Happy Winter!

Winter here has arrived right on time with the winter solstice. The ski area received 11 inches of fresh powder. Our Economy here depends on the ski area in the winter.  Tourism is our main industry here.  Plus, good snow pack up in the mountains  helps with the fire danger in the spring This was a really wet snow so it should help with the drought as well.  

This time of year is really busy.  Not as busy as before I retired, but still busy.  Sometimes I wonder how I ever got everything done while I was working.  Don't you hate it when work gets in the way of your leisure time?  Sometimes, work gets in the way of life in general.  I sometimes miss going to work every day, but then I remember all the papers that needed to be graded and grades put in the computer, and report cards, and the endless meetings!  Yeah, I don't really miss it all that much any more.  

This Christmas is going to be a bit different for us.  First, it will be the first Christmas without my mom.  We usually go there at least a day or so.  Also, son and daughter-in-law won't be able to make it here and daughter only gets one day off so she can't come either.  What to do?  We pack up and go to Silver City for a few days.  Couldn't be more perfect.  Three people, two dogs, Christmas presents and food all in a 32 ft. travel trailer.  

So, began the task of cooking.  I usually make the same things every year in the way of treats.  I then pack up samples and give it away to the neighbors, the mail lady, people at school.  Who ever looks like they could use some sweets.  Normally, I make peanut brittle, english toffee and fudge.  I wanted to try something different, so the first thing I made was Turtle Fudge.  This was labor intensive, but so so so good!  Basically, it is a layer of dark chocolate fudge, layer of caramel and pecans and then another layer of chocolate.   It was so good, in fact, the two of us ate it all!  Not the plan, and not really good for the waist line either.  So, in keeping with tradition, I went ahead and made peanut brittle and toffee to give away as well as some peanut butter fudge and some divinity.  I do love to cook and love to bake, but if I ate everything I made, I wouldn't be able to fit through the door.  

After delivering all the sweet stuff to everyone (and saving some for us) I had to cook the turkey and dressing to take with us.  Tiffany's little oven really isn't big enough for a lot of big things.  I got a turkey breast so there wouldn't be a lot of leftovers.Tiffany was going to make the mashed potatoes and green beans and some rolls after we got there.

Time to pack everything up and go.  We sold our Jeep to our son and daughter-in-law.  So, we are left with taking either the Chevy Aveo or the Toyota Echo.  Neither are very big cars, neither have four wheel drive, but the weather should be good.  We decide to take the Toyota because it has better tires.  We had to take all the golf stuff out of that car and put it in the other car, put the seat protector on for the dogs and pack the food in the cooler.  We were able to fit the cooler, all the presents for Tiff and our luggage and all the dog stuff in the trunk.  All set, right?

Notice all the snow in the picture.  Under the snow was dirt.  As the snow melted, that dirt quickly became mud.  Cooper loves the mud.  He was not even the same color.  He had mud from head to the tip of his tail.  Sadie was a bit dirty to, but the Princess doesn't really like to get her feet wet so she wasn't too bad.  There is no way those dirty dogs are going to ride in a car with me!  So, a quick grooming on both and we were off!

We had a great time.  We got there just in time for Tiff to be off work on Christmas Eve.  We ate and watched our family Christmas movie, "Die Hard."  It takes place at Christmas doesn't it?  Christmas Day, we got up, leisurly opened presents and drank coffee It was nice and relaxed.  The dinner was great and we were all full, but decided to go to the movies to see "47 Ronin."  The nearest movie theater is about an hour away, so we crated the dogs and hit the road again.  On the way there, we saw something we almost never see here.  We saw two Javelinas.  These were big pigs!  We whipped a u-turn and went back to get a better look and they took off.  They could really move!  The littlier one stopped in some tall grass and looked back at us.  So wish I had my camera with us.

All in all, Christmas this year was great.  There really was no stress or rushing and we were all very relaxed.  I think everyone got what they wanted in the way of presents.  We got Tiff a laser keyboard to use with her iPhone.  We got Tim and Cece a Kitchen Aid mixer Baldo got a great watch and a new chain saw, and I am getting...drum roll...a new Jeep! More to come on that subject.  We ordered it so it isn't here yet.

