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.