The Naughty Nautical Girl

I fought exhaustion all day long and found it very hard to get motivated to train my Tacara Terv. Around 2:00, I finally decided I was going to train my dog. We did some Open training, and we had to take a few steps back because I haven't jumped Dreamer regularly for about a month, and it shows. She gets confused and isn't being stubborn. She just needs a refresher, so I went back to the basics on the high jump and kept it very light and positive. Dreamer had a good time. I worked on pieces of Utility go-outs with her, as well as recalls and finishes.

Not long after our training session, I decided I would take Dreamer for a long walk at the lake where I ride. It was a gorgeous day, so I knew the lake would be packed with people. I put on my new Saucony trail shoes that I found on sale (I am financially easing myself into agility!) so that I could start breaking them in.

At the lake, Dreamer watched the pelicans, ducks, flocks of seagulls, and other birds. She greeted young children happily, did well around runners and cyclists, and walked out onto a rickety wooden dock with me. She tried to jump off the dock at first, so I had to keep a tight leash on her. I rewarded her at the end of the dock, where she became noticeably more confident and at ease. The exposure to that unstable surface was so good for her. I let her get down near the water to sniff at the waves, which drove her a little nuts because they were splashing up against some rocks and were very exciting and stimulating to her. She did not want to touch the water, though! All in all, she was a very brave girl, and we had a very good walk. I'm glad we went.

And now I can relax without guilt!

Wind Chimes, Key Cutters, and Doorbells - Oh, My!

It was a busy day with the Dreamer due to fabulous weather -- sunny and in the 70s! I pulled out the high jump and did some obedience training with her, and it was like she just picked up where we left off in early December. I love having a smart and willing Tacara Terv. We had a very good and happy obedience session, and it was just nice to remember how much I enjoy training my girl.

Later in the day, we visited a nursery so I could buy a cute little birdhouse for a friend's housewarming gift. The wind had picked up, and it was very good for Dreamer to deal with all the noises of chimes and other objects hitting against each other.

After the nursery, I took Dreamer back to Lowe's because I knew there would be a lot of Saturday activity that she had not experienced earlier in the week when I took her at night. Sure enough, there were annoying sounds like key cutting, saw grinding, paint shaking, and various banging noises. Dreamer did well. When things were too quiet, I would drop light things on the ground or lift latches on toolboxes and containers -- anything that made noise. I even sampled about 8 different doorbell sounds. While Dreamer was jumpy, she also recovered quite quickly. I was very proud of her.

We came home and I just let her run circles around me in the yard with her toys. She is now exhausted and has crashed at my feet in the living room. Mission accomplished. I wish I could spend this much time with her on a regular basis. I need to win the lottery!

Last night, I had very little time after work between my haircut and meeting up with friends, but I managed a quick walk with Dreamer in the neighborhood. It wasn't much, but it counts, right?

Ghetto Kroger

There is a scary Kroger grocery store within walking distance of my house. I call it the Ghetto Kroger. Even with a recent facelift, it's still the Ghetto Kroger to me.

I walked Dreamer over to the Ghetto Kroger, which is in a shopping strip, and walked her around the various storefronts. There wasn't a whole lot going on, as a lot of those stores are empty and for lease, but I could tell that Dreamer was still a little bit stressed and jumpy. It was fine, though. I don't expect immediate results with her. This project is going to take time.

What I love most about taking Dreamer places is that she's extremely excited when I get her collar and leash. She doesn't think of leaving the house as a negative thing at all. She's always up for an adventure, even if she's a little stressed during it. We'll probably go back to the Ghetto Kroger on a busy shopping day. It's going to be a good distraction -- a scary attraction for a scaredy dog.

More Saving. More Doing.

We continued the home improvement theme tonight with a visit to Home Depot. Their tagline is "More Saving. More Doing." I don't know what we are saving (maybe money on future dog show entries?), but I know what we are doing. There was quite a bit of activity and noise at Home Depot, so it was just perfect.

I know I can take my dog to these big home improvement stores, but where else are dogs allowed indoors? Pet stores, obviously. Nurseries. Other ideas? The outdoor opportunities are endless, and we'll utilize those, but we really need some indoor spaces too, especially through the worst of the winter. Let this Tacara Terv Trainer know if you have any ideas!

Come To Jesus

Seeker and I have been training in the basement because of my sinus infection and the fact that it's too darn cold to go out.

She's doing great on the formal things, but I noticed that she was beginning to turn a deaf ear to my "come" commands for getting up on the grooming table, coming back into the house after a play session, etc. I decided that we needed a "come to Jesus" session. It was a good one. I think she escaped up the steps at least 5 times while I patiently tracked her down before she realized that come means come.

Today she came every single time so I tried it in the yard. Perfect! I made a huge deal out of it and she almost leapt right into my arms she was so overjoyed that I was pleased with her success.

She is one soft dog. She will definitely need consistency but she certainly won't need much in the way of corrections. She wants to please, but like any young pup, she will test the waters.

Let's Build Something Together

I'm on a sound-sensitivity quest with the Dreamer, with hopes of measuring and possibly testing her progress at our regional specialty in March. I've got two months to get her out somewhere new, or rarely visited, on a daily basis.

On Saturday, I took her for a walk in the neighborhood. She's used to exercising herself in the back yard, so walking in the neighborhood is a big change for her. On Sunday, I took her to her lesson. She had not been out of the house for about five weeks, due to weather and being in season.

