Parallel Universe

(a photo from Yesterday's lesson, me, Jenny, Gyp Togo and Alaska, getting our sheep)

It's interesting ...

Learning about herding and seeing the comparisons it to other dog venues I've trained and competed in is fascinating to me ... I am hoping I will benefit now that I am recognizing these similarities (less to remember maybe?? maybe more ...) ... I see this especially comparing Agility and Herding ... a few things keep coming up in both Sports ... coincidence?

"Keep moving"

"Your timing sucks, your're late"

"Let your dog do her job"

"Be sure to practice drills, and don't just run courses"

"Break things down"

"Watch your dog"

"Trust your dog"

"Watch your sheep" ... OK that one is just for herding

"Have you been drinking?"

My wonderfully patient instructors (wink) probably want to just shake me sometimes - but I get it - I want to do the same thing with some of my Agility students :) ... and I think I actually might have a few times.

The pointy finger follows me everywhere!!! Dammit.

Finding her entries without me ...

Just like every dog sport I've been involved in, the journey never ends ...

... The more I learn ... the less I know ...

finding peace and sparkly things.

finding peace :: 12/52, originally uploaded by sarah ....

Via Flickr:
Gyp has a magical knack for helping me feel at peace, and calm. She's been that way since we got her. I think she truly has a gift, which is why she also makes a wonderful Pet Therapy dog.

Hell, she's my OWN Therapy dog, everything is better when she is with me, I'm a lucky girl.

And sparkly things make me happy too. Like our ridiculous Stock Stick AKA the Disco Stick hmmm, or maybe it's my Magic Wand, pink, purple, tie died, glittery butterflies and kitties. Yep that's Gyp. (and remember it's marked with Jane, who is with us, making sure nobody gets out of line.)

I figure hey, at least if we suck, we'll look cute. Everything is better if it sparkles.

pink handle and "Jane are" handcrafted by Scott ;)

the rest of the bling ... by me.

The mark of greatness and healing

I'm still having days that are sad and I miss Jane, random bursts of crying followed by happy thoughts and memories. All part of the process i guess. Our house is still filled with all the beautiful flowers and a table full of cards. We haven't touched any of her stuff. We decided this weekend we will tackle that together.

I've been getting back to normal things, I trailed agility this weekend with Gyp ... She was beautiful - had the 2nd and third fastest masters times all weekend and brought home 5 qs. (3 standards, challenge and steeplechase).

Kaleb that is another story I will right about when I'm ready, right now I'm not. It's been a rough week with my boy.

Onto greatness ... It's funny how a small gesture can mean so much.

Gyp has been taking herding lessons regularly and we are entered in our first arena trial with ckc this June. Something I NEVER thought would happen. It's a journey.

I am lucky to train with the best trainers around. Jenny, Scott and Louanne are very, very patient with me and my soft little dog that likes to floss her teeth ... and her handler who looks like she is drunk half the time.

I went out this week and I was given my very own stock stick by Jenny handmade by Scott :) he marked it with greatness x2 ... He put the mark of Jane on the side. I got tears, what a nice gesture! I'm such a dork I keep it displayed in my living room. I'm such a city girl. So even when gyp and I are out with the sheep, Jane is there making sure gyp stays in line :)

I have big plans to add my own special touches to the stick ... Stay tuned :)

Soundtrack on their lives ...

a couple little clips with soundtrack courtesy of the "Presidents" ... Feather Pluckin' and Kitty ... come on ... these songs were written for them :)

Here is a quicky run of Gyp in jumpers, I was really proud of this run - over 6yps and I felt so connected, and went for it.



This a couple clips of runs of K ... I loved his Challenge run even with the off course - great weaves, great enthusiasm. Something I tell my students is if the off course happens, keep going, as if it didn't happen, chances are it was you and the dog was just doing what he thought - in this instance, Kaleb found the straight line and I did nothing to tell him otherwise ... can you spot the error on the video?? The less I make a deal out of the error the better - for me and him - don't stress it, keep running, keep having fun!!!!

