Local event sounds interesting!

I won't be here, I will be at an agility trial that weekend, but it sounds interesting. I have never heard of the presenter, but the price is right and her website looks like she is a pretty good person, using good methods. Check it out -


Living With A Shy or Fearful Dog
Presented by
Debbie Jacobs, the creator of the www.fearfuldogs.com
website and author of A Guide To Living &
Working With A Fearful Dog and the Fearful Dogs
blog.
Life with her own fearful dog Sunny has provided
Debbie with insights into fear based behaviors
and how to change them. This not-to-be missed
presentation is important for anyone involved
with dog care, training and rescue.
Whether your dog is timid or extremely fearful,
there are ways you can help! Learn why your dog
is afraid and what you can do about it. Begin taking steps toward creating a more
confident dog.
Saturday, October 10, 2009 2p-5p
At Your Barkin Call, Gray ME
http://barkincall.com/
$20 general public
$10 for shelter & rescue staff
Pre-registration suggested as space is limited.
Owners are asked to attend without dogs.
For more information contact Gooddogz Training 207-671-2522

My legs hurt

Spur's dog walk was the slowest part of his debut runs. I know why. I have been trying to really get on him about running his contact. I am making him worry. I am making the dog walk a bummer. I am an idiot.

I spent a couple hours watching World Team videos. Man those dogs are fast. Man those handlers RUN the whole length of the dog walk with their dogs, managing their contacts, being RIGHT there to be sure the dog hits the contact. I didn't watch them all - there are hundreds - but I watched a lot and only saw one handler with a papillon actually pull off the dog walk and her dog nailed the contact. Cool dog! But, watching all those World Team members managing contacts, running right with their dogs made me go.......hmmmmmm.

I came home and RAN with Spur. Ran back and forth, over and over. His speed picked up, his contacts were nailed every time. He looked happy and was driving on to it. OK, how do I teach my good weave poles? I have them weave a couple of times, twice/day. Over and over, muscle memory, practice good weaves, makes for good weaves. How did I start Spur's dog walk? He ran it several times/day, over and over, getting faster and faster. So, we are back to that. Working it twice/day, running back and forth. It's a lot of work for me!!! My legs hurt............


**Dr. Dodman wants to see Roscoe again. It's been 3 1/2 years, so that's probably a good thing. He thinks maybe he just needs a tweaking of his prescription. Appointment is the 15th.

"I want a new drug, one that won't hurt my head, one the won't make my mouth too dry, or make my eyes too red"

That's what Huey Lewis says and Roscoe was singing that this morning. I wrote Doc Dodman (Roscoe behavior vet at Tufts - Dr. Nicholas Dodman) this -


Hi Doc!
Do you suppose Roscoe is not getting the effects of the Buspirone any more? He was started on it back in the fall of 04 and is currently on 5mg BID. I noticed a back sliding with his behavior around the first of this year. Just a slight difference, seeing the old Roscoe showing up on occasion. More reactive to other dogs and strangers. Then this summer we started with some marking in the house.
Also, I was using Xanax to help him with his trial stress for a couple years, but didn't need it the last year or so. He does agility and can be FANTASTIC and is very close to his championship, however this past year we are back to that downed performance/stress situation and the Xanax is no longer working for him. It just seems like we are slowly going back to the way he was before. Reactive with other dogs, stressed at trials and now this new marking.
He is currently wearing a belly band inside, which does stop the marking and he will wear for the rest of his life, if needed. He is ten this year. Another new behavior that we are seeing is humping. At times he launches on us or people he knows well, or not. Good GRIEF, the crazy buggar even humped a judge after getting a perfect score in obedience and when the judge handed me the ribbon and congratulated me, damn if that little shit didn't go try to hump HER!!! :O I was HORRIFIED, but luckily the judge took it in stride. I pulled him off immediately, but GOOD GRIEF!!!
The change in my household that perhaps could explain some of this is we adopted a young male dog (neutered at the shelter at age 3 months) in Dec. 07. That dog turned two this year in August. Roscoe gets along with him OK, but gets a little over-stimulated by that youngster and they do play a chase me game in the yard, where Roscoe will SCREAM and chase the youngster. Could explain the marking, but I am not sure about the behavior slide. It just seems to me that the Buspirone is no longer working. He is back to being on edge and reacting to things that I think before the Buspar helped keep a handle on.
Do you suppose he could use a new drug?
Thanks! Amy Carlson

I'll let you know what he says. I can't believe it has been so long since our first appointment with Dodman. Boy, time flies!

Spur's big debut!!!

Went smashingly well!!! Or I should say...screamingly well!!! Goodness that boy can scream..........like a circus freak........like a raccoon in heat............like a piglet stuck in the fence..........like a child whose dog just ate her ice cream cone............like a posse (pap/aussie mix) who wants his mamma and wants her NOW!!!! YIKES!!!! Spur will never be able to hang ringside in an x-pen. Nope, no way, ain't gonna happen, ain't no friend I have that should have to put up with that, ain't no body mean enough ..........well maybe there are people mean enough to have to put up with Crazy Monkey Pants Screaming Circus Freak in an x-pen ring side. I don't know anyone that mean, but maybe they would have to deal with it. Everyone else, no way. It's cruel and unusual punishment and I send my apologies to the other attendees yesterday. Luckily, I could work out of the truck and he only had to be screaming in there while I ran the other dogs and luckily Cindy was there to shove cookies in his mouth - I think that's the only way she kept him quiet. YIKES!!! Screaming Circus Freak Crazy Monkey Pants made sounds yesterday that I hadn't even heard, yet. Usually, I run one of the Pin Heads first to get him jealous and really wanting to run. It's really helped us get over the teeter concerns and worries he has. Yesterday, I looked at Cindy and said "maybe I should just run him first?", she nodded slowly and deliberately. So he ran first.

