Charlie is, again tonight, dead to the world on his bed- we went for another hour walk this afternoon, and added into that two ten minutes boughts of spastic fetch before and after, he's pooped.
I absolutely adore my tennis ball chucking stick thing; I'm not that fantastic when it comes to upper arm strength and co-ordination, so when I can let rip with that chuck-it, Charlie actually gets a half decent run after the ball.
Unless we can go for another walk tomorrow morning at some stage, we'll skip tomorrow because we've got agility training in the evening and even though he could do it all, it's a bit much.
The mystery solved, though, is my aching back: it doesn't appreciate me walking on concrete and bitumen for extended periods. I thought I'd slept on it funny last night, but no, walking this afternoon made it twice as bad and I could definitely feel why it was sore in the first place.
I want to keep up with the walks, it's just a matter of fitting them in. I have to get driven to one of the estates or local more built up suburbs, because walking from our house to anywhere is just asking to be hit by a truck. So there's that to factor in, as well as fitting it around training and the afternoons I work. Weekends are easy, it's just the week.
Mondays I have a lot of web conference lessons for school, and one starts at eight o'clock so it makes things a bit rushed. And in the evening we have agility, which pretty much cancels Mondays out. Tuesday mornings could work, but I'm at work in the afternoon- but that's okay because we have composite class in the evening anyway and I need Charlie hyped for that. Wednesday we had obedience, but not anymore, so that could be an evening walk there. Thursdays are the same as Wednesdays, and Friday I tend to have off of school anyway, but work in the afternoon.
It's just a matter of juggling, which I've never been very good at, to be perfectly honest.
But anyway. I used the more open space this afternoon at the reserve to work more with Charlie's "around"s and he's pretty much got it down pat. He swings out wide which I'm really happy with, and using the chuck-it for fetch as the reward means he absolutely fangs it from the turn. I'll snag a line of jumps at training tomorrow and work on getting him to drive out to an obstacle after going around and see whether it's something he's possible of grasping; never really know with the moose.
This will hopefully be "our way" to start, since it doesn't require any waiting (Charlie's request) and should give me time to still get where I need to be (my request). Gotta have compromises. It's slightly modified from the slingshot we tried out, which worked okay but I still didn't have enough of a head start over Charlie and I never quite got the angle right- and I was always facing the wrong way, which ate up time I needed to get where I wanted to be to start running the course.
This way at least, end result pending, I can flick him around and out to the first obstacle and just take off forward so we should end up more or less at the same spot to start the course.
End result pending, though. I need to head down to the reserve again with a few jumps and a video camera- and someone to video- in tow so I can get more of an idea how this might work.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Lovely Afternoon
So we went on a little walk this afternoon as planned and had a blast.
I parked at the footy oval and walked for about a half hour, up to one of the off leash dog parks and Charlie chased the ball for about five minutes or so until a lady arrived with two little terrier things and I packed the ball away. I was going to leave, but figured I'd just let Charlie have a meet and greet and see how he went.
He was fine, just his usual anti social self.
It seemed like the time to be at the park, though, because quickly afterwards a lady arrived with a nine month old Airedale puppy, then a family arrived with a shepherd mix, then a man and his chubby border collie came in. Quite a few strange dogs and people, and one of the little terrier things got the zoomies, but Charlie did really well. He did a bit of sniffing, kind of joined in with some of the chasing games, but he was more interested in smooching up to the people and getting pats.
We were there for about a further ten or fifteen minutes, then I figured it was getting time to head back so we did another half hour walk back to the car. We were a bit early, so had another game of fetch- all up, Charlie had about an hour and a half of constant movement, so he's now exhausted and sleeping very soundly on his bed.
It's the best and kind of also the worst thing with kelpies, and something Charlie's definitely got- they can and will just keep going and going and going, even when they're ready to drop.
I had a friend tell me a while ago that some friends of her had their dingo cross kelpie just drop dead one afternoon in summer; she'd been running for ages, playing fetch with the kids, and it was just too much for her. They don't let on that they're exhausted, they just keep pushing themselves. Exhausted, in pain, they don't let on and just push and push until they just have literally nothing left.
I parked at the footy oval and walked for about a half hour, up to one of the off leash dog parks and Charlie chased the ball for about five minutes or so until a lady arrived with two little terrier things and I packed the ball away. I was going to leave, but figured I'd just let Charlie have a meet and greet and see how he went.
He was fine, just his usual anti social self.
It seemed like the time to be at the park, though, because quickly afterwards a lady arrived with a nine month old Airedale puppy, then a family arrived with a shepherd mix, then a man and his chubby border collie came in. Quite a few strange dogs and people, and one of the little terrier things got the zoomies, but Charlie did really well. He did a bit of sniffing, kind of joined in with some of the chasing games, but he was more interested in smooching up to the people and getting pats.
We were there for about a further ten or fifteen minutes, then I figured it was getting time to head back so we did another half hour walk back to the car. We were a bit early, so had another game of fetch- all up, Charlie had about an hour and a half of constant movement, so he's now exhausted and sleeping very soundly on his bed.
