Splash Dogs!

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. ;)

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.

Basically, when the going gets tough, the tough go dock diving. :)

Exhibit A: Fun! No stress! Stays! Happy spotty pup! Happy Kim!

I know I say this waaaay to much, but...isn't he adorable!? :)

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.

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. ;)

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.

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. :)

Here's a little video - I didn't get all the jumps, but the second one is his jump in the finals.

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!

Breaks, Birthdays and Bubblewrap

Breaks. 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. I just can't help it...it's too tempting when we have trials so close to home! After that we're done for the summer. Maybe.

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!

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. :)

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!

Birthdays. 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. :)

Bubblewrap. 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.

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.

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?

At least we got to take home pretty pictures. :)

Training Pupdate

**Warning** - Long random, rambling post about puppy training so (hopefully) I can remember what we were doing at 7 months. :)

Borrowed from a facebook update a few weeks ago....

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. :)

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.

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. :)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. :)

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.

Agility Dals

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

Since no post is complete without pictures, here are some of Peyton from a recent trial...love them ears!

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.

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 Holistic for Pets is now carrying several varieties in their stores!

Growing Up Spotty

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!

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. :)

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.

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!

Pupdates!

Long before our Derby pup came along, I had all of these great thoughts about how well I was going to document my next puppy's puppyhood. In addition to starting a new puppy blog, I even planned on trying to take a picture every single day for the first year. Clearly, I didn't plan on getting a pup smack dab in the middle of my busy season. But hey, it's all good...even though Derby's arrival wasn't exactly "planned", I wouldn't change a thing.

Derby pup is 19 weeks old today and is living up to his nickname, "rottenlittlespottedpuppymonster". Well, except for the little part...he's almost as big as Indy now. In all fairness, he really is pretty darn good as far as puppies go - BUT - he's also at that stage where games like "catch me if you can" become really, really fun. Ah, memories. Let's just say after a lot of hunting, I've found my long line. :)

Rottenness aside, he's been *such* a positive addition to our little spotty home. I still find myself in awe when I watch them all together. Especially Indy. I don't she has played this much...ever! She just adores him and seems to be very happy to finely have a spotty that appreciates (and loves!) her rough play style. And Peyton...while he doesn't have a future in the WWF, he seems to enjoy the little monster most of the time. They are both extremely tolerant of his antics...so much so that I'm starting to wonder when Derby's puppy license is going to expire.

In other news, we've got lots of fun stuff coming up! Peyton and I are headed to a trial tomorrow up in Tampa. Next week Derby and I are going to a puppy seminar with Silvia Trkman, which I'm really looking forward to - she seems like a lot of fun! And then the following week Peyton and I are attending a three day handling camp, which should be equally fun (and exhausting, I'm sure!). Right now I've only got a few trials planned in February and March, but if I feel like we're making some progress, we might add a few more. I've been trying to do a little better in the training front - not necessarily training harder, but (hopefully) smarter. If anything, Peyton seems to be running with even more speed and enthusiasm than ever - which is definitely *fun*, but could make trailing even more interesting. We'll see. :)

That's it for our overdue pupdate! I'll leave you with a fun picture from last week...my three stooges; always entertaining.

Derby - 4 Months!

Derby is 4 months old tomorrow! He's getting big and is really starting to fill out...I think it's so unfair that puppies grow up so quickly! While it's exciting to think about doing "big dog" things, I really wish this stage of puppyhood would last a little longer.

Poor Derby is unhappy with me at the moment for subjecting him to a day of crate rest. This morning he ran into the corner of the couch (of all things?) and came up screaming with one front leg up in the air. It was so dramatic that I thought for sure he had broken something, but after he calmed down I checked him over and couldn't find anything obvious. He's favoring his right front a little though so I'm trying to keep him quiet and if he still looks off tomorrow I'll have my vet come over and take a look. Gah; I swear this puppy is going to give me a full head of grey hair. It seems like he is always running into something! Earlier this week I let him play around on the agility field with the Goldens and he ran full speed into the side of one of them (who was standing still) and landed with a big grunt. Seriously Derby; you don't just bounce off a 80+ dog that is all muscle. Silly puppy.

