It's been a year since...

It is the first anniversary of Cookie's departure over the rainbow bridge. I wonder what he will say if he sees me now. Or, has he been watching me all the time since he left us? I wish there were three of us together, Cookie, Mint, and me. It would have been so nice.

Rally Obedience seminar

Hi! Cinnamon here.

Mint and I attended a Rally Obedience seminar at NorWest Dog Training Club in Kumeu on Saturday.



When Mum told me we were going to the seminar, I wondered what she was talking about, as I had never heard of Rally Obedience, or Rally-O. But, Mum said that she had been looking for a place where we could to the dog sport in Auckland for more than a year and finally found information about the seminar on a New Zealand Rally Obedience Yahoo group.

Both Mum and Dad were very busy as the renovation of our house was still going on, but they felt sorry for having had to keep us in our crates for long hours every day while tradesmen were working in the house. So, they decided to have a special day off and took us to NorWest Dog Training Club to try out Rally-O.



It was so much fun!! We dogs don't have to stick to the handler as closely as we do in traditional obedience, and we can do a variety of exercises, such as sit in front, weaves, and spirals (For more information and resources about Rally Obedience, see here).




Although I couldn't keep my nose off the ground when I tried out a whole course, I think I did pretty well. You know, it is so hard to keep my nose off the ground, especially on the grass in an unfamiliar place. I usually practise dog dancing and obedience indoors at Ardmore New Zealand Kennel Club Exhibition Centre. But, on the grass I catch far more interesting smells than I do when I practise indoors!!

I think Mint did well too. As long as Mum held some food in her hand, Mint kept all his attention on her and did most exercises in a course without problem. But, with no food in Mum's hand, his concentration didn't last long and he started pulling the lead after several obstacles.




As there aren't many people and dogs doing Rally-O in New Zealand, the instructors of yesterday's seminar, President and Treasurer of New Zealand Association of Rally Obedience, are working hard to attract more people and dogs into the sport. At the moment they are looking for dog training clubs in and around Auckland that are interested in holding a Rally-O seminar in the upcoming holiday season when there aren't many obedience and agility trials. So, please contact them if your club might be interested in it!

In a lunch break we also had a great time playing with a ball with rope and a mini frisbee!!

New Racing Season has started!

Hi! Cinnamon here!

Thank you for all your lovely comments on our performance in the Paws N Music competition at the NDTA (National Dog Training Assembly). I am sorry I haven't been able to visit your blogs to say hello or reply to those who left comments on my last post. We have been crazily busy these days, as my humans have been busy with their work and also some renovation work has been going on in our house. But on the weekend we managed to get out to attend the first coursing of the Hound Racing Club after a winter break.

This time Mint joined the race the first time. When I ran in the hound racing for the first time, I quickly understood what I had to do. But, it seems Mint didn't get it right away. He was more interested in other dogs running with him than a lure that he was meant to chase.

This time my Mum's friend's dog Kuro and the friend's friend's dogs Marvi and Miria also came along. Unfortunately Miria couldn't run with her sister because she was wearing an Elizabethan collar, having just had a spay operation. I hope Kuro and Marvi enjoyed themselves as much as I did!

Kuro

Marvi

Miria

Finally, my FIRST dancing competition!!!

Hi. It's Cinnamon.

I am sorry I didn't blog for such a long time. My Mum was so busy that she couldn't help me write new posts. She is still busy but she agreed to help me write this post because we wanted to report on our VERY FIRST dancing competition at The National Dog Training Assembly (NDTA).

NDTA was held in Taupo, a resort town by Lake Taupo, the largest lake in the country

As the name indicates, many doggies gathered from across the country for the annual dog obedience and agility event. Earlier this year there were two local dog dancing competitions planned but they both ended up being cancelled because of lack of entries. So, this national event became my very first dancing competition.

I entered the Elementary class which fourteen dogs entered. I was the fifth in the running order. I thought that I would be very nervous in the competition, but I didn't get so nervous and instead I enjoyed dancing in front of a big audience of about two hundred.

I think I did pretty well, although I have to admit that I kept sniffing during our routine, as I just couldn't ignore interesting new smells other doggies had left. Actually my Mum was very worried that I might start looking for food during the routine, because some part of the dancing ring had been a waiting area for obedience competitions held before the dancing competition, where food was allowed.

