tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10940449343329307572024-02-19T08:24:14.191-05:00House of Spots - See Spot Run. See Spot Jump.The online adventures of 3 spotty dogsKimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.comBlogger416125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-61887527418018726932013-07-13T21:23:00.000-04:002013-07-13T21:24:33.147-04:00Spotty who?<br />
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-40953416304810687382011-10-09T21:29:00.003-04:002011-10-09T22:30:15.488-04:00Team Three Blondes<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Hmm, based on my blog posts, it would appear that I'm running a week behind on life these days. Sounds about right. :)<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Peyton and I had our annual USDAA team event last weekend with our Golden friends. After last year's less than stellar performance, I had zero intentions of playing again this year, but Lisa convinced me that it would be a shame to let such cool team t-shirts go to waste. (They are fun shirts!)<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Even though our weekend wasn't all that impressive on paper, we had some really great runs and finished the weekend with a team Q. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">On a slightly entertaining note, we did manage to get called on 7 up-contacts in 7 runs. That's impressive, I think. :) Silly USDAA. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/o23_1NiJzFo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It's funny, but I think I was most proud of our snooker run, which was at the end of a *very* long day on Saturday. I was tired, Peyton was tired, and the sun was blinding, yet we managed to make it almost all the through the course even after he knocked a bar in the opening. Considering Peyton usually takes any obstacle in his path (and often those that are not), I was really happy that he stuck with me. Unfortunately we were whistled off in the closing when he missed the teeter up-contact, but otherwise it was a fun run. Snooker, fun? Huh. Did I just say that? :) On another positive note, in seven runs, we only had one (little) off-course jump - that's got to be a record! Love my spotty boy. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Our trial season is off to a great start!</span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-8196866147749860312011-09-23T21:30:00.004-04:002011-09-23T22:23:10.358-04:00QQ!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We did it...our first double Q! Gee, maybe we should take 4 months off more often. :) </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We had a great time at the SOTC trial last weekend - some really fun runs and good times with friends we haven't seen in awhile. Saturday was our QQ day - although I wasn't thrilled with our runs, I was super happy with Peyton. In standard, I *almost* missed my walkthrough and while I wasn't exactly sure where we were going, Peyton did a great job of sticking with me and we finished 1st in a large 24" class! Our JWW run had me a little worried (I don't think I've ever seen him so pokey), but again, we managed to be clean with a 2nd place. </span></div><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R0y-9xBLu4M?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I don't know if he was just tired, or hot, or maybe half asleep, but it was a really long day and I'm guessing that he was pretty much toast at that point. Even though he's in good shape, I think we tend to forget how physically and mentally stressful trials can be, especially after a relatively lazy summer. In any case, I would much rather have my happy speedy spotty, but I can't complain - he was trying so hard. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Even though we weren't "clean", I thought our runs on Sunday were much more fun! Peyton was awesome, even though I was suffering from a bad case of over-handling. I really need to do a better job of reading my dog and trusting him when he's actually running well and paying attention. :) Obnoxious handler! BUT - we did have a little bit of a start-line stay in JWW that I was pretty proud of. I think I'm going to start playing with them a bit more this season in trials. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pXvqJv5U60I?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">SO SO proud of my best spotty dog! :)</span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-52896516703752453892011-09-10T23:06:00.003-04:002011-09-10T23:21:47.010-04:00Happy Derby Day!!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">Today is Derby's first birthday! Ahhh, how is it possible my little spotted monster is a year old?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">We had a really great day - obedience class this morning followed by swimming and playing with our best Golden friends. We then headed to our favorite holistic pet store where Derby got to see more friends and give out lots of hugs and kisses. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">This afternoon he got a "special birthday bath" (how's that for a positive spin) and then we had a little party with the "grandparents" complete with puppy ice cream and new toys. Whew! I'm sure he could keep going (and going and going), but *I'm* exhausted.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">Without getting all mushy, all I can say is that I just love this spotty boy. :) Even though he sometimes makes me want to pull my hair out, he makes me smile and laugh out loud every single day. I'm looking forward to many fun adventures together! </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of, we've got a month or so break from our weekend dock diving adventures, but I though I'd share video from our last dock diving practice. He's really getting some air! Whodathunk I'd have myself a little diving spotty?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DdW3PUUUsIM?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy Birthday, Derby pup! Here's to many, many more! </span>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-36828990076434993452011-09-09T22:22:00.003-04:002011-09-10T23:19:27.393-04:00Return to Sender<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; ">Sometimes captions aren't needed...</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Fp1W3Mljmw9orlcWsOA3yCByNiycfeJvGLW_tNTA2padYoM-hHE7pE6lHdZgAhmAGQtOB5d_DIy5Rj6KKo1x0uQJzV9uDS6PsqqpscGpNaTOGsPN-sFe3VVRtM-ZI1RuW2miZ0uShKg/s1600/Peyton_Derby_Swim.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Fp1W3Mljmw9orlcWsOA3yCByNiycfeJvGLW_tNTA2padYoM-hHE7pE6lHdZgAhmAGQtOB5d_DIy5Rj6KKo1x0uQJzV9uDS6PsqqpscGpNaTOGsPN-sFe3VVRtM-ZI1RuW2miZ0uShKg/s720/Peyton_Derby_Swim.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650936253692285506" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm certain that he loves the little monster pup (really), but I'm also certain that Peyton would also be perfectly happy as an only spotty. I'm constantly amazed at how tolerant he is, although he definitely makes his opinion known, complete with heavy sighs and an array of pouty faces. If only he could roll his eyes..</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">I've seen some big changes in Peyton over the past few months. I can't really put my finger on exactly what it is, but he's been more relaxed in general and extra affectionate, even with people that he really doesn't know all that well. Who knows, maybe at age 5, he's finally figured out how to be (relatively) comfortable in his own skin. I don't dare use the word "mature" though. :)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">I think he's had a good summer, even though we haven't done a whole lot - that's what breaks are for, I suppose. He's really enjoyed running around the field while I set up for my classes twice a week and occasionally, we've run a sequence or two (he's my guinea pig for a lot of the courses I set up), but other than that, not much in the way of training. Which is fine until it recently occurred to me that our first trial of the season is next weekend. Oops. I'm guessing that we'll be a tad (or perhaps a lot) bit rusty, but it sure will be fun to get back in the ring. </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">On an unrelated note, apparently the spotty boys have recently decided that they are master hunters. It all started a few weeks ago when I had Derby out just a little before midnight and he caught a frog (or toad?) and proceeded to run laps around the backyard with it hanging out of his mouth (while I'm shrieking dropitdropitdropitdropitnow). It was dark, but I *think* he finally did drop it considering I didn't see any evidence of frog parts afterwards. My apologies to any neighbors I woke up that night. </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">Not to be outdone by the little brat, Peyton caught a mouse last week. I didn't see it happen, but heard squeaking sounds and once I realized there wasn't a toy in his mouth, I asked him to drop it (which he did immediately - good boy!) and there was a poor little mouse. Unfortunately the mouse did not survive. Don't tell Peyton, but I'm not convinced that the mouse wasn't a little mentally or physically ill. Really, I don't think he's a natural hunter. :) </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">This new obsession with catching critters has continued and for some reason my backyard has turned into a frog farm this year. They are everywhere. Derby is thrilled. Me, not so much. I'm pretty sure that they are of the harmless variety, but 1.) I like frogs and really don't want to see them eaten, 2.) frog herding is not how I prefer to spend my evenings and 3.) while practical, all this "leave-it" frog training really isn't much fun. