Let's Play!!!!!

The Eighty-Dollar Champion

2012-01-26T21:59:00.002-06:00

I finished reading "The 80 Dollar Champion" by Elizabeth Letts. It was suggested as part of the homework given a the end of an agility workshop given by Kim Anderson. She felt anyone who trains any sort of animal should read it. It speaks to the relationship between man and his horse, but applies to the relationship we build with our dogs.

The book is a true story that follows the journey and partnership of Harry de Leyer and his horse Snowman. From buying Snowman from a wagon bound for the slaughter house for $80 dollars to Champion.

I ♥ ♥ ♥ 'ed this book . A few of my favourite passages from it were.

“Our horse is already a champion, he said, and no one can ever take that away from him. And best yet , he ‘s in the trailer and he’s on his way home.”

“Snowman and Harry showed the world how extraordinary the most ordinary among us can be. Never give up even when the obstacles seem sky-high. There is something extraordinary in all of us”

Good-bye Brown Bomber

2012-01-21T08:05:00.002-06:00

Curious says "Good-bye and Thank-you!"

It had been almost 4 months since I first picked Curious up in Rosthern, and last Saturday her new owner took her home.

After a walk down a country road near Lianne's property, we gathered the old beat up football Curi came with, her CKC registration papers and some food and handed them over to Tennille. Lianne stuffed a new rubber football with treats for the trip home. Tennille opened the back door to her car where the seats were carefully covered with sturdy blankets . As this door opened and Curi hopped in a new chapter in her life began.

This new chapter will include life indoors, a dog bed (something she has not had in a very long time) and plenty of walks and outdoor activities. This summer Tennille plans to get her out swimming, something every Chessie has on their bucket list. Most of all she will have her own person.

While Curious was here she underwent a huge transformation. I believe this transformation has just begun and will continue in her new life.

Good bye Brown Bomber!

Settling a Score

2012-01-13T13:50:00.005-06:00

This morning a score was settled. About 3 months ago I walked into the vet’s office with a muzzled 7 year old rescued Chesapeake named Curious. She had been with me less then 24 hours and was there for a check up and shots before going to be fostered. I doubted she needed to wear the muzzle, but knew that no one should risk being bit and that Curious did not need the stigma of having bit someone.

On that day, the vet opened the examining room door and said “a Chessie wearing a muzzle…why am I not surprised?" I could feel my back stiffen as I bit my tongue. I instantly remembered why I had stopped going to this vet, but also remember this was the only place that could take us today.

Curi Jan 13, 2012

Today Curious and I walked into the same vet office. Curious was a much brighter and lighter Chesapeake, who is bound for her new home tomorrow. We came with a box of donuts and cookies for the staff and under the guise of coming to be weighed, Curious strutted her stuff. She walked in head held high and tail constantly wagging, on a loose leash, accepting pets and sitting on the scale when asked to. She sat politely while everyone ogled over her. The vet was in surgery, so we thanked everyone for their care and asked if they could please pass Curi's ’ news of a new home, on to the vet. The whole front office said good luck to Curious and assured me that they would tell the doctor how brilliant she looked and acted.

Now off to the groomers for a nail trim and brushing before the next chapter in the story of Curious begins.

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T21:39:00.022-06:00

New Year
New chapter in the book of Curious

The 1st day of ‎2012 started in a very good way for Curious . Today Curi met her new forever owner. The two are a brilliant match. Curi’s new owner has “ plenty of chessie experience" and believes you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Many thanks to Lianne D. for housing Curi at Charmlee Dogworks boarding kennel and playing a huge role in her care, training and socialization over the last 3 ½ months.

I am going to miss this brown bomber, but know she is going to a great home . I hope to add updates to Curi's story soon.

Happy 11th Birthday Ardi!

2011-12-01T20:00:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Ardi!

May you always keep your face toward the sunshine

- and shadows fall behind you.

A picture is worth a thousand words

2011-09-26T22:37:00.000-05:00

Recently I read an article that talked about professional photographers volunteering their talents to photograph dogs in rescue. It started with a Dachshund Rescue group and one photographer that felt the rescues needed to make a good impression from the start.
Here is a picture of Curious taken at a fundraiser photo shoot. It does capture her charm and beauty, what a pretty girl and we will see shortly if putting her best face forward will help her find a new home.

House Guest

2011-09-10T00:11:00.002-05:00

Soon to visit our house on a stop over to her forever home will be Curious. Curious is a 7 year old very spry female Chesapeake. I've only had a chance to visit with Curious for a short time, but as the picture shows she has 2 things going for her from the start. One, she is beautiful and two, she is a football fan. More to come on Curious when she arrives next week.

KAOS Drill Team

2011-08-12T07:32:00.000-05:00

From the 2011 Queen City Exhibition, the KAOS Drill team. This is just the second performance for the group. The team was made up of a Chesapeake Bay Retriever , a Labrador Retriever, a Duck Toller, two Golden Retrievers, a Mini Long Haired Dachshund, a Standard Poodle, a Rough Collie, a Boston Terrier and a Shetland Sheepdog.

What fun they were to watch and we hope to see more of them at upcoming dog events.

Peake Sisters

2011-07-15T08:56:00.000-05:00

Ardis @ 10 1/2 and Reese 2 1/2

Ardi's day in the Sun!

2011-07-07T20:25:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those days for me to take a step back from training and give youngster Reese a day off. Not only was it Ardi's day in the sun, but it was her day in the sand and water to.

Ardi came along to our training group gathering and enjoyed following us to set up land marks. A few bumpers got tossed for her and she hammed it up for treats. The real excitement for her was getting to the water marks and for the 1st time in a very long time she did get to bring back 2 birds. At 10 years old, Ardi is still thrilled to get out and bring back the birds. She later had a few long marks thrown with the launcher, which she enjoyed a nice leisurely swim out to and back. She is one happy and tired girl.

Reese's 1st Jumper Q

2011-07-05T16:55:00.002-05:00

We are just back from the Stand and Fly Agility Camp held in Prince Albert. What a wonderful camp we had. We learned so much, but have so much to learn, I will be back next year for sure.

After camp there was a 1 day AAC trial and I entered Reese in 2 Jumper runs and 2 Steeplechase runs. The Steeplechase runs were fast and fun, but a little over our heads. I caused a few off courses with my handling. But the good news was that Reese completed 3 sets of 12 weaves and held all her A-Frame contacts in the Steeplechase runs and did manage a clean run in her last Jumper round of the day. Her time was 23.65 seconds, I can definately see where we can tighten up some turns. Clean or not, it was really a lot of fun. Let's Play again soon.

Up and running.

2011-06-25T23:02:00.001-05:00

Well I am happy to report we are up and running and that our runs are bark free. It didn't take long for Reese to decide that barking was wasted energy, better saved for the run.

I am still working on finding the right pace for Reese. She would like to go full tilt, but I am not to comfortable with doing this for an extended period on pavement. There are a few places I could take Reese where I can let her run without being attached to the bike. When she barked at the bike and tried to bite the tire, this was not an option. I think running without any pressure to speed up or slow down while harnessed would be best.

If I let her, I would not have to pedal at all, in fact I have to frequently ride the break to slow her down. She is responding to a verbal easy and understands the turns, which I like. Frequent or sudden braking puts strain on the harness which puts strain on her so the more we ride together, the better it is for both of us.

Tonight I took the GPS with me and our route was 1.73 kms. We did this in 6.2 minutes and our maximum speed was 23.5kms per hour. Our average speed was 16.5kms.

Reese and I after the Ride

Reese @ the Working Certificate Test - Saskatoon Retriever Club

2011-06-19T21:02:00.017-05:00

Del Brave Flying Colours, RA, WC, CRAMCL
On June 17, 2011 Reese passed the Working Certificate Test at the Saskatoon Retriever Club. Reese ran in the lucky 13th spot in a field of 18 Retrievers.

The land marks were back to back singles using ducks. The marks were fairly straight forward at more then a 90 degree angle apart. The first mark was to the right of the line and was the shorter of the two. I would be hard pressed to say what the lengths were. But they seemed to be on the shorter side of the requirements. As you can see in the picture the grass was fairly long and this did cause a few problems for some of the dogs.

The water marks had to be adjusted after the test dog ran as they were 40 and 70 yds and had the dogs swimming into a very strong wind for the long bird. The marks were changed so that the shortest and the first bird thrown was thrown from the right so that it would stick on a point rather then drift out and was about 40 yards. The long mark was changed to be thrown out into the open water and would drift towards the dog.
Neither mark seemed too difficult and the throwers gave every dog a good throw. The only factor that made the long mark difficult was that the dogs were swimming into a very strong wind. The wind caused white caps on the water and when the dogs swam low to fight the wind they seemd to loose sight of the bird. You could see many of the dogs push themselves high up from the water and stretch their necks to see the bird. When they did this it made swimming into the wind difficult.
When the ribbons were handed out 11 of the 18 came away with a pass.

Mind your manners

2011-06-07T21:26:00.002-05:00

In Working Certificate and Hunt Tests, the dog is under judgment from the time it leaves the holding blind to the time it returns to the holding blind. This means the walk to the line, while waiting for the birds to go down in the field, while honoring and between marks. You can also be guaranteed that if your dog is whining, barking or digging in the holding blind the judges will not be amused. Poor line manners, not only put a dog into the judge’s bad books, but detract from the dogs’ ability to focus on the job at hand. If you hear someone say the dog had the line manners of a” goat” or that the dog “ate the judges lunch”, you know the dog was out of control.

I’ve found that, sometimes I’m so caught up in getting Reese doing marks or drills that I forget about the importance of line manners. If I allow her to drag me to the line, whine in the blind, cruise the duck pail in training, why would I expect anything different come test day.

It only stands to reason that training sessions aren’t the only place that manners come into play. Poor field or line manners can be traced to poor manners at home. Rushing the door, jumping on people, charging the food bowl or barging out of the crate the minute the door opens, are all signs of little or no self control. If the dog shows little self control in the home environment, how can they be expected to exercise control in the stimulating environment of birds, duck calls and gun shots?

At home I’ve taken a look at the little things that I’ve let slip and have decided to pay closer attention to them. At feeding time Reese is now waiting in a sit for her food bowl to be put down. She is asked to go to her designated spot to lie down when company comes or when I get home, rather then spinning in a frenzy. If she charges the gate or the crate door, I close it. We have gone back to working one of the 1st exercises she learned as a puppy called “Puppy Zen” Puppy zen is puppy self control. In the beginning we just worked at leaving a treat in my hand until invited to take it. It has all kinds of implications for everyday living. So now we are extending it to highly stimulating situations and things of high value, like the duck pail and bumper bag.

We often forget about the basics or the foundation things our dogs learned. When things go wrong in the field, it is a great time to reflect on what’s happening at home.

You have to walk before you can run!

2011-06-07T20:54:00.007-05:00

This is actually step 2 of us getting Reese used to the bike. In these video clips I am going it alone, while my accomplice (Bonnie) video tapes. Reese is doing remarkably well considering the first time out, she barked at the tire pretty much non-stop and has a love affair with barking at moving things.

Reese is wearing a practise harness, the real one will be longer in the back and distribute any pressure more evenly. The D ring that the Walky Dog attaches to will be back further towards Reese's hind end.

