Molly Helps With Body Bend Practice

 While I was waiting at the park for Suzanne and Lena to arrive, Molly helped me out with a short body bend run through. I don’t want to put too much pressure on her bad leg but she enjoys getting a turn to work. 

My Mo ❤️

Fetch!!!

 Molly got to participate a bit in the Retrieve Class on Monday. She was so excited!

https://youtu.be/pgxkJKXzwls?si=tMM0IUw7ZZVLzb8H

Molly’s First Figure 8 Exercise after Knee Surgery

 Molly is eight weeks out from knee surgery on her right hind leg. Over the past few days she’s been using that leg more consistently (rather than pulling it up). I thought I’d try working her a bit so we did some Figure 8s. Her check-ins were pretty remarkable!

We’re working short sessions and taking it slow. I’m excited to see improvement!

8-18-23 Mary/Molly 1st BN trial in Idaho, summer of 2023

Retrieve Course Summer 2024/Homework

Homework: My Training Journey with Molly

   It all began in May, 2022 when Molly was just a pup. I already knew Roxanne and I knew I needed to enroll in her puppy course. I had never had a puppy so I had no idea what to do with her other than feed her,  play with her, take her out to potty every 30-40 minutes and try to keep her from chewing on absolutely everything. At the first Mannerly puppy session, Molly met the Lee pack for the first time. Good old Sugar was there to help her understand what is appropriate puppy behavior and what is not.  Quite an invaluable lesson! We finished the Mannerly puppy course then moved on to the Foundation Course (FC).

   In late spring/early summer 2022 Molly and I began our training journey. At the first lesson I was already overwhelmed and truly believed Molly and I would be the first to fail the LL and never move on past Lesson 1. I had no confidence in myself, my dog, or the training but as we moved through the weeks, the KMODT started to make more sense to me. The homework and the exams were hard but seeing my dog choose to obey more often than not and to ignore distractions gave me a sense of hope. Fast forward to today I have a well-trained dog who brings me lots of joy. As I write this, Molly currently has an injured foot. She honors commands to stay, place, and wait so we can help her up stairs, into the car, etc. I feel the training has helped her in her recovery and kept her from doing more damage to that foot. I absolutely “trust the training” and I’m so thankful for it. 

   In the fall of 2022, we started the Retrieve Course where that foundational layer of obedience is key. It was a challenging course but I am so glad we went through it. Molly and I have a deeper bond of trust and the course reinforced all we learned in the FC. I now have a dog with a formal retrieve. I’ll never take her hunting. That’s just not us! But, she does fetch her bowl after she eats and brings it to the sink and carries small items. This time through the course, Molly is going to be working with other materials such as leather and metal. She does not like metal at all so it should be interesting. I know we’ll learn a lot going through a second time. 

   I just want to add that it is such an honor and a privilege (not to mention fun) to sit in on the FC lessons and go through the RC as a “graduate”. I love seeing the transformation between the handler and their dog. I also love being able to encourage and cheer other students on, just as others have done for me through the years. We need one another on our journeys. Thank you to all those who have invested in me and Mo, especially Roxanne and Jessi. You two are awesome!

   Oh, one more thing. If all goes according to plan, we’ll have a puppy in our house again next month. I’ll get to start all the training all over again with her! Yay! Can’t wait!!

Tech Savvy Course

Mary, Uploaded the Tech Savvy Course material. I apologize as I did not realize this wasn't uploaded-:(

Dog Show, Hurricane, Utah

Friday morning, Sept 9, Kim and I drove to Hurricane to watch the dog show being held there. Though I’ve watched dog shows on TV, I’ve never attended one in person. It was a good experience. 

When we got there, we unloaded our crates, took them in then brought our dogs in. There is a definite protocol that seems to emphasize order. No dogs were running amok! Handlers were practicing in the open area outside the rings but everyone was courteous and had control of their dogs. We met up with Loni and a little later Jessi and Gayle joined us to cheer on Team Loni/Shadow!

The building we were in had two rings. They were both going at the same time. I took turns watching each one. One was utility (I think that’s what they called it). It was fascinating to watch the dogs fetch objects, jump, obey hand commands, etc. I learned that if a major error is made it’s a disqualification. For example, one of the dogs failed to retrieve an item so that was a disqualification. I also learned the judge could allow them to finish even though they were disqualified. I thought that was interesting. I gave the handlers credit for not giving up and walking out. Only those who qualified went on to the next round. Then those who qualified entered the ring after competing, the scores were tallied and the places announced. 

The other ring was for rally. The handlers took their dogs through what I’d call an obstacle course, following signs that prompted them to have their dogs obey certain commands. They were going in circles, sitting, jumping, backing up and so on. There were some disqualifications as the dogs did not respond to the command given but the handlers still finished the course, most with a smile on their face! In this particular ring, I learned time was also a factor. They received a score for the performance and the amount of time it took to complete. The fastest, most accurate team took the first place ribbon.

I also learned there is a steward posted at each ring. I’m not totally clear on what they do but it seems they are there to help the judge. It looks like they keep things moving, take care of administrative duties and keep an eye on the ring from outside. 

For the most part, it seemed as though everyone was enjoying being in the show,  regardless of the outcome. Whether they took first or were disqualified, they had good attitudes and kept on smiling. It was very classy!

Here are some general observations I made:

*When the judges were handing out awards they referred to the handler and their dog as a team. The first time I heard them announce a team number, it didn’t make sense. Then I realized they were talking about the handler and their dog. I love that! Roxanne often reminds me that Molly and I are a team. Now I get it! They definitely need to work together to be successful.

 *There seemed to be a lot of dogs who are treat trained. The handlers had a fistful of snacks for the dogs as they warmed up outside the ring. Since we’re not taught to treat train, it was interesting to watch. Those dogs go nuts for treats!

*There were a wide variety of breeds in the same competition. It was fun to watch a tiny Dachshund run through the same drills as a standard poodle or a Golden Retriever.. They had to adjust the jumping post to accommodate the size of the each dog. It was entertaining  to say the least. 

*The EF was way different than how I’ve been trained. To let the dog know that an exercise is over, I’ve been taught to heel Molly in an AS. I was confused when the handlers ended an exercise by jumping in the air, petting their dog, letting the dog jump up on them and other playful behaviors. Then they’d calm the dog down to get ready for the next exercise. It’s just a completely different method of training. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Even more exciting is how well Loni and Shadow did. Not surprising. They are an awesome team! I’m looking forward to attending another show. I know I’ll learn more each time I go.