Hopkins Farm Creamery

On our first evening here, we were speaking with the owner of the cottage, and she recommended that we visit a local spot called "Hopkins Farm Creamery". 

The creamery/ice cream shop is right on the grounds of the farm itself and they use all their own milk!

Now, getting milk from a farm is no novelty to us, nor is locally made ice cream.  But, we couldn't say that we had ever had ice cream made and sold right on the farm, so we headed over!

Now, here is the really fun thing.  Usually people go there and park and stand in line, but because of the pandemic, everyone stays in their car!  You line up in your car - just like at a drive-in movie, and inch up until you get to the area where you order.

Here we are waiting in the line ...

And here are the cows, as we were getting closer to the area where we would order ...

The creamery ....

And the ice cream .... absolutely delicious!!

If you are ever in the Lewes, Delaware area, I high recommend giving Hopkins Farm Creamery a try!

A Needed Vacation

Well, here we are in June of 2020.  I have not kept up with blogging at all, but with the social implosion that seems to be happening on social media lately, I am seriously considering doing more blogging.

I turn to this blog now to write about our much needed vacation!

We almost didn't have this one!  We reserved the "Cozy Cottage at Minos" back in February.  I was so excited to snag the last week that they had open - the last full week in June.  Ben got the week off of work, and we seemed good to go!

And then the coronavirus hit, everything closed down, and it really looked like this whole trip was going to be cancelled!  In fact, at one point it was cancelled!  In early May, the owner of the cottage contacted us and told us that they were not allowed to rent to out-of-state guests, and that all people who came into Delaware from out-of-state would have to quarantine for 14 days.  Which, of course, was not going to work for a 6 day trip!

So, we cancelled.  And then, just a few days before June, we were contacted again.  Things had changed!  They were allowed to rent to out-of-state guests, and the quarantine was no longer required!  We re-booked, and here we are!!

Some may question the wisdom of taking a vacation in the middle of a global pandemic, but we considered the matter very carefully.  Pennsylvania and Delaware, neighboring states, have both been on a steady down-trend in cases. 

We are not really boardwalk people, and we don't really get out into crowds on our trips.  Mostly, we go off into nature with our dogs, and .... eat!

And, there was Dean Dog to consider.  He turned 14 in February.  And, while he is managing, and doing fine in many ways, every year his back end weakens more and more.  This may well be our last chance to share a beach trip with him, and I absolutely did not want to miss out on what might be his last trip with us.  Now, had we judged that it was dangerous, we would not have come, but - all things being as they are, we definitely did not want to miss out on this one with him.

So, we are here, and I am SO glad that we came!  Yes, things are different than they normally are.  But, there is still a sense of near-normalcy here that I haven't experienced in a long time, and it is really just good to get away from home, and enjoy some down time!


This is the official "emblem" of our trip!

 Because I have a physical issue that makes it impossible for me to wear fabric over my nose, I use a hat/face shield when I go into public spaces where masking is required.

At home, I use this pumpkin to set it on when not in use.  When we were packing, Ben said, "you better bring the pumpkin", and I thought, "yes, I will need it", so I brought the pumpkin!!  It is the first time I have ever taken a pumpkin decoration on vacation!

Our trip down was uneventful.  No problems!  By Sunday evening, we were settled into the cottage!

Here is Bandit, ready to GO!

Rocky has claimed this particular chair as his very own!

Tessa, pretty as you please!

All of us are very glad to be here!!

More photos to come soon!

Three YouTube Channels!

A big part of the reason why I rarely write blog posts anymore is because I have gravitated much more to creating video.

I have three YouTube Channels and I would like to tell you about them!

The first is the one that I post to the least.  That is my personal YouTube Channel where I post personal videos.

This is where I post my entries, and most of the public videos on this channel are Parkour entries and video Freestyle entries.

There are some older training videos on this channel, but the majority of the recent videos are entries.

This channel can be found here:


Kristine's Personal YouTube Channel

 
The next is probably my favorite: my general Poised for Success Channel.  I post my "fun" training videos on this channel, there are examples of Parkour and Freestyle training on this channel, and other random training videos live on this channel.

It is a bit disorganized, but most of the videos on this channel are short and to the point!  If you would like to check out an eclectic mix of training, demonstration, and even a bit of nonsense, be sure to take a look at this one!

This channel can be found here:

Kristine PFS - My General Training Channel

Finally, the one I am most excited about: the Poised for Success Freestyle Titling Program YouTube Channel!  This is the most organized and developed of the three channels.

