Another week of winter........

Hello & brrrrrrr it's cold! This winter is lasting forever! I really don't mind the snow as I have a good double coat to keep me warm but some of the really cold days I have to stay inside the barn. B-o-r-i-n-g! We went to a Sun. agility class today. My Mom knew there would be some different dogs there & wanted to work some more on my social skills with different dogs. (rolling eyes in head) We worked some on agility but I wasn't on my 'game' today. Mom was frustrated with me because I wasn't doing the weave poles. I wanted to skip them all together. I know how to do them, I do 12 at home just fine but just wasn't in the mood I guess. We worked on interacting with other dogs & I tried to do my best so as not to get in trouble. The instructor did show my Mom how to 'lay me down' though. Hmm.........that could be a bad thing for me. :-( We only have 1 more agility class as the instructor is going to quit for awhile. But Mom & Dad are going to continue with it at home. They have no plans to compete us, but think it is good exercise & gives us a job. I LOVE doing it at home & so does my Weim sister. At home, we can bark as we do it & Mom & Dad cheer for us. We both get so excited when we see them getting the stuff out we start jumping & running all around. Well, I'm worn out from class (trying to be good is tiring) so I think I will turn in with the chew bone Mom gave me.
Night all! Shelby

All the way to 20 degrees today!

Hello Everyone! Hope you are all out of the deep freeze as well. Heck, 20 degrees feels almost balmy after -15 below! I got to spend part of the day in the kennel today. Hooray! I love to sit & watch the horses in the pasture & bark at them when they come up to the water trough. This afternoon Mom set up our agility course so me & my Weim sister, Wren, could practice for awhile. Dad got home about then so he practiced Wren. We both did the little course perfect 4 times in a row so Mom said that was good & time for play. I could have done it longer because I love those yummy treats Mom gives me after each run. Hmmmm.............. Wren did a lot better too. She's been goofing off in class a lot lately & Dad has been pretty frustrated with her. We had not been practicing at home at all since Mom had sugergy on Dec 23. Wren doesn't seem to do as well if we don't practice during the week. Mom played with me on some of my other tricks & I got some more of those yummy treats. Heck, I'll roll over as many times as she wants for one of those treats. But play time was over too soon & I had to go to bed. But Mom always gives me a nice chew bone when she puts me to bed.
Night everyone..............Shelby

My Attitude

Hi! Well, my Mom says she is noticing a big change in me as I mature. I am now about 17 months old. Mom says I am 'over being a puppy' & much more serious about life. Also, my 'herding' instincts are becoming more & more prominent. I would much rather play with Mom or do a job she gives me than play with the other dogs. In fact, I don't really like other dogs very well except for my own dog family & I am always trying to 'herd' them around. I especially don't like strange dogs getting too close to my Mom. I guess Mom & my agility instructor are going to work on this "issue" (as they call it) in my next few agility classes. :-(

Brrrrrr.....It's Cold

This winter sure is dragging on. The last few days have been brutal outside with highs around zero. Mom hasn't let me stay in the kennel during the day while they are at work because she said there is a wind chill. I like to be in the kennel because I can watch the horses in the field & bark at them when they come up to the water trough. :-( We went to agility class last Fri night. I got in trouble & had to stay after class. Oh, not because I wasn't doing the agility course correctly........I do that just fine. But.........because of my attitude. While I am sitting & waiting for my turn, I give all the other dogs & the instructor dirty looks. After class, the instructor took me from my Mom. What??? Hey what's up with this? The instructor told me to sit, which I did, then told me to get down. I glared at her because she is not my Mom & I didn't want to. MISTAKE. She pinned me down & I cried out. She let me up & told me to get down again. Hmmm....by this time I am mad! Not going to do it for her. Again, the instructor pinned me down & I cried out again. Where's my Mom??? The instructor let me up & told me to get down again. Well, by this time I decided this lady means business so I flattened out as quick as I could! Geeze! Then she had the other dogs come up & get in my face. Hmmm.......I don't really like that but she told me I better not snip or give any of them a dirty look. Ok, lady, I get it. So I put on a happy face for her. Boy! I was sure glad when she gave me back to my Mom. She told Mom we would work on that in the next few classes to improve my attitude. Yea, it was quite humiliating to be singled out in front of everyone. I thought my Mom would be sympathetic but she told the instructor she thought I didn't like class because I couldn't control things like I was used to doing at home. But Mom, I am the 'boss' of the barn! Mom said I have to learn that I cannot be 'herding' everything all the time & I must learn not to give such dirty looks when I don't get my way. Yea, my Weim sister, Wren, teased me about getting in trouble in class. But she doesn't do the agility course as well as I do. She is a goof-off in class. She loves to play with the other dogs. I am serious about class & I don't want to play with those other dogs. I just want to do my job & be by my Mom. I don't fight with my Weim sister or Louie, the barn hound dog, but I guess I do boss them around. They are always wrestling & I try to break it up & push each of them to opposite sides of the barn. But this week Mom has scolded me & made me stop 'herding' them around. It's ok though because then she will play a game with me. If I even look at them while they are wrestling she tells me "no" & we play some more. I guess it will be ok but I don't think they are doing the right thing by wrestling. Mom is trying hard to convince me to mind my own business. It's going to be hard because I like to 'control things'. :-(

