The Weatherman Lied!

The weatherman on TV was very excited yesterday predicting all sorts of bad weather and a lot of snow. That made me excited because I love the snow and we don't get that much of it here in the Triangle of NC. We got a few flakes and then some freezing rain. Unfortunately it rained all night and there was no snow.

I looked for it all over the yard.



Ambrose did too.



Where is all the snow we were promised??



I know that our friends up north are getting a lot of it. You are welcome to send some down here to us so we can play in it and track it all over the house!

In other news, Ambrose is up to his old tricks. We had gone for quite awhile without him destroying anything. He was starting to get the hang of chewing on appropriate chew toys and leaving Barbara's stuff alone. Unfortunately the wrapping paper roll was just too much for him. She had only wrapped one present when the phone rang and she went to answer it. A huge mistake. Ambrose took the opportunity to steal the entire roll of wrapping paper!!



Several choice HBO words were said and Barbara had to go out and buy more wrapping paper!



Of course I would never do something like that. I love the cardboard rolls inside of paper towels and toilet tissue but I wait until the paper is off the roll and Barbara gives it to me. I am such a good girl.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Holiday Parade

After the big disappointment over last week's parade I was really glad to wake up this morning to sunshine. That meant that the Paws 4Ever Dog Drill Team would be able to march in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Holiday Parade. It was quite cold but I never mind that because my fur is quite thick and keeps me warm. Also Barbara fed me a big breakfast since I was going to have to do a lot tricks and needed my strength.

Barbara and I met up with all our Drill Team friends and lined up for the parade.



We have been practicing all fall for this event. We know how to do lots of tricks while we march along. The crowd loves us and always applauds.



Our training is all positive and reward based. We get treats (I had cheese and hot dogs), praise and petting for doing our moves and formations. None of that dominance nonsense, force training for us! You can see that we are all enjoying working with our people. From left to right you can see Penny, Amiga, Hadji, my BFF Ayla and me.



People along the parade route are always impressed when we do our long downs in the middle of the parade and want to know how we do it. Our people tell them to take their dogs to class at Paws 4Ever.



I love to march in the parade. Besides getting to eat lots of treats, I like it when people make a fuss over me. I must say that I got a lot of attention because many people are not familiar with Gordon Setters wanted to pet my soft fur. We did meet one lady who was from Scotland, who knew my breed right away and admired me very much.



I had a great time marching in the parade. After all my exertions I needed a good nap but now I am ready to go again.

Holiday Card Photo Shoot

I have been so happy to get lots of email and snail mail holiday cards from DWB friends, old and new. What beautiful photos! Thank you all. Barbara has only gotten 1 card so far. Ambrose and I are much more popular than she is!

She has been very slack about getting our card ready and today we finally had our photos taken. It was an ordeal to say the least. I had to have extreme amounts of dog grooming torture performed on me. Ambrose was totally clueless and we have many shots of him drooling or with his lip stuck on his teeth or with his ears flipped back.

Here is a photo of him that will not make the card.



I think we have some good photos though so I hope we will be sending the cards out soon.

Disappointing Weekend

I had a very disappointing weekend.



I was all set to march with the Paws 4Ever Dog Drill Team in the Hillsborough Holiday Parade. Our Drill Team dogs has been practicing really hard so that we could show off our skills. It is always a fun time. The crowd loves us and we get lots of applause when we do our tricks. Unfortunately it rained all day yesterday so we could not march. I am so bummed out.

Here is a picture of our team at last year's parade. I hope the sun will shine next Saturday for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Parade so we can march then.



This morning it was cold but sunny so Barbara took us to the dog park for a good run. It is always good to play chase and bitey face on a cold morning. Usually when we play chase, I am in the lead and Ambrose tries to keep up with me. He has been getting faster and faster lately and today I was horrified to find that he ran ahead of me and I had to chase him to keep up! This was quite a shock and I am glad that there is no video of this distressing development.



I think I know why he is faster than I am. It is because he gets more food than I do. How can I run fast when I am weak from starvation? I must convince Barbara to feed me more!

Ambrose

It is hard to believe but Ambrose is 11 months old today. It is shocking that I have had to put up with his goofiness since he came to live with us in February. I am always saying bad things about him but, while he does drive me crazy, he does some good things. He is a sweet boy and gets along with everyone. He has good play skills and is always up for a game of chase or bitey face or tug. He minds me when tell him to leave my toys alone.

We have many photos of goofy Ambrose. Barbara decided she wanted some non-goofy photos to show that he is really growing up. I do not want to say how many shots she had to take to get these but we are grateful for digital cameras.









While Ambrose is not much in the obedience department, even I have to admit that he has learned a really good recall. When Barbara says "come", Ambrose comes fast.



So while Ambrose is a pest, a doofus and a goofball, he is our goofball and I think that we will keep him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my dog blogging friends and to your people.

We got up early this morning to meet some friends for tracking, my favorite activity. It was very foggy when we started, but the conditions were perfect for the scent. Ambrose's friend Scout it a very enthusiastic tracker.



