Poochie Mama

My Ditto

2012-01-20T09:20:00.000-08:00

This is my goofy puppy Ditto - just about 11 months now! Wow - where did the time go. She has such a sense of humor. She loves to sit on my head when I'm on my laptop & she'll sit there until I kick her off... It's funny - I have 4 papillons & everyone of them is a different personality. This one seems to be the goofy girl. She has been a bold puppy right from the start - loves big dogs, has tons of energy & does funny things all the time. She tried to climb the ladder when I went up it to paint, got a holy roller stuck on her head more than once (it was broken so she could get her head in) & loves to sit up in the highest point in the room. She's great fun to train & loves to work. I have spent quite a bit of time doing foundation work with her & it's really beginning to pay off. She is able to work through distractions & has great focus. Now we're starting to work on some really fun stuff - 2x2 weaves and contact training. Wish me luck!

Trial results

2012-01-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

We just finished our first trial of 2012.
I ran Blast & Bizzie in 3 runs each day opting out of challenge & Snooker - don't think they are the best thing for building confidence...
Sat was a little disappointing - no Q's, but both dogs were running happy, which is my first concern. The gamble was pretty difficult - only 5 dogs Q'd out of maybe 80 dogs.
Biz is still getting off courses - those tunnels are so rewarding to her! Blast continues to like 10" & is running pretty well - I have to remember how far he has come! Ditto came to hang out & meet new people & dogs... she did very well. She's still very forward & pretty much loves everyone.
Sunday, we ran Steeplechase & both dogs ran it very well - in the same time! 4.59 yps - I'm happy with that! The other 2 runs were both standard runs & a little tricky... off courses got Biz again & Blast decided to blow contacts.
It was really cold inside & out so it was nice to get home into a hot bath!

2012

2012-01-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

Well, it's now a new year & hopefully new & exciting times lie ahead!
Ditto is pretty much grown up now, well, her body anyways - she can be quite a willfull puppy so although she likes to work, she can be very independent... still working on that recall & on retrieves. She won't be a year until Feb, so she's still young.

I decided to move Blast to specials, so now he just has to jump 10". Although he really is a good jumper & quite athletic, dropping him to 10" seemed to take some pressure off & he seems happier & running much faster - which of course is a problem - for me! I need to get into better shape so I can keep up!

Bizzie is still a work in progress - still building confidence - she has some great runs & some OK runs. Trying to keep her body in good shape seems to be a bit of a problem - just had her at the chiropractor today & she really seems to need regular adjustments to be able to run well. I probably need to get her on a regular program of massage & chiropractic adjustments.

Boo is still the little nuisance in the house - he just has the most annoying bark - something between a crow & a duck! He still loves to tear around the yard with the rest of the crew, & barks at all the birds...

Definately lots to work on this year - as long as we all stay healthy I'll be happy!

Puppy Antics

2011-10-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

Well I can't believe it but Ditto is 8 mo old now! Where did the time go?

She has been quite the little character! Here are some random photos.

She tried to climb the ladder when I was painting, played with the aloof sheltie,
& got her head stuck in a ball!

Training is going well I think - she's quite willful so she can be challenging, but she loves to work & learn! She can now do a teeter & is starting to learn a 2 on 2 off contact for the frame & dogwalk. We have started some jump work & we are still playing lots!

I'm enjoying her so much!

Drum Roll Please........

2011-08-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to a wonderful trial in Lethbridge hosted by the Go Dog Go kids.They have such a wonderful group there, they set a great example for agility clubs!

I just took Bizzie & Blast & stayed in a hotel (haven't done that for awhile)

Bizzie & I still have lots of work to do - we had no qualifiers all weekend, but our timing is really off, Biz is not paying attention very well & actually peed in the ring (after peeing right before our run). Not sure if she's still recovering from her puppies but I'll need to keep an eye on her.

Blast also did not run very well - he was really distracted, but it was a new site for him & anything new is always a challenge for him. He barked pretty much all weekend, which was very distracting for me as well as others I'm sure. I actually got lost on course 3 times, haven't done that for a very long time.

The up side to all of this is that ........ wait for it ................. Blast earned his ATCHC!

He needed one more gamble Q, & it wasn't pretty, but we got the job done. Thanks to Shirley Ann Redl for the nice course & to Wendy Devent from Paws on the Run Photography for the great photos - taken right after we Q'd.

Trip to BC

2011-07-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

We did a quick trip to BC for a family wedding.... we loaded up the RV with all 6 dogs & away we went! After the wedding we were going to visit friends in Kimberley - they are dog people so it was like a vacation for our pups!

This is Bizzie doing what she does best!

Boo was the official bird hunter - he was hilarious & just had a great time!

Blast ran his little legs off & had great fun playinng with the border collies!

This is Ditto playing in the water fountain - she had so much fun - lots of opportunity to work on her recall & she did great!

New Beginnings

2011-07-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty hectic around here lately. I have been babysitting my 2 yr old grandson quite a bit while his mom had another baby boy! His name is Charlie & he's a big'un - 8 lb 11 oz, which is a lot for a girl who normally wears a size 2!

Quinn, the big brother loves Bizzie so here are some pics of the 2 of them! He says "Bizzie talks"

which is a nice way of saying she's a yapillon!

AAC Regionals

2011-06-14T10:49:00.001-07:00

Well, our agility Regionals is now over. There were some great moments & some not so great!
Helping on the organizing committee is quite stressful when you are already running a couple of dogs, but the committee were such great people to work with, it was never a problem.

Blast had an oops on his first run - of course it was jumpers which he likes the best! He peed in the ring, which was my fault since I didn't get to pee him right before his run... my dogs aren't in the same height category, but there were only a few dogs in between, so my time management didn't work out so well... He was clean in the first standard run, but took some time to enjoy the view from the top of the A-frame & also had a few distracted moments. He didn't get very many points in the gamble opening, but he did get the gamble. Day 2 was better with a 5 fault standard, a clean jumpers & he did get the gamble. In the end he did qualify with over 400 points & placed 11th, which was pretty good for him considering our 0 point first run.

Bizzie was coming off maternity leave, so I didn't have any great expectations for her & it's a good thing I didn't! We weren't working as a team at all, she was very distracted, visiting the judge, taking many extra tunnels, etc. She should have got both gambles, but the lure of the tunnel sucked her in! She managed a clean jumpers run at the end of the weekend, but it was still not very pretty! She didn't qualify, I think about 20 pts short, but was 5th place in her division. She's off getting spayed today, so she'll need some time to recover before we start back training.

Boo came along for the weekend, so I put him in steeplechase just for fun. He had a great time & won both the steeplechase preliminary runs. He ran in the final & actually got a 3rd place ribbon! Not bad for a little guy who's had no training for over a year! That was probably the most fun of the weekend for me! He's like a comfortable old slipper compared to running the young'uns!

Ditto was a good puppy all weekend & met lots of new people & dogs. She loves the big dogs & had some fun playtimes!

I think we'll all have a little time off now & I can get my house back in order & await the birth of my 4th grandchild!

Fun Weekend

2011-05-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time in Medicine Hat this past weekend - that group always puts on a great trial (no matter what the weather does!) Weather wise we had a little of everything! (no snow thank goodness!)
I knew Blast would have a tough time coping with all the distractions of an outdoor trial & I was right - he was very unfocused, slow, worried, etc... very frustrating after all this time.
He finally managed to keep it together enough to get a snooker Q on Saturday. Sunday he was worse I think - not sure if the thunder bothered him or what - I ended up carrying him off the course in snooker when he kept bailing off the teeter. The last 2 runs were jumpers & he did Q both of them - Wayne ran him for one & I ran the other. Hope he can get his act together before Regionals... not much time left.
This was Bizzie's 2nd trial post puppies & I wasn't sure what to expect. She was running fast, but we didn't have great connection. She did manage a jumpers Q & was running a really nice snooker until I screwed up, but my goal was that she run & have fun, which she did.
Just for fun, I let Boo run a steeplechase & 2 jumpers courses. Wow, I've never seen him run so fast! He was awesome - the first jumpers was one of those runs where you're so in tune with each other it's just magic! The little guy still knows the game!
Ditto had a fun time at the trial - lots of visiting, played with Catch, a sheltie puppy, & was a very good girl. So far she is just a great puppy & easy to manage!
All in all, a good time was had by all! Next weekend, another trial in Olds, but just for one day!

Ditto & her playmate

2011-05-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

Of all the dogs in our house, Cactus
is the least playful.. she's the typical aloof sheltie & it's really beneath her to play, although she's not above stealing a toy & "storing" it in her kennel!
So Ditto seems to be on a mission to get Cactus to play! Cactus is not impressed...
(The pink shirt is just to cover a little rash she had on her belly)

Ditto went to her first puppy kindergarten class & did really well. There were puppies there from 9 wks old to 6 mo old. We had some instruction & then playtime. I was really impressed that she could play & tug with all that was going on! She really wanted to get a good game of chase me going, but didn't really have any takers. I think next week the dogs will be a little more relaxed & ready to play.

Size doesn't matter..

2011-05-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I had Ditto in for her shots yesterday... I weighed her & she's 4.5 lbs! She's huge! At 12 wks, Bizzie was only 2.8 lbs, and she's now about 6 lbs. She's still a great puppy - very inquisitive, friendly, loves people (just like her mom). She hasn't met too many other dogs since I was waiting for those second shots. She really can hold her own with our other dogs... we'll see how she does with dogs she doesn't know.
She hasn't mastered coming down the stairs yet, & keeps running up them & then gets very annoyed that she can't get down. She does all the cute puppy things like barking at herself in the mirror! I am so enjoying her!
Blast has just discovered that he can go toy shopping in the puppy pen just by jumping in, & today he enjoyed Ditto's lunch! Have to watch that boy every minute!
Bizzie still plays a lot with Ditto, but jumps on the couch to get away from her when she's had enough... well, it won't be long before Ditto is going to make it up onto the couch...

Still having lots of problems with my hip & leg, hopefully can be feeling better soon - doing lots of physio & chiro.

Learning...

2011-05-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

Puppies are like sponges - I can't believe how quickly they learn things - the good & the bad!
Of course I think Ditto is brilliant! She seems to be a thinker & can actually pay attention (for a short time, anyways). She can now sit, come when called, nose touch my hand, potty on command & tug. I really want to make sure she is well socialized, but I'm still careful where I take her until she's had her 2nd set of shots. She really holds her own with the other dogs & loves the game of chase! Her & Bizzie (her mum) play a lot until Biz has had enough of her!
She really gives it her all to try to jump up onto the couch but still can't quite make it - I figure another week or 2 & she'll be there! Then Biz won't be able to escape her sneak attacks!

While I'm spending lots of time with Ditto, I'm trying to get Bizzie back into shape. She wouldn't run at the last seminar I was at (last weekend) so I don't think she's ready yet - not sure if it's a physical or mental thing. It really took her a long time after her last litter to want to play agility. At least I can get her spayed soon - hopefully that will take care of the hormone issues.

I haven't done much training lately since I seem to have some problems with my hip - have been going to physio, so hope it's feeling better soon. Blast has been doing quite well, but we'll see what happens when we start to trial outdoors - he really has a hard time with distractions.

We have 3 trials coming up in the next little while, then it's our regionals, so hope we can keep it together! I even entered Boo in a trial - just in jumpers & a steeplechase run, so he will be very excited!

A Day in the Life of a Puppy

2011-05-05T07:55:00.001-07:00

Puppies are so much fun! They play, play, play!

Gee, can I go play with the big kids?

Look- I can sit still for a nano second!

Puppy Love

2011-04-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it! Decided to keep one of Bizzie's puppies. Once I made that decision, I had to decide which of the black & white girls to keep.... one of them looks exactly like Bizzie, the other one is a little bigger with more white blaze on her face. As it turned out, she chose me - I called her Ditto, and she is not the Bizzie look alike! She is the most people focused of the pups & so far has been awesome! She sleeps all night in her kennel, she travels well in the car, she plays tug. She already knows to potty on her "grass" which is a piece of artificial grass on the deck. Of course that may be the only grass we see this year - it's snowing like crazy right now - AGAIN!

I just love this little puppy - just hope I do all the right training things with her! She runs around with the other dogs & really holds her own - not intimidated by the bigger dogs - she dives under the coffee table & tries to play with them - even Boo, who is really not impressed! She torments her mom, grabbing her ears & hanging on them!

Puppy Fun

2011-03-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Bizzie's pups are almost 5 wks old now! I can't believe how fast the time went.
One week makes a huge difference.... they are running around & love to go backwards, which is really funny. They play fight & can make quite the noises.
Their ears are coming up now & they can eat from a bowl. They love to play in the water dish.
They are so cute I could sit & watch them all day!
Here are some head shots from this morning...

