Superstar!

Earlier this year, as I was scanning the list of classes offered by Teamworks Dog Training for what had to be the 8,000th time, I decided it was time to get more information about the Virtual Agility League. I was trying to find classes that Kodiak could take and, ideally, pass without having multiple meltdowns. Nothing looked particularly promising, but I knew I needed to keep him in training of some kind. I contacted Michele Godlevski (owner of Teamworks and founder of VALOR agility), told her about my dogs and asked if she thought VALOR might be something worth trying. Naturally, she said yes. I decided to start with Duncan since I didn't know anything about agility and I didn't want to risk screwing up Kodiak before he had a chance. As we all know, Duncan took to jumpers agility just fine, as long as I run the course in a way that compensates for his natural tendencies. For various reasons, Kodiak didn't actually have his first agility lesson until June 17.

Kodiak had a very hard time with his pre-agility class, he stresses over new people and places and things and sounds and textures and smells and everything else, and he often forgets that something he did yesterday didn't actually kill him, so I wasn't really expecting a lot for his first lesson. Not surprisingly, he was concerned about the gate to the agility field and all of the new equipment. Somewhat surprisingly, he was taking cookies from Michele (although not quite ready for petting) and not too worried about her being in his general area shortly after the lesson started. We worked him on jumps (which he loves) and tunnels (which he likes) and the table (which terrified him). It was really nice to watch his ears and tail perk up every time he sailed over a jump. He wasn't too interested in paying attention, so we kept him on leash for that session.

His second lesson was the following week. Jumps - yay! Tunnels - okay! Gate - scary! However, he was willing to get on the table that time. Big yay! He also took several obstacles off leash with only occasionally having to be directed away from the fence. The biggest thing, though, was the plank. Michele had a flat plank on the ground that we wanted Kodiak to walk along. The first time, I had to put him on the plank. The second time, he eeeeeeeeased himself on and managed to walk without looking too stressed. Off to the jumps for a break, and then an amazing thing occurred. We were going past the plank on our way to something else and Kodiak deliberately walked over to the plank, stepped on it, and walked its length. Twice. I say again, it was an amazing thing. I was so proud of my little boy! Michele and I were both very excited about his progress and she mentioned that for his next lesson, we should see if we could get him to touch the A-frame. Crazy idea, right?

Monday was Kodiak's third agility lesson. This is where I remind you that Kodiak has consistently demonstrated that he is afraid of the world. Keep that in mind. Third lesson, afraid of the world. He seemed a bit skittish, so we decided to keep him on leash so he would have the physical connection with me. We started with jumps and tunnels, then headed off to the table. "The table? Oh, yeah, I've been sitting on the table for years." Everything was going well, so we headed for the A-frame, hoping we could get him to touch it, figuring we'd be feeding him lots of treats the whole time. He walked towards the A-frame, stopped, looked at it, and then strolled right up the thing without a care in the world. He stopped at the top, looked around ("I'm king of the world!"), and strolled down the other side. You could have knocked me and Michele over with a feather. We turned him around and up he went, no resemblance at all to the pup who was completely freaked out by the little baby ramp in the pre-agility class a few short months ago. The plank thing? From the week before? That was nothing compared to this. And Kodiak wasn't done.

The A-frame went so well that we said what the heck, let's try the dog walk! Michele wanted to start him nice and slow (its much narrower than the A-frame) so she had him step on the lower portion from the side and walk down. Kodiak seemed a bit confused by that, but he was willing to humor the silly humans. After a couple of tries, Michele told me to pick him up and put him a little higher on the ramp facing the ground so that all he had to do was walk to safety. We did that once and then Kodiak decided to take matters into his own paws. I was getting ready to pick him up again when he strolled right up the ramp, along the full length of the dog walk and down the other side, no worries at all. He immediately turned around and did it again. Apparently, he didn't need to start nice and slow.

