New article on Total MinPin

I've added a new article on Total Min Pin on the Working Min Pin. Go check it out!

Today it's cold, again. Zip and Cala just came in from outside and he immediately jumped into his sun chair so he could warm up. The old gal, Viva, is not at all interested in stirring from the couch; I'll have to kick her out later to go potty. Otherwise she'll just try to hold it forever.

Crates and well trained dogs

Last night, on my way home from taking the dogs for a run, the thing happened that none of us want to happen. While driving down I-70 (the busiest interstate in the U.S.) my right rear tire blew. I managed to get off onto the shoulder then limped, very slowly, toward the next exit ramp.

None of us wants something like this to happen. But if it does, it sure is nice to have well-behaved, trained dogs who are used to crates. I called my friend Kathy, then I called Triple A. Kathy came and helped me offload dogs from my car to hers. If my dogs had not been crated, if they were not well-trained, the chances of them making it even from my car to hers would have been small. Traffic was roaring by at well over 70 mph mere feet away. But everyone was under control, and because they were crated we were able to move one at a time.

The dogs then went to the training building and put into their crates there, and they then waited, quietly, for me to get back to them after the car was fixed.

Good dogs!

Startline Stay (SLS). Is it essential?

In agility these days, pretty much everyone strives for a startline stay. They can be very difficult to maintain though, because breaking them is SOOO rewarding. And often handlers inadvertently teach the dog to break through body cues.

This weekend I was talking to a gal who runs a lightning-fast Whippet. She said, "I just figured out how I'm cueing the release for my startline!" It turns out that though she thought the release was a word, "OK," the dog had figured out that after she looked away to see where she was going, the moment she looked back, even the merest glance, he could leave.

Oops.

I know of OTCH dogs who have broken startlines. I know one dog who was so keyed to go that even when he got pulled for breaking, he'd still have the reward for that one jump. So his owner had a friend pull the bar down from the jump if he broke, so he couldn't jump it. It worked, sort of. Then there's Cala. I had a startline stay on her as a young dog, but then she started fudging it. So I pulled her at a couple of trials. Her solution? Break faster so she could take off and do more agility before I yanked her off the course. Try fixing THAT one.

But do you really, honestly have to have a startline stay? Will dogs without them be doomed to certain failure? Well, no. You don't. In fact, with some slower dogs a SLS can be demotivating. And a bad leadout is just as likely to result in failure as no leadout at all. My "favorite" is the leadout of two jumps to a sharp turn. Often the handler cues late, crunching the dog as he tries to stand on his head and turn at the same time. If it's a high drive dog you sometimes hear justified verbal protest from the dog at this treatment.

If you can get a startline stay, it can be very beneficial. In some courses, being able to lead out and draw a line can really help with efficiency and eliminate traps. Some judges design courses specifically to punish those with no leadout. It's a tool you should add to your toolbox. And for really drivey dogs, it can help reinforce that you're team captain, you get to say when to go, not your dog.

Now Min Pins aren't that big, and some of them aren't that motivated. For our breed, I think it is beneficial to experiment and see what works best. If your dog is faster doing a running start, then do it. If it likes to be called to you, try that. Zipper seems to like both the "drop and run" and the startline stay. So I think I'll be able to use both.

If you aren't able to get a stay, here are some tips.

If there are two jumps pretty much straight out to a turn, consider setting up well behind the line and doing a cross between one and two. Be sure to angle the dog the direction you are facing, so you are using the rear cross as a V set. As an example, one of my jumpers courses had 2 jumps out to a right hand turn, with a trap on the left. I actually kept Zipper on my right, set him down a good distance from the bar so he could get up speed, then rear crossed him between one and 2, which turned him nicely to get to three. An alternative to this would have been to set him up on my left, but come into the pocket between 1 and 2 and wrap him around me in a V set, sending him over 2 at an angle to the right.





