The Countdown Begins

Dirt is a fun meter. The more dirt, the more fun. 31/52, originally uploaded by manymuddypaws.

Only two more work days until my holidays start. Starting Wednesday I am off for two weeks! I've never taken a two week holiday before. But I need it. Desperately. The first couple of days will be spent at our Agility Camp, and then a week camping for real, and then a few days of R&R at home. It sounds awesome and I can't wait!

I am just so busy all the time- real life, work, rescue, GDG work, training, real life, rescue it cycles through every day, every week. The same stuff over and over and over again. It is exhausting. I am tired. And ready for a break.

No work, no training, no teaching (well, except agility camp!), no rescue stuff. SO excited! The dogs were excited when I told them they can get as dirty has they want for a whole week! ;)

A Natural!!

I left Leo with my friend Louanne for a few days after a little try in the round pen. He did so well when I took him there on Sunday that she wanted to see what he could do with a little more time. I got an update tonite and she said he is doing fantastic!

Still a strong eye, but faster, and keen to work. He is now barking and whining for his turn, and is eager to head to the field where the sheep are. He is a lot of fun to work, and is a natural.

He would make a great beginner herding dog for someone- he's easy to live with, young enough to have lots of work left in him, and is eager to learn. Anyone interested???!!!!

photos courtesy of Louanne Twa. ;)

Shooters and Agility go hand in hand.

We had a fantastic time at the fun match this morning. I set up two courses from Nationals- a standard and a gamble. Lots of really great runs even by the more beginner dogs!! Impressive for sure! Next year I bet there will be a few more GoDogGo'ers at Regionals and Nationals. ;) Our group is pretty awesome.

After the official classes we ran a Twisted Team (dog swap), Tunnelers (5 obstacles, numbered to 15... it was tough!) and then the favourite Shoots and Ladders. (get to the end, earn a shot) Everyone had a shot (or two) by the end of the morning. Lots of laughs and fun. I ran Pixel in the Standard and the Gamble. She was pretty zippy and had fun. She is really the most adorable dog!

Vito even came out and played a round of Tunnelers. He petered out half way through but enjoyed the cookies. ;) Aislyn ran Pixel which was cute. Pixel is a total food hound and will work for anyone with a cookie- even if that someone is a five year old. ;)

I am glad we played in the morning because it sure got hot by noon!!! We were all melting by the end of the match. I went home and filled my pool some more, and maybe even sat in it. Pool Pictures to come on Wednesday!

Sheep and Dog Shows

Oh what a weekend it has been!!! It is a long weekend- so I have tomorrow off from work at least! I somehow managed to fill every spare second with stuff so it's been a busy one!

Yesterday a trip to calgary with friends to scope out the dog show, and talk about our upcoming agility camp. Today another trip to calgary- this time for sheep! and then a quick trip to the dogshow again.

Sheep was great. Brit is doing really well- getting more speed with confidence. And is learning a lot still. Louanne helped us with our flat outruns. I've been walking into her but Louanne had me go half way (or less depending on how far it is) and then run up to the top- stopping when I see her bend out. A few times of this and she was going much deeper- and settling in to a nice pace instead of accelerating into them. Louanne gave me some tips about what to watch for, and how to figure out if she is working to the ideal or not. She told me to have "markers" for myself- such as a thistle or rock or whatever and if she doesn't bend out around it to go in. If she bend out around my invisible line she is fine. Having a good "picture" will help me to see if she is doing it right or not.

Leo (the foster) got a chance to try sheep too!! He was very keen- a nice quiet worker with a lot of eye. A natural for sure. I left him there for a few days- Louanne will take him out a few times a day and work him. Sheepherding can be a big confidence booster and he certainly seemed to love it! I'm thinking he will enjoy himself. He warmed up to Louanne really well and was flirting with the girl dogs when I left. ;) It was hard to leave him there- but Louanne has already sent me an update and he ate his dinner and is calm and settled.

