I'm happy! and it's my birthday!
Great videos, lol. We had a small party here yesterday for the relatives. Then we took all 4 dogs up to the woods for a long walk! That was great. I got some money- I can start to pay off dad for Flick. lol I found out that mom is paying for my dog walk...I argued that one a bit but she said that it is part of my extracurricular/sports thing. I agreed when she put it like that. After all, she used to dish out 110 a month for gymnastics so...
-Ria
Monday, October 19, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Training Updates
Training today was great...Li has good running contacts. The 12' plank is set at 36" high. I am working on getting complete running contacts on a full sized dog walk, getting him to weave 6 poles, and teaching him left&right&go on before December. We have already made so much progress that it seems like we will reach these goals by November! haha
Flick is coming along slowly but surely. Her running contacts are crap because she, like Li used to, hops off the side of the board whether it is propped up or flat. My brother and I are back training her so she learns to run straight, lol. Our main goal for the rest of autumn is running contacts on a full sized dog walk and left&right&go on. She is doing better than Li so far in the directional commands aspect. They each have their own area of expertise- flick's is thinking and Li's is doing! xD
Li has a few new tricks. I really need to get a camcorder! He snaps at the air, sits with his paws in the air, sits while moving his front paws up and down in the air [we call that one "Stallion"]. He also invented a new one when we were free shaping. He turns so his rear is facing me, then looks at me, bending his head straight over his back to view me upside down. He is such a dork! haha I love my dogs!
-Ria
Flick is coming along slowly but surely. Her running contacts are crap because she, like Li used to, hops off the side of the board whether it is propped up or flat. My brother and I are back training her so she learns to run straight, lol. Our main goal for the rest of autumn is running contacts on a full sized dog walk and left&right&go on. She is doing better than Li so far in the directional commands aspect. They each have their own area of expertise- flick's is thinking and Li's is doing! xD
Li has a few new tricks. I really need to get a camcorder! He snaps at the air, sits with his paws in the air, sits while moving his front paws up and down in the air [we call that one "Stallion"]. He also invented a new one when we were free shaping. He turns so his rear is facing me, then looks at me, bending his head straight over his back to view me upside down. He is such a dork! haha I love my dogs!
-Ria
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
October Agility Training
Things are going well in general.
I tried some Ketschkers with Li and he was flawless. I will definitely be using these in competition. They are so fun!
Click here to view a video of them
Li is just working on these and different directional commands. We are also working on distance.
Flick is running the same courses as Li which is amazing! But I am emphasizing Cik and Cap as she doesn't have those down perfect. Also, she is learning to follow my hand because it gets annoying when I have my right arm out and she suddenly appears on my left, haha.
I was drilling tunnel entries with both. I think we did well all in all. If it not windy in the next week or so, Flick will be learning the Chute. I was doing channel weaves with them but I'm almost tempted to give it a rest fot the Winter. I am not competing until April probably so I don't have to train weaves until March. There are only 6 weaves in the first level of AKC so I'm not concerned. Knowing my dogs, they will pick up the weaves in a couple of weeks.
I am going to make my dog walk when the kit arrives. I won't make an A-Frame until November or December. My teeter base plan is in the "shop" but when my uncle gets around to it, it is as good as done. Anyway, the talk of Contact equipment reminds me that I should be working on running contacts as well, haha.
That's all for now. My birthday is in a week- I'll be 15. Only one more year until I can drive and I'll really be hitting the Agility rings! Thank goodness for a family that is into the car business...my mom assured me the other day that I don't have to buy my own car. That means I can focus on paying off all my agility equipment. xD
-Ria
I tried some Ketschkers with Li and he was flawless. I will definitely be using these in competition. They are so fun!
Click here to view a video of them
Li is just working on these and different directional commands. We are also working on distance.
Flick is running the same courses as Li which is amazing! But I am emphasizing Cik and Cap as she doesn't have those down perfect. Also, she is learning to follow my hand because it gets annoying when I have my right arm out and she suddenly appears on my left, haha.
I was drilling tunnel entries with both. I think we did well all in all. If it not windy in the next week or so, Flick will be learning the Chute. I was doing channel weaves with them but I'm almost tempted to give it a rest fot the Winter. I am not competing until April probably so I don't have to train weaves until March. There are only 6 weaves in the first level of AKC so I'm not concerned. Knowing my dogs, they will pick up the weaves in a couple of weeks.
