Return of the Prodigal Blogger

Well, I'm not even going to look at how long it's been since my last post, but I'd put it at three weeks. But I'm back. In the last month...

• I finished the semester. Did I mention that? At the end of it, I did well. Not perfectly. I did not keep a 4.0 like I wanted to. It was my first semester and I found that my educational background hobbled me a little more than I expected in Astronomy, I didn't know the basics of chemistry and that became a huge problem, but I made it through. Mythology was tougher than expected at first, but I hit my stride after about a month and came through it with a good grade. My arch nemesis, bane of my existence, ultimate foe, math - actually, I did alright. I had a high B when all was said and done, and for me, well... I still haven't expanded on that "educational history" story, but a year ago, I didn't know the most very, very, very basic algebraic concepts. I had a fifth grade education. So for me, a B in a college math course is something to be happy about. English - A. That class was kind of a nightmare because of the professor, but the material itself was never difficult for me.
• I registered for next semester's classes. Sociology, history, bigger English class, and social work! Yesss! My first major-specific class. I'm excited.
• Eric had back surgery. We had to drive to and from Cleveland to see a specialist, twice - once for surgery, once for follow-up. On the first trip, Java came. Violet is anxious in the car and bad about jumping up, so she was definitely not able to come, and I was very wary to leave Java. I didn't want it to turn out to be a wonky socialization experience. Two hours into our six hour drive, Java developed diarrhea. Explosive diarrhea. Diarrhea all over the middle of a sidewalk at an extremely well populated rest stop. I think that we both wanted the earth to swallow us up, and he continued to have diarrhea for the entire several-day trip and hotel stay, but to his credit, he had not one single accident in the car or hotel. It cleared up shortly after we returned home, but it was an interesting trip, with a completely bed-ridden, half out of it fiance and a sick dog in a strange city. We all handled it with aplomb in the end, and all was well. On a positive note, Java got socialized half to death, and he rose to the occasion.
• I'm reading Train Your Dog Like a Pro by Jean Donaldson, and following her program for Java's training. We're through the basic basics and proofing his duration sit-stays now. He will stay all day until I release him, the only challenge is not letting him lay down and turn it into a down-stay. Today, we'll be proofing with distractions today.
• 5.5 months until the wedding.
• My camera died for a week or two. Turned out the battery had just crapped out on me, but Cleveland and the camera have been the two reasons behind my slacking here. I'll be making up for it now, don't you worry!

Let's begin with the Cleveland pictures.

The very best traveler.

  

Baby wrinkles.

  

Cowlick on his nose. 

University of Dobermans

Java went to campus with me while Eric was in his orientation for the summer semester.

Our Doberman forum has a monthly calendar contest. This month's theme was "Spring Dobes." I'd been keeping an eye out for a nice flower field for a while, to absolutely no avail.

Imagine my delight when we got to campus and I found a patch of flowers that was...eh, probably 30 feet by 40 feet. Not exactly a field, but easily shot to look like one, just a day before the submission deadline.

Imagine my delight when we got these pictures about, oh, four seconds before a torrential storm let loose and we went fleeing for a covered group of tables.

Now imagine my dismay when I got home and remembered that submissions had to be shot horizontally and yep, I shot every single one vertically.

I ended up cropping down the one that was shot from farthest away and submitting it. It was not at all my favorite. I really didn't even like it. Fail.

Once sheltered from the storm, we set up shop with several dog training books (and, of course, the camera), and I saw an opportunity to work on desensitizing Java to different textures surfaces and being off of the ground. I aspire to do therapy work and agility with him, so both are useful. He remained patiently in a chair for twenty minutes. At that point, I could tell from his shifting and fidgeting that he wasn't comfortable - though to his credit, he remained patiently in his stay - so I released him, and he laid down by my feet, calmly waiting out the storm and watching quite a number of students go by - lots of students. Old, young, male, female, bearded, black, tall, wearing hats and hoods, on bikes, you name it. Piper had qualms with tall men, bearded men, people on moving objects, and black people. Embarrassing when your dog (your black dog, no less) is racist, so I want to get Java used to every possible demographic.

 

Training day.

Today, we trained. I came home from a studying-event-thing for my math final and decided that the dogs should endure the same rigors. So out came the long leads and the clicker.

Java has some anxiety about jumping into the car, for some reason. No anxiety about car rides, just the act of jumping in. I decided to take it in bits - I'll sit in the back seat with the clicker and some tasty treats, click for getting half into the seat, then click and treat for getting in when he starts to get comfortable. Put it on cue for "Get in!" Not when we're actually going somewhere, we just go out there once or twice a day and work on it, then back inside. Next step once he gets comfortable with that will be to move to standing outside the car and saying "Get in!" Click and reward. Move to having him jump into the backseat with the crate in it. Move to actually using this when we're going somewhere. So on and so forth.

