Pity Party

It's been a lousy weekend for me and the dogs. I've spent the last few hours crying, swearing and questioning my decisions. Welcome to my pity party. To be honest, I debated on whether I was even going to post this.

Trooper: As you know, Trooper went to North Carolina this weekend for a bunch of shows, including the Southeast Futurity/Maturity show. We thought he was ready. We were wrong. Trooper has decided that NOW is the time to be a headstrong adolescent. Sigh. He's not having a good time and he's making sure everybody knows it. I watched him on FB live streaming and my heart dropped. Trooper's not cooperating with his handler and refusing to let the judges touch him. He was excused from one show, and dead last in the next. J-Lyn and I agreed to pull him from the last two shows. Trooper doesn't need to develop any bad habits in the ring (like thinking he can get his way by acting the fool). Nor does he need to show his ass in front of everybody at the Futurity. We feel we made the best decision under the circumstances. Unfortunately, I don't get my entry fees back.

I've already paid for four shows the first weekend of April. I'm not getting that money back either. We'll try to show him again -- maybe he'll do better with me present. If not, we'll pull him then too. Either way, I plan to stop showing him for the next 6-9 months and allow him to mature. J-Lyn suggested that we focus our energy on fun, performance sports in the interim to help build confidence and self-control -- things like Fast CAT, dock diving and barn hunt. Speaking of barn hunt . . .

Jedi: Hubby, Jedi and I spent the weekend in Deland. Our favorite trial site was offering an advanced BH workshop on Friday night. Jedi has just moved up from Open to Senior -- a big jump in both difficulty and entry prices. I was hoping the training would give us an advantage for Saturday's trials, so I forked out the workshop fee plus a hotel stay. I was wrong. Jedi did the U-shaped tunnel. I was afraid he wouldn't. But he only found 2 of the 4 rats on each run. Jedi still doesn't seem to realize there are additional hides. (And this was not addressed in the workshop. Grrr.) Hubby recorded our runs. On playback I could see that Jedi was frustrated and spent a third of our allotted search time checking out the spectators. 

My weekend

Me: I added things up. I probably shouldn't have. This weekend was a $300 disaster. So now I'm wondering: WTF am I doing? How can I fix these issues? Should I even try? I don't want to frustrate my dogs. I also don't want to waste money on frustrated dogs. Hell, I'M frustrated. I probably shouldn't make any major decisions right now. I think I'm going to lick my wounds, eat some cheesecake and take a long nap. I'll make decisions later. Until then, -- K

Sneak Preview

Trooper's not a puppy anymore!

I know I've been absent lately. Honestly, there's not a whole lot worth sharing. However, I've spent the last two weeks filling out entry forms, booking hotel rooms and coordinating calendars with Hubby. The next two months have A LOT going on. Here's a sneak preview:

• Trooper had another sleepover with J-Lyn. While there, he started doing road work. This is something we're going to continue. I've got a Kelley-sized tricycle and everything!
• Trooper turned a year on Monday -- just in time for the Fast CAT trials in Tallahassee next weekend,. Both boys are going to run AND Hubby and I are competing in a shooting competition the same weekend. We'll see how that works out!
• I'm in the middle of two interesting dog books. I'll share them with you soon.
• My dog club's annual German Shepherd Dog Walk in Historic St. Augustine is just around the corner. This year I'll be walking two dogs. I'm a little nervous.
• Trooper is headed to North Carolina with J-Lyn next month. Over three days he'll compete in an All-Breed show, two GSD Specialty shows and the Southeast Futurity/Maturity.
• That same weekend Jedi will be in DeLand for an advanced Barn Hunt workshop and two trials. The jump from Open to Senior is huge. We need all the help we can get.
• April is also a big month for us. Trooper will compete in my dog club's two GSD Specialty shows followed by two days of All-Breed shows.
• That same weekend, Fast CAT will be available at the Fairgrounds. I'm debating signing up Trooper and/or Jedi. I'll wait until after Tallahassee to make that decision.
• April 27 is my dog club's Specialty Match, held in conjunction with a breeder-friend's annual BBQ Bonanza. The match planning isn't coming along as easily as I had hoped and I'm stressing. Surprised?

