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Skating on Thick Ice
2007-03-03 19:25:00
The main topics of conversation around here have been centering on the weather. Last weekend we had another fun bout of rain, sleet, ice, and snow to top it all off. Yesterday was just snow and a lot of wind. (Yes, we live outside of Chicago and they tell me it's not called the "Windy City" because of the wind, but you can't prove it by me.) Even though we got only an inch or so of snow, the wind drifted all of it on the sidewalks. So, I shovelled about 8 inches of snow today in a couple of spots! What snow remained on the grassy areas is covering ice. Lots of ice. Poor Ceilidh. She walks on her tiptoes when it's cold out and just slides around on the ice. It's very difficult to get down to business when your legs are coming out from under you. So she has to find a little snow to get some footing. And Ceilidh's the only one of our bunch that will tolerate her coat when it's above 20 degrees. The picture of Ceilidh above was taken in the fall, in her new coat.
More About: Skat , Skating

Just go to your room!
2007-02-28 19:12:00
I had to put Roc in a "time out" last night in class.It's a fundamental rule of dog training that you should never, ever work with your dog when you're angry, frustrated or upset. Especially when it's your dog that's making you angry, frustrated and upset.Which Roc was doing last night in class. He was paying absolute attention to everyone in class but me. He was visiting, mooching, being generally impossible. So I left the ring and put Roc in his crate for a while. He's always said "hello" to all his friends, but until last night I've been able to get his mind back on business.His timing is particularly bad, since we have obedience trials on both Saturday and Sunday. I really wanted to get some practise in. After Open class was over I went and got Roc and asked him if he wanted to work. And he did! He was attentive and precise and adorable. The cooling-off period seemed to work for both of us.
More About: Just , Your , Room

Puppy lust
2007-02-27 19:51:00
Why is it that the sight of a new puppy automatically sparks the "I WANT ONE" attitude in me? I can look at human babies entirely dispassionately - I think they're wonderful and adorable and, generally speaking, I'm very, very glad they're not mine. But this: I cannot resist. I WANT ONE!!!
More About: Puppy , Lust

Going Visiting!
2007-02-23 21:31:00
The one thing that I've continually stated as the reason for my taking Ceilidh (Boston Terrier) to Agility class is to improve her focus. She's better than she used to be, but Ceilidh's attention wanders, to say the least. Last night was no exception. In fact, Ceilidh was a little more scatter-brained that usual, if that's possible. She was endlessly fascinated by every spot on the floor - and there are a lot, since the mats are speckled! Occasionally she is rewarded by a treat that one of the Beginners in the class before us missed, so that just reinforces her Hoovering behavior. Actually, Ceilidh's runs were not bad, all things considered. She even completed the teeter-totter a couple of times. That's her latest bugaboo equipment. (Ceilidh's phobias go in phases, kind of like the moon. A while ago it was the A-Frame, then the weave poles, now it's the teeter.) Anyway, toward the end of class the run led toward a row of chairs where some class members waiting to take their ...
More About: Visi , Visit , Going , Goin

It seemed like a good idea at the time
2007-02-22 20:48:00
I thought I was so darn smart. Not so much, as it turns out.Dax was so very happy and into tugging with her celery rib in agility class that I wanted to translate that into something I actually wouldn't mind carrying in the back pocket of my jeans. Not that chewed-on, limp celery isn't delightful to sit on. But it's really not.So I put my thinking cap on and came up with an idea so incredibly insightful that I almost broke my arm patting myself on the back. I took some strips of fleece, braided them together, soaked them in strained V-8 juice (she likes vegetables, not fruit) and let it drip-dry over the laundry tubs. Roc loved it! When I tossed it down on the floor he was writhing in ecstasy all over it. Golly ignored it, Ceilidh got this look on her face that said "I just don't get it," and Dax tugged on it ferociously! I was joyous! My dog was tugging!Then I took it to class last week. Dax looked at me like I was out of my mind. She'd never seen it before, she certainly woul...
More About: Time , Idea , Seem , Good , Like