Other than thinking he is super puppy with wings, he continues to be just a really awesome pup. I had him out quite a bit at the last trial and nothing really seems to phase him; he was just happy to hang out and take everything in...so confident and easy going. He met lots of new dogs including several cute little border collie girls. :)

Even though he's met hundreds of new people so far, I still can't get over how much he loves them all. If we pass someone who doesn't acknowledge him, he acts genuinely disappointed...he thinks everyone should be his best friend! And while he will show interest in other dogs, he will usually bypass them to try and meet their owner. Such a happy pup.

We started a basic obedience class last week (mainly to get him working in a more distracting environment) and he was a brilliant puppy. We were sitting next to two large, very unruly dogs and he was able to focus on me for the entire class. A lot to ask for a puppy his age, but he was awesome. He even pulled out some end-of-leash stays that I didn't know we had. Good Derby pup!

I'm really not in any hurry to do a whole lot of formal training with him, but putting him in a class forces me to spend time working on the basics. Silly puppy trick are much more entertaining. :)

Here are a few pictures I took on the agility field last week...

Cookie, please?

Starting to loose his little smooshy puppy nose. :(

What are *you* looking at?

He was so funny...getting a picture of him moving is next to impossible because if he knows I have cookies, he's always right on top of me. Once he figured out that he wasn't getting anything, he started exploring a bit, but I would call him when he got too far away. He would come flying back (good boy!) to a big reward. He then figured out that the key to getting cookies was to run away and pretty soon he would run away while looking over his shoulder as if to say "look at me, I'm running away" and when I ignored him he would get mad and come flying back on his own (again, to a big reward).

Clever puppy.

Derby's First Road Trip

Derby had his first little road trip last week - I was the photographer for the Dalmatian club specialties in Orlando on Thursday and Friday and he came along for the ride!

He thinks hotels are awesome - the first thing he learned is that as soon as you enter your room, it is dinnertime! Then when you return later, it is dinnertime again! (He doesn't quite understand that human dinnertime is not the same as puppy dinnertime, much to his dismay). And thankfully, he seems to understand (at least for now) that hotels are also for sleeping - hooray!

On Friday morning, we took a trip over to the local Bass Pro Shop, which I had heard was very dog friendly. He got to ride around in a cart and meet lots of new people who stopped to oooh and aaah over him. He thought that was FUN!

Derby also got to meet Santa Claus and now he thinks that Santa doesn't like spotty puppies because he wouldn't hold him (even just the leash) for a picture. Something about "smelling like a dog". Humph.

At least my mom is thrilled that she now has a picture of her 30-something year old daughter sitting with Santa. :)

On the training front, I really haven't had much time to do much work with him, but he does get to go a lot of places with me and has met lots of people and kids, which I think is probably most important at this age. I do try to spend a few minutes each day working on tricks, which he loves.

Here's a little video from Saturday - this was his first time rolling over. So cute!

He really is scary smart - to the point that I think he's training me more than the other way around. :)

For the most part, he is just a really, really good puppy. Here's another video from a few weeks ago...he's definitely more "vocal" than I'm used to, but (thankfully) he doesn't have too many puppy tantrums.

Derby had his first studio photo shoot a few weeks back and I have to say that it was probably the most challenging shoot I've ever done. A 12 week old puppy that doesn't sit still for more than 2 seconds + a Santa hat = painful. I did manage to get a few good shots for my cards though!

All three spotties continue to get along fabulously! I think Indy has played more with Derby in the past month than she has ever played in her 6+ years. She acts all flirty around him - it's so cute! And Peyton thinks that he's a lot of fun too - it's really entertaining when all three of them go at it. There are spots flying everywhere!

