Uploads from meg price, tagged trick, with geodata

3/52 Snow Day!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 06:23:00 -0800

meg price posted a photo:

Well, we've been waiting all week and finally, finally the snow has come to Wiltshire :) Barney and I went for a lovely walk together this morning and despite the fact it was snowing quite heavily, I couldn't resist taking my camera along. We found a sheltered spot under trees where I took some very quick shots before the camera got dripped on too much - and before Barney could begin shouting abuse at me for asking him to be still when there was so many exciting things to be done!

I didn't actually ask for the beg here - I just wanted hm to stay still (it was a bit dark under the trees for action shots!). However, Barney-dog decided that the quickest way to hurry me up and get on to the really fun stuff (he always gets "paid" with play/toys/treats for being a model-dog so he does enjoy this posing malarkey too), was to do something cute! He loves showing this trick off anyway, knowing it always gets an "ahh" from any audience, so I picked the location but Barney picked the pose this week.

A moment after I took this we were off again and Barney was busy catching snowballs, squeaking because catching snowballs in your mouth isn't really very pleasant, running around like a loon, stalking his hooman, bouncing circles round his hooman, nearly nipping his hooman on the nose (NO Barney!) catching more snowballs, barking, squeaking, digging up snow, - oh, and playing in the stream too. Apparently it is NEVER ever too cold to paddle!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

50/52 High Five!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 10:00:22 -0800

meg price posted a photo:

For the imitation challenge - inspired by the photo of Murphy, below. I'd wanted to get a simpler background (like the original) but we were short on time and in a small, crowded and tree-filled park - I like that Barney's got a similar expression to Murphy's here though :) Like Murphy, "high-five" (or "paw" as we call it) was the first trick Barney learned and is still one of his favourites. He likes it so much that, when he's bored, or wants attention, Barn will sit in front of me and wave his right paw high in the air. If this fails, he starts thwacking me with said paw. Finally, the the "high-five"/thwacking turns into a ridiculously overly-dramatic "beg", where he throws both front paws in the air, tosses his head back in disgust and snorts at me - he reminds me of a spoilt teenage girl at times!

Poor Barn, I think he's had a bit of a boring time this week (he certainly keeps high-fiving me for no reason!!). I've been very busy (by my current standards) and haven't had much energy for walks, photography or even playing fetch *shock horror!* I'd hoped Dilly would be around to keep him amused but in the end she hasn't come over... Still, Barney and I did have a nice little adventure on the train to see granny on Thursday. Barn likes old people - he seems to think they're walking treat dispenses. Granny kept falling for the puppy-dog eyes which he shamelessly used on her any time he believed I wasn't looking. When we left she gave me a bag with rich tea biscuits in it - especially for Barney!! Guess the week hasn't been a total loss for him after all, it's not often he gets people food...

Sorry to my contacts and the 52 Week group for the lack of commenting this week.. as I say it's been a bit hectic round here! I shall be catching up soon and hope you've all had a lovely weekend :)

28/52 Time For A Walk?

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 11:10:00 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

Barney! Is - is it... is it...?
Is it? Is it? Really? Huh? Huh!
Barney, is it... time for lo-
Ooohhh!! It... It... It might be!!
Barney is it? Is it time for? Lovely... do-
It is! It is!! Say it hooman!!
Is it lovelydoggywalkiestime Barney?
YESSSSSS!!!
.OK, lead time!
*CRASH*
Our pre-walk conversation - from the moment I say "Is it?", Barn starts cocking his head, getting progressively more squeaky and bouncy until I manage to finish the question "Is it time for lovely doggy walkies?"... The crash at the end? Him flinging himself into a down - he has to be still and keep all four paws firmly on the floor before I'll attach the lead, headcollar or harness (depending on where we're off to)!

When we're out for regular "walkies", I trust him to walk nicely on a loose slip lead draped round his shoulders (not yanked, or allowed to throttle himself - if he starts to creep ahead, I click my fingers and he slows - it's just handy for times when I'm slipping a lead on & off all the time), or a lead clipped to his collar. Somewhere new, exciting & he wears a harness or headcollar (mostly the latter) as it stops him pulling & esp with the halti, I've more control in situations where he might start get nervous. Anyway, mostly he's off leash - so we can play & he can RUN & get tired! He has 1hr a day atm, every day - rain or shine - once I'm no longer tired all the time, we'll get back to 90 mins per day :) At least once or twice a week, I try to get him out for a longer run...

