Lesson With Bridget

I was fortunate to have had a private lesson with Bridget. She has such finesse and great timing. She is a natural at problem solving. She worked with Sidney to show me how to do it then handed him back to me. We worked on getting his butt in during heeling. Turning the grey into black & white concerning getting closer in heel position. She had great ideas for rear end work and how to keep heeling interesting.

Can't wait till her next seminar in July. It will be an advance seminar covering open and utility.

Check out Sidney and Bridget.

Sizzle World Team Try Outs

Wow. This dog's call name is Sizzle. His register named is Hot Hot Hot. Great handling and look at those tight turns. How did she remember this course?

Pap Earns New OTCH Title

Congratulations go out to Jeannine and Nicky. This past weekend they earned the OTCH obedience title and UDX title. Nicky is a blast to watch in the ring. He's fast and precise with a happy working attitude.

Here is a video of Nicky in Rally Novice. Watch him go.


Below is Nicky competing in utility at the York Dog Show.

Jasper CDX Video

Way to go little man. I'm so proud of you! On to Utility.

Back to Hiking

It's been a month since we've been able to hike at Brecknock Park. Sidney's been recovering from his surgery. So today was our first day back. Sidney did quite well with his breathing. They both had a blast.

Jasper's Dream CDX RN

Woo hoo! Jasper earned his third CDX leg with a new title. He earned third place also. Today his stays were rock solid. I'm so very proud of my little boy. Next weekend we have two more shows in Open A. Then we're off to train utility.

Almost Did It Today

Boy Jasper had a very nice run in Open today. What a perfect drop on recall. He did everything well in the ring. I was feeling very confident. Maybe too confident. On the sit stay he went down. On the down stay he decided he was going to leave Dodge. He has been solid on his stays at Show-N-Goes, class, and at my house. The last show his stays were great. So we'll try again tomorrow. We will be showing under a man judge. Men make me more nervous which travels down the leash. Tomorrow is a new day. Think, "I know I can."

Hero Dog Saves Other Dog

Keep Fingers Crossed

This weekend Jasper is entered in two trials at Oriole Dog Training Club. He is pursuing his third leg in Open A and his CDX title.

Pug Property Laws

Where's the Tissue?

Surgery For Sidney

Sidney will be having surgery on his stenotic nares and possible elongate soft palate. Dr. Anke Langenbach will take extra special care of him. It's a 3 to 31/2 hour drive with traffic so we'll head over Monday night and stay in a hotel. I'll drop him off Tuesday morning at 7:30. We have never been separated. Every night he snuggles up to me in bed. When I bring him home, he'll have to stay calm, quiet, and cool for 2 weeks. This will be a challenge.

Qualified Open A

What a weekend! Jasper qualified in Open A with a third place finish at the Salisbury Dog Show. He needs to qualify one more time to earn his CDX (Companion Dog Excellent ) title.

Before our next show at the end of August, we need more practice on the inside turn of the figure 8. He's hugging the inside post's leg and starting to sniff that person.

I'm a proud momma. We have worked hard toward this goal.

I'll post picture soon.

Group Pic of Beginner Camp

We had a blast even though I was recovering from pneumonia.

A Busy June

June started off with a bang. The first weekend out we attended a Tellington T-Touch seminar that had the actual founder, Linda Tellington, presenting the seminar. I was hoping I would learn something new but that wasn't the case.

The weekend of the 12th we attended a 3 day Beginner Workshop in NJ. Betsy and Linda are phenomenal teachers. Sidney had a blast. Jasper was very jealous since Sidney was out on the floor working the most. I plan on attending their Advance Camp next spring.

The end of this month I'll be taking Sidney to the Power Puppy Workshop. It's for puppies up to the age of 2. Little Sidney just squeaked by with a birthday last March. So he's 3 months past 2. Petra Ford and Kristine A. Conway, DVM of Aqua Dog Rehabilitation will present this workshop. I' m so excited about this workshop. http://www.aquadogrehab.com/about.html

At this hands-on seminar we will:

* Review structure to identify potential areas of weakness
* Teach exercises to strengthen and protect these areas
* Provide fun activities that will improve your puppy’s body awareness, balance
and proprioception and safely strengthen core muscles

Jasper Can't Wait

Jasper is so excited about his birthday. It's May 26th. He'll be 9 years old. He wants salmon , sweet potatoes, and green beans for dinner just like last year. Once again he requested a carrot cupcake with whip cream on top and vanilla ice cream on the side. His gifts are hidden in his dresser- a bully stick and two plush toys. Just one more week until we celebrate. What a lucky boy!

Baby Bunnies Beware

Little Sidney sailed through the dog doors into the backyard. When he came back into the house, Jasper started making a fuss. I assumed that Sidney had a leaf. Boy was I wrong. He had a baby rabbit. He placed it on the carpet. I freaked out and ran to the fridge to get chicken. I shouted, " Let's make a trade!" As soon as those words rolled off my tongue, he devoured the rabbit in one gulp.

