tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38939310467869512002024-02-07T22:31:56.561-05:00Nico's StoryA Rescued Dog's journey towards rehabilitation, socialization, love and devotion.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-51984957003168870622012-05-29T13:47:00.002-04:002012-09-03T14:45:04.642-04:00Neck Line<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyKIycfsxCPXpmv9ZE7goMbHD9BlDB8klwbm-eIbeeR38FnRhOS60_EXitUZgB5KbFnjC2i-PCTwrOHaRP3LQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Neck-line</div>
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The video shows the neck-line arrangement that seems to work for my two boys. It consists of a boot lace put through a piece of PVC pipe with clips on either end. It is attached to the dogs' collars like any other neckline.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2dfyokMFTk9K_HlQkmpZnSZF4PgHpB5NQQk78FWMV_5wC0bLWE9Zo9mnLrJ9_0WXIH8GkEbUyc7cG59fCg6SnfnP9XX9NYpKv6hblkstCWV1eSO90bewAQm7czgn-onGg6f0o74dcOE/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2dfyokMFTk9K_HlQkmpZnSZF4PgHpB5NQQk78FWMV_5wC0bLWE9Zo9mnLrJ9_0WXIH8GkEbUyc7cG59fCg6SnfnP9XX9NYpKv6hblkstCWV1eSO90bewAQm7czgn-onGg6f0o74dcOE/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rigid Neckline: PVC Pipe / Boot Lace / Two clips<br />
Regular sledding collar</td></tr>
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When I first began putting Nico and Benny together as a team we had some trouble. Nico had experience as a solo pulling dog skiing with me, but had never pulled with another dog. His relationship with Benny was evolving as Benny grew up and into his own. When I put them together they were fine until, last fall, we met a turtle on the trail. A big turtle! Nico tried to pick it up. I said "leave it," and he did. So Benny took it. Woops.</div>
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My mistake was to forget that Nico left it because I told him to, but that Benny didn't know that didn't mean he couldn't have it either. In the house and the yard, Nico will often walk away from a toy when he is done with it. Then Benny can take it with impunity. So how was Benny to know that Nico wasn't leaving the "toy" for him?<br />
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Nico jumped Benny then and it was on. It was more than a spat because neck-lined together, Benny could not get the distance he needed to show Nico that he was sorry, that he misunderstood. I got bit because I stupidly tried to break it up, but then again, neck-lined like that and unable to communicate the way they normally do, I'm not sure how far it would have gone before they stopped if I had not stepped in. </div>
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A second incident occurred that was less serious but showed me that we need to do something else. Benny was simply not disciplined enough yet to run along beside Nico without slacking or pulling off to the side. But when he pulled on the neck-line Nico got very upset, confused and finally aggressive. He did not have the "leader" experience to know he could keep Benny on the trail just by holding his own line and the neckline steady. After these incidents Benny was nervous going in beside Nico. He hung back and pulled as far to the side as he could just to get some distance. This only exacerbated the problem from Nico's perspective.</div>
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Then I got some excellent advice from Benny's breeder, Nathalie Roy: She said first and foremost to do individual training with them. Nico didn't need a lot for he already pulled well on his own. But Benny benefited hugely from pulling the weighted toboggan with only me running beside him. I was able to correct him when he tried to go off the trail, and encourage him to pull steady. The toboggon provided contiuous drag most of the time. If he was moving he was pulling. That was good thing for getting him to wrap his head around what his job really was.<br />
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Soon it was time to put them together again. Nathalie had also suggested that they did not have to be on a neckline. I tried this; it meant Nico wasn't being pulled sideways by Benny, and Benny could get some distance when he felt he needed it.</div>
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But while Benny had come to understand what his job was he still was not focused enough to stay at it consistently without guidance. The least distraction would draw him. Nico wasn't sure what we were doing as a result: free walk? or pulling time? He was becoming more nervous because we were stopping and starting while I tried to sort Benny out. Nico was still not ready to be "lead dog" in a team, and Benny was not ready to be a steady team dog.</div>
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Enter a new leader: me. I put both dogs on a leash, and ran between them. That worked really well. I had to correct Nico only once or twice for turning to Benny. "No. That's not your job." I told him. "That's my job. Leave him alone."<br />
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I turned and corrected Benny. Just with a word: "Straighten up now." But what was enough made Nico happy. He doesn't have a big domination agenda with Benny. He just doesn't handle it very well when things aren't going the way he thinks they should. His insecurities come to the fore and then he does what insecure people do when they feel things are out of control: he lashed out. Once I took on the job of disciplining Benny from up front, in the position of lead dog, Nico was able to build his own confidence as a running dog, as a team dog, and finally as leader.<br />
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At first I ran between them. This worked well, except that Nico is a big puller all the time. If he feels resistance on the coller he'd pull harder. When Benny held back, I had to hold Nico back with the leash while bringing Benny up to position. This took a lot of strength. But Benny soon caught on that he had it was o.k. to stayed up level with Nico, that Nico wasn't going to nail him at least not with me there.<br />
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Then I started running beside. This was awkward with the two leashes. If I ran on Benny's side I could keep him from going off the trail with my legs. But if Nico came into him, it was hard to correct Nico without pulling him further into Benny. If I ran on Nico's side I was always pulling Benny into him when correcting Benny for straying. By the time I was done all of this pulling on the dogs, I was pulling them more than they were pulling load.<br />
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Meanwhile my husband Rick manned first the cart and the sled. His job was to use the brakes to keep the line tight, and not to fall off. That was a training adventure that need not be discussed here. He was also supposed to give direction and speed commands so the boys could get used to being directed from behind. That was just plain funny sometimes. "Haw" when he meant "hike," and "hike" when really a whoa was absolutely necessary. Fortunately the dogs just got used to listening to me, whether I was in front, beside or, eventually behind. </div>
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Running with them was hard work. As Benny grew into a better understanding of his job, they were ready to go faster than I could run. But neither of them had the experience to be able to run together in concert. I had to revist the idea of the neckline. I was worried though: what if they fought again? It made me very nervous. I had been bitten badly in the turtle incident. I remained concerned worried about the damage they could do to each other.</div>
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Then another friend, Molly Moldovan suggested putting the neckline through a PVC pipe. With a rigid neck-line maybe they wouldn't be able to get at each other. I wasn't sure about this idea: I was worried they would somehow poke each other with it. So I tried it with my husband. Really - we did that! We each held one end at our necks and tried to get at each other. We couldn't, but we also didn't poke each other; when the pipe made contact with our necks and shoulders it just slide off. So I began with the dogs. </div>
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In fact, because of the way their neck / head alignment is different from ours, they could get their heads close enough together despite the line to bite each other if they really wanted to. But I do not think they would be able to do much damage if they fought because it makes it very awkward. But the better news is that they, so far have simply not tried. I did some walkign with each of them separately and then together to get them used to the hard line. Nico had to learn that the stick was not a weapon; Benny needed not to treat it as a toy. It took about a week: we go very slowly with Nico when it comes to these things, but he always delivered.<br />
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And this time both boys delivered. One day I put the hard neckline on them, hooked them up to the sled and we took off. I was running beside them but they wanted to go. So I eased back, let Rick fall off the sled (I did not push him!) jumped on and off we went. We were a team! It was fantastic and we have continued that way ever since.<br />
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Nathalie said that it is better if the dogs are necklined, if we could manage it without trouble. The boys certainly go much better this way and I will probably keep the rigid neck-line in place. I do not know if they will "outgrow" the need for it. It is not so much about keeping them apart I see as giving them both a very clear marker as to who should run where and how. Nico seemed far more relaxed, one he got used to it of course, than before. Benny too. It is no more trouble than a soft neck-line and gives me more confidence for not worrying too much about them nailing each other in a crisis. No doubt some of their ease is because I am no longer nervous on that account. It is also easier to see and grab when that is needed than a soft line. Also if Benny is slacking or Nico is distracted, I am able to step in between them easily and make corrections without worrying about getting tangled in the neckline. <br />
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For my two dogs, neither of them trained when we began, one very nervous, the other young, it was a great solution to the neckline and proximity problem. </div>
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We have been doing this for months now, weather permitting. Nico has stepped up to the plate as a real leader. He is no longer nervous and defensive, Benny is no longer afraid. When they run together their tails are high and their heads are up; when the pulling gets hard, their heads go down and they work together, most of the time anyway. Sometimes, when Benny slacks I notice Nico gives him a look and Benny tightens up. That is all. No growling, no fighting. <br />
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BUTT --JORRING</div>
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The day this video was taken we were enduring a heat wave. It is too hot for the dogs to pull anything or wear packs, but I feel they still need their walks. In the video I am just walking behind with the dogs on skijor lines hooked to my belt. This is how I take them out when I am alone with them.<br />
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You will see that Benny has aleash on his collar as well as the neckline. He is an extremely powerful dog. If we see game and he goes to take off, without the weight of a sled or cart to slow him down, I can't hold him back. He is still young and doesn't always listen when those instincts kick in, though he is getting better at that. It is difficult and probably ill-advised to give correction from the harness. The leash on the collar gives me a little more leverage when I need to remind him that hunting is not in his current job description.<br />
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With the harnesses and the belt, I can ground the dogs if they see something they want. I cannot hold the two of them together otherwise. But Nico in harness is more responsive, more controlled when we see game then when just on leash. Neck-lined, he helps me ground Benny. When Nico is paying careful attention to me which is most of the time, I have no worries. But even though he's just gone six years of age, he has a playful soul. When he gives a certain bright-eyed little look at Benny, and a particular flick of his tail that I know I have to dig in for he is going to let Benny take me for a ride!</div>
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These boys are Malamutes and they do get excited. I have had a few occasions to practice my butt-joring, my fall back position when I think I cn't hold them being to just sit down and ride it out, literally. But they are very good dogs, big of heart and mind. Learning just doesn't get any better than this. They remain my best teachers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Heat Wave! May 29<br />
Ok. Mum. See you got your pic, can we go in now? <br />
Its hot out here! </td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-63701955260329208972012-05-06T19:31:00.001-04:002012-08-28T10:46:36.900-04:00Wagon Shafts: The Sequel!<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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Wagon Shafts: The Sequel!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tina takes Milt for a ride!<br />
No more stay-at-home Seniors</td></tr>
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Sue Logan, accessed the instructions I posted here under "Wagon Shafts" at <a href="http://nicostorybjs.blogspot.ca/2012/03/wagon-shafts.html">http://nicostorybjs.blogspot.ca/2012/03/wagon-shafts.html</a><br />
to build her own shafts for almost exactly the same wagon. She made a few modifications and sent me some pictures. Sue gave me permission to share all, as follows:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Milt is 12 and his hips and knees are getting pretty bad so he can only go on short walks now. Tina is only 7 and still needs to burn off a lot more energy. I always feel so guilty taking her for longer walks and having to leave him home.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">When I saw your dad’s modification to your wagon, I thought that was the perfect solution. I already had the same wagon. I only made a couple of changes to the design.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"> I decided to attach the shafts to the handle instead of directly to the wagon. Originally I attached it the same way you did but Tina was freaked out by having the wagon so close to her butt. She was a lot less nervous with a couple feet between her and the wagon. This also made the shafts easy to remove so I could haul the whole rig in my truck when I want to take the dogs to the park. I was worried that if they flipped up like yours, the PVC would break when I was driving down the highway. </span></div>
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So far, it’s working great. It only took 3 trips down my driveway for Tina to get used to pulling it. We practiced with a load of bricks for a while before trying it with Milt in the wagon. I thought teaching him to sit still in it would be the hardest part. But he loves it.</div>
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Pretty cool! What a great use for the system! Thanks Sue. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-16283554803376101302012-04-09T18:08:00.001-04:002012-04-09T19:58:31.041-04:00Gold Star Day!<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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Gold Star Day!</div>
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Nico has been with us since December of 2007. That's about four and a half years. You'd think we'd pretty much be over all celebrating his learning to embrace human companionship and trust human affection. Or rather, you'd think he'd have made all the progress he was going to make by this time. But maybe not: Nico continues to show us that just when we think he's come as far as he's going to come, he steps it up another notch.<br />
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So today was a gold star day because for the first time ever he asked to come out of the yard when complete strangers, and men at that, had come to pay a call. Our water pump broke down yesterday. Two young men came today in a white van to fix it. They did their job, and just as they were packing up to leave, I went up to the yard to get Benny to do some pulling. Nico wasn't on the agenda at all as he never, and I mean never, comes out of the yard voluntarily when there are visitors here, even regular visitors.<br />
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I opened the gate, and Benny came right up to me. He never hesitates to come, and typically Malamute, loves to meet and greet new people. But there, right behind him was Nico. Well, that was unusual, but I figured he would step back as soon as I reached out to him. I had to try though; it was like he was asking me to try. So I held out the collar and didn't he just step up, and put his head in? Then he trotted most happily out of the yard.<br />
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I thought maybe he doesn't see the white van and the strangers standing around it. He walked right around the corner of the house towards it though, instead running away down the trail. And then he went right up to the visitors and acted just like any other friendly Malamute I've ever seen. Go figure!<br />
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The picture below is of Nico with Rick: In December of 2007 when Nico came here, it took twelve days before he would come out of his dog house and let Rick even touch him for a second. I am talking about twelve days of bitter cold in which, twice a day, Rick took the food out to the kennel, set it down on the ground, then sat back and waited for forty-five minutes each time for Nico to come out. But Nico refused to budge from the dog house, while Rick was there. For twelve days Rick waited, Then finally, one day, he came out of his house, took a chicken back out of the dish, and set it down in front of Rick. <br />
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When Rick told me about this I said, "That dog has seen too many Disney movies." Rick, thinking back, remembered that he didn't know what to do. However, since he wasn't going to eat the raw chicken back himself, he just picked it up and put it back in the dish. Nico then looked him right in the face, turned around and then ate his food in Rick's presence.<br />
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That was the beginning of a very long and slow healing process. Itis pretty clear to us that Nico was very badly treated, and by a man or men, or boys. It would still be months before Nico would come in to my husband when called. It was months before I could get him to come into our house. And then when he did he finally bring himself to cross the threshold, it was to huddle in my arms on the sofa. When Rick or my son came into the room he would shake and cower. On the trail, he would not pass my husband, even when old Thunder was happily trotting on ahead. Rick's hands hanging down were just too frightening, and if one of them happened to swing, as they do when we walk, Nico would crouch and try to run. <br />
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But the day he came out to eat with Rick was a beginning: Nico offered, and Rick accepted. And after that it got better every day, one small step at a time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nico and Rick: A contract made, a contract honoured.<br />
Benny looking on saying,: What's the big deal? <br />
Rick's great: he's the one who brings on supper!</td></tr>
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You can see from this picture, how things turned out between Rick and Nico, eventually. But it was maybe a year before Nico would approach any other man and then it would all fall apart if the man so much as looked at Nico, much less tried to touch him. Now years later, for the first time Nico came voluntarily out of the yard, his safe place, came as if he really wanted to meet people, and greeted them without fear. I thought I should make note! <br />