So questions!! Do you walk your dog every day - whatever the weather, or does your pooch accept the odd day off? How long do you walk them & where - out in the woods, at the dog park (guess that more for US owners!), or on the lead round the block? Do you let your dog off the lead regularly - or would they head for the hills without a backwards glance when let loose? (I worry about the rise in popularity of huskies for that reason - they need so much exercise but can't be really be let off most places - see so many frustrated looking sibes, full of pent-up energy, dragging owners behind them when I'm out in town these days). Do you always walk at the same time of day? Also when you're walking on the road what type of collar/leash/ harness/ head collar etc do you use - do you let your dog pull!!?

17/52 Circus Dog

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:40:00 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

Sitting up on his hind legs & balancing a ball on his head at the same time - Barney should be in the circus!! I was expecting it to take quite some time to teach this trick as it does require quite a bit of concentration & restraint but Barney impressed me (as usual!), getting the idea of what I wanted almost instantly :) A new combination of 2 old tricks, so far he's only able to balance the ball for a short space of time! However, Barney is rock solid in the begging position, he can hold the position for ages and & he's pretty good at balancing objects too, so I'm sure we can build up the time he can beg with the ball!!

Barney knows around 50-60 "commands"/ tricks. Some are basic: stay, come, heel, some useful: "back up", "other side" (which means he has to switch from one side to the other when he's walking to heel, useful in busy areas) and "shut the door" (self explanatory - very useful when you have young, forgetful cousins a dog who likes to make a grand entrance!!). Most are just silly tricks which keep his mind busy!! We use lots of positive reinforcement - clicker training, or just praise & a treat/game. This means Barney is always very enthusiastic, in fact sometimes he's a little over enthusiastic...

At times I get the clicker out & rather than waiting to be shown what to do, he just starts frantically running through routines. Beg, roll-over, speak, beg, wave, speak, spin, beg, bow, speak, mute (silent barks!!) etc - a dizzying and often noisy display! If Barney was a kid at school, he'd be really irritating! Always thinking he knew best, getting cross if he didn't instantly understand. As it is, he has little tantrums a times, if he's confused - scowls at me, tosses his head back, does a funny little stompy bounce, hops up and down a bit, then leaps on a toy and shakes it, before throwing it away, squealing and grrr-ing all the while. It's all done in a ridiculous, over-the-top way - I think he knows it makes me laugh, ha, he probably thinks "having a tantrum" IS a trick!! Silly, clever little show off of a dog!

My fave trick of Barney's atm is "hug"; cuddling a teddy by wrapping a paw round it & clutching it tightly. Yet to get a good photo but it's an extension of this trick. Barn's fave trick is undoubtedly "beg" - because he knows EVERYONE loves it, so he'll gets pats & treats - he'll beg for anyone, whether they ask for it or not! So, I was wondering... what do you think is the best (silly or cute) trick your dog can do? Also, does your dog have a"go-to" trick which they love to do for attention?

Beg!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:26:00 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

Still Barney's favourite trick :) The one that makes everyone from little old ladies, to tiny children, to tired commuters on the train and shoppers on the street pause and smile! He used to be really wobbly and only able to hold the position for a moment but is now pretty stable and can stay sat up for ages... even on a moving train! This was taken on our very long (9hr) walk last summer from Wales, into England and back again... Barney'd been running around for about 7 or 8 hours by this point but he still happily jumped up on the big boulder and then did some tricks for me - I love those little front paws lifted up nice and high here :)

I've got my Barney staying at home with me now (just until radiotherapy - then my dad will be looking after him). It is so lovely to have my dog around all the time and he's still being extra, extra good about not jumping up at me or being overly bouncy. I'm not up for long countryside walks yet either, but although he's not getting quite as much off leash exercise as he's probably used to, Barney's still being really quiet and calm in the house. How he's been acting the last couple of months makes me realise how much of a good, mature and generally steady dog he's grown into really.

