Mister Rugby Sevens UD

The dogs that got me through vacation

2012-01-28T22:09:00.000-05:00

In my dog deprived state last week, I was drawn to anything and everything canine in Isla Mujeres. I was expecting to see kibble packed with corn much more than I was expecting to see frozen, uncooked crabs (what?!). I did recognize one of the brands that lined the selves in the dog food aisle. It is hard not to recognize the yellow Pedigree bags. Ahh, something familiar!

There were plenty of stray dogs on the island ranging in size from a small Chihuahua mix dog to a medium sized pitbull type dog. They roamed in and out of stores, and restaurants and through the waves at the beach. What a great life they have! I did not see a single stray that was fat, or skinny and I didn't see any in poor health. I can not say the same thing for the pet dogs that I came across during our stay. Someone on the island must look after the dogs since I even saw a dog with coat that had its hair cut short and was relaxing in the shade on the sidewalk. Not to mention, most of them wore donated buckle collars with no tags.

To prove the importance of exercise, these dogs had free run of the entire island and when they did settle down next to the tourists at the tables they were calm and relaxed. There was one terrier mix (that reminded me of one of Rugby's classmates) that chose our table to settle down next to. We were next to a busy dock that was shuttling people from Cancun over for the day. He did a voluntary Long Down under my chair for the entire meal, happy to have company. I am sure a large portion of their diet is table scraps and we passed our scraps onto him before we left.

I do not think I would want my own dog to live life as an island stray, but they certainly had a better quality of life than some of the dogs I have met here in the states. I could see Rugby fitting in very well with us on vacation, though.

Bringing Rugby to the island would be the ultimate use of his off lead training. He could heel along the busy streets of Mexico, do long downs next to our chairs in restaurants and bars, and lounge under our umbrella on the beach. He could go the entire week off-lead. Since the small and "large" street dogs coexist together, I would not be worried about Rugby getting picked off as a meal for one of the larger dogs. Perhaps realizing all of these opportunities made me miss Rugby more than usual. I was constantly thinking about how much freedom his training would bring him if he had the opportunity to visit with us. If I ever end up in Isla Mujeres again, Rugby will be there too!

Snow day?

2012-01-22T16:40:00.003-05:00

Saturday was supposed to be a busy day. Cabot was looking forward to visiting with Rugby at Applewoods, and helping with lessons and such. Unfortunately, the best laid plans don't always seem to come to fruition, especially in January!

While Sam is enjoying the sun and the surf in Mexico, Rugby and Cabot are stuck here in Maryland, in the cold. And, to add insult to injury, the snow day we thought we were going to have turned into an ice day, instead. All of our plans for Saturday were cancelled. No classes at Applewoods. No staff meeting for Cabot to sleep thru. Nothing. Not even any fun white stuff to play in.

Yes, Cabot looks like he's standing amongst snowflakes. But, they didn't last long, and now the world has a fine coat of ice on it.

Looks like Sam picked the right week to get outta town!

Cabot and Pam

Island Maltese

2012-01-20T19:44:00.001-05:00

If going on vacation without Rugby isn't bad enough, every time I turn around I see a small fluffy dog. People have their dogs in the pool, in the restaurants and in the bars, riding in the golf carts with them and walking with them around the streets. That is the benefit of visiting the beach outside of the United States, Rugby wouldn't be stuck in a hotel room all day if he was here with us. I wonder how hard it would be to get him here. Hmmm...

We woke up early this morning to eat breakfast before a long, rough day of fishing. Rooster, our favorite breakfast restaurant on the island, had fresh muffins and bread that we had been craving since yesterday. We didn't even make it to our seats before we spotted Tinkerbell. She was curled up in her own seat at the table, and stood on the back of her chair so we could pet her. What a doll she is! It made me really miss Rugby.

Rosie, the Jack Russel Terrier, came to visit Applewoods this weekend and I heard Rugby was very happy to see her! Glad she is there to keep him busy!

Naughty Dog

2012-01-18T01:44:00.001-05:00

While we were off visiting family this weekend, Rugby let me know why we try not to skip training days. In his boredom, the ever-evolving Rugby showed how creative he could be to stay busy.

Short story - When he wasn't lounging on the couch, Rugby spent the weekend very successfully teaching my family to give him treats on command. Then he found a way to climb onto the kitchen table so that he could greet us there when we got back from lunch.

While he still did his fair share of chasing toys and zoomies in the backyard, I am impressed with the challenges that Rugby chose to tackle during our trip. I know my family had no idea they were being trained. I am also sure he climbed on the table just to see if he could.

I am off on vacation, and Rugby is staying with his friends at Applewoods. There will be a surplus of little dogs there this week so he will have plenty of playmates!

Sleepy? I don't think so.

2012-01-15T14:34:00.000-05:00

I will always remember the day that I sat down to do homework and Rugby (at 1 year of age) voluntarily joined me on the couch for a nap. Ahh. One giant leap away puppy-hood. We worked hard to get to that point, spending endless hours doing the Long Down exercise. I cherish the fact that if I have work to do, or a movie to watch Rugby will remain quietly at my side waiting for our next activity instead of running circles around the room. It is just plain annoying to have a dog that won't sit still.

That is why it has been frustrating this week to hear from my own family, "awww, look how tired he is!" This isn't the first time that Rugby's good behavior has been mistaken for a drained physical state, but this is the first time it has bothered me.

What is it about a well mannered dog that makes people think that if they are relatively still for any amount of time, that they are drugged or exhausted?

Trust

2012-01-13T12:14:00.000-05:00

Rugby has been put in plenty of questionable situations. At least he thinks so. I can't decide if it is his nature to trust my judgement, or if in the three years of Obedience training, Rugby has learned to trust my judgement. It is probably a combination of the two.

I went back through some of our photos and found plenty of examples of those situations. Ones where Rugby had to trust me, and hope for the best!

Like the time I had him balance on the edge of Diesel's fireplace mantel, while K.C. investigated from the ground.

Or the time when I had Rugby ride in the swinging basket while one of his classmates (Sugar, the lab) carried him around.

Sometime before or after our Thursday night class, Rugby participated in a stunt where he "placed" onto a five year old.

He also makes a very good broad jump, if you lose or break one of your boards.

Not to mention, he is trusting with other dogs too. Meet Tiny, Rugby's body guard.

I have quite a few more, but I think I should stop while I am ahead. No matter if it is a breed trait, or one that was due primarily to training, life is so much funner with a trusting dog.

Thank You Applewoods!

2012-01-08T13:18:00.000-05:00

Rugby was part of the long line of our classmates who earned a title this year (his UD in spring) at the Applewoods party last week. Not all of the new titleholders made it to class, but it was a good showcase of the quality teams that we have the privilege of training with. Keeping with tradition, Rugby was the recipient of a giant stainless steel bowl, a step bigger than the one he got for his CDX and two steps bigger than the CD bowls. He could fit in his prize this year! I had fun lugging him along in the bowl-turned-carriage.

After all the awards had been passed out, Rugby and I took a moment to recap our Orlando experience. We were interrupted by a surprise from the other room. Our school got together to get Rugby and I a graduation gift. Aren't they fabulous? We loved our flowers, vase, dog cookies and cards. I am so happy to be a part of Team Applewoods, and be surrounded by great people and great dogs.

Thank you SO, SO, much to everyone that took part in the surprise!

Without Fear

2012-01-07T12:19:00.000-05:00

Rugby is overwhelmingly confident in himself. I have tried my best to encourage that confidence and keep him believing that he is the most important, cutest and smartest dog in the world. He has never met a dog or person he was afraid of. No chickens, horses or goats intimidate Rugby either. He isn't afraid of the hair dryer, the nail clippers, cars, kids, toys or heights. If you remember, I had a very big problem when he was a puppy of him announcing his presence whenever he would get out of the car... or walk through a door... or meet someone new. He was a little too confident. His posse of Doberman Pinscher bitches didn't help much either. He collects and then manages them. That is a big job for such a little dog and he loves it.

He is not entirely without fear, though. What dog is? He is afraid of cats, and he is afraid of the vacuum cleaner. Naturally, he is also afraid of falling from high places and of being stepped on. I encourage those fears. Those fears will help to keep him safe. With these exceptions, Rugby is without fear. There have been very few situations that were different enough to cause Rugby to doubt himself.

Even his response to his fears is bold. When intimidated, Rugby maintains a safe distance between himself and the object in question... then stalks and barks at it. That must be why the standard says "seems to be without fear." It would be easy for a dog savvy person to recognize Rugby's display of fear as just that, it could easily be mistaken as a bold and brave gesture to someone else.

Our neighbors across the hall from us had a wreath full of fake flowers hanging on their front door. One day, a flower had fallen and laid just off of their door mat. Rugby and I came in from outside and he let out a ferocious bark and froze about four feet away from the invading flower. He leaned forward to investigate and I helped him face his fear with, "Rugby, Fetch." He inched along all the way to the mat and at the last second SNATCHED - as in took with vigor, enthusiasm and desire to kill - the flower and offered it proudly to me. He had prevailed. Now any monsters in the hallway are only worthy of a glance before Rugby goes on his way. That is the extent of Rugby's fear.

Life with Rugby

2012-01-02T21:15:00.000-05:00

The National Obedience Invitational was held in conjunction with the National Agility Invitational, the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship and AKC Meet the Breeds. Since we were competing Saturday and Sunday in the NOI, we walked around the days before to see the booths being set up, paying particular attention to our favorite breeds in case we didn't get the chance to see them over the weekend.

During the lunch break on Saturday, we snuck away from the Obedience rings to visit the Maltese booth. Rugby was still saving his steps, and stayed snuggled up in his brand new sling. Even though we were only there for a few minutes, Rugby was more than willing to meet and greet with booth visitors. Rugby's picture was featured on the performance display under Obedience and we showed all the visitors and told them to come watch Rugby perform that weekend in the other room.

A couple of times throughout the weekend, in the Obedience room and at the Meet the Breeds booth, people asked me to describe the Maltese to them. What is it like to live with a Maltese? What is it like to train a Maltese? What is the temperament of the Maltese like?

I live with a Maltese, I train a Maltese and I spend most of my time with a Maltese. Still, these questions were hard to answer. How could I possible describe all that is Rugby to someone in only a sentence or two?

I gave it my best shot, but I realized I was failing miserably when someone responded to my description with, "so they are like Golden Retrievers?" No. They are not like Golden Retrievers.

I was disappointed in my descriptive abilities, and came back home and read the Maltese breed standard. How does the AKC describe the Maltese? From the breed standard...

Temperament For all his diminutive size, the Maltese seems to be without fear. His trust and affectionate responsiveness are very appealing. He is among the gentlest mannered of all little dogs, yet he is lively and playful as well as vigorous.

I want to take time to compare each of the qualities listed in the breed standard to the one-and-only, Mister Rugby Sevens. What does Rugby do that agrees with the breed standard, and what does he do that makes separates him from the rest? By the time we get through the breed standard, I think we should have a list of our own and the next time someone asks me to describe the Maltese, I will be plenty prepared to answer!

Ready for Another Year

2011-12-31T15:05:00.000-05:00

It is so nice to be out of school, and back at Applewoods spending long afternoons training dogs again. We have started working towards our training goals for next year already. I wanted to post them on the blog to keep me honest. The opportunities available and quality of life of a well trained dog are tremendous and I love being a part of the process that makes those opportunities possible.

