3/52 Weeks

Reese 3/52 weeks

Bella 3/52 weeks

Sophie 3/52 weeks

2/52 Weeks

2/52 Sophie

2/52 Reese

2/52 Bella

Pairs Run!

Something I didn't think I'd ever see - let alone at our first trial!  Here is Reese and River's Pairs Runs.

Back from the Trial

Reese and I attended our first trial this weekend. We were entered in 6 runs, two Standards, Snooker, Gamblers, Jumpers and Pairs. Each run got better. While we didn't Q I found lots to work on in training which is good. That's what trials are for in my book, to test your training. Things can look really good in practice but it's not until the real deal that you find out where your weaknesses are. Reese is pretty wiped out. We got a toy for entering. We chose a turtle (pink of course), because we are slow! But not for long - that is going to change.

Outside the ring however, Reese made progress in leaps and bounds. No screaming in the crate, no barking in her crate. Some stress drooling Saturday and a very small amount on Sunday, she even slept in it whether I was sitting there or not. (She usually fusses to get out if I am there). Yes she was probably tired by then, but still she slept and was relaxed! As a dog with separation anxiety issues this was huge for her, this was the second huge stride she made on this in the past week. Also as the trial progressed she really started to understand the routine of a trial situation.

She did great with her Pairs run, video coming soon on that. She also did good focusing on me when she got to the start line, even when she was pretty amped up going into the ring. Jumpers run had some technical difficulty so I'm not going to blind you with it but here are a few of the runs. Now the work begins....

52 Weeks Project

 Week One of the 52 Week challenge.

Bella 1/52

Sophie 1/52

Reese 1/52

(color is a bit different here but for some reason I liked this shot)

Cold Weather Gear for Canines

When it is cold and by cold I mean a balmy high 0-10 degree F, dog owners have to get a little creative with ideas to work their canine minds and provide some physical exercise. Yes, even us northerners want to stay sane.

Learning new tricks and visits to Pet stores for a place to take a walk where you don't have to see your breath are a few of the old standbys. But after days confined to the house with their human who keeps mumbling obscenities under their breath about the weather, and saying, "another trick - lets teach you to play the trombone this time, yeah that one might keep us busy until Spring...."

When you are at day 5 or 6 of the frigid temps and the thermometer gives no indication of retreating from its current plummet you just have to put your layers on top of your layers which are on top of your clothes and so on....

And you are not the only one who needs to dress for the occasion. Even dogs will don their gear for a real walk...

First off dogs can and do get frost bite, so watch that the temps aren't too low. But if you are going to venture out here is the gear we use to keep Reese comfortable and happy and ready for what winter throws at us which where we live can be anything and everything.

Our year round staple in the gear department, but particularly in the Winter is what Reese?

Why its my Musher's Secret of course! 

 I love my Musher's Secret. We got a 1 pounder this year, so we are set....

I bow to thee, o' Musher's Secret

It keeps my paws warm and safe so we can run and walk everyday.

Just try to take my Musher's Secret away! I dare ya!

Seriously, this is good stuff. We obviously use it in the winter but it can be used all year round, for hikes on rough terrain or paws that have been chewed up by rough pasture land. It can also be used for ear bites etc.  It won't stain your rugs and keeps paws protected from ice and prevents ice balls in between toes.

Then there are the dog booties. They aren't just for sled dogs.

I made the blue ones and they are our preference. The pink ones are a little higher and that is a nice feature. However the pink ones didn't hold up as long as the ones we made, the bottoms wore through too fast. 

We do have to use one pink one as one of our blue ones got lost in a snow bank. These are made for walking or running on packed snow or a snow covered roads or sidewalks. It does protect their paws from the windchill and from ice and does keep the snowballs from forming in a bit deeper snow. Snowbanks tend to eat them so be forewarned.  When our booty production line opens again after the holidays we will be making some taller ones similar in height to the pink ones.

Then there is the coat. I don't normally dress my dog except for a coat or sweater when the cold temps hit. This coat is from Clean Run (http://www.cleanrun.com/) It is a great coat that protects from the cold, the wind and the wet.

Here is the whole package together.  Reese thinks this modeling business is so boring!

Seriously. The heat was cranked to 70 for the felines baths, now your dress me up for photos!

Some dogs will fuss and act like they cannot possibly walk in booties. But get them out the door and they forget they are on.

Are we done yet?

Here is a short video of Reese using her winter gear.

Happy 2011

Happy New Year!  2011 promises to be a great year with lots of new things happening and the achievement of goals that I have been working towards.  I changed the blog up a bit, something I have been planning for awhile now. I have an idea of what I want in my head, so it may be changing a bit here or there until I get it right.

Goals with Reese are to successfully trial this year and pick up a few titles. We have our first agility trial next weekend - it should be a great time! I have more trials planned throughout the year.

My photography skills will continue to be tested this year with some new projects I am doing. I started a new photo blog a number of months ago and I am revamping it a bit and then it will be linked to my Photo Blog page. I am doing a 52 Weeks of Cats through a group on Flickr. Some weeks have topic challenges but mostly it is up to you to find a photograph from that week to submit. I am doing this with Reese too, but on my own, no group, just going to see what I can challenge myself to do. I figure it will be a good way to look back at the end of the year and see how much I have improved.  You can see these on my Flickr site or the Photo Blog link on the new page. 

Goals for me include to find time to relax, read more, and run more!