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Well, his first official training jumps! Dazzle has always been "bouncy" and loves to jump at every opportunity. But now I have started to teach him the proper mechanics of jumping.
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I'm using what I learned from Susan Salo's DVD's and I think her methods make a lot of sense. She teaches the dog's the way horses are taught. Teaching them first how to find and be comfortable with the proper take-off spot for a jump. This prevents the dog from hitting the jump with his front feet because he left the ground too late and prevents hitting with the back feet because the dog took off too soon and couldn't stay in the air long enough.
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Once the dog can find the proper spot in a straight line, curves are added to teach the dog how to curve his body so that landings are straight. This prevents undue stress on the dog's joints and back. Then the dog is taught to WANT to seek out the jump and to jump even if the jumps are not perfectly aligned. Distance between the jumps is varied slightly to make the dog figure out how to adjust his stride and speed properly.
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Then after the dog has mastered the mechanics, height is added into the mix and the training sequence is repeated with a few higher jumps in the mix. If a dog is jumping properly, they can be VERY fast, but it won't look like they are really fast because they are so fluid it looks effortless and easy.
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Dazzle is very flexible, athletic and enjoys jumping. I don't think he will have trouble figuring out how to adjust his stride and timing and to seek out a jump :-) So I'm looking forward to this training, but I'm going to take it slow and only do a few jumps during each session. He's still young and his growth plates aren't closed so I don't want to over-do it with repetition, even at a low height.
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You can see VIDEO of his first jumps (including slow motion at the end so you can really see his form) here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF9f649a3u8
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I love the slow motion because that's when I can really SEE how he's doing. The first jump is just a "set-point" that Susan calls a facilitator. It's never more than 4-6" high. The second jump and the dog's approach to it are what is really being looked at regarding form. I see from watching the videos that I set him way too far back from the set-point. He should have been right up to it so that his landing between the obstacles was more to the middle. Dazzle's back is more flat than rounded like it should be because he is having to stretch to get to the jump (my fault.)
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After I put him on a stay and get to the far side, I am dropping a ball for him to focus on. The toy on the ground helps keep his head down and when he takes off at the right spot, his back will be rounded.
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---------------------------------- All about the life of "Dazzle" --------------------------------
April 27, 2009
April 25, 2009
Busy weekend!
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Cool statue!
I took Dazzle to Lexington KY to watch the International Rolex Three-Day Eventing (Olympics caliber horse show.) The weather was beautiful! And thankfully they had "people movers" (shuttles pulled by 4 wheelers) to get from place to place. It was Dazzle's first time on this type of open air moving vehicle. At first he was not thrilled with the close quarters and movement, but then he felt the breeze and noticed all the cool stuff going by and decided it wasn't so bad. 
Cool statue!
I took Dazzle to Lexington KY to watch the International Rolex Three-Day Eventing (Olympics caliber horse show.) The weather was beautiful! And thankfully they had "people movers" (shuttles pulled by 4 wheelers) to get from place to place. It was Dazzle's first time on this type of open air moving vehicle. At first he was not thrilled with the close quarters and movement, but then he felt the breeze and noticed all the cool stuff going by and decided it wasn't so bad. .
We watched a bit of the Rolex dressage from outside the stadium, then watched some pony club teams doing games in an outside ring as a demo.
Look mom! Ponies! 
Then we sat on a hill in the shade to eat the lunch I brought and to watch an Agility demo followed by a police dog demo. Dazzle DID get interested in watching the dogs running agility, but only if they were barking. If they didn't bark, he was more interested in his ball or the mulch or the grass or what I was eating. I don't think he even knew the police dog demo was going on because he was too busy laying in the cool grass chewing on sticks from the mulch bed. :-)
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After lunch and the break in the shade, I checked out the vendors. They filled the indoor arena! There were also more outside and along the road to this arena. 
No money to buy anything, but I did get a free pocket knife and a delicious sample of chocolate. Dazzle was fantastic and very well behaved by the time we got to the vendors. He had been pulling while I was walking prior to that, so I attached the leash to his harness and let him pull me. It helps take some of the effort out of walking, so it kept my legs from getting tired as fast and wore him out (so a win-win!)
