Happy Friday and Wish Us Luck!

Happy Friday everyone!

We are off to Calgary tonite....after re-bathing Pixel of course... (she not only got all muddy when the snow melted, but she managed to pee all over herself today!)

I will be back Sunday night with lots of photos, and I am sure a story or two!

Wish Us Luck!

Perpetual Pup

Perpetual Pup, originally uploaded by manymuddypaws.

I love this dog. He is so squeezable. Really. He likes to hug.

Ear Hair and Cute

So this is what her ears like with no trimming...

and after a nights sleep her tail is a little less...puffy..... thankfully! Isn't she cute?

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Wicca is sick of everyone talkin' about how cute pixel is...

Geesh....what's the big deal with the blue dog?

I told her it didn't have a lot to do with her color per say, and although she is cute physically she is also very cute personality wise....Cute is not a word I would use to describe Wicca.

Wicca was offended so had a try at being "cute"

I told her she just looked weird now...

The Horror

Step 1) Put puppy on table with a noose. Take Photo of Before the bath.

Step 2) Put puppy (now very pouty) in bath tub, lather, rinse, lather. Take Photo. Rinse.

Step 3) Dry puppy with force dryer- making sure to dry towards the tail. Attempt Photo. Unsuccessful.

Step 4) Trim nails, scissor feet. Don't even bother attempting photo of very miserable puppy.

Step 5) Pose puppy on table with promise of treats. Take Photo.

Step 6) Bribe puppy with aforementioned treat to love her momma again. Unsuccessful.

Well, she is clean. Fluffy (which is not really what we want) and very miserable. She really, really hates baths.

Jolene is going to help me later tonite with her ears, her long belly hair, and the tail of ringlets....

I will post an after, after photo....in the mean time I thought

I'd entertain you all with the torture of a puppy!

dog tired

The girls have a big weekend coming up- so I took the boys to agility last night. That's right.

The boys- as in plural. Vito got to make an appearance.

He ran. He ate som cookies. He socialised. He jumped. He did a few tunnels.

He says it was exhausting.

Grooming and Showing...

Okay Cardigan people. I have Pixel entered in a show this weekend. I am only showing her for experience. I did not buy her as a show dog, and I do know that her coat is incorrect. But- I thought that it would be great for her to experience the show ring- it is something that she can do at a young age- be in the ring, meet lots of people, lots of dogs...the whole works. I want her to look good in the ring though- so it is important to me that I've done what I can to make her look the best I can.

I showed Wicca too and it was great for her confidence- she actually enjoyed it quite a lot. I ended up spaying her at two because there was rarely any competition and well, her heat cycle fell on two very important agility trials...and then of course she does have some conformation faults......although I actually did buy her as a show dog...(that's a whole other story)

Anyway, I need some grooming advice. I am bathing Pixel tomorrow- so that she isn't quite so fluffy still for the weekend. I will trim her feet, and she's got a bunch of long hair on her underside (where her "belly button" is) that I am planning on trimming- with thinning shears so it doesn't look trimmed. It was also suggested to me that I trim her ears...she has long, almost curled hair just on the inside of her ears, and it is kind of tufty there...

Here are her ears...

Any suggestions??

Passing up Fame...

I was approached by the director of a local theater production the other day. He wanted to know if my dog would be interested in playing a small roll in their upcoming play. I was intrigued and asked him to send me more information.

The play is based on Road Dahls "James and the Giant Peach."

One scene calls for a Queen, and you guessed it her corgi. The corgi simply follows the queen around for a few minutes. Although I am constantly explaining the differences between my type of corgi, and the Queen's type of Corgi I was still interested...it's not everday that ones dog has a chance to be on stage.....I was all ready to say "sign us up!" and then I read the email again.

Not only is the play scheduled everynight for a week- but once a day as well.

So I had to pass.

Wicca is upset that she missed her chance at fame :o)

I told her that she's already famous. She didn't believe me.

