First snow of the season

Betty saw snow for, I think, the first time in her life. We just got a dusting that stuck to the grass. Big, fat, fluffy flakes were coming down pretty good this morning. I took her outside to potty and she looked at where the grass had been earlier and then looked at me. She looked up at the flakes coming down and back at me as if to say, "What gives?" Then it was off to the races flying around the yard in leaps and bounds!

Been awhile.......

We've been busy with classes lately, and trying to unsuccessfully get Cash's last leg for his Rally Advanced title. I think the scare he got back in July at the NKC show (train went by and blew it's whistle when I had him out to potty, followed by a LOUD squeaky dolly carrying 6 crates of yapping MinPins just as we were ready to start) settled into his little psyche more than I thought. I think I'll wait until Spring to try for that last leg and in the meantime keep working with him in classes.

On the good side, Friday night was the last rally class for this session and we had a little competition among the class. He came in second and got to choose a toy. Of course it was the biggest squeaky tug toy that Zoomies makes. Since Betty accompanied Cash to class and Thursday was Betty's first birthday (Happy Birthday, little silver hooligan girl) she also got to pick a toy and chose the second largest squeaky tug toy.

Betty's last agility foundation class is tomorrow morning. Oh yeah, THIS morning. Insomnia sucks, BTW. I digress. She's doing great in class and tries everything asked of her with much enthusiasm. Belinda said she needed a job (besides beating the crap out of Cash all in fun, don't cha know) and boy, was she right!

Cash's agility classes finished this session last Wednesday but I still haven't been told if we graduated to Handlers class yet. I sure hope so since he is now slamming the teeter while holding his contact, has solid contacts on the A frame and dogwalk and can do 12 weaves consistently. I'm taking him to Kansas in mid December for a NADAC trial to see how he does in a trial setting. Should be interesting.

Update:
Back from Betty's class. She was on FIRE today! I bought her a new tug/treat bag and she loved it. She tugged with me 40 feet from her crate to the plank, hopped up on the plank and drove to the end and then tugged all the way back to her crate. We had a big jackpot treat party at the plank and her crate. Also she was driving through a partially stretched out tunnel after only seeing the tunnel for the first time last Sunday and it was all squished up. She is just amazingly smart! Now my only hope is her handler holds up her end of the team. Melissa, our instructor, told me she is kicking us out of Foundation 1 and we move on to Foundation 2 when classes start back up in January. Yay!

Microchipping is done....

Katie and I just got back from Lincoln, NE where we took Betty and Katie's cat, Isis, to be microchipped at the Missouri Valley Boxer Club's microchip clinic which was held at an all breed show. Yes, they chipped a cat! Isis was stoic and didn't make a sound even though the chip clinic was set up in the midst of the grooming area. Smart cat, knows when to keep her mouth shut.

Betty, on the other hand, screamed, cried and carried on as if she was being killed. That did my heart no good as I sat nearby very close to tears. So much so that a friend patted ME on the back, telling me it would be okay. The vet techs that chipped her tried to make friends afterward and she gave them a cold stare and turned her head. She wanted nothing to do with those rotten people!

Everyone is now in nap mode.

What FUN!!!

I had a hectic late afternoon. Left work early to get home and grab Betty and Cash and race to the vet for Betty's "well puppy" checkup. As I was getting ready to leave I tossed their leashes on the floor. Denny got my attention and said, "Look." There was Cash with Betty's martingale leash already on. I swear I tossed it on the floor and heard it hit, but somehow he had managed to get it on, and properly too. Too funny. Betty's heartworm test was negative, hips and stifles tested out great, fecal negative, heart and lungs sound great, eyes and ears clear. Yup, she's just about perfect!

And then off to rally class. Cash was his usual happy, generally focused guy. Not as much sniffing tonight, yay! Toward the end of class he tends to get somewhat disinterested and wants to go play on the agility equipment. Wrong night, buddy.

BUT, after class was the fun stuff! Cash and Betty got to race and run with the other smaller dogs and chase tennis balls on the padded floor with all the equipment cleared out of the way! They had a blast and what a great way to burn off some energy. There was Griffon (papillion) and his housemate, a little puff Chinese Crested whose name I can't recall, Milo, Levi, Lily and Otis (miniature schnauzers), Frisco (rescue pom/pap mix) along with Cash and Betty. The tennis balls and dogs were flying. Otis is only about 12 or 14 weeks old, but held his own with the "big kids" and decided that Cash's tug rope was just the ticket. I'm totally annoyed at myself that I didn't bring my video camera, but I'm sure we'll do it again. All of the furkids are now crashed in their crates for the night.

Last night of this agility session

Last night was our final class for this session of agility. I took both Cash and Betty and got there early to acclimate Betty. Not that I needed to by any means. She is a social butterfly and loves everyone. She greeted humans and dogs alike but it is clear she was well raised by her Mamma to be respectful of older dogs. I don't think she has ever met a person she didn't like.

I put both of them in a large crate while I helped set up equipment. They just laid there quietly watching people and dogs arrive and the activity around them. All that changed in a heartbeat once the first dog was flying through the course. Betty leaped to her feet and started SCREAMING to join in.

I was very grateful Katie stopped by to watch the class and asked her to take Betty with her and sit on a chair in the far corner so she could still see what was going on. I gave Katie some chicken from last night's dinner as a treat for Betty if she sat quietly. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me because the look on Betty's face from across the room was priceless. She had her eyes lasered in on every dog that ran. Katie said later that although she couldn't be heard from more than a few feet away, Betty was quivering with anticipation and making a high pitched, although quiet, squeal. Me thinks the girl has DRIVE!

She's going to be fun to train! She has already learned sit and down in just the short time she has been here, sleeps all night in her crate (THANK YOU BELINDA!) and is just a joy to have around. She will be accompanying Cash to rally class tomorrow night.

Although Cash had awesome weaves with several difficult entrances and solid contacts, he will once again be repeating the Obstacles class and not moving on to the Handlers class because he has teeter *issues*. Sigh......

I was disappointed for about a minute but decided that I would rather have him SOLID in all aspects than move on and have to go back and retrain something in the future.

The BIG NEWS!!!