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After seeing the vendors, I was done for the day. So we rode the shuttle back to the parking lot. He had very little room because there were so many people trying to use the shuttle, so he ended up with most of his body in my lap. He still managed to stand on a lady's foot, but she said it was no problem as she moved her foot. :-) Dazzle was hot, so I think he enjoyed the breeze from the shuttle movement. He slept all the way home.
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We also did some tracking practice this weekend with the KY tracking group. He ran 3 baby tracks today at the VOA park. His first track, he was very excited about the food, but got so excited that he ran it fast enough to leave a lot of the food behind! He was crabbing sideways because his back feet were trying to move faster than his front feet and nose :-) Short VIDEO clip here:
Because he left so much food on the track, I had the helper lay his second track right over the first. He did much better on this one. I also used a longer line so I wasn't "crowding" him- thank you Julie for that suggestion! I think it helped quite a bit. Short VIDEO here:
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The third track was in a new spot and a bit longer. He almost did a handstand when he found the first piece of food! He was moving so fast that his nose and front feet stopped, but the rest of him didn't and both back feet actually came off the ground several inches. I should have added the sound of screeching tires to the video, but it's hard to see on the video because he's far away and facing the camera. He moved much more smoothly on this track, but I need to put more tension on the line and have him pull. That way later in the training when I don't know where the track is laid, his pulling will tell me he is on the track. Short VIDEO of track #3 is here:
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After tracking, we visited Wigley Field dog park in West Chester with another person I met at tracking practice. It was the yellow lab, Sage, that Dazzle is smitten with on the video below.
Must have 2 toys at all times!
Dazzle had a BLAST and I'm glad I went back to the van for my cameras. I took the few photos above, but also several short videos I combined and put into one VIDEO and set to music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3slUpryGtg0 
April 23, 2009
9 months old today - photos
Dazzle is 9 months old today! I measured him and he's now just shy of 24" tall. He's healthy, happy and his training is coming along REALLY well. The 10" ball in the photo above is the same one I have used in past photos. He's now tall enough that it can fit under him with plenty of room to spare! It's hard to believe that when he arrived (just 7 months ago!), he wasn't even as tall as the ball!
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I took some action shots of him today too:
To get the next two, I had Mike toss the ball while I took the photos.
In both, he's on his way to get the ball.
He is SO fast!
All that running makes a dog tired! 
Well, not really :-) He had just finished rolling around in the grass when I took the one above, then he was up and ready to go again.
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April 19, 2009
No title :-(
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As Maxwell Smart would say: "Missed it by THAT much." In the obedience run of the first trial today, during the part where Dazzle had to go from a sit, to a down and back to a sit: When he did his "down" he was hovering his elbows about a 1/4" off the floor- barely enough room to slip a piece of paper between his elbows and the floor. He was working really well with a lot of drive/motivation and simply didn't relax when he got into the down position. He was wired and ready to go to whatever was next. The judge, Bonnie Hornfisher, said he wasn't "down" and gave us an "NQ" (Non-qualifying round.) That meant he couldn't get his C-wags obedience title this weekend.
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Given the rather LOW quality of some of the other qualifying runs and dogs that got titles (and I'm not exaggerating the poor quality!), I thought that was awfully picky of her for a Novice run. There were also some very nice runs that were very deserving of titles, so certainly not all bad.
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Our second time in the obedience ring today, I didn't "fake" the ball. Dazzle knew I didn't have the ball and his run was really sloppy and he was distracted. But he laid down fully and managed to do the required exercises (though it wasn't pretty) and he got a qualifying score. So, lesson learned: It doesn't have to look good, just get it done. Forget the drive and precision for C-wags.
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Our Rally run was nice and it was almost an identical course as the one yesterday (only about 3 signs were different.) We got a score of 91, but it wasn't high enough to place. I felt like the leash was really in my way and that it was a really discombobulated run, but a few different people said we looked really great and one said it looked like we were dancing, so it must have looked much more smooth than it felt :-) I found out after my run that I could have done it off leash. So for his other 2 runs he needs to get the title (at some trial in the future) I'll do it off-leash.
