The Bug

Sometimes you're the windshield...

I totally know how the bug feels right about now. Totally know.  The bug sucks. A little bewildering, and a little painful, but mostly just dazed and confused.

Moxie and I can't seem to buy a Q right now. Zanesville was pretty bad, but we had nice runs and weird things NQd us. Evansville was downright painful. Between her atrocious aframe (she missed 3 on friday!), my stupid handling mistakes (Stick to the plan!!), crappy surface (knocked bar), it was a plethora of odd things that got us. We were 1 for 6. 1 for 6!!!!!!  I cant remember ever doing that bad with her. I don't get it. Nothing has changed and we are running really well. I'm not nervous, or worried about something, she is in good shape overall. WTF?!  And it isn't the MACH. Someone brought that up, I was worried about the MACH. Trust me when I say this, I hope I remember that I am up for it after QQ#19. I want my Nats QQs! So I can train a running aframe!!!  I have plenty of time, it isnt like this is November. Geez... Thank goodness I am showing almost every weekend in May and June! :)

On a better note, Hustle was the man. Got his OA and an Excellent Jumpers Q. He is running really well. If he keeps this up, on to 26 inches!

 And Sally.. Oohh my Sally girl. Ran her heart out as always. Got her MXP on saturday. And smoked an excellent jww course on sunday. How I love this girl. She's so amazing. After her jumpers run, I let her watch the ring for a while, since it's what she loves to do. She actually let me cuddle with her a little. It made me think about our journey, and how sad I am that she is 10 and how I have to cherish every run. I had to get up and leave because I started to cry. She's the best. Dogs should live forever.
Videos soon. I have some fantastic video to put up of the dogs. But I am TOO busy!

Epiphanies

I sort of had one at AKC Nationals. The one Jenn Crank has been trying to get out of me for, oh, I don't know, 4 years now? She said I won't get it until I "get it." It was right after her clean Jumpers run. The run was good, I was a little "safe" in my handling choice. Mostly because Moxie was a little wild in warm up standard. I babysit. There... I said it, it's out... I babysit her something terrible. I babysit her weaves because she used to pop out. I babysit her pinwheels because she turns so tight. I babysit the hell out of her aframe because it's hit or miss if she stops or not. I even noticed how much I started rear crossing her. Babysitting... I can "save" a rear cross. Fronts aren't as easy to save. What if she pulls off a jump? I can't save it! Oh the horror.  So after my clean jumper run, which did have some pretty moments after the beginning, I had this long conversation with myself. Do I want to be THAT handler. Who is ALWAYS out for the Q. Always out for the clean run. Has a MACH 50 on her dog because we run clean every round. The thought literally make me sick. Don't get me wrong, Qing is great, and I like it way better than NQing. But Qing for the sake of Qing isn't fun. And always being safe and clean is boring. It's boring to do and it's boring to watch. So my next run was much better. Standard. I did a front cross I wasn't totally sure I could get, but I had it in my head that I was making it happen. I sent her to a jump and left her to do her job. I caused a bar at the end. But it was such a great run. It felt really good. And her hybrid run? Felt even better. She knocked 2 bars, which I totally blame on her shoulder. But I did a nice send to a pinwheel jump and left her to do her job. I had so much to think about after those runs. I wanted to be better. To run harder from place to place. To push her boundaries a little. To run her "more like Sally." I run Sally pretty aggressively now. We have no goals. Just run, be bad ass, have fun. And oddly enough, Sally has a higher Q rate now than in her entire life. She's a bad ass. We can look like a bad ass team when I set my mind to it. I want Moxie to have a little of that action. I did a 3 day trial in Zanesville. Our Q rate? ABYSMAL! She was 2 for 6. We went off course EVERY day in standard. We never go off course. But I am proud of the off courses. She ran hard. We ended the weekend with a T2B run that was nothing less than BAD ASS. We knocked the last bar. Had the fastest time in the class. I pushed her the entire course, trusted her, let her extend. And it was awesome. It was my real epiphany. I'd rather run like THAT and NQ, than run safe and boring and Q. Don't get me wrong, I need 3 QQs for Nationals, and I may run a little safer than that T2B run, but I am going to try really hard to run more aggressively. I get it. I totally GET IT now. What Jenn tried to tell me, what Karen Holik and Mary Ellen Barry were telling me. How awesome my little dog is, how tight her turns are, how fantastic she is and how she would give me 200% more if I just asked her for it. I have things to work on for sure. Her upcoming running aframe, a faster teeter, a better dogwalk, and more independence at the weaves to start. And myself of course. I want to take running lessons. I want to learn to lengthen my own stride, and be a more efficient runner. It's so exciting, these goals! That T2B run was a win, even if it was technically a loss. She ran faster than some seriously fast dogs. Dogs we have never beaten before. Little Monkey can flat out move. Oh how I love this dog.
 On another note, Sally was a BAD ASS. She got a QQ on saturday, and had some AMAZING NQS! I love hearing the crowd when I run her. She's exciting. At 10 years old, she's still got it. We have such a good thing going. I hope she runs for another 10 years, because running her is a thrill.
 Hustle... Oh Hustle man. So much potential. We are getting there. He has moments of BRILLIANCE. He can and will be thrilling to run. He had great running aframes all weekend, good stops on his dogwalk, nice jumping. The weaves... He just doesn't get it yet. But he will. And he will be moving to 26. He is a powerful dog. His stride is enormous and he has no idea how to use it yet, but when he "thinks" and does his job, he's pretty damn awesome. He did the coolest rear cross wrap ever in T2B (of course, not on tape). Proud of the boy. He will be a force someday :) 

Reno!

It was such an amazing weekend! It's hard to sum up how much fun I had in one blog post. I taught classes all week, worked and managed to pack everything successfully. If you have ever traveled with April or myself, you know we pack for worst case scenarios! So between her and I, we certainly maxed out our baggage weight capacities! Kitty thought he should go too...

 Thursday we flew out from Louisville Intl airport. It was a relatively decent flight, almost 4 hours to Arizona Intl. April gets extreme motion sickness, but luckily she only threw twice :)  Both dogs were very good for the entire flight. We landed in Phoenix, and it was literally a sprint to find a place to take the dogs out to pee. A sprint across the entire airport. Then back THROUGH security with both dogs... Then I couldn't find April.. I was panicked. Wandered through security, walked a bit and saw her sitting with all our carry on baggage. We then had to rush to find out Gate. Found it, got some random food and never heard the gate guy announce early boarding. So we were stuck between 2 strangers on the 2 hour flight to Reno. Landed fine, got our rental car and went to check out the Livestock center. It was awesome.

