This was Lola’s first outing at a fun match. Agility has been really good for her. Even our instructor commented that she was doing really well with all the dogs & distractions. Which isn’t to say she was perfect, but she did do really well.

I only did a tunnelers course with her (all tunnels). But it was a tough course, and she’s not used to sequencing eleven obstacles. She really surprised me — she did well. Sure, she missed a few entrances & did some sniffing (she really needed to pee, despite being given the opportunity to several times, which I think explained the sniffing), but she did some of the really tough stuff well. And she didn’t run off to the dogwalk, one of her favorite obstacles.

Chester’s first run went pretty well. Since he had a bad reaction to the tunnelers last time, I decided not to do that with him. He did the teeter beautifully. I messed him up a few times by not setting him up for tunnel entrances correctly.

You can see that he zips up the dogwalk, then really slows down, which is why I clap — to get him going. It’s like he suddenly realizes he’s way above the ground (Lola never even notices; she loves the dogwalk).

He also stopped at the top of the A-frame — I’ve no idea why; he never does that. Maybe he lost sight of me?

What you can’t see at the end is that he did run off the course before the last two tunnels. That is a problem he has, sometimes — he likes to decide when he’s done. I was able to get him back & get him to finish; if that had been an actual trial, he’d be disqualified for running off the field. We did have video of those last two tunnels, but it’s not terribly exciting. Still, all in all, I felt he did well.

Chester’s second, and final, run didn’t go as well. It started off just fine; I started out with a short lead out, which is when you put your dog in a stay and walk out so that you’re ahead of the dog. The dog has to have a good stay, plus they have to actually go where you direct them to — but it gives you a chance to get ahead of them.

But when I lost my place (someone must have knocked one of the cones slightly, because I couldn’t see the number), he went off into a major sniffing stint. I finally got him back in the game, only to have him jump off the teeter. I tried a couple of more times, but he still refused it. I’ve no idea why. He didn’t run off the field this time, and we just skipped the teeter and finished with the last two tunnels.

He’s been having problems with the teeter for a while, but he seemed to finally have a breakthrough this week. Until now. It will be interesting to see what he does in class tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: agility fun match, dogs, video, tunnelers, lead out

Monday I had to take Chester to the vet for a routine checkup. While I was out walking the dogs, someone stopped me to talk, so I was running just a bit late.

When I got the dogs harnessed & ready to go, the boys came rushing in with a lizard. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the time to save the poor thing. I had to go.

I’d forgotten about it when I got home, but every time Lola went to the back door, she refused to actually go out. Finally, I noticed the headless lizard lying on the mat.

Fast forward to today.

The boys came rushing in again while I was busy in the kitchen (luckily). Yup, another lizard (what is it with these things? do they just have a death wish?).

I got a glass, and put it in front of the lizard, intending to get it in the glass and then set it free outside as I always do. Gizmo went to grab it, only he actually ended up pushing it into the glass!

Yup, my killer Gizmo saved the lizard.

Technorati Tags: lizard, headless lizard

First there was not one, but two, dead cats on one of the many routes I walk the dogs. It always makes me terribly sad to see their lifeless bodies, and I just see that way too often here. Even the outdoor cats I come to know almost always disappear over time.

I am glad the boys were older by the time we got the dogs. Otherwise I’d be very afraid of them escaping. Simba gets real close to the back door sometimes when I come back in, and he gets a good yelling-at when he does. But I think he’s just looking for a treat, rather than actively trying to get outside. He knows the dogs get treats for going to their mat when we come back inside, and I’ll throw him a treat, too (for staying inside!).

Then a couple of days ago the woman I board the dogs with called. She’d found what she estimated to be a 3-day-old kitten. Since she knew I voluteered at a cat rescue, she was hoping I could help. Unfortunately, the owners just happened to be out of town.

I called around all the rescues for her. There are tons of dog rescues; but just a handful of cat rescues, actually, I found out.

In the end, she took the kitten to the vet and one of the vet techs decided to take it. I was extremely glad it found a good home, but then I had to call all the rescues back.

And finally, a few days ago, again while walking the dogs, Chester was doing his business while staring at someone’s house. I couldn’t see what he saw, until I saw this Russian Blue making its way towards us.

Sometimes I really do wonder what goes through cat’s minds. Was he attracted by the smell of the treats I carry for the dogs? Was he wondering just what these small creatures actually are?

I treated the dogs a few times for being calm while looking at the approaching cat, then moved on. Luckily the cat didn’t follow. I once had a cat actually follow me into my garage (just like I once had a dog actually follow me into the house)!

Technorati Tags: treat, outside, cat rescue

Here you can see Simba jumping the hurdle a couple of times. He also goes through a tunnel on command (sometimes), but you can just barely see that.

Normally I use a clicker when training them, but it was too hard to juggle the camera and a clicker at the same time. They’ve done all these things so many times, though, that they could do it in their sleep.