It's the best and kind of also the worst thing with kelpies, and something Charlie's definitely got- they can and will just keep going and going and going, even when they're ready to drop.
I had a friend tell me a while ago that some friends of her had their dingo cross kelpie just drop dead one afternoon in summer; she'd been running for ages, playing fetch with the kids, and it was just too much for her. They don't let on that they're exhausted, they just keep pushing themselves. Exhausted, in pain, they don't let on and just push and push until they just have literally nothing left.
Oatmeal And Walks
I've got two very lovely and clean doggies that smell like oatmeal cookies after their baths this morning. For a dog that has had a lot of skin and coat issues, I'm kind of in love with how gorgeous Charlie's coat is lately.
My youngest brother is off playing footy this afternoon, as usual, and it's a local game so I'm taking Charlie down and we'll go for a walk around the suburb while my dad watches my brother play.
I'm determined to get to the beach at least once with the dogs over this holiday break, because we haven't been for months and months- and even though it's nearly the middle of winter, and it's pretty chilly, they can still have a blast without necessarily having to go for a swim.
I wormed the dogs today as well; I use Drontal, "tasty chewables", which both of them have always nommed on without issues. I gave Charlie his, he gobbled them up and looked at me, waiting for more which he wasn't getting, then gave Jack his. He needed two and a half of them, so I have him the first half piece and he chewed it, scrunched up his nose and went to spit it out but I leapt in, clamped his jaws shut and massaged his throat until he swallowed it. I gave him one of the whole pieces and told him if he didn't co-operate and chew it up, I'd have to shove it down his throat.
He spat it out, so down the throat it went. He looked very indignant, and promptly grabbed the final tablet on the ground, made a great show of slowly chewing it and throwing it around his mouth before swallowing it and stalking off.
Threats obviously do work.
My youngest brother is off playing footy this afternoon, as usual, and it's a local game so I'm taking Charlie down and we'll go for a walk around the suburb while my dad watches my brother play.
I'm determined to get to the beach at least once with the dogs over this holiday break, because we haven't been for months and months- and even though it's nearly the middle of winter, and it's pretty chilly, they can still have a blast without necessarily having to go for a swim.
I wormed the dogs today as well; I use Drontal, "tasty chewables", which both of them have always nommed on without issues. I gave Charlie his, he gobbled them up and looked at me, waiting for more which he wasn't getting, then gave Jack his. He needed two and a half of them, so I have him the first half piece and he chewed it, scrunched up his nose and went to spit it out but I leapt in, clamped his jaws shut and massaged his throat until he swallowed it. I gave him one of the whole pieces and told him if he didn't co-operate and chew it up, I'd have to shove it down his throat.
He spat it out, so down the throat it went. He looked very indignant, and promptly grabbed the final tablet on the ground, made a great show of slowly chewing it and throwing it around his mouth before swallowing it and stalking off.
Threats obviously do work.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Gah, Names
Because, even if I don't get the new pup until the end of the year, it'll take me that long to figure out a name, and I still have some lists from before I got Fletcher, I've started re-annalysing said lists.
So far I'm pretty much set on Zeke, if the pup's a boy- it's a bit unusual, short, easy to understand, kelpie-ish, and completely different to Charlie, which is pretty much my naming criteria in a nutshell.
A girl name is proving more difficult. I've got a few on a new list that I'm tossing up between and I don't spy a resolution on the horizon anytime soon. There's Eden; River (which would be hilarious, since Charlie and Jack bolt for the gate and get all excited when I ask them "Wanna go down the river?"); and Fly as my top three in that particular list, but I still don't really know.
It's a struggle, this being patient gig.
So far I'm pretty much set on Zeke, if the pup's a boy- it's a bit unusual, short, easy to understand, kelpie-ish, and completely different to Charlie, which is pretty much my naming criteria in a nutshell.
A girl name is proving more difficult. I've got a few on a new list that I'm tossing up between and I don't spy a resolution on the horizon anytime soon. There's Eden; River (which would be hilarious, since Charlie and Jack bolt for the gate and get all excited when I ask them "Wanna go down the river?"); and Fly as my top three in that particular list, but I still don't really know.
It's a struggle, this being patient gig.
Holidays!
June school holidays start today!
Well, officially tomorrow, but that's just a technicality.
I actually do have a bit of sneaky schoolwork left to do- which no one else knows about, hehe- but it's still holidays! And that's always exciting.
Four weeks left until I'm eighteen, two terms left of school, it's all very exciting.
Something else I decided the other day is that I may just abandon startline stays. I don't know if I can be bothered putting in so much work to try and totally retrain them, and then be disappointed when he breaks at a comp and all that work goes out the window.
Soooo, because we're awesome, I'm going to be trying out a modified slingshot. If I can set myself up off from the first jump, push Charlie around and behind me, then out to the first obstacle while I sprint like a mad thing forward, I should hopefully, all things going to plan, get where I need to be.
It's just a matter of whether or not he has the focus enough to do it at a comp.
Aaaaaaaah, the moose: he's such a frustrating dog.