The real harness is ready to be picked up and with a few more practises, I think Reese and I will be on the road.

Biking with Reese

2011-06-05T22:10:00.003-05:00

Two of my favourite activities are cycling and hanging out with the dogs. Before I had dogs to exercise and train, I did a lot of cycling. Although I love them both, I never thought the two went together. I’ve had a couple of bicycle accidents and know it can be dangerous enough with out the added risks of biking with a dog. Secondly, I think unless done with consideration for the dogs well being and limitations it can wear the dog down more then it can benefit the dog.

I had a opportunity to try the Walky Dog, a bike accessory that can make riding with a dog safe and enjoyable. My first dog biking experience was biking with a friends Irish Setters, who are comfortable with the bike and know basic commands like Load up (get the harness on ) Whoa , Left and Right. It was a blast to say the least.

After trying it with the two Setters, we got Reese out, harnessed her up and spent a few minutes walking her beside the bike. Just walking beside the bike was going to be a test, as Reese has always been one to bark at moving objects. Weather it was the vacuum cleaner rolling down the hallway, garage door closing , teeter tipping or anything on wheels, she was sure it needed a talking to. We started by putting the harness on Reese and then attaching her to the bike and we just walked the bike. She barked a little bit, and pulled sideways a bit, but in no time she was keeping a steady distance and pace with the occasional bark. So I decided to get on the bike and ride. Once I got on the bike and started to ride Reese barked the whole time. She only let up when I picked up my speed and she had to concentrate more on keeping up then barking. Surprising though she did not try to pull forward or sideways and did understand when to slow down and turn. I gave the transitions names like “easy” and “left” and “right” but she was really cueing from the bike itself. Heaven knows she couldn’t hear me for the barking.

So I went out and got a Walky Dog attachment for my bike. My friend Monica gave me a harness to use, that belongs to one of her setters. It needs some repair, so while I am waiting for it to get fixed I will work on getting Reese comfortable around the moving bike. Tonight we harnessed Reese in an old tracking harness of Kate’s. Bonnie pushed the bike and I followed along with Reese on leash. I clicked and treated her everytime she made a choice not to bark at the tire. It went remarkably well, she did not bark once, although she did look like she was gearing up to bark, she didn’t. We ended this lesson here and will continue doing this until the biking harness is ready. As always more to come.

Owning It!

2011-04-13T23:58:00.006-05:00

After agility class was complete, Deb and I set up the dog walk at full height, along with 2 jumps and a tunnel. The exercise was taken from Bud Houston’s Blog and is intended to work on the dogs exit or dismount from the contact of the dogwalk. The blog suggests that the dog be released to all 4 positions without handling , I took this to mean handle it like it were a distance challenge.

The biggest challenge I could see is that Reese has not done a full height dog walk at the training center. We rarely set the dog walk at full height in the building; the flooring plus the lack of room rarely provide a safe approach. Deb and I were very conscious of the slip hazard and handled the dog walk approach by pushing the dog over a jump set parallel to the dog walk up contact. We let the dog square up their approach before we continued on our path along the walk. Both Reese and Rush have good 2 on 2 off contacts, so handling the dismount was fun and fairly easy.

After having success with this sequence we decided to work on having the dogs discriminate between the tunnel and the dog walk approach. We added a set of 6 weaves directly in line with the dog walk, but on the other side of the jump.

In order to set Reese up to succeed, I started close and approached the 2 obstacles with her on my right. I made a deliberate step sideways towards the tunnel with exaggerated movement. I then backed up about 3 feet on every attempt, until I was sending her from about 15 feet away. Then I switched her to my left side and did the same with the dog walk. I was so close to the dog walk up contact that she would have to duck behind me to take the wrong (tunnel) obstacle. I repeated this a couple of times. Then sent her over the jump directly ahead of the dog walk, had her do the weave poles and wrap back over the jump heading to the dog walk / jump combo. I asked her to do the “Walk” but I think I was late and she had already committed to the tunnel. When she came out I picked her up on my left side with out stopping to tug or reward her I spun her back to the sequence. She took the jump with good speed, completed the weaves quickly, as she turned back toward me I directed her over the jump and clearly said “Walk” . In a split second you could see the wheels turn and she glanced at the tunnel, but then took the walk. I was thrilled; we celebrated and tugged, and ended our session here.

As Bud Houston says in his blog, having success once does not mean we own the behavior. I have to say that I was thrilled with Reese’s honest attempts to process the information I was giving her. As always, much more to come….

Work and Play / Just once more!

2011-03-06T19:04:00.005-06:00

Today while Deb and I were training, we got out the stop watch and for every second of work, we had a second of play.
The 7 obstacle sequences we were running were taking between 20 and 27 seconds, from the beginning of the lead out to the last obstacle. Some runs went smoothly, and others not so much, but after each sequence I tugged with Reese for the amount of time we spent on the sequence.

This idea came to me after reading part of Marsha Houston’s Blog “The Two Minute Dog Trainer”. In the blog, Marsha talked about working drills, and that often we get so caught up in getting it right that we don’t reward our dogs for their efforts. I like to think that I am not guilty of doing everything "Just one more time" and forgetting to reward, praise and end when Reese still wants to play. So doing this was a bit of an eye opener for me.

Playing for the same amount of time as we worked was very exhausting, but exhilarating for both Reese and I.
Some observations:
1. Reese was totally focused on what we were doing..Before the sequence, during the sequence and after the sequence.
2. Physically, there was no way that I could tug for a full 27 seconds, though I am sure Reese could. So in the play time, I started running with Reese, so she had to stay with me rather then tug against me. She really seemed to like this and surprising to me she did not cross in front of me, behind me, jump on me or miscue to the tug (read bite me).
3. Having to play for the same amount of time that we worked, really had me breaking things down in to smaller, manageable parts. I worked on 3 obstacles and when I got the hard part., I stopped and played.

My criteria in training is for Reese to do things with speed and motivation. So it makes sense to keep things short and fun rather then try to train when she is tired or disinterested. So really Less is More!.

Teaching an old dog new tricks - Right and Left Turns

2011-02-15T12:09:00.004-06:00

I have resisted teaching Ardi and Reese right and left turns for use in agility, mostly because it takes me 20 seconds to turn everytbing around in my head to know which is right and which is left. With that delay I can't really see how it will work on course.

Ardi knows spin and turn. Which Bonnie taught for use in side changes in the Versatility class in Rally O. I do not know which is which, but I do use those verbals , usually just as a warm up and focus exercise.
Since watching the Dave Munnings video “Q-Me” and since there is still over 2 feet of snow on the ground I think it is time for me to teach the directionals to Reese and see how I can use them.

I started by teaching the left turn with Reese in front of me and using a treat pretty much in front of her nose luring her into a tight turn to the left and naming it Left. We worked left for a number of sessions, cutting back on the lure just using a hand motion with the word Left and treated at the end. Then just said the “Left” and pointed the direction I wanted her to go and then treated. Then we got a tug out, played a little asked her to out the tug, then with no body motion or hand motion , I simply said Left and she went left. At this time I am ¾’s of this process through in teaching the “Right” directional.

While teaching Reese, Ardi has been hanging around throwing her spins and turns in. This morning, I say left to both dogs with no body language, and they both get it. Then I say “right”, Reese gets it but Ardi goes left and looks confused. This is interesting to me, because before when asked the dogs to spin and turn. Reese’s reaction was delayed, like she was waiting to see what Ardi did. Now when I say Left or Right, Reese quickly does it and Ardi’s reaction to the word is delayed and wrong if I say right. I feel the pain in Ardi’s confusion , but Reese on the other hand has it pretty much figured out. Stay tuned for more on our progress with the Left and Right turn.

Reese's 1st Agility Trial-

2011-01-23T20:51:00.009-06:00

On January 22, 2011, Reese was entered in her 1st Agility Trial. It was held in Moose Jaw by the Band City Kennel and Obedience Club.

We entered 2 Gambler Rounds and 2 Standard rounds. Reese had some really good stuff happening despite the allure of the horse nuggets. She held all her start lines, did 6 and 12 weaves and completed one of the main gambles. She also maintained her criteria of a 2 on 2 off on all contacts, except 1. That one was a biggy and despite it having great crowd appeal, it was not so entertaining to me. In fairness though, I don't think they were laughing at the flyoff, but more at her retaliation to the teeter.

The video shows the flyoff in her 1st Standard run and then after the table it goes on to her 2nd Standard run and it shows she remembers the proper way to do the teeter. Even though Reese was over taken by the arena smells and the zoomies in a few places, I was very happy with a lot of stuff she did and it gave me a good indication of where we are with our training.

Booted and Suited Up

2011-01-20T11:23:00.013-06:00

This morning we woke up to -34C with the windchill it feels like -46. Windchill you ask, how do you figure out the windchill,? Well Wikipedia has a very scientific explanation of how to calculate the wind chill index. In unscientific terms, it is very cold, too cold for man or beast.

As luck would have it, Canada Post delivered a parcel from Eromit Labrador Retrievers and Pet Supplies this afternoon. Inside were 2 pair of fleece dog boots, one for Ardi and one for Reese. Thanks to Erin, Ardi and Reese are able to spend enough time outside to take care of business without freezing up. No need to chase the squirrels, not even they are brave enough for this weather, but the yard did recieve the customary patrol for varmints. This weekend the weather promises to be warmer, so there is a good chance they will get a chance to try their boots while I snowshoe.

Reese and Ardi booted and suited up.

Pet Expo Practise - 3 Point Barrel

2011-01-16T21:06:00.007-06:00

Reese

This video is of Reese, Ardi and Bliss practising 3 point barrel. They are preparing for the end of January when our club will be performing a number of public demonstrations at Pet Expo. Pet Expo raises funds for the Regina Humane Society and features a number of booths, demonstrations and mini workshops geared to the pet owner.

This demonstration is fashioned after the rodeo event of barrel racing. The object is for the handler to direct the dog around a clover-leaf pattern of preset barrels in the fastest time. In some of our demos we race dog against dog, with the fastest dog winning. While other times we pair kids and dogs, each takes a turn to run the course and their times are combined. The fastet combined time wins.

Ardis

The barrels are set fairly close together in this video, mostly because of the building size, but they are also placed closer together while the dogs are learning the pattern. Reese and Bliss are fairly young and new to this type of demonstration, while Ardis is an older dog out to get a little exercise. The handlers of the young dogs are concentrating on tightening up the dogs turns to get a better time. Both young dogs are doing well in their training. We will see if they have perfected their performances enough to be included in the demonstrations at the end of the month.

Bliss

My favourite photo of 2010

2011-01-01T18:49:00.002-06:00

St. John Ambulance Therapy Team

Ardis and Bonnie

In 2010, Bonnie and Ardis completed 100 hours of community service as a Therapy team. Together they visit William Booth Salvation Army Home and take part in various St John's program visits.

Ardis and Bonnie have been part of the St John Ambulance program since 2007 when they were successfully certified as a Therapy team. Certification consists of being evaluated by a qualified evaluator. The dog is evaluated on thier obedience and temperament and the team is put through a number of scenarios they may encounter during visitations.

I am very proud of the work that Bonnie and Ardis do in the community and know that they find it very rewarding.

