Updates and plans for the future
I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year and Happy Holiday season. I always like looking forward to the new year while saying goodbye to the old. This year is no different. To update the readers that have followed my blog posts here, I am happy to share that my sister did find a wonderful bulldog breeder and added Minos to her family. He is a very funny boy and loves the snow. My akita Jack and he love to roughhouse together and he is also infatuated with our pug Jenny. It is never boring when he is around for sure.
In other news our own french bulldog Missy was diagnosed with a brain tumor back in October. She was the dog I have shown in obedience and it has been tough watching her deteriorate. We had just started training some in Rally but obviously that is no longer a possibility. For the moment the medication she is on has her in a holding pattern and she was even feeling great over the Christmas holiday. Having a dog with a serious illness really messes with the routine of a household. My other dogs aren't always getting the one on one time they deserve with me because of her need for extra care on top of an already busy schedule. Knowing her time with us is limited though helps me keep it in perspective. You just gotta do what you gotta do sometimes.
One of my goals for the new year is to work with Jack and Jenny more and get back to basics of the fun in training. As a trainer that works regularly with client dogs, it is sometimes hard to remember to make time to work with our own dogs. This month is a great time to do that since it is national train your dog month. (http://www.trainyourdogmonth.com ) One of my plans to accomplish this is by working through the book 101 Dog Tricks by Kyra Sundance. Additionally I have a special trick in mind for my pug Jenny that I will be sure to post video of once it is complete. I've also stepped up some of our tracking training and added bloodtracking to the mix alongside the regular tracking work we have been doing. Believe it or not our pug Jenny is the best tracker in the house. Yes pugs can track. Who knew?
Another event I found that looks interesting is the Idita-Walk. (http://www.idita-walk.com) I plan on starting this with Jack next month. I've always loved watching the real Iditarod and seeing dogs do what they love to do and were bred for. This will be a fun way for us to participate in the Iditarod too with far less of the drama that the racers go through. It is also a fundraiser for a good cause.
These are just a few ideas I have to start our new year. What are everyone else's training goals or plans for their dogs?
Marie Finnegan http://k-9solutionsdogtraininginc.blogspot.com
