I need an outlet for my training progress and woes.....what a better way than a blog no one will read? Prepare for sarcasm, pointless exclamation points, juvenile remarks, and lots of periods...not that kind.
I'll start from the beginning, when a girl met a boy, and they decided to buy a house......
We already had Noodle when we started looking for a house. She's an opinionated snuggler (think of that friend that makes rude snorting noises when she's pissed) that routinely steals blankets and likes to get all of my husband's affection...all 6 1/2 pounds of her. I was only able to teach her to sit...
Shortly after moving in, we started talking about getting another dog. I asked my husband what he wanted for his birthday, and lo and behold...it was a dog. Specifically, one that could "fetch and run around in water." (Because we spend so much time in/around water.....) Petfinder was nice enough to point us in the direction of a litter of Lab puppies in a shelter an hour from home, so we made the trek and came home with Allie - all of 4 weeks old and loaded with parasites. As she recovered from her not so great start in life, we realized that she was going to be a decent sized dog that was going to require some serious training.
I signed her up for a beginner obedience class at an obedience club. She picked up things quickly, and I realized how much fun we were having. Our instructors were nice enough to point out what we were doing right and what we could work on, and encouraged me to continue to put her through more advanced classes. We also tried tracking that first year, and discovered her true love - the Sniff.
We realized that Allie needed a friend - she and Noodle got along, but a miniature Dachshund is a little small for a 60 lb dog that has no self control (also known as the "Red-Zone Dog"). I asked my husband again what kind of dog he wanted, and a Boston Terrier search was on. I visited the HUA rescue website (www.hua.org) and found a few Bostons that were recently rescued from a puppy mill. After being approved, we drove the 2 1/2 hours to NE to meet the newest member of our family. Unfortunately, when we arrived to pick her up, the rescue had just found out she had heartworm - again - and she couldn't be adopted. We visited the rest of the dogs at the rescue, and really liked a Siberian Husky, only to be told she had been adopted. One of the volunteers helping us that day remembered that a nearby foster group had brought a Sibe in for a spay and shots, and suggested we visit them - Richardson County Humane Society.
We drove 45 minutes more to meet a liver colored abuse case that was being housed in an abandoned garage - all of their foster homes were full. She was being properly cared for, but because of her previous situation, she was (and still is, at times) afraid of everything - she didn't want to come out of her doghouse to see us. We were finally able to coax her out, and once she warmed up to us, we decided she would be a good fit.
I wish I could say she's an "easy" dog, but those first few days we had her home were rough. She was scared out of her wits - I remember the first time we left her alone at home in a new crate - only to come home to a dog out of the crate we left her in, her head stuck in the cat door of the room she was quarantined in. She managed to pull the wire crate door in with her teeth and open the latches..we had to have one of her bottom canines removed later on from the damage. She had to have a leash on for the first few weeks, because anytime Allie or Noodle would walk by, she'd lunge and snap. We thought about giving her back up to rescue - we weren't prepared for her.
We managed to work through that first month. Over time she adapted to our home and seemed to finally relax. I signed her up for obedience classes, since I knew the horror stories of Sibes - digging, jumping fences, home destroyers, untrainable - and wanted to get a head start. She did well - sadly, food is a fabulous motivator for a dog that never knew when her next meal would be.
Later on that year I applied for membership to DMOTC - Des Moines Obedience Training Club. Once I was approved, I was able to go to member nights, where classes are held to help prep for trials. I assumed that Allie would be my show dog - after all, who shows Sibes in Obed? - and took both Allie and Ruby with me that first night. It was a novice Rally class, and I remember how well Ruby did that night, and how much she wanted to work - I couldn't see her potential, but my sponsors did.
3 years and many, many training hours later, and Ruby is Alruno's Rock of Love, CGC TDI - with 2 CD legs and 1 RN leg. I don't trial very often - in Iowa, that would require a lot of travel I don't have room for in my life right now. We've been sticking to local shows and fun matches to keep her Novice skills up, while training in Open and a few Futility (haha) exercises. She's the dog that made me realize that I want to do this - training - as long as I can - it's rewarding, although very challenging, but so worth it.
Ever heard a Sibe's opinion? Usually a few growls mixed in with some yipping and nips..bringing us to our Growl - Ruby.
Did I mention that I have always wanted a Doberman? I was lucky enough to meet a fellow Doberman lover, who had gotten two dogs from a breeder she had been friends with for quite awhile. We went to visit her in IL one weekend, and I got to have my first experience with Dobe puppies. I fell in love with the male in the house - Breaker - and always said that I'd love to have one of his sons. I wanted to try conformation - I've never done it before, and this dog stuff gets addicting - you have to try everything once! I gave Sandi a deposit for a future show prospect, but never expected it to happen so soon...
As luck would have it, Breaker (CH Bruda Lord of the Rings) was bred to Savannah (CH Bruda the Artist is Savannah), and Sandi had one black male left - a show prospect she saved for herself. I met him one weekend - spunky, hilarious, but oh so loving - he followed me everywhere in the yard. My only obstacle was my husband...did we really need 4 dogs in the house? After a lot of conversation, I was allowed to bring home Rocket - Bruda Up Like a Rocket - currently 19 months and AKC ptd from the puppy classes.
If you've read this far, you rock. Seriously. That means you know what's coming next...if Allie is Sniff, and Ruby is Growl....yep. Rocket is Fart. Ever had a Doberman? You learn really quickly that the farting is common and strong enough to clear a room, unless you find their kryptonite - in Rocket's case, Orijen or TOTW.
So...how does one Novice handler train three very different Novice dogs? Easy. A lot of free time, no expectations, and people who will help, no matter what - my fellow members at DMOTC. Yep, it's hard. Some days it feels like a war being waged between myself and Ruby. I'm a pretty stubborn person, so if you can imagine how things work out between myself and one very intelligent, half mule Siberian bitch...I wish I could get video of our training sessions sometimes.
Tomorrow's another day...let's see what we can accomplish! We usually train with Sonia - one of my sponsors - for about an hour on Saturday mornings. I help her out with her BC Chance and her Springer client girl Prada, and then we go home and veg.
I'm teaching my first Obed class on Tuesday night - Beginners. A little nervous, considering it'll be the first class I'm in charge of. Might have to practice my outside voice.
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