New Trick! (spin)

Being that I'm less than two weeks away from my due date my energy level has been L-O-W to say the least.  Winnie has been a terrific sport. She's really given me a break by not demanding a walk everyday and just sort of keeping me company on the couch when I can't muster up the energy for anything more.  But like every dog... she needs more. 

This is the face of a dog who needs more...

My solution:  New Dog Tricks!

Brilliant, right?

I thought so, too. 

I downloaded an iPhone app called 101 Best Dog Tricks.  Now, it's actually only 10 dog tricks (a few that we would all already know such as "sit").  It's sort of a teaser app to get you to buy the book... 101 Best Dog Tricks, which I may because I like the app so far.  Here's what it looks like:



Each trick has step by step instructions, a short video demo and a "log" feature so you can record up to 20 training sessions for each trick... it's good for us people to remember that once isn't always enough to really "learn" something.  For .99 cents... I'd say great... money well spent.  

So, I waddled out to the back yard and Winnie and I started learning the new trick "spin"  Kind of a dorky trick BUT it IS something we can do together that keeps her thinking with a little outdoor play that doesn't completely poop me out.  I think this will be a good little discipline for us for a while.  What do you think? 



This is the face of a happy dog... that just had lots of treats... yum.  :-)

Just Another Manic Monday... or is it Friday?

Hey Guys.  I've been a SUPER bad blogger lately with no good excuse.  I've been putting in a lot of hours at work and with some of my other civic groups trying to get projects and schedules up-to-snuff before I go off the map into Baby Land late this summer.  That doesn't mean however that you haven't been on my mind.  :-)

As a matter of fact, Winnie came into the office with me this afternoon and INSISTED that I not put posting off another moment.

Do I need to come up there and type it for you?

It's the look that knows...

I've also started reading Living with Kids and Dogs...Without Losing Your Mind by Colleen Pelar.  The official review will be coming shortly but I will say that so far the book has offered a lot of insight.  One funny little tip goes like this:

Dogs can get jealous now that your spending so much time with baby.   Try working dog and baby time in together so that EVERYONE is having fun at the same time.  For instance, instead of cleaning up the bits of cereal that junior left on the kitchen table after snack time, just wipe them onto the floor!  Fido will clean the mess and REALLY start to look forward to junior getting his snack.

How this works in real life is TBD.  But it's a fun thought! 

BABY UPDATE:
June is the last of my once-a-month appointments.  Then we start every two weeks.  Crazy, right?

Book Review: The Other End of the Leash

So Winnie and I are going to try something new here at Herding the Corgi and move some of our favorite books and toys from the sidebar and into actual posts.  Then we'll put them on their own page so you can find them again more easily.  

As I was collecting some of the information for the Book Review page I noticed that although I've talked about it a LOT I've never actually written an official review for The Other End of the Leash so here it is! 

In my opinion, if you were only going to read ONE book about dogs it would have to be The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia McConnell.  In fact, I've had a few friends that have gotten dogs in the last year or so and I went out and just got the book for them.  I think so highly of it that I've actually purchased the darn thing 4 times.  Now, that's an endorsement, right? 

Patricia McConnell is an animal behaviorist that specializes in dogs.  Besides the usual academic litany you would expect she has a sheep farm and several different herding dogs of her own.  As an added bonus I keep a link of HER blog over in the Dog Blogs section.  Check it out! 

The Other End of the Leash is written from a bit of an academic perspective and can be scientifically minded.  However, this is an angle that I found quite helpful since Winnie was my first real swing at owning a dog.  I mean, we had a dog or two when I was younger but without ever building real relationships with them.  (My mother was scared of them so mostly they stayed outside and like most things... out of sight is out of mind.  I'm not proud of the start but that's what it was.)  I however did like dogs and wanted to correct my own behavior to better communicate with them.  That is exactly what this book talks about.  How to act around animals of another species. 