Ambrose likes to track too but gets very silly on the course and is easily distracted. He has no work ethic yet.

Look how serious I am about my track.



My reward for finding articles this morning was turkey sausage so you can see why my nose is so deep into the track.



After a great morning of sniffing we came home to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and the National Dog Show. The house smells great because Barbara is making pumpkin soup. I hope we get a taste before she goes off to Thanksgiving dinner at friends and abandons us.

More Good Dog Play

In my mission to encourage good dog play, I thought you would like to see a short video of me and Ambrose playing chase and a bit of bitey face. Barbara was too slow to catch us running away so the video picks up as we race back in her direction. Every time you see shots of the ground it means we crashed into her knees! Ha! Amazingly, no HBO words were used in the making of this video.




You can see how well I control the play. Ambrose has learned my cut-off signals and when I decide that the play is over for a bit, he goes away. Goofy as he is, he is learning good skills. Barbara never let him play with bad companions when he was little and of course he has had me as an excellent example. This is critical in developing a good play style. If you are bullied as a puppy, you may grow up to be a bully.

Thanks for all your concern about the dog-crate-on-wheels. The insurance will pay for the repairs but there is a long wait to get it fixed. It still drives though so we can get around to all our activities. I would not want to miss out on our Drill Team practice tomorrow.

Hope all of you had a chance to play this weekend.

Good Dog Play

This past weekend Barbara drove us to Concord to a big dog show. We weren't entered but Ambrose's father and some of his littermates were entered. His brother Wallace did really well and got many ribbons and even won Best of Breed. The people were meeting up to form a Gordon Setter Club in North and South Carolina so that we could all do fun Gordon Setter stuff together. I look forward to that.




I can tell you that Ambrose's litter mates are just as goofy as he is. His sister Torri is a bold little thing. Look at the way she is staring at me!




Ambrose hasn't seen his brothers and sisters since he was 8 weeks old. I think he was a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. He got put in a big pen with all of them. At first he wanted to get out.




After awhile he got used to them and they all hung out together.




I did not have to go in the pen with all those goofy adolescents. They barked like complete idiots when they saw me. I stayed out with the people and even got some good people food like wieners with sauce and a big shrimp.


I know you saw my post about the dog park fiasco early last week. Well I wanted to show you a video of some good dog park play, the way it should be. Ambrose may be goofy but he does have good play skills (which I taught him) and can get along with almost any dog. Watch him and Cherie play in the video. You can see the nice play bows, the intention moves and the reciprocal style of play. When we dogs play this way everyone can have fun.




Ambrose and I still go to the dog park but we have changed the times we visit so that there aren't many dogs there. Barbara does not like us to be subjected to a crowd of dogs with their oblivious people.




You can see that Ambrose and I like to play fast chase games. As he is growing he is getting a little more coordinated.




Unfortunately he is still pretty goofy. Look at his big lips.




The dog-crate-on-wheels was seriously injured last night when some big tree limbs fell on top of it. We were not in it at the time. It was quite a surprise this morning.




The top is so crushed that it pushed the roof down into the inside of the car.




One of the doors got smashed.




It is all going to get repaired but they said it will take 10 days! I hope that my outings don't get curtailed because of it.

Duke Canine Cognition Center

Last week I got to participate in a real scientific experiment at the Duke University Canine Cognition Center. Dr. Brian Hare studies cognition and evolution. While he mostly studies chimpanzees and bonobos, he is also very interested in us. He wants to know how dogs solve problems and how our social intelligence evolved. You can read more about his fascinating work here. Unfortunately I did not get to meet him while I was at Duke. I think anyone who walks around with a bonobo puppy on his head must be a nice guy.



Barbara had signed me and Ambrose up for the research studies and I got picked to be in one of their experiments (who knows what results they will get if they ever test Ambrose?). We arrived at the center and the students all made a big fuss over me. They let me sniff all around and get used to the room.



These students conducted the study. First they had me practice getting treats on the floor (I hardly needed to practice that!). Then one of them put a treat under one of two plastic cups and I had to find it. Sometimes Barbara would point to a cup and sometimes one of the students would point.



I thought it was a very easy test. I mean I get cookies out of treat dispensing toys all the time. It was not hard to find a treat under a plastic cup! Sometimes they would trick me though and only pretend to put a treat under a cup!



Now I will say that the treats that the students used were pretty boring. They had obviously not read my ground breaking treat palatability research study that I posted last week. If they had, I am sure that they wouldn't have used 1 paw and 2 paw level treats. Maybe I should try to get my work published in Science or Nature.

I was very pleased to be included in this important problem solving research. I hope it helps them learn more about how dogs' minds work. And of course I am always up for any opportunity to get more treats.



It has been raining a lot here lately so we haven't been able to do to many fun things to blog about. Tomorrow we are going to see some of Ambrose's brothers and sisters. I hope that they are not as goofy as he is. I won't be able to stand it.

