2011 was a year of mixed blessings. It was a rough year for some very special friends and hubby and I both had injury filled years but lots of good stuff also happened. Old friendships were things to treasure and got even stronger. This world of dogs and dog training has brought lots of new friendships and adventures to my life. We welcomed puppy Stella to our home in august almost exactly a year to the day that we said goodbye to our beloved Lucy. I love having two dogs in our house again and Stella has brought lots of laughter and butt wiggles to our home.
Stella turned seven months old yesterday and weighed in just shy of 35 pounds and almost 21 inches tall. She is currently all legs and I expect her to continue growing and filling out but think she will end up nicely on the smaller side of things. Here is a pic from today of her on a table which she wasn't all that thrilled about.
Next weekend we will be attending a handling workshop that "covers canine conditioning for all sports and ring presentation". I'm still not sure if I will try to show her in confirmation but I figured this could be a great experience for her. The session was recommended by a friend who states the trainer uses lots of fun games and positive methods. I am also taking Riley. He will obviously never do any confirmation showing but there will be other stuff relating to rally and obedience trials. They are supposed to be busy days so this way both dogs can have lots of breaks.
New Years also always brings up thoughts of resolutions. I have the usual personal resolutions of weight and fitness and some goals with the dogs. I have started using Stella's meals whenever I am home as shaping sessions. I need to improve my skills and she needs to learn how to work through frustration. I have been doing this for the past three or four days and already notice a ton of improvement. I also want to get Riley's rally excellent at trials in march/april so we have lots of work to get back to. Nov/Dec were really busy months and I notice the lack of training with him as he feels a bit less "connected" when compared to when we are working regularly. He loves to work so I am feeling a bit guilty and a goal is a great way for a kick start.
Happy New Year to all. I wish laughter, love and friendship for you all.
I was also pleasantly surprised to receive a blog award today from Empty Nest Mom. It's nice to know that people are enjoying my ramblings!
Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve. As with any award, there is a bit of ceremony involved. In order to accept the award, we must do the following:
1. Copy and paste the award on our blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who gave us the award
3. Pick our five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award
I will get my picks up very soon!
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