We checked in, got our awesome goody bag with our numbers and other assorted cool stuff (and got our cupcakes!) Shopped a little, set up our crates, and went to check in to our hotel.  We stayed at the Nugget Courtyard. It has a casino and other really cool places to eat, gamble, and drink of course.

 Our first stop was the Tiki bar at Trader Dicks... For the record, it was 8pm our time and we hadn't eaten all day. We went to the buffet but it didn't open for another 30 minutes, so we decided on these to hold us over...



 

Bendy man was modeling our drinks for us... So about this time we realize 3 drinks each is too many with no food, so we needed to eat PRONTO.  We went to the Rotisserie Buffet. It was amazing...

I scared the crap out of the guy behind the dessert counter with my camera!

Who doesn't love a peperoni flower?

Was a little shocked by the pig!

We tried one of every dessert!

Went to find a security guard to microwave a baked potato for Moxie, drink in hand. He was a trooper! We slept great :)

Friday was warm up day. We ran the optional standard run. Moxie was a tad hot under the collar after the plane ride and sleeping all day in the hotel. She hit all her contacts, but didn't attempt to stop :) It put me a little behind and I didn't stick to my plan, pulling her off the chute. It was an otherwise nice run.

 Time 2 Beat she went clean. She had a really nice run and I got to work the contacts a little more!

We watched the rest of the dogs run and ended up at the buffet again! Seafood night so I was in heaven! We ended up in the casino with the Cranks. Had a fantastic night. Got to watch a guy yell at an empty chair and almost get thrown out by the geriatric security guards. Talked to a nice manager about Whale watching. Whales are apparently big spenders at casinos. The things you learn from the Cranks. We learned other things too, but probably not appropriate for the blogger! Needless to say, they are plenty of fun on a trip!

Saturday- Up early, got to obsess walk jumpers. Morning announcements were neat. I have to say, the energy at this event was awesome. You could really "feel" it there. Maybe my energy was higher, not sure. But it definitely felt electric, that morning walk through. So many people had such high hopes. Hell, I just didn't want to look like an idiot. Moxie was up fairly early in the order. I was nervous, which was nice. I don't get nervous much anymore. I was very worried about the opening sequence, because my handling choice wasn't very popular. But we made it work, and went clean. She had a nice run and I was pretty proud of her time and overall finish in the round. Took her to Marie Duthie for a massage. I was a little taken back by how awful she was in her shoulders. I knew she was having some trouble jumping, but I tend to tunnel vision my own dogs. I was so focused on her hips I never gave much attention to her shoulders. Marie said she was the worst dog she had touched all day! She worked on her for 30 minutes and wanted to see her again. We ran standard, and I was incredibly pleased with her run. She knocked the last bar, because I got behind (my knee literally locked in place, I felt like I would fall, got behind..) She turned to find me and hit the last jump. But I will say the run felt great. Ended up 88th overall for the day in 20 inches. Spent the evening at The Great Basin Brewery with the Cranks. Awesome food, great company. Probably ended up at the casino too :)

Sunday was quick. Moxie got worked on for another 30 minutes, still tight in her shoulders but better. Ran hybrid. We actually had a fantastic run except for a little wide turn in the opening. Moxie knocked 2 bars in extension coming towards me. She never knocks bars so I know it was her shoulders. I didn't have the heart to ask her to stop on the aframe

Haze

Mmmmm Breakfast. Apple fritter and hazelnut hot chocolate.

She thinks she might die if she doesn't get some apple fritter. She's in a casino, you would think she would be grateful to be a dog in a casino! :)

Haze, silently hating us right now for making him give Bendy Man a ride.

View from our hotel.

Oh yeah, on our way back from Reno, we almost missed our flight out to Vegas. I was reloading the bags so we wouldn't have to pay, and April was haggling with the rental car guy. We literally SPRINTED through security. They barely checked us, we ran to the gate and made it with very little time to spare. Then we barely made our flight out of Vegas! Didn't eat a thing, landed at Louisville Intl ok and I swear next time we are making layovers LONGER!!! 8 hours on a plane, starving and cold = Misty was sick as a dog! But I lived to tell the tale, so to speak. Trooper that I am, I even taught my monday night class at 6pm :)  My killer students covered for me at 715 so I could go in to a coma until tuesday morning. Flying is stressful! 



Louisville Cluster and 7 more days!

 The Louisville Cluster always comes and goes so fast. I love the show. Its 4 days of agility (and obedience and I guess there was that OTHER thing, conformation going on). The shopping is amazing. I have always been in charge of workers, so it comes with a certain amount of insanity that goes along with being a volunteer coordinator. I really enjoy doing it, except when I call for workers and everyone is out shopping :)  But that's ok, it comes with the cluster.
 Moxie- Well, not our most successful cluster Q wise, but I did learn a ton about how I handle her. I tend to babysit her, and I am not quite sure why yet, but by saturday and sunday I was handling her a lot more with trust, instead of taking the easy way out. She only knocked one bar in 4 days, wasn't a total pill on her contacts, and weaved great. All in all it was a decent last prep for nationals.
 Hustle- Well, the big rings and arena blew his mind a little, but he did hold it together enough for  his OAJ. He is looking really GOOD. He's still young, and a little wild, but there are moments of brilliance in there that are exciting to watch.
 Sally- What can I say? I love her. I LOVE THIS CRAZY RED DOG. I decided to abandon the Q this week and just enjoy her every second on course. Which is pretty much my goal with her always now, but the cluster is special. She had some almosts, some wild rides, and some really funny moments. She's such a rock star, she loves the game so much and she really looked great all weekend. I am glad she ran well, stayed sound and we had a great cluster. Since next year the cluster is during AKC Nationals, I am hoping I will be there, so this may have been Sallys last cluster. It hit me when I was taking her in the ring on her last run, which was jumpers, and I actually choked up a little. I barely got the word stay out. Pretty sure I smiled the whole run, and afterwards I walked her a bit and teared up even more. (Okay, I lost it for a second.) She's just so special, and realizing that her retirement is coming faster than I would like is a hard pill to swallow. But I am going to love her every second in the ring that I can. My Sally Wags..
 On another note, it was an ODD cluster. My students really did well, and were great advertising for me! Lots of Qs and really nice runs and they are making fantastic handling choices and progress. It's really gratifying to watch. But I have learned a valuable lesson. That sometimes you just have to step back and let someone make their own mistakes and not try to guide them after a certain point. Because your best intentions sometimes get turned around and you are the bad guy. And I have learned, sadly, not to put 100% faith in anyone but yourself and your very best friends in this game because things can change in a blink. I'm still a little shocked and bewildered about the whole situation but I refuse to slander anyone that I still care about, regardless of their behavior. What I will say is, my intentions were always good and its true that the path to hell is paved with good intentions.
 Enough about THAT. Reno!!! 7 days baby! 7 days we will be on a plane, heading to RENO! Aww yeah!  I have been packing this week, so that I don't FORGET something, which makes me neurotic. My goal is to have everything packed by saturday, take it and weigh it all and load balance it, then I am set. Got Moxies thundershirt for the plane, and I have been putting it on her a little each day to get her used to it again. Have her bed and crate and everything ready to go. She's a trooper, so I have no worries. I bought an Ipad last friday and I still haven't taken it out of the box! It should be good for the trip, so we can post pictures as we go, and maybe video. We are pumped, and ready to have fun no matter what the results are. And going with April makes it all the more awesome!

