Category: Dogs

Real Life

The Plan

Leisurely morning with hot coffee and the Sunday Sudoku, spring cleaning the mud ponies, a ride on the Big Red Beast, a groundwork session with the Portly Palomino, a long walk with rowdy Rowdy, a couple pots of flowers to plant, a peaceful evening on the deck with a stack of equine magazines and a gin and tonic.

Nowhere to go, nothing urgent to do, beautiful weather, perfect day.

The Reality

The pasture is ready for grazing, except that we haven’t replaced the paddock-dividing ropes that we remove for the winter. And the 2 paddocks that won’t be grazed this week need to be mowed. And George is leaving tomorrow for a week and I need his help with the dividers. So, drink most of a cup of coffee, leave the Sudoku for the later, head out to mow the pasture.

Except that the mower is not on the tractor, so while George is making the seasonal implement changes, which involves a fair amount of sighing and slamming and swearing, I decide to use the time productively and start hauling chairs from the barn to the deck, which reminds of how much stronger I used to be, and how much more yoga I should do, and how much I look forward to a gin and tonic on the deck.

John Deere good to go, I hop on and enjoy the opportunity to ride (even if it’s not the horsepower on which I  planned) get some sun, and watch my muddy horses, who realize this activity means the end is near for their 2 month meadow moratorium. They monitor the action closely, especially when George brings out the spools of Electrobraid that separate the big field into 3 paddocks for rotational grazing. Nickering and pacing commence.

It occurs to me that we’re out of dog food and stall shavings, and Country Store closes at 2:00 on Sunday. George can install the dividers without my assistance. More accurately, George would prefer to install the dividers without my assistance, so I head into town for dog food and shavings. And a bag of potting soil. Rowdy rides along – a peace offering for the long walk he’s not going to get.

Once home, I back the truck into the barn, open up the pasture for Biskit and Chicago who stop, drop (their heads) and graze before getting 5 steps in.  Since the first spring grazing sessions are short to prevent over-indulgence and it’s serious side effects, I can unload the 20 bags of shavings and complete a couple barn chores in perfect Pony Pasture Time.

DogAndHorsesInPasture

30 minutes later, Rowdy follows me out to bring in the horses, his first full, free access to them. I’m cautious, since he is, after all,  a golden retriever, full of joie de vivre, confident that all he meets are friends (except for those menacing trash containers lurking at the end of every driveway on our Tuesday walks, but that’s a different post) but all goes well. The horses have apparently seen enough of him to cross him off the Very Scary list, and are more interested in grabbing one last mouthful of fresh greens than responding to the antics of a herding dog wannabe.

While I’m securing the gate to keep the horses where they need to be (vs. where they want to be) Rowdy runs up with a big golden grin, reminding me of the reason I don’t let the dogs have pasture access. It’s all fun and games until somebody rolls in something dead.

DogInTub

As I finish Rowdy’s de-stinking spa session I realize Boone is due for his semi-annual bath and blowout, and since the tack room and I are already wet and full of dog fluff, we might as well make it a Two Dog Day in the grooming room.

Boone’s weakened back-end, combined with his general apprehension of things related to, well almost anything, means that giving him a bath involves my left arm crooked under his belly to support 74 pounds of sagging greyhound while my right hand shampoos, rinses and repeats.

So. Happy horses, clean canines, just a few flowers to plant and it’s G & T time. Well, actually, then it’s time to bring the horses in the barn for their Snack and Snooze. And as I walk out of the barn , I notice the horse trailer parked outside and remember that I’ve not yet checked the electrical connection for the lights. Which I should do before I need to use the trailer. And the truck’s right here…

And now it’s supper time for the inside animals. And I really need a shower. And the sun is setting. And we’re out of tonic.

But there is still the Sudoku. And white wine.

Friends Around the Farm

Though taken in the early days, this picture captures the essence of Boone and Rowdy’s relationship of mostly mutual tolerance. Mostly Boone’s tolerance that is.

DogsCleaningTheirTeeth

This is about as close as Rowdy and Mace have been, which is just as well since Rowdy believes all the world’s a friend, just waiting to be pounced upon, and Mace is armed with a full set of sharp implements, and not afraid to use them.

BarnCatCaution

Chicago’s only interest is that Rowdy may get to that grass that’s always greener.

DogAndHorseAtFence

No matter how much Rowdy begs, Biskit refuses to play the squeaky toy chase game.

