Cutest Dog Ever

Use what you have, to get what you want. 11/52, originally uploaded by manymuddypaws.

Seriously. He's so smushy.

Even though he is naughty and I found him in the kitchen sink licking a dinner plate this morning.....

Brit has a nose!

Brit is putting things together in Scenthurdle! I'm so proud of her!!!

Someone else thinks she's awesome too...

The Canadian Cardigan Corgi Club has an award that they give out every year called The NaBs Trophy. It is for Blue Merle dogs only, and over the year the dog earns points for Qualifying scores in Performance Events, aswell as Conformation wins. The trophy was started years ago by an old time breeder who wanted to showcase Blue Merle dogs. I had never heard about it until someone from the club emailed me and told me to apply. I tallied up all her Rally, Obedience, and CKC Agility scores and submitted them. I found out last week that Pixel won!!! We received a pretty certificate in the mail and her name will be added to the actual Trophy. It's pretty cool! 

I am so proud of my little Pixel. She really is a pretty amazing dog. I am very lucky. :)

Love at first Bite

Love at first Bite, originally uploaded by manymuddypaws.

Remember this photo? I took it in January. I am not normally one to say "I told you so" but uh, I told you so.

Today Scamp officially is adopted by one of my awesome friends. I am so happy for Scampers!!! He and Neena (the other BC in the photo) are total buds and are very good for each other. I knew right away that Scamp would be a good fit- but it was a decision that my friend really had to sit on for a while.

In any case, I am thrilled. Yay for Scamp. And for Jen!

My dog is brilliant

Today we had our best herding lesson ever. Brit is just so good. I would have video to show except that my video camera is a piece of crap and died shortly after we arrived- even though it charged all night. Looks like I will be purchasing a new one soon....

So you will just have to believe me when I say that Brit is awesome. ;)

Today we learned how to take the sheep out of the pen, how to get them back in, and how to sort just a few out. Also we peeled them off the gate when I wanted to put them back in again. And we were able to take the sheep all the way to the arena! Seriously exciting! Brit did so great! She looked like a real border collie. It was super cool. She even learned how to go through barbed wire. ;)

That was the whole first part of our lesson- and Brit rocked it. She took her flanks really well, and her stops were okay. A few moments of being unsure on my part- but for the most part she did great. I think that the smaller take pen at the trial will be a piece of cake compared to the big pen at Altapete.

The second part of the lesson was spent on a Y chute. It was painful. lol. Until we just got it. And then it seemed easy. lol. But really we spent about 10 minutes trying to get them through the damn thing. And then reset and she got it in like 30 seconds.

So I'm pretty pumped about our lesson today- it makes me feel much more confident for the trial. We still have LOTS of training time so really we should know everything we need to by then! Brit is just so amazing though. I seriously adore her. She went from all serious sheep dog to bouncy happy Brit in 2.5 seconds after we were done. Love her.

A Happy (VERY MUDDY) Pyr Shep

Boone started out relatively clean and dry.

and then we started playing fetch

and swimming

and then the dirt became mud

and then so did the dogs...look. at. those. feet.

I guess lying down in the mud is no biggie when you are already this dirty...

Look! A Flying Pyr Shep

Fetching on dry land- still excited, a little less muddy..

all in all a happy Pyr Shep. Muddy, Wet, and he even got the toy a few times!

Thanks for the great photos Wendy!!!

We celebrate St.Patty's day with Mud.

I went on a walk today with Wendy (Crazy and Little). I took just the boys, and they had a blast!

 

I bought ths cute festive scarf. Look how pretty and white it is...

Vito had lots to say on the walk-  mostly complaining about the pretty white scarf...

I should note that I did not take these photos. I was a dork and forgot my camera. So these are all courtesy of Wendy. Thanks Wendy!!! We don't get together and walk very much anymore. Vito is a barking fool when he is around Coulee, and our schedules don't normally work out to get together. Today was a great walk though- we will totally do it again!!!

 Vito LOVES Wendy's dogs. Lacey is one of the few dogs he will actually play with, and Coulee is magical. Really. He is obsessed with her and if she is in the water he barks, and barks, and barks some more at her. It is annoying but I've given up trying to fix it. It is cute in small doses. 

 

see the crazed look?

Wendy took all these photos (and a TON more). I was very sad to not bring my camera- it would have been prime time to get my 52 Weeks photo....oh well.  Wendy got lots of great ones- I will do a post of just Boone later tonite. 

Lacey is a tail biter. Naughty, but cute.

