"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."

Sometimes my dogs cause me to need therapy, and sometimes they are the therapy. Today was the latter. I had kind of an icky morning - I let some negative people get to me, felt very dismissed and irrelevant. I had a chance to go train with my friend so I loaded up the girls to work in the field and fix my mindset. They did not disappoint!

Noodle was a rock star with a nice honor or two, some very solid points and a lot of intensity. Pizza ran with a 5 month old puppy and did a great job of teaching him by example. No matter what he did, she stayed solid on point. After we were done training, we took the two of them for a nice run in the woods. It was a day of total therapy for me, and one I sorely needed. I left the field feeling so much better about myself, my dogs, and my training abilities. Granted, my self-doubts will probably come back with a vengeance tomorrow, but today ended up being a great day.

Pizza is showing her puppy training pal how it's done!

Noodle's famous rear-leg point. She held this point forever - long enough for me to take several dozen photos. Hard to believe she can keep her balance like that!

My training pal and I took our boys to Indianapolis for a 3 day agility trial. Let me start off by saying that Dolphin was AMAZING!!!! Every single run, every single day, he ran FAST, with enthusiasm, excitement, and pure joy. I have never had so much fun running a dog in agaility, he was on FIRE!

Friday started the weekend off with a massive bang! Q in Fast, Q in Standard,a dn a Q in Jumpers for a TRIPLE QQQ!!!! It would have been a Quadruple QQQQ but for a nose - in Time 2 Beat he went to take an off course tunnel and I called him off, but not before he stuck his nose in the tunnel, incurring a wrong course.

Saturday we only had a FAST Q, but he was amazing in standard and jumpers, both had a run out because he was so fast he didn't turn sharp enough to get the jump. Sunday was only a Time 2 Beat Q, but his jumpers and standard were amazingly fast, but both had a bar down - standard was the heartbreaker as the LAST bar (a triple going into the corner) came down after an otherwise clean run. Jumpers had a bar down on a tight pinwheel turn. However, he ran those so fast (his standard run would have gotten him 27 MACH points if he had left that bar up!).

I have never had a weekened like this where Dolphin ran all three days so well. It was SO MUCH FUN! We had a blast, he was so happy to be running with me, his enthusiasm was obvious to everyone who watched. I have no idea why he was so excited and happy - maybe all of these months of all positive and excited training has finally paid off? I don't know, but it was my best weekend of agility EVER, With any dog. Man, it felt good!

I finally had a chance to do some field training. Today was Dolphin and Noodle's turn. This will be my only chance to train all week (bad weather moving in), and we have the last hunt test of the year on Saturday. Dolphin hadn't been on a bird since the last hunt test several weeks ago...yikes!

This morning I worked him with my friend's dog. We set out pigeons. Dolphin was pretty steady on the two birds he pointed. He honored fairly well also, so that's good. I still have a problem with him losing interest and wanting to turn and move away after the bird flies. Unfortunately I wasn't able to work him on a shot bird retrieve. I am hopeful for Saturday but not too optimistic.

Noodle worked with my friend's puppy. It was great for both dogs! The puppy was led by a good, steady example, and Noodle had to work through a puppy jumping in and stealing her point. She was awesome, even when the puppy jumped in and grabbed the bird right out in front of her. After we were done working, I used that bird to do a couple retrieves with Noodle. We still battle her over-excitement at times when she is honoring, but I don't mind the enthusiasm...she just needs to steady a bit and control her impulses. Easier said than done when there are birds involved!

Today was another trifecta day at the hunt test. What a nice way to end the year!

