It's spring!

Absolute cuteness!


But now it's time to...


PLAY!


(VERY surprised that Mika came out clear in this photo.)


Trying to get Mika to play again...unlike Wall-e, Mika doesn't want to play 24/7!


No...


Wall-e isn't aggressive...


...or vicious...


...or rabid...


...he's just...


...enthusiastic?

Wall-e's weaves

About an hour ago this morning, I hammered 6 nails in the ground and put 6 weave poles over them in a channel. This is what we used to begin Wall-e's official weave training. (He's been learning them at class too, but we haven't been training them at home until today.) The channel is spread 16" apart so he can gallop through it easily without being slowed down by the poles. When the channel is completely closed, the poles will have 22" spacing between them. There are only 6 poles right now (yes, I admit, because I was too lazy to put the other 6 in!...) but later this week I'll nail the other 6 poles in to make 12. I'll likely move the channel closer an inch closer later this week too. I'm still debating about whether or not I should put guide wires on...I'm leaning towards no, because I don't think he really needs them. I can always add them after if he has any problems with popping out.

So, about our training today...we did 5 reps, with Wall-e getting perfect each time and racing through the channel! Each rep, I put him in a sit-stay, and I lead out to the opposite end of the poles, kneeling on the grass as I said "Okay!" to get the maximum speed. The first 3 reps, I threw the food tube as soon as he passed the last pole to make sure that he didn't pop out, but the last 2 reps, I threw it as he entered the channel for increased speed because I knew that he wouldn't likely pop out.

We'll try to have a weave training session every day until the channel is completely closed (which won't be for at least a couple months, because his growth plates probably aren't all closed.)

~Nat

Mika and Wall-e's agility practice April 1, 09

This was the third Regionals practice, but my second, because I couldn't go to the last one.

I ran the Jumpers course twice with Mika. She was a very good girl! I had to lead out or else I wouldn't be able to handle the serpentine-threadle combination for jumps #2-5. I loved how she sent ahead of me at the end of the course, especially in the second time we ran it, she's never done that before. She wasn't quite as fast as she was at the trial...I hope she gets that speed back. Maybe it's a trial thing. She didn't go off-course though (unless you count that bobble at the pinwheel in the first run to be an off-course)! Still, I'd much rather have awesome speed and an off-course than moderate speed and a perfect run. I've decided that I'm not going to call Mika off any obstacles anymore, even at trials. I don't want to put any doubt in her mind that she's ever making any mistakes. I want her to think that she's always right. (Which she usually is. It's usually my handling that makes her go off-course.)

I practiced a few things with Wall-e too. He had fun!

Then we tried a gamble (which, like the Jumpers course, was from a Gamblers course at the 2008 AAC Nationals). Mika didn't quite understand at first, but then she got it! (Not at the full 20' distance, but doesn't matter.) She finished up the evening with the speed that I love!

~Nat

Wall-e's last agility class

Wall-e had his last beginner agility class yesterday -- and he also turned 10 months old yesterday! He's growing up so fast and doesn't look like a puppy anymore. (but still acts like it!!) Here's a sequence that we ran:



He was great! Not as fast as last class because I was rewarding him more so he didn't have a chance to really run, but he was still fast. The PVC poles (stride regulator) and jump bar on top of the lowered A-frame are meant to teach them to jump over the apex of the A-frame to help them learn where to stride. I love Wall-e's A-frame performance :D





Also, almost all of the snow in the backyard is melted! There's enough grass to actually do agility now. Today I practiced rear crosses with a low jump in the backyard with Wall-e. It was his first time training rear crosses with a jump (we've done a lot of work with rear crosses on the flat, with no obstacles). He made the connection between rear crosses on the flat and rear crosses with a jump REALLY quickly, only making one mistake (a spin after the jump)! I gave him one treat for the mistake, to keep his speed and confidence high, but jackpotted when he got it right. He's really such a fun little guy!

~Nat

Mika agility trial March 22 - Day 2

All right, it's finally posted!

Masters Standard 1
She was so driven in that first run. Her speed was so much better than it's ever been at a trial, and even better than it often is in practice! I noticed in this run that she wanted to go off-course more than usual (which proved right in the other runs). I think she's developed this mindset that she should take whatever obstacle she sees first unless I call her. Which there's nothing wrong with, because it means she's becoming more confident. Our only mistake in this run was a skipped pole in the weaves.

