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.......
Agility Boxers; Agility training progress, trial info plus photos© & videos© of agility classes and trials.
Friday, January 09, 2015
Wednesday, December 03, 2014
Continue to learn
Today is another Dog Agility Blog Event Day - December 3, 2014; please visit all the blogs at: (http://dogagilityblogevents.wordpress.com/continuing-education/). Also please leave comments, we all enjoy hearing what you have to say.
Continuing education is a process, is it better to try new things or is is better to stay with what you know? With all the changes in agility, obedience and rally I feel it is necessary to continue to learn. What you learn may not work with your team but it may give some different ideas or bits of what you learn may help to make you a better team. If you don't continue to learn you can become stagnant, not able to handle the new course layouts and possibly continue to make the same mistakes you are making as you trial.
How do you continue to learn? Take seminars, listen to your instructors, talk to people at trials, watch and listen to others and be open to new ideas. Some things you may want to change others maybe not. Don't try something one time and say it doesn't work for you; you and your team mate need a chance to learn it together to truly test it. Don't continue to jump from one new idea to another it will end up being too confusing to both you and your dog.
As I progress in my agility career what I find most important to learn about are my dogs; why they do the things they do, what motivates them and how do I best communicate to them. All three of my Boxers are so different but also alike in many ways. I made so many mistakes with my first agility dog and do not want to repeat those. The best way to do that is to continue to learn, understand and be the best team mate on the other side of the leash.
Thanks for visiting and please remember to visit the other blogs, I am!!!!
Continuing education is a process, is it better to try new things or is is better to stay with what you know? With all the changes in agility, obedience and rally I feel it is necessary to continue to learn. What you learn may not work with your team but it may give some different ideas or bits of what you learn may help to make you a better team. If you don't continue to learn you can become stagnant, not able to handle the new course layouts and possibly continue to make the same mistakes you are making as you trial.
How do you continue to learn? Take seminars, listen to your instructors, talk to people at trials, watch and listen to others and be open to new ideas. Some things you may want to change others maybe not. Don't try something one time and say it doesn't work for you; you and your team mate need a chance to learn it together to truly test it. Don't continue to jump from one new idea to another it will end up being too confusing to both you and your dog.
As I progress in my agility career what I find most important to learn about are my dogs; why they do the things they do, what motivates them and how do I best communicate to them. All three of my Boxers are so different but also alike in many ways. I made so many mistakes with my first agility dog and do not want to repeat those. The best way to do that is to continue to learn, understand and be the best team mate on the other side of the leash.
Thanks for visiting and please remember to visit the other blogs, I am!!!!
Tuesday, December 02, 2014
Nov. - Dec, 2014
December 27-29, 2015 (Thors 3rd AKC trail)
Had a great time at the Doberman Pincher Club of Milwaukee in Oshkosh for their 3-day trial. Thor was silly zoomer during our T2B runs but I was using them to help settle him down, he is wild when he first gets out there. He qualified in Std with 85 points (1 W & 2 R) but still under time for his first leg in AKC, I am so proud of him. We had some great and not so great moments the rest of the weekend but I am so happy with how he is coming along.
December 17, 2015
This weekend Thor will be doing agility at the Tree Town Boxer Club trial, I will be working since I am a member but hope to have time to work with him before we run. I entered him in T2B so he isn't sitting and waiting until the novice classes. Keegs and Kiah are staying home with my great-nephew who will be house sitting for me since they are not entered. They will have way more fun with him instead of sitting in crates all day at the trial. Thor may be a bit lonely but he will be fine.
Tonight we go to class, our last training session before the trial. I hope each week I get more focus than the previous week. Eventually we will get it and become a team, just can't push him too fast and make it stressful. We need to have fun!
December 3, 2015
Thor is in the advanced dog class, Diane Sanders & Beth Diehl are the instructors. Diane is allowing him to come to class. I don't really have Thor's focus yet so they will be helping me with that. We are doing partial courses so as not to be too hard and discouraging for him. So happy, they are the best
December 1, 2014
November is gone and now it is already December. I am so not ready for winter, the cold, snow and ice make it difficult to get to the places that are not local. Good thing trials in this area are inside year round.
Thor had his first CPE and AKC trials during November. CPE started out wonderfully, he got a first place in Full House but something freaked him out during our Standard run and we didn't do well at all. In Jumpers he was still really uncomfortable so not so well in that class either. We will be doing an AKC trial at the same place later this month and I hope he doesn't remember that he was afraid there.
The AKC trial was at the club where we train and he is very comfortable there so I got a lot of zooms, not Kiah type of zooms but lose focus and run off type of zoom. We will be training hard on focus this month before his next trial.
I would like to do an obedience trial late January so we have to work harder on obedience too.
More later.......
Had a great time at the Doberman Pincher Club of Milwaukee in Oshkosh for their 3-day trial. Thor was silly zoomer during our T2B runs but I was using them to help settle him down, he is wild when he first gets out there. He qualified in Std with 85 points (1 W & 2 R) but still under time for his first leg in AKC, I am so proud of him. We had some great and not so great moments the rest of the weekend but I am so happy with how he is coming along.
December 17, 2015
This weekend Thor will be doing agility at the Tree Town Boxer Club trial, I will be working since I am a member but hope to have time to work with him before we run. I entered him in T2B so he isn't sitting and waiting until the novice classes. Keegs and Kiah are staying home with my great-nephew who will be house sitting for me since they are not entered. They will have way more fun with him instead of sitting in crates all day at the trial. Thor may be a bit lonely but he will be fine.
Tonight we go to class, our last training session before the trial. I hope each week I get more focus than the previous week. Eventually we will get it and become a team, just can't push him too fast and make it stressful. We need to have fun!
December 3, 2015
Thor is in the advanced dog class, Diane Sanders & Beth Diehl are the instructors. Diane is allowing him to come to class. I don't really have Thor's focus yet so they will be helping me with that. We are doing partial courses so as not to be too hard and discouraging for him. So happy, they are the best
December 1, 2014
November is gone and now it is already December. I am so not ready for winter, the cold, snow and ice make it difficult to get to the places that are not local. Good thing trials in this area are inside year round.
Thor had his first CPE and AKC trials during November. CPE started out wonderfully, he got a first place in Full House but something freaked him out during our Standard run and we didn't do well at all. In Jumpers he was still really uncomfortable so not so well in that class either. We will be doing an AKC trial at the same place later this month and I hope he doesn't remember that he was afraid there.
The AKC trial was at the club where we train and he is very comfortable there so I got a lot of zooms, not Kiah type of zooms but lose focus and run off type of zoom. We will be training hard on focus this month before his next trial.
I would like to do an obedience trial late January so we have to work harder on obedience too.
More later.......
Monday, September 22, 2014
Sept-Oct. 2014
It's not October yet, but so close I thought I will probably only get this post in before it's here and not much has been going on except a trial last weekend and another coming up this weekend. Kiah and Keegs were a bit goofy during their runs at the trial most probably because we haven't been to a trial in a while and haven't been to classes in a couple of weeks. I wasn't at my best either but we did have some great courses and lots of fun running them.
