A sad, cautionary tale

Viva popped open the chute end by rearing up, which sometimes meant tangles. When possible, dogs should be trained to run low and straight through the chute fabric. Unfortunately Viva never learned that method, but she was never seriously tangled.

This morning I heard a very sad story on one of my agility lists about a young up and coming agility dog in the Dallas, TX area. It seems that these folks have agility equipment in their backyard, and let their two dogs out in the morning while they got ready for work. The following is reprinted with permission from the post.

"After some time, Sue went to bring the dogs in the house, but Mattie was gone. With help from neighbors, they scoured the area but couldn't find her. When they got back to the house, they noticed that the agility chute in the backyard looked funny. The fabric had been bunched up in the barrel. It was typical chute fabric, not a tarp. Sue found Mattie's body tangled up in the chute. She had gotten twisted tightly in the fabric and suffocated. They tried to do CPR, but it was too late."

What a terrible tragedy for all. And it reinforces my opinion that dogs should never, ever be allowed around or on agility equipment unsupervised. The potential for injury is very high. Not just from getting tangled in a chute, but dogs could get legs caught on teeters, have bad dogwalk falls, have a tire or fall on them. If you let two dogs out to play, what happens if one flies up the teeter to slam it down and the other one is standing underneath it? I used to be so afraid of that happening with my little dog that even when we let dogs play supervised in Kathy's agility field, I'd go tip the teeter over on its side.

In addition to accident and injury, allowing dogs to run around unsupervised doing equipment can end up really sabotaging your training. If your dog learns that running down the dogwalk and leaping to the ground from four feet up is fun, and he does it repeatedly when he's out playing, how successful are you going to be at teaching a stopped contact? If your dog's favorite place to view the world is standing dead still on the top of the aframe, how fast will his aframe be? Besides. Having unlimited access to equipment diminishes its value. Having unlimited access to equipment without the owner nearby fosters lack of respect for teamwork.

So please, please do not allow your dogs unfettered access to agility equipment. It's not a play gym. It's a game for our dogs to play with us, using teamwork and rules. Not something they should be doing by themselves. It's one of the several solid reasons we at CCSC do not allow non-agility students on agility equipment.

Fruit & Nuts: a new game from Jura & Ailsa

Those who know Jura know that his most favorite game is to drop an object (ball, soft toy, yogurt container, stick, what-ever-comes-to-mouth-if-none-of-the-above-are-available ) on the ground and to stand over it and stare at it until some obliging mammal with a hand picks it up and tosses it in any direction so that he can retrieve it and begin the cycle all over again.  Some of us are particularly obliging and indulge his silly habit indoors (particularly dangerous depending on object dimensions & direction of toss), outdoors in any weather.  With his propensity to re-injure his lower back this game was banned for the last 8-9 months.  

His journey to VetHab to remove his excess poundage and re-condition his body, though, has had an bonus benefit - he can play his game again (albeit the biped who feeds, trains & plays with him a) has to be more sensible about the limits on the game & b) he is to be warmed up BEFORE playing the game).  

I usually shower as one of the last of my morning activities which means the dogs are exercised, fed and have usually performed whatever morning training will occur on that day prior to my being able to attend to my needs.  They hang out in the vicinity of the bathroom and one is usually on guard lest I happen to go down the drain during this dangerous activity (Not bloody likely - but they have to check behind the curtain just to be sure). Sometimes one of them (Jura) gets bored and has taken to dropping a object into the tub.  I pick it up and toss it out, he catches it (more points for leaping up and snagging it before it hits the floor), and he repeats the cycle.

This morning the object was an artichoke from Planet dog - it is chewy, fits a springer mouth and has a very eccentric bounce.  Ailsa wanted in on this game but was summarily excluded.  So she went off and returned with the eggplant which is even more unusual in its ability to bounce.  Luckily, Jura was not interested in swapping objects as that can be very boring.  By the time she was playing the game, I had removed myself from the shower, was dressed and completing the teeth cleaning routine, but my job as tosser is usually not complete and it ended up that the eggplant was deposited in the now empty tub - great distress for Ailsa as she did not know how to get it.  At this point I was interested because she can jump objects higher than the rim of the tub (agility table, for example and even up on to the bed) but she had not generalized about the tub rim.  Jura had the artichoke in his mouth and dropped it and I tossed it into the tub (well on our way to making ratatouille).   He popped in, rejected the eggplant and fetched his artichoke and popped out.  She - being smart at watching the older guys - did the "Ah ha!" and popped into the tub and picked up her eggplant.  Interestingly, she could not easily jump out with the eggplant in her mouth so she dropped it out of the tub over the rim and then jumped out of the tub.  

