Notes to a Dog Sitter

Our boy Blarney can do many tricks and follow a few directions that amaze us. Show a treat and he'll do any of the following with great enthusiasm.

Fun Activities
FETCH a ball (throw the ball inside or out and Blarney will take off like lightning)
FIND IT (ball, plastic) Tell him to stay then hide the ball or tupperware inside or out. Walk back to him and command "Ball, find it!"

Obedience Commands
DOWN Hand signal (sweep palm down) or verbal
SIT Hand signal (fingers up) or verbal
COME
LEAVE IT
TAKE IT
OK Release from anything
STAND STILL Hand signal (palm out and down) or verbal
STAY Hand signal (stop sign)
HEEL On left side, lead with left leg
BACK While in a heel, verbal and following left leg back
TOUCH Hand down by his nose
WATCH ME Finger up by your nose

Tricks for fun
BANG Point and shoot with verbal
ROLL OVER Hand signal, oval movement with whole arm, low down
TURN Hand signal, stirring motion with whole arm
THROUGH Hand signal, directing with arm motion and verbal
ON ME Lie face down (or up), verbal command
GOPHER Verbal (standard 'begging' pose)
CRAWL From a down, offer treat in front of nose

Blarney's Last Class

Blarney was a star at his last obedience class. I'm not saying his was the best there but it would have take a panel of judges to decide. He moved through a series of stations doing sits and turns, heels and comes without missing a beat. Dangle a treat in front of his nose when he's only had half his dinner portion and he'll jump through hoops, which he literally did near the end of the session when we took the dogs into the agility training area. We were amazed how well he took the jumps. He doesn't look big enough to jump anything over a two by four but wow! Check out the picture of the tire. That's him finishing off a perfect 10 pointer.

Blarney the Traveller

We took Blarney along on another overnighter into the world of hotel rooms. This time it was Harrison Hot Springs and the Best Western Sands in English Bay, downtown Vancouver. He was delirious with happiness and excitement when we got home which must say a lot about how much he likes traveling. He's never happy being left in the car alone. He shows obvious signs of stress when the car is moving. No wonder he slept so well and so long each night or was that because he ended up in our bed about 3 am?

There were several times when he did enjoy himself. He loves to run on hard-packed sand which we found plenty of at Harrison. Maybe it's because nothing rubs against his low slung chest or it's just easier to move, but when his paws reach sand he just wants to stretch the short legs and run. His delight is palpable and makes us laugh. Snoozing is Blarney's other passion. How can we not smile?