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.

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! 

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.

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?

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.

First Hike of the Year

While much of the country is bogged down in snow, it's sun and blue skies here in CA. We've had unseasonably warm weather so far this year, and you won't hear me complaining one bit! Despite the fact that Abby is still wearing her coat, most of the days here are in the 60's. The wind picks up from time to time and Abby is a small, skinny, very short haired dog, so the coat is still a necessity. The days are getting just long enough that if I hurry home, and hurry up the hill, we can get a very quick walk/jog in. Abby prefers it if I jog, and gives me dirty looks -like the one pictured above - if I stop and try to walk. This was the first of many hikes this year. I'm thinking that I need to start bringing my camera with me so that I can get some decent photos of her this year.

Independant vs Bonded

A while back I wrote a post about Abby's training plan. It was well thought out and included lots of hikes and basic training. Things were going well for awhile and I wrote an update and added more phases to the training plan. Things aren't going so well anymore. . . and we are having to make adjustments to our training plan.

In some ways, Abby is doing great. She is more comfortable on our hikes and is willing to do a lot of obedience with me. She is doing well in class and I think that she will be ready to trial in Rally in another month. However, Abby is going backward with her separation issues. She has tried to escape from my office and has started screaming again when I leave her for "extended" periods (read: more than 2 hours). This is not a road that I want to go down again.

A part of me worries that I contributed to this recent increase in anxiety behavior. I routinely put her in stressful situations and ask her to look to me for support and guidance. We do this kind of training for many reasons, but the main reason is to help Abby keep her panic under control. And, in this case, the training is working. We often come across strange things on our outings and Abby has learned to stay near me and not to panic or try to flee. Today, for example, we literally ran into a horse. Both Abby and I were startled, but Abby did not panic and we were able to continue on our hike with no worries. However, my worry with this training is that Abby cannot handle stress when I am not there. I have worked so extensively on our bond to be able to do the kinds of things that we are doing, that I think I have really set her back on the independence work we have done.

So now our training plan is changing again. We are still going on hikes, and I am still planning on doing training with her on them, but I am going to ask her to do more distance work - more specifically, I am going to ask her to do more stays and am hopefully going to be able to get some distance stays with distraction. We have altered the way we work in class too. Abby is no longer allowed to sit in my lap during class. She is also required to stay tethered to the wall when I walk the course. She really hates that part, but I'm trying to teach her in a way that eases her anxiety about it rather than increases her anxiety about being away from me. I'm hoping that this works and that I will have a good report the next time I update her training plan.

Here is a just because picture I took of Abby on our hike today. Her lines are a little off because her hind end is uphill from her front end, but I still think that she is one of the prettiest dogs I've ever seen.

The Lone Wolf

Who would have thought that Abby would be a dog that could do things by herself. There was a time when I wasn't sure that I would ever be able to do something with Abby alone. When it became apparent that we could do things alone, I wondered if Abby would ever really enjoy doing things alone.

Abby and I do a lot of things alone now, and I think that we have a pretty good time together. But I always thought that she would rather have one - or both - of the other kids join us. Today I learned that isn't the case.

We went on another hike today with mole. I enjoy the hikes with mole - even if they are slow and we don't get any aerobic benefits from them. Mole sure has a great time. I thought that Abby would have fun sniffing and peeing alongside her brother. Abby had a miserable time the entire walk. Well, miserable is probably too strong a word, but terrible is probably accurate.

The whole walk, Abby spent at the end of her long line trying to pull me up the hill. When I didn't give in, she would run back to me, demand bark/whine and run up the hill again. It was obvious that she wanted to GO. She didn't want to sniff the flowers, she wanted to power up that hill the way we normally do. And she acted even stranger when I told her we had to turn around. She wasn't ready to quit!

I know that Abby doesn't understand that we can't do what we normally do when Mole is with us, but I thought that she would have so much fun playing alongside him that she wouldn't realize we weren't doing our normal thing. But I should have learned by now that Abby doesn't take change well; and it's easiest for her to stick to the normal routine. She has more fun doing what we normally do - regardless of what other fun things are present. Abby is actually ok doing things alone. . . well, alone as long as I'm there with her. . . we won't get into how she feels when she is really alone. . . that may never be ok. . .

Quality of Life

I think it's funny how reoccurring themes come up in our lives. . . or they may not be reoccurring, but come up all at once to teach us a particular lesson. Something that has come up for me recently is quality of life. It's a strange lesson to learn, but I've been faced with that notion repeatedly in the past few months.

