Flying Poodles

Cooking and Training

I’m going to a four-day agility seminar later this week and need to make sure I have the food and treats aspect of life covered before I go. So I spent some time this morning dealing with four pounds of fresh chicken livers. About half got cut up and simmered in a little water, then divided into many containers and put in the freezer. When I need to, they’ll be added to the dried veggie mix I use, with some oatmeal, some flax seed oil, some probiotic lactobacillus, and hot water. Not as easy as kibble, but great for training a good “wait” command. I make the dogs sit and wait while I put it down… then release with a VERY quiet “okay.”

I also gave both dogs a thorough scrub this AM. We’d been to the puppy park, and Elly did some VERY serious digging. (If I ever need to bury anything, I’ll know who to bring along.)  Dancer helped some, but didn’t get anywhere near as filthy. Elly’s face was coffee-colored from dirt. I just wanted Dancer to be clean and fluffy, because she’s coming to the seminar with me, and I wanted her to look and smell her best. For some reason, people always put their hands in poodle topknots.

Yesterday I had a good-and-bad training session. Good weaves, good enthusiasm from both dogs… and disastrous results from working the teeter with Dancer. She does NOT like the teeter, and I pushed it too hard… and it ended with her walking in big circles around it. NOT good. I was STOOPID.

However, weaves are going well. Elly is nailing them every time. Dancer still requires a bit of “weave management”: it helps if I don’t rush her. If I rush her, I can make her fail. I’ve been using the “see weaves, do weaves” approach, trying not to indicate them or call them out, just expecting her to take them if they’re in her path. That part is working well.

So the plan now for Dancer’s teeter is kind of back to square one: no teeter for a while, just a plank. Then maybe a little movement. Etc. For the weaves, though, I’m going to work on adding pressure slowly and gradually.

Our next trial isn’t until November 11/12 (SnoKing, at Argus Ranch). I just scratched Dancer out of Standard, but I’ll keep JWW and FAST (and hope the teeter isn’t part of the FAST send).