I know this isn't the best of pictures, but it is the best you can do with a phone. This is the smaller of the two Javelinas. 

Massive Keeshond Rescue Underway

The following post is copied with permission from Dee Wingfield.  This is a serious situation than needs all the help it can get

I'll give a brief overview of our Karing Keeshond Kristmas aka 101 Kees Rescue. By brief, I mean it won't be the 10 pages that are required to really be up to speed. 

In early October, I learned of a situation in NY will a well-known high volume breeder (puppy miller). This person has a kennel which is non-compliant with even very minimal NY laws, but not bad enough, according to NY laws, to warrant seizure of the dogs or forced closure of the kennel. However the breeder indicated she wanted to stop breeding. She could not make her kennel compliant with the laws at that time. She is a senior citizen; she has some elder issues, some hoarding issues.

A local vet tech and animal advocate offered to help with her dogs, at the time, some Huskies, some American Eskimos and MANY, MANY Keeshonden, over 200. This vet tech is working with the NY state inspector to facilitate the kennel closure and release of dogs. However, this is NOT a mandatory shutdown. It is voluntary.

The vet tech, John, has been working daily to pull these dogs from the kennels (large pens 40x40 housing packs of sometimes 25-30 Kees), get them vaccinated, neutered and treated for the most urgent issues. The girls can only be spayed if they have places to go, because going back to the kennels with the pack will be a death sentence.

To make this story as short as possible, after talking with John for several weeks, and coming to believe in everything he is trying to do, I decided to do everything I could to get these Kees out of this mill. I contacted several agencies and groups, but no one wanted to tackle this job. So, I did.

Fast forward even more, we have built a solid network of experienced foster homes, coordinators, fundraisers, transporters, donors, networkers...worker bees one and all. To date, volunteers in the U.S. and Canada have rescued 20 Keeshonden from this mill. Today, 2 more are scheduled to leave. Tomorrow, 6 more. Saturday, 6 more. Sunday, not confirmed yet, but, possibly, hopefully, as many as 50 more.

At this time, today, 10 AM December 17, there are around 81 Keeshonden still at the kennel. By Sunday, that number COULD be drastically reduced. However, a slew of plans and schedules must fall into place for that to happen. If not Sunday, then it will happen when it happens, but very soon.

We have approached National Mill Dog Rescue about providing a transport truck, a specially-outfitted Class C RV, for us to be able to transport Kees to the Midwest and Southwest. Theresa Strader at NMDR readily agreed. Readily agreed, because of Ziva. http://nationalmilldogrescue.blogspot.com/2012/09/five-days-of-freedom-tribute-to-ziva.html

We have the truck, we need the funds for fuel and costs, probably $2,500 or so.

We have many ways you can assist these dogs. First and foremost pray for them. They have little shelter. They're in a cold NY climate. They live on crumbling concrete with frayed tarps as protection. Many are shaved; if they're not shaved, they're matted. They are dirty and smelly. They are unsocialized. They are young, under a year old. They are 3 and 4 years old. They are maybe a little older, like 6 or 7. They all need our help. Only WE can do it.

If you love Kees, you will show it. It's as simple as that. If you do nothing. I KNOW you do NOT love this breed. I don't care what your excuse is. There is no excuse for doing nothing. Everyone can at least network, right? You ARE reading this. But every person who has been involved in any way has been blessed. This is a worldwide effort. Ask us how to help.

I know we'll be posting the ways to donate. We have generous donors from around the world. We have volunteers waiting to be able to get their hands on the dogs. We have works in progress. We have John, the vet tech in NY who is amazing and working under the worst kinds of circumstances. He is a hero to our breed. And then, there's me. I'm committed (or maybe I should BE committed?). They're coming out. The end.