Beaten...

Doesn't he look beaten???

Poor sad, sad Vito...

He was grumpy yesterday

at daycare.....

Busy Day

This morning Kim, Judy and I went to the Cowly hall for a morning of Rally Obedience. I hadn't been there in ages, and thought it would be good for Wicca to train somewhere "newish" and Pixel has never been anywhere like that before.

It was nice to visit with dog people I haven't seen in a while and catch up on stuff.

The girls did great- Wicca aced the Advanced course, and I was very happy with her heeling. She was forging a bit, and I need to work on calling to front from a halt- but her about turns, pivots, and everything else were great. We also did some normal Obedience at the end- I am happy to report she jumped the broad jump perfect on the first try and did three great drop on recalls! Way to go Wiccie!

Pixel was very cute, and had no problem working in a new place. We did lots of tugging and playing, and of course we did practice some heeling, sits, downs, stand, and a little conformation at the end. She did very good with the "judge" going over her and was quite the little princess. She is very cute. I can't get over how cute she is. Really.

I dropped the dogs off at home and then did some rescue stuff- we had to take a momma dog and her 10 pups to their new foster home out in the middle of nowhere. Of course it couldn't be without drama. Leave it to Natalie and I. Really, something always happens. Without fail. We joke that we are going to die. Together. In her truck. But this time we thought we'd be disaster free because Alana came with us. Not so much. We got stuck out by Stirling- which is about 1/2 hour from home. The truck made some grinding noises, the engine light flashed, and it didn't take long after that for the battery light to come on. Nice eh? So we waited for half and hour for Alana's husband to come and save us.

And now I am home- with a list a mile long of people to call for rescue stuff, 31 emails to check about regionals crap (our club is hosting this summer) and four (plus 2 extras) dogs to entertain. I am about ready for bed.....

6 months

Pixel is 6 months old today!!!

She is looking more and more grown up every day. From this....mid novemberto this- taken a few days ago...

we've been practicing our show dog stuff for next weekend.

Hopefully she acts as grown up as she looks!!! She has been a little demon lately...

Happy Friday

Vito at 13weeks-ish.... cute eh?

40 freakin' things

Okay, I like games, I like tag games, and really I do consider myself to be a good sport.

But 40 things???

Sarah from Dig-it, Fetch-it, Herd-it tagged me in a 40 things about myself game...uh huh...

thrilling no?

Read on if you really think you want to know 40 things about me...

1) I hate Snooker. Surprised?

2) I hate teaching "stay." Surprised?

3) I am bossy.

4) I am disorganised- even though I try really hard not to be!

5) I like to read- a lot. Mostly murder, mystery, scary books.

6) I can read a full novel in two hours. And remember most of it.

7) I have a horrible memory- really. What day is it? What time is that class at? What level is my dog in? That's why I have Sarah. :o)

8) I like dog people, and smart people

9) I have a pretty wicked sense of humour

10) I like to make people laugh (but not at me)

11) I have a fear of failing. (not falling)

12) I used to be really, really shy. Like deathly shy. Like didn't talk for a whole year of school.

13) I didn't have friends in Elementary school. None. Zippo. Loner.

14) I have always sucked with numbers- math...ha!

15) I learnt my times table with a song that I could still chant to you today....(if you begged, and bribed me...)

16) I have few close friends

17) I love orange and green.

18) I hate to do dishes, and fold laundry. Good thing I live alone.

19) I live alone

20) I like reptiles. At one time I had all sorts of lizards and things.

21) I dislike rodents...but am not afraid of them. Probably has to do with the mouse explosion at a place I used to work...one day I'll blog about it....

22) I am smart, but don't use my smarts to my full advantage...

23) I like to write. I took a creative writing class once upon a time. Did pretty well.

24) I read all of the Harry Potter books and loved them...and then the last one took too long to be published and I lost interest so still have not read it..

25) I played Clarinet for 3 years. Hated it.

