Tatum - Tip Tail

Category Archives: Tatum

When Tatum Came A Year Ago

September 3, 2008 – 10:57 am

Well, it’s been a year. Can you believe it? It’s been a year since Tatum joined our home. Of course at first I didn’t think she’d stay. I was going to place her in a loving home. But I couldn’t let her go. And still, even a year later, I’m overjoyed that she is still with us and she is doing so well!

Looking at my pictures from when I went to pick them up, I see that I didn’t get any of Tatum! You can see her butt in the first picture, towards the top left, peeking out from behind my friend Marsha who came and helped me pick them all up from the airport. These pictures are from September 1, 2007.

I remember the first time I saw her.. I came home from dog camp (everyone was so awesome taking care of these collies while I was gone!) and I walked in the door and she barked at me like mad! But she settled in quickly and at home was comfortable and confident. Though when I took her out, for a few months after, her tail would tuck and she would be very afraid.

Houston Collies 3This is the Tatum I met when i got home from camp. Spunky and full of spit and vinegar.. at home at least. And now when I take her out, she’s very confident, her tail is up, and she is a spitfire! I adore that girl. I have not been working with her on agility and obedience as much as I should… as much as I want to. It’s time to start. She should be much farther along than she is. I do wish I lived down in Richfield with my friend Marie, then I’d have someone to push me and equipment to train on!

Tatum flew in on September 1, 2007, she was boarded for a couple days, then my husband picked her up. I met her on September 8, 2007, and fell in love with her.

Rate this:

3.1

Cynthia Blue [My Barks!] | Also posted in Daily Posts | Tagged Collie, Rescue, Tatum | Comments (0)

Me and Tatum

August 22, 2008 – 5:02 pm

Another picture of Tatum! I actually think I haven’t posted about Tatum in a while. She is doing so well. People who saw her last September or October, are amazed at how far she has come. And it’s almost been a year since she came to live with us. She flew in on the plane on September 1, 2007. Wow, I can’t believe it’s been almost a year.

She is the little princess brat girl now. Very confident and she loves to go new places. She’s learning the basics of obedience and agility. And some flyball too. She’s got a lot of spunk and does like to bite people on the but for attention and play!

Last night she did shut down a little bit. Not too much… a dog barked and lunged at her (my fault of course) and she almost shut down and she slipped her collar and skittered off. But not far, and it was a fairly safe place. She wanted her crate, so I went there and she followed. It was okay, and after we got home she recovered very well. Actually, she hasn’t done that in months, which is great!

She’s a good girl, and she has amazing energy! I still adore her!

Rate this:

3.1

Cynthia Blue [My Barks!] | Tagged Tatum | Comments (0)

Be An Entredog!

August 7, 2008 – 3:09 pm

My silly smooth sable collie girl, Tatum, has decided to start a new blogrolling list called Entredog. I haven’t even gotten myself on it yet! Mainly it’s for dogs who write their own blogs… so that’s not really me. But she probably won’t say no if you are a human writing a blog about your dogs.

So if you have Entrecard, and are a dog who writes a blog… or if you want to get Entrecard, or if you want to be a dog writing a blog…. (lol) then feel free to go sign up with her! She is a goof and silly and has a heart like gold and a soul like fire. And I adore her!

She got the idea from the Entrecat blogrolls she’s been seeing around… and we hope it’s okay to copy the idea!

Rate this:

3.1

Cynthia Blue [My Barks!] | Also posted in Daily Posts | Tagged Tatum | Comments (8)

Tatum on the Teeter!

June 19, 2008 – 7:47 pm

So I have been teaching Tatum some different agility obstacles. I’ve gone over to my friend and trainer’s house a bit and we got her on the teeter there, the dog walk, in the tunnel, and in the chute. I was amazed at how unafraid she was!

So tonight here at home I put her on my own teeter. It’s one I bought of ebay and I like it. Good quality PVC and we put the board on ourselves. So I had my husband take some pictures as Tatum was going over!