Yesterday he had a "princess day" where everything made him worried and he was acting all precious. It's so annoying when he gets like that, because you can't do anything with him- you can't even look at him without his eyes going all big and him starting to slink around. So he got ignored yesterday, because it's easier for everyone. He's in a slightly better mood this morning, but there's still the essence of princess so we won't be attempting much.
Well, officially tomorrow, but that's just a technicality.
I actually do have a bit of sneaky schoolwork left to do- which no one else knows about, hehe- but it's still holidays! And that's always exciting.
Four weeks left until I'm eighteen, two terms left of school, it's all very exciting.
Something else I decided the other day is that I may just abandon startline stays. I don't know if I can be bothered putting in so much work to try and totally retrain them, and then be disappointed when he breaks at a comp and all that work goes out the window.
Soooo, because we're awesome, I'm going to be trying out a modified slingshot. If I can set myself up off from the first jump, push Charlie around and behind me, then out to the first obstacle while I sprint like a mad thing forward, I should hopefully, all things going to plan, get where I need to be.
It's just a matter of whether or not he has the focus enough to do it at a comp.
Aaaaaaaah, the moose: he's such a frustrating dog.
Yesterday he had a "princess day" where everything made him worried and he was acting all precious. It's so annoying when he gets like that, because you can't do anything with him- you can't even look at him without his eyes going all big and him starting to slink around. So he got ignored yesterday, because it's easier for everyone. He's in a slightly better mood this morning, but there's still the essence of princess so we won't be attempting much.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Books
I bought a few things I really couldn't do without for the birds, along with dog and bird food and trial entry fees and that's been it for ages.
I've got a list of books and DVDs I would love to add to my library but haven't been able to justify the cost: but my new "screw reasonable" attitude means once I have enough money back in my bank account I'm going to splurge and buy two books I've had my eye on for ages- and should be really helpful.
Control Unleashed, for the moose and his specialness. And The Focused Puppy for the new pup since from what I've heard and seen of it so far, it seems to be pretty awesome and something I'd like to try out. I wanted to get the latter before I got Fletcher, but never ended up having the spare cash- but this time I'm budgeting it in as an essential.There's a few other bits and pieces I think I'll eventually get through Clean Run, since they apparently don't exist in Australia and with the way the dollar is now, it works out cheaper anyway. I'm not one of those people that finds a trainer or system and locks into it for life, regardless of the dog I'm training or circumstances: I like to make my own ideas up, based on what works for my dogs, but I still love getting my hands on other material and taking bits and pieces from different trainers. No harm in learning.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Training Last Night
Freaking freezing.
I took Jack along as well as Charlie and he was his typical chatty self. Someone else I know from a few years ago at VIP came along with her two shelties and Jack was veeeeery interested in them: I don't know if he wanted to chase (because they're very small and very fluffy) or play with them but he spent most of his time just sitting there, staring at their crate and whinging.
He surprises me, old Jack, with how fast he can be once he focuses. He's no BC, that's for sure, but given the fact that he's eleven, had limited actual training and is built like a brick he's not too shabby at all. Turns like a bloody barge, though: he's not built for agile pursuits.
Charlie was a naughty boy with his a frame contacts; dad's taking a whole pile of time off work starting in a few weeks, and he's agreed to help me build an a frame so hopefully that happens soonish so I can work with him more on that at home during the week. Charlie's real downfall is that he hasn't got enough self control to regulate speed so he can safely and consistently find position at the moment because it's an ongoing work in progress with the moose.
We- as in Jack, Charlie and I- also got to meet my instructor's new rottie pup. Nugget's nine-ish weeks old and so cute :D He's so fluffy for a rottie and a hefty little boy; he was a bit unsure about my two meatheads but to be honest I don't blame him: Jack was doing his intense face and Charlie was literally crying and trying to pat him with his flailing front feet, so from Nugget's height that would have been one seriously dicey situation.
I took Jack along as well as Charlie and he was his typical chatty self. Someone else I know from a few years ago at VIP came along with her two shelties and Jack was veeeeery interested in them: I don't know if he wanted to chase (because they're very small and very fluffy) or play with them but he spent most of his time just sitting there, staring at their crate and whinging.
He surprises me, old Jack, with how fast he can be once he focuses. He's no BC, that's for sure, but given the fact that he's eleven, had limited actual training and is built like a brick he's not too shabby at all. Turns like a bloody barge, though: he's not built for agile pursuits.
Charlie was a naughty boy with his a frame contacts; dad's taking a whole pile of time off work starting in a few weeks, and he's agreed to help me build an a frame so hopefully that happens soonish so I can work with him more on that at home during the week. Charlie's real downfall is that he hasn't got enough self control to regulate speed so he can safely and consistently find position at the moment because it's an ongoing work in progress with the moose.
We- as in Jack, Charlie and I- also got to meet my instructor's new rottie pup. Nugget's nine-ish weeks old and so cute :D He's so fluffy for a rottie and a hefty little boy; he was a bit unsure about my two meatheads but to be honest I don't blame him: Jack was doing his intense face and Charlie was literally crying and trying to pat him with his flailing front feet, so from Nugget's height that would have been one seriously dicey situation.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Good Morning
And that's "good morning" not in the greeting sense but rather me saying that this morning was good.
