~Magically Marching into MARCH~(formerly Fumbling February)

[Giyana]

Gorgeous Dog! thanks for the "mindfulness" reminder... Sort of an odd use of words together...

[zanna]

Fifi: wow, what a great looking dog!

Cody: re dog activities... I have a friend who does "Tracking" with her dog. This is what she said:

To answer your question about tracking :

Tracking has become one of my main passions. It is essentially training for person and dog to do search and rescue type tracking, or other types of scent tracking.

For about a year and a half my dog Ellie has been in human scent tracking lessons. We go out once a week with a specific group of people and dogs + our wonderful instructor, and we work on having our dogs follow tracks that we lay for them to follow. They also learn to indicate to us when they have found an object, and they can also do area searches for objects.

For example, recently I was out on a walk with Ellie and after awhile I noticed that my sunglasses were missing. They had fallen off of my head somewhere on our walk. I gave Ellie a hat I was wearing for her to sniff and I told her to 'search lost' and let her off leash. She searched back over where we had walked and easily found my sunglasses! When she found them she gave me an indication that she had found them. All dogs do this differently ... Ellie sits beside the object and looks at me. (Sometimes she paws at the object ... fortunately she didn't with my glasses.) It is a very handy thing and uses a dog's natural talent.

Some of our tracks are quite long (so far up to 2 km or so) and some of them are older than others. eg: we may have just laid the track, or it could be a couple of days old.

We have tracked in the woods, in fields, in a school, on a city bus, outside of malls, in parking lots, outside of buildings etc. She is being trained to do all different types of tracking.

She is marvelous at it. You develop a solid working relationship with your dog, learn to trust them and their ability and read their body language for cues and communication. (Some of our tracks are laid by other people, and we don't know where to go, so we have to follow and trust our dogs!)

It is absolutely amazing! I have no intention of putting her to work, but I love it, and spend as much time as I can doing it.

I also keep a log book of all of her tracks, with maps of the track, weather conditions, etc.

When we track as a group it is excellent exercise. We lay the track, then run each dog separately so with 3 - 5 dogs it can take several hours to complete sometimes. Usually at least 2 hours. The terrain can be quite a challenge as well. We do not always have tracks laid on trails, so we have to go through the bush with the dogs leading us.

Sometimes we put objects along the trail ... a key, a glove, a cell phone, a piece of cloth or leather, etc. and the dogs need to find the objects along the way. Other times we have no objects, just a person waiting for them at the end.

I LOVE IT! I only wish I had known about this years ago because you really learn how smart dogs are at solving problems. Sometimes we have other people wander across the track we laid and leave 'decoy' objects out there. So interesting to see that the dogs understand this and ignore it!

It is all very poistive training. Ellie gets excited when she sees her tracking harness.

I have lots of photos up on some of the projects we've worked on. There is a very fun one we did on Halloween too of a 'pumpkin track'.

Nice to know that Ellie can locate my keys if they are lost, or find a person if needed. Probably way more than you wanted to know. ;-)

Sounds like a fun activity for both dog and owner. Here is a link about it, too:

Dog Play: Tracking

zanna

[Lefty]

Feef--She??? is beautiful. What's her?? name???

[Fifi]

Her name is Pearler which is Australian slang for something that is great. Funnily enough Cody they were going to get a pup and name her "Kel", but obviously the older dog was already named.

Thanks for the info on the tracking Zanna, very interesting.

[Velvet]

interesting tracking info, zanna. If I ever get a puppy, that sounds like something I would like to do. My dog is going on 9 and after spending Sunday doing 'poop patrol' after all the snow melted......I am not getting another dog!! I will stick with cats.
Fifi, Pearler is beautiful.
cody, sorry to hear about your latest accident. Hope you're doing ok.

[laurie6781]

Cody, I am sorry you have had another 'riding accident.'

Went through a series of those years ago and decided to give up 'barrel racing' and go to a more 'docile'.

Might it be possible to change your 'riding habits'? Maybe getting a different horse, for casual and long distance riding? As my neighbor has horses, he welcomes my riding any time I want, and I usually just go for LONG 'trail rides' on some very 'easy to handle' equines.

It is still very relaxing, certainly gives me my 'horse fix' and all the 'smells' are there. I ride the same 'Paint' all the time and he and I have become 'quite integrated' with each other.

As much as you love horses, before you give up totally try a 'different format' lol.

Also, if you do decide to go agility please thik about Belgian Sheepdog, rofl (yes I am definitely prejudice) asthey are so extremely smart.

Hope you heal quickly!!! And am sending good thoughts and prayers.

Love and hours,

[cody]

Aww, thanks for the ideas guys! That scent tracking with dogs looks pretty cool, and I've got a friend (the ones with the Belgians) who does tracking as well as agility with his pups. I'd fear getting a Belgian though, since my friends might think I was trying to compete with them, LOL.

Actually my friend with the Belgian is going to the National agility trials in Tulsa later this month....pretty darn cool

laurie, thanks for your wonderful ideas about switching disciplines. I would have thought switching from jumping to dressage about 8 years ago would have been sufficient to keep me "safe", LOL. Nope, just didn't have good matches with the ponies for about 5 of those years. I hope I don't give up on riding completely....it really is a passion for me, and plays many important roles in my life. Once I get healed I will start poking around to see what other options might exist. I often see horses for lease, and it might be a reasonable pursuit to just find one for trail riding for awhile. Wish I knew your neighbor....how very, very convenient to have access to horses whenever you like!