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I'm pretty sure that this has a lot to do with Benny, his little buddy who is now bigger than him, his follower in all things, who nonetheless leads the way when it comes to all things social. I guess it takes a long time though for a dog to forget when someone has hurt him. It does me no good to dwell on what kind of mistreatment Nico must have endured to be so distrustful, especially of men. But it sure makes me happy to see him come around like he did today!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-39144309832454687292012-04-07T16:48:00.001-04:002012-04-07T19:12:59.422-04:00"Fire Mal"<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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In an interview with Nathalie Roy of Nordicight Alaskan Malamutes, Gery Allen an American Breeder and Musher of Malamutes (Kennel Name: Nuvakachina) was asked to describe one of his best moments on the trail. Gery answered:<br />
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Hmmmm…..best moments on the trail? I guess I would have to say that some of my best moments are seeing the sun come up after we’ve been running in the dark for an hour or two (I typically get up to train well before the sun comes up). There’s something about seeing the light hit the dogs, especially if it comes from behind. The dogs reflect the light and they become luminescent, almost glowing in the morning light, and I have a couple of red mals that look like they're on fire! It only lasts for a few minutes. But, in those few minutes when everybody is running in sync, with clouds of frost hanging about them, and the early morning sunrise is lighting them up, it just makes for a beautiful sight! These are moments when I think to myself: My god, these are amazing animals! Seeing them all working together as a team, as go we go down the trail on a snowy morning is like watching poetry in motion! It’s something that’s actually brought tears to my eyes a few times!*<br />
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Gery's description of the red Malamute as a "dog on fire" capitvated my imagination and the rest of his answer warmed my heart. So I thought I'd share it with you here.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Shared with Gery's permission.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-15475877264349872832012-04-06T22:44:00.004-04:002012-04-06T22:44:58.126-04:00Indeed....<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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I just can't help falling </div>
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in love with you.....</div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-88905699327292858882012-03-25T22:15:00.001-04:002012-05-06T21:05:09.777-04:00Wagon Shafts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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*Note: What follows are not instructions: this is simply a description of what I did to build something my dog could pull with me walking beside. It is not something a person or child could ride in. I do use a line on the wagon, so I can hold it back in case something lets loose, and I do keep the dog on a leash. This is not an instruction package. I make absolutely no claims for the safety of this design and cannot be held responsible for any outcome should anyone choose to imitate it with or without modifications.<br />
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Wagon Shafts</div>
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I have been asked to show how I made the shafts for the wagon. The shafts are made out of rigid PVC conduit pipe, half inch. I bought one 10 foot length of pipe, a "T" junction, and two "sweeps" to make the corners.</div>
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I bought the wagon a number of years ago at Canadian Tire. The handle that came with the wagon fits on a piece that connects to the front turning axle by way of an upside down u structure. </div>
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Then I called my dad, Bill Sallans. What came next is largely his work!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If difficult to see, pass your cursor over the image and it will go full screen.<br />
Click back again, off the pic and you will be back in the post.</td></tr>
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Initially my dad and I just talked on the phone. We got into some confusion because he has the same wagon as me, but bought it a year or so earlier. The handle hook-up is different from mine. Mine is shown in the picture on the left. The picture on the right, with the blue writing is the way his handle worked. If mine were like his, it would have been easy to simply cut the handle off near the end, insert a stub in bit that was left, and then insert this stub into the box that makes the T for the PVC pipe. If I'd had that kind of handle then what follows would have been a little different. </div>
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The "u" that connects the wagon handle </div>
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to the piece that goes to the turning axle.</div>
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My handle worked with an upside down u that had been welded to the shaft of the wagon handle, and a bolt to fix it in the piece that goes to the axle. So we had to do it differently. We cut the handle off pretty short, and then stuck this piece itself into the PVC "T". In the end it was a good fix because that the handle pivots on a bolt means that the shafts can also pivot. So when not in use I can stand the shafts straight up against the wagon.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBl21rWWxSz8qYgptvauJrxNvoE6Q51QnoOT4r3s_L5oLjwkoMzDnPSnywyTpe2vl_0V8U_aitjNHU0CyW8Om73giRtnz-xTJcJtjeGhik9UIpt6Y4XCmeBbQ0Zk-eCeF044vSd8iDqM/s1600/DSC_0002_01+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBl21rWWxSz8qYgptvauJrxNvoE6Q51QnoOT4r3s_L5oLjwkoMzDnPSnywyTpe2vl_0V8U_aitjNHU0CyW8Om73giRtnz-xTJcJtjeGhik9UIpt6Y4XCmeBbQ0Zk-eCeF044vSd8iDqM/s320/DSC_0002_01+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "T" junction available for PVC rigid pipe.<br />
You can also see one of the "sweeps" here.<br />
The opening on the T is where we put the wagon handle end .</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIGScWqpmJxg4FXrS8MGZAJUZIwKx-sQSZBEibhyphenhyphensxgms-X0A8hAgvdCSNrdGiLJAmw24OpwCwf1VE-iVqir3nM-TYMtIvTg_q61PpogAFM-stJhsAZFkbyTJT7KVQy2SMq2rKx-q_pc/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIGScWqpmJxg4FXrS8MGZAJUZIwKx-sQSZBEibhyphenhyphensxgms-X0A8hAgvdCSNrdGiLJAmw24OpwCwf1VE-iVqir3nM-TYMtIvTg_q61PpogAFM-stJhsAZFkbyTJT7KVQy2SMq2rKx-q_pc/s320/DSC_0010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am pointing to the "u" from the handle.<br />
You can't see the handle stub itself because <br />
it has been inserted into the PVC "T"<br />
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<div>
The handle stub comes right out the other side of the "T". You can see the top of the eye bolt that we put there: that is where I hook up the "tug line" that goes to the back of the dog's harness. You can also see that there is a D-ring on the piece that goes to the axle with an old leash attached to it. I use this as a brake when necessary and also to pull the wagon myself rather than pulling on the shafts when moving it around.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you see the hook up on the piece that goes to the axle.<br />
The shafts are now in a vertical position, so you are looking at<br />
the bottom of the PVC "T" .<br />
The "u" part that was part of the wagon handle is actually<br />
now in the position it would be if the handle were still on it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMWIYf0nD_1kYp2oeWDfhCr55T9CemVyA0j9AfHBSw_7LskJCbUtvf4f7QGb8uSsY_tw3j7BWmeRm1SgFnXt_b71J8Ap2Qcd567QLe1DB6P5P5zZhszcC2OxOGkArVAL2RJd5o3Fzxwk/s1600/DSC_0002_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMWIYf0nD_1kYp2oeWDfhCr55T9CemVyA0j9AfHBSw_7LskJCbUtvf4f7QGb8uSsY_tw3j7BWmeRm1SgFnXt_b71J8Ap2Qcd567QLe1DB6P5P5zZhszcC2OxOGkArVAL2RJd5o3Fzxwk/s320/DSC_0002_01.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> This is how it looks with the shafts in pulling position.<br />
You can also see the eye bolt that is pushed through a hole<br />
we drilled in the stub of the wagon handle. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXedojd9mDFPYA2UWeqHWVuOhVMt4nlHK8LfXdjMHnlcoPlarS7JUjZ612cTsJOvItmAekvN7RPkrucvekOj_nVcqH_jV2tVN_br5B_lFdD9q0LFrqmnk26WZGbgg-m8hHkpvS4et4wBI/s1600/DSC_0007_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXedojd9mDFPYA2UWeqHWVuOhVMt4nlHK8LfXdjMHnlcoPlarS7JUjZ612cTsJOvItmAekvN7RPkrucvekOj_nVcqH_jV2tVN_br5B_lFdD9q0LFrqmnk26WZGbgg-m8hHkpvS4et4wBI/s320/DSC_0007_01.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you see the shafts all hooked up to the dog.<br />
I put loops on the side of his pulling harness to hold the shafts.<br />
You can also see the clips I put there too to make the "hold back".</td></tr>
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The "hold back" is necessary to keep the cart from riding up on the dog. The clips are just swivel tugs. They are fixed to the shaft with hose clamps. The loops for the shafts are sewn into the harness, and then a second loop is provided for the clamps for the hold-back.</div>
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I finished off the ends of the PVC pipe just by sticking an adapter that you use to join two pieces together on the end with a nickel inside to close the pipe. </div>
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The harness I use is our wintertime sledding harness. It is called a toboggan harness. It comes down the sides of the dog's back legs and has a spreader bar to keep his legs from being squeezed when he pulls. I modified it by putting a piece of elastic at the back so that when it is slack, the spreader bar does not drop down and catch his leg.<br />
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This harness can be seen at this web site: <a href="http://www.paws-e-trax.com/taiga_harnesses.htm" style="text-align: center;">http://www.paws-e-trax.com/taiga_harnesses.htm</a> (scroll down to toboggan harness).</div>
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If I were buying a harness specifically for this purpose I think would go to Black Ice and get their Sierra Drafting and Pulk Harness <a href="http://www.blackicedogsledding.com/page6.html#cascade" style="text-align: center;">http://www.blackicedogsledding.com/page6.html#cascade</a> because it already has the shaft hook up on the harness itself. It also advertises that it can be used for weight pulling which suggests it may have wider webbing making heavier loads more comfortable for the dog. We are very happy however with the toboggan harness and it is very versatile, especially since I modified it to keep it up off the dogs legs when the line is slack.</div>
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I prefer these options to the commonly seen cart pulling harness that goes straight across the dog's chest because I think the x crossing on the chest is more comfortable for the dog. I also prefer the way the spreader bar allows for a single tug hook up, rather than hooking up two lines coming from the dog. Also the spreader bar acts as "breeching" -- Papa says "britching" -- helping to keep the harness and therefore the cart from riding up on the dog when going down hill, or stopping on the flat. </div>
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A note on the choice of PVC pipe: It may not be elegant, but it is cheap (less than $20 for all the materials in the shafts) and when you put it all together, it remains quite flexible. I am teaching Benny to make sure he lies down like a sphinx between the shafts, but once in a while he rolls. The shafts just give way and nobody gets hurt, nothing is broken. It is also quite light weight, yet sturdy.<br />
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When we got the whole thing assembled and were sure all the parts fit, we used PVC black glue, the kind designed for the pipe, to put the pieces together.</div>
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And that's it! Thanks Papa! (that's my dad. He builds cool stuff.) <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7CdlbnYe1BajDjGd6HpXTBlwhm_KWzZGWTWo0IXFPVw17DH1kV0jQANC4FamqYe_LornrGpsq9VLGQhvytTrrpIYcZt9dn2Esgnrfc8JoA7El06lvjOfhOZnkmvFGfh_YIG75SMWPII/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7CdlbnYe1BajDjGd6HpXTBlwhm_KWzZGWTWo0IXFPVw17DH1kV0jQANC4FamqYe_LornrGpsq9VLGQhvytTrrpIYcZt9dn2Esgnrfc8JoA7El06lvjOfhOZnkmvFGfh_YIG75SMWPII/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Papa" (Bill Sallans)</td></tr>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-80201423818496498392012-03-25T21:03:00.002-04:002012-03-25T22:23:09.644-04:00Benny's Summer Job<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;">Benny's Summer Job</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;">Benny's summer job: moving next winter's wood from driveway to woodshed. I made shafts for the wagon - he is so steady, he took to them right away, and has already mastered tight turns (requires him to cross his legs) and hold back on the hills! Malamutes rock! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;">I was asked about the training for this, whether or not I had to start with just the shafts. The answer is no</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;">. </span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;">Benny is a rock steady dog. I just laid the shafts down on the ground and asked him to line up, so he did, just like he does on the sled. Then there was a lot friggin around while I fitted everything. I told him to stand still, like I do for harnessiing or grooming , so he did. Once I got everything adjusted I said lets go, walked beside him as I wasn't sure he wouldn't jump the shafts, but he didn't. He right away figured out what to do with his body to make the turns and the down hills etc. easier.</span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;">I think Benny is a dog who likes to use his own head in his own good time. The slow work of hauling wood with the requirement that he think where he puts his feet and his weight, particularly as we have a lot of steep hills up and down and sharp turns throughout to negotiate when we are doing this, seems to suit him. I think a more high energy dog would require more training. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;">My Nico would be very nervous about the shafts. He has pulled wood in the wagon for me in the past, but only only a line, like we use for the sled. I would not put him between shafts; he's never liked the wagon much. Its too erratic, without shafts, and yet I know he would feel trapped in the shafts, especially if something went wrong. Benny on the other hand just waits calmly for me to solve the problem. Benny also is a much slower, but steadier puller. Nico likes to run, and pulls because something is attached him when he is running. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;">Benny on the other hand just likes to pull. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;">Benny is calm and very trusting. So he can devote all of his mind to figuring things out as he goes, instead of getting all panicked, and not being able to learn for wanting to run away. Once he's shown something that works, he remembers and does it again on his own. He also loves weight. I am going light right now while he figures things out, but I learned with the toboggan that the more he has to pull, the more he seems to get excited -- er,, in a calm "Benny"sort of way!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;">So Benny has become my wood hauling dog; Nico, as befits his station as the senior dog around here watches over the work from the yard, giving, no doubt advice which Benny, no doubt, ignores. When Benny is done his job, they both get a nice treat: Benny for doing the job, Nico, for just being Nico. What a team!</span></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-89511488912581405942012-03-25T20:44:00.001-04:002012-03-25T20:51:19.298-04:00Small Steps: A Training Odyssey<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
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Small Steps: A Training Odyssey<br />
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From my training journals of the Nico-Benny Team: February 20, 2012<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">So we did it! After many months of individual training, working on spooky Nico's comfort zone and young Benny's discipline, I put them back together on the sled, and off we went. That was a couple of weeks ago, early in February. My husband helped, once he stopped falling off the sled. I ran a lot: in front which keeps Benny going but pisses Nico off because he likes to be out front; beside which makes Nico happy</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;"> but distracts Benny because he likes to chase my boots; and finally behind which made me happy because it was a prelude to actually being on the sled. So now as of about a week ago they're doing it! Nico gets that they its o.k. for Benny to run beside him, he doesn't have to try to cut him off and "take control"; Benny gets that you don't go off the trail at the least bit of interesting smell or squirrel activity, and also that Nico isn't going to jump him if he pulls even with him; and they are both getting that when they both pull together it is easier than when one does and one doesn't, also they get that when neither pulls, we go nowhere. Today I sent my husband home once we got going (he got the camera so he could catch us coming across the field) and it was just me and my boys on the trail (including the Turtle War Zone -forgive my elation but taking that trail was a psychological victory for me as that was big trouble). We still have a long way to go, but at least we look like and go like a "team" now. Happy!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTkAKLBau5cr7j_x1_u0lKJWZrX2CYQKx6nDTXFRUVVGCBE8az4x0C_gfSlm8qHWqN2mk2AtJtnaNc1gpyELWkdSq1uFZXqEHmd-cLH6OWdP5Od95drAkIHBk487TJw_7hxg5JWop-Mo/s1600/Benny+posing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTkAKLBau5cr7j_x1_u0lKJWZrX2CYQKx6nDTXFRUVVGCBE8az4x0C_gfSlm8qHWqN2mk2AtJtnaNc1gpyELWkdSq1uFZXqEHmd-cLH6OWdP5Od95drAkIHBk487TJw_7hxg5JWop-Mo/s320/Benny+posing.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nico: Focus Benny, Stay with the job, not the paparazzi.<br />
Benny: Paparazzi? Is that like Pizza? I'm going that way!<br />
Nico: No. (Nico <u>is</u> the lead dog in this team.)</td></tr>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-5692003888582277292012-03-22T21:29:00.003-04:002012-03-30T18:29:05.501-04:00Winter Tales<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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This was the crappiest winter ever, so little snow, and when it did come it was followed hard on the heels by rain, then ice. Nonetheless, by the end of it, which came all too soon - February! -- Nico and Benny were a sledding team. That made me very happy. It was a long process. I spent a lot of time running the boys making sure Benny understood his job was to stay on the trail and pull, while developing Nico's confidence as leader. Rick was on the sled, and since he's never done any of this before with me, it was a totally new learning experience for him too. Needless to say we had our moments. The story below describes one of them.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found this on a web site* "Tell a Golden Retriever to sit and he will. Tell an Alaskan Malamute (or a Siberian) to sit and he may run in a circle around you. He may woo-woo at you. He may ignore you. He may jump up, jump over the gates, retrieve the dumbbell from the next ring, jump back across the gates, and present it to you. He may actually sit. However, harness a Golden and tell him "Gee" and he will turn right. The Malamute will wait for the opening in the trees... " </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*</span><a href="http://www.wayeh.com/aboutsleddogs/description.htm">http://www.wayeh.com/aboutsleddogs/description.htm</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So true! A few weeks back my husband was manning the sled, I was still running alongside to make sure my boys understood what was required. My husband is very new at this (only recruited this winter for this training) and isn't too sure of his command words. He wanted them to pick up so started shouting in a very loud excited voice "Haw Haw Haw". Ummm... there were trees to the right and trees to the left, no fork in the trail. Fortunately my dogs are Malamutes not Golden Retrievers. Nico stopped. Benny stopped, I stopped. And all three of us turned as one and looked at Rick who said, "Woops. I meant hike?" Nobody died. I love my Mallies!
