Dainty Acres Italian Greyhounds

01/27/2026

01/25/2026

Blanco Qualified!
Dainty's Cashmere Fedora's first Rally Novice entry, and scored a qualifying score of 75.
We got a nice comment from the Judge, "Creditable run, team!"

Blanco Qualified! Dainty's Cashmere Fedora, Class Level: Rally Novice BCourse #: RNV1 Judge: Pamela Regan-2 "Creditable...

01/15/2026

Day 96: Blanco Rally Novice Practice

011526 After 3 days of trying to get Blanco to stay in a sit position while I walk around him, I decided to try something a little different. He keeps bouncing out of position to see where I am. So here at 1:39 I just walked around him, around and around until he understood what I was doing. He is supposed to be sitting at the target while I walk around him. Im going round and round and round. As soon as I ignored him and just did me, he started improving. I am still signaling for the sit and stay, but me doing me. At 2:50 he gave me a stay! This was the best "stay/handler walk around" yet!

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01/14/2026

Day 95: Blanco Rally Novice Practice

011426 This practice is sooooo Blanco. ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!! But, he is working it out as I just stay consistent with my energy, signs and feedback. BUT.... at 2:20 we got a fantastic heel!!! So we celebrated a partial stay!!!! And ended on that.

Day 95: Blanco Rally Novice Practice011426 This practice is sooooo Blanco. ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!! But, he is working it out as I just stay consistent with ...

01/14/2026

Day 94: Blanco Rally Novice Practice the "stay" and "touch"

011326 - Today we are working on tightening up our heel position, and see if we can tighten up those fronts and finishes. This will be my benchmark video. The last 6 months with Blanco have only been about connection and fun. He is super smart so some of my training is letting him work out what I dont want as he offers his own moves. He really wants to please me. He knows my affirmation and he knows my correction. He is testing the exercise with a little of what he knows I want and some of what he thinks I should want.
He understands the heel, the sit and the down, now I just need to get him to stay in those positions when I ask him to. Here in this video we are working on the fit paws and "touch" and "stay". My goal is to get him to stay in position while I walk around him. He wants to watch me as I walk around. I need him to relax and trust that I will re-appear as I walk around him.
I watched our Blanco videos from 12 months ago, and Blanco has made great progress!!! It is easy to get frustrated with these little guys, but thanks to the videos on Youtube I can gain some perspective on the big picture and know we are improving.

Day 94: Blanco Rally Novice Practice the "stay" and "touch"011326 - Today we are working on tightening up our heel position, and see if we can tighten up tho...

01/13/2026

I am always looking for ways to improve my training. I've added some puzzle bowls and stall dividers to my mealtime routine. My goal at mealtime is for my dogs to be more relaxed and slow down the gobbling. The stall dividers are see-through plexiglass, I use these alot to help me with my dog's body position in the training studio. Here I am using them to ensure privacy in a small feeding area when I feed the dogs as a group. I am working most days with just 2 dogs at a time, but here in this video we stepped out into the world of 4 dogs eating at one time.

I call each dog by name and I am using an agility sign with my hand, where I wave the path in the air. There are soo many lessons that can be incorporated into meal time. They learn and dont even realize it is a training exercise! I make them wait at every threshold. At the door, at the gate and at their bowl. Waiting is good for so many reasons, it relaxes the pups, It gives me time to open doors safely, it is a much safer way to cross through a door or gate. And, all this helps me establish my leadership role. In the wild, pack leaders make the rest of the pack wait at mealtime. I am mimicking that behavior.

Once they are in their bowl position we also practice "stay", "watch-it" and "back-back-back" as I ask them to wait and watch their food. This helps me train for expression and a nice free-stack for the conformation show ring.
In this video I am starting with my alpha male and alpha female first, then Blanco and Celeste. The puppy is last. This routine has helped me slow the gobbling and keeps them from stealing food or fighting. The food bowls I am setting down have a mixture of my homemade blend and the Purina One classic ground. I am also throwing a few kibbles into puzzle bowls to give them a sense of abundance. Routines are great for dogs and re-wiring behaviors. This routine has helped to slow down my speed eaters and relax my older dogs from having to prove their rank in the pack. And I've gotten some valuable training in!

010926 Dinner time for the Dainty Acres Italian GreyhoundsI am always looking for ways to improve my training. I've added some puzzle bowls and stall divide...

01/11/2026

Happy Birthday Blanco, Bexar, Boerne and Brady!!!

01/09/2026

Day 89: Blanco on Rally Novice Course
010826 We have been practicing the parts of the Rally Novice Course #1 for the last 89 days and today we strung parts together. Even some that he had never done before! What you dont see in this video was our practice run just before this video, where I had bait in my hand and lured him to and through each sign. But I made him wait to eat the bait until we got to the treat table. The treat table is a word and a reward location that I use to bundle rewards and delay the reward. I can also use the word to get his mind back on the job as well. In that practice run we did the first 3 signs, then ran to the table to get the treat. Did the next 6 signs and then ran to the treat table to get another bundle of treats. So he was primed to anticipate what we would do and knew he would get treats after. Here in this video, we started with the heel/sit at the start sign. Just like in real competition we did the course without bait, made him wait for his pay until the end at the treat table.
Yes, it is loosy goosy, all this course work needs to be tightened up, meaning he is weavy and not in a proper heel position. At this point I am not worried about that. We can tighten that up as his confidence grows. His "sit" at sign 3 (Halt Left Turn Forward #34) was crooked and it included a "down", but he is trying to anticipate me and guess. We going through the stage of learning where he is doing what I ask, but adding flair to it. The "If mom wants a sit, then a down is better and I will get more praise!" Since that is not what I want, I need to stay consistent with my request. And if he does his own thing, I need to give him the "AHHH!" My goal is for him to do the sit when I give the hand sign and say "sitz" and the down when I show and say "down". At :26, :29 and :33 he pulled away and hit the end of the slack. That would have cost me points as well. At :49 I got the down, but not the stay. If you've been watching Blanco's progress videos, you are probably excited like me about this one. Remember how bouncy he would get at the stay! This is great progress! 🛸🕊🪁

Day 89: Blanco RNV1 010826We have been practicing all the parts of the Rally Novice Course #1 for the last 89 days and today we strung the parts together. ...

01/08/2026

Stone Desert's Dainty Celestial Color got to show at the Nolan River Kennel Club dog show last weekend with both her parents watching. Proud moment for us humans and GCH Dainty's Big Red (dad) and GCH Spur Creek's Golden Rea of Sunshine (mom!) This pairing has an amazing brain for perfermance, this pup of theirs is already showing interest in learning and performing Obedience signs. And ask us about future breedings for either of these parents. Both can be viewed on the the OFA website for CHIC certification.

Stone Desert's Dainty Celestial Color got to show at the Nolan River Kennel Club dog show today with both her parents watching. Proud moment for us humans an...

01/07/2026

Day 87: Blanco Rally Novice Practice

January 6, 2026 - We are back from the dog show and hitting the new year and the training studio with renewed enthusiasm. Blanco got to hear us celebrating Redmond's success in Glen Rose Texas last weekend and said he wanted to do the big boy course today. Blanco is such a high achiever!

Day 87: Blanco Rally Novice Practice