Mom said no jility tonight cause she is all red and hot from the weekend...must suck being so white. Might as well celebrate my 10 week birthday and make her scream...it is funny when she yells.
I start all cuddly and sweet looking to draw her in...
Don't you just want to squish me up??
Aren't I irresistable??
First I take up my strategic position up high...
Then I recruit the assistance of that old guy...
Full frontal assault on the enemy keen sandal!!!
<>
Pillage the toy quarters...
Strategic position #2 kitchen headquarters
Death to plastic - militant tree huggers unite!
Spy on the native people to observe their weaknesses before the strike...operation aborted for now...
Big bro is starting to think I'm okay...
YardParty
Probably cause I shared my best stick with him...
My sister Dare is my hero. I want to be just like her someday. She gets all the best toys and runs really fast and barks really loud. My sister even lets me play with her and bite her ears...she is the best.
This is me negotiating with my mom to let me on the couch. She said "no" so I just jumped up on it when she wasn't looking. It is cute how she tries to tell me what to do when she knows I've got her wrapped around my little dewclaw. She'll learn soon enough.
I've had a few glimpses of what type of agility partner Swift will be when we begin our training and trialing career. These are frightening and scary visions. The puppy seems to lack one little necessity for self preservation - FEAR!!!!
This morning, as I prepared the crew's breakfast at the sink, I have 3 food bowls lined up that I am mixing various things into before I put on the Irish's gear (must wear snoods so as spaniel ears don't slop in their food). In order to put on their snoods, I have Brag and Dare get on a step stool so I don't have to bend down to put on their head accessories. Well, Swift immediately decided the step stool is somehow connected to eating so she began bouncing all around the stool as soon as I got her. Today though, she tried something a little more bold. She went to the top the step stool (where usually she just sits there and looks cute until I'm done preparing the meal) and all of a sudden, she took a flying leap at the food bowls which were still about a foot taller and a foot lateral of her (picture a red tri-color, smooth coated wombat). Obviously she didn't make the jump onto the sink but she landed quite gracefully on the floor like a cat on all four feet from quite a long fall. It doesn't shock me that a puppy would do such a thing. What does shock me though is that instead of freaking out about the incident or deciding not to climb onto the stool again, Swift gets this look on her face like "YEEESSSSSS...IT WAS ALMOST IN MY GRASP! ADJUSTMENTS FOR NEXT ATTEMPT...10 INCHES HIGHER AND 5 INCHES TO THE SIDE... AND THEN ALL THE FOOD WILL BE MINE!!!"
Then of course there is the part where she is not appropriately afraid of Brag after he put a huge hold in her head last Saturday. She loves to do little "drive-bys" and he just looks at me and shrugs and asks me why I did this to him. Poor guy.
And there is the flying monkey routine when escaping her xpen and launching onto the couch. Doesn't seem to matter how many times she falls backwards while attempting, she keeps coming back for more.
So yeah. I can tell I'm going to be spending most of my time keeping Swift safe from herself when we actually move to obstacles in the future. She reminds me a bit of Dare who has many of the same freaky traits...like the time she plowed into the dogwalk full steam and forgot to run with her legs so just bounced off with her chest. That made a huge noise and HAD to hurt but she kept right on trucking. Or like how Dare would keep doing the teeter tall end first instead of approaching from the end on the ground like dogs are supposed to! Thank god Brag has some common sense...wish he would pass some along to these insane girls of mine!
If you can't tell (and lots of people can't so don't worry), she is a Border Collie. Additionally, she just happens to be perfect! :) Swift is funny (hysterically so at times), deadly cute, super smart and quite a naughty pants (like every night from 7p to 1030p...her designated crazy shift). I got her locally from Rising Sun Farms up in Stacy (she has lots of really neato dogs) and I just happened to fall in love with the parents when perusing available litters and got recommendations from people I trust so there you go - a new baby for me!
Swift absolutely cracks me up and there are so many different aspects to her personality. Part of her is absolutely angelic -- no accidents in the house since the night I got her, sleeps through the night, every night, walks on a leash wonderfully, thinks her meals are super yummy, loves people and kids and other dogs (except for one sweet puppy she was a complete bitch to this weekend - arg), hasn't met a toy she doesn't love, etc.
