This is a Family Affair

We were making plans for the upcoming trip and our discussionspun in a quick circle about who was watching the dogs, who was helping to walk, exercise, feed, brush, carry equipment, and every other detail of our team events.  It is true that Marcella runs the dogs in the competition, but we all seen to have fallen into the roles we are best at performing.  Her dad and brother are the equipment loaders, while I am more the shopping, room and food organizer.  Marcie is definitely the scheduler and planner for which equipment we take and what rooms I should book...we discuss our hotel choices and room preferences based on who is going and the choices in the area.  It actually goes so fast anymore, and so smootly that it amazes me. This trip I will drive, Marcie and I will only take Peek and Kodi to compete as it is a TDAA only.  Ellee will go with me.  Tulla and Steele will stay home with grramps.  We will only rent 1 room at a Red Roof as there is one 20 minutes from the comp arena.  Tis a short trip, one night, so we will head down the night before, giving them a chance to adjust to the excitement of the trip and get some one to one time with Marcie before the work begins.  Then we are up early, head to the club to get the competition fun started.  I will walk the potty walks, make sure the snacks are ready, do any brushing and masaging that needs done.  I handle water bowls, crate covers and pep talks. I help Peek cheer on Kodi and vice versa!  THERE HAS TO BE CHEERING!  Marcie is out there walking and mapping out the courses for both dogs--she has to plan for each dogs level, strengths and weaknesses.
They really do run completely different.  Mostly all of it is just fun time togesther--though we do love the thrill of a great and winning run--but we also get a laughout of the goofed up ones.  Maybe Kodi will have a bichon buzz in store for me this weekend! 

Fundamentals

Tonights class was back to the basics time for the dogs and their handlers...we spent most of the class working on individual pieces of equipment giving all the dogs review time..and for some a chance to really get them down pat.  Some dogs need to relearn pieces--like Ellee on the teeter--she was doing it fine and then one day she just refused to go over and started jumping off. One dog in the class hates the dog walk, another the hoop--he goes under!  Some are having trouble with weaves--Ellee almost has them down pat--almost!  We use the slant style, but some owners prefer either the channel or 2pole setup--I really think the trick is how often you practice and the quality of the treat that gets the training finished.  We finished the class by doing two competition style runs that were FUN  Ellee did really well. 
While Marcie worries that her students will get bored by doing the basics over and over, I love it--we need to keep reviewing to get faster, feel more secure and find our connection/timing.
Ellee flies over the dog walk, the A-frame, thru tunnels, an seems to be starting to pick up speed and have fun!    I hope we have more basics classes.

Ellee Gets Her Business Cards!

Today I ordered Ellee her OWN business cards!   I used to hand  mine out at the mall or other places we meet kids or the parents who would like Ellee and I to visit their schools to talk about service dogs, their training, their jobs, the kinds of illnesses related to their use, and we also cover therapy dogs and agility dogs, so Kodiak and Boo or Tulla come along.  I take a small tunnel and jump if the class is of younger kids and after the dog demo, the kids get a chance to BE an agility handler or dog! (haha) They LOVE it and really takes turns very well--I love it when the handler gives a command and the "dog" goes off course!  Or barks!  Kids are great comedians.   We talk about good dog care, shots, tooth brushing, baths, brushing for the coat, sleep, food, snacks, exercise and a little of everything else.  I always come home very impressed about out future generations of dog owners and the respect out there for handicapped people.  We have great kids around us.   AND NOW ELLEE HAS HER OWN BUSINESS CARDS TO HAND OUT TO POTENTIAL CLIENTS (I SAY CLIENT BUT WE DO THIS FOR FREE).  The cards are so cute, in her team color--orange, with the team title, Amour Agility on it, and the job title of Service Dog!  It has the amouragility.com website listed as well.  It is FUN!  