So you see, fun and newsworthy posts are coming soon! Please be patient. Until then, -- K

Jedi for the Win

Look at Jedi's ribbons!

We went back to Deland on Saturday for more Barn Hunting. Jedi needed one more leg to earn his Open (RATO) title. First time in the ring he found both rats, made the tunnel and climbed in 1 minute, 39 seconds -- earning him the last leg, the title, first place and high in class. We walked out with a bunch of ribbons! Woohoo.

I had paid for two runs (just in case) and we were offered the opportunity to move up to a senior run. The senior ring is twice as big as the Novice/Open ring. It also contains four hidden rats and has two 90-degree turns in the tunnel. Yikes. Jedi wasn't as thrown off as I had predicted. He found two rats and was sniffing out a third when the judge called time. It was a long day of hunting for all of us. Afterwards, we went to a dog-friendly restaurant with friends. That was a lot of work for Jedi and he napped through lunch.

We wore him out

Trooper tagged along for socialization. He was touched by a bunch of people and seemed to relax a bit (but not as much as I'd like). He more-than-tolerated my friend Barb -- mostly because she was feeding him roast beef.

The boys were restless on the 90 minute ride home. Hubby passed our exit and headed for the dog park. Jedi and Trooper romped for about 45 minutes before we called it a day. That was enough to drain whatever pent up energy they had!

It was a quiet Saturday night for us. I got some uninterrupted computer time, Hubby watched some TV and we all turned in early. Hooray for dog sports! -- K

Rat Redemption

We were back in DeLand today, looking for rats. Like last time, we ran twice in one day.

The first time in the ring Jedi found both rats, climbed and tunneled. Yay! The judge didn't call time when we reached the 2.5 minute limit. Instead, she let Jedi finish the exercise. We were over by more than a minute, earning a big NQ (non-qualifying score). But we walked out of the ring cheering and celebrating anyway -- Jedi knows nothing about time.

The judge's kindness must have boosted Jedi's confidence. On the second run Jedi completed all the requirements in just over two minutes. Not only did he earn another leg toward his Open title, he was the 3rd fastest time.

We still have one more leg to complete before earning the Open (RATO) title. Unfortunately, it looks like we won't have the chance to do so until January. I hope he remembers what to do! I'll keep you posted. -- K

Barn Hunt Bomb

Last week I promised to keep you updated on the dogs' progress. Unfortunately, the news isn't great. I took both boys to a Barn Hunt trial last Sunday. It didn't go as I had hoped.

I signed Trooper up for the Instinct test. The running order was sent out several days before. There was one large dog taking the Instinct test, so I knew Trooper was the first one up. I hate being first! Unfortunately, we didn't leave the house as early as I wanted. To make things worse, the GPS in my new van sent us some wonky way. We ended up pulling up to the trial site just minutes before Trooper was to run. We didn't have time for him to potty, decompress or take it all in. Not good.

Trooper went in the ring and only sniffed one of the three tubes. Then he wandered around nervously for the next 59 seconds. I couldn't get him to focus or check the other tubes. We ran out of time. The sad part is that he actually sniffed the correct tube. If I had called it, Trooper would have got the Q. Grrr . . .

A picture of all the ribbons my dogs earned on Sunday

Jedi ran twice. The first time in the ring he insisted on sniffing everything before showing me the rats. He found both correctly. Yay! He climbed with no problem. But I couldn't get him to tunnel. He's look at the opening and then back out. Just as the judge called time Jedi spontaneously ran through the tunnel. What a turd! If he'd been three seconds faster we would have earned another leg toward his Open title.

The second run was even worse. Jedi showed me every tube that was hidden in the ring, but he wouldn't indicate which two had rats. We timed out again.

Hubby was tired from getting up stupid early all weekend. And his back hurt, so that made him extra grumpy. He grumbled about how much money and time we're wasting on the dogs. I was a good girl and held my tongue. Let's just say it was not a pleasant ride home.

However, the day wasn't all bad. I ran into a few women that I've trialed with before. (The dog sports community is smaller than you'd think.) They were happy to see me and Jedi. Apparently, they'd been asking about us the day before. Doesn't that make a girl feel good? Also, the desensitization efforts from Saturday's match had a positive affect on Trooper. He was much more approachable, even going up to sniff strangers. By the time we left, he was relaxed and seemed to be enjoying himself.

