The crazy german girls playing up on our property this evening
Monthly Archives: March 2011
Middle of nowhere
I feel like i’m in a warpzone, the time has just been flying by like crazy. Its almost april and i feel like the year should have just started. I can’t slow it down but i can make the most of it. I remember a few years ago i couldn’t wait to turn another year older, to be “an adult” Well i’ve defiantly achieved adult status and i’d not mind to drop back a few years. I have so many things i need to achieve in the next few years that i better light up a fire and work double time!!
The dogs are all aging in their different ways and i stop and think about what each of them have achieved and what they still may want in life. Last week Snoopy managed to get some dog treats off the kitchen table……i now get a thorough inspection upon entry of the house and anything that gets placed on the table may, may ,may hold some yummies. Damn that natural reinforcement factor. Ahhh well we can’t all have perfect dogs, we can only try to be perfect partners.
Eme's best bud
Cosmic girls
My cosmic girls, that has a ring to it doesn’t it? Well they know they are cosmic, i mean they save lives right? And to make it better they are so gosh darn cute doing it!
Cosmic. Relaxing after the find
Last weekend was great, the girls worked problems 5 days out of the week and i really saw good progress with the quick refind and fast long barking. Whew i think my hand hurts from writing so many training log entries!
Epic
My girls are truly truly cosmic.
Update on the dogs
Well so far everyone is hanging in there pretty good. Its been a long winter and while the dogs enjoy playing in the snow i know they are ready for spring just like us. Valentine is doing good, her leg is still in rough shape and I will never go back to colonial in Ithaca NY for an orthopedic surgery again. I have always seen Dr. Ross do great work but Val would have been better off if left to heal without a $4000 surgery. We are slowly trying to continue her recovery even with her turned out leg that just refuses to build muscle. While opening her up again to fix any possible meniscus tears he may have caused during surgery may be in order i do not think we will put her back under for it. She developed some extreme anxiety over her months spent in a kennel rehabbing including severe skin breakouts and anxiety inside kennels. She is now living in a crate free environment and is doing much better after some calming exercises and rehabilitation work to the mind.
Olive is doing good but is slowing down in her old age. Her hips and knees are getting worse which after the xrays we took last year i’m not surprised. She has hip dysplasia and DJD so we are going to make her comfortable and happy. She enjoys laying around on her orthopedic bed chewing on kongs and peanut butter filled bones and that is what she shall get!
Snoopy is his grumpy old self but doing well. He has his moments of puppy like play but it lasts only a minute or two and then hes curled up on the couch again sleeping. He’s almost 12 and besides some arthritis we are doing well medically.
Everyone else is doing great. Kendal is my current demo dog going to all my training sessions, working with some dog aggressive dogs and passing her calm stoic mentality to all who she meets.
I cannot complain, it has been another great start to the year and all the dogs are doing wonderful. Going to bed every night and waking up every morning to a slobbery batch of kisses and anticipated tail wags for the adventures we will enter that day is a blessing!
Everyone looking like stars
As always the girls impress me when day after day i ask so much of them! Just a short video clip of last weekends fun time after of course a day of work. More updates to follow!
St Pattys day parade
Binghamton had a huge st pattys day parade a few weeks ago on the 7th and Kara and i took the girls down to experience the mayham. The girls did wonderful, stayed focused on us through all the people, kids, other dogs, drunks, cars and floats and things being thrown in the air! It was great to see such level headed focused canines in such a high intensity environment. It was a true testament to all the de sensitizing work i’ve done in town and in stores.
Focus is the key
Eme did great with working with Kara while her mother was right behind her. She is such a flexible dog and that is a great quality if its ever necessary someone else works her or takes care of her. She was un-fazed by anything that went by and listened well to kara’s commands.
Having hard working, high drive search dogs are great, but the key is also teaching them how to “turn off” inside and how to be calm, front brained, and focused in public.
And then there was thaw
This weekend was a busy eventful one! Saturday I brought my girls and the Family Foundtion School Dog Corp Kids helping Canines first dog down. Delilah will live in one of the dorms with 10 of the dog corps kids and they will be responsible for training and raising her until Life Long Tails places her into a home. The boys were very excited when we got there and sweet shy delilah took right to them. It’ll be a long road but i know this will be a great program for the boys and the dogs!
The girls got some work that afternoon and each performed a great moving subject problem with multiple refinds. I’m stoked, they are doing so good!! We spent the night at Ritas and got a few hours of sleep after much talking. Sunday morning brought our meeting to discuss the Comfed we are hosting in September with Amigo and NJ Sar. The girls were patient and new their time would come!
