Beginning Intermediate class 7

We went to our last class of beginning intermediate agility last night. Next month we will be moving on to the advanced intermediate class. We sure did learn a lot in the two sessions of beg.inter. that we went to. Last night was divided into three sections - weaves, contacts and teeter. We started off in weaves - I did some pretty fast weaving for me on those silly weaves with the bars in between the poles. Too bad we can't use stick in the ground poles in the class! Then in contacts, I slowed down. I took the aframe when mom was really showing me and telling me to take the tunnel - so I didn't run hard enough to get the momentum I needed to get up the aframe. That made me have to scrabble and claw my way up there - and then after that I didn't want to do it any more. Mom never really knows what to do with me when I sort of shut down. I'm not sure what to tell her either. We also had the chute in this section and I just didn't feel like going through it, unless the instructor held it open for me. So she worked with us on this and after quite a few repetitions, I did do it. She told mom to change the chute we have at home to darker and heavier material and practice with that. Then we went on to the teeter. We practiced getting more speed - mom tried to get me to run to the pivot point and she gave me a treat there and then I got another at the end. Cool - two treats! It did motivate me to get the teeter to tip.

During the next couple weeks mom has some ideas of what she wants to practice with me - as much as the weather will allow - she wants to figure out a way to get me to run with her to the first obstacle in a sequence. I am mostly very slow to get started (more so in class than at home). She wants to keep working on the chute - she already tried a new one with me this morning using a dark green flannel sheet (I went through before she was ready for me and got all tangled up and had to be rescued but it didn't phase me and then I did it a whole bunch of times after that - go figure - don't know what to tell you, mom!). And we are going to keep working on front crosses to speed me up - mom has to keep finding ways to put them in. Luckily we can go to open practice the next two Wednesdays and get in some good use of the equipment at the club. Also we are planning to make a few more jumps so that we can set up more complex jumping sequences in the backyard.

It's pouring rain outside - our morning walk has been postponed - mom doesn't mind walking in light rain but heavy rain is another story. Guess we're lucky it's not freezing rain and/or snow?

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Amazing!!!

We just found out that my grandma Catherine (Zinsky) and her Border Collie Kyle placed third in the National Obedience Invitational going on right now in Long Beach, CA!!! Wow - that is so awesome! In 2006 Catherine and Kyle competed in the NOI and came in within the top 8 but not in the placement - the top four. But this year they made it! We are super proud of their accomplishments!

Also my favorite trainer Deb is out in Long Beach competing in the Agility Invitationals with her Russell Terrier Bug. We don't know much about how they have been doing but according to the AKC website, yesterday they NQ'ed in both the standard and JWW runs but today they Q'ed in both their runs!!! So that is great news too!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Agility class 6, etc.

Thursday night was our sixth class of this session. We actually ran a course during this class. So during the first 30 minutes, we split into two groups and practiced some parts of the course. Then during the last half of the hour, we ran the course. It was really fun. It started with tunnel, dogwalk, chute, then front cross and two jumps. They had a different chute out there than usual and I forgot my new "king of the chute" mentality and I only did it when the instructor held it open for me...sorry mom! Then we did aframe, tire, weaves, tunnel - and then I sped up. The tunnel went to a triple and mom started running full out and I went with her! After triple was teeter, table, 180 jumps, another 180 jumps and then broad jump. Our instructor came right over to us and told mom that we should stop doing 2o2o for the dogwalk and teeter (we were already not doing it on the aframe). She thinks I won't bail on my contacts and she says if I start to, we can just put the 2o2o back in since I know it so well. Cool! Now I won't have to come to a dead stop in the contacts and maybe I'll be a faster dog. She also reminded mom to keep looking for places to put in front crosses to motivate me more. So we did pretty well over all except that I did a little sniffing when I should've been following mom...sorry mom!

Yesterday mom took me to run in the park even though it was only 20 degrees! There was no wind and the sun was out! And the sun is hardly ever out in Ohio in the winter. We had fun and surprisingly there were quite a few people and their dogs there.

Today we practiced in the yard - it was much warmer outside. We practiced teeter without the 2o2o - I rode it down and as I approached the bottom mom just said ok and we kept running. I liked that! We also did table - we don't practice that much and some times I am a little slow doing my down or sit. So mom made sure she really rewarded the fast responses.

