Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy get-back-here Wormy on another Thursday in the Fall. We love the fall. Pretty colors, leaves to roll in, fresh air, slightly cooler temperatures- and the joy of getting to watch the Warden play “find that poop.” She did the other day. It was all over the bottom of her shoe. Score!

So we decided to look up some adjectives to describe the canines in this house. When you look up Berger Picard, they are described as assertive, stubborn, intelligent, lively, energetic and mellow. Some of those seem a bit contradictory. But in retrospect, that fits the Coyote – the epitome of contradictions. Words to describe us PONs include self-confident, even tempered, intelligent, lively, agile and perceptive. Some overlap between breeds and some differences. The Warden was surprised that on this particular search we PONs weren’t also described as stubborn. I have no idea what she’s talking about.

So why did we look up the temperament descriptions? Because Martha said to. Sort of.

https://www.marthastewart.com/8326430/people-choose-dogs-based-on-own-personality-study-october-2022?utm_campaign=marthastewart&utm_medium=social&utm_source=instagram&utm_content=likeshop

So somebody did a study which said humans are like their dogs. And surprise, surprise – humans tend to pick dogs based on their own personality. It makes sense really. That’s no rocket science. Although, I’m betting that there ARE plenty of mismatches out there – for example when the couch potato person realizes the the Border Collie was not the BEST fit. In general, though, I like to THINK that people choose a dog that fits their lifestyle – and in turn, their personality. I’m not so sure about the “agile” part for the Warden. A ballerina she is not. And as far as intelligence goes- how smart can she be if she lets us run the household? Which we clearly do.

And speaking of stubborn- the Warden says I am having a full on case of the terrible twos right now . First it was my disastrous team behavior and then…I did a little walk about. And get this – the Boss joined me.

The Warden had an appointment and was letting us PONs out for a “quick pee.” 99.9% of the time we rush out, pee and race back because we know treats await our return. Except the other day. Yours truly heard the neighbors over in their garden – doing some Fall organizing. Well. I had to run over like a madman and bark at them like they were intruders. And my partner in crime followed. Yup – two raving maniacs barking at people in their own yard. Harmless of course, except they probably did suffer some temporary hearing loss. The Warden shouted for us to return. No way. So she marched over and grabbed me by my hair because I was collar-less. She told me to sit. Which of course I refused to do. I looked at her as if to say “what is this sit of which you speak?” She pushed my butt down and my immediate response was to hit the ground flat out and roll. All the while the Warden is standing and continuing to bark. After numerous attempts to get me to sit, I FINALLY actually sat in heel position. The Warden saw this as her moment to get me marching home. The Boss came into position like we were a brace team and we actually heeled for about 10 steps after which I went rogue and raced into the bushes. I raced out and ricocheted off the Warden – but come to think of it, she demonstrated a rare agile moment, and grabbed me by the ear. Ever see those moments of a parent holding a kid by the ear and marching them home. Well maybe not nowadays- but in old movies. From the Warden’s time. Anyway, that was me being marched by my ear back home. I wanted the number for Animal Control but the Boss said not to push my luck.

I’m headed for a training session this morning. The Warden said she had been letting some of my “lively (read naughty) behaviors” slide – but no more. I’m back in real life bootcamp. So SHE thinks.

Time to go for walkies before training. Let’s see what I can teach her today….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy the wild child Wormy here- after our amazing Team win on Saturday. Which I’m embarrassed to say was not with much help from yours truly. What can I say? It was an olfactory extravaganza and my pin brain completely exploded. KaBOOM. The Warden found herself apologizing to the judge after it was over – I looked like a dog who never had a single obedience lesson. The only thing that saved me was the fact that I was on leash. Yuppers. I would have been off chasing the porcupines in the fields. We could even see them! Not to mention the fact that a few dogs had “accidents” on the course ….what dog in his right mind can pass up a good whiff of pee-mail? That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

On Sunday, the Boss and I were pretty tired – and so was the Coyote after two days of solo guard duty. That’s a LOT of falling leaves to bark at all by yourself.

Meanwhile, the Warden left us and went to do one of the most fun things that she gets to do since we started writing this blog. She got to meet two long time blog readers from Ontario who were visiting Nova Scotia for the first time – Nora and David. AND she got to meet their canine kids – a perky, puppy named Poppy, and a very pretty PON girl by the name of Sofie!!! How much fun was THAT?! Perky Poopy is a love – but of course the Warden’s heart was completely stolen by Sofie. After two days of competition with us PONs – she automatically tried to get Sofie in position to do some heelwork. Sofie was a very willing participant – because the Warden just so happened to have some treats in her pocket. Sofie has never competed in Rally – but the Warden thought she had lots of potential! I better watch out – or I could be voted off the Team!