A short skim of the table of contents looks like this:

1. Monkey See, Monkey Do
2. Translating Primate to Canine
3. Talking to Each Other
4. Planet Smell
5. Fun and Play
6. Pack Mates
7. Patient Dogs and Wise Humans
8. Personalities
9. Love & Loss

So you can see how it's a little sciency but McConnell does a terrific job of speaking plainly.  Here's an excerpt so you can get the feel:

"Greetings, Canine and Primate Style - Imagine walking down the street and seeing someone whom you know and are happy to see.  What do you do?  Most of us call out his name, maybe wave to get his attention, and move directly toward him.  It's especially polite to look directly at his face as you get closer, walking straight toward him, looking right into his eyes and smiling. ... This is just not friendly if you're a dog.  Direct head-on approaches can be threating to dogs, ... The politest of dogs tend to approach from he side, perhaps even at 90 degrees.  They avoid direct eye contact.  On the other hand, two dogs standing face-on staring into each other's eyes are trouble - big trouble... "

I think this is just one of the best dog books out there but if this is a little too basic for you then I would definitely suggest looking into some McConnell's other materials via her blog and website.  Have you read The Other End of the Leash?  Feel free to post some of your own thoughts and experiences! 

Winnie Come!

A few weeks ago I posted a heads-up about the Patricia McConnell DVD sale.  I didn't really know what I was getting into but I knew I loved her book The Other End of the Leash so I took a chance on a DVD.  I ordered "Lassie Come!  How to get your dog to come every time you call" because although Winnie comes most of the time she dosen't come all of the time and let's be honest... chasing a dog around the back yard because they won't come inside when you're late is only fun for the dog.   

In a nut shell... I loved it.  McConnell was thoughtful and encouraging and easily understood.  It was also great to see her model what she was talking about. 

Here's a clip of Winnie and I in a short "come" training session.  Today we're in the house but we've been doing it in the back yard and on walks and I think we'll soon move to the dog park for a bigger challange but for now we're having lots of fun! 

One of the points I took from the video was this: The more control you have over your dog, the more freedom your dog has. It sounds silly but makes a lot of sence. If you know your dog will come, you don't stress about letting it run outside to greet people... and so on. I found a YouTube video of McConnell doing an interview and talking about a different DVD.  They don't talk about training "come" but I thought it would be nice for you to see some of what I'm talking about from the horses mouth.  Enjoy!

McConnell DVD Sale

Okay, you heard me say it over and over again.  Patricia B. McConnell, dog behaviorist and author of The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs (among a bazillion other things) is great.  I'm slowing realizing that I just need to let go on my own lazy ways and become her dog disciple.  At any rate, there is a 50% off sale on any of the DVD's via her website http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/.

I've ordered, "Lassie Come! How to get your dog to come every time you call!" because, as previously stated, I have an issue with this.  And it was the cheapest DVD available at $15.00.  There are others like: Dog Play, Dog Aggression, and how to deal with a multi-dog household.  They're not cheap but I love her books so how bad can the DVD be?  I'm hoping it will be even more helpful because you don't have to try and translate actions into words like in a book... I can just watch her DO the stuff she's been talking about. 

I'll make an update when it arrives but for now, if you are as in love with this author, as I apparently am, I wanted you to know about the sale. 

Corgi Agility...Step One, Read The Book

I celebrated my 28th birthday not so long ago and my mom gifted me The Beginner's Guide to Dog Agility and the Kyjen Dog-Agility Starter Kit.  I'm pretty excited about it and wish I wasn't traveling these next few weeks so Winnie and I could start playing with it.  Personally, I think it's pretty cool I still get toys for my birthday.  My brother, thinks it's a sign that I'll never get something for myself again.  That this year my birthday gift was really a gift for mom's 'grand-puppy' and without a doubt future birthday gifts will be for "the two of you", the family", "the house", or whatever applies at the moment.  He may be right but for now I don't mind. 

