go backIts been a half year. Now Beti travels the world.
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26.04.2006
My dog loves to swim!!! Like a fish she jumps in and out of the water! She is so different than Amber. He can only walk a few steps in the water and has enough. Beti swims to get sticks and Amber…takes them over on the shore.:) Beti also chases ducks in the water, but somehow she never manages to get them.;) You should see how she chases her tail in the water! She swims and I can see that she loves it. I am happy… It is already warm outside and the plants start getting green. My dogs are happy that the walks are now longer. Today they both went somewhere behind the hills and brought a treasure…a ball! I hope they didn’t take it from somebody.;)
25.04.2006
Beti finally comes faster when I call her! She amazed me. She simply comes faster I never made her do it. Maybe it’s the sausage…;) My dog now feels easier and easier in a training area. She made a few rounds around it during a break. (Hmm, it’s not allowed to let the dogs loose, but does a little doggy make a difference…). The only thing that I am not happy about is that she is still not able to work all class long. She works very well for an hour and then she simply doesn’t feel like working any more.
23.04.2006
The night spent at Basta’s made Beti sleep at class on Sunday. But all in all she is not the one that is supposed to listen to lectures…;) She played a little with her friends during breaks. But the real work started at training. We didn’t do our homework well so it was difficult for Beti to focus her attention. Basta is better and better. She focuses on Ania beautifully.
22.04.2006
Beti’s first show in Poland! We have been packing my Punto since morning. Three people and four dogs are going to Grudziądz in one car.
We met friendly people there. There was a nice family from Koszalin, a family of Beti’s brother Bej. Beti and Bej felt that they have something in common.;) Siblings mean fun! And they started playing as if they had known each other for ages.:)
There were plenty of dogs from Polski Dwór (The Polish Manor). Beti was able to see her mum and dad and Belis. But she chose Ewa’s kisses.:) Amber was also happy because the whole Peronówka pack came. Amber was crazy when he saw his sister Ali. He also couldn’t miss jumping into Margo’s arms. But the Peronówka guys are a different story. The young Camino wanted to show how important he was growling at Amber. But at shows Amber usually completely ignores others’ moodiness. The young Camino remembered Beti his play mate and started playing with her. He was so happy that at one point (as if someone pushed a button in his head;) he simply behaved like a puppy and started playing with Amber.:)))
You know that – he danced happily, delicately bit Amber and turned around on the floor.:) Carmen’s family from Gdańsk also came to the show. There was nothing else Amber needed. He was so happy! Carmen got more mature and became a beautiful Wolfdog! Beti wanted to be with her team. Basta and Beti are simply inseparable. Bej is her best play mate. Mum is like mum – the authority. But Bej helps Beti cope with that. Dad was interested in what was going on there, but preferred to keep a distance. He simply let them alone when he saw it’s his offspring.;)
Grading started. Bej went to the ring like an experienced dog. He ran beautifully and gained the judge’s respect. His grade: exceptionally promising.:) Beti and Belit both equally good dogs, and both exceptionally promising. But it was definitely Beti’s good day she got the Best Puppy title. All three dogs presented themselves beautifully and Basta could only look from the side with envy. She will soon be able to take part in shows too!
I left the Wolfdogs and went to the Labrador ring with Ara. The Polish Manor team disappeared. A little later we took our dogs and let them loose so that they were able to run a little bit. Jolly, the mother, jumped like a puppy and wanted to play with her son. We met the youngest Wolfdog, Eligo. He is a beautiful little Wolfdog with almost lemon eyes.:)
To sum up the trip, I am really happy that both my dogs were in a fantastic mood at the show. Amber was in an especially good mood knowing that
it was the end of shows in halls. No one could tell that it was Beti’s Polish show debut. She played with her siblings. When she had enough she simply
growled. No fear or uncertainty! And she stood beautifully in the ring.:)
21.04.2006
Going to Bydgoszcz again! The school year is almost over, only three more meetings left.:)
We go with Ara, a Labrador retriever, with which we will also go to a show next Saturday. Zuzia helps us.
After lectures we visit the beloved sister, Basta. Ania is completely crazy, she hosts five dogs from Poznań in her house.;) The sisters played together fantastically. Their favorite game – biting.:) Amber walks around, sometimes joins someone, but generally carries toys like a little dog… Ara turns out to be a great retriever. She wants everybody to throw her balls and is not tired until midnight. I am really happy that I have to teach my dogs retrieving instead of having to deal with it all the time.
