Munro Bagging, Self-Cleaning Beagle

Posted on June 1, 2008 by Paul

The forecast for Saturday told us to expect a hot sunny day, and for once the weathermen got it right. We decided to take advantage of the good weather by taking Beanie for a walk up Ben Lomond.

Ben Lomond is one of the most accessible mountains in Scotland – it has a well worn, gently winding path – but the walk to the summit and back takes a good 4-5 hours, so we packed extra water and treats for ourselves as well as Beanie.

We got there a little later than planned but happily still managed to get a parking place, and set off. From the start all the way up to the summit, Beanie positively charged up the mountain. I don’t know why, but she really loves to climb – it’s much more than just the lure of fresh, free-range sheep poo that keeps her going onwards and upwards.

After a while though even she started to feel the heat. We stopped for a breather at one point and Beanie found a pool of muddy water. Rather than standing at the edge and drinking from it as she usually would – and given a choice between fresh clean water and a mucky pond, she’ll take the pond every time – she waded right in up to her neck. When she emerged she was coated in mud, though thankfully she shook off the excess before she came into contact with anybody else. I suppose there’s a first time for everything :)

On park walks I often tell people that Beanie is virtually self cleaning, though I’m sure they don’t believe me. Well, here’s the proof. This is Beanie at the summit:

We didn’t wipe her down, and she didn’t lick any of the mud off, but it’s nearly all gone! It must be a combination of her short coat and whatever oils she produces. Whatever the reason, it’s a good thing.

On the way up, Beanie really was an asset. She often found little deviations from the path that were easier on the legs, and she was pulling strongly enough that whoever was holding her lead noticeably quickened their pace, regardless of fatigue.

The path back down from the summit may have looked inviting…

..but it was just as punishing on the legs as the climb up, and a pulling Beagle doesn’t help when you’re trying to keep your balance. Beanie’s path finding abilities were still useful though. She took us on a couple of grassy shortcuts that were much easier, faster and probably safer than the standard rocky trail.

Although there wasn’t really any point on the walk when Beanie seemed to be tiring, when we got back home she flaked out completely. Ordinarily that would have given us a chance to get on with household chores in peace, but we were cream-crackered too and just vegged out in front of the telly.

Beanie And The Magic Tunnel

Posted on May 30, 2008 by Paul

Every so often Beanie’s training club holds mini agility sessions, and as it turned out Beanie’s debut in the Intermediate class landed on just such a night. The usual equipment was there – hurdles (nice and low, safe for pups), rings to jump through, some widely spaced poles for weaving and a tunnel.

The first time round the circuit was pretty uneventful. Beanie did well enough, though she had to be kept on lead because the dogs in this class were all new and exciting to her. As Susan and Beanie returned to their seats, another newcomer to the class – a really well built Boxer called Cooper – had his turn. He did well until he reached the tunnel, which he just wasn’t keen on at all. Attempts to coax him through verbally fell flat, so extra snacks were deployed along the length of the tunnel to tempt him in while each of the other dogs had their turn at the rest of the course. Eventually, it came round to Beanie again, only this time she had to try it off lead. So, Beanie was put in a sit and the lead was unhooked from her collar.

Now in retrospect it seems pretty obvious what was about to happen, but still… the sheer speed of it! I think “Shock and Awe” is the term the US military like to use. Anyway while Beanie sat before the first obstacle, looking a little distracted, Susan took position at the other end of the run, ready to call her. As soon as Susan made the call, Beanie darted straight across the course and into the tunnel. A fraction of a second later she emerged from the other side, having hoovered up every single one of Cooper’s treats in one smooth, continuous sweep. Her little face was a picture of joy! She couldn’t have been happier if she’d been the first caveman to hold a barbecue. That tunnel was a blummin’ good thing, that’s for sure.

Well, the dog rota continued, and all the while Cooper remained wary of the tunnel. Treats were again laid out to tempt him, and again when Beanie’s turn came there was a lightning raid on the tunnel. It must have been like magic to our little Beagle, a blue canvas-covered Tunnel of Plenty that would never disappoint.

A few minutes passed and again it was Beanie’s turn. First port of call was the tunnel, naturally, but this time she took didn’t come straight out. The tunnel started shaking a bit, so there was clearly something going on in there. I watched expectantly, but to my surprise it was a human that emerged first. Cooper’s owner had apparently crawled in there in a further attempt to assuage her dog’s fears. She looked kind of harassed, and was holding a treat in her hands. Not for long though. Beanie came charging out of the tunnel and snatched the treat, and possibly a finger or two from her hand. Our pup almost had a relieved look on her face, as though she was thinking “oh thanks – I thought I’d missed that one”.

That was kind of the end of the agility, and poor Cooper still hadn’t conquered his inner demons.

Pole Position And A Pit-Stop

Posted on May 27, 2008 by Paul

Sunday’s Beagle racing at Inch Farm, Kincardine went very well for Beanie – she won the consolation race, and then in the show afterwards she won best Beagle and best dog, beating a very fine looking whippet.

However, these tremendous achievements should be put in context. For one thing, the turnout was quite low (probably due to the Bank Holiday the next day). Also, it’s worth noting that the consolation race only had two competitors – Beanie and Daisy. It gets worse though, because as we lined up for the race, I was told to nudge Beanie forwards an extra couple of yards to give her a better chance against her seasoned opponent. I guess it wasn’t playing strictly to the rule book, but I was “only following orders” as they say. In any case, Beanie bet Daisy by more than the head start :)

As for the show, well I’m not sure the judging was quite as rigorous as one might get at Crufts. For example, I have my suspicions that not all the competitors were actually Beagles:

On our return after the race, Susan decided it was time to make some repairs to our lawn. There were of course a few holes to fill – Beanie seems determined to dig her way to Australia. But an even bigger problem was the lifeless brown patches caused by Beanie’s grass killing power pee.

Our poor lawn, after a few repairs

We only found this out when it was too late, but dog pee – or more commonly bitch pee – can be lethal to grass, especially in dry weather. There are three ways to combat this:

Don’t let the dog pee on the grass. Not that easy to enforce!
Hose down the favorite pee spots with water regularly
Try lawn saving products like Dog Rocks and Greenum

We’re not keen on messing with Beanie’s drinking water or giving her pills just to save the lawn, so we’re left with the other two options. From now on when she goes into the garden, we’ll keep her on lead until she’s emptied her bladder on the graveled areas, and any unplanned pee events will be diluted with lots of water. Hopefully this will give the lawn a chance to recover.

To channel Beanie’s urge to dig, I made her a little sand pit to play in. I have absolutely no carpentry skills but I’ll never turn up an opportunity to wield a circular saw. Must be something to do with all those cheap and nasty horror films I watched when I was younger. Anyway, the sand pit seems to be a success so far – Beanie just can’t get enough of it!