26) I was in a choir once....my friend and I got kicked out when I poked her in the eye. Surprised?

27) The first breed of dog I loved were German Shepherds. And then I had bad luck not once, but two times in a row. I'll never have another one.

28) I once got lost in the mountains for 9 hours. And almost was eaten by a Cougar. My friend and I followed some cows around thinking they would lead us back to the farmers...smart eh? We were saved. But it was pretty scary. I was 9ish..

29) I have been bit by a dog three times (seriously anyway) Once was a fight. totally my fault. i have a big scar to show for it now. Once was my own dog- wicca. bit my after a front cross. hard. blood. scar. yeah. And the third time was a puppy- i tried to save off the side of the road on the reserve. maybe 9 weeks old. totally feral. good thing I didn't get rabies.

30) I am compassionate. Sometimes too much. I want to save them all. But know I can't.

31) When I was two our house burned down. I can remember it. Weird eh?

32) I have a fear of needles. I can give them, but can't take them...

33) I hate doctors, dentists, etc. and avoid them at all costs (I need a root canal...and instead of getting a root canal I spent my tooth money on a puppy! Pixel is way more fun than a root canal)

34) I am impulsive - Pixel?

35) I don't forgive easily

36) I am not religous at all. I used to be mormon. Church every sunday, the clubs that go along with that..the whole works. Weird eh?

37) I have no tolerance for abuse- animal, people, whatever. I am not afraid to step in.

38) I had an uncle that was a Zookeeper. Fun eh?

39) I don't drive. Don't ask why, I can never answer. Soon.

40) I am a procrastinator- my worst trait. Ever.

and you are supposed to post a current picture of yourself. I don't really have any. Sorry.

I tag

Miradukesadie

OneCollie

Days at Daybreake

Enjoy!

3 month plan (long)

I have a very specific plan for miss Pixel- and I have been trying to be clear and consistent with my training. I am following Kim Collins method of training for lots of the foundation skills. Kim's methods are based off of Susan Garrett- and for those agility people you know that her training is VERY specific, broken down, and gets very good results.

Wicca is a great dog, and I am very proud of what I have trained her to do- but there are big gaping holes in my training that at this point are coming back to bite us in the butt....So- with Pixel I am covering MORE of those foundation skills that will help us out in the long run.

3 month plan

The Basics- sit, down, stand- verbal cues only, no luring for any position. We have all of this but the stand still is not quite what I want.

Duration to the Basics- adding a "Stay" cue.

Impulse Control- crate games are going really well- I can totally see how it is building value for working. I have always had dogs who like their crate, but I have never incorporated it into my training. Wow. Is all I can say. I HIGHLY reccomend that anyone training a pup use crate games. Add in more Rule-Outs, incorporate more into training.

Hand Touch- I have hard, repetitive nose touches, now I need to add in "rule outs" (or distractions) At the seminar Pixel had a hard time ignoring the food hand- we need to work on adding more RuleOuts...

Plexi- Once I have a good hand touch, I need to add the plexi in the hand, and then move my hand to the floor, and then just the plexi on the floor. I have a great flow chart from the seminar that has really helped me figure out what the steps are.

Plank Work- staying on the end of the plank (in a stand) no matter my position. This is the first step to a contact behavior. Once all my targeting work is completed on the flat I need to add it to the plank. Her still on the board, staring at my hand with the plexi but not releasing. Once we are past that (with all the rule outs) then you add the release to step off to the target- I won't be quite there yet though in three months. My aim is to have her on the board with rule outs staring at my hand/target.

Accel/Deccel/No Motion Cues- this has been my biggest struggle with Wicca- and it is SO easy to teach....Pixel and I have started already, and she is pretty good- we need to add rule outs (toys)


Jumping Mechanics- jump bumps. which are about 2 inches off the floor- basically we are teaching her to respect the bars- she is rewards for running over them without ticking them. We haven't started this at all, but will be at the end of the three months.