So yes, you really can train your cats.

Technorati Tags: tricks, video, down, sit, sit up, hurdle, clicker

Here’s a really short video of Lola doing her “showgirl” routine. Barry Mannilow’s Copacabana (which, sadly, no longer exists). “She was a showgirl, her name was Lola” — get it?

I didn’t teach her how to do it, but it did take a long time to get it on cue.

We get wild roses growing right in our backyard. Here’s Lola with the roses.

And again.

Now it’s Chester’s turn.

Technorati Tags: showgirl, wild roses

Unfortunately, they repayed me the next day by bringing in a baby rabbit. Drops of blood all over our family room floor. When they bring in birds, they won’t let them go for love or money. But they seemed just a bit unsure of what to do with it, and let me take it away from them easily.

I took it outside, and I think it breathed its last breaths very quickly. I felt terrible, even if it is Darwin at work (it must have gone right into the kennel — and I thought the birds were stupid; at least they can fly). I told it how very sorry I was.

It’s so difficult to reconcile the cat that cuddles against you all night, purring, with the heartless killer that kills even though it’s just had breakfast.

Yes, I know that that is their nature, and that nature can be very cruel.

On a more up note, Gizmo has cuddled with me on the bed a few times, once even staying after Chester jumped up and curled up behind my knees. I know it doesn’t sound like much after 2 1/2 years, but it was big for him. Lola, luckily, was outside.

Technorati Tags: cat, cuddles, purring, killer, nature

On numerous occasions in the last few months I’ve seen birds either on top of, inside, or flying into the boys’ kennel. I mean, hello!, two strapping big cats like to hang out there. Two strapping big cats that can take down a bird.

Once I actually saw three of them in there . . .

Today I chased away the one that was inside when Simba decided to go into the kennel, and for some reason seemed to think it was okay to stay inside when a fourteen pound cat ambles into your cage.

Technorati Tags: birds, cats

Well, we’re still not quite there. But our walk today at the hike & bike trail was darn close. I didn’t have to treat her once for walking past other dogs without reacting, although I still treated her for some particularly good passes. like walking past the barking Pomeranian.

And I wouldn’t exactly say she walks past other dogs calmly all the time. Sometimes she does. Sometimes she takes herself off to sniff some grass. And sometimes she whines and looks at me — but that’s okay with me.

We’ve still got a long way to go, but it’s good to stop and smell the roses soemtimes, because she’s really come a long way.

Technorati Tags: walk, ther dogs, treat, reacting

We weren’t able to get a whole lot of photographs. They’re in almost constant motion! Here’s a dog that looked quite a bit like Chester.

Ironically enough, the home next doors had a whole pack of big dogs.

At one point, all the little dogs started to gang up on the big dogs. The video would have been funny, but I wanted to get Lola out of the pack, which I did. The last thing she needs is to be around a pack of dogs getting aggressive.

I have desperately wanted to get a photo of Lola with her mini-me, as I call the little chi named Coco (I wanted to rename Lola Coco, ironically enough, but was voted down) who is her exact coloring. It’s what Lola should have looked like! Below is Coco & friend.

There were about 30 - 50 chihuahuas at this meetup. The weather just happened to be perfect. It’s amazing that that many can get together with no serious injuries, but somehow it works. Yes, there are little tiffs at times. But most of them are pretty well behaved.

Here’s a little video of Lola wandering around with some pint-sized chihuahuas

And here’s a last one of Chester on the prowl for treats. Notice how his tail is just gently wagging the whole time.

Technorati Tags: chihuahua meetups, video, chihuahuas

Fast forward to now. Now there’s a very real possibility that I’ll have to fly somewhere with the boys in the near future. If I don’t want them to be in with the checked baggage, they have to come to accept a smaller, soft-sided bag.

I started tonight. I’ve done some playing with them and “101 Things to Do With a Box”, as I mentioned in “Getting Animals to Think“. So tonight, I worked with both of them one-on-one. I simply put the carrier down, and clicked and treated them — making sure to put the treats in the carrier — for any interaction with the carrier.

And they responded beautifully, both going into the carrier (with the top unzipped, mind you) to get their treats. And the second they were in there, I’d start raining treats down, in the carrier, so that they’d remain there for a few seconds.

Of course, I’m going to have to very, very gradually work on getting them comfortable with the carrier with the top zipped shut. I’ll also have to work on getting them to go and come out of it on command. I’m not sure I have enough time!

But the morale is that you should train your cat/kitten to be comfortable wiht a crate, and going into and out of the crate, from the moment you get them home. I can’t begin to tell you the number of posters I’ve seen write in saying they have to move, only have a week, and their cat hates the crate. You never know when you may have to move your cat using a carrier.

Technorati Tags: Sherpa bag, soft carrier, crates, soft-sided bag, cat