You know what I mean....

Somedays training your dog seem glorious and wonderful and you think "Wow, I must have the smartest dog EVER!" and my goodness he gets so many treats and belly rubs, and then there are other days...
I imagine that raising children is much of a roller coaster than raising a pup. That's how I know I'm not ready for kids! :)

Okay FINALLY an update!

I've been having some serious A.D.D. lately! Anytime I sit down to post an update, something comes up that I have to mess with, ugh.... but now here I am, yay! It has been a crazy summer so far.

Training Nemster has been going pretty well, with some challenges, in between all of the rain that we've had. I met with Terri last night to work on some of his weirdo issues that have come up in the past couple of months (hormones...). On lead he has been going nuts when he sees another dogs, especially a moving one. So we worked with her dog walking circles around Nemo, and C/T everytime he sat calmly. We figured out that his "comfort zone" for a moving dog is 15 feet and 5 feet for a stationary dog. He did great walking directly behind and in front of Roo (Terri's dog), if I held a target stick with some peanut butter on it right in front of his nose. He completely forget that Roo was there, he was so focused on that peanut butter :) So we're going to work on shortening and fading the stick eventually.
We also worked on him walking right past her dog with my giving him cookies as soon as he saw her dog and on up to her, but no cookies after we passed her. So hopefully soon he will learn that another dog = cookies! He's also developed a fear of some strangers - mostly men, he will squeeky bark and try to hide, all the while wagging his tail (told you they were weirdo issues..). So Terri had her son and husband walk circles around Nemo and toss cookies at him. After a while Nemo was eating out of their hands and doing pretty well.

She thinks a lot of this is age and he just doesn't know what to quite do with himself. She said the cases like this that she's seen before, where the dog has been well socialized and has had no traumatic experience, have "outgrown" the behavior by 12-15 months old with continued exposure like this to people and dogs.

OTHER THAN THAT :) he's been doing great! We've been doing mostly flat-work, which I want to have down solid before starting any obstacles, since I have no clue what I am doing handling. He's learned to target great and we're beginning table work. Since he's lost his puppy fat he's gotten tons of energy and is fast fast fast!

Ok so that's all that I have for now! I've been meaning to take some new pictures but... The stinkers all had baths yesterday so maybe I will get to it today.

I promise I'll do better! :)

Pre agility 3 class

Nemo and I started P3 last night - what a challenge! It certainly didn't help that Nemo was totally wired from not getting out yesterday with all of the storms that we had. We are beginning advanced heeling work, which was fine except that Nemo was much more interested in visiting with the dog in front or behind us, than he was me. I can't really blame him as I was more concerned about them too :) His moving downs and sits are coming along nicely (when he's paying attention to me, haha..). He's also learning to target, longer stays with more distractions, and also recalls with big distractions. Our circle work definitely needs improvement but he's such a smart little boy, I know he'll improve quickly as long as I get my act together!

No cookies...

Nemo and I both unearned our cookies this weekend. Nemo was so wound up and I was so frazzled...our class did not go well. I think more work on the basics is strongly needed before we're ready to tackle the big stuff! But we did get to meet RUFF...

Cookies for Nemo!

Nemo graduated from his P2 class last night! I'm so proud of my little pumpkin head!! The past couple of weeks we've been working a couple of times a day and it's really paid off. He had to do a 30 second "watch me," sit/stay for a minute from 15 ft with distractions, down/stay for a minute from 15 ft with distractions, have a verbal sit and sphinx down, perform 3 turns - about, front cross, and flip circle, and recalls from 12ft with distractions. He did everything perfectly!!!
Good boy Nemo! We may actually be able to do this whole training thing. : )

April 17th can't get here soon enough

Work has been crazy lately with the tax deadline coming up next week. We've had the strangest issues come up with our clients. We're also invested in some wacky canadian stocks, which creates a whole other tax monster.

I'm REALLY looking forward to the weekend. We haven't been able to play golf in I can't even remember when, and I have no idea when the last time I had my Sunday doggie class. I can't wait! Nemers has been doing really well with his obedience lately. He has his test tonight to graduate to P3. Hopefully we're ready!

I think I MAY have found my pup!! : ) I was going to wait until the fall, but I stumbled across this girl yesterday. It's really amazing - she's from the exact same lines as Nemo (grandparents on back), she has the markings I've been looking for, and she's in Oklahoma which saves the expense and trauma of shipping. She was born on Easter. I'm looking forward to seeing how this baby develops! Such a little hampster...

Dirty Dawgs!

This is the day after our tons of rain last Friday. My piggies found a lovely mud puddle to play in. :)

Update..

My Nemers has doggie class tonight. I think he's doing pretty well, but the true test is always how he does with all those crazy pups and people running around. :) We'll see!

Have a great afternoon!

Howdy!