Please welcome Impulse Inside Straight.


Yup, Betty is here! After much dithering on our part, Betty joined our family yesterday. We owe huge thanks to Belinda and Alex Miller for entrusting her to us.

My goal has always been to put titles on both ends of a dog's name. I have owner handled several dogs to their championships in my lifetime and put a performance title on another, but never on the same dog.

My plan is to work with Betty in rally and agility foundation while she is growing coat. So far Keegan and Cash have been okay with her. Keegan gets along with pretty much any dog. Cash's nose has been a little out of joint but he met his match for pure speed when the poodle zoomies started this morning and Betty joyously joined in. That seemed to solidify her place in our little pack. We've only had one small skirmish when Cash approached Betty while she was busy with a bone. She left no doubt WHO the bone belonged to and Cash backed off.

The only down side (not really) is I now have TWO velcro poodles. I put a few photos on Flickr for those who would like to see them.

Just a quick note....

Haven't posted in awhile as it's just been NUTS at work and my energy is drained after work, getting home, doing a little training each night, going to class with Cash a couple times a week. I'm pooped.

We haven't received any instructor recaps for the last couple of classes. I miss them as they give me focus for what to work on between classes. Cash has redeveloped teeter *issues*. He is running the chute well. Weaves are solid, tho entrances are somewhat spotty. Contacts are still solid. We have more good things going than bad, so all in all, we're doing okay.

Next Wednesday is the last class of the session and I am hopeful we'll move on to the Handlers class.

ALSO.....

We hope to have BIG NEWS very soon, but until it actually happens I'm keeping the details to myself. Trust me that as soon as it happens, it will be announced...... ;-)

A Good Class!

Notes from instructor:

Week Three: Skills worked: dogwalk/stairs, 4 jump distance grid, sequence with broad jump, winged jumps, focus forward, bang game/teeter, weaves, aframe

Cash: Teeter: Working 4 on board with bang game (he was just sure it was 2 on/off). Did run full teeter several times, had to lure with salmon, but got better each time. Julie is holding board and letting drop carefully. Would only run Cash on full contacts at this point, to build his confidence. Sequence work: Great understanding of FF, broad jump good. Stays good, little bit of yahoo, but came back easily, some sniffing. Dogwalk: Would not run up ramp, so physically placed on each time, backchaining running the full ramp. At end of time, he turned himself onto the ramp and ran full. YEAH!!

I was really proud of the little guy this week. In addition to the skills worked directly with instructors we were able to also work independently on weaves and A frame. His A frame was a little tentative at first but he was soon running it to a 2 on/off that was solid even if I walked away. So solid in fact that he did a handstand to stop and still landed his hind feet on the contact.

If we keep this up we may get into Handler's class yet. Yay!

Back from Vegas!

I had absolutely no time to write about our last Wednesday's agility class before getting home from class, finishing packing for our 30th wedding anniversary trip to Las Vegas and hitting the hay to get up at 3:00 am on Thursday to make our plane. We had a great time, spent mornings at the Lazy River or Wave Pool at Mandalay Bay resort (with a cocktail as an eye-opener.) Went to a crazy restaurant at Excalibur called Dick's Last Resort, saw Mama Mia with a Broadway cast, and reintroduced the hubby to public transportation when we took the double-decker bus downtown to souvenir shop and have lunch. All in all a very relaxing trip.

Our instructor emailed our second week critique:

8/22/07: Skills worked: aframe/stairs, teeter, weaves, sequences with sit stays, focus forward, panel, tire

Cash: Aframe: much better at not running around aframe (there was more room, and it was lower), do not ever correct him for taking it on his own at this point, and when working just on bottom position, always have him get on the side, not run up and turn around. Very nice at holding position, Julie now needs to proof by running past and hanging back. Both of these can be worked just from the bottom position as well.

Sequence work: Set up good, some focus forward, panel fine, 5 ft lateral distance to tunnel, does curve in to Julie, need placement of reward (always away from Julie) to help with this. Struggled with tire (going through side) with lateral distance, need to practice this away from class.

Teeter/weaves: Julie/Cash –
Teeter – Seemed to have no fear of problems with the teeter w/the tables – would take one of the tables out and see how he does then.
Weaves – Very nice using the jump and difficult angles, found the entrances no problem and had very good speed – Julie even did a rear cross once --- had Julie go to the middle of the weave to call Cash through and he missed the entrance – will need to work on that next week --- Was very pleased overall with Cash’s performance on the teter and the weaves.

I didn't see our recap until we got home Monday night, and was relatively pleased. We have had rain here so Cash hasn't had the outside work he had between the first and second class. I'm afraid that lack of practice will show tonight. We'll see......

Where to start?????

So much has happened since my last post.....I pulled out of our driveway for Minnesota on Monday, July 23rd at 6 am. Got to Bill & Sue’s about 4 pm or so. Thank God for Rescue Remedy. I gave Keegan two drops on his tongue about 45 minutes before leaving and he settled himself into his crate propped against the side of it with one eye on me. Said eye started to droop about an hour later and he sagged into a prone position. A few minutes later all I heard was some light snoring. Blissful silence all the way to MN! Yay!

During our 10 days there, the dogs got in some roadwork, rally practice and a little jility, but no dock diving since the lake was too rough. I did catch enough walleye that I needed to borrow Bill’s license to transport them back to Nebraska.

While I was in Minnesota our daughter made some major decisions in her life that impacted ours. She and the bf of four years broke up, she gave up her apartment and asked to move home for a year or so. Of course the answer was "Yes", however she also has a CAT! It has worked out well since Isis moved in while the dogs and I were gone and was able to become accustomed to the house without having to contend with the normal four footed residents. One little rub was that I was bringing Bill & Sue's 12 year old Shih Tzu, Dolly, home with me while they were on an Alaskan cruise and neither Dolly nor my dogs had ever been around a cat, much less lived with one. I am happy to say that all of them get along famously. Dolly and Keegan walked in, looked at Isis, and walked right by her as if she weren't there. Cash, on the other hand, wanted to play. RIGHT NOW!!!