The dog show was interesting. No Cardigans (the specialty is in Ontario this weekend), and nothing too exciting. We watched a bit of agility, and the herding group. I bought the dogs some toys, and some pheasant treats. I resisted buying a very blinged out leather collar for Brit. It was hard, but I did it. ;)

Tomorrow we have an agility funmatch. I'm actually looking forward to it. I think Pixel and I are ready to get back in the saddle so to speak. I'm going to take my camera so I'll have some photos tomorrow!

The Story of Leo

Leo is my newest rescue. He is a 3 year old Border Collie. A sweet, goofy boy who has not had a very good life so far. Leo came from a local city SPCA. Surrendered for biting grandkids. That was his second (or third- they aren't sure) home....

I picked him up on Friday- and he couldn't look at me without melting to the floor, would skulk around if I was moving anywhere in his direction, and was just about the saddest border collie I'd ever seen. He didn't want attention at all, and was curled up in a ball in the farthest corner of my yard...with his back to me no less.

It has been a week since I got him, and Leo is a different dog. One week of just letting him be a dog. Cuddles when he was comfortable enough, lots of yummy treats and time. Leo is Happy, Smiling, Excited, Energetic, and Goofy. One week is all it took to start to erase three years of a tough life. Amazing how quickly dogs adapt! He still has a long way to go- but the worst is over and he knows it!

He's met about a dozen people so far- and has taken cookies and warmed up to most of them. He will require a lot of socialising and positive interactions with people for him to fully learn to trust again. Leo startles easily at sticks, a raised hand, a sudden loud voice. Those will take some time and patience to overcome.

At this point I am pretty confident that he won't be a sport dog. I don't think that even with confidence he could handle the stress and pressure of that. I could be wrong of course! I've only had him a week. But that's what I think so far.

He will be for adoption through Windy City Rescue. He isn't listed yet though. I need to kid test him first to see for myself what the problem is. I suspect that he was nipping their heels as they ran but time will tell! I've got just the kid in mind but I need to arrange that first.

Leo is fantastic with dogs. I mean- completely appropriate with grumpy vito, yet playful with any dog who wants to play with him. I think he would actually do best in a home with another dog as a buddy. He plays with Pixel and Wicca really well. He is a tad bit obsessive with dogs- Brit is his target at my house. Which cracks me up really because it's a taste of her own medicine!!! Brit has been harrassing Pixel for a year. She gets real upset with Leo when he does it to her.  I have brought out the water gun to control it in the yard and he is getting much better with "leave it."

As you would guess he is fairly active and even though he is overweight has amazing stamina. He is quick, and will run for as long as my dogs will! He has a great recall and is eager to please. Leo will be an easy dog to train I think. In the house he is totally lazy and just lays around. Out of sight usually. He doesn't bark much at all- the odd woof when he is excited or nervous.

He is incredibly mushy and sweet. And wants to get as close as possible- I guess making up for lost time. lol. His favorite thing to do is to bury his head in your side or under your arm. He just lays like that soaking up the attention. It is very cute. He yet to pick up a toy- but is fond of plastic containers and interested in squeaky things but doesn't know quite what to make of them... We will work on that! 

I am so thankful that I was able to help this dog. Not that all dogs aren't worth trying to save- but this one in particular just grabbed me. Something about him.  He had been at the shelter for more than a month. He was depressed, shut down, and just plain old sad. A shelter environment is tough on most dogs- let alone a sensitive one! I am very glad that the shelter was willing to let me help. Not all shelters are like that!!!  Helping Leo, seeing his smiling face- has helped me to smile a bit more. If he can overcome that I can certainly get over the problems I'm facing!  Rescue is good for the soul for sure.

Perfect Evening at the Farm

I took Brit out to the farm tonite to work on our outruns and such some more. We are making some good progress so I want to keep up on it. We went on Saturday morning but the bugs were bad so didn't work much. Tonite was much more fun, and we got a lot done. 

I convinced my dad to come along- I told him he could watch for wildlife. lol. 

