Tell Me Thursday - Trainers?

It's Crooks and Crazies Tell me Thursday!

Well, Monday.  I wasn't going to do this one 'cause it might get me in trouble, but I had time to think about stuff, so I decided to try it out.

1. How do you search for and then choose a trainer?

Well, I tried searching the internet for a local trainer and that failed me twice, but also gave me my 2 favorite trainers, so success (50% of the time at least)!!  If I hadn't started this blog and complained whined mentioned that I needed HELP, I never would have met Loretta!  I don't want to creep her out, but she's like my mentor and I also read her blog, bounce questions/ideas of her at lessons to get an idea of what the agility world is like.  She's a great trainer, because she gives me direction, but also freedom to try stuff/other methods (meaning SG here) out. 

Fail or fly, we all have to do it ourselves!.  I'm not sure exactly how it worked out....I remember her saying, "Hey come up and hang out sometime we have nice agility people up here."....or something like that.  I thought she lived waaaaaay up north, like by Duluth.  Turns out she was only 2 hours away!!  

And of course the internet gave me Silvia Trkman's online classes.  Awesome!  I feel like she has taught me agility from a different continent.  Very modern ;)

So combined together Loretta and Silvia make an amazing trainer team.  I can't imagine one without the other!
2. The dog world is small and... uh... talkative. After choosing a trainer how do you handle those people in your life who don't believe in that trainer/trainers methods and criticize them to you?

I don't care.  If you think the agility world is bad....I have some other venues and people to introduce you too.  I like to pretend I have thick skin :) 

I treat them like my crazy patients, "Oooo, yeah. Right." Walking away now.....

3. Do you believe that a person's personal life should influence your choice of a trainer? (i.e do you believe a person's choice to be a party animal outside of work would affect your choice?)

No.  Do you think that my personal life should affect them teaching me?  I hope not.

4. When you have a break through moment with your dog, do you feel that moment makes your connection stronger with that dog and makes the next step in training easier?

Yes!  I think so.  I feel more connected to Tibby every day.  We are having more fun and she is a fun little fluffy friend.

5. Do you stick with just one trainer, or do you go to multiple sources for help?

Multiple.  Seriously.  Watch this blog in the next couple months I have some surprises and adventures planned.  My lips are sealed though!  I don't want to say anything until it happens.  'Cause you know we tend to have "interesting" results from our adventures. 

Tell Me Thursday

Hey it's Thursday again!  Laura at Crooks and Crazies ask:

1. What are you thankful for this week?

Just this week?  Or all the time?  Well, I'm thankful I have a job (that I like) and my own house.  An awesome dog.  Great parents.  The time to do what I want and the money to do it.

2. How do you deal with a squeaker/shrieker/noisy dog?

I've never had a noisy dog.  I like quiet, so....be quiet or else.  :)  I guess ignore and reward being quiet.

3. Barbara wants to know: what would you say is ONE skill or attribute needed to be successful?

This was a tough one for me.  If I had to pick one thing though, I would say persistence.  If you give up too easily, you will never succeed.  However, it is important to know when to quit too.  I'm a very good quitter.  And I'm also very persistent.  Like hard headed - it WILL happen.  Don't even try to tell me it won't.  Ok, so maybe it's important to be balanced.  Persistent/Quitter.  See why this was hard for me?  I mean, most people would have given up on training Tibby in agility a long time ago.  Me?  Hard-headed.  Little step by little step. 

Man these are hard questions.

4. Pippin wants to know: what are your favorite games?

With Tibby?  Hide and seek.  Jump on the bed/paw and hand swat.  Rawr!  Yes, rawr! is a game.  I run around and yell rawr!  Tibby loves it.  I chase her, she chases me.  I hide.  She finds me and I yell rawr!  She runs away and I hide again.  Repeat.  The bed/swatting.  I run and jump into bed.  Tibby jumps into bed.  Then I push her, she swats me.  Repeat.

It's fun!

5. What are some of your strategies for dealing with winter?

Flannel lined jeans.  Big thick socks.  Big boots.  Snowshoes.  Not going anywhere for 3 months.

Seriously the flannel lined jeans are great.  I bought them at the local farm store.  They are too big for me, but that's OK.  Then I can wear a 2nd pair of sweat pants underneath the flannel lined jeans.