We are working on a lot of new tricks too. Every evening after dinner, mom gets out the cheerios and we practice the new stuff - handstand, hide under a blanket, open the door, take and hold the dumbbell (not really a trick but we may need it for obedience some day), and shake head no. Some things are getting better, but they are all works in progress, that's for sure! We really love kikopup's YouTube channel and all of her videos on how to teach tricks. She really inspires us!

This week we have Wednesday morning practice and then our last class of the session on Thursday. Then we have a couple weeks off and start the advanced intermediate class in January! Can't wait!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

We've been tagged!

Diana at 4 Dog Craziness tagged us to list six things I like most:

1. Barking at anything that might be a threat to my territory!

2. Chasing cars (and squirrels and birds)!

3. Food!

4. Agility and learning new tricks!

5. Walks in the park on my long line!

6. All my favorite people! (too many to list here - there are a lot of people that I love)


Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Snow!

On Saturday we had our first measurable snow - a little over an inch, I would guess. I think it's awesome, but mom's not too thrilled.

Over the weekend we went to visit grandma and grandpa and then the next day we went to watch my favorite trainer Deb at an agility trial. She did great and I had a good time because lots of people know me now (although I have yet to step foot in the ring!) and I get lots of treats just for standing around and looking good!

Mom tries to keep me busy even though we can't play outside much. We are working on lots of new tricks and trying to get even better at the old tricks. We practice some agility nearly every day - either inside or out. Yesterday we did weaves and jumps in the snow!

This morning it is raining - the snow will soon be gone. And the sky is gray, the ground is gray....everything is gray. Oh, Ohio in the winter......

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Class 5, agility practice and reminiscing with videos

We've been getting in some agility practice this week in spite of the winter weather. Mom has been setting stuff up in our living room again. We've been using only 4 plungers as weaves because it's easier in the small space we have. I've been practicing entries and distance - mom is on one side of the couch or the other, depending on the set up.

When it's not super cold, we try to do a little practice outside. This morning mom had me doing some pretty fast weaving and also reviewing serpentines with her staying on one side.

Wednesday we did go to the morning practice at the club. Our first time on the course things went pretty well. But the second time we got in there, I found a tasty liver treat that some one had dropped on the floor - and that was the end of my ability to concentrate on what mom was saying. Everything she said to me sounded like "blahblahblah" - I didn't hear "Ricky" or "come" or "jump" or anything like those words. But the smell of liver was so enticing and I could've sworn I smelled it every where! Needless to say, that was the end of Wednesday morning practice.

Last night was our beginning intermediate class 5. We had the week before off for Thanksgiving. I was happy to be back in the class and only suffered from a little leftover sniffing from Wednesday morning. We have really been enjoying the repeat of this level of class. We like the instructors a lot and feel confident with the skills we are asked to perform. And each time we get more advice specifically for us to run better sequences. Like last night our instructor reminded mom that she needs to do more front crosses with me to speed me up and to really show me where I need to go. Other dogs might do ok with a pull or just running on the same side, but every time mom worked in a front cross, we did better. That's something important for her to remember when she starts walking courses and planning the best route. Also even though I am fairly good at holding my start-line stay, I do much better when mom runs with me.

Mom got to looking at some old video of me when I was just a little pup...she found this video of me playing with my friend Ciara when I was about 2 and 1/2 months old. I was so tiny back then, but pretty fearless! Ciara was also a puppy - maybe 4 months old - but look how big she was already! I miss Ciara but she's a lucky dog - she and her mom moved to a really neat house in the country where Ciara has a huge yard she runs in all day long. It was fun watching the video and remembering......

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Finally some agility practice video!

Well once again we were inspired by a video that Johann made a few days ago of some of his backyard agility practice. He did a really cool sequence of jumps, tunnel and then weaves at a distance. So mom set up something similar in our backyard but used the tire because she was too lazy to get the tunnel out! We practiced it a couple times yesterday and then got it on video today. We are not super fast or anything, but this was the first time we had tried to do distance work like this. Mom said she was real proud of me!

When we switched and went the other way - weaves and then the jumps - I had never done it before and so that was my first try. Mom knows she could've told me to jump earlier and given better cues, but she was afraid she'd pull me out of the weaves. Next time we try this sequence, she's going to run faster and see if she can get me to go faster too!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

One of my favorite games!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Class 4, more practice, and cold weather!

BRRR....it's COLD! We are having January weather in November! When mom and I walked this morning, the temperature was 24 but with the wind chill it was 9!! I love it! I say, "Bring it on!" But mom is freezing all the time. So we don't go outside very often. I don't get it - why is it that we are outside all day in the summer when it's 80-90 degrees and I am so hot I can't stand it, but now that the weather is so nice, we spend all our time inside?