As I mentioned, having the opportunity to meet blog readers is always so much fun. Over the years, the Warden has met readers from numerous countries – and she now calls many of them close friends. Kinda wild how a crazy dog lady from Nova Scotia and the wild canine kids who own her have been so fortunate to make so many connections. We thank each and every one of you who reads about our adventures – and we hope to meet more of you! The Warden said her visit on Sunday was like spending time with old friends.

Time to get the Warden moving. Oh – guess what I’m going to THIS Saturday? A Distraction workshop. How TIMELY is THAT?! THIS is going to be VERY interesting. The Warden better double up her blood pressure medication before she goes…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Greetings blog aficionados. Frodo here to report on the performance record of Team Shaggy. Who the judge yesterday erroneously referred to as “The Fluffies.” An honest mistake.

Where to begin. I suppose with Friday. While the drive up was good – we shared travel with our lovely Borzoi friend, Chloe – who we quite like – the rest of the day was less than stellar with regard to the actual competition. How does one report on performances where the handlers actually made some errors on their own – from a Figure 4 ( that’s what happens when you only do half of a Figure 8), to another episode of the “Whirling Warden” who got so dizzy on a spiral that she didn’t know where she was. Add to that an Imp who acted as if he had never seen a Rally Ring – and well, we DID still manage to place second. Out of three Teams. We were only slightly disappointed with our loss as the winning Team was made up of Labrador Retrievers – and this WAS a Labrador Specialty. In addition, the Labrador humans actually had t-shirts made up for the occasion- while our Team (dogs included) was attired rather simply in colorful bandannas. From the Dollar Store of course. I felt we were hardly dressed for success. We graciously conceded defeat to the waggy tailed, well-dressed wonders.

After that loss, our Team strategized into the wee hours of the morning, keeping a close eye on the weather forecast for Saturday. We KNOW yours truly is not overly fond of wet conditions. I do jest about the strategizing. We had none.

Early Saturday morning we heard from Jane that the forecast was not promising. She was already in the show site area because she quite intelligently stayed in the area overnight. The Warden said we would come up and if it was dismal, we wouldn’t enter.

Well thankfully, the rains held off. The competition began with Kwik, the more junior of the Pyr Shep half of our Team, and he performed wonderfully – a 99/100. He was followed by some stray Her Highness picked on the side of the highway. The Imp acted as if he had never met her before – and tried to top his disastrous performance of the day before. True – he has never competed outdoors- but warming up before he went in the ring, he actually looked like he KNEW what he was doing. Not so much when the competition began. The judge quickly learned his name because Her Highness must have said it 52 times. Thank GOODNESS he was on a leash. I could barely watch – it was painful. Somehow, despite the train wreck, he DID manage to pass with 86/100 points. The judge must have felt sorry for him.

Next came the experienced lovely Fidjit, who had a perfect score – a 100/100. Yours truly was the last to go in and had Her Highness not directed me to the left of the FINISH sign, I would have had a perfect score. I lost one point.

We waited and watched while two other teams competed for the coveted prize. The well-dressed Labrador group from the day before did not compete. I like to think we scared them off – but I believe they had other conflicts. There was another Labrador Team, and a Team of littles – made up of Papillons, a toy Manchester Terrier and… the last one I forget. The winning team is based on the cumulative scores of all the team members.

Drum roll please. Despite the performance or lack of performance of the Imp – the brilliant scores of the other three of us put us in the First Place spot. Yes – Team Shaggy (or the Fluffies) took home the ribbons and some lovely KONG stuffed toys. Team Shaggy won.

Today there is one more day of competition, but we have chosen to rest on our laurels. Besides, no point in putting the Imp in another ring right now – he CLEARLY needs more training. Was I that wild 10 years ago? I think not. We shall blame it on the pandemic. Why not.

It was a fun but tiring two days. Last night we attempted to convince Her Highness that it was time to go to bed at 8 PM. She convinced us to stay up until 8:30. That was it for me.

