Adopt a dog (or cat) and keep them safe and warm! or Support your local shelter.

or

Do what I do and support Dalmatian Rescue!!

and remember, there is no obstacle you can’t get around if you’re willing to run, jump, tunnel or weave!

Wrigley
You can also follow my adventures on twitter @wrigleysoapguru or I’m NOW on Facebook too!

The process began with times when we were leaving for VERY short trips (15 minutes or less). Then we increased the lengths of time after several successful outings.  We’re now up to 6 hours of alone and free in the house time.

I can not stress enough how important it was for us and Wrigley that we set him up for success. He is always left with some fun treat. Sometimes it’s a KONG Classic Kong Dog Toy filled with peanut butter; or a nice meaty bone. We also have a puzzle toy (Food Cube Large Size) we fill with dry kibble. As he manipulates it, he is rewarded with food!  We are very pleased with the progress he is making and enjoy the fact that he does not have to spend time in his crate when we leave the house.

Gayle

It seems that the NY Post is having a contest to pick the best three firehouse pups.

I’m not prejudice but thought it would be nice to do a little campaigning for my spotted pals.  So, go and vote…vote you conscience (i.e. vote for Stewie & Yogi)

Stewie – Ladder 159, Brooklyn
Also known as “Stewball,” he was found in 2003 and now is an FDNY fixture, claiming the door seat in the firetrucks and leading visitors on tours of the firehouse.

Yogi – Engine 74, Manhattan
Playful and upbeat, Yogi rings the firehouse bell when he wants a treat and likes to wear a seatbelt in the firetruck.

The image to the left is a good representation of how Wrigley was when he came to live with us. He was a disaster! He barked at everyone, he attempted to bully everyone he met and he used his very large size (all 70lbs) to intimidate.  There is nothing quite like an 11 month old extra large bully. Don’t get me wrong, he was a pleasure in our house. Very loving and an enjoyable pup, but her wasn’t the dog that we could take anywhere. As luck would have it, he happened to be riding with us one day when we stopped to visit our friend Christy. Christy owns a salon and is the consummate dog parent. Her dog Jimmy is competitive on the show circuit. While visiting Christy at her shop, she invited us to bring Wrigley in to visit (there were no customers at that time) and we were happy to show off our ‘new pup’. Immediately, Wrigley lunged and attempted to scare Christy (I believe he would have bitten, had I not had a strong grip on his leash). We’re happy to report we took ALL the advice.

Tonight we will complete our sixth class with Wrigley. We had to force ourselves to adopt a hard line with regard to training!  It was hard! We had to decide to MAKE him do what we wanted….no more ‘look how cute he is’ excuses, which we had adopted with ALL our previous pups. A terrorist pup is not fun at 7lbs and at 70lbs, Wrigley could have been the dog we never took anywhere.

We have for a while now commented on what a pleasure Wrigley is and reminded ourselves over and over how glad we are that we took the time and put in the work to train him. Everywhere we take Wrigley now we hear comments on what a good, well-behaved boy he is. People lavish the praise on him for his temperament and calm reaction.  We smile, say thank you and think about all the hard work that went into making ‘that’ dog.

On Saturday, we attended a Holistic Health Fair. We took Wrigley to share in the occasion. He was such a pleasure t o have with us. Polite to all, from the youngest to the oldest, he was willing to be petted, hugged and in the case of one-man wallered. The best part was as were packing up to leave, we put Wrigley in the truck as we carried stuff to put in the truck. We were able to leave the door open and tell him to ‘stay’. He was perfect in his execution of the command!

When people say to us that they have heard about ‘how bad Dalmatians are’ (or any dog for that matter) I know that the dog in question just did not get the opportunity to become the dog he or she could have been. Having a good dog, like having a good child, is hard work, dedication, and commitment.

Gayle

I missed my class on Monday, I just didn’t make it home in time to get there but, I am already looking forward to next week!

In the mean time, I’ve been working on a few of my own skills….

I just don’t understand why my family doesn’t think this is a marketable skill!

and remember, there is no obstacle you can’t get around if you’re willing to run, jump, tunnel or weave!

Wrigley
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Regular readers will know, I began this blog as documentation of my journey to becoming an agility dog. Rest assured, I have not given up on the dream. I actually will continue my agility training with a class which begins tonight (look for a later blog and maybe even a podcast). Over the unusually cold winter, I moved my training inside and tried my paw at Rally. I unfortunately did not document my journey as well as I could have because, quite honestly, I did not intend it to become a passion. I thought I was killing time and keeping my mind sharp while I awaited warmer temperatures and a return to agility training. Note: I train for agility outside on natural turf because it is better for my skeletal system and I, hopefully, will be able to participate later in life. However, much to my surprise (and to the surprise of others in my house) I really enjoyed rally.

