Yard Work! Nearly ready for the long weekend.

Here is my happy little church-house with a trimmed and mowed yard. That's my new driveway, put in last fall. I love it! I am planning to paint the front doors a dark forest green to match the green glass in the house exterior. It would be a lot warmer than those black doors! And, I will be putting wildflowers around the base of that tree. In time, I'll have an arch with roses and little fence around the little remains of the lawn. Plus some pretty climbing flowers on the iron ornaments against the wall. It's just been too busy this spring to keep up with yard work!

In the backyard, I have tried to put pea gravel to look like a Japanese dry river, with waves, but, the dogs made quick work of spreading the gravel! It keeps things clean though, but I need more as you can see...they are doing a number on the very sparse grass. You can see the nice chain link fencing I've got for their run area, and there is a great walk-out door from the basement under the deck. I love their run area! It looks dark because the back yard is very shady in the evenings.

The long narrow run that has the green shadecloth belonged to a Bloodhound named Nero who was a police and SAR dog in Ontario. I was friends with his owner - handler. When Nero died, he decided he would not have another one, and I got the run. It is very special. It is the Border Collie run. The square run in back that you can barely make out is Caden's big run. I prefer square for a GSD, rather than long and narrow, because of turning and their deep chests and stomachs, and bloat issues.

As you can see - I am covering all of the bases, with a St. Francis of Assissi statue, and a little Buddha statue (obscured by Ted).

And here is the nicely mowed and weed whacked backyard! I feel so accomplished! Now I need to get some flowers for my deck and I am set for the long weekend! And a friend's visit!!

When I stand in my backyard at night and look up, I face the Big Dipper. It feels so funny because back in Thunder Bay, when I stood in my field at night after haying or working the sheep, I looked up at the same stars. But I am so far from my home now! Same stars, though. Sometimes I close my eyes and I feel like I could be in my field (except - there are really no mosquitoes - only what Albertans call "mosquitoes" LOL).

Cows at the end of the Rainbow

On my way home from Schutzhund practice in Calgary, I pulled into Tim's at the Esso in Crossfield, east of Highway 2. I spotted these cows and it looked like they were at the end of a rainbow. I had just driven through a sunshower. This was taken with my iPhone - not bad! And, thanks to my friend Dan for the coffee. We both drive home to Red Deer with our trailers full of dogs. Next time is my turn again!

Speaking of trailers, Jerry Prescott took the numbers and decals off of my dog trailer last night! I can finally stop explaining to people in gas stations that that is NOT my phone number. It looks so much better!

Busy Saturday! Sheep, Horses, Dogs, Tracking!

What a busy, fun day yesterday. First I went to the Highland Games at the Westerner in Red Deer. Ted's full sister Neve, owned by Larry Bell, put on a fantastic herding demo for the crowd. Here she is in action.

Larry had a mic and whiteboard, and gave a very good description to people so they would understand what they were about to see. Larry and Neve gave three demos yesterday. You can see my Jet tied under the speaker's box. She was NOT impressed.

Here is a shot of Neve waiting for Larry. She is seven years old and a very nice dog.

Here is Penny Caster with Brock, holding the sheep while Larry was chatting with the crowd.

And here is Jet, being a PR dog with kids (she didn't notice them, she was just staring at the sheep)...

Neve did such a nice job of showing elements of trial work, plus a figure 8 around the cones that was a real crowd pleaser. I am sure Larry and Neve did a lot to educate people and hopefully inspire some young people to take up this activity.

One of the best results of the day (for me) was to possibly make some new training arrangements, as I have been just sick with missing sheep and training Jet and Ted. Being around this and seeing Larry and Neve work was great to re-ignite that desire to get going again.

Jet could not comprehend that this was not all about HER. She watches the penned sheep through the fence. I have to admit, I felt very sad for her. She loves to track and it keeps her active, but she is born to herd sheep and it is in her blood. It made me very determined to get her out, Ted too. I can't tell you how hard I have looked for some land or a small farm. Alberta is a very expensive place to live. While I was in Thunder Bay I saw 106 acres with a barn and home for $199,000. That would cost at least a million dollars here in Alberta. So, I need to find more places to train and somehow fit that in with tracking and SchH. Oh, that should be easy, haha.