After such unprecedented success, we figured we'd break out the video camera and see if we could take him through an entire course off leash. I still think it was a good idea, even though it didn't work. It turned out that Michele is okay, but Michele with a video camera is worrying. Kodiak couldn't get his focus back on me and kept turning to see what Michele was doing. To distract him, I decided to take him over a couple of jumps. Well, I distracted him all right - I forgot he was on leash and didn't manage to get it over the jump support, which resulted in the leash pulling the jump over right after Kodiak's front paws hit the ground. That was it for him; he wouldn't go over any jump after that without me literally pulling (or pushing) him over it. I have to admit I'm actually surprised that was the first time I'd ever done that with him. Even though running the course was no longer an option, we had him go over the A-frame and dog walk a couple more times so that he would end the lesson on a good note. He wasn't as enthusiastic as earlier, but he was still willing to do the obstacles. The video is a little dark (it was nearly 9pm) but you can see him on the A-frame. On the dog walk, you can mostly see his brown legs.



He has a lesson next week and I'm hoping he'll be willing to go over the jumps by then. I've managed to get him to jump the one we have in the back yard, so maybe he'll be okay (enough) by Monday. Paws crossed... Regardless of how things ended, I'm so excited about how far he's come in only three lessons. I really do think VALOR agility is going to be a wonderful thing for him.

Agility Star!

The disk of photos taken at VALOR Nationals came in yesterday. The ladies of Shutter Paws Imaging did a great job! These are a few of my favorites....

Yes, I'm giving Duncan a pre-run pep talk. And it apparently worked.

VALOR Nationals - Day 3

Today was the last day of VALOR Nationals. It was significantly warmer than yesterday which made running the courses a bit more difficult. Duncan started out energetic, but the heat wiped him out pretty quickly. He ran a clean Intermediate Jumpers course first (I figured we'd get the harder course out of the way) and then a clean Beginner Jumpers course. Other than occasionally thinking maybe he'd like to go around the obstacle rather than through/over it, Duncan did a great job. I really love that VALOR doesn't have a time limit - that means we can run the course at the speed that works for us, as well as take our time lining up for the jumps. VALOR also doesn't disqualify a dog for passing/refusing an obstacle. All you have to do is turn the dog around and try it again.





Here's my pooped pup with all his loot from this weekend. He was happily snoozing away just a few minutes after I took this picture.

Duncan and I had a great weekend. He showed that he enjoys doing agility, which makes me happy. But the absolute best part of this weekend is that we made it through without any seizures. We're 12 days seizure-free and counting!

VALOR Nationals - Day 2

My boy is awesome! Duncan had a wonderful day at VALOR Nationals today. We started with the Beginner Jumpers Round 2 course. Not only did Duncan have a clean run, but he did it on the first try! I love watching this video and seeing his energy and enjoyment of what we're doing.



Qualifying with this run gave Duncan his Beginner Jumpers title, which means he can continue at the Beginners level to work on his Cum Laude title, as well as move to the Intermediate Jumpers level. For kicks and giggles, we gave the Intermediate course a try. We decided the best plan was to take our time, line Duncan up for each jump, and give him plenty of room to build his momentum. Duncan did a beautiful job, earning his first Intermediate leg on his first attempt.



We have the chance to get another Intermediate leg and a Beginner Cum Laude leg tomorrow. Its supposed to be a lot warmer, so we'll just see how things go. The photographer working today got some great action shots and will hopefully get more tomorrow. I can't wait til I get the disk!

VALOR Nationals - Day 1

Despite the fact that we've only had two training sessions, Duncan and I are participating in VALOR Nationals this weekend. The league is still small enough that "National" means a group from North Carolina and a group from New Jersey, but its the idea that counts.

Yesterday was the first official day of the event, with an early-bird option Thursday evening. Different Jumpers and Standard agility courses are offered each of the three days, giving teams multiple chances to earn legs. Duncan and I signed up for a late evening slot on Thursday, since I wasn't sure I could get out of work early enough Friday. We only run Jumpers - Standard includes obstacles that neither of us wants to attempt. I was concerned that Duncan might not do too well Thursday as he's still dealing with side effects from the increased dose of Phenobarb (a week and a half seizure-free!). My boy tried so hard, but he knocked a bar on the first run and things went downhill from there.

I decided we'd give it another try Friday (same course, yay!), so we signed up for the last slot at 5:30. I rearranged a few things at work, did a conference call from home and we made it out there with time to spare. We ran our first attempt just after 5:30. Duncan was moving nicely but he knocked two bars - including the very last one. 45 minutes and 6 attempts later, success! And no, Duncan was not running full courses for the 45 minutes. A couple of attempts were aborted at the first or second jump and he had a nice break while we let a couple of other people run their dogs. Unfortunately, it was a good bit warmer than was ideal for Duncan, so by our last run his tongue was hanging practically to his knees. As always, though, Duncan did his best to give me what I asked. Our last run was a lot of work for both of us - we've learned he does best when he basically has to chase me through the course, and if I slow down, he slows down. I also have to line him up and give him plenty of room to build up his speed before each jump. This was not a pretty run, but it was clean, and that's what matters in VALOR. And yes, I am pulling up my pants in a couple of places...it turns out I've lost almost 10lbs since I started back on my meds and I didn't realize how loose those jeans had become. Not to worry, though - I'm wearing a belt today!