On this Channel I post longer videos where I discuss different aspects of the Poised for Success Freestyle Titling program, Freestyle training topics, general training topics, and more!  Eventually, I hope to have full-length Freestyle demonstrations on this channel, as well!

Please do stop in and check it out!

You can find this Channel here:

The Poised for Success Freestyle Titling Program YouTube Channel


Please, stop by any or all that are of interest to you!  If you select "Videos", you will see a menu of all of the public videos that are available on that Channel!

If you particularly enjoy any of them, please do leave a "like" and a comment!  I'd love your feedback!

And if you really like any of the channels, please do consider subscribing!


I do create videos on topics by request!  The Clicker Training video on the PFS Titling Channel was created by specific request!  So, if there is a topic you would like to see covered, just let me know and I will see what I can do!

Bandit's Truncated Tango

Hello!!

Yesterday, I got something of a very pleasant surprise when someone on a Facebook Group recognized me from this blog!!  It was totally unexpected!  And it meant a great deal!

And, after that I got the idea to stop on in here and write a brand new entry!!

As much as I would love to go back and fill in all of the blanks that exist from the last time I posted and now, what I really want to do, and what I am going to do, is just pick back up as if I never stopped blogging, and write a post about something that just happened.

These days, Bandit is my Freestyle dog.  

Dean, whose back end doesn't work so well anymore, is enjoying a quiet retirement with short hikes as his main activity.  Tessa, who is still doing well, and is reasonably active, also enjoys hikes, and we are still involved with Parkour.  I do have one last Freestyle goal for Tessa.  We are just one leg away from her Melody Title in Poised for Success Freestyle.  If we film her Artistry Leg, we will finish that up.  I would like to do that, so we probably will at some point.

                                    Dean Dog enjoying a hike in a nearby State Park

I do dabble just a bit with Rocky with some Freestyle, but he is more Ben's dog than mine, so my training with him is more casual on-again off-again.  I "borrow" Rocky often when I need to film a demo with a dog who has not been trained for a certain skill!

But, for all intents and purposes, Bandit is my Freestyle dog.  He is the one who goes to the building weekly to work on Freestyle.  He is the one with whom I spend the most time training and building new skills.

My main goals for Bandit right now in Freestyle are to work on the skills that he needs to earn his Harmony Title in Poised for Success Freestyle, and also to work toward creating demo routines for the Dynamic Division for the venue.

I do plan to enter a WCFO competition with him in November.  He needs one more leg toward his Novice title, and I would like to finish that.

One goal that I did not have for him was further work in the Cyber Rally-O Dance Divisions.

I love the CRO Dance Divisions.  I love the concept of pattern dances.  I enjoy working toward mastering performance of a specific structure.  I have always wished that they came around when Dean was a little younger because we thoroughly enjoyed them, but he got to where he could no longer had the physical ability to do them after we had finished the pre-Bronze Level.

Bandit, on the other hand, does not love too much structure!  He prefers things much more free-form.  He generally does not enjoy repetition, and he is rarely thrilled when he does not have input into how things a movement sequence is going to go.

I like for my dog sport activities to be those that an individual dog of mine and I mutually enjoy, so I long ago gave up any plans to continue with Bandit in the CRO Dance Divisions.  Especially since he particularly seemed to dislike duration heelwork!

Then, a few days ago, the owner of the CRO Dance Divisions made a post on the Cyber Rally-O Facebook Group to announce some modifications to the existing rules and patterns.  I saw at that point that one of the Preliminary Level Patterns - the Scenic Route Tango - had been chopped in half to provide a shorter option called the Truncated Tango.

I saw that and thought, "maybe Bandit and I could do this".

We had the building rented that evening, so I set up the proper sized ring, set up the camera on a tripod, and we gave it a shot!

 It was such a great experience!

First, we attempted the whole pattern "for real".  To my surprise, Bandit was "in the game" for the whole pattern!  His nose hit the ground several times, but he returned to offering attention when I quietly said his name.

That was an enormous success right there!!

So, to sharpen it up a bit, we went through it again, with food and a clicker.  I clicked good focus, and a couple of times used the clicker to help Bandit self-interrupt that nose touch to the ground.

Here is a video of our first attempt and the first of our two training runs:



 
After that, we did another training run, and then took a short break.  He hung out in his crate and then we played around a bit with a target.

Then, we went out and tried it again, "for real" and ... WOW!!!  We had a great run!!

I can honestly say that for the first time I felt like Bandit and I were connected and moving together as a real heeling team!  I could see that he was working to keep his focus up and to work with me!!  That is the first time I have ever seen that from him in a heelwork context!!

