My Mom Misty

Of course you all know that I have Barbara as my special person. She brought me home when I was a young puppy to live with her and Selkie. But before I came here I had my first family in Virginia. My Mom's name is Misty and I was her first born puppy. She took great care of me when I was little, cleaning and feeding me and keeping me and my brothers and sisters warm. As we got older she taught us polite canine behavior.

I haven't seen her since I was a year old . Barbara and I took a long car ride on Sunday to see my Aunt Karen, my breeder. I got to play with my sister Torie and my brother Travis in a big fenced yard. Then I got to see my Mom. I was so happy that I just wiggled all over the place and licked Misty's lips just like I did when I was a puppy. Misty was very tolerant of my giddy behavior and eventually we played together. I was glad to have the opportunity to hang out with her. I stayed over her house and played with all her toys (she has a big basket of stuffed toys) but I didn't destroy any of them. She was very sweet with me.

Misty's full name is Ch Tri-Sett Living Legend CD JH CGC. It means that she has a conformation championship (you can see how beautiful she is in the pictures I've posted) has a Companion Dog title in obedience and the Junior Hunter title means she is good at finding birds which is what Gordons were bred to do. The CGC means that my Mom is Canine Good Citizen as well. I understand that she has two legs towards her Rally Novice title so she will have more letters after her name soon.



Some day I hope to have letters after my name but if I behave half as well as my mother I think that Barbara will be very happy.

Freestyle Fun

This afternoon Barbara and I drove out to the APS to canine freestyle practice. Freestyle is where the dog and her person perform a routine that is choreographed to music that suits the dog. It shows the relationship between the two. Dogs have to be really smart and well trained to do this sport (and their person should be creative too) but it looks beautiful when done well.

Selkie had a routine to Cajun music which got her lots of applause when she performed it at demos. I'd like to have a routine of my own but first we have to find just the right music and then I have to learn all the skills.

Several dogs and their people came to the practice. First the people had to have a meeting (don't they always). It was very tedious for me. Human communication just takes too long. Canine communication is much faster, clearer and much more elegant.



Finally we got to practice some exercises that Jeanine set for us to work on our movement. My heeling is getting much better and I really like doing it to music. But now I have to learn to heel on the right side too just when I was getting the hang of the left side! Then we took turns in the ring. The whippets got to show off their routines which they will be performing at a trial in April. Whippets are very skinny dogs with very short fur. They have to wear coats in this cold weather, poor things. But they do really well at freestyle.



Barbara and I tried heeling to several different pieces of music. Not to be conceited but I look really lovely when I am trotting around the ring. Barbara's friends had suggestions about what music would show off my trotting the best. I liked the calypso piece and a Spanish guitar song. Now Barbara will have to come up with a routine and we will have to practice a lot. It is hard work but it sure would be nice to have lots of people clap for me at a demo.

Another Great Morning

I haven't blogged in awhile because Barbara went to the APDT Board meeting and I went to K9 Kindercare. I had a good time with everyone there (except for a rude Jack Russell Terrier) but was glad to come home.

This morning we went out early to track in a field that I have never been to. We drove past one of my favorite tracking fields and I was quite concerned. I started barking to remind Barbara to make a left turn but she just kept on driving. We went to Ayr Mount in Hillsborough and met Ayla and Sandi and Dreamer and Chris.

Barbara wanted to work on straight tracks with me to help me with my fringing. As a Gordon Setter I like to quarter and check out the edges of the scent cone. The straight tracks with interim articles were to help me concentrate. It was great fun. I got to find some new articles - a metal key chain and a leather cell phone case. I got the delicious sausage biscuit as a reward of course. Chris (Dreamer's person) followed along behind us and thought that I did a very good job and improved on each track.

Sandi took the pictures of me following a track. The part that Barbara was most impressed with was when I found deer poop on the track. I sniffed it thoroughly (very fragrant) but then got right back to work and finished my track.

Dreamer and Ayla ran their tracks which are much harder than mine. They run blind tracks which means that their people do not know where the track is because there are no flags along it. They are both certified and will be doing tracking trials soon. I hope that I can get to that level too.

It was a great morning of tracking but I think the afternoon will not be so fun. I heard Barbara say to Sandi and Chris that I was going to Max's for a bath because "she looks like something the cat dragged in". What an insult!! I have only met one cat in my life and he didn't put a paw on me never mind drag me anywhere.

I'm Exhausted

I barely have the energy to dictate this blog entry. It has been a busy week and today was especially busy. What with tracking in the morning and playing with a puppy in the afternoon I only had a few hours in between to nap while Barbara was giving lessons.

