Who Started This?

So, I'm sitting in my office and housemate is watching an agility DVD. Finishing up one started over the weekend, so it's been ringing in the house for a few days. Don't know who. Hearing things about contacts, though. Does it really matter? No so much. They all sound the same.

I have a question for the more experienced people...

Who the frickin' hell started this "boy-woy" and "girrrrlllll-lay" shit?

Drives me nuts! All I can think listening to it is...

OMG! STFU!!!

I think it drives me nuts because it’s so bandwagon-y. I think trainers should have their own unique thing. I don't mean language. How screwed up would that be everyone called the same thing by a different term? I mean their own thang, you know? Whoever started it should stick to it and other people should get their own calling cards. Hearing all these people praise the exact same way is just a little weird. It gives me the same reaction as when I hear someone at the park do the Cesar Millan psht thing to their dog.

I'm also very curious as to why they ALL talk that way? Really, all of them. Like every DVD. How did that happen?

"Gooooood Boy-woooooy"
"Goooood Girrrrllll-lay"

When did this become the universal way to praise your dog?

Isn't agility complicated enough? Do we really need to start adding syllables to shit?

Aren't these are the same people that can't take the time to completely say other stuff. No time for reverse flow pivot or lead out pivot or serpentine. We are in a rush. Agility all about speed. Must RFP and LOP and serp!

But we have like 12 minutes to get out
"gooooooooooooooooooooddddd giiiiiiiiiirrrrrllllly-laaaaayyyyy?"

Me no gets. I'm conflicted. Is this my problem? Will things change if I switch to the 12 minute praise? Maybe my old-timey "good job" or "atta girl" or "yes" not getting through?

Hmm. There is so much I don't know.

And, for your trouble: Partial Kate's

How They Love The Plastic Bag

Went down to Aptos yesterday to do a little Lure coursing. Our new favorite thing. Well, maybe Bella’s new favorite thing. My good little brown one that does no wrong becomes a complete crack head when she hears the lure machine. She becomes Primitive Bella. Wild Beast. Huntress of the recycled grocery bag.

See, I don’t let me dogs chase stuff as a general rule. No crittering. No harassing wildlife. I think it’s dangerous to encourage a dog to, for example, chase squirrels. As most of you know, generally their ears stop working when they get that heavily into prey mode. Then you end up with dogs that get into trouble, say, with a moving vehicle, because they decide that going after a small fuzzy thing is way more important than listening to you bellow COME!

I think Bella’s years of “don’t even think about it” are catching up. She’s like the kid that was raised to be all responsible and a good citizen and for god’s sake eat your vegetables who goes all ape shit when they get to college and spends four year getting drunk and eating nothing but Snickers bars and pizza.

She really thinks this is the best thing evah!


She could seriously do this all day


Kate thinks it’s pretty much Da Bomb, too, but more in a chasing Bella kinda way. Kate is much faster than Belly. If Kate is behind, she’s on Bell, not the lure


It takes her a few go-arounds to figure out what they are doing. The first couple of runs are spent yelling in Bella’s ear.

What are we running for?!?!!!


Seriously, where are we going???!!!


She does eventually realize that there is a purpose


She at least shuts up then


She’s still giving Bella a break, though. Trying to not one-up her big sis. She could totally get around the track in half the time it takes Bella


Maybe Kate just sees it as more of a family activity than her self centered sis?

Dogs On Logs

Well, not logs, I guess. More like Dogs on Tree Stumps, but that doesn’t rhyme.

Work with me, here

In continuance of our agility hiatus, we did more regional park-ing today. This morning it was Pulgas Ridge.

There was much posing on stuff


They have taken down quite a few trees, so there are plenty of dog torture opportunities


Some nice lady stopped me to let me know a rattle snake had been spotted up the trail a bit. As I was thanking her for the info she commented on how well the girls posed.

“I can’t believe they just sit on a stump like that”

Yeah, well, they may have done this a time or two before. :-)

And they may stay there, doesn’t mean they are wholly participating in the experience.


Other things on their minds


Bored with my non-dog hobby


Perhaps checking out the scent of a previously irritated dog forced to sit on a stump for no good reason


Kate not usually this direct with her commentary


Bella sooooo did not want to pose on the fence. Did you know that dogs fake smile? The mouth says Happy, the eyes say I Hate You With Every Fiber Of My Being


She hated it until she found the bird poop

Apparently a little poop goes a long way with her

Goofy Tail, Goofy Dog

Truer words have never been spoken.

We played hookie from agility yesterday and decided to just go do stuff that doesn’t involve thinking. No being right or wrong, no yellow paint, no silly poles. Just going. We went up to Oyster Bay. Our favorite used-to-be dump-now-dog- playground.

The pics are so telling.

Can you tell who the thinker is?


Who considers their environment and who’s just moving around in it?


That tail is up always


Seriously, up there a lot


It’s actually quite a good flag. You can tell immediately when she’s listening.


Although, she may not be listening to you


Kate loves to hike. It’s her calling in life. She prefers to follow paths. No wondering around in the shrubs. It think it is related her not wanting to be wrong. Her needing to know her boundaries. When I first got her, if we were hiking and I had her on a long line, she would go to the end of the line and do dog stuff. Walk, sniff, pester Bella, etc. If I took her off her line she would be attached to my hip. Really. Just right there, no wondering off. Her boundaries were no longer defined and she didn’t know what to do with herself. I think she fines some sort of security in a path.

“We are going this way because that’s were the gravel goes!”

Bella, OTOH, not biggest fan of the hike. To her, it’s just like a walk in the neighborhood sans leash, so what’s the point? Once the novelty has worn off she begins to look like she’s on a chain gang.

Beginning: Happy to be here. What’s happening? What are we going to do? Where are we going to go?


About 45 minutes in starts the ‘meh’ body language


I’m kinda over this now. Can we go?


That’s where the secret weapon comes in. That would be the Wubba I stashed in my pocket.


Wubba squeekies also aid in family photos


I do get blown off fairly quickly, though, when they realize it’s not getting thrown.


Again, note the tails. Kate? Really?

*sigh*