HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY FOSTER!!!!!

Foster is now 10 years old!!! I really can't believe it!! For the last 10 years, he has brought a smile to my face each and every day. Oh, he has tipped his fair share of trash cans, doused himself in mud,but all done with the goofiest grin so that you can't stay mad for long. He has introduced me to many people, pups, and my favorite sport of agility. Here is wishing the sweetest, goofiest, and much loved pup a Happy Happy Birthday!!! May there be many, many more :)

Foster & I in July 2001, the day I picked him up :)

Foster & I in Nov 2009 after he got his PAX title

March 2011

Happy 5th Birthday Lexi!!!!

I can't believe Lexi is already 5 years old!!! She has been a wonderful addition to our family and became exactly what we wanted when we got her...Foster's best friend! Those two are like 2 peas in a pod:) She has been great fun to train and has taught me so much as each of our pups have.

Lexi & Foster playing - March 2011

Lexi - 2006 (about 6 months old)

Lexi - March 2011

Happy Birthday Lexi !!! (And Happy Birthday to her litter mates Blue, Jean, & Parker!!)

Lexi's 1st NADAC Trial!

Last weekend was Lexi's first NADAC trial, and she was amazing:) She ran 11 times, qualifying and placing in 9 of those runs!!! That is unheard of for us! I was so proud that she was running fast, and having fun!

We played a lot of new games like Hoopers, Weavers, Tunnelers, and Chances! Hoopers is all about handling skills. It reminds of Snookers because you have to plan your own course. We had never run under a Hoop before, but she picked it up really quickly @ the practice hoop before our first run! Hoops can appear in any course (except Jumpers I think) I found out, so she got really good at them by the end of the weekend:)

Weavers has 3 sets of 6 weaves in Novice, plus tunnels and hoops! Very fast and even though weaves aren't really Lexi's thing, she did great! Plus got lots of practice on weaves.

Tunnelers is my new favorite game! So fast and so fun! It is all tunnels!! 13 of them. One weird thing about tunnelers is that it is the same for every level, but you only compete with people at the same level as you. Every venue should have tunnelers:)

Chances was the one class that I figured would be tough. It is all about distance work! That is something that Lexi and I need to work more on:) BUT Lexi surprised me and did amazing! Especially on the 1st course on Saturday! It was a send from a tunnel to the dogwalk, and the dogwalk was at least 10' away! In other venues, novice sends are about 1/2 that distance and don't usually involve a contact... She ran that course like she read the course map before her run! She did great! I wish I had taped it!!!! Here is the map of the course by Matt McCarter:

On Sunday, she did just as well!!! Amazing girl is always surprising me:) Hope you enjoy the video of some of her runs!!

http://youtu.be/IYBxPZOLqdc

I am so grateful for the opportunity to run Lexi at a show, and boost her confidence when running at a trial!! She really looked like she was having just as much fun as I was!!

Fun with Foster last weekend!

Last weekend Foster & I had a great time running together again at the NADAC trial in Huntsville, AL!! It has been a while since we have competed since he can no longer jump the 20" height in AKC. So we started back in NADAC where he can jump 16".

I haven't done a NADAC show since 2005, I think! There just aren't that many NADAC shows in our area:( The games they have are SO much fun!

We did Jumpers, Weavers, Tunnelers, and Hoopers! He had 5 runs and Q'd and placed in 4!! Tunnelers is a little tough to make time, but it is really fun to play! 13 tunnels...that's it! No jumps, no weaves, no contacts....just tunnels!!! How fun!!!

Here are a couple of Foster's run from this weekend:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGablFZmMD0

Lexi went too and had an amazing weekend!! I will post more about her weekend and some videos later!!

So I spent most of this week in Phoenix, AZ for training for work. I was excited to go because I had never been to Arizona, and I wasn't disappointed! It was beautiful! So different from here, but just gorgeous!!

Kristin, a girl that I work with, and I went hiking on a short trail right at sunrise on Wednesday before the training began. So here are some beautiful pics that I took :)

Congrats to Carol & Luke who finished 6th in the 24" Height at the AKC National Agility Championships!!!!! An incredible achievement at their first Championships!!!!

So glad to get home tonight to Mike and the pups!! Got a little practice in tonight before the show with Lexi tomorrow. Then the rest of the weekend is dedicated to the herding trial that Mike and Bailey are competing in!

Have a good weekend!!!

Where Did Spring Go?

It has been dreary, cold, and raining all day! So I am getting around to posting the pictures from the other day when it was much warmer and sunnier, in hopes that it will entice Mother Nature to bring back that weather soon!!

SO Happy It's Spring!!

Just give me the ball!! :)

Pretty girl keeping watch!

Synchronized back rubs in the yard:)

Missed Challenge, and a little dog training....

So I missed getting the EWV Make Art Challenge #4 done:( Oops! I think I will still make the idea I had this weekend, when I work on Challenge #5! So maybe an artsy post this weekend!

Lexi and I had a blast at agility class last night. We were really working well together. I set up a good test for our Crate Games at class...had Lexi hop into a crate near the start line and left the door open, then walked out past the start jump of the course, and released her. She did great and didn't break until I released her to run:)She loves her Crate!!!

Tonight, since the yard is still a mushy mess after all the rain, we just worked on putting 2 front feet on a balance disc, and starting to rotate around it with the back feet. Just 10 minutes of training:) Foster had it made!! Put a little cheese in front of him and watch him work:) Lexi is finally moving a few inches once she gets two feet on the disc, but only until she turns so much that she has to move her 2 front feet:) lol Bailey isn't quite to turning on the disc...she is too excited and can only keep 2 feet on the disc for short spurts before she gets so excited and wiggles herself off! When a pup wasn't working they were sent to their crate, and watched with the door open.(More Crate Game training:) )

So I need to make a video illustrating what we got from Susan Garrett's 5 minute Recall class that we took at the end of last year. If I post one by Monday, then I can take part in her next 5 minute recall class for free:) I need to see if I have any before videos of Lexi in agility because I think one of byproducts of doing the 5 minute recall training with her, was improved confidence and trust in working with me. That resulted in more confidence when we were running on the agility course. I think that is going to be the basis for my video. Off to look for some footage to use!!

Have a Great Night:)