Abby, Abby, Abby. . . Why? Why? Why?

Sometimes I think back to the day I brought Abby home and wonder what my life would've been like if I made a different decision. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about that because I have so much else to worry about with Abby actually being here. Now that Abby is finally past the majority of the behavioral issues, she has decided to start experimenting with medical issues. For a recap of some of Abby's medical issues, you can read here, or here, or here, or here, or here, or here. And while looking for those I realized that there have been a few other things that haven't been blogged about - probably because they stress me out too much to think about.

This latest medical adventure is a do-over of sorts. Abby didn't give me enough stress with the first tumor we found in her mouth, so she decided to grow a second one. I was less than thrilled. This one was at least a bit easier to remove as it was in the front of her mouth where she no longer has any teeth. A few minutes with a laser and she looks as good as new.

Or at least as good as any 7 year old over-bred dog can look. Poor Abby looks so silly as she recovers!  In general she seems to be doing much better this time after surgery. Her personality seems to be intact, although she is a bit more whinny and demanding. She doesn't seem to be having the same side effects from the drugs that she had last time either. Abby is still eating this time too - a great sign considering how long she was on her hunger strike the last time. She doesn't seem to be in much pain and I think that in another few days we can stop the pain meds all together.

Thinking about all the medical issues that Abby has faced, and will continue to face as she gets older, makes me even more thankful for the fun times that we share. Two days before her surgery, Abby was in another agility fun match. She can't do as much because her back and elbows bother her, but she still looks like she is enjoying herself. And at the end of the video, when she is looking up at me with that tail wag, I think back to the day I brought her home and know I am so lucky that I am allowed to share my life with such a wonderful dog.

Almost Like Having No Dogs At All

Going from four dogs back down to three makes it seem like I don't have any dogs at all. I've had four dogs on and off for the past three years and sniper was by far the most challenging one. Not that he was a difficult dog, but he was 80 pounds and young and energetic. He is the antithesis to my other ones. Even though he got along great with the kids, I still had to keep an eye on them for safety reasons. And he needed different amounts of exercise and training. For the past 6 months my life revolved entirely around him and the kids. And with him gone and I only have the three old, sluggish, grumps I suddenly have a ton of free time to do some of the things that I've wanted to do for a while. I'm getting out for dinner with friends and I'm able to go to the movies mid-day. I've recently re-learned how to ride a bike. I can make plans without worrying how me being away will affect the group. Don't get me wrong, my kids are still pretty demanding. They need walks and lots of potty breaks. They need individual lap time and they can only handle being alone for 4 hours at most. But those four hours are worry-free and relaxing. I really miss sniper and have been seeing him every chance I get, but it's nice having a calm and quiet household again. The dogs seem to like it too.

What I did on my summer vacation

It's hard to believe that the summer is over . . . and even harder to think about what that means for me and my little family. With the return of the cold nights comes the  return of a very good friend - Sniper's dad. Pretty soon my boy is going to leave me.

These past few months have been filled with classes and hikes and training opportunities and I've enjoyed every minute of it. I've especially enjoyed the companionship that comes from having a dog that can actually do what I want to do. Not that I love him more than my own kids, but it's different. He has given me the freedom to pursue some of my passions in a way that I haven't been able to do before. He is always a willing participant in anything that I've want to do and has opened my eyes to some things that I didn't even know about it before this. He has expanded my training skills and has taught me a lot about relationships and what it means to be in a one with a stable working companion. I have learned more in these past few months living with him that I have in the years that I've been training.

Here are some of the highlights:

You can have fun while you work, and you can work while you have fun.

Relationships are 100/100 and if I slack off, so will my dog

You don't have to yell at your dog to get your point across, sometimes a quiet voice is all that it takes.

Teaching your dog what you want him to do is far easier than teaching him not to do everything else.

Manners are important, but not everyone is worth a fight. Sometimes it's best to let certain things go.

It's ok to correct your dog as long as it doesn't affect your relationship

Positive based training doesn't mean cookies and toys - it's about the positive attitude that you and your dog have while doing the training.

A tired dog is much easier to live with

Even crazy, working-bred teenage boy Mals still need a cuddle from mom

Dogs need time off to let loose and blow off steam.

Dogs really do have a sense of humor.

Officially Diagnosed!

I picked sniper up Sunday afternoon from the kennel and he immediately hopped into the car through the open window. At first I thought it was cute and that he really wanted to go home but once we got home it was obvious that something was wrong with him. The right side of his face looked "lopsided". I emailed the kennel thinking that maybe he got stung by a bee, and they confirmed that there were wasps near by. I gave him a benadryl and hoped that he would sleep it off.

This morning, it was obvious that something more was wrong. The entire right side of his face looks like it "fell off". He seriously looks like he has Bells Palsy. I took him into the vet and he immediately said "your dog has neurological issues" I wanted to say "Duh! he is a Malinois!" but I knew what he meant and was slightly glad to hear it wasn't just me imagining things. We checked everything over carefully just to make sure that it wasn't an inner ear problem or something else. We found nothing other than the obvious. The vet thinks that he probably ran his face into the kennel door or something. He said that it should take about a week or so to heal.

 

His ear is the only really obvious thing in this photo, but if you look closely, you can see his eye too. The drooping continues down his face and affects his lips too. He is acting completely normal other than the excessive drooling. He is having a hard time catching a ball and biting down for a game of tug, but he doesn't really seem bothered by any of it.

I hate to say this, but he looks absolutely adorable all droopy! It's hard to imagine that this makes him even more lovable than he already is! Finally his outside appearance matches his goofy personality!