After our performance, many people told us that our dance had been great. It seems that the audience's favourite part of our routine was the finish where I ran toward Mum, turned, backed up through Mum's legs, and put my fore-paws on Mum's shoulders.

Here is a video of my performance in the competition:

Although I didn't get placed (Prizes were given to top three dogs in the class), some people said to us 'You should've been placed!', which made both Mum and me very happy. :-)

Dacing on a stage and my allergy

Hi, it's Cinnamon.

Mum has been so busy that she couldn't help me post on my blog for such a long time!

Last weekend we did a dance demonstration again. As Dad didn't go with us, I don't have any photos from the event, Wag 'n Walk. But, my friend Bodie the Border Terrier's mum kindly asked her friend to video my performance (You can see it here). Thanks Bodie's mum and her friend!

Well, as you can see in the video, I didn't dance very well. In the first place, it was a very hard condition; we had to dance on a small stage with a narrow catwalk. Also, as soon as I got on the stage, I caught nice foodie smells under tables on the stage and couldn't help checking them. But, I couldn't reach the source of the smells because I was caught by a man, who was so mean that he took away a plastic tray for donuts and a cardboard box for a pizza that I had found!!

Then, just when Mum was trying to guide me to the starting position, the music started. Also, as I had never been on a stage before, I had to check every corner of it during our routine.

We are going to do this Lollipop routine once more at NDTA (National Dog Training Assembly) later this month. Although it is going to be our very first dance competition, Mum is thinking about making it the last time we will do this routine, as we have been doing the same routine since March.

Before I go, I will show you what a hard time I had to go through.



This strange object I am wearing is called an Elizabethan Collar. Have you ever had to wear it? I had to wear it for the first time recently. My vet says that I am allergic to a type of plant called Wandering Jew, so I had to be treated with some ointment and then wear this strange thing for an hour after that.

Mum, remember that you are the handler!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Yesterday we went to an obedience competition, the first competition since I started training in the obedience class in early August. Do you want to hear the result? Well, I'd rather not tell it. But, I think I don't need to keep it secret either. I got the fifth place. However, to tell the truth, I was the last or the second from the last in the competition. Nevertheless I got a placing, because there were far less entries than usual.

In our run the biggest problem was that Mum and I walked too slowly in the heelwork. Otherwise, we did great. Mum says that she couldn't speed up because I was walking very slowly. But, I want to say the same thing back to her! She is the handler. So, if she walks slowly, I walk slowly! That's what an obedient dog should do, isn't it?

For the too slow speed of our heelwork, we got two points deducted, a big loss! After our heelwork, my dance and obedience instructor came to us and said "Too slow!!" Also, she said "YOU have to speed up" when my Mum said apologetically "But, Cinnamon was so slow." See? It was all Mum's fault!!

However, I can tell you that Mum was not so disappointed, or rather happy, because I behaved very well while I was in the competition venue. I didn't bark even when several other dogs around me started to bark, so she gave me lots of treats and praises, which was very good!

Sorry there is no photo of me competing this time. But, instead I will show you a photo of Mint and me waiting in front of a bakery while Mum was buying some bread. Mint barked when he had to wait there for the first time, but he doesn't bark anymore :-)

I've got too good a nose!!?

Hi! Cinnamon here.

It's been very wet here in Auckland for the last several days. We were planning to go to obedience ribbon trials in Mangawhai, one and a half hours north of Auckland, on the weekend, but we didn't go because my humans thought that it wasn't worth such a long drive if it rained, as the event was held outdoor.

Well, today I will show you what I start doing as soon as I catch smells left by another dog who has just passed by.

As many of you know, I find it very hard to stay calm when I meet other dogs that I don't know in the street. I know that my mum has been working hard to teach me to ignore those dogs, but it is still so hard, although I think that I actually have improved since I first started training not to bark at other dogs last November.

