Aging…being young at heart!

As I sit here tonight typing this latest entry for the dog agility blog event day, it is my partner’s 10th birthday!  We are just coming back from a trial this weekend where she earned her MACH 3!

I am fortunately in a position where my dog is still healthy and happily playing this game…the joy in her face as we made the victory lap was evident.  I will however start to move her to

Preferred  after nationals  as that will be her last year at 24″ competition.  I have already started dropping her from 26″ to 22″ in USDAA and she is now only running 26″ for pairs…I feel at this point she is comfortable jumping half a course at 26, as soon as we get those last 5 legs, she will go down there too.  Now that is of course assuming she continues to run the way she has been and shows the same enthusiasm that she is currently.

I retired my first agility dog at 8 1/2 after ACL surgery, she spent a year before she could have run…but she was not as enthusiastic about the game, so she stayed in retirement and got to come to trials occasionally to socialize ( which was her favorite part)

We are all getting older in agility and keeping our partners and ourselves fit and healthy is a more important than ever…I see more and more dogs that are able to continue to compete and do so without struggling.  I feel that this is a testament to our improved understanding of the importance of conditioning, warm up and cool down, benefits of massage/acupuncture/chiropractics and healing touch (of course!).  We in the agility community are more aware of our dogs tiny nuances in their movement and health.  This i believe that this helps our dogs live a longer higher quality life than they would have otherwise.  Tegan ( my first agility dog) lived 16 1/2 wonderful years and was able to move happily all but a few days of that.

As far as we as handlers are concerned…I know I for one need to work on keeping me game ready more than I am and more than I used to.  I find for my self, it is much easier to plan and control my dogs health and fitness than my own.  I give them premium food, supplements, and take them to the vet for the slightest off step.   I…on the other hand, could use a little help!

Ultimately, the time will come when I will have to start to pull back with Cheetah and not enter her in every class…that will be a sad day, she has been such an amazing dog, and we have been on such a great ride together.  I will have to keep her busy doing other things, we have started doing nosework with her and Vixen,  I can enter her in rally or other less strenuous sports.  I hope to make this transition smooth and she will not be too angry with me…I also hope that it will not be needed anytime soon.

I will end this entry with by asking you all to appreciate your partner every time you step on the line, and hopefully you will be able have many more runs with them and may you both continue to be…. young at heart!

To read what others have to say about the this topic visit..

Aging

 

Improving our sport!

Today’s entry is part of the The Dog Agility Blog Action Day on “Improving Agility Organizations”  to read what others have to say on this topic  visit: HERE

Agility is a great sport with a great community of like minded, dog loving people, so in my opinion there is a lot more right in agility than wrong…but with that being said, there is always room for improvement.

I think in general, the organizations do a fair job at listening to the people about changes that we feel should be taken place, however, it does seem a little slow sometimes.  I compete in USDAA and AKC and love them both, but each venue could do a little better with the following:

USDAA:

jump height cut offs are a bit extreme.  I have a young toller pup who will be between 16-17 inches, as it stands now, she would have to jump 22″ – that is crazy.  I know that this is already a topic they are addressing, so hopefully there will be some changes before Vixen is ready to compete.

Really, just lower the a-frame abit– While I am very happy that they went from 6’3″ to 5’10″…do we really need to have this differ from 5’6″??

Are check -in’s necessary at the beginning of the day? with the exception of team days, when restructuring of a broken team might be needed…won’t you figure out who was here by the scribe sheets?

BTW – LOVE the ability to move down my dog in one class, while I stay in championship in another…and the lateral move!  I will also be taking advantage of veteran’s classes soon…kudos for that ( please expand the program)

Which brings me to AKC…

Why in the world do we need to have a stupid sticker on our shirts to say we are running our dog…it’s not like anyone can see them anyway and they fall off in the sweat or rain or not sticker sticky fabric before the day is even over.  And it’s not like you can’t have someone else run your dog…you just need to switch stickers…it is a hold over from obedience…LET IT GO!  There can still be a number for the day for cataloging purposes…but REALLY we don’t need to where them…I promise you it will be OK!

Speaking of things we inherited from other competitions…

Why can’t we wear clothing that says are dogs names on it.  The judge is going to know are dog’s name before the run is over anyway… many judges we see enough for them to know us and our dogs…and judging agility is much more objective than some other events…so it should be a non-issue.

Decrease the distance allowed between trails at least in areas that have long wait lists.

Add a Veteran’s class….I would love to be able to run with my partner as long as she wants…I could do this longer by jumping her 2 jump heights lower!

