Training Porter

[bonefinder]

Happy New Year to All,
Thought I'd dash in and provide a quick update on Porter. As Janis
mentioned, we try to meet with everybody once or so a month on
Sundays. It's so hard to get everybody together at the same time. One
of my ( and Suzanne's) goals it to have both intact male dogs together
more and be accepting of each other. We have never pushed the envelope
because Suzanne's male Malinois was a pup. They interacted well when
Bumper was a youngster ( under 6 months) but they haven't had alot of
interaction since then, mostly because we never seem to make it to the
same training sessions. Bumper is getting closer to a year old now. As
always, we want to set the dogs up for success.

It is hard to believe Porter will be 3 years old in March. Where did
the time go? He has provide me such pleasure and fun. We have goals
lined up for 2011 and have already started working on them. I want to
get his CD, his RE, his WAC ( working aptitude certificate) and his
Schutzhund A title. We are joining the Centennial Schutzhund Club in
January where we have been training for the last month or so. It's a
good fit for us. I stopped Schutzhund for almost six months but wanted
to return.

He should have his CD by now already but we had issues with him
breaking the long down. He has matured nicely and doing a long down
now seems to be less difficult and he takes it more in stride. He's
less silly and more serious now. His attention span is better as well.
The rest of the routine is a piece of cake. His heel is a thing of
beauty. Already, we've gotten a "taste" of the obedience ring
animosity from other entrants, which really took me by surprise. It's
a DOG SHOW, PEOPLE!

We have spent some quality time working on scent projects,
particularly at the archeologic level. We spent time in September
working the Toltec Mounds in Little Rock, Arkansas and next month,
five of us are meeting in northeastern Mississippi to work a variety
of burial mounds going back to 200 AD.
I finally got up the courage, just last week, to send out a letter to
all sheriff departments as well as Colorado Bureau of Investigations
to advise them of Porter's certification in human remains detection,
as well as a bio of him and myself. I got a call the very next day
from CBI with some questions and was told they will definitely keep
this information handy. To my knowledge, he is the only certified HRD/
Cadaver dog in Colorado, which seems so strange since SAR is so
popular here.

Next June, over 30 of us will meet in Leadville, Colorado to do a
training seminar for historic level working dogs. People are coming
from California, Washington, three east coast states and just about
everywhere in between. The response to this project was overwhelming.

I am starting to have thoughts of adding a second dog, in the back of
my mind. I don't want to do it until early 2012. Don't know what I'll
get. I miss our Whippets terribly, as does Rick. I could surely enjoy
another Doberman but there still are some other breeds out there I
enjoy and would like to own, like a Giant Schnauzer. Who knows? Much
depends on the search and recovery path the next year or two. If I
stay in this for the long haul, I'll want another dog to be trained in
scent detection, and we KNOW that isn't going to be a Whippet!

Pat, I really and truly am going to show up on your doorstep sometime
in the future. I'd love to come to your weekday class. Does Tammy
still come with Noah? I think of her and Elliot often, and of course
Ruby, Dennis, Chris, everybody else. I keep forgetting to ask you
( and Ruby, you can answer this as well) but how old is Y Lee now? He
is just an amazing creature.

Best wishes for a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year for all.
Bonnie

[Linda H]

At 12/27/201003:14 PM, you wrote:
Hi Bonnie,

It has been nice to hear about your success with Porter. I'm looking forward to reading about his first real life call-out for HRD.

Already, we've gotten a "taste" of the obedience ring animosity from other entrants, which really took me by surprise.

I'm surprised to hear that too. I haven't experienced anything except friendliness or indifference (not in any offensive way, just people who are intensely concentrating on what they are doing) in the obedience trials around here. What is the source of the animosity?

Linda

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Check out 'A is for Airedale,' the 2010 Airedale Rescue
Quilt at http://www.airedalequilt.org. Maybe this is your
year to take it home :-).

