Home from camp

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We're back home and I'm working on getting caught up on all the email and regular mail and "to-do" list items that have piled up during the week. I took very few photos and only a couple videos. Haven't edited them yet, but I will soon.
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I did find the YouTube video of our C-Wags Rally run on Sunday at the Canine Affair trial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT1TjIc67Do
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I also found the photos from Sunday of the trial, which were nice, but I don't plan to purchase them. I need to save money for trial entries! We're photos 16-23 here:
http://www.shutterfly.com/progal/album.jsp?aid=768a5498cf3e3815caf5
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Dazzle did get his Freestyle badge AND his first Freestyle trophy at camp! We took 1st place in the "staff" division during the camp talent contest. :-) It's a nice trophy, I'll get a photo of that posted too. I got the entry on video, so I'll post that as soon as I get it edited. The camp photo CD was not created at the end of camp this time, so I'll have to wait to post those till I get my photo CD (likely at the next camp in July.)
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Our trip home was long but uneventful. We didn't go on the river trip after camp because I still haven't had a chance to get Dazzle in a kayak and by the end of the week I was hurting pretty badly. I knew that a few hours in a kayak is not really what I needed before the long drive home. As it turned out, no one else wanted to go on the trip either, so we didn't miss it :-)
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During the camp, I did have a chance to work on getting Dazzle to take the A-frame more slowly. At first, he was leaping onto it above the contact zone, jumping over the apex and then jumping off from above the contact! Now he's doing it in a much more controlled manner :-) He also learned to do the chute and I spent some time freeshaping him on the teeter. I think he will really like that obstacle! I plan to do more shaping with it next camp. We should then be about ready for Agility classes during the Fall/Winter.
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New Titles!

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I haven't had the computer access time that I did during the spring outing, so just a really quick update...
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Dazzle DID get his level 1 Obedience title and Starters Rally title at the C-wags event this past weekend! YEA!! He even managed to PLACE in the ribbons on 2 runs- (3rd in Obed and 2nd in Rally). They were not pretty runs, but the score isn't put on the title certificate :-) If you Google the "Canine Affair" training center near Cleveland Ohio to find their website, they did take video and photos of the runs. I haven't had a chance to even check my email so I haven't checked their site yet either.
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In the past two days of camp, he has also earned the Dock Diving badge (once he learned to go up the floating ladder today), the Obstacle 1 badge and the Water Retrieve badge! I also hope to get the freestyle badge with him. Gloria Voss, a WCFO judge is teaching freestyle at the camp this week! Great lady and a FUN class! She is also coming to the July camp, so if we don't get it this week, we have another shot :-)
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Dazzle is having loads of fun here, but has had more down time this visit because I have jobs and teaching to do that don't always involve him. But he's taking that well and staying in our room with just a baby gate that he could easily jump over. So I know he's not too stressed by it.
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Well, I need to get back out to the camp, just wanted to post a quick update for those following his saga. :-) I'll post again when I get a chance. I haven't taken ANY photos at camp yet- bad mommy- but I do plan to get a photo CD, so I'll post some of the photos from the camp photographers when I get home next week.
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Letterboxing Sig Stamp

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I haven't been letterboxing in ages, but I do enjoy carving ink stamps. Since I'll be teaching a class on letterboxing at camp next week, I figured I better make Dazzle a signature stamp! Everything that is black above is hand carved into rubber. Then I stamped the carved rubber on paper and colored the image with colored pencils. The actual stamp is small and is only 2" tall (including his name) and 2" wide at the widest point. I LOVE the way it turned out! It reminds me of the photo of him running that I have on his Dogster page (& my computer desk top.) Hopefully the ribbon will be a prediction for more to come!

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If you want to learn more about letterboxing, visit: www.letterboxing.info or www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com

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If you want to see more stamps I have carved, visit the stamps album at:

www.PictureTrail.com/Scoutdogs

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Ice Cream Social

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We just got back from a "dog's night out" at a local restaurant. They host a gathering once a month on their patio in the summer for people and their dogs, provide a free little scoop of ice cream with a dog bone in it for any dogs that want to indulge and various dog vendors set-up tables. Tonight, Dazzle and his beagle brother Bear put on their Dog Scout uniforms and were helping the attendees learn more about Dog Scouts of America.
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I didn't take any photos because I already have my cameras packed for the dog show this weekend that is on our way to Dog Scout camp. But both dogs loved their meet and greet time with both people and other dogs. Then Dazzle decided it was too hot and went to the van door that was parked nearby. I let him sit in the van with the door open and A/C on where he could be cool and still see all the comings and goings :-) Nah! He's not spoiled! LOL
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Dog Fest - day 2

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Today was busy in the play yard! Dogs and people constantly coming and going (literally!) I did take a few minutes to get a few clips of Dazzle when I wasn't having to monitor the gate comings and goings. So you'll see video of lots of different kinds of dogs. All shapes, sizes, breeds and genders including other intact males. By the end of the clips, Dazzle was hot and tired because he had been playing from about 11am till around 1:30pm!