We headed off to training for our little Commando challenge thing and had a blast. Got lots of biscuits for Charlie, lollies for me, and two squeaky toys that Charlie loves and spent the past half an hour driving me mad by squeaking.
He's so cute :)
Afterwards we went over to the main training area and let the dogs all off to have a play- which each other and whatever throwing toys we had at hand. Mr Anti Social only wanted to acknowledge me and the tennis ball I borrowed until he got tired and then went to sleep in the shade while all the other dogs raced about and had fun together. Such a silly moose. I think he doesn't really "do" playing with other dogs partly because of him not having the opportunity when he was a pup because of his fear aggression, partly because he just doesn't enjoy it with many dogs because he gets worried someone's going to eat him, and partly because I did all of that behaviour modification work on stopping him from bolting at other dogs.
He's more people orientated, and has his special doggy friends that he's known for ages and is comfortable with that he'll have a bit of a play session with- but even that's quite short lived. Special.
With all of the doggy people I know now, and how involved I am at the club, I'm just seeing socialistion opportunities for the new puppy everywhere I go. In addition to the classes I'd actually take at the club, there's trials, going along to watch classes I do with Charlie, off lead time with the dogs at the club, agility training... I'm in such a better position with better capabilities this time around for early learning than I was with Charlie. That's another reason I'm really hoping for a suitable pup as soon as a possible, because with both Charlie and Fletcher I got them right when all things training and trialling wrapped up for the year. In addition to the couple of months off we had so much wet weather that any real plans I had for super socialising went out the window. Fletch was still good- he loved every dog he met especially- and it would have been easy if he didn't have issues cropping up whenever we started to make some progress with something, but there was still so much I wanted to do with him that I never got a chance to.
If I get this new pup within the next couple of months it'd be ideal timing because classes are still going strong, we've got lots of trials and demos coming up, and the weather should still be behaving itself.
But all I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best.
We headed off to training for our little Commando challenge thing and had a blast. Got lots of biscuits for Charlie, lollies for me, and two squeaky toys that Charlie loves and spent the past half an hour driving me mad by squeaking.
He's so cute :)
Afterwards we went over to the main training area and let the dogs all off to have a play- which each other and whatever throwing toys we had at hand. Mr Anti Social only wanted to acknowledge me and the tennis ball I borrowed until he got tired and then went to sleep in the shade while all the other dogs raced about and had fun together. Such a silly moose. I think he doesn't really "do" playing with other dogs partly because of him not having the opportunity when he was a pup because of his fear aggression, partly because he just doesn't enjoy it with many dogs because he gets worried someone's going to eat him, and partly because I did all of that behaviour modification work on stopping him from bolting at other dogs.
He's more people orientated, and has his special doggy friends that he's known for ages and is comfortable with that he'll have a bit of a play session with- but even that's quite short lived. Special.
With all of the doggy people I know now, and how involved I am at the club, I'm just seeing socialistion opportunities for the new puppy everywhere I go. In addition to the classes I'd actually take at the club, there's trials, going along to watch classes I do with Charlie, off lead time with the dogs at the club, agility training... I'm in such a better position with better capabilities this time around for early learning than I was with Charlie. That's another reason I'm really hoping for a suitable pup as soon as a possible, because with both Charlie and Fletcher I got them right when all things training and trialling wrapped up for the year. In addition to the couple of months off we had so much wet weather that any real plans I had for super socialising went out the window. Fletch was still good- he loved every dog he met especially- and it would have been easy if he didn't have issues cropping up whenever we started to make some progress with something, but there was still so much I wanted to do with him that I never got a chance to.
If I get this new pup within the next couple of months it'd be ideal timing because classes are still going strong, we've got lots of trials and demos coming up, and the weather should still be behaving itself.
But all I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Looking Forward To Tomorrow
Pretty late and I really should have been in bed a couple of hours ago, but I've had one of those out of sync weeks and been feeling a bit blah in terms of life in general. And all of that means me spending many late nights watching soap reruns.
But anyway. Tomorrow.
I'll be taking Charlie down to training for a couple of hours in the morning for a fun little Commando course challenge comp thing with the others who've been taking the classes and it should be good. The moose gets very excited about those classes and it's nice seeing him so enthused and non-stressy I've started to enjoy Sunday mornings even more than usual.
School wraps up at the end of next week for the June school holidays, and I've got only two terms left after that before I am officially free of education. I can't wait for the end of the year, even more so because it means puppy time getting closer as well. I still have no idea what I'm going to do with my life- heck, I don't even know what to do with my life right now- but I'm hoping something will just turn up when I need it.
I'm a firm believer in things happening because they should, and when they need to, and that everything works out in the end- I've got to, given all the crap that's happened over the past few years- so as long as I hold onto that it makes me feel a bit more optimistic.