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Of course I didn't get any of the runs today on video because after I downloaded the videos from yesterday, I forgot to put the camera back in my bag! Grrr So the camera was at home when I needed it at the show grounds. I really wish I had the runs on video, but wishing won't make that happen.
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So I'm rather dissapointed to have lost out on the title over such a little thing. I know he did really well and that the ribbons and titles are icing, but it's hard when I think he shouldn't have missed it. Oh well. Enough whining. I'm going to go lay down and see if I can get rid of my splitting headache and maybe once I'm not so sore and tired it will all look better. At least Dazzle never knew he didn't get a title or that anything was wrong. He still got the ball reward and lots of treats, love and praise for the jobs well done.
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As Maxwell Smart would say: "Missed it by THAT much." In the obedience run of the first trial today, during the part where Dazzle had to go from a sit, to a down and back to a sit: When he did his "down" he was hovering his elbows about a 1/4" off the floor- barely enough room to slip a piece of paper between his elbows and the floor. He was working really well with a lot of drive/motivation and simply didn't relax when he got into the down position. He was wired and ready to go to whatever was next. The judge, Bonnie Hornfisher, said he wasn't "down" and gave us an "NQ" (Non-qualifying round.) That meant he couldn't get his C-wags obedience title this weekend.
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Given the rather LOW quality of some of the other qualifying runs and dogs that got titles (and I'm not exaggerating the poor quality!), I thought that was awfully picky of her for a Novice run. There were also some very nice runs that were very deserving of titles, so certainly not all bad.
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Our second time in the obedience ring today, I didn't "fake" the ball. Dazzle knew I didn't have the ball and his run was really sloppy and he was distracted. But he laid down fully and managed to do the required exercises (though it wasn't pretty) and he got a qualifying score. So, lesson learned: It doesn't have to look good, just get it done. Forget the drive and precision for C-wags.
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Our Rally run was nice and it was almost an identical course as the one yesterday (only about 3 signs were different.) We got a score of 91, but it wasn't high enough to place. I felt like the leash was really in my way and that it was a really discombobulated run, but a few different people said we looked really great and one said it looked like we were dancing, so it must have looked much more smooth than it felt :-) I found out after my run that I could have done it off leash. So for his other 2 runs he needs to get the title (at some trial in the future) I'll do it off-leash.
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Of course I didn't get any of the runs today on video because after I downloaded the videos from yesterday, I forgot to put the camera back in my bag! Grrr So the camera was at home when I needed it at the show grounds. I really wish I had the runs on video, but wishing won't make that happen.
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So I'm rather dissapointed to have lost out on the title over such a little thing. I know he did really well and that the ribbons and titles are icing, but it's hard when I think he shouldn't have missed it. Oh well. Enough whining. I'm going to go lay down and see if I can get rid of my splitting headache and maybe once I'm not so sore and tired it will all look better. At least Dazzle never knew he didn't get a title or that anything was wrong. He still got the ball reward and lots of treats, love and praise for the jobs well done.
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April 18, 2009
Successful show day!
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Today Dazzle and I attended and participated in the first ever C-wags competition in Cincinnati!
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C-wags stands for Canine work and games and it's a new venue for any dog. They do allow treats in the ring to be given only when the dog is on a stationary exercise during rally or at the end of an exercise in obedience. I didn't use many treats, but I like that I can if needed. Treats must be hidden in a pocket only, not in a waist pouch.
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The other day, Mike was cooking up some Bratts and Dazzle was trying everything he knew to try to get some from him (yes, the other dogs and Mike have taught him to be a pro begger too. :-( So I thought I would try small pieces of cooked Bratt as treats today. Well, I found out during our first run that it wasn't going to work nearly as well as the "fake ball."
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His run during the first trial was obedience level 1 and he was very distracted. He did manage a qualifying score, but it was only an 82. I think the judge was quite generous! For some reason, his "down" was broken and wouldn't work. I had to repeat the cue for almost every down.