See, a bird! :) He had fun though- and he was helpful in blocking the escape of some naughty ewes who wanted nothing more but to run back to the barn... Doesn't he look like someone you wouldn't want to mess with? :)

Vito tagged a long too- mostly so that I could try and get my 52 weeks photo. Turns out I could have taken the photo at home. lol. But he had fun and had the opportunity to eat some sheep poo which he always loves. ;)

Brit and I worked on Outruns- equal on both side. With me sending and walking (with meaning) towards the sheep. I'm adding a "steady" which should stop the RUNNING INTO THE SHEEP when she reaches the top. So far it is working nicely. ;) 

Brit had a great time- she really is in her element out there. I love that. A Lot. 

 

Oh yeah, and there was a new baby Lamb. I wanted to squish her but she wouldn't let me.

And one more thing- Watkins. Watkins is the best bug repellent ever. I had a nasty reaction to a horse fly bite from Saturday. My whole hand was swollen and itchy and actually hot to touch. It finally is almost normal tonite. I didn't want to do that again so picked up some Watkins to try. And it is amazing. Not one bug bite. It was fantastic!

Reflection

We love getting mail!

Our fancy new Utility Articles came in the mail today! I'm pretty excited. The ones I have are too narrow for Pixel so we haven't done much with them. These ones are from otcharticles.com and are super! They are made really well, and I even got a custom bag. :)  Service was fast, and friendly! I definitly reccomend them!

Pixel's Birthday Present

LOL! I'd say she approves!

I can't believe she's four!

How is she four years old!!!

Happy Birthday to the cutest Pixely ever. ;)

What's better than a day of Sheep?

A day where the sheep poo and pee on your shoes and try to escape rather than be forced into the very scary chutes for needles and yummy dewormer shoved down their throats!

Brit and I spent yesterday helping our at Phantomridge. Louanne has a lotta sheep. And sheep need things like vaccines and deworming. As you can imagine they just don't stand in a line waiting their turn either.

It was fun- I like stuff like that. Farm work interests me. It was not so fun to get pee'd on- and I do mean pee'd on. As I'm using my knee to push a Ewe forward into the chute she decides to pee. That and the sheer volume of crap. lol. Sheep crap a lot generally- but when they are stressed they crap even more and it's not all solid if ya know what I mean. ;)

Brit was a helpful farm dog too. She got to ride in the back of the ranger and then we used our pretend driving skills to get them to the chutes. And then we used our pretend driving skills again to get them back to the field. Except the sheep are smarter than I and we took a detour. lol.

After that fun, (and slurpees with our lunch!) we went to Louanne's friends to work sheep in her big field. It was a recently baled hay field so the bales provided pretty things to look at aswell as obstacles for the dogs. The sheep came busting out of the trailer like Kangaroos- springing into the air and taking off down the field. I thought to myself that this would be interesting with Brit. lol.

They did settle really nicely though- as they were happy to just to graze. They were Barbados Sheep- and looked kind of like Gazelles. Brit thought they were real fun and was excited. A little too excited. We need to work on a steady. Her outruns are getting better- I need to move towards the top as I send her to remind her to stay out. But otherwise she is mostly finding balance. The problem was the 100mph when she walked  ran into them. It sent them flying every which way. Brat. I enjoyed watching the other dogs work- I am learning lots just from watching! How too much stop makes the dog sticky, and how too much go turns the sheep into torpedoes. ;)

The whole day was a lot of fun. My only regret is not wearing my boots. My shoes will never recover.

More Photos from Blazingstar ;)

These are all from yesterday morning when Jolene came for a walk. Today was spent getting much more smelly and dirty. More about that tomorrow !

Did you say something???

Boone and Salander. ;)

Jo and her most awesome river clothes.

One toy, five dogs...

Vito- chasing birds...

Vito and Pixel- chasing shore birds.

Boone- smarter than I give him credit for sometimes! lol

my little giraffe.

a group shot that was unplanned and frankly I was surprised that the weiner, and the pyrshep both stayed. lol

thanks Jo for coming out yesterday and thanks Liz and Andy for letting me stay at your place!!! The dogs and I had a blast.

A Summer day in Photos

The dogs and I had a great day at Blazingstar today- perfect weather for lots of walks, and fun at the river. I took a couple hundred photos today. lol. I'll post more tomorrow!

Another Fun Filled Weekend!

