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.
Showing posts with label awesome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awesome. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
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
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
Saturday, July 23, 2011
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!
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!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
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)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
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!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
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!!!!!
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!!!!!
Monday, February 28, 2011
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. . .
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. . .
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
So Worried For Nothing
There have been many times in my life when I was worried for something that, looking back seemed so trivial. I would would get anxious, nervous, feel like I can't move, then the queasiness begins. After the ordeal was over, I realized that I had nothing to be worried about and felt foolish for getting so worked up.
This past Sunday in class was one of those scenarios. Our instructor thought that it would be a great idea to do a distracted heeling exercise through a crowd of people and their dogs. When she first mentioned this exercise I thought for sure she would have us sit this one out. Imagine my horror when she said that we were going to be the first ones!
I managed to stand up, but couldn't get myself to move. I honestly couldn't figure out a way to make this a successful exercise for Abby. I must have looked sick because she asked me what was wrong. I told her I was feeling a lot of anxiety because heeling through people and dogs is almost impossible for Abby. She recommended that we heel along the outside of the group - we ran. That was the only thing I could think of that would keep Abby happy and not stress her out for the rest of the hour.
After the heeling exercise we took our turn in the group and people heeled around us. I knew that Abby could handle this as she has pretty good stays and has amazing focus when I ask her to. But I knew that our time was coming around again and the anxiety was sticking around. But having had a few minutes to see different scenarios, I was able to come up with a plan for Abby to actually go through the people. Given Abby's great focus on the stay part of the exercise, I figured that she might do ok - meaning, she might not panic - heeling through the same dogs that heeled through us. I figured that I would give it a try and if it failed miserably, at least I would know for the next time.
I got Abby amped up, I set us up, and asked her to heel. As we started getting closer to the group, I thought she might loose focus, but she didn't! She heeled right through those people and had a great time! I was so proud of her and she seemed to be quite happy with herself too. Everyone clapped and I think that everyone was just as happy to see her do that as I was. It was very rewarding to see her accomplish something that has been so difficult for us in the past. I felt silly for being so anxious over nothing!
This past Sunday in class was one of those scenarios. Our instructor thought that it would be a great idea to do a distracted heeling exercise through a crowd of people and their dogs. When she first mentioned this exercise I thought for sure she would have us sit this one out. Imagine my horror when she said that we were going to be the first ones!
I managed to stand up, but couldn't get myself to move. I honestly couldn't figure out a way to make this a successful exercise for Abby. I must have looked sick because she asked me what was wrong. I told her I was feeling a lot of anxiety because heeling through people and dogs is almost impossible for Abby. She recommended that we heel along the outside of the group - we ran. That was the only thing I could think of that would keep Abby happy and not stress her out for the rest of the hour.
After the heeling exercise we took our turn in the group and people heeled around us. I knew that Abby could handle this as she has pretty good stays and has amazing focus when I ask her to. But I knew that our time was coming around again and the anxiety was sticking around. But having had a few minutes to see different scenarios, I was able to come up with a plan for Abby to actually go through the people. Given Abby's great focus on the stay part of the exercise, I figured that she might do ok - meaning, she might not panic - heeling through the same dogs that heeled through us. I figured that I would give it a try and if it failed miserably, at least I would know for the next time.
I got Abby amped up, I set us up, and asked her to heel. As we started getting closer to the group, I thought she might loose focus, but she didn't! She heeled right through those people and had a great time! I was so proud of her and she seemed to be quite happy with herself too. Everyone clapped and I think that everyone was just as happy to see her do that as I was. It was very rewarding to see her accomplish something that has been so difficult for us in the past. I felt silly for being so anxious over nothing!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Rally Trial: Score 203
Its taken me a long time to get to this; partly because things have been so hectic and partly because it took me a long time to process all of it.
On paper, things look great. Abby got a score of 203 out of a possible 200 w/ 10 pt bonus. That is pretty amazing. Abby also tied for 4th place!!! We had a run off because you can't actually tie, and Abby ended up with 5th place. Not too shabby for our first trial - and we really haven't been doing this for very long. Abby did better then some of the pure bred, perfectly bred, bought dogs!
