101 Ways

To drive your dogs crazy, laugh yourself silly, flatten a box, practice your clicker training using a cardboard box.

Some/most of you may have heard of the '101 ways' thing before (I'm pretty sure somebody had a post about it not too long ago, but I can't remember who); it's a great way to not only stimulate your dogs and practice shaping behavior, but it's also some of the best entertainment around! Who needs tv when you can do this? I think the winner for this event was Holly, who came up with 'bite the box' as a clickable behavior. Oh doG, she was so CUTE!! I must admit, this game is slightly less fun for/with Mikey, since his way of handling frustration is just to sit there and bark at me, instead of offer behaviors. Poor boy; he would much rather have someone just show him what to do, which I suppose is not entirely bad, since it translates to a boy that really, really, hones in and follows directions in agility.

Good thing we didn't get rained out tonight for agility class, so that Mikey could do something he likes, ahem, just a bit more. . .

Holly and Mikey say 'Hi'.

Oh Boy! My Favorite!

We're going to the hill country/river for my birthday in September! I can't wait!

Some pics from our last river adventure. . .

Clean and Minty Fresh

Well, pepperminty fresh. *New Product Alert* I tried Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, in peppermint, this weekend. Loved it! Don't let the name put you off. I originally heard about this product from the Pet Connection blog, and then ran into it at a local store in the fru fru (organic soaps, lotions and potions) section. Why do I love it so much, beside it being something both the dogs and I can use? It lathers like crazy with a 1:8 dilution, and rinces out in a FLASH! The worst part of bathing Holly and Mikey is the hours (feels like) I spend trying to rinse all the shampoo out. It was so easy rinsing (and smelled so nice) that I also washed collars and leashes.

In other news, I was vividly reminded today of why there is no trialing in summer here (unless it's indoors). My dad and I went over to Leaps 'n Bounds this morning for a little agility play. We set up an Excellent course from a trial map my dad had floating around in his car and had a great time! But man, was it HOT! We were finished and back on the road for home by 10:00 am, but it was already pretty miserable; my hair was so wet that I looked like I had just stepped out of the shower.

As hot has it was, I must humbly admit that I am starting to kick butt! I haven't talked about it here, but over the past two plus months I have made some huge changes in my eating habits, as well as modifying my exercise routine. I have been following the Primal Blueprint, for the most part, and I am thrilled with the results. I'm running faster and stronger, less winded, and catch my breath more quickly after running a course. My primary goal in changing my earing habits was to have some kind of positive affect on my rheumatoid arthritis, but the improvements in my ability to run agility have been a very pleasant added benifit! I can't wait for the start of the fall season!!

Holly and Mikey say 'Hi'.

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately; I've been spending most of my time, both physically and mentally (if you know what I mean), at my other blog. As my rheumatoid arthritis has gotten worse, I've been obsessing a bit and spending most of my internet time researching and blogging about my finds.

Plus, we've entered into a more or less down time of year for anything but run of the mill dog activities. Living in the Houston area, summer is just a sucky time to do much of anything outside (I suppose the opposite of Michigan in winter). And this year the temps have blasted up particularly early and it's already as miserably hot as we normally expect in late July and August; high temps in the upper 90's, low temps in the mid to upper 70's, all with HIGH humidity. Bleh!

No more agility trials until it begins to cool down in late fall. Holly and Mikey and I are still going to class, but we will be taking off the month of August, and possibly July too. Partly because it's just so darn hot and humid that class is getting unpleasant (temps are in the upper 80's at class time), but also because it's hard to keep either dog in the best shape, since it's just too hot for any prolonged, intense exercise. Poor Mikey particularly has trouble with the heat.

And no Reliant this year. My dad and I both are taking this year off. None of our dogs is ready, or going to be ready for obedience/rally. And I'm not thrilled with the idea of running Mikey (or myself) on the thin carpet over concrete flooring that is used at Reliant for agility; not surprisingly, there are a lot of injuries in the agility rings at Reliant every year. And I'm not real thrilled with the idea of showing Mikey in breed at Reliant this year either. I don't think he would be very competitive at his age against all the up and coming youngsters, so I'll hold out for something small and local later in the year. I haven't yet decided if I will take the day off (or maybe half a day?) to come to the specialty/club meeting at Reliant. Since I resigned from the Board, I haven't really seen or heard much from anyone, and it would be nice. . .

Well, besides a lot of work related stress (anyone need a statistician/SAS programmer?), that about covers the reasons for my lack of posting. I have a bunch of random pictures that, if I ever get around to downloading from my camera, I promise to post.

Holly and Mikey say 'Hi'.

Agility Trial Pics

Better late than never! Enjoy!

I got a kick out of these two. Mikey hardly ever barks on course, but every once in a while. . .


Even though his head got a little chopped in this pic, I love it! Talk about drive! Wow! Work it Mikey!

Something to Think About

Sorry I've been such a poor blogger lately; too much going on. But -

Many, are boycotting the Triple Crown. I can't say I'm necessarily boycotting, but I sure don't want to watch. . . Nonetheless, I came across an article today about more hoof problems for Big Brown, winner of the Derby and Preakness.