Pug Antics

Did you know that I live with Groucho Marx? I could barely move the last 3 days. My body would not obey my mind commanding it to MOVE. So WEAK. Very SORE throat. Beefy RED throat. Have you seen that Vid on You Tube where the pug is licking the computer monitor. Well, my face is the computer monitor and Sidney is the one cleaning it. That little rascal all of the sudden leaped up into my lap and just started going to town with his tongue. He was trying to get a rise out of me. He was trying to figure a way to make me get up out of that chair and play with him.

Not Again

Since the weather is absolutely perfect today, I took advantage of trekking around Brecknock Park. It's a great stress reliever for me and pugaerobics for the boys. Another dog on the loose without an owner. It was a hunting dog. Looked like some kind of coon hound. It had an orange collar and tags. Fortunately it was friendly. But I ran into a person on the path who was not as fortunate. Yesterday this women came across a pit bull accompanied by a small mixed breed. The pit bull stopped and stared. It began to shake and tremble while barking aggressively. Then it started circling around her and her german shepherd. She stayed in front of her dog and walked backwards so that her dog was in the soccer goalie net. This way the pit bull could not come up from behind and attack her dog. She had her cell phone with her and called 911. This dog was enormous and could have easily killed both of them. Cops were pretty close since they responded within 2 minutes. They snared the pit bull and took it to the SPCA. The owner came and picked up the dog. I can't believe it. The owner was only given a fine to pay. This dog could possibly be loose again and try to attack someone.

Easter Break

This has been the best weather ever during Easter break. The first four days we had temps in the high eighties while the end of the week was high sixties. Jasper & Sidney have been enjoying their hikes at Brecknock Park.

Backyard Adventure

When did my yard become a bunny sanctuary? Now there are 3 new nests! I absolutely love bunnies but not in the backyard. My boys love running in their yard. Jasper was raised with my pet rabbits so he may not disturb them. Sidney has such prey drive. I know he would chase them. I don't think he would kill them but may hurt them by playing. Before I let the boys out in the yard, I now need to check the yard for bunnies.

Petra Ford & Tyler At Crufts 2010

http://www.youtube.com/user/pondersmom#p/u/4/UvEfwj2Ot6k
Wow. What an awesome team. They were tied for first place but did not win the run off. Petra & Tyler received second place at Crufts. Accuracy, Animation, Drive, and Pure Joy is what this team is all about. I get chills watching them. Congrats! You made America, fans, and friends proud.

Wild Baby Bunny

March is that time of year when bunnies get busy. One bunny thought the section of dirt next to the porch step would be a perfect spot for her nest. I've been keeping an eye on it. The boys didn't even notice it. Yesterday the grass cutters came. I had signs up that read "Bunny Nest - Do not disturb the baby". I made sure the man knew where the nest was located. Well today the baby bunny decided to venture out from its nest. He's hanging around the yard so the boys have limited access to the yard. I go out with them when they need to potty. Gosh I just love bunnies. I hope I can keep the boys from noticing and chasing the bunny.

Happy Easter

What a beautiful day! Sunny and warm temps in the 70's. We went to a concert and out to brunch. I splurged and had real whip cream in my coffee. Shucks, I should have gotten some Khalua in it too.

Today the boys worked on go outs to a target. I use the ring stantion with a medicine cap stuck to it for a target. I put food on the medicine cap. Our goal was to mark the target and drive out to it by starting out about a foot away and increasing the distance to about 20 feet.

We also worked on directed jumping. Sidney is still new at this exercise so I kept him on a flexi. They both really respond to the hand signals well. I moved then further and further off center from the jump.

Since we were training in the backyard, I couldn't play all my fun recall games since they involve tossing food. Maybe one day I'll win the lottery and I can build my own indoor training facility.

The end of April Jasper we'll be shooting for another leg in Open A at Timonium Fairgrounds. Hopefully we'll get to go to another show-n-go before that show.