Don't get me wrong, he's no angel - I still often see that spark of mischief in his eyes and there's definitely a wild glint to his expression as he races round and round the field in the morning and again late at night! However, he's not bouncing off the walls any more, is being very gentle with me and my mum (who is a bit nervous of dogs) and I can walk him for a mile or more, on, or off lead, with him trotting at my side and not breaking heel position once - this is wonderful as my right arm is effectively out of action atm, while the skin graft is healing up and at one point I would have needed both hands just to hold on! :)

Thanks again for all the wonderful comments and messages - it does mean so much to me! Thanks especially to the kind people who've sent me parcels and cards, it's been so exciting receiving such lovely post :D I have been truly touched by the kindness of my Flickr friends ove the past couple of months. Just to let you know, I'm still doing really well - I'm healing up nicely, my speaking is improving day by day (I can speak on the phone and people understand me) and I've been managing to eat small amounts of solid food too. I'm off to the hospital where I'll receive my radiotherapy treatment, on Monday. There are a few things that need to be done in preparation - hopefully nothing too arduous that day though and I'll probably have another week of freedom before the treatment actually starts.

Happy Easter! (16/52)

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 12:17:19 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

Hope you've all had a great Easter Sunday and have a lovely bank holiday tomorrow! Enjoy all the chocolate...

LOL, I just loved Dilly's boggled expression here :) The Easter bunny strikes again! Where do they come from? Nobody knows... but this morning a big group appeared in our garden and ran riot for several hours!! This particular bunny had devised a crafty way to sneak about the garden - by hitching a lift on top of a small, innocent dog! However, Dilly smelled a rat (or, rather, a chocolate bunny!) and was decidedly suspicious when she felt something sit on her head.... Later her big brother Barney kindly rounded up a whole group of these delinquent Easter bunnies - although I'm afraid he too was taken advantage of by one of them.... See below :)

Haha, Dilly does not usually stand for having things placed on her head: you won't find her balancing a dog biscuit on her nose or posing with a pair of glasses in front of her eyes... However, today, she was reasonably cooperative about having a chocolate bunny stuck on top of her head, as long as I provided a biscuit very, very shortly afterwards. I have lots of shots of the poor bunny going for a little tumble as Delilah moved her head towards my hand and the treat she hoped I held between my fingers! Still she was a good girl about ignoring the fact she had a tasty chocolate-smelling thing placed within reach and managed to resist temptation... No bunnies were harmed during the making of these shots :)

btw, sorry... don't normally post "extra" shots in the comments on Dilly's weekly photo but these made me giggle - I just wanted to share - especially the 2 with Barney featured and I wouldn't have uploaded them separately :) Hope it's OK as a one off!

Old Dog, New Tricks! (2/52)

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 07:06:51 -0800

meg price posted a photo:

"Hi everyone!" Back for her 2nd photo in the 52 weeks project :) Dilly would like to thank everyone for all the lovely comments about her last week! She certainly seems in a better mood about being in front of the camera this week, I think the massive biscuit bonanza she's had during our photo-shoots last week and again this week has already started to work it's magic... hope so!

Who said you can't teach an "old" dog new tricks? She may be 8 1/2 yrs old, but Dilly has just learned to "wave" properly for the first time in her life :) She's known how to "shake paws" since she was a puppy but has never been willing to raise her paw high for a wave. After teaching Barney in 2008 (for those in the group who don't know - he's my rescue BC and main "model"), I was keen for Dilly to learn to hold her paw up high and wave as well. However, I just couldn't seem to get her to understand what I wanted. If I kept my hand low and out of reach, she'd just stretch and pat at me and if I raised my hand higher she'd just leap up on her back legs and "dance".

I tried and tried and never got anywhere, eventually deciding to leave all waving to Barney! However, while taking photos of her last week for the start of this project, it popped into my head that maybe it was time to try again. So, after a break of maybe 18 months or more, we've been practicing again... and to my absolute astonishment and delight, Dilly caught on this time!! With lots of very, very gentle praise - she's a shy little thing when it comes to doing new things and needs quiet positive reinforcement - we've finally cracked it. Today was the first time she properly "got" the trick and raised her paw high up whilst sitting still. In fact, she's a brilliant little waving doggy. She actually moves her paw up and down, it's adorable :)

I hadn't planned to take a photo of her in the same spot as last week (I'd had something really different in my mind!!) - or to upload so early in the week. However, this table provides the best place for trick training Dilly, (I like to be "on a level" - rather than towering over over her!) and I was just soo proud of the often stubborn little Queen for proving she's still willing to learn new things, that I had to share!

