Ben's first Christmas photos - and learning to 'stay!'

This is my favourite so far - all eyes are open and Rudoph is in the background!

This is how it started - Ted loves to pose with toys on the couch - and Ben was copying his dad

It really is hilarious - they are like muppets on a stage. I laugh so hard when they do this.

Ben is only 4 months old, so stay is not his strong suit. Jet was getting really annoyed (note the princess face) and Ted just gave up on posing for awhile, while Ben squints really hard as he tries to stay still. Hilarious. Note my little tree up high - this year, no real tree - with a puppy around!

Ben looks at Jet as if to say - do we really have to do all this for one cookie?

Jet says 'Ben, your dad will do it all for one pat on the head!' (it's so true, Ted is a dream)

This picture makes the cut because Santa is in the background, and I think Ben looks like a little stuffed toy. Is it obvious Jet hates to pose?

I will get some of the GSDs next time. And then, will try a group shot of course, for 2011.

Doing God's Work - my little rant about Dog Rescue

http://www.wimp.com/researchdogs/
(this video can't be embedded, so if you click the link, it will take you away from my blog - click the back arrow to return).

This is a wonderful video of beagles that are released from a lab and a life of being research animals. They are taken by a rescue group to find homes. The video shows their first experience in the sun and walking on grass.

I admit I don't know much about this kind of thing, but they don't look physically too bad. Mentally I am sure they have not done well, but I am a bit surprised at their calmness and trust in people. The video advocates we buy products that have not been tested on animals. I would do that - if labels were clear to me.

This is not a sad video - it is very touching and actually will lift your spirits. I don't normally post this kind of thing and would not post it if it was over the top "emotional blackmail."

I do think it is worth sharing because the people who do this kind of rescue really are doing God's work in my opinion. I hope someday that I can rescue a dog or two, and pay them back for all of the goodness they have shown me in my lifetime.

I have breeder friends who tell me that EVERY dog  needs a good home - including dogs brought into the world by breeders and this is very true. However, most of these pups do have good people looking out for them for a lifetime. Dogs that need rescue were born into a bleak world where no one has their back. Who knows what the circumstances were behind them. I just know they are a dog - much like my own dogs - and we can't stand by and let them suffer and die.

Yes - others argue - we should be putting our money and effort into helping children or the homeless. And I agree that people who do this are also doing God's work. Some people rescue horses. Some rescue reptiles. Others try to save old buildings.

Everyone who has a passion for doing something that is positive and with compassion raises the consciousness of the world we live in, making it a better, kinder, gentler and happier place for everyone. It is all tied together. If you save a dog, you make the world a better place for everyone in the big picture. When we work together to make our own corner of the world better, there are many, many benefits to our community and to society.

Some day the circumstances and the dog will present themselves to me and I will join in the rescue fraternity. For now, I can only rant.

And I will make sure my own dogs watch this video tonight, to know how lucky they are!

Big Ben - my "Picasso" puppy has a day out

Ben is starting to live up to his name! At four months he is now 30 pounds and all leg! He runs just as fast as Jet and Ted now, and is quite a jumper too. My friend held him yesterday so he'd put his ears up for a couple of photos. I just love his ears right now - they are huge like Ted's, but are both up, more like Jet's giving him a nice alert expression.

He has Jet's head shape and facial expressions too - with this very, very serious look mastered. But his markings are so funny - I tell everyone he is my Picasso pup - it looks like Picasso painted his face into some abstract version of a Border Collie, blaze askew and nothing matching.

Here he is standing... he is sort of like a leggy little colt right now...and all of his tri markings are very visible too.

Here I am holding my Big Ben pup. It's hard to believe I carried him around on the palm of my hand last July.

I gave a tracking class yesterday morning and Ben did a little serpentine. You can see he already knows he is about to use his nose as he approaches the scent pad. He is all business like his mama.

At the scent pad, he laid down on his own, it is not something I asked him to do, then he strained to go forward after lying down in the scent. Honestly, what a smart boy!

Below, he is going from footstep to footstep. He's such a calm, serious puppy. I love working with him!

Later, he tried to follow a track I had run with Caden. If I had him on a longer line, it would have been fun to let him try it out... but I was cold and damp by this time (3 hours of teaching!)

It is so fun to get out with Ben now. Of course, I wish I had some sheep for him, but we'll be making sure he gets to sheep when the time is right. This pup will be a stockdog!

