09 April 2008

The Important Work we call weave pole training.

So, last time we checked in, Gustavo had sometimes wires on his poles, channels still open, and was flying through like a banshee due to the magic of tupperware.

I am happy to report we have wires off. Although when we go visit unknown poles, I've been putting wires on the entries/exits just because. Because he is Gustavo. But we have our channels at home almost closed and he is fast and low like a tiny little border collie, and when we go visit unknown poles I only visit ones that I can open out a little bit. Just because.

But here is the part we really, really like.


So you have seen my dog agility field driveway. We love it's soft, rubbery surface perfectly manicured grass yeah it's a driveway. But the dog agility field is conveniently located on one side of our back gate, the other side being the other dog agility field back yard known as the nice place to dig up the gophers near the contact trainer. So, when it's time to practice poles, everyone, even Timmy, has to stay behind the back gate and they are VERY SURE I am taking tupperwares out to the Special Tupperware Placing Platforms also known as some bricks on either end of the poles. And the mayhem starts behind the gate.

Usually I let Otterpop come out first and do a couple sets of poles. Because she always nutso anytime you do anything, she is our choice to warm the crowd up. Like one of those manic, bad comedians whose act could involve chainsaws and giant cubes of cheese. You can just wave a frisbee in front of her face and get insane barking. You can do just about anything around Otterpop and you will get insane barking and spinning around and leaping.

Then it's Gustavo's turn. He is already in a frenzy because he BELIEVES in the power of the tupperware, and flies through his poles a few times, back and forth.

Then, Ruby who is probably by now making growling pig noises unique to growling pigs and Ruby, comes out. To get them back behind the gate, at this point, they have to be dragged through it by their tiny little collars because it is MAYHEM! Usually whoever is behind the gate is having a war on a stuffed squirrel too. I run in there and tug on squirrels with them between dogs. Probably I am yelling stuff like GO GO GO and OW and GIMMEE BACK THAT SQUIRREL!

Then we go through the rotation again. Another couple times through for Otterpop. Who is always surprised and delighted to be part of this whole tupperware scheme that originally was just for the puppy. And on through the ranks. At this point, it is like wrestlers attacking the gate. Like that sport where guys with beards and tattoos are attacking each other behind a chain link fence? Is that real sport? Or like old school roller derby. It is scarey and we love it. Gustavo is shrieking and flinging himself at the gate and the neighbors are like What the F*** is the She Doing? I usually vehemently discourage barking in general but for teaching Gustavo, and for bringing Ruby's pole speed back (which seems to be completely back on our dog agility field driveway poles), they can be in complete frenzy insanity for all I care and the neighbors are just going to have to understand I am a Real Dog Trainer and this is Important Work going on over here.

7 comments:

Elf said...

Paint--major total bummer. My best guess is that acrylic paint was used over oil-based paint without the proper prep in between.

Or not.

I don't know how the f*** one can figure that out until it's too late, like when all the new paint is peeling off.

On the other hand, your screaming adoring agility fans sound like a wonderful addition to the neighborhood ambiance.

-ellen

Urban Smoothie Read said...

juZ too bad that my dog don't scream n bark for agility.... she will only make hell of a noise when a neighbour next door pass by our front gate...

team small dog said...

we prepped that thing to all the specs, we had painters consult and tell us EXACTLY what product to use, we replaced half the rotten wood. and still the paint fell off. it is a very, very depressing thing. we used actual paint brushes and painted the whole house. we are afraid it was the old timey paint brushes and that we are cursed.

Anonymous said...

Team Small Dog,

You are the best writer, ever! I am not kidding! Too tired to move, basically, I still manage to lift my arm and...feebly...reach to click on Team Small Dog Blog. And angels sing!

Yes, the context of this comment is working 9-5, (hah! actually 8-5! like somehow that hour for unpaid lunch is not part of your work day?when you drive home to throw the ball and do some very quick running around the yard of three remaining jumps and a tire and a collapsed teeter, as the administrative assistant for the Writing Program and then driving to moonlight teach a class over the hill (of many crashes) and far away to teach 30 people to write College Compositions (hah! hear me Montaigne, I am fighting the good fight, but losing albeit with humor, well traces of humor) after not sleeping much last night why? millions do not understand the mysteries of middle age hormonal fluctuations resulting in waking up at 5 a.m. despite going to bed at midnight. Why? to pay off credit card debt that may be related to agility activities and canine veterinary needs? High rent? General inability to budget well?

But let me repeat myself. Who's going to stop me! You don't even know what an RSS feed is! Delete this! I dare you.

You are the greatest. You give me agility and writerly pleasure every single day, and I am profoundly grateful.

team small dog said...

Well I am certainly happy team small dog makes your angels sing! Although maybe you have just been reading too many college compositions to where team small dog writing becomes confused with best writing! Boy i hope your semester goes fast and we all win the lottery and could become retired people with our own rv's and win the Steeplechase at Haute Tracs because we have so much time to practice with our dogs.

Lisa B. said...

Yeah, you're the funnest agility blogger EVAR!

I love, love, love the color of your house, BTW. Mine is orange. Maybe my next one should be green and orange.

We painted ours about three years ago, using brushes and rollers, and our paint is still stuck fast. I don't usually get excited about big box stores and their products, but now I swear by Home Depot's Behr Premium because it still looks like we just painted the house.

And small dogs rule; big dogs drool ;-)

team small dog said...

The house paint color is actually called a Portrait of Gary. Gary being my husband.

Gary did not believe that me and Joel Warner could paint the house ourselves. But I didn't think we could afford the (what now sounds freakishly cheap) price given to us by the Real Housepainters.

Maybe I should also preface that Joel Warner and I have created many fiascos in the past that we were Sure Would Turn Out Super!

This time no one saved us. And in an effort to convince Gary this time would Not Be A Fiasco, we selected colors of the house that were the Blue of Gary's Eyes. The Green of His Shirt. The Blonde of his Hair. And the Brown of his Shoes.

And now all the paint is falling off. I of course blame Joel Warner. Joel Warner of course just sits around pondering things in his basement. And the paint is just falling off in chunks.