And I had to add his wonderful end Gamble ... :) Such a good boy!

crazy little thing called love ...

my lil' wood nymph :: 6/52, originally uploaded by sarah ....

It was our first Agility trial of the year this past weekend. I had taken half of December and January off to give the dogs some time to recoup and refresh for the busy trial Season coming up. Just what we needed!! I HEART my dogs, I HEART Agility, I HEART my friends ... life is good.

I've been worried about K - I freak out as he is coming up 10 and I don't want to push him to hard if his body can't do it ... His first run of the weekend he seemed a little stiff in the poles, but otherwise a great run. The rest of the weekend - he was BANG ON ... managed his same times and YPS ... no knocked bars, no popped or uneven looking weave poles. I love this dog. I had so much fun running him this weekend - and all the comments I get on how great is running and looking are sure nice to hear. He got MEGA warm-ups - twice as much as normal, lots of tugging backwards to engage that rear end, massage 2x day, and extra work to his stifles and hamstrings. It seemed to do the trick .... judging by his performance. He brought home Qs in Standard and Gamblers.

And then there is Gyppie ... she was great too! We were honoured to wear Tag's Agility LEash into the ring with us ... the first run was a little hard ... I was thinking of him and we tried are hardest for him this weekend ... Gyppie even channeled a little of his naughtiness I am pretty sure! But thankfully she also channeled his brilliance! She was fast, fun and lovely. She brought home Qs in 2 Standards, Jumpers and Snooker.

Go! Dog! Go! Students ROCKED also!!! Lots of great moments, Q's and some titles to boot!!

I had my first ever "Hangs Head in Shame" moment on course ... Lets just say DO NOT CHANGE YOUR GAMBLE PATH LAST MINUTE without thought. Because what might happen is you do 2 back-to-back end obstacles in a row right off the startline TWEEEEEET!!! OMG it was hilarious ... I literally hung my head, and everyone was laughing - I got razzed about it for the rest of the weekend - it was pretty damn funny!!! I redeemed my self with Kaleb in the Gamble and he was one of the few dogs to get it!!! GOOD BOY!!

More on dog/human relationships this week ... and my observations at the trial ... i've said it before, it can't be faked ... and the true honest relationships between dog and handler are the ones who are most successful on and off the course. more on that later ...

_____ in a Box.

Pete builds a new table ... Gyp gets a surprise ..

no snow means more fun!

We've been taking advantage of this awesome winter weather, i hope I am not jinxing it by writing about it :) I have yet to wear my new gloves and toque I got for Christmas ... I'm sure winter will come ... but for now I'm enjoying being able to be outside and as much as I am in the summer months, hitting our usual trails in the coulees and in the 'hood with no ice or snow. No toque, no mitts, no boots ... no problem.

We've also been enjoying taking a few more herding lessons this winter (look no winter coat!) ... I hope it stays that way as we are both really enjoying it - I'm not sure who's head hurts more afterwards, mine or Gyp's. We are learning alot of new concepts, and the more I learn, the less I know ... but it is fun, and I like the challenge of learning this sheep game. And thankfully Gyp is patient with me ... and so are my instructors :)

Another highlight of my day was meeting little Alice :) she is a Don x Gin pup of Scott and Jenny's that I really wanted to steal, oh puppy breath, puppy fuzz and puppy butts! I've got puppy fever BAD!

12 months ...

Here is a slideshow I put together of Jane and Gyp's 12 Months for Dogs project on FLICKR, each month of the year is represented by a photo ... enjoy :) I love my girlies!!!

Stay tuned for Kaleb's 52 Weeks Slideshow .. coming soon ...

everyone needs some down time ...

Well that time of year is upon us ... the time of year when I give my guys downtime. I try to give them 2 - 3 big breaks a year. This big break will be 6 weeks off Agility training. I know when this time is coming ...

I might need a break if:

- If I start to train for the sake of training, and if I don't feel I am training anything specific. It is hard when we have Arena time, to just want to go and play around "do little things" - but really is it a benefit? Is it making them better, or me a better handler for them?

