Life and Times with a Standard Poodle

Teaser

2010-02-02T21:39:00.002-06:00

Saturday Agility 2

2010-01-18T00:15:00.004-06:00

Yesterday's training was a lot of fun. We started off with some basic playing like always, just tugging to get the dogs into it. It's early and they have lots of energy!

For most of class we ran sequences as we learned new skills. We started with a setup of tunnel, weaves, and table down the length of the room. We first just ran weaves, table, weaves, tunnel. Even with the guides, the first two times Addie kept popping out of the last weave. Finally my trainer told me I needed to not rush ahead and push her, but stay back at her shoulder and let her drive through them. Sure enough, she thought it through and finished all the weaves!

Then we added the tunnel first, so tunnel weaves table weaves tunnel. I sent Addie through the first time and lead out to the weaves a little as she was coming out of the tunnel, so even though I called "Weave" as she came out, she followed my momentum right past the weave entrance. My trainer told me to wait for her to drive for them and sure enough, when we tried again, she got the entrance perfectly.

All the handlers got a nice reminder that our dogs are all still learning, and thinking through the obstacles. We can't rush them, because they make mistakes when we do. But when we allow them to do what they know how to do, without us pushing them, we can work as a team. It amazes me already how much the dogs pay attention to us, and what seems like the littlest thing to us makes the biggest difference to the dogs and how they respond. I'm thinking that I really need to work on and think about how I handle Addie, as I think she'll be ready to trial before I will!

Next we did some jump work. There were for jumps set up in a line. We did a series of 2 jump figure eights all the way down - starting with the first two, then continuing to the 2nd and 3rd, then the 3rd and 4th jumps before running all four the length back. All of us had a few handling issues we had to work out, since it was a long sequence and the footwork is hard. But eventually we all got it, and Addie did awesome following my cues! She's learning to watch me and to take the jump I tell her to. She's fun to run with.

Then we worked more on "See Wood Run" on a lowered A-Frame. It was set up as jump, Frame, jump down the room, so we'd run jump, Frame, jump, tight wrap around the standard and come back over the frame and the last jump. Addie did very well as long as I handled her correctly. She runs quickly over the A Frame and really drives for it, so that's good.

Lastly we ended class with beginning to backchain the A-Frame. We just started with our trainer holding the dog's collar a little ways up the Frame and us standing at the end, calling them to the 2on2off position. Addie of course rocked it, as she offers the behavior all the time at home. She even snuck over there later while my trainer was talking and jumped in 2o2o, little stinker!

Altogether it was a good class. I learned some really good things and we definitely made progress. I wish I could practice in a bigger area with some more equipment or at least some jumps more than just when we're at class. I'll have to ask around and see if there's anyone who lives near me with equipment. It's that I need to work on handling Addie more than she needs to work on the obstacles.

I'll have to see if I can drag anyone with me to class relatively soon and get some good pictures and videos of us running. If/when I do, I'll be sure to spice up the training posts with them. Also, some really exciting news is that my trainers were talking to me, and said we will probably be able to start competing at a trial over Memorial Day weekend! It seems so far off, but it's really soon! I'm nervous, but at the same time, I can't wait!

1/52 Introduction

2010-01-10T01:31:00.001-06:00

1/52 Introduction
Originally uploaded by SmartPoodle

This was my first post for the 52 Weeks for Dogs Project, found here http://www.flickr.com/groups/52weeks4dogs/ I was really excited to start and I'm pretty happy with the first. This week I will try to get a picture of obnoxiously fluffy Addie, if I end up grooming her. Otherwise.. I'll look at my list. Any ideas, blogger friends?

From my description of the photo

My goal for the first week's photo was relatively simple: capture most of Addie to show what she looks like, in a background with some interest. I also wanted to show a little of her personality if I could. I had a few others I liked, but I chose this one because I didn't pose her - she laid down waiting for me to throw her ball, and I was able to capture it. I really like her intensity. This was taken on a frozen lake.

More Snow Adventures

2010-01-09T23:01:00.008-06:00

I decided to be brave this week and take Addie for some walks in the snow. On Monday we explored some property across the street from our neighborhood. It technically has an owner but there's just a bunch of brush and trails from construction vehicles, as they're building stuff much farther down the property. My neighbors use it to walk their dogs as well, and I thought it'd be a good place to walk in the snow. There were plenty of trails made by snowmobiles, and the snow was pretty frozen.

Addie was crazy! As soon as I let her offleash she was insane, running around and almost into me, jumping around, and more. Of course, being a get-dirty-first, ask-questions-later kind of dog, she brought half a plant home with her...