We got home around 7:15, I fed the pups and cats and before I could even get my dinner started, Duncan was passed out cold on his bed, snoring away. He was one pooped pup. Not that I can say anything - it was all I could do to stay awake until bedtime.

Last night gave Duncan his second leg towards his Beginner Jumpers title (he earned one a few weeks ago during our training session). Today should be a lot cooler than yesterday, which should help both of us considerably as our run is scheduled for 2:30. Paws crossed we nail it on the first try, or even the second.

Something Good!

Kodiak graduated from his Pre-Agility class last week! It was a real struggle for him because he worries so much about the equipment, people, dogs and environment. Thankfully, the instructor realized that he should do much better in a regular agility ring than in a small room (but to get to a regular agility class, he HAD to pass this one). Its funny how he stresses so much over something like the table - notice how his tail is pulled in - but he's perfectly comfortable going through the chute tunnel. He's such a weird pup.

Fun At Suzie's

As always, the pups had a great time today at Superior Dog Training.

After doing some nose work, Reyna decided it was time to get down to some serious playing:



When Kodiak's turn came, we decided to work on some agility equipment. He has come so far regarding jumps and tunnels. It wasn't that long ago that I literally had to shove him into a tunnel to get him to go through it. Today, he was taking jumps and going through the tunnel all by himself. He's had brief introductions to the dog walk and teeter-totter, but he hasn't spent much time on them before today. Its a constant surprise to discover what freaks him out and what doesn't - little things can really bother him, but he confidently handles something you'd think would send him into a panic. Go figure.

Here's Kodiak running a short agility course - chute (minus the cloth part), jumps, table, dog walk, tire and tunnel.



Here he is on the same course, but going the other way. You may not realize it, but changing direction changes everything. Just because we know its the same obstacles doesn't mean Kodiak sees them the same way.



And here's Kodiak running a partial course. Its partial because he refuses the teeter-totter at the very end. That wouldn't be so bad, except he spent several minutes going back and forth over the teeter-totter before we had him run the course. Our guess is that he was tired, and when he's tired, he stresses very easily. Maybe next time we'll have him start with the teeter....



Have no fear, Duncan had his turn at training, too. We just didn't take any videos.

Edumacation. He Has It.

Duncan graduated from his pre-agility class last night. We should have had a couple more weeks of class, but there were only two of us taking it, and the other girl dropped the class two weeks ago. Since Duncan was essentially getting private lessons, he was able to get more time on more equipment, so the cut the number of lessons. Which is fine – this way I can quit worrying that we’re going to miss a class because work is sending me off somewhere. When we took it the first time, about a year and a half ago, his certificate said he attended the class (we didn’t pass). But last night, he received a certificate that said he successfully completed the class. One of the instructors even tried to get me to sign him up for the next level of agility. I don’t see that happening – agility doesn’t set his tail wagging like sheep herding does. I was very proud of him, though. Everything he had trouble with last time – the A-frame, dog walk, and teeter-totter – he sailed through this time.


Since it was only us in the class last night, they let us do three small courses, and the instructors took pictures and video. During one of the runs (and I use that word very loosely, as he certainly didn’t run at any point in time), he actually fell off the A-frame, but he got right back on it and didn’t show any signs of stress. They put up a two jumps for him, too, but what you don’t see in the video is that he keeps knocking the bars off. They didn’t want to make the jumps too high, but they were so low, he could barely exert himself to pick his feet up. He’d just walk over them, and forget to get his back feet up a bit higher. But that’s okay. And for some reason, the goofball decided that he would only go through the chute if I was on his right side. If I was on his left, he wouldn’t do it. One thing we all laughed at was that he’s clearly realized that he gets a cookie for touching the pad on the end of the dog walk. Two weeks ago, he wouldn’t touch unless I pointed to it first, so last night, I went ahead and pointed as he got close to the end. He would touch, I’d give him a cookie, and then he’s supposed to get off the dog walk. But last night, he decided to try multiple touches, and see if he could get multiple cookies. The big stinker.