[bonefinder]

>> I'm surprised to hear that too. I haven't experienced anything except
> friendliness or indifference (not in any offensive way, just people
> who are intensely concentrating on what they are doing) in the
> obedience trials around here. What is the source of the animosity?>>

If I were young and "new" to anything dog shows......I would have
cried. I'm OLD and not new to dog shows, so I just chucked it up to
the usual. Nobody knew me from Adam. i haven't been in an AKC ring
( minus earthdog) in about 12 years.

I received a variety of odd/rude comments.......'your kennel is too
close to mine, her dog was touching her leg in the ring- I saw it; you
can't be anywhere NEAR the ring before the event starts" and a host
more of dirty looks and a snide comment or two. I admit guilt being
near "THE" ring before hand.......24 hours before hand. I had no idea,
at that point, it was not allowed. A competitor was MORE than happy to
point that out, and it was not in a friendly way. One other RN
competitor was clearly pissed when Porter took first place.
Let me also say there were some very NICE people there as well.
Another Doberman person was as nice as can be, and I did see a couple
of old friends. Aside from that, it was all about the competition. I
didn't feel alot of love.

Frankly, Porter is HEAD AND SHOULDERS better than virtually ANY other
dog I saw in obedience those few days. He just needs fine tuning. I
had judges gushing over him, literally turning up ringside the next
day just to watch, offering advice and opinions afterwards. All
commented on the extraordinary relationship I had with him which
frankly, I did not see in a number of other dogs. Was this the reason
for snide comments? Dunno.

Most of the other dogs were working for bribery/food. The RN/RE ring
was really grim, frankly. Most of the dogs out there did NOT WANT to
be there. Most of the others were there simply to please the owner.
One or two were really enjoying themselves and having fun. Isn't this
supposed to be FUN for both the dog and the owner? It was surreal.
Maybe it was just an odd series of shows.
Bonnie

[LH]

Bonnie,

Great update! Time flies.

You know, I am not surprised that you might be observing or hearing
some things from other competitors. It happens all the time. And if
you have good hearing, you hear it! Just one note that you might want
to consider- be sure to compliment others, even those who are
struggling, on something, (people will remember you positively for
that!) and be a bit humble :) Perhaps you are threatening and oh my,
stealing "their" ribbons, LOL! Some competitors get very serious, and
they want to win. I know several. Anything less than a perfect, or
near-perfect, score is a terrible performance.

When I showed Parker in obedience at an Airedale club-sponsored trial,
when I was IN THE RING, I could
hear some chitchatty, busybody old ladies commenting on Parker... "who
is that bitch in the ring? she has the lowest back
I've ever seen... she should be spayed!". Oh man, it really echoed in
the big highceilinged building! My poor mother, who was visiting me
and sitting at ringside, was appalled. Yeah, Parker was looking a bit
uncertain, like an old hangdog, because it was her first time in the
ring, and what was this stand-for-exam thing!?

A few years ago, I showed my ponies at a breed show. My mare had
given me a heck of a time in the under-saddle classes. She was keyed
up, and her canter was... rather... fast. She was unresponsive to
"slow down" cues, so I made a decision not to struggle and went with
it- and got up out of the saddle into 2-point because it was just too
hard to sit that unrelaxed gait the entire time. Later that day,
watching the youth classes, a young rider did the same thing on her
fast pony. 2 experienced exhibitors made a comment that the position
was wrong, and "someone else had been doing it in the morning
classes". I couldn't help it, I laughed out loud, and told the
exhibitors that it was me. They were embarassed.

Set-up areas can be a source of tension, that's for sure. I try
really hard not to set up near people who have barking dogs- that
irritates me to no end and unsettles Carter the Lakeland in a big
way. I look for people who have quiet dogs, or people I know. I try
to look for some space, and make sure I bring towels or a light
blanket to hang over my crates to create some peace and separation.
I've had people move my set-up, without asking, to make room for their
friends.