While I completed the morning ritual she made a new game for herself - pick up eggplant, drop into tub, watch it roll around, when it stops, jump into batch tub, pick up eggplant, drop over rim, watch it roll around the floor, jump out of tub, repeat until Mother leaves the bathroom.  Baker, who usually presides over bathroom duty from the threshold, was sufficiently intrigued to sit up and watch from just inside the door (his job appears to monitor who is in and who is out of the bathroom).

We will see if the game exists beyond today - I will add pictures but we are off to CCSC for fun & games.

Ginger

Reciprocal Actions

Way back in January I told the story of how Ailsa (at just over 6 mo) had taught Baker (just shy of 7 years) how to use the new dog doors and how she had been imparting the wisdom she had learned from her Scottish Mum in helping Baker to "get a dog life".  Well there was an interesting interaction last week when the tables turned.

We (Ailsa, Baker, Jura - he's home!, and I) and Robin's crew (Cala, Viva, and Zipper) decided to let the dogs get their "yayas" out at Bradford on Wednesday after work before the weather changed back to that dismal rain and cold.  The 6 dogs had a super time running free, hunting up voles, eating corn cobs, and sitting in muddy puddles.  We started out down the lane, then cross country until we were south of the big lake.  Baker and Jura both raised their heads, smelling the water and took off like a shot - Robin and I laughed that it was the first certain sign of spring that the dogs knew they could go swimming.  

Indeed, as the rest of us came to the top of the rise we could see the two springer boys swimming in the lake.  Ailsa on seeing her house brothers ran down to the water and allowed herself to go in roughly to the point where she could float but also touch down her paws - about 3 feet off the edge and she was content.  The three emerged from the water, shook wildly and then trotted further along the edge past a dock that was added last summer.  Not thinking, I tossed a frisbee into the water causing not just Baker and Jura to leap in, but also Ailsa.  They moved rapidly out to the floating object without trouble, Jura got there first and the three turned back toward the shore.  Oddly enough it was at that point that it dawned on Ailsa that she was a good deal further than 3 feet from dry land and she began to flail.

When a dog panics in the water they start to do what is described as a "doggy paddle" and it is not fun to watch - the head and torso rise out of the water and their front paws slap at the water quite ineffectively.  Worse, they become like sticks with a minimal volume with which to float - usually the next thing that happens in that they tire and go straight down.  

Given that the worldly wise Ailsa is but a puppy and not practiced in the water and given that I do not want her worrying about water and swimming, I began to strategize about how I was going to get her out of the water, how cold it was, what clothing would need removing, how many towels were in the van, etc. etc.  My rapid planning was interrupted when I saw Baker. 

He had been just ahead and to her left when she panicked.  When she started to flail he looked back and then slowly turned in the water toward her.  When Baker swims it is with incredible ease - he always carries his back level and his head barely out of the water - looks more like a partially submerged submarine with a nice clean wake.  He drew along side her and slowed until his head was near hers, the picture of calm and confidence. When she caught sight of him it was amazing as she almost instantly quieted and sank back into the same position that he illustrated thereby making herself an excellent floating object.  

I swear that he was smiling as he escorted her ashore, quietly, efficiently, and, best of all, with huge confidence.  Once back, she rapidly removed herself and had a great big, terribly wet shake.  I thought that she would stay away from swimming again that trip, but no, a few 100 yards further along she was back in the water (YEA!) albeit very close to shore.  When we go out again today, I will be interested to see how they both approach the water.

I can not tell you how proud I was of Uncle Baker for sharing one of his strongest talents with Miss Ailsa.