Then there is the pure evil side of her...I'll call her Mift (or Miffed as the case may be). Mift has lungs...very powerful lungs. She uses them whenever absolutely everything isn't going her way. Mift also has cat-like climbing skills and hasn't met a gate or xpen that she couldn't scale. Mift has also been evaluating a hostile takeover of the couch. Nothing will deter her from her quest of sofa domination. Currently Mift is in the prelim phase where she runs a million miles an hour and then levitates in the air only to find herself hitting about an inch below the landing pad and falling back on the ground but she knows with persistence, she will prevail. Continuing on the kitty theme, Mift likes to run underneath the couch and then pounce out like a cobra at any clueless dogs that may be walking past. Then when they growl at her, she runs top speed across the living room, circles back and dives back under the couch to continue the assault.
Mift also likes to look Death in the face and laugh. That's right...she is trying to "play" or taunt or whatever you call it with Brag (the one that put a big hole in her face on Saturday). Granted, it wasn't really Brag (yeah, he shouldn't bite things but he does so I have to be the smart one supposedly) or Swift's fault (duh - puppy!)...more of an unfortunately well-timed event of me carrying in raw food to the house and thinking Swift was across the yard on the far side and realizing only as I hear her screaming next to me that she thought it would be a great idea to race past us on the stairs as I carried in the food. I'm sure Brag saw her out of the corner of his eye and wasn't sure what it was but it was by his food and needed to be bit. There was lots of drama and crying (mostly me) but everything turned out okay. She had a puncture on her forehead and a little cut around her lip and her nose got quite swollen (making her look like a Collie instead of a Border) and has been getting hot packs, betadine and clavamox which have healed her right up. Swift was a very subdued little puppy for the rest of that day but luckily nothing worse occured aside from just scaring me to death. So, wouldn't you think that she might avoid Brag?? At least for a little while? Of course they are only together when I can supervise closely but last night as I witnessed her chasing his tail and racing around his head, I just had to wonder about if she is a suicidal puppy? Should I get her on some anti-depressants?? I thought Border Collies were smart?!? I love Mift though...nothing like a crazy naughty puppy to put some pep in your step!
The big excitement is that Dare finally gave in and played with Swift last night! The puppy saw Dare playing with the frisbee and started to chase her and instead of growling at her, Dare chased her back (at a puppy appropriate speed thankfully) and they raced around the yard like happy idiots for quite a while. Brag (the fun police) had to be banished to the house for unsportsmanlike behavior but it was really a cute moment - I knew they would like each other!! :) Of course I am getting the usual protest about abandoning the breed my mom and I have bred and loved for over 30 years for a "dreaded" Border Collie. How come this is never an issue if someone has a breed long term and then gets anything other than a Border Collie?? Or, how come it is never an issue if someone has Border Collies and then gets an Irish Water Spaniel? No, I've not gone to "the dark side." Believe me...when you have IWS you already live on the dark side! I've got my reasons, and while I don't feel that I need to justify my decision, here are a few of them in case anyone is interested in what is behind this new journey:
I like Border Collies. Surprisingly to many I'm sure, IWS and BCs are a lot alike in their quirks. They both "notice" things (often to the extreme). Both have to be socialized and socialized and socialized (and then socialized some more) to ensure they stay solid with people and dogs. Also, each breed could be said to be a little "too" smart for their own good (or their owner's good). Both breeds fit my lifestyle. I am an on the go kind of person and I don't like to stay in one spot too long (may border on ADD at times). The older I get, the more hyper I get (scary thought). My IWS will happily do anything and everything with me and I expect my BC will be game for all too. I love the outline of a sleek and athletic BC just as I love the outline of my fit and muscular IWS.
