Ugh....Patriot is having major issues again. Sense about two weeks ago he has been getting increasingly itchy. This week (sense Saturday-ish) he has been so itchy that two benadryl every 4-6 hours isn't even touching it. His bare patches are back on his shoulders, the red patches are back on his belly, and his chin is red and itchy again.
He has still been getting his shot every week-8 days, but I decided to go back to every 4 days. The only thing that makes me worry is that the day after his shot he seems to be extra itchy. Today both the boys got baths and I soaked Patriot's itchy spots with the medicated shampoo. I know I haven't been vaccuming as much as I was before, but that is just life right now.
One thing I did notice is that this flare-up seems to coinside with us needing to start using the wall heaters in the Family room. This is where we spend a great portion of the day so it makes me wonder if it has anything to do with it.
I have a question for everyone....When does the inability to help your dog's medical issue become cruel? Patriot is still happy and healthy in every other way besides the skin issues, but it breaks my heart every time I see the ouchie red patches on his body.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Feeling Mixed
Unfortunately this weeks class wasn't quite as wonderful as last week. I have been sick sense class last week, and Kaylee started getting sick on Sunday. Needless to say, I haven't been feeling like practicing agility. So Hobbs had ZERO practice between classes. I didn't think it would make that much of a difference, but I was SOOOO wrong.
I just couldn't seem to get things right. I don't know if it was because I am still sick or if my brain just wasn't used to thinking agility.
We started off practicing on the weaves, teeter, double and triple jumps, and a tunnel to table combo. Instead of using my weaves we pulled all but 3 poles off the fixed weave base. He got about 50-60% success on those so I added another one and he did it 3 times out of the 5 times I sent him! It was great to see him weaving confidently through fixed poles! I am very happy I finally glued mine. After the first time he went up the teeter, he had no problems with it. The first time, I think he thought it was the dog walk and didn't expect it to drop out from under him. He still stuck his landing though! There were no problems with the jumps or the tunnel/table.
One funny thing that happened was that Hobbs offered his 2o2o on the table. It was set at 8 inches for the smallest dog in class. I am to the point with the table that I tell him "Table" and then wait for him to lay down before rewarding him. Well, he went to the table and then stood there and instead of laying down he went to the edge and very thoughtfully placed his front paws on the ground in 2o2o. While I laughed, I walked into him until he was back on the table and then asked him to down. It wasn't as funny the next time when he did it again, so the last time I did it, I finally told him "down" after the "table" command.
Then came the sequence/course for the evening:
The opening sequence is something that I have actually practiced at home with different equipment. I started with Hobbs on my right and then at the end of the DW had him turn right and go straight into the tunnel. It is basically a rear cross, but I can see how it would be much more difficult with a dog who is running their DW. The closing part of this sequence (#5-#8) was the part that tripped everyone up. There were several ways to handle it. The first way I tried it (the first 5 times) was to have him on my left coming out of the tunnel, post turn over 5 and 6, front cross after 6, then another front cross (sort of) after 7. That would put him on my left going up the A-frame. I thought it would be easiest so that I would be able to block the tunnel opening. NOT!!
Time after time Hobbs went into the tunnel instead of over the A-frame! It was getting frustrating, but I was trying my hardest to not transfer that to Hobbs.
The second way I tried it was to post turn 5 and 6 and 7 with a front cross after 7 bringing him on my right between the two jumps. That didn't work at first either!! Finally I got Hobbs to go over the A-frame and the jumped the contact at the bottom.......just a little frustrating. Granted, it was at competition height and it was Hobbs' first time over it at that height. Then we went back to try it one more time just jump #7 and the frame. He went through the tunnel AGAIN the first time!! The second time he went over the A-frame, but my stupid self just went flying past the a-frame and to the last jump without waiting for him so he jumped the contact again.
Unfortunatly we ended with that because class was over and the next class was starting. I tried my best to fake being excited and happy for Hobbs, but really I was very frustrated and kind of upset. Not with Hobbs, with myself for messing up the end of it and ending on a not so great note.
I don't know if Hobbs was just picking up on that, or if he was tired and discoraged, but he was mopey after the end of the run. He acted tired, and just not happy and it made me feel even worse about the way we ended things. Hopefully next week is better
I am pretty sure part of the problem is that he is not getting enought exercise to be doing agility that hard. They very rarely get a walk anymore (maybe once a week), and we only get out to the dog park once or twice a week. I feel horrible about it, but having a new baby who hates the stroller, car seat, moby wrap, carrier, and sling kind of makes it difficult.
That being said, I would never forgive myself if Hobbs got injured playing agility because he wasn't physically up to it! Now that it is winter I know we will be getting out even less because we can't even go in the yard and practice/play.
Wow, this post turned into a bit of a whine-fest! Sorry! I am just feeling a little like I am letting my dogs down.
