Then he will retire. Took him to training class and he had a blast, the old boy still has it. Kiah had some issues in class and finds that 16" jumps are much more fun. She is still awesomely fast but her old bones just aren't what they used to be.
Keegs celebrated his 9th Birthday in May and Kiah's 9th was the middle of August. Keegs still can keep up with the youngster plus keep him in his place. He lets him know who is boss but we all know deep down it is really Kiah who is boss. Just love these two gray faces.
Agility Boxers; Agility training progress, trial info plus photos© & videos© of agility classes and trials.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
September, 2015
Wow, can't believe the summer has gone by so fast and it is almost fall.
Kiah is doing wonderfully, I believe she has lost almost all the weight she gained before her thyroid surgery. She is retired now from agility, the trial at the end of June confirmed it, she just does not want to be at trials. She still loves training so I will continue to take her when I can go to the club to train but at lower heights, she is getting arthritis in her ankles.
Keegs looks so old but he plays with Thor like a 2-year old just for shorter periods of time. The fatty tumor on his side is still pretty much the same size so that is wonderful. He had a blast running at the trial in June so I plan to run him again in November for 1 day and then again at the end of December for 1 at that trial. He will retire after that and live the life of luxury. I will train with him too but just at lower heights also, don't want to put too much stress on his body.
I am so blessed to have these two in my life and I hope they will be around for a long time.
Kiah is doing wonderfully, I believe she has lost almost all the weight she gained before her thyroid surgery. She is retired now from agility, the trial at the end of June confirmed it, she just does not want to be at trials. She still loves training so I will continue to take her when I can go to the club to train but at lower heights, she is getting arthritis in her ankles.
Keegs looks so old but he plays with Thor like a 2-year old just for shorter periods of time. The fatty tumor on his side is still pretty much the same size so that is wonderful. He had a blast running at the trial in June so I plan to run him again in November for 1 day and then again at the end of December for 1 at that trial. He will retire after that and live the life of luxury. I will train with him too but just at lower heights also, don't want to put too much stress on his body.
I am so blessed to have these two in my life and I hope they will be around for a long time.
Thursday, June 04, 2015
June 2015
Kiah is doing so well after her surgery, acting like herself again bringing me toys to throw, initiating play with Thor and has lost some weight. She actually looks better than what she weighs, last time I checked she had only lost 2lbs. She had gained close to 12 lbs so I would like to get at least 8 more lbs off of her.
Keegs is still his goofy, loveable self and pretty healthy for a nine year old. I did find a tumor on his side, felt as though it was a fatty tumor and the vet confirmed it. We do have to watch it to make sure it doesn't grow or become malignant.
They both will do some agility at the club's trial at the end of the month so we have been doing some conditioning to get them in shape. I plan to train with them almost every weekend this month to get them ready for the trial. No pressure on them just want to have some fun with them doing agility.
Keegs is still his goofy, loveable self and pretty healthy for a nine year old. I did find a tumor on his side, felt as though it was a fatty tumor and the vet confirmed it. We do have to watch it to make sure it doesn't grow or become malignant.
They both will do some agility at the club's trial at the end of the month so we have been doing some conditioning to get them in shape. I plan to train with them almost every weekend this month to get them ready for the trial. No pressure on them just want to have some fun with them doing agility.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
April - May
April 30, 2015:
First training with Kiah and Keegs in a long time last Sunday, they both did so well after being off so long. Kept the jumps a bit lower until they can get back into into it again without knocking bars. Both were so excited to be doing agility and loved special treats they get.
Also took them to class last night and had a great time. I jumped them at 16" just to get them back in shape to trial at the end of June. I plan to take them next Sunday too! It is so much fun to be running them again and they will trial at the club the end of June for one day.
First training with Kiah and Keegs in a long time last Sunday, they both did so well after being off so long. Kept the jumps a bit lower until they can get back into into it again without knocking bars. Both were so excited to be doing agility and loved special treats they get.
Also took them to class last night and had a great time. I jumped them at 16" just to get them back in shape to trial at the end of June. I plan to take them next Sunday too! It is so much fun to be running them again and they will trial at the club the end of June for one day.
Wednesday, April 08, 2015
Thor's own blog
I may have to add a blog to my client's website, they are thinking a WordPress blog. I decided to test it so I created a blog and decided to keep it for Thor. Since Kiah and Keegs are semi-retired in agility I plan to keep this one up for them with tracking and obedience. Here is the link to Thor's blog.
https://agilityboxers.wordpress.com/
Stop by and let me know what you think of the new blog for Thor.
https://agilityboxers.wordpress.com/
Stop by and let me know what you think of the new blog for Thor.