Shadowhandling- basically running with me on the flat- lots and lots of circles, running around pylons, front crosses, rear crosses...She LOVES this game and is pretty good about staying on one side. When she makes a mistake I stop until she comes back to the "right" side.


Body Awareness- backing up, standing in a food bowl (Kim suggested a square plastic tray to start) tricks, getting on the ball, wobble boards. Lots of this we've started, I am excited to shape the food bowl, and we are having fun with the ball and the wobble board.


and amongst all of this I am teaching her heeling, fronts, and finishes!!! It reads and sounds like a lot- but really it is just a few minutes every day- some day we can only manage to squeeze in five minutes, others we can get in a half an hour- but everyday we do something. She is a very smart pup who loves to work for either food or toys, and is always up for a game of fetch. Training her has been lots of fun, and I am pretty determined to do it right this time.

Crash and Burn...and Brilliance

Here is some video from two weekends ago. My friend Dave did the editing. :o)



the first run was the jumpers- finally getting a second Q in advanced. It was a great run- my front cross was a little late but it was pretty amazing that I even got there...

The second run was a steeplechase- she had me completely flustered...

yummmm....

sticks are goooood....

arm changes

wicca is just over 2 years old in this photo...

I have had a chance to think about the things we talked about at the seminar. I have a lot to work on. Wicca was a good girl all weekend, and I definitely have improved since even a few months ago but I still struggle with arm changes. Okay, I more than struggle. I suck.



My dog is confused- and it's no wonder- she has no idea what a "serp cue" looks like and doesn't come into me like she should. I did get some good exercises to help us though. I am excited to try it. As you can imagine I also struggled with a threadle cue...I did however manage to do one on the course we ran first thing Saturday. It was sloppy, but we did it.

Her weaves were good, and her contacts still are solid- she does curl a little if I am far behind, but for the most part she is driving into position just how she was taught. It really is the handling that is the issue, well that and jumping.

I have a lot of specific things to work on after the weekend- which is good. I am confident that I actually understand what it is I am supposed to do and teach my dog.

Kim is a very specific trainer- and gets great results that way. I am not that specific, and it shows in my dogs weaknesses. I am going to remedy them though- one issue at a time.

Wicca and I need to work on:

a serp cue

a threadle cue

understanding decel

understanding a no motion cue

trust in relation to bars. I have started to babysit bars again- something I worked really hard at last year to stop doing...again I have been falling back into that habit...

I also put Pixel in the puppy/novice session on Sunday morning. I have gone as far as I was comfortable on my own and needed some input. Pixel was great, and I learned a lot about how to make my crate games more exciting, what to watch for on the plank, what the next step to targeting is. I got a lot out of just a few hours and it was definitely worth the money. I will blog more about Pixels training in a few days...

Information Overload

First off you'll all be happy to know that I didn't fall on my face, and my head did not explode.


The seminar was full of great information, and lots and lots of things to work on. Kim challenged us all weekend, and I think that everyone who came got a lot out of it. I know I did.


I am still processing all the stuff we did and will have more time, (and brain power) later tonite to blog about it...

Boone and Vito had a great time at Wendy's this weekend- you can see photos on Wendy's Blog

Oh, and the judging schedule for the show at the end of the month came out...Guess how many Cardigans. One. Just like the good old days. I am quickly reminded why I don't bother with Conformation. Oh well. It is all about experience for her anyway!

Happy Friday!

I am off to a seminar this weekend. Should be fun. Hopefully my head won't explode. Or I don't fall on my face. Both of those things could potentially happen...

Here's an old photo of the tri-color b*tches...this was when Gyp first came into rescue...before Sarah was suckered..

Boone (and Pixel) go to the vet

I have had Boone for over a year now and he hasn't seen the vet in all that time. He has been healthy, and I haven't had reason to take him. But there were a few things I wanted to talk to Kendra (my vet) about. So yesterday we trekked off to the vet with plenty of cheese strings in our pockets.

