Friends of the Pood

Carbon has just a few really good dog buddies. She's not the kind of Pood who just loves everybody -- oh, no, she is very selective. She likes and respects those who can stand up to her particular play style, which is an attentive rigid stare followed by a pounce and nose strike, and then about 5 or 6 360-degree spins (done to confuse and amaze her target) and then an enthusiastic run at top speed with her target hopelessly trying to catch her.

Cody is her best buddy really, although she takes terrible advantage of him.

Mango, the red Australian Cattle Dog, is her boyfriend. Carbon is actually just Mango's "winter girlfriend," but we have not told Carbon that. She would be very insulted to hear that he has another girlfriend during his summers in Stanley, Idaho.

Jasmine, the Australian Shepherd, is Carbon's winter nemesis, a new arrival to our winter camp community and a very energetic and playful girl! She and Mango are really well matched in terms of energy and endurance, but I think Carbon really has Mango's heart...thanks to her long legs and her "bendy-straw body," as Cindy calls it.

The Skunked Pood

Here at El Capitan State Beach, we have a rogue skunk. It sprayed Carbon, on leash, at 8:30 in the morning as it rooted around in deep grass!! A week later, it sprayed her boyfriend Mango, also on leash, in deep grass, at 4:30 in the afternoon!! So much for being nocturnal. Actually, Mike says they are crepuscular, meaning they are typically active at dusk and dawn. Anyway, this skunk is soooo bold.

Carbon got sprayed when she was mere inches from Monseur Pepe....a blast right in her fuzzy face. She was so dismayed. She was foaming at the mouth and vomiting. She wished she had just stayed in bed. Cody managed to avoid a direct hit this time.

I started the bathing ritual while Mike went to Albertson's for peroxide, baking soda, and douche. Yes, you read that right. The new treatment is a mix of peroxide and baking soda, followed by douche.

Unfortunately the odiferous Carbon had rubbed against him as he came back to the house. As a result, when he went to town, he was carrying that lovely odor with him. I am sure he garnered some interest anyway as he tried to locate the douche. A woman passed down the aisle doing her own shopping, and complaining, "Wow!! Something smells really BAD in here!!" and of course it was my dear Mike. Well, not him exactly, but his jeans. Above is a photo of the Pood post-bath(s) and pre-blow dry. Also, as you can see she is tied to the back of the Explorer like, well, a dog. How humiliating!

Carbon had about 6 baths that day, and was absolutely humiliated by the whole process. I had to blow dry her and then clip her pretty short, as the eau de skunk was pretty intense on her little poodle head.

Above are a coupleof photos post-blowdry (and before the clipping). Cute again, isn't she? She felt muccccchhhhh better after her 6 baths.

More on Pood Agility and Being a Poodle among Border Collies!

So, in early March, as the Pood and I ramped up her training in preparation for the last weekend of the month, in which she was to make her move for the big title, as we trained, and drilled, and practiced...I ran out of poodle.

This has happened before, when she has gotten too tired, or bored, and wished to be indulged, and spoiled, and not pushed so danged hard, and she looks at me as if to say, well, no, I don't think I do want to jump that; you go ahead if you like, but I am taking a break....what do you think I am, a Border Collie?!?!?!!

But this time, she actually seemed depressed. I thought maybe she had hurt herself somehow, although she was not lame, or acting sore (although she DID appreciate her massages more than usual...)

So I spoke to my pal Maia. Maia is a Life Coach and Animal Intuitive. She checked in with Carbon and conveyed to me three observations.

First -- Carbon knows how to do this stuff, and she does not want to be drilled. She just wants to go in the ring, do her thing, get her treats, and then play. And then rest.

Second -- she finds it confusing and not fun to be working at both Agility and Obedience at the same time. (I had been working on both for a month or so. ) She likes whatever we do together, but she wants to do one thing at a time.

Third -- her two buddies in camp are an Australian cattle dog and an Australian Shepherd. She, however, is a poodle. She finds that she cannot play and run on the beach all day and then find the energy and motivation to do agility also. At least not without a massage, some champagne, and a few bites of Miss Cindy's quiche. So, basically, she wants to play, for 15-20 minutes, but then she wants to rest and be catered to.

So, (this conversation was on a Monday afternoon) I gave her the whole week off, with just a few mellow short walks on leash, and a brief agility practice over 12" jumps on Friday night, with rests in the car in between runs.

We left for the trial early Saturday, and had two runs Saturday -- PI Standard and PII Jumpers. She qualified in both!!! Hooray!!! Once again, I had enough poodle. The first photo in this post shows her impersonating a shark.

Sunday she had two runs also, and she qualified in both PI Standard, and, finally, in PI Gamblers!! That class was the last Q she needed, and so she earned her PI title. Karen and Mary were there cheering us on, and Mike was there too, taking pictures, and providing moral support!!

We were all so pleased with Team Pood.

Carbon was so pleased her ears puffed up.

The Titled Pood!!!