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;">Stupid, suicidal frogs.</span></span></div></div></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-73361446219885680862011-08-12T22:46:00.000-04:002011-08-12T00:19:16.687-04:00Splash Dogs!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">So the other night I decided to finally put together a big 'ol long post about the joys (read: frustrations) of adolescent spotty boy dogs and after re-reading it, I wasn't sure that all my random thoughts put together really made a whole lot of sense. That's what I get for attempting to catch up on blogging when I should be catching up on sleep. ;) </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Long rambling story short: rather than fighting my (at the time) 9 month old puppy when his brain suddenly decided to move south (and I'm not referring to geography), I opted for a little attitude adjustment on my part and a new training plan that focused on fun with minimal frustrations. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Basically, when the going gets tough, the tough go dock diving. :) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Exhibit A: Fun! No stress! Stays! Happy spotty pup! Happy Kim!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3VqRkuAy2yk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I know I say this waaaay to much, but...isn't he adorable!? :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Now this isn't to say that I've completely abandoned any other training; I'm just trying to train a little bit smarter not push for more than Derby is mentally able to give me in any given situation. He *is* a good puppy (I can say that now that we're mostly past the I-must-pee-on-everything stage) and I'm really happy with how he's progressing. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Before I start rambling again, we have some fun news - Derby competed in his first "Splash Dogs" event this past weekend! I use the term "competed" lightly because we really just entered to have a chance to play at a new location. I was confident that he would be fine with the environment (dogs, people, etc.) and was pretty sure he would jump, even if it took me going in first. ;) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">He did fabulous! In our first "splash" (two jumps), his best jump was over 9 feet and in the finals (2 jumps), his best was 10'6". He originally placed 7th overall in the Junior finals (which I was thrilled with), but we found out the next day that they didn't have him in the correct division so he actually finished 1st in his splash and 1st in the Splash finals! Needless to say, he totally exceeded my expectations.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I definitely had my hands full with all of the new smells and distractions, but once he got up on the dock, his focus was great...and he held his stay! So proud of my little spotty boy. :) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Here's a little video - I didn't get all the jumps, but the second one is his jump in the finals. </span></div>
<br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hqhvWRH3j0U?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div>
<br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I almost forgot - the cute little Dal girl he was flirting with at the end of the video is Emma. It was such a nice surprise to see her and her mom Amy at the event! They live on the East coast and this was their first dock diving competition too (they did great!). Hopefully we'll be seeing them a lot more in the future!</span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-83479409932945188372011-07-09T22:37:00.004-04:002011-07-09T23:28:21.268-04:00Jumping Spotty!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Oh my poor neglected little spotty blog...one of these days I'll get back to regular updates. Hopefully. :) I'm sure y'all are getting real tired of swimming videos, but considering it is very HOT down here, and we haven't been doing a whole lot of training in general, that's about all I've got for the time being. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I'm a few weeks behind, but I thought I'd share Derby's first time diving off the "big kid" dock. At first, he really wasn't sure what he was supposed to do (and boy was he MAD), but after I jumped in, the lightbulb came on. I felt a little ridiculous, but hey - it worked. :) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1lljVabvoiI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Last week he didn't think twice about jumping right in - he did great! At this point, he's pretty much jumping from a standstill, but he seems to be getting the hang of it so I'm guessing we'll start adding a little bit of distance in soon. At the very end we introduced the "speed retrieve", which admittedly wasn't super speedy but considering he's not exactly a "water dog", I think he did pretty darn good. And oh my gosh, is he not ADORABLE!? </span></div><div><br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yOQZ86Rv5y4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">These videos make me smile. :) So much fun! I do have some other random training thoughts and updates to share, but they will have to wait until my brain is fully functional. In addition to having a crazy busy schedule lately, I've been really sick this past week and am just now starting to feel slightly human again. Soon! </span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-13528261221280336642011-06-23T10:13:00.005-04:002011-06-23T16:35:11.846-04:00Future Dock Diver?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Derby was introduced to the "real" dock diving pool last weekend! He did great! </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We took a little intro class where he learned to jump off the ramp for a toy. Actually "learned" is a stretch since he pretty much dragged me up the stairs and right into the water! This spotty boy most definitely does not lack confidence. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Nothing overly exciting at this point, but I thought I'd share a little video:<br /></span><br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_O7TvwWKilo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">He really had a such a fun time and it was a little challenging to get him *out* of the pool. In the first clip you can hear me calling him and he was all LALALALALALA I can't heeeeeeaaaaaaar you. I'm sure he just had water in his ears. :) Naughty spotty.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Next time we'll try him off the actual dock. I'm excited! Now I just need to work on getting rid of my horrendous farmer's tan. And to think I live in Florida. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">On a different note, GOOD LUCK to all of my friends competing in DACOF this weekend! I'm extremely bummed that we won't be there, but it just wasn't in the cards for this year. Happy fast, FUN, clean runs to you all!</span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-47703481235618484162011-06-18T21:49:00.003-04:002011-06-18T22:20:40.061-04:00Beach Spotty<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I think it's safe to say that Derby is *officially* a swimmin' spotty. A few weekends ago (yes, I'm a bad blogger) I took him to a little dog beach on the bay and he had a grand time!</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">While I can't say juggling a spotty, a toy and my iphone *in* the water was the smartest thing I've ever done, these events have to be documented, right?