22.......... 3 months post op

Just over 3 months and it feels like forever.

This poor Boy is even getting used to all the hands on attention!

Up until a month ago he was been visited weekly by Dawn Jones. This has now been reduced to once a month to make time for swimming at Rene Baard’s Pet Hydrotherapy Unit. Initial lessons were focused on getting him familiar with everything happening at the facility; the harness, the spa, the ramp, the pool, the attention and encouragement. These are weekly sessions and he now leaves the ramp in the pool independently, to swim to get the ball. Amazing things tennis ball. (Previously reluctant to shake himself, he now does it spontaneously without scaring himself). And he's mad about Arlene, Renee's assistant.

                                             

I thought I would be able to use my ladder to do his walking cavelettis, but its metal so that idea was a bad idea. Tried to do them at the club but not being able to play with all the familiar faces made him bounce up and down.

Back home his “other issues” are becoming easier for him to accept. Being confined for all this time he now stands still when we pass him in the passage and will even carry on eating. He spends less time hiding in the study and more time with us in the lounge. This gave me the chance to teach him to “nose touch” and to “talk”. And even though he almost never barks, Charlie is still not happy to hear him bark on command. He is allowed to play “catch” at a standstill and together with an improvement in his eye-ball co-ordination; he now also puts the ball onto the couch. He’s also allowed to tug and is becoming less threatened when I pull harder than usual.

From 10 minute “slow pace” walks, we were given the go ahead to start “trotting” for 30 second intervals within a 20 minute walk and to gradually increase this. Permission was granted to take him out on to different surfaces to get him to distribute his weight evenly on all 4 legs. So, at last, we are out and about and back to some of his old locations. He trots on command and slows down to “walk”. We are up to 4 x 2 minute trots within a 30 minute walk!

(This, unfortunately, means that for the first time ever, I have to leave Emma on her own as she just can’t keep up. Tied to whatever, she seems content enough to watch Mac and me jogging up and down for no apparent reason.

At times all the rehab, the exercises, the timing, the discipline, the isolation, feels never ending and there are days when I really wonder why I need to get out of bed - not being a fan of Winter and still being involved in dog-agility-dom, adds to my occasional misery.

But that all changes now that his surgeon confirmed at Mac’s 3 month post op check that it’s OK TO START TRAINING!!!!

Mac and Me

C’est la vie

21.......... close!

I’ve never been able to train Mac according to any instruction manual - habit has just become behaviour.

Mac knew exactly how long my arm was. He was always too nervous to come into my space and for his first 2 years with me, if I needed to do anything with him, I had to go into his. He would respond to his “let’s go” recall immediately but stop almost 2 metres away from me. I would then have to advance into his space and collect him. This was even the case getting to the start line. He would wait outside the ring and I would have to carry him to his measured distance before the first jump.

Because of the gap he was creating, treating him was difficult. He would stretch himself as much as possible and sniff suspiciously before accepting any. This made working with them as a reward too slow and therefore unproductive.  If he was under the slightest stress, he wouldn’t even look at a treat. I remember clearly how exited I was when he took a step towards me to accept a piece of chicken. I couldn’t let out a big yay; but he got his first “close”.

He loved retrieving but would drop whatever (obvious articles only) I had thrown and drop it a few feet away from me. Close started helping here, inch by inch.

Tugging was a definite no-no. If he picked up a tug toy and I grabbed the other end, the slightest pull would make him release it. Pressure on the other end obviously meant he wasn’t supposed to have it in his mouth.

Feeling the need to alter this “my space v his space” issue, I started revving him up so that he would jump up on me. To most other handlers this would have been against the ‘etiquette rules’ but it was all I could think of. The first time he jumped on my legs I think he got a bigger fright than me. Just touching me by choice was new to him. All he got from me was a yay! Good Boy! Again and again and again. It started paying off after a few weeks until a year later he was doing it to people he knew well, Lindsay, Chantal, Marlize, Annaret, Linda and Megan were his favourites and lucky for us they all understood and for the most part allowed it and praised him for it. That’s true support! Thank you girls.

This advance in his behaviour prompted me to teach him a few “dance moves”.

I started off with getting him to weave through my legs. With the aid of a tennis ball, this was an instant hit as he loved weaving and he loved tennis balls. He weaved while I walked, he weaved while I stood still, and he weaved for a warm up exercise and when I needed to relax him on the start line. I then introduced his left and right commands with the weaving and in a short while we had a little weave routine going.

“close” is something he now understands and albeit it sometimes a creep, he does come right up to me.

Now, how about we work on something even closer?  - "touch" or even “kiss” would be good!

Mac and Me

C’est la vie

20.......... on the home front

Progress on the home front was a lot slower. He appeared to be more relaxed outside when he was busy/occupied either while doing agility or playing with other dogs, but indoors ...............

A doorway was still a source of fear for him and was a problem for us as the 2 outside doors were on large hooks to enable dogs to go in and out at will without us having to get up each time they needed to go outside. He was convinced the doors were “out to get him” and would just stand there.

This presented yet another issue - Mac is the quietest dog ever! We don’t hear him on the laminated flooring and he would be standing waiting for a while before we noticed that he wanted to go outside. We just stopped getting up to open the doors and he eventually snuck though the gap. This was a huge step for him and was great to see after more than a year of living with us.

He almost never barks and gave us quite a scare when he eventually did - he was already 2 years old! He still only barks watching other dogs doing agility, or to coax another dog to play with him, but almost never in the house. What a pleasure!

