2 Paws Up For Cani-Cross!!! *wooooof*

I had my VERY first cani-cross training lesson today...

... and boy was it FUN!!!!

*woooof*

Though it did take me a while to figure out that I am not only allowed to run when in the special harness, but in fact I am ENCOURAGED to do so!! BOL

You see, Momma and Daddy have always trained me to walk to heel (unless they say otherwise), so for me to put my brain into "run" mode was a little abnormal.

Seeing as it was my very first time having Daddy hooked up to me, and having me pull him along with me, Momma decided that she would help us out.

So, while Daddy held me in a sit, Momma walked a bit away from me - and she took my FAVORITE stuffed dino with her, as well, to sweeten the deal.

Well, seeing as I do not like when the Pack is not together, I knew that I just HAD to get back to Momma. So once Momma was in position and started calling me, Daddy would release his hold on my collar and tell me I could run.

(The funny moment of the training session happened on the very first time we tried. You see, once I was allowed to run to Momma, Daddy accidentally unhooked the clip from my lead, and I was FREE! It took Momma a moment to realize that I was not connected to Daddy, and she had a moment of worry that I would take off, rather than run to her. But silly Momma - I was a good girl, and ran right to her!!! She told Daddy that she kept saying to herself why wasn't daddy running too, until she realized I was not hooked up to him! BOL)

The very first PROPER run through (pun intended! BOL) was a bit odd for me.

You see, when I was allowed to go, I did not realize that Daddy was still connected to me. So, I started running, but then soon felt the weight of Daddy behind me, so that stumped me for a moment.

But, then I felt Daddy start to run a little, and so I was OFF!!!

Admittedly, it was a little strange having Daddy running behind me, as I helped to pull him.. but soon it became GREAT fun!!!!

We went back and forth a few times, and I was loving it!

Momma said that my puppy smile was a mile wide!!!

So seeing as this seemed to be a success, Momma and Daddy have decided that we will train again tomorrow!! WOOHOO!

(This will be a good replacement activity to engage in, while my agility class is on hiatus too! Will be something fun to do!)

And Momma told Daddy that they will be getting one of THESE for me for Christmas too!!!

WOOOHOOOO!! I is one LUCKY pup!

Ok, I am exhausted from the training.. time to catch some zzzz's!

Thanks for reading! *hugs & howls*

Agility ROCKS my Socks!!!! *puppy smiles*

I have just ONE thing to shout to the stars:

AGILITY CLASSES ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yup.. if you can not figure it out, I LOVED my VERY FIRST AGILITY CLASS that I went to on Saturday July 4th!!!

I learned the jump, weave poles, and the jump-through hoop!!!

The class was not that big - there were only 3 other dogs on this day, though there are usually a few more dogs that attend as well.

The instructers (Mark & Amy) are very nice, and so helpful Momma & Daddy. I took to them both very well, but I took an extra shine to Mark, I do admit. *smiles* He used to be a police dog handler instructor, and has lots of experience working with german shepherds. He was very nice to me, and we had a good time playing ball before class started. He is even going to give Momma & Daddy some instruction on how to teach me to track scents, which should be great fun!

Both Mark & Amy kept saying that I am SO intelligent, and that they could not believe how quickly I picked up how to do each obstacle!!! :)

In fact, before class started, Amy told Momma & Daddy not to expect too much during the class, as it was my first time. And that all of the other dogs had been doing the classes for many weeks or months, so they would be way more advanced than me. Momma & Daddy understood that, and knew that as long as I did my best, then they would be proud of me.

But I had a surprise waiting for all of them!

*puppy giggles*

I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO goood! RIGHT AWAY TOO!

*proud puppy eyes*

Amy could not believe how well I did on my first run through!!! She kept saying that I did BRILLIANTLY!!!!

And EVERY thing she told us that I would not be able to do in my very first class, I DID!!!

