Worked on some freestyle with Spencer tonight. It was 10:39PM and I had been watching some YouTube videos of disc dogs *coughbordercolliescough* and I got the itch to practice with him. We worked “around” where he runs behind my back (to the right) and comes to the front of me on the left side so I can throw for him. We did some long distance catches (as “long distance” as my living room can be considered). Also some short distance/height catches where he’s right in front of me but he has to really jump for the catch.
In general he’s really improving. We haven’t mastered leg weaves… or rather, we haven’t gotten leg weaves at all, ever. He’s really good at “spin” and all of his other tricks (sit up, shake, wave, roll-over, bark) in exchange for the disc which is good. What I would really like to get before our little demo in July is leg weaves and him jumping over my leg in preparation for a knee/leg vault. OMG and we’re going to start work on a back vault.
In less interesting news Dad got me a new nalgene when he was in California this past week and I LOVE it, but I left it in my car yesterday the whole time I was at work. So then today Mom made a big deal about me remembering to get it down at work, so I got it down at work… and forgot it there. And I’m off tomorrow and Thursday. 
Oh but Mackenzie did a really good Stand for Exam AND Stand in motion while at work.
I sent out THREE Letters to the Editor to The Monitor, The Brownsville Herald and the Valley Morning Star. The following is what I sent them:
Letter To The Editor:
The recent stories appearing in the newspaper and the news media about pit bull attacks has compelled me to write this letter in an effort to inform the general public about the complexities of this often misunderstood breed. I write this letter not only as a dog lover, and dog owner, but also as a dedicated and knowledgeable dog professional. I have met, trained, and interacted with hundreds of pit bulls and pit bull mixes both in New York where I graduated from college and here in Texas.
Many people are intent to persuade the public that pit bulls are not only innately aggressive but almost solely owned by people wanting an aggressive breed of dog who are more willing to encourage this negative behavior. The original pit fighting dogs were known for their aggressiveness towards other dogs but never toward their human masters. In the days of dog-fighting any dog who tried to attack a human handler was immediately “culled” or put to death because they would be of no use if they were aggressive toward their human trainers and handlers. Pit bulls were never bred to be aggressive towards humans but because they were bred to be aggressive and willing fighters (as far back as the time when they were used for bull-baiting), in the wrong hands certain traits may be magnified.
The idea of nature versus nurture is a very common one in this debate and pit bull fanciers will argue that it is not the four-legged beast but rather the two-legged one that is to blame for the breed’s negative image. In the wrong hands almost any breed could be deemed dangerous if handled poorly over a significant amount of time. Many believe the solution to the “pit bull problem” is to simply ban the pit bull breed(s) altogether. The most blatant problem with “Breed Specific Legislation”, which means legislative restrictions placed on the right to own specific breeds, is that it does not take into account the owner’s responsibility for the dog or the individual temperament of each dog. Nearly every city in the United States has some sort of legislation in effect that holds the owner responsible if their dog attacks or bites someone. Therefore, the solution is to enforce the laws that are already in place. Other proposed solutions are requiring new dog owners to complete introductory classes or attend seminars that promote proper canine care and more specifically, classes that outline responsible dog ownership.
Is owning and raising a pit bull a bigger responsibility than owning a different breed of dog? Absolutely. Not only do you have a large, muscular, powerful, high energy dog to train and socialize, but you also have to be very aware that your dog is not going to be liked by everyone, and even hated by some. If you own a pit bull (or any powerful breed) it is up to you to take proper precautions to ensure your dog is a well-behaved member of our community. Sign you and your dog up for a positive-reinforcement based training class, take him out on daily walks not only to exercise him, but to socialize him to various sights, sounds, dogs, and people. Raise your dog with the idea that he is a valued and cherished member of your family and he will behave like one.
Respectfully Submitted
Did I mention they don’t publish/accept anything longer than 300 words? Yea, it’s 561.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I got the day off from work on Sunday (Father’s Day) so obviously I opted to drag Dad to our little unofficial Dog Park:
When I was in college I would always dress up for exam days. No matter how I felt that day, or whether I had actually slept the night before, I would always put on some really good clothes, do my hair and makeup, and try and look as fabulous as possible. I figured this was the day that all those other days were leading up to. All those days of sitting in class writing notes, listening (or not) to lectures, and waking up relatively early to go to class (or not). The exam day was the culmination of all those days and nights of hard work (surely I’m exaggerating for some classes) and I wanted to make it special.
Now that I’ve graduated there is a new goal in mind.
It was more than a year ago that Dad, Mackenzie and I attended an AKC Obedience and Rally seminar in Austin, Tx. A year ago I decided that we were going to get serious about dog sports. A year ago Mackenzie and I went from “pet training” to “competitive obedience training”. And here we are now. One year later and a few months until our first trial. Our first time in the ring and our first time at a dog show.
We’ve been training with this in mind for over a year, I’ve already requested the days off from work, Dad is going to clear his schedule, Mom is coming too, and even Matt is interested in what all this talk is about. Today I bought a really badass collapsible crate, a new orthopedic bed (in the same shade of blue to match the new crate) and a new Wing-a-Ball (to save for the show weekend).
And naturally, I needed some nice new clothes for the trial. I got two new striped button-down shirts (one in blue stripes and the other in pink/red stripes) which are short enough to leave un-tucked, but I may tuck them in just in case they prevent Mackenzie from seeing my eyes. When I was trying them on I even practiced giving a right and left finish signal to see how well they moved (clearly they passed the evaluation). I also got some really cute shoes with hardcore grips on the bottom to wear in the ring as well.
This is it. The trial is in the beginning of August.
Things we really need to work on in order of how much work they need:
-Stand for Exam: with as many people/situations as possible
-Proofing Stays: I want at least a 2 min sit/stay and a 5 min down/stay before August
-Recall/Front: She comes in a little crooked and sometimes is a bit too far from me
-Heeling is great: need to work on-lead more since mainly we work off-lead
-Figure 8 is pretty solid: could use some proofing with different kinds of people
Also within the next few days we need to refresh our memory of Rally (duh) and figure out if we are going to enter both O/RLY on Saturday and Sunday. God I’m giddy. 
