MargeBlog

Day 1306

2012-01-25T19:33:00.000-05:00

I'm actually late on celebrating MargeBlog's anniversary this year, since I completed three full years of blogging not today, but actually on this past Saturday. Perhaps my belatedness is a good thing, though, since today truly reminded me of how far Marge has come in the over one-thousand days she has now spent with me.

The Marge of today and the dog I originally adopted -- the dog I first wrote about in January 2009 -- are truly not the same animal. The dog I adopted was an extremely sensitive, afraid-of-the-world, yearling dog who, quite frankly, didn't have a clue about anything. She was unsocialized to both dogs and people, and, to make matters worse, also had the additional challenge of learning to live in New York City, a place so far removed in so many ways from her upbringing in Ellijay, Georgia.

The Marge of three and a half years ago would have hit the end of the leash and pulled desperately away from the many people and dogs we encountered today while we were out together delivering my newspapers. She would have never let those people pet them, nor would she have dealt well with dogs yakking at her from every direction. Instead, she approached them (albeit, some more cautiously than others) and simply ignored the dogs who sent so much noise her way.

The Marge of three and a half years ago would not have been able to take a walk in a completely strange neighborhood, with two other dogs, without lowering her tail and pinning her ears to the back of her head. She wouldn't have whined with excited enthusiasm and anticipation as we drove down the road to see those friends, nor would she have tore across the yard with them in attempt to get them to play, like she did today.

The Marge of three and a half years ago would have never been excited to go in to a busy pet store in a busy parking lot, where men, women and children all ohh'ed and ahh'ed over her. She wouldn't have looked up at me, smiling, as a toddler pet her all over from head to back to tail. She wouldn't have accepted treats from those people nor would she have ever, ever wagged her tail to say hello to three total strangers who all happened to be 6' tall high-school age boys in uniform.

If her leash became undone in the front of that store, as it accidentally did today, there would have been a good chance that the Marge of three years ago would have darted away. The Marge of today simply stood by my side and waited for the leash to be snapped back on.

The little things like this have really started to add up over the years. I know that I am, without a doubt, experiencing the best years of Marge's life right now - still a young adult dog, but with enough time in New York under her belt to know that the world isn't a scary place and that there are good people and good things out there to experience.

Marge is literally the best dog I could have asked for. She has taught me so much about dog training and truly catapulted me in to an interest in learning, training, and behavior. The things we accomplish are made that much sweeter when we take a look back at our humble beginnings.

Not A Given

2012-01-23T18:28:00.000-05:00

If you recall from my post a couple of weeks ago, I decided to chase the last double-Q for my APDT Rally ARCHX title with Marge. I decided to enter only one day at a local trial, giving my checkbook a break and thinking we'd get it in only one shot. Part of me wanted the title, and part of me didn't want to completely rob Marge of Rally since she enjoys going to Rally trials so, so, much.

Marge's Rally record is flawless. She has never NQ'd and has consistently scored above 200 (out of a possible 210). All we needed was two 195+ runs and we'd earn our next championship title.

We went in to the ring in Level 1B and kicked butt, taking a perfect score and the fastest time for first place in the class.

HOWEVER, when we went in to the ring for our Level 2B run, the should-be last half of the last QQ for the title, Marge was distracted. The "Offset Figure 8" was one of the obstacles on the course, and that obstacle just happens to use food bowls. With food inside of them.

Since food is allowed in the APDT Rally ring at specific parts of the course, I fed a distracted Marge a piece of liver treat on the start line, hoping to win back her focus. We went through the run relatively unscathed, though Marge made me work hard for just about every obstacle.

The judge approached us after the run and explained that my use of food on the start line was considered an "inappropriate use of food." You see, it wasn't quite luring, because I didn't move the food in front of Marge's face the way you would to teach a dog to sit or down, but it wasn't quite a reward, since I literally had to show Marge the food in order for her to take it... Marge wasn't looking at me as I took it out of my pocket.

She didn't NQ me, but said she'd have to "hit me" for it. I said that I understood.

Our score is posted on the easel next to the ring. We scored a 193. A fine score.

But... guess what? You need a 195 in all ARCHX runs to earn the title!

So, courtesy of my little mistake, we didn't get the title that I expected to get. I guess my punishment for being so darn sure of myself will be having to wait until the summer to actually get another shot!

We did, however, pick up our RL2X, a title for which scores do not matter. So we walked away with something!

What's In Store (2012 Agility Preview)

2012-01-17T02:17:00.000-05:00

I thought about forming agility goals for the year 2012 and almost started to do so, but for now I'm going to stick with my guns and not form any goals (at least not any goals involving the letters Q and Q, side by side).

I do, however, think my overall plans for the year are worth mentioning.

I plan to go pretty hard this Spring in terms of entering agility trials. I'm not, and probably will never, enter every single trial on every single weekend, but because things are really up in the air right now in terms of how busy I'll be this fall, I want to make sure we get a lot of agility in while we can.

I already have one overnight agility trip booked, and I'm hoping to get at least another one or two in by the time July rolls around, since Marge clearly enjoys going. I'm also planning on at least four semi-local agility weekends, which brings the total number of trial days up to about 15 over the next 6 months or so.

Before our first trial, which will come in mid February, I need to make sure that we get to practice on the teeter that has been bugging Marge. Even though she performed 4 straight teeters for 4 straight Standard Q's towards the end of the year, she still ended the year with a flyoff. We've made progress on the issue, for sure, but it's not completely gone... and if I start the year with teeter issues and stressy Standard runs, it's going to set the stage for the same stuff we went through in Fall 2010.

No, thank you.

So, despite the cold, and despite the distance, we will make the trip to train on that specific teeter, because I won't settle for anything less than Marge smacking the heck out of it in practice before we trial.

And then, there's Arrow, who I am having so, so much fun with since I start running her in the summer. In our last trial, we really started to come together as a team, and had very, very close calls in both Standard and Jumpers. I'm hoping that as long as I continue to practice with her and learn to differentiate her strengths from Marge's, that we will be successful in our next couple of times out together.

I guess over all, the only goals I am setting for myself is that I train hard enough so that obstacle issues don't stand in our way, pay attention to my handling so that neither dog falls prey to knocked bars or off courses because of my errors, that we practice as many of the skills necessary to be successful as we can, and that I breathe and we all have fun.

I hope that, after our first trial, I can come back to this post and say that I accomplished those things, and then begin to evaluate the rest of the Spring in terms of concrete goals.

Hanging out at our club's agility trial, November 2011

Beyond The Genes

2012-01-12T02:47:00.001-05:00

Living in Staten Island, a relatively small place where your business is everybody's business, I am always alerted to any mention of our borough on TV, radio, or otherwise through our local newspaper, which pretty much reports every single time a Staten Islander is involved in something in the media. This week, I learned in that exact manner of a woman from my island that was going to be featured on a TLC show about cloning her deceased pet dog. With nothing much to do on a Wednesday night, Louie and I watched the show, "I Cloned My Pet," to see what all the hype was about.

Long story short, three individuals, two of which were not in the right situations (monetarily or otherwise - one was in jail!), spent $50,000 to send samples of their deceased dogs' DNA off to a Korean laboratory so that a surrogate mother dog could birth a genetic clone of their late pet.

Besides the fact that I'm upset that the media has taken the oh-so-easy opportunity to showcase yet another dim-witted individual from Staten Island, a stereotype they love to perpetuate, I am angry that the network, by airing the show, is also putting forth the idea, either intentionally or unintentionally, that because these new clones share the previous dogs' genes, that they are, in fact, the same animal.

Riddle me this: if I sent DNA samples of my Taco, whom I cared for in his old age, off to a research lab in Korea, and thus received a horse of the exact same genetic makeup, would it, indeed, bring Taco back to me?

The answer is no. No, no, no. Genes mean only so much and I wouldn't do such a thing even if I was paid to do it. Taco was who he was because of the time and circumstances under which I met him. A foal that shares his genes may be identical to him in genotype, but life experiences on the part of both the animal and the human make an animal who it is just as much. A weanling Taco and a 35-year old Taco are not the same animal, not even in the slightest.

The same goes for Marge. People have argued that it would be interesting to see, through cloning, what Marge would be like had I raised her from puppyhood. But would it really be Marge, then? Aren't Marge and my relationship with Marge defined by the things that we worked through when I first brought her home?

I'm not into the whole debate about whether cloning is moral or immoral, but I do think that cloning for this kind of reason (to bring back a dear departed animal) is really an insult to the special and fragile relationship that we share with our animals. To suggest that $50,000 and a strand of DNA can bring back many years of memories is something that I find really offensive and ill-argued. There is something really perverse about it; if these people really loved their original dogs, they'd use the money to support local shelters or responsible breeders and breed rescues.

In addition to my main complaint about the show, I also find that the show might even encourage irresponsible ways to go about acquiring and raising a dog, since it clearly shows one of the subjects picking out a puppy from a pet store, and also seems to conveniently leave out the importance of training and socialization in molding a good pet - things that won't cross over with the implanted DNA.

It also seems to skim right over the fact that multiple surrogate mothers are used in the cloning process, since clones often die, and does not take issue with the fact that dogs are needlessly made to carry litters for no reason other than some Americans' misdirected grief over departed pets.

I've written an e-mail to TLC voicing my displeasure that such a show was aired. I get that shows like this are aired all for the shock value.. I do. But, I think there are lots of productive ways for the network to include pet-friendly topics that draw in big ratings in their program repertoire. This is not one of them.

Running The Show

2012-01-10T21:35:00.000-05:00

January seems to be a month where no matter how hard I try, I always go running back to APDT Rally with Marge. Marge and I both like Rally, but we like agility better, so it doesn't leave a whole lot of time to train and compete.

I signed on to be trial chairperson for an APDT Rally Trial at my club this past weekend and knew I'd be at the trial practically all weekend, but I was originally unsure whether I'd show Marge or not. Ultimately, I decided that even if it was going to make for a crazy weekend schedule-wise (since I would then have to take Marge home, only to go back out to school to run my pigeons), I just couldn't leave Marge out of the fun.

Eight runs (and a lot of money) later, we've finished yet another Rally title (RL1X - the Level 1 Championship title) and are one QQ away from our APDT Rally Champion Excellent (ARCHX) title. Her lowest score out of the eight runs was, I believe, a 207 (210 is perfect). So, she had a heck of a weekend!

Here she is finishing her RL1X. She scored a 210 and was first in the class. I have zero nerves going in to the Rally ring, so it makes for a really nice break from agility for us.

She got this awesome purple ribbon for the title. I've just recently started to get into the habit of donating back my Rally ribbons, but this one I just had to have. Love the pawprints!

Now that we've got within smelling distance of yet another title, I can't deny Marge the fun of another few Rally runs. There's another trial going on at my club in a couple weeks, and I decided what the heck - let's go out and get that ARCHX. I don't care at all about titles, but Marge clearly likes competing in Rally so I just couldn't help but chase that last QQ!

In addition to her success in the ring, Marge had a phenomenal weekend behavior-wise. Everyone who knew her and remembered how she started out commented on her work ethic and total comfort in the trial atmosphere. Perhaps most amazingly, she got loved on by two young boys who pet her, held her leash, and fed her treats without her feeling uncomfortable at all. Not only did she tolerate being handled by them, she actually enjoyed it and sought it out by approaching them first.

My dog? Really? Yep.

By Land And By Sea

2012-01-02T22:45:00.000-05:00

It seems like forever since I've posted photos of any of Marge's outings. Sometimes it seems like forever since I've taken her on any!

Fortunately, we've actually been able to find some time to have some fun lately. Just before Christmas, we went for a long walk on the beach. Nothing about the day suggested it was winter - the sun was shining and it was relatively warm.

Marge frequently gets the freedom of her 20 or 50 foot long line at places such as the beach, thanks to our seclusion from roads, other people and dogs, as well as her reliability. I occasionally drop the line altogether and let her burn some steam off by running around me. Goodness knows she needs it.

When I call her to come back to me, I'm met with a face like this, expecting treats. Even without the treats, Marge is very attentive to me and I'm so thankful for that.

About a week later, on New Year's Eve, Louie & I went for a hike with my good friend and her dogs, Spirit and Bailey. Marge absolutely LOVES their company. I used to often complain that Marge didn't have many doggy friends.. but if she gets to see these two every once in a while, it makes me feel better. (We actually went on a hike with them today, too, but I've got no pics to show from that).

She truly feeds off of their confident and friendly personalities when she is with them.

At the top of the trail, the three posed together for a quick pic.

Unfortunately, the dogs weren't the only ones hiking with us, it seems. After we returned that evening, I could have sworn that I felt something on Marge's neck. I looked, but didn't find anything. However, today, I felt it again, and did a little more investigating. I discovered an attached, but not engorged, tick. I yanked it off, applied some antibiotic ointment, and checked thoroughly for more (and found none), but now I've got the heeby jeebies!

I've got some free time tomorrow, and I'm thinking maybe we'll head to the beach this time. I shouldn't have to deal with ticks in December!

The Great Sacrifice

2011-12-28T20:36:00.000-05:00

In the wake of many recent bouts of pet-related sickness and tragedy, both here in the blog world and otherwise, I got to thinking about what it really means to be not a animal owner, but an animal lover. This isn't meant to be a sad or depressing post, just merely a reflection on reality.

There is a giant difference between the things some people will do and the things that others won't do for their animals.

There are those that will discard their animals at the first sign of adversity, those that will not part with their dollars should things not go as planned. Those who view their animals more readily as a nuisance than they do as a gift or blessing. There are those that will find themselves unable to expend any mental bandwidth on solving an issue that arises, those that will not be willing to make themselves the slightest bit uncomfortable, in away way, for the sake of their animals.

And then there are those who are different. Those who find such tremendous value in the day-to-day memories made with those close to them.

Those who will work tirelessly to ensure a happy and safe life for those they are responsible for, no matter the dollar cost or effort required.

Those that will cherish and accept their pets' imperfections rather than see them as inconveniences.

Those who will go above and beyond for not only their own animals, but try to help the other animals around them as well.

The sad, and perhaps unfair, part of all of this is that the latter group consists of those people who will inevitably get hurt as a result of such fierce devotion.

I think the bottom line is that when you truly give a piece of your heart to an animal, you are making a tremendous personal sacrifice. You're opening yourself up to potential stress, worry and grief that many people are too afraid to experience.

...Yet would you want to have it any other way?

(KB, K, we're mustering up every good thought we've got. Sandra, we're still thinking of you, too.)

Where To Begin?

2011-12-19T23:46:00.000-05:00

I want to encourage all of you to chip in, as I just did, for Sandra's Fire Recovery fund. If you haven't heard, Sandra (possibly better know as mom of the "Houston Pittie Pack") lost five of her rescue dogs and her entire home to a fire a few days ago. Sandra has commented on my blog in the past and I can speak from personal experience that she is an exceptional person with a big heart. I can't imagine the pain and sorrow she must be feeling right now.

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I have no idea where to even begin with this post. I suspect it'll shape up to be little more than rambles, but when you've been gone away from your blog for as long as I have (a month?) and have instead been buried in textbooks, anything goes. I'm still adjusting to the fact that I don't have to pick up a book until February at the earliest.

I guess the purpose of this post is to let you know that we're all still here. School has left me much too busy to post and comment, but I've been following along with everybody's posts pretty well. My finals are now over and I hope to have some more free time. The worst is over for me - while I will be at school literally every day over my winter break (more on that another time), I've only got two classes to take in the Spring, and then I'm home free.

I've applied to Physical Therapy school and expect to hear a decision from them sometime in February.

Marge and I have been practicing agility, but aren't overdoing it; we'll kick in to full swing again sometime in mid-January, hopefully. Otherwise, she has been enjoying walks and games of fetch in the field across the street and some snuggle time here or there.

Layla's doing well, too... still battling some asthma issues, but we're taking one day at a time and just keeping her happy. I hate the fact that she's on steroids, but it doesn't seem like we have much of a choice, as it's keeping all of her many ailments relatively at bay.

I've been riding quite often, too, and am so thankful to be getting lessons from a horse and a human who are excellent and knowledgeable teachers.

And when I'm not walking my dog, getting cuddles from my cat, or horseback riding, I'm tending to my 40 research pigeons.

Yep, my life has gone to the animals.

I'm not sure what the direction of this blog exactly is any more, since Marge is far from the fearful dog that she was three years (!!) ago when this blog started. But I do intend to keep it going, even if it's in a more limited capacity, hopefully posting more about Marge's adventures (though they've grown increasingly mundane as my schedule has kept me away from parks and the like) and dog training in general, and perhaps throwing in some posts about issues that I think could spur interesting debate/discussion among my followers. Aside from writing the actual posts, it is the discussions and sharing of knowledge and personal stories that I miss most about blogging.

So here's to a 2012 of more than one post per month.

Nineteen To Go

2011-11-22T23:32:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, Marge and I attended a huuuuge AKC agility trial at Dream Park, located about 2 hours from my house. Normally, I'd attend only one day of a weekend trial at this facility, but this time, I got to stay in my friend's little travel trailer for 2 nights.

This trial was a big deal for MargeDog, as it marked the biggest trial she'd ever been to (1100 runs per day!), the longest she'd slept away from home (2 nights), and the most runs she'd had over two days (five - the usual two classes plus an extra class, Time 2 Beat, on Saturday).

We went down to the site Friday night, in preparation for our first runs of the day at 8 AM on Saturday morning. We hung out inside the RV, ate spinach ravioli and talked about horses until almost 11 at night. Marge and her friend, Spirit, had an awesome time with each other. When they weren't laying next to each other, they were wrestling and slapping each other with their paws.

I didn't sleep well at all Friday night, but Marge didn't seem to have any problem getting comfy. To save space, I decided not to set up her crate, and had her sleep, curled up in a little tiny ball, next to my pillow. I thought for sure that she'd be antsy, especially with another dog around, but she had no problem getting comfortable.

Saturday morning came, and I was super worried about the gunshots that I was hearing that sounded very, very, close by. Living in New York City, I totally forgot that it was deer hunting season. Marge had a bit of a breakdown, but was definitely comforted by Spirit, who didn't react to the noise at all. Once I got her back inside the RV, she was totally fine. (In a bit of a milestone, she actually managed to poop outside on the grass despite the fact that she was unnerved by the sound.)

Now for the agility! My first run was at 8 AM Saturday morning - Excellent B Jumpers with Weaves. I don't have it on video - my friend asked if I wanted her to record it, but I told her that she could just watch this run, and record my later run. Boy, am I eating those words now! Here is the course.

I ran with Marge on my right until the takeoff side of jump #7, where I put in a rear cross. I also reared on the takeoff side of 11, 15, and 17 (I think). We ran in to a little of of trouble after the 180, where Marge was *so* close to taking the off course #19, but ran it clean for 6 MACH points.

The next class was Excellent B Standard - our first time in the Standard B class following our 1-2-3 AX legs at our last trial. It was a tough course with a lot of tough discriminations. Here is the video.

Again, not the most beautiful of Q's (I think I'm very very lucky for not getting called on that tunnel refusal), but a Q nonetheless. We came in at 11 seconds under time for 11 MACH points. Our first double Q of what I hope to be at least twenty of them!

I was absolutely thrilled to have QQ'ed and quite honestly wished I hadn't entered a third class. But, one more run was to be had, and just a little while later, I walked the course for Time 2 Beat (T2B), AKC's newest titling class.

I had entered T2B so that I could have more practice on a Standard-esque course without the stress of having to form my own sequences in FAST (another AKC class, for those who don't know). The course was fun and fast, but it was clear that Marge was tired; we did qualify and picked up 4 out of a maximum 10 points for the class, but it didn't feel like a great, connected run.

I was absolutely pooped after that, and headed back to the RV, ribbons in hand, and took a nap. I slept like a rock that night, with Spirit and Marge curled up beside me. Spirit had a successful Saturday, too, scoring her first 17 MACH points in Excellent B Standard, as well as wrapping up her Open FAST title.

Sunday, we couldn't repeat our stellar triple-Q day. Mostly, our double-NQ was due to my own bad handling. Unfortunately, though I asked people to record me, none of the videos came out (a lot of people have trouble working my camera, for some reason.. I think it's easy to use, but whatever!).

Jumpers was an interesting course. It started out tight, then got big and flowy with pinwheels and 180s, then tightened back up for a tough weave entrance, then spread back out again. Marge and I aced all of the hard parts, but we incurred a jump refusal as well as a knocked bar due to a rear cross that Marge just couldn't pull off on a tough angle. We definitely ran really well, though, considering the difficulty of the course.

Standard was one of those beautiful courses that you can't wait to run and qualify on. I thought we'd be a shoe-in for a Q.. that is, until, I tried to front cross and pulled poor Marge right off of a jump. We then incurred a tunnel refusal, most likely due to bad handling, and, then, the worst of all.. Marge walked on to the teeter, remained motionless for a good 2-3 seconds, and then bailed without tipping it :( My guess is that she was worried and stressed from the mistakes I made and that's why she bailed. On a happy note, she did nail all of her other contacts, including the table, and we had a pretty nice finish to the course.

BUT, now, of course, I'm worried about the teeter again!

We hung around until Spirit's Excellent Jumpers run (which she aced, save for one knocked bar), then got back on the road. Here are the two amigas posing in the RV parking area before we headed home. We had a GREAT time together, and I am so fortunate to have a friend who enjoys my company and lets me come along and stay over at trials with her.

And that concludes the 2011 trial season. Though I didn't formally set any goals, I completed my biggest goal - the AX - and, much to my surprise, finished the year with a QQ as well. We're going to take a couple of weeks off from agility because we're totally pooped out, then train and get ready to head back out to the shows in February. It seems like Marge is getting a) more consistent, b) faster, and c) less forgiving of bad handling. We're having a blast together and learning a lot about each other as we go on.

Eight Pounder

2011-11-16T17:55:00.000-05:00

This week, Layla's delicate immune system decided that it was jealous that it was Marge's turn for a vet visit. In true dramatic fashion, Layla started hacking and coughing in what looked to be a pretty severe asthma attack.

In fact, she was so bad Saturday night that I considered bringing her to the emergency vet.

Alas, Marge's weekday appointment was switched to Layla's weekday appointment. A couple of x-rays later, Layla does, indeed, have some asthmatic stuff going on in her lungs.

Thankfully, the vet did not seem overly concerned, and said that he was actually happy with the x-rays, since they showed a normal-sized heart (yippee!). We will continue her low dose of Prednisone (which she is on for the intestinal issues) and perhaps increase if needed. She still takes her liver protectant supplement, Denosyl, as well.

Oh, and the other tidbit of good news was the fact that little Layla, who was down to nearly 6 pounds earlier this year, is now a nice and lean 8 pounds, 3 ounces.

Not to worry, Marge wasn't spared a visit. She got to go in that same afternoon (talk about an expensive day) for her wellness exam. She checked out perfectly fine, except for a couple of back teeth that seem to accumulate tartar no matter what I do. It may be time for a dental.

She was a trooper, too.. so much calmer than I ever recall her being at the vet's office. She sure has come a long way.

My Night With 81

2011-11-12T09:56:00.000-05:00

They told me he was going to be put down on Thursday.

Imagine, then, how surprised I was Friday, when I went in to the bird room and found him still there, sitting perched atop his little castle inside his big dog cage.

