Too Smart

When is being smart not such a good thing? When you're so smart, you outsmart yourself.

But before we get into that, I thought you might like to see Boogie and Gidget's puppies growing up.  Sorry for the quality...wish people would send me pictures instead of using Facebook.  Here is mommy and puppy.

They have names....something about after different fables....but I don't remember what they are.

Playing must be hard work!

Today was earthdog in Cottonwood, AZ.  The turnout was much smaller than normal.  Hope that's not a trend.

The weather was much nicer than expected.  No rain, a little wind and once it warmed up (low was 34) it was pretty nice....high of 54 but sunny.

Boogie has figured out that once you come out of the tunnel....your turn is OVER!  So he has decided to just stay in the tunnel and work his little heart out.  He has outsmarted the game.  Fortunately he didn't figure this out until he had earned all his titles.

Problem with that.....   Mike has decided not to do earthdog again until Boogie learns to come out.  In the first Senior round today, Boogie wouldn't come out for anything.  Technically you have 90 seconds to get the dog out.  A lot of people have trouble with this portion of the test.  It can take many dogs up to five minutes to come out.

But not Boogie.  Twenty minutes went by and Boogie was still in there working as strong as ever.  Everyone had given up on being able to get him out so they were going to have to dig up the tunnels!  Nightmare!   Just as they were starting to dig him out, he came out on his own.  Oh, Boogie.  Big sigh.

So in the afternoon run, Mike was going to scratch him.  But I hate to see Boogie miss out on any fun.  So I said I would do it.  Mike drove the car right up next to the tunnels so I didn't have to walk far at all.  Mike carried Boogie and handed him to me right at the start line.

Here we are at the startline....don't blink....as earthdog is not much of a spectator sport!  You can't tell but Boogie is shaking and whimpering as he wants to get to it.  But my fingers don't work so well anymore and I couldn't get the darn collar off!

Boogie went like a shot and went in the correct entrance (in the morning run not one dog went in the correct entrance) so I was encouraged. It doesn't look like he's going fast but he was a flash.

This shot is just to give you an idea of how they fix the site. There are a bunch of hills and branches and rocks to simulate someplace out in the wilderness.

I was sure he would come out for me.  Delusional thinking for sure!  So here I am calling and calling.  I might have as well been calling Wazzu who is deaf!

Nothing doing!  So finally we opened the tunnel and he did his usual trick of backing up so we couldn't reach him.  So I bent down and pretended to dig in the dirt saying "Look...here's the rat!"  Well he couldn't resist that and out he popped!

I just want you to notice the guy in the background - he is called the "rat wrangler".  He is holding a bucket which has the rat cage with the rats in it.

I decided to reward Boogie for coming out by letting him look in the tunnel. He stuck his head in for just a moment and realized the rats weren't there.  But where were they?

HEY!  There they are....can't fool him for long.  (He just noticed the rat wrangler.)  A split second later we were over pouncing on the rat wranglers bucket.

Of course we know he'll never fall for that trick again.  But at least it worked once!

Debbie

Rats or Love

(Whidbey Island, WA) This weekend we had an Earthdog test on Whidbey Island.

The weather may have been nice for the dogs but it sure wasn't for us people. It started off cold and drizzling. This is summer? Even the birds weren't stupid enough to come north this year.

For Boogie's first brace he was matched up with a one year old, very happy Border Terrier. This little guy is one happy fella. Notice the clothes being worn. Heavy coats, knee high rubber boots. I'm telling you it was cold, rainy and wet. Okay, I guess you know my feelings about the weather this year.



It was this little guys first time in Master so really didn't know what was going on. He was so excited to be off leash in a big field that he had no way to know he was supposed to be hunting for rats. So he was just running around happy and ready to play with this other cute Border Terrier running around....Boogie.

However, Boogie new exactly what they were supposed to be doing. Boogie loves to play with any dog, any time except when he's hunting rats. This cute little guy kept running up to Boogie wanting to wrestle. Boogie would turn away and continue on his hunt.

Finally Boogie got tired of this nonsense when the little guy jumped on Boogie's back. Boogie told him "knock it off"! After that they had a great hunt up and the little guy was very respectful of Boogie.

Any other time, Boogie would have been more than happy to romp and play. But in the hunt up, Boogie is on a mission. He has to find those rats!



And find them he did. In fact, he was so happy to find them that he wasn't going to leave them for anything. He knows when you pick him up out of the tunnel the game is over. So the second you open the lid to get him out, he backs up into the tunnel so there is no way to get him out. The only way is to get a rat and show it to him. Then, and only then, he flies out of the tunnel to get the rat. Oh Boogie, you've outsmarted us all.

Next he got to do Senior. As you can see, he already has rats on his mind...not sure what's on Mike's mind.



If you look closely you can see just see Boogie as he disappears down into the tunnel.



After finding the rats, and working them for 90 seconds, Boogie is suppose to come out. Here's Mike peering into the entrance eagerly waiting for Boogie to come out.