First, Mole's back went out and I had to determine what was an appropriate level of exercise/fun. Then we had some very sick puppies come through and we had to decide if long-term high quality was worth the short-term low quality. Then I had a foster dog with sever medical issues. . . it was a constant question about what qualifies as quality? Then Abby's body started shutting down and I had to figure out the exercise/fun quotient for her. Then we had another sick puppy scenario. . . It's been almost constant recently.

Awhile ago, when mole was first diagnosed, we slowed down a bit, but I decided that his quality of life was more important and that we need to continue our normal hiking/exercise routine. Time wears on and he gets worse. I decide that he is too important to me and that I need more time and he stops going on hikes. Fast forward to when Abby was diagnosed and I have a completely different opinion - Abby still goes on hikes despite her issues.

It's funny how we can come to completely different solutions to the exact same problem. And it's not that I love Abby any less than mole - or that I value my time with mole more than I value my time with Abby. For Abby, I decided that she needed to have a high quality of life despite the obstacles that come our way because she had such a poor quality for such a long time. If, in the long run, it means that I have less time with her, then so be it. But I could not make that same decision for mole. I felt that even a lower quality mole life is way higher than a lot of dog's highest hoped for quality.

Just this week I was faced with an interesting decision - where to place my special needs foster puppy. The decision was a tough one. One of the people would cuddle him continuously and treat him like a precious little baby, and the other would let him romp and play and be a dog. Both clearly loved him and would care for his special needs, but which would be the best life for him? Where would he have the highest quality of life?

It was in making that decision that made me rethink my decision about mole. He LOVES to hike and play and be a dog. My keeping him confined kept him comfortable, but he sure wasn't as happy as he used to be. It showed in small ways, but it became more and more apparent. But making the decision to allow him this was tough. He hurts more often then not now, but we are able to manage the pain. But the fact that he does hurt makes it all the more difficult to allow him to do something that might make him hurt worse.

But seeing him age quicker and quicker makes me want to make the time he does have here with me as special and as fun as possible. Because of that, I have decided to take him hiking again. We aren't going to go as far as Abby and I go, and we are going to go on flatter trails, and we are going to go at his pace. . . but we are still going to go - at least once a week. We have already gone once, and seeing how happy he was made my resolve to continue to do this stronger. And he really didn't need any more pain meds than usual - at least not this time. I understand that might not always be the case, but how can you say no to this face

And Then There Was One. . .

Ok, there are still FOUR. . .but yesterday I got a chance to see what it was like for people with only one dog.

Abby had a weird week last week in agility class and since we had no Rally class on Sunday and no agility class Thursday I decided that we should take the week off from training and do fun things instead. One day we all went to the cemetery and and took a nice walk (well, Abby and Mole walked, and I carried Pocket). Yesterday I thought it would be fun if we took a nice hike in the hills. Since these are the same hills that Pocket got attacked in, I didn't dare bring her or mole - plus mole shouldn't walk that much anyway. With Abby being larger and less squirrel like, I figured that she would probably be safe from those "rescue" dogs.

Aside from being fun, I thought that a nice hike would be a good conditioning exercise for her. I really should be doing conditioning exercises with Abby all the time, after all, she is supposed to be athletic! But having a multi-dog household makes it difficult to do things with only ONE dog. I feel guilty leaving them behind and I think that they feel bad being left. But I am trying to put those thoughts behind me. I know that I don't love mole any less because I can't take him with me. And I would never forgive myself if I took him and something horrible happened because of it.

So, I was temporarily a one-dog person. And I have to say that I really liked it. It was easy only having to watch out for one dog - even with that one dog being Abby. But since Abby is larger then the other two, and isn't obsessed with peeing on everything, we were able to get in a nice work out. I was surprised that she was able to walk alone without the comfort of her companions. She didn't panic or try to run away. She simply walked with me. There were a few times when we came upon a biker and she was unsure, but she stayed close and followed right behind me. I was really proud of her because she was on a 25' long-line and could have made poor choices. I know I often say how amazed I am at how far Abby has come, but I truly am. I often say that I am proud of how she can do agility and rally, but secretly, I am happier that we can take a nice walk together. We are becoming partners more and more every day.

Abby being a total DOG and sniffing the flowers:

Its Too Nice Outside

The time changed and it brought not only more light, but better weather. The kids and I have been enjoying some extra walks in the evenings - perfect to help take off all that weight we put on each winter! We still are doing training most evenings, though. Abby is practicing both her wobble board training and her rally stuff. I really wish that we had more space to practice in. . .

Here are some videos of Abby doing her Rally stuff. . . notice the chihuahua screaming in the background. I swear the neighbors think I beat my dogs! Sorry the videos aren't perfect. . .I'm still new at this. . .and I don't have a video editor!