2017 July August

Engineering Skills: William will take apart any water bottle you
put in his crate if he has to go potty and no one is there to let him
out. Sometimes he will dig, too, just for fun.
Grooming: I dremel his nails and groom him every Friday.
Morning: William wakes up by 6:00 a.m. if not earlier. The minute
he wakes up he is adamant about going outside to do his business,
races to the back door and rings the sleigh bells on the door knob.
You don’t need to bother hanging sleigh bells on his crate. He is
even more adamant about eating breakfast. He never misses a meal.
Bedtime: William says good night and takes himself to bed around
9:30 p.m. unless we are in class. He always gets a bedtime cookie
that he eats in his crate and then sleeps on the bed. He will make
do sleeping in a crate. (Sending blankies with him. Also, his teddy
bear.)
Favorite Toy: Chuckit ball (Shipped one plus a launcher to you. The
balls glow in the dark after exposure to sunshine.). Ball is squishy
and is his pacifier. A friend throws another, larger ball for him midafternoon
for about ten to fifteen minutes. I throw his Chuckit ball
once a day for about ten minutes around 5:00 p.m. Please use the
squishy plastic glowball, not the tennis ball that comes with the
launcher to save his tooth enamel.
Barking: William is not a barker. He never barks when people come
to the front door. However, he does bark at squirrels, both real and
imaginary. If he has seen a squirrel in a particular spot in the yard,
he will continue to race over to that spot and bark.
Hooves: Plays with hooves, tosses them up in the air and pounces
on them. Always has one in his crate. (Shipped four to you).
Basic Commands and Tricks (not his obedience commands):
Hit the Grass – go potty. To go outside at home, he rings sleigh
bells on the door knob.
With Me – run to me as fast as he can and he always gets a cookie
for this.
Go kennel – get into a crate (he is on my left side and I hold the
door open with my right hand).
Note: before leaving a crate, he lies down until I clip on
his leash. He then stands and I kiss him before he leaves
the crate. He is not a bolter anyway.
Twist – Facing me, he twists to his left.
Spin – Facing me, he spins to his right.
Scoochie – Moves backwards, in front of me or in heel position.
Hug – Facing me, I wiggle my right pinkie and he hugs my arm
with his right leg. Facing me, I wiggle my left pinkie and he hugs
my arm with his left leg. If he gets confused, I tap his right leg with
my right pinkie and so on. He loves to sit opposite you when you
sit and hug your arms. Hugs are very important to him.
Smile – Smile at him and he will smile back.
Let’s Go – Walk on my left side, hopefully on a loose leash (a
work in progress).
Sit High – I make a fist in front of my stomach. From a sit, he lifts
his two front legs.
High Ho – Both of my arms are extended at my sides at right angles
and he jumps up.
Phooey – Means leave it or spit it out immediately.
Belly Rub – I scratch his side, ask if he wants a belly rub and he
rolls over for a belly rub. Also, if I sit on the floor, he comes over
for a belly rub. I do this if he is too excited.
Emergency Command – E – NOUGH (low pitch of voice) – He
will drop into an immediate down.
ONLY for an emergency.
Get It – Gets his ball.
Wait – Pause a second.
Just a Minute – Means I’m leaving him in the car or crate for a bit
and am coming back.
Love Your Tail – He’ll wag his tail and smile. Talk sweetly to him
and he wags his tail. I think that his set is fine, it is a carriage issue.
When he is happy, tired or knows that he is working, he carries his
tail low, often wagging it. When he is excited, he raises his tail.
Let’s Work – At least theoretically, lower tail carriage and work.
Facial expressions are very important to him. He smiles when
you smile and he worries when you worry. He is very sensitive.
He also knows basic obedience commands like a formal come,
sit, down, heel, stay and preliminary retrieving but you won’t need
them. His command to look at me is Here, usually followed by a
cookie. My obedience mantra is “Serene, Smile and Stuff,” as in I
need to be relaxed, smile at him and reward him when appropriate.
Thank you so very much for taking such good care of my boy
and for showing him as only you guys can do! I’m thrilled that he
will be able to run and play with some of your dogs!
Elizabeth M. Jarrell of Bon Ami Australian
Shepherds has won five Maxwells from
the Dog Writers Association of America
(DWAA), including two for her “Just So”
column, one for books, one for editorial, and
one for on-line feature, plus a Certificate of
Excellence from the Cat Writers Association.
Most recently, Liz won the AKC S.T.A.R.
Puppy and Canine Good Citizen Special
Award from the DWAA 2016 Annual Writing
Competition.
AUSSIE TIMES May-June 2017 87