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Please forgive the mediocre, unedited iphone pictures. :)</span><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCT_F4pbXPlWZpjYxDyPedamOswlfT_c71_hMSyhxJKtC7hQw80-vvH4ZQtVsLxmQqVyfLFKUu9QgQXXWeLFfGBThNToEgNjhfT4FU4UxWhoi2plsy0eiqvfOZ07Pczd79uQZehyphenhyphenkGGFQ/s1600/Derby_Beach6.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCT_F4pbXPlWZpjYxDyPedamOswlfT_c71_hMSyhxJKtC7hQw80-vvH4ZQtVsLxmQqVyfLFKUu9QgQXXWeLFfGBThNToEgNjhfT4FU4UxWhoi2plsy0eiqvfOZ07Pczd79uQZehyphenhyphenkGGFQ/s720/Derby_Beach6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619742531391919554" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQSm1T3kohxHczifLD2CeL6matRi66GStLXqFEEnlIcUQT-YLA2jXfdOv1lcjzti8HVoDTcnc8l2Oa0byYxgfK3z4WzmepCf2isqABqNYv7REwbbPPWFHrzvkm-AEEArqn7Oa8-VWtlU/s1600/Derby_Beach5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQSm1T3kohxHczifLD2CeL6matRi66GStLXqFEEnlIcUQT-YLA2jXfdOv1lcjzti8HVoDTcnc8l2Oa0byYxgfK3z4WzmepCf2isqABqNYv7REwbbPPWFHrzvkm-AEEArqn7Oa8-VWtlU/s720/Derby_Beach5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619742524315150818" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGWaKIPlaIA91bMU0GQHFuQ9eKFFReT-9Mq4CC6aNWe-ASeoveUetF1hCCkbBmjRLdV_nB21JImcMVZlY_ugYTsM2Bxx-GdPXlmMiW-X3hfi-j1RRCNxxV2Wj7kgKHZtw94w98fWr4s0/s1600/Derby_Beach3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGWaKIPlaIA91bMU0GQHFuQ9eKFFReT-9Mq4CC6aNWe-ASeoveUetF1hCCkbBmjRLdV_nB21JImcMVZlY_ugYTsM2Bxx-GdPXlmMiW-X3hfi-j1RRCNxxV2Wj7kgKHZtw94w98fWr4s0/s720/Derby_Beach3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619742523303741298" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8AZ6NAKpTbfqCwvIDRIAXMTAVuRFsJkPbM15IGjt35Abkl04rXg1KLXGEAMMOKjf-PqERl0TWoU83fdpRW2IOQ2YKHE7dQDInCaQooCGB-swBrRZVC7U-GvU6y8g1o7c7wwANZTRXA28/s1600/Derby_Beach4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8AZ6NAKpTbfqCwvIDRIAXMTAVuRFsJkPbM15IGjt35Abkl04rXg1KLXGEAMMOKjf-PqERl0TWoU83fdpRW2IOQ2YKHE7dQDInCaQooCGB-swBrRZVC7U-GvU6y8g1o7c7wwANZTRXA28/s720/Derby_Beach4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619742519112102386" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfJojPQ5JsE434opn7zE8kqeKGxILSLyW6WgMS6oxv-yGORt5HPUhkSq3HBOFWJMy9BvehXTjVhHa_iiQrxbTs3RZs2STVXTji42wME6P3PYGrgt6bUkt0tbM9xCcaumYzOyH1d09q_U/s1600/Derby_Beach2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfJojPQ5JsE434opn7zE8kqeKGxILSLyW6WgMS6oxv-yGORt5HPUhkSq3HBOFWJMy9BvehXTjVhHa_iiQrxbTs3RZs2STVXTji42wME6P3PYGrgt6bUkt0tbM9xCcaumYzOyH1d09q_U/s720/Derby_Beach2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619742511718761650" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLjDDpb4rs7KGFc_-zkImpl5Iu7-7i2jWv7-u0v4ECj4fkyEkMA9Iy66Zw7h1GDxaXAzT8ceR1CsF0UUzBA5YDJ8JlXgQSec01q56tsRYwnU0_nNtbjUq2nb0JgTfYhLzdVD6M1Im-kU/s1600/Derby_Beach1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLjDDpb4rs7KGFc_-zkImpl5Iu7-7i2jWv7-u0v4ECj4fkyEkMA9Iy66Zw7h1GDxaXAzT8ceR1CsF0UUzBA5YDJ8JlXgQSec01q56tsRYwnU0_nNtbjUq2nb0JgTfYhLzdVD6M1Im-kU/s720/Derby_Beach1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619742693307653746" /></a></div></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-45108041146730226232011-05-31T22:07:00.005-04:002011-06-01T08:41:52.747-04:00Bar Hopping<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I thought bar hopping sounded like more fun than bar crashing. :)</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We had a really fun agility weekend! Aside from one spazztastic, stressy FAST run on Sunday morning, Peyton was pretty darn super for the rest of the trial. We ended up with just one (insert word of choice here) bar in each of our jumpers runs, had a flakey spotty moment followed later by a flakey blonde moment in Sunday's standard run, and he went around the tire near the end of a tricky standard course on Monday. So another Not-Quite weekend, but fun, nonetheless. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I find it funny (in a not-so-funny way) that one bar down in an otherwise clean run is starting to become a bit of a trend. This coming from the dog that very rarely (unless I am *super* obnoxious in my handling) knocks bars. Considering he really is a talented jumper, I don't take the bar knocking too seriously, but it is a tad bit frustrating. I'd like to say it's the footing or the heat or the stress or the ?...but honestly I just think it's bad luck. I've heard that this game is humbling, but at this point, I think I'm quite humble enough, thank you very much. ;)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Here are two jumpers runs on video. In the first run, I don't think that the judge noticed the bar at first, and not that I ever want a "gift", but I found it amusing/annoying that someone felt the need to tell her even after 2 bar setters ran in to fix the bar *right* in front of her. Too funny. :)</span></div><br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VEbPc7yNjO0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I was really, really happy with these runs! I thought he was pretty sluggish on Sunday (it was super hot and humid), but that was still a 29 second run and would have good enough for first in a large 24" class. Good spotty!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I think we are now "officially" on trial break until September and now that it's getting pretty miserable outside, I'm not going to complain too much. Breaks are definitely good (physically and mentally) so hopefully we'll come back well rested and ready to rock-n-roll in the fall. :)</span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-61320934853452815152011-05-27T20:20:00.004-04:002011-05-28T21:49:52.906-04:00No More Thinking!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Not too much exciting to report around here! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">Peyton has been in an especially good mood lately. We haven't been doing a ton of training, but he has been working so nice and happy. I was just thinking this week about how happy he's been and the fact that we haven't had any odd issues and sure enough that same evening, goofy Peyton returned. During class, Peyton decided to run his a-frame and when I stopped to fuss at him, I must have leaned down while he jumped up and I accidently (barely) poked him near his eye. Of course he screamed and proceed to trot around with his tail between his legs acting like he had been beaten. He recovered enough to have some decent runs, but he was definitely suspicious. See, that's what I get for thinking! Poor Peyton. We have a local trial tomorrow and Monday so we'll see if he remembers. If he remembers anything, hopefully it is to stop on his contacts. ;)</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">As for Derby, he seems to be 100% so we've pretty much resumed normal activity. Hopefully he stays sound...I don't think *I* can take any more extended crate rest! After such a long break, we're trying to get back in the swing of training and of course, during the break his hormones decided to kick into gear. Sooo...return of the brainless puppy. Fabulous. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">On a good note, he loves his weekly swimming sessions at the Golden pool! While he probably won't make any canine Olympic swimming team, he is doing really good. I've included some recent video - it's probably not very exciting to anyone but me, but having a dog that enjoys playing in a pool is still a novelty to me. And of course, he is soooo stinkin' cute! </span></div><div><br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PfZMsNGp-74?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Peyton joined us during a night swimming party and while he had a grand time running around the pool, I would be very surprised if he ever decided to get in. Derby figured out pretty quickly that if he kept his toys in the water, they were safe. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Since I'm playing catch up, here are a few pictures from last week. I had to test my lights and the spotties are always good subjects.<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSa8gUnVXJGM9xWrnhwomkpFFfsZM-8IUOgFKzH_w41mHUSsQRVbgvQdrvh3I_7yXvMEeMCaTApm9McAo_hnTohwBpgBqfjqKpay3TxOVxx6FIFrzkHKjnXsAfv69HQCBCQz6wpid2Cw/s1600/Derby_8months2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSa8gUnVXJGM9xWrnhwomkpFFfsZM-8IUOgFKzH_w41mHUSsQRVbgvQdrvh3I_7yXvMEeMCaTApm9McAo_hnTohwBpgBqfjqKpay3TxOVxx6FIFrzkHKjnXsAfv69HQCBCQz6wpid2Cw/s720/Derby_8months2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611555598425192994" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrqtvaef2o9drQbiAbwe_CCpS29P8IJUvWABmL9mgx1vw6m-0nWJiVFlfNxGqCuT5E6Y1iPvCquYk5Kor2jYurJZh9Xl_Ab6-QnEjE6hPShur4lofmk5KA0K9FLpoO11MgzP-s1tVFkw/s1600/Derby_8months3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrqtvaef2o9drQbiAbwe_CCpS29P8IJUvWABmL9mgx1vw6m-0nWJiVFlfNxGqCuT5E6Y1iPvCquYk5Kor2jYurJZh9Xl_Ab6-QnEjE6hPShur4lofmk5KA0K9FLpoO11MgzP-s1tVFkw/s720/Derby_8months3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611555594159975570" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Peyton is *the* biggest camera hog! He is always happy to play model and was not very happy that Derby was in *his* picture...