Masters Standard 2
Yuck. Bad handling in this run! That front cross between the tire and the jump was much too late, which is why she wasn't sure where to go after. I should have rear crossed at the A-frame. Okay, I now officially vow to use rear crosses as my primary cross instead of front crosses! I'll still use front crosses, but only when I'm SURE that I can get ahead of her. In this run the mistakes were a missed contact on the A-frame (which the judge didn't call...) and two off-courses, but she got her weaves, good girl!

Masters Jumpers
Great speed! We just have to work more on wrapping jumps. There were a lot of almost-off courses, and a couple real off-courses (wrong end of tunnel and off-course jump at the end), but at least she's becoming a lot more confident at taking obstacles that are at a distance from me!

So...0% Q rate at this trial...but you know what? I'm happier with how she did at this trial than at almost any other of our trials. Why? Because she had the speed and confidence that I've been trying to get for a long time. AWESOME job Mika!!

~Nat

Mika agility trial March 21 - Day 1

(Since I haven't made the video for Day 2 of the trial yet, I'll post it at a later date.)

I was really happy with Mika -- it was definitely her best trial in terms of drive and speed! 0/4 Q's, but oh well, I was much happier than I would have been if she'd Q'd 4/4 at a slower speed. She was crazy, even going off-course four times over the weekend!! For Mika, going off-course is a great thing, because it means that she's getting more confident in taking obstacles that are far away from me. She was really happy to be trialling again.

So, this run specifically -- Advanced Gamblers, our only run on Saturday. We tried the mini-gamble and we got it -- it even included a weave entry at 15' away, and Mika aced it both times we tried the mini-gamble! I guess her ability to find entries is better than I thought ;) I blew it for the main gamble...I sent her over the jump and then through the tunnel like I was supposed to, but then my body was telling her to go straight after exiting the tunnel and take a jump, even though she was supposed to turn to go over the dog walk. Oops :)

I'll post about the 3 other runs, which were on Sunday, when I make the video.

~Nat

Wall-e got microchipped

Just a quick update: Wall-e got microchipped today. I was a bit concerned because I wasn't allowed to go in the room with him (thought he might be scared) but he came back completely happy and his normal self. He even wanted to go back in the room! (He probably saw other dogs -- he loves other dogs.)

~Nat

Great class!

Wall-e had his fifth agility class yesterday. Wow...fifth class already...they all went by so fast! Only one more to go.

Anyway, Wall-e was showing TONS of drive yesterday! We did a few short sequences (most of the dogs are already doing great with all the obstacles). Wall-e follows my handling really well already for a green (inexperienced) 9 month old!

The first sequence was a line of four low jumps (set just far apart that the big dogs bounced them), a left turn to an S-shaped tunnel, then a jump. I led out in front of the line of jumps. Wall-e bounced the first three jumps in the line (which is especially tough for him because he tends to jump round) and did 1 stride in between the third and fourth jumps. I did a front cross as he was going over the last jump, and he zoomed into the tunnel. I rewarded him after the tunnel, and then there was the jump, and the sequence was done. Good boy Wall-e! He ran it perfectly!

The second sequence was the same, except with a tunnel added at the end. The instructor told us to do a front cross at the exit of the S-shaped tunnel instead of at the entry. Oh boy...well, I tried to make the front cross, but Wall-e was just so darn fast through that tunnel that I almost collided into him! Whoops. Now I know that I can't use front crosses with him unless I can get into position ;) Oh well, he was a very good boy!

The third and final sequence was the same as the last one, except that a straight tunnel replaced the line of jumps, and the jump after the S-shaped tunnel was removed. So, three tunnels! I decided to do a rear cross at the entry of the S-shaped tunnel instead of a front cross at the exit. Wall-e raced through the first tunnel, made the turn to the second tunnel and galloped in. As soon as he was inside the tunnel I rear crossed him, but green as he is, he turned around and came out of the tunnel the same way he went in. "Oh, I guess I'm not supposed to take this tunnel if she's running away from it!" I sent him back in the tunnel and ran to the third tunnel, calling "Wall-e!" He raced over and blasted through the tunnel, banking the inside curve. Wow. Talk about fast! He was probably faster than Mika in all three of the sequences! :D

