Last weekend we participated in a local agility trial, where I showed Daisy Mae. She is working on points and double Q's for her PACH 2. Gunny and Pirouette always go with me, as trials are excellent places for training of many kinds. Right now I am working on getting Gunny more comfortable being around a lot of dogs that he doesn't know. He does not have to make friends, just not be reactive under normal circumstances.

When I first got Gunny and he started going to trials, he was very worried about all of the dogs. I suspect that he never went out of his back yard in his previous home, so he was never exposed to dogs. We started with lots of yummy treats, and getting him to focus on me. At first we had to stay way back from other dogs...it was easy to see where his comfort level stopped and started. We worked on "look at that", then turn and refocus on me. We worked on back up and come. He has come so far in a short time.

But last weekend we had a set-back and I realized how hard this whole thing is to explain to my boy. We were about 10 feet away from a crate, when the dog inside went off on him, growling, barking
and going at the front of the crate. It didn't help that it was a soft crate...so Gunny wasn't the only one who was worried. It didn't help that the owner said, "She is just worried." I said, "But we are 10 feet away." She said, "yes, but she is worried." That is not what I would call it! She finally threw a cover over the front of the crate and we were able to go by, maintaining our distance. From that time on, Gunny was on alert, and I couldn't blame him!

I am asking Gunny to trust me to keep him safe, in a place where it feels dangerous. How can I tell him how to sort out all the barks...he assumes they are all aimed at him. How do I tell him the dog can't get out of the crate when I am not sure? How do I explain that the dog we are passing is barking because the owner is in the ring, running their other dog? Or that the other dog is barking at another dog and it is unrelated to him? Why do some dogs seem oblivious to all the sounds, or most of them?
I think it will take me a long time to help him sort it out. I really understand his feelings!

However, he did pass his barnhunt instinct test. This did require me to take his leash and collar off to work him in a semi-fenced area, with 3 other people in the ring. It meant he had to take some direction from me, without any treats involved. I was thrilled that he did his work and came back to me for leash and collar. So,he really is making amazing progress!

Beginning My Journey With Gunther (aka Gunny)

Gunny is my new boy and has been with me 6 months as of Jan 20, 2016. He came from  shelter in Marysville  CA. He is approximately 2 years old, and was found running loose in a field. Sadly, he was at the shelter for 2 weeks and no one came to find him. But that was lucky for me, as I was able to adopt him. After spending a day at the shelter's vet being neutered, ears cleaned and a major check-up, he came home with me.

He was very groggy on the drive home, so that went without any problems. He did not seem to mind the car ride or being in a crate. When we arrived home, I left him in the car for a short time so I could go in and say Hi to his two new sisters, Daisy Mae, a 7 year old female rescue German Shepherd, and Pirouette, a six month old female Pembroke Welsh Corgi. I said Hi and put them in safe places while I brought the new boy in, through the house and out to the back yard. Since I already knew that Gunny was a "runner" and had already cleared a six foot fence before he was in the shelter, I was fearful of letting him off-leash. So, I put him in the run I had prepared (6' X 12 "), so he could walk around and relieve himself. I went into the house for a moment, and came back out to Gunny loose in the garage. It took him less than 5 minutes to break out, and this was the most secure of my runs. He pushed right through the bottom of the gate! Luckily I had no problem catching him...he was just interested in checking out his new environment.

Since I did not know how he would be with the other 2 dogs, I took him in and put him in the crate in my office. He proceeded to destroy that crate, an older very strong wire crate. He also managed to pull in the plastic  I had put under the crate and rip it up into little pieces. Within 48 hours I started to get a very clear picture of why this dog was in the shelter...and the previous owners had not come for him. This dog was strong and seemed determined not to be contained. Had i bitten off more than I could handle?

The Obedience Match

Yesterday I went to an obedience match...my first one in several years. With Saber retired and out of commission, Star too old and retired, and Daisy Mae focused on agility, and not seeming to be motivated to do obedience, there was no reason to do so. But, I decided that I hadn't done much training with Daisy Mae, and I should give it another shot.

Since this match is held by this club each year on the 4th of July, many people come very year. It was wonderful to see so many people that I haven't seen in years! I think for many of us, the social aspect is as important as the dog training aspect. This was also my Corgi puppy Pirouette's first agility match! This match was well-run, and over before noon...very important in Sacramento...which is hot at this time of the year.

One thing I had forgotten is that, for many dogs, obedience is a "punitive" sport. Any mistake is corrected with pops and jerks, with seemingly no effort to understand why a dog did what they did...or didn't do. Obviously the dog didn't care or didn't chose to do what the handler wanted and deserved to be punished. The scary thing is that I came from that background! It certainly is not where I am as a dog trainer today. And it made me very uncomfortable to be around people who were doing that. But the upside is it made me really think about how I am training. I do know that, if that is what I have to do to get my dog to perform, it just isn't worth it!

Pirouette

In October of 2014, I lost my beautiful Corgi, Star, at the age of 15 1/2 years. Losing a dog you have had for that long is very painful. We had a great life together, and I had no regrets...I just missed her!
When I got Star, at the age of 3 months, I did not set out to find a Corgi. She was bred by one of my students, who wanted to place her once she found out that Star was going to be a "fluffy" (long hair) and could not be shown in conformation. I loved Star's "mom" Lacey, and decided that as a trainer I needed to train a small dog...so Star came home with me. Once I learned about this breed's intelligence, willingness as a worker, and ability to train and compete in a variety of venues, I was sold! Star's passing left me with a Corgi-sized hole in my heart.

