Bonnie the Collie
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Bonnie the Collie
Join us as young collie, Bonnie, grows up.
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Monday, December 5th 2011
10:36 AM (55 days, 7h, 0min ago)
Gone Fishing
One of the things we did in Idyllwild was to look for cabins and hotels that accepted dogs. Our cabin was very nice, but we wanted to explore others as well. This group of cabins that we checked out had a fish pond. We were shocked to find it as we walked Bonnie in and out through the buildings. The koi fish were huge and very interested in Bonnie. As you can see, she was curious, too.
I wondered how there could be a fish pond up in the mountains where it gets so cold at night. Wouldn't the water freeze? Apparently, not. This was a fun surprise for our walk with Bonnie. I'm always excited to expose her to new things and she certainly had never seen fish before. I had to hold her back or she would have gotten right into the water with them!
I was proud that Bonnie didn't bark at the fish or make a big fuss. She's been socialized to all kinds of situations and because of that, she is more prepared when we come upon something new. She's a dog I can take most places, and of course, that makes me happy.
To be continued...
For new readers and repeat readers:
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Monday, November 28th 2011
3:44 PM (62 days, 1h, 53min ago)
Off to the Mountains
We hope all of our American friends enjoyed a happy Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday of all. Although Bonnie didn't get to participate in the human-made turkey dinner, she did get a special mixture of turkey and rice, dog food style.
Not long ago, we took Bonnie with us on her first vacation. Usually she stays at a very nice kennel when we go away, but this time we decided to take her on the road with us. Ater more than two years of training, I would have expected her to behave very well on the trip. And she did!
We rented a cabin in the mountains for five days. Bonnie had her own little suitcase so that I could find things easily. When Rick and I go on a trip, we always pack extras items for ourselves just in case bad weather causes us to stay longer. It was no different when I packed for Bonnie. I brought along her bed, food and dishes, her brushes, and some toys. I included a spare leash, a collar, and three extra days of food in case of an emergency. Just for extra security I put her vaccination records in the bag as well.
The first thing we did when we arrived at our destination was to go for a walk. Bonnie was very interested in the big squirrels and busy blue jays. She had never seen either of them before and she loved watching them play their games among the trees. Later that first night, back at the cabin, we built a fire. Bonnie had only see fire once or twice before, but she became accustomed to it quickly. She relaxed by the warmth of the hearth and then drifted off to sleep, probably wondering what exciting adventure would happen tomorrow.
To be continued...
For new readers and repeat readers:
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Sunday, November 6th 2011
1:52 PM (84 days, 3h, 45min ago)
Tricky Bonnie
If you want a new trick for next Halloween, you can start now teaching your dog to carry a lighted lantern to help you navigate through a dark house on the next spooky holiday.
I purchased two lanterns, both from CVS Pharmacy, for $2.50 each. You may not be able to buy them now, after Halloween, but you can get your dog ready for the trick by teaching him to fetch and carry items. Check out our previous trick videos at How to Love Your Dog.
Click on the link below to see how helpful Bonnie can be in the dark. When you plan the steps for this trick, try to break it into smaller tricks first: touch plastic with nose, touch plastic with mouth, pick up plastic with mouth and release, hold plastic in mouth and release, carry plastic and give to trainer. Last year, Bonnie began by simply touching the handle of a Halloween bucket. I used a little peanut butter to get her interested. Now, a year older, she can do lots more. You've got a whole year. What do you think? Give it a try!
I purchased two lanterns, both from CVS Pharmacy, for $2.50 each. You may not be able to buy them now, after Halloween, but you can get your dog ready for the trick by teaching him to fetch and carry items. Check out our previous trick videos at How to Love Your Dog.
Click on the link below to see how helpful Bonnie can be in the dark. When you plan the steps for this trick, try to break it into smaller tricks first: touch plastic with nose, touch plastic with mouth, pick up plastic with mouth and release, hold plastic in mouth and release, carry plastic and give to trainer. Last year, Bonnie began by simply touching the handle of a Halloween bucket. I used a little peanut butter to get her interested. Now, a year older, she can do lots more. You've got a whole year. What do you think? Give it a try!