Ginger

Progress for Jura

Thank goodness this week was significantly quieter, albeit busy & wet, than last weekend.  Indeed between replacing license, bank card, and losing cards with contact information there has been minimal time to train with the kids.  It shows that Ailsa has had her brain addled with hormones - at retriever class last week she first could not seem to find the bird dummies - ran right over them and when she did come back and find them she looked at the dummies like they were evil, smelly hunks of plastic to be brought back holding on to the least offensive piece with the incisors only (mind you, this is the dog who will fetch a dog poop bag fully loaded from the back yard and bring it through the famous dog door to deposit it proudly on my computer key board).  After watching Faith at work she seemed to regain some of her focus.

In the meantime, Jura has been off at VetHab being worked on a daily basis come rain or shine.  When I last reported he was safely in Raleigh, weighing in at 53 lbs.  During the first week they were able to get him working on the treadmill underwater so that he could work for 15 minutes without running out of steam.  He dropped 2 lbs.  At the same time his ears cleared up as did the staph infection on his head.  

The week of the 17th when I called he was plateaued at 50 lbs but he was now working alternate days with an 30 minute endurance run at 5 mph on one day and a strength run at 12 degree incline 3 mph, in 3 15 minute sessions.  

This last week that hard work was apparently paying off as they reported that he is down to 48 lbs and "Back to his old self".  In this week they have added a weight day where he runs with a pack containing 8 lbs.  In addition, apparently the cracks in his pads are healing and they have been making sure that his coat is brushed daily as he runs in water up to his upper thigh (to add resistance).  When I pick him up, I will have to groom him to remove the dead fur - springers have a double coat - the outer layer has the guard hairs which are relatively long and soft; the inner coat is "woolier" and when stripped out looks like liver fluff.  This inner coat keeps them relatively dry and maintains body temperature but left in place it can make those nasty mats that some dogs get and the color of that material fades in the sun and on exposure to chlorine in the water.  

Which remark made me happier last week?  The fact that his weight is back in the 40s or that "the Old Jura we know and love is back"?  Well, to know that "Jura" is back says boatloads - a) it reminds me that the staff at VetHab and Jura have a relationship, b) they know him, c) he likes to work and be active.  Jura is basically a low maintenance dog in that he is inherently content so it is easy to forget he is there.  On the other hand, if one engages him, he will light up and respond but the initiative has to come from the other person/dog.  Left to his own devices he would happily go about life without people and be a couch potato - if he had a choice of activity, it would be to be in the field working birds!  But if they are not there he is content to be content.   It is pleasant to have a dog like that but I now appreciate that I have to watch out or I will forget he is there just because he does not demand my attention.  I think that is what almost happened when he was out on the road.  

I hugely miss Jura in the house and in my company - I derive a certain strength from his calm demeanor.  It is just 2 weeks before I get to bring him back and I am already starting to plan how to make sure that he remains in the fit condition that he will be in from his 5 weeks in NC. 

He will be surprised by the pretty sassy young bitch in the house - she was a true puppy when he left - now she has that young adolescent air about her.  I think Ailsa will happily include Jura in her social duties as she is indeed pushy and unwilling to just lay around.  Already she makes Baker play every evening; adding Jura to the mix will be more fun for her and I will be trying to figure out how to keep the yard from covering the floors of the house!

Here is hoping that Robin & Kathy share the super runs they had with Zipper & Briar respectively last weekend during the ASCA trial because I want to brag on Mr. Baker but he can wait :)

This is the last week of classes this session and bitter sweet as I love having watched the progress of all the dogs and knowing that some will not be coming back :( as their owners have accomplished what they wanted from classes.

Dang- Partnership Responsibilities continue

Jura is my first English Springer Spaniel from Scotland.  He came with me to the USA at 8 weeks of age.  There were a constellation of reasons that I went abroad to get a springer rather than here in the US or Canada - so many that I might well blog on choosing a dog in the future.