For a few days, it was no dice. He'd get his front feet up on the seat, get nervous and run away with his ears back. (He was on the long lead, so no dogs were risking being run over in the making of this video.) Gradually he got more confident, more comfortable. Today, he did it like a pro for the first time. I was so proud. I was in the backseat holding the long lead, he would be sniffing around the yard, hear "Get in!" and hightail it into the car, hardly any anxiety to be seen. Seems so small, but it seemed like such a breakthrough at the time.

Violet came out and sat in the backseat with me for a while, then we went to the field to train. Java got zoomies. Pictures happened.

 

Staying While Dinner Is Served

I would just sure hate for anyone to feel deprived of Java pictures.

True story: this was originally a much better composed full-body portrait, and in post-processing I noticed, with some horror, that his...little boy parts were...out. The photo looked a lot better bigger, but it was quite noticeable. Can't say that I've ever had that happen while photographing a dog before.

Recall games this afternoon...me to Eric, Eric to me, over and over again with rewards upon arrival. 

He had zoomies, and paused juuust long enough for a picture before sprinting away again. Note the crazed look in his eyes.

The Versatile Blogger Award

Basset Momma was kind enough to give us the Versatile Blogger award, for which I would like to thank her here! It's taken me a few days to be able to get to addressing it, but I was super excited!

Here is how accepting the award works.

1. Add the award to your blog.

2. Thank the person who gave you the award.

3. Mention 7 random things about yourself.

4. List the rules.

5. Pass the award onto 15 bloggers

6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here goes!

1. Violet's "paper" name is "No Shrinking Violet."

2. Eric and I met on a blind date, at Starbucks. He ended up proposing at the same Starbucks a year later, in the middle of the night, when the Starbucks was closed, at the same outside table we sat at when we met.

3. Violet has a song. It goes, "My name is Violet. And I'm a Collie. Gonna be a Collie. For the rest of myyyy liiife." It has a very catchy tune.

4. I have a very eclectic list of favorite non-Collie dog breeds. It includes: Doberman Pinschers (my all-time, tied-for-number-one favorite that I've loved since I was a teenager), German Shepherds (though Piper was our last), Afghan Hounds (from what I understand they are not the sharpest tools in the shed but they are just so damn beautiful), Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (of all things - I'm not a small dog person!), Irish Setters, Borzois, Greyhounds, Whippets, and Italian Greyhounds (can you tell I love sighthounds?).

5. I had my wrist ripped open by a Schnauzer named Moses as a child. I still have a pretty noticeable scar, and a general aversion to most bearded dogs, though I can come to like them on a case-by-case basis.

6. I grew up conformation showing dachshunds.

7. Violet came from Kentucky. She does not, however, speak with an accent.

And here are the 15 blogs... (Very carefully selected!)

1. Two Collies and a Mutt, where Violet's must-be-long-lost-sister Petal the Collie steals the show, and Lassie the Collie and Ella the Mutt are dignified and adorable, respectively.

2. Two Dogs, One Camera, Priceless Moments, is what the title implies - two Border Collie Mixes, Riley and Grace, and some really gorgeous pictures.

3. Two Greyhound Town is a hilarious blog by Joey and Scout the Greyhounds who love to make me laugh.

4. The Dogs of Greenhill Farm is a just gorgeous blog about Sprollies and Border Collies Teddy, Pip, Sheila, Ben, Fly, and some sheep. Read it for the dogs, read it for the photography (which is stellar), read it for Teddy's adorable face, read it for the sheep.

5. Sims 2 Stories by Lorelei is a frequent oddball in my lists of mostly dog blogs, but these are some seriously well-written and awesome Sims 2 stories, if you're into that, and an exceptionally nice lady who writes them. I highly recommend it. (It has an "adult content" warning, but it seems to be more of a thoughtful warning for adult themes of marriage, infidelity, etc. - it's not a bunch of naked people!)

6. 4 Dog Craziness is a Sheltie blog with some really, really pretty Shelties-in-nature shots and cool agility blogs.

7. My Life with Flyball Dogs is a blog that I started following because I think that flyball is very cool, and it's become one of my favorite photography blogs. There are some very original, fun, funny, beautiful, and personality-filled photos in this blog.

8. Basset Momma is the blog that gave me this award, and a definite don't-miss. Fred and Gloria the Bassets are droopy, floppy, hilarious, photogenic - check it out.