I started out the morning doing a particularly difficult track. We met Ayla and Sandi at Jordan Lake. I thought we were going swimming even though it was drizzling. Barbara laid a 225 yard track with two turns. The difficulty was in the rough terrain (Barbara managed to trip and fall in a hole) with lots of tall grass and then a turn into the woods! On top of that it was very windy which blew the scent around. I wanted to do alot of fringing to check out the scent in the holes and ruts. I had to circle a bit on my second turn but then found the track. But it went into the pine woods. I was not sure if I should go into the woods since we had never done that on a track before. I looked back at Barbara and she encouraged me to enter the woods. Sure enough there was plenty of scent in the pine needles which I tracked to my final article - a makeup case stuffed with sausage biscuit. Yeah! I could tell that Barbara and Sandi were quite pleased with how well I worked. Then Ayla worked her track and I understand that she got slices of chicken at her final article.




This afternoon we went to see Pippo and Snowflake. Their person Jane has been fostering a cute lab mix named Summer and she wanted to see Summer's play style with me. I have good body language so Barbara was happy to bring me over to play with Summer.

Summer was a little pushy but I just turned around and stared at her (I learned this from Selkie) and she backed off smartly. We did some chasing in the yard and in the house as well. I wanted a drink of water and made Summer get away from the water bowl. Puppies should be deferential. Selkie took every opportunity to remind me of this important facet of canine social behavior.

Fortunately Jane has found an excellent permanent home for Summer so she should have a great life with her new people. I am glad to know that because many dogs have boring horrible lives tied out on chains or no homes at all.

Anyway I must rest now. I understand that tomorrow I am going to the dog park. I really don't know if I can keep up this pace

Tracking Fun

It was a beautiful morning -just perfect for tracking. Barbara stopped at the Burger King to get biscuits as rewards. She put the bag of biscuits in the trunk of the car. Did she really think that I wouldn't smell them in the trunk?

When we got to the field Trotter and Tully were already there with Chris. So was Trapper, a Brittany. He and his special person Jeanine have done lots for canine freestyle together and Trapper had earned many titles. He has retired from freestyle and at age 11 is learning to track! His picture is posted above. Barbara took several pictures of Trapper and Jeanine but she somehow managed to erase most of them. She really has to pay more attention to what she is doing.

We had a great morning of tracking. I was very excited since I knew that sausage biscuits were involved. Barbara laid a long track for me - 200 yds. with 3 turns - and let it age for 25 minutes. Even thought I had been very busy over the weekend I still had lots of energy to run my track. The first two turns were easy. Sometimes the track crossed some tire ruts in the field. The scent would pool in the ruts and of course I would have to check in both directions. Barbara stopped going forward and once I realized that the trail did not go in the ruts I was able to get back on track. The last turn was a bit tricky since it was near some tire tracks too. Barbara had to back up and help me a bit (that is what she is there for) but I finally got it and headed for my last article. It was a hairband wrapped around the sausage biscuit. Yeah! I could tell that she was very pleased with how well I did my work.

When we got back to the cars I found out that Trotter and Tully got egg and cheese biscuits for their tracks. It smelled quite delicious. Barbara says that eggs are gross and she will not get me an egg biscuit but I would certainly like to taste one someday.

Resolutions Revisited

I think I may want to revise my resolutions. I want to roll in more dead, smelly animals (it is like wearing perfume) but one of my wishes for 2008 is to have no baths. Barbara has warned me if I roll in any dead, smelly animals I will have to have a bath immediately. This is a horrible thought and very cruel. I am going to have to strike the dead, smelly animals off my list and just work on the treats and toys.

Happy New Year 2008

Happy New Year to all my dog friends and their people. Wishing you a 2008 filled with lots of adventures, tracking, rally, freestyle and no baths!!!

People like to make resolutions at the start in the new year and I thought that I should too. However people are not usually good at keeping them so I thought I would come up with some resolutions that I know that I can accomplish with a little work.

In 2008 I resolve to:

Roll in more dead, smelly animals.
Destroy more stuffed toys.
Eat more treats.

I really don't see what is so hard about this New Year's resolution thing. I'll be happy to be successful with all these resolutions.

I went to the dog park in Carrboro this afternoon and Barbara tooks some pictures of me which she has posted above. There were lots of dogs and I had a good time running with some of them. One dog kept trying to hump me and I had to tell him off. It was all in good fun though and a good start for the new year.

Back Again

I stayed at K9 Kindercare for a week while Barbara went to NY so I haven't been able to blog. I had a good time there with my Boxer friend Dutch. I was sad when his person came to pick him up because none of the other dogs wanted to play "bump and run" which Dutch and I enjoy. But Barbara finally came to get me yesterday and I am very happy to be home.