Cleaning & smelling good again!

Hi Everyone! I went to the groomers today & I am all shiny & smelling good again. (Mom's idea......not mine) I even had to go to agility class tonight with two little blue bows in my hair. (I hate bows in my hair because I am a cowgirl!) But I left them in for my Mom because she has been sick & I want her to be happy. Mom ran me thru the course about 3 times. I did my best because I was just happy to have Mom back doing stuff with me. Dad said that was enough running for her so he ran me thru the course after that. Mom & Dad didn't think I would do it for Dad, but I did a good job for him as I knew it would make my Mom happy. Dad was really happy with me too. (**big grin**) Dad gave me some yummy treats for doing so well for him. My Weim sister had a hard time staying focused in class tonight. She kept running back to where Mom & I were waiting with the other dogs for our turn. Hmmmm............Dad was getting pretty frustrated with her. She just wants to play ALL the time. When she sees other dogs, she wants to play & I would rather be with my Mom than other dogs. Mom says she isn't as serious about her job as I am but she had a rough start in life having come from a puppy mill & missed out on the good puppy life that I had. Me & my Weim sister get along pretty well but I do get mad when she takes my tennis balls & pulls all the fuzz off of them! I LOVE my balls & she doesn't even play ball--- just likes to tear mine up. Grrrrrrrrr.............but Mom usually will give her something else to play with when she is tearing up my tennis balls.
Well, it's my bedtime.
Bark at you later......................Shelby

I've Been Sad................

Hi Everybody! I have not had a good week. My Mom had to have surgery & was gone for a few days. Dad said she had to have a hyst-er-ec-to-my, but I am not sure what that means. Dad said it was a girl thing & not to worry Mom would be back soon. I didn't understand why she never came to feed me, or play with me or brush me. I have a nice warm room in the barn & Dad would let me help him with the horse chores, but I wanted my Mom! Of course, Dad feeds me & plays some with me, but he doesn't brush me or tuck me in with a yummy bone to chew on every night. During the day, when the weather is good, I stay in a kennel which is half under roof & has a nice insulated dog house. It's about 24' x 30' with a partial wood deck. I can watch the horses (even when it rains & stay dry) in the pasture which I LOVE to do. I bark at them when they come up to the water trough. When Mom got home Dad took me in the house a few times to see her, but I couldn't stay with her because I hadn't been to the groomers & Mom said I sure smelled like the barn. :-( I wanted to stay with my Mom! Finally, on Fri Mom came to the barn. Things were back to normal. She played with me & we practiced a few agility things. We hadn't practiced in over a week since our last class. I was excited & glad to do it because I hadn't gotten any of those yummy treats all week. :-) I was flying thru the weave poles for Mom & she clapped & clapped for me. I was happy too because I knew she was happy. We did a few jumps but Dad said we had to quit because he didn't want Mom to overdue it. :-( Well, I think life will be good again now that Mom is back. She brought me a whole bag of new bones & gives me one every night when she puts me to bed. Yep, life is good once again!

Another week of winter behind us...........

Hi Everybody! Not much happening on our little horse acres this past week. The weather has been terrible, cold, windy, sleet, snow & rain.
Our agility class this week was switched from Fri. night to Sat. 11 am. So that means we had class today. For some reason, I just wasn't into it today. Oh, I went thru the motions, but Mom said I had no 'zip or zest' & I just walked thru the weave poles. We had a pretty good course with several front crosses & a rear cross. Mom said I acted bored about the whole thing. :-( But later at home in the barn, I was back to my ole self while Mom played with me. Mom played tug-of-war (one of my favorite things) & bounced the ball for me. Then we played the game of me sitting & staying while Mom ran towards me, away from me & around me. I love that game........it's so easy I don't have to do a thing but just sit there. I know that if I don't move until she gives me the release word, then I get a yummy trick. Hmmm....such an easy game, I love to play it! Mom said if I continue to act bored or as if I am not enjoying the agility classes then she won't sign me up for a 3rd session. Hmmmm............
Well my Mom has to go work on my Weim sister's (Wren) dogster page so it's bye-bye for now.
Shelby

Got Sick.............