National Mill Dog Rescue: Five Days of Freedom - A Tribute to Ziva

That last picture says it all. Despite her horrible life, she found love and happiness and she was blessed to have those last days happy and free. You saved her and I am confident she felt safe and pampered and adored those last hours. Thank you for all you do for these pups, I hope to be able to vi...

NATIONALMILLDOGRESCUE.BLOGSPOT.COM

Tucson, Arizona

Cooper and I decided to see about playing at the dog show in Tucson, Arizona. We left the house around 10:00. We drove as far as Las Cruces and stopped to get gas. $2.81!!!  Woo Hoo!!  I do get excited about the smallest things. We then drove the rest of the way to Silver City, New Mexico, where we went to Walmart to met Tiffany. She introduced me to a couple of people who immediately wanted to go out and meet Cooper. He was so excited to meet people!

After Tiffany got off work, we went over to her place. We walked around a bit, unloaded the car and just hung out. We did watch a movie and have popcorn, but we went to bed early for the early rising time on the morning. 

 We all got up around 5 ish, took showers, groomed Cooper, reloaded the car and hit the road. None of us have ever been to Tucson before so we had the GPS giving us directions all the way.  In places it seemed like the GPS lady had never been there either.  Once we got to Tucson, she took us on a round about route to the show site. We made it with time to spare. I knew I was in trouble when I saw people wearing shorts and flip flops. I took long sleeves and and pants to wear. It was really hot!  Cooper thought he was going to have heat stroke!  

Cooper showed pretty well.  The judge was really nice and talked to him and was very gentle. Cooper got reserve, we went back to the car and went shopping!  We found a mall close by that had some big trees for shade. Poor Cooper had to stay in the car and take a nap. I don't think he even noticed I was gone. We didn't stay long, but Tiffany did get a new iPhone. We had so much fun playing with Siri later that night.  

Again the GPS took us all over town. She took us to some not so nice parts of town. We did eventually get to the motel, but I had my doubts. We had picked up some pizza and caramel apples at the mall so we had something to eat. The caramel apple I got was called "Apple Pie". So, it was an apple dipped in caramel, then dipped in the white coating and then rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Absolutely no calories there. In fact, I am writing it down as a healthy fruit snack.  

We didn't get much sleep because the people outside were yelling and making all kinds of noise.  Little Cooper even did a very deep growl and barked at the door just to let them know he was in the room and they had better watch out. It sure scared us. So, no sleep, but we got up at six the next day anyway and repeated the whole thing. Cooper did even better with the judge this time so I feel confident that he will do even better next time. 

All in all, it was a good weekend. No points this time, but good experience for him and I got to meet some very nice people.  We had a great time visiting with Tiff and doing some sightseeing there in Silver City. Next time we spend more time and see some more. I can't wait. 

Time Out?

This is Miss Sadie. I don't normally hack mom's computer, but this an emergency. Mom and Dad went on a trip without us!  They went to some place called Hawaii. We got to come to some place called the "kennel."  I can tell you, this is no piknik either. I have to share a large "time out" place with that stinky boy, Cooper. He has never been to a place like this before. What a baby!  But, he does have reason to not be entirely happy. While mom did send our food, she evidently did not send our cookies.  Either that or the servants here are not giving them to us!

Of course, not all bad.  People tell me every day how pretty I am. Cooper just goes over to the gate all wiggly and trying to act cute. But I just know they are talking to me so I just sit up on the throne they so kindly provided for me. I have to tell mom to get one of these at home. It is like the hammock we used to have, but lower to the ground and it has a big soft pillow. 

Well, we are back from our trip and I see that Sadie hacked into my account. This has happened before, but usually it is just email. To set the record straight, yes, we did take a vacation. Yes, we were gone a little over a week, and yes, they had to stay in the kennel while we were gone. But, other than the cookie thing (entirely my fault), they were fine.  Sadie loves it when people tell her how pretty she is.  They evidently got lots of attention from customers that were bringing their dogs in for grooming or boarding. 

