The Last Snow Pictures!

I forgot I had these pictures from last week.

It was 70F today!  So no more snow - yay!

Look at Dhali's rabbit run LOL!!

I gave Dhali a bath tonight and now he is in his crate telling the world how unfair life is.  And I say.....someone needs to remember how to be quiet in his crate!

Tibby didn't get a bath, because she doesn't roll in the grass, dig holes, explore underneath the deck and crawl into every nook and dusty cranny! 

Tibby is laying in my lap, dead asleep and making my legs fall asleep.  She likes to have special snuggle time while Dhali is drying off.  

Here is some soap I made this week:

Just wanted to show it off!  I made it for my Dad.  It's the only soap he has ever requested me to make.  It has 20% pine tar in it.  It's supposed to be good for dry skin/psoriasis.  He tried a bar that his brother sent him and he thought it helped his psoriasis, so he asked me to make some for him.  I hope he likes it! 

Taller Every Day!

These are pictures from last week - now we have grass!  Yay!

Dhali is now over 18 inches tall at the withers.  Eh oh!  Hope he is ok jumping 22"....

Also, check out the muscles on that boy!  He is one giant muscle!  He is a strong little bouncing spring!

Baby Boy

So this is our 2nd or maybe 3rd week of Silvia's online foundation class.  This is the part that I love/hate (mostly hate) about these classes.  I think my boy is amazing and I hate to find out that he isn't perfect.  :(

Silvia says that he doesn't have any obstacle focus.  Sad, because it's true.  But I have been working on it and again that is what I hate about these classes.  Instead of us just having fun, it becomes work.

 


Silvia said he was just running as fast as my hand was going and wasn't seeking out the jumps himself. 



Cik/Cap or wrap




Just playing around with the tunnels.  We were sick of all the snow and bored.




"Weaving"  I don't know if he understands the weaves yet...

So Silvia said I should play the 2 ball game with Dhali.  Now I don't know what the 2 ball game exactly looks like, because I don't have her video (even though I have taken the foundation class 5 times...4 times $120 plus $220 for the first one...yeah I think I should get the video), but I watched a bunch of my classmates videos and I think I kind of figured it out.  2 balls and a tunnel and you get the dog to run chasing the ball and then recall through the tunnel to chase another ball.  This is supposed to teach obstacle focus.  Dhali thinks this game is ok, but "hey wouldn't it be more fun if you ran WITH me?!? Huh?  Wouldn't it?!?"

I'm not playing this game with him any more.  We both are not having any fun with it.  Dhali wants to tug and play with me and this game is just not for him.  I made a promise with Dhali that I wouldn't do things training-wise that I felt were 'wrong' for him.  I made that mistake with Tibby.  Someone can be an expert, but I know my own dog and I need to trust that.

I think time and experience and training and playing more agility.  PLAYING  more WITH me will give him obstacle focus.

He just needs experience.  I can see already this week that he is getting better about seeking out obstacles.  Even on that first video he was trying to find the jump to wrap - even if it was the far jump upright.  He doesn't know the rules! 

I've started him on the LM jump program thing too this week.  He will be a year old at the end of next month, so I think a little controlled jumping at a low height won't hurt him.

He is still a good, naughty boy.

Tibby Is 3!

Tibby turned 3 yesterday!  

She got uninterrupted time with the big chewy bone for 3 minutes.  Just kidding!  She chewed on it for as long as she wanted to and for as long as I could keep Dhali from bugging her.  

And it didn't snow on her big day!  

But it DID snow again today.  A lot.  

She is such a big girl now!  

More Snow?!?

This is getting ridiculous!  It's almost May! 

Really getting tired of snow around here.... 

My Soap Is (Semi) Famous

This has nothing to do with dogs or dog training, but it IS related to how I pay for their training LOL!

Check it out my soap is a finalist!

Pre-Week of Foundations Class

I'm a week behind in posting this, but Silvia Trkman's AF class started last Monday.  We are in the class......again!  It's Dhali's first time in agility foundations, but this is like my 7th class with her or maybe more?  I've lost count LOL!

So this was our pre class video.  Silvia said not to worry, because the class hadn't even started yet.  LOL!  I'm not worried.  Dhali is awesome.  If he can't become some kind of agility dog then I have a problem.  He loves to play the game.  He's fast and he learns quickly.

Finally he is learning!  I took a break from clicker training him and let his brain catch up with his growing body.  Now I think his brain has matured enough that he can focus without getting frustrated.

Although he still gets frustrated and then he bites me!  Silvia said he needs more forward focus and obstacle focus.  Yes, but how do I train that when I've done such a good job training handler focus! :P

Dhali is also over 17 inches tall at this point.  Fingers crossed that he settles down a little bit and ends up shorter, but I'm not holding my breath.  Tibby is just under 16 inches and Dhali is about an inch and 1/2 taller than her.  I don't know if it is related to his neuter?  Or if he would have had this growth spurt anyway?  But he shot up right after he was neutered.  Boo.  Oh well, he's still perfect.

P.S.  Hello to all my AF stalkers!!  *waving*  I didn't even know you were out there LOL!

So Cute It Might Kill You

Dhali and Catty are TOO CUTE!  They could do this all day long.....

Wordless Wednesday