Cash and I started our next session of agility on Wednesday, August 15. We're still in Obstacles, but since we have some *issues* to work on, that's okay. Here is our instructors' recap of our first week:

8/15/07: Skills worked: aframe/stairs, weaves, set point jump, 4 jump bounce grid, chute, tire, small sequenceCash: Weaves: great, independent of Julie. Focus on entries this week in training. Aframe: refused to run full low aframe, end performance was solid (2 on/off, nose touch minimal, stayed in position well) Suggested getting to club to build his confidence on running full aframe. Chute, cannot do independently, did ok with me holding all length open at the end. Tire was good, Set ups were good. Sequence was fine with me holding the chute open, but dropped after dog committed and dog stayed in it. Rewards good.

I think his A frame reluctance was due to not seeing one in awhile and the way it was set up he didn't have enough room to build speed to climb it. I love the fact that these instructors send an email recap the day after class so we can refer to it while trying to remember what to work on for next week. I've got a brand new chute in the garage, so I'd best get it unpacked, put together and in use, pronto.

It had to happen sooner or later.....

Yeah, today was the day that we went down in flames. Through no fault of his own, Cash was so totally freaked out I pulled him from the rally ring. (Darn, and they had really pretty pastel New Title rosettes....)

I took Cash out to potty about 20 minutes before ringtime. We had already completed walk throughs and the Advanced B class had just started. While tooling around behind the Qwest Center looking for just the right spot to pee, a TRAIN came zipping down the tracks not 20 feet from where we were in the grass and BLEW THE WHISTLE!!! In the several times I've attended shows at the Qwest I've never seen a train on those tracks. Talk about freaked out, scared out of his mind! His tail clamped so tight between his butt cheeks, I thought he's turned into a really funny looking Aussie. I made light of the situation, didn't baby him, or "poor Cash" him and calmly walked him back inside.

After working with him with his favorite toy, which he had no interest in, I did get him to do a front for a treat, but he immediately whipped into a finish so his back wasn't to anyone. He seemed settled down enough to try the ring after awhile, so I kept working with him and treating him outside the ring. When it was our turn and we're at the Start sign, along comes a squeaky dolly topped with 6 crates full of Min Pins in full YAP. That was it. He left my side and headed for the exit. I turned to the judge and said, "Ya know, I just don't think today is his day. But thank you." The judge was very kind and after I told him what had happened outside, commended me for my decision to pull him and not let him think it was okay to be terrified in the ring.

There's always another show.

On another note, thank goodness for crate games.

I had a "D'oh" moment yesterday at the show that could have been a crisis situation. I had taken Cash out for a potty break and put him back in his crate to relax until closer to his class. Apparently I didn't get the crate door latched properly but didn't notice it and walked away. About 15 or 20 minutes later I glanced over at our crating area and saw his crate door ajar a couple of inches. My heart stopped. I raced to his crate and bent over to peer inside to be greeted by a poodle with a very serious expression on his face, sitting straight up, waiting patiently for his release word. I'm sure if he could talk I would have been chewed out, but that look said it all. Had he not learned (apparently quite well) to wait for a release word, I would have had a loose dog among the couple thousand in attendance. Whew!

Five for Five!

Cash was the beneficiary of an extemely generous qualifying score (I thought we NQ'd) in rally advanced today that was good enough for third place. (Okay, I fess up, there were only three in the class.... there, pure honesty.) He is now five for five on qualifying scores in rally with one more to go for his RA title. As one of my instructors said, "Green is green." At least he didn't blow Daddy's entry fee.

I didn't get as much of a walk through as I would have liked since Advanced B and A walked the course together and the B class was huge! I also didn't notice the floor grate covered by matting when I was doing my walk through. It was a serious error as when we were on course it made a huge clunk sound as I walked over it doing the offset figure 8. Cash went straight in the air and barked at me as if I did it on purpose. Opinionated little brat! Had to redo that exercise and several more as he had a bad case of "the wanders" occasionally, but then showed flashes of brilliance in his attention and execution.

Since he seems to do better the second day of a show, I'm hopeful we can finish his advanced title tomorrow.

Success! (sort of)

Cash's last agility class for Obstacles was last night. We didn't pass into the Handlers class which would be the next step up because he still finds other things more interesting than me (plus the fact that he still has teeter *issues*) And he flew through 6 weaves absolutely flawlessly, both ways, numerous times.

However....

TaDa!


He won the last games sequence and a big jar of Three Dog Bakery treats (and a Cadbury candy bar for me) with the highest score and cleanest run. Let me describe the scene...

There were two bar jumps, a tunnel, a tire jump and a broad jump placed around the perimeter of the room. In the center was a table. The table was the bonus. We were each given a minute and a half to correctly complete an obstacle which the handler chose, race to the table, perform a down without a cue, release and treat the dog and repeat as many times as we could in the allotted time. Ten points were awarded for each correct bonus. Five points were deducted if a cue to down was given. Ten seconds was allotted to achieve the down. If not, release and repeat the table until it was correct, wasting precious time.

His score was 80 with no faults. And his handler needed oxygen at the end of it.

This is NOT going to be pretty.....

Can you say NO SNIFF really, really loud on Saturday and Sunday around 11:30 CDT? I'm thinking that is going to be all that even phases Cash in the rally ring at the show this next weekend. I see his Daddy's entry fee going up in smoke as I even thing about it.

He was so excited about being in a strange place at Gerianne's that I even stopped at one of the signs as he ran off to investigate another sign and said, "Hey, this is supposed to be a TEAM sport!" He did come back to me every time and was able to actually do an exercise here and there in a very nice fashion. Consistency is what we need. That and focus.... yeah LOTS AND LOTS of FOCUS!

Let's see..... where were we?

A week off for a Minnesota trip and having many visitors to our home over the last couple of weeks has left me in a tailspin as to where we were at in training with both rally and agility.

We have now had a couple of rally classes since returning home and I'm still not happy with the blasted sniffing, although last night was better than it had been recently. Our club is cleaned late on every Monday night and I swear by Friday night's rally class a whole herd of Shelties had a major hair meltdown sometime during the week. There are puffs of hair all over the place that in Cash's mind must deserve his complete attention. Is he doing the canine version of DNA testing or what? Anyway, it was better but still not where it needs to be with the Nebraska Kennel Club show coming up next weekend. I'm going to take him to a rally fun match tomorrow morning at Gerianne Darnell's place and see how that goes as a warm-up for next weekend. We have the potential to finish his rally advanced title at NKC, but unless the sniffing takes a hike, I'm not confident of that.

