Not much

I haven't done much this week. Monday and Tuesday I just took a break with no training at all. Well, except I have been trying to teach Miley a moving down. Meagan thinks this will help when Miley gets into her running circles in the ring. Ive been teaching both Guiness and Miley. Guiness is getting it faster than Miley but I think that's because I'm using a lure to teach it. Guiness does better with luring and Miley does better with shaping. Anyway we have a long way to go on the moving down. Then Wednesday and Thursday I work on the table. Guiness can get very excited running thur the yard and then Miley gets excited chasing him. Wednesday she did really well with being able to pull off chasing Guiness and then getting on the table. Even when someones dogs were running loose and came up to the fence. All the dogs barking and excited. I was still able to get Miley to get on the table. Thursday she was pretty consistent so I decided to up the anty (sp?). I had my husband ride his bicycle pass the front of the house. This made Guiness very excited. Running thur the yard while spinning tight circles and running again. So of course Miley's excitement level went way up too. She was chasing him full speed and I couldn't pull her off no matter what. To much to soon. I'm not sure how to increase the excitement just a little because the bike seems to be an all or nothing type thing. I'm sure I'll figure something out.

At the trial last week the water bucket spilled in the crate so everything was wet. I brought it inside to dry out. I guess Roxy figured this was a good way to use the crate. She has been sleeping up there all week.

Happy Birthday Stephanie!

Stephanie is 17 years old today. I thought I would post some picture of her that I think are cute. In the top picture she is holding flip-flops made out of duct tape. Duct tape really is the all around product.

I'll never be a vet

Or for that matter a vet tech. Last night I went up to check on the ferrets. The one with the insulin problem has been doing really well. The other one has been getting really fat. I'm not sure why but she has. Anyway, I gave them some fresh water and the lighter ferret (the fat one) got up and got something to drink. Every thing seemed good. I went and sat on the couch. I then heard banging around in the cage. That's weird , so I went to look. The light colored ferret was having difficulty walking and kept falling over. I took her out but she just kept trying to get away from me and I was afraid if I let her go she would get under something and I wouldn't be able to get to her. So I put her back in the cage. It was tortuous to watch as she flailed around in the cage and finally landed in a heap in the bottom corner of the cage. Her head and neck all distorted. It was horrible and I figured she was dying. I shut the cage and went down stairs because I just couldn't watch this poor thing die. I text my husband who was at a dinner meeting and told him he had to come home and help me because the ferret was dead. So he came home and I got a box. We went back up stairs and the ferret was now sleeping in its bed again. OMG, it wasn't dead. I couldn't believe it. It must have just been having a massive seizure. I'm sure my husband thought I was an idiot. There didn't look there was any thing wrong with her. So now what do I do. These poor ferrets , what next. ( That's why I couldn't be a vet, I cant even tell when an animal is dead). When my cat dead a few years ago, she just keeled over and that was that. I still took her to the vet to make sure. I told them," I'm 99.9% sure my cat is dead but can you make sure."

Im so mad!

The dogs were playing this morning and some how Mickey got his dew claw caught. So it was bent out and bleeding. I cleaned it up. I have to be at work by 7am so I asked my husband to drop him at the vet and get the nail clipped off. I knew my husband didn't want to wait at the vet so that's why I said to just do a drop off. First they call and say Mickey is due for all his shots. I told them I didn't think that was correct. I had him there is summer for his yearly and he wasn't due for any thing. I told her I would have to call my husband and him pull Mickeys file at home to see when he last got his shots. Well then she says she is sorry, she now sees he isn't due for any thing but I had to give him kennel cough vaccine because I dropped him off. Well we all know that the kennel cough vaccine wont cover him for today. But fine. I told her I just need the dew claw clipped. She said they might have to sedate him. What? He does this about once a year and they have always just clipped it and he is fine. She will call me back if he needs to be sedated. They never called and I go to pick him up this afternoon. The bill is 100.00 What???? I'm sorry to complain but I usually don't mind paying the vet for their services. I know it cost a lot of money to run a business but this I feel is over the top.

Exam 44.00
prep and or debride/flush wound 25.00 ( wound?, what wound?)
bandage 20.00 ( you've got to be kidding me right??)
toe nail trim 15.00
neo-pred with tetracaine powder 35.00
kennel cough vaccine 15.00

I'm sorry this is the most ridiculous thing I have every paid for. When I took my dogs to Bandfield and Mickey did this. The vet tech took him and clipped it , wrapped it and gave him back to me for free. Not that I think I should have this for free but 100.00. Rip off.
Next time I'll just take care of it myself.