I want to try something new. I love my Irish - love, love, love them however there are aspects of the breed I'm not happy with...primarily GROOMING (yeah - no need to brush the smooth Border Collie!) and health. I recognize that really, IWS don't have any more health problems than many other breeds but the cancer, to me, has really started to be scary. Drina's death in the prime of her life (couple months shy of 10), really rocked my world in a very terrible way. I was so incredibly attached to that dog it was very tough to begin to recover. In reality, there is nothing to say that a BC won't get sick young but I just can't take the same situation. With Brag, I have to push those ugly thoughts out of my head as he gets closer to the age at which I lost Drina. Strangely, there is something about the gleam in this puppy's eye that totally reminds me of Drina when she was a bad little pup. They both have the same type of expression in their face and the self-entitled attitude. If I ever learn to use editing software better I'll post some side by side pictures of Drina as a puppy and Swift for evidence.
And did I mention I'll never have to put Swift on a grooming table and slave for hours grooming her??? Oops, I did - Soooo excited!
Finally, yeah, I'd like to have a competitive dog in agility. I've been super lucky to have had awesome agility IWS that are at the top of their breed in agililty and can certainly hold their own against other breeds at national events and sometimes place and even win. If something happens and Swift isn't able to do agility, she'll still be my baby puppy and I'll be disappointed but life will go on and we will do something else fun. But yeah, I have dreams of handling a break neck speed dog and more than handling, I'm looking forward to training to be that kind of team. We'll see though...right now all I have time for is playing with her and laughing at her antics rather than worrying about the future. My biggest goal with Swift is to just enjoy every moment (and take lots of pictures!). Just like kids, before you know it, they'll be all grown up.
Finally, seeing as how the newest member of my crew isn't an IWS...I need help to come up with an acronym so Swift can fit into this blog. Here is what I've come up with so far:
Integrated Warfare Systems I'm with Stupid (guess that would be me...) I Wrestle Snakes Infantry Weapons Systems Infant Warming System (maybe if she were drugged...) Illicit Warped Swift Insulted When Stopped
Notice the emphasis on warfare acronyms. That seems particularly fitting since I've been wondering lately who replaced my sweet, kissy, cuddly puppy with a determined pirhana!
Here are a few pictures from her short 9 weeks on this earth. Enjoy!
With her sistas - sandwiched between the two black and white girls
It was one of the most enjoyable agility weekend I've had in recent memory. First of all, while it was only Iowa, it was SOUTH and I really needed that change of scenery. No nasty, black snow piles, no soggy and wet ground, warmer temperatures...it was paradise! Also, there were so many good and fun friends everywhere there was always someone to catch up with cheer on during their runs. In addition, it was the first time I've travelled by myself with my mom's girl, Quasi. While she kept me up much of each night with the never-ending tail wag and face washings, she is such a trip I love having her around. Got to run my friend Sandy's best girl, Bela in Open preferred and as it turns out, she got her title with that run -- gotta love those semi-retired MACH 2 dogs...they run themselves! She is super fabulous (and knows it). To cap off the weekend (rather to start off the weekend since it was Friday), my friend Cheryl and her dynamic boy, Keegan, earned their MACH 3 on Friday with their 60th double Q. He is an AWESOME boy (maybe a little overly horny around the girls -- or boys, he doesn't always discriminate) but such a goofball and knows he is THE SH*T.
The other aspect of the weekend was how good I felt running the courses. Going to the line I just felt excited and lucky to get to run with such fun and joyful dogs (Quasi's joy turned out to be our undoing during most of the runs -- who actually NQs a course because their dog jumps on them during the table?!?!?!). Brag was just on fire. I loved each of my runs with him. Our results were great - 5 for 6 and some nice placements in the standard class - but, I was soooo happy that it felt like I was running the courses really assertively rather than standing back in a passive capacity and being tentative. I really only had one movement of failing to drive the line with him and guess what - it resulted in a refusal. Just goes to show I have to handle like I mean it!!
Finally, the courses this weekend were AWESOME! I don't remember ever truly loving every single course so much. Both judges designed courses that were super challenging, unique, fair, safe and fun. As an exhibitor I love running courses with different elements in them than we are used to seeing. I liked the courses so much I thought I'd post them and provide a little commentary.
