Tip Tail

Coats in the Park

The Park

Well, there’s not much going on!

So I haven’t been blogging much lately. In about three weeks Jet and I have an AKC agility trial. That’ll be fun. I hope we remember how to do it! I haven’t done agility much. Just been working, covering shifts for coworkers who have too much leave and have to use it, or lose it. Me, I use mine during the rest of the year and so I don’t have much left. It’s okay, it’s really quiet during the holidays so that’s nice.

Levi, Chase and Jet have been doing more Cyber Rally. Levi got his first Q. Though every day I worry he’s just getting worse and worse, older and older. This park trip was a lot for him. I feel bad that he’s still not back to how he was before that darn party. Maybe he never will be. Breaks my heart.

Chase got his second Cyber Rally Q, and Jet got his third, for a title. It’s been fun, and with the lack of snow and the weather in the 50s here in Utah, we’ve been able to get outside, which is nice.

I’ve been staying indoors a lot, though. Maybe I should look for some Sous Chef Jobs for something to do inside. But instead I sit on the chairs and watch TV or read. I do like to take it easy.

Cynthia

January 4, 2012

Daily Posts

1 comment

Park, Rally

Automatic Tracking Video

Swivl

Well, it’s finally here. This is not an ad post… it’s just something I found. I’ve been looking, forever it seems like, to find a device that will follow me with video while I’m doing agility, or rally, or training, or whatever. Looks like finally someone invented the darn thing! Swivl

I have one of those big Canon Video cameras, though, which this won’t work with. But I also have an Android phone, which it will work with. I wonder if the big clunky cameras are just on their way out, and most everyone will eventually switch to phones or tablets for video. That’s fine with me, though of course it’d be a bummer if I can’t sell my camera eventually. But someday I do want an iPad. I just can’t justify it now. I have my Macbook, and I have my Android phone, and I really can’t afford a tablet. Maybe some day. And I love using iMovie to make my videos on my Mac. And as ya’ll know, I take a zillion dog videos of sports and of training. Usually I put my camera on the tripod. But sometimes I just need the camera to follow me around, especially in a small place like training, or a far place like an agility trial. I quite often don’t have anyone with me to video. Or at agility trials, I get tired of begging people to video. So many people just hate to video! This would solve my problems!

It’s not out until 2012, and it’s $160, but I actually think that’s a pretty good price. I’d use it ALL the darn time! I’d like it to be able to keep me zoomed in, but it doesn’t do that yet. Maybe eventually. And I bet there will be more manufacturers out there making more types like this soon. They are marketing it for bloggers… or vloggers, I guess. But heck, they should market it to the darn dog sports crowd. I bet they’d get a lot of interested parties!

Cynthia

December 28, 2011

Daily Posts, Training

6 comments

Tech

Cyber Rally-O

So this is pretty cool… Cyber Rally! I know there is also Cyber Agility, but I have not done it. I don’t really have a good place to set up an agility course, and I’m lazy, but Rally, now that’s something I can do.

I registered up Jet, Tatum and Chase with Cyber Rally-O, you can check out their website: Cyber Rally-O Website. And they also have a Yahoo Group that I’ve joined, though I’ve gone Digest because I don’t keep up well with email lists.

The above video is Jet’s first Q. Woot! Three Qs for a title. I’ll need to pick some other courses and get them done, too. There are a couple of indoor training places here that I can rent and set them up. Nutshell: you set up the course and video and submit the entry. They tell you if you Q or not.

Some people may poo-poo it, saying well you can use treats and practice as much as you want before hand. But really, so what? I’ve always wanted do overs. And you still have to train everything first anyway. The dogs have to know how to heel and do all the exercises. You can’t lure them through with treats (that’s an NQ). And yes you can treat in stationary exercises. And if you have a reactive or shy dog that doesn’t do well at trials, this is awesome. Like I said, you still have to train for it, so I think it’s pretty cool.

Tatum and Jet at the Park – No Levi

Jet and Tatum

First of all, Merry Christmas. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

I’ve been taking it easy the last weeks, which is nice, no dog sports. Well, I did do some Cyber Rally-O with Jet that was pretty fun. I’ll have to post about that next time. Otherwise, I’ve been spending time with family and friends and taking the dogs to the park, going on some walks, and taking it easy. Been really nice. I wish I could have more time like this to just live. Oh I’ve been working, too, but that goes without saying. And in only another week, I’ll be able to say “I can retire next year…” oh that’ll be nice. I can retire in 2013, so I’m looking forward to that!

