PiCkLe'S Dog Blog

Picture update

2012-02-09T19:45:00.000-06:00

Dog park!

2009-08-02T21:12:00.002-05:00

Not happy times

2009-04-12T13:33:00.002-05:00

I am very sorry to inform our readers that 2 dogs very near and dear to me have passed on. Felix and Pippin passed within weeks of each other. Pickle and I are helping each other cope, but these 2 great friends are sorely missed.

Out practicing...

2009-01-12T22:14:00.001-06:00

2008-10-19T21:01:00.000-05:00

2008-10-19T21:00:00.001-05:00

2008-10-19T20:58:00.000-05:00

Dog Day Afternoon!!!

2008-09-20T21:14:00.007-05:00

DAWG!!!

2008-09-07T20:29:00.003-05:00

Pictures from the fountain

2008-08-31T19:52:00.001-05:00

A very Genie Post!

2008-08-31T19:34:00.002-05:00

Relaxing weekend

2008-08-17T20:23:00.000-05:00

awww...

2008-07-06T16:36:00.002-05:00

We packed up and went downtown today to watch Mom & Bessie in their rally competition. I got there probably 5 minutes before they performed their... phew! Mom was worried that "B" was way to tired to perform... she looked pretty darn good to me- she even took first and titled!!!

Both the puppers were so pooped, they even shared!

.... Pickle is in loooove!

4th of July Weekend

2008-07-06T15:50:00.002-05:00

Since all a really post anymore is photos... enjoy

Photos from this weekend

2008-06-29T19:22:00.006-05:00

This is Megan, Me, Stacy Westfall, and Jamie and the World Paint Show!

Stacy Westfall does reining sans saddle and bridle!

Barn People!!! Jamie and I in the stockyards!!!

Catchin' the train

Hootie and the Blowfish- front and center!

Pippie Scare

2008-06-21T22:19:00.003-05:00

I had a really scary night this week! I woke up to Pippin's collar jingling non-stop. I couldn't find her anywhere... she was crouched in the corner shaking. I seriously freaked out!!! I totally thought she was having a seizure! Of course I rushed her to the ER, where the pumped he full of liquids and valium... the vet ran tons of test and could not figure out what was wrong with her (so frustrating). She was treated for toxicity even though we had no proof of anything. In the morning, she was still "jittery," so I took her to my vet who continued the IV and valium as well as charcoal.

We still have no clue what is/ was wrong with her... but she seems better- updates to follow

2008-06-15T17:10:00.002-05:00

Say hello...

2008-06-14T19:31:00.000-05:00

To Jen's new pony- MYA

Baby pony overload!!!!

2008-06-08T20:31:00.000-05:00

2008-06-08T20:25:00.000-05:00

2008-06-08T20:22:00.000-05:00

Drum roll please...

2008-06-08T09:52:00.000-05:00

Inroducing "Ajax"
LFF SilverLite

Its a Boy!!!

2008-06-08T09:46:00.000-05:00

My Nephew Pony was born!!!

Congrats!!!

2008-06-08T09:43:00.003-05:00

Bessie went to her first agility show in St Louis!!! She got some 1st and Qs!!!! What a champ! Needless to day Mom is proud of her B!

2008-05-30T23:53:00.002-05:00

Feel the greatness....

Blast from the past...

2008-05-25T21:39:00.003-05:00

Jamie and I were playing with some old videos... this was from Pickles first AKC

Trail Ride!!!

2008-05-25T13:28:00.003-05:00

We went out to the "forbidden lands" yesterday and went for an awesome trail ride!!! There were tons of wildflowers and acres upon acres of open land to ride on. It was a lot hotter than wethought, we took the ponies to a watering hole, but all they wanted to do was lay in the water. Pics to follow...

2008-05-24T18:36:00.004-05:00

Took the Pickle maniac to Dawg to play some agility.... but it was to hot, so we went to Mom's to play with the kiddos and the doggie pool.