Look! It's Rumor! I met her.

So what's next? I'm not sure. There are Barn Hunt trials Veteran's Day weekend. I'm considering taking both dogs down on that Saturday. I need to look at my work schedule before making a final decision. I'll most likely only run Jedi, but bring Trooper for more socialization. I told Hubby that I could go without him. It's only a 90 minute drive. He grumbled some more. Dollars to Donuts he'll end up going with us -- but we'll let him make the offer.

It's disappointing when the dogs don't do well. It's easy to make excuses and lay blame. Could I have done this? Yep. Should I have done that? Maybe. Unfortunately, the truth is more complicated than that. Dogs are living, thinking beings with their own reasoning, feelings and motivations. Sometimes -- despite our best efforts -- things go wrong. And sometimes we can do everything wrong and the dog just "gets it." But you know what? I'm not going to let it get me down. A bad day running my dogs is still better than working at my regular job. It was a vacation day well spent. TTFN, -- K

Me Again

Trooper enjoyed the hotel room

Wow, it's been over a month since my last post. Things have been busy with me and the dogs. Nothing overly exciting, but still busy. Let's see if I can catch you up.

Trooper's first shows were last month. Despite all my preparation, we had a last-minute change of plans. He and I had been practicing our ringcraft a couple times a week. I forgot that I'm 50 and don't move like I used to. During handling class I twisted my right knee. It was swollen hurt like crazy for weeks. I ended up having someone else take Trooper into the ring. Trooper was the only one in his class, so he walked away with a blue ribbon each day. That being said, he didn't seem to enjoy himself. I think he was stressed. He moved nicely, but shied away from the physical exam. Grrr. Both judges said really nice things about my dog. A professional handler friend of my breeder really liked Trooper too. The consensus is: he's promising, but needs to get over the "strangers touching him" thing.

That same weekend Jedi competed in three Fast CAT trials. He ran the 100-yard dash between 10.01 and 10.66 seconds each time. That's pretty damn fast! By my calculations he earned the 150 points required for his BCAT title. However, the AKC is really slow about posting results, so I don't have official confirmation yet.

Look at him go!

Two days after the shows we had Jedi neutered. His OFA test last year revealed a wonky elbow. Dammit. I decided against breeding him, so keeping the hormones and urges tied to them would be cruel. Also, he's six now. Middle age brings prostate complications. Neutering removes these problems. And on a purely selfish level, I didn't want two intact males in my small house. I figured neutering Jedi before Trooper reaches sexual maturity would help keep peace in my home. The vet did a wonderful job. The internal stitches were dissolvable, and instead of external stitches, surgical glue was used. Jedi never appeared uncomfortable or itchy, so we didn't have to use the cone. Everything healed up beautifully.

Goofy pup won't sit still

The following week Trooper became an AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy. Yay! A certificate and medal came in the mail over the weekend. I tried to get a good picture, but he wouldn't sit still. This is as good as you're going to get!

See, we've been busy!!

So what's next? This Sunday I'm taking both boys to Barn Hunt trials in DeLand. Jedi is still working towards his open title. He hasn't been on rats since April. I hope he remembers. I signed Trooper up for the Instinct test (since we're going to be there anyway). We'll see if Trooper's got it. We haven't been able to train anywhere, so I may just be eating the $20.

Saturday there's a German Shepherd only match just outside Ocala. The White German Shepherd Dog Club of America is holding their National Specialty shows this weekend. They are offering a match (kind of a practice confirmation show) just for "colored" German shepherds like us. Fortunately, they're only taking entries day of. I'm waffling back and forth over entering Trooper. He's still weird about strangers, and I haven't been working on it like I should. He's in his second fear period and I don't want to traumatize him. At the same time, the longer we wait the further behind we're going to be in his training. So . . . more decisions.

Mostly I'm frustrated. And I'm tired. All. The. Freakin. Time. This is making everything more difficult.