So that's it for my long overdue pupdate! It's Indy and Peyton's turn next. :)

Adventures in Derbyland

Derby is 10 weeks old today! He's had an exciting week...on Monday we went to meet our Golden friends (the humans) at Crispers and other than being a very persistent (and slightly obnoxious) begging puppy, he was really good! He met a few new friends and greeted everyone who walked by with a very happy tail.

Then we headed back to Lisa's house where he met her three Goldens. Actually he had seen Riley and Finn out at the club last week, but he got to meet her senior girl, Sophie. He's not big enough to *really* play with them yet, but was happy to hang out and run all over the place. He thinks Lisa's yard is much more exciting than mine - she has all kinds of bushes and plants to pay around and hide in!

Here's a Golden sandwich - Sophie on the right, Riley on the left...

Just as I was thinking about getting ready to leave, Derby decided to take off down to the lake/preserve area. Lisa ran after him and pulled him out (covered in mud), so he got a quick little shower with the hose. Then we decided to let him watch the Goldens swim in her pool. Apparently he decided watching was no fun and decided to jump in! Before I could even react, Lisa jumped in after him (fully clothed) and helped him out. Other than being cold, he didn't seem to be phased at all. At least he came up swimming! After we got him dried off, it looked like he was thinking about jumping in again, but we decided that was enough fun for one day. :)

On Wednesday he tagged along to my lesson with Peyton in Tampa. Near the end we got him out and worked with him and Peyton together on leash. I was pretty nervous, but was told that *now* was the time to start working with them. Um, okay. I had Peyton in one hand and Derby in the other and was to praise Peyton when he was near Derby, but not allow Derby to jump on and/or be obnoxious to Peyton. Yikes, this is uncoordinated me we're talking about. At one point I wasn't quick enough and Derby bit Peyton's ear - Peyton told him he didn't appreciate that *at all*, but it was a short conversation and they both recovered quickly.

It's not that I'm worried about Peyton hurting Derby; I guess I'm more worried that Derby will hurt (using this term loosely) Peyton with his super sharp puppy teeth and then Peyton will decide that the puppy really *is* evil. :) He's just so darn sensitive and has a very low pain threshold. Yes, he's a big baby. And I'm a worrywart. I know I need to let them work it out.

I did need a push though and I've since been letting them out together with Derby on leash. They have been doing well with very polite and appropriate behavior from both. We've also started taking short walks together on leash - that's entertaining. :)

It wasn't until today when I was coming out of the kitchen and watched as both of them came trotting up to me (Derby was *supposed* to be in his crate), did I realize that I'm probably just being silly. As long as I work with them and continue to take it slow, Peyton *will* be fine. I'm sure there will be some "conversations", but it will all work out and I'm sure they'll be good friends in no time.

That's our update for now...hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

MX Leg #1!

Peyton and had a local 3 day trial this past weekend, and it was a good time! On Friday, we got our first MX leg in Standard with first place an 34 MACH points! It was a really nice run and more than made up for the fact that I missed our JWW walkthrough earlier. Oops! Other than me running into Peyton (ouch!) while he was still in the chute, it wasn't too bad, but I really shouldn't attempt any more jumpers' runs without walking them first. Unfortunately, I didn't have a videographer, so no videos.

On Saturday we started with Standard and I did manage to get there on time, although the trial was running sooooo slow I could have slept in. We had another really nice run, but just missed qualifying (and another first place!) because of a refusal at the table. He didn't hold his contacts as well as he did on Friday, but otherwise, he was a very good spotty. I was super pleased with how well he handled the opening...I was pretty sure that a-frame was going to call his name. :)

We had some nice moments on Sunday, but no Q's. Overall, I think I'm making some good progress with my "operation attitude adjustment". I had fun; he had fun. It was a great trial weekend!