THERAPY DOG PRAYER
"Creator of all things,
Grant us the humility that the works
We behold with our eyes
Through our Therapy dogs
We may accept in our hearts
As a revelation of your love
For all humanity. "

Ardi and Reese's Geo Coin

2010-12-04T22:48:00.012-06:00

Today is exactly 1 year since Ardi and I headed out on an adventure armed with the GPS receiver from the car. On December 4th last year I found my 1st geocache and today while out with my sister Judy and Ardi , I found cache number 390.

Ardi tries to budge Star55 into action

Geocaching is like a scavenger or treasure hunt using a GPS. Once you find the cache you can trade items or pick up collectibles or travelling game pieces.

The cache seeking provides the chance to get outdoors with friends and often Ardi or Reese come along. The hunt takes us to many places we may never have gone and the game gives us cause to document and log our trips.

Collecting and trading trackable game pieces is a whole other dimension of geocaching. Recently a fellow dog fancier and geocacher gave me a collectible called a Geo coin. It is a special coin called a Geo Dog coin.

Ardi & Reese's Geo Dog Coin

My plan is to take with me anytime I have Ardi or Reese with me and log every cache it visits with them. I will also take it to caching events and dog events so other cachers can discover it. Everytime I log a visit, the information is stored on the coins own web site (http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=1024566) and I will be able to track the mileage and places visited. Today Ardi travelled with me to 4 caches and we logged 26 kms. It will be interesting to see the log a year from now.

Happy 10th Birthday Ardi

2010-11-26T22:46:00.004-06:00

Ardi celebrated her 10th Birthday today by going to a Rally O fun match and then coming home to have some Birthday cake with Reese.

Agility Grids - Blank course maps

2010-09-21T07:39:00.004-05:00

Have you ever wanted or needed a grid to map a course in competition or at a seminar? The Agility Nerd has a web site where you can create blank course maps of any size, download them as PDFs, print them and share them with your friends.
Here is the web site. http://agilitycourses.com/
It sounds like the page may have more capablilities in the future. The grids would also be useful for Rally O Courses.

Teaching the dog to "GO ON"

2010-09-12T17:13:00.010-05:00

I was looking for an exercise to help Reese realize, when given permission, it is okay to move ahead and take what is in her path. I found an exercise in Bud Houston’s “Joker’s Notebook” , where he uses hoops set at an equal distance apart to do this.

We got 3 hula hoops and taped them to the jump standards. We took just 1 hula hoop and got the dog to go through it, throwing a toy along an established reward line. Then added hoop 2 about 5 feet away, with success we moved on to adding the 3rd, hoop. Once the dogs were doing all 3 hoops, we started increasing the distance between the hoops. We were working with 5 dogs. Three of the dogs were fairly young and inexperienced. By the time we completed a 5 minute session, they were travelling about 15 to 20 feet ahead of their handlers on the “GO” The two more experienced dogs were travelling 30 to 35 feet ahead of their handlers and the handlers were getting enough lateral distance to be able to layer a tunnel 10 ft from the jumps. It was a fun exercise for the dogs and you could see their confidence increase with each run. We will do this again.

Training group at Duckweed Pond

2010-08-20T21:10:00.006-05:00

Retriever testing season for the group I train with is done and training is winding down. We had a very laid back night, where we took some pictures and did a few marks. Here is a picture of our training group, posed with our coveted pink bumpers. The picture was taken at a spot I call Duck weed Pond. This spring the area was nothing but splash water. With all the rain this summer this area is now a pond. It is green because it is covered in duck weed.

Missing from this picture are Heather with Haylee and Reg and Abby. Patti & Reese, Jill and Sonny, Lianne and TeeJay, Gail and Jack

This night was a great opportuniity to bring Ardi along. We shortened up the marks and gave her the whole nine yards of calls and guns. Ardi was the happiest I have seen in a long time. She even brought her signature move out of retirement, where she pounced on the bird from about 6 feet away. We left her out while everyone got pictures taken and she went from vehicle to vehicle grabbing dokkens and bumpers presenting them to anyone who would throw for her. She always liked to shake dokkens after picking them up, but after whacking herself a few times , she learned how to shake them gently, she pulled this move out as well . Ardi made us all laugh and hammed it up for more attention. Thanks Yo for the pictures.

Ardi

TeeJay

Sonny

Jack Reese

When it was all done we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

Things don't always go as planned or Humble Pie?

2010-08-16T10:41:00.007-05:00

The retriever training season, sadly is winding down. The Working Certificate test held by the Regina Retriever Club this past weekend was to be the finale to our Retriever training season

To be honest Reese had been doing everything needed to pass the WC in training. We have even pushed her a bit and she has done a few doubles in preparation for the next step, which is WCI. It seemed like the morning of the test Reese had other plans. She ran out to her 1st mark brilliantly, picked it up with out flaw. But the delivery to hand was where things broke down.
Reese has had a tendency to come up with many creative ways to delay getting the bird to hand. But test day was the most creative and somewhat disappointing of all. Despite the judge giving me every opportunity to have her bring the bird across the line, it was not going to happen. We didn’t even get to do the second mark, until the end where the Judge allowed us to come back and try it. Something told me not to try it, but I didn’t listen to my own reason. The performance was pretty much the same, but stung a little more then the 1st. Lesson learned.
Stay tuned, although I won’t have the opportunity to test again this year, training will continue. At least until the snow flies.

CBRCC National / Regional Specialty and Alberta Kennel Club Shows

2010-08-02T07:47:00.003-05:00

We made the trip to the Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club of Canada’s National and Regional Specialty. The shows were held at Spruce Meadows, the renowned Equestrian facility in Calgary, AB. The facility was amazing and the grounds and scenery were wonderful.

The entry was small in comparison to other breed specialties. But what it lacked in numbers was made up for by organizers effort to make it a 1st class and memorable event. Every competitor received a stainless steel water bucket full of many prizes. There were framed prints and beautiful carved duck trophy for Best of Breed and a lovely bronze depicting a Chesapeake bringing back the bird. Competitors came from Ontario, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Idaho. It was great to meet other Chesapeake breed enthusiasts. This was the 1st time I have seen more then 3 Chesapeakes in 1 place at a time.

National Specialty Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Winner Trophy's

Reese was entered in the National and Regional Specialty as well as the 2 Alberta Kennel Club shows. She was also entered in 2 Rally O trials. Bonnie handled Reese beautifully in the conformation ring and then rushed to the Rally O ring. When ribbons were handed out for the Novice B Class. Chesapeakes were 1st and 2nd in the class. Karen Dougglas with her boy George scored a 99 to take 1st place followed by Bonnie and Reese with a score of 93.

On day 2 of the AKC all breed show Reese took Best of Winners, for what we think was 2 points. Because she stayed and played in the conformation ring, she missed her call in the Novice B Ring.
We had a wonderful time and hope to put this event on our calendar again next year.

Decoy Days Pay off in Reese's Hunt Test Debut

2010-07-27T07:32:00.009-05:00

On July 24th and 25th, 2010, Reese ran in her first CKC Hunt Tests. The tests were hosted bythe Brandon Retriever Club in Brandon Manitoba. We travelled with our training partner Lianne who is running her Golden, TeeJay in Senior and Aimee, a pup of her breeding in Junior.
The Brandon grounds are fantastic and the Brandon people very friendly and supportive.

The morning of the test it was warm and wet as a thunder storm moved through the night before and left a few puddles . The judges set up some very nice marks that were fairly simple compared to some Reese had seen in training. She came through land and water with only a few delivery glitches and qualified in her 1st Junior Hunt Test.

On Sunday our land marks were thrown around a snow goose spread. The Junior dogs had some fairly wide marks that had them run the perimeter of the spread. All though it seemed daunting to the handlers who had not seen them before, the marks were well outside of the spread and did not cause many problems with the dogs ability to find them. Water marks were a different story, both were very similar in that they both landed on land, but had the dog enter the water, go over a finger of land, re-enter the water and then find the bird on land. The water entry from the line had a row of duck decoys about 5 feet in front of the line, all facing the dog and handler.
Reese cracking the decoy's defensive line.

The decoys caused problems for half the dogs as they tried to skirt the decoys and enter further down the bank, this of course put them off the marks or caused them to shore run.
Two dogs completely shore ran to the mark. One other shore ran on the way back. Of the remaining 3, two of the dogs Reese and Trip entered right at the line and were not phased by the decoys. Both these dogs had the benifit of training at Decoy Days set up by two of the or club members Red Wilkinson and Wayne Nessett. So a big thank you to both of them for setting up decoy day and providing such a great training opportunity, Reese came away with her 2nd pass in this Junior Hunt Test.

Fishing for the Chesapeake Bay Retriever

2010-07-21T07:45:00.004-05:00

This is just plain fun. I like the end of the video where he holds up his prize catch for photographs, then releases him back into the wild.

Live it and Love it.

2010-07-10T09:56:00.007-05:00

A couple of weeks a go I was heading out to do some field work with Reese, I was only going to be gone about 3 or 4 hours, so Ardi was to stay home. She threw a complete fit, barged out the door and ran down the easement. This shocked me,as she is not a door crasher.

I brought her back in and finished loading the vehicle. The last trip was to pick up my sunglasses and water bottle, which I left on the step by the door. Both were gone. I looked around the corner to find Ardi standing over my glasses with the water bottle in her mouth. my heart melted and I asked if "she wanted to come"? She started slapping the floor and spinning circles. I had to rearrange the whole vehicle to fit her crate in, but come along she did. She even jumped into her crate on her own, which she has not done in over a year.

When I got to the retriever grounds, everyone was waiting, I opened the door to Ardi's crate and said "Hey everyone,look who's here" She ran around rooed and spun. Most of my training group had not seen her in a very long time. It seemed as if everyone got caught up in her excitement to be there, we all forgot about the young dogs in the crates waiting to be trained. I realized why I love this old dog so much, she makes me stop and enjoy life and remember it is meant to be lived and loved.

A little Bliss

2010-06-26T23:49:00.006-05:00

Here is a video of Bliss on the last night of Canine Fun 201 class. She is playing with her handler Deb and is 1 year old. Rather cute, wouldn't you say?

Decoy Days 2010 & Picnic Trial

2010-06-13T07:28:00.003-05:00

This year the Retriever Club held 2 great training events. On June 12th and 13th we held Decoy Days, with land marks being run on Saturday and water marks being run on Sunday.

The land marks consisted of 5 different marks run through different spreads of decoys. The organizers and volunteers were up early to set up the decoys. We had a Robo duck at the line and wind sock decoys, Texas rags, silhouette, goose shells, 3d goose decoys spread through out the field. We took the time to walk a few of the young dogs through the field before we sent them on marks. Most dogs were unfazed by the many decoys in the field and the majority blazed their ways through the decoys to the marks

Reese bring back the bird.

So much to do!

2010-04-16T10:57:00.004-05:00

Today while walking Ardi at one of her favourite parks, I made a deal with her. The deal is: this spring, summer,fall and maybe winter, for the next 5 to 10 years. I am going to take her to all the places we trained and she is just going to walk, swim, sniff, dig, root and bird watch. She can retrieve if she wants, or she can spit the bird or bumper if she wants. I love my old girl, and we still have so much to do together.

