Some Thoughts

A couple weeks ago, a friend asked me if I have ever considered getting a different breed of dog. She knows I like to do lots of dog sport stuff and since she has Bernese herself, she knows that sometimes the breed has limitations when it comes to being competitive. Bernese are not the fastest agility dogs and they tend not to like work that involves a lot of repetition, like obedience.

My answer was easy - my dogs are my pets and companions first and competition/performance dogs second and I have yet to find another breed that appeals to me as much as the Berners do.

Yes, I could be a lot more competitive in agility with one of the "typical" agility breeds but I don't know if I could really provide the right type of home that a high drive, competitive dog would need. I love my cuddly dogs who fit well into my lifestyle. If I want to hike for 2 hours they are up for it. If I want to nap on the couch for 2 hours, they are up for that too.

There are plenty of breeds that I admire and some that I have seriously considered as a "contender" to fit into my household, but something or another just does not seem right. When we get a dog, it should be with some thoughtfulness considering how that dog will fit into our lifestyle. We may get a dog with the intentions of it being a "performance" dog, but often that does not always work out for various reasons. That is why, for me, my dogs are my pets first and if it turns out that they enjoy agility, obedience, or other performance events, great. If not, they are still my companion.

For me, at this time, the Berners are a perfect fit (well, I could do without all the shedding). They are goofy and make me laugh. They are sweet and sensitive. They are fun. They are easy going, "take things as they come" kind of dogs. They are smart but not in a "I need something to do" sort of way. They are always smiling. They make me smile.

I think the only thing that would make me look to a different breed would be the serious health issues in the breed. They have an unfortunate short life span when compared to other breeds of their size. But, it is hard to resist a face like this.

Perspective

These pictures are from a couple days ago, and yes, we still have a lot of snow.  Much of it has melted in the past day or so, but my yard still has a lot.  Although it would be nice to see some green grass again, I don't really mind the mild temperatures and bit of snow that we have been getting.  Compared to the devastating tornados, wildfires and flooding that are happening right now in other parts of North America, I am more than happy to put up with a bit of snow.  Besides that, the dogs love it!!!

Children's Festival Demo

Yesterday we had the opportunity to do some dog sport demos at the Children's Festival. Our local kennel club had space at the Festival and invited a group of us to participate. It was a very long day, but it was lots of fun.

Maggie had a very fun day. She got to visit with many, many kids and enjoyed all the hugs and belly rubs. She adores kids and is very gentle with them. Maggie also helped out in the agility demos and the rally obedience demo.

Bosley had a fun day also. He, however, does not enjoy the attention of kids (he thinks they are a bit scary) but he got to demo in scent hurdle racing, agility and carting.

When I was asked to to a carting demo, I wanted to come up with something that was informative, as well as a bit entertaining. Carting is not really a spectator sport - people may say "wow, look at that dog pulling a cart" but to hold attention for a 15-20 minute demo is tough, especially with so many other activities going on. So . . .

. . . I made these:

A giant milk and cheese to pull in the cart.

I made a little skit (thanks to everyone who helped out) and then did some basic carting demonstrations. I think it went well - I had fun anyway :)

Here is our carting demo:

There were many other great demonstrations throughout the day including agility, scenthurdle, obedience, tricks, freestyle and disc. Here is a video montage of the demos that our group did.

Dumbbell (the noun, not the adjective)

A few weeks ago, it was suggested to me to use a wooden dumbbell instead of a plastic one, because the wooden ones have less bounce when you throw them. So I checked the usual obedience supply online stores and I ordered a plain wooden dumbbell. Then . . . I found the most beautiful dumbbells I had ever seen. I came across a website where you can order custom dumbbells made out of your choice of some very nice wood. Not your typical dumbbells, that's for sure. I contacted the lady just to ask a couple questions and check out the prices and I couldn't help but order Bosley a fancy, new dumbbell.

Bosley's new dumbbell is made out of Zebra wood and it is shiny and pretty.

If you would like to see more of these beautiful dumbbells made by Tracy Libby (who provides awesome customer service as well as beautiful work) , check out her website:
White Mountain Australian Shepherds

I'm not addicted to buying dog things. Really. I'm not.

. . . well, maybe a little bit . . .

But you can't find dumbbells like this just anywhere. :)

Exciting Weekend News !!!