Doggies in Blooms

2008-05-22T22:57:00.011-05:00

Pony Picture Post!!!

2008-05-11T20:18:00.002-05:00

Headed out to the barn today with cameras and watermelon... it was a great day!

2008-05-11T20:11:00.000-05:00

We did it...

2008-04-26T16:07:00.004-05:00

I wasn't going to... but peer pressure took over- hahaha. Hollywood is officially branded. He was freeze branded with a star with a "H" inside. I'll have pictures as soon as Jamie gets home and downloads them.... hint hint*

On a separate note- I think Woods is feeling better... he even managed a buck when I lunged him!!! I think he's putting weight too!!!

Thank you for the pics Jamie!!!!

Hollywood is in the clear...

2008-04-23T22:56:00.002-05:00

The vet has declared Woods in the clear... poor guy has lost a ton of weight as you can see in the pic above. I am just so glad he is starting to feel and act more like himself!!!

Picture post

2008-04-23T22:46:00.002-05:00

Bummer...

2008-04-15T21:31:00.002-05:00

Hollywood is sick big time... :(

Poor guy is stuck in a stall (for those that know him- not bueno) for atleast a week with out getting to go run and play. He's got a respitory infection, keeping fingers crossed that it doesn't take a turn for the worst. Poor guy yesterday got a shot of penicillin, banamine (to bring his fever down), and tucoprim.... not a pretty vet bill.

I will try to keep ya'll updated.

Western Woody

2008-04-13T16:58:00.003-05:00

Class

2008-04-13T16:34:00.003-05:00

Pickle and I are official! We have a permanent spot with EE on Thursday nights!!! I was a little worried because EE hadn't told me that it was an "open" level class, but its been great so far! The only thing that I see that we really need to work on at home is the weaves... the Pickle does not like me being ahead of him unless I send him to the weaves- ok, that was confusing.... he doesn't like me to pass him in the weaves.

I don't have a ton to write about, but will hopefully be able to get online more often now.

More later...

Pics from today...

2008-03-30T21:03:00.006-05:00

Easter PICTURE OVERLOAD!!!!

2008-03-23T15:30:00.005-05:00

Had to take the kiddos down to Turtle Creek for the annual Easter Parade at Lee Park. Its a blast just to see what people (me included) will dress their dogs up as. This years favorite for us was a nun carrying a Maltese dressed as the Pope blessing everybody. I've included some of the pics from the parade... but will definitely add more later.

Oh yeah... there were tons of vendors.... I love this painted crates, but they were smokin' dope on the prices ($400-500)!!! I included a pic- you would have had to see them in real life, they even had rhinestones!!!

HAPPY EASTER

2008-03-17T21:37:00.003-05:00

Mom took Bessie-one to a Rally Trial...

"As you probably know, Bessie and I took some obedience lessons as a way to (hopefully) improve her focus and rein in her terrier impulsiveness . Several weeks ago I decided I needed to try her in an actual show situation to see if she (and I) could hold each other's attention for the two minutes or so it takes to execute a Rally course. So, we entered AKC Rally classes which were held in Ft Worth this weekend.

Believe it or not...B scored 93 points on Saturday and after watching the video my husband made of our course, it seemed to me that I caused the majority of her point loss when I released her from a 'fast pace' too soon. We only needed 70 points to qualify so we were quite pleased that we passed so handily. When B was awarded her placement she immediately grabbed the dog toy and tried to kill it...she was quite happy with herself.

Today we went back for Day 2 of our big adventure. The course was much more demanding but once again B somehow managed to keep her nose off the floor (this was due to some very effective guidance I received from my trainer) for the two minutes. This time we earned a 95 and the BLUE RIBBON! The judge seemed to have been smitten by B's energy and attitude....I mean how many times do judges see terriers paying attention to anything for longer than a split-second. I had been the first to do the course in my class and had deliberately chosen not to monitor the scores for the other competitors. So, when the ribbon was awarded it was truly a surprise and since all of you know B very well you can understand how surprising that was indeed! B reacted to my own reaction and started jumping on everyone...including the judge. She was just in outer space with glee.