First is Sable Boy (Sting), then Sable Girl, then B & W Girl

B & W Girl - her ears are up now! She looks most like her momma

Puppy Love

2011-03-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is the sable boy - I think he'll be very handsome!

This is a black & white girl - looks a lot like her momma!

Bizzie's puppies are just over 3 wks old now. This is the fun time when they start to be little dogs. They can now motor around pretty well & have started to play a bit with each other - kinda starts out by accident, so it's funny to watch. Next week I will move them into a bigger pen in the kitchen so they can get used to more activity & the other dogs running around & playing.
It will be interesting to see how Critter reacts - she had puppies last year & she's quite sure Bizzie needs her help right now. Bizzie doesn't really see it that way!

I'm anxious for Bizzie to get back into shape so that we can start training again. I would like to run her at regionals this June if she is ready, but if it's too much for her, we'll work up to it more slowly. I am taking her to a chiropractor in a couple of wks, so hopefully we'll see how she is. It took a very long time for her to recover mentally & physically from her last litter, so I hope I can have a better plan this time to get her back to having a fun time at agility.

Apart from agility, I've been working on more tricks with Blast. He loves to learn & at some point I'd like to do some freestyle with him. Right now we're working on weaving backwards through my legs. I need some ideas for some more cool tricks, so if you have any ideas, please let me know!

Puppy Update

2011-03-10T13:29:00.000-08:00

Well, Bizzie's puppies are now 2 wks old. All doing well!

This is the sable boy. He's really adorable.

This is the sable girl. I haven't quite figured out who the noisy one is, but my money's on her!

Here are the black & white girls! I still have a soft spot for the black & whites!

The other dogs are quite jealous of all the attention that Bizzie & her pups get. Critter is very interested & is always trying to sneak in to see the pups. I'm sure she remembers her pups & is always watching Bizzie closely! The puppies are now starting to use their legs & climb out of their bed to find momma! One of them gets quite snarky when another puppy tries to move her from the milk bar! They are just now starting to get a personality - the next week will bring lots of changes!

Puppy Update

2011-03-04T07:31:00.001-08:00

Puppies are now 8 days old, and about 12 oz. Bizzie is being a very good mom. It's so surprising to me how active these little guys are when they don't even have their eyes open yet! They are very vocal (hope that's not a prediction of the future!) They have lots of color, which I like. I haven't come up with any clever names for them yet, but think I may call one of them Dora the Explorer - she's always climbing out of the little donut bed & wandering around the crate screaming for her mommy!

Introducing.....

2011-02-28T08:42:00.001-08:00

Here is Bizzie's new litter. She did it again - the x-ray showed 3 pups again and once again she popped out an extra one!

She had 3 girls & 1 boy - 2 dark sables & 2 black & whites. These are bigger pups than her last litter & are really active already. Very difficult to get photos when they won't stay still! Lots of color in their coats & quite interesting markings. One little girl looks like she has a mustache! Bizzie is a great mom & very protective of her little ones. Here's a couple of photos. Will try to get some more later.

Bizzie Bee

2011-02-21T10:23:00.001-08:00

Well, Bizzie's puppies are due soon - not soon enough if you ask her!
She's absolutely huge - has gained almost 2 pounds, which is a lot on a 6 pound papillon!
I feel so bad for her, she's so uncomfortable - she just goes outside to pee, then comes back in & flops down on something soft.
Her Xray showed 3 pups, but we'll wait & see - last time she had 4.
Wish her an easy delivery - those puppies look pretty big on the xray!

Trial Results

2011-02-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

Well, it was a fun, interesting weekend. Our trial is at a barn where we've been many times before, but the minute we walked in the door, Blast started to sniff the ground like crazy. Not sure if he could smell mice, horse poop or what. This is not a regular behavior for him, so it took me a bit by surprise.
Our first run was jumpers & Blast ran the entire course with his nose on the ground. GRRRR! We were overtime since it takes a little time to sniff every inch of the course & then pop over the jump!
We managed a Steeplechase Q next - the part I was happiest with was we got the weave pole entries both times & they were not nice angles! Then we ran a really nice Standard course which earned us a 1st place & a Q and a Title! That's his Masters Agility Dog of Canada! Yeah Blast - never thought that we would get there...
Next run was gamblers & he was back to sniffing again, so poor results there.
Sunday started with gamblers & it was back to drifting off - my mistake - I should have just run closely with him & not tried to send him to any mini gambles... I swear one of these days I'll learn!
The next standard course had a few tricky parts & we ended up with 10 faults, but again we got the weaves just fine. He bailed off the teeter once, which was odd...
The last run was Snooker, & we really had to work for it, but got another Q! I'm finding those front crosses are really the answer for us - just have to make sure I get into the right position.

Anyhow, I'm really happy with our progress - as they say - "We've come a long way, Baby!"

Trial weekend

2011-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Blast & I are trialing this weekend. We'll see how it goes. We haven't been to the Fez Dome where the trial is held for quite a while so hopefully he'll keep his act together. Our first run is usually wild & wacky & this time it's jumpers, so it could be fun! LOL!

On the home front, Bizzie is definately pregnant. I weighed her yesterday - she's now 4.0 kilos - started out at 3.3, so that's a gain of .7 kilos, or 1 1/2 lbs, which is quite a bit for a 7 lb princess.
Her due date is Feb 27, I can hardly wait!

Bizzie Bee

Winter

2011-01-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

Well, it's cold & snowy again! Last week we had some nice weather so I let the dogs out of the dog run to play in the snow-

Blast was making snow angels, but here he is waiting to pounce on Critter!

Boo - posing for the side profile!

This is Critter jumping through the snow!

Here's Cactus checking out airplanes!

And Bizzie, well, she had a look & went back to bed... She was bred at Christmas time, & I'm quite sure she is pregnant since she's very mopey & gaining weight.

Weekend Trial

2011-01-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was our first trial of the year. I entered Blast in everything. I was quite pleased with his performance overall.
Gamblers was first & he was very distracted by the dogs warming up right behind him.. still has major distraction issues. He did the first mini gamble (a pinwheel) & then left the ring to find the "fun" dogs. In retrospect, I should have kept him moving away from the startline.
He would have Q'd the Challenge course but came back out of a tunnel close to the end of the course - still have to remember not to leave too early. I had a few brain farts on the weekend - guess I need to work on my walking the course skills! The only other issues we had were a slip off the teeter, & a couple of weave pole entry problems. He actually earned his Masters Snooker title! He also got a Masters Standard Q, so he was a pretty good boy.

I didn't run Bizzie, as she was bred over the Christmas holiday.

I did however, run Cactus & Critter on Sat, since Wayne couldn't come. Wow, Cactus is very evil - I'm sure she tried to kill me! Anyhow, it was an experience trying to run her - on the up side, she did get all her contacts - yup - that's what I said! Critter only ran 2 runs & got her starters gamble, but was worried & slow in the jumpers round.

I let Boo run the jumpers course & he was so excited! He ran well, but we took an off course jump (I never did run that course clean after 3 tries!) Anyhow, it was fun to see him be so happy to be at a trial & visit all his old buddies - just for the cookies of course!

This & That

2011-01-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

Well, it is now 2011! Hard to believe, but true!
Last year was a difficult year for me, I had to retire my little Boo at 6 yrs young due to disk problems in his back. Bizzie also had back issues, which thankfully we got sorted out with some chiropractic & massage. I had some minor surgery so was not able to run for a couple of months. Then my mom was in hospital for about 2 months, so I was visiting her daily. Anyhow, all of these things took time away from any kind of training plan. Hopefully we can now get back on track.

Bizzie was just bred over the Christmas holiday, so she will be out of commission for a few months. This should be her last breeding, so hope all goes well.

Blast is always a work in progress! He is running much faster with more confidence now, but now I have to really be in the right place at the right time. When he is paying attention, he is very responsive to the slightest move by me, so it is a challenge to keep him on course. He is such a goofy boy - he gets freaked out by anything new or changed in our home. We just got a new front load washer & dryer & he's absolutely freaked by the washer - it makes new sounds & you can see things move inside the washer! Very scary!

My goal for him this year is to try to find a way to get him to work with more distractions. He is much better at indoor trials since there is less to distract him. My goal for myself is to get into better physical condition so that I can run faster myself!

I have been doing rally classes with Boo, & he's doing quite well. His heeling position isn't great, but because he is so small, it's hard for him to stay right beside me cause he can't see my face. We're working on a straighter sit & he has to learn a "stand", which is something I've never trained before. We may take him to a trial this year just to see how he does.

Humble Pie

2010-11-22T07:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm eating lots of humble pie these days. 2 weekends ago, Bizzie was awesome in our CAA trial - she Q'd 6 out of 7 runs, finished her MAD, & finally got her last Adv Jumpers Q. She was a really good little girl, even got both gambles although they both had tunnels, so that was right up her alley! Fast forward to this past weekend... we did a standard course in a fun league & she was a complete brat! She had at least 5 off courses, jumped off the top of the Dogwalk, didn't listen...
Blast did well at the CAA trial - Q'd 3 out of 7 runs & only had a few bobbles in the others. He had 2 bars, both on doubles, so obviously that's something we need to work on. First time ever he's knocked a bar, however he's running faster & with more confidence now. In the fun league he just had 5 faults for a refusal, which was part of a mini zoomie!
I have to admit my dogs haven't had my attention or much exercise for the past month since my mom's in the hospital, so I spend most of the day there. And of course the weather is frigid & those little feet can't seem to tolerate the cold.
I signed Boo up for another Rally course, CKC this time, so we'll see how he does. He actually did pretty well the first course we took, which was CARO. Not sure we'll ever compete, but you never know.

Thankful for...

2010-10-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for family, friends, and good health! (Dogs of course fall into the family category)

The Dr gave me the go ahead to go back to normal activity following my surgery, so now I need to get into shape before the next trial! So this I"m thankful for!

Bizzie seems to be feeling so much better - hope it transfers over to trial situations - this I'm also thankful for!

I'm thankful for the beautiful weather we've been having lately...

Oh, and I'm thankful that my pumpkin pie turned out absolutely wonderful!

Ramblings

2010-09-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been over a month since I've written anything. We've been taking a break from agility, and the weather has been horrid until lately, so not much outdoor training for us.

We did go to the RDOG (Responsible Dog Ownership Day) at Bowness Park last weekend. I took both Blast & Bizzie with me. There were several demos set up, an agility course, a rally course, some frisbee, and some scent hurdling. Of course there were several rescue groups there as well.
Bizzie seems to be feeling so much better, but her naughty side seems to be more prevalent. She's quite the diva & likes to bark to get attention. Will be working on that one! Blast had lots of fun - I did a rally course with him (he's done no rally or obedience) but I think he did better than Boo, who's had 5 lessons! Boo skitters around so quickly, it's hard to reward behaviors at the right time.
Blast also passed the Canine Good Neighbor test (not the official one..).

I took Bizzie & Blast out to the barn for a quick agility run a week ago. Blast ran well for Dante, actually, probably better than he runs for me... hmm... Since I'm still not cleared from the Dr to run, I did some sending with Bizzie & she seems to have her old spirit back.

Other than that, we've been working on some more tricks... Last week I bent over to pick something up from the floor & Blast jumped up on my back! A trick we haven't even practiced for ages.. he's quite the character!

We've entered an agility trial in October, so hopefully we'll all be healthy by then!

New Word - Agilcation

2010-08-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

Well, we're all taking a small break from active agility - thus the word agil-cation.
I had my surgery yesterday (just minor), but I can't do any running, lifting, vacuuming, etc for 6 wks. so I have to find ways to keep the dogs busy. Bizzie is taking a break until her back is feeling all better, so we've been doing some tricks. I'm also going to try to do some work to strengthen her core - so if anyone has any good exercises for that please let me know... I have a peanut ball...
Blast & I are always working on tricks, but he needs to run.. and Boo & I just started a rally class. I can probably work some distance stuff with Blast in the back yard, but I'll need to get someone to run him on some courses.

Unfortunately I have to miss some agility trials that would have been fun - will miss my pals in Lethbridge this weekend..

Boo was quite funny at the rally class, hopefully he will settle down a little! He of course needs to learn the basics of heeling, etc...

