It's the Holiday Season!!!

Good Evening Everyone!
I was hoping to have a blog post done a couple of days ago, but I was waiting for my dad to get my videos published of my weekend agility trial runs before I posted.  I competed this past weekend for the first time in the Open level of an AKC agility trial in both the Standard Courses and the Jumpers with Weaves course.  There are a total of 3 different levels, Novice, Open and then Excellent/Master.  One major difference between Novice and Open is that I have to make it through 12 weave poles instead of 6. It's a lot of weaving if you ask me!  Another major difference, which my mom wasn't really prepared for is I didn't have a lot of wait time between my two runs.  When I competed in Novice I would run one of my courses and then have a couple of hours before I had to run again.  This past weekend I had maybe 30 minutes between my two runs. This was unexpected for my mom and me.  I did manage to get a perfect 100 and a first place finish in my first attempt at Open Jumpers with Weaves on Friday, which happened to be my first run of the whole trial.  Then I think I started to overthink those silly weave poles!  Here are some links of my runs so you can see me in action:

My Saturday Jumpers with Weaves Course

My Saturday Standard Course

My Sunday Jumpers with Weaves Course

My Sunday Standard Course

It was a learning experience for me.  I will get a chance to compete again in an AKC trial in March.  One of the coolest things that happened at this trial is I got to meet a family member.  A Dog family member that is.  Turns out I had a doggie nephew there and he did quite well. I would like to introduce you to Brody-Bear:

His granddog dad is my doggie dad! So he knows my grandma Julie!! He is a Kansas dog too!  He earned is Mach (Master Agility Champion) title this weekend on Friday! I was so proud of him!!!  It was so neat to meet a doggie family member from another state just by chance!

I am trying to get ready for Christmas.  I am going to be a lucky dog again and get to go to Florida to see my Uncle Tim and Aunt Jamie and cousins Nicole, Megan and Jason.  I will get to stay at my Gramma and Granddad's house.  I am not really looking forward to the long car trip, but I am looking forward to a vacation with my family!!

Thanks for all of your support in my agility adventures!

Keep those tails waggin'

Happy 7th Birthday to ME!!!

Hello everyone!  Finally I got my mom to sit down and type my awesome barktations!  I have been so busy since March I am sure that I won't be able to share everything that has happened, but I'll give a good ol' college try.  First of all let me share that today is a very special day! It's my 7th birthday!! Mom says that I get to have a special service of C&C tonight! I am so excited about that!  Let me share if I haven't already that I was able to earn my first AKC agility titles in both Standard Preferred and Jumpers Preferred at the last trial at Expo square.  I will get to compete in the Open class for the first time in December! I am excited.  I have been working very hard and I am ready for the next competition.  Even though being 7 years old qualifies me as a "veteran" I am still ready to give it my best college try.

 I have some very sad news to share...my mom and dad decided to take in a little rescue.  She's a dorkie (part dachsund, part yorkie, all pain).  They named her Penny Lou.  All she does is bounce around.  She doesn't follow directions very well.  Sure everyone says she's cute and that drives me a little crazy.  Mom did start taking her to school.  I don't mind her as much when she has a school collar on, but boy she has way too much energy.  Annoyyyyying.

It has turned to football season and now even basketball season.  I love sports seasons because there is more time to hang at home with the family and cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas Jayhawks! Mom and dad got all of us kids awesome Chiefs gear.  I of course get to dress up as a linebacker.  Penny is a silly cheerleader and Little Guy is the super fan!  At the beginning of this football season the Chiefs weren't looking so great, but then when the Kansas City Royals started to do well in baseball, the Chiefs started to really step it up!  Once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk. 

Winter is really starting to kick in.  I really love when mom has her heated comforter turned on.  I usually prefer to sleep under the bed, but when mom gets up in the morning to take the annoying one, er um I mean Penny for a morning walk, I sneak up to the bed and take advantage of the warm spot and warm blanket.  I prefer to play outside when the weather is a little bit cooler, but I can appreciate a warm blankie as much as the next dog.

Ever since mom started her own therapy business, I have been able to work some days to earn more allowance to buy some extra dog treats.  I get to do some fun things like play tea party, go through tunnels with kids as part of an obstacle course.  I have to admit though, it is quite tiring to be at work all day with mom.  

