Just Talkin' Dusty

I haven't written much about Dusty or Blitz in awhile because, well, I'm not training or showing them.  But they are here and they are well, so I thought I'd take time today to just write about Dusty and what he's been up to. 

This picture was taken a few days ago during an Indian summer day.  Dusty was feeling particularly good, and actually joined the crew for part of our daily walk around the property.  He even barked and frolicked a bit and so I thought I'd take a picture to memorialize the day.

Not that he's had a bad day.  Not in the least.  But he IS getting older (he turns 17 February 8 2012).  These days his priority is a Good Nap.  Even eating has taken a back seat to the importance of a good nap. 

That's a major shift in the Life of Dusty - eating was the end all and be all.  And that's when I knew he really and truly is becoming an Old Dog.  His diet has changed, too.  My dogs are fed Raw, supplemented with a high quality no grain kibble.  Except now for Dusty.  First, we eliminated the raw meaty bones as it was taking him too long to eat them.  I was grinding his bones for him.  Ever so slowly bits of the raw diet were being dropped - eggs first (upset his tummy), then dairy.  Then it was just the kibble.  Then the kibble, soaked in warm water.  Now it's canned dog food (same brand, so no grain and whole foods) mixed in with the kibble.  He seems to really enjoy this latest combo and is eating with a gusto I haven't seen in months.  So all is good in the Life of Dusty.  He's very happy, gets around very well in spite of being practically blind, and eats and poops with no complications.  At his age, that's quite an accomplishment.

After all my family has been through, I've learned all too well about mortality.  In addition to being grateful for every day I am given, I make sure that I hug Dusty, and appreciate each day he is here.  At his 16-year annual checkup the vet said he had the bloodwork of a 4-year-old.  Looks like I'll get to appreciate him for a good deal longer!

Next entry will be about the Blitz-man!

Today's Herding Lesson

I have Tuesdays off.  It's a weird, wonderful day to have off if you need to go grocery shopping as it is never crowded.  If you want to drive somewhere you have the roads pretty much to yourself too.  And today, my herding instructor Cathy and my time off schedules coincided so I went for an early morning lesson today.
We are beginning to teach an outrun, lift and fetch (where the dog goes out and around the sheep - that's the outrun, the lift is where the sheep start to come to you and fetch is where you are in the lead, the sheep in the middle and the dog holding them to you). 
Moto is really picking up quickly on the outrun.  Today was really fun as he naturally stopped when the sheep began to turn to me.  It doesn't get any better than that.  We then did some walkabouts (just like it sounds, you don't want the dog pushing the sheep past you, just keeping them to you) to see if he could balance as I moved about the large pasture.  He did pretty good, just has difficulty balancing on the left side for some reason.  The neatest thing was the Started course was still up and he was able to do it just fine!  Now, if all the stars will be in alignment wouldn't that be fun to qualify your first time in Started.  With both Dusty and Shiloh that did not happen.  If Moto qualifies on Saturday in PT, we will move up to Started on Sunday, so we should be prepared if the Herding gods are smiling on us.

I expected Moto to do well as he is from a long line of herding Shelties.  With Pinch I expected I'll need to teach more mechanics as he's mostly from conformation dogs.  He proved me wrong today:  while he needs quite a bit of work on his outrun, his lift and fetch were really, really good.  The biggest thing I've come to learn in this Herding Game is to keep my mouth shut, trust my dog and let THEM do the work.  Magic happens when I let go of the Control Freak in me.  So, I shut my mouth, stepped away from the sheep to see what Pinch would do.  Wouldn't you know it, he balanced nicely and brought them to me, as nice as could be.  So he too will begin his Started training in earnest, and maybe try for it in the Spring.
What a great way to start the day!