She’s even tipping it over on her own! For the first while I walked with her, hand on her collar, to steady her and to show her how to stay on the board. But after that she was running up it just fine. It’s not at full height yet, I’ll keep it low for some time, but I’m just amazed at how much she likes it an how unafraid she is of the movement!

She is my very smart, very brave girl. I swear, if I had gotten her as a puppy and socialized her young, she would be fearless and very sassy! She is these things at home, and hopefully she’ll be them out in the world too. She is now, for the most part, though new things and places still make her nervous.

But look at my sweet brave girl! I’m so excited to do agility with her! I need to get some cute gold bangles to put on her collar so she’s all pretty and fancy!

Rate this:

3.1

Cynthia Blue [My Barks!] | Also posted in Daily Posts | Tagged Agility, Tatum, Training | Comments (13)

Flyball Demo Today

May 31, 2008 – 7:07 pm

Today Chase, Tatum and I went and did a flyball demo with the Thunder Paws, our flyball team here in Utah. It was a lot of fun! Chase did a great job, and we even recruited someone to take some pictures while Chase was running! I usually am taking the pictures and so I don’t get any of Chase. So I’m excited to have these of Chase doing flyball.

He is such a good boy, and so very fast! We went to Strut Your Mutt.. which was okay, but my dogs don’t usually do very well there. Tatum didn’t like the loud music. She didn’t want to take treats, either. But we walked around some and when the loud music stopped she was okay and took treats. And she liked the Bearded Collie who we met who wanted to play with Tatum!

Chase only snarked at a couple of dogs that got in his face when we were walking around. Unfortunately many people don’t understand that other dogs may not be all that friendly, even when their own dogs are friendly. Chase is a good boy, though, and I usually watch him and control him pretty well. And we didn’t walk around too much. I did get lucky with him, though.. he is a good boy, the sounds didn’t bother him, and he loved the flyball and Course A Lure. He also did the little agility field they had set up, and his contacts were great! I’m glad when I can practice his contacts!

And I do like to get Tatum out as much as I can to get her socialized. Poor dear. Her tail was sucked under her a bit, but she was very brave. Oh, and I have to post about her agility obstacle training last night! She did great, I was so excited! That’s for a post of it’s own, though. Tonight I’m going to a movie with a friend, hopefully I won’t eat too much popcorn… but I do need some time without the dogs. As strange as that is! I do love them all, though!

Tomorrow, Sunday, I actually have no dog things planned. Plus, it’s a down day for me. I haven’t had a down day in like six weeks. So tomorrow is it. I’m sorry to everyone who I said no to about doing things, but I really do need to take some time for myself! I might take the border collies jogging, though. In the morning. It’s so nice outside. I love being outside. Maybe I’ll even do some yard work.. or clean the bathroom. Even though I don’t really like cleaning the house, I like having a clean house… and sometimes I just enjoy being in the house and experiencing it. And cleaning it up works for that. LOL

Rate this:

3.1

Cynthia Blue [My Barks!] | Also posted in Chase, Flyball | Tagged Chase, Flyball, Tatum | Comments (0)

Mini A-Frame and Tatum

May 28, 2008 – 11:27 am

Okay so today I only have to work 2 hours, from home, because it’s a holiday week and I get 8 of my 40 as the holiday. Woot. So I brought Tatum out back and we did some work on the little A-Frame my husband and I built a couple of years ago. Doesn’t she look cute? First I laid it on the ground flat, because it’ll do that, and got her on it with clicks and treats. She thinks walking on things is great fun and is eager to do it. Her first couple attempts were not too straight, but we will be working on that. Gotta get her lined up straight and early and two on two off right from the get to. Foundation work is so important!

After she was getting on it with confidence and gusto, I held her back on the other side of the frame and said “Ready…” and then let her go, and off she went! And she was pretty fast too, for her first time. No slowing her down! We want speed speed speed for this collie girl’s agility.

So four our foundation work, we really want speed on the A-Frame, while we have control at the same time. And a good solid 2 On 2 Off. Yeah… I’m going to do the 2o2o method, because I think it’s so very clear for the dogs to learn and adhere too. I know Tatum’s back isn’t all that flexible for her to be posed like that, but I think she’ll be okay.

