YIPPY!

The weekend ended as well as it started. Buzz got his TN-N today! YAHOO! He also Q'd in Jumpers with a REALLY nice run. He enjoyed himself ALL weekend and it showed in his runs. He was SO responsive and such a good boy!

Bailey also Q'd today. In chances! It was a distance jump pinwheel challenge. Had to rearcross and send out then layer a jump. She ran it ABSOLUTELY flawlessly. It was such a memorable run. So smooth. We were truly working together in that run. She was SO fast, responsive, and just a GREAT girly!

Buzz is now:
Sir Buzz Domino NAC NJC TN-N RN RL1 CGC

Ms. Bailey is SO close... We'll get there, no doubt!

WAHOO!

I can't update my website from home anymore (sad, I know... hah) but I can certainly post brags here!

Buzz ran SO WELL today! He qualified in 4/5 runs and they were ALL really nice. We were working together as a team and he was RUNNING!

He FINISHED HIS NAC! A title I never thought we'd get! But we got it! He qualified in both standard runs today to finish it! YIPPY!

He also Q'd in jumpers and chances. Both were REALLY nice runs. I'm just beyond thrilled with him.

I hope tomorrow is even half as good! I've got both hooligans tomorrow... chances and tunnelers for Bailey; chances, tunnelers, and jumpers for Buzz.

As of tonight Buzz is now:
Sir Buzz Domino NAC NJC RN Rl1 CGC (and now we have even more "almost" titles! YAY!)

What A GOOD boy! We had a HUGE party after jumpers. We had smaller parties after every run but I had some chicken, NB roll, and some Zukes that he got... he was happy!

Packing Up

Packing up the car for the trial tomorrow. I sure hope I've got everything...

cut up the NB roll
leashes
crates
crate pads
crate covers (old sheets)
water
dishes
more treats
water for the human


still need to get
sausage from the store to bring for the pot luck
same for crackers and cheese

We're going to have fun this weekend, that's for sure! I think I have everything I need (even the sheets to write our results down on) and just have to charge the camera batteries now.

I'm still so mad I lost my flash drive because now I can't upload my updated website until I go back to school *dies* haha, now what am I going to do?

I sent in my entries for UKC in January for Buzz and CPE in February for Bailey.

Super Exciting News!

I completely forgot to mention that
A) Buzz gained TWO UCD qualifying scores on November 10, 2007. I really can't believe how far we've come. Competing in obedience was a far away DREAM, which now became a reality with qualifying scores even!

B) Bailey has started competing in CPE agility because our friend in Ohio told us that CPE Nats are in Michigan next summer. I don't know that we'll qualify (since we would have to qualify in all 8 runs in February...), but we're certainly having fun trying. She's been such a blast to run lately. As soon as Patty puts up the videos from TCOTC, you'll be able to see how much she has improved. We had a few errors with my handling and her handler unresponsiveness but I think we got it figured out. She just wanted to RUN!

So, not only do we have NADAC agility coming up, but January 19-20 Buzz has obedience again. If we get in some good open work over xmas, I think we'll try open when gets that last UCD leg!

All we really need to work on is the broad jump. And I've got quite a few ideas. So we'll see and cross our fingers I stick to my training plan!

Been quite a long time...

since I've posted here. School has been crazy busy, as has life.

We had a really great summer (details on NEW website). Bailey finished her RA title in June, CD title in August, and has started RUNNING confidently not only at class, but at AGILITY TRIALS! WAHOO! Breakthrough!

Buzz finished his RL1 (APDT) in August, and got a very memorable RA (AKC) Q in August.

The 29th and 30th of December we'll be at the MMBC NADAC trial. I've got Buzz entered in both regular runs, touch n go, jumpers, and chances on Saturday. Sunday he has tunnelers, jumpers, and chances. Bailey has tunnelers and chances on Sunday too.

I can't wait for Christmas break! ONE more day! WAHOO!

New website is at http://geocities.com/arohaspringer

There are also new videos up on youtube

Bailey!

I went home for *counts* 20 hours so I could bring home some junk and go to the 4-H kick off meeting.

Bailey freaked out. She was unresponsive, spacey, stressed, etc. but we worked through it and she even *gasp* got comfortable enough to play with her frisbee, and tug with me! Then we did a rally course demo (with the frisbee in my back pocket... I treated a couple of times during and threw the frisbee at the end, she STILL wanted it! YIPPY!)

Then we practiced just heeling on the mats and she was ANIMATED, HAPPY, and just GREAT! We worked on a LOT and it was SUCCESSFUL work! We did some signal stuff (come, stand in motion, down, sit), retrieve, heeling... and she was just great!

I'm so excited now! We CAN do it, we just need to get out and practice!

I'm just so excited about Bailey, wish I would have had a camera because her gaze was fixated and her TURNS were like we'd practiced... she didn't bump me, forge... nothing, it was GRAND!

Go Bailey!!!

