Ambrose Goes to Duke

Niamh hogs the blog all the time but I did something very interesting yesterday so it is my turn! She always makes fun of me and says rude things about my intelligence. Well I am very smart and now I have scientific proof! I was invited to participate is a research study at the Duke Canine Cognition Center. Niamh was in a study last fall and we both went to Duke when Barbara gave a talk there in January but this was my first time as an experimental subject.



The students at Duke really like dogs and everyone was very nice to me, petted me and let me sniff everything. The experiment was to see how dogs follow signals and get information. One of the students hid a treat under one of two cups. Then another student pointed to one of the cups and I had to find the treat. Sometimes the students would try to trick me by pointing to the wrong cup. Very shocking. But I soon figured out that if she was facing me, she was pointing to the cup with the treat and if she was facing away from me, she was giving me false information. The students thought I did very well, praised me a lot and of course I got to eat the treats.

Then they tried a new study with homemade biscuits. Emily showed me treats and sometimes she pretended to eat it and sometimes she put it near her ear! Then she would put the treats on the ground and see which one I went to.



You can see that I enjoyed the treat eating part of the experiment.



Emily and Katie were very nice to me. I was happy to help them advance the knowledge of how dogs solve problems and of course I would come back any time to eat some more of their treats. I did steal two treats off the table but they did not seem to mind.



While we were walking around the Duke campus we came across these statues.



I was a bit intimidated by the big camel.



But I went right up to the man to sniff him.



Niamh thinks that she is so smart, but I am too!

Canine Freestyle Federation Retreat

It has been such a long time since I have been able to blog. Barbara has been very busy making lists and phone calls. She says that she will have some exciting news soon but bits of paper with all sorts of numbers on them don't look very exciting to me. Not that Ambrose and I have been neglected or anything. We have been going to the dog park, practicing, playing and being generally good dogs and getting lots of treats.

Last weekend Barbara and I took a trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee for the Canine Freestyle Federation Retreat (Ambrose went to K9 Kindercare). We went to it two years ago and this year it was even better. After a long, long ride in the dog-crate-on-wheels we arrived at a motel. I love motels. This one had a magic elevator room.



It is so cool to go in the magic elevator room and when the door opens you are in a completely different place!



I liked this motel room because it had a window seat. I sat up there to keep a watch on the parking lot.



There were about 40 dogs staying at the motel and we all behaved very well. The other non-dog guests were surprised to see us everywhere.



The Retreat started on Friday with a Freestyle competition. I wasn't entered because we haven't finished my routine. But my friend Lucky was entered and he and his person got their CFF Level III title. Their routine was excellent.



We had classes Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and Sunday morning. The instructors kept us very busy practicing our technical skills and helping our people to develop their artistry and creativity.





One of my favorite things to do is target to Barbara's hand.



Then I get to jump really high.



I think we make a really good team. We worked very hard together. The instructors asked us to show off some of our phrases in the show and tell part on Sunday.



There were all kinds of dogs at the Retreat. This is Segan and he is a Belgian Lakenois. I had never met a dog like him before. He is very good at Freestyle and makes lovely turns. We got to do a team routine together.



Of course I always like to find new boyfriends. Nova sat next to me during one of the classes and we did a lot of flirting. I think he is quite handsome.



I worked so hard that I was very tired when the classes were over. I needed a long nap to refresh myself.



It took me a whole day to recover from all my activities! Besides the physical activity, over course it was mentally stimulating to learn new things. That is exhausting too. But now I am back to my usual, active self.



Ambrose had a good time at K9 Kindercare. I was very happy when we left him there so I could have Barbara all to myself for a few days. As you can see he is doing very well. He is almost 16 months old and he is starting to get a bit of sense lately.



We have a busy week ahead of us but we will catch up with all your blogs. I know that you have been doing lots of fun things.

At the Dog Show

There is a 5 day dog show here this week and my sister Tori is entered and so are some of Ambrose's siblings. My breeder, my Auntie Karen, brought my brother Travis along too so I got to see them both.

I was so excited to see Travis. We jumped around and got very silly together and then had a few kisses. It was good to go for a walk with him around the show grounds. He is a very handsome boy.



We both got on the dog grooming torture table for a photo.




Then I got to get together with my sister Tori. We had some good sniffs together.



Tori is on the right and I am on the left. Don't we look a lot alike? Of course she has undergone massive amounts of dog grooming torture so she can be shown. She seems to like it which makes me think she is a little crazy.



She is a very beautiful girl and I am sure that she will finish her championship soon.

I was shocked to find that after making a nice fuss over me, my Auntie Karen tortured me too! Barbara wanted her to show her how to thin out the hair on my sides and front feathers. Sometimes they get matted because they get too thick. Auntie Karen is very skilled at the dog grooming torture so I doubt that Barbara will be able to replicate this. I will probably look all lopsided after she gets through with me.



Ambrose's brother Wallace did very well at the show yesterday and today. He got Winner's Dog both days. He is a handsome boy.



It was good to see some of my littermates again. I wish we could have gone for a nice run together.

More Puppies

Don't worry. We did not get another puppy! One Ambrose is quite enough for me.

My Drill Team friend, Royal, got an new puppy sister a couple of weeks ago. He seems to like her a lot (how strange?) and lets her nibble on him all the time. She is pretty cute though.