</span></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CBTmvt0SSzzAksX_fD3OUGFkACV9CL9udFBsE3_KcGICXW0jZFtPVozXe8PTEdbCLcVbUn7KMFnWl5v2mGaXpHr34yc4qvMMPmMG3wklbtTMGy8Tz7ozAHuvvFoM8KF1wbGb0vPKiUc/s1600/Derby_Peyton3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CBTmvt0SSzzAksX_fD3OUGFkACV9CL9udFBsE3_KcGICXW0jZFtPVozXe8PTEdbCLcVbUn7KMFnWl5v2mGaXpHr34yc4qvMMPmMG3wklbtTMGy8Tz7ozAHuvvFoM8KF1wbGb0vPKiUc/s720/Derby_Peyton3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611555594523056402" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">And just for fun... :)</span></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViQ_YMRkME1i8Ygy3umb9BwgpfTw9nCTXhf6crQ107rXnmKCM0hg2OcbFWmaUzd8qyUb8wiwl3PpDDDSHLMO1LTrkxgBUOzKoeV6UWG5tcEgDtA79HAum4oQdvSHoSge83knKeGFl-FI/s1600/Derby_Peyton.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViQ_YMRkME1i8Ygy3umb9BwgpfTw9nCTXhf6crQ107rXnmKCM0hg2OcbFWmaUzd8qyUb8wiwl3PpDDDSHLMO1LTrkxgBUOzKoeV6UWG5tcEgDtA79HAum4oQdvSHoSge83knKeGFl-FI/s720/Derby_Peyton.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611555589586224786" /></a><br /></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend! </span>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-19754477863531660152011-05-11T14:18:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:34:39.216-04:00Swimmin' Spotty!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Derby pup is learning how to swim! I've been itching to get him in the water for months, but up until a few weeks ago, it's been just a little too chilly. I can't say much good about having an injured spotty pup, but it did get me motivated to get him swimming! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">He's not exactly a natural, but has made quite a bit of progress! Here's a little video of his third swim lesson. </span></div><br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rai7LgsDbTQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Gah, isn't he cute!? He's definitely figuring out how to use his legs and is doing a much better job of moving forward and not just splashing in place. :) He seems to really enjoy it...a few times he jumped in on his own and he loves just standing on the steps and splashing in the water. SO CUTE. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I hope to get him over to the "golden pool" at least once or twice a week. I think it will be great conditioning for him and who knows, maybe it will help with his (lack of) coordination. :) </span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-2058868696349242762011-05-05T10:11:00.005-04:002011-05-08T20:26:15.794-04:00Breaks, Birthdays and Bubblewrap<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b>Breaks.</b> I don't think I'm doing very well with the whole "break" concept. Is there a support group for agility trial addicts? I ended up entering a local trial last weekend and then entered another one at the end of the month. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">I just can't help it...it's too tempting when we have trials so close to home! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">After that we're done for the summer. Maybe.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">We had a *really* good day on Saturday...just one bar from a QQ. Peyton was running so well and was probably the most relaxed (for Peyton) he's been in a while. We qualified in JWW (!) and despite one ugly tunnel call-off (bad handler!), he still took 3rd in the class. Good spotty! </span></div><br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iHXZqmg67OI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Sunday was a different story; our standard run was all over the place and JWW was just messy. I think I had 5 front crosses planned in the first 10 obstacles and each one I got just a little further behind and the last one I was so behind I sent him off course. Poor Peyton; I think he might have been a little mad at his handler after that run. :) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Overall, it was a fun weekend. Still looking for that magic recipe for keeping Peyton relaxed and happy, but even a bad (using that term loosely) day at an agility trial is better than most other good days. Love my wild, moody, complicated spotty boy!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b>Birthdays.</b> Indy turned 7 last Sunday! She might not get a whole lot of blog time, but she *is* the only spotty who gets to go to Dairy Queen on her birthday. She thought that was pretty awesome. It's hard to believe she's 7...I swear she never changes. A (very amused) couple sitting next to us at DQ asked if it was her 1st birthday. :) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b>Bubblewrap.</b> Apparently one should not joke about wrapping a puppy in bubblewrap unless they are 100% serious. Poor Derby. We're about to start week 4 of "taking it easy" after he (most likely) pulled a ligament in his left hind knee. Exactly *how* he did it is a mystery; he just started holding his leg up one evening.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Sigh. There is nothing fun about trying to keep a 7 1/2 month old Dalmatian puppy down. He was really good the first week, but since then he has made it perfectly CLEAR that he's over this "take it easy" nonsense. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">On a positive note, he has been looking really good and I've not seen any obvious signs of limping since a few days after we saw the vet. Hopefully he's on the mend. I am, of course, a little nervous about his recovery. Did I mention he's not exactly graceful?</span></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe10aQQvrc2t37Io4JRklP5qTftnUG0In_7AtrK-mvlz5aLVO5Mivx92LAwKZX6o-Z_55aWSH7zjElP4g35WQMHl8f4aZPqweelKqwwnwVF1gC7VVT48M0rsjNbr-NwSdEF4msZbCRc0/s1600/DerbyHips.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 333px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe10aQQvrc2t37Io4JRklP5qTftnUG0In_7AtrK-mvlz5aLVO5Mivx92LAwKZX6o-Z_55aWSH7zjElP4g35WQMHl8f4aZPqweelKqwwnwVF1gC7VVT48M0rsjNbr-NwSdEF4msZbCRc0/s400/DerbyHips.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603235686340691458" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">At least we got to take home pretty pictures. :)</span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-70478626289088139952011-04-24T23:29:00.004-04:002011-04-25T00:07:29.447-04:00Happy Birthday Peyton!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">In addition to celebrating Easter today, we also celebrated Peyton's birthday! He's FIVE. That might be a pretty mature age for most dogs, but Peyton would like to remind everyone that he's still a baby. A really big baby. :)</span></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHpeuXRh5gcL3D2Z2WolAXKF2JYZRLT98Vv1rbxW7Ugjs0Rsp-27HHyYSHa53_OVnkIzYYEANMRlscAw5sKLs2MIV0uFt81Tewo3iDoa93vfjsfu_KA91v6Ys7xVQ_kTiDlAjuLRHVCs/s1600/Peyton_Derby.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHpeuXRh5gcL3D2Z2WolAXKF2JYZRLT98Vv1rbxW7Ugjs0Rsp-27HHyYSHa53_OVnkIzYYEANMRlscAw5sKLs2MIV0uFt81Tewo3iDoa93vfjsfu_KA91v6Ys7xVQ_kTiDlAjuLRHVCs/s720/Peyton_Derby.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599360174111810226" /></a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-75010612709776081812011-04-13T22:07:00.002-04:002011-04-14T00:04:22.981-04:00Training Pupdate<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><div>**Warning** - Long random, rambling post about puppy training so (hopefully) I can remember what we were doing at 7 months. :) </div><div><br /></div><div>Borrowed from a facebook update a few weeks ago....</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div>LOST: 6 month old spotty puppy brain. Male. Has been spotted on occasion, but disappears before it can be captured. Was in very good condition, Will likely require time and an abundance of patience to locate. REWARD. :)</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I was kidding (mostly), but lately Derby's motto does seem to be "brain today, gone tomorrow". A simple behavior request is often met with a blank stare (cue silence & birds chirping in the background). Patience, patience, patience, Kim. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">To be fair, there have been lots of brilliant moments mixed in with the brainless ones. He really *is* a good puppy...I just think he's at that age where an extra dose (or three) of patience is required on my part. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I'm really pretty happy about where we are training-wise. I've been taking it slow with lots of foundation work, but I'm starting to get a little more structured with my goals and plans, as opposed to working on whatever I feel like working on at any given moment. I think that taking classes helps in that department a lot since I usually come away with good feedback and new ideas/things to work on. He finished his basic obedience class in February and received his S.T.A.R. puppy designation (as if I needed to donate another $10 to AKC). Then we took a performance puppy class taught by a friend (all foundation stuff), and we just started a new beginner/foundation agility class last weekend. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We've also dropped into a few intermediate obedience classes where he totally exceeded my expectations (thank you for showing up, puppy brain!). His heeling is coming along nicely and his stays and recalls were brilliant. Near the end of the last class, we worked a figure 8 pattern and I don't think his eyes left mine...we received several nice complements on that. Good spotty pup! I had forgotten how much I enjoy training obedience type work.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">He really is a fun (and so far, relatively easy) dog to train. He's both food and toy motivated, which is great, and at this point I'm just trying to find a nice balance between the two. For the most part, I use food when I want him to think and tugging when I want enthusiasm. Because he tends to be a little too thoughtful and polite (IMO) at times, I'm using toys a little more than food at the moment. Thankfully he's got a pretty good on switch/off switch.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It's funny, but one of the bigger challenges we're having at the moment is his little awkward puppy body. He has *no* idea where his legs are and how they work at speed. I can't tell you how many times he's accidently run into me...during recalls at our agility class last weekend our instructor said he looked like Bambi on ice. :) I know it's temporary (at least I hope it is!), but I'm thinking about getting knee pads until he finds his brakes. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">As much as I enjoy working with him, I have to say that I love his temperament more than anything. He's just so darn easy to have around! At the last agility trial I had him out around the rings quite a bit and despite everything that was going on around him, he was happy to plop down and stretch out in the dirt and watch. As much as I love Peyton, it's such a nice change to not have to micromanage all the time. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">In other puppy news, at 7 months (and a few days), Derby is about the same height as Indy (20"-21"ish) and was around 50# when I last weighed him (a week or so ago, I think?). I don't really think he's going to get much taller, but we'll see. Everyone seems to think he looks big in pictures, but he's still a shrimp standing next to Peyton. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I have some pictures and video to share if I can ever manage to find a few more hours in the day. In the meantime, here's one of him looking very grownup-ish. </span></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8youce05IRyTSvzOEfl6ccAURMkvaCLKPwV6DeE6M5LTxJVFPqwewXEK6xx04d4Pq_7K_j4LMuH10DPN8SOhkpwudK7BrgxKuKlq5PBgpzqGTw4xChmQYC1HCZmJj2H-39-KX9Y5Wiw/s1600/Derby_7months.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8youce05IRyTSvzOEfl6ccAURMkvaCLKPwV6DeE6M5LTxJVFPqwewXEK6xx04d4Pq_7K_j4LMuH10DPN8SOhkpwudK7BrgxKuKlq5PBgpzqGTw4xChmQYC1HCZmJj2H-39-KX9Y5Wiw/s720/Derby_7months.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595271358523949330" /></a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-9597529052171831252011-04-01T22:44:00.003-04:002011-04-01T23:14:39.166-04:00Yay Indy!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We had our club agility trial last weekend (I'm just a tad bit behind) and Indy saved our NQ weekend with a lovely jumpers run. She was moving pretty good too...I think I did 5 front crosses (on a novice course!), which is probably a record for me. Not bad for my little girlie who trials 3 times a year! </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">As for Peyton...some good, some bad, but overall pretty inconsistent. We actually did much better on the jumpers courses, which is unusual. He just missed qualifying on Saturday by one stinkin' bar. One bar! My fault, of course. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I'm thinking that we might not be trialing again until the fall, which is kind of a bummer. I still feel like in order to really make progress we need to trial more frequently, but it just gets so expensive...and time consuming. So maybe a long break is in order. I feel like this season we've just not found a rhythm with training/trialing...so definitely something to work on. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The AKC Agility Nationals are this weekend in Virginia. I have several friends competing this year and I really wish I could be there! Not necessary to compete (although that would be nice *one* of these days)...I just enjoy watching really good agility (and rooting for friends, of course!). I'm settling for facebook updates and so far they've been pretty good. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">DCA Nationals are at the end of the month and I was really hoping to make it this year, but unfortunately that's not going to happen either. I am looking forward to updates from all my friends though (hint, hint!). We *will* make it sometime in the next few years, providing it's not too far away. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Derby pup is doing great - next post will be a training update. In the meantime, here are a few (old) pictures. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Nope, he doesn't have attitude. Not at all. :)<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbrr-uYDHZSE65-UTf9wFj6dav3UoeZ4pTI44RRxb50doSe9fVrHt6w3xZD_qnzcREczPwGSyVgSKStZmMoOymgyAc_PNfWaZytJNulhj-sOIY3fVRQISj4Qi8usWA0AXDJBKvpppmk4/s1600/Derby_6mo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbrr-uYDHZSE65-UTf9wFj6dav3UoeZ4pTI44RRxb50doSe9fVrHt6w3xZD_qnzcREczPwGSyVgSKStZmMoOymgyAc_PNfWaZytJNulhj-sOIY3fVRQISj4Qi8usWA0AXDJBKvpppmk4/s720/Derby_6mo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590811747475761682" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR7_rYqzkFjKWWGWB3QkEzJDfGFJ1MzTB9imZUMZEIdc-dT9aUES8RSSm61dOxqMz5yGvnAQOuFMaCL0ZIV2bYpyuQ0UZikvz2KXyKvC-4HX0YCmeoqZiEUyfSpJkkxNVu1ptyqlIeUs/s1600/Derby_6mo2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR7_rYqzkFjKWWGWB3QkEzJDfGFJ1MzTB9imZUMZEIdc-dT9aUES8RSSm61dOxqMz5yGvnAQOuFMaCL0ZIV2bYpyuQ0UZikvz2KXyKvC-4HX0YCmeoqZiEUyfSpJkkxNVu1ptyqlIeUs/s720/Derby_6mo2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590811746854164258" /></a><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Happy weekend! </span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-4988633153522401992011-03-17T23:07:00.007-04:002011-03-17T23:32:07.819-04:00Always Something<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">After several weeks of bizarre Peyton behavior, it appears that I have my happy spotty dog back. More about that in a few, but first I thought I'd share some video from this past weekend's trial.<br /></span><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BKfwFTgh-VM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It's really too bad we can't edit runs in real time, instead of waiting for video! Overall we had some nice runs, but the theme this weekend (for me) was poor use of motion. When I needed to *move*, I was being a weenie and when I needed to be *patient*, I was moving. Poor Peyton; he really does a good job putting up with me. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The good news is that he was happy...which brings me back to his bizarre behavior. Over the past several weeks, we've been dealing with the following:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Frantic grass eating</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Increased anxiety/nervousness</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Depressed behavior</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">Random shaking for no apparent reason</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Increased reactivity</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">OCD type behavior, including air biting</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It was very, very odd and very random. One minute he'd be anxious and the next he would act depressed. My vet checked him out and couldn't find anything obvious, and his blood work came back good so there really wasn't anything to explain why my spotty dog had suddenly lost his mind. Until...I remembered that he had a rabies vaccine a few days before all this started. Ugh. Because I do very little vaccinating, I didn't even think about it. The only reason why I had the rabies done is because a) it's required by law and b) because we do a fair amount of traveling.