Going to start Thor in AKC at a Match in Oct and a trial in late Nov. if he does well at the match. I am nervous and excited to start running with him. My biggest concern is the noise and commotion close to the start line, he get very nervous. I plan to take him up to the running area this coming weekend to see if I can get him used to it and calm him down. More later......
October 24-26, 2014 -Kiah is retiring, she has had enough of agility trial stress so we will stick to classes, tracking and the fun things she loves. I think Keegs is going thru his second childhood, he has a blast this weekend running around the courses doing his own thing. Maybe it is the chillier weather but he sure is feisty.
Thor had his match on Sunday, what a fun, fun time running him. He did really well, there are things we need to work but we are beginning to read each other. It was a small match so not a lot of people or noise; Thor did so well with meeting new people and being friendly. Not a huge step but an improvement and I am so happy with it. Pulled out of a trial with Kiah and Keegs so entered a CPE trial that weekend with Thor to give him a bit more experience before the larger AKC trial in late November.
October 12, 2014 - More training at the club today, it was a fun course that was left up from the run-thru on Friday. Thor and I also did two runs during the run-thru, he did pretty well but not as much attention as I would prefer plus he kept going too fast and slid off the table. Have to use "easy" with him like I did with Kiah.
Keegs and Kiah got to run at the course too on Sunday. Kiah ran with a friend and I have asked her to run Kiah at an upcoming trial to see if I can get her out of her funk. I think she is feeling better, hopefully the supplements are helping her with the arthritis in her ankles.
Thor pounds the a-frame when he gets on so I put a hoop to teach him to run it from the bottom. I am hoping that will help. The club has only 1 so we ran it both ways so he can get his contact too. Really pleased with his progress but still have a lot of work to do before we communicate really well.
October 5, 2014 - Thor and I did some training at the club today. No course was setup but someone had setup some jumps; a line of 5 and a pinwheel with 3 jumps. The a-frame with a tunnel underneath and the dog walk with a tunnel were still there from the Wednesday class. There were also weaves set off by themselves. It worked out extremely well, much better than I had expected. Learned that I need to give Thor signals earlier for turns; he is starting to understand "go" to continue to the next obstacle and "out" to go out to a jump that is out of line. We worked on front crosses, rear crosses and even did a "Ketschker" which he read like a pro. I offset the jumps to make them more difficult and worked tunnel entrances. So proud of him during the training session but still need to work with him on focus when we first start training. Once he settles down he is great.
Going to start Thor in AKC at a Match in Oct and a trial in late Nov. if he does well at the match. I am nervous and excited to start running with him. My biggest concern is the noise and commotion close to the start line, he get very nervous. I plan to take him up to the running area this coming weekend to see if I can get him used to it and calm him down. More later......
October 24-26, 2014 -Kiah is retiring, she has had enough of agility trial stress so we will stick to classes, tracking and the fun things she loves. I think Keegs is going thru his second childhood, he has a blast this weekend running around the courses doing his own thing. Maybe it is the chillier weather but he sure is feisty.
Thor had his match on Sunday, what a fun, fun time running him. He did really well, there are things we need to work but we are beginning to read each other. It was a small match so not a lot of people or noise; Thor did so well with meeting new people and being friendly. Not a huge step but an improvement and I am so happy with it. Pulled out of a trial with Kiah and Keegs so entered a CPE trial that weekend with Thor to give him a bit more experience before the larger AKC trial in late November.
October 12, 2014 - More training at the club today, it was a fun course that was left up from the run-thru on Friday. Thor and I also did two runs during the run-thru, he did pretty well but not as much attention as I would prefer plus he kept going too fast and slid off the table. Have to use "easy" with him like I did with Kiah.
Keegs and Kiah got to run at the course too on Sunday. Kiah ran with a friend and I have asked her to run Kiah at an upcoming trial to see if I can get her out of her funk. I think she is feeling better, hopefully the supplements are helping her with the arthritis in her ankles.
Thor pounds the a-frame when he gets on so I put a hoop to teach him to run it from the bottom. I am hoping that will help. The club has only 1 so we ran it both ways so he can get his contact too. Really pleased with his progress but still have a lot of work to do before we communicate really well.
October 5, 2014 - Thor and I did some training at the club today. No course was setup but someone had setup some jumps; a line of 5 and a pinwheel with 3 jumps. The a-frame with a tunnel underneath and the dog walk with a tunnel were still there from the Wednesday class. There were also weaves set off by themselves. It worked out extremely well, much better than I had expected. Learned that I need to give Thor signals earlier for turns; he is starting to understand "go" to continue to the next obstacle and "out" to go out to a jump that is out of line. We worked on front crosses, rear crosses and even did a "Ketschker" which he read like a pro. I offset the jumps to make them more difficult and worked tunnel entrances. So proud of him during the training session but still need to work with him on focus when we first start training. Once he settles down he is great.
Wednesday, September 03, 2014
Hmmm! Training...not agility
Today is another Dog Agility Blog Event Day - Sept. 4, 2014, today's topic is "Outside The Ring". Please visit all the blogs at: (http://dogagilityblogevents.
Previous to this past year I have pretty much only done agility training except for a little obedience training here and there. With my new puppy Thor, still calling him a puppy even though he is almost 20 months old, I have been working more in obedience, teaching him tricks and also starting some core strengthening and rear end awareness exercises. Kiah and Keegs will also be doing the core strengthening which I feel is especially important now that they are both 8 years old.
In everyday life, I suppose the other things I do is to try my best to keep them healthy, active and happy. Good food, exercise, and a lot of love. I try to have one-on-one time with each dog so they don't feel left out. OK, maybe that is equating them with human emotions but that is how I think they feel so I am good with that. There is nothing worse than the sad, poor me look of a Boxer when they feel sad.
They learn if they finish their food early they do not get to try to eat from another bowl until that dog is finished. They stay in a down until their food is prepared, put down and they are released. They have to work (sit, down, do a trick) for any treats they get. Just everyday manners that will help when around other dogs at trials.
I am looking forward to reading what others are saying, I am sure I will learn so much, probably find some wonderful ideas to add to my things to do "Outside the ring"
Previous to this past year I have pretty much only done agility training except for a little obedience training here and there. With my new puppy Thor, still calling him a puppy even though he is almost 20 months old, I have been working more in obedience, teaching him tricks and also starting some core strengthening and rear end awareness exercises. Kiah and Keegs will also be doing the core strengthening which I feel is especially important now that they are both 8 years old.
In everyday life, I suppose the other things I do is to try my best to keep them healthy, active and happy. Good food, exercise, and a lot of love. I try to have one-on-one time with each dog so they don't feel left out. OK, maybe that is equating them with human emotions but that is how I think they feel so I am good with that. There is nothing worse than the sad, poor me look of a Boxer when they feel sad.
They learn if they finish their food early they do not get to try to eat from another bowl until that dog is finished. They stay in a down until their food is prepared, put down and they are released. They have to work (sit, down, do a trick) for any treats they get. Just everyday manners that will help when around other dogs at trials.
I am looking forward to reading what others are saying, I am sure I will learn so much, probably find some wonderful ideas to add to my things to do "Outside the ring"
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
August ALREADY!!!!!!
