I Rescued My Mom Today!

Well this isn't really me, but I can dream big, can't I...

We are progressing quite well with our Water Training. It's one of my most favourite things to do. Today we were only allowed into the water one at a time, and we went through the steps to the test. Once the on land obedience is done, which is basically showing some control, which I have to tell you, beleive it or not, I'm exhibiting a wee bit of control these days. Mom says it's because I'm older and wiser and by now I should know what is expected of me. Yeah OK mom..whatever!! So after the heeling, recall and the one minute down it's into the water we go, again exhibiting control the whole time of course. There are five exercises that I must complete in order to pass my water test. Which takes place in September. The first one is "Simple Retrieve" Dad throws my favourite bumper into the water and when dad tells me to go get it I must swim directly to it and return it to dads hand. Just like the exercise says "Simple" right? Exercise 2 is the "Marked Retrieve" This is when an item gets dropped in the water about 50 feet from the shore, I'm not supposed to see it drop. The item could be a boat cushion or a life jacket. Dad will point it out to me and when he says "GO" I am released to get the item and return it again to dad's hand. A little more difficult but I think I can do it. Exercise 3 oh I like exercise 3 its "Tow the Boat" I sit at he shore with dad and 75 feet from shore is a boat. The person in the boat attracts my attention by calling and tossing a bumper that is attached to the boat into the water. When dad tells me I swim out and grab the bumper and return to shore. Again I must give the rope to dad's hand. Exercise 4 is the hardest one for me and I'm still trying to get this one down. It's "Take a Line" naturally I like to bring things in from the water, it's really hard for me to grasp the concept of taking something out to the water, but mom is hoping with lots of practice that I will figure this one out. I have to take a 75 foot floating line out to someone in the water that is 50 feet away from me. The person that I take the line to has to be a stranger, and I'm not real keen about going to strangers. Something that I was told when I was younger, never talk to strangers. The exercise is complete when the stranger has hold of the line. And finally exercise 5 is "Swim with Handler" I love swimming with my dad so I think I can nail this one too. Dad and I will wait at the shore until instucted to wade into the water for a swim. We will swim out about 20 feet and then turn to the shore at which time dad hitches a ride and I tow him into shore. Once I am able to walk dad will stand up and we walk to the shore together. And thats it, once I complete all 5 exercises I pass the test and am awarded the title of "WD" Water Dog. So what do you think, can I do it? You bet! I just need alot of practice and I'm going to ace this test! Wish be luck! I'll keep you posted on my progress until then. Gizzy

Water Training

Every Saturday our Newfie club puts on Water Rescue Training. It's so much fun. We all gather at Shawnigan Lake and we have 2 hours of endless fun. We start off doing some dry land training, obedience kinda stuff. Then it's into the water. We have 3 separate beach areas as well as a dock for jumping off of. I had never jumped off a dock before, it was a little scary at first but I finally made the plunge and went in over my head. Dad threw my orange buoy in and I jumped in after it, then dad jumped in to swim with me to the shore. I gotta tell ya it was soooo much fun!!! but boy was I tired afterwards! I live for Saturday mornings!! Gizzy

Gizmo Passes the Test!!!

So mom and dad have been doing alot of training with me, and I wasn't too sure where we were going with it. Other than the fact that I've been getting a whole lot of yummy treats when I do what they ask me. These treats are very very special mom calls them "Cinnamircles" and I love them!!!

But it finally hit me. The other night we were out and I had to be on my best behaviour, there was alot of other dogs there as well. Dad took me through a series of different experiences, like meeting a stranger, letting that stranger pat me, comb me.

I then had to walk thru a bit of a course where the Evaluator gets you to turn in different directions, slow down, speed up and halt when told to.

I had to walk through a group of strangers, do my down and stay ( I like my down and stay) come when called, walk by some kind of distraction, walk through a door, and you know you never walk through first, always let your mom or dad go first, just in case there is something on the other side your not sure of. Had a little play session with dad and then settle down, (that was easy) then get left alone with a stranger for 3 minutes...all of this without relieving myself, which I was very proud not to do. Some of the other dogs didn't pass because they had to relieve themselves. But dad made sure we looked after that before the exam.

So in the end I passed and got this really cool looking rosette, got my picture taken and got letters at the end of my name. It's official, I'm now "CH Mainsail's Blackbeary Express CGN"...which stands for Canine Good Neighbour!

