‘Baddog’ Category

  1. . . . and the happiest of Thanksgivings

    November 22, 2012 by myeye

    Notwithstanding the death of my Krups coffeemaker this morning (it no longer cares to cycle hot water through its system), it’s a beautiful day.  The morning is clear and sunny, two of the three baddogs are sprawled at my feet while I type this — more about the third baddog in a moment, nnd I will enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with “Jean from NM” and her family.  I am looking forward to four days to catch up on the Bulletin and on my two chores for the 2013 National Specialty.  Black Friday — hmm — Tractor Supply Company is the only store in my sights.

    I wish for all my friends the very best day, and for humankind I wish contentment, a meal that is sustaining, and a view of our world that is peaceful.

    Nola went home with Jess yesterday.  She will be traveling to what I hope is her last conformation show in Belleville IL the first weekend of December.


  2. The Baddogs, Agility, and Liver Lips

    September 15, 2012 by myeye

    I’m sure I’ve talked about LiverLips before.  Tracy Hill up in Washington State makes them herself and the Baddogs love them.  They are little squares of baked liver.  Because they are dry, they don’t slime your pockets nor make your hands stink.  Every instructor I’ve ever had sort of poo poos them because they are not a soft treat, but my dogs would rob a bank to get some.

    Chase is entered in his first agility trials next weekend.  He knows all the obstacles except — well — we are not yet fantastic on the weave poles.  So, we’re working on them.  I have a set of six set up in the back yard.  I used poultry netting as guides.  Chase went through them with guides at warp speed — at the end, he gets a LiverLip or two for being such a good boy.  Today when we returned from herding, I ran him through the poles a couple of times and rewarded him.

    What’s that coming through the poles?  It’s Naughty Nola, and she’s coming fast, right to me and awaiting her LiverLip treat.  So I ran her through a couple more times and treated her and told her she was a brilliant girl.  I then unfastened the guide from one pole, put Chase on a long lead, and told him to weave.  As I sent him, I threw the Cleartainer containing the treats to the end of the poles.  When Chase reached the “no longer guided” pole he paused and looked at it then ducked behind it as he should have.  YAY, Chase!  Liver Lips for you!  I took him through a second time, threw the Cleartainer — but this time he tried to skip the unguided pole.  I put enough pressure on the lead that he couldn’t go past the offending pole.  I could hear his brain working, and then he ducked behind the pole.  YAY, Chase!  Good Man!  LiverLips for you.  In the meantime, Naughty Nola was cavorting around the weave pole set begging for treats.  I put her on the long lead, threw the Cleartainer and told her to weave.  She flew through the poles, weaving as she should.  Lots of LiverLips for our little red girl.  I guess she needs to be signed up for an Agility class.

    Even Old Inca Dink made it into this photo — because there is really good stuff at the end of the weave poles!


  3. That’s When We Lost Control

    August 13, 2012 by myeye

    Today was Chase’s first business day at the new office.  One of my office mates is a Bail Bondsman.  Today a family came in to post bail.  They had four children with them and those kids love dogs.  The next thing I knew, Chase was out of my office and romping down the hall with the kids.  He got himself completely wound up and began dashing in and out of offices to visit everyone.  He was so delighted to have children with whom to play . . .  I’m not sure he will be welcomed back.  Old Inca may have to be the only office dog because I know that Naughty Nola will behave exactly as Chase did.

    I love my Cardis!


  4. Chase Is Agile, But I Am Not

    June 29, 2012 by myeye

    Last night Chase and I attended our first Agility class since he was a puppy.  He played agility with Cheryl while he was in Tennessee and he loved the game.  To make this work (until I move the office the end of the month), Chase has to spend the day in Albuquerque with me.  That’s not a hardship for him — he loves visiting all the folks in our courtyard and helping me work.  Yesterday we had special guests as well.  Ratigan and David are thinking about getting a corgi and trying to decide which brand they want.  They came to visit at the end of the day.  Chase was delighted to meet them and while we sat and talked in the courtyard, other people took Chase for walks and played with him.

    Class begins at 7:30.  That means we don’t get home until after 10:00.  I think it was worth it — at least for Chase.  The instructor had us back up a little because we are teaching Chase to work at a distance.  That is the only way I can possibly play agility with him (short of a whole-body transplant).  He had to learn to stop at the bottom of the contacts because that is the place/time during which I move into position for the next series of obstacles.  It certainly doesn’t mean I s-t-r-o-l-l into position, but it gives me a second more time.  The instructor also wants him to only jump 4″ in practice.  He can easily jump 16″, but I will trial him in Preferred so he will be jumping 8″.  Her theory is that a dog has only so many jumps in it, it’s clear Chase jumps high and clean, so she wants to save his front as much as possible. Chase is a deep-chested boy and the last thing either of us wants is to injure him or to contribute to breaking down his front.

    We will have a great time!  I’m going to visit my storage units this weekend and pull out my jumps and the weave poles so we can get in some practice at home.  With the weather, Chase gets hosed down before he begins practice or class — he loves that too.  Shaking water on bystanders is among his favorite activities.


  5. Report From (not so) Sunny California

    April 13, 2012 by myeye

    Today Ellen and the herd of Corgis practiced for the herding tests/trials this weekend.  Here is Ellen’s report about Naughty Nola:

    “Nola is back to her bad self today.

    ‘No video as it was raining.  I did work her for a short time before it started pouring rain.  Cindy [Traylor] said she looked good and she should pass with flying colors.  She is naughty as when I was trying to leave the arena the wind kicked up and grabbed the really heavy gate from my hands at the same time Nola slipped her collar and took back off after the sheep — and all of this in a pouring rain.  She will be getting her collar tightened before tomorrow 🙂  We are back at the hotel, the muddy wet dogs are in the car, Gimme is the “special” dog in the room with us, our tummies are full and we are all going to take a nap!”

    Nola was a little sick yesterday morning — probably all the travel and changes.  Obviously she is cured!  I expect her collar stretched a little in the rain.  Now why was it I gave her a bath?

    I’ll report on her first HT try tomorrow.  Think good thoughts for the little red baddog and her traveling companions.

    Inca Dink says life is VERY good!