I can't believe it is almost the middle of August already.
Kiah, Keegs, Thor and I have been keeping up classes, some agility and some obedience trails the last couple of months. Not much to report in agility for Kiah and Keegs but we have only done a couple of trials and won't be doing more until mid-September. Thor is continuing with his classes in agility and obedience each week so he has been busy too.
Kiah and Thor have been doing a bit of obedience/rally each month. Thor has his RN title and two legs in beginner novice in obedience. We did try RA and regular novice but he is not ready for off leash, still too distracted by what is going on outside the ring. Kiah got her RN & RA titles but we will stick to Advanced for a while, I have to learn the different signs for Rally Excellent. She also got her beginner novice title at Tree Town Boxer Clubs/Midwest Boxer Club Ob/Rally trial, it was a special moment for us with a beautiful Title ribbon from Midwest Boxer Club. Thor was mesmerized by all of the Boxers. Wonderful fun trial for all of us.
Kiah, Keegs, Thor and I have been keeping up classes, some agility and some obedience trails the last couple of months. Not much to report in agility for Kiah and Keegs but we have only done a couple of trials and won't be doing more until mid-September. Thor is continuing with his classes in agility and obedience each week so he has been busy too.
Kiah and Thor have been doing a bit of obedience/rally each month. Thor has his RN title and two legs in beginner novice in obedience. We did try RA and regular novice but he is not ready for off leash, still too distracted by what is going on outside the ring. Kiah got her RN & RA titles but we will stick to Advanced for a while, I have to learn the different signs for Rally Excellent. She also got her beginner novice title at Tree Town Boxer Clubs/Midwest Boxer Club Ob/Rally trial, it was a special moment for us with a beautiful Title ribbon from Midwest Boxer Club. Thor was mesmerized by all of the Boxers. Wonderful fun trial for all of us.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
What a day!!!!!!
I am beyond ecstatic, Thor and Kiah did so well June 15 at the North Shore Club Obedience and Rally trial in Libertyville, IL. They both got legs in their Rally classes in spite of mess ups from me. Kiah now has 2 legs in Rally Advanced A and Thor got his 7th leg in Rally Novice. Next trial Thor will be entered in Rally Advanced.
Now the awesome news; Thor got a 198 in Beginner Novice A for his first leg with a first place. He was just so awesome especially the healing and figure 8. It should be his second leg but the judge at the last trial called the second recall an NQ but I found out later that it was allowed. I am sure he would have qualified though, it was still a good practice. I was just so excited I was in LaLa land so when he said Kiah was second place I truly zoned out, so much so that I don't recall if he said a 197 or a 196. Either way I was so happy. There were only 4 dogs in the class, all qualified so everyone got a placement which was great.
Now the awesome news; Thor got a 198 in Beginner Novice A for his first leg with a first place. He was just so awesome especially the healing and figure 8. It should be his second leg but the judge at the last trial called the second recall an NQ but I found out later that it was allowed. I am sure he would have qualified though, it was still a good practice. I was just so excited I was in LaLa land so when he said Kiah was second place I truly zoned out, so much so that I don't recall if he said a 197 or a 196. Either way I was so happy. There were only 4 dogs in the class, all qualified so everyone got a placement which was great.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Success-"What, who said we failed"
Today is another Dog Agility Blog Event Day - June 4, 2014; please visit all the blogs at: (http://dogagilityblogevents.
If success means getting a lot of Q's then I guess you can say we (Kiah, Keegs and me) are failures. If success means we continue to learn and grow then we are becoming more successful all the time.
Each person's measurement of success will be different. I have learned a lot from one of my instructors about mental attitude, setting obtainable goals and keeping a positive attitude. She turned me on to Lanny Bassham's "With Winning in Mind" a set of CD's that give you a program to a positive mental management system. I have been listening to these CD's a lot lately, it makes me think about how negative attitudes, negative comments I make about my performances or setting goals too high can spiral into continued failures which then become the norm.
When I am complimented on a run, even though I am pleased at the compliment I have a tendency to mention what went wrong rather than just saying thank you. What I am doing is reinforcing negatives rather then celebrate the positives. I do compliement others on their runs and plan to do it more often which will build a positive attitude in myself and hopefully others.
Lately my goal has been to relearn how to have fun with my dogs (and them with me), not to take agility, obedience or rally so seriously and to celebrate the very small successes. Slowly but surely this is beginning to happen; I am more excited about going to trials and enjoying myself more while I am there. If we never Q, but have a blast working as a team I will consider myself the most successful handler there. If in the process we do get a Q, it will be icing on the cake.
I am a great handler who has fun with her dogs, brings out the best in them while they have fun. That is like me! (a part of a directive affirmation statement....).
If success means getting a lot of Q's then I guess you can say we (Kiah, Keegs and me) are failures. If success means we continue to learn and grow then we are becoming more successful all the time.
Each person's measurement of success will be different. I have learned a lot from one of my instructors about mental attitude, setting obtainable goals and keeping a positive attitude. She turned me on to Lanny Bassham's "With Winning in Mind" a set of CD's that give you a program to a positive mental management system. I have been listening to these CD's a lot lately, it makes me think about how negative attitudes, negative comments I make about my performances or setting goals too high can spiral into continued failures which then become the norm.
When I am complimented on a run, even though I am pleased at the compliment I have a tendency to mention what went wrong rather than just saying thank you. What I am doing is reinforcing negatives rather then celebrate the positives. I do compliement others on their runs and plan to do it more often which will build a positive attitude in myself and hopefully others.
Lately my goal has been to relearn how to have fun with my dogs (and them with me), not to take agility, obedience or rally so seriously and to celebrate the very small successes. Slowly but surely this is beginning to happen; I am more excited about going to trials and enjoying myself more while I am there. If we never Q, but have a blast working as a team I will consider myself the most successful handler there. If in the process we do get a Q, it will be icing on the cake.
I am a great handler who has fun with her dogs, brings out the best in them while they have fun. That is like me! (a part of a directive affirmation statement....).
May-June 2014
Thor and Kiah had Ob\Rally trial on May 31st. They both did really well; Thor got another leg in Rally Novice B and almost got a leg in Beginner Novice A but I had to call him a 2nd time on the recall which was an automatic NQ. Up until that point he did awesome. Kiah lagged a bit in Rally Advanced A but ended up with a 94 which gave her a first place. In beginner novice A she got her first leg (3rd) with an 189.5. It was a wonderful day.
No agility trials in May but will be doing some Rally & Obedience with Kiah and Thor. We are continuing agility classes. Thor and I will also be doing some private lessons with our obedience instructor to get him ready for Novice Obedience at my club (Tree Town Boxer Club) trial in early August. In the mean time we will be doing some Beginner Novice practice at trials.