The lengths we'll go to...
2007-02-19 23:15:00
Dog training, especially when you have a "non-traditional" performance breed, can stretch your creativity to its limits. And acting on the ideas you come up with can get you labelled a kook or a genius, depending on your success.This winter I started taking Dax (my French Bulldog) to agility classes. One of the basics in agility is to make it fun for your dog and keep your dog's focus on you and the task at hand. One way is to get your dog to play with you - especially by tugging on a toy. That's a challenge for us. Dax rarely tugs anything. Never in public. So, I had to get creative. Dee, our instructor (and Nancy, her assistant) pulled out all the suggestions they could come up with - from rubber milking machine inserts (fresh off the farm) to socks stuffed with food. Nothing worked for Dax. What can I say? She's shy about tugging in public. So I put my thinking cap on. What does Dax love more than anything in the world? Oddly enough, the answer is vegetables. She goes ape for ...

I'm "it" - Why I blog
2007-02-17 16:14:00
Renee of Small Dogs Paradise and Aquarium Fish Wonders (just an animal lover!) has tagged me! My very first tag! And the topic? Why do I blog?I took a while to think about that question. At first, it was, in all honesty, mostly a marketing thing - to get the word out about our shop. But now, almost a year later, that's not really a factor anymore.I blog to connect with others with the same interests (read obsessions). I've met some terrific people and while my blogroll grows, so does my circle of friends. And that's what the internet is best at - bringing people together. None of us has to feel alone now. Whatever you're "into," you can find like-minded people to share your life with. And when the winter is getting to you (I'm now officially sick of it) and you don't feel like going out and doing much of anything, you can still connect with your friends from the comfort and warmth of home. So that's why I blog. To form connections, to meet friends, and to share my dog obsess...
More About: Blog

Back in the Deep Freeze
2007-02-16 22:34:00
Man, it's cold out there! I know it's still winter, and it's supposed to be cold and snowy, but this is ridiculous. The "normal" temperature for this time of year is supposed to be the mid-30's (fahrenheit). According to the little weather.com desktop icon on my screen it's 17 degrees right now, 3:30 pm. I don't think it's going into the 20s like they said. Poor dogs. It's bad enough for us. I have three or four layers on (I lose count) and put on another layer plus boots, gloves and hat when I venture outside. I think we've mentioned before that the dogs don't like getting dressed. But it's too cold for them not to wear their coats, so we torture them by putting coats on and then throw them out into the cold! And since the snow the other day there are limited open spaces in the back yard. (I'm sure you know for what purpose.) We did clear spots, and the wind drifted the snow away from other spots, but the dogs look at us accusingly when they can't go in their favored s...
More About: Free , Back , Deep , Freeze , Deep Freeze

Is it finally sinking in?
2007-02-14 23:24:00
The winter storm finally passed - by noon today it was a magnificent winter day. Crisp air, sun shining, glittering white snow on the ground. If more winter days would look like this afternoon, I wouldn't even consider becoming a snowbird in my old age. But that's not really what I wanted to talk about today. Roc and I are seriously getting ready to compete in Open obedience and we have a full schedule in the next month - three matches and five Obedience Trials. I'm learning to just let go and have fun with my dog at these events. And it seems to be working! At the match we were in last Sunday my boy was terrific! He did all the exercises (except for dropping the dumbbell to inspect the leaf that looked like a cookie on the ground), heeled like a champ, did his sits and stays! And this was after waiting around for three and a half hours to go in the ring. I'm really happy that our present training seems to be sinking in to his little Griffie hardhead.
More About: Final , Finally , King , Fina , Ally

Stormy weather
2007-02-13 19:15:00
It's not much fun driving in the Chicago area today. The wind is blowing so hard that the drifts start piling up against the door as soon as we finish shovelling.We cancelled training classes for tonight. This is why. Believe it or not, the snowplows have already been by a couple of times and this is a major road. It's just not a nice day.
More About: Weather , Storm , Stor , Stormy , Stormy Weather