Wall-e is sure to be a really fun and really fast agility partner. I can't wait until the field opens (which should be soon, because the snow is rapidly melting!!) so that we can train more often. :)

~Nat

Update on preparing for Regionals

An update on Mika's training for the AAC Regionals and my handling "re-learning":

my handling -- This has improved a lot, and I feel like I am handling a lot more smoothly now. It doesn't feel awkward anymore, and I don't feel like I am scrambling into position (thanks to Susan Garrett's Success With One Jump DVD!). We'll see if my "new" handling is consistent when we get some more practice in.

more control of Mika -- Definitely, although I think that's because my handling has improved.

great weave entries -- A bit of an improvement. Not much. We really should work on this more.

correct tunnel entrances -- Yes!! Again, something that has been improved thanks to my improved handling.

Our trial on March 21&22 should be a test of my improved handling skills.

~Nat

Mika running a practice Nationals course

VERY happy with her! She got her weave entry both runs and didn't pop out either! She also listened to my handling really well (as always), but no off-courses or almost-off-courses. I'm seeing tons of progress in my handling. (Yep, I forgot a few jumps in the first run, no big deal, I got it the second time!) She did miss the dog walk contact in the first run, and hit it kinda weird in the second run, with one paw. We'll be working on that at home with the plank. Her weaves and great speed made up for the blown contact, though! :)

~Nat

Photo update

Wall-e jumping at his fourth agility class. This photo was taken from a video.

Wall-e's awesome running A-frame (another photo taken from a video)

on the table

Photos

Wall-e after a bath

agility update! Fun!

Long agility update! I'm a bit behind on writing about agility. So, here goes. (It's kinda choppy. I wrote this post over many school lunches of doing homework at the same time as typing.)

On Sunday two weeks ago, Wall-e had his second agility class. Same things as last time, except this class the dogs learned how to bang down the teeter (a 2" drop) and 12 weaves with guide wires instead of 6 without guide wires like last time. The dogs were also introduced to the Hit It! board and the Touch It!, both of which are available at http://www.cleanrun.com/

Since Wall-e is already an expert at banging down the end of the teeter with a 2" drop, the instructor had me do something a bit more advanced with him -- she placed a milk crate under one end of the teeter so that there was about a 12" drop at the end, and I placed him at the halfway point of the teeter and had him run to the end to eat treats from the target. He was great!

Mika finally got to do agility two weeks ago! She hasn't done agility (well, except for teeter games and a bit of jumping in the basement) for a month and a half, but I rented the arena yesterday so that we could get some practice in. I've never seen a dog so happy -- When we walked into the arena, her face just lit up and she started racing around in circles and wagging her tail, looking at me as if to say, "FINALLY you take me here! Now lets do some agility!"

We practiced the dog walk (I decided not the use the PVC contact hoop, and just see how she did without it, and she hit the contact really nicely right in the middle!), the A-frame, and speed circles. The speed circle first started out with six 10" jumps. When she could do the whole circle at a good distance, I replaced one of the jumps with 6 weaves. The first time, she didn't collect herself quick enough and entered at the second pole, but the second time she nailed her entry. When she could do this, I made the 6 poles into 12 poles, so we could work on Mika staying in the poles and not popping out. She did pop out the first time (at the 11th pole), but the second time she stayed in. Good dog!

One amazing thing that Mika did was the TEETER. To really appreciate the enormity (I think that's a word!) of this accomplishment, let me tell you what happened two years ago in late March 2007, when Mika had a bad experience on this exact same teeter at the same arena. To make a long story short, basically I told her to do the teeter twice even though it was a loud metal teeter and we'd been training on our wood teeter at home, and Mika was terrified of the loud bang made when the teeter hit the ground. She ended up running away from me to the other end of the arena when I told her to the the teeter a third time (dumb, dumb me...). It took over a year to fix this new problem with the teeter -- Mika was very scared of the teeter bang, and she associated the bang with all teeters, so she was unconfident and nervous even on teeters that barely made a bang.

Also, this bad experience caused her to be stressed and nervous about agility in general, and it caused her to lose all of her trust in me. This stress problem took us a lot longer to overcome, and we've just recently beaten it (the end of last summer was probably about the time that I can say that we completely solved the stress problem). It just goes to show how one mistake can change everything, even more so in an extremely sensitive dog like Mika...but, she's made an amazing comeback and we've fought this problem together.