Tonight, I took her to Lowe's Home Improvement. We walked around for about 30 minutes. I had a chance to look at lots of cool things. I lightly banged the hardwood floor samples and moved various objects around. Dreamer was somewhat jumpy, but nothing like she had been in season. I could tell she was a little stressed out tonight, but I was not surprised. That's why we are getting out. It's time to live up to the Lowe's tagline: Let's build something together. I look forward to building trust, confidence, and a tolerance to noises. I will try to blog about our various trips as they occur. Stay tuned!

Demodex Demon

Poor Seeker has Demodex and she is quite uncomfortable. The vet told me to put an e-collar on her to avoid scratching, but I hate those damn things! Stress worsens the demodex, so I can only imagine what an e-collar would cause. But last night I awoke to hearing her scratch and she had opened the skin:(

My poor baby girl.

Today I ordered a soft e-collar. I will let you know how I like it in case you need one in the future for Dreamer. It's called the Comfy Cone and it got great reviews. I'll be using it at night and when she is in her crate while I am away.

Heal, baby girl so we can get back to heeling.

Demo Dog

I use Seeker as a demo dog for my beginning obedience classes. It really helps the students see how I coordinate the leash, my hands, the treats, etc.

Seeker is a willing, albeit show-off demo dog. She likes to add her own moves and energy to the mix. She can barely contain her delight.

At the end of the night when she had been in her crate for quite awhile, I asked for volunteers to demonstrate the quarter turns. No one offered, so I pulled Seeker out to show the new members of our advanced class how to teach their dogs quarter turns. I have been working with this a bit in our basement and she's been doing well, so I thought she might cooperate. Did she ever! This class is mostly full of members of the club who are getting ready to show. They gasped in appreciation as Seeker eagerly demonstrated. Seeker, of course, noticed the attention she got for this so she promptly goosed me before she demonstrated the about turn in place! My little show off:)

Seeker's First Obedience Class

I took Seeker to her first obedience class on Thursday night. First we worked conformation for 15 minutes on the other side of the building. The instructor really isn't any good, but I figured that it couldn't hurt Seeker to gait in the ring with another dog.

Then we moved across the building to do obedience. Since it was the first class for a lot of "public pet people", there was a lot of down time which I knew going in. But that's ok since I just used those times to play tug with Seeker or work on "watch me". What I found so cool is that she will watch me when I don't have the treat in my hands and she doesn't get confused with conformation where she watches the bait and arches her neck.

I was quite pleased with her work ethic. She did well for 30 minutes and then I started to lose her, so I sat down in the chairs outside the ring and had her watch the other dogs. That is my plan: work until I start to lose the little pea brain and then quit on a high note. No need to drill it in at such a young age.

Here are the plusses of the night:

• Seeker prances right along with her neck wrapped around my leg and her head held high.
• Her butt swings wide, but I remember Remy doing that as well in the early going and I can help her with hind end control later on. I also use the wall to keep her butt in as much as possible when the dogs are on the outside of the ring.
• Tucked sits are still in progress so I never let her sit without assistance. At this point, she just doesn't get it so I'm not in any hurry.
• At home, I've been able to get her to tuck up without placing her by using the bait to bring her forward and into the sit. I'll keep testing her like that at home and placing her some of the time until she gets it. I remember it took Remy a long while to learn and didn't Dreamer also have trouble with it in the beginning?
• She is doing great with the tucked sit on the recall in front because she doesn't mind at all that I take her by the collar on both sides and bring her head and body up toward me. She is learning to catch the cheese I drop from my mouth, but she sure isn't as good at catching as Remy was.
• She never disobeyed the down command from heel position and I don't even have to use a hand signal. She just drops down and naturally folds back and onto her hip.
• She was a bit distracted by the other dogs heeling around the ring, but was easily refocused with food.
• She found obedience to be exhausting! When we got home, she ate her dinner and promptly fell asleep for the rest of the night!

Gail's Barn

Gail, Linda Lemmer, and I met to train. Gail had Uie, I had Seeker, and Linda had 2 Tervs: Borg, a 10 year old male, and Gamer who is Dreamer's age. He is the brother of Sayer, the male who won the Am Bred class at the National.

The plan was to do some agility things and then move on to conformation with Gamer. I worked Seeker and Gamer in agility and Gail worked Borg and Uie. We had a lot of fun. I showed them all the agility groundwork I had learned from Debbie and then we did some short sequences. Gamer happily worked with me and I'm going to have a ball muddling my way through with him. It's the perfect opportunity to make all the mistakes with him before Seeker is ready to show:)

I was very proud of Seeker because she waited patiently in a crate while I worked with Gamer and did not bark or whine. She was always ready to go when I pulled her out. She did get in Uie's face once and I heard him go after her which surprised me. Later, I found that he removed a slash of hair above her lip on her left side. Damn dog! I will never trust him again near my baby girl. And Gail didn't even correct him! She might be getting a puppy soon and I think she is going to have her hands full....

After we did agility, I worked Gamer in conformation and was thrilled to see how well he worked for me! The plan is for me to show him this summer in outdoor shows because he has issues with noisy venues. Sound familiar?

The plan is also for me to do agility with him to build his confidence. It's a win-win for all involved. I love Gamer and it's fun for me to work with a big boy again.