Performance Pickles & Training Triumphs: Who Are We?

Through my beginning years of dog training I have often heard about the value of keeping a Dog Training Diary so that you can log how much (or how little) training you are doing with your dog, what you are accomplishing (and not accomplishing) and how your dog is reacting to different training challenges. I have tried daily logs in a written journal, I have tried a calendar, but my organizational skills and lack of follow through have not led that to be a success. I have big dreams of what I can accomplish with my current (and future) dogs, and have a pretty strong idea of the methods I want to use to get there. My goal for this blog is to keep me honest in my training endeavours as well help my focus my goals and share my struggles.

My recent loss of my Rottweiler, Justice (Little Justus von Kuiperotts RN), to osteosarcoma has reinvigorated my training mojo and I am more determined than ever to not miss a moment with my current dogs. Justice was a special boy who brought me great joy and much frustration. Due to some negative experiences and poor training choices on my behalf he had some issues we had to work through together. The journey we took from picking up this belligerent teenager from the breeder at two years of age (after he had been returned by his previous owner) to the joyful moments of relationship building through obedience work forever changed my perspective both on training methods and on the relationships you can build with your dog. Justice was one of a kind who set me on this journey to not only train and trial my own dogs, but to teach Puppy and Manners classes to help others on their journeys.

A friend put together a tribute video for him (something I don't have the strength to do yet). I think it really shows his joie de vivre, something he exuded from every molecule of his being.

My two current dogs are bulldogs... not your typical performance breed. Maverick is a 4.5 year old male bulldog and was bought as a companion for my husband while I worked out of town. The bulldog with their low energy requirements and couch potato lifestyle seemed like the perfect fit. Well, Maverick had different plans for us! This high-energy, high-drive boy has introduced me to dog sports that I never though I would be entertaining with a bulldog on the end of my leash. My husband took Maverick to his first obedience class at a little over one year of age. He came home raving and raving about how Maverick was the star of the class, I smiled and nodded doubtful from the start. In a short gap in employment I signed Hubby's Dog up for a Level 2 obedience class and Lo and Behold! Hubby wasn't lying, Maverick was a genius. It wasn't long before I was hit by the obedience bug. We have been out trialing in Rally Obedience and just achieved two legs of our PCD (traditional obedience) last spring. We've also been bitten hard by the agility bug, which has been our focus since spring. We hope to hit our first agility trials this winter.

This is Maverick showing off his SuperMav skills this past summer:

The newest addition in our house is Tali, an 8 month old, female bulldog. She is an absolute joy and an absolute stinker and I love her to death. She has a bit more of a stubborn streak than Maverick, but possesses his smarts and drive. I have really been focusing on raising her with pure positive methods and teaching through pure shaping methods. It has been fun to work with her this way, and is a giving me the opportunity to grow as a dog owner and trainer. Our current focus with Tali is tracking and conformation, while laying the foundation for obedience work.

I started tracking in the summer as an activity for Justice and myself to enjoy and brought the puppy along for the ride. She has surprised me by taking to it and enjoying it.