In closing I’d like to thank the Academy….that is my idea of a joke. I’d like to thank my Pyr Shep colleagues and Jane for allowing me and the untrained Imp to be a part of their Team. And I DO hope that we might do it again some day. I may be almost 12.9 – but as long as I’m having fun (which I was) , I’ll keep on trying . Besides, someone in our household needs to show the Imp how it’s done!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos. It’s me. Clean Squirmy here. Yup – yours truly had a bath yesterday. And so did the Boss. Must have something to do with our “thing” today. We have to look presentable. At least that’s what the Warden said. If we don’t behave, at least we’ll look good.

And what’s our “thing”? Are ya ready for this one? The Boss and I are in a Team Rally competition with Jane and our two Pyr Shep pals – Fidjit and Kwik! We are Team Shaggy. We are going to some Labrador Retriever Dog Show about an hour from here. But clearly you don’t need to be a Labrador to enter rally. And are you sitting down? It’s OUTSIDE! I haven’t been in many trials to begin with let alone one on grass. THIS could be interesting.

The weather today looks good – but we’re entered tomorrow too- and the weather fore-guess is calling for a possibility of rain. Fine for Labradors. Not so much for shaggies. Given that the Boss walks like he is on hot coals when the lawn is even dewy, THAT could be really interesting.

We had a little practice yesterday so the humans could strategize our plan. Bottom line is that they can strategize all they want, but if we canines decide to go rogue- it’s all over. Mind you it IS on leash, so we can’t go too crazy!

I doubt CNN will be there- so you’ll have to wait to hear from me after we’re all done. Keep your fingers crossed that I make it around the course without peeing on anything! One more thing for the Warden to worry about.

Wish us luck!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Hey blogaroos! It’s me Squirmy-stop-licking-your-brother Wormy here on a wonderful Wednesday. We’ve had some lovely days lately – perfect for crunching in the leaves – and for taking the obligatory fall foliage photos. As usual, the Boss is picture perfect, I sometimes sit still, and the Coyote begrudgingly participates – because he’s on a leash and can’t get away.

We still haven’t taken the dreaded Halloween shots. The Warden will have to find some amazing treats – I’m thinking top sirloin might do the trick. I understand there could be head gear – so that always makes for great fun.

Now rumor has it that the Warden ALSO bought one FULL costume for SOMEONE. I’m hoping it’s for the neighbors’ cat. Here’s the thing- the Warden shops for all our attire at the dreaded Dollar Store – and I don’t know what the Dollar Store is like where you live – but here – every costume (thankfully) will only fit dogs that weigh like 10lbs or less. Clearly nobody here fits that description. So we’ve never been subjected to the whole full out costume thing. But the Warden was snickering when she came home the other day – and I fear that one of us will be jammed into some kind of bizarre attire. I vote for the Boss. He loves having his picture taken. This could be interesting.

And speaking of interesting…we have something REALLY cool scheduled for next weekend. I won’t tell you yet what it is – but say a prayer that the weather is good. It involves me and the Boss. And um….. two other dogs. I’ll give you a hint – think team. Stay tuned for more info later in the week.

So what’s new in the news…oh – a couple of Royal updates. First we have a word from Prince Harry.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/998741-prince-harry-says-we-all-need-a-dog-that-keeps-us-calm

Wowza. Can you IMAGINE living in a household with three crazy dogs?! Must be tough…

Then we have a word from Fergie.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11298693/Sarah-Ferguson-gives-update-corgis-inherited-late-Queen-Elizabeth.html

I’m glad to hear the Queen’s dogs are getting along so well. So Fergie and Andy have 7 dogs now. And it’s all good. Maybe Fergie needs to chat with Harry.

Well I better get the Warden up and moving. We have some work to do today….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos!!! Squirmy here on this Sunday of the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. A weekend to reflect on all the things in life to be thankful for – many of which we don’t even think about!

But first a bad news – great news story…. And really – it’s a story about thankfulness too…

Some of you who are regular readers may remember our buddy Connor, the Old English Sheepdog who was in some conformation classes with the Coyote and me many moons ago. Now the Coyote did a BIT of conformation beauty pageant showing – and he even had a group placement ( which is kinda a big deal), but his beauty pageant career didn’t go much past his first two years. He didn’t really LOVE running around a ring – and the Boss figured she wouldn’t force him to do something he wasn’t really into. I haven’t tried it yet – I still have lots of practice to do. On the other hand, our buddy Connor went on to get BIG ribbons – AND he even won a Best in Show!!! Then of course came COVID, and dog shows were cancelled – just like the rest of fun stuff. Anyway, now that the plague is…manageable… shows have started up again. And Connor was ready to strut his stuff. But sometimes life doesn’t go as planned….

