Apparently my plan to post to the blog more frequently hasn't come to fruition. I have kept up with my training goals. Wes is doing well on the choreography for his Elite Performer title. I need to do some work on the props we will need for the video. His Team 1 is probably ready to video. We just got back into herding so that required some new goals. If only housework and yard work didn't interfere with just playing with the dogs.

I stuck to my training goals yesterday. I had set up an area in my training space to work on the Team 1 and I was pleased that the set up worked well. I did a run through of the exercises to see where we were and Wesley nailed it all. I need more practice with moving from exercise to exercise and it involves resetting equipment. I decided I would start adding some Team 2 exercises into the practice sessions. We also did about 10 minutes of practice on our Elite Performer. I think the choreography I have planned is going to work very well.

I have allowed my blog to just sort of fade away but now I have decided to use it to track my training and competition activities. Starting tomorrow I will be doing a 28 Day Challenge to put in 5 minutes a day working on Wesley's Team 1 title. I also have a goal of spending 10 minutes a day creating and filming his Elite Performer title. Any extra time I can fit in will be to video his Level 5GC submissions for his ADP Grand Championship. I am retired so one would think I would have nothing but free time but it just doesn't always work that way. This fall we hope to add some Barn Hunt and Scent Work titles and get to working on a CAX2 and FCAT 2. Wesley currently has 47 titles. My dear friend Carla Baker has a blog that is going to be my model. Check it out at http://atozdals.blogspot.com I am also going to throw in some training ideas and tips so please feel free to comment on my posts. Here is a picture of Wesley running Fast CAT.

Wesley

Here is the "official" picture from Durham KC of Wesley finishing his CH.

CH Wesley

It's been a while since I updated the blog. The most exciting news is that Wesley finished hs AKC championship at Durham Kennel Club 9/01 and is now CH U-CH U-RO1 Blackthorn Ravenwood Come Fly With Me CGC TDInc. Now we need to get to work on some titles after his name. He also got his cardiac clearance so he is bilateral, CERF, and cardiac normal. He is only 17 months old so we won't be doing hips and elbows until spring.

Peggy Copeland generously shared some pictures she took of Wesley at Durham.

 

 

Wesley is also a therapy dog and has been a big hit with the patients and staff at Fauquier Hospital. I am so proud of my boy...beauty, brains, and a wonderful personality.



Weekend shows

Wesley was WD, BOW  for 1 point yesterday and WD, BOW for 2 points today. Have to start hunting for that 2nd major.

Happy Birthday, Jamie!!!!!

Jamie celebrates his 11th birthday today. It seems like only yesterday when I was off to the NL to bring him home. He is an incredibly sweet, wonderful, talented boy and I absolutely adore him. Here he is enjoying a nap on the deck this morning.

Wesley-headshot

Wesley URO1

Wesley and I went to some UKC rally trials this weekend and I am pleased to say he earned his URO1 title in 3 trials. He had a few moments of excess exuberance but for a year old puppy I am really pleased with his work. Good boy, Wesley!

Win pics from ODKC and BCKC

These are Wesley's pictures from the shows 4/21 and 4/22. Comments welcome.

Pet Therapy Visit

I had to test and then do the first evaluation on a dog for Pet Therapy yesterday so I took Wes along and let him make a visit after the other dog's evaluation. He loves to go to the nursing home and meet everyone. He is so calm and gentle and is always ready with a little kiss for those who want it. Everyone thought he was quite dashing wearing a collar that looks like a tuxedo bow tie. I think he is ready to go through his therapy dog evaluations so I'll be setting that up in the coming weeks. I had to wait until he was a year old to start the evaluation process even though he has been visiting the nursing home since he was a puppy.

Catching Up

I have been so busy that I have completely neglected this blog. Wesley celebrated his first birthday on March 17th. He earned his CGC a few days before.

Yesterday we showed at the Old Dominion Kennel Club and Wesley was BOW for his first point. Award winning photographer Linda Davis kindly shared this gorgeous photo she took of Wes gaiting.

Today he was BOW again at Baltimore County Kennel Club for a major. He showed really well and I got tons of compliments on him. I am thrilled with how well he is maturing. Of course, he thinks the best thing about dog shows is all of the people who pet him.

