I am currently taking an online choreography class with Dean called "From Dream to Dance". This is with Judy Gamet through Dogs Can Dance.
It is very interesting to revisit Dean's Freestyle. It actually didn't occur to me until today, when I noticed that his laterals are rather weak, that he and I have simply not worked on Freestyle in quite a long time.
I do think it is because I have gotten much more focused on Tessa's dance training. After all, she is still learning so many of the basics, and she has such a natural desire to work with me in the ring. She has soared from never having stepped in the competition ring to being one leg away from her Novice title in less than 5 months! Dean's first leg of Beginner was earned in November of 2007. To this day he and I have never even attempted Novice.
I guess it is rather difficult to keep up with any kind of focused training when he and I really have no goals.
But somehow that seems to be changing, and I think Tessa's success has as much to do with that as it did with the fact that I neglected Dean's dancing to begin with. Tessa has shown me that all of the things that went so horribly wrong with Dean's dancing couldn't be helped any more than it can be helped that she has some natural quality that has made her successful.
And now Tessa and I can take over the goals that I originally had for Dean, and that leaves me free to take him where he can show off the best in himself.
Dean and I are now creating a routine that I hope to use for Advanced Classical Freestyle in the Dogs Can Dance Challenge. Speedy earned the Beginner points for our team, and hopefully he will earn them in Intermediate. If the routine that I submitted for the event in progress right now does not earn 100 points, Speedy and I will do the performance again to earn the rest of them.
But somehow it feels right to pass the baton on to Dean to work at the Advanced level. That has never been Speedy's thing, and I think Dean is going to do some beautiful work.
The class is going well. We got off to a bit of a rocky start with our first session at home when he became fixated on a mysterious scent coming from our air conditioner vents!! But today we practiced at the training building and he did much, much better!
Here is a sample of our work today. We were playing with bouncing moves off the sides of the ring. This is not a choreographed portion of the routine - just doodling. It will be very interesting to see what we develop this into!
I am very, very glad to be working on Freestyle with Dean again. I am very eager to have portions of the routine to train and rehearse! It won't be long now!
Now back to our regularly scheduled Tessa . . . !!!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Saturday, July 28, 2012
At the Beach
I also have bunches of photos from the beach!
Speedy with his bumper, with the waves behind him.
Border Collie buddies being Border Collies together!
A really nice shot of Dean playing near the surf.
Tessa going for her Tessa Ball!!
Speedy with his bumper, with the waves behind him.
Border Collie buddies being Border Collies together!
A really nice shot of Dean playing near the surf.
Tessa going for her Tessa Ball!!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
More Bay Photos
Tessa swims out to get her ball . . .
Speedy looking goofy as he retrieves a bumper . . .
A super nice picture of Dean. He is very happy after playing in the water.
Turning to swim back . . . .
A shot of the bridge from the Jellyfish Beach.
Speedy looking goofy as he retrieves a bumper . . .
A super nice picture of Dean. He is very happy after playing in the water.
Turning to swim back . . . .
A shot of the bridge from the Jellyfish Beach.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Down the Shore
Tessa, Speedy, and Dean are all having fun at Dewey Beach! Sammie stayed with a friend, so I have, for the first time in many, many, many years, only three dogs to handle.
Tessa wasn't as confident in the suite this year as she was last year. I think that Maddie being here last year helped her a lot along those lines, but she is more comfortable now, after a couple of days.
We took them to the beach on our first night here, and they had a great time playing in the surf. They were eager, eager, eager to GO! Speedy and Dean are old hands at this beach trip thing and they know what the best part is!
Yesterday we went to the James Farm Ecological Preserve. Otherwise known (to us) as Jellyfish Beach. The first time we were there with dogs, the tide was out and there were Jellyfish everywhere! We try to go at high tide now!
It's a great place. Apparently a wealthy landowner left the land to the state on the condition that it is to be open to the public. Even when there are a lot of people there, as there were yesterday, it's not crowded.
You walk though the woods, I'd say for about 1/2 mile, before getting to the beach on the bay. It's nice and clean and a great place for the dogs to play in the water!
On the way there - they have been constructing this bridge for years, and it is finally finished!
In the bay! Tessa swims to shore with her ball.
Speedy and Dean swimming in with their bumpers.
Tessa doesn't just retrieve! She shoves the ball into the sand, pounces on it, paws it, and has a great time getting covered with sand as she plays with it!
Little Miss Sandy Face!
Tessa wasn't as confident in the suite this year as she was last year. I think that Maddie being here last year helped her a lot along those lines, but she is more comfortable now, after a couple of days.
We took them to the beach on our first night here, and they had a great time playing in the surf. They were eager, eager, eager to GO! Speedy and Dean are old hands at this beach trip thing and they know what the best part is!
Yesterday we went to the James Farm Ecological Preserve. Otherwise known (to us) as Jellyfish Beach. The first time we were there with dogs, the tide was out and there were Jellyfish everywhere! We try to go at high tide now!
It's a great place. Apparently a wealthy landowner left the land to the state on the condition that it is to be open to the public. Even when there are a lot of people there, as there were yesterday, it's not crowded.
You walk though the woods, I'd say for about 1/2 mile, before getting to the beach on the bay. It's nice and clean and a great place for the dogs to play in the water!
On the way there - they have been constructing this bridge for years, and it is finally finished!
In the bay! Tessa swims to shore with her ball.
Speedy and Dean swimming in with their bumpers.
Tessa doesn't just retrieve! She shoves the ball into the sand, pounces on it, paws it, and has a great time getting covered with sand as she plays with it!