 In January I started my search, not knowing how long it would take, and not being in a hurry to bring home just any Corgi. I was looking for a smaller Corgi (hopefully to jump 8" in agility). I wanted a dog with lots of energy, but a sweetness that would allow her to be sweet and lovable, as well as a good worker. As it turns out I found the total package in a December litter, bred by a long time competitor-friend Christine Johnson, Goldenroad Corgis. I chose Pirouette as she was the most outgoing, the most energetic, the most energetic and the most inquisitive. That selection was made when the litter was 5 weeks old, and reconfirmed when they were 8 weeks old. She came home with me at the age of 10 weeks. After her third night in my home, she was sleeping through the night. 

She has learned most of what I teach in puppy class in the first 3-4 weeks, and is now training in Agility, Rally and Obedience. Her training is more like play...I don't think she knows its training...she just thinks we play lots of games with cookies! Almost more important than the training for various competitions is the training between her and Daisy Mae, my 6 1/2 year old German Shepherd, and current competition dog. Daisy Mae has never really had a dog to play with, except playing chase with Saber when they were young. I am so happy with the results of this ongoing training!

On a lovely spring morning, I took Daisy Mae for a hike in Howarth Park. When I pulled into my driveway, this little guy ran around my front fence and down the street.. My neighbor was out in his front yard with his dog...so I called down to him...and he caught the dog. Neither of us had seen this dog before. We know the dogs that regularly walk in our neighborhood (and their owners). He held the dog while I put Daisy Mae in the yard.

I walked around the block talking to people (most people know me because I am always out walking a dog. No one had ever seen this little guy. He was very clean and fit and I knew he must belong to someone...he was not a stray. So, my neighbor helped me put him into Daisy Mae's car crate and off we went to Pet Care (Fulton Road). They scanned him for a microchip...nothing.

Since they act as an intake for the animal shelter, I left him there. By the time I got home, my neighbor had left a note on my front door...he had found the owner! He left me the person's name and phone number. I called the man and told him where he could pick up his dog, then called Pet Care and gave them the man's name and number.

Below is the sign that got my neighbor's attention. The dog lived 2 streets over and a block down from me. I love a happy ending:>)

(From February 2014)

Two weeks ago, on a Monday morning, I decided to let Daisy Mae have a bed in her run. She had been destructive as a younger dog. However, she had been sleeping on this bed for more than a year without a problem, when it was outside the run. I felt that she knew it was hers and wouldn’t bother it. It was an older bed, and if she did a little nibble or rip, I would throw it away. Below is a picture of what I came home to that day.

Normally one would be worried about what the dog ingested. I was concerned, but Daisy Mae had always been miss “rip and spit” when she chewed things up. But what really worried me was her breathing…she was having a severe problem with a very strong reverse sneeze. Also it sounded like she had a stuffy nose. It definitely was not normal breathing. So off we went to the emergency vet. After 2 trips, a night in emergency and exam by two vets…She had ingested part of a zipper…luckily it was already in her colon and it was felt she should pass it without a problem. And no one could explain about the breathing problem. The GP vet who examined her said she must have just developed allergies or had suddenly come down with kennel cough. I explained that she had no history of allergies and it was absurd to think this was kennel cough…no fever or runny nose…and a sudden onset when she chewed up her bed. He finally agreed to look in her nasal passages with a scope, but explained that for a full exam it would need an internist. He didn’t find anything and sent her home on anti-inflammatories to deal with her “inflamed tonsils.”

I took her to work with me the next day and she was having a very bad time…so we went back to the vet. He said he didn’t know why we were there. “I told you there was nothing else I can do for you.”

We went home very discouraged…and I couldn’t figure out how to help her. No one wanted to believe that she had something in her nose or sinuses. That night I called and talked to the ER vet, whom I had known for a long time. She said that she agreed with me and set up an appointment for a scoping with an internist the next day. He didn’t start until 3pm. Before the procedure he called to talk to me...and even he had the audacity to suggest kennel cough…When he called back, he had found something in the back of her nose which he had removed. He also hosed out her sinuses and didn’t find anything else.

When I met him several hours later, he walked into the room, introduced himself, and said “I apologize. We were wrong and you were right.” BE AN ADVOCATE FOR YOUR DOG! The one thing you have in your favor is that you know your dog!!

Sometimes I do something right...

Dog training and teaching are microcosms of life...just like life there are ups and downs. Life has a way of throwing you at lot of negatives. It is easy to remember the things you didn't do well...the dog and handler that dropped out of class...the person you weren't as patient with as you wanted to be...the dog you just couldn't get a handle on. It sometimes makes you wonder how much you are doing right.

Then, about the time you might be getting really discouraged, you receive a very special call from a student or former student. The first time this happened was at least 3 years ago. A former student had moved to Las Vegas. I had known this lady and her grand daughter for almost 10 years, and worked with them and their dogs over that time. I hadn't spoken tho either of them in  long time, and came home to find a message from the grandmother. Her message told me that she was in the hospital, and wanted to get my advice on caring for the dogs when she returned home. I called her back immediately. I can't tell you the depth of my sadness when I learned she was dying; her cervical cancer had returned. And I was deeply honored to be one of the few people she reached out to at the untimely end of her life.

More recently, I received a call from a student that had trained their lab,, Daisy with me, thirteen years ago.
They lost Daisy 6 months ago, and have a new puppy. She said they had such a positive experience with me before, that they wanted to train their new dog with me also.

Today I came home from work and found a message from a former obedience and agility student, who just called, he said, to find out what I was doing, because he hadn't talked to me in a long time. I called him back tonight, and found out he is having open heart surgery tomorrow. I am honored that I was someone he reached out to the night before his surgery. He said he wanted to be sure I was teaching, as he plans on getting a new dog, and wants to come back and train with me.

Tonight I am thankful to know that I have had a positive effect on these people's lives. I makes it all worthwhile.