DogAndPony

The Bickersons – Mocha and Rowdy frequently enjoy a good sparring match.

CatAndDogSparring

… with the winner claiming dibs on the dog food dinner.

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(Mostly) Minding Our Manners

Good news on the obedience school front: we’re showing signs of minding our manners. In Rowdy’s case, this means incidents of barking, chortling and lunging at classmates in motion have been minimized, so that others in the class no longer draw straws, cut cards or throw rock/paper/scissors to avoid standing next to us in line for Recall practice.

In my case, it means awareness, admission, and acceptance of the fact that Rowdy resembles his owner in his fascination with the antics of our associates, which occasionally (maybe even frequently) leads to distraction.

I have always loved to watch other dog/handler teams in our training classes, and this group includes such a fun variety of breeds that it’s a challenge for me to not get caught up in the mastiff’s casual amble to the exit gate as his owner calls him with great enthusiasm, contrasted by the seriously straight shot across the ring by the German shepherd. And the star pupil border collie, so focused and obedient that he not only moves immediately and directly toward his owner, but stops, drops and stays, when commanded to do so halfway across the mat.

After a conversation with a kind and experienced classmate, I vowed to concentrate on Rowdy, and what a difference proactivity makes! When I devote my attention to my own dog, and convince him to return the favor, we do pretty well.  Raucous Rowdy shows signs of restraint. My party pup is growing up, and self-control is within our grasp.

Unless an instructor walks by with a squeaky toy – a bit of canine kryptonite to my little golden friend – but still, it’s progress in puppy steps.

All this behavin’ takes its toll though, and when we get home Rowdy gathers some of his favorite things and rests a bit. I’d like to think he’s processing our practice session, cementing his correct responses in his puppy brain for future reference, but suspect he’s more likely planning his squeaky toy acquisition strategy.

RowdySleepingWithHisBlanket

What’s in a Name?

WhoMe

Rowdy is the 7th dog I’ve taken through obedience classes. The preceding six include four goldens, one lab, and a greyhound, but at the risk of dropping a few notches in the eyes of family members and friends who consider me the go-to girl for all things canine, I now have to admit that he is the most embarrassing, frustrating, puzzling, humbling of all my trainees. And given that the list of Those Who Came Before Him includes a dog-aggressive lab and a, well, a greyhound, that’s sayin’ something.

Make no mistake, Rowdy is sweet and a quick study, but he’s also overly social and excessively nosy – always ready for a good time and on the lookout for anyone who might be starting the party without him. As such, the group of twenty something puppies exiting the ring as the our “Manners” class enters, awakens his inner party animal, so he bows, jumps, barks and yodels at all potential playmates. The celebration continues as we start the class with a “Walk in the Park”, winding our way through the other dogs while (theoretically) maintaining the heel position and focus on the handler.

We reach the party pinnacle during the Recall exercise, for which we line up along the wall and one at a time, leave our dogs on a “Stay”, cross the mat and call the dog. When it’s our turn, Rowdy races to me enthusiastically, immediately, obediently. Excellent. The not-so-excellent part comes as the dogs on either side of us take their turns. Rowdy’s revved up and primed to run to anyone with a high-pitched happy voice, and if there happens to be another dog in motion at the same time, that’s bonus. It’s also (if you’re Rowdy) call for more bowing, jumping, barking and yodeling.

The good news for all involved is that “our” behavior and our teamwork get better every week. Sure, the bar started a little low when he peed a few times in the ring, once on me (I knelt on the floor before class, he hiked a hind leg to sit in my lap, left the telltale wet mark when he got off) and pooped on the mat during a heeling exercise. Even the crabby lab and the sighthound knew not to poop in the ring; but as I said, we’re improving.

How could we not?

The instructors are incredibly patient and helpful and encouraging, though one has mentioned more than once that sometimes names prove to be self-fulfilling prophecies. Our progress sustains my confidence though, that one day “Rowdy” will be an ironic twist to the tranquility of the golden dog lying on the fleece blanket listening to a kid read.

But just in case, “Stories with Serenity” – a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

Finding Our Focus

I’ve called a moratorium on the dog park, hoping to rein in Rowdy’s exuberant insistence that every other dog is a potential tag-team partner, chew toy and/or running buddy. He is Very social, which bodes well for future therapy work, but not so much for present obedience training.

