Happy Anniversary Olive!

It was March 25, 2015, that my friends Nanne and Laurie came to stay for the night on their way to a wool festival and brought with them a 3½ year old female border collie named Olive. I was asked to “foster” Olive for one month or so. Well, a year later Olive is an integral part of my life.

During an unusually mild winter we settled into a routine. She gets me up each morning just about the time my alarm goes off. It’s uncanny how she seems to be able to tell time. She hops on the bed and demands a belly rub; in exchange I get a Border collie kiss. I get up, toss her ball, get dressed, straighten out the bed, and take her for a short walk. We get home, I give her breakfast and fresh water, then make my own breakfast and coffee. I finish cleaning up, give her a brushing, and head downstairs to practice fiddle in my finished basement. She naps in the living room above my practice area. We then take another walk, I try to get a few things accomplished, some more fiddle practice, then take her for her late morning walk, then we have lunch—a sandwich and apple for me, a dental stick for her. Another walk and some playtime out back tossing the foam rubber saucer, then some more fiddle practice. I try to get a few more things done, another walk, more fiddle practice, take Olive for her late afternoon walk, get her supper and fresh water, and fix my own supper. After cleaning up I take her for her 7:00 walk. Brush my teeth, watch some TV, and take her for her 9:00 walk, shower, and then turn in after she pesters me to toss her ball. Lately she seems to understand that she should go to her own bed when I say “good dog, but it’s time to turn in”. That’s currently our typical day.

In short, a townhouse style condominium has been transformed into a home. She tracks in leaves and grass, there is dog hair everywhere, she barks at odd times, sometimes in the middle of the night for no discernable reason, and I wouldn’t want anything any other way.

Taking on a dog was a huge commitment. I have no regrets. Happy anniversary, Olive.

Dog Lovers' Lane

One Holiday gift Olive and I were given was a jigsaw puzzle of a fanciful picture called “Dog Lovers’ Lane. I hadn’t done a jigsaw puzzle in quite some time, and soon remembered why I don’t do them all that much: they are addicting! I started this one after Olive’s mid-morning walk, figuring to only get it started. The next thing I knew it was time for Olive’s late morning walk (around 11:00). I went straight back to the puzzle after that walk, and the next thing I knew it was past time for the 1:00 walk and I hadn’t even had lunch yet. No wonder I was hungry. At this point I was about ⅔ finished with the puzzle. After a walk and a quick lunch I was as focused on the puzzle as Olive is on squirrels. She must have been wondering why I wasn’t paying attention to her. I got the puzzle finished in time for her late afternoon walk.

Several things caught my eye about this puzzle. All of the businesses are dog-themed. The fountain and garden are dog-themed. Everyone in the picture is walking, sitting with, or playing with a dog. Even the balloons overhead are in the shape of dogs. The reason this puzzle was given to me is that there are three border collies in the picture. Two are at the bottom edge near the fountain. Can you spot the third? Answer below—no peeking!

 

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Last night was the final night for “Family Dog 2”. Oddly, only three of the six dogs in the class showed up. I have no idea why, as it was a fun class.

This last class was an introduction to agility training. One obstacle was a ramp to a slightly raised platform (about 15 inches off the floor). At first Olive didn’t quite know what to make of the ramp; after a few tries she got the idea and was an old hand at it, trotting right up the ramp onto the platform, jumping off the platform then turning around and jumping back on, then trotting back down the ramp proud as a peacock. Another obstacle was going through a long tunnel. Olive did well there also, though she was more interested in the treats than the tunnel.

The last activity was to demonstrate one trick the dog had learned. I couldn’t seem to get olive to do a simple 360° loop around as I was walking her in the previous class. We worked on it during the week though she didn’t seem to be getting it. Sunday morning I tried it again and she seemed to be getting the idea. At class she did it flawlessly.

I want to continue with training at “Tails U Win”, though I haven’t decided yet which class we will take next. Perhaps a cross-training class that exposes the dog to various activities, including agility training and free-style showing. Come Spring I still have plans for bringing her to a facility called "Nutmeg Farms" near me in East Hampton CT for an introductory herding course.