Friday 3/18/11 Excellent Standard
A basic enough start. Most chose to front cross from #3 jump to teeter. Gets interesting with the line from #5 to #8 table and this was personally the area where I could have improved a lot. Handlers felt they needed to pull so hard from chute to left end of tunnel (to avoid wrong course right end of tunnel) that we ended up so close to the tunnel entrance and had planned to handle the line to table with dog on right that it was super hard to not become flat footed at tunnel and cue triple too late. Quasi actually missed the triple because of this. I should have handled the line to the table with dog on left since I was already over there...next time!
Next problem was that some handlers didn't drive well enough to #10 and were in too big of a hurry to get to ramp that some dogs pulled off #10 jump. The area of most interest during the walk through was line from #12 tunnel to #15 weaves. I really wanted to let the dog find the tunnel on their own and get to the inside of the serpentine thus pulling to weaves. Problem was, the tunnel was actually quite far from the ramp and many dogs didn't see it. In fact even Brag spun and almost wound up back on ramp. Therefore I ran #13 with dog on left and rear crossed #14. Unfortunately because the tunnel required babysitting, I was so late Brag didn't read my rear cross (I was too far behind). This cost us a very wide turn but not fatal.
Finally there was much angst in walk through about #15 to #16 with off course jump looming after weaves. I opted to front cross after weaves and then rear cross at #16. This allowed me to really drive through weaves and take the off course out of play. I strongly felt if I only pulled with my hips that would totally open up the wrong course or I'd waste time yelling and pulling instead of just running. Our front cross to rear cross felt great and worked well for us. Dogs with a shorter stride didn't need to worry as much but I did see plenty of the bigger dogs take that extra jump.
Brag Fri Standard Q and 2nd place.
Quasi Fri Standard NQ but not bad.
Next we ran a fast and furious Jumpers course:
Tons of options at the start that accomodated those with a lead out and those without. I chose to take a step or two of a leadout and then do a running front cross between #1 and #2. This is followed by a nice send to #4 jump with front cross between #5 and #6 (or you could rear cross the triple). Some teams fell prey to the hint of a tunnel opening going from #8 to #9 but most handled that without issue. The line from #9 to #15 was the talk of the walk through! Tons of way to get it done (or fail miserably!). The biggest issues were that because of the way #14 jump was facing, it was tending to throw dogs over off course #18 and in addition, a rear cross before #14 would pull the dog to the wrong end of the tunnel. Some opted for a serpentine with a big distance send to #12 in order to get in position between #13 and #14. I chose to front cross between #12 and #13 and hold my ground and cue a very tight turn so they would't look at #18 off course. The next crisis area was the extremely fast entry to the weave poles from the tunnel. It was an entrance that just begged the dogs to enter at pole 2 or 3. Brag was a rock star and nailed it but I took Quasi's nice weaves for granted and just did not get in position to push enough and she went for pole 2 entry (after such an outstanding run - oh well!).
Brag Q (and DQ!) No video unfortunately.
Quasi NQ but awesome run (favorite of the weekend)!
