2011: A Year of Firsts

Go Izzie Go!, originally uploaded by mandypug.

This past year has been full of action. I've done more with Izzie than ever, taken more classes than ever, and logged more kilometres on the odometer than ever.

In July we earned our first title ever. Just a Canine Good Neighbour, but still this is my first dog of my own and lets face it there are a hell of a lot of dogs out there that couldn't pass the CGN test (and it's a pretty easy test imho).

In August we competed in our first trial ever. At that trial, on our first run ever, we earned our first Q and our first first place ribbon.

In November we earned our first agility title, Starters Games Dog of Canada and we're only one Q away from our Agility Dog of Canada title.

We have 8 Qs in 6 trials. Not too shabby i think for a complete newbie to the sport with my first dog who was not raised for agility that was nearly completely shut down when we started with Go Dog Go. Not too shabby at all.

This may have been the year of Agility, but we did other things too!

We also started on Obedience and Rally training, mostly heel work. Never really thought I'd be interested in that stuff but it's surprisingly fun and a very well trained obedience dog is cool to watch.

Izzie and I also ventured into the world of team sports, particularly Scent Hurdle. I'd never taught a retrieve before and Izzie isn't particularly inclined to pick up things other than food. However i taught it to her, took about a week, and she's now a retrieving fool!

Izzie also saw sheep for the first time, which was super cool and kind of funny.

Anyways, we've had a lot of success and learning in 2011 and while we did not obtain our goal (and i hate goals, i never make them) of both starters titles by the end of the year we came very close and Izzie has been running awesome and clean and i couldn't be more proud. I'm definitely looking forward to what 2012 might bring us!

Peanut Butter Face

Peanut Butter Face, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Too cute not to share!
Dogs are fun when you shove a dollop of peanut butter in their mouths, especially Izzie.

Mishmash the Second

It's the end of December and there's no snow and has been blue skies and warmth. This is weird even though wind here brings warmth. I wonder what mother nature has in store for us though, this can't last...

I learned how to gamble at the casino on Tuesday night with my friend AND came away with $160. Spent it at Lululemon and feel pretty good about it, gotta win a jackpot next time though!

Izzie's rally training is coming along nicely, she's getting more and more comfortable with the leash each time we work on it. I'm getting over my issues too.

I've become so wrapped up in clean and perfect accurate runs that i micromanage and freak Izzie out. Must work on letting loose and trusting Izzie's training and taking some chances, it makes her go faster and i imagine it's more fun for her too. She knows what she's doing and i need to stop babying her and take advantage of my straight lines (or Jolayne will yell at me).

I haven't shaved my legs in like two months.

Free shaping is hilarious. Izzie lifted up her back end and planted it squarely into her training bag tonight without touching the edges of the bag, i had to laugh.

Lululemon reusable bags make the BEST training bags. Izzie got a new one for Christmas, I got the hoodie that was inside of it.

Izzie and I went to watch Gyp and Sarah and Pike and Cindy herding a couple weeks ago. Izzie and i ended up in the arena with the sheep for about 5 minutes and it was FUN! Not that we'll pursue it but Izzie was really thinking in there and was pretty intrigued by the fact that if she stepped toward the sheep they'd move away from her. Perhaps she was telling them "Bah Ram Ewe!"

That'll Do Pug..., originally uploaded by mandypug.

Thanks Shay for the funny photoshop job!

My Little Dog

A heartbeat at my feet., originally uploaded by mandypug.

Having a little mushy moment today... I couldn't love this little dog more than i do, she is perfection to me.

Crafty

Achievements ought to be displayed., originally uploaded by mandypug.

Lookit that you lucky readers, two posts in one day! I finished up my little project early and wanted to show you all what i did with the prop in the last post.

Combine a cheap leash rack from a discount store with some old picture hanging wire kicking around in the garage, add lots of brilliant wrapping of the wire around the pegs and voila! A ribbon rack to display Izzie's awards!

Her ribbons were just hanging on a hook, not displayed, in my room and i kinda need that hook to hang other things on so i figured it's about time Izzie got her own ribbon display.

Now to find somewhere to hang it!

One Word

So much better than you..., originally uploaded by mandypug.

You know those self study survey type questions that are often on high school "personal development" assignments? I always hated those (almost as much as goal setting actually), especially the "Describe yourself with one word" question. I could never pick a word for myself.

Izzie, however complex, can pretty much be described with one word and everyone would probably agree. Izzie is a princess.