Mum always tries to keep distance from other dogs that we don't know, as I can stay relatively clam by playing 'Look at That' game*, if the other dog is at a distance like on the other side of the road. She also tries to avoid walking in a place where another dog has just walked, if she can, because I have got such a good nose that I just can't ignore the scent other dogs left. If I pick up such scent, I can't help tracking it. And, tracking other dogs' scent, I get excited and it becomes hard for me to stay clam.

*) In 'Look at That' game, I can get click and treat if I look at Mum as soon as I find a dog in the street.

Does anyone know how I could ignore other dogs' scent?

From Cinnamon's mum:

Today we went to St Heliers to have a walk in a break between rain showers. It seems many people thought the same way, as we met so many dogs there.



When we walk in St Heliers, we usually walk on a footpath along Tamaki Drive to Kohimarama. The footpath is relatively wide, but not wide enough for Cinnamon to feel safe. Also, you can't cross the road to the other side easily, because of the traffic.

When we were practising meeting other dogs in preparation for the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) assessment, we went there several times in a week to desensitise Cinnamon to encounters with other dogs, as in our neighbourhood we don't meet many dogs that we don't know. Although we passed the CGC assessment with luck, Cinnamon's reactivity to other dogs hasn't been fixed yet.

Today in St Heliers Cinnamon reacted to other dogs so badly that I almost felt like crying. What made things worse was that Mint started barking at other dogs even when Cinnamon was well under control by playing 'Look at That' game.



It was a good reminder that I can't afford to have a break in Cinnamon's training, at least not yet.

Beagle Walk at Churchill Park

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

On Saturday there was a big earthquake in Canterbury region of New Zealand. As Canterbury is far away from Auckland where I live, actually on a different island, I didn't know about it until my neighbour told us about it when we met her in our morning walk. It must have been a very scary experience for people, dogs, and any other kinds of animals living there. This morning I heard that some dogs had gone missing after the earthquake. I hope they will reunite with their family soon and safely.

After we watched news reports about the earthquake on TV on Saturday, we went to Auckland Beagle Club's Beagle Walk. The club holds beagle walks every other month in various locations, and this time it was at Churchill Park, Glendowie, Auckland. As I hadn't been in a Beagle Walk for more than a year, I really looked forward to it. But, we had a heavy rain the night before, and it was still raining in the morning, so I was not sure if I could go until the last moment. My humans had said that we were not going if it rained. Luckily it stopped raining although it was still cloudy, so we headed for the park.

There weren't as many Beagles in the walk as usual, perhaps because of the weather, but I had a great time walking in new places I had never been to. Because it had been raining a lot, the ground was very boggy and there were many paddles. Usually I don't like to get wet, but I didn't mind it at all in the walk.



In the walk we walked through a few more parks, including Roberta Reserve that we frequent, as well as Churchill Park. In a park called Point England Walk my Mum let both Mint and me off the lead. It was so much fun! We enjoyed exploring on and around the track along a stream with two other Beagles who were also off the lead.

When we came back to our car, our legs and tummy were all covered with mud!! I liked the walking course so much that I am going to ask Mum to take me there again.

A Blog Award!!

Hi! Cinnamon here.

We received a blog award from Bella and Barry the Beagles and Oscar and Ruby the Beagles. Thank you so much!!



This award has the following rules:

1. Thank the blogger that gave you the reward.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award onto 15 bloggers that you have recently discovered and think are fantastic!
4. Contact the bloggers you sent the award to, and let them know about the award.



Here we go!

1. 'Bella and Barry' and 'Oscar and Ruby', thank you so much!!

2. We will list seven common things between us.

* We both were born at a kennel called Kenalis in Te Aroha.

* We both have food names in our pedigree names as well as our pet names. Cinnamon's pedigree name is Kenalis Butterscotch Dream, and Mint's is Kenalis Candyman.

* We share the same grandmother and grandfather, which means we are real cousins.

* We both are a bit mouthie, so we play-bite each other when we do wrestling. Our dad calls us 'The Habu vs. Mongoose.'



Note: The Habu is a poisonous snake living on Okinawa Islands in Japan. For a real fight of them, see here.

* We both eat anything offered, be it meat, vegetables, fruit, yogurt, sweets, or snacks, and we both also eat things that aren't offered to us, e.g. some of our humans' meals (only dropped pieces, so not very often) and fresh grass (also called weeds).

