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Volume 69 - June 4th, 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 |
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From the Editor's Paw: Sweep's Tricks. ""A well trained dog is a free dog" OPEN AND CLOSE THE DOOR Don't you wish that when your dog pokes open the bathroom door, they'd have the courtesy to close it? Because we want this to work for all dogs, we are not going to worry about teaching the dog to open the door by the latch or door knob. Let's just teach the dog to push it open (that's a no brainer ) and then go behind and push it closed! Well, let's see. Now to get started you need - a dog, a door, and the patience of Job. Most dogs have their own way of pushing to open the door if you have left it a bit ajar. So let's work from there. When using the command "Paws up, open the door" don't JUST practice the "Paws up" ..... put the whole thing in motion. "Paws up" on the door, and as the dog is walking forward on her hind feet, you control tthe speed of the door opening (or closing) by holding the knob, so the door doesn't fly open and bang against the wall, scaring the dog. Now go inside the room and show the dog to get behind the door. Give the "Paws Up..close the door" command and have the dog push the door till it gently stops. Most doors have to be pushed pretty hard to close and click shut. Now the reason I am reluctant to teach you how to open the door with the door knob or latch is that your dog will be able to open any door and get out unless you can lock all the outside doors all the time. The key to this trick is your dog may never do this unless it is done by command only! So...if you wish me to teach the open door trick with the door knob, email me woof@dogcompany.com Keeping the magic alive in tricks....wooof Sweep ^..^~~!
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Classified (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.) Home wanted: Hi everyone, my name is Buddy, but I'll also answer to Bosley, or you could give me a new name. I'm an all Canadian mixed breed - maybe a bit of lab, maybe some border collie, possibly shepherd. I'm about 6 or 7 months old, and fairly large. The folks who rescued me from an unsavory environment are being really kind, but they know that their life plans can't include me forever. They've been impressed with my behaviour; I'm good with children, have lots of energy, love great long walks or runs (I can go off leash and stay close) I learn things quickly and am really anxious to please. I'm housebroken and well behaved indoors.... what more could you ask? My foster people will tell you more about me.. Kathryn Tel: 882-0909 (Cell) or mailto: kdafos@gvcc.org (w), or mailto: dafos@telus.net (h) (Please cc correspondence to both addresses) Belated Happy Birthday: To James, aka Jimmy, a very, very happy belated birthday for May 21st. We already know that you had special treats and fell off your diet but, hey, when a guy turns 6 years old, he deserves to celebrate. Lots of barks and wooooffs from the Woof, and from the Canadian Chaos gang too. Little bit belated Happy Birthday: To Libby, the Vizsla, who celebrated her second birthday by joining the Trail Blazers for a romp at Witty's Lagoon, on May 29th. Woofffs and yips from the everyone, Libby. Happy Birthday: Terra B of Sooke turned one year old on June 3rd. Here's hoping that Skylar and Dad, Howard, spoiled you completely. Barks and best wishes to you, Terra, from the canines of the Woof. Happy Birthday: Great big barks and woofs for an upcoming birthday. HRH the Lady Trouble celebrates her fifth birthday on June 11th. Wanted: Your 'articles', your 'For Sales', your 'Want Ads', your birthday wishes, your letters to
Mam'selle, your ......... ????? (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.)
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ASK MAM'SELLE Dear Mam'selle, What is it with some dogs? The other day on my walk, I met up with someone who was new to me. He sniffed and greeted me and I was sniffing and greeting him, and then without any warning at all, he lunged at me, and growled... it all happened so fast I'm not sure, but I think he sort of snapped at me too. Honest, I didn't do anything to him first. He didn't hurt me, but I was so scared. It sure spoiled my walk, lemme tell you; I turned around and went home. What should I do in a situation like this? - Terrified Tessie Dear T.T, You need to learn to read the body language of the other dog more clearly. Sometimes there is no growl,but the other dog could feel afraid for whatever reason and his tail might just start to go down ever so slowly; that signals you that the dog is beginning to not feel so good about the sniffing. That's the time to walk away. Some dogs like to sniff ... but don't like being sniffed themselves, go figure that! Not to worry; you will be all the wiser next time, my friend. Tails up! wooffff... Poutine ^..^~~!
