Tide Pool Condos

Last night was a fun one at Kyleigh's 3rd grade play called "Tide Pool Condos."

The play was about a real estate developer, Elizabeth [Kyleigh] who was scoping out an area, which included tide pools, on which to build condos. Poseidon and his ocean friends were concerned about losing their tide pools and commenced to try to convince Elizabeth to change her mind. With song and dance and reason, they were able to convince her to abandon the project (albeit her loss of probably millions of dollars!) and all sang and rejoiced.

* * * * * and two thumbs up!

Congratulations to all the kids in this play/musical for a job well done in providing an evening of pure fun and entertainment!

Jackson: Calm, lazy dog...

Well, not quite. But as I type this, and Jackson is sound asleep at my feet, I can't help reflect back on what a different dog he was in early February. I went back in the postings to February 14. To think that it was a chore to get him in and out of the car and to somehow try to get him to stay in the back! Now he never attempts to get into the front, and getting him into and out of the car is a breeze.

Jackson is staying with me for a few days while his owner's enjoy a little vacation in Las Vegas ("My owners went to Las Vegas and all I got was this lousy training collar!" --Jax)

We'll be going for a walk this afternoon. Fun, lazy, Sunday.

Another Romp with Jackson

We took Jackson on another romp today which I will illustrate with some satellite photos.

Photo 1 shows the general area including Loco, the drive (yellow) to the training/romp area, the area including the ravine, and the satellite track (red).

In Photo 2, the red GPS track in the ravine appears as a bunch of squiggly lines because Jackson and I walked back & forth, Jackson fetching, etc.

I mentioned in my post on April 8, that Jackson leaped in the "high, green grass." All that brown you see in the upper left is actually green now -the satellite photo was probably taken last fall.

In my post on February 26, I described a road “about 1/3-mile long.” Photo 3 shows that road which is actually 0.33 miles according to my GPS tracker. As you can see, this is an ideal area for training as there are few distractions and a safe place to let a dog run.

Jackson did very well again today. As it was wall-to-wall sunshine with a temperature of 84F, we were both pretty thirsty when we returned to Loco Ln. He wasted no time getting to his drinking fountain.

Jackson has a ROMP

Today was a pure fun day for Jackson. Knowing that he will now come when called, we felt it was safe to let him off leash for a little romp. I have included a satellite map for today’s activity. It might be hard to read, but it shows an overall track of our day (The track was made by my new Garmin wrist GPS device. After a timed outting, I connect the Garmin to my PC and am then able to upload the track to a website that can be utilized to publish such documents. Click on the photo for a larger view).

I picked up Jackson at his home and we drove to the street practice area (note his house in the lower-right portion of the photo, and the street practice and romp areas in the top center).

After heeling for just a block, we proceeded to an area in a ravine where I knew it would be safe to let Jackson free. Wow, did he ever enjoy that! He literally romped about excitedly. Occasionally I would throw a stick into the field where there is high, green grass. Jackson reminded me of a jackrabbit as he searched for it, jumping and leaping over the tall clumps. The great news is that when I whistled and called to him, he immediately high-tailed it back to me. ‘lots of praise then for him (I’d forgotten to bring treats today!).

We heeled back to the car, where Jackson sat, stayed, and waited for me to open the back door and then tell him “up.”

We returned to Loco Ln where I gave him some treats. He is now sleeping on the floor next to my chair.

It was a fun day with a GOOD DOG.

Jackson Goes to Boot Camp -Part XXVII

I was just kidding! --for those who might have skipped the comments on my 1 April post (April Fools' Day.)

Today we went back to the houseless community where we practiced basic things like stay and heel. While on-leash, he automatically assumes the heel position. We still (and probably always will) come to a full stop at each crosswalk -and Jackson automatically sits and waits each time.

We spent a little playtime in an open lot having him fetch a tennis ball. Today he was only interested in going after the ball, picking it up, dropping it almost immediately, and then commence sniffing the ground all around for those wonderful scents that only a dog can detect and enjoy. But free time is free time and we didn't insist on his completing the fetch properly.

Jackson is just hanging out with me now in my office. He hasn't left the room for over an hour and a half.

C'mon Jackson...lets go out and play!

Jackson Graduates from Boot Camp!

Jackson has completed his basic training ahead of schedule. He is now completely trained and is an exemplary canine. He obeys 100%. He is perfect in the sit, stay, down, come, and heel. He no longer chews things that are not his. One can leave food on the coffee table and he will not touch it without permission –even if left alone for long periods of time. When visitors come to the house, he sits quietly and waits for attention.

How do I know that he is completely trained and needs no further work? Please see the “comments” section for further explanation.

Good boy, Jackson!