Dog Park Fiasco

I was all set to post about my experiences at the Duke Canine Cognition Center but I am so mad that I will have to postpone that for another day. On Monday mornings we like to go to the dog park in Chapel Hill to meet our pit bull friend Cherie. She is a sweet girl but sensitive so we don't go to the park at times when there are lots of dogs and people. Unfortunately when we got to the park today it was packed. Cherie's person decided not to bring her in but Barbara let us go in to run around for a bit. The park is quite large and Ambrose and I mostly played with each other since Barbara did not like the play style of some of the other dogs and was rather annoyed with the casual attitude and general cluelessness of some of the people there.

We weren't there long when Barbara decided to take us out. All of a sudden a big dog fight broke out. She called us over to her and put on our leashes and took us straight out of the park as she didn't want us involved. The dogs were picking on a young Bernese Mountain Dog but the worst thing was the idiot owners! Barbara said many HBO words about their lack of intelligence. One idiot person grabbed his dogs and did an alpha roll on him. Like that is going to teach the dog not to fight! None of the people whose dogs were involved in the fight took their dogs out of the park even though the dogs were still very aroused. They let their dogs go after the Bernese again and pin her.

We did not hang around, even outside the fence, to see what happened but I have a few things to say. First of all the alpha roll is a ridiculous way to train a dog and it is a good way for a person to get bitten. No matter what some famous TV trainers do, it is still not right. The Association of Pet Dog Trainers has come out with a position statement on "dominance" in dog training. You can read it here along with lots of good information about proper training, dog park play and safety tips.



Just say no to the dominance model of dog training!!!

2nd Annual Treat Palatability Research Study

I know that you have been anxiously awaiting the results of my treat research study. You wouldn't want your people to waste their money on treats that don't taste good and of course you don't want to have to eat them. In the name of science and for the good of my fellow canines I have undertaken this arduous but important experiment.

Barbara brought a huge bagful of treats for me to investigate. You can see what a difficult task I had in front of me. I tested some of these treats last year but wanted to see if they stood up against the new treats.



The first step in the experiment was for me to sniff a treat in her hand.



Then she would put it on a plate, let me sniff another treat and put that one on different plate.



I had to do a sit stay and look at the plates.



When she said OK I went to the most delicious treat first and she wrote it down for me.



We did many repetitions of the experiment. She would switch the treats to different plates, switch the order etc. to account for any right/left bias. We compared dry treats and then soft treats. The winner in each set of trials was compared to the winner from another set of trials until we reached the best treat of all.

Last year I did a four paw rating system. I've done it again so you can see which ones you should get your people to buy for you.

4 PAWS: Scrumptious - will eat them even when I see squirrels
Buddy Biscuit Roast Chicken Madness, Grilled Beef Madness

3 PAWS Delicious - will eat them most of the time
Buddy Biscuit Peanut Butter Madness, Bacon & Cheese Madness

2 PAWS Tasty - will eat them when there are no distractions
Cloud Star Tricky Trainers, Train-me, Pet Botanics Reward

1 PAW slightly better than cardboard
Bennies Bullies, Charlee Bear Cheese and egg

However the very best, most delicious treats were so yummy that I did not have enough paws to rate them!

They are the Merrick Gourmet Sausage Treats and they are the best treat I have ever had! There are several flavors. I liked them all but the best (according to my research) was the French Country Cafe flavor.



Tell your people to get this treat for you!!! I have no idea how much it costs but whatever it costs, it is worth it.

You may ask where Ambrose was through all this experimentation. In his crate! Barbara thought that he should get to try the test. I knew it would be a disaster. Ambrose does not have a discriminating palate and has even been known to eat glass.

Barbara tried really hard to get him to work with her. Even when she would point to the plate, he couldn't seem to figure out that the treat was on the plate and not in her hand.



Look at his goofy expression. I fear that he has no future as a scientific researcher.



Finally he figured out that the treats were on the plates and ate them.



I hope this helps you and your people when selecting treats.

Tomorrow I am going to be in a real scientific experiment at the Duke University Canine Cognition Center. I am not sure what I will have to do in the experiment but I understand that involves foraging. I am sure that I can do that. I will let you know how it goes.

The APDT Conference

I've been away from the blogosphere for over a week but Barbara has a good excuse this time. She was at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Annual Conference in Oakland, CA and Ambrose and I were at K9 Kindercare. This is a 5 day educational conference for dog trainers so it is very important. There were 1121 trainers there listening to the top behaviorists and trainers such as Dr. Brian Hare, Sue Sternberg, Steve White, Nicole Wilde and many others.

Since Barbara is the president of the APDT, she had lots of jobs to do while there. I feel that as First Dog, I should have been there too. Especially when I saw that she got to stay in the Presidential Suite. Look at the size of that place-I could have had a good time playing there.



Unfortunately I would have had to fly in the belly of a plane to get there, and of course I will not do that. The conference is mostly lectures and demonstrations so I think I would not have enjoyed it that much. I'd much rather be playing or doing tracking. And if we brought Ambrose, he would have wrecked the place for sure.

Barbara did get to go to San Francisco by ferry which I would have enjoyed. The sunset looked lovely.



