How do you decide when is the right time to start trialing? Around here I don't see any USDAA Intro classes. There ARE fun runs. I had thought to enter Joey in some Level 1 CPE classes. Colors and Wildcard are very short courses. Even jumpers is shorter, I think. Of course you can't reward with toys or treats. Do you do more harm than good by ( Read more... )

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We have had trouble in this area of the yard with moles in the summer, but this winter we discovered these large strange mounds across the lawn. Now we've found some large holes. What animal might be doing all this work?


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We've been working on a little of a few things: crosses, and forward and lateral sends with cones; short sequences with jumps and tunnels; and the teeter bang it game. We've done box work for the Rachel Sanders A-Frame, but it's hard for him to find treats in the grass and so he isn't really getting the bounce in and out of the box very well. Once ( Read more... )

Well, it's 5:20 and I can't turn off my head. I'm thinking maybe Tilda and I need a break from class. Privates with Barbara have usually gone pretty well. Maybe we should just do a thirty minute private once a week until we can get things positive again. We just started a new set of classes. I'll ask her if she'll roll the rest of them into ( Read more... )

Well, now they're resting together sometimes. I think Joey's almost nonstop interaction gets to Matilda. She gets a little frantic and comes up to me, repeatedly bumping my arm for attention and whimpering. Finally, she'll often bark at me. But here they are relaxing together.

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Sunday I picked up two little garden fences from Home Depot and yesterday I made my Rachel Saunders "Travel Board".  This morning Matilda and I did a little 2o2o proofing. This should be helpful for both the DW and the teeter. Yesterday and today we did some "bang it" on the teeter, too.  Our class with Terri was cancelled for tonight so we can do ( Read more... )

We're reworking the teeter for more consistency and a better 2o2o. We're working through the Jen Pinder DVD with Dinah and Stella. Yesterday we worked on running across the board with a drop to the table. Matilda does pretty well with this.

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Today she worked on jumping onto the end of the board in a pounce. She did pretty well with that so tomorrow ( Read more... )

Matilda and I had a good day today at the AKC trial in Walnut. Saturday she broke her start line stay, took off courses and was not staying with me.  Today was much better.  We got our first T2B Q and got 9 points whatever that means. I didn't get video of that one. She didn't Q her EX JWW run, but it was my fault I sent her to an off course jump. ( Read more... )

Well, I took the plunge.  Yesterday I bought a new Prius V.    My 1998 Subaru has been a great car, but when the clutch went out last summer I decided it might be time to think about a new car. When I heard about the Prius V, a hybrid wagon, it sounded interesting. Gas here is now $4.25-$4.50 a gallon and likely to be going up. This seemed a good ( Read more... )