Right after the event, I was feeling really bad about the trial. I was thrilled with our score, but I was really upset because Abby wasn't her self. She was stressed out for so many reasons and I was angry at myself for putting her through it. I tried to get there late so that she didn't have to be crated for very long, but that didn't work out. We still got there too early so I drove around and found a park and took her for a long walk. But she still ended up being crated for longer than either of us wanted. Then, we ended up with a different judge then I had planned. The judge was still very nice, but she was different and Abby doesn't really like different. THEN, as we were walking in, the judge kept going on and on about Abby being an Iggy and how much she wanted an Iggy. So not only was there a strange person in the ring, but that strange person was talking to us. The run off was the hardest because it was the very last thing that happened and everyone was in the room with their dogs, watching, and waiting for the ribbons. It was very loud and very stressful. I felt like a lousy owner asking Abby to work with me in a situation that was obviously very difficult for her.
I felt like a bad parent for almost an entire week. Everyone told me that Abby did great, but I could see the stress. I kept beating myself up about it. I always said that we weren't doing this for the ribbons or the titles, that we were doing it for fun and it didn't matter what our score was. But seeing Abby stressed made me feel like we were doing this for the wrong reasons. And hearing everyone cheer about Abby's score only made me feel worse.
But a week after the trial, we had regular class, and Abby did great. Most of the people in our class are new to level 2 - and that makes us the "experienced" pair! Who would have thought! Abby showed off and strutted around. She went back to her old self. I started to feel better about the last week because it was obvious that there were no lingering effects. But then I started thinking about it in a whole new way, I started looking back on everything that we had gone through to get to the trial, and how I routinely put her in stressful situations to get there. And how that putting her in low-level stressful situations over a period of time has actually been beneficial in the long run because it has opened up her world. I can't imagine where Abby would be if I only kept her confined to her safe space. Sure she wouldn't ever have stress, but she wouldn't ever really have fun either. And Abby has a TON of FUN doing rally.
After thinking through all this, I took another look back at the trial. I realized exactly how well Abby really did. Sure she was stressed, everyone is stressed at a trial, but Abby continued to work with me the entire time. She never shut down, and she did everything I asked of her. I remember a time when Abby would shut down completely when stressed, and we are so far past that now. I started feeling better about my role in this whole thing too. I did ask her to work through her stress and through the trial, but when it came time for the run off, I pulled her (well, sort of). I asked her to try, but when it was obvious that she really didn't want to do it, I asked her to sit, gave her a bunch of cookies, and walked off. When push came to shove, I did what was right for my dog, regardless of the ribbon.
Working my dogs is a whole new experience for me. For years, I have only had PET dogs, and I have always treated them as pets. But asking my dogs to do something only because I ask them to is still a strange concept. Sure they have a ton of fun, but it's still a bit strange. I mean, who really needs to walk a figure 8 around a bunch of cones? I've gone through a lot of emotions through out the various stages of training, and I've questioned the why a lot as well. I want to make sure that I am doing this for the right reason, and that reason is Abby's over all happiness. I think I get it wrong sometimes. Sometimes I make poor training decisions, and sometimes I get frustrated; but I think that more often than not, we get it right. And Abby has come so far from that feral dog I took in. She is able to work in a stressful situation with strange people, strange dogs, and loud noises. And now that all is said and done, I am finally proud of the score that we got. Because it really isn't about the number at all, it's about the work that we have put in since day one - for over two and half years. And it's about the relationship that has been built through out that time. It's about the love that I have for Abby and the trust that she has in me and that together we can accomplish incredible things.
On paper, things look great. Abby got a score of 203 out of a possible 200 w/ 10 pt bonus. That is pretty amazing. Abby also tied for 4th place!!! We had a run off because you can't actually tie, and Abby ended up with 5th place. Not too shabby for our first trial - and we really haven't been doing this for very long. Abby did better then some of the pure bred, perfectly bred, bought dogs!
Right after the event, I was feeling really bad about the trial. I was thrilled with our score, but I was really upset because Abby wasn't her self. She was stressed out for so many reasons and I was angry at myself for putting her through it. I tried to get there late so that she didn't have to be crated for very long, but that didn't work out. We still got there too early so I drove around and found a park and took her for a long walk. But she still ended up being crated for longer than either of us wanted. Then, we ended up with a different judge then I had planned. The judge was still very nice, but she was different and Abby doesn't really like different. THEN, as we were walking in, the judge kept going on and on about Abby being an Iggy and how much she wanted an Iggy. So not only was there a strange person in the ring, but that strange person was talking to us. The run off was the hardest because it was the very last thing that happened and everyone was in the room with their dogs, watching, and waiting for the ribbons. It was very loud and very stressful. I felt like a lousy owner asking Abby to work with me in a situation that was obviously very difficult for her.