Pixel tagged along as she hadn't met my vet yet, and I was curious as to what she weighed now.

In the waiting room there was lots of spinning. When Boone is nervous, or excited he spins. Like a Sheltie. Trying to manage him, and a puppy, and the leashes, was a bit much so finally I made him lie down so I could untangle them.

They were both good with the scale and hopped right up there- Boone weighs 10kg, and Pixel weigh 7.9kg! Not a lot of difference in weight...

Pixel was very excited to meet Kendra- even more so when she got yummy cookies. Boone was pretty excited too, and wasn't nearly as nervous as I though he'd be.

I talked to Kendra about a few things- one, his patellas- I have seen him hitch in his back right leg. She felt them and didn't think that there was much laxity (sp?) and that it wasn't likely to be a patella issue.

On that note we also talked about his back dew claws. I have a suspicion that it is his dewclaw that is causing him to hitch sometimes- he is very sensitive with them, and I know that the hair has gotten tangled around them before. I have also seen him catch them on runs in the coulees. To remove them is painful though, and he has to be put under, and well, it hurts. So I am still not really sure what I want to do about it. Kendra explained to me the risks, and how it is done. We get dewclaws taken off a lot of the rescue dogs that come in- mostly big back ones that dangle so I have seen dogs who are recovering from it...but it is different when it is your own dog. I am leaning towards having them off....we'll see....

And then we talked about the reverse sneezing that he has been doing for two months. It could be an allergy- which is what I thought when it first started. But now for this long I am not sure. And it's not like he only does it once in a while. It is at least once a day. I am going to switch laundry detergent and move his crate to a new room...

And finally he got a microchip, and Kendra filled out the vet portion of the CKC paperwork needed for a pen number. I have everything in an envelope ready to send. Keep your fingers crossed that CKC approves us.

Words cannot express...

just how cute Boone was in his t-shirt last night....

he looks happy....no? :o)

It's about time...

to set some goals for the year...I have be procrastinating. Are you surprised?

I have thought long and hard about what I want to do this year and really want to make time for obedience. This past year I didn't make any effort at all to get in the obedience ring. This year I really want to. Obedience was my first dog sport. I really do love to train it. Agility is just so much more time consuming...


Anyway, on to the individual goals for me and the dogs...

Amanda

• Succesfully handle a threadle on a course. Sounds easy...it's not.
• Be a better trainer- consistency in the little things....
• Be more open minded. My way is not always the only way. Really.
• Be nice. I am a bit bossy. Apparently I scare people. Really.
  

Wicca

• Succesfully complete a threadle on a course. Sounds easy....it's not.
• Earn her MAD, and hopefully an AtCh
• Get out of Advanced Jumpers..
• Get into the Open ring
• Get her Rally Novice title at least
• Play scenthurdle again
• Oh- and place in the top five at Nationals...

Boone

• Apply for his stupid PEN # already... (vet apt on Thursday...the first step will be done)
• Get his Rally Novice title
• Train his contacts better :o)
• Build focus, and duration for agility.
• Train for a CD
• More Herding!

Vito

• Play in APDT Rally- maybe a novice title
• Train Weave Poles
• Focus more in improving his social skills
• More Herding!
  
  

Pixel

• Build a solid foundation for agility and obedience- lots of things fall in to this category- It could really be a blog post all on it's own- jumping foundation, contacts, speed, handling. All can be taught on the flat with little or no equipment
• Tracking- she has a great nose, and I'd love to try it.
• Obedience- I'd like to get her CD before she is two.

Not Worthy...

I joined a Flickr group called 52 Weeks in Dogs. Every week you post one photo of one dog. I picked Pixel as I think it will be a good way to be able to look back over her puppyhood. My first photo was perfect. This weeks photo...well, we aren't off to a good start.