I did it!
Eme got a nice 35 minute long problem with 2 subjects hiding together. It was the longest she had ever done and despite being very tired, and the subjects not being were they had been marked on my GPS I was able to follow my dog and her alerts and find the boys. She was exhausted but did a perfect refind and indication with a long bark and victoriously got her ball! The problem had been worked 20 minutes prior by another k9 team so she had to work out their scent and the subjects scent which made it even more difficult!
Raina got a short demo problem for a few new people who had come to check out the team. She of course showed off her perfect scent work and full refind. I wanted to set up a longer problem with her so we can start to build some nose time, she can be certified by a year old and i’m sure she will be ready. I set up a good problem which lasted 15 minutes the longest she has worked so far. She preformed great and maintained her refind and indication giving me 2 before i reached the subject.
playing with her subject
We finished the day with 2 HR hides including one that was up about 3 feet. Both girls did great and are ready to move on in their HR training. Next we will put in the indication using boxes that deliver their toy. This allows the dog to sit and wait for the ball while focusing on the source and not on me!
Its amazing how quick my girls are growing up. Eme turned 1 on friday and i just don’t know where the year went! The next few months are going to be hard, we will be doing a lot of nose building long problems and drilling in obedience. Certifications will start soon and mom will need to learn not to be a nervous wreck! Off to get re packed and ready to work the girls again later today!
All done
Love is the question
Many people ask me everyday why i love dogs. I’ve thought about the answer to this question a lot and have yet to really come up with the “right” answer. I love dogs because they are selfishless, i love dogs because they have compasson, I love dogs because they are always there, i love dogs because their fur is soft, i love dogs because they are intelligent, i love dogs because they are a challenge, i love dogs because they are brilliant, i love dogs because we have a bond, i love dogs because they can see into my soul, i love dogs because they are, in part, an extension of me. I love dogs because they in turn love me.
I spent many years struggling with life, and i faced many challenges. I hadn’t found that purpose yet, i didn’t have that intense passion or need to wake up everyday and provide for myself. I needed to learn how to live it, and if i really wanted to continue living it. I believe, i believe that with dogs in my life i can live it to the fullest. I do not know fear or uncertainty anymore as I always have a canine by my side now.
As i sit here and write this i look around my living room and see my dogs, Valentine and snoopy curled up with each other on the couch with fugly perched on top of val, kendal by their side and titan on the pillow next to them. Raina spread out on the carpet in front of the TV and Boburka on his bed in the corner. Anna and scout curled up with each other on the big dog pillow, Eme in her black leather chair and olive on the other side of the house curled up at the foot of our bed waiting for me to come in and go to sleep. They are all curled up sleeping right now, ready to retire for the night. That is of course until i stand up and make a motion indicating it is time to do something, and then i have twenty-two eyes staring at me with conviction, waiting for their next orders. I didn’t ask them for this dedication, they offered it and i have graciously accepted. Love isn’t the question anymore, love is the answer.
Not spring thats for sure
Woke up at 6am this morning (got to sleep in whooo hoooo) to a whoping 2 feet of snow. I couldn’t even open the back door, had to slip out and shovel off the back porch so the door could open and dogs could get out. Most didn’t want to go it was over their head but the shepherds couldn’t wait and took off clearing paths for the smaller dogs. Poor Fugly got lost in the snow banks!
With a state of emergeny in Broome County plans of in town training was demolished. Instead we played in the backyard, went on a short but tiring hike and did some small scent problems. The girls were still happy.
All in all not a bad hang around the house snow day. Man and we could see green grass yesterday…………..
Bark the same language
Speaking the language of another species is not easy, far from it. We were born with a spoken language why would we use something else? What people fail to see is we were also born with a body, and that demands much more respect than words.
TUG
Every interaction you have with a dog you use your body, either good or bad. In order to have the best communication and best relationship with your dog you have to understand what your body means and how to use it.
Words and tones make up some of our canine communication but save it for special times, times you need the dog to really listen or acknowledge you and your existence. When you work obedience or have a training session make sure your upbeat and have a happy high pitch voice, this is what dogs like and believe me their is a huge difference in the dogs behavior depending on your tone!
Remember trained dogs are happy dogs and make happy owners.
DOGS ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THEIR OWNERS TRAIN THEM TO BE!!!! So be proud of your dogs!!!!!
Elite Instinct K9 Training 