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-89892917342978650642012-03-12T12:00:00.004-04:002012-03-12T20:26:20.580-04:00Short Stories: Why We Should Sled our "Pets"<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
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I wrote this for a group on Working Malamutes, but I think this readership will enjoy it:<br />
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Why "pet" Malamute owners should train their dogs for sled, and work with them regularly: Yes, it is by far the best exercise and training for both their bodies and minds, but I have a story that illustrates a far more compelling excuse – er, I mean reason.<br />
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This morning my husband and I were doing the morning leash walk with our boys. My husband was getting well ahead with Nico on a long flexi, I was behind with Benny. Neither one of us are very fit right now due to injuries, but I was lagging more. I didn't want to fall too far behind so two or three times I called out to my husband, “Could you wait for me? Hello? Can you wait?”<br />
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You think Mallies have selective hearing! Husbands are way ahead on that one. But my husband really can`t always hear very well; what with the snow being crunchy, the wind blowing and his hat down over his ears. So I`m thinking, forget this. Instead I drop my voice low and say in a much much quieter tone, ``Yo Nico, Whoa.” My boy is at least 100 - 150 feet ahead, but he stops dead in his tracks. Rick trudges up beside him and says, “Come on Nico, lets go.” Nico doesn’t budge. Just turns his head and looks directly behind Rick, at me. Rick, looking to see what he is interested in also turns. He sees me, and I smile sweetly, batt my eyelashes and say, “Darling, would you mind waiting up for me?”<br />
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Yes – Marital bliss: Women who sled their dogs have better marriages. A man who is smart enough to pay attention to his wife’s lead dog, even more so!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcHlnkr3zw7-S-yRgkAnxLCaAT_kAdeUatoZfeoQ2P63RivZXtZLenjGM5lPGN6ywChJQ5_GH0pEFq5NjsCafxw4IkuMqzuMXbmYz1AKhb7LbCft0pEzwSxluYMvxViA2dK2tT4Os6w8/s1600/Nicobud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcHlnkr3zw7-S-yRgkAnxLCaAT_kAdeUatoZfeoQ2P63RivZXtZLenjGM5lPGN6ywChJQ5_GH0pEFq5NjsCafxw4IkuMqzuMXbmYz1AKhb7LbCft0pEzwSxluYMvxViA2dK2tT4Os6w8/s320/Nicobud.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've posted this pic before I think, but really, it says it all. <br />
Nico, I do love you -- Yes I do! We are a great team!</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-38392626952360303632012-02-09T07:27:00.003-05:002012-02-09T07:27:57.760-05:00<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
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Why I love my Malamute: Just one more reason</div>
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(A Face-Book Post)</div>
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This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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Today I took a chance on skiing with my Nico.<br />
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We have no snow to speak of - mostly ice, crust and bit of poof underneath, in some places. But when we walked the trails this morning it seemed like I could maybe get a run out of it.<br />
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So we took off. Me and my Nico, my spooky Rescue Nico, also the smartest critter of any species much less breed into whose paws anyone would ever want to put their life.<br />
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And I did. Many times over. But his best save today was when I found myself headed down a hill, not too steep, but because of the crust, it turned out, fast. Then one ski went through the crust and I got turned sideways and couldn’t get out, but the other one was still on top and going fast. So when the other popped out I was not where I should have been and was going somewhere worse fast with no control whatsoever. Then my dog got behind me and I thought oh s.... What’s wrong with him? I’m now headed somewhere bad at speed with no control and now my dog has dropped behind me? <br />
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I reach down to pull the quick release on my ski-jor belt. Whatever Nico is doing, I don't want him mixed up with me in what is about to come next. |Then thud: I am brought up short, not sharp enough that I fall, just whoa and stop. Oh oh! I am afraid: worst case scenario: my Nico got tangled and gone down and hurt himself. I turn around and standing there in show stacked alignment with his harness picture perfect and the line just right tight is my Nico, facing in exactly the opposite direction. That dog had executed a perfect 180 keeping the line just right so as not to tangle then drawn up enough to stop me in my headlong descent into wearing fence wire, and I don’t mean as a fashion choice. <br />
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We all know Malamutes think for themselves. My Malamute not only thinks for himself, he thinks for me! Nico came to us a death-row Rescue with an abuse history. He was totally messed up and terrified of all things human. He is still skittish with strangers and can’t do crowds, but in the comfort of his home and his own woods he has shown us his mind, his heart, and his spirit. These are incomparable, these are Malamute, and we know ourselves to be greatly blessed. <br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-39860681000877034892011-12-14T22:01:00.004-05:002011-12-19T15:33:01.632-05:00Forward<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo and Thunder<br />
On the Move!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Forward</span></div>
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I have been negligent of “Nico’s Story” over the summer and into the fall. I’m not sure why; perhaps it was more important to just be with Thunder as I felt all through the summer that his time was drawing to a close. We also had another senior to take care of, Leo, a 13 year old Akita cross. Leo belonged to a friend of mine who had been battling cancer for years. Early in August she left her home, a small hobby farm not far from us, for the last time. I began caring for Leo many years ago, before the illness, tending him and the other farm animals when my friend went travelling. Thunder came with me when I went to do the work and after feeding and cleaning up after the other animals, I took them for walks together.<br />
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He and Leo were both in their prime then. Akitas, like Malamutes, are strong minded, and status oriented. They can be fierce, and troublesome with other dogs. But Leo was very smart and good natured to the core. Thunder has always been an excellent communicator. Leo learned very quickly how to be with a dog like Thunder; he understood Malamute, and had a spirit of his own that earned Thunder’s respect.<br />
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A few years passed before my friend’s illness presented itself and then intensified. She began having to spend more time in the city for treatments. Leo came here to stay with us while she was away. By the time he came here for his final visit, ours was already his second home, he and Thunder were old friends, and Nico and Benny well accustomed to his presence and the small changes in routine that went with it. <br />
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But Leo arrived in very poor condition. He was thirteen years old, had cancerous tumours himself, and in the confusion that attends the final days of a person in serious decline living alone he’d gone without pain killers. He was anxious; I am convinced he knew his owner was terminally ill. Then, in the short interval between his owner’s departure, and my being called to pick him up, he’d fallen and gotten trapped in a window well. I found him there when I arrived at the farm, got help to hoist him out and brought him to our house. He was scared, exhausted and I thought, done for. But when I helped him out of the vehicle he took one look, saw where he was and marched, if not quite steady, right up the driveway to the front door. He laid down on the grass like he was coming home, but didn’t move further. I watched him puffing away and thought, “Well, we’ll see.”<br />
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Then Thunder came out of the house. He walked right over to Leo and seemed to say, “Leo, get up. It's not over 'till its over. Time to do business. Let’s not embarrass ourselves.” So Leo got up, and they went down the trail. Not far, just far enough to keep up appearances. <br />
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By the next morning Leo was a different dog. He continued to grow in confidence and strength. He put on weight and soon was announcing visitors if not intruders with that big Akita guardian woof. It was clear to us that he was drawing assurance and strength of purpose from Thunder’s example. Equally obvious was Thunder’s enjoyment of an addition to his pack who was so much closer to him in age and energy than the younger boys, Benny and Nico, in the yard. The old fellows gave one another space, but kept track of each other in every regard, including checking out bodily functions. <br />
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Leo soon established a guardian position on the hillside where he could watch all entrances to our property, the garage and the house. Thunder meanwhile gravitated to a corner in the flowerbed at the back of the house where he could keep an eye on the youngsters in the yard, the kitchen and of course the refrigerator, as well as Leo in his position up front. Thunder eventually dug a hole back there; I knew then that he was telling me something important.<br />
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September came around, and we saw both Leo and Thunder choosing to spend more and more time in the bedroom rather than out of doors. Then one day I went in and found the two of them lying at the foot of the bed. Their heads were just inches apart and they were looking directly at each other. It was quite a picture – Akita, Malamute, two adult males who had not been raised together, but respectful and, if not overtly affectionate, certainly bonded. <br />
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It seemed to me that I had interrupted a serious conversation. I imagine it went like this: Leo says, “Thunder, you go first. I’m scared.” Thunder says, “Hey, how come I always have to go first?” Leo says, “Because you’re the Malamute. Malamutes are never scared. They always go first. ” Thunder says “Leo. You're Akita. Akita's aren't scared either." Leo says, "Ah. You forget: I'm an Akita cross. The cross part is scared." Thunder says, "Oh. Alright. It's true. I’m not scared. I’ll check it out. When I come back for you, be ready.” Leo says, “I’ll be ready.”<br />
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Thunder stopped eating at the end of September. Our vet gave him the grace with dignity and without suffering on October the 2nd. We buried him in the spot he had chosen behind the house in those last weeks. Leo went into serious decline shortly after. Meanwhile his owner had passed away and we attended her memorial service the following weekend. Then one week later, on the14th of October, Leo went down and couldn’t get up. We called our vet; she explained what had happened to him, and eased his way.<br />
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After a while I was able to write to our vet, Dr. Rosemarie Bahr to thank her. I respect and admire Dr. Rose deeply. She does the hardest thing in the world with sincere compassion, gentle humanity and the absolute confidence we all need most as heartbreak beckons. Not only did she come at a time of great inconvenience to her for Thunder, but was kind enough to do the same also for Leo although he was not in her long-time charge.<br />
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Because I don’t have a better way of describing how much it meant to us to have Leo in our lives, and in Thunder’s at this time, I share part of that letter here:<br />
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<i>I find myself grieving Leo and Thunder together, and that is right and true. For Leo ought to be grieved as every dog should, and he has no one left who would feel this sad at his passing. Thunder was the consummate pack dog, and is much happier running in my heart with a partner than alone. How fitting then, that he make this final journey with this, a friend of many years, who so easily embraced the Malamute way, even while remaining entirely his remarkable Leo-self.</i><br />
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<i>I have to be sad for a while. Loss does that to you; it’s the price you pay for love. But always, better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Sled dogs don’t go backwards, only forwards, and the final honouring of Thunder’s life and memory has to be in my doing just that, regardless of how heavy the load behind.</i><br />
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Forwards now. Forwards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4hoFKCwg9Q8Os85s2zhXB_P_ym-RSlNJgSL5PrhZVIewvQ3KJKkThXzPxZe8QOVK_aqrKn3n9OKjQQ-lKRPRuYsptOqzDnm89hqsPT8vPNLad1H3DstOqCqIBuCK4sNTgGgae74a6Zs/s1600/Thsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4hoFKCwg9Q8Os85s2zhXB_P_ym-RSlNJgSL5PrhZVIewvQ3KJKkThXzPxZe8QOVK_aqrKn3n9OKjQQ-lKRPRuYsptOqzDnm89hqsPT8vPNLad1H3DstOqCqIBuCK4sNTgGgae74a6Zs/s400/Thsm.jpg" width="310" /></a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-69609107515811310562011-10-13T20:23:00.001-04:002011-12-03T05:17:05.112-05:00Thunder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">THUNDER</span><br />
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Thunder passed away on October 2nd, 2011. </div>
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He is deeply missed by us all. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAQJbgBYKb2W-NuszOT77EXf_Fwec9SiIL4wg3oC0JIKwpbw4byTZZyS7hSMe1Bs5WjylpGQ7U78u_MKOLhPeuaF6MPfhEGSl0DeCyDhab-oUX-pi8WfG3p-7Xiko6pAVS0c3rLgKcb8/s1600/ThPulls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAQJbgBYKb2W-NuszOT77EXf_Fwec9SiIL4wg3oC0JIKwpbw4byTZZyS7hSMe1Bs5WjylpGQ7U78u_MKOLhPeuaF6MPfhEGSl0DeCyDhab-oUX-pi8WfG3p-7Xiko6pAVS0c3rLgKcb8/s320/ThPulls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> In his prime, 2004</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With his boy, Sebastian, Marmora Sno-Fest, 2005</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbN1HonhJ0daZv9EOFKEWy9FF2CUg8HvJl3l5FBcaqinVPGX2qde_GRYgETpGFFqk77QHrtfsnbO-wVEB_duOFmfIRkIiQS_M7LJXWcUWHfMtXMWD8JTlpO_zD2o8DzGZ37svdYqme7NI/s1600/Th%2526Sebas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbN1HonhJ0daZv9EOFKEWy9FF2CUg8HvJl3l5FBcaqinVPGX2qde_GRYgETpGFFqk77QHrtfsnbO-wVEB_duOFmfIRkIiQS_M7LJXWcUWHfMtXMWD8JTlpO_zD2o8DzGZ37svdYqme7NI/s320/Th%2526Sebas.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> With Sebastian:<br />