AAC Nationals

2010-08-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it's all over now. The AAC Nationals was a great time! The largest National event ever! I was happy to be running at all since I didn't think my dogs would qualify. I saw some really great runs & wonderful dogs & handlers - they seem to get faster every year! The judges were great, the volunteers awesome, the weather wonderful, & the venue was gorgeous! My compliments & thanks to the organizers - what a huge undertaking!
My goal for this year was to finish all the runs & have Blast stay with me in the ring.
We completed all of our runs & he did some sightseeing, but always came back to me. He was very taken with a speedy little Sheltie that ran before us once on Sunday & he was glued to the startline still swiveling his head around looking for her while I was giving him the OK to start. Kinda funny, but not really! With all the distractions at a large event like Nat's & the challenging courses, I was very happy with my boy! We still have lots of work to do, but he's come a long way baby! There were 72 dogs in our division, so it was very competitive!

Bizzie had another Chiro adjustment & a lovely massage & she seems to be feeling much better now. I'm giving her 6 wks off any agility training, so hopefully the rest will be good for her.

I think I'm going to try to do some Rally with Boo - he's feeling rather neglected these days & can't figure out why he doesn't get to play agility any more.

A New Adventure

2010-07-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything for quite a while - it seems only people who comment in Chinese read this blog & I can't understand their comments! LOL!
Anyhow, our Nationals is just 2 wks away & I haven't been doing much with Blast. Just some work in the back yard. His biggest problem is distractions, which is not the easiest thing to work on. We've been working weave pole entries every day.

So I decided to take Blast to the tryouts for Superdogs a couple of wks ago. He did really well & got a "call back". So off to Stampede Park we went! There were of course as many distractions as you can possibly think of! When I took him to the potty area for the dogs, every so often he would see a ride appear above the trucks beside us & of course that scared him. In between shows we practiced & he was relaxed & was able to play ball & did all the equipment - corkscrew tunnels, "log jumps", 24 weave poles, puissance jump, etc. These are all things he'd never seen before.
Then we got the opportunity to go out in a real show in a relay race. Just as we were lining up to go out, they brought out a giant inflatable dog that was about 10 feet tall, & of course he was dancing around right at the end of the relay where we were running! Well, poor Blast, he did the first few jumps & then lost it! He ran barking up to the mascot, hackles raised, scared to death!
Although the crowd thought it was funny, I felt really bad that he was so afraid.
On the plus side he came out for the "pat & chat" where all the little kids come over to maul the dogs, oops, I mean meet the dogs, & he was a really good boy.

So that was our big adventure! (Another thing to tick off my bucket list!)

Drum Roll Please.....

2010-06-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

We did it! Still can't believe it! Blast & I qualified to go to Nationals! It wasn't pretty, but we actually finished with 423 points I think!

I really didn't think I would qualify with Blast or Bizzie & was disappointed not to be running my steady guy Boo, so it was a huge surprise to me that we made it. Anyone who knows Blast will understand that it's been a difficult road for us - although he tries hard, he is so easily distracted I have to try to keep him with me the entire run. The only faults he had on Sunday were time faults, incurred by running to the fence to check out the dog who was barking, etc. What a good boy - I'm so proud of him.

Bizzie didn't quite make it - one off course too many. She was not running well at all & I could tell she wasn't feeling good. I finally took her to the chiropractor on Sunday & she had a huge adjustment (jaw, neck, shoulder, mid back & pelvis). I did have her adjusted before we left but it was a minor adjustment, so not sure what happened in between. Between that & really soaking her down to cool her off, she finally started to run in gamblers - did 14 obstacles, but got distracted in the final gamble by the spectators & dogs ... too bad since it was a gamble she could have done. Anyhow, it's OK, she's still fairly inexperienced & I didn't expect her to qualify.

We did have a great time, the courses were not easy, the judges were great, & it was wonderful to see some friends have great successes!

Off to Regionals

2010-06-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we're off to Regionals this week. It will seem odd to not be running Boo this year, but I'm now sure that I made the right decision. I was worried about running 3 dogs, so now I'm down to 2 dogs, which will be plenty. This is their first Regionals, so I don't have high expectations, we're just there to have fun.

I had Bizzie at the chiropractor today (another adjustment) so hopefully she's feeling better.

While I was there, I had Catharine look at Boo's Xrays & she did confirm what my other vet told me. She also thought he had some involvement in his neck. Although I feel better about my decision, it still seems unfair that such a young dog should have his career end so early. But as I wrote before, he's first a pet, then an agility dog, so now he gets to live a life of leisure! Well, he's also the fun police when the other dogs get too unruly playing!

I sure hope the weather cooperates... it's been so cold & rainy this spring, we've hardly had any chance to practice outdoors. Anyhow, wish us luck & hope the courses aren't too daunting!

Tough Decision

2010-06-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

This post is about my little guy Boo. He just turned 6 last month. I got him at 9 months & he was not the easiest dog to train. He was a show dog but didn't have the best nature & was dismissed from the ring for growling at the judge, etc. He knew nothing when I got him, & he was very spoiled. He was probably not the best candidate for your first agility dog!
We worked a long time together before things started to mesh... he would only do a couple of obstacles, then leave or refuse to do anything. He was very slow & velcro & wouldn't leave my side. Then at the end of the run, I could never catch him. Slowly things started to come together. We went to 4 AAC Nationals together... the first year we didn't qualify at Regionals, so we drove out to BC to volunteer, & I entered Boo in Steeplechase - he won his division! Huge surprise!
Then the next year we qualified to go to Nationals, so we went to Ontario & he came 3rd overall in his division. Another huge surprise! He also won the Steeplechase final for the 6" dogs! Money & everything!
I won't bore you with all the details, but the next 2 Nationals he placed 4th & 7th & finally got some gambles. He has since become a pretty good little gambler!

Boo has always hated the teeter & I always suspected that the jolt at the end jarred his back. He would always do it in training (when the treats trumped the pain) but not in trials.
I did start taking him to a chiropractor, who adjusted his back, & he seemed to run quite well.
Last week his back seemed to be really sore & he started screaming when we picked him up, etc. Off to the vet we went. After xrays & much poking & prodding, we determined that he has a protruded disk in his middle back. He's on crate rest right now, as well as muscle relaxants & medicam, so he's feeling much better. The vet explained that he could probably still feel well enough to run agility, but if he had a jar to his back, more disk could leak out & there would be a possiblity of paralysis. I just couldn't see us having fun running courses anymore if I was worrying & he was hurting, so I made the tough decision to retire him from agility. He may still run the odd jumpers course if I feel he's really itching to get out there, but otherwise he's done - no more teeters for the little guy. With AAC Nationals here in Calgary this year, it was disappointing to not be able to run him here if we qualified, but it's just a game & he is first & foremost my pet Boo.

The Weird, The Worriesome, & the Wacko

2010-06-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Weird - I left the house for a bit yesterday & crated the dogs as I always do. (We just got Critter back after her maternity leave.)
When I came home, I let the dogs out & Critter was crying in her crate, kind of sitting with her front paws in front of her. I encouraged her to come out & she couldn't walk... Everytime she tried to walk, her front legs sort of collapsed & she went down on her face. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, but I was really concerned. I put her on the couch on her back to try to assess the problem & finally realized that she had her two front dew claws hooked together! Don't know how she did it, but of course everytime she tried to pull them apart, it hurt. Anyhow, we got them unhooked & she's just fine, but isn't that weird!

The Worriesome - I thought Boo was a little sore on sunday morning, so I didn't take him out to our CAA practice. He's had some chiropractic adjustments on his back, so I thought I'd make him an appt for this week. But yesterday, when I went to pick him up he just screamed & was shaking - he was definately in a lot of pain. I took him to the vet & his mid back & hip are both extremely painful. He's on crate rest for 2 wks, as well as Medicam. I'm having him Xrayed on Thurs, so hopefully it's not a disk problem. Keep your fingers crossed. With Regionals in less than 3 wks, I'm quite concerned he won't be able to run.

The Wacko - well, that's just Blast! Lovable as ever, but he sure has his quirks!

Whee Wednesday

2010-05-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

We did the Whee Wed evening trial with all the dogs this week.
It was a "Regionals Prep", so we ran Gamblers, Standard, & Jumpers.
As you can imagine, with everyone getting ready for Regionals, there were a lot of people there. We didn't get home until nearly 1 AM...

We started with Gamblers - Boo did an awesome opening, got the mini with weaves twice, but the closing had the formidable teeter in it... however, it was the 2nd to last obstacle, & it was almost the finish line - Boo did the best teeter he's ever done & got the gamble! Yeah Boo!
Blast & Bizzie are still in Adv Gamblers, so they ran FEO... Blast qualified & had a pretty nice run, Bizzie would have qualified, but she was overtime since she took the scenic route & did the DW before we started the gamble, but they both got the gamble! A great start to the evening.

Standard was next, & it had some tricky parts... Boo was clean up to the 2nd last obstacle - that same teeter in the same place & I thought, oh, he's going to do it & the little bugger ran past the teeter! So much for that! Bizzie ran pretty well, but had a couple of oopsies, popped out of the weaves on the 10th pole... so she didn't Q. Blast did pretty much the same, missed a jump when I thought he was committed, but he ran pretty well.

Jumpers was last, it was getting really late & I think the dogs were really tired... Boo was overtime, which surprised me - he started off slow, but sped up in the middle.
Blast ran awesome, but he came out the tunnel entrance at the beginning, which he's done a few times in the past, but the rest was clean & really nice.
Bizzie said it's past her bed time, & was trotting around, so I picked her up & left.
I think hormones play a big part in her behavior, & she just came into heat yesterday, so I'll chalk it up to that.

It was a really long evening, but lots of fun anyways!

Oh, & the big news, Cactus got all her contacts & Q'd the Standard run!

Trials & Tribulations

2010-05-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

We came back from our first outdoor trial this past weekend. The weather was really crappy.
I knew Blast would have a tough time with more distractions than usual & also the ring is not fenced, just a rope around it which is above his head, so that didn't help.
Fri nite was cool & very windy. I only ran the dogs in Steeplechase. Boo managed a Q, Blast was very stressed & ran out of the ring to poop. (The judge said he should have got a Q for leaving the ring to do it!) Bizzie did a little fiddling around, so she was slightly over time.
Sat morning was very cool, around 2 degrees. Bizzie ran well & earned a Q in the first Masters Standard course, so I was very happy with that. Boo had 5 faults, but I can't remember why... he really didn't want to do the teeter again... urgh... Blast was distracted by the dogs warming up & couldn't concentrate.
By the time we ran the second Masters standard, it was raining & blowing & Bizzie just walked around looking at me like - you must be kidding... Blast was once again distracted by the dogs warming up (both times the weave poles were at that side of the course, so he couldn't weave)
Only Blast ran snooker, & he managed a Q, by then there were no dogs warming up cause everyone was trying to stay inside their tents to stay dry.
Last course of the day was jumpers & I pulled Boo & Bizzie due to the weather. Blast ran pretty well, but he missed the first jump so had 5 faults. At least the weather didn't bother him.
Sunday started off cool & windy as well. Boo ran a beautiful opening in Gamblers, but there was a teeter in the final gamble, so he refused to do it...
Bizzie & Blast both got the Adv gamble, so I was really happy with that. I haven't done much distance work with either one of them. Boo got another Steeplechase Q, but I didn't enter the others. Biz was eliminated from the last jumpers round - I got out of position, she stopped & then left the ring to pee. Blast finally got it together mostly & got his last Adv jumpers Q.
The weather finally got nice around noon on Sunday, it was too bad it couldn't have done that on Saturday. It was nice to see some agility friends we haven't seen for a while, & despite the weather we had a great time!

Training & this & that..

2010-05-12T17:21:00.001-07:00

I have so much to train & not enough time it seems. I've been going for physio for an achilles tendon problem, so I hope it gets better soon.

I'm feeling that the Derrett system is too much pressure for Blast & I am unable to help him enough & still stay within the rules of the system. I've been focusing more on skills the past little while rather than running courses.

We had a great time at the Terry Simons seminar.. I mostly ran Bizzie & Blast, did one gamble with Boo. Blast ran a nice jumpers run on Sunday, but we missed a jump (my fault).
Not sure what the issue was with Bizzie, but she did not want to run on Sunday, refused all the weave poles, etc. I took her to the Chiropractor last week & her back was out a little, but I'm not sure that was the cause of her stress.
The gambles were difficult, but I didn't expect my young dogs to do well since I've not trained distance with them.

Hopefully we can get outdoors now to do some practice since that adds a whole new layer of distractions for the dogs. I'm still working on Blast's contacts since he gets stressed easily if we drill them too much. With Bizzie, we need to work on collection when there is an inviting tunnel in sight... and they both need work on weave pole entries. Those are on the top of my list anyways. I've been working a little on a start line for Boo since I've mostly run with him to get his speed up. He's been doing pretty well, but we'll see what happens in a trial situation. He still has teeter issues in trials, which is difficult to fix since he seldom has an issue in training.
Yesterday was Boo's 6th birthday! Hard to believe - don't know where the time has gone!