She had a ton of fun, and even though we weren't out long, I'm glad we went. I was afraid she'd be cold or get snow balled up in her paws, and she doesn't have boots yet, so I made some makeshift boots with socks and some fabric in the bottom. So that's what you'll see in the pictures. She really didn't mind them at all!

On Tuesday we walked down to the lake and played fetch. It freezes very solidly so we didn't have to worry, even cars drive on the ice. Addie thought it was the greatest, like a big huge field for her to play in. She never stopped playing fetch, and never complained about the cold. We then walked across the lake to where it meets a street and went a different way home, just because we could.

It's really a crazy feeling, walking across the lake - at first I thought nothing of it, since I'm used to it freezing each winter. But the I thought about the fact that for most of the year, I'm on that water on the boat, or swimming in it. But it's a whole new experience when you're standing on that same water, walking across to different parts. It's a place we will continue to return until the ice begins to melt.

Her opinion of my constant picture-taking.

The frozen lake

A gorgeous sunset

Poodle zoomies!!

Super Poodle to the rescue!

Saturday Agility

2010-01-09T22:15:00.003-06:00

Today we had agility class. It's been about 3 weeks since we've been to class, since we had some time off for the holidays. Addie was pumped! I told her we were going to class and she spun in circles and jumped for joy she was so excited. Now Addie's not a puller, or a whiner, but once we get in the room that we do agility, she starts pulling hard on her leash, and whining...like, Please, please PLEASE can I go play?! I love it.

Today started off like every other day - restrained recalls. We do this to build drive, mainly, but also to get the dogs to follow us and we often add obstacles. Today we worked both sides of the dog through tunnels. One of the trainers holds our dog's collar, while the handler takes off running. When the dog is pulling after their handler, the trainer lets go and the dog follows the handler. Addie goes nuts for this game, she's pulled a trainer over before - and she only weighs 38 lbs!

After this we split up and the big dogs, including Addie, went to the A-frame. We are doing See-Wood-Run with the dogs and Addie is getting fast. We worked hard with the hoops on the ground, so she knows to stay on the Frame when she sees them. We also worked the frame with a tunnel - frame, tunnel, come back on frame. I think in a week or two we will backchain the A-Frame and start running it for real, with 2 on 2 offs and everything. Addie will do well, I think; she LOVES the 202o. She does it everywhere - stairs, ottomans, etc. We shouldn't have any trouble!

Then we switched with the small dogs and worked on jumping. We learned a one jump figure eight, and a two jump figure eight. Addie was pretty tired so I used her tug instead of treats, and she did pretty well. She still needs more drive for jumping, surprisingly, as she doesn't seem to really love it.

Finally we finished off with some weaves. We are training the dogs with channel weaves and have them set pretty close together already. We do a sort of restrained recall style - holding the dog's collar, getting them pumped up and pulling toward the weaves, then releasing and calling "Weave" as we run for it. Then we'd go through the tunnel at the end, and come back through the weaves on the opposite hand. I'm learning that Addie doesn't like working on my right. She goes through perfectly on my left hand, but coming back, she gets the entry, but hops over the guide wire after the first pole. Thankfully, she did it perfectly the last time, so we ended with a success. When we get our own weaves I will work her on the right a lot. I still haven't found any channel weaves that I really like that aren't ridiculously expensive.

Addie loves going to agility. It's a small class of only 5 dedicated dogs and handlers. We were a "guinea pig class" as our trainers decided to try a new series of classes, called Performance Puppy. We began in July of last year with a rather large class, working on all sorts of foundation on the flat, drive, and impulse control. We did this for 4 months before starting to really work the equipment. As we progressed through classes, the number of people steadily decreased. Time has a way of weeding out the dedicated from the not so dedicated. So our class is composed of 5 females - but they all get along very well. They're off leash much of the time, so they have to.
Aspen - Bichon Frise
Rudy - Blue Merle Aussie
Alon - Red Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Kia - Blue Heeler mix (rescue)
And Addie, of course. We've been having so much fun and I can't wait until the spring - we move our training outside and really start to run things.

...And Resolutions

2010-01-02T14:38:00.006-06:00

This year, I made a few goals and resolutions for myself and Addie.

1. I want to spend more time with Addie regularly. I'm usually pretty busy, and I play with Addie all the time, that's for sure. But I want to go for walks, play agility, practice obedience, play ball, etc. more regularly each week.

2. I want to start competing with Addie in agility this year, hopefully this summer. My goal is to earn at least one title. It would be awesome if we could earn more!