I tried to be a good big brother to Penny at Halloween.  We both had awesome costumes. I was of course the Chiefs linebacker.  Penny was a bull with a bullrider (a little over-the-top if you ask me, but Penny is jealous of my fabulousness I think).  So I was walking Penny down the sidewalk in the backyard showing her how to look awesome and hope that the neighbors gave treats.  Penny seemed a little freaked out by little kids. I told her it was okay and then I would laugh a little.  Penny did an okay job listening to mom and dad, guess those dog school classes are paying off after all.  

My mom and dad got married back in July so we are all Hackler's now, but I still prefer to go by Boca or Boca Bear.  Last night we took our family pictures for our Christmas cars this year.  I really can't believe mom and dad decided to let Penny and Little Guy come to the photo shoot.  They were complete amateurs.  Hopefully there is some picture that can be used to send out an awesome Bocaworthy Christmas card to everyone.

Mom says she will help me stay more up to date on my blog now that her business seems to have stabalized some...So let's all keep our paws crossed that is true.

Keep those tails waggin'

Boca

What an Agility Weekend!!!!

I know I haven't gotten to do too many blog entries this year, but there are lots of good reasons as to why.

First, my mom is starting her own speech therapy business and that takes up some of her time since she is still working full time at the University of Tulsa too until mid-May.  However, she hasn't let her busy work schedule keep her from taking me to school for Agility training!!

Mom and I have really been focusing on our team work.  We have both had good skills but we just hadn't connected them together until recently.  Mom would want to do things one way and I would want to do them another.  Well finally, during this last school session we have figured out how to make it all click together during classes anyway.  I was entered into a UKC trial that was supposed to take place back in Feburary, but if you're not from Oklahoma then our weather here has been the dog-gone days of winter here.  We have had numerous nice days but it seems like for every 50 degree day we've had, we have had 3 ice storms.  Now I love the snow, but ice makes my paws slip everywhere and makes me feel nervous about walking around outside.  Schools around town have been closed many times, mom's university was even closed a couple of times because of bad ice and extreme cold weather.  There was one morning that it was so cold that I even felt cold going outside with my big fur coat on.  Well with all of that going on, the weekend that the UKC Trial was supposed to happen in February there was a high risk of really bad weather, so the 2-leggeds decided that it woudln't be safe to drive with all of us precious cargo and postponed the event to mid-march.  That was great and all, but mom had me entered in an AKC Agility trial for March 14, 15, and 16th.  The UKC trial was now going to be March 22nd and 23rd.  March was going to be an awesome agility adventure for me!

Well here it is March 16th!  I have been competing for the last 3 days in the Tulsa Dog Training Club's AKC Agility trial.  I have been competing in 2 classes: Novice Jumpers with Weaves (JWW) and Novice Standard Agility (STD).  On Friday, I was so excited that I was going to get to spend the whole day with mom and have 2 agility runs during the day and see some of my favorite 4-legged friends from school. I didn't realize that my day would start so early in the morning...5:15 am.  Mom and I took all my stuff (portable condo, water dish, treats, towel to dry off, and blankets) and set up my spot for the weekend.  Then mom had some work to do.  She kinda helps run the weekend's events with my teacher Mrs. Dovie.  Well after about 2 hours it was my turn to start getting ready.  Mom took me out for a walk outside to take care of "business" if ya know what I mean and then she went to walk the course I would be running.  My mom showed me the map so I could look it over and we high-fived that we got it and would use good team work.  I was first dog to run the course so I didn't have anyone to copy or watch.  I had to trust my mom and she had to trust me.  Well we wound up smoking the course!  I got a perfect score of 100 and had the fastest time for dogs of my height division and took 1st place.  I was so proud and so was mom!  Then I got to chill out and wait for a while until I would run in the Standard Agility course...this while turned out to be about 4-5 hours.  But I was patient and didn't complain. I just hung out in the office and made sure everything with the trial was funning smoothly.  Then before I knew it, it was my turn to get ready to run in the ring.  Mom and I did the same warm-up routine.  We went out for a walk and then mom walked the course, I reviewed the map, and then it was go time.  Mom and I got a little off sync when it came time for me to get on the table and I would up with a 5 point deduction because I stopped just before I got on the table, but I recovered quickly and we carried on.  I still received a score of 95 which was high enough and I was fast enough to get a qualifying score and a first place in Standard for the day too!! It was such an awesome day and such a good feeling but i was feeling so tired by the time I got home.  Mom and I went to bed as early as we could because mom told me we would have the same schedule the next day.