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Monday, October 31st 2011
6:40 PM (89 days, 23h, 57min ago)
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween to all of our friends!
Have a fun and safe holiday. Love, Bonnie
(More blogs coming soon)
Have a fun and safe holiday. Love, Bonnie
(More blogs coming soon)
For new readers and repeat readers:
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Wednesday, September 14th 2011
3:49 PM (137 days, 2h, 48min ago)
Aaachoooo!
As most of you know, I'm very big on tricks. I think they are one of the best ways to teach a dog to learn and have fun at the same time. Even young puppies can learn tricks.
Last month I learned new things about teaching tricks at a two-day dog training seminar. In fact, the whole weekend was about tricks. It was so much fun to see all kinds of dogs learning and performing at the same time.
Once a dog has learned how to retrieve, he or she is capable of learning all kinds of fetching tricks. When Bonnie was young we played fetch with a ball. Later she played fetch with toys. We played it often and before long, it became a very special game to Bonnie.
Next, I taught her to pick up a bucket by holding the handle in her mouth. It was the first thing that tasted different than a ball or a toy. From there, I was able to teach Bonnie to carry the bucket. Later she picked up towels and brought them to me. I always rewarded Bonnie when she brought things to me. Now she brings me the remote control, the telephone, and my slippers. To Bonnie, this is a fantastic game. To me, it's fun and useful. I can tell her to help me by bringing me things.
So next, I taught Bonnie to retrieve a tissue.
A tissue tastes very different than anything else she has put in her mouth. Because I had rewarded Bonnie for giving me the items instead of spitting them out or chewing on them, she quickly learned to grab the tissue and give it to me. The trick was easy because of all the other things Bonnie had learned to retrieve. Now I can ask Bonnie to give my house guest a tissue. It's a great trick and it makes people laugh. And if they sneeze, she can help them with that, too! Check out her video below.
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Saturday, August 27th 2011
9:19 AM (155 days, 9h, 18min ago)
Weiner Dogs Everywhere
The Dachshund Picnic is an annual event. Every year, Dachshunds and their owners come to this picnic which is held in a big, beautiful park. Many travel long distances to this gathering. People wear their doxie hats and t-shirts, and bring lunches to the event. The dog owners enjoy meeting other people and sharing stories about those adorable, extra-long little dogs.
The doxies were all different colors. There were brown, black, red, and cream-colored dogs. Some were spotty-colored and others were solid-colored. Some dogs had long hair and some had short hair. There were even some wiry-haired doxies at the picnic. What a variety there was!
My mother has a Dachshund named Peaches and she is one of Bonnie's best friends. She is a sweet, well-behaved dog who is eight years old and a model of good behavior for Bonnie. Here she is:
There was only one problem with the picnic. There wasn't very much shade and it was a hot, sunny day. I had brought water, but I also had to be sure to keep Bonnie cool. I found a tree in the corner of the park and I let Bonnie stand under it whenever I thought she was getting too warm. From the shade of the tree, Bonnie could see everyone at the picnic. She didn't feel left out. She was able to cool off with the shade and some water and then return to her doxie friends who were walking around with their owners.
The Dachshund Picnic was a fun time and Bonnie enjoyed being the biggest dog at the party! For more information about doxies, visit our Dachshund page.
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Thursday, August 18th 2011
2:34 PM (164 days, 4h, 3min ago)
Learning to Teach
Last weekend, Bonnie and I went to a very special dog training class that lasted six hours on Saturday and six hours on Sunday. The class was all about teaching dogs to understand and perform tricks. Twelve hours for a dog to learn tricks? Dog training, whether it's for tricks or obedience commands, takes time. Bonnie can learn tricks - that's not too hard. But it's a different story for me to learn how to teach tricks. I have to concentrate and pay attention for a long time. The class was fun and we saw lots of interesting tricks. There were forty students in the class, ten dogs, and one teacher. The instructor taught the people what to do, and we taught the dogs what to do. It was fun!
This is a photo of our teacher using Bonnie to demonstrate some things she was teaching. Bonnie paid very close attention.
The two dogs below were learning some new activities. The Australian Shepherd learned to take a bow, and the Airedale Terrier learned to put his front feet on the step and stay there. Some tricks are easier than others. Just like in school, some things are more difficult to learn than others.
