On your mat...

We were watching a program on telly, Downsize your Pet.

Some people have no IDEA ! Anyway, it lead to the Boss deciding on a new thing for us to learn...

We take my sheepskin (Actually it's my mates from when he was a puppy human) with us in the car, and when we go to work he puts it down and tells me "Jake...on your MAT" and I have to stay there. He doesn't seem to mind if I SIT or DOWN, as long as I STAY.

Sometimes I get a TREAT for it !

Apparently Zac was really good at MAT.

Give a dog a break huh...

You'd think that with snow deep on the ground...and having sat up 'til 3.oo am watching the All Blacks play South Africa, the Boss would have given me the morning off training today eh...

You'd THINK!

There's something irresistably smelly about snow, I don't know what it is, but it's very distracting stuff. The Boss got a bit cross when I was sniffing and not right at HEEL when we were doing weave between the dogs, and made me go back on leash.

At least he cleared away some snow so I didn't have to DOWN/STAY in it.

Not often anyway.

Bring back SUMMER !

Short legs...

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhh!!!

You try being belly deep in THAT stuff.

The Boss knows how cold it is...I jumped into bed with him after my morning sniff outside...

Hahaha!

Hurry up & light the fire.

Brrr.

Training lineage...

The Boss does another kind of training himself...(called wing chun...and it looks even more boring to me than SIT/STAY!), and said it was important to acknowledge those whose methods and systems are employed...especially once you begin to make progress.

So, with a CGC cert. under my collar, I should say thanks to Malcolm Downey, ex RAF handler now based in Auckland. It was him who taught my Boss how to speak dog properly and showed him what is possible for a well trained dog to do, (without suppressing our essential dogginess). Both of the Bosses and Malcolm spent about three years working with a group of dogs, and it's that experience which shaped my training.

Also, Gary Wulff here in Wanaka runs basic obedience courses which we have attended most weeks since I was about 2 yrs old...so about 3 months. These have been really great for teaching me how to behave around other dogs...some of the CGC exercises would have been much more challenging without that experience.

So thanks guys...very appreciated!

Citizen Jake...

I am now officially a Canine Good Citizen.

There was 11 of us attempting the test, and 7 of us passed. Most of it was pretty straight forward. It was COLD and RAINING though, which was a pity, but the organisers were really good (especially as it was their first time too) and we got through it in pretty quick time.

What we had to do:

• Be wearing an up to date registration tag.
• Be well groomed.
• Be carrying a poo bag.

• Allow the evaluator to groom my coat, look at my ears, and pick up my front paws to be examined. (I still don't like being brushed, especially when I'm cold...but the Boss said I had to put up with it just for the exercise)
• Allow the Boss to look at my teeth and down my throat (which I still don't like!) and run his hands all over me.

• The Boss had to answer 8 questions on responsible ownership of a me...(6/8 was the pass rate but he got 8/8...smarty!)

• Show good food manners...ie SIT/STAY until allowed to eat, and not beg when the evaluator had a biscuit in front of me. (Boring old dry wine biscuit...like I'm gonna beg for that!)

• Accept a friendly stranger walking up and giving me a pat.

• Sit quietly while the Boss had a chat with another stranger with a dog. (That was tough because the friendly strangers dog really liked ME!)

• Walk through a gate to fetch a bag without getting in the Bosses way or pulling the leash.

• SIT/STAY while the boss went about 5 mts away, then COME back to the Boss.

• HEEL on leash.

• HEEL on leash past a trio of noisy people with their dogs, and a jogger.

• Be tied to a stake without complaining while the Boss was out of sight for 5 minutes.

• Allow a stranger to take me for a walk without the Boss present. (I'd have to point out here that the stranger was NOT handling me well. I was on the wrong side, and allowed to be at the end of the leash rather than told to HEEL...the Boss was a bit disappointed with that!)

• Play with my tug-toy, then release it on command. (I didn't see this myself, but apparently someone failed this test because their dog was GROWLING while playing TUG. ..SO WAS I! That's what you do when you play tug...it's not vicious or anything, just part of the GAME!! If that's all they failed on, ie they let go when told, I'd be asking for another opinion!)

And that was it. Sounds like a lot, but it really only took about 15 minutes per dog, and there were a few good chuckles to be had while waiting my turn for each exercise.

The Boss was really stoked that we got a special mention at the presentation afterwards, it turns out that we were the only ones that didn't belong to an official training club, and hadn't been through a specific training program leading up to the test. We've been invited to represent the Selwyn Dog Training Club here in Wanaka until the Boss gets a local Club incorporated.

The Boss is also hoping to attend an assessors course to enable him to conduct tests here for other people.

That was all on Saturday. On Sunday, we went and watched some Dog Agility trials. Boy, I thought I was pretty fast and good at jumping, but some of these dogs were AWESOME. The Boss reckons we're going to give it a go, but I've got some training to do first I can tell you!

