Good Dog

We were so impressed with Flash over the Christmas holiday. We had a lot of people, including kids, in the house and at first were worried about Flash's propensity to growl and snap when he got worried. But he was so good. He just tried to stay out of the way and not get in trouble. When the kids were opening presents and making a racket, he just stayed by Dennis's side and made himself invisible. He is maturing and becoming a very good dog.

Flash thinks he's swimming

Catching Up

Flat Flash

Apologies for neglecting Flash's blog for so long. There are several reasons for this:

We determined that Flash, at least for the present, is not interested in sheepherding and just skated by getting his Good Citizenship Certificate, so he's probably not destined to be a Therapy dog either.

Then, the first part of September, we were on vacation in Italy. We took Flat Flash (pictured) with us but I'm not sure he had a good time.

Then, we we got back, we were inundated with catch-up and life in general. It is now November, and the only thing I have to report about Flash is that he weighs 75 lbs.

We found this out when we took him to the vet in September. Dennis had taken him out for the day on Saturday as he usually does. He puts on the prong collar because sometimes Flash doesn't mind well around strangers. Normally, this is not a problem, but he forgot to take the collar off and poor Flash wore it day and night for almost a week. When we finally discovered it (with all his hair, it's difficult to see what's around his neck), it was a big problem. The vet shaved him and treated his wounds and he is fine today. We felt really, really bad for our poor dog, who now had the added misery of having to go on a diet. No more cookies and low-cal dry food.

Never, never leave a prong collar on your dog!

I took Flash back to the vet to be weighed on Monday, about 4 weeks after his ordeal. He had only lost two pounds even though he has not had any cookies at all. 

Flash is OK now. He's a happy dog.

Happy Birthday, Flash!

Yesterday, July 24, 2013, was Flash's 2nd Birthday. We should have celebrated by taking him to the beach, but because of our busy schedule we only managed to give him a ride in the car and "unlimited" cookies. Unlimited means maybe six cookies. Sorry for the lame birthday, Flash.

Horseback Riding Day

Flash was very good at our horseback riding arena today. He went in the crate fairly well (after we threw in the treat). After my lesson, we let him out and we all went for a little ride/run around the ranch. He got his exercise today.

Fetch has its hazards

Flash and I played Fetch on the front lawn this morning until his tennis ball rolled into the pond. He spent some time willing the ball to come within reach, but finally jumped into the water and retrieved it. As a reward, he had to stay out of the house until he dried off. Not entirely fair.

Flash loves burgers

Dennis and Flash at Taco Barrel

Yesterday afternoon Dennis took us (Flash and me) to the Taco Barrel in Campo for an early dinner. We got a plain burger for Flash, which the chef was kind enough to cut into bite-size pieces. Flash is very adept at catching burger bits!

Patiently waiting for our food

Anticipation 

Incoming!

Sheepherding 101-a

So, yesterday we took Flash back for another "try" at sheepherding to see if he is suited for the sport. As we drove up to the Canines 'n Ewe ranch, he got very excited. We thought he was anxious to chase the sheep again. But, no, he wasn't interested in the sheep at all.

Jennifer took him in the pen with the same 3 sheep, but he just kept running back to the gate. "Mom, Dad, help me!" I imagined he was pleading for us to rescue him. We finally acknowledged that Flash would not be needing any sheep of his own at home. So much for finding him a job.

Flash is a family dog, not a working dog. Oh, well. He is beautiful.

Sheep herding 101

This afternoon Flash and I drove out to Canines 'n Ewe in Lake Morena for a sheepherding trail. Flash was very excited to be around all the new smells and sights. I can affirm the new smells because when we got home I had to wash sheep poop off the bottom of my sneakers.

Flash got to chase 3 dog-trained sheep around a pen. At first he didn't know what to do, but by the end (with tongue dragging), he was circling the sheep like I think he was supposed to. The trainer said she was hoping he had more "drive," but a second trial next week would be more telling. This week he was dealing with a lot of new sights and sounds. Next week he should be more familiar with everything.

