Recalls

Here is a video of our restrained recalls and a few photos.  We have been trying to do around 20 recalls per day in different environments learning to come screaming when he hears his name.  Recalls are a great way to build motivation for working with you and creating a speedy agility dog.

No Need for Cable

Well the good news is that Summit is great about sleeping through the night, ironically that is about the only time he does sleep! He is good about hanging out in the crate (as long as I am close by) but he always keeps at least one eye open 🙂

So here was today’s itinerary:

-morning walk around the lake at the off leash park, lots of kids, dogs and playing with friend “Rush”.   Fell in the lake a couple times and met a couple big scary dogs.

-long drive to the doggie chiropractor

-recalls at the training field

-2 hours at Home Depot and Rona with buddy “Rush” where we hung out by the power tools center and played in the bumpy shopping cart

-Back to the training field to hang out

-Off to Pet Smart where we did recalls up and down just about every aisle

-Down to the river valley for a long walk with buddy “Will”

– hung out in a crate while I worked on the computer

-discovered the best kept secret in the puppy world – the squeaky ball!!!

I realize this cant be good for our retrieve training but it was just too entertaining 🙂  I know its long but you have to watch the whole thing!

Did I mention he’s Perfect?!?

I know, I know, everyone think their puppy is perfect, but he really is the most perfect puppy in the world! He stayed up until 2 am last night playing with me, he is just so entertaining its hard to put him to bed.

This morning we went down to the river valley for some socialization.  What was supposed to be a short trip turned into 2 hours.  We met lots of new people and even a few other dogs.  We played tug in the forest, in the parking lot, beside the path, while skateboards went by, in the presence of children, bikes, and lots of joggers.  How do those 2 minute sessions turn into 2 hour sessions…im not sure 🙂

One of our biggest adventures was when a toddler came running and yelling at us with a 6′ long tree branch, waving the branch and all its leaves with all his might.  Summit stopped tugging, looked at the branch then took off leaping into the air and grabbing hold of the branch and enjoying a game of tug with his new found friend…it was hysterical.

After the river valley we went to a friends house to groom dogs and we got to play with 11 dogs running around in the back yard for a good four hours before we fell fast asleep.  After that we went to agility class and got to visit our new friends Fly and Rush, also border collie pups.  He got to spend most of the night in my arms while I instructed or with one of the students.

After class we did some restrained recalls, it was only his second session with recalls but already he knows the game!  I really wanted my border collie to be one of those dogs that screams the whole way around the course, it just makes me laugh.  Bounder is my only dog that is vocal around the course and its really not the same since she has been de-barked.  Well…my perfect little puppy is a screamer!  He goes crazy as soon as I start to lead out or as he tries to catch me, he even screams while tugging, too cute!  I will have to get some video of his restrained recalls up soon, but for now we are off to work on “sit” and some hand targeting.

Something to Blog About!

I have been planning for a border collie pup for over four years and for the last six months I have been looking at breeders from all over north America.  I have done tonnes of research on different lines and kennels and dogs that I really like.  I had planned to get a female, she was supposed to be a red tri with a rough coat and a small blaze.  I was supposed to get the pup this fall after nationals and worlds were over…well things don’t always work out the way you plan them 😉  Last week I was put in contact with a breeder in Oregon who had a litter of pups ready for new homes.  After hearing about the pups and the dogs from the past two litters I decided to take a smooth coat, split face, black and white male from the litter.  So on Monday I flew through Seattle to Boise, Idaho and returned with two 8 week old puppies.  I kept one and I brought one back for a student.

“Summit” is his name and he is absolutely, 100%, without a doubt PERFECT!  Even though I haven’t even had him for 24 hours, he is everything I wanted in my next puppy.  He is super outgoing, confident, independent guy with trouble written all over his face 🙂  He is a manic tugger and loves his kibble too.  After the 4 hour drive to Boise airport then 7 hours in the kennel for the trip home we stopped at a Tim Hortons parking lot at 1 am.  I let him and his brother out in the parking lots and as two motor bikes went by and a jet flew overhead he looked at me then attacked his leash and started tugging madly…I have been in love ever since!

Today was his first day home and because we had his brother for the day we didn’t get much training time but we did go to the pet store and meet lots of people, then we went to the park to play tug then we went to the river valley and watched the people, bikes and skateboards go by, and finally we went to agility class tonight and met lots of new people and did restrained recalls.  It was a busy day but we still went home and played tug and learned its yer choice and did some crate games.

He is a very cool puppy and wherever he goes he walks in like he owns the place.  I couldn’t help laughing while reading his aptitude test on the flight home; would not show any interest in coming when called or following people, picked up the toy on the retrieve and took off running and not a flinch  for loud noises and scary things like umbrellas…did I say PERFECT?

Here is a video of him and his brother playing in the yard today.  Oh and he sleeps through the night, doesn’t pee in the house and will never need to be groomed 🙂

Next week we are changing our “H” and heading to Ottawa for the AAC nationals, should be fun!

Well this is a bit overdue but our AAC regionals was a huge success!  Our regionals were in Lethbridge this year and flashing Canines and Go Dog Go put on a great event.  Unfortunately Chase re-injured his iliopsoas so I had to pull him from regionals and the steeplechase finals.  Bounder once again won her division for the 8th year in a row keeping her streak of winning every single regional she has every run at in both Canada and the US.  Bounders regional runs were the first time on a course since last fall but you would never know it.  The highlight of my weekend would have been her jumpers run where she beat every single dog in all height divisions beating the next fastest dog by almost a full second, not bad for 10 years old!

Riot and Preston also held their own and were running just about neck and neck all weekend until the last run of the competition where Riot and I took an unfortunate off course.  Preston managed to beat out his sister at his first ever regional competition placing 2nd overall with Riot in 4th place.  All three dogs made it into the steeplechase finals where Bounder came out in 1st, Preston in 2nd and Riot in 3rd.

Even more exciting than my own dogs was the success of my students at this years regional.  five placements on the 16′ regular podium, 5 placements on the 22′ regular podium and 7 more podium finishes in all other divisions.

2009 students and winnings

After regionals we headed out west to the Okanogan where I taught three days of agility seminars then enjoyed some time off and an AAC trial hosted by Dog O Pogo.  The trial was in the cold stream valley and was picturesque.  Here are a few runs of Riot and Preston, it was so relaxing running just two dogs 🙂