9. BCxFour + 1 More is the blog to read if you ever want to see some stunning photos of Border Collies working, and funny to boot.

10. Crazy Coulee and Little Lacey is, alongside My Life with Flyball Dogs, one of my favorite photography blogs. If you're into photography, it is well worth checking out. Really stunning photos.

11. Dream Dogz is a great blog about Mika the Schnauzer and Wall-E the Sheltie that has it all: cool dogs, agility, great pictures.

12. Emergivet is another diversion from the overall theme of the blogs on this list, by an emergency veterinarian in Somewhere, North America. After six years in veterinary medicine (and emergency was always my favorite) and a painful decision to leave, this blog lets me get my fix.

13. Eva the Sheltie follows the really remarkably beautiful Eva, and yet more great photography.

14. Going For 'Good Dog!' follows a mini Aussie, two Border Collie mixes, a sweet German Shepherd puppy, and the beautiful, never forgotten, Bella. You're tuning in at just the right time to watch little Simi grow up! Who could pass that up?

15. Identity: V + E is about the truly brilliant Elli and her remarkable trainer. If you ever want to feel like you need to step your training game up and pick up some ideas on how to do it, stop by. Elli is one cool dog.

Thank you again, Basset Momma! :)

Wild Piper, Pretty Piper

Peep is doing awesomely in her training. It's been such a day week that this will be a short post, but Eric took her outside to proof her training tonight. Eric ran across the street with neighbors outside talking, walking around, getting in and out of cars, and big shadows all around (she gets a little freaked out by shadows), and she remained in a stay. Her heel is gorgeous, really gorgeous. I'm jealous. Violet's heel still sucks.

Peep is good.

The Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day.

We took the Smooth Operator to Martinsville today, and brought Violet along for the ride. This was them all the way there.

When we got home, I took her out to the field to do some low-medium distraction proofing. She did phenomenally on heel. I have little confidence when it comes to heel, so I was very, very happy.

New Year's Rally Resolution.

German Shepherd Dog Club of Indiana is having an all-breed rally competition on March 31, 2012.

I would really like to do rally with Violet.

She's solid on most of the behaviors required to compete for a RN title. (Rally Novice, she'd make a crappy nurse. Collie hair all over sterile surfaces.) She needs more public proofing, and we need to work on her heel big time. Eric helped me work with her on heel this morning and she had almost a perfect heel with him! What the heck? I'm a little bit bolstered by this, I'd rather it was me screwing it up, I can fix myself.

But I'd have 3 months, right?

What's the worst that can happen? We don't qualify? At least we tried. I think I'm gonna do it. It'll be her first time in any sort of competition, but if I have my way, far from the last.

Violet says ha, ha, ha, mom. You think I'm gonna heel that well by then? Ha, ha, ha.

One proud mama.

I'm still working on stay with Violet, and increasing the temptation to not stay. I was astounded when she was able to remain in a stay while I opened every door in the house, and when I went into another room and shut the door, but waiting across the room while I put her food in a bowl and set it down at mealtime would be almost the ultimate test for her. I didn't think she could do it. Yet again, I underestimated my dog.

The bad, bad, bad Collie chronicles.

I was making dinner (spaghetti) just a few minutes ago, and clicker training Violet (it's "Look" this week - I completely botched "Watch me" a couple months ago so that she somehow, inexplicably, thought it meant "Down," so it was back to the drawing board) intermittently between kitchen tasks, when I happened to think - "The light is nice, and I haven't gotten any decent pictures of the dogs lately, let me go grab the camera." I put a pound of hamburger in the skillet and left the kitchen for probably all of 30 seconds - you can see this coming, can't you? I should have too - and came back to find Violet what we call "being tall" - counter surfing, only in this case stove surfing. She'd eaten an entire pound of hamburger in seconds. She's fine, thankfully, no mouth or paw burns, but oh, I was not happy. The weird thing about Violet is that no matter how much I know that a behavior is unacceptable, even as I'm responding appropriately, I'm not really mad per se, more disappointed in myself for allowing it to happen. Mind you, she got a very firm "No, off, very very bad" and marched right to her crate, but all I was really thinking was, "I'm glad she didn't burn herself. How'd she get all that hamburger that fast without even disturbing the pan? God, I hope she doesn't get sick from it. I need to crack down on counter-surfing." Rather than the %^&**(! that I probably would be with another dog.


Which is why there are only pictures of Piper and Dewey, who absolutely would not be still for a good one.

Running with his tongue out? Weird dog.