Exciting times

2010-04-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems that everything happens at once!
Critter had her puppies on Fri evening... she had 2 boys, but one was stillborn.. poor little guy.
The other pup is black & white & actually looks a lot like Bizzie. This is Critter's first litter & she is being a great mommy.

We also had a one day trial on Saturday.
Bizzie had an off course in Steeplechase, my fault, (again..) cause I blind crossed after a tunnel, but I was too late (had a brain fart) so it confused her & she took an off course. I still need to work on her start lines, they're not as good as they should be. She earned an Adv Jumpers Q with a pretty nice run. In snooker, she decided to pick her own course, so that didn't work too well.

Blast ran the Steeplechase pretty well but took an off course jump, I think I didn't rotate soon enough to pull him into the closer jump. He also sniffed at the weave pole entry... We got zero points in snooker since he took a tunnel instead of the red jump, and he doesn't even really like tunnels!
I was disappointed in our jumpers run... it seems that if I rear cross close to the edge of the arena, he leaves to sniff.... need to stay ahead of him & do more front crosses....
Boo had a couple of really good runs (2/3 Q's) - he was pretty fast & had some nice moments (other than the stupid Snooker where I sent him over the wrong jump!) I had 3 tries at that Snooker & didn't get any of them! LOL!

I like the one day trials, sometimes it's nice just to do 2 or 3 runs, especially when you're running 3 dogs...

Agility Trial weekend

2010-04-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a busy weekend. This was the first trial that I entered all 3 of my dogs in an entire trial. I also ended up stepping into a trial secretary role (which I've never done before).
At the same time, I was waiting for the birth of my third grandchild, so I really had a lot on my mind!

The trial was great - we had lots of help & it really does make you feel good when people step up to help out just cause they're good people. Thanks to all of you who did that!

The dogs had some great moments & some "dog" moments.
Boo ended up with a Challenge Q and a Masters Gamble Q (his first one in a while)
He wasn't running super fast, & the course times were really tight, so he had a couple of time faults. I haven't practiced a lot with him lately, & he's so different to run than my other two, so our timing is off. I need to get some practice in with him.

Blast had a pretty good weekend - he got his last Adv Std Q, so he's now in Masters Standard, and he got a Masters Snooker Q. His other runs were pretty good, but I still lose him if I take my eye off him for a second! Once again we didn't get the Adv Jumpers due to my handling! GRRR!

Bizzie had a beautiful Adv Gamble & got the Q - pretty good for a dog who hasn't done any distance work really. Her other runs were fast, but had quite a few off courses.... have to put her on a tunnel diet. Again, our timing is off... on the plus side, her start lines were much better.

OH, and yes I am a grandma again - Mya Elizabeth was born this morning & all is well with both mom & baby!

It's only a Game!

2010-04-04T09:08:00.001-07:00

We did the one day TT trial in Olds yesterday.
There were some wonderful moments & some not so wonderful moments...

I ran Boo in Gamblers & he had a pretty nice opening, but I didn't move fast enough in the final gamble, so he didn't get it. Lorelei ran him in the other runs & did a great job. She did get lost at the end of the steeplechase or they would have Q'd, and she' Q'd the Masters Jumpers.. pretty good for a novice handler with a rent-a-dog!

Blast was pretty sniffy - a new arena with lots of horse smells. He Q'd the Steeplechase round. He also Q'd the Adv Jumpers, which we have been trying to get for a long time, but, alas, the timer didn't work & we had to re-run. Of course he missed a jump the second time around so we didn't get that elusive Q. I'm pretty embarrassed that I got upset since it really is just a game & the dog doesn't know any different. It's just so hard to qualify with Blast, he's a difficult dog to run & we're just starting to get it together.

Bizzie was "Bizzie Bad Girl" this weekend. Since I've been playing a lot more with her on her own, she seems to be cheekier than ever! She was the entertainment in the Standard round, taking quite a few extra obstacles & generally blowing me off. She had a beautiful Adv Snooker run which she Q'd, so she's now in Masters Snooker. Our Adv jumpers run was just after I finished running Blast twice & I don't know if she felt my frustration, but she was a little devil on the startline & wouldn't listen at all, so I picked her up & she didn't get to run.. don't know if it will have any impact on her but it was worth a try.

Cactus had her usual weekend with Wayne, but he's been working her contacts at home with a hoop, & he probably should have pulled her from the events with contacts since she still did her usual swan dive off the Aframe.

The exciting news of the weekend was that Wayne won a set of 24" weave poles made & donated by Randy Turner!

Next weekend is the Paws N Effect trial, so we'll see how that goes! I'm still trying to decide if I should enter Bizzie or Blast in Regionals... so far it's not looking so good!

Seminar Weekend

2010-03-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

We just did our Kathy Keats seminar this past weekend, and, as usual, it was great!
Kathy has a great eye for detail, as well as that wonderful video tool, Dartfish...
On Saturday, we did some short jump sequences - we did each of them 2 different ways, either using a front cross or a rear cross in some places, or went around a jump to the left or to the right.
Then we were able to view our run on the computer & compare times. As Kathy pointed out, just because one way was faster in the short term, that doesn't mean it will be the best choice when running an entire course... if the "slower" way enabled the dog to really open up & drive for the next portion of the run, that way may be the better choice. I used Bizzie for Saturday & she really did a good job (other than that dash for the tunnel that wasn't even part of the sequence!) I was happy that she kept up her speed in the tight turns.

On Sunday, we did a couple of compete courses with contact equipment & some difficult handling choices (also, no numbers on the course!). This was Blast's turn. I was happy with his contacts, which have been a problem in the past, and he did quite well. His problem is me! I find with him I have to be very confident & decisive in my handling.. he is so much different to handle than my little papillons, not just because he is bigger & has a huge stride, but he will disconnect if I hesitate at all. He really tries hard, & he is teaching me a ton!

Boo had a great weekend, he was a rent-a-dog for 12 year old Lorelei, who is a student of a friend of mine (Lynda C). They were just the cutest team! Lorelei did an awesome handling job & Boo ran really well for her. I don't think he's ever eaten so many wieners in one day!

Kathy has a unique way of challenging the handlers to really "go for it" and she really makes you think about the mental aspect of the game.
All in all it was a great weekend!

Weekend Fun!

2010-03-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend we're looking forward to a seminar with Kathy Keats. Kathy is more of a coach than a "seminar presenter" & focuses a lot on the mental aspect of the game.
We always enjoy our time spent with her - she pushes us to move faster, think faster, & be faster!
I've always done her seminars with Blast, but this time I may switch between Blast & Bizzie.
Boo is going to be a rent-a-dog & run with Lorelei, who is a junior handler who works with Lynda, a local trainer & friend of mine. He's run with her before, so hope he works well with her. (This is a dog that is a real mommy's boy & used to be very velcro!)

On another note, Critter, Wayne's little papillon, had a trip to the vet's last week as she had a small ulceration on each eyeball. We've done a week of eyedrops & will give it another few days to see if everything is healed. The ulcers appear to have disappeared, but her one eye is still squinty on occasion.

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

2010-03-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Well, the trial had a little of everything:

The Good - Bizzie got her first Masters Q on a Standard course
The Bad - Bizzie had an awful Steeplechase where she was very naughty & zoomed around
The Ugly - my handling of the Adv jumpers course for Bizzie & Blast

Biz was a little hot & cold this weekend, she had some really nice moments & some odd ones - like stopping at the 11th pole in gamblers & just looking at me. She also had to run over to check out the judge & the number stuck in the ground for Snooker! On the plus side, her start lines were pretty good.

After looking at the tapes, I realized that if I stop on course with Bizzie to call her or change her direction, she will stop & look at me, then just take off & do something.. anything... so I must remember to always keep moving

Boo was having a nice Challenge run until he stopped at the table & spun around before getting on it - guess it's been awhile since he's done a table.
He Q'd 3 out of 5, so he had a much better day on Sunday.

I only had Blast in 2 runs - his steeplechase was pretty good, but I lost him at one point & he went the wrong way & took an off course jump. The jumpers was a bit of a mess, he ran pretty well, but took a wrong end of the tunnel - my fault.

Wayne & Cactus finally got a masters' standard Q - the first one in a year! She actually got most of her contacts on Sunday!

Chiropractors

2010-03-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

In my former life I was a registered nurse, so I was not such a believer in chiropractors & "natural healing". My training was all about mainstream medical care. Since then I've seen the light! I'm a huge believer in such things for myself & my dogs.

Did you know that regular chiropractic adjustments can really improve your immune system? It's for real!

Anyhow, I digress. Bizzie seemed a little off the past little while so she went to see Katharine today & sure enough, she had a pinched nerve between her shoulder blades. We'll see how she runs at the trial this weekend. Boo goes regularly & always has a little adjustment. He's still got quite a bruise from his altercation with his big brother, but he seems fine now, not sore.

We'll see how the crew does at the trial & hopefully everyone is feeling well. Unfortunately, I didn't get to my own chiro this month yet, so will have to go next week!

Getting Ready...

2010-03-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

This weekend is another AAC trial for us. I have been working on some different things for the past little while.

With Bizzie, I have been playing a lot more with her & I can now get her to tug in the arena with other dogs around - this is HUGE for us. I don't think it will happen yet in a trial atmosphere, but baby steps.... She seemed to lose a little confidence at the last Wee Wednesday trial - she was at the warm up jumps, and the big dogs coming off course ran right by her & gave her a scare I think. I really wish there was a barrier there, for safety reasons mainly.

With Blast, I've been working still on control & focus. I have to really pay attention to him in the corners or I can lose him really quickly. He is running faster & his contacts are getting better. I only have him entered in Jumpers & Steeplechase this weekend.

I wasn't sure if Boo was going to be able to run at all this weekend; he & Blast got into a scrap on Tues & he has quite a bruise under his left leg. He does seem OK now & we are going to the chiropractor tomorrow, so hopefully all will be good!

CAA trial thoughts...

2010-02-15T07:17:00.000-08:00

We had a good time at the trial this weekend. I only entered the dogs in a few runs each & I made sure that I didn't have 2 dogs in the same class this time. I think it worked out really well - I wasn't so rushed to put one dog away & get the other one out. It has been difficult with Blast & Bizzie in all the same classes - even though they run at different heights, sometimes I only have 1 or 2 dogs in between. I really liked the set up at this trial - the fencing allowed for more space between the start line & the warm up/viewing area - really helps for the dogs that get distracted on the start line.
Boo Q'd 2/3 - missed the gamble - my fault. He got another Challenge Q & a Standard Q. He absolutely didn't want to tip the teeter in the challenge class - will have to work on the teeter again - he does it fine in training when there are treats present... any suggestions? anyone?

Blast was only entered in Jumpers & Steeplechase. He had 5 faults in jumpers, & it was totally my fault - can't take my eyes off him for one second, or I lose him. He had a pretty nice Steeplechase run, although we still have weave pole issues.

Bizzie's first run was Gamblers & she was very naughty - she did hold her start line, did 2 obstacles, then pinned those ears back & away she went into the first tunnel she saw & just continued on with her own course running around like a mad woman! Her first standard course she was much better, actually listened, but got an off course tunnel (isn't that a surprise). She Q'd her second standard, which moves her up into Masters... oooh, so not ready.
She listened well in the snooker run & earned another Q. I was wishing I had entered her in Jumpers, it was a really nice course. Oh well, next time...

Rye's most exciting adventure

2010-02-12T09:52:00.000-08:00

Well, Rye will be going home today - I think he's going to miss Critter - they played a lot!

here's the bunch in a "quiet" moment

Tag - you're it!

This didn't last very long.

This is what Princess Bizzie thought of Rye - when is he going home?

And then there were six!

2010-02-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, six dogs, but only for a week! I'm dogsitting a golden retriever called Rye. He's a beautiful pup, still intact, about 16 months old. He has a wonderful nature & is really good with my little dogs.

Here he is watching TV.

Eye to eye with Critter.

Having a singalong!

Dancing a cha cha with Blast (Blast's leading)

Practice, practice, practice!

2010-01-31T19:44:00.000-08:00

We got quite a bit of practice in this weekend. All 3 dogs got to work some. Saturday, we did a one day clinic as a Regionals prep. It was run similar to regionals to get everyone used to the format since there were a few handlers who have never been to regionals.

We did Jumpers as our first run. I decided to use Bizzie for this one. She had an off course (due to my bad handling) but ran the rest quite well. We repeated the course again & she was clean! I have to remember not to turn my back on her, she cut behind me both times in the same place... and I never do blind crosses with her!