I have been taking care of this bird for a few weeks through his illness and perhaps it makes me a bad researcher, but I've grown attached to him (and to many of the others). Though I had lots of other things to do while my experimental bird was busy pecking away in the chamber, I decided that, with 81's future up in the air, that I'd give him 20 minutes or so to do whatever the heck he wanted.

He walked across the floor, eyeballing me in that way that pigeons do and scurrying under the desk when I got too close. Then, suddenly, he started to look up, bobbing his little head in all different directions. He squat down, spread his wings, and vocalized as he fluttered right back up to his cage.

I have no idea if he will be there Monday when I return - I am not sure if they are giving him a second chance or have basically just not gotten around to the dreaded task - but at least I can say I allowed him to be a bird, just for a little while.

My mind has been swirling with happiness over the fact that I am allowed to have this experience of working so closely with my research animals and anger that I have been allowed to do so because of the emotion it creates.

I work with the birds only because they are not discarded at the end of the experiment. It is not a typical research lab. These birds are not disposable. They are not subject to pain or aversive treatments. Many have been living there for a decade or more.

Most research animals don't have that luxury.

And that, in a nutshell, is why I will not continue with research after I graduate college... because although I love science and all that it does for our world, and although I am not, per-se, against animal research (my feelings on it are incredibly mixed and it is one of those things I just prefer to not think about), I would be unable to separate my emotions from my research participants. I am an animal lover first and anything else second.

I really love my birds. I see them almost every day and can completely discern them from each other. They have their own "pigeonalities," you could say. It's not supposed to be that way, but it is what it is.

I am only human.

Trifecta

2011-11-08T17:19:00.000-05:00

Marge and I went in to this weekend of agility with not a single qualifying score in Excellent A Standard.

We went out with three.

Yes, in what I consider to be a stunning turn of events, Marge and I qualified in three straight Excellent Standard runs at my club's 3-day agility trial.

We were helped tremendously by the fact that we had a special training session at a not-so-nearby agility club to address Marge's aversion to the new teeter that they have been using in local competitions. My club owns an old teeter that my dog is familiar with, which makes it pretty much useless for my purposes.

So, I dropped in to a Beginner agility class about 60 miles away to work on that specific teeter. Thanks to the help of the instructor (whose instruction I REALLY enjoyed, and who I will be having a private lesson with this weekend), I also corrected some handling mistakes that were making matters much worse. I was hesitating at the middle of the teeter plank and that was causing Marge to lose momentum and sometimes bail off. It was a handling strategy I had originally incorporated to help coach Marge over the teeter, but I guess it started to backfire.

She was pretty much solely reward-based in her agility training methods and reminded me of some things that I could do to build positive associations between various things in agility and at agility trials.

Coming in to this weekend, I had one goal and one goal only - run to the end of the teeter plank and get Marge to stay on the board and complete the obstacle.

Turns out I far surpassed that goal.

How or why Marge and I ran so well in Standard this weekend, I will never know. Could one little training session have fixed several months of failure in Excellent Standard? I don't know. I just hope that we keep running like this.

(Our Jumpers runs were good, too - one off course the first day, one dropped bar the second day, and one tight little sequence that doomed us on the third day.)

That's it, we're in Excellent B now. The big time. Every qualifying run will come with a point value attached to it. Every Q (and double Q) will bring me closer to the one title I truly covet.

The Most Beautiful Place on Earth

2011-10-26T07:47:00.000-04:00

I've been struggling to find some fitting way to introduce this.. maybe with a bit of wit, or a bit of nostalgia. But for some reason, it's easier for me to stare at a blank page than to come up with things to say on this topic. In fact, I've opened up this page several times and tried to write something, to no avail. The thoughts just kind of swirl in my head: happiness, ecstasy, anxiety, and memories that race back to some really fond times in my life.

I've waited several months before even attempting to say anything, as I always had that lingering fear that perhaps it was too good to be true, that it wouldn't work out.

But I can't wait any longer; I made that mistake the last time and no one knew what a large part of my life it was until the very end.

I'm riding again.

Yeah, woo-hoo, there's the big dramatic three words. But, for real, I am riding again. Several times a month, in fact, on one wonderful 20-year old ex-lesson horse whose owner is gracious enough to share her gift of horses with me for really what is such a small amount of money.

Words cannot define the feeling I felt while rocking back and forth in the saddle to a canter for the first time in over four years. Words cannot define the feeling I felt after picking up a curry comb and a hoof pick and a dandy brush. The feeling of cinching a saddle or soft horse lips nibbling at my fingers in search of treats.

I've ridden Phoebe about 5 times now and she is a whole lot of fun. I even went on my first real trail ride this weekend, a 7.5 mile ride that took close to three hours. I am still sore, 3 days later.

She pranced the whole way. I even took my first tumble, due to a saddle that wasn't tight enough. Don't worry, I'm fine, I thought it was the funniest thing ever and wasn't scared at all. Guess that's why I've always liked small horses.

But to ride through those open fields, to see deer running past, to look up at a picture perfect sky, all with the ears of a horse pointing forward underneath me.. those pains are worth it. It was the most beautiful place on earth, or one of them, at least.

After our ride, we turned the horses back out in to their giant pasture, a sight so foreign from the dirt turn-out pens that I'd grown up around. I commented on how happy they looked, ambling from each corner of the field to another.

And I counted my lucky stars as I watched them, so thankful to have this opportunity again after so much hurt, so thankful that I am once again able to enjoy these remarkable creatures.

Here I Am

2011-10-12T21:38:00.000-04:00

Yeah, we're still around!

I have had a ton going on and just simply haven't had the time or mental willpower to post. Marge, Arrow and I did wind up trialing two weeks ago; I still have to upload the videos and write up a report on that (not sure if I'll get around to it before our next trial; we'll see). Honestly, agility really isn't going as great as I'd like it to right now, but I'm hoping to correct some big issues with a trip to a different training facility in the near future.

I also got hired by one of the physical therapy practices I've been volunteering at. I'm now working there one day a week, which takes Thursdays totally off of the calendar.

I've had some other great things going on in my life as well, but I'll save that for another post.

As for Marge.. she's hangin' in there with my busy schedule. We've been spending a lot of time together, despite the fact that I've been so busy. Between all of my other commitments, I've been making sure that I do some special things with her, too. Here are some pictures from a hike we took with Louie last week.

I may have gotten to the point where life will no longer fluctuate between busy and calm; seems like I'm going to be stuck in this "busy" for a long, long time! But as long as I remember who and what is important in my life, I think I'll be just fine.

We Went Back

2011-09-19T21:24:00.000-04:00

Marge's reaction to trialing in Sewaren was profoundly different this year. She had no trouble with the planes overhead and, for the most part, her head wasn't swiveling all over the place while she was in the ring. Thanks to some really heartbreakingly small errors, we didn't walk away with any Q's. But I am SUPER happy with Marge's performance since it was her first trial outside since June.

Saturday - Standard

Standard was the first run of the day on Saturday, which is usually recipe for a lousy Standard run. The course appeared pretty fun and flowy, with the problem areas coming towards the end. The contact obstacles came in the first half of the course, though, which I think helped Marge stay focused; it was almost like a hybrid Standard/JWW course.

It started out quite well, with Marge holding the A-Frame, getting right on the table, holding the dog walk. The next part of the course was an offside tunnel entrance to the teeter. Marge held her dog walk while I led out just a tad and then attempted to flip her in the to tunnel. She didn't pass the plane of the tunnel, but went in on an angle. I didn't think much of it and continued.

The serpentine at the end was a bit sloppy but we got it done. We crossed the finish line after jump #20 and I was ecstatic. Our first Excellent Standard Q? Yes? Maybe? No.

No one clapped, which was the first warning sign that perhaps I didn't qualify. Louie went over to get my scribe sheet and sure enough, written on it was "R (Tunnel)."

Perplexed, I watched the video that he had just recorded to see what the problem was. Marge had entered the tunnel kind of weirdly, but she didn't stop her forward motion and didn't go behind it. Furthermore, the judge didn't raise her fist to mark the refusal.

I approached her after the class ended and asked her where the error was. She said that because Marge entered at a nearly 90-degree angle to the entrance of the tunnel, based on the "rule of thirds," she had to score it as a refusal. She said it was a close call and told the scribe to write "tunnel" on the sheet so that I would know where the problem was.

I'm still not really seeing it. In my mind, Marge Q'd on this course.

Saturday - JWW

Determined to run a good run AND have the AKC actually record it as a qualifying score this time, we set out to run Jumpers. The course played well to Marge's strengths and I thought that perhaps we could do it. However, this time, an error by me sent Marge over an off course jump. A rear cross cue likely would have gotten her in the tunnel where she was supposed to go.

Sunday - JWW

Tricky course, and I knew it. I THOUGHT that if we managed the weave pole entrance, that we'd be okay. But, frankly, there were a couple of off course traps that I missed, including the one where I sent Marge out after the triple and she took an extra jump as I tried to front cross. Calling her in might have saved that.

Then, she went around a jump, which, again, would have been solved by actually calling her in. It didn't help that she was jumping HUGE.

Sunday - Standard

Our last shot at a qualifying score for the weekend. I was worried about the beginning and the icky line from the table to the teeter.

I opted to not lead out in the beginning, and that went alright. Got her on the teeter and was thrilled with how she flipped away from me to get on the table. Her eyes were darting all over the place on the table, though, so I wasn't too thrilled with that.

But the damn tunnel got us again. She swung out too far and incurred another tunnel refusal. Later, she nailed a really hard weave entrance while I rear crossed behind her, but then popped out of the poles. I truly think that it had to do with where the judge was standing.. several people commented that he was awfully close to the dogs.

Still, not a bad run, and really, just two freak little things that kept us from qualifying.

Look who visited us right after our Standard run. One of these jumbos was on approach to Newark when I pulled in to the park in the morning, also. They didn't seem to bother Marge today at all so I was happy to get to spot my favorite plane.

We're *so* close to a breakthrough, I can feel it. Our next trial is at East Freehold Park in two weeks, where, historically, we have had awesome luck. Some of my best runs have come at this park, so I'm ready to get kick our Fall agility season in to high gear then.

Gearing Up

2011-09-14T21:45:00.000-04:00

I have had a lot of my mind; personal things, school things, family things are all swirling through my head. I'll apologize in advance because this post is not particularly well written or clever; in fact, it's being written by someone with a huge migraine headache who just stress-ate a half a sleeve of Oreos (there goes the diet!). The pace is going to be grueling over the next month or so for me, and it's pretty easy to sit here and worry about things.

But I AM going to an agility trial this Saturday and Sunday, so I'm excited about that.

I have practiced the teeter a TON with Marge since our last trial. In fact, I took her to practice at a private facility over the weekend, where she got to train on two teeters... an old, squeaky one, and a new, rubber one.

She didn't hop off at all, so I'm hoping her confidence transfers over to this trial this weekend.

Her runs this week at class were also excellent. I haven't seen her run that well with me at our club's agility field in a long time. I'm betting it's the cooler weather.

The trial is being held in the same park that spurred a lot of agility worries for me last year. However, I really think that our situation is different this year. For one, our last trial was only a month ago, as opposed to three months ago. Also, Marge's noise sensitivities aren't quite so extreme any more. And lastly, they are not using that dreadful automatic counting table this year at the trial.

I'm hopeful.

Oh, and in case you forgot (since I haven't posted for real in what feels like 5 years), here's what Marge looks like.

The Greatest City On Earth.

2011-09-11T00:00:00.003-04:00

Shy Dog 101

2011-09-05T13:55:00.001-04:00

A dog training dream of mine is to teach a class for fearful dogs. Shy and fearful dogs are the dogs I'm drawn to work the most with when I'm teaching, and to have a class of 6 or so of them would be something I'd enjoy a lot.

There are very premature talks of a class like this eventually being offered. If it is, indeed, offered, there are several people (to my surprise) that are interested in being involved in it. Despite this, I've just as prematurely started to think about what the most important things to convey to a class of fearful dog handlers are if I was, indeed, to teach it.

1. Learn to think in terms of association, not rewards.
The distinction between classical and operant conditioning is, admittedly, something that is a bit hard to teach. Most people (unknowingly) only think in operant terms when training their dog - "If my dog doesn't bark, I'll reward him" - even when the situation might be better suited to associative learning - type work.

I think the best way to teach this concept is to avoid any technical terms (classical, operant, reinforcement, conditioned response) and to delve right in to the bare minimum that a fearful dog owner should know - how to use desensitization and counterconditioning to change what the dog does, rather than reinforcing outright behaviors.

Getting handlers to think in terms of "loud noise = cookies" or "new stranger = playing with a toy," as well as being able to recognize that fear is not voluntary, would be monumental in the rehabilitation of dogs of this type.

2. Learn how to properly approach a shy dog.
Even those who OWN shy dogs bend over, reach their hands out and talk to the dog to try to get it to sniff them. The reality is that this type of greeting is super scary to the dog - a big giant human hand is entering their space, maybe grabbing for them, and they just don't like the idea of that.

Much more beneficial is the idea of letting the shy dog approach on their own terms. Standing or sitting still, not making eye contact and not outstretching their hands is a much more inviting posture for a dog who is afraid of being touched by someone they do not know. As the comfort level increases, the new person can start to offer food, perhaps by throwing it on to the floor.

3. Learn how to stand up for what's best for a shy dog.
If a well-meaning but uninformed person approaches Marge looking to pet her, I have no problem body-blocking them and telling them NO if I do not feel Marge would be comfortable with that situation. Unfortunately, this is something that takes a little while to get used to doing. I can't tell you how many shy dog owners in my classes have allowed people to pet their dogs when the dogs are clearly not enjoying it. In fact, I myself have had to stand up for these dogs and politely point out to both the offending party and the owner/handler that the dog is uncomfortable.

It would be awesome for shy dog handlers to learn that it is OK to say "no" to a friendly advance from a stranger. By apologizing and saying that the dog is shy and learning how to comfortably be around people, it minimizes conflict and keeps the dog AND the person safe.

4. Learn about different aids and products that make the process a bit easier.
"I don't want her on pills." "I heard ____ product only works some of the time." "I don't think she's THAT scared so I don't want to use it." The excuses are many, but people seem very, very reluctant to add anything in to their training toolbox when it comes to alleviating some of a shy dog's anxiety. While I do not think the decision to put a dog on medication should be taken lightly, I do think that it is helpful for shy dog owners to learn about medication as an option, should a situation ever arise where the dog needs to be medicated.

In terms of natural or non-invasive products, it is true that the results vary from dog to dog. However, most of these products are cheap; some, like an anxiety/body wrap, can even be made from household items. Sampling some of these and seeing how the dog responds would, again, be quite beneficial. If the end goal is to have a happy, comfortable dog, what's wrong with speeding the process along?

On a similar note, it is also important for shy dog owners to know how veterinarians, behaviorists, and dog trainers can provide their services to help a shy dog get better.

5. Learn to be proactive.
There are certain things in the environment that you can't prepare for - you can't do much in advance about a crack of thunder or a child jumping out from behind a bush. However, sometimes shy dog owners walk their dogs right in to not-so-good situations. Walking in close proximity with crowds of people, particularly children, or taking the dog to the park on the 4th of July are, for example, not the greatest ideas, depending on what type of fears the dog has.

The same can be said for situations around the house - if the dog is afraid of strangers and you're expecting your neighbor (who, to top it off, refuses to leave the dog alone) to drop by, put the dog in the yard, or in another room, or in a crate, instead of "seeing how it goes."

Similarly, learning your dog's specific signs of anxiety can be useful in getting out of a situation before it spirals out of hand.

I hope that I get to put my knowledge and enthusiasm for working with fearful dogs in to motion. I'd also like to hear from you. Lots of my blogging buddies have fearful or shy dogs and I'm always looking for new ideas. What do you think should be covered in such a class?

Our Obedience Journey

2011-09-04T11:53:00.000-04:00

Our competition obedience journey started roughly one year ago, when the obedience training director at my training club told me that Marge was advanced enough in her training to drop in to a Show-Ready Novice obedience class.

Dogs in this class were already competing or close to doing so. I had never set foot in an obedience ring, never went through the foundation classes like every one else. Yet, I was now here in this class, not knowing what to expect. Would I like it? Would Marge like it? Would we do well?

Long story short, we made the decision to press on with our competition obedience training. Two obedience matches later, we entered our first UKC obedience trial in June of this year and picked up scores of 193 and 194. Here is her first run.

Last weekend, the day that Hurricane Irene scared the pants off of all of us, I had to make the difficult choice to either go to or skip the obedience trial I had entered. I was stressed to the max with thoughts of my house being washed away by a storm surge (dramatic? maybe), but needed to free myself just a little bit from the chaos and so decided to go.

We had not practiced at all, save for one little ring rental hour shared with a few friends earlier that week. Marge was picking up on my stress and I just couldn't seem to get her where I wanted her to be in terms of performance during our warm up.

But we went in the ring and got it done. Not as pretty as our other two legs, we managed to hold on to a 191 and earned our final qualifying score.

Marge is now registered as a United Companion Dog (UCD). Her first obedience title. She also was, once again, the high scoring mixed breed in the trial.

It's hard to explain how I feel about the whole process as it's so vastly different than anything else we've ever done. I wish I could say that it was the title that took us the most work to get, but I'm not sure that's true. Sure, having Marge hold a Stand For Exam was the culmination of years of socialization work, but the rest almost came naturally. A little heeling practice here and there, some fronts and finishes, and we were really good to go.

Still, I am really proud of the both of us for earning this title. Even if it was a tiny little trial at our home training club, I never, ever thought we'd do competition obedience, let alone do it successfully.

We're done with competition obedience for the time being. Quite honestly, the possibility is there that we will not continue competition obedience at all. Real life responsibilities beckon (the same reason I've been absent from the blog world), and I'd really like to focus on agility for now. We are dabbling with the Open exercises, though I'm not sure if I'd like to start fresh in AKC or go on to Open in UKC. Only time will tell!

Tropical Assault

2011-08-28T23:39:00.000-04:00

I am glad this weekend is over.

I am SO glad this weekend is over.

People across the country are (childishly, if I might add) laughing at the response to a barely-Category 1 hurricane here in New York, but, as a person who has never experienced a hurricane, I will freely admit that I was terrified.

We got word around 2:00 PM on Friday that we would have to evacuate our home by 5:00 PM the next day. While that left us plenty of time to do whatever we had to do to prepare, I could already feel the environment around me getting more and more hysterical. I was volunteering in the PT Department at the nursing home at that point and was watching as they brought in old and/or sick evacuees from the hospital, whose walls fell within the dreaded NYC Flood "Zone A." Hospital beds were being wheeled in to elevators and placed where ever there was room for a patient to ride out the storm. It was unnerving.

The scene became too much for me to deal with, so I headed home without finishing my hours. I was way too strung up.

I definitely overpacked for both myself and my animals, but I wanted to make sure that I had absolutely everything I needed in the event my house was damaged or we needed to stay out of the area for a long time.

For the pets, I had..

20 cans of food for Layla plus several pounds of dry food
Enough cat litter for two or three litter changes, plus the litter box
15+ pounds of kibble for Marge
Several bowls and containers for food, water
Treats and treat-dispensing toys to keep Marge occupied
Marge's giant soft crate, Layla's carrier, plus a spare 36" wire crate
Towels, blankets
Several leashes and collars including THREE collars with identification information
All of Marge's important paperwork, including my NYC Dog License, vaccination information, and ownership documents
Photos of both Marge and Layla
Medicines/supplements for each of them

.. And God knows what else.

With most of my packing done Friday night, I made the difficult decision to attend the UKC Obedience trial that I had entered for that Saturday. I only stayed for the first trial, but decided that since the weather was safe and my packing was complete, that it would be mentally beneficial for me to stop worrying and remove myself from the chaos of the incoming storm. Marge qualified, despite my extreme stress levels, with a 191, for her UKC Companion Dog (U-CD) title. More on that another time.

I didn't want to leave the trial - I was finally able to relax a bit while there and didn't want to venture back out in to the world. The Mayor was taking this storm seriously and therefore I was as well. I knew the possibility of extreme flooding at my house was possible, depending on the size and strength of the storm when it arrived.

When I got home (approximately 1 PM on Saturday), we prepared my house for the storm. We adorned the basement windows with several towels and taped plastic garbage bags around the inside of them to prevent water from coming in. My dad boarded them up from the outside. We moved all of our valuable items in to closets and away from windows. We disconnected the computers and moved them off of the basement floor. My mother hunted down sand bags at one of the stores and placed them in the yard around the house. We taped up the windows to prevent them from shattering if they did, indeed, crack. We were essentially preparing my house for a worst-case scenario. Overkill? Maybe. But I have truly never experienced a feeling quite like that before.

By about 4 PM, police were blaring sirens in my neighborhood, telling people to GET OUT. It was starting to rain at that point. Long story short, by a bit before 6 PM, we (my mom, sister, Marge, Layla, and me) were at my grandmother's house, which was not in a flood zone, with all of our many things. My dad, as well as several other neighbors, decided to not heed the evacuation warnings and opted to stay with the house.

New York City was already becoming a ghost town. Most businesses were already closed at that point Mass transit would slow to a halt by the following morning. The airports were closing. Bridges and roads were being closed or used only as evacuation routes.

Without getting in to painstaking detail, it was a long night. In addition to the hurricane drama, my grandmother found out that her brother on the West Coast passed away, which, of course, upset her greatly. My mom, sister, and me all opted to (not so comfortably) sleep in the same room. When the lights started to flicker a bit, I opened up Marge's crate and put her in there so I didn't have to worry about knowing where she was if the power went out. We wound up staying up practically all night, watching the TV and checking for updates on the track of the storm. Thankfully, we never lost power. We did feel like we were going to lose our minds.

Around 5:30 AM, being cooped up started to get to Marge. I let her out and she went absolutely wild.. jumping up, panting, yipping and whining a bit. I don't know if that was her way of letting us knew that she felt the storm coming or what. I decided to brave the elements outside at that hour and took her out to pee, on leash. I was extremely worried about the dog pottying situation, since they predicted several hours with strong winds and heavy rains.

8:00 AM was T-time. That's when the tide was at its highest and storm surge would be at its peak. The TV showed video from all over the city of water creeping up on boardwalks, roads, and parking lots near the shore. It was extremely unsettling. We spoke to my dad back at home, and he said that there were no water problems; the surge had not reached my block (which is a half mile from the shore).

Conditions started to improve rapidly from there. Perhaps it was simply because we could exhale a bit after apparently missing the worst of the storm surges that were predicted, but I was definitely much more relaxed at that point. Aside from a few bands of rain and some wind, things died down. We were home by about 3:30 PM.

We did have a lot of damage in the borough. Downed trees, thousands without power, several streets flooded. My block, as well as my grandma's, was spared from the worst of it. Thank goodness. Thank goodness.

On Saturday night, I thought about moving my car in to this driveway.

On Sunday morning, I was glad I didn't!

All of the packing and preparing may not have been put to as much use as we anticipated, but I am glad that we followed the advice of the authorities and got out of our home. I do NOT regret at all taking a few extra safety measures just in case things got bad. You should always prepare for the worst scenario, not the best one. That's what we did, and we were lucky to walk away from Irene without any severe damage. The same cannot be said for some others in our community, our city, and in the neighboring states. It wasn't a storm to screw around with.