I just couldn't seem to get things right. I don't know if it was because I am still sick or if my brain just wasn't used to thinking agility.
We started off practicing on the weaves, teeter, double and triple jumps, and a tunnel to table combo. Instead of using my weaves we pulled all but 3 poles off the fixed weave base. He got about 50-60% success on those so I added another one and he did it 3 times out of the 5 times I sent him! It was great to see him weaving confidently through fixed poles! I am very happy I finally glued mine. After the first time he went up the teeter, he had no problems with it. The first time, I think he thought it was the dog walk and didn't expect it to drop out from under him. He still stuck his landing though! There were no problems with the jumps or the tunnel/table.
One funny thing that happened was that Hobbs offered his 2o2o on the table. It was set at 8 inches for the smallest dog in class. I am to the point with the table that I tell him "Table" and then wait for him to lay down before rewarding him. Well, he went to the table and then stood there and instead of laying down he went to the edge and very thoughtfully placed his front paws on the ground in 2o2o. While I laughed, I walked into him until he was back on the table and then asked him to down. It wasn't as funny the next time when he did it again, so the last time I did it, I finally told him "down" after the "table" command.
Then came the sequence/course for the evening:
The opening sequence is something that I have actually practiced at home with different equipment. I started with Hobbs on my right and then at the end of the DW had him turn right and go straight into the tunnel. It is basically a rear cross, but I can see how it would be much more difficult with a dog who is running their DW. The closing part of this sequence (#5-#8) was the part that tripped everyone up. There were several ways to handle it. The first way I tried it (the first 5 times) was to have him on my left coming out of the tunnel, post turn over 5 and 6, front cross after 6, then another front cross (sort of) after 7. That would put him on my left going up the A-frame. I thought it would be easiest so that I would be able to block the tunnel opening. NOT!!
Time after time Hobbs went into the tunnel instead of over the A-frame! It was getting frustrating, but I was trying my hardest to not transfer that to Hobbs.
The second way I tried it was to post turn 5 and 6 and 7 with a front cross after 7 bringing him on my right between the two jumps. That didn't work at first either!! Finally I got Hobbs to go over the A-frame and the jumped the contact at the bottom.......just a little frustrating. Granted, it was at competition height and it was Hobbs' first time over it at that height. Then we went back to try it one more time just jump #7 and the frame. He went through the tunnel AGAIN the first time!! The second time he went over the A-frame, but my stupid self just went flying past the a-frame and to the last jump without waiting for him so he jumped the contact again.
Unfortunatly we ended with that because class was over and the next class was starting. I tried my best to fake being excited and happy for Hobbs, but really I was very frustrated and kind of upset. Not with Hobbs, with myself for messing up the end of it and ending on a not so great note.
I don't know if Hobbs was just picking up on that, or if he was tired and discoraged, but he was mopey after the end of the run. He acted tired, and just not happy and it made me feel even worse about the way we ended things. Hopefully next week is better
I am pretty sure part of the problem is that he is not getting enought exercise to be doing agility that hard. They very rarely get a walk anymore (maybe once a week), and we only get out to the dog park once or twice a week. I feel horrible about it, but having a new baby who hates the stroller, car seat, moby wrap, carrier, and sling kind of makes it difficult.
That being said, I would never forgive myself if Hobbs got injured playing agility because he wasn't physically up to it! Now that it is winter I know we will be getting out even less because we can't even go in the yard and practice/play.
Wow, this post turned into a bit of a whine-fest! Sorry! I am just feeling a little like I am letting my dogs down.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Holy Crap!!
3 MONTHS OLD!!
I can't believe that Kaylee is 3 months old already. I know I say that every month, but now she is 1/4 of the way to a year old. I weighed her on Wednesday on my scale and she was 11.8 lbs. That doesn't seem right though because at her two month appointment she was 10lbs 15.5oz. So that would be only 1.8 lbs in a month! So I don't know what to think.
I did a photo shoot with her in an outfit of her 3-6 month clothes. They are still too big for her to wear all the time, but they were so cute I couldn't let them hang in the closet any longer.
I love that she can lay like this on the floor now!
Enlarge this one to see her closer.
Some new things she is doing are:
I can't believe that Kaylee is 3 months old already. I know I say that every month, but now she is 1/4 of the way to a year old. I weighed her on Wednesday on my scale and she was 11.8 lbs. That doesn't seem right though because at her two month appointment she was 10lbs 15.5oz. So that would be only 1.8 lbs in a month! So I don't know what to think.
I did a photo shoot with her in an outfit of her 3-6 month clothes. They are still too big for her to wear all the time, but they were so cute I couldn't let them hang in the closet any longer.
I love that she can lay like this on the floor now!
Enlarge this one to see her closer.