Reese's Perfect Score

2010-04-14T21:23:00.010-05:00

On April 11, 2010 Reese handled by Bonnie achieved a perfect score in the Novice B ring, to complete the requirement for a CARO Rally Novice (RN) title.

Here is a a picture of them accepting their ribbons and a copy of their course.

Bonnie,Reese and Judge Laurie Albright

Caching with Ardi- Our 1st find

2009-12-20T23:10:00.005-06:00

I had been waiting all week to get out and find my first Cache. It was December 4/09 and the temperature had dropped to -18 C. Ardi and I weren’t going to let the cold stop us, we bundled up and headed out.

Ardi in her borrowed Chillydog Great White North Coat

My plan was to walk to the Cache from home, but with the cold I opted to drive. The cache was located in an urban sub-division, about 2 km from my house. I didn’t have a handheld GPS, so headed out with the vehicle Tom-Tom as my guide.

We parked about 200 meters from the cache on the opposite side of the street. Had I read the map right, I would have known that I needed to cross the street to find it. I crossed the street a few times in both directions before I saw it. It probably took me 5 minutes and it would have been less if I actually was looking for it rather then looking at the GPS. I took the log book back to my vehicle to sign. Then drove around the block to end up on the right side of the street. We parked about 200 meters away, then Ardi and I put the log book back and proceeded to a near by park for a quick walk. Quick it was as we were both getting kind of cold.

Geocaching

2009-12-19T22:30:00.005-06:00

I first heard about Geocaching about 5 years ago. Someone sent me an article about it and at the time I thought it would be fun to try. I had forgotten about it, until a competitor at a Rally O trial (November 2009) told me her husband travelled with her to the trial and was enjoying a weekend of Geocaching while she trialed.

Geocacing is a game of hiding and seeking treasure. What you need is a GPS and probably a PC or Laptop with internet connection to get you to the Geocaching .com website. The website helps you locate caches hidden in your area or area’s you may be visiting. It provides co-ordinates of where the cache is hidden, as well as a place to record and share your finds. Once you get to the cache there may be some trinkets, but most often there is a logbook to sign. The rule of thumb when you find a cache is “If you take something, leave something” and sign the logbook.

This is something you can easily enjoy with your dog. Both dog and Cacher (that’s you) can enjoy fresh air, exercise and some great scenery. Check out the Geocaching website at geocaching.com.

Good-bye to an Old Friend

2009-12-13T09:01:00.012-06:00

Roxy – 1995 to Dec 13, 2009
Black Diamond Rox, FDCH-S
On December 13, 2009, Bonnie and I said good-bye to Roxy, free to run and play with out worry or pain.
We thought she had been doing well this winter in an old dog kind of way, but the cold weather really dragged her down and we discovered a massive tumor under her left arm, surrounded by many smaller ones.

Roxy was the leader of our pack and taught the Chesapeakes many dog to dog manners. She also taught Bonnie and I many things and introduced us to the dog community.

We picked her up from the local shelter in September of 1995. The shelter guesstimated her to be a 6 month old Shepherd Lab X. She had been found running scared in the inner city after a huge storm. We named her Roxy, and later when we registered her with AMBOR (Ameican Mixed Breed Obedience Registry). We chose the name Black Diamond Rox as she had a black diamond on her tongue.

Roxy loved all people she met, but barely tolerated most dogs. Amazingly, she always managed to get along with the dogs we introduced to the household. Puppies were fine and she tolerated the one dog we fostered.

The greatest joy for Roxy was to accompany Bonnie on her trips to the farm and to visit her parents. She loved being the house dog and took her job of keeping order and peace in the household very seriously.

Good-bye old friend....run free.

Dog to Dog Play

2009-09-30T09:48:00.002-05:00

This may be of interest to those who have new puppies. It is a video on a blog by Patricia McConnell that shows appropriate play between an older and younger dog.

Besides the video, the blog piece and following comments provide some insight into what dogs teach each other. We can learn a lot if we watch closely.

http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/lassie-self-handicaps-with-willie/

Happy Girls!!

2009-09-28T18:51:00.002-05:00

Decoy Days - 2009

2009-06-07T11:52:00.011-05:00

Each year, the Retriever club holds a Decoy Day. Decoys are set and marks planned to expose and train dogs in various elements of field work. The event is run like a trial,with holding blinds, dead birds, shots and duck calls.

The decoys are always the highlight and this year we had, 3D Goose silhouettes, wind socks, Canada Goose shells, Snow Goose shells, Texas rags and a couple of Robo-Ducks.The weather was cold and windy, great for the dogs, but not so much for the handlers.

After the big dogs ran, we brought out the puppies and a few of the older dogs, shortened up the marks and had a blast.

Spring Tune Up - Marking

2009-04-26T15:54:00.007-05:00

Did you ever wonder how to improve your dogs marking ability? The first thing that comes to mind is to have them do many marks of varying lengths and in all kinds of cover.
A lot of my training is done in a training group. We work varying set ups to expose the dogs to a wide variety of elements. By the time we set marks up and run multiple dogs, the number of marks each dog gets is minimal. So when someone offered this tip to our training group, I hopped on it.

Get an $8.00 ball-launching toy. Some brand names are Chuck-it or Launch-a-Ball. They can be found in places like Wal-Mart or other stores with pet sections.

Start by taking the launcher , a couple of balls, and your dog to a field; the cover type and terrain would depend on your dog’s experience. For a young dog you would want to take them someplace that has little cover, like a ball diamond or mown field. The more experienced dog could be taken to any field with similar terrain and cover you would use in training or testing.

Start by scenting the ball. Some suggestions would be to leave in your bumper bag, spit on it or leave in a duck pail. Whatever you do to scent the ball remember, your dog will be retrieving to hand.

Next facing into the wind with your dog in heel, leave them in a sit and take a few steps forward, toss a couple of balls keeping the distances short. Release your dog to retrieve after the ball has bounced at least once. The key element is success, so have a couple of balls handy to plant in the event your dog is not finding the ball.

Once the dog gets the hang of marking your throws, you can graduate to heavier cover and varying terrain. You also rotate your throws around the field, varying the length of throw. Rotating for each throw changes the wind direction. That can vary the difficulty of each mark without changing your set up.

Things to remember.
1. Make sure the field you take your dog to is safe; free of any debris, holes, sharp objects, has been chemically treated or things like spear grass.
2. Always enforce the retrieve to hand…if you don’t want to handle a slobbery ball, wear gloves.
3. Always send remotely. Weather in front of the dog, to the side with some lateral distance or behind. This is all part of your dog honing its ability to mark the fall. Without the aid of you pointing them in the direction of the throw.
4. Always require your dog to be steady. Use a platform or a mat so you know if your dog is creeping

A friend told me a bumper launcher works pretty much the same way. Frankly if I had one I would use it. But I look at it this way, if my dog can spot a tennis ball and mark its fall, a bird or bumper will be a piece of cake.
Happy Training.

Casey's Birthday Cake

2009-04-15T20:18:00.010-05:00

Casey is an Australian Shepherd owned and loved by my friend and training partner Debbie. Casey has had a paw in the socializing of Ardi, Kitt and Reese , and played flyball with Kate and Roxy.

Yesterday, April 14, 2009 Casey turned 14 years old. This is his special Birthday Cake served on an official Canadian Disc Dog Frisbee and specially made by John. The great thing about this cake is that it can be enjoyed by people and dogs alike. (one side has dog cookies, the other people crackers)

LIVER PATE' (CHICKEN)
1 lb. chicken livers

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 c. minced onions (or shallots – better yet)

1/8 tsp. tarragon leaves

1/4 c. butter

1/8 tsp. whole thyme leaves

1/4 c. Cognac or Brandy

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. whipping cream

1/2 tsp. salt

Saute livers and onions in 1/4 cup butter over low heat until livers are lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Pour cognac into same skillet and simmer until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Combine livers, onions, cognac, cream and seasonings; pour into container of food processor.
Process for 30 seconds or until smooth. Add 1/2 cup butter and process until smooth. Pour mixture into an oiled 3 cups bowl; chill several hours or overnight. Unmold pate' and serve with crackers.

Casey enjoying his Cake!!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Retriever Training Season is Open!!!

2009-04-14T22:07:00.015-05:00

Last week the weather was nice enough to get out to the Retriever training grounds . The roads were too wet and muddy to get anywhere, but the paved road and roadside were dry enough to get the dogs out for a walk. With Reese on a long line we practised coming in to the whistle and found a nice dry sandy hill to do restrained recalls up and down. After Reese was done Ardi did some lining drills down the hill.

Ardi's 1st Retrieve of 2009

This week all the snow has disappeared, but there is still ice on the ponds. We were able to get close to the ponds today and do a little obedience training and practise the hold under the distractions of geese and ducks on the open water.

Reese watches the ducks and geese on the mostly frozen ponds.

Reese taking the show on the road and practising the hold with distractions.

Spring has sprung!!!

2009-03-22T23:05:00.001-05:00

This weekend I was tied up with our clubs Rally O trial and secretary duties. It was a fun weekend seeing the people I train with competing. It could have been a rather boring weekend for Reese, so I decided to take her with me both days, and work on her socializing. After all it is spring, and new sights and sounds are popping up all over. Reese got to meet a lot of people and dogs at the training center. But our best training opportunities took place outside the training center between runs and at lunchtime.

First of all we enlisted people entering the building to help us work on a polite greeting. No small feat, a few friends entered the building wind blown sporting muddy paw prints. Eventually Reese was getting the idea that no one was going to pay any attention to her until all four feet were on the ground.

We walked next door to where there is a fenced compound. It is the time of year where melting snow is freeing debris that has been trapped since fall. Large pieces of sheet Styrofoam insulation were plastered to the fence. As the wind gusted and then subsided, it hurled the foam against the fence, creating a booming noise. At first this was a little unnerving for Reese, but she quickly recovered and went about her business exploring. The other things Reese found very intriguing were the plastic bags and strips of plastic that had attached themselves to the compound fence and were flapping in the wind. We investigated many of them, but within 5 they were old hat and we were back to working a little obedience, simple stuff like sits, stays and controlled walking (to say we were heeling would be a huge stretch).

This was a perfect training, socializing opportunity for Reese….as we both anxiously wait for better weather to get out into the fields

Rear End Awareness - More Puppy Stuff

2009-02-25T22:59:00.006-06:00

In all we do with our dogs we ask for some very precise movements. It only makes sense to take some time to develop their back end awareness . I like ladder work as well as different pole configurations to help dogs of all ages develop co-ordination and rear end awareness.

With the ladder the dog should step in each rung. Speed is not important and the dog should not hop through the ladder. The poles are one of my favourite things, this configuration came from a Tellington Touch book. The book uses cavelletti poles in all different configurations to develop confidence in horses and dogs, the confidence comes through body awareness and shows up in movement and carriage. This particular pattern (I call it the star) can be made more challenging by lifting the poles to rest on the tunnel. The handler can actually stand inside the tunnel and have the dog walk the raised portion of the pole. This would be pretty advanced for a puppy, not to mention too easy for the handler.