He really wants to bite her but is kinda afraid...

and now I bring you mud. Lots and lots and lots of mud. I don't think Vito has ever been this dirty before. It took two baths to get all the sand, dirt, and grossness out of him. But the photos make it worth it- look at him!!! Is he not the cutest thing ever...

take note of how white and pretty the festive scarf is now.... :)

Thanks for the walk Wendy!!! (and the great photos...)

FrIday Afternoon Fun

Brit

Boone

Woodstock, I mean Pixel

Wicca (who didn't get to play, but got to "critter" for a few minutes after everyone else was done their walk.)

Vito

Woodstock, and Boone. ;)

Wind

you know it's windy when your spit flies away.... thankfully this particular wind is bringing spring. ;)

Gotcha!

A year ago today I decided to keep Brit. A spur of the moment, rash decision. I didn't need five dogs. But  from the moment she walked into my house and into my heart I knew she was meant to stay. She was supposed to be a foster dog (of which I've had plenty of), but there was something about her that made her different than the others.

I have not regretted my decision once, and love this dog to bits. She is the happiest, sweetest dog I know. Always willing to make friends, a smile on her face, and a wagging tail for everyone. I adore her. She has come a long way in a year- from a dog who didn't know how to play with toys to the dog that refuses to give them up now. lol. A dog with no muscle, stamina, or endurance- to the dog that outruns my corgis, and is always ready for more. She is smarter than any dog I've ever owned. Came knowing nothing but her name and how to sit, now she is well on her way to a great obedience career, and is proving to be a lot of fun in other venues aswell. The sky is the limit with this dog.

Thank you Brit, for being so wonderful. I am so thankful.  It has been a great first year, here is to many more. 

Park Lake Fun

This handsome fellow is Drew.(my parents dog)

wet pyr shep

it was super windy- so windy that the dogs ears were all standing up. even the non prick eared dogs....

boone was very happy to find this stick

shaking dogs are always the best. lol

vito and his stick- notice it's bigger than boones?

Corgis are psycho when they play. All teeth and growl...

my fav of the day. lol. Brit is running for her life, and Boone is running because they are. lol

ball? pixel? leaf blowing in the wind? she's not obsessive at all....

Notice no pictures of Wicca.... I'm sticking really hard to the no fun rule. Although it was pretty awful leaving her in the van....poor woo.

Excellent Brit

My video camera is dead, and Jolene had to run home to get hers. So although I really wish I had the Obedience videos from the morning all I've got is this Excellent run of Brits. She did great- first time doing such a hard and long course, or doing a jump in rally. I love the wagging tail, and her pivots and left turns are awesome. Love, Love, Love this dog. She is so adorable. I mean, really- see the waggy tail?


Thanks for videoing Jo!!!!

Herding Lesson and Obedience

I am sad that it's Sunday afternoon already. This weekend went by so fast!! It was a good weekend though- lots of dog stuff! Only a few moments of sad, and a minor (hopefully) issue with my van...

Saturday morning Sarah and I went for a herding lesson. It was a good lesson- Brit listened pretty well, and the final fence exercise was perfect and fast! Our stops and "come bye" flank could be better but I think with experience those will just continue to get better. Brit has really figured the sheep out and reads the stock well. She knows how much space to give them, and is just a very good natural dog. I don't have to do much to make it look good! I still don't really have a very good picture of what it's supposed to look like all together for the trial though. lol.

Sunday I hosted an Obedience and Rally Match. It was a great morning- although early (stupid time change!)... I am so proud of Brit!!! She did a whole Novice Obedience routine, and two Rally run throughs. She was awesome! Her heeling is getting better and better. She is still a bit wide, and we need to work on our Stand- but everything else was pretty great. I am very pleased with her. I have entered her in Rally at the Red Deer dog show- just one run on Saturday. If she does as well as she did today I will be thrilled! We have some fine tuning and proofing to do before we hit the actual obedience ring. I need to build up duration for the reward, and she doesn't have very much actual ring experience yet. Maybe this summer she will be ready for Novice.  Pixel was great- she anticipated her drop but everything else was good.

I've got lots of great photos from our walk on Friday-  I took the dogs to the beach where everyone got muddy and had a good time. I'll do a whole post of photos tomorrow, in the mean time this photo of Pixel cracked me up... lol

A Rough Week. Over.

I promise that I will be more upbeat next week. This week has been hell. Full of sadness, grief, tears and hugs. I have reached my yearly quota for death, and tears, and hugs. And it's only March. (I don't like to cry, or hug- but both are kinda expected in situations like this....)