Trial Day2

What did I learn Sunday? Run the whole course and work even the parts you think are easy. I focused so much on the hard parts and worried about them, that I messed up the easy stuff.

My first run was Exc JWW. I did a 2 jump lead out with a call the heel but I didn't lean back far enough and Miley missed the 2nd jump and then things fell apart for a few seconds. I didn't know what to do, so I just started running and Miley came. The rest of the course she did great. I wish I hadn't messed up the beginning. I was so worried about the double pinwheels and making my front crosses that I didn't worry about the beginning.

Then I was was watching the Exc Standard. The big dogs were running. So after I watched Meagan run, I figured I would get something to eat. I didn't eat yesterday and went 12 hours before I ate. So I wanted to make sure I ate today. I walked over to the stand. No one was in line. I ordered a hamburger and walked back to the agility ring. Crap, they were already walking Open standard. How did I miss it? They couldn't have rebuilt the course already. I guess they didn't have to change anything. When I got down to the ring. They blew the whistle to make everyone leave the course. Crap. I missed the walk thur. I did get to run it once very quickly between jump height changes. Anyway, once again the things I wasn't worried about, I had problems with. We missed a jump, I should have made sure I pulled Miley toward me on that run of jumps after the a-frame. Then she didn't go off course into the tunnel after the dogwalk. So that was good. She got into the weaves but her legs slipped out from under her and she came out of the weaves. I felt bad for her. She was trying so hard. Lots of dogs slipping this time unlike the last time I ran here. But this is a 4 day trial. I think last time I ran the first few days and not last one. It must get slicker as the days go by. Anyway it was then chute to the table. I would be in front of her for the table. I really thought she was going to get on and stay on. She slowed way up and got on, then she jumped off and I caught her. It really was just a reflex. All of a sudden I realized I had touched my dog on course. I think I had surprised look on my face because the judge started laughing. And we walked off the course. I wish I had thought to quickly put her back on the table but I didn't. I'm not mad a Miley, I really wish I could make her understand she has to stop on the table.
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Trial update

We are at an indoor trial this weekend. The good news is Miley didn't break her start line. She didn't move one little bit. WhooHoo. Open Standard and Exc JWW , 12inch , walked at the same time and were running at the same time. So I walked both courses and asked to run 1st in the jumpers ring. She didn't break so we got to run the course correctly. I was so excited. I did a lead out pass jump two and then into the tunnel. I'm not sure how, but we missed jump four. I didn't get video because i thought she was going to break and I would have to leave the ring. Anyway, she missed jump 4 ( I think she came in to tight when I called her name while she was still in the tunnel) and I think went in at the 2nd weave pole. But other than that she was perfect. I ran it just the way I planned. I heard someone yell, "great run". So that made me feel good. She was fast too. When I looked at all 50 , 12inch dogs she was tied for 2nd fastest time. 29.92 Yea!!
Then came standard. My plan was to try and catch her if she did a touch and go on the table. It was teeter to the table. But I just missed her. Ugh!! She took huge laps around the ring. I walked off. She came to the finish line. Im sure she was thinking, "Hey whats wrong?" Silly dog. I tried a couple of times to bring her to my side but she was just over the top. So that's why I walked off. I'm not sure if its the right thing to do but that's what I did. I think she just doesn't understand that she cant do that. But how to I make her understand. Hmmmm.
I had to laugh, I said thank you to the judge as I walked off. She said, " she's a great dog. I bet you in Exc Jumpers. (She laughed )What kennel did you get her out of?" Then she asked me about her again later when I was working the novice class. I guess things aren't as bad as they seem if people still want to know who I got my dog from. Lol

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Sorry but here are some more pictures from last weekend. Last week photobucket was having problems so I couldn't upload them all. I know , another tress picture. Sorry but this tree was really cool looking. And I really wish Miley had been looking at the camera on the second picture.

I took Miley to the field tonight. I just wanted to do a short work out. Some people were already there, so a course was set up. WhooHoo. Makes life easier for me. We had a good workout. Someone there gave me the suggestion of using the chuck-it to get Miley excited at the table. So if I called Miley to my side and then released her to the table,she got on. But if I let her loose and tried to just send her to the table while holding the chuck-it , she was just way to excited and did the touch and go thing. At least now I have something that can get Miley really excited, which must be what is happening at the trial. To high to stop on the table. Now to fix it , hopefully.