3 months and in charge

They get so big so fast! I'm trying to take as many photos as possible, but it's never enough. Love this girl!

Learning and Laughing

Over the past 2 weeks, Tana has grown and learned so much! I've been trying to balance the things we work on with lots of fun and relationship building. It's so easy to forget she's young and can't work for very long! Some of the big things we've worked on (and still have lots of work to do!):

11.5 weeks

"Under" Day - we focused on getting under or through things

• Under my legs (learning how to stretch back legs out, learning how to crawl with all legs under her body)
• Under the covers (pushing at fabric and exploring in the dark)
• Through a tunnel (Sam helping! They were having so much fun)
• Under the coffee table

Puzzles - we played different games to make her think and challenge herself

• Treats under tennis balls in a muffin tin
• Lotus balls with treats
• Empty water bottle with treats in it

Body awareness

• Fit Bone - getting all 4 feet on the bone
• Standing on objects (anything!)
• Paw touch
• Nose touch
• Wraping around my leg
• Tucked Sit
• Folding into a Down, with legs tucked in

Obstacle awareness

• Mat work (finding it and a little duration work - 3 seconds)
• Going around a bucket - introduction
• Going through stanchions/2x2 weave poles - start searching for them
• Looking and investigating what I look at
• Toy/Treat race games

Handler focus

• Lap turns and Tandem turns
• Blind crosses and front crosses on the flat
• Recalls - lots of treats!
• Tugging, releasing
• Re-engaging with me and asking for play without me asking her.

We also got to do a little photoshoot and have fun in the sprinklers (check the flicker link in the bottom right)! Who knew water could be so much fun!!! Loving this little sprite, even though she is a little terror at times.

Expanding - Plus 4

2016 is my year to expand. Expand my knowledge, growing and always learning. Expanding personally and building new skill sets and life directions. And Expanding our family by one more set of 4 paws!

10 Weeks

Introducing Tana! Tana is 10 weeks old now and she's a Flat Coated Retriever from Saskatchewan, Canada. She's from the same breeder as Rosey, Prairielight Kennels.

"Remus" Rainesgift Over the Moon

"Splash" Ch Prairielight Truth or Dare CDX, WCI, JH 

8.5 Weeks

We chose the name Tana after the shocking and powerful spring/summer in Northern Alberta with the Fort McMurray fire. The name Tana, "Fire Goddess," has it's origins in Greek (thanks google!), but has been adopted by Faery Traditions and its definition is so fitting for who she's turning out to be.

"She appears as liquid fire, sometimes molten magma, but at others simply plasma in a liquid-like form. Sometimes she appears as lightning, arcing from the sky and into the earth. She is often dancing wild, ecstatic, sparks and flames jumping from her burning aura as she moves. She is the explosive power of all fire, whether that be in the smallest candle flame, or in a raging inferno, or the nuclear processes in the heart of every star. She is the geo-thermal power in the center of the earth, as well as the heat and adrenaline in our bodies. She brings both change, and destruction, as heat can cause chemical changes in objects (as in food being cooked, or stones changing characteristics when exposed to higher temperatures while forming) or even completely obliterate them (a forest or building burning to the ground in a raging fire)." 

9 Weeks - On our way home

Our little fire goddess has kept us on our toes and is always happy to try something new! She is amazingly respectful of Rosey and Sam, not once jumping on them or grabbing at them (yet!). She has amazing self-control already (sits before exiting her crate, quickly learning to wait for her bowl to get to the floor before eating, It's Your Choice game was very quick!), and loves to run. 

So much to learn! So much to teach! I'm so grateful for all the amazing resources online, I feel like I can pick and choose to make the exact right training plan for this puppy. And so many great trainers out there to go to for help when I get stuck! 

Some of my resources so far:

Sophia Yin and her checklist

Chris Puls and her amazing training plans 

Julie Daniels and AG160 at FDSA

Sylvia Trkman and Puppy Class (and amazing student videos)

Plus all the great classes I've taken at Fenzi (Nosework, Focus, Play, Behavior management/rehab) and everything I've learned trying to build a relationship with Rosey and Sam!

Are you smiling?

"Relax people, it's agility! It's supposed to be fun!"

 There's always that person at a trial or in your classes, the one reminding you that you shouldn't take things too seriously. Well, often I'm that person :) But... I'm also a hypocrite (sorta)! I look pretty serious while walking my course and I'm pretty focused before and during my run.

