Author: Sturmfalken

Control the Game

/ Sturmfalken
A couple of days ago Indra and I went outside to work a little on obedience and to play tug of war. Since hubby got ready for deployment I hadn’t really done anything with the dogs at all. We just spend time together, went on long walks and enjoyed each others company. 
Anyhow, we went outside with the StarMarks Everlasting Funball. Indra loves that ball and so far it’s been the only ball that they haven’t destroyed within seconds, minutes or days. That ball is over a year old and it’s still got the string and is going strong. 
However, we were in the middle of playing tug when some stranger stopped by. I believe he lives in the neighborhood. He flat out told me not to play tug with Indra. I asked him why he feels I shouldn’t play with her and he said that I don’t have control over my dog and she would attack me in the long run. No matter how much control, I think I have, tug of war is bad for dogs… 
Oookay… to be honest, I think it’s silly. First of all, you can play tug of war with any sound dog as long as you start and end the game. Secondly, tug of war, if done correctly is a wonderful and powerful way to reward a dog. 
For Indra, it is THE reward. No food, no bone, no rope or tug is more powerful than that ball. She loves that thing, she obsesses over it and therefor it’s the best and most powerful way to work her with that ball. Since she’s got a pretty good grip we can even use it to play tug of war and I do believe that I’ve got enough control that I don’t really have to worry about a vicious attack from my own dog. 😉

"Don’t crie, it’ll be allright"

/ Sturmfalken
When hubby deployed we took Indra and Yukon to the post because they are the closest thing to what you could consider as kids. He first dropped all his gear in the office and then we walked around with the dogs. When it came closer to formation we put Yukon back into the car and hubby took over Indras leash. 

Indra sensed that something was up. She knew exactly that something serious was about to happen. She never really worried when hubby left, or didn’t come home for a couple of days, or when he went out of sight. Today, though, was different. Today she was glued to him. She whined when he walked away, she went crazy when he came back, She simply knew that he wouldn’t come home with us.

Never in a million years would I have expected that kind of reaction. I knew all along that she’s a sensitive dog but this exceeded everything I’ve ever seen and experienced with her in the past two years, which didn’t make it easier for me either. I struggled to keep my tears back.

When they casually lined up for formation she cried out. A female Soldier asked if she could pet her. She came over, kneeled down and said “Don’t crie, it’ll be allright.”. That moment was so powerful and emotional, it’s these kind of moments that make memories.
During the briefing I stepped into the background because she kept on whining and I didn’t want to annoy people. I guess it’s not only us that have a hard time dealing with deployments. Our pets go just as much through the separation we do and I believe they understand much more than we think they do. 
In the end I couldn’t hold myself together. I leaned against him, hugged him and balled my eyes out. After we separated he turned around, waved me goodbye and said “I want you to get some ice-cream and eat it.” 
Then, he walked away.

It’s been far too long

/ Sturmfalken
Damn! It’s been way too long since I’ve written anything on here. To be honest, I am not really sure what I should write about…. I guess I just start somewhere. Chris, the Foster has left us and went into a different Foster Home. Kia will leave soon to, instead Nala a German Shepherd is moving in and I am planning on going home to visit my family and I am hoping that it’ll work out. That’s the short-cut. I’ll think about some other stuff I can write about later on. For now… I just want to dig a whole and hide in it.

Sie wird dich anfallen

/ Sturmfalken / 2 Comments
Wenn es eines gibt, womit man hier, des oefteren kaempfen muss, dann sind es Vorurteile. 
Im RH Wesen ist das zum Beispiel:
Obedience kills drive!
Das heisst soviel das die Unterordnung, den Wille zum eigenstaendigen Suchen toetet und das die Hunde zu abhaengig vom Hundefuehrer werden und deswegen eben nicht mehr selbstaendig ausser Sichtweise gehen. 
So ein Schwachsinn. 
Das zweite Vorurteil ist das man keine Zerrspiele mit dem Hund spielen soll da er sich sonst gegen dich wenden koennte, um dich anzufallen. 
So lief, zum Beispiel, ein Nachbar gestern vorbei und sah wie ich mit Indra und dem Ball spielte. Er stoppte und meinte “Du solltest nicht so mit ihr spielen.” woraufhin ich ihn fragte “Wieso?” und er meinte “Du hast keine Kontrolle ueber den Hund, sie wird dich anfallen.”
Wieviel Kontrolle muss ich denn ueber den Hund haben, bevor ich mit ihm spielen darf? Jetzt mal im Ernst, kontrollierter geht es doch kaum.

Spielereien

/ Sturmfalken
Mein total lustloser Hund und ich, waren heute, nach zwei Wochen nichts tun in der UO, mal wieder draussen und haben an der Hinterhand gearbeitet. Das ist das erste Mal das ich die Drehung auf der Hinterhand abgerufen habe.
Nach zwei Wochen und fuer das erste Mal, wuerd ich sagen das sie nicht schlecht ist. Das ganze braucht natuerlich eine Menge Fine-Tuning, weswegen wir uns auch bei Debbie Zappia zum Privat Training angemeldet haben.