Barbara's mother sent a Christmas present for me which was a stuffed penguin. I like it a lot and it squeaks very well. I will probably tear his legs off when I get a chance. Barbara got to meet my new cousin Coby and two other Golden Retrievers. I am very jealous. I missed out on a lot of fun. Next year I will insist that I go to NY for Christmas.

Barbara got a new camera for Christmas and says that she will put more pictures of me on my blog. Well she will if I sit still long enough to have my picture taken!!

More Tracking-No Beagles

I went tracking again the other day in the same field where the beagle stole my sausage biscuit and some of the articles. When Barbara and I got there Trotter and Dreamer were already there with Chris. She had brought cheeseburgers from Burger King for tracking rewards. I was very worried that the beagle would be there to steal the cheesburgers but the coast was clear. Barbara and Chris laid the tracks, let them age and then I got to work.

I do so love to track. I made the first two turns easily and found the hairbands with the pieces of cheeseburger under them. There was a can near the track but I ignored it. The last turn was near a woodpile and some sawdust and the scent went all around. I had to circle around many times. Barbara helped me and I made the turn and pulled hard to the last article- a sunhat stuffed with cheesburger!!! Yeah!!! Trotter and Dreamer ran their tracks and got cheesburgers too. A very successful afternoon.

That evening Barbara wrapped Chrismas presents. I love presents and really enjoy tearing up wrapping paper. I inspected all the presents very carefully looking for a dog toy or treats. Barbara seemed quite annoyed when I drooled on some of the presents. I can not understand why-it is only saliva. Alas, I did not find any present for me. I think that Barbara needs to do some more shopping.

Sausage Biscuit Tracking

What a great morning! Barbara and I went out to meet Chris and Dreamer to do some tracking which I love. On the way to the field Barbara stopped at a Burger King and bought some sausage biscuits. But she did not give any to me and I was a bit miffed because they smelled wonderful and even though I had eaten breakfast I could have found room for something as delicious as sausage.

When we got to the field Barbara gave me a tiny piece of biscuit. I thought that she was being stingy. Little did I know that she was going to lay the track with pieces of the sausage biscuit at each interim article and stuff the final article full of sausage! I had to stay in the car while she laid the track and I was whining and carrying on while she was gone. She finally came back and we had to wait while the track aged. Meanwhile Chris was laying a long track for Dreamer. I was very anxious to start my track and was very happy when Barbara finally put me in my special tracking harness. I had a drink of water - it is always easier to track when my mouth is wet- and we set off for the start flag.

There was a bit of biscuit on a sock at the start flag and Barbara said there would be more biscuit to follow. This track had a lot of turns and she wanted the reward to be extra special. I couldn't wait to start tracking and took off in a straight line, nose down into the track. Well we were tricked. While we were waiting for the track to age a beagle came into the field and ate the biscuit pieces and ran away with some of the articles!!! Barbara was bit confused but Chris was walking behind us and helped us restart. I made my turns but that beagle had stolen a glove and a sock and ate the biscuit out of a sun hat. The nerve! Fortunately Barbara has some more biscuit in her bait bag and rewarded me as we went along. I was doing a good job on the track even though it was messed up.

We got to the final leg and I found the slipper which was stuffed with the remainder of the sausage. I am so glad that the beagle didn't find that. Barbara gave me lots of praise for doing such a good job in a difficult situation (and some more treats too). I like the idea of tracking for sausage biscuits but I will be keeping away from kleptomaniac beagles!

Woe is me

My life is just awful. I am in heat and it means that I missed one of the most exciting events of the year- the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Holiday Parade was yesterday and I didn't get to be in it. It was supposed to be my first time in the parade and I was especially excited because my person Barbara was named the Grand Marshall and the Drill Team was going to march in the very front of the parade. Barbara got to ride in a 1955 Thunderbird convertible. I don't know what a convertible is but I love riding in cars and this would have been fun to do although Barbara was afraid I would jump out. So I missed all the fun with my Drill Team friends. I don't like being in heat and I have to wear nasty bloomers so I don't make a mess.

The day got even worse. Barbara made lots of delicious food and then took it away to my friend Lucy's house for a party! I didn't get any of it and staying home by myself with a rawhide chew was NOT my idea of fun.

Bath Pictures

Here are some pictures from a few weeks ago when I had a bath at Max's Dog Wash. You can see how much I am enjoying myself. NOT!! I love to splash and swim in Jordan Lake but I am not happy about sitting in a tub and having water squirted on me and even worse is the blow dryer. I do not understand this human obsession with clean dogs. We are just fine the way we are.

