2013

Train to win. Trial to learn.
My new motto for 2013. I have a nasty habit of shutting down at trials and not seeing them for what they are, a great big learning experience. No more will I get frustrated at trials. I am there to learn.
On the flip side my training is no longer casual. I am training to win.

My goals are less about titles this coming year and more about being prepared.

We will be

1) Psychically prepared 

    My dogs and I should be able to work for extended amounts of time with out becoming tired. Right now   we can only work a total of 10-15 minutes before calling it quits. This also includes getting the dogs back on raw.

2) Mentally prepared

    Knowing the rules and exercises before showing in any current or new venues/sports. 

3) Prepared for anything

    Working in the rain, on grass, in crowds, tight spaces, anything I can think of we will proof for it.

I expect 2013 to be a very exciting and can not wait to get it started. We have many things to look forward to Obedience, Rally, Conformation and agility. There is also the possibility of Weight pull, Tracking, Dock dogs, Carting and IPO. The possibilities are truly endless.

Happy New Year!

Weave Update

I moved the poles up again. As you can see he is a little confused but starting to use a little weaving motion.

Training has been made even more exciting by the discovery of his brand new most favorite ball ever!

This ball has been great because it is much softer and easier to squeak than the Cuz or squeaky tennis balls. He loves to pick it up and squeak it over and over again. I don't think it would last long if I just gave it to him but as a reward and interactive toy I can see it lasting awhile.

Christmas Gifts

My family and I had a wonderful Christmas and we hope your holidays were just as great.

All I wanted for Christmas was a set of weave poles. Luckily my husband picked up on the 100,000,000,000 hints I dropped over the last few months and actually made a set. They are not the sturdiest things in the world but for now they are doing the trick.

Here is a video from his third session

I usually send him through ahead of me. I only called him through to get the video. Although he is not the fastest dog on the block he is picking it up nicely.

Play Time

At the park with Phlox and the kids (Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics)

The boy on the left was so sweet. He assumed that because Phlox's leash was dragging (I had to run and scoop up my son while holding baby girl so no hands) that he had gotten away from me. He quickly picked up the leash and walked Phlox back to my stroller. The boy and his four cousins all took time to love on Phlox and even made sure to tell him good bye before leaving.

I always get mixed reactions when I take Phlox to the park. I know that at times parents are concerned about Phlox. I try to be respectful by not allowing him on the playground unless my children are the only kids there and always keeping a leash on him. However, I do not apologize for my dogs breed or looks. 

Predator and Prey

It's very easy to forget that deep down our dogs are predators. I mean most of us could not imagine Fido harming anything more than an occasional fly.

I experienced the predatory nature of dogs early on. When I was very little my family kept a handful of laying  hens. Stray dogs would often get on the property and chase down and kill our hens and chicks. We never really knew what we would find when we got home. We attempted to keep them in various enclosures but they were rather free spirited birds and wouldn't stay put. There isn't any reasoning with chickens you know.
But that was all many years ago and the memory had faded. Until yesterday Afternoon.

My sister had just gotten back from Florida and had most of her things at the facility. This included her sweet little rabbit. He was in his cage in the quietest room in the building just waiting to go home. The only other inhabitant of the room was a medium rescue dog who was boarding. The dog was quiet and also confined to his crate. 
None of us heard a thing until I noticed some scratching at the door. When my sister went in to investigate she found, well I'll just say that we got a reminder of the relationship between predator and prey.

It's easy to get comfortable and forget what our furry friends are capable of. The best things you can do are socialize, train, know your dog and always supervise.

Fall(ish)

It finally looks like fall here in Houston (kind of). So here are a few shots of the dogs posing for me. Violet as always looks like she was beaten into taking pictures(she wasn't) and Phlox managed to pose with everything except his mouth and ears. Enjoy and happy first day of December! 

These two are the most fabulous boys on the planet.

There would be more pictures of Violet except she always looks like this.