The only thing I definitely buy every year for Black November is a ten-day pass to Maja's field.
Maja's field is located about two kilometers from where I live. It is fenced in, so even the small dogs can't find a way out. There is plenty of room to run, play and sniff, so every walk is pure pleasure for both the dogs and me.
At first glance, Maja's field may seem a bit messy, because there are many things lying around. However, there is a purpose to the "mess". A large part is obstacles and things that can be used to strengthen the dog's balance, and Maja often has courses in Nosework and various forms of obedience and cooperation. Here, the things are good props.
One of the words that Cookie responds very positively to is “Maja’s field.” As soon as she hears it, her ears perk up, her head cocked, and about three seconds later she explodes with joy and runs around to tell the other dogs that NOW is going to be fun!
As soon as the dogs are released into the field, the wild chase begins. There is so much energy that needs to be released from the body. After that, all three of them have their own focus points.
The mini corgi takes the trip through the tunnel and straight into Maja's blue paddling pool. She always goes in the pool at least three times. We have one exactly like it at home - only in pink. She refuses to even put a paw in it. I don't understand why, but I think it's the usual corgi logic and stubbornness that comes into play here.
Then she goes mouse and mole hunting, often together with Audi.
It's no secret that Mini's body is getting worn out. She can't do the same things she did when she was younger. Here in the field, she can participate at full strength as long as she can, and then just trudge along quietly the rest of the time. It means a lot that she can go wild, so she puts as little strain on her body as possible.
On Maja's field I can feel my heart rate drop completely. I feel and enjoy the calm and my dogs' immediate joy of life. Here there are no cars, joggers, cyclists, other dogs or deer that I have to watch out for. Here we can just enjoy each other's company.
While Mini is investigating mouse holes and Cookie has found his usual spot right behind me - it could be that he's been scrounging for treats - Audi is really busy. He runs about four times as far as the other two dogs. He has registered all the dogs that have visited the field before and sent them a little greeting. At the same time, he makes sure to always know where mom is - you wouldn't want to be away from the pack.
The field is perfect for practicing “watch out for mom.” The times the dogs have forgotten to watch me, I have hidden in the tall grass, behind a bush or a tree. It rarely takes many seconds for the dogs to return to find me.
At the far end of the field, the train is running on the other side of the fence. It's a great hobby for Audi and Mini to run after it when it passes. Audi often hears it all the way down from the other end of the field and whips up at full speed to run with the train. A crazy idea - and also potentially dangerous out in the real world.
After being up at the far end, we move down to the training area itself, where most of the obstacles are also located. This is where Cookie wakes up. She will do EVERYTHING for a dog biscuit! She jumps up on pallets, trampolines, car tires, platforms, spins around, rolls, sits, covers, whispers and everything else in the hope that it will trigger a treat. Of course it does. Is there anything better than when your dog offers tricks and tells you so directly that it wants to cooperate?
When the other dogs see that standing on pallets triggers treats, they naturally do the same. Suddenly I have three dogs who actually want to cooperate with me. Again - is there anything better than when the dog chooses us?
Cookie and I find some poles to put on the ground. Together with some stacked car tires, they make a little hooper/agility course. She LOVES it. Afterwards, we find an old leather ball in the field. Mini especially lights up when she sees it.
Now we need to clear our heads and catch our breath, so we go up to the middle of the field, where there is an old sofa, and I sit down here. I want to teach my dogs that it's not all chaos and fuss, but that it's okay to be quiet sometimes, even when we're out for a walk.
While we sit there, I try to take some selfies with the dogs. A discipline I'm not super good at. The dogs also find it boring. Audi hears the train and runs, Mini finds mouse holes, so in the end it's just Cookie and me taking pictures.
Afterwards we walk around a bit until our lesson is over, then I gather my three happy dogs together and drive home. For the next several hours I hear nothing but light snoring from the dogs. They have used all their senses.
There are now quite a few areas around the country that you can book for walking your dogs. I really encourage you to use them.
Both the dogs and I love our walks in Maja's field.
About this week's blogger:
Helene is an early retiree and spends a large part of her time with her animals. The animal team consists of 4 dogs, 1 cat, 15 free-range chickens, approx. 80 aviary birds and her daughter has three axolotls. And now she and Cookie can also call themselves a reading dog team.
She loves writing short stories, poems and stories from her everyday life and enjoys reading a good Scandinavian crime novel.
In addition to Helene and all the animals, the family consists of Birger 55 years old, Thor 12 years old and Sigrid 10 years old.
