Silly Pet Trick

My dogs only know a few basic dog tricks.  High five, wave, play dead and spin are among the basic tricks they both know.  Bosley does known one other trick though :

Setting Goals

At the beginning of a new year, everyone seems to be setting goals and making resolutions for the year. I have already set my dog training goals in an earlier post.

Why do we (I) set goals?
**Goals let us think about a specific outcome we would like to achieve.
**Goals give us motivation to achieve those outcomes.
**Goals allow us to make a plan and give us direction to follow through.
**Goals encourage us to work harder and achieve things that would otherwise not be possible.

I have my broad goals for the year written down on this blog, but inside those larger goals, are more detailed, specific goals. For example: I have a goal of getting Bosley's CDX. A big goal indeed. But inside that big goal of "CDX" are all the little components that I need to work on (motivation, effort, not anticipating, rock solid stays, etc). Breaking down a large goal into little pieces, makes the goal seem much less daunting.

When making goals, they should be SMART.
S - Specific - rather than "I want to get agility titles" a specific goal would be "I want to work on distance and get a gamblers title". Goals must be well defined and broken down into manageable pieces.
M - Measurable - In dog training the most common measure of a goal is a "Q' or title. But it can be measured by smaller increments as well, but you must determine what defines success before you start.
A - Achievable - If a goal is not achievable, you will become frustrated and give up. Be honest with yourself - break things into smaller goals if you need to.
R - Realistic - Be honest about your dog and your training and don't set goals that are unrealistic. Goals should be set so that they are within your expertise and your dog's capabilities.
T - Timely - Setting a goal too far into the future will likely lead to procrastination. Setting a goal too near in the future will likely not give you time to get there and result in giving up. You need enough time to complete your goal and keep you motivated.

I hope that everyone has at least a couple goals to work towards this year - dog related or not. It is also important to remember that it is OK to change and adjust goals as we go along. Things change, priorities change and goals evolve. It is OK to take a step back and re-evaluate where we are going and how we want to get there.

52 Weeks For Dogs - A Success !

One year ago, I signed up for the Flickr "52 Weeks For Dogs".  This is where you post one picture per week of your dog (it must be the same dog each week).  Bosley was the star of my project in 2010.  It was a great way for me to get my camera out more often and try to get shots I normally would not think of taking. It was sometimes difficult to stay motivated to do a shot each week but I finished the entire project.  Some of the pictures I really love and some are just so-so (those were usually the weeks I left my shot until the last minute).

This was my picture for week 52 - the final shot of the series.  It is one of my favorites of the year. I love the light and the frosty whiskers.

Here are some of my other favorites:

This is just plain cute :)

I like the tones and how Bosley is gazing over his shoulder.

Gotta love that goofy face!

I used this picture for my Christmas cards this year.

You can see my entire 52 Weeks project on my Flickr page : Bosley's 52 Weeks For Dogs

In 2011, Maggie is going to move to the 52 Weeks project.  Maggie is much harder to photograph because she is not near as cooperative as Bosley.  She also seems to give the camera only one look - and that is one of annoyance.  It will give me some new challenges, that's for sure.

Bosley is not totally "out of the picture" when it comes to Flickr.  I signed him up for a 12 Weeks project where I need to submit 1 photo a month of him.  It should be fun and he loves the camera!

A New Year Some New Goals

Happy New Year!!!

A new year means it is time to look forward and to set new goals. Although goals may change as I go along, they are a great motivator. Something to look forward to and at the end of the year it is great to look back and see how far we have come.

Bosley is ready to head into the New Year.

MAGGIE

Maggie will most likely retire from competitive agility early this year. She has been telling me she has had enough. I would really like her to get her MAD before she retires (she only needs one more 'Q').

Maggie will get to do more tracking this year. I think it will keep her mind busy (which she needs) and will keep her active. I have no goal of doing any tracking tests, just to have fun.

BOSLEY


In 2011, Bosley and I are going to work hard to get his CDX. I am certain he can do it, and hopefully within the first half of the year. I really want to start doing Utility stuff more seriously, and am going to be ordering scent articles in the next week or so. I hope to be ready to compete in Utility by the end of the year.

In CKC agility I would really, really like to finish Bosley's Championship. He has a chance at being the first Bernese to get the new Select Agility Championship title and as far as I know, he is currently the only Bernese competing at the Excellent B level. So maybe . . . if we get to enough trials.

In AAC agility, I would like him to be competing at Masters level in all events by the summer. This is totally possible, as he only needs one more Advanced Jumpers and one more Advanced Snooker. Hopefully by the end of the year he will have his MAD and maybe his Masters Gamblers?