If there is a jump and a sharp turn with a trap jump straight ahead, set up closer to the bar so the dog has a bit more collection and is less likely to wildly run straight forward. But be sure you leave plenty of room to get yourself by the jump without having to dodge a wing.



There are ways to manage without a startline stay, but if you can get a reliable one, it's a formidable tool.

3 days in St. Louis

This past weekend I showed Zipper 3 days in a row at Lake St. Louis. It's indoors, on dirt. I do like the surface, it's safe and they had it well watered. Unfortunately this facility is dirt outside the rings as well as inside. Which means that we had dust and dirt *everywhere*. Usually at shows I can get at least a couple of days out of a pair of jeans, but not here. Everything had to be shed into the laundry basket each night, it was filthy. Zipper was a bit snorty all weekend and his eyes were teary from the dirt.

No Qs, but he's getting a lot closer! I'm still not happy with his weaves. He's doing them well at the building now, but not so much at trials. I think that in retrospect, I will not ever again teach a dog using anything but channels. He just doesn't really drive through poles, and under stress it's the first thing to break down.

On the other hand, Zipper would have Qd each day in Jumpers if not for the weaves. He took direction beautifully, had some super lines. He did miss one front cross, but he demonstrated he's more than ready to tackle Excellent level courses.

In Standard, he was completely distracted Friday, looking like he did in Massachusetts. My heart sank. But he got better and better. Yesterday's run was very focused. He got his weave entry then skipped out and I kept going, then I pulled him off not one but two jumps. But I got a lead-out in! Yay!

So my plan is to work him on weaves every day until they're so ingrained he's doing them in his sleep. :)

Off to St. Louis

Off to our first trial since Thanksgiving, at Lake St. Louis this weekend. It's weird to be in Excellent. In fact, when I think about it, it's been years since I've been in Excellent. Cala, love her crazy little heart, showed maybe 3 or 4 times in Ex Standard without even a hint of Qing. She has been stuck in Open Jumpers for years and at this point it's doubtful she'll do much more agility.

So I guess the last time I was in Excellent Jumpers was before Viva retired, 4 years ago now. And Zip has a Jumpers leg. Weird.

Anyway, weather here has been brutal and I've been recovering from a pretty bad calf muscle pull. So training has been spotty to say the least. Weaves are still tricky, but other than that Zipper's really pulling together, at least in practice. I'll give a report on the trial next week!

Pete and Repeat

Weaves are still an issue with Zipper. I discovered that Saturday when I went to the building to train and he was missing poles. Again. For the eleventy-billionth time.

It reminds me that he's still a green dog and that weaves have always been slow to come. He isn't ready for me to be cavalier about weave training. But I've had excuses. This darn calf-muscle pull h has been slow to mend and the weather has been awful. I am not, will not, refuse to, train a 10# dog with no hair in an unheated building with temperatures ranging from 1 to 10 degrees F. Not going to happen.

Thank goodness the weather is letting up a bit this week. Not enough for me to really want to go tracking, but enough to get into the building a few times.

Goal? Me totally healed and Zipper 100% on weaves by our St. Louis trial the end of this month.

Meanwhile I ponder funds for the UKC trial. Upside? Probably easy titles. UAg2 for Zip, Rally for Cala. Downside? $$$. What to do...what to do.

Brrrr!

Temp is 18F and falling. Our windchill tomorrow is supposed to be -10 to -25. Holy cow that's cold. So no walks, no training at the building (which is unheated). I have the thermostat here at the house turned down to 60 to try to save my gas bill. All the dogs are in coats.

As for me, I'm looking over April trials and trying to decide what to enter. Zip's already entered in a late Feb trial and there's nothing in March, but April is jammed! And there are two trials at Purina Farms this spring, when there haven't been any outdoor trials there for the past couple of years. My tent broke. Do I dare a trial in April outdoors? With a Min Pin? Hmmmm.

And what have I been doing since August 2007?

