Life Adventures

It might have been the chilly winter weather that arrived a little earlier this year that intensified my Christmas spirit.  I think it is safe to say that was part of the reason.  I suspect the biggest reason I was so excited for  Christmas is that the whole family is still around to celebrate it with us.  Logan made it through another Christmas and all of our family is still alive.  Life is short and these moments of togetherness won't last forever.  A sobering thought, but one that underscores that this Christmas was one to be enjoyed. I made the gifts special.  Rather than random items of things we wear or collect that don't have any real significance, I chose gifts where we could make a connection between the item and the dog I assigned the item to.  Thus, we got 4 gifts, 1 from each dog. Logan got me measuring spoons.  I saw these folk art measuring spoons from Anthropologie and thought this would be a unique gift.  Etched on each...

My Christmas wish came true.  Logan celebrated another Christmas with us.  This miracle made the holiday extra special for me.  I normally don't get too deep into the festivities, but this year, I soaked up every sentimental drop I could squeeze out of the 3 days we spent at home preparing for the day.  I want to remember every moment and even found myself taking fake photo memories with my hands to permanently etch in my mind some of the magic that happened during this time. First and foremost, on the Christmas Eve walk at Deep Run, Logan ran up the big hill after a squirrel.  Sure, he never reached the point of building real momentum, but the desire could not be misperceived as merely wishful thinking on my part.  He truly was present and he made his presence known.   As we rounded the corner at the top of the hill, the fellow dog walkers approached and Logan has learned that these particular dog walkers are like pez dispensers, disseminating a...

Preamble (Stephanie's Musings): There are those who play short-game well and there are those who play long-game.  I have trended towards the long-game most of  my life.  My doctorate in Neuroscience was a 7 year investment.  It required sacrifice, determination, and always keeping the end goal in sight.  Similarly, this goal, to place in the AKC agility Invitational Finals, was a goal 8 years in the making.  It too required persistence, sacrifice, and constant improvement.  I knew from the first moment I decided to take Braddock, that this goal was the journey we'd be on together. I was fortunate to have a dog like him who was motivated to take this ride with me. Of course, we all hope to achieve our goals sooner rather than later.  We qualified for the Invitationals in 2014, 2015, 2016, and now in 2017.  We came to compete all of those years.  In 2014, on the third round, I forgot the course at the end and we had an off-cour...

As I've started Frye in agility competition, Jen and I have been talking about me coming down to GA for a "Greyhound Training Camp."  Since I was driving back through from the Invitational, we made it work to get together for 2 days to train together and give each other some tips. Frye getting ready for training Jen set up the courses for both days.  On day 1 was a JWW course.  The challenges for me were that she had a lot of wingless jumps and they were 4 foot as opposed to 5 foot jumps.  So yes, as expected, Frye missed many of those jumps, running around them as she drifted on her lines and didn't collect herself up.  I also need to work on my front crosses,  Jen ran Maddie and she ran really well. Jen also ran Riley, who is currently retired, but ran this exercise like the pro she always was.  Look how much fun she is having at 11 years old. And here is Frye, needing a few tries to smooth out the run.  At the end, I work a fr...

We came back home via Atlanta/Acworth area in order to stop and see Braddock's puppies. Our place for lodging was a flyer, a campground we'd never seen and we went soley by reviews.  Truly, the campground was beautiful, situated right on Lake Allatoona with spectacular views all along.  The only issue is that for our bigger rig, a 37' fifth wheel, the pull through site we had #44, was rather tight.  In order to avoid hitting a tree, we had to turn sharply and take the front wheel of the truck off the pavement. When the tire came off, the truck bounced and the RV and the truck bed hit, bending the RV body near the hitch molding just a bit.  Truck was fine and hitch was fine. It appears the damage is just asthetic, but frustrating nonetheless.  In the end, we ended up pulling the RV all the way through the pull-through site and then just backing it in as a better angle.  Wish we had just driven past the pull-through entry and just backed ...

Our goal for Florida, apart from the Invitational, was to visit some of our favorite spots.  On Saturday night we made sure to get to Celebration to walk the trails around the lakes, see the decorations, and eat at the Columbian restaurant.  The location is extremely pet friendly so we let Frye eat out with us. We got the usual, the Mahi Mahi Verdadero.  We did try a new appetizer, the Scallops Casinimo, which was amazing.  The only thing they didn't have was the blueberry cheesecake.  Another favorite spot is Lake Louisa.  We strolled Logan along the roads while waking everyone and then parked at the lake to sit out and enjoy the scenery for about an hour.  Frye was laying underneath me so she didn't make it into the picture. When we arrived Friday morning we did stop at Turkey Lake prior to arriving at the show, thinking we'd prefer it over Lake Louisa, but after getting back to Lake Louisa, we decided that it is more peaceful than Tur...

