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sudden buddy

#dogblr #dogs of tumblr #australian shepherd #2 years #these two had fun and played together very nicely #truly worlds biggest props to people who take photos of multiple dogs in motion and get good results #i have no idea how you guys do it this is the best i managed #possibly the 50mm prime didn't help

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#dogblr #dogs of tumblr #australian shepherd #2 years

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#dogblr #dogs of tumblr #australian shepherd #2 years

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#dogblr #dogs of tumblr #australian shepherd #2 years #tumblr potato video quality i hate you

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and now, some relaxation.

#dogblr #dogs of tumblr #australian shepherd #2 years

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Woof did we have a tough time at our rally trial yesterday. We NQ'd both courses and I ended up withdrawing on the second. I had brought my mom with us so Kaija wouldn't have to be crated alone while I walked the courses, but it ended up being a really bad idea bc Kaija spent most of our time in the ring looking around and trying to spot my mom. It was pretty rough on the first course but even worse on the second. I've never stopped mid-run before and it was not easy to make that choice, but I'm glad I did it when I did - I think it was the right call.

On a more positive note, the judge was extremely kind about it. She came up to us after our class was done and complimented my handling, saying that she liked how up-beat and positive I was, and that she always likes to see handlers who treat their dog like their friend. And on our score sheet she wrote this comment:

Despite our scores and everything I'm still really proud of Kaija and also of myself. This was our very first time competing at the highest/international class! And with whole new rules and signs and judging criteria. I think it's so cool that we've made it to this point to begin with, and that we have all the skills down to be able to compete at this class. Now it's a matter of figuring out how to let those skills shine in the ring.

But most of all I'm proud that even when we were struggling, Kaija was still visibly happy to work and I still maintained the positive handling that I always strive for.

#dog training #dog sports #rally obedience #to be honest we would not have come close to qualifying even if my mom hadn't been there #the judging criteria really is so so strict (as it should be at this level ofc) and we have a lot of work in front of us #i'm feeling a little bit lost at the moment but i'm sure we'll get back on track #we have another trial on wednesday #i'm aiming for points above zero on both courses this time lol #and then after that we will have time to rest and regroup and work out a plan with our instructor #the judge yesterday really was so so so nice though #it meant so much to me to be told that my dog looked happy in the ring and that my handling was kind <3

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man shelties sure have some lungs on them. i say this with the utmost love and respect, of course.

#i’m at a rally seminar and it’s in the same venue as a group 1 confo show #you could really tell when the sheltie ring started lol

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machine that zaps me with 1 billion volts of electricity every time i try to open instagram reels

#i also need this device #the IG algorithm is god awful #but the temptation of occassionally seeing something interesting… they have me on a variable schedule of reinforcement fr

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just watched kaija perform and hold an absolutely beautiful point on a stock dove. the dove did not give a single shit about being pointed.

#it was the whole picture - one foot up muzzle pointed directly at the bird #the dove looked at her and said ‘that’s not a real birddog so i will not be moving’

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rotund

#2 years #dogblr #dogs of tumblr #australian shepherd #yes hello i am back with another screenshot of a bereal

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Ur dogs not reactive it’s just not a golden retriever send tweet

#i've been thinking about this post so much lately #very glad i managed to find it

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okay guys i need everyone to concentrate really hard and help me manifest Kaija not going into heat before may 2nd. we have a trial on april 28 and another on may 1, and i really really want to go, so we all need to work together here alright

#i am squeezing my eyes shut and crossing my fingers etc #please i just want to go to a trial #obviously whatever happens happens but i just really think that the first weekend of may would be such a great time to start a heat #you know if anyone around here perhaps wanted my input on this

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We've encountered a new training problem that I haven't been able to figure out yet. I need to be able to send Kaija to a cone (see the exact sign description below). Currently she has two cues for circling a cone - one where she starts on my left side and circles clockwise, the other starting on my right and circling counter-clockwise. These cues work well for the other cone-related signs, however on the send away she often ends up circling the sign itself or the wrong cone (the recall cone which would typically be placed directly in our previous line of motion vs. the cone I need her to go to which is off to the side).

To try to fix this problem I thought I could teach a directed send around with discrimination between multiple cones and other objects (to imitate the signs). I haven't had much luck with this approach so far, but then I've never tried to teach anything similar before and it's very possible that with clearer training it might still work. At the moment I don't think Kaija really understands my attempts to point out the correct cone to her, even if she does seem to look at it (i.e. she'll look at the cone I'm trying to mark for her and then turn and go circle the other cone).

An idea our trainer suggested was for me to leave her in a stay and go around the cone myself before sending her, then fade my own motion from going all the way around to just orienting towards it, until she figures out that she needs to go to the cone that I'm looking at. Me going around the correct cone did work when I tried it in class yesterday, so might also be a method worth considering.

An added complication is that Kaija will also try to circle the sign itself which could be placed directly between us and the cone I'm sending her to. So I expect we'll need to work a bunch on learning to ignore sign-like objects even if they are along her path to the cone. I'm also wondering if I should teach an entirely separate cue for this, since I really don't want to create any confusion with the other cone signs, as those are really fluent at the moment.

If anyone has any thoughts about all this, I would love to hear them. I've been trying to figure this out for some time now and haven't really made a whole lot of progress. A conundrum, if you will.

#well it's a conundrum for me at least #baby's first dog sport and so on #dogblr #dog training #dog sports #rally obedience

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fucking wild when your dog is approaching 3yo and suddenly a lot of your problems just kinda go away.

#this happened a lot when she was a puppy #we had a problem #and then after a little while it... went away #and then we had new problems and then those went away too #anyway kaija now rides on the elevator no problem #she met and greeted all my colleagues and that was totally fine #she was great at ob class today after an >1 month break #was completely neutral towards the other dogs in class #and she did great with house guests today too - polite greetings and overall lovely manners #(a lot of this stuff she was alright/mostly alright with a year ago as well #but now it's truly nbd) #if this is maturity then holy hell it's amazing #i mean i love puppies and i loved puppy!kaija and teen!kaija and everything in between #but this is amazing

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so apparently it’s puppy day today

#happy puppy day #dogblr

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Happy coat blow season to all who celebrate

#ah but i have an intact bitch so i am immune to ‘coat blow season’ #kaija already blew her coat #in fucking january #and i’m sure she’ll be in full gorgeous coat again by like june #make it make sense

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Prospective test subject, basic portraits:

Prospective test subject, other shots:

dogblr friends!!

I need some volunteers. I'm trying to get better at dog art, so I would like some test subjects. pls reblog with your test subjects. I'd love a mix of nice basic portraits and cool/funny shots!

(note: this is also for a non leather art thing I'm learning and haven't talked about here yet. if I like what I draw, I will probably take it to the next step for this thing, for practice, but there will be an option to buy at cost [I will be honest I don't know yet what that cost will be]. no commitment to do so whatsoever!)

#sleepy potato as a bonus :)