Recall Preschool

A reliable recall is probably the most important thing you can teach your dog. It is also, in my opinion, one of the hardest. Ruby has gotten away from me a couple of times due to equipment failure and human error, and they've been some of the scariest moments of my life. With a reactive dog and no yard, it sometimes seems in the outer realm of unattainable. Even if I never plan for my dogs to be off-leash and our real-life training scenarios are limited, there are still steps I can take to lessen the chances of a runaway and to strengthen the recall cue.

Trick Training Week 2: Paws Up and Paw Target

Paws Up! #ruby #dogs #jrt #borderjack #tricktraining #clickertraining #positivereinforcement #smartypants

A video posted by Lara Elizabeth (@2gingerdogs) on Jan 18, 2016 at 7:43pm PST

Ruby and I are taking part in an online trick training class in order to earn her Novice Trick Title. I'm a little bit behind - Week 1 was pretty easy because she already knew most of the tricks. Week 2 has been a little more challenging. The tricks for Week 2 are:

Accountability and Inspiration with Online Dog Training

I mentioned in my Year in Review post that after talking about it for far too long I was finally going to apply for Ruby's first trick title through Do More With Your Dog. I learned about a free online class that walks you through the weekly tricks necessary to apply for each level of title, and thought it was the perfect way to achieve my goal with Ruby. January just happens to be National Train Your Dog Month, so the timing couldn't be better!

Ruby Stars in a Short Suspense Film

"She's right behind me, isn't she?" #dogsofinstagram #dogvideo #gingersisters #ruby #boca #borderjack #potcake #instafunny #instafave

A video posted by Lara Elizabeth (@2gingerdogs) on Nov 9, 2015 at 8:35pm PST

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Taking a Bow for Weruva Treats in the #TrickOrTreatDogs Giveaway Hop

The Trick or Treat Giveaway Hop is sponsored by Lionel Trains, the Art of AJ, pawTree, Dr. Harvey’s, Jones Natural Chews, Puppy Style Treats, Clear Conscience Pet, Whimzees, Loving Pets and Weruva. All content and opinions expressed are my 100% my own.

I love trick training, I love dog treats (or rather, I love giving them to my dogs) and I am so excited to be participating in the Trick or Treat Giveaway Hop brilliantly conceptualized and perfectly executed by Jessica at Beagles and Bargains and Jodi at Kol's Notes. Just look at all these amazing sponsors! 

THE TRICK: Ruby offers a play-bow all the time so it was one of the first things I put on cue (I use 'bravo' because 'bow' sounds too much like 'down'). Watch the video below to see the steps I used to teach it:

THE TREATS: Ruby and Boca are giving away an awesome prize package from Weruva - I didn't even know they made treats but The Ginger Sisters love their gourmet canned food, especially their Paw Lickin' Chicken. U.S. residents are welcome to enter to win a prize package including Paw Lickin' Chicken or Blue Water Whitefish Treats and Pumpkin Patch Up! Be sure to stop by all the other participating blogs before tomorrow - learning new tricks and entering each treat giveaway. You can go trick or treating from home in your pajamas! Every treat entry will also go toward a chance to win one of three grand prize packages, including a Peanuts Halloween Train from Lionel Trains, a custom Halloween pet portrait from The Art of AJ and a $300 treat package from all of the other sponsors!

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Ten Seconds Guaranteed to Make You Smile

A video posted by Lara Elizabeth (@2gingerdogs) on Apr 15, 2015 at 6:17pm PDT

The Ginger Sisters have been working on their synchronized tail wagging...
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Boca's Ocular Ordeal...Is Over!

I am thrilled to report that following Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV of Boca's non-healing corneal ulcer saga, things are finally getting back to normal at the Ginger Sister residence. My three-day weekend was the perfect time to fade out the cone, and while I watched her like a hawk that first day, Boca is far more interested in chewing all the things, sunbathing and napping than rubbing her eye. 

Her eye looks better every day. There is minimal watering, and she is holding it all the way open full time - something she hasn't been able to do in months. If you are curious what it looks like, the photo is here behind a cut. This was taken Friday - the edges of the graft are still sort of raised but it should continue to thin and smooth out. I think it is so incredible that the veterinary ophthalmologist attached the graft with teeny-tiny micro stitches. Can you imagine the steady hand that must take? 

I hope that chronicling my experience will be helpful to others since I could find very little personal documentation about the surgery online when I was researching. We have a re-check appointment on Thursday and after that it will probably be a month before we need to go back.