Some new things she is doing are:
- Laughing - She has only done it 3 or 4 times
- Thumb Sucking - She just learned how to do this yesterday!! She was in her swing and figured out how to stick her thumb in her mouth. She mostly just chews on it, but she latches on and sucks some times.
- Splashing - She LOVES her bath time and has started splashing with her arms and legs a lot
- Circles - She is slowly learning to turn in circles during tummy time. She isn't rolling over yet or even really trying, but she can scoot in circles.
- Getting Sick - Yep, today she has her first real cold. She got a little cold after her 2 month shots, but this is the real thing. Poor little girl just wants to be held by mommy and sleep and eat.
Friday, October 23, 2009
A Girl and Her Frogs
Kaylee is in love with some frogs. They are not real, but she loves them just the same. They are on the blanket that covers the window above her changing table. Sense she was about 4-5 weeks old, she has been talking to them. She smiles at them more than she does us! One day I swear she was trying to copy me saying "Froggie" and it came out "Auuggie" 3 or 4 times. It was adorable.
I have been trying for a while now to get a good video, but I never seem to get the best talking and smiling. Finally today I got the videos!
I smile every single time she "talks" to her froggies!
I have been trying for a while now to get a good video, but I never seem to get the best talking and smiling. Finally today I got the videos!
I smile every single time she "talks" to her froggies!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Jumper's Only Class
Last night's agility class was great! There were just two dogs there; Hobbs and one other, and one of the handlers came without her dog. We started immediately with a course rather than practicing individual obstacles. This week we were only using jumps and tunnels not any contact stuff.
We all were allowed to walk the course and then talked about how to handle the opening sequence of the course. Here is what it looked like:
I was planning to start with him on my right and do a post turn and then a rear cross at the tunnel. Our instructor then showed us how she wanted us to handle it. The green square is where we were supposed to stand facing our dogs. Then we were to release them over the first two jumps with our left hand out to signal that they were supposed to wrap around the standard of the second jump. Then we would be in position to go with them on our left.
We spit off to practice the concept on a single jump and after two or three tries Hobbs had it down. Then it was time to walk the course one last time and then run it! My instructor wanted to try Hobbs at 20" sense that is probably what he is going to be jumping at in trials.
The rest of the course was pretty easy except for a front cross after a 180° turn...in between jumps 8 and 9. Here is the rest of the course. Click to enlarge it:
I was first to run the course and for the first time ever I got really nervous before a sequence/course. I had to try to calm myself down so I could concentrate on doing it right. After one failed attempt at the opening sequence, we got all the way to jump #7 where I forgot what I was doing. Hobbs started to go into the tunnel and then in my panic to get him back to me, I forgot that I was supposed to put in a front cross. I stopped (another mistake) and re started him in front of #7 and after 2 or 3 more tries we got it right. I don't know why it was so difficult, but I think it was because I let myself get so nervous.
I am happy to say that the other lady had just as many problems as I did. they got the opening sequence on the first try but the front cross after 180 messed them up too.
Then Hobbs and I got to try it again. This time we got all the way to jump #8 before I messed up. I just didn't get in place right that time and Hobbs missed #9. We ran it again from the first tunnel on and we got it right.
When that happened, I realized that when I get it right it seems to go slower than when I get it wrong. I don't know if that is because to get it right I have to slow down my thinking or if it is just because I start feeling frantic when I get it wrong. Interesting.
Then our instructor re numbered the course and we got to walk it again. Here it is:
This time it was the front cross before the 180, which I thought was going to be easier.....not. The first time, Hobbs thought we were doing the 180 at jump #4 again and that threw us off for jumps 6 and 7 and the front cross so he dropped a few bars. So we started over and this time we got all the way to the 180 and he got locked onto the DW so I used my OFF command and he did it!!! It was SO wonderful to see him pull off that contact obstacle and go back to the line of jumps. Hobbs' most favorite part of agility is contact obstacles. We tried it another time and this time I over pulled him at the 180 and he came to me rather than going down the line of jumps. Finally on the last one we got all of it right which felt really great!
Our instructor said that parts of these courses were at the excellent level which is great to hear. that means that if I can get comfortable doing these kinds of things a beginner jumper's course wont be that big of a deal.
I am thinking of trialing for the first time on March 15-16. It will be at a venue that allows training in the ring which will be good. Hopefully we wont need it, but it will be nice to have the option. Hopefully Hobbs and I will be ready by March!
We all were allowed to walk the course and then talked about how to handle the opening sequence of the course. Here is what it looked like:
I was planning to start with him on my right and do a post turn and then a rear cross at the tunnel. Our instructor then showed us how she wanted us to handle it. The green square is where we were supposed to stand facing our dogs. Then we were to release them over the first two jumps with our left hand out to signal that they were supposed to wrap around the standard of the second jump. Then we would be in position to go with them on our left.