• We're not practicing at home as often as we should.
• I've blown off handling classes for naps.
• Jedi's not getting his walks in the park and his restlessness is annoying.
• Trooper is not getting regular socialization field trips.
• My weight loss has stalled, and I've put 8 pounds back on. This sucks. (I'm still down 26 pounds from December, so it's not all bad news.)

These guys need to get out more

And to add insult to injury, my ancient cell phone has become unreliable. Every time something updates, something else screws up. I may or may not be able to blog, post to Facebook, take/view pictures or text at any given time. The picture quality stinks, with more photos blurry than not. BUT -- and this is a big but -- my Galaxy S4 is paid for. (Yes, I realize that the S9s are out. I said ancient!) Honestly, I don't want to spend that kind of money, especially during dog sports season!

Want to hear something sad? I've started and deleted a half-dozen post in the last month. I felt they were just too negative -- even by my glass-is-half-empty standards. Truth is, I have a hard time sharing when I'm feeling surly and tired. Right now I'm having trouble thinking clearly. It's soooo annoying. I hope whatever funk I'm under goes away soon.

So I guess you're up to speed now. I'll try to be more timely with news, phone willing. And I'll try not to be too grumpy -- but no promises. Later, -- K

Roadblocks and Hurdles

There have been several changes in Jedi's dog sport career in the last three months. Unfortunately, most of the changes are frustrating.

Nosework

When we left off last September, Jedi and I were gearing up for a UKC Nosework trial on October 14th and 15th. We were also debating entering the AKC Scent Work trials (a new venue for us) on December 2nd and 3rd.

Good news: Jedi and I went to Ocala for the UKC nosework trials. He found Birch in the Box on the second try. This gave him the last leg he needed for his novice container title and the full novice knows work title. Yay. On the second day he found my scented glove both times, earning him his novice handle discrimination title.

Bad news: Instructor stop teaching classes in Jacksonville. Again. She just couldn't get enough people to come consistently to make it worth her while. This was a big blow to my confidence. I decided to forgo the AKC scent work trial. This is probably a good thing too, as the fees were more than I could comfortably afford at the time.

More bad news: The German Shepherd Dog Club of North Florida has decided to push back our AKC scent work endeavors. The Scent & Go that was scheduled for January 6th has been cancelled. Instead, we have a Scent Work Workshop scheduled for the 20th. Also, we decided it would be better to try to host a trial in the fall. Putting together the April conformation shows has become a lot more difficult than we had hoped.

Barn Hunt

Jedi and I were ready to trial and barn hunt at the end of October. There is a woman 20 minutes away who cleared out her garage to teach Barn hunt. For $25 an hour she'd work on we wanted.

I told her Jedi and I were trying for the Open title (two rats and a 90 degree tunnel). I was afraid he didn't realize there was a second rat and that was causing some problems. She worked with us for several weeks in October. Jedi was finding the rats like nobody's business! He was also going through the tunnel with no hesitation. I was stoked. I knew we had RATO in the bag.

Then everything changed. Five days before the trial I got a call from Dare2Train, the trial location in DeLand. They had dissolved the business and the trial was canceled, my check was being returned. No further explanation. I was devastated.

Now the only local(ish) place to trial is in Morriston. Jedi and I didn't do well there last time and I'm hesitant to go back. So for now, we're doing nothing.

Rally

The Tuesday Training Crew took a hiatus in August. I didn't want to lose momentum, so I signed Jedi and I started Monday night Rally classes in September. My goal was to be ready for trial in January. I'm afraid this isn't going to happen either.

The Monday night classes weren't very helpful. The instructor knew his stuff, and he'd set up a good ring. But that was it. No drills, no tweaking, no homework, very little feedback. We'd run through the course twice and go home. I spent $75 for a total of 12 runs. I'd do better hitting up the Saturday Show-N-Gos at $5 each.

More frustrating, my Tuesday trainer has personal issues and doesn't know if she can reinstate training. Jedi and I suck at practicing at home without the accountability of a weekly class. Essentially, we're no better than we were in September -- and nowhere ready for a trail.

