That's putting it mildly! I've been away for the past year having lived through some extraordinarily hard dog experiences and some fabulously wonderful ones. All of which have expanded my perspective on dogs, their training and how I interact with them. I look forward to climbing back on the blogging horse and sharing these new-to-me insights.
Some of the things I experienced over the past year, and which I will be writing about, include:
Bitches fighting
The importance of progesterone screenings in breeding
Neo-natal experiences and stress
Increasing your dog's threshold toward external distractions
Using OFA databases when choosing a puppy
Border grooming
No shows at shows
More thoughts on feeding
When I can't walk my dogs
RVing with my dogs
So please forgive my absence and stay tuned for these and more blogs!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, March 6, 2011
More Long-Lines
Yesterday I took Devlin and Ellie out for one of our daily walks at the big park near here (4200 Acres big!). We decided to forego the normal walk on six-foot leads and do some long lining. I put each dog on a 30 foot line and off we went! We checked out all the meadows for rats, ground squirrels and other varmits! It was so much fun to watch them scamper through the tall grasses and brush and turn on command (they know "Left" , "Right", "That's It" (end of line), and "Here") at a distance from you and somewhat in sync! They had a ball and so did I. We all were exhausted in about 40 minutes!
If you are going to try long lining two dogs, practice first with just one to get your line handling skills refreshed and up to par. With two you can't reel in the line like you do with one dog as you have a line in each hand. I either move back and to one side to take up slack as they approach me or simply drop the lines and pick them back up as the dogs go past me. Most of the time while you are out long lining, you will have both lines dragging along the ground behind you, played out to some distance.
It takes some practice to handle two lines and you will occasionally get them crossed up or a dog with a line underneath, but that's when a good "Wait" command comes in handy while you get yourself or the dog untangled. And getting tangled up now and again is part of the fun!
If you are going to try long lining two dogs, practice first with just one to get your line handling skills refreshed and up to par. With two you can't reel in the line like you do with one dog as you have a line in each hand. I either move back and to one side to take up slack as they approach me or simply drop the lines and pick them back up as the dogs go past me. Most of the time while you are out long lining, you will have both lines dragging along the ground behind you, played out to some distance.
It takes some practice to handle two lines and you will occasionally get them crossed up or a dog with a line underneath, but that's when a good "Wait" command comes in handy while you get yourself or the dog untangled. And getting tangled up now and again is part of the fun!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Talk Softly.....You'll Be Amazed at the Results!
Our dogs have a great sense of hearing. They hear much better than we do. I have been amazed lately how well they respond if I talk softly. Even if out on a walk on the trail, while they are looking for varmits, a stage whisper works wonders! A soft call of one's name, or a softly spoken "Right Turn" seems to trigger almost an immediate response. Much more so than if I talk loudly, harshly or, worst of all, yell. And the response is ALWAYS positive and expectant! Try it yourself!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Hyper Puppy or Dog- Some Ideas
The following are some ideas that I sent to a friend whose dog ( a six month old puppy) seemed "hyper" to her. I met the dog and, yes, she was active, but not overly hyper. I could calm her down, make her quiet and make her walk quietly beside me. Here are some of the things we discussed:
1) Train her to "timeout" or "go to your rug/bed/crate/etc" . Start with asking her to go to her rug and entice her there with a treat. Whn she is there, have her lie down ("down") and ask her to "stay". Have her stay there for a few seconds and treat her for "go to your rug" or whatever you want as a command. Give lots of praise ("GOOD go to your rug!"). Work on this twice a day for a few minutes (2 or 3) each time. Gradually work up to having her go to the rug without you enticing her. When she will go to the rug by herself, give a bunch of treats and lots of praise. Then work on the down and stay while there. Start again with a few seconds of stay and work up to minutes. You can also just train this from a "down-stay" command. Using a consistent place like a rug , bed or crate will help her know where to time out.
2) Take her out on leash as much as possible wherever you go. As many places as possible. (I wish I could do this with all my dogs!!) I think some of her hyper-ness away from home is due to the novelty of the place and situation, etc. While out do your "sit-stay" and "down-stay". Sit at a bench along a mall and have her just watch the people and things going on. Praise her and talk re-assuringly to her. Work up slowly in intensity of crowds and noise levels- start in a quiet mall and progress from there.
3) Make sure she gets plenty of exercise- although you will find she becomes better and better in-shape over time! If you can't take a 20 minute walk, 5 minutes of obedience and fun training will tire her mentally and physically. The more you can exercise her MIND, the better. All dogs need a job to do. Terriers are hunters and love to go places. Play ball, play hide and seek, play with her and she will tire out.
