Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

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

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

Is someone watching me at the checkout?

by

My husband and I have long suspected a conspiracy theory at our local Jewel supermarket. We think they decide what items to stop carrying by secretly gathering data from our Preferred Card purchases. I am sure that Jewel tracks regional purchasing trends, and maybe store-specific trends, and almost definitely uses the data to target advertising mailings. But if they are not intentionally trying to annoy us, then why is that they have stopped carrying several of my personal favorite Lean Cuisine frozen meals and Dan’s favorite varieties of frozen pizza? These are not weird meals like Squid Super Surprise, or pizza toppings eaten only in California either. So I have no choice but to believe it is intentional. Right HERE, Jewel.

This is obviously pretty minor on the scale of stress-causing life happenings. However, it is not good to see that the effects have spread to a different store and a different item. This one is earth-shattering because it involves… dog treats.

On my last few trips to our local Pet Supplies Plus, which is located in the same mall as the aforementioned Jewel (coincidence? I think not), they didn’t have any Wellness WellBites Chicken & Venison treats. Of the five flavors available, that is the one that Freya and Axe like the best. When I first noticed it about a month ago, I just assumed they were sold out, since stock was also low on the other four varieties. Yesterday I once again ended up buying their second-favorite flavor (if you’re wondering, Chicken & Lamb). I’ll need to check into this. The Wellness website doesn’t indicate anything about discontinuing or recalling the Chicken & Venison treats. I haven’t yet checked at any of the other nearby pet supply stores.

So, is this part of the same conspiracy that the Jewel folks are involved in? Or do all the other dogs in Norwood Park have a preference for the same type of treat, and are their moms and dads hoarding them?

What do you think (other than that I’ve obviously gone off the deep end)?

(NaBloPoMo | March ’10: 8 of 31)

Freya: preparing for her next trial

by

You may recall that my original plan for Freya’s Rally Obedience career was to earn the on-leash novice level titles in all three of the venues we are competing in before moving on to the next level in any of the venues. That plan has changed slightly, since there are a number of UKC trials nearby during March, April and May.

UKC’s Level 2 is done off-leash, but unlike APDT’s Level 2 and AKC’s RA, it does not include the jump that we’ve only just begun to train. The two trial weekends in March are both at clubs where we have trialed before. Next weekend’s trial location has two rings going simultaneously, but they are set up with a barrier in between so the working dogs aren’t distracted by the activity in the other ring. The rings are also set up so there are very limited escape opportunities. So even though I’m still not 100% sure of how we will do with the Freya half of the team off-leash, it’s worth a try.

One good thing about training for all versions of Rally Obedience is that even with the last minute change in plan, I had only two new exercises to train at the last minute. One, the Offset Figure 8, is a Figure 8 around food bowls which contain treats but are also covered with a screen so the food can be smelled but not accessed. The Figure 8 itself is easy, but ignoring food does not come easy for a Rottweiler. Or at least, not for any Rottweiler I’ve ever owned. Training the other exercise, Halt – Leave – Call Dog Front While Running – Finish, went very well, though, especially considering it was completely new to us.

I was a little surprised, but maybe I shouldn’t be. Freya is a good working dog. She is not consistently good because I’m not. In the hands of a more skilled trainer, she would reach her full potential. In my hands… well… I’m happy that we’ve done as well as we have so far.

Since I did have the new exercises to train, I opted to miss a fun match that I probably should have gone to today. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided that training the new exercises in class, where I could get help if needed, made the most sense. Now I just have to try and relax, and keep our training and practice this week very positive.

(NaBloPoMo | March ’10: 6 of 31)

In the mind of a canine

by

We call Axel our “problem solver” because he really does seem to think things through. He’s the one that likes toys with treats inside that are a little bit tricky to remove, and puzzle toys in general. He’s so different in this regard from Freya, whose strategy for getting cookies out of a Kong involves bringing it to you repeatedly until you loosen the cookies for her. Hmmm. Maybe she’s the real problem solver.

Axel did something yesterday night that made me wonder again about how he thinks. We buy large Milk Bones in the bulk sized cardboard box, and put them into plastic containers that snap shut. Dan had opened the box, given a cookie to each dog, and due to some unknown interruption, left the box on the dining room floor and never got around to the next step of putting the rest of the cookies into the plastic containers.

I saw Axel nosing at the box, told him to leave it, and then life’s little interruptions intervened again to keep me from putting the cookies away. After dinner, the dogs were expecting their usual Milk Bone “dessert,” but I was preoccupied with something on the computer and failed to distribute the cookies. A little while later, I heard some noise in the dining room and Axel came into the living room with one cookie. He is a Rottweiler, so I am not sure why he didn’t stay in there and quietly eat all of the cookies. That is why I wonder how his mind works. He knows he gets one cookie after dinner and that I wasn’t getting it for him. So as the problem solver that he is, he got it for himself. Just one, because that’s what he is supposed to get.

I know, it’s kind of a nothing story. But I’m just amazed that he didn’t eat the whole thing!

(NaBloPoMo | March ’10: 4 of 31)

Strangely blank

by

This might not be a good NaBloPoMo month for me. I hope the Rottweilers did not eat my muse. Without her, I’m left with a blank page (this is the 21st century, I guess I should say “blinking cursor” instead), a blank mind, and twentysomething days still to go. Even when I’m not spending much time online, I spend a lot of time in front of a computer, so maybe it’s just burnout. Or eyestrain. Or maybe it’s just that I’m still getting over the very last traces of that nasty winter cold.

Earlier, I tried to do some Axel photos. May I say that for a correct and good-looking champion Rottweiler, he is not very photogenic when it comes to candid photos. If he were a human child, he’d be the one in the class picture with eyes closed, or looking to the side, or making a face. He’d be the big dork in party and sports pictures. If I post tonight’s photos, they will surely torpedo any future stud dog opportunities, so I think I’ll just save those for another time.

After a week off from training due to my winter cold, Freya and I both need to get back into the game in time for the UKC trial on March 13. I have a backlog of Freya videos to review, some from just before our unintentional week off, so at least I know where we left off.

Hopefully my muse will be back tomorrow to help with those video posts!

(NaBloPoMo | March ’10: 3 of 31)

Strange(r) days

by

The March 2010 theme for NaBloPoMo is strange(r). I don’t always blog on the monthly theme, but there certainly is no shortage of strangeness in my world, so maybe we’ll try it this month.

The winter cold I suffered through last week was strangely (ooh, there we go with the theme) persistent so I’m still not quite back to full strength or motivation or enthusiasm, and it is very easy for the playful Rottweilers to knock me over. Since I’m saving my energy for remaining upright, this post will be quite short and not too strange.

In fact, here’s something you’ve definitely come to expect. The physical proof of Freya’s latest title arrived today, so please share in my happiness that her APDT RL1, earned with an Award of Excellence, is in fact real!


(NaBloPoMo | March ’10: 1 of 31)