Anyway, Jura, while an English Springer Spaniel from English show lines and pedigrees to match, looks very different from Springer spaniels in the show ring in the US (subject of another blog :) ). My goals for Jura are varied including having him do field work, for which his breed exists, to playing the agility game, doing obedience, tracking, and putting him in to the conformation ring.  Robin has spoken about the conformation show sponsored by the Columbia Kennel Club to be held at Boone County Fairs grounds this coming weekend.  The reason for conformation dog shows is to have the breeding stock evaluated by judges and to show the stock to other breeders.  I promised my Scottish breeder that Jura would be shown in the conformation ring even though I warned her that Jura looked different from the population of English Springers in the US.   

With the help of a handler, Santiago Pinto, who was living in town Jura went out to shows and, under judges who were used to the way Springers looked in this country 30 years ago, he earned 10 of the 15 points he needed for the title of "Champion".  Two of the wins making up the 15 points must be "majors" worth 3-5 points.  Points are based on the number of dogs entered and the region of the country.  As of last summer Jura was considered to have "pointed out" and he needed his two majors. Santiago was no longer living in Columbia and we decided that it would be good to send Jura out with a professional handler known for their prowess showing Springers.  Indeed that handler has an exceptional reputation with the breed and has completed Championships on imported springers.  Further, Jura was madly enchanted with her assistant who was the person to show him but there was an element that I left out of the equation that harkens back to earlier blogs: "Partnership responsibilities".

I left out the needs of my dog (duh).  He has been out "on the road" since New Years - he has been to Florida and to South Carolina and Georgia, Michigan, and Illinois when I caught up with him in Chicago 10 days ago.  He did not make any headway towards getting his majors and when I saw him in Chicago I knew at least one reason why.  He was looking well groomed - long ears, flowing coat but he was also moving without spirit.  The boy was a zombie and unfortunately, he was fat!  Standing still he looked OK, but moving he looked awful with a large rolling, lumbering gait and there was no spirit.  Bottom line he was not being abused - he was well cared for, but I put him in to the wrong environment from him.  He was a good boy, played well with the other dogs, ate his meals, etc. etc. but not a happy, fit dog.

Although he was already entered in more shows with the possibility of those elusive majors, I brought him home.  He slept for almost 2 days straight and he played with Miss Ailsa (she took him on as her second dog project splitting her time between Baker & Jura).  He came up to CCSC and got to run around the building, checking out the rings, crates of the other dogs, running over the agility equipment but he was still what I would call "sad".  

This weekend we had a super seminar with Dr. John Sherman and his wife Chrystal Crawford who established a fabulous canine rehabilitation program in North Carolina.  Jura has been a patient at VetHab so he was one of the "demo dogs" for the seminar as he knows how to run on a treadmill, how to do a number of the flexibility exercises, etc.  That was when the next cross road of the canine/human partnership was encountered.  What was made clear to me in the form of slow motion analysis of this apparently healthy dog was the fact that not only was he carrying extra weight (during his road time his mass had been increased by 25% in 3 months) that looked "OK" standing still was hurting him when in motion.  He gait had to change to accommodate the extra pounds of fat putting extra curvature on his spine at the bottom of the rib cage and just above the pelvic girdle (read back ache).  In addition he was carrying his weight to the front so his shoulder was already hurting and he was carrying his head down.In addition it became evident that Jura had also lost muscle from his rear as he no longer was being run like we do when he is here. Basically he is out of shape and he hurt and while nothing irreversible has happened yet my responsibility was to reverse the process.

I made a choice when I became aware of the situation for Jura.  I let him go back to North Carolina with the Shermans for 5 weeks of rehabilitation/conditioning.  They called Sunday evening to say that he had settled in and he has started his work on the underwater treadmill yesterday.  The water in the treadmill allows the dog to work while experiencing less of the the weight on the spine and shoulders - so as the dog is losing the extra pounds and building muscle they can work without being damaged by the extra fat.  

Do I miss him?  Terribly.  

Is it inexpensive?  No, it is expensive - but I was paying comparable amounts in pursuit of the "Champion" title and I was responsible for hurting him physically and emotionally.  

Was the handler responsible?  No, not really - my task will be to provide the handler with the information as to why the treatment of Jura, which while fine for the majority of dogs in their care, does not work for the athletic dog. 