And since everyone has been asking - Derby puppy is doing wonderfully! He seems to love everyone he meets and has a growing fan club. He came with me to the trial on Friday for a little while (he stayed crated in the car) and then my parents came to pick him up for an overnight stay. I missed him, but I knew he would have much more fun at "grandma's house". And from what I heard, he had a grand time! I was a little worried my mom and dad wouldn't bring him back...I think it's safe to say Derby has them wrapped around his little paws. :)

He came home on Saturday night with a hefty dose of confidence and had his first real play session with Indy. Indy is very good when it comes to teaching puppies that she will play when she wants to and only when she wants to...if she isn't in the "mood", then she will (firmly, but gently) let them know. Derby seems to understand and has (so far) been very respectful.

I'm still taking it very slow with Peyton, but he's really adjusting well (much better than I ever expected) to having a puppy in the house. I think he was even a little excited to have Derby puppy back home.

On Sunday morning, Derby came along with us to the trial since I knew it wouldn't be too long of a day. He did great and every time I checked on him he was either napping or just hanging out in his crate. He also got a lot of "visitors" and greeted them all with wags and kisses. Good puppy!

An agility friends asked me (on day 2) how training was going and if Derby already knew all of the basic "commands". After I laughed (probably a little too hard), I explained that at this point my primary goal is that I have a happy, confident puppy that is comfortable at home and on the road, so to speak. I have no doubt that he will learn everything that he needs to know in time, but for now I'm more concerned that he meets lots of people, appropriate dogs, and has very positive experiences in puppy-safe environments.

Thankfully (for my hearing), he seemed to learn one important home lesson right away: no matter how cute you are, no amount of screaming is going to get you out of your crate as long as I know that you don't have to potty...oh, and the crate door will not open if you're jumping on it. :) I think he had that pretty much figured out after the first day and has since been really good about being quiet while in his crate and not charging the door. He's also learning how to settle before he gets his dinner - that one's a little more challenging because this pup *loves* to eat! He reminds me of Pongo in that sense...he starts squealing and bouncing all over the place when he smells food. And in case your curious, he's now eating The Honest Kitchen and hasn't shown (knock on wood) any signs of an upset tummy since we brought him home.

In addition to learning some self-control (and an off-switch!) we're doing lots of playing, chasing, and (informal) off-leash healing. I also introduced the clicker today - I'm by no means a clicker "purist" and more likely fall into the "lurers anonymous" group, but I do like using it for some things. We'll have to see if Derby has more patience than Peyton (and me) with shaping games.

How's that for a puppy update!? We did have a very big, exciting day with our Golden friends yesterday, but we'll save that post for another day.

ps - for more puppy pictures, check out my facebook fan page!

Sunday Smiles

I think I've probably shared pictures of Peyton's smiles (or "smarles"), but I don't think I've ever caught Indy smiling on camera...until today! When I found out that "grandma" (her favorite person in the world) was coming over, I taped Indy's surprised reaction...with lots of big smiles!

Peyton smiles all the time, but Indy just started smiling in the past few years. I think when she realized how much attention Peyton got for his silly smiles, she wanted in on the action. :)

Here's a quick little video...look at those teeth!

Love my crazy spotty dogs! Speaking of crazy...I can't believe it's almost August. This summer has been soooo busy!

Peyton and I haven't done much (agility) training-wise at all over the past month, but last week I decided to set up a challenging course that a friend sent me - not really a course to run when you haven't been practicing, but it was fun...kinda. :) We ran it with our Golden friends and I was really surprised with how well Peyton did! Granted, he was a little tired from playing beforehand, and it was HOT, but he really handled it well. I didn't expect that we would even make it to the backside of 3 without an off-course, but he nailed it on the first try. Good spotty!

Since I usually don't tape our practices, this was a nice reminder of just how far he's come. He's got such great focus and tries so hard to be right...and is just so much fun to run! It would be nice to have a little more of my "practice" Peyton in trials, but I think each time we make a little more progress...one of these days!

We hope all of our online friends are having a nice summer and staying cool!

Spotty Randomness

Wow, can you believe it's March already?! These past few months have been so busy that I haven't had much time for updates, but I thought I'd share some random spotty happenings.