Long story short: Jedi and I are at a standstill right now. It's driving us both nuts. I wish I had better news. -- K

Rat Tubes

The Barn Hunt Association is very strict about how rats are handled at trials. Rat Wranglers are put into place to make sure that all rats are treated humanely. Their comfort, safety and well-being are paramount. The official rules even have specific instructions on how to make authorized dog-proof rat tubes -- with pictures! See:

To practice at home, we needed tubes. One Sunday morning I printed out the instructions and went to work. Hubby went to Lowe's. He sent me pictures throughout the day of his progress. 

Cut and glued

After drilling 156 holes!

The good news is that the instructions are clear and detailed, and the construction is fairly easy. The bad news is, they're not cheap. Hubby bought the stuff to make four tubes. Here's the breakdown of the cost, including his 10% military discount.

• four 10" sections of solid core schedule 40 PVC pipe, 4" diameter [he ended up buying two 2' pipes] ($12.80)
• four 4" PVC clean-out snap in drain caps ($11.24)
• four 4" female adapters
• four 4" PVC cleanout plugs ($20.40)
• clear PVC cement ($9.88)
• two colors of spray paint to camouflage tubes ($7.07)

The grand total for this project was $61.39 plus tax. (This does not include a 3/16" drill bit and sandpaper. You'll need them as well.) Here's the finished product:

Looking good, huh? Now we need to introduce Hide to the tubes. I'll keep you posted! -- K

Rats!

One of the best cartoons ever!

It's a good thing this is a dog blog, because I've got a shaggy-dog story for you! Try to keep up!

I like rats. I had rats as pets when I was a kid. They're intelligent, affectionate and trainable -- much better than nasty little biting hamsters. Hubby does not like rats. He thinks they have beady little eyes and gross hairless tails. (He's wrong of course.) Because of Hubby's aversion to rodents, I've only had one rat in the 30 years we've been together. Her name was Dot and she was absolutely wonderful. When we got orders to Japan, she couldn't go with us. Instead, she became the third grade pet at the elementary school. She was loved by children until the day she died.

At 28" X 28" X 18" this thing is huge

I dislike digging through old shit. Keep your "buried treasures." I've got enough of my own stuff to deal with, I don't want somebody else's. Unfortunately, Hubby is a "collector" for lack of better words. He enjoys yard sales and flea markets. He enjoys American Pickers entirely too much. And in Japan he fully embraced the concept of gomi. Once a month people would stack unwanted but still usable items outside. Neighbors would go through and take what they wanted. It was socially acceptable (or so I was told). Hubby brought home all kinds of crap! He still slows down when he sees stuff piled on the side of the road. To my horror, he brings things home all too often. About six months ago he came home with a large cage. It looked like it was designed for a ferret. It had several levels and three doors. I rolled my eyes, but it has sat on the porch ever since.

So fast forward to Mother's Day weekend. We went to a Barn Hunt trial and Jedi totally bombed. I signed up for four runs, each with two hidden rats. Out of a total of 8 possible rat's Jedi found exactly one. I was frustrated and assumed that Jedi was just overwhelmed by the new venue. Out of the blue, Hubby said "You know, you really should get some rats to practice at home." Then he reminded me about that eyesore on the porch. I jumped on that like Drogo on a mealworm!

So, all this is to say: Meet Hide!

Sorry for the picture quality. This little girl is FAST!

WARNING: Don't get your panties in a bunch. Yes, my rats will (hopefully) be trained to accept the tubes to help Jedi with his barn hunt training. However, they are pets. They are loved and well cared for. Animal Rights Activists can keep their ugly comments to themselves.

Buying pet rats has proven to be more difficult than you would think -- definitely more difficult than it was when I was a child. First of all, very few stores even carry fancy rats. (Feeder rats are a different story.) Those that do -- PetSmart and Petco -- have some strange rodents related policies. Three of the four Petco stores I went to only sold males, the fourth had very large (read old) mangy-looking white girls with pink eyes. Ick. PetSmart stores sell either male or female rodents, but not both. However, they don't advertise which, nor do they always know what the other stores carry. Grrr.

I want female rats. They stay smaller. I think they're more attractive too. Male rats have giant genitalia that they drag behind them and I think rat balls are gross. I also want more than one. Rats are social creatures and I think it would be nice to have a pair. Besides, the cage is huge. So Hubby and I drove around one Saturday. We probably hit 8 pet stores and found one female rat (Hide). A week later we hit another half dozen pet stores on the other side of town. Nada, sans the fugly girls mentioned above.

