Visting, Herding, and Magic

Yesterday I spent the day in Calgary- it was a busy day. But I got to do three cool things. 

Visit with a good friend, that I don't see often enough and haven't talked to in what feels like a long time. Because I haven't been to a trial in what feels like forever I don't get to talk much with all my agility friends. It was a nice visit- although too short. Next time I will plan better!!!

Have a Herding Lesson at Louanne's.
Which was really good. Her stops were way better than before (at least to start), and she worked really well. We did a Y chute for the first time- which was difficult. LOL. And did fenceline work with actual obstacles. That was cool. The sheep we used were super flighty and fast- Brit liked that. It was very apparent we have a long way to go though. I struggle with watching my dog, my sheep, and thinking about what I am supposed to be telling my dog. With time it will come together but right now we are both very novice. At least I have a good novice dog- she tries hard to please me, and is way smarter than me. lol.

And I took Wicca to a different rehab person. Well, a Canine Body Worker. Sarah is apprenticing under Tina from Inhand Equine Therapy and I had the chance to take Wicca to be a guinea pig. I jumped at the chance- another set of eyes on her can't hurt!  Right off the bat Tina could see two things. And as she went over her she told me that she thinks that Wicca has an old, chronic Iliopsoas injury. Interesting eh? She did her magic and by the end of the hour Wicca was walking like a normal dog- without her legs tucked under her, and her topline had leveled out a bit. So I came home with a different set of exercises to do with her every day. Exercises specifically to a Psoas injury- which she may or may not have. But at this point I am willing to try anything. It can't hurt for sure, and if how Wicca was after the appointment is any indication then I am sold.

The hard part about this sort of thing is that I've already been working with a vet who has done lots of good for Wicca. As with everything in life there are always opinions and different thoughts. But I'm a believer in exploring options. And Tina is pretty confident in her observations. She certainly sounded like she knew what she was talking about!  So I'll give it a go. This means that Wicca is back to no fun. Leash walks only. No Running, Twisting, Turning, Jumping, Stairs, or Fun. lol. But Tina thinks that after 7-9 months of Rehab she will be better. That's right, Better.

Even if I could get her better I still won't go back to agility with her. I will be forever scared of hurting her. I couldn't handle that at all. But it would be fun to go back into the Rally ring with her! But being who I am I am still remaining pessimistic about the whole thing. lol. I will be happy if one day she can return to normal life.

The Year of New

I've decided that this year is going to be all about "New." Trying new things, going new places, doing things differently. I am very resistant to change, one of my least favorite qualities. lol. So in theory I am opening myself up for change for a whole year....It should be interesting. lol.

My first new thing this year is Tracking. My friend Jolene (OneCollie) went out on Sunday for the first time, and then I took Wicca out again today.

Tracking has always been one of those things that sounds fun, and then you just never really make time to try it. I've been a track layer before, so have seen Tracking Tests, and years and years ago I did go to a Tracking seminar. But beyond that I've not really been around it much. With Wicca's retirement from strenuous activities I thought that Tracking might be something we could do together. Something to keep her brain busy.

To be honest, I do find tracking boring. But I remember feeling that same way about Sheep before I had a dog that liked it. So maybe my mindset will change. I am willing to try though. Wicca needs something to do. I don't need a depressed Wicca at home.

Because I am super new to this, I am relying on Jolene to keep me straight. She has trained lots of tracking, and is friends with a super duper tracking person. At this point I am okay doing the baby tracks on my own. I mean, how much could I screw her up...lol

Sunday, Jan 1st. w/Jolene & Kort
First Time Out: 3 straight tracks. Short, Medium, and Medium Long. lol. Hotdogs in each step. Glove at the end loaded with food.
Wicca did great, and was already pulling into the harness by the third track. She is VERY into food. It's interesting to watch her body language in the video- it is very similiar to "critter mode."

