Monday, June 14, 2010

Crickets first fun match and first swim!!!

I am feeling like one of those obnoxious moms with Cricket, I just think everything she does is so amazing, LOL, and she is just at such a fun age, it is just more fun every day! I think this such a fun stage for puppies.

Today was Crickets first chance to really swim. The pool finally got ready for the summer, and Cricket got the first swim of the season. The water was SOOO cold. If I was not so anxious to let Cricket try water I would not have got in.




Yesterday was a really super exciting day. I took Liz/Breeze/Cricket to a fun match. YIKES, three at the same time is HARD because they all go so nuts if it is not their turn. I guess I am going to have to work that out....but we had a blast.

The course that was set up had three tunnels and I asked if I could do what I wanted, so I put jump bumps on the jumps by the tunnels and back chained first a tunnel, then a jump driving to a tunnel, then two jumps to a tunnel, then did a front cross to a tunnel. We got to go and play on all three tunnels so it was the perfect place to work, one of the tunnels was right by the crating area so I saved it for last. Cricket was a STAR! I SERIOUSLY WISH I HAD GOT VIDEO, figures I get video of all sorts of boring little things but this would have been fun to watch. Anyway, babies first sequences! LOL.


I was sooo pleased that even though Cricket was a little over the top watching the dog next to us playing when it was our turn she got on the course and was all about agility. She even got the ball and did a small circle but just came right back to me. Cricket took food, she played with the ball AND was a tugging fool at the end of our little sequences-so far she is one of the easiest dogs to train because she values so many things, I have never had as much of that and boy, that just makes it so much easier to train what I want. All the things that Cricket values, and the fact that almost nothing throws or scares her, or if it does she just bounces back so quickly, I really think I lucked out on getting my little Crickster as my baby, I could not ask for a better puppy. As soon as we got off the course and walked past the other people at the fun run she was back to her little spacey self, running and jumping and trying to say hello to everyone and acting like they were all her long lost best friends.

Breeze did AMAZING at the course and caught the weaves wonderfully and there was a line of five jumps with a tunnel opening straight in front of the line, I did my handy dandy Linda M deceleration and Breeze never thought of taking the tunnel, did the hard turn to the weaves and caught the entrance, she is exciting to play with now that things are coming together. We are still working on some things but her skills are growing by leaps and bounds lately.

OK so Breeze and Cricket WERE AMAZING, and Liz just AMAZED me and everyone else (but in a different type of amazement, LOL). I have to remember SMALL VICTORIES, LOL. That is what I am looking for right??? LOL, I have to laugh and I am so glad I have one easy dog or I would really think I was the crappiest trainer around. So Liz was just too over the top with excitement at the fun run. I was the bad trainer and should have just tried for getting her to take some little pieces of the course and left out anything hard, but I tried the weaves right off the bat. DUH!! She does weaves really nice and loves them when she can think, but I totally misjudged her level of arousal. So that was a bust, then when I did start a little line of jumps Liz was so over the top she PLOWED right through a triple, she does that occassionally. The jump went flying, I dont know how she hit it but the stantions flew yards away, the bars went straight up in the air, and Lizzie was limping, ughghhgghgh. It was a bad hit. I walked her for a few min. and she looked fine and she looks fine this morning, but when am I going to learn to not push so much with my space cadet?

Tonight is our fitness for Fido class, and I think the Crickster is the lucky dog that gets to go for the socialization opportunities.

6 comments:

Sara said...

Cricket was the cutest in the pool! She looked like a natural. How cute does she look wet? OMG.
What a joy she is!

Maybe Liz thought the triple was some sort of new obstacle...like a wall she was supposed to knock over? LOL. I'm glad she's ok. I've seen many border collies tear up courses....literally. You're not alone.

AC said...

Love the cricket video. She's so fun and fearless! I got this image in my head of Lizzie plowing through the jump with a cape on her back...the superdog ready to save the day.

Danielle said...

That is so cute! It looks like you are doing a great job with her! I just love these Hillcrest pups.

Chris and Ricky said...

Cricket is a total natural in the water - she loves it! Glad to hear she did so well at the fun match too!

Liz just wants you to have some challenges in your life - LOL!

Diana said...

It must be hard having multiple dogs and trying to remember what each dog needs. Cricket looks like she loved swimming. I wish my dogs liked to swim. My next dog, Im going to work really hard on getting them to like water.LOL Diana

Cynthia Blue said...

How fun! Jet kinda swam today.. dove in a lake after ducks and went under. LOL. He is a goofy swimmer, I hope he enjoys it though!