She's still sweet though despite being royalty, unable to rule with an iron paw like the Queen Jane does. She's just too nice.

Merry Pugmas!

Fill it up!, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Someone is impatient waiting for Santa Paws...

It's like getting underwear for christmas...

It's like getting underwear for christmas..., originally uploaded by mandypug.

Really expensive underwear, but not the frilly lacy pretty kind from Victoria Secret. The practical kind that may not look special but has special abilities (like spanx i suppose). That's what this coat is for Izzie. Practical underwear.

I've been wanting to get Izzie a Back on Track coat for quite a while but the price tag was a bit scary. However the thought of Izzie possibly not being in top shape and getting injured because i don't do everything i can for her is even scarier! So when Sarah became a distributor for this company i jumped at the chance to get Izzie one.

Back on Track products are made of a special ceramic fabric that radiates heat back toward the body. This helps heal and prevent sore, stiff muscles. While Izzie doesn't seem to have any problems or injuries, I'd like to be proactive and try and do everything to prevent them. Plus I'm sure the better she feels, the better she'll perform and the more she'll enjoy her activities.

It's my job to keep my Super Pug in super shape.

Every Super Pug needs their Super Cape!, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Motivation

Crate Gamer, originally uploaded by mandypug.

I'll write about the 2x4 trial later, I'm still thinking about it and absorbing some things that have been said about our results.


Izzie is a very hard dog to motivate, which makes her slow. Her interest in toys and play is almost nonexistent. She was a super playful puppy and I'm kicking myself now for squashing that. However I never had a thought to do agility with her when I got her or was raising her so really I can't place full blame on myself for not channelling the drive she had for toys and play. At that point I just needed a good dog that wouldn't chew on everyone’s feet and wasn't bothering everyone to play 24/7. She loves food but I find it hard to get her "up" for food in a trial or even practise environment. That could be me being more serious than at mealtime at home. It could also be that I’m not a terribly fun person; I’m not a squeaky voiced jumping around like an idiot happy person (and those people freak me out). So I find it hard to be exciting. I'm shy and the thought of jumping around and making a fool of myself makes me want to curl up in a ball and die.

Izzie really loves agility, I know she does. She knows the routes to the outdoor field and now the barn and she perks up and wags her whole body when she figures out where we're going. She's not hesitant about any obstacles either. I just need to get her motivated to play the game with speed.

So I’ve got to do something about this. She’s already on a toy diet as much as I can to try and build their value; she already has to earn her food and all her treats too. If I push her back on the chest to rev her up she just screams like I’m trying to kill her (my classmates have witnessed this too) and slinks away even though I’ve never done anything to hurt her EVER and she doesn’t have an injury there.

I already have crate games and it’s something that is recommended for building motivation, so we’re going to be doing that at home for a while to try and get her going. Getting her used to collar restraints or pushed back by me or something too maybe.

She’s my first competition dog so I really have no idea what I should do. I feel honestly a little defeated I guess, I’m trying to think of the positives of not only how far we’ve come since the start but the success and improvement we’ve had since we started trialling in August; but the speed thing keeps getting brought up and it kind of starts to overshadow things.

We’ll see how crate games works and I’ll research more ideas. I know something will help get Izzie motivated (maybe I need to be drugged or drunk or something to make me more fun?), I don’t know what it is yet but we’ll find it and do it and it will work.

Scenthurdle

The Retriever, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Funny thing about Pugs is their owners tend to be reluctant to try out different dog sports with them. Not all are like this but looking at stats it's the trend. Not sure why as these are smart and capable little dogs!

With Izzie my goal is to get her doing as many things as she possibly can as long as she likes it. So far so good, we've got our agility which we both love and therapy work... That's two more thing than the average house hippo... erm house Pug! We've also been dabbling for a while in training Rally and Competition Obedience, but nothing serious really yet (that will change on Friday though as Izzie and I have a Rally class starting.)

Our next challenge is a sport called Scenthurdle. This is a relay sport with four dogs on a team. Each dog has to retrieve a dumbbell with its handlers scent on it out of four options which are placed on a square platform at the end of four hurdles. Each dogs have to run up the lane over all the hurdles, scent out the correct dumbbell, then return over the hurdles without dropping the dumbbell. The hurdles are set by the smallest dog on the team, the height dog. This is where Izzie comes in handy at all of 12-13 inches tall, she's small and would make a good height dog.