The Adventure Team</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQei7lWI3uywY9yIxEM2swizE5CeWICQUGo064TYsKTdU446DxRgkSN91w7V3azzvNyozukSxJzxsNd6tyLoDd2kFHuOvkHnML0o2nQk5lWjoVA_3kxyugABgvltqy_t4FQDXkHGRKJFk/s1600/Travel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQei7lWI3uywY9yIxEM2swizE5CeWICQUGo064TYsKTdU446DxRgkSN91w7V3azzvNyozukSxJzxsNd6tyLoDd2kFHuOvkHnML0o2nQk5lWjoVA_3kxyugABgvltqy_t4FQDXkHGRKJFk/s320/Travel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> With his Best Buddy<br />
Bernese Mountain Dog Teddy (2000-2007)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Nico: His Protege</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Kandi, his friend, and Benny, his young lookalike and second protege<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Thunder<br />
My Thunder, Always and Forever<br />
<br />
Sled dogs go forwards and not backwards,<br />
and that is what you would have us do,<br />
but if only for an hour I could reverse the clock<br />
it would be to run just one more time with you.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-47032575703340052022011-06-26T09:24:00.002-04:002011-06-26T09:44:14.833-04:00Full House<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> Three Dog Nights</div><br />
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<br />
Clockwise: Benny, Thunder, Nico, that is if you are talking about the placement of face shots this collage. In terms of getting up in the morning and who starts at what time, the order is a little different. All three boys are sleeping inside most nights now. There are just too many mosquitos and deer flies out there and they are especially vicious when the humidity is high. So after our evening walk we brush off what we can, scurry into the house and curl up in the basement where it is cool and blessedly bug free, at least after the first few minutes of deer fly squishing and mosquito bashing.<br />
<br />
Come morning its Benny who starts things moving. He remains the most loving, overtly affectionate Malamute I have ever met. Just before daylight he climbs in to bed with me. Anyone who ever had a child I'm sure remembers deluding themselves with the notion that if they let the toddler climb into bed with them<br />
they would settle down and everyone could grab another hour or so of sleep. Settling down happens for about three minutes. Benny lies there very quietly just gently pushing his head against my chin. I stroke his head and then as I doze off and stop petting him he pushes a little harder. Soon he's flat on his back wriggling, wanting his tummy rub, and pushing me with his legs at the same time. If I stop rubbing he pushes harder. He is now an adult Malamute of a working dog line. His legs are long and strong and when he pushes there is no ignoring it!<br />
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Needless to say we are soon up and about. Benny goes out into the yard and we collect Nico, who spends the night under the bed upstairs where Rick sleeps. I would sleep there too, except when all the dogs are in, they all want to be in the same room with us and that's just too much Malamute in one room. So I sleep downstairs with Benny, Rick sleeps upstairs and Nico, who long ago claimed the space under our bed as our safe place, crawls in and doesnt' come out 'till morning.<br />
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That is, until I put Benny out in the yard. Then Rick brings Nico to the back door and both dogs get some yard time before breakfast. Great. It's only about five a.m. Rick and I crawl back into bed congratulating ourselves on building the yard so the boys can have a play time in the cool hours of early morning while we steal a few more minutes of sleep. Something like the thinking parents have when they make the back yard child safe and fill it with interactive toys, thinking that the kids can enjoy the sandbox and the teeter totter in the morning while they doze.<br />
<br />
Of course, the first thing that happens in the yard is the singing lesson. Benny gets in Nico's face, barking, or at least making the Malamute approximation of a bark. He wants Nico to play but Nico isn't ready yet to rip and tear. So instead he starts to sing, opening up a full throated howl which Benny tries to imitate. They do this in the afternoon as well, and then it becomes a full fledged operatic training session. Benny actually tries to match pitch with Nico, his voice breaking, and faltering, and then as it would appear he gains breath control, finally joining Nico in full coloratura. In the morning however it quickly deteriorates to rather silly yips and woofs. Then they start to run.<br />
<br />
That lasts for about fifteen minutes. We watch from the bedroom window and it is better than television. By now of course we are fully awake, but have not quite abandoned the hope of more sleep. That comes soon though as both boys suddenly realize they haven't had breakfast yet, and that the waiters are just on the other side of that screened window watching them.<br />
<br />
So, at Nico's instigation they leave off playing and begin to yip and yodel in that time honoured way that every Malamute ever born has used to manipulate his or her people into delivering food. That's it for sleep: we're up and about now and its breakfast for the boys, a walk in the woods and forget about sleeping in. Forever!<br />
<br />
Forever. I like that word when it comes to our dogs, which brings us to Thunder. He is still with us and if not a hundred per cent all the time, still enjoys quality of life. He doesn't sleep outside at all anymore, or at least not in the yard. He still likes his porch and asks to go out, or come in in the course of the night sometimes two or three times. So in terms of the clock, Thunder is pretty much a twenty-four hour concern. That's alright. Rick has gotten used to getting up and opening the door for him and very nearly does it in his sleep now.<br />
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We don't exactly know why Thunder is so restless sometimes. He is on medication that eases the pain but we think maybe despite that sometimes he just can't get comfortable. Sometimes he settles if I lie down on the floor beside him. Other times he doesn't want to be touched, just wants to know we are nearby. Come morning though he is as lively as the other two, coaching the play in the yard from the window without sparing his voice or the peace of the neighbourhood. <br />
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Best of all, is when after eating, when Rick takes him and Benny out into the front field to do business. He starts out with Benny on the long leash. Thunder doesn't need to be attached anymore as he is no longer interested in running off anywhere, and if he were to decide he was we know we can now outrun him. Benny sticks with Thunder like glue, so once Rick gets them out in the middle of the field he lets Benny loose. Then they run in together. This was the way we used to let Thunder run off his energy when he was in his prime. He always got a treat when he made it to the front door and so you can be sure he always ran straight for the porch every time. Now he sometimes runs straight while Benny tries to cut him off, but other times gives in to Benny's playfullness and runs in circles with him until he remembers he's not a pup anymore, then heads up the hill to the house.<br />
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Thunder makes me think of my father, who like Thunder suffers severely from arthritis and has some substantial structural damage that makes walking, much less running, a decision. However, if he hears a a fiddle tune, a jig or a reel, my father cannot keep his feet still and then he's up and dancing like he did in his youth. Of course, he can't walk for a week after that. Thunder similarly, spends the day getting over his ten minute indulgence, but is a wonderful thing to watch him him play like that. Thunder has always been a pretty serious Malamute, since he came to us anyway. He and Nico never played much: I think it might have been important with Thunder to keep the lines of authority very clear with Nico. With Benny however he seems to feel no such imperative. Perhaps this is because Benny so obviously and consistently shows a puppy attitude. Whatever the reason, they make a delightful Grampa and his boy pair together. It gives us great joy to see Thunder having fun with Benny, and then curling up near him when they come in the house like the great old friends they have become.<br />
<br />
This is Benny's great gift: his ability to find a way to get along with just about anybody, and even more, to get them to play and enjoy life. I suppose it is what any young creature brings to a household: a breath of fresh air, the lightness of heart that makes the day seem short even when it starts at five a.m. He and Nico are now quite established in their understanding of each other. They enjoy the yard together during the cooler, less bug ridden times of day and do continue to sleep together out there on dry cool nights. Nico, a middle aged dog now, no longer has the frantic energy of the young Malamute to work out, his own that is. He does however have Benny's energy to content with, and that is keeping him fit and young in body. Meanwhile Benny finds in Nico a strong, athletic adult dog who can certainly keep up with him for having the muscle development and endurance of an adult, if not the frantic but short lived energy of a yearling who has yet to learn what it is to pull in harness. It is Benny who starts the play to be sure, but it is Nico who, once Benny is worn out, shows that he is just getting warmed up. That's when I put Nico in harness and he hauls the wood dumped in our driveway up to the woodshed, while Benny, like any other teenager I ever met, lies around on his back in the yard, all four legs in the air, plugged in if not to his IPOD, then the birdsong and frog-croak equivalent.<br />
<br />
The Benny - Nico - Thunder interaction, while endless fascinating to me on a daily basis, has become something natural and easy to live with, therefore less subject to minute circumspection. I haven't been writing a lot in this blog as a result. I will try to post more pictures as we go along, and as we get better with the camera. Meanwhile I have been working more on Nico's back story. Nico will always be my miracle dog: another installment describing more of what that miracle entailed will be coming soon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-32557048163266567672011-05-05T10:19:00.002-04:002011-05-05T10:44:04.247-04:00Benny's First Winter!<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What sled dogs do best!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-65263120776109167782011-05-05T09:39:00.005-04:002012-02-09T07:53:22.468-05:00Happy Birthday to Me<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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<br />
Benny turned one year old on April 21st. He is sound, healthy and strong as a little bull. He and Nico are sustaining an equitable relationship, although Benny does not always back down anymore, and we must, as is always the case with Malamutes, remember to keep the lines of authority clear. Benny relies on us to make sure Nico knows he is not truly in charge. Nico even more so!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who's in charge?</td></tr>
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So there is nothing much exciting to report on the integration front, but I continue to find the evolving relationship between all three of these dogs endlessly novel and fascinating. Nico's story thoroughly embedded now in that of Thunder, and Benny. Neither Thunder nor Benny have ever suffered mistreatment from human hands; I see such marked differences in the way they deal with things compared to Nico. The primary difference is the the degree to which Benny and Thunder both readily, if not automatically, defer to human judgement. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me on my birthday. I could be a show dog.<br />
But I'd rather get that cookie she just dropped...</td></tr>
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All Malamutes are independent of mind, but Benny and Thunder are quite inclined to look to me before taking action. Nico on the other hand, acts first, looks to see what I might be doing about the situation second. I noticed the same difference when I had a similar situation years ago: two Malamutes, one of whom I raised and one a Breeder Rescue. I adopted the Rescue after she had been thoroughly messed up by foolish and abusive owners. As is the case with Nico, before she came to me, she had learned that humans cannot be trusted.<br />
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The trust pact with dogs is a fascinatingly complex contract. Domestication of animals makes humans into gods: we have control over these animals lives in every way. But we do not control them: this is the mistake I feel many animal owners make, one perpetuated by trainers, and even the very concept of "obedience training." The notion that you can make an animal to perform consistently to expectations like a machine is silly. Animals as well as people can be conditioned to react in specific ways to specific stimuli; this possibility is the essence of most training programs one way or another. Hold your hand over your dogs head and he will likely sit in order to see it. Say the word "sit" when you do it, and give him a cookie when he complies, and after a while you can pretty much count on him to sit when you use the word or the hand signal.<br />
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Except -- and Malamute owners for the most part know all about "except." Except when there is a squirrel, except when there is other food, except when playing seems like more fun! Malamutes aren't the only dogs who have no trouble ignoring human requests when something else is more attractive. However some breeds are more inclined to prioritize human expectations than others. Malamutes are not on this list!<br />
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Quite frankly, when working with any other living creatures I do not think of having control over them at all, be they dogs, horses or children! What I can exercise control over is my own behavior; if I get that right, I find my animals, anyone I am associated with really, general falls into the congenial behaviors that allow us to live together. <br />
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The essence of the relationship between human and domsticated animal is trust. We have absolute control over the lives of the creatures that are dependent upon us. We control their food, their shelter, and the emotional climate in which they live. Emotional climate is not the least of these for we all know that if an animal lives in a context where fear and anger prevail, he will emerge nervous and irritable. An animal that lives with humans who speak quietly and move easily and whose behavior is consistently reliable responds in kind. Similarly, any animal that lives with love and affection learns to seek the same.<br />