Saturday 3/19/11 Standard:
Hoo boy this course had a lot of tricks! It was definitely my most ugly Q with Brag of the weekend as well as the one I'd most like to do over and redeem myself. One thing I've rarely encountered is having to wait until the dog before you finishes and is on their way to their leash before you can enter the ring. That threw me off more than I would have expected. I guess I cherish my few seconds of standing on the start and getting the dog into a sit and giving them a kiss before I hear "GO!" Therefore, never got my sit with Brag (or Quasi) and Brag had no intention of staying anyway so I had very little time to show any acceleration/deceleration from tire to #2. Also, something I did made him think he should turn left after #2 rather than right. I'm sure I was futile attempt at deceleration looked more like a rear cross to my dog. So, we had an interesting time of getting him turned the correct way and over #3. Quasi and I had a fuckery at that point. She was the opposite of Brag and took everything SUPER tight and I actually had to reach my hand between #3 and #4 to prevent her slipping through them (doesn't she know there are no threadles in AKC?!?!?!). Back to Brag, I slipped a f/c in between #4 and #5 on my way to another f/c between #5 and #5 dogwalk. It was not at all a pretty turn to the dogwalk. I had so much wished to just pull after #5 double to dogwalk for a much tighter turn but the issue was that I didn't trust Brag to stop on the dogwalk after Friday's self releases. No stop on dogwalk meant they could choose the wrong end of the tunnel as handler is defenseless to push to correct opening. I saw a few dogs actually take the #5 double and actually take #9 next! Yikes! Therefore, I took my wide turn to the dogwalk and exaggerated pull to the tunnel and was okay with it. Next line of interest was #7 tunnel to #10 table. Almost all handlers chose to have their dogs on their right entering weaves and pulling to table. I was quite concerned that both my dogs would see the dogwalk as the most viable option (instead of weaves) at the tunnel exit so I decided to get between dogwalk and weaves as a human road block and usher them into the weave poles and simply rear cross to the table. Loved it with both dogs! The r/c to table pulled them beautifully - no fuss, no muss. The ending obstacles weren't a huge issue except for ugly turns and near off courses on way to teeter. There didn't seem to be a great way around that since crossing in front of teeter was awesome option since you really needed to be able to move your butt from chute to tunnel to ending jump (and it was a haul!).
Brag Standard Q and 3rd place (surprised we placed with such ugly turns!)
Quasi NQ (because she jumped on me at the table of all things - argggg!)
Next up, Jumpers!
This was truly one of the most interesting and fun openings of a course I've seen. There were so many ways to get through it! Unfortunately, neither of my dogs stayed at the start line (sensing a pattern here??) so I was stuck with the panic and yell a lot method. What I intended to try was leading out almost to #2 and then doing a one sided serp from #3 to #5. I thought that would be super fun. Not so much with that. Brag took off after I got a few steps so I pulled to #3 and then rear crossed before #4 and then pulled to #5 and rear crossed. Not the optimal way but we were past optimal options! What I saw lots of 20" handlers doing which I never really considered was leading out almost to #3, directing the dog into the pocket and then front crossing again before #4. Looked sort of fun. I had also considered doing a serp with dog on left and then quick landing front cross on #4. After we got past that self-imposed disaster, I drove into #6 and front crossed for dog on right during weaves. I think most handlers opted for that same option. Next was the most terrifying part of the course for many during the walk through. I didn't worry about it (why worry about something you can't even see through the mass of people during the walk through??) but it was a pull after weaves to a tight wrap - fun!! The biggest danger was sending your dog to the #10 off course jump as you tried to make a wide enough path for your dog to navigate the wrap. Brag handled this part with ease and it was darn tight for such a big boy. I've been thinking about the line from #10 to #16 for days. I'm wondering if judges "plant" diversions such as the wrap around #9 to panic people about an area that won't really be a problem to take away focus from the real area of concern...would they do that?? Are they really that devious? Or was it all just a big coincedence that almost all the issues on the course were on the #10 to #16 line? I think something evil is afoot! So, never did I suspect this would be such a big problem for so many dogs. If you actually succeeded in keeping them off the wrong course #18 jump, then like me, you had issues getting them over #14. I was in such a darn hurry to get over and show him the correct path to the tunnel that I didn't support #14 and even flipped up my arm to indicate a turn before he had committed. Duh!! If that didn't get you, then the part where the dogs miss #15 as their handlers assume they will see it on there way to the tunnel (they were wrong). There were all sorts of bad things going on there. If you got past that, the exit was pretty basic. Oofduh! Brag NQ'd just got the one refusal but otherwise quite nice. I don't even recall what Quasi did wrong - she got a refusal around #11 or #12 or somewhere...
Brag Jumpers NQ but fun nonetheless!