On Monday night I decided to drop in one of our classes out at the club. Usually I run Peyton in one of advanced classes on Tuesday or Thursday after I teach, but since this session I'm teaching 2 classes each night, it makes for a really long evening if I stay. Not to mention that Peyton requires a little more energy than I usually have at that time!

The Monday class started off okay, but then we got stuck on a little sequence that really shouldn't have been that hard, but for whatever reason, we just couldn't make it work. Because no post is complete without a picture, I've included a little course map below. (Not really to scale, but should give you a good idea).

Basically what I wanted to do was send to 2 and then recall over 3 to the weaves. Peyton, however, was convinced that we were doing the jump after the tire and the only way he was reading the turn was if I ran right up to 2, decelerated, and then moved to 3. But that option put me behind and I was determined to make the other option work. Not such a brilliant idea, but that's obviously a weak spot for us so I wanted to work on it.

On attempt #??, I ran a little deeper to 2 and thought for sure I was going to make it well past 3, but Peyton cut me off thinking we were going to the a-frame and I tripped over him and crashed so hard I think my head rattled. Not graceful. At all. Ouch. :)

Ok, so maybe this was a good reminder that repeating something over and over and over isn't a good option for us. Lesson learned. Poor Peyton was trying so hard though...he really is good for putting up with me.

On other spotty notes, Indy is feeling much better and is back to her bratty self after a period of being "off" (and extra cranky, I might add). I thought initially that she was sore in her lower back area, but after a few adjustments, she still wasn't right. Turns out she had a bladder infection! She really didn't have any of the usual symptoms so I was surprised. I'll need to keep an eye on her and maybe even have x-rays done to check for stones, but for now she seems to be feeling great.

Pongo is doing about the same. He is still getting around okay, but every day seems to be a little more of a struggle. :(

I just ordered "Get on the Ball 2" and a peanut therapy ball - I've been wanting to do some more conditioning work and thought like this would be a good option. Any of my friends do ball work with their pups? I'm thinking it will be entertaining, at least!

And finally, I thought I would do one last push for Johann's shelter (as part of her Holiday Giveaway). If you would like to make a little donation, you can click on the widget below or go here: www.firstgiving.com/johannthedog. Thanks!

Girls Rule - Boys Drool?

Or is it the other way around?

Because it seems I'm always in a constant state of puppy envy, I often find myself thinking about the next little spotted pup that will join our family. Don't get excited - it's probably not going to be for a while - but it's still fun to think about. :)

Here's the big question - will it be a girl or a boy?

Since it seems most people tend to have a preference between males and females, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions...just for fun, of course!

I'll admit that until now, I've never had a preference either way. It wouldn't have mattered to me if Peyton and Pongo were girls or if Indy was a boy - they still would have come home with me.

Now I realize that there will be differences between breeds and different bloodlines, and of course every dog is unique - but as a whole, what draws you to a particular gender?

Just for the sake of comparison, let's look at Indy and Peyton.

Indy is my serious girl. I'm won't use the obvious word, but she's very mouthy, dramatic, highly opinionated, and is captain of the fun police. She likes attention, but only when she wants it. And when she wants it, you better give it to her NOW. If you don't have cookies, she's not going to be your friend. And even if you have cookies, she probably still won't be your friend. No offense. She does have a very playful, silly side, but only when *she* feels like it.

It goes without saying that Peyton is my clown. He's the kid who is always in trouble at school. His motto could be act now, think later. He likes to party, is a little reckless, and thinks life is way to short to be so serious. He does have a soft side though and his feelings get hurt very easily. Most of all, he's 100% a mamma's boy. At home, he follows me everywhere - always watching me.

When it comes to training, Indy and Peyton are very different. With Indy, she does best when something is her idea - shaping games are perfect for her. On the other hand, Peyton would rather I just show him what I want. He gets frustrated easily and doesn't have the time to guess what it is I'm looking for. Peyton hates to be wrong where as Indy is never wrong so don't you dare imply that she could be. :)

I think in general Peyton learns faster than Indy, but it's likely because Indy takes more time to try and convince me that her way is better. Once she knows something, she is very consistent where as Peyton tends to push the boundaries a little more. Indy definitely is more focused, but her focus is always on what she thinks is best. Peyton is (obviously) more easily distracted - it's not that he wants to be "bad", but he really can't help himself.