Next, I visited my friends Pam and Jerry Prescott and saw Pam's beautiful new foal. He is a fiesty little guy, and very beautiful with top notch breeding behind him. I can't get over how fast these foals grow and get strong. Did you know you halter break these little guys when they are barely a few weeks old, otherwise they are just too strong to handle? Amazing. They progress so much faster than puppies. Pam explained that they are prey animals, so need to be up and running day one, unlike pups that are practically born premature - closed eyes, no hearing, can't walk. Very interesting to learn more about horses. I love them, always have.

Is this one handsome little guy or what?

Then, Pam and I tracked with our boys. I did a track down her driveway for Caden. It crossed the driveway at one point. He was very intense and nose down. I was super happy. Caden just loves to track which is good, since (as you may have guessed) that is important for me!

Caden's tail is like a banner when he tracks.

Well was I thrilled with this road cross! He nailed a 90 degree turn and hit the other side dead-on. Of course, she should be there after all the work I have done with him, but SchH style is new to me, and to see him take a corner on rails without lifting his head is quite exhilarating. I honestly don't know why people would not aim for this for field work and a foundation for their dogs. I am taking longer to train him, as I am trying to incorporate all positives and very light negatives (a line pop or a 'no') to keep that drive. I can really see his confidence just blossoming as he understands his job more and more.

There was another turn to take him to the end. At that turn, he did lift his head and turn in a circle. That's OK. It was a great first turn, and a short leg to the next turn. I simply encouraged him to find it, and he did, and took off again. I think that was a positive for him, rather than saying 'no' and I really didn't want to take away from the great job he did on his first turn. Sometimes, we have to look for RECOVERY and not focus on perfection. He also needs to learn that he can sort things out, and he did within seconds.

Pam has been working with Sting consistently for the past few weeks. Below is a photo from June 5 where Dan Waters met with us in the morning to work with Caden and Sting. Dan is so generous with his time and expertise.

Since then, Pam reports that she has been out at least 15 times with Sting and does it show! Pam is an experienced cutting horse trainer and competitor and you can tell she has the concept of working out a training program. Sting knew that 'such' (prounounced sook, German for seek or search) meant for him to search the scent pad. He proceeded beautifully down his track from footstep to footstep!

He was very thorough and calm, and Pam's handling was also very calm.

Sting has a lot of tracking drive. Pam put a small curve in the end. Now she can start to mix up shapes, more age, and less treats - one variable at a time. Also, she can work her way back on a longer line.

Dixie the Schnauzer is also learning to track. But that evening over tea, she demonstrated another variety of tracking as she left Pam's lap to finish my peppermint tea, LOL. Schnauzers are excellent tracking dogs - very food motivated!

Another great new blog to follow...

Just a heads up - I am adding this to the sidebar menu of blogs I follow...

http://sheepdogtrialling.blogspot.com/

Water Dogs - and Prevention / Care of Overheating Dogs in Summer

There has been a very interesting discussion on the Sheepdog List about Care of Over-heating dogs. I shared some of the information on the CKC Tracking list (with permission) as this information also applies to tracking dogs. BELOW is the text of my message to the CKC tracking list. These pictures and video show how my dogs love their 'pool' and how the Border Collies lie right in the water to cool themselves off.

Ted in his tub above; the whole gang gathers around "the water cooler" below, today after work

Today when I got home from work, it was not sunny but it was very humid. We played ball and frisbee as usual, and they were all hot. I filled their pool with fresh cold water and it became the place to hang out. It is a goofy video, but shows you how much they love access to cool water. Caden, who was raised by the BCs, also jumps in.

Silly video...

My crazy, happy dogs...

This was taken on Monday afternoon (above).

Below, Caden drops his Giggle ball into the pail while he drinks, so he can keep an eye on it!

THROW IT!!!

TEXT of messages regarding care of overheating dogs is below.

----- Original Message ----- (and more tips below...)


Permission to Cross Post
Avoiding Heat Related Injuries in Dogs
by Nate Baxter DVM

The first thing that needs to be understood is that dogs and people are
different enough that most of the info cannot cross lines. I do not profess
to know what the appropriate procedures for people other than what I learned
in first aid.

