[Alan Bauer]

Aha! That's what I pulled off twice in September on day trips....er...uh...no, I'm very sorry but the dog can't come with me today because the photos I need for the next two weekly day trips are "IN MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK" and you KNOW dogs aren't allowed. Of course I still feel guilty as those days she'll just get tossed out into her yard all day until I get home if the going is tough. You see, it is I of course who has put in the hundreds of hours of training with the dog over the past 1.5 years....and the kids to try to destoy said training sometimes...and the wife who just doesn't try and used the excuse of "she doesn't listen to me so I can't take care of her". But I'm getting allies lately as the kids really are getting hooked on the agility training and tricks and soon my wife will be forced to join in or be left behind! Oh, and by the way: the year is NEVER over for hiking or long trips. Once snow piles up and I sometimes don't want to snowshoe---THAT is what "Grand Coulee" is for (that, and to tease Quark).

[Slugman]

How do you get your kids to do agility training and tricks? That does sound like something the wife should do, too!

[Alan Bauer]

Ah, yes, I see now. Well, actually the trouble we have is that we need to enroll the kids in the training class like we did the dog! The dog, bless her heart, listens to us WAY BETTER than the kids do! It's pretty funny actually...my wife and I find ourselves way too often commanding the kids like we do the border collie: "CJ...SIT! NO...SIT! GOOD SIT. STAY...nooo...STAY!" at the dinner table. "E...LEAVE IT. GOOD LEAVE IT" "CJ...COME! GOOD COME! OOPS,...no...CJ....WAIT...WAIT...OK, COME!" I knew I was in trouble when I was trying to get our boy to listen to me...and behind him was our dog doing every word I was staying to the kid!!! At least I've never squirted the kids with vinigar water when they don't be quiet! We've done agility training and tricks courses with our dog and it's really rewarding. It gives her a job to do and gives us wonderful things to do with her. She can do well over 20 tricks now already at only 19 months old. One of our favorites is "BE SNEAKY" where she will crawl/belly across the floor to get to a treat.

[Slugman]

Daisy also is a wonder dog. She responds to at least 20 commands, hand signals as well as voice. When I bring her to work, she loves to show off for the customers. She learns tricks on her own, then shows me how to tell her. For example, one time when she was already lying down, I gave the lie-down hand signal to show someone else, and she then laid her head flat on the ground. From that moment on, I could make her lie her head flat by giving the signal when she is already prone. I also used to tell her to "back up" and wave my hand in a "back-up-ish" manner when we were playing ball, not expecting her to do it, and one day she just backed up, and the rest is history. She also knows how to close the door, and knows it's her job to do so after coming in from the back yard. She also likes to drink water halfway through a game of fetch, and she fully understands that it is her right to have fresh water each time she drinks. If the water isn't brand new, she will put her head into the bowl, and then look up at me, head back to the bowl, and look at me again, clearly pointing out what she expects! This from a dog that will drink from a muddy footprint on a hike. I did a fair amount of work with her when she was about 4 or 5 months old, then on occasion since. She learns so fast, it hardly seems like training. I spent only 15 minutes on the door thing, then she improves with practice. She also knows the different names for her toys and balls. If I say "Get your lamb", she will not come back with her bear or a ball, just the lamb. When we play catch, I give her at least two choices of ball to play with, and let her choose by which she brings me to throw. If I want to switch, all I have to say is "No, bring me the other ball" and she will. She tests me occasionally by setting the first ball down next to second, then picking the same one up again and bringing it over. She looks at me like "See, I did what you said", but I just stare at her and she drops it sheepishly and gets the other ball. It seems sometimes like I can just tell her almost anything and she will do it. When I got home from my last trip, we were all on the couch, and Daisy did her favorite thing of laying across Tanja's lap. I said "Boy, I just got home, you'd think you would lay in my lap" and she got up and layed across my lap! It's spooky.

[Slugman]

No, pants.