Hi Everyone! Guess what? Meg's 22 Today!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 02:29:34 -0800

meg price posted a photo:

"Barney?"
"Yeah?"
"It's my birthday today!!"
"Reeally?"
"I'm 22!"
"22? But that's that's like... 154 in dog years!!! Mum, wow, you're OLD! Do you, do you want to sit down?"
"No, no, NO! Barney that's not how it works, I'm about 3 in dog years."
"Ohh, OK then. So what do want for your birthday then? Tennis balls, or a squeaky toy, or, or, or a wubba. Yeah, wubbas are cool! Do you want one of them? I got one for Christmas, you should have one for your birthday!"
"Erm, no thanks!"
"Ohhh, really? You don't want a lovely wubba? Huh! What do you want then?"
"Oh, I don't know... DVDs, books, art stuff... that sort of thing!"
"Boring! Can you play catch with a DVD? I don't think so! Well you could but I know what humans are like about that sort of thing! How about I find you a nice squirrel to play with on our walk today instead?"
"No, no thanks... I'll stick to human presents, thanks!"

We can't agree on what constitutes a nice birthday present but never mind :) Just glad to have my doggy with me today - normally, I'd be at university revising for exams this time of year. Last year, I was revising for exams and writing up part of my dissertation! Before that, I'd have been revising for school exams or doing coursework. This is the first year in a LONG time I don't have anything stressful to do on my birthday! It feels strange, in a very nice way ;-) Off into town in a little bit, to buy some tennis ba... NO, wait. To buy some nice human things with some birthday money I've received. Should be having a nice weekend with a friend from uni too :) Yay!
Reached Explore #204

Happy Christmas Everyone!!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 04:22:53 -0800

meg price posted a photo:

Busy, busy, busy today... sorting last minute things out and getting ready to go away. Just thought I'd drop by to wish everyone here a very Happy Christmas :) Barney, Dilly, Elsie cat and Pippin the hamster would like to say Happy Christmas to all the pets here on Flickr too! This will be my last upload till after Christmas as Barney, Pippin and I are going to my granddad's house today, so I won't have the internet for a little while! Not quite sure as yet, what day I'll be back home... Anyway, I hope everyone has a lovely day on 25th and gets lots of fantastic presents, eats lots of tasty food and enjoys the interesting TV they put on for our enjoyment on Christmas day ;-) Stay warm everyone!!

The photo above is from the other day, during the long walk Barney and I went on up the Malvern Hills the first day we had any proper snow. Barney was nearly blown away sitting at the top and a little reluctant to take a paw off the floor but being such a good doggie, eventually obliged with a quick wave and a rather goofy expression to go with it!! Below, Barney with a tinsel crown... He's got off lightly as far as being wrapped in tinsel's concerned this year - I've been too overjoyed with snow to ask him to sit around in tinsel!! Also, Pippin's Christmas photo. Dilly wishes everyone a lovely Christmas but didn't particularly want to contribute another photo, after her appearance the other day ;-)

Have a great week and holiday and I'll catch up with everyone when I get back!!
Reached Explore #32

Barney's Challenge... Calling All Flickr Dogs!! :)

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 05:41:09 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

It may not be obvious from the photo but Barney doesn't have one biscuit on his nose, he has THREE stacked on top of each other! He has to wait until I've counted to three before snatching them out the air (or rather he flicks his muzzle up and catches one biscuit, then quickly scurries about looking for the two that got away!). He is usually quite good about holding his nerve until I've said the magic number but I have to say, several biscuits were sacrificed in the making of this shot due to him taking advantage of my distraction trying to take a photo of him. I'd balance the stack on his nose, tell him to wait, stick the camera to my eye and as soon as my attention was diverted, he'd start gobbling the biscuits before I'd taken the shot! I persevered though, and got one or two which I liked, Barney got a few more biscuits than I planned... Everyone's a winner, well except the biscuits!