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">A friend of mine agreed that a "mental" reaction was very possible and suggested that I give him the homeopathic remedy Lyssin ASAP. I gave him a dose late one night and the next morning was the first in weeks where Peyton didn't wake me up pacing. And he's been back to pretty much his usual level of craziness ever since.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">While I can't say 100% that his behavior was due to a vaccine reaction, it seems the most likely culprit. Soooo, my PSA of the day is that if your dog seems to jump on the crazy train after a rabies vaccine, please consider the possibility of a reaction. It was certainly a very unnerving couple of weeks for me, but (fingers crossed) hopefully he's recovered now.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It's always something. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-3516140522852946352011-03-10T23:10:00.004-05:002011-03-10T23:51:48.346-05:00Happy 1/2 Birthday Derby!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Derby is 6 months old today! Can you believe I brought this little monster home 4 months ago? :)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSc5dGvJtdKs2jn6FfijOlKJFDWaLUwu980Tp2rvWKKWVcPJ7ts1eJQ90Xh3wA2MA9BUehyrzcl0CboOZSxbBk8dOEE0X0FjjpbKs9EV8mGpBkcdv4FyPR__at-2uPeUGGG9q7P7phO8/s1600/Derby_6months.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSc5dGvJtdKs2jn6FfijOlKJFDWaLUwu980Tp2rvWKKWVcPJ7ts1eJQ90Xh3wA2MA9BUehyrzcl0CboOZSxbBk8dOEE0X0FjjpbKs9EV8mGpBkcdv4FyPR__at-2uPeUGGG9q7P7phO8/s720/Derby_6months.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582671982211445362" /></a><br /><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Since I really don't have the energy for a full pupdate, I'm hoping a cute video will suffice. This is Derby with his best Golden bud, Finn. I didn't manage to really capture it on video, but he *loves* sticking his entire head in Finn's mouth. Silly pup. I don't know what he's going to do when his head no longer fits. :) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kaPGMD8BwIM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Happy 1/2 Derby Day! </span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-17609516565300929322011-03-06T09:11:00.004-05:002011-03-06T11:12:54.230-05:00More Derby Adventures<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It's hard to believe, but Derby pup will be 6 months old next week. Again, what happened to my "puppy"...he's looking so grown up these days! </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We've had a busy, busy week. Last Saturday he joined me at the Celebration of Pets in Sarasota - it was a huge event and he met hundreds of new friends. It was also a very long day (10+ hours) and he was *such* a good puppy. Here's a picture of him manning my booth.<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3NmeqPOrSrzwHnhlxD7W-vOudmBmTGMMiaSLXaoT9pYrR0gHAryueb-BUuVuzp4B8MUhY3Hvo3JHCt0zyS2Xg2coCwqBTSYzclp6nQJ1ghP2dqkF3xh7xnN_Ueu2bNxACqYpBDl97Ck/s1600/Simply_Spotted_Photography.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3NmeqPOrSrzwHnhlxD7W-vOudmBmTGMMiaSLXaoT9pYrR0gHAryueb-BUuVuzp4B8MUhY3Hvo3JHCt0zyS2Xg2coCwqBTSYzclp6nQJ1ghP2dqkF3xh7xnN_Ueu2bNxACqYpBDl97Ck/s720/Simply_Spotted_Photography.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580970149625973362" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">He has since demanded a big raise and a new title (Public Relations Manager, of course). :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Yesterday we made a 3 hour trip north for a Dalmatian "fun day" and Derby got to give coaching a try. So fun! He took to it right away...very cool to see that instinct kick in.</span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SMge4PsDNeeujgXDMwBp9sO7IQBjPZ_jm1VuzUDERSnv82STvdNqZcroqbvHiyGc57ND2mFXcm9EgNwx_JGXcfydrVYihVM0bfNVy7tVGVOl3H3KQd09mrGagSYEcaFlXyBSOrMYuHI/s1600/Derby_RT2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SMge4PsDNeeujgXDMwBp9sO7IQBjPZ_jm1VuzUDERSnv82STvdNqZcroqbvHiyGc57ND2mFXcm9EgNwx_JGXcfydrVYihVM0bfNVy7tVGVOl3H3KQd09mrGagSYEcaFlXyBSOrMYuHI/s720/Derby_RT2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580969703898198610" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR__IOcQgP9FBZD1TGImRZfTePr887Er7Qyu2x9BUEjl2LWX2y5bvZdxqQq1HsOjJEeXjHtRmJag13ZcYz0Lh7DHEgwf5Xil-K3BesRXGwQOASohOGY-5qdGQjttgCO6J_nem_IlCN6rU/s1600/Derby_RT5.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR__IOcQgP9FBZD1TGImRZfTePr887Er7Qyu2x9BUEjl2LWX2y5bvZdxqQq1HsOjJEeXjHtRmJag13ZcYz0Lh7DHEgwf5Xil-K3BesRXGwQOASohOGY-5qdGQjttgCO6J_nem_IlCN6rU/s720/Derby_RT5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580969704291489154" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCIwdv3ylh6SRz7xQEUV-I4ev_H_-X2RGNSZWgi3A47gPcSMIBbmuQbBt1ZGgs2LjeApEvP3Avp8zA4cN9BqKpWr5bODPGBaDwHB0iV2eLvsELb9EU6ioVmLKWeYRnd0eHdxB8wdLFcI/s1600/Derby_RT1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCIwdv3ylh6SRz7xQEUV-I4ev_H_-X2RGNSZWgi3A47gPcSMIBbmuQbBt1ZGgs2LjeApEvP3Avp8zA4cN9BqKpWr5bODPGBaDwHB0iV2eLvsELb9EU6ioVmLKWeYRnd0eHdxB8wdLFcI/s720/Derby_RT1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580969709941618146" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigV0lSSNF_HMnTa3EuHRbTO9orClXMYFIbar0f4lV9AOI2mHgCHVlBWkbkK5-bRm_xKWCsNPPAi1CwE3RaDvkvUnK8jRRN3_uWrQkwkvTE6-_A0X1KO8omkCYi13-NcLvOWB01ABcQ26M/s1600/Derby_RT3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigV0lSSNF_HMnTa3EuHRbTO9orClXMYFIbar0f4lV9AOI2mHgCHVlBWkbkK5-bRm_xKWCsNPPAi1CwE3RaDvkvUnK8jRRN3_uWrQkwkvTE6-_A0X1KO8omkCYi13-NcLvOWB01ABcQ26M/s720/Derby_RT3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580969718775644178" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieuxm-putnA8lYH3E_BC00zUamtf3TKJx_xXCEq-JwldPGzYKEf__i7gDDlBk363o5QOaWiWUSnb9yOHS1vpbDQYiwLElIiKe_lthXe-1gRrM-LqcKNVo4rclDvglsNZkTgGQSoaHh4LQ/s1600/Derby_RT4.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieuxm-putnA8lYH3E_BC00zUamtf3TKJx_xXCEq-JwldPGzYKEf__i7gDDlBk363o5QOaWiWUSnb9yOHS1vpbDQYiwLElIiKe_lthXe-1gRrM-LqcKNVo4rclDvglsNZkTgGQSoaHh4LQ/s720/Derby_RT4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580969716763241890" /></a><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">And here's a little video...</span><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kRTMtrq33Nk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Good boy Derb! As much as I love agility training, and training in general, nothing beats seeing a Dal doing what they were bred to do. I'd love to start some road trial training with him once he grows up and matures a bit. Of course, I'd also love to have a horse again. Derby too...he especially enjoyed their "cookies". :)</span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-83508360141164108332011-02-21T20:37:00.002-05:002011-02-21T20:48:44.378-05:00Agility Dals<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I was recently asked if I had any advice for someone who is interested in getting a Dalmatian someday and would like to give agility a try. I'm a little late on my reply (sorry!), but I thought I'd share my thoughts. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It probably goes without saying that I think Dalmatians, in general, are great candidates for agility. They are very athletic dogs known for their (sometimes endless amounts of) energy and endurance. As many dogs do, they certainly benefit from having a job and a positive outlet for all that spotty enthusiasm! I've only worked with a few agility Dals personally, but have watched a number of others over the years and am happy to share my observations. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">When it comes to picking a dog with a performance career in mind, it's my honest option that temperament is probably one of the most important considerations, along with structure. As much as I love Peyton, and wouldn't trade him for anything (most days!), he has quite a bit of genetic baggage, as one of my trainers would say. When choosing the Derby pup, temperament was at the very top of my list. I honestly couldn't even tell you if there are any top performance dogs in his lines as that's just not something *I* really consider all that important.