Agility/freestyle practice

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Today we got out of the house for a bit and went to the training center to practice.  Another troop member met me there and we both worked our dogs on Agility (which I didn't try to get on video) and then I did some freestyle practice.  I was trying out various moves to go with some potential music and I think I found several moves I like. Now I just need to figure out where to put them all in the song and then work on smooth transitions :-) Dazzle really enjoyed the play and training, but I'm pretty stiff and sore.
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VIDEO: Freestyle doodling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcypPasxTDc
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While I took the chance to get this on video while I could, my focus till at least the 20th will be on practicing for the Rally Advanced competition we have on the 21st. We don't have Agility class tomorrow, so I plan to do some training sessions with rally moves.  Including one move I still need to teach him!  He is SO good with both heel and side position that "front" has been neglected and has completely fallen apart.  In advanced, I need to be able to get him to front position without me moving my feet. So we will be working on that! I also need to polish up our Schutzhund type turn called a "Left About Turn" in rally. I'm sure we can do these things between play sessions and some agility practice :-)
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updates

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Dazzle is now 18 months old.  I haven't posted in over a week because there hasn't been much new going on.  Same ol' same ol' - Almost daily training sessions in the basement, occasional outings, though not when it's 16 degrees outside!  And lots of me in a hibernating funk while Dazzle tries desperately to get me to play.
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He did succeed a bit ago and I went out to throw the ball for him with the chuck-it (best invention ever!)  For fun, I decided to measure the distance he usually runs.  While not exact because sometimes it is a shorter throw, it usually involves more than the actual distance when the ball bounces funny; I measured it as 170' one way.  So that means he does approx. 340' per fetch. Since I'm anal and have nothing better to do while standing there tossing the ball, I usually count how many times I throw it.  It averages about 30 before I get too cold or he gets too hot depending on the weather :-)  So that means he runs non-stop for just shy of 2 miles in about 10-15 minutes!
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Our Agility class on Monday went really well (regular instructor was back) and I like how they have the class set-up in three different areas with the class split between three instructors.  It puts 2 or 3 people per group/area, so there is very little waiting time and lots of different activities.  This week had more "running" on my part and I was really sore afterwards.  I'll have to put on some braces for next week.  I have been working on "send outs" and "lead outs" so I don't have to run :-) He's doing well with both.  We skip a monday, so I have 2 weeks to work on the "relax on a mat" they do before each class.  Dazzle is surprizing me with how well he's doing.  I'm clicking for any sign of relaxation and he seems to be getting it.  Today he offered lying on his side!  It was brief, and he was stiffly waiting for the click, but we can shape that into more relaxation.  I will definitely be using this for ClickerExpo in Lexington in March. :-) He should be fully conditioned to it by then.
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The exercise egg arrived and I got it partly inflated with the help of a small compressor used to put air in a flat car tire.  It says to partly inflate it, then wait 24 hours before adding more air.  So I just added more air today. Here are some photos of Dazzle on his new toy.  He has no fear of it and seems to enjoy getting on it, offering sit, down, high 5, sit-up, etc. :-)  I only got photos of the sit though.

Agility Training

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We had our second Agility class yesterday morning and Dazzle has made progress.  The 2 on/ 2 off training we worked on during the week came back to him during class (something he "spaced out on" during week 1 with all the distractions.)  He was still a bit distracted, and wanted to tug his leash (energy release after self-control exercises) but we kept that to a minimum.  I'm going to try a 1' long tab leash (no handle) with him next week. He also did well on the stays and with the tunnel/table/chute barrel exercises we did.  Jumping was at the end of class and his specialty!  We're learning to help the dog jump with his head down so the back stays rounded (like a properly jumping horse).
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After class I spent some time throwing the ball for him indoors because he has NOT been getting enough exercise due to the soggy wet ground and mud.  He really enjoyed that, but gave no signs till today that he had ripped off part of the upper pads on his front legs on the rubber floor!  I wrapped them and he was sure he couldn't possibly walk. :-) He's a master at the pitiful look. "But mom, I'm broken now.  I CAN'T move."  After some play time though he was walking normally again. So now he looks like an eventing horse.
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We are expecting some canine guests for the next few days.  I'm sure Dazzle will enjoy having his harem back. He does like the girlies!