Both Sadie and Cooper were glad to come home. Sadie tried to pretend she wasn't glad to see us, but it only lasted about a couple of minutes. It isn't like this was a first for her.  She has stayed at this kennel before and has also gone out with a handler by herself. I was so glad to see them and get keesie kisses. Now to impress on them that they do not need to help me unpack!

Watch Dogs?

One description of keeshonden states that they are "alarm giving watch dogs."  When I first read that, in my mind I thought, "guard" dogs. In my experience though, that couldn't be farther from the truth. A friend of mine said, "the only thing my dogs would guard is their food bowl."  In twenty years of owning kees, I have never had one that would even do that. They are happy to share everything. They freely swap toys back and forth.  If you want to share their food, however, you had better be fast. 

Let's get back to the term, "alarm giving."  Technically, that would mean barking. I mean, how else would they give an alarm?  Cooper has been trained to ring a bell. But, his method of choice would still be barking.  That said, he is not a compulsive barker. And, as we have discussed before, Sadie isn't a barker at all. The vet even checked her vocal chords to make sure there was no medical reason for her muteness. The result was that she didn't have anything to say. I know there are some kees that are barkers. I personally have never met one, but I have heard stories of dogs that seemed to bark non stop at everything. 

The second term is "watch" dogs. Cooper watches everything. Very little will get by him. He spends a lot of time bird watching. He especially watches everything I do. Sadie is a little bit too self-centered to bother watching mere mortals. Not to say she doesn't notice things.  She does.  She just doesn't pay too close attention to things that don't concern her highness. 

Watching is not synonymous with guarding. And, not all kees are barkers. Some will only bark in certain circumstances. My dogs don't bark in the house. I guess they expect me to take care of things inside. They also don't bark while in the car. 

Example:  the other day we were going up to Los Alamos to work on the house. We stopped to get gas at the new truck stop. I went inside to use the facilities and hubby pumped the gas. The two vehicles we drive the most have no bells and no whistles. You have to roll down the windows by hand and push the button to lock the doors. On this trip, we were in the Jeep which has electric door locks and power windows.  One of us hit the button when we got out of the car. The car locked with the windows up and the dogs inside. A couple of the ladies from inside came out to try to help. They tried a coat hanger in every window. I called Roadside Assistance, but by the time I actually got through to a real person, a guy came over and offered to help. It took him a while, but he had the door open and we were on our way in a short while. He didn't want any money, so we gave it to his wife. 

The dogs never said a word. No barking, certainly no growling. How many strangers does it take for them to become nervous?  These people could have been trying to steal the car. Yes, they could maybe see and hear us.  But what if it was a hostage situation?   Our main concern was that they had no water and the windows were rolled up all the way. Luckily, we were in the shade right by the pumps. I'm sure the truck stop people didn't appreciate the fact that we were tying up one of their pumps. As soon as possible, we had an extra key made so we can unlock the doors. It won't start the vehicle because it needs a chip activated for that, but at lease we could get in and take care of the babies. 

Another example:  a few years ago, my daughter's house was broken into.  She worked nights so wasn't home. Mostly they stole things like electronics and jewelry. She was living in an RV in an RV park at the time. She had neighbors pretty close. Her kees was in her crate. No barking or sounds of any kind. Nobody heard anything that would indicate something was wrong. Luckily the dog wasn't hurt.

The bottom line is, there is no doubt in my mind what is going to happen if we ever get robbed.  Cooper is going to show them where we keep the good silver and Sadie will show them where the good treats are.

Here are Cooper and Sadie "sharing" the hedgehog toy. 

Velcro Dogs

Is your dog nosy?  I mean, do they have a need to know exactly what you are doing at all times?  No!? You must not have keeshonden then.  They have got to be the most inquisitive breed there is.  If something is going on, they want to know about it.