Will Jura ever complete his Championship?  There is no telling.  I will make his completing the "CH' a lower priority as people who know their Springers and their breeding programs know who he is and what he has to offer and the presence or absence of a title will not change that, per se.  If there is a show that likely has majors and an appropriate judge I may consider entering Jura if it does not conflict with our other goals. First and foremost, he is my partner and my companion with whom I expect to be living for at least 8-10 more years.

Will he "forgive" me?  Likely, once he is back, fit and not hurting and if I take him to work birds and take him swimming and throw balls and bumpers and let him play with his girl friend Ailsa, and let him get muddy, and invite him to sleep on the bed, and....

I'll keep you posted as to his progress!

Ginger

Partnership responsibilities continued

So cool!  Resolution. I could not stand it that Baker had to wait until the middle of February to have his tooth fixed - it became infected, the pulp was exposed, and he had to go on antibiotics. I was able to get him an appointment with a Veterinary dentist in St. Louis and we went a week ago Monday. 

Poor guy had to be anesthetized to have X-rays and evaluated to determine whether the molar was removed or got a root canal.  His treatment took all day, ending up with his tooth remaining and my shelving the notion of replacing my kitchen floor!  Miss Ailsa was less than pleased to have her house brother away for the day. To ad insult to injury, while she was enthusiastic when he came home, he was in a foul mood having had a nerve block and not willing to play.  She was smart enough to read his obvious lip lifts and barked her displeasure from the safety of the coffee table.

By Tuesday morning, though, he was ready to play. For her part, Ailsa was not sure that he really was telling the truth given his demeanor of the night before - it only took a few major play bow invitations for them to start rip-roaring around the house.  She was delighted.  The chase involved the all-too-famous dog doors, up and down the stairs to the basement, around the yard, and then a big Springer tussle on the floor trying to snatch each other's ears and paws until they were exhausted.  While there was no Dog school on Tuesday evening both dogs played again in the back yard; Wednesday brought a good training session and Thursday was a second chance to rip and roar in the snow while we prepared the building for the IABCA show. Finally on Friday, it was my turn to play with Baker. We finally got to play agility games in Lake St. Louis - the first competition since the start of December.  

We had a blast - too bad he has a less than super handler - during the Standard run he popped out of the 8th weave pole and apparently I directed him back into the 9th pole so he ended up weaving 11, rather than 12 poles (oops).  He did not know that we failed - He was a happy springy boy who then whipped through the FAST class - not only did he qualify, he placed first in his class winning a stuffed toy for his house sister, Ailsa.  The drive back to Columbia was a delight - he snoozed (snored) contentedly in his crate while I drove into the sun set - his blue & green ribbons hung from the rearview mirror - both of us enjoying having had the opportunity to play together with him not having a painful mouth and me thinking of his happy, bouncy, self.

Ginger

The Lovely Music of a Partnership

For those who know me, the magical relationship I shared with Tique' was unique. Our dances together in obedience and agility garnered scores which were recognized with multiple high in trials. Tracking with her was relaxing for me...Tique' was an honest worker and never, ever led me astray. During herding, she managed me quite neatly...I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time and she worked in spite of me. When Christopher was born, he became her responsibility and slept under his crib. A dog of great sense and sensibility, Tique' was perfect in absolutely every way.

A glimpse into my house...into the office building at dog school...into my binder containing two decades of training notes...my adoration of her is prominent.

So, you can imagine, and my friends know first hand, that the loss of Tique', at 14+ years of age, was a blow that brought me to my knees. Literally.

At the blackest time of my life, people who loved me surrounded me...my veterinarian, Candace Stormer, DVM of Rolling Hills, my soul-sister, Chris Zink, Ph.D. DVM, http://www.caninesports.com/ Ginger, Kathy, Robin, Patti, Paula...all of my girlfriends supported me for months.

I'm not without dog. I have two really, really nice Tervuren...Reeva and Trip. However, I just couldn't bring myself to train either of them...my music had stopped. My partner was gone.

But, I'm not interested in rehashing my loss - we've all had them. My message to you is to celebrate the gift of your past companions...then get to work enjoying your current companions.

