What's Up in March...a TON!

Holy cow, March is going to be a BUSY month! The highlight...well, the picture is a hint. Can you guess what it's from?  HAWAII!

Yeah, Dan is judging in Hawaii in a few weeks and I'm tagging along to catch some sun and relaxation. It's about time I got to cash in my air miles for something fun!

So, before Hawaii I'm in Ohio - where it's cold, but the people are great. Here in Washington we're having a very Spring-like winter with the trees already in full bloom and I'm not looking forward to head to the deep freeze of the East Coast. Funny how just a few weeks of 'warmth' and flowers spoils you.

After Ohio, then Dan and I are off to Hawaii where I can be a bum by the swimming pool! Then, one day after we return, I fly out to judge in WI to experience more deep freeze and more of the wonderful Midwestern hospitality.

In between, I'll be savoring the time with my dogs. After the Stacy P-G seminar, I have a ton of ideas racing through my head and so much to do. I'm trying to keep things in small manageable parts - just like I'd tell my clients. Funny advice for myself because I'm such a perfectionist and want to do it all...lol

Another thing I'm looking for is Chicken Camp the first weekend in April. The camp comes at a good time for me personally and I expect my head is going to hurt once I'm done. I like the practical training Chicken Camp provides vs. book learning. I'm not a huge fan of all of the technical terms that handlers throw out these days. Yeah, I know they're accurate and they show the science behind modern dog training, but the general dog training client doesn't give a hoot about the 'Why', they prefer to focus on solutions and practical matters.  Any way, one can't throw out the baby with the bathwater (or the scientific terminology) so I'm sure Chicken Camp will cover those bases as well. As for the practical, I'll be sure to take great notes and do a write-up on Camp as I'm positive it will be amazing.

Oh, an extra bonus on Chicken Camp is that I get to stay in my RV at a friend's place which is 5 minutes from Camp. That will mean relaxing evenings, a bonfire training the dogs and they get to hang with me. I'm so excited!!!!!

As for smaller happenings in my life, I had an amazing birthday as well as a party Saturday night. Next, the dogs are doing great and I started Zulu with a bit of exercise on the treadmill. Holy cow he is such a maniac these days as adolescent dogs are challenging. Mainly because you want them to grow up and be happy, confident dogs and during their teenage years, they take those wonderful qualities to the cocky level . Of course what doesn't help is that one of my dogs is about to go into season and we have hormones raging as well.  Seriously, I could never believe my life is boring and I wouldn't have it any other way : )

It's My Birthday!!!!

Happppppy Birthday to me!

First, I want to thank www.pinkcakebox.com for letting me use this LOVELY picture of a birthday cake. Isn't it the most dreamy looking thing? Now if it was filled with a delightful white cake with a lemon filling, I would be in heaven!

I love birthdays. As an adult, I've decided to make them my own special day and luckily my friends and family indulge me on this. I started my birthday preparations a few days ago by embracing the "New year, new look!" philosophy. And so in a bold step, I dyed my hair back to it's natural shade of dark brown. Surprised? Well, I think hair should be fun and I love to reinvent myself and this is a great change that shows off how comfortable I am with ME.

So with my new hair, my morning started off with my hubby bringing me coffee in bed. Then I proceeded to spend the next several hours just laying around with my dogs playing and loving on them. What a perfect start to the day!

Next, my girlfriend Jill called to take me to lunch. As I got ready to go, I decided to add a bit of fun self-indulgence and put on shimmery make-up. It is my birthday after all and a bit of glitter before dark is allowed on such special days! So with a bit of sparkle (and perfume, which I rarely wear) we were off to our favorite sushi place. We laughed and giggled so much, the sushi chef commented that we were having way too much fun. That's how a birthday should be!

As I sit here typing, surrounded by all of my wonderful dogs, I've been reading all of the birthday messages from friends and family. Oh my gosh, I've opened each one of them and savored the well-wishes. It really is fun to have birthdays and everyone is adding to my special day.

My hubby will be home soon and while he offered to take me out to dinner, I've instead opted for Filet Mignon here on the grill at home. We have some wonderful wines from our tasting this past weekend and I really want to watch the Time Traveler's Wife.

On Saturday my friend Becky is hosting a birthday game party (I just love the game Apples to Apples) and a small group is getting together to see if they can make me laugh hard enough that I spit wine from my nose. Yes, that is what the birthday invitation said . I just love my friends and family!

Even though my special day isn't over yet, I really wanted to thank everyone for making it so wonderful. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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.

Rouge - Day 3 of Her Seminar, Finally a Break Through!

Rouge and I participated in the 2-day Excellent Stacy Peardot-Goudy seminar on Saturday & Sunday. The good news is that her contacts are beautiful, the better news is that she successfully exhibited her 'distracted self' which means the bad news was that little 'ole me was left with the exhausting task of cheerleading, begging, pleading and trying to keep her attention. It was a bit of a frustrating place to be and very unexpected.

Stacy and I had a chance to talk about it  at the end of the day (Stacy's been working with us for all of Rouge's agility training) and her guidance and observation has never steered me wrong. To quickly summarize the situation, it was time to expect more from Rouge if she wanted to play the game of agility with me. So the plan started with the simple concept of her lack of attention meant she got to go back to her crate.