Here is the video that we submitted for our Truncated Tango!!  I will have results within a couple of weeks!! 





Now I am really excited to work with Bandit more on heelwork.  I think we will work with a couple more of the CRO Dance Division patterns and see what we see!!

One really cool thing is that Bandit and I had been working on an option toward our PFS Harmony Title that I believe helped prepare us for this!!  We had been working on a Floor Pattern with Transitions.  I had been using reinforcers in a way that was very motivating to Bandit as we ran through the shorter heelwork pattern.

If you would like to see that Floor Pattern, and some of the other things that Bandit and I have been working on, check out this video!!  (As you can probably tell, I am very much into video these days!!)







To anyone reading this, thank you for stopping in!!  I am glad to "see" you here, and hope to be back again for another update soon!!

Find Inspiration! Be Inspiration!

Today I am going to talk about something that I have held back from sharing for a long time.  It is my hope that through writing about this, you will take away something good.   💜


When I look back to my earliest days as a dog trainer and dog sport handler, there was a "spark" that drove everything that I did with my dogs.  It was fresh.  It was exciting.  I had a lot of hopes and future expectations.

I used to pack my dogs up and dash off to Rally, Freestyle, and Agility competitions, and I simply could not get enough of any of it!  Even working with "challenging" dogs did not deter my enthusiasm, drive, and high interest in training and dog sports.

In recent years, however, some things have changed, and I came to a point where I continually struggled to find motivation and drive to continue on, especially with Canine Musical Freestyle, the art and sport with which I had once fallen head over heels in love.

This was somewhat confounding to me because I was not able, for quite a long time the exact problem.  I realize now that I did not yet know what the issue really was.

But I have come to a point now, through something totally unexpected, and completely unrelated to dogs, where I realize precisely what was lacking, and what I needed to finally make positive changes.

What Happened?

Looking back, I would say that there are two particular things that led me to the low point where I found myself.

First, Speedy's death.

When it came to training, and especially to Freestyle, Speedy was my inspiration.  There was something about him that always made Freestyle a dynamic adventure.  Whether we were noodling around to music by ourselves, or training something, or filming a performance to enter in a titling event, or performing in front of a live audience, Speedy brought something to the experience that made it come to life.

When I think back to the time and the work and the struggle that I put into training and performance with Speedy, I almost find it hard to believe that I was that driven!  Something about Speedy always brought forth the best in me, and giving up on him and on the things that we did together was unthinkable!

I found it incredibly difficult to continue in the sport after losing him.

One bright spot in my life after losing Speedy was the continuing quest for Tessa's C-ATCH.  Tessa and I both put heart and soul into chasing that down, and that accomplishment will always be one of the high points of my collective experiences in dog sports.

It was not long after - just the following winter - when I hit an unexpected wall.

This had nothing to do with dogs directly.  I had to deal with some unexpected medical issues.  The issues themselves were not serious.  There was never anything life-threatening involved.  But .... the issues had major consequences in my life.  And, within the course of a couple of months, I went from someone who had gone out with Tessa to trial a couple of times a month to someone who could barely get out on a weekend.

Even though the situation did improve, I was no longer the person that I had been before.  Remembering the things I used to be able to do was disheartening and depressing.  I no longer had the energy to get out there all that much.  And, when I did, I was usually left completely exhausted.

I lost a lot of my creativity, and even the ability that I had always had to express myself in writing diminished.  And, when it came to training dogs and participating in dog sports, I found myself going through the motions most of the time, without a whole lot of heart or interest.

I am deeply grateful that Canine Parkour came into my life at this time.  It was something new that had no connection to Speedy.  All of my dogs could participate.  And, I was able to train and film Parkour entries when I was able, and at my own pace.

Parkour got me back "out there" to some extent.  Sometimes, when I was out filming a Parkour entry with one of my dogs, I felt glimmers of normalcy and I felt like the person, trainer, and handler that I used to be.

Finally .... a Change!

So, this past summer, I found myself at a place where I was feeling unsatisfied.  On one hand, I missed involvement with Freestyle, and other dog sports, and with being a more active person in general.

But .... I did not really see any way to change the situation.  On occasion I would try to push myself forward, but to little avail.

And then something happened that I never expected.  Everything changed.  I never saw it coming, and I still almost cannot believe the degree to which things turned around.

I was spending a lot of my time last summer watching YouTube videos.  Various and sundry YouTube videos, about all different topics.  Dead malls, urban exploration, and .... people living in different parts of the world.
 
Following a somewhat random and complicated chain of YouTube video recommendations, I ended up landing on a channel full of videos created by this South African guy who was living in China.  Yes, China.  I had absolutely zero interest in China, but I found myself watching video after video and learning things about China that I never knew I wanted to know!