Video: 

Just when you think it's safe to go back in the water

He attacks.

Flash went to the groomer's today and she said he was wonderful and never gives her any trouble...doesn't growl or try to bite. Great news.

Then we came home and Joanne came over to bring me my mail. We were standing in the breezeway and Flash came over. Joanne said something like, "Oh Flash, how pretty you look," putting her hand out to pet him. He gave a low growl and Joanne said something else and then he struck like a snake. Luckily, Joanne was faster. Flash's teeth just grazed her hand.

Then when I grabbed him, he growled at me but didn't try to bite.

Why does he do this?

Flash herds

It turns out (according to the breeder) that both of Flash's parents were champion herders. Tonight he proved it by herding a fat little mouse against a wall outside. He then laid down beside it and barked, but he didn't kill it. Very encouraging...except I had to pick it up with a shovel and remove it to a more remote area. Turns out I couldn't kill it either. 

But what a good dog!

Canine Good Citizen

This morning Flash and I drove to Nancy Jane Park in Crest and met up with Rachel so Flash could take the Canine Good Citizen test and earn the AKC title. This test is prerequisite to other types of training like Agility for example. I knew Flash could pass most of the exercises, such as walking on a loose leash, walking among "crowds" of people and dogs, sit, down, stay, etc. The only concerning part was leaving him with "a kind stranger" and hiding for 3 minutes. We took this test a few months ago and he nipped or tried to nip the kind stranger. Not good. He failed that test but today he passed without any indication of aggression. Yea!!!

Good Citizenship and Sheep

Next Thursday Flash will be taking the Good Citizenship Certification test again. If he doesn't bite anyone, he should pass this time. We are meeting Rachel at Nancy Jane Park in Crest for the test.

Then the following Wednesday we are going to a local ranch where Flash will be tested to see if he has what it takes to herd sheep. If so, he will be taking weekly lessons to learn how to herd sheep. That should be a lot of fun and will give him a real job to do.

Back to Work

After a hiatus while I suffered from a very bad cold, Flash and I are going back to work tomorrow. Today we had a little retrieving exercise in the back yard until he got bored and I got tired. Good start, though.

When I was at Pet Smart today, I bought a new toy for Flash. It's name is Snake. Now he has Giraffe, Dragon and Snake. He was very interested in it as you can see:

Flash meets Snake

Flash eats Snake

Flash didn't bite anyone

We had a bunch of people here at the ranch on St. Patrick's Day and were pleased that Flash didn't try to nip at anyone. He was in very good humor and seemed to like everyone.

I've been working with him on his door manners and retrieving skills and he's doing great. Now that Dennis is home from skiing, he's also reinforcing the training. I'm sure this has made a difference in Flash. He is a calmer, more obedient dog, I think, with these "jobs" to do. Plus, he's so smart, he learns new things very quickly. I'll have to find another new job for him soon.

Flash Eats Out

Flash and I met Rachel at Mediterraneo's for lunch today. He was very good and behaved himself the whole time.

Smart Dog

According to the Intelligence of Dogs by Stanley Coren, the Border Collie is first in the top ten brightest dogs. See below. This explains why I'm such a great trainer. Ha

Brightest Dogs

• Understanding of New Commands: Fewer than 5 repetitions.
• Obey First Command: 95% of the time or better.^[18]

1. Border Collie
2. Poodle
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Doberman Pinscher
6. Shetland Sheepdog
7. Labrador Retriever
8. Papillon
9. Rottweiler
10. Australian Cattle Dog

Door Monitor

That's me...door monitor. I had another lesson with Flash at the door. The idea is that he is supposed to sit and wait until released, even if the door is open. Well, he surprised me. After only two tries, he understood what I wanted and actually did it. I think those Cesar Millan programs are helping.

Fetch Revisited

Today, Flash and I played fetch outside. I threw the tennis ball with the cookie inside and he readily chased it--two times. On the third pass he settled down to chew up the ball and get the cookie himself. So I got his retractable leash and tried again. This time he returned the ball every time and I didn't have to tug on the leash at all. After a few times, I took off the leash and threw the ball a couple more times. He brought the ball back every time.