Last week, we joined in with Hermio 82's feather challenge... Now, Barney and I would like to set a challenge for the other Flickr dog owners on here. What can you get your dog to balance on their nose/head? Barney's balanced everything from glasses, hats, flowers, leaves, pebbles, tinsel and twigs to biscuits, balls, even small books (though haven't got a pic of that!) on his head or nose... So, what is the most unusual (or tempting!) thing your dog can balance?

Or, if your dog doesn't know this trick, can you teach them the restraint needed to do it?! (I find using low value items - like pebbles or if you're confident, kibble works best to start, then work up to biscuits/toys works best!) I'd love to see pics of dogs either learning this trick, or showing off unusual objects they can balance!! If they can't balance stuff on their head, can your pup resist the temptation of a biscuit on their paw perhaps? Feel free to post small sized photos of your dog doing the balancing trick in the comments section, or just add a link!

Hope you're all having a lovely sunny weekend!
Reached Explore #72
Here's a GALLERY of doggies who took up the challenge :)

A Few Tricks :)

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 05:51:16 -0700

meg price posted a video:

I don't often put videos up but I wanted to get this one off my camera and thought I'd share it with people on here too, I know some of you quite like to see Barney "in action" from time to time :) Obviously, this short video doesn't show many of the tricks Barney knows, we were just messing about really, running through the basics. I used a clicker to train for things like "beg", "spin", "twist" and "paw/other paw" (and "bow" which he does towards the end, when I ask for "down"!) some other very basic things (sit, down and stand) I'd taught before we got the clicker. Strangely, the only the thing he really knew when he came to us - he doesn't do it here - was "roll over" - he barely knew what "sit", or "come" meant but he would happily roll over for a biscuit :)

The speed at which Barney learns new tricks always amazes me, although, as he's a BC, it really shouldn't... "Beg" which I taught him a year or so ago, he learned in about 5 minutes. I had him wave first one paw then the other for a little while and then suddenly he threw both paws up together, I clicked, treated and that was it, he sat back looked at me, looked at the treat in my hand and threw both paws up once more. Within a few minutes, he was consistently begging. The same with "bow"... I'd been stumped as to how to show him what I wanted but when I clicked for him stretching one day and then immediately started attempting to lure him into the same position again, he picked it up within seconds.

"Away" is not something I normally do when running through tricks (hence the pause before he follows the command - I think he was a little surprised to be asked!). I didn't really teach him that one, just put a word to something he did naturally when we play. Out on walks, he will zip round and round me, in tight anticlockwise circles while he waits for me to throw the toy. I can walk the length of a field and he will just keep circling, closer and closer, almost tripping me up... he works himself into a frenzy of excitement at times, barking or silently snapping his teeth together as he passes in front of me!

Hope you've all had a good weekend ;)

A Windswept Wave!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:56:48 -0800

meg price posted a photo:

I love this one, something about his expression cracks me up :) We were sat up the top of the hills, on an extremely windy day. I seem to remember Dilly was curled up, using me as a windbreak at this point, a disgusted look on her face and my hands were going numb, of course Barney's thick coat means he rarely feels the cold... So while 2 of us slowly froze, Barney waved his paw for me, did the "begging" trick and a few other things too, before we all scurried off the hilltop and carried on with our walk :)

Barney is very enthusiastic about his tricks! Even when asked to do the same thing over and over throws himself into it, as though it was the most exciting thing in the world.If we're out somewhere crowded, I will run him through loads of tricks, so he's not getting into trouble because he's bored, or worrying about being surrounded by strangers. I often get lots of people cooing over him, which generally he wouldn't like but I think he quite enjoys an appreciative audience when "being clever",. Even at the vet's, with a bandaged paw, he was still begging for biscuits, getting a lot of ooh's and aww's from the vet nurse :) My dog is such a show off!!

Oh, on a separate note, I've had a few people tell me I should do a Barney book recently but I just don't have time to organise one at the moment. However, after seeing this on one of my contact's streams, I have now made a little calender of him for next year... I really made it mainly for myself, as it seemed a nice idea. I did it mainly just for myself, but I thought maybe one or two others might like it, so if anyone else would like their very own Barney calender then you can find it, here!! :)

Reached Explore #26

Barney's Balancing Act :)

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:51:35 -0800

meg price posted a photo:

After teaching Barney to balance a biscuit on his muzzle in the spring, I started wondering if I could teach him to balance other stuff too... we tried some other things, cheese (he likes that a lot more than biscuits), my glasses, small books, he mastered all those things easily, albeit with a slightly bemused look on his face as to why we were playing this strange game (see below for some shots of things on his head!). I decided we needed more of a challenge...