I am still considering if I want to pursue a DDX. Bosley really loves carting and I am confident with his carting, but the DDX has a backpacking component. Bosley does not love the backpack. Depending on when and where the test is this year will determine if we train with a DDX goal in mind.

We are also going to be competing in Scent Hurdle this year. Our team is coming along really well and I am sure all of us on the team will enjoy putting a Scent Hurdle title on our dogs this year.


Best Wishes to everyone in 2011.

A Look Back At 2010

I can't believe that 2010 is almost over and that it is once again time to look back at our accomplishments over the past year.

MAGGIE

Maggie got to drop to Veterans in agility this year, and it was great for her. She earned 10 agility 'Q's over the course of the year in only a few trials. Statistic wise, this was her best agility year ever! She also earned 2 titles this year - Advanced Agility Dog and Masters Snooker Dog. I am so proud of her for getting a Masters title.

I also did a bit of tracking with her - nothing serious, just letting her "find the cookies". She loves it and I am looking forward to doing more.

BOSLEY

I had many goals for Bosley this year in agility, obedience and draft. We worked hard all year (well, most of the year) and had some great times together accomplishing those goals.

In CKC agility, Bosley earned both his Excellent Standard title and his Excellent Jumpers With Weaves title. He also earned 6 'Q's towards his Masters titles.

In AAC agility, Bosley earned 12 'Q's and 2 titles (Starters Game Dog and Advanced Agility Dog), which I am very proud of. I am really happy with how far he has come on his distance work and his overall skill. It is just a matter of time now before we have some Masters 'Q's.

Bosley earned his Draft Dog Title this year. This accomplishment was high on my goal list for the year and since there is only one trial in Alberta a year, we only had one shot at it. He was a really, really good boy on test day and we did it!!!!

Earning his Draft title also qualified Bosley for the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Canada Working Dog Award. To earn this award you must have earned a CD title plus titles in 2 other CKC performance events (not including Rally).

Our other noteable accomplishments were that we got in the Open Obedience ring and Bosley wowed me with his focus and enthusiasm. We also joined a Scent Hurdle team and Bosley learned scent discrimination.

I am now trying to prioritize my goals for next year and take a hard look at what is most important for me do - both in training, competing and for the general well being of my dogs.

These Boots Were Made For Walking

I finally got a new pair of winter boots.  My old pair was heavy and bulky and made my ankles hurt because they weren't very "bendy".  I found some pretty Sorels on sale and I had a hard time choosing between the red tartan pattern or these pink beauties.  I didn't really need to wear them today because it was warm and there is not much snow left, but I wore them anyway.  They are great!  They are light and I can actually climb hills without my ankles and legs screaming at me.

Oh, I got some pictures of the dogs today too.  I hardly ever take my camera with me on walks and today I had my camera but forgot to take pictures until we were heading home.

Maggie and Bosley are racing to get back to me . . .

Bosley pulls into the lead . . .

Bosley wins with Maggie close behind.

Hi Maggie!

I am not sure what Maggie is doing in the picture.  Sneezing?  Laughing at Bosley?  Watching a bird?  Who knows.

The dogs had fun romping in the coulees (even if they are bare of snow) and I had fun stomping around in my new boots.

Too Much Time On My Hands?

Probably.

Keeping Fit

I think that most people realize how important it is to keep ourselves and our dogs in shape. It is especially important for dogs who do any type of dog sports to stay conditioned. Most dogs that are well conditioned are less likely to suffer injuries than those dogs who are "weekend warriors". I say most dogs because overall structure plays a very important role in injuries and what your dog should be doing.

Earlier this year, I attended Pat Hastings "Structure in Action" seminar. Pat Hastings is very well known for her method of structurally evaluating puppies. Her seminar was very interesting and it really makes you think about the stress we put on our dogs' bodies when they are not structurally suited for what we are asking them to do. Maggie was a demo dog at the seminar and Pat did an evaluation of her. Maggie has had injuries and trouble jumping since she started agility. She doesn't have the best structure (straight in the front and the rear, loose elbows and slipped hocks are some of the structural deficiencies that were pointed out) and this shows in her gait and athletic abilities. Her body will break down much quicker than it should, therefore it is very important that she keeps her muscles strong.