We were also told that my level of training should be enough to begin obedience trialing, so we'll be looking into that as well.

All in all, a good result!!

One more sleep...

We're off in the morning to do my Canine Good Citizen assessment.

I hope the Boss has been reading up on his bits, I know I'll do my part.

I also hope it's warmer in Chch. than it is here! It's alright for those shaggy dog types...

The Real Criminals Don't Have Four Legs...

Nicely written I thought.

Boy it's cold. Minus 4c at the moment.

Brrr.

Piggy in the middle...

We did two training sessions today, first in Wanaka, and then in Arrowtown.

The first one was ok...usual easy stuff. The Arrowtown one had a couple of surprises. As soon as I walked into the field, I was met by a PIG! Followed in quick succession by a GOAT!

Just when I'd come to terms with that, and took my place in the line with all the other dogs, when 2 giant HORSES came strolling over and stood in the line when we were doing WEAVE.

Honestly, where's a dog supposed to look with all that going on?

Mind-you, I was there to be a show off, and show off I did.

Those newbies are pretty easy to impress!

Less than a week now until we go to Chch.

Continuing the theme...

You know I might have to re-visit my opinion about Shutzhund being boring after all...here's my predecessor Zac at training, doing what I would never dare...though boy some people really could use it!!..like people who don't register /train/devote themselves to their dogs. Or people who have no knowledge of dogs but regularly shout out their ignorance in the media...

Anyhow, this was Zac learning the personal protection aspects of Shutzhund, at which he excelled. Not only because he could bite/hold better than all the Dobermans, Rottweilers and German Shepherds that he trained with, but because his willingness to please the Boss was heaps better.

He would let go with a word from any distance and just guard the guy in funny pyjamas...unless he tried to run away again...then WHAMMO!!

And boy, you did NOT mess with the Boss or his family when Zac was on duty...

My mate tells me that he was also an awesome frisbee catcher!

I reckon I would've liked playing with Zac.

not chase RABBITS?..

We were reading the other day not to allow dogs to chase small prey, because it raises the predatory instinct. The Boss has 'opinions' on that.
(Actually the Boss has opinions about most things, but as I like this opinion...)

My Bosses best mate before me was called Zac, and they used to train in a thing called Shutzhund, which the boss won't discuss with me…

(what’s THAT about ? )

This is a picture of Zac at training with the Other Boss...(I learned that you don't refer to her as 'the Bosses Bitch' but I still don't get it!)

The guy in the funny pyjamas is another dogs boss.

Looks more like the usual SIT STAY training to me.

Yawn.

Anyway, he thinks that for me to do WHAT he says, WHEN he says it, no matter the circumstances, I sometimes have to train while I'm really excited or stressed...(and I don't really get stressed...just a bit p'd off when humans can't make their MINDS UP!)

What he does with me is let me chase after rabbits in a big open field... and when I'm really onto a scent or maybe see a rabbit and take off at full speed...he makes me DOWN, and STAY until he gives me "the release"...and then off I go...look out rabbits!

Then, on other occasions he lets me get up to 25 mts away and really motoring before making me DOWN, and calling me back to HEEL.

And of course sometimes he just watches me chase them around the bushes and laughs at me...which I don't really like.

I will get one one day mate...and you won’t be getting ANY.

Cunning sod...

He's tricky that Boss of mine.

Yesterday he took me for a big rabbit chasing run...my very favourite thing...and when I was so hot that I had to keep my mouth open to pant, he makes me HEEL & SIT, then makes me OPEN my mouth and looks down my throat, knowing I can't clamp my teeth together when I'm really hot!

I think he's still p'd off with me about Sunday!!

Ha ha!!!

And my friend Scooby left me a comment on Monday... yo Scoob...of COURSE you do fine...you're one of the clever breeds like me!

Sometimes a dogs gotta play ...

It's good to keep the Boss on his toes I reckon, so yesterday I did a runner at training in Queenstown!

I was in a line of new dogs. The Boss said STAY, then walked about 200 mts away...(yes, that's a VERY long way) along with all the other bosses...then called COME.

So me and all the other dogs raced up the field and I won...good fun.

But then they tried to get us to do it again, going back to where we came from. This time though, when the boss said COME, me and another dog decided to have a play half way.

It was fun, until the Boss snuck up on me and GRABBED ME REALLY HARD. That wasn't fun at all. Then he made me SIT DOWN SIT DOWN SIT DOWN COME DOWN SIT COME STAY...Really fast and REALLY grumpy like.

Geez. Other than that one little indiscretion I was (as usual) the best behaved dog there.

Maybe I'll be good for the rest of the week!

Maybe...

Paving the way...

Check it out...another Staffy waving the flag...way to go!

Rain rain GO AWAY!

It's STILL raining. Hope it stops before training tomorrow...

...especially as I have to do three classes...

THREE!!!

Honestly!