Royal's person, Jenn, thought that little Jet needed to meet a dog that would not be so besotted with her and teach her to respond to cut off signals. So Barbara brought me over to meet her. I was more interested in running around Royal's yard than playing with a silly puppy. Of course Jet was fascinated with me (who wouldn't be?) and followed me everywhere on her little puppy legs. I pretended she wasn't there. When she came too close, I glared at her or gave her a little growl. She was very respectful and backed off immediately.



I think she is a smart little thing and will turn out well. If you want to see more pictures of Jet's training you can check out Royal's blog.

Then I found out that Penny, my Airedale Terrier friend who is also in our Drill Team, has a new brother. His name is Joey. He looks like he is going to be a wild boy like Ambrose.



Since it was a beautiful day, we got some dog park time. I love the fresh, new grass. I couldn't resist doing a bit of roaching.



Here is a little video of me enjoying myself.



Look at all the foliage that I managed to get in my fur! I even had pine straw hanging from my feathers.



Ambrose had a big time running through the park. He stole another dog's squeaky toy and raced around showing it off.



Finally he wore himself out and it was time to go.



Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all! Hope you got some corned beef or some soda bread.

Shopping Expedition

I worked very hard this week. Besides my demo to the pre-vet students I also helped Barbara with some of her clients' dogs. I specialize in working with dogs who have on-leash aggression. My body language is very clear and not at all provocative so I can help these dogs get used to passing by other dogs without being afraid. Because I have been such a good girl, Barbara took me to Phydeaux, my favorite pet supply store, and said I could pick out any toy that I wanted.



First we checked out the dog food aisle. It is stacked with all sorts of tasty and healthy food.



Then we moved on to the wall of toys.



I checked out the Kongs but since I have several of those already I decided to hold out for a new stuffie.



Phydeaux has an excellent selection of stuffies and flatties as well as tug toys.



Should I get this cat?



Good bird dog that I am, I finally decided on this ring-necked pheasant flattie. Ambrose got a stuffed skunk because he put it in his mouth and got his slimy puppy cooties all over it.



We passed by this display of treats and I just had to stop for a sniff. I was very pleased that Barbara got me some of the Norwegian salmon treats. So delish!



Ambrose, the bad boy, has chewed through another leash!



We had to get him a new one. What a waste of money that could have been spent on more salmon treats.



(Note from Barbara: Don't be so smug Niamh. You demolished a number of leashes when you were a puppy including a hand made, very expensive leather leash that I had had for 18 years)

I love going to Phydeaux. They have the best dog stuff and the staff is always very nice to me. Unfortunately Barbara made us leave when Ambrose was caught shoplifting a bully stick, the little criminal.

Some of my blogging friends have asked about my good recall. I learned the Leslie Nelson Really Reliable Recall method along with some other fun techniques. Barbara tried to get some video today but she could not seem to manage calling me to come, shooting the video and giving me praise, petting and treats all at the same time. We will try to get someone to video us next week to show you what we do.

Pre-Veterinary Medical Association

Last night Barbara and I went to North Carolina State University in Raleigh to give a talk to the Pre-Veterinary Medical Association. Well, she gave the talk and I got to be the demo dog. We left Ambrose at home so he would not disgrace us in front of all the future veterinarians.

I enjoy demonstrating my skills and getting lots of attention from the audience. And of course I knew it had to be a good place to go to because the university's mascot is the wolf!




All the students were very friendly and gave me lots of attention. Of course as pre-vet students they all like dogs and so I was much admired. Many of them even gave me ear rubs which I adore.



Barbara gave a talk about humane, positive training methods and how they build the relationship between dogs and people. She talked about the ways trainers and vets can work together and all the great training information that is available now and not like in the dark ages when she started training dogs. I got to demo some of my tricks and showed off my great recall. I had to come all the way across the lecture hall, passing the table where all the people snacks were, and up the stairs to Barbara. Needless to say, I was great.

The students asked lots of good questions about training. I enjoyed meeting the students and I hope that they all become excellent vets and help lots of dogs.

Here I am posing with two of the officers of the club.



The only disappointing thing about the meeting was that the students were eating chocolate chip cookies and I wasn't able to beg for a single one. Because they are pre-vet students they all knew that chocolate is bad for dogs.

Before and After

Ambrose and I were having a perfectly good game of chase in the dog park when Barbara took a look at us and decided that something had to be done.



She said that I looked "tufty and disheveled". Very rude of her I think. When she starts talking that way, I know that I am in for a session of dog grooming torture.



Then she made remarks about my "bedroom slipper feet" and I knew there was no hope that I would escape it.



Regular readers of the blog know that I hate being bathed and groomed. Barbara has desensitized me to all the evil implements of dog grooming torture but I still don't like it. Goofy boy that he is, Ambrose does not seem to mind it at all.



I find it stressful even though I get lots of treats when she tortures me.



Just look at the evil implement that she is using on my paw fur! I think that she got it from that TV show 24 when they try to make someone tell where the nuclear weapons are hidden.



Then we had to go Max's Dog Wash and Torture place for baths. I refuse to have my picture taken in the bath anymore. It is humiliating! Here are a couple of pictures of Ambrose in the bath. Even though he likes being brushed, he doesn't like the bath either.





Every time I have to suffer through this torture, Barbara tells me that it is important for my health and well being for me to be groomed and bathed. It is her responsibility to check my skin and ears for parasites and icky conditions and if my fur gets matted it will be hard for me to move properly. I think she is full of it.

So I suffered through it all and now she tells me I look lovely. Well of course I do but I am NOT happy.