Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Back to the Basics!

Well Christmas is over....phewww. It was great! We all had a great time relaxing and playing! Below is a video of the girls opening gifts. They had a blast!

As you can tell they had a really great Christmas!

Well now that Christmas is over I think it is time to start some training. Don't get me wrong, we did do some training over Christmas, we did some basic jump training with Hallie. But I think it is a good time to revisit the basics.

Recently I listened to a couple of seminars Dr Ian Dunbar gave at this years APDT Conference; he said something that really made me re-look at the basic training my dogs have recieved. He said that dogs learn hand signals more reliably then voice signals, and he is so right. Our dogs will often respond to hand signals before they respond to the voice command. A good example: Mia will "Down" almost all the time when the hand signal is used, but if you use the voice command she will often not listen.

So we are getting back to the basics. I am going to work with all 3 dogs on 2 things. Sit and Down. My expectation when we are finished: they will Sit and Down with both Hand and voice commands, also with just Hand, and with just voice. They will also do Sit and Down at a distance, also with distraction, on leash, off leash, inside, outside, on the bed, on the floor, in the tub, on the grooming table, etc etc. My goal is to have a very reliable, no correction, extremely reliable Sit and Down.

These 2 commands are the very first behaviors that they were trained....and also the 2 commands we did not proof before moving on....simply because we wanted to do the "fun stuff" The mistake most owners make.

This weekend we are packing up the camper and going to the beach, camping on New Years! Weird! We are used to 20 below and snow for New Years, the beach will be a nice treat. Anyway, this weekend will be a good time to start with "Getting back to Basics" Wish us luck!!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Christmas Pictures!

Well it is that time of year again. Time to take Christmas pictures. Every year Crystal makes covers for all the pet's collars out of Christmas material and we take pictures of everyone looking beautiful!!!


This is Pyper, she really likes to get her new collar, she know's she is beautiful! :)



Hallie with her gift, I wonder if she will remember how to open presents? She got to last year!



Mia being a good girl....it is a small victory to capture a picture of her....she has a hard time sitting still! :)

Monday, December 14, 2009

Christmas Time

Well Christmas Day is fast approaching! Christmas @ our house is going to be a little modest this year, with the wedding next year we are pinching our penny's. That does not mean we do not have presents under the tree, we do, hand made ones. Sometimes they mean the most. Crystal and I have made our gifts for each other this year, not that that is entirely uncommon, Crystal is so crafty/artistic, she often makes me gifts!

The dogs will also be getting something special this christmas, we did buy them gifts but the best gift we can give them is the gift of Opening Gifts! Each year we let the dogs help us open gifts, they LOVE to tear the paper! Last year was Hallie's first try, at first she thought she was going to get into trouble, but when she didn't she relaxed and really enjoyed it. This will be Mia's first year trying to open gifts, I am sure she will love it also. Pyper is a seasoned veteran in the present opening department, she loves it! She not only helps open them she also continues to tear the paper into tiny little pieces. We will be sure to post pictures!

Have you ever noticed that our pets will often pick something to play with that is NOT the toy we bought in the store? An empty pop/soda bottle, paper, leaves....etc. Sometimes frustrating.....but often Cute. Hmmmmm this reminds me of a story from my past.....

Back when Crystal and I lived in Canada we had the pleasure of raising a Canadian Lynx, he lived at Crystal's Uncles Zoo. Kenya was his name, he was amazing! We tried to buy him toys, he really didn't like them that much. Some of things he did like were: a Pop bottle (plastic 2 L), he especially liked/hated it when you stood it up, he HAD to knock it over! He also liked it when we would pick a handful of really long grass and tie it in a knot. He loved to bite and pull on the grass. One of his other favorites, I would take a tassle out of crafting rafia and tie it to a long string....he loved to chase it. We actually played with this toy with many different captive wild animals. Cougars, Wolves, Tiger, BobCat, Fox....etc

Any way the point is....some of the best things life are free! At least our pets thing so!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Challenge to fellow Dog Agility folks!

Look at the world from your dogs perspective! I was @ a trial on the weekend watching some friends compete. I watch several Novice dogs cautiously attempt the dog walk, you could tell they were anticipating the board to start moving like the teeter.

Challenge - look @ all obstacles from a lower perspective, to be more specific, from your dogs height, get down on all 4's if you have too! things look very different!!! The dog walk/Teeter is just an example. What about the weaves, as I have said in previous posts, if you approach the weaves head on, they look like 1 pole! Winged vs non Winged jumps; winged jumps are easier to see then not winged jumps.

