Posts Tagged ‘ammo
Dachshund Training class #1
Last Thursday I started taking the Dachshund to his very first training class at the Dog Training Club of Chester County. Since Ammo will be attending these classes for the next 6 weeks I thought it would be neat for me to post about what he learns each week. Even though this training is for a dog, a lot of the same principles can be applied to the horses or any other animal.
The last time I had been to dog training classes was when I was about 12 years old and a member of the Heel n’ Sit Dog 4-H club. I did monthly classes with my large black lab, Jack, and my brother worked with his golden mix, Sneakers. Sneakers even went on to get her canine good citizen certification. Back then it was about choke chains and tugging on your dog, that’s just how it was taught. I know now this wasn’t the best way to train a dog, but I was a kid….and this is how we were taught to do it.
Having never been to the Dog Training Club of Chester County, I was pleasantly surprised when my welcome e-mail said NO CHOKE CHAINS, bring a a quality dog lift harness. I was half expecting to have to defend myself for wanting to use a harness on my dog. I was even more surprised when we showed up at the first class and the instructor handed out clickers to everyone. She explained that DTCC was a positive reinforcement training club and the classes were more about training us than they were about training our dogs. Score!
Our classmates were a hyperactive rescue dog, a puppy mill pitbull rescue, and a 4 month old Irish Wolfhound – that looked more like a lion to me at 10x’s the Dachshund’s size.
We started the class by introducing our dogs to the clicker and teaching them that click meant food. We then worked on gaining our dog’s attention, something thats very hard for the little doxie. He was much more interested in the new smells and the new dogs. So we worked on clicking our dogs each time they looked at us or responded to their name being called.
Then we worked on helping our dogs to learn the sit and down by luring them into position with food. Finally we worked on pulling on the leash. We learned that if our dog starts to pull us we should stop and anchor ourselves, waiting for the dog to release the tension of the leash themselves. Then rewarding them.
I realized after our first session that the dachshund’s biggest problem is keeping focus. He has a very hard time paying attention to me, even when I have food. At home even carrots warrant undivided attention, but amongst new smells and new dogs, even cheese couldn’t keep my fella’s attention. Our instructor suggested we search for a treat that made the boy go gaga, so I have since tried hot dogs, which seem to work fairly well – but cooked beef might have to be implemented for our next class.
Over the past few days I have been working with the boy throughout the day. He has the sit and the down mastered with hand and verbal signals – although to be fair he already knew these commands, but now atleast he can perform them with a verbal or hand signal. And he isn’t really pulling on the leash on our walks, although he wasn’t a “big” puller to begin with. I’ve also been working on keeping his attention, I think he still has a long way to go, but I have noticed some improvement. I’m anxious to see if he’s any different by our next class.
Molly Mutt Dog Duvet Covers
As crafty as I am, I am a terrible sewer. I don’t know how to set the machine right, the thread always bunches up, my stitches break, I just really can’t do it. I have grand images of making jackets for the Dachshund, saddle pads, or maybe even horse blankets! But I’ve come to realize this is just never going to be possible.
I can’t sew, but here is someone who can!
Molly Mutt is a fantastic online shop where you can purchase dog bed duvet covers. Simply pick a fabric (and the fabrics are oh so cool!) and it comes ready to be stuffed with an old dog bed, or even blankets and old clothes from around your home. You can even buy a nifty “stuff sack” which will hold all of your “stuffing” neatly together.
Today I purchased the robot duvet cover and a stuff sack for the Dachshund. He has this horrible habit of chewing up his dog beds – and actually sleeping inside of them. But it comes to a point when he has stuffing all over the floor that I decide its time to part ways with the bed. Except this time. I’ve decided to be ECOFRIENDLY by simply stuffing his old bed into a new duvet cover. Plus the cover is just so cute I couldn’t resist!
Ammo inside one of his beds
Something old, Something new
So in preparation for Ammo’s upcoming dog training classes I decided to buy him a new collar. His old one had a crack in the buckle that I wasn’t sure would hold up forever (The husband tried to crack a beer with the buckle, tisk, tisk) – and I didn’t want it falling apart in class with me trying to chase a non-compliant Dachshund all over the place.
So after a little bit of searching I found Handmade Green, a San Diego based artist who makes eco-friendly dog products. Gotta love saving the earth! I am REALLY big on shopping eco-friendly, I save tons of stuff to be reused for projects and crafts, and of course I recycle! So when I found their collars made out of old grain sacks I definitely had to get one for the little sausage dog.
When the package arrived at the shop the dachshund just knew it was for him. He began jumping up and down as I tore into the envelope. I reached down and snapped it on his neck – and the resulting video is what happened next.
Gotta love the crazy weenie.
Chincoteagues in the Snow
What’s more beautiful than a Chincoteague Pony running in the snow? Three Chincoteague Ponies running in the snow! Check out these videos I took on Monday of Minnow, Blitz and Boomer running around in our snowy ring.
You might notice after watching the first video that Boomerang keeps attempting to stand on the snow covered bridge. I think its so cute, he’s clearly trying to figure out if he does something with the bridge maybe it will bring him some food, I love how he’s always thinking.
Ok now after watching these…take note of Minnow (he’s the shortest bay and white pinto that runs around the most). Now does he look like a pony with severe ringbone in his front pastern? I think he’s faking the whole thing! You can barely detect a limp! And he’s not on a drop of medication or any supplements!
By watching Minnow gallop around its easy to tell why he was such a great mounted games pony. Several times he sits deep on his hind end to spin around – not to mention look at that speed! Boy do I miss riding him! And whats up with Boomerang (the buckskin and white pinto)? He’s supposed to be my next-in-line mounted games pony and he barely takes a trot step! Jeesh! I’m going to have to work on him. 🙂
The Paisley Pony Article
The Trick Ponies of Chincoteague and their sidekick, Ammo the Dachshund, were featured in the Winter 2010 Issue of The Paisley Pony. Ammo thinks he’s hot stuff now after I showed him his first published article. He told me he only signs autographs for his fans that bring him dog cookies. I’ve created a monster!
So head on over to The Paisley Pony and check out the Winter 2010 Issue.