No agility trials in May but will be doing some Rally & Obedience with Kiah and Thor. We are continuing agility classes. Thor and I will also be doing some private lessons with our obedience instructor to get him ready for Novice Obedience at my club (Tree Town Boxer Club) trial in early August. In the mean time we will be doing some Beginner Novice practice at trials.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
March, April 2014
April 18-20 - Greater Milwaukee Doberman Club Trial-
Another set of great courses and great judges, had a wonderful time. Kiah did get her first Q in Master Preferred Jumper and 1 PACH point on Saturday. We are just getting together as a team after some really bad ring stress so I am extremely pleased. Keegs was his happy goofy self and we had fun running but no Q's for him. Kiah didn't run on Sunday, jammed her toe the night before and was limping so let her rest so she could heal.
April 12-13 - Medallion Rottweiler Club Trail-
A fun trial with really great courses and judges. We had more good things then bad but no Q's for either Keegs or Kiah.
March 29 - Lakeland Dog Training Club Rally Trial-
Kiah got her Rally Novice title and 4th place with an 89. I lost her 10 points by forgetting a halt at one of the stations, didn't even realize it until someone told me when we finished. Doesn't matter, I know she was fabulous.
Thor got his 5th leg with a score of 88, we are still having issues with fronts and finishes, he doesn't want to turn his back on things. Will continue to build his confidence.
March 22-23 - WAG Agility Trial -
Keegs ran on Saturday, we had fun but no Q's. Keegan and I need to connect more.
Kiah ran on Sunday, we qualified and Kiah got her Excellent Title in JWW. The Standard run was not so good but we can only take baby steps to get her back on track.
Palmer's Flirting With Fire (Kiah)
23-Mar-2014
JWW-EX-PRE - 20 Inch - Judge: Christie Bowers
Distance: 160 yards - SCT: 50 seconds
Score: 100(Q) - Time: 45.48 seconds - 1st place
March has been a busy month, we had our club's 3-day agility trial (March 7-9). As always it was fun but busy. Kiah and Keegs ran, no Q's but with some good things in each run. Friends ran Kiah on Sunday to see if we can get her to feel less stress in a trial environment. I stress her terribly, she is so afraid she will make a mistake and does not feel that pressure when others run her. She did zoom with Renee but came right back to her and ran the rest of the course. When Diane ran her, Kiah did not watch her as she should have but that was the first time Diane had run her in a trial.
March 15 - Badger Dog Club Rally Trial I & II
Thor got his title with a score of 93 in the first trial. Handler error and a nervous puppy got us a score of 81 for the second trial.
Kiah got her first leg with a score of 96 in the first trial. Second leg in the second trial with a score of 83; 10 points off due to the handler not noticing on the last station her elbows were not touching on the down. Kiah did have fun and was not stressed, her tail was up the entire time :-)
Really proud of both of them. Keegs hates Rally so he was cheerleader and supporter for Thor and Kiah.
March 16 - USDAA trial at Forest City.
I entered because one of my trainers, Diane Sanders said she would run Kiah for me. Had a great time and Diane did really well with Kiah. Here is the video of her running Kiah in Jumpers. First place in 20" performance, 24.38 seconds. jumpers.
Another set of great courses and great judges, had a wonderful time. Kiah did get her first Q in Master Preferred Jumper and 1 PACH point on Saturday. We are just getting together as a team after some really bad ring stress so I am extremely pleased. Keegs was his happy goofy self and we had fun running but no Q's for him. Kiah didn't run on Sunday, jammed her toe the night before and was limping so let her rest so she could heal.
April 12-13 - Medallion Rottweiler Club Trail-
A fun trial with really great courses and judges. We had more good things then bad but no Q's for either Keegs or Kiah.
March 29 - Lakeland Dog Training Club Rally Trial-
Kiah got her Rally Novice title and 4th place with an 89. I lost her 10 points by forgetting a halt at one of the stations, didn't even realize it until someone told me when we finished. Doesn't matter, I know she was fabulous.
Thor got his 5th leg with a score of 88, we are still having issues with fronts and finishes, he doesn't want to turn his back on things. Will continue to build his confidence.
March 22-23 - WAG Agility Trial -
Keegs ran on Saturday, we had fun but no Q's. Keegan and I need to connect more.
Kiah ran on Sunday, we qualified and Kiah got her Excellent Title in JWW. The Standard run was not so good but we can only take baby steps to get her back on track.
Palmer's Flirting With Fire (Kiah)
23-Mar-2014
JWW-EX-PRE - 20 Inch - Judge: Christie Bowers
Distance: 160 yards - SCT: 50 seconds
Score: 100(Q) - Time: 45.48 seconds - 1st place
March has been a busy month, we had our club's 3-day agility trial (March 7-9). As always it was fun but busy. Kiah and Keegs ran, no Q's but with some good things in each run. Friends ran Kiah on Sunday to see if we can get her to feel less stress in a trial environment. I stress her terribly, she is so afraid she will make a mistake and does not feel that pressure when others run her. She did zoom with Renee but came right back to her and ran the rest of the course. When Diane ran her, Kiah did not watch her as she should have but that was the first time Diane had run her in a trial.
March 15 - Badger Dog Club Rally Trial I & II
Thor got his title with a score of 93 in the first trial. Handler error and a nervous puppy got us a score of 81 for the second trial.
Kiah got her first leg with a score of 96 in the first trial. Second leg in the second trial with a score of 83; 10 points off due to the handler not noticing on the last station her elbows were not touching on the down. Kiah did have fun and was not stressed, her tail was up the entire time :-)
Really proud of both of them. Keegs hates Rally so he was cheerleader and supporter for Thor and Kiah.
March 16 - USDAA trial at Forest City.
I entered because one of my trainers, Diane Sanders said she would run Kiah for me. Had a great time and Diane did really well with Kiah. Here is the video of her running Kiah in Jumpers. First place in 20" performance, 24.38 seconds. jumpers.
Monday, March 03, 2014
Puppies - So much fun???
Today is another Dog Agility Blog Event Day - March 5, 2014; please visit all the blogs at: (http://dogagilityblogevents.
I am not sure there is a perfect way to begin training a puppy since each puppy will bring with them positives and challenges. It also depends on the age you get your puppy and what if anything the breeder has done with the puppy prior to picking them up. To me building a bond, socialization, basic obedience and introducing them to all kinds of sounds, environments and situations is key. Starting them slowly on equipment, not pushing them too quickly and keeping it fun is also important.
I picked up my new puppy in late May, 2013 when he was 4.5 months old. I had planned on getting a puppy in the fall so was looking at breeders when I met Diesel at Boxer Nationals and feel in love with him. I renamed him Thor when he came home to live with me shortly after Boxer Nationals. He has excellent breeding, both champions and performance dogs in his bloodlines. I am not an expert but many have told me he is structurally sound which was very important to me as I plan to do many performance venues with him.
Shortly after he came home I realized he is extremely shy around total strangers, had a hard time with loud noises in an agility trial environment and new places. He is slowly coming around but even now at almost 14 months he is still shy in new situations and with new people. He does believe that every dog he sees is there to play with him and is not good at reading body language from other dogs who aren't happy with an exuberant puppy around.
So with Thor one of the most important things was to start building his confidence and desensitizing him to the things that bothered him before doing a lot in agility or obedience. I took him to agility trials, to visit family and friends, in stores where dogs were allowed and walks until the weather got too cold.