We also did some jumps to the target, which was fun. And I know I know, I need to practice handling her on the flat. Having her watch my body language. And eye contact. We are working on eye contact in the mornings before work a lot. And I need to trim her goofy long nails, so now at dinner all the time I’m feeding her and handling her feet.

So much to do! I hope she’s not 10 by the time I get it all done!

Rate this:

3.1

Cynthia Blue [My Barks!] | Also posted in Agility, Daily Posts | Tagged Agility, Tatum, Training | Comments (0)

Stick a Fork in Tatum… She’s Done

May 18, 2008 – 10:07 pm

Just a quick post… it’s been a big weekend for Tatum. Yesterday we had a private lesson with our obedience instructor near a dog park. Tatum was frustrated that she couldn’t go play with the dogs. I want her to focus on me instead. And it was a new place, and she was nervous and did her nervous trot. Afterwards we came home and she slept most of the afternoon.

Today I worked with her in the back yard doing crate games, and some running to a target, and touching her collar while she sad. To put some pressure on her. She did really well. Then I took her, Chase and Levi to my parent’s house for some dinner in the back yard. The weather is so nice! I love it warm, finally! And Tatum was nervous again… but she did okay and was happy that Chase and Levi were there, and all three of them ran around and played for a while.

Then Tatum, Chase and Levi went to flyball. We just got home and it’s after 10pm here. Tatum got to try some jumps but she was nervous again… and tired. As being tired is one of her stressors. But she got some good treats from teammates and she ate them, which is a good sign.

Now we are home. She had a big couple of days, and she’s tired and grumpy. So we can stick a fork in her, because she’s done, and sleeping. It’s been a big, good weekend for her. She needs a bit of stress so she can learn to deal with it. And she will, she already has done amazingly well!

So I’m tired now, and it’s time for bed!

Rate this:

3.1

Cynthia Blue [My Barks!] | Tagged Tatum, Training | Comments (12)

Easy Weekend and Tatum Training

May 17, 2008 – 9:27 pm

Well, I’m taking it easy this weekend. I have no dog sport competitions. I wanted to have today be dog-training free, but I ended up having a private lesson with Tatum and my obedience instructor. We took her to a local dog park and walked outside the fence to start to train her to pay more attention to me, instead of other dogs. Both for comfort and for training.

She got very stressed. Enough to come home and go after Angel.. which Tatum does when she’s stressed. But Tatum needs to learn how to be pushed a little bit, and that it won’t hurt her, she won’t die. She needs to learn to deal with pressure and then come back from it quickly, and preferably, with me. Currently when she gets stressed she will recover faster, and better, with the other dogs. And I want her to trust me so that she will recover with me.

I have read a ton of dog behavior books and they have helped me tremendously to understand dogs. Though I have more to read… but I’m kinda tired of them now, and just want the practical application. So me and Tatum get to work together on this. It will be a challenge, but I’m confident we can work through it.

An example of Tatum’s stress is.. this morning after breakfast the dogs played, like they always do. And Tatum was playing with a toy and I want to encourage this. Well, Chase is a toy hog so I put all the other dogs in the kitchen and take Tatum outside and play toy with her. Tug and chase and fun stuff. She ran around, ran by me, and hit me in the arm. It didn’t hurt me at all, but I don’t know how much it hurt her. She immediately shut down. Her tail dropped a notch, she did her nervous trot, and no longer wanted to play.

In order to bring her back to her happy self, I could have brought the other dogs out. But I want her to understand that she is not going to be hurt. She doesn’t have to be afraid, and she can trust me. I think this will come. And I’m willing to work through it.

It’s like having a child who was abused, or suffered some awful thing when younger. Tatum was abused as a puppy, and did suffer some awful things. Coming from a hoarder/collector who had 50 collies running amok, she has issues we need to work through and overcome. And she is smart and spunky and has already come so far, I know she can come even further!

