What IS A Puppy To Think?

If it looks like a ball and acts like a ball, then I would have to conclude that it IS a ball! This isn't rocket science, after all.

I suspect that humans make a bigger deal over things than Aussies feel necessary. After all, when I rolled it out the open door, it rolled just fine. It was quite heavy compared to the other balls that I have, but it rolled pretty well. Am I mistaken in thinking that anything left on the kitchen floor is mine? What is that saying? "Possession is 9/10 of the law?".


So, with Camden's help, and it didn't take much, we rolled it out the kitchen door, on to the deck and down the deck stairs to the patio. It didn't deflate at all, and but bounced only marginally better than the turtle we found last week. Normally I manage to let some air out of regular balls, so I KNEW this wasn't a regular old ball!

Actually, it was quite an odd ball, this one, it smelled very sweet, but this wasn't a smell I recognized. Once we tore through the green outer covering, and got to the insides, well YUMMO! This was better than the bananas I swiped off the kitchen counter that time!

I've never had a ball with a secret sweet filling before, what a find! I was so proud of my discovery, that once I was full, I went back through the dog door and put my head in Mom's lap to thank her for bringing home such a nice treat for me! She petted me and commented on my head being wet, sniffed and commented on my "watermelon" perfume... she was only a little upset, after all, I left her some out on the patio, in case she was hungry too. And I brought her a piece of the outer bits if she wanted to play with part of it. I think she works too much. She needs to play more and work less, don't you think? (-;

Regards,

Sydra (aka Miss Mess)

Life Is Like A Game of Frisbee

As many of you know, I have two puppies in my care now, and I take this responsibility very seriously. Puppies, like most young things, go through a phase where they don't like to be told what to do, so I've developed this list of Frisbee Life Lessons, hoping they will come to see these as basic "truths" to live by.

I thought I'd share these with you, my dear readers, knowing that you will see the value in my little Frisbeeisms, perhaps much more clearly than Sydra and Camden.

1. Keep your eye on the Frisbee
2. It is much easier to pick up a Frisbee when you are NOT standing on it
3. It is hard to bark clearly with a Frisbee in one’s mouth.
4. Spinning in anticipation causes one to lose sight of a flying Frisbee
5. It’s better to have a spectacular miss than to not try to catch the Frisbee at all.
6. Some days, when you least expect it, a gust of wind will lift that Frisbee right out of your reach.
7. Therefore, the quality and style of the “chase” is much more important than the “catch”.
8. Some days, when you least expect it, a gust of wind will push that Frisbee right into your open mouth.
9. Hiding a Frisbee means no one can throw it for you.
10. It’s better to share your Frisbee and have a grand game of chase than to sit on your Frisbee and watch the other dogs play without you.
    
    

So Many Frisbees, So Little Time!

Camden's Frisbee Review

Frisbees are one of the best diversions, in my humble opinion, but there are many types and styles, so I thought I'd spend some time discussing my impressions of those I've tried and those I've loved (and not so much).

The very first Frisbee I ever caught was a Pet Smart Frisbee. This is a great introductory Frisbee for the dog that doesn't really know how she feels about playing with flying objects. BUT for those passionate about Frisbee, not all Frisbees are created equally. This basically lower grade Frisbee has some positive attributes, it comes in all sorts of fun colors (not sure I care personally but humans seem to care about such things). They are lightweight, so even smaller and younger dogs can easily carry them around. And they are not too expensive, so any human with access to a Pet Smart has no excuse for not bringing one home. Again, cost is not really an issue for me, but I am reminded that humans have different priorities.

On the down side, the PS Frisbee doesn't handle freezing temperatures very well and becomes brittle. It also makes a lousy tug toy, which we discovered because my little sister Sydra has NO talent for catching Frisbees, so she lets me do all the hard work and then tries to snatch it out of my mouth. Naturally I don't always appreciate her stealing my Frisbee and a game of tug ensues. I've discovered that wherever I might have punctured it with my teeth is right were those PS Frisbees tear and then they get tossed in the trash!

The Frisbee I like best to catch is sold at SkyHoundz.com. The Jaws Hyperflight and the Jaws Hyperflex are both great Frisbees, made of a softer material that gives when I grab it out of the air. However, the down side to these Frisbees are made to hold up to Aussie Teeth, so they are a bit heavier and more resilient than the run-of-the-mill Frisbee. But I think the extra weight makes a difference, they don't catch on an air stream as well and have less lift than their lighter counter parts. Now I'm no PHD in aero dynamics or anything but I know they have less lift in the air according to my personal experience. However, that said, my human is getting better at throwing this Frisbee, she's a slow learner sometimes and it took her a while to adapt to this design.

A decent alternative to the pricey Hyperflex Frisbee (although not as comfortable in the mouth as the Jaws) is the FD 95 Champion Frisbee that is available at Sports Authority. It gets better lift and suspension in the air than the heavier Frisbees. Mom likes it because although it's 3 times the price of the Pet Smart Frisbee, it's also one fifth the price of the ones sold at SkyHoundz, and so far it's held up as well as the more expensive designs. There are teeth marks in it after months of use, but no sharp edges, rips or tears. I have no idea why money is an issue, what else does she have to do with it but spend it on Aussies???

