Swimming is just as good for dogs as it is for humans. It exercises muscles in ways that walking and running can’t, and does so without loading the joints. Unfortunately Beagles tend not be keen on entering water - a trait that Beanie shares. She became a little less reticent after the “Pool Party” at the Pets A & E therapy pool, so we decided to give her another, longer swimming session on Tuesday.

She was a little uneasy and splashy at first, but with gentle coaxing from the excellent staff she started to relax. By the end she was confident enough to show an interest in one of the toys.

 

The session concluded with a quick shower and good rubdown with a towel.

 

I think some kind of perfumed gel was used for the shower because Beanie smelled unusually fresh as sat in my lap on the way back home. Perhaps that’s the real reason why Beagles aren’t keen on swimming - one session washes away the delicate eau de toilet built up by hours of rolling around in dead frog carcasses and assorted wildlife droppings. Aagh! There’s never a pile of fox poo to hand when you really need it!

The day after her session at the pool I did note that Beanie was quite happy to wade through a stream at her local park, so it seems to have done some good. Maybe another session or two will make her brave enough for a little solo swim in the park’s lake. It would at least enable her to gobble up the bread that the silly two-legged types keep throwing at ducks

 

Despite some rather threatening gray clouds the racing ran to conclusion without any rain. Beanie got a third place overall, though she had a little unexpected help to reach that position - some of the competitors got a little distracted and didn’t really finish the race. However, she seemed to be very focused on the lure, and on the chicken I had waiting for her just past the finish line. She even managed to pick my pockets and get an extra helping of chicken while I was trying to stuff my camera back in its bag.

Milo (I think!) and Beanie running together

After the race Beanie had a great time with Murphy, a heavy but gentle lump of a Beagle who - despite being somewhat older than our pup - was well up for some playful rough-and-tumble:

 

Beanie and Murphy

The Glasgow East End 5K road race was held this morning in Tollcross Park. Both Susan and myself had entered for it some time ago, but since we’re both carrying injuries we decided that I’d run (or more likely hobble) round the course while Susan took Beanie for a walk in the park. Or at least that was the plan, but when we got there we saw a couple of dogs wearing racing numbers, so we asked the officials if we could enter Beanie too. A couple of minutes later she had a number, an official T-shirt (small Beagle size, naturally) and was joining in the pre-race warmup!

If you want me to do aerobics, show me the treats

I have run with Beanie on lead before, but always with extender unlocked so she could go at her own pace and have the odd mid-jog sniff. This time she had to run with a fixed lead and I wasn’t sure whether she’d like it, but as it turned out she was great. Every time we passed other runners we’d hear “Awww look at that little doggy”and I’d slip her half a gravy bone as a treat. She really loved the cheers and applause at the finish, and although she wasn’t the first dog to finish the race (we took just over 27 mins) she was certainly the first Beagle!

Beanie and me after the race

 Another race, another medal

Beanie’s not done running today, though. Shortly we’re driving up to Kincardine for another round of Beagle Racing. Let’s hope the weather is kind!

P.S. At the end of the race, I had a bit of trouble locating Susan in the crowds, so figured I’d try to use Beanie’s amazing tracking ability. In an excited voice I told Beanie “Where’s Susie? Find Susie!” To my amazement, Beanie sniffed about a bit and picked up a scent. Unfortunately the scent led to a discarded sandwich, which she promptly scoffed. That’s Beagles for ya!

It was agility time again at Beanie’s training class this week, and this time I took the camera along:

As you can see, Beanie had to be kept on lead for fear that she’d shoot off after any unguarded treats. Despite that, we are starting to regain some of the ground lost when her sniffer went into overdrive, at least at home. We can now place tempting treats on the ground and successfully recall Beanie without any unplanned snacking. In fact it’s quite amusing to watch. She stares at the various edibles longingly as she waits to be called, yet gives them a wide berth as she runs to us. It’s almost as if she knows she won’t be able to control herself if she gets to close to temptation…

Recall outside the house is starting to improve too. I put this down to an adaptation of a “natural training” exercise we’ve been trying:

• Stalk the dog slowly with a suitable tug-toy ready in one hand, making “Grrrr” noises and trying to make yourself appear bigger as you go
• When the dog starts to react, suddenly turn tail and run away from the dog
• Engage the dog in a game of tug when it gives chase, letting the dog win

The first time we tried this Beanie backed off as we approached, then chased excitedly as soon as we took flight. A few repetitions later she knew what to expect and ran to us even during the initial “Grrrr” phase. Shortly thereafter we found it much easier to hold Beanie’s attention on games with us, and even got her playing fetch outside (not for long admittedly, but still it was a first for Beanie!)

Now we’re using this game as an alternative to conventional recall when we needed to bring her in from the garden, or get her upstairs and into the run by our office. I think this is starting to break the negative associations she has with the “come” command - associations that we created by using it to bring her outside play sessions to an end.

Of course sometimes it all goes a bit wrong and our over-excited little pup grabs hold of the tug toy at the end I’m holding. If she notices she’s caught my hand in her jaw she immediately softens her grip, but if she doesn’t notice, well that’s where the “Aaaargh” part comes in!

Beagle Racing was back on today after a three week lay-off, but this morning we actually considered giving it a miss due to bad weather. Fortunately I caught a more promising forecast on the radio as I drove back from the gym, so we bundled Beanie into the car and headed off towards Kincardine Bridge.

I had reason to hope that Beanie would do well this time. Earlier in the week we bumped into her friend Tessa in the park. Tessa is a Collie cross, but it looks like she’s got some Greyhound in her mix (does that make her a Lurcher?) She’s fast, and could easily outrun Beanie the first time they met. However, this time around Beanie had closed the gap noticeably - despite already being tired from a heavy play session with other dogs.

My hopes proved well founded. She finished second in her first race, then managed second again in the final, losing to Jan Bell’s lovely Abbey.

 
Beanie (in blue) chases hard…

…but it’s not enough to deny Abbey’s victory

This result is particularly remarkable because:

• it was achieved without any of the dodgy practices that often creep into Beagle racing, such as giving Beanie a head start because she’s a midget, or disqualifying the true winner on the grounds that Beanie’s cuter
• we only had a few pieces of Burns Kelties to give her at the finish of each race. I mean come on, no cheese?
• this was the Beagle Bitch Championship of 2008, not just an ordinary race

Admittedly there were only 5 Beagles in the whole competition (it would have been 6 if astute officials hadn’t spotted that late entrant “Samantha” had some dangly bits that don’t belong on a girl), but still we’re really proud of our little sprinter.

Just for fun an extra race was held between three of the Beagles (Abbey, Beanie and Sam, now cured of his earlier “confusion”) and a whippet, to see just how much faster those sleek speed demons really are. The Beagles were given a sizeable head start, but it wasn’t nearly enough:

OK, so whippets *are* quite fast then

Abbey and her owner Jan were presented with their fine looking trophy,

then the traditional post racing show was held (again won by Beanie, thanks to some expert handling by youngster Holly!) just before the heavens opened.

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For any Beagle owners interested in having a fun day at the races, the location is Inch Farm, Kincardine - close to Longannet Power Station (FK10 4AA). Racing is held on Sundays around 3pm - for more details head over to the Caledonian Thistle Pedigree Whippet Racing Club forums.