Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

Rottweilers. Computers. Cameras. World Domination. Not necessarily in that order.

Rottweilers.
Computers. Cameras.
World Domination.
Not necessarily in that order.

Give me news, real news, or at least pretty pictures

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Even though Freya didn’t seem to be as sore this morning as she was yesterday, we skipped today’s trial, and Rottweiler wrestling and chase games in the yard were disallowed for another day. That should help her get back to 100%, at least physically, before our next class. We still need a lot of work on attention under heavy distractions.

Since we skipped the trial and cancelled all Rottweiler contact sports for the day, there was plenty of time to go online and find things to complain about. I have complained a few times in the past about the faux “news” from stupid Facebook apps filling up the “news” feed.

So I just want to say one more thing about that. There is one individual that I keep as a Facebook “friend” for only one reason. This person adds just about every new Facebook application, stupid or not, seemingly almost the minute it is released. Now, you would think that would make me not want that person as a friend, and in general, that would be true.

However. In this case, I am using said app addict as my early warning system. The minute this person sends out a “news” item from a new application, I can immediately block the app and never be bothered by it again. Or at least until Facebook breaks itself yet again.

See, everyone has a purpose. Sometimes, their purpose is just not very grand.

Oh, and if you’re wondering if you are that person? If you’re interested enough in my life to read my blog, and interested enough in your own life to post things other than just what the apps post for you … you are almost certainly not that person.

(NaBloPoMo | March ’10: 28 of 31)

We didn’t take the shot

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Yesterday I was still considering the possibility of taking our best shot at qualifying at Level 3 in this weekend’s UKC rally obedience trial.

We didn’t take the shot at all. Freya was refusing sits this morning during our practice session. At first I thought she was just blowing me off. But she did seem a bit stiff and sore. We may have overdone things while trying to catch up on last minute training, particularly the jumps. I didn’t want her to associate trialing with discomfort, especially not at one of her “safe places.” And I definitely didn’t want her to crash a jump.

Freya seems to be feeling better after a full day of rest. I don’t think she was faking it. Do dogs do that? Right now, I am thinking we will skip tomorrow’s trial as well, but I’ll let her tell me how she feels in the morning.

(NaBloPoMo | March ’10: 27 of 31)

Might as well jump

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Production for Issue 1 2010 of The Total Rottweiler Magazine wrapped up earlier this week, but this was still not a good dog training week for me with missed classes and limited practice time.

So it’s zero hour and I’m still trying to decide whether it makes more sense to skip this weekend’s UKC rally obedience trials, or give it our best shot, knowing we are probably not going to qualify. I know, I know. There have been other times when I thought our chances for qualifying were poor, and we got through it anyway. This time, however, there are two exercises that we truly have not yet mastered, and that are very likely to be included.

One is Halt – Stand – Heel Backwards 3 Steps – Halt. This was easier to teach than I expected, but results are still not totally reliable unless we’re up against a wall or fence.

This is also the first time for us to trial in a level (UKC Level 3) that has a jump. Dan built us a practice jump, so at least we were still able to work at home. Freya still wants to go around the jump as often as she chooses to go over it. We’re working on it with the usual strategies of repositioning the jump against a wall or in a doorway. Check out our very portable jump, by the way:

Dan built it using instructions found at http://sotcdogtraining.com/pdf/Jumps_Targetwork.pdf. This is actually an agility jump (there is a second crossbar which I am not using), but works fine as a practice bar jump for us. Not sure how old these instructions are, but the cost has gone up from their estimated $15. Our total was around $25 so it still isn’t even close to being a hardship.

Right now, I’m leaning towards giving it our best shot tomorrow. I am trying to think positive, and really, I should be. Although it feels like we are behind on training, and in some ways we are since we’ve missed more than a few classes and practice sessions, we are actually slightly ahead of the game. The original plan for this weekend was to get at least one leg towards our Level 2 title. I did not think there was any way we’d be done with Level 2 by now. And here we are, done with Level 2 two weeks ago, and not quite ready for Level 3. We’re actually two weeks ahead of schedule, not two exercises behind schedule.

Hopefully that thought will help me relax! Freya is already snoring on “her” couch. Maybe I should take some relaxation lessons from her.

(NaBloPoMo | March ’10: 26 of 31)

Review: Pet Botanics Healthy Omega Treats

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Although I mainly use “people food” for dog training treats, I am always on the lookout for high-quality and healthy commercial treat options as well. So I was delighted to have the opportunity to test and review Pet Botanics Healthy Omega Treats, thanks to manufacturer Cardinal Laboratories.

Rottweilers are generally chow hounds that will eat anything, so you may be wondering why treat selection is even a question in our household. We do have a few special issues here. Freya has a very mild case of IBS. She does not require a prescription diet and suffers only a few flare-ups each year, but we still have to be selective about what she consumes. Natural foods and treats with a limited number of ingredients are usually the most successful. Also, Freya gains weight a little too easily, but Axel has to be watched pretty closely to make sure he doesn’t run too much weight off. So calorie count of food and treats can be important.

With a short list of eight ingredients (NO grains are included, a good thing), and the low calorie, low fat designation (9 calories), Healthy Omega Treats looked to be a good fit to our needs. Main ingredient is meat (our sample was Duck, and the other available flavors are Chicken, Salmon, and Tuna), followed by sweet potato and cod. “Omega” refers to the Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which are beneficial to dogs’ skin and coats.

Assistant reviewer Oliver Kittyweiler helps display the unique layered look of these bite-sized treats.

As for taste, reviewers Freya and Axel both gave these treats a big “paws up.” These are definitely a high-value treat to them. The high value, small size, and low calorie count make them almost ideal as rewards during training. I say “almost” because my personal preference is for an even smaller and softer treat during training. It was easy enough to break these in half for our training sessions, though.

Freya was able to fully enjoy the Healthy Omega Treats with no bad effects despite her mild IBS, so we can now add this to our list of Freya-friendly treats.

We’ll definitely be checking our local retailers for these treats and are looking forward to trying the fish flavors in particular. They are also available for online purchase:
Crazy Pet Shop
Amazon.com

Cardinal Laboratories provided a free 6-oz. package of Pet Botanics Healthy Omega Treats, Duck flavor, for us to sample. I thank them for the opportunity to test and review this product.

(NaBloPoMo | March ’10: 24 of 31)