It took me a year to be able to enjoy Reeva and Trip. My breakthrough with Trip was herding with Jerry Rowe http://www.twincreekherding.com/. It was remarkable; Jerry advocated for Trip. "He loves you, Andie and is trying to figure out the game. You, dear, need to be worthy of him. Get in the game." From that moment on, the connection between Trip and I was forever changed for the right reasons.

With Reeva, it took a bit longer. Ironically, it came to me during a class I was taking. I love taking classes at CCSC and enjoy learning new skills. It was Patti, who teaches our jumping classes, that gave me reason to pause. After a challenging jump course, Patti came up to me and started listing all of the ways that Reeva "saved me" on that jump course. Reeva has an elegant jumping style and due to her great structure can make difficult maneuvers appear effortless. She also adores me. Those were the things that Patti pointed out to me.

At a dog event this weekend, I visited a photographer's booth and, surprisingly, discovered that she had used two of Reeva's jumping photos in her advertising display. I stood there and looked at the familiar face of Reeva...the dark, inquisitive eyes. The thrill she experiences when working with me...being my partner.

We can all name dogs from our past who were remarkable companions in a variety of ways. I'm suggesting that when we are blessed with a dog that we call 'once in a lifetime', that may be a disservice to those who follow in years to come. Don't waste the years you have with your current dogs. Take them for walks. Play a lively round of "tuggie", give them plenty of peanut-butter stuffed kong toys. Snuggle with him/her on the bed. Teach them skills. Make the best of the time you have together. Regardless of how long your dog lives this life with you, it won't be long enough. Trust me.

I'm a fully engaged partner of Trip and Reeva. At this point, they are my focus and the construction of each unique relationship is a journey that I relish. I want to be the kind of teacher that they so richly deserve. That's my goal.

There are times tho, that they move over and let the memories Jacques, Maverick, Rocket and Tique' come back and work with me. I give Trip and Reeva credit for being smart enough to let me indulge in revisiting the companionship of those who shaped me into the trainer I am today.

Don't walk. Run.
Go. Now. Hurry.
Your dog is waiting.
For you. Only you.
She is waiting.

Enjoy the journey -
~Andrea Meinhart

Partnership responsbilities

Poor Baker, he has a toothache thanks to a slab fracture of his molar and he can't get in to the veterinary dentist until the 11th of February.  We were supposed to go and play agility this weekend in Lawrence starting with Excellent Jumpers on Friday and then Jumpers, Fast and Standard classes on Saturday and Sunday and it was to have been our first chance to compete in the new year.  

Baker has been making great progress working with me and having fun in the agility ring and I was looking forward to our getting the chance to play together.  This morning, though, when we got up his third eyelid was covering most of his eye and his hawes were down and he looked miserable.  An acupuncture treatment helped to relieve the immediate symptoms and he is now on antibiotics but I knew when he laid his head on my lap before the day started that we will not be going to Lawrence.  

Am I disappointed? Yes. 

Is it the smart thing to do? Yes.

How so?  Obviously, if he is hurting he can not be expected to focus on the game.  And while he was credited as being a "stoic" with respect to not responding to pain, I know that he is not in top form - we all saw it in Jump 4 Class on Tuesday evening when he would not move quickly, did not want to jump, but we all gave it different excuses.  We saw it again on Wednesday after Foundations when he started out well and then pulled up.  Just think of how your head feels with a tooth ache - dull, unrelenting and the dogs can't tell us to leave off.  Apart from the fact that the venue in Lawrence is a dirt arena and Baker's eyes are already inflamed it is my job to be the responsible human partner and not let him hurt, become worse, or, more seriously, equate pain with training and competing.  So we will stay home, keep working on the dog room, let Baker sleep and be cuddled, let Ailsa practice tracking, have JJ as a guest so that he won't freeze in Lawrence with the Border Terriers, and help out with the 4-H Jamboree.  Actually, none of that sounds so bad (might even sleep in on Sunday morning....).

Time that the troops got healthier!

