn". That's not always how it was, though. It used to be that the handlers actually walked the dog up to the box. Here's some more interesting facts in the history of flyball. As dogs have gotten better boxes, world records have also gotten faster. The earliest world record was held around 1985 by Canine Express and was 24.49 seconds. My team, Front Runners, were the world record holders in 1986 and 1987 (with times of 22.96 and 21.48), but now the fastest team is Spring Loaded and they just keep breaking their own records--most recently last week-end when they ran the course in 15.37.
I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to run the course in under 4 seconds--I just have to figure out how to ignore all the lovely people, other dogs, crazy barking, interesting smells and moving tennis balls. But, it'll come...
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Flyball tournament
Big news from the week-end. My buddy Renzo ran in his first real race ever and did great (except for the last time when things were hectic and he was stressed--he crossed over the line and went to have a loud conversation with a dog from Pawsative Attitudes--he was mostly just full of hot air, but it sounded kind of scary, so he had to leave--but he'll be back).
The tournament was pretty fun and our teams got two firsts and a third (which was exactly how we were seeded). Spring Loaded broke the world record...again. This time with a run of 15.37 (or something like that). They sure do set the bar high, that's for sure.
My job at the tournament was to soak in the scene and watch some of the other dogs racing. when my person brings me to the ring, I get so excited and hyped that I need an outlet for my energy and she's always there ready to stick a tug in my mouth. I usually tug on that until the race is over and am so tuned in to the race that I tug harder than usual. i think it's as much exercise for my person as it is for me. I can't wait until I can run too--it looks like so much fun.
It was also fun to stay in a hotel--it's like being a camp. My people are very good about taking us with them, so that we don't bark in the hotel (well, we bark sometimes when we're playing, but it's not at night). The weather was pretty good, but it was hot and humid. I didn't mind that much, but I was sure glad when we got loaded into the air-conditioned car!
Our next practice is Thursday night and I'm going to really run after the tug so that everyone sees I'm read to take the next step in my training (or if I don't, I'll at least get to see some of my favorite people)
The tournament was pretty fun and our teams got two firsts and a third (which was exactly how we were seeded). Spring Loaded broke the world record...again. This time with a run of 15.37 (or something like that). They sure do set the bar high, that's for sure.
My job at the tournament was to soak in the scene and watch some of the other dogs racing. when my person brings me to the ring, I get so excited and hyped that I need an outlet for my energy and she's always there ready to stick a tug in my mouth. I usually tug on that until the race is over and am so tuned in to the race that I tug harder than usual. i think it's as much exercise for my person as it is for me. I can't wait until I can run too--it looks like so much fun.
It was also fun to stay in a hotel--it's like being a camp. My people are very good about taking us with them, so that we don't bark in the hotel (well, we bark sometimes when we're playing, but it's not at night). The weather was pretty good, but it was hot and humid. I didn't mind that much, but I was sure glad when we got loaded into the air-conditioned car!
Our next practice is Thursday night and I'm going to really run after the tug so that everyone sees I'm read to take the next step in my training (or if I don't, I'll at least get to see some of my favorite people)
Thursday, September 02, 2004
NRG
This is my pop running flyball. He averages 3.9 (for those not in the know, that's pretty darn fast)
Eventually it clicks
It's been a big week for me--Tuesday I started my first agility class. I'm one of the younger dogs in the class. There's a pretty old Golden Retriever who's learning for the first time--she did a great job. We practiced a couple new things. "Target", which means "go out ahead of me"--my people couldn't decide on the command--first they used "get it", then "take it", then "touch", but each of those means something slightly different than "go out ahead of me" (Get it means 'fetch'; take it means "pick this up and hold it"and touch means "hit this with your nose). We also started learning to heel on the right side. My people are calling that "fuss" (the German word for "heel), because they are, well, pretty geeky, but I love them anyway.
The thing that's finally started to click for me is running after my person while she dangles the tug and then getting to play tug as a reward. For flyball, it's really good for there to be something to motivate the dog to run as fast as they can back to their person. Some dogs (like Renzo) run for food, some run to get a tennis ball, some run for a tug and some run back just so they can turn around and do it again. I'm pretty focused on tennis balls, but this week, I've started to see that tugs can be fun too. My people have been working together on this--one of them holds me back and the other one runs ahead. She starts yelling my name and says "come" and then I get released and get to run to her.
This week-end is our tournament in Vassar. I can't wait to see what's going to happen and what kind of fun we'll have.