Hi! I got very sick after I went to the vet for all my shots. My Mom didn't realize it but soon figured it out when we started to practice our agility stuff. I fell off the teeter totter, knocked over a jump & kept skipping weave poles. I ran to my room embarrassed & stayed there until Mom came & got me. When Mom petted me, I couldn't help but whine. I felt soooo bad. Mom thinks maybe I was having a reaction to the kennel cough vaccination. The vet told us some dogs do have reactions to it. The next day was agility class & Mom wasn't going to take me if I was still acting weird. But I was fine the next day & back to my normal self playing with my Weim sister. But then my Weim sister tore one of her back toe nails out somehow. It bled a lot but she never cried & she never limped. We all went to class that night but my Weim sister's toe started bleeding really bad after she made one run thru the course. Dad pulled her out immediately & sat the class out with her. Class was really fun as we did 14 obstacles in a row. I think my Mom was out of breath trying to keep up with me. Hee, hee. Dad told Mom he thought I did a really good job & was fun to watch. (**big grin**) I try really hard to please Mom but I was getting pretty tired near the end.
Sat. I went to the fields & woods with Mom & Dad to cut brush. My Weim sister didn't get to go because Dad was afraid her toe would start bleeding again. She had to stay in the house, but I don't think she minded because it was cold & windy. I had fun snoopying around & found a really cool animal carcass. I was so excited that I ran to Mom to show her. She freaked & made me drop it & then she threw it in the fire. Darn! Guess she didn't realize I was planning on taking that back home with me. :-( We practiced on some agility stuff for a bit & my Weim sister did just fine & her toe didn't even bleed. Well, I'm pooped & it's my bedtime.
Good night all!

A Trip To The Vet

Hello! My Mom got a card from the vet & it was time for all my annual shots & check up. Uck! I knew something was up when Mom got home from work because we didn't practice any jumps or weave poles, but she started brushing me immediately. Hmmm........I wasn't done playing with my Weim sister either. Mom always waits until after we play & rough-house before she brushes me. Then when she put me in the car & I knew it wasn't Fri...............so we weren't going to class. ????? But it didn't take me long to figure it out. (rolling eyes) I really don't mind it so much because I love the dog cookies they have at the vet & I LOVE my vet. I think she is pretty & she says nice things to me. :-) I was a good girl for all my examine & all my shots but I didn't like that stuff they shot up my nose, but I still gave the vet & assistant a big wet kiss. The vet said I did not have one ounce of fat on me. She told my Mom I was solid muscle, even down my back. :-) Mom told her that I am on dry food-Science Diet & get NO people food ever. The vet told Mom to keep it up as so many dogs are over-weight & it is so bad for them. Mom said Dad will have to quit calling me "Shelb the chub". Hmmm.......maybe this wasn't such a good thing afterall. That means I will NEVER get some yummy people food. :-( I LOVE to eat.....I LIVE to eat. I love my doggie treats during agility practice & class but they are so tiny. MOM! Let's talk about this!

Completed last class in first agility session

Hi Everyone! We just completed our last class in our first session of agility. It was a blast this class as we got to do 12 obstacles in a row, including the 'hold table'. That was so much fun. I think it 'pooped' all of us out because all the dogs were just laying around during the discussion at the end of class. There are actually only 4 dogs in our class so we get a good workout in the 90 mins. :-) Dad was especially proud of my Weim sister as she did really well this last class. (rolling eyes in head-whatever) She is very fast, but she is a 'lean-mean machine'! Now if I sound like sour grapes, rightfully so because I am a bit thicker than my slender Weim sister & am not as fast, especially on the weave poles! :-( Our Mom & Dad signed us up for the next agility session. They do not plan to compete us, but think it has been very good for us.
As it was REALLY cold this past weekend, we didn't get to go out much. Bummer...........I hate boring weekends of having to stay inside most of the time. We did a little bit of practicing in the barn, but Dad turned the blower/heat thingy on & I hate it because it makes a lot of noise. When I was little I used to bark at it all the time.
That's all for now.............Shelby