Nap Time

Just had to post this wondrous photo of not one, but TWO Border Collies sleeping peacefully on the same bed.  Now if I could just win the lottery....

Back in the Saddle, Part II

Here we are!  After settling in this summer in the new country house, we're beginning to get back on track in terms of agility training and outings in Ontario.  Chip seems to have whipped the whipworms, but not without some difficulty.  Anyone ever seen explosive doggie diarrhea?  Wow.  We finally had his DNA tested by the nice folks at Washington State University (see http://www.awca.net/drug.htm) for the gene mutation that would keep him from taking the ivermectin he needed.  Turns out he doesn't have the mutation, so he's on Sentinel now and we're hoping whipworms are a thing of the past!

We took Chip swimming this morning at a nearby provincial park -- here are the pics.  He's not been swimming very often but really seems to love it!  We'll be doing this more often...

Note the photo with the dog-mom happily wading in the water with Chip.  Guess who forgot her iPhone was in that side pocket?  D'oh!

Agility & Whipworm!

Summer agility training has been going great!  Birgit has a new camera, so she will be taking some new photos to post.  Here's one of Chip taking a breather from training.

Unfortunately, Chip has also contracted a pretty nasty case of whipworm.  They are very difficult to get rid of, as we're finding, and cause Chip to have bouts of violent diarrhea.  He is on medication, so hopefully we will get them under control soon.

New Season

Tomorrow we start agility training outside again -- yay!  It will be a private lesson, just me and Chip and Erin.  So Chip will have no reason to go bee-zerk at other dogs as they run the course.

The last few weeks, it's become more and more clear that Chip is doing great and that I need remedial training.  I just can't get myself to react quickly enough, or to remember which jump comes first, or to give Chip the signals he needs when he needs them.  So... we may try a few sessions of me without Chip, just learning how to walk a course and think more strategically about what I need to do.

We move to the new house next week -- yay again! -- and Chip and Max will have a new big yard to patrol.  Can't wait!

We're Baaccckk...

Thanks to Addie, Lucie, and Hailey for the gentle nudge to get back to the blog!

We decided back in January to put our house on the market.  The idea was to get out of the city and find a detached or "free standing" house (i.e. not a semi-detached like our current house) with a big yard for the dogs.  So this winter/spring has been one big house selling/buying project.  We've sold our house and are in the process of buying a 150+ year-old house in a small village in semi-rural Ontario.  The lot is a bit less than 1/2 acre and will be much bigger than what the dogs have now.

We've started back to agility and have moved up to the "beginner+" class (intermediate?).  Chip has decided to go into orbit when the other two dogs take their turns running the course -- he barks at them like crazy, and I'm hoping that he somehow gets over this behavior soon.  I don't have a current agility photo, but here's one of Chip napping on his bed after training....

Poop Van Scoop

Our agility class has ended for the year, and we're looking forward to picking it up again in 2010.

"Picking up" reminds me of a small business in Denver in the mid-80s, when I lived there:  Poop Van Scoop.  They would come to your backyard a couple of times a week and pick up dog poop.  I never subscribed to the service, but I liked their ads:

"Poop Van Scoop -- We pick up where your dog left off!"
"Poop Van Scoop -- We handle gross encounters of the turd kind!"

Funny what sticks in your mind over the years.  And what doesn't (like my phone number).

Chip wants to see what the heck I'm typing...

Acting Out

It's been an interesting few weeks.  Chip is doing pretty well in agility -- I seem to be the weak link.  If I could only manage to stand up straight as we are going from apparatus to apparatus...  I have this compulsion to bend over, like having my face closer to his is going to help in some way.  I'm seriously thinking about putting duct tape down my back for the next class.  Maybe pain is the answer!

The real news is Chip's new-found desire to chew on things that are not his toys.  This includes my violin rosin, my memory foam pillow, and my sock.  He has never done this type of stuff before... what is going on between those (big) ears?