Sunday Salutations and a Tricky Doggy Update
Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. This week we have been reviewing different Tricks with Crokell. There is nothing better than a week of dog tricks, well except maybe a week of fiction writing, baking and dog tricks. This week Crokell and I have been working out way through his Tricks List and we conned Tod into re-videoing them for us. About a year ago I said I was going to get Crokell his trick dog titles, but then I never turn in the videos. Even worse, today after Tod finished making the videos, I was reviewing the rules and realized I had us do the videos wrong. (Oops!)
Basically, we needed to record the each trick two times continuously. This is possible to do with Crokell but not when it is this hot at outside. Either, I need to do these inside or we need to wait for winter. Still a huge thanks to Tod!
Still since we spend part of week reviewing tricks I thought I might as well post my game plan for Crokell. I have a similar blog on the Canine Good Citizen Award.
Leave a comment which trick listed below you would like me to demonstrate how to teach!
Novice Dog Trick Title Requirements
The Trick Dog Novice title is abbreviated TKN.
10 tricks from the AKC list (below) or 5 tricks with a Canine Good Citizen.
AKC official list of Tricks for TKN http://images.akc.org/pdf/trick_dog_novice.pdf
Here the ones we plan to use for Crokell’s TKN are:
Balance Beam (walk on board a few inches off floor)
Crawl (dog on belly, crawls at least 3 body lengths)
Fetch it (fetch ball from 10ft away bringing to handler within 2 feet)
Get on (gets on low platform or step - 4 paws)
Hand signals (down, sit or come) - come. Crokell is super slow in our new video of this because it is HOT and he does not like it when it warm out.
Hold (3 second)
Kennel up (go into crate and stay until released)
Paws up (2 front paws on low stool or step)
Shake hands
Touch it (hand or target stick) - The only one I remembered to do two rounds of.
How do these tricks relate to our writing?
Well, part of that is simple. In our Nano-Sapiens universe, we have cats and dogs whom have to perform tasks. Knowing how a dog or cat would pick up an object, move, or even balance or avoid walking on unstable ground is useful.
In both our novel that we are about to submit and the next one, we have normal dogs. Well, as normal as Newfoundland dogs ever get. It is good to know what tasks they have been trained to do. And how the dogs perform, or avoid performing, the tricks is important too.
Writing Update
Tod and I have been working on finishing polishing up our first novel for submission to the slush pile this week. This included writing a synopsis and a chapter by chapter plot summary. It was an odd experience, because in a way I have moved on from that book and going back to it make sure the plot summary matched felt like I was traveling back in time. Tod is doing the last tweaks on it, and then I think we will be submitting that before the end of the month.
In other writing, Tod and I are trying a new method, in which we outline together, Tod takes the outline and turns it into a very condensed prose (Hey! -Tod) and then I expand that into some of our crazy worlds. (I make crazy world stuff too! -Tod) After I finish that, Tod and I edit it. (I do final edits, because otherwise Anna will add chapters and scenes. -Tod) We will see how this works. We are testing this method as I tend to go off the rails without an outline. While a bullet point outline sometimes works for me, I tend do better if I have a paragraph and write from that.
Well, I am off to write a few more words in one of our wacky worlds before I have to go back to work tomorrow.
Later!
~Anna and Tod
Ahh, but he's so cute doing it.
I wish y'all well in your submission!
Hmm...my pupper can do all those, except balance beam (never tried that!). He also does "spin" and "spin the other way" (turning in place). "Pretty Boy" (Beg while sitting), "Off" (get off an item/furniture), "Come Through" (Do a figure 8 through my legs), "Wrap" (Go all the way around both of my legs), "Back out" (move backwards without turning (he doesn't like this one, and will bark and fuss!)) Maybe I should try out for that, too.