Run the Outside

Go Dog Go hosted Terry Simons for a seminar again this past weekend, he comes by every year and last year i just audited. This year though i had a working spot in the first Course Analysis session on the Friday morning. It was great, Terry is an awesome teacher and really makes sense with what he told me. I knew a bit of what he said from last year when i audited, but it's different when you're out there working and he's talking directly to you after seeing you and your dog run. I had a ton of fun the whole weekend and learned lots that I'm excited to work on in practise.

Izzie's pretty solid when it comes to taking obstacles and reading cues, she knows what to do as long as i give her the signals properly. Our problem isn't even physical speed because she really can motor, it's about me handling her to promote that speed and keep her up. What helps that is devising a path that keeps me moving and therefore makes her want to move; when i stop or slow down, she does too. Also as inefficient as bipedal motion is compared to quadrupedal motion, I'm a 5'7" long legged person compared to a 13" tall dog; I can cover much more ground than she can so why am i running the inside line? My dog is not likely to beat me or make it a challenge for me to get ahead of her to throw in a front cross.

I also need to focus on what is going to be the most efficient use of my dog's energy. Tight wraps around jump standards are going to cause her to have to slow down and collect and then get back up to speed quickly which takes more energy than different paths i could take. It's about handling for our strengths and weaknesses.

 Major Take Home Point: Pick the route that keeps me moving so my dog keeps moving too, maximize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. Run the outside, do it well, I will beat them and they will hate me. 

I also have gained a bit of a needed boost of confidence this weekend. What made me feel good was Terry said he likes Izzie, that means a lot to me. My choice to do agility with her has been under fire before and as strong as i try to be it does shake me a bit and create a lot of issues knowing how i naturally think (i'm rather self conscious). There's no describing how awesome it feels to be told by someone that's had a ton of success in the sport that they like your dog.

I did not choose my dog for agility, I chose agility for my dog. Yes my next dog will be chosen with agility in mind, but my dog is my dog first and my goal is to do the very best i can with what i've got and find what makes them tick and use that to have fun and succeed. My extreme competitive streak aside, i just want to have fun with my dog. I love my Izzie for being Izzie.

Oh and we had a super fun time hanging out with our agility friends, I love my group. I know i've said it before but it needs to be repeated because they're just that great! Check out the fun times had at S#*T My Handler Says. Even Izzie had a good time sharing a pen with her pal Gyp and looking for kitties.

Meeeooow!

Mishmash Volume III

My car does not have a block heater that i can see, but it has no issue starting in -50 windchill conditions. Asian car: 1, Old Dude Winter: 0.

I think I'm addicted to Dr.Pepper. It's just so delicious. 

School is going very well right now! I've gone to most of my classes consistently and i've put more work in this semester than ever. Third year isn't that bad.

I'm actually enjoying my classes this semester!

Izzie and I went to bed earlyish last night (around 10pm) and slept straight until 10am this morning. I love sleeping.

I tend to develop an accent when I'm speaking in front of a bunch of people. Luckily during my presentation yesterday I didn't do it.

Less than a month until I'm no longer a teenager! Eeek!

Also less than a month until I get to see Hedley again with Jeejers who saw them last time with me!

I like percentages. I assign completely arbitrary percentages to many things in conversation. 

Change is on the horizon. Stay tuned.

Izzie and I have a Terry Simons Seminar this coming weekend! Excited much? Hell yes.

I need a new winter coat.

Izzie just went on a face rubbing spree on my bed and my pillows are now flung all over my room. 

I've been trying to train Chai in agility foundation stuff, she makes me appreciate Izzie more.

I met Bill Nye yesterday. Yes, THE Bill Nye the Science Guy. I grew up on his stuff and I'm pretty sure he is the reason for me passing science classes through jr. high and high school.

I also got his autograph:

How cool is that?

Reality Check

Sometimes we get so comfortable in our routine, too comfortable. Wake up, pet dog, let dog out, let dog in, feed, etc. We do this without thinking. We often start to go about our daily lives just going through the motions, taking everything for granted. It happens, human nature i suppose.

That is until something shakes us down to our core and reminds us that every day with our canine companions is important. Every second of every day is to be cherished. I got a reality check about this particular topic this past weekend. A young dog in our club passed away. Everyone who knew him is heartbroken about it, he was an amazing dog.

I have been getting frustrated with Izzie more often in training lately. She does not work well when she knows i am frustrated and that should have been enough to snap me out of it, but it wasn't. The fact that i continued to be frustrated with my dog made me angry at myself. I do not want my dog, who has the main goal in life to simply make me happy, to feel like I'm always disappointed in her.

Our dogs are with us only a limited amount of time. Even a full life of around 13 or so years is not a very long time. We need to cherish their time with us and not waste it being frustrated or angry at them. There are bigger things to worry in life so don't sweat the small stuff like if your dog doesn't have a textbook perfect heel if being that close to your feet makes them uncomfortable.

So to all my readers, hold your dog close and tell them how much you love and appreciate them. Do it now, do it everyday, do it multiple times per day. They are only here for a short time, don't waste it.

Mi Corazón, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Blast from the Past

3/52: Time Warp, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Izzie is an old soul, she's always been very mature most of the time. We didn't realize she was this old though, time travelling all the way to us from 1894!

League Night!

The agility club Izzie and I are members of has an agility league night once a week. Last session we didn't get to play but this time we do! Our team is called the "New Dogs on the Block" (thanks for that Sarah lol) and it's made up of most of us freshies so the name does fit. Anyways it was super fun!

Izzie did awesome, the course was a masters level and both runs she was almost clean and running pretty quick! Her weaves were very good too even though she stopped to sniff a piece of sheep fleece and tried to find it once after it was picked up and gone. Silly girl. Overall I am super pleased with our first go at league, we'll see what challenges next week brings!

Oh and here's what was playing in my head when i was running, it's rather appropriate i think!

Heck yes I'm cool... Cool like the other side of the pillow!

Agility Dog of Canada!

2/52: She Works Hard for the Ribbons, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Yesterday Izzie and I headed up to Wet Creek Stables in Balzac, AB for one day of the Training Troop rescue fundraiser trial. Izzie did great and earned her last leg of her Agility Dog of Canada title! That's the starters standard title.

Our first run of the day was a gamblers, Izzie was haulin' ass for the opening and even tucked butt a bit. She got some good distance going on but when the buzzer went to start the closing i took my eyes off her for a second and she zoomed up the a-frame and stopped at the top when she noticed i was pretty far away. I got her down though and she went out to the teeter in the closing, it was pretty tricky due to a lot of distance away from me so at least she went out!

The second run was a standard, the speed kept on with this run too and she was moving quickly! It was going well until she decided to zoom past the entrance to a tunnel to look for her cookies! I got her back though and finished the run with no other mistakes and even her weave poles were great!

Finally the third run came, another standard, and we ran fast and we ran clean and other than a bit of convincing at the weaves she did awesome and Q'd which gave us our ADC!

We were registered for a Jumpers but I pulled Izzie in favour of going home, it was almost 5pm already when they were only halfway through the second masters standard and I had driven up in the morning bright and early and Izzie had done very well already!

I'm so proud of Izzie, i know i've said it before but she's come such a long way and in just 6 months of limited trialling she's earned both her starters titles! She's such a good little girly! 

Now on to advanced!

Snow!

Weaving in the Snow, originally uploaded by mandypug.

Well it's finally is snowing and kinda cold out there. I don't mind except that i have to drive to a trial on Saturday, so I'd appreciate if it went away before then and as soon as i get home safely it can blizzard.