Tuesday, April 07, 2015
Kiah's Surgery
Last fall Kiah started gaining weight and even though on a diet I couldn't get it off of her, so off to the vet we go to get her thyroid blood work done and sent to Michigan. Michigan's results, everything in normal range which I found hard to believe since she has all the symptoms of thyroid issues. My vet and I decide to have her rechecked in 3 months and I will keep her on a diet to see if I can't get the weight off and to see if the other symptoms go away.
Three months later I find a lump in her neck on her thyroid so back to the vet again. Needle aspiration is inconclusive to cancer but it is a tumor. The next step is to have x-rays of her lungs to see if there are any signs of cancer since lungs are the first place cancer will metastasize. Thank goodness her lungs are clear of any lesions so we set a date for the specialist to come in to do the surgery. My vet will not do it since it is such a tricky surgery with the larynx and major blood vessels right there.
The day of the surgery the specialist calls me and says that since the tumor was caught right away and is moveable (not attached to blood vessels or larynx) she is optimistic that she will be able to remove the whole tumor. When Kiah is waking up she calls me to say all went well and the tumor will go out to check for cancer. It was cancer as expected.
I go back in to see the vet 10 days later to have Kiah's stitches removed and discuss what we do next. It ends up the tumor was small, 16cm plus it was totally removed so no chemo or radiation is recommended. If the tumor was 24cm or over it would have been different, radiation is recommended. I am ecstatic that Kiah will not have to go through radiation. Life expectancy barring any other non related health issues is 3-4+ years which will make Kiah almost 12-13+ years old. A good life expectancy for a Boxer.
It has been almost 5 weeks now since the surgery and Kiah has not been able to shed the weight so she is now on thyroid meds. The vet said that they do recommend medication after surgery even though blood work does not indicate the need as the remaining thyroid needs that support.
I can't tell you how pleased I am with the specialist, she was kind, compassionate and an excellent surgeon. I have heard that she travels all over the U.S.A. doing these kinds of surgeries, she is that good. I have included some photos of Kiah the day after her surgery and 3 weeks after her surgery.
Three months later I find a lump in her neck on her thyroid so back to the vet again. Needle aspiration is inconclusive to cancer but it is a tumor. The next step is to have x-rays of her lungs to see if there are any signs of cancer since lungs are the first place cancer will metastasize. Thank goodness her lungs are clear of any lesions so we set a date for the specialist to come in to do the surgery. My vet will not do it since it is such a tricky surgery with the larynx and major blood vessels right there.
The day of the surgery the specialist calls me and says that since the tumor was caught right away and is moveable (not attached to blood vessels or larynx) she is optimistic that she will be able to remove the whole tumor. When Kiah is waking up she calls me to say all went well and the tumor will go out to check for cancer. It was cancer as expected.
I go back in to see the vet 10 days later to have Kiah's stitches removed and discuss what we do next. It ends up the tumor was small, 16cm plus it was totally removed so no chemo or radiation is recommended. If the tumor was 24cm or over it would have been different, radiation is recommended. I am ecstatic that Kiah will not have to go through radiation. Life expectancy barring any other non related health issues is 3-4+ years which will make Kiah almost 12-13+ years old. A good life expectancy for a Boxer.
It has been almost 5 weeks now since the surgery and Kiah has not been able to shed the weight so she is now on thyroid meds. The vet said that they do recommend medication after surgery even though blood work does not indicate the need as the remaining thyroid needs that support.
I can't tell you how pleased I am with the specialist, she was kind, compassionate and an excellent surgeon. I have heard that she travels all over the U.S.A. doing these kinds of surgeries, she is that good. I have included some photos of Kiah the day after her surgery and 3 weeks after her surgery.
Day after surgery
3 weeks after her surgery
Thursday, February 12, 2015
February-March 2015
3/19/2015 - Just had to post about how awesome Thor's contacts (2on 2off) are coming along, I am so proud of him. In class last night at the start line he was so ready to go; head down leaning forward, so intent and watching me like a hawk. I just love seeing that enthusiasm and his love for the game.
3/8/2015 - We had our club's 3-day trial, Thor did a bit better each day and on Saturday he got his second leg in Standard. Still dealing with run-offs if he gets ahead of me, doesn't really check in like he should. He is awesome and I love running with him, we will only get better as we go along.
Some Obedience in March, we will be doing pre-novice and I am looking forward to see how we do off leash in a trial setting. A day or two of agility towards the end of the month too.
Kiah was not able to run, she is still recovering from her surgery to remove her thyroid (cancerous tumor). I will write a different post on that.
Keegs was entered one day, the teeter was the 2nd obstacle. He is not pleased with the teeter and slid down it, landed wrong on his leg. He was not putting any weight on it so he was carried off the course. By the time he was carried to his crate he was able to put weight on it. It ended up only being a muscle pull, thank goodness. He has not had any issues since.
2/12/2015 - We didn't do so well at the CPE trial last weekend, the trial location makes Thor really nervous. Normally once he is in the ring, his nerves vanish but not at this location and I have no idea why. We will be trialing there often this spring so I hope the more we go the more the less nervous he will become.
