teacup

[areese]

so...last weekend, in a pretty much futile attempt to take my mind off the divorce, I entered the dogs in a teacup trial.
In general, I don't find it very challenging...my dogs aren't fast on the courses cuz everything is sooo close together they don't quite understand how to get up any speed between obstacles. And sadly, the first day the judge chose a "down" on the table and salsa can NOT do that. Totally will not press her delicate naked belly onto a sand-painted table. I don't blame her, honestly. I tried running her with her harness on (they allow that) but it didn't help. On Sunday they did have a stand on the table which she can do but she popped out of the weaves so no Q again. Owen was quite amusing. I have trained an automatic down on the table with the weens-can bring them up to a sit if that is required. so send O to the table, he lays down. I ask him to stand. so he sits. I ask him to stand (he has no clue cuz we never trained that) so he spins in a circle. that didn't do it, so he sat, waved, backed up, tapped danced all over the table, laid down again, then rolled over. a veritable frenzy of Owen tricks. I was laughing SOOO hard. better than a Q...being able to laugh like that.
the next round I just didn't look at him at ALL..just stopped, put my hand back for him to stay and stood there hoping he was standing up cuz I knew if I looked at him he'd start the trick routine again. the judge counted..so I assumed he was standing there so that worked!! Worked with laika too
Teacup has like a bazillion games, most of which require skills that have nothing to do with agility handling. like guessing how fast your dog would do a course. or adding an exact amount of points while running. crazy stuff.
LAIKA, who has never done teacup, got both her beginner titles (standard and games). In a rather leisurely way...it was hot and she doesn't think teacup is all that fun, evidently. there were only 13 dogs entered and 6 of them were dachshunds. My friend Staci's adorable Finnegan (black and tan wire) did his first trial. he's had no classes and only a couple of training sessions. he got two Q's!!!!! I was sorta bursting with pride cuz I told her from the first moment I saw him that he was gonna be her agility dog. he's sooooooo smart. Soooo willing. not to mention the cutest freaking dog ever.
Although as usual, Salsa was the most popular dog there. We met a woman doing her first trial with her chihuahua and she told me she wanted to do it becasue she saw Salsa running last year Inspirational Bug that she is...
I think she got 3 out of 6 q's, O got 4, and Laika got 6. The very small courses inspired salsa to make up her own courses. Quite cute. She was quite enamored of the tiny little chute (usually she doesn't like the chute) and went way out of her way to go do it at every opportunity. I dunno what goes through that tiny round head sometimes...
But they are all intermediate dogs now and we've only done 4 days total of teacup so I'm proud.

[vferraro99]

You do such a good job with your kids, Amy... I'm always amazed at you, and Salsa, and Owen, and Laika, of course!!

[Barb]

Holy Cow - I belly laughed at Owen - I can just imagine how hard you laughed !!!! How friggin a-dorable is that Owee ????

Sounds like a fun time....glad you did it !

[areese]

Holy Cow - I belly laughed at Owen - I can just imagine how hard you laughed !!!! How friggin a-dorable is that Owee ????

Sounds like a fun time....glad you did it !

Poor O was prob. looking for a piano to play..he had tried everything else!!

[silverselkie56]

Wonderful and funny and Inspiring. Love to hear about your kids and what they do.
Wish to see them one day.

[areese]

Wonderful and funny and Inspiring. Love to hear about your kids and what they do.
Wish to see them one day.

You are welcome anytime!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rae]

you paint a good "word picture," Amy. I can see poor Owey, shucking and jiving and tappity-tappity tappity, twirl two three four, and BIG FINISH!!!!

literally lol.

with a side order of Laika to the side rolling her eyes and thinking Oh. My. God. You are TOTALLY embarrassing me.

[areese]

Owen is somewhat of an over achiever I guess. Sometimes I wish I didn't clicker train cuz of the way the dogs offer soooo many behaviors so quickly.
Well, Salsa and Owen do. Laika is more of a thinker.
When I was doing Rally classes with Laika, I thought, well, I'll teach owen the stuff at home. Started with a simple "front" (the dog comes to the front of you from a heel position and just sits facing your close to your legs). easy peasy. But no, Owen has to spin and dance and roll over and wave (sometimes I REALLY wish I didn't teach them to wave) and would run over and find the piano or guitar in the toy box. He gets sooo excited.
Yesterday I was trying to teach them to go touch a scented toy, in the hopes of building that into a good trick for the dachshundfest (like making people think they can read...or know different colors...or SOMETHING) and there is this frenzy of dog tricks...Salsa is jumping over the weens and Laika is smacking Owen cuz she loves the "touch" trick (and to her credit-I was asking her to touch the scented toy) and Owen's just running around laying on things cuz I taught him to lay on a target. maybe I just should not do the trick contest. I dunno. it's hard to come up with something new every year.