My Bit of Earth

Moe Speaks: A Most Wonderful Saturday Surprise

Completely out of the blue Saturday morning, Mom put my leash on and we got in the car.  We didn't go very far, but when we got to where we were going I was so excited!  Little white dogs...the faint smell of rats...we were going to do some earthdoggin'!  

(Note from Mom: This weekend was the Heartland Jack Russell Club's spring trial, which is held each year here in Lawrence.  Although it's primarily for Jack Russell's, they usually have a few unofficial "colored terrier" classes in which Moe and I sometimes go play.)

First, I got to do the "barn hunt".  Mom took me to this place that looked like a barn and told me to "find the rats".  Oh. My. Goodness.  I couldn't even contain myself.  I could smell them, I could smell those little beady eyed rats right away!  But finding them was a bit trickier--the smell was just everywhere!  Finally, I tracked them down--too late for Mom's liking I think, but she still let me bark and bite at them for a minute, so that was fun.  

(Mom: Scatterbrains!  He would do very well if he could just calm down and think.)

Then we went inside and did the actual go-to-ground with tunnels.  If I do say so myself, I'm kind of a rockstar at go-to-ground.  It took me about two tries to figure out the game the first time I did it, but I've been blowing through the tunnels ever since.  Saturday's time was about 7 seconds flat--admittedly not as good as some of the Jack Russells, but not bad considering that they're short enough to almost run through the tunnels and I have to shimmy through on my belly.

Mom said I won first place of the "colored terriers", and I got this pretty blue collar that I can wear in the shower even!

(Mom: Not sure yet how many "colored terriers" were actually entered but I think he did better than at least two or three others.  And I so love it when they do practical prizes instead of silly ribbons!)

Five Things I Wanna Do Very Soon and One Request for Good Vibes for a Certain Welsh Terrier

1. Take some pictures inspired by these.  Just need to find some bits of flowers, and perhaps some skinny vases.
2. Make this Christmas tree.  Isn't it so bright and cheery?  I have a spare table top tree, and I think I have enough spare yarn around for the ornaments.  I also stole six toothpicks from an Indian restaurant the other day to make the star, so now I have to make the tree because otherwise the bad karma will be all for naught.
3. Work on my gingerbread house design for the local contest.  I think I'm going to do something like this, as I have a spare globe-y thing and it looks fairly easy?  (I hope?)
4. Knit like a madwoman.  It's addictive, this making things from string and sticks.  In addition to working on a pair o' mittens for myself, I want to get a wee toboggan hat (like this--scroll down) and some slippers (anyone have an easy pattern?) done before Christmas.  Then maybe a blanket.  *Sigh*  So much to knit, so little time!
5. Catch up on my library books.  I have thirteen sitting on my night stand that are overdue!  But I want to finish them before I send them back.  I'm so lucky my wonderful library doesn't charge late fees!

In other news, we're trying out a new doggie daycare for Moe tomorrow.  Nice Owner (who is Moe's groomer also) said he would be willing to work with Moe on playing nice with others.  Any good vibes, nice thoughts, prayers, or whatever it is you do, would be most welcome.  I'm really hoping this will help at least a little....

Terrier Play

In addition to our scooter-buying and parade-going, Moses and I spent part of the weekend at the Heartland Spring Terrier Trial.

Yesterday, we did some go-to-ground and a barn hunt.  Moe got through the GTG in 6 seconds, which was good enough for second place. 

He probably would have placed in the barn hunt as well, had I not screwed up.  The point of the barn hunt is to see how well you communicate with your terrier.  A rat is hidden in one of several tubes in a barn-like area, and the dog has to sniff around and find it.  When you think your dog is acting like he's found the tube with the rat in it, you say so.  The idea is to both pick the right tube, and to do it quickly.

When I released Moe he went straight to the correct tube, but he didn't indicate as strongly as he usually does, so I encouraged him to check out the other tubes.  He still didn't seem too excited about any of them--and after a minute of wandering around the barn stall, I was totally stumped--so when he went back to the first one I decided to just pick it.  Wouldn't you know it, that was the right one!  If I had just trusted him, we probably would have done really well.  I'm going to try hard to remember that next time!

Today he won first and second place in his two races, and (for the very first time ever) was able to figure out the super go-to-ground!  Super GTG is a more complicated version of regular GTG--the tunnel has multiple entrances and exits, and has some uphill and downhill parts.  I've entered Moe at every Jack Russell trial we've been to, but he just gets so excited when he knows we're doing earthdog that sometimes he has trouble engaging his brain.  He's never been able to even get to the rats before. 