Of course, it was not China that kept me watching him over and over.  It was the man himself.  Something about him resonated with me.  Something about him brought a part of me that had gone dormant back to life.

I know .... this sounds really bizarre .... but it's true.

I do not really understand why, but all of a sudden, after watching his videos for just a couple of weeks, I found myself suddenly wanting to get up, step back into the world, and start living life more fully again.

And, I did.

At first it was incredibly difficult.  I did not have the energy.  But .... then I did.  And I found that I was suddenly able to do more and more and more.

Not only that, I rediscovered creativity, and I started to be able to write again.  I found myself interested, once again, in getting involved with Musical Freestyle, and I have real hope that Bandit and I will have a rich future in the sport, as we explore many, many ideas that I have in mind for us!

What the heck happened?

All I can say is that in this man who I do not personally know, who will probably never know that I exist on this planet, who talks about topics that no direct connection to my life ....in this man I have found inspiration.

Find Inspiration!  Be Inspiration!

Since that time, I have thought a lot about inspiration.

I have noticed that we rarely talk about inspiration, and I am starting to wonder exactly why that is.

Maybe we do not discuss it much because inspiration is something that is going to be a little bit different for everybody.  You could watch the same videos that have changed my life in dramatic ways and they could have no effect on you whatsoever!  And you could find inspiration in people or places that would have no effect on me at all!  Different people are inspired differently.

In spite of that, I am starting to think more and more that inspiration is something that we need to start talking about in the dog sport world.

As time has passed since I started watching his videos, I am continually amazed by the ongoing positive effects that he has inspired in my life.  😎

So ... inspiration .... it matters!

And I want to start talking about inspiration, and hearing about inspiration from others!

What inspires you?  And what effect does that inspiration have on your life?  I am keenly interested in this!

Of course, this is not the first time in my life I have been inspired.  And, I have certainly found inspiration much closer to home.

Years ago, I found my inspiration in Speedy, especially in our shared experience of dance.  When Tessa and I were running for her C-ATCH, I found my inspiration in her, and in our mutual goal.  In Parkour, I find inspiration in the filming experience, and - with Tessa - in the beauty of what we create together.


But, given the difficulties of the last couple of years, I am starting to think about inspiration in new ways.  I see now that I need inspiration.  As a dog trainer, as a handler, as an instructor, as a creator, as a titling venue owner, as a participant or competitor, as a presenter .... all of it!

And, when I think about what I want to give back to the dog sport community, I would say now that the very best thing that I could do is to strive to be inspiration to others.  Granted, that is not something that I can strive to do as an end in itself, but it is an effect that I can hope to have along the way!!

This is a new mindset for me, and one that I am grateful to have developed.

I owe my South African inspiration in China a debt of gratitude I can never quite repay.  So, maybe I can pass on some of what I have gotten from him to others.

At least, I can try!

Find Inspiration!  Be Inspiration!

The Balance in My Training

For many in the world of dogs, "balance" can be something of an emotionally charged word.  The term "balanced trainer" is used as a designation for a trainer who holds a particular training philosophy, which I am not going to discuss here because that is actually beyond the scope of this particular post.

Suffice it to say, I do not fall into the category of "balanced trainer".  

But that is not to say that there is not balance in my training - there absolutely is.  However, the balance in my training is a different sort of balance.

Allow me to explain what I mean ....

When it comes to training, or to titling endeavors, or to competition, or anything that I do with my dogs, I always strive to balance: what is truly in the best interests of my dog with my own hopes and ambitions for that dog in that activity.

I am not always 100% successful in achieving this balance, but I do my best to make it happen to the greatest extent possible.

This was not always the case.  I would imagine that pretty much every dog sport enthusiast grows and matures and moves far beyond the point where he or she started, and I can certainly say that for myself.

When Speedy and I started in Rally Obedience back in 2005, I secretly wanted him to go out there and perform perfect runs, earning high scores and placements.  I really gave very little thought to how the experience of competition might benefit him.

After all, that seemed to be what everyone around me was doing.  I heard many talk about their scores, and about having hope for higher scores.  One time a fellow competitor showed me a binder that she had brought along to a Rally trial where she had a written record of all of her Rally scores.  She pointed to a page and said, "See, I used to get really low scores".  Then she pointed to another and went on to say, "Now I get high scores".  Her "low" scores were actually pretty nice scores that I would have been more than thrilled with at the time.  It was clear to me that working toward high scores was a priority for her.