There was no agility on July 4th and the week break from formal training allowed us to work on some weave training at home. In the testing portions of class his contacts were gorgeous and the weaves are coming along. When we ran a sequence however, he hit the contacts, but failed to hold a 2O/2O. He appeared to be having several "blonde moments" attack him all at once. Hmmmm.

If the timing is right tomorrow, I may run him in on a novice agility course after the rally just to see how he does in a strange environment.

Back from Minnesota

We got back early in the evening last Saturday from our trip to Minnesota. It's a long drive (9 hours each way) but well worth the effort. I just sort of decompress once I get off the interstate and head across country to Leech Lake.

As evidenced by the photo at right, Katie had some success walleye fishing, although this particular candidate for the frying pan was TOO BIG to keep. Slot limits were put in place at Leech this year and walleye between 18 to 26" must be released as they are breeding size and are needed to restock the lake. This guy measured 20" and gave her quite a fight (along with catching me in the finger with a tooth as I got it out of the landing net). He was successfully released, unlike the approximately 28" Northern Pike I landed that is now filleted and in our freezer. We ended up bringing back enough walleye, perch and my northern for a nice fish fry later in the summer.

On the agility front, last night Cash and I attended class for the first time in two weeks as we missed class while in Minnesota. HE WAS AWESOME at nailing his contacts. He charged up the A frame and across the dogwalk at a zippy pace. As he started the downward ramp, I hollered "Touch" and he performed a perfect 2 on/2 off each time. A couple of times he was going too fast on the down ramp to really maintain control and landed his front feet a little far off the contact zone, but was able to reach back with his hind feet and find the ramp without ever breaking eye contact with me or missing the contact zone with his hind feet. It was a hoot and our instructors commented, "He REALLY knows where his feet are!" I was so proud of the little sucker.

His weaves were a little inconsistent, but there is nothing that some weave work each night after I get home won't fix. We may have a shot at actually moving on to the next level if this keeps up. YAY!!!

How time flies....

A year ago I wrote the following to one of the poodle email lists I am on:

It’s hard to believe it was this time last year when I started thinking about and looking for a companion for Keegan. Even though Keegan turned 7 in April of 2005, I wasn’t worried about bringing a new puppy into the household.

Our mini, Rocky, who passed away at age 15, was 10 years old when we got Keegan as a baby. They were inseparable for the last 5 years of Rocky’s life. Keegan had been our only dog for two years since Rocky’s death and frankly, was getting fat and complacent. When the DH said, “We need to get a buddy for Keegan,” grass DID NOT grow under this girl’s feet! I probably looked at every website on the net, called old friends from my show ring days (many years ago) and contacted every resource I could think of. I knew I wanted a toy male, preferred white or cream, wanted one that came from health tested parents, preferably from a show litter (knowing that not every puppy in a litter is going to be finishable in conformation, I thought maybe I could get one that might not make it in the breed ring but had the brains and spark to be a great performance dog). I had this wild idea that I was going to try to re-enter the show ring 25+ years after I left it.

I found Gail Bjorge’s Picket’s Poodles website and kept coming back to certain picture I couldn't get out of my head. A four-month-old cream male by Ch. Jaipur Scene Stealer (a gorgeous cream) out of Ch. Pickets American Dream (a stunning black). Gail and Eva Marie Mitchell co-bred the litter and he had been at Gail’s, following her around, stealing laundry (and her heart), and barking at the vacuum cleaner while she tried to find him a home. He was going to be oversize so would not be shown in the breed ring. After many emails and phone calls, we agreed to meet in the middle of Iowa so I could take a look at him. I had researched his sire and dam up one side and down the other, and knew their health test results and pedigrees by heart.

I told myself if he wasn’t exactly what I wanted I would come home empty handed (Yeah, right!) He was everything I expected and more. How many four month olds by themselves, in a strange environment, charge an adult dog (Keegan) through the exercise pen? That was the fire I wanted. Early on it made him hell to live with, but is also what makes him so much fun now. He will take on any new experience with zest, whether it's obedience, agility, or anything else. Cash may have started out as a companion for Keegan, but he is truly my heart dog. Everywhere I go, there he is. From the minute I open my eyes in the morning, to when they close at night, he is by my side. Never before, and probably never again, will I have a dog like him. Happy Birthday, little buddy!

And now a year has gone by and Cash is still my “heart dog”. He will be two years old on June 18th and will be with me on a fishing trip to Minnesota. He will ride in the boat, dock dive and generally just have fun for a week.

The past year has gone quickly. He started formal agility foundation training classes in February of 2006 at the age of eight months. He still has a ways to go before I enter him in another trial after our VERY short (four jumps before he went NUTS!) attempt at a NADAC trial in January of this year, however we have discovered rally obedience and has acquired his rally novice title (RN) and has one leg toward his rally advanced title with only being entered in four shows.

He is the coolest dog to train and work with because he THINKS and I can see him doing it. Present him with an unusual situation and he is confident and sometimes too brash, especially for his size, but he is never fearful. Cautious at times, but not afraid. Happy Second Birthday, ya little nutcase…. and many more!

Off Topic

This is pretty off topic from my normal posts, but I just had to brag a little on our darling daughter. The Princess, to steal a moniker from another blog [you know who you are] is 24 now and has matured into a hard working young lady. She works full time for an insurance company, attends college part-time, bartends/waitresses part-time, and has now signed with a local modeling agency to do promotions and print work, also part-time. This is my favorite photo from her portfolio.

She is taking a well-deserved vacation and headed north to the woods of Minnesota with me and the dogs next week. We are staying with my brother and sister in law at their home on Leech Lake for a week of walleye fishing and just hanging out.

Back to agility class

Tonight was our first class of this 6-week session. We are still in Obstacles. We need solid contacts and weaves to move on to Handlers class.