18.04.2006
Another training and we learn new elements. This time we introduce commands while walking. At Obedience training and during walks we generally practice “stop”. Now we are beginning to introduce “sit” and “lie down” while walking.
Nothing changed as far as the pace of work is concerned. Beti is amazingly slow. She is also getting easily distracted during training. She walks nicely and looks at me (sometimes;), but when she stays her head turns another direction right away. When I call her from other dogs she comes in her usual pace, but when I call her after “stay” she is really slow. Something is wrong…
17.04.2006
Amber and Beti have a new friend. A little black Labrador retriever Ara broke Amber’s heart and became Beti’s great friend. We went for a walk so that our dogs can get to know each other. Ara was a great companion it Wolfdog games and got to like our pack. We will now see her more often. We will travel together a little bit.
16.04.2006
I suggest that you play with balloons.:) Such big and light balls are a really great fun for dogs. What is more a breaking balloon is a great socialization with noise and extraordinary situations. The broken balloons can also be retrieved.;) When my dogs play a little with a balloon I change the toy for a small retrieving object and then for a ball.
We met a really big lady at our Easter walk. It was a two-year old great Dane. She turned out to be very friendly and full of energy. The dogs ran around. They were really crazy. There as racing among trees. But great Danes cannot run too long. After five minutes the dog had enough and simply lay down in the middle of a path.:) When Amber and Beti finally got her it looked as if wolfs raced for a hunted deer.;)
15.04.2006
We met „little” Baca at training in the morning. Baca is a 6-month old he dog. He is now bigger than Beti. I was completely shocked to see how fast he was growing! Beti was happy to see him. They met when they both were little puppies, but Baca was not interested in playing with a little she dog. He is completely focused on his handler. He scared Beti and Amber away.:) Finally they got on well.:)
Beti and I practice elements from class 0 and class 1. The most difficult exercise for us is…”come”:( I mean Beti comes, but really slowly. We have to work on the pace, but generally Beti has her own speed. Maybe this is how it is supposed to be…
14.04.2006
Beti is learning how to bake Easter shortcakes. She began with trying out new tastes. She helps mixing and, of course, washes the dishes.:))) Soon, she will become a great cook.;)
11.04.2006
We walked around for two hours at obedience... It was crazy.;) Next class and Beti finally focused more on walking although at the end she was completely tired. Usually at training we walk only a little so now it is real challenge. Walking is, most of all, eye contact. Clicker is great here. Every time Beti looks at me I click and she gets a treat.:)
10.04.2006
My dog now feels better, but today is a completely free day for her. No training, a lot of resting and curing. Amber and Beti played during a walk as usually, but at home they generally slept.:)
09.04.2006
A day that Beti will remember forever. Beti’s first steps at a show ring! But I will write about it in a moment.
We went to Ostrava in Czech to a national dog show. It is only 100 km from Katowice to Ostrava so we were there a long time before the show was supposed to start. But we had a lot of adventures. First of all, who would think that Ostrava is so close to the border!
We drove through some city looking for signs and wondering where to go. We slowly drove out of the city when Marzena finally thought “Maybe THIS is Ostrava?”
We asked a passerby about the road. He only opened his eyes wide and confirmed that we actually did drive around Ostrava… Now we had to find where the show was. Unfortunately as it usually is with Czech shows, there was no confirmation that we take part in the show and I didn’t know the address. We had to use one magical word “vystaviste” (show in Czech) which Margo told us.;)
So we started driving around town again. We got to know the city by the way and got lost (nervously thinking that we wouldn’t make it on time). Finally, we found a sign “vystaviste” – hooray!
We thought that we now only have to get to the ring, but this was just the beginning. It turned out that the costs of the show were higher than those given on the website and a lady at the entrance wanted much more money. OK, but I only had the amount that I thought I would need, no more Euro only Polish zlotys. After much confusion and the help of other Polish people who were treated the same the lady let us in.
There were even more things. A vet didn’t know our dog passports and demanded health books or some other confirmation. I don’t know what Marzena did to convince her. I was exhausted...