Sunday Standard 3/20/11:
The start seems easy but yet jump to weaves straight on causes me fear when I'm running Brag. Brag has lots of "enthusiasm" at the beginning and often is blind to weaves. In fact I thought he was going to miss these but he dove in last minute. I made a mental note of doing some deceleration toward #4 panel so he would collect for a tight turn and that was lovely. I was somewhat concerned about having too much speed going to table but that was all good. The #10 tire to the #14 panel was the subject of much debate. There was lots of concern over dog getting incorrect end of tunnel and more concerns about trying to get to the teeter. Many planned front crosses after tunnel (or blind crosses)...I wasn't convinced I'd have time to actually find that teeter if I tried that. A few brave souls went for a send to the tire and then f/c after #11. I was so not doing that! I saw a few get the off course jump after the tire as a result, a few made it (in a sort of ugly manner) and a few actually made it look pretty good. I was very happy with what I did (even though I hadn't walked it). I let Brag land fairly far after tire since I figured that would set him up really well for the correct end of the tunnel, then we went to the teeter with him on my left and I made him stay for a quick second and walked in front of him for a push to panel, chute. I loved the way that felt. Again, no fuss, no muss. Brag finished the rest quickly with no issue. Quasi, on the other hand, did as so many other dogs did and pulled way in during the chute and as a result almost ran me over. I had to stop dead in my tracks to try and get her to not run past #16 double and she took it at a goofy angle and knocked it down. It was nice aside from that!
Brag Standard Q with 2nd place (4.25 YPS including table - is that usually included in YPS??)
Quasi NQ at double but not bad!
And Jumpers for last runs of weekend!
This was a great beginning for Brag and I because there was so much room I could practically start him 20 feet from the first jump - lots of room for him to break his start and me to get where I needed to be and I needed it. He, true to form, broke immediately and it was a serious race down the line. The first issue was #6 to #7. It was a very flat, ugly angle and it was hard to find a good way to make it nicer for the dog yet at the same time get your f/c in before the weaves (as most everyone wanted to do). I went into #5, did a f/c and sent from #6 to #7 and did one of the most ugly, confused front crosses before those weaves for Brag and bless his heart he will practically run me over to find his entry because he is a good boy! I wish I had it on video tape because I wanted to see how bad it really looked (it felt awful!). In hindsight, I wish I would have considered helping him more at #7 and then weaving with him on left and turning him in the correct direction after weaves...was just really worried that would be a disaster (and maybe it would have been). I saw one particular gentleman who has a really nice blind cross on his fast Terv send her around his back at the end of the weaves and it was lovely! I don't have that particular skill though and was in a big hurry to get to the next sequence. Next up, most everyone opted to rear cross the triple (I'm sure with a litle anxiety in crossing behind a spread) and then send with a little distance to #14 and then do a landing front cross after #15. Plenty of younger dogs missed #15 mostly when handlers did a take off front cross at the far end of #15 the dogs would just slip by it. I was dang lucky at the ending since I was feeling behind during the entire run I hadn't really thought what I would do at the turn leading to the last jump and ended up pretty much crossing on top of it. Again, Brag is awesome. Quasi apparently felt it was time for baby-dog meltdown after 3 days and felt that barking and jumping at me was more fun than taking #13. I couldn't get her unstuck to me - she just wanted to bark at me and jump around. Oh well that is to be expected once in a while!
Brag Jumpers Q (and DQ and Nationals qualified!):
Quasi Jumpers meltdown!
That will do it. If you got through this huge post I will be surprised!
Somewhere in my college career I quit reading for pleasure. The love of reading I had as a child must have turned into the terror of text as my BA History degree killed my enjoyment of books. It took over 10 years but I want to read again - yay!!
So, I'm hoping lots of people will participate so I can get some good leads on reading material but I want to hear what people are reading right now. I've been on sort of a pseudo self-improvement phase and you can see that focus in my list. However, I also love mysteries, suspense, urban-fantasy (a work I just learned yesterday from my cousin), etc., etc!
I'll start it off. Here is what I'm currently reading:
My friend Cheryl recommended this book and I ran out and read it right away. Alot of it was pretty mind-blowing for me and I think I'll need to read it another few times in order for it to sink in. If you are interested at all in anything holistic, etc., you would enjoy this book. I was slightly squeamish about all the "God" talk but if you put it into whatever terms you are comfortable with, it still works. At the very least it will make you more aware of the health of your spirit and your body's energy systems.
