Scoop That Poop!!

 I know I am guilty of not always picking up Rory's poop. I've always known it was bad, but now I am motivated to scoop up his poop! 

 There actually are consequences to not clean up your dog's droppings, and they do affect you!

(Sugar, The Golden Retriever)

If dog poop being a pollutant isn't bad enough, this is! Many parks, trails, and beaches that are dog friendly sometimes stop allowing dogs because their poop is all over the place. 

Dog owners everywhere need to spread the word! Scoop that poop!

#Scoop That Poop. Follow @Scoop_That_Poop on twitter
and check out Scoop That Poop Campaign site.

Also check out the other participants.
The World According to Garth Riley, Oz the Terrier, Terrier Torrent, My GBGV Life, Pawsitively Pets, and Boing Dog. 

And don't forget to check out Sugar, the Golden Retreiver. Dogster.com

Rory and Shiloh

A year ago I thought he'd never be able to sit near her...

Major Update!

I've been away, but I'm back now! Here's a brief update of what has happened to Rory this summer.

Nosework:
Nosework started in the spring and ended in May. There weren't any classes during the summer. I missed the deadline to sign up for the fall Intro to odor class so for now we will do Nosework at home.

(Rory and my brother's friend)


Sheep Herding: More like sheep chasing. Rory enjoys separating the sheep and chasing them around the pen. (He doesn't bite them, just chases) At his last lesson he finally understood what to do! He circled the 5 sheep once, then laid down. It was a big improvement! He is so bad about chasing the sheep and not wanting to change directions that my instructor has been out working with him, I just watch. He has lessons every Thursday, so this week I may end up being out with him and the sheep. It's really caotic, that's why I never video taped it. (And because I can't focus with a camera) It's honestly not worth watching. So much for having the perfect little Lassie dog… X)

Prozac: Rory is the perfect dog on Prozac! All of his behavioral problems have gone away since he's been on Prozac. I probably would have had no choice but to get rid of him if I was never suggested to give him Prozac. He was really that bad....

(Rory reading Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out. It's a training book for dogs like him.)


Rory & Other Dogs: Rory is still separated from Shiloh and Delilah.  BUT, he has improved dramatically! He is close to being able to be with her off leash! He is learning that she doesn't want to constantly play. He will be calm around her, then try to get her to play with him, but she has no interest in Rory. I'm just having them meet everyday like this now, and soon he will learn that she doesn't want to play. He can wear a regular collar near her, he isn't frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog, he isn't barking like crazy, and he is 90% calmer than he would have been a few months ago.

If he just got along with other dogs, he would be the perfect Kelpie!



Trick Training: Rory is a challenge, even with trick training. Sometimes he will over-think while trying to learn a new trick, and sometimes he won't think at all. He has learned a few new tricks though, like the reverse spin, to take my socks off, beg, and bow. He hasn't grasped the concept of fetch yet, so all retrieving tricks are a work in progress. He has learned a few agility obstacles, but he prefers to make up his own parkour obstacle course. I'm not joking! He jumped into the back on my dad's truck with the back lid\trunk thing closed\up!! It was unbelievable! When he runs in the yard, some times he will decide to take a path where there is a log for him to leap over, or he will jump over the porch steps. If only he was safe off leash, then I would take him places and make parkour videos!

T keep track of Rory's weekly progress, here's his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Rorythekelpie

Any man can win when things go his way, it's the man who overcomes adversity that is the true champion. -Jock Ewing

Rory VS Sheep Part 2!

Rory had another herding lesson, finally, and things went well. Actually, the whole lesson was exactly like his first lesson. He has a lesson scheduled for every Thursday now, and hopefully we won't be rained out for tomorrow's lesson. 

Not surprisingly, Rory isn't a very efficient sheep herder. He purposely separates the sheep so he can chase them around. Our instructor doesn't seem too concerned, he only tried it twice so maybe he's getting the hint. Tomorrow is his last lesson with his trainer and him out with the sheep. Next time I will be out there guiding him along and teaching him his cues. 

One thing Rory has been good about lately is not pulling me! At his herding lesson he cannot pull me down to the sheep, so I've been working with him at home on loose leash walking, walking around the block, and having him lay down randomly. (I'm having him lay down in weird situations so he will pay more attention to me around sheep.) I have a feeling he might actually turn out to be a good sheep dog! :)

Rory finally met sheep!

I like to expect nothing from my dogs so if they fail, I'm not disappointed, and if they succeed, I'm thrilled.

At Rory's herding lesson today, I expected him to act like a crazed animal. I thought his eyes would be glued to the sheep and he would ignore me. Well luckily, I guessed wrong. :)

Rory did exactly as he was asked to, he would go out around the sheep and didn't bite them. I was very concerned he would try to bite the sheep, but he didn't! Once, one of the sheep left the group and Rory took off chased after him, cornering the sheep by the fence. He was able to get the sheep back to the group without using his mouth. I was so relieved!

It seems like Rory is going to make an excellent herding dog!!

I actually still have some good news! Rory had an unexpected meeting with my other dog, Delilah, again today. I told my mom Rory was outside but she forgot and let Delilah out. The second Delilah saw Rory, she ran to the front door. :[ Rory followed at a distance, and I called him and he came to me! He didn't try to sniff her or anything. He had no reaction that I could notice. He somewhat ignored her. Tomorrow I will continue his training and have him 'watch me' while Delilah is at a distance.

Overall, I'm very pleased with how Rory behaved today. :)

It's been a while

It's been a while since I've updated this blog! Let's get started!

Rory has started Nosework classes, we go every Wednesday and so far we're on our 4th class. All he has to do is find treats that are hidden in boxes, it's easy and he has a blast! This class is perfect for reactive dogs like Rory, only 1 dog is searching at a time, the other dogs are crated in another room while they wait. Rory has seen a couple dogs while he was there though, and I had to just drag him away.

I had Rory signed up for a private herding class but she facility kept making me reschedule the lesson. I ended up going to a different place for sheep herding, I met a woman who is a herding trial judge at a Dog & Pony show I was at, she is going to give Rory herding lessons. Our lesson is scheduled this this Monday!

Rory hasn't improved much around dogs. I'm able to have him watch me while we are near Delilah, but only at a far distance. I'm just going to keep on taking baby steps.

Rory starting Nosework and Herding will hopefully somehow help with his reactivity towards dogs. My dad hasn't said a word about re-homing Rory (he doesn't really like him) so it seems like he is here for good. Rory is slowly improving, I bet him getting older has a lot to do with it. He is still a puppy, mentally. He isn't as wild, he now has calm moments. He also isn't always jumping on people! This little puppy still has a long way to go….

Rory has an enemy

It seems like every time Rory takes a tiny step forward, he then takes a giant leap backwards.

Today, for example, instead of him calmly watching the goats he was growling and lunging at the fence. Oh, and he also had a fight with Shiloh. I was outside with Rory, my younger brother, and mom when out of the blue Shiloh charged Rory. It looked like she was attacking him because he was trying to walk away from her but Shiloh was on top of him. Once Shiloh was grabbed he then tried to go after her.

Delilah was outside with Shiloh too, and this time she wasn't scared of Rory, the whole time she stood at a distance watching. The front and back doors to the house were both closed, Shiloh opened my brother's door, which wasn't locked, and that's how they got outside.

Now Rory has a "friend" and an enemy.

Because Rory has been limping on and off on his back right paw, I haven't been able to take him on a long walk then train him near Delilah. I might just take a risk and try right now....