Rugby's goals are already listed on his Points and Progress page. I want him to earn an Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) and a Utility Dog Excellent (UDX) title. I believe he is capable of both of those things. We may not finish our OTCH in one year, but I hope we are really close by this time next year. I spent some time watching old videos I had of Rugby, and of the two of us in the Obedience ring. The changes just in the past year blew me away. He has really matured, and is turning into a nice working dog. We have lots of room to improve and grow still, and I think we are on the right track.

Diesel is the GSD in the picture above. I have watched this dog make amazing changes this year as we worked on our Novice and Open Obedience. He went from refusing to leave his house when I first started to work him, to whinning, jumping and spinning when he sees me coming. His confidence level has gown by leaps and bounds. I plan on putting a Companion Dog (CD) title on Diesel in the Spring, and a Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) title on him before the end of 2012.

Holly is the Labrador in the middle of the above picture. I was her trainer when she came to Applewoods for the Board and Train program last year, and now we will start again with goals for earning a Companion Dog (CD) title by summer of this coming year.

I can't wait to get started! We have a big year ahead of us!

2 CDs, a CDX, as well as the UDX and OTCH

Also - Our training school, Applewoods Dog Training, is having a Scavenger Hunt Contest! The first place prize is a copy of both Mud Heaven and our Back to Work training DVD. Check it out!

http://applewoodsdogtraining.blogspot.com/2011/12/ready-set-go-adt-2011-scavenger-hunt.html

Rugby The Place

2011-12-28T20:36:00.000-05:00

This road is only three miles away from our house! Can you believe it?

We were out running errands when we saw the sign and had to stop and take a picture. I pulled over on the side of the little road so my car was right beneath the sign. To get Rugby closer to the Rugby Rd sign, I put him on the roof. You can imagine the strange looks we were getting.

One guy pulled around the corner, parked his car and watched disapprovingly at what we were doing. I came up with several scenarios to explain his reaction.

1) He thought my car broke down. That is possible. I am guaranteed to drive over any and every nail my car encounters.

2) He thought I was photographing the house we were parked by so I could plan a robbery for late tonight. Rugby has friends in low places.

3) He was upset that Diesel didn't get a chance to see the neighborhood from on top of a car.

4) Wild, rabid Maltese dogs are running rampant through the streets of Pasadena, and he wanted to make sure I could handle the one that had climbed onto the roof of my car.

I guess I will never know what his deal was. I do think it is time to move, at least three miles down the road. Wouldn't it be nice to live on Rugby Rd?

Party Animal

2011-12-27T10:33:00.002-05:00

It's easy for Rugby to get carried away at social events now that he has learned to drink from a cup.

NOI Video Dump

2011-12-26T08:58:00.000-05:00

Here are the videos from all of Rugby's NOI performances, except Stays. Enjoy!

Finale - Day 25

2011-12-25T18:01:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Waiting - Day 24

2011-12-24T18:58:00.000-05:00

Santa will be here any minute. Rugby is waiting under the tree for him.

Important People - Day 23

2011-12-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

Our red and green picture doesn't match this post, but it is there anyway.

It is time to re-visit our NOI experience.

While my videos are saving and uploading, I want to mention some pretty great people that we know, and some that we met in Orlando.

Cabot's human, Pam, went with us to the NOI and she was such a great help! It was much more fun and a lot easier with her there. THANK YOU!

Rugby also had a great support group back at home from Team Applewoods. They were the ones that convinced us to go in the first place. I'm glad they did. We were regularly updating Team Applewoods and the rest of our friends through Facebook, and we got some of the very best encouragement. While we were sitting ringside, Moxie, another Obedience Maltese posted a good luck note on our wall. Is that cute, or what?

This years NOI featured the first ever National Juniors Obedience Competition (NJOC). That meant that 1) LOTS of people asked me if I was a junior and 2) I got to see some great up and coming Obedience handlers. One of those talented competitors is a fellow blogger. Mica (15 years old) and her dog Ginger, a German Shepherd Dog, showed in the NJOC. They ended up WINNING the Beginner Novice Intermediate Class. Congrats!!

You can read more about Mica and Ginger at their blog - GingerSnaps. They just recently earned their Companion Dog (CD) title, and they also compete in schutzhund! That is a tough sport! Go visit them, and congratulate them on their success!

Ribbons - Day 22

2011-12-22T23:55:00.000-05:00

We got around to our picture pretty late tonight, and Rugby was exhausted! He could hardly keep his eyes open. He was out and about all day with us. Not working like he was in Orlando, but meeting, greeting and sneaking into places he doesn't belong.

One of the places he ended up was UMBC, for my commencement ceremony. This past week included turning in end-of-the-year assignments, traveling to Orlando for the NOI, taking final exams and graduating. Rugby and I are prepared to sleep through the entire weekend.

Graduation - Day 21

2011-12-22T00:09:00.000-05:00

Rugby was able to see this group graduate from the Middle School Class tonight and snuck into their Holiday themed class photo. Congrats to all of them!

Tomorrow is the last day of craziness around here. NOI re-cap coming soon, I promise!

Santa Claus - Day 20

2011-12-20T22:04:00.000-05:00

Christmas Tree - Day 19

2011-12-19T19:45:00.000-05:00

We couldn't pass up a photo with this tree before we checked out of the hotel this morning. Rugby was completely uncooperative and it took another dog walking past before he would pick his ears up at all. I was just about to give up when she walked passed. I'm glad he didn't make me beg for the photo.

We missed lots of photo opportunities in the hotel, and in the convention center. It was worth not spending Rugby's energy on those extracurricular activities though.

We had an uneventful trip back, and the weather warmed up a little just for our arrival. Our bags are unpacked, and we just got the videos on the computer. As much as I am dying to review Rugby's performance, the last little bit of self control I have is forcing me to study for my final exams. My goal is to get the videos online before Thursday. Cross your fingers.

Super Maltese - Day 18

2011-12-18T23:30:00.000-05:00

Rugby was great. He made it through both days and although he was noticeably tired at the beginning of the second day, a long nap after Ring 3 and lots of treats pepped him right back up. He missed only one exercise between the two days (signals of all things!) on the first day. The rest of his 16 runs were clean, and he held both of his stays on Saturday. The photo below is a picture of the top four dogs overall, as well as the top four dogs in each group lined up at the beginning of the award ceremony.

The total of all possible points from both Saturday and Sunday was 1420. Of that, Rugby earned 1342. With those 1342 points, he got a giant blue ribbon for #1 dog in the Toy Group, and was also High Scoring Maltese. Overall, he ranked #29. I was thrilled with him.

I never thought my green, three year old Maltese that has only shown in Utility approximately 10 times (including non-qualifying runs) would do so well at the NOI. He managed his energy wonderfully, he was fairly consistent, he tried his hardest and he celebrated every run with a dance. I couldn't ask for anything more from Rugby.

We head back home to Maryland tomorrow, where we can upload all the videos and start to process the whole weekend. We have lots of stories to share! Thursday is another big day for us, but it does not involve Obedience. Stay tuned.

AKC Obedience Invitational - Day 17

2011-12-17T18:51:00.001-05:00

This might have been the longest day of my life. Rugby was fabulous but is now exhausted and resting up for tomorrow. I have resorted to blogging from my phone so I will post more details and all the videos when I have a computer again.

Today I have to cheat with our picture. We took this yesterday when we were walking around. We would not be hanging around by the water back at home... way to cold for that!

No Regrets - Day 16

2011-12-16T22:01:00.001-05:00

Rugby rode wonderfully around the show in the morning in his new, spiffy sling carrier. Cabot's human is traveling with us, and as a previous Frenchie owner, we were drawn to their Meet The Breeds booth and helped set up and walk dogs for a couple of hours. Rugby spent that time being a French Bulldog imposter, giving out illegitimate "French Kisses."

Some people noticed that he didn't match the booth, and other did not. We also met Vegas and her human, from Danes Can Q, who mentioned Ruthie, the French Bulldog, from Life With Big Dogs! Small world right?

Later on we took another round through the vendors. I still have more of our favorites to list, but we have resorted to blogging in the convention center. The hotel internet is horrid and that is where my list is.

We did make it back to GoPet today, and Rugby went from a pretend Frenchie to a pretend hamster. They have a door that they can put on the wheel to enclose the dog, but we declined since Rugby has enough training that I should be able to keep him on a wheel for some amount time. We bought Salmon Cat Treats from the Grizzly Pet Products booth just before we tried the wheel and used them to lure Rugby forward. He wasn't nervous at all. He walked calmly up to the treat, and rode the wheel back down and repeated over and over again. It was cute.

Tomorrow is the big day. I almost wish it wasn't. Deep breaths.

We Have Arrived - Day 15

2011-12-15T17:58:00.000-05:00

We had a safe flight down to Florida this morning. Rugby did let out a couple of squeaks on the plane, but I doubt anyone but me noticed. We got there way to early to check into our hotel, so went straight to the show sight instead. There are trials leading up to AKC's Eukanuba National Championship that started yesterday. That means the convention center is already filled with dogs, exhibitors and vendors. There are some great shopping opportunities here and we spent almost the entire day scouting out our favorite products and this weekends potential buys.

This might just be the coolest thing you have ever seen. A hamster wheel for your dog. Who knew. GoPet also has a more traditional treadmill for pooches, but that is a lot less fun. I did not let Rugby try out the giant hamster wheel but I am regretting it now. It would have been fun watching him realize that he was taking a walk to nowhere.
http://www.gopetusa.com/

I was toting Rugby around in his Sturdibag, and he was complaining about it being too hot. I didn't want him walking around, wasting his precious energy so I took him out and carried him some to let him cool off. That was until we went into the Mountain Valley Country Store booth. They had gorgeous purses with different breeds painted on them, collars and show clothes. They also had my absolute favorite purchase of the day. This isn't the first time I have seen slings for dogs, but it is the first time I tried it. It is wonderful. Rugby can rest comfortably close to me, he is able to see everything that is going on, I have my hands free and having the sling wrapped around me makes Rugby seem so much lighter than he is!

If it is one thing Rugby can use a little more of, it is bling. There were plenty of vendors offering it too. Bling It On had some really pretty bling collars that would look great on Rugby. Scarlett Dream Coats had super cute rain coats in Rugby's favorite colors, too.

We are constantly on the lookout for while slip collars for Rugby to show in. We like that they blend in to his fur and it looks like he is working naked. Sit Up 'n' Beg had soft, rolled leather collars that came in white as well as some more ornate collars and leashes. Gear to Go had just what we were looking for. Basic, thin, white nylon slip collars in Rugby's size. We bought everything he had on the shelf. It is easy to turn a white collar into a not-so-white collar, and we need plenty of replacements.

I'll be sure to post the other half of our favorite vendors list tomorrow. Now, its time for dinner!

Team Rugby - Day 14

2011-12-14T23:12:00.000-05:00

Perhaps the most nerve racking part of competing in Obedience is the fact that Rugby isn't going into the ring alone.

We are a team. We have to walk into the ring together over and over again and offer up the best performance we can manage. For every way that Rugby can mess up an exercise, there are at least two ways that I can cause us to fail. I have to be ready to change and tweak my handling to reflect how Rugby happens to be feeling and responding to me at the time. I also have to be ready to manage his pre-trial activities to optimize his performance.