Ginger

Dog Jobs

Monday was the start of a new session at CCSC and Monday was the first Monday of the month so it was time for Baker and Me to visit the Adult Day Care Connection at MU in Clark Hall. Baker is the third of my springers to visit on Mondays and we introduced the puppy, Ailsa, to the activity. One of the reasons I link our visits to Dog school is that I hear people saying that their dogs are bored or their dogs "need a job" and I realize that we agree that dogs need to do more than sit in the back yard or sit in the house.

Usually when this topic comes up we talk about getting the dogs into an activity such as Obedience or Agility or Rally that involves coming to class and can be done by any and owner. Depending on the breed of dog there are other activities which maximize the purpose of the dog breed - for example, the terriers as a group were bred to help keep the rodent population under control - that meant having a feisty personality that would not be cowered by coming face-to-face with a rat, for example. Further, these guys have coats that offer protection from the sharp teeth and claws of rodents and their body shapes tend to facilitate getting into small spaces. A terrier without a job can end up leaving the owners with several shredded shoes, holes in the yard (and under fences), etc. As it happens there are earthdog events which allow the trainer to employ the talents and structure of the smaller terrier breeds. Likewise there are herding, hunting, weight pull, lure coursing, and working dog or "schutzhund" as examples of activities make the most of specialized breed work. What about the "basic dog" or one who might be a pure bred but not "into" these activities.

Well that is where we get back to Mr. Baker - and the realization that I, for one, forget to tell trainers coming with their dogs and families to class - that they can contribute hugely to the community at large by participating as "therapy dogs". Depending on the organization (Show-Me Canines, Ann Gafke's Teacher's Pet, and PALS (Pet-Assisted Love and Support at MU Vet School)) there are different venues where the dogs go. Basically, the dog and trainer are expected to have a solid relationship that includes the skills of the Canine Good Citizenship (CGC) test plus the ability to deal with situations (noises, equipment, movements) that might be encountered in a school, hospital, public demonstration etc. In mid-Missouri we are fortunate to have CGC evaluators at CCSC and Teacher's Pet who are also certified as evaluators for Therapy Dogs International (TDI). There is a great feeling of accomplishment having the dog pass the TDI as it is the dog who becomes a member of TDI (the handler comes along for the ride ;) ) and it is especially wonderful to discover how the dogs literally get into their visits.

I recognize that Baker gets a hint that the first Monday of the month has come around again as he gets a bath and grooming on the Sunday evening before.  Then, the next day  I come home earlier than usual, and I usually I grab his special leash and collar and perhaps a toy, if not a seasonal bandana (Santa hat for Christmas, Flowers for Spring, Red, White & Blue for July 4, etc.) to top it off. He moves enthusiastically (spring, bounce, spring, bark, bark) to his crate in the back of the van and rides intently over to Adult Day Care. 

When we arrive he makes a quick stop outside and then walks into the building in a most stately, calm manner turning first to go around the room to greet each client in a counter clockwise direction. He knows who would prefer to only look at him and he them; he knows who needs him to tuck in closely so that they can pet his head, who needs him to get up on the arms of the chair for a closer scratch, who likes to pull on his ears and who thumps his head. Never have I seen him pull away, be impatient, or object! In the wide-wide world, no way does he allow his ears to be pulled! What is fascinating is how serious Baker is at his job - for no other activity does he devote such attention and energy.  Even though we are scheduled for only an hour, by 45 minutes I see him begin to flag and at the end of the hour he is ready to sprint to the van and into his crate.  While it only takes me 5 minutes to drive back to the house he is always sound asleep by the time I pull up in the drive way.  

Baker comes by his enthusiasm for his therapy work honestly: both his mother, Lily and his Great aunt, Shelley were similarly involved.  Shelley, my first black & white springer, had a favorite person at elder care.  Every week she would break all the rules.  After having made her round of the clients she would go to her favorite person and quietly insinuate herself up into his lap.  Then the two of them would snooze until the hour was done.  In those days there were other dog/trainer partners so her devotion to a single person was not a problem.  She continued in her therapy job for a good year after she had retired from other dog performance activities in spite of her  arthritic hips and loss of sight because of her interaction with this one person.  How did I know this with such certainty?  Well the Monday came when her friend was not there. She made her rounds and sniffed his empty chair and walked, with an air unique to Shelley, straight to the door. I was told that the client had died a week before and I did not think of it until the next month.  