Video on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj5kENCxCFc
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His run during the second trial was much better. I stuck with the tried and true warming him up with a tennis ball and then secretly putting it down outside the ring just before we went in. His focus was much better, though still had a little bit of room for improvement. Instead of getting marked off for heeling wide, I got dinged for him bumping me (or being in my way forcing me to bump him.) I also got VERY lucky when the judge failed to notice that Dazzle didn't sit after the sit-down-sit exercise! We managed a score of 90.5 thanks to that luck! So I have the qualifying ribbons, but I know he is capable of a much better performance. I'm still very happy with how he did in such a distracting environment and especially for his age. A lot of his doggie play buddies were there and right outside the ring.
Video on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVH2M-kG5OA
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Our last run of the day was Rally "starters." A nice course. I forgot to give the video cam to Donna though! Drat! He did a REALLY nice run for the course too, so of course I forgot the camera! We had 6 points off for bumping/crowding and a minus 5 when Dazzle went REALLY wide on a 360 turn for a score of 89 out of 100. Judge was Bonnie Hornfisher.
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I spent all the time that I wasn't working with Dazzle by helping keep the show running. And Dazzle got to practice being left alone in a crate away from me and out of view of me, which he did quite well. Except once when I checked on him, he had pulled the crate cover mostly INSIDE the crate, but it wasn't chewed and he didn't bother it when I put it back. I was helping the show coordinator and helping as a ring steward for several of the rings (back to back, not all at the same time :-)
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We will be up early again tomorrow to do it all again and hopefully end up with a title! There is a show photographer there and I have gotten photos from him before. He did get a few nice ones of Dazzle today, so I'll post them here when I get those in the mail.
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Today Dazzle and I attended and participated in the first ever C-wags competition in Cincinnati!
.
C-wags stands for Canine work and games and it's a new venue for any dog. They do allow treats in the ring to be given only when the dog is on a stationary exercise during rally or at the end of an exercise in obedience. I didn't use many treats, but I like that I can if needed. Treats must be hidden in a pocket only, not in a waist pouch.
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The other day, Mike was cooking up some Bratts and Dazzle was trying everything he knew to try to get some from him (yes, the other dogs and Mike have taught him to be a pro begger too. :-( So I thought I would try small pieces of cooked Bratt as treats today. Well, I found out during our first run that it wasn't going to work nearly as well as the "fake ball."
.
His run during the first trial was obedience level 1 and he was very distracted. He did manage a qualifying score, but it was only an 82. I think the judge was quite generous! For some reason, his "down" was broken and wouldn't work. I had to repeat the cue for almost every down.
Video on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj5kENCxCFc
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His run during the second trial was much better. I stuck with the tried and true warming him up with a tennis ball and then secretly putting it down outside the ring just before we went in. His focus was much better, though still had a little bit of room for improvement. Instead of getting marked off for heeling wide, I got dinged for him bumping me (or being in my way forcing me to bump him.) I also got VERY lucky when the judge failed to notice that Dazzle didn't sit after the sit-down-sit exercise! We managed a score of 90.5 thanks to that luck! So I have the qualifying ribbons, but I know he is capable of a much better performance. I'm still very happy with how he did in such a distracting environment and especially for his age. A lot of his doggie play buddies were there and right outside the ring.
Video on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVH2M-kG5OA
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Our last run of the day was Rally "starters." A nice course. I forgot to give the video cam to Donna though! Drat! He did a REALLY nice run for the course too, so of course I forgot the camera! We had 6 points off for bumping/crowding and a minus 5 when Dazzle went REALLY wide on a 360 turn for a score of 89 out of 100. Judge was Bonnie Hornfisher.
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I spent all the time that I wasn't working with Dazzle by helping keep the show running. And Dazzle got to practice being left alone in a crate away from me and out of view of me, which he did quite well. Except once when I checked on him, he had pulled the crate cover mostly INSIDE the crate, but it wasn't chewed and he didn't bother it when I put it back. I was helping the show coordinator and helping as a ring steward for several of the rings (back to back, not all at the same time :-)
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We will be up early again tomorrow to do it all again and hopefully end up with a title! There is a show photographer there and I have gotten photos from him before. He did get a few nice ones of Dazzle today, so I'll post them here when I get those in the mail.