Irene

2011-08-26T17:00:00.000-04:00

Well, my worst fear about this storm has pretty much happened, as I am due to evacuate my home before 5 PM tomorrow. For those who are not familiar, I am on the East Shore of Staten Island, which is one of the boroughs of New York City. I am a half mile from the Lower New York Bay.

Luckily, my grandmother lives nearby, outside of all evacuation zones. So that's where we (including Marge and Layla) are heading.

While this evacuation is likely precautionary, I am taking it seriously and starting to round my things up. Marge's important documents are all in my agility backpack already. I have stocked up on food for both the cat and the dog, as well as cat litter. We have tons of bottled water. I am taking Marge's giant soft crate, my cat's carrier, as well as my spare wire crate with me.

We've experienced lots of bad storms here, but never storms severe enough to warrant the type of evacuations we're currently seeing. I don't know whether I should be more worried about the wind or the prospect of flooding.

Several bloggers have my contact information, so rest assured that I will be in touch.

Good luck to all of you who are also dealing with this storm.

Two Sundays Ago

2011-08-20T15:17:00.000-04:00

So this is, oh, two weeks overdue. Yeah.. sorry about that.

But now that I'm stuck in the house with a nasty ear/nose/throat cold yucky icky thing that I probably caught while volunteering in the Physical Therapy department of a nursing home, I have no excuse not to update.

Thankfully, the agility gods must have read my last blog post and rewarded me with a great day of agility the next day. It was quite a long and busy day, actually, so I guess it didn't leave me time to get upset about the snarky people at the trial.

The reason it was so action packed was because I had double the work to do! I had two dogs with me - my own lovely MargeDog as well as one of her best friends, Spirit, the Golden Retriever, who I ran and qualified with last December. I'm also her dog walker, which makes me one of her favorite people in the world.

The Jumpers course was lovely and I knew it when I walked it (which isn't always a good thing - it usually leads to me not qualifying!). However, Marge totally rocked all of my rear crosses and powered through the course, picking up 8 MACH points and her second MXJ leg.

Spirit, too, had a lovely run with me. I handled it exactly the same way as I did with Marge, and, aside from her one error (popping out early at the weaves), I actually thought her run was nicer than Marge's. If you want to see the run, you can find it here.

Next was Standard, that class that Marge and I just can't seem to qualify in. Unfortunately, in this run, we were extremely close. If she would have held on to the teeter for literally another second before bailing, we would have qualified. Unfortunately, this was a new teeter that squeaked at the tipping point, so Marge was startled. I think that's why she bailed.

But there is a lot of good in this run. Look at how close the freaking judge is to Marge while she's on the A-Frame - and notice that she doesn't even look at him! She did notice him when she got to the table, but I kept verbally praising her and tried to position myself so that I was kind of in between the table and the judge. She also hit that really difficult weave entrance, which I am SO proud of her for.

Spirit ran very well, also. But she, too, did not qualify. In her case, hopping the dog walk contact and incurring a refusal at the weave entrance (which was EXTREMELY tricky) prevented a clean run. Her video is here.

After Spirit's run, we stuck around to see Amy and Layla's Standard run, and then headed home. I really don't know how the heck I would have managed to get two large dogs and two large dog crates back to the car without Louie and Amy's help. I can see why all of these top agility handlers like working out of the car so much!

And that was our weekend! I would have liked to qualify more than once out of the 6 attempts that I had all weekend (and really wanted to bring home a ribbon to Spirit's momma), but, aside from Marge's zoomy run on the first day of the trial, I had 5 really solid runs with my two girls. I was so glad that Sunday was a pleasant and fun agility day - which is how it should be!

Our next trial is the trial that I kind of flipped out at last year. It's still about 3 or 4 weeks away, I think. It still remains my worst weekend of agility ever, but, because the both of us (ESPECIALLY me) have done a little growing up since last year (in addition to the fact that they will not be using the automatic table counter), I was willing to give it one more shot. If this year goes icky, too, we'll sit this trial out for good. It ain't worth the stress!

That's Agility For Ya

2011-08-06T19:06:00.000-04:00

Today was one of those agility days where I seriously wonder why I actually do this stuff. The day ended better than it began, but the whole thing was just so stressful. I apologize in advance, as this whole thing is just going to be one giant rant.

It started out rough, as, thanks to a faulty alarm clock, I woke up at exactly 6:13 AM, giving me 17 minutes to get to my friend's house. I ran around the house like a maniac, getting my last bits of things together, which stressed Marge out from the get-go.

Miraculously, thanks to the fact that I packed the night before, I made it to her house by about 6:35 AM. My speedy performance was a far cry from yesterday, when I hit my snooze butter for 2 straight hours.

The drive was fine. Marge shared the back seat with Spirit, the Golden Retriever who I walk and sometimes run in agility. A dog I absolutely adore.

We got to the trial site to find very little parking. OK, no biggie. We managed to score the last spot on the blacktop and then took the dogs out to potty. Unfortunately, there was almost no where to walk them.

When we went inside with our crates and things, we found a crating room that was absolutely packed. It was only about 7:20 AM and the first run of the day wasn't for more than another half hour, but there was no where for us to go. People wasted so much space with ex-pens being used for one single dog and inefficient arrangement of crates. Not only was some of their behavior against the rules, but I also found it extremely inconsiderate. Seriously? Do your three border collies all need a separate octagonal ex-pen? Can any of them be crated or put together to make room for us poor saps looking for a place to put our crate? And does your Golden really need a 5' by 3' ex-pen when he is curled up in about one-third the space?

Long story short, we did find a place to go. My friend squeezed herself in somewhere and I, with the help of my other friend, Gloria, found a place as well. But it set the mood from the start, since the crating room was not only cramped, but not air conditioned, either.

We went down to the rings to check out Excellent Standard. Some woman with a hunting breed walked past Marge, who was standing directly in front of me and out of the way, and allowed her dog to get up in Marge's face. Well, Marge gave that dog some lip. The woman continued on her way and said something like, "Oh boy." Really, lady? Shorten your God damn leash and then maybe my dog won't feel the need to get upset. That's in addition to another woman who walked her two giant hounds on the end of a 6' leash without gathering them at all when people passed. Okay. Yeah. Real safe.

Anyway, back to the agility. I didn't like the course from the beginning; it looked deceiving. I also found out that there were poles in the ring (like support beams or whatever). Marge has obviously never seen these before, so I expected there to be some issue.

And there was. The run started off on a sour note, with the dog before us getting whistled and Marge eyeballing the judge like I have never seen her do before. She was extremely concerned. I was able to get her head again pretty quickly, but she veered off course after the 4th obstacle. Then, after a nice A-Frame and table (thank goodness for that, at least), I attempted to rear cross her in to the weaves and that was it. Full. blown. zoomies.

I got whistled, which I didn't really think was fair since I saw people telling their dogs to lie down in the middle of the course (which is training in the ring), and they didn't get whistled.. never mind the people who do that extremely snail-paced walk, with head down, dog screaming like a banshee and spinning at their side, back to the beginning of an obstacle after their dog screws it up the first time. What a time waster.

At that point, I was really upset. I was unhappy with the trial site, I was unhappy with how tightly packed and testy the environment was. I was unhappy about the person who told me that my run was "not bad" despite the fact that I got whistled off around obstacle 12 or so and that "she was having fun!" I'm sorry, but I know my dog, you don't. Please don't tell me that she was running zoomies because she was filled with so much joy. She was STRESSED. I have a STRESSY dog and I don't want to hear about any more of that nonsense about my dog having the time of her life.

Thankfully, I had Amy and Layla to hang out with, which made me feel a lot better. Layla is such a funny, sweet girl. It's impossible for her to not bring a smile to your face. And I always appreciate how Amy is willing to tell me where the bright spots are in my crappier runs without being all like "but it was so WONDERFUL!" Having my other friends around made me feel good, too. Gloria's kindness in lending me a spot to put my crate helped to overshadow all of the craziness in the crating room, and the fact that my friend Marge (not the 4-legged one) let me hitch along for the drive to the site was something I appreciated immensely as well.

I didn't have to wait very long for my next class. I was excited and confident for Jumpers, the polar opposite of how I feel during Standard. I walked the course a couple of times and decided not to overthink it. I also decided that I didn't wish to stay in the walk-through any longer than I had to, as people seemed pretty nasty there was well. I bumped in to someone accidentally and she spent the rest of the walk giving me dirty looks! Seriously? What is WRONG with some of these people?

We had start line trouble in this run, too, as Marge saw an AmStaff-looking dog walk by behind the start line and thought that he should NOT be there. Hence why I held her collar for an extra few seconds in the beginning.

The beginning of the run was beautiful, and after getting through what I thought was the hardest part of the course (the front cross to the weaves), I became very excited that we might be qualifying. However, Marge took a crazy off-course jump - I think just a moment of disconnect - which squashed that idea. Other than that and a little blip at the tunnel, she ran very nicely, though. So it was an upgrade over the morning for sure, and I run I was happy with.

After that, Marge, Spirit, Marge and I (gets confusing, doesn't it?) were ready to high-tail it out of there, so after moving Spirit's crate as well as Layla's crate in to our little corner so that we could all be together for tomorrow, we headed home.

Round two coming up shortly.

A Little R&R

2011-08-03T20:29:00.000-04:00

My summer has been extremely hectic, so days out doing fun things have been few and far between, except when explicitly scheduled (like agility events). The heat doesn't help, either.

However, we did get to sneak to the park a couple of weeks ago with Mable, who I often puppysit. Mable's mom was away for a few days and I was one of the people helping to care for her. I decided that she might like a nice long walk in the park. I knew Marge would!

Nothing like a little R&R with friends to de-stress. It's so wonderful that Mable and Marge get along as well as they do. Both of them have their reservations with some strange dogs, so it's pretty lucky that they hit it off as well as they did.

P.S. - for those of you keeping track of my academic endeavors - I was extremely pleased with my GRE score, enough so that I will not have to take it again. I also earned A's in both my Anatomy and Physiology class and my Independent Study/Teacher Assistant gig. What a wild ride June and July were...

Learning To Fly

2011-07-31T23:32:00.027-04:00

I love planes.

I was originally going to infuse this post with some sort of fearful dog agility metaphor but instead I've opted to just tell it like it is.

It's not exactly a common hobby for a college-age girl, but I absolutely love going plane spotting. It's something that Louie introduced me to and I can't get enough of it. I can seriously sit in a park near JFK for hours with Louie, watching the planes come in to land, excitedly guessing the airline and aircraft type from a distance as I watch the massive metal birds inch closer and closer, before they eventually pass only a few hundred feet in front of me. I don't go very often, but I've been spotting for a year and it's just as cool as the day I started.

Yet if you try to get me to actually agree to fly on a plane, that's a whole different story. The thought of it makes me sick to my stomach. Nothing particularly traumatic has happened to me while flying, and I'm not afraid of terrorism or things like that. But, Louie has offered numerous times to take me on a flight to somewhere like Baltimore and I have backed out time and time again. I won't let him buy the tickets, even if the plane being used on the route is one of my beloved Boeings (usually a 737). I wish I would let my guard down, but I can't seem to.

What I did let him buy was tickets to tour a British Airways Concorde on display at the Intrepid Museum in Manhattan. I was actually the one who suggested it. Aside from the fact that Concorde has a really cool story that I was interested in learning a little more about, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to sit in a plane with no threat of it lifting up off of the ground. Of course, I'll just skim right over the fact that a trip to Martha's Vineyard on JetBlue would probably have been cheaper... sometimes you've gotta live a little.

Much to my surprise, I was actually slightly nervous as I climbed the stairs to board Concorde. Despite the fact that I knew for sure that Alpha Delta was not leaving the ground, the emotional side of my brain told me otherwise. Imagine how my stomach flip-flopped when I saw an elevator move through the window of the plane and momentarily had the sensation that Concorde was, without a single engine installed, gaining altitude!

All in all, I enjoyed the tour immensely and felt perfectly relaxed when I exited the plane. The tour guide was extremely animated but kept the tour interesting and intellectual. We got to sit in the cockpit and Louie was able to answer a question that the tour guide didn't know the answer to, based on the equipment in there. Another tour guide asked Louie and I if we were airline pilots, which I found hilarious.

It perplexes me that I can enjoy watching and learning about something so much, yet be so afraid of it. It makes me a little sad, too. Planes depart from and land at Kennedy Airport every single minute without incident. I know logically that air travel is one of the safest ways to travel. But I still can't do it.

I know we now largely live in an age where flying is very often at best mundane and at worst unpleasant, but I have all sorts of silly little dreams of grandeur - the biggest of those being to fly first class on a Boeing 747 to Heathrow. But I can't realize that dream, as well as my wishes to vacation in Australia or on the West Coast, unless I actually get on a plane other than one parked at a museum.

Still, I guess it was a start - before yesterday, I hadn't been on a plane since I was 5 years old. So, though she didn't go supersonic this time, Concorde did give me an experience that I'm sure will last a long time, and hopefully one that will get me started on conquering this fear.

Black, White, and Wild

2011-07-27T23:55:00.000-04:00

I am SUPER stoked to introduce this girl, who I'm likely going to have the opportunity to run part-time in competition.

I ran Arrow once in at a trial. It came together pretty suddenly, and the run wasn't so pretty, but it was quite a rush and a lot of fun. Border Collies really are their own breed of crazy.

Recently, Arrow's owner asked if I would like to start running her part-time at shows. Basically, she'll enter Arrow in local shows and if I'm entered too with Marge, I'll run both dogs. At trials I'm not entered in, my instructor will probably run her (she's been running her for years in Jumpers).

She's 10 years old and in Excellent B in both Standard and Jumpers. I think she already has her MX, but needs a few more legs for her MXJ.

I ran her last night during practice at our field. Aside from her weave entrance issues, we ran really well together. It's only the third or fourth time I've practiced with her.

I feel like my handling really needs improvement - my handling errors really stand out when I run Arrow because of how fast she is. One twitch of my arm, and she's across the ring. I also need to be able to differentiate running Marge from running Arrow, which is a challenge due to the different strengths that each dog has. But I'm getting there.

As much as I love running Marge, there is something really cool about running an experienced agility dog who runs agility because she finds agility itself to be the greatest thing in the world. I think she's going to make me a better handler.. which will make Marge a happier agility dog!

And, for the Marge fans, here she is with me playing on the same course. We ran it clean earlier in the night, then I accidentally pulled her out of the pinwheel on this run. Our next trial is just a week and a half away!

The Problem With Dog Training

2011-07-19T10:54:00.000-04:00

I have now been in a very active role as an assistant instructor for my dog club's non-competitive agility class for over one year. Along the way, I've met dogs and handlers who really had me scratching my head - not because their situation was particularly complicated, just that the time to explain and execute plans to help deal with their situation was too much for me to really spend without neglecting the other students in class. Most times, I've been able to give them suggestions and/or the tools to help deal with their problems, and I frequently did see improvement. But I still haven't had that feeling that I've really fully helped a problem. I don't think my problem lies in a lack of ability to convey information or even demonstrate how to deal with an issue, but instead seems to lie in the fact that a huge gap between what I know and what they know needs to be filled, and there just simply isn't the time to fill it.

A current situation that I'm dealing with along these very lines is making me feel a bit frustrated. Attempting to explain the emotional side of behavior problems to one handler while also attempting to override any previous and ill-suited suggestions to deal with it is a daunting task in a class with four or five other dogs present. One could argue that the situation shouldn't be dealt with at all in this environment. But what is an instructor to do in the sixth week of class, when money has already been paid, and a dog's behavior is embarrassing and disruptive for both the handler and the other students in class?

In that respect, I'm stressed out on several levels - trying to carefully correct misinformation that has been put out there without stepping too hard on any one else's toes, while explaining a more complicated but solid solution to the problem and ultimately balancing one student against an entire class seeking personalized attention. It's a situation I've been in before, but it doesn't seem to get easier with repetition.

Sometimes I really wonder: does the ability to understand classical conditioning methods require a genuine and whole interest in dog training and behavior, or even learning and behavior as a whole? I don't say that disparagingly. The fact is that we live in a society where it's largely accepted as OK to deal with dog misbehavior with a pop, a snap, and perhaps a verbal hiss. Can people who just want a nice house pet wrap their mind around the idea of not JUST rewarding or punishing behaviors, but shaping emotions and associations? Sometimes, the effort really feels futile to me. It'd be so much easier to just say "show her who's boss!" or "she thinks she's in charge"... but I know better. I know the dog's behavior is rooted in anxiety and overexcitement and needs to be dealt with accordingly. How can I stitch up that big gap between what I know and what the handler knows in the most effective way possible?

I hear a lot of dog training people write off pet class handlers with misbehaved dogs as "not trying hard enough" or "letting the dog do whatever it wants." But the fact of the matter is that dealing with behavior problems is not like teaching sit, down, stay, and come. It's really hard to convey the right information and sometimes even harder to get a handler to stop resisting what seems like an unconventional training plan. After all, it only takes a couple of episodes of a couple of dog training shows to see that using food or other high-value items while the dog is barking their head off or growling with its hackles raised is analogous to selling your soul to the devil.

I can only hope I'm making just a little bit of a difference right now. I think I am. In the future, if I ever get the opportunity, I want to teach smaller, more personalized classes that work on specific issues. Fiesty Fido or Shy Dog classes sound great in theory, and that's because they are. But they're not offered nearly enough. Subsequently, those teams who need a little bit of extra help are thrown in with the teacher's pets and valedictorians.. and the result isn't pretty.

Walking The Plank - Or Not!

2011-07-13T13:49:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday, Marge, Louie and I took a road trip to Hatfield, Pennsylvania, for an AKC agility trial. Though I was swamped with school work (and still am) and even at one point regretted entering, I had a great time.

The trial site was AWESOME. The layout of the rings was really cool - two turf rings separated by an aisle with chairs and bleachers. The crating area was huge and was in the back. I left Marge's crate at home and opted to just let her hang out for the day, thinking she might need time to adjust to the site. Nope.. walked in and made herself comfortable immediately. Always amazing me, this dog!

Outside the JWW ring.

Jumpers was our first course and it turned out to be pretty tricky. I started the run off on a sour foot by calling a rear cross too early and pulling Marge right off of a jump. She was just a tiny bit zoomy - maybe the surface, maybe not - and lightning quick. I wound up having to layer a jump because there was just no way I was going to catch up to her. The middle of the course went nicely, until she missed her weave entrance. Then, at the end of the course she went flying over two wrong course jumps without any thought. Not one of our best, but by no means terrible.

The Standard course was gorgeous and I was trying to convince myself that it wasn't (because generally, any time I like a course, I screw up on it). Turns out *I* did everything right and handled it pretty well. There were almost no crosses - I crossed behind the weaves (easy cross), in front of the A-Frame (another easy cross), and reared at the very end (the only tight turn, really), and that was it. The challenge, I think, lied in the fact that the course was very, very speedy.

Alas, our Q-less streak in Standard continued, due to a very early bail-out on the teeter. Probably just a freak thing.

It's always something in Standard, it seems. Still, the run was lightyears better than our last Standard run, and since this was a new place, a new surface, etc., I was happy with her performance. It was a great day out for all of us and I'd definitely trial there again.

We have work to do before our next trial on August 6 and 7... namely, weave entrances, teeter practice, and direction coming out of the chute. We have NOT practiced nearly enough lately, due to both the heat and my crazy schedule. I hope to get some quality training time in within the next few weeks to tighten things up and hopefully work on that pesky AX title.

Yes, You Can Actually Use This Stuff

2011-07-07T23:50:00.000-04:00

One of my jobs as Teacher Assistant in the summer section of the Experimental Psychology: Learning and Behavior course is to go over principles of learning and behavior that the students just don't "get" on the first try. Another is to serve as a liaison between the students and the professor, a sort of peer-mentor type figure who can explain things, talk to students one-on-one in a down-to-earth way.. oh, and turn on the computers and chambers and fetch the pigeons when they're ready to be used, of course.

I'm only removed from the class by less than a year myself. However, I had a distinct advantage in learning the material because of my experiences using it before I set foot in the classroom. For a lot of these kids, the order is reversed. In their minds, classical conditioning is, at best, the image of a dog salivating in an old Russian lab, and operant conditioning is, at best, a food-deprived mouse in a little box pressing a lever to get some grub, as a white-haired spectacled man looks on.

Most times, the students in the class take the class to simply get through it, with no intention of learning anything that they'll ever use. Classical conditioning and shaping procedures and negative punishment may sound cool in the confines of the pigeon lab, but will any of them ever use it elsewhere? I'd like to think - and maybe I'm being too idealistic - that some of them really mean it and really take an interest in it.

It happened for me. I took an interest in behaviorism and it blossomed for so many different reasons. Why can't that happen for someone else?

For the sake of all the dogs out there who live with owners who don't know how to to deal with fear or aggression or overexcitement, for all of the dogs out there who are given corrections that are unnecessarily painful, harsh, or outright ineffective, for all of the dogs out there who are described as "alpha" or "nasty" or "too damn scared of everything"... I can only hope that some of what I say sticks. Because while the class is not at all about dog training, the principles that are taught would improve the lives of a lot of dogs out there in this world where we like to talk about how dogs are dominant, cunning and crude little creatures who live only to leech off of us, without looking at all into why they do what they do.

The class has such great practical applicability, even if only because it urges you to consider the impact your own behavior might have on others, let alone the impact that environmental consequences have on your own behavior and emotions, as well as the behavior and emotions of others.

You don't have to aspire to be a clinical psychologist or a dolphin trainer to appreciate, use, recognize conditioning in a productive way, in its simplest forms.

If just a few of the people see that, then I will have been successful.

A Lonely MACH Point

2011-06-30T20:26:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, Marge and I spent the day at a local agility trial. Normally, we would have spent the weekend, but the weather at this trial has been, in the past, extremely hot.. so we took our chances on one day only.

Our first run was Standard, and, as is becoming a bit of the theme, the run was completely botched. We actually had two shots at the opening because the timer didn't start before I started running, and we NQ'd on the second and third obstacle, respectively, both times. She then took a wild off course (because she just can't resist taking a straight line of jumps), and offered her A-Frame contact twice. She also missed her weave entry and popped out at the 10th pole or so. It was a wild run.

The little devil. She doesn't look particularly stressed - I sure hope not. I don't want those
crazy runs from last year to sneak back. I think Standard just requires a ton of mental
focus that we still need to work on.

On the bright side, she held all of her contacts, got on the table, and actually read a landing-side front that I put in. But, we still don't have a connection in Standard the way we do in Jumpers.

I was not hopeful about Jumpers (what else is new?), particularly because it was super sunny. Since the sun likes black dogs, Marge wasn't exactly thrilled with things. I had her in her crate, covered with my sun-blocking mesh silvery thing (that I commonly refer to as my space ship blanket), my small fan hanging on the door.

The wait wasn't terribly long, as the trial was small, at only 397 runs. That's about 200 per ring (as opposed to 330 runs, which is the maximum number per ring).

As usual, I walked my Jumpers course with all rears (just one front cross, after the weave poles, where a rear would have been highly inefficient. When I stick to my strengths (rear crosses), we qualify.

Turns out I would have to employ a bit of a different strategy to get around this course. When I released her from the start line, she began moving at a snail's pace! I had to play cheerleader throughout the whole course, and even put a front cross in that I hadn't even walked - just because there was no way I could wait for her to pass me to do the rear! I do not think it was stress in this case - I think it was the heat, as well as the fact that the front of the ring was extremely soggy (see how she trots out of the first yellow tunnel?).