The best part of the conference, as far as I am concerned, is the trade show. Vendors sell all sorts of cool dog products and Barbara always buys us lots of toys and treats. I was very excited to see that her training bag was crammed full of good stuff.



I inspected the bag very carefully. There were Wubbas, Kongs, chew toys and this great giraffe with a braided fleece body and a good squeaker in his head.



Of course I had to check out all the treats. Last year, you may remember, I did a very scientific palatability test on the various treats so that I could let you know which ones were delicious and which ones were icky. I am very willing to put my efforts into doing this again for you so that you don't have to suffer eating boring tasting treats. We will try to post about it this weekend.



Of course goofy Ambrose had to try to get in on the act. Barbara says that I have to share. Boo! Hiss!



I have the giraffe. It is mine.



If Ambrose thinks he can have it, he is goofier than I ever thought. I am going to take this giraffe onto my bed and keep Ambrose away so he doesn't get his puppy cooties all over it. He can have the Wubba!



As much as I enjoy going to K9 Kindercare and I know that it is important for Barbara to be at the conference, I am glad to be home with all my new treats and toys.

My New Bed

I have always liked my round bed. It used to be nice and puffy but lately it has gone sadly flat. I blame it on Ambrose of course. He is always jumping on it and smashing it down. He tore up his own bed and so has to sleep on a bath mat. He tries to get on my bed when ever he can.



Barbara decided I needed a new comfy bed. Look what she brought home from the dog show last month! It is the most comfy, puffy bed that I have ever had. I know that those bed afficianados, Agatha and Archie, would approve.



I love it and am doing my best to keep Ambrose off of it. I don't want his adolescent puppy cooties on my lovely bed. My old bed has been demoted to his bed! Ha!

Goat Patrol

I had a busy weekend. On Saturday morning, before she had lessons, Barbara took me over to the Durham Kennel Club to practice my freestyle. We are working on a new routine and I am practicing ignoring the people on the sidelines (I love to visit people). This is hard. Here I am checking out my training bag to see if I can snag a few extra goodies.



I sent Ambrose over to Scout's house to play in her yard.



The two of them play really rough. They like to run and bash and play bitey face. Since they are both adolescents they really need to run off their excess energy. I am so glad that they like to play like this because after Ambrose has played with Scout, he behaves better at home.



We went to the dog park first thing this morning. When we pulled into the parking lot I was astounded to see a herd of goats in the woods next to the parking lot!



They are The Goat Patrol. Their person drives them around to places that need the weeds eaten up and they graze on the vegetation! I love goats and once I saw them I didn't even care if I went into the dog park.



I could see that this goat really wanted to play with me. I wish I could have joined her but there was an electric fence around the goats to keep them in the woods (and to keep the dogs out).

Show Dogs

My sister Tori is a show dog. Barbara tried to get me to be a show dog but I thought standing still and looking pretty was boring. I am a go-girl and like to do freestyle and tracking. I also can not stand dog grooming torture and if you are entered in conformation shows you have to do a lot of it.

In July Tori went to a big show in Salem, VA. It is the same show where Fenway had a big win. I wish I had known Fenway was going to be there because I would have told Tori to go and play with him. I am sure that it would have been more fun than standing around in a show ring.

Anyway Tori did great. She got a 4 point major at the Friday show and a 5 point major on Sunday. This means that she had to beat lots of other Gordon Setters to get that many points. The judge who gave her the 5 points is very famous and knowledgeable so that was a big win.



I think she looks quite beautiful and regal and she will be a champion soon.

Now Barbara thinks that Ambrose should enter the show ring. This must be a joke! What judge in his right mind would give any kind of ribbons to this goofy boy?



Me? I'll stick with tracking.

Royal's 2nd Birthday Party

My Drill Team buddy, Royal, turned 2 and invited us to his party. Last year's event was a social success so I didn't want to miss it even though Ambrose was invited too. I was a little worried that Ambrose would act crazy and embarrass us.

Doesn't Royal look handsome? He is wearing a decorative collar from Jing-a-ling Dog Bandanas. We all got these nice reversible collars as party favors. Check out the site for the ruffled collars and bandanas.



I think that I look pretty spiffy in mine.



We had a great time running around with all the other dogs (and we were very well behaved, even Ambrose) but we really wanted to get up on the deck for the refreshments.



Royal's person, Jenn, made us dogs a terrific carrot/peanut butter cake with cream cheese frosting and dog biscuit decorations!



Everyone got a slice. I was drooling in anticipation.



Barbara put the plates down for us and by the time she reached around to grab her camera, we had inhaled the cake and licked the plates clean!!! Very yummy!



Thanks for inviting us Royal. We had a great time. And I'm glad that goofy Ambrose didn't ruin your party.

We Are Trying This Again

She has promised me that this time we will get back to regular blogging. I have heard the excuses and they all lame. Unfortunately, Barbara is the one with the opposable thumbs and I am dependent on her to type my dictation. Just think what I could do with thumbs!

