Chapter 8
(November 2022):

My Vocabulary on My First Birthday

Now I’m a year old. Daddy has a bone for me and Mummy is baking a liver cake.

 My vocabulary has grown in the past 10 months. We started out with the basics and have gone upwards and outwards:

 Caoimhe: 
That’s me!

No!:
Don’t do that. Often combined with Get out of there! Or “no pulling”.

Down:
1) Don’t jump on people. 
2) Get off the bench.

Leave it/him/her alone:
This dog/person doesn’t want to play with me. I mustn’t play with that thing.
                                            (What party poopers!)

Come:
Mummy/Daddy wants me with them.

Quick!:
I can ignore “come” but “quick” is serious business, used when offleash for recall.

This way:
Oops! Mummy’s going a different way. Better catch up.

Let’s go:
I’ve been sniffing long enough.

Auto:
Get out of the street; a car’s coming. Stay next to Mummy until “OK”

Sit:
Butt on the ground, followed by cookie.
Must do automatically while heeling if Mummy stops.

Heel:
Walk on Mummy’s left side and look up for treats.

Lie:
Tummy on the ground, also cookie.
Only do on command, sometimes VERY long. See: stay

Hold still:
Mummy is doing something I don’t like: combing, brushing teeth, removing sticks from my fur, etc.

OK:
Freedom!

Good girl!:
Mummy’s smiling. Sometimes followed by cookie.

Guten Appetit!:
(Lunch/supper) is ready. (my only German command). I’m not a good eater.

Get your toy:
Fetch anything that belongs to me. Often combined with …

Bring it here:
Hand it to her or drop it at her feet.

Stay:
This is the hardest: Don’t change positions.

Up:
Stand up.
Mostly on the grooming table but also in Rally Obedience = don’t sit.

Turn around:
She wants to get at my back feet in the shower or I’m standing wrong in Agility.

Go …
1)     upstairs
2)     in the house
3)     in the shower
4)     piddle
5)     poop
6)     !  ( ... over a hurdle.)
7)     right/left   Over a hurdle and turn right/left
8)     find Daddy  (He’s in a different room.)

Tunnel:
Run through that long cylinder. Fun!

Over:
Go over the board on the patio or the dog walk at Agility. Followed by:

 Touch:
At the end of the contact zone of the board/dog walk stop with front paws on the ground and back paws on the board. Wait for OK and get treat.

Left/right:
While heeling, stay beside Mummy as she turns 90°, 180°, 210°, 270° or 360°

Front:
sit facing Mummy

Back left: Make 180° turn backwards to end up on her left side.

Right round: Go around behind her and come up on her left side.

Look:
She’s got a treat! Or someone has come to see me.

Iiiiinnnnn:
Go past the hurdle towards Mummy and jump it from the inside.

Tunnel:
Take the entrance I can see.

Zu:
Go to the other end of the tunnel and take the entrance.

Twist:
Do a 360° turn beside Mummy quickly.

Just a minute:
Wait. Mummy will open the door soon or turn on the fountain.

 I know what minutes are. I have to learn to lie and stay for 10 minutes while Mummy stands with her back to me 40 paces away until she comes back to my side. So far I can lie/stay for 10 minutes but it often takes more than one try. In the exam next August I will only have one chance and our partner team will be doing their exercises near me. Yuck! I want to play!

 I have a nickname: Brillenschlange, which is a teasing term for a girl with glasses. I don’t wear them but I thoroughly destroyed two pairs of Daddy’s new glasses. He was not amused.

Back to my frontpage    Proceed to chapter 9 soon