It's driving me crazy, living at home, and even though I know realistically it's going to be a couple of years (at least, gah) before I can actually move out, it doesn't make me want it any less.
This year was meant to be the year I got my stuff together and actually did something with my life. It started out like that and it's gone downhill and I just... I don't know, it's like I haven't got any motivation to do anything at all any more. I was losing it before Fletcher got sick, and since he passed away it's just... It's been hard, and I've let too many things pile up on top of each other and now I just can't seem to find the energy or support to deal with it all.
I have no idea what sort of even bigger monumental mess I'd be in without Charlie, and I love him so much for just being my dog and giving me a distraction when I need it.
When I started typing this post, it was meant to be all flowers and smiley faces. Funny how things don't always turn out the way they're planned.
But anyway. Tomorrow.
I'll be taking Charlie down to training for a couple of hours in the morning for a fun little Commando course challenge comp thing with the others who've been taking the classes and it should be good. The moose gets very excited about those classes and it's nice seeing him so enthused and non-stressy I've started to enjoy Sunday mornings even more than usual.
School wraps up at the end of next week for the June school holidays, and I've got only two terms left after that before I am officially free of education. I can't wait for the end of the year, even more so because it means puppy time getting closer as well. I still have no idea what I'm going to do with my life- heck, I don't even know what to do with my life right now- but I'm hoping something will just turn up when I need it.
I'm a firm believer in things happening because they should, and when they need to, and that everything works out in the end- I've got to, given all the crap that's happened over the past few years- so as long as I hold onto that it makes me feel a bit more optimistic.
It's driving me crazy, living at home, and even though I know realistically it's going to be a couple of years (at least, gah) before I can actually move out, it doesn't make me want it any less.
This year was meant to be the year I got my stuff together and actually did something with my life. It started out like that and it's gone downhill and I just... I don't know, it's like I haven't got any motivation to do anything at all any more. I was losing it before Fletcher got sick, and since he passed away it's just... It's been hard, and I've let too many things pile up on top of each other and now I just can't seem to find the energy or support to deal with it all.
I have no idea what sort of even bigger monumental mess I'd be in without Charlie, and I love him so much for just being my dog and giving me a distraction when I need it.
When I started typing this post, it was meant to be all flowers and smiley faces. Funny how things don't always turn out the way they're planned.
Friday, June 17, 2011
And Now We Wait
Deposit has officially cleared, my name and details are officially on the list, and now all that's left to do is be oh so patient.
This is going to feel like forever.
This is going to feel like forever.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Sent!
The deposit has been transfered, so I just need to wait for it to clear and it'll all be set!
It's weird, but I've had just the one email communication and one ten minute phone call with Noonbarra and I just trust them completely- I'm seriously impressed with their breeding, and the amount of knowledge they have, and I am one hundred per cent certain that this is the best decision I've made all year.
I spent last night reading through the remainder of the pages on their website, and checking out the CCCQ website forms about the Sporting Registery, which is where the pup is going to have be registered with the ANKC since they're done with the Working Kelpie Council only. But it seems pretty straightforward, and I've got a friend who had a working kelpie, WKC registered pup on the SR, so if I have problems I can just run to her for help, hehe.
But yeah, it all seems so easy I'm kind of waiting for something to go wrong- and I know how pessimistic that seems but I'm naturally cynical. I can't help it.
My parents didn't even question it- my dad's even a little bit excited. I've got the majority of the money to buy the actual pup coming in August, after my birthday from the extra bank account my dad's parents set up for us kids when we were little. I'll need a bigger crate later on, but for the immediate few months I've got Fletcher's crate and ex-pen already here.
I don't really have to get anything or do anything other than wait for the right puppy to come along.
So yeah, like I said: seems too easy.
Or maybe my previous experiences have all just been too hard and more complicated than they should have been. Hopefully, because I much prefer this time round. No stress, no fretting, no arguments.
It's a bit of a relief, actually.
It's weird, but I've had just the one email communication and one ten minute phone call with Noonbarra and I just trust them completely- I'm seriously impressed with their breeding, and the amount of knowledge they have, and I am one hundred per cent certain that this is the best decision I've made all year.
I spent last night reading through the remainder of the pages on their website, and checking out the CCCQ website forms about the Sporting Registery, which is where the pup is going to have be registered with the ANKC since they're done with the Working Kelpie Council only. But it seems pretty straightforward, and I've got a friend who had a working kelpie, WKC registered pup on the SR, so if I have problems I can just run to her for help, hehe.
But yeah, it all seems so easy I'm kind of waiting for something to go wrong- and I know how pessimistic that seems but I'm naturally cynical. I can't help it.
My parents didn't even question it- my dad's even a little bit excited. I've got the majority of the money to buy the actual pup coming in August, after my birthday from the extra bank account my dad's parents set up for us kids when we were little. I'll need a bigger crate later on, but for the immediate few months I've got Fletcher's crate and ex-pen already here.
I don't really have to get anything or do anything other than wait for the right puppy to come along.
So yeah, like I said: seems too easy.