I suspect that some of the lack of teamsmanship you are seeing is that
the handler falls apart, gets nervous, and then the dog thinks that
something must really be wrong! A lot of handlers lack confidence,
and their body language reflects it. They bend over, crumple up, drop
their shoulder back, etc. It is challenging for many to train for the
busy, chaotic show environment.

In a few weeks, I'll be stewarding for a rally trial- oh boy, are
there some crazy and bad things going on in the ring! People bribing,
begging and cajoling their scared, nervous and shutdown dogs to
continue. But, some really good stuff, too.

Do you have any videos of your performances to share? I'd love to see
them. You've done a lot of work with a good working dog, and it
shows.

Lisa

p.s. From what I've seen of the Giant Schnauzers in the performance
ring out here, I'd think really hard before choosing a dog of that
breed! They are attractive, but far too many timid, spooky or
aggressive specimens. The Standard Schnauzers seem much more stable
working dogs.

[Sara Peterka]

Bonnie,

It sounds like everything is going great for you and Porter.

About the competition ring....It is what it is, people sometimes don't even realize how rude they are being, and intimidation is definitely a way to lessen a competitors performance.

It is the nature of competing.

I hope you enjoy it and learn to not even hear what "those" people are saying.

Sara

[bonefinder]

Lisa and Sara,
Lisa, I understand your points about Giants. Guess I see alot of
aggressive, spooked and timid Dobermans too. So much is in the way
they are raised and for sure, there is a genetic component. They are
HEALTHIER than Dobes though. I had not considered a Standard and that
is worth a thought. I must confess I LOVE the short coated breeds,
care wise. I haven't even ruled out a Weimaraner or Viszla.....did I
just SAY THAT????

The show scene.........I learned alot those few shows. First off, it
was a big mistake to enter both Rally and Obedience. I am, essentially
an "old" newbie. It was not my bag running ringside to ringside,
fretting over conflicts. I have learned my lesson on that. Yes, my
ears are big and it is hard to NOT hear many comments. If I were 25 or
30 and new to AKC, I would crumple on the floor. I just take it in
stride.

Lisa, it really is my nature to "make friends" ring side.....must be
the sporting dog in me. ha ha. This was SO new to me, I hardly even
knew what the heck to do or where to go. Heck, who else but a novice
would stop by the ring the night before just to let your dog know what
it would be like? MY BAD! Most of the people entered were "old hands."
Many of them, I'd recognized from just being at shows over the years.
You could pick out the "serious contenders", the ones there for the
1st place ribbons, and painfully, you could pick out the folks who
just wanted to do something fun with their dogs........crouched over
and egging their dog on to the next station.......trying to get them
back on course, pretending they had food, etc.

I guess I am very naive, even at the age of 60. I expected a couple of
folks to come up to ME, seeing that I was new to the scene. That did
not happen. Fortunately, I had some friends running around to stop by
and "check in." I sure did love seeing them,especially Suzanne!
Now that I have my feet wet, and a better idea of what I want to do
in 2011, I can be MUCH more relaxed. I love talking with folks and I
hope I see a few familiar faces whom I can befriend.

In any event, I've got my game face on and I AM GOING TO HAVE FUN!
Bonnie

[bonefinder]

>> Do you have any videos of your performances to share?  I'd love to see
> them.  You've done a lot of work with a good working dog, and it>>

Oops. Forgot to answer. The only videos I have are from when we were
really learning the basic BH training. Rick took some that I saved.
They are nearly painful to watch now.....not so much of Porter, but
ME! Gosh, I looked stupid out there.
I do need to do more recent videos. Bonnie

[Janis Moore]

So Hey I have the Flash Drive we could take some at the next MIM
class; if you want.

I have to add that I gave up on the over competition folks and some
of the rude comments I still get about Maggie NOT being a Chinese
Crested. If you just leave it, then the right people will eventually
come around. Suzanne, Cookie and Kitty made agility fun for me and
Jamie. Maggie is doing great and I pick on most of the people that
deny she is a Crested by simply walking away. Maggie is doing so well
and having so much fun, who cares; she has her PAL from AKC.