Rugby and I made our debut in the Obedience ring during the summer of 2009. Every time we show, we get a chance to practice working together to accentuate our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. While one would think two years of this is plenty of preparation, our teamwork is constantly evolving. Rugby's trial preferences are changing with age and experience. I am becoming better able to read him, and the trial environment. None of it comes without work. It takes countless hours practicing our skills, countless miles traveling to different shows, and endlessly observing Rugby and listening to what he has to say.

We have only just begun. We have many more hours to spend, many more miles to travel and so much more to learn from each other. I have to keep reminding myself when the thought of the NOI becomes intimidating that this weekend is just one more step on that road to better teamwork. No matter what happens, I will be able to walk away from this weekend having spent time with friends, watched some of the top Obedience teams in the country, met new people and most of all... I will have learned an enormous amount about my dog. We will be a better team.

Now, I really need to pack before our flight tomorrow morning.

Maintaining Enthusiasm - Day 13

2011-12-13T18:03:00.000-05:00

Only one more day until we leave for Orlando. I started to worry this morning over how generally unprepared we were for the trip. I took Rugby, and all our jumps to the park this afternoon to see just where we are. We did all the exercises in both classes twice, in a completely random order along with two sets of out of sight stays.

The best part of it all? He was getting MORE worked up as we kept working. It reminded me of a good day at the gym when you feel more energized leaving than when you went in. I planned on doing another round of exercises, but I didn't dare ruin the enthusiasm he was giving me. He couldn't have calmed my nerves any better than by working so well and trying as hard as he did today. It was such a relief.

We packed up and drove to the pet store. Mostly just for a picture. We also bought a portable water bowl since I am terrible at remember to bring something for Rugby to drink out of when we travel. He usually ends up having to drink out of whatever water I can get to stay in my hand. Luckily, he doesn't drink much. Once we found our portable water bowl we went searching for this picture. Rugby doesn't eat kibble, or any processed food for that matter, but he can hide behind it. This hole in the shelf was exactly Rugby sized!

Balloons - Day 12

2011-12-12T23:31:00.000-05:00

Rugby was a puppy the last time he had a balloon to play with. He had a great time figuring out that the only way he could pick it up was by the knot at one end. I was just as happy as he was when we found red and green balloons tonight! He had to figure out all over again how to pick the balloons up, but was very proud of himself when he did.

Cartoon Dog - Day 11

2011-12-11T19:21:00.001-05:00

Our friends over at 2BrownDawgs were kind enough to pass the Liebster Award on to us. Thank you! We are flattered to be considered for the reward!

The award comes with the following rules.

1. Thank the giver and link back to them.

2. Reveal your top five picks {with less than 200 readers} and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

4. Hope that the people you’ve sent the award to forward it to their five favorite up-and-coming bloggers and keep it going!

It took us several days to pick which five blogs to pass the award too. I kept thinking it would get easier the next day, or the next. It didn't. Despite the challenge, we were able to narrow it down to five. Here they are, in no particular order.

1) Kids, Dogs, Rats - This is a brand new blog, written by one of our friends. This is the place to go if you want to check up on the litter of Kerry Blue Terrier puppies we posted about a while ago, their mom, and Mozart the Giant Schnauzer puppy.

2) Bunk the Pug Puppy - Bunk is a super spunky Pug that has been taking great photos to countdown to the big day (Christmas!). Only a few can manage to resist those big expressive eyes, but there is no way anyone can resist that tongue of his!

3) Mac the Shiba Inu - We have only just met Mac, but have enjoyed reading about his fantastic hiking adventures, and seeing what life is like with a Shiba Inu.

4) Blogging Dante - Dante is back from a blogging hiatus, and we are so glad! If you ever wondered how an active Doberman boy spends his time, you can find out on Dante's blog!

5) Fun with Falkor & Famke - What is more fun than a Great Dane and a Field Spaniel? I'm not sure either. Go over and follow this pair as they live life to the fullest, and they compete in Obedience along the way too!

Tough Choice - Day 10

2011-12-10T19:43:00.001-05:00

Rugby can only ever see the kid movies. Even standing on his hind legs, you can't count on him to pick a good movie. Its the thought that counts though, right? At least he looks cute trying.

College Life - Day 9

2011-12-09T21:39:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Rugby went to college for a legitimate reason. He went to do a demonstration for my Animal Behavior class. Rugby was great and aside from me lacking in some speaking skills it went pretty smoothly. It did confirm yet again that he does like to perform. He was having trouble with scent articles the past week, and being up in front of class raised his confidence tremendously! It didn't hurt that they applauded his efforts either. That type of reward can be hard to find, and it was perfect encouragement for him before the National Obedience Invitational next week.

I had to go back today to drop off some homework, and took Rugby along for the ride. He was a different dog. He KNEW he belonged there. He wasn't just excited to be someplace new, he had caught on to the fact that people were looking at him. He also thought I was getting in his way. To fix this problem, he modified heel position and moved slightly ahead, and went a little wide too. That way people could admire him from all sides. We worked on it while we were there, but his general attitude did not change. His heeling was magically fixed as soon as he realized no one was looking at him (i.e. when we left school).

I think this means we have found the perfect place to train. Hopefully I can convince him that precision and accuracy are things people really love to see!

The Collection - Day 8

2011-12-08T23:27:00.000-05:00

Decorating - Day 7

2011-12-07T23:11:00.001-05:00

We didn't actually decorate the tree tonight, but we pretended to. I even spent 5 minutes teaching Rugby to target the ornament so that I could get a before-hanging and after-hanging shot. He was too fast and it was too dark so the pictures were blurry. Poor Rugby doesn't realize that all that hard work putting the ornament up was for nothing since it has to come down to put the lights on. I'll make sure he doesn't see.

Lakeshore Plaza - Day 6

2011-12-06T21:39:00.001-05:00

Me: "Rugby has been very vocal today. I had him do push-ups when he went out to potty because he was barking."

Dad: "What do you expect? He has way more people to talk to than you do."

Me: "Oh, is that right? Thanks, Dad."

Lost and Found - Day 5

2011-12-05T21:12:00.001-05:00

All of the red and green items for today's photo are from the lost and found bin at Fido's for Freedom. That includes the scarf Rugby has around his neck. He thought taking this picture was oh-so-much fun. We really should have skipped class tonight to finish our homework, but the National Obedience Invitational is only 11 days away! Yikes! We are in desperate need of the extra training time.

Speaking of the NOI, Rugby was featured today on the American Kennel Club's Facebook page. If you haven't seen it yet... go now! They will be sharing fun facts, videos, and photos of different competitors all the way up until the event. Rugby was happy to get the introductions started!

Scoreboard - Day 4

2011-12-04T17:45:00.001-05:00

The hour or two before the sun goes down is usually the warmest part of the day. Since it gets dark early and cold overnight, we try our hardest to fit training sessions in during that time. I know the weather will force us to stay inside to train pretty soon, so no excuses for the next couple of weeks. We have to get outside while we can.

Today we went to our local park where the little leagues football games are held. The advertisements underneath the sign were just the right colors! Rugby got to stretch his legs and run circles around the giant field while I set up and took down our training equipment. He had fun, and he didn't do so bad with the training either. He was a good boy!

The Traveler - Day 3

2011-12-03T17:20:00.001-05:00

Rugby and I took a road trip to nowhere. We were excited to go to an Obedience match this morning. We were SO excited that we drove all the way there before realizing there was no match for us to attend this month. The news wouldn't have been as devastating if the imaginary match was within an hours drive from us.

Oh well. Quality bonding time in the car with Rugby.

We ended up at Applewoods instead, where we spent the whole day doing homework, playing ball and helping with the lessons. At the end of the day, we set out in search of our red and green picture. We were headed to Main St, but the sun was already setting and the pretty golden light it brought was gone for the day. Since the train station is on a hill, we went there to take advantage of the last of the sunlight. We started out in the covered shelter. It is supposed to keep train riders dry on rainy days. We like to use it to practice Stays. The three sides make it easy for us to get out of sight without going too far. Today was a smidgen too cold to try to get that Stay practice in.

On the way out I noticed that the "Laurel" sign on the building was green too. I set him up at the top of the stairs for a picture with the green lettered sign mounted on the red brick building. I like this picture better than the first one, but you can't tell that the sign is green.

Not Maltese, But Close - Day 2

2011-12-02T22:13:00.001-05:00

Rugby went straight from the groomers to the tree farm today. Mark this day down on your calendars as the earliest day our family has ever gotten our Christmas tree. I'm still in shock. Usually we end up spread out inside of an enclosed section of parking lot that is stuffed full of trees. This time we went straight to the source.

I can't say the experience was too much different than our previous parking lot ones. We didn't cut down our own tree, or walk through long lines of carefully planted fir trees. It did seem like a more authentic Christmas experience, though. We were shopping next to those long lines of fir trees and instead of paying the guy standing with a money box balanced on a stool, there was a cute little Christmas shop selling ribbons, stockings, and other holiday paraphernalia. I helped myself to one of their displays and put Rugby right in the middle of it for a picture.

I noticed on the way home how similar their farm name was to Rugby's breed. Their sign would be much improved if it read "Maltese Christmas Trees" instead of "Matesevac Christmas Trees." It didn't take long to edit our photo so that it read the more appropriate word either. Looks much better, right?

At the Pump - Day 1

2011-12-01T20:50:00.001-05:00

We had to rush to dog class after school today, and we were still late. It did not keep me from stopping for a red and green picture on the way. Yes, I did pick which gas station based on color alone. We were desperate.

Also, do you see that little tuft of hair sticking up on the right side of Rugby's head (our left)? It won't go away. I have tried twice to cut it off and it keeps coming back. Or I keep missing. Tomorrow, someone else gets to deal with it. They will probably have a good laugh at the mess I have created with Rugby's face.

It's Time

2011-11-30T05:30:00.000-05:00

Time for Rugby's Countdown To Christmas. Finally. If you haven't followed along the last two years, this is what his Christmas preparations include...

I would like to turn this blog for the next 25 days into an... advent calender of sorts. The only difference being that you don't get to open any windows (just click) and the only sweet thing you are getting will be a picture of Rugby with both a red and green object. Just one picture a day, every day 'till Christmas.

Warm-up photo...

RED carpet, GREEN bag

This month is going to be incredibly busy. We are going to try very hard keep it up the whole month, but we may have to cheat. I'll tell you if I do cheat. Also, Rugby wouldn't mind having company in his countdown, so take some red and green photos with us!

Anticipation

2011-11-26T23:44:00.000-05:00

I literally can't wait for Rugby's Countdown To Christmas. I am trying not to cheat and take any Red and Green pictures earlier than December first, but I couldn't help but notice how many we have just from the past month. I wasn't thinking about the countdown when I took them, but they do meet the criteria. I figure if I post them now, I won't be tempted to re-use them later.

Nearly all the photos from our trip to Bass Pro Shop had both Red and Green in them.

The ribbon pictures from the show the other week have both red and green in it too.

When I took him to school with me, we found a green desk discarded in one of the stairwells.

Christmas is taunting us. It's not fair.

My Little Beggar

2011-11-25T19:15:00.001-05:00

You want leftovers? OK.

Grounded

2011-11-24T22:14:00.001-05:00

I started formally training dogs before I had Rugby, and after Mandi was gone. From the very first day I brought Rugby home, our trainer was constantly reminding me leave his feet on the ground. Just because I can pick him up, doesn't mean I should. I needed to treat him like a 70lb dog instead of a 7lb one. It was so tempting. His small size is such a convenience, and I could save myself a lot of work by just snatching him up in my arms or placing him where I want. I needed a few reminders back then, but it is something I embrace now.

