Baby

Tonight, later than earlier, I took Baby out to practice. Our back light has been working regularly since the latest Mercury Retrograde has passed. She did very well on all the moving exercises, so after the recall, she got a big reward. I pan fried nine chicken tenderloins Wednesday night, cut them off, mixed them with some Kong Tots, and I fed her a nice handful of those pieces from the large baggie of them I had in my pocket. One by one, Baby got a jack pot.

I then brought out Leissl, Pippin, and Luigi. The two girls are trained in Novice, and Luigi’s on his way, but learning the stays, which is what we were practicing. So I put Pippin, Leissl, and Baby across the yard on stays, and Luigi was on a leash near me. Baby was the only one who did both stays flawlessly. I mean flawlessly! She was magnificent. Everyone got treats from the bag in my pocket, and we celebrated each other’s place on the learning ladder. Then I opened the back door and everyone else got to celebrate.

That’s when it happened. Somehow, and it’s not because I had had two beers, but somehow, the whole packet of chicken pieces I had lovingly cut into nice-sized training pieces and Kong Tots fell out of my pocket. It was right by the back door, so it happened as the indoor subset of the FDSP joined the outdoor subset to make the whole set. My packet had not been securely closed. There were treats all over the back door welcome mat, and dog snouts quickly realized what had transpired.

I started picking up little pieces as quickly as possible. I saw the packet sitting there on the faux grass welcome mat as I furiously picked like a chicken, but thought I needed to pick up the little pieces first then stash them in that packet. During that thought, I saw the black-and-tan snout swoop in, grab that packet up, and depart like a stealth Dober. That’s when I stood up, and said, “Luna! Luna Verte, you drop that right now!” It took another repetition of what I had said to get it done, but Luna did drop it. Several steps away. I told everyone just to leave that stuff on the mat alone till I got back. Did they? Well, mostly.

I got back there with the packet, and finished picking up what I could, but I was not as motivated to get the Kong Tots, as I was to get those chicken pieces. So once I got the chicken back in the packet, I called it a wrap, and let the foraging go full speed.

I had seen something like that happen in a clicker class once. I laughed my head off being it was someone else who clumsily competed with her dog to get to the treats that spilled out of her treat bag onto the floor. Their snouts are faster than our fingers when it comes to that, you know?

And this sort of thing is so much more entertaining when you are watching someone else in the throes of trying to out gather treats before their dogs.

Last night, I hauled Baby and me over to the arena for another bit of work.  Being she had the lapse on staying on Monday night, I thought it appropriate and necessary.

The group who practices on Tuesday night is not the group who practices on Monday night.  It’s very interesting that such a divisive set of dog people exist in the same community.  The Monday night folks are mostly obedience and agility.  The Tuesday night people are mostly agility and confirmation.  The three people there who were practicing obedience were one other person from Monday night, her friend, and me.  We were in our own little squared-off areas practicing different things.  It was isolating, but fine.  We were there for a purpose, so we got to it.

I took Baby on a run-through.  I was the judge and the handler.  OK, it wasn’t as strict as the ring being I gave Baby a few treats while doing the routine, but she did fine.  Even the recall, which we did four times, was beautiful.  Absolutely beautiful!  (I hope we didn’t use them all up.)

Then came the stays.  These were perfecto, too.  Eegads!  It was as if Baby transformed into an OTCH dog.  OK, I shouldn’t go that far.  She did sniff a little on the down-stays.  (We did two sets of each.)  And on the sit-stay, Baby’s ears perked up in such a lovely fashion, but it was out of interest due to the confirmation dogs were playing a game and Baby Social Butterfly wanted to join them.  However, she maintained herself, and sat there.  I did not treat her on either set of stays until the completion of the down-stay being if I don’t treat her after the sit-stay on Saturday, she may hold a grudge, and get up on the down-stay to come over to me to ask, “What gives?’ 

After our one-dog run-through and stays, Baby won the blue ribbon and HIP – High in Practice.  No picture was taking being the camera had declined to come to practice night.

Yeah Baby! My beautiful 10-year-old rescue buddy!  You go, girl! 

Helen

Baby was spectacular on her recalls tonight. So much so, that during the 1-minute sit, which our club practices for 3-minutes for the Open dogs, Baby ran to me twice! Now this was after the 1.5 minute mark, as I had asked the drill class instructor to let me know at the halfway point. I went back to my dog then, my dog being Baby Puss Doberdiva, and gave her a cookie, let her get up, and I put her back in a sit. Why did I do all that? Because I am so worried that her arthritis is paining her, I don’t want her to have to sit for longer than she has to if she is uncomfortable. But truly, she took advantage of this. By the time I got back in the line of handlers, turned around, Baby ran to me…full speed. Had this been a recall, I would have been thrilled. But the purpose of a sit stay is the STAY part, though the sit part is relevant.

I asked my friend to take Baby back in line, and she did. She sat her for me, and Baby looked appalled! I thought that would be that, and it was. For me! Baby came running to me a second time. OK, I was not going to give her a treat for that. No no no.

Before class, I had fed Baby half a dinner bowl sized portion being there was another half a dinner bowl sized portion in my treat bag, and she knew it. I had pan friend 4 chicken tenderloins for the Queen Mother yesterday. Chicken is one favorite food of Baby, aka the Recall Specialist. Mostly. Baby wanted more treats. More food. More more more. She chopped me during the times she wasn’t eating tonight. She’s a dream.

Meanwhile, I had to work her recalls vs stays after drill class was over. This was a series of do-overs being Baby ran to me every 3 or so times before I said, “Baby come!” #*&@#$!! I got a lot of exercise walking back and forth to put Baby in “her place” tonight.

Most importantly, to Baby, she has a new title. Baby’s previously troubling courtship with the recall – to come or not to come – is now replaced with the arbitrary stationary refusal phenomenon aka “to stay or not to stay syndrome.” Being I will now be worrying if she is going to STAY or not until the moment the answer comes on Saturday, Baby’s new title is the Creative Goddess. She gets me worried over something new and delicious every other week or so. She’s the best.

God bless creative souls.

Helen