100 things #26: Why hello there!

EXIF data: Sony A580 | Sony 18-55mm | f/4.0 | 1/320 | ISO 400 | 22mm

100 things #25: SQUIRREL!!

EXIF data: Sony A580 | Tamron 75-300mm | f/5.0 | 1/320 | ISO 1600 | 210mm

Glen Highland Farm's Canine Country Getaway: A Dog's Dream Vacation

Back in February I was perusing Glen Highland Farm's Border Collies that were available for adoption (as I often do) and came across a page I somehow had missed in all my times there: the page for their Canine Country Getaway.  Now, I admit I went over there and started looking at it with the thought of "someday we might be able to afford this."  Because every time I run across something like this sounds awesome, it's a week-long camp that costs $1000-1500 or more.  A bit pricey for folks like us.  And while I dream of being able to go to such a camp (Glen Highland Farm offers one as well), I discovered the Canine Country Getaway was something quite different.  People can book tents, cabins, cottages or RVs for as little as two days or as long as they want to. 

This was affordable!  This was something we could do!  I immediately booked us for three nights into a cabin.  The registration process was simple and very quickly we were all set up.  Each step of the way (upon receiving the registration and down payment, upon receiving our final payment, and upon receiving our dog's rabies vaccination information), a member of the Glen Highland staff was in contact with us.  They were courteous, answered all questions promptly, and kept in contact with us through the entire thing.  They even called us a short while before the trip to make sure we knew that the beds were only 6 feet long and to ask if any of our party was over 6 feet (David is!).  They were very concerned about this, but I was able to reassure them that David would find the accommodations comfortable for sleeping (and he did).

In fact, the place looked so great that two friends immediately decided to share a cabin together the same weekend and join us on our vacation!

We went to Glen Highland Farm on June 9.  We arrived and the staff were immediately there to sign us in and assist us with all our needs.  They helped bring our luggage down to our cabins and cottage (David and I had been upgraded due to construction on our cabin) and then the owner came on a golf cart and showed us around all of the trails.  He was a wonderful guide (though we admit to being a little nervous when he told us "oh here is where I tipped this thing over with 4 people in it before!") and we got to know the place quite well before we ever set off for any adventures the next day.

Everything that is described on the site was even better in person.  There were wonderful trails for the dogs through meadows and woods that often led to places for the dogs to have some water fun.  They even had agility equipment set up (a special treat for us since we do agility!).  Everywhere we went there were places for the humans to relax, water and cups so we always had something to drink and never got dehydrated, and plenty of places for the dogs to sun themselves or relax in the shade.  They also had radios in waterproof things attached at various parts of the trail in case there was an emergency (something hopefully no one needs to make use of).  They upgraded this year and the cottages and cabins now have electricity, mini-fridges and coffee makers and the dining pavilion has WiFi.  We also discovered that we were able to get the WiFi as far away as our cottage, so we didn't even have to haul the laptops to the dining pavilion to check our e-mail or share pictures of our adventures.  Our beds were incredibly comfortable and with the ceiling fan on and several windows, the air was circulated nicely and kept us comfortable both day and night.  The dining pavilion was incredibly well-stocked and we didn't feel like we were lacking for anything when making dinner.  We were also most impressed with the First Aid supplies and their keeping bug spray and sun screen on hand. There was literally nothing these folks did not think of.  Every need we and the dogs had was met.  All of the small touches (for instance, the leash holders at the bathrooms so you could tie your dog up while in the bathroom or shower) were amazingly well thought out.

So that's what we thought of the farm.  The really important question is: What did the dogs think of Glen Highland Farm?  Well, I'll let them answer.













(Photo by David)






In the end, they all looked a bit like this:



Needless to say, the dogs loved it.  It was a wonderful time and we were all sad to leave the Farm. We're already planning on going back next year, perhaps for a longer time.  Two days/three nights was just not enough for us!

Thank you Glen Highland Farm and especially to Lillie (who gave us a lovely tour of their awesome rescue facility, where we got to meet many of their wonderful dogs who are up for adoption), John (who showed us around the place on a tour of the camp that we've come to call "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride"), and Jocelyn (who came down to see us specifically to meet us and Dahlia as she's read our blog before -- I hope I spelled your name right!).  We can't wait for next year's vacation!

100 things #24: The Majestic Canine

There are so many things I love about this photo. Dahlia's majestic pose, the way the light filtered through the trees behind her and created some interesting circular lights with the bokeh used, the way I was below her when I took this photo (which I think adds to the majestic aspect), the way the light highlights her fur a bit. I just really loved it. So now you get to see it here!