Connor became ill a few weeks ago . Very ill. And literally within a week or two – he went from being a happy go lucky boy to one who was extremely sick. He was diagnosed with cancer….

Connor’s humans had to make the most horrible, but loving decision that you humans who are owned by pets – have to make. They were shattered. Completely shatttered. Connor was the perfect boy who got along with everyone- human and canine. He even tolerated his “brothers” Jerome and Leroy – two Boston Terriers. Jerome has a reputation as being particularly “spunky” – but Connor tolerated the little Napoleon very well.

As humans know, losing a treasured canine companion is devastating. Add to that- this was the first time in several decades that the house had been without an Old English. To say the mood was somber is an understatement.

But then….something happened. It was meant to be…A breeder of Old English in another province, happened to have a litter of puppies. Which included several boys…I think you can guess where this is going….

Some people lose a beloved dog and can’t face the idea of a “replacement.” Because really – one dog cannot replace another. Ever. And some people wait a long time to find a new soulmate to fill part of that hole in their hearts. In fact, some can never even think of getting another dog – because the pain of the loss is so great…

But others feel that longing for a new start. A fresh chapter. And Connor’s humans wanted that….

Within days of learning about the puppies, Connor’s peeps were on the road. And ta da – welcome to Nova Scotia – Declan!

So you KNOW the Warden HAD to go and meet him. Here she is trying to teach the little guy to sit.

She of course showed up with a pocket full of treats.

Here he is telling her how happy he is in his new home…

The Warden tried to get photos of the little guy, but a lot turned out like this.

Reportedly the little guy likes to stay on the move. BUT – get this- he doesn’t act like a shark – AND he likes to snuggle! I think his humans must have drugged him. Here he is with one of his humans looking pretty darn relaxed….

The Warden did get a few photos of him but she wants to go back to get more. Here are a couple…

He is reportedly the perfect puppy. No biting. No barking. No whining. AND Napoleon, I mean Jerome, LIKES him!!! He sounds too good to be true. I’m calling it the honeymoon phase. No dog can be that good – although the Warden said he was that good and she was pretty smitten.

Of course when she came home from her visit we gave her the complete olfactory exam. And we could tell all she had left were treat crumbs in her pocket. The nerve.

Despite our ranging jealousy, we ARE very happy and THANKFUL that Declan and his humans have found each other. Sometimes things are just meant to be. And this is one of them. We think Connor would approve….

Time to go and count our blessings. Which include every one of you reading this! Our treat jar is full, we have a roof over our heads – and there is sun in the forecast. And a new puppy chapter being written – which we get to watch and enjoy. We have much to be thankful for!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here on a fabulous Friday. Ready to roll on into the weekend.

Well we finished boot camp yesterday- and in typical “unpredictable” me fashion – I went out with a bing. Not a bang. A bing. The first three days of camp the Warden was sooooooo pleased with my behavior. I actually looked like I was obedient. And then there was yesterday. Now I wasn’t BAD – but I decided to test the Warden’s consistency with giving rewards. I wanted just to see if I did an exercise a bit “off” if she would reward me. Everyone else was doing the exercise at the same time – and I figured she wanted to keep the pace so I might be able to get away with a reduced effort. The first time I did my own freestyle heeling, she kinda let me get away with it – and big mistake- gave me a treat. So you know us PONs – we’re smart – if you can do less work and still get the reward- go for it. Problem is, she’s smarter than she looks. Second time I tried the half- effort- she said “nope- no treat this time.” We did it again. I still tried the half-effort. No treat. We tried again. I pretended I didn’t know what to do. On the fourth attempt she showed me the treat and basically said “the treat is right here. Do it and it’s yours.” I did it. Does she not understand the principles of intermittent reinforcement? If I did it correctly EVERY time – I know what happens. The treats are eventually spread out more. If you pretend you don’t understand, you’re back into basic mode – so you get more treats. I totally get it.

We had lots of fun with camp and today I get to go back to my regular class too. I missed two weeks because the Warden had the plague. But we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming. Can’t wait to see my peeps.

Meanwhile, before we go to class, I expect the Warden to pet me. Why? Because I like it. And it’s good for her. That’s what this article says:

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/10/06/health/petting-dogs-brain-study-wellness-scn/index.html

I love to be petted. So does the Coyote. The Boss? Nah. I mean he likes to be in the room where the Warden is – all the time. But he doesn’t beg for pets. A little ear scratch and he’s good to go. It’s interesting that I am capable of sending the Warden’s blood pressure into the Twilight Zone when I get the zoomies and I ricochet off her stomach- and at the same time, according to the article, I can also provide a positive boost to her brain. I’m just so helpful.