She said that I would not be able to control myself enough to do a running start up to the jump.. but I DID it!! =)

She said that I would, in NO way, manage the weave poles. Esp as they had set up the extra long length of poles, which the other dogs who have been doing the weave poles for weeks had not even tried yet. She said that I would be wary of the weave poles....

... but I DID it!!!! =)

In fact, I did ALL of the obstacles!!! I just wanted to keep going and going!!

Mark told Momma that he could tell that I was really enjoying it, and he was soooo right!

So, the fact that I really enjoyed it, plus the fact that Mark & Amy said how awesome I was at it, was enough for a decision to be made!!!

I WILL continue to go to Agility Classes - at least every other Saturday, if not more often!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

I did have one momentary lapse of composure at the very end of the lesson, and had a quick fit of the ZOOMIES!! But, rather than yell at me and try to catch me, everyone just smiled at me and let me run it off.

And Momma was so proud of me, as I very quickly went from full-on ZOOMIE mode, into focused mode, and continued the course with no faults!!

You see, when I am off-lead around other dogs, I often just want to play - I mean, I am still just a puppy, after all!! So, Momma was a little worried the moment that Daddy unclipped my lead, at the start of the class. She was afraid that I would be all over the place, and that the last thing I would do was concentrate enough to do the course for an hour.

But Momma had NO reason to worry, as I was GOOD AS GOLD while off-lead!!!

Soooooo...

All in all, Agility Class was a HUGE success!! And it will be something I continue to do!!!

(The only thing that I have to get better about is not being nervous. You see, there was another german shepherd at the class, and he is HUGE! And he is very vocal and boisterous, so he kinda made me a little nervous when he was up in my face. I tended to bark a bit when he passed, as a nervous reaction. But by the end of the class, I was MUCH better, and did not bark nearly as much. So, the thought is that I will continue to get better and become more comfy around him with each class. I will try my best, I promise!)

Momma told Daddy that it would be a waste of my natural talent (& enjoyment!) to not continue! I am SOOOOOO happy with that decision!!!

The only negative about the Agility Class is the location! It is all the way in Gosport!

That means: a bus, then a train, then a ferry & then another bus!!!

That is A LOT of travelling, no?? *PHEW*

And while I have been on the bus LOTS of times, and the train once .. I had never been on the ferry!!

The ferry was SO fun! I LOVED looking over the side, into the water!!! Too bad the trip was so quick!! :)

Momma was so proud of how well I travelled to and from the class!!! I did not bark at anyone & I did not whine, except when I needed to let Momma know that I needed to find a patch of grass. :)

After class, the three of us walked around Gosport Market & everyone kept approaching us, wanting to stroke me.. and they all said how LOVELY & WELL-BEHAVED I was!!! That made Momma & Daddy SOOOO proud!!

By the time we got back home, it had been almost 8 hours since we had left the house... and so once we walked into the house, all I wanted to do was:

SLLLEEEEEEEPPPP!!!!!!! *BOL*

And so that is the report of my VERY FIRST AGILITY CLASS.. and I think we can all call it a true SUCCESS, no?? :)

And my next class is this Saturday (July 18th), & I can NOT wait!!! :)

Thanks SOOOO much for reading about it, and I hope you liked the pics too!!!

I know that I still have my report about Paws In The Park to make.. and I will do so soon. Thanks for being so patient with this silly little puppy!!

I hope that you are all well. I am soo thankful that I have the Pack that I do!! Makes this puppy feel not so alone in the big scary world!!!

Until next time... See Ya Around The Park!! Watch out for the poopy-piles!! *puppy giggles*

Take care, Packmates!!!!

*lots and lots of slobbery puppykisses for ALL*

Pool Pals?? *puppy smiles*

I am SUPER UBER excited for tomorrow!!!!

Why.. you may ask??

Well, tomorrow is my monthly treat of going to the heated doggie pool to have a 30 minute swim... with toys, and Momma & Daddy IN the pool with me!!

And that WOULD be exciting enough, but it gets even BETTER!!

