Excitment at Agility

Most pets display so many humanlike traits and emotions it's easy to forget they're not gifted with the English language and then get snubbed when we talk to them and they don't say anything back. ~Stephenie Geist

I believe in animal rights, and high among them is the right to the gentle stroke of a human hand. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

We had an exciting night in agility last night. There is a little Yorkie in there who was brutally attacked by three huskies when he was a puppy (actually, they treated him like a toy grabbing him and tossing him around -- but from his POV? Definitely an attack). Since then, he is VERY aggressive with big dogs. His owner is frustrated by it, and wants to do something for him, because it's clear he's not happy (he's always so uneasy if there are big dogs around). He's the sweetest dog I've ever met when it comes to people -- most Yorkies can get a little snippy if they're put out or annoyed, but he doesn't. Still, it's just not safe for him to have this problem.

Case in point, last night.

He was on the course, off leash, when a class participant came in late. She runs a border collie who is a sweetie BUT is also very alpha and doesn't put up with any crap. The Yorkie looked over and saw her come in an next thing I know... a blur passes in front of me and he attacks the border collie! I couldn't believe that none of the people near there tried to break it up. The BC's owner pulled her to her hind legs so she couldn't hurt the yorkie (cuz she wasn't putting up with his crap and was going for him as viciously as he was her) and the instructor ran over and yanked the yorkie off. He was fighting to get away and she gave him what for ... when he finally calmed down, he was so ashamed.

Poor thing -- it's just a complete knee-jerk reaction for him, and it's going to get him killed.

So, I talked to his owner about helping him. Dakota is so completely beta dog and so utterly laid back. He's actually attacked her a couple of times and she just moves away and looks at him like, "What? I just wanted to play." But she doesn't take it personally, she's not afraid of him and whatnot. So I offered to get together regularly and start desensitizing him around big dogs. Thing is, and the owner realizes this, too: she can NOT hold his leash when this is going on, because she anticipates his behavior -- she's tense and worried, and I really think that passes to the dog.

Her sister has a little Yorkie, too, and is very calm, so we'll probably work together instead. We'll see... nothing will happen until after the first, but this poor little critter really needs to get his doggie head on straight, because otherwise he is a sweetheart.

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Got my Christmas cards out (mostly) yesterday. Finally. I'm usually the person who sends them out the day after Thanksgiving, so this was really upsetting me.

To be honest, I'm just ready for Christmas to be over now.

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You Like the Holidays

You definitely have a good time during the holidays, but you aren't obsessed with them or anything. You shop for a few presents and participate in a few traditions... but that's it! You may be accused of being a grinch, but you're simply not a fanatic about holiday traditions - especially commercial ones. You get into the spirit of the season by being kind, compassionate, and not clogging up the stores!

How Much Do You Love the Holidays?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

So so...

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This and That

I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better. They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying. ~George Bird Evans, Troubles with Bird Dogs

The weather the past few days has been just incredible... so I've been doing a LOT of walking. Wish I could store up the exercise for the winter when I can't do so much.

I think it's been good for the dog and for me. I was watching "The Dog Whisperer" (I really enjoy that show) the other night and he said a couple things that really hit home.

One: Be CONSISTENT. If the dog has to behave a particular way, train them to behave that way all the time. For instance, if I want Dakota to not be psycho at the door, then I need to make sure I cause her to be calm for EVERYONE when they are at the door, not just the people who are not dog people.

Two: Active dogs need a lot of exercise, or they misbehave. And they need directed, intentional exercise. The guy Cesar was talking to on the show said, "They have this big back yard, and I take them to the dog park once a week." He got smacked down -- the dogs need WALKS (or, actually in this case, he rode his bike so the dogs could run alongside) every single day.

So, I'm working on it. Being consistent can be frustrating and time-consuming, both for me and the dog, AND for the other person involved. I also have to fight against friends who "don't mind" if Dakota jumps on them.

And, we're walking daily for an hour or more (and even then she isn't tired) and I'm trying to have her play with one of her friends every day as well (usually the English Bulldog, Bugsy -- they are, strangely enough, quite evenly matched).

I don't remember Bailey being this hard.

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Only two weeks until NaNoWriMo! YIKES!! I'm not quite ready. Guess I'd better get a move on, huh? I have an idea for my beginning, and some scenes, but I really want them to be funnier. I've been walking around for two days, mumbling to myself, "How can it be funnier?" At this rate, I'm going to be put in the loony bin.




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You Are a Beagle

You are good natured. You enjoy spending time with people and animals. You have a wild, independent streak. If you're left to your own devices, you get in trouble. You love to eat and enjoy food of all kinds. If you don't get enough physical activity, you tend to have a weight problem. You are very stubborn. You don't like authority, and you tend to do your own thing no matter what.

What Breed of Dog Are You?

Hmmm... about 50/50....

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More Cuties, Words, and Dog Whispering

It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor. ~Marcus Tullius Cicero

I'm being interviewed at Groovy's today -- if you only check out one interview, you should read this. Groovy was a little silly in her questions (for which I was eternally grateful), and also made me write a story with elements she provided! Come by and visit!

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As a follow-up to yesterday's post:

I don't particularly think Keith Urban is hot. I just think he's hotter than Billy Currington. I used them to explain why I don't get what many women think is hot. If I had to choose some hot country music guys? I'd go with these:

Josh Turner... yummmmmmm.....



Rodney Atkins... man, he has the cutest grin!



Brad Paisley... cute and he cracks me up.



And, for timeless good looks, it has to be Alan Jackson. The man just gets better looking the older he gets -- he's the Sean Connery of country music.



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I wrote yesterday. Only about 650 words... but hey, I'll take all the words I can get. I'm sort of stuck because I can't decide if I want to have the villain die or not. This person is very, very bad but...hmmm... GAH. I think it will seriously mess with the heroine's psyche if the villain dies, but OTOH, maybe it'll give closure, or...

Oh well, I'll figure it out. Hopefully today. I'd like to get more words.

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Yesterday, DD and I were inspired by the relatively nice weather (sunny, dry -- but 30 degrees and windy, brrr...) to see if The Dog Whisperer's advice about exercise really does help your dog behave.

I want to train her to run with a scooter or bicycle. When Bailey was young and peppy, we used to take her out running with the bike. After a while, it got so we didn't have to leash her, she'd just run alongside. And, when she was older and arthritic, she still wanted to go and would bark and bark and bark when we went riding without her.

So, I put Dakota on her leash (she's stubborn as heck and doesn't like to leash train, so I use a dual collar--pinch and a Gentle Leader) and hopped on the DD's scooter. It was interesting, to say the least, but once she got over being scared of it and then trying to bite it, it went pretty well. After running her down to the loop (the end of the cul-de-sac) and back to my house, she was a little bit tired. Then we did leash training. And she was better.

We did this twice yesterday, and she was a MUCH better doggy. We'll do it again today. Thank you, Dog Whisperer.

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Your Hawaiian Name is:

Leilani Roselani

What's your Hawaiian Name?

I'm okay with that...