So, B has a fat head this evening and is probably devising evil ways to goof-off during our next agility lesson. Tuesday morning just might be a real bear!"

More pictures!

2008-03-09T20:16:00.002-05:00

i know this is pickle page...

2008-03-08T21:48:00.004-06:00

but I am being forced to post pony pics.

A Picture Post!!!

2008-03-05T20:16:00.000-06:00

Thanks for the pics DORI!!!

Bummer!!!

2008-02-27T22:01:00.002-06:00

Ok, I am seriously sad.

Our temporary spot with EE is over. :( The chick the tore her rotator cuff is apparently healed and ready to go back to class.

We had a great class last night. EE made me do a ton of front crosses since I like to do rear crosses about 99% of the time. I didn't think that I could move fast enough to keep up with Pickle, but with his sends and all- they were very nice.

I'm going go back into withdrawels without a class. Work is getting really stressful again and class was a nice break in the middle of the week.

O'well, everything happens for a reason.

Class

2008-02-14T21:31:00.002-06:00

I know- I really need to get better at this.

Class has been going pretty well for us! I am seriously bummed out that the end of February is the end of this class :(

We've been working on layering, sending, and weave entrances. I really have a problem saying his name to much- I don't even realize I am saying it!!!

Our focus issue comes and goes- we've found that when he does his "visiting," if I leave- he freaks out and listens to me for the rest of the night... can you say Momma's Boy?

More to come later... I'm tired and can't think of anything to write.

Breckenridge

2008-01-19T16:50:00.001-06:00

Photo post!

New Puppy!!!

2008-01-12T16:07:00.000-06:00

No... I didn't get a new puppy- mom did!

Her name is Genie, named after my Grandpa Eugene. Her registered name is I Dream of EweGenie

Pickle seems to really like her, check out the video.

Class

2008-01-10T13:07:00.000-06:00

I know I'm late posting about class on tuesday night, but better late than never.

Pickle and I dropped in on a class out at BF3. I was a little worried because it was a new place, with new dogs, and chilly. Pickle was hyper as all get out while we were waiting for our class. The first mini course EE gave us was similar to what we've been working on with Jamie. I was flustered about Pickle being hyper and totally did not run the course like I planned... thereby sending Pickle the wrong way- oops! Once I settled into the rythm of being in class, so did Pickle. I'll be dropping in on this class the remainder of the month- maybe EE will be able to find a permanent spot for me. I would liked to be challenged more though.

I like being in a group setting with other dogs (good distraction), but I feel that we get a lot more accomplished in privates.

More later...

Dog Park

2008-01-06T18:51:00.000-06:00

Took the Kiddos back to the park yesterday. I really do like that place. Pickle ran for hours mysterously never getting tired, Felix did laps in the creek, and poor Beau ran from tree to tree looking for squirrels. I think that Jen got some really cute pictures so I will try to post them later.

Thats all for now, wish us luck in our class this week!

I will get better...

2008-01-05T11:42:00.000-06:00

I've been uber lazy about posting! Sorry!!!

We went out to the field with Jamie and her kiddos for a lesson earlier this week. I was kind of worried because before going out, I took the little monster to Breckenridge park to work off some of his energy (he was literally bouncing off the walls at my apartment). Well, we we got there, Grumpy (a boxer)decided that Pickle was great fun. I think that Pickle chased that poor dog for 30 minutes straight at a full out run. I thought Pickle was gonna be dead tired. We drove home, he's still bouncing off the walls.

Our lesson went really well. We worked some box drills that focused on "sends," "wraps," and some distance work. We also incorporated the box work into full courses. His weaves are really starting to come along- getting better each time we go out there.

I need to remember to run!!! He does so much better if I just run, no spinning or missing crap. I think that his confidence is really improving- his speed definitely is starting to pick up.

Well, more tomorrow... I think we have a lesson.