Great Agility Weekend!!!

I was supposed to show 3 days at a trial in northern Indiana but decided to skip friday as we were under severe tornado threats. Unfortunately it turned out that the threats were very real. 5 miles from my home, the entire town was destroyed. It was a scary day, and incredibly sad. While I can relate to losing everything I own to a natural disaster, I cannot relate to what happened there. My heart goes out to everyone involved.
 I went to the trial saturday and sunday, and let me say I am GLAD I DID! Moxie was a STAR. She was clean both days and got 2 QQs for the weekend. Thats 3 left for next years nats, and 4 left for her MACH. Man, let me get this stuff over with so I can train and finish her running aframe! We leave for Nationals in 24 days!!!! April and I are so excited. Getting everything ready for the plane trip and the long exciting journey. And seeing a lot of skills polished with Moxie is a good sign. Still iffy on her aframe stops but at least I am patching it up to the best of my ability, and not stressing since I know we will be running them soon anyway. Sally was AWESOME even though the footing was on mats... She got a Q in Jww on sat and Q in std on Sunday. I think she needs 1 more Q for her MX now. Hustle was a straight STUD all weekend. WOW.. I am getting super excited about this dude. He only got 1 Q in open Jww, but his runs looked GOOD. He is handling like a dream and starting to get his weaves a little better. Aframes were awesome! I really connected with him on course this weekend, and I think he got a better understanding of the game as a whole. Still stuff to work on, but watch out for him when its all put together :)   He may be hitting 26 inches sooner than expected! And I had a nice moment with him, out in a field, just looking at him move and watching him look at me. He is turning into a MAN, and such a handsome, well rounded one. What a guy!
 On another note, my student Erin went with me to the trial, and watching her handling skills improve and her dogs technical skills in action made me so proud! It really is more gratifying watching your students succeed than it is succeeding yourself! Her green dog went 4 for 4 and earned her open titles and her 1st ex jww Q, and her wild man who is a total retrain for a Nov std Q with fantastic r uns all weekend. Yay for students!

Updating Website..

Who knew this could be so difficult. I am moving web providers and trying to get a domain name release has taken a month. Its frustrating and not necessary! Oh well, it will be worth it in the end when I can update it more frequently and add cool new things to it!
 We have a new tiller for the barn, which helps keep the dirt fresh and awesome for the dogs to run on. Heater should be working soon, so we will have HEAT! Yahoo..  I am putting new classes together and new things for the students to do, and I have a few other new things coming down the pike. Should be a fun and exciting year if all goes to plan!
 Moxie trained REALLY crappy today in the weaves. Its okay, because I threw an entry at her I knew she would have trouble with. I am going with Jenn Cranks suggestion, that I train it until march 1st, and if I dont have that skill by March 1st, I'll shape it at nationals. She has trouble bending back into pole #2 on a fast shallow angle with on side weaving, and I knew that. Other than the weaves being a bust at that angle,  she totally rocked 24 inch jumps, both with wraps, serpentine recall to heels, and hard angles. I like training her at 24 because I think it's giving her a bit more muscle. I am also trying to trust her sends more. She has fabulous sends, yet I baby them. I am working on trust. Unfortunately I was wait listed and didnt get in for BOTH my february trials... So, I have 3 trials before Nationals. Which also puts a damper on my MACH before Nationals goal. I set that because I had 14 tries to get 6 QQs. Now I have 9 tries for 6 QQs. Meh, it's just a MACH. She'll get it. I'm more interested in finishing her 2013 National Qs. Isn't that sad? I really want to qualify for Nationals more than get a MACH. People get SO cranked about a MACH. I  mean, it's cool and I'll be super excited to have it over with. But people truly believe it's the end all/be all of titles. Anyone with a moderately consistent dog and enough money can earn a mach. Now, that ADCH... I want an ADCH! After our MACH, and Nats Qs, I am after that ADCH. That is a versatile dog, and you have to beat people to earn it! Snooker, Gamblers, Pairs, Jumpers, Standard, plus all your Tourney Qs and those DAMN SUPER Qs!! Damn the Super Qs!  
  Hustle was a good boy, he weaves pretty well in the barn. I try to throw stuff at him and keep mixing it up so he will weave 12 more consistently. When he finally DOES  get it, his weaves will be nice. It's that boy brain. He also had his first taste of me coming OVER the bar after him for not collecting on a recall to heel. I thought he was going to bury his head in the dirt. Makes me crazy, he is SUCH a good jumper, and he won't collect on a recall to heel out of a tunnel. So, I sent him in the tunnel, set up in a recall to heel and a stride before liftoff I block the jump, reach over the bar, and FEED him for rocking back. Boy did he collect after that. He still isnt turning as nicely as I would like going from extension to relative collection, but he is getting there. And 24 inch jumping is where he will stay a while, until I move him to 26. Probably once he is in excellent B I will move him to 26 inches. His running Aframe is nice so far. I'm excited about that!