Over the summer with the help of a trainer friend we started getting him used to agility equipment, sometimes we would train at her home where they had all of their equipment lowered for their puppy and at the club where he was comfortable. Thor has been in obedience classes since fall, we did two Rally trials in January, so proud of him he got both legs with a 95 & a 94. He did much better in a new environment then I expected. In March we will be doing our first structured agility class plus he will be starting a second one with a different trainer in April. I do not plan to enter him in an agility trial until I feel he can handle the noise and people that go along with it. We will continue to do Rally so he can get used to smaller trial settings.
Thor has so much potential and I will be there to support him how ever it is necessary to reach that potential. Love this guy!
.
I am not sure there is a perfect way to begin training a puppy since each puppy will bring with them positives and challenges. It also depends on the age you get your puppy and what if anything the breeder has done with the puppy prior to picking them up. To me building a bond, socialization, basic obedience and introducing them to all kinds of sounds, environments and situations is key. Starting them slowly on equipment, not pushing them too quickly and keeping it fun is also important.
I picked up my new puppy in late May, 2013 when he was 4.5 months old. I had planned on getting a puppy in the fall so was looking at breeders when I met Diesel at Boxer Nationals and feel in love with him. I renamed him Thor when he came home to live with me shortly after Boxer Nationals. He has excellent breeding, both champions and performance dogs in his bloodlines. I am not an expert but many have told me he is structurally sound which was very important to me as I plan to do many performance venues with him.
Shortly after he came home I realized he is extremely shy around total strangers, had a hard time with loud noises in an agility trial environment and new places. He is slowly coming around but even now at almost 14 months he is still shy in new situations and with new people. He does believe that every dog he sees is there to play with him and is not good at reading body language from other dogs who aren't happy with an exuberant puppy around.
So with Thor one of the most important things was to start building his confidence and desensitizing him to the things that bothered him before doing a lot in agility or obedience. I took him to agility trials, to visit family and friends, in stores where dogs were allowed and walks until the weather got too cold.
Over the summer with the help of a trainer friend we started getting him used to agility equipment, sometimes we would train at her home where they had all of their equipment lowered for their puppy and at the club where he was comfortable. Thor has been in obedience classes since fall, we did two Rally trials in January, so proud of him he got both legs with a 95 & a 94. He did much better in a new environment then I expected. In March we will be doing our first structured agility class plus he will be starting a second one with a different trainer in April. I do not plan to enter him in an agility trial until I feel he can handle the noise and people that go along with it. We will continue to do Rally so he can get used to smaller trial settings.
Thor has so much potential and I will be there to support him how ever it is necessary to reach that potential. Love this guy!
.
Sunday, February 02, 2014
February 2014
Feb 14: Can't believe it is already the middle of the month, time is flying. Haven't done a whole lot of training, either the weather or work has gotten in the way of getting to some of our classes or going to the club to do extra training. Thor and I do have an all day agility seminar tomorrow, a working spot. It will be interesting to see how he will do in that type of situation. We will be at the club so he should be comfortable with that but there will be a whole different atmosphere then what he is used to with just Renee and I working with him.
So far the first agility trial we entered in March we were way down on the wait list so I just pulled them. Waiting to hear about some of the others, the draws should be soon. We did get in our club's 3-day trial in early March, so looking forward to that. It will be interesting to see how Kiah and Keegs will do after such a long break. At least we have been able to make it to some classes for practice.
So disappointed that I won't be going to Nationals this year, some things with work have popped up and I don't feel comfortable spending all that money on the trip. Will miss seeing all my agility friends, entering Thor in Rally or Obedience (not sure if he would be ready), and getting many of Thor's health tests at a discount.
Feb 2: Looking forward to more training this month, nothing scheduled for February but we have both agility and Rally pretty much each weekend in March.
So far the first agility trial we entered in March we were way down on the wait list so I just pulled them. Waiting to hear about some of the others, the draws should be soon. We did get in our club's 3-day trial in early March, so looking forward to that. It will be interesting to see how Kiah and Keegs will do after such a long break. At least we have been able to make it to some classes for practice.
So disappointed that I won't be going to Nationals this year, some things with work have popped up and I don't feel comfortable spending all that money on the trip. Will miss seeing all my agility friends, entering Thor in Rally or Obedience (not sure if he would be ready), and getting many of Thor's health tests at a discount.
Feb 2: Looking forward to more training this month, nothing scheduled for February but we have both agility and Rally pretty much each weekend in March.
Monday, January 13, 2014
January 2014
January 25: The Janesville-Beloit Kennel Club held two Rally trials at the local fairgrounds here in town. Thor was entered in both and boy was I nervous but we got through it. Thor did really well for such a shy dog and I am proud of what he accomplished. Scores 95 & 94 with a first and second place. One more leg in Novice A and he gets his title!!!!
January 20: Went to the club and did agility with all 3 dogs and then Renee helped me with Rally by putting out a course. We also trained a couple of nights with the Rally signs at the local kennel club.
January 14: Thor did well last night even though we didn't practice as much as we should have over the 4 weeks we were off. There were new dogs and people last night and he focused pretty much on me the times we were working. I am really proud of his accomplishments for one so young. A friend mentioned he was in his "teen age boy" period so he really is doing well if he focuses at all.
We will be taking a beginners Rally class in town so I can get better acquainted with the signs and we can practice before our trial at the end of the month. I am excited and nervous about it; not so much Thor messing up but me doing something really stupid.
January 13: Thor and I start intermediate obedience classes tonight. I also called the local kennel club to see if we can get in the Tuesday Rally class so I don't have to drive 45 minutes 3 nights a week for classes. If the weather is bad I will still (most times) be able to get to class. It will also be a new environment for Thor to socialize in and get used to different locations, dogs and people. I hope they have one starting soon.
Went to the club yesterday and did some agility with the dogs. Thor was all over the place, but finally settled down so we could do some sequencing of a few obstacles. He did have some issues on the teeter and popping out of the weaves. All in all after almost two months of no practicing he did pretty well. We also went on the other side to practice some obedience too.
Kiah and Keegs did well too. We didn't run the full course only small sequences, treated and had fun. I did work Keegs a bit more on weaves and teeters, he is having issues with those at trials. Kiah was great as usual but popped out of the last weave when I moved away too soon. I don't have to be close just moving in the same direction as the weaves. Something for us to work on so she knows to finish even if I am moving to the next obstacle.
January 20: Went to the club and did agility with all 3 dogs and then Renee helped me with Rally by putting out a course. We also trained a couple of nights with the Rally signs at the local kennel club.
January 14: Thor did well last night even though we didn't practice as much as we should have over the 4 weeks we were off. There were new dogs and people last night and he focused pretty much on me the times we were working. I am really proud of his accomplishments for one so young. A friend mentioned he was in his "teen age boy" period so he really is doing well if he focuses at all.
We will be taking a beginners Rally class in town so I can get better acquainted with the signs and we can practice before our trial at the end of the month. I am excited and nervous about it; not so much Thor messing up but me doing something really stupid.
January 13: Thor and I start intermediate obedience classes tonight. I also called the local kennel club to see if we can get in the Tuesday Rally class so I don't have to drive 45 minutes 3 nights a week for classes. If the weather is bad I will still (most times) be able to get to class. It will also be a new environment for Thor to socialize in and get used to different locations, dogs and people. I hope they have one starting soon.