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April 11, 2009
Troop Meeting
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Today Dazzle attended the troop meeting for the Dog Scout troop. We had 15 people and 20 dogs! I took my video camera to capture Dazzle having fun with his troop buddies, but when I went to film, I found out my camera's battery was dead! Most of the time was spent letting the dogs have some off-leash play time (Dazzle's favorite part)! He found several people to toss or kick or tug on a ball for him and a few dogs that didn't mind him shoving a ball into them or shoving them with his body. :-)
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We also set-up an Easter Egg hunt for the dogs which they really loved!
We hid the eggs (filled with dog treats of course- with holes in each end so the dog's could smell them) using whatever we could find around the training center: over turned chairs, plastic cones and cups, jumps, tunnels, etc. Each of the dogs got at least 2 turns to go in to sniff out some eggs. We only had 3 or 4 dogs at a time in the hunt area and they were on-leash so there were no conflicts with resource guarding. Some of the dogs even learned to bite the eggs to pop them open! I didn't let Dazzle do it only because it is the same room where we have to compete this coming weekend and I didn't want his nose to be on the floor (or his brain to be thinking about where the treats are hidden in the room.) He can do it next year and he'll get to play the very similar "scent game" up at camp this summer.
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I had Dazzle stay in the play room while I helped set-up the hunt area. At first he was willing to stay in there and play with the other dogs, but then he realized that if he put his feet up on the gate, he could see me. At one point, he scrambled over the 3.5' gate! He didn't so much jump it, as climb it, but he did it from a stand still (pulled himself over with his front legs) and I was walking toward him so he just about ended up in my arms. Thankfully, even if he gets loose he only runs straight to me to play. So I let him out in the big room (outside the ring gates) for part of the time too. Thankfully he didn't jump those!
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His training sessions at meals are going well. We have been working on a dumbell retrieve for obedience, resting his head on the floor during a down (for long stays) and a trick he decided to make-up himself- crawling backwards. He's pretty good at it and very fast! I'll have to get it on video. I just need to be sure it's only rewarded when cued so he doesn't try to toss it in where it's not appreciated (like the obedience ring!) :-) I think it will be a cute move for freestyle if he's willing to do it on a hard floor. I also got him to crawl forward, but he's not as fast and often just stands up and walks forward instead.
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When I measured him on Thursday, he hadn't added any height for 2 weeks. I think the big growth spurts are over now that he's 8.5 months old so I might just switch to measuring once a month or so.
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Happy Easter to all!
Today Dazzle attended the troop meeting for the Dog Scout troop. We had 15 people and 20 dogs! I took my video camera to capture Dazzle having fun with his troop buddies, but when I went to film, I found out my camera's battery was dead! Most of the time was spent letting the dogs have some off-leash play time (Dazzle's favorite part)! He found several people to toss or kick or tug on a ball for him and a few dogs that didn't mind him shoving a ball into them or shoving them with his body. :-)
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We also set-up an Easter Egg hunt for the dogs which they really loved!
We hid the eggs (filled with dog treats of course- with holes in each end so the dog's could smell them) using whatever we could find around the training center: over turned chairs, plastic cones and cups, jumps, tunnels, etc. Each of the dogs got at least 2 turns to go in to sniff out some eggs. We only had 3 or 4 dogs at a time in the hunt area and they were on-leash so there were no conflicts with resource guarding. Some of the dogs even learned to bite the eggs to pop them open! I didn't let Dazzle do it only because it is the same room where we have to compete this coming weekend and I didn't want his nose to be on the floor (or his brain to be thinking about where the treats are hidden in the room.) He can do it next year and he'll get to play the very similar "scent game" up at camp this summer.
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I had Dazzle stay in the play room while I helped set-up the hunt area. At first he was willing to stay in there and play with the other dogs, but then he realized that if he put his feet up on the gate, he could see me. At one point, he scrambled over the 3.5' gate! He didn't so much jump it, as climb it, but he did it from a stand still (pulled himself over with his front legs) and I was walking toward him so he just about ended up in my arms. Thankfully, even if he gets loose he only runs straight to me to play. So I let him out in the big room (outside the ring gates) for part of the time too. Thankfully he didn't jump those!