I settled on balls, which Barney values far more than food! It was tough for him to remain absolutely still whilst I balanced an amazingly tempting rubber ball on his rather narrow muzzle. It took a couple of days but after many treats, "good boys" and games of fetch, he composed himself and went from wriggling, cross-eyed and panting to calm and still as a statue. He gets lots and LOTS of praise for doing this trick, even if it's only for few seconds. Once given the release, he flips his head and snatches the ball out of the air :) We've now moved on to larger tennis balls, but I've yet to get a good shot of this!

(This shot took ages to get, it's rather difficult to hold a dog's head at the right angle, balance a ball in exactly the right place, especially as Barney has a rather narrow nose, then let go, and grab and focus the camera before the dog tilts his head a fraction of an inch and unbalances the ball... This was as good as I got!!)

Reached Explore #38

Paws For Thought...

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:21:06 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

LOL I wanted to put this photo up because I think Barney looks quite adorable, but I can't think of a title... any suggestions? I'm sure there are lots of possibilities, I'm just feeling uninspired ;-)

* Thanks for all the fantastic suggestions for a title everyone, they were great and I enjoyed reading them! I thought billnbenj's suggestion was really good though, so I decided to use that one for my title :)

We were up the Malvern Hills when I took this, and Barney was practising his tricks. Sitting up on his hind legs is one of his newer abilities, it's taken absolutely ages for him to be able to balance long enough for me to get a photo. I guess it's also sort of a high five because he puts his paw up at the same time... he's a clever boy :)

Anyway, I hope you're all having a good week, as you can probably guess I'm having lots of fun with the doggies, luckily the weather's pretty good too, so I'm spending quite a lot of time outside... not on flickr an awful lot but I'll catch up on my contact's photos :)

How Do You Do? (18/52)

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:40:54 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

One of the first things I taught Dilly was how to "shake paws". I was so excited when my dad phoned me 8 1/2 yrs ago to say that my step-mum had decided to get a puppy. I'm not generally a huge fan of Cavaliers (love Dilly-dog, obviously!)... but the idea of a puppy, any puppy - no matter what the breed, was sufficiently exciting to overcome any prejudices! When she was about 12 weeks old, I paid them a visit... in theory, to see my father, but really it was to meet the new doggie :) She was SO cute, wish I'd taken pics but at 13, I rarely took photos. I remember teaching her to sit in about 10 minutes that first evening and being so chuffed when she understood; next I taught her to shake paws and again she learned it with typical puppy speed, I was thrilled. Dilly looked pretty pleased with herself too :)

I didn't see her a huge amount in her first year but gradually taught her a few other basic commands and then worked on getting a good "stay", we even did a tiny bit of distance control and she was pretty good - especially given I was a total novice in dog training and didn't really know what I was doing. I also taught her to search for thrown items and retrieve to hand. She was (is) a clever little thing and I sometimes feel a bit guilty that, since Barney stormed onto the scene with his freakish intelligence & a mind like a sponge, Dilly has been somewhat neglected by me, as far as training is concerned. Don't get me wrong, I do still do bits of training with her and we certainly still play fetch but she has rather taken a back seat.

I'd never done any dog training before Dilly and she showed me how rewarding it can be and how much the dog can enjoy the process as well, she also showed me how to communicate with dogs. Character wise she and Barney are dissimilar and Dilly has been an absolute angel compared to him (sorry Barney, but it's true!). However, the confidence I gained by doing just the little bits of training with mellow and happy little Dilly helped hugely when our rescue pup came on the scene and needed completely re-training!

Happy Furry Friday!

A Helping Paw.

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:32:54 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

Day 3 of teaching Barney to grip items by wrapping his paw around them :) Decided it was time to teach Barney something new the other day and thought we'd give this trick a go, using the clicker (he usually learns fastest using that tool!). I held the broom still and tapped my hand against it. He knows this is an indication for him to touch and smacked the broom handle with his paw. At first Barney just kept pawing at the handle (and sometimes tried to mouth at it - I taught him "hold it" a while back, so he thought he'd give that trick a go) but within one short training session he'd grasped the basic idea.

