So, Rogue, Ruby and I (and a couple of friends and their dogs) spent four days with Ron and Apryl of
Pawsitive Vybe. We were there mostly for disc dog work but since Rogue decided to lose all of her baby teeth at once, she wasn't really in the mood to bite or play tug with anything so we worked on other stuff.
Being tethered is hard work.
We've had a lot of trouble with Rogue getting into things and working dogs need down time. While we were working with other dogs, Rogue needed to know that she was okay being quite and watching and that downtime was to be expected. I spent a lot of time trying to learn how to throw treats TO her from across the room (Still haven't really got the hang of it) but while she certainly would prefer not being tethered and wandering around wreaking havoc, she accepted tethering without a lot of complaints, unlike Ruby.
Look into my eyes. You WILL give me that treat.
Another important thing we learned was eye contact. With a deaf dog, you can't tell them what to do if they're not looking at you and making eye contact a positive thing is a must. AFter our visit, Rogue was offering eye contact even in the middle of play with other dogs. That's a huge deal for us. I'm still rewarding her for it and for coming to me when I 'call'. But it means I have to have her flicker and treats available all the time It's something I've been bad at and something I've really had to work hard at fixing. It's made a huge difference in Rogue's and my relationship already.
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| Anything Roo can do I can do better. |
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| Ruby makes it look easy |
We did a lot of proper jumping practice to make sure the dogs know how to jump correctly. This saves on vet and chiropractor bills. We're also working the beginning of a trick where you make your arms into a hoop and the dog goes through it. Since this is a very low jump, Rogue was able to show off how smart she is and figured it out almost as quickly as Ruby. She's a very good student and loves cookies.
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| Ruby was not nearly as sure of the yoga ball as her baby sister. |
We also worked a lot of balance and core work. We played the pedestal game where the dogs got up on various items (chairs stools, BoSu and yoga balls) This is so good for confidence and core strength. You start them on the easy stuff to build their confidence and eventually, you can get them balancing on a yoga ball. Rogue was an eager learner and wasn't afraid of any of the things we asked her to get up on. I had her get up on a reclining office chair and she would slam her front paws against the back of it to make it rock. Fearless. Completely fearless.
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| If only he could see her again... |
And Rogue continued her love of Australian Cattle dogs by capturing the heart of Wyatt, one of her classmates. Wyatt was a little unsure of people, but he and Rogue romped and played as if they'd been buddies for life. I love my well socialized girl.
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| Polknado | | | |
And every girl needs a nemesis. Rogue's was a Baussie her age named Polka. They had a good time romping together and trying to one up each other. In Polka's house, the other dogs let her believe she runs the show. Rogue was having none of that much to the Polknado's annoyance but it was a good experience for both pups.
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| The whole gang: Jessica, Apryl (with Polka) Ron, Tracey and me. |
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I can't thank the folks at Pawsitive Vybe enough for the excellent positive training we got over the weekend. Four dogs at different levels and everyone learned a lot. Even without being able to do anything with a disc, Rogue was still able to learn some new skills that will help her when she does finally get her teeth back. And, of course, my brain was completely full by the end of the weekend.
Ron and Apryl have experience with deaf dogs and with the help of the flicker, we were able to accomplish a lot. I recommend them if you have the time and are able to make the trip. It was more than worth it.
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| After Pawsitive Vybe |
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My little hellion turns six months old in two weeks. Where has the time gone?