Neither Winnie or I have tried Dog Agility before.  To be completely honest, I'd be thrilled if she just came every time I called her but perhaps something more stimulating to focus on will bring her around.  (It's not that she doesn't come because she doesn't understand... she doesn't come because I'm not offering anything better than what she has at the moment... jerk) 

The book outlines traits that could indicate a dog would be successful in the sport such as:

• High Energy Level (check)
• Willingness to Run (check)
• Interested in Working with You (hum... checkish)
• Pray Drive (check)
• Confidence (check)
• Trust of People (check)
• Positive with other Dogs (check)
• Good Health (double check)

Some might see this list and think "Great, let's rock and roll!" I see this list and think... "Crap, if this doesn't work it's pretty much my fault. (If we were to evaluate this list based on my own characteristics I would rank... well, below average. I'm a home-body, I run because it's less frustrating that putting on weight, I DO like working with my pup but have no prey drive to speak of, so there.)

One of the book reviews on Amazon when something like "My 12 year-old loves it" so my confidence is restored.  It is full of pictures and bulleted lists for easy/fun reading.  Wish me luck.  I'll be sure to post frequent updates.  :-)

Merle's Door

Winnie and I like to read.  It's not unusual to find us sitting around with a Sitepoint publication (or in Winnie's case a copy of The Doctors Foster & Smith catalog) and a snack.   But summer seems to be a good time to catch up on the books you want to read. 

One of my favorites (of all time, not just on dogs) is one called Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote.  I would absolutely put this on a must read list for dog owners.  The author is an outdoor journalist by trade and Merle's Door seems to be a natural extension for him.  Equal parts research, autobiography, and adventure story Merle's Door let's you have an intimate look at a life long relationship between a man and his dog. 

In the book Merle's Door, Ted has been researching different breeds and trying to find the right pup to match his active lifestyle he finds his perfect match in a stray yellow mutt along the side of a river while on a kayaking trip.  Being a bit of an academic, he finds himself working through eons of dog research and life experience on a 15 year quest to build a life where both man and beast meet their own needs and those of each other.

Merle's Door is a fast read.  (I'm a terribly slow reader and I burned through it in about 2 weeks)  The story is compelling because we find ourselves both in the emotion and the questions that are asked.  We love Merle because Merle is our dog.  We bond with Ted because Ted deals with the same struggles and victories as we do.  I promise you'll love the story but the bibliography is priceless.  This is the book that made me go buy others like The New Work of Dogs: Tending to Life, Love, and Family and The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs.  Whenever Ted is at a turning point on how to handle an issue you'll see a footnote that leads to the richest resources you could ask for.  This book will help you articulate why you do what you do with your dog and give you the tools to carry it out with confidence.  Get it today, you won't be sorry!

Corgi Obedience

Corgi Obedience... funny, right?  In the 18 months Winnie has been in this world and the 16 months she's been in our home I sometimes wonder if I'm really cut out for a smart independent dog. 

Maybe independent is putting it too nicely.  This girl is flat out stubborn!  You can give her an instruction like "come" and she'll look at you, evaluate if what your offering is more fun than what she's doing now and if it is... great.  Come, indeed.  But if it's not it's as if she replies "Eh, I'm good, thanks." 

I am sometimes amazed at how the intuitive herder comes out of this little creature.  For instance, I took her to my office yesterday afternoon after I came home for lunch and she was great.  She walked with me (no leash) from the house to the car, car to the building, building entrance to my office, and so on.  She visited with my coworkers and then settled down under my desk and took a nap while I worked.  She learned in a flash that she didn't much care for the noise the copy machine made and it only took twice for her to know which way I was heading.  If I was going to the machine, she'd stay by my desk... if I was going to Jan's office... I should count her in.  That is the sort of day I LOVE being a corgi owner.