Dogs, Shmogs. . . I Have A NEW Best Friend

I am currently living with FOUR dogs. And between the muddy paws, the vomiting (always, and only, in the middle of the night) the long-term housebreaking issues, and the never ending supply of hair, things can get pretty gross around here. I try very hard to sweep and vacuum and do laundry as much as possible, but sometimes it's still not enough. I've had the carpets professionally cleaned a few times, but it's really expensive and, honestly, I need to do it more than I actually have it done. For awhile I've been wanting my own deep cleaning upright, but they are also a bit expensive. Luckily, it's my birthday, and I used all that birthday dough for a Bissell!!!!



It's one of those "steam cleaning" machines - easy to assemble and easy to use. It's a total pain to clean it when you're done, but still completely worth it! You can move as much furniture out as you want, but you don't have to feel guilty if you don't move all of it out because you aren't paying for someone's time and labor. Also, you don't have some creepy guy coming into your house, scaring your dogs, and giving you dirty looks for all the hair you didn't vacuum up before he got there.

The cleaning itself took about 30 minutes and the carpet looks great. I think it smells better in here too, but my allergies are terrible with 4 dogs, so I can't smell much. The carpet is still a bit damp, so I have towels all over the floor to absorb the excess water. I am super happy that I finally took the plunge and got one of these things!

What Wouldn't You Do For A Dog With A Face Like This?

 

This is a picture of sniper hanging in the new office. He loves the new office configuration because he can lay at my feet without getting yelled out for pulling out the computer wires. Poor boy just wants to be close to me. . .

I did something today for this dog that I thought I would never do. I grabbed a wasp with my bare fingers. It was 6:30 in the morning, and I hadn't had any coffee yet, so that might've had something to do with my poor judgement. . .but when your dog is jumping around frantically trying to bite himself, you do everything you can to make it better. And in this case, he was being stung repeatedly by a wasp - probably trying to protect it's hive from his giant nose! 

Our normal hiking trail is undergoing Trail Restoration; which means that many of the trees are getting cut back and the trail itself is being widened and the damage from the mountain bikes is getting fixed. Up till today, it seemed like a great idea. We've had more room to play on the trails because I can see farther ahead and the ground is flat, so there is no worry about sprained ankles. Sniper's favorite thing about all this work is the tractors at that trail head that he gets to pee on! But all this work has also damaged some of the homes of the creatures that live there. We haven't seen a squirrel, a rabbit, or a deer since it started. I'm sure they'll come back once it quiets down, but for now, they are no where to be seen. I can also assume that when they cut back the trees that some of the insects also had their homes destroyed. In this case, there was a wasps' nest broken on the side (didn't see it until after he was stung). I'm sure sniper just wanted to check it out, but that was a bad decision on his part. And wasps are the worst of the stinging creatures because they can sting repeatedly without loosing their stingers. I really had no choice but to grab it and squish it. . .luckily my brain is a bit foggy in the mornings otherwise I might've thought twice about grabbing it.

Because I'm such a weirdo about my dogs, I always have a pet first aid kit handy and I had plenty of benadryl on hand to give him. He seems to be going fine, and is resting comfortably. He has a few small lumps on his side and his leg, but they aren't getting any bigger and his face isn't swelling and his breathing is good. I'll keep an eye on him for awhile and might give him more benadryl later - if only to keep him calm so I can finally relax! 

Photos In Response to Forum

My anger has subsided some from this morning's posts, so in all fun, here is photographic proof that Malinois are difficult to live with.

First, here is what a "normal" dog does on a day off:

And this is what a crazy mal with a screw loose does on his day off:

While one dog is happy to sleep away the day, the other is just waiting for his command to attack a man.

As far as those pit bulls go, here is one after he has eaten his owner and taken over her bed.

Why I Stay Away From Dog Forums

There was a time in my life when I trolled dog forums. As someone who loves dog, who works with dogs, and who really, really wanted a working dog I wanted to get connected to the community. But when it became evident that it would be years before I could have my working dog, I started trolling dog forums of the breeds I did have. One thing I learned from all that trolling is that dog people are always right - even if they disagree with each other, they are both right. There is an old saying in the dog community that the only thing two dog trainers can agree on is that the third one is doing it wrong. That has been a motto of mine for years as I've slipped in and out of various dog communities and have heard many different opinions about dogs and dog training.

Recently on a breed specific forum there was a some talk about Malinois and how they are "special" dogs and how they are impossible to live with. Once some Mal owners posted proof that you can live with these dogs, people then started saying that the Mal owners who responded were "good owners" and they "got lucky" with a good dog - but that MOST Mals were crazy and reactive and "has a screw loose". The really sad thing is that what they are saying about Mals is exactly what most people are saying about the breed that they choose to live with - the Pill Bull.

In some cities pit bulls are euthanized simply because of the breed. I work in rescue and more often than not, I hear stories about pit bulls "going crazy" and "killing their owners". I hear people say "you just can't trust them" and "those dogs will turn on you". Is any of that true? Sure, some times it is true. But sometimes it is media hype and lack of education. It really frustrates me when people who live with those kinds of reactions can propagate them with another breed.

I've lived with a Mal for 4 months. Sure, he is a well trained dog, but he is also a recently neutered male and just over 2 years old. There are plenty of times when I have to correct him for naughty behavior. There are times when he gets frustrated and makes bad decisions. I've had to correct him for growling at a dog, for barking at strangers and for chasing cats. Does this make him a bad dog? No. I live with 2 chihuahuas that I have had to correct for the exact same behavior. Malinois are dogs - they make the same decisions that all dogs make - both good and bad. The one thing about Mals that I think makes them better than many breeds is their respect for their owners. They have an overwhelming desire to please and will do whatever you ask simply because you ask. This is why they are used as police/military dogs. They will run at a perpetrator that is actively shooting at them and will bite and hold until the owner releases them. You won't catch many other breeds doing that.

