In the Company of Dog

We had a BLAST! Mashi, Saphira and I packed our stuff and headed to Centenary College in Hackettstown NJ last Friday to attend Camp Barking Hills. We attended so many fun and fascinating classes and accomplished so much. Here is a breakdown of what we took:
Friday night:
Presentation of Classes
Saturday:
Better Training Through Communication — Shaping with Verbal Cues or Clickers, Pet Tricks A, Recall Remedies P1, Swimming Lessons (yes Mashi, a shiba, swam), CGC Prep A, Dealing with Fears and Phobias, Canine Olympics
Sunday:
Skateboarding, Pet Tricks B, Recall Remedies P2, On the Ball: Fitness and Conditioning, Pampered Pooch Cooking Seminar, CGC Prep B, Canine Troubleshooting, Craft Night,
Monday:
Two CGC Tests (Both Passed!!) and Self Control, followed by awards and tricky tray.

It was an amazing weekend. Mashi’s team won the Canine Olympics, both of them earned their CGC’s (while Flyball was going on in the same gym), and we learned so many things. I wish that it happened twice a year. We had such a fabulous time and I can’t wait to go back again next year.

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Ugh, what a long week. The weekend was filled with shows and rescue work. Saphira’s breeder was sick so Saphira did not get to show. That meant it was just Mashi’s big weekend. While Mashi did not come home with anything but first in his class, he still tried hard. Saturday was the first day he showed on grass. He was excited, a little stressed and very distracted. The table was wobbly and that made him a little unhappy. He tried to focus though and after our ring time we practiced obedience in a grassy area in the middle of the place. She was nicely focused and upbeat. It was a nice opportunity to test him. I finally got to meet Mashi’s breeder family and even his brother. They were very pleased with how he turned out.
Trenton was Sunday and Mashi was a lot more together and wanting to show. He was used to the grass by now and was very upbeat. We used a different lead and it seemed to help focus his attention. The judge was very nice and kept telling me that he really liked Mashi. No idea what he did not put him up then but I will take the compliments anyway.
After Trenton I headed to South Jersey to visit with Jenn from NYC Shiba Rescue. We hung out and I got to play with Sophie the new puppy and Tiki my old foster. Tiki looked so good and so happy. Eventually we covered Intake and covered most of the in person training. I know Jenn will make an awesome Intake Director.
Got lost on the way home and didn’t get home till late but it was still an nice evening.

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Tonight was the last class for this session of Rally Novice classes. The only other woman in the class could not attend tonight so it was just me and Saphira.
Do dogs just somehow know it is the last class or something? I was going to sign up for 10 more weeks of Rally but I just don’t have the money right now so tonight was going to be it for a while. Well Saphira was at the top of her game. She was amazing the first two times we did the course. Then Susan decided to step it up a notch and make us do it off leash. The first run was good. Really more excellent then good. But the send run she was much more interested in playing, tapping me with her foot and being a goon. That all said she still made a pretty good run of it and I was damn proud of her. Proud of the both of us really. I think she is going to make a damn nice Rally dog. Next we really need to start proofing at new locations. I am going to need to take time out at Harrisburg and find a nice quiet corner to practice in. We need to take it on the road, so to speak.
With hope she will be ready to show what we have got at the Shiba Obedience and Agility Show in Erie PA this fall.

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