An Update on the Pack

One of the challenges with having 5 dogs is they're all so different! They have different needs, different personalities, different activity levels, different training points and more.

I'll admit, that's part of the fun as well and here is a quick update on each of the pups.

Zulu was neutered on Wednesday and since he had one undescended testicle it wasn't a 'normal' surgery. I'm thrilled with Sumner Vet and how they handled the 'search', which was to utilize ultra sound. This non-invasive method found the testicle clear up in his abdomin and so they were able to make two small and precise incisions which had him up and wanting to run around almost immediately. Here we are four days later and he's doing great! The neutering was just in time because...

Rylee went into season this morning. While the two dogs (Rylee & Zulu) can't be together at this time, I'm hoping for a bit less in the hormone drive from Mr. Z. Rylee will have a bit of a reprieve from agility training for the next few weeks since I've found that my girls in season can be a little moody and out of sorts. I find it easier to just cuddle with them and not to ask to much and definitely not to train new things. Rylee will be in a Conformation show next weekend so we'll see how that goes.

Ru & Burton are doing great, spoiled as ever!

Ru can always be found glued to my side and makes pathetic sounds resembling an alien-gremlin cross if separated from me or can't be where I am.

Burton on the other hand is being reminded of his daily manners and is doing great with that. As usual, he wants to be where Dan is.

Both dogs are now in heavy weave pole training and Dan and I are working together to get our dogs prepared for a show at the end of July. We've brought the channel weave poles into the house (all 12 of them) and they're setup in our hall way. With Dan on one side and me on the other, we split their food between us and let them go back and forth and receive kibble for going down the middle of the training poles. Today was our first day and both dogs did great.

Pinky's still my feisty girl and has no problems keeping the young pups in line. She's definitely aged and sleeps as often as she likes, but she's still my bright and loving sweetheart. She's raised me well.

Day 6 - It's Rylee's Turn on the Agility Seminar Circuit

Today was Foundation Day at the agility seminar and it was Rylee's turn to be a part of the working crowd. She was so excited to be chosen to go with this morning and was even more psyched when we arrived at the arena.

Rylee's enthusiasm momentarily worried me, I mean what if she ran off to visit or was distracted by another dog? Yes, even trainers sometimes worry about these things!  However, this is a Foundation Seminar and I quickly realized how fun it was going to be to have a dozen baby dogs with happy wagging tails and owners (like me) eager to soak up foundation knowledge.

I chose Rylee for this seminar because I wanted her first agility seminar experience to be positive. Rylee and I have worked on most of the skills...at home, so this was a great time to test them on the road and proof them in an environment full of distractions. As for my fear that Rylee would run off, let's just say she was a working champ! Her attention was incredible and the efficiency with which she moves her body is absolutely amazing. Just like at home, she was so excited to be working with me. It was a very comfortable, easy connection that allowed both of us to relax and enjoy the experience.

Later I was talking with Nancy and she asked me what Rylee's best attributes were. I had to pause and think because Rylee truly has a nicely put together package! Here's what I've come up with:

• I love the soul-giving attention Rylee shows when we are working together. I can see Rylee is willingly giving me everything she has and it's obvious that she is highly rewarded by our interactions together. It's special for both of us, like your favorite pair of shoes or those perfect fitting jeans.
• Rylee has an amazingly athletic body and she is so comfortable in her own skin. She is graceful in her moves and light on her feet. She is fast, but can collect herself. She is able to use her entire body to efficiently turn and change direction on a dime. She's the perfect combination of gazelle and ballerina all in one.
• Rylee is confident without being pushy. Seriously, this dog strives to be a team player and embraces her part of the program. Another bonus is that she is easy to play and be silly with - which makes training so much more fun!

Over the last several days, I've had a chance to observe some incredible dog & handler teams and my mind has been buzzing with the vision of where I see my dogs going and how I'm going to get them there. I'm leaving the last 6 days with solid plans for each of them. It's interesting because each plan is a little different since each of my dogs are unique. Overall, I'm really excited that the next several days are going to provide nice weather so I can immediately start to work my dogs in the sunshine (doesn't sunshine make everything even more fun!?!?).