- If I end a training session and haven't gained or learned anything - I need to have a break.

- I feel my dogs have been working more than having off days

- If I have big events coming up and me and the dogs need some time to refocus and refresh

- If I feel I am losing desire ... I don't want that to rub off on the dogs in any venue we take part in, I need to give them my 150% all the time - and can anyone really do that 365 days a year?

Off time of Agility doesn't mean we become couch potatoes and do nothing. It is really a time to forget about "that other world" and spend time doing other things - maybe learn a new trick or two, refresh some other skills. Also, making sure their bodies have some recovery time from the various impacts of the sport and keeping fit. Keeping up on all of our conditioning (that includes me!) - Long walks, coulee runs, Jogging (me & the dogs) Treadmill (mostly the dogs and a little bit for me - I work while they exercise :)), strength-training (peanut ball, pods, body resistance - active stretching). They get their weekly massages - now a little deeper if they need it, and so I can find any potential areas that might need more attention (clearly from the above photo - they hate it) This is just what I do for me and my dogs - and it seems to really work for us.

Gyp is also on a 6 week break from Therapy work - again I think she needs a break from it - it's not something that is physically hard, but I do think it is mentally draining on her - she sleeps like a baby after her visits.

I am looking forward to 2012! 2011 started out a little rough, but it turned out to be a pretty great year.

She's Golden!

It was our last Agility Trial of the year, well actually day trial ... we ran 3 events. Gyp needed 2 more Standard Qs to earn her Gold Award of Merit in AAC and she did it in style - clocking the Fastest time in the event and he 2nd fastest time in the other Standard, she also brought home the most Gamble points. The Gold Award of Merit in AAC is when a dog earns 50 Masters Standard Qs and 100 Masters Games (out of Jumpers, Gamblers, Snooker, Steeplechase etc). I really loved the idea of earning this Award this year, but Gyp only ran in 4 Trials as she was out 7 months prior, so I was happy to have it happen whenever it came.

I Am very proud of her, and looking back on her trial year - though short, we had a great time. She won her 3rd Regional Championship in a row, her Challenge Title, and her Gold Award of Merit. I am looking forward to 2012 .. here's hoping for more good health and soundness!!

Kaleb ran too - he did awesome in his Gamble - only 7 Masters dogs got it, and he and Gyp were 2 of them. The boy can Gamble that is for sure! His standards were "enthusiastic" but not clean - I am very proud of him this year also. He tries his hardest out there for me, but I do see his age catching up with him - especially in the weave poles - he has slowed down in them and does not bend like he used too, we will take it as it comes, and keep up on his fitness and conditioning - he's been sound his whole life, so here's hoping for many more memorable runs in 2012.

And maybe, just maybe ... there will be a new fuzzy addition in 2012 ...

Here are her 2 standard runs from the weekend - I didn't record the gamble, though I wish I would have, it was a tricky one!

Honest dog, realistic mama.

This past weekend was a busy one. Agility Seminar Friday with Lynda Orton-Hill - which was an amazing 4 hours I might add. More on that later ...

Saturday and Sunday, Gyppie and I ventured into the Obedience and Rally rings. One Obedience and one Rally each day. It was her Obedience Debut! Again, this is not the venue we are most confident in ... but we are trying our hardest to be confident. I could have gotten greedy and entered her in all 4 Obedience Trials in a small hope we could win High Aggregate Novice for the weekend (and I am not joking when I saw atleast 5 people asked me why I didn't - and only 3 times I was asked what Breed she was :) ) - but knowing me, and knowing my dog, I didn't want to risk losing the JOY in the ring, due to greed - I am learning both of our limits to maintain the enthusiasm I am getting and wanting to keep in this venue. I know from past experiences that Gyp often can get a little spooky as a weekend goes on - and sure enough she did. Saturday - she was totally confident. Sunday morning was quiet and there was random banging and echoing ... she does much better with lots of noise, so there is nothing for her to get spooked about. We played and played, and she bounced back with no problem, but it was work to get her back, and we had to be in the ring in 15 minutes!