The second run was Standard & I ran Blast. He seems to be developing an aversion to tunnels, he goes in the entry & comes back out... not sure why... anyhow, this happened the first run & we screwed up a tricky jump pattern, but he did the last half quite well. The second run, he seemed to be really distracted & nervous, which I thought we were getting over. I picked him up after the 5th obstacle since he was sniffing & avoiding.. sigh... We did run it again at the end & he did quite well.

The last run we did was Gamblers, so I saved this one for Boo. He got the mini, which included a teeter - he hates teeters - not sure how many points we got, but we missed the final gamble when he took the wrong entry to the tunnel.
Second time around he missed the mini but got the final gamble. He'll often do the teeter once, but then avoids it the next time. He does it just fine in practice, but then there's cookies involved!

Today we had a CAA practice, which is at a different location. We set up a few stations to work different skills & then ran a course at the end. The inevitable finally happened... Bizzie beat Boo! She was clean & he wasn't! Blast was quite distracted again, so we just did some short drills & called it a day for him. He's such a complex little guy, hard to figure out what upsets him.

Outreach

2010-01-19T11:20:00.000-08:00

I finally bit the bullet & signed up for outreach for 2010.

I know I need some help with my training, so hopefully the consistency in the system will help.
The first day much of our time was spent doing jump exercises. I worked the exercises with Blast, & he did very well, of course it's me that needs the work! I have been working on Blast's focus & I think it is improving, so he was able to work with other dogs present. He is now also waiting quietly in his crate when not his turn, which is a big thing to me, since he can be quite a barker.

The second day was all about contacts & weaves, which is the area where we need the most work.
As soon as Blast came into the arena & saw all the contact equipment, his demeanor was quite different.... he was more stressed, (as was I), seemed to forget some of what we've been working on, and I could really see that he doesn't understand his job as far as contacts are concerned.

He did pretty well with some of the weave pole drills, and managed to keep focus through that part of the exercises, which was good, since it was at the end of the day.

I've decided not to trial him for the next month or two, (maybe a jumpers round so that he can still be exposed to the trial setting) and really spend some time training contacts.

Trial results

2010-01-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

We did the Training Troop trial on the weekend, & as usual it was a fun time!
The dogs did pretty well, although I'm going to take Bizzie to the chiropractor for a check up - she didn't seem herself & was running slow much of the time, which is not her style. She did manage 2 Adv Standard Q's, but I've been working hard on her start line & it was really good 50% of the time & sucked the other 50%. She ran off a couple of times, so her focus wasn't great, but we'll work on that. She's been pretty sucky at home too, not interested in playing much, so I'm just going to get her checked out & make sure everything physically is good. She almost got the gamble, but turned the wrong way out of the tunnel, sigh, another thing to practice in training! I carried her off the snooker run, she slipped off the teeter cause she was watching me, & we were both tired at that point, so we ended the day with that.

Boo only Q'd one run out of five, but it was a difficult Challenge run & it was really nice, other than his slow teeter. His little friend Loralei, who is Lynda C's young student, ran him in Jumpers & did a great job, their timing was just a little off... she's a great little handler! He did get the gamble beautifully, but we were short points in the opening due to some bad handling on my part. Our snooker ended abruptly with a back jump...bad dog... bad handler!

I was very happy with Blast this weekend, he had some really nice moments - he managed one Adv Standard Q, but he was running quite well. He still balks at the weave poles when he's feeling insecure, so that cost us a refusal in one of the standard courses. He had an awful Snooker round, but he had to go outside to go potty, so at least I can read the signs now... he used to have stress diarrhea in the ring not so long ago.

Two long days at a trial running 3 dogs is hard on my body, I may have to consider just entering one day per weekend in the future, although I'd like as much practice as possible before Regionals!

The Past Year's Achievements

2010-01-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking about how many things I still need to work on with my dogs - with Nationals here in Calgary this year, I think everyone is training harder than ever.
Then I stopped to think about what we have achieved in the past year & I checked out our AAC achievement pages. We really didn't do too bad!

Boo, who is now 5 yrs old, earned several Q's this year, despite the fact that I don't enter him in full trials since I found he's much better with a couple of runs each day. He actually got 32 Masters Qualifiers, as well as his Ex St Silver, Ex Sc Bronze, his VBA (Versatility Bronze Award), & his Silver Award of Merit. He also won his division at our AAC Regionals this year & placed 7th at Nationals.
If you had seen this dog trialing the first couple of years, you'd be surprised too!

Blast, who is my crazy giant papillon, earned 15 qualifiers, his Agility Dog of Canada & his Starters Games Dog of Canada. This was a huge accomplishment for this guy who used to zoom around the ring doing laps!

Bizzie Bee, who took 4 months off to have a litter of puppies, also did very well.
She earned 9 qualifiers, & her Agility dog of Canada & her Starters Games Dog of Canada. She said she's not doing the puppy thing again this year, so hopefully we will get some quality training time in!

Well, I still feel over whelmed with all the training we need to do, but I do feel we accomplished some big goals this year, so now it's onward & upward for 2010!

Fun Match in Olds!

2009-12-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

Yesrerday we drove out to Olds to play at a fun match. It was of course a great time with lots of food, good friends, & great dogs.
Lynda, who organizes this fun match every year has a young student who is maybe 9 or 10 yrs old. She was there with her big lame dog. Unfortunately, he was too lame to run at all, so I offered to let her run Boo for me. Well, what a surprise! They ran really well together - she's a great little handler & I was so shocked that Boo ran for her - he of the velcro variety for so long!
It really made my day to see the smile on this little gal as she ran masters courses with her rent a dog! She also ran another sheltie for someone (BJ) & did a great job with him as well.

Bizzie & Blast haven't had much practice lately, & it really showed. Bizzie was pretty naughty on the startline again, but she ran quite well. Blast was really worried, didn't want to play with his toys, & wasn't very focused on course. He really has a tough time with new surroundings.

Anyhow, a good time was had by all (thanks Lynda!) & we better get some practice in this week since we have a couple of trials coming up soon!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T07:20:00.000-08:00

Only 2 more sleeps till Christmas Day!
We will be spending Christmas day with my daughter & her family this year. My grandson was a Christmas baby last year, so he will be one year old on the 25th! I just had to show everyone how cute he is!

As a treat, I bought a package of frozen chicken necks for the dogs - I've never fed them raw anything before, but they sure enjoy them! After that, I wrangled the dogs to sit under the Christmas tree for our annual photo - anyone who's done this knows it takes a lot of patience & a whole lot of luck! So, Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Blast, Bizzie, Boo, Critter & Cactus

A scary morning

2009-12-22T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I had a scary morning yesterday. Blast didn't want to get out of bed in the morning... very odd for him, since he's the one who wakes up excited to begin a new day.
He came downstairs & laid on the kitchen floor shaking - not a good sign. I couldn't see anything physically wrong with him - he went outside & did his business, no problem.
Anyhow, I took him to the vet where he had the once over. His temp was 40 & the concensus was that he's picked up a virus. No other symptoms except the fever.
He had a shot of anti-inflammatory medication & by the time we got home, he was already feeling better. Today, he's like a new man! Thank Goodness! I'll have to watch the other dogs to make sure they haven't picked up the same germ. It's good to have the crazy, playful Blast back!

December weather & this & that..

2009-12-14T08:27:00.001-08:00

I think in my last post I referred to another trip to Edmonton for an agility trial - well, the weather didn't co-operate, the Hwy was closed & we didn't make the trip. Very disappointing!
It's been really cold & snowy here for some time now. We haven't been doing any training at the barn at all, so really, the dogs have been having a break from running any sequences or anything. We have been working on some tricks though.
My intentions were great as far as doing some training in the basement, but with several family birthday parties & Christmas coming soon, we haven't really done much.

I have had updates from the owners of Bizzie's puppies though (3 of them anyways), so here's a couple of photos of the pups at 5 months..

This is ZipR - the only black & white puppy -she
looks the most like Bizzie Bee. She is living in Victoria.

This is Pint - the smallest little boy - he looks a lot like his daddy, Leggo. He lives in Edmonton.
(photo taken by David Geertsen of Blackstone Images. )

This is Mika - she was the biggest puppy & is now living in Mexico!

The other puppy, Clifford, is living in Edmonton, but I have no photos of him as yet.

Agility Seminar

2009-11-30T08:32:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I went up to Edmonton for an agility seminar hosted by See Spot Run & taught by Shannen Jorgensen.

Apart from the ugly drive up there (I think we just made it before they closed the highway due to unsafe driving conditions - ice, blowing snow, etc) it was a fun time. I had a great travelling companion in Lynda with her awesome kelpi, Luc. I took both Bizzie & Blast with me. Poor Luc, he worked so well, even though he's an intact male & there were 2 girls in heat there!

Bizzie was in the Starters/Advanced group & we did many short exercises focusing on things like "no motion cues", & teaching a "Switch" as well as directionals. I've always been a little confused about using Switch rather than a Left or Right cue. I think it is more clear in my mind now so that I can now start to teach it with the correct criteria in mind. Unfortunately, Bizzie came into heat right before we left, so she was a little "off" & not quite as focused as usual.

Blast was in the Adv/Masters group & we did more handling in this group. Some really tough courses that would rival any challenge course in AAC I'm sure! I was very proud of my boy! He did some really great things & was even tugging after his runs, etc. This is a big step for the boy who has so much trouble focusing & concentrating! (especially in a new location with dogs he didn't know!)

Next weekend we're up to Edmonton again, this time for a trial. Bizzie will have to stay home, so it will be good to see if Blast runs better at this trial since he will have more attention from me prior to his runs. Sometimes it's really difficult to have 2 dogs running in the same class, when you only have 1 or 2 dogs in between - I really think they get short-changed when that happens...

Anyhow, pray for good weather - it's not a fun drive up to Edmonton in a blizzard!

Another trial!

2009-11-16T09:55:00.000-08:00

What a great time we had this weekend. We didn't Q a lot, but that's not what matters most - all of my dogs had some really nice runs.

Boo ran in 2 Masters Std, 1 Masters Gamble & 1 Masters Jumpers. He missed the DW contact in the first standard, but Q'd the other one with a really nice run. He missed the gamble, but Q'd the jumpers run (he hadn't run jumpers since nationals)

Bizzie had an awesome first standard run - until she got zoomie & just had to take the chute!
(I tried to load the video but gave up after 2 hrs-will try to load on You Tube) OK - I finally got it loaded - under papillonpenny - Bizzie Std 1

This was the first time I've entered her in a full trial - 7 runs & she handled it well, although I could see she was much slower at the end of the day on Sunday.

She was a little distracted in the Gamblers run & didn't get the final gamble (no Adv dogs got that gamble!) although I thought it was do-able.

Both of her Adv Jumpers runs were lots of fun, although she took an off-course tunnel in both - wasn't that a surprise.. ha ha.
She had a really nice Adv Snooker run, was just tipping the teeter when the buzzer went - she was 2 points short of a Q (would have probably completed it but I had a brain fart). Then they determined that the clock was set incorrectly & we should have had 5 sec more, so we reran & Bizzie found something really interesting to sniff, so once again we were 2 points short.
Last run of the day was Starters Std & she was a little slow, but she paid attention & got her last Starters Q! She was a very good girl all weekend (except for not wanting to sit on the startline)...

The first standard run of the day for Blast was a good one... my friend Anneli ran him for me - I only had one dog in between Biz & Blast & Anneli has been giving me some tips, so we decided she should run him. He ran well for her, but left the table - otherwise it was really nice - even got his weave pole entry!

One of his adv jumpers rounds was really nice & he did Q it, the other round he took the same off course tunnel that Bizzie did, it was a difficult part of the course, & something I will be sure to set up in training!

His snooker run didn't go according to plan, so it was a short one!
He didn't get either gamble, but he was a little distracted - I need to plan a nice flowy path for him in the opening.

His last standard round he Q'd, so that was his final starters run as well! He did miss the weave pole entry, but other than that it was a pretty nice run... he's still running slower & more carefully, but hopefully the speed will come back (just not in zoomies!) Now both Biz & Blast are in Adv everything except snooker, where Blast is doing masters.

We had lots of fun - challenging courses, the trial ran smoothly, & I think everyone had a good time!

Weekend Fun!

2009-11-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I should have known better! In my last post, I mentioned that Blast was paying attention much better & ignoring other dogs, etc... so, as a reminder to me that this dog training is a long & winding path, Blast was quite distracted on Saturday at the Sue Charlton seminar in Olds. Of course this is another fairly new arena for him & new dogs as well. I actually worked Bizzie a lot more but thought I'd give him a chance to come out & work a bit. He didn't want to settle in his crate, & was really antsy most of the day.