We spent the the weekend at the Red Deer dog show doing some obedience, some scent hurdle racing and lots of hanging out and visiting.

Bosley was entered in 3 obedience trials and after some really awful heeling on Friday, he pulled it all together on Saturday to earn his first Open leg with a High in Class.  I was so excited and relieved to get that first leg - I was beginning to think it may never happen.  Sunday his heeling was off again and he stepped in the broad jump for an NQ.  But . . . his drops were perfect all weekend and his fetching was great too!  I bought a new heavier wooden dumbbell and have been practicing throwing straight - and was happy that all my throws at the show were pretty darn good :)

Bosley with his HIC ribbon.

Hanging out at the show.

Saturday night was our Scent Hurdle team debut.  We were all so excited to get out there and have our first race.  We were ready at the start line . . . the whistle blew . . .  and everything fell apart.  The dogs acted like they had never been trained at all.  Bosley left his lane to go visit a cute Sheltie at the other box, he really liked Kort's dumbbell and kept bringing back Kort's instead of his own.  All of the dogs on the team had trouble of some sort or another.  We were very discouraged after those first couple races.  Everyone on the other teams were very nice though, and the more our team ran (we had 8 races) the better they got.  In the end, all the dogs settled into the racing and we even won a few heats :)  In Bosley's first ever scent hurdle race, he came home with 30 points towards his Scent Hurdle title.  Not too shabby for our first race ever!

Here is a video of our team in action:

I can't not share the video of our team bloopers.  Funny stuff :)

So overall, a very fun and successful weekend.  Can't wait to do it all again :)

Thanks Amanda for the great pictures !!!

The Circle Of Life

*** Warning - This Post Contains Graphic Wild Kingdom Type Content ***

Maggie and I went for a walk in the coulees behind our house this afternoon, in hopes of getting a good picture for her 52 weeks project.   Maggie was out sniffing around . . . 

... Then something caught her attention.  "Hey, I think there is something interesting up here".

I caught up to her and found this:

And a little further on . . . this:

And not much further past that . . . there was this:

A very fresh coyote kill.  I would guess this kill would have been from last night or early this morning.

The fur and hide, the intestinal content, part of the skeleton and the deer jaw were all that were left behind.  The coyotes do not waste anything.

It is sad that a cute deer had to die such a horrible death, but that is the way of the food chain.  The coyotes will eat what they can catch to survive - a rabbit, a deer or whatever else will make a quick meal.

Ready To Race

We have our first Scent Hurdle race coming up very soon.  Here is Bosley in his racing gear.  Doesn't he look cute in his little racing jacket.

Obedience Fun Match

We spent the day today at an obedience fun match.  I brought Maggie along to hang out and at the last minute I decided to enter her in Novice.  I was glad I did.  She has not done any real obedience training forever, but she was so good today, and even took the first place prize!  She is such a good, fun heeling dog, and I love doing obedience with her.  Too bad she has such bad ring nerves at real trials - she could easily finish her CD if she didn't get so stressed in the ring.  I am not going to push it, as that's not really fair to her - she doesn't care anything about a silly title.

I entered Bosley in Open and he was a bit off today.  Lagging on the heeling and was really, really interested in one of the posts on our figure 8.  He never stops to sniff the post people.  The rest was OK.  I needed to give a second command on the retrieve on flat, which was weird.  His drop was slow so I gave a second command on that as well.  I don't know why our DOR is falling apart lately - he was so fast at it before.  I guess a step back in training is in order.

After all the obedience was done, we had a mock Scent Hurdle trial and raced against another team.  Bosley was awesome!  He didn't make one mistake in any of the heats and we did many more heats in a row than we had ever done before.  He was starting to run out of steam at the end, and was going slower, but he went out every time and always brought back the right dumbbell.  He was a very good boy.  Our whole team did so well today and I am really looking forward to our first "real" race in a couple weeks.

Drive/Motivation Seminar

Today I was out of town at a seminar presented by Schutzhund trainer Carolyn Herle.  Carolyn is an awesome trainer and has tons of good ideas for building drive, attention, and motivation.  I was very excited to get a working spot in her seminar because she is really good at finding things that work for your particular dog and handling style.

She talked lots about motivators and the correct use of markers and rewards.  Also the importance of having a good bond with your dog, which is so important if you are doing competitive obedience.