 45 DAYS!!!

47 Days... Just Sayin'...

Have I mentioned lately that I am totally STOKED about going to Reno? Not sure I have, so I'll repeat. STOKED... I did speed intervals the other day on my treadmill. It was not fun, but I feel like I need it. I want to jog distances, but I also want to mix it up enough to keep moving forward. I may start doing an aerobics exercise video too. I want to be stronger.
 Moxie is training well. Jumping at 24 inches during training and doing well with it. I have been focusing a lot of attention on the double jump. Not sure why, but I have very little confidence with it. Not that she drops it much (just once I can remember with the double as jump #1), but I just don't feel like I work the double and triple much. And the triple LOOKS different. The double, at speed, looks the same as a single bar jump except the crossed bars underneath. So, I have decided to put some effort into proofing it.
 I really want to feel prepared when I go all the way to Reno. USDAA Nationals was a lot of fun, but it was 20 minutes from my house. Kind of like a really big trial. This is more of an adventure I guess. Flying out, renting a car, staying in a nice hotel. Did I mention that I already have a packing list? :)

 On another note, Hustle is getting a lot of drill work lately on the recall to heels. I am patching holes. And reinforcing his 2o2o on the dogwalk more. He understands to pause, but he doesn't always totally understand to stay there as I move away.
 I bought this WAY COOL notebook at Office Max. It was expensive. But it is like a 3 ring binder that is flexible and has pockets for folders. I started a training journal. It'[s really helped me focus my training sessions. I hope I can keep it up!

So excited..

I am so excited about AKC Nationals that I could actually burst. Seriously.SO.Excited... I have booked our flights, hotel and a car rental. I am going with the best travel partner a girl could ask for, my friend April. I have already started a packing list. In Microsft Word. It's THAT serious. What if I forget something? I tend to over pack anyway, but I'll be so far away! I have to admit I bought 3, yes 3, messenger bags from LLBean because I wasn't sure what size I would need. And they were on sale, so I mean, it was like I was getting 3 for the price of 1.  :)   I have made a training list of skills I would like to work on with Moxie before the show. I have even started conditioning her with a balance ball, and hiking. She gets to jump 24 inches in practice now to muscle her up a little, and she jumps better at 24 anyway. She is so athletic that 20 inches isn't really an effort for her. So I have decided to make her *think* a little about jumping effort.

She thinks her jumping effort is just fine, thankyouverymuch...

And then there is ME. I have decided to start jogging again. With my stupid plantar fasciitis almost gone, I am able. I really want to learn to run better. I have always been insecure about running, even when I was in high school playing softball. It's like I don't know how to really *run*. I have considered taking running lessons to learn better form. So much to consider.
 If this post seems rambling, imagine my brain right now. It's all too much to think about. I think I am just so excited to really travel with Moxie, on a plane, to a new place, is what is thrilling. We will do what we will do when the time comes, but regardless, I am sure it will be an amazing time.
 On another note, Hustle has forgotten the foundation recall to heel. Seriously... It's gone from his brain. Much like contacts were a few months ago. When do boys grow up?

Where did the summer go?

July, August and September have been a blur. So much so that I can't remember July. WTH? I'm pretty sure we did some agility shows, and I'm pretty sure we did ok! We did a USDAA show where I had one more chance to get a Grand Prix Q on Sally before Regionals in Chicago so we could even ENTER Grand Prix at Regionals. Well, on a wing and a prayer, she gets it. Ugliest Q ever and I did a whole lot of ugly savin' in that run, but we got'er'done. Who knew little Sally could pull it off in crunch time. But I do mean UGLY. I vaguely remember her landing well off the beaten path a few times and my doing some hideous rear crosses on the flat to save, and nasty shoulder pulls, and basically just anything that is not consistent with anything we try to stay consistent with. Oh well, it's Sally... Sometimes that girl makes me work my tail off. But she is always a rush! Moxie was already qualified for everything, so she was just running for USDAA MAD titling requirements. And for whatever reason, we cannot pull a Masters Standard leg off for love or money. She actually has 4 or 5 jumpers legs, 4 Snookers (with ZERO super Qs I might add), 2 gamblers legs and 5 pairs legs. And ZERO standard legs. This is the girl who QQs in AKC all the time. It's always some crazy thing too, never something that I expected. Hustle has 2 snookers legs and 2 jumpers legs, and is coming along nicely. Slowly, but nicely.
 August!!!!   I put the exclamation points there because that's how August felt. !!!   1st weekend of August was Chicago regionals. It was a blast. We went up early a day before and visited a dog beach. Let me just say, I could totally live in Chicago or the surrounding area. Lake Michigan is gorgeous. All the beauty of the ocean, none of the salt. Moxie was pretty sure she was in heaven. She saw the water and started whining long before we hit the sand. The dog beach was amazing because it was fenced in. You could just let your dog off leash and run. And run they did. My goodness, they all pretty much went feral immediately. My dogs who check in with me constantly on walks never looked back. It was so much fun to watch and I really want to take them back someday for an extended vacation. They were meant to be beach bums! The Chicago site was wonderful, except for the mosquitoes. So many that I am pretty sure most of us were anemic at the end of the day. We would RUN to our vehicles, then RUN back inside. It was terrible. The surface was nice and the dogs (and us) loved it. Moxie had a fantastic Regional. She got a Grand Prix leg, several assorted other legs, and get this, a MASTERS STANDARD LEG. Woot. April ran her in Steeplechase and they got a Q and had a fantastic run. Thanks April! Sally girl was AWESOME. She needed one more Grand Prix for Nationals, and wonder of wonder, she gets it at regionals. It was a wild run, but what run with her isn't? She didn't get many other Qs of the weekend, but she got what we needed and I was thrilled. Hustle had a few nice jumpers runs and a few terrible standard runs. He was having some serious dogwalk issues, and decided he had never seen weaves before. Everything else looked good, but back to the drawing board on the contact training. (He has since gotten over the fears!)
 2 weeks after regionals we got to be the weave pole dogs in a state fair show. For 11 days... In the scorching heat... In a nasty tent next to a porta potty.... In the parking lot of the Kentucky State Fair... But it was amazing!!!! The deal was, Lou Mack McCammon (the coolest frisbee dog guy ever, who puts on a fantastic show!) comes out, does his thing with his frisbee dogs, and we end the show by racing down a line of 24 weave poles, around a barrel, and back down the 24 poles. I have to say, it was a lot of work on the dogs. 3 shows a day, in heats of best out of 3 races. I used Sally and Moxie. April used Haze and Frenzy, and Adrian brought Panic for a few days. My girls did all 11 days. And they were fabulous. It was inspiring, honestly, to watch them work their tails off in 100+ degree heat, 3 times a day, in sparkly shirts. Sally got to run first, and we set her up to lose (and usually Frenzy kicked her ass anyway!) so that she wouldn't have to run twice. At 9 yrs old, I wasn't comfortable putting that much pressure on her. Moxie ran twice and was set up to win race 2, and the last race was just a go for it race. I held Sally and Moxie back, and got them jacked up (and believe me they were JACKED up, it was all I could do to hold Sally, and by race 3 Moxie was foaming at the mouth). It was awesome. They fed off the crowd, and so did we. We got to do meet and greets afterwards with the public. Too much fun. I can see the allure of show business now!
 On a sappy note, the last show was a bit emotional for me. Knowing that Sally will maybe never get to do this again hit me the last race. I think I maybe teared up watching her bark and try to dive into the weaves and generally just get to be her nutty self. Moxie was tired, but still gave it everything. They worked, and worked, and worked all week and never quit or gave me less than 110%. On the ride home, after it was all over, I got really sappy :)  Looking at them, sleeping in the truck, wagging their tails at me, it just hit me how DAMN AWESOME my dogs are. I'm so proud of them, and I love them so much it hurts sometimes. I wonder if they ever look at me and think "my mom is damn awesome". I guess I have a new goal :)

random thoughts on Hustle

I have taken some heat about not having Hustle ready for the agility ring by age 2. After talking to a friend who has his half brother, I  thought I would put a few of those random thoughts down in the blog.