We spit off to practice the concept on a single jump and after two or three tries Hobbs had it down. Then it was time to walk the course one last time and then run it! My instructor wanted to try Hobbs at 20" sense that is probably what he is going to be jumping at in trials.
The rest of the course was pretty easy except for a front cross after a 180° turn...in between jumps 8 and 9. Here is the rest of the course. Click to enlarge it:
I was first to run the course and for the first time ever I got really nervous before a sequence/course. I had to try to calm myself down so I could concentrate on doing it right. After one failed attempt at the opening sequence, we got all the way to jump #7 where I forgot what I was doing. Hobbs started to go into the tunnel and then in my panic to get him back to me, I forgot that I was supposed to put in a front cross. I stopped (another mistake) and re started him in front of #7 and after 2 or 3 more tries we got it right. I don't know why it was so difficult, but I think it was because I let myself get so nervous.
I am happy to say that the other lady had just as many problems as I did. they got the opening sequence on the first try but the front cross after 180 messed them up too.
Then Hobbs and I got to try it again. This time we got all the way to jump #8 before I messed up. I just didn't get in place right that time and Hobbs missed #9. We ran it again from the first tunnel on and we got it right.
When that happened, I realized that when I get it right it seems to go slower than when I get it wrong. I don't know if that is because to get it right I have to slow down my thinking or if it is just because I start feeling frantic when I get it wrong. Interesting.
Then our instructor re numbered the course and we got to walk it again. Here it is:
This time it was the front cross before the 180, which I thought was going to be easier.....not. The first time, Hobbs thought we were doing the 180 at jump #4 again and that threw us off for jumps 6 and 7 and the front cross so he dropped a few bars. So we started over and this time we got all the way to the 180 and he got locked onto the DW so I used my OFF command and he did it!!! It was SO wonderful to see him pull off that contact obstacle and go back to the line of jumps. Hobbs' most favorite part of agility is contact obstacles. We tried it another time and this time I over pulled him at the 180 and he came to me rather than going down the line of jumps. Finally on the last one we got all of it right which felt really great!
Our instructor said that parts of these courses were at the excellent level which is great to hear. that means that if I can get comfortable doing these kinds of things a beginner jumper's course wont be that big of a deal.
I am thinking of trialing for the first time on March 15-16. It will be at a venue that allows training in the ring which will be good. Hopefully we wont need it, but it will be nice to have the option. Hopefully Hobbs and I will be ready by March!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Pictures
Here are some of the most recent pictures of our little girl. I am hoping to be able to upload a video of her first laugh too! That was her birthday present to her daddy on his birthday. It wasn't actually on his birthday, she did it yesterday at grandma and grandpa's house. It was so adorable! The video is sideways for now though so I need to find a way to turn it before I upload it.
She looks SO big in this picture!
This is her first 3-6 month outfit....it is still a bit big though.
I went through her room on Friday and boxed up all the newborn and 0-3 clothes that don't fit anymore. It was so sad to put her little clothes in a storage bin. I couldn't believe how small the newborn onesies were. She is still in some of her 0-3 month clothes and in 3 month onesies. I put her 3-6 month clothes up in the closet and in the drawers of the dresser. I can't believe how big she is! I still look at the 3-6 month clothes in stores and think "those are WAY too big for Kaylee" but that isn't really true anymore :(
She looks SO big in this picture!
This is her first 3-6 month outfit....it is still a bit big though.
I went through her room on Friday and boxed up all the newborn and 0-3 clothes that don't fit anymore. It was so sad to put her little clothes in a storage bin. I couldn't believe how small the newborn onesies were. She is still in some of her 0-3 month clothes and in 3 month onesies. I put her 3-6 month clothes up in the closet and in the drawers of the dresser. I can't believe how big she is! I still look at the 3-6 month clothes in stores and think "those are WAY too big for Kaylee" but that isn't really true anymore :(
Ready to Fly!
My sister is blessing her baby on November first and Robert and I were planning to drive out there for it. That is, we WERE until yesterday.
We went up to his parent's house for his birthday dinner and just to visit. It is about a 1 1/2 hr drive and Kaylee screamed for almost half of it. She hates her car seat SO much it is insane. She doesn't just cry she screams so hard and loud that she can't breathe and then screams some more. It is VERY hard on me especially to sit in the car with her screaming knowing that there is nothing I can do for her! By the time we got there we knew there was no way we would be able to handle a 14-15 hr drive to Washington.
I decided that if it wasn't going to be too expensive we would buy just me a plane ticket and I would fly there and back. Flying has to be easier than driving because she doesn't have to be in a car seat. We looked up flights and it would have been about as much as we were planning to spend on gas for there and back. Then Robert's Dad offered to let us use his frequent flier miles to get TWO tickets and then we would pay them back for the sale price of one ticket next summer. So now we both get to go and I don't have to try to fly alone!