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His training sessions at meals are going well. We have been working on a dumbell retrieve for obedience, resting his head on the floor during a down (for long stays) and a trick he decided to make-up himself- crawling backwards. He's pretty good at it and very fast! I'll have to get it on video. I just need to be sure it's only rewarded when cued so he doesn't try to toss it in where it's not appreciated (like the obedience ring!) :-) I think it will be a cute move for freestyle if he's willing to do it on a hard floor. I also got him to crawl forward, but he's not as fast and often just stands up and walks forward instead.
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When I measured him on Thursday, he hadn't added any height for 2 weeks. I think the big growth spurts are over now that he's 8.5 months old so I might just switch to measuring once a month or so.
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Happy Easter to all!
April 08, 2009
Where is Spring?
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After last Thursday, the temperatures took a nose dive. We even had some snow and sleet and then high winds and a tornado warning! The weather has been really screwy. Because of that, I haven't been going outside to throw the ball for Dazzle and he was getting stir crazy! So we went to the basement and I threw the ball for him down there. That helped somewhat. I filled the baby pool and partially filled the bigger pool last week when it was much warmer. But on the morning it snowed, Dazzle came in with completely wet legs! So even though the temps were right around freezing, he still decided a swim would be a good idea!
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I have been spending a LOT of time on the computer the last few days doing DSA website updates and addressing board issues in my new role as President of Dog Scouts of America. So training of Dazzle has been limited to just meal times. We have been working on his Scent Training, go to a mat and his "leave it's" in prep for getting some badges at Dog Scout camp this summer.
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Our fundraiser on Saturday for the disaster response team was a big success! I had Dazzle and Bear with me doing the "take the money from a person and bring it to the bucket and drop it in" trick. In about 3 hours, the 2 of them collected $253! They did a pretty good job of taking turns (with my help) and sharing the duties, so I'm counting half of that amount for Dazzle's Community Service badge log. They worked well together and both enjoy being out in public and meeting new people.
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So not much to report, but I did want to post something here so you all know we're all still alive and doing well. :-)
After last Thursday, the temperatures took a nose dive. We even had some snow and sleet and then high winds and a tornado warning! The weather has been really screwy. Because of that, I haven't been going outside to throw the ball for Dazzle and he was getting stir crazy! So we went to the basement and I threw the ball for him down there. That helped somewhat. I filled the baby pool and partially filled the bigger pool last week when it was much warmer. But on the morning it snowed, Dazzle came in with completely wet legs! So even though the temps were right around freezing, he still decided a swim would be a good idea!
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I have been spending a LOT of time on the computer the last few days doing DSA website updates and addressing board issues in my new role as President of Dog Scouts of America. So training of Dazzle has been limited to just meal times. We have been working on his Scent Training, go to a mat and his "leave it's" in prep for getting some badges at Dog Scout camp this summer.
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Our fundraiser on Saturday for the disaster response team was a big success! I had Dazzle and Bear with me doing the "take the money from a person and bring it to the bucket and drop it in" trick. In about 3 hours, the 2 of them collected $253! They did a pretty good job of taking turns (with my help) and sharing the duties, so I'm counting half of that amount for Dazzle's Community Service badge log. They worked well together and both enjoy being out in public and meeting new people.