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Ok, in addition to the two border collies at the bottom of the “Dog Lovers’ Lane” picture, look at the balloon directly above “Scotty’s Book Shop”. In the basket is a border collie. I would probably not bring Olive onto a balloon like that, but this is a fanciful drawing. There is also a dog in front of the book shop (being walked by a woman wearing red and black) that has similar coloring to a border collie, but the ears are definitely not the type of ears that a border collie has. Perhaps that one is a cross-breed?

Like Father like daughter

I always knew that Olive was named after her father, Oliver, because she resembled him when she was born. A few days ago I received a photo of Oliver from Nanne, Olive’s breeder. The resemblance is uncanny. See if you can figure out which photo is of Olive, which is of Oliver. No cheating by looking below!

 

 

 

 

 

OK, the photo on the right is Olive, the one on the left is her pop. Uncanny, isn’t it?

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We in Connecticut have been lucky so far this winter in that there has been no significant snowstorm as of yet. That allows me to play with Olive in the back and let her burn off all that puppy energy. It’s no wonder that Olive seems at home there. Looking up and down parallel to the expressway that borders the field, it resembles a meadow. The only thing missing is the sheep! Instead of sheep, Olive has made do with chasing and catching the foam rubber saucer when I toss it, fixating on squirrels, and chasing geese into the pond. When we play with the saucer she is usually obedient when I order her into the house, but she is never really ready to quit. I believe that she would stay out there chasing the saucer all day if she could.

Unfortunately that may be coming to an end for this winter soon. Snow is predicted for this weekend from Maryland to Boston. If snow accumulation is significant, we won’t be able to play out back. I have a few dog games and puzzles that we got for the Holidays that I am saving in the hope that they will keep her amused and occupied enough that boredom will not set in. I should be able to take her for walks around the complex, though I am not looking forward to trudging through knee-deep snow. Nonetheless, I do know that snow is coming whether it happens this weekend or later.

That is not to say that I would want to see a snowless winter. Being and engineer I know from my basic water resources classes back in engineering school that it is snowmelt, not rain, that keeps the water table up and wells replenished. Rain mostly runs off into streams and rivers and out to sea, where snow has time to seep into the ground as it slowly melts. So snow is necessary and healthy. Unfortunately that is sometimes hard to bear in mind in February.

 

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Only two more classes to go for the “Family Dog 2” class. Last Sunday we worked on taking our dogs around a course with no obstacles, but there were stops along the way where we were supposed to do various things with our dogs like have them sit, stay while we walked around them, then continue on. I got slightly frustrated at one point and kept repeating commands, perhaps with a bit of irritation in my voice. The instructor came to my aid, reminding me that simply repeating commands teaches the dog to ignore them. Leading the dog through the actions, whether she understands the verbal command or not, then clicking and treating when she does what we want, is the way to do it. It may take a number of tries even for a smart dog like Olive, but it works.

This morning while out with Olive we happened upon a neighbor with her labradoodle puppy. She told me that she had taken her dog to check out a dog training program in town that is not part of “Tails U Win” where Olive and I are going. She tells me that at this program the people are told to punish their dogs when the dog does not do what they want; that choke collars are used to pull and prod the dog to do whatever is desired. That made me shudder. I told her that seems to be the opposite of what we are told at “Tails U Win”, that I am very impressed with their program and seem to be having success with it. The neighbor indicated that she will likely take her dog to “Tails U Win” as well. It made me glad that I found a training program that fits in with my own philosophy. I could never hit Olive or use something like a choke collar. I want a happy dog, and believe that I have one.

Happy New Year, Olive

Olive and the Tree

Olive and I had a good Holiday season. I do believe that Olive got more presents than I did! It was our first Holiday season together. Every year I take an “official portrait” of my decorated tree; this year I included Olive in it.

Among the presents for Olive and/or border collie themed were a jigsaw puzzle that clearly show three border collies (I hope to get it assembled soon so that I can post a photo of the completed puzzle), a toy dog that resembles a border collie, a set of tennis balls, a nylon peanut butter flavored bone for Olive to chew on (she loves it), and several dog “puzzles” that mostly involve the dog figuring out how to get the food placed inside.