I haven’t been taking Levi to the park, though, just Jet and Tatum. I miss taking Levi. He still isn’t back to normal quite yet. I’ve been taking him on walks around the block, a mile or so, to work him back up to the park. But I think maybe next weekend he’ll be coming with again. His back still hurts. Maybe he needs a discectomy to help his back, but maybe not. He’s been getting a little better every day. And he’s being rather obnoxious at home which is a sign the’s feeling good. So that’s a good thing. I am realizing approaching EOL, which we say with software… (End Of Life), but as long as he’s happy and doing well, I’m happy with him too. He’s not going to keel over dead tomorrow or anything.

January will bring another agility trial. Maybe Jet and I can pick up another Double Q. We haven’t done agility in a couple months, now, but that’s okay. I think we will both remember how.

Cynthia

December 26, 2011

Jet, Levi, Tatum

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Jet, Levi, Tatum

Taking A Break from Flyball

Yeah, I’m going to be taking a break from flyball for a while. Until I retire. Which is one year, 7 months, and some odd days away. I feel bad for Chase, because flyball is his most favorite thing. And while I do enjoy it, I just can’t do as much as I’ve been doing lately. So flyball is the thing that’s going to go. I have 29 agility days planned with Jet in 2012. And he’s doing really well.… Continue reading »

Levi Is Better

Fortunately Levi is doing a lot better. What a weight off my shoulders. I didn’t even realize how upset and worried and terrified I was last week, until now that I know he’s better. I do worry that he is getting old. I know he’s going to get old. I know there’s nothing that can be done for it. No way to avoid it. I feel like Connor MacLeod on Highlander. He lives 1,000 years and the people he loves… Continue reading »

I Don’t Get Agility Seminars

Jet and Chase

A while ago I posted that I went to a . And, well, I just have to post about me and agility seminars.

The format was okay, much like the Stacy Perdout-Goudy workshops I’ve been to here. She set up little course sequences then we all ran them and she’d tell us what she liked and didn’t like and gave us ideas to handle things differently.

For me and Jet, mostly she just told me to run with him more. Probably to speed him up. He’s not a speedy dog, because I didn’t train him to be fast. I trained him to be consistent, and getting 3DQs is first year of competition… I think we have the consistency I wanted.

So we went and we did what she said and we ran the courses, and I just wasn’t really that impressed. I think these types of seminars are more geared toward the fast border collies and other dogs that need some help. Me… I just can’t see the fraction of a second difference that it takes in cues to get a dog to go over an obstacle. I never could. That’s probably why I always had so much trouble running Chase, my border collie. I used to want speed… if you read back on this blog, there are many posts from 2004 and so that I said I wanted speed. But, I learned my lesson, because I know that I don’t have the timing for it, and so I no longer want speed. I want consistency and accuracy and that is what gets Qs.

So anyway, I think I’m not going to go to agility seminars anymore. For some reason obedience seminars make more sense to me. I can understand the training philosophy and see the differences in technique. And I prefer places with pa electricity that have heat. I’m tired of sitting in the cold all day watching agility seminars. Give me a comfy chair and a warm spot and I’m much more happy!

No More Parties for Levi

Levi Loves Parties

Last weekend my husband and I went to a friend’s house for a Holiday Party. It was fun, and since they have a couple of border collies, they like to have well mannered dogs come visit, too. So we piled Levi, Tatum and Jet into the van and we all went to the party together.

They had a great time. Levi spent most of the evening going from person to person begging like a goof. Then guarding the chew toys from the other dogs. All his favorite things. Jet and Tatum also had fun. Levi, however, well, Sunday, he was miserable. His back hurt a lot again. He was walking with a roach back and a limp. And at night he was in so much pain he was shaking. My heart just broke that I caused him so much pain. It was my fault, since it’s my responsibility to keep him safe and healthy.

Over the next few days he did better only slowly. I worried like crazy. Fortunately, today, Friday, six days later, he’s better. He was getting better yesterday, too. He’s been on Tramadol for the pain. We stopped the rimadyl on Tuesday, thinking we may have to go to the big guns and use steroids. Today we took him into the vet and they gave him a steroid shot, which should help him feel better. He’s 12, it’s a balance between keeping him healthy and keeping him comfortable. He’s also on adequan, duralactin, glucosamine, and he’s going to start acupuncture next Monday. I’m doing everything I can think of for my boy.

So no more parties for Levi. Just a week ago he was going to the park with me, Jet and Tatum and we’d walk for a mile and three quarters. So we just have to work back up to that slowly. I worry about my old by. I know I have to be happy he’s 12 and has had a good long life, but Levi is my heart dog, and loosing him… I just don’t even want to think about it.