Then Saturday morning arrived way before I was ready for it to. I was exhausted!! So mom let me stay home with Dennis for an extra couple hour nap before I had to go up to compete.  When Dennis said it was time to go to the dog show I was ready to rock and roll.  I ran into the arena and took Dennis to where my condo was set up. I said hi to mom and to everyone working in the office, Dovie, Mariann and Leslie.  Then I hung out in my condo for a little bit whlie they got my ring all set up for JWW.  Mom went and walked the course then came in and showed me the map.  We then went for a walk around the outside of the building and then before I knew it was my time to be in the ring.  Well I started my run and was feeling great as mom and I turned from obtacle 3 to 4, the cone was right in the middle of the weave poles.  The judge walked over to mom and said oh you guys can start over.  Mom was afraid we would get disqualified, and said it was fine, the judge said no penalty would be assessed, and we had to stop and start the course all over.  I wasn't nervous, but you could tell lots of people were nervous that we wouldn't do as well having to start the course over.  Well we just gave it our best go and again mom and I smoked it!! We got another perfect 100 and first place finish!!  Then came the long wait until I would run the standard course.  Mom was worried that standard wouldn't go well because of how tired I looked, but I told her I would chill out during the time in between and take it easy in my condo.  When my time came up to run in Standard I wasn't feeling my best but I was going to try my hardest.  Mom and I stuck to the routine that had been working.  We went for our walk around the building, and warmed up on the jumps and got our legs ready to run.  At the start of the course I got a little distracted by a jump that the judget set out to try to trick us 4-leggeds, mom quickly got me back on track and I ran superfast to make up for the time.  I wound up getting a 95 and a first place! 

Sunday was the last day, and I had set myself up to possibly get titles in both JWW and Standard Agility if I got a qualifying score in either or both of the courses.  Mom and I went to bed around 7:30 on Saturday night and we both felt much more rested.  I was going to be the first dog to run aroudn 7:30am.  We got to the show and I was ready.  Once the maps were made available mom and I read through the map and mom said it looked like a nice smooth and flowing course.  She told me I would need to pay attention, but that I could go fast.  We got all warmed up and I was ready when the judge was ready.  I went and smoked the course again.  I ran it just over 33 seconds with no errors.  This gave me a score of 100 and a first place finish and a Title in Jumps with Weaves!!  Then it was time to hang out and wait for the Standard course.  Mom and I looked over the map and just laid low trying not to feel to excited about the title I had already earned and stay focused on the Standard course.  Well the time went by pretty fast before it was my turn to go on the course.  Mom told me it was going to be another fast course. I was ready!  Of course when I went outside to take care of business before getting ready to warm up I noticed it was quite a big colder and it was snowing.  I started the course with a bang...well when I got to the table I was ready to keep going...mom said it was a fast course and I was ready to keep moving.  Well I saw mom start to move again but turns out it wasn' t my turn to move again so I had to get back on the table again. I was a little confused, but mom and I got on the same page again real quick.  Then we finished the course as quick as I could.  I blew through the teeter totter and the weave poles. I would up only scoring a 90, but it was still good enough for a qualifying score and a first place finish!

So it was an incredible weekend! I competed in 6 runs.  I got 6 qualifying scores. Placed first all 6 times, and walked away with 2 new titles!! I am so excited and so tired all at the same time!  

I am so excited to be able to share my runs from Saturday and Sunday with you.  Please click on the links below to watch me in action!!!

Click HERE to view my Jumps with Weaves run from Saturday March 15th

Click HERE to view my Standard Agility run from Saturday March 15th

Click HERE to view my Jumps with Weaves run from Sunday March 16th 

Click HERE to view my Standard Agility run from Sunday March 16th

Next weekend I get to compete in an UKC Agility Trial.  I'll be competing in AGI and AGII in hopes to earn points.  Wish me luck.