Now, it's important to understand that Rouge has been trained and trained via a positive reward based system. However, she's a very smart dog and quickly learned to play me like a violin and that's how I unexpectedly found myself in the cheerleader role. But thanks to Stacy, times are a changing and so are the dynamics of Team Lisa & Rouge.

I started off the morning by working Burton, my husband's Lab. It was fun and he was great, but he's not my dog to run. By the afternoon, I was pining to work Rouge so Stacy and I discussed a plan ahead of time so that I was clear as to what steps I needed to take based on the behaviors she was offering me. Things went pretty well the first time out and it was far better than it had been over the weekend. However the second time out was SPECTACULAR!

The second time out I felt I had her complete attention and she was a working member of Team Lisa & Rouge. What an amazing change and so nice to see the progress! I've worked hard to give her a solid base and by golly, I know this dog is amazingly talented. It turns out that I needed to stop babysitting her and to clarify the teamwork part of the equation - not because it didn't exist, but because I was taking on far too much responsibility.

As always, Stacy's talents never ceases to amaze me. Now I feel on track again and ready to push to the next level.

Zulu's First Agility Seminar - A Success!

Today was Zulu's turn at the seminar experience with Stacy Peardot-Goudy.

Zulu just turned 1 year and I have to admit that I haven't done very much jump work with him (just in the last few weeks), but I have worked his tunnel, chute, table, a-frame and dog walk, which are spectacular, so I felt fairly ready for this seminar. 

As a side note, the reason I haven't bothered very much with jumps is 1) because I wanted him to finish growing and 2) I've had a preview of his natural jumping style when he plays in the yard and I felt confident in his body awareness abilities when it came to jumping.

The terrific part about having Stacy back out here is just watching how she interacts with her dogs. I have to admit that while having Dalmatians has been terrific, Border Collies work differently and it's always nice to observe an alternate way of training. In the past, I hadn't been a big toy person...not because I don't believe in them, but because physically it was painful for me and so I avoided them. Well, thanks to modern medicine, that's not always the case for me now so I'm able to physically interact with my dogs more often and so I've had to learn how!

Zulu learned several of his base behaviors using treats. I'm very comfortable shaping/eliciting behaviors using food, but have decided to break with my own tradition of continuing to use food as a motivator (great with Dals & Labs) and quickly moved Zulu over to toys (balls and best yet, his favorite toy pelt). I started this endeavor a few weeks ago and the first thing I noticed when combining the toy & behavior was that he was CRAZY! Seriously, the behavior went to hell in a hand basket as his love for the toy made him loose his mind.

Two things come to mind. First, I might have introduced the toy to the agility game a little sooner to make a smoother transition and two, I was going to have to give some serious time to helping him understand or remember that he really could control himself, offer the behavior and get his beloved toy simply by doing what he had already been taught to do...after all, it was only the reward that had changed (from food to the toy).

On our first run, I aborted the toy and tried to just use food. It was a disaster and as Stacy said, I was training him like he was Rouge, my young Dalmatian. It was icky, I felt disconnected (handled like a fool) and Zulu was looking at me like I had grown 10 heads and was acting like a crazy person. It was time to collect myself and come up with a new plan or the day was going to be long and painful!

So I pulled the toy back out and with Stacy's guidance, told myself it was okay to embrace Zulu's toy enthusiasm and to go back to basics. In this case, the basic concept was "If you want the toy, then do a jump and earn it!" Sounds simple, but Zulu is an adolescent and as expected, the term "gimme" has started to creep into his aura. That was the case with today and he was outraged when I wouldn't give him the toy "just because" he wanted it. In his attempt to demand the toy he jumped me, pounced on me, zigged when he should have zagged, circled, barked, nipped at my hand (which was holding the toy), and was just plan trying to push me into handing it over.

By the afternoon, he was a rockstar and caught onto the game of jump = toy & play. Seriously, I couldn't have been prouder and left feeling very accomplished as well as having a much clearer game plan on where I want to go with him. Zulu was pretty proud of himself as well. Each time we were done with an exercise, he would jump up onto a chair and I'd tell him how very proud I was of him. He was soaking up the attention and overall, loved the interaction & time spent today.

It was a great day for both of us and I know both Grandma's (Barbara & Felicia) would be very, very proud!

Belgian Sheepdog Club, WI - Jan 24, 2010, Exc JWW

A few weeks ago I was judging in one of my personal favorite places to go, WI.

There are a TON of places I love to visit and always enjoy, but since I'm originally from the Northern IL/WI area, going back is like coming home. I grew up in Agility with these folks and I've known them for over 14 years. It's natural that I really, really miss them and so I always look forward to visiting and I always leave refreshed.

This trip was no different and as always, everyone was amazing.

The facility is indoors on thick horse stall matting and a unique ring size so I get to be creative. The challenge for me is to come up with a unique course that meets AKC's standards, has flow and allows handlers to be creative in how they chose to get through the course.

A perfect example of this is the choice of direction available from #3 to #4.

