We went to the lure coursing of the Hound Racing Club yesterday. The club has coursing once or twice a month except during winter when the ground is too wet, but we couldn't attend it for about three months because my humans were too busy.
This time our blog friends Arrow and Snoopy also came. When my Mum asked their human, who makes handmade collars, to recycle our old collars to make new ones, Mum asked her if she was interested in the lure coursing that was taking place just a few days later.
Look at these videos. Both Arrow and Snoopy are really fast, aren't they? I knew Arrow is a high speed runner as he is a greyhound bred for it, but I didn't know Snoopy is also really fast.
We had a great time running together
Snoopy is a cutie :-)
Arrow is a natural born racer!
On the other hand I have to say Mint is not a really fast runner. Did you see how he ran in the videos? I know he was running at his full throttle, but he never caught up with the leading runners. In fact my Mum is a little worried about Mint's future as an agility dog. Is he going to learn to run faster? Anyway he is starting in beginner agility class at Manukau Dog Training Club this week. I will let you know how it goes.
When I performed my Lollipop routine at NDTA (National Dog Training Assembly) 2010 last October, my Mum told me that it was our last performance of the routine and that she was going to start choreographing a new one for me. But, she hasn't done anything with our new routine yet, because she was so busy renovating the house, selling it, moving, buying a new house, and moving again until just recently. So, when we decided to participate in demonstration of Paws N Music (dog dancing) at Pets Picnic in the Park held by the Humane Society of New Zealand last weekend, we had no choice but to perform the same routine again.
Our dancing team on stand-by
Last Thursday we practised the routine for the first time after the NDTA. Until then, Mum was worried that I might not remember all the moves, but in fact I didn't only remember them all but also really enjoyed doing the routine!
When we did the same routine in the same event last year, I kept picking up acorns and eating them from the start to the end. So, Mum was anxious if I would be able to show some improvement this year. She always worries too much!! Of course I have improved a lot in many ways.
I must admit that I was very naughty a year ago, but I changed after I attended a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Foundation course at Manukau Dog Training Club last year. Mum says that it looked almost reckless to attempt for CGC with me. Back then, I never let anyone touch my muzzle. I never failed to snip anything or anyone trying to touch my muzzle. I always jumped up to anyone who came to greet me or Mum. And, needless to say, I often barked aggressively at unknown dogs when they came close to me. But, Mum gave it a go anyway.
When I was attending the CGC assessment preparation course, the instructor of the course recommended that we try competing in obedience trials because she thought that I was really good at heeling. So, I started competing in obedience and also attended competition obedience class after successfully gaining the CGC Foundation status. But, it didn't go as well as Mum wanted. It was not only once that I lunged at my classmates in the class. To be honest I was not comfortable in the environment. The class was held in a large building where as many as sixty or seventy dogs trained at the same time. So, late last year Mum switched my training from group training to private one, which made a huge difference!
A good thing about the change is that my private instructor is a completely positive trainer - she never uses physical corrections, which makes me more relaxed and less anxious. Mum says that, since I started training privately, my reactivity to other dogs has lessened and my focus has improved a lot, leaving aside my competition obedience skills.
Oh, I've got off the track. Getting back to talk about our demonstration on the weekend, I think I did really well, considering that I had practised it only once before the demonstration. Yes, I did sniff the ground a little bit, but it was because Mum dropped a piece of food in the middle of the routine!! Who could have ignored dropped food?
Do you want to see how much I improved in the last one year? Here you can see how I did last year. I missed so many moves!
And this is how I did this year. I still did some sniffing but much less than last year.
I hope you agree that I made a big improvement!
Now that we have moved to our new permanent home, we have more time to practise. Now I look forward to seeing the second routine Mum is going to choreograph for me. It seems she is going to make a routine for Mint too. Way to go, Mint!!
Firstly, thank you very much for thinking about my humans' family in Japan. Fortunately my humans' family was not affected much, but so many people and animals are still struggling to cope with what is going on there. I strongly hope that their life gets easier, if not normal, sooner rather than later.
Well, we have moved to our new home at last!! My humans say that it is the beginning of the new chapter. They think that our previous home was Cookie's and this new home is ours (Cinnamon and Mint's). I think I understand what they mean...
I actually like our new home very much because it has a lot of space where Mint and I can run around. Also, this house is not on a busy road like the previous one. So, when we find another dog coming in our walks, we can always go across the road so that I don't have to feel anxious or scared. In fact my Mum looks much more relaxed in our walks, so I feel relaxed too! It seems Mint is also starting to learn to ignore other dogs when he sees them in the street as long as they are on the other side of the road.
We haven't moved yet. But, I am posting to let my friends know that my humans' family in Japan are fine. After seeing shocking reports, images, and videos of the big earthquake and its aftermath, some friends emailed my humans to ask if their family were OK. Although my humans' hometowns were hit by the quake, none of their family and relatives' houses are close to the shore involved in the monstrous tsunami. So, they were not affected much.
As soon as my humans saw the first report on the earthquake on the Internet, they rang their family in Japan, but the calls didn't get through as the phone lines were overloaded. But the next day they could finally talk to their mothers.
My Mum's mother had experienced big earthquakes three times before, of which two were within the last five years. In an earthquake that directly hit the area where she lives, many houses in the area got serious damage and had to be demolished for safety reasons, but luckily her house only got some cracks in the walls.
However, the earthquake and tsunami this time is just beyond my imagination! My heart goes to people involved in this devastating and heartbreaking event.
We are moving again less than two months after moving in January. The house where we live now is our temporary home. Next week we are moving to our own home.
Both Mum and Dad are excited about the move, because we are getting out of the crowded town (Who said there is no crowded town in New Zealand?). Our new home is a little far away from the city centre. But, that's no problem, because my humans don't need to commute to town to work as they work from home. Another good thing about this new house is that it is much closer to the facility our dog training club uses - it is only a ten-minute drive! Travelling to and from training has always been an issue, as it can take nearly one hour, especially when we go to training starting at 6.30 pm, which means that we have to drive on the motorway in busiest hours.
Well, now I have to go back to helping my humans' packing. We will be in the new house when I post next time.