Layers, people, layers.  Or you WILL freeze to death.  Not even kidding.

I also make tons of plans about what I want to do in the spring. 

Tibby?  Likes the cold.  Although, I make her wear a coat when we go snowshoeing.  Then we come home and she sits outside in the snow for a couple hours without her coat on, to cool off.

Brrr! Now I'm all depressed about winter.  Thanks!

Tell Me Thursday

 Yes it is Thursday again.  Time is going way too quickly!
Crooks and Crazies ask:
1. What is your favorite Little Debbie snack? If you hate Little Debbie then I bow down to your greatness. (I suppose you can include some other favorite snack. Maybe it'll inspire me to get over LD for today.)

I think I tried my first LD snack when I was 20?  Or something like that.  I didn't like it.  It was an oatmeal/frosting thing that a friend gave me.  Until then I didn't know that they existed.  Yes, I led a sheltered life of homemade cookies and cakes. :^)  I'm not a big snack eater.  My Mom goes through these phases where she wants to make the best cake, pie, cookies, whatever and she will make like 10 different versions of one recipe.  Then I have to try all of them and tell her which one is the best.  It's a hard life ;)  Lately it has been apple pie.  I used to like apple pie.  20 or so pies later.....not so much.  Pity me!

2. What do you use for laundry detergent?
Tide and Surf.  I like the way they smell. 

3. Tighty Whities or Boxers? (this, obviously, is open for interpretation)
Hmmm, not sure what this question is about.  I'm not a big fan of the Westie or the Boxer dog breed.  Just kidding!  I think Westies are cute. 

4. Dogs: On the bed? In the house? On the furniture? Never? What are your rules?
Tibby would like to ask, "What's a rule?"  House rules are open to interpretation.  I have pictures of Tibby on my dining room table!  Tibby can go where ever she wants.  I had the silly rule of no dog's on the bed when Tibby was a puppy.  When she was about 6 or so months old she showed me how wonderful sleeping through the night with a quiet puppy could be - as long as the puppy got to sleep on the bed.  Sleep deprivation.....Tibby could work for the CIA - she gets results.

5. Favorite dog-related website (aside from my blog, obviously har har har)? Favorite NON-dog related website? Can be blogs, or whatever.  I spend time on the Mighty Mites Forum.  It's for small dogs ONLY.  Although Tibby is just a tiny bit over the height requirement, but they said we could stay anyway.  Honestly she is .53 inches over the 16 inch height limit.  Or she was the last time I tried to measure her.  I also spend too much time in the LoLaBu Land classroom 'cause that's where/how we are taking agility classes.  I watch too many videos of dogs Border Collies with tons of drive and then I feel sad about Tibby, which is stupid, because Tibby is awesome.  The End.
Non-dog related?  Um, well I guess shopping.  I like Mod Cloth.  I wear a lot of dresses and they have unusual ones there.

Tell Me Thursday

And Bam!  It's another Thursday!  Where did the week go?  Crooks and Crazies ask this week.....


1. If you won the lottery (a big one... I'm talking stupid muchos cash) what would you do with the money?

Ok first thing- I buy a jet and hire a pilot.  Then I find a property in the Cambridge area.  Cambridge, New Zealand.  That's the reason for the plane.  I want to bring Tibby with me and I don't want to ship her.  Oh, yeah and we are going to travel the world.  First nice home in New Zealand with plenty of land.  I want my own avocado tree in the backyard.  And a big garden/forest/wild place.  With a team of gardeners to take care of it.
  I also would, of course, give money to my parents, so my Mom can stop working.  Then after my parents are taken care of and living with my Grandma in NZ.....Tibby and I would travel around in our plane visiting interesting places.  And everyone would let me bring Tibby where ever I wanted, because I would have tons of money to throw around.  We would go to like the Louvre or Iceland.  Or maybe meet the Queen's corgis.
Oh AND I would open a training school in the town I presently live in.  I would hire some amazing instructors.  The classes wouldn't be free (because people don't appreciate free), but they would be reasonably affordable.  It would be like a dog training Mecca, instead of the dog training desert it is right now.

2. After winning the lottery would you work a day job? If so, what would you do?
No.  Working is stupid.  Hobbies are fun.  I would have many hobbies. 