Also note: it happened more then ones that the novice handler left the novice dog on the upside of the dog walk, just a piece of advise don't leave your novice dogs alone on these pieces of equipment, especially if you have not been trialling long and not sure how your dog is going to react. I know it is often easier said then done, I have only begun my journey in the dog agility world and am still a novice myself, so I understand how much you have running through your mind when running around in 50 seconds or less. :)

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Agility @ Howard's Place

This afternoon Crystal and I went to Howard's place to play with the dogs! Howard has a lot in El Campo that he has set up as his personal agility field. It is fantastic. He has everything we would ever need to practice.

We showed just before 2 and didn't leave until 4:30. We didn't spend the entire time practicing, most of the last half we spent visiting with him and his wife Jennifer, who by the way is very nice. :)

Howard had a nice course picked out for us to practice, so we set it up and started to play.

Pyper went first, doing really well (especially since I forgot the course! haha) The course had some nice challenges in it, but mostly I wanted to practice our rear cross, weaves and 2 on 2 off touch. Pyper had a really good time! Hallie also got to play, she did the course really well, it still amazes me how much further she is then Pyper was at this stage in her training....so fun! Also would like to add that it is official....Hallie is doing 12 poles! Woohoo. She still has a long way to go but the had part is over, she has the concept down now we just need to start proofing.

Howard ran Sean, Skinner, Dana and Fox. All very different dogs but all very sweet. They each have something special when it comes to agility, and they have all come a long way. Way to go Howard!
I can't wait until our next visit to Howard's Agility Field!

Here are some picture for everyone to enjoy! :)





Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Hallie's Weave Pole Training Continues

Well last night at class Hallie did so well that I decided it was time to finish her weave pole training. We hadn't practice any while Crystal was away in Canada, so it has been well over 2 weeks. This morning we started again.

I started with 2 sets of 2x2's set at 2 and 8, so a slight angle. I started working with her @ the top of the spectrum, nice and easy. She remembered the drill in no time flat! So I worked all angles both sides, so she had to practice entering from either side, as each side is different. This is what this mornings session consisted of.

I pose a question to anyone who reads my blog. Have you ever looked a weave poles from the dogs view? They look very different depending on where you are; for example, look at them dead on, all you see is one pole! Tricky if you ask me.

I came home for lunch today, so I decided to take the opportunity to work with Hallie a bit more. Started with the poles @ 2 and 8. Did a couple practice runs. Then I added the 3rd set of poles. All 3 set @ 2 and 8. I had her go through the first 2 sets then I rewarded, then I had her go through the last set. Next I tried all 3 in a row, BINGO! She was one it! We practiced this from all angles both sides. She had a couple of hiccups but that is too be expected, if she did it perfectly from the word go....I wouldn't be training it! :)

Then tonight after work I did one more session. Started off with all 3 set @ 2 and 8. Then I closed them up to be a straight line! She did them perfectly.

I am finding that Hallie is very different then Pyper. Pyper is very fast to learn things but she will sometimes deviate because she thinks she knows best. Hallie on the other hands takes a bit longer to learn but ones she gets it she is on it! She understands the job and completes the task! AMAZING! I love it!

Hallie seems to get excited easily which can be distracting for her. She seems to loose focus if she gets too excited. Just something we need to work on.

All in all I am REALLY pleased with her progress. At this rate she will be doing 12 poles by Monday's class. That is our goal!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Pyper's first Standard Q!

Well today Pyper got her first ever Standard Q! It wasn't a masterpiece but it was pretty good. This was the AKC trial in Fort Bend. Pyper also ran JWW, also a good run, but we had some bobbles which gave us 15 faults. Hope you enjoy the video, sorry they are fuzzy, there was a finger print on the lens....oops. Thanks Amy for taping for me!

Sunday was also a great day! First run was JWW, which was really good. I tried a couple rear crosses. We captured it on Martine's video camera so when I can get it from her I will post it.

Second run was another Standard, last run of the weekend. In my opinion it was really nice. Check it out. Thanks Jamie for tapping for me!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Leash!

This afternoon I thought it would be fun to teach Pyper to get her leash. I have been having some troubles with Pyper leaving the ring during trial so I thought it would be good if I could get her to pick up her leash @ the end of runs. This way she would have a job to do before she could leave.

