Photo Opp

A few weeks ago before it got cold, we were down at the river for our annual trip to Wurstfest. Before we left my mom with the dogs to celebrate at the 10 day salute to sausage, I tried to get a good photo of the dogs in this tall grass. Butterflies were swarming around and they were romping in the grass. It was so cute, but this picture was the best I got.

My Little Earthdog

This weekend was big for our little Lizzie. She was entered both Saturday and Sunday in an Earthdog Trial just north of town. Now for my fellow dog-competition people, you probably know all about this obscure event, but for my non-dog competition people, here's a little bit about Earthdog.It's basically for daschunds, and terriers that were bred for ratting. They dig tunnels (and line them with wood) in the ground, and put a cage of live rats at the end of the tunnel. As the dogs get more proficient, the tunnels get more intricate. But the idea is that they get to rats, then they have to "work the quarry" which means digging, barking, or biting at the bars in order to get at the rats. It's supposed to simulate a burrow where there would be actual animals. Don't worry, the rats are caged AND there are bars separating the dogs from the cage. I saw them, they are not at all distressed about the dogs.

I've always thought that Lizzie would be a natural at this because she's always been quite a little hunter - squirrels, mice, possums don't stand a chance in our yard. Which is why I often find myself crying at a makeshift funeral for some baby animal that I couldn't save from the dogs. Dewayne thinks I'm crazy, but continues to help me try and rescue the animals marooned in our yard, and digs the graves for the not so lucky ones. So right about now you're probably wondering why, then, would I encourage this behavior.

And here's the deal - I know that it's her nature to be a hunter and that's part of who she is. BUT, it's also not fair to trap the prey into a yard where they can't escape. Therefore, survival of the fittest is skewed in favor of the dogs. If we're out in the open and they were to actually catch something, that's fair game. But I don't feel like the animals have a fair shot. You can probably guess how I feel about deer hunting. But I digress...

So the rats, yes, are trapped. But as I said earlier, they are safe from the dogs, and the exercise is made to simulate one in the wild, except no animals get killed. It's my kind of hunting!

Since there's really no way to practice this without building tunnels in your backyard and buying rats, you pretty much enroll in the Intro class to see if your dog will do it. Which is just what I did. I wanted to see if she had the natural instict.

Saturday morning we drove out to Prosper, TX - about 45 minutes north of town to see if Lizzie had the drive. She went into the tunnel, but figured out where the rats were above ground and basically said, "forget the tunnel, the rats are right here." But, we came back on Sunday and all of a sudden, she got it! The judge on Sunday was SO wonderful and helpful. Since it's sort of a training lesson and a competition, she would let the dogs work a little even if they didn't qualify.

When we got into the ring on Sunday, Lizzie sort of ran around like crazy, going barely in the tunnel and heading for above ground, but then, all of a sudden, the judge said, "She's here!" with a look of glee. Sure enough, there she was at the rats. At first she just stared, mesmerized (there's a lid at the end of the tunnel where you lift the rats and the dogs out and can therefore check on the dog to see what they're doing). The judge was so kind and we just waited. Then, there it was, rising out of the rat filled tunnel, was the sound that I was waiting to hear. Her hunting bark. She worked that quarry like it was her job. Oh wait, it is.
She barked, and dug, and bit to get to the rats (remember, they're completely safe - no rats are harmed in the making of an Earthdog).
Our judge was so amazing. Because she was a little slow to get started, we didn't actually qualify, but she let us try the run a few times to get practice. She showed me how to work with her to encourage her to work the quarry, and was so excited in our success that you would have thought Lizzie was her dog. Dewayne was watching with such pride, and our new Earthdog friends were cheering and clapping. It was awesome.

Lizzie's new goal - Master Earthdog!
Here are a few of the best pictures from the day's excitement:

Pre-Tunneling - a gaggle of Westies

Lizzie and I patiently waiting our turn in the ring.

Getting ready for the hunt

We're just watching and waiting to see what she does. Notice that the tunnel is fenced in for the intro dogs. When you move up, the dogs do this off lead, no collar, no fence. So, we'll be fine-tuning that recall. Where the judge is sitting is where the rats are. The tunnel is 10 ft with a 90 degree turn in the middle so it's relatively short.

Here she had finally made it to the rats! We were watching and waiting to see what she would do. Once she started to work the quarry, we let her go at it.

Don't you just love the judge's excitement. Really, she couldn't have been more wonderful

Lizzie is working away. You can't see it, but she is going after those rats (remember, fruitlessly, they're caged, but it's still fun for her)

I am so impressed with her progress. She really is a natural.
Yes, I realize this angle of me is not attractive, but it's a good way to see how it works. The rats are in that flap on the left, and you lift the dog out of the hatch on the right. If you're really interested (I know you all are) you can click the picture to see it bigger. But I'll warn you, that means that angle of me will be bigger. Unfortunate.

