The Dog Company: Newsletter

Volume 58 - January 2, 2004

Materials in this newsletter are the sole possession of the authors and Dog Company. Please do not copy or use in any fashion without written permission

In all tricks, there are commands you will use when teaching other tricks. So really, your imagination is all you need to invent some of your own.

When you tell your dog to say her prayers, she will put her front paws up on whatever you indicate and drop her head between her front paws and legs. When you finish your prayer (keep it short and to the point) and say, "Amen"; that will be her cue that the trick is over.

Begin by teaching PAWS UP. This can be easily done either on a counter, or your bed or foot stool or even your lap. Pick a height that your dog can sit in front of and you can teach the PAWS UP. Give the sit command in front of the foot stool. Then pat the top and say PAWS UP. IF YOU ARE USING FURNITURE AND/OR YOUR LAP, YOUR DOG MIGHT BE RELUCTANT AS YOU PROBABLY HAVE TAUGHT HER NOT TO JUMP ON THE FURNITURE OR PEOPLE. So you will be showing her she can do this on command only. Offer a treat that she can get only by placing her paws on your lap or wherever you want the trick to be. Make sure she remains sitting, give lots of quiet praise ... tell her WAIT.

WITH ANOTHER TREAT IN YOUR HAND, slide that hand with the treat in it under her arm until it is between her front legs; at the same time you say, 'SAY YOUR PRAYERS." The dog will smell the treat and drop her head down to get it. Hold on to it and let her try to get it gently ..... say the prayer and then give the treat, pause for a moment and say, "AMEN." Then let her break and leave that position and really praise her up.

Now use your imagination and sense of humour for the prayer (hers or yours.) As you get better and better, you can practice this wherever and gradually build her patience so that you can fool around with longer prayers and do it anywhere. You never know whenever you might need it to impress the Pope or some local school kids or just the family!

My prayer:
"Whatever you do with your dog, be worthy of being looked up to"

Woof...Sweep ^..^~~!

(To our advertisers: we'd love to hear if your ad in the Woof was successful. Please drop us a line and let us know.)

Wanted: A new family. I'm a five year old English Cocker female, spayed. I'm a rescue dog and need a bit of extra TLC but I'm really a wonderful sweet girl. Do you know of anyone who might want to meet me? I'd be perfect for a retired or single person or an elderly couple, etc. The people who have me right now are hoping to recover at least $250.00 of my vet bills. As there are already dogs living here, I'm just one more too many, so I do need a home as soon as possible. vschuetze@telus.net

Birthday Wishes: A great big wwwooooooff for a belated birthday wish for Parker... He turned 3 on Dec. 27th.

And more Birthday Wishes: Lots of big woofs and licks to both Pia and Peni for having Dec. birthdays..

Wanted: Your 'articles', your 'For Sales', your 'Want Ads', your birthday wishes, your letters to Mam'selle, your ......... ????? By Wed. Jan. 14 .... for the next Woof, please...... mailto:peni@dogcompany.com

(Disclaimer: Advertisements posted by the Woof are done as a service, not as an endorsement. Please communicate directly with the ad contact for further information on any items.)

Hi, Mam'selle,

They've brought a new little puppy into the house. It's small, and fuzzy and constantly in my face..... and my food and my bed and my toys and my water ..... and you get the picture. Should I be allowing this? Do my people have the right to do this? What can I do?

Morose Muttley

Dear M.M.

What a timely letter this is! We just got one too! Well, Peni never lets the puppy get in our face, or in our food or have our toys ..... puppy has her own stuff. Peni helps teach the pup to respect other dogs. It is NOT YOUR JOB TO DISCIPLINE THIS PUPPY, IT IS UP TO YOUR OWNERS TO SHOW THEIR LEADERSHIP.

We are not allowed to take her stuff either or her food, etc. It has been three weeks now and the puppy is bringing toys to us to play with her...we all look to see what Peni says....she always tells us it's O.K; however, we must play gently....if the puppy is losing her mind and starts getting out of hand, Peni steps in right away and stops the puppy from being too aggressive. Your parents are the leaders ..they are in charge.