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">While I do think there is a lot of value in selecting a pup from an experienced, reputable breeder who can help find a good match in terms of temperament, structure, and personality, there are certainly some great rescued Dals out there competing too! If I were looking for a performance candidate specifically, I would probably look for a dog (with those qualities) that's at least a year old, but that's just based on my personal experiences only. I love puppies, but they certainly can be unpredictable. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">As far as training goes, while there really aren't any issues that are *unique* to Dalmatians, I have found that many Dals share similar challenges. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">I thinks the breed, in general, can be deceptively soft. I say deceptively because I think the average observer sees their high energy and fun loving personalities and will often mistake training issues and signs of stress for stubbornness or even stupidity. I'm sure that most people who watch Peyton run in a trial have no idea that he's very capable of melting into a puddle of spots (so to speak) if he feels like he's done something wrong.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">Not that their sensitive nature is a bad thing, but it's definitely something to keep in mind when training. Training has to be *fun* for both dog and handler, and I think building confidence is more important than doing everything perfectly. This can be a hard concept for a lot of handlers (myself included!) to grasp, especially when first starting out, but I think it pays off in the long run.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">Dals are clowns and boy dals in particular can be especially silly and verrrrrry slow to mature. A sense of humor is a *requirement*, and I'm pretty sure my boys think their number one job is to keep me entertained. :) I have found that it's much easier to work with their instincts rather against them. Resources such a Control Unleashed (books and DVDs) are invaluable for those struggling with various control/reactivity/training issues.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Probably the best training advice I can give is to find a really good (positive!) trainer (or school) that you're comfortable working with. I've been fortunate to work with some really amazing trainers, but I've definitely met a few that made me want to run in the opposite direction...quickly!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Those are my off-the-top-of-my-head rambling thoughts! Now my Dal friends, it's *your* turn - have any advice to offer? Please leave a comment! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Since no post is complete without pictures, here are some of Peyton from a recent trial...love them ears!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cL-IPJChDJdR1aGPChlChMpo-E2t925jUofUpd0LFMRd1MFu7g2-T14oqTNh4Cqg0MQB4iFT5mX9jJ-YqydpvoS6QmWiw8JbA2BxxBjldO6gNBZbjtBFSWuyVjfoMW2kjXnlm8JOvuw/s1600/ES240628.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 467px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cL-IPJChDJdR1aGPChlChMpo-E2t925jUofUpd0LFMRd1MFu7g2-T14oqTNh4Cqg0MQB4iFT5mX9jJ-YqydpvoS6QmWiw8JbA2BxxBjldO6gNBZbjtBFSWuyVjfoMW2kjXnlm8JOvuw/s720/ES240628.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575065957043055154" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjZiyp-9ge_fjCsj712Ctu0DqykM7a3atPC6C9RQVQzoS1EWfMyppuwOByuzvnPNs5M3BdU3n_PwpwRg89kD7h9IB3x960l8d4AdUdkE2FmHV9w6C-eHXdyRfSiG0GgHdRgTlV6EwJs0/s1600/ES240634.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 467px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjZiyp-9ge_fjCsj712Ctu0DqykM7a3atPC6C9RQVQzoS1EWfMyppuwOByuzvnPNs5M3BdU3n_PwpwRg89kD7h9IB3x960l8d4AdUdkE2FmHV9w6C-eHXdyRfSiG0GgHdRgTlV6EwJs0/s720/ES240634.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575065960265596610" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmt3M9xAf4L3Pf8MQXjg_3QUUXT9KYGdsC2KvNLArVqXFdQmvG8ga4KpKH76WzvTcDxVyj2JJOJ5foXJ8PrF8DN5zZgU6qBaTmOFIdcdgl16lkUyx24xLZMBJgwkC8vfFU2xxKKsr1iUs/s1600/ES244666.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 467px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmt3M9xAf4L3Pf8MQXjg_3QUUXT9KYGdsC2KvNLArVqXFdQmvG8ga4KpKH76WzvTcDxVyj2JJOJ5foXJ8PrF8DN5zZgU6qBaTmOFIdcdgl16lkUyx24xLZMBJgwkC8vfFU2xxKKsr1iUs/s720/ES244666.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575065952536006034" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0AO16Kd9epz-xNoTqyq0wqSCQuec0-NxIuCMbil5h5j_dB3fWWQxvSqc_q0r759wEZSb4UROWcgkMe__D6IOraATTAWzarjaAbW8MNdb80sluscxJOBAOS2uL39HtCA0awkqwMRc3d0/s1600/ES244667.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 467px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0AO16Kd9epz-xNoTqyq0wqSCQuec0-NxIuCMbil5h5j_dB3fWWQxvSqc_q0r759wEZSb4UROWcgkMe__D6IOraATTAWzarjaAbW8MNdb80sluscxJOBAOS2uL39HtCA0awkqwMRc3d0/s720/ES244667.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575065951856258306" /></a><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">In other news, we have a winner in our shampoo giveaway! Suzanne, please send me an e-mail (to agiliespots(at)aol.com) with your address. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Also, for my Honest Kitchen fans, I've uploaded new coupons! Just click on the Honest Kitchen logo on the right hand side of the page. And if you are in the Sarasota/Bradenton area, I'm happy to report that <a href="http://www.holisticforpets.com/">Holistic for Pets</a> is now carrying several varieties in their stores!</span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-73019234422859739062011-02-15T20:33:00.004-05:002011-02-15T21:51:21.200-05:00Paaaarrrrty!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The spotty boys and I headed over to Vero Beach this past weekend for a three day trial. This was their first time staying in a hotel together, and it turned out to be rather...entertaining.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I don't know if I've mentioned it much here, but Derby is a very busy pup. *Very* busy. He is pretty much the spotty equivalent of the energizer bunny. He just keeps going and going and going! At home I manage it with lots of crate breaks, but I didn't think the other guests would really appreciate me attempting to train a quiet crate behavior at the hotel (he is very good at home).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Derby learned during his first trip that hotels are fun. He learned on this trip that hotel stays with Peyton are double the fun! Peyton was a very good puppysitter and did his best to try and keep Derby entertained, but even after 3+ hours of playing (and walks) every night, he *still* wanted to keep going, and I pretty much had to hold him until he would finally fall asleep. On a good note, once he's out, he's out for the night.<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Night one: hotels are fun!<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjxJOdL-UX7dxkR6DX5PFuKxqZhfK11O96VJVgPd_WjEh1Ewwomb2i0CLEU4M-KAZdU_pPWQxBMyLtyZCN8D6okIpXWmlliVrHWZr_C-zKDt9S98TOKuE53A5hDo3oFVS-AL6_1zkql8/s1600/Hotel_Spotties3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 538px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjxJOdL-UX7dxkR6DX5PFuKxqZhfK11O96VJVgPd_WjEh1Ewwomb2i0CLEU4M-KAZdU_pPWQxBMyLtyZCN8D6okIpXWmlliVrHWZr_C-zKDt9S98TOKuE53A5hDo3oFVS-AL6_1zkql8/s720/Hotel_Spotties3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574094764787083202" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">OMD. Does he *ever* give up?</span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQf3buGGwdmdNRQYhL1-SG7_eb7ROCOsDJ9_OpnlWMS91ulsjuMe55klgfwtd8sPZuoifJPdBTeHzNEzfs71530G8_x3VMN6qwY2zDiPLUFyDf4Xv7xkBG_qMcM0A0sfJKPuS3uaickBM/s1600/Hotel_Spotties2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 538px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQf3buGGwdmdNRQYhL1-SG7_eb7ROCOsDJ9_OpnlWMS91ulsjuMe55klgfwtd8sPZuoifJPdBTeHzNEzfs71530G8_x3VMN6qwY2zDiPLUFyDf4Xv7xkBG_qMcM0A0sfJKPuS3uaickBM/s720/Hotel_Spotties2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574094755062576946" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Night two: Maybe he won't notice I'm here...</span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi280LtwBSFZmjEpFAeX3S9mFVo5qktNKjJZ-ieiMVjT2KzikT3FC_hm-xo-bCgzzXTRq33PJikOlGfhJkHXh1BfgliCRLppwmZ7K7oBv9WwdGfUCReoo_NoAS_M-HfqbFJ3wmG10z7W3w/s1600/Hotel_Spotties4.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 538px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi280LtwBSFZmjEpFAeX3S9mFVo5qktNKjJZ-ieiMVjT2KzikT3FC_hm-xo-bCgzzXTRq33PJikOlGfhJkHXh1BfgliCRLppwmZ7K7oBv9WwdGfUCReoo_NoAS_M-HfqbFJ3wmG10z7W3w/s720/Hotel_Spotties4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574094754757443074" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Night three: *Finally!