To celebrate Falkor's CD I once again gave into my addiction to collars and got him a new collar and tag. I think he looks pretty handsome. :)
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Falkor CD!!!!
Falkor finsihed his CD yesterday with a second place in Novice A!! So now he is officially CLWKS Chroma Never Ending Story CD, RA, TT, CGC.
His on leash heeling was VERY nice with us only getting dinged for one tight lead and one crooked sit. Even after he noticed his VERY best friends, Shannon and Phaser, in the ring next to us doing Open, he was able to stay on task and heel quite nicely. :)
His figure 8 was quite nice except for the last part of the second time around when he wanted to smooze the post, which was another favorite person. Need to proof more for that! LOL
Stand for exam he moved one his front feet about an inch, which is new for him. He is usually pretty solid on his SFE.
His heel off leash was where we need the most work. He tends to heel a bit wide after the about turns and he was a bit laggy at the start, but was happy and waggy throughout.
His recall was wonderful, happy, and fast...bit of a crooked sit at front but nice around finish.
Long sit and down were perfect!!
I am SO darn proud of my big guy. We have had to really work hard on some issues and all that hard work definitely paid off! Falkor was happy and animated, which I LOVE. In fact, the judge said it was a pleasure to see such a happy, enthusiastic working Dane. :)
We stopped at McD's on the way home and he got an egg mcmuffin which he proceeded to eat in one bite. Great day for us both!
It was really nice because we had so many club members come up to us afterward and give their warm and hearty congrats. We had lots of people pulling for us and that is a really great feeling. :)
His on leash heeling was VERY nice with us only getting dinged for one tight lead and one crooked sit. Even after he noticed his VERY best friends, Shannon and Phaser, in the ring next to us doing Open, he was able to stay on task and heel quite nicely. :)
His figure 8 was quite nice except for the last part of the second time around when he wanted to smooze the post, which was another favorite person. Need to proof more for that! LOL
Stand for exam he moved one his front feet about an inch, which is new for him. He is usually pretty solid on his SFE.
His heel off leash was where we need the most work. He tends to heel a bit wide after the about turns and he was a bit laggy at the start, but was happy and waggy throughout.
His recall was wonderful, happy, and fast...bit of a crooked sit at front but nice around finish.
Long sit and down were perfect!!
I am SO darn proud of my big guy. We have had to really work hard on some issues and all that hard work definitely paid off! Falkor was happy and animated, which I LOVE. In fact, the judge said it was a pleasure to see such a happy, enthusiastic working Dane. :)
We stopped at McD's on the way home and he got an egg mcmuffin which he proceeded to eat in one bite. Great day for us both!
It was really nice because we had so many club members come up to us afterward and give their warm and hearty congrats. We had lots of people pulling for us and that is a really great feeling. :)
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Heat Coma!
It was quite chilly this morning and I turned on the Heatilator fireplace. Within minutes, both of the dogs were smooshed onto the dog bed in front of it soaking up the heat. As I went about my morning routing I didn't have two dogs right on the backs of my heels. Weird! I peeked into the family room and they were both clearly in a heat coma.
All of our dogs have LOVED the fireplace (with the exception of Finnegan our Newfy/Pyr) and I happen to think its completely adorable when they all cuddle together near it.
All of our dogs have LOVED the fireplace (with the exception of Finnegan our Newfy/Pyr) and I happen to think its completely adorable when they all cuddle together near it.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
He did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so excited and proud to announce that Falkor got his first two CD legs in Novice A this weekend!!
His run on Saturday was very nice and we ended up with a 191.5 and a first place! He was a little distracted on the off leash heeling, especially on the about turns, so that is something we need to work on. The hustle and bustle of a trial is really distracting to him, which is why we need more fun matches!!!! We do too much training alone or with only a few friends.
Unfortunately, our run on Sunday was not as good as our Saturday run. Falkor was very distracted during the heeling and wanted to visit one of the figure 8 posts. :) His stand for exam and his recall was gorgeous! I was MUCH more on edge because of a scary, unfortunately incident that took place right before the trial started and we were one of the first dogs in the ring. Our judge, the VERY nice Bob Burgin, was setting up the ring before the trial started he suddenly collapsed to the floor unconscious and unresponsive. 911 was immediately called so we had police, EMS, and an ambulance at the trial site. Thankfully we got an update from his wife at lunch and the Dr.'s thought it was maybe a low sugar induced seizure. He was doing well and they planned to send him home mid afternoon. It was a very scary scene though and I think everyone was a little on edge after that.