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Tips and Tales by Miss Trouble Oh, boy... the first canoe ride of the season and what a ride it was. But I need to back up a bit. It was Saturday night and the folks had company come for supper. This was good. They sat around on the deck and had good tasting orange coloured crunchy things. Of course, the odd piece just happened to slip my way from Dad. The company, Jake and Molly's people, were on their best behaviour and didn't let anything fall or slip, but I kept giving them the "look" anyway. I can really, really look pathetic and hard done by when I want to, but it didn't work. I guess they're used to Jake and Molly doing the same thing and know how to resist. After awhile, it was supper time and I found a good spot under the table to wait just in case anything happened to fall. Darn, but everyone was being careful and nothing fell at all. A girl could starve around here. Aw, but Mom was good to me just when I started to give up hope. She saved some of her steak for me and Cleo. And then of course, we had our whipped cream. When all the food was gone, the humans put on more fur and we headed down to the wharf. Dad had said, "Canoe ride" so there was no way I was going to be left home. They pushed the canoes into the water, and everyone got in, me with Mom and Dad. You need to know that Dad goes in the back end of the boat 'cause he has to make it go in the right direction. Mom goes in the front part and I go in the middle. My piece of carpet had been left out in the rain, so it was wet... it got left on the wharf, because there was no way I was going to sit on that! That was probably part of the problem... I had nothing to sit on. We moved away from the wharf and things seemed kinda tippy. I thought I'd do my part and shift from side to side to try and keep the balance, but that seemed to get Dad upset. Every time I moved, he moved, and then he moved, so I moved, and well, you get the picture. Not only was Dad moving, but everytime he did, he was saying my name, and it wasn't in what I'd call a happy tone! Every so often, Mom would have something to say too; it sort of sounded like, "Trouble, sit!", but I knew that couldn't be what I was hearing, because after all, my carpet was back on the wharf, and she wouldn't really expect me to sit on the bare floor. Things got a bit better as the folks got into the routine again, but Dad still wasn't all that pleased. When we got near another wharf, they let me get out, and then got me to go in front of Mom. It was pretty crowded in that spot, but I couldn't move from side to side, so it worked out a bit better. We finally made it back home without tipping over completely, so that was a good thing. I'm quite sure we'll do better the next time. If they'd put my carpet in, I'd have somewhere to sit and lie down, so I know I'd do better. What I'm waiting for is when they try to get Kaleb to go in a boat. Think I'll sit on shore and watch that! Wooooo.... HRH Trouble
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My Dog Lives In This House My dog lives in this house. You are welcome to come and visit me anytime but we have a few things that you must understand before you visit. You must expect a few dog hairs to stick to your clothes. I vacuum and clean, but my dog lives here too. You may be leaned on and find him in your lap a few times but he does this because he loves people and wants to say Hello. So if you feel that you are too good for his love then you are not welcomed here because this is his home too My dog is well mannered and very clean but if you are one of those people who think all animals are dirty and smell, then go away. You are not the type of person that I care to assoiciate with. If you don't like the sound of barking, then my home is not going to be a comfortable place for you to visit. Do not expect me to lock my dog in another room during your visit. I have trained my dog well so he will not do anything to you except maybe want a pat on the head. I will not subject him to feel as if he is being punished by locking him away for no reason. That would be cruel. When you walk into my home, be careful not to trip on a stuffed toy or ball. These are my dog's treasures and I will not take them away from him just to show you that I keep a clean house. He knows where all his toys are. They may not look like much to you, but to him, they are worth more than gold. You see, this is OUR home. We have been together since he was a small puppy scampering around the house. I raised him into a well mannered, beautifully behaved dog. I am proud of him. I consider him my personal gift from GOD. He has done nothing but give me his endless love and devotion for many years. I love him dearly and want to make his years happy ones. As happy as he made mine. When I was sick, he stayed right by my side, as I did his when he was not having a good day. A better friend I could not ask for. When no one else cared, my dog did. He has given me nothing but pure joy and I love him endlessly. So please understand that I am not being rude. I'm just looking out for my best friend. - Author Unknown (Thanks to Brianna for sending in these wonderful truths)
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Phydeau Phun Question: If a dog loses his tail, where does he get another one?