Boca has been such a trooper through everything - maintaining her goofy, optimistic spirit - but she was so obviously happy to free of the cone! She can fit in her crate (where she loves to sleep of her own accord), curl up in a ball, gnaw on antlers and most importantly, play biteyface with Ruby every morning again:

A video posted by Lara Elizabeth (@2gingerdogs) on Apr 4, 2015 at 6:55am PDT

From Street Dog to Video Star

A while back, Boca was invited to be part of a video shoot for Colorado-based company Outward Hound as they introduce their new website and re-brand (formerly Kyjen). I was asked if she would interact with puzzle toys and be able to be in a studio off-leash with the other dogs, and I thought she would do great. We both had so much fun and I couldn't wait to see the results, which went live on their website this week and are even cuter than I imagined. 


When we arrived at the studio, she met some of her co-stars and checked out the surroundings. There were lights and camera equipment as well as six to eight other dogs, their owners, video crew and Outward Hound staff. One whole corner of the room was draped with a white background, and the humans had to remove their shoes and stay out of the shots while directing the dogs, who could not be wearing collars or leashes. Boca was slightly nervous at first, and you can see her startle a little in the Paw Flapper video, but she soon relaxed and gave them some wonderful smiles and tail wags.

The dog she posed with in the Star Spinner video was also named Ruby, and was a real sweetheart, although Boca was wary of her as she often is with bigger dogs. It was that much more impressive that we were able to get them to pose so nicely together. It wasn't easy to get Boca to stay in place while I was off to the side, and it inspired me to work harder on our sit-stays and down-stays in case we ever do anything like this again. I am so proud of how well Big Sister did with all that was going on: strange people, strange dogs, new sights and sounds...from starving street dog to commercial star!

At one point, Boca removed one of the blocks from this toy and brought it over to me off-screen, which cracked everybody up. When it wasn't her turn, she sprawled out on the floor like she'd done this a million times. I loved introducing more people to these awesome island dogs. I'm delighted to have had this opportunity and I admit that I can't stop watching Boca happily crunching, frog-legging and trotting off camera to that catchy tune.

WW 7.30.14: Let Me Take You On A Magic Dog Bed Ride

This video, taken in the first few weeks after Boca's arrival, perfectly illustrates the personalities and energy levels of my two dogs.

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Trick Training Update

Ruby's aptitude for learning tricks is remarkable, and seemingly only limited by my imagination and sometimes her cautiousness (she doesn't like going into small spaces or standing on anything that wobbles, for instance). The latest thing we are working on I have cued "march," and it's like chorus-line kicks or Spanish Walk if you're of an equestrian mind, where she alternately raises her front legs up high. Ruby already shakes with both paws (I use "paw" for left and "other" for right) so it was easy to translate from a standing position (she also knows "stand'). I am combining the hand cue with lifting up my foot on the side I want her to raise (mirroring her) and hope to eventually phase out the hand cue. She seems to do better if I am moving slightly backward, so she is walking as she flings her feet out. It's pretty cute.

I have decided to apply for her Trick Dog Title through Do More With Your Dog - going through the list she already knows enough to be eligible for the Intermediate level! It will be a nice way for us to accomplish something without having to stress us both out in public, since you can perform all the tricks at home and have a witness sign off on the application.

Funnily enough, one of Ruby's natural behaviors that I've put on cue, the leg-hike, is considered an advanced trick! Ruby has always lifted her hind leg to solicit thigh scratches, and I previously called it "scratchies," but the potential for humor was too great to ignore and I have been working on changing the cue. Here is the result:

Trick Training: Relax

"Relax" was one of the first tricks I taught Ruby. Sometimes she is so easy to work with that it's hard to describe exactly how I capture things.  When I taught "roll over" and she got confused or just tired, she would stretch out flat on her side, so I just clicked/treated to reinforce that behavior and put it on cue.  I use the clicker when training a new behavior, but phase it out pretty quickly.  I will take a deep breath before I say "relax" and tilt my head to the left - she doesn't always need the verbal cue, but in this video you can see that she needed a little prompting. Since Ruby can be extremely high-energy and hyper-vigilant, and my main objectives in her training are calmness, confidence and self-control, I thought that learning to at least look relaxed could be beneficial.

Here is a good article by Dr. Sophia Yin that explains how to train this behavior step-by-step and emphasizes its value.  I used "relax" instead of "bang" or "play dead" because I don't even want to pantomime shooting my dog! I didn't notice until I took video how much her tail wags when she is doing tricks - I love that it's something we can both enjoy!