Every time I take his feet off the ground, I am robbing him of a learning opportunity that a larger opportunity would get. If you have met Rugby before, you know this is reflected in his ego. All that time on the ground has helped him act less like a yappy little dog, and much more like a companion. Since I treat Rugby like a 70lb dog, he thinks he is one!

He still spends quite a bit of time in the air for pictures. I had to remind myself today to let him take pictures like a real dog too. He is much happier standing on his own four paws.

Rugby Goes To College

2011-11-23T22:18:00.001-05:00

I have created a monster. Between the extra homework that needed to be done before Thanksgiving break and the constant rain, Rugby has been a little neglected. He doesn't sulk or sleep the days away when he feels neglected. Instead, he uses his training against me.

The past two days he has been working hard to annoy me. He does't do anything wrong, he just does everything... creatively. Then he gives me the look. The one that says, "You can't possibly be mad at me. I DID do what you said." Last night I was sufficiently annoyed that I promised him we would train in the morning. As soon as he knows I have reached that point, then he changes his tactic. He starts to beg. He begs to be worked, and does anything and everything I want with precision, staring intently at me the whole time. He does it just to make me feel guilty, I'm sure.

This morning, I kept my promise and snuck him into my only class, then gave him a tour of campus afterwards. It was still raining today and the school buildings were a perfect place to train without getting wet. We took some photos while we were there, practiced our heeling and refreshed our stair climbing etiquette. I think more than half of the people we passed inside never even noticed Rugby. They weren't expecting a dog, so they didn't look down. Rugby didn't give them a reason too. He was happy to get back to work!

Rugby's picture also made it into Bailey Be Good's Dogs In Cars #2 post. You can see Rugby, Diesel, and other well traveled dogs (maybe a bird too) over on her blog.

Capturing the Shake

2011-11-18T22:41:00.001-05:00

While we were at the show last weekend, we took a break on the last day to visit the creek that was across the street. We just admired from a distance, but our training buddy, Ben (the Golden Retriever), went for a swim. I just got finished going through the pictures and was thoroughly entertained by all the pictures of Ben shaking. Since he shook off just about every time he got out of the water, there are more pictures of him shaking than there are of anything else.

The photos of Ben reminded me of an old picture of mine. This one is of Rugby's predecessor, Mandi, taken after one of her weekly baths. I don't have nearly as many pictures of her as I do of Rugby, but the photo below makes the short list.

What are the odds that someone would send me a link to this gallery of shaking dogs today? That is how I realized that I don't have ANY worthy pictures of Rugby shaking. I am sure one or two exist, but I can't seem to find them. Rugby's only comical post-bath photo, is not of him shaking. We need to work on this. It might have to wait till next year when it is warm enough for him to go swimming again.

Work In Progress

2011-11-18T19:30:00.000-05:00

Did you notice Rugby's go-outs in the Utility videos? We are so close to being full distance. We didn't get there in training and it showed in the ring. He would go out straight for the distance we have practiced, then veer to the side. That was very encouraging to see!

We modified how we were training go-outs to reflect the fact that we had a problem tacking direction, and not running straight all the way back in February. I posted a video of it here. For whatever reason we abandoned it over the summer and started again this fall.

The exercise has evolved significantly from last winter. First, we stopped using the broad jump and started using driveway markers. I have two orange ones and two yellow ones that I set up exactly the same way as the jump boards (3ft apart in a straight line). Second, we did/do have a problem with running in a straight line. We started much closer to the channels this time and have been working our way backwards at a much slower pace than we moved before. This is mostly to give Rugby the practice of running in a straight line. I think he does need to build that muscle memory to be successful. Now he is working this set up at just over 30ft away.

There was just one problem that showed itself for the first time last week. I had assumed that my yellow markers and my orange markers were equivalent. Last week, he started something new. He was running straight until he saw a yellow marker, then would change course towards it. As soon as I realized what was making him loose his straight line, a post I read over at Tip Tail popped into my head.

He can't see the orange markers. At least not as well as the yellow. Time to buy two more of each color so we have uniform sets!

A Little Rain Never Hurt

2011-11-16T14:16:00.001-05:00

We are motivated after last weekend to keep training, and have made a list of things to work on. While I didn't intend to take a break today, it is raining. We could have done articles in the stair well again, but decided against it. Instead, we went for a walk.

Part of our preparation for future trials is to increase Rugby's stamina. Mostly by taking walks more regularly. I am spoiled since nearly all of Rugby's physical and mental needs can be met inside during bad weather. It is easy enough to do for now, even in the rain. I'm not sure how eager I will be to go walking when it gets to be less than 40* outside, though.

It was only drizzling when we left, and Rugby was excited to stretch his legs without any other dog or human interruptions. I was surprised no one else was taking advantage of the relatively warm rain we were having. We spent some time at the playground so Rugby could run up and down the hills, and get as wet as he wanted. I tried to encourage him by walking through the puddles, but he did not feeling like joining me today. He must have known what was coming.

When we got home, he went straight to the bathroom and was tortured with a much needed bath and grooming session. He is fully recovered now and resting before heading to Applewoods tonight to help teach the next Middle School Class.

Monday Mischief - Checked Out

2011-11-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

We were worried for no reason about the hotel this past weekend. We enjoyed our stay. We were even pleasantly surprised with a refrigerator to keep Rugby's food fresh. That is always much easier than constantly refilling an ice bucket. Looking back, the color scheme of the room probably had some influence on the new look of the blog. I am glad I didn't go with that minty green though.

Rugby woke me up frequently while we were there to growl at any and every noise the other hotel guests made. While I appreciate his desire to be my own personal watch dog, I do not appreciate the loss of sleep it caused me. It is that same mouth of his that cost him three points in the Obedience ring too! Now that we are back home, Rugby can really relax at night (and let me sleep!).

Video Dump

2011-11-13T22:32:00.001-05:00

That's right. Only videos and scores.

4th place in Open B (Friday)
http://youtu.be/tQ-OPOi9Su8

Score - 194+/200

Heeling - 3.5

Drop on Recall - 1/2

Retrieve on the Flat - 1

Retrieve over High Jump - 1

Broad Jump - 0

Long Sit - 0

Long Down - 0

Open Q for his first UDX leg (Saturday)
http://youtu.be/YCL-QDkxzr4

Score - 193/200

Broad Jump - 1/2

Retrieve over High Jump - 1/2

Retrieve on the Flat - 1/2

Drop on Recall - 0

Heeling - 2.5

Long Down - 0

Long Sit - 3!

Utility Q for his first UDX leg (Saturday)

http://youtu.be/8nUdQ6F-CXU

Score - 197/200

Directed Retrieve - 0

Scent 1 - 1/2

Scent 2 - 1/2

Directed Jumping - 1/2

Signals - 1

Moving Stand - 1/2

2nd place in Utility B (Sunday)

http://youtu.be/3ZNZXDcjwH4

Score - 193/200

Moving Stand - 1

Directed Jumping - 2

Signals - 1

Directed Retrieve - 1

Scent 1 - 1

Scent 2 - 1

Revision and Recap

2011-11-13T22:09:00.001-05:00

I left too early on Saturday.

Not only did Rugby earn his first UDX leg yesterday, he was also High Combined Score in Open and Utility. I didn't even think to check the scores. Luckily, the judge kept our prizes for us. We were pleasantly surprised this morning when we found out what we had missed!

Today wasn't as productive. Today he qualified in Utility B with a 193/200. That was 2nd place, and it got him 4 more OTCH points! So far, so good.

He had a descent Open run too, and only lost 3.5 points by the time Stays came along. Sits were first, but apparently no one told Rugby. He took a nap for the last 1.5 minutes. Sigh.

I had fun this weekend, despite the mixed results. I am excited that come January, we can start showing regularly. Until then, we need to focus on school and getting ready for the National Obedience Invitationals. Yikes! Its only a month away! We definitely have plenty to work on.

Optimism

2011-11-12T21:22:00.001-05:00

It pays to be optimistic. Today's show was much better than yesterday. Let me give you the details.

Rugby hasn't been in the ring since May. Why did I expect him to come back where he left off? Not sure. I'll blame it on optimism. He made two BIG mistakes yesterday in Utility. One was not taking the bar jump during directed jumping. The other was visiting with the judge on the moving stand exercise. Moving stand = socialization? I think not. His other mistake was picking up the wrong article and dropping it before finding the correct one. I don't consider this a big mistake, but it did cost him 3 points which is more than his moving stand mistake.

We did absolutely nothing in between yesterday's trial and today's trial to better prepare him for or fix those mistakes. I think he really was just re-figuring out the whole trial scene. I did NOT crate him at all today, since he seemed uncomfortable and stressed in there yesterday. Instead I brought his Sturdibag and saved some space on my lap for Rugby to sleep all day. He was much happier with this set up.

Open B was first. He was a nutcase. I used those high-in-fat treats before hand. They worked. They almost worked too well. His individual performance was improved by a whole two points from yesterday. HOWEVER, during stays, when the A/C came on... he had to bark at it. Three times. And he lost a point for each one. The worst thing a judge has ever said to me? "Your dog was tied for first place, but he barked at the A/C and lost a few points for that." Gah! No placement, but he still scored a respectable 193/200.

Utility B was last. He didn't make any of the mistakes he made yesterday. Not one. He scored a 197/200, was 3rd place and earned 1 OTCH point.

Since he qualified in both class, Rugby earned his first ever UDX leg. What a relief. I though it would never happen! I tried uploading videos but the hotel internet is not cooperating.

We have two very big goals for next year. They never made it onto the blog because I was starting to doubt that they were even possible. After today, I am hopeful. I added a "Points and Progress" page to help us keep track of those goals.

One more day left. Keep crossing your fingers.

Pep Talk- Not Effective

2011-11-11T15:34:00.001-05:00

We found this 20" skillet at Bass Pro Shop last weekend. It is the perfect size to cook a squirrel, a rabbit, or even a little white dog. I told Rugby I wouldn't mind going back to buy that pan after today.

While I would never actually do that to him, Rugby's performance was depressing. He forgot what a trial was and it took him all day to figure it out. I think he will have no question by tomorrow, though. We are optimistic for the rest of this weekend. He did come come with fourth place from Open B (194/200), so today wasn't completely bad. Just worse than I expected.

Road Trip

2011-11-10T17:41:00.001-05:00

We are leaving tonight for a weekend full of Obedience Trials. This trial is by the beach, and last time we went we took a trip down there on the last day. If we finish early enough on Sunday we might go again. Rugby had to wear clothes for the pictures because I had given him what was probably the worst haircut of his life. It was embarrassing. Luckily, we don't have to worry about ugly grooming this time around.

I'm afraid to admit it, but I am a little nervous. I booked the hotel room at the last minute. There wasn't much choice left by the time I got around to it and the reviews weren't great. Rugby got a bath yesterday, and we had the pep talk tonight. Can a pep talk make up for the fact that we have been seriously slacking when it comes to training? I will make sure to play his playlist of motivating songs too.

Cross your fingers!

Protection

2011-11-09T08:37:00.000-05:00

If you don't protect your dog, who will?

