Empty

The house feels so empty tonight with out Perkins running up & down the hallway with different toys in his mouth! , his dad picked up today. Here are some pictures I took of him this morning...I had taken the sheets off the bed to wash them, & poor Perkins had to curl up in the comforter instead of burrowing under the covers like he usually does!

Jackpot !!

Pictured below is my friend Katie's golden Gibson.....I bet he thought he had died & gone to heaven when he saw all these in front of him !!......Congratulations also to Katie & Henley....Henley finished his championship on the weekend in style, with a Best of Breed over specials & a Group 3rd!!!.....

New Tradition??

Today I drove to Fort McLeod to meet with Marilyn Clayton & her smooth collie Zephyr. Marilyn & Zephyr go on a circuit of trials every year, & last year she called to see if I wanted to meet up with her. I jumped at the chance as we had only ever spoken through e-mails. Well I got an e-mail earlier this week that she was coming through again, & wondered if I wanted to get together. I hope to do this every year! We had a great time, took the dogs for a long walk , then sat in the shade under a big tree & had some lunch. It is always wonderful to see Zephyr in person...I just love this dog! He has 58 titles to his credit now! He is a champion in Can. & the US. & has titles in Can. & the US. in obedience, rally, agility, herding & carting...there is nothing this dog can't do!

It was fun taking pictures & videos in the exact same spot as last year.....only Kort looks a little different! Oh, & we had Perkins with us too, Zephyr was quite taken with him! I particularly love the video in which both Tate & Zephyr are wagging their tags in unison, must be a tri thing!

Last year......

This year.....

Last year......This year.......

Morning Fun

This morning I met Wendy at the off leash dog park for a nice walk....& of course there are pictures!!! Even Perkins went in the water! Love the pictures Wendy!!

He's Back!!

Perkins is back for 10 days this time!! We all love having him, he fits in perfectly & is just one of the family.
Perkins always comes with his favourite ball, but this time he also came with a stuffie....a baby Perkins!!!......Kort may be a touch jealous of Perkins toys!!, see how he has stolen them!, he has the ball tucked in between his front legs!......Of course Perkins won't put up with that!...Must get my stuffie!, must get my stuffie!......Now, for my ball!!!......It sure is hard work protecting my valuables!...better have a drink!......Kort & Perkins are never too far away from me when I'm inside & are the best of friends.....here they both are under the computer desk while I was on it this morning.......

More Water

Wendy & I did not make it to the dog park this morning but here are a few more pictures that Wendy took last night!

Great Weekend

I had a super weekend....first I got to spend time with Tate on Sat. doing agility, then today I just hung out at home with the dogs & relaxed. Tonight, me, Wendy, Amanda, & Sandy headed out to the dog park for an evening walk. The temperatures here have been too hot to do anything during the day. We went down to the river, & as expected Kort followed all the other dogs in...he loves water & had a blast. I had just finished telling Wendy how Tate was too "prissy" to even think of getting a toe wet, when he walks into the river!! I was shocked! He is 7 yrs old & never touched water before, except in his bowl! He has been full of surprises this weekend! Wendy & I are going again tomorrow morning to get more pictures, hopefully he will go in again!

Tate Rocks !

I love my Tater dog...he is such a good boy, today Go Dog Go ! had an agility fun match, I decided to take Tate to have some one on one time with him, & to just have fun. I did 3 runs , a regular starters, a regular masters!! & our first ever gamblers! Tate did awesome..like seriously good!!, I only jumped him at 10" however, as he hasn't done agility in 2 yrs., & he does have some joint issues. He didn't let that bother him today though, I missed a tunnel on the starters run so I didn't have him properly set up for a jump, & he knocked a bar....the masters run he aced! ...no knocked bars all twelve weaves too! This was also the masters course from last years regional or national, one of the two. Then we did our first gamblers run ever....not only did Tate get 2 mini gambles, but he got the main gamble...I was shocked, seriously!..we have never worked on distance work & he like totally followed my direction.....Good Boy Tate...You Rock !!!

