von Moeller Hof Dobermans

We’re going to NH in a few weeks to stay at my uncle’s camp on Lake Winnepasauke.  We are flying into Boston.  My son Cole had a fit the other day because we’re flying during the day and not at night.  Why?  Because he’s SURE that the best sleep he ever had was on a plane when we went to Colorado and he’s been wanting to have that kind of sleep again.  6 years old and remembering when and where he had his best sleep.    (we told him he could sleep on the plane anyway, even though it’s during the daytime, but he insists that’s not the same)

When in the house, Quinna likes to find things to carry around to irritate the humans.  Shoes, kids’ stuffed animals, mini-containers of chocolate milk the kids left out, etc, etc.  Lately, she’s been in to books and magazines.  This morning, while I read email, Quinna brought me no less than 5 different pieces of reading material.  When she was carrying around piece #3, I decided to get my camera.

Well, the good news is that Quinna has really turned into a ball-driven girl.  I don’t even need the chuck-it anymore.  The bad news is that once I send the ball a few times, her brain is like on overload or something and she can’t think anymore.

Scenario: heeling for food out around the house on the parking pad, front walkway.  On a scale of 1 to 10 for drive, she’s about a 7 at this point.  Good, not great.  Then, I produce the ball.  The drive goes to a 9 at the mere sight of it.  If I send the ball one time, she is about ready to burst (drive level 9.5) so I end up sending the ball again when she’s heeling pretty nicely as a reward, and then THAT’S IT.  Drive = 10.  We’re done.  I have no more concentration from her.   Her tongue is hanging to the ground, she’s glossy eyed about the ball, and sort of incoherent – just wants to run again.  (she runs like a bullet to go after the ball)

So, note to self:  try using the ball with the tug FIRST and see if that gets her pumped to a drive level of maybe 8 or 8.5 and see if we can keep that level going a bit longer.

One interesting note – I had on a large oversized white t-shirt this morning while training.  When I did try to get her back in heeling position (which by the way, turns into pacing at drive level greater than 9), she was staring intensely at my armpit even though I had the ball in my left hand.  A couple of times she did this!  I was thinking, what is it about my armpit?  Then I decided that was great.  Bonus!  Maybe it will keep happening if I wear big white tee shirts!

On Saturday, I tracked Quinna over at our neighbors.  They have sort of a golf course type front yard.  I don’t know how many acres we’re talking about — it’s got to be at least 5 acres in each of the 3 neighbor’s front yards.  When the dew is out, and the grass is right before they mow it, it’s awesome tracking.  The grass is all level, you can see your footsteps, and it’s practically virgin b/c nobody but me ever really walks on it.  I trained Arras to track on rougher stuff - typical ‘pasture’ type land.  End result was that when we had to go somewhere where the tracking was really short (i.e., sod farms), he was terrible.  So, I thought - hey! I’ll train Quinna on the short stuff and then move to the long stuff.  Well, guess what?  she sorta sucks in the long stuff.  You can’t win.

So, anyway, I tracked her next door yesterday on the short stuff.  (more…)

So, tonight at dinner (date night!  went to see Dark Knight batman film — it was O.K. - I wasn’t entertained enough, it seems.  I think Iron Man was more entertaining), and I told Mark that I still think of my mother (who died 2.5 years ago) Every Single Day.

Mark said, ‘And you REMIND me of your Mother Every Single Day’

You have NO IDEA how funny this is!  (mom and Mark didn’t exactly see eye to eye on many things)  I let a huge laugh out, right in the restaurant…a major guffaw!  So Funny!  I could almost HEAR my mother saying, ‘And that’s the way I planned it!’  (and smiling from ear to ear).

LOL LOL LOL

Beuty v. Alten Adel (aka ‘Baccara’) VPG I, BH, AD, RHT, FHT, StPr 2, FPr 3.  Beuty is owned by Tori Gaskill of von Schlottke Dobermans.  You can see info about Baccara on Tori’s website at:

http://www.vonschlottke.com

Tori talks about the breeding in her blog at:

http://www.vonschlottke.com/Blog/..

This should be a great working litter!  Contact Tori for more info!

Last weekend, we had some friends over who we hadn’t seen in several years.  We have known them for almost 20 years, I guess, but after we had kids we just haven’t gotten together as much.  (is ‘gotten’ a word?)  Anyway, they brought with them a little boy, aged 5, named Anthony.  Anthony is being raised by his great grandmother, age 87.  Anthony was the most laid back, well-mannered little boy I have ever been around.  And, he had Patience!  We have NONE of that in our house! (more…)

This baby is HOT.  We need to change our fleet around, however, and it’s someone else’s turn to enjoy this…
See Van here

As you know, little kids HATE shots.  If they have to go the Doctor for a checkup, they want to know if they have to get a SHOT.  At the last dr’s visit, indeed, the kids had to get shots.  Eric was beside himself — how much will it hurt???? 

Finally, the question that made me smile:

“Will it hurt as much as Quinna biting me?  Because that doesn’t hurt too bad”

Finally got to go to dog training yesterday.  It’s been probably 6 weeks since I’ve been out there due to vacations and guests and what-not.  I dragged along some guests anyway — just for obed and protection.  In obedience, I wanted someone to watch for Quinna ‘pacing’.  Pacing is something that happens instead of a trot — their legs move in unison from side to side, instead of on a diagonal.  Think about a camel moving fast.  They move their right feet, then their left feet.  A trot as we know it, would have the right front and the left hing leg moving forward, and then the left front and right hind moving forward.  Keltie noticed that in my training with Quinna, she was pacing.  Pacing is not very pretty and it’s a bad habit for them to get into.  So, I’ve been doing a lot of fast heeling in circles to keep her trotting.  She will occasionally hop with her right front foot and I’m convinced that that’s the way she can go back and forth from trotting to pacing.  I think this is working, although I feel nauseous from trying to watch her front feet hit the ground.  I need to get better about telling from her head and neck if she’s trotting or pacing. (more…)