Or maybe my previous experiences have all just been too hard and more complicated than they should have been. Hopefully, because I much prefer this time round. No stress, no fretting, no arguments.
It's a bit of a relief, actually.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Bahahaha
I'm flicking through the crap load of photos on my computer and nearly every single one I have of Charlie doing agility, he looks like a crackhead.
He kind of gets crazy eyes and this lunatic expression. Exhibit A:
Funny dog, is my moose.
And, on another note: this is my hundredth post on this blog! Nice way to reach that milestone.
He kind of gets crazy eyes and this lunatic expression. Exhibit A:
Funny dog, is my moose.
And, on another note: this is my hundredth post on this blog! Nice way to reach that milestone.
Puppy Update
Called Noonbarra and had a bit of a chat and I'm "on the list", which makes it all feel that much more real and exciting.
Our internet's a bit iffy at the moment, so during the week I'll transfer a deposit over and that will officially get me a secure "booking" on a puppy- specific pup pending, of course.
They've got a couple of litters due in the next month or so, which could potentially mean that I might have the new fur bubby in a few months time. Failing that, it shouldn't be more than six months.
:D :D :D
Our internet's a bit iffy at the moment, so during the week I'll transfer a deposit over and that will officially get me a secure "booking" on a puppy- specific pup pending, of course.
They've got a couple of litters due in the next month or so, which could potentially mean that I might have the new fur bubby in a few months time. Failing that, it shouldn't be more than six months.
:D :D :D
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Woo!
I got a reply from Noonbarra, and now just need to give them a call and have a bit more of a chat about what I'm specifically wanting in a dog and when I'm looking at getting a pup. They've got a few more litters planned for this year, as well as a couple that are due soonish so fingers crossed they've got a suitable mating coming up that should turn out a suitable pup for me.
Hopefully I can get through tomorrow sometime and get more of an idea of when things might be happening.
I'm so freaking excited :D
Hopefully I can get through tomorrow sometime and get more of an idea of when things might be happening.
I'm so freaking excited :D
Friday, June 10, 2011
Final Decisions
Just over a month ago I was offered an adult tri sheltie bitch. She was about eighteen months old, 15.5", too big for the show ring and staying with the breeder I was going to get a pup off last year. I had a chat to Carole, got sent a photo, and going with my gut I said I'd take her in a few months, once she was ready to leave for a new home.
But, as it's turned out, I'm not getting her. For a couple of reasons which I won't blab on about, but the biggest one is that while I'm ready for another dog, I'm not ready for another sheltie.
It's irrational, but I feel... guilty... Like I'm replacing Fletch, even though if I had got Scarlet the only thing she has in common with him is the breed: not gender, colour, size, breeder, everything else. Lines and breed, yes. But I don't want another sheltie. Not yet. I love the breed, but it'll be a while before I can see myself even considering owning another sheltie.
And this revelation- which, might I add, reached a head while I was siphoning fish poo out of tanks at work; great for epiphanies, that is- also created a problem.
Because, like I said: I'm ready for another dog. I want another dog.
Sensible choices seem to have done nothing but backfire and cause me heartache of late, and getting an adult sheltie was a sensible choice. I wouldn't have to worry about a puppy (but if I had got Scarlet, something tells me she would have been six times the workload of a puppy), I wouldn't have to worry about a real "working dog", it would be cheaper than a puppy...
But screw "sensible". Screw "reasonable".
If it's not what I want, I don't see the point.
So I'm getting a working kelpie puppy. I've emailed my number one breeder of choice and am keeping my fingers crossed for a favourable reply from them, but if not I'll start another exhaustive search and hopefully turn up something I want.
I have no idea when I'll get this pup, probably sometime in the next twelve months or so but I don't care about trying to fit it all around other things anymore because it'll just work out. It'll work out and it'll be brilliant, and the new optimism I'm feeling about this whole situation will rub off on this puppy and it'll be happy and healthy and it'll all be great.
But, as it's turned out, I'm not getting her. For a couple of reasons which I won't blab on about, but the biggest one is that while I'm ready for another dog, I'm not ready for another sheltie.
It's irrational, but I feel... guilty... Like I'm replacing Fletch, even though if I had got Scarlet the only thing she has in common with him is the breed: not gender, colour, size, breeder, everything else. Lines and breed, yes. But I don't want another sheltie. Not yet. I love the breed, but it'll be a while before I can see myself even considering owning another sheltie.
And this revelation- which, might I add, reached a head while I was siphoning fish poo out of tanks at work; great for epiphanies, that is- also created a problem.
Because, like I said: I'm ready for another dog. I want another dog.
Sensible choices seem to have done nothing but backfire and cause me heartache of late, and getting an adult sheltie was a sensible choice. I wouldn't have to worry about a puppy (but if I had got Scarlet, something tells me she would have been six times the workload of a puppy), I wouldn't have to worry about a real "working dog", it would be cheaper than a puppy...
But screw "sensible". Screw "reasonable".
If it's not what I want, I don't see the point.
So I'm getting a working kelpie puppy. I've emailed my number one breeder of choice and am keeping my fingers crossed for a favourable reply from them, but if not I'll start another exhaustive search and hopefully turn up something I want.