Dogs do not lose enough electrolytes thru exercise to make a difference, but
if the dog gets truly into heat stroke the physiology changes will make them
necessary. BUT oral replacement at that point is futile, they need
intravenous fluids and electrolytes and lots of it.

Cooling: Evaporative cooling is the most efficient mean of cooling.
However, in a muggy environment, the moisture will not evaporate so cooling
does not happen well. I cool with the coldest water I can find and will use
ice depending on the situation. The best way is to run water over the dog,
so there is always fresh water in contact with the skin. When you immerse a
dog in a tub, the water trapped in the hair coat will get warm next to the
dog, and act as an insulator against the cool water and cooling stops. If
you can run water over the dog and place it in front of a fan that is the
best. Misting the dog with water will only help if you are in a dry
environment or in front of a fan. Just getting the dog wet is not the point,
you want the water to be cool itself, or to evaporate.

For MOST situations all you will need to do is get the dog in a cooler
environment, ie shade, or in the cab of the truck with the air conditioning
on (driving around so the truck does not overheat and the AC is more
efficient). Up to a couple of years ago, I was very concerned about my dogs
getting too hot in the back of my black pickup with a black cap. New white
truck fixed a lot of that problem. When I had one dog I just pulled the wire
crate out of the car and put it in some shade and hopefully a breeze. But
having 2 dogs and running from one stake to another, that was not feasible.

So I built a platform to put the wire crates on, this raises the dog up in
the truck box where the air flow is better. Then I placed a 3 speed box fan
in front blowing on the dogs with a foot of space to allow better airflow. I
purchased a power inverter that connects to the battery and allows the
3 speed fan to run from the truck power. It has an automatic feature that
prevents it from draining the battery. When I turned that fan on medium I
would find that the dogs where asleep, breathing slowly and appeared very
relaxed and comfortable in a matter of 20 minutes or less, even on very hot
muggy days.

Alcohol: I do carry it for emergiencies. It is very effective at cooling due
to the rapid evaporation. It should be used when other methods are not
working. You should be on your way to the veterinarian before you get to
this point. We recommend using rubbing alcohol, which is propylene alcohol,
not ethyl, for those of you not aware. So do not try to drink it. Alcohol
should be used on the pads and lower feet area where there is little more
than skin and blood vessels over the bones. Use a little bit and let it
evaporate, you can use too much as some is absorbed through the skin. There
are concerns about toxicity, but you have to get the temperature down.

I purchased those cooling pads that you soak in cold water, but found that
the dogs would not lay on them. I would hold them on the back of a dog that
just worked to get a quick cool, but have not used them for years. I also
bought a pair of battery operated fans but found them pretty useless. Spend
your money on the power inverter and get a real fan.

Watching temperature: If you feel your dog is in danger of heat injury,
check its temp and write it down. Keep checking the temp every 3 minutes. I
recommend to get a "rectal glass thermometer. The digital ones for the drug
store I have found to be very unreliable, Don't forget to shake it down
completely each time, sounds silly, but when are worried about your
companion, things tend to get mixed up. This is VERY IMPORTANT**once the
temp STARTS to drop, STOP ALL COOLING EFFORTS. The cooling process will
continue even though you have stopped. If the temp starts at 106.5, and then
next time it drops to 105.5, stop cooling the dog, dry it off, and continue
monitoring. You will be amazed how it continues to go down. If you do not
stop until the temp is 102, the temp will drop way too low. I cannot
emphasis this point enough.

When the dog is so heated that it is panting severely, only let it have a
few laps of water. Water in the stomach does not cool the dog, you just need
to keep the mouth wet so the panting is more effective.

Do not worry about hydration until the temp has started down. A dog panting
heavily taking in large amounts of water is a risk of bloat.

Due to the heavy panting they will swallow air, mixed with a large amount of
water they can bloat. Once the temp is going down and panting has slowed to
more normal panting then allow water. The dog will rehydrate it self after
temp is normal. If the dog has a serious problem and even though you have
gotten the temp normal, get the dog to a vet, as it can still need IV fluids
and some medication. Also, a case of heat stroke can induce a case of
hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (not parvo), with a ton of very bloody diarrhea
and a lot of fluid and electrolyte loss. These cases need aggressive
treatment.