I have to admit, I was curious to see which direction handlers would chose to go and was surprised when the choice was an almost even 50/50 with half going to the right and the other half choosing the left. Now granted, I was not keeping an exact count (something about having to judge ), but in the end several of us decided this would be a fun sequence to time to see which direction was faster.

Anyone up for taking that challenge?

Boston Club Courses Friday 1-1-10

This is an older post I finally had a chance to finish today....

New Year's weekend my hubby Dan and I judged for the Boston Terrier Club in Elma, WA.

I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when they asked us to judge as I seemed to have recalled a previous member who didn't seem so keen on me. Turns out that person is no longer a member and I'm so glad we accepted the assignment as this club was WONDERFUL!

During our judge's dinner, I learned that about 5 years back the core club members folks didn't know a thing about agility. Not so any more! These days they're now experts and work very hard to put on a great trial.

I have to say, this was one of my personal favorites on the local front and I expect we'll be attending this show from now on.

On to the course analysis...

On Friday, I judged Excellent FAST (course pictured below) and Excellent JWW. Dan judged Excellent Standard (not included - sorry!).

The majority of the course was straight forward, however, two parts seemed to be the 'make it' or 'break it' section for handlers.

The first area was between #7 - #9 and I've drawn a few lines for illustrative purposes.

The majority of handlers stayed to the right of #8 and #9 (see the blue line which represents the handler path) and treated this section as a serpentine. In theory, this would be a good choice. However, as seen by the red line (which represents the dog's path) dogs came into this sequence at full speed and the triple encouraged dogs to land long. Due to their speed and landing area, most dogs were unable to collect and come in on the handler's left side and instead went wide behind the handler. Sure, most dogs were able to get back into place, but this left some of the handlers having to scramble for a moment to readjust their dog or themselves. It was an interesting line that is worthy of a training sequence!

An alternate method was to do a front cross on the landing side of the triple and either a rear cross or another front cross between 8 and 9.

It was a fun course to run and the teams did a terrific job!

Why Go Public? PSLRA

I've been asked "Why a public approach?" to our resignation from PSLRA. Here's why:

It wasn't with the intent to promote a rift or to tear the club a part (which we firmly believe will NOT happen), but instead to promote change. Dan and I tried, repeatedly over the years to participate, to work with the club (i.e. the Board) and to create a positive experience. At almost every juncture we came face to face with a brick wall, deaf ears, excuses and worse yet, unrelated personal topics thrown in our face.

Rather than view our note as a slam, we hope PSLRA will view it as an opportunity to promote change and to ensure committees follow through and adhere to guidelines like the new Vendor Process (just one example). And NO, this does not mean the club should use Premier K9 Club (my company's) equipment. Actually, we have indicated we will not be bidding to provide equipment to PSLRA mainly because our interests are moving us in a different direction.

Additionally, this isn't about Agility. We used Agility as an example because that is the high-budget venue we were most knowledgeable about.

If we had been the only ones who felt as was written, the information would never have gone public. However, we're not the only ones. Not even close.

I know it's easy to take these things personally and again, we sincerely apologize for that. Unfortunately, as outsiders who were continuously trying to get information and be included, we found it very difficult and unwelcoming.

I realize I'm taking the fall as the bad guy, but it is not because we are disgruntled and wish ill-will. On the contrary, I think the club will be stronger and better than ever.

It's been said my blog is highly public and viewed by many, when thinking of the millions of websites & blogs, my little blog is being given way too much credit! : )

Bye-Bye (PSLRA) Puget Sound Labrador Retriever Club

PSLRA

After being an active member for over 10 years, last night my hubby Dan resigned his membership to the PSLRA (Lab Club). I was sad for him because he grew up in the club, supported their events (obedience, agility & hunt tests) and participated whenever possible (Agility Trial Chair and/or Committee Member for several shows and was a shooter at their hunt tests). I should also add that so did both of his parents, Keith & Beth.

Unfortunately, over the last few years he has seen a club develop that as he said "Is no longer family friendly....and fails to foster relationships beyond the core click." Everyone's allowed their opinion and by no means does that mean every member falls into this category. On the contrary, the majority of members are WONDERFUL. So hang in there with me while I share some of the behind the scenes things that influenced Dan. I would venture to say the majority of the club has no idea what goes on...

Board Meetings & Minutes

Although Dan and I aren't able to attend the majority of the Meetings due to our work schedules, we read every word of the published minutes. It was our way of keeping up in a club that we considered ourselves active members of.

So it was a big surprise to us when we noticed that procedures and topics were occurring/being discussed & implemented, but weren't always properly documented or even mentioned in the meeting minutes. That seemed a bit strange to us so we asked about them, thinking we'd missed something. We received answers like "Not everything has to be reported to the Club Members" and "If you would have attended the meetings in person, you would have known."

First, the PSLRA membership is spread across the Puget Sound. There are active paying members in Alaska, Idaho, Eastern Washington and more. They, as well as everyone else who is unable to attend each meeting deserves complete & accurate Meeting Minutes.

Second, it is my understanding that the Club status require accurate Meeting Minutes. If you look at the AKC Board of Director Meeting Minutes, it is very clear what business and/or topics have been reviewed. This is not the case with PSLRA's Meeting Minutes.