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
I'm in the middle of this book and so far have found it to be quite intriquing. Gladwell's basic assertion is that "often snap judgements (what he calls "thin slicing") can be more accurate than well researched, careful analysis." (I lifted that part from a review). It is a concept that is fun to ponder since as Gladwell points out, we've been taught that decisions should be carefully weighed and calculated and researched. He argues that isn't always the case and often our "gut" reaction, is the best reaction. I now have justification for the fact that I never spend much time thinking about my life's "most important decisions." For me, everything just seems to work out. Maybe I am just a good "thin slicer!"
Freedom Flight - The Origin of Mental Power Lanny Bassham
I had already read many times over Lanny's Mental Management book and love it but have to admit to feeling pretty disappointed when this book arrived. It is tiny! It will take you like 40 minutes to read - seriously! However, I found that it is super efficient at helping you change your attitude and perspective immediately. It challenges you to ask yourself some tought questions about whether you are truly free or if you are living in a self-imposed prison. A few items in the book should be repeated over and over throughout life. The first is that you can't find a solution to a problem if you are stuck focusing on the problem itself. The other concept is that you can't control what happens to you in life, but you can control your perception of what happens to you. Of course the story illustrates these lessons through a fascinating tale. Definitely worth 40 minutes of your time!
And here are a few of "oldies but goodies" that I read over and over again:
Tao of Pooh Benjamin Hoff
I love this book. I read it every couple of years and it never fails to reset my brain to a more peaceful place.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
It has been long enough since I read this book that I can't quite remember why I love it so much. Time to pick it up again! I remember it being dark and sad and beautiful.
That is all I have time for at the moment. I really hope everyone else will share their favorite books so I can get a good reading list together!!
...that we have snow today. Two years ago on this day a storm raged as I drove with my best girl on our last car ride together. She went from being "herself" to suffering in such a short time -- I couldn't believe that she was being stolen from me at not even 10 years old. There was no question of what I had to do and that it couldn't wait. I arrived before the office opened and had to wait with her such a painfully long time for our vet to arrive. I desperately wanted to help her and make the pain go away. Everything after that was a blur but when she was gone I could barely bring myself to leave her.
I wanted to lock myself into that room and cry into her coat forever.
I returned home and immediately sorted through all the pictures and the the memories that they held.
It's been a rough two years without her but I am so lucky to have her son Brag who brightens every day and reminds me so much of her in every way.
I still think of her constantly but now it is with more smiles than tears.
Introducing my new motto for handling Brag's runs (as well as the intro to a great Faith No More song).
Overall, I was quite happy with our results this past weekend's three day trial in Cannon Falls (on dirt which I love). Brag went 4 for 6 and considering the difficulty of the courses, that was pretty darn good especially since he Q'd on what I considered all the toughest courses of the weekend (Friday Standard comes to mind!). However, we could do much better and not only have better results, but improve the quality of our runs. Driving my dog, instead of being a passenger, will be my biggest goal for this year. Expecting to win the 24" class isn't reasonable (at least not at a big trial with an amazing group of 24" dogs out there), but cutting out excess yardage and therefore being more competitive is definitely doable. Yes, Brag needs MACH points like he needs a hole in the head but I want to have that thrill of putting it all out there and handling the very best I can. In addition, Brag runs soooooo much better when I don't hang out and watch from the sidelines. In fact, both courses where Brag knocked a bar were ones where I was spectating. Spectating BAD!!!!
What does being "aggressive" on the course mean? For me it isn't about getting louder and yelling more commands nor is it about front crosses versus rear crosses. I figure that if I'm doing my job out there, yelling should be at a minimum and all my commands shoud be delivered in a crisp and timely manner. Front crosses aren't automatically the correct choice however when I'm being a hesitant handler I do find myself putting in rear crosses and waiting for the dog rather than directing the dog. Typically my most ideally handled courses are the ones that I have picked 3 or 4 strategic places I must get to in order to send my dog to the next sequence (sort of a "send and go").
