Kathy Archive
Tips for the Single Trainer #1: the gate
November 14, 2014
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I’ve read a lot of training books, and something that always pulled me up short was when I’d get to the part that said “Have a couple close friends do X…” or “While your partner does X, you do Y…” or “Have a few people from the neighborhood come over and…” Well, for much of
Winter Weather
November 13, 2014
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We had planned a trip to Craig, Colorado to participate in some nosework training, but it looks like the weather is not in our favor. Temps below 0 here, barely reaching the single digits during the day, with 10″ of snow and more coming. Weekend snowstorm forecast for the Steamboat Springs/Rabbit Ears Pass area (which
The Dreaded Vet Visit
November 11, 2014
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Today (Vet’s Day, ironically) was Carter’s first appointment with a new veterinarian. Carter has what’s commonly called ‘White Coat Syndrome’ as part of his general reactivity. In other words, new odors, strange people, enclosed spaces, strange dogs, new locations, etc. all freak him out, and when you wrap all those together, it’s Rodeo Time! Muzzles
He scores!
November 8, 2014
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Today Carter passed his first Odor Recognition Test (Birch) for NACSW, in Wheat Ridge CO. Way to go Carter! Despite being surrounded by strange people, cars, situations, and other dogs, Carter was able to focus on the search well enough to get his hide – right at the last second! I’m very proud of him,
6) So what’s up with Carter?
November 3, 2014
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Carter had apparently been found running loose, with no collar or microchip, somewhere in Missouri. He wasn’t claimed at the pound, either. But someone from a local rescue recognized him as a cattle dog and rescued him, placing him with the cattle-dog rescue in Colorado. He was about 16 months old and intact when he
Carter Sez: Did you see my video?
October 30, 2014
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Carter calls your attention to his Yuppy Puppy video! This video is of the third time he used his Yuppy Puppy treat dispensing machine – it looks like a gumball machine and the treats fall out when you push down on the bone-shaped arm. He likes it!
What is NACSW?
October 28, 2014
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At this point, it’s probably time to explain NACSW. NACSW stands for ‘National Association of Canine Scentwork’. It bills itself as ‘the best-smelling dog sport’. It’s fairly new on the scene, and, as indicated, it’s a dog sport, not a job. So it’s something fun you do with your dog. What you do is train
5) Suddenly, Carter
October 27, 2014
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Page and I were doing all right by ourselves, but she’d enjoyed Nitro so much, I thought maybe she’d like anew little brother. A few months after Nitro’s death, I contacted the cattle dog rescue again and applied to be matched with a neutered male. I specified that, after the stress and heartbreak of dealing
4) Nitro
October 23, 2014
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About six weeks after getting Page, I brought Nitro home with me. He was 3/4 cattle dog and 1/4 pit bull. No one wanted him because of the pit bull and because he wasn’t all cattle-dog, but he’d met Page and got along with her, so I didn’t care. He came home around Page’s 2nd
