Tuesday, March 25, 2008

We're on the lookout



for a wild and crazy ACD named Jake who is coming over to play with us today! Cosmo says he's really fast. I say, we'll see about that. I can be pretty fast myself. I'm sure we would have caught that Easter Bunny fellow they were talking about this weekend, if only we had seen him dropping off those baskets. Can you believe he FORGOT to put something in there for us? The nerve of that Easter Bunny. We'll get him next year!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

WOO HOO!!! Agility started back tonight

and Cosmo was AWESOME! I was so proud of my little man! It's been 3 l.o.n.g. months since we've had class, and he's not had any training in that time (bad mommy on my part). He hasn't forgotten anything, and I think was even better tonight than when we left off in Dec. He's sticking his contacts, he's working out and away from me (which is nice), and most importantly, he's having fun and not stressing like he did last year when we didn't quite get a run right. He would shut down (which was hard to see) even though I tried to "keep it light" and not make a big deal out of it. Tonight, instead of just going to the next obstacle, he would turn around and do the one he didn't get quite right (he got tangled up in the new chute fabric) without me asking him to and then would continue the sequence. He nailed the tire (have had issues there) and hit the mark on the table (which was the last obstacle in our first run) and didn't fly off the side. I AM SO PROUD OF COSMO !! It's looking like if I can get some weaves set up at my house and can really get those down, that I might get to show him at the end of the year. That will be the icing on my cake.
I also enjoyed seeing my fellow do-da'ers that we've not seen since the last session of classes. We also have a new lady to our group that has springers (can't recall their names, sorry). So, again we have Buttons the boxer, Gracie the golden, Jake the ACD, and the springers whos names I promise to learn eventually. It was extra special tonight because we had a reason to have a party (we can always come up with something to eat and drink to). We celebrated Cosmo's 2nd birthday, and three handlers birthdays. An excellent evening was had by all. It was nice and cool with a slight breeze. Not a hint of humidity or those buggy little mosquitos that eat us alive in the summer.
Cosmo is nice and tired, so hopefully he'll sleep through the night and stop pacing in the house (which has been waking me up) and asking to go out twice in the middle of the night, which in turn wakes Leo up, so I have to take them both out and in twice before it's really time to get up at 6:00 am, otherwise as dark-thirty to me.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

And Best in Puppy Match, round 2


wasn't us, but we had a blast anyway. Today was a LONG day! Leo was a little boingy to start with, but settled down quickly. In the first sporting puppy match, he took 2nd. The judge said she liked him better than the choc lab puppy that she put up, but that the lab puppy was more polished because it had more experience than Leo. The the second sporting puppy match he took first (I didn't tell him that it was because he was the only puppy in the group). He won a new squeaky saxophone toy for placing first. He did really well today, considering the fact that it was outside and WINDY (we were under tornado warnings) and it started raining. Inside was on slippery floors and was loud (concrete block building) and on a wooden table that dipped in the middle because they had loaded the ring table up into the truck already. I was so proud of him. I stacked him, and he stayed. They examined him, and he stayed put. He gaited like a charm. It was nice to have him outside in the grass so he could get used to that. All in all, he took it in stride (and took a great big nap in between it all). So, the total today was 6 ribbons ( three first prizes, one second prize, and two best of breeds) and a new squeaky toy. Not too shabby for our first outing if you ask me. AND I didn't get nervous and feel like I was going to be needing to make a run for the nearest set of shrubs and be sick.

Now to just get him to act better on the grooming table at home when I'm grooming him. He didn't look his absolute best today (grooming-wise), but he got practice on being on the grooming table outside with all that was going on around him, with me brushing him out.

Whew! Now to just hang tight til the PKC show Apr 5!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Ay Carumba!

Tomorrow is our first ever puppy match! I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I'm thankful that we've at least had some classes to know what to expect. I'd be even more thankful if we were still having classes and it hadn't been a couple of weeks since the last class. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't make a complete fool out of myself. That and that Leo behaves himself. I've got to get him cleaned up and groomed tonight so he doesn't look like he just came out of the backyard =) Keep your fingers crossed that the rain holds off since this is an outside thing. The upside, is that there is a chance for us to win $50 if we win our match, and that's kind of exciting to think about.
We also got our confirmation today for the first show that he'll be entered in (the Piedmont KC in Charlotte NC) on Apr 5th. So, I'm hoping to learn a good deal tomorrow and that it will be a very positive experience! Cosmo and I are ready to dust off our running shoes next week when agility starts back up FINALLY! We've not had lessons since the week of Christmas and now the training grounds are back in order from the swimming pool being put in, and the new fence around said pool has been installed. WOO HOO! Now, if the mid 70's degree weather will just stick around for awhile (minus the skeeters and humidity that we all know is looming around the corner!)