Wednesday morning practice went well again this week. We set up the chute in the small ring like last time and practiced it starting with the material folded up a little and progressing to full-length in no time. Mom was happy to see that I was still willing to do the chute and last week wasn't a fluke! We also did well in the big ring on the course.

Last night was our agility class 4. The most exciting news to report is that I DID THE CHUTE in class too - different building, different chute, but I still did it! Hurray! As a matter of fact, mom had trouble keeping me out of it. We were supposed to do a sequence where mom blocks the path to the chute so that I would take a nearby jump and I went straight into the chute! Not what we ultimately want, of course, but mom was very happy to see my enthusiasm. We also worked on some difficult weave entries - a jump at an angle into the weaves, a lead-out push to the weaves, and a jump straight on into the weaves where I had to collect and mom had to make sure to stay out of my way. In the contact section, I did my fastest dogwalk yet - I was actually moving so fast that I had trouble stopping my momentum to do my 2o2o and ended up running right off the end of the walk! I was not used to moving so fast! Our instructor said that I look like a different dog!

This afternoon mom set up a little agility course in the house. We had a tunnel in the kitchen, 6 plungers we got at the Dollar store for weaves, a jump, and a short board for a mini dogwalk. It was really fun! Mom would have me walk-it and then send me into the tunnel while she stayed in the living room, then over the jump and through the weaves while she stayed on the other side of the couch. It ended up being a good distance challenge (I'll be ready for novice FAST in no time!!!). We wanted to take video but we couldn't get the tripod far enough away to get a good view. So we took photos instead to show you our set-up.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Mom says if the temperature is above freezing tomorrow she'll take me to the park! I'm keeping my paws crossed!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Agility this week

So today is rainy and cold and perfect for sitting down at the computer to do a little blogging. We had a great agility week! It started on Wednesday with my chute success. At Wed. morning agility practice the building is split up into two rings - a big one for the course we build and a smaller one where we can practice obedience or jumps or something. This week we dragged the chute and a couple of jumps into the small ring so that mom and I could work on the chute without worrying about a time limit or other obstacles. First mom folded up the chute material about half way and then she put a couple of cones in it to prop it up just a little bit. Then she put a jump in front of the chute and we tried jump to chute. Since mom didn't have to stop to hold the chute open, she ran right past it and called me to come through. And I eventually did it. When she thought I was pretty comfortable with this stage, she took a cone out and then took the other cone out. Then each time I went through I gained more confidence and got lots of praise and treats. Mom gradually let out the material and before you knew it, I had gone through the chute with the material all the way out several times!!! Mom was jumping up and down, cheering me on and giving me jackpots! It was very exciting! After that we went over to the big ring and practiced short sequences on the course. I was really having a good time. I flew over the jumps and a frame and wasn't bothered by the noisy teeter at all. And then later we tried the chute again - this time with a jump before it and after it - and I did it all!!!! We're very excited to try again next week.

Then on Thursday night we went to our third agility class of this session. We didn't get to try the chute there because it wasn't one of the obstacles that was out for us this time. First we started with jumps and mom working on her front crosses. Then we went to contacts. We did more a frame/tunnel discrimination. And dog walk. Well, my instructor was so impressed with my improved confidence level that she told us right there and then that we were ready to move on to the next class level after this session!!! Hurray! There are several classes we could chose from - advanced intermediate, a handling class, or novice courses. Mom is thinking advanced intermediate might be good - they split the room up into two bigger sequences (instead of the four sections with small sequences that we have now). Any way, our instructor also told us she thinks we could start doing trials and she predicts we would go straight through novice and get into open with no problems! This was all very exciting news!!! Then we went on and practiced weaves and finally we ended up with teeter and jumps.

So I had a great agility week! Mom and I are going to work on the chute again this coming Wednesday and once we think I can do it reliably, we will try run-throughs, a show and go, and then maybe a trial in February!!!

Gotta zoom!


Ricky

Leaf zoomies

I promise to write a real blog entry soon to catch you all up on what a great agility week we had! But until then, here is a video from our walk in the woods today. The thing about zoomies is you just never know when they might hit you!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Guess what?????

Mark this day on your calendars everybody -

I DID THE CHUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Gotta zoom!