Went to the club yesterday and did some agility with the dogs. Thor was all over the place, but finally settled down so we could do some sequencing of a few obstacles. He did have some issues on the teeter and popping out of the weaves. All in all after almost two months of no practicing he did pretty well. We also went on the other side to practice some obedience too.
Kiah and Keegs did well too. We didn't run the full course only small sequences, treated and had fun. I did work Keegs a bit more on weaves and teeters, he is having issues with those at trials. Kiah was great as usual but popped out of the last weave when I moved away too soon. I don't have to be close just moving in the same direction as the weaves. Something for us to work on so she knows to finish even if I am moving to the next obstacle.
Monday, December 30, 2013
2013 - A year in review..... 2014 goals.
Like any year this past year has had it ups and downs. Kiah, Keegs and I have had some difficulties in agility this past year; Kiah with her shutting down again and Keegs having a blast in the ring but not paying much attention to me. I am sure with Keegs we just haven't clicked as a team and it will come in time. Kiah just doesn't enjoy the trial atmosphere so we will just be doing a few local trials where she is comfortable next year. I plan to get her back into tracking and maybe we will try Rally or obedience together. Those are much quieter venues and maybe she won't stress as much.
The highlight of the year for all of us was getting Thor; Kiah and Keegs just love him. Keegs and Thor love to play together even Kiah will join in the fun at times. Kiah is Thor's sleeping buddy, he loves to curl up next to her when we go to bed. He does usually come sleep next to me before morning though, I think they get too hot sleeping together, Thor is a little "heater".
Thor is going to be my agility, obedience, rally and tracking dog, I hope. He is doing really well in agility although we haven't had time to really practice in agility since early November. We have been keeping up with our obedience classes which will help in agility. Tonight we will be doing a rally class; learning and practice with the signs. I am looking forward to it. I love his attitude and he is so much fun to work with but we are still dealing with his shyness around people and loud noises at new places. He is doing better, improving by very small steps but it is an improvement so I can live with that. It might be I have to start him in agility a little later but I want him to be comfortable.
The older two will probably retire in a couple of years and just do some of the easier performance venues to keep them active.
My goals for 2014:
The highlight of the year for all of us was getting Thor; Kiah and Keegs just love him. Keegs and Thor love to play together even Kiah will join in the fun at times. Kiah is Thor's sleeping buddy, he loves to curl up next to her when we go to bed. He does usually come sleep next to me before morning though, I think they get too hot sleeping together, Thor is a little "heater".
Thor is going to be my agility, obedience, rally and tracking dog, I hope. He is doing really well in agility although we haven't had time to really practice in agility since early November. We have been keeping up with our obedience classes which will help in agility. Tonight we will be doing a rally class; learning and practice with the signs. I am looking forward to it. I love his attitude and he is so much fun to work with but we are still dealing with his shyness around people and loud noises at new places. He is doing better, improving by very small steps but it is an improvement so I can live with that. It might be I have to start him in agility a little later but I want him to be comfortable.
The older two will probably retire in a couple of years and just do some of the easier performance venues to keep them active.
My goals for 2014:
- Keep up with training Thor making sure to keep everything a game and fun for him.
- Practice with Keegan on rear crosses and build up speed in his weaves. We missed time at a couple of trials since he spins if I do a rear cross and his slow weaves. Also practice on keeping his attention more.
- Keep Kiah from stressing as much, even if I only have to do a few jumps and then out of the ring. The judge and Renee at the last trial said I need to do that more often so she has fun in the ring. She has a blast in class so we are good there.
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
The Mental Game
Today is another Dog Agility Blog Event Day - December 4, 2013. Please visit all the blogs at: (http://dogagilityblogevents.wordpress.com/the-mental-game/) and please leave comments, we all enjoy hearing what you have to say.
This is one subject which has become important to me not only agility but other aspects of my life too. Mental attitude can dictate success or failure in my endeavors and by teaching myself to look at the positive rather than the negative helps me in training especially for my sensitive dogs.
I never really thought about how much of agility is really a mental game until a friend introduced me to Lanny Bassham's "With Winning in Mind" and "What Every Dog Agility Competitor Should Know First about the Mental Game" series of CD's. After listening to those I thought more about not focusing so much on what we were doing wrong but what was right. To tell the truth I haven't mastered what I really would like to accomplish in my mental game but I am making strides and by the time my puppy is ready to run agility and confirmation I hope to have a more positive, focused mental game.
I know one of my biggest problems and have heard from others is thinking about getting that "Q" while running the course. Instead I should be thinking of running the course giving my dog the best ques so they can be successful and have fun. A "Q" should mean we were a great team, we had a fun and we communicated well. How can you not fail if your mind is on something else and aren't thinking about running the course.
An affirmative statement is one thing that Lanny Bassham talks about in his book and my friend suggested I do this for building weave speed with my dogs. You create an affirmative statement, post it around your house where you will see it often, leave it up for 21 days and keep repeating it to yourself. This was my affirmative statement for the weaves "I have conquered the 5 second weaves with Kiah and Keegan. September Dobe trial I run 5 second weaves with Kiah and Keegan easily and we have fun while we run. I relax and do not stress while I run my mental program before stepping to the line. I enjoy classes, work hard to learn to bring the best out of Kiah and Keegan while they have fun. I am able to run 5 second weaves with Kiah and Keegan". I found this really helped me stay positive, I trained more and we made it a game. It was fun and I found it really helped.
My goal for my mental game is to stay as positive as I can, not dwell on the mistakes, make playing with me the most fun my dogs can possibly have, to stay focused on the course and not worry about the outcome of the run.
I look forward to reading all the other posts from the group and the comments that readers leave. Have fun and run clean!!!
This is one subject which has become important to me not only agility but other aspects of my life too. Mental attitude can dictate success or failure in my endeavors and by teaching myself to look at the positive rather than the negative helps me in training especially for my sensitive dogs.
I never really thought about how much of agility is really a mental game until a friend introduced me to Lanny Bassham's "With Winning in Mind" and "What Every Dog Agility Competitor Should Know First about the Mental Game" series of CD's. After listening to those I thought more about not focusing so much on what we were doing wrong but what was right. To tell the truth I haven't mastered what I really would like to accomplish in my mental game but I am making strides and by the time my puppy is ready to run agility and confirmation I hope to have a more positive, focused mental game.
I know one of my biggest problems and have heard from others is thinking about getting that "Q" while running the course. Instead I should be thinking of running the course giving my dog the best ques so they can be successful and have fun. A "Q" should mean we were a great team, we had a fun and we communicated well. How can you not fail if your mind is on something else and aren't thinking about running the course.
