Huge dog run

Yesterday, we went to Moela Reef Reserve in Pt Chevalier (map). It is a great place for beagles who are notorious for not coming back when called!! In this reserve, there is a huge fully-fenced dog exercise area where I can let my beagles off leash without worrying about them not coming back. Also, there are walking tracks where you can walk enjoying beautiful views. I want to thank Chloe's mum for telling me about such a nice park.

Look, we can explore the field as much as we want!!



I like this Lab. He is so calm and gentle.



I like this puppy!!!



Can we come here again, mum?





Today, I would like to share a video, which Honey the Great Dane brought to my attention (Thanks, Honey!). Teasel dances so well!! All beagles must be proud of her dancing at the world famous Crufts dog show!

Well done, Cinnamon!

To those who gave me advice on how to control Cinnamon when doing agility training, thank you very much for all your support and encouragement!! At her agility class yesterday, she performed very well. She looked like a different dog!

Yesterday I didn't feed her before going to the class. We did some obedience exercises before the class started. I used sausages as reward and entertained her with her favorite toy to keep her focused on me.

Being a beginner handler, I couldn't guide her around obstacles as well as I wanted. But, despite my poor handling, she did very well even with the tyre, which she had never succeeded to jump through at first attempt!! I was over the moon to see Cinnamon back on the right track.



Two months ago, when Cinnamon suddenly became ill and was hospitalised, I didn't think we would be doing this now. What else can I call it but a miracle?

Beagle "Plays Dead"

This is my favorite video at the moment. Hope you all enjoy it too!!

Bark in the Park '09

Cookie and Cinnamon had a very good time at "Bark in the Park", a dog event sponsored by a major dog food company, Purina.

Meeting friends, Anko & Kurosawa and Chloe & Yebisu

At the start point of "Jog the Dog"

Dog paradise, Waiatarua Reserve!!

Newfoundland demonstration

Agility demonstration

It's time to go home

Found an all-black beagle!!

Play time at home

Treat to end a happy day

Obedience training

Having trouble controlling Cinnamon at her agility class, I remembered about Cookie's obedience training when he was young.

Cookie is generally calm and quiet now. He might sometimes bark when Cinnamon starts barking loudly at other dogs on the street, but he soon stops barking after one or two barks and just waits patiently until Cinnamon stops barking as well.

However, actually he too used to be a very naughty puppy. The biggest problem was his biting, or more specifically biting me!! He didn't bite any other people. I loved him. I wanted to have a lot of time with him, but sometimes I couldn't because of his biting problem. I had many bruises from his biting.

Being desperate, I asked a dog behaviourist, Flip Calkoen, for help (It was before Flip opened his school at Ellerslie Racecourse). His training was expensive but worked very well. After a series of private sessions with him, Cookie stopped biting me and his general behaviour changed gradually, and now I have a good calm adult beagle.

Cookie at All Breeds Dog Training Club

It was not Cookie's only obedience training experience. We attended classes at All Breeds Dog Training Club before that, and also, after the sessions with Flip, we went to obedience class in my neighbourhood, which was taught by a former police dog trainer. At the last one, Cookie performed very well. He was one of the best in the class when the course finished, or at least that's how it looked to me.

Cinnamon at Obedience Class

Comparing to the efforts I put for training Cookie, I haven't made serious attempts to train Cinnamon perhaps, partly because Cinnamon has always listened to me better than Cookie did. Although I attended obedience class in my neighbourhood with Cinnamon, obedience training is a continuous learning process, so I will have to keep trying to teach Cinnamon how to behave as well as learning how to guide my dogs myself. The incident at this week's agility class was sort of a reminder about that.

Why? Why? Why?

Why do you behave like that, Cinnamon? That's a question I repeated in my mind during the agility class yesterday.

From the beginning, she barked excessively and missed simple jumps. It seemed like she didn't find any interest in the practice. In the end, the instructor told me to keep her on leash, because she took off every time I let her off. She had never been like that.

When Cinnamon started to sniff the ground, ignoring my commands, the instructor asked me if I had fed her before the class. My answer was "Yes". I had always done so, knowing I shouldn't, because I didn't have too much trouble getting Cinnamon's attention even after dinner, with help of food reward. I was also told that I relied too much on food to get her attention.

Because of this experience, I have lost confidence in controlling Cinnamon. My husband says "Cinnamon is not a naughty girl at all. She is a dog after all. There are bad times". What a considerate word that is! But, what I need now is find a way to bring Cinnamon back under reasonable control...

This is how Cinnamon did agility at the last session of the beginners class.



This is how she behaved yesterday.



By the way, the whining voice you can hear in the background is Cookie's. He is a whiner. He often whines like this when he is left behind but still able to see me.