I was EXTREMELY happy at the practice because she did the teeter full-height for the first time ever since her bad experience! I was soo happy with Mika, and so was she. She was very proud of herself!!

Wall-e came too and got to start his A-frame training (3' high). He has a beautiful, natural running contact!

Wall-e had another agility class last Sunday (it was his third class). He totally impressed me with his A-frame performance. It was the first time doing the A-frame in class (he's trained on it once before, at the arena two weeks ago). The instructor added a stride regulator at the top to help the dogs jump over the apex, and Wall-e understood right away, soaring over the apex confidently and hitting the yellow!

I've been doing lots and lots of teeter games with Wall-e. We worked on jumping on the up end of the teeter to do a 4-on wait at the end, and progressing to jumping on the teeter from the down end to do a 4-on wait.

Looking forward to Wall-e's next class. I'm going to make sure to watch out for missed contacts on the A-frame, since he did miss a contact last class (he landed really deep and long when jumping the stride regulator and landed about an inch from the yellow, it wasn't comfortable for him to take an extra stride to hit the yellow so he just jumped off).

~Nat

Wall-e saw cool stuff!

After Wall-e 's agility class (which I'll talk about in a later post), we went to an outdoor museum that was close to the agility centre. So, Wall-e saw horses for the first time today.


The first time they came around, he was a bit nervous and was trying to struggle out of my arms, but the second time he watched them calmly and took the treats I gave him.

He also saw something else:


A fox! Well, it wasn't alive (poor fox), it was stuffed, but it was a fox nevertheless. He actually wanted to play with it! When we walked in the room, he immediately saw the fox on the display table (there were other animals too, but he focused on the fox right away) and started doing play bows and play-barks at it. Then I lifted him up so he could see better, and he sniffed and sniffed (though he couldn't touch it of course). He was just so interested in that fox!

In the summer, the museum also has sheep (Wall-e should LOVE that), pigs, a goat, chickens, rabbits, and a very friendly mule.

~Nat

Some cute photos :)

I don't think you've seen Mika in awhile, so let's start off the post with a cute photo of her!


Ignore the cluttered background :) This is Mika on the Theraball/exercise ball. She uses it about once every two days for conditioning, for ten minutes at a time.
Hmm...Mika needs a haircut!






Handsome boy.




I can get him to look anywhere I want him to just by holding a treat in that direction ;)



~Nat

Wall-e's first beginner agility class

Wall-e had his very first agility class on Sunday. It was a lot of fun! The first thing we did was receive yellow targets. Each person got one target. These targets will be used in the class to help the dog focus ahead and know where to go, as well as build drive. After we received our targets, we worked on getting our dogs to be crazy about them, and sending our dogs ahead to the target. By the end of the 10 minutes that we worked with the targets, Wall-e was bouncing and leaping in the air and barking whenever I brought him back for another round to send to the target. He loved it!

Then, it was time for some obstacle training. We won't be participating in the dog walk training because the instructor teaches 2o2o (two on two off) and Wall-e is still just learning a running contact for the dog walk, but everything else, we'll do. With the A-frame the instructor teaches 2o2o as well, but Wall-e has a natural running contact on the A-frame (for now!) so we'll just skip the stopping and do running for the A-frame at class.

The dogs didn't do any contact training this class; only low jumps, tunnels, channel weaves, and a ladder-type structure that helps teach the dogs body awareness. I've done some 6" jumping with Wall-e, and he's been through our 4 foot long tunnel many times (and a "real" tunnel a few times too at the two training centres we've practiced at), but he'd never been through channel weaves or the ladder structure before. He surprised me when he knew what to do with the weaves right away. He raced right through the channel to get to his target!

Here's a video from his last beginner obedience class and his first agility class:



~Nat

Wall-e's last obedience class

Last week Wall-e had his last beginner obedience class. (Tomorrow is the official last class, but we can't go because Wall-e's first beginner agility class will be at the same time.)

Wall-e seemed to get better every class! His heeling was just amazing. He really progressed so much, above and beyond...his heeling is just awesome. It's definitely his strongest point of obedience. Every dog/handler in the class got to practice their heeling individually as the instructor called out right turns, right about turns, left turns, left about turns, slow paces, fast paces, normal paces, and halts. Wall-e did everything perfectly. What a good boy!!