You see, Daddy called their friend, Ross, tonite... and told Ross that *I* wanted to invite his doggie, Thomas, to go swimming WITH me!!!

And Ross said YES!!!! :)

*excited puppy spins*

I am sooooooo excited, I can not sleep!!! :)

I will have to make sure and look out for sweet Thomas, as he has never been to the pool before, so he might be a bit scared of the water... and esp of the deeper end! (he is smaller than me - he is a black sprocker.. soooo cute!! :))

I mean, I was scared myself the very first time I went. It took me ages to get the courage to swim into the deep end, and I only did it 'cause Daddy was in the pool with me and coaxed me out. But once I did, there was NO stopping me!!!

So, I will do all I can to let Thomas know that there is nothing to be scared of. And Momma said that she and Daddy will go into the pool with us too, just in case Thomas needs some gentle coaxing!!

I REALLY hope that he will be able to find the courage to swim with me. 'Cause I know that he LOVES water, so if he can get over any nervousness, then I know he will have a great time!!!

I will do my bestest.. wish me luck!!! *puppy smiles*

BTW: Momma told me that I had better SWIM tomorrow, and not just chase Thomas around the pool. BOL!! She knows me soo well. I have not seen Thomas in over a week, and we always have fun chase games... so I guess she has reason to say that to me. BOL But I told her that I will try to be on my best behavior and save the chase games for IN the pool!!!

Hey.. we can play "Barko Polo"!!!

*puppy giggles*

Update On Momma

I just wanted to let my friends know that Momma is STILL undergoing tests, to see why she lost consciousness last friday.

The doctors are hoping to have all the info they need gathered and ready to examine early next week.. so hopefully, Momma will get some answers by mid to the end of next week.

The doctors are worried about things like her heart causing bloodflow issues, the very rare chance of a tumor, and other things like miscommunications with some of the nerves in her brain.

(They also are looking in to if it is due to any of her medications... we hope it is that one, as that would be the easiest to fix!)

So, it is a waiting game for now..

BUT...

Me and Momma (& Daddy too) want to thank ALL of my friends for the pmails, rosettes, special gifts, messages.. and candle pages!

We are SO thankful for all of the support you have all shown us!

We definitely could not get through this worrying time without all of you!

I am still not able to leave Momma for very long, as she needs lots of rest right now, and I am her Nursie!!!

So, I might not be on the groups much at all for a few more days, but know that I still send my love and thoughts to all of you every day!

Until I am back full-force, please take care, my furry friends!!!

Tala Puppy Out... :)

To Take The Plunge, Or Not To Take The Plunge?? Here is the- ANSWER!!! :)

Well, seeing as I promised sweet Sadie (*winks*) that I would share how my very first visit to the doggie pool went yesterday, I stole the laptop away from Momma tonite! BOL

Now just to let you all know, I NORMALLY love any sort of body of water... though, I can be a little nervous if I can not see or feel the bottom. But I LOVE water, for sure!

So back to my story..

Momma decided to sign me up for a 30 minute slot in the pool, at the local doggie fun and fitness place, as a belated birthday treat! And I was surprised when Momma told me that yesterday was THE day!! Yay!

She wanted to make my first visit an extra special time, so not only did Daddy come too, but my FAVORITE Auntie (Alice) came too!! I was soooo excited, as I adore my Auntie Alice soooo much. She is sooo fun to play with, and she just can not get enough of me. :)

We got to the pool a little earlier than expected, but the nice lady in charge let us in early!! WOOT!

(And she asked Momma if I needed a life jacket!! Can you believe that?! Me... a german shepherd needing a life jacket! Ha! Smartly, Momma said that I would be just fine.. I would not be caught dead in one of those, unless I was in the ocean.. :))

We had the WHOLE pool all to ourselves for over 30 minutes!!!

Just me, Momma, Daddy & Auntie Alice!!!

