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.