I am going to make my dog walk when the kit arrives. I won't make an A-Frame until November or December. My teeter base plan is in the "shop" but when my uncle gets around to it, it is as good as done. Anyway, the talk of Contact equipment reminds me that I should be working on running contacts as well, haha.
That's all for now. My birthday is in a week- I'll be 15. Only one more year until I can drive and I'll really be hitting the Agility rings! Thank goodness for a family that is into the car business...my mom assured me the other day that I don't have to buy my own car. That means I can focus on paying off all my agility equipment. xD
-Ria
Monday, October 5, 2009
PyreShep Rant
I am honestly so worried about the future of my breed. Dx
PyreSheps are in a delicate place currently as far as temperament and drive goes and I'm afraid that if more people get into the breed that only want to show, it will be a mess. A few breeders [I wont name names] don't even screen potential homes! And they talk up the breed like it is perfect! These things are naughty! And crazy, and hyper, and stubborn and an armful and a half!
Everytime I hear someone say "I really want a PyreShep" I just cringe. I don't know why...I love the breed. I just feel so overly protective of it. At least one breeder I know of [again, not naming names] has at -least 3-5 litters PER YEAR. What the hell?
It makes me so sad to imagine my boy in a home where he doesn't get constant attention. In my opinion, not everyone is suited for a PyreShep...in fact barely anyone is. I'm not calling myself special...I just have a lot of time, willpower, and experience training stubborn dogs. Coming from a Siberian, my boy seems really obedient and "easy" but if I was coming from say, a BC or Aussie, he would seem like an impossible demon.
People love them because they are "fast and obedient" but what Pyres have you seen? Oh right! The -trained- ones at the agility trials. You didn't fall in love with the sense of humour, the charm, the crazy "try anything" attitude....you fell in love with the "pretty outline" or the fast run times. You hear that they need tons of socialization. You think "every breed claims that, of course every breed needs socialization..." but they are over the top. You hear that they need exercise but you think "So do all dogs..." but they are over the top. This breed is not for everyone. You may think "Borders and Huskies claim that as well..." but they are OVER THE TOP. Honestly, most people would hate my Pyre...and they do. Everyone that meets him either loves him or hates him...the latter being the majority.
They aren't like Borders. They aren't like Labs. They aren't like Aussies.
People let the insanely amazing "Pros" overshadow the insanely terrible "Cons". Sure, they barely shed, are fast, are a perfect size, and can be trained to do amazing things. But they bark excessively, their coat holds a ton of water and dirt and mud that they bring into the house, they dig like crazy, they get very dirty on purpose, they are bossy with other dogs, they chase cats, can be hard to housetrain, they take the wrong obstacle in a second when you run agility, and so on. Yep, people claim that most this stuff can be trained out. It can. But they of course don't tell you how hard it is. My boy is now a year old. And after battling accidents in the house, dirty pawprints on the carpet and my clothes, him constantly jumping the 4 foot fence into the goat pen, him chasing the horses and eating horse "apples", chasing the cats, purposely provoking other dogs, him barking and growling at every visitor and sometimes even members of the family that come home, and him ignoring my recalls, I am starting to see results. The past few months have been horrible- I didn't want to admit to anyone that my perfect puppy turned into a disobedient nervous wreck. I socialized him, did everything right and he turned out wrong. He is now comes when he is called most of the time, leaves cats alone, only barks a little when people come over, and doesn't have accidents inside anymore. But it was hard and the only reason it happened was because I started to do online schooling so I could be with him 24/7 to fix his problems. He still is reactive to people out in public, and even goes after our horses still.
If you can't commit to being with your dog at least most of the time-especially during the first year or two of life-then don't get a PyreShep.
Nothing prepared me for this experience, not research on the computer or meeting them in real life. Everyone I met talked them up like crazy and I only met well behaved dogs. Remember this post before considering one, please!
PyreSheps are in a delicate place currently as far as temperament and drive goes and I'm afraid that if more people get into the breed that only want to show, it will be a mess. A few breeders [I wont name names] don't even screen potential homes! And they talk up the breed like it is perfect! These things are naughty! And crazy, and hyper, and stubborn and an armful and a half!
Everytime I hear someone say "I really want a PyreShep" I just cringe. I don't know why...I love the breed. I just feel so overly protective of it. At least one breeder I know of [again, not naming names] has at -least 3-5 litters PER YEAR. What the hell?
It makes me so sad to imagine my boy in a home where he doesn't get constant attention. In my opinion, not everyone is suited for a PyreShep...in fact barely anyone is. I'm not calling myself special...I just have a lot of time, willpower, and experience training stubborn dogs. Coming from a Siberian, my boy seems really obedient and "easy" but if I was coming from say, a BC or Aussie, he would seem like an impossible demon.
People love them because they are "fast and obedient" but what Pyres have you seen? Oh right! The -trained- ones at the agility trials. You didn't fall in love with the sense of humour, the charm, the crazy "try anything" attitude....you fell in love with the "pretty outline" or the fast run times. You hear that they need tons of socialization. You think "every breed claims that, of course every breed needs socialization..." but they are over the top. You hear that they need exercise but you think "So do all dogs..." but they are over the top. This breed is not for everyone. You may think "Borders and Huskies claim that as well..." but they are OVER THE TOP. Honestly, most people would hate my Pyre...and they do. Everyone that meets him either loves him or hates him...the latter being the majority.
They aren't like Borders. They aren't like Labs. They aren't like Aussies.
People let the insanely amazing "Pros" overshadow the insanely terrible "Cons". Sure, they barely shed, are fast, are a perfect size, and can be trained to do amazing things. But they bark excessively, their coat holds a ton of water and dirt and mud that they bring into the house, they dig like crazy, they get very dirty on purpose, they are bossy with other dogs, they chase cats, can be hard to housetrain, they take the wrong obstacle in a second when you run agility, and so on. Yep, people claim that most this stuff can be trained out. It can. But they of course don't tell you how hard it is. My boy is now a year old. And after battling accidents in the house, dirty pawprints on the carpet and my clothes, him constantly jumping the 4 foot fence into the goat pen, him chasing the horses and eating horse "apples", chasing the cats, purposely provoking other dogs, him barking and growling at every visitor and sometimes even members of the family that come home, and him ignoring my recalls, I am starting to see results. The past few months have been horrible- I didn't want to admit to anyone that my perfect puppy turned into a disobedient nervous wreck. I socialized him, did everything right and he turned out wrong. He is now comes when he is called most of the time, leaves cats alone, only barks a little when people come over, and doesn't have accidents inside anymore. But it was hard and the only reason it happened was because I started to do online schooling so I could be with him 24/7 to fix his problems. He still is reactive to people out in public, and even goes after our horses still.
If you can't commit to being with your dog at least most of the time-especially during the first year or two of life-then don't get a PyreShep.
Nothing prepared me for this experience, not research on the computer or meeting them in real life. Everyone I met talked them up like crazy and I only met well behaved dogs. Remember this post before considering one, please!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Flick and Li
I have my new Terv! Exciting much! Almost all of today was spent outside with the 4 dogs: Shadow, Libby, Li, and Flick. We figured out who is going to be doing what. I'm doing Agility with Flick and Li and showmanship with Flick.
I had a falling out with my dog show mentor though. Apparently she has been saying some nasty stuff behind my back. I've decided to quit the dog show scene. I'm so glad I had Flick spayed. I never want to do conformation. I am going to do juniors though I think occasionally. Look out for Flick and Li in agility rings around the Wisconsin and Minnesota area this Spring! Like one of my best friends, Sarena, said perfectly about showing, "Meanwhile you sacrifice your money, your family, your relationship with your animals (they don't like it, whatever people say, it's so stressful, and the ones that 'love it', really just love the bait, or the attention, or the 'getting out in the car') and your will power. It winds people up, it makes them competitive and fierce.
I'm not showing much anymore because I've realised that..." and agility. "I think that agility builds a much better, healthier bond between human and dog, though it's still very competitive, and it's better for the health of both partners."
Soooo, life is good. And I finally have a cell phone, lol.
I had a falling out with my dog show mentor though. Apparently she has been saying some nasty stuff behind my back. I've decided to quit the dog show scene. I'm so glad I had Flick spayed. I never want to do conformation. I am going to do juniors though I think occasionally. Look out for Flick and Li in agility rings around the Wisconsin and Minnesota area this Spring! Like one of my best friends, Sarena, said perfectly about showing, "Meanwhile you sacrifice your money, your family, your relationship with your animals (they don't like it, whatever people say, it's so stressful, and the ones that 'love it', really just love the bait, or the attention, or the 'getting out in the car') and your will power. It winds people up, it makes them competitive and fierce.
