Thumb-sucking, Massages and Work Spaces

I've heard of kids sucking their thumbs, but dogs sucking their tails???
Yesterday we had a stretching/massage class for Makin, which was very fun. She was very tense in class- possibly due to the cold (we forgot a jacket) or the dirt floor (she prefers 400 thread count sheets) or the other people/dogs (although that's unlikely since she knows that everyone there is wonderful) or maybe it was the barn smell. Yeah, it was probably the barn smell- she had her hunt on. Anyway, it is so great to learn how to take care of Makin best we can. Sadly she's getting old- or middle aged- and we want her to have the best life for as long as she can have it. So, keeping her limber is very important to us & her. When we practiced the stretching at home, she was much more appreciative, which was nice. If only she could reciprocate....

And lastly, here's a picture of our Agility work space at home. Sad, we know, but not bad for city-living! The weave poles are so fun- we love practicing. And Makin loves it too! We sneak Tessa out there on occasion too, although her joints are probably to young for continual impact. Surprisingly (or maybe not!) she does so well! She was a little nervous at first, but now she loves it too. Can't wait to sign her up for Katrin's "Five Directions!".
And no, that's not our house in the background! That would be the garage...

Makin and Tessa have received an Award!

The Regal Vizsla and the Royal Majesties of that blog have been kind enough to honor Makin and Tessa with an award. The girls are both proud and humbled! Makin is especially proud as Momo, her son, has graced her with an award!

The spirit of the award is such that you are able to pass along the award to others.

We will honor just a few as we unfortunately do not spend as much time viewing as we would like. Kudos to all of those bloggers out there!



1) Monty's Training Diary Monty's person, has been kind enough to let us be part of her training classes. She has some great blogs and pooches on those blogs. She makes classes fun! She also has some great blogs that we enjoy very much.

2) Molasses Ain't Got Nothin on Us A great blog with terrific insight into the agility world, the training of two great mini-schnauzers and a variety of helpful dog related topics.

3) The View from Kololo Our inspiration to blog! A friends blog about adventures and life in Uganda.

Quiet on the Blog-Front

We have been blog silent for a bit now. That is not to say we have been up to nothing, or no good for that matter. Life has been a little crazy lately. I found a new job and will be starting with a new company in just a few days. Crazy, scary, exciting and rewarding can sum up my feelings on the job search and reasons for finding a new job. Hopefully all works out.

On the V front we have been a little quiet as well. Agility ABC's has ended but we have a new class starting tomorrow. Makin starts a 6 week weave pole course which will be challenging. We are now the proud owners of two sets of six weave poles. They were not cheap but are an investment in both of the girls. Although Makin is the only one formally training we plan on getting Tessa started this summer.

Tessa has started her Canine Good Citizen (CGC) class. We have had one class where we worked on loose leash walking and being greeted by a person with manners. I must admit that I have failed Tessa a little and will therefore have to work with her quite a bit if we want to have a shot at passing the test. I typically have the girls off leash and do not spend as much time with the leash. I also allow jumping on me a little to much. She is gentle and not pushy but it is still bad manners. The other challenge we have is that everyone we know tends to let her jump on them. It is our responsibility to prevent this but the messages sent to her are not consistent as we are asking her to get off while they are rubbing her ears or head. Again, training people, especially people who consider themselves well versed in training or handling dogs can be a challenge. In no way am I saying that I know it all or even a fair amount but asking people to respect what you want to happen can be frustrating.

Both Lael and I had the day off today (although Lael is at work for the evening) and we spent a wonderful today together. We went to the park in the morning where the girls were able to run the trails and even did a bit of swimming. It was a great day out but I was happy to have had them run before the heat kicked in. Lael and I then purchased new running shoes and went for a nice run. I am hoping to get in a few races this summer and in particular a few triathlons.

Tomorrow should be another great day. We plan on going to the park in the morning and then hopefully get in a quick nine holes of golf before we we head to weave pole class in the evening. Hopefully golf won't be too frustrating, but as Mark Twain once said, golf can be "a good walk spoiled"!

Hopefully we can get some pictures tomorrow and do an update on the day, weave poles and our loose leash walking and other CGC work.