(And the lady even made teas and coffee for the humans. :))

It was really cool, 'cause we were left to play without anyone else bothering us. No one else for me to have to worry seeing me do the doggie paddle in the pool for the first time. :)

Well, I have to admit that, at first, I WAS a little scared of the pool!

Momma and Daddy kept trying to get me down the ramp and into the water, but I was afraid. (They threw in my new ball as an incentive for me to get into the water!) They were told to leave the lead on me at least until I figured out how to get back out of the pool, via the ramp.

Seeing I was afraid, Auntie Alice quickly changed into her swimsuit and jumped into the pool! Well, this made me WANT to go into the pool soooo badly, but I was STILL afraid!

(And I was worried about my Auntie in that big pool all by herself. I am a doggie who likes to round up her Pack, so how was I to do that when she was in the pool and I wasn't??!!)

So I spent the first 5 minutes just circling the pool and barking.... but then I started to at least walk down the ramp, and into the shallow end of the water.

BUT, as soon as my paws felt the change in level to the deep end, I got scared and went back out.

Well, Momma was starting to think that she had wasted her money, and that I wasn't EVER going to go into the pool and swim.

So, she asked Daddy to go in too, for if ANYONE could get me to go into the deep end it would be MY Daddy.. I LOVE my Daddy soooo much. (I am a Daddy's girl, for sure. :))

Once Daddy went in, I was REALLY wanting to go in, but I was still scared.

But then Daddy took hold of the lead, and gently coaxed me with his soothing voice... and ya know what???

I FINALLY SWAM INTO THE DEEP END!!!! :)

When I did that, Momma clapped and told me that I was a GOOD GIRL in the happiest voice I have ever heard from her. That made my puppy heart all warm and fuzzy... Momma was happy...

.. and I was SWIMMING in the DEEP end!!!

Momma threw some more pool toys into the water, and this got me VERY excited. Daddy & Auntie were playing "keep away" from me with the toys to get me to swim back and forth a lot.

Luckily, they both fumbled their catches every so often, so I DID get the toy every now and then.

Before I knew it, I was SOOOOO comfy in the water.

So much so that a few times I even took the BIGGEST JUMP off of the side of the pool, right INTO the DEEP end!!! BOL

I wasn't worried as I knew that Daddy & Auntie were right there with me to keep me safe, if I got scared again or got tired. :) And I didn't need ANYONE to hold onto the lead anymore- I was swimming all by myself!!

(Momma couldn't go into the pool this time, so she spent her time praising me and taking video clips!

She is trying to upload a video clip onto my Dogster page, so if you can not see it tonite, then please do check back soon to see if it has uploaded yet. It is very cute, if I do say so myself. :))

I had SOOOO much fun, that I quickly FORGOT that I was even scared at the beginning.

And I was making my parents and Auntie giggle, as I was soo excited that I started getting REALLY vocal and making funny noises. Even the lady in charge thought my noises were adorable, and she could tell that I was one VERY happy puppy! BOL

But then sadly, before I knew it, it was time to get out of the pool.

BOOO!

(I sooo wanted to go back in right away.. I just kept staring at the pool, barking and trying to get back through the door. BOL)

Momma says that she considers the whole experience a HUGE success, and that I WILL go back again!!!

She has even ALREADY set up my NEXT appointment for February 27th!!!

(And to make that swim date even more fun, 2 of my Uncles will be coming with us to swim with me!!! :) YAY!)

Momma told Daddy that they are going to try to get me a swim date AT LEAST once a month!!! WOOHOO! I am one lucky puppy!!!

It was such a FUN and AWESOME experience, as it not only was a physical experience, but it also used up some of my brain power too!!! :)

And as soon as I got home, I zonked out for quite a while!!! And I was soooo well behaved for the whole night, I heard Momma tell Daddy...

... Momma says that shows how much of a SUCCESS my first doggie swim was, as it tired out even this HYPER puppy!!

BOL

So, my review of swimming at the heated doggie pool is:

4 PAWS UP!!!!!!! ;)

PS: And NO, I did NOT pee in the pool.. BOL! :)

Taking The Plunge???