Third, as a PAYING club member the Board should have an open door policy. Whether intentional or not, missing items and answers like those given above appear suspicious. They may not be, but perception is key and as a paying member, we'd like to know what the Board (who represents us and makes decisions on the funds we've given or worked for) is doing.

Budgeting, It's for Everyone

First, I applaud the Board Members for taking measures to control costs and request each event committee submit a budget for approval for their respective event. However, the budgeting was inconsistently applied to different events in 2009.

For example, the Spring & Fall Agility Trials are the two main money-makers for the club (most club members won't know this because the budgeting results are incomplete or non-existent in the Meeting Minutes, although they are specifically discussed at the Board Meetings). Unfortunately, the Specialties, Tracking & Hunt Tests generally require support from the Club's main fund.

Agility Trial Costs, What Everyone Should Know

When doing an Agility Trial, the main costs are Location, Equipment, Trial Secretarial Fees and Judging Fees. Keeping in mind that times are tough and as an active club member, last year on January 28, 2009 Dan & I secured and forwarded an equipment proposal to the Board which would have saved PSLRA over $2,400 per year over a 3 year period. We waited for weeks and did not receive a response or even an acknowledgement on the proposal.

It wasn't until we brought the issue back up were we told that for various reasons the club would not be able to accept the proposal. No problem, so the equipment vendor mentioned in the proposal isn't able to work at one location...but budgeting & securing the best price helps everyone, right?

Lesson Learned - Never Question The Board

Our next question was to ask why, when the committees were being asked to jump through hoops to reduce costs, why the board wasn't working to negotiate a better equipment rate with the CURRENT vendors. After all, other clubs were already receiving substantial discounts and Dan & I would rather see our club dues go further. Wouldn't you?

The reply from the current (soon to be former) President completely ignored the question and instead of addressing the issue, misdirected the topic to appear as a personal attack. Ugh, now why were we caring so much about money when the Board didn't want to take the extra step? So we moved on because it was clear there wasn't going to be a factual answer to our factual question.

2010 - Quotes from Vendors That Isn't Happening

As part of the new procedures that were recently put through by the Board, committees are to receive quotes from various vendors. Excellent! This should hopefully allow for reduced or negotiated pricing, right?

Wrong. So far, quotes have not been solicited from multiple vendors for the agility equipment (an annual estimated cost of approximately $4,700). Nor have they solicited quotes from multiple ribbon vendors (estimated annual cost of approximately $2,600). Nor have they solicited quotes from multiple Trial Secretaries (estimated annual cost of approximately $6,200). Oh, did I mention we're now 5 months out from the Spring Trial...time is running short.

Volunteers are Often Ignored

Budgeting issues aside, over the last several years, I've heard several PSLRA members volunteer for various committees, booths and other events. More often than not I've heard the following responses "Oh, so-and-so does that and we don't want to step on their toes" or worse yet, there is no response from the Board or a trial committee to a person's request to volunteer.

Our current (soon to be former) President & Board has done this to the Selthofer family on several occasions (if you're interested, the notes on just one example are below). The first note was sent on 10/26/09, the second on 11/24/09 and the third on 12/24/09. The delay in response has since lost 4 volunteers and will now cost the club additional funds in late fees to apply to hold the Spring Agility Trial. Why does this effect you? Because that's membership dues from 2 members down the drain.

Hiding Information, It's Just Bad Form

We hate to bring this one up, but somethings just need to be addressed.

We were disappointed when the current President received feedback from a disgruntled former PSLRA Member (and owner of one of her dogs) regarding the Spring Agility Trial and chose NOT to share the information with the entire Board or with any members of the Spring Agility Trial Committee.

The facts are that the former PSLRA member brought an injured dog to the trial and even went into great detail with some of the Trial Committee members about "How they weren't sure they're dog was going to run...how it hurt it's back previously" etc. The judge had laid an awkward line from the triple spread jump to the dog walk. Several handlers didn't recognize the challenge and didn't set it up properly, so their dogs weren't able to get a straight approach and subsequently came off the obstacle prematurely. Five judges reviewed the equipment and all of them found the equipment to be safe. Additionally, this particular piece of equipment had been in storage for the last year and was last used at the previous year's trial so there was no wear & tear on the equipment.

However, the disgruntled person took the opportunity to falsely claim that the equipment injured their perfectly healthy dog (which as we know is a stretch). In our opinion, they also took advantage of the friendship that exists with the PSLRA President.

More importantly the acting President had an obligation to the club and the Spring Trial Committee to bring any issues forward. Not sharing these items is disrespectful to the Trial Committee, undermines the efforts of volunteers and could be viewed as an abuse of a club position/power.

Lab Rescue, Where Is It?

We realize this is a personal topic of importance to us, but we rarely hear about Lab Rescue. Dan and I have both offered to host Agility Fun Runs to benefit Lab Rescue. I've volunteered training time to assist dogs in rescue. Again, our suggestions were ignored or written off as being not important.