Sure there are bad Mals. Sure that are some good Mals that live with bad owners. Sure there are bad mals that live with great owners. But I don't think that there is an overwhelming number of any of those situations. Mals are dogs - they are high energy, drivey, dogs that need a lot of exercise, a lot of training, and a lot of structure. They are not dogs that the general public should own - but I think that is true of most breeds (including pit bulls and chihuahuas). Dogs have been bred for thousands of years to do very specific jobs. But it has only been more recently that we have asked these dogs to do something other than what they have been bred to do - and it has only been more recently that we have gotten into such trouble and have needed to re-home our dogs because that border collie pup just won't stop herding the children.  Grow up people!

Computers are Taking Over the World

I had a wonderful blog post planned after I spent a week with the kids at grandma's house while she was away. During our stay, the kids had run of the house and the yard and thoroughly enjoyed their time having so much more freedom. I took this opportunity to take some really great photos of my kids doing what they love most - hanging out all together in the sun and rolling around on the grass. Everyone was so happy with all the space - I even caught mole playing with sniper once! He will never admit it, but I saw it!

I had a great time relaxing, playing ball, training in a yard, and snapping photos of my kid's happy smiling faces. I took THE MOST AMAZING PHOTO EVER of mole laying next to sniper in the grass -both with their tongues out and eyes half closed from exhaustion. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime photos that everyone dreams about. I kept looking at it in the view finder trying to be patient so I could get home and upload it onto the computer. I took some beautiful photos of Abby standing still - she has such pretty lines when she stands still and I have very few photos of her doing so. Pocket was being a diva most of the week and never came out to pose for the camera.

I got home not too long ago and the first thing I did was grab the card from the camera and put it into the reader in my computer. What is the first thing my computer did? It deleted ALL the photos I took over the week. It said the drive wasn't formatted properly and then deleted everything so it could fix it! It didn't ask me if I wanted it fixed! It just took it upon itself and "fixed" it for me!  I pulled the card out and put it back into the camera to see if everything was really gone. . . and sure enough. . . it's all gone. All those wonderful, once in a lifetime photos are gone. I'm so frustrated and annoyed.

I never believed it before, but I truly believe that computers are going to take over the world now. They are going to start making decisions without asking us and we are going to be completely helpless because we use them for everything now.

I'm so sad!

Laughable

I totally love this dog, but I can't help but laugh when I see this

Dave Mills did a wonderful job shooting him last weekend, but Sniper just isn't as graceful as Abby is when she jumps. He tries so hard to be a good dog, and he is, but he is still a big galoof most of the time. Here are some other photos from Dave last weekend

 You can tell he really wants to go, go go!

He takes off running much like a swimmer - one giant leap and he is off!

I really should stop making this dog do agility. You can see how miserable he is

Abby Update

It's been crazy over here with FOUR dogs and work, and it's been quite awhile since I've given an Abby update:

Abby seems to be slowing down a bit and hasn't seemed to really enjoy classes or run thrus or trials as much as she once did. She isn't demanding that I train her or walk her or give her food right this second. I think that some of this can be attributed to age and the general slowing of her body, but some of it has to do with what we are learning and how we are training

Abby is only 7 years old, but she is an old seven. She has arthritis in her elbows and hips, and she has degeneration in her spine. I see her having a harder time sitting or getting up after a nap. She naps more and more. Abby is still trying to recover after her surgery over two weeks ago. She led a hard life before she came to me and I know that our time together is going to be shorter than I will like because her body isn't going to last as long I hope.

Abby doesn't seem to enjoy training as much because what we are learning is SO BORING! Actually, it's not boring to me, but it is boring to Abby because she already knows it. Abby already knows sit and down and stay and come and get in. What we spend most of our time learning is doing it better and faster and with more precision. Abby doesn't do well with drilling and she really doesn't do well with being *wrong*, so this type of training isn't only stressful, but is also not FUN for her. Also, some of what we are working on is down right uncomfortable for her as a huge part of our training involves distance work and stays - AND putting something in her mouth!

I've been contemplating taking Abby out of classes for awhile, but then Sniper came into our lives and since he needs to work, it made sense to keep Abby in classes awhile longer. She seems to enjoy our one-on-one time and she LOVES the cookies, so why not keep at it for a bit and see if things turn around with some more time and more cookies.

In the mean time, Abby attended an agility fun match and did a jumpers run! Abby loves to jump and had a blast when she was out there. She did longer sequences than I planned because she was having such a great time and was actually DRIVING to the jumps! After about 15 or so jumps, Abby decided that she was done, and that was ok with me. I was so happy to see that after over a year and a half of not training in agility, she took to it like she had never had the time off. I can't help but think that if I had only gotten her a few years earlier, she would have done really well in this sport - or at least would've had a ton of fun! Unfortunately I did not get any videos of her as all my friends were running their large dogs on a different course; but Dave Mills got some amazing photos of her!

Fun Match with Giant Brownish-Red Dog

If the title doesn't make sense to you, it's because you've never lived with a red-headed dog. And if you, like me, have said you will NEVER own a red-head but end up living with one anyway, you will understand the title completely! For the rest of you out there. . . I hope you never have the "joy" of living with a red-head!

Sniper had his first fun match today and he was A-mazing! Not only was this a new environment with new people and new dogs, but this is also a very new sport to him. He has only been doing this for about two months! I entered him in two jumpers runs because his contacts aren't solid enough for a standard run and his teeter is practically non-existent at this point. He is weaving, but we are still training and I don't want to push him on 12 poles. My main goal for today was to have fun and to tire him out! I think that we succeeded on both accounts.

Here are two videos of sniper's jumper's runs. I only worked a few jumps in sequence choosing to reward frequently. Looking back, I probably could have pushed him a bit more, but I'd rather over reward and have fun then under reward and get mistakes later on. He knocked a few bars and it's pretty clear that most of those are my fault as I stopped short or called him mid-jump. There was one jump that he didn't end up taking that I didn't notice until I actually saw the video and while I think I set him up properly for it, I think that we don't have enough lateral distance for him to have taken the jump. This dog watches my body movements like a hawk and I'm still learning to adjust for that.