OK, here we are in the hall. Amber already knew what it was all about and started looking for other Wolfdogs or bitches in heat.;) He even met some girly at the entrance, but her owner didn’t want him as a son in law. I liked the daughter in law Amber chose…:)))
Beti tried to blend in. She liked all Wolfdogs we met (young she dogs and a he dog), but she also liked all other dogs.:) She really adored…Wolfdog owners! She also seemed to know how her most frequent mates look like – Golden retrievers and Labs.
Unfortunately, something strange started happening with Beti. She peed every few seconds. She wasn’t scared, but very unlike her. When she finally lay down next to a ring it seemed that she was better. Amber went to the ring and got CAC and Beti wanted very much to congratulate him and simply couldn’t wait to get to us.;)
It was time for Beti. The judge asked how old she was and gave a signal to run. Beti still didn’t know what a ring was so she didn’t want to run at the beginning, but she finally did. The judge liked her move. He also praised her good proportions and built. It was a little worse with a static evaluation. My little one simply wanted to pee although we were outside just a moment ago. There was definitely something wrong with her. The judge was very understanding and said it was because of stress, but I knew it was not about it… Beti showed her teeth to the judge and generally was a very good and brave dog.:) She got an exceptionally promising grade.:)))
When we went back home it turned out she had nephritis and she still peed a lot. Outside of the hall it was also interesting. Beti wanted to play with other dogs and Amber wanted to go…to the car.;) We were happy when we were coming back to Poland. We only had to get through Silesia and then a highway and the road will pass quickly. We had to stop often so that Beti can pee, but we finally got to the highway. We drove happily…., but our adventures are not over. There was a road accident and we had to stay in traffic really long. That would be it. We finally got to Poznań and lost Marzena on the way.;)
08.04.2006
In the morning we went for Beti’s first long trip. Beti and Amber watched me from the very morning so that I don’t run away.;) If a bag is packed it means that…we go somewhere! They were both excited and made me move faster. The first stage, Poznań to Wrocław. I already know the road and it’s not too long. At the end of this stage super surprise – running in the forest with Marzena’s dogs.:) Marzena waited for us and we all went to a lake. All four dogs were really happy. Amber and Trejsi have known each other for ages. Amber loves playing with her and she doesn’t let him do too much. Amber knows Pirat too. Pirat fully respects his older friend, but is not too submissive.
Beti was the last one to start playing just like a puppy should. Her respect to Trejsi didn’t stop her from happily playing with Pirat. Well, sometimes Amber interrupted them, usually when they played best. Beti didn’t even like water too much because Pirat swam to get sticks. Marzena was as usually hospitable and nice. Dogs feel very relaxed at Marzena. They don’t disturb to anybody. It’s on the contrary.:) Beti and Amber played with Marzena’s mother and Trejsi watched the sofa. Finally Beti started bringing shoes as if she wanted to say that there is still long way to go.
The next stage is Wrocław – Katowice. There is a wonderful highway so we, Marzena and her dogs covered the distance in only two hours. Amber has traveled since he was a puppy. Beti was also good, she slept the whole time. Beti is amazing. Remember that I also tried to make her drive in a car since she was a puppy. She usually simply falls asleep the moment she gets into a car.:)
Adam waited for us in Katowice, where we stayed for the night. Thank you for leading us through the unknown town and for hosting us! We talked a little, but we had to wake up early in the morning so there was still a lot to talk about. It was so nice to see you a year later!
07.04.2006
Oh, there is a lot to talk about.:)
On Thursday Beti saw water for the first time in her life and… she was simply crazy.;) She jumped into the pond as fast as she could. She carried sticks, put them in the water and took them out of the pond. She picked up ducks and whatever else she was able to. I was totally surprised! I was used to Amber whose attitude was to never get dirty. He usually only makes a few steps into the water sometimes more, when it’s really hot. Beti simply shocked me. She jumped into a deep water and swam! I finally have a dog that likes water!
But my dog turned out to be still very delicate and a few days later she was ill.:(
04.04.2006
We began PT (Companion Dog) training! Beti follows Amber’s carrier and I guess PT! will be her first exam in two months. There may be another one earlier if we go crazy and take part in an Obedience exam.:) Training is the same as it used to be. Dogs walk around on leashes. Sundays and walks are for socialization. Here, there is a lot of work and only short breaks. We are now getting to know the group, but we already know one dog from Obedience and there are other nice dogs. There are mostly he dogs, so Beti is HAPPY.:)))
The welcome was not too warm. We came in after the class began. Beti didn’t know what it was all about and the first thing to do was to defend and growl at them! We had a chance to say hello to the dogs during a break. I convinced Beti that it’s not that bad. Heeling didn’t go too well, but focusing while lying down or sitting was good.
