Category: Fun Stuff ¤
  Author: Shirley Chong ¤
   Title: Walking Backwards ¤

   The other day I went out to my sister's "old" house along with her 
and my three year old nephew Andrew. I took Chamois (Belgian Tervuren 
bitch, six years old) along just for the ride.
   The house is up for sale, so it's empty and the rec room is very 
large. While waiting for my sister to finish up with what she wanted 
to do, Andrew said "Auntie Shirley, clicker!" I checked my pockets 
and found a clicker but no treats, so I said "Nephew Andrew, I have 
no goodies for Chamois." After a little more solemn discussion 
(complete with titles, he's very fascinated with titles right now), 
Andrew donated a handful of Cheerios to the cause.
   Of course, as soon as Chamois saw me checking my pockets and 
hauling out a clicker she went bats. I'm trying to figure out a treat 
for her and she's doing her Tervuren Stomp Dance around me and Andrew,
 howling and shrieking at us. Have I ever mentioned that my dogs have 
horrible manners?
   So, then I have to decide on something to train. Chamois had Fur-
Man with her and every behaviour she threw at me she did with Fur-Man 
(she's currently obsessed with him). Out of a spirit of contrariness, 
I decided that my first criteria was that I wouldn't aim at anything 
that involved Fur-Man. This is probably because one of the most 
persistent behaviours she was throwing involved smacking me on the 
shins with Fur-Man (hitting shins is something she learned as a puppy 
and it has NEVER extinguished).
   At one point she dropped Fur-Man and happened to be taking a step 
backwards as I clicked (I have bad timing). She picked Fur-Man up, 
dropped him and backed up--I clicked.
   In less than ten minutes, she was ignoring Fur-Man and doing this 
great, very straight, 25 foot Go Out. Backwards. As a former rider, I 
was pleased to see that she was trotting backwards, very well 
balanced, body rounded, good self carriage. As an occasional 
obedience person, I was pleased that her Go Out was so straight.
   I realized that the Go Out was straight because essentially she 
was targetting on me as she moved--her eyes were fixed on me.
   Now, my questions and speculations. Wouldn't it be GREAT if we 
could do that in competition? Imagine the judge's face! <ROFL> Does 
this mean that I have too much time on my hands? Maybe it means that 
winter has gone on too long already...?

M. Shirley Chong