Tracking Workshop

I love to track. This past Sunday I got to do a lot of it at a tracking workshop at the APS. Gretchen and Marge came back to help us. Unfortunately I just went into heat so I couldn't come in the building but I could go out in the fields and track which is what I love to do anyway. Mona, a nice young German Shepherd Dog, was also in heat so we were sequestered at the end of the field so we wouldn't distract the boy dogs at the workshop.

In the morning I got to work on two tracks, one that was straight and one with turns. Gretchen followed behind us and gave Barbara tips about how to work with me (I already know how to smell things-she is the one that needs to learn!!). Sometimes I quarter a bit to find the sent and Barbara stops but when I am right on track we get to go, go, go! I love to lean into my tracking harness and pull. I am learning to target the articles and I get to eat all the delicious treats Barbara stuffs in them.

In the afternoon we went back to the big field on Hwy 54. Barbara laid another track with several turns in it. I was very impatient for my turn to track and did not want to wait while Laura laid a track for Mona. When I get frustrated I bite my leash a bit which Barbara does not like. Anyway I bit through the tracking line and took off to run the track. I found the sock at the start flag and then raced down the track to the 1st article. I realized that I was free and started to run around the field. I made a big circuit and Barbara called me and I came straight to her very fast. She gave me lots of liver. It took me a while to settle down (and even a longer time for Barbara's heart to stop pounding I think) I was very proud of my great recall and then I still got to do the track which was lots of fun. Can't wait to do some more tracking with my friends.

My New Cousin, Coby

Debby and Stan, Barbara's sister and brother-in-law, have been wanting a dog for a long time. But it had to be just the right dog of course. They went to look at a nice little dog at a shelter near their home and thought that they had found a dog that would fit into their family just perfectly. They called Barbara to talk about him and on Sunday they went to the shelter to meet him again and adopt him.

His name is Coby and he is two years old. When I first saw his picture I thought tha Debby and Stan had made a mistake and adopted a sheep but he is a poodle mix. I can't believe that someone would leave such a cute little dog in a shelter but people do strange things. Fortunately he didn't have to stay there too long before Debby and Stan adopted him. Coby will have a great life now that he has them as his special people. They will love, train and care for him. They have already gotten him a new collar and leash, a crate, food bowls and some toys.

On Sunday Barbara and I were at Phydeaux's pet supply shop before Drill Team practice. I picked out a Kong and a Twist and Treat (my two favorite toys) and some lamb fillet treats (very delicious) to send to Coby as a welcome to the family gift. I hope he likes them and I can't wait to meet him.

Baking

I have been so busy lately that I have not had time to blog for 2 weeks! You may wonder how a dog can blog. I sit on Barbara's feet or lean against her leg while she is at the computer and dictate to her. She does the hard work of typing for me. I have been to the dog park several times, for walks at Fearrington, practiced with the drill team, worked as a demo dog at the puppy class, went to the APS Dog Walk and also have worked on my tracking. My calendar is full. The photo shows me and Barbara at drill team practice. Barbara was wearing the T-shirt that has my picture on it so Lucy's person, Allen, took a photo of us together and sent it to us for my blog. Don't I look cute?

This afternoon we baked a pumpkin pie. Well Barbara is made it and I sat by her leg and watched very carefully to make sure she followed the recipe and to be right there in case she knocked the pie off the counter. The smells are sublime. Pumpkin, spices, sugar, pie crust-wonderful. It is in the oven now and I cannot wait for it to be cooked so I can have a taste. Barbara does not usually give me food from the table but it would be cruelty to animals to not let me have some pumpkin pie.

I am incensed! Barbara is not going to let me have any of the pie. She is taking it to Trotter's house! Just because he is my boyfriend does not mean that he can eat my pie. If I hear that he got any of it I will bite him the next time I see him!

Baths-Ugh!!

We wasted a perfectly good fall afternoon. Instead of doing something fun like tracking or training, I had a bath. Barbara took me to Max's Dog Wash. Now I have been there many times before and they are always nice to me. Carrie gives me cookies and everyone makes a fuss over me. But I do not like having a bath. Barbara said that I had to because we are performing with the Drill Team tomorrow and she wanted to make sure that I looked nice for the performance. Well I look just fine even without a bath.