My mother passed away in May.  Since then, we have had to go through the house, sort everything for the estate sale, have an estate sale, clear out the house, and do some renovation and updating so we will hopefully be able to sell the house.  During most of this, the dogs have had to stay confined either to a particular area in the house, or outside.  At the time of the estate sale, we put their crates outside under the tree and they stayed there a lot of the time.  We had things for sale in literally every room of the house and kept the front door open most of the time.  We were right to be worried about them.  Someone walked off with their food bowls!  Who does that sort of thing?  First of all, who steals from an estate sale anyway?  Second, does anyone really need used dog food bowls?  They were covered with dog slobber.  I just hope that whoever took them at least washed them before using.

After the sale, and after we pretty much emptied the house of the contents, we went to work on the house itself.  We hired a contractor and his crew to help.  There was wallpaper on top of wallpaper all dating back to the 60's.  There was paneling that needed to come down.  We ripped up all the carpet and updated the master bath.  (no more green counter!)  We removed a wall in the garage that covered the garage door and made it into a garage again.  Because of the debris on the floors (nails, screws, splinters from the paneling) and the dust from sanding the sheetrock, not to mention the wall texture and the paint, we couldn't let them loose in the house.  

They loved the back yard there.  It is all grass with a very large apple tree for shade.  It did get a bit warm at times, but there is no air conditioning in the house, so they were probably cooler outside.  The workers would all talk to them through the windows and play with them on breaks.  Of course, they had to know what was going on inside.  If we went into another room, they would follow and peek in to see what we were doing.  

After we finished with the garage, we pretty much lived in there.  We slept on an air mattress that we moved room to room depending on what was going on in each room at the time.  The dogs loved being in the garage with us while we were resting after a long day of work.  But, from there, they couldn't see into any of the other rooms.  So, they would want out so they could run around and look into the windows.  

I think they are happy to be home.  I know I am.  Basically we were away from home for about 5 months.  I don't know how those people that have vacation homes do it.  When we were there, I always had home in the back of my mind, wondering if the yard was doing okay, etc.  When we would come home (usually on weekends) to get mail, etc. I thought about that house.  

I am glad to say that we are finished.  Except for the carpet installation, but that is a story for another day.  It has a new master bath, all new paint and new carpet.  It is in a very nice neighborhood with a dog friendly yard.  I hope somebody loves it as much as we did while growing up.

Mud Puppies

We live in an area that regularly gets less than 18 inches of precipitation in a whole year. Imagine what it is like if we get a fourth of that in one day. We have had major flooding in the past along our little "river". The most recent was caused by remnants of Hurricane Dolly. There are places in town that are still recovering.

This week we have had a ton of rain. Almost 4 inches here in town and over 5 inches up by the lake. Sounds like a good way to get out of the grip from the drought.  But, last year we had a major wildfire that burned most of the vegetation. So, now there is nothing to keep the water from rushing downhill. 

So far, so good. No major damage and no bridges out yet. But, rain is expected for the next 3 days. Our back yard backs up to a vertical cliff that is approximately 30 feet high. When we get rain like this, we get a waterfall right into the yard. Could be really nice except it is always really muddy water and totally floods the yard. So, the dogs can't spend too much time out there without getting really dirty.  They get covered in mud from head to fuzzy tail!  Okay, that is a problem. But the real problem is that when they come in, they always wait to shake until they are inside the house. Mud and dirty water gets flung all over!  What a mess. Why couldn't they do that outside?  Honestly, they look like they have been rolling in the mud. 

I meet them at the door with a beach towel and catch each one and dry them off as much as possible. But, my floors need mopping several times a day and the walls and everything else needs cleaning as well.  So, until the water goes down some, I am taking the dogs out on a leash to potty in the front. It is less muddy there. They don't like it, but I am sure it won't be for long. The plus side is with their waterproof coats, they are relatively clean once they dry off. 

Eeeww!

Back in the beginning of the breed, keeshonden were used as ratters, both on the farm and on barges.  My dogs have always had a bit of prey drive, but I have never actually witnessed any actually catching anything.

Cooper and Sadie work well together. Cooper is a natural herder and Sadie is a natural born eater!  So, you can see how this ends, can't you?  

