We MEANT to Train Today...

After posting training videos to the training levels list yesterday, I was feeling really inspired to train today. But things don't always go how we plan. DH was off work for the day. So we ran some errands (the girls came along in the car.. they love car rides). By the time we got home, I was beat and aching.

We had lunch late and relaxed for a while inside. Then the rain finally cleared so we took the girls with us out to the pony pasture (the ponies are on summer grass). They got to run around and sniff and play while we set up poles in prep for some horse training I need to do. Been using the pasture as an arena when DH and the girls aren't playing in it.

While out, we premacked some recalls (Called them to us one at a time, praised the come, and sent them back out to sniff). Both are coming better after last night's hot dog training. Then DH went in to get the frisbee and ball.

While he was gone, I got the bright idea to pull my hat off my head and throw it like a frisbee. Both girls caught on to the game fast. I did some stay training. While Molly held a stay, Shawnee fetched my hat and did her FIRST EVER deliver to hand. She usually drops things at our feet. It was a one time thing, but I am optimistic she will learn it eventually--maybe not until I train her formal retrieve, but some day.

Then they played for a while with DH. Both brought the toys to me intermittently to include me in their games. As usual, copious stays thrown into the mix. It was fun and it did use their brains as well as their bodies. Now I am aching horrendously and feeling just about ready to bed.

So even though we didn't do the training I wanted, it was a good day for the girls filled with lots of real-life practice.

BTW, Shawnee peed on command a strange place again. she's done it in the past, but I feel more confident that she "gets" it as she gets older--not just that she is so desperate she just goes.

A Few Pictures from the USA

I intended to make a big post on the neat Endless Mountains Fiber Festival and everything else we've been doing, but time has flown and I'm too tired. So you'll just have to live with this selection of pictures from the trip so far.

The first three pictures show Molly outside here at my parents' place. She is very excited by all the new smells and sounds.

The next two show Molly in the car--a place she has already spent a lot of time and will be spending a lot more.

The second to last picture shows Molly playing with a very special toy. It actually belongs to my parents' cat (who used to be mine), but my mom said she could play with it. It is Dumbo's Bunny and it squeaks. She has never had a soft toy before and she seems to love it.

The last picture is one my DH took of me, my parents, and Molly. Molly worked really hard all that day (Sunday), but she was a bit excited and distracted by the working border collie demonstration. She was jealous that the other dogs got to herd the sheep but she didn't.

I will try to put up pics of the demo later. Right now I need to go to bed. Molly has been sleeping for a while now.

Crate in the Car--Lots of Rides Lately

Life hasn't been so exciting for Molly lately. Thursday we had to go for a long drive to a treatment for me and she had to wait in the car during it. Today was another long drive to a meeting with people setting up a service dog organization here in Denmark. It should work out really well, but the host's dog has recently had surgery in her knee, so guest dogs had to stay in their vehicles for the duration. It isn't how host or host dog had hoped to do things, but was essential under the situation. With the host dog in training and so newly operated, vistors would just have been too risky.

It's been really hot lately so we replaced Molly's car basket with a wire crate. We'd tried before without much success but now we have a plan to make it more comfortable. We also got an extra crate free from a friend, so we are able to make a permanent stable setup in the back of my car and still have her home crate undisturbed. That's a big help.

Now some people would say that a plastic crate owuld be sturdier and more comfortable for transport. The reason we want wire is to increase the air circulation. It isn't possible to open the windows in the back of the car and there aren't air vents there. So the only way we get air to her in hot weather is from the front, either the vents or the windows. She needs a wire crate so it can be open as much as possible.

The first thing we did to make the crate comfortable was to position it well and tie it down securely. It does not move at all when we are driving now. DH took care of that. Only the door in the short side is accessible, but we have that turned towards the back and positioned so that she jumps up onto the car then goes into the crate. This should prevent injury and make entry and exit more comfortable for her. She can sit in the crate to wait to get harness and leash put on and removed. We don't want to leave the leash on her when crated and the front lead harness isn't a big deal either way, but it is easy to remove, so we usually do just to make her more comfortable. Once her vest is here, she will also need to have it taken off when in the car for her comfort.


The next thing is to make the bottom comfortable. I took an old blanket and cut it in half. Then I made each half into a crate pad with four layers of blanket and quilted it by sewing it on the sewing machine. With two of them, they can be washed or I can have one inside and one outside. If I want to, I can cover the pads with old comforter covers. As soon as I get time, I will probably take an old comforter cover and turn it into two crate pad covers for warm weather so it is cooler to lie on and can be washed even more often.

Another big problem with the crate is that it gives her no support to lie up against when we drive. That's what she likes best about a basket--she can curl up against it and be supported in curves and stops. Our ultimate plan is to make a curve inside with a strip of foam about the same height as a basket. We can make comfortable curves in the corners by holding the foam in place with cable strips. We'll also put a piece of carpet on the bottom of the crate to make sure her crate pad can't slip, although it doesn't seem to. We haven't had time to do that yet, but as a temporary measure we put a blanket up against the end with extra in the corners to give the curves. It does the job and gives Molly support when we drive.

We've always had sun shades in the two back windows to keep the worst of the sun off her, but it isn't enough. So for this really hot weather, we've also covered her crate in the sun's direction with a white cotton sheet. It reflects the sun so it won't bake on her black coat or the black bottom of the crate, but breathes enough to still allow air flow.

So Molly was able to enjoy today's trip despite the heat and the time in the car. DH parked in the shade and moved the car as necessary to keep her in it. We kept tabs on her condition throughout and gave her plenty of cold water.

After the meeting, we found a shady place to stop and eat our sandwiches where Molly could come out on her leash and be a dog for a while. She found sticks to chew on and pine cones to play with and a walk with DH let her stretch her legs.