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.