A look of pure pride. My little Earthdog.

Trick and Treat

I just couldn't resist that pun. I've decided recently that I'm going to teach Simon tricks (well, besides his well honed talent for singing). I recently got this book, 101 Dog Tricks to try and give me more things to do with him.

I'll be honest that this is like piano lessons all over again. When I was little, I took piano lessons. While I actually enjoyed playing, I never liked playing the boring classical pieces my teachers wanted me to. Much to the chagrin of my mother, I never practiced. After many years of this pattern (including a teacher that told me I was teacher's nightmare), we found a great teacher. He told me that he would let me choose a piece to play if I played one that he wanted me to. And he held true to his word. I learned to play "A Whole New World" from Aladdin (don't judge, it was big when I was little), the theme from The Sting, plus a few classical pieces I can't remember. But what I do remember is that I used to actually practice "A Whole New World" because I could sing along with it, and sing I did. (I'll admit that deserves judging).

So, how does this long-winded, non-dog related story go back to 101 Tricks, you ask. Well, they are so fun that we end up practicing them way more than the usual stuff. It's like I'm singing away to "A Whole New World" all over again - I keep making Simon shake with both paws, bow, and hold a treat on his nose. It's so much more fun than lugging out my weave poles. I know, I know, I'm a bad example. But just wait until I get Simon to get the morning paper, then you'll all be jealous!

And no, I can't still play the piano. Don't mention this to my mother, she'll regale you with the mantra my sister and I heard once we became piano dropouts, "I should have just driven down the road and thrown money out the window instead of pay for those piano lessons!" Just the words without her particular inflections don't really do it justice, but you get the idea. Look Mom, something good has come from my lessons (besides my appreciation and love for music) - a great analogy for my blog. I know you're so proud.

Back to the tricks...

Big Day at the Park

The weather here was beautiful this weekend, so I figured it was a good chance to get out to the dog park. Simon's not a huge fan of the dog park, but he's getting more and more brave. He still prefers to play exclusively with Lizzie. She doesn't really appreciate it.Ah, can you feel the love here?
The dogs are actually pretty antisocial. They spend most of the time sniffing around. This is pretty much what they look like about 80% of the time they are at the park. Sniffing, sniffing, and more sniffing.
My friend Jenny met us at the park with her French Bulldog, Topanga. Now Simon and Topanga have a rocky relationship. She is way too much dog for Simon. One time at the river, she chased Simon hoping to play, and he ran straight home (it was just two houses down) and sat on the front porch looking pitiful. But the dog park's big enough for everyone and they're all learning to get along.
I don't know this Akita's name, but isn't he beautiful. And very sweet too. I just couldn't resist snapping his photo.
Classy. My two following the marking around.
Look at sweet Topanga! She was having such a good time.
This guy was my best friend, and what a face he had. I might have had a few treats in my pocket in case any leash aggression reared its ugly head on our walks to and from the park. Typical Lab, he knew it. But I couldn't disrupt the peace at the park so even his best face couldn't get one from me - even though I really, really wanted to share!
Is this a model shot? No, we're not in front of the Port-A-Cool, just a beautiful breezy day.
The funniest part of this day was Topanga terrorizes this guy who was trying to throw a ball for his dog with the Chuck-It and she just wanted to play with the Chuck-It part and not the ball. She followed him around for about 20 minutes trying to get it. But he was very good natured about it and just played along.

Then we took all three dogs to The Londoner, where they allow dogs on the patio and soaked up the good weather for a few more hours. And if you're wondering if all this wore Simon out, the answer is no. We still played ball for the rest of the night! Ah, life with an Aussie.

Hectic, Hectic

Wow, did life get busy! Last week was packed full of stuff, and I'm just getting around to checking in.
So, the big news here is that I'm officially a member of my agility club, DAWG! Last Monday was the meeting, and since I've done all my volunteering and keep on showing up at class, they let me in. I'm super excited because this means that we'll have a lot more access to the field and more opportunities to get with people to learn. It's still pretty far from my house, but I decided that the drive was worth it because I really like the people, the field, and the look on Simon's face when he comes through that tunnel.
The only other thing of note here is that it's finally fall! Now, I'll admit we don't get much fall. There's no gorgeous leaf change, but we do get a few blissful weeks of 75 degree days and 50 degree nights. It's so nice, and the dogs are eating it up. We're just trying to get in as many walks as possible before it turns nasty again. Keep in mind, it rained (or was cloudy and looked like rain) for the first two weeks of October. Depressing.
But the sun finally has come out and granted us the most gorgeous weather. I'm looking forward to getting back to the field tomorrow. I'll try and get a few shots of Simon enjoying his new status as DAWG member dog.

These dogs have real problems...

Need I say more

Simon Says...

"I heart agility and wish I could do it everyday. Is that Dewayne over there taking this picture?!"