Ok – now for some general improvements that may be considered across the board ( not sure if it would apply to only one venue…so I’ll assume it doesn’t)

Safety of conditions :   Recently there was a trial ( happened to be an AKC trial…but could occur in another venue possibly) where the surface of the jumpers ring was NOT conducive to jumping dogs on, and I was shocked that the club booked it and shocked to realize the the judge allowed it, only to find out later that the judge apparently has no authority to refuse to do so.  Yes, I know that this is ultimately up to us as exhibitors decide, but  REALLY why should a surface so obviously NOT correct to run agility on even have gotten to the point of whether individuals thought it would be worth trying with there dog.  I know that this is being discussed in another blog, BAD DOG AGILITY so I encourage you to check out  a sample run from that surface there and see what they had to say.

I don’t want to bash any handler who did try this with there dog…I wouldn’t have, but I know that my dog does not handle surfaces well that are much better than that. I thank them for showing the video so that we can have this discussion and ultimately improving the sport by allowing judges to make a call to deem the surface/conditions unsafe and clubs to witness how horribly inappropriate this type of surface is for dog agility.  I said that this could have happened in any venue…but not as likely from a venue who’s entire reason for existing IS agility. I would like to think that this decision was made by a club member who didn’t know any better because they don’t do agility.

This leads me to something that WE can do/must be responsible for This video was one of 2 that I originally saw…both were veiwed, shared discussed then made private and not view-able for awhile.  I can only guess that the handlers in these videos got harassed for attempting to run on the surface.  I don’t think bashing people for making a choice that you don’t agree with ( and they probably didn’t either after having tried it) solves anything.  It is rude and unsportsmanlike.  Which is something we can all take personal responsibility in doing.

I grew up playing team sports and am used to wining AND losing…and while the vast majority of people handle a bad run well, some people just don’t.  They blame the dog, the crowd, the judge, the ring crew…someone else did (fill in the blank) to cause them to NQ.  I’m not saying I am perfect at this ALL the time, but would like to think I am seen by outsiders as someone who seems to be having fun and loves my dog and shows good sportsmanship to other competitors.  We ARE the sport of Agility and it is up to us to improve it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confessions of a Training Foodie!

I admit it…I am much more comfortable using food to train with than toys! Maybe there is a support group for this affliction, but I tend to do most of my training at meal time…I hand feed…and I have sporting dogs! All are very valid reasons for finding it so much easier to use food than toys. Besides Cheetah has always looked at me like I was crazy if I used a toy to reward her …she’s like that’s nice…but just give me the cookie! Plus her favorite toy is her chuckit ball and she doesn’t like to bring it back right away…she sort of likes to savor it first. This tendency does not make for a very rapid repeat of the exercise.

So, I am vowing here and now to REALLY try to be more balanced with Vixen. She’s only 7 mos…there is still time to mold her to not think that I’m crazy ( well – at least about using toys!). I used a ball the other day for her running dogwalk plank work and she sped up considerably! I of course then worked her with the Manners Minder…(it WAS dinnertime afterall!) and the speed seemed to stay…but I am sure that it would be faster with the toy…

I will use a toy, I WILL use a toy, I WILL USE a toy!

here is a video of some of her sessions.

httpv://youtu.be/3aGIouP3QUY

Union Jack Drills – TGIF class 5-10-13

This was Toni’s last class before heading off to London for 10 weeks to teach for JMU this summer.  So I decided to make a British themed set up for the class.  There was lots of opportunity for international handling with the backsides, threadles and puppy cannons!  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

 

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Internationalization…..Backsides, Ketschkers and Threadles…Oh My!

Agility has come along way since its inception in Britain 35 years ago.  Long gone are the days of cross walks and window jumps, and so are the days of being able to handle weaves from heelside only!  Speeds are faster, turns are tighter, running contacts are not something that “can’t be done”.  So it is only a natural progression that courses would become more technical and challenging, and since agility started on the other side of the pond, it makes since the trends of course design and handling maneuvers would begin over there as well.

I for one, enjoy the new handling challenges and  increased technicality in courses.  I like training for the new patterns and maneuvers.  I like to push myself to try to be as smooth and efficient as possible with my partner and I love that we can communicate such detailed information to our dogs and they understand what we want from them.  I also happen to be a pretty competitive person, and because of my competitive nature, I like to see just how good we can be.  I have participated in FCI World Team tryouts 3 times with my Golden, Cheetah we were members of the 2010 US Team that competed at the European Open, in Liberec, Czech Republic.

Recently, I have heard some talk of an Excellent C class in AKC that plans to have a more “international flair”.  USDAA has a Masters Challenge class were these types of courses already here!   I know that not everyone likes or wants this type of course, but they should be at least optional titling courses, so that the people who want to participate in them can have a place to compete in them.  I felt somewhat prepared for tryouts and EO, but that was basically from looking up courses and setting them up in my backyard and practicing them by myself…while people who are aspiring to be on world teams certainly must do this type of practice on there own, it would be nice to be able to compete on courses like that before going to tryouts or campaigning to make the team.   