Monday, Jan 2nd
2 Straight Tracks. Medium and Long. (I will have to be better about counting my steps.) Glove at the end loaded with food, and a jackpot in the middle of the longer track. Food in every step of the medium track, every second step in the longer track.  She was VERY excited. Nose to the ground before we even got to the scent pad.

I went out today and bought a new harness, and a long line. The harness I used the first day (in the video) was Sam's and it made me sad to see it on her. (weird how we attach such emotion to an item...) So I bought her a pink camoflauge one today. It suits her and has a padded front. I think it will work okay. Jo can take a look and let me know next time we go out together.

I am hoping that having spent $50 on tracking stuff will keep me motivated to stay at it.

Here is the video of our first time out- This is just the first track, and the third one. I cut out the middle one because it was just like the other two...I'll try not to bore you all with it. lol

Medicine Hat Obedience/Rally Results

I am so proud of the girls. They worked very hard, and had a great weekend.

To summarize all the stuff below Pixel earned her RN title, Wicca earned two legs towards her RE title, and came close in Open. And I am very happy. :)

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Pixel qualified in all three of her Novice Rally runs- earning her first real title! She is now Cornerstones on Second Thought RN! Her scores were all in the high 90's- a 96, and two 98's. She came in second all three times, although one of those was a tie for first place (only losing by a second) She wasn't phased by the ring or the atmosphere at all and looked like a pro. The courses were not easy either and I am very proud of how well she did. We do have some things to work on of course but mostly she was great!

Wicca started off a little rough- Friday she was lethargic and kind of strange. It actually seemed like she was stiff. Looking back I think she was adjusting to the heat. It was SO hot- outside, and in the building. To go from Winter to Summer temperatures in a week can be a lot for a dog.

Friday morning she was in Open and was sluggish- her heeling was off, she was stressed and uncomfortable. She did however STAY for her long sit out of sight. I was thrilled. She tried very hard for the down out of sight- but the steward brought us back to early and when we left again she got up. The judge was kind and didn't fail us for that, but we failed anyway due to her sluggish routine. Her recall was in slow motion and fronts were non-existant.

Friday afternoon was better and we earned her first Excellence leg with a 98. She did really well and was definitely more "up" in the ring. She earned High In Class with that score.

Saturday morning we went into the Open ring and rocked. She nailed every exercise and scored 143.5 out of 150. That is how good she was. And then she went down on her sit. Sigh.

Rally in the afternoon was awesome. 99/100, losing one mark for an out of position sit. And then I blew the honor exercise. Notice I said "I"....somedays I think that I am a jinx to my dog. Seriously. So things are going well. She is in a sit beside me waiting for the painfully slow dog to finish the course and then I hear Pixel barking like mad in the benching area. I turn to give my friends "the eye" to go and see if she is okay, and I dropped my arm. Wicca jumped up to see if I had a treat. And Poof. There goes High In Class. Sigh. I was so mad at myself. Wicca rocked that course and I blew it because I was worried about something I had no control over...

Sunday there was no obedience- just rally. It was nice to have the coolness of the morning for Rally. Also because Wicca was the last dog in her class she got to be the first honor dog- which was awesome because she wasn't hot from just doing the course and was very focused on me. It was a long minute and half I must say! But it was worth it. She nailed the course and was the only dog with a perfect score. It was pretty and smooth and she worked so well.

On top of all that my friend Jolene finished her Collie's Championship, and also got High In Class in Novice Rally on Sunday. She has worked very hard with him and his accomplishments are well deserved! Congratulations Jolene!

So all in all it was a great weekend spent with friends and great dogs. I am pretty tired, and need to go shopping for summer clothes. Not sure what I was thinking wearing Jeans all three days....

I will have Videos to post tomorrow sometime, so until then you all will just have to imagine how awesome my dogs were. :)

Something to Smile about...

Smiling for Spring, originally uploaded by manymuddypaws.

Wicca has been holding her long sits and down out of sight every day this week!!!