I have taken my time with him, and probably dawdled a bit with him in training. He is so immature still, and I have the 2 girls doing so well, why rush him? It took me forever to bond with him when I first brought him home. When I trained him at first, it hurt, because I just thought this should be Luke. We kind of struggled through that. I had to make myself sit down and get a clicker and shape him and build a bond. I went to the bathroom and cried the first time I trialed him, and he was such a good boy. I dont know what I cried more about, the Luke factor, or the fact that I had shortchanged Hustle so terribly in training. After that, I decided he will be very well trained, and I was going to enjoy every moment of it.
And now I do... He's a blast, my big dumb boy ;)  Hustle is my dessert now. Sally and Moxie are for SURE the main course right now, but Hustle is my secret indulgence. He just makes me laugh, and smile, and roll my eyes at his silliness. No pressure... His will be a late journey, but I am determined it will be a damn good one.

End of May?

How is it already the end of may? Seriously? This half of the year has flown by. I can't believe 2011 is already halfway gone!
 Moxie now has 5QQs for AKC Nationals, and 214 points. We have a 3 day show coming up in AKC, so hoping to finish QQ#6 and some much needed points off. Points are always the most difficult thing to come by. She got to play at 16 inches in a team event with my friend Aprils dog Frenzy. Needless to say, she had a BALL going over the 16 inch speed bumps. I have been working on weaves entries with her, not the normal entries (she has been awesome in trials) but the really hard soft side entries she seems to have trouble with. She is doing pretty well in practice and she has picked up a lot of speed and drive through the weaves. And as always, working her contact stays. She is really pushy, and holds them really well some days, and pauses and releases herself others. I have a screaming match with her most of the time on contacts, you can hear me repeating "SPOT! STAY! YOU STAY!!! STAY!!!!!!!!" and it's usually for not. She pauses and now it's turned into a "how long can you make me stay on the flat" contest. What a rat!
 Sally is SO much better! She got Steeplechase #2 and is now qualified for Nationals. I'll putz around with Grand Prix, but it's not really a huge goal of mine. Just getting her there is enough. She gets to run all 3 days in the AKC trial too, and now she is in excellent B jumpers after a really nice title run a few weeks ago. Happy she is back in the game. She's my girl, that's for sure!
 Hustle! Well, his dogwalk is, uh, it's there. He "sort of" understands the 2o2o. His aframe looks very good though! I need to really go in and solidify his understanding if the 6 recall to heel positions and then really start working his lateral and forward sends. His weave entries are good enough that I think I am going to add in the 2nd set of poles again. I REALLY want good weaves with him, so I am trying to proof the beegezus out of them. He really, really likes to the teeter. I can see this causing several wrong courses in his young future. All in all, purse puppy is looking decent for his September "redebut." Should be a good time!

Goals

I have had a very good 2011 already with the dogs. I set myself some lofty goals for this year, both personal and professional. I want very much to be a good teacher, and I have invested some more time and attention to being clear to my students, teaching level appropriate skills, and keeping them challenged. I have more work to do, but I feel better about the direction I am going with my classes overall. I do get a great deal of enjoyment out of seeing my students succeed, watching them figure out handling strategies for themselves, and of course, teasing them endlessly! All of my students are fantastic, and they get my odd sense of humor. What a great job! I get to combine my two favorite things, teaching and agility. I am so blessed. My goal for my business this year is to expand, possibly add another dog sport or two, and make more people aware of the awesome things they can do with their dogs.
 Moxie has turned on quite a bit. I know I have been saying that, but she really is going to the line a much more "game" dog. She has started pulling me a little to get on the line from the sidelines, and she has never done that before. She is working hard to get her weaves, and stay in them. We have work to do on committing to all 12 poles no matter what my position or motion is, but she is fighting for her entries, and I appreciate that. Moxie now has a much better weave entry than Sally ever had. Sally has better commitment, but I have to help her find a straight line or wrap to the poles. Moxie has always been a nice jumper, so I am trying to push her a bit around the course, and trust her natural athleticism to get her over the bars. She is also already fully qualified for USDAA Nationals! My goal for her was all 3 events this year, and before June. Check! I also set myself the goal of AKC Nationals for her this year. Last year was the big "6 point fiasco". Never again. I did decide a bit late to try for AKC Nationals, since my goal was USDAA. This year, I want both. The 6 points were the best thing that ever happened to us, because it made me work several weak skills and reevaluate our training and handling. She is already 4QQs and 164 pts towards her qualifications this year. I was told by Jen Crank that I am starting to run her "for the Q" and that she has a lot more to offer if I simply push her, so that is my other goal this year. Now that we have our USDAA qualifiers done, I can really push her some in USDAA and practice handling more aggressively. I am very excited about this weekend with Moxie, because we are just going for it every run. No pressure, just working to be the most we can be as a team.
 Sally has been off and on lame for a while, which has concerned me greatly since she is 9. Sally has her team Q and one steeplechase Q in USDAA for nationals. One more Steeplechase and she is qualified, and we may or may not try for Grand Prix. Sally finished her P2 title this year, and is now starting her P3 qualifications. Or whatever they are called now. I had her adjusted by a chiropractor last month, and she was a mess. I had her adjusted wednesday and she was less of a mess, so it seems she is improving, but I am going to invest a great deal of energy into a physical therapy regime for her to STAY sound. She is so hard on her body in daily life. She runs and rough houses and she shakes toys and slams herself around. I adore that about her, but at this stage in her life, her attitude is still writing checks her body can't fully cash. But her heart is in agility, so I owe it to her to do whatever I need to do to keep her safe, running and comfortable. ALL the success I have with Moxie is because of all the lessons I learned from Sally.
 Hustle! Oh Hustle... I am getting serious about his training now. My goal is to enter him in everything by September. I asked Jen Crank to hold a training and goal setting seminar at my place, and she did. This was a very selfish request, as I have attended it before, but listening to her talk and remind me of how important goals are really lit the fire in me. I wrote down all of the skills he would need, rated them above average, average or below average, and ranked them from urgent, moderate or maintenance skills, and am developing a plan for him. I have decided on a RUNNING aframe (after Jen showed me how to train it!), a 2o2o dogwalk and teeter, and I have also decided this dog would have phenomenal weave skills. So this has also helped me develop a plan for him. I am excited, and refreshed to have a plan. I hope to blog his progress, if only to hold myself accountable and stay on track. I dont have a good track record for blogging, but I will try!
 As for myself, my goal is to become a better runner, and lose some pounds. I bought a nice running treadmill, am entered in a 5K, and my goal is to do the mini next year. Really, I just want to feel better about myself and become a better, more athletic handler.