Bizzie did really well. I wasn't sure what she could handle since she's never done a full seminar before. Other than running off a few times to check out the other dogs, she listened really well, did some great distance work & actually did a few gambles! I was quite impressed since I've done little distance work with her. She held most of her start lines, which is what we've been doing a lot of work on. It sure hit home with me how much easier it is to do distance work with a faster, more driven dog than with a slower, less motivated dog (Boo). Of course with that also comes other challenges!

Boo didn't get to work, although I let him do a few weave poles during the break. He spent the day in his Xpen crying his eyes out - you should have heard him! OMG what a baby! I guess I shouldn't complain, at least he wants to come out to work now... it wasn't that long ago that he would have been happy to stay there & sleep!

Wayne took Cactus & they did some great work with placing rewards at the best place to take her focus off him, and always using a food pouch instead of feeding her from his hand.

Sunday was our CAA practice, so we did some short, fun jumpers courses & worked some gamble stations. Jumpers is certainly Blast's thing - he so loves to jump. Instead of trying to calm him on the start line, I rev'd him up a bit & he ran really well.

Boo got to work on his gamble skills, which are usually much better in practice than in trials (the power of the cookie!) He now will chase a toy & tug a bit (even with no teeth), which is something I've been working on with all the dogs.

Bizzie did very well again - caught her running behind me a couple of times, so will have to nip that in the bud! She did an awesome "out" to a jump on the far side of the DW, so that made my day!

So, it was a really fun weekend with lots of practice using all of the equipment, which is not something that we get to do all the time!

Take a Step Back

2009-11-03T08:09:00.001-08:00

I had Blast at a training class last night (first time in a long time). This was a class of dogs that he hadn't met before. I didn't take part in the first half of the class, so I took the opportunity to work Blast on a few weave poles, & did some tricks & taught him a new one (put your head down).
He was very focused on me, listened well & paid no attention to the other dogs.... what? yes, he paid no attention to the other dogs. I just had to think about 6 months ago, he would have been pulling on the leash & wanting to go meet all the other dogs. We are always so aware of the behaviours we want, & then, when at long last we get them, sometimes we forget to celebrate the small victories! So today I am thinking that my "little" boy is making progress! Oh happy day!

Training Troop Trial

2009-10-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm pretty tired today after two full days of trialing 3 dogs. As usual, it was a fun time, complete with Hallowe'en costume contests, lots of cake & goodies & lots of great dogs!

Boo earned his Silver Award of Merit this weekend, getting his 25th Master Standard Q. This also requires 50 Masters Games, which he had already. He had a couple of nice runs, but I managed to screw up a few times, still having trouble with our timing. He also earned a Steeplechase Q.

I was happy with Blast's runs this weekend - he did the entire trial. We only managed one Standard Q, but he was much more focused (although slower) on all of his runs until the last one - Snooker, where his brain was elsewhere. He almost got the gamble, but missed the DW contact by inches - his contacts are still a work in progress... He had two 5 fault standard rounds, a 5 fault jumpers round, ran clean in team, & had 10 faults in Steeplechase, so I guess that's progress. My goal for the weekend was for him to focus, which he did for the most part. We've still got weave pole problems, he wants to avoid them, but once he's in them, they're pretty good.

Bizzie had an exciting weekend. We've been working very hard on her start lines & she did hold them for most of the runs. She broke when someone held her puppy up to watch her & she caught sight of that, but came right back. When I led out (quite confidently..) for Steeplechase, she ran past me like a bullet, but took the entire opening line correctly, which won her a prize from the judges for most memorable starters run! Other than her first run, which was gamblers, where she was like a little ping pong ball running from tunnel to tunnel, she stayed with me pretty well. She didn't earn any Q's, but she had some really nice runs. She's very quick, so I can lose her on course in the blink of an eye! Hopefully I can improve my handling so that we can work better as a team.

I really need to practice weave pole entries at speed for both my young dogs, it was a problem all weekend, but the footing is so deep, it's difficult for the little dogs, they're having to jump over mounds of shavings & it's interfering with their footwork.

It was a fun weekend - it's nice that the agility folks are very supportive of each other & always are willing to offer advice & support for each other. Thanks to those who have helped me out!

Finally some successes!

2009-10-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

We did a one day trial on Sunday(fortunately indoors since it snowed!)
My dogs all had some brilliant moments!
Boo was entered in Masters Standard, Challenge, & Masters Gamble.
In the standard course, I'm finding our timing is off & I pulled him off a jump that I thought he was committed to, then I sent him off course - not our best showing! I probably need to practice more with the little fella, but I've been spending more time with the young'uns.
The challenge course sure was a challenge! I really liked it & other than pulling out of the weaves early, Boo ran it very well. I think there were only 3 clean runs!
Gamblers was awesome - we racked up 80 pts, did the mini gamble (12 weaves away from me to a teeter), & got the final gamble - I still can't quite believe Boo can get gambles now since he was such a velcro dog for so long!
Bizzie did the starters standard, Adv gamble, & starters Jumpers. She had a brilliant very fast start on the standard course, jumped onto the table & had a poop! Wasn't expecting that!
She did some good things in the gambers course, but the final gamble was really difficult & she blew her contact on the Aframe & it was over! (There were no Q's in Adv Gamblers!)
She redeemed herself with a lovely jumpers run - we're still working on Rear crosses & sending ahead, so I was very pleased with her run. And yes, Amanda, I promise to praise her more on course - I just find I have to concentrate really hard running her!
Blast did the starters standard, Adv gamble & Adv Jumpers. He had a pretty good weekend, a few problems in the standard round, but he did awesome weaves after the first attempt (this has been a big problem in the past); did some good things in the gamble, but didn't get the final gamble either. He aced his Jumpers run, so that was a great way to end the day! He really did much better staying with me - less distractions running indoors than outdoors I guess.
He actually seemed more relaxed between runs, I let him hang out with me for a while & he was actually tugging & playing, which he does all the time at home, but doesn't often do at a trial.
All in all it was a great day running fun courses & I got to see some great runs from some of my agility friends!

Learning to compete!

2009-09-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

We just did the Kathy Keats seminar this past weekend, & as usual it was really great! Kathy is as much a coach as a trainer for us - she really gets into your head & makes you really want to go for it! She always has some surprises up her sleeve & this time was no different! We ran a couple of Worlds' courses & she had us betting on how our dogs would do.
The courses were tough, but boy, did the dogs do well! I intended to run Bizzie, and I did a couple of the patterns with her on Sat, but I thought Blast would benefit more from the Sunday session & he did pretty well. He can do some really great things, & then totally drift off - this then causes me to get upset & him to get more distracted. I think he really does try, but as soon as I hesitate, or seem unsure, he chooses to disconnect. So in other words, I'm probably causing most of his problem! (Except when he leaves me right at the startline - I'm not taking all the heat for that one!)
Anyhow, I really enjoyed the weekend, & I probably needed a kickstart to get back to training on a regular basis with some structure! Wish me luck!

Another trial Weekend

2009-09-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

We did the Medicine Hat trial this past weekend with mixed results. Running 3 dogs is quite difficult, particularly when 2 of them, who need the most attention before they run, are often only 1 or 2 dogs apart in the running order. I'm thinking maybe I should rotate trials with them so they get more attention from me when they need it.
Blast was hot & cold (just like the weather). He was really stressed & left the ring quite a few times. I only did half the standard course with him, & praised a lot, & that was better. He managed to Q his snooker & I just realized that that was his 3rd adv snooker Q, so he's now in Masters Snooker, which is just wrong!
Bizzie had wonderful moments & cheeky moments. She did get a Q in Standard (even after stopping in the middle of the dogwalk to bark at someone) and an Adv Snooker Q. She can be very fast & driven, but I can also lose her really quickly - having no visible boundaries to the ring didn't help our situation! But I know that's a training issue!
Boo was really running - I think he really likes the grass surface. He did have a couple of off courses, but he managed a Standard Q & a Gambler Q. The challenge course was very fun to run - lots of obstacles, many opportunities for an off course, but he just missed the weave pole entry out of the chute. Note to self - better work on those entries, we also had some missed entries at Nationals!
Wayne & Cactus managed 3 Qualifiers this weekend, Jumpers (what a smokin run that was!), Snooker & Steeplechase. Still can't quite get those Standard Q's.
It was a fun weekend, lots of great friends & we really enjoyed the pot luck!

A Long Weekend

2009-09-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

We spent the past 4 days in BC enjoying their wonderful weather.

We had a family event to attend in Creston, then moved on to take part in the Cookie Power trial in Kimberly.

We had a great time, but arriving late to do one day of trialing makes you feel like you're always playing catch up!

Blast & Bizzie had never been there before, so that plus spending 2 days in kennels & Xpens didn't help their confidence level. Both of them were very distracted on the first run of the day, which was a Standard round. The second obstacle was weave poles, which Blast can't seem to deal with at trials, so he left the ring to pee; Bizzie was all over the place, then bailed off the teeter & started limping. Not a great start to the day... Boo had a strange refusal at a jump, but he ran well for the 2 runs he was entered in. I sent him off course in Steeplechase, (second time I've done that recently!)

With Blast, we bypassed the weave poles for the next run & he seemed to be a little better, but much more distracted than normal. He had a refusal in the Jumpers & back jumped in Snooker, so we pretty much covered all that could go wrong! Bizzie was just entered in 2 runs, so she ran much better in jumpers & actually Q'd.

I'm getting quite discouraged with my training - or lack of - I need to get a structured program to follow since my dogs don't seem to be improving. Lack of a place to train regularly is a huge issue. And of course Bizzie is just coming off maternity leave. Maybe my expectations are too high. Sigh. We have another trial this coming weekend, so hopefully things will go better...

Practice, practice, practice!

2009-09-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

We managed to get in 2 outdoor practices this weekend. Since the area is not fenced in, I was a little worried about Blast taking off, but he was really good. He stayed focused & other than his weave pole entries, he ran really well.

Bizzie had a good time, she ran quite well, but does still get distracted easily. I forgot how fast she is, & I remembered how out of shape I am!
Boo ran well, no major issues, he even ran for Wayne for one run!

Speaking of weave poles, a friend had his 24" weave poles there, so I ran all 3 of my dogs through them just to see if they'd notice a difference - Bizzie buzzed through them really fast & had no problem. Blast ran through them but not as confidently, & the same with Boo, but I'm sure none of them will have any problems adjusting to the different spacing. In the meantime, we'll continue to practice on our regular weaves.

I've signed up for the Kathy Keats coaching seminar in a couple of weeks, so I'm trying to decide if I should run Bizzie or Blast... I have run Blast in her past seminars, but maybe I"ll run Bizzie this time. That's the problem when you have 2 novice dogs at the same time...

A Sad Day

2009-08-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

Well, today the last of Bizzie's puppies is going to her new home. She's 9 1/2 wks old now, so I've become quite attached to her. I'm sure she is going to be an awesome little dog - she's very brave & smart!

I think Biz will be quite happy to see her leave now -Mika's been tormenting Bizzie by grabbing her ear fringes & yanking on them!

It's been great fun raising a litter of pups - I learned a lot, and I was very proud of my little Bizzie for being such a great little mom!

Here's one last photo of Mika! Such a pretty little girl!

Wee Wed Trial

2009-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was quite excited about the Wee Wed trial last night - it offered Starters classes, so it was a good opportunity to get Blast & Bizzie out for a run.

We hadn't been to Wet Ck for about 3 months because of the shavings that were so deep - I was worried about the little dogs getting wood chips in their eyes.

Anyhow, because it was so warm, they had the big back door of the arena open, but had barrels closing it off from the horses outside. Of course that was something my dogs hadn't seen before.

The standard course started off with a straight line heading straight for the back door ( I don't know why a straight line is supposed to be easier for starters dogs!! Not so for fast dogs with old handlers!) Blast ran first & did a lovely 2on 2off on the DW, then ran directly to check out the barrels & to see if he could get out the door... he did come back without zoomies, & did a pretty good job until the weave poles, which he thought he'd never seen before. He did finish off nicely, but it wasn't our best showing, that's for sure.

Bizzie, who hasn't done anything for 4 months due to having puppies, was back to her usual self - broke her start line & ran like crazy down the DW to the barrels, just like her brother. She had some great moments, was really fast - especially in that tunnel vortex where she had to get a couple more tunnels in, would not stay down on the table, but had a nice finish. So many opportunities for training!

I also ran Biz in the jumpers course, & had it not been for her stupid handler sending her over the wrong jump, she had a great run.

I took Mika along for socializing, she met lots of new people, barked at the dogs that got in her face, & had a good time watching some of the runs - she will be leaving on Sunday for her new home.