Hide (bottom) and Seek (top)

We had to stop by the reptile store to get horned worms for Drogo (his favorite). While there I asked if they had any small, female feeder rats that were relatively friendly. I told the reptile guy that it would be a pet. The guy went into the back and brought out ten very cute ones in a wide variety of colors and patterns. I stuck my hand in the tub and they were all friendly. I picked the gray one with a white triangle on her forehead and named her Seek. I felt bad choosing just one, knowing the other nine wouldn't be as lucky as this one. And when I saw the price -- a third of what PetSmart charged -- I was a little miffed that I had wasted all that time driving around town.

Hide was thrilled to have a friend. The girls cuddled and Hide was constantly grooming Seek. Unfortunately, Seek didn't appear well. She started sneezing right away. Her eyes weren't as bright and she didn't have the energy of Hide. I was hoping that with good food, fresh air and as little stress as possible she'd bounce back. I was wrong. Two days later Hubby found her dead in the cage. I guess feeder rats aren't expected to be as healthy as pet quality rats. I feel bad. I hope the last couple days of her life we happy ones.

So for now we're going to keep looking for another female rat while loving on Hide. Thankfully, she still appears to be healthy. Soon we'll make rat tubes and teach the girls to go in willingly. Meanwhile, Jedi is well aware that we a have a rat in the house. When I ask him "Where's the rat?" he runs over, noses the cage and sits. Who knows, we may get our RATO title after all! -- K

Barn Hunt Blues

I’ve mentioned Barn Hunt several times. (And lucky you, I will mention it many more!) Unfortunately, there isn’t a place to train in Jacksonville. We’ve taken a couple workshops at Dare2Train in Deland (about 90 minutes away) and then trial with our fingers crossed. Because of work and other commitments, We only get to compete every other month – with varying results. Here's our journey so far:

On New Year’s Eve we took an Intro Workshop and had so much fun that I signed up for a Tunnel and Climb Workshop and a day of trials two weeks later. Jedi got a leg toward his Novice title. I was thrilled.

In March I signed Jedi up for two days of trials (4 runs total) hoping he could pick up the last two legs. Jedi kicked ass! On Saturday he found the rats right away, climbed like a mountain goat and tunneled with no hesitation. We earned two legs, two first place ribbons, his Novice title (RATN) and High in Trial for the fastest time!

I had paid for the second day, just in case we blew a run or two. So I said WTH and moved up to the next level. Open is more challenging. It has two rats and an L–shaped tunnel (versus the one rat and straight tunnel of Novice). Jedi found a rat and climbed right away. The darker tunnel didn’t slow him down either. He ran through and jumped on me in excitement. I told him to “Find the rat” and he ran through the tunnel a second time! Everybody laughed at his enthusiasm. I told him again, “Find the rat” and he gave me the German shepherd head tilt. He was confused. We had never trained with two rats before. I told him “There’s another rat. Find the rat.” He tilted his head again and I started directing him to hay bales. He figured it out and found the second rat with less than 4 seconds to spare. I was shocked! The second trial was not as productive. He was distracted by a loose dog outside the ring and couldn’t have cared less about the rats. That left us needing 2 more legs for his Open (RATO) title.

Dare2Train doesn’t hold trials during the warmer months. They had their final trial the same weekend as my German Shepherd Dog Club’s dog shows so we missed it. I was worried that Jedi would lose momentum and we’d have to retrain him in October. Then I found G2 Barn Hunt, another venue that does Barn Hunt in Morriston. I told Hubby that we'd attempt to finish Open and then wait until fall to attempt the next level (Senior has 4 rats and 2-3 turns in the tunnel.) Morriston is 2 1/2 hours away and on the opposite side of Ocala. We had to stay in a hotel for this trip, adding to the cost. I signed Jedi up for Friday and Saturday on Mothers Day weekend, for a total of 4 runs.