Noodle's brace was first thing this morning - 21 degrees BRRRR! She took off like a bullet from the start, streaked through the first field and through the break in the field and was out of sight. We all assumed that she went straight to the bird field and was now standing on point, because that's just what she always does. The two judges (on horseback), myself, and my brace partner trudged through the second backfield, my bracemate worked a bird, and then we went through the woods and ended up in the birdfield...no Noodle. No one had seen her. Of course I am in a slight panic. Myself and one of the judges went back down through the woods, I am calling her name getting more and more frantic as we see NO sign of her. We went all the way through the second back field and I was just about to head to the van to pull out my tracker when I finally saw her - right by me half in the high cover on the edge of the woods on point. She blended in PERFECTLY with the dead, grey cover, so all you could really see was her butt and tail sticking out, solidly on point. She had been on point that WHOLE time. The 4 of us walked right past her and didn't see her, and then we walked right past her again while looking for her. She stayed solid on point the whole time. Crazy! She was SO stiff once I released her and we headed to the birdfield. She had been standing on point for more than 10 minutes in 20 degree weather. Damn I love this girl! Thankfully she didn't hold it against me, and performed brilliantly in the birdfield once we finally got there.

Pizza was wonderful with her bird work. The first bird was mised, so we heeled off and quickly went on point again for her second bird. This one was shot four times at close range. It was a messy bird but she managed to do a halfway OK retrieve, putting it down a couple times. Her honor, as usual, was stellar. She has developed a habit of wanting to turn away once the dog has started his retrieve, so I did have to correct that today.

Dolphin was so good in the backfield, really kept his mind on his business even when his bracemate came over to him a few times. He was so nice and steady on his birdwork, I was able to really wait before tapping him to send on the retrieve. His retrieve, however, was pretty crappy. He got it to me eventually, but it took way more work than it should have. I really have to figure out a way to train this during our down time the next few months. His honor was OK - he stopped nicely but once again turned towards me since I was kind of far nehind him. I was able to get him facing forward, and he stood well.

We ended today with Noodle - Master Hunter pass #35, Pizza - Master Hunter pass #8 and Master Hunter Advanced pass #3, and Dolphin - Master Hunter Pass #4...only one more to go!

Well, I guess I need to recap the week. I judged in the cold, pouring rain all day on Sunday and of course got extremely ill. I spent pretty much the entire week on the couch trying to survive. I took Pizza on Tuesday to OSU for her appointment for her uterine biopsies. She stayed the night and had the biopsies done on Wednesday morning and I brought her home late that afternoon. They said that everything looked great on her - uterus, ovaries, everything looked perfectly healthy, but maybe the biopsies will tell us something different. I have a sneaking suspicion that they will find absolutely nothing wrong with her. I do have an idea of my next move if this proves to be the case.

I managed to scrape myself together enough to get Noodle and Dolphin to agility class on Thursday. Both dogs ran awesome, in fact Dolphin ran every sequence like he was back at the trial at Indianapolis! The only thing I could figure is that these dogs have been laying on the couch with me for days, so they were overly eager to work.

I still felt like crap on Friday, but I already had plans to work Dolphin and Noodle in the field, and since I had a gunner available I didn't want to miss it. Probably a dumb idea since it was in the high 30's and spitting rain the whole time, but I survived. Noodle did some honoring, and pointed a random loose bird nicely, and ran a ton. That was the extent of her training. The bulk of the day was spent on Dolphin. My goal is to improve his retrieve. I was NOT happy with it at the hunt test on Saturday. His retrieve used to be so good, but it has deteriorated. I know he LOVES to retrieve, and I am wondering that he doesn't like the fact that when he goes out to retrieve the shot bird, once he hands it off to me the retrieving fun is done and he has to move on. I decided to try for the next couple months a training plan I devised. We will shoot a bird over him, and after he retrieves it I will whoa him, throw the bird again and let him retrieve, and throw a third time and let him retrieve. This way he doesn't assume the fun is over once he brings the bird back.

Today we shot 3 birds over him, and after each retrieve I tossed the bird and send him on a retrieve two more times, with lots of praise. I will say with each retrieve, he got a little better! I think maybe I might be on the reight track? Oh, and he broke on the second bird - broke on the shot. I had to correct him, I brought him back and then sent him for the retrieve. I was surprised as I didn't expect this, but I have to remember he is young and relatively inexperienced, and I have only really had him reliably steady since maybe September. Mistakes happen.