Abby ran in a jumper's run too, but unfortunately it want's caught on video. I'm hoping that we got some photos; but I'll blog about that soon enough.

He Weaves!

Agility with a giant dog is very different than agility a small dog. Besides the size difference, training sniper in agility is very different than training Abby. Sniper is bouncy and energetic and always ready to play and is not afraid of anything. Training Abby was very slow going and we took everything piece by piece. It took me forever to teach Abby to go through a tunnel and she had to learn that she was supposed to jump over every jump she saw. But she picked up on weaving pretty quickly. I think that part of it was that it was the way Abby (probably) viewed the obstacle/poles - she (probably) saw each pole individually and figured out the rhythm and her body easily followed. Sniper on the other hand wants to blow past (or through) all of them and get his reward. He is also much bigger than Abby and his body has to bend in ways that Abby's didn't which also makes poles more challenging.

I tried teaching him a few different ways to weave, but our instructor recently recommended teaching him "backwards" - or teaching him to drive out from the last pole, then slowly adding more poles to the front. This way seems to be the magic tool for him and I think that it has to do with his drive. Sniper REALLY, REALLY wants his toy, and when he drives out from the last pole, he GETS his toy and gets to tug. By slowly adding poles to the front, he has to learn to weave through them in order to get to the last pole so that he can finally have his toy.

We are up to six poles now. And while we still have six more poles to add; AND a completely different side to teach him on, I think that we can easily do both with this way. I've also learned a valuable tool in training him and any future dog I train in agility. Not that this way will work for every dog with high drive, but it is another tool to use/try when training.

(Sorry for the sideways video, but blogger won't support the editing video I use that can fix it)

Almost Lost One

Alternate Title: Pocket Would've Been So Happy

This is a picture of Sniper - exhausted- after I almost lost him today. Actually, I think that he would tell you he lost me instead.


On our regular morning hike sniper went up the hill chasing something - like he usually does, but this time he must've come down a different way then he went up because he couldn't seem to find me. I stood in the place where he left me and kept talking to him - I could hear him running around, but I couldn't see him to give him any directionally cues. This went on for what seemed like forever but was probably only a full minute or two. When I couldn't hear him anymore I figured that he was back on the path and headed the wrong way. I told him that I was "up here" and started clapping my hands and a few seconds later he practically jumped into my arms panting wildly. He sat down and put his head in my lap and had a look of completely relief on his face.

It is always scary "loosing" a dog. My mind immediately went back to when Abby was lost in the woods for 6 weeks. But this time, I knew that sniper wasn't actually running away - he just couldn't find his way back. I figured that if I stood where he last saw me that he would eventually come back, but this extremely smart dog is still a teenage boy which means that, at times, the elevator doesn't always go all the way up.

It's Always Something Over Here

After my last post we had a full day of Abby refusing to eat.

Yep, you read that right, Abby refused to eat. She wouldn't eat her breakfast, and she didn't even try to steal pocket's. I tried every treat imaginable including hot dogs and cheese. She turned her nose up at all of it. I finally went to the store and bought some chicken and ground beef and made her favorite snacks. She ate that no problem. I fed that to her exclusively for three meals just to get her back on track and now her appetite is back to normal.

We were supposed to have class today, but I took sniper and left her home. She may have her appetite back, but her energy is still pretty low. After a solid two minutes of barking for dinner, she has completely conked back out. She isn't ready for a one hour class yet. I'm not complaining because I'm just glad that she made it through surgery safely, but I'll be much happier when i have my girl back with her funny personality quirks.

Doin' Alright

Yesterday was a bit stressful as both Abby and Mole went under anesthesia for different procedures. Mole needed a dental with a few extractions and Abby needed that tumor out of her mouth. I was a nervous wreck all day and I think that my soft side was showing because the girls at the shelter I normally visit were laughing at me because every dog I met was "so adorable". When I explained what was going on with my dogs they understood but still laughed!

Everyone seems to be doing ok today. Abby is getting a small sore on her lip from where, I assume, the sutures are rubbing- although I can't see any sutures anywhere. There is a big chunk of gum missing and I'm hoping that we don't loose that tooth after all is said and done. She only has a few left at this point and I'm trying to take care of the ones she has as best as I can.

Mole is a bit fussy today now that all the drugs have worn off. He is still on pain meds but his mouth seems to be irritating him a bit so I gave him some of his muscle relaxants that he uses for his back pain to help settle him some. He is coughing a bit but that is probably from the irritation caused by the endotracheal tube. He isn't in so much discomfort that he has stopped eating, so I'm sure he will be fine in a bit.

I'm glad that everything is done and that both kids are settled at home and are doing well. I, however, wasn't glad to see the bill. The receptionist handed me the bill, I took one look at it, and handed it back saying " I want a discount". After all, I brought the business of 3 rescues into the office AND I am a former employee who still sometimes works there when they need more help!

The Abby Drama Continues

The other day I was cuddling with Abby and I noticed that her breath smelled "different". Yeah, it's a little weird to notice that, but breath can you a lot about what is going on with your pet's health. And while I don't regularly stick my nose in my kid's mouths, do spend plenty of time getting kisses and cuddles to notice a change.

The first thing I did was look for more rotting teeth. Abby only has about 8 total teeth, and I figure that by the time she is 10, we will probably be down to 4; rotting teeth is a very common problem with this breed. But to my shock and horror, it wasn't her teeth - it was a tumor on her gums. Yep, this little dog has another growth; and unlike the rest, this one isn't going to be easy to remove.

