Maybe it’s the training or maybe it’s turning three, but Rankine showed a marked improvement at last weekend’s agility show. We qualified in 5 of 9 runs and earned our NA (AKC Novice Agility) and OAF (AKC Open Agility FAST) titles. We even managed to win a couple of blue ribbons in the process. Yea Rankine!

Over the past year we have problems in three areas: 1. weaves, 2. hitting contacts , and 3. the pause table. Two of these, weaves and contacts, are training issues while the third, the pause table, is a stress related issue that is likely related to his young age (and being an intact male).

We have been spending a significant amount of time working on the weaves and even went to a half day seminar a few weeks ago on a newer method of training weave entries. While we may have had to redo the weaves once or twice this weekend, I am happy to say that none of our failures were due to the weave poles. I believe that with a little time training some of the concepts from the seminar we will up our competition weave pole success rate to the 95% mark.

Two of the four failures this weekend were due to missed contacts, which is simply a lack of training on my part. My older agility dogs have a relatively low drive, so training a rest at the bottom of the contacts was simple. However, Rankine is a fast, high drive dog that hates to stand still. Getting him to stop, slow down, pause, rest, or whatever you want to call it, will only be possible through a significant amount of training. I have only myself to blame for this problem.

The issue with the pause table is a little more difficult to fix. When he gets to the table he completely ignores me and sniffs the table thus wasting valuable time. Is he sniffing for food, for a female scent, because he’s somehow stressed? I simply don’t know. The only solution I can come up with is high value reward training. I need to teach him that by getting on the table and instantly lying down he will get a piece of steak, cheese, or a tennis ball. My feeling is that this will probably take some time to resolve.

And in case anyone was wondering, the other two failures were due to off courses. One of which I will take the blame for and the other of which I blame on my wife (she ran him one day while I was at work).

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Having multiple dogs that constantly shed necessitates vacuuming our living room 3 to 4 times a week, so it is critical to have a quality vacuum cleaner. In the last 10 years we have had four vacuum cleaners. Three of them lasted a year or less before we finally spent the money on the Dyson Animal which, has been sucking away for the last 5 years. Other than replacing one drive belt, which was our fault because we sucked up the drawstring on a pair of pajamas, we have had no significant problems. Did I mention that Dyson sent the replacement belt at no charge!

The primary reason this vacuum does a superior job of cleaning is that it really sucks. The cyclonic action through the canister creates significantly more suction than a traditional vacuum. For example, I could clean the living room 4 or 5 times with our old vacuum before the canister would fill up, but with the Dyson I need to empty it each time. Since the canisters are not that much different in size, I must conclude that the Dyson is simply picking up that much more hair. While I’m on the topic of canisters, I would highly discourage anyone with multiple dogs from purchasing a traditional bag type vacuum cleaner. The added cost of replacement bags would more than make up for the cost of the Dyson.

One of the features of the Dyson that I really appreciate is the high quality latching system on the canister. After years of use, the simple little thumb lever used to open up the bottom of the canister is in perfect condition. I mention this because the switch on my last vacuum cleaner broke after less than 6 months. As a result the dirt that was just cleaned up would fall out each time the canister was released from the vacuum. Other key vacuum cleaner features such as attachments, hose wand, and on/off roller brush switches are of relatively high quality on the Dyson Animal.

While relatively minor, there are a couple of negatives with this vacuum cleaner. Due to the number of attachment heads that come with the Dyson, there is insufficient on-board storage. This simply requires a little planning, or walking back and forth to the closet, to obtain the necessary attachment. My wife also thinks that Dyson could make some ergonomic improvements to the attachments. In addition, the little tabs used to wind up the power cord are, in my opinion, undersized. This sometimes results in the cord being piled up next the vacuum cleaner in the closet.

With all of this being said, I would highly recommend the Dyson DC17 Animal for anyone with a pet hair problem.

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I have high hopes that 2010 will be Rankine’s year to shine. Rankine just turned 3 in November so we should be through the puppy stages (although the Golden Retriever seems to mature at a slightly slower rate than other breeds). This weekend was the first test of the New Year as our dog club held the first USDAA agility trial of the New Year!