I felt like a bad parent for almost an entire week. Everyone told me that Abby did great, but I could see the stress. I kept beating myself up about it. I always said that we weren't doing this for the ribbons or the titles, that we were doing it for fun and it didn't matter what our score was. But seeing Abby stressed made me feel like we were doing this for the wrong reasons. And hearing everyone cheer about Abby's score only made me feel worse.
But a week after the trial, we had regular class, and Abby did great. Most of the people in our class are new to level 2 - and that makes us the "experienced" pair! Who would have thought! Abby showed off and strutted around. She went back to her old self. I started to feel better about the last week because it was obvious that there were no lingering effects. But then I started thinking about it in a whole new way, I started looking back on everything that we had gone through to get to the trial, and how I routinely put her in stressful situations to get there. And how that putting her in low-level stressful situations over a period of time has actually been beneficial in the long run because it has opened up her world. I can't imagine where Abby would be if I only kept her confined to her safe space. Sure she wouldn't ever have stress, but she wouldn't ever really have fun either. And Abby has a TON of FUN doing rally.
After thinking through all this, I took another look back at the trial. I realized exactly how well Abby really did. Sure she was stressed, everyone is stressed at a trial, but Abby continued to work with me the entire time. She never shut down, and she did everything I asked of her. I remember a time when Abby would shut down completely when stressed, and we are so far past that now. I started feeling better about my role in this whole thing too. I did ask her to work through her stress and through the trial, but when it came time for the run off, I pulled her (well, sort of). I asked her to try, but when it was obvious that she really didn't want to do it, I asked her to sit, gave her a bunch of cookies, and walked off. When push came to shove, I did what was right for my dog, regardless of the ribbon.
Working my dogs is a whole new experience for me. For years, I have only had PET dogs, and I have always treated them as pets. But asking my dogs to do something only because I ask them to is still a strange concept. Sure they have a ton of fun, but it's still a bit strange. I mean, who really needs to walk a figure 8 around a bunch of cones? I've gone through a lot of emotions through out the various stages of training, and I've questioned the why a lot as well. I want to make sure that I am doing this for the right reason, and that reason is Abby's over all happiness. I think I get it wrong sometimes. Sometimes I make poor training decisions, and sometimes I get frustrated; but I think that more often than not, we get it right. And Abby has come so far from that feral dog I took in. She is able to work in a stressful situation with strange people, strange dogs, and loud noises. And now that all is said and done, I am finally proud of the score that we got. Because it really isn't about the number at all, it's about the work that we have put in since day one - for over two and half years. And it's about the relationship that has been built through out that time. It's about the love that I have for Abby and the trust that she has in me and that together we can accomplish incredible things.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Life. . . Death. . .and Wobble Boards
They say bad things happen in threes and I have to say that I agree with them. It seems that I have been slapped in the face with mortality three times in the past two weeks. Two of those survived, one did not. Regardless of whether they lived or died, the possibility of loss was deeply felt for each one. And that has made this a difficult two weeks.
As difficult as these two weeks have been, I have also had a lot to be thankful for. My friends have been wonderful - calling to check in regularly; allowing me to take the necessary time off work; and making sure that I eat at least something during the day. And as thankful as I am for my friends, I am, in a way, more thankful for my dogs.
We often think of dogs as noble, as selfless, as companions; but the reality is that dogs are animals and are driven by their own needs and desires. They still want to go for walks, they still want to eat breakfast a half hour too early, they still won't go potty in the rain. They force us to get up and get going with our day, even when we don't quite feel like it. And because they are who they are, they are the only ones who can make us laugh in times of deep sadness. And today, of all days, Abby stood on the wobble board. Through all the tears shed today, my dog was the only one who could make me laugh, and who could give me exactly what I needed to keep going.
As difficult as these two weeks have been, I have also had a lot to be thankful for. My friends have been wonderful - calling to check in regularly; allowing me to take the necessary time off work; and making sure that I eat at least something during the day. And as thankful as I am for my friends, I am, in a way, more thankful for my dogs.
