A Crate Game

Since we got our Crate Games DVD at Christmas, we haven't practiced nearly as much as we should have. But one of our games I like a lot incorporates my crate into a little living room agility. Mom sets up my tunnel at the end of the couch and then a jump and then my crate and I have to go as fast as I can to get to my crate (I love my crate, btw!). We tried to figure out how to get the set up on video and the room just isn't big enough to be able to get the camera back far enough. So the video starts out and you can only see the crate part (you have to imagine the tunnel and the jump - LOL). Then mom makes you dizzy by holding the camera and following me around the circle. Fortunately she doesn't do that for long! :)

When the weather gets nicer, we have to take the crate outside and see if I can do a similar exercise out there.

It was sunny but quite cold today. I did get to go on a fun walk to Antrim Lake (the place that was the site of one of our training challenges). We still don't go there very often because of all the cars on the major highway. Today I wore my harness and when I started barking at the cars, mom just stopped and waited for me to calm down until we could walk a couple more steps. I have a really hard time handling me moving and the cars moving at the same time. Anyway, the harness helped to keep me from spinning. After a little while I was able to keep walking without barking and then got to be off-leash in the safe area. I listened to mom and came to her whenever she stopped. We met a harlequin great dane who was still a puppy but his head came up to mom's chest (and mom is 5' 9")! And we saw a loon in the lake!!! That was super cool! Seeing one is not an every day occurrence around here - this one must be passing through on migration.

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July and Happy Birthday Grandma! It is a rainy and boring day for me. We got in a walk this morning in the rain, but since then not a whole lot has been happening. It rained most of yesterday too. Mom set up a mini agility course for me in the living room yesterday. She put a dark colored bed sheet over the chute to make it heavier and darker and set up my broad jump and 4 weaves (plungers). We had fun doing that little sequence. The chute doesn't phase me at all - I even got stuck in it once and still had no fear or hesitation about it. Go figure.

Mom has also been working really hard on getting me to look up at her while we are heeling. It is working pretty well at least for about 10 steps or so. We are practicing with the dumbbell too. I am getting better at taking it and then holding it for 5 -10 seconds and then dropping it (into mom's hand as long as she has her hand there ready). But this is major improvement for me. Wonder how long it will take to get me to retrieve it?

We decided to wait until September to enroll in agility class again. We're going to try the new training club. Between now and then, though, I think we are going to take a couple private lessons there - we just need to set one up and see how it goes. We'll be great candidates for privates - no other dogs and people around to take my focus off what I am doing and no one to rush us (also no one to keep us waiting around either).

We hope you are all having a great day! Promise to post some new photos soon - the flowers are really benefiting from all of this rain and we'll take some pictures to share with you if the sun ever comes back out!

Gotta zoom!


Ricky