Tag Archives: torque

Training fail

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Just like with any other endeavor, some days are better than others in dog training. torque_had_to_think

This week Torque had a terrific lesson – he was focused, attentive, and having a wonderful time. So was I.

And then there was yesterday, when nothing was going according to my plan. I just wanted to work on some simple position commands: Sit, Down, and Stand. And Torque wanted to work, desperately wanted the treats I had, wanted to play, wanted the toy I had. And yet…

It turned out to be one of those days that commands I thought he knew cold just didn’t happen. It was as if he never heard the word “Sit!” before. And when it did happen, he popped out of the sit so fast I couldn’t even reward it.

We both started to get frustrated. Torque started giving me every single behavior he knew – down, back, spin, roll, jump, bark, etc. As if he was just throwing every dart at the target hoping something would stick – “Is this it? No? How about this? Do you like this one? How about this one?”

At a certain point you know the session is a loser and have to call it quits. So we just played tug, instead.

Good help is easy to find around here

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Teddy (in the chair) and Torque hard at work.

Teddy (in the chair) and Torque hard at work.

We know how lucky we are to be able to bring our dogs to work with us. All kinds of studies have shown that it’s beneficial to both dog and workers to have them around.

But, in all honesty, I try not to bring both of them on the same day. Dogs are so very good at learning from each other, and I don’t want Torque to pick up Teddy’s bad habits. Ted’s gotten rather noisy when people and their dogs come in. I’m not really sure if he’s saying “Hey, this is my place!” or “Hey, come play with me!” but it sounds awful and really, really loud. And anyone familiar with French Bulldogs will know their acoustical range and volume can be impressive!

I know that Teddy is fine with all people. He’s also fine with other dogs once he’s familiar with them. But before that happens, he’s really obnoxiously loud. It’s not really barking, not really whining. Just really, really loud.

It’s not a habit I want Torque to get into, and so far it does seem to be Teddy-specific. Torque has other bad habits. Like whining. There are few things in the world I find as irritating as whining. I’m not entirely sure I can break him of the habit, but I’m trying.

Torque’s a hog

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My dogs sleep with me. In my bed. Under the covers and everything.

Well, Teddy sleeps peacefully and calmly under the covers at my left side. Sometimes he’s in touch, most if the time it’s enough for him to be nearby.

Torque, on the other hand, is taking some time to get our routine worked out. One of the dilemmas is that he “runs hot.” I don’t know if it’s because he was a winter baby, or just his metabolism, but he’s always much warmer than Teddy – or me.

Things start out fine. We all get in bed and snuggle down. But Torque not only has to be touching, he makes it his business to be smashed right up against me, the entire  length of his back against my side. And then I get too warm and inch away. And Torque snuggles right back into me. And I inch away. And he inches back. Until Teddy, on my other side, is smashed against the wall.

We sort this out – basically I shove Torque back over to the other side and reclaim the middle for myself. And then Torque gets too hot and climbs out from under the covers and smashes up against me on top of the covers. And the inching starts again. Until Teddy and I are, once again, smack up against the wall and Torque not only has the center of the bed, but all the covers.

So I wake up, cold, coverless and smushing Teddy. And shove Torque back over, yank the covers out from under him. Tenderly cover Teddy. And the inching starts again.

A picnic for people and dogs

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Yesterday was our dog obedience club’s annual picnic. It’s kind of like a pot-luck – the club procures the “entree” and everybody brings side dishes, appetizers, drinks, desserts, etc. to share. By picnic’s end, if you’re not stuffed to the gills, you’re not trying. Torque, Booker and Revel

It’s the only time in the year that we all get together and just let our dogs play. We’re lucky enough to have a member with a beautiful, spacious, and full-fenced yard, so all the dogs can just run around, chase balls, chase each other, and have a wonderful time.

Torque and Booker loved playing with five-month-old Portuguese Water Dog puppy Revel – she’s a sweetie pie and we think Booker’s more than a bit smitten. There were over a dozen dogs there – with no fighting or any other issues.

One big reasocrate_townn for that is “crate town.” Everybody has portable crates for their dogs. When we’re involved in competitions, we want our dogs to be able to relax. And, frankly, we want to be able to go the bathroom. So we all have these collapsible crates and seem to just set up “crate town” whenever we get together. It makes eating a picnic meal from the plate on your lap much easier when no cold, wet, nose is trying to assess the fare.