Agility with Linda

09/07/2018

Shadow shows his stuff. He's a quick study! :)

05/12/2017

Dexter masters the Ifetch ! This is a pretty cool toy. Not something I would have invested in, but it was gift. Dexter loves it! Both dogs learned to drop the ball into the basket within a few minutes (NOT a typical time frame in case you were wondering) but they already play basketball and do other similar tricks. However once I plugged it in, Dexter was initially troubled by the noise it made getting ready to throw. NOW he know it means the ball is going to come out ... so he usually has already headed out running!! FUN!

05/11/2017

Ty and Abi rocked their lesson today! It's nice to be outside again. Want to have some fun with YOUR dog? While I do have competition students, most of my students do agility because it's FUN. With private lessons we get to move at whatever pace is best for YOU and your dog.

04/22/2017

Puppies are soooo much fun, but they grow up way too fast. I have a new puppy starting private lessons next week. Can't wait! :) It is so much easier to start lessons w/ clean slate rather than undo bad behaviors, and puppies are like little sponges, they love learning new things.

02/27/2017

The joys of teaching your dog a good 'Leave it!' ... Tonight as I was finishing up dishing out the dogs yummy homemade dinner, I knocked one of the dishes to the floor. :( Three dogs dove for it! I said 'Leave it!' and all 3 stepped away. Good dogs! 2 dogs got sent to their crates for their dinner, and the 3rd cleaned the floor. :) Trained dogs rock! Give me a shout if you want to train yours.

01/26/2017

The more tricks your dog learns, the faster they learn them! In part, because keeping their brain 'exercised' teaches them to figure things out. Trixie did such a good job demonstrating this today, that I decided to video it. I picked up this collection of stacking cups just this afternoon. Trixie already knows several 'put this in there' tricks (puts toys in the toybox, trash in the wastebasket & plays basketball) so I suspected that it wouldn't take her TOO long to figure it out ... But she really amazed me. In our first (not videoed attempt) it took her a couple minutes to figure out how to pick them up at all. She immediately got bring one to the other, though I think only 1 was dropped so that it actually fit. In this attempt just a couple hours later, it apparently clicked! She got them all. What a clever girl. :)

01/25/2017

Soccer, SCORE! This is an oldie but goodie. I think Chip was around 9 years old when he learned this trick. Currently Trixie and Dexter are learning to play. They aren't yet quite as good as Chip was in this video, but they are getting there. Winter is a great time for teaching tricks, as most people spend a lot more time indoors. Bet you didn't know that challenging your dog's brain can tire them out quicker than going for a walk. Tire your dog out, strengthen your bond, AND impress your family and friends! Want lessons? Give me a shout.

01/14/2017

Trixie was feeling left out that I posted 'useful' tricks for Dexter, when she feels she is much more helpful than HE is. So here is Trixie picking up the trash and putting it in the wastebasket. This was really useful for Xmas wrapping paper. :)

01/13/2017

Are you and your dog getting bored w/ winter weather yet? We do a lot more trick training in the winter because it is not as much fun to hang out in a yard covered with a foot of snow ... Trick training keeps the dogs brains exercised, and depending on the trick, gives them some physical exercise too, and it's FUN!

Currently, Dexter is learning to put his OWN toys away. Trixie already knows this trick, but seeing as Dexter is the one that leaves most of the toys OUT, it doesn't seem fair to make Trixie put them away. We are just getting started w/ this, so I still have to block him from taking the toys back out of the box, as well as 'pay' him for every one. Eventually, like Trixie, he'll just go clean them all up. :)

12/02/2016

Some Xmas photos for students today. Ty has perfected the art of looking handsome! :)

12/02/2016

Took some Xmas photos for students today. Cute !

10/19/2016

I love this! Most dogs try really hard to do what you ask of them, but often they really don't have a clue as to WHAT it is you want. I love seeing the 'light bulb' go off when they DO figure out what makes you happy! :)

Thought for the week