The best method of treatment is prevention. Learn to watch your dog, and see
the changes in the size of the tongue, and how quickly it goes down. Learn
your dogs response to the different environments, and be careful when you
head south for an early season hunt test or trial. I have been to Nashville
at the end of May, only 5 hours away, but the difference in temp and
humidity did effect the dogs as they were used to more spring weather in
Ohio. Try different things in training to help the dog cool and learn what
works better. Another very important point=> Do not swim your hot dog to
cool it then put in put in a box/ tight crate. Remember, evaporation can not
take place in a tight space, and the box will turn into a sauna and you will
cook your dog.

Carry a stake out chain, and let the dog cool and dry before putting it up.
I demonstrated this lesson this spring with my 10 month old pup.
After doing a 15 minute session in yard drill on a warm 70+ degree day, she
was panting pretty hard and was pretty hot. She was OK but it was time to
stop. Just for the heck of it I took her temp. She was 103.6, above normal
but too bad for a dog that had just finished working. In my back yard I have
a 300 gallon Rubbermaid tub filled with water. I took her to it and she
jumped in and out 3-4 times. She appeared totally improved, tongue was much
smaller, and eyes brighter and her full spring was back into her step. So I
re-took her temp and it was 104.2, so even though she looked better she was
hotter. This is a perfect lesson to show the importance of not getting a
hot dog wet and then putting them in a box. The water on her skin caused the blood vessels to constrict,
decreasing blood flow to the skin. Therefore the hot blood was shunted back
to the dog's core and retained the heat. You may have felt the same thing,
after exercising--but still being very warm--take a shower and get
cooled off.

As soon as you turn the shower off you start sweating again.
I know this is s bit long, but hopefully this is easy to understand and
helps provide some useful information.

Remember: Prevention. Learn your dog. It is worth the time and effort.
____________ ______

Nate Baxter, DVM
Lebanon, OH


MORE TIPS (CONDENSED FROM THE CHAT LISTS)

- Ensure the dogs are acclimatized and conditioned for the work we ask of them
- Importance of grooming for health benefits
- NOT always seeing water or a break as a positive thing (some dogs will
learn to use that to their advantage – handlers too); learning what is needed
when; and when you can ask a dog to work through something safely
- Teaching dogs to work in a smart way – not burning physical and mental
energy (I have been doing that with my River since moving to Alberta as she is a
long-coat, older and not used to the dry weather – it took a year to change
some of her habits for the better; which were MY BAD as I let her do them in
training, not having urban experience)

- Consider the timing of your training / testing…if possible do your
more complex, long tracks early or late, they are harder on the dogs than a 7
minute TD or even a 20 minute UTD. Not all clubs can do this, but offering UTDX
or TDX before the lower levels – or doing them in the evening – for summer
tests, definitely has its advantages for the dogs and possibly the pass rates
compared to doing them at high noon.

A big mistake many people make is to grab the dogs muzzle and pour electrolyte

down its throat, which is drowning the dog. When a dog is "hot" is one thing, but if it is
breathing heavily and pointing its nose skyward it needs cooling air down the
throat.. For what seems a long time it needs lots of air by breathing heavily.
Getting it to water to cool it off is mandatory.

The old addage is that: - rolling of the eyes, and stagers are a sure sign

that your dog is overheated ,( at this point make sure that you can get your dog
to a water source to cool off) humid /hot weather when the humidex is very high
creates problems with humans and animals alike ........ look for the color of the tongue and other mucus membranes. There is also a stare to look for

Dogs not used to working in heat and are not acclimatized will have more

problems the first time asked to work in heat or humidity

It seems like a spray bottle in the hip-pack is a good idea. And perhaps
something clubs might consider is having a 'dog' emergency kit in the car of one
of the test officials. Better yet, everyone should have one. I bought a dog kit
from St. John Ambulance for less than $50 and always have it on hand for my
classes (have never had to use it though, thankfully). It just travels in my dog
trailer now.

Western Schutzhund Regionals - great tracking and trial reports!

Subtitle: ...and a bit about Caden's progress at the end...