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He play wrestled with several dogs, but it was either during a busy gate time or when I turned on the camera he stopped! Just like at home :-) He did a lot of checking in with me automatically, which I really liked. Mostly he spent his time looking for people that were throwing balls he could fetch or chase :-)

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We took a break shortly after the end of the last clip and he took a nap in his crate at the booth in the shade. He seemed totally unphased by all the people and dogs at the event. I did notice he really likes greyhounds! Every time one passed by (or we passed one walking around) he wanted to say hi and tried to get them to play. :-)

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VIDEO: Play yard play time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI_H-NaN8gk

Dog Fest!

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Hot and tired Dazzle:

It's been awhile since I have posted! Dazzle has been on a bit of a break because I have been so busy. Last Saturday we had a troop river trip which was really nice and relaxing, but Dazzle didn't get to go. I wasn't able to get him in a kayak at camp and didn't want to HAVE to get him into one for the trip. So Buster got to go with me and LOVED his "alone" time with mom. Since he's 12 now and really slowing down, it was nice to be able to spend some quality time with him. If you want to see some video I took of the trip, just click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzgTyaSG1DU
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Yesterday Dazzle went with me to set-up for Dog Fest. He had a GREAT time trying to chase the Kytes (I think it's how it's spelled), the low flying and fast birds that seem to like the wide open fields. He also tried to get everyone he met there to tug with him :-) The birds seemed to be teasing him on purpose! He started with just one bird and by the time he was ready to call it quits, there were 5 or 6 birds trying to get him to chase them. :-)
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Today he accompanied me to the event. It's the largest outdoor event that is not a dog show this side of the Mississippi! About 10,000-15,000 people attend the two day event each year. He did REALLY well playing for the whole morning in the off-leash play yard with dogs of every shape, size, color and gender. There was one dog (northern breed of some sort) that probably shouldn't have been in the play yard who attacked Dazzle for no apparent reason. Dazzle was being very appropriate and submissive to him and he just went off. Then he growled at his human who was trying to control him. Thankfully Dazzle wasn't injured and seemed not to have any issues with the other dogs after that. He was a tad bit more cautious about initial greetings for a few dogs, but then relaxed.
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I didn't take many photos, but I did shoot some video of the event. Only brief glimpses of Dazzle (who was busy playing with a dog behind me while I was filming the first part), but a nice "video tour" of the event.

Tour of the event
VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9-FmrIKHC8
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The event continues 11a-5p tomorrow and I'll take Dazzle back with me. He seemed to enjoy it and after a nap in the Dog Scout booth was ready to go back in the play yard. But I kept him with me in the afternoon so he didn't get tired and grumpy.

Funny dog!

Things Dazzle does that makes me smile and laugh:

• The way he enters a room like Kramer on Seinfeld or like he’s a 3 year old kid that just heard something exciting and he’s missing it.


• Shoving one toy into another as if he tries it enough times, he can meld the two


• Trying to stand over Bear during wrestling and seeing Bear just calmly walk out from under him.


• How he greets every day with such energy and enthusiasm, as though it’s the start of the best day of his life.


• Watching him drop the ball into the tub, watch it intently till it stops rolling around and then jump in after it, only to jump out with it and repeat the process. NOT as funny when he drops the ball in the toilet!


• The way he watches Mike so closely and with such rapt interest when Mike makes odd noises or does something goofy just to entertain him and see him tilt his head.


• Watching him invent and play the little games he makes up on his own and how he uses them to keep himself amused.


• The way he throws himself on the floor, flat on his side, with a thud when he’s tired


• How he gets up in my lap, with a full body wiggle, leans into me and gives a head wrap around my shoulder like he’s giving me a hug- then I notice it’s near dinner time and realize he’s just begging!


• Watching him sleep makes me smile- he looks so sweet, calm and innocent, no longer the hyperactive, mischievous, “you WILL play with me” pup that he is when he’s awake.


• When he aggravates his brothers till they give in and play with him.


• When it is clearly obvious he is trying SO hard to control himself when he knows that self-control like a “stay” will get him what he wants.