Whoa. Lots. Zipper is now UAg1 Ch Regatta It's About Time, OA, OAJ, RS-O, JS-O. Right now he's really the only dog I'm training. I need to brush Cala-the-dobe up on heeling, etc. to do some Rally this spring, but the big focus is on Zip.

Things I'm working on right now are tracking, still brushing up on weaves.

Clicking the pivot. Or not.

I've been shaping Zipper to do tracking article indication. I want him to lie down on an article. He thinks it's the most fun EVAH. I get out several items (sock, glove, piece of leather, plastic lid, ink pen, whatever). I crate him, scatter the items over the house then let him out and tell him to find it. For each article he finds and downs on, he gets a click/treat. He goes nuts! He's started a habit of lunging at it, slamming into a down, then whirling around to me to get his treat (often sending article flying), so I've started waiting until he's down, staying down, and touching the item to click. Never knew a dog who could so accurately imitate a tuning fork.

So the other day, I saw a great video on shaping a dog to pivot (for Rally pivots) using a book. You put the book on the floor, then you click for the dog putting one paw on the book, then standing with both front paws on the book. Then you start to turn around the book and the dog will usually rotate the rear to follow while still watching you. I thought, cool! This will be great for Zipper!

Except for one thing. He thought he should lay on the book. It was a fairly thick book, so it was kind of hard for him to get his front end on and lay on it, but he was determined. This must be what Mamma wants! When I failed to him for this stellar display of ingenuity, he started whacking the book with his right front foot. Rapidly and repeatedly. "This one! This article! Hey! You stoopit or something? I'm doing this, and I ain't moving till you click me for it!"

For now we've abandoned the idea of pivot on a book.

I'm back!

I was posting mostly on a local dog training blog for the past year and more, but now I'm back! I'll move some of those old posts over here, and will be updating on a regular basis.

Musical Bones

You know, you think you're doing a special good deed for the dogs and it just all goes wonky.

Every once in a blue moon I allow my dogs to have pressed rawhide bones. This is a big deal because I generally think rawhides are a waste of money, and also because I have to buy them at Petco which sells rodents and fish. I really don't like pet stores that sell anything living.

Why pressed rawhide? Because it's the only thing that lasts more than 5 minutes in the Jaws of Death (Cala). She can't rip huge chunks off the pressed rawhide like she can the regular stuff, so it's also safer.

So I come home today with 3 bones. I own 3 dogs. One bone per dog, right? Well that lasted about 15 minutes. Jaws of Death settled down with hers immediately out in the living room. Viva, the old gal, had hers on the couch and Zipper brought his to his crate. Ah, all is blissful in the world.

Until Viva decided to bring her bone into the office. There was a blur of darting motion and suddenly Zipper (the 10# dog) was in his crate with two bones, both bigger than he is, and Viva (the 65# dog) was blinking in bemusement at the empty floor in front of her. She looked at the floor, she looked at Zipper, and calmly walked over to take her bone back.

With absolutely no respect for seniority or size, Zipper told her to get her face out of his business. So she mooed at him. Then she looked at me with a pitiful "but I'm old and it was mine and now he has it, do something" look.

So I take the bone away from Zipper and give it to Viva. Who decides she doesn't want her bone back, she wants HIS bone. So I give her bone back to Zipper and give her Zipper's bone, and then she decides she wants her bone back. Meanwhile, the second I let go, he steals both of them again.

This goes on for about 10 minutes. I finally give up trying to equalize things. And Viva takes Zipper's bone, gives him her bone, and bliss descends.

Then Cala comes in with her bone in her mouth, takes both of theirs (I think the Jaws of Death can unhinge her lower jaw somewhat like a snake), and trots back out to the living room with all three.

I give up.

How to get a flop dog

Patented recipe for creating a Flop Dog.

Take one small dog.

Drive to breeder's house and drop off dog for the day, to be summarily popped into a yard with two other dogs who are both friendly and playful.