I agree that supporting people that are struggling and new is
important. I try to do that as often as I can. It is more fun in
agility now days, seems like there are more men competing and there
are more people in my age group going. Cheering them on is fun and
important to all of us.

Janis

[Linda H]

At 12/28/201012:31 PM, you wrote:

p.s. From what I've seen of the Giant Schnauzers in the performance ring out here, I'd think really hard before choosing a dog of that breed!  They are attractive, but far too many timid, spooky or aggressive specimens.  The Standard Schnauzers seem much more stable working dogs.

I have to agree with this. I haven't been impressed with the Giants I've known, but the Standards have been great. I imagine there are some kennels out there doing a good job, but I would be very careful.

Linda H

[Pat Rock]

Bonnie, have you ever considered a German Wirehaired Pointer?  They have a bit of the working dog personality (I believe there is some Schnauzer behind them) plus the well bred ones are clowns that love to please.  And nose work comes naturally.

[LH]

I have been impressed by the Standard Schnauzers here in NorCal.
There are quite a few that seem to be in both the breed ring and
performance.
Really nice dogs. I can honestly say that the breed is tempting!

Lisa

[LH]

Bonnie,

Yeah, I think if you find a few folks and ask them questions, you will
find
some who will "adopt" you and give you nice tips. Some might be
overly
helpful, but that's ok too- it makes people feel good to be helpful
and appreciated!

I agree with you- entering both Rally and Obedience on the same day
can be
awfully stressful! For some reason, I've had it happen that both
Novice A and
Rally Novice required me to be in the ring at the same time- even with
different
start times for the classes, the way that the rings ran and time
stretched put
them into direct conflict! I've skipped Rally walk-throughs.

I don't like running from ring to ring, either. Sometimes, ring
stewards are really
awesome, and sometimes, even with the sweetest "please" and "help" and
"what
do I do", ouch! Yeah, all ring stewards are volunteers, and I am
sometimes a
steward myself, so I understand the potential stress from both sides.

Lisa

On Dec 28, 10:08 pm, bonefinder <bonefin...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Lisa and Sara,

> The show scene.........I learned alot those few shows. First off, it
> was a big mistake to enter both Rally and Obedience. I am, essentially
> an "old" newbie. It was not my bag running ringside to ringside,
> fretting over conflicts. I have learned my lesson on that. Yes, my
> ears are big and it is hard to NOT hear many comments. If I were 25 or
> 30 and new to AKC, I would crumple on the floor. I just take it in
> stride.
>
>

[Pat Muller]

...ahhh yes, competition and dog shows.

Bonnie

Keeping a good balance is so very important and you can bet that those
hard core competitive people have a very limited focus. They have ONE
priority and do not see value in anything else except the "prize" they
are focused on.

As long as you go home with the dog you like the best, you have won no
matter what anyone else thinks.

Enjoy all the things you do with your boy
and pity "them" for being so limited

Pat

[bonefinder]

Pat R, Pat, Lisa, Linda, Others,
You always provide such great info. A German Wirehaired Pointer?
Anything is possible. The nice thing about THAT breed is I could
pretend the dog is a terrier
( beard) but no grooming to speak of! ha ha. Never say never, I tell
myself.

A Standard Schnauzer, frankly, I have never considered. We have a
couple of TOP SHELF Standard breeders in Colorado. I sure would love
the size. Have any of you seen them do serious competition? It would
be a very interesting choice. I will remember that.

I am just going to peck away at the long down, sit, stand for exam
( he really hates that) and figure out in late January whether I will
go for a CD at the February shows or his RA. If I could just memorize
those darned signs, he'll have all his rally titles in two seconds.
*I* am the problem! ha ha.

I want to add that any "love" I felt at the shows were actually in the
obedience ring, NOT rally. Might be coincidence.

Pat M., yes, going home with a balanced dog at the end of the day is
really all that matters to me. All this AKC stuff has been icing on
the cake and I refuse to let it be anything but fun, for BOTH of us.