He still spent all of his “home time” under my desk. I would have to call him outside to train or just to get some fresh air. I really wanted him to sit with me while I worked in the garden, but as soon as my attention was diverted, he would creep back inside again. I remember sending Lindsay a sms to let her know that Mac had ventured outside on his own accord and was lying down next to me. A beautiful moment and one that I could not acknowledge - a loud ‘‘yay!” would have sent him flying back inside.

Thanx to all the interaction he was getting with agility handlers, he was starting to warm to people visiting. He would come when called, and creep off again. He was still uncomfortable around Charlie who, unfortunately, made a comment every time Mac scuttled like a scared rabbit when they happened to pass each other in the passage;  re-in forcing unwanted behaviour?!

House training was still messy! I did try and give him the house at night, but the slightest noise would make him nervous and he would choose the lounge (carpet) to let me know. Many mornings were unpleasant. “Time out” meant back to sleep in a closed study and rewards a few nights later would be with the door open again. It was during one of these nights that Mac crept into our bedroom and lay down on the floor at the base of the bed. This was a huge step for him as our bedroom door was kept open only with a soft door stopper. He had to have actually pushed the door open to get into the room.

This is today his ultimate security space in the house. It’s the room furthest away from activity and no one really knows he’s in there. But just the fact that he let me know I am his security is more than OK.

Mac and Me

C’est la vie

19.......... jumping the ladder

The year following our first “Q”, I continued to grab every opportunity to compete.

Travelling presented a few new challenges. He already realised that being in the car meant something good was coming, so the actual road trip was never a problem. Staying in a strange house wasn’t too bad either as long as he had “his pack” (Lindsay’s dogs) with him. Most venues were acceptable, while on course, unless an aeroplane happened to fly overhead or the judge insisted on running alongside the contacts to judge them, he started notching up the clear rounds!

His on course speed was never in question and he has reached 4,93m/second to go clear in jumping.                                                                           

                                            

The World of Cats and Dogs came to Cape Town and entering was a huge risk. An indoor venue, a ring surrounded by vendors and cheering spectators, carpeting in place of grass underfoot, and my nerves competing against competitors from all over SA. No one was more gob-smacked than me when he won the Gamblers event.

(It was at this event that he ripped his crate for the second time trying to escape. It also made me realise that he wasn’t panicking to get out but was more excited to get to the agility ring. This did, however, mean that I would have to somehow, resort to getting him used to a metal crate).

He was being noticed and recognised as a dog with possibilities in the agility ring. Slim and trim, his build was commented on as being perfect for the sport and his demeanour towards people and other dogs was exemplary.

He was really enjoying the world of agility and the “social side” was attractive too. Dylan, the cute Brittany is still his favourite and is always responsive to his attentions. Rocket, another shy Border Collie gets him all gooey and Chinzi too - only the best for this blue-eyed boy! With his ears up high, with the tips actually touching (a sign of flirting in dogs for the un-informed), Mac would prance around the girls encouraging them to return his advances or to play. Watching this trim (he was 14kg) Tri-colour behave like a puppy at this age always made me teary.

He progressed relatively quickly through the ranks and by the end of 2010 he was in the top grade for 3 out of the 5 disciplines. A year later, he was in the top grades for the final two disciplines.

Mid 2011, it was 3 years since DAY #1 and had taken him only 2 years to conquer all his “on course issues” and not be distracted by “off-course issues”.

Mac and Me

C’est la vie

18.......... Kit-Kat

Yup, there’s a cat too..........

Kit-Kat was a 21^st birthday gift to Victoria. From D.A.R.G., he was 2 weeks old when he was saved from being crayfish bait and had to hand reared. Thinking this would make a good choice for a friendly pet he turned out to be anything but. He “disappears” when we have visitors; even regular family members don’t meet him every time.

Victoria got engaged to her Marine and was whisked away left to live permanently in USA at the beginning of 2009. Kit-Kat wan't invited to go with and was left with us.

He is indoors most days and out hunting during the night. We have been woken many times by initial squeaking noises followed by crunching sounds and have to dispose of the leftovers in the morning. If he catches something during the day, he makes a point of "screaming" at us to notice.

"Screaming"? Unfortunately, a big unfortunately - I taught him to “talk”.

Easy to do and impossible to undo. Every time he meowed, I meowed back.

Today he calls us to continually give him fresh kibble. The most expensive cat food on the market (of the light variety due to him subsidising his diet with fresh meat), he refuses to eat the pellets if they are crumbly.

He "screams" at us when he wants water and only from the bath tap in the boy’s bathroom. I have to admit that initially he did have us running between both bathrooms. I eventually decided enough was enough and ignored him calling us to the far bathroom ....... he got the message!

He also stands meowing at us in front of the cat flap.
Needing to go in/out, he would prefer that we open the door that the cat flap is in rather than him have to push it open to get in/out! Unfortunately, Charlie can’t stand the noise, so gives in. And I thought I ruled this house!

He was already 4 years old when Mac arrived and loved him from the start. “WOW another non-reactive Border Collie!” This, because, true to character, Emma ignored the cat too and would just bark at him if he came too close to her. Kit-Kat even looks like one a Black and White too!

Today Kit-Kat and Mac are great buddies. They play together (actually I’ve had to stop them playing while Mac is in rehab) and the "3 Border Collies" go together every night for their "pre-bed walk"..

(And now I gotta go. Kit-Kat wants water and I can't concentrate with the background noise).

Mac and Me

C’est la vie