I have the dogs entered in 2 trials in sept, so I have lots to do before then!

I still have to figure out how to get Blast to weave at a trial - he does awesome weaves at home or in more controlled situations. Any suggestions?

Mika

2009-08-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

Mika is the last puppy to go to her new home - she'll be leaving on Sunday for her big trip to Mexico! What a fun puppy she is - she was the biggest pup & the first to do everything. She's now almost 9 wks old & she thinks she is one of the big kids now - she zips around the house, trying to get the big dogs to chase her, she is sleeping all night in her kennel, & she loves to be outside!

Bizzie's Back!

2009-08-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

So Bizzie has been out of commission for about 4 months - 2 months pregnant & 2 months puppy rearing, so I was unsure of what she would remember about agility...

Apart from doing 6 weave poles in the back yard she has done nothing. Anyhow, I took her out to a friend's place where she had the Nationals jumpers 2 course set up for us to practice & Bizzie did really well. Other than our timing being off, I was very happy with her runs. She even held her startline! I have her entered in a couple of trials in Sept, so I was a little concerned about how she would run. Of course in a trial setting there are many more distractions & excitement,

so anything can happen. We'll try the Wee Wed trial this week & see how that goes!

Mini Me

2009-08-17T19:37:00.001-07:00

Bizzie had one black & white puppy - a girl called Zip-r.

She reminds me so much of Bizzie when she was a little puppy.

Here's Zip-r

Here's Bizzie as a pup, but a little older

Do you think they look alike?

Zip-r also has many of Bizzie's mannerisms - she makes a funny little panting noise when she runs really fast, & when she barks at you for attention, she slams her little front paws on the ground. Boy, I'm really going to miss this little one!

Puppy countdown

2009-08-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

Well, the puppies are almost ready to leave for their new homes. They are so much fun right now (& so much work!) Who knew puppies could poop so much!

They love it outside, they love people & have met many new friends over the last week.

I have an Ikea tunnel outside & they love to run through that & tear around the yard.

I also borrowed a tiny wobble board from a friend & they play on that & have no fear.

Hopefully I've done everything I could to make sure these are happy, healthy, confident pups.

Here's some photos of them in the back yard..

I Love Puppies!

2009-08-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

The puppies are 6 wks old now & are just full of energy!

Here they are wanting out of their pen.

This is Wee Willie with his Monkey

I think she fell asleep with the toy in her mouth

The little black & white girl is going to look just like Bizzie!

2009 Nationals is History

2009-08-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

We just got back today from the AAC Nationals in Ottawa this past weekend.

It was a pretty interesting weekend - the weather was hot & muggy on Fri & Saturday, then we woke up Sunday to rain.

Thursday we did a warm up run & after all our teeter practice, (which went well), Boo didn't like the teeter, so we practiced it a few times. Unfortunately, we couldn't take toys or treats into the ring. (well, some did, but that's another story)

Friday we just did one Steeplechase run - Boo ran clean & placed 2nd; I was pleased with that since I know he doesn't like to run in the humidity.

Saturday, our first run was jumpers & we had a refusal when I didn't pull him in quickly enough to the tunnel, so he approached a wrong course jump, but he ran pretty well. Our second run was Gamblers, which has been our most difficult game to date. He ran really awesome, got the mini gamble twice & got the final gamble & placed first! Pretty good for a little velcro dog I thought! Our last run was the standard & it had a very tricky opening. It was a tunnel/ DW discrimination & just when I thought he had the DW he scooted into the tunnel - not a great start... he then missed a weave pole entry, which doesn't happen too often; anyhow we placed somewhere at the end of the class in that one. I was surprised to see that we were in 3rd place in the aggregate after day 1, even with the bad standard round.

Sunday, our first run was gamblers & it started to pour just before we ran. Boo did the first couple of obstacles, then ran into a tunnel & sat down - he finally came out & got 32 points, but the final gamble included the dreaded teeter, so he bailed, which didn't surprise me.

This is Boo after his first run!

Our second run was standard & he was clean until he ran right through the weave poles like he didn't see them, so we had 5 faults. Not too bad, since it started to pour again right before the little guys ran. We finally had a clean run in jumpers, but he wasn't moving very fast, so we placed 4th.

In the end, we placed 7th overall, not as good as last year, but respectable. We were very happy that our friends Amanda & Wicca placed 2nd overall since they are such an awesome team & really deserved it. I found the courses quite difficult compared to what we're used to, but I guess that's what Nationals should be!

This was our benching area on Sunday, after the rains - oh look - it's Shannen in a HAT!

Off to Nationals

2009-07-28T07:36:00.001-07:00

We're off to Ottawa tomorrow for the AAC national Agility Championships! A trip like this requires a lot of organization - we now have 5 dogs + 4 puppies, & we are only taking Boo & Cactus, so we have to farm out the rest of the dogs.

Bizzie & her pups are going to stay with a friend - they are quite a bit of work these days, keeping their pen clean is the biggest challenge! Hard to believe they will be 5 wks old tomorrow! They are such little livewires, they're hilarious to watch!

Blast is going to a boarding kennel where he will get lots of walks, etc. He's been there before, so I'm hoping it won't be too stressful for him. He seems more irritable since I put him on Propalin for his bladder problem, so I hope he's all right staying there by himself (last time Bizzie went with him)

Critter is going back to the breeder's home where she has a pet sitter looking after her animals.

So today is the day where all the dogs get delivered to their respective temporary homes, we have to pack everything for our trip. etc...

So wish us luck at Nationals - Boo hasn't had a lot of practice this summer, so not sure how well we'll do... and Cactus, well.... let's just hope she doesn't think the yellow will burn her feet!

What a difference a day makes!

2009-07-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe a couple of days... the puppies are much more active now - their little personalities are starting to show. I clipped their nails yesterday - interesting how one puppy was happy to lay on her back & let me do her nails, the 3 others screamed & wiggled. I moved them to a bigger pen today to celebrate their 4 wk birthday!

Puppies are growing up!

2009-07-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

These are the girls!

Well, the puppies are 3 wks old now. It's amazing how much they change in just a few days!

They can now walk on all fours, although they still stagger, tried eating from a saucer today for the first time, growl when you disturb them, & can scream pretty well when they want to eat!

These are the boys!

Bizzie is handling the whole experience really well although she did set one of them straight yesterday when they tried to eat from her dinner!

Two weeks old!

2009-07-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

The puppies are now 2 wks old - they have their eyes open now & are starting to move around more.

Here are the boys..

Getting weighed!

Bizzie's Babes

2009-07-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the puppies are gaining weight every day. Today was a milestone - the girls have their eyes open! They are 12 days old now! The "big- boned girl" is the most active of the pups so far, she is almost a pound now! The others are only a couple of ounces behind.

Bizzie is a happy little mom - although she's wanting to stay out of the pen a little more to visit with me i.e. cuddle on my knee! She's getting her girlish figure back now.

Here are the girls - I think they have really interesting

colour markings!

Baby Face!

2009-07-02T07:03:00.001-07:00

Eyes not open yet, but getting pigment in their little noses!

One week old!

2009-07-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well the puppies are now 1 wk old! Bizzie is proving to be a good mum & everyone seems healthy. The pups are now between 8 & 11.5 oz. I've been experimenting with the whole whelping box set up. One of the puppies keeps getting over the side of the bed, which surprised me - they still don't even have their eyes open! Bizzie has settled down now & doesn't mind when I pick up her babies. (At first she didn't want anyone messing with her kids!)

Who doesn't love a puppy?

2009-06-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

Lots of color on these pups!

Black & white girl

Biz looks a little better now that she's cleaned up!

Babies!

2009-06-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

The babies have arrived!

This is Bizzie's first litter & she was due this Sunday. I did have a feeling she would deliver early & she did! The X-ray showed 3 puppies - yeah!

She went to the breeder's home on Monday night so she had some time to adapt to the new digs.

She was very big - gained 3 1/2 lbs - on a 6 lb dog! She came to agility class Tuesday night just to hang out & of course just had to run across the dogwalk (or should I say waddle across!)

Wed morning, she had her first puppy in Shannen's van on the way to work at the clinic! She looked at it like - what the hell? - but then mother nature took over & she figured it all out! I met Shan at the clinic so I could be there for the rest of the deliveries...

Puppy #2 took 3 hrs to deliver - it's huge! Biz was a trooper though. Puppy #3 just popped out really quickly. Thinking we were all done, we moved Biz to a clean cage, etc. & I went home. the plan was for Bizzie to stay with Shannen for a couple of days. An hour later I got a phone call - guess what - Puppy #4 just arrived! I think his name should be Bonus!

I only have photos of the first 3 puppies, but will update this blog later..

So, the stats are: 2 Sable males, 1 Sable female, & 1 black & white female.

Can you see the heart on the puppy?

Critter

2009-06-21T08:34:00.001-07:00

We have a new addition to our doggie family... her name is Critter & she is training with Wayne. He is so funny - he's madly in love with this little "critter".

We weren't really in the market for a new dog, but we babysat her a couple of times & that was it - we were hooked.

She has got to be the happiest little girl - loves all the other dogs & loves to play.

I chose the name Critter cause she often stands up on her hindlegs & she looks just like the little critters in the Telus commercials!

I had a hard time getting a photo of her since she's never still.. but here's a couple.

She's so tiny she can actually get right through that baby gate!

Puppy Love

2009-06-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we all love puppies & Bizzie will be having hers in about a week!

She had an Xray today & it showed 3 good sized puppies!

Poor Bizzie is getting really uncomfortable, especially in the heat. She was almost 6 lbs to start & now she's over 9 lbs!

Here's a photo of her trying to get comfy on her favorite deck chair.

What a Weekend!

2009-06-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well, Regionals is now officially over.

What a great event! The venue was wonderful, the weather was great (really hot!), everyone had fun!
It was a busy weekend for us since we had all 5 dogs there, including Bizzie who's due to have her puppies in a couple of weeks!

Boo ran really well - I am very proud of him! He doesn't like to run in the heat, so he did a great job giving his all for 3 consecutive days! He is now the 6" Special 1st Place Winner! Considering how he ran when we started this sport, that's quite an accomplishment for him!

He qualified in both the Steeplechase runs on Friday, even though he knocked the last bar on the first run (my fault for hesitating), and came second to Target in the Steeplechase final on Sunday afternoon.
We had a few glitches throughout the weekend, but he was happy & running & that's always my first concern. We had an odd off course on the first standard (my fault again...) and he missed his contact on the DW on the second standard course.
He had 2 clean jumpers rounds, so that was great!
In Gamblers, he ran the first one really well & got the final gamble; on Sunday, he got a nice mini gamble, which was a serpentine at a distance, but didn't get the final.

Blast didn't have a great weekend. I don't know if it was the heat or the stress, or just an upset stomach, but he had the runs all weekend & wasn't having much fun. I was up with him all night Sat night, he was vomiting & having diarrhea. Poor Boy. I pulled him from the competition on Sunday, I didn't want to stress him anymore. His highlight was getting the final gamble on Saturday! Pretty good for a rookie!

Cactus & Wayne had a pretty good weekend - they qualified for Nats, and Cactus got all her teeter & DW contacts! She still had a couple of her signature Aframe dismounts, but she held her start lines. They had an awesome jumpers round, which was really fast & furious!

What a great event the Lethbridge & Medicine Hat group put together! Oh, and Group C Rocks!

Ready or Not....

2009-06-10T08:39:00.001-07:00

Well, tomorrow we go to Lethbridge for the AAC Regionals.
Not sure we're ready, but we'll do our best.
Some of the practices I was counting on were rained/snowed out, & other stuff just got in the way...
Boo has been running not too bad, a lot depends on his mood! Bought him a new cool coat in case it's a scorcher - he doesn't like the heat.
Blast has been running well at times, but he's not consistent. Still having lots of weave pole entry issues, but we're just going for the experience; I have no expectations, we'll just go & have some fun.
We're leaving tomorrow, so today we load up the RV with half the house it seems, & we'll be on the road in the morning - staying at the Bridgeview RV resort, which I think is very close to the site. Pray for good weather!

Wee Wednesday

2009-05-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

I entered both the boys in the Wee Wed trial last night where we did a masters' gamble, a masters' standard & a steeplechase run. (Blast ran FEO)

I was so pumped after Blast's great runs last week, & now the smile is gone....
He did some good things last night, but also was quite distracted by the mini horse poop ( a nice appetizer he thought) & the close proximity of the start & finish lines to the dogs warming up.
I know he thinks his role is to keep me guessing about how he will run the course! Of course these were regional prep masters courses, & had some interesting challenges for us.
He continues to avoid weave poles in trials, so I really need to fix that. I find that he really doesn't like to practice in the back yard so we try to keep our sessions really short & fun.