But there are also the days (such as in the obedience class graduation photo shown above) that I get so frustrated I can hardly stand myself.  Training with distractions, for instance, any of us that have read a training book or taken a class has heard of it.  You teach our dog a skill such as "sit" then gradually increase the amount of time you ask them to do it and the amount of distractions to then teach "sit with impulse control."  We do this but after Winnie figured out that she couldn't break her sit to get the ball I was bouncing she did, in fact, stop focusing on the ball like I had asked but then proceeded a full-out barking tantrum while looking right at me in protest.  What do you do about that???  The next time I started bouncing the ball she forgot about it instantly (good) while in the next instant started her barking fit again (bad).   Ugh, what did I really train this dog to do? 

I know I referenced this book in my last blog post (and I likely will again) but it is a really good read.  For anyone else who needs to trick their corgi into being obedient rather than just asking them too there are some handy tricks about body language that have been fairly effective for us.  I wager a guess that this is particularly true for corgis since it appeals to their nature of recognizing the body language of a flock.  If there's anyone else out there with a few tricks or tips I'm happy to hear it.  Now that I think of it... why don't I just link you to her blog, too?  Here it is:  The Other End of the Leash Blog

The New Work of Dogs

In  the interest of full disclosure I stole the title for this blog entry from a book I read called The New Work of Dogs by Jon Katz.  (linked to the side)

Jon - Please don't be upset.  The truth is I do hope that I can piggy back off your clever title and gain a few more readers via search engines but I've also provided a link (click the book) so maybe they'll buy your book.  Even? 

Let me set the scene for what my life was like a few years ago.  I am in my late twenty's.  I recently changed jobs, got married, and moved to a different city.  It would seem like the last thing on my mind should be getting a dog.  And to be honest... it was.  My husband already had a dog and a house.  I loved all three of them (the husband, dog, and house) and life happily moved along for over a year.  But after settling into a happy routine I felt like there was something missing.  My husband, being much more intuitive than I am, tried to coach me through the trouble shooting process.  "Should we redecorate a room or two?"  "Maybe remodel one completely?"  He was right to an extent.  I did move into a ready-made life style and he was on track while trying to help me put my stamp on things.  But at the end of the day I didn't really feel a need to change the view.  The view is quite nice, actually.  What I wanted was an ongoing house project that was my creation and not something I was just maintaining.  Bingo! A dog. 

This can lead to all sorts of spin off topics such as: "Dogs or Kids?", "Two Dogs vs. One Dog - Pros & Cons", "Puppy or Adult", "Rescue or Purebred", the list can go on and on.  Some of these I've answered and some of these I have not. 

It is my opinion as a dog owner that issues like what kind of dog and where to get it are really easy.  We all have an idea of what we like and only takes minutes to go online and take a quiz to see if a particular breed fits your life style.  The questions get slightly harder as you start to honestly evaluate if you really have time to go for a walk every day and do your obedience class homework.  It's tough to give up trying that new Mexican restaurant with your co-workers because you need to run home and let the puppy out on your lunch break.  And how is your family going to deal with chewed up things?  However, the hardest thing of all is to ask yourself why you're really getting a dog.  I guess it's easy for some... they want a running buddy.  Okay.  I'll buy that.  But for me it was obviously more complicated.   

For anyone that knows it's more complicated for them The New Work of Dogs is a must read.  Jon Katz makes a study of all the complicated reasons people have dogs.  He presents it in stories that are easy to read.  You find yourself drawn to the subjects and starting to understand that even though you got a Corgi.  Her job isn't to herd cattle anymore.   It's to take care of you.  The New Work of Dogs helped me understand that there were some of my needs that a Corgi could meet beautifully all on her own without even trying, others that I could train her to do, and for the rest I was just going to have to understand that she was a dog... part of the family, but not a person.  And it's unfair to her dog-ness to try and make her human. 

The New Work of Dogs.  Pick number 3 on my top 4 books every dog owner should read.