* We both sleep in our own crates in the kitchen at night.

* We both love clicker training. But, to tell the truth, that is because we can get lots and lots of treats!

3. It seems most of our blog friends have already got this award. So, we skip it. But, in fact all our blog friends deserve the award!!

4. We are not giving this award to anyone in particular, so we skip it.

My first dance competition-turned-demo ... and Mint's dance debut!

Hi. Cinnamon here!

Yesterday I performed my dance routine in front of an audience in a competition-turned-demonstration. Mint also danced for the first time in the busking competition after dance demonstrations.

The event was originally planned as a competition. But, unfortunately there weren't enough entries to make a competition, so I did my routine as a demonstration. Actually it was good that the event became a demonstration, as my Mum and I could thoroughly enjoy dancing without feeling too nervous. As you can see in the video, I didn't do as well as I did when I practised just over a week ago. Nevertheless, Mum was very happy with how I did. Yay!!

A year ago I had the first taste of dancing, when I entered the One-Minute Busking competition, two days after my friend Honey the Great Dane's human told my Mum about it. At that time, I was so excited and confused in front of an audience in a new environment that I kept sniffing, jumping, and barking. Mum says that I have improved so much within the last one year, which I hope you all agree.

After dance demonstrations, there was the One-Minute Busking competition. For those who are not familiar with it, it is a competition for novice dancers where they listen to music provided by the organiser for twenty seconds and after a five-second break they dance (do tricks) to the music.

This time Mint made his dance debut in the busking competition. For Mint who had never danced to music before, it was a totally new experience. But, believe it or not, he got to get the first place and received a badge and a bag of dog food as a prize!! Of course, both our humans were thrilled about his achievement. Mum says that she wishes I kept attention on her all the time like Mint. Yeah, actually I have to admit that he did much much better than I did in my first busking. He didn't sniff or bark at all.

Progress in my dancing

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

It's been very wet here in Auckland for the last several days, so I haven't been able to practise dancing at a tennis court of a nearby primary school where I usually practise with my Mum. On Thursday, Mum and I went to Ardmore New Zealand Kennel Club Exhibition Centre for training, as there is an indoor arena where I can practise whatever the weather is.

The arena is used by many different groups every day. (On Tuesdays, obedience nights, some seventy dogs gather there for training!) But, on Thursday only five people and their dogs, including us, were using the facility. As Mum had changed some part of our routine, we focused on the changed part at first and then did the whole routine. Here is a video of the latest version of our routine.



After doing the routine, Mum praised me for not reacting when another dog started barking in the arena (You can hear it in the video). I hope I can stay calm like I did on Thursday, when I dance at an upcoming competition.

Obedience Class #2

Hi. It's Cinnamon.

The owl charm I am wearing in the photo is
a present from my Japanese blog friend Mini the Beagle.

I went to my obedience class last night. This time Mint didn't attend his class because his stitches hadn't been removed yet after his neutering operation. So, I trained for the whole hour unlike last week.

Yesterday it was nice to see my instructor who hadn't been there for the first class because of flu. I know I am not a great obedience dog, but in the class the instructor used me as a model dog because she knows me very well, having taught me dancing since last October.

I already knew many of the things we were taught yesterday, because they are also basic moves for dancing, such as the Touching and Following the handler's hand. One of the things I was told to do for the first time was laying down between the handler's legs. My mum was pleased to see me doing it, because I used to be very reluctant to stay under her when I practised Paws trick sitting between Mum's legs.

At the end of the class there was time for off-leash free playing. But, at that time I did something very very bad. As soon as I was let free, I lunged at my classmate Indy. I don't know why I did it, but I just couldn't stop myself! Of course I was caught on the collar immediately and kept on the lead for the rest of the play time while other classmates were all playing happily. Mum looked really sad. I am sorry, Mum...

No playing with Mint is boring...

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Mint had a neutering operation this week. Or, that is what I heard, but I don't understand what it means.

When my humans went out with Mint and came back without him on Wednesday, I wondered what had happened to him. He had been out with our humans, leaving me home alone, but he always came back with them. So, I was very worried about him. I looked for him in the house but couldn't find him. The house looked somewhat empty without Mint who always follows me around and often bites or licks me. I sometimes get fed up with him and growl at him, but I have never wished he were gone.