It only took Izzie about a week to learn how to retrieve her dumbbell and bring it right to my hand. Not bad for a dog who did not like to put anything but food (or my fingers) in her mouth. The next step is teaching her how to scent out the correct dumbbell. It's a little more tricky, but she's catching on quickly and is choosing the right one about 80% right now. After that it's all about putting everything together over the hurdles and increasing speed.

I'm excited to see how we progress in this cool sport. I tried to do some searching to see if there are (or were ever) other Pugs doing this but so far i can't find any evidence of any. How cool would it be to have the first scenthurdling Pug?!

Monkeying Around

Haters Gonna Hate, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Oh look at you lucky readers, three days of blogging in a row this week!

So it's getting chilly out. So much that I'm even feeling it and i don't usually mind cold until it's REALLY cold, maybe I'm just getting old though. Anyways Izzie's not got a terribly thick coat so she needs a little extra somethin' somethin' to keep her little buns warm in our Canadian weather.

This is where the sweater comes in. The monkey sweater to be specific.

Isn't it cute? Izzie loves it, she wags her little puggy tail and prances around. She could do without the hood but that part is all about my amusement. So freakin' cute.

For size reference Izzie is wearing a Small. It's a bit tight but the Medium would likely be super big on her. Darn that weird puggy shaped chest!

You can find this sweater and lots of other cute ones from Chilly Dog Sweaters. Everything is handmade from 100% real wool with no unnecessary packaging either. Check them out if you have a dog that needs a sweater!

New Adventure?

Just for kicks, originally uploaded by mandypug.

I'm not a terribly driven person in general, though i do go off on tangents of extreme motivation but eventually they pass for the most part. Only a few have ever stuck, but most end up failing after my friends are all stuffed to the gills with banana chocolate chip muffins and are sick of the most recent obsession.

So what is this all about, am i obsessing again and have sudden motivation to try something new?

Yes. Yes I do, and that something is Rally Obedience.

After finally being able to catch Izzie in a stand stay and take the pictures i need for her CKC Performance Event Number, i got a rush of motivation to try and train her for Rally. She's certainly smart enough and very talented and it'll be a good challenge for me (plus it'll give me something besides Grey's Anatomy and sleeping to do on those frigid winter days stuck indoors).

So here goes! Lets hope this catches on like Agility did and we stick with it, i really think Izzie could do well!

Calgary Agility Association Trial

The Haul, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Izzie and i went to the Calgary Agility Association trial this weekend (it was our 5th trial already, time flies) and she did awesome! We came home with a Q in Starters Gamblers, our second one which got Izzie her Starters Games dog of Canada title! For those that don't play AAC agility, that means Izzie has gotten two qualifying scores under two different judges in each game (Snooker, Jumpers, Gamblers) in the starters level. Izzie also Q'd in Starters Standard, our first Q in that ever which is super exciting!

Our NQ runs were still good! Izzie was very close on both Advanced Jumpers and Advanced Gamblers. In jumpers she got a refusal because she went into a tunnel and came back out the entry side which isn't totally weird for her but she hasn't done that in a long long time, but otherwise she was flying and handling well! Gamblers we had a good plan for the opening and executed it well even if she was a tad bit quicker than usual which didn't quite line us up perfectly like i had planned, the main gamble was going well but she pulled off a jump and the buzzer went as i was trying to get her to go back out over it. Oh well it was our first Advanced Gamblers ever, we'll just be practising more distance skills! We also ran a Starters Standard on the first day, it was filled with zoomies and a bit of a standoff when Izzie zoomed on to the table lol.

I have so much fun trialling and this one was no exception. The Go Dog Go group is so amazing, everyone is so supportive of each other and friendly. It was a ton of fun, especially the memorable quotes lol.

Mishmash

Izzie is appaulled., originally uploaded by mandypug.

I haven't been blogging lately because i haven't really had much i felt was worth saying. Well i mean other than trial results but I'd rather this blog not just be me posting result after result. Anyways i figure i should write something before the blogging police get after me about being a crappy blogger, so i stole an idea from Leah over at A Prairie Dobe Companion (go on, go take a look... I'll wait... back? Good, let's continue). So here goes, a bunch of small complete or incomplete thoughts, ideas and news from the past little while that never grew big enough for a blog of their own...

Fall is here. This means winter is right around the corner, in fact it snowed this morning. I like snow though, the problem is that it will soon become socially unacceptable to wear flip flops constantly.

