Dancing Queen

Posted on January 11, 2010 by Susan

Beanie and I have just got back from our first Heelwork to Music class. We went to a workshop a year or so ago and Beanie really seemed to enjoy it. We’ve signed up for a six week course with the same teacher (Heather Smith) and the plan is to take Beanie to the class one week and Biggles the next.

Here’s a video of our teacher Heather with her dog Skye at crufts:

Beanie was very good. It all got too exciting for her once or twice and she wandered off to raid the coats and bags that had been left on the chairs around the hall. But for most of the hour long class she didn’t take her eyes off me (or more accurately, my treat bag!). She learned all the tricks very quickly and enjoyed every minute of the class.

Paul and Biggles took the opportunity to have a boys’ night in, so sadly no photographs of the evenings shenanigans. Maybe next week!

The Secret Life Of The Dog

Posted on January 10, 2010 by Paul

In case you missed it, there was a really interesting programme on the Beeb on Thursday. It examined the relationship between humans and dogs and highlighted some interesting discoveries made recently:

The hormone involved in the bonding process between humans and babies may also play a part in the bond between humans and dogs
All dogs have their roots in the wolf, but there are genuine behavioral differences that have been brought about by selective breeding rather than through nurture
Dogs have mastered some pretty amazing human interaction skills – they readily understand the action of pointing and appear to study our facial expressions

I think one part of the program will bring a smile to Beagle owners in particular. It covers an experiment where wolf cubs were raised in the house just like regular pups to see if they’d grow up to behave like domestic dogs. They didn’t, and the person raising them commented on the behavioral differences she observed. For example, whenever she opened a cupboard the cubs would magically appear between her and the cupboard contents; they would jump onto tables, steal things and run off, and act very possessively over certain items. “Dogs don’t do this” she said. Apparently she’s never encountered a Beaglet.

Anyway, you can still catch the programme online via the Beeb’s “iPlayer”: http://bbc.co.uk/i/pssgh/

Monkeys of both kinds

Posted on January 8, 2010 by Paul

It was all very well having a white Christmas, but we’re now well into January and the the frozen white stuff is still showing no signs of departing.

You wouldn’t want to go using the hand rail on our deck..

At least not without thick gloves..

And the burn that runs by the back of our garden is still frozen over, though some intrepid critters have punched a hole through to the running water below

The brass monkeys might have been wise to stay indoors today, but monkeys of the cheeky variety had good reason to venture outside. It started when Parcel Force finally dropped off a package that the UK Customs Grinches had been holding for us since before Christmas:

We paid a lot for Customs to delay our parcel

I just hope we weren’t charged for the services of a sniffer dog…

…’cos our two are always happy to do that for free

Although even a thorough sniffing left Biggles a bit puzzled

Yep our portable lure coursing kit – from Grimner Greyhounds in the States – was finally here. The kit comes with a battery, control switch, four pulleys and about 300 yards of line. It’s amazing how all that fits into such a tiny box.

Needless to say we had to go out into the garden and give it a try despite the freezing conditions. We didn’t have any deer or rabbit skin to use as the lure, or any of Kevin Rose’s tripe juice, but it turns out that a Tesco value tea towel liberally smothered with the contents of a tin of sardines does just as well.

OK, it was just a short straight line run but still it’s enough to declare a successful test, and Beanie & Biggles both loved it. It’s also worth noting that the sacrifice of the tea towel didn’t hamper our kitchen activities in the least; we have a cache of ’em because the Biggly Boy has a thing about them. Stealing a phrase from the fashion world, you might say that the tea towel is the “new” sock as far as Biggles is concerned.

So, we’ve got our own working lure. All we need now is for the weather to warm up a bit so we can have a few sessions on the beach, though judging by the freezing conditions late this afternoon, that’s not going to happen any time soon!

Yes, that really is chunks of ice getting washed in by the tide!