'The unbeaten Triple Crown contender has a slight crack on his left front hoof. . . (and is) being treated by hoof specialist Ian McKinlay for a five-eighths of an inch long quarter crack on the inside of his left heel. . . McKinlay has repaired injuries much more severe before big races, allowing Touch Gold to fight off a leg injury from the 1997 Preakness and go on to win the Belmont and spoil Silver Charm's Triple try in 1997. . . Foot woes are nothing new for Big Brown. When he first arrived at Dutrow's barn in Aqueduct late last year, he suffered an abscess in the sole of his left front foot, which caused a wall separation and sidelined him for 45 days. In January, he suffered the same injury to his right front foot and missed another 45 days. '

Read the entire article here.

And from another article, here, we find out that 'Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown will head for stud at Three Chimneys after his racing career, which the colt's owner, International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, has said will end with his 3-year-old season.'

Hmmmm.

Part of the reason this got all caught up in my mental cogs is because a couple of years ago, right after Barbaro's break down in the Preakness, there was a thought provoking editorial in the agility magazine 'Clean Run'. I wish I could find the darn thing, but the bottom line of the article was that whether it's horses or dogs, breeding exclusively for particular performance traits, having a closed stud book, and ignoring a trend in physical or temperamental breakdown in your breeding population is a recipe for disaster.

What good are faster and faster race times, if the 'best of the best' have to be put down right on the track because of catastrophic break downs, or if their hooves have to be literally patched together to keep them racing? What good is a border collie with such high drive that they have no 'off' switch? What good is a flashy 'flying' trot, when the conformation no longer allows for an honest days work? What good is a head so big that ALL litters are are delivered via C-section? What performance criteria (or breed ring fad) is so important that we fail to achieve OVERALL health? What is the definition of IDEAL performance? When does specialization go too far?

Case in point - American Grand Victor, 1967

American Grand Victor, 2003.

Galveston County KC Agility Trial

Our first class of the weekend was awesome! Open Standard, and Mikey was SMOKIN'!! 100 points, 45.19 seconds (SCT 77.0) and first place! One of those really awesome runs where you don't even have to think about anything - you and your dog are totally in sync!

And after that. . . we totally self destructed. Mikey broke is stay at the start of his jumpers run, and after three tries, we just had to leave the weaves behind, and he completely destroyed the triple bar ('ya gotta' love the sound of poles flying!). Sunday in Standard we also ended up leaving the weaves without finishing, although the rest of the run really was lovely. And after that we went home.

Some of our problem was the heat. We've been waking up to 80 degree, 90% humidity and enjoying high temps in the low 90's, still with that wonderful humidity. It's really just to late in the year to be running at an agility trial in south Texas. Of course, when I entered the trail months ago, the weather was still pretty pleasant (note to self).

Oh well, there'll be more trials in the fall. I suppose I should put it in perspective; since January Mikey has finished both of his Novice titles, and has two legs on his Open Standard title, which is more that respectable in my book. The best part has been how proud I have been of Mikey, with or without titles. My sweet little boy runs his heart out every single time, and has an AWESOME time doing it. He's fast as greased lightening, but still totally responsive to me. And people get such a kick out of him; he makes friends everywhere he goes, because no one can miss the joy that just radiates from him. . . 'Agility, oh boy, my favorite!' 'People, oh boy, my favorite!' 'Other dogs, oh boy, my favorite!' Life's just one big party for Mikey.

Although, I wish we had ended the trail season on a better note.

Holly and Mikey say 'Hi'.

Forgotten Post - Will Ferrel and Angilina Jolie

After a recent post at ManyMuddyPaws, I went to Dogster and I discovered that I have a goof and a diva (no kidding!).


Will Ferrell

The Comedian

Keeping a straight face around Mikey is a cheek muscle-wrenching nightmare. Try as you may, but giggling is inevitable because Mikey is comedian Will Ferrell!

For a while Mikey was just funny on Saturday nights, but that's all changed now that he's taken his act on the road. Whether he's being silly in real life or on the silver screen, Mikey has a true knack for making people crack up. Mikey has even managed to make the crossover to the cyberwebs, where he delivers raw, fresh, uncooked humor to his countless cyberpet fans. A fast runner, Mikey runs marathons when he's not dreaming up his next slapstick routine. Widely talented and able to impetsonate any number of two and four-legged critters, Mikey's fans will be lapping it up for a long time to come.

Angelina Jolie


Traditional Beauty

Just like with Hollywood superhero Angelina Jolie, they broke the mold after they created Holly!

Defying the conventional meaning of the word pawpular, Holly can't scratch behind an ear without it being reported and talked about. Holly leaves pets of the opposite sex blubbering and babbling nonsensically after each encounter, their cuteness and charm receptors bubbling over with excitement. Always one to entice a broad audience, Holly not only loves to strut her stuff on the dogwalk, but digs every chance she gets to make a difference, adopt a pet in need or dish out for her favorite charity.