Four ears perk up.  Two noses twitch. And they're off!  Each one circles from opposite directions. Cooper moves back and forth herding the critter in front of him, until it runs right into the waiting Sadie. Saide does not have the natural herding ability that Cooper has, so she lets the gopher go right between her legs!  And, the race is on again. Who knew those little guys were so fast?  First, there was zig zagging clockwise around, then a fast u-turn and zig zagging counter-clockwise. 

The two dogs have different styles based on their expected outcome. Cooper believes that since it is moving, he should chase it or herd it in front of him. Sadie only saw a fast food lunch.  She was content to let Cooper wear the critter out while she followed at a leisurly pace  or circled the other direction. Finally, Cooper herded it right to her feet.  She ate the gopher and didn't share. Cooper would have dropped it if I asked him to, (I hope). But, Sadie would never willingly let go of a food source. When she saw that I wanted it, she took it and ran, then ate the whole thing. 

First, let me say that I did tell her to drop it.  Second, I am not sure what I would have done with the thing if she had.  Lastly, and most important, I did not accept any kisses from either one of them for a long time. 

Most important command is...

People ask me all the time, "I don't have a lot of time to train.  What commands are the most important?"  No easy answer. Some commands are fairly easy to train so would take less time to master while others are more complex and require more training time. 

There are certain commands that are important for safety reasons. The dogs got out of my mom's yard. Strange town, strange neighborhood, strange smells. It could have been disastrous. I heard the neighborhood dogs barking and something told me to go outside. I saw one fuzzy butt disappear around the corner of a house and panicked!  I called, "Cooper, Sadie!  Come!"  Both came running. Whew!  So glad we practice that at least once every training session. Relatively easy command

Sometimes, though, I wouldn't want the dog to "come". If they had run across a busy street and tried to come to me, they could have been hurt or worse. 

So, back to giving commands from a distance. The dog needs to learn that a command is to be followed immediately. It doesn't matter where he is. If I say "down", for instance, I don't mean, "come to me and then lie down". I mean "lay down, now, where you are."  Not an easy concept especially if the dog is used to taking food or training treats from your hand. So, training early on to catch the treat that is tossed can help. Popcorn is a good choice since it has a longer "hang" time. But, you have to have fairly good aim. If the dog goes down, then has to get up and chase down the treat, you have defeated your purpose. 

So, back to the original question. Which is the most important command?  It depends a lot on the dog and the owner's needs. If jumping up on people is a problem for a particular dog, then sit might be more important.  However, if the dog is a runner, then come might be more important. The commands are as individual as the dogs themselves and their owners.

Training Too

The hardest thing about doing herding with Cooper is control. He gets so excited that he "forgets" that he ever knew any commands at all. So, we have been working on "sit" and "down" commands from a distance. Without distractions, he will follow all commands instantly. Even when his dinner is involved, he will drop down with just a hand signal and wait to be released.  But, he will come to me first.  I need him to follow the command from where he is, regardless of distractions (like sheep).  So, we have been working with the clicker and string cheese. Click, treat, click, treat. He knows the routine. With a little practice, he can follow the command from a distance of about ten feet. But, that is without any distractions at all.  Not even Sadie where he can see her. He is afraid if he is not right close to me, she will get his treat. 

So, a few problems. First, he needs to follow commands from a distance. Second, he needs to do this with or without distractions. And finally, he needs to be able to follow directions without the use of treats. 

Three problems, three solutions. Practice.  Practice. Practice. 

Fireworks!!🎆💥

July 4, 2013 was a day of hard work and firsts. The hard work began early. We have to get my mom's house ready to go on the market and that means emptying, cleaning, painting and making repairs. The fourth was spent planting grass in the back yard and removing wallpaper. The promise of rain made it a good day for planting the grass. We are hoping for the soft, steady kind of rain, not the hard pouring rain that will wash all the seed away. Time will tell how we did. The dogs are not very happy about not being able to run and chase each other. 