• The way he watches with Border Collie like intensity any toy I’m holding and raising slowly as if I’m about to throw it. Often it is accompanied by an odd and stiff body position or slow motion responses to cues, like his brain has trouble processing info in the presence of a toy that MIGHT get thrown.

I am so thankful for him and how he brightens my days and keeps me happy! I'm sure there will be many more moments and behaviors he will invent that will keep me smiling and laughing!

NADOI conference

Dazzle and Kozi at the horse park:

After getting home later than planned last Tuesday, we left again the next day at 3pm for the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors conference in KY. Thankfully it was only about a 2 hour drive, which seemed pretty short compared to the long drive from MI the day before.

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It was a great weekend and Dazzle got loads of compliments! Everyone kept saying he has the most stable temperament of any Mal they had ever met and he was really good looking too! I had to keep a close eye on him because several of the trainers were joking about taking him home with them :-) He did a stellar job, especially considering he just turned 10 months old on Thursday. He got along well with all the people and dogs, especially a female that was starting to go into heat. He was respectful of her rebuffs and was able to go about his business even if she was close-by. I was very impressed by that!

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He did cause me a bit of sleep deprivation however, because any time a person slammed a door during the night, he had to give a single quiet "woof" to let me know, which always woke me up. I had a sound machine on as loud as it would go, but because the hotel doors had to be slammed to get them to close, he was still able to hear people coming and going. By the end of our stay, he was ignoring most of the doors, but would still let me know about a particularly loud one.

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Then there was the fire alarm that went off about 1am. He didn't bark at that and we both laid in bed for most of it. I was on the ground floor right next to the exit door, so I wasn't too concerned that I wouldn't be able to get out if there really was a fire. I checked occasionally through the peep hole for any sign of smoke, but didn't see any. I later found out it wasn't a fire, but a burst pipe! Apparently if the water pressure in the sprinkler system drops below a certain level, the fire alarm goes off. I'm thankful I wasn't in one of the rooms below the burst pipe in which the occupants had to change rooms at 1 am! It never fails to amaze me how much stuff one person and one dog NEED when travelling and how fast it seems to multiply around whatever amount of space is available :-)

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The "tour" for the conference attendees was the KY horse Park. I've been there several times before, but it's fun going with new people and sharing in their experiences and observations. Dazzle did great and we even went on the horse drawn carriage tour, something I had never done before. I got a bit of video of Dazzle on the carriage, but don't have it edited yet.

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I didn't have my camera out much, but several other attendees took photos and I'll post them when I get them.

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Here's a few I took at the horse Park:

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This is a beautiful Mountain Horse (if I recall correctly.) It's my favorite color of horse, chocolate or liver with a flaxen mane and tail. They also have a really smooth gait.

In the breed barn, Dazzle met a 1 month old Miniature Horse foal. The mother was only a little taller than Dazzle and the foal was much smaller than he was. The foal was really spunky and curious, so the person holding him didn't let him get loose. Dazzle was a bit unsure about these critters and kept his distance. The distance in the photo was as close as he got to them.

This was a stunning Friesian. Another favorite of mine. He's looked jet black in person, but I think the camera washed him out. If I changed the settings when editing the photo, most of his face disappeared into the darkness of the trees.

This little pony wasn't much taller than Dazzle, but pulled the guy in his cart around the ring through the thick sand till he wore himself out.

Dazzle and a few of the other dog's favorite activity during the weekend was to play in the middle of the hospitality room floor. Someone commented that they were like kids at a wedding reception. All the adults around the room talking and laughing while the kids played and wrestled oblivious to all around them. LOL I know a few good photos of their wrestling were taken, so hopefully I'll get those from the photographer soon.

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I was impressed with how well Dazzle did laying quietly in his open crate during my 3 hour presentation. Only once did he come out and go under the table to peek under the table skirt at the crowd :-) The rest of the time he was asleep. I don't think he was getting much sleep at night either. During my other presentation on Dog Scouts, he was my demo dog. I hadn't set-up his crate, so he decided the skirt of the table created a pretty good place to lie down. He poked his nose/head out from under the skirt several times and chose to lay that way, so Joanne got some really cute photos of him. I saw her editing them during the weekend, but don't have them on my computer to post just yet.

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Over all it was a great weekend with some new experiences for Dazzle and myself. He did VERY well and was a great ambassador for Malinois and positive training. I was flattered to be invited to speak to such a well respected group and enjoyed teaching the attendees what I know. We made lots of new friends and learned new things- what could be better?