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Some time in Nico's life that trust was violated. Somewhere sometime someone who had the responsibility of providing shelter and food for this dog, joined that provision to anger and violence. When Nico came here as a result he bolted his food, looking left and right flinching at the least movement on anyone's part. Shelter meant hiding in the corner of the dog house and it was not the elements he was cowering from. Benny and Thunder never had those experiences; they take their shelter, their food and the affection which is a part of their daily lives for granted. As a result, they also look to us first when things go wrong. It doesn't mean they dont' think for themsevles: I've never met a Malamute yet who didn't have his own ideas about what we ought to do to solve a problem. But Nico on the other hand, in a crisis acts entirely on his own, flinching, running, counting on himself and no one else.<br />
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At least, initially. Which brings me to his miracle, the miracle of trust regained. I did not complete that sentence with "and when cornered would probably attack." For when Nico first came here, I had no choice but to corner him, and in that moment, instead of attacking, he let me pick him up. What kind of courage that took I cannot pretend to image. I wonder it that moment was one of, longing for the kind of safety animals instinctively seem to know humans of the right disposition can provide. Whatever it was it is is what has sustained me in working through his challenges. <br />
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The last of these of course is achieving integration with a new pack member, Benny. In the course of that journey I have seen time and again that Benny automatically looks to me to take charge in moments of crisis. Thunder does the same. Nico looks to me too, but it is not automatic. He makes a decision every time. He hesitates, he pulls back, he tries to run in the opposite direction. His ears hug his skull, and his whole body retracts into a defensive hardness. It last for but a split second now, then he visibly relaxes and then I know he will comply. In that moment, the miracle is renewed, and I marvel once again at the great gift that is an animal's trust.<br />
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It is a gift that is easily taken for granted when you work with dogs like Benny, or Thunder. But when you work with a dog whose trust has been violated, when you have to earn it back, you are reminded of its worth. Trust is the pearl without price: if it is shared there is no social problem that can't be solved. If it is not then there is there is only conflict, domination and defeat, and everyone is a loser.<br />
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Benny is one year old now, a fully integrated member of this family, Nico's pack. Nico's journey into trust and joy has without question been wonderfully enhanced as has my learning of who he is and just what a dog's relationship with his humans and his world might be. So I learn about trust and courage. So I learn from my dogs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBmSUjI_EtkJT1imZQhK-4N2ejswmBKpUSzg6xqn3_R2Q61FuEh7yJxXsJXfkbE7sMOAWdtCJl6HK-wXq_aZZ59WPcLDOOU-E4DtQ0EGSzPe68Tg83_dhVB2e4XJzhkN9k4BqRBgR51U/s1600/DSC_0074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBmSUjI_EtkJT1imZQhK-4N2ejswmBKpUSzg6xqn3_R2Q61FuEh7yJxXsJXfkbE7sMOAWdtCJl6HK-wXq_aZZ59WPcLDOOU-E4DtQ0EGSzPe68Tg83_dhVB2e4XJzhkN9k4BqRBgR51U/s640/DSC_0074.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-27190166991975313632011-02-24T11:28:00.005-05:002011-02-25T08:55:56.965-05:00Ten Months and Counting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaNfREkdQukBjllsKvHmNUdf9Y1qctdHBaQt9lYjDvtRayrFhlc7h8zosBcteB2RCOrTalGP522j5P_ad6mfSHSHRVKSLjPCQjBbHLwyGDwoTupmFSZIcF5PWdayBRpZipQXvEvBIr8s/s1600/DSC_0136N%2526Bcr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaNfREkdQukBjllsKvHmNUdf9Y1qctdHBaQt9lYjDvtRayrFhlc7h8zosBcteB2RCOrTalGP522j5P_ad6mfSHSHRVKSLjPCQjBbHLwyGDwoTupmFSZIcF5PWdayBRpZipQXvEvBIr8s/s320/DSC_0136N%2526Bcr.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Ten Months and Counting</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">A few days ago, February 21, Benny turned ten months old. Anyone who has raised a puppy, and particularly a Malamute puppy, knows that this is the period of challenge, the age where a young Malamute who has an eye to being top dog is going to start taking on all comers to test and eventually establish his status. It is also the age, someone told me, where the testosterone levels in an un-neutered pup peak.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Benny, for being a gentle soul, is no exception. Being neutered of course takes the testosterone escalation out of the equation, but it does nothing to diminish the burgeoning independence typical of the breed, nor the sense of hierarchy and the imperative for Malamutes of being clear about your place in it. It is therefore with great relief and happiness that I report that even though Nico can no longer drag Benny around the yard by the scruff of his neck if Benny doesn't want to be dragged, Benny still frequently, and apparently happily acquiesces to Nico's idea of play, obliging him with the appearance of compliance. Nico, for his part, has grasped that when Benny really doesn't want to go down, its not time for that kind of play. More significantly, Nico does not force him, which means it really is mostly about play, and not overbearing dominance. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Our boys have been sleeping together in the yard every night for about three weeks without incident. We started leaving them alone up there after dark when we saw the play was stopping and they were settling into quiet mode. They went to bed together and, it would appear, in the morning they still respected each other. <br />
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This is an important marker for us: previously in the evenings Nico would push Benny hard to play. But Benny's efforts were half-hearted. He showed all the signs of a pup ready for bed while Nico would become increasingly more frantic and overexcited. On three occasions we heard Benny squeal and rushed to pull him out. Clearly no one was having fun anymore. Taking Benny out at this point reminded Nico that lack of restraint meant being alone in the yard. His behavior after every one of these incidents consistently showed us that he got the connection. Meanwhile, Benny grew stronger, more mature, and we watched for a pattern. I discovered that if instead of taking them for a walk in the late afternoon just before dark, I just let them run in the yard together, both dogs enjoyed the play and then they settled for the night. So I quit the late afternoon walk and soon they were spending every night together.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sometimes at night when the animals come out of the woods and start prowling close enough to the yard for Nico to notice, he starts running. He gets very agitated; this is when he is most unstable. One night I heard growl and snarl and rushed up to the yard in my red flannel night gown and big green ugly boots to get Benny out. That set us back: Nico's still a nervous dog, and can be highly territorial about his safe places. When something comes near that he cannot actually get at he goes into high defensive gear. This is an aggressive mode and anything that's in his way is likely to get hit. After this incident I said to Rick, maybe we just can't leave them together at night. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TnQxYphnYVthxbiv6yCcQ_MzFERogTLM1uWUk45URofiKyCCC-Hjdkr11NJsEjSzkbmgoZDVpsSXw0e09ECGybgdM091bJkbgn_ywlztNbCc17FyOD7Ln9ZNhwuhwHiToi09b97bS8o/s1600/DSC_0183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TnQxYphnYVthxbiv6yCcQ_MzFERogTLM1uWUk45URofiKyCCC-Hjdkr11NJsEjSzkbmgoZDVpsSXw0e09ECGybgdM091bJkbgn_ywlztNbCc17FyOD7Ln9ZNhwuhwHiToi09b97bS8o/s320/DSC_0183.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nico on Intruder Alert</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">And yet, when I tried to take Benny to his kennel the next couple of evenings, he ran back into the yard every time. The message was clear: nice big yard up here, two dog houses: Why can't I stay there like Nico does? So we tried again. A couple of nights passed without incident. Then one night I heard Nico running again, panting, barking, even growling. I went to the back door and looked for Benny. Nowhere in sight. He is mostly a black dog, and it was a dark night, but I knew he must be up there somewhere. I walked up to the gate and then he came out of his dog house towards me. Nico left off running to come and join in the greeting. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now that's a smart puppy: it only had to happen once, getting jumped by Nico in high stress mode, and Benny learned to stay out of Nico's way when he's running. Rather than join in when Nico is clearly focussed on something outside the yard, Benny just lies down in his dog house. Relax, Benny says. Nico's not interested in attacking me. He just needs some space. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So our boys are doing alright indeed. Better than alright. They're a pretty devoted pair. The "play" appears ferocious sometimes, but when I step in to intervene both dogs look up at me as if to say, "What?" and then as soon as I step away pick up where they left off. Benny is a few pounds heavier than Nico now, taller, bigger in frame. Benny will likely always defer to Nico. Nico is older, wiser, and quite frankly, it's more important to him. Benny just wants to have fun.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Yes: Benny does like to have fun. So does Nico. Nico will be five this spring: he really is quite grown up, and does try very hard to be sensible. But his inner puppy is never very far beneath the surface. On walks Nico will behave quite sedately, ignoring Benny's overtures. Then, he looks him right in the eye. The twinkle is unmistakable, and it's on: jump and roll and laugh when the humans trying to untangle leashes and get us back on the trail.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM43JT5DdYtPAn6-f4v4Qvlz2H1EasQgxEDF5G9qxiJAEctEuQD5Kq6si38bHVK0wmw1Wf2tPTqChFB757J49ak7abHlpgYBL4nlhcNdeygJc8UfL51Ejkc7g6xZ9q3HAs2pL_2kmDre8/s1600/N%2526Binfieldcro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM43JT5DdYtPAn6-f4v4Qvlz2H1EasQgxEDF5G9qxiJAEctEuQD5Kq6si38bHVK0wmw1Wf2tPTqChFB757J49ak7abHlpgYBL4nlhcNdeygJc8UfL51Ejkc7g6xZ9q3HAs2pL_2kmDre8/s400/N%2526Binfieldcro.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How fast do you think Rick can run in the deep snow Nico?<br />
I don't know Benny, but its more fun if you take them by surprise.<br />
Look calm, get ready, now GO!</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">In the house the behavior is similar. Nico truly is a fun loving dog who will always want to play and he does find Benny irresistable. More than that: Benny is a playmate who is not afraid of him. Benny likes the same kinds of games as he does, and plays them just as hard. Next to being rescued and coming here to live with Thunder who taught him that life can be good to a dog, Benny is the best thing that ever happened to Nico. Sure they have their moments, these boys: we will continue to be vigilant, and intervene when the intensity escalates beyond what we are comfortable with. But over and over again Benny shows, as he grows up, that he can deal with Nico using his intelligence and his steadiness, not his teeth. He is just what Nico needs. In turn, Nico pushes Benny to be strong, fit and always on the ball, if not chasing it. Ten months, ten years, a lifetime: Its pretty old fashioned to count sleeping together as the marker of an enduring relationship, but we are ready to celebrate.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHwrgxWS7B0tru10WZMEYWNQj79w0Tg2mIOBSU3AxTF8hmUMIxqNIHeVgBNU96ZL4txLuPLTCLV2Ws5FyGj6g7IWh5F8_Q3ACynu7vMrsZbjM8U1UftpECNeBaJkpfLHTX9fA8UI2PGM/s1600/quietcro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHwrgxWS7B0tru10WZMEYWNQj79w0Tg2mIOBSU3AxTF8hmUMIxqNIHeVgBNU96ZL4txLuPLTCLV2Ws5FyGj6g7IWh5F8_Q3ACynu7vMrsZbjM8U1UftpECNeBaJkpfLHTX9fA8UI2PGM/s320/quietcro.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have to just lie here.<br />
Mum says no playing in the house Benny.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBmZeuOJypQjvHxlW0WUy8pIpmgrcXfiYwd28LSWH5YWzdT3C38MQMWwHUWoWH7LFu6DT89WnzlwuDaO_HF2n11RsfMdRg5uwDXwfmmNlWL6Ir-WNs0G1Fj4S3rys27g2F8A715HGa6o/s1600/DSC_0366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBmZeuOJypQjvHxlW0WUy8pIpmgrcXfiYwd28LSWH5YWzdT3C38MQMWwHUWoWH7LFu6DT89WnzlwuDaO_HF2n11RsfMdRg5uwDXwfmmNlWL6Ir-WNs0G1Fj4S3rys27g2F8A715HGa6o/s320/DSC_0366.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This isn't play.<br />
I'm just telling him a secret. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqppDTWFhCHvDcLPpeHdYgAISC0OKdqqcKErFo9XK9G_jKSqVEXtd6yzV5Wo4Du-b85nI2azKfRP2drmY2WEj2dbM243ZNq2RwX7geJ220TyyqH5rDlwly3o7qa0kcXys74-kPMBCHpM/s1600/DSC_0377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqppDTWFhCHvDcLPpeHdYgAISC0OKdqqcKErFo9XK9G_jKSqVEXtd6yzV5Wo4Du-b85nI2azKfRP2drmY2WEj2dbM243ZNq2RwX7geJ220TyyqH5rDlwly3o7qa0kcXys74-kPMBCHpM/s320/DSC_0377.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What? We weren't doing anything?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF56IfiCW_8PZtE3qUicfKim-ylQJQUDxejjFwh6F3Xh_jZK0uV8-60-iiXvN3UnDdrGkMgWQokpecrZf-68n36mb8O8z8d6gw4ULkKQo0UEihUNXiL63JKwh9Hu6GZizAGZXouQFMOa4/s1600/hillcropp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF56IfiCW_8PZtE3qUicfKim-ylQJQUDxejjFwh6F3Xh_jZK0uV8-60-iiXvN3UnDdrGkMgWQokpecrZf-68n36mb8O8z8d6gw4ULkKQo0UEihUNXiL63JKwh9Hu6GZizAGZXouQFMOa4/s320/hillcropp.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the other hand, if we fuss enough in the house<br />
they will take us for a walk! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-82547414298496915042011-01-22T22:21:00.005-05:002011-01-23T21:26:38.943-05:003 Dogs Full<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;" /></a>This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.</div><div><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCGyDeGN4hyOVygw1qG0Dp-uT7VhOeNvZmYl_fRqo-pt-m_x9OLdI_DtS_HFOZI13mO6IYG8bGwtxaraR_32r1MhhlTimkyUSfhJsDWVxlzpoi4984P6L5y5__2npseUdaY6zeCRslMM/s1600/DSC_0151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCGyDeGN4hyOVygw1qG0Dp-uT7VhOeNvZmYl_fRqo-pt-m_x9OLdI_DtS_HFOZI13mO6IYG8bGwtxaraR_32r1MhhlTimkyUSfhJsDWVxlzpoi4984P6L5y5__2npseUdaY6zeCRslMM/s400/DSC_0151.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nico demonstrates<br />
The Infamous Malamute<br />
Aerial Sit</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Three Dogs Full</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Despite the scare our Thunder gave us last fall when his inexplicably strange behavior suggested a stroke, it is to our unmitigated delight we find we remain a three dog house. Better yet, all three dogs get along in the house, and out of it. As winter wears on we find that Thunder more and more likes to stay inside, while Benny and Nico enjoy the cold, and each other, outside in the play yard. And yet, all three dogs make it clear they want to spend time with each other. It is as we hoped, and better. We are grateful, for Thunder's continued presence in our lives, and hope that our household continues to be three dogs full for along time yet. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjv_rn1MNK39zCAgCAt0YfY0nM9a3dyd4xMta1QWS6haRg5vchc6lAzeFhNIzj6kHlsIj8fincnpU7ywVR-sBGzVfyyEqLv1QxypHowIR0hp_ME-jfrEB3EAEIBqSXkGpMB9DqvPVV_o0/s1600/3dogsatdoor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjv_rn1MNK39zCAgCAt0YfY0nM9a3dyd4xMta1QWS6haRg5vchc6lAzeFhNIzj6kHlsIj8fincnpU7ywVR-sBGzVfyyEqLv1QxypHowIR0hp_ME-jfrEB3EAEIBqSXkGpMB9DqvPVV_o0/s400/3dogsatdoor.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't you just hate it when they take the pictures from on high?<br />