We only needed two legs again, but I wanted some wiggle room in case we blew a run or two. Handler error is always a possibility and I didn't want to blow it for us. We left the hotel Friday morning with an estimated 45 minutes of wiggle room. However, we soon discovered that Morriston is in the middle of nowhere. We lost cell service (including GPS) and then we were just lost. I freaked out, especially when I discovered that gas stations don't sell maps anymore. Hubby was able to channel his inner Daniel Boone and we arrived just in time. We ran twice and Jedi found ZERO rats. He climbed and tunneled, but didn’t even look for a rat. I assumed he was picking up on my stress (I hate being late) and was thrown off by the change of venue. We tried to remember landmarks on the way out and went back to the hotel. Unfortunately, the next day wasn’t any better. It was raining like crazy. Jedi climbed, refused to tunnel and found one rat. It was an expensive, no-good weekend. (But still better than working!)

It's official! And I'm hooked.

So now we have some decisions to make. G2 runs monthly trials all summer. (It’s a nice, well shaded venue.) Do we want to continue to try for Open? Or do we wait until Dare2Train reopens on the Fall? And realistically, will we have time in the Fall to Barn Hunt? We've already committed to nosework trials. And the Tuesday Training Crew would like to enter K-9 Obedience Club’s October rally trial as a group. There is not enough time in the day to do everything I want to do with my dog. Unless I can win the lottery and dump this 40 hr/week job and hire someone to handle the domestic stuff, I have to prioritize my efforts. Other things get left behind. It sucks. I’ll let you know what happens. TTFN, --K

I'm Not Dead Yet

And once again I’m writing an “I’m not dead” post. Surprise! Yeah, I have reasons for my extended absence. Some are good, some not so much. Regardless, I’ll share them below. But to be honest with you, my life is crazy. I’m disorganized. I make great plans but my follow-through sucks. And even though I know better, I try to do too much and become overwhelmed. At that point I revert to my old standbys: booze, brownies and profanity. (Mmmm . . . brownies.) Humor, sarcasm and caffeine are the threads that holds my ragged, overstuffed life together. I'm a mess. So, what's been keeping me away from the keyboard?

One of 40 raccoons I've handled over

the last five months

• Work -- My job is just as crazy as I am. But it’s fun (sometimes) and it's rarely boring. Click on “Animal Control” on the right to see some of weird stuff I deal with. And stick around! I’m working on another "crazy work stories" post now.
• Raccoons, Coyotes and Yuppies -- Currently they are the bane of my existence. I’ll try to explain more when I can use polite words. It may take a while.
• My Health -- So, diabetes sucks. It exacerbates everything. For example, what I thought was a simple stye became a raging infection, encompassing half my face in less than 24 hours. The antibiotics for that gave me a yeast infection which quickly mutated to a kidney infection. I spent waaay too much time in the doctor’s office. I’m thankful for health insurance (and kick-ass painkillers), but damn . . .
• German Shepherd Dog Club -- It’s a busy time of year for us. I’ve been working hard to energize the club with various activities. Plus we had our annual dog shows last month. As President everything passes through me, despite my efforts to delegate. I enjoy the position, but it’s more time consuming than I had imagined. Fortunately my term ends next month, giving me more time for "other stuff." Even better, the woman taking my place is awesome. I’m excited to see what she has in store for us.
• Training -- Jedi and I train formally twice a week. We have obedience/rally class on Tuesdays and nosework class on Thursdays. I try to squeeze in practice at home when possible. (Reread paragraph one to guess how that’s going.)
• Barn Hunt -- Jedi and I are loving Barn Hunt! We been trialing every other month since January. Unfortunately, there is no place to train locally. We take workshops when possible and go into the ring with fingers crossed. I promise to tell you all about it soon -- whether you want to hear it or not!

So I’m going to wrap this up for now. I'm trying to write individual posts elaborating on the points above. I'll post again soon. Thanks for sticking around. -- K

Barn Hunt, Take 2

Group photo from the NYE workshop

How did you spend New Year’s Eve? Me? I drove 90 minutes to Deland to take a Barn Hunt workshop with Jedi. AND IT WAS AWESOME!

We had taken a workshop before a couple years ago. At the time, K-9 Obedience Club here in Jacksonville was considering offering Barn Hunt. That fizzled out and we never pursued it.