I hope everyone has had a great weekend!! This has been one of the best weekends of 2014 yet for me!

Going to Gramma's for Christmas!!!

A Very Merry Christmas to All from Florida!!

I got to go on another gnarly (I've been hanging with my Uncle Tim and cousins) road trip.  Mom and I got to bring Dennis and Little Guy with us!  It all started on Friday December 20, 2013.

First thing we had to do was get all of our stuff in the car.  We had a lot of stuff.  Christmas presents for the whole family.  Of course we had to have room for my car seat and my condo and my pillow and my snacks and my leash.  Fortunately we didn't forget any of the very important stuff.  Then I had to look out for Little Guy as this was going to be his first major road trip.  He got to bring his very own Cottage. I was a little jealous as he got to bring a bathroom on board with him!  He found his cottage to be a comfortable place to ride.

I mostly preferred to ride in my car seat.  First I find it a safe place to be, and second I can put my paws up on the window and see where we are and the cars around us.

We went all the way from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Dothan Alabama on the first day.  We had to make several stops.  Some for me to take care of nature calls and some for food for the car and some for food for mom and Dennis.  When we would stop, Little Guy liked to hop in the front see to get a better view of where we were going.  Mom would always say he looked like a sailor saying "Ahoy there!"

The only bad part of Little Guy taking in the scene like this is he figured out he could hop over the cloth barrier between the front and back seats, so me being the 4-legged with road trip experience, I decided to help block the path.  I thought this would be a good way for Santa to see I was a good helper and that I could help teach Little Guy the ropes of car trips.

We got to stay in a hotel.  We were wiped out by the time we got there.  We all just crashed.  The only thing I hate about hotels is they don't understand that a dog like me likes to sleep under the bed and they block that area.  I tried my best not to complain too much and just make the most of it.  I knew it was only for one night.  Once I finally got comfortable in the hotel I heard Little Guy up and exploring....that cat...he went to exploring. I kept an eye on him. He went behind the TV, up on the bathroom counter, all over the place. I tried to alert Dennis but he seemed to think it was no big deal. So I decided I was way too tired and I was going to sleep!

Saturday came and it was a pretty short day in the car.  Before we knew it we were at Gramma and Granddad's Florida house.  Mom and Dennis went to the beach.  Mom said it was Dennis' first trip to the Atlantic Ocean.

Dennis had to go walk in the sand near the water too. I haven't had, I mean gotten (sorry mom) to go yet. I am not real fond of the ocean. It makes lots of loud noise and is rather unpredictable!  Turns out Dennis learned this quickly too.

As the story goes, he was standing looking at the water and waves and everything. Mom was telling him he should take his shoes and socks off (why 2-leggeds wear all that I don't know, but...) but before he knew it the water crept up and splashed on him! He got all wet....I can totally relate.  Even still he was all smiles and thought it was great to see the Atlantic.

We have had tons of fun. I have gotten to see lots of family.  We have played. Tomorrow is Christmas we are all very excited. I am sure I'll have another blog to tell all about it!  But for now, I would like to wish you all a fantastic Christmas!!

Keep your tails waggin'

Boca Bear!

Hello Everybody!!! I have Agility News to Share!!!

Hello! 

I can't believe it's been since August since I've been able to get my mom to do a blog entry.  You guys might want to grab some extra treats because I have a lot of sharing to do.  It's been a busy fall for my mom, and for me too!  Don't get too upset with my mom for not posting regularly, things have been a little nuts at her job (you'll see I went and visited and calmed it all down) and well we are just busy.  

I guess I'll start with some sad news first.  I've lost some of my favorite cat relatives.  My Uncle Orion passed away during his last visit to Florida.  My mom said she knew him since he was an itty bitty kitty, just like she's known me since I was practically born.  My new brother from another mother Big Guy passed away in October.  Here is a picture of he and I just chilling on the couch.  I sure do miss him, but am glad Little Guy is still around.

Then just last week my Aunt Girl Kitty Cat passed away, she was the same age as my Uncle Orion.  It is so hard to lose family members.  We are all trying to deal with it and move on.