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VIDEOS!

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Today I worked on the videos of Dazzle that were taken over the holidays (editing takes a LOT of time!) and they are now uploaded to YouTube.
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VIDEO: Play in 4-6 inches of snow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7U3EOnWPdg
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This video shows Dazzle having fun in the first few inches that fell on Saturday the 2nd of January.  It also shows him playing with my mom in the snow as she is shoveling the deck and when she is done and plays his "keep away" game he really enjoys that :-)
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VIDEO: Deep Snow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWr7iR-WBtY
This video was taken during the week as the snow got deeper and deeper. I think the stuff near the end is funniest! I added some funny sound effects in various places on the video.
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VIDEO: Dazzle learns to ride a sled!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL7EOmJIbWA
Yep!  He learned to ride a sled down a hill all by himself and seemed to really enjoy it!  When I went to the house at the end of each session (we only had 2 long sessions) he clearly was not ready to quit and had to be coaxed away from the sledding hill where I tossed his ball a few times from the porch. :-)
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VIDEO: Dazzle goes up and down the stairs in reverse!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEY8RaNY7Ws
He actually prefers to go up the stairs in reverse!  If given the choice, he swings around and does them backwards :-)  Backing down the stairs still needs some practice.  It's more of a controlled freefall now


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First Agility Class and exercise ball

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Dazzle went to his first agility class today.  Since we have mostly trained alone, seeing the other dogs doing the agility equipment was very stimulating to him!  We worked a bit on focus on me while the other dogs did the tunnels and jumps and he was much better by the end of class.  We worked on a tunnel to table combo with focus on sending the dog ahead of the handler, proper jumping form, 2 on 2 off contacts (he had some brain farts on this), stays, recalls, and some "being calm on a mat" which he was only able to do for a few minutes before he got bored and tried to create his own games. :-)
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It was not the regular instructor since she had a death in the family, so it will be interesting to see if the class format changes when the regular instructor returns.  I think having him work with the other dogs in the class will be very helpful for him and his ability to focus with such exciting distractions.
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He LOVES the equipment and I hope to have him compete in the future, but I don't know if I'll be able to be the handler or if I'll need someone else to "handle" him in the ring since there is a fair amount of running involved.  I'm hoping I can teach him the names of the obstacles and directions so I can do minimal movement as I verbally direct him around the course.  But we're a long way from that right now :-)
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We still haven't worked with the exercise ball/egg because even though I ordered it on Dec. 18th, it hasn't arrived yet.  Well, I had it sent to my parent's house thinking it would arrive while I was there (& it was scheduled to arrive today).  But since I wasn't there, I now have to wait for (& pay for) additional shipping.  So while the price was good, I'm not very impressed with the Allegro Medical service.  I don't think they would have gotten around to getting it in the mail yet if I hadn't called to inquire about why it was taking so long.  When I called, I explained the situation and asked if I could change the "ship to" address.  The curt person on the phone said she would check on my order and email me.  She did email me, but the shipping address wasn't changed, she simply let me know the order was now in the process of being shipped. :-( So I'm sure it will get here eventually!
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I still haven't gotten to the videos.  Class took more of the day than I expected, along with some errands I had to do.  I'll post here when I have them uploaded.
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sledding and other photos

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I hoped to be driving home today, but it was still snowing at 10am (we got an additional foot or so over night) and friends in Columbus said there were flurries there around 11am when I called and radar showed snow in most of Indiana and in Cincinnati.  So I'm staying put till tomorrow.  The sun actually did come out today! Yippee!  So I think tomorrow will be fine for driving.  No snow and all sun are the predictions for tomorrow in Ohio even though highs will be in the 20's.
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I went back out today through the deep snow to get to the back hill with Dazzle where we tried sledding again.  He did GREAT!  At first, I was trying a flat and flexible sled but that didn't work.  So my mom attached some non-skid rubber to a different sled than the one we used a few days ago and it worked really well!  Dazzle was very comfortable in it.  I was able to get my dad to come out and get these photos and some video and he got Dazzle's longest run documented!  Dazzle took his Jolly Ball with him on the sled for that run so he had no reason to jump off near the bottom of the hill! :-)  I'll get the video edited and uploaded to youtube as soon as I can when I get home.
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He had his ears back listening to me as he watched his ball to be sure it didn't move :-)