All the dogs practiced their stays as well -- 45 sit-stays and 2 minute down-stays. Wall-e stayed the whole time for the sit-stay, but broke his down-stay 10 seconds before the 2 minutes was over! Oh well, his heeling makes up for his less-than-perfect stays! :)

We did something different this class; we swapped dogs! Only for about 5 minutes. I got an adorable little Shih Tzu. She was very good and sat for me right away, wagging her tail when she got a really yummy treat (Rollover). Wall-e was great for the Shih Tzu's handler, and did some nice sits.

The game for this class was Red Light, Green Light! You probably know this game, but it's just adapted for obedience...when the instructor calls "green light," each dog/handler walks or jogs forward in a heel. When the instructor calls "red light," each dog/handler must stop and sit immediately. Whichever dog is last to sit is out. Whichever dog/handler team reaces the wall first wins. Wall-e won! Yay Wall-e!

I'm so happy with how Wall-e did in his obedience classes. He'd be an amazing competitive obedience prospect if I decided to compete with him. And tomorrow, something even more fun...Wall-e's first agility class!

~Nat

Teeter games and a bit of obedience

Update on 10 things to get Mika ready for Regionals

Every month or so I'm going to write an update on how we're doing with our training to get ready for Regionals (and just to improve in agility in general). This is mostly for myself to help me stay on track, but I'll post it nevertheless.

1. MY HANDLING! -- I think it's going well! My front crosses have improved SO much! I still mess up occasionally, but I handle better more often than not! I'd still like to improve so that good handling becomes second nature, and so that eventually I won't have to think about it anymore.

2. more control of Mika -- Um...not really. We haven't worked on this at all.

3. build Mika's independence -- Definitely! She's becoming a lot more of an off-course type of dog. (For me, that's a good thing because it means that she's gaining confidence, as I can usually prevent her from going off course with a good strong "Come!" and proper handling. Although improper handling is what causes the off-courses in the first place.)

4. no weave popping, great entries -- The weave popping thing is going great! I can't remember the last time she popped out. Her entries need a lot more work, though. She often enters on the left side.

5. use PVC hoop to encourage running through contact on dog walk and A-frame -- This isn't something that we have to work on, just something I have to do whenever we practice.

6. train rear crosses -- YES! I'm proud to say that Mika has an excellent response to rear crosses now, although we have yet to use the improved rear crosses in sequences or courses (only in exercises in the basement with a couple of jumps). I also taught her left & right, which might help.

7. correct tunnel entrances -- Haven't worked on this yet. Hopefully, this will improve because of my improved handling. I'll still try to work on it anyway.

8. focus at all times -- Haven't worked on this yet. I'll see how Mika's focus is at our March trial (first time competing on both days: 1 Advanced Gamblers on Saturday, 2 Masters Standard and 1 Masters Jumpers and Sunday). If she keeps her focus at this trial, especially during the last run on Sunday where she'll likely be pretty tired, then I'll consider this goal done. After all, she has great focus, so we have more important things to work on.

9. Mika's conditioning -- Mika's been doing balance exercises (tricks, turning in circles, etc.)on the Theraball (exercise ball) regularly, 4 to 5 times a week. So, this goal is going great! I would take her for walks, but she hates going outside when it's -30 degrees Celsius, or even if it's less than that...so I'm going to wait until it starts getting warmer. When it does get warmer, we'll start the daily 30 min. to 2 hour walks. But we do go for the occasional walk at the park when it's warm enough. (In other words, cold, but not completely FREEZING.)

10. Always remember to continue on when Mika makes a mistake on course, and reward the off courses in training -- I've been doing great with this. I don't think I've forgotton at all this winter. I'm pretty pleased with that!

So, the main things we have to work on now:

- my handling
- more control of Mika
- great weave entries
- correct tunnel entrances

~Nat

Warning: Crazy Sheltie!

Tagged, again! ;)

After I tagged 5 people, I was tagged back by Watch 'em RUN, one of the bloggers I'd tagged! And the game just keeps going! So, I opened a different folder this time, and chose the fifth photo...here it is:


This is Mika when she was 4 months old, in February 2005. Her hair was just starting to get long and shaggy! She had her first haircut at the groomer's a month later. We still have both the pillow that she's sitting on and the ex-pen that she's in! Although the pillow has faded a lot, the ex-pen is still in perfect condition, and I use it every day for Wall-e when I can't watch him (he's still a puppy, after all, even though he's 8 months old). Unfortunately, we don't have the ball that's on the ground beside Mika (her Santa Claus Ball)...she tore a big hole in it with her teeth years ago, and we threw it away soon after. We got a couple replacements when we saw them at the pet supply store, but those broke too after a few months, and we haven't seen any more at the store for a while. Mika LOVED those balls though!

