Tomorrow Tara and I start attending our Competitive Obedience Class, finally preparing for our elusive CD. I'm so happy to start going, and happy it's going to fit with my schedule for the next 3 wks, because I definitely need some guidance as to how to take things farther with Tara. She's great and I know she's capable of everything she needs to do to get her CD, I just don't know how to get there the best way. I know it involves lots of practice, lol. I didn't get her into that freestyle class because I know the next few weeks are going to be super busy for me, so maybe we'll hit it next time around. I know that she would love it and we've started putting a few cute tricks on more fun cues and in sequence, like bowing and weaving all around me and through my legs, and then coming to sit between my legs. She really likes those games.
Tonight we are finishing up our 17'x10' dog room in the basement, complete with horse stall matting padding the floor. We will be picking up our set of weave poles in the next week or two, also, something that I will start seriously working on with Tara around her birthday, we have to wait until those bones stop growing first!
No heat yet, but we've been battling some GI issues with diet and are now going back to kibble, so her weight has fluctuated lower than I like. I don't know what sets her off, she can't handle raw and I'm sick of cooking for her, so back to kibble we go. She doesn't care what she eats at all, she'd eat pretty much anything. So we'll see how this goes. One day we will figure out what sets her off and get her on raw, that day is just not here yet.
My business is picking up ( http://www.canineaspirations.com ) which benefits Tara greatly with lots of good doggie friends. The reason we are going to be so busy coming up is that we have two border collie mixes visiting for 23 days! Tara's going to have so much fun with them! Especially Shadow who is closer to her size and closer to her age, they had a blast zooming around Shadow's yard when they met for the first time. This weekend we also have a German-short-haired Pointer, Dookie spending a night. So we'll have our foster crested Lucky, Tara, Orion, Suki and Shadow (the bc mixes) and Dookie (the GSP) for 2 days, it'll be intense. Maybe my friend Sarah will come by with her 3 dobies and shih-poo and then we'll really have a party!! Next week Mea and Slate, the two Australian Terriers I've taken care of before arrive. They'll be spending a week and for sure won't put up with any of Tara's puppy shenanigans. Mea will be good for running around though, even if Slate isn't because he's too much of a stately gentleman. Lots of dogs in and out!
Right now Tara is kicking around her Buster Cube for dinner, she really knows how to work that thing!
We also had a visit last weekend from Collie Rescue of New England, doing our home visit so we can foster collies. We got an email mentioning a 13-month old female, and I replied saying that I knew Tara would love to have a collie visitor so close in age, so we'll see what happens with that. I'm looking forward to fostering collies and I'm sure Tara is too. The couple that did our home visit brought their baby Brayden with them, which was good for Tara who loves kids, but hasn't had a ton of exposure to babies. She liked nosing him and sniffing him all over and he didn't seem to mind too much. : ) They also brought their newly adopted Sheltie, who played with Tara in brief spurts.
So we've been crazy busy as you can see, and coming up in less than a month we have our next Rally trial, at the Collie Club of Maine Show, 3/2. We'll be going for our 2nd of 3 necessary legs for Tara's RN (Rally Novice) title. We are always working on rally (for all our meals, walks, showing off in pet stores, etc -- kinda like that NILIF plan Tosca, lol), so I'm not too worried about the show, but I'll be sure to spend some time working with Tara around the distractions of all the dogs that will be here over the next 3 wks.
The third weekend in March, 3/17-18 we will be at the Collie Club of NH show, also competing in Rally hopefully finishing up our RN and maybe going for our first RA (Rally Advanced) leg. I don't know when we'll ready to try for our first CD leg, but as soon as we are we'll be going for that as well. And hopefully our novice agility titles over the summer and heading into the fall. We definitely have a full plate ahead of us. : ) Tara loves working though, so we have lots of fun!
There is also the possibility of a 3-4 wk trip this fall driving cross-country, I'm sure Tara will love that as well, she really loves doing anything.
I feel like there was more I needed to report on, but I guess this will have to do for now. It's been a while since I updated.
Labels: agility, collie, dogs, obedience, rough collie