I've had lots of adventures since I last posted. I've been to a birthday party, went to Virginia to visit my siblings, gave some freestyle demos, helped Barbara with her students and gotten back to tracking now that the weather is a bit cooler. All Ambrose is doing is growing and being bad. If I listed all the bad things he has done in the last two months you would be reading for a week!



We've had some good times in the dog park. I will give Ambrose credit for being a good player. Here he is making friends with a little Boston Terrier.





Even though Ambrose is now as big as I am, he still is really goofy. Look at all the dirt on face and on his tongue. What a mess!



I'll try to post photos of some of my adventures in the next few days. I can't wait to catch up on all your blogs. I've missed you guys.

Ambrose Does It Again

You may be wondering why there are no photos with this post. It is all Ambrose's fault. To be fair, it really is Barbara's fault. She was the one who fell asleep on the couch one evening while Ambrose was loose in the house and not in his crate. This was a serious mistake!

While she was sleeping Ambrose stole the little cable that goes from the camera to the computer and chewed it into 5 pieces! Then he fell asleep. When Barbara woke up and saw the destruction she said many HBO words. She knew Ambrose was the culprit because I have never been that interested in wires or cables and all the pieces were lying next to him on his bed!!

So now we can't show any of our nice pictures until the mini usb comes. She tried a card reader (whatever that it) but it didn't seem to work. I have some good photos to show you about a special package that I got from Scotland but they are trapped in the camera for now.

The big excitement today was that Barbara and I got attacked by yellow jackets! We were walking in the woods and Barbara wanted to go down a certain path. I did not but she said to anyway. There was a reason I didn't want to go there. Yellow jackets swarmed around us and stung us. Barbara tried to get the horrible things off me and they stung her hands. I got stung on the face several times but my fur is thick so the ones on my back and legs didn't get me. We ran back home to escape them. We each had to take an antihistamine and the swelling and the hurt went away. I am never walking on that path again.

Bad Ambrose

Ambrose is almost 7 months old now and he is huge! Almost as big as me. His paws are enormous and he still has a lot of loose skin so he is not nearly finished growing.

The first picture is us today. The second picture was taken in March when he was only 2 1/2 months old.





You can see the difference.

He has grown in spurts. Sometimes his front legs grow and sometimes his back legs grow. One day Barbara was horrified to see that his hips were higher than his shoulders! I think that we should lock him in a closet so that no one can see him and think that is what Gordon Setters are supposed to look like.

He is also growing goofier by the day. Look at that face!. This week he forgot what sit means. Barbara gave him the cue and he just stood there and stared at her like he never heard the word before. She has only been practicing that with him since he was 8 weeks old!



Completely clueless.

Barbara says that he is the most destructive puppy that she has ever had. Even though we have lots of appropriate chew toys, stuffed kongs and other treat dispensing toys, he still likes to chew up things that shouldn't even be in his mouth in the first place. If Barbara leaves the closet door open for a second or leaves something out on the table, it is in his mouth in a flash. I have done a few bad things in my day but nothing like this and I was never destructive.

THE GALLERY OF DESTRUCTION

Ambose's registered name is Albannach Almost Famous. His breeders sent Barbara a baseball cap with their kennel name embroidered on it. She had it in the dog-crate-on-wheels on the console between the front seats. Ambrose's crate is right up next to the console. While she was driving he pulled the hat into his crate, chewed it and got his puppy slime all over it.




He stole her sandal from the closet and chewed off the end before she got it back.



I took my head off my dragon for just a few minutes and this is what he did to it.




He stole the camera off the table. Fortunately he only messed up the case and not the camera.




He is also a counter surfer. We used to have four of these Canine Freestyle Federation mugs. Now we have one. Barbara gets really upset when Ambrose knocks over anything glass or ceramic. Many HBO words are said while Ambrose gets shoved in his crate and I get told to "leave it" so she can clean up the mess. I think she is worried that we might eat the glass or cut our pads on it.




I really don't know how I am going to survive his adolescence. It was so nice to go to the competition in TN and leave him at the kennel. I had Barbara all to myself and didn't have to put up with his goofiness. But Barbara missed him. Why, I do not know. She is always kissing him and playing with him and trying to train him (a lost cause, I am afraid). So I am stuck with him.

Falling Down on the Blog

It has been a whole month since I've blogged. I can't believe that Barbara has not been able to help me in all that time. Of course she has many excuses. Keeping her training business going, her responsibilities to the APDT, training Ambrose (who takes ridiculous amount of work) blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! Of course we were also getting ready for my very first Canine Freestyle Federation competition.

I am waiting my turn to practice. All of our freestyle friends were so helpful giving us advice and helping us train.



We worked really hard on our routine. Now competition is different than training. You will be shocked to learn that there are no treats or toys allowed in the performance space!!! Your person can give you treats before and after but they can't use treats in the ring or even have any in their pockets. This is very difficult but we practiced a lot.



Then Barbara worried about what she would wear to the competition. I, of course, planned to wear my lovely black and tan fur. And I don't know why she was worried about her outfit since everyone would be looking at me! Unfortunately she felt that I needed to spend a lot of time on the dog grooming torture table and have a bath before we went to Tennessee.

