Monday, February 28, 2011

Training Room

We have a Rally trial coming up in 2 weeks and Abby and I need to polish up a few basic skills. We also need to seriously start training for some of our level 3 stuff. We really don't have a good place to train regularly. We have no yard, and out house is tiny and oddly shaped. I had to improvise, and I hope that LB doesn't mind too much.

New training space:



what used to live in that super awesome space:



Now that we have that super cool space, whose ready to work?


No surprise there. This guy will do anything for food!


great. . .we get to work with alien dog again. . .

The training space makes it so much easier to do distance work - a huge component of level 3. It also helps us work on stays - something that we haven't been working on very much lately. Abby does OK on down stays, but her sit stays S.U.C.K! She almost always goes into a down. I think part of it is structural (Never Say Never Greyhounds say that sit-stays are harder for these breeds) but I think that some of it is training. I allow her to go down because I know that it is easier/more comfortable for her and, honestly, I don't care what position she is in as long as she stays put. She still stays on her short sit stays for rally class, so I never really bothered to train a longer sit stay. . .but I guess it is something that we should work on. . .and it really isn't that hard. . .it's just so boring, and I feel like I'm nit-picking her. . .and neither of us like that. . .

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Pressing Reset

Ever feel like your life has taken some strange turn and you can't find your back back to the beginning? That's how I've felt lately. Last year was tough for so many reasons and I was really looking forward to starting a new year. But once that new year started, things got even worse for awhile. Things have finally settled down but I can't seem to get back to where I was before all the bad things started happening. I feel like I need to find the reset button and press it F.A.S.T.

LB and I talked extensively around the new year about how January 1st is really just an arbitrary date - it's doesn't actually reset anything. Things don't magically become better at the stroke of midnight. I completely agree with her, but that didn't stop me from wishing that things would turn around and that life would get easier . . .at least for a little while.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about my life. I have a great life - better than most. But at times I feel like I'm trying to play catch-up. Like I'm always one step behind of where I'm supposed to be. I spent so much of last year running around, and I felt like if I took a little break, that things would settle down, and that I would finally be able to be right where I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there. But now, I feel like I've gotten even more far behind.

It's obvious that trying to do everything didn't work. But it also seems that trying to do nothing doesn't really work either? Where is the happy medium? Does it even exist? Well, I'm about to try and find it again. It may not be January 1st, but I'm going to start this year over again and watch it get better and better.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Run Thru

Abby and I had a run thru this past Friday. We almost didn't go because the weather man was calling for S.N.O.W. Really? At sea level in CA?? Yep, they were calling for snow. That wasn't what almost kept us from going, it was the possibility of ice. This CA girl doesn't drive in ice. But the weather wasn't supposed to get bad until midnight and I was hoping to be back home and snug in my bed by then. I'm really glad we went because we had a great time and really learned a lot.

This run thru was run level 3, 2, 1. We ran level 2 and level 1. I was interested to see if she would do better in level two then she did in level 1 since the last time (which I didn't blog about, but was run Level 1,2,3), we did better in level 2. Here were the courses:

Level 2 map


Level 1 map



Both courses seemed surprisingly easy. And we did a pretty good job on both courses. However, Abby did NQ on the level 2 course. She broke a stay! I think that her broken stay was due to her excitement. She anticipated the recall on sign 5 and came running at me full speed and slid to a sitting halt. It was hysterical! Everyone in the place laughed and laughed! I laughed until the food bowl exercise where she got distracted and we had to take a moment and regroup. Other than that, she had a blast and we did pretty well.

Level 1 was amazing for us. This was the first time that she wasn't walking wide. And we only got 2 tight leashes!!!! I was SOOOO proud of us! We did get dinged because I had to give a double command on the first sit! It was crazy because I had spent the entire warm-up doing jack-pots for sits! (well, not a full jack-pot, but a super cool, Abby jack-pot!) We did super awesome on sign 8, and I was very happy as that is something we have been working on a LOT.

Even though we technically NQ'd on level 2, I think that this whole run thru was the best experience we've had so far. We were really working as a team. Plus, her energy put me in a great mood from the beginning and we were both able to have a great time. My nerves were non-existent and I think that she knew that.

I am learning a lot about my dog in these run thrus - and it's not just about competition. I'm learning a lot about team work and that is the kind of relationship that I want with my dog. I want to be part of a team. And after almost 3 years, I think that we are getting there!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Long Striped Hand Warmers

I needed a new knitting project. I'm working on my friend's baby's blanket, but it is a bit tedious work as I have to count every stitch to make the pattern. I am working on it, and it is coming along, but sometimes I need mindless knitting. And for that, I decided to try Long Striped Hand Warmers. The pattern is super easy and this was the first time I knitted stripes in the round. It was also the first time I've knitted a finger! I'm actually kinda proud of myself! I've only knit one glove so far, but I'm already about 2 inches into the second one. I think that the second one is going to go faster than the first!



The master color is chocolate and the variegated color is a pink to burgundy. It is actually much prettier in person!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Family Photo - Lets Try This One More Time

My photo goal this year was to get a family photo with all the kids behaving themselves and looking at the camera. . .but sometimes I feel like I'm playing referee trying to keep the peace between the girls.



Pocket! Keep your tongue in your mouth!



Abby! Don't instigate! You girls better behave or I am going to separate you!



ABBY!!!! Leave. Your. Sister. Alone!



Thank you!

And poor Mole, such a good boy, gets so frazzled between my yelling at the girls and so desperately wanting the treat in my hand.



Sometimes I wonder if we are ever going to get a good photo. . .



Well, at least everyone is looking. . . even if no one is smiling. . .

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

First Hike of the Year



While much of the country is bogged down in snow, it's sun and blue skies here in CA. We've had unseasonably warm weather so far this year, and you won't hear me complaining one bit! Despite the fact that Abby is still wearing her coat, most of the days here are in the 60's. The wind picks up from time to time and Abby is a small, skinny, very short haired dog, so the coat is still a necessity. The days are getting just long enough that if I hurry home, and hurry up the hill, we can get a very quick walk/jog in. Abby prefers it if I jog, and gives me dirty looks -like the one pictured above - if I stop and try to walk. This was the first of many hikes this year. I'm thinking that I need to start bringing my camera with me so that I can get some decent photos of her this year.