The best thing about the training is that the dogs get used to shoots. The training takes place near a shooting range. This is why you can hear shots and bangs all the time. Beti doesn’t care at all.:) We still haven’t taken any pictures because it rained again. Is it Beti that makes it rain?;)
03.04.2006
Beti will run in a ring in a couple of days for the first time in her life. We go to Czech for the premiere. Then we will go to shows in Poland. I would like her to get used to the atmosphere of shows. Hopefully, she will like it.
As the temperature is higher the pace of our training is faster.:) On Sundays we train in Bydgoszcz, on Saturdays we train Obedience. Tomorrow we are beginning a course in Poznań.
Saturday turned out to be the first good training of Beti and Zuzia. They worked together very well. Beti didn’t look at us too much, but focused her attention on Zuzia. They are beginning to cooperate well.:) Zuzia is a perfect handler for Beti. She is calm and patient. I sometimes lack those traits...
Amber runs to a square as if he was crazy. I wonder if he finally does it well at competition. Now we are practicing elements of class 2 of Obedience, but I think that the first competition will still be weak. But the season has only just begun.:)
Our main problem at the Sunday training is being tired.;) Beti is completely worn-out after the weekend and on Sunday she is simply exhausted. This is why she usually works less dynamically and less willingly. I can see she doesn’t have as much fun as she does when we train during walks. I can do nothing about it, though.:(
The Sunday training was a complete failure of mine. I made a terrible education error.:(((
I don’t like leaving Amber alone so we all went to Bydgoszcz together. Piotrek, Natalia and Axel went with us. I didn’t take my car so Amber went to a training area with us. He was a great distraction for Beti and other dogs. I would even say he was too big distraction because he gave a small concerto. He hates it when Beti trains and he doesn’t…
As I already wrote before all dogs are young and well mannered so Amber played with them before the training began. A problem appeared when one of he dogs (a young, but big dog) got scared and started running away in order to avoid confrontation… Of course, if he ran away ONE HAD TO chase him. Amber ran after him for a while and started barking. Then it was OK, but Beti saw the whole thing and wanted to do the same. She liked the fact that somebody was afraid of her and she probably felt like a boss with a sister behind. I was really mad, but the fault was mine. I shouldn’t have taken Amber with me. This was the first time Beti scared a dog away, but still I didn’t like it at all. We will try to make up for it next week…
The training during walk today was great. This was the first time I trained two dogs at a time.:) For example one of them did „stay” and the other one changed positions or they retrieved one after another. Today Beti did almost the whole retrieving just as it should look according to regulations. She only started running a little too fast. I am surprised how fast she learns retrieving. On Saturday I made the task a little more difficult because Zuzia had the retrieving object. Beti was a little confused, but after a few trials she gave the object to Zuzia. We didn’t throw it to her yet. I started teaching Beti Sending to a square. This is the most difficult exercise for Amber. Maybe it won’t be for Beti. My current method (there have already been millions) of teaching is putting a bowl in the middle of a square.;) I don’t have to repeat twice. When Beti sees the bowl nothing else matters.:))) It also turned out that Beti learns from Amber. Beti ran with him to a square from a distance of a few meters.:)
Both dogs trained with such passion and joy today that I was really happy.:) As usually, the training session was short so that the dogs trian as well as possible.
At home we still practice old and new tricks. Beti not only can open a cupboard, but can also close it. She learns to take bowls out of a cupboard. It’s strange, but it turned out to be more difficult than I thought it would be. She gives me a bowl from a floor, but didn’t want to give it from a cupboard. She knows all tricks that I taught Amber so long: handing in a leash, turning around, jumping up.
Not to make my life too easy it turned out that Beti is terribly afraid of a vacuum cleaner. She doesn’t often have a chance to hear it because we rather wash the floors with a mop and when a vacuuming time comes…we go away.;) It’s a fact, she is afraid and I don’t know how long it will take me to change it. By the way when she was still in the kennel she was born in she wasn’t afraid of a vacuum cleaner. It means that she learnt it here. Maybe she took it from Aster who always runs away. It’s interesting that she is completely not afraid of other noises. We had a party on Saturday. On Sunday Beti walked around the house biting balloons. The bang was terrible, but she liked it!