Well it’s almost time to take her for her morning walk. Look – I provide her with physical exercise too. Where would she be without me?

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here – ready to go to day 3 of boot camp. Phew! I’ve survived the first two. We did lots of fun exercises with heeling and truth be told…I like to heel. That’s because I like action stuff. Stays? Boring. Heeling? Yee haw – I’m all over it. PLUS the Warden used a secret weapon to reward me when I did a great job. Smoked Gouda. Seriously. She was searching through the fridge for something to use for treats and she figured she’d try that. BINGO. Even better than cheese strings. Even better than freeze dried liver. What can I say – I have good taste. Plus are cheese strings really cheese? Not that I’ll turn it down – but trust me – the smoked Gouda is better.

After the first day of camp, some folks said their dogs were tired out when they went home. That’s what the Warden was hoping for. Actually- praying for. Nope. I was raring to go when we got home. She said she has yet to EVER see me really, really tired. And trust me – it’s not for lack of trying! Personally, I could go to boot camp every day!

All of my obedience practice is carried out so that one day, I’ll be able to compete. I am learning what I need to do. And I’m slowly getting there. BUT – I have one BIG problem holding me back. The Warden. She gets VERY nervous when she competes. As if her life depends on us doing well. I mean I could see if there was like a million dollar prize – but hello- no such luck.

Now this article talks about what happens when humans get stressed…

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220929133350.htm

Yup. We dogs can smell stress. So. When we step in that obedience ring and we smell stress- well guess what? It only stands to reason that we either get stressed too – or try to figure out why our human is stressed. So all that practice goes haywire.

If anyone has suggestions on how to destress the Warden – besides drugs and alcohol – let me know!

OK. Gotta go get ready. She better bring the Gouda.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos. Happy Monday. It’s Squirmy here – getting my uniform ready and putting on my boots. Guess what I’m doing today? Heading to bootcamp. Yup – I’m back in the army again. Remember we did a heeling bootcamp back in the early summer? Well we’re at it again! Just hope the Warden can keep up. She was slicing up some pretty aromatic cheese last night – I wondered what was going on. And then I looked at the calendar. We’re going each morning right through Thursday. Wish me luck!

Speaking of luck – the Boss’ ran out yesterday. The Warden tricked him into the garage and the next thing he knew, he was flat on his side on the grooming torture table. Holy moly he needed a brushing. Although….the Warden has been spraying this Detangling stuff on us when we’re almost finished – and she THINKS it keeps us from getting knotted as quickly. All I know is that it took 90 minutes and 639 treats to get through his full procedure. But who’s counting.

Otherwise, not much new. It was a quiet weekend, except for the Boss’ 90 minutes of moaning.

Gotta go get my boots on. I’ll let ya know how we do!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here on a super Saturday. Things are slowly returning to normal now that the Warden is feeling better. Mind you, our “normal” may be a bit different than the average household. Our “normal” would be crazy to most people. But hey – that’s what makes us so lovable. Cough.

I sure missed class yesterday- but we’ll be back next week. I have lots of remedial work to do…

The Boss is happy again because the stuffed KONGS have returned. The only bad thing about all this return to normalcy – it’s back to grooming time. I was the first victim yesterday and I must confess, I did feel better when I was all fluffed up. Today will be the Boss’ turn. Unless he can hide.

Guess what also appeared yesterday? Pumpkins!!! So now the fun begins. Want to place a bet on who will be the first to pee on them? My money is on the Coyote. He’s the Pumpkin Peeing Champ.

According to the crazy calendar, on this day in 1888, the magazine National Geographic was published for the first time. The magazine has done loads of articles on dogs, and we’ve shared some in the past. So this time, we’ll share a video from them- all about smart dogs.

https://youtu.be/zcM6xhuoQ9g

Now the video is supposed to be for kids – but the Warden found it pretty interesting herself. The only thing that seemed really weird was the story of Donnie the Doberman. After she watched it, she looked into our yard which is scattered with an assortment of toys and bones – in all states of disarray. No special patterns visible in our yard. Clearly Donnie thinks differently than we do. He likely doesn’t attempt to bury his toys or pee on them if they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Plus stuffed toys don’t even exist in our world. I guess Donnie doesn’t have the dissection gene that we do. I’m still not so sure about that guy… See what you think.

Well, time to walk the Warden. And to check out those pumpkins!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.