4) When she does get over -stimulated (and I think that is exactly what most of this is), tell her to "easy" or "calm" and if necessary hold her gently but firmly. Take the source of the stimulation away if you can (ball, toy, etc). Have her "sit-stay" or "down-stay" for 30 seconds.
I think you will be amazed how good she can be and how good I think she wants to be.
1) Train her to "timeout" or "go to your rug/bed/crate/etc" . Start with asking her to go to her rug and entice her there with a treat. Whn she is there, have her lie down ("down") and ask her to "stay". Have her stay there for a few seconds and treat her for "go to your rug" or whatever you want as a command. Give lots of praise ("GOOD go to your rug!"). Work on this twice a day for a few minutes (2 or 3) each time. Gradually work up to having her go to the rug without you enticing her. When she will go to the rug by herself, give a bunch of treats and lots of praise. Then work on the down and stay while there. Start again with a few seconds of stay and work up to minutes. You can also just train this from a "down-stay" command. Using a consistent place like a rug , bed or crate will help her know where to time out.
2) Take her out on leash as much as possible wherever you go. As many places as possible. (I wish I could do this with all my dogs!!) I think some of her hyper-ness away from home is due to the novelty of the place and situation, etc. While out do your "sit-stay" and "down-stay". Sit at a bench along a mall and have her just watch the people and things going on. Praise her and talk re-assuringly to her. Work up slowly in intensity of crowds and noise levels- start in a quiet mall and progress from there.
3) Make sure she gets plenty of exercise- although you will find she becomes better and better in-shape over time! If you can't take a 20 minute walk, 5 minutes of obedience and fun training will tire her mentally and physically. The more you can exercise her MIND, the better. All dogs need a job to do. Terriers are hunters and love to go places. Play ball, play hide and seek, play with her and she will tire out.
4) When she does get over -stimulated (and I think that is exactly what most of this is), tell her to "easy" or "calm" and if necessary hold her gently but firmly. Take the source of the stimulation away if you can (ball, toy, etc). Have her "sit-stay" or "down-stay" for 30 seconds.
I think you will be amazed how good she can be and how good I think she wants to be.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Long Lining
Well, I have been very bad in not posting for awhile. Sorry about that! I have quite a few posts "in my head" but need to get them down in "e-ink"! So here goes with one:
If you have never long-lined your dog, it's a real blast! I take my BTs to a 4200 acre park just up the road where we can hike the hill trails or walk the flat ribbon down below. Occasionally I will let my boy, Devlin, go off lead and hunt for ground squirrels. Lately we have been walking the lower ribbon as the upper trails have been pretty soggy. That walking is usually done on a fairly confining 6 foot leash. But today I decided to walk Devlin and Ellie separately and long-line them. This allows them to hunt and run free abit while still being completely under my control. It gives you and your dog some great "one-on-one" time together and it is a great way to practice and perfect your "off lead" commands.
I use either a 20 foot or a 30 foot flat cotton line that is about 1 inch in width and about 1/16 inch thickness. You can get these at most pet stores but also on-line for abit less. Use your regular collar and attach the line to it. Coil the line in 2 foot or so loops which you carry in one hand while you play the line out (and back in) with the other, and start walking!
You play out the line at your pace and can let your dog go as far and as fast as he/she wants and you allow. You will have to lift the line to clear brush and thickets, and you will have to reel in and re-coil the line when your dog slows down or comes back to you. So there is some technique here you need to become familiar with. If you have or want to do some tracking with your dog, the technique is the same.
I use commands like "left", "right", "go find 'em", "here", "that's it" (the end of the line) and other normal commands like "wait", "leave it", etc. With these commands I can guide my dog across a field or through a thicket while they hunt. You can train these commands on a short lead or off lead in your driveway or practice area. Rally is also a great way to train "right" and "left". I train "left turn" and "right turn" on all my walks, even with multiple dogs on lead.
Today I had the pleasure of seeing the rapt joy in my dogs' faces while they were hunting and to feel the pride as they listened and reacted to my verbal commands at 20 feet distance. Try it! You and your dog will love it!
