Puppy Pick-Up Lines

There's something about walking dogs that seems to bring out the weird in guys. Here are the top three odd pick-up lines I've heard while walking my dogs, in chronological order:

3. (From one of a group of young guys in a car near a nightlife area) "Hey puppy, need a ride?"
2. (From a middle-aged man hanging out on the street near the club) "Hey baby, you can walk me any time!"
1. (From a young guy on the sidewalk tonight, near the bank) "Awww... What a cute owner!"

Not once has a guy actually stopped to greet the dogs and then tried a line. What weird things have you heard while walking your dogs? Please share in the comments!

Club Cleanup | Working From Home

I got last-minute approval to take the morning off, so I was at the club by 9am today. Despite the quick response to the storm, the room already smelled just a little bit off. There were huge wet spots on the matting that hinted at a worse mess underneath.

There were 7 or 8 of us working. We moved all the agility equipment to a dry area and ripped up most of the matting, exposing standing water below. As a few of us worked on the mats, others set to work with wet-vacs and towels. The amount of water was incredible with large, quarter-inch-deep puddles in a few areas. To further complicate matters, the mats are custom-cut around the walls and pillars, necessitating very careful placement of the ripped-up mats to ensure they would fit back down again.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that our work was complete in 2 hours. By the time we left, the professional chemical-cleaner was already working to clean, disinfect, and partly dry the soaked matting. No mold for us!

I had fun, despite the circumstances. One of my fellow 9am students was there (the one whose dog Maxwell convinced to go psycho), I met another member with a rescue dog, the membership chair, and even the club president! Mr. Trainer preceded to embarrass me for the second time in three days, boasting of my work with Sadie to the club president. (The first time was when he announced, to the whole class on Saturday, my trial results.) I can't honestly say I minded, since I am very proud of our accomplishments, but it was unexpected. Besides, my success reflects well on him, as it should.

The remainder of the day was spent working from home. Yay... Maxwell made it ever so much more pleasant with his dash-and-whine routine. It went something like this:

• Hang out on the deck
• See something worth chasing / greeting / investigating
• Start a constant stream of high-pitched crying
• Run the length of the deck, into the apartment, down the hall, into the office
• Stop suddenly
• Stare at me
• Be quieted by my attention
• Repeat

As you can imagine, it got pretty old. Once, as he ran into the room, I looked at him and said DOWN in a firm tone. He silenced and dropped like a stone. It was amazing. Too bad it only worked twice! I ended up having to give him time-outs in his crate.

Sadie just wanted the occasional belly-rub, and to woof at the mailman. Good girl!

Storms, Projects And Other News

Hurricane Irene didn't hit us nearly as hard as expected. I stayed up quite late last night, listening to the wind and rain. The dogs were unfazed, save for the bothersome business of having to get wet when they went outside. This morning brought a few downed branches, but nothing serious. We kept power, and even internet, all night.

 Boooooooooooriiiiiiiiiiing...

Sadly, I just heard that PCOTC's lower training level was not so fortunate. The room was flooded, and needs an emergency cleaning to prevent mold and other such unsavory business. I've asked my boss for the morning off tomorrow to help with the cleanup... hopefully I'll hear back in the affirmative.

Of less immediate import, we finally fixed the screen door to our deck. It took us over two years to do it, procrastinators that we are, but the new screen looks so much nicer. Why did it need replacing, you ask? Because the day we moved in, a certain large yellow dog simply walked right through it. The metal screen must have been ancient, since it offered her almost no resistance. For her part, she was suitably surprised and hasn't gone through since. Maxwell, on the other hand, found the tear to be just the right size to be an Aussie-door. No more!

Now that Sadie is amassing a nice collection of rosettes and ribbons, it seemed only natural to find a nice way to display them. Her first few were hung from the bottom edge of a picture frame (with her picture in it). That became impossible with the most recent batch, though. Not only do the hooks on the new ones not fit in the crevasse, but there are too many to fit anyway! And so, I built a nice little display for the living room.

Sadie is doing so well! I already can't wait for the next trial...

I even made her name the same color as her collar

The materials cost me less than $35, and that includes enough to build one for the little guy, once he starts competing! I may have to buy some thin wood strips to solidify the edges, as the cork bends quite easily, but overall I think it's a hell of a job for someone so un-crafty as myself.

And now for your regularly scheduled training update:

I'm teaching Maxwell the CHIN cue, which I first saw performed by a fellow New Rochelle Humane Society volunteer's dog. On cue, Maxwell plops his face into the palm of my hand and waits for the click. The end behavior will be a bit more flexible. I plan to have CHIN work for any surface I request, with emphasis on a person's legs (when seated) and the edges of chairs and beds. He should hold still for several minutes at a time, even if petted and fussed over. Obviously we're a long way from that, but he's making good headway. (Haha! Get it? Headway? *ahem*)

I've started teaching Sadie the same trick, with much different results. She has finally learned to offer behaviors besides SIT and DOWN when she doesn't immediately get a click. When trying to get the CHIN behavior, I held out my hand and looked at it. She nosed it a bit, offered a paw, and licked my hand... and then bit it. Not hard. No, not at all! It was more like she gently took my hand in her mouth, as a hunting dog might gingerly hold game. Her expression was priceless. It was as if she didn't really think that was right, because she knows not to bite, but what on earth else could I be asking for??? She did eventually offer the correct behavior, and earned many handfuls of kibble.

We Seem To Be About To Have Some Weather...

Westchester County is currently under a hurricane warning due to Irene. There are even areas of New York City that are being evacuated. We have taken some precautions ourselves, bringing plants and other such small items inside, and tying down the deck furniture.

While I don't think the work is about to end, I do think caution is worthwhile. Here are things I've heard recommended:

• Ensure you have plenty of water for yourselves and your pups
• Stock up on a few days' worth of non-perishable food (human and dog)
• Make sure you have batteries, flashlights, and other basic power-outage necessities
• Bring in or secure loose items outside
• If you need / decide to evacuate, make sure you have any medications, ID tags, and other critical items for your pets
• If your dog is afraid of severe weather, make sure you have 'comfort items' on hand; favorite treats, toys, thundershirt, and/or anxiety medications

Above all, use common sense and follow your instincts. My biggest personal fear is that the dogs simply won't want to get wet to go potty!