Today he ran into the obvious entrance like gangbusters as usual, but--when he realized that wasn't going to get him to the rats--he really stopped and thought about it and used his nose to sniff out the right entrance instead.  He found the rats in just over a minute, which was good enough for fourth place.  I'm hoping this is a sign that he's maturing a little bit.

All in all, not a bad trial for us.  :)

A Bad Day Earthdoging...

We got up early this morning and drove to Iowa for the Central Iowa Dachshund Club's fall trial.  To make a long story short, Moe got disqualified...for fighting.  It was almost the same thing that happened in California (except this time the other dog was completely innocent).  Moe had his head inside the false den, the other dog tried to squeeze in beside him, and Moe turned and snapped and snarled.  It got broken up quickly, but as it was definitely more than just a "hey back off". 

I spent most of the drive home psychoanalyzing.  I wouldn't call Moe an aggressive dog.  He's great with people--even kiddos--but even I have to admit he's developing a real problem with other dogs.  He doesn't seek fights, but if he's already excited (doing earthdog, playing fetch) and another dog goes after something he wants, watch out! 

He hasn't always been this way though--when we did his early obedience classes he did well with other dogs--which really has me trying to think about when exactly it started.  Was it because of what happened at the last trial?  Bad habits learned at doggie daycare?  Bad habits learned from squabbling over toys with Porter?  Just him growing up and into a more dominant dog?  All of the above?

But in the end, I guess it doesn't really matter.  Regardless of the cause of the problem, we have some serious socialization and obedience work to do before Mr. Moe gets to play at earthdog again.

The Heartland Harvest Hunt

Our first frost was glittering on the ground early this morning, as Moe and I headed out for the Heartland Working Jack Russell Terrier Club's "Heartland Harvest Hunt".  We've only been to this trial twice now, but both times it's really been very nice.  As the only Welshie for miles Moe is pretty recognizable, but several of the club members remembered my name too and I'm incredibly more nondescript!

We started the day with a little racing.  Last year Moe raced in the novice class, and--due to his lovely long legged-ness--won pretty decidedly.  This year he was bumped up to the regular adult class and didn't have such an easy time.  He stayed with the pack well enough to come in fourth in both the flat race and the hurdles, but in comparison to the front runners it looked like Moe was moving in slow motion.  (I was a little glad.  Don't get me wrong, I like to win, but it's better when it's a little more hard fought.)

Next we did some go-to-ground.  Moe had a try at the super go-to-ground (which is an extra complicated go-to-ground maze) but couldn't quite figure it out.  He busted through the regular tunnel though--it took him 6.6 seconds to get to the rats, which was a good enough time to earn first place in the open adult class.

All in all it was a lovely day, more pictures here.  Stay tuned for the conclusion of Moe's 2007 earthdog season next weekend in Iowa!

Pooches Plunging

(O.K., I promise, I haven't become a total puppy blogger.  Very soon I have plans to plant a fall garden, thresh my sunflowers, attack the morning glories before they eat my house--lots of things, I promise.  But in the meantime....)

As if he hasn't had enough swimming this week, tonight we took the Wee Welshman to the Pooch Plunge, the end of year dog swim/humane society fundraiser at our local city pool.  We ran into all our friends as usual, and even managed to find our cutie little Pomeranian neighbor, Nano.  Moe had fun for awhile, but got the whistle blown when he started chasing balls into the deep end and we had to fish him out.  More pictures here.

Master Test with Drama

Today we went back for the second day of the Golden Gate Dachshund Club earthdog test.  It was the first time I had entered Moe in a master test and we were up first--needless to say, I was a little nervous.

Because I haven't talked about the master test yet, a little explanation....

This is What a Senior Earthdog Looks Like

Part of the reason we chose to visit Nice Dad and Nice Step-Mom when we did was because the Golden Gate Dachshund Club was having an earthdog trial nearby this weekend.  If you will recall (see here and here) when last we discussed the subject, Moe needed one more leg to earn his senior earthdog title.

As you can guess from the title of this post, he qualified...squee!!!   But (as anyone who does pretty much any dog event will tell you) there was, of course, much more to the story than that. 

