Blogs

June 2008 - Posts

  • Less than 12 hours away ..

    For our first trial. I need to finish loading the truck before I go to bed early and do Chloe's nails.

    Getting excited!

  • Ever notice what side your dog favors?

    I have been doing jumping exercises in the AP book and I started to realize that Chloe and Scout seem to be jumping tight either on their right or left. So it got me thinking that Chloe jumps really tight on as she jumps to the left thus making her left-handed and Scout is the opposite; he is right handed.

    Alright back to have them jumping against the wall....

  • Back to Basics

    Since yesterday's agility showed Chloe and I were pretty much out of sync (I'll give the explanation in a bit), I thought it was time to go back to the foundation ala "flat-work and other stuff".

    The reason why for the lack of synchronization? Well, its all my fault! I have been concentration for independent contacts and more drive in the weaves for the past several weeks. So you concentrate in other areas, another will falter. Chloe reads my body language just fine but we're just out of sync - mainly me - on getting the timing. Our send work was awful in class while great at home. But Denise pointed out that my body language was saying otherwise in which I wasn't fully committed - basically I was lazy and flat in class. The only time I was fully committed was the last attempt on a sequence in class in which we really cooked it good. We smoked it.

    We did work on proofing for a trial environment and Chloe was distracted and then started to get stressed and.. and.. I was getting frustrated. But Denise found her telltale sign and told me to keep watch of that and be sure after all the work we have done to prevent this does not go down the drain.

    After moving all the contact obstacles to the otherside of the yerd, we worked on heel work, crosses, jumps and yes, continually working on drive through the poles. This was a good twenty minute sessions. I did some exercises in Linda's book and a tight sequence we ran in class. While it is still an ongoing process, Chloe's jumps are getting tighter but they are still wide at times so I am going to modify my cadence as per Denise's advice.

    Scout session was mainly working on heel work and weaves. I have added 2 more poles thus having eight. He is getting more consistent and now he isn't popping out as much. Now when he pops out, he barks and I guess that him telling me, "sh*t I missed up again! I know, I know." LOL

     

     

  • Two sessions today

    Here's a training layout I did to concentrate on contacts, tunnels, wrap, and tunnel stays. This was for the second training session that happened after dinner. The first session concentrated on one jump exercises from Linda's book and weave pole drive work. I have lowered the number of poles back down to six since Scout is getting over loaded since he is popping out at poles 10 and 11.

     

     

    I did do something that I wasn't planning to do for Scout and that was sequences but I don't think it hurt anything. All I did with him was either the dog walk to the tunnel or tunnel to the AF. No jumps, no teeter yet. He did do the table though.

    A photographer - one of our neighbors- that use to work in AZ came over to take some photos during Chloe's session. He has always been amazed of her speed because he big lab had such a time trying to catching her. It was a good training session of because of the distraction since the trial is next week.

    Anyhow, you can see show this layout can be run and the obvious is that the teeter can only be run one way. You can through some crosses in it.

    Now, I need to rest, my feet are warm and sore but the good news that my knees are perfectly fine!

  • Sadness, trying to look for a rescue for Riley

    Looking for a rescue to take Riley (Siberian Husky) has begun. First attempt, failure, email bounced. Second attempt, no response. Now on waiting on third response.

    Mixed feelings on doing this but it has to be done because she can't do everything by taking of the dogs and her new baby.

  • We've come full circle

    Our trial confirmation papers came yesterday and this the very first trial I saw in PA last year at the end of June. Kind of a freaky...

    We have to head up early to get Chloe measured and Scout will be coming along as well. I was hoping that being in the Novice class we'd be going in the afternoon but I forgot there is more than one ring. So after doing FAST early in the morning on Saturday, I'll be going in Standard right afterwards. Jumpers will be run later on in the day. So much for a nap!

    Scout will probably debut around this time next year as I am training him differently.

  • We're signed up for the first trial

    We finally got the ILP number and we're ready to go. I just put the premium in the mailbox and now we wait for the last weekend in June.

    I am not going to set a high expectation since this is our first trial and Denise just wanted us to get our feet 'wet' in it but we signed up for FAST, standard and jumpers for two days. But she basically said that we're ready for novice and open levels. I think Michelle and Molly will be entering their first trial on the last weekend next month which will be held in our little town. And going from experience last year, that is going to be one hot trial!

     

  • What now?? One right after another.. drama

    Alright, we have had a dog attack which caused a severely cracked nail. We started ILP paper work to get her entered for a trial at the end of the month and getting a profile was a bit of a chore.

    Now yesterday, she vomitted three times and went in the house. Then I noticed how swollen and flush she looked which bfrought back memories with my other dog, Snowy. I raised her head and I hear her wheezing. I turn my back and all I hear is a thump. She just fell over! Now she is laying on her side and breaking out in hives. This really does not look good. So I call the vet - our new one mind you. I am getting tired of being "blown off" by vets - and from the emergency visit it seemed had a severe reaction to something. What caught me off guard was her wheezing when I raised her head and then to her you dog just keel over, you get to the phone like .. now.

    Earlier in the day she has been eating some weed and I always try to stop due to my experiences with Scout's explosive diaherra. (He has been ending the tops of dandelions of a late). So I wonder if that was the culprit of Chloe spewing all her food (raw food and marrow bone) and treats (we had agility class in the morning).

    At the Vet's we saw that she lost another half pound from the last visit (12.6 vs 12.08). She orignally weight 14.6 lbs back in January and we switched to raw back in Februrary. She has lost over 2.5 lbs! I am trying to keep her weight between 13-14 lbs. At 14.6 lbs she looked pretty chunky. So I have been feeding her based on 13 pounds since she gets training treats. She is currently getting 2.4% serving and I am probably going to go up to 2.5% serving.

    The thought of carbs has crossed my mind because she is basically on an all protein diet. Anyhow, the Vet wants to see back next Tuesday which happens to be another day for a run thru for urine, stool and bloodwork. Something is going on there.

 
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