Poor Swayze

Oh, horrible! Last week, Swayze and Shaggy, while zipping along at top speed, tore down a pathway that converged so that it could only fit one German shepherd. The German shepherd was NOT Swayze and he hit into the corner of the shed so hard that the pupil of his left eye reduced to the size of a pinhead. Severe concussion. A huge bruise on his lung. Right leg and front shoulder muscles impaired. Neck and vertebrae compressed. God!!!!
X-rays show that he has no breaks, but the dog will take weeks to come around. Even offering to pet him makes him cry. He is on heavy doses of pain-killers and is so sad.
10 seconds can change your life.

And, be careful what you wish. Shaggy Muffin is in season. Good thing because she'll be out when I leave for the AKC show and I won't have to worry. The four boys will be a bit bent, but they'll live.

I was practising with Token at scent hurdle the other day and was blowing the whistle before I sent her to the box to retrieve her dumbbell as she is terrified of the whistle. I had the sheltie pup tied to a post so he could watch and I put his little dumbell in the box alongside Token's.
He sometimes shows quite an interest in the dumbell and has fetched it for days but only on his own time and volition. Anyway, he was causing a ruckus and barking his head off while Token was running up and back with her dumbbell, so I unhooked him from the lead and he took off to the box, grabbed his dumbbell and raced back to us! I was sure it was a fluke so we did it again.
Same thing. Out to the box, grabbed the bell and zipped back.
Good time to stop and let it be.

Who knows? Maybe he'll enjoy scent hurdle.

We have a Tracking Seminar seminar set for July 10th. It will be held from 9:30 - 2:30 at the Cowley Hall in the a.m. and out on the ballfield in the p.m. Handlers can register online at shadowbr@telusplanet.net .

We hope to track once a week from that time on.

Monday nights are open for recreational agility (dog aerobics to some of us) from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. for a drop-in fee of $5.00 per evening. A good time to learn new equipment or practice runs. See you at Shadowbar.

Our next dog obedience class will begin after the July 18th weekend. Email us for information.

Today is the last day of school and the first day of my freestyle routine work for Token and me. I think I'll start the sheltie, too. Lots of work to be done in the next month.

Send positive energy to Swayze.

Judi

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Two new Titles in one Weekend

Two new titles in one week. Mesa, Token, and I attended a Lynn Leach herding dog clinic where, after two 1/2 days of working one dog one day and the other dog the next, we were faced with two days and four tries for each dog to get her Herding Started Title.

We were lucky to have a day to watch the Cardigan Corgi and Australian Cattle Dog Specialty herding which gave us all some insight into the various levels of competition from Herding Tested to Herding Advanced. Amazing work.

There were fifteen entries in the Started Level of Competition and Token's first run was very nice and pretty much controlled. We ended up qualifying with second place, 1/2 point of the High in Class, so I was very much encouraged as Token is a bit hard for me to control speed-wise. She lacks a 'steady' but actually gave me a steady and some good 'downs' as well. One qualifying 'leg' towards our HS.

Mesa qualified in third place right behind Token with a tidy run to gain her second leg towards her HS. What a girl.

In the afternoon, I missed seeing my sheep go through the free-standing Y-chute twice because I was looking at my dog instead of my sheep and so I called my run and just penned the sheep with a beautiful hold off the gate. Not one sheep dared come towards Token until the gate was opened. What an idiot! We would have had another qualifying score. The pressure was on. Only two tries left!

Mesa qualified again in the afternoon to be the first of the girls to get her Herding Started. I was soooo proud because Mesa is nine!!! The best part was that I sent her on an outrun from the top of the the arena and she didn't cut in or slice off a sheep but instead, brought them to me at a steady pace..... I was running to beat the clock, and she put them through two obstacles and penned them nicely without my direction. Point made. Duct tape for handler.

Sunday dawned early and Token, under a new judge, obtained her second qualifying score with a special judge's award and a third place finish. The award was to the most talented dog; the one the judge would want to take home with her. In Token's case, it was probably to save her from having to work with me.

Mesa Sue, thinking that she knew everything, was pushy and I had a hard time getting her to stop locking her eyes on the sheep, looking right through me. God. She wasn't sure she wanted to follow through with "That'll do" either.

But she qualified for her 'insurance' round and I was thankful.

Because both judges had told me to forget the down's and just work with out's, I went in with Token, determined to let her run and not to interfere much with her and in the end, she got her lowest score but her fastest time and a new Herding Started Title. The run was very fast and it felt like a Disney Ride from time to time. We got it done but it wasn't the neatest performance.

Still, I have to say that I was super proud of the dogs because we have NO SHEEP and we drive 1 1/2 hrs. for 1/2 hr. of lesson time and then have no opportunity to practice. So they really haven't had continuity in training and yet they still pulled it off. No wonder I own GSD's!!!

Hot Summer Days

This excerpt was taken from the Alberta SPCA's e-newsletter Animal Connect. Believe it!!!

Judi

A Hot Summer Day and Dogs in the Car: A Deadly Combination On a hot day the inside of a car can reach 51ºC in as little as 10 minutes! In this time a dog can suffer irreparable cerebral damage or possibly death. Opening the windows, parking in the shade or providing water does not help alleviate the extreme temperatures that your dog will experience if left in your car. This can cause heat exhaustion and eventually heat stroke in dogs after a very short period of time. Possible symptoms of heat stroke include heavy panting, glazed eyes, dizziness, rapid pulse, excessive thirst, salivation, lack of appetite, weakness, muscle tremors, a deep red or purple tongue, and vomiting. What can you do if your dog exhibits symptoms of heat stroke? If your dog becomes overheated move him to the shade and apply cool (not cold) water all over his body to reduce body temperature. Apply ice packs or cold towels to his head, neck and chest. Ensure he drinks small amounts of cool water or licks ice cubes. Take your dog to a veterinary clinic right away!

Class one agility obedience

Fabulous classes last night at agility obedience. All dogs worked heeling both sides and tunnels both sides and began

weaves both sides! Dogs with worries forgot about what other dogs and other people were doing and played and munched up

treats and wagged their tails. Especially pleased with our two Humane Society dogs, Lucas and Bailey, who have been with their new owners less than a month and are so well-adjusted.

I think LB, the sheltie, is going to be super at it all. Loves treats, loves to run, and will run ahead and give distance to go to the target too. Can't wait until next week.

Judi