Wait!

Flash already knows what Wait means. However, we neglected to teach him to Wait at the door until we go in or out. This is all our fault. But it's a problem because he rushes by before we can go out...or in.

Anyway, I've started to make him Sit and Wait until I release him to go out the door. He doesn't like it and pretends he's forgotten how to Sit. I wait until he remembers, then tell him to Wait until I go out the door. Then I tell him it's ok to go out. He does it, but I don't think it's set in his behavior yet. This will take a lot of work and consistency.

Fetch!

Don't all dogs want to fetch? It's proven to be very difficult to teach Flash to fetch a ball or a toy. It would be so much more fun for him if we could throw a ball and have him run after (and return) it. But, no. He will chase after anything but won't run back with it.

I read in 101 Dog Tricks that one way to teach a dog to fetch is to cut a slit in a tennis ball large enough to insert a cookie. Then throw the ball with the cookie in it for your dog. The dog should chase the ball and bring it back to you so you can get the cookie out and give it to him (reward). The book describes it better but I found that it actually works if I get really excited when I throw the ball and even more excited when I ask him to bring it to me.

I tried this with Flash yesterday and he did eventually bring it back with MUCH encouragement. After three times, he dropped down on his bed and tried to get the cookie himself. I had to put a stop to that or he would have destroyed the tennis ball.

We did the game about 8 times and he had the idea and was reluctantly bringing it back.

It shouldn't be this hard.

Seek and Ye Shall Find

Just ask Flash about his new "job." I read on Cesar Milan's website how to exercise your dog indoors by hiding treats around the house and letting him find them. This idea coincided with my reading a book by Robert Crais called Suspect in which a wounded police officer teams up with a wounded war dog to catch bad guys. The book describes how the German Shepherd's nose can differentiate a gazillion smells to seek and find a particular item. Aha.

So I tried this with Flash. It's a new game involving treats, so he's into it. Here's how it goes: I get a handful of some kind of treats. (I started with dog cookies, but upped the smell quotient with string cheese and pup-peroni sticks.) I let him smell the treats (at first he just wanted to eat them), then put him in a sit stay in the kitchen while I hide the treats in the living room.

The first time I tried this he (1) didn't want to stay in the kitchen and kept peeking through the doorway and (2) he didn't know he was supposed to look around for the treats. I had to practically lead him to each treat. The second time I used pup-peroni sticks and he was getting the idea with less help. The third time he knew what to expect and did a good stay in the kitchen and, when released from the stay, he vaulted into the living room to search for his treats. This time the treats were some good, stinky string cheese and he found almost all of them right away.

Now that he has the idea, I'll go back to the cookies and see it he can sniff them out. I have to admit, he isn't a real good sniffing dog. But, if the treats were all running around the house, I have no doubt he could herd them up.

Flash works in the snow

Flash is the type of dog who needs a job. We don't have any sheep, so we have to fine something else. Flash found his own job, it seems. His job is to manage the ranch.

• First, where are the cats? 
• Then, wait for 50-50 to drink her milk so he can clean her plate. 
• Then, off to the office with Dennis. Work for cookies.
• Jump in the car whenever possible to accompany anyone anywhere. 
• Chase crows.
• Assist with horses in and out of the barn. Get Doc.
• Help Mom get rid of the dog cookies.
• Be on it, whatever "it" is.

Today, Flash had to work in the snow.

Dragon

I bought another squeaker toy for Flash--a dragon with a multitude of squeakers like the Giraffe. I'm trying to build up his store of toys so we can play the name it-find it game. Unfortunately, he destroys his toys the same day he gets them, so we can't name anything. So far the Giraffe and Dragon are ok.

New Toy

Since Flash destroyed almost all of his toys, seeking and killing squeakers, I bought him a new toy that we are calling "Giraffe." It has 12 squeakers.