Now I am getting my list together of everything I will need for a flight. I am hoping my sister has something for Kaylee to sleep in while we are there because we wont be able to take the pack 'n play. I am going to be using mostly cloth diapers while we are gone too which will hopefully work pretty well!
The only thing I am worried about now is that her schedule for that day will be thrown off. The flight is in the middle of the day so I am hoping to get a good nap in her before we leave. If I can get her to sleep for 3 hours first thing in the morning I will!
We went up to his parent's house for his birthday dinner and just to visit. It is about a 1 1/2 hr drive and Kaylee screamed for almost half of it. She hates her car seat SO much it is insane. She doesn't just cry she screams so hard and loud that she can't breathe and then screams some more. It is VERY hard on me especially to sit in the car with her screaming knowing that there is nothing I can do for her! By the time we got there we knew there was no way we would be able to handle a 14-15 hr drive to Washington.
I decided that if it wasn't going to be too expensive we would buy just me a plane ticket and I would fly there and back. Flying has to be easier than driving because she doesn't have to be in a car seat. We looked up flights and it would have been about as much as we were planning to spend on gas for there and back. Then Robert's Dad offered to let us use his frequent flier miles to get TWO tickets and then we would pay them back for the sale price of one ticket next summer. So now we both get to go and I don't have to try to fly alone!
Now I am getting my list together of everything I will need for a flight. I am hoping my sister has something for Kaylee to sleep in while we are there because we wont be able to take the pack 'n play. I am going to be using mostly cloth diapers while we are gone too which will hopefully work pretty well!
The only thing I am worried about now is that her schedule for that day will be thrown off. The flight is in the middle of the day so I am hoping to get a good nap in her before we leave. If I can get her to sleep for 3 hours first thing in the morning I will!
Friday, October 16, 2009
They're Permanent!
I finally glued Hobb's weave poles! Well I glued each set of two together, but not the whole line yet because I need to be able to take them to agility class with me.
First thing I did after they were good and solid was send Hobbs through them. HE GOT STUCK!! Actually he started to get stuck tried to hop out and his back leg got caught on the last pole bringing the whole thing up in the air and it came down on top of him. Good thing it is just PVC!
Now, if this had happened just over a year ago when he was first cc'd I would be working for the next month or two to get him over it. Instead I set them back up and sent him again and he went through them, slowly and carefully, but he did it! It just goes to show how much more confident he is now that he isn't a PIT. Agility is good for this boy!
I am so happy that he is still improving on his weaving. By calling him through them, he is learning what his job is and does it on his own. I can already tell that he understands better that he is supposed to go all the way through...granted it is only 4 poles so far but it is a start. I have been moving to the side of the last pole when I call him through so that he has to make the choice to go through the poles to me rather than just run straight to me. It will be interesting to see if he is better at the poles in class now that he is doing some solid poles at home.
Patriot is shedding like mad! It is coming out in huge clumps, and I am needing to sweep the floor at least once a day to stop it from piling up in the corners....not an easy task when you are taking care of a 3 month old baby. Other than that, he is doing ok with his allergies. He still gets weekly shots, and sometimes doesn't even make it to the 7th day without needing a couple benadryl.
I am truly dreading winter. It is hard enough to get out to walk the dogs now, let alone when it is snowing again.....I need to live somewhere where it doesn't snow.
First thing I did after they were good and solid was send Hobbs through them. HE GOT STUCK!! Actually he started to get stuck tried to hop out and his back leg got caught on the last pole bringing the whole thing up in the air and it came down on top of him. Good thing it is just PVC!
Now, if this had happened just over a year ago when he was first cc'd I would be working for the next month or two to get him over it. Instead I set them back up and sent him again and he went through them, slowly and carefully, but he did it! It just goes to show how much more confident he is now that he isn't a PIT. Agility is good for this boy!
I am so happy that he is still improving on his weaving. By calling him through them, he is learning what his job is and does it on his own. I can already tell that he understands better that he is supposed to go all the way through...granted it is only 4 poles so far but it is a start. I have been moving to the side of the last pole when I call him through so that he has to make the choice to go through the poles to me rather than just run straight to me. It will be interesting to see if he is better at the poles in class now that he is doing some solid poles at home.
Patriot is shedding like mad! It is coming out in huge clumps, and I am needing to sweep the floor at least once a day to stop it from piling up in the corners....not an easy task when you are taking care of a 3 month old baby. Other than that, he is doing ok with his allergies. He still gets weekly shots, and sometimes doesn't even make it to the 7th day without needing a couple benadryl.
I am truly dreading winter. It is hard enough to get out to walk the dogs now, let alone when it is snowing again.....I need to live somewhere where it doesn't snow.
Happy Birthday Baby!!
Today is Robert's Birthday!
