I guess she told you

Tonight Husband came out with me to see Smoke’s improved flying disc skills. He hadn't seen Smoke do anything with a disc since we met him that first night (has it been two weeks already?). I think he was impressed to see Smoke actually catch it, despite the difficult lighting (it was dark and we have horrid lights in the yard). He was having fun tossing it for the dog but we kept having to move Payton the Wonder Whippet out of the line of fire. Usually she does her own thing out there, and, quite frankly, I thought she was having a canine dementia moment. I mean, she IS 11. Plus, she’s got a bad leg thanks to a spinal stroke (look up FCE sometime). So, you know, maybe she just didn't feel like moving out of the way.

And then she ran down Smoke’s Frisbee.

EVERYONE was stunned, including Smoke. Now, Payton didn't catch it; she's never been one to do that. But since Smoke is apparently a wee bit afraid of Payton (good call), he pulled off and let the disc drop. She forgot that one leg doesn't quite work right and I guess adrenaline kicked in because she FLEW and snagged that disc. Then she slowly walked off with her prize, because bringing stuff back is totally beneath her.

Smoke just stood there looking stupid so I went and got him another disc. Then I took the disc back from Payton, because she was just working on destroying it, and I tossed it for her a few times. She ran after it and had fun, until she didn't and then we called it a day.

Interestingly enough, Smoke wouldn't go after any disc that neared the part of the yard where Payton and I were playing. I don't know how she inspires this sort of respect from male dogs but I wish she could loan some of it to me!

I don't know what all the fuss is about. 

TUNNEL!

After the kids were in bed tonight, I took the dogs outside to wear off a little steam (theirs AND mine!). I wanted to work Smoke over some jumps and whatnot but I knew I couldn't use food as a reward because the other dogs would be all over that. So I thought I'd reward him by throwing his beloved soccer ball #2 (#1 is all crumbly and pathetic. Sadly, after tonight, #2 is rapidly deflating. On to #3...).

The first thing I learned is that Smoke can't really think when I'm holding his soccer ball. As smart as he is, it all goes out the window in the presence of SOCCER BALL! While I was trying to get him to take the tire, to no avail, Spark the Papillon came over and did it. I was really proud of him for that bit of initiative and intelligence. There's not just one smart black and white dog in this house.

I couldn't get Smoke to sort out the tire with the ball as a reward so I put the tire away before that ended badly. Two inch high jumps seemed much more up his alley. I was able to get him to jump, turn left, and jump again before I threw the ball. I thought that was pretty good for a baby dog. Then I remembered that I had yet to get out my new short tunnel that I got from the lovely Andrea Davis a few months back.

I taped up a few jagged places and stretched the tunnel out in the yard. I thought maybe I could send Smoke through the tunnel and start teaching him left and right by lobbing his soccer ball in the correct direction.

This premise was based on one very big flaw. It assumed that I had the ability to throw the ball exactly where I wanted it. Which I do not. At all. Plus, there was the part where Smoke had to learn how to turn away from me (and SOCCER BALL!) and run through the tunnel. Once again, Spark had to demonstrate how to do the tunnel. Then Smoke worked it out and it was GAME ON. While we did practice a few sends and one or two "rights," Smoke also practiced lots of "ON MY GOSH THIS TUNNEL IS THE BEST THING EVERs". At first he seemed to think he only could enter it from one end, resulting in lots of circles. Then he figured out that both ends could be entrances and had lots of fun. Here's a picture of him having a blast:

Yes, as you can see, this is mostly a photo of my new tunnel and a tiny bit of Smoke's tail. He's faster than my phone camera. 

We're having fun!

Now that I have a herding dog....

Smoke the Border Collie was herding Spark the Papillon today. Spark enjoyed it about as much as you might think he would. When my husband came home from an errand, we had this conversation. Keep in mind that we live in the suburbs of Tampa.

Me: Smoke was herding Spark a bunch today.

Husband: Oh?

Me: Yeah. I think we need to get something for him to herd. Ducks, maybe? 

Husband:

Me: Ooo! Goats! They'll eat all these weeds and stuff out of the yard, too!

Husband: *$&!%. 

Me: What?

We technically live outside the city lines. I totally bet we could legally own some pygmy goats.

Goats? BRING 'EM ON!

A PSA from your local fern protection association

This is Smoke, my first Border Collie:

These are my ferns:

These are my ferns on Smoke:

Any questions?

Smoke, the world's best fern smasher.