Add one bitch in season.

Add one other dog, in an adjacent yard, who has sired puppies by said bitch, and who thinks your dog should die, now, for being within a mile of said bitch in season.

Leave to percolate for one entire day.

Pick up said dog about 8:00 p.m.

Guaranteed flop dog. All attempts to awaken from his coma-like sleep are useless. Leave until morning, when he will once again morph into a Miniature Pinscher.

Lumps and bumps

Seems like everything at my house is lumpy and bumpy this week. Cala has had a bump that Zipper has been gleefully working over, so now she has a lovely nickel-sized bald spot right in the middle of her back. Zipper and Viva are both itching like crazy. Viva gets this way every summer, Zipper, we've decided, gets chiggers. He's also pulled a ligament in his left rear leg, so no running around like a crazy dog. Except that has him bouncing off the walls and trust me, a Min Pin really can bounce off the walls (and floor, and couch, and bed, and chairs). Keeping him corralled is slightly less difficult than herding cats.

Even my van is lumpy. I somehow picked up a huge wad of heat-softened tar on my left rear wheel and it's proving devilish to remove. It doesn't seem to be hurting anything but I keep thinking my tire is flat.

Very little training this week, it's hot. Blast-furnace hot. I have to teach a class tomorrow night, but other than that I'm staying far, far away from the training building. A martyr I am not.

Park weekends

I've gotten into the habit of walking a couple of laps around the 1 1/4 mile long Cosmo Park Trail on weekend mornings. Zipper and I get up and go, often as the sun is just coming up.

We've had good rain this year, so the park is a saturated and glowing green. The path starts out next to the soccer fields bends around to cross the main road then winds into a long hollow, sliding along several small streams. On humid days, mist floats a foot or so above the ground, alternately silver and sunshot gold. Zipper dashes back and forth across the path, scattering dew, leaving tiny min-pin footprints briefly on the pavement, fading quickly away. He huffs in excited pleasure, laughing, with that sheer unbridled enjoyment of each moment only dogs seem to have.

Through the hollow there are beeches, oaks, and a huge gnarled sycamore that has stood sentinel over a fork in the creek for far longer than the park has existed. It's hollow now and squirrels pop in and out of knotholes. The tree doesn't seem to mind, shaking its huge, dinner-plate sized leaves at the merest hint of breeze. Great strips of its thin bark slowly peel from the trunk, leaving a patchwork of white, tan, grey, and pale acid green.

Crossing a road again leads to the lowest part of the path, deep emerald, still, and below the rising sun's rays. To the right is a great tangle of buckbrush, bush honeysuckle, compass plant, sumac, poison ivy, coneflower, black eyed susan, and goldenrod. Deep within the thicket is the trickle of water, but the stream is hidden.

Zipper's favorite part of the track is just ahead, as we wind up and out of the valley. We emerge into an open mowed field dotted with rabbits frozen to immobility by our approach, like brown rocks. But they can never quite stay still long enough; flipping up their white tails as they scatter, driving Zipper into almost spastic motion--which one? which one? This is the only time when he slams against the end of the flexi, trying to drag me forward. When that doesn't work he rears up on his back legs and hops forward in a desperate plea for me to run, please run so he can just have a small taste of bunny.

As the trail turns back on itself, we're now high, with the golf course groundskeeper grooming the greens on our left and tennis courts, then soccer fields on our right. Whispering in the breeze a breath of notes from a flute, its player never seen as his instrument sings the weekend days into existence. The flute weaves through mockingbird, cardinal, and brown thrasher, sometimes clear, sometimes a fading harmony to nature's concert.

Now the park is coming to life. We encounter a marathon runner, older, whipcord lean. He runs this path only once then strikes North, probably to the Bear Creek trail. The past two weekends have seen the Show Me State Games; boys and girls laughing as they run across the groomed fields, their parents and coaches lagging behind looking like draft animals, weighted down with tents, chairs, coolers, balls, extra equipment, team flags.

