It had been a long time since the toilet paper bandit had struck in our house, due in large part to our OCD about keeping the doors to all the bathrooms shut all the time. But today, while I was at the workshop at Sheila’s house, toilet paper disaster struck! As you will see in this 67 second video, the culprit – also know as “Orso THE TERROR Cane Corso” – tried very hard to look innocent and pin the deed on his brother and sister. Unfortunately, several things were working against him – can you pick out the most obvious piece of evidence? Also, Luna had no problem handing him up and Mouse wanted nothing to do with the whole situation!!! Enjoy!
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Sheila should be given an honorary degree in education! This woman can teach! Today, Sheila Lieberman from Loving Obedience Dog Training in Miami once again hosted a group of eager students – I was one of them – in her home for a few hours while she taught us in elaborate and animated detail about canine structure & movement. Sheila’s a German Shepherd person, so her lecture was primarily geared toward the GSD anatomy and breed standard. Since my boy is a Cane Corso, I followed her lecture and referred to my own breed standard, which she had kindly pulled up on her laptop for me. Sheila also used her graceful GSDs to demonstrate proper movement & gait. It was fascinating to see the interaction between her and her dogs and how she has such a great relationship with them, especially Sissy, who is an absolute doll of a pooch. Sheila recommended a book that we should all buy, Dogsteps: A New Look by Rachel Page Elliot, because of the thorough and illustrative manner in which it teaches the reader about canine anatomy and movement. See below: We were all there for about 3 hours and I know that I left having learned a substantial amount of knowledge that will definitely help me in the show ring. Thanks, Sheila!
While we were having drinks and dinner at Lulu’s in the Grove tonight, we ran into a couple – Julio & Heather – who we had met the week before. They are fellow dog lovers, so we had hit it off with them last week, AND they have a Jeep – very cool! As always, we had Orso with us tonight. This time, they had their dogs with them too. Orso was so excited to make new friends! They have a gorgeous 1 year old female Rhodesian Ridgeback who is HUGE, her name is Maya. They also have a young male herding dog they recently rescued whose name I cannot remember – sorry – but he was very playful and got along with Orso incredibly well. Below are a few pictures I took with my Blackberry. The quality is terrible, but you can tell the crazy puppy play date that ensued in the middle of the sidewalk! Thanks to the folks at Lulu’s for being so patient with us!
Tonight was the inaugural public lecture series for the South Florida Veterinary Foundation. The speakers were excellent and the topics were very relevant to issues that pet owners face on a daily basis. Dr. David Lurie, a veterinary oncologist, presented on the incidence of cancer in pets and the predisposition of certain breeds to develop cancer. Dr. Millie Rosales, a veterinary dermatologist, presented on common allergies and skin conditions that pets face. Both topics were presented eloquently and interestingly. Dee Hoult and Dr. Pane also spoke very well! Overall, the event was a success and I look forward to more of these. The next one is scheduled for Thursday, January 27th. Thank you, Dr. Pane & Dee, for inviting me!
Since Orso & I loved working with Dee from Applause Your Paws so much, we signed up for her “Intermediate Obedience: Rally” class. It runs for 5 weeks and is held at the University of Miami campus. This evening was our first class and we were happy to see a familiar face – Brinkley from our puppy class was also taking this class with us. Orso was very excited to see his pal! We showed up to class early, as usual, and took advantage to show Dee some “issues” we have been experiencing with Orso. Orso has an incredible prey drive – and I would not change this for the world – HOWEVER, his desire to chase leaves and anything that blows in the wind on a whim can be pretty obnoxious sometimes. We have him already on a training choke collar but don’t want to be constantly correcting him with it, or worse, choking him out, so we asked Dee to spend a few minutes with him before class. He did everything with her that we have been dealing with, so she got to experience it firsthand.
After observing Orso’s behavior and realizing that traditional corrections will not necessarily work on him, Dee whipped out a gentle leader from her truck and put it on him. Wow, Orso was not happy with this head contraption, but it was working! We spent most of class with it on him and we noticed a substantial change in the intensity of correction we needed to give when Orso would try to run off after a leaf. I will definitely be purchasing one of these for Orso… As for what we did in class, it was pretty cool. Below is Dee’s description of the class from her website: “For dogs with a solid obedience foundation. Dogs must have completed beginner’s obedience to be enrolled in this class. With an emphasis on heel work and off leash reliability, this course continues to strengthen the foundations of obedience through APDT Rally, an increasingly popular dog sport where dog and handler teams navigate a course with numbered signs indicating different exercises to perform such as Sit-‐Down-‐Sit, Straight Figure 8, Send Over Jump, Recall Over Jump. Teams navigate the course at a brisk, continuous performance Handlers are encouraged to talk to their dogs during performance.” Today we worked on heel, turns & stay. We switched off toward the end of the class so I could work with him too and I chose to remove the gentle leader and work with him off-leash. Orso did pretty well throughout the whole class, but his stay needs work and he loves to swing his butt out when we stop at heel. Lots of homework for us! Below are some cute photos from the night. Pronounced KAH-neh-KOR-soh. One more time!!! Not like cane as in candy cane, but ca-ne!!!!!!!