Robert, I love you and think you are the most wonderful husband anyone could ever hope for. You are a wonderful father, and I couldn't do this whole mommy thing without you. I love you with all my heart!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
That Moment
I am talking about the moment in a beginning agility team's training when you run a course/sequence and feel totally confident. Hobbs and I had that moment in class this week!
Class was really great! We started off working on individual obstacles including weave poles, teeter, chute, and the tire jump.
Hobbs had a lot of problems the past two weeks (we didn't have class last week) practicing the poles. He would just run past them or go through the first pole and then run past the rest. I finally just left him alone for a whole week, and then he was back to his old self. I didn't get around to gluing any poles yet but I really really need to! In class he was great! He only ran past the poles 3 times out of probably 10 sends! Then I decided to send him through the 3 fixed poles that were set up and he did them on the first try!! Granted he did them very slowly and carefully, but he did them!
Next he got to go over the teeter for the first time sense we did it at full height in class months ago. Our instructor slowed it down the first few times which was a good thing because he flew off of it the first time over! I think he just forgot how to stay on lol. Finally he got over, at full speed, stayed on, and did his 2o2o. We quit with that because he was very happy with himself. He came off his contact position with his tail wagging away.
The tire and chute were no problem for him so I practiced some distance from it, and sent him through the tunnel that was snaked under the dogwalk as a discrimination. I was actually hoping I was getting him used to going into the tunnel rather than up the DW to be prepared for the sequence later in class. Little did I know that that was opposite of what was going to happen.
The sequence was great with two different push discriminations (last week was pull). This was the sequence:
I found a free design program and it it great so far. Not as fancy as the clean run software, but it was free instead of $80! The #7 tunnel is actually just one tunnel, the program just wouldn't let me tweak the tunnel enough.
The first time we ran the sequence, Hobbs did great....until #6. He kept going up the A-frame over and over and over. Finally after practically shoving him (without touching him) into the tunnel he started to go in, and then stopped and backed out of it! He has never done that before so I thought "I wonder if it is really dark in there?" So I grabbed his collar, and really happily and excitedly sent him into the tunnel again and finally he went through! I praised him and brought him back behind #5 and tried it again. This time he went right into the tunnel and we finished the run. After two other dogs had the exact same problem we figured out that they didn't know it was really a tunnel because it was SO black in the tunnel.
The place we practice in is kind of dark, but there are some lights. They just weren't shining into the other end of the tunnel enough. Someone moved one of the lights a little and none of the dogs had a problem after that.
The second time we ran it was AMAZING! Before I started, I decided I was going to just go for it, and not run cautiously. I didn't stop this time at the end of the DW to reward Hobbs' contacts. I just stopped with him and then released him and on we went! He went right into the tunnel, and then into the second tunnel and we were done! It felt so smooth and together, and afterward I thought "We can really do this!" I actually lifted Hobbs up to hug him because I was so proud of him!
I can't wait to go back to class on Monday. I finally feel like I am getting closer and closer to being ready to trial with Hobbs. Hopefully I will be able to this coming spring and summer.
Class was really great! We started off working on individual obstacles including weave poles, teeter, chute, and the tire jump.
Hobbs had a lot of problems the past two weeks (we didn't have class last week) practicing the poles. He would just run past them or go through the first pole and then run past the rest. I finally just left him alone for a whole week, and then he was back to his old self. I didn't get around to gluing any poles yet but I really really need to! In class he was great! He only ran past the poles 3 times out of probably 10 sends! Then I decided to send him through the 3 fixed poles that were set up and he did them on the first try!! Granted he did them very slowly and carefully, but he did them!
Next he got to go over the teeter for the first time sense we did it at full height in class months ago. Our instructor slowed it down the first few times which was a good thing because he flew off of it the first time over! I think he just forgot how to stay on lol. Finally he got over, at full speed, stayed on, and did his 2o2o. We quit with that because he was very happy with himself. He came off his contact position with his tail wagging away.
The tire and chute were no problem for him so I practiced some distance from it, and sent him through the tunnel that was snaked under the dogwalk as a discrimination. I was actually hoping I was getting him used to going into the tunnel rather than up the DW to be prepared for the sequence later in class. Little did I know that that was opposite of what was going to happen.
The sequence was great with two different push discriminations (last week was pull). This was the sequence:
I found a free design program and it it great so far. Not as fancy as the clean run software, but it was free instead of $80! The #7 tunnel is actually just one tunnel, the program just wouldn't let me tweak the tunnel enough.
The first time we ran the sequence, Hobbs did great....until #6. He kept going up the A-frame over and over and over. Finally after practically shoving him (without touching him) into the tunnel he started to go in, and then stopped and backed out of it! He has never done that before so I thought "I wonder if it is really dark in there?" So I grabbed his collar, and really happily and excitedly sent him into the tunnel again and finally he went through! I praised him and brought him back behind #5 and tried it again. This time he went right into the tunnel and we finished the run. After two other dogs had the exact same problem we figured out that they didn't know it was really a tunnel because it was SO black in the tunnel.