By the time we've finished our second lap the mist is starting to burn off and Zipper is panting. He pulls, wanting to go a third; maybe he'll get a rabbit this time. But it's time to go home.

Walking the line

Sounds like a Johnny Cash song doesn't it?

Walk the Line is a tool that agility trainers use to help their dog understand rear crosses on the flat, before asking them to do them over jumps.

Am I speaking greek to you? A rear cross on the flat is when the handler (that would be you, or in this case me), crosses behind the dog (behind = rear) on flat ground (no jumps involved).

Walking The Line is a game that helps the dog understand your hand signals and at the same time, helps you develop a consistent set of signals to use with the dog. To do Walk the Line, you first have a small treat in each hand. With the dog walking on your left side in heel position, use your left hand to pull the dog in front of you, then pivot left 180 degrees, using your right hand to signal the cross. The dog should also turn left, and should end up on your right side as you travel back the way you came. Then use your right hand to push the dog forward, pivot right 180 and use your left hand to turn the dog right.

Sounds clear as mud and I can't find a video to illustrate. But try it, it's fun!

Hah! Caught her!

Ever since I joined the ARC I've been sort of irked by this one woman. She's got a good 20 years on me, and she comes in at about the same time most days (around 5:30 a.m.). She too walks the track, she with a friend and I alone.

And every time she's on the track, she smokes my butt. I mean I'm out there motating along as fast as my stubby little legs can carry me and there she is, talking away to her friend, out for a leisurely stroll, and she blows by me *every* damn time.

Until today. Today, not only did she not catch me, I caught her. I passed them. Now it could be that they were ill, taking it easy, not going their usual pace. I refuse to think it. I've finally outwalked a granny. Thank the Lord and pass the peas.

Okay, it's a petty pleasure, but it's all mine.

Strength training....blech

I've been walking every week day now at the ARC for, oh, 5 weeks? Now that I have decent shoes the plantar fasciitis and shin splints have improved and I'm working up to 3 miles in 45 minutes. Not quite there yet, but getting close.

I really like the track. I count off laps and watch the other people as I cruise by. The lifeguard climbing into his seat by the lap pool. The two old ladies who use float boards as they slide gracefully back and forth through the water. The woman wearing the "I hate Cancer" shirt who arrives when I do and is still running on the treadmill when I leave. The guy who goes to the strength area but spends more time staring into space than working; is he meditating? Still asleep?

Then there are my fellow track goers. I'm usually the first one on the track but am joined by the two ladies who still kick my butt walking (though you didn't catch up with me yesterday, ha-ha!), and the guy with the headband who I really, truly wish would wear some underwear. Please. I've already written about the young man who is so light on his feet I can barely hear him coming. He always wears a full sweat suit and hat, ipod strapped to his arm. Some days I'll be huffing and puffing along and be the slowest person there, and some days, now, I'm among the fastest.

I decided, though, that I should also do some strengthening exercises. Since I have no freaking clue how, I waited until the ARC had an orientation and went last night. This morning I worked through the Nautilus machines.

Boy was that boring. I think the strength training stuff is going to be something to do briefly, after my walk not before!

Happy drive

I've been leaving the dogs out in the mornings when I go to the gym. And mostly it's worked out really well. They haven't gotten into much and since they're crated all day, I like to leave them out during this time.

Being as they'd been doing so well, when I had some errands to run on Saturday I left them all out.

I returned home to disaster. Zipper had gotten into the bathroom cabinet, scattering toilet paper and feminine items everywhere. The toilet paper roll looked like rats had been at it. They'd pulled the mat off of a tea table by the window, and in doing so had broken a vase and yanked down a basket that had felt padding and peanuts in it. Peanuts and broken glass everywhere. I'm amazed nobody had cut pads. All I said was, "Oh no, that's BAD dogs." Ever since then, when I come home from the Gym Zipper is nowhere to be found. A close look finds him well out of reach looking at me tentatively, tail vibrating but clearly waiting for me to make the first move.