Amazingly, one of the people entered on Sunday is a judge and very generously forfeited her entries to judge the trial. Everyone was so grateful to her and it was such a kind thing to do.
I made a little movie of some clips from Falkor's runs this weekend. The BEST part of Falkor's run was his non-stop wagging tail!! LOVE to see that. :)
His run on Saturday was very nice and we ended up with a 191.5 and a first place! He was a little distracted on the off leash heeling, especially on the about turns, so that is something we need to work on. The hustle and bustle of a trial is really distracting to him, which is why we need more fun matches!!!! We do too much training alone or with only a few friends.
Unfortunately, our run on Sunday was not as good as our Saturday run. Falkor was very distracted during the heeling and wanted to visit one of the figure 8 posts. :) His stand for exam and his recall was gorgeous! I was MUCH more on edge because of a scary, unfortunately incident that took place right before the trial started and we were one of the first dogs in the ring. Our judge, the VERY nice Bob Burgin, was setting up the ring before the trial started he suddenly collapsed to the floor unconscious and unresponsive. 911 was immediately called so we had police, EMS, and an ambulance at the trial site. Thankfully we got an update from his wife at lunch and the Dr.'s thought it was maybe a low sugar induced seizure. He was doing well and they planned to send him home mid afternoon. It was a very scary scene though and I think everyone was a little on edge after that.
Amazingly, one of the people entered on Sunday is a judge and very generously forfeited her entries to judge the trial. Everyone was so grateful to her and it was such a kind thing to do.
I made a little movie of some clips from Falkor's runs this weekend. The BEST part of Falkor's run was his non-stop wagging tail!! LOVE to see that. :)
Monday, November 7, 2011
Trying not to spaz!!
SHOOT!!! I just figured out that the first trial we are entered in for Novice A is THIS weekend and NOT next weekend like I thought. In addition to freaking out about it being a week closer, my hubby is going to be out of town and I need to find someone to watch my son. My hubby never has to go out of town so of course it figures he does this weekend. LOL I am sure I will get something figured out though.
In happier news we did a Novice run through on Saturday at our local club and Falkor did a really nice job! I am very proud of him. If he can do the same thing at the trials coming up I will be beyond thrilled. :)
We have another fun match on Friday!
In happier news we did a Novice run through on Saturday at our local club and Falkor did a really nice job! I am very proud of him. If he can do the same thing at the trials coming up I will be beyond thrilled. :)
We have another fun match on Friday!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Falkor is offically "A Sound Mind in a Sound Body"
Falkor watches the aggressive stranger.
Last weekend Falkor was entered in a American Temperament Test Society test near where we live. The ATTS test is very interesting and was created to measure temperament in dogs based on their breed. For example a German Shepherd would react differently to the individual tests than a Yorkie would.
The test consists of 10 subtests and a failure of any of the subtests is an automatic failure of the entire test. During the test you are not allowed to say anything to your dog, including giving any commands. You also cannot touch your dog or attempt to control them with their leash. The dog wears a slip collar and you hold the end of the six foot leash.
Here is a brief description of each of the subtest and how Falkor did with each:
Subtest 1: Neutral Stranger - a person approaches you and engages you in a conversation while completely ignoring the dog. The poor girl that served as our neutral stranger was such a sport. Falkor did the typical Falkor move and stuck his nose right in her crotch. Nice! He was very happy and waggy to meet her.
Subtest 2: Friendly Stranger - a person approaches and asks to pet your dog. Falkor goosed this lady as well and whipped her with his fast wagging tail.
Subtest 3: Reaction to Auditory Stimuli (Hidden Noise)- A person shakes a metal bucket full of rocks from behind a blind and then sets the bucket out for the dog to investigate. Falkor startled slightly at the noise but immediately went to the bucket when it was put out. He also wanted to visit the person that put the bucket out.
Subtest 4: Reaction to Auditory Stimuli (Gunshot ) A hidden person shoots a .22 caliber starter piston 3 times. Falkor reacted and kinda bounced / hopped around when the gun was fired. But he recovered quickly.
Subtest 5: Reaction to Visual Stimuli (Umbrella) A person sitting on a chair opens a big golf umbrella at a 90 degree angle to where your dog is as you walk up. Falkor sniffed the umbrella and then went behind the umbrella to visit the gal holding it. He gave her a really nice wet willy. :)
Subtest 6: Tactile stimuli (Plastic footing) The dog has to walk across a 15ftX6ft length of plastic. Falkor didn't even seem to notice this.