When you’re Rowdy, obedience school translates to indoor-dog-park-on-a-leash, but fortunately (when you’re me) hot dogs and string cheese still prevail over All Star Puppy Wrestling.

Puppies wrestlingRowdy’s brother Deacon is in our Beginner Obedience class. Interestingly, they initially showed little interest in each other, but now engage with gusto whenever they’re within range of their 8 foot leashes. Hence, the blurry action shot…

They’re the group’s youngest, and closest in size, which makes Deacon the favorite sparring partner, but Rowdy is ready to rumble with any of his classmates. Turns out that most of them are more serious students though, so I try to keep my class clown focused on his studies. Given all the hot dogs and string cheese required, I’m grateful that he’s young and active, and that the session was only 8 weeks long, or my little golden may have morphed into a rotund retriever by graduation day.

In lieu of the fenced-in freedom of the dog park, we’ve been walking on the paved trails that wind through the pine trees and past the river, at a local park.  The blacktop allows for all-weather walking and the leash requirement motivates manners practice. With movement.

Rowdy still tests the length and strength of our leather lead (and maybe just a tiny bit of my patience) as he zigzags across the path, discovering the wonders of pinecones, puddles, sticks, strangers, toddlers and tree trunks. But he’s learning. A little.  Other dogs, walkers with umbrellas, and children on the playground continue to challenge his attention to the task at hand, but most are conquered with a dose of the day’s edible distraction.

Someday I will reflect fondly, maybe even wistfully, on these days of puppyhood – the everlasting supply of energy, the delighted fascination of everyday discoveries, the simple joy of being Rowdy. So my focus is to always appreciate this lively, loving little dog who makes me laugh.

And to make sure I have enough treats in my pocket to get us to the parking lot.

Young golden retriever

Pawsitively Peaceful

Blue skies, bright sun, beautiful leaves, and fall break made for a quiet day at the library, but provided a perfect setting for reading the adventures of a curious golden puppy, a crime-solving terrier, and a family friendly pug. Boone also heard a little review of colors, counting, and sight words, during a peaceful afternoon at the Delano Library with Adelynn, Bowen, Elyse, Lucy, Micah and Michael.  Thank you to them for spending a bit of their day with us!

Boone will be back at the library on Thursday, November 17, for one more visit before taking a winter break. Please stop by the front desk, or call  the library at 763.972.3467, to register for a time to read to him.

Rainy Day Reading

Dog listening to young reader

The rain came down and the readers came in! A full slate of book lovers waded through the weather and the road construction to spend a few minutes with the grey-faced greyhound. Boone listened to stories about new friends, old friends, helpful dogs, naughty dogs, rainy days, and terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days.

No better way to spend a gloomy day than reading with fun friends — thanks to Adelynn,  Bowen, Jenna, Justin, Kyra, Lucy and Michael for joining us.

Boone will return October 20, on what will be a bright, colorful fall day, no matter what the weather brings. Hope to see you then!

60 Day Review

WatchingTheDryLot

The puppy I didn’t think I wanted has been with us for about 2 months now, enough time to reflect on the fun and frustration that is Rowdy:

1.  He has reminded me why God made puppies so cute. Teaspoon bladder capacities, thumbtack dental work and 15 second attention spans could not be tolerated for an ugly animal.

2.  The wisdom of the ages came to my rescue in the form of an abundant supply of washable throw rugs and barn towels – Kenmore don’t fail me now!

3.  An early potty-spot preference for the front lawn over the dog yard wood chips changed with the discovery of hosta, daisies and rhubarb. He finds great joy in diving in, snapping a few stems, and racing a lap or two around the fenced yard. Almost as much as I find in watching him.

4.  A small puppy can slobber big puddles out of a medium bowl, and no matter how much floor space is covered with towels, he will find the hardwood.

5.  Why is the smell of puppy breath so intoxicating?

6.  I’ve learned that wearing long pants prevents people from knowing that one of my socks may or may not be missing part of the elastic cuff.

7.  Without all those nighttime potty trips to the dog yard, I would never know how much time the horses spend in the dry lot behind the house.

8. He has proven that patience is indeed, a virtue; and that if I teach him what I’m asking him to do, then wait for him to do it, he will. And this makes us both happy.

All in all, wet floors, interrupted sleep and a couple messed-up socks are easily trumped by a wagging tail, puppy playtime and pooch smooches.

I think I’ll offer him a lifetime contract.

ImIn