Boo & I are struggling with our timing right now - he's not responding well to my HERE! on the course when he sees an off course obstacle he thinks he's supposed to take.
He was quite funny in the final gamble - it was 6 weaves going away from the line, call in to the teeter & send to a jump - not that hard... however... there were also 6 more weaves at a 90 degree angle from the first set (parallel to the line but further out) & when I called him in to the teeter, he went & did the other set of weaves as well & gave me such a look like he was saying, hey, I"m not finished weaving yet! He did manage a Q in the steeplechase which was a fun course.

A Great Weekend

2009-05-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

I'm still smiling ear to ear! I think Blast is growing a brain!

We had an awesome weekend in Medicine Hat - the weather was great & my dogs did so well!

Blast, my ADD dog, was such a good boy - he really didn't have any zoomies! I was a little worried since it was our first outdoor trial this year & he does get distracted very easily. He was the very first dog to run & he Q'd his first Starters Standard run! He then went on to get his Starters Gamble, Starters Jumpers, & 2 Advanced Snooker Q's! For me, the Q's & ribbons are very nice, but I was just so excited that he was listening & focusing & having fun.

You know, I was trying to figure out why he's now starting to pay attention... I started to think about what I've been doing differently... and I think I finally realized that for Blast it's all about the fun - treats are nice, but playing with a ball is more rewarding, so I've been training more with a ball & warming him up with his favorite ball.

Thank to Wendy from Paws on the Run Photography for the photos!

Boo also had a pretty good weekend. His Q'd 3 out of 8 runs, which is not his best, but he was running pretty well & he actually got a Masters Gamble - & not a really easy one!

Terry Simons Seminar

2009-05-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to do the Terry Simons seminar on teaching distance.
I was originally going to take Bizzie, but she was busy, (ha, ha) so I did the seminar with Blast instead.
Blast usually does well at seminars, but starts to lose focus in the highly stimulating atmosphere of a trial. Anyhow, he did so well, I was very proud of him.
I really enjoy Terry's style of teaching, he is always very precise about the exercises & how to teach them & he's quick to point out what you are doing (when you think you are doing things correctly!)
This seminar was held on Friday, so on Sat night we had a practice & tried some tough gambles. I was so surprised when Blast did a difficult send out to the Aframe - he actually did much better than his buddy Boo, who has his masters gambles.... anyhow, that's another story..
So, my plan is to keep up with the distance exercises for all my dogs & maybe I'll finally have a dog that actually likes to gamble!

Dogsitting

2009-05-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

We've been dogsitting for a friend with a large Golden Retriever puppy - about a year old. I now remember why I have small dogs! This guy is a wonderful dog, very patient, affectionate, & playful, but he's soooo big! He jumps on my lap on the couch & I'm flattened!

It was very interesting to see the other dogs respond to this big muppet.

Blast wanted Rye to chase him, then tried to remind him who is the boss, puppy is so good, tries to get down really low, rolls over, etc. They had lots of fun wrestling.

Cactus, in standoffish sheltie style, just gives him an Elvis lip & leaves.

Boo just accepts him & when Rye & Blast are playing he grabs a toy & growls & shakes the daylights out of it!

Bizzie just returned from being bred (I know, I still think of her as a baby!) so if Rye even looks at her she's all teeth & yipping!

April News

2009-04-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

I took Boo in for a dental last week & he ended up having 11 teeth removed! Poor little guy - they were loose & pulling them was the best solution.

We did half the AAC trial this past weekend until I got sick - it's really not fair to get the stomach flu & a wicked sore throat at the same time!

Anyhow, Boo Q'd in 3 out of 4 runs - just can't seem to get those Gambles! He did some great weave poles at quite a distance though - too bad that wasn't the plan! Sometimes I think if he doesn't see any cones he figures he can take whatever he likes!

Blast got a Starters Gamble Q, but that's not too surprising since he doesn't really worry about where I am. He ran pretty well, had a couple of off courses in his standard rounds, but he's trying hard. He still has a problem collecting to do weave poles... not sure how I"m going to fix that - they're pretty good in practice.

Bizzie didn't run as she is in heat - the little princess will be bred this time - hard to believe -seems she was just a puppy herself!

Tuff Enuf to Run in Pink?

2009-04-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty exciting time at the Olds "Cancer fundraiser" Trial yesterday! Most everyone was tuff enuf to run in pink - although the shirts this year were blue.
The dogs ran pretty well, Boo & I even ran Snooker in the dark! Yep, I think a transformer blew & we had no power for about an hour! So we opened the big doors at the end of the arena so we could see a little & we just continued! Fortunately, the power came on before the big "Dash for Cash" Steeplechase run.

Bizzie ran fast, but was a big tunnel suck, guess she'll have to go on a tunnel diet. I had several people telling me how entertaining her run was - now that's nice for the folks watching, but not so much when you're the one trying to keep her focus!
Blast had a major zoomie the first run of the day, which was standard, but he settled down quite well & probably would have Q'd in steeplechase if I hadn't screwed up - he did all the hard parts well & then I forgot to support him going into a tunnel... dumb mommy. I also had an oops in Snooker which he ran well too...
Boo Q'd 3 out of 4 - the snooker had too much mileage for him to get enough points; & we actually won money in the Dash for Cash! Yeah Boo!

The Ears Have It!

2009-04-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

3 papillons, 3 personalities, 3 different sets of ears!

Bizzie has very erect ears, kinda curly, very cute!

She has a funny look on her face here!

Boo has very big ears, with long fringes - nice when they're up, but he holds them at "half mast" if he's not excited!

Blast can't decide - he has one up, one down!

Or maybe he's too busy playing to hold them both up!

Sunday Fun!

2009-03-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well, Sunday was crap for weather, but great for agility!
The one day trial was tons of fun!

I'm so proud of my little Bizzie - she ran great 3 out of 4 runs - we were first dog on the line for the first class (Steeplechase) & she was clean until the 3rd last obstacle when she took the wrong end of the tunnel (not sure why - I must have taken a step that way before she was committed).

The standard round had a few problems - distracted at the end of the arena by the horse poop, & blew a couple of contacts, but her weaves are getting very good!

She Q'd in snooker with 3 sixes (a pinwheel of jumps) & finished the closing! That's her Starters Snooker title! Yeah - pretty good for a rookie!

Last run was another Steeplechase & she ran awesome - 2 sets of 12 weaves & a few rear crosses, which we're still working on, & she Q'd, which is her first Steeplechase Q - what a good girl!

Blast had a pretty good day - it was a small trial, so maybe it was slightly less distracting for him.

He missed a few obstacle in the first steeplechase, but I just let him keep going & made no corrections...

He did the first half of the standard course very well, then blew a contact & missed the weave pole entry, but did go back & do them, so really he did quite well.

I did the same Snooker path with him that I did with Bizzie & he Qualified as well! It wasn't necessarily pretty - but we got it done! Good Boy!
That's his Starters Snooker title as well!

Steeplechase 2 was a weird run - he started off slow & seemed to be really concentrating, then with 3 obstacles to go (we were clean) he went & pooped - note to self - if he's slow, take him off the course!!

Since it was a smaller trial, I had only 1 dog between Blast & Bizzie, so it was difficult to be organized - I worked every Adv class & ran in every Masters & Starters class... I also had another dog with me that I was babysitting so I had to look after her as well. Wayne did take them out to potty a few times, but he doesn't know Blast like I do, so he didn't wait for him long enough to potty very well.

Boo Q'd in both Steeplechase runs, had 5 F in Standard when he ran past the chute (odd) & did a backjump in snooker (my fault). He wasn't running very fast - not sure if he's sore.

All in all, it was a fun time, a nice relaxed trial & fun courses!

Crazy Weather!

2009-03-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was beautiful - probably +15 and most of the snow was gone from my back yard.

Here's a view this morning - & it's still snowing!

I guess it's back to the basement for some practice!

Training Troop Trial

2009-03-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I have mixed feelings about our results this weekend. I had the young dogs entered in a full trial for the first time. Running 3 dogs & trying to volunteer makes for a very busy weekend, especially when the young ones need lots of prep time before going into the ring...

I had Boo entered in 6 events, the most he's run since last summer... he did fine, but I thought he was tired on his jumpers round, which was the end of the day on Saturday. He Q'd 3 out of 6 runs, but 2 of the non-Q's were my fault - in Gamblers, my little guy who hated distance, stayed out & ran the line of jumps when I should have given him a better cue to come in to the teeter.
On one of the standard rounds, I walked the course wrong, so I was a little disorganized & pulled him past a jump, so it was totally my fault. The last non Q was in Snooker, when he freaked out at the judge while he was in the weave poles - quite strange really - the judge was great about it, she backed right up & he went back into the weaves .. & she came & talked to him at the end of the run.

Bizzie was really "off" on Sat - rang around the ring like a mad woman in Gamblers, then seemed apprehensive in the 1st Standard round & peed in the ring! Just when I thought she couldn't get worse, the next round she pooped in the ring! (she had just been outside before each run...)
I can't even remember her jumpers round, but there were some off courses...
I'm thinking she might be coming into heat, because she was sure acting strangely & not listening at all.
Steeplechase was the first run on Sunday, so I just ran her in a big loop around the ring & she did that very nicely. Then she actually Q'd her standard run & was a very good girl. Team was a gong show since I had Wayne run Blast as her partner - both of them were extremely naughty.
We got a good start in Snooker until she saw Wayne (who was polesetting after I asked him not to!!) & promptly jumped into his lap & I had trouble getting her focused again, so we ran out of time.

Blast had some good moments although he didn't get any Q's. His focus is improving in very small increments.. He had issues with the weave poles (which we had just practiced a bunch on Friday!) We really have to work on our timing - he has such a large stride & likes to work away from me - totally different from Boo. He was eliminated in the standard round when he also pooped in the ring, right after Bizzie did... how embarassing! they'd both been out to potty, but he did have diarrhea - no more beef heart for him I guess...

I think I need to continue with the Relaxation protocol that I've started with Blast - he gets so over the top that he really can't focus, although he really tries.
Bizzie was quite bratty, I'm thinking some obedience work might be in order for her.
Boo seems to need some proofing in the weave poles.

So much work to do, so little time!

ASCA trial

2009-03-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the ASCA trial out at Wet Creek. It was so cold, I took Blast out to pee & he picked up 2 feet, then just laid down, I felt so bad for him, he doesn't like the cold at all. With the wind chill, it was probably -30.

The trial was lots of fun, kind of a cross between NADAC & AAC I'd say. There's no tire or chute or spread or double jumps. The contacts are all rubber coated. The courses were fairly challenging, but there are no refusals, so that really helps with the young dogs. There were 3 Gamblers, 5 Jumpers, and 4 Standard rounds, so lots of running! I just entered the young ones to see how they can cope with a full trial & they did pretty well, although Blast was absolutely exhausted by the end of Sunday! Boo was pouting cause he didn't get to play.

The Good News:

Bizzie earned 4 Q's, so she got a Novice Gamblers titles & a Novice Jumpers title.
Blast also earned 4 Q's, so he got a Novice Jumpers title too.
Blast also received a Standard Q, which is quite an achievement for him (who hates to slow down for contacts, etc.)
Cactus made most of her contacts, so maybe the rubber contacts will help her!

The Bad News:

Bizzie left the ring twice off the start line, so was eliminated... not even sure what set her off.
Bizzie did a "flying teeter" at full speed (it never even moved) - I don't think she even noticed, just kept running.
Blast had some major zoomies (just when we thought he was getting better), but there were a lot of strange dogs & people there, so I think that affected him.

The Funny News:

The judge was quite taken with the "giant papillon" & wanted one of his puppies when I breed him! Of course he is NEUTERED!

Stupid Neighbors

2009-03-05T08:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I got a complaint from the city yesterday about my dogs barking.

Kind of interesting since Wayne got one too & his dog is debarked!

Yes, our dogs will bark at birds, kids on the trampoline appearing over our fence, etc. but they only bark once or twice & they're in the house!

Wayne spoke to the neighbor who complained (although she didn't bother to say a word to us) & she said that she can hear the dogs bark in our den (whose window faces their front door) - she has 3 adult kids living at home who all SLAM the front door every time they go in & out -( it actually wakes me up every Sat nite about 2 AM. ) so the dogs bark when they hear the door slam... Now I'm not sure I want my dogs to be quiet when they hear a noise outside - this has become a big city with lots of break ins...

I guess the next time her kids park ACROSS the end of our driveway, I will call a tow truck - no more Mrs Nice Guy!

There, I feel much better now!