Well, there is big news around here in that the Pood has reached the nadir, the heights, the pinnacle of Poodledom. Well, not really, but she has accomplished several agility-related feats, namely earning her first two AKC agility titles (Novice Agility Preferred, and Novice Jumpers with Weaves Preferred) AND her first big USDAA agility title, Performance Dog I, which she finished just a couple of weeks ago. Here is a photo of me and the Pood with her 'new title' rosette, which she earned at Happy Dog Agility in Moorpark at the end of March. Our trainer, Karen Van Hoy of the Santa Barbara Flyers, helped and coached us every step of the way!!

The Pood tackles AKC Agility

Here is the Pood with her weekend booty from her very first AKC Agility Trial (until this past weekend, she had competed only in USDAA trials). She was especially pleased that she got to share her wins with her boyfriend, Mango.

Mango's mom, Cindy, had the inspired idea of having a 'girl's weekend', leaving our menfolk at home and traveling to the Ventura, CA event in the 'Lazy Daze' RV with Carbon and Mango riding shotgun. Carbon REALLY liked riding up front with the rest of the people, rather than in the back of the Explorer like, well, a dog.

Friday afternoon we settled into our spot at McGrath State Beach and enjoyed the quiet and serene evening before heading indoors for dinner and several segments of the 'Dog Whisperer' that Cindy's husband Rock had taped for us....we were as content as could be. The dog and the Pood played and wrestled themselves to sleep.

On Saturday, we arrived at the trial site in plenty of time to check in; Mango wasn't too sure about all the commotion at the trial site on Saturday, but he had greatly relaxed by Sunday and was able to watch his woman (Carbon) burn up the course.

Carbon won 2 seconds on Saturday, along with 2 Q's (qualifying scores, or 'legs' toward titles) in both classes -- Jumpers with Weaves, and Standard. On Sunday, she earned 2 firsts, along with 2 more Q's. All four of her scores were perfect 100's. She could conceivably earn both her Novice titles in just one more weekend! Of course, then she would move up to Open, where the competition gets MUCH harder...the jumps get higher, and the dogs are allotted less time on the course, and fewer faults are permitted....!!!!

It was really fun to spend the weekend with so many members of my agility club, the Santa Barbara Flyers. Karen was there with (Border Collies) Waggz and Zing (Zing's VERY first trial, and a very successful one!), Janet and (Miniature Poodle) Rowdy, Disa and (Parson Jack Russell) Benton, Dika and (Labrador Retriever) Adeline, Mary and (Portuguese Water Dog) Kona, and Eric, our official photographer!! ...we ALL did well; lots of laughs and moments of terror, but it was all good.

Carbon and Mango are both worn out after all the excitement of the weekend -- but they did spend a little time together today, just to reconnect...

Citizen Poodle

Carbon Rose has earned her AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate! She did very well during her test today, and passed. She was not too sure about allowing the evaluator to touch her right front foot, but relented.

She did beautifully considering that I have never used the formal commands 'heel' or 'stay' with her before.

Naturally, she took a moment to inspect the evaluator's tote on her way back to me during the recall. I suspected that she could never walk past a tote without looking for possible treats and toys, and I was correct. She's always good for a laugh.

Carbon's First Agility (Jumpers) Title!

Carbon Rose has competed in 3 USDAA agility trials and has had some great adventures. At her first event, in July, she was very excited at being in a new place with new dogs, new smells...she was very interested in the dogs and toys outside the ring so she simply took a few minutes to leave the ring and explore during her first run (Gamblers). It was very amusing for her and everyone except me. After many excruciating seconds she returned to me and finished the course.

In the standard class (2nd class, same day) she looked blankly at the weave poles as if she had never seen anything like them before. EIGHT tries later, she had completed them and we went on. She held the distinction of being in the ring longer than any other dog in any class in that trial (98 seconds -- the allotted time was somewhere around 48 seconds if I remember correctly) and likely earning the most faults, too, although I did not really take the time to verify that. Naturally, she did not qualify in that class. She did great in Jumpers, however, and placed 2nd and also Qualified in that class and in Pairs, with Waggz (it was Waggz's speed and accuracy, NOT Carbon's, that accomplished that win!).

The second day she stayed in the ring with me, and was more focused. In all we came home with an armful of ribbons. The next event was in August and she did well there too, coming home with more ribbons, and a Qualifying ribbon in Jumpers. Most recent event was in October, where we FINALLY got a Q in Standard, as well as 2 Q's in Snooker and one more Q in Jumpers. So she has earned a title in Jumpers!! and now we need just a Q in Gamblers and 2 more in Standard and she will have her first USDAA Agility title.

In a couple of weeks we are competing in our first AKC Agility Trial at Hobart Park in Ventura. The biggest differences (between USDAA and AKC) are that she will jump slightly lower (20" instead of 22" in USDAA) and there are weaves in the Jumpers class. Several people from our agility club, the Santa Barbara Flyers, will be going, so it will be a fun weekend.

Above are photos of the athlete at work.