Obedience

Next weekend I have the girls entered in Obedience and Rally.

Wicca is going to compete in Open Obedience, and Excellent Rally.

She really loves obedience and is a happy, confident worker. Last night I did a bit of training with her and she did really well. We did lots of heeling as after the funmatch last weekend I needed to get the forging under control. :) Her fetching, drop on recall, and broad jump are all perfect. She is getting more confident with her long stays out of sight, and because of that I am getting more confident with them too.

I've gone through and read all the Excellent signs and we can do them all. Her back up beside me isn't pretty, but she gets it done.

Pixel is going into the Rally ring for the first time. It's going to be so cute. Her heeling is really great, and at the suggestion of a friend I've changed my hand position and now it's even better. No more wide turns and sits. We practiced finishes, and stands last night- both of which have improved a lot in the past few weeks.

I'm really looking forward to the show- it should be fun!

There are no Cardigans entered in Conformation, but I think there will a few in Rally.

Proof...

that it's not just me. :o)



even when she's naughty she makes me smile. she is just so damn happy to be playing.

oh, and she did great at training last night. of course.

Wicca the Wild...

Wicca was very naughty on Saturday. I would be lieing if I said I wasn't dissapointed. I was so looking forward to this trial, and was feeling very confident about how she would do. She was super in training last week, and even her warm up at the trial was great. The minute we got in the ring it was all over.

She broke her start line (once I didn't even notice until after as she sits down the minute I look back at her...), slammed into and through bars, flicked away, and barked....It was only three runs (the last one I didn't even run her....) but totally left me deflated. In fact I deleted the videos because they depressed me...lol

Regionals is only a few months away. There are only a few trials between now and then. The Cardigan Nationals are even sooner...I know that my dog is capable of amazing. And it is SO frustrating when we get to the line and she isn't with me.

She has been off and on agility for the past few months with injuries etc, and I've cut back the amount she runs in an effort to keep her healthy. I think that part of her issue is that she is so excited to be out there she isn't focusing.

So my plan is to train at least twice a week and continue to work on ground work at home. I have a whole list of things we need to work on, and have lots of time to do it. I need to make sure that I stick to my plan and get her as excited as I can in training so that she is "high" and acts the same as she does at a trial.

Our classes start again in May. Once a week will be training, and the other night will be our regionals prep class. The training night will give me a chance to work on specific skills. I am going to do a jump grid each week, and one more focus which will alternate. The regionals prep class will be a chance to run a past regionals course and work on the challenge of actual course work.

I have a seminar with Terry Simons this weekend- a whole day of course work and analysis so I am hoping he will have some suggestions for me of more things I can do.

I am optimistic that my plan will work. I know that she can be brilliant, and I know that I can handle my dog around a course. I just don't know why more often then not it turns to disaster....

Proof that she can be good....(last years Nationals photo...)

Fading

Fade, originally uploaded by manymuddypaws.

Wicca has quite a lot of grey on her muzzle now- it's spread from the bare edges of her lips to all the way around and up on to her muzzle. Her colors have faded quite a lot too in the past year or so. Her tan points used to be a rich tan color and now it is light. I noticed too that her tan and black is blending together on her face.

She is still beautiful, but starting to look like an old dog at only 6 years! I told her it makes her look mature and smart...

Outreach Day 2

Day two of outreach was just as good as the first. The main focus was on Contacts and Weaves. I did the whole first part of the day with Boone as he needs most of the help with Contacts.

We started off timing all the contacts, and the weaves...then added challenges and compared the time. This was to see what was the weakest handler position for the dog. Boone is a "stand by me" kinda dog- I already knew that before the seminar. :o)

I worked Wicca in the weave portion and she had a really hard time with entries...some of it is my timing of course, but most of the entries she missed were straight ahead, on side entries. I don't think at this point much is going to change this- although I will shape those entries more at a trial...