Invitational 2017 Overview: The Invitational was held at the Orange Country Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.  It's been a wonderful venue and a great place to travel to in the Winter.  To qualify for the Invitational, you have to be among the top 5 in your breed during the July 1 - June 30 qualifying period.  To succeed at the Invitational you need to run 4 clean rounds, finish first in your breed, and be fast enough to be among the 12 chosen to go in your height class to go on to finals.  Speed was never our problem.  If Braddock ran 4 clean rounds, we would always make it.  Consistency had been the issue. The fact that Braddock ran 6 clean rounds is a testament that this was his year. Invitational 2017 Course Analysis: On Friday, handlers enter T2B if they desire a warm-up prior to the main event. Braddock ran a wonderful course and finished 2nd among 147 24" dogs. The first challenge was 3 to 4 (weaves).  A few handlers...

Reservations for Hunting Island were cancelled again due to another hurricane this year, so we headed back to Huntington Beach.  This time we stayed on site 66, and I liked it better than site 98.  There is more space between sites and some pretty trees around. The weather was cool in the mornings, 30’s, and reached about 50 in the afternoon.  Some highlights were seeing a school of active dolphins and a bald eagle. We discovered a new nature trail, Kerrigan Trail, near the checkin that leads to a nice overlook. Hard to keep Logan from coming after mamma's treats We revisited The Claw restaurant for lunch and shared the lobster bisque soup, which was excellent.  We split the crab cakes, which we give an OK rating.  Better than most, but not nearly the best we’ve had. view of deck at The Claw View of boats parked along the marsh boardwalk View of inlet from the marsh boardwalk Lunch at The Claw on the enclosed patio We bought group...

Logan went in for bloodwork Oct 2017.  I was concerned because we had seen a slow-down.  Still, mother's intuition told me that something else was off.  Even though he had his blood tested 3 months prior, I asked again for the tick test.  He's always been Ehrlichiosis positive. When the vet, Dr. Gottshalk came in, he told the technician not to run the tick panel (not realizing that I had asked for it).  The technician had already done it.  Luckily she did. Logan came back positive for Lyme's.  The vet was ecstatic.  Not because Logan had Lyme's per say, but because, as he said, "This is something I can treat." We started Logan on doxy and he showed increased energy and improvement.   But he started to stink.  Patti said that the antibiotics cause dampness, and especially with dogs in Logan's condition.  So, we gave him an herbal to take to reduce the dampness once he was done with the doxy. We also started him on a new liver form...

It is a long drive to the Trial in Clemson, but once we get there, the stay is so pleasant.  My favorite thing to do is take a walk in the botanical gardens.  The dogs love it because there are plenty of squirrels. The other positive is that Logan can walk the wooded paths and then I️ can stroll him on the paved loop around the park. This time, I️ made a list of some of the favorite plants I️ saw.  Perhaps we can plant some of those in the yard this year. Things to remember - Logan running up to me to get treats.  And also poor Logan trying to run up the stone stairs and his back legs gave out and he got stuck.  Cadia and Braddock pulling to a squirrel in the tree, the squirrel started to come down and they went crazy for it.  I️ will remember how nice the weather felt in the afternoon and the way the sun looked coming through the red leaves in the garden. My favorite section of the garden is the walk on the stone path that goes to this overlook spot: ...

Well, I have learned that Braddock still needs training time.  I've been giving it all to Frye. While normally Braddock and I look very polished, I realize that when the course requires him to think a bit, he's not doing it.  He makes quick and easy decisions without considering all information, and this I believe is because I haven' t been working him as much.  Also, when I do work him, we are doing the same pattern of exercises, which allows him to follow on autopilot and not have to use his brain that much.  So, for the next 2 weeks before Invitational I need to get his mind back focused. On Day 1, he blew the dogwalk contact, and I have been working that at home.  But he shut his brain off, and missed it. In JWW, Braddock misread my pull as a rear cross at jump 15 (because I was facing into him).  I saved it, but then he knocked a bar.  Frye on the other hand, in her first Excellent JWW debut, ran the course flawlessly, and the only reas...

Normally we head down to the Clemson Trial Thanksgiving day, but this year since mom and dad were in town, we decided to wait and leave for the Trial on Friday.  We all enjoyed a nice lunch together and watched Hacksaw Ridge as we digested the meal. It was the best turkey we had ever eaten. turkey dry brine turkey preparation For the turkey, follow dry brine instructions and put turkey in fridge overnight.  Then follow instructions for preparation, including mixing the butter and spices to coat outside of turkey.  For the inside cavity, put in the aromatics from the second link “good eats recipe”, and followed that instruction for the cooking. Of the sides to repeat, get a bag of small buttery potatoes for the fried potatoes.  Include my southern living corn spoonbread recipe and sweet potato soufflé recipe.  The two sweet breads were eggnog bread ( Eggnog bread recipe ) and pumpkin bread (southern living).  The white rolls (from King Arthur recipe) ...

