Out for an evening stroll...

Took the curly tails out for a late romp and stroll around a big park here in the area last night. We ended up running into a glorious pair of black and tan Tibetan Mastiffs. Watson responded with his usual fearless interest. Menchi is intimidated by dogs that are much larger than her, but these two were so calm that she got used to them after just a few moments.

I loved them. I have always liked the breed from afar, but meeting them in person was quite the awesome. If I ever were to have a large breed these guys would be at the top of my list of possible candiates.

I don't think I have ever seen a more zen pair of dogs :)

Today...

This was the first day training with Menchi in advanced obedience. She never ceases to amaze me. We had all the dogs off-leash for most of the class and she just orients on me so well. She free heeled for the very first time and she did a great job for a 9 month puppy.

Meanwhile Watson was destitute, because he was left home crated all alone. Sabe is out of town so there was no one to keep him company while his sister was off being a rockstar.

I made it up to him after class we picked him up and went to a new dog park. This is a huge park and they loved it. Watson got to run to his hearts content out there. We got to meet a little Frenchie named Thelma who was very intent on following us for a while. She was adorable :)

The curly tails had a great day...and they have been passed out since we got home from the park.

Meetings of the intimidating kind...

Menchi met a dog that really impressed her the other day... She learned that they make them bigger, rougher, and more intimidating than herself ;)

We met a very nice Akita...and the wrinkly goddess was a little bit cowed by the big guy.

Watson waded in with his usual bravado...it takes a lot to humble a Basenji.

Trouble in the land of the curly tails...

Not all is well here...

When we went for the yearly heartworm testing this week Watson came up positive for Lyme disease. He has had no symptoms, which is good. It could mean that he was exposed and that his system managed to handle the infection on it's own...but treatment with a 30 day course of Doxycycline is still warranted.

He started on the medication today...so now I am crossing my fingers that his system will be happy to tolerate the whole course without nausea and vomiting. He gets the pills with one of his meals and I am adding yogurt to try and help his tummy through this.

Dr. Miller wants have him vaccinated as soon as possible since the immune system does not gain memory from Lyme.

I am worried...and Watson...well he is being Watson, which means he is a dynamo of bouncy energy and naughty doings. It's pretty much impossible to keep a good Basenji down!

Spring fever...

The glorious weather, they can both sense it. Watson especially has a bout of spring fever going on. It causes extra naughtiness on his part if left to his own devices. He looks for outlets to all that stored winter energy...

Menchi is a bit more low key, but she also wants to be outside more. Even if just to stand there and sniff the air.

Heaven help those with young, active dogs in spring...

Picture time :)

Joy :)

One of the great things when you own and train dogs are those moments when you have been working on something together and it finally clicks for the dog after you have both been frustrated and struggled with a particular exercise/trick without much improvement for some time.

Down/Drop is a struggle for many dogs. Some don't like it because the cold floor on their bellies is icky, some do not like hard surfaces to lay on, some just do not like this exercise period. Menchi was struggling with this one. It did not click for her was I was asking her for. We tried different ways of approaching it, but she became frustrated with it every time after a few tries and we would move on to another exercise that she could do and succeed with to keep training fun for both of us.

The other night it suddenly clicked. I decided to try a down/drop on a whim...and behold here is Ms Menchi sliding to the floor. It is hard to describe the feeling that comes with this...jubilation is a good word for it. Joy for the dog, joy that you work as a team, and are communicating, just sheer happiness, and pride.

Menchi earned herself a big jackpot of treats!  The down/drop needs some work...but the hard and frustrating times with this exercise are past us.

Watson has also had a struggle. His is with the heeling... It is boring to him. So I was immensely pleased when in our last intermediate class the heeled beautifully. He is showing improvement and happiness in working with me. It means alot from a breed that is known to be very  indenpendently minded.

I love watching the wheels turn and the thoughts move across their faces when I work with them. My dogs are a joy!