I seriously thought about leaving it in for a while. I hate sedating her because of her seizures and her kidneys. But after thinking it over for a few days, I knew that I would have to remove it eventually - and it's going to be just as risky in 6 months as it is tomorrow. The only problem with waiting is that it might get bigger and eventually abscess. Not so fun.

We have an appointment with the vet on Wednesday to have it removed, so keep your paws crossed that she makes it through surgery and that the tumor can be removed with out much trauma to her gums.

M.I.A.

Another title for this post was going to be MAL. . . as in Malinois. The reason I haven't been posting much. But the truth is, it not all his fault. I mean, how can you blame him when he looks this cute:



Yes, he fell asleep with a toy in his mouth. More importantly, he fell asleep. These dogs are non-stop. I've heard that before, but this was the first time I've ever lived with one. For those dog people out there - think of a border collie on red-line energy drink. For those kid people - think of a two year old on the same. Constant go - go - go and if you don't give him something to do, he will find something. To prevent me from ripping my hair out (or his) we have been doing-doing-doing. One of the things we have been doing is agility. I'm back to being the "soccer-mom" driving my kids all over the world to different types of lessons. I'm having a great time with it though and so is he. A girl in our agility class takes photos of the dogs in the class and posts them on her web site. The pictures from his first class are here and from his most recent class here. He looks super happy and is doing a great job so far. I'm learning tons as working with him is very different from working with Abby. But it is a great learning experience for me.

Abby is such a weird dog

A while ago I wrote a post about how proud I was that Abby has become a dog. But the truth is that Abby has become a weird dog. It's true that she has many great dog-like qualities like sitting in my lap, giving kisses, doing the happy dance when I get home. But she also has some very strange qualities that I can't quite seem to figure out. A big one is her fascination with apples. This dog will dig through bags or my purse or anything that has an apple in it. And she will proceed to eat the entire un-cut apple. This dog only has a few teeth! It's absolutely bizarre that she can even eat the apple, but it's even weirder what she will do to get the apple. And I've honestly never seen a dog eat an apple the way people do. The other very odd thing that she does is going to sit in snipers crate! This is the dog that I can't crate because she screams and throws fits! But she has decided that she wants to sleep in snipers crate! Luckily he has decided that he wants to sleep on the chair, so I guess there is still plenty of room for everyone. . .

Abby is so weird and the longer I have her, the weirder she gets!

I Need A Beer!

These dogs are a lot of work!

I thought that training Abby was exhausting because I had to maintain a very high level of energy to keep her wanting to work. I had to give 150% in order to keep her attention and focus. I had to stay on top of our surroundings to keep a look out for anything that might cause Abby to stress out or anything that might cause her to want to bolt. I had to stay happy and squeaky and had to "be the cookie". No matter what, I couldn't let her know that I was stress out or nervous or frustrated, because all that travels down the leash and Abby senses it immediately and shuts down.

Training sniper is equally exhausting, but in a totally different way. I have to maintain a calm energy so that he doesn't get overly excited. But at the same time, I have to be exciting enough to keep his focus on me and not on everything else around. I have to know when to treat with cookies and when to rile him up and let him tug. But while tugging, I still have to maintain control and make sure he doesn't go over the top. He knows how to work, and he knows how to have fun while working, but my job/goal is to make sure that he works with some self-control - a job in and of itself.

Training both kids back to back is enough to drive any trainer crazy. Both have been known to test my patience but training both back to back, I'm bound to loose it eventually! Don't get me wrong, I love training both Abby and Sniper. And I love learning and growing as a trainer. Both are teaching me things that I would never have learned otherwise. Abby has opened so many doors for me in the training world, and Sniper is helping me refine my techniques and is allowing me to have a bit more fun too. But after training both back to back, I just want to have a beer and go to bed!

Abby RL1

Abby has a title. And by the look on my face you can see that I couldn't be happier. Who would've thought 3 years ago that this little feral dog would have a title?

While a part of me could care less if Abby ever got a title or not, another part of me wanted her to get one, just to prove that she was a "real" dog and could do anything that all those other dogs could do. I'm sure I'll have many more dogs in the future that will get many more and more extraordinary titles, but this one is extra special. This is not only the first title I have ever gotten on a dog, this is probably the most worked for title that I will ever have. I'm proud of Abby, but I'm also proud of myself for sticking with this crazy little dog and working through all the joys and all the set backs that come with training a special needs dogs.

Way to go Abby!

working vs WORKING

vs





I've never owned/lived with/worked with a true working dog. I've asked both mole and Abby to work for/with me, but they have only done so because they love me (ie: I have super awesome food!) And while both of them have truly enjoyed working with me, they really only do it because I have asked them to and because they like to make me happy.

Abby has really benefited from working with me. She excelled at agility (well, excelled for a puppy mill Iggy) and she still does great at our Rally classes - and not just for a rescue but for any dog! Abby has come a long way from that shivering mess that she was almost 3 years ago, and I truly believe that she wouldn't be as well adjusted as she is if it weren't for the confidence that she learned from working.

After living with a true working dog for almost two weeks, I am starting to see the difference between a dog working because they love me and working because they have to. Sniper is extremely well trained, but he needs constant reinforcement from me. If I am not reinforcing his good behavior, he will find something that is rewarding to him - and that can be something as benign as finding toys and entertaining himself, or something worse, like trying to play with the cats. If I am giving him negative reinforcement for something he is doing that I don't like, it doesn't mean he will stop doing it - it just means that he will try again later when I'm not looking. And while I can tell my kids to "go lay down" and they will understand that as "go away and settle by yourself"; if I tell that to sniper, he reads that as an actual command and he will down in an alert position waiting for my next command.