Labs are the #1 registered dog in the AKC and the potential for rescue/labs needing assistance has got to be large. We belong to other clubs with less popular dogs and hear far more about their rescue efforts. Additionally, they have welcomed our suggestions and time stating that "Rescue needs all of the resources and assistance they can utilize..." I'm CERTAIN the Lab Rescue is doing something, but instead we hear more about breeder dogs needing homes.

We can't help but ask, why isn't PSRA a successful club with money, doing more to help rescue Labs?

Bye-Bye PSLRA

There are clubs out there that appreciate their volunteers. Maybe PSLRA does, but they've failed to consistently spread the good will & cheer with all. We love our Lab Friends (both human & 4-legged) and will continue to be life-long friends.

Take Care,

The Selthofers

Back-up data:

Notes ignored by President of PSLRA:

October 26, 2009

Stephanie,

We just started our planning for the June 2010 Agility Trial and I heard through the grapevine that those interested in being the Chair of an event need to make a request to you.

Is this true and does it apply to events & committees that were already in place? (such as the June Agility Trial). Also, what is the reasoning?

Also, if this is true, I'm assuming that Cheri Levine, former Board Member and Trial Chair for more than 4 Agility events is acceptable?

Lisa

*********

November 24, 2009

Hey Everyone,

I haven't received a response back on the below e-mail. If the June Agility Event is going to happen, we need to get the AKC application in asap as well as secure our location and finalize other contractual items in order to avoid late fees.

Also, it is possible the Levine's may bow out of this year's Trial Committee duties, at which time as the co-chair for the last 3 years, I would be taking on the role as singular Trial Chair.

Please let me know asap what, if any, new Board approvals are needed and if I have approval for the following:

• Complete the AKC Event Application & submit to the Board for Approval & signature
• Request a Count for left-over ribbons
• To Secure the Trial Site (same place as last year) & request a contract for Board Approval & signature
• To Secure the Trial Secretary (same folks as last year) & request a contract for Board Approval & signature
• To Secure the Equipment Vendor (same company as last year) & request a contract for Board Approval & signature
• To request a contract for Board Approval for our judges & signatures (one judge is the same as last year)
• To request a copy of last year's budget as well as actual expenses from our Treasurer
• To request information from our Treasurer on the ribbon vendor (same as last year)

Thanks in advance for your attention on this.

**************

Sent on 12/24/09

PSLRA Board,

Hey Folks,

I sent two notes, one on October 26th and another on November 26th offering to again volunteer for the fourth year on the June Agility Trial in 2010. Unfortunately, I did not receive any responses, which is disappointing since this is a highly intensive event and is always in need of volunteers.

Since I did not receive a response, I have since accepted an Agility judging opportunity in Maine and will not be available to assist.

I'm bringing this to your attention because I've heard from other members who have volunteered that they too have not received responses to their offer to volunteer. Additionally they noted that months later they then saw an e-mail or newsletter announcement requesting volunteers for the same event they expressed an interest in.

This is just an fyi and feedback on something I've experienced and heard others discuss. PSLRA is a great club with great people, again this is just an fyi.

My Commercial...

Rylee's 2009 Rock Concert

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Christmas - 2009 The Selthofer Family

Enjoy the photo gallery of our family.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It's COLD!!! Working on Skills

Just like the majority of the country, the Seattle area is gripped by an extreme cold snap.

Today was 11 degrees when I got up. While that might be warm compared to the Chicagoland area which was at 2 degrees. However, the below freezing temps are well below anything that this area is used to having.

But there is good news - we have SUN! It's too cold to snow and way too cold for fog or clouds. I took the attached picture on Monday when the wind chill was well below 20 degrees and as you can see, it's nice and clear.

Another benefit is that the ground is now frozen so that means that darn mole can't make any more holes! Yeah, I'm really reaching now for highlights, but something is better than nothing.

As for the dogs, they're driving me bonkers...or more truthfully, I'm going nuts being cooped up! Poor dogs, they haven't been able to run outside for long periods for almost a week now and that's tough for this young bunch. Dan and I have been trying to play with each of them individually using tug & release games, fetch and anything else we can come up with. That reminds me, we haven't played hide & seek (which also works on Stays) in a long time.

Tonight I'll be bringing out a mini plank and the Manners Minder I recently purchased as well as playing a few target games. Last, but not least, Dan's going to bring an agility table in so we can practice our instant downs and sending at a distance (or at least the length of the hallway ).

Stay warm everyone!

Sunday Courses - Hounds for the Holidays

Today was the last day of the always wonderful Hounds for the Holidays Trial and I judged Excellent JWW. This was an incredibly fast course with an average time of around 27-29 seconds. To the best of my recollection (this means there's a ton of room for error), the winning time in the 20" class was a high 23.??



Here's the usual list of suspects that snatched dogs or handlers into NQ land:



* After the #5 jump, several handlers intentionally sent their dog over the #9/14 jump thinking it was a part of the first pin wheel. Ouch, I didn't see that one coming...



* Several handlers pulled their dog off of the #12 jump in their rush to get a front cross in after #13. After watching this sequence 340 times, it was clear that in general, those that drove deeper into #12 achieved a much more efficient line from their dog from #12-13 as the dog clearly saw the 'pull' toward 13. They were also able to avoid their dog taking a large loop in that turn (see the dog's path in red).