In mid-October or so, mom and I went on what felt like a long car ride to a place called Normal for a UKC Agility Trial.  I had 2 legs of my AG-II title and just needed 1 more so mom was brave and entered me in AG-I and AG-II, because once you get your AG-II title then you can start earning points by competing in AG-I and AG-II to earn a United Agility Champion (UACH) title!  And how cool would it be to say I'm Boca a United Agility Champion!!  Well, the first day didn't go so great.  But, I have to say in my defense it didn't go so great for most of the dogs there.  This first day happened to be the day that when mom and I got home, the "big" decision had to be made about Big Guy.  I knew when I left in the morning that he wasn't feeling well and I was just worried all day and couldn't concentrate.  So on Sunday, mom and Dennis and I all drove back down to Norman and look what happened.....

That's right I earned my AG-II title!!! and I got some points on the AG-I course!  How cool is that.  So my next UKC Agility Trial will be back at my home club in mid-February.  Boy, I hope I can rack up some more ribbons and toys and have a great time. 


Then it was time for Halloween.  Mom has had some crazy costumes for me in the past, but this year I got to help pick mine out.  Mom also told me I was going to get to go to work with her that day because the students were getting a little stressed and worn out and I would be a great pick me up.  Well upon my entrance in my awesome: Dog Vader outfit....I did not let her down.  Everyone was smiling and taking pictures.  For a majority of the day I hung out on mom's desk which is my favorite spot because I can watch people walk by.  We even got an awesome class picture this time.  See how well I fit in!

Then it was time for Thanksgiving.  Mom and Dennis went to Hutchinson Kansas and I stayed with Gramma and Granddad.  We had a great time! I helped them get ready for their trip to Florida. I am excited that I will get to go to their Florida house again for Christmas this year and that Dennis and Little Guy are coming too!!!!

But the past weekend I had to put on my thinking cap.  I have been working extra hard in school on my agility skills to finally try to get a qualifying score in an AKC competition.  My two-legged Uncle Pat built and awesome dirt arena at the Super Duty arena and it was time for my competition. I worked super hard.  Mom says I had some great runs.  We have most of them recorded and the links will all be here for you to watch how great I can run.  I am just a little bummed that I didn't lift my back legs up high enough on one jump in each ring and caused a bar to fall down.  If a bar falls it's an automatic non-qualifying score.  BUT!!!! I did get 1 perfect 100 on Sunday morning in my Jumps with Weaves course.  I also ran the course so fast that I was quicker than a 20" dog. I took first place!!!!  Mom was so proud of me for the whole weekend.   Mom had to work the scoring table, and well really all over the place. I took a break to say hi to miss Mariann.  She was my very first teacher at Tulsa Dog Training Club ya know! Can you believe at one point I used to be afraid of her.  Here we are just taking a warm up break below....

Here I am getting ready to run in my first Standard Course on Friday afternoon.

 This is what you do after you worked all weekend at a dog trial...I was exhausted and a little chilly. So came home, curled up and took a nice siesta.

 Here are some video links for you to enjoy my outstanding performances:

Friday Jumps with Weaves Run

Saturday Jumps with Weaves Run

Saturday Standard Course Run (Can You guess where I spotted Dennis??)

Sunday Jumps with Weaves Run (Where I got my 100 and First Place)

Sunday Standard Course Run


With the holidays coming up, Mom, Dennis and I went and had my awesome Christmas cards made! I actually got to go shopping at JC Penney's.  It was fun to walk around the store.

We also hung Christmas lights up on the house...I had a very important role of supervising.

You can tell I am the coolest Santa around! I hope everyone has an awesome holiday season.  I'll be heading to Florida in a little under 2 weeks. Not sure I'll get in a blog entry before then, but I will try to get one in after the big road trip to let you know how it goes!

Keep your tails waggin'!

Boca Bear UAGII, RE, CD

2 Legs in AGII

 Hi Everyone!
I've had a very exciting week and especially weekend!  My future is so bright I gotta wear shades...okay okay I'll try to get serious. But c'mon you have to love the photo of me in my new doggles. I don't know about wearing them all of the time, but they sure are a fashion statement.

