Advertising

Wow! I have been discovered. I don't know why there is advertising on my blog and I don't know how to get rid of it.  So, please forgive me if you end up on an advertised site. It is rather like being at the dog park, you have to be careful what you step in. Non of this is authorized by me.

Training

My Saturday morning trainings are really quite fun. I get to see a lot of dogs and some are friends from the dog park. There are only eight in my class, but there are three classes, so there is a lot of coming and going before and after class. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to play with each other even though our humans get to talk and laugh with one another.

Some people call our classes "Dog Training" but it is as much the training of our humans as it is of us. MFM and I work quite well together because I am so smart. I pay attention most of the time but have to admit I am easily distracted. I also get tired from constantly trying to figure out what I am supposed to do. There are so many smells and so much activity, that I really want to just be left alone to explore it all.

In spite of everything, I have learned a lot. I can sit, stay,  lie down on all fours, come when called (well, most of the time), and try to sit and behave when another dog or person walks by. I answer to my name and am learning that I cannot play during class, although I do occasionally find a nice stick to carry around and chew on. At home I can also fetch and wait. I sit and wait to be invited to enter the car or house and even wait to be invited to eat although it is right there in front of me. I think I am a pretty good fellow and making MFM happy is, usually, foremost in my mind. Now she is teaching me to shake hands.

My last class was a REAL challenge. I am now learning to walk right beside MFM and learn to turn when she turns. I would rather sniff and smell. I had learned how to work in the sniff 'n smell on our long morning walks. I would run ahead of MFM for the length of the leash, stop for a sniff 'n smell, then just before she got past me far enough to pull on the leash, I would run ahead again. It worked well for me! I enjoyed the fragrances and sometimes had time to pick something up to taste - an acorn, a clod of dirt, a stick, or (my favorite) a leaf. Now, that is very limited and I have to keep up when she is training us. Now, I have to "heel" or, as she puts it, "knee" since she thinks we might need to be even firmer on the training later. The good thing about it all is that I get TREATS!

No class this week but we learn something new next week. I can hardly wait.....

It's Snow Story



My friend, ABW's Cockapoo, is homeless! He was rescued in Colorado and his forever family loves him, but he is living with their friend who has three dogs already. He is grateful he has somewhere to go, considering the events of the past two days. His Forever Mom (HFM) came home to find him standing in the middle of the kitchen table. Ordinarily, that would get him in major trouble but since there was 4" of water on the floor,  HFM understood. The pipes in their house broke and there was water everywhere. Poor Sammy.

Here is a photo of us from happier days.

  

Sammy and I resting on the quilt HFD made.



This is the view from my front door after our night of snow and sleet in February,



In front of my house - February 2011



This is a view of my backyard after the snow.



My back yard February 2011



This is Sammy's backyard in December.

Sammy's backyard - December 2010

This is Sammy's dog park in December.



At Sammy's dog park - December 2010



I thought I was getting out of the snow and cold when MFM took me to Texas, but there doesn't always seem to be a whole lot of difference. At least we don't have any broken pipes....yet.

Trip Tames a Monster

MFM opened a door and a monster grabbed her by the hand. It pulled her all over the house, all the while making a loud, roaring noise. The monster was much larger than I but I tried to protect MFM anyway. I barked and jumped and barked some more. I followed it around as it dragged MFM from room to room. I stood my ground in front of the monster as it roared toward me, then I jumped out of the way at the very last minute. Finally, the monster died. MFM took it outside and beat it then put it back behind the door where it lives. I saved her!

NOTE from Trip's "mom":
I vacuumed the house today and Trip chased the vacuum cleaner all around, barking at it and getting in the way. When will he learn?