I have no idea when I'll get this pup, probably sometime in the next twelve months or so but I don't care about trying to fit it all around other things anymore because it'll just work out. It'll work out and it'll be brilliant, and the new optimism I'm feeling about this whole situation will rub off on this puppy and it'll be happy and healthy and it'll all be great.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Holy Crap
And that's a very, very, very good "holy crap".
Finally back at training again last night- a Monday night with no rain, I thought I was going crazy- and we did some little courses with contact equipment in and my word, I have an awesome dog.
I went back to verbally cueing his touch and he does know it, haha. He just obviously forgets himself sometimes.
But not tonight. The special moose dog absolutely rocked.
He had beautiful 2o2o on the dog walk and seesaw and nailed it on the a frame as well which has never happened before :D A couple of times he overshot it ever so slightly, but without me even having to say anything he backed his tootsies right where they needed to be and stuck it. It was less of him not responding and more of him still working out speed regulation since he rarely sees full sized equipment and goes twice as fast at training than he does at home.
Bye, running. 2o2o all the way from now on, on everything. I just need to work out how to transition how he works at training into how he works at trials.
Because the latter is never pretty and far to on the side of chaos for my liking.
I'm sure it's all down to me, and I'm kind of keeping my fingers crossed that's it. I'm a lot easier to fix than trying to get inside Charlie's head and work out a way to get him running with the same success at a trial that he does at training.
I just need to get off my arse and enter some ADAA stuff. I was aiming for the end of the year, but I know he's past needing to be fully retrained and I don't think there's any point in waiting any longer. That's not our issue. It's never really been our issue. It's just making what works in training work in trialling. That's always what gets us. We've got the speed, we've got the training, we've got the enthusiasm. We just aren't quite as in sync when we're in a ring competing.
I've got plenty of just jumpers trials with CCCQ coming up over the next couple of months with nothing contact obstacle related in sight, so at least I won't be making more mess to try and clean up with that.
After I've sorted out how to get lovely contacts at a trial I'll need to be turning my attention to how to get lovely start line stays at a trial- until then, we'll just fumble along and hope for twisty starts. I've been given numerous suggestions by numerous different people, and all come back on just quitting the run as soon as he breaks at the start line. I want that as a last resort, though- yeah, I'm fussy- and definitely want to try a couple of other ideas first off.
Hmm… Yeah. We need to enter lots of ADAA stuff. ADAA titles and qualifications confuse the crap out of me, so I don't think I'd ever really compete seriously with them- but I can utilise the NFC runs. Muhahaha. I wish that CCCQ offered something like that- some sort of training run at trials- but considering how long trials go for currently, even with just the four basic classes, that'd be a bit of an exercise I'm sure. And they're the ANKC, so it's all very official and proper and geared at serious competing so I doubt it'll be happening anytime soon.
Still. Girl can dream.
We've got just under five weeks until triple jumpers, and since it's- as the name suggests- just jumpers, I can shift focus from contacts for the time being onto sorting out the start line. I need a back up plan, though, which is going to involve slingshotting and setting him up in weird positions to try and curb the "aaaaaaaah can't hold it in gotta ruuuuuuun" that Charlie's so fond of as well as give me a chance to try and flick him out and make up ground before he DQs us for off course yet again.
Tomorrow I'm going to be trying to make sense of the ADAA events schedule and keep my fingers crossed for a trial in between now and the ninth of July. There's apparently one next Monday, on the public holiday, but it's my youngest brother's birthday and since I can't drive myself I'd need a lift and my parents would kill me for even suggesting it on that particular day. But I shall have a look and see what I can find for the remainder of this month.
So much cash for so many entry fees. Eek. Good thing I have a job and no other hobbies.
It's just all so exciting!!!! :D :D :D Hehe.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
QAJDC 4th June
So glad I went last night- even though I didn't get home until ten to one this morning, and it was so cold I literally couldn't feel my nose or ears for three quarters of the night.
Not an overly successful night in terms of Qs. We got out first towards our SPDX title with Tarki and his mum; fifth place as well, which isn't too shabby considering how chaotic our run was. I was so sure we were way over time, but we weren't even really close which was a surprise. Charlie was such a good boy; knocked his first bar, but nailed his weave entry and his contacts. We had to go and re-do the dog walk after Tarki missed the colour, and he didn't stick his 2o2o- wasn't expecting him to since we haven't finished with the retraining- but he was thinking and he slowed and did hit it. Then we finished off the run, and had to hit the a frame and he got it beautifully.
Other than that we had an NQ in our first GDX run. Knocked a bar in the closing after getting all the points, nailing his weave entries, and he even got the a frame contact at distance so that was a bit disappointing.
Our JDX runs were DQs because Charlie first run blind crossed me and then back jumped. Second he took off and left me at the start line and when I called back off the tunnel he decided to do a jump on the way back to me. But apart from the hiccups at the start, they were pretty solid runs. He's actually a really consistent dog and once we figure out a way to start our runs that works for both of us we should do a bit better, especially in jumpers. We don't usually have issues in any other part of the course- it's just the start. Which unfortunately is kind of really important.