Earlier this month, I attended another seminar hosted by a veterinarian who specializes in rehabilitation and performance dogs. She gave us lots of useful information about conditioning our dogs including endurance training, strength training and stretching. She was also doing individual evaluations so I had Bosley evaluated. I worry about him getting injured simply because of his large size - 100 pound dogs were not really meant to do agility. She was impressed with his overall structure, conditioning and movement. She said that the majority of Bernese she sees pace and he does not pace at all, even at a slow walk - so that is good. He did need one minor spinal adjustment and she said he should loose a couple pounds (she likes to see dogs very, very lean) but that was about it.

So what are my plans to keep Maggie and Bosley in shape? The usual daily walks including 20 minutes of trotting for endurance training. For strength training, they use the fit-ball a few days a week - they love their peanut ball which is good. I am also going to get some PVC and make some cavelettis and start working with those as well as they are great for conditioning and strengthening. I am also going to try to get better about doing stretching exercises with them - I should do them everyday, but I find it boring so I often forget.

Here are Maggie and Bosley showing off their peanut ball.

Here is Bosley hanging over the ball. This is not one of his exercises, but I couldn't hold the ball, keep him on and take pictures all at the same time.

It's Christmas

Nothing says Christmas like a good game of Santa Hat tug-o-war!

Merry Christmas to everyone out there in blogger land.  

If You Are Thinking About Participating In CKC Events in 2011 . . .

. . . make sure you are aware of the title tracking changes for non - CKC members.

The Canadian Kennel Club has been going through some financial difficulties and has been restructuring the way it does business. They recently passed some changes that includes charging a fee to all non-members to keep track of your 'Q's or points towards a title. In other words, if you want your title recognized, you either need to join the CKC or pay the fee (which is per dog, per title).

This is copy/pasted directly from the CKC 2011 Business Plan:

Non Member Tracking Fees

• Canadian Non Member pays $55/dog/title/event admin

fee

• Track & award its titles

• Payable within 30 days of receipt of first award

I know that the CKC's intent is that more people will become members and they will have increased membership revenue. I really don't think that they are taking the performance people into consideration in all of this. Not everyone, especially the dog owner who may enjoy participating in rally or agility, but do not show or breed their dogs, wants to be a CKC member.

Hello CKC - you are not the only game in town when it comes to performance events! In fact, in agility, CKC is barely a blip on the Canadian agility scene. AAC and NADAC trials, far out number CKC trials. In Rally Obedience, there is APDT and CARO. Not to mention all the other dog sports that are not sanctioned by the CKC at all (flyball, freestyle, etc).

If I was new to dog sports and had the choice to pay a fee to the CKC or join another venue, guess what, I probably would not be paying the CKC. Especially considering that the entry fees for CKC events are nearly double what they are in other venues.

CKC performance events are already hurting. Just look at obedience. Not many people seem to do traditional obedience anymore. The more the CKC excludes people from the performance events, by adding fees or forcing people to join the club, the less likely it will be that local kennel clubs will offer events such as agility, obedience or draft, as no club wants to lose money due to poor entries. This means that we could be seeing the end of some of the performance events and that would be sad.

If you are already a CKC member and disagree with this new business plan, please email your local director. The link to the BODs can be found here: CKC Board Of Directors.

**Update Dec 20.

The CKC decided to change this fee to a per person fee, not a per dog/per title fee.

Catching Up

It has been a very long time since I updated my blog. What a bad blogger I am. A few things have happened since my last post.

It has snowed a lot. Here is Bosley sitting on a park bench that is nearly covered in a snow drift.

In November, Maggie earned her Masters Snooker Dog title at the CAA trial. This is her very first Masters title :) What a great way to finish off agility for the year.

This past weekend, Bosley made his debut in Open Obedience. One of my goals for this year was to get him in the Open ring - and we did. Not only did we get in the ring, but Bosley was great! I really didn't know how it would go, but he exceeded all my expectations of him. I still smile and get tears in my eyes when I think about how he was in the ring. He was happy, happy, happy for the entire 2 runs that we did. His heeling was great. His drop on recalls, which we have been working so hard on, were perfect. He was such a good boy. Teaching him the retrieve was by far the hardest thing that I have trained him to do. It took an entire year of training to get him to retrieve his dumbbell. In the ring, he RAN, he actually RAN out to get his dumbbell and RAN back to me. It would have been perfect if he had actually waited for me to send him :) He anticipated the retrieve over high jump in both trials. I didn't even care just because he was so enthusiastic to go get his dumbbell in a place that he had never been before. And in Bosley's defense, we have only practiced the retrieve over high jump maybe twice in the past 2 months. I will need to work on this, as I don't want it to become a habit, but for now, I will take enthusiasm over perfection.