So previously we have done some work on "pick it up" so teaching "leash" was actually kind of easy. I started by clicker training her to touch her leash. Then I clicked if she touched it with her mouth. Then I clicked if she picked it up with her mouth. Within about a minute she was picking it up and bringing it to me. Good Dog.

Next step was to send her to the leash and get her to bring it back. At first she didn't really like to carry it but she go over it. :) During this entire exercise I was rewarding with food rewards. Just the way Pyper likes it.

The last step was to get Pyper to tug on the leash so it would be rewarding for her to bring it to me when I don't have food rewards. This was easy since Pyper already knows how to tug. We played tug on the leash for a minute or so. I strung all the steps together to get Pyper to go get her leash, bring it to me, and tug!

What fun.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

USDAA Crosby - October 31st - Happy Halloween!

Well this past weekend was a huge success in my eyes. Pyper and I had 5 runs all weekend; 2 Standard, 2 Jumpers and 1 Speed Jumping (which is a competition that all levels compete in).

First run on Saturday was Jumpers. We started off a little rough but we cleaned it up nicely in the second half of the run. Well except the very last jump...where I fell on my butt! :) Glad I have it on video so I can share with everyone! ENJOY! Oh by the way, We Q'd this run.



Second run of the day was Speed Jumping. This was a Great run! This was Pyper's very first time attempting and completing 12 weave poles in competition. She was fantastic. We dropped a bar (# 7) which took us over time, the dropped bar added 5 seconds to our time. If the bar wouldn't have dropped we would've move to round 2 on Sunday. No big deal! We still had a great run!


Last run on Saturday was a standard run. A bunch of first times for Pyper in competition in this run. First Table, First Chute, First Teeter, First Tire. All in all I think she did great. She missed the contact zone on the A-Frame which gave us 5 faults, but still a good run.




Sunday morning we started with Standard. I think I blocked Pyper's view of the weave poles so that made her struggle on her entry? But we would've been ok except when she missed her 3rd last pole and I went to bring her back to start again, she entered the poles backwards which gave us 5 points. This was my bad, I should've called her around to my right. Oh well. Again I am really happy with this run.

Last run of the weekend, Jumpers. Probably our 2nd best run of the weekend, over the Speed Jumping run. With a little work on Rear Crosses we should be in great shape for the next trial. We Q'd in this Run.

Accomplishments for the weekend: Pyper successfully completed 12 weave poles, table, chute, broad jump, tire, and teeter, all of which were a first for her in competition! Great job Pyper.
Lessons learned this weekend. Pyper and I need to really concentrate on our contacts. Think we are going to work on 2 on 2 off method for the teeter and the dog walk, and a running A-frame. Also need to work on Rear Crosses.
Take aways. This weekend I really started to get comfortable in the agility world and started to see the big picture. I really concentrated hard on trialing the same as I train, meaning I made myself follow the same rules that I train by; trying to stick my contacts, don't get jumpy and release too soon. I also discovered that I love that USDAA provides course maps; I believe it helped me run the course better. I also made a point to concentrate better. I see all of this as success!
Besides great runs. We had a really nice weekend watching our friends run their dogs. Renee King ran Hamlet and Cisco, Jackie Bludworth ran Jill and Pete, Elizabeth Blanchard ran Demo, Dodge and Roxie, and sorry Blake but I had a hard time keeping track of who you ran.
We also had the honor to watch Linda Mecklenburg run her dogs this weekend. Linda is a VERY accomplished individual in the sport of agility. Her handling system is one of the top handling systems used in the US today, and just happens to be the handling system that Renee is teaching to me. This weekend was a great opportunity for everyone to learn from a GREAT handler. She ran Wonder and Super in all classes. What a treat!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Pyper has her AKC Number!

Well we are now official in 3 different organizations. AKC, USDAA and NADAC! We recieved Pyper's AKC number just in time to enter her in the Fort Bend Kennel Club trial on November 14th and 15th. The deadline for entries is tomorrow! Phew that was close. Amy is going to hand deliver both our applications today....thanks Amy!

Monday, October 26, 2009

2x2 Training continues and Proofing Pyper's Contacts!

Training sessions at my house are split between all 3 dogs. This is how this weekends session looked:

Saturday: The 2x2's and the staight weaves made their way to the driveway (because we have had so much rain lately the back yard is soggy!)