On a different note, if anybody is planning to come to TOPS ( Terriers
Only Performance Summit) next year, I am going to spend the weekend
there. Obviously, no dog to enter but I am going to volunteer
ringside. Should be fun. Bonnie

[bonefinder]

<< Sometimes, ring
> stewards are really
> awesome, and sometimes, even with the sweetest "please" and "help" and
> "what
> do I do", ouch!  Yeah, all ring stewards are volunteers, and I am
> sometimes a
> steward myself, so I understand the potential stress from both sides.>>

Oops, Lisa....forgot to comment on this. The ring stewards were
absolutely FANTASTIC, every day, every event. They made my day. Bonnie

[Linda H]

At 12/30/201012:35 AM, you wrote:

A German Wirehaired Pointer? Anything is possible. The nice thing about THAT breed is I could pretend the dog is a terrier

We track with a German Wirehaired Pointer. She has a great nose and is very talented - she certified for entering TD tests after only a few tracking sessions. But she has had problems at tests because she is very birdy and gets distracted. She was trained as a bird dog before even starting to track people, which undoubtedly contributed to that problem - she is also a champion and a field trial champion. Really nice dog.

[LH]

Hi Bonnie,

I mentioned earlier that I see a number of Standard Schnauzers that
are in the performance
ring here in NorCal. I'm not sure what you mean by "do serious
competition", but the dog is
what you put into it. Most of the Standards are moderately serious
working dogs, and I've only
seen one that was bouncy or playful (but even that had an edge of
seriousness to it). That particular
owner was somewhat less competent or less dog-savvy. The dogs
generally seem confident and quiet.

You'll find "love" in Rally, too... Some of the top competitors who
want the ribbons are those who have
crossed over from the obedience ring, and they do get the wins because
they have good heeling and
handling skills.

As far as your long sits/downs, go back to working them on 2 lines/2
collars. Set up Porter with a line
that connects to something above him, like a tree branch- that would
catch him by surprise, and you wouldn't
be correcting him or going back to him. Just put him back into
situations where he can't make a mistake for a
month or two- break the cycle.

Lisa

[LMcCain]

I rescued a Standard Schnauzer from an abuse situation and while she
was totally unsocialized and terrified of people, she never threatened
to bite or growled. She came around and became one of the nicest
dogs! She was adopted out by Pat. Once she came around, she seemed
to be a very trainable dog that was eager to learn and please. One
amazing thing is that she never once messed in the house while she was
here - not once...and she came from a kennel situation and was
FILTHY. If I add a larger dog again, a Standard Schnauzer is very
appealing to me.

Lynn

[Pat Muller]

Hi

You guys are doing great without me, "Good Job!"

Between the holidays, Lynn's visit, my writing assignments, the new
web site development and working with all these dogs, I have not spent
much time on the computer.

Lynn got me signed up for everything possible and I can honestly say,
I don't love it.

I have made myself check out face book at lease once each day. I
began reading about stuff and quickly shut it down. I then sent Lisa
a happy birthday email, called Nancy and have talked to Janis, Lynn
and Sara on the phone.

It is going to take me some time to think of face book as "my friend."

Anyway, Standard Schnauzers are very nice family dogs. They can be a
bit stubborn, mouthy and opinionated, but nice dogs none the less. I
personally would not want to permanently keep one. If I am going to
live with a working dog temperament, for me, I would choose a Doberman
or Rottie.

I look at Std. Schnauzers like Shelties. They want to- but can't.

They are both great breeds but are not really capable doing the BIG
Working Dog jobs.

Speaking of working dogs, guess what I have? She is big and classy,
black with red points. I have raised her since she was a puppy and
many of you have met her.... Hmmmmm, what dog could I be talking
about?

I am headed down the the training building, if I do not get back here;
Happy New Year everyone.


Pat

[LH]

Pat,

I have a much higher opinion of the Standard Schnauzer based on what
I've seen- so much steadier and "working" in mindset than the Giant
Schnauzers
we see out here. I really couldn't compare the Standard to a Sheltie,
many of which
do seem "toylike"; the Miniature Schnauzers would seem a more
equivalent to Sheltie,
in that attitude.