Tomorrow is Friday- this week has flown by!

This weekend is a combination of sheep, and relaxing. Kinda like last weekend but without the dog show. ;)

I am looking after a friends Acreage this weekend- The Blazingstar Flatcoat gang has headed to BC for their National Specialty. They asked if I wanted to stay for the weekend to water the gardens, and keep the cat company. Of course I said yes!!!

Blazingstar is an amazing place. Wild Prairie on the edge of a coulee with their own private River Access!!! The dogs and I are going to have a great time! I've got my camera packed and charged and my river shoes ready to go.

  Combine that freedom with some Sheep Fun Friday afternoon at Altapete. ;) I am excited just to go and watch the big kids train. And get some ideas of what to start working on with Brit.

Saturday will be spent at Blazingstar relaxing, reading, and swimming. ;) Just what I need!

And then Sunday I'm heading to Phantomridge to help out with some farm stuff. Something about helping to vaccinate and do feet on a whole lot of sheep....It will be fun- I think. lol. Ask me on Sunday night.

I am having a pretty awesome summer so far!!! I'm pretty lucky to have such great friends!

A little talk about Love.

Sweet, Sensitive Vito <3

I assume now that most of the dog world reads Denise Fenzi's blog. But if not- you should. Really awesome stuff gets written there. Things about life, and relationships, love, oh yeah and dog training. She is an obedience guru but mostly she is just a really good at playing with dogs and communicating with owners and said dogs. I've never been to a seminar but one day I hope to. In any case. Her blog post yesterday is important enough to share over, and over and over again.

She talks about love. Loving our dogs. Spending time with our dogs. Not just time training. But time with our hearts. I really believe in that.  I think it is important to just forget about training sometimes and focus what is really important- our relationship with our dogs. You can't fake it, or force it. You just have to let it be.  All of my dogs love those moments- and will even ask for it. Pixel is the busy-body in the house and even she will come up and just sit close. Asking for attention and pets. She leans in to me while I whisper to her how wonderful she is. She loves it. I love it.

My dogs are first and foremost my pets. I spend more time just hanging out with them- loving them up on the couch, laying on the floor with them, and laughing at them while they play- than I do actually training. I'd like to think that I have a pretty good relationship with my dogs and they certainly know I love them.  I've learned that the most important thing is not what the dogs can do, but who they are.

This wasn't always the case- I've really grown as a person, and as a dog trainer in the past few years. I once was consumed by the all important goal of titles and competing and training. I spent LOTS of time training- too much really. Always looking ahead to the next trial, or competition. Always with a goal front and centre.  Not that there is anything wrong with that- but for me it created stress and pressure. I focused not on the moment, but on the big picture. And I lost all the little moments. I think about all the great things I've done with my dogs up until this point- and the fact that I can't really remember the journey to get to that point makes me sad.

I am much more present lately- enjoying the little things. The training in my living room, in the park, and in my yard all still happens- and we still have goals. But I'm not in a rush to get to them. I'm enjoying the process. Having as many "moments" with my dogs as I can. I cherish Pixels little kisses, the Boonie hugs, and Vito smiles. The silly ways of Wicca, and Brit's exuberance. I'm focused on the dog, not on the stuff. It is a very different way for me to be. But I'm loving it. It has been the best change in my life. And I'm sure the dogs would agree.

Brit

Eager - Brit 7/12/2012, originally uploaded by manymuddypaws.

A Little Sheep Action

walk up

driving- crooked like. lol

on the move

oh dear. perhaps I should put the camera down and yell at my dog.

settled sheep.

ready for more

that's a better pace.

BAA.

I love Sheep. And my Dog. And Lambs.

This past weekend was really great for me mentally. I little get-a-way. I feel refreshed. I'd love to have my own Sheep Farm one day. Maybe I should start looking for a rich farmer now. lol.

On a sheep herding note Brit did her longest outrun ever. It was almost the whole length of Louanne's training field (whatever that is). She was still a bit tight at the top but the sheep were close to the fence so I let her finish anyway. I video'd it on my phone. Cheesy, but I was pretty excited!