The thing that's finally started to click for me is running after my person while she dangles the tug and then getting to play tug as a reward. For flyball, it's really good for there to be something to motivate the dog to run as fast as they can back to their person. Some dogs (like Renzo) run for food, some run to get a tennis ball, some run for a tug and some run back just so they can turn around and do it again. I'm pretty focused on tennis balls, but this week, I've started to see that tugs can be fun too. My people have been working together on this--one of them holds me back and the other one runs ahead. She starts yelling my name and says "come" and then I get released and get to run to her.
This week-end is our tournament in Vassar. I can't wait to see what's going to happen and what kind of fun we'll have.
Monday, August 30, 2004
Real competition
This is our team's logo--pretty neat, huh?
So, I just found out that Mom and Pop's team Rocket Relay won the Flyball competition at ESPN's Great Outdoors Games. You can read all about it.
I also found out that the A team on my team (that's Front Runners) is in the top 25 in the world rankings. Pretty cool--and we've got some awesome dogs just starting to compete (Darby the Whippet and Cajun, an All American mix--I can't always remember what she's a "mix" of, but I know that her pop is a staffordshire bull terrier, are two dogs who we're pretty excited about).
So, I just found out that Mom and Pop's team Rocket Relay won the Flyball competition at ESPN's Great Outdoors Games. You can read all about it.
I also found out that the A team on my team (that's Front Runners) is in the top 25 in the world rankings. Pretty cool--and we've got some awesome dogs just starting to compete (Darby the Whippet and Cajun, an All American mix--I can't always remember what she's a "mix" of, but I know that her pop is a staffordshire bull terrier, are two dogs who we're pretty excited about).
Sunday, August 29, 2004
A rainy Sunday
Well, I'm pretty excited because one of my people took me on a really long walk even though it's rainy and yucky outside. One of the tasks I'm learning (which is hard) is to not pull on the leash. The problem is that in my mind, it's pulling that gets me where I want to go, so my people are supposed to stop anytime I pull so that I learn that pulling makes me stop (one of my people sometimes does a variation on this by pulling me gently backwards so that pulling is associated with losing ground--but it really doesn't work that well). The problem is (as it almost always is when people try to train dogs) that they aren't entirely consistent, so sometimes pulling makes me go forward and sometimes it makes me stops. As one of my trainers likes to say, "dogs are gamblers, if it worked once, it might work again", so I keep hedging my bets. One thing that works well for me is getting lots of praise.
Normally, we have flyball practice on Sundays, but today the club where we practice is busy with an agility trial. We were going to go out to a teammate's farm, but it's so wet, rainy and especially muddy, that the captain decided that we should cancel.
Doesn't matter to me one way or the other since I wasn't going to get to go anyway. Since I'm still not entirely focused on going over jumps, I can't be trusted in the open.
I'm looking forward to Tuesday, when my first agility class starts. One of my teammates' person told my people today that they'll have to be careful about training me in both agility and flyball because each has slightly different expectations of how the dog-person team should work together. That was a good reminder, since I want to be first and foremost a flyball dog (though my people would also like me to be a therapy dog, but we'll have to wait a year of so before we'll know if that's something I like. One thing is that I'll have to learn not to jump on people if I want to be a therapy dog. Not sure I'm into that--jumping on people is REALLY fun and so much more polite than just standing there...).
I also heard a whisper that I might get to go to work with one of my people on Tuesday--I love that because there is a whole new set of people to greet.
Normally, we have flyball practice on Sundays, but today the club where we practice is busy with an agility trial. We were going to go out to a teammate's farm, but it's so wet, rainy and especially muddy, that the captain decided that we should cancel.
Doesn't matter to me one way or the other since I wasn't going to get to go anyway. Since I'm still not entirely focused on going over jumps, I can't be trusted in the open.
I'm looking forward to Tuesday, when my first agility class starts. One of my teammates' person told my people today that they'll have to be careful about training me in both agility and flyball because each has slightly different expectations of how the dog-person team should work together. That was a good reminder, since I want to be first and foremost a flyball dog (though my people would also like me to be a therapy dog, but we'll have to wait a year of so before we'll know if that's something I like. One thing is that I'll have to learn not to jump on people if I want to be a therapy dog. Not sure I'm into that--jumping on people is REALLY fun and so much more polite than just standing there...).
I also heard a whisper that I might get to go to work with one of my people on Tuesday--I love that because there is a whole new set of people to greet.
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