Beanie’s First 5K!

Posted on June 29, 2008 by Paul

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!

More fun at the park

Posted on June 27, 2008 by Paul

Time for a few more pics from the park. First up, here’s a Jack Russell Terrier apparently auditioning for Hang Tough in the TV show Gladiators:

And now here’s part of another fun play session with Tessa the collie-cross and a retriever called Sorsha.

Beanie was already tired from an earlier romp, but she couldn’t resist even more play with her good friend Tessa. I think Tessa might need a breath freshener though…

..because that clinch put Beanie out cold :)

Grrr! Aaaargh!

Posted on June 27, 2008 by Paul

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!