Remember this pup is here for you too. Another of your kind to spend time with and enjoy. If she gets in your face, etc, go to your parents. Don't let the puppy abuse you! You have the right to be treated with respect. Come to puppy obedience classes and watch them train her/him just like it happened for you. Hopefully your parents don't expect you to do it for them.

Puppy classes start Jan. 3rd, 2004, at the Brentwood Community Club Hall -1:00 - 2:00 or call 656-1659. See you there!

woof...Poutine ^..^~~!

Whew! I did it... I survived, I coped, I managed, I didn't completely lose my cool! Well, I sort of goofed up a few times, but what the heck. According to those in the know, so did a lot of others, even some who should have known better! By now, you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about, so I'll tell you all about it.

At our last agility club day, we all played a game thing that involved running and doing a piece of equipment, and then running over and putting a candy cane on a little tree, and then off to another piece of equipment and so on. I was feeling pretty good about myself, and managed to really pay attention to Mom and keep my mind on the job at hand, so we did this game and did it pretty well. That was mistake number one. Some of the other human people who saw us thought we looked okay, and they invited/told us that we were going to try a "fun agility trial". Mistake number two was when Mom actually considered it, and mistake number three was when she said we'd go. Mistake number four was when Mom didn't break her leg like she kept threatening to, although Spencer's Mom said we still would have had to be there even if that had happened. Now if I'd broken mine, we might have been excused!

Peni picked us up nice and early and I got to ride in the van (I do like that van... keep suggesting that we need one, but I'm getting nowhere) We moved for awhile, and then Swift started making those urgent puppy noises in the back, so Peni pulled over for a pbreak; good thing too, 'cause I was needing one by this time, too. Then we had to stop further along for a people break.... not sure what they did, because they left us in the van and went into a building. When they came back, they had that hot, smelly stuff in those things that they hold in their hands. Then we went for a long, long, long, lonnnnng time; I was starting to get a bit stressed out by the time we finally pulled to a stop and were allowed out. Turns out the "out" was just for a quick pbreak, because I got stuffed back into the van, and Mom and Peni disappeared into this big, big building. They came back after awhile and got us...... well........ in we went and there were dogs everywhere. Dogs that I'd never met before! Big and little, some border collies, some kinds I'd never ever seen... there was a tiny little one that sort of looked like me, but more delicate, and a bigger, furrier one who kinda looked like me too. There were so many strangers, I didn't have time to be snarky... I was too busy being sniffed and sniffing in return. Imagine my surprise though when two of those strangers turned out to be Spencer and Heston; they do this sort of thing all the time. Sweep was taking all this in stride, but it was sure new to me. I looked, and watched and looked and sniffed, and kept trying to check out the floor. It was like our soft barn, but different; still had lots of horsey smells though.

After awhile, a human person made us all line up along a wall and pointed at each of us. I was sitting with our guys, but when this person was finished, we were in a different group. Then we had to do the course. Mom was pretty nervous, so we waited and watched 'til she figured out she knew where we were supposed to go; hey, I was cool! Our turn came and we sort of did okay... there were jumps and a couple of tunnels; I confess that I got distracted by the smells and forgot to pay attention so Mom had to backtrack and get me to do things, but we didn't knock anything down and we finished but we were pretty slow. Mom kept getting in my way too. We did this one a couple of ways, then we switched with the furfaces at the other end of the barn, and did the course they had. I didn't do too badly here either, although Mom was ready to put duct tape over my nose I'm sure. I just can't help myself; even though I watch the other dogs go flying through the course and know that's what I'm supposed to do, I'm fascinated by the smells. You just never know when you might find something good to eat!