Hustle training

I've decided to show Hustle this weekend at Circle G in Ohio. Just in jumpers friday and saturday. Is he ready? Not a chance! He can't really weave yet, and has no idea what a rear cross is. But my friend April dared me to show him, and I never back down from a dare. It'll be a good chance to see how well he understands front crosses and his jumping skills (since that's ALL he knows!) Oh well, should be entertaining! He is jumping quite nicely at 22, 24 and 26 inches. I am impressed by his turns so far and he is looking forward to jumps at hand nicely. Rear crosses are terrifying him right now! It seems when I go in towards him on the flat, he bolts. I'll have to teach him somehow, without applying too much pressure to his line. I have decided to put a stop on his contacts too. I know myself all too well, and I know I won't train the running as much as I should, so 2o2o it is!
 I've been working Moxie on weaves, just a couple of repetitions and big rewards and then move on. I'm also working with a clicker and having her hold her back feet to things. Anything to get her to stop on that damn aframe! She was a rock star the last couple of times I did a whole course with her. She has so much potential, and I just need to figure out how we can grow as a team and work on our weaknesses more. She's such a little diva! I have already figured out that she needs a lot of personal attention before each run, and some connecting time with me. She is so different than Sally, who is a machine. Sally is all about the job. Like a reliable tractor, take her out, start her up, and off she goes, full tilt. Moxie expects dinner and a drink first ;)
 The cold has been bothering Sallys arthritis a bit, so I have let her run herself in the yard more than any real training. As soon as it gets warmer, I'll swim her in the pond and build her up more. I am going to increase her adequan dosage and see if that doesn't help her out any. She's 9 years old, and still has a lot of competition life left in her, so I want to make sure I am taking care of her as much as possible to let her do what she loves to do.
 Hopefully I'll have good things to report after this weekend!

2011

2010 was a good year overall. I will say 2009 was probably the worst year ever, and 2010 was a whirlwind if moving, paperwork, more paperwork and generally trying to get life back into some semblance of normal. While we aren't there quite yet, we are getting there. The barn was raised for training, and we started having regular classes inside in June. I held my very first seminar, courtesy of Jennifer Crank, who owns Incredipaws. It was successful, if only a little bit colder than we had hoped! We also had a really good time in december with our first agility league. All in all, it was a good year for TNT.
 This year, we have even MORE in the works! Another seminar, to be announced soon, and other exciting news to be revealed. I say "we" because, even though TNT is my baby, I definitely feel like we are developing our own little family. I am sure I have said this before, but I will say it again and again. I have the best students any trainer could ask for. They are hard working, funny, serious and as dedicated as anyone could ever hope for. I appreciate them more than I can ever express. They allow me to be tough on them, to tease them mercilessly during class, and still they come back. I never feel like I am giving them as much as they give me. It's truly a joy and an honor to have them come back, week after week. Thank you TNTers, I love you all.
 As for 2011, my personal goal this year is to qualify for both AKC and USDAA Nationals with Moxie, and qualify for USDAA nationals with Sally. Hustle, I would like to just get him started and develop in him a love for the game. He's a good little man, and he is coming along nicely. I would like to grow my business to incorporate more things this year, like more clicker training classes, some obedience classes and perhaps some other fun dog sport training.
 I am going to try and keep up with Blogging this year too. I said that last year, I know... But this year, hopefully, I'll have more to blog.
 Speaking of last year, I have to take a second to thank my phenomenal girls. Sally, who is a legend in my eyes, was amazing. I decided to run her at 16 inches and move her to Preferred AKC and Performance USDAA. All I can say is, it was the best move ever. She FLEW through P1 USDAA, and EASILY earned her USDAA National qualifiers, her P1 title, and half of her P2 title as well. She was a Superstar at USDAA Nationals. I could not have asked her to do more than she did. She earned her way from Grand Prix Quarterfinals to Semifinals, and probably would have done okay in Semis if I would have only trusted her a little more. Sorry Sally girl, but what a ride you gave me... I will remember it forever. How good she was in her team events too, in standard, and Gamblers, and Jumpers even though I mishandled her. Her partner Haze was equally as good, and they finished in the top half of the Performance teams. So proud I could have burst. I love my Sally girl.
 Moxie certainly decided to step up to the plate last year. She finished her AX, AXJ, MX, MXJ, her Open and Excellent Fast titles, and got 4 Masters Fast legs. She flew through her AD title in USDAA, and flew equally as fast through her AAD title. So now, on to Masters. She qualified for the USDAA Nationals in Team and Steeplechase, and was 6 little points short of qualifying for AKC nationals in 2011. This year, we plan on trying to qualify for both, perhaps a little earlier this year ;)   She went from having weave issues early in the year, and contact issues, to being a solid little competition dog, and for that, I am terribly proud of her. I am also glad, in some weird way, that we did not qualify for AKC Nationals. Being so close will only make me work harder, and train harder. Had we qualified, I think it would have led me into a false sense of security. Thank you Moxie, for teaching me that failure is not fatal, and never give up on your dreams. I also learned that if you never fail at something, you aren't reaching high enough. This year, I will reach higher, and set my goals at an attainable, but very high, level. We will see how it all plays out. Either way, it'll be a fantastic ride!