In agility, Zipper has been doing very, very well in Jumping. He's a natural jumper with really good form and can easily pop over jumps even from a standstill. Last night we tried something new. Two jumps set very close together at a bit of an angle (like a ">") then a space of about 12 feet, then another set of jumps identical to the first. Zipper took the first two jumps then ran rapidly to the second set, where he jumped the first jump and was going too fast to get the second one. He sent it flying, hitting it pretty hard. After that, he didn't want to jump any more. We went right back to basics, lowered the jumps, and with lots of praise and encouragement had him jumping at a full run again by the end of the class.

Zipper has happy drive. What does that mean? It means that he's got drive--he likes to move fast, he likes to work, he likes to learn things. He loves treats and toys and tugs like a fiend. He has the capability of being a fast and confident agility dog. But that's when things are going well. Zipper hates being wrong, is devastated when he thinks I'm mad at him and he doesn't really want to be surprised. And though he's actually pretty resilient, he certainly doesn't want to be hurt. Zipper is a dog who if pushed too hard, too fast, could turn off to agility all together because it will have become a stressful place for him, and he doesn't like stress, he likes happy.

I'd venture to say that most dogs have happy drive. The dogs who will push through any adversity to get to work, who are both physically and mentally tough, who can take a punishment or accident and get right back up and keep working—those dogs are a minority, a small minority. My two dobermans are that way, so are many border collies. But since that's the sort of thing we all want for our dogs, we tend to try to treat them as if they were all infinitely resilient. They're not.

If your dog has happy drive then enjoy it! You're going to have a tremendous working dog. But don't take it for granted and don't push it too far.

The Three Commandments of Training

My life pretty much revolves around my dogs, as do the lives of many of my friends. And if you're a dog person, training discussions are endless. Training methods vary wildly, so much so that people have come to blows over training methods. Friendships have been lost, feelings have been hurt. Clicker trainers get called clickeroos and dismissed as "cookie pushers"; traditional trainers are called brutal thugs and dog abusers. And even among trainers who have like-minded methodologies, there are just so many things to train that we sometimes get bogged down. Stays, recalls, front crosses, contacts. Collected jumping, shoulder dropping, voice and hand signals, about turns.

In spite of this swirling tower of Babel, I really think there are three, and only three, things all trainers *must* do to effectively train their dogs. If you have these three elements, you will be able to go as far as you want in training. Do these things right and your dog will want to learn, want to please, and actively seek to help you train him. Do them wrong and you're headed down the road to frustration and maybe even danger.

Commandment 1. Thou Shalt Be A Benevolent Leader
If you want a dog who wants to work with you, then you have to be a leader. You and your dog are a team. Somebody has to be team captain, and that somebody has to be you. There is no choice here. You provide the kibble, you drive the car, you take care of the boo-boos. Dogs evolved to see and depend on us as leaders. If you are not a leader, this throws the dog into confusion and shakes his foundations of understanding of how his world works. If you don't lead him, he'll be forced to try to lead himself and maybe you too—a task he is unsuited for, and one which will cause a range of issues from ignoring you to outright aggression.

But there's another word in that commandment besides "Leader." It's "Benevolent." Some trainers (and television personalities) would have us alpha rolling our dogs, asserting our dominance with tough tactics. Show them who is boss. Make them sorry if they even think about getting out of line. Exercise them till they drop. Let them know that they better do what you want because if they don't well, by golly it's going to be pretty unpleasant.

