Fly Turns 4

 Hey Tribe,

Fly is 4 years old today!

Vikinghunters Willow's Drum CGCA, CGCU, FDC, TKN, RATCHX

  We spent the day together, doing what we love.  It was wonderful!  I hope we have many more years of smiles in our future together.

CGC, CGCA, CGCU, and FDC

Hey Tribe,

Think I accidentally hit my keyboard and typed a bunch of nonsense?  Nah, all those letters are on purpose!  The dogs and I have been busy training and working on our social and obedience skills and have been rewarded with earning titles from the American Kennel Club.

On a sunny summer afternoon Rex earned his Canine Good Citizen title.  We had to successfully complete 10 skills of basic obedience and temperament.  Karelians, who are naturally standoff-ish/aloof toward people they do not know, are a little challenged by this test that requires them to be approached and touched by strangers; Karelians are also hyper-observant and want to sniff all the things, so training to walk on a loose leash and not sniff all the things is challenging too.  It took time and a lot of practice, but Rex and I trained and passed the test on our first attempt!  Our test location took place in a grassy dog yard that had a female dog in heat and a little bunny freely hopping about the place.  Challenging? Yes, but it was a true test of our abilities.  We will continue to work our our skills, so we are both confident while out in the community.

Fly, who passed her CGC test two years ago, took the Canine Good Citizen Advanced test.  She has been ready for quite awhile, but we didn't have time before now to take the actual test.  The Advanced test has similar components to the basic test, but takes place in the community at a store, Sportsman's Warehouse in our case, and the dog and handler must pass elements such as navigating stairs, different floor surfaces, elevators, and distractions such as crowds of people, food, and other dogs.  Ever the social, yet aloof, butterfly, Fly passed with ease.

Fly posing with her CGC ribbon in 2018

Fly posing with her CGCA ribbon in 2020

The CGC Urban test is similar to the Advanced, but does not require dogs to have previously passed the CGC test.  This test is performed while out walking the dog in the community along public sidewalks and crosswalks and the dog must show confidence and self-control and remain in-tune with the handler.  I decided to give this test a try with Fly as well, and all our time spent out in the community paid off, because she passed this test as well.  Yay!

As an additional test of my dogs' temperament and ability for self-control, I brought both dogs to a Farm Dog Certification test.  This test, which the dogs must pass twice under two different evaluators in order to be certified, is similar to the basic CGC test, but it is performed in a farm setting.  Farm equipment and livestock must be ignored at all times.  A loose leash must be maintained at all times.  Calm manners must be exhibited at all times.  We did have one petulant sheep in the flock that wanted to make trouble, but both Fly and Rex ignored the wooly creature (as well as the chickens and Sand Hill Cranes that freely roamed the area) and both dogs passed their tests after a very hot, very long day of waiting for our turn, and being on the farm.

Photos to be uploaded when we receive our ribbons!!!

So, as soon as the paperwork comes back from the American Kennel Club, my two fluffy black and white rock stars will have more titles added to their names.  So fun!  More importantly, these certifications and titles further emphasize how well rounded my dogs are and highlight the great potential that Karelian Bear Dogs have as a breed.

Monday Blues

 Hey Tribe,

Monday Blues don't have to be bad.

Rex and I kickbiked the Trail of Blue Ice and saw no less than 7 glaciers along our 7 mile route.  That's a lot of blue for one Monday!  

Have a great week.

Rex Visits the Knik Glacier

 Hey Tribe,

If you're a long time reader, you know we visit the Knik Glacier at least once a year.  This past weekend we revved up the wheelers and bumped and waded our way out there again to show Rex where all that glacial silt comes from.

He had fun running along with the Turtle and did a lot of riding in the back as well, so as to not injure himself by running too much.  He's a dog, but he's my baby.

ThePurposefulWanderer and Sally also joined us this trip and it was such fun to have brave friends share the day with us!  Sally was all about calmly riding in the Turtle - saving her energy for rest stop zoomies and exploration amongst the flowers.

Rex wore his goggles when we were out on the riverbed to protect his peepers from the pervasive silt that plagues glacier visitors.  We were completely coated in silt dust by the end of the day, but I rested easy knowing Rexy's eyes were protected as we drove.  Also, he just looks so cool!

Rain was forecasted, but the weather was gloriously fine and sunny without being too hot.  The sunshine on the glacier made for some stunning scenery.

Many of the rocks deposited on the slopes of the glacier's terminal moraine have neat striations on their surface from the glacier's grinding progress down the mountain - I couldn't pass up the opportunity to snag a product placement shot of our favorite Jax & Moonie collar.

Speaking of our Jax & Moonie collar, we will need to add another Bark Mark to document this visit to the glacier.  Yay, another glacier blue Mark will help me always remember this fun day with my boy!  I do still love this collar and this company - check them out, if you haven't yet, and be sure to use our code (REX15) to save 15% off your order. 

Rex was all tacticool for this trip, mostly by accident.  Of course, he was wearing his Garmin gps e-collar, and the goggles, and I wanted him to wear some sort of vest so weekend warriors wouldn't mistake him for a wolf or bear.  He ended up wearing a lot of gear, but man, did he look awesome or what?!

With his gear, I didn't need to feel worried about him as he frolicked and played, but you know I like to keep an eye on him nevertheless.  Karelians are independent and can roam far and wide in mere seconds; Knik is not a safe place to go rogue.

Happily, he is a good boy and explored fairly nearby, with the help of his e-collar, and we had a nice time exploring the ice bergs.  Rex learned that the ice will float away from shore like frozen pirate ships if one stands on them and getting back to warm, dry land is more tricky than one might think.  After that minor learning curve, our pirate of the Black Pearl preferred to remain ashore. 

The wildflowers were in full fragrance and we wandered the rocky moraine in search of the prettiest flower patches.  Yarrow, Eskimo Potato, Arctic Cotton, and Dwarf Fireweed offered us plenty of photo opportunities and were, all together, a delight for our senses.

It was such a fun, Alaskan day to spend with friends and family and I will treasure this experience shared with my boy.