*</span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghw0KQyaT7uYZm5UlJ6IvvvmIf7hUYJYXkTSVIsgnjSCzTmrQ41burp25B5IbXMcH-3a4jaOQ1QHhCk2FIKGTsb4JtkS3xg5ncTqDQofwOe88X9KBlv8Cb5Vji7eFr6hjnBr1wGrWg3yw/s1600/Hotel_Spotties1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 538px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghw0KQyaT7uYZm5UlJ6IvvvmIf7hUYJYXkTSVIsgnjSCzTmrQ41burp25B5IbXMcH-3a4jaOQ1QHhCk2FIKGTsb4JtkS3xg5ncTqDQofwOe88X9KBlv8Cb5Vji7eFr6hjnBr1wGrWg3yw/s720/Hotel_Spotties1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574094748855919778" /></a><br /></div></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">On the trial front, it was another big fat NQ weekend for us, but we did have some nice runs. There was only one jumpers run that was a bit of a train wreck; the others we just missed qualifying by one or two little things. With the exception of one very naughty running dogwalk, contacts were pretty good. Peyton was happy. I was happy. Derby was happy. Happy is good. :)</span>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-43420252986677210622011-02-08T08:57:00.002-05:002011-02-08T10:07:03.920-05:00Vet's Best Shampoo - Giveaway!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Confession of the day: I'm a shampoo addict. It's gotten a little better over the years, but I'm still always looking for the *perfect* shampoo. Fortunately for the spotties, I'm not quite as obsessed when it comes to their shampoo, BUT I do love trying new brands. While there are some that I like more than others, I'm not really loyal to any one in particular.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Vet's Best recently sent me their <a href="http://store.vetsbest.com/dog-products/allergy-itch-relief-shampoo-16-oz.html">Allergy Itch Relief Shampoo</a> to try. Thankfully at the moment we seem to be okay on the allergy front, but this shampoo is also supposed to be good for dogs with sensitive skin. Much to Peyton's dismay, we got to try it out on Saturday after he came home from the trial with orange feet (from the dirt). While Peyton would give any shampoo a bad review, I really liked it! It's got a nice minty smell and definitely did a good job cleaning. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Personally I like to use a conditioner on the spotty dogs, and while Vet's Best does have a <a href="http://store.vetsbest.com/dog-products/moisture-mist-conditioner-8-oz.html">Moisture Mist Conditioner</a>, Peyton is not a big fan of sprays so I'm not sure that he would be very impressed. I might have to give it a try anyway - while the shampoo did leave his coat soft, I think he would benefit from a little additional moisturizing. But even without the conditioner, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">Vet's Best gets 2 thumbs up from me! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Now here's your chance to try Vet's Best shampoo! I have a 16 oz. bottle of their all natural <a href="http://store.vetsbest.com/dog-products/oatmeal-medicated-shampoo-16-oz.html">Oatmeal Medicated Shampoo</a> to give away. All you need to do is leave a comment and I'll pick a winner randomly next week. Any ol' comment will do, but if you happen to have a favorite brand of shampoo, please feel free to share! </span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxannm-iDOpzKff3M62lXK21A7EdUKH0xH2QygNrr6grcV3k98ROgHSvubM8LMHsCNes9ynyQfvhdIQF-jT2C453NKz_On3K_AVHe7YgSi-7DjGr12HonZb4alIN0SR0T21wc9oYX1ss/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 346px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxannm-iDOpzKff3M62lXK21A7EdUKH0xH2QygNrr6grcV3k98ROgHSvubM8LMHsCNes9ynyQfvhdIQF-jT2C453NKz_On3K_AVHe7YgSi-7DjGr12HonZb4alIN0SR0T21wc9oYX1ss/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571317728533566322" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">To learn more about all the different Vet's Best products, you can visit their website at www.vetsbest.com. They also offer a handy dandy <a href="http://www.vetsbest.com/solution-wheel.php">solution wheel</a> that provides recommendations based on particular symptoms.</span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-18494814235884958652011-02-07T10:35:00.003-05:002011-02-07T11:25:18.717-05:00Peyton Rocks<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I've had such a fun week with Peyton. We spent three days at camp with Karen and Ann and he was a *superstar*. I wasn't sure how he would handle three full working days, but he faired much better than I did! We worked through some really challenging </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">sequences (lots of serps, threadles, and sends) and I couldn't have asked for a better performance. He's not really built for tight international style course work, but he really powered through and gave me some great turns *and* really nice speed. Good spotty! He really does try sooooo hard and I came away with a new appreciation for what *we* are capable of. Good times! </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I made a late decision to enter him in a local USDAA trial on Saturday with the promise to myself that it was for practice only and I would not get upset over being called on any of the up-contacts. Stupid rule, but it is what it is. In any case we had some nice runs! He should have qualified in advanced gamblers, but the scribe missed 4 points in the opening, and we had a nice standard run, but he missed the up-contact on the dog walk. Oh well. I was a little flakey in Grand Prix, but he did have some really good moments there too.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">On a good note, all of his a-frame contacts were pretty solid and he was 2/3 on the dogwalk. Zero teeter stops though. Oops. I'm on the fence as what to do with his a-frame - it's really hard for him to hold that contact at speed and I'm not wild about the impact. I think a quick release is much easier for him, but I'm not sure how long that will hold up before he's running. Running might be okay. Hmmm. Something (else) to think about.<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div></div><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MxUyeb2qD7w?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Hooray for fun times with awesome spotty dogs!</span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-63995224113418967522011-01-30T12:54:00.002-05:002011-01-30T13:08:29.520-05:00Just Because<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">...he's so stinkin' cute. :)</span><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/i59E4MIE3IY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094044934332930757.post-49056912207254605442011-01-28T11:07:00.004-05:002011-01-28T12:10:57.727-05:00Growing Up Spotty<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Derby pup is 20 weeks today! He's definitely looking less like a puppy and more like a little spotty dog. I think the realization that he *is* going to grow up is finally starting to sink in. Darn! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">With this realization in mind, I'm finding myself in the "what should I be doing with you" stage. Not that we've been sitting around doing nothing (although some days that sure would be nice!) - I'm just starting to think more about foundation type work that is appropriate for his age. It's so easy to forget that he really doesn't know all that much. I think Peyton must have learned everything while he was sleeping because I sure don't remember much of our puppy training. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">One thing I know we need to really start working on is better puppy manners when greeting people. He thinks everyone wants a Derby puppy in their lap (complete with kisses), and now that he's getting bigger, that's not always the case. Now, I do know that if I was a really good puppy trainer, I would have trained a polite greeting from the very start, but since the idea of having a puppy that *really* loved people was pretty novel to me, I decided that I was going to enjoy his enthusiastic greetings while he was small and just deal with having to train a different behavior later on. Like now. :) Hopefully it won't be too difficult and in fairness, he does have a very gentle way of crawling up your leg. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Here's a little video of us playing around on the agility field last weekend. Such great attention even with all of the noise from what must have been target practicing nearby. Good spotty pup! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LWspBiOyfXM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04469471851586209650noreply@blogger.com7