These are cute...but not really worthy of one of my 52 weeks....

we'll try again tomorrow!

Competitive

I forgot to mention in my post about the weekend that when we played cards at the motel. I won. Both times. Uh Huh. That's right. :o)

Not that I am competitive or anything.

an adventure...

so. we left Lethbridge at 4:30 on Friday to go to Calgary. The wind was howling, but the road report assured us everything was a-ok. NOT. We got about 5 minutes outside of the city and realised that things were definitely NOT going to be okay. We drove about 40km/hour and made it to Fort Macleod- barely. We met up with Jolayne and her dog Tag, and after looking again at the road report (which now said to avoid travel at all costs) we decided to spend the night. In Fort Macleod. Which is normally half an hour from home. Uh Huh. It was that bad.

In case you were wondering- seven dogs, and three people crammed into one cheesie little motel room look kind of like this....

It actually wasn't half bad- we fit comfortably. We played cards, had some vodka coolers, ate some chips, and watched the weather channel. The dogs were a little antsy, but mostly well behaved. Pixel didn't pee on the floor, and Kaleb kept his tongue mostly to himself...there was one incident which resulted in Jo breaking out in a nasty, dark red rash...but well...that's what you get for putting your face too close to the flatcoat!

We got up early- and went back to bed when we looked outside. Wind. Lots and lots of heavy wind. Combined with big giant snow drifts make for big giant snow drifts on the highway.

We got up a little later and were optimistic. The wind had died down a bit, and the plows and sanders had been out. We made it to Calgary. A little late, but safe!

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Unfortunately we missed the whole Gamblers class. Which sucked. But what do you do. We'll get over it I am sure!

I did make it in time for Boone's first standard run. He was a little flakey. He had a good start line, and was mostly listening. But about half way through his brain fell out. He forgot how to do contacts, and had never seen weave poles before. We ended on a happy note though, and he was pretty pleased with himself...

Wicca's standard run was a little wild- she had two knocked bars.

The second standard was better for both of them. Boone still could not figure out his 2on2off. But he did a get his weave entry which made me really happy. We also were able to reconnect after he had kind of drifted away. There has been definite progress with him, but he still has a long way to go!

Wicca's second standard run was really good- she was listening, and was doing a pretty decent job with the bars. It was me who made her knock the bar. Stupid handler.

I only had Wicca entered in Jumpers. She is still in Advanced Jumpers. Not all that hard to believe when really her only issue is Jumping. Prior to January I only needed one more Q to move to Masters. Now with the new changes she needs two. So of course we had the best jumpers run we've ever had. Smokin' fast, clean, smooth, and my handling was good! Wooohooo! I was so excited. I had doubts about wether we could keep it together as it was challenging for me- but we did it and I was thrilled. Only one other team ran clean in all of the advanced class. It was a tough course with lots of tricky little things in it. It was even taped- so I will have it in a few days to post.

---------------------

Our friend Jolayne was super sick all night- she either had food poisening (from the egg salad at the concession) or some sort of virus. Hopefully not a virus as I don't want to be sick. We'll see I guess.

She didn't feel well enough to run her dog so Sarah ran him- we joked and asked her how it felt to run a "real" border collie :o) Tag is a phenomenal dog and is going to be pretty amazing when he and Jo get it together.

My dogs did well on Sunday too- I decided to not worry about Boone's contacts. He wasn't understanding the "fix" or "correction" so really I either needed to not run him, or not worry. I decided to not worry about it. Obviously they need LOTS of work, so regardless I have lots of training to do!

The morning started with a very fun Steeplechase. Which was VERY fast. Wicca did great. Except for two knocked bar. Even she is not fast enough to make up 10 seconds. It really was a nice run though.

Boone was entered in steeplechase for the first time and did pretty good! He made it through 12 poles, and didn't give up even when he was wrong. I was pretty happy with him.