Its an interesting experience living with a dog that needs so much. And while living with Abby has been a ton of work in the past, she has been relatively easy to live with for quite awhile now. Sniper is generally easy to live with, but he still needs a lot of work, and he needs it in a very different way. Where Abby needs calm, stability, Sniper needs active, entertaining, go-go-go. In my years of training dogs of all shapes and sizes, I've never had to train a dog to settle. And while I am training sniper in agility and rally, I'm also working on the seemingly basic "settle". It is also a challenge to me to work with him in a more positive fashion. Working small, easy dogs using strictly positive methods is easy. But working both a physically and mentally strong and large dog using positive methods is harder. It's much easier to put a pinch collar on him and make him behave. And while I have used more corrective methods with him, I am also working on adjusting what I can and am moving towards a more reward based system.

This experience is a huge eye opening one for me. I'm truly enjoying the learning experience as well as sniper himself. He is easy to love, fun to train, and as sweet as can be. But I have a new respect for the breed and for people who work with and live with working dogs all the time.

I Have A New Hiking Buddy

A very good friend of mine is mining for gold up in Alaska and has asked me to take his dog for a bit. As much as I love my friend, and as much as I love his dog, I knew that this would be a big adventure for me and my crew. Sniper is a 2 year old, male Belgian Malinois. He is a very sweet and very well trained dog, but he is 86 lbs and full of energy. On top of the 5 mile hike we've been doing in the morning, and the 2 mile walk we do in the afternoons, there are many play sessions, many training sessions, and lots of pacing. This dog is non-stop.

Well, that is not entirely true. . . After 3 days of this, I finally caught him napping! It is such a rare occurrence, that I had to take a picture:



But very shortly after this picture was taken, we were back to killing stuffies



But despite the constant work, this dog is great for one thing. . . guarding my beer!



Come on now, would you try to take my beer if this thing was standing in front of it?

Staying Power

Abby's sit-stays are falling apart. She either pops up right away or goes directly into a down. . . I'm not entirely sure why this has happened in the past week, but I do have my suspicions.

The first thought is that we aren't training sit stays much.

The second thought is that Abby is uncomfortable doing sit-stays.

The third thought is that Abby is just being lazy.

Staying has always been difficult for Abby partly because of her phobias. She is either afraid of something that she hears or sees, or she is afraid I'm going too far away. Because of her natural issue with being away from me, I never really worked on having her stay too far or for too long. It seems to stress her out unnecessarily so I never really worked that hard on it. Plus, IGs, like many sight hounds, have funny sits and siting for long periods becomes uncomfortable. When we did actually work on stays, I would always put her into a down stay. Another problem is that our training areas are either concrete or are hard wood, so I trained Abby to stay on a mat. Now, whenever we work at home, she actually does stay on the mat. . . but that doesn't transfer to other places. . .

Class this past week was very frustrating because she simply wouldn't sit still. Most of the time she went into a down, and I'm wondering if it is her back and elbows that are bothering her. Once we get through the first half of the class, Abby's auto-sit also disappears too. . .But, I'm not an "enforcer" either when it comes to Abby and training so, when she doesn't do what I ask or when she does something else instead, I simply ask her again and wait until I get it. She doesn't have to do anything. She usually does what I ask because she wants my food. . . but being a little dog and filling up quickly, means that the food has less value the more we train. And while Abby does "work" Abby is anything but a working dog. Her drive isn't there so I have to keep working just as hard as she is in order to keep things moving.

So, for this week, we are going back to the basics. Duration, distance, distraction. We are going to work in that order too. If she can't even hold the sit with me sitting next to her, I'm going to put her on some NSAIDs for a few days and see if that helps. If she can do it, then I know that we just need to train it more.

Musical Beds

Typical day at the office. If only that worked for people too. . .

Best Disneyland Trip Ever!!!!!

I just got back from the best Disneyland trip ever!!!!

Luckily for me, I have dog kids, and not people kids, so when I leave, guess where the dog kids go:



Ok, they didn't stay in the crate the entire time I was gone. They are lucky enough to stay with grandma and grandma's house is nicer then ours, so when the house is empty, they stay in the crate. Not sure why they are so good for grandma, and not for me. . .must be the copious amounts of treats that they get while visiting!

After a quick, albeit delayed, flight, we were in DISNEYLAND!!!!!



We had a super awesome night hanging at House of Blues and singing karaoke



Disneyland itself was perfect! We rode 4 rides in under two hours!!!! Then we got stuck in line for an hour at the break-down king of Disney: Big Thunder Railroad. But the rest of the rides that day were fine and we were able to enjoy the park and the rides without getting bogged down in long lines. We even had plenty of time to do a little bit of shopping.



Yes, the sweatshirt is PINK! I tired my hardest to find a grey one. . . but there were no grey mickey sweatshirts. The flip-flops are a navy blue and are actually sturdy and comfy. I spent as much on these two items at Disneyland that I spend on an entire year of clothes! But a $40 sweatshirt and a $10 pair of flip-flops is actually quite reasonable for everyday life (for most people anyway!) so I figured it was ok for me to splurge!

This was, by far. the best Disneyland trip ever. But more than that, it was a nice break from normal life. It was nice to get away from work, and the kids, and just hangout with friends without having to worry about anything but having fun. I think that this needs to be an annual trip!

Poor Abby

Something happened to Abby's ear. She came up to me at work today asking for some attention. I mindlessly petted her head and tugged on her ears. Her ears are a bit dry and scabby due to old/healed fly strikes, but today, I felt a giant scab. When I looked, I found this



I was horrified and appalled that something like this would be on my dog and I wouldn't notice it. I immediately started picking at the scab and trying to figure out what happened to her. After scrubbing and examining it I came to the conclusion that something (or some one) bit her. There is a very tiny hole on the underside of the ear that looks like it might be from a tooth. . .a TINY tooth. . . there is only one creature in the house that has teeth that tiny.