Olive under the table at Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was at my house. Olive was of course there for the celebration since it's her house after all. For Christmas Day Olive joined the family for dinner before I left her with my sister to drive down to Norwalk to visit my aunt and uncle.

For New Year’s Eve I ended up having Olive staying at Candlewick Kennels, where she frequently goes for day care. That meant I could not pick her up until January 2 as the office was closed on New Year’s Day. I celebrated the New Year at the Ashokan music/art/nature center, got some sleep at a hotel in Kingston, left the next morning for a vegetable omelet and coffee as is my usual habit at a diner on the way home, then spent part of the day at an antique show in Glastonbury. I ended up buying a set of crystal decanters with a silver plated rack for my dining room. Later in the afternoon I met some family members for dinner at a restaurant, and finished the day at a delightful party attended by a number of friends who are part of the local opera community. Fantastic food, even better music!

I picked up Olive the next morning as soon as Candlewick opened. She seemed no worse for the wear. We got our holiday decorations boxed and put away, and began settling in for the winter.

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At obedience class last Sunday one activity involved polite walking around a dog’s food dish intended as a distraction for the dogs. At first Olive performed magnificently. For round one the dish was empty. Olive didn’t even seem to notice it. For round two, a small amount of dry food was put in the bowl. Again Olive ignored it, paying full attention to my direction. For round three, some cooked chicken was put in the bowl. Olive smelled it, but behaved perfectly. Then came round four……….when I saw what the distraction was to be, I wanted to cry foul! BORDER COLLIES CANNOT RESIST TENNIS BALLS!!!!

Olive made a beeline toward the tennis ball. I pulled her away but she was obsessed with it. The instructors seemed amused. When they declared that activity over, Olive was not about to quit. I took the ball and hid it under a box. No use—Olive wanted that tennis ball. Finally one of the instructors took pity on me and took the tennis ball away.  After several minutes Olive finally decided that the tennis ball was gone and settled back to class business.

 Now, I don’t think that was very fair of the instructors; do you?

Merry Christmas from Olive and George

Despite Olive’s commentary in the last posting, she has been just wonderful with my tree. It doesn’t seem to bother her that it is in my living room, nor does the smaller artificial tree in my dining room window seem to bother her. If she has even noticed the existence of the ornaments, she makes no attempt to get at them. I had been apprehensive about how she would react to having trees and other decorations in the house, but needn’t have worried.

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As I have posted before, Olive and I are taking “Family Dog II” obedience class. Last the instructor had us do something new. We humans have been working on having our dogs come to us when we call. Last night the instructor put a number of obstacles and distractions between the dogs and their humans. A mechanical rabbit that jumped around, for example. Another was a mechanical toy of three cats singing “Jolly Old St. Nicholas”. Various other toys were scattered around. When it was Olive’s turn she began running straight to me when I called her, at first ignoring all of the distractions. Well, as she got near me she suddenly noticed a toy, stopped to pick it up. She started running toward me again, then stopped and ran back a short way as if to say “look what I found—let’s play!” I must be getting used to Olive doing such things in class, as I was amused and started laughing. She finally did come to me, with the toy of course. I think that the instructor and the rest of the class were amused as well. I took the toy from her and replaced it in the “obstacle course” before the next dog had his turn.

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As this is our last posting before Christmas, Olive and I thought we would pass to you as a sort of a Christmas gift one of my favorite Christmas cartoons (from the 1930s) via You Tube. An eccentric inventor (who some might recognize as Betty Boop’s grandfather) saves Christmas for a group of neglected children at a badly run orphanage. I like the way that the cartoon morphs at the end into a pitch for Christmas Seals, which I am guessing would have been for sale in the theater lobby. Enjoy!

Christmas Comes but Once a Year

 

Have a great Holiday!

Olive's view of the Holiday Season

This is Olive writing. I’ve taken over the keyboard for this posting.

My human has gone nuttier than the squirrels. Last Saturday he came in with a tree—a tree no less—and planted it in the living room! Now that would be crazy enough, but he lectured me about staying away from it, then put all these little light bulbs on it. Now just what good is that supposed to do? He then throws all these shiny things on it. It takes up a full corner of the room! At least he didn’t put it over my napping spot.