I was also happy that I kept my ring nerves so well under control. I was a little nervous before our first trial, but once I got in the ring I was fine. The second trial, I barely had any nerves at all. Oh, but I do need to practice throwing the dumbbell. Haha! I had to do 3 throws to get it far enough over the high jump.

Now I am so excited to get back in the obedience ring. I know that Bosley can get his CDX. Too bad there are not anymore obedience trials until March. Oh well, that just gives us a few months to work out all the little kinks.

Photo Contest

Every year, the company I work for has an employee photo contest.  I have never entered before, but I took this shot right before the closing date of the contest, so I sent it in.

Guess what !?!  It won 1st place in Canada with over 350 entries in the contest. 

Halloween Agility Trial

We were in Calgary all weekend at an agility trial.  The last trial we were at,  I came away feeling very frustrated.  This weekend was much better :)

Maggie was entered in 3 runs each day.  She was having some trouble with the weaves this weekend again.  In her warm ups, she was very stiff bending to the right and then last night I noticed some warm spots on her shoulders.  Despite the weaves, she ran very well all weekend and earned a Masters Standard Q.  I was very excited about that.  That is her second Masters Standard Q in 2 trials.  For me this is a huge deal - to have 2 masters standard Qs.

Bosley ran very well this weekend too.  He made his Masters Standard debut and had a great run except for being slow in the weaves.  He was clean but 0.22 seconds overtime.  Really?  How does that happen?
In his second standard run, he was slow in the weaves again and actually popped out.  What?  Then I realized that I was worrying about the weaves and was hovering about 2 feet away.  Bosley hates that.  He just likes to do things on his own and as soon as I gave him his space he was back on track. Not sure why I worry about him in the weaves - he is a great weaver. His third standard run was great once I got the weave situation figured out. It was a tough course and Bosley ran perfect - except that I was out of place on a front cross and he had a refusal on a jump.  Bosley did get an Advanced Jumpers 'Q' this weekend - yay for Bosley - those jumpers courses are not easy for him to make time on.

So I came away from the weekend very happy.  I am feeling good about the way Bosley is running and I am happy that Maggie is still having fun doing agility.  I can really see Maggie slowing down in general with the amount she plays at home and how long it takes her to tire out on walks, so am I glad that she can still have fun galloping around the agility course.

80%

I am about 80% ready to enter Bosley in Open Obedience in December.  There is a trial in Calgary that is Obedience only and it should be a nice, quiet trial without too many distractions.  I have my entry form filled out, but I still haven't mailed it.  

I am 20% unsure mainly because Bosley is not always 100% on his attention in the ring.  We are also still tweaking his drop on recall.

The other night we did a complete run through of an open routine exactly the way it would be in a trial - no treats and no talking between exercises.  Bosley did very well.  Today we did another run through in a place that Bosley had never been before.  His first run through was good.  His second time through, he was a bit more distracted, but we made it through without me losing him completely.

In a real trial, I think if I can have his attention and focus during the heeling, the rest will be OK.

The entry form is in my car.  I just need to put a stamp on and mail it.  I will need to decide soon.

Just Pictures

The Case Of The Missing Eggs

On Friday September 24th at approximately 4:10am Maggie and Bosley were fed their breakfast. They were given a meal of beef, organ meat and a raw egg. The very tired Food Giver forgot to put the eggs back in the fridge and left them on the counter.

At approximately 4:40am the Food Giver left the house where she last saw the dogs sound asleep in the bedroom.

At around 1:45pm, the Food Giver came home to find a crime had taken place.

Somewhere between 4:40am and 1:45 pm, 2 eggs were stolen from their carton and have disappeared.

Evidence Exhibit A: One destroyed egg carton with contents missing.

Evidence Exhibit B: Sofa with bits of egg shell left behind.

The Suspects:

Maggie.

Maggie is a well known counter surfer with a long list of charges and convictions. She usually shows no remorse for committing her crimes and previous punishments have not deterred her from repeat offenses.

Bosley:

Bosley is an opportunist rather than a ring leader. He will take advantage of any situation to suit himself. He is often seen following Maggie around reaping the benefits of her counter surfing ways. He has had charges against him in the past but the charges have always been dismissed.

The suspects have both been interrogated and neither are talking. Paw prints taken at the crime scene reveal very little as both prints from Maggie and Bosley have been found. Since they live in the room were the crime took place, we expected to find their prints. However, no other paw prints were found in the vicinity. We still do not know exactly who stole the eggs. We still do not know the whereabouts of the missing eggs, but we have our suspicions and we are not holding out much hope of finding the eggs alive. This crime is still under investigation.