EXIF data: Sony A580 | Tamron 75-300mm | f/4.0 | 1/800 | ISO 1600 | 110mm

100 things #23: Flopped out

This photo was taken at Twin falls in Vermont this past week. Dahlia was flopped out and I decided to see what would happen if I used my wide angle lens coupled with my wide angle attachment when taking a photo of her. I placed the camera on the ground, used the LCD screen instead of the viewfinder to compose the photo and took a few photos. I like how this one turned out!


EXIF Data: Sony A580 | Sony 18-55mm w/ wide angle attachment | f/5.6 | 1/30 | ISO 400 | 18mm

100 things: #22: Shake off!

I love photos of dogs shaking off and last year I got a few decent ones of Dahlia. This time I kept looking for an opportunity and finally, at the very end of our visit to the local off leash area, she gave me that opportunity. I took several photos, but this one was my favourite of the group.


EXIF data: Sony A580 | Tamron 75-300mm | f/4.5 | 1/500 | ISO 100 | 180mm

100 things #21: Take off!

I like to get photos of Dahlia running. This past weekend I decided to try to get photos of her taking off from runs. I took several and this one was my favourite. I'm not sure if other dogs take off this way but it seems that Dahlia powers off from her back legs when she takes off. It looks really strange and awkward, both in person and in photos. She does this weird excited "OMG!!" thing with her paws in the air as she takes off.

Does anyone else have a dog who takes off from a sit like this? How do your dogs take off from a sit?  And yes that IS drool coming out of her mouth.


EXIF Data: Sony A580 | Tamron 75-300mm | f/5.6 | 1/800 | ISO 400 | 300mm

100 things #20: From the ground

This one was one of a series of photos I took for a prompt in another community. The prompt was "from the ground." Now, I take a lot of photos of Dahlia from the ground in general. I'm usually kneeling, squatting or laying flat on the ground to get photos of her. So I decided that I was going to be truly literal about this and set the camera on the ground.

I like the hazy look to this photo though I'll confess here: the hazy blurry feel in the front of the camera is nothing more than blurred grass. It gives it an interesting affect doesn't it? The concept doesn't look nearly as nice in color.


EXIF data: Sony A580 | Tamron 75-300mm | f/4.0 | 1/100 | ISO 100 | 85mm

Happy Gotcha Day Dahlia!

My gosh, where has the time gone? 4 years ago this evening, David and I drove out to exit 28 on the Thruway and met up with Trish, the woman who had Dahlia. She came to us a pretty shut down, pretty chill dog and has gained so much in confidence in joy in the past 4 years. I've REALLY begun to see a change in just the past year and it's wonderful to be with her. We'll be celebrating by going to an agility trial and having a ton of fun this weekend.

And now for what Dahlia learned this year...

What I learned this year
by Dahlia F. Beast

1. That I can reach for the sky...or hot dogs...if I just try hard enough.



2. That a good roll in the grass after visiting the groomers helps to get rid of that nasty "perfume smell."



3. That kitty friends are awesome friends.



4. That tug is more fun with friends!



5. That Mommy totally puts up with my chair stealing ways, even if I spit my tongue out at her.



6. That I can do awesome dead kangaroo impressions.



7. That it's ok if Mommy dresses me in ridiculous things, as long as there are hot dogs involved.



8. That EVERYTHING is a pause table.



9. That I'm a superstar agility champion. Ok...maybe not...but it's nice having one ribbon!



10. That agility is really really fun.



11. That I am just too cute for words.



12. That they don't call me "Ferocious D" for nothin'!



13. That while I cannot catch treats, it sure is fun to try.



14. That my future is so bright, I have to wear shades.



15. That hamburgers off the grill are (almost) worth waiting for.



16. That being kicked off Mommy's chair is like the WORST THING EVAR.



17. That running makes me CRAZY.



18. That I really CAN fly...as long as I have my jetpack on.

100 things #19: SU tug toy

I got Dahlia a new Syracuse University colored tug toy. I loved this photo for the way she was slightly downhill and the way her mouth is wide open so you can see all her teeth.


EXIF Data: Sony A580 | Minolta 70-210mm | f/5.6 | 1/800 | ISO 500 | 210mm

100 things #18: Manual focus

This photo doesn't really look like much. I've taken a lot of "Dahlia on the porch" photos over the past nearly 4 years. But here I was experimenting with manual focus, something I almost never use. I figured it was high time I try to get to know that side of my camera better!

