Happy Day After Thanksgiving!

Happy Day After Thanksgiving, everyone! After digesting that huge meal, we're staying home! Who has time to shop? There's training to continue! Yikes - Tango and I have an agility trial tomorrow and Sunday. While we've practiced and trained, I always feel that there must be more I should have done to prepare. Well, we'll find out tomorrow! - Fran

Yin-Yang

Hard to remember now that last year at this time Dax was doing her best to ignore Teddy's existence. She's finally figured out that he's warm, cuddly, and not getting out of her favorite bed. - Hope

Keep practicing everything!

Last night was Agility Class, and our instructor included the broad jump in the courses. The broad jump is not an obstacle that we see on a regular basis, but it is required in Novice Standard, and can be included at any level. We hadn't practiced it in a while, and Tango walked across the boards. Boo. But, he was not alone! He remembered what that obstacle was about the second time, but at an Agility trial, you don't get a second chance at anything except the weave poles! Of course, today when I got to the shop with Tango, the first thing we did was practice the broad jump, the chute, and the low table. For dogs who jump 12 inches, like Tango, at a trial, the pause table is set to 8 inches. But in class, to accomodate the most dogs, the table is always set at 16 inches. Not a problem for Tango, but he has to recognize the 8 inch table as a table! So, keep practicing everything! - Fran

Thank you!

Thank you to all the men, women and dogs in uniform. Now and before. Without you we wouldn't be where we are. -
Fran

Back to reality

Enough with the pretty pictures. We've been playing catch-up for the last couple of weeks. Finally caught up on orders at the shop - thank goodness in this technologically advanced age we were able to keep in touch with customers through email while we were away, and were even able to place tag orders remotely! (If you haven't seen the new Red Dingo Tribal-design tags, you should. I especially like Tribal Arrow.) 
This last Saturday we hosted the first annual C.A.R.E. Scare to benefit the volunteer organization for the local animal shelter. Check out the photos! Everyone, especially the dogs, had a super-fun, scary time!
And on the training front, we've been working away. In Agility Class, our instructor has been bending our brains with mind-twisting, confusing layouts that make no intuitive sense whatsoever. (This is in the Intermediate Class....) She said her objective is to test the dog's ability to stay with the handler. OK, we both got it wrong!
Back to work! - Fran