Happy 4 month old Birthday Big Ben!

Happy 4 month old birthday Ben! Only 4 months, and can't picture being without him now. He did a down stay for this picture. And, he does down, crawl, left paw, right paw, sit, stand, come to a recall word and whistle and is tracking too! Plus has seen sheep a few times. He's got a busy little life. I can't put in words how much I love this puppy - Spiritdance Big Ben!

With Mama Jet and Pa Ted

The Bone Collector - my little pack observed

The Bone Collector

This morning Ben is trotting around with a little bone - head held so high and proud, covertly taking it to a corner to chew. Jet and Ted are just letting him have it but he thinks he's the big man on campus. It is so interesting to watch them interact! My heart just swelled watching him. What joy they bring to our lives. I have such a lump in my throat, I nearly cried - from the happy feeling of it all.

Good Jet and Ted, just watching him. Mind you, these bones are 'hollowed out' so they don't care a lot. If they had all the marrow, it may be a different story! Jet and Ted watch him. It's like a pack and they are tutoring their pup. So interesting to see Jet sometimes offer him toys and bones. Jet - the self centered girl - such a good mama!

PS notice the mangled tracking glove. It's all ready to be used as an urban article now... no one will pick that up!

Ben's Big Week - getting out into the Big World

Yesterday Ben had his final shots. Tomorrow he turns 16 weeks old! Parvo is bad in our area - it was even reported in the media - so I have been keeping him pretty sheltered at home and to rare visits to friend's farms only. At the vet yesterday, he was pretty funny. He is a serious, analytical little guy.

Our vet got called to attend to an emergency, so I sat with Ben in the exam room, but with the door open so he could survey the lobby. He was so excited when one of the vet techs came to say hi! Up to now, Ben has believed there were approximately 10 people in the world. By the time our vet visit was completed, Ben recalculated, and now believes there may be as many as 30 people in the World!

WOW! Did I meet you when I was born here? Ben just loves people - he is a sweet pup, taking after his dad Ted in that department. He nearly knocked this vet tech right over, he was so ecstatic to meet her!

Ben is also very serious, like his mom Jet. He sat like this in the doorway of the exam room for an hour, watching the vet techs work, and watching people come and go. I get such a kick out of his serious side. He strikes me as such a thinker.

Here he is, revising his count... hmmmm... that lady around the corner makes 29 people in the World... (serious, serious face, eh? hahaha). One day, he'll be counting sheep this way. That's two shed off of five! Good boy :))

At one point, there was a mother and daughter just sobbing in the waiting room as our vet worked to save their dog's life. Ben was so interesting - he observed them quietly and if they looked his way, he would pin his ears back and smile and wag at them. My heart went out to these ladies. I was also intrigued by Ben's reaction to it all. He is such a neat pup.

So tonight... Ben came to our training session - I meet Dan Waters and some other GSD trainers once a week. Dan brought this box which we used for straight sits and downs. I brought Ben over and he had no hesitation at all to go in it for treats. He also did some parlor tricks for "Uncle Dan" - he showed his down, sit and stand. Dan told me to work on how long Ben holds them! So I will raise the bar (that's why I train with Dan - the only option is to expect excellence!)

Into the box for treats! This box was used by Caden and other GSDs who have to do straight sits in motion and downs from a heel pattern. Dan built it and brought it today.

And so, Ben can now come out into the World and really start life! I am so proud and excited.

Sadly, my camera battery died or I would have taken pictures of Caden tonight, his obedience was pretty good and using the box was really a good exercise.

A Useful Dog - in his puppy mind :))

I just moved my bike from the upstairs porch to the basement. Little Ben could not decide if he should head the bike off by blocking it on the stairs, or threaten to bite the tire from behind. In the end, I think he fully believes the bike is now downstairs thanks to his help.

He was so proud of himself and let me know it! I caught one photo - he looks so serious! He truly is a serious guy, looking for work...

And Ben is on to new adventures, now that the bike is finally sitting still. He says "My work here is done!"

New Post on Your Tracking Coach

Just to let you know - there is a new instructional post on Your Tracking Coach about progressing beyond the serpentine...

http://yourtrackingcoach.blogspot.com/2011/11/progressing-beyond-serpentine-and.html?spref=tw