Lab on the Loose

My worse fear became reality today. On the path at the park, I saw a lab off leah heading toward us. He was an intact male that was on the thin side. I was waiting to see the owner following. NO OWNER. I put myself between the pugs and this stray. I kept my shoulder towards him. His hair was standing up on his back and his tail was wagging but it wasn't raised up over his back. He wasn't making any sounds. He didn't seem aggressive but the hair standing up on his back made me question his intentions. He kept circling around me trying to get close to the pugs. Sh_ _ , I left my pepper spray at home. I'm not capable of picking up two pugs and holding them at the same time. To top it off when the stray got really close trying to sniff Sidney, Sidney backed up out of his collar. I panic and snatched him up into my arms putting his collar back on. After a lot of manuering around, the dog finally went on his way. I realized that my cell phone was in my pocket. So I called animal control at the SPCA. I headed back to my car and put the boys inside. When Animal control arrived, they weren't able to catch the stray. When I was about to leave the park, Tony showed up with Oreo -a very tiny mixed breed. I warned him about taking Oreo on the path. While we were hanging out talking, two women with pugs were walking toward us in the parking lot. Following right behind them was the stray lab. Since I didn't want this dog to get out into the road and get hit plus he was pretty thin ... definitely needs a meal, I called the SPCA back. They loaded him up in their truck. They said that they have a 90 percent chance of finding his owners. The dog did have a collar but not any tags. Hopefully he has a microchip or his owners have contacted the shelter looking for him.

Annual Exam

It's that time of year again. The boys had their yearly physical exam. I always titer them for Parvo & Distemper. Just to amuse myself, I had the Super Chem & CBC blood work done again this year. After Bailey was diagnosed with a Liver Shunt at the age of 6, I'm somewhat paranoid. They also got the snap test for heartworm. Each year I stop the heartworm prevention in December and restart it the first of April. Sidney got his second rabies shot. It is a 3 year vaccine. Before the pugs get the rabies vaccine, I give them a homeopathic remedy that contains thuja, trameel, and two other ingredients. This is suppose to prevent a reaction to the rabies shot. The vet tech asked if she could shave Sidney so she could take his blood. I said a firm no. She was surprised with my answer. Now blood has been taken before without either of them needing to be shaved. I also asked to be present when this procedure was done. I hate it when they want to take them into the back room.

Ten Update

He's looking gooooood! Are you his forever home? Contact Alabama Pug Rescue if he's the one for you.

What Training?

Where have all the Show-N-Go's gone? It has definitely snowed on my parade.

February has been a month of training in the living room since all Show-N-Go's have been cancelled due to the 36 inches of total snowfall. There isn't any place to put all that snow in the parking lots.

January 29th was our last show. I haven't trained in a different locale than my home since January 25th. At the last show, Jasper NQ on the very last exercise, the broad jump. He anticipated the broad jump by jumping on my yes in reply to the judge's question "Are you ready?" He didn't wait for my "hup" command. The living room is much too small to practice this exercise. I can't practice at obedience class either since those classes have been cancelled do to snow as well.

You can't do much in a 12x14 room with furniture in it. I can only heel about 8 steps forward. I don't even try recalls since it would encourage him to come slowly since there is not much distant from Jasper to me. So what do we practice? Here are a few....

*random drops

*dumbbell games

*fronts & finishes

*left U's & Pivots

*inside figure 8/ outside figure 8

*attention games

This weekend we'll be showing if there isn't any more snowfall. Stay tuned.

Old Farmer's Advice

I came across some OLD FARMER'S ADVICE:

*Your fences need to be horse-high, pig tight and bull-strong.
*Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
*Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
*Meanness don't jes' happen overnight...
*Forgive your enemies; it messes with their heads.
*Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
*The best sermons are lived, not preached.
*Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
*Don't judge folks by their relatives.
*Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
*Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
*The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
*Always drink upstream from the herd.
*If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
*Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Ten Pic Update

Ten's skin is healing well. He's making good progress. Go to Alabama Pug Rescue for more Information.
http://www.alabamapugrescue.org/

Ten Looking Better

I just received this pic of Ten after he had a bath. He's so sweet.
http://www.alabamapugrescue.org/

Ten Needs A Forever Home

Ten, a pug who is fighting for his life, needs a forever home. Please donate to his care or consider being his forever home. Right now the little guy is being fostered by Alabama Pug Rescue. When they came upon Ten, he was starved and covered with demodectic mange. I was amazed that he was still alive. Looking at his picture, it breaks my heart to see the condition that he is in. I know that he will heal with the love and medical care that Alabama Pug Rescue will give him. Please help if you can.

Here is the Alabama Pug Rescue Website.
http://www.alabamapugrescue.org/

NOW THAT'S TOILET TRAINING

Now, can we train our pugs to do this?

Trixie At Seventeen

Trixie is loved and owned by a friend of mine. At 17, she is the oldest living dog I have ever known. She gets around quiet well for her age.

Rescue

I received this in an email today - thought it was a nice perspective.

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels.
I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.
I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.
As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today.

Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them. As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.
She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me.

I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raise my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.
I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one. I rescued a human today.

Author Unknown

Happy New Year

Since we're not football fans, we went out to dinner and saw a movie on New Year's Day.

It's Not That Complicated was hilarious. I laughed the entire time. In fact I was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down my face. It was well written and the actors were awesome. In other movies Steve Martin has always had a funny role. But in this movie his comedic talent did not shine since his character was not written that way.

I highly recommend the movie It's Not That Complicated.<