Ninety seconds has come and gone....it's now been over three minutes. Mike is now hanging his head in recognition that Boogie just isn't going to come out.



Yup, they had to resort to getting a rat before Boogie would come out. The entire time he is in the tunnel he is trying so hard to get to the rats that he is eating at the dowels. In doing so, he moves his head up and down so hard that the lid (which is latched shut) is banging up and down. The judge today said she had to stand on the lid to keep it from breaking open.

A friend said it is amazing Boogie doesn't get brain damage from all that extremely hard head banging he does.

Let me try to show you what I'm talking about. The three "bars" are the dowels. As you can see they are of good size - pretty big around. The opening you see is where they put the rat cage. On the other side of the dowels (where it is very dark) is where the dogs make their way to the rats. The idea is that they are then separated from the rats. Most dogs bark like crazy only biting the dowels a time or two. This is what the dowels typically look like after a day of earthdog.....




....except when Boogie and his dad are involved! They can chew all three dowels in half in less than 90 seconds. Oh, and see the latch....this is what I was telling you about. It is latched while the dogs are "working", then is unlatched and the lid opened so you can get the dogs out (in Master).

During Boogie's second Master run, he was matched up with a dog named Bob Barker. (Think about it.)



Same drill, great hunt up...found the rats in record time, great working....but wouldn't come out. Fifteen seconds after Boogie found the rat, the judge yelled out..."Boogie's completely through the first dowel". You've got to be kidding! It would take me that long to saw through it. No wonder his nickname is Chainsaw.

First day, four events....four times Boogie didn't come out.

The second day I was unable to go along. But the report was the same, until his last Senior run.

This time Weezie's (Boogie's sweethart) mom, Nya, was the rat wrangler. Boogie was in the tunnel and after 60 seconds had shown no signs of coming out...nothing unusual. Suddenly, seeing Nya there, Mike had an idea.

Mike said excitedly, "Boogie, Weezie's here". Mike had barely taken a breath before Boogie had shot out of the tunnel and was standing very erect and alert, looking around for Weezie. Mike grabbed him and Voila! They passed!

I'm thinking there is no way this will ever work again. But Mike immediately ran over to Weezie so Boogie could see her. Hopefully this was a good thing and it will work again sometime. Gosh, now we just have to make sure Weezie comes to every Earthdog test we attend.

The puppies were being handed over to the breeder weekend so it was my very last chance to visit and take pictures. I have gotten more request for puppy pictures than anything else! So here we go....for the last time.

They had a lot of toys in their little set-up. As true Boogie puppies, their favorite toy was a tunnel. And just like Boogie...they weren't in any hurry to come out.



And instead of working rats, the puppies were working a teddy bear...with great gusto!



Junior didn't quite have the idea of going in the tunnel. He must think he's a lumber jack as he kept trying to do the log roll.



The earthdog test this weekend was put on by the Cascade Dachshund Club. Looks like the little border terrier puppy turned into a loooong dachshund.





Mike played a game of tickle with one of the little girls.



She was having a great time....



...just too darn cute.



Doesn't it look like they are doing a conga line? Actually they are just trying to beat up on their brother...like always. Little Junior (aka Norman) is going to be so glad to get away from his sisters.



Poor Junior is getting tackled once again.



No use exerting yourself....just play on a nice hammock.



So many toys to choose from.



She's looking for someone to attack!




Boogie really wanted in the pen to see the puppies so we let him see them one last time. Like usual, they all rushed over to see him. Looks like they are giving him kisses.



Or are they telling him secrets?



The puppies each had their very first experience at being stacked to prepare for their lives at show dogs. I'm certainly no expert but they looked pretty good to me.



They each had their first lesson on walking on leash with mommy Weezie while Boogie looked after the others.



Boogie didn't want to leave...but it was time for us to say goodbye to the puppies forever. Looks to me like the puppies didn't want him to leave either as they chased him over to the fence.



This little puppy looks so sad now that daddy is gone.



Poor Boogie is watching as we pull away from his girlfriend and his puppies. What a good daddy he has been.




Debbie
9/4-5/10

Rats and Romance

(Woodinville, WA) What a week...mostly for Boogie, but for me too.

On Monday, I got to see my sister, whom I haven't seen in thirty years...literally. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time...my side was hurting so bad from all the laughter. We had a great time talking, playing Wii (bowling and tennis), and talking some more.



During the week, we met some people that have a Border Terrier. We thought it would be great fun if they could get together and play. And did they ever!




Most of the time they were moving too fast for me to get a clear picture.



They did stop a time or two for a brief moment. Of course I missed the shot...but here is the "second too late" shot. They were kissing each other. Way too cute. I think Boogie is in love.



Boogie was a little out of breath but very happy when play time was over.



Once the romance was over it was time to get down to business....playing with rats! And once again, Boogie was a highlight of the weekend....and not just according to us but to the judge as well. I'll start with this.