Little Miss Sandy Face!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Tessa - CRO - 1!!!
Last Saturday Stephanie and I met at the training building to do some stuff with our dogs. She wanted to work with her dogs a bit on BAT and I wanted to set up a Cyber Rally course to try to get a film of Tessa for her 3rd leg in Level 1.
The BAT session worked out well. Even though Tessa and I were the decoy, I learned from it. It was interesting to see Liam get the idea of what was desired, and to see the effect that putting space between himself and Tessa had on the learning process.
Afterward, we set up Course 5 from Level 1. I had actually done this course with Dean, but when he did it, we had it squashed in the Rainbow Room. It was really different out in the big room.
Tessa did a nice job. We just did two takes, and I submitted the second one. Here it is:
She really, really, really enjoys this. I'm not sure why, but she finds it particularly delightful!
I love the way she moves when she comes up into heel and moves with me. This is exactly what I am going for in our Freestyle!
We did get the Q, so this is her 3rd Leg, so she earned her CRO-1 Title!!
That means that she has earned two Tricks Titles, one Freestyle Title (plus two legs toward another), one Agility Title (and she is one leg away from 4 others!), and now a Rally Title!!!
I am so proud of her. It's not just the titles, but they really mark how far she has come.
Congrats to Tessa - ITD, WFD-MF, CL1-S, CRO-1
The BAT session worked out well. Even though Tessa and I were the decoy, I learned from it. It was interesting to see Liam get the idea of what was desired, and to see the effect that putting space between himself and Tessa had on the learning process.
Afterward, we set up Course 5 from Level 1. I had actually done this course with Dean, but when he did it, we had it squashed in the Rainbow Room. It was really different out in the big room.
Tessa did a nice job. We just did two takes, and I submitted the second one. Here it is:
She really, really, really enjoys this. I'm not sure why, but she finds it particularly delightful!
I love the way she moves when she comes up into heel and moves with me. This is exactly what I am going for in our Freestyle!
We did get the Q, so this is her 3rd Leg, so she earned her CRO-1 Title!!
That means that she has earned two Tricks Titles, one Freestyle Title (plus two legs toward another), one Agility Title (and she is one leg away from 4 others!), and now a Rally Title!!!
I am so proud of her. It's not just the titles, but they really mark how far she has come.
Congrats to Tessa - ITD, WFD-MF, CL1-S, CRO-1
Friday, July 13, 2012
More Walking Club
Yesterday I took Tessa and Dean out to Colonel Denning for Walking Club. Usually, of course, Speedy goes, but Speedy has a bit of a sinus infection and I felt it might not be so good for him to take a walk through the woods in the heat. So, Dean joined us.
Dean isn't the best leash walker. I actually had to put his Easy Walker harness on him, but once I had done that, he did well.
We took the lower portion of the Nature Trail and walked along the creek. It was nice, except for the fact that there were tons of bugs!
On a bridge on the trail back:
Dean:
And a nature shot!!
I love this park!!
Dean isn't the best leash walker. I actually had to put his Easy Walker harness on him, but once I had done that, he did well.
We took the lower portion of the Nature Trail and walked along the creek. It was nice, except for the fact that there were tons of bugs!
On a bridge on the trail back:
Dean:
And a nature shot!!
I love this park!!
Bits of Progress
This morning I worked with Tessa with the platform again. She really has gotten perfectly comfortable with me moving all around her, so I went on to the next step.
I tossed a treat into the kitchen and as she scrambled to get it, I set myself up in position and then called her to position (on the platform) and c/t for getting into position and c/t for holding the position for a couple of seconds.
She did very well with that. She did offer me 2 on 2 off a couple of times! Hahahah!! That's fine. We are cross training, and it will actually do her some good to know that there are different uses for platforms.
I only did easy calls into position, and will continue with that for a couple more sessions. I think that by the time I make it more challenging, she will be ready!
She wanted to do her pivots, so I got a low round pedestal out and we did those.
Then we worked a bit with the hula hoops, sans most of the beans that I removed last time!
She was hesitant to offer going through a hoop, but she did it. By the time she had done a few, she was offering it a bit more willingly. I think that soon she will be doing this quite eagerly!
Then we ended up with some short moving position work. I got her into position - already her attention in position is markedly improved - and took a single step and clicked as she moved with me, treat stationary. We did that on both sides, twice.
I am happy with her progress. I think that she is going to be heeling beautifully, on both sides, very soon!!!
I tossed a treat into the kitchen and as she scrambled to get it, I set myself up in position and then called her to position (on the platform) and c/t for getting into position and c/t for holding the position for a couple of seconds.
She did very well with that. She did offer me 2 on 2 off a couple of times! Hahahah!! That's fine. We are cross training, and it will actually do her some good to know that there are different uses for platforms.
I only did easy calls into position, and will continue with that for a couple more sessions. I think that by the time I make it more challenging, she will be ready!
She wanted to do her pivots, so I got a low round pedestal out and we did those.
Then we worked a bit with the hula hoops, sans most of the beans that I removed last time!
She was hesitant to offer going through a hoop, but she did it. By the time she had done a few, she was offering it a bit more willingly. I think that soon she will be doing this quite eagerly!
Then we ended up with some short moving position work. I got her into position - already her attention in position is markedly improved - and took a single step and clicked as she moved with me, treat stationary. We did that on both sides, twice.
I am happy with her progress. I think that she is going to be heeling beautifully, on both sides, very soon!!!
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