Just in Time

The week couldn't have come any sooner. After how hectic last week was for me with papers and exams all at the same time, it is nice to take a breath for a second and spend some extra time with Rugby. Rugby has been pretty itchy for a while, and I was hoping that if I just ignored it it would go away but I wasn't so lucky. I knew it wasn't fleas, but thats about all I knew.

Rugby went to the vet last week and and they gave him steroids and some drugs to help it go away under the assumption that it was some sort of allergy and it worked for about 5 days or so. We won't mention how annoying steroids are how they make poor Rugby peeeeee LOTS and how he had to wear pants and spend some extra time in his crate for a few of those days.

 So Monday I made another call and told them it wasn't working so well and both doctors got together and decided to give us a different drug to try. I don't want to jinx us since he has only been on it for two days but I think it is working!! Thank GOD! 

Our vets office is in the middle of a great big shopping center that resembles a little village of sorts which means it has fun things that normal shopping centers don't have, like grass areas and benches. I thought it would be really weird of me to bring a whole set of open jumps to the middle of the shopping center, so we just brought our broad jump and went behind the vets office and practiced some heeling, drop on recalls, retrieves on the flat and of course the broad jump. It wasn't much in the way of distracting since no one was really walking behind the buildings, but there was lots of car traffic.

This morning we got another chance to go out since I finished school work early, and this time we did everything. He did really really well - I am pleased. Today, I also took our favorite - food distractions- and scattered them throughout the entire area we practiced in. At this point, they must not be too distracting anymore because he didn't even notice they were there. After being stuck inside from the weather for so long, I can see where our heeling is a little bit lacking. When we first start out the first...three or so about turns we do he comes out of wide - really wide. He gets the hang of it eventually, but I would like to see that problem dissapear all together. Also - FRONTS. What else is new? If he comes in from off to the right, he can straighten himself out before he comes all the way in and sits. If he comes in from off to the left though, he isn't so good at getting himself straight. We worked on it and he showed definete improvement but I think it will take him a while to get it completely.

We had an audience for this session, a little tiny kid ad his mom wandered over and asked if I would mind them watch and of course I said it was no problem. So they stayed untill the little one got bored of it all. Rugby is a kid-oholic (if there is such a thing) and I caught Rugby gazing longingly at the little boy desperately wanting to go give him some kisses.

We picked a good couple days to get outside a practice because now it is cold and rainy. Looking forward to Thursday night class!