Her speed picked up considerably at the end of the run. Once it was over, I searched mightily to see if we made time.. and we did. Our time was 40.16 seconds, and the allowable course time was 42 seconds. That meant we picked up our first MXJ leg (out of 10), and our very, very first MACH point (points are awarded for every full second you are under course time).

As is customary at every trial we attend, I had her pose with her loot. In this case, she only received a green qualifying ribbon.. yep, you have to be faster than that in Excellent B around here in order to place.

By no means was it a great trial. After all, the weekend marked one year since our last Standard Q, other than the lone one we picked up back in April to get out of Open. But it certainly wasn't a bad trial. How could it have been? - now, we've only got 749 more MACH points to earn! And while that seems like a big number (because it is), my hope is that runs in the cooler weather will yield us way more than 1 point at a time.

Next weekend, we're heading out to PA for a trial in a sports building. I've never been to the place before, but from the set-up of the rings that I've seen on YouTube, I'm hopeful that Marge will like it. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Time Flies By

2011-06-28T23:50:00.000-04:00

Amazingly, though all of the GRE prep, Anatomy & Physiology torture, time spent with 40+ laboratory pigeons, and volunteering at multiple physical therapy practices, I almost let today slip by without realizing.

Almost.

Today is Marge's 4th birthday. According to the Georgia group who originally rescued her, her birthday was June 28, 2007.

It really is hard to believe that she's four already... and even harder to believe that she is the same dog that I adopted three years ago (her Gotcha Day is tomorrow!). She has grown into a confident and happy dog. I never had any idea that we'd be where we are today.

I admit, I didn't buy her anything yet. I promised her that I'd buy her some stinky treats at our next agility trial on July 9.

I did, however, complete this 7-minute video highlighting the past year. This video is one of my absolute favorite things to do each year.. and, like the last two, I am happy with how this one came out. The music is a little too much on the pop-side for me and I actually picked out at least one better song AFTER I had already made the whole thing, but it works for Marge's attention-grabbing personality and fierce courage and determination in all that she does.

I am so lucky to have such an amazing friend to share my life with!

Dad's Day

2011-06-19T10:59:00.000-04:00

One thing I haven't blogged about at all lately is Marge's relationship with my father. For the most part, my silence on this front means that nothing has changed.

We seem to have hit a plateau, for the time being, in terms of Marge's comfort level around my dad. She has neither progressed nor regressed (thank goodness) significantly. However, I don't think that's a bad thing... I actually think we're in a pretty good spot.

Through some sort of funky combination of both classical and operant conditioning, Marge now comes running to me 99% of the time when she hears the sound of the front door opening (recall that my father walking through the front door is one of her biggest triggers). She'll generally lie either on the doormat behind my chair in the kitchen or, if we're in the basement, make her way to her crate. Then, she gets treats as the door opens, my dad steps inside, and the door shuts.

Now, when he enters the room, her body language seems a bit more relaxed. Generally, she gets up, takes a big stretch, wags her tail a bit, and then campaigns for treats from him.

My dad's behavior around her isn't perfect, but it does seem like he reaches out for her a lot less than he used to. He still does make her bark when he asks for behaviors that she isn't wholly comfortable to perform.. but I suspect there's really nothing I can do about that.

Lately, I've noticed that when my dad is on the couch, either sitting or reclining, Marge will choose to go over to him to be petted - even to the point that I can't call her away from him.

Is there relationship perfect? Nope. But I think we're making it work as best as we can. That's all I can do!

Neon Green Denver Rottweilers

2011-06-15T18:42:00.001-04:00

What a shocking sight THAT would be.

The title of my blog post today actually refers to a few separate odds-and-ends that I wanted to post about... proof of why punctuation is so important!

First, I just HAD to show off Marge's brand new neon green martingale. I have been looking for this color for the longest time because I have a thing for wild and exotic agility gear. I recently asked a friend in Michigan if she could make one for me, and using photos of my zebra martingale as a blueprint, she sewed up this beauty for me. I just love the way it pops against Marge's black coat.

It's about a foot longer than my zebra one, which is totally my fault because I must have given the wrong length. But, it is well made, beautifully colored, and the fabric is sooo soft. She makes colors with ribbon overlays as well, so if any one wants her information, let me know!

Secondly.. Denver. (No, Roxanne, I am not moving to your state just yet!) Denver has now become a part of my Staten Island neighborhood.

Denver in this case is not a city, but a 5 year old Brittany Spaniel who was recently adopted by the owners of the late, great, Buddy. He seems like a very sweet dog whose main goal in life is to chase squirrels.

He and Marge met through the fence. They didn't seem to mind each other. I'm not sure what Denver's play style is like, though, so it may be awhile before we try them offleash with each other. I do (heartbreakingly) wonder, though, whether or not Marge knows Buddy is gone or misses him at all. I sure do.

Lastly, after the trial this past weekend at my dog club, Marge was offleash playing with a few friends. All of a sudden, in lumbers in a truly massive male Rottweiler - the judge's dog.

Now, Marge has a thing about Rottweilers; she does not like them (a definite fear reaction), thanks completely to two dogs that we encounter in life from time to time that are horribly unfriendly towards her. She generally gets all hackled up, perhaps curls her lip if they approach her. Instinctively, I went to leash her (because he, of course, went up to her first out of all of the other dogs.. go figure). However, his owner told me that he was totally OK with scared/nervous dogs and would probably be content to just let Marge sniff him.

Normally, I would have removed her from the situation regardless of what the other people told me to do. However, since she was already out and they were already checking each other out, I left her be for a few minutes.

She was definitely nervous, because she would NOT play with the other dogs with him there, but she sniffed him several times and was comfortable enough to get right up close to him to try to score some treats from his momma.

L to R: Giant Rottie, Poodle friend, & Marge

Perhaps, if we had nice Rottweilers like this one to socialize with, Marge will feel better about the breed. All I can do is hope!

Bayshore Part 3: The Great State

2011-06-08T16:00:00.003-04:00

After my Standard run on Saturday, we packed up the car, got the trailer ready, and left the park. The ride home was uneventful. Both Marge and I were exhausted by the time we finally got home.

We had a day in between our next day of showing, which, as most of you already know, was dampened by the loss of Buddy. I did a lot of crying and a lot of sleeping on Saturday.

Marge also took a little walk with Mable on Saturday, who I was taking care of while her owner was in Massachusetts.

Saturday truly felt like an endless day; I was happy when it was over.

Sunday morning, I woke up bright and early. I stopped by Mable's house to let her out to piddle, and got on my way. For the first time ever, I was crossing in to New Jersey alone.

And I'm so happy I did. I'm probably one of the few who think so, but I really enjoyed the drive down Routes 9 and 18. Of course, if there was traffic I might not have been so happy, but there you go. I was proud of myself for finally making the trip to a trial by myself (and now I know I'll always be able to drive to this park alone).

My first run was around 9 AM. After obsessively walking the course (they don't call it the obsessive walk-through for nothing), it was time to get Marge and, once again, step to the line.

I will let the video do the talking.

We qualified in spectacular fashion, nearly 12 seconds under course time, for first place in Excellent A 20". Probably one of the nicest runs we've ever had in competition. The added bonus? It was her AXJ title. That means the next time she steps to the line in Jumpers, she'll have the chance to accumulate MACH points. MACH points!!

We had a while before our next run, Excellent Standard. Marge hung out in her crate:

And Layla, whose owner, Amy, was nice enough to share her tent space with us, relaxed too. It was so nice to have some company while we waited. Thanks again, Amy!

Marge and Layla got along pretty well, ignoring each other for the most part. Marge did give Layla one grumble, but I suspect she was resource guarding her backpack (which she knows contains her treats). Later on, Marge approached Layla in much more wiggly fashion while Layla woo woo'ed at her. Layla is such a pretty girl and has a personality to match.

Our turn in Excellent Standard eventually came. Alas, it was a non-qualifying run..

The first problem was that I should have handled the opening differently. I should have rear crossed the weaves, which I know that Marge is perfectly comfortable with. Then, after the teeter, I totally took her off course. The table.. I did NOT like that little hop, since, as you know, Marge had some problems with the table last year.

The ending was nice, but the fact that we've qualified in Standard ONCE in a year is bothersome.

By that point, I was so agilitied out that I left just a few minutes after my Standard run. I went home and was a complete zombie - though the drive home was fun. :)

And this concludes our LONG weekend of RV'ing, spending lots of time with lots of friends, and having some fun running agility. We'll be back out in a couple of weeks, for a one day, very local trial. In the meantime, we'll be debuting in obedience... that should be interesting!

Bayshore Part 2: Friday Four Runs

2011-06-07T00:30:00.001-04:00

Typically, I run Marge in two classes per day at AKC agility trials: Standard and Jumpers With Weaves. Yet, this Friday, I was sporting a black-and-white dog at the end of a fiery-red leash who was tugging her heart out. Marge was still in the trailer. Why?

My friend, Karen, invited me to run her Border Collie, Arrow, in Excellent Jumpers. She doesn't like Jumpers and thought she'd let me have some fun. Arrow is 10 years old, but acts like she's 3.

After nearly getting my thumb bit off (through no fault of Arrow's; I'm not used to a dog who tugs!), I stepped on to the line with this crazy, crazy girl who I've NEVER practiced with.

It was... interesting! It started off well enough, but then Arrow took a wrong course and popped out of her weaves. We skipped a few jumps here and there and a couple of bars came down, but were actually pretty together by the end of the course.

It was one of those things that was over before it started. She is lightning fast... I am truly not used to running such a speedy, quick-reacting dog. But it was a blast!

Now that that was out of the way, I was able to focus on Marge. I fetched her from the trailer and started my warm-up.

Our run went a little bit better.

Though it was slow, at 4.33 yards per second, Marge qualified with me on this tight, tight course. It was the second of three legs needed for her AXJ title.

But that wasn't the last time I'd see this Jumpers course. Spirit's owner missed her walk-through (I can't blame her at all; the rings were running on all sorts of weird schedules), so she sent me in to pinch-hit for her with Spirit right before my Excellent Standard run.

I ran it really, really, well. The problem was that I ran it as if I was running Marge; Spirit performed the rear crosses I requested of her, but not over the jumps! So, we incurred two refusals in an otherwise beautiful run.

Four dogs, three runs. Spirit, Marge, & Arrow.

After Spirit's run, I snatched Marge back from Spirit's owner, who was holding her outside the ring while I worked with Spirit. It was time for our Excellent Standard run.

Close (as in, NQ'ing at obstacle #16), but no cigar.

Not a great run, but not a horrible one, either. I didn't like her moving around at the start line, and we ran in to a bit of trouble after the chute. The middle of the course was nice.. I even managed to put in a blind cross to get on the side of the teeter that I wanted to be on. However, the closing sequence after the table was too much for us to conquer, and it kind of fell to pieces.

Still, one out of two ain't bad. Or, one of of four, if you count my runs with the other two stooges...

Stay tuned for Part 3, a recap of Sunday.

Bayshore Part 1: Slumber Party

2011-06-05T20:46:00.000-04:00

Heaven got a new shining star yesterday, as Buddy was, indeed, sent to the bridge. We'll miss him with all our heart and always remember how much fun we had with him. Thank you all for the lovely comments about him.

What a weekend! I'm exhausted and would really love to go to sleep right now, even though it's only 8 PM. I figured I'd write a bit about our looong weekend.

Thursday
I spent the majority of Thursday afternoon packing for the following day's agility trial. Usually, this activity is reserved for the late nighttime the day before a trial, but this trial was different. We were leaving that night at 5:30 PM and, in addition to a crate and stinky treats, I needed a change of clothes, a blanket, and my toothbrush.

We were staying overnight in the park in my friend's travel trailer!

Although I was only entered Friday, my friend decided she wanted to take her "little house" down to the park the night before, since she needed to be at the park very early on Friday morning.

We arrived at her house around 5:30 on Thursday and set off to pick up the trailer shortly thereafter.

While the trailer was being hooked up, Marge was absolutely terrified. There was little I could do about it, as she was crated in the back of the car and there was really no way I could get to her while they were hitching the thing up. I began to be doubtful about whether or not she'd enjoy herself on our little overnight excursion because of how teeth-chattering scared she was.

Once we arrived at the park, I briefly let her offleash to RUN with other club members' dogs, including our travel companion, Golden Retriever Spirit. She was completely wired after the ride in the car, and I knew that she needed to blow off some steam. I leashed her again pretty quickly, but I was glad that she got to run a bit.

We set up her crate inside the trailer, on top of one of the beds (there really wasn't room elsewhere. She probably didn't really need her crate since she is 100% comfortable with Spirit, but I felt better about having her crated, especially since she can resource guard towards other dogs.

I was even confident enough to leave her crated without me while my friend and I visited some other friends in their giant RV. We had a great time talking about dogs and gossiping. When we returned to the trailer, Marge was excited to see us, but didn't seem to be any worse for wear, so I guess she dealt OK.

We stayed up a while, Marge and Spirit play bowing to each other in the little bit of space. It was weird to be in East Freehold Park at night, in a kind of nice way. I love it there.

When it was time for bed, Marge willingly went back in her crate. Spirit stayed loose and readily took the opportunity to slobber all over me during the night. At one point, I woke up to see her laying flat on her side next to me, staring at me like a person would. It was hysterical.

By about 5:30 AM, I couldn't sleep anymore. Marge was tossing and turning in her crate and was starting to get upset about seeing people passing by the window. It was also freezing; I would have closed the window, but my friend was asleep and I didn't want to wake her up. We both got up a short while later, after the dogs told us by being wiggly that they had had enough of sleeping.

Marge and Spirit, trailer buddies

By 7:30 or so, the trial was beginning. I went out to help with leash running in Excellent FAST while Marge hung out in the trailer for a bit more. By about 12 PM, our first course was being built and we'd have to gear up for her run.

How did Marge fare in her first run after a night of sleeping in a strange place? Come back tomorrow to find out.

Goodbye, Old Friend

2011-06-04T15:43:00.000-04:00

I wanted to update about agility today, but suddenly agility doesn't seem so important. Marge's good friend, Buddy, who she has played with for about 2 years, is very ill and will likely need to be put to sleep.

I saw him this morning, and he looked pitiful, laying by the door, not wanting to get up. It was heartbreaking. He did give me a little smile and tail wag when he saw me, but the energy and happiness I knew and loved about him was gone. He is not eating and doesn't want to move. I have been in tears all day thinking of the sight of this poor dog looking as awful as he did.

Turns out he got suddenly very ill yesterday and a trip to the vet revealed what appears to be a large mass near his liver. I know from my (very little) prior experience that these types of cancers usually grow very rapidly and are aggressive.. explaining his sudden illness.

At 10+ years old, and in the state he's in, it would probably be unfair to put him through anything. But, I did urge his owner to call his regular vet, just for a second opinion, just in case.

I am forever indebted to Buddy for being a friend to Marge when she didn't have many other dog friends to play with. I will always remember fondly their play-dates together and Buddy's unwavering exuberance in everything he did. It's hard to believe that I have known him for five years now... sometimes seeing him every day while I delivered my newspapers. Whenever Marge is in the car with me on the route, she recognizes his house and whines and tries to jump out. She so loved going in to his yard and playing with him and his people.

I am hoping for a miracle, but know that more likely than not, one will not come. We will miss you, Buddy, thank you for being a friend. We'll never forget you.

The Whiskered One

2011-05-31T23:46:00.001-04:00

I thought I'd post a quick update about my cat, Layla, who, as you know, has been battling some health issues for the past year.

Over all, she's doing quite well. She is on 90 mg of Denosyl (a liver protectant supplement) every morning, and .35 cc of Prednisone every evening (a very small dose for keeping any inflammation she may have in her intestines to a minimum).

Lately, she has been turning up her food and even seemed to drop a bit of weight again. I thought the worst, but when I offered her a can of food from PetCo as opposed to a smaller pet store in my area this evening, she wolfed it down. Despite the fact that it's the exact same brand of food, there appears to be something different about the pet store cans. I'll listen to what she's telling me and buy only PetCo cans from now on. Maybe the ones from the pet store weren't stored properly (according to the expiration date, they have another two years before they expire...).

She's going to eventually need to go back to the vet for a recheck, but weighing her is the most important thing. So, I'm probably going to bring her along when I pick up her dry prescription food (which she just kind of picks at nowadays) just to be weighed. I'm not in a hurry to get her in for another exam, as she is stable and was really stressed out at the last couple of vet visits.

She spent some time in my room with me this weekend and pretty much purred continuously the entire time, despite me dressing her up in flowers. I love little moments like this. :)

An Assortment of Things

2011-05-30T23:58:00.000-04:00

My Anatomy and Physiology final came and went on Thursday. A few hours after the test, I went home and checked to see if my grade was posted online. I scored a 94.7 on the exam which is worth 1/3 of my overall grade, and, in addition, my lab grade of a 95.7 was posted. This brought my over all grade up in to the 90s, and guess what.. I'm pretty much certain that I pulled off the A in the course that I wanted. My disappearance on MargeBlog wasn't for nothing!

As you might have guessed, that's not the end of things for me. Starting Wednesday, I'll be tackling the second half of Anatomy and Physiology until July 26. In addition, I'll be working on TWO projects with one of my professors (details eventually - but yes, still in the pigeon lab) through July as well. I'll also be accumulating some more outpatient (so much fun) and inpatient (not so much fun) volunteer hours for my eventual application to physical therapy school. Oh, and that nice thing called the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is coming up on July 16, and I sorely need to broaden my vocabulary.

Our Memorial Day weekend was pretty nice. Though I had plans to take Marge to parks and beaches and all that fun stuff, the heat, as well as just exhaustion from being busy with life, kept me home. We did walk a number of times each day, though, in the field across the street (where the above photo was taken). I was surprised to see Marge willing to run zoomies in the humid, sticky weather. I guess the fact that she was cooped with little to do in the preceding days was really showing.

On Saturday night, two long time friends stopped by. Because the rest of my summer is going to be quite busy and also because I truly have not seen my friends as much as I should/would like to, I reached out to a lot of people this weekend, wanting to catch up. So, two of my male friends came over to hang outside in my yard late Saturday night. I put Marge in her crate in the basement with a meatball-stuffed Kong for the first bit of their visit, but ultimately decided to take her out. Though initially a little cautious, she warmed up relatively quickly and even jumped up to plant a slobbery kiss on the face of one of my friends. When I put her back inside the house, she protested by scratching at the door. So, she hung out with us for a couple of hours.

That's a quick recap of what's been going on. Stay tuned for an agility update in the very near future. We have a trial this weekend and some things are going to be brand new for both Marge and I and it's VERY exciting. (Hint: can you say "slumber party?")

Buried in Books

2011-05-19T00:40:00.000-04:00

We're still here, I promise. I have been devoting a lot of my time to end of semester exams. By May 26, I will be able to breathe again, just a little bit (until, that is, my summer session begins and I am held hostage in my Honors advisor's lab, all the while trying to learn a second semester of Anatomy and Physiology)..

Seriously, it will get better. Please just promise that you won't forget about Marge and me while I work through all of this busyness.

In the meantime, I want to leave you a short passage from the reading material from my Physiological Psychology class..

"One hypothesized source of individual variability in stress responses is called stress immunization, the possibility that early experiences with stressful situations result in decreased susceptibility to stressful situations in adulthood. In rats, such early experiences with stressful situations (for instance, being handled by humans) led to decreased secretion of corticosteroids in adults in response to widely varying stressors."

Seems like it ties in to what would be considered good or bad early life experiences for puppies, doesn't it?

Three Day Tourney (again)

2011-05-13T15:04:00.001-04:00

Blogger seems to have swallowed my recent post about last weekend's agility trials, so here we go again. Thank goodness for e-mail subscriptions that e-mail me all of my posts :)

This past weekend, Marge and I enjoyed a warm and sunny three days of agility at my dog club's annual Spring trial. 5 runs is the most agility we've ever done in a single weekend.

Marge ran well all three days. The first day, Friday, we were entered only in Excellent A Jumpers with Weaves. I liked the course a lot... but the combination of me pulling Marge off of a tunnel by clapping (why did I do that?!?) and Marge deciding to take the pinwheel backwards NQ'd us.

Saturday, Excellent Standard was first. She ran super well.. but popped out at the 11th (!!!) weave pole. This is totally uncharacteristic of her, and after further investigation, it looks like she slipped, tried to wiggle her way back in, and couldn't.

I admit, I was starting to get a little bit bluesy over the fact that we weren't qualifying despite running so well. But then this son-of-a-gun hard course came along and we actually qualified on it. First place and the only 20" dog to qualify in the A class.

She does look a little slow, but it might have something to do with the fact that I wasn't moving all that quickly, the course was tight, and it was hot. She picked up speed at the end. It was still 4.64 yards per second (though she routinely breaks 5 on JWW courses).

Obligatory ribbon photo:

Sunday, we were back out for more. Unfortunately, I don't have any video, since I spent the majority of time by myself. Jumpers was first; not a horrible course, but the weaves were going right in to the fence. Alas, Marge popped out at the tenth pole. I think we incurred another wrong course at the end as well.

Standard was a pretty tough course, with a TIGHT, TIGHT serpentine right after the table. I was too late on the third jump of the serp and while I got Marge over it, I couldn't get her back around it and she backjumped for a wrong course. :( That was the only fault we had, though, so I was really happy with the run.

This trial is definitely one of my favorite weekends of the year. Marge thought so, too, content to lay in the grass outside of my tent as the world went by. I'm pleased to report that she did not react to a single whistle at this trial.

I also got lots of compliments about how Marge and I are doing. A friend told me that several people said that I am "doing a really good job with this dog." That made me happy. Even if we never qualify again, Marge has accomplished so much more than I ever expected.

Handling, Handling

2011-05-05T18:30:00.001-04:00

Tuesday's class was a handling class in every sense of the word.

My instructor told me that I prefer not to handle, but to do one thing by myself, then have Marge do something else, then do something again, etc. That's why I'm so good at rear crosses. I don't disagree with her. The idea of actively handling around an entire course is something I'm still trying to do, especially at trials.

Course 1 (Black Circles)

By far, the hardest of the two. The beginning, surprisingly, was not bad. After the Dog Walk is when it got tricky.

I believe I front crossed between 9 and 10 to break up the threadle. The 12,13,14,15 sequence was pretty nighmarish. I did a front between 13 and 14, but it was easier said than done. That said, I definitely appreciate all of the front cross practice, despite the fact that I'd much rather handle everything with rears.

Course 2 (White Circles)

Much more relaxed. I don't think we really flunked on any part of it. I handled the pinwheel with a front cross after 9 and then another between 11 and the A-Frame. Worked wonderfully.

I'm excited for my trial this weekend and hoping I'll pick up some Q's in either of the Excellent classes. I was so excited to be hanging out with Amy & Layla on Sunday, but it turns out that they can't make it. :(

I Spy

2011-05-04T09:30:00.001-04:00

With my little eye..

Something beaked and green..

And one more shot just because I like it.

VIP Sunday

2011-05-03T11:00:00.005-04:00

On Sunday, we had a very, very special visitor to the MargeHouse.

Roxanne from Champion of My Heart was in town for a journalism conference and bravely made the trek from Manhattan to Staten Island to see us, which I was overjoyed about. (I totally would have went to NYC, but she wanted to meet Marge, too.. and, aside from passing through in a car, Marge will likely never set foot in Manhattan in her life.)