Anyone who has been following this blog knows that I struggle with a lot of ignorance about Orso’s breed, the Cane Corso. In fact, people would rather state with conviction that they know the breed and blurt out some random piece of misinformation instead of humbly admitting they have never heard of the breed. It gets frustrating because we are constantly having to clear up misconceptions about the Cane Corso breed. Aside from that, many people play this guessing game called “what kind of dog is that” and again will not just come out and ask us. That also is a bit frustrating. So, let’s keep in mind that Orso goes just about EVERYWHERE with us. Tonight was no different. I loaded Orso into the Jeep with every intention to head over to Merrick Park for the Coral Gables Art Stroll that takes place the first Friday of every month. Our plans were to end up at Yardhouse and enjoy a peaceful night with each other and our favorite Corso. No such luck. We found out that a friend was in South Miami, so we headed there instead. Orso and us met up with her at Town Kitchen & Bar in South Miami for drinks and dinner. As I have posted before, South Miami is a tough situation when it comes to dogs. Although all of the outdoor dining is pet-friendly, with the exception of Ra Sushi that only allows you to sit at one table if you are with dogs, South Miami struggles with the notion that people actually do go places with their dogs. They have a lot to learn from Coconut Grove in this respect. Don’t get me wrong, the folks at Town were great, but it’s the people dining there that need to get with the program. For the greater part of the night, we dealt with a table behind us that was overrun by morons. The minute we sat down, this slightly inebriated woman, girl, ditz, whatever you want to call her, immediately stated with conviction that he was a pit bull and that those dogs are illegal in this county. Not being very tolerant of ignorance, I turn around and correct her – “No, he is NOT a pit bull.” The little under-the-breath comments continue throughout the night until the very end of their dinner. I shifted in my seat and basically made inadvertent eye contact with the “dog prodigy” sitting behind me. She begins to talk to me about Orso and how cuddly he is – woah, I thought you were SURE he was a pit 30 minutes ago! Then she asks me if he is a Presa Canario. I give her a simple, “no, he is not.” She then keeps rattling off breeds until I tell her that he’s a Cane Corso, at which time she lets me know that she knows ALL about the breed and LOVES the breed, but that it is so unfortunate that her neighbor had one that ripped an infant’s head off. WHAT??!!!!???!! Are you KIDDING me!!!!???? Sadly, my intolerance for absolute and complete idiocy gets the best of me and almost rip her head off. In honor of the drunk ditz that annoyed me throughout the night and every other potential idiot out there who will say things out of ignorance, I have decided to order several of the tee shirt below and employ it as a regular uniform: Orso’s fantabulous vet, Dr. Robert Pane of South Kendall Animal Clinic, is actively involved in a great organization called the South Florida Veterinary Foundation (SFVF). According to their website, the SFVF’s mission is to increase the access of quality veterinary care, promote responsible pet ownership, and increase awareness of the importance of the human-animal bond in our community. The SFVF is comprised of veterinarians in South Florida, such as Dr. Pane, who generously donate their time and energy to increase awareness and promote education about animal care in our community. The funds raised by the foundation benefit multiple causes – from donating to local rescue groups to running a free spay/neuter program and free vet care clinics for the pets belonging to low income families and the homeless.