So how did we end up here? Well, back in October I was at a nosework trial. One of the other competitors told me about a training facility in Deland that she really liked. She said it was new and different and lots of fun. I saw they had a workshop coming up and thought "Why not?" Jedi had so much fun at the workshop that I signed him up for another one two weeks later. THEN we signed up for a trial the following day. ("In for a penny, in for a pound," right?)

Jedi totally bombed the first run. He spent the entire three minutes obsessed with a spot on a particular bale. Rules say you can't touch the dog and I couldn't get him to focus on anything else. When time ran out the judge showed us where the rat was hidden. I showed Jedi the rat and praised him with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. Truthfully, I was flustered and spent too much time calculating how much money I just wasted.

Our first leg!

Before I knew it we were called up for our second -- and final -- run. We entered the ring and I removed Jedi's collar (rules say dog must "run naked.") I cheerfully told Jedi to "Find the rat." Instead, he went back to the same bale and started licking it. (I'm thinking that a female in heat must have touched it. Damn testicles make him stupid.) In frustration I blew in his face, clapped my hands above his head and used the mommy voice: "Jedi, leave it! Find the rat!" And guess what? He did! I coaxed him to climb on a bale. Then, to my surprise, he crawled through the 18" by 22" tunnel all by himself. We completed the exercise and earned our first leg. Even more surprising, Jedi earned a 3rd place ribbon for his time. How about that?! I'm hooked now and counting the days until we can run again in March.

So, what is Barn Hunt? In a nutshell, it's a new hunting sport where dogs search for rats hidden safely among bales of hay. Dogs are expected to climb and tunnel as well as search. Handlers must be able to read and guide their dogs without touching them. The competition is timed and the difficulty level goes up with each title. (Don't worry, no rats are harmed in this competition. In fact, there are Rat Wranglers in place to make sure rats don't get injured or stressed. Rats are rotated regularly, much like sheep in herding trials.) Want to know more? Check out the official Barn Hunt Association page.

The sport was originally designed for small terriers, but any dog may compete as long as it can fit through an 18 inch by 22 inch tunnel. The tunnel size does not change regardless of the size of the dog. What I like about Dare2Train is that the owners and trainers all have GSDs (as well as the rat wranglers and many of the members). They are able to address some of the challenges and concerns I have (i.e. big dog in a small tunnel). And they all want to have fun with their dogs. Yep, my kind of people! -- K

Barn Hunt

Jedi is young and active, and if he gets bored we all suffer. Because of that I'm always looking for constructive things that we can do together. I stumbled upon a new dog sport called Barn Hunt. Have you heard of it? This is a hunting sport where dogs search for rats among bales of hay. Dogs are expected to climb and tunnel as well as search. Handlers must be able to read and guide their dogs without touching them. The competition is timed and the difficulty level goes up with each title. (Don't worry, no rats are harmed in this competition. In fact, there are Rat Wranglers in place to make sure rats don't get injured or stressed. Rats are rotated regularly, much like sheep in herding trials.)

The sport was originally designed for small terriers (i.e. Jack Russells) but any dog may compete as long as it can fit through an 18 inch by 22 inch tunnel. Note: The tunnel size does not change regardless of the size of the dog.

Jedi and I took a Barn Hunt seminar a couple weeks back and loved it. I wanted to get a few pictures to share, but honestly I was having too much fun to really think about it. I'm not surprised that Jedi did well at this, especially with how much he enjoyed herding and nose work.

The day went like this:

We started by introducing the dogs to rats. Here Jedi's mother, Zasha, was trying to figure what that thing in the cage is.

Next, the rats were hidden in dog-proof tubes. The dogs had to figure out which tube had the rat. (Only one tube has a rat. One of the other tubes was completely empty, and the third one contained used rat litter, but no rat.) Jedi found the rat right away!

Later, the rat tubes were hidden in bales of hay. Jedi found the right one! 

In addition to finding rats, dogs have to climb up with all four feet touching the same hay bale. This is not so easy when you're as long as Jedi.

The last challenge was the most difficult for Jedi. All dogs must go through the hay tunnel. It was dark and prickly, and Jedi had to squat to get through.

So is this something we would consider doing? You bet! If this is something you might be interested in, check out the official web site here. See you at the show! -- K 

It's Monday Mischief! See what kind of trouble others are getting into (or avoiding!) today.