I enjoyed rally so much, that on Sunday, I attempted my first (of hopefully many) Rally Competitions. Our local training center, held a Rally Competition and Lure Coursing on Sunday. I competed in the novice Rally. In novice, I was still on a leash but We could not use cookies or treats to entice me (bummer). My handler could not touch me for correction or reminders. I am proud to report that we scored an 87 out of a possible 100. We lost points because we had to retry a ‘front, step back’ command (I want to move into heal position when we move). The judge also said that my mom was leading me a few times (i.e. my leash wasn’t loose). All things considered, we were all happy with my first attempt.

Lure Coursing is evidently just not my thing. I LOVE to chase stuff. I chase toys, leaves, cats and anything else I can find, but chasing a plastic bag – not my idea of a fun time. Sunday was my second attempt at Lure Coursing and well, I didn’t do as well as I did the first time (see video of the first time )

Cheryl Snyder of Snyderneff Pet Photography was taking photos at Lure Coursing on Sunday. It’s my understanding photos are still being added from Sunday’s event.

Looking forward to starting agility again tonight and remember, there is no obstacle you can’t get around if you’re willing to run, jump, tunnel or weave!

Wrigley
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We are almost through with our beginning agility class and I’ve learned a lot of new things.  Last night we spent some time working on the dog walk, jumps, the tunnel and pause table.  We did the tunnel and pause table as a sequence.  First the tunnel, then the table without stopping in between.  It was great!  I made it through every obstacle with flying colors.  We also worked on the teeter totter.  That was not as successful.  I’m just am not sure about walking across the moving board.  It’s a bit unnerving.  I will keep trying though, and I know I’ll get the hang of it soon.

My mom has been doing some research on training techniques and ideas that might help me learn to walk on that moving board.  The main thing we learned is to be patient.  It’s not something that can be rushed.  Also lots of praise and cookies will help.  The best training tip she learned was a method for making the teeter totter not so steep at first, then gradually adjust it. 

One end of the board is placed on the pause table, or something like it.  That way when the center of gravity changes as I’m walking across, the board only drops an inch or so.  When that becomes easy for me, they will drop the table an inch so the teeter totter will then drop 2 inches as I walk across.  As it gets easy for me the table is dropped lower and lower until finally I am able to walk across the entire teeter totter without stress.

The main thing we all need to remember is that agility is fun!  We are exercising, learning and spending time together as a family.  None of us should get frustrated, because it doesn’t help, in fact, it takes away all the fun that we are supposed to be having.  If you are struggling with an obstacle or some part of your agility training, take a step back, move to something easier or take the obstacle you are struggling with and break it down into smaller parts and work on that part.  We will all learn something and have a good time doing it! 

And remember, there is no obstacle you can’t get around if you’re willing to run, jump, tunnel or weave.

Wrigley

Tunnel Fever

We started the class by climbing the A-frame. It was my first time over the top, and it was FUN. Then we moved to the dog walk, man, that thing is narrow (I kept losing my footing).  The tunnel was my next adventure. Although I loved the tunnel in my trilogy class, I was unsure of the full-length tunnel. It took a couple of tries for me to get it; but once I did, I loved it! Next, we reviewed the tire which we learned last week,…I am super fast through the tire. I practiced ‘tabling’, mostly we just had to hop on the table and stand there…easy cheesy! I also had my first chance at the ‘chute’. The chute was easy, just like the tunnel at first (they held the chute part open), I loved it, and soon was running through without the chute being held open. The last new thing I did was the teeter-totter (or in my case maybe the teeter-tooter), it was fun but narrow (In case you didn’t know, I am a big boy). Lastly, we practiced our weave poles and while they weren’t plungers in the living room, I still nailed it…judges, hold up your ‘10’ score cards, please!

 We Talk about last nights training in much more detail in our podcast (You do not want to miss it – it’s chock full of goodies).

 [podcast]http://agilityspot.com/podcasts/VA025_016KBPS_060106_033550.MP3[/podcast]

Tomorrow, we will be posting about the importance of the trainer. How to pick the right trainer for you (and your people), picking a training facility and more.

 And remember, there is no obstacle you can’t get around if you’re willing to run, jump, tunnel or weave.

Wrigley

Our New Weave Poles

We have invested in our first agility equipment. We went to the Dollar Store and invested $5.00 +tax in ‘weave poles’! OK, to most people they may look like plungers (or Plummer’s friends) but for us, they are an easy beginner’s way to practice the weave poles.

 Our new ‘weave poles’ were placed 24 inches apart. The rules say they should be 20″-24″ with 22″ being optimal. We decided that as beginners 24″ gave us the most ‘learning’ room.

We all had great fun practicing our weaving techniques in the living room. The important thing for us to remember is that although we are all very excited to train, we do not want to train so long at each session that it is no longer fun. We are limiting our training to 15 to 20-minute sessions a couple of times per day. We still want more at the end of each session and therefore are anxious for the next time we can train.

And remember, there is no obstacle you can’t get around if you’re willing to run, jump, tunnel or weave.

Wrigley