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So not much to report, but I did want to post something here so you all know we're all still alive and doing well. :-)
April 02, 2009
A sunny Thursday
Dazzle's latest game is going from one toy in the yard to the next, often with a different toy in his mouth. He also "places" his toys around the yard and makes the rounds to "check-in" on them :-) Run up to a toy, shove it with the toy in his mouth a few times "ok, that's one's still good" move on and repeat with the next toy till he has visited all of them! Sometimes he incudes his brothers in the "shove it with a toy to see what happens" rounds- they aren't amused. They mostly try to stay out of his way. Then, after careful consideration and much product testing, he selects a new toy to carry in his mouth and makes the rounds again to see if the new combo has any different effects. LOL
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I mowed the yard today and while I was mowing the dog's part, I had the dogs all locked in the house. Dazzle stood vigil by the back sliding glass door and brought several different toys to the door as "offerings" hoping one would entice me back inside. "MOM! LOOK! I haaave your favorite toooooy!" :-) LOL
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After I finished mowing their yard and moved the mower back outside the fence, I went inside to get something to eat and you would have thought I had been gone a year! He was all OVER me, SO happy to see that I had survived my encounter with that machine of death. Once the dogs were back in the yard and I started mowing the rest of the property, he felt the need to tell me all about the dangers and beg me to come back to the safety of the yard by barking non-stop. Though thankfully that only lasted about 10 minutes and he ran out of warnings and pleas. Then he gave up and went to play with Bear. They had a great time of over an hour's worth of wrestling, chasing and just laying in the yard relaxing together. When I came back by the fence to get to the garage, he was perfectly fine with the mower, didn't bark, but did get excited because he thought I was going to come back inside. Every time I went in the garage to get something to help me clean the mower, he ran in all excited, then a minute later he was back at the fence. "Aren't you coming in?" Then back inside, back outside...
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When I did come in, I got a more normal greeting and that's when we had our play session in the yard. He has learned to dunk his head to his ears in the dog pool to cool off! Comes up dripping water with a silly Mali grin on his face that makes me laugh. And his favorite toy is any ball with a hole in it that he can squeeze underwater, fill it with water, and squirt me, his brothers, himself, the grass, other toys, etc. Yesterday evening he brought it inside and soaked my lap! "Just trying to share the fun mom! You don't have to yell!" "I saw you laughing too, you can't stay mad at me!"
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When we came inside, he did his usual "throw himself at the floor and collapse flat out on his side" and he's sleeping by my feet now. Amazing what 5 hours of exercise will do for him. LOL Of course it only takes 30 minutes of sleep to get him ready to do it all again!
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When I posted to a talk list this morning that I was going to go mow the yard today, someone said "you mean you haven't taught Dazzle to mow yet?" I told her last season he was too little to reach the peddles, but I hope to have him doing the mowing by mid-summer. :-)
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I wish!
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I took his weekly measurement today and after 3 weeks of staying at the same height, he grew a 1/2" last week! So now he's 23.5" tall at the shoulders.
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I mowed the yard today and while I was mowing the dog's part, I had the dogs all locked in the house. Dazzle stood vigil by the back sliding glass door and brought several different toys to the door as "offerings" hoping one would entice me back inside. "MOM! LOOK! I haaave your favorite toooooy!" :-) LOL
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After I finished mowing their yard and moved the mower back outside the fence, I went inside to get something to eat and you would have thought I had been gone a year! He was all OVER me, SO happy to see that I had survived my encounter with that machine of death. Once the dogs were back in the yard and I started mowing the rest of the property, he felt the need to tell me all about the dangers and beg me to come back to the safety of the yard by barking non-stop. Though thankfully that only lasted about 10 minutes and he ran out of warnings and pleas. Then he gave up and went to play with Bear. They had a great time of over an hour's worth of wrestling, chasing and just laying in the yard relaxing together. When I came back by the fence to get to the garage, he was perfectly fine with the mower, didn't bark, but did get excited because he thought I was going to come back inside. Every time I went in the garage to get something to help me clean the mower, he ran in all excited, then a minute later he was back at the fence. "Aren't you coming in?" Then back inside, back outside...
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When I did come in, I got a more normal greeting and that's when we had our play session in the yard. He has learned to dunk his head to his ears in the dog pool to cool off! Comes up dripping water with a silly Mali grin on his face that makes me laugh. And his favorite toy is any ball with a hole in it that he can squeeze underwater, fill it with water, and squirt me, his brothers, himself, the grass, other toys, etc. Yesterday evening he brought it inside and soaked my lap! "Just trying to share the fun mom! You don't have to yell!" "I saw you laughing too, you can't stay mad at me!"
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When we came inside, he did his usual "throw himself at the floor and collapse flat out on his side" and he's sleeping by my feet now. Amazing what 5 hours of exercise will do for him. LOL Of course it only takes 30 minutes of sleep to get him ready to do it all again!
