Bentley: Dog or squirrel?

Does this dog look like a squirrel?

The second night of obedience/CGC training Bentley had an unpleasant encounter with one of the large dogs.  This dog had been jumping up and down and generally out of control the first night of class; he definitely needed the training.  At the beginning of the second class we were next to him and his handler.  As the class was starting there was a little episode of growling and the other dog and Bentley jumped at each other.  I pulled Bentley away and we continued.  At that point I should have moved away from the other dog because a few minutes later the skirmish started. 

I'm not sure who growled first and what really happened.  I just know this big dog was coming after Bentley!  I tried to pull him away, not realizing that the other handler did not have control of her dog.  Our trainer, who knows us from stewards and shows, was yelling "pick him up, pick him up" but I was not about to put my hand down between the two dogs.  And, I didn't want to pick him up and then have the big dog jump onto me either.  I don't think the trainer wanted to, either, because he grabbed Bentley's leash close to his neck and picked him up...by the leash.  I grabbed the dangling Bentley and the other handler got her dog away. 

Just to note, the trainer apologized profusely for doing that but I am eternally grateful.  It was the only way to get Bentley out of the dog's reach.  I did have to get a mop because poor Bentley went tee-tee all over the place.  The other handler and the dog disappeared and when they returned the dog was wearing a slip collar.

Bentley was shaky the rest of the class; can't say that I was exactly calm and collected either.  The next week the other dog didn't come and I was worried that they had dropped out.  I felt like that dog was one that really needed the training and hoped that they would return.  They did and the last two classes he has done great, even around Bentley.  Of course, I've kept a closer eye on Bentley to make sure that he didn't instigate something.

As we were leaving this training class the big dog's handler and I stopped to chat.  She shared with me that she and some of the others thought that her dog wanted to chase Bentley because...he looks like a squirrel!  I had to laugh!  He is small, low to the ground with a semi bushy tail that wags.  And he is the same color as a squirrel.  Easy to get confused if you are a big, active dog with a fondness for chasing squirrels!

The water bottle

I found something really useful and want to share it here.  I don't endorse products, but I do share products that I like and think other dog lovers would find interesting.

This is a Paws for Water bottle.  I had seen these in the training facility where I take Bentley and had looked at them several times.  I think I had read somewhere that someone had tried to use this (or a similar product) on their dog and it didn't work too well.  I put off buying one, but then realized that I had to have something to give the dogs water when we were out and about.  A water bottle and a bowl takes up too much space in my backpack.  After looking at these several times, I decided why not give it a try.

This was Sawyer's first try with the bottle.  It was not a hot afternoon, we had gone to walk the trail in a nearby park.  I tried to get him to drink a little, and he just wasn't interested.  I found trying to hold the bottle and make a picture to be a challenge!

I wasn't sure how to train them to use this, but there wasn't a problem at all.  I took it along on Sawyer's Friday Adventure .  After our walk on the trail he was ready for a drink, so I pulled out the bottle.  At first he ignored it, so I decided if nothing else I would let the water dribble out and maybe he would just drink from the asphalt.  That was the trick, just letting it dribble.  As he started to drink I remembered that he loves to drink from the running garden hose!  It worked well and he had the tip of the bottle in the side of his mouth with the water running right in, just like with the garden hose! I don't think the others will have a problem learning how to work the bottle.

The tip of the bottle has a roller ball that allows the water to come out slowly and cover the ball or just dribble out.  The top section of the bottle comes off so you can wash the inside of the bottle.  There is also a clip so you can attach the bottle to a belt look or backpack if you want, but I wouldn't want a stainless steel bottle filled with water hitting my leg or back.  This is a great find and I'm looking forward to using it this summer.