The weekend just zipped by as usual. Friday we went to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sat. we saw the Last Mimsy. Marcus and I did bunches of yard work, well Marcus did most of the bunches but I planted a lot of pretty flowers! Chloe played with her new pack of friends. We've had a lot of kiddos move into the neighborhood, which is so great for her. Chloe and I got up early on Saturday to go get some doughnuts and kolaches, and then came home and got through the next level of Zelda :) Chloe gets bored with the intricate parts of the game, but loves opening all the treasure chests.


We had a downpour on Friday night so I have some awesome pictures of muddy pups to download and post one of these days. There's a very low part of our yard that collects a lot of water when it rains. It had a good four inches on Saturday and needless to say, Nemo and Dakota were both belly deep in it when I put them outside. They were like little piglets rolling in the mud. They had a blast playing and the pictures are cute, I promise! Nemo kept trying to bury his favorite orange squeeky toy in the puddle, said toy is now nasty!!!

Not much news on the training front. I've missed two weeks of class and was cancelled this week due to mud. Didn't have DDS class last week either, Terri took Roo to AKC nationals. Hopefully they did great!

We've been getting some good practice in at home though. This weekend with Chloe we worked on "stays" with distractions, Chloe being the ideal distraction. :) Nemo did pretty good, she walked circles around him, petted his head, took off running, make squealing girl noises, and he didn't budge. He did trip Chloe twice though when I called him to me. He BOLTED towards me right under her feet as she was walking circles around him. She was so perturbed that he had the nerve to trip to her. It was hilarious!

I know it's been awhile..

There's not much to update... We went camping this weekend, which was some much needed r&r. The pups were glad that we were back though! My little bro was watching them for me and since Ojoe has some weird fear of him, all of them were on edge the whole time. Well, except for Dakota - she'll wiggle her butt for anybody!! ( -:
We missed Wed. class last week so I'm hoping we're not too far behind. I just have to make sure that Nemo is RESTED, or else he has a.d.d.
Oh no new baby.. ) -: Cindy had her litter of pups but did not produce any black tri females. They are all very cute though! Four boys and one little merle girl. I will probably wait on her fall litter.
That's all for now!!

Isn't she cute?

That's Dakota Bear at 4 weeks old-ish. I just thought I'd post that picture because I was too lazy to download the new pictures from the camera this weekend. ( -:

The pups had fun this weekend helping me with yard work. Marcus and I uncovered the pool on Saturday. He dumped a bunch of chemicals and stuff in it yesterday, so hopefully between that and Mr. Sweepy, the murk will disappear. Dakota is thrilled that the cover is off, she loves to stand on the step in the water.

I wandered around the back yard and raked leaves, picked up sticks, bark, acorns, and other debris that's been collecting since fall. I love all of our trees, but holy cow it's never-ending work!! I also cleaned off the a/c units and swept up the patio. I'm trying to figure out what plants I can put in the back flower bed that are hardy enough to withstand three pooches.

We got to play about 13 holes on Saturday before we threw in the towel. It was too crowded and we were playing too crappy to continue. Sunday evening we hit some balls on the range. The weather was perfect and the grass on the range was pretty plush, which was nice to hit off of for a change.

I was so excited to go to class this Sunday. Nemo had been doing great in our little daily training sessions. He's attention has been improving and his stay's with distractions have been coming a long great. He's been loose-leash walking like a champ, BUT Sunday I learned TIRED PUPPY = ZERO ATTENTION SPAN! He got up very early with me to do yard work, and he and the other two ran wild all day. I could tell when I put Nemo in the car to go to class that he was one worn out pup. We had a good time though, I have to remind myself often that he is still a baby. ( -:

What a looooong week!

I'm SO GLAD IT'S FRIDAY! I think I've gotten a total of 10 hours of sleep all week. We've been staying up too late watching dumb movies. That's great, unless you have to wake up at 5:00 a.m. every morning, zzzzz.... I'm ready for the weekend!
Nemo did well in puppy class on Wednesday. He handled all of the distractions much better and seemed more focus. His stay is coming a long great, except when I march in place in front of him. He thinks that means "ok let's go!" for some reason. We'll work on it.. His also getting his "sphinx" down pretty well without much of a hand signal. We have class on Sunday, looking forward to applying our new skills. ( -:
Have a great weekend!!

Mondays...

I'm having a hard time coping with the fact that it's already Monday. What happened to the weekend? Where did it go? What did we do?
Chloe and I did have agility class Sunday, and had a blast! Dakota and Nemo both did pretty well in my opinion. Chloe's mom came and picked her up at our house yesterday, and Chloe just had to show her Dakota's "moves." Dakota must've hopped over her little jump 15 times, with Chloe saying ooooverrrrr... Chloe's mom must think we're weird, but oh well!! ( -:
I tried to talk Marcus into coming and taking some action shots, but he stayed home and watched golf. There wound up being a 4-way playoff, so I guess it was worth it!