But, to my relief he came back with our humans in late afternoon on the day. He was much quieter than usual and stayed in his crate. Our humans told me that he has to stay quiet for several days and he is not allowed to run around. I tried to invite him to play together by bringing his favorite toy over to him, but our humans told me not to do that. I think that's unfair and boring!



I hope Mint will be allowed to play with me soon!!

Our first real obedience class!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Mint and I attended our first real obedience class at Manukau Dog Training Club yesterday. Although I had been in obedience trials, I had never trained in an obedience class apart from domestic obedience classes that I attended as a puppy.

Usually puppies attend the Puppy class or the Domestic class first before advancing to the Competition Obedience class. But, the instructors allowed Mint to start in the Beginner Competition Obedience class, as he could do some things taught in the class already.

A problem was that Mint's class and my class, Beginner class for those with some experience, run in the same time slot, from 6:30 to 7:30. But, after discussing with the instructors, Mum decided to work with Mint for the first half of the class and then with me for the rest.

So, I was watching what Mint was doing when I was waiting for my turn. I think he was doing very well.



To start with, he practised to move from Mum's front to her behind and sit in the heel position nicely with his nose right beside Mum's leg. Then, he practised trotting, following Mum's hand without jumping up to get the treat. After that, he practised sitting between Mum's legs.



Here came my turn. The instructor of the class is actually my dancing instructor. But, she was sick yesterday, so someone else taught us instead.

In addition to heelwork and sit and down stays, I practised how to lie down in the right way. I was told to lie down without moving forward. I didn't move forward when I lied down, but I tended to move sideways when I lowered my body. So, my Mum held food in front of my nose and moved it downward to prevent me from moving sideways. But, I was very confused because that way of guiding was similar to the one Mum uses when teaching the Bow trick!



Also, when Mum told me to stand, I couldn't help raising my right front paw to show her that I was willing to do the Limp trick, i.e. walking on three legs.

My Birthday!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Yesterday was my third birthday.

Can you believe that I am three years old now? As I am smaller than most adult Beagles we see in New Zealand, many humans tell me that I still look like a puppy. But those who know me very well also say that I have matured significantly within the last one year.

I remember that Cookie celebrated my birthday with us a year ago. He showed me how to pose in costume for a camera.

I really miss him!! And at the same time I hope he is proud of what I have achieved in the last year. Now it is my turn to show Mint how to behave. It is a challenge for me, but I will do my best!!

To start with, I showed Mint what I had learnt from Cookie, i.e. posing for a camera!




Then, we enjoyed my birthday cake together!

Mint turned six months old!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Today Mint turned six months old!



He still sometimes wet the floor when he is overexcited or very sleepy, but he has grown so much that, weighing just over 1 kg (2.2 pounds) less than me, he now looks almost the same size as me, who is turning three years old next week.

Today, to celebrate Mint's birthday, our humans gave us special treat that they had bought from a doggy bakery called Miss Maggies Barkery and Dog Deli.



The biscuit I ate was not only very yummy but also good for my heath, according to my humans, as it is called Sea Biscuit and contains glucosamine from krill and shrimp. The one Mint ate is called Doggie Wonton and was actually in the wonton shape!



Although it took Mint much longer to finish his biscuit, he looked really happy!!

My first obedience class ... and some report

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Well, as you know, I have been training hard with Mum recently and I often go out without Mint. He says he gets bored, as he has so much time without me. On Sunday Dad took pictures of Mint to show us how he was doing when Mum and I were not home.





Last night Mum and I went out without Mint again. I attended my first obedience class. Ah, well, that is not really true. I thought I was attending a class, but it turned out that the course had finished a week before, and yesterday they were doing a practice Elementary obedience test, or a mock trial, instead.

Of course we entered the trial and my running order was the third, as my Mum registered our entry very early without knowing how many people and dogs were coming. If she had known that so many were entering, she would have let some other people register their entries before us so that she had time to prepare herself for the trial. I could sense Mum's extreme nervousness from her voice and breathing.

