Balto is in many ways a special dog, with a special mind. Balto knows what he wants, and certainly what he DOES NOT want.
I have been doing agility for about 4 years with him, before a herniated disc unfortunately put an end to his agility career.
Or maybe career and career is saying a lot, because I unfortunately have to admit that he never became a big agility star.
As I said, Balto does exactly what he wants, and only that. Whether it's marking right in front of the referee, or going for a picnic in the middle of a race. He has taken home a few trophies, though, because the master can do whatever he wants.
Now he doesn't run agility anymore and to be honest, it's probably the best thing for my lovely stubborn beautiful boy. All that training is probably more for my sake than it ever was for Balto's sake. Because Balto doesn't care.
He can be coaxed to cover or sit down, but then the treat has to be really delicious.
Balto enjoys his long walks with beautiful scents, which he can spend hours exploring at his own pace. And he loves to play with Lucky.
The two have an absolutely amazing friendship.
I've given up all training with Balto. Because he doesn't enjoy it, he doesn't want to and he'd rather not. But it can give me a bit of a guilty conscience at times, precisely because I think I do so many different things with Lucky.
I can feel Balto being cheated a little, but I try to share my attention equally as best I can. If I have trained with Lucky, I call Balto to me. Because he shouldn't be cheated of hugs, cuddles and attention. If I have been out for something with Lucky, well, Balto gets a long, nice walk in the forest with me. And that way they each have something with me that meets their needs and interests.
I enjoy my 2 very different dogs. My little turbo, active, dog that is always on in all kinds of weather. And I enjoy my quiet and calm dog that just enjoys his sniffing walks in the forest and is the world's best cuddler. And as long as both dogs are happy and are a joy in their everyday lives. That's the most important thing.
Behind the scenes of this week's blogger:
My name is Mette, I am the happy owner of 2 beautiful dogs. Balto, who is a 6-year-old Coton de Tulear, and Lucky, who is a Shetland Sheepdog, who is just under 2 years old.
I am super active with my dogs, spending many hours training and on the competition tracks.
As a child I had very bad selective mutism. But thanks to the dogs I have moved on with life and my fear of speaking.
Making a difference to your dogs
Balto is in many ways a special dog, with a special mind. Balto knows what he wants, and certainly what he DOES NOT want.
I have been doing agility for about 4 years with him, before a herniated disc unfortunately put an end to his agility career.
Or maybe career and career is saying a lot, because I unfortunately have to admit that he never became a big agility star.
As I said, Balto does exactly what he wants, and only that. Whether it's marking right in front of the referee, or going for a picnic in the middle of a race. He has taken home a few trophies, though, because the master can do whatever he wants.
Now he doesn't run agility anymore and to be honest, it's probably the best thing for my lovely stubborn beautiful boy. All that training is probably more for my sake than it ever was for Balto's sake. Because Balto doesn't care.
He can be coaxed to cover or sit down, but then the treat has to be really delicious.
Balto enjoys his long walks with beautiful scents, which he can spend hours exploring at his own pace. And he loves to play with Lucky.
The two have an absolutely amazing friendship.
I've given up all training with Balto. Because he doesn't enjoy it, he doesn't want to and he'd rather not. But it can give me a bit of a guilty conscience at times, precisely because I think I do so many different things with Lucky.
I can feel Balto being cheated a little, but I try to share my attention equally as best I can. If I have trained with Lucky, I call Balto to me. Because he shouldn't be cheated of hugs, cuddles and attention. If I have been out for something with Lucky, well, Balto gets a long, nice walk in the forest with me. And that way they each have something with me that meets their needs and interests.
I enjoy my 2 very different dogs. My little turbo, active, dog that is always on in all kinds of weather. And I enjoy my quiet and calm dog that just enjoys his sniffing walks in the forest and is the world's best cuddler. And as long as both dogs are happy and are a joy in their everyday lives. That's the most important thing.
Behind the scenes of this week's blogger:
My name is Mette, I am the happy owner of 2 beautiful dogs. Balto, who is a 6-year-old Coton de Tulear, and Lucky, who is a Shetland Sheepdog, who is just under 2 years old.
I am super active with my dogs, spending many hours training and on the competition tracks.
As a child I had very bad selective mutism. But thanks to the dogs I have moved on with life and my fear of speaking.