The answer to that question is no one. Your dog needs protection from countless number of people, situations and from other dogs. This past week, Rugby (and Diesel too) needed some protection from other dogs. I will never understand why people think all dogs want to be friends. I will never understand why people think it is fine to let their dogs run up to another strange dog and loom over them, or why people think it is fine to let their dogs pester others while on stays. Even if my dog wouldn't mind socializing with yours, that is just plain rude!

Last night was the first time in a long time that I went to visit Diesel. He came with Rugby and I to the community center in his neighborhood to do some training. Rugby went first. I left Diesel on a Down/Stay about 50ft away and off to the side. About halfway through Rugby's training an off lead English Springer Spaniel come from around the corner of the community center (near where Diesel was left). His owner was following behind, but made no effort to stop his dog from approaching Diesel. Before the dog ever had the chance, I called Diesel to me. He came, although he did look over his shoulder a couple of times at the dog that continued to follow him.

It wasn't until Diesel was more than half way to me that the spaniel's owner realized I did not want his dog harassing mine. That is when he started to call his dog back. Or tried to. I grabbed the leash Diesel had been dragging, and picked Rugby up in anticipation of the dog reaching us before the owner could do anything about it. Luckily, he gave up and returned to his owner where he was then attached to a flexi and walked away.

That was the second time in a week someone let their untrained, rude, obnoxious dog approach us. What are people thinking? If it was Rugby that had been on a Down/Stay, this may have ended much differently. He could not have gotten back to me in time, and his coming to me would have elicited a much stronger 'chase' response in the spaniel. I have to park him next to a bear next time for protection.

Long Night

2011-11-07T20:53:00.000-05:00

Rugby has been helping me study all weekend. He is tired of it. So am I.

I spent some time throwing his toy for him today so he didn't feel completely neglected.

Tomorrow night is Rugby's time.

Maybe the perfect time for a bath. He is a couple days late for this week's grooming session.

Moose

2011-11-05T02:32:00.000-04:00

Rugby took a training trip with Burly (the not-so-little Rottweiler puppy) yesterday morning. It was a great learning experience for both dogs. These two could not get enough attention from all the people there. It was funny to watch Rugby react to our miniature photo shoots. He was quite proud of himself and celebrated after almost every picture. Maybe me torturing him for the past three years with excessive picture-taking is starting to pay off! Neither Burly or Rugby seemed to notice the giant moose that was behind them in this photo. Their relaxed response made for an uneventful training session, and was a good excuse for more photos!

Trigger Words

2011-11-03T16:43:00.000-04:00

Don't you wish you had a camera with you all the time? Rugby was watching me set up our go-out contraption from this patch of leaves before we trained yesterday. I grabbed my camera when we finished and headed back out to this spot to see if we could recreate the photo opportunity that we missed earlier.

This photo took a little bit longer to take, only because Rugby refused to participate. He looked at everything except me. I tried all of his favorite words too.
"Do youuu wannna treat? Do youuu wanna go outside? Who is that? Are you ready?"
Nothing.

It wasn't until I asked him if he wanted to leave that he looked interested enough for a photo.
Thanks a lot Rugby, and I get it. You can be done now.

Beach Boy

2011-10-31T05:00:00.000-04:00

I had great plans to make him a costume this year, until I realized that "crafty" was not a quality that I possess. So instead, we went rummaging through Rugby's wardrobe and past costumes. Roxanne helped us settle on something we hadn't considered in our search.

Rugby wasn't a big fan of the goggles the first time he wore them, and he still isn't. He looks pretty cute with them on though, so he has to suck it up. He came into class riding on his own personal boogie board. Now we just have to get him in the water!

Happy Halloween!

Lies

2011-10-29T21:21:00.000-04:00

It won't be 50* tomorrow. We won't get a chance to try our new fat filled energy treats. We won't be going to the show.

This morning they made the decision to cancel both shows. It makes me feel a little less guilty about skipping it to begin with. We spent the day at Applewoods instead - training, teaching, learning, observing and reminiscing about dog shows. We also met a couple of very cute puppies for the first time today.

I already gave Rugby his pep talk to prepare for the trials this weekend. He was excited to go. Now he thinks I lied to him. I hope he will forgive me.

Cold Or Wet, but Not Both

2011-10-28T08:55:00.001-04:00

It rained on Wednesday morning. We waited until we were at Applewoods to do any training, and we worked around the puddles and through the soaking wet leaf litter that covered the ground. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold either at 60*.

The training session was very productive because Rugby was convinced that he absolutely, under no uncertain terms, could not do Signals when the ground was wet. He was refusing to sit all together. When I asked him to lay down, he would go down until his belly touched, then hover just before that point. He might have been more persuasive with me about how unfair working outside was if he was consistent about it. However, since he could clearly sit and tolerate the wet ground when he was beside me in heel position, there was no reason he couldn't tolerate it 40ft in front of me.

It took us several attempts at Signals before Rugby got over the fact that his belly was wet. We finished all the other Utility exercises outside with no problem. We saved Scent Articles for inside. To mix it up a little, we added a char to the middle of the Scent pile. The articles were placed around the chair (not under), although it didn't stop Rugby climbing into the middle to find the correct one. He did have a little bit of trouble getting out from under the chair without disturbing the other articles, but he made it.

I didn't realize just how valuable that training session would be until last night, when I finally decided to check out the judging program for the shows we entered this weekend. I had Googled the location of the show and noticed it was being held on a plantation. Odd, right? That is when I saw what it said at the top of the judging program...

All Judging will be Outdoors.

How in the world did I not notice that when I was picking trials to enter? We train primarily outdoors so that isn't the problem. The problem is that it is outdoors, and it is almost November. Remember what I said about Rugby not staying very warm because of his size? I wasn't joking.

Last night at about 12:30 am, I took Rugby outside to do Stays. It was 45*. I wanted to see how well he could manage the cold without wearing clothes. He did surprisingly well. When I returned to him after the three and five minute stays, I could feel that his hair was cold, but that his body was still well insulated. No shivering, or signs of discomfort at all. Phew. That is good new.

The bad news is that the temperature high at the trial site tomorrow is 39* and it will be raining. A wet Rugby-dog will not be well insulated against anything. We can't go. :-(

We will be there on Sunday however, when it will be 50* and sunny. Sigh. Next time I need to be more careful when picking trials for my 7lb dog.

We Recommend It

2011-10-25T22:27:00.001-04:00

So remember earlier this month, Rugby had his battle with fleas? We found them one more time after we posted and we made TWO more changes that I thought you should all know about.

The first change we made was to our potty spot. Instead of letting Rugby out back to potty in the woods, now we go out the front door and around to the side of the building. I think the couple of persistent fleas were not coming from the house, but were hitching a ride back in when he went to potty during the day. Every once in a while he tries to sneak back towards the woods to re-fresh the Rugby-scent that by now is wearing off. He isn't allowed. :-(

The second was using Sentry Natural Defense, Natural Flea & Tick Carpet Powder. This stuff smells strong. Very strong. If it wasn't so overpowering, it might actually be a pleasant smell. It is also a very fine orange powder that settles in the bottom of the container so it appears that 2/3 of it is missing. It isn't missing though. The can lasted for exactly as many rooms as it said it would. We sprinkled it through the whole house and brushed it deep into the carpet.

I suggest making other arrangements for you and your dog for the rest of the afternoon if you use it. Rugby and I were soon surrounded in a smelly cloud of flea powder. I kept putting Rugby next to the open window in whatever room had the least powder floating in the air to save him from the cloud. We left the powder down for a full 24 hours before vacuuming.

It has been another two weeks since we have done the carpet treatment. If my memory serves me right, that is how long it can take for eggs to become adult fleas. We haven't seen a single flea since the morning we used the flea powder. I am happy. So is Rugby, I'm sure.

Fat

2011-10-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Rugby is little. He gets fatigued when he is training or working for long periods of time. I was told a pick-me-up snack would keep him energized. We went to the store and found Zukes Power Boes 'Energy Treats for Active Dogs.' Perfect! I didn't read any further on the package and bought them.

About half-way through the bag (Rugby loves them although I'm not sure how well it works for what I want) I notice the company claims the protein and carbohydrate mixture is what makes the treats so effective. That is when I got confused. I did a lot of reading before switching Rugby over to a raw diet and nothing I read said anything about dogs needing carbs. Are carbohydrates really the key to keeping Rugby active? I wasn't so sure.

From "The Nutritional Requirements of Exercising Dogs" by Richard C. Hill
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/128/12/2686S.full

In dogs undertaking endurance exercise, such as sled dogs, high fat (>50% of energy) diets increase stamina and maximize energy production, and high protein (>30% of energy) diets prevent training-induced anemia.

From "Energy For The Athlete In Your Dog" by Ava Frick, DVM
http://www.avafrick.com/articleenergy.htm

Unlike human athletes who depend primarily on carbohydrates, the energy source for performance canines is dependent upon dietary fats.

This article on Canine Performance Stress from Beagles Unlimited says the same thing. Dogs use fat as their energy source, not carbs.

What I was really looking for was a snack for Rugby with high fat content that Rugby can take to stay energized during long trial days. I think I found it. We haven't tried it yet, but this upcoming trial weekend seems like the perfect time to give it a shot. They are called Lakse Kronch Pemmikan Bars. They are made to do exactly what I want them for. They are 59% fat and 24% protein. We will see!

Preparation

2011-10-21T14:34:00.000-04:00

Turns out you don't make much progress when you only practice a couple of days a week.We are building up the go-out work slowly. It has been even more slow than I expected because my school schedule has stopped me from working with Rugby as much as I would like to. I did't mind so much until I realized we had entered trials for next weekend.

We went to the park last week to see how he could pull all the pieces together without having practiced them as complete exercises. I was pleasantly surprised by his attitude. He was up, energetic, ready and very willing for the whole session. He did not do well on go-outs though. I wasn't completely surprised since we had taken go-outs apart and hadn't finished putting them back together yet (when will that not be true.. sigh). I was surprised when he blew scent article though. We had to take them back home and do only leather a couple time before he was back on track. I wonder if it had anything to do with Rugby smelling overwhelmingly like flea killing products (we are still flea-free, by the way!).

Today we went to a different park, an empty baseball field seemed like the best choice. The sand was a little wet and packed down. There were tons of dog footprints, their owners were taking advantage of the mostly enclosed field. Rugby loves sand, and while I set up jumps he ran around endlessly in circles. He wasn't heavy enough to leave behind any footprints. Except when he shot away from me for the go-outs. Full 40+ ft go-outs and they were straight! He was wonderful! Scent articles were back to normal too. He didn't loose that spunky, energetic attitude either. He was so fun to work today!

We won't be completely back up to speed by next weekend, but at least it won't seem like he has never been in an Obedience ring before.

I can't forget about stays either. We still have to practice those.

A Helping Hand

2011-10-15T15:24:00.000-04:00

When Rugby and I got home this afternoon, I was taking bags inside from my car and I accidentally pulled out a baseball cap I had sitting on the backseat with one of them. I had my hands full and I was not looking forward to putting everything down to put the hat back in the car.

I stepped towards the sidewalk and called Rugby so I could have him get the hat for me. I had let Rugby out on the other side of the car and released him so he could potty before we went inside. Instead of coming from the grassy area, he came from behind me. He had followed me around the car and by the time I saw him, he had already picked up the fallen hat.

Since he was so eager to help, I had him carry it inside and thanked him for all his hard work.
It is those little things that make the different between a good dog and a great dog. Rugby is a great dog. At least I think so.

Missed you, Rugby!