Textbook Earthdogin'

Moe and I took a mid-week weekend today, and went to an earthdog trial held by the St. Louis Dachshund Club. 

The drive was too long--as usual--and I got a massive sunburn, but Moe was amazing.  It was as if he's been studying the rule book behind my back.  He went straight to the tunnel, got to the rats in 11 seconds, was "the most enthusiastic worker of the day" (quoth the judge), and still made it back to me in 13 seconds when I called him.  I think he's finally got this senior earthdog test figured out. 

Needless to say, he passed with flying colors, and we were both well rewarded for our efforts.  I got the shiny green ribbon above, and Moe got a fuzzy new squeaky toy...which he was so pleased with that he squeaked it most of the way home.

Now we just need one more leg (i.e. he has to do all that one more time) for his senior earthdog title.  There aren't anymore tests in our area until it gets cooler in the fall, so we're hoping to finish up Labor Day weekend when we're planning to attend a test while visiting Nice Dad in California.

Mutt'n'Strut 2007

Thanks to everyone who donated, we raised $400 for Mutt'n'Strut this year.  We were among the top money raisers, although we didn't raise the most--one little girl raised over $900!  Very cool! 

We set out to do the 2 mile walk, but it was warm enough out that Porter was dragging after the first mile so we stopped to look at the booths instead.  Moe and Sweet Husband entered the "Pet look-alike" contest, but didn't win.  [Those darn 7 year old judges!  We were robbed! ;)]  But Moe consoled himself by taking a dip in the cool ice water bath they had set up for hot dogs, and Porter enjoyed watching the activity from her spot in the shade.

THANK YOU again to everyone who helped support us and the Lawrence Humane Society!

More pictures here.

UPDATE:  According to the newspaper the Humane Society raised a total of approximately $25,000!

One Leg, One Miss

The whole clan (being myself, Sweet Husband, and Porter House) accompanied the Wee Welshman to Iowa this weekend for an earthdog trial.

The short version:  We got one leg (out of three that we need to get) towards his senior earthdog title!  And, not only did he earn it, he earned it with style!  (I am a proud, proud mama.)

For the longer blow by blow, read on....

How To Build A (Passable) Earthdog Practice Tunnel From One Piece of Plywood

For the past year or so, I've had to drive all the way to St. Louis (about 10 hours, round trip) for Moe to practice earthdog.  Missouri Earthdogs has a very nice set of tunnels there, and it's been a lot of fun meeting new people.  However, after the last long driving day a few weeks ago I decided it was time to build some tunnels a little closer to home.

Most earthdog tunnel plans that I've found online seem to be for people with lots of space and room to bury them.  Since I have neither, some modification was in order. 

Help Dogs Help Dogs

For the second year, Porter, Moe, and I will be participating in the Lawrence Humane Society Mutt'n'Strut Walk to benefit the dogs at the shelter.  Last year we just made the minimum entry fee, but this year we're setting a goal.  The pups and I have decided we're going to try to raise at least $300 in time for the walk on May 12.

If you would like to help, you can donate below via Paypal.  No donation is too small--every dollar will help! 

Earthdog Fun Day

We made the long drive to St. Louis today for a Missouri Earthdogs fun day.  Despite the unseasonable cold (my car thermometer said it was 28 degrees), we made some good progress with the Wee Welshman.  We're working on his senior title--the most difficult part of which is that, after he gets to the rats and barks at 'em for awhile, the rats get pulled out of the tunnel and Moe has to come back to me when I call him.  Moe seems to be under the impression that if he just sits there and barks long enough, the rats will come back; this makes it very difficult to get him to recall properly.

But today, for the very first time, he came back when I called him.  He didn't come back immediately, or even in a short enough time that he would have gotten a leg on his title if today had been a real match.  But he did come back--which made it a very good day.  More pictures (including some very flattering ones of me with my head in the hole) here.

A New TT In the Family

For the second weekend in a row, the Moe-man and I got up early for some dog related activity.  Thankfully, this morning we only had to go to the far side of Kansas City (that's KC MO, for us) so Moe could take an ATTS temperament test.

What is this temperament-test-thingy, you ask?  Well, it's kind of a walk in the park, or at least that's what it's set up to simulate.  You and your dog go through 10 different stations involving all kinds of stimuli like different sorts of footing, meeting a friendly (and later a not-so-friendly) stranger, hearing a gun shot.  Your dog's reactions are judged based on its breed, age, and the kinds of training it has had.  If your dog shows undue aggression, panic without recovery, or extreme avoidance, the dog fails.  If not the dog passes and earns its TT (that's Temperament Title).  (For further example, there's a video of Porter's T-Test here, although it's not the greatest.)