The video below is of a typical training session with 17 week old Reese. She is loosing teeth left and right, or we would normally tug once we completed an exercise. For this session we used praise and treats. It works , and I think it is good to alternate motivators and reinforcers.

To Tug or Not To Tug

2009-02-11T20:09:00.010-06:00

Tug of War is a good game for teaching a puppy to switch between Crazy Dog mode and Thinking Dog mode. It can help teach the pup self control and puts good behaviour on cue, even when it is more fun to do all the natural things puppies do like, grab, shake pull and growl.
Tug of War should only be played under strict rules. Here is a summary of the Rules of Tug taken from the San Francisco SPCA Behavior and Training Department.

1. Dog must out on command
2. Must only tug with designated object and when invited to take
3. No uninvited takes or re-takes
4. Frequent Obedience breaks
5. Zero Tolerance for Miscues or any broken rules. If the pup contacts skin, Screech “OUCH” even if it didn’t hurt and promptly end the game. Even if the miscue is an accident, the dog must go out of their way to avoid skin contact or face a game misconduct (game ends)

Important: Children should not play Tug of War with dogs, unless they know and can uphold “ALL” the rules.

The Rules of Tug

demonstrated by 16 week old Reese.

Puppy Stuff - Foundation Training

2009-02-01T21:05:00.012-06:00

So the foundation training begins for young Reese. In Puppy K this week, we did an impulse control exercise to nip jumping up, while greeting, in the bud. In this exercise the pups leash is looped to the door knob, the handler walks away, then returns to greet the pup, the pup usually jumps up to greet, the handler stops the approach and waits for the puppy to sit, then quickly marks the behavior with a yes (or click) and treats the pup in a sit.

In the 1st picture, you can see Reese came out to the end of the lead before she sat, but in the next picture, she did not strain to the end of the leash and sat before she got to the end of the leash without jumping up.

This week at home I have been trying some exercises from a book received at Puppy Camp a couple of years ago. The book is From the Ground Up: Agility Foundation Training
for Puppies and Beginner Dogs by Kim Collins. The exercise we worked on this week is called Stool work. It is an exercise designed to help the pup gain back end awareness. The idea is to have the dog come up onto the stool (which is only about 6 to 8 inches high) with their front feet and then move their back legs around the stool. Reese likes to balance herself on the stool, but does stand with her front feet on the stool and rotate her back feet around the stool.

The other exercise we have been working on at home this week is the nose touch to the hand. This can help bring the pup back into focus. I like to use it as a hands off approach to getting the pup where you want them.

Reese @ her 1st Agility Trial

2009-01-26T22:32:00.005-06:00

Reese started Puppy K two weeks ago. So far the main focus for the pups has been socialization. That means introductions to people, dogs and new sights and sounds. We have a check list of new things to encounter for homework.
So Reese made the trek with Ardi and I to an agility trial to do some homework. There she met many people and dogs, climbed the bleachers, chased some sparrows and was thrilled when spectators cheered and clapped. She was certain it was all for her. Reese settled nicely in her crate while I walked the courses, worked my shifts and ran with Ardi. She was one tired pup by the time we got home.

Schedule of Reinforcement- Weaning from treats.

2009-01-16T15:36:00.004-06:00

I'm reading a book right now written by Patricia B.McConnell called Family Friendly Dog Training -A six week program for you and your dog.
We are just working on week 2 with Reese and are already being encouraged to begin a random schedule of rewarding, which to my surprise is working really well.
I really like to keep the dog guessing where and when the reinforcement (treats, toys, praise or quick game of tug) will be coming from. But am really surprised to find that you can start randomizing the schedule of reinforcemtne this early with some things like the sit and recall in a 12 week old pup.

Dogs & People need sunshine & fresh air

2009-01-16T15:19:00.008-06:00

Finally after some very bitter cold, we have weather nice enough to get out side with the new pup. Believe it or not, the temperature yesterday was -36 C with the windchill it was like -42C. Today it is -1...go figure, no go play outside.

Baby it's cold outside!!!!!

2008-12-17T08:50:00.006-06:00

The weather has been very cold (-29C feeling like -38 with the windchill) , preventing Reese from flying here. Not only that, Ardi is not getting out for much exercise. We took advantage of me being off of work and went indoors to do some jump work.
Below are the 2 combinations we set up. The first is just 3 jumps, set very close together, height was fairly low. We started with the wing jump and and did the right or left jump depending which side I was on. This got Ardi bounce striding and at the same time bending to complete the next jump. We did 3 each way then moved on to the second set up.

The second set up offers a lot of combinations to practise pinwheels, turns and crosses. We had a lot of fun with this and I had a chance to practice some of my verbal cues as well.

Reese Does Stairs - 6 weeks

2008-12-06T11:10:00.003-06:00

Reese on the move at 6 weeks old.

Pups 25 Days Old

2008-11-18T06:48:00.006-06:00

Doobie

Calvin

Bosco

Reese ( was Tye )

Bling

KAOS Dogsports CARO Rally O Trial

2008-11-17T06:45:00.004-06:00

Here is a picture of the KAOS club members and who participated and qualified at our 1st ever Rally O trial, with judge Renee Will.

Back Row L to R: Renee Will (Dawn), Bonnie Mountenay (Ardi missing), Monica Radwanski (Zena & Aire), Al Clow (Cyndi)

Front Row L to R: John Davies (Becky), Donna Lewis (Flash & Quest), Jennifer Oldfield (Finny), Deb Wiest (Rush), Carla Mattision ( Willow). Missing is Joyce Baker (Roper and Duncan).

Puppy News

2008-11-09T21:20:00.011-06:00

Hard to believe I haven't blogged anything all fall.. Yikes. The good news is a Chesapeake puppy in our future. Born on October 22, 2008 to Ch. Silvercreek's Serena Del Brave and sired by Ch. Chestnut Hill Blizzard were 5 pups, 3 males and 2 femals. One of the females will be coming to live here.

One of the girls is Bling, the biggest of the pups with white on her rear toes and a fairly large white spot on her chest. Here she is at 14 days old. She's a big un, definately a two hander

This is Tye. She is smaller, all brown and darker then Bling. She was the 1st of the pups to open her eyes at 10 days. old

This is a video of 4 of the pups when they were 18 days old. Bling is the big one on top and Tye is the little one on the bottom.

Dock Dog at Buffalo Days '08

2008-08-04T08:48:00.015-05:00

This is a video of Ardi's practise jump before the 1st Wave. My technique needed a little work. My plan was to leave her on a sit at the 40' mark of the dock. Then walk about half way down the dock to throw the bumper. In her practice jumps she was jumping between 13 and 14 feet.

During the week we jumped in 3 waves, each dog in the wave gets 2 jumps and the best jump is the official jump. In the 5th and 8th wave I decided to throw her Doken instead of the bumper, but kept everything the same. At the end of the 8th wave, Julie from Dock Dogs told me that if I got more speed out of Ardi I would probably get some longer jumps.

With our biggest jump of the week being 15'3 we went into the Amateur playoffs seeded 3rd. In the playoff round, I thought about how to get more speed as Julie suggested and decided to change a few things. I didn't make Ardi heel to the dock, I let her pull all the way there. I had to change from my sandals to runners, as I would not be able to hold her on the wet floor or dock and stay upright. When I got to the top of the dock I took her leash off, held her by the collar walked her to the end of the dock, threw the Doken in and told her to "mark" let her look at it for a second then turned her back to the same spot I had sent from through out the week. Then in flyball release fashion I reved her up and let her go. In the playoff round Ardi jumped 16'8" then 17'2". This put her into 1st place going into the medal round.

In the medal round she jumped 19'10 inches and 19'11" to win the Amateur playoffs. It was very exciting as many people from our dog club were in the stands cheering us on and this played a big part in reving Ardi up.
Ardi's Jumps
Wave 1 - 12' 7" - 1st Place
Wave 5 - 15' 3" - 2nd Place
Wave 8 - 15' 2" - 3rd Place
Playoff- 17' 2" and 18' 3" - 1st Seed headed to the Medal Round
Medal - 19'11" - 1st Place In the Amateur Division

Dock Dogs are Coming!!!

2008-07-28T09:06:00.007-05:00

Dock Dogs are coming to the Regina Buffalo Days Exhibition. Ardi would not rest until I signed her up. She has been waiting a long time to try her paw at this. Really what could be more fun for a Chesapeake then running, jumping, swimming and retrieving? She jumps in 3 waves (Wave #'s 1-5-8) and will also be part of the entertainment that KAOS Dogsports will provide in 3 shows a day. I'll post back later with pictures and results.
Event Schedule: Wed July 30, 2008 Onsite Registration Opens 12:00 pm Open Dock Practice - 12:00 pm Seminar - 1:00 pm Seminar - 2:30 pm Seminar - 4:00 pm Big Air Wave # 1 - 6:00 pm Thurs July 31, 2008 Onsite Registration Opens 12:00 pm Open Dock Practice - 12:00 pm Seminar - 1:00 pm Seminar - 2:30 pm Seminar - 4:00 pm Big Air Wave # 2 - 6:00 pm Fri Aug 1, 2008 Onsite Registration Opens 12:00 pm Open Dock - 12:00 pm Seminar - 1:00 pm Seminar - 2:30 pm Big Air Wave # 3 - 4:00 pm Big Air Wave # 4 - 6:00 pm Sat Aug 2, 2008 Onsite Registration Opens 12:00 pm Open Dock Practice - 12:00 pm Big Air Wave # 5 - 2:00 pm Big Air Wave # 6 - 4:00 pm Big Air Wave # 7 - 6:00 pm Sun Aug 3, 2008 Onsite Registration Opens 10:00 am Open Dock Practice - 10:00 am Big Air Wave # 8 - 11:00 am Big Air Wave # 9 - 1:00 pm Big Air Amateur Finals - 3:00 pm Big Air Semi-Pro Finals - 3:30 pm Big Air Pro Finals - 4:00 pm

Island Hopping - Ardi Style

2008-07-18T11:13:00.003-05:00

The summer and water go hand and hand. These are pictures taken by my friend Debbie Wiest while Ardi and I were out doing a little water retrieving work.

Island Hopping with Ardi

2008 Retriever Class Slideshow

2008-07-03T00:31:00.005-05:00

For the last couple of years I have helped with the beginner class at our Retriever Club. It's a lot of fun, and I always feel privileged to be involved with the dogs and people. There was a good mix of dogs, with a couple of Labs, some Goldens ,1 Airedale, 1 Chesapeake and 1 Duck Toller.
Here is a slide show of the class, pictures were taken on 2 separate nights. The land pictures are from about the 3rd week and the water pictures are from the 7th week.

Agility Record Book

2008-06-25T07:41:00.004-05:00

When I first started entering Agility trials, I was pretty good about keeping track of trials, Q's and runs. Now after competing in 3 different agility venues, and although I only have 1 dog, I am not so organized, and my record keeping has fallen by the wayside.

Recently I found a free down load called Agility Record Book created by David Connet. All that he asks is that you make a donation to an animal Rescue organization or animal shelter of your choice. The program supports a number of different venues, provides a training log option and has very valuable comment boxes for things like course conditions, clubs and judges. Another good thing is that it keeps track of multiple dogs and has a place to record their registration numbers. I will no longer be scrambling to the file cabinet to find registration numbers and hopefully the rest of Ardi's agility runs will be recorded.