An affirmative statement is one thing that Lanny Bassham talks about in his book and my friend suggested I do this for building weave speed with my dogs. You create an affirmative statement, post it around your house where you will see it often, leave it up for 21 days and keep repeating it to yourself. This was my affirmative statement for the weaves "I have conquered the 5 second weaves with Kiah and Keegan. September Dobe trial I run 5 second weaves with Kiah and Keegan easily and we have fun while we run. I relax and do not stress while I run my mental program before stepping to the line. I enjoy classes, work hard to learn to bring the best out of Kiah and Keegan while they have fun. I am able to run 5 second weaves with Kiah and Keegan". I found this really helped me stay positive, I trained more and we made it a game. It was fun and I found it really helped.
My goal for my mental game is to stay as positive as I can, not dwell on the mistakes, make playing with me the most fun my dogs can possibly have, to stay focused on the course and not worry about the outcome of the run.
I look forward to reading all the other posts from the group and the comments that readers leave. Have fun and run clean!!!
Monday, November 11, 2013
Thor agility training session 11/08/13
Here is a few clips of a training session with Thor. Things need to fix during our training sessions:
- Do not reward for wrong courses.
- Use more verbal rewards and not so many cookies.
- More play as rewards also.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Thor - Obedience Classes....
started this week (October 29). I am really happy to get in a structured class as I have been lax on his training. These classes will force me to work with him more often since the instructor will know by our progress whether or not we have been working between classes. He such a smart little guy I am sure he will learn quickly and do well.
The first class was basically teaching our dogs to stay with us (no heeling yet). Dropping the leash means pay attention and come with me. Even if they are not looking at you they feel the leash drop and turn to follow you. Thor was having issues, basically he said by his actions "if I can't drag you one way then I will turn with you and drag you the other way". As I said he is a bit spoiled and naughty but basically he wants to please so this will become second nature after we have practiced.
We worked the drop leash in class by ourselves and then with different distractions; another dog and a toy. Next week we will begin healing and learning turns. It is a small class so we get quite a bit of practice time even if the practice set has to be done by one dog alone. More next week......
Nov 5 class: Reviewed the drop leash and then started on healing with sits, about turns, left and right turns. Then did them as a class in a circle for distractions. Our instructor always likes to end the class with a fun thing; the first week it was the tunnel and this week it was the baby dog walk. Again lots of homework practice.
Dec. 11 class: Can't believe we only have one class left in our beginner obedience class. Last night was a review and next week we will have our graduation (I hope :-) ). Thor has had some really good nights and some not so good where he is more interested in what the other dogs are doing besides wanting to play with them. He did do well on our figure 8's last night and the sits at the halts. The minute sit-stay was really good but on the minute down he jumped up when the dog next to him broke the down otherwise I think he would have made it. Our instructor said that the next class each dog will go at the pace they are ready for. If Thor is ready to be off leash he will if not, he will be on leash even if the rest of the class is off leash. I think that is great so none of the dogs will be forced to do something they are not ready for.
The first class was basically teaching our dogs to stay with us (no heeling yet). Dropping the leash means pay attention and come with me. Even if they are not looking at you they feel the leash drop and turn to follow you. Thor was having issues, basically he said by his actions "if I can't drag you one way then I will turn with you and drag you the other way". As I said he is a bit spoiled and naughty but basically he wants to please so this will become second nature after we have practiced.
We worked the drop leash in class by ourselves and then with different distractions; another dog and a toy. Next week we will begin healing and learning turns. It is a small class so we get quite a bit of practice time even if the practice set has to be done by one dog alone. More next week......
Nov 5 class: Reviewed the drop leash and then started on healing with sits, about turns, left and right turns. Then did them as a class in a circle for distractions. Our instructor always likes to end the class with a fun thing; the first week it was the tunnel and this week it was the baby dog walk. Again lots of homework practice.
Dec. 11 class: Can't believe we only have one class left in our beginner obedience class. Last night was a review and next week we will have our graduation (I hope :-) ). Thor has had some really good nights and some not so good where he is more interested in what the other dogs are doing besides wanting to play with them. He did do well on our figure 8's last night and the sits at the halts. The minute sit-stay was really good but on the minute down he jumped up when the dog next to him broke the down otherwise I think he would have made it. Our instructor said that the next class each dog will go at the pace they are ready for. If Thor is ready to be off leash he will if not, he will be on leash even if the rest of the class is off leash. I think that is great so none of the dogs will be forced to do something they are not ready for.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Keegans journey....
Keegs has been on thyroid medication for a month now; it is hard to believe he is the same dog who had no energy, wasn't too interested in playing with toys or doing much in the way of exercising. Now I wonder how long it has been that he has had problems with his thyroid. I guess it all happened so gradually that I really didn't notice he was doing less and had little interest in doing the things he used to do. As many people have said they thought it was just aging. Kiah is still my wild child and she is only a few months younger but I thought it was just personalities that made them different.
Renee my friend, mentor and trainer had asked me several times about having him tested for thyroid and I finally got around to making the appointment. His results came back from Michigan on the low normal side of all the tests and below normal on the T4. They said it just be a fluke and didn't recommend medication. After reading so much about the symptoms and thinking of the symptoms Keegs is displaying; lethargic, dark pigmentation down his back and lack of interest in his surroundings I was sure he needed medication and so did Renee. Renee had a boxer that displayed some of the same symptoms and ended up being severely thyroidal. My vet knew my feelings and was willing to put Keegs on medication with the intention to monitor him closely to be sure he stays in a normal range. His blood tests after the first month have come back and he is doing so well. He will he having another blood test in 3 months unless he starts to lose weight or has symptoms of going too far above normal range then he will be tested sooner. The dark pigmentation down his back is slowly fading away, another sign that the meds are working for him.
I just have to smile watching him enjoy life. We will have to do some more focus work in agility though :-) since he is acting so much like a puppy now.
Renee my friend, mentor and trainer had asked me several times about having him tested for thyroid and I finally got around to making the appointment. His results came back from Michigan on the low normal side of all the tests and below normal on the T4. They said it just be a fluke and didn't recommend medication. After reading so much about the symptoms and thinking of the symptoms Keegs is displaying; lethargic, dark pigmentation down his back and lack of interest in his surroundings I was sure he needed medication and so did Renee. Renee had a boxer that displayed some of the same symptoms and ended up being severely thyroidal. My vet knew my feelings and was willing to put Keegs on medication with the intention to monitor him closely to be sure he stays in a normal range. His blood tests after the first month have come back and he is doing so well. He will he having another blood test in 3 months unless he starts to lose weight or has symptoms of going too far above normal range then he will be tested sooner. The dark pigmentation down his back is slowly fading away, another sign that the meds are working for him.
I just have to smile watching him enjoy life. We will have to do some more focus work in agility though :-) since he is acting so much like a puppy now.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
August - October updates
Been a bit behind in keeping my blog up but August and early September are one of the busiest times at work so I do have a bit of an excuse. LOL, I started this several weeks ago and now we are almost mid-October.
Kiah continues to do awesome in class and not so well at trials. I did have someone come up to tell me she looked like she was off in the back and that is why she was refusing to jump. There was a vet/chiropractor there and she adjusted Kiah for me. She was really tight in the front which may have made her look off. Since that time Kiah has been adjusted one more time and had a cold laser treatment. She will have one more adjustment before the trial on October 18-20 then continue to have them once a month for a few months then every 3 months. She is entered 2 of the 3 days; I hope to see a difference in her at the trials the rest of the year. If not then she will be retired and we will concentrate on tracking, nose work and maybe obedience.