She and Marge hit it off right away, undoubtedly due to the fact that Roxanne is one of very few people (sadly) that Marge has encountered who knows how to approach a shy or cautious dog in the correct manner.

Aside from some initial cautiousness, Marge was very wiggly with Rox and welcomed a good deal of petting and cookies (though all I had in the house were some not-so-high-value chicken jerky type things).

After a little while, Marge left the room and went to sleep on the couch, obviously unconcerned about the stranger on her soil. We followed her lead and sat for a while in the same room.

Then, Marge plopped right down on the floor in the middle of the room while my mom, sister, Roxanne and I conversed before the two of us went to grab some grub.

They enjoyed a smooch (photo shown here) as they said farewell to each other. We then departed for lunch and, eventually, the airport with Louie for Roxanne's flight home.

Whether she knows it or not, Roxanne is someone who I admire greatly and someone who has had a huge influence on my knowledge of and interest in fearful dogs. I began reading her blog, Champion of My Heart, in 2009, shortly after I created MargeBlog. I find myself referring to her posts and e-mails often, which contain a wealth of info about fearful dogs and dogs in general.

Suffice to say, I was very happy to meet and spend time with a personal idol and, most importantly, a good friend.

She even took me inside the front doors of La Guardia airport, my first time in an airport in 15+ years. You know, a little desensitization for me, the flying phobe. :) Seems oddly appropriate for two girls who met because of their more-sensitive-than-usual canine companions.

Spring Agility Commences

2011-04-28T15:12:00.002-04:00

So, after a rain delay last week, we had our first outdoor agility class of the season this past Tuesday.

The set up:

The longer course (white circle numbers) was our first course and was all about using the off-arm to either 1) cue a front cross or 2) act as a "barrier" of sorts so that a dog would not pass the arm to take an obstacle. The premise was to get the dog to learn to not pass the arm under any circumstances (which would, theoretically, prevent off-courses from front crosses gone awry). Apparently the idea came from a Jen Crank seminar that my instructor attended.

It was an interesting concept and Marge and I did pretty well with it. I don't think I can isolate one really super hard part of this course - the whole thing was pretty tough. The 2-3-4 sequence was pretty tricky, but by using that offside arm and stringing Marge around to the far side of jump 3, we managed it quite well.

The A-Frame/tunnel discriminations were not as bad as they looked. The first one (5-6-7-8) was definitely the hardest, but Marge had it fine until I started completely over-handling and screwed her up. I need to just rely on my shoulders and dog-side arm position (high or low, held out away or close to my body) to cue her.. but instead I was bringing up my off arm which was pointing my shoulders AWAY from the correct tunnel entrance. I've got to be careful of that in competition, because I definitely know I do kooky stuff like that at trials, too.

The second course (black circles) was really just something thrown together because we didn't have a lot of time left. The only place I flubbed was a front cross between the weaves and the tire. It definitely worked better for me on the landing side of the tire. A rear cross worked just fine, but I was really trying to work on my weaknesses (and front crosses are one of them).

We'll be competing in a couple of weeks, a three-day (!!) trial on May 6, 7, and 8.

As a side, here's my absolute favorite picture from our last agility trial at the beginning of this month. This was after she, um, refused the dog walk twice and later proceeded to jump the contact zone, spoiling our beautiful and qualifying Excellent Standard run. Despite that, I'll be ordering this once I get some money together... because it's just too cute and such a great shot.

Friends

2011-04-27T19:51:00.000-04:00

Nothing like a walk in the woods with your pals to relax for a while.

(There was supposed to be a third dog in this picture, but she was too busy exploring the bramble alongside the trail in typical happy-go-lucky Golden fashion.)

Bridled

2011-04-22T00:11:00.001-04:00

I rode a horse today.

Yes. For the first time in two years, I rode a horse.

I took advantage of horse rentals a a stable in nearby NJ this evening.

The riding itself was a bit rocky. They gave me a school horse named Webster, who is apparently "known for being a butt" but extremely safe. All in all, he took good care of me - I remained in the (English!) saddle for the full 30 minutes without a problem. However, he very much wanted to leave the ring while I was riding and kept hovering by the gate. I also think he was less than impressed with the fact that I have totally forgotten how to use my legs. I can't blame him for that. I didn't even get him up to a trot - I was too focused on actually trying to steer and move forward and keep him out of other people's way.

But, it was amazing to feel that excitement again, to experience the sounds, sights and smells of a horse barn. Unfortunately, I've been unable to duplicate that feeling so far in the other activities I'm involved in. That's not to say I don't love dogs and dog training.. but it's just different.

Much to Louie's dismay, I pondered the rest of the evening wondering if I was going to ride for real again soon, as well as when and where that would occur.

No, I don't have to make those decisions tonight or tomorrow or the next day (or ever, really), but I love doing this so much and quite simply can't help but think about it now that I've gotten a taste of it again.

How would it even fit in? Would I be able to balance school, physical therapy volunteering, my honors project, and all of Marge's activities with yet another thing on the agenda? Would it compromise my participation in any of those things?

How would I afford it? Louie says to just take money out of the savings account I have going, but I really prefer to just use money that is being brought in now, from my newspaper route.

How do I want to do it? Half-leasing is out now that my summer is busier than I expected it to be. I can go for some expensive private English lessons at this place to refresh my memory and then continue horse rentals (which are relatively cheap), or I could switch back over to my old discipline, Western, and go elsewhere for riding. One Western stable mentions a work/ride program on their website, which could be of interest to a college student unwilling to part with any more of her money (and a person who enjoys mucking stalls and picking hooves just as much, if not MORE THAN riding). But that implies some sort of set schedule, which brings us back to question #1.

Louie felt bad that I had this all on my mind. I told him to not feel bad.. I am actually happy, in a way, that I'm this confused, because it reveals to me that I still really enjoy this stuff after all of this time. I am a horse person and that's one thing that all of the sadness, disappointment, drama and sheer TIME in the world can't take away from me.

How To Save Your Dog's Life

2011-04-18T17:30:00.004-04:00

Sunday morning, I walked out of my house and crossed the street to my car, Marge's leash in hand. I glanced towards the corner of my block and saw two dogs standing next to the bus stop pole, presumably lifting their leg and marking it.

I didn't think anything of it until I realized that the dogs were not only off leash, but alone.

The smaller one (a Pekingese, perhaps) darted over to Marge and me and jumped in the car after Marge when I loaded her in. Suffice to say, I quickly scooped the little smush-faced guy up and put him down on the ground to prevent an altercation from occurring in my front seat.

I then locked Marge in my car and pondered what to do next. The little guy ran off with his elder and larger buddy, some sort of tan-colored mix. I called out to them, but they didn't respond. They were now walking down the main road, and the little one had his eye on the field across the street.

I started to walk back towards my car, thinking that there was nothing I could do, but the small dog darted back towards me. I grabbed him. No Frogger for the frog-faced dog, I decided. I couldn't let this dog get hit by a car. This is someone's pet. I discovered that he had tags, and went back over to my house to ask my sister for her cell phone.

I called, and didn't get a response. I REALLY had to leave. Thankfully, my neighbor was out and said I could put the dog in her yard. The sweet little guy played nicely with my other neighbor's dog through the fence and seemed to be in paradise while waiting in the yard, running around it and peeing on the trees with reckless abandon.

Long story short, we finally connected with the dog's owners via telephone and after I had left, the dog was picked up from my neighbor's yard. Apparently, the bad storms recently had blown down the fence, which led to the jailbreak of these two dogs. The owner was not worried about the older dog (ugh) and said that he would walk home on his own (I would have still been out looking if I were her, of course).

In thinking about this incident, I realized that there are some things that all dog owners really should do to ensure the safety of their dogs.

For one, the fact that this dog was wearing identification while he was out on the town led to his quick reunion with his owner. I know that people have their qualms about dogs wearing collars in the house (and I get that completely - most importantly, dogs left unsupervised in crates should probably have their collars taken off). However, I'm not sure what would have happened if this dog wasn't wearing ID. I had to leave; I'm not sure if my neighbor would have kept him indefinitely. I, of course, cannot have a second dog in my house. Would I have had to let him loose and hope that he found his way home?

Also, I feel like it's common sense to check the perimeter of your property/fencing, particularly after bad weather, before letting your dog out. This dog got out because the wind from the previous night's storm had damaged the fence. I know that any time we get a bad wind storm here, I stay right by the door while Marge is out and check the gate beforehand (it has blown open in the past, even when locked). If someone else in my family is going to be letting her out, I leave a note on the door telling them to do the same. Paranoid? Maybe. But better safe than sorry.

Lastly.. although it wouldn't have helped much in this case, where the owner was unaware that the dog was loose, I truly believe in the importance of a solid recall or emergency word. There have been times I've dropped the leash accidentally or the gate was left unlatched. But, thanks to a reliable "Marge, come!," I have been able to avert crisis. When Marge hears the magic C word, she is all ears. I reinforce it every single time (sometimes with jackpots, sometimes releasing her to a fun activity a la Premack) and never use it if I am not certain that she will respond to it. We have other "recall" phrases as well, such as "want a cookie?" and "are you hungry?" that can be used in an emergency. Many people feel that because their dog just stays on their property and never walks off leash that it's not an important skill to have. But a recall sure is a handy thing to have in the dog training toolbox when the toddler lets the dog out the front door or the leash somehow wiggles free from your hand... or the fence blows down and you forget to check your yard.

Nothing is foolproof, including life, gates, and leashes. I think that we should do our best to ensure the safety of our pets and attempt to keep Murphy's Law at bay.

First Match

2011-04-17T12:52:00.000-04:00

Today, Marge and I attended an obedience match at our dog training club. It was the first time we matched in obedience.

We did two runs; the second was loads better than the first. Marge was sort of distracted on the first run. I'm trying really hard to get her to understand that the reward is both hidden and delayed (as opposed to in my hand at all times - definitely one of my training flaws), and I think in focusing on that, I didn't help her enough. I got my act together once I realized I needed to change my strategy.

Several people commented on how good our heeling is. It didn't feel good.. though it was better on the second run.

So why don't I just run through the exercises and talk about how I did today with them?

Heel on Leash
- Overall, she was pretty good. Distracted on the first run but seemed to get better as time went on. Her halts were lacking tremendously, partially because her attention wasn't as great as it usually is. She got a little laggy in some spots, but when I did my footwork correctly, things seemed to come together more.

Figure 8 on Leash
- Again, got better in our second run. The first run, she was laggy and distracted around the outer ring. This exercise is one of her strongest, so I was a little concerned about that. However, she did better the second time around. She also paid no mind to the fact that we actually had people as posts for a change.

Stand for Exam
- AWESOME. She held it fine twice for a person she knows well and then held it with a waggy tail for someone she has never met before in her life. Happily, this exercise is proving to be a HUGE non-issue as it stands right now.

Heel off Leash
- Like the heel on leash, this was patchy.. we really just need to work it more.

Recall over Jump (UKC Recall)
- This was hit and miss. One time, she missed my verbal cue and stared at my cluelessly. She had a couple of perfect ones and some not-so-straight ones. She did NOT break from the front position prematurely, though, which was a big deal (she likes to take it into her own hands and finish before I let her know it is OK to do so).

Stays
- Held both the sit and the down, but she was very interested in the Flat Coat working in the other ring. We did some really nice proofing, though, because the Open level dogs were doing their stays with the Novice dogs, so there were dogs moving around and people moving in to and out of the ring. Marge didn't even bat an eye at that stuff!

We do need to do more work with Honoring (the UKC's version of the down-stay), but I'm pretty confident in Marge's ability to handle it.

I didn't get any video, but here she is working out in the field with me recently. (Ignore the fact that my hands are in all the wrong places!)

I think we've totally smash our obedience goals for the first half of this year. If things keep panning out this well, we'll be entered in our first UKC obedience trial on June 11th.

Four Years

2011-04-15T14:11:00.002-04:00

It really it hard to believe that tomorrow marks four years that Taco has been gone. Every year, it seems like I react differently to this not-so-happy anniversary.

This year, I'm struggling to find the words to describe how I feel. I'm sort of numb about it. So, instead of trying to force out the words that just don't seem to be coming to me, I'll just share this video picture show that I made about six months after he died.

If you want to read the series of posts that I wrote last year about Taco, click here for a page containing them.

The Dog Walk is Optional

2011-04-11T18:24:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, Louie was kind enough to take Marge and I to a brand new trial site about an hour and a half away in Yaphank, Long Island. Marge was coming off of a great weekend and I was confident that we'd pick up our first Excellent qualifying score (in either class).

Standard was first, and I LOVED the course.

We got out there and it was apparent that Marge was ready to go. She fired through the weaves. She completed the teeter (and heeded my instructions to wait in the middle while I front crossed). She climbed the A-Frame quickly and moved across my feet in to the tunnel underneath it. She got on the table and stayed put.

After the table, though, things got a bit funky.

First, she swung wide when she got off the table (which might have had to do with my positioning). She fixed that and turned tightly over the double, but nearly bypassed the chute (hard to tell in the video). She took the bar jump and was in perfect position to get on the dog walk.. but didn't.

It took three tries, including one moment where Marge decided to jump OVER the dog walk plank rather than execute the obstacle correctly.

Finally, she got on the dog walk.. but then leapt from the middle of the last plank, missing the contact completely, and took off for the final jump, which stopped the time and NT'd us.

My knee jerk reaction was to yell "HEY!!" at her (which I do not condone doing) .. not because I was mad at her for goofing up the agility (I wasn't), but because I was afraid she would exit the ring and go on a jaunt in the corn field behind us. I then called her to come, and we finished the last two obstacles in the order that they were intended to be completed.

My personal feeling is that something stressed her at the table (maybe the table itself), but others who saw don't agree and think that she was just goofing. Either way, I'm not terribly concerned (yet) because this was a new site and a longer course than she's used to (Open has less numbers), but this does make the second time where Marge has had dog walk trouble (not counting her slip last week, where she still held on to hit the contact) this year.

We had a longer wait than I anticipated until our next class, Excellent Jumpers with Weaves.

We walked around the site a bit. I liked the site quite a bit, but there must be some shooting range or something nearby, because I kept hearing gun shots. Marge heard them, too - she wasn't horribly scared by them but they definitely made her a bit uneasy. This, unfortunately, truncated our walk time (I would have loved to go on a longer walk). I'm not sure if I'll trial here again.

Romping around the site

Listening to the gunshots in the distance - scared me, too!

Our neighbors, next to where we set up. It was great to be set up next to good friends.

Hanging out ringside.

It came time for me to walk Excellent Jumpers. I was so flustered during the walk through because of the large number of people in the ring. Guess this is what I'll be putting up with for the rest of Marge's agility career.

The course was hard. It was the first course that we've run in competition that was really completely ill-suited to rear crosses. That means I would have to front cross, which really took me out of my comfort zone. I did not think we would do well.

But, we did! We got through the hardest parts of the course with minimal difficulty. Marge got some nice distance and I was able to front cross with no problem.

However, she did have a run-out at the second jump due to her snooter being on the ground, and a refusal after the weaves. I'm going to chalk those up to baby dog/new trial site mistakes and not worry too much about it. If she was very stressed, I don't think she would have read my front crosses (since I almost never use them).

So, no Q's to show for the day, but Marge definitely had some moments of brilliance. She's not going off course, she's not really running zoomies or anything.. so over all, I think she's handling the transition to Excellent very nicely. And all of our runs this year, so far, have been NICE runs, whether they are Q's or NQ's. Nothing like the crazy stuff that we had going on at the end of last year. Fingers crossed that it stays this way.

Our next trial is not for almost a month, at a park near our house. Removing transit time from the equation has been helpful for us in the past, and my familiarity with the site usually makes me more comfortable, too. I just know we will pick up our first Excellent leg then!

We ended the day with a trip to Louie's house. He had to pick something up from his parents, and it was on the way home. Marge met Louie's parents and did fabulously with them. It was really cool to see her relatively comfortable in a strange place that had NOTHING to do with dog events. We stood outside the front door and chatted for a while, then went home and passed out on the couch. It was a long day!

Goodbye Open

2011-04-05T23:38:00.000-04:00

I should be wrapping up my studying for my massive Anatomy and Physiology test tomorrow, but I do not want to read a single thing more about bones or muscles! And, I promise I have not forgotten about my blog or all of your blogs - I have just been so swamped with things to do.

We had our second day of April agility on Sunday. Marge did phenomenal!

We started off with Excellent Jumpers with Weaves. The course was tougher than the one on Friday, but I was confident going in. I was also the first dog on the line from the 20-inch height class; I moved myself up due to a possible time conflict with our later class, Open Standard.

It started off well enough; Marge holding her start line and jumping beautifully tight over the second jump in response to my lead-out pivot. As she sailed over the 4th jump, I cued her to weave, but she ran past them.. again.

She came right back and fired through the weaves, jumped the double and took the correct tunnel entrance (good girl!). Coming out of the tunnel, I think I neglected to help her set her line for the next few jumps, and, because of that and her tremendous speed, she took a bar.. her first ever to come down in competition.

But, the rest of the course was flawless. We ended up with just those two faults. Not bad for our second time in Excellent Jumpers.

The wait for Open Standard was not very long at all. I walked my course, with Louie hanging on to Marge just outside the ring, and it was not long before we were in the ring again.

But, before it was our turn, we got to see Amy & Layla pick up their first Open leg. Amy said that maybe we we brought her good luck.. and I told her that I hoped that would do the same for Marge and me!

(Also, Marge did really well with Layla. They were very comfortable with one another. I think that if they see each other a few more times, Marge will get all wiggly and play bow and stuff.)

Layla in Open Standard

Marge started out a little wide, nearly missing the third jump after extending herself over the double. Then, she almost missed the dog walk contact; I'm not sure whether she slipped on the down ramp, got distracted, or what. But, she did manage to keep those two front feet in the yellow.

The middle of the course went very well, with Marge holding her A-Frame and hopping on the table happily (and I praised her profusely for it!). She got a little discombobulated at the chute AND was up to her teeter antics (exacerbated by the fact that she got WAY ahead of me), but we held on for a clean run. GOODBYE OPEN STANDARD!

The effort earned us a third place.

Louie and I hung around for a little while after, and Marge (a.k.a Northbound Fly By Night OA OAJ) was content to doze in the sun. It makes me so happy to see her this relaxed at a trial and it was really a picture perfect day.

And there you have it - our weekend. We'll be trialing this Saturday, too, at a new site located on a farm out in Long Island. We'll see how our debut in Excellent Standard treats us!

April Showers Agility

2011-04-02T02:10:00.000-04:00

We just wrapped up the first day of our Friday - Sunday combo for agility this weekend. This is the same trial that Marge debuted at a year ago, when mixed breeds first became eligible for competition in AKC. Hard to believe that it was that long ago.

It goes without saying that the weather was HORRIBLE! Anyone on the East Coast knows that the forecast has been calling for an April Fool's Nor'easter since early this week. Thankfully, we missed most of the snow, but got pelted with icy rain throughout the entire morning.

A lot of people were absent from the trial. My first class of the day was Excellent Jumpers, which turned out to be such a small class. The cool part? I got to do two walkthroughs - the general walkthrough before the trial started as well as the walkthrough with my height class.

I then set up my tent, coincidentally right next to Amy & Layla. It was great to see them, and Marge took to Layla right away, who serenaded her a couple of times with her Malamute songs :)

I didn't have to wait very long before running, but it was extremely wet and unpleasant. Marge was dealing pretty well before she ran.. a little excited, even, by the cold temperatures.

The course was a nice course. I walked the whole thing with rear crosses and didn't think twice about it.

I was extremely calm when I got into the ring, which I was proud of myself for. Marge read me really well through the first 10 obstacles.. then came the weaves.

And, what do you know? She missed her entry! The one thing I practiced to death last weekend is the thing she missed!

I think it was just a freak thing.. she looks like she never really collected herself and maybe didn't see the poles that well. I first I thought I pulled her off or forgot to decelerate, but I actually think I cued it OK. She certainly had no problem weaving once I helped her with the entry.

The rest of the course was fine, up until the last jump, where I had it in my mind for some reason that I had to switch sides at the triple, thus pulling her off of the last jump, the double. In that regard, I'm kind of happy she didn't weave - I would have been so mad at myself if we had a clean run and then I screwed it up at the last obstacle!

But she came out of the run happy and excited, and we went straight back to the practice jump for some more cookies.

The judge said "oh, darn it!" in a joking voice as we walked by outside of the ring. I told her that it was Marge's first time in Excellent, and she said that in that case, we did pretty well. I liked her.

We waited around a bit after that but Marge just wasn't feeling it. She outright refused to stay in her crate, then would stand there and shiver if I took her out. I think she was just feeling cold and icky. She looked better when she was moving around and even played with another dog, but she clearly would have rather been inside and warm.

I went to go walk Open Standard, but I just didn't think it was a good idea to run. It was still raining on and off, the contact equipment was old (and EXTREMELY rough to the touch, to the point of being uncomfortable). I knew I'd be hard pressed to get her to lie down on a wet table, and knew there was a significant possibility of her bailing on the teeter or one of the other contacts, so I decided that running would not be beneficial. I scratched her and packed up and left and am happy with my decision.

So, we went ribbonless, but had a very worthwhile Jumpers run in the rain. The weather Sunday is supposed to be significantly better, so I'm hoping to finally wrap up that Open Standard title then!

Frisky Friday

2011-03-25T23:01:00.000-04:00

I totally bummed around today and did absolutely nothing productive after going to pigeon lab and running a couple of errands this morning. I'm continuing that trend here in my laziness to upload an amusing 1.5 minute video of Marge running amok in the field today with her new monkey head squeaky plushie, but here are some screen shots to enjoy while I get some sleep.

A Pound of News

2011-03-24T18:45:00.000-04:00

We had some very big news on Friday, when Layla got taken to the vet for a re-weigh.

She weighed in at 7.1 lbs, up significantly from her last weight, 6.15 lbs.

This likely means that the Prednisone is working (reducing inflammation in her bowels and allowing her to absorb nutrients). It also means that we hopefully don't have to think about endoscopy or biopsy right now.

The vet called the news "not good, but great." He wants to see her back in a month and hopes she'll gain more.

She'll get another B12 shot at that point as well. I administered two by myself in the past month.. it was scary, but I think I did a good job.

I nearly cried from relief and happiness when I saw her weight on the scale. She's not quite 100% - still the occasional throw-up, sometimes a little uncomfortable after eating, and the occasional wobble - but she's much more filled out than she was and quite active.

I'm committed to not taking her for granted. Unlike a dog, it's so easy to "forget" about a cat because they don't go on walks, or to training classes, etc. I want to ensure that her golden years are as good as they possibly can be.

Give your cat a hug in honor of our big news!

When Love Is Not Enough

2011-03-22T16:50:00.001-04:00

I have a ton of things to update about (including some AWESOME news - my cat gained a pound!), but one topic has been weighing on my mind a lot lately.

I have moved up the ranks rather quickly at my dog club. I am back to assisting in the non-competitive agility class as well as occasionally helping out in puppy class. Because of this, I see people from all different types of dog ownership backgrounds - those that know what they're doing, those that don't know what they're doing but want help, those that don't know what they're doing and don't want help.