I have been continuing to work hard in my classes this session, both Open Obedience and Agility.  Mom told me that I was going to get to compete in an United Kennel Club Agility competition at my school this weekend.   At first I started thinking, am I really ready to compete with 9 weave poles on the course...I started to get a little worried as you can see in my face in the photo below, but then it was time to hop in the car and go for the gold...or in my case Blue Qualifying Ribbon.

Well it turns out that Saturday morning my group was going to go first. Which means I had to get up early (6:15) and get to school by 7:15 so that mom and I could look over the map of where the obstacles were going to be placed.  I was feeling it...I am an early morning kind of dog!  Turns out small dogs were even first in the line up.  The dreaded weave poles were 4th from the end.  I liked this setup. It meant that I got to get in the groove and really go with the flow of the course.  Mom said that I ran the first course like a champ.  As I entered the weave poles you could hear a hush come over the crowd, it's like everyone was holding their breath to see if I was going to be able to get through them or not.  Well I did!  As I finished the course there was such a roar of cheers and clapping I knew I had done just awesome.  It turns out that I had received a score of 199. I didn't get a perfect score because as I was coming out of the box I cut the corner a  little and instead of coming out where the green stripes were, my feet crossed the corner, turns out that is a 1 point deduction.  No big deal, a 199 is still a huge qualifying score. I was so elated, as was my mom!  We quickly picked up my blue ribbon and of course I posed for a picture or 2!

My second run for Saturday didn't go so well with the weave poles.  I was going through them focused and mom thought they weren't going to be a problem so she decided to start going to the next obstacle well it distracted me so I missed one.  When she tried to get me to start over, I was a bit confused and just went on to the next obstacle so it wound up being a Non-Qualifier.  I then got to hang out in my condo at school while mom worked the trial for the AGIII dogs. I enjoyed watching some of their runs from my condo.  All I could think about was, why didn't I just stay focused on my weaves.  I decided that I would get them next time.

Then Sunday came.  Mom told me I was going to have a fan club come to watch.  She wasn't kidding! I had Dennis, and his mom and stepdad, and my gramma and granddad.  It was awesome.  My own group of cheerleaders.  Mom and I got to school in time to watch some of the AGIII dogs run. My group was at the end of the day today. So I had to sit around and wait. I was watching lots of dogs practice the weave poles.  Mom decided that we would go try the weave poles once or twice I went through them like a champ! I think I shocked my mom how great and smooth and confident I looked while weaving.  Just as my mom was about to go walk my course, gramma and granddad showed up. I was glad because I had someone to sit with while mom did her part of agility.  Then before I knew it was my turn to go!  Turns out both my granddad and Dennis video recorded my first run.  I got a little crazy coming off the wobble board and well the weave poles got away from me...mom brought me back and told me settle down, but when you get amped sometimes it's hard to calm down. Here is a video of my not so great run!!

The NON-QUALIFYING RUN (feel free to skip watching this one to watch the good one below)

Mom was NOT happy at all!  I didn't even get a lower level treat when we got back to our chairs. Mom told me that I didn't even make an effort on the weave poles. She told me that I must have left my thinking cap in the car.  I felt a little embarrassed that I had my own cheering squad and had made such a huge mistake on the weave poles.  Granddad then told me that I was going to be able to have a redemption run.  I've heard about these on TV and I thought alright...I can do an awesome job and everyone will be even more super stoked.  So fortunately both granddad and Dennis video recorded my second run from today and you can watch it below.  It's okay if you stop reading to watch this video a couple of times.  Don't worry it's only about 46 seconds long because I'm that fast

The QUALIFYING Run (feel free to watch rewind and watch again)

So I cam out of this weekend's trial with 2 qualifying scores for an AGII title.  I just need 1 more.  I hope mom can find another trial for me to compete in soon. I am feeling confident, pumped and ready to go!

What a busy week!!

 Good afternoon everyone!