2011-10-15T00:10:00.000-04:00

I was very happy to see Rugby again after a long night away from him yesterday. I was over our friend's house welcoming SEVEN new Kerry Blue Terrier puppies into the world. They belong to Yuliya and Brandy.

This was my first time watching the whelping process, and it was a learning experience for sure! I am so glad I was able to go and that Brandy had them all before I had to leave!

The first puppy was a girl - Rosie. She was the biggest of all the puppies at 9.2 oz. She also had a pretty good head start on the rest of the puppies since puppy number two didn't come for another hour and a half. Puppy two and three came within ten minutes of each other and big surprise... Sunny and Belle were both girls as well!

The three boys came quickly and quietly, one right after the other. Brownie, Bologna and T-Rex were easy puppies. It was interesting to see the differences between the puppies. Some of them were pretty sedentary when they came out, and others like the little blue ribbon boy literally came out running! The puppies that came out breach all took longer to get the hang of the whole eating thing and the first puppy, Rosie, figured out quick that she liked to lay up by mom's face.

We thought she was done, so Brandy got a potty break, and the bedding in the whelping box was changed. We sat admiring the puppies for a while when Yuliya noticed a contraction! An hour and a half after the last puppy was born, Brandy had another little girl, Lilly. Phew! That brought the total time up to four hours, and the number of puppies up to seven.

Thank you SO much, Yuliya, for letting us hang out and watch today!

Why we didn't enter

2011-10-11T20:16:00.000-04:00

In March of this year, Maryland passed House Bill 940.

This bill introduced a new licensing fee for dog breeders, and requires them to submit personal information to the Maryland Department of Labor and Licensing. The proponents of the bill (H$U$) claim the data is used solely to identify puppy mills and further regulate commercial breeding. The problem is that they define a commercial breeder as anyone that owns or keeps 15 unspayed female dogs and has six litters a year. This count includes co-owned show dogs that are living off-site with other owner(s). This bill (now law) is unnecessary and detrimental to all responsible breeders that maintain a decent size breeding stock to pull from.

The bill was finalized and amended with the help of two breeders who represented Talbot Kennel Club. Both of these breeders are on the show committee for this club.

Talbot Kennel Club has two shows coming up in November (11/9 - 11/10). These shows are the first in a cluster of five total shows. While I have entered Rugby in the Obedience Trials held on the three remaining days of the cluster, I will not support Talbot Kennel Club with my entries.

I refuse to enter a show hosted by a club that so closely associates with H$U$ and one that supports any bill that is detrimental to the local dog fancy.

NO! NO! NO!

2011-10-10T23:02:00.000-04:00

"No" is one of my least favorite words when it comes to dogs. I am constantly frustrated by people that yell at their dogs about everything they are not supposed to do instead of teaching the dog what it is they actually want from the dog.

Remember Diesel? I almost had a fit the last time I was at his house and his owner told him "No! Stop!" in reference to a behavior he had just started... begging. I intervened, by standing all the way across the yard and saying, "Diesel, Come." He left the plate of food he so desired and came to me. Once he was there, I put him on a down stay and went to talk to his owners.

What did "No!" or "Stop!" mean? Did he mean stop standing? Did he mean stop sniffing? Did he mean stop wagging his tail? It could have meant anything. What his owner meant to say was "move away from the plate" or "mind your own business."

Lucky for them, Diesel's training was far enough along that his vocabulary included commands that would get them what they really wanted. I used the come command. They could have used the place command (a go-to-your-spot command). They could have let him stay by the food and left him on a down/stay.

Karen the Good Dog Owner wrote a post that addressed this very topic not to long ago. One of the examples she uses is teacher her dog Rocky to not chase a chicken by telling him what to do instead (come).

This is a concept I struggled with when Rugby was a puppy. How do I teach him to NOT bark? I would either have to teach him what barking was in order to put a stop to it or I would give him something better to do. I went with the second option. It wasn't until Rugby had a retrieve, and he was asked to perform a variety of Obedience tasks while his mouth was occupied (with the retrieve) that the barking was no longer a problem. I was able to give him a more appropriate behavior to replace the barking. Now when we are walking down the street, he is not barking at the dog off in the distance. Now, he is looking up at me asking what it is he should do next.

You don't want your dog to stop pulling on a leash, you want them to HEEL.

You don't want your dog to stop jumping on you when you get home, you want them to SIT.

You don't want your dog to stop bolting out of the front door, you want them to STAY.

If our neighbors would realize that they don't want their Chihuahuas to stop running away, that they actually want them to COME when they are called, then my mornings might be a little less noisy.

Dog training is not just for problem dogs and show dogs. Its to make your pet a better companion.

P.S - That is a picture of Rugby at 6 months old enjoying his freshly destroyed toilet paper! Something else I wanted him to NOT do.

The Privilege of Leash-less Living

2011-10-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Rugby is off-lead a lot. Like when he walks his Obedience Trial entries to the mailbox, or when he is out using the bathroom, when we are training, or when we are walking to and from the car. Its not that we don't have leashes (we have a surplus of them), its just that he usually doesn't need one. He has three years of Obedience training under his belt.

There are some rules that we follow to keep us honest, to make sure we stay safe and to make sure we do not become a nuisance.

Rugby must maintain some percentage of his attention on me. If he is not on a command, he must be aware enough of me to come when I call him the FIRST time. I may not always use come, either but the same principle applies to all commands. If I decide to call him to heel position, or use his drop-on-recall training to drop him in his place, he has to respond immediately. If he hesitates or if I have to repeat my command, he looses off-lead privileges for however long as I see fit.

All the other times, Rugby must be in heel position, on a sit or down stay, coming to me from a stay position, or he is being sent away from me. I send him away for two reasons - to retrieve something, and to use the bathroom. Being able to direct where Rugby goes without using a leash means that he is more under control off-lead than most of the other dogs are while on-lead.

Rugby is also not allowed to visit other people or dogs without permission. It is not safe, and it is rude. He sometimes complains about this rule.

These rules apply to other dogs that I work with as well. They are usually not as well trained as Rugby is, so I have one more rule to add. If a dog I am responsible for is not trained well enough to follow these off-lead rules, I will not be walking them on equipment that they can back out of or break free from.

Rugby spent a lot of time learning this vocabulary and learning to make decisions for himself (learning to say no to distractions) so that he could enjoy these off-lead privileges and opportunities with little concern. Now I can't imagine living with a dog that didn't have his vocabulary.

Insanity

2011-10-07T12:56:00.000-04:00

We have neighbors that just moved in this year. They have two Chihuahuas. When they first moved in I invited them to come to training classes with Rugby. They never came. That was before I realized how much they actually needed it.

Every day these dogs are let out to potty without a leash. The two of them leave the apartment in a fury barking to make their way into the woods. Then they quickly disappear. As soon as they are out of sight, their owners start yelling one or both of the dogs' names repeatedly while clapping for what seems like an eternity (and just below my bedroom window to top it off).

I don't blame the dogs for wanting some time alone from these irrational owners. Its a wonder they come back at all. What I can't figure out is why these people continue to let their dogs out off-lead. There was a short time when they had a tie out stake set up. They didn't use it. I have no idea why not.

Do they expect them to miraculously learn to come when called? Are they hoping to annoy the neighborhood enough that dogs are banned all together? Do they want their dogs to run straight into the mouth of a larger one so they don't have to worry about them any more? Maybe they want them to end up in the street. Maybe they are just trying to provide me with an alarm clock that doesn't have a snooze button?

Enough is enough already. Do not risk your dog's life, and do not risk the ability of owners to keep dogs by continuously letting your untrained dogs off-lead in public. It is annoying. And I'm a dog person. I can't imagine what everyone else thinks.

Flea Scare

2011-10-07T00:31:00.000-04:00

Were you wondering what Rugby was doing at the vet's office?

We had a flea scare last week. I think we are out of the woods now. I feel confident enough that he is rid of those parasites that I have started taking him back out in public without worrying about him spreading eggs around. In our slight panic attack, we did a LOT of reading about fleas. Here is what we found out.

Before we start, you should know that the most common flea found on cats and dogs is the cat flea. Also known as Ctenocephalides felis. (Another reason dogs are better than cats.... just kidding. Kind of.)

1) Fleas can jump 7 inches high and 13 inches long.

Rugby is 9 inches high and 11 inches long. That means they can jump on him from a full body length away! That is amazing!

2) A female flea lays about 20 eggs a day.

That means if you let them go untreated, fleas will increase exponentially in your home. UC Davis lists them as 1/32 of an inch long, small enough to find their way into the depths of your carpet.

3) Going from an egg to an adult flea can take up to two weeks (with a larvae stage in between).

That means even if you kill the adult fleas, if you don't get rid of the eggs you will have the problem again the next week.

4) Flea larvae, like butterflies, build cocoons to grow up in.

They can live in these cocoons for up to a FULL YEAR! Flea larvae also need 70-75% humidity to grow. So if you have a dehumidifier, you can do a great deal to stop the life cycle of a flea.

5) Vacuuming kills 96% of fleas.

But it needs to be done frequently. Remember to move furniture too. Fleas are very mobile.

Hink WF, NeedhamGR. 2007. Vacuuming is lethal to all postembryonic life stages of the cat flea,Ctenocephalides felis. Entomologia Experimentalis Et Applicata 125(2):221-222.

6) There are two flea hormones used in some flea control products that will stop the growth of eggs and larvae.

Ohio State calls them insect growth regulators. Click on the link to read more.

Rugby didn't have an infestation yet, but a few (<10) were having a feast of Rugby blood. Luckily, Rugby gets groomed often and we caught them before they got out of hand. So what did we do with Rugby?

1) Rugby got a bath with flea shampoo.

He got a bath last Sunday, then again on Wednesday. I only found a total of a bout 15 fleas on him from both baths. Maybe my panic attack was premature, but better safe than sorry.

2) Salted the carpets and vacuumed.

Salt sprinkled over your carpets is supposed to dehydrate any fleas living there. You are supposed to leave the salt there for an extended period of time. We only did it for 3-4 hours. We did this every other day last week.

3) Washed all the blankets, dog beds, sheets, pillow cases, etc.

It took forever to do ALL the bedding at once, but it was worth it.

4) Spray the furniture, and carpets with a product that contains insect growth regulators.

The sprays you find at the pet store or grocery store have these hormones as the active ingredient. I don't know which ones are more effective than the others. I picked one at random. I sprayed the couches and carpets after vacuuming each day.

5) Fed Rugby Capstar Flea Tablets.

I gave two of these to him, two days in a row. I didn't see any fleas on him those days and haven't since. This was a decision we made with the vet. These pills, combined with the baths and the salting, vacuuming, and laundering should be sufficient to rid Rugby of his fleas.

6) Continue feeding Flea Treats.

Flea treats are just beef flavored vitamin B complexes that I feed to Rugby twice a day. It is supposed to keep the fleas (and ticks) off of him. It has for the past three years. Except this time. Now I'm confused. The vet says its been a bad flea year and that even dogs that use spot-on preventatives have gotten fleas. Does that mean it works only when it isn't a "bad year" or that it just doesn't work. I'll give it another shot. If nothing else, Rugby does enjoy this little treat throughout the day.

Seven

2011-10-06T11:56:00.000-04:00

Rugby is a big boy now. He has put on some weight recently and is now a healthy SEVEN pounds! They didn't even have him use the little dog scale this time at the vet's office. I put him on there just for good measure while we were waiting to be seen.