Of course, it's the dogs with behavioral issues like fear, aggression and reactivity that catch my interest the most. I admit to being a much better trainer of classical conditioning-based dog training techniques, probably because of the fact that I started out with a "damaged" adult dog who knew some basic behaviors but had emotional baggage rather than a puppy who needed to learn from scratch how to sit, down, and stay.

There are some students who I've given names of books or articles to so that they may continue to help their dog overcome their fears, anxieties or intolerances outside of the classroom. Some have absolutely gobbled this information up - buying books, asking questions, practicing often. One student yesterday was very excited to learn about dog body language and I was thrilled to give her the name of a book that I am familiar with. Others have wavered in their decision making, have not tried anything, and essentially allowed their dog to suffer, whether they believe they are doing so or not.

When dealing with a student having these kinds of issues, I always mention several different pathways for easing their dog's problems. Medical tests to rule out chemical imbalances or pain issues. Training techniques including the Relaxation Protocol, information about desensitization and counterconditioning. Details about supplements that I am familiar with and have used successfully. I never mention anything I am unsure about or unfamiliar with and I always stress to students that they should consult with their veterinarian before making any changes.

I am attempting to help one student right now who is totally opposed to any orally-ingested medication or supplementation and seems equally hesitant to try any sort of specific training protocol. However, the doggy half of this team is clearly suffering in the class environment, and, from the sounds of it, in other environments (like on walks), too.

Suffice to say, none of my advice has been taken. None of the aforementioned pathways have been explored appreciably. I was especially hoping that the dog would be brought in to the vet to rule medical causes for this sudden regression, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Because I have a dog who has improved with the careful use of training, supplementation, and environmental management, I am, to say the least, frustrated by this lack of willingness to make changes and find the right "recipe."

The bottom line is that love is sometimes not enough. Some dogs need a little something extra to enjoy life to the fullest. It is unfortunate to me that not everyone realizes that.

Horseshoes On My Heart

2011-03-17T21:43:00.000-04:00

2006. Too long ago. Ugh.

Well, kids, it's that time of year again. The snow and bitter cold are gone. The days are sunny, breezy and cool.

I simply cannot get horses and riding off of my mind.

It seems worse than usual. As the years go by, I find myself yearning more for the feeling of digging my heels into a western saddle more and more and more.

But what do I do about it?

I have neither the time, money, nor desire to own a horse. I can't lease a horse for the same reasons. Heck, only now after all this time (it's been almost 4 years since you-know-what) am I even beginning to open my mind to the possibility of forming a relationship with a new horse (I tried in 2008 and it failed miserably).

I've been looking at a couple of stables about hour away from me and it's possible that I'll find one that would let me arrange a 2-day a week kind of thing (sort of like a half lease) for the duration of the summer. I really can't commit to more than that with the immense amounts of schoolwork in my near future (as well as my commitment to Marge's activities, which I would never seriously compromise).

But is it time? Am I foolish to think that now is the time to do it?

I mentioned my stable-hunting plan to my mother, who neither embraced nor disapproved of it. In my family, horses are an extremely touchy topic. I barely ever bring the subject up. So when I do bring them up, it goes without saying that there is a huge force of emotions propelling the words out of me. Her silence this afternoon reminded me of her stoic and somewhat jaded response to my desire to buy a horse in 2008 (which obviously never went through): "If you have enough money to do it, I'm not going to tell you not to. This way, you won't have to deal with anyone else coming between you and a horse anymore."

I don't know; I'm so conflicted. Scared, even. Scared of having another bridge burnt, ending on less-than-desirable terms with yet another group of people. Scared that I will grow attached and suffer heartbreak again when it's time for me to move on (which would likely be in the fall).

On the flip side, I'm also scared of NOT doing it, because I know that as time goes by, my riding and handling skills will continue to erode.

At the very least, I am determined to sit in a saddle at least once this year. There are $30 trail rides about 30 minutes from my house. There's no excuse! I need to know that there are horses still out there, ready for me whenever I'm ready for them again.

Sweet Escape

2011-03-13T17:45:00.000-04:00

After judging one Beginner Obedience class of a 4-H show on Saturday, I went home with my next destination already in mind.

It has been FAR too long since I've taken a hike. Between the snow and rain, roads and/or trails were impassable. I expected some mud (which there was plenty of), but knew there'd be somewhere to walk.

I'll just shut up now and let you look at the pretty pictures.

(that's the sun. Marge isn't exploding!)

Everything

2011-03-11T01:26:00.000-05:00

I really should be asleep, since I have to wake up at 7 AM to get ready to run eight pigeons in the operant chambers at school, but I figured I could squeak out an update.

Saturday, we all caught a bit of a break and headed to the park for a while. My sister and grandmother tagged along as well. It was a new park that Marge had never been to. She was so excited to get out and start walking, though. We milled around for about a half hour. There were people everywhere and whistles galore from the sports games that were taking place, and I'm proud to say that Marge wasn't fazed at all!

my sweet girl..

Afterwards, Marge accompanied us to PetCo, where I picked up cans of food for Layla. I was originally going to leave her in the car, but she seemed so relaxed that I didn't think a 5-minute trip inside of the store would bother her. She did much better on this visit, probably because of all of the company that was with us. She was in close quarters with lots of dogs and did just fine. This might become a regular activity for us, as PetCo is the only store that supplies Layla's food around here.

Monday was Layla's Gotcha Day. She's now been living with us for 12 years.

We started Prednisone treatment for her over the weekend. I simply could not justify spending $2K and putting Layla through anesthesia and tons of mental and physical stress without trying the less invasive option first. She will be re-weighed next weekend to see if the steroids have had any effect. So far, all I'm seeing is a hearty appetite and not much, if any, weight gain.

This, of course, is one of many things that is totally consuming me right now. There are so many reasons why I should and shouldn't agree to biopsy. Still hoping it doesn't come to that.. we have about another 8 or 9 days of steroid treatment before she is reevaluated at the vet.

Monday night, Marge came with me to teach the non-competitive agility class. Not an uncommon occurrence. However, she ran agility for FOUR people other than me.

We had a simple course set up with just low jumps, NADAC hoops, and tunnels, and wanted to give the students a feel for what it's like to run a competition level dog. Marge did beautifully.. running for one male (the special needs boy who she befriended a few weeks ago - very, very proud of her) and three women.

I helped direct her around the course a bit (like calling out a "turn" to get Marge to switch leads - these students don't know about rear crosses or anything), but she worked pretty well for everyone and didn't seem terribly stressed by it. She sure did like getting to sample other people's treats.

Tuesday night, we dropped into obedience class for the second week in a row. We played more front games, which Marge thoroughly enjoyed. We also worked a lot on heeling (not my strong suit). My footwork goes to pot as soon as Marge gets added to the picture. By myself, I am fine, but stick the leash in my hand and I don't know where my feet are! I'm working on it.

The plan is still to do a UKC obedience trial in June. I have the UKC paperwork all filled out to register her with her FIFTH organization, now I just need to part with the cash.

That's really the long and short of everything we've been up to this week. I am so overwhelmed with school right now (took three tests this week, taking another Tuesday). One of my classes is ending on March 22nd and I am leaving my internship on the 30th, so I'm hoping to get my life back in a couple of weeks! Of course, I'm not expecting too long of a honeymoon, as we're already just about half way through the semester and finals are slowly approaching, never mind the grueling summer class schedule that I might put myself through.. AND the required Physical Therapy hours I need to do.. AND the GRE studying that I should have already started.. Junior year of college really isn't all that different from Junior year of high school.

Eat My Dust

2011-03-05T00:08:00.000-05:00

Today, we went back for another day in the dirt at Dream Park for AKC agility. (I really have the best boyfriend ever for him being as involved with all of my agility stuff as he is.)

I kept the same routine as last time - went in to check in, then took Marge for a long walk through the vast property. Unfortunately, not many of our friends were here this weekend, so we went out solo.

This time, we ran in both classes, Standard and Jumpers. As it turned out, my rant last week about the automatic table was inaccurate; there WAS no automatic table. Maybe I was just hearing things last weekend.

When I found out that precious little tidbit of information, I felt so much more confident about Standard.

And I had reason to be! Marge's Standard run was quite good. She was flying pretty high, as she usually does in Standard, but wasn't out of control. My working distance from her increases dramatically when she's like this.

She almost took an off course at the second tunnel, but I was able to call her off of the jump. Once we had gotten through the teeter and A-Frame and were headed for the Dog Walk, I thought to myself, if she gets on the table, we've got this.

Turns out I was wrong - Marge LEAPED the Dog Walk contact, causing us to NQ!

I was so surprised by her missed contact that I reflexively said "Hey!!" to her after it happened, which did, in turn, cause her to circle in front of the table to come back to me, counting for a refusal. However, I had not yet given her the cue to go to the table, so I don't think she was outright avoiding it. She got right on it when I asked and immediately went down, and I praised the heck out of her.

The ending was sloppy and I ran it differently than I originally walked, but we got it done.

So, no Q there. I was kind of frustrated after the run because we were so close, but looking back, I am SO happy with this run. I'd much prefer a missed contact over table stress.

And so began the not-so-terribly long wait for Open Jumpers, our next chance at a title. Marge hung out with Louie and I in the bleachers for a while, soaking in the sights and sounds of the trial going on below her. We sat in the car for a bit, too, and took another scenic walk. Marge was not crated at ALL for this trial, and I'm happy with the way she behaved. Perhaps being in crates has stressed her out at other trials. Hmm.

When it was time for Jumpers, I was exhausted, just as I usually am at the end of a trialing day. But I knew we could squeeze more run out.

Turns out it was our last run in Open Jumpers ever. We finished our title.

They had us on the start line for that ridiculous amount of time due to the fact that my score sheet had somehow gotten attached to that of the dog before me. I couldn't proceed until they found it. However, Marge was AWESOME while waiting, which is why I left the clip in the video. She offered eye contact, heeled in a circle, and jumped up to touch my hand when I asked her to.

I wasn't crazy about the fact that she shook off at the start line (did it in her Standard run too - stress?), but she remained in place and I lead out just a tiny bit.

I ran the whole thing with rear crosses. The course was probably better suited to fronts in a couple of areas, but I am just so much more confident in my ability to handle with rears that I thought I could pull it off. The only place we found trouble is at the tunnel.. but a ton of dogs were having trouble with it. It simply didn't run well.

Her weaves were fantastic, and I was so proud of the both of us for completing the ending clean after the slightly curved red tunnel. I was absolutely ecstatic when she took the final jump. OAJ complete!

I tried to pose her with her ribbons, but the wind wouldn't cooperate.

A few hours and one rest stop later (we don't have Roy Rogers in NYC!), we were home. And, now I am tired, and need desperately to sleep. I'm sure I'll be stressing in the morning about how I'll be running in EXCELLENT Jumpers at my next trial in April!

Tuesday Training 45

2011-03-01T21:17:00.000-05:00

an old pic of some not-so-great figure eight-ing. :)

For the first time since September, we actually did some formal obedience with instruction this week.

Monday night, my friend, who I am teaching the non-competitive agility class with, offered to help me with my heeling and footwork. She had me walk to the beat of a metronome (I think it was at 130 steps per minute) to keep me at a steady pace. We also worked on the footwork for about turns and halts (I'm doing much better with the abouts.. the halts, not so much).

Then, tonight, we dropped in to Show Ready Novice, kind of on a whim. Marge did quite well.

Distracted Stays
We worked our dogs with a partner on stays. The partner would distract the dog with treats, toys, food, noise, etc. Marge did very well - she showed interest in the person several times, but only broke her sit once (the first time). Once she realized that that was NOT was she was supposed to do, she stayed put with a little verbal help and tons of praise.

We then lined our dogs up and put them in a sit stay while the instructor heeled her dog around them, had her dog run across the room, etc. Once again, Marge showed interest, but she did not break.

She even held her sit when the big, gorgeous Irish Setter next to her got up and started sniffing her. I IMMEDIATELY went in and fed her.

Distracted Heeling
The next thing we worked was some heeling. We were paired with a partner who was supposed to act like a "pushy" judge (one that comes in very close to the dog, circles the dog, etc). I had her only call forwards, halts, and abouts (we've barely even started on lefts and rights). My footwork was awful and that threw Marge out of position, but she didn't really pay any mind to the woman (who was, admittedly, going easy on her.. but still!)

Stand For Exam
This one was the biggie for us. We each took turns practicing the entire Stand For Exam exercise.

Marge was great. She did turn her head and look at the person coming in, but did not move her feet at all. We did this with three different people. I'm going to work on tossing her cookies while the person is approaching her to keep her focus on me.

I was very proud of this.. it was really the first time we ever practiced the entire Stand For Exam exercise with new people.

Recall Games
This was a lot of fun! We sat our dogs in a circle with their backs to each other, told them to wait, and then released them into a game.

After a few reps, we called front. Marge LOVED this. We did the same routine individually as well, using the whole length of the room.

Marge's fronts were not bad.. the teacher said she was doing very well, and that it was obvious that I've been working with her.

Her finishes weren't too shabby, either.

The one thing that did scare her about this was when one of the handlers was really pumping his dog up by running around and pounding around his tug stick. I simply fed her and took her off of the floor when I saw it was bothering her.

Sit Stay
We ended class with a regular 1-minute sit. Marge, as usual, didn't budge (and was next to a Rottweiler, to boot!). I will say she was a bit distracted by what was going on on the other side of the room, though.

The plan for us is to enter one day of a UKC Obedience trial at our club in June. I feel confident that she'll be ready to compete by then and really does seem to like working on it.

Day in the Dirt

2011-02-27T01:02:00.001-05:00

Today was our first attempt at trialing indoors, at the most popular indoor venue near me (if you count 90 miles away 'near'..), Dream Park.

The whole thing went so quick, that it's honestly hard to write about it effectively. We got there just before 1. We went right in and found our friends, Spirit and her mom, and went on a long walk around the huge property (and snuck in some time on a children's playground - Marge loved the slide!). Marge was extremely happy to see her Golden friend and I am glad that they spent some time together so shortly after we arrived to keep the pressure way off.

Marge was totally cool with going indoors. She really had no issue with it... not even the noise.

I went into the main part of the building to see what they were up to in the ring I was scheduled to run in. I went in at just the right time.. the briefing was just starting. I handed Marge to Louie and walked the course.

The only time Marge got nervous is when the judge blew the whistle for the course to be cleared. She recovered fairly quickly, though. I now know that she'll be better off waiting outside or in a separate part of the building while I walk to avoid the whistle.

I did a bit of warm up at the practice jump. Marge was very attentive, reading my cues well. She hung out like a good girl near the start line before her run with all of the other dogs with absolutely no problem.

Our turn in the ring came up rather quickly, like it usually does in Jumpers.

Of COURSE, we got stuck waiting on the start line for about 20 seconds while they re-set a bar, which was frustrating. But Marge was really calm and actually plopped in to a sit. I told her to "stand" and asked for a kiss (a nose bop) before walking off in my very, very short leadout.

I thought the run was great, and really believe that the missed jump after the tunnel was my fault. I neither cued her to go "out" nor kept my arm out/pushed my body in that direction to get her to take that jump. Since she didn't come out of the tunnel as far away as I anticipated her to, she simply didn't see it. If not for the off course, we still could have qualified with a refusal, but that's OK. This was a lovely run and I got exactly what I wanted - a nice, connected run, Marge reading me and not too stressed out.

After our run, I jackpotted Marge with hamburger and chicken sausage and took her right back to the warm-up jump, where I also rewarded her.

The only bad news of the day is that I realized that they are using the automatic table count rather than the judge counting down. This was partially responsible for Marge's demise at Princeton's trial in September (our worst trialing weekend yet). I don't think it'll be as big of an issue here, since the surrounding noise of the trial kind of drowns it out. However, I had specifically e-mailed the trial chairwoman before entering to ask about this, and she ensured that they would not be using it. So, I'm a little upset, because I spent money on an entry for this coming Friday (the same club is having back-to-back weekends of trials) that I'm not sure if I want to use. It may seem silly to drive 90 minutes in the car for one 30 second run, like we did today.. but I'm not sure if I want to attempt Standard yet and might skip it. I might be better off running her in Jumpers only and then doing Standard outdoors at a park very familiar to us, East Freehold Park. Going to sleep on it a couple of nights and then decide.

My little girl had a fun, but short day. I actually think the stress of not having to wait around or be crated greatly helped her focus and her attitude. She was pooped on the way home!

Tuesday Training 44

2011-02-22T18:00:00.001-05:00

Agility - And Lots of It
Our performance training has almost solely focused on agility for the past month or two. Marge has improved in leaps and bounds. I am still seeing start line stress, which I'm not happy about, but she's dynamite when she's on course. More attentive than she ever has been.

For my next two trials, the plan will remain the same - very short lead outs. If I don't lead out at all, it tends to make the run less structured for her because she doesn't understand the whole unclip-and-go start to a course.

Our first trial of the year is this Saturday - we're doing one run, JWW only. This is because I really did not want the stress of running her in Standard for her first time at a trial in about 4 months (and at a brand new place on a brand new surface, to boot!). The trial site is also quieter towards the end of the day, which I think will be good for her. Our friend Spirit, the Golden Retriever, will be there, which I hope will make Marge happy. This trial is a BIG deal for her.. and I really hope she likes the trial site.

A Bit of Barkiness
One thing that has cropped up to a very small degree is Marge's dog reactivity. It's a bit different than it used to be and I'm not quite sure that it's really rooted in fear.

She has been getting barky at agility class watching certain dogs run. Now that we're in an Excellent level class, the courses are harder and the dogs are more driven. I think she's feeding off of their speed and energy level. Once they come back to the sidelines to sit with us, she is paying them no mind (whereas in the past this would, at minimum, lead to raised hackles and general worry on Marge's part).

Time to go back to Look at That, I think. Quite frankly, it's so mild that I am not worried about it at all, especially since I know how to combat it. It might actually be a GOOD thing for trials - I mean, I won't be that girl with the annoying barking dog standing right at the ring exit, but perhaps the fact that she is more amped up in an agility setting will detract some from the worry and stress that she sometimes feels. I'll experiment.

New Folks, New Exeriences
I had a couple of friends over on Sunday. I put Marge in her crate while they came in and settled on the couch (which is not far from her crate). She let out one "WOOOO!" while in her crate because she knew that there were people nearby. I waited until she calmed down (10 minutes or so), and then let her out.

Not a hackle raised. Just what I want to see!

She was not very privvy to being petted, especially by my male friend, but took treats from them both, investigated them thoroughly, and then sprawled out on the floor just a few feet away. Very, very successful, especially since it's been a LONG time since she's interacted with strangers in my basement.

We also made a quick trip to PetCo for Layla's food on Saturday. Marge did pretty well in the store - she was a bit uneasy, but was responsive to me, took treats, and searched for yummy stuff on the floor. She interacted a little bit with two store employees, whose hands she targeted with her nose.

She got a Natural Balance food roll and a bag of biscuits out of the trip. Unfortunately, she heard some loud noises on the way back to the car and panicked, but took treats once she had climbed in.

And that's Marge's current training, in summary. I'd write more, but on top of everything else, I'm getting sick again. Sinus infection and pink eye. Lovely!

Tummy Ache

2011-02-21T16:50:00.004-05:00

half-winking for the camera. she hates the flash...

We got Layla's bloodwork back on Thursday. It showed an extremely low level of Vitamin B12, but not much else.

This means that Layla's problem lies in her intestines, not in any of her other abdominal organs. The question now: what is the problem?

Both vets (my main vet and the specialist) keep saying it's pretty much either Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) or Lymphoma. However, the only way to distinguish between the two is through performing an endoscopy and taking a biopsy of her intestines. The outward symptoms for each disease are very similar.

This would cost a hefty sum of money and will require anesthesia, as well as an overnight stay at the hospital. Both vets think she can handle it, as long as we get her heart checked beforehand.

The other option is starting her on Prednisolone and waiting about a month to see if there are any changes. If she has IBD, Pred will help tremendously. My vet said she likely wouldn't be significantly worse after a month, even if the Pred does no good, since whatever she has is a "slow developing" kind of thing, but I really have trouble letting that much time go by with a "wait and see" approach.

Right now, Layla's getting B12 injections. She got her first one yesterday, and I'll give her another next weekend. We're going to wait about another week (after she has another injection) and then my vet and I will discuss what the next step is. She may respond favorably to the B12 alone.

I've been really upset about the whole thing - my cat is pretty happy, eating like a champ and acting normal for the most part (except for being wobbly whenever she shakes her head - she's on antibiotics but unfortunately not responding as quickly as she did the last time she had an ear infection), but the thought of her having lymphoma is really hanging over my head.

Not looking for advice, just needed a place to write all of my thoughts down.. just think good thoughts for us over these next couple of weeks. In the mean time, I'm going to try to not think about it so much.

My Good Girl

2011-02-16T23:33:00.000-05:00

It's times like these that I thank my lucky stars for having such a good dog.

Marge has truly been angelic through all of the stress and busyness I've been up against the past few weeks. She's really matured a lot lately, it seems. I've been doing my best to keep up with her walks, training sessions, etc., but I know that I am skipping some here and there. Yet, she's being a good girl, sleeping at night and and staying quiet throughout the day save for an occasional poke on the nose to remind me that I need to do some fun things with her.

She's actually had a fair bit of new and exciting things going on.. I just haven't had the time to write about them because of my cat, and class, and pigeon lab research, and and and.

She has been a demo dog two weeks in a row now in the Agility For Fun class I teach. She demonstrated "roll over" to the students with no reservation - a big deal, considering that meant lying down and flipping on her belly while surrounded by many strange dogs and people. She also made fast friends with a disabled boy (to my absolute surprise and delight - we all know Marge is a bit sensitive to those who walk, talk or act differently than she is immediately used to). He called her "really cool," petted her and asked her to perform some tricks, and said he wanted to try running agility with her. She got a little barky during one class when some dogs got the zoomies, but nothing unbearable. And, she stuck right next to me while off leash at the end of class, despite the other dogs/people milling around.

She has also made quite a few new dog friends... the newest being a young Cairn Terrier I am walking and feeding while his owner is away this week. She's gone walking with him two days in a row now, and I'm hoping that I might be able to let them have a little playdate together soon.

We've been doing a bit of agility as well. We had class Sunday night, as well as a practice session out in New Jersey that same morning. Really don't have any complaints.. the biggest things that stick out in my mind are our good but not great contacts (simply haven't practiced them enough) and a bit of start line stress. I'm trying my hardest to prepare her for our big day at Dream Park next weekend - our 2011 agility debut.

I'm not quite sure when this grueling pace is going to let up. In the meantime, I'm doing my best to split myself in as many ways as I can. Some would probably say I should give up the blog for now - but I am proud of what MargeBlog has become and know that putting it on hold would likely bring it to an end. So, I'm continuing to update, despite the chaos! Please forgive me if my visits continue to be on the erratic/sporadic side. Once I get my kitty better, I think I'll be able to devote more time to reading.

New Friends, Old Memories

2011-02-14T22:40:00.003-05:00

2002 (*sigh*...)

"How old were you when you started taking care of Taco?"

"Oh God.. let's see.. eleven. I'm now twenty."

I finally went out to lunch with Taco's owner and his wife. The whole thing materialized quickly over this weekend - I simply did not want to let any more time go by, so I called them up and said "let's go out!". We enjoyed a few hours together at a local Panera Bread restaurant.