I think I've decided to come up to Duluth for a day (or weekend) in July when they have their big dog show. Since I've got a place to stay I might as well. Then if we're ready for obedience (possibility) we can show in that but we'll be doing rally if nothing else. Buzz will be in Novice B, and Bailey in Advanced A. Should be fun, and then we do APDT before the speciality!

NADAC April 21st

Today was pretty good. It was grand seeing all of our friends again... though my "plan" didn't go as planned (do they ever?). I thought we'd be running regular first, but we ran tunnelers... which showed I hadn't shown in a while! My handling was off and caused her to miss two tunnel entrances. We GOT them but I was just being weird... so we were over time by 4 seconds. That's ok though because she really had fun and was moving at the end.

Then we had regular and encountered weaves at the third obstacle. I asked her to enter them, she tried 'em, missed... called her back did the happy "yay! GOOD girl" when she came back and tried again... she was stressed *crap* so we went on. Tunnel, a frame, jump, tunnel was part of the couse then we took the last jump and she led me to her treats. It worked well, she was VERY happy and it was grand. Just wish we coulda done that first.

It was fabulous seeing everyone again. I miss them all SO much, they're SO nice and awww... it was just great. I wish I was going again tomorrow but my dogs are pooped (though Buzz didn't run we worked quite a bit at the trial), groomed, and Bailey even had a bath... it was a BUSY day!

I want more agility and class and friends! But now I need to buckle down for finals... *sigh*

Random Ramblings...

So, as I sit to write things for my dreaded math portfolio... of course my mind goes to the dogs!

Everytime I think about who to enter in what for the TCVESSA Speciality, I just contradict myself. I hate wasting money, so I don't want to enter too much stuff where I know I'd miss a ring time. Last year I just entered altered sweeps one day and then obed/rally the next. That worked fine I guess but I want to do more. It's my goal to do rally both days. The current proposed plan is this:

(Speciality only on Thursday and Friday but supported entries on Saturday and Sunday)
Thursday: Bailey in altered sweeps and Rally

Friday: Bailey in Rally and Obedience; Buzz in Rally

Saturday: Bailey in Agility (STD & JWW) and Rally

Now, I REALLY need to think if this will stress my dog out too much. The reason Buzz is only entered once is because it'll probably take me all summer to be confident enough to enter him in Advanced again. We have a LOT of work to do. Therefore, if I don't think he's ready, we'll enter in Novice B "for fun" and I'll use it for training. But if he is magically ready, then I don't want to overdo it. ONE day will be PLENTY. Bailey stresses SO easily. I don't want to do too much but she LOVES Rally! And it's GREAT for building her confidence because she has yet to NOT enjoy herself in Rally. Depending on what this summer looks/feels like weather-wise I'll see if we actually enter agility. It's outdoors on grass, and really nice but if it's hot, she's NOT going to have fun or run well so that'd be a total bust and stupid on my part.

I just can't wait to WORK with my dogs regularily again and enjoy them! Hopefully we'll have a grand summer and I can post training stuff instead of my ramblings that stop me from doing my homework...

some pictures

Hard work pays off... we're getting better! The dog that I never thought could hold a square stack, is now almost able to. We need to work on a little more enthusiasm and a little less concentration then the whole image will be better. Just ignore the scraggly dog... I stripped her out but was too lazy to do anything with the top coat except near her tail. Someday soon I'll do a full groom and more photos. I love seeing how she's progressed.

One of Buzz's favorite past times (from this summer).



And then Bailey just sticks her whole head in there!


We LOVE our agility instructor, and this is how we wished her happy birthday! I was so proud of my dog that day and it's all thanks to her!

ramblings

It's been another one of those "dangerous thinking days" here at college. Inbetween the occasional burst of being productive school-wise I've been thinking about "dog stuff" as my friends would say.

I had plans to finish Bailey's CDX by the end of the year, but in light of recent developments... I think we'll be lucky to finish her CD. Not that I don't think she has the potential, but I don't have the money to bring her to the classes we both need. So, we'll continue to play around, and I'm still thinking about what our schedule at the TCVESSA speciality will be like.

As of now, I just want to find a close show where we can go one day to do rally. She's enjoyed that a LOT so far and is much more relaxed in that ring. I need to find run throughs and good classes before we enter the obedience rings again. She's fully capable, except for those nerves and my novice-ness. We're learning together though.

She is entered on the 21st in NADAC. We're gonna go play in TUNNELS! I'm very excited about that especially since we will hopefully be running regular first. I have PLANS to pull her off the course to a BIG CHICKEN PARTY! This will probably be after the weaves unless they're at the end. It'll really depend on the course as to what I do.

I'm sure we'll have tons of fun, espcially since we'll get to see our friends again!

A Picture...

That tells so much.

Once I finally decided to learn how to pinpoint what I do and don't like in a dog, of course I wanted to evaluate my own. Bailey is by no means perfect, but she does possess some really great qualities. Her list of "bad" far outweighs her list of "good" conformationally wise, but that doesn't make her any less of a great pet and wonderful companion. She is spayed, and was never bred, so this is all just a fun learning experience for me.