Our first exercise tonight was the dogwalk. Cash has developed height issues, or maybe common sense. I was disappointed that he wasn't solid on holding his "touch" at the bottom and was relegated back to the stairs after trying him at the top of one ramp and telling him "Go touch" several times. On the stairs he would hold the contact. I tried him a few times with success and put him back in his crate to think about it.

Between exercises there were jumps, a tunnel, table and tire set up so we ran a couple of sequences successfully and with lots of praise before some more crate time. I must say the rally has helped his start line stay as it was rock solid all night.

Our turn on the A frame was much better with driving to the bottom and holding the contact while I walked away and around him. Perhaps crate time to think about it helped, but I was encouraged by his progress after 6 weeks away from any class time in agility.

We all ran sequences starting with Cash since he jumps 12" in AKC agility (but 8" in rally). The pattern was a tunnel to a jump, jump, tire, front cross, jump, tunnel. Needing to lose some weight, I'm always working distance with him and thought about layering the last jump to the tire, but my instructor was having none of it and wanted a front cross before the last jump. She said after the tire it was an RLH move. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she said, "Run Like Hell...RLH." The first run thru as he was jumping the tire, I hollered "here" and my direction was too late and he took the jump in front of him instead of turning in to me to take the jump he needed to. The second time I used his name and got it out quick enough to get the front cross in and then turn him to take the tunnel. My God he is quick and turns on a dime. Da mamma just needs to get information to him faster. All in all a pretty good class.

WOOOOO HOOOOOO!

It wasn't a jinx after all to write about what could be. It happened! Cash finished his Rally Novice title on Saturday with a first place and got a qualifying leg toward his Rally Advanced title on Sunday with a fourth place finish! He's such a good boy!

It was not without some frustration on my part. Saturday's course was challenging and sniffing once again came into play, but I was able to get his attention back in due course and get out of the ring with my sanity intact and a new title.

Sunday was another story. Being off leash in the ring was a new experience for both of us. We had practiced plenty but that first time can be trepidating to say the least. The first exercise was a jump designed to see what kind of control the handler has without the leash and Cash LOVES to jump. He came right back to heel position and performed the next sign, a halt (sit), down, sit perfectly. Next was a halt, about turn right, to a 270 right, to a serpentine that led us across the ring where I started to lose his attention at a 270 right that was by the ring gating. There were a number of exhibitors sitting with their dogs RIGHT NEXT to the gating. Although there was plenty of room for them NOT to be on top of the gating, not one of them moved back when they saw he was very interested in them. Sigh... I repeated that sign and moved to the next which was a halt, pivot 180, halt and back down the same side with all the spectators. As we s l o w l y worked our way down that side I actually said to Cash, "Can we please just finish this course and get out of here?" It was a fight at every sign on that side to get and keep his attention. He even went so far as to stick his head through the gating to get a good view of everyone. When we finally got out of the ring, I was firmly convinced our first experience in Advanced was a total bomb and an NQ. Imagine my surprise that his score was an 80 and a fourth place finish. Q's are Q's and as far as I'm concerned anything between 70 and 100 is okay. Not that we don't want to do better, but at least he didn't waste Daddy's entry fee. And as expensive as AKC entry fees are at $25 for the first class, it's nothing to sneeze at. I'm really dating myself when I remember entry fees when I started were $8.

All in all a decent weekend.

Here we go again......

I'm probably going to jinx us by even writing a blog the night before a trial, but here we go again. Cash is all bathed, trimmed, scissored, dremeled and ready to go. My friend, Darla, and her two Poms and Cash and I are going to the Council Bluffs KC show in Avoca, Iowa tomorrow and Sunday. I got smarter since our last show and decided driving back and forth (even though it's only an hour and a half drive one way) is not the way to go, so we reserved a motel in Avoca. We're looking forward to doing the town Saturday night, NOT! It's probably only a block and half long.

I have high hopes of Cash finishing his Novice rally title this weekend and with a little luck it will be tomorrow so I can move him up to Advanced for Sunday. Whether he titles or not on Saturday, I'm going to enter him in Advanced in the fun match following the Saturday show. More ring time is ALWAYS a good thing.

If he titles I plan on having the show photographer take a picture, however I may need to do a little cosmetic grooming first. See, I shaved his face, feet, tummy and tail on Monday since he is so itchy right after he's shaved and I wanted a few days for that sensation to pass. Got home from work on Tuesday and he had decided he REALLY itched, so much so that he scratched himself raw and bleeding in front of his right ear and at the base of his throat. Little snot! We've been treating with a half tablet of Benedryl once a day and topically with Neosporin Plus ointment. Looks much better tonight and with any luck his ear feathers will cover the ugly scabs.

Sunburnt at a weekend agility trial

No, Cash wasn't entered, but I worked our club's AKC agility trial. It was a long, hot weekend in Nebraska. Good thing I took my homemade, all natural bug spray. It was quite popular.

Saw some really good runs from some incredibly fast dogs and helped out as the assistant scribe on Saturday. I didn't signed up to work on Sunday, but knew they were shorthanded on help, so I took Cash with me to get an official measurement. The AKC rep was there and I got his temporary height card (Cash won't be two years old until mid June). He measured 11-7/8". Whew! Just made it to jump 12" in AKC. YAY!

The judge has miniatures poodles and spotted Cash in my lap at ringside and came to visit between classes, saying, "I just have to see that poodle!" He is normally pretty reserved with strangers but must know a poodle person when he sees one. She took him from me and he put a foot on either side of her neck and was giving chin kisses and laid his head on her shoulder with tail wagging a mile a minute. She oohed and aahhed over him and asked what I had been doing with him. I told her he had a couple of novice rally legs and was training in agility. After she gave him back to go judge the next class, I told him what a suck-up he was and I swear he winked. What a ham!

He hung out in his pop-up crate in the shade with a fan on him while I helped knock down rings and canopies and put equipment away. I had to wake him up to take him to the car for the ride home.

Stressed.....

Do you ever get that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you are afraid something bad is going to happen, but you are hoping for the best? That's how I feel right now.

I got home last night around 5 pm. Denny was already home and had been there since mid-afternoon working from home. Keegan and Cash were their usual goofy selves, jumping all over me. "Mom, look at me!" "Mom, pet me!"

