Fun Pictures

Eatting Ice

Blizzard!!!!

Hat Fun!

Dog park after the blizzard snow melted.  Running through the puddles!

Scent Training with Pheasant

We took both dogs to train with pheasant bumpers.  Nathan skinned and dehydrated pheasants he and Ruger got last fall.  He attached them to bumpers for training. 

We took Ruger out first.  I distracted him while Nathan made scent paths and put the pheasants on the ground.  Nathan says Ruger has a natural hunting pattern.  He did great and had a blast.

Next we took out Sophie.  We had never done hunting training with her.  It took her awhile to get excited about the pheasant.  but once we did, she was fixated on retrieving!  she had no qualms of carrying the bird in her mouth.  And her tail!  it was so high and she was a whole new dog.  Now I need to start liking hunting more.  Because it's something my little girl wants to do! 

Playing Outside

The weather is getting nice for February.  It's been about 40 degrees with two days ago at 60 degrees!  We played fetch today with the giant chuck it ball.  Ruger and Nathan played by the pond, having Ruger retrieve through the ice/water.  Sophie and I were retrieving across the field.  Then I brought Sophie over to go in the water too.  She went to retrieve the bumper with Ruger, got part way out on the ice, the ice slowly sank under her weight, and she went head first in the water.  She didn't panic, but she was struggling to get back on the ice.  So Nathan walked into the water and helped his little girl.  Then he broke up the ice a little bit more.  So next time when she went in, she was able to get out on her own. 

Sophie does agility

On Thursday, Nathan and I took Sophie to her Canine Good Citizen class.  It was agility night, so Sophie got to try the equipment for the first time.  We did not think she would do well on the A-frame and tunnels.  It took awhile to convince her to do anything the first time through.  But the second time through, she did the task with gusto.  I was so impressed!  She's especially good at the weave polls. 

Snow Storm!

We had a big snow storm/blizzard last night.  At least got a foot of snow.  Although with the wind drifts and plowing, it's mainly 2 feet around with mounds up to 5 feet along the edge of the road.  I took the dogs out this morning (had my snow pants on!) and we climbed the drifts and rolled around.  Ruger loved leaping up and down from the drifts.  Sophie would climb, and then daintily sit and look at me.  It was difficult trekking, since each step fell deeper into the snow. 

We transitioned Ruger from sleeping in our bed to sleeping in his own bed on the floor.  It's worked quite well.  So today we got Sophie a bed.  And now we're going to see if she will sleep on the floor instead of in our bed.  I need my foot room!

Canine Good Citizen Class; Ruger; Grrrrrr

I watched Sophie and Nathan at their Canine Good Citizen class.  I was so impressed.  Sophie is really good at heel and sit.  She will do lay down from her sit.  She's good at stay.  And she could care less about the tennis ball rolling in front of her.  Of course, this is at class.  :)

We just got back from the class and took both of the dogs out to go to the bathroom.  Ruger ran up to me.  I thought he was doing the Chessie lean to be pet.  Instead, he tried to pee on my foot.  I moved it just in time.  My foot print is literally where he peed!

Sophie and Nathan go to Canine Good Citizen Class

Yesterday was the first night of Nathan and Sophie's Canine Good Citizen class.  Nathan said Sophie did quite well with sit (I'd been working with her on that at home) and on recalls.  Whenever she's in a new environment, she's pretty good about recalls to us.  But Nathan said she also went when called to the instructor Judy.

Sophie also had her tail down, but not tucked under her belly.  So she was handling the class quite well.  I'm looking forward to her learning heel better.