Frye continues to improve, and she did an amazing job in Concord.  Her first run she was a little wild.  We were having a rough trip (RV power issues). We had a freezing cold night.  Given we were out of sorts, we didn’t do her usual sprint back and forth routine. That said, after we got through the teeter, she really got it together. Many dogs struggled to get to the weaves, but I️ did a reverse spin and she read it very well. In JWW, she was fabulous and the only mistake was my fault.  I️ cut in behind for a rear cross which she actually read very well.  Unfortunately, I️ had to do it a jump too soon given how fast she was and I️ couldn’t make it into position for the next jump.  She felt me come in and didn’t move out to pick up the out jump. On Day 2, Frye had a better STD run, but missed the up contact of the teeter.  Otherwise she would have Q’d. In JWW, Frye got her Open JWW title.  She had a wide turn before the weave...

We came to practice for the Invitational.  On Standard Day 1, he had a phenomenal run, but I️ stepped out after the table and he pushed to the off course.  In general, I️ need to work him going past an obstacle without taking it. Day 2 Standard run was incredible and he took 1st place, beating Baille the Greyhound by 1 sec.  Braddock was 28 seconds under time, which is impressive on that type of footing. Finally, in JWW Day 2, there was an opportunity.  I️ sweated the backside push, which he got just fine.  The challenge was that after the weaves, the next jump felt awfully close and required a hard turn after it as well.  With Frye I️ was positioned onside of the weaves and could do a reverse spin at that jump.  With Braddock I️ tried to blind cross after the weaves but my timing was off as I️ had to wait on him given the tight space, and then I️ darted, and thus he pulled out of the weaves. Although it is his job to stay in, if I️ we...

Mom wanted us to come up to put the fire pit together for her.  On the way we stopped at York River State Park to walk the trail around the marsh. The trail starts across the street from the guard shack, and offers some pretty views. It took us about an hour and 20 minutes to walk it Logan pace.  Normally it would take about an hour.  Logan did well, and at the end, on one of his shortcuts at a switchback, he headed into a ravine of mud.  Russ ran to stop him but he hopped a log and kept right on going to catch up to me. Fortunately only his paws got covered. When we reached Sandbridge, we decided to hit the beach before reaching my parents.  Logan was tired from the earlier walk so we didn’t go far.  It was also pretty windy out.  It was worth the stop just to get these few moments of him running on video.  Logan Nov Sandbridge video

In yesterday's post I said that Frye was not ready for Open STD, but that I was moving her up anyway. Well, I guess I was wrong.  Although it wasn't a perfect 100, she did pull off a Q.  I think there are 2 things that's have helped improved her training.  1) modification of warmup routine.  I used to do recalls but with a lot of distance so she would run wild rush past me.  So we shortened the distance so she could collect as she approached each of us.  I found this to improve her focus.  2) she gets muffins as a reward.  It's the only time she gets muffins and she loves them.  When I give her a taste before she enters the ring her legs start to quiver.  I have to be careful though, because if I give her too much she runs too high. The challenge in STD is needing to babysit the contacts.  I think she thought the #2 teeter was the dogwalk, so when she got to the dogwalk she was careful.  I loved her response on the reverse spi...

I will say that I feel more in the flow with Frye in JWW.  This is the opposite of  Braddock, where I felt we always had an easier time on STD courses.  The issue with Frye and STD is that I don't feel confident on her contacts.  In hindsight, I wish I had just trained a "bottom" on the Aframe from the beginning.  I think having one set of criteria for the teeter and dogwalk, and another for the Aframe just wasn't working.  So, I am now teaching a "bottom" on the Aframe. Also, in trials, I think she has learned quickly that she is not reinforced for the "bottom" and therefore has not been committed to it.  And finally, I find that she's not focusing on the criteria, but rather focusing on me (as I'm the one the reinforcement comes from at home).  Thus, I am having to adjust my training and make sure the target is in place and the reward is not coming from my hand.  Another concern I have is that she doesn't have the confidence in STD ...

Braddock finished the day with a strong double Q, and he placed 1st in JWW.  In STD, there were 2 parts to really work. The first, was the exit off the Aframe.  The 3# broad jump pretty much took out the option of a front cross before the Aframe.  It was a timing issue - meaning that starting the turn at takeoff would likely be before the handler got into position on the other side of the frame. Also, big dog handlers had to watch any forward motion cues at the broad jump because dogs were taking the off course table.  Therefore, a cross needed to happen at the exit of the Aframe.  Most handlers chose a rear cross, but the rear could not be done too shallow.  I drew a line in my mind from the corner of the Aframe exit to the left standard of #5.  I ran that line, shaping the rear cross so that Braddock would slice the #5 bar.  This lined him up for the table.  Otherwise, a rear cross in which the dog didn't slice as s...