If anyone has any further information regarding this heinous crime, please call:

1-800-BAD-DOGS

Trials and Tribulations

On the weekend we were at an agility trial in Medicine Hat.

It has taken me a few days to blog about it because, well, I was quite frustrated and disappointed. I thought if I had a couple days to think about how things went, I would feel better. I don't.

It wasn't all bad - there were some really great moments with both dogs.

The good:
-On Saturday, Bosley made his Masters Gamblers debut. The gamble was a tough one (of course, we are in masters now). Bosley got the final gamble! I was thrilled! Unfortunately, we ran out of time, but he did it!
-Bosley's weaves on Saturday were amazing! I mean, really, really amazing. I don't think he has ever weaved so fast as he did in his standard run.
-Maggie earned her first Masters Standard Q
-On Sunday, Maggie got the main gamble in her Masters Gamblers run. I totally underestimated her and didn't think she would get it. There was a dogwalk in the final gamble, and she missed her contact, so we didn't Q, but now I know she can do it!

The not so good:
-I don't think Bosley broke out of a trot all weekend. This is the slowest he has been in a very long time. We were over time on several runs.
-After having amazing weaves on Saturday, on Sunday Bosley seemed to forget how to weave at all.
-Bosley totally blew me off on our last run Sunday. He smelled something delicious and was too busy sniffing the air to pay attention our run. I excused ourselves from the ring. He hasn't done this in a very long time.

I guess am very frustrated because Bosley has been so "on" for the last few trials. I don't know what the difference was this weekend. The weather was very cool (I wore long underwear all weekend) so that wasn't a factor. I did the same warm-up routine and he seemed fine before each run. The only difference I can tell is that we didn't go home at night. When we don't sleep at home, he is restless all night, so I don't know if that made a difference or if I am just grasping at straws, trying to figure out what happened.

The final results for the weekend:

Maggie - Masters Standard 'Q'

Bosley - Advanced Snooker 'Q'. Advanced Standard 'Q'. Advanced Agility Dog of Canada Title. Moves to Masters Standard.


Here are a couple videos:

Bosley Advanced Standard. Awesome weaves!!!!!





Bosley Advanced Snooker. I usually play it safe in trials, but I took a chance and did the weaves.

Finally !!!!

Today I finally received Bosley's Draft Dog title certificate in the mail.  We passed the test exactly 15 weeks ago today.  I know that the CKC is doing some major cutbacks, but 15 weeks to get a title certificate??  The weird thing is that he earned an agility title the same weekend and I got that certificate over a month ago.

Scenthurdle

Bosley is still working hard on his scent discrimination and practicing to be on our scenthurdle team. So far he hasn't got kicked off the team :)

Bosley is careful and thoughtful when it comes to the scent work and last night was the first time we have practiced with a fully loaded box. In practice he has slowed down over the jumps on the way to the box. When we first started training with only one dumbbell in the box (no discrimination) he would fly out to get his dumbbell. Now that we have added discrimination to the box, he is much slower going out. I am hoping that once his confidence goes up, his speed will get faster.

I am pleased with his scent discrimination - he is making the correct choice more and more often now. Of course, at home he is more accurate than in practice, but hopefully with more practice he will get more confident. I am still very happy with his progress. If 2 years ago, someone had told me Bosley would be on a scenthurdle team, there is no way I would have believed it.

Here is a little video of our practice last night introducing our team. There are 4 dumbells in the box for each dog, and the dog must choose his own dumbbell.

Trial Goals

After every trial, I look at how well we did or how well didn't do, and decide what I need to work on in my training.  I did the same thing after the trial we just had and I have a few training goals in my mind to work on over the next few weeks.  This post is NOT about those training goals.  It is about something personal I need to work on when I am at a trial.  That is taking care of myself.
When I am at a trial, I get so wrapped up in what is going on - pottying dogs, getting ready to run, warming up dogs, cooling down dogs, volunteering, visiting friends, watching people run their dogs, etc, etc.  I get so wrapped up in all of this stuff, that I forget about eating until I start to feel ill.  I also never drink enough water and so by the end of the day I have a headache from being dehydrated.
My goal for future trials is to take the time so sit down and eat properly.  That does not mean grab a couple snacks (although I really enjoy snacks), instead I need to eat some real food.  And drink more water or energy drinks.  And eat breakfast before a trial - I am really bad about eating breakfast.