Back then everyone's attitude seemed to be centered on striving for perfection in their Rally runs, and in earning high scores.

So, I poured my heart and soul into training Speedy to a level where he could perform perfectly.  I dreamed about earning those high scores and those pretty blue ribbons, and working our way up to the point where we could earn the giant ribbons!

There was just one teeny tiny little problem ..... and that was Speedy himself!

On one hand, Speedy was a trainer's dream of a dog.  He had a gorgeous work ethic.  He loved to learn.  He loved to drill.  I used to get confused when I heard people say, "never drill a dog".  The more I drilled Speedy, the happier he became!  Speedy had to-die-for heads-up focus that I find utterly astonishing when I watch video of him now.

But then there was the other hand ....!  Mentally, Speedy was a mess.  He started out fearful of dogs and people, and later he became reactive toward other dogs.  We spent years working all of that out.  The even bigger challenge with Speedy was his tendency to become overstimulated by movement - even his own!

Speedy was trained to perform all of the exercises in (then) APDT Rally at all three levels.  He was good at them, and he performed the beautifully .... in class.  But, when we got to a trial, he could become so overstimulated that he could barely perform in the ring!  He would make wild circles around me, run around cones, back-jump the jumps (which, in those days, was an automatic NQ!), and sometimes even grab at my clothes.

He completely and utterly shattered all of my dreams of perfection and high scores.

After banging my head against the wall for a time, trying to come up with ways to help Speedy be "perfect" in the competition ring, it came to a point where realized that I had to make a choice.  I could shift my focus away from perfection and high scores and create goals that were more appropriate for Speedy, or we could stop participating in competitions.

Because .... really .... with Speedy those were the only two choices.

Speedy and I ended up taking a break from Rally and we got into Musical Freestyle.  In Freestyle I was determined, right from the start, that my goals with Speedy would never be for perfection or scores.  When Speedy and I stepped into a Freestyle ring together, I had two goals: to allow Speedy the opportunity to express himself, and to entertain the people.

Speedy could do both of those things very well.  No matter what happened in our performances, he was always entertaining to watch!  He drew everyone's eye with his gorgeous movement, with his intense focus, and with the artistic flair that he demonstrated in just about every performance.

Speedy always expressed himself better in the Freestyle ring than anywhere else.  It was a joy and a pleasure to provide him with the chance to perform as often as we could.

That is not to say that I had no concern for the rules of the discipline, nor that I did not create our routines with the performance criteria in mind.  Those were simply not my first and highest concerns.

What happened is that I learned to find balance in our training, and in our work together.

I came to recognize that Speedy was an individual with his own strengths, talents, and limitations.  I started to see training and titling and competition events as means to enhance the quality of his life instead of as a way to accomplish something solely for myself.

Later, Dean came along and taught me this lesson yet again, so that by the time I started my work with Tessa, I was not even thinking of success in terms of high scores or perfect performances.  I consider any Agility run, or Freestyle performance, or Parkour filming session, or anything that we set out to accomplish together, to be successful when Tessa is confident, joyful, and she comes away from the experience with a happy and satisfied demeanor.  Results still matter to me on some level, my priority is always the well-being of my dog.

This, in my book, is the most important balance I can have in training and dog sports. Results matter, to some extent.  But the quality of the overall experience of training and working toward titles, and seeing a clear benefit to my dog from the experience is always what counts the most.

A Quick Hike on White Oak Trail

Since this past summer, I have been getting out a lot more with the dogs.  We almost always film Parkour entries, but every now and again we just go for a plain-old-ordinary hike.  Yesterday evening, Bandit and I took a very quick hike on the White Oak Trail at Kings Gap.

This is one of two paved trails in the park.  It is a short loop - only about a quarter mile.  It is one of Bandit's favorite places to hike, and I appreciate it because we can complete the loop quickly.

The area is always beautiful.  Right now it has that poignant beauty of late fall.  Most of the trees have lost their leaves, but the leaves are freshly fallen on the ground.  There is still a "living" feel, but that will not last for very much longer.

Much of the trail is moss-covered, which feels really cool underfoot.  It can be a little bit slippery when it is damp, but I still love to walk on it, wet or dry.  And, of course, it is beautiful!

One thing that I have started to do on many of our outings is to take a photo of the sun-in-the-trees.

Bandit and I hiked around the loop.  I had some chicken from a bit of training we had done just before, so I did have Bandit do some Parkour Interactions - a Go Under a picnic bench, a Go Around a post along the trail, and a Get On 4 on a low rock.  Bandit really seemed to get a real kick out of that.

It was a quick hike, but one that we both enjoyed thoroughly.