Sheep Herding

They finally arrived! Here are the sheep herding pics of Beezer from May 8th, 2010. Just look at that intensity!

What are those?!?!



I guess I could try this "herding" thing











I'm a little tired...


...But that was so much fun! I'll be back!

I have a little obsession...

...that obsession is so fun.

Amigo made up a poem of her cheapest, most beloved never ending toy.


This game is so much fun
the best part is to come
this game is played for free
it fills me up with glee
you can always find one or two
it's fun for me and you
Shred it, rip it, kill it
it's fun no matter what
throw it, hide it, put it in a cup
I will not shut up!


She hopes you enjoy it, but even if you didn't, she doesn't care. Pinecones are way more awesome than you anyways.


PINECONES



Normal size


Kill it, rip it, shred it


Still throw-able!

Newest Behaviours

We've known for some time now that Beezer likes the vacuum. However, now this fondness has turned into a severe obsession. He now needs to be locked in a room or be outside while vacuuming the house. And he can't even see the vacuum I use when cleaning the car. He goes balistic. Barking and wooing and attacking the hose and trying to drag it all over. Even if the vacuum is off, it's still so wonderful. He'll either pull an attachment piece off, fling it in the air and run around with it, or precede to roll on it like it smells of rotting fish. Weird.
When the cleaning is done and I wheel the vacuum away, he follows and still tries to drag it out to the lawn to scare the neighbours.
















At lease he's more "helpful" than Amgio, who screams her head off if I've failed to notice the endless throw able objects she has placed discreetly inside the car in my line of vision.




"Do you see it now?!?!"



P.S. As I finished editing this blog, Beezer is still obsessed with the vacuum, and has also moved on the the garden hose. Gardening should be interesting this year...

Bragging rights.

Have I ever mentioned that I love Amigo? 'Cause I do. Lots. And I also like bragging about her too.

We've been taking lessons with Gerhard Thursday nights with Aunty Jody and Erika. I thought we should get extra instruction and practice, especially with Regionals coming up. I'm really enjoying the class, and so is Amigo. Gerhard has really yummy cookies that he shares.

We usually run 2 standard runs each class. They aren't that easy I may add, and are Masters level are higher. At the end of class, Gerhard picks one of the runs and has us run it again, but this round he times. I don't know what it is about a stopwatch, but everyone gets nervous.

As mentioned above, I love Amigo. I run agility because we both enjoy it, and even though she'll be 13 next month, she doesn't get sore. I do not push her. However, I am competitive.
Let's me set up the class for you. 8 dogs, most of them working breeds, and all drivey. Amigo is the oldest by a good 5 years. The group who runs before us has their dog's names and times written on a white board to make everyone more nervous. Again, a large class with mostly border collies younger than Amigo.

Here's where the bragging comes in. Amigo week and after week KICKS ASS! She either has the fastest time or comes in a close second. Not bad for a 12 year old Daschund cross!

Let's hope we stay in prime condition for Regionals next month!!

Brag over, for now.

Beezer has a title...

...and that title isn't just "Beezer, shut up" anymore! On May 8th Beezer successfully passed the Herding Instinct Test held out in Chilliwack. The Judge was Shelley Fritze, who I really liked.
I didn't know what Beezer would do. Actually that's not true, I knew he would bark. A lot. And I wasn't wrong. He barked because he was nervous, and it was so new and it smelled so good! Shelley was warned before hand that he was a soft dog (aka a pansy ass), so she took it easy on him, letting him bark and approach the sheep however he wanted. After she walked him around on leash following behind the sheep, she let him off, and voila! He was a pro. We don't have to send him back to the pound no more! He's not completely useless. He pretty much barked the whole time, but I knew he would and Shelley said he would most likely stop barking once he got more comfortable. Eventually, he stopped barking for about 20 seconds...I have it on film to prove it...then he started again.
In addition, not only did he have the *instinct* to gather the sheep, but he also knew to fetch any stray sheepies that left the herd. AND he even had enough instinct to know how to move the sheep on the fence! Not many dogs do that, especially their first time on sheep:) Such a clever boy!
I am really quite proud of him. Shelley asked us later if we would like to continue herding, and I made sure she was actually talking about my dog, and she responded with an upbeat "Yes, I think he could do quite well!" She had also commented earlier that she also liked the way he easily responded to her directions, whether with a stick or her body language.

That's my boy! I think this may also increase his confidence, not to mention burn off his endless energy!
I do hope we can find lessons a little closer than Chilliwack though...I think she may have mentioned teaching out in langley.

Pictures and vids to come soon.

I hate teenagers

I can, once again, realize why most dogs are given up for adoption around 8 months. THEY ARE HORRIBLE. So horrible in fact, that it makes me wonder if Beezer has learned anything since we took him home.

He has always been a "barky" dog. Very vocal, no matter what his mood. But now we bark at EVERYTHING. All. THE. TIME. Also, we've discovered that men that jog, or especially those peddling on bikes, are creatures of the dark and must be destroyed. Barking is not enough though. The destruction of joggers and bikers takes on a whole new level of ninja skills. Distraction of food, toys and your name are no use. Even delicious morsel of hotdog, liver and chicken shoved into your mouth are not enough to distract you from your mission. Sometimes he is so petrified he can't even recognize his own existence, let alone a name or food distraction.
Even if these creatures are outside of the car, you are always on alert. Strollers, too cannot be trusted. Basically everything I tried to get you comfortable with, is now your arch nemesis. I am soooo frustrated!
To top it all off, he has an endless amount of energy. He'll be going for 2 hikes, daycare and some training, come home, sleep for 20 minutes and then be up and into everything until 9:00. Fun. He's now destroyed 3 dog beds, and thinks it's ok to grab food off your plate when said plate is in your hand. Awesome. Now it looks like I've never socialized, fed, trained or exercised my dog since the day we got him.
I really hope this is a fear stage and that we can work hard and push through it. I do have to remember that Fyvish used to chase joggers and bikes too. Although he wasn't afraid of them, so much as chasing them for the thrill of it. Fyvish, after a lot of hard work, was able to hike anywhere and joggers or things on wheels wasn't a concern. I know we can get past it, it's just that Beezer actions are more fear based, and sometimes NOTHING gets through to him.

Rant over.
To top off this list of wonderful new behaviours, he NEVER tires. he has an endless amount of energy. I don't know if the fear and endless energy are linked, but he constantly needs exercise! We've been doing either 2 hikes, or 1 hike and a few hours at daycare, PLUS a jog and he comes to work with me at the vet clinic on Tues. Even after all this activity he'll come home, sleep for 20 minutes and then be up and into everything until 9:00. Fun. He's now destroyed 3 dog beds, and thinks it's ok to grab food off your plate when said plate is in your hand. Awesome. Now it looks like I've never socialized, fed, trained or exercised my dog since the say we got him.

I'm trying to look at his as a warm up run for when I get my Malinois!

However, on a lighter note, he is doing well with his nose touches, nail trimming and can walk in high traffic areas no problem. There's nothing like 2 steps forward and 1 step back for raising a teenager!!!