Not tagging anybody this time, after all, the game's gotta stop somewhere! :) Sorry 'bout that!

~Nat

I've been tagged!

Yup, I've been tagged, by Cool Design Shelties, Acadia Shelties, and GeeRome!

The instructions are:

Open a document or file folder, Click on the fifth folder and then the fifth photo. Post the photo and describe it. Then tag 5 other bloggers.

All right, here it is:



This is "Annie." She's a wonderful pinto mare I used to ride. (I'm not riding now because of Mika and Wall-e, too busy with Wall-e's "puppyhood" and both of their training.) This photo was taken at a schooling show (fun show) last fall. Love this girl, and I miss her too!

I'm tagging:

Watch 'em RUN
LucyandWalter
Josh and Jessie
The KNIGHTs Shelties
4 Dog Craziness

Great obedience class!

Well, Wall-e really impressed me at obedience class yesterday!! First of all, this class when we practiced our recalls, the instructor told us to put our dog in a Sit-Stay instead of having somebody hold the dog as we walk away from them. I expected Wall-e to break his Stay, but what a good boy -- he didn't! Even when I led out twenty feet the second time, he still didn't break.

But what really impressed me was his heeling. This class, the instructor introduced turns and changes of pace. About turns, right turns, left turns, fast, slow. Wall-e was brilliant and listened to my cues right away. He used to bounce around whenever he was heeling (bounce straight up in the air instead of trotting at my side), but now he trots beside me beautifully. Actually, a more accurate term is "prances". He looks so happy trotting by my side!

We play a game every class, and this time we played the dog version of Musical Chairs. All the dogs/handlers heeled around the perimeter of the training room when the music played (with the instructor occasionally saying "right about turn," or sometimes "Sit and Down your dogs"). When the music stopped, we had to rush over to the chairs in the middle of the room and tell our dogs to Sit. Once your dog sits, you're allowed to sit down in the chair with your dog still sitting in front of you. One dog/handler is left over without a chair, and they're "out."

WOW, Wall-e's heeling was AWESOME during Musical Chairs. I couldn't believe my eyes!! He was heeling perfectly, doing his happy trot, staring up at me the whole time, never breaking his gaze. Incredible. I was so happy with him!

~Nat

Wall-e's fourth obedience class

All the usual at Wall-e's fourth beginner obedience class on Sunday (last week) -- warming up with focus, then practicing Sits, Downs, recalls, stays, and heeling. We always do something different every class, though, which makes it fun, and this time it was something a little competitive...a relay race! The class was divided in two, with four dogs on one team and three on the other. Wall-e and I were on the team with three dogs, so one of the dogs had to go twice. It was decided that we would go twice.

It was a relay, so two dog/handler teams went at a time, one from each team. Each dog had to Heel to a rally sign, where they had to Sit. Then, they kept on going to a chair. The handler had to sit in the chair and tell their dog to Sit and then Down without any luring. Once the dog did both Sit and Down, the dog/handler team was allowed to Heel back to the sign, Sit, then go back to the starting/finish line, where the next dog/handler team was waiting (with the dog waiting in a Sit Stay beside the handler.)

Since we were going twice, we went last. We started at the same time as the other sheltie. Heel, sit, heel to chair, Sit, Down. The other sheltie took a little bit longer to Sit and Down, so we had just a bit of a head start from the chair. Heel, Sit, then Heel to the finish line...and Wall-e won for his team, with the other sheltie just a nose behind! Good job, little man!

I'll talk about today's obedience class another day, I don't have enough time to write about it now. And thanks Cool Design Shelties and Acadia Shelties for tagging us! I'll make sure to do that too. :)

~Nat

10 things to work on to get Mika ready for Regionals

We've got quite a few things to work on before the AAC Regionals, which is May 29-31. At Regionals, we'll be running in 2 each of Masters Standard, Jumpers, and Gamblers. Even though Regionals is May 29-31, I'd like to get all these things done before May, so that we're completely prepared for Regionals. These things are listed in no particular order, except for the first one, which is the one I really have to work hard on.