If you're interested - To start with I basically clicked every time he smacked the stick, then once he'd "got" the idea, clicked when his paw slipped round the broom. He quickly caught on that I didn't just the broom smacked at & began sort of waving around the broom handle. After encouraging that, I started waiting for him to actually wrap his leg around the handle and hold the position. Three days and quite a few treats later he's managing to hold the broom upright by himself without my supporting it from the top at least long enough for me to back off and take a couple of photos! Haha, soon he'll be helping me brush the kitchen floor - which considering it's mostly his hairs we have to sweep up would be quite useful ;-)

I love teaching this pup tricks - he's just so enthusiastic and easy to teach. He loves clicker training (although just saying "yes", then treating works fine!) because it gives him a chance to work out by himself what's wanted by experimenting. His only downfall is getting too excited/frustrated and ending up bouncing around throwing his paws up in the air and squeaking :) Trick training is important for us because it gives Barney something to focus on - especially crucial when we're out and about, somewhere potentially "scary". If I do tricks with him, he forgets about everything else and concentrates on performing - whether we're on a bus, or at the vet's surgery. Of course, this trick couldn't easily be done in the middle of town but we'll develop and adapt it to something that can be added to his repertoire - perhaps "hugging" a bottle or something...

Now, I know Gypsy can do this one... but does anyone else's pup do it (or hugging a bottle etc!) and if so, I'd love to see a pic. Also of course it would be great if any of you would like to try teaching it to your doggie. Found this video which might be useful if you'd like to teach this trick to your pup!

The Camera Hogging Dog

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:07:00 -0800

meg price posted a photo:

Ha, I love this photo, it makes me giggle every time I look at it. Not spectacular in a technical way... but I think it just about sums up both Barney and Dilly's characters and their relationship with each other - and their opinions of photography. Dilly the serious and dignified little poser - not entirely happy with the camera but prepared to put up with it. Barney - the silly younger brother - ever the show off and wanting to be in the spotlight!! Yep, don't think I've taken a photo so representative of the odd couple... Posed? Well sort of...

This was supposed to be Dilly's photo shoot. Posing practice for my 52 weeks project with her. I sat her up on the monument, backed off, crouched down. Barney ran up, sat down in front of her, looked at me expectantly. I encouraged him to move away - do his own thing. He ran round in a circle and sat down in front of the monument again. Sighing, I decided to let Barney be "in" on this shoot.

I asked Dilly to "wave" using a hand signal - checking she still remembered the trick from last week. She tentatively lifted her dainty little paw slightly. Meanwhile Barney, still sat in place, had got distracted, watching some fellow walkers passing by. He didn't notice I was asking for tricks. Not until I clicked the shutter of the camera and said "good dog!". Then he noticed.

Instantly Barney was on full alert. He grinned expectantly at me. Dilly rolled her eyes - you could see her thinking "Ohh, here we go...". I said "Dilly, wave!". Gave the hand signal. Barney flung his paw up in the air and pulled a silly face. Dilly sat and stared at me sceptically from the top of the monument. I shook my head in dispair. Dilly stared at me. Barney scuttled closer to the camera and sat back down, tail lashing from side to side. I said "Dilly, wave!" again. Dilly sat and stared. Barney threw his paw up once more with wild enthusiasm, gave me a smug smile. I sighed, admitted defeat, took the photo. Barney pranced with joy. Dilly stared.

Downward Facing Dog

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:59:33 -0800

meg price posted a photo:

Nice place to do some yoga ;-) Taken towards the end of our epic 9hr hike across the border from Wales into England and back again this summer! Even Barney was feeling a little tired by this point - he'd stopped dashing about, running in circles and was content to just walk, quietly at me side... He had just enough energy to hop onto this rock though (can't tell here but it was pretty high!) and to do a couple of tricks for me - including "bow". Not looking at the camera because he was keeping an eye on some fellow walkers and their yappy little Jack Russell terriers... Good boy didn't break his position though - ha, or perhaps not so good, he might just have been too tired to bother moving!!