Maybe that's why I love training the breed I do, Flatties don't let you get too serious. Rosey is ready to split or run slower if I get too serious. She says "This is supposed to be fun!" I can't stay upset at myself for too long with her around. Every day is a blessing and each run such a gift.

Veuve

But there is a difference between being serious & enjoying yourself and being serious & not being able to see the big picture. Agility isn't easy (at least not in my own experience), it takes a lot of mental concentration, a lot of training, and a lot of understanding how to communicate with your canine partner. So if your way of trying to learn and keep your mind on task is to be serious, go for it! Just don't forget to step back on a regular basis and enjoy what you've accomplished!

Fun. It's a loaded word for so many people in agility. It has baggage, something we should be doing, but sometimes hard to grasp. When you dog goes into the tunnel for the 10th time instead of the dog walk, or when your dog knocks one bar in every. single. run. and it's been a year since you've had a Q, it's hard to see the fun. These moments suck and they're frustrating, but it doesn't mean the run was garbage... what went well? Dogs aren't the only ones that need positive reinforcement, we do too! You are always free to praise yourself for the good moments, the better connection, the 15 other bars that didn't come down. 

Ginger is one of the happiest handlers I know. Luna is one lucky pup!

I'm a glass-half-full kind of person, and I know my students appreciate it. Training isn't linear, sometimes things just aren't going your way. I try to remind them that it's ok to have a bad week and that they are always lucky to be able to take the time to come to class and build on their relationship. It's easy to stop seeing the fun if training is hard and there's very little progress. It's at this moment, where you are frustrated and ready to give up, that's most important to step back and evaluate. Step away from the immediate goal and play with your dog :) Go for a little walk or play a few little games. Reconnect with your relationship and find the joy. Often your dog is just as frustrated as you are and needs that same break.

Happiness is a tricky business and we all seem to seek it. I found a group of ted talks to have really helped me understand some paths for my own happiness, maybe you can find some little golden nuggets to help yourself. (I especially love David Steindl-Rast, being grateful for our moments gives you permission to be happy.)

Now get out there and have some fun!

For a few more blogs about happiness, check out the topic of Fun at Dog Agility Blog Events.

Fretting over the little stuff is getting in the way of the big picture

Why is it so difficult to put the behaviors we've been working on for so long all together and finalized? It seems like I'm always waiting for it to be perfect, but things are never going to be perfect. (See Denise Fenzi's blog from today for her view). The slightly crooked behavior on their contact board, the not 100% confident weaves, even their jumping form, it's all a continuum that can go on forever!

While trying to train Rosey how to do her walk contact, I struggled and struggled. It was a real game of whack-a-mole that never ended! As soon as we were able to teach her one thing, she would start a different behavior. I think she finally decided that the end of the dog walk was filled with so much stress that she would avoid it all together! I ended up taking a summer and started training a running walk contact using Sylvia Trkman's method. I no longer had to worry about perfection, and neither did she, and we started to have fun!

The walk contact is still an issue realistically hasn't been "fixed," but it is consistent and I know where our weaknesses are. Her striding lands her comfortably inside AKC's contact zone (yay!), but too high for USDAA. I'd love to put more criteria on it or train it longer, but at 8yrs old, I don't know if the effort is worth the time. I'd much rather be out there running with her and having fun than worrying about a walk contact. Maybe it's a gamble, but with a little management from me, it's consistent and hasn't been an issue for a while. Doesn't mean I don't dream about perfect easy contacts, but with our past, I'm content with where we are at and I'll keep reinforcing what I need while practicing at home.

What I've learned about the whole process is to spend a little extra time at the beginning to assess their natural tendencies, what their body type is, and what they like. Some dogs have a huge powerful stride. With high arousal from a trial, it's unlikely that this type of stride will naturally flow into a dog walk contact. Other dogs are small and have short quick strides that naturally move them through the contact zone without a second thought; a running contact would be lovely with this type of dog.

It's not just the dogs. I am able and love to run, so a running contact for my long legged & lower drive dog is perfect. Someone with a fast, powerful dog and have trouble keeping up with them, will benefit from a stop of some sort at the end of the contact. There's no way to get down there in time to tell them what to do! In this case, it's up to you as a trainer to make the stopped behavior REALLY fun and totally worth their time. Easier said than done for some dogs :)

Take a look at your dog's structure, its temperament, it's drive to play the game. What best suits them? Can it work for you? There's so much more to a contact behavior than what everyone else is doing, each dog is so unique and it's up to you to be their advocate to make this game the best it can be!