One of these days I'll take a fully manual shot. This one was taken using Auto ISO and Aperture priority mode.


EXIT data: Sony A580 | Minolta 28mm f/2.8 | 1/50 | f/5.6 | ISO 100 | 28mm

100 things #17: Foxy toy

I looked down from my chair today and saw this. It was too cute to not take a picture of. That's Dahlia's favourite foxy toy, the only toy she knows by name.


EXIF data: SONY A580 | 28mm f/2.8 | 1/25 | f/2.8 | ISO 1600 | 28mm

100 things #16: What the dog wants

EXIF data: SONY A580 | 50mm f/1.7 | 1/1250 | f/4.0 | ISO 100 | 50mm

Tug: Yer doin' it wrong?

It wasn't all that long ago that most dog trainers advised people to not play tug (commonly called "tug of war" back then) with their dogs as it could lead to problems.  The dog would become dominant.  The dog could even become aggressive.  This was especially true, according to these trainers, if the dog won the game.  If you were going to play such an aggressive game with your dog, then you better make sure you could win it each and every time in order to show the dog who was the alpha.  There are, in fact, some trainers who still believe this.  Cesar Millan (a TV personality who claims to be a "dog psychologist) says on his page about puppy development, "If you don't step in and discourage this kind of dominance-seeking behavior early on - or, worse yet, if you allow your puppy to "win" at dominance games such as wrestling or Tug-of-War - it could set the stage for more serious challenges to your leadership down the road."  He's not the only one, however.  Google "Tug of war and dominance" and you will find many such results stating the same thing.

More recently, trainers have been debunking this myth.  More often called "tug" than "tug of war" these days, it is touted as a great game to play with your dog.  But (and there always has to be a "but" right?)...you should only play it with very specific rules attached to the game.  The basic rules most sites seem to give:

1. You initiate the game of tug.
2. The dog must drop the toy immediately when asked.
3. Ask for behaviors in between sessions of tug.
4. If the dog's teeth connect with you, even accidentally, the game is over (one site even suggests leaving the dog alone in the room!).

The trainers who suggest these rules are the cream of the crop: Grisha Stewart, Emily Larlham, Ian Dunbar, Jean Donaldson, Pat Miller.  It's hard to argue with these folks and I suppose for most people following these sorts of rules will work well enough.  They aren't bad rules by any means and it certainly could mean a good rousing game of tug for many dogs!

However, maybe because I come at it from a different standpoint than most, I play tug very differently than is recommended by the great trainers.  I'm looking at tug as a way to get my dog "up" to play agility and as a way to increase my dog's confidence.  Dahlia has a lot of tug drive.  It's even a self-rewarding behavior for when she's done something good (like greet the children down the road nicely and calmly).  But lately I've been working on getting her higher and higher and more and more ready to work by using tug.

Here are my rules:

NONE.

That's right.  None.  If she grabs the toy (or leash) first, that's awesome.  I'm happy to see her do it.  I don't give her a "drop" command as that ends the game and immediately calms her down.   Instead, I "fight" to get the toy back (oh boy those dominance trainers would have a fit over that one!).  I shove her around. I boot her in the sides with my legs. I yank the toy hard to try to slide it out of her mouth.  Once she really has her mouth clamped down hard on it, I actually put my hand around her muzzle and pry that sucker right out of her mouth.  This often causes some crazy growling and even barking.  Oh boy does she get mad at me for that one!  She'll leap for the toy, sometimes hitting me with her front feet, sometimes her teeth even connecting with my arm (she never bites down and I haven't gotten so much as a scrape or a bruise from this).  If I put the toy behind my back she'll try to leap around me to grab it out of my hands.

The game is fun.  The game can be really tiring (for me!).  And the game leaves her really up and ready to work.  The difference between a Dahlia who is not up on the agility course and one who is up is dramatic.

So no offense to those awesome trainers who I truly do respect, but tug doesn't always need those sorts of rules attached to it.  I may be "doin' it wrong," but surely I can't be the only person out there to play tug with no rules!

100 things #15: Praying to the God of Hamburgers

This was taken tonight when Dahlia was doing tricks for leftover hamburger.

My thought? I need to get out and take pictures in better weather as my camera seems to be permanently set at ISO 1600 these days.


EXIF Data: Sony A580 | Sony 18-55mm lens | f/5.6 | 1/250 | ISO 1600 | 45mm