Oh yeah! We are dropping in on a class at BF3, where we'll have "distractions" i.e. classmates. ;)

Photo Fun :D

2007-12-31T20:45:00.000-06:00

Pictures!!!

I know!!!

2007-12-18T20:11:00.000-06:00

I've been bad about blogging. Honestly, we haven't been doing much lately- shame on us! We did however go out to BF3 with mom and Bessie this weekend. The little man was a little distracted with Bessie there, but we worked through it and had some really nice "backs."

We are going through withdrawels *hint *hint :)

Trial!!

2007-11-27T12:54:00.000-06:00

We have officially sent our schtuff off for Pickle's first AKC trial on January 27!!!

Better

2007-11-25T14:50:00.000-06:00

Ok... we did much better today. I atleast believe that he understands what I am asking :D

Directionals

2007-11-24T19:30:00.000-06:00

Ok... seriously- chihuahuas are not terriers!!! He has "right" down so well, how come left turns are so friggin hard. We worked for 15 minutes on lefts, but I seriously don't think that he understood a single thing we did today. I'm not frustrated, but come on- he's normally a really smart dog! We'll try it differently tomorrow.

Lesson Schtuff

2007-11-23T18:07:00.000-06:00

We had an awesome lesson today!!! I think that Pickle must be a cold weather dog- he was so fast today! We worked on a bit of everything today: weaves, teeter & directionals mostly. We got a few runs of straight lined weaves that looked great- I am officially changing his weaves to go-go-go. Jamie set up a course that was very curvy- a course that would be very useful to have directionals on- definitely showed us what we need to work on. Pickle did the cours, but it wasn't pretty, a little to much spinning. We broke down the directionals with 1 jump working on lefts and rights... apparently he is a "right-sided dog." So we will be working on that for the next little while:)

Pictures!!!

2007-11-11T16:00:00.002-06:00

Here's a taste... hopefully more pictures soon!

and yes, that was a "stand" at the table!!!

To check out more pics from the event: http://siriusphotography.smugmug.com/Agility%20Trials/409399

Pickle is in Level 1, 8"

Brags!!!

2007-11-10T09:06:00.000-06:00

***EDIT***
*New pics added to the right...*

I've been dying to write in here all week!!!

Last weekend was Pickle's first "official" agility trial! I signed him up on the day of the trial... my mistake was- "oh its cheaper to go ahead and do the whole weekend!" So I signed him up for 9 classes, 4 standard runs, and five games split over saturday and sunday.

Our first game was a blast! It was tunnelers... they were so small (I seriously thought Pickle was going to look at them and give me the paw. There was a total of about 7 tunnels that made up the course, and boy were those turns tight! Pickle performed like a champ- but I sent him the wrong signal so we got on "off course" on that round.

The next run was hang-ten. This game looked a lot easier than it actually was. The idea is that each type of obstacle has a different point value. The goal is to complete obstacles adding up to ten (not going over) then bank those ten points by jumping through the tire jump. Our first and second sequences were flawless! Then when I attempted the 3rd sequence I had planned out, I lost him. The sequence was jump-tunnel-teeter. For some reason the teeter scared the crap out of him (he stayed scared of it for the rest of the day). After bailing of the teeter, he made up his own course for about 15 seconds (the run is for 60 seconds). I finally got him back in control, but not soon enough to finish another sequence. Luckily, level 1 only has to get 20 points- so the little man got his first Q!!!

Our next run was a nightmare!!! It was our first standard run... it was an easy course set up in a figure 8 pattern with the table in the middle. Well, we get through the 1st 2 obstacles, and Pickle sees the judge in the middle of his course and runs to her barking. I was kinda sorta embarrassed at this point. I get him undercontrol and continue the course. The teeter at this point has scared the bajesus out of him so am there baby talking him at the teeter... didn't work this round. After this round, I put him back in his crate for a nap.