Ali and Dan on June 5...I laid this track! She is such an awesome tracking dog, the best I have ever seen. They just got a score of 96 at the Western Regionals...a V-rating (excellent).

My "mentor" in SchH Dan Waters earned a "V-rating" with his dog Ali in tracking at the Western Canada SchH Regionals last weekend with a score of 96 / 100. A V is anything higher than 95 and means "excellent." Dan is President of the GSD SchH Club of Calgary and last year, he and Ali came in at #5 in the Nationals.

Ali fetches her own start flag after tracking! And check out Ali's daugher Cilla! Like mother, like daughter, Cilla is fetching her stake. I posted a video of Cilla's puppy track a few weeks ago.

I laid a track for Ali a few weekends ago and she was just awesome. She is the best tracking dog I have ever seen, in any venue. So I am very, very happy to hear this report from Dan. Ali also placed 2nd overall at the regionals. And Dan's male Bronson placed 1st in SchH 1. Yay Bronson! The overall winner was Jean Fisher.

Bronson tracking on June 5. He placed first for Sch 1 and had a tracking score of 91 at the Western Canada SchH Regionals last weekend.

The Canadian SchH Nationals are in Edmonton on the August long weekend. I am quite excited about seeing all of the top dogs in Canada here, and also excited to meet new people and see old friends.

By the way, Jacki Barnes, the President of the Thunder Bay SchH Club got a high score in tracking at the Western Regionals with a 97!! And, my friend Marly Desjardins who has Bouviers, earned a 99 a few weeks ago at the Thunder Bay SchH trials. WOW!

Caden at 5 months in Thunder Bay. This is more or less how he looked when we attended the Wallace Payne SchH seminar. Wallace Payne really made me feel good about myself and my dog, and as a result I decided to stick with SchH although the move to Alberta caused a pause in our progress.

The Thunder Bay Club had Wallace Payne come give a seminar in 2008, the year I got Caden. I attended the seminar and helped get tracking locations. It was the most awesome tracking seminar I have ever attended and a turning point for me in my approach to tracking. I see his advice has been useful to my Thunder Bay SchH friends!

6-month old Caden back in my field in Thunder Bay (*when I had a small hobby farm, sigh)

I would LOVE to go train with him when I am ready with Caden to soak in some of his advice. When Caden was a 6-month old puppy, Wallace Payne told me he felt I had a future in the sport with Caden and that he was the kind of pup he would look for, for competition. And then he added that if I was ever in a trial where he was entered, to look out, because he might have to "pull a Tonya Harding" on me, LOL. It was a great compliment and because of his interest and kind words to a newbie, I have pursued the sport.

Hey Wallace, look! (LOL)...Caden on June 13...we have a long way to go, but we have the best help at the Calgary Club! (that's Training Director Wade Waters and Caden's first time off the post, it was quite a thrill).

Thunder Bay Test Results - and my final apprenticeship to be a tracking judge

As you know, I was in Thunder Bay a few weeks ago. While there, I finished my final apprenticeship to be a tracking judge. Whoo hoo! Seriously, Thunder Bay was the closest option to finish this spring. So my tracking came full circle - I started in Thunder Bay with Dawn Sanderson in 1990 and finished my apprenticeship there with Dawn this year - 20 years later! It was also very meaningful to judge tracking enthusiasts in Thunder Bay.

Above, Dawn and I pose with Katie Jaremey who earned TWO TDXs that day on her Golden's Henley and Gibson. Way to go Katie! That is not a common experience. I did it in 1994 with my GSD Hawk and Rough Collie Kate. Katie was in my tracking classes many years ago with her wonderful dog Dawson. Seeing her with these two boys showed me how far she has come and definitely an awesome trainer and handler who could be teaching tracking now, if she was not so busy with university! As an instructor, I know there is always that moment when you have to 'let your students go' as they have become independently good trainers in their own right (big sigh).

Below is a flashback picture of my five trackers in 1999 - from left to right Hawk, Kate and Robin (TDX dogs) and Thorn and Shaman (TD). Hawk was on his last legs here at age 13 which was why we did this group shot. They are looking at me! I just lost Shaman last year - the last of this gang to go. I miss them each every day. I sure gained a lot of experience with this crew - my first five tracking dogs - all starting with Hawk, in Dawn's classes. Kate the collie was my fasted TDX at 11 minutes flat!