While I absolutely adore Indy, I think I'm a little more compatible with my boys. Maybe it's because I (like Indy) tend to be very serious - and Peyton is a constant reminder that life is too short not to laugh. While his antics can be very frustrating at times, it's also impossible to be mad at him. He can be extremely charming.

And not to leave Pongo out, but it's a little easier to compare Indy and Peyton since they are closer in age and have had similar training. While Pongo was also a wild child in his younger days, now he's so laid back that it's hard to remember all the times he pushed my buttons. :)

So that was a little long, but now it's your turn. There are a lot of girl dogs that I love (including some spotty girls up north) so please share your thoughts!

Peyton finds this whole topic rather ridiculous...everyone knows that girls are dumb and boys are the best.

Table Games

As you probably know by now, Peyton has a wee bit of a table issue. Table issues are not uncommon, and I'm not to the point where I'm really obsessing over it, but (like a good little trainer), I've been thinking of ways to work through it.

I think there are two main issues - 1. Peyton doesn't have the best "down" in general and 2. the added stress/arousal involved in running in a trial makes *thinking* difficult, especially when he has to stop and has 5+ seconds to notice everything happening around him.

Soooo, even though I think we now have a fairly decent (and sometimes impressive) table performance at home, the challenge is how do I recreate a similar kind of excitement/overstimulation that Peyton experiences in trials? While toys and treats definitely get him excited, they are still no match.

The other night when I let Peyton out in the backyard he saw a squirrel and went NUTS - barking, squealing, leaping, spinning, and running around like a crazed spotty dog. And that's when the lightbulb came on - I need to use the squirrels to help train the table! And because even the word "squirrel" gets him excited, he doesn't even need to see one to play the game.

So with the help of premack (thank you Leslie McDevitt), we've been playing "go get the squirrels" followed by "come table" followed by "ok, go get the squirrels!" And even though we've only played this game a few times, I'm already seeing the same wide-eyed look that I see in trials AND I'm seeing a much more enthusiastic table performance! I'm really hoping that games like this one will help him learn to *think* through his excitement at trials.

With regard to our lousy down in general, I've added a "touch" cue where he bobs his head, which will hopefully help to keep his elbows down. I might need to go back and train a more "flat" down, but I thought I'd try this approach first since it's a command that he already knows.

Who knows if this approach will really work, but I think it's worth a try. :)

In other news, I went to throw away a wrapper in the trash can in my backyard today and found this:

This little guy has been hanging out in our courtyard at night. I thought he was dead at first, but he was just playing possum. :)

Random Thoughts on Competition

It seems like every few months the topic of competition comes up on some of the agility lists that I follow and honestly, it's a topic I find myself thinking about quite often.

I would consider myself a mildly competitive person...I grew up showing horses, and as competitive as dog sports can be, I don't think they're any match to what I've seen in the horse show world! Competition there could be very, very ugly - especially when you were competing against friends. 

Oddly enough, I see competition in agility quite differently. I don't look at my friends as competition and honestly, I don't think I look at any one else as competition either. I don't know why...I guess in my mind we're really only competing against the course. Sure, placements are nice, but at this point it's not something that I even really think about. I view agility as a team sport...and I can guarantee that my teammates are not thinking about "beating" another dog on course. :)

I'm always amazed when I hear stories of agility friendships that have turned sour over competition and it makes me sad. I love watching and cheering on my friends, and would like to think those feelings are mutual. I sincerely want them to be successful and for that matter, I hope that anyone who works hard and are nice to their dogs can enjoy success in this sport. Now if you are mean to your dog, or a nasty person in general, that doesn't mean I won't snicker if you happen to say, fall on your face while running a course. :) 

Am I saying that I never have feelings of jealousy? No way! I often find myself thinking I wish I could be as good of a handler as ___, or I would love to be as consistent as ___, and I wish our table was as good as ___. :) I think those feelings are normal! But at the end of the day, I just want us to be as good of a team as we can possibly be at any point of our training.

