Ninja Nobu

The Baying of the Hounds

Dogversation

Double Wait

Dog Whisperer Dodo

Things were going so well with Nobu's training

until he went on strike, playing dead

and Dodo sensei had to step in to help

I get the feeling Nobu is teasing me on purpose :P

Training Setters

 Today is dog training...these are pics from before the buzz cut, early May, and lately we meet in the woods at the local park to train a little earlier: it gets really hot as the day wears on, and the dogs get dehydrated. Claire has been training for 10 months now, and is getting quite good. She knows what it's about, delicious tidbits, and is quite relaxed and happy when she's doing her downs and waits. I should really practice more inbetween, but the days just seem to slip by with walkies, family, work and dancing...At any rate I'm really happy with the  weekly training - you can see the positive effect on the dogs as they stay calm, even managing to wait on leash at my firm command when a cat saunters by.

Kissing Claire

In dog runs

...and restaurants

Setter Feathers- Lyrebird

Skipper and Nobu Play

Tolkien Setters

Something magic about these two ancients guarding the stone...I added the pics of Boromir and Legolas because Tosh didn't get it, not that it's those exact characters I was thinking of when I created the blog title. I think my two outdo the humans for Tolkienesque atmosphere...the shadow behind Claire looks just like a wizard staff in her paw :P

Zen Circle

Vampire setter

Minnie Mouse Setters

Dancing Dogs

The English setter and pointer gundog rescue CACI is choosing a cover picture for next year's calendar, and each family is allowed to submit one picture...this is going to take some thought...only one picture? Any suggestions? I guess it should be one with Claire and Nobu together, but there are such fantastic shots of each of them separately...Ah well, it's all in the blog anyway :)

Rhino genes

It's getting too hot for the dog run, so the early morning is the time the dogs are most alive.This is Nobunaga in pure samurai mode. Warrior!

The best pillow

Tug of war

Idyll

This is kind of Norman Rockwell meets John Constable in my eyes...who would think it's taken up at the Fuji Lakes in Japan. Early morning sunlight...a new day :)

Marilyn Monroe Claire

Just in case you didn't get it, I'm adding that iconic picture which for me is what makes Monroe stand out...the smile, the movement, the airiness,  the pure enjoyment, the innocent sexiness...Claire has it all :) My friend's golden retriever, Jojo, got really Monroe -like when she rolled in the grass on her back : a totally different pose, but she was adorable then too, simply irresistible.

Agility setter Claire

Not that we're timing her or anything, but Claire quite enjoys navigating the agility run obstacles, and even though it looks as though I'm coaxing her with tidbits, in fact I didn't have my waistpouch with me, so my hands are empty...she's doing it for FUN, and obviously feeling proud of herself :) Meanwhile Nobu avoids anything to do with man-made agility courses.This dog run is a free one on the outbound Tomei expressway at the Ashigara Service Area just before Gotemba: they have two, one for smaller dogs, and this separate one for large canines. 
On our way home we wanted to go again, but the Ashigara dog run in the Tokyo direction was reserved for small and medium dogs, with no run for big dogs. Fortunately the next parking area, Ayuzawa, had a fantastic grassy dog run of ample size with free tissues, plastic bags and a poop post, so the humans and dogs had a coffee break at Ayuzawa Parking area on the way home too. 

Nobu's morning run

Claire

Tosh took some 300 odd photos on our short overnight trip to Lake Yamanaka and this picture taken at Dog Hotel Woof dog run just has to be my favorite.

Nobu, Naruto and Berry

Setter Buzz Cut

Oorah!

To be continued...