First I had to get on the grooming table while Barbara trimmed the hair on my feet and then used clippers on my neck. Barbara said trimming the hair there would show my elegant long neck. I am sure that people can see how nice my neck is with long hair and who cares anyway? Then I had to get in the tub and get shampooed. Barbara picked a shampoo that smelled like oatmeal. I would like to eat oatmeal but who wants to smell like it? I would much rather smell like dead frogs or deer poop (I can never figure out why she gets hysterical when I want to roll in poop). After all the shampoo was rinsed off I got conditioner which is supposed to make me all soft and shiny. I am already very shiny and my name even means "sheen" so I cannot see the sense of putting stuff on me and then rinsing it off.

I don't mind being dried with towels but I really don't like that blow dryer thing. It must have been invented by someone who hates dogs. It is noisy and scary. Barbara gives me lots of liver bits while she is drying me but I still don't like it. Then I had my nails clipped and I am embarrassed to say that I behaved bery badly. Carrie clipped my nails and of course she didn't hurt me but I flipped around on the table and I even growled at her. I just could not help myself. When I was a puppy someone scared me by trying to dremel my nails and I have never forgotten it. Even though Barbara has spent lots of time desensitizining me to having my feet handled I still worry about it. Fortunately it was over fast and I got a lot more liver. I could not wait to get off the table.

I will look very beautiful tomorrow at the APS Dog Walk but the whole grooming thing is vastly overrated. Selkie always liked to be groomed and brushed (she was very vain about her appearance) but it is a waste of time as far as I am concerned. I am going to take a nap now so the day won't be a total loss.

Association of Pet Dog Trainers Conference

As I mentioned in a previous post I stayed in the kennel while Barbara went to a conference. She goes to APDT conference every year to learn more about dogs and dog training. As much as I don't like her to leave me, this is an important thing for her to do. Dog are a very important subject and people can never know enough about us. Barbara said that there were 1158 trainers at the conference. I really don't understand why every trainer does not go. Especially since APDT promotes reward based training which I will tell you is the only kind of training that I want anything to do with. Bring on the treats and toys.

Speaking of treats and toys, Barbara always buys me new toys and goodies at the conference trade show. That is the best part of the whole thing as far as I am concerned. This year the Board president, Don Hanson, gave all the Board members T-shirts with pictures of their dogs on the front. I must say that I look very cute on Barbara's shirt. I think she should put my picture on all of her shirts!!

I'm back

I've been away from the blogosphere for over a week because Barbara went out of town to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers conference to learn about the latest in dog training and I went to K9 Kindercare (www.k9kindercare.com). K9 Kindercare is run by a nice woman named Terrie. She takes care of all the dogs who stay there. We each have our own kennel and we get to play in fenced yards with other friendly dogs. Even though I miss Barbara I really like to stay there.

Terrie puts up a baby pool filled with water and I like to spend a lot of time in it, splashing around and playing. I also play chase games with other dogs. I have a new friend named Dutch who is a young Boxer. He would chase me and then we would bash into each other. That is a lot of fun.

Barbara sent me to the kennel with some new toys and I completely destroyed them!!. I ripped the legs off and then pulled out the stuffing and the squeakers. I shredded what was left into lots of little pieces. I had a great time ripping them up but then Terrie had to throw the toys away.

As much as I like to go the kennel, I was really glad that Barbara came to pick me up. As we turned into our driveway I was whining with excitement. It is good to be home and sleep on my own bed.

Sometimes I'm Good, Sometimes I'm Bad

Today I was bad. Barbara left me alone while she went to work. I really don't like to be left alone. It is boring and makes me tense sometimes. Barbara always leaves me with good toys and a stuffed Kong or Twist and Treat. I watched the squirrels for a while but I got bored after I finished my treats.

Barbara had left her bait bag on the kitchen counter and I could smell the treats. So I pulled it down and ate the cookies. Then I pulled a roll of paper towels off the counter (I like the cardboard tube in the center) and then a glass bowl. It broke. When Barbara got home she saw all the broken glass. "Niamh, what have you done?" she said. Then she had me lie down on my bed so she could check between my toes for bits of glass. I think she was worried that I cut myself.

Barbara never yells at me but I heard her muttering a lot of bad words while she was sweeping up the glass.

Trotter CGC

My boyfriend Trotter is smart as well as handsome. You can see from his picture that he is a gorgeous blonde with beautiful brown eyes. But he is not just a pretty face!! Today he passed the Canine Good Citizen test and now can add the initials CGC after his name. The CGC is a test of basic obedience and practical exercises like sitting politely for petting, walking through a crowd and meeting another dog.

Chris and Trotter took a class and practiced the exercises for many weeks. Trotter passed all 10 parts of the test and he will get a certificate from the AKC. I am so proud of him. Now Barbara and I will have to practice hard so I can pass the test and have initials after my name too. I really have to work on that down stay and my loose leash walking. I don't want Trotter to be embarrassed to go out with me.