I love trialling. Actually i love competing in general, like frothing at the mouth rabid LOVE any form of competition. It's something that is good and bad. Good because i rarely get nervous (only if it's a "first" or if someone nervous is standing next to me obsessing, nerves are definitely contagious). It's bad though because sometimes i take every little tiny bit of competition far too seriously. If i've ever barked at you at a competition please don't take it personally or just smack me or something.

Izzie needs one more gamble Q for her Starters Games Dog of Canada title, you all have no idea how exciting this is to me.

I need more income. Whether it's a second job or a new job completely or selling plasma or a kidney, i need more money to support the lifestyle i want.

The Puppy Fund is officially started. Stay tuned for a bit of a rummage sale to help out said fund.

My dog is indeed purple. It's not the light, it's not your eyes going funny, and it's most certainly not animal cruelty. Get over yourselves haters, dying my dog is not equal to piercing her nose either.

I've had a cough now for about a month, I'm not a fan of it. It gets better then gets worse then goes away for a couple days then comes back. Any normal person would've taken cough syrup by now but it makes me puke and I'll take a hacking cough over vomiting any day.

The bottom of my foot is itchy, but i can't scratch it because that tickles.

Paco Collars is the best leather collar company in the universe.

My VFFs are super comfortable and i adore them, but if my feet were the actual pink that the shoes are I'd be a little concerned about my health.

Leash running is my favourite job to do at a trial most of the time. This is because usually handlers are very nice and say thank you (or they say sorry if they throw a leash at me and it hits me in the face) and it makes me feel like I'm useful.

Does anyone else find those pictures of the people that made the products on Lush stuff a little creepy? Especially their shower stuff. I have to turn them away from me, the last thing i want is a creepy face picture staring at me in the shower.

Everyone needs to watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Just because it's awesome.

Okay that's it for this post, I'll leave you all with a pretty sweet music video to watch.

Vote Mongering

Get my good side, food-lady., originally uploaded by mandypug.
 

I don't normally do this, but i really want a chance to win and this voting is for a good cause! 

Izzie is in a contest to win a spot in an advertisement for Fido Mobile up here in Canada among other things that contribute to that (hellooo limo!)

And the good cause part? Every vote made, Fido will donate $1 to Dog Guides Canada. So why not vote?

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!!!

 
Vote every day for Izzie and also share it on your facebooks or twitter to help her win! She's a natural and that mug just belongs in the spotlight!

Youngest

Youngest to Oldest, originally uploaded by mandypug.

She's very clearly MY dog and my favourite out of the bunch.

I can't help it, Izzie is just so amazing and perfect. We were made for each other.

Kimberley Trial

Another Q!, originally uploaded by mandypug.

So I suck at blogging and should have written this earlier this week but i've been ridiculously tired and unmotivated all week, i blame school.

Anyways...

Izzie and I went to Kimberley last weekend and we had a ton of fun! It was a super awesome trial and even though we only Q'd in one of our 4 runs all weekend, we learned a ton and had a really good time!

I'll break it down a little bit for you all:

Gamblers - Izzie was WILD. She was so happy and wound up to be playing she was all over the place when i wanted her to be near me and stuck to me like glue when i wanted her to be away from me. What i learned... Need to work more distance stuff not only getting Izzie used to working away from me more but making sure I'm cuing her properly, and figure out at what "up level" Izzie works best at.

Snooker #1 - Lets face it, i went in a little confused about the game and never having played it before. Add that to the fact it was 34 degrees Celsius with no wind and i thought there were more dogs before us than there actually were, the odds were against us anyways. I also planned my course for the fast and wild and crazy dog i had for gamblers, but instead she wasn't very "up" and was pretty hot too. What i learned... I need to cheer her on a bit more on course and plan my runs better.

Jumpers - Well it was going well until she got the zoomies and after i got her to refocus she was golden. Too bad she zoomed around the jump and took the backside instead of zooming over it the right way haha. What i learned... I don't think i warmed her up well enough to get her mind in the right place, she was very "OMG WHEEE AGILITY!" 
 
Snooker #2 - Learned from the first time to plan the course better plus the #7 obstacle was one of Izzie's best, the dog walk. I asked Sarah for some help on strategy and the run went swimmingly. Couldn't be happier with it being so new to the game. What i learned... Don't be afraid to ask for help if I'm unsure.