So, still feeling VERY thankful that they did not lose me this past Sunday - (in case you do not know, I chewed up and SWALLOWED a tennis ball & had to go the ER Vet to vomit it up) - Momma is still spoiling me!!!

WooHOO!

Her newest idea is to take me to the Doggie Fun & Fitness place, to let me go swimming in the HEATED pool tomorrow (Feb 7th)!!!

The funny thing is that she is SURE that due to the very fact that she is paying for me to enter a body of water (and one she WANTS me to enter), that means I will NOT go in!!

BOL!!! You see, I will go in ANY amount of water normally.. esp the dirtier the better! :)

We will see... all depends if i am in a mischevious mood or not!! *puppy smiles*

I may pretend to be scared, so that way Daddy or Momma (or even my Auntie, who is visiting to join us!) will go in with me. :)

I heard Momma say that they are taking me there so that I will tire myself out, as we have a visitor and they do not want me to be toooo much of a pest!

How very dare they??!! *winks*

Apparently, it is said that a 15 minute swim is the equivalent of a 5 mile walk! PHEW!!

(But we know that the people that run the place will not let me swim too long for my age.. so no worries there!)

If I do go in, I will be one poooooped out pooch!

(esp as it is a mile walk there and back!)

So, I will have to let you know how I get on...

....and if I took the plunge!!!

Its MY Barkday Today!!!!

It is MY Very 1st Birthday Today!!!

*does the Snoopy dance of joy*

I will post an update tomorrow of how my first birthday went!!

I would do it now, but I am SO tuckered out from all of my birthday fun!! I need to catch me some zzzz's!

So until then, I will continue my dance of JOY until I reach my kennel to bed down for the night!!!!

*dances off, while humming "happy barkday to me" to herself*

An EVENTFUL Walk Today - But NOT For A Good Reason, Sadly!

*annoyed puppy sighs*

There was an un-fun moment on my walk with Momma today.

You see, all was going well on our walk, as we did our usual early afternoon route.

Well, we came around a corner and proceeded as usual, when Momma was first to notice that a little way up there was a dog running off lead.

(Now to let you all know that in the area we live there are quite a few aggressive dogs we have run into, whom have been both on and off lead.)

Neither Momma nor I recognized this one at all, so Momma and I just kept walking on. We also noticed two men walking - one had a dog on a lead.

(To let you all know, it is against the law to have a dog off lead where we were walking, as we were walking on the sidewalk in a residential area. This was not the park or a field or such, so the law is that dogs must be on lead in that area!)

The dog that was off lead was just sniffing around, and Momma was not sure if it was just a dog that was loose, or if it belonged to one of the men walking.

Well, as soon as the dog saw me, it BEE-LINED RIGHT FOR ME!!

It's hackles were raised, it was snarling, and running right at us!!!!

Now to say that I was SCARED is a serious understatement!!

I kept trying to hide behind Momma.. or even run away- but Momma wears a walking belt, which I was hooked onto, so I could not run away!

I did NOT want anything to do with this dog.

After he got close, he started lunging at me, still snarling and growling, hackles raised!

I think the ONLY reason he did not actually attack me full on was because Momma was waving her crutch at him to try to scare him off... but that did NOT stop him STARING RIGHT AT ME, as he growled and snarled, and had his hackles up.

He definitley was fixated on me!

This went on for about 2 minutes, which may not sound like very long.. but when you are a terrified puppy, 2 minutes feels like FOREVER!

FINALLY, one of the men says: "Shiloh- don't you dare."

Momma could NOT believe that this man was the owner of the dog, yet he let this go on for all this time --- and it was OBVIOUS that I was SOOOO scared!

After the man said that, Shiloh still kept growling at me for a bit longer, before FINALLY backing off.

Then to add insult to injury, THE MAN YELLS AT MY Momma!!

He says: " Get your dog under control!"

Momma could NOT believe this...