Rainy Day Trial

2008-06-16T19:46:00.005-05:00

The Rain couldn't dampen the spirit of agility at the Moose Jaw Band City AAC Trial on June 14, 2008. The morning started off with sun shining and a few clouds in the sky, but by mid-afternoon the skies opened up. The Starter dogs finished up the class as the rain started. Everyone headed for shelter it rained hard for a good 5 minutes, I peeked out of my shade tent to see the course builders and judges setting the course for the next class in the rain. Despite the rain people emerged from their tents to walk the course, work and run. Everyone seemed to be having fun.

An Agility trial with a little rain is more fun then a work day with good weather.

BCKOC - Rain Day

How to remove a Tick

2008-06-05T09:18:00.004-05:00

Spring and summer bring plenty of time to train and play outdoors with our dogs. Of course the more we are outside the greater the risk of picking up a tick.

There are many ways to remove an embedded tick, but here is one that works in those places where it's sometimes difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc.

Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick
with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20),
the tick will come out on it's own and be stuck to the cotton ball when
you lift it away. It's much less traumatic for the patient weather a person or dog.

Water introduction for a great swimmer!

2008-06-04T07:39:00.012-05:00

When people first introduce a dog to water, they often throw something into water that is over the dogs head. To me this encourages the dog to enter the water with their head up looking for the object and feet straining to find the bottom. Followed by a little panic and a lot of excitement the dog never relaxes enough to level out and try a smooth paddle using both front and rear feet.

Rather then throw an object, I would
1. Walk in with the dog to a point that is not over the dogs head just walk up and down the shore, letting the dog get a feel for how the water gets deeper and the bottom seems to disappear.
2. Drag a bumper and let them catch up to it and have it. Do this a number of times. Eventually dragging to deeper water have the dog reach out and take it, once the dog has it they will likely head for shore, so if you have someone to help encourage the dog to return to shore ,then get the bumper and try again.
3. Having the dog follow another dog (with out throwing something in) into the water works well. This gets the dog concentrating on following the other dog, not looking to retrieve an object.

Butch Goodwin of Northern Flight Retrievers has a great article called Teaching puppies to swim that has some great tips for starting a puppy off on the track from the beginning.

Kitt's 1st Water Retrieve at 9 Weeks Old

Natural Repellent-Tick Relief

2008-05-04T19:22:00.006-05:00

Even before all the snow is gone from the prairies, the tick season begins. Every year at the first spotting of a wood tick, I bath my dogs with a natural tick shampoo (see recipe) and then use a natural repellant made from natural oils. Here is the recipe.

Witches Brew

Ingredients are full strength oils: Tea Tree Oil, Rosemary Oil, Sage Oil, Cedar wood Oil, Peppermint Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Citronella Oil and Pine Needle Oil.

Directions: Mix 2 - 3 drops each with 16oz of water in a spray bottle, shake before each application and spray lightly over entire body.

Directions for shampoo: Mix 4-6 drops each with 32oz of any natural shampoo and you now have a natural flea shampoo. Repels fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, flies and also makes the truck smell great. Spray dogs and bedding. It smells great. People can use this as well, although it has to be re-applied more frequently then normal sprays.

First water retrieves of 2008

2008-05-03T22:50:00.001-05:00

We got up bright and early this morning, the temperatures were hovering around 0 degrees C when we pulled out of the driveway at 7:30 am.. We were headed to the retriever grounds to do some training.
Two weeks ago I met a friend and her 5-month-old Chesapeake pup at the grounds and there was still ice on the ponds. Last week the ice was gone, but the day was cloudy, blustery and light snow was falling. Ardi took a dip in the water and had a nice leisurely swim, as if to show off for the pup.
Today we did 7 or 8 line drills back and forth across a small pond. I have been having problems with Ardi not going when she doesn’t see a splash. On the first retrieve, she ran the shore, but the last ones were all straight out and back. She had the biggest smile and her tail wagged non-stop. Welcome Spring!!!!

Dog Speed -Calculator

2008-04-03T22:59:00.004-05:00

I've never really been one to pay much attention to my dogs speed on course. Basically all that concerned me was getting out there and having fun, running fast seems to be fun so we try to do that. However, course time would be good to calculate every once in awhile to know how my dog is running compared to how she ran previously.
Here is a link, to a chart for calculating dog speed on the agility course. You just punch in the course yardage and your course time and it calculates the dog's speed in YPS (yards per second) and MPH (miles per hour).
Check it out.

http://www.skylineagility.org/speedom.html

Life is a Highway

2008-03-22T22:44:00.002-05:00

Fun Exercise & Great handling Monica!!!

Training Journals

2008-03-06T22:03:00.006-06:00

Keeping training notes is something that I have always done. It started with going to seminars and carried over to training sessions with friends, working groups, yard work done alone and classes

At this time I have 2 journals on the go. One is a larger notebook divided into 3 sections, one for agility, another for retriever training and the third for general stuff like conditioning, obedience and even stuff I want to note from the classes I teach. This journal is neatly written after the training session, and well organized. My other journal is a wire bound pocket sized notebook, dog eared and tattered. It has diagrams of set ups and mini courses that I plan before each training session. It has travelled to agility fields, duck blinds,retriever grounds, training centers, and riding arenas. I can hardly wait to sit down with it and plan each session. I've tried using a computer based method of keeping notes, but it just doesn't have the same allure. I've lost wallets, credit cards, cell phones, but never my training journals.

Keeping a journal helps me document and evaluate each session. Mostly from the dogs perspective (success, attitude, problems)and myself as a handler and trainer. It helps me to evaluate my performance, ability to read my dog, patience and consistency. It is a great way to collect thoughts and make training sessions productive.

Best Smiles of 2007

2008-01-04T07:05:00.000-06:00

The year 2007 brought many triumphs and challenges both in dogsports and life. Here is a slideshow of many things that brought smiles to peoples and dogs faces, these are my best moments of 2007.

The shortest day of the year

2007-12-22T18:09:00.000-06:00

Ardis and Roxy sharing a sun beam, don thier gay apparrel and wait in joyful hope of longer,sunnier and warmer days.

The Shortest Day
By Susan Cooper

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!

Dexter - January 15/93 to December 20/07

2007-12-20T17:02:00.000-06:00

Shadlar's Mercedes CKC CDX, ASCA CDX(HIT), CGC, FM, S-NJC, TN-N, NAC, NAC-V, ADC-V, NGC, VMJDC.

The Journey
When you bring a puppy into your life, you begin a journey. A journey that will bring you more love and devotion than you have ever known, yet will also test your strength and courage. If you allow, the journey will teach you many things, about life, about yourself, and most of all, about love. You will come away changed forever, for one soul cannot touch another without leaving its mark.
Along the way, you will learn much about savoring life's simple pleasures -- jumping in leaves, snoozing in the sun, the joys of puddles, and even the satisfaction of a good scratch behind the ears.
If you spend much time outside, you will be taught how to truly experience every element, for no rock, leaf, or log will go unexamined, no rustling bush will be overlooked, and even the very air will be inhaled, pondered, and noted as being full of valuable information.
Your pace may be slower, except when heading home to the food dish, but you will become a better naturalist, having been taught by an expert in the field. Too many times we hike on automatic pilot, our goal being to complete the trail rather than enjoy the journey. We miss the details; the colorful mushrooms on the rotting log, the honeycomb in the old maple snag, the hawk feather caught on a twig.
Once we walk as a dog does, we discover a whole new world. We stop, we browse the landscape, we kick over leaves, peek in tree holes, look up, down, all around. and we learn what any dog knows that nature has created a marvelously complex world that is full of surprises, that each cycle of the seasons bring ever changing wonders, each day an essence all its own, each day a gift from God.
Even from indoors you will find yourself more attuned to the world around you.
You will find yourself watching: summer insects collecting on a screen; how bizarre they are; how many kinds there are or noting the flick and flash of fireflies through the dark. You will stop to observe the swirling dance of windblown leaves, or sniff the air after a rain. It does not matter that there is no objective in this, the point is in the doing, in not letting life's most important details slip by.
You will find yourself doing silly things that your pet-less friends might not understand: spending thirty minutes in the grocery aisle looking for the cat food brand your puppy must have, buying dog birthday treats, or driving around the block an extra time because your pet enjoys the ride. You will roll in the snow, wrestle with chew toys, bounce little rubber balls till your eyes cross, and even run around the house trailing your bathrobe tie with a puppy in hot pursuit, all in the name of love.
Your house will become muddier and hairier. You will wear less dark clothing and buy more lint rollers. You may find dog biscuits in your pocket or purse, and feel the need to explain that an old plastic shopping bag adorns your living room rug because your puppy loves the crinkly sound.
You will learn the true measure of love. The steadfast, undying kind that says, "It doesn't matter where we are or what we do, or how life treats us as long as we are together."
Respect this always. It is the most precious gift any living soul can give another. You will not find it often among the human race and you will learn humility. The look in my dog's eyes often made me feel ashamed. Such joy and love at my presence. She saw not some flawed human who could be cross and stubborn, moody or rude, but only her wonderful companion. Or maybe she saw those things and dismissed them as mere human foibles, not worth considering, and so chose to love me anyway.
If you pay attention and learn well, when the journey is done, you will be not just a better person, but the person your pet always knew you to be. The one they were proud to call beloved friend.
I must caution you that this journey is not without pain. Like all paths of true love, the pain is part of loving. For as surely as the sun sets, one day your dear animal companion will follow a trail you cannot yet go down. And you will have to find the strength and love to let them go.
A pet's time on earth is far too short, especially for those that love them. We borrow them, really, just for a while, and during these brief years they are generous enough to give us all their love, every inch of their spirit and heart, until one day there is nothing left.
The dog that only yesterday was a puppy is all too soon old and frail and sleeping in the sun. The young pup of boundless energy now wakes up stiff and lame, the muzzle gone to gray.
Deep down we somehow always knew that this journey would end. We knew that if we gave our hearts they would be broken. But give them we must for it is all they ask in return. When the time comes, and the road curves ahead to a place we cannot see, we give one final gift and let them run on ahead, young and whole once more. "God speed, good friend," we say, until our journey comes full circle and our paths cross again. Bless their souls for sharing their lives with us by adding so much to our very existence.
Author Unknown...
"What a wonderful journey Dexter shared with his best friend Deb.
My hope is that all who were fortunate enough to meet or see Deb and Dex or see them play, share the same bond and friendhip with their canine companion."
If you care to leave a comment, I am sure Deb will read them PK

Update on Remy

2007-11-12T20:20:00.000-06:00

I got this picture and update from Remy's new owner. She said Remy is doing great, running, tugging pinning Kinka (the cattle dog at her new home) and jumping up and over all sorts of things. They trust she knows how much she can do and have given up stopping her from doing all the things Labs love to do. If you want to read Remy's full story, click on the label below and it will bring up all the posts about her.