3. Do you have any auxiliary dogs? Auxiliary dogs are dogs that are not essential to your main purpose (usually tiny, but not always). If you don't have an auxiliary dog what might you choose?
I have auxiliary rabbits - Kiwi and Tansy  Catty is also kind of auxiliary.  Even though she tries to help with agility training.  Seriously.  Watch any video of Tibby doing agility and SOMEWHERE in the video (usually laying in the middle of the grass) Catty will be 'helping'.  Don't believe me?  Check out this newest video


- 

See Catty?  Yes that would be the brown fluffy rug Tibby keeps running over.

4. Do you have a favorite crock pot recipe (or other recipe) you can share?

I use to have some hobbies BT (before Tibby).  One of them was cooking and blogging about it here - Dust Bath Ladies  Check out this dinner party I had - Romancing the Potato Dinner Party.  Now After Tibby (AT) that would NEVER happen. 
My favorite super simple crock pot recipe is :  Thinly slice potatoes and onions.  Layer them in the crock pot.  Pour cream over potatoes until the potatoes are covered.  Sprinkle salt, pepper and nutmeg over the top. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender.  The best scalloped potatoes ever. 


Hummm, yes I like potatoes Okay?  :)

Tell Me Thursday

1. What movie do you love but are too embarrassed to admit you love it?
2. Ann wants to know: How far do you drive/travel to attend trials, clinics, lessons? How far is too far?
3. What is your theme song (circa Ally McBeal)?
4. Laura S wants to know: If you had to choose a new dog activity, one that you had never done before, what would you choose?
5. What would your dog choose (or scribe, if you're Pippin)?

1. What movie do you love but are too embarrassed to admit you love it?Mmmm, I'm not a big movie person, but I LOVE the BBC's Robin Hood series.  This is NOT the pansy Robin Hood or the guts and blood Robin Hood.  I just love it - it's exciting and you never know what will happen next, because the BBC is not afraid to kill off the main characters.  I don't usually mention that I love it, because people go, "Oooooh, Robin Hood?  Really?"  It's a great show!  Seriously!
  I also love the show Primeval.  Scary and silly.  But mostly really, really scary.  Scariest episode was the Dodo birds.  Don't want to talk about it........too scary.
 
I just realized that I only watch the BBC!  My favorite all time best movie ever is Lost In Austen.  The best movie ever!  And Captain Wentworth is the best!
 
2. Ann wants to know: How far do you drive/travel to attend trials, clinics, lessons? How far is too far?The closest training places are an 1 1/2 drive or for people who do miles ( just realized that hour distances are a MN thing) 96 miles.  I drive 2 hours for private lessons.  I once drove, just to watch for 25 mins, to a trial 3 1/2 hours.  I haven't found 'how far is too far' yet.  Living here means I have to drive.  We drive 30 minutes to go hiking or snowshoeing too.  It's a pain, but at least I get to spend time with my dog in the car.  Of course, she is asleep.  :)


3. What is your theme song (circa Ally McBeal)?
 The Streets - Fit But You Know It  LOL!  IDK  I just like that song :)

4. Laura S wants to know: If you had to choose a new dog activity, one that you had never done before, what would you choose?
Coursing. 

5. What would your dog choose (or scribe, if you're Pippin)?
WWF Cat smack down!!  Tibby would be the all time title holder!

Tell Me Thursday + Fun Video

Hey it's time for Tell Me Thursday!  This week's questions:

1. If you're not at the 2011 Sheepdog finals this weekend what are you planning to do?

2. One item you NEVER walk onto the trial field (any trial field, or training class will suffice) without?

3. Katy wants to know if you have a pre-run ritual that you observe?

4. How old were you when you had your first real kiss?

5. Bonnie wants to know what you do for yard mud control during the winter?

1. If you're not at the 2011 Sheepdog finals this weekend what are you planning to do?

Let's see....move my Grandma into her new house.  Referee some bang up fights between my Mom and my Grandma.  Take Tibby to the local Coffee Fest in her cute Scottish outfit.  Yeah, I know she isn't Scottish, but I am!  (mostly...!)  Drink lots of free coffee and then when I'm all pumped full of caffeine, go back to refereeing.  Fun week-end ahead.

