Flirting with Powdery Mildew

Last June, I wrote about my struggles with cabbage moths/worms & powdery mildew.

I picked cabbage worms & eggs off the collards & brussels sprouts as diligently as I could all summer, but I just wasn't able to get out there often enough to stop the little guys from destroying the plants. We didn't eat a single collard last year. Knowing that I won't have a lot of time during the week this year, either, I have turned to industry! There is a kind of bacteria that only attacks cabbage worms that you can spray on the leaves, & let me tell you, it's really working some magic -- we are barely keeping up with the harvest. And best of all, this is considered appropriate for organic gardening because it is only toxic to the cabbage worms -- it won't destroy everything other bug that happens to be around, & it's non-toxic to humans or other animals.

As for the peas, this week I saw the first signs of powdery mildew! Again, I am turning to industry. This morning, I applied an organic-certified sulphur-based fungicide, & am crossing my fingers that it will stop the spread of the spores.

While I was at the hardware store buying the fungicide, I remembered that I've been wanting to make a flirt pole -- basically a giant cat toy, but for dogs -- for Pickles, & picked up the materials while I was there: pvc pipe, rope, dog toy. It's great exercise for them, without being too exhausting for the human involved. It also is a great learning game -- by following the rules (stopping, starting, dropping the toy, etc. on command), they get better & better at self-control even when excited.

At my hardware store, they only sell pvc pipe in 10-foot lengths, so I decided to make two -- one 4-foot one for outdoors, & one 2-foot one for indoors.

First, I cut the pipe down to 4-foot & 2-foot lengths:

Then I threaded some clothesline through the pipes:

I knotted the rope at both ends of the pipes:

And then I tied on the toys:

I wasn't sure how interested in the flirt pole Pickles would actually be, so knowing that she gets very excited about new toys, so I got her this nice squeaky hamburger. For the short pole, I tied on the remains of her beloved panda that Mama & Papa O'Brien sent her:

Here's a guy from Bad Rap -- an organization that helps pit bulls & supports owners in the Bay Area, & does a lot of work to combat negative stereotypes & myths about pit bulls -- showing how a flirt pole works:


Training Video: Flirt Pole Basics from BADRAP.org on Vimeo.


Here's what Pickles had to say about the flirt pole:



What a good sit/stay! What patience!

With her knees being so delicate, we need to keep the movement in straight lines, & avoid any jumping. Now that we see that she likes it, we're going to have to practice alone to get the hang of how best to do this while protecting her knees. It's trickier than it looks!