On the handling front I had an AH HA! moment regarding commitment point...it changes. Duh. If Wicca is moving fast it is going to be farther from the obstacle than when she is unsure or slower than normal...drawing the imaginary line in the dirt really helped me with my timing on some lead out pivots...

Overall it was a pretty good weekend- there was a lot of really good review, (you can never hear the word consistency too often!) and my dogs had fun. Boone had a bit of a melt down and let me know when he was done (poor guy actually pee'd on the dogwalk in a 2on2off position...talk about stage fright!) but I was proud that he did as much as he did! Wicca was good, and I just really need to work on my timing, and my memory...the weave sequence just about killed me...

It was very nice to not feel completely overwhelmed after outreach- that must mean I am getting it finally right?

Outreach day 1

I am typing this on my blackberry, so I apolagise for any spelling errors. It likely has more to do with the itty bitty buttons than my ability to spell.

Anyway, day one of outreach is over and I am tired- but again came away with some great reminders.

Interestingly enough I never even considered bringing Boone to the seminar until Sarah asked me about it. Turns out today was perfect for him! He did very well, and I got some pretty good ideas for him.

We started with a challenge course from a recent trial. It was very tricky and beyond Boones skills, but we did pretty well. He had a hard time weaving- I think it is the bases on the crappy poles...

After that we talked about handling and what we expect from our dogs. We talked about specifics like the differences between motion, physical, positional and verbal cues. It was a great discussion and really helped some of the new people understand more.

The next exercise was focused on decel and basic handling...this was a perfect exercise for boone as he doesn't always pick up on my decel. He did pretty well although had a hard time with really tight rear crosses.

My favorite part of the day was the last two exercises- we did some double box work focusing on positional cues. Boone had had enough and was pretty flaky. I didn't get through all the exercises with him. I brought him back after a break with a higher value reward and worked through it- but I could definitly feel my frustration rising and his focus dissapear.

The very last exercise I brought Wicca out for- she was a little wild and smashed almost every bar the first time...the second time she was better and so was I. Kim pointed out some valuable tips about rear crosses, and we ended with some pretty good success. It had a pretty simple layout but lots of handling choices. It was fun.

It felt like a really long afternoon and the dogs and I are pretty tired. I think we will sleep good tonite!

I wasn't going to blog tonite but am not tired enough to sleep and thought I might aswell get it out while its fresh in my mind!

6 years old

Wicca is 6 years old today. I can hardly believe it.

From this cute, bratty little puppy...

To a beautiful dog with more smarts than is good for her.


Each year she gets better and better. This year I've actually started leaving her loose in the house unattended. :o) Seriously. Wicca has not been an easy dog to live with but at 6 years old has finally grown up. She is still happy, goofy, and playful in the house but doesn't wreck things anymore and mostly is well behaved. This past year we've had some pretty amazing moments- clean run at regionals (in jumpers no less), nationals, her Obedience work has been better than ever, and just general real life.

Here is a video from a trial this past year. This was a gamble that I was very proud to have gotten. It was tough, and not only did she get it but we were the only team to get the mini gamble twice.


I love this everything about this dog....

Happy Birthday Woo!

Traditions

We started a tradition last year- a New Years Day walk. . I think there were 11 dogs and six people. It was really nice and the dogs had a blast. I took Tripp, Wicca, and Pixel. Boone is a complete wuss in the snow, and Vito is a jerk and likes to bark. :o) and I was worried about Ally is such a large group of dogs. So they got to stay home with a bone instead.

Wendy took some great photos of all of our dogs, In no particular order here are some of my favorites.
looking for critters

tripp looking cute as always

a group photo..although there are a few missing...

Wicca looking slightly crazed.

Did someone say critters? Seriously, that's what she does the whole walk.

Pixel, coming at you!

The chase is on!

Critters?

Tripp hoping for cookies...

and Tripp, looking all cute again.

Happy Monday everyone! This is my first day back at work in almost two weeks...and surprisingly it is going pretty well so far!