Something will work out, I'm sure.

Thanks again for all your support everyone....this is quite a challenge for me!

[Nadinearama]

drive by hugging

maybe you need a pony like mine Cody, all she does is drool....

[laurie6781]

Once I get healed I will start poking around to see what other options might exist.

Don't forget about 'endurance' riding competitions, anywhere from 25 miles on up. And then there is Gymkhana which is really COOL. You and the horse as a team, through obstacles.

As to the Belgians ............................. I bet your friend would be very happy for you! All sorts of things ........................... SAR (search and rescue), Agility of course, Herding (sheep and duck competitions), and Therapy dogs. My Mitch will be getting tested upon my return from the Caymans to be Certified as a Therapy dog. Then I can take him into hospitals (pediatrics especially and cancer wards) and nursing homes.

I know there will be those that disagree with me, but I do prefer a Belgian over say a Border Collie. Belgians as I think you know from my past posts about Shania and Mitch are definitely thinking dogs, extremely SMART, after learning what you want they will almost 'chastise' you (at least give you a look) if you give a wrong command or are not where you are suppose to be. BC's learn very quickly but seem to just 'do' over and over, never questioning. I'm prejudice toward the Belgian breed, rofl you know that Cody, but if you get a dog, any breed you desire they can be wonderful companions, give you a great reason to go for a LONG daily walk (another hour we will start ours, lol) and I think most important, at least for me, the GREATEST COMFORT in the world when one is having a bad day, or something has gone to chit.

Anyway, rest, heal, and know we/I love you and am sending good healing thoughts and prayers.

Love and hugs,

[indigo]

Oh cody I'm sorry about your pelvis it sounds very painful. The new dog looks cute Feef & I'm glad you had a good trip. The weather doesn't know what to do here, luckily we are missing the the worst of it in the south east. My bronchitis won't go & the gastric flu sux big time, so I'm having a pity party for me. Meantime the new pups are growing. My oldest dog Bébé had to have a very complicated op on her hip, & knee has had pins put in & is being very brave, she has to be for if this fails they will have to amputate. Please think positive for her she's such a plucky little dog & didn't cry once. Good to be back buds.

[Giyana]

Trail rides are kind of my speed too now. (I have fond memories of riding my horses on the prairie bareback; not sure anything can quite equal that...)

Oh well, on to SCUBA. Glub glub....

[Fifi]

Hey guys, just dropping in for a quickie. I have been really busy with work, and my friend's (who is also the owner of the company I work for) wedding.

Cody, I hope your injury isn't causing you too much pain, and that you are resolving your next steps in the equine world.

Annie, good to have you back, and I hope you are feeling better.

Nadi - nice of you to drop in - I would love to hear about how your life is going when you have some time (you started all this, ya know!)

I had a minor catastrophe at the wedding when my new flash unit decided to misbehave itself... I managed to work around it, but will do some more homework before accepting any other assignments that require flash.

Here are a few pics from Saturday...

[Fifi]

[Velvet]

Great pics, Fifi! Your 'little' guy friend sure is growing up, isn't he? Everyone looked good....including the pooch. I liked her dress. Something different. I was looking for a full length so I could see it all....wanted to see her shoes.
I really liked that dress.
I especially liked the picture, where the groom is holding her purse. That proves the marriage will last. lol

[indigo]

Great pics, I expected a long dress too. Glad everything went well. cody how are you feeling? are you plastered up or anything? Velvet men have their own handbags here lol!!! love to everyone. My little dog bébé took two of her stiches out even with the head thing on & now she has staples ouch. The mother of my recent pups got trampled on & her legs are twisted I wept & wept & the vet is hoping (me too) that it will be ok.

[Giyana]

Indie, sorry about Bebe. I so miss my dear Nellie. In fact given the tenuousness of our relationship, if the bf and I split I think the first thing I would do is get another dog. We need a living being to care for.

Fifi! the pictures are great! May the couple stay as happy as they look in those photos (they seldom do, sadly). I have a few such photos which are sad memories now. But that sounds like a downer-your photography is awesome!

Gi

[Velvet]

Velvet men have their own handbags here lol!!!

Oh we have the 'man bag' that is popular with some professional men or just the backpack for college students....but he is carrying her pink satin clutch!!! lol I'd most definately have to have a man bag, were I a man.

[cody]

Great pix (((Feef)))...I hope your friend is pleased with them Sorry you had some troubles with the flash; however it looks like you managed just fine with the dilemma!

Good to see you again (((Indie)))...hope your pups get better soon. Let us know how things are going, OK?

I'm hanging in there, licking my wounds are trying to not feel too sorry for myself. I'm not in plaster, and have graduated down to needing only one crutch, which is nice. Moved my boy to his new temporary caretaker on Sunday, where he will stay until he is sold It's been a really painful process for me, so I am just trying to take things one day at a time, and not beat myself up. Easier said then done, but I know I'll get through this and hope things will be better on the other side.

Take good care buddies....

[Hopefloats]

Originally Posted by Nadinearama

drive by hugging

maybe you need a pony like mine Cody, all she does is drool....

OMG I am in love

[Hopefloats]

Fifi, those pix are just beautiful!