Training Journal- an introspective moment

I got a call from Jasmine's agent last week that she is being considered for a commercial! :)
Her role would be to jump into a pile of leaves, then to jump up as a lady threw leaves in the air.
As simple as this sounds, this is not one of Jasmine's natural behaviors because we don't have many leaves around here!!

So I had to go searching for a pile of leaves to train with! One of my friends named Petal suggested we create a really long targeting stick to teach Jaz to jump into the leaves.

So invested $1.09 and bought a 9 foot long pvc pipe, and put a tennis ball on the end of it.
Through clicker training, Jaz had learned to touch the ball with her nose to get a treat. I started it on the ground, and eventually raised up higher and higher. This was a good way to teach it, and Jaz has a good vertical jump now. And if she gets selected for the commercial, I feel confident she will be able to do this behavior (with the help of our really long stick!)

I had a moment of introspection today though- as we were practicing. I raised the tennis ball really high, and asked her to "touch it"... just like I normally did. Jaz (who is a realist)... went under the ball, circled around it, sat down and started whining! It was pretty obvious she thought that tennis ball was too high to reach. (and it was.) She wasn't even willing to try and jump to reach it. So I had to lower to ball in order to encourage her to jump up to reach it, then I raised it up, and would click & treat for the jump instead of for touching the tennis ball. So we've transitioned to that.

But it made me think about life. How sometimes we're not even willing to try for something- because it seems too hard and an impossible goal to reach. And the task is too daunting. But in reality, sometimes it's just the act of moving towards our goal which is the success. (Like in Jasmine's case... I know the ball is too high... but I just am looking to get the 'jumping' behavior.) So maybe even though we didn't succeed at our original goal (touching the tennis ball), our efforts were all that were needed. And we were successful, even though we didn't reach the goal we had pictured in our mind. Does that make sense? It makes sense in my head. But trying to put it into coherent sentences is tricky sometimes!

I guess the point of the story is that as long as you are trying, you are succeeding.

Photoshoot w/ Emmy

Yesterday, Jaz had her photoshoot in the park! Despite it being a windy day, I was happy with how the shots turned out! Here's a few of the ones we took!

"A DOG"- by Edgar A. Guest

I have an old book that I got from my grandma. It has poems written by Edgar A. Guest.

Here's one I think you'll like:

A DOG:

'Tis pity not to have a dog,
For at the long day's end
The man or boy will know the joy
Of welcome from a friend.
And whether he be rich or poor
Or much or little bring,
The dog will mark his step and bark
As if he were a king.

Though gossips whisper now and then
Of faults they plainly see,
And some may sneer, from year to year
My dog stays true to me.
He's glad to follow where I go,
And though I win or fail
His love for me he'll let me see
By wagging of his tail.

Now if I were to list the friends
Of mine in smiles and tears
Who through and through are staunch
and true
And constant down the years,
In spite of all my many faults
Which critics catalog
Deserving blame, I'd have to name
My ever-faithful dog.

'Tis pity not to have a dog,
Whatever be his breed,
For dogs possess a faithfulness
Which humans sadly need.
And whether skies be blue or gray,
Good luck or ill attend
Man's toil by day, a dog will stay
His ever-constant friend.


I just love this!! :) And it inspires me to be a better friend, to be more faithful, to be less judgmental, to not gossip about others faults, to look for the good in people, and to show my love for others. Just like your dog does. :)

Early New Year's Resolutions!

Like every other person on this planet, one of our New Year's goals is to be more active. (A.K.A. EXERCISE!) It's hard for me to go to a gym because I get bored there, and Jasmine is always sad to see me leave. And besides- what's the point of having a dog, if you can't go walk your dog? Why shouldn't she get some good exercise too! So yesterday, we went to a high school and borrowed their bleachers. We played a game of chase. Jasmine and I would start at the bottom of the bleachers. I would say, "Ready..... set.... GO!!" And we'd both start racing up the stairs. The first few times we'd be about tied... then she would stop and go sniffing down a row. And I'd win. ;) But then I learned if I kept saying "Go, Go, Go!!" she'd race me to the top! And sometimes I'd win. And sometimes she'd win. But either way, it was some good exercise for both of us. By the end, we were both panting. But I felt good about what we had accomplished. And it was way more fun that doing a stairmaster at the gym!