Reaching some goals

This past weekend was a local AKC agility trial, held inside and where I train. Set up was easy, arriving and leaving was quick and painless and the trial was run really smoothly. I love trialing outside, enjoying the sun and hanging out around "nature", but I can't complain about the ease of indoor trials! So little set up, easy to pack and unpack, so much less draining!

Maybe the stars aligned just right, or the moon was in the right phase, but Rosey and I had the best weekend we've ever had. We were connected, I knew my courses, and she was doing her best to follow all my commands. I remembered to talk to her, to let her know how amazing she is, and she responded to each "yes" with a burst of speed and confidence. The look in her face after the run was enough to tell me she thought that we did a good job! Our weaves are still an issue, still slowing down after our first class, always a "project" for us. This weekend hopefully is a first among many, and all our hard work is starting to pay off!

Priority #1 this weekend was keeping connected. After the OMD seminar in December with Jessica Ajoux, I've started to get into a rhythm of letting Rosey know when she does a good turn or make a great decision... I was missing that piece and Rosey was getting slower because I wasn't giving her that feedback. Now that we're on track, she's getting more confident with turns and tight sections, making it more fun and easier for me to handle! Another major help to get connection was taking Denise Fenzi's play class and Deb Jones' Focus class, both have helped me understand how to play and how to make "working" so much more fun! Agility isn't just about running anymore, it's becoming a game and a conversation that we both look forward to having.

Priority #2 was to reduce most of my ring nerves, keep a clear head while running, and be open to connect with Rosey. Taking the mental management class with Andrea has really helped me identify my own issues and help me take control of them. With the tools I learned there, I was able to see the nerves coming long before they would be able to affect me. Driving to the trial, I was able to get myself into a more focused and better mindset, and setting the tone of the day. I even found myself humming while walking courses, not even realizing I was doing it until halfway through. I felt clear headed and I was totally present each run. It went so well that I am suspicious that I might not be able to make it happen again! Something to keep watching and working on... need more practice!

How did we do on paper? Exactly as I felt we should! We earned 5/6 Qs this weekend, making that two QQ, 1st place in Premier Standard, and 68-speed points towards our PACH.

One year ago, I was considering that I might not ever be able to run with Rosey. Her injury, her age, her heart murmur... it was all coming together and things seemed like I needed to make big decisions. I'm so glad I made decisions to explore rehab, strengthening, time off, and making an effort to make her better. 2015 was all about healing, and Rosey sure looked healed this weekend! I saw she was a little slower by the end of the weekend, but she's not sore! OMG she's not sore ;) So grateful to all the amazing teachers I have been able to learn from this past year. Our journey isn't over, it feels like we're just getting started!

Loot after Saturday! Added 2 more 2nd places and a 1st place and another QQ ribbon.

Expanding - 2016

2015 was my year of healing. I loved Tori Self's way of looking at new years and adopted my own mantra for this past year. Both dogs were hurting and I needed to discover what I needed to do to help them heal. In the process, I learned so much, more than I ever knew I could know. Thank you 2015! We healed in all sorts of directions.

Now that Sam has learned how to let go of some of her worry, not that she always chooses to, she's started to play. She plays with me, she plays with Rosey, or she plays alone with her favorite toys. She's quirky and will never be my second competing agility dog, but she will always be my weird sensitive dog. She sings her own tune (daily) and will always be wary of things she doesn't know or understand. My favorite new tricks she's learned this year are: picking up and throwing toys at me, shoulder rolls, "back it up", and finally being able to (occasionally) dismiss when the neighbor's dog is hanging over the wall of our yard. As always, we will have to hold each other's hand this year. We will figure out what "hanging out" really means in 2016.

Rosey has healed from her psoas injury, but the scars of my ignorance will be there for the rest of her life. Hard to swallow, but now that I've learned what we can do to keep her sound, she won't have to suffer as a result. Every day we have to remember to keep trying to be stronger - daily training, daily massage, and never forgetting. Wanting to come home and hang out with her on the couch isn't helping our situation and I need to change some habits to be able to work on both of us a little better. We both have the foundation we need, now it's time for 2016 and to Expand.

My goals for 2016 are to expand. Expand what is normal for me, step outside the easy. I want to expand my definition of Rosey, I want to expand what it means to be me. What do I want? What do I want to struggle through to get what I want? There is so much out there, I think I need to start choosing and diving in, grabbing hold of what I want and tugging away.