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?

Scholars in Collars

Yes, Scholars in Collars in Burlington, Ontario, is the new location for Chip's agility class.  Now we have two classmates who are also being taught by Erin.  We really had fun yesterday at the first class.  Birgit says that she will try to come next week and take some non-flash photos for the blog.

We did have one little mishap.... Chip and I arrived for the class early, so I was trying to entertain him with his frisbee before class.  Somehow, he and I lunged for the frisbee at the same time, and his teeth collided with my chin.  A centimeter-long cut and plenty of blood resulted.  I now look like I've been in a bar brawl.  The bad thing is... I keep forgetting to tell people why I have it, and they are too polite to ask!

Fall Colors (or Colours)

We finally got some sunshine today and raced out of the city to take advantage of it.  Erin (our agility trainer) had suggested we try a hike at Mt. Nemo.  It was beautiful!  Now if I could only get Chip to stop pulling on the leash...  Going uphill is nice, but when he pulls me downhill, things get a little scary.

More Agility!

We went to another agility session at Erin's yesterday (see more about Erin, her dogs, and her agility training at www.artofdog.weebly.com). What a great time! I can't wait for our class with Erin to start in November.

Here's a little slideshow I made, starting with some puppy pics, then our first agility session with Erin this summer, followed by the autumn session yesterday. The music is by William Coulter & Barry Phillips, so turn on your speakers! :-)