Overall, it was an awesome weekend. I had so much fun and the people from our club were awesome. Sarah even let me run Kaleb in Steeplechase and once he figured out that he was out there with me and not his momma he was really good for me! He makes me want a FCR lots, but that'll be a few years from now.

I'll definitely be attending the Kimberley trial every year as long as they'll keep having them!

Back to Nature

Nature Hike, originally uploaded by mandypug.

My parental units took the trailer out for a test run before we head out to Kimberley this coming weekend and despite working my arse off all weekend i went out for a night with Izzie.

Bear? No... Just a Ground Squirrel., originally uploaded by mandypug.

It was fun. We ate lots of S'mores and cooked outside near a yummy smelling campfire. S'mores make the world go round, i'm convinced of this. They're the best thing evar.

Hurry up with the S'mores!, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Of course having a trailer means we don't have to give up a ton of luxuries to camp. So much more comfy than tenting. We still have a bathroom and water to wash our hands in instead of rocking the hand sanitizer (though i admit i do that in any situation).

Can't leave all the luxuries at home., originally uploaded by mandypug.

But in the end, camping isn't something i like to seek out for long periods of time. Despite having a shower in there i prefer my own shower, and while the bed is fine i do miss my own bigger bed. Overall i love the trailer though, and it's a hell of a lot better than tenting!

Enough with camping..., originally uploaded by mandypug.

Oh and being able to cook pancakes in the morning easily indoors? Love it.

Whoop Up Days 2011

Whoop Up Days 2011, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Izzie and i spent all of our last week at our local fair called Whoop Up Days. We were performing with our agility club to show off all our talented well trained dogs.

Izzie did awesome all week and showed people that little Pugs can do big things! We even conquered some fears like the A-Frame! Izzie also got faster every demo we had, i was having trouble keeping up. She is getting more confident the more we play and i love seeing that.

I also got the opportunity to run dogs that weren't mine! That was super fun, especially when i got to run with my favouritest Flat Coated Retriever EVER, Kaleb!

Kaleb!, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Isn't he awesome? He's such a cool dog.

I also got to run Tate the 9.5 year old Rough Collie and wow he runs fast for an old boy! It's always a cool learning experience running a dog that isn't yours. Every dog has a different style that works for them and you really have to learn to adapt. 

We also had a huge crowd hit with Sarah's Gyppie with a little Border Collie sized saddle on!  She ran the barrels in the barrel race so fast even with that awkward thing on her back, such an amazing little dog!

Gyppie the Barrel Racing Dog!, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Overall it was an awesome week and I'm glad i participated. Can't wait for next year!

What a Weekend!

29/52: First Q Ever, originally uploaded by mandypug.

This past weekend was our first agility trial ever! I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. We Q'd on our very first run ever with a first place even! I made mistakes and we didn't Q in our second run but hey, first time out we didn't do so bad! It makes me tear up a little to see how far my little Pug has come. It sounds sappy but I'll let the videos do the talking...

That dog in those videos used to run away at the sight of an agility ring or equipment. She used to hide in tunnels and find the farthest lap from me to sit in to avoid doing agility. She was slow and unmotivated to do more than a trot.

Some say i should have given up right there and that she didn't like it so why try again. So what if they think I'm selfish for trying again. It wasn't the game of agility that hurt her, it was the training (or lack of) that did. I knew my little dog though, and i knew she loved the game for real and we just needed another better shot at it.

So in the end. This Q is thanks to the fantastic guidance i've had over the past year. Thanks to the advice of Lynn from On Target Dog Training in Ontario, and meeting someone from Go Dog Go! at 2010 AAC Nationals, i might not have ended up with the Sarah and Amanda the most fabulous instructors i have now.

Well that sounded like an Academy Award acceptance speech but whatever! Thanks guys, you're the best and i couldn't have gotten here without you!

Look at my Loot!

Lucky Pug!, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Izzie's birthday present(s) finally arrived. She'll have one more on the way soon but it's a functional present so that's like getting underwear for your birthday which is kinda a downer gift, though it might be considered like super sexy underwear since it is pink and exotic.

ANYWAYS

As you can see she got 8 million toys. Well only 12 toys, but i thought i might have actually ordered 72 toys which would've been excessive. They're cheapo latex squeaky toys and anyone that knows me, knows i don't do cheap. It's a curse really, i have expensive tastes. However these toys, specifically the blue fish with big red lips (who the hell thought of these toys? They're so weird looking) has a lot of significance to me and Izzie.