This n That

Today it is finally raining. We have needed rain for a long time, since my yard resembles a dustbowl right now. The weather is cooler, and the dogs have been absolutely insane in the cool mornings. Even the old girl Bailey has been ripping around the yard like a puppy again. They seriously enjoy this weather. I wish I lived in a cooler climate sometimes. I do not enjoy the heat of the summer, and neither do they.
 We had some very good runs last weekend on some technical courses. I thought all the courses were very nice. I enjoy technical because it makes me think and work very hard to be consistent. Moxie got her 4th QQ for AKC Nationals, which is both thrilling and also puts an enormous amount of pressure on me to get the other 2 QQs before November 30th. She is capable of getting them and doing well, but sometimes she needs to get out of her own head and just do the course like I know she can. She blew 2 standard runs on weaves, so needless to say, we are weaving a LOT this week. Sally was a rockstar in preferred, with 2 novice std Qs for her title and an open std Q, plus one novice jumpers Q, and 2 novice jumpers NQs which were beautiful with one bar down. Oh well, I am enjoying novice with her while I can. Maybe next year we can get her to AKC nationals in the preferred class. Its been fun running her with less pressure, because I realize how far our teamwork has come. Sally is like that comfy sweater you love to wear, it just feels good. It feels so good to run with her. I have such trust in her abilities and I know she will always try her hardest for me. I absolutely cannot describe how great it feels to have that kind of a connection. I feel like thats what I need to build more with Moxie. Not that we dont have a wonderful connection, but I think Moxie needs to feel that she is a rockstar in her own right. I did notice getting her out earlier for her runs last weekend and walking her and spending some time with her seemed to help. She was definitely running as good as she has ever ran, with the exception of the 2 weave pole bobbles.
 Hustle is doing well in training. I take him to trials and work him over the jumps, since, for whatever reason, he is a maniac about tugging at shows, and he could care less at home! His jumping is looking good, and we are stringing 2-3 jumps together now, all with turns and no side changes. I am bouncing him between 20-24-26 inch jumps, and he looks good at all 3 heights. He is working on 2x2 weaves (which admittedly I need to work harder, it was a busy week!) but he is getting it pretty well. His aframe looks GREAT! I think I will keep it as a running. I am undecided on the dogwalk, since I started working a low teeter and that took up more of my focus. He should be ready to show early next year. No rush with him, as I think he was slow to  mature and I also think he will be a fantastic little agility dog.
Nothing else to report, except I am painting and caulking trim, trying to get my office set up and the rest of my house done before fall so I can just ENJOY the fall weather!
OH! How can I forget. My students looked AWESOME at the trial last weekend. I have to say, very unbiased I may add, that my students looked far more advanced than the other novice handlers I saw running. I was very impressed with all the TNTers and can't wait to see more from them at the next show!

Sally

I have noticed that in the past few months, when Sally is on her back, she has this weird cough. It just happens 1-2 times, then it's over. Somehow, I knew there was something else up. I took her to the vet last saturday, and had her completely worked up. We saw immediately on x-ray that the right side of her heart was enlarged slightly. Upon EKG, it was determined to be abnormal, but consistently abnormal. All bloodwork and heartworm test were fine. Now that wait for the cardiologist. 
 Let me assure you, I know what it feels like now to be kicked in the testicles. I SO wanted this to be nothing. Sally, my girl, my *go to* dog when I need to learn anything, my *gives 200%* in every venture, wonderful, fabulous, explosively awesome Sally. Supergirl. Supergirl doesn't have a weakness, right?
 I am still in shocked disbelief. I am still hoping that this abnormality is normal for her. I am wishing on every star, eyelash and stone that the cardiologist tells me it's nothing. I still panic every time she pants. I want to  hug her and squeeze her and put her in a bubble.
  We get to show friday in Evansville, and I had previously decided to move her down to Preferred. The one bar per run stuff was just getting old, and I refuse to jump grid her anymore. Novice, here we come. I am excited because she gets to jump 16, and I get to run her for the pure joy of running her.
 And let me tell you, Sally is PURE JOY for me.

Long busy summer

Well, we have had a very long year! Finishing up our house, and moving in, has taken some serious energy. It's been interesting, and mostly stressful! Anyone who says having a new house is exciting has no real clue what they are talking about! Never again! I am thankful for everything being almost finished, and being somewhat settled in finally.




My training barn is almost finished, which is EXTREMELY exciting for me. We have electricity, which was a huge thing, and we have half of our flooring put in. Right now, we are running on lime dust, but eventually we will be bringing in screened dirt. But first, doors! Who knew doors were so incredibly expensive? I sure didn't! It's all finally coming together though, and that makes me breath a lot easier.



I am amazed at how many people in the Southern Indiana area needed a place to train. I guess the old adage "build it and they will come" rings true. I love it so much, because I love to teach. Teaching and learning have always been high on my list of fun things to do. I am trying hard to keep learning new things to pass on to my students, both in books and dvds, and private lessons with one of the best handlers in the country.



Right now I have such a fantastic group of students who continually amaze me and make me proud. They have taken everything I have taught them, and practiced it! It puts a lot of pressure on me to be consistent, and correct! I appreciate that from them. I enjoy the challenge of always trying to challenge them! I have handlers in my starters/novice level that can do excellent/masters level challenges without blinking an eye. Thank you so much guys, for being the best students I could have ever hoped for. I can't wait until you are all kicking my butt in excellent!



The dogs...



Well, Moxie has had a fabulous year and she is becoming the performance dog I knew she always could be. She has earned 3 QQs towards AKC nationals so far, with 200 points. We are officially halfway there. She needs one more standard leg for her MX, and 4 more for her MXJ. She pretty much blew through excellent B after earning her AX/AXJ. She is also qualified to run in USDAA Nationals in DAM team and Steeplechase. She ran her first ISC courses in a trial in March, and she was amazing as always. I am so excited about her future.



Sally... My girl Sally, what else can I say? She always puts forth 200% on every course. She earned her MX in May, which was a big accomplishment for us. I decided to run her Performance in USDAA, and she gets to jump 16 inches! Can you say ohmygosh? My timing is a little off, since 16 inches is below her wither height and she gets to run every course at full extension. Okay, she did that anyway but now she really doesn't have to collect. She loves it. She is qualified for all 3 classes at USDAA Nationals in October. I can't even express how much it means to me to get Sally to a National event. AND it's USDAA, which is a total blast. She has had a great summer, and she is really solid now. Unfortunately, she still knocks a bar each run, which eliminates her. So I decided seeking that MXJ just wasn't worth it. She works her butt off, and we NQ over one bar. I also refuse to jump grid her at almost 9 years old, and with confirmed hip arthritis. With all this in mind, I made the very tough decision to move her to Preferred in AKC, and jump her 16. We get to start over again in NOVICE... Can you imagine Sally again in Novice? I sure hope we get through it fast, because there is a LOT of space in a Novice course, and she can certainly get away from me fast out there. It should be interesting!