2. One item you NEVER walk onto the trial field (any trial field, or training class will suffice) without?

Well.....I'm very new to the whole dog training thing (see video at end of post), but I guess I like to have my dog, shoes and clothes.  Mostly very comfy pants - very important.  Yeah I can't really think of anything else.  Ask me in a couple years when we have been to a trial!.......or a training class......

3. Katy wants to know if you have a pre-run ritual that you observe?

Do 3 jumps and a tunnel count as a run?  If so, yes I have a ritual:  Get Tibby, make sure Tibby is paying attention, hey!  Tibby!  I have treats!  Ok, then do a trick.  Reward trick and then try to do some agility!  It's working so far!  Oh! I also put my shoes on before the ritual starts.  No bare feet in the backyard.  Not unless you want to step in something Catty caught and killed 2 weeks ago.  Squishy.

5. Bonnie wants to know what you do for yard mud control during the winter?

Good question!  Well, last year my back yard looked like this (it looks much better this year) -

Gratuitous baby Tibby pic

And this -

Tibby last year with my cousin.

See the straw to the left of the picture?  That worked pretty good.  Then winter came the next week, so I didn't have to worry about mud again until Spring - 5 months later......when Tibby was much bigger.  She could jump over my handy little fences and run like a crazy beast through the mud.  Tibby got/gets a lot of foot baths.  I pick her up at the door and take her into the bathroom, plop her in the tub and wash off her feet/leg/belly with the sprayer.  During the mud season she gets at least 3 foot baths a day.  Mud, mud it's coming......then stupid snow.  Which is much worse!  The roads here have tons of salt and sand on them.  So all winter I have to wash Tibby's feet off.  I love summer.  Dry, clean summer.

Tibby says, "What?  Real dogs wear hats."

And do agility!

~

What is awesome about the following video:

1 - Loretta is a super teacher and also was nice enough to video us.

2 - Tibby is not running away.

3 - I will repeat - NOT.  RUNNING.  AWAY.  Or doing zoomies. 

4 - Tibby is jumping over the jumps.  Not running through the jumps.  A small thing, but it makes such a big difference.

5 - I am paying attention to Tibby and not running merrily along by myself expecting Tibby to follow me. 

6 - Tibby goes through the tunnel!! Yay! And she didn't need to think about it for 5 mins before she did it!

7 - We are having SO MUCH FUN!!

8 - Tibby is cute. Oh wait you knew that already!

Tell Me Thursday

  Hey everyone's doing it!  Jen at Crooks and Crazies has started "Tell Me Thursdays"- she posts a few questions on her blog.  You answer them and then post a link on her blog.  I've had fun reading all the responses the last few weeks.  It looks like fun!   Here are the questions for this week:

1. What is the biggest thing that grossed you out over the past week?
Well, I've worked in a hospital for 12 years, so not much grosses me out now.  The ULTIMATE grossest thing that happened this week I can't really talk about here, but it had to do with a dead person.  The 2nd grossest, was when I tried to help a patient stand up and his NG tube (tube that goes through the nose into the stomach - like a stomach vacuum) hit my hand.  AND green 'juice' got on my fingers.  The sad thing is that an hour later almost the exact same thing happened with a different patient.     

2. What do you feed your dogs?
Nutrisource

3. If you could move anywhere where would you live?
New Zealand.  Didn't even have to think about it LOL!  My Mom's family is from there and I think it is the most beautiful country.  I like the weather and you can go from farmland to beach to forest to mountains in ONE DAY.  You don't have to drive a million miles to get everywhere. 

4. What is the funniest thought that occurred to you (or thing that happened to you) this week?
Ahh, huh?  I know funny things happen to me ALL THE TIME, but I can't really remember any of them.  Well, we have this patient mover thing the uses an air blower (like a very powerful air mattress blower) and I didn't attach it correctly.  It was pretty funny when it shot off and blew my hair everywhere.  At least my co-workers thought it was hilarious :P

5. If you couldn't have your breed of choice what would be next on your list?
Hmmm, I guess I don't know enough breeds of dog.  I really like Tibetan Terriers - even though Tibby is not easy to train or work with she is easy to live with.  I guess maybe a standard poodle.  I've always liked them.