In time, I will be teaching Bonnie some of the tricks I learned. I hope you can stick around to see what she learns. I'll be posting videos of them all. Happy teaching!
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Sunday, August 7th 2011
5:30 PM (175 days, 1h, 7min ago)
More Summer Fun
Do you remember Cooper? He is a very handsome Golden Retriever that came to visit Bonnie when he was very young.
Bonnie was much bigger than Cooper back then, but now, Cooper is bigger than Bonnie. When Cooper came over last week, the two dogs had to check each other out again because that's what dogs do. They sniffed each other and turned around in circles. As soon as Bonnie realized that Cooper was her old buddy, she did a play bow and invited him to have some fun. They chased each other around the yard for a long time and then played tug with a very long toy snake. Both dogs were strong. They got good exercise pulling and pulling the pretty pink snake.
It was a warm day, so after all the playtime and running around, Cooper jumped into Bonnie's little swimming pool. After Cooper was cooled off, Bonnie hopped into the water, too. They both got wet, and that cooled them off on a sunny, summer day.
Bonnie loves having her friends over, but I have to remember that it's good for her to go places, too. It's the only way she'll meet all kinds of dogs. That's why Bonnie and I go to agility and dog training classes, take walks at the park and the beach, and visit friends and family. It's not a lot of work. It's fun to spend so much time with a good pal like Bonnie.
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Wednesday, August 3rd 2011
3:16 PM (179 days, 3h, 20min ago)
A New Visitor
Not too long ago, Bonnie had a handsome black poodle come to visit. Mo is a standard poodle and he is just about the tallest poodle Bonnie has ever seen. Mo has curly black hair, long legs, and the most adorable face.
Mo is a therapy dog, which means he is trained to be very gentle and well-behaved in public. Therapy dogs usually visit patients who are in hospitals and nursing homes. But Mo is a college boy. He goes to a college where he visits students who are studying for their final exams. Some students are stressed and nervous because of the coming test. Mo sits next to them and allows each person to pet him. This makes the students feel more relaxed so they can do a better job on their tests. Who would have thought that a dog could help college students?
Bonnie finds Mo very interesting. He is taller than she is and he can jump higher than she can. She is light brown and Mo is dark black. Mo is older than she is and very calm, while Bonnie is young and very excited all the time. So when Bonnie wanted to run and jump and chase Mo, he really wasn't very interested. He did walk around the yard and hang out in the shade of the trees. What do you think Bonnie did when Mo wouldn't play? Of course, Bonnie barked and barked at Mo. She wanted him to run around and play, too. Here she is trying to entice him to play with her bone.
Although Bonnie and Mo didn't play very much together, they did get along very well. No one became grumpy or annoying (Bonnie did get a little annoying with her barking). Both dogs have been socialized enough to know that some dogs want to play and some dogs don't. When Bonnie gave up and realized that Mo wanted to rest, she decided it was time to rest as well. Here they are having a nice afternoon together. It was a fun day!
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Monday, July 18th 2011
7:55 PM (194 days, 22h, 42min ago)
Practice Makes Almost Perfect (with video)
Bonnie and I have taken fifteen weeks of agility class. I didn't realize how long it takes to learn what to do and how to do it. We are finally starting to put three or four obstacles together and running over and through them. In this blog's movie (below), we use two jumps and the tunnel. Bonnie and I both made mistakes, but finally we figured it out. Be sure to click on the video link below.
Rick built me two jumps for my backyard. I think I mentioned before that I also bought a tunnel online. It was about fifty dollars and is made for kids. It works fine for dogs, too. I'm having fun working with Bonnie in the yard in between our formal classes. It also gives us a chance to practice what we have learned.
Bonnie is taking full advantage of the warm summer days. We enjoy going to my brother's house where there is a swimming pool and two big, friendly dogs with whom to play. Bonnie's a big shot standing on the edge overlooking the water, but as much as she loves the water, she's just not willing to jump off the edge and into the pool. That's OK. She has a fantastic time chasing the other dogs and barking at my nephew in the water. We hope that you and your dog are having a fun summer, too!