Some of those other furfaces are pretty awesome; they hardly even need the human person to tell them what to do. They don't fall for some of the sneaky tricks the way I do. Wadda ya supposed to do? There's jump, jump, jump in a row when you look, but you're only supposed to do two? What's the point of having the jump there if you're not supposed to jump it. Or how about a nice inviting tunnel... straight ahead.... and you're supposed to go in the end way over there?? The one that really got me though was the jump, jump, jump, but the jump in the middle wasn't in a line with the others... haven't they ever heard that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line? What's with this zig zag stuff? Sweep is good at all of this, even if Peni thinks she has too much to say about it; good thing Peni can't fully translate dog!

Finally, all the human people decided they'd had enough, so Sweep and I got put back in the van to wait for a bit and then we headed home. On the sides of the road in some places was this funny white stuff, so Peni drove really carefully so she wouldn't scare me. We got home safely, I came in and told Dad all about it, and then hit the bed. This competition stuff is tough! Am I going to try again? Probably not 'til Mom figures out a way to keep my nose off the ground!!

HRH Trouble (athlete with attitude)

The prewash cycle on the dishwasher !!
Just getting you prepared...... they're talking about water conservation again here in Victoria.
(Thanks to Gerry M in California)

1. Have a torrid one-night stand with a street mutt.

2. Try to understand that the cat is from Venus and I am from Mars.

3. I will no longer be beholden to the sound of the can opener.

4. Circulate petition that Leg Humping be a juried competition in major dog shows.

5. Call PETA and tell them what that surgical mask-wearing freak does to us when no one is around.

6. Take time from busy schedule to stop and smell the behinds.

7. Hamster: Don't let them figure out I'm just a rat on 'roids, or they'll flush my a_ _

8. Always scoot before licking.

9. Grow opposable thumb; break into pantry; decide for MYSELF how much food is *too* much.

10. Get out of the castle more, maybe swim counter-clockwise this year.

11. January 1st: Kill the sock! Must kill the sock! January 2nd - December 31: Re-live victory over the sock.

...and the Number 1 New Year's Resolution made by Pets:

12. I will NOT chase the damned stick unless I see it LEAVE HIS HAND.

(Thanks to Brianna, Monty, Chinook, Dusty, and Beny!)

Every morning it's the same thing ..... I look at the mirror and say...
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who's the best lookin' dog of all?

And I hear in reply....
Why it's you, Miss Sophie Low,
And the world should know it's so.

Being a French bulldog, watching my weight is not an easy feat. I love to snack and I have the most beautiful eyes that just get my people to hand over the treats ..... or even share what they are eating.

Now I heard the Vet tell my Dad to watch my weight ... but geesh .. I can do that! With the mirror in the bedroom, I'm always checking myself out.

This holiday season has not been easy; so many visitors, so many ways to con treats from people. I can't help it if they want to fuss over me .... can I? I get lots of excerise and hike everyday.. I belong to the Canine Trail Blazers Club and we go everywhere. We do Obedience and soon I will be doing agility! Yippeeeeeee!

As I see it now...I am young, get lots of exercise, I love other dogs and people, and well, let's face it, I am drop dead gorgeous! However ... a few dogs think I can be a bit ... well, tooooooo much. Can you believe it?

So my New Year's resolution will be to not be so full of myself! Yeah, right! Who am I kidding,!

gruff..Sophie

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
..... Unknown

The 11 pipers piping in Butchart Gardens are Commedia del' Arte figures, an old form of Italian theatre going back many, many years to early Roman times. Masks were an important part of Roman theatre as they served as an amplification of the actor's voice. They may have been the first wireless mikes! The Commedia character is still referred to today as a mask and refers to the face, costume and movement all together. This form of theatre combines mime, improvisation, scripted dialogue, tumbling and acrobatics. Each Commedia actor was assigned a stock character or mask which had its own standard costume and established oddities. There have been changes through the years, but the characters are much the same today as they were hundreds of years ago. In the late 18th century, Commedia evolved into Vaudeville theatre.