Dumbfounded

I am totally speechless & in awe tonight....First off, agility class was amazing, I used my new Control Unleashed tools for Kort, & he was totally focused & quiet for the entire class! When other dogs have their turns & run & play , Kort gets excited & barks, or pulls, or whines.....tonight...nothing! Total focus on me!! But that is not the only part I'm in awe with.....after agility I took the dogs for a walk, yes, both dogs, no comments please!! ......we were just turning into our driveway when Kort bolted , charging after a rabbit he had seen in the grass. I had totally missed it.....I calmly said" Kort Come"...& he did!!!!! He came & sat in front of me waiting for his treats!!....just one look over his shoulder for the rabbit, that's it! I'm like freaking out! I think I screamed & jumped on the sidewalk with excitement when he turned toward me.....this is a dog that just 3 days ago would haul me down the street screaming if he saw a rabbit...nothing I tried worked to get his focus off of them. If I could kiss the author of this book I would!, & a huge thanks to the Dogstar Academy for recommending it to me!

Totally amazing!

Separate

This morning I went on 2 separate walks with Tate & Kort.....I "was" doing well taking them both, but last nights walk was a disaster, so I knew I had to start going twice.

It was so free feeling with just one dog at a time!!...I took Kort first & there were no triggers on our walk...figures!! However it was really weird as he became Velcro dog & wouldn't leave the heel position, he knows I carry treats now....I took the opportunity to do some heel work, turns, right & left , then tried releasing him...it took awhile for him to just be a dog & explore....he kept coming back. Don't get me wrong...this is fantastic!!!, but I really don't need him in perfect heel position on our walk, wasn't his neck getting sore from staring up at me LOL!!

WHOO HOO !!!!!

This morning I went on a shorter walk.....armed with my treats & clicker I was ready. I have been doing TONS of reminder clicker work over the last 2 days..every chance I get I click, treat, click, treat. Today we approached the house that contains the 3 wild dogs....they heard us coming & immediately started their barking....Kort alerted & pulled toward the fence & I stopped & asked him to come...he turned right away as I have also been practising come on our walks with the clicker,.... click....treat. He sat in front of me while & clicked & treated every second while the dogs were barking & jumping on the fence, after a minute or so I knew he was totally focused on me, so I started to move....he heeled the entire time, watching me..click treat, click, treat as fast as I could!!, click, treat. We passed the house & continued on for a bit as these dogs were still screaming. I would also like to add that the dogs fight with each other as they get so frenzied...nice huh. This is the first time EVER we have gotten by that house without Kort pulling me off my feet & barking at the fence. I am thrilled beyond belief! Now, keep in mind this was not easy, my multi tasking skills are greatly lacking...just ask Amanda how I hate to use the leash in class!! But I managed clicking, treating, & walking, with leashes.....& I also had Tate! Yes, I am still walking them both, I just can't leave that sweet tri face standing in the doorway even if I know I'm coming back for him.....this is actually good for Tate too as he was also heeling along waiting to be fed! Good boys!!

Control Unleashed

I read the book Control Unleashed last night & it was a lot to absorb....I am feeling overwhelmed but determined to get better. I started putting some of the things into work on our walk this am. However, I ran out of treats, again!! This is crazy...there are soooo many dogs walking that I just can't keep up. This book asks you to reward everytime the dog "looks" at his trigger...in this case dogs.....the idea is to get him to look back & focus on you for the reward, instead of the dog, we had 4 dogs pass us within 10 min. of each other, plus a guy on rollerblades & a tractor !!!.....after the 4th dog Kort was just way over stimulated & whining.....I just sat on the grass, massaging his ears, muzzle, & back trying to get him to relax....I'm sure I looked like a nutcase!! It took about 10 min. for him to stop looking for dogs & whining.....perhaps I need to find a quieter place to walk!

Baby steps Jolene, baby steps!

A Walk In The Park

Amanda & I took the dogs out to the off leash park this afternoon & Amanda got some wonderful pictures of the boys......thanks Amanda!! It was really hot & humid so you can see that Tate wasn't exactly in a co operative mood with his ears!! That's OK, I like them anyway!....

Doesn't Kort look like a sporting dog in the field with his tail up like that!!......

Of course our walk couldn't be without "incident".......as we were just starting our walk 3 people were ending theirs...one lady had a big strong lab that was pulling her all over the place. I had just come around the front of the van in time to see the lady had fallen & broken her ankle! It was horrible & I still shutter thinking about it...the ankle was sitting at a really bad angle.....they called an ambulance for her...poor lady!