If you have never long-lined your dog, it's a real blast! I take my BTs to a 4200 acre park just up the road where we can hike the hill trails or walk the flat ribbon down below. Occasionally I will let my boy, Devlin, go off lead and hunt for ground squirrels. Lately we have been walking the lower ribbon as the upper trails have been pretty soggy. That walking is usually done on a fairly confining 6 foot leash. But today I decided to walk Devlin and Ellie separately and long-line them. This allows them to hunt and run free abit while still being completely under my control. It gives you and your dog some great "one-on-one" time together and it is a great way to practice and perfect your "off lead" commands.
I use either a 20 foot or a 30 foot flat cotton line that is about 1 inch in width and about 1/16 inch thickness. You can get these at most pet stores but also on-line for abit less. Use your regular collar and attach the line to it. Coil the line in 2 foot or so loops which you carry in one hand while you play the line out (and back in) with the other, and start walking!
You play out the line at your pace and can let your dog go as far and as fast as he/she wants and you allow. You will have to lift the line to clear brush and thickets, and you will have to reel in and re-coil the line when your dog slows down or comes back to you. So there is some technique here you need to become familiar with. If you have or want to do some tracking with your dog, the technique is the same.
I use commands like "left", "right", "go find 'em", "here", "that's it" (the end of the line) and other normal commands like "wait", "leave it", etc. With these commands I can guide my dog across a field or through a thicket while they hunt. You can train these commands on a short lead or off lead in your driveway or practice area. Rally is also a great way to train "right" and "left". I train "left turn" and "right turn" on all my walks, even with multiple dogs on lead.
Today I had the pleasure of seeing the rapt joy in my dogs' faces while they were hunting and to feel the pride as they listened and reacted to my verbal commands at 20 feet distance. Try it! You and your dog will love it!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Thoughts
I wrote this a few weeks ago, before Thanksgiving and after our club's Earthdog tests in early Nov. Just some things that crossed my mind during the three days and on the drive home. Finally got this up and hopefully still timely!
One of the guys who came to help dig-in on Friday (for you novices, thats when we do the digging of the earthdog tunnels -with aid of a backhoe thank goodness!) was a guy who came to his first ED a couple of years ago with his wife looking to learn more about Border Terriers. Well, they eventually did get a nice girl BT from N Ca and they have been at ED ever since. He has helped dig-in at the past 4 trials and last week he was the first non-committee person there to help. Because I hadnt seen him since the spring ED trial, I asked him how he had been, how was the dog doing and how was his wife who was also on our Specialty trophy committee. He told me she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer awhile back and had just finished her latest chemo. So she likely wouldnt be there for ED but he would see if she wanted to come watch on Sunday. They arent that old, maybe in their late 40s or early 50s. The dog was staying home with her on Friday- taking his place. He worked his butt off all day Friday. He never complained, we shared a few laughs about the tunnels and the tree roots, and then he left for home. When you are a caregiver, you sometimes just need a little time "off duty", even if it is hard manual labor, to maintain your own peace of mind.
On Sunday, there was a couple at ED with their BT who also are relatively new members. That day their dog earned his first Qualifying run. They had guests with them. A dazzlingly beautiful blonde young lady and her mom. Maybe in her late 30s with short cropped blonde hair and a smile that would light up any room. Drop-dead gorgeous didn't do her justice. I dont know if she had muscular distrophy, or had a stroke or was in an accident, but most of her right side was heavily injured from the neck down. She walked with her mom and her BT friends to watch the JE and IQ tests and seemed very much at ease with the hand that life had dealt her. Her friends said she loved seeing the dogs and meeting and holding a few of them. As I watched them leave on Sunday I was glad the club members had brought her, glad she had what seemed like a pleasant time, and thankful that "but for the grace of God, there goes I". I'm sure I wouldnt have been that courageous, that resilient or that forgiving.
Then there was the club member family who came on Sat and ran their dogs but had to leave early because their son was going to call home that evening. He was at Ft. Benning in Georgia, just completing his Infantry Basic Training that very day. They didn't know where he would be stationed afterwards. Mom was abit worried, Dad was proud and said he could notice more maturity in the way his son talked on the phone. But you could tell that as proud as they were, and as happy for their son who was thrilled with his career choice as they were, they were hoping he'd be able to stay out of harm's way. He was training to be a medic in a infantry platoon. Helping his fellow soldiers when they might need him most.
Finally on the drive home through the Central Valley and the ranches there, I just happened to look over as I drove past a farmhouse and saw two teenage boys in the driveway. They were walking down the drive twirling lariats. Big, roping lariats and each was doing the "cowboy twirl" with a loop about 10 feet in diameter spinning around their body as they walked. No Sunday afternoon TV football for them, no video games, no Twitter. Just old fashioned, simple, western, cowboy fun. If I hadnt just happend to look at that instant, I'd have missed it. Probably the only kids like that in existence anymore!