Our next round was our second standard run. It was beautiful! He even did the stand at the table- which we haven't really worked on!!! He thought about running past the teeter, but I called him off and brought him back around... it wasn't pretty, but he did it. We Q'd in this round with 5 seconds to spare!

The last run of the day was connect the dots. Again, all the obstacles had point values, the contacts had the highest value. We smoked this class as well bringing in our third Q of the day!!!

Pickle's first run on saturday was another game. The name off it is eluding me right now, but it was very similar to gamblers. This was by far the best run of the weekend!!! He was so on! He was the only level 1 dog that completed the gamble perfectly with out hesitation! I think gamblers is going to be his game! We Q'd here as well!!! With this Q, Pickle won his very first title!!!!!!!! So now, he can be referred to as The Wicked Pickle TG1! I'm so proud of the little guy! Mom came out got to see him run.

We had over 2 hours until our next run which was our third standard run. He ran great the first half, did the teeter perfectly! I got so excited about the teeter performance, I was not focused on the run... I sent him past the tunnel right on out of the arena, when I called him back, he was so confused he jumped right on over the tunnel- hahahaha. He finished the course, but we didn't make time, my mistake. At thispoint he'd already run seven runs that weekend- by the time I got him out of his crate to warm up for his 4th standard run, he was so tired- he wouldn't even tug with me (for those that know him, he loves to tug). I decided to take him out of the final 2 runs, he was too tired. Nine runs on one weekend is a lil much for a 12 month old. I am so pleased with him! He worked really hard for me, paid attention, and worked through the tough stuff! He's gonna be a force to reckon with! :)

Thank you to Dori, Rhianne, and Mom for coming out! I'll try and post pictures soon! I am waiting on the photographer to upload the pics!

Private Lesson

2007-10-31T11:03:00.000-05:00

The Midget Man had an awesome training session last night!!! He was so excited about work and so attentive! We worked on weave entries and contacts mostly. His weaves are really coming along... a couple of weeks ago I thought he was never going to get them.
Jamie gave us something new to try on our contacts- I am going to put him into a down at the base of the dog walk. I still want to try for a running contact on the a-frame, so for now- we are using stride regulators. So far so good.
Private lessons seem to work better for us at this time, he focuses on me more, and he seems to stay happier (more excited about agility).
Looking forward to playing at chuting stars friday night!!!

Weaves

2007-10-29T19:09:00.000-05:00

This weekend there is a TDAA trial in Mckinney (teacup agility) and it is so tempting to go since they have same day registration. We definately have things that we need to work on- namely weaves, so I decided to close my channel weaves and see what the little monster would do. HE NAILED THEM!!! I was so excited... I honestly did not think he was ready for that (I wonder if he can repeat that performance elsewhere though).
I have a private lesson tomorrow, and I am going out to chuting stars on friday night with Dori. Depending how the little devil does, I might take him to the TDAA trial for fun... maybe even just do tunnelers.

Things to work on...

2007-10-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

WE had a make-up class yesterday morning for our handling skills class. We mainly worked on wraps, threadles, and 270's. Pickle can do these blind folded at home, and did pretty well in class- but we reverted back to being more interestesd in all the other dogs in the class. I had a couple of times where I could call him back to me, but several times I had to go collect him. He is so good when there are no other dogs present, I really just need a way to work on distractions.
Jamie (my instructor) is moving and will no longer be able to offer classes at her home. I've looked at other places to train, but haven't found anything that I find compatible with my schedule or my liking. With the new job, I do not yet know what my work hours will look like, I know for the first month I'll be working pretty long shifts. I'd hate to sign up for a class and then never be able to attend. I think for know I'll take a few privates here and there until my schedule figures itself out.