It was a long drive to Chattanooga, TN but I am very good in the dog-crate-on-wheels. We stopped a lot so I could stretch my legs. Many people at the rest stops admired me. I like staying in motels. There are lots of good smells and interesting noises. One morning I heard a noise at 6:00 AM and woke everyone up by barking very loudly.



On Saturday morning Barbara was a little nervous because it was my first competition ever, I was going to be off leash in the ring and of course there is no food allowed. I have to admit that I didn't do very well. I was quite distracted by the location, the floor and the audience. About 1/3 of the way through I left Barbara to visit the music steward! She called me back and we continued but I went visiting again so Barbara asked to be excused so I wouldn't practice running away. She wasn't mad at me and still gave me lots of treats, just a bit disappointed since we had worked very hard.

On Sunday she stopped at Burger King to get me 2 sausage biscuits, my most favorite treat. During warmup I got some bits of it and I was really primed and focused. We did great!!! Everyone said that we did a good job and our routine was very enjoyable. I was into it and Barbara was so pleased. We got good scores and I came away with a first place medallion and toys! After my routine I got to eat a whole sausage biscuit which was the best.



Barbara gave her camera to someone to take pictures of the awards ceremony but they forgot to do it so there are no pictures of me getting my awards. Bummer. Here I am at home with two of the toys I got. I am guarding the yellow dragon from Ambrose who covets it (Ambrose went to K9 Kindercare while we were in TN).



Since we didn't get any pictures of the awards ceremony at the trial, I thought that I would model it for you here at home.



A close up of the medal.



While we were in Chattanooga, Barbara and some of her friends took the opportunity to visit the Aquarium. That is a big place with lots of fish. I am very sorry that I didn't get to visit the Aquarium. I love to eat fish.

These spotted flat things are freshwater rays. I wonder what they taste like.



Jelly fish.



A coral reef.



I promise to make sure that Barbara helps me with my blog more often. When we get the video of the competition, I will try to post the routine. I also have some pictures of Ambrose to post - he is huge! I'll be visiting all your blogs in the next few days to catch up with all your activities. I've missed you.

Variable Surface Tracking

We've been very busy here so I am sorry that it has taken so long to post about the Variable Surface Tracking Workshop. I worked very hard and learned a lot.

This is Ed Presnall, the tracking expert who taught the workshop. VST tracking is the hardest type of tracking and he set up lots of great exercises to help us dogs (and our scent handicapped people) succeed.



I met lots of nice dogs at the workshop. It was interesting to see the different ways each dog approaches tracking. As you know, I am pretty intense about my tracking but some dogs are more deliberate or relaxed about it. I actually have to learn to slow down!



We began with easy starter tracks and article games. I know them but Ed said it is very important to practice them often. I am not very good at article indication so we are going to be doing a lot more of that.

In VST we don't just track on grass but on pavement, sidewalks, near buildings, near cars, across roads, up and down stairs and such. Each track that Ed laid had a problem for us to solve and each track got progressively harder.



Here you can see that I've made the turn. Barbara has to read my body language to see when I've gotten to the turn. She also has to learn to trust me, that I know more about scent than she does!



I've found the plastic article on this leg of the track. I also had to find leather, cloth and metal articles.



Even though this is the fourth track on Sunday, you can see that I am still going strong. It was a lot of work but so exciting. The only time I stopped tracking and got a bit silly was when one of the tracks went near goose poop! I just couldn't resist and grabbed some before Barbara saw it and told me to leave it!



We were all very tired after two days of intense learning and tracking. My brain and my nose needed a rest from all the work.



If you are interested in seeing more pictures of us tracking go here. Grady's person took lots of great photos of us working. Maybe you and your person would like to do some tracking. You can go to Ed's website to find out more about next year's seminars. You will learn a lot.

I had a great time and of course we are trying to put into practice all that we learned at the workshop. It is too hot here in NC to do much tracking right now. Ambrose has stopped itching so much thank goodness and no longer has to wear his satellite dish. I am glad because I was getting sick of getting bashed with it. Tomorrow I will be practicing my freestyle routine because that competition is in 3 weeks! Yikes! I better get down to work.

Home Again

I had no idea that I was going on an adventure meant that I would have to get up at 4:30 AM! Way to early for me but Barbara was the one driving so I didn't have much choice! The dog-crate-on-wheels was crammed full of stuff for our trip - food, toys, treats, my tracking gear, presents, water and Barbara's suitcase. Ambrose is in his crate in the front of the car but you can't see him behind all the stuff!



I was a bit worried about spending 9 hours in a car with him in case he had one of his fart explosions. Fortunately Barbara has been adding digestive enzymes to his food so that problem has been taken care of thank goodness!

It was a very long trip and Ambrose and I slept most of the way although Barbara did make lots of rest stops so we could get out and stretch our legs. I was very glad to get to Aunt Debby's house and survey her big fenced yard and garden.



Ambrose particularly liked the petunias and ate many of them.