Dee Hoult of Applause Your Paws is also a part of this organization’s team and has helped put together an event this coming Thursday, November 11th, 2010, at the University of Miami’s Whitten Learning Center, Room 110, from 7:30-8:30 p.m. This FREE LECTURE will feature Drs. Millie Rosales and David Lurie, speaking on topics in veterinary dermatology and oncology. Please feel free to print this poster and post it in your local gym, library or favorite hang-out spot! If you plan to attend, don’t forget to RSVP! To visit the South Florida Veterinary Foundation’s website, click here. Tonight was our final puppy class with Dee. Since all the puppies were fully vaccinated, we were able to get creative and move the class to the parking lot of Dr. Pane’s clinic. We worked on reinforcing all the commands we had previously learned in class, but in a more challenging manner. Dee brought 30 foot leads for everyone in class to work on the long stay with their puppies. We also did attention drills to see if you could keep your puppy’s focus on you throughout the exercises. It was definitely a fun class and we were both very proud of how well Orso did. The completion of this course also meant that Orso had earned his place in the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program, which according to the American Kennel Club’s website, is an exciting new program designed to get dog owners and their puppies off to a good start. The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program is an incentive program for loving dog owners who have taken the time to take their puppies through a basic training class. By the way, S.T.A.R. stands for Socialization, Training, Activity & Responsibility. Orso will get his own medal and certificate and his completion of the program will be recorded by the AKC. Thanks, Dee, for all your hard work during Orso’s puppy obedience & manners program with you! We are very excited to start intermediate obedience with you this Sunday! To visit Dee of Applause Your Paws online, click here or go to http://www.applauseyourpaws.com/Applauseyourpaws/Home.html. Below are some cute shots from tonight, sorry they are so dark.
This morning, as I was getting ready to dial Sheila’s number to thank her for all she has done for us, my caller ID started blinking with her number. I answered the call of a very enthusiastic woman on the other end of the line. Sheila wanted to know if I could swing by her house during the afternoon to meet a man that she described as magical. Wow, I wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity! “Magical???!!” I asked. She replied calmly, “Wait for my call, grab Orso and be ready to be amazed at Danny’s magic.” Boy was Sheila right! I did as I was told and went over to Sheila’s house, Orso in tow. I met Danny Sanchez of Vanda’s Kennel, his very sweet wife, Vanessa, and their beautiful baby girl (their website is under construction, so I have nowhere to link you to if you want to look them up). We chatted for a little while and Danny asked me if I had brought a show lead with me. OF COURSE I DID!!!!! He took Orso out front and worked with him for less than 5 minutes. In that short amount of time, he made our boy look like a million bucks! It was a wonderful experience! Sheila, thanks for thinking of us and making the introduction! Danny – you truly are a magician! Thank you for your time! Below is the video of Danny’s entire session with Orso – it’s almost 5 minutes long, so be patient while it loads. Enjoy! Here is the video compilation of Orso’s rounds in the agility and obstacle course. The video is just over 3 minutes and it is absolutely worth watching! Don’t forget to turn up the volume on your speakers for the full effect! Thanks, Mary, for sticking around to video us! To visit Mary and Bravo Dog Training online, click here or go to http://www.mybravodog.com/. Here is the 6-minute video compilation of Orso’s AKC junior puppy match. The patient lady handling Orso for us is Sheila Lieberman of Loving Obedience Dog Training in Miami. The judge with the great attitude is Dr. Cindi Bossart of Animal Hospital of Ft. Lauderdale. Thanks, Sheila & Dr. Bossart, for a great first time in the ring for Orso! Orso had a lot of new experiences today; so did I for that matter! Our day started VERY early. We were in the Jeep driving to TY Park in Hollywood by 8am. Orso barely had time to digest breakfast, so I spent the greater part of the ride worrying that he would get car sick; thankfully, he was fine. We met up with Sheila at the park at 9am and went through all the logistics of getting Orso entered into his Junior Puppy Class. The event was organized well and there were many tents set up by rescue organizations. It was great to see so many well-behaved dogs in one place! We met a fellow Cane Corso owner named Marcos who had a 5 month old puppy that he had purchased from Red Rock Canyon Cane Corso in Las Vegas. This handsome fawn male puppy was in the same class as Orso. We also met a few other people who were there with their Cane Corsos! It was so cool to see a group of people at the event who own and love Corsos! On the other hand, there were MANY people who did not know the breed, so we had the opportunity to introduce and educate them about gentle & loving breed. It was interesting to see how many people have a misconception about the breed and would state with conviction how it is an aggressive fighting breed. We were smart (and patient) enough to recognize that they were confusing the Cane Corso breed with the Presa Canario breed. We respectfully, but sternly, cleared up any misconceptions that were thrown in our direction. Orso’s puppy class finally went on late in the morning. Sheila was wonderful and handled him for us. I am so grateful that she did because I needed to watch and learn