Days of the Dog

 On Saturday, Dennis and I took Flash to Seaport Village at the wharf in San Diego. It was very crowded with people and their dogs, which was the whole point. We are trying to get Flash used to people, specifically, strangers. There are people on the ranch but he knows them so there is no stress. He needs to learn to be good around all people, allowing them to pet him and not nipping or growling, as he does now. We didn't allow anyone to pet him on this trip because he was nervous and we didn't want him to bite anyone.

We had fun, though. We took a long walk, and Flash had his $4.00 hot dog. 

On Saturday, Dennis

So, Dennis has tried to wear out Flash by taking him for long hikes. Flash loves it but 5 minutes after they get back he's looking up at Dennis as though asking "What's next?"

On Sunday, Dennis took Flash for a 5-mile walk from Lake Morena to Boulder Oaks. I was their chauffeur.

Flash Loves the Snow

I took these photos early this morning. Flash was having fun chasing the cats in the snow.

Growling

Flash tried to nip 50-50 as she was jumping on the bed yesterday morning. I reprimanded him and he growled at me. I really don't like that. He is growling more and more lately. I think he's getting too big for his britches.

Picnic

Dennis, Flash and I drove over to Pine Valley and ordered burgers and fries at Frosty Burger. Then we walked across the street to the park and had our lunch. This is one of Flash's favorite things to do. He gets his own burger sans bun and shares the fries with us. We meter out his burger in small bites; otherwise, he would be finished in about 5 seconds.

We are very bad parents. We should give him burgers and fries---and we shouldn't eat that stuff either. Oh well, once in awhile we can splurge.

Hurt Feelings

Flash hurt my feelings the other night. He was just plopping down on his cushion in the living room and I went over to pet him. He had been acting funny in the evening. He was lying down in the dining room and wouldn't come when we called him. Not even Dennis could make him come. Then, when I went to cuddle him, he growled at me. Twice. Whoops. He got up and went to another room looking back at me like it was all my fault. Huh. He hasn't growled or nipped at me or Dennis for a long time...not since he was new to us.

I'm thinking he wasn't feeling well and was telling me to leave him alone. The next day and since he has been his old self. But my feelings were hurt. None of my dogs have ever growled at me,  not even grumpy old Ghost or 'fraidy-cat Lui. Bummer.

Daddy's Back

Flash was very happy to see Dennis again when he (Dennis) got back from his skiing trip. He likes being we me, too, I think, but Dennis is his real hero.

On Saturday, Flash went with Dennis and Uncle Johnny to run some errands and eat a hot dog at Costco. He was very good, Dennis said. He let children pet him and stayed with Johnny while Dennis went int the stores. He seemed very happy when he got home.

Flash is getting very good at begging. He sits up and his paws hang down just the way they should. He loves cookies so is willing to learn anything as long as a cookie is involved.

Nothing stops this dog

We've had snow before and Flash loved it. Last night we had a hail storm and today Flash was out in it. Nothing bothers this dog.

Boring Day

Poor Flash was left alone at home all morning until I got back from breakfast in town. Dennis stayed in town, so I took Flash for a walk and we played a little bit with his toy. Then he just went to sleep waiting for his Daddy to come home.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Flash Guards the House

We left the house around 10:15 this morning and didn't return until around 7 at night. Poor Flash had to stay home and guard the house all day. We left his dog door unlocked so he could come an go as he wished. We were pretty sure he wouldn't destroy the house in our absence. Sure enough, he dragged one of his toys outside to continue its destruction. He got this "indestructible" toy for Christmas and he already has most of cotton out of it. I'm glad he left the "guts" outside on the doorstep rather than in the living room. Good dog.

What a handsome fellow

My new favorite picture of Flash

New Year's Day

Dennis and I took Flash on a walk on the trail this morning, surprised to see that there was still some snow left in patches. Flash didn't take any notice. Later in the day Dennis took Flash on a walk to the top of the hill north of our house. When they got back Flash was begging Dennis to take him somewhere. That dog doesn't wear out.