My cousin Coby is a very nice guy but I don't think he was too thrilled that we invaded his home. We were a bit rambunctious for him but he did get used to us, I think think he got jealous when Aunt Debby and Uncle Stan made a fuss over us.





I enjoyed roaching in the grass. It felt so good. We don't have grass in our yard, only ground cover which does not lend itself to roaching the way this nice, soft grass does.







While we were there, Ambrose got some kind of allergic reaction to something (we are still not sure to what) and was itching like crazy. He woke us up at night with his scratching. My aunt and uncle took him to the vet so that Barbara and I could go to our workshop. Ambrose had to get a shot and pills and have a bath in special shampoo and conditioner (Ha!) and wear the dreaded satellite dish on his head!



I think he looks even goofier that he usually does. He kept crashing into everyone's legs with the cone and it was hard for him to go up and down the stairs.



I'm exhausted from all the travel, the workshop and the visiting with the family. We had a great time but I am glad to be home. I'll post about the tracking workshop tomorrow and catch up with all your blogs soon.

An Adventure

Well her excuse for not helping me blog more lately is that she has been preparing for an adventure with us. It has involved making lots of lists, washing dog beds, drowning stuffies, packing and other frantic activities. Barbara assured me this adventure would be lots of fun. How can it be fun if it means that I have to spend time on the dog grooming torture table and have a bath?



Ambrose had to have a bath too. He cried like a baby!



The dog crate on wheels is finally packed and tomorrow morning we are getting up very early so that we can drive to New Jersey to see my Aunt Debby and her family and my cousin Cobi. He is a cock-a-poo that they adopted from a local shelter a year and a half ago.



While we are there, Barbara and I will be attending and 'Introduction to Variable Surface Tracking workshop'! I am so excited because it is being given by Ed Presnall who is an expert!! I hope to learn many new tracking skills (and I can only hope that Barbara manages to learn something too. I am sure that we will post all about it when we get back.

On another topic, please keep your paws crossed for my boyfriend Riley. You can see us having a great time in the dog park.



Unfortunately Riley injured his hip very badly and and had to have a big operation last week. The operation was a success but he will have to undergo a long and painful rehabilitation. He is such a sweet guy and I feel so bad for him.



If you haven't signed up for Tank's Whack-a-Squirrel campaign, please do so.



Because of my tracking abilities I have been named Southeast Regional Commander. We need to make a big effort to do something about those annoying tree rats. And watch out! They are getting stronger every day!

K9 Kindercare and Rally

On Saturday Barbara drove us to K9 Kindercare. I always stay there when she has to go away. This was Ambrose's first time there. Barbara thinks it is important for puppies to learn that the kennel is a good place to stay by having a short, happy first visit. Then when they have to stay for a longer time, it isn't a problem for them. Little does he know that when Barbara and I go off to my freestyle competition in July, he will have to stay there by himself. HAH!



Ambrose did very well and played with lots of nice dogs. When he started farting, I pretended that I didn't know him.

Today he got to play with his friend Scout. She really likes the pool and keeps trying to encourage him to come in.



Of course they had to play a lot of bitey face. Now I always like a good game of bitey face but they are obsessed with chewing on each other.






I got to go practice Rally this evening. Here I am waiting my turn while my BFF Ayla got to practice on the course.





I'm doing a sit stay. Very boring. I much prefer the active exercises like the serpentines around the cones or doing the jumps.



We had a good practice though. Rally is good for building teamwork.



You may notice the fur on my left ear is much shorter than the fur on my right ear.



I blame it on Ambrose. He is always chewing on my ear! I look a little lopsided. I hope my fur grows back soon so I look good when we go to the freestyle trial. If it doesn't maybe I can get some hair extensions.

I am Four!

Today is my birthday and I turned four! The day started out as usual but when Barbara came home from her lessons she had a bag from Phydeaux, my favorite store.

I got two new stuffies for my birthday! The yellow one is a great tug toy.



You may wonder why I don't look terribly excited about my new stuffies. It is because Barbara is singing "Happy Birthday" to me and it sounds ghastly. I tried to hide my head and pretend I didn't hear it.



These are great stuffies though (even if I did have to endure her singing to get them). Now I just have to keep Ambrose from getting his puppy cooties on them or farting anywhere near them.

After I got my presents Barbara took me to the park for a walk and then a drive out in the country to a most wonderful place.



The cows at Maple View Farm make delicious ice cream and the store is filled with it.



Of course I couldn't go inside but Barbara went in and bought me a dish of Butter Pecan ice cream!



She fed it to me on the spoon because she was afraid if she gave me the dish I would eat the whole thing in one gulp!



It was delicious and when I was almost through she let me lick the cup to get every creamy, yummy drop.





What a great birthday treat! More please?



I am one lucky Gordon Setter.

Excuses, Excuses!

Usually I get to post about twice a week but it has been 11 days since my last post. This is disgraceful. Barbara has lots of excuses - problems with the internet connection, work, meetings, conference calls -blah! Blah! BLAH! It is not as if I haven't been doing anything, it is just that she says that she has been too busy to upload my pictures and help me visit all my friends' blogs. What could be more important than helping me blog?