1. MY HANDLING!! (this is biiig priority!) especially front crosses

2. more control of Mika (but still mix up with motivational sequences)

3. build Mika's independence (might be hard to encourage this AND control)

4. no weave popping, great entries

5. use PVC hoop to encourage running through contact on dog walk and A-frame (she might need reminders once the field opens again, since she'll have gone through such a long time without regular practice on full-size contacts)

6. train rear crosses (I never really trained them properly, and though I do use them with tunnels since Mika can't see me crossing behind her, I'd like to be able to use them before jumps without worrying about a spin)

7. correct tunnel entrances (this links back to handling, since Mika will always go where she thinks I tell her to go)

8. focus at all times (she has her rare lapses of attention, mostly when she's getting tired, so this links to conditioning which I'll discuss below, but probably won't be a problem because there's only 3 runs a day at Regionals)

9. Mika's conditioning (exercise ball 5 days a week until it gets warmer outside, then when it does get warmer, daily 30 min. walks on weekdays, 1 to 2 hr. walks on weekends, as well as continuing exercise ball 5 days a week)

10. This isn't exactly something we need to work on, just something I need to remember: Always remember to continue on when Mika makes a mistake on course, and reward the off courses in training (the next time we try the sequence, make handling clearer and jackpot if she does it correctly)

So there you go, that's mostly everything that we have to work on before May. The biggest ones are probably handling, weaves, rear crosses, and conditioning.

~Nat

Yep, more cute photos

My mom took this photo and sent it to me while I was at school. (I'm typing this from school right now, actually.) She said that Wall-e found one of the quarter rounds that wasn't nailed in yet. Of course, she took it away from him right after she took this photo, and traded it for a treat!

COLD!!

Yesterday it was -40 degrees with the windchill!! Talk about COLD! The dogs didn't want to go outside in the backyard, even to go to the bathroom, and tried to "hold it in" as much as possible! Mika had to be carried outside, because she wouldn't step outside on her own. When she was put down, she immediately turned around and RACED back to the door. Wall-e would stay outside for a few minutes, just long enough to find a spot to go to the bathroom, but he would start lifting up his paws in the air even as he was going to the bathroom, because they were so cold.

It's times like this that I'd love to live in Florida....

~Nat

A few new photos of Mika and Wall-e

Poor Mika, her feet are cold! (Don't worry, when I saw her lifting up her feet I took this photo and then let her inside.)


A couple minutes before I took the photo above. Her paws were starting to get cold, but she didn't want to go inside just yet. I think she looks a bit like she's on point in this picture (like a Pointer!).


Wall-e standing in front of the plank, wanting treats.

~Nat

Wall-e's third obedience class

Wall-e had his third obedience class on Sunday, after a loooong break for the Christmas holidays!

We had a lot of fun. All of the dogs have improved! It's a great class. Although only the toller, Standard Poodle x golden cross, and the other sheltie puppy (who is 6 months old) could attend on Sunday, there's also a dobie, a Boxer, and two adorable Shih Tzus who usually come.

Wall-e's favourite part of the class was definitely the 4 cookie recall game. In this game, the handler throws a treat behind the dog and as the dog races to get it, runs away from the dog and calls, "-dog's name- Come!" The dog should hear this as he is eating the treat, and runs over to the handler, who immediately clicks the clicker and throws another treat behind her. The process is repeated twice. On the third time, when the dog is called over to the handler, he has to sit in front of the handler (called a "front"). Why is it called the "4 cookie recall" game? Well, because the dog gets 4 cookies; the first one when the handler throws the first treat to start the game, the second and third ones when he chases after the handler, and the fourth one when he runs up to the handler to a front.

Wall-e LOVED this game. (He loves anything that involved running, actually!) He was smiling the whole time as he raced back and forth across the training room.

~Nat

More photos

"Look at me, look at me mom! I'm doing two-on-two-off! Gimme a treat now!" 2o/2o? Not quite Mika, but good try little girl! :)


SUCCESS! finally I've taken a good quality photo of Mika in the basement!! Usually when I take photos in the basement, they always turn out grainy and blurry.





A rare moment: Wall-e chewing on a rawhide stick while the usually-hostile Shadow rests calmly on a pillow beside him.