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When I posted to a talk list this morning that I was going to go mow the yard today, someone said "you mean you haven't taught Dazzle to mow yet?" I told her last season he was too little to reach the peddles, but I hope to have him doing the mowing by mid-summer. :-)
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I wish!
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I took his weekly measurement today and after 3 weeks of staying at the same height, he grew a 1/2" last week! So now he's 23.5" tall at the shoulders.
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April 01, 2009
Dazzle's Game
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No foolin' around this April 1st, except by Dazzle!
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I just had to share. I hope I can do it justice with just words. Mike just walked in the office to inform me that Dazzle thinks he's Superman. Apparently he took a large old towel off the floor by the back door (used to wipe muddy dog feet) and he was running full speed around the yard with it in his mouth! Big towel flapping behind him having the time of his life. Then, as with just about everything, he had to try to combine that fun with his favorite big blue ball. So he had the "cape" flapping over his back while he was diving at the ball and pushing it all around the yard, and barking (muted) while he still had the end of the towel in his mouth.
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Mike has since removed his "outfit," so who knows what game he will invent next!
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I have done two training sessions today as well as taking him out to toss the ball the length of the 3/4 acre yard till he was panting heavily and wouldn't go get it anymore (two separate sessions of that.) Yet he still has the energy to be making up his own games and running around the yard. :-) Ah the joys of a fit 8 month old Malinois! I have filled the big dog pool to just below his chest so he can soak his legs and cool off anytime he chooses. I get the feeling he REALLY likes that!
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Training has been going well. I have been working on polishing his basics to prepare for the C-wags trial on the 18th and 19th. I've also been working on basic handling and teaching him to move away from pressure instead of the natural reflex of pushing into pressure. I'm hoping it will help during his occasional chiropractic adjustments so he's not squirming so much. :-) He's getting bigger and stronger, so the last two visits he has really given the vet a workout! He's catching on and will now lay flat on his side or take a few steps sideways with just light pressure on his shoulder or hip. He still resists firm pressure at first, but then he remembers and moves with it.
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We'll be doing a fundraiser in the 1st floor lobby (Winton Rd entrance) of Bass Pro on Saturday from noon to 3pm to support the local Disaster Response Team for animals (www.TriStateCART.com). So if you're in the area, come say hi and give him a dollar to put in his bucket!
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No foolin' around this April 1st, except by Dazzle!
.
I just had to share. I hope I can do it justice with just words. Mike just walked in the office to inform me that Dazzle thinks he's Superman. Apparently he took a large old towel off the floor by the back door (used to wipe muddy dog feet) and he was running full speed around the yard with it in his mouth! Big towel flapping behind him having the time of his life. Then, as with just about everything, he had to try to combine that fun with his favorite big blue ball. So he had the "cape" flapping over his back while he was diving at the ball and pushing it all around the yard, and barking (muted) while he still had the end of the towel in his mouth.
.
Mike has since removed his "outfit," so who knows what game he will invent next!
.
I have done two training sessions today as well as taking him out to toss the ball the length of the 3/4 acre yard till he was panting heavily and wouldn't go get it anymore (two separate sessions of that.) Yet he still has the energy to be making up his own games and running around the yard. :-) Ah the joys of a fit 8 month old Malinois! I have filled the big dog pool to just below his chest so he can soak his legs and cool off anytime he chooses. I get the feeling he REALLY likes that!
.
Training has been going well. I have been working on polishing his basics to prepare for the C-wags trial on the 18th and 19th. I've also been working on basic handling and teaching him to move away from pressure instead of the natural reflex of pushing into pressure. I'm hoping it will help during his occasional chiropractic adjustments so he's not squirming so much. :-) He's getting bigger and stronger, so the last two visits he has really given the vet a workout! He's catching on and will now lay flat on his side or take a few steps sideways with just light pressure on his shoulder or hip. He still resists firm pressure at first, but then he remembers and moves with it.
.
We'll be doing a fundraiser in the 1st floor lobby (Winton Rd entrance) of Bass Pro on Saturday from noon to 3pm to support the local Disaster Response Team for animals (www.TriStateCART.com). So if you're in the area, come say hi and give him a dollar to put in his bucket!
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