Blah, blah, blah...I'm rambling now. :) I'm not sure that there's a point to this post other than the fact that ever since Peyton has started doing pretty well, I have seen a few glimmers of the not-so-nice side of competition. I've been so fortunate to have some wonderfully supportive friends who have encouraged me to keep trying even when it didn't look like we were ever going to make any progress. I just hope that some of them will continue to be supportive no matter how good - or how ugly - our runs might be. 

I finally got around to uploading our last run from Perry. I don't think it's as bad as it felt at the time, but I'm pretty sure one of us must have been 1/2 asleep during this run...gee, who could that be?

Everyday Q's

As much as I enjoy the Q's and new titles that come along with trialing, they really don't compare to some of the other "everyday" successes that we've experienced in recent months. For those that don't know, Peyton can be extremely reactive. And by reactive, I mean varying degrees of barking, screaming, lunging, etc. to dogs, people, kids, and anything else that worries him. I'm pretty certain it's a fear issue, and while I've worked very hard with him over the past few years, it still requires a lot of management.

For quite some time I was convinced that we would never make it to an agility trial - not because of zoomies or any other training issue, but because I didn't think he would be able to cope in such a high-energy, stressful environment with *lots* of other dogs, strangers, kids etc. running around. And while I think we've still got a ways to go with regard to his overall comfort level at trials, he's made tremendous progress. 

Last week in Perry we only had a few cases of reactivity and each time it was after he saw one woman - not sure what it was about this person, but there was something about her that made Peyton very upset. At one point he was in his crate (which was completely closed) and he started screaming - I looked around and sure enough, there she was at a nearby photography booth. I know he couldn't see her so I'm not sure what exactly was setting him off - her voice? Her smell? Aside from those few instances, he was really pretty good. We even had a little girl hanging out in the section right in front of us all weekend - I don't think he barked at her once.

I think my proudest moment all weekend was when we were in the elevator at the hotel and when the doors opened to the lobby and we were greeted by 7-8 squealing kids! Not too long ago this would have given Peyton a heart attack for sure, but we managed to walk right out and past all of the kids with just the smallest little "woof". I almost cried. :) 

So while I'm sure it sounds like I get overly excited about every single run, it's only because I never thought we would get here. And since I've already been reminded by several that Excellent will not be easy, I can only respond by saying that I really don't care. As long as Peyton is having fun and playing the game *with* me, we'll continue to celebrate each and every run - no matter how ugly some might be. :)

Here are a few shots of my spotty boy who now thinks that hotels are fun *and* for sleeping (with a big hooray from me for the sleeping part!)...

New Toy!

I got a new camcorder yesterday! It's technically a birthday present from my parents, but since my birthday falls between our DACOF and Perry trips (for those of you who wish to mark your calendars) I'll now have it to record all of the DACOF fun! My other camcorder is really nice, but it's really kind of a pain to transfer to the computer - this one has a hard drive and USB port so it's much easier. And it also has a little camera function built in which will be nice since I rarely feel like pulling out my big camera at trials!

I tested it out at our DACOF team practice last night and so far, so good! I think I probably need to adjust the settings a little, but it did fairly decent with the low light.

Here's one of our practice runs. Peyton seemed a little "off" last night - I'm hoping it was just the insanely hot and muggy weather (it's waaaay too hot to be running), but I'm going to keep an eye on him this week just in case a little visit with our vet/chiro might be in order.



Big thanks to my mom & dad for our new toy!

