Been Out of the Loop

[Monica]

Hi All,

Sorry I've been so lax in posting. For some reason I never got any notifications that anything was going on. So here's why I've been missing...last December I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I've had surgery and chemo and......so far things seem to be okay. During this time I did trial my dogs and train but not to the degree that I'm used to. Mostly this past year was spent enjoying my dogs and life and now back to training!!

[Carmel Murphy]

Hi Monica,
Sorry to hear youve had such a tough time! But you sound very positive and I know having dogs and something to focus on helps with the recovery! Continued good health to you!:o)

[Jo Ottinger]

Hi,

Hope you are doing better sounds as if you have had a tough year. Look forward to hearing more of what you are doing this year. I just got a new puppy this month and can not wait to start playing and training. I did not do much last year as Scout became so ill and loosing him has been so hard emotionally.

[Monica]

Yes, it was a tough year....but it also had great moments. I still ran my dogs in Agility, I convinced the Oncologist that agility was not a physically taxing sport!!!! She know's better now!! Anyway Zena still ended up in the top 200 Agility Dogs in the AAC and is among the top 5 Irish Setters.

I had previously had issues, or Zena had issues with the dog walk and I had tried multiple things but for the past 8 months Zena has had no problems with the walk. What I did was stop making it an issue, I changed the name in the middle of a run to something she had never heard before and she was across it before either of us realized it. I also only ask that particular piece of equipment from her in trial situations. She trusts me that I will not make her do it over and over and I give her the room to do it....her choice! It may not work for everyone but so far so good for us!!! We are hoping to get our ATCH this year and also qualify for the Nationals in Ottawa....lofty goals yes, but within reach.

Airess is doing well also, she is a joy to train and I think that this time I am enjoying the training as much as the trialing. No rush to move up the ladder just to instill a joy of the game and to that end we are doing it. We have worked on the jump chute which is an incredible 16 week program that really teaches dogs about stride and jumping, the confidence with which she jumps is phenomenal!!!!

Our next trial is March 14, 15 in Brandon, Manitoba and I'm looking forward to working both red ones in the ring.

Training a new puppy is a blast...they are such sponges!!! I really enjoyed the Kim Collins book Agility Foundation training for puppies...lots of flat work and some real interesting hind end work with a stool. If you get a chance to read it I'm sure you'll find some really good information. If there is any help or tips I can offer don't hesitate to ask...I really love to see the red heads in the ring!!!

Take Care

[Jo Ottinger]

Thanks for the information on the book by Kim Collins I will look into it. Good luck with your ATCH let me know when you have it. I have friends who have gone to the Nationals but, I never have.

I can not wait to start Hawk. He is a very bright little boy. We have had one lesson with the clicker and he did very well. He loves treats so that also helps.

Good luck on March 14 and 15.

Regards