So, it sounds like Glory is back... maybe you could send her to me :)

Lisa

[Pat Muller]

Hi Lisa

I have a very high opinion of Std. Schnauzers, I said I think they are
very nice family dogs. Yes, Glory is back and IF you were thinking of
dogs to represent the working group (educating people using dogs)
which one best represents the working dogs PLUS gets along and
compliments the terriers the best?

Remember, I use my pack to simulate human society. Std. Schnauzers
are not strong enough to be the Working representative in my pack, the
Doberman is; and that is the reason I make the choices I do.

I like a lot of dogs but that does not mean that breed would be a good
fit.

Later

Pat

[Linda H]

At 12/31/201007:27 AM, you wrote:

I look at Std. Schnauzers like Shelties.  They want to- but can't.

They are both great breeds but are not really capable doing the BIG
Working Dog jobs.

This makes me think of the way I describe Airedales - big enough to do the job, small enough to handle. Though Punch is giving me pause in that regard. He's turning into the biggest Airedale I have had. Good thing he's willing to work with me, but holding onto the tracking line hurts my hands, even with gloves. He really wants to charge down the track!

Happy New Year,

[bajagirl]

Happy New Year to everyone! Ours began in the deep freeze
(minus 30 windchills Friday into Saturday), but at least it's
sunny today and no more snow for awhile!
I agree with Linda--Airedales would be my choice for a good
all round working dog with a well developed sense of humor
and devotion. I bet a nice female would make a superlative
companion and would compliment Mr. Porter very nicely.
Airedales have phenomenal noses and can deal with the
challenging terrain. Plus they have the terrier persistence.
Of course, I'm very partial to 'dales and to my lakies.
Jo-Lynn Hefferman

> Quilt athttp://www.airedalequilt.org. Maybe this is your

[bonefinder]

>> I have a much higher opinion of the Standard Schnauzer based on what
> I've seen- so much steadier and "working" in mindset than the Giant
> Schnauzers
> we see out here.  >>

Lisa, before we owned our Rottie, we had the breed narrowed down to a
Giant Schnauzer or a Rottie. Rick really did not want a GS. I did. We
opted for a Rottie and didn't regret it. I'd have one again except
they SHED LIKE CRAZY. I read alot about GS's though and my dear friend
is the national rescue coordinator and you can be sure she knows
everybody. She has shown/finished Giants as well. There are some
commercial operators/breeders of Giants in California........breeders
with very big reputations and famous dogs. If I got a GS, it would not
be a California dog. I'll leave it at that.

Of Standards, I know absolutely nothing, but I must say that I really
like a short coat.

JoLynn, long time.....no see. Maybe at the Plum Creek shows?

Airedales........now I don't stand a chance commenting anything
negative on a Dale, do I? I can only go by what I see. I work, pretty
regularly, with my friend Jim and his Airedales. They are a perfect
fit for him but I have to describe him as a masochist when it comes to
training scent dogs. He has owned at least five Airedales, from
varying pedigrees and backgrounds. They have all been quite different.
The two he has now ( actually, he has three but the third is a rescue
dog) are very different. One dog is from farm stock ( 3 years old) and
the other is from performance/ agility stock ( 1 year old, or close).
Both males. Jim is a SUPERB trainer ( scent training and nose work)
and he is able to bring out the best in his dogs. For me, it is too
much work, what he has to do. I just haven't seen an Airedale ( yet,
anyway) that has the drive for endurance in the scent world. Surely,
it is in their genetic component ( Otterhound etc.) but I just haven't
seen it and I don't know anybody else, aside from Jim, who works
Airedales in scent work. Ok.....ok.......get the bats out. Smack me
good.

I'm going to be hard pressed to not get another Doberman to do this
work. They don't need grooming either. I just like to leave my options
open. Pat, is Miss Glory looking for a new home?

