Horse-Training Dog

Rizzo is doing well, following in Miles' footsteps as he's been helping me train her to be the next generation of Horse-Training Dog.  Here she is demonstrating her mounting block training skills.  This is more important with the horses just starting under saddle and learning to stand quietly for mounting, but Silver was kind enough to let her practice her new skill set.

And here she is coaching Ferriana over her first fences under saddle, including introducing oxers.

She's gotten good at helping me while I'm riding, but if I'm teaching she tends to stick right next to me rather than "help" my students by running with their horses.  If I'm on foot, she'll even curl up and take a nap while I'm coaching.

After a particularly tiring week, she even crawled into my lap and fell asleep while I was texting clients!

In between rides and lessons she'll often tuck herself away in her hidey-hole under the saddles, rest her chin on a grooming box, and take a little nap.  Trying to spot her is a little bit like playing Where's Waldo, except it ends up being Where's Rizzo.

Rizzo does enjoy going for long cross country course walks, but also enjoys the comfy seats in the back of the car on the way home when the shows are close. Shortly after this photo was taken her eyes closed and she was completely out for the duration of the twenty minute drive home.

I'm so lucky to have this cute dog at my place!  She comes rocketing out of the garage first thing in the morning like she's been shot out of a cannon, talking in her loudest voice and leaping and racing around excited for the day to start.  As the day goes on she eventually settles to being the tired pup you see in the sleepy photos, but she's definitely a morning dog.  It's a lot of work to run around the arena, jump the jumps, truck around the back forty, and teach the lessons.  It is fun, though!

Sometimes as Jasi leaves the house to drive to school, Rizzo will try to follow the car down the driveway asking if she can go, too.  Jasi will text me to come get her and I'll go outside and call Rizzo.  Once Rizzo realizes I'm home and not leaving in the car, she instantly turns away from the vehicle and books it as FAST as she can go, her little legs pumping, with a giant doggy smile on her face aimed straight for me.  If I'm squatting down to catch her, she will launch into the air a few strides away from me and catapult into my arms, eager to be loved on and smooched.  There are few things that feel as good as my dog running for me at top speed with a big smile on her face.