Pyper's session was first, So I set the weaves to make a set of 12. I had her run these about 4 times, the first time I gave her a nice easy entry. Then I added a jump off to the left side, this proved to be a little hard for her as she entered backwards. So we tried again and BAM we got it. Then I moved the jump to the right. No problem. I then decided to work with some harder entries. I also decided to remove the second set of weaves, this set is made of pvc pipe and were sliding around on the cement so it was better to practice without them. We worked both sides of the weaves, by the end I had the jump beside the weaves, she would take the jump in the opposite direction of the weaves, then make a 180 approach to the weaves! Pyper loves this game. One of the key elements in Susan Garrett's 2x2 training is getting your dog to drive the line, to do this you need to throw a toy or something down that line to make them get after it! Because Pyper is such a food motivated dog and not very toy motivated we have become rather creative with our rewards. What we have found to work is very simple....I keep my treats (Frozen Bill Jack) in a zippy bag....all I do is throw the entire bag (sealed of course). She LOVES this!

Hallie's session was next. We worked on her entries to the 1 set of 2x2's. Since we were working in the driveway I could throw the treats directly down the drive line for her to get an instance reward! We worked the entire spectrum for entries, making them rather difficult @ times. Her success rate was about 60%. Pretty good for her 3rd session. I think she will need one more session like this before we move on.

Mia was patiently waiting her turn! First we practice her sit stays. She did really well. I had her sit @ the top of the driveway and stay. I then moved about 20 paces way and called her to me! She did fantastic! We also practiced some sits, downs, get in left and right! All of this in the front driveway off leash! Good girl.

Well that was no the end of the training session, keep in mind this only took about 1/2 hour, next we moved to the back yard to work on the teeter.

Pyper started things off, we did 2 perfect teeters were she stuck her touch while I ran fast past and forward! Good girl. I thought it was so good I went and got Crystal to show her, which of course jinxed us! She missed her next few. But then she figured out she was not getting the reward when she did this and got back on her game!

Hallie also got to practice teeter, her practice was simply take the teeter and touch, to target. She did great.

Mia was up, so she wasn't left out she go to go on the teeter to feel it move. She wasn't really sure about it, but she did it.

Sunday: We took Hallie and Mia to the PetFest in Old Town Spring. This was a training session all in itself. Both girls are very different; Hallie is a barker and a nipper and Mia is a scaredy cat (dog)! But to their credit they did very well! Mixing with all kinds of dogs, from 2 pound Yorkie's to 150 lb Hounds! They also recieved treats from all sorts of strangers, treats we gave them of course. On that note it is kind of funny, these people (the ones who got to give the treats) always thanked us for letting them interact with our dogs, and we always thanked them for doing it. I guess we both won!

Since Pyper didn't get to come along to the PetFest, I decided to give her a one on one training session. Just a quick/short teeter session. We did the same session as above, but this time we did it successfully all 5 or 6 times! I am really happy with her progress.

We discovered yesterday that we have not yet taught Mia how to shake a paw! So while Pyper was in a down stay and Hallie was in a time out (for not listening) Mia and I worked on Shake a paw. It took her several repetitions to understand what was going on, but once she figured it out she was on it!

Well that is what a couple of training sessions look like @ my house. My timing is very random and in the moment and the sessions are always short. All in all these sessions would totally about 1 hour of my weekend.

First USDAA trial this weekend!

This past weekend Crystal and I went to watch an AKC trial in Crosby, we have never been to an AKC trial so we wanted to go check it out. Up until this point we have only competed in 3 trials, all NADAC. We went to the trial Dog-less....it was nice! Plus, it was a good to go visit and cheer on friends! Go Cisco, Go Ende!

Pyper's AKC PAL/ILP registration has been mailed! As soon as she has her number we can start to compete in AKC! Woohoo! Was hoping to have the number in time for the Fort Bend Trial in mid November, but I didn't get my stuff together in time! oops! Oh well there will be more trials!

Well Pyper and I are officially entered in our very first USDAA trial this coming up weekend. I decided to enter her in Performance 12"; Jumpers, Regular and we are being daring and entered the Speed Jumping competition. Should be interesting! We are really excited about this weekend for a couple of reasons: 1st - it is an agility trial silly, why wouldn't we be excited!. 2nd - Linda Mecklenberg will be competing @ the trial, it is going to be great to watch her work! 3rd - we are taking the camper! Who doesn't like camping!

Fun Fun!

Well everyone have a great week!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Started Training Hallie on 2x2's!