3. On Flickr, I joined a group called 52 Weeks for Dogs. It's a project where you post one photo a week of your dog, for the whole year. The goal is to not post just quick photos, but something a little creative, different, outside the box; something that stands out. My goal is to commit to this project for the year. I will likely be posting many of them here.

4. I would like to use this blog more effectively. I am going to try to post weekly, with plenty of pictures and tales of our adventures. Hopefully all of you people will enjoy this, but I also like having a sort of "electronic journal" of Addie. It's fun to go back and look at what we've done.

5. Along with that, I will try to post more about our agility adventures and training. There probably won't be many pictures, but it will be more for me than anything. It'll help me remember what we've done, too!

This is all I can think of for now. Happy New Year, and good luck with your goals and resolutions this year!

Of Holidays...

2010-01-01T14:38:00.007-06:00

I never really wrote about the holidays, so I figure I might as well do that now. Addie seems to enjoy Christmas, with all the people visiting, and new toys, and commotion and whatnot. However Christmas morning, as we were opening presents, it was clear she was unhappy with the fact that she was not the center of attention. She kept pushing people's hands around and wanted to be petted. So we let her open her own present. She was pretty excited, and kept herself occupied for a while.

This silly sheep was her present this year... She didn't get a ton of presents, because she already has oodles of toys. But she's totally in love with this sheep. It baas when you throw it or when she bites it, and it's kind of a strange sound, but just loves it! She carries it around like a little girl would carry around a doll. She takes it everywhere with her around the house, playing with it and whoever will play with her. It's adorable.

Addie's other present was her new Coach collar. Yes, Coach. I decided it's not as ridiculous as it sounds, however. For one, Addie is a clean dog and it won't get dirty very easily. Two, she only wears collars when we go out, so it should last a long time. Three, Coach has a lifetime warranty on all their products, so if it should ever get ruined, we can send it back and they will repair it! Sounds like a good deal for a dog collar...

We got a TON of snow over Christmas, and we certainly enjoyed playing in it. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of her in the snow from Christmas. When she came in, the snowballs in her coat were so bad, I had to practically give her another bath to get all the snow to melt! And after that, her hair was rather matted so we spent quite a while brushing mats out. Fortunately, I have Detangle by Show Season so no shaving was required.

We built a big snow man, probably about 7 feet tall, when we were outside. Addie was with us and wasn't bothered by it at all. As the day progressed, and the weather got warmer, our snowman started to lean a little to the side. It looked like he was doing a back bend! We started to wonder how long he would last. At about 5 or 6 pm, we were all relaxing in the house and Addie was laying in the kitchen, staring out the window. All of sudden she started barking and growling. The snowman had toppled! For the rest of the evening, Addie would not go anywhere near the door and stayed out of the kitchen. Finally, around 10 pm, we decided she wasn't going to go out on her own, but she needed to go to the bathroom sometime. So we grabbed some shovels and brooms, and ventured out to destroy the snowman. Addie gathered up some courage and helped us attack the remaining snowballs. And then, of course, she was fine. Goofy dog.

I also got a new camera for Christmas, not anything fantastic but it is what I wanted! So with any luck, I will be posting more pictures here on the blog, and better pictures.
I also recently joined Flickr and have posted lots of Addie pictures there, too. If you are on Flickr, or just want to see more pics of the black Spoo, you can do so here. My user name is SmartPoodle.

2009 In Review

2009-12-31T15:16:00.005-06:00

January: Addie and I were in Basic 1 Obedience. Still learning things like heeling, fronts, comes, and etc. We played in the snow and kept ourselves entertained inside as well.

February: Of course, more snow. We got some good stuff to play in and Addie and I had fun with it. Addie learned that it is fun to catch snowflakes. We started Basic 2 Obedience, training for the Canine Good Citizen test.

March: Okay, I cheated... Early this year, I was still trying to get the hang of grooming adult Addie, and in March I cut her rather short and I'm not happy with how she looked. So I didn't take many pictures and they were all bad. But we celebrated my birthday, and started to do more outside as the snow melted.

April: This month, Addie turned 1 year of age! Unfortunately we didn't get to have a big birthday celebration because I had a big rehearsal that evening.. We spent more time outside playing ball, and continued Basic 2. We practiced all the time.

May: It was a busy month, since my sister got married. This blog also began in May! We began Intermediate Obedience, with a small group of dogs perfecting their obedience skills and working to continue on to greater things. We also took and passed the CGC test, and Addie became Ali-Ann Inspired Addiction CGC.

June: We welcomed the summer by playing outside all the time. Lots of ball, playing with friends, and going to the lake. Addie also experienced boat rides and began to enjoy the water a little more. She met some new doggie friends and we visited the park a lot.