The place we practice in is kind of dark, but there are some lights. They just weren't shining into the other end of the tunnel enough. Someone moved one of the lights a little and none of the dogs had a problem after that.
The second time we ran it was AMAZING! Before I started, I decided I was going to just go for it, and not run cautiously. I didn't stop this time at the end of the DW to reward Hobbs' contacts. I just stopped with him and then released him and on we went! He went right into the tunnel, and then into the second tunnel and we were done! It felt so smooth and together, and afterward I thought "We can really do this!" I actually lifted Hobbs up to hug him because I was so proud of him!
I can't wait to go back to class on Monday. I finally feel like I am getting closer and closer to being ready to trial with Hobbs. Hopefully I will be able to this coming spring and summer.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Getting Better and Grandparents
Things have slowly been getting better. I still have thrush, and both of us are still being treated. It really doesn't seem like I stay better....it just switches sides. Kaylee has been getting a lot of bottles lately because it hurts her sometimes to nurse. So it is still a struggle, but I am not nearly as discouraged as I was last week. This past week she has gotten much happier, and I think it is because it has been a whole week sense I had ANY milk products. Robert was very impressed at how happy and easy to put down for naps she is this weekend.
I am getting better at eating stuff without milk, and went grocery shopping and basically the only thing that had milk in it was the milk I bought for Robert! He is working hard to be healthier so we are both eating really healthy food lately.
Robert and I have finally gone out together on a couple dates without Kaylee. It was SO hard to leave her home with a sitter. The first time was my parents and everything went really well. She got off schedule a little just due to not being used to my parents and visa versa. She was asleep in bed when we got home, and stayed asleep until morning. Robert and I went out with some other couples to see a movie and get some food. It was great to be out with other people, but I didn't stop worrying about Kaylee the whole time.
Then we went out just us this last Friday and Robert's mom and sister came to take care of Kaylee. Lets just say she didn't cooperate too well. She, for some reason, wouldn't eat from the bottle so she got REALLY hungry, and then she couldn't sleep because she was hungry, and then because she was overtired. I think part of the problem was that she was asleep when his mom got here and then woke up to a "stranger". Hopefully next time his mom takes care of her it will go better.
We got through all 3 hours of church on Sunday without too much of a problem. I am realizing that I need to try to get her to nap very well right before church, and then we just hold her through church. This is because she hates her car seat and wont sleep in it usually. Then after church we let her nap on our bed because she sleep much better there. I will see today if this helped to keep her from getting overtired. Week before last it took until Wednesday for her to recover from church!
These next few weeks I am going to try to figure out exactly what I need to take for our trip to Washington at the end of the month. We are going to Yellowstone park for two days before we head up to visit my sister, and I don't want to be hauling around stuff I don't need. My goal is to use mostly cloth diapers for the trip, but will still bring some disposables for back-up....because I am a whimp. Truly I am really nervous about the trip. Kaylee doesn't do well when her routine is messed up, and I think being in the car for the majority of three days counts as messing up her routine. I can only hope that she learns to sleep in her car seat and sleeps well in the hotel.
I can't believe that next Thursday she turns 3 months old! My little baby is growing up so fast!
I am getting better at eating stuff without milk, and went grocery shopping and basically the only thing that had milk in it was the milk I bought for Robert! He is working hard to be healthier so we are both eating really healthy food lately.
Robert and I have finally gone out together on a couple dates without Kaylee. It was SO hard to leave her home with a sitter. The first time was my parents and everything went really well. She got off schedule a little just due to not being used to my parents and visa versa. She was asleep in bed when we got home, and stayed asleep until morning. Robert and I went out with some other couples to see a movie and get some food. It was great to be out with other people, but I didn't stop worrying about Kaylee the whole time.
Then we went out just us this last Friday and Robert's mom and sister came to take care of Kaylee. Lets just say she didn't cooperate too well. She, for some reason, wouldn't eat from the bottle so she got REALLY hungry, and then she couldn't sleep because she was hungry, and then because she was overtired. I think part of the problem was that she was asleep when his mom got here and then woke up to a "stranger". Hopefully next time his mom takes care of her it will go better.
We got through all 3 hours of church on Sunday without too much of a problem. I am realizing that I need to try to get her to nap very well right before church, and then we just hold her through church. This is because she hates her car seat and wont sleep in it usually. Then after church we let her nap on our bed because she sleep much better there. I will see today if this helped to keep her from getting overtired. Week before last it took until Wednesday for her to recover from church!