Oh and I should mention that his honoring was pretty darn good today! He is stopping nicely on his own. He still wants to turn towards me, and once the other dog is sent on the retrieve he completely loses interest and wants to turn away, but overall I think it is getting better.

It was probably a bad idea to go out for 2 1/2 hours in the freezing drizzle to train when I am so sick, but it was WORTH IT!

I am back to the living! I have been sick on the couch for almost 2 weeks. Christmas was a total bust, I barely remember the day, I was so sick. I finally broke down and went to the doctor on Monday, and I was prescribed antibiotics for a severe sinus infection, and of course the antibiotics made me extra sick to my stomach. Fun times!

I had entered Dolphin and Noodle in an agility trial a few hours north...crazy to do that in December and stay in a hotel with those two loonies, but here I am. It actually turned out to be a pretty good weekend.

I will say that all weekend I made some terrible handling choices. My brain felt like it was in a fog and I had a LOT of trouble keeping track of the different handling plans I had for each dog, and I often mixed them up and screwed up the dogs. On Sunday, Noodle went 0 for 3 and that is SO unlike her! I did make some dumb mistakes, but she also blew all three runs by going to visit the bar setter right before the last jump. I think she was channelling her inner Pizza? So weird, she doesn't normally do that.

On Saturday Dolphin ran awesome. He had a nice FAST Q. For some weird reason he sneezed during the weaves in Standard and came out at pole #2. the rest was clean and very fast! He Q'ed in Jumpers, I was scrambly with my hndling but he ran awesome and saved me!

Sunday was a little better. Noodle went visiting in FAST and ran out of time (even though she got her send). She made up for it with two nice Q's in Standard and Jumpers for Double QQ #11! I can't believe we only started preferred in January of this year and she is already on QQ #11. We aren't quite halfway in points, but getting there. Finishing her PACH is going to be my priority next year!

Dolphin was fantastic all day today. He had a really nice Q in FAST, a great Q in Time 2 Beat (and that finished his T2B2 title!). He totally missed the contact on his A Frame i standard but it wasn't called, thank goodness. Jumpers was going so well, but I made a stupid handling error that pulled him off a jump, causing a refusal. SOOOO close to a quadruple QQQQ! He ran wonderful all day, so that makes me happy!!!!

I am worn out after the weekend. My stamina is at zero. It's going to be a nice quiet week in the house this week, just recuperating.

DOLPHIN

NOODLE

I always approach this day with excitement and a little trepidation. It's funny, I write out these goals on January 1 and then I never look at them again, I refuse to let myself even glance at them until December 31. Half the time I really don't remember what exactly I had written. It's always interesting to see what my priorities were a year ago, whether I achieved them, and whether they are even a priority anymore.

2024 SHORT TERM GOALS
1. Earn Dolphin's Master Hunter title - - so close! Only one more to go!

2. Earn Dolphin's MXJ and MXF titles - - DONE!

3. Earn Noodle's MH30 (Master Hunter 30th pass) - DONE! We are up to 35!

4. Successfully compete with Pizza in agility again - This one is a maybe. We were a little successful, but still not where we want to be, so I am going to say no.

5. Earn FT points with Noodle - UGH, not yet...so darn close!

6. Reach 10 QQ's with Dolphin in agility - Yeah...nope! We are at 7.

7. Breed Pizza and raise a healthy, talented litter - Damn I wish. Certainly not for lack of trying. I am holding out hope that this goal will be achieved in 2025.

8. Reach 10 QQ's in preferred with Noodle - We did it! Plus one - we reached 11!

LONG TERM GOALS:
1. Earn Noodle's RAE title - Got it this summer...BOOM!

2. Earn a MACH or PACH - In progress...in progress...

3. Earn a field championship - Not even close

4. Earn 50 MH passes with Noodle - only 15 more to go!

5. Earn Noodle's PAX title (20 preferred QQs) - only 9 more to go!

Some of these goals I have kind of tossed aside as not possible. Some of them are still there, and I am chipping away at them ever so slowly. Some of them I whomped out big time! Below is my full 2024 recap: