You know, two days after my Walky Dog Bike Attachment arrived because I was tired of finding ways to exercise the dogs around the mud in our backyard. Great. Now biking is out and we're holed up in doors again, except for short jaunts out into the snow. No matter how nicely I keep Moose's feet groomed she always ends up carrying snow balls between her toes, so it looks like I need to buy some Musher's Secret tonight and get it rushed over. (But of course, in the way the universe works...two days after it arrives, I betcha we'll lose the snow!)
However, I did dig out the camera and take the dogs out back to explore the new white stuff in the backyard. They both went a little nutty. Moose especially.
Toby even deigned to humor her for a few minutes, bad back and knees and all, and played with her for a jaunt. But then the snow got a little too much for his sensitive old-man feet and he wanted back in. I can't say I blame him, I was shivering out there myself.
Inside we've gone through every tug toy Macy could find and have done a few short, indoor obedience sessions. Stays are pretty easy to work in the house, despite the small amount of space (and the hugely, over-sized dog) and Moose could use a refresher. Toby loves these games. To him they've come to mean, "I'm retired, so I get to stay up on the couch and get the occasional treat for watching you work." Which he does, happily with tail wags. Unless of course, he thinks Macy isn't responding correctly and missing her treats. Any time she misses a cue, you better believe he's on it. The old man still knows how to strut his stuff, even if he is slow to it.
Stays, for the most part, should be easy. In theory, at least. Both of my dogs work these daily along with leave its. They're something I consider essential in day to day life. But, I'll admit my definition of day-to-day stays is not what I want for a competition stay. We play a lot of the Down-Stay Game, while at events, visiting people's houses, and while I write and the dogs don't think I should be working. In the end, this equates to: We're in a stay for the long haul, flop down, fall asleep and wait for the release.
Which is great...when I'm working a booth with the golden rescue while Moose is there later to do dock dogs. But for some reason, I think a judge would frown at a dog sprawled out on their side, snoozing some Zzz's on the out-of-sight stay. I have a feeling I'll be teaching a new cue. :-p
To top that off, Moose has a case of the Collapsible Dog when it comes to sit-stays. If she thinks we're moving into the 'I've been sitting here too long' category, she moves into the down-stay game rather than a sit-stay. We haven't actually had this problem up until recently, so I'm thinking I moved the duration out a notch too far and need to take a step back. Her collapse point seems to be at a minute, twenty seconds. So I think for our next few sessions we'll bounce again. A few thirty second stays, some minute ones, some a little over. Get it so she's not really expecting the time again, and then drop in one closer to the collapse time and see.
Down stay? I got this.
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