I walked into the grooming/computer/junk room to look down and find some very small pieces of chewed electrical cord from my old Oster clipper. On the grooming table was a larger chunk of chewed cord. Apparently around 4 pm Denny saw the larger piece on the floor and picked it up and put it on the grooming table.

WHAT?!?!? Did he think we have rats that chew clipper cords???? Not a word said to me. No phone call. Nothing. Thank God the damned thing wasn't plugged in. Although at that point we would have been able to determine FOR SURE who chewed it, from the singed hair and glazed eyes. My money is on Cash. When questioned, he looked at me like, "What? I have no idea what you're talking about. Let's go play!"

After close questioning of the DH, I believe the cord was chewed either the night before or yesterday afternoon when Denny was home, but he didn't SEE it happen. I am still totally amazed either one of them would do this, but am still thanking my lucky stars that it wasn't plugged in.

So now I have become a poopologist. Studying excrement for signs of tiny copper wire or black plastic. So far, nothing. They are both acting totally normal, racing around this morning in their usual fashion, eating breakfast, laying on the bed while we got ready for work.

We asked a neighbor to come check on them a couple of times today and if either is in distress to race them to our vet and call us. This day can't end soon enough for me.

Postscript:
All is well at home. Apparently my fears were for nothing. Poops are still normal, behavior is still goofy. My guess is that once the copper wire stuck whoever was chewing on the cord, that piece was spit out and none was ingested. Thank God!

Second show, second rally novice leg

As I said, I entered Cash in novice rally at the Seward County Kennel Club show this weekend. First show, first leg on Saturday with a score of 83 (it was a cheap leg, but a leg nonetheless). I thought for sure he had NQ'd as he was sniffing something terrible (tracking, anyone?) I know sniffing can be a sign of stress, but frankly, I think he is just nosy and interested in EVERYTHING. Apparently it's not against the AKC rules to slap the floor to get a dog's attention (I had already done everything else I could think of). It didn't scare him and when he looked at me, I said, "Hi, how bout we quit making the nice judge wait?" in a cheery voice. He completed the rest of the course well enough to qualify. Whew!

Today we had one more dog in competition than on Saturday and I decided to pick up my pace to see if the faster motion would eliminate the sniffing. It really helped and going to the second to last sign, we had a score of 98 going, but then disaster struck. At the moving down sign, he sat down to scratch. I just said "Aggghhh" and was joined by the audience and the judge! He finished the final sign perfectly, of course. One lousy little bobble and poof there goes first place. He ended up in second place with a score of 88 and his second leg in two shows so I guess I can't complain too much.

The only minor down side was I picked Cash up in the ring after the ribbons were awarded because we were between a Dalmatian and a smooth Collie who were both eyeing him like he was a fluffy squeak toy, and his personality is to eye them right back. Discretion is the better part of valor and since I didn't want him to leave the ring with holes in him, I grabbed him. Two of my instructors told me later that was a no-no in AKC. I told them I understand, but no way was I letting him get hurt because of what I consider a stupid rule, and if they took back the score and the leg so be it. I talked to the judge afterward and she didn't mention it, so I must have skated that one. I'll just have to be more careful in the future and stay off to the side with him when we go back in for ribbons.

My friend, Loretta, the Boxer owner called me last night and asked if I would mind if she showed Echo today. Mind? Heck, no! I couldn't understand why she asked me to show her yesterday. Loretta has finished two conformation champions in the past, but apparently came down with a nasty case of ring nerves. Anyway, she is entering Echo in several shows I can't go to due to prior commitments, and she needs to get back in the ring.

One leg down, two to go

Yay! Cash got his first rally leg today in novice. In AKC, to earn a Rally Novice title, a dog must acquire three "legs" under three different judges (maybe two judges, I'll have to check that.) To earn a leg the dog must get a qualifying score or "Q" with a score of 70 or above (100 is perfect). He didn't get a placement in the class, fourth place had a score of 95, but a leg is a leg.

In the Boxer ring, Echo won her class (and beat out the professional handler who used to handle her), but lost WB to her litter sister. Loretta was happy with how she showed so we go back again tomorrow.

4:30 this morning came awfully early (as it will tomorrow) and I'm going to hit the rack early tonight.

No turning back now.....

Cash is all bathed, dried, trimmed, nails dremeled and sacked out under my computer desk storing up energy for his rally trial debut tomorrow. We did have a VERY SHORT (it lasted 4 jumps with no start line stay) foray into novice jumpers at a NADAC agility trial in January. I'm thinking I at least have a shot at success since he's on leash in rally. I'm also showing a friend's Boxer bitch in the breed ring. First time back into conformation in ummmm, yeah, 30 years.

We're asking for fingers and paws crossed for attention, focus and a little luck. We'll let you know how it goes.

Maybe he has a future as a course designer...

Yesterday Cash and I went to Bonafide Academy for their Saturday afternoon drop-in agility class. Granted it was a totally new environment for him, but holy moley what a case of zoomies! Good things: he held a SLS (Yay!), correctly weaved 6 poles 3 out of 6 times, dropped to a down immediately on a table. Not so good: "WOW, Mom! LOOK at all this space! See ya!"

He is such a total tunnel sucker. Have a tunnel ANYWHERE on course and he will find it. I had been entertaining foolish thoughts of entering him in a NADAC trial June 2/3. There is also a rally trial elsewhere the same weekend. I'm thinking we'll stick to rally for now and continue the agility TRAINING. Sigh...

Last agility class for this session

Tonight was our last class of the session and time to either test out or plan on repeating this Obstacles class in the next session. Yeah, except for my friend, Darla, and her awesome little Pom, we'll all be seeing each other again next session.... :-(

That's okay, I would much rather have solid contacts and weaves than do a half-assed job and have to fix foundation problems down the road. We have 6 weeks until the next session starts in early June so hopefully with some dedicated work every night for just a few minutes we'll have the weaves working and that damned "touch" solid.

On the bright side, Cash is working distance and obstacle discrimination beautifully. And when you're my age (over 50) and about 20 pounds overweight, you NEED all the distance you can get.