When I teach my students handling skills, I regularly put in backsides, Ketschkers, and threadles.  Sometimes they ask me why they will need to learn these types of maneuvers…that they are not going to see it on a regular course.  I think the time is coming soon that they WILL be seeing the need for these skills on a “regular” course…I say bring it!

For more articles on this topic go to… http://dogagilityblogevents.wordpress.com/internationalization/

TGIF – Fun with a Christmas Tree Course!

In lastnight’s  TGIF class, I made a course with my usual holiday themed concept.  I made a christmas tree shaped course and it turned out to run very nicely!!  Dogs had a blast because there were so many tunnels!!  Set it up yourself and enjoy the holiday!!

The new Addition!!

Even Though Cheetah is still rockin it in the ring, she is 9 now and I figured it was time to start to think about the next generation.  I had been thinking about possibly another Golden of course…but I missed getting in on one litter because I wasn’t quite ready to commit and then the next litter I really liked will take place in a year, IF the right stud could be found and IF it took and IF there were enough females….

So, meanwhile, I had also considered either a Kooikerhondje  ( if I could get one with enough drive) or a Toller ( if I could find a small crackhead female)….Well, I wasn’t REALLY looking but it just so happened that I Breeder of Tollers who happens to be a member of our local kennel club had an oops litter ( the parents were both younger than they would have wanted to plan a breeding for)  but it just so happens that there were 2 smaller females in the litter.  I looked at them at 5 weeks and was really drawn to the little darker one.  Jill ( the breeder) wasn’t home that day, her husband was.  She thought the other small female was the better pick.  The next week I saw them again, and by this time Jill was starting to agree with my choice.  Everything I liked about this little puppy, she would respond – “that’s because it’s more like Cheetah” or “that’s because it’s more like a Golden” – Shocking that I would be drawn to the most “Golden/Cheetah” puppy in the litter.

Vixen 5 weeks with littermates

 

see how much smaller she is!!

Well I knew that the litter was going to be tested, so I didn’t really think about it too much until then.  So after the testing, Jill asked me if I would be interested in “trying her out”  Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try her out would it???  So I told my husband about this trial period which was to last at least the weekend.  I had a trial that weekend so that would be good, lots of people to see her and for me to see how she handled her potential new life. She was great!  She didn’t cry for more that 15 min in the crate after we went to bed, and she didn’t even get sick in the 2 hr each way car ride over 2 mountains ( 2 days in a row).  She seemed to meet everyone and every thing as if she’d been doing it all of her life.

Hmmm…Well I ended up keeping “crash test puppy” for a week before I asked my husband what he thought by now ( he really didn’t want a 3rd dog) and he said in he typical  style ” you really like that thing??” I said yes, and he said “well you better be sure she’s going to work out because were not getting a 4th!” – yes dear!

Anyway, that is the story of how this little monster came to end up with me… through absolutely no planning or research on my part..only going on the fact that Jill seems convinced that she will be under the 16 7/8″ I want for international midi height, and that I could try her out and she was close and easy to get.  Combined with the fact that she was passing my tests with flying colors ( except for the BITING!!) made me decide to take a chance on her…Now for the name  –

Vixen is the name of a female rock band from the 80’s early 90’s.  They have a song that I just discovered, but I love it “Rev it up!” I always do some sort of music theme and I am a child of the hair band era – and I was thinking that she was crazy – crazy like a fox ( Vixen) googled songs with vixen or fox in it … found the band and heard the song! It was perfect!

The breeder had several requirements.. Her Kennel name ( Inanna) her Husband ( co-breeders) kennel name (Davel) – I wish they would just have the same kennel but oh well, and the name of the Dam ( Scarlet)  so……meet  Inanna Davel’s Rev’d up Scarlet Vixen

Here’s Vixen!  Vixen is about 11 weeks in this picture

 

Welcome to My New Blog….Peak Dogs!!

I have had a blog for several years …Well Cheetah’s had a blog!  Team Cheetah and I will still likely post things in that blog for her from time to time, but I felt that it was time to create a more broad sweeping blog.  One that was about my business Peak Performance Dog Sports.

I am now a full time Dog Trainer, Agility Instructor.  I offer Classes and Private lessons in Agility, nose work, obedience/rally.  I also want to start to offer some flyball and maybe even Treiball this spring.  This blog will be a way for me to communicate information about those endeavors.  The other side(s)  of my business are that I am a Field Rep for a holistic Dog product company called Life’s Abundance. This company is a great company to work with and the food is developed by a holistic vet.  There are high quality treats, and supplements that are designed with the whole dog in mind.  Every thing is fresh and can be delivered directly to your door.

I am also a Healing Touch For Animals Practitioner. This is a bio field therapy, that supports the body to self heal.  The techniques used help the animal to relax and become balanced, allowing for optimum healing.  I use Young Living essential oils to enhance these techniques.

So you can see why I need a separate blog to all of the many facets of my business.

I hope that you will find some useful information in my future posts!!