When we were called in the ring, I tried hard to calm her down by ignoring her a little bit. Then, I was given a tug on the lead as soon as we started walking, because I was still trying to calm Mum down by sniffing the floor. But, I realised that that was not what Mum expected of me doing, so I brought my head up quickly. Then, somewhere in the middle of the heel exercise, I picked up some nice smell and was tempted to go to find where it came from. But, seeing my nose starting to move away from her leg, Mum said "Leave it!" firmly, so I brought my attention back on her. I think the source of the smell was treat that someone had dropped while practising before the trial. The rest of the heel work was not too bad, I think, although Mum didn't look entirely happy.

The next exercise was the recall. When Mum left me, I waited without moving an inch. But, when she said "Cinnamon, come!!", I suddenly remembered about the smell I had picked up earlier. So, instead of going straight to Mum, I went over to the spot the smell came from before going to sit nicely in front of her. Later she told me that at that point she had thought about going home without doing the stays. But she decided to stay and I did the stays without problem in the end.

When we were waiting for the result, we were called into the ring to do the recall again in the runoff. This time I did it nicely without detouring.

And ... to my surprise I was placed the second and got a certificate and a toy as a prize!!



Although Mum's face was clearly saying that she couldn't believe it, I was just so happy and proud!! Mum, you always worry too much!


Before I go, I have something to report today. Now I can stay in my crate calmly without barking or digging my bed when my humans are out!! How do you think it happened? A trick is my brother Mint. My humans have decided to move my crate to beside Mint's so that I don't feel lonely. Look at this photo. We stay in our crates happily even after Mum opens the latches of the crate doors when she comes home. :-)

Training weekend

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!! Our weekend was full of training, which I really enjoyed.



On Saturday I met up with our blog friends, Lexi and Jasper the Great Danes, in Mission Bay. It was not just a play-date. Lexi and Jasper's human helped my training not to react to other dogs. Thank you so much, Lexi and Jasper's human!!!

Our humans wanted me to meet as many dogs as possible and that was one of the reasons we met up in Mission Bay, where usually many dogs come down to have walks on the beach. But, we didn't see many dogs on Saturday. However, fortunately Lexi and Jasper's human had brought two dogs under training to become mobility dogs as well as my friends, Lexi and Jasper, so I could practise walking pass them in turn one at a time. Although I sometimes couldn't control myself well enough not to pull my lead toward the dogs, I didn't bark much. :-)

Among other things, the Dane friends' human pointed out that my Mum needed to behave more confidently. The more confident Mum behaves, the less I need to try to protect the pack, which means Mum and me. I thought that was a good point, as I could see Mum getting nervous and in tense whenever she saw another dog coming. Although I didn't realise myself that I was trying to guard ourselves, now I can see why I felt so nervous when I saw another dog coming. Actually some of my blog friends also mentioned the influence of the handler's feeling over the dog in their comments to Mum's post. Thanks, friends!

Hee hee. My barking was not entirely my fault after all!! Mum needs to practise more and more to become a good reliable handler!

After the training, our humans, Lexi, and I went to a cafe in Mission Bay. Because the cafe is next to a burger shop, Burger King, many families who came to the burger shop found us sitting or lying by a table and came to pat us. Then, those families were surprised to see more dogs in Lexi's human's car parked in front to the cafe. If they had been small breeds like me, they wouldn't have been so surprised. But, in addition to Lexi, there was Jasper, another Great Dane, in the car. I wished Mum had filmed it to show you their reactions!!

Then, we went to Waiatarua Reserve together, although we couldn't stay there long as it started raining soon. Actually I couldn't enjoy running around with other dogs much, because I was busy eating rabbit poos and looking for the right spot to do my business. What was funny was Jasper! He kept following me when I was busy. I had to tell him off so many times!



My mum says that Jasper really liked me. If she is right, I am sorry I behaved like that, Jasper. I will play with you more nicely next time we meet up!



On Sunday we trained with our dancing instructor. One of the things she taught us was how to turn when heeling. She showed Mum how to gently pull the lead to keep me close to her knee and when and how to give me reward.



I had a great time in the training because I got to get so much treat!! I felt so full, when we left the place, that I fell in sleep as soon as I got in the car.