Rather Ambitious

That's how I'm feeling at the moment. Starting tomorrow, Peyton and I will be trialing three out of the next four weekends. After spending way too much time debating over whether or I was asking for too much too soon, I finally decided to stop worrying and just go for it. :)

Tomorrow we'll be heading up to Ocala for a night trial. It's a games trial - tunnelers, weavers, and touch n' go - so it should be fun and will hopefully not run too late. Since our last night trial attempt was less than stellar, I'm going to make it a priority to work on keeping Peyton calm and relaxed. This will also hopefully be a good opportunity for us to work on some start-line stays and holding contacts.

Next we'll have DACOF which is over the Fourth of July weekend. As I mentioned before, this will definitely be a challenge...it's indoors, 3 rings running at once, and there will be 37 teams competing with 969 runs on Saturday and 646 on Sunday. Wow! It should be a fun event though and it's always fun to see lots of friends and familiar faces.

Then the following week we'll be heading to Perry, GA for a four day AKC trial. I'm still surprised that I decided to go considering how much I loathe long car trips! Seriously, I'm very impatient when it comes to driving and even though it's not *that* far, anything over 2 hours is far to me. :) On a good note, Peyton's BFF Riley will be going, as well as some of his other buds, so hopefully that will help his comfort level a little bit.

Training-wise, Peyton has been doing pretty well. And actually, when I'm where I need to be, he's awesome! He's just sticky enough that if I don't give him enough forward cues, I end up pulling him off the obstacle. And if I give him too much, I get really wide turns or an off-course. Hopefully one of these days I can find that nice balance of cues. :)

Poor Indy isn't going this weekend. I think it would have been a good trial for her, but after the last trial I decided that Peyton needs more than I can give him when I try to run Indy too. I feel really guilty, but I think she'll most likely enjoy a night away from the little spotted monster. However, that doesn't mean she won't give me sad faces...



Or her famous looks of disgust...either way, she sure knows how to work it!

Run-Thrus!

Peyton and I had a little run-thru opportunity at Palmetto tonight. It went okay, but unfortunately my head just wasn't in the game and I didn't feel like we accomplished as much as we could have. Too bad since we have our *first* AKC trial there in two weeks!

I always feel bad whenever I can't give Peyton 100% when running because I know at this point he really needs and deserves it. I provided very little in the way of handling support tonight and it really showed...poor spotty didn't know where to go. But enough dwelling(!) here are some *good* moments...

1. Managed two really nice long lead-outs - I probably won't attempt one this long in an actual trial anytime soon, but I wanted to get an idea of his comfort level. He was a little antsy, but I don't think he was stressed.
2. All obstacles and contacts look pretty good. He's dropping bars (which is unusual for him), but I think it's likely an excitement issue at this point.
3. His table was pretty decent! On our first attempt, he had an itchy face, but managed to stay in a down. :) The second attempt wasn't as great, but no worse than what I sometimes get in class.
4. Despite lots of kids running around (he thinks they can be pretty scary), he seemed fairly comfortable with the environment. Near the end of our second run he didn't hold his teeter and looked a little worried, but when I reviewed the video I noticed motorcycle noise, which always tends to unnerve him a bit.

Here's a little video...Peyton has added his comments. :)

Peyton Unleashed!

Since last night was the first night of my Control Unleashed class this session, and since I have a few agility friends who have been feeling slightly discouraged lately, I thought it would be helpful to share a little video that will hopefully bring a few smiles, and more importantly, some encouragement when it comes to agility training.

Even coming off a great weekend of trialing, I know that Peyton and I still have a long way to go when it comes to working together as a team. But I have to say that most the progress that we have made over the last year can be attributed to Leslie McDevitt and her Control Unleashed program. It's made a huge difference in the way I think about training, and I sincerely hope that it helps my students as well.

All of the clips in this video are from the past year, and some of them were filmed less than 6 months ago! I still can't get over how far Peyton has come! Please note: No goldens were harmed in the making of this video. :)



Oh and I absolutely have to add another *big* thanks to our instructors and friends for being so patient and putting up with us in class! :)

For more information on Control Unleashed, please visit Leslie's website at www.controlunleashed.net/. Also, you can purchase her book and/or DVD (which is awesome by the way!) at www.cleanrun.com/.