You can have what it is you want...

Let's face it, training during summer in Florida is a bummer! I find myself procrastinating and getting distracted with ten other things before I make myself go out and do something with my dogs.
But to keep my agility dogs in shape and ready to bounce back into trial mode when the fall trialing season starts, I REALLY need to train through summer. Because performing well at trials is important for me, I try to push myself by thinking how I feel when my dogs perform below par because I have the seemingly perfect excuse: "I is so hot!"
I play this quote in my head, over and over again: "You can have what it is you want or you can have your excuses for not having it." Very powerful...still so hot out there.

Ok, Lilianne you need a plan. We will train a minimum of 3 times per week, very specific exercises, each practice short and sweet (and hot). We just need to practice the weave poles, not even all 12 poles just correct weave entry. How hard is that? just 2 poles, I will send each dog 3 times. I will do a couple of simple one-jump exercises (Linda Mecklenberg's jumping system is my favorite); that will keep the muscles they need for jumping in shape. Amelia and Oliver need to work on their running contacts. I am experimenting with this new (for me) method and it looks like they are fast learners but you need to get out an do it!

Today I made it! After putting it off for a couple of hours, my guilt level rose to the max as I had left Holly, Amelia and Oliver in their crates in the garage after giving them their breakfast and promised them that after tending to just one urgent stuff, today we would train!

So armed with some super high value treats (tripe and meatballs) which I think is the doggie equivalent to a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (which is my idea of a high value treat if I was to work in this heat), we trained, the dogs had a great time, were really eager to work for the super yummy treats and I am sure I sweated at least one pound off. Maybe I should get a scale and weigh myself after each session, that might keep me motivated!

"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of."

Ogden Nash

This is so true and because I am raising two puppies, I can assure you this stops being funny!

I open the door to the garage to put out the trash and both puppies rush out, get one in, the other stays out and plays hard to catch, I finally get it and when I open the door to get it in, the other comes out! They could play this game all day but I start to get exasperated.

A fast and fun solution is to teach them the "Touch my hand" game. It's very easy, and the puppies love it. You start by placing the palm of your hand about 3 inches in front of your dog's muzzle. Out of curiosity he will approach to smell and quite possibly touch it. When he does so, readily "mark" the behavior with an enthusiastic "YES!" and immediately give him a treat. The key is to get him to actually touch your palm. Because puppies are usually always interested in food, you can practise 5 or 6 times in a row gradually increasing the distance he has to move towards your palm.

Now you can use your palm to get your puppy in or out and to stay on the side of the door YOU want him on!

Below is sequence of photos that will help you see the training process.

Additional training tips:

1) If he does not actually touch your hand rub the treat on it first.

2) If he gets bored after just one or two reps, your treat is not good enough (try slices of hot dogs)

3) If he insists on smelling the hand that holds the treat, put it behind your back and hold your palm right in front of his muzzle.

4) Remember to "mark" the touching with an enthusiastic YES! followed immediately with the treat.

Happy training!

We did it!

We did it! Sabrina and I finally got our long awaited CATCH (CPE Agility Trial Championship).

For those of you who are not that familiar with the Agility jargon, a CATCH involves getting at least 94 qualifying runs in at least 3 different levels (ascending in difficulty) in 7 different classes. When you get your CATCH, you are awarded a humongous rosette and a bar. Yes a PVC bar just like the ones that are used on the jumps. You run a victory lap around the ring holding your bar and afterwards all your friends sign it. I know, it sounds silly but it is a huge thrill!

Since Sabrina celebrated her 10th Birthday last September, she was experiencing the normal slowing down and "creaky" joints; so for the past year we had been doing limited showing just competing in one or two classes instead of the usual five per day that are the norm at CPE agility trials (CPE stands for Canine Performance Events, one of several organizations that offers agility trials).

As would be expected, the closer we came to earning our title, the more elusive it became! I lost track of how many "almost perfect" runs we had where one little mistake, usually my fault, would cost us the coveted "Q" as we call a Qualifying run. I must admit that some days I just wanted to throw my arms up in desperation and quit. To add on to the stress, Sabrina started being lame on and off because of a cronic injury that I think is related to her jumping a gate to get to the store and steal samples of dog food. Typical Sabrina...We keep several different samples in baskets under a table and she just picks the Pheasant and Brown Rice! So now we are adding quiropractic adjustments, accupunture, Chinese herbs, massage, supplements, icing, you name it we have tried it!

Now for Sabrina, it was a different story. She could not care less how many "Q's" we were missing or if we got that big rossette or not. I don't think she even cared if she had pain or not. After watching me run with the other dogs and loudly voicing her objections, she was so happy to be let our of her crate... it was finally HER turn. Probably the fondest memory that I have of competing with her is how many times people I don't even knew came up to me and said: "She looks SO HAPPY running out there with you."

So when the thrill of the win is over and the photo and rosette have faded, my heart will still be joyful for the happy runs we had together. Sabrina, you are the BEST!