Snooker... I still don't get it, but we were so close to Q'ing. I chanced the dog walk twice and he hit both times, and we had more than enough points in the opening sequence, but in the closing he botched the weaves and we didn't get it.
Not a bad night, though. I don't know if it was because I was so focused on how freaking cold I was that I didn't have time to feel nervous or anything, but he was a lot calmer than usual. When he wasn't calm it was because he was looking into the ring and wanting to go and join in, which I'd prefer over him trying to run off. I didn't try running him without a collar this time round, and I need to go back to doing that for triple jumpers. I was concerned because of him stressing at Logan, and just using the slip lead attachment, he was literally choking himself and I didn't want him to do that again. But I really just need to not touch him at all before a run.
I'm a bit concerned about his startline stays, and I don't think he's going to be paying attention to me telling him to either stay or wait anymore, which is such a shame. He broke a few times last night before I cued him, and I don't really know what else to do. Unless I can come up with a way to retrain it all so much that the whole "ritual" of waiting at the startline is different, I don't think this will be something that can easily be changed. Until I figure something out, I just have to hope for starts that don't include a long line of jumps because I just get left behind.
Not an overly successful night in terms of Qs. We got out first towards our SPDX title with Tarki and his mum; fifth place as well, which isn't too shabby considering how chaotic our run was. I was so sure we were way over time, but we weren't even really close which was a surprise. Charlie was such a good boy; knocked his first bar, but nailed his weave entry and his contacts. We had to go and re-do the dog walk after Tarki missed the colour, and he didn't stick his 2o2o- wasn't expecting him to since we haven't finished with the retraining- but he was thinking and he slowed and did hit it. Then we finished off the run, and had to hit the a frame and he got it beautifully.
Other than that we had an NQ in our first GDX run. Knocked a bar in the closing after getting all the points, nailing his weave entries, and he even got the a frame contact at distance so that was a bit disappointing.
Our JDX runs were DQs because Charlie first run blind crossed me and then back jumped. Second he took off and left me at the start line and when I called back off the tunnel he decided to do a jump on the way back to me. But apart from the hiccups at the start, they were pretty solid runs. He's actually a really consistent dog and once we figure out a way to start our runs that works for both of us we should do a bit better, especially in jumpers. We don't usually have issues in any other part of the course- it's just the start. Which unfortunately is kind of really important.
Snooker... I still don't get it, but we were so close to Q'ing. I chanced the dog walk twice and he hit both times, and we had more than enough points in the opening sequence, but in the closing he botched the weaves and we didn't get it.
Not a bad night, though. I don't know if it was because I was so focused on how freaking cold I was that I didn't have time to feel nervous or anything, but he was a lot calmer than usual. When he wasn't calm it was because he was looking into the ring and wanting to go and join in, which I'd prefer over him trying to run off. I didn't try running him without a collar this time round, and I need to go back to doing that for triple jumpers. I was concerned because of him stressing at Logan, and just using the slip lead attachment, he was literally choking himself and I didn't want him to do that again. But I really just need to not touch him at all before a run.
I'm a bit concerned about his startline stays, and I don't think he's going to be paying attention to me telling him to either stay or wait anymore, which is such a shame. He broke a few times last night before I cued him, and I don't really know what else to do. Unless I can come up with a way to retrain it all so much that the whole "ritual" of waiting at the startline is different, I don't think this will be something that can easily be changed. Until I figure something out, I just have to hope for starts that don't include a long line of jumps because I just get left behind.
Friday, June 3, 2011
This Friday
Today.
It's eight weeks since I lost Fletcher, four weeks since I was tentatively offered the fluffy tri number.
It's eight weeks since I lost Fletcher, four weeks since I was tentatively offered the fluffy tri number.
Feels a lot longer.
Carole's been super busy- bitch at her place for breeding, she's having numerous trips to and from Canberra, as well as family stuff and being on a working farm- so I haven't had any further updates or photos about Scarlet and it's starting to make me antsy.
I know I'm being impatient, but I've gotten to the stage where all I can think is, "If I'm going to take her, I just want her up here" and cut out all of this waiting.
But that's not how it'll work, soooo… I need to be patient.
Fletch would have been nine months old today, too.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
We're Back, Baby!
I have awesome friends :D
Trialling on Saturday night now, thanks to Tarki's wonderful mum.
Excited! My weekend has meaning again! :D
Maybe I need something else in my life other than agility...
Nah.
Trialling on Saturday night now, thanks to Tarki's wonderful mum.
Excited! My weekend has meaning again! :D
Maybe I need something else in my life other than agility...
Nah.
Ah, Crap
Due to no available space the trial on Sunday has been shifted back to Saturday evening, running straight after the Saturday trial and we can't go up anymore.
Dang it.
Suppose dad'll be happy, though- and it'll give me more time to clean out my room again.
Dang it.
Suppose dad'll be happy, though- and it'll give me more time to clean out my room again.
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