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Monty's Movies Sorry, folks .. we're too busy getting ready for a wedding.. no one is watching movies at all!! Ruffffff... Monty Woofs of Wisdom ""When a man's dog turns against him,
it is time for a wife to pack her trunk and go home to mama."
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Weather Report Have you ever wondered about the weather in other parts of Canada when we're enjoying our west coast climate? Remember March? How would you have liked to be in Whitehorse? (Thanks to Susie and Uther for this pix) 
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Sophie on Fly Ball Hi! I'm Sophie, the Border Collie x Australian Cattle Dog, built for speed. I love this sport! For those who don't know Fly ball, it's like a relay race, a steeplechase and the egg and spoon race all rolled into one game. A team of four dogs in turn have to run a distance of 105 ft - over a set of 4 hurdles, trigger the ball box in a swimmer's turn, catch the ball and return it back over the 4 hurdles to our handler across the finish line. Two teams compete against each other at one time. Fastest team to finish wins, but points can be lost for dropping the ball, missing a hurdle or faults at the start line. We dogs don't worry about the mistakes though because it's always our handler's fault! Our Club name is Canadian Chaos, and that's just what we are! Last month someone new came to play with us - Val. She agreed to help us train, and works us very hard - twice a week now since we've decided to compete, but she's getting us in shape and we're learning new techniques. Last practice we averaged a time of 22 seconds to complete a team run. Not bad for beginners. We have our first Tournament coming up on June 12th at the Saanich Fairgrounds. It's called "Madness on Mats" but I'm not sure what that means. We've run on dirt before, we've run on grass, but we've never run on mats. Oh well, I think we'll win anyway. My Mom, Linda, says she's going to wear ear-plugs. It's going to be loud in that hall with 20 teams all barking for position. 
We have 12 dogs in our club that practice together or take part in demos, so selecting just 6 for a tournament team was not easy for the people. However, Saffron (Field Retriever) has achieved Veteran status so Lynn no longer runs her in tournaments. Rabbit and Dodger (Border Collie X's) are on the side lines because Candice went and had one of those wriggly pink things (that's a human baby in case you didn't know).. Al's puppy Bustle (Jack Russell) is too young to compete yet. My brother Jim (Border Collie) got fat and slow, but he's on a diet now and Peni is putting him through his paces as her Border Collie, Sweep, has retired from competition. So, the line up for the Tournament looks like this:
If any of us gets tired or aren't running well, then we have 2 backup team members. Jodie the Border Collie, with handler Karen, gets to run in place of Missie, Trouble or me. Val's Jack Russell, Vista gets to run as height dog in place of Muggles. "Panic and Disorder, our job here is done!" That's our motto! Next time I'll tell you how we won our first tournament. Sophie
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Swift's Books Well, my friends, "Helen" and her mom, Kathy, told my Mom and I about a book, "The Dog Listener" by Jan Fennell. It was great! My mom and I highly recommend it. It is all we practice in our daily lives as well. woof... Swift ^..^ ~!
Did you know? The Bloodhound is the only animal whose evidence is admissible in an American court. Pheline Philosophy "Cats are smarter than dogs.
You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow."
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The Purrrrrrr I keep hearing about all those cat haters out there. You know the ones I mean... the ones who say things like, "Cats are great...... in Chinese food." The ones who enjoyed the European commercial that showed a poor defenseless feline getting caught in a sunroof of a car... They're the ones who watched the movie 'Cats and Dogs' and rooted for the dogs. In ' Incredible Journey', they cheered when poor Tao fell into the river and was swept away. They chortle with delight when a story on the TV tells of some cat treed for hours. (The TV never tells why the cat is up there to start with... some dog, no doubt.) They complain when we tidily bury our wastes... ever see a dog do that?? They ooooh and ahhhh over puppies, but of us? "They just grow up to be cats." The dogs know that we're supreme in so many ways; we're just going to have to start showing it to the humans. 
Cleocatra |
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Dog's Note We have no interest in propagating unwanted email. If this has reached you in error or is unwelcome, please let us know, and we will take you off our mailing list. |
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