So Proud!

Tonight was Duncan’s second night in his pre-agility class. The last time we took the class, we received a certificate that said we attended; this time, we’re aiming for the certificate that says we completed the class. Tonight we worked with the equipment that was our downfall last time – the A-frame, the dog walk, and the teeter-totter. The biggest problem Duncan had with all three of those before is that they’re only 12 inches wide, and Duncan couldn’t figure out how to keep his back end on those 12 inches. This time, though, he did beautifully. He went up and down the A-frame without even thinking about it, and he trotted along the dog walk without any encouragement or help from me or the instructors. A few times, he even stopped on the dog walk and sat down, waiting for me to give him his cookie before he got off. Not that long ago, he wouldn’t have been able to get his butt down in that 12 inch space without falling off. Even the teeter-totter didn’t bother him too badly. He walked across it twice; the first time he was a bit nervous when it suddenly moved on him, but the second time he was more interested in the cookies the instructor had than he was in the movement of the board. The really entertaining part of the class is seeing how excited he is about the tunnel and the table (they finally have a table big enough for him to sit on without most of him hanging off) – he keeps trying to go through the tunnel or get on the table when I’m not having him do something else.

Various And Sundry

Per’la had another round of Nasty Eye a couple of weeks ago, and now she has a cold. Belle and Loki are fine, but Mikey and Khar both have Nasty Eye Lite. Parm, on the other paw, is dealing with Really Nasty Eye, and doesn’t quite seem to know what to do with all that extra crud. I’m having trouble convincing him that letting me scrape it all out every now and then will make his life more pleasant.

Courtesy of recent truck issues and rising gas prices, I really miss my car.

Two weeks ago, I definitely had moles (or voles – without actually seeing one of them, I have no idea how to tell the difference). I haven’t found any more tunnels under the fence, but I had several raised mounds in the yard where the critters were tunneling. Duncan did not like that, and did a very good job of digging up all the tunnels and access holes he could find. I didn’t see any new ones for the last week, and figured that the critters were either tunneling too deep to disturb the ground, or they’d decided that Duncan’s Yard just wasn’t the place to be. This morning, though, I discovered a tunnel from the fence straight to a small flower bed beside my swing. Duncan wasn’t happy to see that, and spent 20 minutes digging up the tunnel and trying to shove his nose as far in as possible. He also found an access hole near my tree that he dug up. I talked to my neighbor on that side a bit ago, and they had moles for 5 years. I guess they decided it was time to try new hunting grounds. Hopefully, Duncan will discourage there efforts...

I started another export class this week. Once again, I’m in class for six weeks. Thankfully, the assignments for export classes are a lot less intensive than for my MBA. It shouldn’t be too bad, as long as I can remember to participate five days a week.

I’ve been taping the ACC games since Friday for my Aunt Susan. I have to say that, as much as I don’t really care who wins the games, both semi-final games yesterday were real nail-biters. Since I have to watch the games, I’m grateful that they’ve been interesting. I know its unlikely (especially since the score is 69-59 UNC, with 8:30 left in the game), but it would make me smile if Clemson beat UNC today...

Duncan's pre-agility class starts tomorrow. The first session is orientation for the people, then we have six weeks of classes with the dogs. We got the equivalent of an "incomplete" last time, because Duncan couldn't coordinate his back end well enough to handle the ramp and dog walk. Since he's older and a bit more together now, I figured we'd try it again. Paws crossed!

He's a Ruff 'n' Tuff Pup

I’m so proud of my boy...he showed his protective side in the last preagility class. There’s a crazy border collie (is that redundant?) in class, and he was taking his turn going through a series of obstacles. He ran out of the chute towards another dog, who fiercely protected her toy. That growl sent him veering away from her, straight toward me. To my great surprise, Duncan popped up like somebody’d poked him in the butt and lunged at the border collie. If I’d not grabbed his scruff - and if the border collie hadn’t shown some intelligence and immediately turned the other direction - Duncan might actually have made contact. The official response, of course, is “Bad dog. We don’t do that.” But the real response is “Good boy! Mommy’s so proud of you for protecting her! That’s my good Dunkin-punkin!”