Another Great Weekend

I'm still floating from a pretty good last Obedience Trial of the year for us.  Moto achieved his Graduate Novice (GN) title, and Pinch got his Beginner Novice (BN) title.  Moto won his class both days and no, he wasn't the only dog - there were 5 the first day and just 2 of us on Sunday.  Pinch's class was more competitive with 12 dogs and he got a 3rd place Saturday and Sunday won his class. 
But the ribbons weren't the best part - it was the fact that both boys ENJOYED their time in the ring and gave their very best.  That's all I ever ask for!  Moto is really coming along in leaps and bounds and on Sunday his score was a 195 - pretty good for him.  Sunday was very trying for him as we were the last class of the day and there was lots of slamming and banging as people broke down their crates and the obedience club was ripping up mats.  Moto stayed on task and even during the out of sight downs managed to hold it together.  He did not lag on the figure 8 and the fast during heeling which is HUGE for him.  We will make an Open debut next year, which thrills me to no end.
Pinch too is making big strides.  His ability to work under pressure has increased but still needs work.  On Saturday we had a male judge and he moved his feet on the Sit for Exam which cost us a point.  The judge also followed him in on the recall, which caused him to accelerate too fast and his front was more of a *splat* - LOL!  But that too cost us a point (I felt the judge was very generous, I would have taken 2 or 3 points for that).  He is keeping his attention for the most part and he got a lot of compliments for his work.  I think with continued exposure to new things and some more maturing he will be a really nice obedience dog.
Our hotel was lovely - clean and quiet, lots of lawn and good restaurants near by.  Since I wasn't travelling with any friends the boys and I enjoyed lots of down time together cuddling on the king sized bed.  During the night I realized I had become the middle of a doggie sandwich with one dog on each side of me, in the "otter" position.  Too cute!
Next up:  a Sylvia Bishop seminar and a herding trial, where will try to finish Moto's PT and Pinch will make his PT debut.  Then, it's off for the holidaze.  Where did the year go?

Obedience is HARD WORK!

We have our last Obedience trial of the year coming up, and I hope to finish Moto's Graduate Novice (GN) title, and Pinch's Beginner Novice (BN) title.  These are, I hope, precursers of the "real" classes we hope to enter next year.  Since Laurie's visit I've been much more committed to training, and it seems the more I train, the more holes I expose in my training. 
I do understand to have a Champion title at ANY level takes tons of work, commitment of time, and training.  I do believe (and this is just my opinion of course), that the OTCH (Obedience Trial Champion) title is one of the hardest to attain, simply for the fact you need to train EVERY day, and the level of perfection requires great technical, non-natural behavior on the dog's part. Unlike most other venues, you cannot talk to your dog, you cannot touch your dog until the exercises are over. 
I've realized I've been too chatty in my training and am now easing it out as I want my boys to be as prepared as possible for the ring environment where Mommy is silent with her praise and they still need to do what is asked of them.
And - in addition to training, there needs to be proofing.  Proofing is where you set up a situation where your dog needs to make a choice to do what you've asked or do something else, which would not be what was asked.  For example:  I took Pinch and Moto to work with me today, so they could get used to new sights and sounds outside their home environment.  For Pinch's proofing I wanted to heel him up and down in front of my work and I wanted attention.  Another big hole in my training was exposed as something as simple as a leaf blowing by could make him look away.  My bad, I should have been doing this on a regular basis ages ago. Bad trainer!
Moto really doesn't need training, he needs lots and lots of exposure to help him build his confidence.  This is going to take a really long time.  Quite honestly, I think he'll never be a confident boy, but will be able to work through his worries to get the job done.
I'm sure we will qualify and I think both of them should do reasonably well.  I'm excited as this is my first dog show road trip, complete with a hotel stay, in a very long time.
But, we certainly have our work cut out for us during the winter break.

Moments of Glory

Feeling much better - finally!  With it being Monday, I went back to my winter routine of getting up at 5:00 a.m., doing chores until the sun comes up, then train dogs.  With our trial just a few weeks away and losing a week of training, we're focusing on what we need to have success at the BN and GN level.  Pinch needs a LOT of heeling work.  I'm switching out between a flat and a pinch collar for precision.  No, I don't "correct" him on a pinch collar.  It just instantly lets him know when he's out of position.  And he's at that teen-ager stage and learning about boundaries and having to do what's asked of him.  He's both spicy and soft at the same time but bounces back quickly after a correction. 
I trained Pinch first and Moto had to watch.  He actually seems to care about having to wait.  When we did heeling, I had a few 'wow" moments - a first.  Sometimes in the ring with his sire Shiloh I could "feel" the judge.  I've heard other exhibitors say the same thing.  I remember once heeling with Shiloh, I could feel the judge and she was really liking our performance.  Sure enough, we had a nice score that day.  I had a few of those moments with Moto this morning.  It's a lovely thing.  It's as if we are one and moving together with perfect syncronicity.  Yes, it was our back yard, but tomorrow we'll take it to a new area and see if we can reproduce it yet again. 
If that happens, I'll be really happy for both he and I.