FLASHBACK!
*Insert Wayne's World Flashback Imitation Here*

When Izzie was just a 6 month old pup she had her eye clawed by a vicious devil cat named Jersey. She had to have extensive eye surgery with a super strict long recovery period so she didn't really get to enjoy her puppy hood from 6 months to 1 year old a whole bunch. It was unfortunate really. The blue kissy fish was her favourite toy though and it was non fuzzy so safe enough for her to play with for a little while anyways, too much activity could have affected the eye healing due to pressure. Anyways, one day i found it in shambles. One of the other Pugs was terrible and devoured the poor fishy. Izzie was heart broken and i couldn't find a replacement.

Until recently...

I was chatting with my friends one night about what to get Izzie for her birthday and referenced the puppy picture of Izzie with her fish and said "Hey i should find one like that!" and i did. I was so happy to find her favourite puppy hood toy and ordered 12 because they were assorted and i figured ordering 12 would at least get me a couple of blue fish.

Izzie loves the new toys though, all of them but especially the blue fish. It's still by far her favourite and she recognized it immediately and because playing like a little puppy again! It was so cute! I'm glad she likes her presents.

Nom the Fishy!, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Ready? Set? Tug!

Ready? Set? Tug!, originally uploaded by mandypug.

My dog isn't a tugger. We've been working on it but she really just couldn't care less about tugging. She's never even laid a tooth on her tug lead since i received it.

Until last night that is...

Maybe it was because she had 3 dogs around giving her competition for the tug but she was jumping up to hang off it in my hand, all four paws off the ground and all! Crazy Pug. Then i caught this gem on camera... Went cross eyed tugging, jeeze Pug.

Izzie the Wonder Pug CGN... Now a Certified Not Bad Dog

27/52: Bad Pug isn't so bad anymore..., originally uploaded by mandypug.

So on Friday the 29th, Izzie and I attended the big Alberta Kennel Club show up in Calgary so we could take the Canine Good Neighbour test. Of course I was terribly nervous while Izzie was cool as a cucumber. Everyone loved her at the test, she is a very cute and well behaved little dog.

Anyways, after a bunch of waiting we finally got to do our test. The first part was the one i was the most nervous about, Supervised Isolation. She isn't allowed to howl and whine and tug at the leash and isn't allowed to jump into the lap of the person holding her leash. Here I'm thinking "Shit, she's gonna jump up into the person's lap for sure" so i looked her in the eye and said "Izzie, don't you jump up! Be GOOD!" and left her. After 3 minutes i came back and the evaluator said she did fine and passed that part. Whew! The hard part was over. Everything else was cake. Even though Izzie's never done recalls on a long lead and we've been practising off lead.

So in the end my little bad Pug passed her CGN evaluation and i am very proud of her! Perhaps i should stop calling her bad then? Though she still has her moments (but we all do lol).

Good Pug. She'll be getting back into her Therapy work as of next week as well, which she loves. She's an attention whore so it's right up her alley.

The Big T-H-R-E-E!

28/52: Birthday Girl, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Well it was the little bad Pug's birthday on Sunday! She is now three whole years old and I would like her to stop aging right now, she needs to stick around forever and ever and ever. 

We haven't had the formal party with her friends yet since apparently my dog's birthday isn't a valid excuse to bail on prior commitments but oh well! I ordered her something special online so maybe it'll get here for her actual party. Date to be announced. 

So Happy Birthday little bad Pug! I love you to the moon and back! 

When Pugs Fly!

Friday was Canada Day of course and Izzie and I had an Agility demo to participate in. It was our first demo EVER and it went super well! She was very focused and only had a few bobbles and she's a pretty fast little Pug on those wee little legs. We had a ton of fun and Izzie loved it when the kids would cheer for her and come pet her after the performance.

Izzie has sure come a long way from shutting down and cowering at even the sight of a piece of agility equipment or hiding in tunnels. It's taken quite a while to get to this point and i can see that she really likes running with me. I hope we continue to improve and have even more fun playing the game.

25/52: Agility Pug!, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Other than the fact that the festivities were a mecca for obese dogs and misbehaved children, it was a great day. Maybe those with heavy dogs will take a note from the very fit and very active Agility dogs that were performing and put their dogs on a diet.

... Ah who am I kidding, they'll probably just put a broom on a couple way too high stacks of bricks in their backyard and try to jump their heifers over it. 

Anyways... Here's a short video of a few of Izzie's moments in her second show.

