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!