We often think of dogs as noble, as selfless, as companions; but the reality is that dogs are animals and are driven by their own needs and desires. They still want to go for walks, they still want to eat breakfast a half hour too early, they still won't go potty in the rain. They force us to get up and get going with our day, even when we don't quite feel like it. And because they are who they are, they are the only ones who can make us laugh in times of deep sadness. And today, of all days, Abby stood on the wobble board. Through all the tears shed today, my dog was the only one who could make me laugh, and who could give me exactly what I needed to keep going.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
I Have Great Dogs
. . . even if I don't always think so . . .
Things have been super crazy/busy/stressful for the past few weeks at work and I really needed a vacation. I needed to get away somewhere quiet with the dogs and completely decompress. After thinking it over and checking dogfriendly.com I found a nice little inn on a beach in northern, northern CA called Cleone Gardens Inn. It is the perfect get-away and they really are very dog friendly. Not just semi-dog-friendly... the real dog-friendly where they let the dogs up on the bed and the couch and give you bowls and towels and cookies for your dogs. The dog-friendly where they greet your dog before they greet you . . . the kind of place that makes me feel at home because that is how my own home truly is.
The dogs were perfect and had a great time. We spent a lot of time watching bad tv, reading books, and walking the beach. Pocket loves the beach. I think that it is her favorite place to be. All she wants to do is run, run, run. Mole likes the smells. Abby is no longer afraid of the beach.. and I think that is the most I can hope for on her second trip there! While there I tried to get some good photos of the kids, but I couldn't seem to get one where their tails weren't wagging constantly.
Don't expect any photos of Abby's tail wagging...she didn't wag it once on any of our walks while we were AT the beach... but it wasn't tucked up either, so I think that we are making progress...
Since I had all the time in the world (and a few cookies) I thought that I would try for a family photo. Here are the out takes:
two
plus two
equals three
wait, lets try that again
One more time
One
plus two
equals. . . one dog and two aliens.... (they're back!)
ok, ok. . .we did get ONE good photo
All in all, I had a great weekend. And it was nice having Abby along for a vacation. She hasn't gotten to come before because she really isn't trustworthy... but I had the time to take things slow with her and I really want her to start being able to come on the few vacations we actually get to take. She seemed to enjoy herself at some points, and she wasn't stressed out during the rest of it, so I think that she will be coming from now on. I really do have great dogs, and it is times like these where their wonderful personalities and great behavior, and stability really show. I did have a nice, relaxing time, but more than that, I was proud of my kids... and having the chance to get away with them means more to me than anything
Things have been super crazy/busy/stressful for the past few weeks at work and I really needed a vacation. I needed to get away somewhere quiet with the dogs and completely decompress. After thinking it over and checking dogfriendly.com I found a nice little inn on a beach in northern, northern CA called Cleone Gardens Inn. It is the perfect get-away and they really are very dog friendly. Not just semi-dog-friendly... the real dog-friendly where they let the dogs up on the bed and the couch and give you bowls and towels and cookies for your dogs. The dog-friendly where they greet your dog before they greet you . . . the kind of place that makes me feel at home because that is how my own home truly is.
The dogs were perfect and had a great time. We spent a lot of time watching bad tv, reading books, and walking the beach. Pocket loves the beach. I think that it is her favorite place to be. All she wants to do is run, run, run. Mole likes the smells. Abby is no longer afraid of the beach.. and I think that is the most I can hope for on her second trip there! While there I tried to get some good photos of the kids, but I couldn't seem to get one where their tails weren't wagging constantly.
Don't expect any photos of Abby's tail wagging...she didn't wag it once on any of our walks while we were AT the beach... but it wasn't tucked up either, so I think that we are making progress...
Since I had all the time in the world (and a few cookies) I thought that I would try for a family photo. Here are the out takes:
two
plus two
equals three
wait, lets try that again
One more time
One
plus two
equals. . . one dog and two aliens.... (they're back!)
ok, ok. . .we did get ONE good photo
All in all, I had a great weekend. And it was nice having Abby along for a vacation. She hasn't gotten to come before because she really isn't trustworthy... but I had the time to take things slow with her and I really want her to start being able to come on the few vacations we actually get to take. She seemed to enjoy herself at some points, and she wasn't stressed out during the rest of it, so I think that she will be coming from now on. I really do have great dogs, and it is times like these where their wonderful personalities and great behavior, and stability really show. I did have a nice, relaxing time, but more than that, I was proud of my kids... and having the chance to get away with them means more to me than anything
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