Made in Canada

Made in Canada, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Happy Canada Day to all my Canuck readers!

We're participating in a Canada Day Agility Demo tomorrow (actual Canada Day) so i'll let you all know how it goes!

24/52: Shut Up and Drive

24/52: Shut Up and Drive, originally uploaded by mandypug.

So Izzie has a new car... Yes, Izzie not me. She's christened it with a good face rub on all the seats so it's hers now. She also sneezed and got nose prints on the windows, officially breaking it in. Silly Pug. 

I can't wait to be driving it. It's a manual transmission which I'm not 100% with but I'm learning quickly. My brother took me out last night to give me some lessons and i didn't stall at all and was doing very well. So it'll be no time before Izzie and I are on the road with the little blue car.

PS: She (the car) still needs a name, suggestions are welcome.

Happy Longest Day of the Year!

Take some time to roll in the grass., originally uploaded by mandypug.

Izzie would like to remind everyone to take some time to stop and roll in the grass... Just make sure it's not tall grass that's filled with evil mutant Mosquitoes that will make your face look like a Shar-Pei.

So get out there and enjoy the rest of the Summer! The days only get shorter from here!

23/52: Catch

23/52: Catch, originally uploaded by mandypug.

She's not your average Pug that's for sure.

Great Way to End a Fantastic Day of Agility (NOT!)

Allergic Reaction, originally uploaded by mandypug.

So we were out all day at the agility field, having fun and kicking ass in our general rockstar fashion. The end of the day came and i put Izzie in the car so i could pack up. She had what looked like a mosquito bite on her face that looked to be itchy so i wanted to get her away from those nasty buggers.

Literally 5 minutes later when i got my stuff up to my car, packed it away in the trunk and got in to drive, her face had swollen up. What. The. Hell! So i asked my instructors their opinions quickly if it was a benedryl issue or rush in to the E-Vet. All three of us agreed she needed the vet (and you all know i'm not the type to rush to the vet for anything).

So there i go, from 15 minutes out of city limits on the wrong side of the city. I call auntie Hev to ask her to call in for me since i misplaced the number for this particular clinic (not the one Izzie's files are at) and she did. The vet met me there and after some paperwork and weighing (Izzie is down another 1/2lb by the way and everyone mentioned how fantastic she looks and how muscular her ass is, okay only the vet said that in different words when he gave her the shots... one in each cheek!) and so in about 20 minutes of being there she was done with the vet and we were on our way.

...Or so I thought.

Around $220 was our total. It was $99 to just walk in the door, $80 for the exam, only $20 for the antihistamine and $14 for the steroid.

Holy Shit batman.

So i spend all i had in my bank account because my boss hadn't gotten my cheque ready on time (read a week later and counting) so all i had was $150. So i called mum and she got mad at me but said she'd be down. However an hour and a half passed and she hadn't shown up so i called again and told her to just get me my Credit Card and bring it to me. Well 15 minutes later she arrives and hands me the money to pay. Thank dog. The place wouldn't do a payment plan even for $70.

Anyways, my rockstar is home now. What a shitty way to end an awesome day of agility. Her face looks a ton better now thank dog.

2 hours post shots, originally uploaded by mandypug.

22/52: Place Where a Dog Shouldn't Be

 

22/52: Place Where a Dog Shouldn't Be, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Dogs should not be in Killer Whales' mouths. 

We had to be creative with this one that's for sure. Everyone else i know who's participating had really good ideas and I didn't want to copy them so this is the best i could come up with.

 

My poor dog is so tortured. She demands someone come and save her from this abusive home. Anyone? Abuse by whale puppet must be a jail-able offence.

 

Seriously... This is definitely a dog that needs rescuing. She's so hard done by.

Two by Two...

Two by Two..., originally uploaded by mandypug.

We're working on 2x2 Weave Training right now mostly (along with targeting and the normal foundations stuff) and Izzie is progressing well. Especially when she has me, someone who's never taught weaves at all, training her. We're using this method because well, it makes sense. Plus I've heard and seen fantastic results with dogs trained using this method.

... by Two by Two, originally uploaded by mandypug.

She's a good girl. Very willing to learn and try new things which makes shaping easy, luring tends to make her more confused so I'm glad shaping works on her. Plus working with her before meals when she's a very very hungry dog makes for an eager beaver working hard to figure out what gets her yummy cookies!

That's my pretty little puppy. Brains AND beauty. What more could I ask for?