Speaking of scent work......Sara, what's the update on training your
Lakie as a drug dog?

Anyway, training Porter has been a real pleasure. He makes me look so
good, and I'm NOT that good.
Bonnie

[Sara Peterka]

----- "bonefinder" <bonef...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Speaking of scent work......Sara, what's the update on training your
> Lakie as a drug dog?
>

Update on training for scentwork....well, Goodie went back to work as a showdog. My assistant trainer (foster daughter) got her own dog and decided training dogs was not her "cup of tea".

Now, I have time for scent training, but we've got 3 ft of snow on the ground with a crust on it from the rain we had, plus that, most of our days have not had highs above the single digits. I'm just sayin...Not exactly fun to play outside!

Sara

[Pat Muller]

Oh Sara

Speaking of new avenues and talents...

Lucy has taken on a new responsibility, she has become a Doberman
Trainer.

Often, Zee is tied to one end of the futon and Glory is tied to the
other. Glory has an antler to chew on and every person or dog that
comes in that room has to walk right past the big goof. It is a big
pain but Glory is being forced to make good decisions and get praised
or get a correction from me for any bad ones. She is doing pretty
well but sometimes....

It is tough because Glory is expected to be calm even in the middle of
chaos. So anyway, today Glory was in that spot for most of the
afternoon and I wanted a nap so bad. So I sat on the futon between
Zee and Glory. With so many dogs loose in here a nap was almost
impossible so I settled for snuggling under my blanket.

Glory was all excited about having me right there and Zee was
attempting to keep me focused on her. Linnie and Lucy kept jumping on
my lap so believe me, it was not all that restful. Anyway, Lucy
watched me correct Glory a number of times and decided that was a job
just made for her.

First Lucy did a wonderful temperament assesment of Glory then took
charge of the antler. Once all that was in place, she ordered Glory
off the futon and then, because Lucy was above Glory, Lucy began to
play with her. They both held an end of the antler and tugged.
Glory was so good and Lucy won the tug of wars.

After a while, Lucy jumped to the floor and did a play bow, Glory
followed suit and positioned herself below Lucy. It was tough, Glory
is a big dog and to get lower, Glory had to turn her head so her cheek
was on the floor to accomplish this. Lucy did a few dominance
exercises and Glory was not the least bit challenging. Once that was
done, Lucy pawed at Glory, who stood up and got ready.

Lucy stood up like a bear and walked toward Glory on her hind feet.
Glory "stood her ground" and began mouthing at Lucy. "What a war it
was!" Those two dogs had a great time until Glory forgot the rules
and began to paw at Lucy with her big old feet. At that point, I
stepped in and again reminded Glory of the rules.

It was not a crime but instead just a big old Doberman forgetting how
big she really is. The game continued for a bit longer but both dogs
were getting tired. Zee had stollen the antler, Max wanted in and
Linnie really thinks Glory is a big waste of space. Lucy was tired of
the play and stretched out on the floor. While I was not paying
attention, Glory gutted a stuffed toy. I had already had too much fun
for a Sunday afternoon and put them all back where they belonged.

After that I was able to grab a short, power nap, it was a quiet day
and a perfect end to the fun and games.

Later

Pat

[Sara Peterka]

Glory must be one heck of a dog. Otherwise, Lucy wouldn't waste her time on her.

Sara

[shel]

Hi Bonnie,

I am just catching up on the posts and wanted to respond to this.

> I received a variety of odd/rude comments.......'your kennel is too
>close to mine, her dog was touching her leg in the ring- I saw it; you
>can't be anywhere NEAR the ring before the event starts" and a host
>more of dirty looks and a snide comment or two.

I have to sleep soon and will finish reading tomorrow.

I have also had to deal with some rude, snide, & know it alls in the
Obedience rings Forgive me but these people are not whom I'd choose
to engage in conversation with on any level.

The funny thing is. A lot of their performances were just awful. And
I truly felt sorry for their dogs.

-shel