The Saturday before last he left me and spent the day at some place he calls “the mall”. He came back with a pile of boxes, none smelling like anything good to eat. You would think he would at least open them to see if there is anything useful? No, he spends most of Sunday wrapping them with colored paper. All those things are now underneath that weird tree!

Some of the family came by, and I though “thank heavens, they’re going to do an intervention”. No, they all oooh and ahhhh over the tree in the corner and sing songs about “decking the halls” (whatever that is) and “God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay” (what the heck does that mean?).

I hope that this is only a phase that humans go through now and then, and things will be back to normal soon. At least I am still being fed, my bed upstairs is unaffected, and I am still getting my walks to sniff at trees outside where they belong, study squirrels, and chase geese back into the pond. The human also plays saucer with me in the back when I remind him to. I’m grateful that the human didn’t try to bring a pond or squirrels into the living room!

Signing off now. Yes, this is a short post but you try using a keyboard with paws and no thumbs. Thank heavens for auto correct.

--Olive

Olive Graduates/Happy Thanksgiving Olive

Sunday, November 22, was the last class for “Family Dog 1”, the introductory class at “Tails U Win” training center. Yes, there was a graduation ceremony of sorts.

The last class was a bit different from the previous six. We began with a contest of sorts where we humans were to call our dogs from the far end of the room. The first dog to make it to his/her human and sit down won. When I called Olive she made a beeline for me at top speed. I had a large dog biscuit in my hand and figured we had this race wrapped up. Guess again. She got to me, grabbed the biscuit, and refused to stay or sit. Just about every other dog was sitting while Olive was still dancing around with her biscuit. Oh, well, I couldn’t be mad at her but how embarrassing!

After a bit of time practicing some of the commands and behaviors we had been working on, the staff brought out something new. It was a long wide flexible tube that the dogs were to run through to their humans. The tube could be lengthened and shortened like an accordion. About this time my sister and brother-in-law came by to see Olive “graduate”. That distracted Olive, of course, not that I wasn’t happy to have them around. The first pass through the tube (or tunnel) was with the tube at its shortest to get the dogs used to going through. Olive was a bit hesitant, but when she realized that I was at the other end calling to her she went through. The tube was lengthened to about half its full length and the exercise repeated. Finally the tube was stretched to its full length. All of the dogs did well except for a shy greyhound that just didn’t want to go through. I was glad that Olive came through and seemed to think it was fun!

The last part of the class called upon the humans to demonstrate a trick we had been practicing. I had been trying to concentrate on the useful basic commands like “sit”, “stay”, and “come” rather than cute tricks like “roll over” or “shake hands”, so I was a bit unsure as to what we could do, but I decided to demonstrate “with me” (what some would call “heel”), something I have been emphasizing with Olive and she seemed to be catching on to. Well, there was a lot of noise and distraction in that room; not a bad thing in itself but at this point Olive was not fully concentrating on me. It took a few tries, but she finally did a passable “with me”. How embarrassing!

As in the photo below, Olive did get her diploma. We begin “Family Dog 2” on December 6.

(That was a plastic bag emptied of treats that I have in my right hand.)

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Thanksgiving this year was a small affair compared to previous years. Olive joined us and met my uncle and aunt from Virginia. After dinner I drove down to Norwalk, CT where an aunt lives but left Olive with my sister. I was told that Olive behaved herself reasonably well. A friend of my sister’s came by with her 2½ year old daughter who gave Olive a good run. Olive was exhausted by the time my sister took her back home to my house.

In Norwalk my cousin Nancy is fostering a large male rescued Rottweiler named “Trey”. I was told that Trey is not friendly to other dogs, so I decided to leave Olive with my sister. Well, Trey took to me right away, putting his head on my lap and seemed reluctant to leave me. Perhaps he smelled Olive and decided that I was a dog person? Nancy told me that Trey will not be with her very long as someone in Texas wants to adopt him. If Olive smelled Trey on me, she didn’t indicate that she thought anything amiss when I got home.