On Saturday morning a student and friend lost her dog suddenly and tragically. Chase was nine years old. A Sheltie with an attitude as big as his bark. The life of the party, the kind of dog that would work forever, a type of dog that is hard to forget. In one day he went from being normal, to feeling under the weather, to deathly sick with no hope for recovery. Renal Failure is what the vets have said. I've said before on this blog (not too long ago when two other dogs I loved died) but it's just not very fair. Nine years old. Is not old. He still has so much life to live. As expected his owner is heartbroken. And the whole Go Dog Go family is mourning for the loss.

And then the End of an Era. The passing of Jane was not unexpected but it still is heart wrenching. I've known Jane since forever. Sarah and I started our friendship with our two socially retarded bitchy girl dogs. Go Dog Go was built from that. Jane was the last of the oldies. The last of the originals. She was everything a terrier should be- a true queen who ruled with just a look. The promise of an ass kicking was all that was really ever needed. A fighter till the end.  She was gracious, and sweet, and fiery, and tenacious. Her never give up attitude was the best part.  She was the original smarty-pants. She knew so much- from obedience, to agility, to tricks, to the english language. lol. I remember the good old JRT Terrier days- Jane was always the best behaved dog there, and had the best tricks. Although Jane has been in the background for a few years-  she was still always there. And there is this strange emptiness now where she used to be. Janie is a dog that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

I'm not normally at a loss for words. But I do find that death is one thing that is hard to talk about. What to say to the grieving owner, how to express your feelings of sympathy. It's just kind of awkward and sad.

Loving dogs is so hard. Our GDG family is great though and we've all come together to support our friends. I think that what really helps to pull people through losses like these is the support of friends. The thoughtful words and sincere sympathy from people who get it. Dog people are good people.

I don't like feeling sad, and I'd much rather be celebrating these great dogs lives, but sometimes it's just hard.  I'm hoping a busy weekend of dog stuff and friends will help.

The story of 8.

This is late, was supposed to be posted this morning. But it was hard to write, and it has been a very emotional week.

In any case here goes:

Blog Action Day: If I knew then, what I know now....

I would appreciate my dog(s) more. I would always put them first. Their feelings, their physicality, their mental stability.  I would never take for granted my dogs ability to play this game. I would love them always for who they are, and not who I want them to be. 

I have owned 8 dogs in my life. They have all helped me to become the person, and the trainer I am today. Each of them have taught me about training, and about life. But looking back over their lives, in real life, and in agility they almost all have one thing in common. I didn't listen.

My first agility dog was fat, and out of shape. And still she played for as long as I asked her. I am embarrassed that I allowed my dog to jump, and twist, and play agility when she clearly was not in the shape to do it. She was taught obedience with a choke chain. And still loved me. Dogs are so forgiving. Despite my stupidity she lived to be old, and died a normal old dog kind of death. 

My second agility dog was another Shepherd- who mentally was not able to cope in a trial setting. And yet I persisted. Until she told me in no uncertain terms that she was not playing- by literally leaving the ring every time I put her in one.  Poor Kate. She was completely devoted me. So much in fact that she would face her biggest fears just because I asked her to. I was young, and didn't know that I should always listen to my dog. 

My next dog was Wicca. Wild and Crazy from the start. I loved the rush, the adrenaline. I was so in love with her intensity and willingness to work. But more than half of her career was spent in frustration. Her lack of foundation skills set us up for failure right from the start. And my lack of understanding didn't help either. Finally, more than half way through we started to figure it out. And now it's over. Physically she is broken. In part to her break neck speed, and no care for herself. If I could go back in time I would kick myself in the ass. I would have trained my dog better, safer, and appreciated every time we stepped to the line together. It bothers me that I can't remember our last run together.

And then came Sam. Lots of heart. He was the dog I have the most regret for. Rescued as an adult. Loads of potential. Until he was lame. And I gave up when the vets couldn't find an answer. Until it went on for more than a year. And then I tried again. And then it was too late. That sucked. I will never give up again. I will never just take one persons opinion and treat it as the correct one. I know in my heart that I did what I could for him. But my mind took a lot longer.  I still wonder had I known to look for people like Dr.Devall, or Canine Bodyworkers would I have been able to save him?

Vito was next. This is another kick in the ass. First off, I really should not have kept him. But I loved him, and didn't trust that I could find him the right home. So he stayed. And again I did not listen to the dog. When he said that tugging, and collar games were too intense for him I ignored it. When he said that he would rather not try and get it wrong, I encouraged him to work through it. Vito is way smarter than me, and again it took me a while to listen to my dog. But I listened, and have let him be who he wants to be.