Anyway… after that my husband went and saw a movie, Iron Man, it was good! And now I’m relaxing. Tomorrow I’m going to my parents for a late Mother’s Day, and then flyball practice. Then Monday is hectic with agility practice, getting my nails done, taking Lucy and Levi to the vet, and then going to see a tax guy. Whew. Then Memorial day weekend I have a 3 day agility trial.

Lucy will get re-xrayed to see if she has cancer, or calcification of the lungs. Let’s hope for calcification.

So this weekend isn’t is activity free as I would like, but hey, it’s nice to not do a dog sport!

Rate this:

3.1

Cynthia Blue [My Barks!] | Also posted in Daily Posts | Tagged Lucy, Socialization, Tatum, Training | Comments (10)

Tatum’s Stressors

May 15, 2008 – 4:03 pm

Just wanted to make a bit of a list of the things that seem to stress Tatum out… hopefully with time, and work, this list will get less and less. When she is very stressed she wont take treats, and if she is semi stressed she won’t pay attention to toys. Only when she’s very comfortable and happy will she play with toys.

Stressors:

New Places - Though the more new places we go, the less nervous she is in them.
Strange Noises - The more strange noises she experiences, the better she is at excepting new ones.
Being Tired - The more tired she gets (from activity or learning) the more stressed she gets.
Being Restrained - Like many dogs, she does not like to be restrained and it frightens her.
Collar Grab - She does not like her collar grabbed or to be pulled with a collar. We are working on the collar becuase all dogs need to be collar touched once in a while. But we don’t pull her. No reason, she is small enough to guide or herd along or carry.

Signs of Stress:

Tail - A tail is such an excellent way to read a dog. I feel sorry for dogs that don’t have them… When Tatum is happy and excited, her tail is high and almost over her back. The more excited, the more erect. The more stressed and unsure she is, the lower it goes. When she is completely overwhelmed, it’s sucked under her tummy.
Treats - She won’t take treats if she is highly stressed.
Toys / Play - She will not take a toy or play if she is stressed.
Gait - When she is stressed she will not run… she will only trot or walk. If she gets away from me and is afraid, she will trot around looking for her crate.
Facial Expression - You probably have to know her pretty well, but her facial expression will change to look worried and frightened if she is stressed.

She’s fairly easy to read if you know what you are looking for… she is a doll, and cute in her pink coat don’t you think? LOL… anyway,

Rate this:

3.1

Cynthia Blue [My Barks!] | Tagged Socialization, Tatum, Training | Comments (0)

Crate Games!

May 6, 2008 – 4:28 pm

Just another agility picture from the trial. It’s a bit dark, but it’s a very cute cocker spaniel, don’t you think?

I wanted to blog a bit about Susan Garrett’s Crate Games. A friend of mine bought the DVD last weekend and I must admit, I’m impressed. She was not so impressed. But one of her dogs, a little shy (okay a lot shy) runs into her crate too much already, and she finds it annoying!

I probably can’t really get the point across in this blog post, but the idea is to get your dog to really love the crate. High levels of reinforcement inside the crate, and lots of treats for when the dog chooses to go into the crate. It can even be clicker trained, I bet. As soon as the dog is in the crate, click/treat.

So I set up Tatum last night and we started crate games. She doesn’t run much for me. She’ll bite me in the butt and play with me… but when we are outside training she doesn’t quite run with me. So I’m hoping this will speed her up and get her enthused. She is pretty speedy about getting onto her mat, so I’m hoping this will transfer to her crate too.

First step is, basically, to feed her in the crate a lot. And to open the door… wait a sec, then if she doesn’t move, feed again. High value treats. If she moves to get out, door closes, no treat. We did this and it was fun and she was really getting the idea.

Then there’s the Yer In Yer Out game. Don’t do these back to back though! I release her out of the crate (she only comes out on a release cue) and then I stand and wait and ignore her, and when she goes back into the crate she gets praise and a treat. I could even click here, but it wasn’t really necessary because she was getting it and going back into the crate.

We will be working on more complex crate games over the next few weeks. I do hope it helps her speed! Collies are not really known for speed, so we are gonna work on this.

Rate this:

3.1

Cynthia Blue [My Barks!] | Tagged Tatum, Training | Comments (3)