The trick is...

When we go for a Walk at muddy-grass-big-fields-and-then-lake, we stop to do a Trick.

This Trick is very simple. Right now Lake is very full. There are people-benches that normally are on dry land, but right now these people-benches are out in the water. This is because Lake is too full.

Here is the trick. Our person wades out to a bench. She stands on it. We wade out too, in the cold, over-full lake. We put our paws up on the back of the bench. We get treats.

But here is the trick. Our person tells us that this is Fun, and Training. But we know the truth! The truth is this: After our walk through muddy-grass-big-fields, we are muddy-dogs. By getting us to wade into the Lake, our person is washing off all of our mud!

She thinks she is very clever. She thinks she has tricked us. But we know the truth!

So why do we do it? Why do we let her wash off all of our lovely, stinky, sticky mud? Because there is Cheese involved, of course!!

My Christmas Tree Video! (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here!

I made a Christmas tree!

Pee Ess My person says to watch to the very end because there are bloopers. Whatever those are.

Trick-for-Treat! (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here!

Halloween isn't scary at all, despite what Cobi thinks! It's FUN!!!!

Here are my Tricks-for-Treats!

Happy Halloween, friends!

Practising my Tricks for Treats! (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here!

Halloween is coming! I hear that on Halloween everyone gets to do Tricks-for-Treats!
I like the sound of this! Count me in! Yes please!

But first I need to practise, so that my Tricks will be awesome and will get lots of good Treats!

Right paw up in the air! (Nailed it!)

Left paw up in the air! (Got that one too!)

Both paws up in the air! (I am totally amazing!)

Ha hah! Take that, Halloween monsters! I will fight you off, and steal all your candy too! My tricks are the best ever!

Here is what Cobi did while I practised my Tricks.
She calls this "supervising". I call it "lazy".

Oh, and did you notice that I am wearing a Super Dog costume too?  I think I should get lots of Treats for sure!

Are you working on Tricks-for-Treats?

The Naughty Box Trick (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here!

Here is another trick we both worked on! This is called the Naughty Box!

For any of you who like to train with your people, we did this by pure shaping.

Cobi learned first.

First she put one paw in the box for a click and a treat. Then two paws. Then a back paw. (This was hard!) Then three paws. Then all four paws. Then she had to sit down inside the box, with all four paws still inside.

Do you see how serious she is? She is wondering if her bum is all the way in. If is she is straight enough. If this will get her the cookie. Cobi takes training very seriously.

Then it was my turn. I watched Cobi do it... And then I went into the box and sat down! Because I am very clever that way! And I am not serious at all. Aren't I just the best???

Did you learn a fun trick this summer?

This is hard! (by Ojo)

Hi hi hi! Ojo here!

Do you do training games? We do lots of training games, and they are a ton of fun!

But this current training game I am working on is HARD! In this game, I need to find my toys and put them into a box. This is very hard, because I would much rather take them OUT of the box and play with them! But no, I need to put them in.

I am working very hard on this, and the people say it will be very helpful when I am good at this task!

My round pink sheep

I have a new Job.

For those of you who know me, you'll know that I like to chase. I like to herd. (I do not fetch.) This is my Job when I am in the Park with other Dog friends - I chase and herd and make sure the other Dogs come back to their people.

My person says that I am not allowed to have sheep or cows in our yard. This means no real herding for me. So I have just been honing my skills on other Dogs.

But then, something amazing! My person got me a round, pink sheep!

Here is how it works.

I already knew what my person meant by the word "touch". (I am very clever, you know.) But she taught me that "touch" can become "push" - this is when I bonk even harder with my nose.

I already knew how to "go around". And I also knew what "go to mat" means. (Again, I am very clever.) But my person put the two things together, so now I go around my big pink sheep and lie down on my mat. Or sometimes even on the ground, but that is harder to know where to go.

This is my starting position, and I am so excited by what's coming next that I try to run to my as fast as I can!

I go to my position and I wait. I am very patient. I am Good Dog.

The next part - and this is my favourite! - is when my person finally says "Push!" I stand up and whack that big pink sheep as hard as I can with my nose! If I do it many times in a row it rolls towards my person. She gets very excited. I have brought home the Round Pink Sheep!

There are other Dogs learning this Job too.

My person calls this "treibball". That is a funny sounding word to me. I like "urban herding" better. But it doesn't really matter, because it's about food and fun and working with my person. And my big, round, pink sheep, of course!

By the way, Trainer is there at classes too! She is one of my favourite people outside of my family. Not only does she give good pets, but also she belongs to Simon. Simon is my best Dog-friend in the whole wide world. Here is a video of Simon and his big round sheep in the snow.

I can't wait to do my new Job again soon! I am a super-herder!!

Do you want to be a super-herder? Maybe you live in the same city as me? Here is how to find Trainer and this fun thing she's teaching me and my person!

The trouble with training...

The trouble with training is that my person doesn't only do it with ME!

Here are some of the other Dogs my person does the game called training with. This is Baggins. My person thinks he looks like Elvis with his bare, hairy chest. Who's Elvis?

Hannah.

 

And Cletus.

They are being Good Dogs for Christmas, and are being very patient while the people stick funny things on their heads.

And what was I doing while my person was playing with other Dogs?

I was being Good Dog too. I was waiting with Momma C. I really, really wanted my person to come over and pet me, or train with me, or anything...  PLEASE....??

Momma C and I waited and waited and waited...
I'm glad she was there waiting with me. Also she had treats. And also my littlest person was there too. Also with treats. But still - shouldn't we all be together?

And then finally it was my turn to play and train with my person. No silly pictures for me this time though. Whew.

I think all this waiting politely means I was a Good Dog for Santa, don't you?

I am a Canine Good Neighbor!

Today I did a test with my person. This test was not the best thing I've ever done because there was no food allowed. But I passed! Now I am a CKC Canine Good Neighbor!

Afterwards I got to go for a rainy beach walk with my best dog-friend Simon! This was a good reward. Is Nature making rain for any other Dogs out there?

Training Day

My person says this: The first Saturday of every month is Training Day.

I'm not sure what this means except that I usually get to see Simon.


Today Bean was there too.

He got to go first. Here is Bean training with his person.

Simon and I waited for our turns.

Next it was me. There are no pictures of me because Momma B was too busy putting food in my mouth to hold big-black-aggressive-eye.

Then it was Simon's turn.

And then, finally, the best part of all!

My nose

Here are games I played with my nose. I have a very good nose. My person was very pleased.

The people called this "The Box Game". They said that this is how some working dogs start to learn their jobs. These dogs hunt for narcotics and bombs. What are narcotics and bombs? 

I'm happy just to hunt for food or my toy, thank you!

What's your favourite game?

Busy

Over the past few days I have done all of these things: A Sniffing day with Momma B (lots of time in my crate with other dogs nearby, coming out to play games with my nose or walk on the grass), a walk at Beach, a walk at Mt. Doug, a tricks-dancing-class with Momma B and many other dogs, and lots of fun games with food.

So now this is me:

Working with Momma B

I don't know why Momma B asks me to do these strange things. But good things happen when I do them, like food and play. So I work hard.

Don't worry, Momma B is not hitting me. I am doing "touch". This is where I bonk my nose on Momma B's hand. Do you think we could be in a movie?

I love working with Momma B.