To Everything there is a Season- Turn Turn

2007-11-10T17:32:00.000-06:00

Today was one of those beautiful fall days that if you stretch them out they can make winter seem short. The temperature was to reach 10 degrees and there was no wind. I've been postponing putting the agility equipment away, as if some how that would delay the arrival of winter. But today was the day. At the first sign of anything happening in the back yard, Ardi thought we were going to practise a little agility, but when she saw me get the rake she decided it was a work day not a play day and headed off to check out the smells along the fence. After a short time, Ardi was on the deck eyes to the sky , then I heard a strange sound, I looked up to see see the biggest flock of geese heading south, check out this video.

MVI_1353

Rally O Seminar with Pat Krebs Nov 3 & 4, 2007

2007-11-07T20:10:00.000-06:00

On November 3 & 4th, 2007, KAOS Dogsports hosted a Rally O Seminar. Our facilitator was Pat Krebs from Prince George, BC. Pat was great and we all had a lot of fun and learned a lot. The seminar was followed by a Fun Match, we had 44 entries and there were some great runs with some very high scores. Check out some of the pictures taken at the seminar below.

Rally O Seminar Nov 3 & 4 2007

Week 14 - Suzanne Clothier's Jumping Chute

2007-10-14T18:40:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of the set up for week 14 of Suzanne Clothier's Jumping chute. Deb and I have been working Rush a 2 year ol Sheltie and Ardi an almost 7 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. This picture was taken when the jumps were set for Ardi. The set up is a Vertical Jump-2 Strides- Tire Jump-2 Strides-Vertical Jump-1 Stride- Higher Vertical-2 Strides-Crossed Vertical Jump-1 Stride-Oxer Jump.

The interesting thing about this set up, is that it adds many challenges at one time. It introduces 2 new jumps, we chose the tire and the cross vertical. Also adds one jump at higher then normal height and although the intitial instructions say there are 5 jumps, the instructions for set up include 6 jumps. One more then any of the previous 13 weeks. We thought it may be a test to see if anyone sticks with it to the 14th week. We could have eliminated the 6th jump, but decided to do it as out lined. It did present some challenges to both Ardi and Rush. Rush's challenge was the tire, but he found no problems with the other jumps. Ardi's challenge came at the cross vertical after the higher jump. The instructions for the program suggests you stay at the same lesson until the dogs have mastered the chute rhythmically and smoothly. Here are the clips of both Ardi and Rush completing the chute. We repeated the lesson 3 times and these were taken on the last repeat.

Full Moon - Autumn Moon - Harvest Moon

2007-09-28T21:13:00.000-05:00

Reminds us that the days to play outdoors are numbered for 2007. So make the most of the time left.

Casey enjoying a fall day at the agility field.

Zena going over the top at the Crocus Trial

Dex and Deb at the Agility Field Sept 30/07

Ardi helping in the yard Sept 29/07

Brandon Trial Invaded by the....Irish?????

2007-09-26T00:19:00.001-05:00

Flanna, Fergus, Ronin, Grady, Nancy, Zena, Monica and Aire

This past weekend, the Crocus Kennel Club trial in Brandon was invaded by Irish Setters. It was a huge surprise to pull into the parking lot and see someone walking 3 setters, little did we know there was a 4th somewhere. I don't think Monica had her vehicle in park before her feet hit the gravel scrambling to meet them.
What a pleasure it was to meet Nancy, her husband and their 4 Irish setters. The setters were lovely to watch all weekend.

Remy's New Beginning

2007-09-24T19:35:00.000-05:00

Remy's last pose with Ardi and Roxy before going to her new home

On Friday Remy went to her new home. Remy's new home is with a young woman who has a couple of cats, and an Australian Cattle Dog. Her tail has pretty much healed, but she has to take it easy for the pelvis and hip to heal, not too much playing with her house mates yet. Remy still needs help getting in and out of the vehicle, she can do a few stairs, but has to be careful. Her new owner built her a ramp so she will never have to jump in and out of the truck.
First reports from Remy's new owner say it is like Remy has always been there. One thing that made me happy is that Remy got to keep her name, that is all she came with so it is good she can keep it.

Agility Field Visitors

2007-09-09T22:54:00.000-05:00

This morning I headed to the agility field to get in a some agility practise before Retriever training. Ardi's weave pole entrances were non-existent in the last trial and we could use some polishing up.
I was the only one at the field, so worked a few things, put Ardi away, worked a few more, put her away. The last time, I left Ardi on the table and went to get my camera. When I came back I shooed her off the table and got her to lay down beside it, and took a seat on it myself.

It was a beautiful cool morning, she laid relaxing, while I tried to figure out a setting on the camera. Every once in a while I looked up from the camera to see her eyes half open as she basked in the sun. All of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I could see her neck lengthen and her ears come forward, she remained motionless. I turned to look over my shoulder, and about 15 yards away were 6 young deer standing between the teeter and the dogwalk grazing in the middle of our field.

Slowly I reached and put my hand through Ardi's collar and with the other hand fumbled with the camera settings. One of the deer sneezed, and as silently as they arrived they sprung into action and were gone, but not before I snapped a couple of pictures.

Remi's Smile

2007-09-04T18:26:00.000-05:00

Remi’s mobility continues to improve as does her spirit. She has spurts where she tries to play with Roxy and Ardi. She knows she is not too mobile or agile, but doesn't miss many opportunities to dazzle Roxy and Ardi with some of her puppy moves.

We found out that Remi won’t be 6 months old until Sept 16th, so she was not even 5 months old when she had her accident. Hopefully the fact that she is so young and has a lot of growing to do will be to her advantage in healing.

Right now there is an open wound about the size of a quarter on the underside of her tail. We have been applying warm compresses 3 times a day and flushing it with a Saline solution. When we aren’t home she wears a cone, she is very good about putting it on, but when she gets it off you can tell she is glad to be rid of it.

We have been teaching Remi to take turns for treats and petting with our 2 dogs. Being a pup she gets away with sticking her nose where it doesn’t always belong , but the day will come when her puppy licence expires with the other 2 dogs. Remi sits and downs despite her sore hip and back end. She has also learned a hand touch and to back off things when asked to leave them. We have been teaching her to spin and turn, luring her with a treat in a slow controlled motion, this really has her thinking about and using her back feet and controlling her back end. Remi is a quick study and is pretty sure she can do what the other dogs can. In due time Remi!!

Special House Guest

2007-08-23T21:00:00.001-05:00

Introducing Remi.....a 6 month old Black Lab.

Remi came to stay with us temporarily on August 21/07 after we heard she had been surrendered to a Vet's Office in Moose Jaw.

Remi was accidentally run over by her family and required work on her pelvis and 1/3 of her tail had to be amputated. She needs some time to recoup before she can find a good permanent home. Since we lost our 15 month old pup Kitt a month ago, we find ourselves with some time and energy to give to a young pup.

Remi has been here for 3 days and our 2 dogs have pretty much accepted her. At first Roxy the 13 year old growled at her, probably because Remi awkwardly lumbers around when she walks. By the next morning Roxy was cleaning Remi's ears and slapping the floor in bows trying to get her off the dog bed to play. Ardi is too snobby to acknowledge she exists, but that is what she did when we brought our pup home, in short time the two were inseparable.

Update.....August 24, 2007
Some Good News. We will have some help finding a home for Remi. Lianne Daradics is the breeder of Charmlees Golden Retrievers and does a lot of Golden Rescue. Although Remi is not a golden, Lianne has graciously offered to help find her a new home...after all a retriever is a retriever.

Some not so Good news Later this afternoon we had to take Remi to the vet. The base of her tail has swollen to an enormous size. The vet will do emergency surgery tonight to relieve an abcess and remove some more of her tail. We will pick her up tomorrow at noon. Remi is one brave girl.

Some better news...the vet and clinic staff all saw a huge improvement in Remi's mobility, Remi was so happy to see all her friends at the clinic. You could tell she must have gotten some pretty special treatment at the Bellamy Harrison Clinic.

Buffalo Day's Exhibition

2007-08-05T21:35:00.000-05:00

From August 1st to August 5 KAOS Dogsports provided 3 shows of entertainment each day at the Buffalo Days Exhibition.
Our group raced kids, did an Obedience Drill, raced relay style against each other, demonstrated flyball, 3 point barrel racing, musical chairs, disc and agility. It was a jam packed 5 days. The best crowd was on Friday at 3:00 and we again had some good crowds on Sunday. After each show the handlers and dogs made their way up thru the crowds to meet and greet the people.
We practise and train all year round, and although very tiring we all enjoy being able to show our stuff to the public.
Although everyone was exhausted by the end of the week, eveyone had a blast!!!

Pit Crew - the hardest working group you could ask for.

Agnes falls down alot

2007-07-25T19:16:00.000-05:00

This has to be the funniest thing I've seen in a long time and it is dog related.

A Pup on Loan

2007-07-24T22:17:00.001-05:00

Del Brave Katepwa - "Kitt"
April 11/06 - July 14/07

A Pup on Loan
We never really owned her.
She came to share her journey with us.
Her stay was short.
She taught us much and asked little.
Her presence touched us.
Her absence left lessons learned and happy memories.
We were privileged to have tagged along on her journey.

Patti Kipper – July 24, 2007.

Jump Chute Work

2007-07-22T23:02:00.000-05:00

We, my training partner Deb and her Sheltie Rush, are just starting the 9th Week of the Suzanne Clothier Natural Jumping Program. Hot weather is squelching our enthusism, temperatures upward of 35 degrees, with unbearable humidity sending temps to that of 49 degrees... yikes, it is hot. Not as hot as this little guy....here he is ...Rush burning up the lanes.

Summer Splash

2007-07-11T23:53:00.000-05:00

Today we spent the afternoon enjoying some training and a splash at the Retriever grounds. It was a perfect day for a little training.

Summer Agility Field

2007-06-29T08:41:00.001-05:00

A Retriever's view- - - from the dug out.

How dogs see color.

2007-05-23T23:02:00.001-05:00

Here is a really good site on what or how dogs see. There are some colors they see better, but more important is motion and contrast of color. I often wondered why hunters wore fluorescent orange and camouflage together, but this article also explains that to game and our dogs the orange blends in with the greens of camouflage or the colors found in the field.
http://www.puplife.com/dogcaretips/howdogsseecolors.html

I have done a lot of bird and bumper throwing for my training buddies and it is interesting to see how dogs mark and at what part of the retrieve the dog no longer relies on sight and begins to scent. That is what makes blinds so hard, because the dog should neither mark nor scent to the bird or bumper. Some scenting is probably okay, when I figure out how much I will be a better handler :o).

The training bumpers I have are a whole mish mash of colors, sizes and material. My girls both love and choose from the pile first an old green canvas bumper that has been sewn and taped, it is the prize of the bumper bag. Their least favorites are the 2 white fire hose bumpers I have. So their choices aren't based on color just favorites.

Go to this site to read the Canine Color Vision Article.
http://www.katiesbumpers.com/documents/k9colorvision.html

There are no mistakes

2007-05-15T20:03:00.000-05:00

Regionals are fast approaching and the excitement is building. With the excitement comes a little apprehension and nervousness. I have all the confidence in Ardi, but need to focus less on my handling short comings. I found this paragraph helpful.