Blah

2007-10-17T19:16:00.000-05:00

Not a whole lot going on lately. Pickle and I have a handling class on saturday, then wednesday we'll have a private lesson to focus on our weaves. If things go pretty well this week, I am thinking that I will take him to a fun match next friday night... depending on what the vet says about his ear- he's lost a patch of hair around his ear- talking to the vet-> she thinks its just fungal, but we are going to run a few tests this week.
The job that I've been interviewing for months (atleast it seems that way) was offered to me- I do believe I am going to take it. My current company keeps making all these promises to me, but none of them have happened- this new opportunity is to good to pass up. It is a full commission position, so I will be broke for the 1st two months, but I'll be ok. EEKS!

Grrrr

2007-10-15T21:35:00.000-05:00

I know its been a long time, but we haven't had class... and I haven't had much to post about. Since I had been putting off the weaves and pretty much not looked at them for weeks- I decided to pick them up again. I wasn't getting the desired affect with the channel weaves so I tried luring a time or two. It seemed to click and he magically seemed to understand the weaves- on the down side, they are not super fast. I only lured one training session then went back to channel weaves- I think its made a positive difference. My goal now is to speed them up (I think that once the weaves are outside he will run them much quicker).

Thats all for now- hopefully I will get to go pick up my teeter this weekend!!! :D

I know...

2007-09-26T19:08:00.001-05:00

My computer died... R.I.P.

Any how, we had a weekend full of agility! We started off will a focus class on Saturday that we worked on crosses both front and rear, with a couple of flase turns as well. We had a rough start where I "might" have been a little grumpy at first causing the lil man to shut down a bit. My goal is to stop saying negative phrases when Pickle does not do exactly what I am asking- keep trying to remind myself that it is probably something I am doing that is causing the behaivor.

Sunday was better as far as attention and positive behaivors. We worked mostly on object discrimination and crosses. He still is a contact sucker... hehehe, we'll have to work on that. We also did courses as well... I think he is coming along so nicely. I really do need to work the weaves with him more- right now I think that we have hit a learn plateu on them, maybe I need to find a different approach... we'll see, I'm afraid I'm gonna cause him to hate the weaves (I kinda stopped working them at home for the time being)

Monday night we had our handling class. I rushed home from work, threw Pickle in the care, and high tailed it to class. He was so hyper and unfocused... thereby we did not accomplish much in class. I will learn to wear him out a bit more...

Tuesday was truely a blast! We went to Chuting Stars and learned several of the games such a snooker, jackpot (gamblers), and colors! Pickle was so intune and so hyped up! I had so much fun... we were out there for 2 hours- I didn't notice how much running we had done till we got home- boy am I sore!!! Last night seemed to bring it all together, I coulsdn't help but walk away and think "so this is what its all about!" If you don't run agility- START!!!

Tired Pickle

2007-09-17T16:49:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a day!!! Pickle and Felix went to the Operation Kindness "Hang Ten" day. The local water park opened parts of the park to the dogs for the last day of the season. Felix had a blast swimming around in the wave pool where as Pickle played mostly on the shore... every once in a while paddling out to see his momma. Pickle even went surfing for a while on momma's raft!

Needless to say after hours at the water park- Pickle slept through agility. All in all, it was a great day!

Baby Genius

2007-09-15T11:42:00.000-05:00

Pickle was a star today! He started off today a little distracted because Bessie was in our class today- he hasn't seen her in months. After the inital sniff and greet, we got straight to work focusing primarily on weaves. We worked on several "entrances" to the weaves, in laymans terms, coming off of different obstacles and different angles to the weaves. The lil man did very well, we only had one pop out but that was the very first attempt (I'm going to blame handler error on that one). Dori did get some action shots of us today, but my computer is acting up a bit so I'll try uploading them later.

*Piccies are here*

Classes again...

2007-09-09T22:58:00.000-05:00

Classes resumed today for the Pickulator and me. I'd love to say that it was a brilliant return, but the lil man hadn't seen his buddy Boomer in ages and I let him play with Felix before class (duh- bad move). So, with the mixture of tired and distracted puppy, I got a little frustrate- there by causing Pickle to shut down. I need to focus on being more positive so that Pickle continues to enjoy playing agility. Class again tomorrow night- more to post then.

I know...