* By far, the jump that was missed the most was #14. Since I was standing straight down the course (on the dark vertical line in the picture) and could easily see the handler & dog's path from #12-14, I had a birds eye view as things were happening. The issue appeared to be that in their haste to get a front cross between #13 & 14, handlers kept moving across the course and didn't strategize the placement of their front cross.

To illustrate, I drew a series of lines for both the handler & dog. The red lines show the wider route while the green lines show the more efficient route.

As you can see by the red lines, in general, when the handlers continued to slide to the left side of the #13 jump their dogs went very wide after #12 (approx. 57.4') and the result was a late front cross that failed to setup the dog for the #14 jump.

In contrast, the path shown by the green lines created a more efficient dog path after #12 (approx. 40.8') and easily set the dog up for the #14 jump. By being cognisant of the optimal dog path AND planning which part of the #13 jump a dog should take (in this case by having the dog jump closer to the right stanchion) this sequence was smooth and dogs landed with #14 straight ahead.


* In the closing sequence, most handlers were able to leave their dogs at #15 or #16 and run down the right side of the jumps without a problem. I did see a few blind crosses between #16 & 17 by some long legged handlers that were beautiful. Unfortunately, there were a few dogs who incurred a refusal/runout at the #19 jump. Those were tough to watch as they had beautiful runs up until that point.

Thanks again to everyone at the trial for such a wonderful, wonderful time.

Course Fri Hounds for the Holidays

Attached is Friday's Excellent Standard course from Hounds for the Holidays in WI.


This was an amazingly fast Standard course that kept handlers moving...some weren't so thrilled about the hurricane pace from the table on and others commented it was their favorite part of the course.

This portion of the course is what I'd call the High Rollers section. It was between jumps #15 - #17, that a run either catapulted into the record book or went down in flames as a dog took the off-course dog walk.

Exhibitors handled #15 - #17 one of three ways:

Option 1: With a front cross between #15 & 16 so the handlers were going down the left side of the last line of jumps.

Option 2: With the dog on the handler's right, they pushed their dog to the #15 jump and then ran down the right side of the last line of jumps.

Option 3: With a blind cross between #15 & 16.

In Option 1, I expected the majority of handlers to execute this section with the front cross and they did. Most notably were those folks who did a nice smooth front cross in a DIAGONAL from #15 down to the left side of #16. This allowed the handlers to stay ahead of their dogs for the line of jumps down.

In contrast, quite a few handlers did a front cross that wasn't as efficient and had them heading for the ring wall. These folks completed a front cross, but their line was straight across (vs. changing direction and moving down toward the left side of #16) and once out of the front cross, they found themselves in a foot race with their dog and a possibility of the dog curling in before crossing the finish line.

To ensure Option 2 was successful, handlers first had to be patient in sending their dog to #15 and wait for commitment before moving or changing direction. Next, handlers either needed to be a step ahead of their dog as they took the #16 jump so that the intended path was clear (think picking the dog up on the landing side of #16) or they needed to have a strong "get out" to push the dog away from the dog walk and down the line of jumps. I think this was my favorite choice of the three since it was simple and didn't require any fancy steps.

Option #3 is the sleeper option that I hadn't thought of, but for those who executed it, it was a great choice for them. The blind cross between #15 and 16 allowed handlers to stay ahead of their dog and was knee friendly since it didn't require a plant and pivot like a front cross might.

I think all three options would be a great class exercise and it would be interesting to time them. Hum...sounds like I may have a lesson plan here!

Courses Thurs Hounds for the Holidays

Day 1 of 4 of the infamous Hounds for the Holidays show in WI is done. The trip so far has been spectacular with us flying into Chicago O'Hare, grabbing some Garrett's Popcorn (a holiday favorite of mine) and then hopping on a short 22 minute flight up to Milwaukee.

The hotel we're at is wonderful and opens up their doors, this weekend only, to dogs. There was a fabulous welcome sign as well as a table of freshly folded towels near the door specifically available to wipe off the toes of dogs in case it snows (which it's trying hard to do) or they have mud on their little feet from playing in the hotel grass.

When we got up to our room, the hotel staff had already placed a white sheet on the couch for any 4-legged guests and had kindly folded up the bedspreads so that dogs were free to romp around as they pleased.

Today I judged Nov & Open Std & JWW. I have to admit it was a fun way to start the weekend. The indoor soccer turf arena has 3 rings - one for Exc Std, another for Exc JWW and the third specifically for Nov & Open.

In Open Standard, the majority of handlers worked #1-4 with their dog on the left side which required a pull over #3, which was nicely done. Next handlers did a front cross after the teeter to put their dog in the far side of the tunnel.

The challenging sequence for this group was just after the pinwheel at #8-12 where handlers needed to get the dog up the #13 dog walk. Those handlers who tried a front cross on the take-off side of #12 generally set the dog up to take the teeter instead of the dog walk as dogs took the #12 jump at a slice and handlers weren't able to push their dogs out to the dog walk.

The handlers who were consistently successful in this area either did a front cross on the LANDING side of #12 or did a rear cross as the dog was heading up the dog walk.