July: We played in the yard all the time, especially fetch. We also went out on the boat more and just enjoyed the summer sun. I watched a few agility trials near us, and Addie and I started our agility foundation training.

August: This month, we discovered a dog park pretty close to us. We visited a few times, and Addie loved it. However, we decided to maybe try again next year as Addie loves other dogs just a little too much. We continued our agility training and really got into it this month.

September: Addie got to play with her good friend, Clara. Previously, she'd been too small to play with Addie but they now get along great. We tried to get outside as much as we could while the weather was still warm.

October: My life got pretty busy, as it usually does in the fall, so we didn't have as much time for adventures. But we still trained for agility and got to know our classmates even better. We enjoyed a short-lived snowfall at the beginning of the month, and dressed up for Halloween and greeted trick-or-treaters.

November: Since this month was uncharacteristically warm, we spent plenty of time playing ball outside and going for walks. We celebrated Thanksgiving and Addie enjoyed her own treat. We also went to get our Christmas tree as a family, and Addie was able to run free around the big farm and meet lots of new friends, both human and canine.

December: We finally got the snowfall we'd been waiting for. Much time has been spent brushing and drying Addie's coat after she collects snowballs on her hair. We've played with lots of friends and played in the snow all the time. Then we celebrated Christmas and have been relaxing with the holiday season.

2009 was a great year for us, filled with plenty of walks, friends, dogs, fetch, grooming, training, and agility. We hope it has been the same for you, and wish you another fantastic year with your dogs. Here's to a new decade with the beginning of 2010 - Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T21:46:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone's been having a safe, happy, fun-filled holiday!
Addie wanted to share some of her Christmas pictures.

Posing by the stockings

The best reindeer!

Evidence of a good time had in the snow...and this wasn't even the worst!

Whatever holiday you celebrate,

We wish you a happy one.

Snow Trek

2009-12-23T01:34:00.008-06:00

Yes, more snow adventures...

There is this cool place near where I live that is a little peninsula that juts into this small lake. The lake is so small that no motorized boats are allowed on it, so it froze really nicely. To get there, there is a nice, paved walking path that used to be a railroad. So I decided it would be a fun place to take Addie on a little snow hike.

Let's go!

Destination reached! What is this place?

Look! A frozen lake!

There are all sorts of deer trails here.

Surveying the surroundings

Playing some fetch on the lake

Addie had a lot of fun playing fetch on the lake.

Snow Bunny

2009-12-23T00:38:00.007-06:00

**WARNING This post is very image heavy!**

We've gotten plenty of snow recently - nothing compared to some of our East Coast friends - but enough that Addie has been enjoying the benefits.

Snow always does strange things to Addie.

Sometimes, it turns her into a rabbit.

Sometimes, it makes her contemplative.

She gets bouncy in the snow.

Or just plain goofy!

But mainly, she just wants me to play with her.

But the fun has to end sometime... "Do we HAVE to go in?"

It's really a good thing that Addie lives somewhere that gets plenty of snow. She LOVES it and could play all day if I let her. Of course, she always comes inside covered in snow and tracks it all over the house. I wouldn't survive the winter without having a little set up right by the door full of all the supplies I need:
A big rug
Big towels
Collars
Slicker brushes
I use the brushes to brush through the big snowballs that cling to her legs. It helps break them up quickly and prevents her from matting. Also, I don't know how I'd get by without my dryer. When she has a LOT of snow on her, I don't even bother drying her - I just take her down to where I groom and blast all the snow off with my dryer.I bought it for grooming, as it was relatively inexpensive (about $90) and can tackle her coat pretty well. It's certainly not a dryer that a professional groomer would use regularly in the shop, but it works just fine for my home grooming. But it's also excellent for keeping Addie dry and mat-free in the winter! I'd highly recommend it to anyone who bathes their dog at home or whose dog enjoys the snow, like Addie.

Help Me!

2009-12-16T18:12:00.005-06:00

All you blogger people are a smart bunch; want to help me find some things?

1. Flickr. First, for the Flickr users, how do I post pictures to my blog that link back to the Flickr page? I tried to post pictures from my Flickr to my blog, but they didn't link. PS my Flickr username is SmartPoodle. : D

2. Treats. I am having the hardest time finding good treats that I like and enjoy training with for Addie! All the treats are either very expensive, or very unhealthy! They need to be:
1. SOFT, not crunchy or crumbly
2. TASTY obviously
3. HEALTHY what should I look for, as far as ingredients go?
4. SMALL preferably. Either that or easy to cut up
5. INEXPENSIVE I know Zukes are good, but I can't afford $6 a bag!
Any recommendations, and where do I buy them?