Ricky

Class 2 and a rare bird

Yesterday morning mom read on a birding list that there was a rare bird - a long tailed duck - sighted at a small pond in a metro park about 15 minutes from here. So since dad and mom had never seen that duck, we drove to the park to see if it was still there. To me it was rather boring. This park doesn't have any pet trails and birding is not really my thing. Now if we were there to herd the bird, that would be a different story! I was a good sport about it though and hung out on the dock while mom and dad and several other birders ooohed and aaahed over this duck way out in the middle of the pond.

Unfortunately this is the best photo that dad could get. This long tailed duck is a female and only the males have the long tails. They are diving ducks and can dive as deep as 200 ft. to forage for food! Sounds crazy to me!

Then last night I went to my second agility class of this session. I was lucky and got put into a group with just one other dog - a cattle dog that was in my class last time and that I think is pretty cool! Things went well - in our first section we had the broad jump for the first time in the class. We have something like it at home and mom has been practicing with me so I jumped it and didn't try to walk on it at all. I also did the triple jump - wow, I really have to jump far out for that one! I also did the full-height teeter again and am not startled much by the noise of the bang when the teeter falls back down after I get off. I attempted the chute once and as it is my M.O., I ran right into the opening and then didn't move until mom lifted the end just a little bit. It was the longer chute this time. I'm sorry, but I like to see just a little bit of light at the end of the chute!! In the second section we practiced start line stays and front crosses. After trying the stays a few times to prove that I could do them, mom switched back to running with me because that always makes me more confident and faster. After that we went to contacts and I am getting faster on my dog walk and a frame. We did a little work with tunnel and dog walk discrimination and this time I wasn't afraid to do the walk just because there was a tunnel underneath it. Our last section of the night was weave poles. We worked on 90 degree entries. Mom has to line herself up across from the first pole and then send me into the entry. We did pretty well and were excited to really start working on this. Yay, something specific to practice at home! My instructor was very excited that my weaves in class were faster last night. She was cheering and so was the cattle dog's mom. Boy if they only saw how fast I am at home with my stick-in-the-ground poles!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Grandma finally went home today!

I'm happy to report that grandma finally got to go home from the hospital today! She is much better than she was on Saturday. She can breathe easily again, she lost 10+ pounds of water (fluids), and the infection is gone, but despite having her heart shocked on Monday and then twice yesterday, it is still beating out of rhythm. So she went home on new medication and in about a month they may try to shock her heart again unless she goes back into normal rhythm by herself. We are very relieved that she is better!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Class 1 and the weekend

On Thursday night we went to our first agility class for this new session. There are a lot of new dogs in my class - and a lot of big dogs! I was the smallest dog there. The class was pretty good for me - I am feeling more comfortable there now that I know the instructors and am familiar with the building and the loud sounds there. We worked on the teeter, jumps and tunnel first. The teeter was set at full height - and I did it and stuck my 2o2o. We did a pinwheel which went well and sends to a tunnel - I didn't want to do the tunnel because it was set up very close to the noisy adjacent ring. Our second station was weaves and chute and table. The weaves had two wires on each end. Last session I got used to seeing one wire on each end, but I had never seen two! What the heck? So sometimes it confused me and I went under the wire. Mom still doesn't see why I have to do them with wires at all. My tables were good but I still didn't just run through the chute (and it was a baby chute too!). The instructor said maybe it was mom's fault because she stops running when I go into the barrel part. (Mom would love it if this were the reason I stop!). So she tried running full out right by the chute and I still stopped. Oh well... Our third station was contacts and jumps. The instructor wants mom to keep running past the aframe too, to get me to run the downside faster. We're going to try that at practice on Wednesday. Also mom was telling me "out" to go to a jump that was just a little bit away from her and our instructor told her just to say "jump" and to make me look for the jump. She says we should reserve out for getting really away from mom. This is good advice because mom had also been saying out to get me to do the middle jump in a pinwheel. So all in all, a good class!

Unfortunately this weekend wasn't all that great. Mom and dad had a lot of what they call "gigs." All that really means is they go to work and leave me at home! But worse than that, grandma went into the hospital on Saturday! Apparently her heart doesn't stay in rhythm and even though she's been taking medicine and under a doctor's care, her heart got out of rhythm and she started to get fluid on her lungs and around her heart and that fluid got infected. She is a little better today but has had tests today and will have more tomorrow. The doctors are trying to find the right medicines to help her. She's in a good hospital so I am sure she will get better soon. If I could go and visit her, I would give her lots of get-well kisses!

Gotta zoom!


Ricky