About 2 months ago Hallie started her Beginner Agility class @ J-Canine. The class covered all the obstacles; Jumps, Tunnels, A-Frame, Teeter, Dog Walk, Chute, Tire, Table, and Weave Poles. Hallie loved it; she just loved to be out there playing with Mommy, having some one on one time. She has some good focus and follows’ my lead rather well, she has a lot of growing to do but I think she is doing rather well for a 15 month old puppy. Having said that, the baby class is now behind us and it is time to start getting a little more serious with her training.

This past Monday night was Hallie and I's first class with Renee. At first I was a little concerned on how she would do, I think it is the same concern I had with Pyper her first day....but all in all she did really well. Areas that we need to concentrate on are: contacts and weaves. Her contacts are so, so...on the teeter and the dog walk she can stick her 2-on 2-off ok, but the A-frame she flips her butt over. I just need to do some more practicing with her and she will be fine. Now for weaves....I had already decided a while back that I would be training Hallie on Susan Garrett's 2x2 Method....


Well she has officially started her 2x2 Weave Pole training. We had attempted to start about a month ago, but in the first session I knew she was not ready yet. Needed to do some more shaping exercises. So we have been working on that for the past while, we have taught her things like, touch, shack a paw, wave, Role over, and bow.


So last night was session number 2; 1 set of 2x2's set @ 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock. At first I started with throwing the treat so she would drive down the line, she liked that. After a few successful tries like that I started throwing a treat bag for retrieval, she really like this. For everyone who does not know the 2x2 method I will explain what this session looked like in more detail. First off see below image to see what 2x2's look like...

The idea is to train your dog to enter the weave poles correctly no matter what angle they approach from and to drive through them in a straight line. See image below. The outside Blue line is the spectrum in which you practice driving your dog into the weaves, start off simple near the weaves, then expand to make it harder and harder. The red line is the drive line.We completed our session in about 5-8 minutes, nice and short, and we finished with Hallie wanting more. That is really important in any type of dog training, if they get bored or frustrated you will struggle in your training.

Monday, October 19, 2009

SHAG - NADAC Trial is over and I am exhausted!!

Well the weekend is over and we are all exhausted! We had a really nice weekend, visited with all of our friends, made some new friends and had some really great runs. Saturday was good, but not as good as I would've hoped as I was not feeling well! Sucks!
First thing in the morning we ran Weavers, Pyper did great; she hit her last set of weaves perfectly! Second run up was Jumpers; we had a great run, first place Q! Third and Fourth runs were Regular, we did ok but I was really starting to not feel well so we were not successful. We had 2 more runs left for the day, but I decided to pack it in for the day to go home and get some rest to see if I could kick the bug!

Sunday was a much better day. We started off with Tunnlers, we did great, Pyper followed me perfectly, maybe a little too perfectly! I tried to leave her a little more than normal but didn't give her the right body language to send her to the tunnel, so she followed me! Good Dog! We Q'd in this run which was also our Tunnlers Title.

Second Run: Jumpers, another fantastic run, for some reason Pyper goes around the last run, I am still not sure why, but besides that it was a great run. You can't see it on the video but I lead out past the 3rd jump.

Third Run: Chances. I am really happy with this run, we did not succeed but she hit her weave poles first try and she did everything great.
Fourth Run: Regular. Well this was a different story, she started all new bad habits, she missed her contact on the A-Frame, very weird! Then she took the Tunnel instead of the dog walk, not as weird, but when she did take the dog walk she bailed; which if I watch the video doesn't exactly look like her fault. We were asked to "go on". Also a first for us.

Last Run: Touch N Go. Usually Pypers favorite, but it was the last run of the day, I think she was a little tired. It took us about 4 attempts on 1 hoop! I was almost ready to throw her through it! She finally went! The run was good but we went over time. All in all I was happy with it.

We did have a bit of a surprise this weekend. I had the judge measure Pyper in hopes that we could get her permanent height card, we already have 2 judges sign off at 16"....but Pyper has lost some weight as she is now in great shape so the judge could not sign off on 16, she measured at 12! This would not be that big of deal, except that we were going to try and compete in USDAA, AKC and NADAC. AKC and NADAC she would be 12 and USDAA she would be 16....what to do, what to do?

Thursday, October 15, 2009

J-Canine Agility Demo @ Sugarland Dog Park Grand Opening!