Christmas visits to the hospital

Usually on Fridays, Jasmine and I go to the hospital to visit the kids. But the last 2 weeks, I have been sick with that cold/ sore throat that has been going around. And I was kind of disappointed. Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year. I bought Jasmine a little Santa dress- because I knew the kids would get a kick out of it. And I really wanted to be able to cheer up the kids that had to be in the hospital during the holidays. But then I haven't been able to go.
So finally yesterday, we were able to go make our visits for the first time in December. And what a special time we had. Although volunteering makes me feel good overall, there are typically a few kids or families that we connect with that completely reinforces why we keep going back.
The first one was before we had even started. We met this little girl in the hospital lobby. She was enamored with Jasmine. She was her visiting her brother, but was feeling restless so her grandma had taken her down to the lobby. (And you can tell it was exhausting for her grandma to try and keep up with her!) So Jasmine was a fantastic distraction. The grandma sat on a bench while the little girl pet Jaz and kept her entertained. We spent quite a bit of time down there, but the grandma really needed the break... and that little girl wasn't about to give Jasmine back! ;)Jasmine is so gentle with little kids. I just love watching them interact. The second one that stood out in my mind was a girl from the 5th floor. It just reminded me how Jasmine can break down any barrier. After I got buzzed into the doors of the 5th floor, I pushed Jasmine's cart up to the nurses station to check in. They were really busy, so I had to wait. The door was open to room 501. There was a little girl who went to the edge of the bed and was looking at us. So I had Jasmine "sit pretty" and wave to her. This little girl perked up and started waving back energetically. It was kind of a game who could wave more. I kept telling Jaz to "say hi!" I thought it was just innocent fun. Then the nurses station was free, so I went forward to get the list of who I was allowed to visit. One of the nurses said, I would definitely NOT go to room 501! I said- "oh? Is she contagious?" The nurse said, "No, she was just bitten by a dog."

So that surprised me. But then I thought about it. Who could be intimidated by a furry little dog on a cart, wearing a dress, that is sitting pretty and waving at you? And hopefully that simple little interaction with Jasmine will help her to have a positive experience with a dog to counteract the negative experience that had occurred. So she's not so traumatized by it. That's my hope anyway.

As we were going down the hall, even grown-ups would crack a smile at this furry little dog being pushed around on a cart. So I felt like our visits were successful. Santa Paws had visited the hospital. ;)

Jasmine and I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. :)
Jasmine likes to remind me that it's not about the presents, it's about the love. And that's the best gift of all.

KNIX Pet-of-the-Week! =)

Last month, Jaz was chosen to be KNIX's Pet-of-the-Week! Here's a link to the winning picture:

http://www.knixcountry.com/pages/promo/california-naturals/?_show

And because of this, she won a California Natural prize pack from Bark Avenue Pet Supply...
Here's Jaz doing a new trick-- placing her paw on an object! It wasn't that hard to teach! She really liked those treats! (which is interesting- considering she normally doesn't care for biscuit treats!) But she does like these!
I was really impressed with the Bark Avenue Pet Supply store! I went in there to get the California Natural prize pack, but of course came out with a whole bunch of other stuff! They had a unique selection that you don't normally see in the other stores.

(To justify my purchases, it WAS Jasmine's birthday last Sunday!) My little puppy is 5 years old now.... (sniff, sniff) ;) Just kidding! (kind of!) It's been a wonderful 5 years, and I can't imagine my life without my favorite pup. =)

Calender Dog! :)

Back in September, I submitted a photo of Jaz to the Page-A-Day dog calendar contest. Then I never heard anything about it, so I completely forgot all about it!

BUT... I just got an email that they are going to be featuring Jasmine in their 2012 calendar!!! How fun is that?!? :) I don't even remember which photo I sent them... so I guess it will be a surprise for everyone! (It might be this one? (The email said they would be using the photo of Jasmine begging.) So.. maybe this one?

Anyway- I am way excited about this!!! :)

If anyone else wants to enter their cute dog, here's the link I used:

http://www.pageaday.com/funstuff/dogs-00home.html