3. Weaves. I need good quality channel weaves for agility. I do not want the ones made strictly out of PVC; ones like these: http://www.weybridgeagility.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=113&zenid=3189a2c380fa23ea002137eeb6356de1 Obviously, inexpensive is best, but they do need to be good quality. Agility friends, where did you get your weaves?

4. Camera. I know a lot of you are in to photography on some level... I need a new camera! All I have are crappy point and shoots. I'm tired of them. I want a nicer camera, but I don't know that much about them. Here's what I want:
1. $250 or under is what I'm thinking for price.
2. A crossover, SLR-like point and shoot
3. The bigger the better, so it gets more light in. (I think!)
4. Something that takes good motion/action shots... Poodles move!
5. Something that takes good photos without the flash... Flashes and black dogs don't mix well.
6. Good quality pixels!

Any help at all is appreciated for any of these things! Just fyi, even if I haven't been posting too much, I do read almost all of your blogs! I just don't always have time to comment or post myself. That is all!

Christmas is Coming!

2009-12-07T18:01:00.009-06:00

After Thanksgiving, we went to go get our Christmas tree like we always do.

We always go to a tree farm and cut down our own tree.

Addie enjoys coming along, because it means she gets to run around like crazy!

Ahh, sweet freedom...
The bunny poodle in its natural habitat

Addie likes to keep watch for Santa Paws.... and make sure that all is well in the neighborhood.

Praying for more snow!

Is it Christmas yet??

Catching Up

2009-12-07T17:38:00.005-06:00

Addie and I have been busy with walks, playing, agility, grooming, and other aspects of life. Nothing too momentous has happened. When it was warmer, we went for more walks. It's cooled off a little now and there has been a little bit of snow, nothing worth reporting however. We're into the busy part of the holiday season and despite being a little stressed, we are enjoying it!

Taking a walk one fall evening. A tall Spoo shadow...

What's that across the street?

The black Spoo after a haircut.

A wink and a smile.

Halloween

2009-11-07T17:53:00.005-06:00

Hello blog friends...

We are still alive! Addie has not been too busy as she's had a little break from training, but I've been super busy. I apologize we have been so MIA the past couple of months. This is a crazy time of year! However in about a week my life will settle down back to normal, and Addie will be back to training so hopefully we can manage to post a little more often...

Anyway. For Halloween, we relaxed at home and Addie dressed up as a Punk Poodle.

Her costume:

-Purple Mohawk
-Chain
-Pink spiked collar
-Guitar necklace
-Pink bracelet
-Red Bandanna

She pulls it off pretty well, don't you think?

The Monkey

2009-09-19T15:22:00.003-05:00

Addie's favorite toy as of late is a stuffed monkey.

Okay, so technically it is a chimp. But we still call it a monkey.
It originally wasn't a dog toy but Addie kept stealing it and eventually we gave up and let her have it. I was concerned at first about the eyes and nose, but she's actually very gentle with it. She chews and tugs on it really hard, but he's not torn up or anything. She carries him around like a little baby.

She also likes to perch at the big window in the front room. It has a view out to the street and Addie likes to stand there and watch the world go by, maybe growling at a neighbor or something.

So I was reading in there one day, and Addie had been standing there but she had walked away. And this is what I saw.

It made me smile. : )

BusyBusyBusy

2009-09-19T14:52:00.011-05:00

So busy we can't include spaces in the title.
Addie and I have had little time to do stuff, hence the lack of posts.

Training is still going well. Addie loves it.
Currently she is hiding from me because I groomed a friend's Wheaten puppy today and now she thinks she's getting groomed. She's right.

This is Bailey, the Soft coated Wheaten Terrier. Isn't she cute?

She was a very proud little girl... but she was good for her first groom at 6 months!

We've also been playing with other dogs - Clara came to visit Addie a couple weekends ago and they played non stop.

Hiding from the big scary Poodle
I had a really hard time keeping them off this chair. They'd run around like crazy, Addie would jump in and lie down, and Clara would follow. Then they'd wrestle in the chair. Goofballs.

*note a black paw above Clara's head...Gentle!*

The staredown

Ball Practice

2009-08-29T11:46:00.016-05:00

These shots were taken last week when Addie and I warmed up before class by playing with a ball in the yard, like we usually do. We practiced "catching" the ball.

Okay, my bad... still getting used to this whole "Hold camera. Keep dog in frame. Aim. Throw ball. Follow dog. Focus shot." thing.

Keeping her eyes on the ball at all times was Addie's strategy, for the most part.

Sometimes it worked

Other times...

...not so much.