During the working portion, she gave me lots of good suggestions and pointed out some things that I was doing wrong.  Good thing dogs are so forgiving in our training of them!  She also suggested that I backchain my CDX routine so that Bosley's excitement will build as we go along, as he will know that he is getting closer to his reward.  That is important in dogs like Bosley who do not necessarily have tons of drive and need to know that the reward is coming.

It is also very interesting to watch all the other teams.  Lots of good suggestions for everyone and with some dogs you could see the difference in attitude within minutes of Carolyn making some changes to how the handler engaged with their dog.  Very cool to see!

Bosley says he is sad when he has to be in his crate.  He would rather be out working and having fun.

                                                    (Picture by Amanda)

In The Ring

We had another try at Open Obedience this weekend.  I really debated entering this particular show because it was a part of a big conformation show and there was no separate area for the obedience rings.  So,  I went saying that if he was too distracted Friday, I wouldn't go back Saturday.  

Bosley was a bit distracted Friday (lagged on the heeling, ran out to take the high jump during heeling and went to visit the stewards table instead of fetching his dumbbell), but still worked with me and we got through the routine.

Saturday we had 2 runs and he got better each run.  The first run of the day was very nice, but I had a really bad throw over the high jump and Bosley went around the jump on the way back to me.  Other than that, very nice marks for everything else. 

His second run Saturday was the best of the weekend,  Totally up and focused heeling.  Happy, happy in the ring.  That is what I want.  He did decide to step through the broad jump though.  But I was very happy with the rest of it.

His out of sight stays were perfect all weekend and his dumbbell work was good.  We just need to get a routine where everything comes together and I am sure it will soon.  

Thanks to Julia, I have some pictures to share.  (Thanks again Julia)!

Our heeling pattern - love that big face looking up at me :)

Figure 8 - nice focus!

Setting up for the drop on recall.

Bringing the dumbbell.

I love this picture.  Bosley presenting me with the dumbbell.  

We have another trial coming up soon, so hopefully we can get it all together.  I really like obedience, and being in the ring is good experience for both of us, but I do want to qualify one of these trials :)

Small City Living

Sometimes when you live somewhere for a while, it is easy to take what you have in your own backyard for granted.  

I live in the city (a small city) and although it doesn't have all the glitz, glamour and opportunity that a large city has, it does have many advantages.  We can walk 1/2 block from our house to find this:

Ferocious!

This picture makes me laugh.  Maggie looks so intense and scary, but she is really just having fun playing with me in the yard.  She loves to bark, growl and show her teeth when she is playing.  She really wouldn't hurt anyone.

A Valentine Birthday

Not only is today Valentine's Day, but it is also Maggie's Birthday.  

Happy 6th Birthday to my sweet and silly girl :)

For The Love Of Obedience

I really love formal obedience.  When Maggie was a puppy, I took her to puppy class then to a basic manners class.  It was fun and I learned a lot.  But then, I took a set of lessons that was more formal - formal heeling, fronts, finishes and attention to detail.  I loved it!  My quest to compete in obedience had begun.  When I was talking to Bosley's breeder about what I was looking for in a dog, I told her I really wanted a dog that I could compete in obedience with - I knew that was something I wanted to do.

I hear so many people say that formal obedience is boring.  It is too "formal", too many rules, too picky.  I don't think it is boring at all.  I love the attention to detail.  I love the problem solving to figure out what will work for my dog.  It is challenging, it is sometimes frustrating, but at the same time it is highly rewarding.  There is nothing better than the feeling of having my dog prancing beside me in a perfect heel - every move is like a well co-ordinated dance.

In this little city that I live in, very few people share my love for this sport.  But, there are a few of us.  There is a small group of us who get together every week to train.  It is very informal - no instructor- just a group of enthusiasts with a common love and a common goal.  We help each other and give each other feedback and suggestions.  I learn so much from observing the other teams and helping them problem solve.

As for where Bosley is currently at in his training, I think he is doing well.  We are getting ready to go back in the Open ring for another try.  I am actually really looking forward to it.  Bosley has been very enthusiastic about obedience lately and we really seem to be in sync.  I am working hard on his anticipation (which is what failed us in our last trial).   He is getting lazy on his out of sight sits, so I am trying to find something to keep him more focused during them.