Another very important element of driving/directing the dog rather than hanging back and hesitating is developing better acceleration/deceleration skills. I have two speeds: 'Run' and 'Stop.' I'm not quite sure what happens to me out there...I can run and I can run fast but I'm terrible at alternating my speed on the agility course. Quick stops and starts are also a struggle for me...I get flat footed way too easily. Just another thing to work into my exercise regime!! Whoo hoo - one more thing to convince my neighbors that I'm crazy - winter sprinting!!
Start lines are also a big deal for our quest. Since I had abandoned my start line and ran off the line with Brag for over a year, I know that I can handle most any course with a running start. However, this is not the perfect set-up for my ideal run. Personally while I feel start lines are better abandoned for some dogs, Brag isn't one of those dogs...for multiple reasons. Bragger is a big boy and has a pretty massive stride so it is really difficult for me to set a line when I'm also trying to save myself from being run over. He has a tendency to be a little frightening off the line. Imagine a crazed freight train gunning for you - what is your reaction? If you have any sense you get the hell out of the way! I don't mean to paint a terrible picture, Brag thank god, has a lot of respect for my body and not hurting me but sometimes the insane eyes make me want to run the opposite direction. In addition to the fear factor, it seems like for us, having a little impulse control at the start of our run leads to impulse control throughout the run. Finally, though I can handle without a start line, it does not allow me to CHOOSE my optimal path. Maybe running off the line will be the best strategic choice and maybe it won't but I have no options and I like lots of options!
Since goals are pretty worthless without a plan, here it is put out there for everyone to see and add a little accountability for me!
1) START LINE STAY!!!!! We had almost 100% success at the back to back weekends at On the Run on our starts. Brag broke one start but luckily I was close enough to my front cross position to make it work. Cannon Falls was another story. The first day he held them until I got almost to my release spot. The following days they degenerated rapidly. So, on to the crate games and on to the impulse control games. Also, I admit that I will never pull my dog off the course for a broken start so I understand I can't expect 100% compliance from my partner since he knows I'm not that serious about it.
2) LEAD OUT WORK!!!!!! Back to the fact that we ran every course together from obstacle 1, it didn't seem right to "cheat" and use lead outs at training since it wouldn't help me at trials. Therefore, we have no lead out skills. On Sunday's standard course, I would have liked to lead out to jump 3, but because jump 2 was way to the left of jump 1, I didn't dare. We need some serious brush up on working with the the lines. Similarily, I could have gotten a much tigher turn in yesterday's standard course (chute to a 90 degree turn to a jump) if I could have led out to the chute opening and showed him we were turning from the beginning but I was concerned he would miss the chute if I started away and facing him. Brag is a smartie though so this should go easy, breezy!
3) ACCEL/DECEL/START/STOP!!!! This is such an obvious cue for the dog that I need to do work by myself on sprinting fast and then transitioning smoothly to slower speeds and transitioning back. Also have an idea for an exercise that will help me with quick stop and starts. No more one speed only!
4) NO SPECTATING!!!!! Such a bad habit of mine to stop and "pull" instead of showing Brag the line I want him to take. When I am nervous about an area, I come to a halt, yell and then pull. This doesn't get us fast times and doesn't help my dog. I will examine the dog's ideal path more closely and determine how to set the best line. I must remember that we fail courses due to the dread "stop, yell and pull!"
5) CONTACTS...TO RELEASE EARLY OR HOLD???? I just don't know if I can bring myself to release my dog much earlier from the contact equipment. Brag spent TWO YEARS in Open Standard because he would jump off every single ramp. I might just proceed with agility excellence in jumpers and strive for continued control in standard...cop out?
6) WEAVE FREEDOM!!! Brag has outstanding weave entrances. He is also a sport about letting me do stupid tight rear crosses after he enters the polls. Our exit skills could definitely use work. I don't feel comfortable leaving him in the weaves and running away laterally. That is a big handicap when attempting to "drive" through the course. Going back to the fact that I like options, we must work on our exits.
Can you teach an 8 1/2 year old dog new tricks? Can I overcome my worst agility habits? I think we CAN! :)
