Gunther's First Offical Rally Obedience Competition

We have been working hard getting everything together for our trip Thursday. Of course I'm going to over pack. I wouldn't be me, if I didn't. hahaha. I'm really going to over pack for Gunther. Yup, it's his first official Rally Competition. It's in Greenville, SC. We're staying in a Quality Inn and I have to make sure that Gunther is comfortable. So we are deciding what toys to take, his favorite blanket and of course his food, treats and water. Lots of pictures will be taken so I'll have lots to post when we get back Sunday.

We are also going to be there with Jay (Gunther's breeder), Barbara, Noel and Walter. It's going to be a lot of fun hanging with them at the show and watching all their dogs in the conformation rings. Great Dane people are some of the best.

T will be staying home with the rest of the family. I will miss him a lot, but before I know it, I'll be taking two Danes to the shows. That will be amazing.

Training and other stuff

Recently I have been on and off the fence about pursuing training other dogs. Though training Gunther can be a joyful handful at times, I love every minutes of it. And helping people with their dogs is an amazing feeling. So with the mentoring of a few trainer friends and TONS of reading, dvd's, etc, I'm going to start working with a few dogs. I joined the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and will be adding their logo to Gunther's blog soon. The areas that I will focus on will be Manners for all ages, Basic Obedience, Rally Obedience, Behavioral Counter-Conditioning and CGC Preparation. These will be private or semi-private lessons.

Gunther has been doing wonderful. He's 127 pounds now and is still such a big ole puppy. There are a few shows around that if things go well, Gun will start competing in Rally. In June there is a fun match not to far from us and I think that will be our start. Then in July there is a Rally match in Savannah. (Beautiful Savannah, GA. any excuse to go there is a good excuse!) So cross your fingers. One of the biggest things that has kept us from competing is just scheduling problems, but I think we will be ok on for these dates.

I'll have some new pictures of the Gum-Man coming soon!

Tall Men= A No Bark Gunther

I am happy to report that today while out Gunther had the opportunity to share his vocal conversation with several tall men while we were out having coffee. But, he didn't in fact it was like they didn't even exist. It was wonderful. It was a lot of work, in taking the time to read his body language, address the issue and keep him exposed to the what was bothering him, But, he did it. It was wonderful to go out and not worry about having to correct him in public or explain his actions.

We also went and got his weight. Big is 126 lbs. He has been going through some "stage" of growth for a few weeks now. This isn't the first time he has done this. It started about 3-4 weeks ago with getting up and wanting to run and play ALL day. He hardly slept except for nights. His appetite increased like all get out. I started feeding him 3 times a day smaller meals because he was so hungry, then things started to change. I noticed toward Tuesday of this week he was napping during the day and only wanted to play in the afternoon. His usual time, then his eating changed. He's almost not eating any meals except for breakfast. When he does this I start adjusting his meal sizes, and even today left about 1.5 cups of food in his bowl. By next week he will be back to normal. LOL. At least Gunther's normal.

Ok, I have had a few remarks and comments about my rant in my last post about dog self control. I find it interesting in the dog world just how sensitive dog owners can be. First off, I cannot apologise for what I wrote. I truly believe that no matter what kind of dog you have, helping that dog learn self control is a must. Dogs love to learn and they think it's play time. What is wrong with that? you are teaching your dog how you want him or her to behave in your home, and your dog is getting one-on-one attention, play and maybe treats. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

I mentioned that there were some exceptions, and that is because I was talking about a specific situation. When you are dealing with rescue dogs they need to learn trust, confidence and self control, but on a different level because they special circumstances. When you bring a pup home from the breeder you have nothing but time to start teaching good manners, you have a clean slate. A dog who hasn't been abandoned, who hasn't been physically abused, tormented, etc. So my thoughts were and are directed to those who purchase a puppy and then expect the pup to raise himself.

Something to think about. We all know people who's dogs have been in training, and didn't do well. This might bring some light to why. Have you ever tried to talk to someone who is out of control, their attention is everywhere except where it should be? Was the talk successful? More than likely you had to wait till they calmed down and you had their attention. Why wouldn't that same principle work for those dogs who weren't doing so well in training class? Doggie self control, it's a powerful thing.

Too Busy

I've been slack in keeping up with my blogs lately. Things are going on and changes are being made and you wouldn't believe all the decisions I am having to make, BIG ONES. But, I decided over the weekend that I was going to get back to some "me and Gun-man time". So this is the start. LOL.

My daughter and I spent Sunday in Perry, GA. at the Great Dane Club of the Mid South's Spring Specialty. We had a great time. I was the photographer and Sara helped at the trophy table. Of course Ivan was there and came in 2nd in the 6-9 month dog group. It was wonderful being at the show, seeing all the Danes and being around Great Dane people. I always have a great time at dog shows. ;-)

Now for my soap box. I hope not to offend anyone, but I have to share something with you. If you have a Great Dane or are thinking about getting a Great Dane, it should go without saying that your Dane MUST LEARN that he or she is to have manners. And who is going to teach them their manners? YOU. As scary smart as Danes are, there is no reason why a Great Dane cannot learn how you want them to behave in your home. Now there are some exceptions, but I am talking about people who get their Dane from a breeder and bring it home at 8 - 12 weeks and then just let it raise its self. Come on people. If a little dog gets board and chews something up that is one thing, but you are talking about an animal that will grow to weigh over 100 pounds. I'm not even talking about cute little tricks, I am talking about self control, manners and what you want the dog to do or not do in your home. If you have not gotten your Dane yet, please think about this before you pick up your dog. To me your dogs training and behaviour is just as important as hit vet visits and what food you feed them. It's a package deal. Don't leave one area out, you are not only causing your self frustration but you are not doing your dog any favors. Your goal should be a well rounded Great Dane and that's up to you. Ok, I've said my piece and I'll now get off my soap box.

Training the Gun-Man

Well it seems that Gunther has developed a dislike for tall men. It's not his fault, I take responsibility for it, since the day it happened I was too busy talking business with a client and couldn't stop to get away and stop the tall man that was aggressively going after Gunther. The, man, let's just call him the "idot" had been give directions from me in the past about staying clear of Gunther, just for my benefit see I don't like this guy. I didn't want him around me or Gunther. Actually in all the times they had seen each other Gunther never liked him. He is the only person Gunther has not went up to and made friends. I had warned him in the past that Gunther for some reason just wasn't going to connect with him, and to just ignore Gunther and maybe over time it would work out, but the idiot told me that was nonsense and dogs love him (well lets clarify that, all his little dogs love him). I love it when people who have never been around my dog tell me what's best for him, and that I don't know squat.

Anyway to make a long story short, we (Gunther and I) are working very hard at putting things back the way they should be. It has actually turning into something good, because I had gotten way too caught up in the ugly things going in our lives right now, and stopping to work more with Gunther and walk him has been great for my mindset and Gunther is a lot happier.

There have been several tall men that have been great in helping and offering to help with Gunther and I thank them so much. We are very close to getting the old Gun-man back who was just crazy about everyone.

This coming weekend is the Great Dane Speciality in Perry, GA. I love these. Seeing all the beautiful Danes is amazing and just being at the dog show it's self is so much fun. I won't get to stay as long as I would like but at least this year I'm going.

Once back from the Perry, Gunther and I will dive in head first into getting him totally ready for Rally competition. He needs a little work on sitting faster. Everything else I think is pretty good. We have been working on the different requirements for each level of Rally, so maybe it will go smoothly and before we know it, we'll be in Obedience competition. That would be wonderful.