I saw quite a few handlers work hard to get their dog on the left side before the weaves. Some did a front cross, but most executed a blind cross to accomplish this. I have to say, I wasn't expecting there to be a cross in this area, but it worked well here as a side-switch maneuver. After the weaves, a few dogs did go onto the off-course table.

Speaking of tables, today's position was a down. I was surprised at the number of dogs who had blank stares when their handlers asked for the down. Dan mentioned the Excellent dogs were quick to drop so I have to think the incredibly large venue, 1st day jitters, indoor turf & stimulation had a role to play in my inexperienced & young Open & Novice dogs inability to flatten in place .

Next is Open JWW. One of the things I liked about this course was the flow. While it had the appropriate amount of side switches and options, the majority of the course kept the same design as the Novice JWW course run just prior.

The main challenge on this course was the serpentine followed by the pinwheel. There were two styles that were mainly used. The first is shown in red where the handler stayed on the right and rear crossed the #9 jump. The second style was a front cross between #5 & 6 and hand the handler stay ahead of the dog through the serpentine portion.

Both choices worked well for teams.

The last two courses are Novice Standard and Novice JWW. Take a moment to review and enjoy!

Sunday Courses - New Mexico

Today is my last day here in Las Cruces and there's a lot I'm going to miss! First, the people and exhibitors. What a great group!

Today's challenge was the wind & rain. I'm told that they had more rain today than all summer. I told them their hospitality went too far in making it feel like home (Seattle)

Onto the courses!

* Not a single dog was fooled into thinking they were going up the a-frame after the #3 jump.

* Most handlers went on the landing side of the #6 jump and did a front cross so the dog was on their left going over #7. Of those few handlers who did a front cross on the landing side of #7 (stayed on the right side of #6 & #7), I liked that tight line the best for dogs.

* Another great piece of handling was from #9 - #12. For fast/driven dogs, several handlers were able to push their dogs and then 'pulled their dogs up the teeter towards them and meet their dogs at the end of the teeter.

* I'm not sure why, but several dogs took the #10/#15 panel down. It was a bit slick on the grass and it's my understanding that this group doesn't run in the rain often.

On Excellent JWW, the weaves were quickly completed and were followed up by two large loops, the first to the left and the second to the right. After that, there was a tighter pinwheel (in comparison to the last two loops) that required more precise handling, followed by a large loop out.

The challenge on this course was to support those jumps that were furthest out and to be able to quickly change to a tight handling area at the end.

It was a great course to end the weekend with as dogs ended with a lot of energy and success.

Thanks again to everyone for such a wonderful time!

Fri New Mexico Courses

Looks like I inadvertently labeled yesterday's courses (which were from Friday) Saturday's and I'll just label today's (the real Saturday's) Friday's Clear as mud? LOL

This course had some interesting lines that don't come across as technical on paper, but were a challenge to handlers. They were:
* #3 to the a-frame with that off-course tunnel sucked in quite a few dogs. Some had already made their choice and were hell bent on taking it and others were handling errors. Some pushed their dog into the exit side of the tunnel and others caused a refusal at the a-frame as they pulled too hard.
*#6 - the teeter was a unique line (I know, looks boring on paper!) as the dogs were focused on the a-frame and with a simple step in toward the dog from the handler, the majority of dogs changed their lead leg and redirected to the teeter.
* The #10 - #13 sequence was not one to take for granted and it first required a push over the #10 jump at an angle.
* From #14 - #16, most handlers hung back and did a rear cross at #15, even if they were ahead of their dog. I liked the angle that it created for the dog to the weaves, but wondered if a rear cross would/could have the same tight line with a little more speed.
* The surprise challenge was getting from the #17 jump down through to the #19 triple. Unfortunately, quite a few handlers were behind and forfeited a clean run when their dog passed by the triple when there handlers either called them too hard and pulled the dog off of the obstacle or the dog incurred a refusal when it went searching for its owner who was 2 obstacles back.


As for Excellent JWW, we started with an unusual place for the first obstacle and worked our way around the weave poles.

As expected, some dogs took the off course tunnel exit. However, I really wanted to point out how great several teams did on executing the weave pole entry.

While not impossible, the positioning required either a bit of handling or a dog who was comfortable finding the weave entry on their own. This group did a great job and I'd love to come back and practice the various ways the handlers did setup for this obstacle.

The off course #16 dog was a close call for several teams and the #14 jump required a bit of a push out or support. If this was lacking, dogs pulled in too early and incurred a refusal/runout call.

For me, the day was non-stop as I made sure both rings were always ready to walk, paperwork was in order and all of the other usual judgely stuff. A few nice perks were that we were done by 2:00 p.m. and the weather was wonderful! I actually think I have a bit of color from the sun!

Since we were done in a timely manner, I had a chance to go back into the quaint little Indian town just down the road and do a bit more browsing around. Later we met for dinner at a Mexican restaurant near 'the square' and had a WONDERFUL meal! I believe they're stopping tonight to get me tamales to take home with me tomorrow....I can't wait!

A bit of news from the home front, Dan got his first Double Q with Spot today! That puts Spot at 10 DQ's and 1100 points toward his MACH2. Maybe I'll put that down as a goal for 2010 : )

Courses Sat New Mexico

Today is Day 1 of the trial and it was a beautiful sunny 67 degrees. Today was Excellent only.