I had so much trouble teaching Barney to "bow". I could not for the life of me fathom how to get him into the correct position using lures. The trouble is Barney likes "lie down" SO much he just could bare to keep his back end up in the air and kept flattening himself quickly to the floor. He alternated that by giving me his paw (his go-to trick in times of confusion!). In the end, I took to carrying the "clicker" around with me, waiting until Barney stretched on waking up. I clicked that, treated the stretch, then immediately started trying to lure him into the right position once more. After he'd done that initial natural "bow" on waking up, he picked up what I wanted within minutes... it was the human (as usual) holding up progress, not him!

Ugh, got an awful cold at the moment... in my last week at work too :( It's been doing the rounds in my laboratory the last week or two, so I wasn't very surprised when I started sneezing a few days ago... Now feeling very achy and poorly. Luckily it's my day off tomorrow, so I can curl up in bed for the day and hopefully get better. Anyway, hope you all have a lovely week!! :)

Happy Halloween - and Happy 4th Birthday Barney!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 15:43:39 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

My little were-puppy dancing on top of the Malvern Hills on our lovely long walk last Wednesday :) Can't believe Barney's 4 already, still think of him as an over-grown puppy, not a proper adult dog! He does still act very like a puppy, a lot of the time... Really though, he has changed a lot though, from the scared, confused dog that arrived on our doorstep in Feb 2007... He's turned into a fantastic, loving, playful, loyal, intelligent, patient and entertaining dog who I couldn't imagine being without, my second shadow. Haha, he's a lot fluffier than he was at 15 months old too!!

Barney's taught me great deal over the past few years, as he's been growing up in our family. He's taught me a lot in general about dogs and a lot more in particular about border collies! I've learned how to throw a tennis ball properly, how much a tasty treat can improve an unpleasant situation, how it is important never to lose hope when searching for invisible squirrels, just how much fur you can brush off a collie and there still be more to spare to shed on the carpet and that even 2hr walks in the rain and mud can be fun if you've got some nice company :)

I also have Barney to thank for my love of photography. I took very, very few photos before Barney came along - it was only once he proved to be brilliant a model that I started snapping more shots and eventually joined Flickr... something I am very glad I did, as I've met so many lovely people on here :) I doubt you could find a more patient and willing model than this dog - he's been buried in sand, dressed up, asked to wear glasses, asked to stand still for what I'm sure must seem like forever to a young, active collie and done it all with a wagging tail and happy expression. He really is the most sweet, patient, loving, funny, intense, intelligent and eager to please furry, 4-legged friend I could possibly ask for :) Happy Birthday Barney!!

Been away to London this weekend, having a fantastic time catching my uni friends again after a few months apart, so will catch up with contacts in the next few days :) Hope you all had a nice weekend - a great Halloween - and a lovely week to come!

Time for Tea?

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Thu, 27 May 2010 05:15:31 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

How could anyone resist that face? "Doggy din-dins" as we call it, (don't ask!) is of course a very exciting moment in any dog's day! Every evening, Barney and Dilly rush to their beds in the kitchen, waiting impatiently while I get their dinners ready. Then they scurry forward, sitting in front of me, Dilly on my left, Barney on the right. I put the food on the floor and they wait for a second or two, shivering with excitement, till I say it's OK to eat (Barney gets a second or two's head start because he eats soo slowly and Dilly WILL steal his food given half a chance!).

Hehe! I love this shot :) Partly just because Barney looks cute (well, I think he does!) but mainly because him holding a bowl in his mouth long enough for me to take some photos is a real achievement!! Barney is NOT the sort of dog who naturally likes to pick random objects up and carry them around. I thought it would be a good idea to teach him "Hold it". We started this Easter; I placed things in his mouth, gently holding his jaws shut for a second before giving him a treat. We started off with a twig, then his lead...

He will now hold pretty much anything I give him (provided it's not too heavy!) and we've gradually upped the length of time he holds things for too :) He's still not utterly convinced by the idea and I don't think he'll be carrying the newspaper home any time soon. He was a very good boy during our little training/photography session this morning though, happily posing for the camera and enjoyed the treats I kept chucking at him every now and again :) Good boy, Barney!!
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Reached Explore #3, thanks everyone :)