I'm lucky that Abby is so easy going and oblivious because if she wasn't I would have some major small dog fights on my hands. Pocket HATES Abby. Everything that Abby does annoys Pocket. And if I'm not watching, Pocket will growl, snarl, snap, and apparently bite Abby. In some ways I don't blame Pocket, Abby is almost 3 times her size, and Abby is goofy and bouncy and doesn't understand boundaries. It would be like us living in a house with a 15 foot tall toddler - not fun! But Pocket is still not allowed to behave like that! Biting your sister is just not allowed in this house! I guess I'm going to have to be more vigilant about watching their interactions. . .

Poor Abby. . .

Wordless Wednesday: It's started!!!!!

Foto Friday: Abby Stole My Warmie!

Adopt the Internet

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Here is one of our guys that has been around for way too long:

Name: Charlie

Mix/Breed: Domestic short hair, Tabby and White

Sex/Age: Male/neutered, 7 years

Personality: Charlie is a real love...a very affectionate 7 years old guy. He was surrendered to Hopalong because the child he grew up with started developing allergies to him. Charlie is easy going and calm. With slow and proper introductions, Charlie would be fine with other cats and gentle dogs but would now probably be best suited to a household with adults only.

Two Down. . . One To Go. . .

Abby got her second leg today towards her RL1 with a score of 204 and 5th place! That is one point more than we got last time, with the same placement. We had to do another run off this time too! But this run-off was much better then her last one as she actually completed this one!

Abby was pretty stressed out again at this trial. Her tail was tucked and she wasn't her wiggly self like she normally is in class or in the Run-thrus. She was a bit wary when walking towards the crowd and flinched a bit when people laughed or cheered. But, un-like last time, I am not beating myself up over it. I realize that Abby is always going to have issues with certain things and we are just going to keep on going and hope that over time, things get better and less stressful. I've worked really hard with her, but I can't fix everything that was broken before I got her.

I was much more comfortable at this trial. I wasn't as stressed out, and I know that Abby sensed that, and I think that it helped some. For starters, Abby wasn't walking 10 feet away from me this time. My voice was in normal range instead of how it was at the last trial when it was so squeaky I'm sure I could only be understood by bats! I was calm enough to remember to treat my dog when appropriate. I was also able to remember the course which helped me stay more connected with Abby instead of trying to figure out where we were going next.

I think that this was a much better trial for us. I was much more comfortable and, while Abby was still stressed, she recovered really well. The people that were at the trial were great. Everyone is super supportive and encouraging. And I think that they are just as proud of Abby as I am!

Good job Abby! I'm super proud of you!!!!!

Running Again

Many lifetimes ago, I used to run. And when I say run, I don't mean 2 or 3 miles one to two days a week. I mean 10-14 miles 4 day a week with an 18 miler tucked somewhere in there. I used to run a lot - mainly because I needed to. I had so many things going on in my mind that the only time I could think clearly was out on a run. I really wanted to run a marathon, but my body always seemed to break down past 18 miles. But I still kept running. Then I took a job working 6-7 days a week working 9-12 hour days and my running got put on hold. I missed it, but I was too tired to go back to it. Starting a running program all over takes more dedication then continuing the one you are already on.

Fast froward a few years to last year and Tough Mudder. A super awesome event with a measly 7 mile hike through the hills. Yeah, right! It wasn't as tough as they made it out to be, but I think too many people said that on their post race questionnaire, because this year looks much tougher. After seeing it, I figured that I had better start training for it. I don't want to fall apart before finishing. Training needs to be done in a few phases, but one important part of this event is running on trails. I probably won't end up running during the event itself, but I think that running our low hills will be great practice for my legs.

One of the best things about running as a sport is that there is no equiptment needed, and you don't need a certain number of people in order to do it. Some people say that the only thing you need for running is a good pair of shoes, but even that is debatable now. Last week I bought a pair of minimalist trail shoes, but couldn't seem to get used to their unique design. I returned them yesterday and was planning on buying the other pair that I liked, but they were out of those. I have some of them on order, but while I was waiting for them to do that, I fell in love with another pair of shoes.



They are lightweight and flexible, and they have a super awesome grip. When I first got them, I wasn't entirely sure that I was going to keep them, but after running a half-mile on pavement this morning, I think that I am going to keep them. I need to rip out the soles, add some arch supports, and re-do the laces, but I think that these bad boys are going to be hanging around for awhile. I'm looking forward to my first trail run in them. I'll let you know how it goes.

Abby is A Dog

Abby has had so many amazing accomplishments since she has come to live with us; but I think that the one I'm most proud of is her becoming a dog. I know it sounds silly, but Abby has turned into a dog in the past two and a half years, granted she has turned into a very spoiled dog, but she is a dog none-the-less.

In the past few months Abby has had a few more dog-like qualities. She has started giving kisses and she also sits in my lap when I'm knitting or reading. Most people take these things for granted, and I admit that I do with my other kids, but when Abby started doing it, I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. These are things that real dogs do, and up until recently, Abby wasn't a real dog. Sure, she could do some super cool things, but the everyday-ness that makes a dog a dog wasn't there with her.

I think that all the extra work we've been doing with training has really paid off. Not only has she learned to work and to think, but she has also learned how to settle. She has learned to read my body language and has learned the more subtle commands of everyday life that we never actually teach our dogs, but we still expect them to obey anyway. She solicits attention without being overly frantic or needy about it. She can settle in a chair and sleep comfortably near me without always having to be on me. She started fussing back at me when I try brushing her or grooming her for too long. I think that she realizes that she is home and that she will always be loved and cared for here. At least, that is what I hope she feels.