I'm not sure whats in store for me yet, but I'm thinking it might have something to do with either water or carts. Just no rest!

My life is never boring, well except when mom and dad go to work.

Gizzy

Gizmo gets his first Group Placement

Mom is just so excited, and I really don't know what all the fuss is about. She spends hours washing, drying, combing and clipping me, which I endure just to keep her happy and for what? A couple minutes in the ring, where I'm looked at and touched in the most inappropriate places by some strange person!
But today was different. I didn't just get one turn in the ring, I was invited back again, this time with various types of dogs, not just the newfies. It was all so new to me, I can remember this happening once before when I was a young lad, but that was awhile ago.
I had quite a cheering committee, whenever I went around the ring I could hear them clapping and hooting for me, that was cool!
Then we are all lined up and the judge starts picking dogs and putting them in a different line, and I was one of them!!!


We do one more lap around the ring and more clapping and cheering and the next thing I know dad has this big white rossette in his hands for moi being 4th in the Working Group!

When we came out of the ring there was a bunch of hugging and more cheering, and there she was, my girlfriend Olive, who was ringside watching the whole thing! She is such a sweet young girl, and she gets me going everytime she comes near. We got to play around a bit until dad said I wasn't allowed to climb on her....he spoiled my fun!

All in all it was a very good day despite the problems dad had with the truck on the way to the show. But we got that fixed on our way home. With a side trip to Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone....yummy!!

After a big dinner I was so ready for a sleep! Until next weekend when rumour has it they have me in another show, this time its for 3 days!!!...oh the horror of it all!

Gizzy

Oh I have been one busy boy!

Mom and dad are on vacation and they are keeping me soooo busy! I've had no time for napping. First of all we got some great company from Germany. Jutta and Jurgen, I wasn't too sure of them at first but after a few days it was like they belonged here! We headed up to my most favorite place in the whole world, can you guess...yup Hornby Island. Jutta and Jurgen just loved it as well. They were wondering where all the people were. We spent alot of time at the beach and we were pretty much the only ones there!

Well besides the eagles, which there was alot of!

I met alot of people on the ferries as well as at the store. Hornby has 2 stores one of which is the Co-op, and that is where most people do their shopping.

These three girls were camping and we pretty much fell in love with each other. They asked if they could take me back to their campsite....hahaha mom said sure! But that never happened.
We made it back home from Hornby just in time to go to water training. Jutta and Jurgen had never seen it done before. There was 8 of us newfie types and we did dry land training. We practiced take, hold and release with all kinds of objects like buoys, life jackets, rope...you name it, if it fit in our mouth we were working with it! Then we did a bit of obedience training, heeling, turning, long stays and coming when called. Our next training session should see us in the water! I can't wait, cause mom and dad have been practicing alot with me in the water, this dry land stuff is well for hangashores...(oops sorry Satch)


We took Jutta and Jurgen to the airport a couple days later to see them off. Again I met alot of people there. Mom took me inside even tho the sign said "No dogs Allowed", but hey who's the dog?

Now I'm getting ready for a dog show this weekend. I got to go swimming this morning, and a big bath and mom put all this goopey stuff in my coat that makes me smell pretty...hey mom I'm a boy, I'm not supposed to smell pretty!

And now its time for me to have a well deserved rest. If you feel the ground shake don't worry it's just me snoring!


Thanks for reading
Your friend Gizmo

Happy Birthday Satch!!

It's Satchie's Birthday today! He turns 5, he has finally caught up to me! Wishing you a very HAPPY DAY Satch! Have lotsa fun, do your favorite thing...go swimming!!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Gizzy went to School

Mom took me to school on Friday for show and tell. I got to go
to 2 classrooms and visit with all the kids. It was alot of fun, but a bit
overwhelming. Jake and Nevada both had to read a bit of history about
me, and what we were bred for. They were very interested
in my webbed feet, they all had to check them out. There were kids everywhere and they all wanted to say hi to me.
Which was ok but were they noisey. Jake took me around his class to
meet each one of his classmate. They all really liked me, which made
me feel good. The next class I went to was Nevada's, she is 2 years
younger than Jake, and at one time was so afraid of me she would
cry everytime I was around. But now she has no problems, she even
introduced me!

I was so tired after all that excitement. I slept all the way home.
Mom says she was really proud of me, and that I was soo good for
not scaring any of the kids. Scare kids..me...why would I do that?

Gizzy