Makes us look like we have no legs.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig74Qeotb2fZp5DVaZl3B5KPCZtonrNgl3sagGteZzYaXUPzJEbg4EVS5PetJRluRWuARxQzQNXwo-i5RN3AVg0rpbIRhPzpeThBFUrgeBAG-WYUbVD2SN9U-0pcwcvkkTi5rkzXeShWk/s1600/Telluasecret.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig74Qeotb2fZp5DVaZl3B5KPCZtonrNgl3sagGteZzYaXUPzJEbg4EVS5PetJRluRWuARxQzQNXwo-i5RN3AVg0rpbIRhPzpeThBFUrgeBAG-WYUbVD2SN9U-0pcwcvkkTi5rkzXeShWk/s400/Telluasecret.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Hey Benny, Tell you a secret....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgXiqahmCEFQRWt1lWpmBISGliy_m5u_3ctyNLFAq-BbW3lAuoVESfxWjHh4_uieOwFMfFlB8cdPoa0qDz6BPIiC8IptgyCIq7Y73_y935tRWwBtm34Tgp40maS8_AUZDcVJqHDywMc8/s1600/DSC_0075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgXiqahmCEFQRWt1lWpmBISGliy_m5u_3ctyNLFAq-BbW3lAuoVESfxWjHh4_uieOwFMfFlB8cdPoa0qDz6BPIiC8IptgyCIq7Y73_y935tRWwBtm34Tgp40maS8_AUZDcVJqHDywMc8/s400/DSC_0075.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nico says the purple ball is really an alien communication device.<br />
I don't think I believe him. Do I?<br />
Hello? Anybody listening?<br />
Say what? Benny, Call home?<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Malamutes are the original 40 below dogs. So on a cold and wintry night where will you find them?</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWmwiF3Xbw_ayEqhH8urcORgZWBB6uJOerXk-om4-q-9WzvkH9Ifzb53ZPPG58jZsXa0eMH5RcA2YoimMycwUKYtBps7mclDrNxg13bAWeRbjwYGpQPekFUYau0JcZr11YrYHyaN4Q6o/s1600/3dogsfull2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWmwiF3Xbw_ayEqhH8urcORgZWBB6uJOerXk-om4-q-9WzvkH9Ifzb53ZPPG58jZsXa0eMH5RcA2YoimMycwUKYtBps7mclDrNxg13bAWeRbjwYGpQPekFUYau0JcZr11YrYHyaN4Q6o/s400/3dogsfull2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the sofa, next to the fire!</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-11687696839844405272011-01-22T20:48:00.002-05:002011-01-23T10:45:25.712-05:00Stand for Examination?<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Stand for Examination?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The "stand for examination" command is one of those obedience class exercises that seems to have little purpose unless you intend to go to trial with your dog, or show him or her in the breed ring. In the breed ring handlers use treats to bait the dog so he will stand up tall and gorgeous while the judge walks around and judges his overall structure. Then the judge runs her hands over the dog to see if the competitor feels sound. In the obedience ring, the judge does similar things as I recall, to see if the dog will stand still for it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">But in any "normal," non-testing context what exactly is it worth that your dog will reliably stand and stay on request? Well, grooming I suppose is one of those times when it would be nice to have a dog stand still, not that any obedience trained dogs I ever worked on, including my own, could ever be counted on to stand still without hands on support when I hit a knot. Veterinary examination is another moment when it could help, though most dogs stand still enough if you hold on to them for that. Nonetheless, it always helps to have a word a dog understands that means get on your feet, no tap dance please.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">However there is one context where the "stand" word is absolutely essential. I wrote last time about how Nico is seriously troubled by snowshoes. Every winter we start all over again in terms of settling him down around them. Well, young Benny is of course completely the opposite. He loves snow shoes! They are more fun than big fuzzy bedroom slippers. You can grab the wood and chew: this is especially fun when the wearer is mid stride. You can stand on the rawhide deck. This is the best if you do it right when the wearer is about to pick up their foot! Best of all, when the wearer falls down you lie on the shoes. Snowshoes are big enough that a young malamute can get a lot of body weight on that surface.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Being the wearer of the snowshoe when the young Malamute has decided to lie down on the shoe I can tell you that when this happens it is impossible to stand up. Benny thinks this is hilarious. Further to his fun, he has found he is long enough in the body to lick my face while still keeping most of his body weight on at least one if not both of the snowshoes. Meanwhile of course, Nico is trying to get away. After all, what does a pup know? Snowshoes are scary.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I am no gymnast. At least, I've never been one before. But every time a young Malamute comes into my life I do find I can bend and twist and achieve leverage in ways I never thought physically possible. Come to think of it, they probably aren't possible, but necessity has a way of overriding the limitations of Newtonian physics.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
Then, I had a Eureka moment! One day as I was lying in the snow watching the distance increase between my hyper-extended right arm (Nico's leash) and my twisted and bent left arm (Benny's leash), while pinioned by my snowshoes under a giggling Benny, one word came to mind: STAND. Yes! Stand for Examination! We'd only just starting working on this one, Benny and me. Its a tough thing for a pup because heretofore if you're not moving, its always "sit" or "down." If you're on your feet, its "Heel," or "Come." Stopping means sitting. Anyway, lying there on the ground enjoying that Spa Malamute double treat, the snowbath with face wash, I tried it.<br />
<br />
Benny, Benny? Benny: WATCH ME. No Benny, I don't want you to lick my face, just pay attention. Now "Stand." No hand signal of course. I had a leash in each hand and Nico was on the end of one of them, already standing, watching all of this with no small concern. I'll make a long story not too much longer by telling you that eventually Benny did stand. Of course, he stood on the snowshoes quite immovably for a while. This is because at this stage all of our go out signals involve me moving my feet. So Benny stood quite calmly, solidly still, and it was time for the Spa Malamute flexibility test. That involves rising up off the ground, going straight up without moving your feet. But evenutally we got on our way.<br />
<br />
You can be sure that "stand" has now become a much more important word to us, and you can be sure I am also working on "go out" as a total verbal signal. In fact Benny's got "stand" going on pretty consistently now, he just hasn't quite got understand the next part, "Stand, but not on my snowshoes!"<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26_n4Pd8ySMzLvPvUp87qr4dqEcuK6paQiSh1ZteLXiD0aF6yJA7QqUazCpACavkgO0nultdIXCSvtAIUl8aI61C6-cuvPi4qqu9Cn2zXFJkcucHuEajfhOy2dJ6-4Gkdhd_rKj7ZV6U/s1600/Benny%2526SS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26_n4Pd8ySMzLvPvUp87qr4dqEcuK6paQiSh1ZteLXiD0aF6yJA7QqUazCpACavkgO0nultdIXCSvtAIUl8aI61C6-cuvPi4qqu9Cn2zXFJkcucHuEajfhOy2dJ6-4Gkdhd_rKj7ZV6U/s400/Benny%2526SS.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">One of the most delightful things about bringing Benny into our family is the way he is making Nico feel a lot more relaxed about all kinds of things, including snowshoes. I've had the snowshoes out for about two or three weeks now, and even Nico is getting better about staying staying still while I put the shoes on. But Nico still gets scared if I fall down. His first reaction then is to pull away. The other day though, Benny decided to stop dead in his tracks right in front of me. His big feet were of course squarely placed on the deck on my snowshoe. So I fell, I fell hard. My knee hit a rock the ones that grow in the snow, just out of sight.<br />
<br />
I did not curse. But I did say something and I said it loud. It might have been, "BENNY You are ADORABLE". </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Benny thinks he's adorable too, so he licked my face. But even before he could get started, there was Nico right by Benny's side. He'd come, despite his fear of the snowshoes, closer to the snowshoes than ever before, on his own volition. His goal was to get Benny out of there before the shoes got him. Really. There is no other explanation. Benny did as he always does when Nico seems to be upset about something that makes no sense to him. He laid down and said "Lets make snow-dog-angels". </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">All in all, Benny's insistence on intimate relations with my snowshoes seems to help reassure Nico, in a way that I have not been able to over the years, that there's nothing to fear from the big shoes, at least not on my watch. There are other ways in which Nico has shown that Benny's steadiness settles him. Benny is the younger dog and he looks to Nico to take the lead. But his confidence that the world is essentially a benevolent place has never been shaken, and hopefully never will be. They are a pretty good team: should Benny's easy view of the world ever prove wrong, he's got Nico looking out for him. Meanwhile Nico jumps less at shadows, saving his nerves for when it counts, and mine! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLbKl3_KvmuMgUsys_a22cHJshJM8PJjURkDAO79eAtZb0RCB-AgMLogJ6PNXJ3sC-Snree2l7p36n-joJmABCYZeu154qYDE12Va1KtzUP-EM4DitVE5YOfVpl2peboMHBWxpXO2wUQ/s1600/Benny%2526SS2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLbKl3_KvmuMgUsys_a22cHJshJM8PJjURkDAO79eAtZb0RCB-AgMLogJ6PNXJ3sC-Snree2l7p36n-joJmABCYZeu154qYDE12Va1KtzUP-EM4DitVE5YOfVpl2peboMHBWxpXO2wUQ/s400/Benny%2526SS2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rawhide is pretty tough.<br />
Maybe these snowshoes will live to see another day!<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-80189500287500163632011-01-14T22:28:00.001-05:002011-01-14T22:29:12.090-05:00Thunder: Still in charge!<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGIaqt0MGdV4fcHXvcn4XuHc_GDuyAF_X92q7s1mtW53Ev62mznB6oM7QaXKKteNBNcSBh5P4UM72GFXU0ivg8rlvHGyQ7dJR52CuNk-5ZHqUex4wOq8OFJJbS8hF5rqOJTY_lr8i9Ms/s1600/3boysed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGIaqt0MGdV4fcHXvcn4XuHc_GDuyAF_X92q7s1mtW53Ev62mznB6oM7QaXKKteNBNcSBh5P4UM72GFXU0ivg8rlvHGyQ7dJR52CuNk-5ZHqUex4wOq8OFJJbS8hF5rqOJTY_lr8i9Ms/s400/3boysed.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> You boys:<br />
I want to know what you did with that cat<br />
and I want to know now.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-71881739599778176342011-01-14T21:28:00.001-05:002011-01-14T22:25:09.601-05:00Stand by... er.. stand on me?<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
<br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbUiyTSyeMuqu42QUEMPfVVWPhyug7E-bWE19aZTqEMUl1qD85dUaShwBZJqAUl2d5h7n5eS4pfKF4NNo9cuUpTFTxASjyQvcej6qtUU4Rah1DYwNfW9BNNjxUgcHQ6bptcmNx5lj8wo/s1600/NicoBennycropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbUiyTSyeMuqu42QUEMPfVVWPhyug7E-bWE19aZTqEMUl1qD85dUaShwBZJqAUl2d5h7n5eS4pfKF4NNo9cuUpTFTxASjyQvcej6qtUU4Rah1DYwNfW9BNNjxUgcHQ6bptcmNx5lj8wo/s400/NicoBennycropped.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Stature has nothing to do with height.<br />
But when in doubt, take the high ground where ever you can find it! </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-27246741162896656552011-01-14T10:52:00.006-05:002011-01-16T12:16:40.269-05:00"Let's Go!"<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
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<br />
We finally have enough snow to get the skis out, barely, but just enough. Nico enjoys the running he gets to do once we get going on the skis, but he remains nervous of the hook-up and the skis themselves. The same is true of the snowshoes. Nico's first winter here was a one where the snow was hip deep some places in the woods. Initially when he was running away from me on the long lead I had to plough through that just in my boots. Needless to say my legs got very strong! I brought the snowshoes out, thinking it would just be a matter of him getting used to them but the moment he saw them he cowered in the dog house. They were not new to him, they were terrifying! So I left them standing in a snowbank outside the kennel for a day thinking he just needed to see them. I was wrong: I could not get him to come out of the kennel with them anywhere in view. I tried lying them down in the snow, near the kennel. That helped: now he would bolt out of the kennel and run as fast as he could to get away from them. <br />
<br />
We usually have lots of snow, this winter and last being abysmal exceptions. Without snowshoes, walking in the woods off the packed trails is impossible. The trails themselves are impassable until I have broken them down with the snowshoes. If we were going to walk Nico would have to learn about snowshoes. I began by taking the snowshoes into the kennel, lying them down, and sitting on them. I'd place treats strategically so that Nico would have to come out of the house to get the first round and come close to the shoes for the second. Eventually I hoped he would actually step on the shoes and take treats from the rawhide lattice itself.<br />
<br />
It took a couple of weeks, beginning with many days of absolutely no movement from Nico. But eventually he came out of the house with the shoes there, and in time we got to the place where if I put the snowshoes on ahead of time, Rick could hand me Nico on the long flexi. Nico would take off as soon as I lifted a foot, and I got good at running on snowshoes.<br />
<br />
My snowshoes are the traditional type, Ojibwa style with long tails, not the kind that are a little larger than your boots, have little float and are meant for use on professionally groomed trails. Needless to say I fell down a lot, which scared Nico further. So I cultivated playing dead. When I fell down I would just lie there in the snow while Nico strained on the leash to get away from the evil ground beasts attached to my feet. I lay perfectly still however for long periods of time. Eventually, as dogs do in the absence of stimuli, he forgot about his fear, became curious and came in for a look. When he finally got close enough to sniff my face and lick my cheeks I quietly told him he was a good dog. Moving slowly I would get up. Initially this just caused him to run away again, but in time he came to see that all that happened when I fell down, was I got up and we continued our walk. Even better, when he came in to see if I was still alive, he got a cookie.<br />
<br />
Nico would never have anything to do with treats when he was in full panic. Holding out a treat when he was like that would just send him skittering away. The trick is always to sit very still and let the lack of movement or sound persuade him that nothing was happening. I also never tightened up on the leash when he came in at those times. Not only did he need to see that nothing was happening, he also needed to know that he was free to get away if he choose. That he would take a treat was a sign his panic had subsided. It was always as much of a reward for me, as it was for him.<br />
<br />