His standard run was great! He had a refusal on the table, and a missed contact, but otherwise it was a really nice run. He made it through the poles on the second try, and was really trying very hard to listen. I was very pleased with him.

Wicca's standard run was really nice. Except for me it would have been one of those runs. For whatever reason I did this weird arm thing for my rear crosses and pulled her off the jump. You know it is only because I said that we are good at rear crosses the other day! It was a beautiful run otherwise and I was pretty impressed that I didn't get lost.

Gyp and Wicca were paired together for team and again we kicked ass. We had the fastest time, and Q'd. Wicca was smokin' fast, and had one bar (my fault- calling her name over a bar is NOT a good thing) but with the team rules we can have five faults and stil Qualify. Thank freakin' god. It was a fun course, and I was pretty happy with how I handled my half.

The last event of the day was Snooker. (insert scary song here) It was a really nice snooker course. I was pretty stoked about it. And then she knocked the first bar. And then proceeded to run up the teeter. TWEEEET! Nice. I was ticked. And she knew it.

We left early so I didn't get to run Boone- poor guy! All that way for four runs. But I was glad to be home at a decent time!

Overall it was a pretty good weekend- I have lots to work on with Boone- he won't be trialing now for a while- until I can figure out how to teach him to generalize his training a bit more. I am sure Kim will have some suggestions- and Terry too in a few weeks.

I was pretty happy with Wicca- just those stupid bars. She works hard though, and is all heart. She really is making an effort to listen and is much, much better than even a few months ago. She has come a long way- and I was very proud of her.

Pixel had a great time, and did lots of socialising, fetching, and training. She did lots of sit/down/stand training, and nose touches, and just learning how to listen in an exciting environment. We also had lots of time to work on crate games.

Mostly, it was a great weekend!!!

Happy Friday!

We're off to the first Agility trial of the year!

It should be lots of fun, wish us luck!

Kijiji

Okay, so I have really resisited hard to post about the ads I find on Kijiji.ca For those of you who don't know about Kijiji it is a free online advertising site. You can search and view only local ads, and it really is a neat site. Except for the pet ads. There are hundreds and hundreds of ads for dogs for sale and to give away.

As sick as it is, I am obsessed with it. I look at least once a day. I don't blog about it because I get really, really ticked off, and then end up ranting for six paragraphs!

But today I found an ad that was both humorous and sad, so I thought I'd post about it. Here goes:
----------------------------------

Chihuaua

Price: Free
Ad ID: 98373445
Visits: 127

Address: 534-18 Street South, Lethbridge, AB, T1J View map
Date Listed: 08-Jan-09
To give away to good home. An absolutely neurotic chihuaua. His name is Oliver and he needs an older couple with no children to spend all of his time with. Oliver does not like alot of people around him. He likes the quiet. I have three children and all of their friends in and out of my house all the time and it is very upsetting to him.

Call Ally ***-****
---------------------------------------


Okay. There are LOTS of things about this particular ad I hate.
1) Free???? Seriously?? What kind of home are you going to get for free. There have been 127 visitors to the ad already....
2) You gave your address. That is super creepy. Really, really, creepy....
3) "absolutely neurotic chihuaua" awesome. funny. funny. funny....
4) "spend all of his time with, He likes the quiet, it is very upsetting to him" so he has seperation anxiety, probably bites, and is barky....

But at least she is being honest with her dogs issues, and isn't trying to pass him off as a perfect dog. Hopefully the little dude can find a home that understands chihuahua's and will help him to be a better dog. Hopefully he is neutered, and can't make little baby chihuahuas....

Why don't people research before they buy a dog, I bet if she had talked to reputable people they would have told her a Chi wasn't going to be a very good match for a busy household.....

Ugh.

Smarts

Last night the girls came to class- Wicca to a rally class, and Pixel's "Performance Puppy" class started up again.