Studious Pups
2007-02-09 21:39:00
Among other things here at Golly Gear, I'm the web designer. I don't claim to be an expert or have all the answers to the problems that present themselves - I'm self-taught, with the addition of a couple of online courses offered by the local community college. I try to keep up with news in the field, and the latest best practices as best I can. So if something is mentioned more than a couple of times I pay attention, even if it means a nasty future total redesign. I had the opportunity to take an online seminar on just such a topic on Wednesday, my day off (is there really a day off when you own your own business?). I took the dogs out twenty minutes before the seminar was scheduled to begin (that's how long it takes for all the coats, boots, mittens, etc.) and was comfortably ensconced in front of our home PC with my water for dry throat coughs at hand.And Ceilidh (Boston Terrier) decided she wanted to be nowhere but in my lap. OK, fine. I log in and fumble with the speakers. ...
More About: Studio , Pups

What a good girl!
2007-02-08 19:53:00
Golly is Fran's dog. Completely. Brussels Griffons are a "velcro" breed - you never have to look for your Griff, because she's always at your side. I never have to look for Roc, Fran never has to look for Golly. It's just the way it is.On a rather routine exam, the vet discovered that Golly, now 11 years old, had significantly high blood pressure. Which was contributing to a host of other issues. It was imperative that we get it under control - quickly. So we started her on some meds and committed to taking her in once a week for re-checks.Week after week, no joy in Mudville. Her blood pressure stayed dangerously high and even getting a decent reading was becoming difficult - Golly didn't understand what was going on and didn't like it one little bit. So, we began practicing at home - I would play doctor and fake the bp cuff with a bit of cloth while Fran steadied her and offered treats.The good news is - it worked! Golly's bp, with an accurate reading, is under control and sh...
More About: What , Hat , Girl , Good , T A G

Truly lovelorn
2007-02-07 17:20:00
Last night at training Roc's girlfriend (Charlee the Yorkshire Terrier) wasn't there. Perfectly understandable, since the wind chill factor around here is well below zero degrees Fahrenheit and she's a tiny, itty-bitty little thing. Not to mention the inches of snow that made driving an adventure.So, without his adoring audience Roc entirely forgot absolutely everything he knows and shone in the exercises that haven't been his strong suit. All of a sudden he has no idea what "down" means, but heels like a Golden Retriever. I'll take the heeling. I love it when we're in sync like that. And I'm hoping that everything else falling apart right now means that we have time to put it back together before the National Specialty next month. But after such a frustrating session, it's a bit hard to remember we do this because it's fun.
More About: Love

We kudda watched the Puppy Bowl
2007-02-06 19:44:00
Considering the outcome of the Super Bowl - we should have, too.
More About: Watch , Puppy , Puppy Bowl

Boston Terrier for sale
2007-01-31 23:43:00
I've started seriously reconsidering the whole "housebroken" thing. I'm really starting to see the advantage of permanently paper-training dogs. Not that we have anywhere in the house that could be devoted to "piddle pads," or that we'd really want to deal with them.On the other hand, I wouldn't be awakened at 2:30 a.m. by a Boston Terri er Who Shall Remain Nameless (I'm lying - it was Ceilidh) scratching at my door because she really, really had to go out. Because Heaven Forfend she should actually go out when I told her to before bedtime. Noooooooooooooooooooooooo. Because at 11 p.m. when we went to bed it was a balmy 10 degrees F. And at 2:30 a.m. it was 89 million degrees below zero. And she simply cannot go out into the cold, cruel world by herself.I really do love the little beast. But sometimes I wonder why.
More About: For Sale , Sale , Boston Terrier

Dress rehearsal
2007-01-30 19:40:00
Roc and I went to a Fun Match last Sunday - preparing for our upcoming National Specialty Obedience Trial. He got his Novice title at the Specialty Show three years ago, one of only seven dogs entered in the trial. Brussels Griffons are not really known as an obedience breed.We had a great time on Sunday - he stuck the Long Sit and Long Down like a champ. A friend said he tensed up; with excitement, not fear, only when I poked my head out of the room we were hiding in to see how he was doing. Roc's biggest problem in obedience is me - my stride is too long, my shoulder swings back, I heel too wide around the post. At least I remembered to wear my "heeling shoes." He's much closer to me when we heel when I wear them. I got some good advice last week from a guest instructor at training class: shut up and let your dog do his job. He knows what he's doing. That's true. The question is - do I?
More About: Hear , Dress , Ears