In time of course Nico got used to the snowshoes. I am, as we begin to collect snow in our fourth winter, generally able to get them on and go down the trail with him without too much trouble. I had to go through the same process with the skis, Oddly enough he was not as frightened of the skis, although the flailing poles gave him pause, and he is always nervous when we start out. He has something seriously bad in his mind about the snowshoes though. Even after all these years, the first time out each winter, he still runs away at the sight of them, and is always skittish the first few times out. <br />
<br />
As winter progresses and the snowshoes or the skis become a daily event however, these behaviors become half hearted, habits without meaning. Then he enjoys the freedom to go off trail the snowshoes allow us when the snow is deep, and the speeds he is allowed to run at when we ski. I know he is enjoying it because about two minutes into the run, the tail comes up, the ears point forward. After about ten minutes, if we stop for a breather and he lies down in the snow and wriggles like a puppy: snow bath! Then he's up again and ready to run, no signs of fear or uncertainty.<br />
<br />
Temple Grandin, a highly respected animal behaviorist says fear is far worse for animals than pain. I read Grandin a number of years ago, and have thought about the fear versus pain equation often when working with Nico. Nico has never been hurt since coming into Rescue. And yet, he remains skittish, and readily reverts to fear behaviors even if just for an instance before responding more positively to the cues we have taught him. Fear is worse than pain: it makes sense to me. If an animal is in pain, they tend to keep quiet about it. Pain says you are already hurt therefore vulnerable. Lie low, stay quiet, and heal. Fear on the other hand is all about "Trouble is here. Run. If you can't run, fight." Fight or flight is not about pain, it is about fear.<br />
<br />
That is what we see in Nico. We don't know exactly what happened to him in his formative period that he is so fearful. We're pretty sure he was hit and hit often because of the way he reacts to raised hands, fast motions, lifted objects. We're pretty sure he was hurt by men because, while many dogs have a preference for men or women, Nic run away when any man approached, even Rick in the beginning. If he couldn't get far enough away, he would try to hide, and if he couldn't hide, the cowering and shaking was something you would not want to see.<br />
<br />
When Nico first came to us even I could not approach him with something in my hands, not even mitts instead of gloves. And it was months before he would walk by Rick's swinging hands on the trail, and even when he would pass, he still gave those hands wide berth. That he was hurt, and not just spooked by certain kinds of people doing certain kinds of things, is clear from the intensity and consistency of his fear.<br />
<br />
Hurt heals. Fear stays. Fear is a survival mechanism. To interfere with any animal who is trying to survive is a mistake. So when Nico is frightened, which was all the time when he first came here, I opted for stillness. From this I learned that effective communication with my dog, any dog, begins with sitting still. In Nico's case what it means is I sit down on the ground, and pretend I'm a rock. It is how I got him to come to me time and again when his fear had sent him running in frantic circles. If he was on a leash I could have dragged him in. Or if loose in the kennel, I could have cornered him. But if I'd done that, he would not only be too afraid to learn anything other than that I was scary, but also physically unable to do anything but fight. Increasing his fear was not an object. And I certainly did not want to test his fight threshold.<br />
<br />
Indeed, the first few months I had to put a chain on the first two feet of the lead, for he would and did chew soft leashes through with one bite at the slightest hint of entrapment. Forced restraint only makes a scared animal more frantic. But Nico got over all that because the second part of our approach was about choice. As much as possible, I tried to always give Nico the choice. If I sat still long enough, he could choose to come in and say hello. If he didn't, I just left, sometimes after an hour, sometimes after two. If he came in, and I didn't try to grab him, he would run away, and then come back, staying for longer and longer periods of time until I was able to put my hand on the leash and say, "Let's go." Then he would walk with me and not attack the leash. Soon he learned that the sooner he came in, the sooner we went for a walk. Always his choice. And nothing bad happened. <br />
<br />
When Nico was loose, the first step had to be to get the leash on him. I learned early on that he didn't like you reaching for his collar to hook up. He would tolerate it and not bite, but if he could he would twist and pull away. If he had any space at all, he would run. <br />
<br />
I do not like to keep a collar on a dog all the time anyway, so we began using a leather half choke collar on him. The half choke has the advantage of a choke collar in that it can be pulled up pretty tight when you need to make sure the dog won't slip out, but unlike a fixed buckle collar it doesn't have to be that tight all the time. "Half-choke" is a misleading term for the device I use, as there is no "choke-collar" effect involved unless the collar is set too tight. There is a ring, called a martingale, that prevents the collar from closing up any tighter than the chosen setting. Our collars are always set so that they only get tight enough to prevent them from slipping over the dog's head when restraint is mandatory, not tight enough to cut off their breathing as a traditional choke collar does.<br />
<br />
With this type of collar the opening can be made very large so it can be slipped over the dog's head. Because ours are made of about 3/4 inch wide leather and not chain, the loop does not collapse when you hold it with one hand. I learned with Nico that trying to hold his head and put the collar on just made him wrestle to get away. So I turned my back to him and stood very still, holding out the collar like you would hold our your hand for someone to take hold. In time I would be rewarded with the feeling of him putting his own head into the circle of the collar, then coming forward. "O.k. Let's walk together, it felt like he was saying." That instant when he, in effect puts his hand in mine, was and remains, the most gratifying moment for me with Nico.<br />
<br />
Now I have grown used to a dog who puts his own head in the collar. Of course, puppy Benny doesn't do this. He's too busy wriggling around, head butting or wanting tummy rubs. But with the aid of a treat positioned on the other side of the collar rather than in the hand trying to put the collar on, Benny is beginning to get the hang of putting his own collar on. I did laugh though one day: I found myself thinking, "Hm. My spooky dog will put his own head in the collar, but I can't get this collar on puppy-skirm-a-lot to save my life!" <br />
<br />
Which underscores just one of the many differences between workign with a dog like Nico, and bringing along a puppy like Benny. What I describe here that I do with any of my dogs, is not meant to be taken as a universal "training solution." Sitting down with a puppy, as I do with Nico, is usually taken as an invitation to play. Sitting down in the presence of a dog with dominance issues is a mistake unless you are prepared to assert yourself from that position. I've done it, but it requires a lot of nerve and even more critter sense. Turning your back on a dog with dominance issues is also not something to be done unless you know what you are doing, the dog whom you are doing it with. Indeed I do not believe in any formulaic solutions when living creatures are involved, and especially damaged ones.<br />
<br />
If anything, what I have learned from Nico is that the key is always to watch and listen, and respect your dog's nature. Nico is, by way of whatever bad experiences a nervous dog, and possibly just by nature, extremely sensitive. His nervousness can be a liability, but his sensitivity, when respected, makes him a dog who is always ready to respond, and respond positively. That is, if we do our homework. There are no universals with dogs or any animals except this: deeds not words are what matter. Dogs don't talk and they don't tell stories to remind them of what happened yesterday or to influence someone else's behavior. With animals, what we do in this moment will determine what happens in the next. If someone asks me I say, when in doubt, do nothing. Wait for your dog tell you where he's at, what he's thinking about, what he needs you do to in order for him to do what you want him to do. <br />
<br />
Now I'm going skiing with Nico. He is sleeping at my feet at the moment. If I just get up, he will startle awake, and be on edge for maybe half a minute. He'll get over it because he's secure in his home here, and confident that I will always be his protector. But if instead of getting up, I call his name softly first, he will open and turn those golden green eyes my way. He will look at me with something akin to the sun rising out of a grey gold dawn. Then his tail will start to twitch and when I say, "Let's go!" he will leap up. It will not be to flee or to fight, but to have some fun, and together we will make joy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-10774660893073307362011-01-03T10:44:00.006-05:002011-01-14T09:12:13.246-05:00Moving On, Looking Backwards<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Moving On, Looking Backwards</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Folks who have been following the story of Nico's acceptance of Benny as pack member and yard buddy have expressed real delight at the picture of my three boys together in the house. Barring radical and unlikely changes in temperament as Benny matures I think we can say we have achieved integration! Benny came here in September, so it took about three and half months. I underscore this because when we first talked about getting a male puppy for our pack not everyone we talked to encouraged it. "Sending a male Malamutes into a pet- home where there is another male Malamute is a mistake," one individual told us. There is good reason for this. Every now and then you see it on the Rescue lists: Young male Malamute needs new home. Failed to get along with resident senior male." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">"You should get a female" we were told, and indeed we did look for a young female in rescue. None were to be found at that time and so we started considering other options. Meanwhile I couldn't help but think, we have two male Malamutes already. Nico has shown that he can be domineering over females as well as males, frightening them so they dont' want to be with him. I'm not sure gender makes the difference. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Perhaps what has always persuaded me that Malamutes can and should be able to get along is the fact that, as sled dogs, they have to be able to run together. I watched videos of Benny's breeder running 12 dog teams, all Malamutes. I found myself thinking, "O.k.: one male, one female -- what sex then are the other ten that they get along so well?" The key of course is positive leadership and respect for pack hierarchy as well for the individual value of each unique member. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Dogs in general are pack animals, and Malamutes are supremely pack-social. Dogs can and do get along together. However, just as young children cannot always be expected to throw their arms around each other and embrace the possibilities of friendship, so dogs, and especially Malamutes, need time to evolve into acceptance and appreciation of a new addition.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">When I compare our dogs to young children I am thinking of the age before a child has learned any of the social graces that allow them to say , "Hi, how are you," even if they are thinking, "I want you to leave because I don't want to have to share my toys." I am also thinking of children so young that they are genuinely afraid of new things, including other children. Possessive selfishness, territorialism and fear are all instinctive reactions to intrusion. At the same time behaviors meant to help social creatures like humans and canines get along are also hard wired. We saw this in Benny's behavior from the first day he came here. The play bow, averting his eyes, rolling over and exposing the most vulnerable parts of his anatomy to the senior dogs are things that come natural to any puppy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As with children, its what comes next that takes a bit of training and a lot of time. In Thunder's case we didn't have to do much. He grew up with another male Malamute, lived with him for the first four years of his life, and was trained as a sled dog to get along as a part of multiple dog teams. The positive handling he received from his first family is obvious from the way he behaves with us. These learning experiences are comparable to the schooling in socialization a well-raised child receives. Thunder has a steadiness of temperament that allows him to accept with equanimity just about anything that doesn't directly effect him, the confidence to believe he can successfully thwart anything troublesome that does, and the social skills to communicate what is and is not acceptable without having to get serious with his teeth. If Benny bothers him, he growls. Benny, being Mal-smart, immediately backs away, lies down, does whatever is required to appease. What he does next is get up and walk around like nothing has happened, being careful to keep respectful distance. What he does not do, a did not do when he was smaller and more vulnerable, is show the weakness that can make a Malamute think a whimpering dog is prey.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Benny is like a young child who has never known mistreatment, spending his early formative period with others like him, both children and grown-ups. He has no reason to fear, and knows by example and practice what to expect, how to behave. Thunder, similarly is like any other grown up whose childhood was spent in the security of a loving family, whose social judgement suffers from no lack of self confidence, and therefore can afford to exercise the restraint necessary to getting along with others.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Nico on the other hand had a rough start that has left him with a nervous temperament and a lack of confidence. The signs of this remain in evidence even now when he is stressed by change and new things. Benny's arrival set off Nico's intruder alert mechanisms. The new puppy's entry into our home confused him. further. We can only speculate on what goes on in any animal's mind, but we could see by his agitation and regression to nervous behaviors that he was uncertain about what he was supposed to do now. These behaviors for the most part had to do with excessive and more aggressive mouthing, stealing and running away with things, chewing on his leash, being skittish and difficult when it came time to put on leashes for walks.