Woof! Bark! And also Whiiiiiiiiiine.

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Derby Tup Dec 2014 7:10pm, 15 Dec 2014 13,847 posts	0 Derby Tup Been to the Fleece for a swift one this tea-time. Tussock met two lovely springs
Hark the heleg-angels sing Dec 2014 9:31pm, 15 Dec 2014 2,509 posts	0 Hark the heleg-angels sing From my blog..."What yuou have there is a bored spaniel" said the instructor as my dog did his level best to make the agility class more interesting by finding other ways to move from one side of a jump to the other. "I don't know what's got into him, he's usually the star of the class" (He isn't really, they were being nice) "He's being creative" said I - through gritted teeth - as Jet first went under the pole like a limbo dancer, then ran round the crossed pole, and finally pushed a bar off its cups with his nose, then jumped around with a big doggy grin, asking for a treat (no way Jet, not until you do the job properly). And yes, he has jumped quite happily until now, but tonight Mr had come along to see what happens in the class and Jet the comedian was playing to his audience. Eventually Jet worked out that the treats weren't being given for frivolity and followed the course properly, skidding to sit in front of me with eyes popping with fun and anticipation. It's very hard not to laugh.
Shark the Herald Angel Dec 2014 10:15pm, 15 Dec 2014 6,325 posts	0 Shark the Herald Angel That's interesting Helegant. At first Raffo didn't get involved with agility and sometimes he would sit in the car or wander outside the paddock. Jess would be easily distracted and we asked it Nat would prefer just one of us to be present and the other to keep well out of the way. Nat said no she thought it was good for all of us to learn to focus on the job in hand WITH distractions. So now Jess is (within reason) quite happy with either Raffo or myself taking her round the course - whatever the other one is doing.
Hark the heleg-angels sing Dec 2014 10:57pm, 15 Dec 2014 2,510 posts	0 Hark the heleg-angels sing That's the approach we've taken with the obedience training, and I agree that the distractions are useful training. But it is a bit harder, and tonight had novelty value for Jet.
Hark the heleg-angels sing Dec 2014 2:27pm, 16 Dec 2014 2,512 posts	0 Hark the heleg-angels sing I'm interested that you are both able to train Jess at agility. I was told very firmly that we could only train one handler per dog (and it is definitely the handlers that need the training more than the dogs). I might just mention the others in the class. Bess is a shepherd/collie-ish cross, very bright and jumps high - at least four feet up when she's in bounce mode. She keeps play bowing and inviting Jet to play. She's done some agility training before, and doesn't like Bailey. Bailey has done quite a bit previously and is really the star of the class. He looks like a red doodle dog, is a few centimetres higher than Jet and a bit heavier. He's high energy, only a year old and is quite dominant, but he's being neutered today so may be a bit quieter when he returns in the New Year. Bailey also keeps inviting Jet to play. Bailey doesn't like Hero. Hero is the class clown. A rescue greyhound with regular ear infections, and a deep dislike of collies - he has gone 'off course' in order to attack two on separate occasions. He has two speeds, fast (which is very very fast and beautiful to watch), and 'rooted to the spot. When he switches 'off' it's quite visible. Last week he had to be cajoled over a jump. He eventually complied by stepping over it, one foot at a time with the grace of a ballet dancer en-point. Hero tolerates Jet examining him - Jet checks Hero's ears each time they meet, which requires Jet to stand on his hind legs. So far they have only shown curiosity towards each other, nothing more. Honey is a year old, another working spaniel and from a family that is already expert at agility training. She already shows huge potential, but is currently held back a little, "A strong dog with a quiet handler" was last night's comment. Her handler is young, and I anticipate great results as they develop their team-working skills. Jet is fast but needs to learn control. As shown last night he also needs to learn to concentrate even when it's not exciting for him. We've had visits from two experienced collies in the past few weeks. They've shown the gap between the beginners and the experts. It's exciting to watch, and gives us something to aspire to.
Derby Tup Dec 2014 8:11pm, 17 Dec 2014 13,851 posts	0 Derby Tup "That piece of log mister is not for you, or your consumption" Our Sam telling Tussock where he stand;-)
LittleDonkeyDaisy Dec 2014 8:36pm, 17 Dec 2014 9,436 posts	0 LittleDonkeyDaisy DT Flossie and Lily met 2 yellow Labs on our walk this morning. (One of the things they often do is, Flossie finds a long stick and she and Lily each hold an end and they run along together. It's always Flossie who finds the stick, and if Lily's not interested Floss will happily lug it along by herself.). One of the yellow Labs had a stick and Flossie went to grab the other end. 'Oh she won't give that up,' said the owner. But within seconds Floss and the yellow Lab were sharing it, and then the yellow Lab yielded it to Flossie perfectly happily. The owner was most surprised. Maybe there was some body language we couldn't see that established who had stick-dominance?
BaronessBL Dec 2014 5:05pm, 21 Dec 2014 4,130 posts	0 BaronessBL We've just given Wanda a valuable learning experience at our local 'dog-friendly- pub. When I say dog friendly there is a rumour that you're not allowed in unless there is a dog in your group of people :-). We got there quite early on and there weren't many people there (and no dogs - even the resident dog was elsewhere). Wanda settled quietly on her mat (blanket) with a hoof. Then the resident dog came in - Wanda gave her a few warning growls and Prim slunk around looking peeved but with a 'seen it all before' expression.. she still found a way to our table and thus nearer our crisps without Wanda appearing to notice! Then Fred came in.. Fred has been going to that pub for years, even before Prim was on the scene so he takes no nonsense from a young whipper-snapper even if she is in his usual 'seat.' A bit more growling from Wanda but she soon settled again. Three further dogs than came in (not together) and the owners of one, decided to sit outside in the smoking area having been told by Wanda that her personal space was now being seriously crowded and how could she be expected to be good (it's a very small pub at the best of times.) After exhausting our supply of chews, bones (one of which Fred decided he was going to have a sniff at which didn't help) and hooves, we also decamped to the outside area to finish our drinks, allowing those inside the pub some peace. On the whole Wanda was better behaved than expected although still not well behaved enough to make it exactly a pleasurable experience....but hopefully she'll learn. And it's better to have a few pretend spats in a pub like that, than one that calls itself dog friendly but is really only just about tolerant of dogs. Hopefully she'll be if not welcomed back in future at least allowed back inside.... Love the stick story above from LD.....
Shark the Herald Angel Dec 2014 5:45pm, 21 Dec 2014 6,357 posts	0 Shark the Herald Angel Excellent stories above from Helegant, LazyD and the Baroness. Jess is in double disgrace. No tea for her and it's Raystede (rehoming) in the morning.
D2Heathenforachristmasname Dec 2014 5:49pm, 21 Dec 2014 5,937 posts	0 D2Heathenforachristmasname Oh dear Jess.... I have space here if Raystede is full............