I have also been dabbling in Utility training.  His articles are coming along well.  He is happily retrieving the metal article now.  I am working on him scenting the metal articles and he is doing good, as long as I only do 3 or 4 repetitions at a time.

I have started "Seek Back" work.  I am really trying to figure this out by trial and error.  In AKC obedience, they have a directed retrieve, so there is tons of info on how to train that.  In CKC there is no directed retrieve, but instead, there is the "Seek Back" exercise.  No info on the internet or in books on how to train it - so I am just making up my own version.  So far, so good.  Bosley is happy to run out and bring back the glove - but of course I am only walking a short distance after I drop it, so it is still in plain sight.
I have a plan for teaching the Go Out, but I haven't started training it yet.  This seems to always be a tough exercise for dogs to learn, so I want to take my time and do it right.

Bosley is such a good obedience dog.  He tries hard to figure out new things and really tries hard to be right.  I also use minimal corrections in my training, so he is never worried to try something new.  He is a great obedience dog :)

The Search

"I'm Sure My Toy Is In Here Somewhere"

"Pounce"

"Yup, Found It!"

"Throw It Again, Please"

It's Never Long Enough

My sister and brother-in-law had to say good-bye to their dog Oreo the other day.  They got Oreo from the animal shelter when he was just a young puppy and he spent the last 14 years being a loved companion.  Oreo was the sweetest and most gentle dog I have ever met and he will be dearly missed by everyone who had the great pleasure of knowing him.

Special Friend

I lost a special friend today 

the kind you can't replace, 

and looking at his empty bed 

I still can see his face.

I see the endless energy 

the sparkling puppy eyes, 

Not the tired, fragile friend 

I had to bid goodbye.

I know he's in a special place 

our Lord has for such friends, 

Where meadows, fields & flowers 

help make them strong and whole again.

I remember how he'd run to me 

to play his favorite puppy game, 

And how his ears would perk right up 

When he heard me call his name.

But as those precious years went by 

And we both aged and grew, 

I'd find him often slowing down 

But-we had still so much to do.

It will truely be a struggle 

I don't know how I'll face each day, 

I have to let him go--I know 

But in my heart he'll always stay.

This special place our Lord has made 

Health and strength, wait for him there, 

So with my very special friend 

I'm sending all my prayers.

I know he's watching over me 

He'll be with me when I cry, 

So with one more kiss on his beloved head 

I told my Oreo Dog goodbye.

By Christina L. Tronnes 

Special Delivery

I ordered Scent Articles a couple weeks ago, and they were delivered today! I am very excited.

Here they are - 6 each of leather, metal and wood.

Bosley stopped in to pose with his new articles.

That is not all I ordered. I also ordered this very nice carrying bag with a Bernese on it. I got red numbers on the articles to match the red bag. Those in turn match Bosley's red cart and carting harness. I know he won't be carting and doing articles at the same time, but I thought it would be nice if all his activities "matched".

I am very excited to start scent article work. Tonight Bosley was holding the metal dumbbell and fronting with it in his mouth. For the past few weeks, we have been working on him holding a metal spoon to get used to the feeling of metal in his mouth. He doesn't love the metal, but he will hold it now.
I gave him the leather article, which I thought he would have no problem with, and it made him gag. Funny. The leather smell is really strong right now because they are new, so hopefully, once they air out and get used a bit, that strong smell will go away and Bosley will quit gagging.
Of course he has no problem with the wood articles, as that is what we use in scent hurdle.

For now, we are going to work the metal articles and get him used to retrieving them and then scenting them. Then I will move on to leather. It will be a while until he is working the whole pile of articles, but we are in no rush.

Frosty Paws

Hey, You!  With the mittens and the warm boots!  It's -20C today. 

 I don't have mittens or boots.  I only have paws.  Tender, soft, house dog paws.  

My paw!  It is cold.  I can't even look at you - taking pictures of my awful plight.

Look at my sad face.  Look at my cold paws.  

Are you just going to stand there - doing nothing?!?

I think this one is going to fall right off.  You won't think it is so funny then, will you?

Do you see this look that I am giving you? 

My feet!  My feet!  I can't stand it anymore!!

(You are going to put this on your blog, aren't you?)

Save Me !!!!

Silly Pet Trick

My dogs only know a few basic dog tricks.  High five, wave, play dead and spin are among the basic tricks they both know.  Bosley does known one other trick though :