Goofball

We participated in a 3-day agility camp in March held in Vero Beach...here's a funny little clip of Jen Pinder demonstrating, or trying to demonstrate, the flat work for the lateral send...

In the days before this camp, I had been doing some rear-end awareness and also getting Triumph to "back up."  I think he thought that's what Jen wanted him to do...what a goofball!

This is my first attempt at "making" a movie (with Marc's help - actually he did most of it :) but it was fun and I think it came out pretty cute!

Memorial Day

Sad...my mom called me earlier today to tell me that Jerri died last night...Jerri is my step-grandmother, married to my grandfather Lou, my mom's dad, for many many years...as long as I can remember actually...she was a water color artist who lived in Islamorada, down in the Florida Keys...she and my grandfather had lived there since 1966.  They lived in a beautiful home at Mile Marker 88, on the bay side, right on the water...it was paradise...I have many wonderful memories of many visits to Islamorada to see my grandfather Lou and Jerri...I love you both...

Geraldine Green...rest in peace...

firsts

We leave next Thursday morning for the Southeast USDAA Regional in Perry Georgia.   This is such a great venue and such a fun trial!  This will also be Triumph's first regional and he has been working very hard to be ready.

We also look forward to a lesson this Sunday morning with Stuart.  I am anxious to know what he thinks of Triumph's jumping progress...as we have been working VERY hard on THAT!

excellence

I read this quote on Facebook a while ago and put it up at my desk at work and read it every day...

"Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical,
and expecting more than others think is possible."

pirates

had a very nice weekend...got some training in this morning, it was hot, very hot but all in all, it went well...nothing really to blog about, but I did get to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie...this so has nothing to do with my Triumph training journal...but really enjoyed the movie, my two favorite guys that I saw it with, and I so love Johny Depp :)

thankful!

So very thankful today that all four of my dogs are healthy, happy, and alive - anything and everything else is just icing on the cake!

over training syndrome

I recently did a conditioning seminar with my dogs with Liz McGuire...unlike many of the agility handling seminars I have attended in the past, this seminar focused on our evaluating our dogs physically and learning exercises to help condition and strengthen them! 

It was awesome and gave me some great ideas and exercises to incorporate into my training routine with my own dogs and also with my class...

So on Tuesday night instead of doing my regular agility training class, we took a field trip - literally!!!  I packed up my dogs, two cones, an exercise ball and we all went to a huge field a couple of blocks from my house.  There we set up a "course" using the 2 cones, 2 exercise balls, 6 weave poles, and a couple of huge garbage cans...the dogs had a BLAST!

I will be incorporating this kind of "course work" in my training on a regular basis and I will get video to share...

In the meantime, the message in this Youtube video speaks loud and clear!!!

Click on this link and enjoy!

http://youtu.be/kLA1TaByJbc

POWER

In an attempt to forget about this Osama bin Laden thing for now, I thought I'd get back to my training blog...

In addition to our agility training and our recent jump work, we've been doing some strengthening and conditioning stuff - ball work, balance boards, stretching, etc. 

We worked in my back yard on a short squence last night consisting of a few jumps, including the double, 6 poles, tunnel, aframe and tire.  We did not use any "helper" jumps not even for the double...his jumping was beautiful...no bars, no launching, and no taking off early! 

Triumph seemed so much more confident - I could really *feel* it and my God, does he have so much power - he doesn't even realize how much he has, yet!

He is such a sweetheart...and was such an adorable pup!

celebration??

Although I've been using this blog pretty much as my journal for Triumph and his training and showing, today I am somewhat sad, depressed, glad...a crazy mixture and thought I'd write about that and not about my dog's training...

While I certainly don't want to seem "Un-American" - I am very proud to be an American and very grateful that I am an American - I can't help but feel a little uncomfortable watching the celebrations of the killing of Osama Bin Laden....

Yes he carried out unspeakable crimes against this Country, against all of us - so many innocent men, women and children lost their lives in such horrific ways - I can't help but recall watching the disturbing videos on 9/11 of those true "Un-American" people celebrating all that death and destruction...are we not just as bad for celebrating his death???

I really don't know how I feel about it or how I should feel about it, but I do know that I am afraid, very afraid of what a retaliation will bring...

I don't pray as much as one probably should, but I pray to God now for this Country and for all of us Americans...