In a world of throw-away pets, this one could have easily been discarded. When I got her, she wasn't social, she was terrified of everything, she was extremely destructive, she had no self-control; and if I had decided to give her away or have her euthanized, no one would have blamed me. But I didn't do that. Instead, I found a way to work with her and to manage as many problems as I could. And after all that work, two and a half years later, I finally have a dog.

Training Room

We have a Rally trial coming up in 2 weeks and Abby and I need to polish up a few basic skills. We also need to seriously start training for some of our level 3 stuff. We really don't have a good place to train regularly. We have no yard, and out house is tiny and oddly shaped. I had to improvise, and I hope that LB doesn't mind too much.

New training space:



what used to live in that super awesome space:



Now that we have that super cool space, whose ready to work?


No surprise there. This guy will do anything for food!


great. . .we get to work with alien dog again. . .

The training space makes it so much easier to do distance work - a huge component of level 3. It also helps us work on stays - something that we haven't been working on very much lately. Abby does OK on down stays, but her sit stays S.U.C.K! She almost always goes into a down. I think part of it is structural (Never Say Never Greyhounds say that sit-stays are harder for these breeds) but I think that some of it is training. I allow her to go down because I know that it is easier/more comfortable for her and, honestly, I don't care what position she is in as long as she stays put. She still stays on her short sit stays for rally class, so I never really bothered to train a longer sit stay. . .but I guess it is something that we should work on. . .and it really isn't that hard. . .it's just so boring, and I feel like I'm nit-picking her. . .and neither of us like that. . .

Pressing Reset

Ever feel like your life has taken some strange turn and you can't find your back back to the beginning? That's how I've felt lately. Last year was tough for so many reasons and I was really looking forward to starting a new year. But once that new year started, things got even worse for awhile. Things have finally settled down but I can't seem to get back to where I was before all the bad things started happening. I feel like I need to find the reset button and press it F.A.S.T.

LB and I talked extensively around the new year about how January 1st is really just an arbitrary date - it's doesn't actually reset anything. Things don't magically become better at the stroke of midnight. I completely agree with her, but that didn't stop me from wishing that things would turn around and that life would get easier . . .at least for a little while.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about my life. I have a great life - better than most. But at times I feel like I'm trying to play catch-up. Like I'm always one step behind of where I'm supposed to be. I spent so much of last year running around, and I felt like if I took a little break, that things would settle down, and that I would finally be able to be right where I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there. But now, I feel like I've gotten even more far behind.

It's obvious that trying to do everything didn't work. But it also seems that trying to do nothing doesn't really work either? Where is the happy medium? Does it even exist? Well, I'm about to try and find it again. It may not be January 1st, but I'm going to start this year over again and watch it get better and better.

Run Thru

Abby and I had a run thru this past Friday. We almost didn't go because the weather man was calling for S.N.O.W. Really? At sea level in CA?? Yep, they were calling for snow. That wasn't what almost kept us from going, it was the possibility of ice. This CA girl doesn't drive in ice. But the weather wasn't supposed to get bad until midnight and I was hoping to be back home and snug in my bed by then. I'm really glad we went because we had a great time and really learned a lot.

This run thru was run level 3, 2, 1. We ran level 2 and level 1. I was interested to see if she would do better in level two then she did in level 1 since the last time (which I didn't blog about, but was run Level 1,2,3), we did better in level 2. Here were the courses:

Level 2 map


Level 1 map



Both courses seemed surprisingly easy. And we did a pretty good job on both courses. However, Abby did NQ on the level 2 course. She broke a stay! I think that her broken stay was due to her excitement. She anticipated the recall on sign 5 and came running at me full speed and slid to a sitting halt. It was hysterical! Everyone in the place laughed and laughed! I laughed until the food bowl exercise where she got distracted and we had to take a moment and regroup. Other than that, she had a blast and we did pretty well.

Level 1 was amazing for us. This was the first time that she wasn't walking wide. And we only got 2 tight leashes!!!! I was SOOOO proud of us! We did get dinged because I had to give a double command on the first sit! It was crazy because I had spent the entire warm-up doing jack-pots for sits! (well, not a full jack-pot, but a super cool, Abby jack-pot!) We did super awesome on sign 8, and I was very happy as that is something we have been working on a LOT.

Even though we technically NQ'd on level 2, I think that this whole run thru was the best experience we've had so far. We were really working as a team. Plus, her energy put me in a great mood from the beginning and we were both able to have a great time. My nerves were non-existent and I think that she knew that.

I am learning a lot about my dog in these run thrus - and it's not just about competition. I'm learning a lot about team work and that is the kind of relationship that I want with my dog. I want to be part of a team. And after almost 3 years, I think that we are getting there!

Long Striped Hand Warmers

I needed a new knitting project. I'm working on my friend's baby's blanket, but it is a bit tedious work as I have to count every stitch to make the pattern. I am working on it, and it is coming along, but sometimes I need mindless knitting. And for that, I decided to try Long Striped Hand Warmers. The pattern is super easy and this was the first time I knitted stripes in the round. It was also the first time I've knitted a finger! I'm actually kinda proud of myself! I've only knit one glove so far, but I'm already about 2 inches into the second one. I think that the second one is going to go faster than the first!



The master color is chocolate and the variegated color is a pink to burgundy. It is actually much prettier in person!

Family Photo - Lets Try This One More Time

My photo goal this year was to get a family photo with all the kids behaving themselves and looking at the camera. . .but sometimes I feel like I'm playing referee trying to keep the peace between the girls.



Pocket! Keep your tongue in your mouth!



Abby! Don't instigate! You girls better behave or I am going to separate you!



ABBY!!!! Leave. Your. Sister. Alone!



Thank you!

And poor Mole, such a good boy, gets so frazzled between my yelling at the girls and so desperately wanting the treat in my hand.



Sometimes I wonder if we are ever going to get a good photo. . .



Well, at least everyone is looking. . . even if no one is smiling. . .