I came home to get Shelley and Baker's mother, Lily. Lily promptly got into her crate in the van but Shelley did not even lift her head from her nap making it quite clear that she was now officially retired to the couch.  She had given plenty and I did not argue.  Lily had a different enthusiasm: children.  She really like the library program in Ashland where children a the library would read to her.  She would lay herself out on the floor and let them crawl all over her while they read their books.  She would move her head following their fingers; provide little licks; even appear to nod in appreciation.  It was uncanny.  

It looks like the tradition will go on from Baker to Ailsa as she has now come along for a few short visits and it is hard to believe that she is a 6 month old puppy when she made her rounds following Baker's example.  It is a pleasure and a privilege to go along with these dogs as they go to "work" and worthy or realizing that there are multiple venues for dogs outside of the house.

Ginger

Difficult Decisions

Good Cold Morning - I have read Robin & Andrea's posts and realize that it is tough to add something new when I am distracted by the lack of one of the pack. My pack of English Springer Spaniels (ESS) at present consists of Jura, Ailsa, & Baker. Jura is missing from the group because I made the decision that he should be out with a professional handler to complete his AKC conformation championship - or at least have a decent chance at finishing the title.

For those not familiar with the progression to the title of "Champion" in the AKC, a dog must earn 15 points under a minimum of 3 judges with at least 2 "major wins". A major, worth 3-5 points, is a function of the number of dogs showing and the region of the country in which the dog is being shown. Jura has 10 points (so he is now considered to be "pointed out") and only needs his majors BUT there have been no majors in this area. In addition the boy looks different from ESS being shown presently in the US.

Jura (the boy on the left) is a perfectly good example of the breed, conforming to the breed standard, with a number of less desirable traits (hey none of us possess the perfect dog!) but he differs with respect to markings (broken coat & spots (ticking)), bone, skin (let's just say I could cover another dog with his skin and it gives him longer, heavier ears), and eye color (correct but at the "light end"). Baker, the boy on the right, is a good representation of the ESS in the US. Anyway, with Jura's differences it takes a confident judge to pick the different boy and it did not help that I am new to the sport of conformation so I tend to not show him to his best potential. Therefore, I decided to send him out with a professional. So why am I missing the boy when I know that it was my decision?

First of all, Jura, like Baker and now Ailsa are my training partners and companions and we have a special relationship that comes from learning, working, and competing together. So when they are not at home there is a missing personality form the house.

Second, not all handlers treat their dogs as anything more than a job and/or a commodity. Not that they are cruel or laking of knowledge but it is a business and the kind of time that we invest in our dogs is not the kind of time you can invest in a "string" of dogs being taken out on the road.

Third, as alluded to above, when you work daily and often with your dog in performance events, you understand that the dog has personality traits that impinge on your everyday life and responses. Baker is highly excitable, for example, and needly so he makes me aware of his presence by checking in with physical touch frequently. Ailsa is all energy and a blank slate with a huge desire to learn so she is into everything with huge enthusiasm. Jura is "California Joe Cool" - he seems to be laid back and just in charge. Turns out he is fully engaged and the male leader - anything happens and the others check to see how he is reacting before they do anything. Consequently when he is gone the dynamics in the house change - Baker is more nervous and less decisive; Ailsa misses her play mate and big brother from whom she has been learning how to be the female leader.

The good news while I am missing the boy is that Ailsa (6 mo) is teaching Baker (6 yr) how to play! It has taken her 8 weeks but she has succeeded in getting him to play with her without using teeth (!) and to play tug on a toy, engage in chase games, and to pick up stuffed toys. I am loving it because he is more relaxed than I have seen him before! In addition, I am filling the void by spending more time on training fundamentals with Ailsa as this window of opportunity with a puppy goes by too quickly.

The handler e-mailed last night that Jura is well and playing well with the other English Springers and English Cockers. His next stop will be Florida in 10 days and there are majors in bitches each of the first 5 shows, so keep your paws crossed and I'll report how he does and whether he ever forgives me for sending him on the road.

Ginger