Tomorrow night I am attending a conformation handling class with my friend, Loretta and her Boxer bitch. Loretta gets terrible ring nerves and wants me to show her bitch for her at the Seward, NE show the end of April. Cash is entered in rally novice and as luck would have it the class times didn't conflict so I will re-enter the conformation ring about 30 years after I left it. THIS should be interesting. I have found myself really looking forward to the show and getting back in the ring. Entertainment value could be high!

Another beautiful Sunday

It was another gorgeous Sunday today and I set up a tire jump, tunnel, and a bar jump in the back yard. Our backyard is about 80 feet wide and I set the tire and bar jumps side by side at about 30 feet with about 15 feet between them and then the tunnel another 25-30 feet away formed into a curve. My goal was to see if I could work distance with Cash. The neighbors Golden, Goldendoodle and Shih Tzu were in their backyard so we had some distractions as well. The neighbors have an invisible fence and both of the large dogs wear the collars. The Shih Tzu does not. We do have split rail fence between the yards and along the back lot lines.

It took longer to set up and tear down when we were done, but I'm a big fan of ending on a high note after very short practices. Cash was AWESOME (aren't they all in their own yard?). He held his start line stay consistently (YAY!), had obstacle discrimination and was consistently taking whichever jump I directed to the tire and back to whichever jump and back to me. I ended with him being about 5 feet behind me and gave him his release word as soon as he focused on the jump. I stopped at the jump and said, "Go tunnel," and he was off in a flash, through the tunnel about 30 feet away and charged back over the jump. What a good boy!

Now if we can just get that touch thing to be as consistent......

Great dog, shame about the handler

Poor Cash has an idiot for a handler. He was AWESOME last night and only messed up when he followed my body language. It is so true in agility that the dogs only do what the handler cues them to. Sigh...

When the only "issue" we are having is the touch at the bottom of the A frame, that's not bad and is fixable. He did a teeter with about an 18" drop (not bad when he is only 11.5" at the shoulder). He wasn't real fast, but drove to the end and held the 4 on the board.

We are starting to work distance and he will be fine once I get my mind around the cues and what NOT to do.

Next week is our last agility class until June and we'll have lots to work on during our hiatus.

In for a penny, in for a pound

Friday night's rally class was excellent! I think the combination of training for rally and agility simultaneously (classes are on different nights but during the same time frame) has really helped in both areas. Cash's SLS and focus are better in agility I think because of rally and his focus in rally is better because of agility. Maybe the fact that we are at class on both Wednesdays (agility) and Fridays (rally) helps too since he doesn't have time to forget.

As the title infers, I entered him in Novice A rally at the Seward County KC show in Seward, NE on April 28 and 29. The entry was mailed this past week, so no turning back now!

Flyball is going to go by the wayside at this point. He's fast, focused and has a great flip turn but doesn't CARE about tennis balls. We both have enough to do with agility and rally so at this point we're bowing out of flyball. Maybe down the road we'll try it again.

Progress.... YES!

We actually saw some real progress tonight at agility class. First area was two sets of 2x2 weaves about 15 ft. apart. Cash consistently found the entry with me on either side and had great speed. Next was the dogwalk or in our case, the stairs. In previous classes this session, two of the 3 instructors had put Cash on the DW but now the ante has been upped. He will hold a 2o2o and will do a head bob with an occasional actual touch, but the instructors now expect a solid touch, so back to the stairs. He's solid on the 2o2o but looks at me more than he should. Something to work on.

Next section was the teeter, something he was somewhat fearful of a couple of weeks ago, but better last week. Tonight he was charging down the teeter with it set at about a 6 inch drop onto a table and solidly holding all four feet on the end. YAY!

We then did a sequence of a jump, tunnel, back to the first jump the other way, table, tire, jump. To be able to play he had to hold a start line stay, and DID! However, Christy said I owed her a DQ blizzard if he tunnel sucked after the last jump. (What size and flavor would you like?)

Last sequence was four jumps set up about 15 ft. apart, side by side, in a square.

Kind of like:

__3___ __2___



__4___ __1___



Dog facing North starting at bottom right jump. Jump, jump, turn to left, dog heading South, jump, jump. The idea is for the handler to try not to move out of the middle. It's tougher than it looks but Cash did great and I needed to super glue my shoes to the floor.

Next sequence:

__2___ __3___



_____ __1/4___



Handler does a pivot into the dog directing him to jump 2, 3, 4. Once again Cash must have listened to the instructions because he did it perfect, no matter what I did. I am beginning to think I should have paid more attention in those dance classes my parents sent me to when I was a kid because graceful I am not.

I felt very encouraged after class and am actually feeling like we're making progress.

Hangin' out in the backyard

The weather was so beautiful this evening that I set up a jump and two sets of two pole weaves in the backyard. Cash was so cranked up to work he was barking at me, which he seldom does. We did some one jump directionals and worked on getting speed and focus through the weaves. We're training weaves using the 2 X 2 method as in Susan Garrett's book, Shaping Success and Cash is looking for and finding the opening pretty consistently. We also worked heavily on a START LINE STAY (had to put that in CAPS in case one of my instructors trips over this blog). Considering the rabbit scent must be strong in our yard, Cash was very focused and HELD HIS STAY CONSISTENTLY!!! Now if he'll just do that at class.... All in all a good time and the pooped poodle is sacked out at my feet.

Another so-so agility class

We split into teams again last night. Cash's first obstacle was the A frame where he was so wound up he only did a passable 2o2o with a half assed nose touch. I know the reason for the nose touch is to make sure the dog keeps their spine straight and for them to keep their weight back on the rear end and not jam their shoulders into the floor, but I am having a tough time getting him to do it with any consistency without using a target. I just have to keep trying the fade the target.

Our next area was a jump to a chute to a table. Jumping has NEVER been a problem but he hasn't seen too many full chutes and kind of got a little tangled up in it and then didn't want to enter it at all. It took all of our 2.5 minutes allocated to get him through it once.

The next area was four jumps in a square. SLS was still iffy at best and unfortunately he still has an idiot for a handler with two left feet. Fortunately Cash has a forgiving soul and managed to not only hold his SLS a couple of times but to recover from where I sent him to actually take the right jumps in order.