As for Stacy, she'll be back in August to check on my progress and to continue to share her infectious love for training.

A Tail of Two Furry Friends

Yesterday's antics were provided by Rylee & Zulu and so this blog post is compliments of them and dubbed "A Tail of Two Furry Friends."

These two are perpetually playing. For Hours. And Hours. And Hours!

I'm often sucked into watching them as they loop among the natural landscaping, perfecting the game of chase, wrestling or hide & seek.

During a chase, they gracefully run at full stride and often toss in an abrupt change of direction in hopes of out maneuvering the pursuer. This seems to heighten their senses and add a bit of an athletic challenge to the foot race.

Often times one will start out in pursuit and at some unknown cue the other turns the tables and takes on the hunt.

Chase will often lead to a surprise game of hide and seek when one successfully dodges around a clump of thick landscaping or speeds over a downed tree and is now out of sight. The stalking game begins as each tries to find the other, but the best part is when they simultaneously surprise each other with a combined "I found you!" assault.

When a change is needed, Zulu & Rylee will head on over to our seasonal pond. The game here is to embrace the splashing and mud build up that cakes their fur. I suspect here they feel like real puppy explorers out in the wild, camouflaging their smells and breaking all of the 'clean' rules of the house. I'm envious - after all, who can't resist a good mud puddle now and then?

The fall leaves have added a welcome cushion to the wrestling game where one plays the victim and the other the aggressor. Don't be fooled into thinking one beats up on the other because their roles will morph unexpectedly with a quick body flip or classic head lock action.

It's so nice to see these guys enjoying each other's company and to watch the carefree relationship they have with each other. I just can't help but smile and catch the contagious good mood that they exude.

I'll admit, it's also nice when I call their name and they come running to me with a huge smile on their face. Yes, for all the fun they have together, they still love me : )

Rylee

I haven't had a chance to write in detail about Rylee and I think I'm now ready to.

Sounds funny, doesn't it? Well, Rylee started off as a client's dog who stayed with me a couple of days a week for Agility training. My rule when working with or training a client's dog is that there is a limit to the emotional attachment I allow myself. I do this out of respect for my own dogs who deserve 100% of my heart because they belong to me and are my family.

Don't get me wrong, I care deeply for my client's dogs and they are treated very, very well at my place. I enjoy working with them and they enjoy working with me.

There was always something special about Rylee and I have always wanted a Terv (what a nice coincidence!). After Nancy officially brought up the prospect of her joining the family permanently, I took time to give it plenty of thought.

Some of the positives were that Rylee fit in so well with my pack of dogs, she is incredibly sweet, has a wonderful work ethic and is well-behaved and pleasantly interactive. My main concern was that I wanted to be sure it was a good permanent fit for HER as well. While I knew she liked it at my place, the question was if she would love it.

My answer came in an unexpected way. I was gone for several days at a judging assignment and was grateful to be home. I knew the dogs would be happy to see me, but was pleasantly surprised to find that Rylee was beyond thrilled as I walk through the door. She cried, she jumped on me, she bathed me in kisses and was plastered to my side for the remainder of the night in happiness. It was clear that she was ready to make the leap and it was the definitive sign I was looking for.

Once Rylee joined the family and was allowed into my heart, our relationship continued to grow and I am getting to know her all over again. I'm happy to say that I'm even more thrilled with her! It's fun to wrestle with her, to have her cuddle next to me, to take her on RV trips with us, to have her join us as we do the RV rounds at trials and to introduce her as our newest family member. I feel like I can be more loving & silly with her and develop a relationship that is beyond the role of trainer - a role I strictly reserve for my own dogs.