Street BBQ

There was an annual street BBQ in our street yesterday. We have attended the BBQ every year but last year. Every time I attend it, I am reminded how lucky we are to be part of such a wonderful community of neighbours.

Before coming to New Zealand, we lived in a six-story apartment building (or so-called 'mansion' in Japanese) in a big city, next to Tokyo, with population of about 1.4 million. As we were among the first residents in the apartment building after it was newly built, we had an opportunity to meet many other residents at an orientation meeting before shifting in. Yet, we rarely had communication with others except for greeting when we happened to meet at the entrance or in the lift.

Now I don't only know many neighbours but also talk with them frequently. One of the reasons for it is that I walk in the street at least once a day with my dogs, and so do other dog owners in the street, which I want to call a 'Dog Street' because of the high canine population rate. However, more importantly, most of the residents in this street are friendly and considerate of others. For example, many neighbours know that Cinnamon was hospitalised a month and a half ago and often ask me if she is all right now.

Lecture by Lynley Dodd

I went to a lecture by Lynley Dodd, one of the most popular children's book authors in New Zealand, at Auckland University this morning. The lecture was part of an event called the Distinguished Alumni Speaker Day.

Although I have read some of her famous picture book series, Hairy Maclary, and I like her illustrations and stories, I didn't know her background at all. So, I enjoyed today's lecture, in which Mrs Dodd talked mainly about her background and Hairy Maclary, including what kind of environment she grew up in, what kind of illustration she drew when she was working as a illustrator, how she came to publish her first picture book as a joint project, how Hairy Maclary was born, and what procedure she takes to produce a complete picture book.

I found that she is a competent entrepreneur as well as a talented picture book author. She says that the story and the pictures come up to her mind at the same time. She must have vast, unconstrained imagination. On the other hand, she also takes account of her books being published overseas, so she tries not to put too much Kiwiness into her stories. A funny thing is that those who don't want local specific things, which they don't understand, in the books are actually publishers, not readers!!

Agility dog Cinnamon is back

Yesterday, Cinnamon attended the agility class for the first time after she graduated from the beginners course in early December last year.

The agility school that Cinnamon goes to offers three different classes, beginners class, non-competing class, and competing class. Graduates from the beginners class usually advance to the non-competing class, but currently they join the beginners class as refreshers, because there are only a few of them in this term. Actually, it was good for Cinnamon to start as a refresher, as she had been away from agility training for more than three months.

Although I was not sure if Cinnamon still remembered what to do, she didn't only do jumps well but also did weaves much better than I expected, with the help of treats. However, she still couldn't figure out how to do with the tyre. I may need to set up something similar to a tyre obstacle in my garden to do some practice.

The photo above was taken before the class. Before and after the class, Cinnamon had a great time playing with her new friends.

Welcome to our street, Hamish!

We had a walk with Hamish this evening. Hamish, a three-month-old white westie, is the youngest canine resident in our street.

Just when I opened the gate to go out, Hamish's mum was coming across the street with Hamish in her arms. According to his mum, he was reluctant to walk, until he saw Cookie and Cinnamon.

When I saw Hamish, I was worried that Cinnamon might bark at him from excitement. But, to my relief, she gently greeted him without barking. Cookie also looked happy to find a cute puppy. He has always been very kind to smaller dogs since he was a puppy.

Cinnamon is back at racing!!

Cinnamon was finally back at Hound Racing today, six weeks after she was hospitalised for a mysterious illness. I was thrilled to see Cinnamon running at full throttle again! Now I am thinking about resuming agility training with Cinnamon soon.

As there were fewer dog at the racing today than usual, Cookie and Cinnamon's turns came around so quickly that they ran five races within just over an hour. Both of them must've been exhausted after those five races, but it seems it took Cinnamon a while to realise that she was tired. While Cookie fell asleep as soon as we got in the car to come home, Cinnamon remained awake for a while, looking outside from a car window, before she also fell asleep, having a gentle snore.

The beagle racing with Cookie and Cinnamon in the movie above is Chloe, who's been Cookie's racing mate for nealy seven years.

Dog street

Cookie and Cinnamon live on the corner of an arterial road and a short street with a cul-de-sac. The short street has so many canine residents, most of whom are Cookie and Cinnamon's friends, that no one would disagree that the canine population rate of the street is well over the average in Auckland. Furthermore, the number of dogs in the street seems to be only increasing! The latest addition is a three-month-old white west highland terrier called Hamish (He is so cute!! I hope I can post his photo here soon!).

Misty (female miniature schnauzer), Asante (male corgi), Manuke (female corgi), and Bertie (female standard poodle) are Cookie and Cinnamon's most frequent company for walks in the neighbourhood.

New trick - bow

I've been teaching Cinnamon some new tricks.


Cinnamon standing


Cinnamon bowing

It's so difficult to take photos, giving commands and rewards!!