Calvin and Darren

True confession

Wed, 11 May 2005 06:53:43 GMT

I've had a devastating crush on for so long, but until now I've been too shy to admit it. I do hope that they feel the same way about me. When I have more time, I will write a sonnet on the subject.

Darren Go'Licky CGC NAC NGC NJC (I think) plus a buncha USDAA novice titles

Mon, 14 Mar 2005 04:58:40 GMT

Darren's birthday weekend at the K9X trial:

Novice combo 1: Q and 1st (got the gamble)
Novice combo 2: Q and 1st
Novice combo 3: NQ and 3rd (got the gamble)
Novice combo 4: Q and 1st

Novice jumpers 1: NQ and 3rd
Novice jumpers 2: I think we Q'ed and got 1st, but I left before the scores came out

Novice Tunnelers: NQ (one second over time!)
Novice Weavers: NQ and eighteen gajillion seconds over time
Novice Touch and Go: Q

We may also have won the novice A high in trial. I hope so, since we'll never again have a shot at it. :D

Open Letter to Fartypants McHotshot

Tue, 22 Feb 2005 07:52:30 GMT

I don't care how many multiple-MACH dogs you're campaigning.

I don't care how hard menopause is hitting you.

When your intestinal gas is so fucking terrible that it's affecting the dogs running in the ring next to which you've set up, IT'S TIME TO GO HOME.

Your Agility Sweatpants and the huge ass they contain are forever burned into my mind.

Sun, 30 Jan 2005 07:35:43 GMT

The metronome is set to 126 bpm. I'm holding my hand across my midsection as though I were holding a leash. I'm marching around the living room and the kitchen, practicing my about-turns.

The dogs are going nuts. It blows their mind to see me heeling WITH NO DOG.

Mmm, footwork.

I live in two worlds

Thu, 27 Jan 2005 05:44:34 GMT

I'm so confused.

Kung fu means never, ever pivot on the ball of your foot.

Heeling means always pivot on the ball of your foot.

When will I be whole??

Tue, 21 Dec 2004 04:49:31 GMT

Calvin and I went for a 2.5 mile run today, followed by stand-stays, moving drops and a session of. . . fetch with a tennis ball!!!

We played. We PLAYED. We played a game. Calvin got hellacious zoomies, but he had fun.

Calvin also jumped a four-foot wall. What an athletic boy!

One Week to Go

Sat, 16 Oct 2004 19:50:29 GMT

This week, Calvin is not a pet but a diva-in-residence who must be treated with kid gloves. His first AKC obedience trial is one week away, and he must be in good form. I resolve not to teach him anything new this week or allow him to break any stays. Mostly, that means no putting him into a stay and then forgetting about it! The only time he really breaks is when I forget him. I've also advised Ira not to correct Calvin. The harshest thing Calvin ever hears is "ep-ep-ep," but even that's enough to shut him down.

We've been reviewing key skills in short, fun bursts. Every day this week, we'll train in a new setting.

On Thursday, I took Callie out to Red Bud Isle to practice stays in the off-leash dog park. He held his stays while a yellow Lab gallumphed over to him and invited him to play, and a little Jack Russell challenged him to a duel. Space invaders were no challenge for him, but the sound of dog tags jingling in the distance proved irresistable. He broke his stay and ran over to challenge the unseen dog, who turned out to be a Briard. Dammit! That's a big reward for Calvin. He believes Briards to be sheep rather than dogs, and loves every chance he gets to herd one.

After a little more work, I released Calvin to mingle with the other dogs and I chatted with some friends. As usual, he had a meltdown. The smell of fried chicken led him to two women having a picnic right next to the parking lot. I looked over and found him sitting beside their makeshift table, staring intently at their food. Calvin! Leave those people alone and go play! Calvin loped away from the table into the parking lot, in front of a pickup truck that was rolling forward at two miles per hour. Calvin was ten yards away from the pickup, which stopped for him, but he still panicked. He froze. If he stayed where he was, the truck would run him over. If he moved out of the road, he'd be right next to the picnicking women I had ordered him away from. He looked from one to the other and back again, then lost control of his bladder. I picked him up and carried him back to my car and took him home. Poor Calvin.

Yesterday, I stopped by the Texas Democratic Committee offices to pick up some yard signs. Calvin did a sit-stay at the front door while I stepped into the office for a minute. Then I pulled some cones out of my trunk and practiced figure 8's on leash. Calvin was distracted and squirrely and began to shut down. I made him do a few very simple tricks, fed him some treats and headed home. It's funny, but medium-low distraction environments are harder for him to work through than utter chaos. He needs a lot of noise to activate his filters.

I hitched a ride downtown with Ira this morning. Ira went to the optometrist to pick up his contacts, and I ran through some obedience with Calvin. Absolutely smashing. Despite the noise of the cars and people passing by and the smell of city sidewalks, Calvin gave me good attention and heeled very nicely. His about-turns on leash are getting better. We did some recalls and a few short stays as well.

USDAA trial at Hutto

Wed, 06 Oct 2004 04:23:07 GMT

Saturday was lots of fun, but there were complications. Our run in Standard was gorgeous, and we ran fast and clean, BUT I got a bit too excited and left the pause table a split second early. Game over. We were late for Snooker, and Darren didn't get the Gamble. Still, we chatted and ate snacks and ran around and bonded, so that was good.

Plotting out the courses on paper makes a huge difference. I did so for both Jumpers and Standard on Sunday, and we Q'd both times.

We earned fourth in Jumpers. Someone's husband was bar setting, and he didn't know that you're not supposed to take your backpack full of snacks into the ring with you. D'oh! Darren ran over to him and started in on his cute doggie routine, but he turned right around when I called him back to me. Oh, right, he seemed to say, we're competing. The rest of the course went swimmingly.

We did brilliantly in Snooker with lots of points in the opening and a lovely closing sequence. Our downfall was the twelfth weave pole, the last obstacle in the sequence. Darren popped out twice before getting it right the third time! Ah, well.

I was satisfied with the weekend. We put in some joyful and graceful performances, and that's what I'm really interested in.

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 04:25:41 GMT

Darren had to go to the vet today. He was limping and not putting weight on his left hind leg. He seemed to be improving, but I really wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything serious going on.

Dr. Van Winkle did a thorough exam, and she found a soft tissue injury in his piriformis! I have no idea how Darren pulled his butt muscles, but I'm glad that that's all it was. She performed a series of adjustments on him, and he left the office walking on all four legs. Huzzah!

We'll skip training for the rest of the week, but he should be fine for the Oct. 2 trial.

Mon, 01 Dec 2003 07:30:29 GMT

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