A case for basic trianing
It seems like every time a stranger approaches me while I'm out training my dogs, they make some comment along the lines of "yeah, well my mutt is just a pet, he doesn't need all that fancy stuff."
Why is basic obedience vitally important to any dog? Tonight while making dinner, I dropped a bottle of Thyme. It shattered (who knew those things were still made from real glass) and broken glass and dried thyme were all over the kitchen. I was able to call Buddy and Diva away from the mess and put them in another room while cleaning it up. Buddy got one good lick of the thyme, but came when called. Half an hour later, I'm taking a cookie sheet full of bacon out of the oven, and the bacon grease spilled onto my kitchen floor mat. Not only was I able to call both dogs away from bacon, I was able to put them both in a down-stay while I cleaned up the mess. I won't say that Diva isn't in there right now investigating the kitchen floor on a molecular level. But basic obedience got them out two very dangerous situations. True, a less clumsy owner might help a little, too.;)
Just for some eye candy and because I'm really proud, here are a couple of photos of Buddy from a herding trial two weeks ago. We got a career-high 92.5 out of 100 points!
This is called the Lift...where the dog first makes contact with the sheep.
This is the re-pen. The dog has to hold the sheep away from the gate while the handler opens it, then put the sheep away.
Why is basic obedience vitally important to any dog? Tonight while making dinner, I dropped a bottle of Thyme. It shattered (who knew those things were still made from real glass) and broken glass and dried thyme were all over the kitchen. I was able to call Buddy and Diva away from the mess and put them in another room while cleaning it up. Buddy got one good lick of the thyme, but came when called. Half an hour later, I'm taking a cookie sheet full of bacon out of the oven, and the bacon grease spilled onto my kitchen floor mat. Not only was I able to call both dogs away from bacon, I was able to put them both in a down-stay while I cleaned up the mess. I won't say that Diva isn't in there right now investigating the kitchen floor on a molecular level. But basic obedience got them out two very dangerous situations. True, a less clumsy owner might help a little, too.;)
Just for some eye candy and because I'm really proud, here are a couple of photos of Buddy from a herding trial two weeks ago. We got a career-high 92.5 out of 100 points!
This is called the Lift...where the dog first makes contact with the sheep.
This is the re-pen. The dog has to hold the sheep away from the gate while the handler opens it, then put the sheep away.