Wall-e galloping over the plank!


Again, galloping over the plank!

~Nat

Success With One Jump

We did quite a bit of Success With One Jump work yesterday. Success With One Jump is a DVD by Susan Garrett. I worked through all of the exercises on Disc 2 with both Mika and Wall-e. Mika has so much drive for jumping. Just to see what she would do, I held her by the collar 10 feet in front of a 10" jump in the basement, with Mika facing the jump. Not saying anything, I let her go and she raced over to the jump and took it, even taking the jump 5 feet in front of it! Good girl!!

Wall-e's really learning how to read my body language, especially if I use my arms. He's getting really good at wrapping tightly around the jump wings, too.

~Nat

Wall-e's growing up!

Wall-e is definitely undergoing changes in his body type, coat length, and colour. He's beginning to look more adult-like and less puppyish. His coat is a lot longer than it was when we first got him, it's not as fuzzy anymore! And his mahogany sable colouring is really coming in. We just noticed today how much darker his markings have gotten!


5 1/2 months old


Today, 7 months old

He certainly is growing up to be a VERY handsome boy!

~Nat

Lots of tricks

I've been teaching Mika and Wall-e a lot of tricks lately. I taught Mika how to Scratch Me (paw one of my hands when I'm kneeling in front of her), do a figure 8 around my legs with only one slight hand gesture, improved on the preciseness of her retrieves (she now drops whatever she's retrieving in my lap instead of in front of me), and some other things I can't remember at the moment. :) With Wall-e, I mostly worked on obedience, but I also taught him Shake (give me his left paw). I'll teach him Paw (give me his right paw) soon!

~Nat

Wall-e's running contacts

As you might already know from our latest video, I've been training Wall-e how to do running contacts with Silvia Trkman's method. I plan to do this for the dog walk and the A-frame, although I won't have to do nearly as much training on the A-frame as I will on the dog walk because the dog walk training progresses into the dog understanding how the run the A-frame contact.

His running contacts are going great so far! A couple days ago he started developing a habit of LEAPING off the teeter plank (which I'm using to train the running contacts), two feet away from the contact zone!! So I put that PVC hoop back at the end of the plank to set him up for success. He still jumps the contact sometimes, but at least it's only a couple of inches and not two feet! I'll probably use the hoop for a few months.

Silvia Trkman says to wait until the dog is hitting the contact 100% of the time before raising the plank. This morning Wall-e hit it 3 out of 4 times, which is great, but his average success rate with hitting the contact right now is around 50%. So, needs some more work!! I'd like to get at least a week of 100% before moving on. At least he's getting faster and faster running across the plank!

~Nat

Wall-e and Mika agility training video

~Nat

The new year, and photos

Happy New Year everyone!

Last year was our first full year of competing in agility. Mika and I achieved many things; her very first title (ADC) in June, her AADC and AgNJ titles in October, reaching the Masters level, Mika's huge gain in independency and speed, and defeating her teeter problems once and for all. Last year was a year of huge accomplishments for us as a team, as well as a year full of new beginnings.

This year will be another great year, I'm sure. Mika and I will be competing at the AAC Regionals, maybe get her MADC title, and we *might* try some events that we've never tried before like Snooker or the new AAC Challenge! Whatever happens, it's sure to be a very fun year for us. And Wall-e will begin his "real" agility training when the agility field opens again in the spring, and maybe run in some fun matches. I'm teaching him a running dog walk using Silvia Trkman's method, so the final result (if I train it right!) should be pretty impressive.

Well anyway, here are some photos I've taken over the past few days:


YES, I've FINALLY taken a half-decent picture of one of my fish! This is Merle, a male 3 year old red tuxedo swordtail. You probably notice all the spots in the photo; those are specks of algae on the wall of the aquarium. I didn't notice until after I'd taken the picture. Still a good picture though, I like it.


This is my 5 year old common plecostomus (a type of small catfish), Speclo or "Spec" for short. It's pretty hard to figure out the gender of plecos, but I've always thought of him as a male. This photo was taken with the flash.


Spec again, this time taken without the flash.




Sniffing.




What a little model. Always posing for the camera!

No Mika photos, none of them turned out very good.

We're going to practice agility tonight at the same place Wall-e has his obedience classes. I'll make the video sometime this month, whenever I find the time.

~Nat