In the Gardens, the figures you meet moving from the Star Pond to the Italian Garden in left to right order are:

Pantalone - a rich, mean, miserly retired Venetian merchant with a young wife and adventurous daughter.

Pedrolino - (Pierrot in France) - a moon struck dreamer, grandfather of today's circus clowns

Corallina - a sly, cunning servant, often courted by Pantalone. None of the women ever wore masks - these characters were called Zagne or Servette.

Tartaglia - a clumsy pharmacist or notary always ridiculed for his speeches

Scapino - a crafty prankster and jokester, servant of Pantalone

Mezzetino - another servant, sometimes associated with music tasks

Capitan Spezzaferro - professional soldier, bold, swaggering and cowardly

Trivellino - Arlecchino's younger brother, a musician with stars in his eyes, and his head in the clouds

Columbina - the maid of a famous lover, Isabella; she's witty, bright, crafty and honest, sure of herself, and knows the art of seduction. She's the beloved of Arlecchino.

Brighelal - roguish, sophisticated, and a cowardly villian who will do anything for money

Arlecchino - also known as Harlequin, an acrobat and a wit. He's child-like and amorous, and the most famous scallyway servant.

(Thanks to Albert & Heather of Butchart Gardens for the information)

GRRR ... Wuff! Yep, it's time to pop the popcorn ( I like mine with a bit of butter and a big bowl of water.)
(These are all available at the video store)

Adult: FIREFIGHT: Stephen Baldwin, Nick Mancerso. A crew of fireman and a gang of thugs race to rob an armoured car and get trapped in the middle of a forest fire. DRAMA /MYSTERY 105 min.

THE BOYFRIEND SCHOOL: Steve Guttenburg, Jan Gely. A total makeover tranforms a cartoonist into a stud so he can woo his dream date. COMEDY (101 MIN)

Geeesh.......... I can smell the popcorn now! REMEMBER TO LICK UP ALL THE CRUMBS OFF THE FLOOR!

I'm the new kid on the block and I want some of this action. I'll be doing a book review for the "Woof".........

Woman's Best Friend - Babette Haggerty-Brennan ... written with the understanding of the female psyche and dogs.

Good Owners, Great Cats - Brian Killcommons & Sarah Wilson.... filled with real life anecdotes - from kitten proofing to older cats and finicky eaters.

wuff "Swift"

Dogs come when they're called;
cats take a message and get back to you later."
- Mary Bly

I really don't know what all the fuss has been about. They call it a "holiday season" or something like that. Personally, I just don't see any reason for anything different. That goofy dog I live with got all excited the other morning, and was in the living room with the folks, tearing paper packages open. She seemed to find that quite thrilling. I'd already checked them out, and couldn't smell anything too important, so I didn't even bother getting up. Mom finally came into the bedroom with a package and said it was for me and asked if I wanted to open it, but I declined. She opened it and out came this silly little thing that moved and smelled faintly of catnip... but not enough to make me really stir. I patted it a couple of times, and then went back to sleep. It did get interesting later on though.... I could smell turkey! Now turkey is something to get excited about. I wandered out into the kitchen and made my presence known, and of course got what I wanted... turkey! It's been coming out of the fridge quite frequently, so that I approve of.

Of course, the other thing I definitely approve of is that Kaleb went home for the holidays! I'm getting much braver with him; I'll even walk out into the kitchen when he's here, but I do keep a close eye on him. He made the mistake of coming into the office the other day when Mom and I were working at the desk. He saw me, and being dog, just didn't figure it out... cat equals claws equals nose scratched. I got him! Did it so fast, Mom didn't even have time to yell at either of us... he backed up really, really fast and I went under the desk so Mom couldn't see me laughing!

Things are starting to get back to normal, although I did see those black cases come up out of the bottom of the house. They usually mean someone is going away so, I'll be watching them closely. If the folks think they're going to leave us alone, they'd better think again.

Cleocatra
(Cats rule .... dogs drool!)

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