A Wee Bummer

Today we went to St. Louis for an AWTA (that's American Working Terrier Association) trial.  It's about a 4 1/2 hour drive, and the trial started at nine, so you can guess about what time we had to start out.  To add to that it was cold!  Cold, cold even.

But I was still excited to go.  AWTA structures their test in three levels (Novice, Open, and Certificate) and if you pass one level you can bump up to the next level that same day (unlike AKC).  The Open and Certificate level tests are very similar to the AKC Junior Earthdog test--which Moe passed quickly and easily--so I was almost positive that he would go all the way through all three levels without any trouble.  That's what you get for taking things for granted!

He passed the Novice level swimmingly, no troubles, no problems, no sign of anything to worry about.  Then we went on to the Open tunnel.  This is Moe going into the Open tunnel--there are a few more pictures here.

He charged in like gangbusters as usual, scrambled into the tunnel for about the count of ten, and then scrambled right back out.  For a second I thought he might go back in, but when he spotted the judge and went over to say "hi", I knew we were done for.

Between the drive and the cold, I have to say I was a little disappointed--especially because I know this is something he can do.  But, as Sweet Husband consoled me on the way home, who knows what Moe was seeing in the tunnel that might have spooked him.  And as big as he is (much to big to actually hunt real quarry) even a slight constriction in the tunnel would probably be enough to make him unsure.  Maybe this tunnel was so much darker than the Jack Russell tunnels a few weeks ago (which are covered with hay as opposed to buried in the ground) that that threw him off.  Or maybe he just wasn't feeling it today....

But really--I have a happy, tired Moe snuggling with me on the couch, Sweet Husband and I had some nice conversation on the road, and we know what we need to work on for next Spring.  So, although it was definitely a wee bummer that he didn't qualify, to paraphrase a popular saying:  even a bad day earthdogging is better than a good day doing a lot of other things.

The Heartland Halloween Happening--Day 2

We went back this morning for more terrier fun.  Moe did the "Super Go-To-Ground" first (an earthdog tunnel with lots of twists and turns and several entrances and exits).  He didn't think twice about going into the longer tunnel, but, once inside, he couldn't quite figure out what turn he was supposed to make to get the the rats.  He had a lot of fun looking though.

Then we did some terrier racing.  As a "colored terrier" (aka not a Jack Russell) Moe races in the Novice class at Jack Russell trials, even though he's super tall.  He won first in both the flat race and the hurdles, and so was the Novice Racing Champ of the day!  More pictures of both days are here.

The Heartland Halloween Happening--Day 1

After spending all day Friday a-bed with a yucky tummy, it was awesome to get outside today for some terrier fun.  The Wee Welshman and I went to Ottawa for the Heartland Halloween Happening, a Jack Russell trial held every year by the Heartland Working Jack Russell Terrier Club.  The weather was gorgeous, and Moe had a blast participating in all of the terrier events.  He took first place in the novice agility on-lead (in which I almost didn't enter him because we haven't practiced since last summer); second in open adult go-to-ground (similar to earthdog, he made it through the tunnel in 8.5 seconds), weinner bobbing (think bobbing for apples, but with hot dogs), and in the lickiest terrier contest (yup, just what it sounds like); third in the barn hunt (wherein I had to recognize which tube a rat was in based on his reaction); and fourth in the Halloween costume contest (I think we got jipped because the judge didn't know who Harry Potter was.) 

Whew--it was a lot of fun, and the Welshman is now completely crashed out in his chair.  We go back for more tomorrow!

A Doggie Playground and A Pretty Backyard

Earthdog tunnels, agility equipment, and a nice looking garden--all in one place, living together in harmony?

Yes way!

Mad Crazy Terrier Fun

The Wee Welshman and I found a Jack Russell terrier club nearby.  Less than an hour drive, and we had a great day practicing go to ground and running in some terrier races.

Of course he blasted through the tunnels in go to ground practice.  His fastest time was something like 3 seconds. 

And surprisingly, Moe didn't object to the muzzle that's worn for racing.  He wasn't a fan of the starting box, but that was understandable as he's a bit taller than your average Jack. 

More pictures here.