Today is cold and raining. I haven't even been out for a walk around my neighborhood and it's already after lunch time. I am soooooo bored. We got spoiled by a few really nice days last week when it looked like winter was over and spring was here to stay. But this rain is supposed to turn to snow later. Yuck.
When we did have those nice days, I got to do lots of stuff outside. Mom finally got to try me on a dumbbell retrieve out in the yard and here is a quick video of my first attempt. I am pretty cute and do a good job even if I drop it too early - but I do pick it up on my own!
I have class tomorrow - the last one of the session - so we will run a course. Not usually my forte, but we'll see. And then I have two weeks off until the next session starts.
Gotta zoom (unfortunately it's really gotta go lie on the couch some more)!
Now to tell you about our not-so-exciting week! On Monday mom took me to the schoolyard (an elementary school near our house where we walk sometimes) to try my new chute. It went well and I didn't have any problems doing the chute there.
Tuesday was supposed to be our handling class. We arrived at the class time (9:30AM) and the instructor told us class had been changed to 11:00 - lack of communication - since we live 40 minutes away, we couldn't just go home and come back later. So she said we could just practice on our own. It was fun to have the agility field to ourselves, but mom was sorry we missed the class. She likes structure and everything! We did some dogwalks - nothing spectacular there - and the chute - but I refused to do it the first time and mom was majorly bummed out. She got out our target and then I started doing the chute for the target. I did do it a few times without and then mom tried one last time and I refused it again. This chute problem is just crazy!!! We only stayed about 30 minutes because we both got worn out and hot.
On Wednesday and Thursday it rained almost non-stop! We tried some more free timing for Ludo's tricky t-day but had no luck. All I ever offer to mom is scratching at or licking the box. Like I said before, I am not clicker trained or used to shaping. I like to be shown or told what to do! So any way, we didn't make a trick video this week either. But we did practice weave entries with our plungers in the house and that was pretty fun!
On Friday we went to my favorite park and tried the chute there. Mom even took one of my jumps and so we did jump, chute or vice a versa. It went really well (except for when I ran off to greet a dog that was walking by - mom was not happy and I got in trouble for that!). I flew through the chute like I never have a problem. Now mom says she'll have to get creative and take me and my chute to places I have never been before.
Yesterday it rained most of the day again! The flowers and the grass really need the rain but staying inside all day is boring to me!
Have I told you that I have two domestic ducks as neighbors? The college kids who rent the house diagonally in back of us raised 6 ducks this spring. They kept two of them (we try not too think to much about where the other 4 went) and while we're pretty sure it is illegal to have ducks living in your backyard in the city, we have enjoyed having them around. They like people and dogs and if we go out into the backyard or if our neighbor and her dogs go out, the ducks start quacking and quacking and come to see us! Mom thinks it sounds like they are laughing. The sad part is - what's going to happen to them? You're not allowed to release domestic ducks into the wild and there aren't many people who want ducks. So we don't have much hope for them having a long and happy life. Poor ducks!
Well, guess that's about it for now! Today's weather is nice - no rain so far - so we had better get outside and enjoy it!
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!
My name is Ricky (Covewind Little Ricky, AX,AXJ,CGC) and I am a six year old tri-color Shetland Sheepdog. I do agility and I like to learn tricks too! This blog is about all that and some other stuff as well!