This past weekend the Sugarland Dog Park "Pawm Springs Dog Park" had it's Grand Opening. J-Canine was there to promote the kennel and dog agility/obedience training programs. They asked some of their students and instructors to come by and run their dogs so it could help showcase the agility program. It was a great opportunity for us to get on the equipment in a different environment with different disctractions.

We had a really great time. Pyper and I were there from about 9:30 to 1:00; we ran a few times, just having fun! Pyper did great with all of the distractions, she even had an interaction with other dogs and did not have any issue. I am so happy.

There was a photographer at the event and she was so kind to send some of her photo's too us. Her name is Rebecca Romo with Posh Pet Portraits.



Wednesday, October 14, 2009

SHAG - NADAC Trial this weekend.

This weekend Pyper and I will be running in our 3rd trial. We are really excited, this will be the first trial that we have entered all the events. We have 6 runs on Saturday - Weavers, Jumpers, Regular 1 & 2, Chances and Tunnlers; then we have 5 more on Sunday - Tunnlers, Jumpers, Chances, Regular, TouchNGo. I am a little concerned that Pyper will get too tired and peter out by the end runs each day, but I figure I will not know unless I try, plus it will be good for both of us.

If all goes well Pyper will title this weekend, she currently has 20 points in Jumpers, Tunnelers and TouchNGo. We are also really excited about that! Wish us luck. I will be sure to post after this weekend with pictures and videos.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Weigh In Time!

I weighed the girls this morning.

Pyper - 20.5 lbs - age - 6 yrs 9 months
Hallie - 17.7 lbs - age - 15 months
Mia - 15.6 lbs - age - 7 months

Pyper has lost some weight since we have started agility. She is in great shape. Hallie is about right! Mia is a little heavy but nothing to worry about since she is a puppy.

Friday, October 9, 2009

New Wheels!

On August 26th, Crystal and I picked up our new camper! 

We have been planning on getting a camper for a while now.  We have several motives for getting one but it is mostly because of the dogs.  We want to use it for traveling; with a camper we can bring the dogs which will save money on kenneling, plus we will not have to pay for a hotel!  We also wanted it for going to trials!  So that is exactly what we did, September 12th we entered our second trial.  We loaded everyone up in the truck, hooked up the camper and set out for College Station for another New Hope Agility Group NADAC trial.  This time we entered 6 runs and Pyper Q'd again!  Plus she placed!  We came home with:
Jumpers - Q-10-1st
TouchNGo1 - Q-10-3rd
TouchNGo2 - Q-10-2nd
Tunnlers - Q-10-2nd
Boy were we happy!

Simple Overview!

Well as I said in my first post, Pyper and I started Agility in March of this year. We started by taking a class @ J-Canine that introduced us to the equipment. We had a blast. Martine was our instructor, she's great! After the 6 week class was up we started an Intermediate class, also with Martine, but after class one we were asked if we wanted to bump up to the Advanced class, apparently Pyper and I were doing rather well. We decided to move up, mostly because it would be more challenging for the both of us.

The following week we were in our new class...it was kind of scary simply because I wasn't exactly sure what I had gotten myself into. I questioned if I had done the correct thing. By the end of class 2 I was totally on board and have not looked back since!

Our instructor, Renee, is fantastic! She figured out right away that I am a little competitive and that I like to learn and push myself; so she pushes extra hard, just the way I like it.

In August we went to College Station to a New Hope Agility Group NADAC show, just to watch. That Saturday afternoon Liz convinced me to enter in a couple of runs the next day. Now that was a rush! I am not really very good at doing things on the spur of the moment; I prefer to analyze things to death before I take the plunge. So On Sunday August 9th we entered our first run….and we Q’d! What an even bigger rush! That day we ran in 4 runs, 2 Tunnelers and 2 TouchNGo, we Q’d in Tunnelers. Here is a picture of her with her first ribbon.



We had so much fun @ this match, not just because we won a ribbon, but because we were surrounded by people who were becoming really good friends. This is the other reason we love doing agility so much, we get to socialize!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Why Not?

Well here I am....blogging. Totally didn't see this coming! I thought I would start this blog as a kind of journal that will allow me to look back to see how far we have come. In March of 2009 Pyper and I started taking Agility classes. Just the basic stuff, learning all of the equipment. March 16th, 2009 both Pyper and I fell in love with our new sport! Another thing we did not see coming...

I will try and update soon with all of our progress, to get the blog up to date....stay tuned