It was a show-n-go, but I tried to make it like a show. They had a running order and timer, we had 90 seconds to do whatever we wanted. You will see in this video clip that I stop to reward the table a bunch. That's the time spent at the table - lots of cookies there.

In this his jumpers run, I just keep going. He's having so much fun, I can't bear to stop him!

Another jumpers run with TWO back crosses!!! We don't do back crosses well!!! He looked like a champ!! Nice, tight wrap around the wing jump! Good little Monkey Pants!! -

In this standard I stop and reward his poles. These poles had different bases then he has ever seen and his first run he missed the entry. Poles are not his weak point and he does them well and nicely and missing an entry here (a very rare event, he has nice weaves) didn't concern me, but I wanted to reward a good go since he is a worry wart and these were a new look to him.

I was very proud of the little buggar and I think I feel like he really is ready for the BARK trial Columbus Day weekend. I really do! The only thing I felt a little bummed about was his trotting on the dog walk. He worries about his job on the dog walk and I have got to make that more fun. We had some great, fast running dog walks for a while there, then when I started to really get on him for making sure he was getting his contact, he started slowing down. I am going to work on that, but that is a real project for me. I can't seem to figure out a consistent and clear and easy and definite way to get him running his dogwalk. He totally understands his hit-it board. I can totally know when he has hit it. But, he worries about it and is starting to slow down some. Ugh. I am going to start running it with him really close and being RIGHT there to reward the contact and be sure he gets it. He is much more likely to launch if I pull far away or off to the side. I may have to pick my battles and stay RIGHT with him on it for a while. No independent dog walks until we get a ton of good reps of being right. I don't know what else to do.

More flowers, fall photos!

Yesterday was just a stellar day!! 70 degrees, gentle breeze, dry air. About perfect!! Fall is my favorite time of year and I couldn't stop myself taking pictures. It was like an obsession! So much bright color and the fading light as the sun dips lower in the sky is different as it showcases everything and adds a glow not seen when it is high in the sky. My HUGE zinnias are stunning............... The sedum looks awesome and is great to cut and bring inside. It is even nice dried!

My flower pot just gets nicer and nicer! Thanks Miracle Grow!

The marsh maples are showing some really nice color. Here is sweet Jewel enjoying a muzzle free graze! She can have about a half hour or so this time of year, a couple times/day. See how the sun makes things look half and half and really bright on one side. I am not sure why I like that so much.

I love how the low fall light silhouette's her, and her flaxen mane frames her. The horses are growing their winter coats and are dark and undappled this time of year.

More hydrangeas..........

California Poppies!! They are an annual and I simply tossed the seeds in the gardens this spring! They fill up my garden and add such bright color this time of year when many of my flowers have gone by. They grew up in between the shoots of Russian Sade - love that lavender and orange together!!! They just go on and on!!!

The little elf cap seed heads are adorable! I am hoping they volunteer next year.

**If you click on each photo it should bring it up large. Check out the white hydrangea large! Such an incredible flower!!!!

Love my flowers!

My hydrangea flowers!!! They grew SO huge this year, they even broke off in places during windy days. :O I love them, but they are a bit of work. They have to be cut back each year, although I keep wondering what would happen if I didn't do it? They are supposed to only grow 4' high, but they are over my head. I can't seem to keep them at a more reasonable size, but they are beautiful!

This photo was taken last year. I don't know why I like it so much. They look like little gophers who popped their heads out of their holes when they heard us approach, or maybe little pop up toys you could bop on the head and push back into the hole only to pop out again after recharging the springs, not five dogs waiting for their Charlee Bears for being good at sit/stay.

Colby - squinting away. I can't believe I didn't notice her retinal atrophy then??? Roscoe - his flying nun ears show he isn't pleased having to sit there with the others. Spur - always looking perky and ready for the next game! "I LOVE you!!" Stella - could she have any bigger eyes? I mean, really, like those eyes might fit on a German Shepherd!!! Douce - what eyes?

World Team members Roscoe and Spur run clean!!!

Yes, well, they did the second time around the course. First time each had one fault. Darnit. Sorry the course map image stinks, but I can't figure out how to save it any better. Our instructor set it up for us last night. To see it better just click on the map and it will bring it up clearly and larger.

Roscoe faulted at 7 & 8 because I didn't go into the pocket to get the back side of 8 well enough. I was afraid he would enter the poles, which he is known to do. Spur faulted at 15 by taking the back side of it. I didn't call him to me enough out of the tunnel. Our second time through we ran clean, both dogs. Good little Monkeys!!!

We then practiced some crazy moves seen by the World Team members. Nutty, strange blind crosses that used to be taboo, are now all the rave! Hard to do well because you really have to take your eyes off your dog. We do them well at tunnels when the dogs don't see us anyway. At jumps, I find them hard. Roscoe handles them well, Spur gets a little worried and starts to wring his little paws. But, he recovers so well these days!!! Crazy Monkey was all nutty last night. After class chatting with fellow students, he adulterated his tug toy!! That has always been hard for him, tugging in class. Most of the dogs were already put away, but still he felt happy enough to tug and growl and be all pumped up!!! He has really changed a corner lately! MY little World Champion!