And this is what happens when Addie stops watching the ball to look at a butterfly flying by... (sorry it's blurry)

Addie isn't always the beautiful, elegant Poodle that she seems to be. Sometimes, she looks like this.

And whenever there's a ball, we get this.

I've discovered how Addie can roll over so quickly. She goes face first, mouth agape. Every time.

Shakin' off

Looking beautiful

Dog Park

2009-08-26T14:10:00.007-05:00

Addie and I finally made it out to our local dog park. After some confusing directions, we finally found it. It's pretty nice, fenced in all the way around and I don't even know how many acres. There is a big open area when you first walk in with picnic tables and room for dogs to play. Beyond that, is a big field of long grass and weeds. To the right and left there are paths to walk your dogs along off leash, which is nice.

We've been there are couple times now; seen a few people we knew, played with some cool dogs, explored the trails. I'm kind of concerned about Addie though. She was socialized really well as a puppy, and came from a good breeder as well. But she just doesn't have good manners around other dogs. She is pretty dominant - head up, tail up, kinda jumping on top of other dogs - but still seems really playful. She gets rough and wants to wrestle and chase when most dogs just want to sniff and move on. Anyone have any suggestions on how to improve her manners?

Anyway, I didn't get any pics of her with other dogs when I took the camera last, but next time I go I'll try to remember to take it. It has been fun for Addie, and I hope we can go more often in the future.
In the car....what do you think she is saying??

Visitors of the Furry Kind

2009-08-26T12:57:00.013-05:00

I've been doing a lot of grooming this summer, of Addie and of other dogs. And of course, Addie always gets to "play" with the dogs that come over to get a haircut.

First was Zoe, the cute little apricot Toy Poodle. She's growing out really well and wasn't matted at all. She tolerates Addie, but doesn't really play with her. So it's more of a lesson in manners when Zoe visits. Zoe also got aqua blue toenails this time around. ; )

The other dog I groomed was my friend's 5 or 6 month old Cockapoo puppy (that's Cocker Spaniel x Poodle mix..) named Clara. She is absolutely adorable. She does pretty well for grooming, though being young she gets tired easily and wants to lie down on the table all the time. So these pics aren't the best. But she's cute. I don't have any pics of Addie and Clara together, but they actually played really well together, despite their size differences! It was fun for both of them.

Training Update July-August

2009-08-26T12:41:00.003-05:00

Wow I haven't posted in a while. Sorry guys, this summer has been busy for Addie and I. I was out of town for a couple weeks in July as well.

We've been training a lot. We're enjoying our agility foundation classes a lot; Addie's learning so quickly. We've been working on 2 on, 2 off end position a lot, at class and at home on stairs. She's doing super well. We have also been doing recall work with tugs, work on exercise balls to build the dogs' balance and core muscles, stuff with wobble boards, crate games, and other things like that. Addie loves it.

Addie is obsessed with the tunnel. She's crazy. We were standing in the middle of the room at class and our trainer was bringing out the tunnel and she started pulling on her collar to go through it. Good thing she was the first dog!

I wish I had a picture or video to show but I don't. But she's nuts, I think she did the best out of the dogs I watched in class...she has so much drive for the tunnel! And she is so fast. I can't wait to run with her for real.

This class has relied heavily on the use of clicker training, which has been a new challenge for us. At first I felt really uncoordinated, trying to click at the right time and place the treats in the right spot and have everything in the correct hands...it was a lot to remember. But we've both gotten used to it pretty well, and Addie responds quickly now. She knows what the clicker means and aside from stuff we're working on in class, she's starting to learn some new tricks and skills I'm teaching her for fun with the clicker. It's been fun.

This past week, I also started having Addie do a little work on a ladder on the ground... she has terrible hind-end awareness and I'm afraid that when we learn the dogwalk, she'll fall right off because she has no idea what her back end is doing! So I've been walking her over a ladder lying on the ground, and I'm hoping in time, her awareness will improve. Anyone have any more suggestions?

That's about it for training so far, sorry I don't really have any good pictures to post. Hopefully in the future I can get someone to take some for me while we're training.

Well...

2009-07-21T12:20:00.003-05:00

I figured out comments, I guess... I still have no idea how to get the HTML to work so that I can have comments embedded below the post, which I personally prefer... but they work if I have them in a pop-up window. Go figure. Also, this all happened after Brownie's mom from browniebarks.blogspot.com helped me out too, so I'm sure she had something to do with it too! Go check her out and give her some love. So comments are back, just in a different format.

Addie doesn't seem too concerned either way.

HTML help!