On to the good stuff ... Gyp's first CD leg felt GREAT! She was upbeat and I loved every second with her in the ring. She earned a 194.5 and HIC!!! Her second time in the ring on the Sunday was almost as good - but a couple dumb handler errors (saying sit - um confused with Rally DUH and 2 points off for bad leash skills AGAIN in the Stand for Exam bad mama!) She ended up with a 189!!

She was awesome in Rally earning her first 2 Advanced B legs with a 99 and a 98 under judge Judith Snowden. Both HIC's!

Thanks for the Video Amanda ...

Gyp also raced in Scent Hurdle, she only did 2 races and did pretty good, and was just getting in her groove - she was very enthusiastic - can't beat that! It was too bad there weren't more opportunities to race her that night, but oh well, maybe next time more teams will be there and she can run a bit more. I think she got her Scent Hurdle title, but I am not sure. No Nonscents did really good, and it was a fun relaxed race! I was in my PJs by 8, glass of wine, good movie and 3 dogs snuggling with me :)

And possibly the cutest part of the weekend was Gyp got to be a show dog - I'm not shitting you! She was asked by a friend who was one of the Junior Handler organizers if I would be interested in having her show with a Junior, since she is so good with Kids - the girl was about 11 years old. The girl just LOVED Gyp and had so much fun "training her" for the show ring - Standing and Trotting around, Gyp LOVED her too and didn't even look back at me when they trotted away to go practice. The dog didn't have to be a show dog, but had to be entered in either Obedience or Conformation to take part - since they are judging the kid and not the dog entirely :) I brushed her, got a friend to put a show lead on her, and they were off! I felt like a doting mama who's kid went off to College for the first time. It was adorable to see Gyp pretending to be a Show Dog - she took in all in stride - let the judge see her teeth, did her stacking, and down and back, didn't miss a beat ...

One of these things is not like the others ...

Kaleb's shadow

... looks a lot like a Border Collie.

Kaleb's shadow ..., originally uploaded by sarah ....

my dogs ... love 'em.

Another weekend of Agility is behind us. I travelled up to Calgary Friday, had a herding lesson, taught 6 hours of Agility ... it was a gooooood day!

The pooches ran in 6 classes and they were great. It was the first indoor trial of the fall season - and the footing was sure different than what we were used too over the summer running in grass - very loose deep mix and my guys popped out of weaves, and also got stuck in the deep surface while weaving - interesting ... but anyway, they were great, and super fun challenging courses. I really pushed myself and I had the best time doing it. Gyp and Kaleb are so different - like almost a different species ... but I love running them equally ... it's hard to explain, but I love them both for their little quirks and unique personalities :)

Our group did so amazing, the more we all hang out, the more like family we are. It is really awesome. We all had a good group cry session over the loss of one of our own, Sniper. He will be missed, a great dog, taken too young. We are such a tight knit group, it is so nice to celebrate achievements with them, and when you need a shoulder to cry everyone is right there for you too. I've never been involved in such a cool group of unique and diverse people, and I am proud to call of them my friends - and their dogs are like extensions of my own.

Enough of the sappy stuff ... here are a couple runs from the weekend ... and for the record ... Gyp's Tug Toy still works just fine.

Certified Kid Friendly

I know for some people it isn't important to have a dog that is friendly with everyone - but for me, it is VERY important, my dogs are in public places alot, as well we have a large family that has people of all ages. Some dogs you have to work at it with ... others seem to come that way. My dogs are a combination of a bit of everything, but I am proud to say, they are pretty unflappable in just about any situation I put them in - while knowing their limitations - ie. not putting Jane with small Children and being careful with other dogs. But in situations like pubic places, busy parks, elevators, other peoples homes ... they are pretty good.

Gyp was very shy when I first got her, and quite afraid of men. She has always loved kids and is very gentle with them - and if they can throw a ball - she will fetch ... it's quite simple really.