In Senior, the dogs have to work the rats (bark, dig, etc) for 90 seconds. Then the rat cage is removed from the tunnel. The handler then has 90 seconds to recall the dog. The dog must leave the empty den, make its way back through the tunnel and return to the handler...a very difficult task.

So Boogie, got to the rats, and worked his 90 seconds. They opened the lid to remove the rat cage and as they pulled it out, there was a dog attached to it! They were not only shocked but startled. That never happens. Mike immediately grabbed Boogie and asked the judge if that counted. The judge said there is nothing in the rules about it as no one ever considered the possibility that a dog could ever do that! So the judge decided that Mike had gotten Boogie in less than 90 seconds (about two seconds actually) so he figured it should be a pass. Leave it to Boogie to once again stump the rule book. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting this so I didn't get a photo. Darn.

Here's what happened. While Boogie was in the tunnel working, he had eaten through a couple dowels in 60 seconds. At that time he started barking like crazy for the next 30 seconds. Then when the rat cage was being pulled out, Boogie didn't like his rats leaving so he grabbed the cage as it was being pulled out. And now you know why Boogie's nickname (given by a previous earthdog judge) is Chainsaw. No dowels are safe when Boogie is around.

On an earlier run this weekend, Boogie was moving his lips all around and was making funny faces when he came out of the tunnel. We looked in his mouth and there were a whole bunch of wood chips stuck between many of his teeth from chewing the dowels. Oh Boogie! We cost the club a lot of money this weekend as they always had to replace the dowels when Boogie's turn was over.

But the highlight of the weekend for me was that we got to see Boogie's breeder, Harriet. She is one of the nicest people I have ever met...a very special person indeed in many ways. Here she is with Boogie.



Very special also was that we got to see Boogie's daddy, Higgins (far right),the most handsome guy you'll ever see, and Boogie's sister and littermate, Mimi (between Harriet and Higgins).



Another reason the weekend was special for me was that I actually got to do one event (Senior) with Boogie! My first time in about a year and a half. Boogie was perfect for me. Too bad I wasn't perfect for him. I forgot the rules since I haven't done it in so long - I was thinking Master when in fact, we were doing Senior. If I just would have kept my mouth shut, Boogie would have passed. Needless to say, Mike didn't let me try again the rest of the weekend! Here is Boogie popping out of the hole...coming to my recall. Good boy.



This weekend there were three Master's tests. Twice Boogie was paired up with another BT. His first partner was Angel. They hunted very well together. But at the point the dogs were supposed to hide their eyes, Boogie's partner Angel was peeking....didn't help her though as she still couldn't find the rats. Boogie, of course, had no problem.



His next partner was a 12 year old Border named Piper. Boogie has hunted with Piper before a couple years ago. And like last time, they were great partners. Look at the big smiles on their faces as they are hunting. That's what it's all about.



His final Master's partner was a Bedlington Terrier. We had seen this dog all this weekend and last weekend as well. Very nice, mellow dog. But as soon as this dog saw Boogie at the staging tent, he started barking non-stop and pulling toward Boogie. I didn't like the looks of this at all. I asked the handler if this was normal for her dog and she said "absolutely not". I started telling the handler that I was a bit concerned that her dog was so obsessed with Boogie. At this point, Boogie was completely ignoring the other dog. Boogie was excited to go hunting so he wasn't paying any attention to this nonsense.

The dog wouldn't let up so I started voicing my concern to the handler. She got a bit upset and started stomping off. I called her back and said they could try going out together...maybe her dog just wanted to play...which is what she was trying to convince me.

Shortly thereafter, it was time to start. Mike let Boogie off leash and he immediately romped off to start hunting. The other handler let her dog go and it immediately ran over and started pestering Boogie. Boogie was great and tried to ignore the other dog. But this dog wouldn't let it go. He started circling Boogie and growling. The judge, the handler, and Mike all immediately knew that an attack was imminent. The other handler, very wisely, immediately jumped in and got her dog and withdrew from the event.

That meant this turn was over. Boogie couldn't understand why he had to go back on leash and leave the area. He was very disappointed and didn't want to leave. Poor guy.

So they had to move us to the end and find a "bye" dog to run with Boogie since all the other dogs were partnered up. His new partner was a Cairn Terrier. They were perfect partners. It was this dog's first time to do Master so Boogie showed him the ropes.

Boogie did a great indicate.



His partner then came over to see what Boogie was doing and stuck his head right in the hole with Boogie. This is how they were the whole hunt up. Great partners.




I really enjoyed watching Harriet participate with Boogie's relatives. Here is Boogie's daddy...now you know where Boogie got his silliness.




The tests are usually a fair distance from the spectators. So we, as spectators, never know for sure if the participating dog passed or failed. So as people return they always give a thumbs up or thumbs down to let everyone know how they did. Here is Harriet returning after a successful attempt.



There were many breeders at Earthdog this weekend. And where there are breeders, there are puppies! I happened to walk by this cute puppy who had fallen asleep in his food dish.



There is nothing more adorable than a puppy.

Debbie
5/17-23/10