Keegs and the puppy were playing hard one morning right before we were going to the club to practice when I noticed he was limping (hadn't been earlier). Ended up having to crate rest him for a few weeks as everytime he and the puppy would play he would start to limp again. Went to a trial in late September and he did well (no Q's) but no limping at all. I had him adjusted also (not bad like Kiah) but it was helpful for him and he will be adjusted again before the trial too. He will be running all 3 days.
Thor has not been to puppy classes due to my work schedule but we continue to practice at a friends on lowered equipment and at the club on the equipment he is able to do. The last time I was at the club he did do the full dog walk all by himself (had the a-frame blocked off). He is doing great on the chute now too. His table waits are awesome. We hope to start taking obedience classes in early November and am really looking forward to it. Still having issues with his fear of new situations and noises though. He will be going to a new place for the trial and am hoping he will be doing better, he does seem to be gaining confidence. He is now almost 9 months old, haven't weighed him but bet he is around 55lb and a little over 23". He appears to have slowed way down in his growth and hope he doesn't get any taller than 24" which I think would be perfect for his body type. Kiah was about the same size and age when she came home so he is right on track with her.
October 30: Started Thor's obedience class last night and realized how much I have been spoiling him and not working with him as much as I should. Have homework to do before next week's class which I plan to keep up with. Thor needs confidence and I need a puppy that is well behaved at agility trials. These are lessons I plan to do with both Kiah and Keegs too
Kiah continues to do awesome in class and not so well at trials. I did have someone come up to tell me she looked like she was off in the back and that is why she was refusing to jump. There was a vet/chiropractor there and she adjusted Kiah for me. She was really tight in the front which may have made her look off. Since that time Kiah has been adjusted one more time and had a cold laser treatment. She will have one more adjustment before the trial on October 18-20 then continue to have them once a month for a few months then every 3 months. She is entered 2 of the 3 days; I hope to see a difference in her at the trials the rest of the year. If not then she will be retired and we will concentrate on tracking, nose work and maybe obedience.
Keegs and the puppy were playing hard one morning right before we were going to the club to practice when I noticed he was limping (hadn't been earlier). Ended up having to crate rest him for a few weeks as everytime he and the puppy would play he would start to limp again. Went to a trial in late September and he did well (no Q's) but no limping at all. I had him adjusted also (not bad like Kiah) but it was helpful for him and he will be adjusted again before the trial too. He will be running all 3 days.
Thor has not been to puppy classes due to my work schedule but we continue to practice at a friends on lowered equipment and at the club on the equipment he is able to do. The last time I was at the club he did do the full dog walk all by himself (had the a-frame blocked off). He is doing great on the chute now too. His table waits are awesome. We hope to start taking obedience classes in early November and am really looking forward to it. Still having issues with his fear of new situations and noises though. He will be going to a new place for the trial and am hoping he will be doing better, he does seem to be gaining confidence. He is now almost 9 months old, haven't weighed him but bet he is around 55lb and a little over 23". He appears to have slowed way down in his growth and hope he doesn't get any taller than 24" which I think would be perfect for his body type. Kiah was about the same size and age when she came home so he is right on track with her.
October 30: Started Thor's obedience class last night and realized how much I have been spoiling him and not working with him as much as I should. Have homework to do before next week's class which I plan to keep up with. Thor needs confidence and I need a puppy that is well behaved at agility trials. These are lessons I plan to do with both Kiah and Keegs too
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
Aging - How long can we do agility?
Today is another Dog Agility Blog Event Day - September 4, 2013; please visit all the blogs at: (http://dogagilityblogevents.wordpress.com/aging/). Please leave comments, we all enjoy hearing what you have to say.
My first thought is to say as long as we are healthy enough and having fun. A simple statement but so true at least in my life and at this time.
My two adopted rescues are both 7 years old now but they don't seem to have slowed down much. I feel like I would know when they have had enough agility and weren't having fun any longer then it would be time for them to retire. I know when I retire (which I hope will be in the next year or two) I don't want to sit and vegetate! Maybe I am "placing human thoughts and emotions" thinking they have the same feelings as I do but they are always up for a walk or to "play" whether it be training or throwing a toy for them. It is hard to imagine a time when they are too old to do anything; that will break my heart.
So what do we do as we age. Both Kiah and Keegs will probably be ready to retire from agility before I do so we are starting tracking, maybe we will do some Rally or Obedience. I always want to have them involved in something that we can do together as a team to share the bonds we have. I now have a 7.5 month old puppy that helps keep me and the other two young trying to keep up with him and we all enjoy every minute of it.
I recently saw a video on Facebook of a women who was 90 years old doing agility. To me aging is a mind set as much as it is a physical event. Why is a certain age too old to do something if you feel well enough and love what you are doing. So what if you are not as fast as you once were. My two older dogs have no idea how old they are only that they are having fun and want to do things with me so why should I be any different as I age.
I do want to add I think as we age we need to take care of ourselves as much if not more as when we were younger. Keep yourself and your dogs physically fit, eating well and warmed up properly before you do anything strenuous. Keep a positive attitude and don't let others make you feel you are too old to do something.
Here is a link to the video of the 90 year old women doing agility. I hope it inspires you and gives you an idea of what can be accomplished when you love what you are doing and the bonds you are creating with the dogs in your life. (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201841651871042&set=vb.363976917065146&type=2&theater).
My first thought is to say as long as we are healthy enough and having fun. A simple statement but so true at least in my life and at this time.
My two adopted rescues are both 7 years old now but they don't seem to have slowed down much. I feel like I would know when they have had enough agility and weren't having fun any longer then it would be time for them to retire. I know when I retire (which I hope will be in the next year or two) I don't want to sit and vegetate! Maybe I am "placing human thoughts and emotions" thinking they have the same feelings as I do but they are always up for a walk or to "play" whether it be training or throwing a toy for them. It is hard to imagine a time when they are too old to do anything; that will break my heart.
So what do we do as we age. Both Kiah and Keegs will probably be ready to retire from agility before I do so we are starting tracking, maybe we will do some Rally or Obedience. I always want to have them involved in something that we can do together as a team to share the bonds we have. I now have a 7.5 month old puppy that helps keep me and the other two young trying to keep up with him and we all enjoy every minute of it.
I recently saw a video on Facebook of a women who was 90 years old doing agility. To me aging is a mind set as much as it is a physical event. Why is a certain age too old to do something if you feel well enough and love what you are doing. So what if you are not as fast as you once were. My two older dogs have no idea how old they are only that they are having fun and want to do things with me so why should I be any different as I age.
I do want to add I think as we age we need to take care of ourselves as much if not more as when we were younger. Keep yourself and your dogs physically fit, eating well and warmed up properly before you do anything strenuous. Keep a positive attitude and don't let others make you feel you are too old to do something.
Here is a link to the video of the 90 year old women doing agility. I hope it inspires you and gives you an idea of what can be accomplished when you love what you are doing and the bonds you are creating with the dogs in your life. (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201841651871042&set=vb.363976917065146&type=2&theater).
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