That's not leadership. That's dictatorship. And certainly it can work. The truth is, dogs can and do put up with an incredible amount of mental and physical abuse from us, and they can even learn how to do things through the abuse. But I do not want to establish leadership through fear and intimidation followed up with physical pain. The thing is, I don't have to, and neither do you. You can be a leader without ever alpha rolling your dog. To be a good leader, a dog owner and trainer must be clear and consistent. He must also respect the dog. Respect is not a one way street. Want your dog to respect you? Respect him back. Don't expect him to be a human in fur clothing. Don't expect him to think and reason like you do. DO take the time to understand him and figure out how he thinks so you can communicate your wishes to him easily. Do not punish him for being a dog. Put as much time and effort into him as you expect him to put into you. Be calm and positive. Show him what you want and invite him to learn. Don't shove it down his throat. A dog who is benevolently lead rather than crushed under the rule of a dictator will be ready and eager to learn anything you want to teach, any time you want to teach it.

Commandment 2: Play With Thy Dog
That's right. Play. And I mean just that, play. I don't mean throwing a ball or fetching the paper, though those are both great trained behaviors. I mean get down on the floor and wrestle and play. Be stupid and silly. Make play growly noises. Let him jump on your head and growl back. Let him bark and spin. Squeal and run away, inviting him to chase. Play for play's sake. Play because it's fun and your dog loves it and you do too.

Play teaches your dog that you're more than a leader, you're FUN. Being with you is exciting! You just might do something silly any time.

Play increases confidence and attention. Play enhances the dog-human bond. Play lets your dog know that he's fun too, that you like playing with HIM. Play lets the dog know that it's okay to get amped up and excited in your presence. And that in turn feeds into a dog who does more than accept training, he attacks it with verve and vigor.

Commandment 3: Let Thy Dog Know He Is Loved
Some trainers caution against giving your dog too much affection. It makes them take you for granted they say. Spoils them. Undermines your leadership. I mean, how dare the dog solicit a pat from you, they should be punished for that. You should be some sort of distant idol, doling out affection only on your own schedule and only after they've done something for you.

What a load of crap.

If you are a benevolent leader, there is no such thing as giving your dog too much attention or affection. Your dog already understands and respects you as his leader, and you already understand and respect your dog. So if he comes up to you wanting some affection, give it to him. To NOT give your dog affection when he solicits it undermines your relationship. If your dog didn't love you and want to please you, if your dog didn't want to interact with you, he would not be soliciting attention. And isn't getting attention and inspiring your dog to want to please you and work with you the very foundation of all training? So do you really want to shut that off? I don't. I never have. I've always given my dogs all the attention and affection they could stand. I even solicit attention from them. Yet my dogs have all done very well in training, obtaining multiple titles and even more importantly, being superb companions that are a joy to live with.

Certainly some dogs can get obnoxious about soliciting attention, and sometimes you will need to say no. But if there's no pressing reason to say no, then say yes. You'll find your training will be better for it.


Follow those three commandments and learned behaviors become not just easy to teach, but fun too. How fun it is to teach a dog who can't wait to get to work, who actively works with you to learn, who revels in being with you. How difficult it is to teach the dog who isn't sure what you'll do that might hurt or scare him, who doesn't know his role, and who approaches all training with trepidation. I know which dog I want.

Christ I'm old

I finally have the shin splints under control. Two days off last weekend and not pushing too hard this week have put me in much better shape.

But now my feet have flared back up. Dammit. Yesterday morning when I walked they hurt a bit. I had class last night, then went to Bradford with the dogs where I was reduced to a crippled hobble then to just standing and watching them run. This morning I went exactly 2 miles and not a bit farther, and unlike usual the pain didn't warm out.

Poor Viva, she and I are a pair. Years ago now she had to have a tendon removed in her left foot--the major digital flexor of her left inside toe. As a result, that toe doesn't quite work like the others and she's built up a huge callus on the 2nd toe from being rubbed by the affected toenail.

Well the callus has gotten sort of infected, and last night when I was hobbling down the road I noticed we were tandem hobblers and the callus was bloody. So while Cala and Zipper blew through the fescue in wakes of rippling green, the two old ladies hitched and limped slowly back to the car.