I'm not showing much anymore because I've realised that..." and agility. "I think that agility builds a much better, healthier bond between human and dog, though it's still very competitive, and it's better for the health of both partners."
Soooo, life is good. And I finally have a cell phone, lol.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Came to a Decision
I've decided to wait on a new agility dog for now. But I may be getting a retired sleddog that leads for bikejoring and recreational sledding. it could be fun, haha. It depends what my parents say.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Li!
The face of a demon ^ yep, that's what it looks like.
Li "lee" [aka Liman, Limur, eekers, eekman, stinker, or stink bomb] is doing great. See never plan ahead, because everything goes awry anyway. My Blue Merle female with long ears and a long tail came home as a BLACK MALE DOCKED and CROPPED dog. haha He really isn't black anymore though. He has a lot of grey in him.
His dark grizzled jacket and grey legs and face make him look like a Schnauzer wannabe. haha
His underbite makes him look like he's smiling, even when his mouth is closed. It's really cute. *silver lining*
Both of these photos were taken at my dad's work in the spare office where we hang out when we visit. I biked him the 5 miles to get there so that is why he is sitting still. He usually is out of the viewing frame by the time the photo is snapped. haha
Anyway, more plans gone crazy : my future show dog has an underbite and is a cryptorchid. haha I just love this! He's getting neutered on Monday by the way.
His running contacts that were going to be started by now have been delayed by a stubborn little dude that doesn't see the point in running across a flat board if he can hop off the side and run on normal ground. haha To fix that problem, after shaping, back training, and luring didn't work, I propped the 8 foot long board about 10 inches high and taught him to run UP it which he gladly did for the treat or toy that was waiting up top. Putting it in reverse was easy after that. Once he understood that he was supposed to trot ON the board, I slowly lowered it down and now am asking for a run. He is at 2 inch height right now and I am just going to work up from here now.
His cik/cap/outs are phenomenal though! He is getting so reliable that I can usually send him from any angle and from EITHER side of me and he'll still hit it. I am very excited with his consistency.
He gets a kick out of chasing cats but only does it on command. I'll be standing around with him and he'll spot one of the cats and he'll look at the cat and then look at me. I release him and he chases the cat down the first set of stairs to the front entryway [we live in a split level house], then I call him and he comes back to me without hesitation. He enjoys chasing goats with me. I have this one really strong stick that is about 4 feet long, 1 inch in diameter, and nearly impossible to break that I use as kind of like a shepherd's staff. Li tries to corner them while I grab them by the horns, sitting on them, and check their feet. It's fun. Li is much more speedy than the goats so he just runs circles around them and they couldn't charge him even if they tried. When I am checking their hooves to see if they need to be trimmed yet, Li can sometimes still be wild, therefore freaking out the goat and the goat turns on me and goes crazy. What is nice in such a situation is Li's down command, which is extremely solid and he even listens from a distance.
He shows no fear of horses and even challenges them but I try to keep them separated as the horses hate dogs and wouldn't hesitate to put their lights out. Yeah, bad I know.
He does pipes of any shape. Instead of starting him on a short and straight pipe and work him up to a curved, long one I took a shortcut. I put him in a crate out side so he could see me and my lab/GSD mix. I then sent the mix [who is an amazingly consistent dog but is built for speed not endurance so is good for one course and then is VERY slow for a few days as if to say "that was my exercise for the week, now let me Sleeepp!" She is the most naturally talented dog I've ever seen though or maybe just very lazy. Her laziness is good because her mentality is "I want to get this over with so I can go back to sleep ASAP. To cut her time on the course, she makes VERY tight yet fast turns, has NATURAL built in cik and cap without the commands [she basically turns while jumping haha] and she has 99% hit contacts on her 100% fast dog walk] through the tunnel and praised her and played with her and did everything in my power to make Li jealous of the attention. When I let him out of the crate, he was determined to copy Shadow [the mix] so he could get all those treats and hugs too. I sent her through the tunnel and Li followed. I praised him like crazy. I repeated this a few more times and soon he was just going in by himself and not waiting for sluggish shadow. Welcome to the lazy person's way of dog training! haha
Anyway, that's all for now - just an update.
-Ri and Li [ "REE" and " LEE" yep, they rhyme, yay *rolls eyes* I am tiiirreeeddd. Li wears me out haha]
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