I had only met his owner a few times before, and I'd never met his wife. Yet, because of all of the corresponding that we had done over the phone, it was like going out with old friends. No awkwardness whatsoever.

They did share a few gems of information with me.. some of it I knew already and just was further clarified:

- They bought Taco in '77, when their daughter was 12, from a man in Brooklyn who rode like a cowboy. The self-appointed cowboy used to make Taco rear up and all kinds of crazy stuff. He was supposedly 3 years old then, which would have made him 33 or 34 when he died (I think he was older than that - something seems wrong about those numbers, but who knows).

- The first time their daughter took Taco out on the trails, he immediately went running down them.

- They used to walk him up the road to church, where the church kids would fuss over him. This just boggled my mind; picturing a time when my horse was so young and the roads were so quiet is almost too hard to do. They had to stop doing this when the church started worrying about liability issues.

- His daughter entered him in a show at the stable where Taco was boarded (the place I took care of him at for 6 years). But, because he always was turned out in the arena that they used for the show, he took off running as soon as he entered the gate, which embarrassed her (she had a friend with a fancy show horse, and here was Taco, acting like a goof.. sounds just like the horse I knew).

- He hated water to the point that he could be trotting along and would literally side-step to get away from a puddle (again, sounds a hell of a lot like the Taco I knew!).

- They once let their other, younger daughter ride him, but he took off running as soon as she got on his back (seeing a theme here?).

- Their daughter used to jump him. But, he had a bad front leg, and it often needed to be wrapped and liniment applied.

- Their daughter stopped riding him around 1992, which left a full decade between then and the time I started taking care of him.

They were shocked when I told them I had never even sat on his back. After hearing these stories, though, I'm not so sure I would have wanted to!

I showed them the photo album I had of all of the pictures that I took of him, and they said they have some at home that they need to show me. (They've been saying this for years, but maybe now that I actually saw them in person, that'll get the ball rolling.)

The things I forgot to ask about were where his name came from and whether or not they knew what breed he was.

My hope is to go to lunch with them again sometime. I don't think there's any way to accurately express how much I miss that horse... so just clinging on to those little memories means a whole lot to me.

Several Hundred Dollars Later...

2011-02-12T21:34:00.000-05:00

I took this picture last night.

Layla posed this way by herself, perhaps as a

foreshadowing of today's expenses ($805!!!)..

Today was our big appointment at Garden State Veterinary Specialists with an Internal Medicine vet.

Thankfully, the process was a bit less painful than I had anticipated. The hospital was empty when we arrived, so I didn't have to see any sick animals or distraught owners like I did last time. I waited in the car until about 5 minutes before our appointment time, then whisked Layla inside. We were only in the waiting room for about an additional 5 minutes.

The vet was very nice.. coincidentally, he was the vet who treated Layla the last time we took her out there, in 2006. He seemed to have some recollection of her case (and I don't know if he was making it up, but he said he remembered my mom).

The consultation and testing probably took less than 45 minutes altogether. They did an ultrasound and bloodwork. The ultrasound came back clear; he said that all of her abdominal organs look good, but her colon was filled with tons of stool and gas.

He agreed with me that Layla has some sort of malabsorption problem. He repeatedly said it could be due to a pancreatic deficiency. The bloodwork will determine whether that is the case or not. It would not be hard to manage, according to him.

If the bloodwork shows that her pancreas is fine, we're going to have to take the next step and think about endoscopy/biopsy of her intestine. This is kind of scary, as I said that I really didn't want to put Layla under anesthesia. He said that there was very little risk.. the only thing he would recommend before anesthesia is a chest X-Ray, because she does have what he called a "loud" heart murmur. (I knew she had a heart murmur, but did/do not know the severity of it.) I guess we'll cross that bridge if/when we get there.

Biopsy of the intestine would search for possible inflammatory bowel disease or intestinal lymphoma. He said that both of these can be managed well.. that this type of lymphoma in cats is not "terrible" the way it is in people.

So, we don't have an answer right now, because everything is contingent upon the results of the bloodwork, which we will have within the week. Over all, I think the news is pretty good, because he doesn't seem to think that she has anything that can't be treated or managed. I'm glad that the ultrasound was good.. it's comforting to know she's not riddled with masses or anything like that. It's frustrating to still not have a diagnosis, though, especially when it's obvious that Layla is not getting the nutrients that she needs.

Thank you so much for your continued thoughts for my little girl. She sure is happy to be home (and not so happy to be sporting a new bald spot on her belly!).

What I Do

2011-02-09T23:37:00.000-05:00

Several of you have asked about the research I've been a part of at school.

As many of you know, I took a laboratory course this past fall in which I got to work with a pigeon and an operant chamber.

#77, my "Learning & Behavior" class bird.

I absolutely loved the experience. The class was a dream come true - I already knew so much about learning theory and behaviorism, and this class only posed more questions for me and broadened my horizons. My bird was a hard worker and I enjoyed seeing how he responded inside the chamber. Suffice to say, I got an A on all but one assignment, and an A over all for the course. I was thrilled when my professor called me a "really good student" and set me up so that I could start working in the lab for real.. with the goal of an eventual Honors experiment/thesis in mind (which I must do to graduate).

Since December, I have been in the lab several mornings out of the week, coding experiments, making new stimuli for the birds to peck at, among many other things. One of my favorite experiences was "hopper training" four brand new birds, who had never seen the operant chamber before and didn't know how to peck at the key to receive the food reinforcer. It was all taught by shaping, just as you'd do when trying to get a dog to interact with a novel object.

Finally, this morning, I discretely got some footage to show you all of one of the birds in action. This bird is slightly more experienced than the "baby" birds I worked with earlier in the year, but he is still not very experienced and needs to work a bit in the chamber before he can run in an experiment.

The video is 2 1/2 minutes long. Feel free to skip around a bit.. I was going to shorten it, but wanted to show you the entire session.

I accidentally cut it off the screen, but, in this training session, the bird is pecking at a 2.7 cm white circle (you can see the faint outline of it, I think). After each peck, he receives access to food for 3 seconds. This is a continuous reinforcement schedule - meaning, the bird is reinforced every time he pecks.

Also, disregard the banging sound that occurs after each peck. The camera was vibrating against the plexiglass of the chamber and did not actually make that sound.

We should be starting the actual experiment soon, with this bird and an additional 7 birds. I don't have the details in place yet, but we're going to be looking at how various experiences AFTER receiving training impact future recollection of that training - something that is scientifically called "retroactive interference."

This project is sort of a baseline for what will be my own Honors experiment. It's rather simple, but will allow us to secure an experimental design so that we can explore more complex phenomena.

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DISCLAIMER: Animal studies are a touchy subject. I want to mention that this laboratory is completely appetitive - meaning, we do not use punishment or aversive events like shocks and fear on the birds. I also want to point out that most of these birds are ex-breeder birds that would have otherwise been destroyed. No bird's life is sacrificed in this lab - in fact, a large percentage of the birds are living well past their expected lifespan!

Time For A Specialist

2011-02-07T17:04:00.001-05:00

Layla went back to the vet (finally) on Friday night. I stalled quite a few extra weeks because, in all honesty, she was happy and eating well, and I didn't want to stress her or her body out with another blood draw so quickly after the last one.

As it turns out, she lost more weight - about a pound since her previous vet visit 6 or 7 weeks ago. She's down to 6.1 pounds. Due to this, my vet opted to not take blood, and, he, instead, filled out the dreaded referral form for what is arguably my least favorite place in the entire world - Garden State Veterinary Specialists. No reason to draw blood now, he said, if they will repeat everything when she goes there.

I've been to GSVS once before and although I have no complaints about the way they cared for Layla through her battle with allergies, it's so depressing there. I get way too emotional over seeing very sick animals (one of the main reasons I did not go through with being Pre-Vet in undergrad). I might just have to strike up a deal with my mom, so that she sits in the waiting room until our name is called, so I can just whisk my way in quickly from the car. I simply CANNOT deal with it.

Because she's eating well and still losing weight, there is obviously some sort of malabsorption issue going on. She's producing a LOT of poop (much of which is formed, but quite soft), and therefore might not be retaining nutrients as well as she should be. It may be something as benign as an intolerance to the food she's on (all of these problems seem to have started right after the whole food switching debacle). It could be Irritable Bowel Disorder (definitely not farfetched for a cat with a lifespan's worth of digestive issues). It could also be something more serious, like gastrointestinal lymphoma.

My vet did say that IBD is consistent with her voracious appetite, gurgly stomach, and stool output. He did, however, say that IBD and lymphoma present very similarly in the early stages.

I'm hopeful that what ever she has is something that can be fixed or managed, but the fact that the dreaded C word has come up twice in the past few months is a bit unsettling.

Either way, we're scheduled for an appointment with an Internal Medicine veterinarian on Saturday at 2 PM.

It may not even give us a definitive answer, as I am pretty set on NOT putting Layla through any invasive procedures. X-Rays? Fine. Ultrasound? Fine. Bloodwork with all sorts of fancy panels? Fine. But I'm really not comfortable putting her under general anesthesia at her age (12-13).

I'm just trying to stay positive and take things as they come. I hope that Saturday will be the end of our vet visits and worries for a while.

Snow, Spring and the Semester

2011-02-02T21:57:00.001-05:00

Early Spring? I think not!

It's going to have to get pretty darn warm to melt all of this stuff (plus the nice layer of ice that coated everything this morning).

The sad part is that it's not even "useable" snow anymore. It's now dirty and crusty, which is uncomfortable for dog paws and human feet alike. I wish there was a magic RESET button that I could press to get a batch of fresh snow for Marge to run around in. I'd prefer 2 or 3 inches instead of 23 this time, though.

I haven't done a darn thing with Marge this week. We've gone on a few walks around the block and that's about it. There's literally no where to walk!

She did accompany me to the non-competitive agility class which I've begun teaching again on Monday. She played with the other instructor's dog, a male Standard Poodle. She snarked him a few times more than I would have preferred, but he seemed to have great manners and read her well, and she did offer him a couple of play bows and zoomed through tunnels with him. I anticipate that with more play sessions, she'll continue to get more comfortable with him.

I've just gone back to school for the semester and am trying to prepare myself for a wicked semester of Anatomy and Physiology. I'm taking only two classes, but that's in addition to my lab research (yes, pigeons!), which is proving to be extremely time intensive. I'm still at my counseling internship, but, quite honestly, am no longer enjoying it and looking to leave soon. I'm going to be starting volunteer work at a physical therapist's office as well. On top of that, I really need to start studying for the GRE, which I'm planning on taking in a matter of months. As such, blog updates and visits are going to be all over the place for a while until I settle into my new routine.

The Future of Dog Clubs

2011-01-30T22:22:00.002-05:00

A dog trainer friend of mine once said, "I believe there is a place in dog clubs for non-competitive people."

This seems like a no-brainer to me, since one of the goals of an organization that trains dogs (including pet dogs) should be to mold pet dogs into good canine citizens and promote responsible ownership, which, in turn, will protect our rights to own our own dogs, take our dogs to public open spaces, compete with our dogs at various indoor and outdoor venues, regardless of breed, size, etc.

But apparently, to some, there is one focus and one focus only: winning and competing.

Hey, listen. I compete. I sure as heck like to win. I am thankful to have the opportunity to train for competition-level activities with my competition-loving dog.

But recently, I heard a comment from someone that really bothered me. A new student sent an e-mail asking whether her registration had been received for a pet obedience class. However, she directed her inquiry to the registrar for competition classes, rather than the registrar for basic classes. An honest mistake, but some people found this completely appalling and unacceptable, for some reason unbeknownst to me. I'm still not sure what was particularly bothersome about it and, quite frankly, am a little surprised that a simple mistake elicited such a reaction.

Maybe it's because I'm not so far removed from those humble, confused beginnings in my dog club, in which I frequently sent e-mails regarding what classes to take, whether my information had been received or not, and things like that, but I didn't think it was a big deal at all. The competition registrar simply directed the student to the correct person, and it was over. No need for hysterics.

This recent exchange goes along with a series of negative things I've heard people say about non-competitive or less-competitive dog club members.. including that they are "clueless," and, my personal favorite, that "Rally is for retards" (which I don't think could possible offend a larger number of people!).

Coincidentally, another topic came up at the same time that this conversation unfolded. Someone mentioned a kennel club that, essentially, is now defunct because the members essentially "aged out." Now, a dog training club is slightly different than a kennel club, but the premise is the same - we need new blood!

By bringing in "pet people" (just like myself, when I started out two years ago), a dog training club accomplishes quite a few things. For one, they make money; the money made on basic obedience classes is what fuels the competition obedience and agility programs. In addition to that, they potentially score volunteers to help run their events. And, perhaps the biggest benefit of all, they stand a pretty good chance at reeling in some new people who want to train their dog in an advanced activity and can thus be active members in the club.

Some clubs don't offer basic classes at all. That's OK - in that case, they've made their mission clear and can focus on the aspects of dog ownership that they enjoy or specialize in. But, when a club does offer basic obedience classes, I feel that the new students should be welcomed and encouraged to participate rather than talked about behind their backs or treated as lesser.

I feel like many members of the dog training world are close-minded to new people. Certainly not everyone is - we have a lot of dog club members who are very active in the pet training world and who handle themselves appropriately when discussing things other than competitive dog training. I don't think this is exclusive to this hobby - I've been a newbie in other hobbies before and can remember the difficulty in getting myself established, being taken seriously, and making connections with people. But what is going to happen when my club's older member base is no longer active? If we are not going to recruit new people, who is going to step up and help run our club?

Hoping to gain some insights from people from all different dog ownership backgrounds and have a little discussion. What does a dog club mean to you? Should it be a priority to draw new people in? If so, how should it be done?

Being Nice

2011-01-28T12:00:00.003-05:00

I'm in a bit of a hurry right now, so I'll leave you with this short-n-sweet post on this cold and snowy Friday:

On Sunday, at the Rally trial, Marge had the pleasure of meeting two Bearded Collie puppies and a Pyrenean Shepherd puppy. She was hanging out by me while I was putting up scores on the easel, and saw them come in the door about 20 feet away. She became instantly excited, and started play bowing to them wildly.

The pictures aren't great, but they're proof that she did, indeed, play with these pups. She's usually not a fan of the young'ns.

We've Got Puppies

2011-01-26T18:54:00.000-05:00

I had another post scheduled for today, but it can wait. I received something special this week, and am excited and want to share it with you all!

This beautiful, hand-knitted, stack of pups was sent to me by Sue from The Portuguese Water Blog. She sent them to me in celebration of Marge's big 2010, where we accomplished a lot of great things.

There is some backstory, here. I thought that Sue was sending me a simple Christmas card. However, it never arrived. So, I asked Sue about it, and she told me that she did, indeed, send a package.

But, before I alerted her to the fact that I hadn't received anything, poor Sue probably thought that I had received it, but made no mention of it to her (which I would have never done - how incredibly rude that would have been!).

Anyway, long story short, the mystery package finally got here, somehow, after several weeks. In the box was a nice card and a cute disc toy for Marge (which she will sample when the snow melts), along with my personal favorite item, the hand-made pups. I think they are absolutely adorable, pudgy little guys! And they are SO soft.

Marge was interested in them, too. She thought that they were for playing. She promptly knocked the poor guys over.

They're too special for her to put her grubby mouth all over, though, so they're safe and sound, high up where she can't reach them, on display (see the first photo). Of course, I did pose her just once with them before moving them to their new home:

Thank you so very much, Sue, for your thoughtful gift. It's so nice to have such a caring (and talented) friend.. and proof that blogs can far transcend the pictures and posts.

I'd better go sneak in a snuggle with those pups now.. it sure is cold here in NY.

Marge Gets ARCH'd

2011-01-24T18:36:00.002-05:00

Yes, that's right. The dog formerly known as Marge is now ARCH Marge!

We had a long two days of APDT Rally trialing this weekend. On both Saturday and Sunday, Marge had four runs. That makes for a total of EIGHT runs for the weekend - the most Marge has ever done in a span of two days.

We accumulated two double qualifying scores (QQ's) on Saturday. Here is one of our runs.

Her effort in this run and an earlier run led to our designation as being the Highest Scoring Dog in Levels 1 and 2 for the morning trials, an honor known as "High Combined."

The excitement didn't stop there. After four more successful runs on Sunday, Marge earned her APDT Rally Champion title. Here is the final run.

Though Marge was less precise than normal with her heeling, her fronts and her finishes, she did show great control. Our transitions in to the ring are getting steadily better and better. And, normally the Level 2 jump (as shown in the video above) puts her in to crazy agility mode; however, she remained collected throughout the entire course... for all eight runs.

I knew Marge would get her ARCH, but had no idea it would happen this soon. We did a lot of APDT Rally this January and it all paid off. I think the trials were great experiences for Marge to get in the ring and have lots of fun. I think it's clear in the videos that she's enjoying herself. APDT Rally has got to be one of the most welcoming, upbeat organizations I've ever been a part of. I'm glad to have these opportunities to show with Marge.

Now: on to the ARCHX and Level 3.

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P.S. - Please pay a visit to Sara's blog today, she had to set her beautiful Misty girl free early this morning after a battle with bladder issues and congestive heart failure. Run free at the bridge, sweet girl. We'll miss you dearly - we feel as though we've come to know you so well after reading about you for all of this time.

Day 937

2011-01-21T00:01:00.007-05:00

That's how many days it's been since I brought Marge home.

The anniversary of this blog's inception, however, is much simpler - two whole years.

Can you believe it? What started out as a training journal simply for my own personal use has become something much more... a place for me to connect with people all over the world, a place for me to jot down some of my innermost thoughts, a place for me to share my love of dog training, dog behavior, dog sports, dog ownership, dog love.

The main character's qualities have changed a bit, too. I said it last year and I'll say it again: "Fear, which used to consume everything that we did, now is just one theme in a great book of adventures."

It's still there, like the familiar antagonist that keeps popping up every once in a while in a long novel, but we'd like to think we've got a better handle on it now. I hope that you've learned and continue to learn from the experiences, successes, and failures that we've had. I love sharing what we do with people who care about dogs just as much as I do.

Who knows what the next year will bring? Guess we'll have to just wait and see. :) Thank you for helping make MargeBlog so special.

(P.S. - We're slowly catching back up to visit you all - it's been a long week battling this cold. Hang in there, and we'll stop by soon to see what you've all been up to!)

Tuesday Training 43

2011-01-18T23:23:00.000-05:00

So much for more regular posting and updates.

I've been sick as a dog for the past three days or so. Horrible headaches, body aches, stuffy nose, swollen glands, aching ears, fever. NOT fun. I've cancelled a whole lot of plans in the past 72 hours (because for some reason, this "winter break" really hasn't been much of a break at all). As such, I've had absolutely no desire to blog or do anything other than sleep.

I did, however, go to agility class on Sunday night. I'm too tired to post much more than this, but here's one of the courses we ran:

My plan:

- Led out past 2 with Marge on my right to get her in to tunnel.
- Send her up the A-Frame, she's on my left until after Jump 8.
- Front crossed on the landing side of 8, as well as the landing side of 10 (of course, I put the number on the wrong side of the obstacle in Course Designer.. tire 9 - jump 10 should be a 180, not a threadle).
- Straight forward until the weave entrance.. and what a wicked entrance it was! But, Marge and I nailed it on the first try.
- Then, the course ended the same way that it started.

Though this was not officially a class -- it was actually a group lesson that I organized with my teacher and some fellow students -- this was our first time training at the Excellent level (that is, with other Excellent level dogs). We've moved on up!

Group Hike With Friends

2011-01-12T10:47:00.002-05:00

Dear Marge,

Why are you so full of surprises lately? Not that I'm complaining!..

My friend, whose dogs I often walk, asked me yesterday if I'd like to go for a walk with her in the woods that afternoon. I thought it'd be fun and hoped Marge would think the same, so I loaded her little black self in to the car and met my friend at her house. Another one of our friends from the dog club was also there with one of her dogs, a Border Collie mix.

They were all in the yard playing together, but I opted to keep Marge outside the fence and let her say hello that way. She was a little unsure of what was going on at that point, and I figured that the excitement from an exuberant Golden Retriever greeting (Spirit LOVES me.. and, well, just about everyone) might send Marge in to snark mode.

We all got in to our cars, took a short 5-minute drive to the top of a deserted hill where we could get on the trail.

Marge had an amazing time. Really, I didn't expect her to be so comfortable and so social with the other three dogs.

I quickly realized that the 6-foot leash just wasn't going to cut it, and let her out on her 20' line. The other dogs were completely offleash. Eventually, I was brave enough to drop the leash and give Marge some freedom. We reached a clearing and all of the dogs began to zoom all over the place with one another.

Allowed off leash? In a place as fun as this? Yeah, I can't believe it either..

Yes, my shy, not-always-so-dog-friendly, squirrel-chasing, scent-loving dog was offleash on the trail, blazing alongside the other dogs. She led the way, which was convenient because I didn't want anyone to trip over her long line. Every time I called her name, she came running back to me like the good girl that she is.

Marge made fast friends with Ozzy, who is calmer and laid back.

She play-bowed and ran zoomies with all of the dogs. She knows them all already, but has never had the opportunity to play with them this much! I honestly did not know she enjoyed their company to this extent. I think she snarked a total of one time.. at Bailey, the smallest and oldest (and, as his owner says, crankiest) dog in the group!

I am truly surprised at how much she adores Spirit. Marge is not typically a fan of Golden Retrievers. It's likely because Spirit is about as dog social as they get and has good doggy manners. This is extremely encouraging, since we may be taking some trips to agility trials with Spirit and her mom in the future.

Why yes, that's MY dog sharing a sniff with a big happy Golden!

We set them up for an obligatory group pose at the end. Unfortunately, all I had was my cell phone camera to snap with.

If that weren't enough, we all headed back to my friend's house after the fun for some hot chocolate. Marge came inside the house.. she continued to be sociable with her new hiking mates, and got to meet one of the three resident cats. (She only nervously growled when the kitty emerged from the cat-sized cutout in the basement door.. I think she was perplexed as to how the cat appeared out of the wall!) She did put her front paws on the kitchen counter and nosed around every single room she could sneak into, but eventually settled down.

Of course, now that I know that Marge is comfortable taking hikes in a group, I'll be nagging my friends to go again soon! What a special day.

Tuesday Training 42

2011-01-11T18:06:00.001-05:00

Mother Nature's dealing us a crappy hand this week, which means we'll need to stay inside and weather yet another snowstorm in the next 24 hours. That leaves lots of time for potential training.

I totally stole this trick from Sara & Oreo. Despite the fact that I knew cards would get punctured, slobbered on, and bent in the process (Marge is not as elegant and gentle with her jaws as Oreo is), I just had to try it for myself.

I first shaped Marge to pick a single card out of my hand using a clicker and treats. Shaping it didn't take her long, as mouthing an object is usually one of the first behaviors that she offers. She did have some trouble when picking one card from a hand of multiple cards, though.. I guess since the slobber made them stick together a bit..

At the beginning of the video, Marge was mildly distracted by Layla, who was hopping up on to the furniture to get as close to the heat vent as possible.

So, where to go with this simple little trick? Leave it as is, or build on it to teach Marge something more complex?

Let me know your ideas!

Question and Answer (Pet Blogger Challenge)

2011-01-10T19:41:00.003-05:00

I saw this questionnaire posted on Champion of My Heart and thought it'd be fun to play along. It's a part of the Pet Blogger Challenge, in which we're to think critically about what we want to get out of blogging.