2007-09-03T11:47:00.000-05:00

Its been a while since I posted! We haven't had class due to weather, sickness, and a wedding. I believe classes will be resuming next week (YAY!!!) I must admit, I've been kind of lazy and we haven't been training much. Since I have the holiday off, I decided to take the lil monster out and work on directionals. Today was all groundwork- so no physical obstacles. We worked on "left" and "right: queues... which is kinda sorta working- about 70% of the time. I also worked on "outs" in an attempt to have him work further from my body, yet still maintain control. The maintaining control would be the key phrase, at about 10-12 ft of distance- I no longer exist to him at times.

Bien Bebe

2007-08-14T21:33:00.000-05:00

Class was really fun tonight! I think Pickle has been going through a ton of puppy stages, but this one I love! He has been so "on" reading my body language, his focus has improved exponentially, and his speed is increasing! He gave be 100% of his attention during class tonight. Class tonight was a culmination of several things we've been working on such as wraps, distance work, serpentines, and backs. I like that Jamie gives us harder courses than what novice will be, so that when we start showing-> the courses will be so simple. One thing from class tonight that we will have to work on will be our sends- he likes working at a distance laterally, but does not like to get to far in front of me... somethin' to think about.

Finally...

2007-08-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

I've been without internet for almost a whole week... AHHHH!

Our tuesday class was awesome!!! Pickle does so much better in smaller classes (less distractions). Let me preface by informing you that Jamie was not in the best mood- which means that the class is harder. We worked on distance work so that our dogs could work more independently from the handlers. My boy was a champ!!! He is definately a star! He worked so hard for me... we gradually increased the difficulty as the class progressed, eventually to leading to multiple obstacles between us and the pups.

*I'll add more later... sooooo tired

Bonus Class

2007-07-30T01:53:00.000-05:00

Well, of course it rained today, therefore class was canceled. Luckily we decided to do a drop in class yesterday. Besides his need to play with the other pups at the beginning of class, it was a very productive lesson. We worked on directionals and wraps (tight turns).

*I'll add more later

**Will the infernal rain ever end!!! We worked on handling techniques that helped us tighten our turns and help the dogs read our body language better. We accomplished this by working on "wraps." Wraps are turns in the shapes of tear drops. We did very well after he got rid of his zoomies. Pickle is no longer allowed to play with other pups until he is done working... I hope this will help with the distraction aspect.

Keeping fingers, toes, and paws crossed class doesn't get rained out tomorrow.**

Better

2007-07-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

We seemed to do a lil better in our class today. We are still going to have a lot of focus work ahead of us. His recalls are getting markedly better though.

We also did object discrimination tonight! Usually, this is not our strongest area, but tonight- he was awesome! He did not suck to any particular obstacle (usually the a-frame)!!!

On an even brighter note- he was sound, no stiffness, no soreness!!!

Uh oh

2007-07-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

Class was not a stellar success today. We definately have some new obstacles/ challenges ahead of us. Apparently "da momma" is not his favorite any more... his classmates are way more interesting. At home we do not have the distraction of rowdy friends and he is a baby genius- then it comes to class time and he runs off to play (GRRR).
On another note... very worrisome- Pickle seemed a little ouchy on his right hind. I had him out at the lake yesterday, and he did run for an hour straight with Boomer. I am hoping that he just ran a little to hard and that is what made him a little stiff. Will definately be watching those legs!

Distance work

2007-07-15T12:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight we worked on distance work- what that means is that we have the dogs in front of us, it allows them to be more independent from the handler. How we started was to have 3 jumps in a row then a pause table at the end. The pause table was baited with a piece of kibble. The first run through, we released at the final jump sending them to the table... next run through we sent them through from the second jump... then from the first jump. Pickle excelled at this exercise (he'd rather run the courses by himself sometimes). In the end, I was running pickle through the weaves, sent him to the a-frame, then through the jumps, to the table. This kind of distance work gets us ready for the gamblers class. Gamblers class is game division where for the first (45) seconds each obstacle has a point value, then a whistle is blown and the gamble begins. In a "gamble," there is a line on the ground that handlers can not pass, but must instruct their dogs from that line and negotiate obstacles. To qualify in a gamblers class, you must have meet the minimum point requirement, and complete the gamble in the alloted time. I think this will be my favorite class.