Subtest 7: Tactile stimuli (Wire footing) The dog must walk across a 12ftx3ft length of unfolded expen. Falkor noticed he was walking on something odd but wasn't bothered by it.
Subtest 8: Self protective/aggressive behavior - Non threatening- A person comes out from behind a blind 38 feet in front of the dog and pretends to be drunk/disoriented. Falkor noticed but it didn't concern him.
Subtest 9: Self protective/aggressive behavior - Threatening- Now the person advances toward you and your dog 10 feet in a threatening manner...yelling loudly and waving a stick. This time Falkor put himself in front of me and stared at the guy.
Subtest 10: Self protective/aggressive behavior - Aggressive- Now the person advances within 18 feet the dog/handler yelling louder and hitting the ground with the stick. Falkor stood his ground and watched the person intently.
That is the end of the test! I am thrilled to report that Falkor passed and is now CLWKS Chroma Never Ending Story RA, CGC, TT!!
It was fascinating to to watch all the other dogs during the test. There was a wide variety of breeds represented including shepherds, aussies, a border collie, dobies, a mal, a boxer, a frenchie (which was totally FEARLESS), a golden, a cardi, a pitty, a giant schnauzer, a couple of belgians, 2 field spaniels :), 2 black Russian terriers, and a few others I can't seem to remember.
The test consists of 10 subtests and a failure of any of the subtests is an automatic failure of the entire test. During the test you are not allowed to say anything to your dog, including giving any commands. You also cannot touch your dog or attempt to control them with their leash. The dog wears a slip collar and you hold the end of the six foot leash.
Here is a brief description of each of the subtest and how Falkor did with each:
Subtest 1: Neutral Stranger - a person approaches you and engages you in a conversation while completely ignoring the dog. The poor girl that served as our neutral stranger was such a sport. Falkor did the typical Falkor move and stuck his nose right in her crotch. Nice! He was very happy and waggy to meet her.
Subtest 2: Friendly Stranger - a person approaches and asks to pet your dog. Falkor goosed this lady as well and whipped her with his fast wagging tail.
Subtest 3: Reaction to Auditory Stimuli (Hidden Noise)- A person shakes a metal bucket full of rocks from behind a blind and then sets the bucket out for the dog to investigate. Falkor startled slightly at the noise but immediately went to the bucket when it was put out. He also wanted to visit the person that put the bucket out.
Subtest 4: Reaction to Auditory Stimuli (Gunshot ) A hidden person shoots a .22 caliber starter piston 3 times. Falkor reacted and kinda bounced / hopped around when the gun was fired. But he recovered quickly.
Subtest 5: Reaction to Visual Stimuli (Umbrella) A person sitting on a chair opens a big golf umbrella at a 90 degree angle to where your dog is as you walk up. Falkor sniffed the umbrella and then went behind the umbrella to visit the gal holding it. He gave her a really nice wet willy. :)
Subtest 6: Tactile stimuli (Plastic footing) The dog has to walk across a 15ftX6ft length of plastic. Falkor didn't even seem to notice this.
Subtest 7: Tactile stimuli (Wire footing) The dog must walk across a 12ftx3ft length of unfolded expen. Falkor noticed he was walking on something odd but wasn't bothered by it.
Subtest 8: Self protective/aggressive behavior - Non threatening- A person comes out from behind a blind 38 feet in front of the dog and pretends to be drunk/disoriented. Falkor noticed but it didn't concern him.
Subtest 9: Self protective/aggressive behavior - Threatening- Now the person advances toward you and your dog 10 feet in a threatening manner...yelling loudly and waving a stick. This time Falkor put himself in front of me and stared at the guy.
Subtest 10: Self protective/aggressive behavior - Aggressive- Now the person advances within 18 feet the dog/handler yelling louder and hitting the ground with the stick. Falkor stood his ground and watched the person intently.
That is the end of the test! I am thrilled to report that Falkor passed and is now CLWKS Chroma Never Ending Story RA, CGC, TT!!
It was fascinating to to watch all the other dogs during the test. There was a wide variety of breeds represented including shepherds, aussies, a border collie, dobies, a mal, a boxer, a frenchie (which was totally FEARLESS), a golden, a cardi, a pitty, a giant schnauzer, a couple of belgians, 2 field spaniels :), 2 black Russian terriers, and a few others I can't seem to remember.
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