There are some pseudo Frisbees on the market that I'll mention BUT honestly any Aussie that is serious about Frisbee is going to know these Frisbees are really a joke. Mom misguidedly bought a canvas and rope model at Target that hardly gets sufficient lift to call it fun to chase, BUT it does make a great tug toy. It's a circle of stiff rope with a swatch of canvas covering part of it, making a disk. It's too heavy to get sufficient lift. Syd and I take it outside and leave it there (Mom, can you take a hint?) and it keeps reappearing back inside. Not sure why.

There are also some semi soft varieties that are supposed to look like flying squirrels or other fun creatures. Again, entertaining for some dogs, but a serious Frisbee dog will prefer a disc with more lift and float, that can ride wind currents and be a challenge to catch.

As far as glow in the dark Frisbees (and yes, there is an occasion to play Frisbee at night!) the Midnight Sun by Hyperflight holds it's glow the longest. There aren't that many glow in the dark Frisbees around, but I did a market test comparing the Midnight Sun with a Whammo Glow in the Dark Frisbee, and the Whammo doesn't last nearly as long as the Midnight Sun. The down side of the Midnight Sun is that it's not as resilient as the other Hyperflight Frisbees, and I punctured mine right away. Darn that Sydra for wanting to steal my toys all of the time!

If you have a Frisbee you would like for me to review, please drop me a line! I can be reached via email: Camden@DancesWithHooves.net

Welcome to the Barkside!

I just say that I've had itchy paws for some time now, wanting to get a shot at that computer. Problem is, there is so often a human sitting there, and I needed some privacy to ponder what I might say to the masses if given the chance.

So, I'm finally here! I'll start by introducing myself. My formal name is Ode to the Barkside, but my friends call me Odie. I come from conformation bloodlines, so I know all about being pretty (and acting pretty) but that doesn't take away from my other Aussie characteristics, I can still show moments of herdiness, even though I'm getting older and slowing down now.

I'm thinking of retiring from my herding career and becoming a full time writer, which is one of the inspirations for this blog. However I have decided that occasionally I may let one of the other Aussies at Barkside have a bit of computer time, if they behave themselves. I am the wisdom of this operation! The other two are both puppies, under a year old and they can be a bit on the skitzy side, that's my opinion, of course, but I live with the little monsters!

Sydra is the youngest of the two puppies but she came to live here first, after my old Aussie pal Nike died from cancer. Nike is still with us, in my opinion, old dogs never really die, we just change forms and lurk around supervising in spirit instead of in flesh. I hope everyone is clear that the primary responsibility of an Aussie is to supervise. I digress but this isn't a bad segue, Sydra is not a very good supervisor. I wonder if she's really an Aussie. She looks like an Aussie, but she doesn't always act like an Aussie. I've been trying to give her lessons in how to supervise humans but she's not very clever that way. She keeps telling me that she doesn't need to supervise, the house doesn't need more than one supervisor. Too many chefs spoil the broth and all that.

Camden is the middle Aussie by age, but only a few months older than Syd. Cam was dumped at a shelter at a mere 6 months old for "behavioral problems". Well, Cam acts like an Aussie, why would that be a problem???? What leaves me with questions as to Cam's true heritage is that she has a tail. Why would an Aussie need a tail? She wiggles her butt and wags her tail, her butt goes one way, her tail goes the other and if there is anything on the coffee table, it won't be there for long. This tail wagging thing just doesn't seem very sophisticated to me. Who needs to wear their emotions on their butt like that? I guess some dogs do. Anyway, Cam is learning a lot here, Syd has taken it as her personal responsibility to help Cam find her Inner Puppy, which apparently was misplaced at the shelter or during her beginning months as a "yard dog" whatever that is. I'm astounded to hear that some dogs live IN THE YARD. Where do they sleep??? I have nothing against the odd nap in the grass on a nice cool spring day, but let's get real, it shouldn't be a full time occupation!

At any rate, Cam is coming out of her shell. Most folks probably don't realize that Aussies can have a shell! But the softer ones, like Cam, can be deeply effected by things like living in a crowded shelter where some dogs enter and never leave. Anyway, Cam has discovered the joys of Frisbee, although she has not discovered that she should return the Frisbee to the human in order to keep the game in play. What seems obvious to me does not, apparently seem obvious to her. Syd and I understand this (is Cam really an Aussie? With that tail, I am suspect, perhaps she's really a blue merle Border Collie instead?) and have taken it upon ourselves to pick up those darn dropped Frisbees and return them. Syd is a natural when it comes to carrying things around, so this was an easy trick to teach her.

That's probably enough of the introductions for now. More to follow! I hope to get to know you all in the near future. Feel free to email me, my email address is Odie@DancesWithHooves.net.