Our last area was also his best. Two sets of weave poles about 15 feet apart were set up to see if he could find the entrance. He loves weave poles and was consistent and fast at finding the entrance and driving through them to a thrown toy. I'm so fortunate to have such an enthusiastic partner in this endeavor. We'll keep working on consistency.

Based on last night, I'm thinking we won't be entering the agility trial on June 2/3 at NHS. But a good night at class with focus could change that thinking too.

It's called flyBALL for a reason....

Cash and I attended flyball class this afternoon. There are only 3 (sometimes 4) dog/handler teams in our beginner class. Cash's appearance in this class came at the second lesson after our other toy poodle, Keegan, (that's him over there on the right) was rediagnosed with collapsing trachea and a heart murmur on the left side. Keegan had been to one class and showed promise as a flyball dog (he LOVES tennis balls) but after getting his latest health report I decided to retire him to the position of couch potato. He will be 9 years old on April 29th. He still beats the crap out of Cash in play whenever he feels like it (generally at least once a day) but I didn't want to stress him with the high intensity of flyball and send him to an early grave. Enter Cash who couldn't care less about tennis balls but has a ton of intensity, speed and focus. His flipturns on the box are to die for, but what good is a flyball dog if he won't grab the ball?? However he did a perfect 2o2o on the box this afternoon which got a laugh from Lyndsy, one of the instuctors who had been in a previous agility class with us. I don't know how long this flyball foray will continue, but we'll see if he gets the hang of it and enjoys it, we may take another class.

A rescue tale

Last December our neighbor across the street, Billie, had to have her old Westie put to sleep. It was seldom I didn't see Billie walking Mitzi at least once a day through the neighborhood, and sometimes 3 and 4 times. Billie would sit out in a lawn chair in the shade next to her driveway with Mitzi at her side on most nice summer afternoons. Billie is in her mid 60's, retired and widowed and a nicer person you couldn't find. She has a beautiful covered deck on the back of her home with steps that lead down to a fenced yard.

A few weeks ago we got to talking and she said how she missed Mitzi and the companionship she gave Billie. I suggested a poodle. "Oh no," she said, "poodles are SO expensive, I couldn't afford one, although I love your guys." Truth be told, Billie would have sacrificed anything for Mitzi and I KNEW there was a poodle out there somewhere waiting for Billie.

I contacted Nebraska Poodle Rescue and spoke with Debbie. I had seen a page on their petfinders site with a 5 year old black toy spayed female, but they wanted her to go to a home with her 5 year old cream toy neutered male companion, and I didn't think Billie was up for getting two dogs at once. Debbie asked me if I had seen Mr. Teddy on their site. I had and wanted to hear his story. Apparently Teddy came to his present owner, Irene, from a Texas rescue about a year ago. Teddy is now approximately two years old. Irene was looking to place Teddy because of health issues she came down with recently. After showing Billie Teddy's picture and telling her his story, we called Irene and asked to come meet him last Friday (March 16th). When Irene brought Teddy out he was shaking like a leaf as he sat next to her on the couch. He is a pale cream, roughly 16" or 17" at the withers and about 20 lbs. After about 10 minutes Irene asked Billie to switch places with her. Within a few minutes Teddy had snuggled up to Billie with his head on her knee. Irene told us a couple of other people had visited to look at Teddy. One was a young woman who went to school full time and worked full time. Irene said no. Another couple with three young children came to see Teddy and again, based on his reaction to them, Irene said no. Irene told us she was looking for someone like her, who was home during the day and could give Teddy the love and attention he deserved. Another couple of hours and Teddy was in his crate in the back of my van and Billie and Irene were exchanging hugs and tears on Irene's driveway. When she offered Irene payment for Teddy, Irene told Billie, "No, you are the perfect forever home for him."

It's a week later now and Billie is head over heels in love with a poodle she never thought she could afford. There have been no accidents in the house and when Billie sits down to watch TV or read, Teddy is snuggled next to her leg. Teddy spent the first night quietly in his crate, but on Saturday night as Billie was getting ready to go to bed, he leaped on her bed with a look only a poodle can give, as if to say, "You know I think you made a wee mistake last night, putting me in that box. You didn't REALLY mean to do that, did you? I'm sure you meant for me to sleep right next to you, right?" And that's where he's slept since then. My small part in this whole scenario has given me such a great feeling and I feel it was fate that led Billie to Teddy.

I love you to death but you're making me crazy!

Last Wednesday (March 21) was the second class in this session of agility. We are working on contacts. Cash is pretty solid on 2on/2off on the stairs but seems to have a problem touching without using a target or my hand. He did well enough for my team instructor (Patty) to move him to the A frame. He held a solid 2o2o at the bottom only working 4 feet or so up onto the frame and then back to the bottom on one side. Christy had him try the dogwalk. He got across it nervously by being treated every second step but held 2o2o once he got to the other end and was much better coming back. Teeter was better than last week although he is suddenly uncomfortable with the motion. This was the nutcase that loved the buja board.... Sigh....

Start line stay is once again a problem. He just seems to become unfocused as the time at class lengthens. I have to keep reminding myself he's young, but feel we need to take a step back and work more on attention and focus on me at home. I was about ready to strangle him. I put him in a sit in front of a line of jumps and he's looking everywhere but at me and then decides to stand up. Put him back in a sit, wait for attention and focus on the first jump. Finally get it and we're off. Jumping has never been a problem, but this start line stay issue is starting to annoy me. Instructors are trying to be diplomatic (most of the time) about making sure I understand he has to hold a sit/stay at the line. I GET IT!!! Would you like me to velcro his ass to the floor??? Hmmmmm????

I have to admit there was ONE shining moment. Toward the end of the sequence there was a square of jumps set up and a tunnel at one end. I was to place him to start at the tunnel and then jump, front cross to another jump, jump, jump, with some complicated handling between jumps. The little shit held the SLS like I had had him cast in bronze! I mean HELD it for like, A MINUTE! Of course once I released him and he came flying through the tunnel to the jumps, I completely got confused with the jump pattern and became a total bumbling idiot. I think I was SO impressed with the SLS that I had a complete brain fart with the rest of the course. He so deserves a better handler.