"There are no mistakes. What we call a “mistake” is just something we didn’t plan, didn’t prepare, and perhaps didn’t prefer to have happen. It’s not what we had in mind for some reason or other. So what! "

Unleashed Wrath

2007-05-03T21:53:00.002-05:00

Every morning we walk our dogs at about 5:45. Because there are 3 dogs and only two of us, Bonnie usually takes the pup and I take the 2 older dogs. We head in different directions, mostly because trying to enjoy a walk with Kitt is easier without the distractions of the other 2.

The walk consists of a 15-minute brisk walk on leash, no sniffing or peeing until we get to the park where we walk the perimeter of trees. This morning I walked the dogs to the park as usual, as we circled the trees I saw an adult golden retriever coming around the trees, I took a quick look and the only person I could see was about 30 yards away, power walking. I stamped my foot and said "shoo"… the dog stopped in its tracks. Roxy our 12yr old ShepX exploded in barking, hackles up, Ardis joined in with her deep bark. I asked them both to sit, they did I took a tight grip of the leash. Now the owner was calling “ Kaaatie…Kaaatie come…..Ka..de….here” The dog didn’t budge, now Roxy was screaming. The screams seemed to push the speed walker off the sidewalk and in our direction. When she got in ear shot she started apologizing profusely, “I’m really sorry…I’m so….sorry”. I stood while she gathered her dog up and as she grabbed the dogs collar she jerked it’s collar and shouted 2 times “BAD DOG”. The dog cowered and in a puzzled, inquiring voice I said “You know I really don’t think it is the dogs fault” Well she came unglued, you would have though I slapped her in the face. She yelled, “I don’t need the wrath of you, coming down on me this morning” snapped the dogs leash on, pulled the dog and as she left she said “I was having a nice morning until I met you.” I stood there dumbfounded loosened my grip on the leashes and said “Come on girls let’s go home”

What's in a dog's name?

2007-04-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

Roxy -Black Diamond Rox
Roxy is a rescue from the Humane Society. She was found hanging around the City bus garages after a late summer storm. The name Roxy just seemed to suit her. Later when we registered her with AMBOR in order to compete in ASCA obedience we picked the name Black Diamond Rox. Roxy was totally black and had a very shiny coat, she also has a black mark on her tongue that is shaped like a diamond.

Kate - Lady Kate
Kate was the favorite pup of the breeder's daughter, she named her Lady. We picked the name Kate, but kept Lady in her registered name as Kate really did think her self a Lady.

Ardis - Oakenpride’s Ardwinna
Ardis – Latin meaning eager; fervent.
Ardwinna- from Britain – other names Dea Arduinna
Ardwinna was a Woodland and animal Goddess who haunted the forests of Ardennes riding a wild boar. She commanded a fine for any animal killed on her land, yet asked for animal sacrifices on her feast day.
Rules over: Animals, familiars, woodlands.

Ribbon - Nordais Pride of the Ring (Ardis' Dam)
Ribbon is named after her breeder's first Chessie "Pride" (Westernoak's Yukon Pride). She didn't want to call her "Pride" again, so made her registered name "Nordais Pride of the Ring". Now when you go in the ring and win... what do you get? A "Ribbon"!!! and Ribbon has done a lot of winning for her!!!

Curry - Meadowoods Quiet Riot (Ardis' Sire)
Curry’s name 'Quiet Riot' comes from the rodeo. Quiet Riot was one of the top bucking bulls at that time. Curry's mother, Zippy, and sister, Spring, were named after the top bucking horses of 94 and 97, Zippy Delivery and Spring Fling.
The Meadowood name came about because they have a large meadow on one side of their property surrounded by oak and redwood trees.

Kitt -Del Brave Katepwa
Katepwa is a Cree word meaning "Who Calls?".
In Saskatchewan, 45 minutes from Regina is the Qu’appelle Valley where there are 4 lakes making up the Calling Lakes and Echo Valley Provincial Park. This area is rich in history and lore. Legend tells of a young Indian brave canoeing home from a hunting trip one evening when he thought he heard someone calling his name. "Kâ-têpwêt?", "who calls? he asked aloud. There was no reply. "Qu'appelle?" he tried again, this time in French. Then came a reply from the hills on the other side of the placid, moonlit lake: "Qu'appelle?" It was his echo.
I spent many summers, while growing up, at my uncles cabin at Katepwa lake, with lots of fond memories. We never noticed until someone told us that Katepwa echos Kate. Kate was our 10 year old Chesapeake we lost 3 months before we got Kitt.

Merry -Meadowoods Merron Del Brave (Kitt's Dam)
Merron means mermaid in gaelic and Merry is typical of chesapeakes in their love of water.
Del Brave is derived from the breeders first stud dog’s registered name, Meadowoods Home of the Brave. Del means "of the" in Spanish.

Spring Fling or was it a FRAP?

2007-04-24T22:41:00.000-05:00

Last night we checked out our summer agility field. Where we walked the dogs off leash last year, is a huge slough. Kitt and her pal Aire took off and headed directly to the slough. We could not get them out they ran and dived and slide and spun and chased for a good 10 minutes.

Aire(6 months) and Kitt (8months) on a F.R.A.P. Last Fall

The slough is not deep enough to swim in, but too wide to walk out and get the pups. Ardi went in after them once and they paid no heed to her and nearly knocked her over with their antics,she came out indignant that they would not pay her any mind. We took the two big dogs back to the vehicle and brought a bumper out, waved it in the air. Eventually they noticed and came on the run. We gathered the pups up and took them to the vehicles.
I don't think I will ever forget the look of joy, fun and freedom the 2 young dogs had as they cavorted in the slough. I hope to see this same joy as they grow, train and eventually compete in whatever dog sport they choose.

She's too young to drive!!!

2007-04-14T08:27:00.000-05:00

The snow is just about gone for the 2nd time and I am really anxious to get Kitt out and try the things we've been working on over the winter. I’m itching to work on some retrieving marks, get to the wide open spaces, string together a few agility obstacles and try out some new skills.

I really have to keep the reins on myself. I think this is where many young dogs and not so experienced trainers (like me) run into trouble. In retriever training they call it the transition period, it is where you go from yard work to field work.. The distractions to the dog are higher, skills learned singly are now being put together and it is hard not to have high expectations. Like anything else, my expectations should be based on the work and effort I have put in. I think Cheryl Bartlett talked about this at Puppy Agility Camp.

Okay, so I’ve got a bit of a plan for the retriever stuff, I'm still scratching my head about agility, I know I’m not going to hand the keys over to Kitt and let her drive. Any suggestions or advice for making these transitions would be very helpful and appreciated.

Happy 1st Birthday Kitt

2007-04-10T18:48:00.000-05:00

Let the party begin !!!!!!!!

April 11th is Kitt's 1st birthday. She is shown laying beside her buddy Ardi.

Kitt is a pup in training. Kitt's first year has been spent working on house manners and basic obedience, foundation agility skills, and some structured retriever work to enhance the natural retrieving ability she came with. She is a great swimmer and is proving to be a pretty good marker. She will be starting her 1st formal Retriever class next week. With Kitt around there is never a dull moment and no object will be left un-retrieved.

Here are some pictures from Kitt's 1st year

Great Outdoor Expo

2007-03-31T23:57:00.000-05:00

Today Ardi and I went to the Great Outdoor Expo in Moose Jaw to man the booth and represent the Retriever Club for a couple of hours. It was fun and it really made me realize how rich Saskatchewan is in resources.
Some of the displays included Archery , Boat Safety, Predator Calling, Falconry, Ducks Unlimited, Stone Sculptors, Knife Makers, Saskatchewan Environment, Saskatchewan Assoc. of Conservation Officers and the list goes on.Ardi did well despite being mistaken for a Weimaraner a few times everyone thought she was a beautiful dog.

Ardi spent most of her time watching the Falcons who were across the isle and down from us about 3 booths. When not doing that she was checking out the bow hunters booth next to us where someone had been eating french fries. All in all it was 2 hours well spent and I think Ardi was a good ambassador for the club and her breed.

Obedience - What to do at the Trial

2007-03-30T10:27:00.000-05:00

By Sue Cone
and the Katmai Chesapeakes CH/OTCH Getty UDX, and Hannah CD

CH Am/Can OTCH Abby WD, OTCH Libby UDX2 JH & OTCH Sam UDX3 WD -- you'll always walk with me.

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You got up early, had everything you need with you, and here you are at the trial, hopefully at least an hour before you are due in the ring.

The first thing is to know your dog. She may need a walk around the show grounds to get acclimated. She may do best crated in your car, or crated under a tent, or on a rug next to your chair. What won’t work is dragging her around the show for hours – she’ll be mentally tired when you hit the ring.

Knowing your dog includes knowing what warm-up is best. One good way to handle this is to do a bit of warm-up when you arrive, and then a little bit more right before you go into the ring. Warm-up your fronts and finishes, and pivots and signals if you are in Utility. Remember – all warm-ups must be done on lead with no corrections. And please do them far enough from the ring that you can’t possibly distract a working dog.

Unless you are first in the ring, watch some runs carefully. Know where the first exercise starts. Plan how you will move from exercise to exercise. Does your dog set-up best if you turn left into her, which is a reminder for her to tuck her rear in? Or to the right to remind her to hurry? Check your ring card for your handling reminders.

A few minutes before your turn , get your dog up and attentive to you. This is not the time to chat with your friends – if you want your dog’s attention, you must give her total attention in return. You could do some quiet play, or little heeling “doodles” (like tiny Rally moves) or a bunch of short fronts. You are aiming for a dog with ears up, eyes bright, and completely focused on you. When invited into the ring, move confidently to the starting place, praise your dog, and keep your attention on her. I suggest not conversing with the judge, which, while polite, will take your attention off your dog.

And off you go. Be sure to keep your dog’s focus between exercises and keep her moving attentively with you. Don’t just walk off to the next set-up place and leave your dog floundering behind you. (Hint – practice moving from set-up to set-up as part of your training.) If you have taught some ring tricks, like having the dog jump up to touch your hand, use them as you move to the next exercise to keep your dog happy and focused.

Never forget that it is extremely important for your dog to have a good time in the ring. Should disaster befall, and you blow an exercise, never, ever get down on your dog. A frown, a disgusted look, your body language will be read by your dog. All you can do in the ring is to work on the dog;s attitude for the next time you trial. Our Chesapeakes can be very sensitive, and if you get down on them in the ring, they are going to remember it the next time you show them. If you have a good time, smiling and happy, then so will they.

And always remember, win or lose, leg or not, you go home from the trial with the best dog there – yours!

LongMeadow Susquehann CD

Sue's, "Hannah"on stay who ALWAYS crosses her paws, and always the right over the left.

Jane October 1996- March 29, 2007

2007-03-29T17:56:00.000-05:00

JANE
Ch. Kaweah’s Head Over Heels CD, FG40K, AGN, NJC,NGC, NAD,ADC

Today Jane is playing flyball and all the other things she loved at the Rainbow Bridge.

Jane was the first Blue Merle Australian Shepherd I ever saw, and if her icy blue eyes didn't stop you in your tracks and make you take a second look, her zest for doing eveything with speed and enthusiasm did.

When she gets to the rainbow bridge, she will run down the center of the bridge and her flyball buddies waiting will know it is her, step aside and there will be some grand flyball racing.

Please feel free to leave a comment about Jane, hopefully Sherry and Alex can read them in the future.