Things to think about this holiday season.
One of the guys who came to help dig-in on Friday (for you novices, thats when we do the digging of the earthdog tunnels -with aid of a backhoe thank goodness!) was a guy who came to his first ED a couple of years ago with his wife looking to learn more about Border Terriers. Well, they eventually did get a nice girl BT from N Ca and they have been at ED ever since. He has helped dig-in at the past 4 trials and last week he was the first non-committee person there to help. Because I hadnt seen him since the spring ED trial, I asked him how he had been, how was the dog doing and how was his wife who was also on our Specialty trophy committee. He told me she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer awhile back and had just finished her latest chemo. So she likely wouldnt be there for ED but he would see if she wanted to come watch on Sunday. They arent that old, maybe in their late 40s or early 50s. The dog was staying home with her on Friday- taking his place. He worked his butt off all day Friday. He never complained, we shared a few laughs about the tunnels and the tree roots, and then he left for home. When you are a caregiver, you sometimes just need a little time "off duty", even if it is hard manual labor, to maintain your own peace of mind.
On Sunday, there was a couple at ED with their BT who also are relatively new members. That day their dog earned his first Qualifying run. They had guests with them. A dazzlingly beautiful blonde young lady and her mom. Maybe in her late 30s with short cropped blonde hair and a smile that would light up any room. Drop-dead gorgeous didn't do her justice. I dont know if she had muscular distrophy, or had a stroke or was in an accident, but most of her right side was heavily injured from the neck down. She walked with her mom and her BT friends to watch the JE and IQ tests and seemed very much at ease with the hand that life had dealt her. Her friends said she loved seeing the dogs and meeting and holding a few of them. As I watched them leave on Sunday I was glad the club members had brought her, glad she had what seemed like a pleasant time, and thankful that "but for the grace of God, there goes I". I'm sure I wouldnt have been that courageous, that resilient or that forgiving.
Then there was the club member family who came on Sat and ran their dogs but had to leave early because their son was going to call home that evening. He was at Ft. Benning in Georgia, just completing his Infantry Basic Training that very day. They didn't know where he would be stationed afterwards. Mom was abit worried, Dad was proud and said he could notice more maturity in the way his son talked on the phone. But you could tell that as proud as they were, and as happy for their son who was thrilled with his career choice as they were, they were hoping he'd be able to stay out of harm's way. He was training to be a medic in a infantry platoon. Helping his fellow soldiers when they might need him most.
Finally on the drive home through the Central Valley and the ranches there, I just happened to look over as I drove past a farmhouse and saw two teenage boys in the driveway. They were walking down the drive twirling lariats. Big, roping lariats and each was doing the "cowboy twirl" with a loop about 10 feet in diameter spinning around their body as they walked. No Sunday afternoon TV football for them, no video games, no Twitter. Just old fashioned, simple, western, cowboy fun. If I hadnt just happend to look at that instant, I'd have missed it. Probably the only kids like that in existence anymore!
Things to think about this holiday season.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
It's a Small World!
I was walking my puppy outside the local Petsmart one day last week when a lady with a Westie came up and asked what kind of dog Shannon was. I replied, "Border Terrier" at which point she remarked that "there was a gentleman she saw most days walking two or three Borders at Harvey Bear Park". I replied that I thought it was me! "Oh, yes!", she exclaimed. "I didn't recognize you without the cap and sunglasses!". That has happened several times now so I guess I am becoming a "fixture" at the park! At least they are still referring to me as a "gentleman"!
We spent a few minutes talking dogs when another younger lady walked up. "Is that a Border Terrier?" she asked. "Sure is", I replied. "How do you know about BTs?" It turned out her mom owned two and was showing them in conformation. I asked who that might be and had to smile when she told me her mom was a lady I know quite well and whose dogs I have groomed occasionally in the past! I had never met the daughter before and we all laughed at how small a world it was!
We spent a few minutes talking dogs when another younger lady walked up. "Is that a Border Terrier?" she asked. "Sure is", I replied. "How do you know about BTs?" It turned out her mom owned two and was showing them in conformation. I asked who that might be and had to smile when she told me her mom was a lady I know quite well and whose dogs I have groomed occasionally in the past! I had never met the daughter before and we all laughed at how small a world it was!
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