Ozzie’s First Step on the Title Ladder

Hello Friends,

As many of you know, Ozzie and I have been training to compete in AKC Obedience Trials, and had achieved a qualifying score at the Washington State Obedience Training Club Trial in March. Well….there’s even better news now. Ozzie competed May 18th and 19th at the Mount Baker Kennel Club’s Trial in Lynden, WA and not only received qualifying scores both days, but placed as well. He earned Second place on Saturday and Third on Sunday. YAY Ozzie!

This means Ozzie has earned his first title. It’s the very first baby step and is called “Beginner Novice” so he now has a “BN” title to add to his moniker. Exercises for the BN category include healing in a pattern, sitting still while the judge approaches and places a hand on the dog’s head, healing a figure eight, sitting in the center of the ring while the handler leaves and walks the perimeter, and doing a recall across the ring at the handler’s command. None of the exercises are particularly difficult, it’s just that with a beginning dog everything can be intimidating. I’m very happy to report that Ozzie did an excellent job earning his BN…now it’s time to prepare for Novice Obedience B.

All for now…

Sue

Dogmunication

May6

Well, if you’re wondering…. dogs like Ozzie who are very social do communicate both verbally and non-verbally. Here are some examples from Ozzie’s repertoire:

When we arrive at the dog training facility or other dog-related destination Ozzie announces his arrival with a big ol WOO-WOOas if to say “I’m here now…. it’s okay to start” Some trainers have noted that Ozzie has his opinions and he lets you know what they are.

On the non-verbal side, when we’re playing “get it” Ozzie will bring the toy to me but lay it about a foot in front of me…. he then proceeds to place a paw firmly on the toy and look me in the eye as if to say “Just try to get it!”

Oz also enjoys watching television, especially if there are dogs in the picture. He gets excited, runs in front of the “tube” and woofs as loud as possible (ouch) before running into the next room to see if the dog is really there for a visit!

All for today…

Sue

Breaking the “Q” Barrier

Apr16

Hi Friends,

Ozzie has been working hard on being more attentive to me during Obedience Trial competitions. Well, we still have a way to go, but we did receive a qualifying score of 181 (known as a “Q”) at the Washington State Obedience Training Club trial March 30. Since Ozzie is a new competitor and still pretty young I was really pleased about his success and we’re both ready to move on now to another competition. Here’s Ozzie with his very first participant rosette:

The Melt-Down

Feb20

Hi Friends,

A couple of weeks ago Ozzie and I entered a small Obedience Trial as we’d been training for over a year and it was time to stick our toes in the water, (figuratively speaking) and see what this Obedience Trial stuff is all about. So off we went on a Saturday morning all ready to blast the competition off the face of the earth and come home with a couple of nice ribbons. WELL, instead of that, Ozzie took one look at the competition ring and said “you want me to do what?” Yes, it was a total melt down. He was stressed out and overwhelmed by a bad case of stage fright.

In spite of that Ozzie did some of the exercises quite well. But of course we didn’t get a qualifying score, known as an “NQ” in obedience competition lingo. So we came home and licked our wounds, and decided to take on another Obedience competition in March. In the meantime Ozzie is visiting as many places as possible to become more comfortable with new locations, smells and sounds. And of course we continue to train for the exercises as well.

Here are a couple of pictures from the January trial.

Ozzie with his Border Terrier buddies Gracie and Luke. Practicing the long sit?

Is it my turn yet? All this waiting………. time for a little nap?

Pictures generously provided by Kathy Teufel (Gracie’s mom)

A Trip to the Beach

Aug28

As Ozzie is already nearly 18 months old we thought it about time that we introduce him to the great big OCEAN! So last week we took a little trip to Ocean Shores, a small town on the coast of Washington State. Boy did Ozzie have fun!

Having fun in the surf

At the end of the day Ozzie was a little sleepy…… but I want you all to know we don’t believe in spoiling our dog! No! Not at all! (Tee-Hee)

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Photos are the sole property of Susan J. Edminster.

What a Mess!

Mar13

Mr. Ed was out burning up some branches the other day and naturally Ozzie went along for the fun. In the process of this activity Oz decided to take a walk over to the swampy area where a little stream runs through…… see how “cute” he looks now!! It took me more than an hour to get the muck off him and restore (somewhat) his nice white feathers. Oh Ozzie, what are we going to do with you???

Ready for your bath?

Ozzie Gets a Haircut

Jan27

This time of year Ozzie gets so dirty you can’t believe it. There’s so much mud and grime around, to say nothing about the twigs and dried leaves that cling to that long silky coat. So yesterday I gave him a bath and today it was time for a haircut. Well…… now that he’s bigger and stronger he has more ways to avoid the various parts of the process. These include pulling his paws back to avoid getting toenail trims and clipper action between the toes, laying down so I can only get to one side at a time, and leaning against me with his whole body weight! We do have an elevated tub and table for grooming, complete with a leash to attach him to the wall, but he still works hard to avoid the clippers, scissors and combs. But I didn’t give up! And even though it’s far from perfect, Ozzie did get a new haircut today and is quite a handsome young man, don’t you think?

The Four Dog Blog

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