Today our training center DogSmart hosted their annual summer games day. Miles and I went last year for the first time when he was almost a year old. The afternoon events are divided into three groups based on age. The place is filled with dogs and their people who all socialize, munch on hot dogs, and cool off with icy beverages on the sidelines before and after their games. Going to the event is great practice at being with Miles around tons of dogs, people, smells and excitement. While he dearly loves the event, I do get the sense that he’d be even happier if the entire thing was a tad bit less structured, and of course, entirely off-leash. I can only imagine what chaos he dreams of.
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| { Miles was very slow in the bobbing for hot dogs competition } |
In our age group there were three different games sections: outdoor chair and mat games, timed games, and a rally-o practice course. To my great surprise, we won first place in the timed games section. It was a “prisoner” game. The blindfolded handler is sitting on a chair, which their ankle is chained and locked to. Their dog is on the other side of the area, being held by the trainer. The key to the lock is slipped over the dog’s neck. There are toys scattered all over. When the trainer lets the dog go, the timer starts, and the handler must to ask their dog to come. Once the dog comes to the blindfolded handler, the handler must gently take off the key off their neck (without pulling), and while loosely holding the leash, unlock themselves. Miles ran to me right away when I called him. He licked my face and stood still next to me while I unlocked myself. He didn’t even touch the stinky liver brownie I had for him until my blindfold was off, and he had decided I was okay. Even more surprisingly, the border collies, which of course excelled at all of the other games, had a difficult time with this particular one. The second their handler was blindfolded, they ignored them and focused on the toys. Only when they got bored with the toys did they go to help their people. It is interesting the way different types of dogs react to different situations. Miles may be a nutcase, but at least I know he can rescue me in 17 seconds!
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| { The prisoner game… “Save me!” } |
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| { “Here I am to rescue you!” } |