A trip to Maja's field
The only thing I definitely buy every year for Black November is a ten-day pass to Maja's field.
Maja's field is located about two kilometers from where I live. It is fenced in, so even the small dogs can't find a way out. There is plenty of room to run, play and sniff, so every walk is pure pleasure for both the dogs and me.
At first glance, Maja's field may seem a bit messy, because there are many things lying around. However, there is a purpose to the "mess". A large part is obstacles and things that can be used to strengthen the dog's balance, and Maja often has courses in Nosework and various forms of obedience and cooperation. Here, the things are good props.
One of the words that Cookie responds very positively to is “Maja’s field.” As soon as she hears it, her ears perk up, her head cocked, and about three seconds later she explodes with joy and runs around to tell the other dogs that NOW is going to be fun!
As soon as the dogs are released into the field, the wild chase begins. There is so much energy that needs to be released from the body. After that, all three of them have their own focus points.
The mini corgi takes the trip through the tunnel and straight into Maja's blue paddling pool. She always goes in the pool at least three times. We have one exactly like it at home - only in pink. She refuses to even put a paw in it. I don't understand why, but I think it's the usual corgi logic and stubbornness that comes into play here.
Then she goes mouse and mole hunting, often together with Audi.
It's no secret that Mini's body is getting worn out. She can't do the same things she did when she was younger. Here in the field, she can participate at full strength as long as she can, and then just trudge along quietly the rest of the time. It means a lot that she can go wild, so she puts as little strain on her body as possible.
On Maja's field I can feel my heart rate drop completely. I feel and enjoy the calm and my dogs' immediate joy of life. Here there are no cars, joggers, cyclists, other dogs or deer that I have to watch out for. Here we can just enjoy each other's company.
While Mini is investigating mouse holes and Cookie has found his usual spot right behind me - it could be that he's been scrounging for treats - Audi is really busy. He runs about four times as far as the other two dogs. He has registered all the dogs that have visited the field before and sent them a little greeting. At the same time, he makes sure to always know where mom is - you wouldn't want to be away from the pack.
The field is perfect for practicing “watch out for mom.” The times the dogs have forgotten to watch me, I have hidden in the tall grass, behind a bush or a tree. It rarely takes many seconds for the dogs to return to find me.
At the far end of the field, the train is running on the other side of the fence. It's a great hobby for Audi and Mini to run after it when it passes. Audi often hears it all the way down from the other end of the field and whips up at full speed to run with the train. A crazy idea - and also potentially dangerous out in the real world.
After being up at the far end, we move down to the training area itself, where most of the obstacles are also located. This is where Cookie wakes up. She will do EVERYTHING for a dog biscuit! She jumps up on pallets, trampolines, car tires, platforms, spins around, rolls, sits, covers, whispers and everything else in the hope that it will trigger a treat. Of course it does. Is there anything better than when your dog offers tricks and tells you so directly that it wants to cooperate?
When the other dogs see that standing on pallets triggers treats, they naturally do the same. Suddenly I have three dogs who actually want to cooperate with me. Again - is there anything better than when the dog chooses us?
Cookie and I find some poles to put on the ground. Together with some stacked car tires, they make a little hooper/agility course. She LOVES it. Afterwards, we find an old leather ball in the field. Mini especially lights up when she sees it.
Now we need to clear our heads and catch our breath, so we go up to the middle of the field, where there is an old sofa, and I sit down here. I want to teach my dogs that it's not all chaos and fuss, but that it's okay to be quiet sometimes, even when we're out for a walk.
While we sit there, I try to take some selfies with the dogs. A discipline I'm not super good at. The dogs also find it boring. Audi hears the train and runs, Mini finds mouse holes, so in the end it's just Cookie and me taking pictures.
Afterwards we walk around a bit until our lesson is over, then I gather my three happy dogs together and drive home. For the next several hours I hear nothing but light snoring from the dogs. They have used all their senses.
There are now quite a few areas around the country that you can book for walking your dogs. I really encourage you to use them.
Both the dogs and I love our walks in Maja's field.
About this week's blogger:
Helene is an early retiree and spends a large part of her time with her animals. The animal team consists of 4 dogs, 1 cat, 15 free-range chickens, approx. 80 aviary birds and her daughter has three axolotls. And now she and Cookie can also call themselves a reading dog team.
She loves writing short stories, poems and stories from her everyday life and enjoys reading a good Scandinavian crime novel.
In addition to Helene and all the animals, the family consists of Birger 55 years old, Thor 12 years old and Sigrid 10 years old.