Removing wallpaper is not fun on a good day. The wallpaper I removed was olive green and orange with flowers and stripes from the sixties. I found another layer of wallpaper underneath that had a gray background with blue diamonds and a red or pink flower design. Very Victorian looking. But, it will have to go too. So, round two next week. The bathroom had an under layer of a thick paper over walls that had been textured. It was meant to make the wallpaper look smoother. While the actual wallpaper came off pretty easily, the under layer was very hard to take off and had a lot of glue to remove. The plus side is that everything was removed except for a small paper behind the toilet that I can't reach. I will have to find some kind of thin tool with a long handle for that part. We primed everything and the difference is amazing. I can't wait to see what it looks like with real paint. 

Since we were up at Mom's and not at home we decided to walk to the end of the street to see the fireworks. Because we live in the middle of a National Forest, we don't have fireworks here. Cooper has never seen or heard fireworks in his life and Sadie probably only once. We found a place to sit at the little playground and settled in to watch the show. The action was actually happening about a mile away, but we could see just fine. Of course, as soon as we got there, kids came running up to pet Sadie and Cooper. They are such good ambassadors of the breed. They love everyone and are very gentle with little ones. I explained how Sadie likes to be read to. One little girl wanted to know what her favorite books are.  When I told her than Miss Sadie likes Dr. Suess, she said, "Me too!"  She seemed very disappointed she couldn't sign up to read since we don't live there. 

A few minutes after we settled down, the first rocket went off. Cooper was fascinated. He saw the bright light, then heard the boom and then heard the echo. He was curious and excited about everything. It was a great show lasting over 30 minutes. About halfway through Cooper decided the echo wasn't important so quit looking for something to happen behind us. Sadie wasn't impressed at all. She has never been afraid of loud noises before except for the sonic booms from the jets flying over from the base. She doesn't mind thunder or the noises at the dog shows. But, evidently she associated the noise from the fireworks with the sonic booms. Even though she was a bit stressed, nothing came between her and the treats. That's my girl!

On the way back to the house, Sadie stepped on a sticker. She gave me the "look" that blamed me for everything bad that had happened to her. I reminded her about the kids loving on her and the treats. She didn't listen. She went right into her crate and gave me the "give me a cookie" look, turned her back to the door and went to sleep. Needless to say, I am sure she is not scarred for life.  Cooper on the other hand wants to go again. He loved the whole experience. 

First Herding Lesson

    Today was Cooper's first herding lesson. He had a blast!  The place was way out of town in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was easier to find than I thought it would be considering that the directions said things like, "turn after the stone bridge".  We got there  a bit early so were able to watch a shepherd cross in his very first experience with livestock of any kind. He really wasn't very interested in the sheep much. But when they were finished with their lesson, they asked if they could stay and watch some of Cooper's lesson.  

    What a difference between the two dogs!  The shepherd was real calm and a bit uninterested.  Cooper was far from calm and VERY interested!  He was supposed to sit outside the gate until we had the gate open, then he was to sit inside while we shut the gate. He couldn't sit for more than a second or two and was straining on the leash trying to get to those sheep. They were very wary of the wild one.  I would be too.  We did a couple of "walk-ups" where we walk up to the sheep slowly and when we reach the "bubble" (the invisible line where the sheep notice that the dog is there, but he isn't close enough to make them move), and then Cooper was supposed to sit for a while, calmly.  Then I say "that'll do", and we turn and walk away. It is supposed to help the dog learn control and teach him to not rush in. 

    Cooper evidently doesn't remember that he ever knew how to sit, lie down, or even stop on command. He didn't seem to remember how to walk on a leash either. All he knew was that there were big things that needed chasing. I am not saying that he was constant about rounding them up, but he did seem to want them to be together. 

    We were out there for an hour and fifteen minutes. During that time Cooper became more consistent in going the direction she wanted him to go, but still had trouble stopping at a distance.  By the time we finished, he was exhausted. Normally he dozes in the car.  This time we was completely out. He barely noticed when I stopped at the stop sign. Normally his head would have popped up to see what was going on. I don't think I have seen him this tired before. Ever.