Below is an awesome photo of Katie earning a TDX in a field in Thunder Bay - with the "Nor'Westers" in the background. I forgot how beautiful Thunder Bay is, after being away for nearly two years.

Here are the field passes of the day - Joan Kleinendorst and her Cairn Sterling, Sigrid Appelt and her GSD Shea, and Katie with Henley and Gibson.

Below is Sterling claiming his glove. This photo takes me back to his sire, Dundee who earned a TD under CKC judge Mike Wood. Mike Wood just loved how Dundee claimed HIS glove in the same manner. We published a great article for the Cairn Terrier Breedlines when Dundee passed, with a picture of him and Mike cheek to cheek and they matched with their salt and pepper colouring! Dundee was in my classes - so it was very special to see his son Sterling pass with a very sure track, right on rails the whole way!

And below you see a familiar face in the center - Julie Hutka, owner of TCH Cavalier "Austen" helped to train Sterling and handled him for his TD track. It was a thrill - first track of the day! On the right is tracklayer Sandy Wright. It was so neat to see Julie so confidently handle Sterling to his TD. You can tell how happy she feels in this photo, now billing herself as "a small dog specialist" LOL.

Every time I am near a Golden in a tracking test, I get a picture like this, hahaha! Katie after her successful TDX with Gibson, tracklayer Randy Frietag in the background.

And here are some more shots to prove I was there!

Sterling TD with me, Joan and Dawn...

Shea TDX with me, Dawn and tracklayer Diana Crago...another meaningful photo and moment - as Sigrid is the breeder of Hawk, Robin, Thorn and River, my first four GSDs. Sigrid has a zillion tracking titles and encourages all people with pups to track. I strongly believe in the inheritance of tracking drive - and Sigrid's dogs definitely have that willingness and desire which I still see in my River. Very sadly, Sigrid lost River's littermate Dante to bloat weeks before this weekend. Dante was ready for his UTDX. So Shea passed her TDX to make it a special weekend.

What a great experience and a meaningful way to finish my apprenticship. Thanks to everyone.

I enjoyed my time in Thunder Bay, but cried on the drive home, all the way to Kenora - because I realized how much I miss Thunder Bay and my friends and family. It was very bittersweet and I hope to go back again much sooner than two years from now!

Awesome hard surface work using HITT - Adventures in Tracking Blog

I just want to direct your attention to this blog

http://adventures-in-tracking.blogspot.com/

I watched today's videos and got goosebumps to see the progress Rivet the Chessie is making. In the third one she does that thing where she lifts her head and processes information, then makes a decision.

I find Tracy's blog very inspiring and I am now super-motivated to try this with Ted (pictured), who I have designated as my HITT dog. I did a bit with him last summer (see that post here) but ran out of time. What I saw, I liked, as Ted's feet usually go faster than his brain in tracking! Yet, he has a lot of desire to work and please, so I just need a new tool for him. I may play around with Jet too, now that we have a UTDX in our sights for her.

Thanks Tracy! Keep up the fabulous work. I love it when we can share and learn this way.

I just realized I did this with Ted a whole year ago. I don't know where time has gone, but I am just so busy here in Alberta! Gotta love that.

SWIM!! PLAY!! FUN!!

Yesterday, I spent the day with two friends judging a 4H Canine Achievement Day. At the end of the day, I took the dogs for a well-deserved swim. The rain we have had lately means nice big ponds for lots of fun! Today we head to Calgary for SchH. I love Sundays, I see all of my friends, and always have a great social time, plus good training. It is very warm here today, so should be pleasant there (but *always* windy!).

Here is the fun last night...

SWIM!!!

Roar into the water!

Find your toy!

Swim hard, leave a wake!

Roar out of the water!

Swim Ted, Jet's catching up!

Swim Ted swim! You have the toy!

Possess the toy!

Possess the toy! (it's a girl thing)

Smile!

Run Run Run

Tug Tug Tug

POSE FOR THE CAMERA!!!

River

Jet

Ted and Jet

Caden

THAT WAS FUN!!