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Dazzle was also juming up to catch the snow falling off the trees.  The first time was a HUGE amount of snow that started at the top of a big pine and brought more and more snow with it as it fell through the branches.  Dazzle had a blast jumping up and catching it as it all fell and then he was jumping up to get the "dust" (fine snow powder) that resulted.  I SO wish I had gotten it on video!  I did get a different snow fall on the video, but I'm not sure what I got since I haven't watched it yet.  I hope it was as funny as the first time! 

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I took photos again of the snow on the truck, but believe it or not we actually had rain the other night!  It was well below freezing and raining!  I didn't think that was even possible.  It wasn't sleet either, it was a fine steady mist of rain for several hours that coated everything with ice and caused the existing snow to pack down even more.  So while we have gotten a lot more snow, it doesn't really look like it.  When I stuck the yard stick into the snow, I had to break through the ice layer and in the first photo below, I didn't realize I hadn't gotten it all the way through to the truck surface.

Measurement was taken near the antenna on the truck.  I'll be glad to get home.  I hear there's only a few inches of snow there :-)  Dazzle will probably be dissapointed.

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Dazzle went sledding!

We had a brief break in the snow, so we cleaned off the driveway and vehicles.  Had to get a photo of the un-used truck that hasn't been cleaned off since the snow started.  You can barely see the antenna sticking up.  It's possible that could get covered by the time the snow ends.

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I took this one to show how much snow was hanging off the roof.  It looked even more impressive in person. :-) We knocked it down so it wouldn't fall on someone unexpectedly.

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I braved the cold and snow today, got suited up (a workout in itself!) and went out to teach Dazzle to sled ride.  I didn't get any photos, but my mom did get it on video that I'll post :-)  He's going to give Tillman a run for his money :-)   We started just on the flat and he got right on the sled.  I pulled it a bit and he mostly stayed on.  The next time on, he sat and stayed for longer.  The third time, he laid down and I was able to pull him quite a distance.  Then we moved to the hill and I had to ride down once to make a path through the powder.  We started near the bottom for the first run and gradually worked our way up starting the runs higher and higher.  He didn't do the full hill (because I couldn't climb it) but he did the lower half, staying on the sled in a down position till it slid to a stop!  He seemed to like it!  Oh the things a dog has to do to get his Jolly ball thrown LOL  I think watching the kids on the sleds really helped him understand what he needed to do.  I'll get the video edited and posted when I get home.
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A few more inches of snow is predicted for tonight and into tomorrow.
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The snow keeps falling

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Dazzle in a snow drift

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While we have gotten several more inches of snow, I think it's reached "critical mass."  Even though it's light and fluffy, the new stuff is packing down the previous stuff so it doesn't look as deep.  Because it's so powdery, Dazzle has been having a blast running with his head in it!  I hope to get this on video, but he never seems to do it when I have the camera ready and by the time I get it ready while he's doing it, he has stopped.  But I'm still trying!

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Something else I hope to get on video (if I can) is the squirrels going to the neighbor's feeder.  They come down off the trees on the hill and dissapear into the snow.  Then you see the snow moving as they jump through it, completely blind to where they are going because they can't jump high enough to break the surface. Then they pop-up onto a fence post, climb up and fight their way through the snow on top of the fence (not sure how they haven't cleared it all off yet).  They have to drop back down into the snow to get between the end of the fence around the garden to the porch where the feeders are.  It is really comical.  But given the distance and the fact that the moving snow is white on white, I don't know if my video camera will be able to pick it up.  Dazzle enjoyed watching them though:

The squirrel is under the snow in front of the shed and completely invisible. I'm sure that if Dazzle wasn't on the cable, the squirrel would be no more.

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Zoom! Leaping through the snow.