In the fall of 2009, Rankine and I took a handling course focusing on jump sequences and timing. Our efforts paid off as we had a beautiful Jumper and Snooker run on Friday. We also managed to earn a Gamblers qualifier – although it was a close call as his lack of dog walk contacts (both up and down) cost us 14 points.

Unfortunately, our success at the agility games did not carryover to the Standard agility course where we are battling issues with the pause table. In theory, he is supposed to jump on the table and immediately lay down wait for 5 seconds and then go on to the next obstacle. Rankine has decided that instead of laying down, he prefers to sniff the table and completely ignore the world. Of course this is 100% frustrating for me who (a) cannot touch Rankine and (b) never sees this behavior during practice. On Friday I managed to get Rankine to lay down after what seemed like an enternity of begging. On Saturday he ran to the table in the middle of the run at which point I elected to leave the agility ring. My suspected reasons for this behavior (a) he’s an intact male interested in the wonder smells or (b) he is stressed because I am so frustrated by the behavior that he is using the table as an avoidance technique. Whatever the reason, we have our work cut out for us!

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Knowing that your pets are being properly cared for while you are traveling will help you to enjoy your vacation or business trip.  There are three basic pet care options: leaving them with a trusted friend or family member, boarding kennel, or an in-home pet sitter.  Depending on your situation the first two options may not be feasible.  For example, I have multiple dogs, making it difficult to find a friend willing to take them all and, at $20 to $50 per dog per night, boarding them becomes cost prohibitive.  I therefore opt for an in-home pet sitter.

There are two basic types of in-home pet sitters, one that comes over several times a day to care for your pet and, one that actually spends the night at your house.  What works best for you will depend on your situation.  A home with a large fenced yard and doggy door may work well with multiple visits by a pet sitter.  However, if you have a pet that requires being let out in the middle of the night you should consider a sitter that spends the night.  In either case, you should provide some basic guidance to any pet sitter to ensure your pets are properly cared for.  The following is a list of basic information that should be provided: DogCareInstructionSample, BlankDogCareInstructionForm

• Schedule – Walks, excerise, feeding, open/close doggy door, medication, bed time, etc.
• Feeding Instructions – How much, how often, where, other special requirements
• Medical Needs – Provide details on any medication, including what it’s intended to treat
• Contact Information – Provide a phone number at which you can be reached during your travels
• Emergency Information – Provide the name, phone number, and location of your vetrinary office.  Include a signed note saying your pet sitter is authorized to obtain treatment for your pet and that you will pay for all charges
• Other Expectations – Water the plants, feed the fish, set the trash / recycling out

The most important thing is your peace of mind, so always select a pet sitter that you feel is responsible and trustworthy.

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The PediPaw is essentially a rotary tool, such as a Dremel, with a sanding head and a special nail trimming guide. In general, the product does exactly what it is supposed to; trim dog’s nails in a manner safer than the traditional guillotine type clippers. I highly recommend this product for the following: smaller dogs (less than 50 lbs), dogs that are already comfortable having their nails trimmed, and pet owners that are concerned with cutting into the quick, or vein inside the nail. Here’s why.

What makes the PediPaw safer than guillotine type clippers is that only a small layer of nail is removed at a time as opposed to a single large section. This allows you to slowly approach the quick, which, if hit, can cause significant bleeding and discomfort for your dog. What makes the PediPaw safer than a typical rotary tool is the addition of a trimming guide. A simple plastic guide around the sanding head makes for easy alignment of the nail for proper trimming.

Larger dogs have larger nails, which can be difficult and time consuming to cut with the PediPaw’s undersized motor. When compared with a Dremel, the PediPaw has significantly less power. The result is that the layer of nail removed with each pass is much thinner than what is shown in the television commercial. It took nearly 30 seconds to trim each of my Golden Retriever’s nails. Fortunately, he loves to have his paws held.

I also tried to use the PediPaw on my Cocker Spaniel, who hates to have his nails trimmed, and was unsuccessful. Basically, if your dog does not already allow you to cut his or her nails, the PediPaw will not help. Trimming dog’s nails is like weight loss, there’s no magic pill to make it easier. My advice, start when they are puppies to make your dog comfortable with having their paws held and to the noise of the PediPaw or other rotary tool.

Now, if I could only find a way to attach the PediPaw’s trimming guide to my Dremmel tool…..

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