A Busy Day

Whew! What a day! MFM, her neighbor and I took our usual 3 mile walk this morning and I barely had time settle in when we got back home. I only had a little bit of breakfast because I had to save room for "treats". What's up with that?
A short time later, MFM whisked me off to the park pavilion. There were dogs there and some were my friends from the dog park, but I wasn't allowed to greet them. Next thing I knew all the dogs and their handlers were circled up and listening to a woman give instructions. I knew then that trouble was brewing. We had to learn to understand hand signals as well as verbal commands. I hope I don't have to obey EVERY time.
One dog used to be a reading companion. She would go to the library or the school and just lie around while a child read to her. Now she is deaf so she has to learn the hand signals. Wonder if the children will care that she really can't hear them.
We spent a whole hour learning to look at our handlers like we were interested in what they might say, sitting when they told us to, and racing to their sides when we were called. "Good citizen" training was what someone called it. It was soooo easy. The difficult part was keeping from being distracted. I got some really good treats so I might like to go back.
I managed to get a nap before MFM bundled up and took me to the dog park. Finally, I go to romp with Millie and my other friends. Sparky and I spent a lot of time tearing around while sharing custody of the green chartruese monster. Boy, do I like to get dirty. Guess a bath is in my not-to-distant future.
I have been fed and have napped, now it is almost time to go to bed. I might even be too tired to dream and snore.

Fun, Games, and Ridicule

Yesterday was a beautiful day after a weekend of rain and cold. MFM felt moved to work in the garden (yard) and I got to go along. I think she felt a little uneasy about my staying with her so she took me out on my leash. She couldn't hold on to everything so she finally connected my leash to the stairs near her. I managed to look very bored and very pathetic so, after ascertaining there were no deer, squirrels, or other interesting playmates around, she reluctantly let me loose to play in the yard. I was very good. I trampled in the dirt where she was pulling weeds until I found a stick she could throw so I could play fetch. We had a wonderful afternoon.

Just before we went inside, MFM found an old whiffle ball the children had left out. That is THE best toy! I can't easily get hold of it so it is a challenge. I chase it and she laughs and laughs. She says I look like a cat chasing a ball. Humph! The grossest of insults.

We got to go to the dog park today and ALL my friends were there. We chased balls and toys, had a circle of dogs with each chasing the other's tail, and raced everywhere. One lady bought a black fancy dress for her friend's dog, Millie, and they put it on her. Poor thing, she tried and tried to get it off while everyone laughed at her. Finally, Millie's  mom took it off her. I got close enough to snatch it away and I ran and ran. I let Millie hang on to the other side of it and we made short work of that fabric.

Friends don't let friends face ridicule alone!

I Had a Hang Up

MFM says I am quite well-behaved and smart. It only takes me 2-3 times being told before I have learned the lesson. Of course, that doesn't mean I always do what is expected, but I have usually learned the lesson. MFM keeps me nearby most of the time because....well....I have gotten into a little, teeny bit of trouble now and then. I generally come running when she calls and sometimes I get a treat.

I don't get treats when MFM finds me sitting in her place on the sofa after I have been running in the mud at the dog park. She wipes my face and paws so I don't know what all the fuss is about. I don't get treats when MFM finds me lying on the rug shredding pine cones from the basket at the entrance to the house. I have never gotten a treat for sneaking a wooden shoe out of its resting place so I can chew on it. She likes to know where I am at all times. I wonder why.

Tonight, I was happy MFM does keep a close eye on me. We had gone for a walk in the rain and I had just finished my obligatory racing in a circle through the rooms after she released me from my leash at home. I was still wearing the harness.  She called several times from another room but I was very quiet and did not know what to do. She came into the room where I was but she didn't see me and left again, still calling out and becoming a little annoyed with my lack of response.I still didn't know what to do.

Finally, she came in again and looked around the room, searching for my hiding spot. Luckily, that is when she saw me. I don't know how it happened, but my harness had gotten caught on the sharp edge of the bed frame and I was hooked with it tight around my neck. It took some maneuvering to finally get the harness free so she could remove it. I only whimpered a little bit but she cuddled me and made everything all right.

Neither of us knew a harness could be so potentially lethal. I will only wear mine now when it is time for a walk.