These next few weeks I am going to try to figure out exactly what I need to take for our trip to Washington at the end of the month. We are going to Yellowstone park for two days before we head up to visit my sister, and I don't want to be hauling around stuff I don't need. My goal is to use mostly cloth diapers for the trip, but will still bring some disposables for back-up....because I am a whimp. Truly I am really nervous about the trip. Kaylee doesn't do well when her routine is messed up, and I think being in the car for the majority of three days counts as messing up her routine. I can only hope that she learns to sleep in her car seat and sleeps well in the hotel.
I can't believe that next Thursday she turns 3 months old! My little baby is growing up so fast!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Slowly Transitioning
Ugh.....I feel like such a whimp....AGAIN!! No, this time it isn't because of an exercise video; it is because of the cloth diapers. I have to admit that I have yet to go 24 hrs without using a disposable diaper.
How pathetic is that?!? After being so excited to use these diapers, I am so afraid of losing night time sleep that I haven't switched completely over. Because they might wake her up in the middle of the night and I won't get my usual 7-9 straight hours of sleep.
I really like washing them! We need some water softener because I don't feel like they are getting clean enough, but I really like using them! I just have to try one overnight and see how it goes. I really am sick of buying disposables because we go through so many of them. Kaylee doesn't usually poop during the night, just pees a lot which I am afraid will wake her up every few hours. I really don't want her to get in the habit of waking up a lot at night. Maybe I am just worrying about it too much.
Ok, to my credit, I don't think I have quite enough diapers to make it through two full days. I am still deciding if I want more bumGenius, Fuzzi Bunz, or a couple more Grobaby sets. I am leaning towards the bumGenius just because they seem to me the most comfortable and most absortant.
I am making the goal to be using cloth at least 95% of the time by the end of October. That is when we will be going to visit my sister in Washington and I can tackle traveling using cloth.
How pathetic is that?!? After being so excited to use these diapers, I am so afraid of losing night time sleep that I haven't switched completely over. Because they might wake her up in the middle of the night and I won't get my usual 7-9 straight hours of sleep.
I really like washing them! We need some water softener because I don't feel like they are getting clean enough, but I really like using them! I just have to try one overnight and see how it goes. I really am sick of buying disposables because we go through so many of them. Kaylee doesn't usually poop during the night, just pees a lot which I am afraid will wake her up every few hours. I really don't want her to get in the habit of waking up a lot at night. Maybe I am just worrying about it too much.
Ok, to my credit, I don't think I have quite enough diapers to make it through two full days. I am still deciding if I want more bumGenius, Fuzzi Bunz, or a couple more Grobaby sets. I am leaning towards the bumGenius just because they seem to me the most comfortable and most absortant.
I am making the goal to be using cloth at least 95% of the time by the end of October. That is when we will be going to visit my sister in Washington and I can tackle traveling using cloth.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
More Pictures
Here are the pictures I have been trying to get off the camera for the past week! I LOVE them, and Kaylee looks so adorable! She really hates photo shoots and it is really hard to get her to smile during them. Which is why this is only the third or fourth one we have caught.
Cuddling with mommy
Robert took this one without looking through the viewfinder and it is so cute
Kaylee is working on rolling over for the first time, and I thought she was going to the other day so I started taking pictures....unfortunately she didn't get all the way over.
This is as far as she got :(
I love this little dress, and have been waiting SO long to get her in it.
Yes, that is a cloth diaper! I love the bright red
Cuddling with mommy
Robert took this one without looking through the viewfinder and it is so cute
Kaylee is working on rolling over for the first time, and I thought she was going to the other day so I started taking pictures....unfortunately she didn't get all the way over.
This is as far as she got :(
I love this little dress, and have been waiting SO long to get her in it.
Yes, that is a cloth diaper! I love the bright red
Thursday, October 1, 2009
very disouraged.....
It seems like everything is against me breast feeding Kaylee.
First off she has reflux, which by its self makes nursing a bit of a challenge for her some days.
Then I find out she is sensitive to the least little dairy in my diet. If I have any it causes her serious pain, and makes it hard for her to sleep/nap. Do you know how hard it is to get enough calories to breast feeding when you can't have anything with the least bit of dairy?
Then my milk supply started going away which made her hungry a lot of the time simply because she couldn't get enough from me. I have been pumping like crazy and taking brewers yeast but am not seeing much improvement.
And the most recent challenge is that she and I have Thrush, which is making it VERY painful for her to nurse/bottle feed. I just got medication for us today so hopefully it works quickly. It is torture giving her her medicine though.
I tried giving her a special non-dairy formula yesterday when she was absolutely inconsolable from hunger.....she wouldn't eat it. She basically went to bed hungry because I couldn't get enough food into her.
I am SOOOO close to just giving up breast feeding. I really really don't want to, but I am so discouraged it hurts. How can breast feeding be the best thing for her when it is causing her so much pain? At the same time, I CAN'T switch her to formula because she wont eat the only kind she can have!!
Sorry, I just needed to vent. I don't know what else to do.
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