Hustle... Well, he's the man, of course. Goofy, sweet, loving. I am really getting close to this little guy. We started jumping him with some motion, and he is doing very well. I also started to raise his Aframe, and I am still letting him run it. We shall see if I decide to keep running contacts, but for now, he looks really good! I also introduced the teeter, low with a pillow at the bang end. He could care less, and he races across the teeter to get to the food target on the other end. I am having a lot of fun with him, because he is down for anything as long as there is food involved.



All in all, we have survived the move, and the constant flux in our lives, and now I am hoping for a blissfully boring fall and winter! Maybe I can get down to some real training with my dogs now!

A lesson from Bailey

I decided to try to earn Baileys MXP, since she earned her MJP at the end of last year. Bailey is 10.5 years old, and she has never been hard core into agility. She is my first agility dog, and actually, my first dog! So I have learned a lot with her, made the routine first dog mistakes with her, and generally we just fumbled our way through the first few years of trialing.
 Bailey is 3 legs away from her MXP. In standard, I wasn't very sure she would make time, and lets face it, with her it has to be the PERFECT Bailey course, or she just isn't going to play. This leaves a lot of factors for us to overcome each run.  I ran her in Ohio on dirt, thinking the cold weather and dirt floor would be my best chance with her. I only entered her in standard. She loves the contacts, but she isn't always thrilled about everything in between, like jumps! She ran 2/3rds of the course fine, and 5 jumps before the end, she ran around a jump. Okay, she walked around it looking for the exit, which is not uncommon for her if she isn't in the mood that particular day. She always gets the same amount of praise and treats no matter how she does.But this time, I think I finally "heard" her. She was saying, pretty loud and clear, that she would like to be retired, thank you very much. The next day, the course was a perfect Bailey course. Contact to contact to contact,  weaves off my left, and pretty straight forward to the end. I went back and forth about pulling her or running her. In the end, I decided to pull her. I could have ran her in there, taken her across the contacts, and ran out. But why? She doesn't care, and it would have just been for ME. I am proud of myself for making this decision, because it was a very hard one to make. At 3 Qs from her MXP, we could probably eek it out eventually. But I am not so sure I would be proud of that. She wouldnt be doing it for the love of the game, she would be doing it because I asked her to and there was probably some good treats at the end of that course. In the end, its MY job to hear what she is trying to tell me, and do what's best for her, no matter what I want.
 I appreciate the lesson Bailey, and I am sorry it took me a while to figure it out. But you can just be *my* dog now at trials, the cute as hell, rotten, begging for treats, beautiful older lady who has a ball just being there. I love ya girl.

Running Contacts and USDAA trial

I started training running contacts with Moxie and Hustle, and the possibility of letting Sally run them as well... Here are the videos..
http://www.vimeo.com/8597469

http://www.vimeo.com/8600940

http://www.vimeo.com/8602342

I havent gotten a chance to do much more than this due to weather... First snow and then all the rain.
Moxie is hopping a little more than I like, but I am hoping this subsides with more angle on the dogwalk board.
At the USDAA trial, Moxie was about 50% on her dogwalk contact, and 100% on her Aframe, though I think she is jumping higher off the aframe right now than I would like. Considering I have done almost no training since the initial switch, she did pretty well. Sally is still stopping, which is perfect because I think a true running would be a disaster with her! I do want her coming down the boards faster, so I think that is my goal with letting her run contacts at home. Do I like switching criteria on her? Absolutely not, but I think she is pretty resilient and can figure it fast enough.
 Sally was awesome at 16 inches in USDAA! She got 2 standard legs, a pairs leg and had a very nice Grand Prix run.
 Moxie was great, but a few mistakes like dogwalk misses kept her out of GP and her final standard run.

Bye 2009!! Hello 2010!

I am glad to ring in a new year, and let go of the old one. 2008 was the worst year of my life, for many reasons. We had several disasters that year, as some of you well know. 2009, while not  in any way an extension of 2008, was a long year for us to be sure. We spent the entire year in a rental home, for which we are eternally grateful for. The family that owns the home we rent are AMAZING.. They allowed us and our 5 dogs into their home without any reservation, and are genuinely happy to have us. It was one of the many blessings. We found out how amazing our friends were, and my dog friends in particular. The way the dog community helped us out after our fire was nothing short of miraculous. I will forever be grateful to them as well. We would not be where we are without them. I believe that helped me realize just how lucky I am to have such amazing friends, and where I really wanted to be in my life.
  We have had a long, annoying battle with our insurance company over money for our fire, which we ultimately recieved everything we needed, it just took time and emotional energy I didn't have to spend. I am glad I am finally finished with all the paperwork, and all the headache, of Allstate.
 We have had a LONGER battle with weather! Dig a basement, and then torrential rains and floods for 4 months! It did become comical after a while, but it put us well behind on building our home..
  I decided on a major career change, after deciding that someone elses insanity was not worth my personal health. That was both the best decision I ever made, and the saddest. I miss all the animals I got to develop a relationship with over the years, and my day to day interactions with some of the coolest stuff I'll ever get to do. With the sweet comes the sour, and after 2 solid years of being someone elses whipping post, I decided I am worth more than that. I hope that person finds happiness in their own life, and stops feeling the need to emotionally tortue others. The peace I have found since leaving is really amazing.
 I am so glad I decided to start my own business. Its the scariest, most exciting thing I have ever done. I have always loved to teach, and have been a coach in some way since I was in high school, coaching softball and playing as well. I love helping teams reach their full potential, and helped people enjoy their pets more. It is really rewarding to see someone enjoy their animal more, and watch relationships develop that might not have been there before.
 I am excited about this year with my dogs. I feel like Sally will do well this year, and maybe we will get it together enough for some QQs!
 Moxie is definitely coming along, and I  think this year will be when she really comes into her own. I want her running to her full potential, and enjoying the game as much in trials as she does at home.
Hustle is training great, and he will be my first start to finish running contact dog, so I am really going to enjoy the challenge. He will also be my first 2x2 weave dog, start to finish. I am ready to see what he will be like on course!
 This will be Baileys retirement year. She earned her MJP last year, and we will try for her MXP this year. If she gets it, fine, if not, we will have fun trying. She will be 11 in May, and my only goal for her is to live a long, healthy, spoiled life.
 I am excited about 2010. New house, new business, and new adventures with the dogs. Bring it on!