2009-07-20T00:46:00.002-05:00

So my comment link is not working..... and it's because of this new template. I LOVE the template, and I really want to keep it! However I don't know enough about HTML and templates to get it to work. Does anyone have any idea how to help, or know someone of someone else who could help me? If you do please email me at smartpoodle42 (at) googlemail (dot) com. Thanks.

Also feel free to email me if you have questions, comments, etc while my comments are down.

Hopefully we'll be up and running soon...

Playing in the Yard

2009-07-13T12:24:00.014-05:00

The hairball

We played ball

She was very proud of her retrieves.

...even if she faceplanted.

Poodle zoomies

She takes the ball in her paws like this... and takes it out of her mouth, readjusts, then puts it back in. She uses her paws like little monkey hands.

Why the long face?

So dramatic

Throw the freaking ball, mom...

She's not much of a girly-girl, but apparently she prefers pink. At some point I threw the normal ball and it landed near her pink ball...she decided the pink was better and brought that back instead.

*yaaaawnstretch*
(I actually commanded her to bow and she happened to yawn at the same time. hehe)

A happy Poodle.

New Theme

2009-07-12T22:25:00.006-05:00

I got bored and went looking for new themes...and came across this from pyzam.com . It encompasses a lot of things Addie and I both love! Wide open spaces, nature, rain (looks like it's about to!) so I chose it. It's simple, clean, and happy. Let me know what you think.

Also, in other news.... I groomed Addie again, I like to do it often, especially now that I have time. I am very happy with how it turned out. Took pictures a few days after the fact, but it still shows her off. Yea. Enjoy

Fun at the Park

2009-06-26T01:03:00.018-05:00

Took Addie to the park today, just for fun. It was HOT so we took it easy, but played around for a while. Played fetch, then ran around on the playground. That's always fun. Man, I love having an off-leash dog! I never worry that she won't come back to me...as soon as I say that four - letter word (coughCOMEcough) she's right back at my side. Anyway, it was a good time, and we'll be up at the park more often!

I forgot a real camera so I took these pictures on my phone. I apologize that they're not the greatest quality. But I'm happy with how they turned out, and that I was able to get some!

BTW....that wall that's behind her in one of the pics? Significantly taller than herself? Yea she scaled that...easily. Can't wait for agility!
And remember to view the pics... click once, then right click and choose "view image"

Groom Week

2009-06-26T00:36:00.018-05:00

Yes, Addie got a haircut this past weekend... and yesterday I groomed her Toy Poodle "buddy" Zoe... unfortunately she was a bit matted so I had to take her down with a #4 stainless steel comb. But it is summer, and she runs around on the farm with her Golden Retriever brother. So here's Zoe. Sorry for poor quality, the lighting was bad. Also note her pink toenails...!

....But it doesn't stop there. Today, I groomed a friend's dog, a Border Collie named Jersey. Of course, silly me forgot to take before pics of these two... oh well. She had a LOT of hair! She was very sweet though. However, I couldn't get her to stand up to take her picture! So here she is lying down.

Haircut 6/20

2009-06-23T17:40:00.013-05:00

I groomed Addie this weekend...she was badly in need of a haircut! Unfortunately I had dropped my grooming shears and had to send them in to the company for about 2 weeks so it had been a while since she'd been groomed. But, I got to try out some new conditioner and detangling spray from Show Season which was nice, love the smell!

Anyway, it took a while because she had so much hair. But here are some pics!

(PS: to view the pictures at a normal size, click on it, it will come up really big, then right-click on it and click "View image." It will make the picture a nice viewing size.)

She also got a new color for summer. (Note the toenails) They're a big hit at our obedience classes, and with random people on the street, or people who come to our house... =)

Addie Makes a Friend

2009-06-19T13:35:00.007-05:00

I am currently dog-sitting for a family friend, and Sandy the Golden Retriever is staying with us for the next 2 days. Addie is having a ball...she LOVES other dogs, sometimes to a fault! However they've been playing really well and it's been fun for her. They're tired out and laying on the floor right now resting.
Here are a couple pics.

Oh boy....good thing I'm grooming her tomorrow!

Puppy Photo Dump 1

2009-06-18T16:20:00.009-05:00

Baby Addie

2009-06-18T15:43:00.008-05:00

Since Addie is over a year old and I've only had this blog for a month, I thought I'd create a few posts about Addie as a puppy.

I wanted a Standard Poodle for over 5 years... and when it finally worked out for me to get one, we found the perfect little puppy from Ali-Ann Standard Poodles. A small, black female that was interested in people and would be good at obedience and agility.

We met the breeder at a dog show when the puppies were just 7 weeks old. We got to watch the show, then meet the puppies. If I remember correctly there were 8 in all; 5 black and 3 cream. And all adorable.