Wesley pics

Wesley and the rally run through

I took Wesley to rally run throughs today and was very pleased with him. On his first run two dogs got into a little spat just outside the ring right next to the 2nd station sign as we were approaching and he got distracted but then so did I. He refocused in just a couple of seconds and finished the rest of the course quite nicely. The facility has brand new fake grass and I really thought he might try to sniff his way around but he only sniffed once and that was while he was in a down. His 2nd run was much better. He had a slightly crooked sit on one station but the rest of the work was just lovely...got a lot of compliments from the other exhibitors. I was very pleased with that run because we had been standing away from the ring and a whole bunch of children were petting him when the woman pretending to be the judge called me. He went in completely cold turkey and sat very straight at the start line with his eyes on me. He met a bunch of new people and dogs and had a very good time. I'm so pleased with how well he handles new situations. Weather permitting, I'll take him to run throughs again next weekend.

Wesley pics

This is Wesley's first Christmas so I took a few pictures of him in Christmas settings.

Wesley meets Santa

Wesley did a nursing home visit today and they were having a Christmas party complete with Santa Claus. Wesley went right to him and snuggled up....apparently trying to get on the "nice" list. The people watching got a big kick out of that. Wesley was all dressed up with a bright red ruffled collar in keeping with the season. He is such a hit at the nursing home and is so well behaved that people almost don't believe he is only 9 months old.

Nori and Wesley - Freestyle workshop

I took Nori and Wesley to a freestyle seminar this weekend and we had a great time. The seminar was small so we got a lot of time to work. Nori was happy to be out and about and getting to do some work again. I discovered she is very picky about music. She works to anything that is being played and does a nice job but when a piece really appeals to her she gets much more animated, her moves are more dynamic and the other attendees said her tail seemed to wag in tune to the music. Nori's taste does seem to differ from mine. She was raised with classical music, broadway songs, opera, and golden oldies but she really liked zydeco. Who knew? I was very happy with Wesley. He was able to work with 6 other dogs out on the floor and even did a nice solo improv off lead. He has a lot of power in his movement yet can rock back on his rear for slower stuff and still keep a trot. The music had 2 places that just begged for a pause so I moved in front of him and he stopped in a stack and then I moved him back to heeling on the opposite side. Several people said that should definitely be a move in his routines as he looks so pretty standing like that. He had a lot of fun and seems to really like freestyle so I will start looking for music for him.

Wesley Class 6

Wesley finished up his obedience class session Wednesday evening. He did a nice job on his graduation exercises although I do know I am going to have to work with him around dogs running agility. He becomes absolutely mesmerized and it seems fairly obvious that he thinks that is going to be a lot of fun. I'll be taking him to any agility run throughs I can find and just sit outside the ring and C/T for attention. We have about a month before any other classes start. I like the distractions provided by the place we were going for the obedience class but I don't want that long a drive in the winter. I'm a big chicken about driving in snow or on frozen roads. We will at least go to the conformation classes at my club for January and February and then in March I'll put him in an agility foundations class. He does nice heeling and has a great recall. He is getting better on his sit and stand for exams....not kissing the examiner. He has several cute freestyle moves and knows a bunch of tricks. He retrieves wooden, leather, plastic, and metal articles and has started scent discrimination work. We have done some nosework and tracking and he is very keen on that. He does a baby dogwalk, tunnels, the chute and bump jumps and is very fast. He likes things to move so he shouldn't have any problem with the teeter when he gets old enough. He knows all of the rally exercises through excellent although we will try to get in more proofing practice before entering competition. He loves people and other dogs and has wonderful greeting behavior with new dogs. He is maturing very nicely and we will probably hit a few breed shows in January.  All in all he is a really great puppy and I am delighted with his looks, his movement, his personality, and above all, his intelligence.

Harry RE

Harry and I went to a rally trial Friday and I am pleased to say he got his 3rd RE leg with a 3rd place. Good boy, Harry.

Extreme Counter Cruising

Usually I have some brag about how well Wesley has done something but tonight I'm not sure if I have a brag or an "Oh My!!!". My husband was running the dogs out and Wesley just hopped up on the kitchen counter. It was so effortless and graceful that we just stood there sort of open mouthed. He was on the floor and the next second he was on the counter. He is quite a clever little fellow and obviously very athletic. I don't think the 24" table in agility is going to be any challenge at all but I think we'll have to try to deter him from the new sport of extreme counter cruising.