My wonderful trainers, Diane Sanders and Beth Diehl along with Renee Fulcer's help showed last night in class. This is an excellent/masters course and since we are in Novice we do not run the whole course. Diane has been wonderful allowing Thor in this class. Renee took a video on her phone of the last run so I am including it in this post. Thor was still chewing his treat from the a-frame contact in the weaves which is why he did not complete them the first time. On the other runs he did complete them without issues. His turns are still wide but he is still a baby and we are both still learning so that will come in time. I love running this boy, he is just so much fun!
Thor's video
3/8/2015 - We had our club's 3-day trial, Thor did a bit better each day and on Saturday he got his second leg in Standard. Still dealing with run-offs if he gets ahead of me, doesn't really check in like he should. He is awesome and I love running with him, we will only get better as we go along.
Some Obedience in March, we will be doing pre-novice and I am looking forward to see how we do off leash in a trial setting. A day or two of agility towards the end of the month too.
Kiah was not able to run, she is still recovering from her surgery to remove her thyroid (cancerous tumor). I will write a different post on that.
Keegs was entered one day, the teeter was the 2nd obstacle. He is not pleased with the teeter and slid down it, landed wrong on his leg. He was not putting any weight on it so he was carried off the course. By the time he was carried to his crate he was able to put weight on it. It ended up only being a muscle pull, thank goodness. He has not had any issues since.
2/12/2015 - We didn't do so well at the CPE trial last weekend, the trial location makes Thor really nervous. Normally once he is in the ring, his nerves vanish but not at this location and I have no idea why. We will be trialing there often this spring so I hope the more we go the more the less nervous he will become.
My wonderful trainers, Diane Sanders and Beth Diehl along with Renee Fulcer's help showed last night in class. This is an excellent/masters course and since we are in Novice we do not run the whole course. Diane has been wonderful allowing Thor in this class. Renee took a video on her phone of the last run so I am including it in this post. Thor was still chewing his treat from the a-frame contact in the weaves which is why he did not complete them the first time. On the other runs he did complete them without issues. His turns are still wide but he is still a baby and we are both still learning so that will come in time. I love running this boy, he is just so much fun!
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Love, love this quote by Linda Mecklenburg
I need to practice this more with my dogs, they are all wonderful, unique and deserve to be treated this way. The picture in the background is my young dog Thor who is just beginning agility. He loves it but is not totally confident yet.
Friday, January 09, 2015
January 2015
January 24 - Great day at the Janesville-Beloit Kennel Club's Obedience & Rally Trial. Thor got his first leg in Rally Adv. Only 2 dogs qualified, we had the same score but Thor was a fraction of a second faster so he got first place. He was pretty good off leash and very happy at his attitude. Later in the day we had the second Rally trial and he also qualified in that too so now he has 2 legs in RA. Last one for the day was his last leg for his Beginner Novice Title. He did get more nervous and distracted as the day wore on but he is still a young boy yet so more confidence will come later. I am so proud of what he has accomplished so far.
We had some wild runs at the Agility trial earlier in the month so no qualifications. We have been working at keeping his attention so he doesn't run off and leave me. Making some progress but will know for sure on the 31st when we have our next agility trial. I don't expect miracles but would love to see some small improvements.
January 8 - A new month and a new year, great way to continue Thor's agility and obedience career. We have a trial this weekend, one day of obedience on the 24th and one day of an agility trial at the end of the month in which he will need to have his 2-year measurements. Having so much fun with him, he has a great attitude, enjoys himself and keeps improving, I couldn't ask for more from him at his age. He is such a great dog, love him.
Kiah and Keegs had a great time with my great-nephew house sitting with them but I do think they missed us. I know Thor was so happy to see them and be home after two long weekends of being gone and staying in a hotel.
Too bad it got so cold and so much snow on the ground that we can't do much outside, too hard on their feet. Thor has a real tough time even with his boots on. More later.......
We had some wild runs at the Agility trial earlier in the month so no qualifications. We have been working at keeping his attention so he doesn't run off and leave me. Making some progress but will know for sure on the 31st when we have our next agility trial. I don't expect miracles but would love to see some small improvements.
January 8 - A new month and a new year, great way to continue Thor's agility and obedience career. We have a trial this weekend, one day of obedience on the 24th and one day of an agility trial at the end of the month in which he will need to have his 2-year measurements. Having so much fun with him, he has a great attitude, enjoys himself and keeps improving, I couldn't ask for more from him at his age. He is such a great dog, love him.
Kiah and Keegs had a great time with my great-nephew house sitting with them but I do think they missed us. I know Thor was so happy to see them and be home after two long weekends of being gone and staying in a hotel.
Too bad it got so cold and so much snow on the ground that we can't do much outside, too hard on their feet. Thor has a real tough time even with his boots on. More later.......
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