Dhali the Acrobat

No pictures of yesterday's adventure.  Of course, the one time I don't take my camera Dhali does something amazing. 

I left work early and took the dogs for a hike.  Note to self: End of Oct., while beautiful, is not a good time to go hiking.  Tick-splosion.  Yuk.  I picked a ton off of Tibby and a ton went down the drain when I gave Tibby and Dhali a bath.  I only found one crawling through Dhali's fur pre-bath, but I think some of his probably went down the drain.

It was still a nice hike.  We had the whole place to ourselves.  So we hiked a long way, because I wanted to get to the lake.  Tibby doesn't like water, but Dhali does!  We finally got to the lake and went down to the shore.  The lake was beautiful - completely still and glassy.  Dhali had fun ripping up and down the sand beach, jumping in and out of the water.  It was cold, but he still went wading up to his belly.  Tibby was willing to walk on the beach - which is a big difference.  She even had her tail up.

There is a branch that hangs out over the beach and over the water.  It was about 4 feet off of the sand.  I had to jump up a little to sit on it.  And it wiggled up and down when I sat on it and my fingers met when I wrapped my hands around it to measure it.  Anyway, there is a point to this story......

So, I'm sitting there watching Dhali run around.  Dhali sees me sitting there and comes running full speed, jumps up and lands perfectly on the branch.  He stands there looking around, walks up and down the narrow branch and then sits down and looks around and then jumps down and tears around the beach again.  OMG!  How did he do that?!  He is really not afraid of anything. 

Then he was running around in and out of a marshy area and instead of running underneath a big root sticking into the water.  He jumps right over it - like 4 feet high again!    

Water and sand really get him revved up.  He was a crazy puppy all the way back to the car.  Tibby did not appreciate his craziness, because it ends up with him trying to wrestle her and their leashes get all wrapped up.  Also, he bites her feet.  Stinker.

So they got baths and brushed and were beautiful.  Then Dhali went outside and came back in covered in stickers and mud.  Where does he keep finding these stickers!?!?!  Argh!

I noticed this morning that he is taller than my knee when he sits next to me.  He's getting so big! 

Dhali's First Dog Park

We went to the dog park today.  It was Dhali's first visit.  He liked it a lot.  We had the whole place to ourselves.  Tibby had a nice time too, but Dhali had more fun - racing around and jumping.

He LOVES to jump.  His favorite thing is to run up behind you and jump on your back.  He jumps as high as my shoulders and uses me as a springboard to do a turn and then run away again.  Or sometimes he just jumps, jumps, jumps as you are walking.  He likes to get as close as he possibly can - trying to trip me?!  I'm sure this isn't good for his growing body, but other than keeping him on a leash (and he still does it then) I don't know how to stop him.  And he's having so much fun.  Such a silly puppy.  I do wish he would watch where he is landing though!

He finally got to run full speed in a big area and wow! he is so fast!  Tibby couldn't keep up or catch him.  He's like a little race car!

Daisy Peel Foundation Lesson - Standing Up Now

Another video for our foundations class with Daisy Peel.

This is what she said: "I think this is actually fine, but don’t be afraid to say good girl, or any other encouraging words it’s really easy to stand there and be pretty boring, and my examples are sometimes poor, because I tend not to say very much

I think this is actually fine, you’re changing your location fairly frequently, and pretty randomly, whether you intended to or not
sometimes, you are on the side, and sometimes, you are on the take off on the side, and that’s good.

The only thing that I might do differently, would be to clearly get myself on either the takeoff side, or the landing side, since standing parallel to the plane of the bar really doesn’t do much of anything in terms of cuing your dog towards one jumping effort or another. It is beginning, when we’re sitting on the ground, we are purposefully sitting parallel to the plaintiff the obstacle, because we’re trying to be in as neutral a position as possible, so as not to cue the dog to do anything other than to offer to take the jump. But, as soon as you stand up, you have to assume you are handling

I also don’t mind you are using the toy right at the end, as long as you can see that she sticks the landing, and is looking down, and as long as you don’t put the toy out there prematurely, which might encourage her to jump hyperextended, if she is looking up expecting the toy to appear.

I actually think this looks good! I might have actually gone that way out even earlier in the training session "
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And this is what I said, "“I might have actually gone that way out even earlier in the training session”
I think this means get the toy out? I had it out in the middle of the session and it perked her up a lot. You can see me stuff it down my shirt at one point LOL!!
Thanks for telling me that we can talk to the dog – I wasn’t sure about that. I usually talk to her – except when we are shaping something. So I will start talkng to her more. But we are still not supposed to cue the jump yet – right?

I will pick a side of the jump and not stand at the upright any more – I think that was what felt so weird!"
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And this is what she said, "Oh yes, sorry about that, stupid dictation software
yes, get the toy out sooner, that’s what I meant

I like the idea of “action cues” – cues that encourage the dog to take action of some sort without being specific about WHAT action. So while I might not say ‘jump’, I might say ‘what are you gonna do?’ or something else silly along those lines – an action cue."

More Backside Training

Well, that title should get some interesting hits....hee hee.

Anyway, this is a video of more training with Tibby to take the backside of the jump.  I do not know what I am doing!  This is hard.  Tibby is amazing that she can figure out (most of the time) what I want.  Seriously I watch these videos and I have no idea how Tibby can know what I'm directing with my floppy arms.  I would not make it as a traffic cop. 

I am trying to teach Tibby a verbal 'back' to take the backside of the jump.  Also, I'm (again trying) to direct with my body. 

Interesting things:  This video is 2 different days of training.  Yeah, I wore the same coat.  The first day I was happy, excited and having fun.  I used BIG ole arm sweeps.  Up here to the sky!  Look!  Tibby is short.  Can she really see my arms waving way up high?  I don't know.  Is she watching my knees?  They don't seem to be doing too much.
The 2nd day (today) I was tired from work, but Tibby was begging (yes!) to work/do something/anything/pay attention to me!  I hardly used any arm movements and Tibby did much better.  She wasn't as impressed with me, because of my attitude.  She needs cheering.  But there is always tomorrow. 

Hopefully I'm not messing up too badly.  Don't break the puppy!  That's my motto.  Tomorrow Tibby is 18 months old, so not such a puppy any more. 

We are having fun.  Tibby wants to do agility.  Yeah.  The world might be ending.  She sits outside trying to get me to come out and train with her.  Cute.  But not as cute at 11pm, when it is freezing, the grass is covered with frost and I have been playing with her for an hour already!!

Yay for happy, crazy Tibby! I knew she would come back someday.

The Appointment

Tibby's appointment for her echo cardiogram is this Tuesday.  We are meeting with a cardiologist, then she gets some blood taken and an EKG.  Depending on the results, she will then have (possibly) xrays and (most likely) an ultrasound.  We have to be there by 9am.  I get to stay with her for the first 2 hours and then Tibby has to stay there until 4:30pm to 5pm.

~

We are going to have to leave very, very early for the appt. for 3 reasons:

1- That is the day President Obama is coming to the Twin Cities

2- The State Fair is going on a few blocks away from the hospital.

3- There is road construction EVERYWHERE.

Also, it will be rush hour.

Tibby says, "pffft!" to heart murmurs.

Tibby is smiling in this picture :)

Have a great weekend!