today. Orso was up against the other Corso puppy that I mentioned earlier. As expected, Orso didn’t trot as needed, but he definitely did not disappoint the spectators with his lively gallop and struggle to show the judge his teeth. The judge was Dr. Cindi Bossart, veterinarian and owner of Animal Hospital of Ft. Lauderdale. She was very patient and sweet with Orso and even helped him out in the ring. Thanks, Dr. Bossart for your kindness. Orso took second place and we all enjoyed the experience immensely! Most importantly to note is that we are very lucky that Sheila Lieberman has taken such a genuine and personal interest in us and we thank her for being so generous with her time and knowledge! Sheila owns Loving Obedience Dog Training in Miami. Once we were done with the AKC Match, we walked around the event grounds and visited some booths. Our favorite booth was the “A Joy Wallace Catering” booth where we indulged in the BEST pulled pork sandwiches we have ever eaten! They were amazing! With our bellies full, we started making our way toward the Jeep. We almost made it, but were distracted by a ton of commotion coming from what looked like an agility & obstacle course. As we approached it Orso went nuts! Dogs were taking turns, one-by-one, chasing a plastic bag attached to a string on a track that would guide them through the course. Being a farming & hunting breed, this was right up Orso’s alley! This boy has some huge prey drive! Once we got close enough to the ring, we realized that the person in the ring with her dog was Mary, who will be working with Orso for 2 weeks in her home in December! We were so excited to see her! She finished her rounds and came out of the ring where she very subtly convinced us to give it a try. We didn’t need much arm twisting on this one! I spoke to the guy running the course and asked him to take it easy speedwise since Orso is only 19 weeks old and he agreed to cooperate with our little guy’s age limitations. Orso and I were allowed to “walk the course” before our actual runs. Orso didn’t seem too phased by any of the obstacles at all. When it came time to do it for real, he was a riot! I have never seen this dog move so fast! It was unreal! He got to do the course twice and was awesome! Mary also stuck around to video for us! Thanks, Mary! To visit Mary and Bravo Dog Training online, click here or go to http://www.mybravodog.com/. Orso was simply exhausted after all this craziness and truthfully, Gus and I were ready to get out of the sun. We loaded Orso into the Jeep and headed back down to Miami for a snack at Scotty’s Landing in Coconut Grove. We were there only long enough to have a few beers and fish dip before heading next door to The Chart House for oysters. Luis, our waiter, and Diego, the executive chef, were very hospitable and allowed us in despite their no dogs rule! As always, Orso was a perfect gentleman throughout his celebratory lunch! See below. Below are some of our favorite photos of the day. In a separate entry, I will upload a video compilation of Orso in the show ring with Sheila and a video compilation of Orso in the agility ring with me. Enjoy!
Today started at Sheila’s house with a quick conformation class and a run through of what we should expect to happen tomorrow at the AKC match. Orso still can’t trot, so we don’t expect to win. We are going for the experience and to get him in the ring. We were at Sheila’s house for only a little while and worked on standing and pretending we were in the show ring. Mouse and Luna helped out too. We all got into an imaginary show ring and ran around – the neighbors were definitely amused! We handled Luna and Mouse and Sheila had Orso. It was very cute! Unfortunately, there were no free hands to photograph or video the circus act, but below is a short 45-second video of Sheila working with Orso. By the way, that handsome Jeep in the background is our official canine family vehicle. Some families buy minivans, we bought a Jeep! Now that the weather is cooperating and we are getting less rain in Miami, it gets easier to have more “beach days” with the dogs. As soon as we were done at Sheila’s, we headed over to my parents’ house with Luna, Mouse & Orso. They LOVE going there! My parents’ yard is substantially bigger than ours and their beach has such a nicer slope than ours does, so it only makes sense that we would crash in on them whenever we can. Like last time, the 3 of them ran around like a bunch of lunatics. Once they settled down, I took some time to work on Orso’s swimming skills. He is not confident enough to go far into the deep on his own, so I ended up in the water with him. Not really what I was planning and I certainly wasn’t dressed for it, but it was the only way he’d swim out far. It feels good to know that he trusts me enough to swim out to me. Mouse also helped by hanging out with me in the deep. Orso’s a great swimmer so far, even though he gets a little worried in the water and thrashes sometimes. Since I am right next to him, I try to just level out his body by giving him a little lift under his belly area. As soon as he levels out, he seems to relax and continues to swim around comfortably. We ended the swimming lesson with some confidence building in the form of shallow water fetching.
The day ended with a doggie bath assembly line. Luna, Mouse & Orso all got very thorough baths when we got home. It’s so nice to be able to cuddle up to clean furkids at the end of a fun day! Below are some of our favorites photos from the day. Enjoy! Today’s mail brought a very nice surprise – Orso’s pedigree! Too bad it doesn’t go farther back, as Orso’s bloodlines have many wonderful dogs and bitches in it. I would love to create our own pedigree so no one gets left out!
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