I mean, I was ON A LEAD.... and I was NOT trying to fight in ANY manner. Instead I was trying my darndest to RUN AWAY or HIDE!!!!

I was NOT out of control in any way!!

Well, this angered Momma sooooo much... she was already mad that the man let this incident go on for so long, as he just watched it all happen.. but then for him to accuse ME of being the problem!!

She just could not stay quiet.

She replied with: "Excuse me.. MY dog IS on a lead... and is actually trying to hide and get away from your dog. SHE is NOT the issue!!! YOUR dog is OFF LEAD, and acting VERY aggressively towards my dog!"

Well, this shut him up, as he knew that Momma was not going to take me getting blamed.. so they eventually walked away.

But he STILL did NOT put his dog on a lead!!!

Momma was worried for the next dog and owner that might run into this dog on their walk!! *shakes head*

(Btw- Momma was only waving her crutch at the dog to scare him off... but had he actually attacked me or her, she knows she would have had to react.. but only enough to protect me or herself, or both of us!)

*growls at the nasty man*

Sadly, I am still a bit jumpy right now after this happened, but Momma made sure not to coddle me as she knows that would make things even worse. And she took me out again a few hours later, and we walked the same route so I would not develop a fear of that exact spot or route.

We just can not stand ignorant and irresponsible dog owners!!!

And anyone that makes my Momma upset is NOT a nice person, at least that is the way this puppy views it!

Ok, just needed to vent tonite.

Hope you all are having a better day than I had!!

Now I will try to catch some zzzzz'ss!!!

Piece Of Cake!!! BOL

You may be wondering what the title of my entry is all about... sadly, it is not about cake... though that would be yummy! BOL

Instead, it is about my ACHIEVEMENT today!

You see, Momma and Daddy bought me my very own starter agility kit for Christmas... and today they took it out of the box!!!

They decided to start me on learning the TUNNEL!!! :)

Now the booklet that came with the kit says that you have to have the dog on the lead to learn the tunnel.. blah blah blah! :)

Who needs a lead??

NOT ME!!!!

All it took was Momma or Daddy at one end or the other - with a piece of sausage, mind (BOL)- and I FLEW THREW the tunnel!!!!!

No problem at all!!! *proud smiles*

Momma and Daddy are SOOOOO proud of me!!!!! That makes my puppy heart all happy and warm too!

And guess what???

Daddy told Momma that they will work on MORE agility with me tomorrow!!!!

I CAN NOT WAIT!!! It is soooo fun to make them happy... and it is fun to learn new tricks!!!

:)

And it is a FULL MOON tonite!!!

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOUUUUUUU!!!!

Come on pups... HOWL with me!!! :)

EVIL BOOMIES!!

I was having a GREAT day... had been into town with Mom & Dad to have my photo taken for a doggy photo contest. I spent the rest of the day in and out of dozing by the feet of Mom & Dad.. and played at times with them too. I had a YUMMY dinner, and got given a delicious rawhide chewy.

Things were going just GREAT.. UNTIL...

Daddy took me out for what was to be my last potty break of the night.

I was starting to sniff around to get ready to do my business, when RIGHT ABOVE MY HEAD went a HUGE round of BOOMIES!! (fireworks!)

(Now up until tonite, I had been doing great regarding these awful Boomies... and then tonite happened!)

Now to say that I FREAKED out would be an understatment!!!!

The thing is that they have not stopped going off.... it has been over 2 hours and they are still going off!!!

Every time Mom takes me out to try and potty, more of them go off!!!

Mom knows not to coddle me as that will make my fear even worse, but she is going to stay downstairs with me for a bit longer, in the hopes that I will go potty after all.

Now I know why Mom & Dad say that Boomies should not be allowed to go off in highly populated residential areas... for the can TERRIFY us poor animals, when all we want to do is go about our business.

Keep yer paws crossed for me that the Boomies stop soon, so I can go potty and then get some sleep.

Hope you are all having a better night than me.

Take care, pupz.