Ready for Another Year

It is so nice to be out of school, and back at Applewoods spending long afternoons training dogs again.  We have started working towards our training goals for next year already. I wanted to post them on the blog to keep me honest. The opportunities available and quality of life of a well trained dog are tremendous and I love being a part of the process that makes those opportunities possible. 

Rugby's goals are already listed on his Points and Progress page. I want him to earn an Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) and a Utility Dog Excellent (UDX) title. I believe he is capable of both of those things. We may not finish our OTCH in one year, but I hope we are really close by this time next year. I spent some time watching old videos I had of Rugby, and of the two of us in the Obedience ring. The changes just in the past year blew me away. He has really matured, and is turning into a nice working dog. We have lots of room to improve and grow still, and I think we are on the right track. 

Diesel is the GSD in the picture above. I have watched this dog make amazing changes this year as we worked on our Novice and Open Obedience. He went from refusing to leave his house when I first started to work him, to whinning, jumping and spinning when he sees me coming. His confidence level has gown by leaps and bounds. I plan on putting a Companion Dog (CD) title on Diesel in the Spring, and a Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) title on him before the end of 2012. 

Holly is the Labrador in the middle of the above picture. I was her trainer when she came to Applewoods for the Board and Train program last year, and now we will start again with goals for earning a Companion Dog (CD) title by summer of this coming year. 

I can't wait to get started! We have a big year ahead of us! 

2 CDs, a CDX, as well as the UDX and OTCH

Also - Our training school, Applewoods Dog Training, is having a Scavenger Hunt Contest! The first place prize is a copy of both Mud Heaven and our Back to Work training DVD. Check it out! 

http://applewoodsdogtraining.blogspot.com/2011/12/ready-set-go-adt-2011-scavenger-hunt.html

Rugby The Place

This road is only three miles away from our house! Can you believe it?

We were out running errands when we saw the sign and had to stop and take a picture. I pulled over on the side of the little road so my car was right beneath the sign. To get Rugby closer to the Rugby Rd sign, I put him on the roof. You can imagine the strange looks we were getting.

One guy pulled around the corner, parked his car and watched disapprovingly at what we were doing. I came up with several scenarios to explain his reaction.

1) He thought my car broke down. That is possible. I am guaranteed to drive over any and every nail my car encounters.

2) He thought I was photographing the house we were parked by so I could plan a robbery for late tonight. Rugby has friends in low places.

3) He was upset that Diesel didn't get a chance to see the neighborhood from on top of a car.

4) Wild, rabid Maltese dogs are running rampant through the streets of Pasadena, and he wanted to make sure I could handle the one that had climbed onto the roof of my car.

I guess I will never know what his deal was. I do think it is time to move, at least three miles down the road. Wouldn't it be nice to live on Rugby Rd?

Party Animal

It's easy for Rugby to get carried away at social events now that he has learned to drink from a cup. 

NOI Video Dump

Here are the videos from all of Rugby's NOI performances, except Stays. Enjoy!

Finale - Day 25

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! 

Waiting - Day 24

Santa will be here any minute. Rugby is waiting under the tree for him. 

Important People - Day 23

Our red and green picture doesn't match this post, but it is there anyway.

It is time to re-visit our NOI experience.

While my videos are saving and uploading, I want to mention some pretty great people that we know, and some that we met in Orlando.

Cabot's human, Pam, went with us to the NOI and she was such a great help! It was much more fun and a lot easier with her there. THANK YOU!

Rugby also had a great support group back at home from Team Applewoods. They were the ones that convinced us to go in the first place. I'm glad they did. We were regularly updating Team Applewoods and the rest of our friends through Facebook, and we got some of the very best encouragement. While we were sitting ringside, Moxie, another Obedience Maltese posted a good luck note on our wall. Is that cute, or what?

This years NOI featured the first ever National Juniors Obedience Competition (NJOC). That meant that 1) LOTS of people asked me if I was a junior and 2) I got to see some great up and coming Obedience handlers. One of those talented competitors is a fellow blogger. Mica (15 years old) and her dog Ginger, a German Shepherd Dog, showed in the NJOC. They ended up WINNING the Beginner Novice Intermediate Class. Congrats!!

You can read more about Mica and Ginger at their blog - GingerSnaps. They just recently earned their Companion Dog (CD) title, and they also compete in schutzhund! That is a tough sport! Go visit them, and congratulate them on their success!