Table Work 2.0

2007-07-05T18:20:00.000-05:00

So, its not a good idea to practise table work with the table against the wall. I decided to move it today... yeah, we're just bouncing off the other side. So tonight... we got to start completely over again with the table... lesson learned! Live and learn. :(

Table Work

2007-07-01T14:12:00.000-05:00

Pickle now loves the table! He hauls ass then hits the deck... he's gonna be the coolest agility dog!!! :D I have starting feeding him on the table, as well as perform tricks on the table.

No class because of the awful rain- that will never end :'(

On a separate note (to whom who I plan on not speaking to) yes, I love to "play" with my dogs and ride my horse! At least I do the things that I enjoy and love, not hide behind stupid excuses. The fact that I enjoy these things, does not mean that I am lazy and will never be successful. Living moderately and happy is better than being rich and miserable.

Tire Jump

2007-06-25T23:38:00.000-05:00

Alright! So we went to class last night, did some awesome object discrimination work (not usually our strength) and strung together some sequencing. All together things were flowing together nicely. Then we added the tire jump- oh the infernal tire jump. Pickle went around and under it, but managed to not go through it. All night the tire jump eluded us. So today, I decided that the tire jump was not going to me the death of us. I went to the hardware store and bought pvc and a dryer hose. I put the darn contraption together- and low and behold- the midget jumps through it... not one attempt to go around it. The little booger.

Spinning...

2007-06-21T19:08:00.000-05:00

Why is it that hard to teach spinning? My dog will back up, but not spin! Grrrrr...

No Class :(

2007-06-19T23:31:00.000-05:00

Will the rain ever end? I took Pickle and Bessie out to the volley ball court in my complex tonight to practise down-stays. Pickle is doing well- we acheived our goal of a 2 minute stay. (I'm adding 15 seconds each session) Quite honestly, my mom gave me the notes to the previous levels of classes. Instead of going through those classes, I am just doing the lesson plans on my own. We have achieved a major mile stone though- we are no longer fearful of the clicker... he doesn't love it, but then again, it doesn't send him running for cover anymore either. Things are starting to click more and more now!

First Fun Match!!!!

2007-06-19T01:23:00.000-05:00

Pickle and I participated in our very first fun match!!! Pickle did so good, I admit- I did not think it was going to go so well. He was listening, didn't run off, and didn't get the sniffys (all major goals for me). We had 2 minor whoopsies, but they may have been out of our control... he popped out of the tunnel twice, later I found out that there was a jump standard left in there, and Pickle skidded down the a-frame, but it was steaper and slicker than we're used too. Afterwards, we practised on a different a-frame and did marvelous! All in all a very triumphant first time out, and a marvelous learning experience for us both. I am very proud of my Midget Racer! Over all- It was a very fun weekend!

Backs

2007-04-24T21:06:00.000-05:00

We finally understand backs!!! We practiced backs to a single- once we figured those out, we threw in a second jump driving to a target for some distance work. This little guy trys so hard to please and makes it such a pleasure to work with. I can't wait to get video up!

Class double time!

2007-04-22T20:56:00.000-05:00

Pickle was "on" today!!! We did weaves to jump-tunnel-jump combo followed up by a triple jump! He did everything full hearted- the handler (me) on the other hand was all over the place, I could use a little work. The midget did so well so he stayed for another class. Jamie decided to see what we could do- she gave us obstacles to do, but had us create our own solutions to navigate the obstacles... the speed racer definatly covered my butt for me!

Howdy!

2007-04-19T00:28:00.000-05:00

I guess we're gonna start posting comments about our training successes and .... well, lets think positive ;)