Dogs Enjoying Fall, Updates & New Electronic Timers

This year's fall leaves are just beautiful and make the perfect backdrop to take some updated doggy profile pictures. As usual, some of the dogs were more cooperative than others

I'll have to share Spot's picture in another post since I'm limited to 5 pictures per blog, but he's one who isn't fond of cameras. Rouge as well, (can't you tell by the not-so-thrilled look in the picture below). I'm certain she'd rather be running around : )

The Latest Updates

Being Sick: It's been a while since I wrote, but I have been so sick for the last 3 weeks. They're assuming it was the flu of some sort, but as time goes on and my symptoms continue to morph, I'm not so sure.

Ironically, last time I was sick (earlier this year) it also rolled on through a bunch of symptoms and I was convinced it was allergies. Humm....

Clicker Training a Horse: One of my friends/former students has a horse that she would like to clicker train. She didn't have a chance to clicker train (CT) her dog as he is deaf, so this will be a new experience for her.

For years now I've had an open invitation to go out with her to get some horse experience. And now to CT a horse? Yeah, I invited myself along and being the great pal that she is, she heartily embraced my attendance . I'll be sure to write about the experience as I have no doubt it will be amazing!

Seminar: Next weekend I'm out of town conducting an agility seminar, which I'm very excited about. I love doing seminars and there is so much going through my mind on all of the things we could cover. So many choices and only 8 hours to work with them : ) I'll be sure to do a post-seminar write up.

New Electronic Timers: This is a preliminary write-up on the new electronic timers we purchased. While ETs may not sound so exciting, these absolutely are!

First, they're made by a different company and are not your big and expensive trial timers. While those are great for the big events, they take a ton of batteries, require a car trunk for transportation and cost about the same as a used compact car (costs can range from $2,500-$6,000). In other words, not feasible for the average Agility Joe (Josephine) .

Our new timers were made by a different company, AgilityInMotion.com and were designed specifically for personal and class training. They are amazingly simple and a fraction of the cost. We opted for 2 sets (a start & finish set) which also comes with the main console for around $450 (without tax & shipping).

We just started using the timers last night at class and we're working to get a baseline on all of our students' dogs on each obstacle.

Specifically, we've started with the individual contact obstacles, different shaped tunnels and a couple of basic jump sequences. Next week we'll do weave poles and play with different style crosses.

The system is very easy to use, is small and the accuracy is spot on. Feedback from my students has been overwhelmingly positive not only on the system itself (they helped to put the timers in place at each jump height and read the console), but they LOVE the additional information obstacle timing has given to them. It has also brought out a bit of healthy competition among the groups so people are pushing harder, just like they would in a real trial. So many positives!

I doubt this is the last time you'll hear me write about this product (no, I'm not getting paid by the company), but I encourage each of you to check out the details at www.AgilityInMotion.com. Finally, someone came up with a timing alternative for us 'budget conscious' (yet quality minded) agility folks.

Introducing...Rylee!

Well, I think it's time to announce that Dan and I have another new member to our household...Rylee the Terv is staying : )

She's a beautiful and sweet girl who fits into our household well. Additionally, she is a great worker and I've been training her in Agility for the last several months. As of this weekend, I'll be co-owning her and honestly, I'm very excited!

The first picture shows her presence, while the second picture doesn't do her justice (it's taken with my camera phone and the stupid flash I can't turn off), but it does show how well she fits into our pack of pups.

Ru (the Dal) is the future pack leader (besides me of course...LOL) of our household and she is a very nurturing and loving girl, just like Riley, so it's nice to see them spending quality time together at the end of a fun day of playing.

We've got 4 young dogs in the household and I have to admit on one hand, it's a challenge and on the other, it's simply developing another dog in the line-up of training and loving. By this I mean my 4 youngsters are soooo similar, it's almost weird! Of course this means if I screw up one, I'll screw up 4 of 'em!!!! Yeah, no pressure there...

Luckily, my puppy classes have given me a great deal of confidence as I feel I've found a great rhythm in teaching the basics and the feed back from my students has been incredibly positive.

Welcome Rylee! : )