Wicca did great and was excited to be out doing obedience- I used her for demos, and she got to play lots in between. At the end I ran her through the little course I had set up and she did great. We do need to work on staying tighter in heel position after an about turn- she tends to end up crooked and wide for a few paces before settling back in. I think it is because she is forging so much that she gets too far out of position to fix herself.

Pixel did great in the puppy group. We started off by working on some heeling- she is going to be a very nice heeler. She is very food motivated and has her head up hoping for something the whole time. We also worked on teaching a good set up. So we set them up on our left side, had them look at us, and released ahead to a thrown toy. She thought this was rather fun!

I always make a point in class to make sure that people are using their food and toys to their best advantage- we want the toy/food to be a reward, and not a lure. So we talked about building value for the reward by asking the dog to do something, and then presenting them with the super awesome toy they want. So for example you get them all excited about the toy- let the tug even, ask them to give, and then ask them to do something. The second they do what you want they get the toy. Simple eh? It is pretty amazing how it will turn the lightbulb on for the dog! We worked on teaching the dog fast about turns- using the toy again as a reward. With my own dogs I want them really driving ahead on an about turn. I have found with short dogs it doesn't take much to look like they are lagging if they are not right there.

After a short break we did some circle work (shadowhandling). I hadn't done this with Pixel yet and she did great! You want the dog to run with you around in a circle (in this case two chairs) and the dog needs to stay on the same side- no cutting in front or behind. Pixel only cut behind once, and when I stopped she stopped and came right back to the correct side. And- get this- she didn't nip at me once!!! Woohoo! Wicca was a demon at this age and would nip me any chance she got. She figured if I was running it was her chance I guess! Next week we'll start adding accel/deccel to the circle and teach the dog to understand the difference...

We ended with some nose touch practice. Pixel is getting better I am glad to say. I really struggled at first because she was such a sissy about it- barely touching, or showing no interest in the game. I had to go back and start from scratch and build up to NOT rewarding for sissy touches. Now she is pretty forceful and will try again and again until she gets it right. Next week we'll introduce the actual target.

After the class was over Jolene (who has her puppy entered in his first show the same weekend as Pixel) wanted to practice some foo foo show dog stuff. Pixel surprised me by being perfect. Really. She let me stack her, let the "judge" go over her, and gaited around the pretend ring like a pro. I've been really working on sit,down,stand verbal cues with her and she is really getting it. She also knows to stay in position until I tell her otherwise so those two things really make a difference. She's so cute this dog!!!

For the love of....Snow

Boone is a dog who enjoys the white stuff......when it's not -40!

are you ready for it???

wait for it...

there it is.....the bark. Pixel is a brat. She likes to bark when she's excited, playing, working, playing, eating, sleeping...you name it. :o) In this particular photo sequence she was playing with Boone....who was surprised when the bark finally came...

Pounce

Last night while watching tv Pixel came up with a new game to entertain herself. You see, she doesn't have any toys, and decided to play with her bed instead. It was pretty cute. The video quality is really awful as it was shot with my stupid little Razr phone but it still shows how cute she is....

Notice all the toys throughout the room....

Five years

Wicca is five years old today.

She is a great dog, all heart and get up 'n go. I love so many things about this dog. I love her zest for life, and her sassiness, her attitude. Everything about her I adore. She has taught me to be a better dog trainer, a better handler, and a better dog owner. She is just amazing.
She gets an extra special birthday muffin today, and will get to play fetch for as long as she wants with her new toy.

She has really matured this year- both mentally and physically. Mentally she is finally starting to get the game- I am a better handler and we've ironed out some pretty big issues this past year. I have high hopes for her this year and can't wait to see what this seasons agility will bring us. I hope to get that elusive ATCH one day....

I also am hoping to make into the Open ring again this year. We've been training a lot lately. I do have her entered in a few rally trials at the end of the month. She loves to work, and we should be able to breeze through a novice rally course no problem.

Happy Birthday Woo!

Here's to many more agility runs just like this one! Bars up, weave entries nailed, and making up for my bad handling!!!