Boonie. I have no regrets with this dog at all. He was the first dog that I got it right with. A damaged soul that took time, patience and unconditional love. When he told me he couldnt' handle the stress I stopped immediately. I am proud of what I was able to accomplish with him, but I am even more proud of our relationship. He was not an easy dog to figure out.

The Princess. I so badly wanted to do everything right and help her to be the best that she could that I often forgot who she was. I did every crate game, every motiovational game, every bit of ground work and foundation that I could. And I ended up with a pretty great dog- but it took a while to build an actual relationship with her. Relationship needs to come before foundation. Duh. I've since fixed that- but wow, that was a pretty big thing to skip.

And finally Brit. Everything that I've learned from my other dogs, and experiences have been put into her. And so far I've not screwed her up. I've allowed her time to love me, and have confidence, and mature, and finally had patience. And it feels good. To have done something right. lol. 

So basically if I had do-overs I would listen to my dogs. That's the single most important thing that I've learned in all the years I've been training dogs. And had I learned that at the beginning I think that my life, and my dogs lives would have been very different.

Agility, I missed you even though I never really left you...

Slowly but surely I am getting back into agility with my dogs. Last week Sarah and I went early to class and I worked Brit and Pixel on just a few little things, and yesterday I did a bit more with them. I've created a plan for Brit, and a list of things that Pixel and I need to work on before Regionals.

Yes, I am going to Regionals. I really debated about it, but I think I will kick myself in the ass if I don't go. As a warm up I even entered a trial in April! I am not going to go to Nationals though- instead I will do the big outdoor show in Calgary and take my holidays the week before. Do some camping, touring around Alberta with the pooches.

I am feeling excited about training my dogs, and am looking forward to the move outdoors for training! The little bits of training I am doing right now are perfect- just a small amount to keep me interested, without it being overwhelming.

Yesterday I went to Medicine Hat for a few private Rally Obedience lessons. And afterwards I had an opportunity to do a bit of training with my dogs in their building- Brit did the dog walk!!! We've had the end behaviour for quite a while but had not successfully done the whole thing. She was doing this weird leaping in the middle, and was not quite sure of what I was asking her to do. Yesterday we did about six dogwalks- and all of them were pretty great!!! Full out running to the end and into position. I was super stoked! She's so cute even when she's galloping across the dogwalk. lol

I will have blog posts later this week with Pixel's To Do Before Regionals list, and Brit's Stuff She Needs To Learn Because I'm A Slacker.

In the end...

Because all we have left in the end are photos and memories, I've decided that I don't take enough photos of the important things in my life. (my dogs and my family). So you can expect more photos of four legged, and two legged family members....

Hug your dogs, and cherish every moment. Every. Moment.

Herding Lesson

Like an addict, I can't stay away. lol. I am convinced that the more I can get my dog on sheep the worse the addiction is- but at the same time she is getting better and better each time. Her Lie Downs were a non issue this time- sometimes a little creepy- but better than before! Brit was a super star and did really great overall I think. She continues to impress me. lol. She looks like she knows what she is doing and I'm still fumbling around. On the plus side I didn't forget my flanks, and I was able to watch my sheep, and the dog, and still walk backwards and think. lol. 

We started just with working on our Come Bye side- that flank is more pear shaped vs. a C like it is supposed to be. She really struggles to understand that we want her to move farther away before turning to the sheep.  On the Way side she is beautiful- head snap and gone. It's interesting that it is such a struggle to get the exact same behaviour on the opposite side. We did have progress though, I need to remember to point my stick at her head and don't give her the flank until she's already turned. In effect the verbal flank cue is a reward for doing it right. If she is wrong she has to stop and do it again. We did this for most of the lesson. When she would get it we would reward her with a few of the other side. 

The lesson ended with more fence work. She was a pro, and it was smooth and fast. She is taking flanks better (at Louannes she even took multiple flanks!) but she still is a bit too fast sometimes. 

And finally!!! Photos! Sarah and I went together so the photos are courtesy of her. Thanks Sarah!!! 

Next time I will video. I have a tripod I got for Christmas that I haven't really used yet. I think it would cover the whole arena. I am a very visual learner so I think it would be helpful to watch. 

Starting in May we will be able to go out and practice by ourselves. Which is exciting and terrifying at the same time. lol. Maybe Jenny will leave us a dog that knows what he's doing. lol. 

 This is Alaska's (the guardian dog) handiwork. She is a menace. lol. In all fairness I forgot to get Timbits for her and Togo so it's really my own fault. I thought that the pink stuffed toy would suffice as a bribe for safe passage. ;)