Addie was the smallest black female and was pretty shy... but was cuddly and so sweet.

Well we got her home 12 days later and she was so much fun. Full of energy and life; loved to run around in the front yard and she was such a GOOD puppy! Never chewed anything, didn't have too many accidents in the house. She even learned to ring the bells at about 3.5-4 months of age, and still does it to this day! She loved sleeping in strange positions and being a goofy puppy. She was super smart too (still is) - she learned to sit on my second day of having her.

What's in a Name?

2009-06-17T00:49:00.006-05:00

Thought I'd explore the URL of this blog, inspiredaddiction. It comes from Addie's AKC registered name, Ali-Ann Inspired Addiction. However this name is not just some spontaneous creation; there is much thought and history behind it.

First, the Ali-Ann comes from the breeder that bred Addie; Ann Springer. Her kennel name for her Spoos is Ali-Ann - Ali for her foundation bitch, and Ann for her name.

The Inspired Addiction is a bit more complicated. When coming up with a registered name for a dog, often the dog is named something related to one or both of the parents. Addie's parents are:
Ali-Ann Empire Kwik Pik Encore, call name Carmen (mom, white)

Ali-Ann Irish Inspiration, call name Tynan (dad, black)

And I wanted something creative, but something relating either to her call name (Addie) or her parents. I ended up doing both.

The "Inspired" part comes from her dad, from "Irish Inspiration." That's not too hard. The "Addiction" part can be shortened to Addie. Also, if you want to be cheesy... Addie "inspired" the addiction to Poodles. Yay.

So we have Inspired Addicion... encompassing her call name, honoring her daddy, and a short, sweet little phrase that describes her. The perfect name.

Natalie

PS...credits for the photos go to www.ali-ann.com Addie's breeder. And thank you to Ann for helping me come up with her name!

Direction

2009-06-17T00:44:00.002-05:00

Changing the direction of the blog a bit... I know, it's only my third post. But I'm indecisive.
I decided blogging in the perspective of my Poodle, Addie, was too much work.
Also I'm making this more of "life and times..." rather than just documenting accomplishments and such, which was the original idea.
Hopefully I'll be able to post some more and really get this blog up and running!
For now, enjoy.

Canine Good Citizen

2009-05-29T22:56:00.004-05:00

Today was the day I took the AKC Canine Good Citizen test... and I passed! I am officially a good canine citizen. The CGC test is a ten item test including basic obedience skills like accepting strangers, dogs, walking on a loose leash, reacting well to distractions, etc.

I did great. One test item was supervised separation, where my person left me with a stranger and left the room for 3 minutes. At first I was a little concerned about where she went, but I soon enticed the evaluator into giving me a belly rub. When my person came back, I didn't want to get up because I was comfy and the evaluator was so nice!

When we did the come, my person told me to wait and walked away from me a little ways, then she told me to "Front." I know I'm supposed to come to her and sit straight in front of her, but I got a little excited and came right to heel position instead. We still passed because I did come but I think I messed up a little! My person just laughed and wasn't upset.

Another item was walking through a crowd, where 3 other people and another dog, along with me and my person, walked around each other, passing by each other and I couldn't bark, jump, lunge out, or anything like that. It was hard! But I knew my person didn't want me to play with the other dogs. So using all the control I had in me, I focused hard on my person and we passed that item.

One last memorable test item was reaction to distraction. My person told me to sit and stay, which I did. Then the evaluator walked around with a funny metal thing (the people called it a walker), clicking it on the ground and making noise with it. I wasn't really concerned, I wondered what it was but it wasn't bothering me. Then the evaluator said I'd be good at therapy. My person's talked about that a lot, I guess I'd get to visit places called nursing homes and hospitals, cheering people up who are sick and don't get very many visitors. Sounds like fun to me, I'd like to go have people pet me all day! My person's talked about getting me certified for that...

All in all it was a good day, my people had friends over that played with me and my person even took me rollerblading before the test. Then I got lots of treats and a big bone when we got home. I'd take this test again any day!

Addie

Welcome

2009-05-23T19:21:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the blog of Standard Poodle Ali-Ann Inspired Addiction, known as Addie to all. This blog will share my journey through training and on to (hopefully) competing in Rally obedience and Agility, as well as just being a dog.

A little about me... I was born on April 20, 2008 and I'm just over a year old. I am still a puppy and love to play and run, but I also love to work and train. I am in Intermediate Obedience and have been training since 11 weeks of age. My next classes will be a puppy agility class, and rally obedience classes. I will be taking the AKC Canine Good Citizen test sometime in June. Enjoy the blog!