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">For me the learning here is all about time: Nico has taught me so much about taking time to watch and wait and listen and learn from our dogs. He's been doing this now for three years. Many times when I have been exasperated by his nervous refusal to come in when loose, or watching him run in crazy circles in the house chewing a new glove and swallowing at the slightest sign of interference, and, these last few months, having to take Benny out of the yard because he was running him just too hard and too fast with no regard for the puppy's need to stop. In moments of frustration, I confess to thinking it may not be too much for him, but maybe its all too much for me. And yet, every single time, when I finally figure it out he and he gives up the glove, comes close and of his own volition puts his head into the collar for a leash walk, and finally, lately, takes a couple of steps back from Benny and then lies down beside him in companionable peace and quiet, my heart soars. It is as though the whole discordant orchestra suddenly gets it all in tune at once, and plays the final resolving chord with one great contented sigh that makes everything that came before make sense. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Nico came to us scared and lonely. He made up to Thunder right away. Being with that grand old man he found the certain companionship of a dog who knew how to be himself an ease that in time he was able to transfer to himself, and then to his being with us. As fear receded he showed himself as a playful dog who liked to run and romp and enjoyed the energy of other dogs. His excitement however remained driven by a kind of nervousness that annoyed and then frightened the other dogs who came to play. Playtime with visitors ended, and soon Nico had only us and Thunder, none of whom could keep up with him, much less outrun him in play. Nothing makes me happier then, to see Nico and Benny ripping around the yard, chasing toys and each other, and then watching them wrestle in that heart stopping way that ends when I call out and Benny stands up as if to say, "Hey Nico: let's get some cookies!" </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't know why it matters so much to me to see Nico lead a complete "dog-life," but it does. He has a gentle sweet nature that manifests itself when he is relaxed and secure. He likes to lie by my side when I write. If I am agitated he comes a presses his head against my hands telling me "I'm here. Nothing else matters." On the nights when its his turn to sleep inside he gets up on the bed in the morning and pushes against my legs as if to say "I'm here. I don't want a hug, but I want to be closer to you." He relies on us to keep human danger at bay while proving absolutely fearless in the woods when the chance to chase a bear presents itself. He has done heroic things for me, dragging me home on the skis choosing the easiest route when I'd gotten a stick in my eye and could not see for the pain and the brightness of the sun-ridden snow, being among the more dramatic. He rescues me every day from indolence by insisting on long walks despite hours of exuberant play in the yard with Benny. He is my golden Mal, my sunshine dog. He makes me happy. He and Benny make each other happy, and that becomes an exponential escalation.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Beethoven had this habit in his symphonies of ending movements with repeated chords, the same chord, over and over. I understand why he did that. Malamutes, and artists like Beethoven, live every day with an intensity that others might find exhausting. When resolution finally arrives, once is not enough. Reiteration relaxes and then generates a renewal of rhythmic energy that resonates long after the final chord finally dies away and probably launches the next musical idea for yet another day's symphonic outpouring.<br />
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That to me is Malamute, that to me is the constant renewal of joy that comes from taking the time for a dog like Nico. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-47013945258569239012010-12-27T20:43:00.002-05:002010-12-28T09:17:42.984-05:00The Boys Are All Right!<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The Boys Are All Right!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFp379vYkiAto4XO_1WlL08hgNnUw4BEKmTPtfV13Ao05nIEW1qgrdZSngFSpsGzwRdX2USndOfK7muY7AKaHdGQZhYK3xKRI80H7rcK5GPWnTF22OEc0F_crsaYqooHFfoK1PbFZ7sU/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFp379vYkiAto4XO_1WlL08hgNnUw4BEKmTPtfV13Ao05nIEW1qgrdZSngFSpsGzwRdX2USndOfK7muY7AKaHdGQZhYK3xKRI80H7rcK5GPWnTF22OEc0F_crsaYqooHFfoK1PbFZ7sU/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nico, Thunder, Benny...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Holidays to All</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes that was a photo--shopped image. Here's the original: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgoRQJkpnDFvVt55uvdcZY_Gw52_cj6Fdf6EoMAx7vZKDlesBY7VEFw02QCbdWZCCu3cfEe8tKfWbvpDWUFmObdDo2uCwa-IP78PzUBiIQkIB5D9SuJeEcQw0PilkarEvdYXv7t2ERZLc/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgoRQJkpnDFvVt55uvdcZY_Gw52_cj6Fdf6EoMAx7vZKDlesBY7VEFw02QCbdWZCCu3cfEe8tKfWbvpDWUFmObdDo2uCwa-IP78PzUBiIQkIB5D9SuJeEcQw0PilkarEvdYXv7t2ERZLc/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">I photo-shopped it to get something a little more seasonal for our holiday greetings. The three dogs lie quite happily together in our basement without fussing. To get them to stay still long enough for a photo in the yard however so far has proven challenging. I am happy to admit that this is mostly a function of the cold and the wind and my reluctance to stand out there without gloves on trying to get a snowy picture, and not anything to do with the dogs themselves. They are getting along, all three of them, quite famously now, Nico and Benny spending long hours in the yard together, Thunder enjoying extended time on the sofa in front of the fire as he is released from extended playground duty.<br />
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Yes, my boys are doing all right, maybe even a little better than all right! Joy, happiness, delight to you all in 2011.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893931046786951200.post-43229442511506749732010-12-17T10:36:00.008-05:002010-12-29T20:46:50.653-05:00Cutting Loose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons Licence" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License</a>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> Cutting Loose</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcNozbndMkzPdODNR_gIdidXBx4mdXXztkKjiDpdOoLDydYbluZ0p6AKPm08nMfNMulR51i2Z5Nj0g_WFV4UatK3vROkTI2xaY1oy6-6rS8iEYQDtbBz8W6n_aab0rIFnRz5DhlXYvBQ/s1600/Boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcNozbndMkzPdODNR_gIdidXBx4mdXXztkKjiDpdOoLDydYbluZ0p6AKPm08nMfNMulR51i2Z5Nj0g_WFV4UatK3vROkTI2xaY1oy6-6rS8iEYQDtbBz8W6n_aab0rIFnRz5DhlXYvBQ/s320/Boys.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What happened? I have to stretch to see over you Benny!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Yesterday for the first time I walked away from Benny and Nico in the yard, and did not stay with them while they played. There were at it for over an hour, without incident. As my husband Rick put it, "That's three months of work right there." He's right: for three months we've been working at making sure Nico understood our rules for being with Benny. Meanwhile Benny was growing big enough to deal with Nico on his own terms. Benny is still a puppy, but he is a big puppy, and yesterday's experience showed us that he's ready to be Nico's ongoing companion. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This is the penultimate stage to my mind of the integration project. What remains is for us to be able to leave them together at night, knowing that they will settle down and sleep, and nothing crazy will happen in the dark. What we saw yesterday is that when they get tired, they do indeed stop running each other and relax. We saw that it isn't always Nico with the toy, and the Benny gives as good as he gets in the chase, in the wrestling. But most of all, we saw that when Benny doesn't want to run or wrestle anymore he just stands still, or lies down and chews something. Nico may lean on him for a bit, or stand there watching him, but eventually in the absence of stimulating gestures from Benny, Nico walks away.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXi_o-YA6CxVHbRO0NKtQoXKGNkd2KfP_MGSmcYMNgm8PcaDxuFbncU-vphUjhrfcX0L99nKBopDB8fG_ou5KUA6Pl07ztyoFQBZbBfwc1ChU1XeX86d1S-usQ6Qz36xWwkE_IZhAGvSQ/s1600/Benny1stsnow+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXi_o-YA6CxVHbRO0NKtQoXKGNkd2KfP_MGSmcYMNgm8PcaDxuFbncU-vphUjhrfcX0L99nKBopDB8fG_ou5KUA6Pl07ztyoFQBZbBfwc1ChU1XeX86d1S-usQ6Qz36xWwkE_IZhAGvSQ/s320/Benny1stsnow+011.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Come on. Let's do it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Benny's temperament has proven out: he is absolutely steady and always good natured. When Nico leans on him and he is tired he just does nothing. Doesn't argue, doesn't growl or whine, doesn't lie down. He just stands there. He's bigger than Nico now, and strong as little ox. When he wants to play he acts like a puppy. When he doesn't want to play, he does nothing. This is the behavior we've seen in Thunder all these years: it was from Thunder that I learned to shut down Nico's nervous agitation by simply doing nothing. Now we see that Benny does the same; I don't think he had to learn it. From day one Benny has shown absolute command of Malamute pack sense and social intelligence that is in fact a hallmark of the breed when the right priorities are in place in both breeding and handling.. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCm5fqX1SGE8rKymHvbnXJqYSmvsmOaYoa93mNHDyaDZmIVM18IAm6kzRo29kmcEsun5p1h9e5PUR5tSlipPVLXn0DsNNREBpqTE8LhVysqNBTuYLmyaxwLNb5sePP9vL1Ia5KzUYz90/s1600/BoysPlay+%252815%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCm5fqX1SGE8rKymHvbnXJqYSmvsmOaYoa93mNHDyaDZmIVM18IAm6kzRo29kmcEsun5p1h9e5PUR5tSlipPVLXn0DsNNREBpqTE8LhVysqNBTuYLmyaxwLNb5sePP9vL1Ia5KzUYz90/s320/BoysPlay+%252815%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watch this!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMH0SmAYtz3z5Xi5-O2ErSSuyPeKWlRAqkTtXQoLhyjJkXHxz0pzo2B4jw1Do70txmu8xeRBNRQ1vM9fQzssdTOlyihxe8ApP1soOjYbG3eNOLNnRICGucwsdw1HIoQfW7P2hZILQmGCM/s1600/BoysPlay+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMH0SmAYtz3z5Xi5-O2ErSSuyPeKWlRAqkTtXQoLhyjJkXHxz0pzo2B4jw1Do70txmu8xeRBNRQ1vM9fQzssdTOlyihxe8ApP1soOjYbG3eNOLNnRICGucwsdw1HIoQfW7P2hZILQmGCM/s320/BoysPlay+%252811%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got it! Catch me if you can.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QOVraVg9TKNlzPfufE_74FI8lmyWrvkeqQGTwVUEeuf9xKA0HXEVjs-neCgsxFGFKGIST_xkCtXPb7dLJdUFXmnYxhjCVeiVy6um0X58tEZ-7hbZ_EE_iFxZtTd_3lvjLdKFAtx9kQU/s1600/BoysPlay+%252838%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QOVraVg9TKNlzPfufE_74FI8lmyWrvkeqQGTwVUEeuf9xKA0HXEVjs-neCgsxFGFKGIST_xkCtXPb7dLJdUFXmnYxhjCVeiVy6um0X58tEZ-7hbZ_EE_iFxZtTd_3lvjLdKFAtx9kQU/s320/BoysPlay+%252838%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">O.k. So you caught me. Doesn't mean I'm letting go!</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">If all continues as we hope, Benny's size advantage coupled with his fundamental easygoing nature will balance the competition for status that approaches as a puppy starts to become a dog, and the dog starts to feel the pressure. We do our part by insisting that both dogs do as they are asked, sitting side-by-each to be hooked up, and for treats and waiting their turn to go in and out of doors. I told a visitor that that sitting upon request is really important for those of us with big dogs. If, for example, your aging mother is visiting, it could be very dangerous for your big dogs to go rushing in the door ahead of everyone. On the other hand, if you've taught the "sit" word, then you stand at the door, you say "sit", your mother sits, and the dogs go through the door without any trouble at all.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Seriously, I find "sit" a very useful tool for managing my boys when things get crowded. But the yard play is all about how they get along without me. Nonetheless I do not doubt that insisting on good social behavior when they are under my hand carries over into the yard in terms of both dogs remembering the basic rule of any positive social interaction: restraint. Yesterday's experience is very encouraging for us, and exhilarating for the dogs. They have shown us time and again that they want to be together. It is so very rewarding to see how they enjoy each other, and that my Nico as a mature dog, and despite all of his uncertainties, is capable of growing into such companionship. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMFNYoswadTvyD_l0unmqJrXlNrbw-K4HEZgG_s-aeQ37LfLKW0w7l4TstWKGUyI3ZvAYwhQCIyg26cH_BdUaOBQgiZCCN_lUf8QgTTXZonICnB1XKc6L8AeLTCh7eFumzB64Sm7ZjLM/s1600/BoysPlay+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMFNYoswadTvyD_l0unmqJrXlNrbw-K4HEZgG_s-aeQ37LfLKW0w7l4TstWKGUyI3ZvAYwhQCIyg26cH_BdUaOBQgiZCCN_lUf8QgTTXZonICnB1XKc6L8AeLTCh7eFumzB64Sm7ZjLM/s320/BoysPlay+%252810%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are you jumping on my head Nico? </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqu0PdobfHMKXT1yZ-u9XNhyphenhyphenQfxVJbR7KaK-tWu3cpJEzm3BUNRHDU4e1b45EkmovJASp9NV4A0tR6vCPF1zwoo1Lnm-UbU-zPIwcXSVlUqRw1coknB8qbBZ3a35PsuehYIrNlmVH5xU/s1600/BoysPlay+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqu0PdobfHMKXT1yZ-u9XNhyphenhyphenQfxVJbR7KaK-tWu3cpJEzm3BUNRHDU4e1b45EkmovJASp9NV4A0tR6vCPF1zwoo1Lnm-UbU-zPIwcXSVlUqRw1coknB8qbBZ3a35PsuehYIrNlmVH5xU/s320/BoysPlay+%25286%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok. Now I get to jump on yours.</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Thunder is far from on the sidelines. We went looking for a companion for Nico because we felt that Thunder as he aged needed more house time. But Thunder and Benny are such an affectionate team we now have to work very hard at sharing Benny around. When we go down the trail together and Rick reaches the limit of the senior walk he turns for home with Thunder. Benny is gleeful enough to continue on with me and Nico until he notices that Thunder is not with us. He then stops in his tracks, and says, "What?" </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
I have learned (for Benny is a Malamute) that it is easier to walk Thunder and Rick almost home, and then go out again with my young boys, than to oppose Benny's will in that moment! One must show one's Malamute's who is charge to be sure, but some battles are really more fun to lose than they are to win!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Those pictures, Thunder and Benny, coming soon! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34U8gJYPwUQBsTOiqyaN4QcNp-8cWwov_Bmd4a8kyHj0culWax63_K4BxzQ7LVVCd4Z8Gy61cZa0iBIoUEwSPLhJry_DQWLSTZrFIG_leOMYVDcLvlpuIwFCASE9shM-eGkCcyWUZd_8/s1600/YardB%2526N+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34U8gJYPwUQBsTOiqyaN4QcNp-8cWwov_Bmd4a8kyHj0culWax63_K4BxzQ7LVVCd4Z8Gy61cZa0iBIoUEwSPLhJry_DQWLSTZrFIG_leOMYVDcLvlpuIwFCASE9shM-eGkCcyWUZd_8/s320/YardB%2526N+%25287%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok. Nico. Thunder taught me this.<br />
Now we sit here and look forlorn,<br />
and they come out and give us treats!</td></tr>
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