Video evidence of my insanity.

I present the long awaited video of our first Canine Freestyle performance!  (There are two run throughs of our routine on the video.)

This was taken at our last Freestyle class at Gentle Touch Pet Training back in February.   I got a bit lost towards the end of the 1st run, but I think we faked-it alright. 

Hoagie did fantastically, especially considering he had a bit of a traumatic run in with another dog in the class.  One of our classmates lost control of her dog during their routine, and he decided to be a bit forward greeting Hoagie.  As I may have stated before, Hoagie isn't exactly the "meet and greet" type when it comes to unfamiliar dogs.  With the help of Ivy and Teah, we were able to break things up, and after a little breather, Hoagie came out ready to shake his tail for a second run.

Despite the drama, everyone in the class did really well.  It was truly entertaining watching everyone work with their canine dance partners.  Between our performances I was able to get some great photos of all our classmates.  The pictures came  out a bit blurred due to the low light in the room, but let's just pretend they are intentionally dramatic action shots! (and not just due to me avoiding distracting the dogs with the camera flash).

Donna and Booker

Their pink theme was adorable!

Taz the Golden rockin' it!

Shiraz the cocker lookin' cute!

Teah, the owner of Gentle Touch with her English Cocker, Shamie.

I love the look on Teah's face in this picture.

Our starting pose.

Awesome figure eights!

Toe touches!

High five!  Ta-da!

Hopefully we will be able to continue working on our freestyle routine as we learn more moves and improve our skills.  We had lots of fun and look forward to plenty more doggy-dancing silliness!  Enjoy the video, but be nice, it's our first attempt.  Thanks, as always for reading!

P.S.  You can keep updated on all our pup related exploits by liking Short Paws blog on Facebook!  Thanks!

Freestylin'

A couple of weeks ago I began a substantial new chapter in my decent towards total, crazy-dog-lady madness.  I started taking Musical Canine Freestyle at Gentle Touch Pet Training with Hoagie.  Yes, I've taken up dancing with my dog, and ya know what?  We are having an absolutely wonderful time!  I've been pondering this dog activity for a while, and am finally taking the plunge.  Don't get me wrong; this dog sport is ridiculous.  It truly takes a certain level of crazy to want to do this ↓ with your dog, much less in public.

I, however, have never been one to shy away from making a spectacle of myself, and I am only more pleased to have my best furry friends by my side to support me.

I worked 2 summers at a Civil War living history site and did 8 years of marching band.  Looking strange in public does not faze me in the least.

The final incident that pushed me towards trying Canine Freestyle, was the Rally-O practice I described a couple weeks ago in this blog post.  Hoagie and I have a lot of fun goofing around, doing tricks, and just letting him utterly ham it up!  That lead to the conclusion that Musical Canine Freestyle would be perfect for the Hoagmeister!

"My public awaits."

So, I look forward to keeping you updated on our progress.  We've chosen our first song: : "Just What I Needed" by The Cars.  I believe we'll have a video of us doing our routine at the end of the class.  Though video evidence of me acting weird does make me a bit nervous, I'll try and get that posted for all of you to "enjoy."  Until then, we'll be practicing our leg weaves, backwards heeling, and spins.

In the mean time have an example of some amazing Canine Freestyle done by Michele Pouliot and her dog Listo (who, by the way, is doing a seminar at Gentle Touch this fall!)

Sensei Hoagie

The boys and I enjoyed a nice SLODOG run through today.  It was another beautiful, sunny, winter day in San Luis Obispo.  (Though I miss ya'll out east, I love being back in CA.  It's hard to beat 70 degrees in January.)

As the new Rally Obedience organizer for run throughs, I had more on my plate than simply managing my two hooligans, but I think I fared alright.  Everyone seemed to enjoy my first attempt at designing a course, and importantly, I don't think too many people got lost mid-run.

Hoagie had a nice couple runs, but not before he taught me an important lesson.  Hoagie apparently shares a motto with Ben and Jerry's of ice cream fame: "If it's not fun, why do it?"  He reminded me that training, competing, and working with dogs is supposed to be, above all, FUN!

Hoagie does love ice cream.

I started practice today by marching directly over to the Rally course with Hoagie in tow, set my shoulders, took a breath, and walked towards the first sign.  I noticed fairly quickly that the pup wasn't terrible "into it."  His nose hit the grass and stayed there through the first two signs.  I gave him a couple gentle tugs to keep him moving. His gaze instead switched to the bushes on the other side of the park and he firmly planted his butt on the ground.  He wasn't having any of it; Hoagie checked out and left no forwarding address.

Sensing I wasn't going to get any more out of him for the moment, we broke course and headed over to the adjacent empty field.  There we watered a couple trees, and took a mental break.  We checked out the bushes he was concerned about, he earned a couple treats when he looked back to me.  Together we did a few of his favorite tricks.  I realized that when we started doing tricks, both of us relaxed.  His face softened up, he gave me his full attention, and instead of wanting to drag me around, he happily heeled by my side.  The light bulb went off above my head.

Good grief, my mom is dense sometimes.

I was being entirely too serious about running through the Rally course.  The reason we started Rally Obedience instead of formal Obedience competition was because of it's relaxed attitude, the ability to talk to and encourage your dog on course, and the emphasis on having FUN together!  Heck, part of your score in a trial is whether the dog looks like he's enjoying himself!

Once we were both more relaxed, Hoagie happily trotted back to the course with me.  I used an upbeat tone (and a couple nibbles of cheese) to encourage him through the signs, and he gleefully obliged.  We finished with a big hooray, a puppy high five, and a big bite of liver treat.

Oh yeah!  Gimme some paw!

Hoagie has been, and continues to be my master teacher in all things doggy.  Don't get me wrong; the folks at Gentle Touch Pet Training, and Canine Academy are amazing instructors!  I've also learned tons from incredible dog authors such as Patricia McConnell, Karen London, and Karen Pryor.  Hoagie however is the Mr. Miyagi to my Daniel-san.  He's taught me an unbelievable amount about how his little puppy brain works, the relationship humans have with animals, and the importance of learning to relax and have fun!

Teacher Hoagie wants you to hit the books.

Today Hoagie reminded me that we ought to do dog sports because our dogs enjoy them.  I could have forced him to finish that first attempt.  I could have yanked him around the course, scolding him for sniffing and pleading for his attention.  Would that have been fun for either of us?

Skeptical Hoagie is skeptical.

So, instead, here's to many more fun practices with my pooches!  Here's to happy pups and a relaxed dog Mom.  Here's to doing it for the dog, not for the ribbons and titles!

I look forward to many more lessons with my puppy professor.  As long as I'm ready to listen, Hoagie has plenty to teach.

And now, with Pretzel in the house, I have a second professional perspective to learn from!  (And you can bet the Terrier School of Doggy Education definitely has a challenging new curriculum for me to study.)

Professor Pretzel says:  "This will be on the test."

Have fun listening to your dogs!  They definitely have lots to teach, as long as you are willing to listen!


P.S.  Yes, I do love staging elaborate and silly dog photos.  Don't judge me!  You know it's cute!