outings « The MacPup

outings

(Not Quite An) Agility Pup

For my birthday Dan got me two lessons with Kathleen of Heart Dog Agility and an overnight in the Santa Cruz Hilton.

Princess Ada could get used to this.

We had lessons with Kathleen on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Since Ada is just a beginner so we just learned some basics including how to effectively train using a clicker.

We started off with Target Training which helps Ada learn to interact with her environment to get a reward.

Ada gets a treat for touching the target with her nose.

Ada gets a treat for walking to and then touching the target.

Then I had to get her to stand in a box without luring or gesturing. She just had to try things and see what would be rewarded.

First she gets a treat just for touching the box.

Next she gets a treat for stepping into the box.

Finally she gets a jackpot (3 or 4 treats) for standing all feet in the box.

We finished off with Kathleen helping Ada overcome her fear of walking through a tube.

Ada weighs her fear of the tube against the deliciousness of hot dog.

Although Ada has a long way to go before she’s an agility champ, I think we’re all excited to learn more and it was terrifically fun. What a great birthday!

UPDATE: Something to aspire to: National Finals Small Dog Agility Course (video) and National Finals Large Dog Agility Course (video)

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23
Aug 10

Glen Canyon

A while back Ada and I took a short hike in Glen Canyon. The canyon is so lush and dense that it’s easy to forget you’re in the middle of the city.

This particular spring day was pretty warm...

...so we took lots breaks to rest and hydrate.

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23
Apr 10

The “Inconveniences” of Dog Ownership

When you first get a pet dog, your life will go through some big changes.

With everything you do, you have to figure out what you’re going to do with the dog. Leave her at home? Take her to a sitter? Bring her with? Is she even allowed at this event?

Ada at home.

And then you also end up thinking about what your dog needs. Does she need to eat? Does she need to pee? Does she need some exercise, socialization, education?

Ada at puppy school.

No doubt, it’s a big life change. (My mom jokes that “it’s good training” because I guess this is a lot like parenthood, but about 10 times easier.) We go to parks and beaches every weekend. We rarely eat in restaurants. And on the rare evening that we do “go out”, we only stay out for a few hours.

Ada on a walk.

We also eat lunch outside almost everyday (which in my opinion is hardly an inconvenience).

Ada at lunch in the park across the street from my office.

All in all, I think Ada has just encouraged us to live a more active outdoorsy life. And I think we’re better and happier because of it.

outings / playing / video — 2 Comments
20
Apr 10

Ada Smells Horses!

On a recent trip to the beach, I spotted some horses in the distance. Ada didn’t see them but when she caught the scent on their foot prints she went nuts!

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25
Feb 10

Cherry Blossoms

Today, while out on a lovely spring walk, Ada looked up at me with this face:

Looks like someone's been sniffing (chomping?) the cherry blossoms.

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3
Feb 10

Fort FUNston

We love Fort Funston so much that we drive out there almost every weekend. Not only is it photogenic and peaceful, it’s also very dog-friendly (off leash!), so Ada completely wears herself out!

Ada relaxes while Dan takes photos.

Ada explores the rocks.

meetup / outings / photos — 1 Comment
19
Jan 10

Teddy

Last Sunday we took Ada to a meetup of the SF Havanese.

There were about 25 dogs in attendance...

....including Ada's littermate Teddy.

As puppies Ada (left) and Teddy (right) looked nearly identical...

...and as you can see...

...not much has changed except hair-dos.

Teddy has amazingly soft and fluffy hair, which has inspired me to try growing Ada's out a little longer.

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30
Nov 09

Shoppin’

Ada is a bit picky and did not find anything she liked.

Ada's a bit picky and didn't find anything she liked. Click through for the larger version.

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22
Nov 09

Still Here?

We are, and so is Ada. Just not posting as much because there are fewer new things to post about.

Ada’s still chewing on things.

Chewie

Tessa’s still carrying her around…

Lazy

… and making her do silly things.

:-/

We take her to the beach every Sunday…

Bedraggled

…where she hangs out with other fluffy dogs.

Dogs or Teddy Bears?

grooming / naughty / outings / photos — No Comments
9
Oct 09

Mucky Pup!

Ada has been hiking with us before. And while she has got pretty messy in the past–rolling around in leaves and what-not–I don’t think either of us fully anticipated her reaction to walking in the forests of Northern Washington.

It was quite damp in the forest and raining intermittently. This meant that Ada quickly became rather bedraggled. For some reason, unbeknownst to us, she would stop every 100m or so and either lie down or roll her face in the floor. This in turn caused her hair to become full of sticks and leaves, which would make her roll around more as she tried to get them off her. Not the smartest of pups, it would seem.

Click through to view it large

1. Lie down or roll.
2. Pick out the big bits.
3. Keep on picking.
4. Try again.

Needless to say, we cut the walk short. But by the end of it we managed to keep her walking straight by giving her with treats every 30-seconds or so.

The MacPup