Some background information if you haven't visited my site.

• Bailey's sire is a conf Ch
• Her dam's side has no AKC titles for at least three generations (but I was told they were used as hunting companions)
• Her sire is OFA Excellent, dam OFA Good, and she is OFA Good.

Now, for her conformationally bad qualities...

• cow hocked
• low tailset
• "bitchy" head
• too tall (19.75")
• incorrect coat (could be due to being shaved, but doubtful)
• topline is uneven (accentuated by her low tailset and being cow hocked)

But for each thing bad, there are many good...

• nice amount of reach
• wonderful front and front movement
• clean scissors bite
• good earset and expression

The TaskForce Completed Website

It has been released.

http://esspuppy.com

I really like their table in the breed characteristics section. Take a look around, and pass it on. In a perfect world there wouldn't be any BYB's or puppy mills. Maybe someday it'll be close if we all work towards that common goal. Education is key, but you can't alienate and educate a person.

Buzzer's first attempt at Rally Advanced

I learned a lot from Buzz at the trial on Saturday, February 24, 2007. I think the most important lesson I learned is how important the bond Buzz and I share is. Or I should say how much the time I spend away from him has changed it. He was interested when I had food, and he was really good for the first 3/4 of the course. Thinking back, I should have praised/pet/gotten overjoyed and left the ring with him after the 1, 2, 3 steps back because he was at attention perfectly like we'd practiced. I told him he was fabulous, but he needed and deserved more. In that exercise alone he gave me everything we've ever worked on. I couldn't read my dog as well as I should have been able to. We will probably have a lot of work to do before I'm comfortable showing him again and it won't be until at least middle of the summer. We need to work on our relationship again. He performed really well, right up until the last two exercises of his first Rally Advanced course. We had a "halt, 90* pivot right, halt" then a "slow" and the course finished with a "normal" well, we made it half way through the slow and he heard/smelled/decided the joy of running was better than me and tried to leave the ring. Instead of gallivanting around the ring, I reached for and caught him. This NQ'd us. We had only minor deductions previous to that exercise (one point for him hitting me during the "360* right turn" and a crooked sit at another sign). We're not out of the running. I plan to play in APDT Rally-O over the summer when the trials come to town again, and hopefully I'll be able to work with my dog again. I'm not going to say all problems will disappear when I can see and work with him more frequently, but I think that everything will be a lot easier. I just have to wait until May, then I'll be home for the summer and best of all, he'll be living with me up at school next year and hopefully he'll be with me the rest of his LONG life. Yes, he's my heart dog and I don't know what I'll do without him. I appreciate and love this dog more than anyone understands, and more than I ever thought I could, regardless of the tribulations that come our way on the way to our wonderful triumphs!

My newest favorite picture of the dude-man...

X-Mas break '06/'07

Since this is new, I'll fill everyone in on what has happened recently.

Of course I have some photo of this memorable christmas break... even though some aren't the best quality. (Someone *ahem* was playing with a new digital camera that wasn't a point and shoot! And that someone still hasn't figured out how to take action shots. But I'm not complaining *grin* really...)

I had a fun Christmas break planned with the doggies. I was confident in the foundation I layed for the dogs so I decided that some brushing up would get us in competing form.

With that in mind, we had three days planned for some fun competing!

Dec 30th- NADAC

*the Buzz-man ran in Jumpers, Touch N Go, and Chances... the amazing dogger he is Q'd in ALL THREE runs!

*Bailey, the dog who can't weave in public... DID! A total of 18 poles were weaved with enthusiasm and speed by that little girlie! I was SO proud and of COURSE there was a jackpot for a performance like that! Heck, I wasn't even planning on running the full course, we were gonna go play in tunnels, and she entered the weaves on her OWN!

Jan 6th- AKC

*Buzz was entered in Rally Novice. We only needed one leg to finish this boys FIRST title! Which we DID! He finished his RN with a 98! That was a very happy day! That's an accomplishment I'll NEVER forget. My boy and I had fun together and rocked it in a highly stressful environment, what a day to remember!

*Bailey played Jrs dog with her co-owner. We had a lot of fun grooming her and practicing with her. There was a huge delay so she was ready an hour and a half early. So, she was tired and hot by the time their ring time rolled around. We learned a lot that day though and as always, the kiddo and Bailey are improving as a team!

Jan 13th- APDT

*Buzz and I decided to give APDT Rally-O a try. Boy was that a lot of fun! It was hosted by some really good friends from the MN Mixed Breed Club so just being there was a blast. We only entered one run, but ended up with a 203 which is a qualifying score! He was fabulous and being able to give treats in the ring REALLY boosted his ring attitude! As a BONUS (hehe), he got ALL ten BONUS points! We will definitely be competing in APDT again!

Missing The Bs

I'm still at school, but I was digging through some old pictures and decided to share these...

My favorite picture of Buzz!







And the Goofy Girl... Bailey