I am so excited to share that my family purchased a new "big bed".  From the chatterings at dog school, it is my understanding that some 4-leggeds sleep on the bed.  Mom says that people ask her where I sleep a lot of the time.  In the photo I had to try out the bed, first of course.  I really like the new bedspread it is very soft fabric, but...I prefer to sleep under the bed.  I find that it is the most comfortable there.  When my mom goes to bed, I usually hop up on the bed to wish her a good night, and maybe watch TV a little, but when I am ready to "saw logs" as they say I retreat to my domain under the bed.  The best part about my location, no one else in my house can get there so I have utter and complete privacy.  One of the great things about the new bed is it is super quiet, not noises when mom tosses or turns or has to get up in the middle of the night for nature calls.  Therefore, for the past week I have been getting lots more sleep.  This has been great because I didn't realize that I would be so busy.

Mom has been working with me on new jobs for my "Open Obedience" class at school.  It's TOUGH!  One of the hardest new things I have to learn is to retrieve a dumbbell and 1) not think of it as a toy, and 2) hold it in my mouth until mom says let go.  Yuck and yuck.  But I am trying.  Mom snapped a picture of me and the dumbbell on Tuesday afternoon.  I wasn't really feeling the dumbbell. I mean I would fetch it, but I didn't want to take it back to my mom or use it as a school tool.  I just wanted it to be my new toy.  So it was back to school on Tuesday night for my class.  Well mom was pretty embarrassed that I was twisting and turning my head and putting up quite a "2-year-old tantrum" I think she called it in front of all my classmates.  Well after watching my classmates do cool things like get to jump over a high jump to go get their dumbbells and bring them back I have decided that maybe it's a skill I want to learn.  On Saturday, Dennis took the video included of me doing my best to not be afraid of the dumbbell and put it in my mouth.  This is the first day that I have been willing to take the dumbbell from my mom while being in one place.  You'll hear mom say don't pull it away. I still have that instinct to say "Mine!" but hey baby steps.  Learning is tough stuff!

On Thursday afternoons I have my agility class.  I love my agility class. I am starting to feel confident, and mom and I are becoming a great team.  However, on Thursday afternoons during my break between school sessions, mom started running with Dr. Suzanne.  This past Thursday, mom decided that I could help out the girls at the front desk at Veterinary Associates while she went and ran with Dr. Suzanne so that she could get her workout in before we had agility class.  I was a big hit, and very well behaved. I am trying to earn some "store credit" at Veterinary Associates for a cute haircut or maybe some fun dog treats.  

Once we made it to agility class, mom explained to me that we would be working on some different obstacles.  I am trying to get ready for a competition the first weekend in August.  Anyone that wants to come see me perform, I mean compete should come out to Tulsa Dog Training Club in the afternoon on Sunday August 4th.  Well mom snapped a good photo of me conquering what's called the sway bridge.  She said that some 2-leggeds are even afraid to go across a bridge like this.  You should notice that there aren't any pawrails or guards to keep us 2-leggeds from falling off the edge.  It was a great class.  Ms. Dovie really likes to push us to be better and better. I think she is the bomb! Although my mom sure likes to give her a hard time.

On Saturday, they had the annual summer picnic at Tulsa Dog Training Club.  All of the 4-leggeds were invited.  Mom decided that since I had been having such a great week, and put that silly dumbbell in my mouth, that I could go!  I was the only "little" dog there.  After the 2-leggeds ate some food, (there wasn't any super yummy leftovers for 4-leggeds, but mom snuck me some chicken yummm yummm), they had some games for dogs.  This photo taken outside is me watching the silly big 4-legged dipping their heads in a 5-gallon bucket trying to get a hot dog.  I was laughing on the inside because I already had a bite or two or chicken.  Why on earth would I subject myself to dunking my head in a bucket of water for all of the 4-leggeds to see my beautiful fur after a bath...I don't think so.  Then when all of the 4-leggeds were done dunking their heads for hot dogs they went inside for hot dog races.  Mom suggested that I sit this one out too, as there weren't any little dogs for me to run against.  I am still a little afraid when a large dog comes charging at me, so we just hung out and talked with other members of the club.  It was fun to see everyone at school without having to do lots and lots of work.

Although it was a fun week, I hope this next week is not quite so busy.  Mom says I'll be missing my Open Obedience class because she is going to give a special talk at Oklahoma State on Tuesday when I would normally go to school.  I bet I will still have to practice that dumbbell thing though...

Until next time, keep your tails waggin'

Boca