I like our new vet. We went there for the first time in Spring when Rugby had his ear infection. Luckily, we have only been there twice. There are several vets at the practice. We have met two. Why am I so happy with them? 1) Neither of the vets I met after realizing that Rugby was intact mentioned neutering him. 2) When I refused re-vaccinating, they offered to do titers. 3) They understood me being reluctant to use spot-on flea/tick treatments and offered alternatives. 4) Lastly, neither vet talked down to me or baby talked my dog.

Rugby went through quite a few vets before meeting these ones that meet the above criteria. The very first vet we went to when he was a puppy was the worst. I'm glad we didn't settle and stay there.

Safety First

2011-10-05T22:12:00.000-04:00

This week is Sarge's Community Safety Week. Next week is National Fire Prevention Week. Since we just finished learning How to keep Your Maltese Warm, our roll over command was already polished up and ready to be used else where. Rugby thought demonstrating stop, drop and roll was a good way to spend 6 minutes and 27 seconds of his afternoon.

Biggest Decision of the Month

2011-10-03T22:46:00.001-04:00

It is finally October. That means Rugby has to pick a Halloween costume, and quick. The Thursday night class party is only a few short weeks away. Rugby's first EVER time at the Thursday night class was for the Halloween Party. He went as a panda. We had a hard time figuring out what size to order that year, so we donated the costume to the AMA raffle. I wish I had ordered the correct size!

The next year he was a monkey. We ordered the costume from the same place, and it wasn't nearly as well made as the panda costume/jacket. Of his three costumes to date, this was my least favorite.

Last year, he was a killer whale. Even though this costume was a little big, I liked seeing Rugby as a killer whale. It was his first "scary" costume. The bad thing about it was that he was repeatedly mistaken for a shark. I guess people don't think *whale* when they see all those teeth.

This year I am going to be more creative. I got an idea last week when we were visiting Bunny's blog. I'm not entirely sure how to implement it. At least we have a month to figure it out. We watched a lot of commercials last weekend while we were working on it!

Friday Night Football

2011-09-30T09:29:00.001-04:00

Rugby is sending his support, and he won't be making an appearance at the game. Its too cold already, and dogs aren't really allowed (just like the rest of Elizabethtown, PA).

Its been a rough season so far. At least they have a good QB...

Good luck, Bears!

The Competition

2011-09-28T21:40:00.001-04:00

Rugby spends a good amount of time with my dad. When I leave for school in the morning, Rugby scratches at my dad's door and lays in bed with him until he has to get up for the day. When I am too busy with homework, Rugby is a lap warmer for my dad. He likes to get what my dad calls "free pets."

My brother, Max, comes down to visit almost every weekend. Rugby loves him. So much so that for his entire visit, Rugby chooses him over my dad. If Max is here, my dad's door does not get scratched in the morning, and you can usually find Rugby laying with/on/next to Max and no one else.

My dad thought it must be a fluke the first time, but after several visits... he became jealous. Tonight my dad started his training routine with Rugby, which mostly includes bribing him with extra "pets." During this training session, Dad was boasting about the fact that he has the best pets and with all this extra "training" there is no way he could be picked last again. With some coaching from me, he made a few adjustments in his petting technique, then he laughed and said, "Ha! Now Max will never get you!"

The competition has begun. Personally, I don't think Max has anything to worry about.

Unofficial Mascot

2011-09-25T18:48:00.001-04:00

Remember when Rugby and I attended the Laurel Dog Show last year? He went again this year as the unofficial mascot of Applewoods Dog Training.

Rugby sat at the table and handed out flyers, raffle tickets, tail wags and kisses (to a select few). He took a couple of breaks to cheer some of his friends on in the ring, and to do a demonstration with the rest of Team Applewoods.

Rugby was a star and worked the entire demo with enthusiasm. I am particularly pleased because this morning after his bath, I forgot to put his collar back on him! He worked the whole day NAKED!

Walking in the Rain

2011-09-23T12:20:00.000-04:00

After a full week of being thoroughly neglected, Rugby finally got some training time in today. The first half we worked on go-outs. We found a great spot with sand and mulch to practice in, so that my driveway markers (that I use to make go-out channels) would be easy to get into the ground. Twenty minutes later, he was sending to each channel from 30ft. If we can stay motivated enough to practice consistently, we should be at full distance in no time at all.

Next was our off-lead walk. We worked on fast transitions, staying close, drop/sit/stand on recalls and signals. It started raining before we made it home. We ran the last 1/4 mile, but still came home soaked. Rugby raced around the living room approximately 674 times to dry off. I don't think it helped much.

Back in the game

2011-09-19T21:36:00.000-04:00

Rugby went to a match this weekend. He was a maniac! Even though I could hard contain him during his first Open run, he was surprisingly precise. He gave me straight fronts, straight finishes, and tight heeling for both runs.

Things to work on from Open:
FAST - Rugby has the fastest fast ever when he is 'up' and I had to sprint to keep up with him!
Figure 8 - the second run was better, but I want someone to video us. I can't tell if he is lagging or not on the outside turn
Broad Jump - Its not a problem yet, but he is getting closer and closer to cutting the corner of the jump.

Rugby also did two Utility runs in the other building. It was hot over there. Rugby wasn't too happy about it. Scent articles were SUPER easy for him. He was quick and confident in picking the correct article every time. Those stairwell workouts helped!

Things to work on from Utility:
Turns - The heeling deteriorated slightly in Utility. I'm not sure if it was because if was the 3rd and 4th runs of the day, or because it was hot. I am going to address it as an endurance problem and go from there.
SIT Signal - I have to hold that signal a *smidgen* longer than the others. We must be neglecting that one in practice.
Finishes - Again, not sure if this is endurance, or a lack of confidence on Rugby part but he only did it in Utility. When he finished in Utility, he came further around so he could get a good look at my face.
Go-outs - We haven't been practicing. It showed. I put a target out for both runs to help him remember what to do. He needed them.

Overall, I am happy. The things we have to work on are easy (except maybe go-outs haha). If I can get ahead enough in my school work, then we might just enter a trial or two and get Rugby back in the game. It means we have to add a little more training time to our daily routine though.

Laundry Dog

2011-09-16T13:25:00.000-04:00

I will admit that I couldn't get all the laundry to the laundry room in one trip today. Maybe I put it off for a little too long. :-p
Rugby was there though, and he is plenty capable of helping. So I put him to work. He did such a good job helping me to the laundry room that I sent him back by himself to get the rest.

I'm not sure what he was doing in there for so long at the beginning of the video. I guess he couldn't decide which one to bring back first. He was very proud of himself, and celebrated by dancing down the hallway when he finished.
Now if only I could teach him to fold it too...

Maltese Wilderness Survival Guide Part II

2011-09-14T14:57:00.000-04:00

Rugby does not have a lot of hair to keep him warm, thanks to his frequent haircuts. He is also too little to generate enough body heat to keep him warm through the winter. Usually, that means he gets to wear a sweater or jacket during the coldest months.
Not any more.
Now all Rugby needs is a blanket to stay comfortable. He can even cover himself up.

Some essential skills for this wilderness survival technique -

Roll Over - Rugby knows how to roll over in both directions. To the right is called "egg" and to the left is called "roll." That way when he does them one after the other, it is an "egg roll." We only used "egg" for this survival technique
Fetch - Rugby has a strong working retrieve. This is different than a play retrieve. Fetching different objects is all part of a normal day for Rugby. Rolling over while holding something was not. We started by using something small and easy first (socks) so that the retrieve didn't increase the difficulty of the "egg" by so much. He was used to it by the time we got to the towel, so when the towel made it hard for him to roll over, we could work on just that.
Place - This is a 'go-to-your-spot' command. That is what I used to get him on the blanket once he had a good understanding of the fetch-and-roll-over-at-the-same-time part.
Drop on Recall - This may not actually be needed, but we did use it. When I started asking him to find the corner by himself, I wanted him to come from a certain angle so it would be more obvious. I sat him on the opposite side of the towel to me, called him and dropped him next to the corner I wanted him to use.
Stay - I had to add the 'stay' at the very end of the sequence when we first started, since he was popping up right after he finished rolling over.

Number of training session it took for Rugby to learn this new sequence - two ten-minute sessions.

Where to go from here?

2011-09-13T21:44:00.001-04:00

How many e-mails should someone send before giving up? I tried ordering dog food about two weeks ago, to be included in a group order. They got every else's order except mine. I didn't find out until delivery day. None of our things were included.

I wrote them again yesterday. Still nothing.

I wonder if there is a secret code word I have to use. Maybe I should make an alias and try again, with a cooler e-mail address. I could use the 'stationary' feature in my e-mail to add some color to the order, or type with a foreign accent. I could hire a middle-man to e-mail them for me, or upload our order to YouTube in the form of a catchy jingle.

I have not ordered directly from them before, but have bought their dog food before (and I was happy with it). While Rugby still has food, we have very little variety left, which is not a well balanced and nutritious diet. Its fine for a couple days, but not for very much longer.

Something is Missing

2011-09-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

It was almost a year ago that we went to Tick Neck Park with Caruso. It was late October and the orange, yellow and red leaves were a perfect backdrop for a few Fall photos.

That is the same park Diesel and Rugby went for their trail training yesterday.

Except there was something missing.

Rugby may have thought the field was just as much fun yesterday as last year...

...but I miss the trees.

Trail Training

2011-09-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

Not much time today to fit training in around homework, so Rugby and I picked Diesel up and headed to the park for a quick walk around the bike path. Both dogs were excited to get out and about, but neither of them lasted for any amount of time. The thick, heavy air slowed us down.

The bike path Rugby, Diesel and I walked is a short one. It might be the shortest bike path every created. Even so, there is a path through the trees, so someone can shorten the shortest-bike-path-ever by another 50 ft. We usually pass by the shortcut and an extra 50ft of exercise in, but this time I noticed a fallen tree.

Diesel got to check the tree out first. That dog loves to jump. I'm not sure why he constantly feels the need to be higher than he stands (at 27.5" tall), but he is always jumping. To celebrate a job well done, he jumps. When he plays, he jumps. When he does a finish to the left, he jumps. Now that he has to jump when he retrieves, he can hardly contain himself. The tree was a perfect opportunity for him to do just that - to jump.

There was no way Rugby was getting over the tree, so I propped him up on top of it instead. It must have fallen some time ago, because the top side of it is worn down from people climbing over it, I assume. The smooth surface made it a little difficult for him to sit there, but being in a down wasn't so bad. He did not like that he was just sitting there watching Diesel have fun, but he got to have his own fun later.

It's Wet, But Not Raining

2011-09-08T20:21:00.004-04:00

There was a pause in the rain this afternoon, so Rugby and I didn't waste any time getting outside.

We put out a BIG circle of gloves out in the parking lot to practice turns and taking direction. The shoe box fronts paid off, because you could tell he was thinking about it every time he came in. He came in straight over and over.

Since everything was still wet, we picked something easy to do next. I stayed in the parking lot and had Rugby retrieving his dumbbell from the grassy area just on the other side of the lot. He ran as fast as he could out and as fast as he could coming in. And he gave me some more straight fronts, too!

We put our gloves and dumbbell away and got out our heeling stick. We heeled off-lead down the street to the park so that Rugby could run around like a maniac in the open space. He took a couple breaks (three to be exact) to cool off between his four spurts of zoomies. When he was all done, we heeled off-lead back to the house, with another pit stop for zoomies in a field closer to the house.