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On Sunday, before the snow got so deep, I did take Dazzle out to he warehouse district to find a plowed parking lot where I could throw the smaller balls with the chuck-it and really let him run. He was getting a bit stir crazy without his twice daily runs like this (just can't throw the Jolly Ball far enough) :-). Though my dad and I briefly discussed (Red Green style) how we could design a big sling shot for it using the posts on either side of the stairs of the back deck. LOL 

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My plan sort of worked.  He still spent a lot of time searching for the balls when they left the plowed part and went into the deeper snow.  Good thing he has such a good nose!  No way I'd have found them.  We did lose one when I got over zealous with my toss and it went on top of the building.  I laughed out loud at the look Dazzle gave as he stopped... looked up to the 2 story high flat roof... then looked at me as if to say "way to go MOM".  Then came trotting back. I could just about hear his heavy sigh of exasperation with me and my poor throws. LOL

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Since it's now too deep to really go anywhere, we have been doing a lot of work on the stairs to try to wear him out.  He will walk backwards up the stairs if I'm at the bottom and will do a "controlled fall" sort of backing down the stairs if I'm at the top.  I taught him by starting with just one step, then two then three and so on till he could do it. While he CAN walk down backwards slowly and with precision, he seems to like the controlled fall better and does that version more often.  He LOVES to back-up and does it on his own if he thinks it might get me to toss the ball. :-)  I got this on video, but need to wait till I get back home to edit it and create an uploadable format.

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When the kids visit, they (especially little Ava) love tossing the ball for him after telling him "back" on the stairs.  Ava's mom asked her "How do you tell Dazzle to go up the stairs?" and she said "back!"  She also says his name really well and when her mom told her I was coming to visit their house, she said "Dazzle?" 

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I hear Dazzle pacing by the back door, so it's time to let him out to play again.

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SNOW! (& more snow!)

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Catching snowflakes

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Well I'm officially "snowed in" here in Cleveland.  Schools are cancelled, classes and businesses are closed and it's bitterly cold.  We already have several feet of snow and the current "light" snow is supposed to change to heavier steady snow all afternoon.  It's supposed to continue snowing through Thursday here (then start snowing back at home)!  Some of the drifts are already waist deep and the normally efficient snow plows can't keep up with the speed it's all continuing to pile up. The piles of snow in the parking lots yesterday were very impressive! Can't imagine what they will look like by the end of the week.

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Here's a few photos in progression from the past few days of Dazzle who LOVES the snow and is now having to leap to get through it. (I'm SO glad I didn't bring little Bear with me!)

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Dazzle watches Ava, his new best friend...

Ava's mom (my sister in law) plays with Daz while Ava watches. 

Dazzle is very careful not to run into Ava.

Laying in the snow (harder for him to do now that he dissapears into it!)

It's not wise to tease the Malinois :-)

Malinois are known to jump over 8 feet, so it's hard to put anything "out of reach" :-)

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Dazzle was actually already attached to the ball and my brother was lifting him in these photos. He can't get his mouth around the Jolly Ball unless he shoves it into something solid first and he has learned he's not allowed to leap for things I'm holding.

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Flying Malinois! My brother swinging Dazzle in circles trying to get the ball. Usually it's my brother that's breathing hard at the end of a play session and he has 3 young boys that routinely give him a workout!

Dazzle got him off his feet, so he wrestled on the ground for awhile while Ava watched.

Dazzle is facinated by the sledding.  He even tried to get ON a sled!  I think he's watched it enough that if I got him on a sled, he would do it!  If Tillman the bulldog can do it, I'm sure Dazzle could too!

Action Shot

The neighbor's trees

This is the same yard/area the next day!  Trying to find his Jolly ball I just threw...

And it's still snowing great big flakes...

Dashing through the snow... (Look at the size of those flakes!)

This is not a drift, this is actual depth!

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Hopefully we won't  get completely buried!  I'll post more photos as it gets deeper and deeper.  It snowed all night and I wanted to take photos this morning, but my camera batteries died.  I'll get more photos later today. With all day snow in heavy, steady amounts predicted, no doubt it will pile up fast!

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