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to Certify for Children Pet Therapy. You have to be Certified already in the program a year, which we are, and I thought it would be fun to work with kids - she loves the elderly, but kids, as you know have a different energy.

The tests we have done for both certifications, are rather stressful!!! They really do a good job of testing dogs temperaments and how they deal with stressful situations.

The tests inlcuded:

Ring around the Rosie: 10 people including kids, singing and holding hands while circling us, then they all fall down on the floor at the same time. Gyp was curious, and went up to each person individually to meet them ... funny girl.

Play time: Kids playing on the floor with Toys and a Stroller, laughing and being loud, once again Gyp went up and met them all and tried to entice them to play.

Running at the dog: one at a time the kids ran towards Gyp then fell on the ground laughing or screaming .... Gyp thought it was weird - but just sat at my side and by the last falling child, tried to get them to play with her when they were on the ground.

Meeting the dog: the kids came up to pet her one at a time - of course she was fine with that.

Mob: we stood in the room, and all of the kids and people swarmed her, talking and petting, laughing ... again she thought that was pretty cool - hey kid, throw me a toy.

So we look forward to our next level of Therapy Dog work ... we will see how much we like working with the Kids, it will be much different than hearing the fun stories of the elderly, but should be just as uplifting.

she loves me, she loves me not ..

The love story of Gyp and Tag (her BBF)

i think she loves me ...

i do, i really think she loves me ...

YEP i'm pretty sure, how can she resist my charms? ...

OMG OMG OMG

OMG OMG OMG ... she does, she does!

And Acey (Gyp's BFF) decides to join in on the fun too ...

oh, seriously. rent a room you two ...

The Hangover

We had an awesome time in Kimberley BC this past weekend. By far one of the most enjoyable Agility Trials. Mountains, Camping, Friends, Wine, Agility ... oooooh ya baby!

First, I have to mention how proud I am of all my friends and students. So many titles, Qs and wonderful runs. Amanda and Wicca FINALLY got the last jumpers Q for their ATCHC! Dave and Pearl earned their ATCHC, Bronze and Silver too. Check out the GDG blog for all the details and photos.

Gyp and K were entered in 6 runs. Gyp was amazing, I am so thrilled to have her running fast with no issues - I can breath when I run her now, without worrying about hurting her. She smoked all of her runs and in 6 classes Qd in all of them, with the fastest times in 5 of the 6 events she was in. K was great too - the first day we had a couple communication issues EXAMPLE: i turn, kaleb finds the line for the next 60' and keeps going ... but hey he was having fun and running fast, and that is the main thing! Sunday we pulled it together and he Qd in all 3 classes and had a great day despite the CRAZY heat.

Here are some video highlights ... I finally feel like I have my Agility mojo back and it feels great. I love this sport, I love the people in it, and most of all I love my dogs. I had so much fun this past weekend ... I like to call it an Agility hangover, I swear it was ACTUALLY from the Agility ... :)

I am not a tourist.

Take a hike, eh?

It was Pete's birthday this weekend, and we were going to go for a hike in the mountains, but decided to do our favourite city hike that we do usually every week or so. It is about 5km and covers lots of terrain, elevation and scenery. I don't usually take photos along the way during the hike, but it was fun and opened my eyes and made me really appreciate where we live ...

Pete will be your tour guide ....

Shit. How did you convince me to do this on my birthday?

YAY we made it to the top!!

WTF?? I thought we were done!

Only 100 more stairs to go Pete ... pick up the pace buddy.

FINALLY! The view from the top. YAY we are done!!

Sorry Pete ... but we have this to conquer now ...

3km down ... 2m k to go ...

The Galt Museum ... such a gorgeous building.

Are we done yet?

Sorry Pete 1km to go .... but atleast we're going down ...

Did I mention ... more stairs?

And the last landmark ... Fort Whoop-up ... done!

Where's the Ice Cream?

Our city is awesome ... I think there are over 200km of trails, that cover all different types of terrain ... it's fun to be a tourist in your own city and take time to really enjoy the beauty of it all.