We started with Standard and as one exhibitor described the course as having 'subtle challenges'. The areas were with the most judging calls were:

• * The incorrect tunnel entrance (handler error)
• * The usual weave issues (entry/popping out)
• * There were several teeter fly-offs as handlers headed down the line of jumps & dogs left early to catch them
• * Refusals at #15 as dogs spun while looking back for their handler or as handlers pushed in too early and the dog headed for the chute.
• * The off course jump near the chute
• 
  Overall, I was impressed with the consistency of the handlers & dogs!

Next was Excellent JWW. I have to admit, I really liked this course and the varying challenges. Individually, none of them was difficult, but put together, the handler & dog needed to be on their toes and able to quickly adapt to the next sequence.

The challenges on this course were:
* Between jump #4 & 5 as dogs were heading toward the off course #15 jump.
* The off course tunnel only caught a few dogs as most were already heading toward #8 when they landed after #7.
* #12 jump - many dogs went went for the #2 jump again and some completely missed this jump.
* Some dogs headed for the off course #4 jump with a few of them taking it.

The ending from #15 on was a fast sequence!

Again, dogs did a great job and it was a pleasure to watch them.

On a separate note, I LOVE being able to get a feel for the local culture and this is a cute little town. I was taken to a place called the square that had wonderful shops with native jewelry, pottery & ceramics, clothing, a winery and other specialty shops.

The shops were true to the area and very different than anything we have in Seattle. I purchased a beautiful silver cross for myself, a bottle of wine for Dan (from Heart of the Desert winery) and an amazing Christmas gift for Dan's Mom. Beth (Dan's Mom) and I have a wonderful relationship and I spend all year looking or making something special for her. I seriously can't wait to give this one to her : )

Wag More, Bark Less

This post is dedicated to everyone who has had to deal with mean people....

Since moving out to the Seattle area, I've continuously struggled with a small group of people in agility who are insecure, petty, vindictive, unhappy and just miserable. I wouldn't normally notice these things, but unfortunately they find it entertaining to talk badly about others, including me & my life as they think they know it.

What makes it so tough is that they act nice to your face. Saying Hi, asking about specific details in your life and pretending like all is well. While in reality, they're just plotting or poking for something to speak badly of. If they can't find something, they'll make it up and do so with relish. After all, if they're cattily chatting about you, it makes them the center of attention and they feel important.

I've often been the target of their sharp tongues and worse yet, their make-believe reality. I've heard everything from I use prong collars to teach contacts, insensitive gossiping about the reasons I had to put my young border collie down and all the way up to someone approaching my husband (at a trial) before we got married and saying "We're concerned about you, you don't have to go through with it, are you really sure you want to marry her?" and someone openly discussing ringside how there's no way our marriage was going to work.

Ouch! It doesn't take a psychic to know that these are hurtful comments! Not to mention inappropriate, disrespectful and quite frankly, not their business.

I have to admit that after years of trying to rise above, keep smiling, keeping my chin up and more, I've finally realized that their bad behavior isn't going to go away or stop because they're not capable of that. So next I tried the old "I don't give a crap" approach and honestly, I've begun to feel myself acting just as miserable as they are! Clearly the close yourself off, hard edged approach isn't for me...

While it may not seem like it on the outside, I am a sensitive person (aren't we all?). I do care about people, their feelings, prefer building them up and more. This is the polar opposite of what the unhappy group is about and while I like to give, they like to take and simply based on that large difference, we're never going to see eye-to-eye. So that leaves me still trying to come up with a way to cope and not loose sight of who I am.

Lately I can't help but feel "If I'm going to get blamed for & labeled being a crap person, then I mine as well be!" OK, not necessarily logical but if you continuously hear or are impacted by the negative, sometimes you can't help but think about throwing in the towel and just going with it. Again, I need to find a magic sentence to block the hurt this causes me. Ah yeah and "just don't worry about what they say" somehow doesn't work so well for me. LOL

Looking on the bright side, it is because of these very people that I NEVER, EVER want to treat anyone less than with respect and kindness. After having felt the pain that they cause, I can't imagine ever inflicting the same feelings on someone else...that's just cruel.

I know logically that the majority of people here in this area aren't like that. Actually, I've met some of the most sane, personable, warm and amazing individuals ever. After yet another day of hearing crap about myself, I wrote my frustration on Facebook and was so touched by the kind words. It was nice to be reminded of the non-crappy side of me and it made me happy to know that the good side is still there and that people DO see it.

What scares me the most is that sometimes when the negative words get to me and I close up and go into 'protection mode', I'm afraid I'll lose the carefree & happy part of who I am to bitterness & hurt. It happens to a lot of people and I suspect that's exactly what happened to this specific group and now that's the only way they know how to live. You know, this reminds me of a horror flick where people are poisoned and turn into Mummy's!

Now that I've said my fears out loud, I feel so much better. I'm also going to come up with a plan to make sure that I avoid the Mummy Lifestyle the unhappies took. I never want to be compared to the walking dead!