Ambrose and I met a new friend at the dog park. Her name is Jazzy and she is a young Standard Poodle.



We had a good time running around the park. Jazzy is a fast runner. I hope we meet up with her again.



I've been doing a lot of training recently because I have a freestyle competition coming up in July. Barbara is pleased with how our routine is coming. My boyfriend Trotter comes out to the training center to practice too. We always have some playtime as well. We had a good game of tug with this duck.



Ambrose has been very annoying lately. I have had to correct him quite severely as he has tried to muzzle in on my morning ear rubs! This is my special time with Barbara and I will not have it interrupted. He is also developing into a serious thief. He stole a roll of paper towels and chewed it up. He got a jar of peanut butter off the counter and ate half of it! You can imagine that many HBO words were said around here.



But the worst part is that Ambrose has turned out to be a terrible farter! I hate to be indelicate but I cannot bear it. We were in the dog-crate-on-wheels and the stench was unbelievable. Barbara opened the windows but it was not enough. Ambrose and I are in crates in the dog-crate-on-wheels (I try to do the driving if I am loose) and I could not escape. You can see from this picture that I am about ready to expire from the smell.



I really don't know what I am going to do with him. All I can say is that he better get me a really good birthday present (my birthday is Wednesday) to make up for all I have to put up with from him.



We will catch up with all your blogs in the next couple of days. Hope you all had a fun Memorial Day weekend.

Social Secretary Wanted

I think that I need to hire a social secretary. Ambrose is constantly going on play dates and socialization outings. I have been severely neglected. I don't get to blog, or visit my friends' blogs, as often as I want. Barbara takes pictures of Ambrose but forgets to take pictures of me! A social secretary could keep our lives organized and make sure that I get all the attention and training that I need.

Ambrose had another playdate today with his little girfriend Scout.



They love to race around the yard and run through the tunnel.



After they get tired of running they play a lot of bitey face. They play in a very reciprocal way so it is all in fun even if it looks pretty rough.



It is a wonder that either of them have any ears left since they chew on them so much.



Ambrose is usually very tired after his playdates with Scout. This is a good thing because it means I won't have to play with him so much and can get my beauty sleep.



I know that you all like to see pictures of Ambrose since he is supposedly such a cute puppy. Well I was pretty cute when I was a puppy too. My mom Misty sent me this photo of me when I was 3 weeks and 2 days old.

Happy Mother's Day Misty and Maisie

Ambrose and I are so lucky that we have such great Moms!

Here's my Mom, Misty.


Ch Tri-Sett Living Legend CD, JH, RE


Ambrose's Mom, Maisie.


Pointsetter Fantasia JH

They are lovely ladies with excellent noses and temperaments. We are fortunate that they passed those good traits down to us. They took great care of us when we were little puppies. They kept us clean, safe and warm. They fed us so we could grow up to be healthy and strong. As we got older they helped socialize us and show us how to be good Gordon Setters.

Thanks for everything Moms!


xoxoxo
Niamh



xoxoxo
Ambrose

Ambrose Has a Busy Day

Monday was an exciting day for Ambrose. First he and his friend Scout got to go tracking. They do little tracks with lots of articles and rewards. Then Ambrose went to the lake for the first time!

Scout has already been to the lake once so she knew just what to do.



Ambrose went into the water but kept looking back at Barbara to see if it was ok. She encouraged him with lots of praise and some treats and threw little sticks for him.



Ambrose did not know what to do with his feet! Should he splash the water with his paw or try to swim?



He is not sure if he wants to go back in to the lake or just watch Scout swimming. Next time I will go with him and show him how much fun it is to splash and swim.



Afterwards they both rolled around on the grass to dry off and played a little bitey face.



Monday night was the Junior Puppy Class graduation. The puppies got to show off their tricks and do a mini obstacle course. They tried to get a group picture but it is hard to get 9 puppies to sit still at once!



The puppies have grown so much in seven weeks (Ambrose has more than doubled in size) and learned a lot. I hope all the puppies continue on with classes so that they will grow up to be great dogs. A puppy's mind is a terrible thing to waste.

New Bandanna

I always know when i am going to get to march or perform with the Drill Team because Barbara gets out my team bandana. The Animal Protection Society of Orange County recently changed their name to Paws 4Ever so the people on the team had to get new T-shirts and sweatshirts and us dogs got new bandanas!



I think it looks good and it contrasts with the peoples' new T-shirts.



Today we performed at the Carrboro Day festival. We did our two group routines and Barbara and I performed our individual routine. It was very hot but I think we did well and we got a lot of applause. Afterwards lots of people came up to pet us and to find out about dog training.

Of course Ambrose had to stay at home. He does not know enough to be in the Drill Team and if he got a new bandanna he would probably tear it up like he does everything else. We will be entering pictures of some of the things he has ruined in the Pointer Pandemonium Naughty Dog competition. He might win on sheer volume of naughtiness.

For those of you who like to see his goofy face, here are a couple of photos of Ambrose. He is getting big. I just wish his brains would grow as fast as his legs.