Aussie type

So this is Leroy's (the sire of my potential new pup) profile... I'm learning what true aussie "type" is, in my continuing education of the breed, and apparently Leroy has excellent "type." "Type" is important above all else and you should never, ever, ever, ever breed a dog who does not have good type. See how much I'm learning!! ( -: Of course genetics, temperament, etc. are also of the utmost importance.

On another note, Nemo was evaluated the other day to see if he can "opt out" of Pre-Agility 1 class at Dallas Dog Sports. He did! We need some work on long stays, watch me's, and his toy drive, but otherwise did great! We start P2 this Wednesday. I'm excited to get the extra class time in besides Sundays. I need the incentive to get my tail off the couch. I'm also excited because there are three other mini aussies in my class!

Ugh...I have to get back to work. The entire market has totally tanked today because we got Shanghai'd overnight and the Taliban tried to blow up Dick Cheney. Hmmm... time to put the money under the mattress??

Class Pictures

Here are some pictures that Dori had taken in class this weekend. They crack me up!! I like the one of Chloe and Dakota, because the look on Chloe's face is because she is thinking that Dakota is going to have to jump that. ( -:

Dakota is doing great. She'll do anything as long as she knows there's a treat involved. Nemo is doing pretty well, but I need to be more consistent with his training. I can tell a big difference in his focus when I work with him everyday vs. when I'm lazy.

Nemo didn't have his Napoleon complex this week, so I was happy about that. ( -:

Puppy update

Cindy wrote me yesterday that Stella (Pockets Some Beach) had an ultrasound done and she is carrying seven pups! We're thinking that surely out of that many babies, there' s bound to be a nice little black tri female.

Pockets Some Beach X Southern Cross What's Your Alibi

I wanted to post our possible new addition plans. I have been in touch with a wonderful breeder, Cindy Shaykett of Boot Top Aussies http://www.boottopaussies.com. She is expecting a litter March 10 from a great cross of two Champions. We're hoping to get a nice little girl from the litter, who would be an excellent match for our Nemo.

Here is what she writes about the pair:
Pockets Some Beach (Stella) has been bred to Southerncross What's My Alibi (LeRoy) for early March puppies. These "Boot Top Babies" will be ready to go to their new homes in early May. The substance, athletic ability and intelligence of LeRoy can not be put into words! He has got to be the "happiest" dog that I have ever been around. I spent 10 days with him while getting these two Boot Top girls bred and he made me laugh every time I was around him. If his puppies have even a small amount of his personality and their dams willingness to please, they will be truly wonderful dogs that will fill the lives of their new owners with loyalty, companionship, and for those wanting to show, many championships! The pedigree of this cross has the making for a litter that will surpass what the breed has produced thus far!

Dam: Pockets Some Beach

















Sire: Southern Cross What's Your Alibi

Growing up...

Nemo turned 6 months old yesterday. It's amazing how these little guys grow right before your eyes. This is a picture from a few weeks ago of Nemo and Dakota wrestling as usual.

Nemo had some stitches removed on Saturday. He had a nice cut under his eye that, if I had to guess, was inflicted by Ojoe not feeling like being a "sheep" that day.

Ugh the trials of Nemo....

Anyhow, his coat is coming in beautifully. The vet weighed him in at 14.5 pounds. I need to watch his weight some, but I like his size - he has great bone structure.

Dakota and Nemo both are taking beginner agility classes, which are a riot. Dakota struts her stuff out there and Nemo seems to be enjoying it as well. Nemo is a little speeder and totally fearless, so I think he'll do pretty well if I get my stuff together and make the time to work with them regularly. Marcus and Dakota are soooooo cute together, I can hardly stand it! I'll have to take some "action" shots this weekend to post.

Our Girl

Name: Dakota
Born: 12/05
Features: Red Tri, 9 1/2 Inches, 7 Pounds

Dakota is Miss Wigglebutt! She is our tiny little dancing girl and the happiest dog I've ever met. She is all snuggles and kisses if you have a treat for her. She will be starting agility training, along with her brother Ojoe, in January.

Our Boys

Name: Nemo - CGC
Born: 08/28/06
Features: Red Merle, Blue Eyes, Son of ICAR Champion Mr. Pickles



Little Nemo is the newest addition to our family. He is a happy, energetic, and independant puppy. He loves to explore and is very inquistive, although he is just as happy snoozing on his back. Nemo earned his Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification in December at only 3 months of age. We are very proud of the little guy!

Name: Ojoe
Born: 07/05
Features: Blue Merle, One Blue Eye, 11Inches, 9 Pounds

Ojoe was our first Toy Australian Shepherd. We should've named him "Kisses," he has tons to give! Ojoe is our little guardian and my special boy. He is very intelligent and is eager to please.

Marcus, Chloe, and Ojoe - I love this picture!