1. When did you begin your blog?
Wednesday, January 21, 2009. The day has no particular meaning; I toyed with the idea of starting a blog for a long time and after securing the URL name and everything, finally wrote my first post. I didn't have consistent readership for a few months after that.

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?
It was solely a place for me to log my training progress with Marge. I was just finishing Beginner Obedience at my dog club and aspired to do so much more (and ultimately was able to do so much more.. in a shorter period of time than I originally anticipated).

3. Is your current purpose the same?
In many ways, yes. I try to have posts about all of the "big" things Marge and I do. That varies from agility class, to Rally trials, to trips to new places, and lots of things in between.

But, at the same time, it's definitely changed somewhat... because I do enjoy when my comment box becomes an online auditorium for debate and discussion with fellow dog enthusiasts. I also greatly value the many relationships I've made with people through my blog and enjoy reading their stories and seeing what they think about mine. So, the "social" element of my blog is something that's evolved and is still evolving.

4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?
Mostly whenever I want to. I admit, I do get a little antsy when it's been a couple of days and I have no new material to put up, but I'd much prefer not blogging than putting up a post about something I haven't given a lot of thought to.

I average around 15 posts a month, but they usually come in bursts (and then I go silent for around a week or so). I'm trying to increase the number of posts I put up and be more regular in my posting this year.

5. Are you generating income from your blog?
Absolutely not. I would be interested in advertising if a company whose products I like approached me, but I don't think I'm "big" enough yet for that.

6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular (bragging is good!)?
The things I like the most about my blog is the richness and variety of the content. I never post "just to post." And, I like to vary things to keep a diverse readership; I post pictures some days, and others my posts are more wordy and technical. Sometimes I talk about fear issues, other times about dog sports, and now I've begun incorporating the story lines of some other animals who influence me - Layla and Taco.

This may help or hurt readership - I'm not sure which. Sometimes I think that some behavior/training and dog sport folks overlook my blog because I post about many topics and not JUST those things. Other times, I think that my decision to have a lot of dog and animal related topics brings more people from all different walks of life to read my blog. Marge's life is part pet, part recovering fearful dog and part athlete. I want that to show through my blog.

What I like most about blogging in general is the community that develops; there are lots and lots of people whose input and comments I greatly value, and they've helped me to grow as a dog trainer. It's also heartwarming during times of need when all blogging animal lovers seem to come together and give each other support.

7. What do you like least?
I don't like when blogging becomes a popularity contest. If I comment on your blog, that means there is something there that I truly enjoy. Be it a picture, a common interest, a thought-provoking post, or even just an interesting activity that I've never been able to do myself. I want my readers to feel the same about my blog; I want them to be reading because they enjoy learning about Marge. Sometimes, I see comments on blogs that seem to scream, "I didn't really read this post, I'm just commenting your blog so that you reciprocate and comment mine." And I don't think that's cool at all.

In terms of my blog, the thing I like least is the fluctuations in the amount of time I can devote to my blog. There are some days where I am able to visit other blogs every few hours, and other days where my reader piles up with new posts that I won't get the chance to look at. Such is the nature of the life of a college student!

8. How do you see your blog changing or growing in 2011?
In 2011, I hope to continue to diversify my content and get on a more regular posting schedule. I hope to continue to meet like-minded dog owners, follow their adventures and learn from them (and maybe them from me). I want to do more series of posts (multi-week posts about specific topics) and continue things like Tuesday Training more frequently. I'm toying with the idea of giveaways and/or contests as well.

That's about it. I'm very happy with how my blog has grown. If you have any suggestions about what you'd like to see on MargeBlog in the future, please do not hesitate to let me know!

Surprise, Surprise

2011-01-08T23:11:00.000-05:00

Imagine my frustration when I found out that my club's APDT Rally trial had filled.

Imagine my amazement when I found out just a few days ago that a couple of runs opened up and I was able to show.

Imagine my sheer JOY when Marge showed successfully in all three of her runs, boasting two first places and a second place, one perfect score, finishing one title and double qualifying for the first leg of her first championship title! That's a mouthful!

I had a blast today; Marge was a LOT of fun to play some Rally with. Unfortunately, I have no video because I went by myself and was paranoid that if I asked someone to record me, I'd jinx myself and we'd NQ. But, take my word for it: Marge was really phenomenal!

The trial stress stuff that she sometimes experiences was really kept to a minimum. In fact, I'd say she was more calm in the ring at this Rally trial than any of the others that I've gone to. She had a couple of spacey moments (her second run of the day probably felt the worst of the three - I did jokingly say "brains! brains!" out loud to her as we heeled between two signs, as a reminder for her to not lose her mind and have some fun), but over all, her eye contact was good, she was responsive to me, and she stayed that way for three runs!

Our recent expeditions in to formal obedience training definitely helped tighten some things up. Her finishes were much more accurate, and she seemed to be trying hard to find that perfect spot to sit. To me, that tells me that she was definitely thinking about what she was doing instead of, well, just plain old doing.

I did a couple of things differently than usual. For one, I brought new treats out for the last couple of runs of the day. I took a piece of mozzarella from the giant hero sandwich I picked up for the trial, which worked out really well in the last run. Marge's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw a ball of cheese heading for her mouth.

I also ran the course with her physically faster than usual. Faster times lead to higher placements in the B classes of APDT Rally, so I gave it a try and it seemed to improve Marge's focus and keep her motivated and on her toes. I have been told that I "babysit" her too much, in both obedience and agility - so I moved a little faster with a little more spark in my stride, and I think that she liked it.

Several people commented on how well Marge did and, more importantly, how happy she looked to be doing it.

One of the judges, who has never met Marge before, called her "dynamite." What a compliment!

The whole day was super pleasant and super unexpected. We're going to have another opportunity to trial in APDT at the end of this month, so stay tuned!

Making Someone's Day

2011-01-04T22:33:00.000-05:00

It feels really nice to make someone's day. I had a couple of errands to run, so I picked up my grandmother so that she could tag along, get out of the house, get some groceries, etc. I told her that I planned on taking Marge to the park for a short walk, and asked her if she wanted to come. She said she would.

We only walked for about a half hour (it was cold and getting icy), but my grandma, who is very young and spry for her age (late 70s), was happy to get some fresh air and see the park. When I dropped her off home, she thanked me profusely, and told me how nice it was, how much she appreciated it, and that we'll have to go again.

I spend a lot of time with my grandma - I see her a couple of times a week, at minimum. But, I'm usually at her house, or she's at mine, or we're in the supermarket or deli together. It was nice to spend some quality time with her away from the usual. It's too bad that most of her other grandkids (and some of her own kids, for that matter) don't do the same, but such is life, and at least I was able to make her happy.

Marge enjoyed the change of scenery as well. I haven't exactly kept to my promise of taking her to different parks every week (though we have been walking around my neighborhood every day due to the snow in the field across the street, which is still a huge change for us), so this was our first park outing since the last time I blogged about it.

She chased lots of squirrels. There were TONS of them, including an all black one. I've heard about black squirrels before, but have never seen one personally. We also saw some hawks hanging out in a tree, which was very exciting!

Marge's experiences in this park have ranged from the very good to the very bad; the park itself is awesome because there is both a fair amount of foot traffic and a fair amount of places to move away from that traffic. It's the perfect hybrid between city park and secluded getaway. Of course, it resembled more of a secluded getaway today with the low temps, but that's okay.

However, the surrounding communities, for some reason, are very noisy! We've heard construction sounds within the park on a couple of occasions, which has NOT make Marge happy. Thankfully, except for a few loud noises (likely from the sanitation trucks collecting heaps of garbage following this snow storm), it was very quiet today, and Marge fared well.

Marge was still raring to go when we were back at the car, but, with my grandma along, 30 minutes was enough time for the day. Hopefully, we'll get back there soon.

The Breed For Me

2011-01-03T21:06:00.001-05:00

As the member of a dog club where many people own purebred dogs, I'm in an interesting position as the owner of a mixed breed; if I do, one day, choose to make a purebred dog a part of my life, I've got lots of choices, and the dogs I'm around certainly make an impact on my opinions of various breeds.

I thought it'd be fun to take a slew of Dog Breed Quizzes online and analyze the results a bit.

Animal Planet's Breed Selector told me the best choice for me would be an Australian Shepherd.
PuppyFinder.com's Breed Selector also gave the Aussie as the top choice.

Good Housekeeping's Breed Selector told me a Rottweiler would fit well into my home. (Marge vehemently disagrees, as they are, unfortunately, her least favorite breed.)

Breeder Retriever's Breed Selector put the English Setter in the number one spot for me.

ShowDog.com's Breed Selector returned the Bearded Collie in the answer list.

Eukanuba's Breed Selector selected the Bouvier Des Flandres as the best dog based on my answers.

Purina's Breed Selector returned no matches - I guess they don't think I'm fit to own a dog!

And, lastly, SelectSmart.com's Breed Selector told me that no purebred fits my lifestyle and that I'd be best suited to a mixed breed.

Obviously, these tests are bogus, but breed suggestions sure are interesting when you've never owned a purebred dog before. I'd also be interested in hearing the results that some of these tests return for some of you, especially if you already own purebred dogs and know what types you like.

I have to be honest.. with the exception of the Australian Shepherd (and, of course, a good ol' mutt), I don't think I'd like living with any of the breeds that these tests suggested to me. They do seem to have it narrowed down to Herding, Working, and Sporting dogs, though, which are the type of dogs I prefer.

So, what do you think? If I were to get a purebred dog, what type of dog would suit me well? You know the type of dog I like - an athletic, smart and responsive medium-to-large sized dog, with high but not over-the-top exercise and training requirements. Should be able to tolerate the extremes of a New York climate. The dog doesn't have to be extremely friendly with strangers and strange animals, but should be able to accompany me to a wide array of places comfortably.

(This is all just for fun, of course. I won't reveal them yet, but I already know at least a few breeds that I'd be interested in owning!)

Fear issues (and heat intolerance) aside, I've basically described Marge's qualities to a tee. No wonder I love my girl so much. She's my "perfect dog" at the moment!

Year of the Cat

2011-01-01T23:23:00.001-05:00

Layla snoopervising as I do some school work on my laptop.

Layla's been doing OK since the last time I posted about her. She had a brief spell last week where she didn't want to eat very much, but her spirits remained high and her appetite has since improved tremendously.

Unfortunately, it does look like the ear infection which caused her stumbling last month has come back. Her ears are horribly itchy and they seem to be hurting her, too. Thankfully, she is not wobbling all over the place like she did last time, but she does seem to lose her balance a little bit when she shakes her head.

I have no doubt that it will be cleared up again with another round of antibiotics, but what is worrying me is the source of the infection: I, personally, think it's being caused by build-up in her ears as a result of a food allergy. That would mean that the food she is eating is indirectly causing the infection. I'm not sure if this is really possible, but it's my best guess, because nothing else has changed that would cause the infection.

Her current menu consists solely of Royal Canin Veterinary Duck & Green Pea kibble. This is not my first choice at all; I would have preferred for her to eat EVO 95% Canned Duck exclusively, but her intolerance to wet food (likely an allergy to the thickeners) rendered that impossible after her nose blew up from it. Royal Canin does not cause her digestive or respiratory problems as some other foods have, but it does seem to be making her ears awfully itchy.

My next step will be to call the vet on Monday and ask him what I should do. One option could be re-trying one of the kibbles we sampled over the summer (perhaps Natural Balance); it's very possible that because she was eating so many different things at the time, not all of them were making her sick. Another option might be taking Layla to a special nutritionist, who might have alternative feeding suggestions. Or, maybe he'll simply opt to do another round of antibiotics before making any diet changes.

In the meantime, she's hanging in there, and certainly plenty fiesty - as evidenced by the demanding meows she bellowed up to me this morning, asking for her breakfast! My most important goal of all for 2011 is to keep that happiness in her for a long, long time.

To The Future (2011 Goals)

2010-12-30T17:46:00.000-05:00

I did not set training goals for 2010; I tend to have a problem with a) setting goals that are ridiculously low or b) goals that are impossibly high. But I'm going to give it a valiant try.

I will say that Marge was enormously successful in our training endeavors this past year. In 2010, she completed three titles and got very close to finishing three more.

I essentially have our trial schedule for the first half of 2011 already set. We'll probably be doing about 10 days of agility from February to June, as well as at least two (hopefully more) days of APDT Rally.

With that in mind, my performance goals for the first half of 2011 (January - June) are:

Agility
- to complete the OA title
- to complete the OAJ title
- to accumulate TWO qualifying scores in Excellent A, regardless of class (Standard or Jumpers),
- and, most of all, FOR BOTH OF US TO KEEP OUR HEADS SCREWED ON STRAIGHT WHILE WE'RE IN THE RING!

Rally
- to complete the RL2 title
- to accumulate TWO double-qualifying scores towards the ARCH title in APDT Rally
- to begin training for APDT Rally Level 3

Obedience
- to attend ONE obedience match with Marge at my club
- to drastically improve heeling footwork
- to maintain performance of stays, fronts, and finishes

At the end of June, when we have a month or two off, I'll come back and see which goals we met and which we didn't meet and hopefully form some more goals for the Fall trial season.

General Training
In terms of general training/management.. it's hard to form specific goals. I hope, however...
- to continue to find ways to socialize Marge (such as attending more club meetings with her)
- to push our boundaries; to better recognize when we can dive a little deeper and when we need to back out of a situation
- to keep her active and outside as much as possible without having her scared
- to continue to make progress regarding her situational fears around my dad

Here's to a successful 2011!

Weather Wallop

2010-12-29T17:58:00.000-05:00

The snow has been around for so many days now that I can't even remember when these pictures were taken. Yesterday, I guess?

We got 20+ inches here.. the 6th worst storm all-time in New York City. Or, if Marge is keeping track, the 6th best storm in NYC history.

She did lots of hopping around in the field. In the backyard, it was more of a climbing expedition than anything else.

Yep, no shoveling had to be done in my backyard, as snow drifts created a huge bare patch that makes pottying convenient.

Marge says, I peed, I pooped. Now I have to POSE?!

The front of the house was another story, and my back is still out of whack from the amount of shoveling I did on Monday. My dad has a snow blower (and probably clocked in about 12+ hours with it), but it's obviously ineffective for the house steps and underneath the tires of my car and stuff like that.

We did have one mishap.. I took Marge out for too, too long of a walk this afternoon around the perimeter of the field, thinking the road would be plowed (it wasn't) and walked so far that I was too exhausted to walk back. Thankfully, I was very close to a main road, which made it easy for someone to come and pick me up (my dad). Yeah.. not one of my brightest moments and I shudder to think about what I would have done if I didn't have my cell phone with me! Marge enjoyed it, though.

I'm kind of ready for it all to go away now. I like snow because Marge likes it and I'm weird in that I appreciate how full of wrath/power/beauty nature can be, but there is just SO much snow that walking Marge is going to be pretty darn hard for awhile.

Tuesday Training 41

2010-12-28T09:04:00.000-05:00

I've had this post scheduled for a few days now. I was going to scrap it in favor of a post about the snow storm, but the snow will be around for so long that I think it's OK if I wait to post about it.

We've had some visitors, lately, and Marge did well with all of them.

Last week, my good friend B stopped by for a quick visit. Despite an initial grumbly display by Marge, heard from behind the basement door that confined her, she settled down quickly and accepted lots of pats and praise. B interacts with her in a way that doesn't scare her, which makes his visits enjoyable for all of us.

On Christmas Eve Eve (yes, that's intentional), my mom's good friend stopped by to deliver some homemade quiche to her. Marge was initially sent outside since she reacts so strongly when someone goes through the door, but when she came back in, she did a quick sniff of the friend (with hackles raised), then did a whole-body shake and acted completely normal. She even showed off her up-and-coming trick, a directed "fetch" that I hope to put to good use to obtain her APDT Rally Level 3 title.

That same evening, Marge's wee friend, Nappy the Chihuahua, stopped by outside our house with his owner to deliver Marge a gift. It was adorable - Nappy had a big stocking attached to his leash and dragged the presents over to Marge, like a tiny Santa Claus. Marge was totally unfazed by his arrival and interacted with his momma, too. Over all, she wanted to go inside, since it was so COLD, but it was nice for her to respond so favorably to their presence.

Lastly, in the wake of the giant snowstorm we've just experienced, our elderly neighbor stopped in to pay me and my sister for shoveling out her front door. Again, Marge was in the basement while Lily came through the door, and then came upstairs with me. She was more than happy to accept the treats and pats that came from her.

I'm still wrestling with how to tackle the door issue. If I'm there and someone comes in, she tends to rush the door growling (which is just a display because then she starts sniffing, but I can understand why some people wouldn't like it). If I'm NOT there, she tends to stand back, growl once or twice, and not really approach the person (this situation seldom comes up, though). Right now, I usually send her outside or down the basement to allow the person to come in and then invite Marge back up slightly thereafter. Sometimes, I let her stay in the kitchen and feed her treats while the person comes in the door, but she tends to get more freaked in that scenario than when I simply send her out.

Despite her imperfections, I think all of this is proof of the success she's made in dealing with people. She's far from perfect, but also far from where she started!

A Handwritten Note

2010-12-23T18:53:00.000-05:00

Last week, I finally went to the store and picked out a card to send Taco's old owner.

I wrote him a short note and left my phone number, telling him that I'd love to have lunch with him and his wife and how I couldn't believe that so much time has gone by since Taco's death.

A couple of days went by and I didn't hear anything, so immediately assumed that he wasn't going to write back. Ah well, I thought to myself, all of my links to Taco are now gone.

Today, in the mail, I did, indeed, find a tan-colored card envelope with his name on it, addressed to me.

It contained a check for $50 (which I really do not want - he has sent a check every year, but I never wanted any money for doing anything with Taco), as well as a note saying that he and his wife would love to have lunch with me. There is something quite nice about receiving a handwritten note through the mail, in this age of technology.

I hope to set something up with them once the excitement from the holidays dies down.

I've only met him a handful of times before, usually not under the best of circumstances. I can't even imagine how it will feel recall all of my memories with the man who, behind the scenes, enabled me to spend as much time with my beloved friend as I did.

Gathered 'Round the Tree

2010-12-22T21:06:00.000-05:00

Winter Park-Hopping

2010-12-16T22:41:00.001-05:00

One thing I have not been very good about lately is bringing Marge to different locations for walking and/or training, aside from dog events.

Now that I have some more time, I'm going to try to bring Marge to different parks at least once a week. Even if we start repeating (which I think we will), I'd like to re-expand our choices so that Marge is comfortable walking in a variety of different parks.

Last week, our destination was the boardwalk, where there was a fair amount of people around. Marge did quite well, if you recall from my last post.

Today, our choice was the long path along the road in one of our "National Recreation Areas," despite the fact that I am in the midst of a long post-reinforcement pause (hah) after finishing all of my work for the Fall 2010 semester and, therefore, want nothing more than to bum around on the couch.

We walked 2 1/2 miles together over the course of an hour, with some running, some sniffing, and some obedience work thrown in. It was quite cold for me, but I think Marge enjoyed herself, for the most part.

There weren't very many people around and Marge did give oogly eyes to a couple of men that she saw, but she never outright panicked and always took treats.

Strangely enough, I think the lack of people was bothersome for her, as compared with the boardwalk. At the boardwalk, there was a steady flow of people, and perhaps I'm anthropomorphizing, but I think she "expected" their presence, whereas in this park, a lone individual would slowly approach along the path only every once in a while.

Most times, her strategy to cope with the approach of a human is to direct her attention towards a tree, garbage can, or other smelly object and sniff her heart out (which may be a signal to the humans that she has no intent to bother them, may also make her feel more secure, or may be unrelated - I think it's all three, depending on the situation and her body language).

I am fine with this because it is MUCH better than her fleeing; I also feel that if she was very nervous, she wouldn't be able to do this with people walking by in such close proximity (since it happens frequently in our neighborhood, where people pass sometimes as close as 1 or 2 feet from us). Sometimes, she looks as though she is indifferent to their approach and is sniffing just to sniff, which may very well be the case.

We are also working on her glancing at the incoming person and then looking back towards me. I am rewarding her for both behaviors (sometimes for looking at them, sometimes for looking at me), so as to work to build a positive association with whatever's approaching and also to maintain her ability to focus on me.

It worked absolutely smashingly with an aggressive-looking Shar-Pei who walked (er, pulled) by about 30 feet away from us. She was able to watch the dog and get the information that she needed (because would YOU want to keep your back turned from something that looks scary?), and also able (and quite willing) to look towards me.

I hope to have more posts like this over the course of the winter, hopefully with more photos than I had today!

Blood, Brush, Beach

2010-12-11T22:27:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for your kind words last night about Layla. She and I enjoyed a nice slumber on the couch together, uninterrupted by anyone, until nearly 4 AM. There's something very special about spending that kind of time with her... like she knows, at that point, that she is the sole recipient of my love and attention. I believe we have a very special bond, and as much as I love Marge, it's nice to spend some time individually with my cat, too.

Much to my surprise, the bloodwork came back better than expected. The ALT number has dropped to nearly normal, thanks to the help of Denosyl. This likely means her liver is repairing itself after whatever damage it incurred. It also means that the bleeding she experienced yesterday is not related.

Therefore, she will need to go for an additional blood test in a couple of weeks. It's possible that the bleeding is caused by old veins with weak walls, just like a human would experience. Or, she might have a blood clotting problem.

The vet said he was "happy" with the result from the ALT test, so I think it's definitely good news that Layla's liver is on the mend. My hunch, now, is that the bleeding was caused by weak and fragile veins rather than a clotting problem, but we'll do the test to be sure. He said to come back in two weeks, but I'll likely stretch it to three to give those poor bruised legs some time to heal.

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As for our canine protagonist, Marge, she had some special time of her own today. We originally set out on a wide, paved trail running through the woods, but had to turn back when we discovered we were essentially heading straight for a brush fire.

We surmised that something was burning (my island has been riddled with such fires lately, and my hunch is that someone's setting them) and actually saw blackened ground from a fire that rummaged through the area on Thursday, but had no idea that the fire was so close to us. Once we got a real whiff of that smoky smell, we got a little more concerned and decided to turn around... and just at that point, we were met by a big ol' fire truck driving down the trail.

Talk about unsettling!

Marge actually responded remarkably well. We moved into the bush to let the vehicle pass on the oh-so narrow road, and then high-tailed back to the car. I wasn't up for any sort of fiery adventure.

Leaving turned out to be a smart choice, as there were TWO brush fires in the area, and a third not too far away. Roads were closed, police were directing traffic, and fire trucks were speeding in every which direction. Not a good day for a hike, for sure.

....So, we went to the beach, figuring that we likely wouldn't meet any firefighters there. We enjoyed a 4-mile walk, and Marge, for the first time, got to walk on the boardwalk. There were a fair amount of walkers, joggers and bikers out, and Marge did quite well.

On the way back, we let Marge loose on her 20' lead on the sand. A zoomy fit commenced.

Roxanne, this picture is for you, since you like muscular canine rumps so much.

She did give my dad a nice set of growls and grumbles when we came home, but I guess you can't have a perfect day, can you? (Thankfully, they seemed to make amends afterwards with the aid of Milkbones.)

I promise I'll get to everyone's blogs soon. I'm just beginning to feel better after all of the emotions from yesterday.