Agility Class

Ellee had class tonight with Aunt Marcie teaching the class!  She loves that because Marcie runs her and she can go FAST! Plus, lets face it, Marcie gives much better signals than I do!  Tonight we worked on a big circle of obstacles....first the hoop, than the A frame, a jump, tunnel, teeter, dogwalk, chute, and finally the weaves!  Ellee hesitated and went slow on the teeter, but we worked on it during free time in class and if I am firm about starting it, than she does it....but she goes easy to tip it and than she is fine...every other obstacle is great now....the weaves are ALMOST straight up as well....we are getting there!!!  On ;the second round we worked on a tunnel bug/jump situation where the tunnel is placed in a circle with the entrances blocked so it is a big round circle with jumps around it so the owner can stand and gesture around the circle and the dog follows their hand/arm and jumps all three jumps around the circle and then goes  back around the circle of jumps.  For the third run we did the Aframe, jump and tunnel--BUT the runner had to stay back from the dog a little distance, and this is the beginning to JackPot training--where the runner stays in a box or behind a line and gives commands for the dog from a distance.  It is a fun game.  And we ended the class with more free time to work on any of the obstacles-- just as we started the class.  Several of the class members came up to  tell me how much they love Marcie's quiet and calm manner, the way she is so helpful and takes the time to really listen....and Becky is the other teacher in the class--she runs her shelties--and she is also the kind of teacher who takes time and really tries to help you--they work well together and the class is fun-- but if you pay attention-- very educational--as Mardcie talks about the run you just gave, she also gives you tips, talks about the equipment and training techniques, gives compliments as well as suggestions, and you feel happy.  She also ALWAYS treats the dogs well.   I am VERY proud of Marcie!  
We are staying on top of  Ellee's  service dog training as well...we attended 2 movies this weekend...Ellee really liked HOP and followed the bunny with her head...it was  SO cute that the people sitting next to me laughed at her as well as the movie.  We also went out to eat to practice her food and people skills....she did fine and of course we walked at the mall....also good.  So far we haven't had any real problems mixing in the agility training.  I will share it if we do!

It's a Puzzle!

A while back  I purchased a puzzle for Ellee that involved putting treats under the pegs and sliding doors and letting her sniff them out and figure out how to get to them to eat.  While I was reading the directions she had opened all the slide doors and removed all the pegs and eaten all the treats!  After a few weeks she was getting bored so I bought another one that looks like 3 levels  of stars and the levels spin open.  Now we switch back and forth between puzzles so she stays interested.  Today I gave Tulla and Steele each a chance with the star puzzle (I think it is the easier one--from a human point of view).  Tulla started slow and although she caught on pretty quick, just a few times where I slightly pushed the top level over to help hew realize the treats WERE inside....she got it!  Then it was the big guy's turn--he tried to eat them a I loaded them into the puzzle....as he is trying to gain weight I used the extra special beef jerkey treats, which do smell better to his nose--and did give him a slight advantage over Tulla's turn.  Steele had trouble because he tried to use his paws with this nose--- and when he placed his paw on top to hold  the puzzle as he pushed with his nose---it stopped it from turning!  It did look SO cute!  That big paw, so silvery and it looks seperate from his darker body---so it was funny!     ADORABLE is the word.  And it only took a couple trys and they both had the puzze down  pat!  SMART is the other word.  I will let them practice this one a couple more times before I get the sliding & peg one out next weekend. 
I am looking for another style puzzle for Ellee.  We already have the  ball you stuff with treats and use that too.  Every night El and I do a puzzle and I brush her teeth and hair.  It is our bedtime ritual.  Like people, dogs do better when we stimulate their minds.  My son plays a game puzzle with his rabbit, Cinnabun.  Cinny lives in the house and has a HUGE three level home my son built for her.  He hides treats and she has to find them, soomething like the old cup game and they put the money under a cup and them mixed them up and you had to pick the right cup or you lost--but in her case Cinny gets the treat when she sniffs it out.  She is SUPER FAST at this, and very creative in her searching and sniffing them out.  When the kids were younger we had two different rabbits, one named Funny Bunny, who was a lop and the other was a rex named Munchkin. The kids used to hide and call them and the bunnies would look for them in a hide and seek game.  Rabbits make great indoor pets.  Ours were litter boxed trained and very gentle, and most important, fun to love and play games.