The rain had just started up again by the time we got back. Lets hope we get another break in the rain before Monday, when it's supposed to stop for good.

Stair Trainer For Dogs

2011-09-06T20:01:00.000-04:00

Its raining, and I have a lot of homework. Rugby had to make a compromise with me since we were not making any training field trips. Running up and down the stairs was sure to use that excess energy up, and fast. So, after his afternoon potty break, we did recalls in the stairwell of our building. He usually only uses the stairs that lead outside, so he was hesitant to venture further away in either direction (up or down), especially when he couldn't see me.

Once we had exhausted the recall exercise, we moved back inside and found another shoe box. Don't ask me why we have so many shoe boxes... I honestly don't know. I used the 'shoe' part and practiced having Rugby bring his toys over and drop them in the box. He made two mistakes pretty consistently. He would either 1) climb inside the box, as if I had asked him to 'place' or 2) drop the toy right beside the box and not inside of it. I changed how I was asking to help him better understand what it was that I wanted. Then, he put three toys in the box successfully, two times in a row.

Since Rugby had placed inside the 'shoe' part of the box voluntarily, I got another idea. I could use the top of the shoe box, upside down, as a place board to practice straight fronts with. It is a little too big, so Rugby can still sit crooked inside of it, but it was much easier to fix him in the smaller space than it is otherwise. He thought it was fun. It was also hard to get him out of the shoe-box-top once he was in there! When we tried a couple off-angle fronts, he tried sitting beside the top instead of in it, but he got it with a little help.

Last thing we did was scent work. But it was still raining. So we did those in the stair well, same as we did the recalls. I did the easier set up first, and put the pile at the bottom of 1/2 a flight of stairs, as pictured. He was pretty distracted when he could hear one of our neighbors coming home, but no other problems there.

Once he did that set up correctly, I moved them over so that they were slightly less visible, and the pile was not directly in front of him. That was harder because when he got the correct article, the reassurance of me smiling at him was not as readily available (he had to start coming back before he got any feedback).

I made the set up a little more difficult, and put the pile at the top of a 1/2 flight of stairs. This was not quite as hard as being around the corner, but by this time, we had discovered the major disadvantage to working in the stairwell - it's hot in there! We quit after a successful set, and called it a day. Now Rugby is taking a nap before dinner time.

Ready to Ship

2011-09-05T00:08:00.000-04:00

My sister ordered new shoes, and they came in this week. She also left the box on the floor after she opened it. The long, narrow box looked like it *might* fit a Rugby-sized dog inside, so I gently lowered him in.

It fits him quite nicely.

After a few pictures and a cookie or two, I gave him the 'OK' to move. He wouldn't. I guess he liked sitting in the cozy little shoe box.

Next time Rugby acts like a pest, I can threaten to trade him in for a new pair or shoes. ha!

Puppy Overload

2011-09-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

Rugby, Cabot, Mozart (the Giant Schnauzer puppy) and Burly (the Rottweiler puppy) had an after-class play-session this morning.

We brought out the squeaky toys in hopes that the new puppy would pose for some pictures. We at least got one puppy interested, but he had to fight Rugby for it.

Mozart couldn't care less about the toy. He was more interested in sticks, and dragging Burly around by his puppy drag line. Oh well, more squeaky toy for Rugby.

Burly's puppy breath must be wearing off because Rugby played with him today, even when the squeaky toy was gone! Maybe Burly has just gotten so big that Rugby can't smell the puppy-ness from so far up. That must be it.

Approved

2011-09-02T12:59:00.000-04:00

Look what came in the mail yesterday! I applied to be a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator a few weeks ago. My application was approved, and I passed the online test. That means that Rugby can officially host his own CGC now, as long as he gets some of his friends to help.

It has been a little more than two years since Rugby got his CGC Certificate. The test was just before some of Rugby's first ever Obedience Trials. Rugby was a champ and we were able to use the test to practice the skills he would need for his Novice title. I can't believe it has been two years already!

Walnuts

2011-08-30T20:24:00.000-04:00

Rugby put in some time picking up fallen walnuts at Applewoods yesterday. He was in charge of holding the bag open while all the big dogs brought in the walnuts.

The bag turned out to be too small and Rugby went for the wheelbarrow next.

Cabot weighed in on some of the decision making too. Rugby was happy to have a second opinion. They both agreed that the walnuts should be dumped in the woods.

Rugby Sized River

2011-08-28T08:59:00.001-04:00

We ignored one of those pesky E-town signs and found a creek that we probably weren't allowed to go in. Rugby didn't even wait for us to walk down there and as soon as he spotted the creek left us to wade in the water.

My brother kept finding Rugby-sized sticks and twigs to throw in the water for him. He always ran after them, but rarely found them. He didn't catch on to the fact that they would go down-stream with the water. He kept looking for them where he thought they fell.

I guess he got fed up with the twigs because, the next thing I know, Rugby is pulling this out of the water.

THIS one he could find when we threw it for him, and he brought it back again and again. I think he liked the challenge of picking it up.

When he was done retrieving, he dragged the stick back to the beach, but didn't give it to us to throw again.

Then he did some more wading and running to cool down from all that hard work.

The creek definitely made all those 'No Pets' signs a little less depressing.

Elizabethtown, PA needs some improving

2011-08-26T22:29:00.000-04:00

We are visiting Pennsylvania again. Rugby and I have a complaint.
Elizabethtown is anti-dog. Everywhere we turn we find another "No Pets" sign, complete with the silhouette of an ugly hound dog. Some of those hounds sit isolated in the middle of the sign, and some have owners that they drag along on a leash. Or maybe that cartoon person is supposed to represent the city of Elizabethtown, holding all the resident dogs at bay.

What's going on E-town? Rugby is annoyed with you...

Scaredy Cat

2011-08-26T09:15:00.001-04:00

Rugby has been barn sitting and farm sitting with me almost all of August, at a couple different places. We were chicken/goat/horse watching this past weekend and the owner mentioned letting the chickens out to free range for a while. I didn't, mostly because I was worried about loosing one of his chickens.

When the owner came back on the last day, he let the chickens out while I was still there. I knew Rugby wouldn't chase them, but I did expect him to show some aversion to them. Much to my surprise, he didn't even notice they were out! Even when they were running past him, he just found a spot in the middle of the yard to get comfortable while they roamed around him. Rugby really IS a farm dog!

What makes it more amazing is that the week before, at a different farm, Rugby met a cat. He had met this cat before briefly, but he had to live with her for an entire week this time. He was terrified of her! At least... as terrified as Rugby gets. He would bark at her, and try his hardest to look away or hide in a corner when she got too close. We worked on it all week. After a few days, he started to tolerate her hanging around. When she would come sit on my lap, Rugby was even brave enough to lay at my feet, and occasionally stand on the couch to get a sneak sniff in.

How is it that he wouldn't care at all about the half a dozen chickens running around him, and still be wary of the cat (who pretends she is a dog)? Strange dog. :-p

Another Delivery for Rugby

2011-08-22T11:23:00.000-04:00

This time, it wasn't a Father's Day Card, but his entry to the National Obedience Invitational.

Is it too early to be nervous?

Playground Discovery

2011-08-20T01:27:00.000-04:00

We came across a rock wall/jungle gym thing on our walk yesterday. I am pretty upset that I didn't have one of these when I was younger.

Rugby jumped through the whole in the wall all by himself the first time. Then I made him do it 4 more times, until I got the timing right on my cell phone for the perfect jumping picture. Turns out, you can't really tell he is jumping anyway. Humph.

Smart or Lazy? Part II

2011-08-17T16:56:00.000-04:00

We were trying to practice go-outs in the shaded area of a local park yesterday. When I set my targets out, I didn't realize that our dowel rods look an awful lot like ALL those sticks that had fallen from the trees.

I had put two targets out, and the first one he got with no problems. The second one was just a little bit further than the first. When he was sent for that one, he dutifully went out to the point where the first target had been and scanned the ground for a couple of seconds. The target was just out of view and instead of walking a little further, he decided that this stick was close enough in diameter to the targets to be a substitute.

I praised him for being so creative but...

Should I be proud that Rugby created 'all natural' go-out sticks, or worried because he was too lazy to go six more inches to get the real one?

Blooper

2011-08-10T23:46:00.000-04:00

Rugby has been very busy lately. Just this past weekend we were at an Obedience match trying to see just how much stamina we have. On our first run of the day, I set out our go-out targets to make up for the fact that we have not been practicing like we should. The go-out sticks are supposed to be hidden in the grass, and they usually are. There isn't much I can do to hid them when we are working on rubber mats though, making this set up particularly easy.

For whatever reason, Rugby decided that the go-out sticks belonged to someone else. When he didn't immediately go to them, I waited without giving him the sit command to force him to pick up one of the sticks and return. At least that is what I thought would happen.

Instead...

So creative.

Wrong Way, Rugby

2011-07-25T21:32:00.000-04:00

At least he gave up his camouflage. Now they can see him well enough to avoid stepping on him.

Obedience Demonstration

2011-07-24T11:13:00.000-04:00

Rugby and I helped out at the event Applewoods Dog Training hosted yesterday. We even did an demo during one of the breaks in the Canine Good Citizen Evaluation. I brought Milk-bones out and placed them on the stumps that line the training ring, then sent Rugby to pick them up. I used our Directed Jumping signals to move him from stump to stump.

There is a video up of the demos on the Applewoods blog if you are interested..
http://applewoodsdogtraining.blogspot.com/2011/07/dog-fest-review.html

Also, Diesel the GSD got his CGC Certificate at the event! It was a fun day!

Becoming Stealth

2011-07-23T18:07:00.000-04:00

The act of becoming camouflage requires the assistance of a Doberman puppy. First, I let the puppy practice pouncing, then jumping away from Rugby. It looks something like this -

Once the puppy has a few pounce/jump sequences under his belt, the Doberman gets closer and closer to Rugby. Eventually he leaves almost no room, and the big SPLASH he causes will coat Rugby with river water.

Wet Rugby hair is perfect for accumulating dirt, as long as you go where the dirt it. Rugby moves back to shore and Caesar followed to help with that part too.

After just a little bit of playing, Rugby starts to fade into the background. Soon, Rugby will be a completely brown dog.

That's all it takes! Just go find yourself a Doberman puppy and you will have a camo dog in no time!

The Maltese Wilderness Survival Guide

2011-07-21T22:44:00.000-04:00

Camouflage is apparently a small, fluffy, white dog's best friend when fending for himself in the wild. If you look close, you can see Rugby in this picture from our trip to Riverfront Park.

Amusement

2011-07-18T20:23:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago, Rugby went with the whole family to an amusement park that allowed dogs. It wasn't quite big enough to be a real 'theme park' so we kept referring to it as a carnival on steroids.

Rugby was a trooper and lasted all day long with us at the park. He wasn't much interested in riding any of the roller coasters, but did a good job of hanging onto the tickets with mom while the rest of us did.

Pizza was his favorite part. While we waited in line, I had him jumping back and forth between the railings. I tried to take a picture but forgot to check the camera setting first and they didn't turn out. Bummer.

This giant pirate was about the only guy in the whole entire park that didn't want to pet Rugby. What a relief! I had a hard time getting Rugby to leave him. haha

He was exhausted after all the activity and slept the rest of the day. Good boy, Rugby!