Rain, real goddamn rain predicted for Adelaide. . .

[Hebe]

Congratulations Lady Demi.

[Jovial Monk]

The bitch Lady had a busy day today. Early to the club. Nice to get all these congrats, hugs & whatnot. Do the lesson Lady Demi now a Novice dog (novice going for CD, then Open going for CDX, Companion Dog Excellent which she should reach) so, gulp, whole lesson now OFF LEAD and not a problem! Figure of eight, she followed me around the figure, the longer Novice (first compulsory title) recall, the stand for exam with me 2m away no problem. I, OTOH, got told off plenty! Told to keep my left hand which USED to hold the lead tucked up out the way, a swinging arm being bulk distracting

Helped out with the grade 1 class, couple of my proteges there graduated, then shot off to SA Canine Assn grounds for Earth Dog. While waiting (ages) for those trialling Ed to trial practiced getting Demi through the ED tunnels. These are just 9" square and dug into the earth--the Lady had to crawl on knees and elbows. The one we practised were a wooden one not dug in, the Lady soon mastered that. Then a Yorkshire Terrier was introduced to ED, didn't want a bar of it, not even a short tunnel aboveground. Instructor placed treats all along it but yorkie only ate the one at the start of the tunnel. Then my dog's turn in the enclosed ED space: first thing the Lady (Tramp?) did was go into the practice tunnel and eat all the treats put there for the yorkie! Hahahaha!


Mantra, don't read the next para!
The lure to get the dogs (all the small breeds, mainly terrier but also daschund etc) into the tunnels is a dead rabbit, bought at the abbattoirs with its fur on but gut cleaned. At first Demi didn't want to know, at the end the instructor practically had to shake Demi off the carcass heheheheh oh man that was funny.

The instructor was impressed: to get to the wabbit Demi had to go into a tunnel with a steep incline from ground level to the floor of the tunnel along the tunnel over a metre then around a corner at the end of that stretch of tunnel, not many dogs do that first go! hahahahaha the Lady is happy to get her feet and 'hands' dirty and blood all around her mouth. Oh shit it was good! Bet she will get a title in it b4 long

Talking off titles: got a patch to put on the club TShirt or jumper, no loner will it be a virginal expanse of emptiness! I have arrived! Wooooooo! hahahahahah

After ED off to a obedience seminar. Both bloody tired now

[Jovial Monk]

Maybe it should be Dame Demi? Alliteration and all that?

[Jovial Monk]

Well well well!

There is a competition, Balmead Shield for novice dogs, and the club wants Demi to compete in it!!!! woooooo! Not many terriers get asked to do that!

Can't find much info on the actual Shield etc but it is a team event: each club puts up 4 dogs for a Novice trial and team with highest score wins.

Of course, more work for me, will be attending a Balmead class before regular class. So what! Just more glory for Dame Demi the Wonder Dog hahahahahahahahahahahaha

[mantra.]

The lure to get the dogs (all the small breeds, mainly terrier but also daschund etc) into the tunnels is a dead rabbit, bought at the abbattoirs with its fur on but gut cleaned. At first Demi didn't want to know, at the end the instructor practically had to shake Demi off the carcass heheheheh oh man that was funny.

Why would they use real animals as bait for the trials?

If they get the taste of real fur and blood residue this will ensure that they will become killers. I need to complain about this. Should I write to some Federal dog organisation or maybe the RSPCA?

No cute little furry creature will be safe.

[Jovial Monk]

The cute furry wabbits are dead when bought! They don't arouse the killer instinct any more than giving the dog its dinner!

Anyway, Dame Demi CCD is already a killer: 3 rats and 1 lizard so far.

[Jovial Monk]

Now, I have at times here derided terriers and my 'terror' in particular.

This is not to say terriers are thick--like Sheepy & LOW_IQ are thick-- to the contrary, unlike the previously named cretins terriers are intelligent dogs. BUT they work independently of man. Unlike some spoiled German Shepherd or Border Collie or German Coolie or German shepherd, a terrier does not have to be directed on what to do: its business is ridding its territory of rats, mice and other vermin and it does this very independently. This independence is a major pain in the arse when it comes to obedience training.

But! But when you have stuck with a terrier through grades 1-5 you have an animal that has a huge intelligence that it bends to pleasing its handler and can, like Demi, earn a title in less than a month, while fancier breeds like collies, coolies, shelties, alsatians and the like expensive breeds can get two trials in short order then spend 10 months before the third trial is passed and a title earned. I have seen this! A sheltie (like a miniature Lassie) ran out the ring at the Adelaide Royal show trial, passed a trial Demi just failed (dropped in the sit-stay ) and still has to gain its CCD.

Today, while at "the mall" I, on the trail of socks & jocks somehow wandered into a bookshop & out again now clutching a book on dog behavior. Now, how did that happen? I dunno. . .

I hope soon to regale you with Dame Demi's prowess in underground tunnels tracking dead rabbits--sorry Mantra but the wabbit Demi will scent and track through a labyrinth of tunnels is just as dead as the wabbit you wrap in bacon and roast in cider for din dins.

[Jovial Monk]

Tonight attended a lesson at this second club I joined to get "De Lady" bleeding behaving herself!

Now she is Novice, joined the Novice class. Was pretty damn good too!

"Stand for exam" now takes place with me 2m from the dog. Demi did the exercise like a pro: since a few dogs that had been doing that exercise for while fucked up this really impressed the instructor. Dame Demi pretty much was off-lead for the rest of the lesson, and did pretty well. The 'change of position' signalled from a couple metres away went well: did the hand signal and the Lady dropped to the ground without moving forward.

Hmmm the stays were not the strong point, partly because they were done in a circle rather than a line, I had to tell the Lady 'drop you bitch' once or twice but understandable since it was a new class with different dogs, people and instructor.

All in all pretty damn good. Demi now really is a bloody good dog, one you can control even from a distance!

Going to look for a good agility club: agility/jumping is where the exitement really is.

But, yeah, Demi really will pull her weight in competing for the the Balmain Shield!

[Jovial Monk]

Heh, this morning rather than figure of eight instructor decided we would do 'weaving.'

So a line of seven or eight dogs each about 1.5m apart from its neighbor and one at a time we weaved along the line (in front of one dog and handler then pass between that and the next dog and behind that dog and cross back to the front again etc) while we tried to keep our dogs' attention on us and not the dog & handler doing the weaving. This is a Grade 1 exercise that we used to do pulling the dog most of the way.

When it was my and Demi's turn we did this on the trot and had a loose lead all the way! Bit of an improvement, eh?

[Jovial Monk]

One of the new exercises involves a 'dumbbell' of two square plastic ends joined by a length of dowel. Handler, on command from instructor or judge throws this about 4 metres after telling dog stay then on command again tells dog 'fetch' and dog has to run, pick up the dumbbell and trot back to its handler and, on command, give the handler the dumbell (let the handler remove the dumbbell from its mouth.)

I tried introducing Dame Demi to the dumbbell before, then stopped and concentrated on pure CCD exercises. It is not easy, she don't like it! If I have a few treats to reward her for taking the dumbbell held just in front of her face she only looks at the bloody treats! So I do the training outside and after a 'successful' fetch/give throw a tennis ball to the back of the garden for her to chase & bring back.

Will take a while--if only I could get her to see the dumbbell as a tennis ball!

I can get the CD title without the dumbbell, doing the drop from a stand signalled from a distance, but beyond that the dumbbell is essential: the dumbbell is retrieved with the dog jumping over a jump both ways, etc. But want her to master that dumbbell!