One year old today

So much has happened since I last came on here.  That's me alright sitting pretty with my blue ribbon on.  I won in the Jr division at an ultimate air dogs show.  How cool is that.  I am sure that was a few months ago as the pool has been moved elsewhere.

Mom and I have been working really hard these last months.  We still go to Sunday morning training with our French Ring Sport friends and during the week we do so many cool things.  We even have been going into stores with our service dog in trainig vest on. 

Most days we train at moms work.  Sometimes inside and some times out side.  She got me a basket to start me to put my feet in it and I get a bite and she plays with me and is teaching me when to let go and go back to the basket.

And also a real fun new toy but I can only play retreive with mom and this fun toy.  I even know who rolled it up for mom cause I smelled him on the socks. 

This is our new retrieve toy for French Ring.  They told me it could be a sock rolled up, a glove or a gasses case.

And ofcourse some fun bite work and that is going really good.  I am just starting to bite the upper body.  Mom has to go and get a barrel for me to jump over. 

It is more serious these days but mom still keeps it fun for me and her.  I try real heard but being my age it is not so easy. 

Training on Sundays

On Sundays we have been meeting with some of mom's friends and training friends.  When it was our turn for obedience when we got to the field we were greeted by mom's friend Brian.  He said he is our new mentor to get us real trained.  I had fun ofcourse but this was serious time.  Sit means sit and I better do it or else I feel that little pinch.  I got treats on the touch pad for going back and forth from one to the other and rewarded with the tug for the sit and staying.  I am now learning to stay in a sit and a down.  If I get up mom says Nope and puts me back in my place.  We will practice this all week and I know I will get it quick.

Today Brian was feeling better and even put the suit on for me to bite.  Wow he is a tall guy.  I was put on a bunjie cord and when I got to the end it got tighter but the leg I was to bite was in reach.  Except for one time I just hit the end and went to bite but did not close my mouth fast enough and I went tumbling over cause that bunjie is like a rubber band and pulled me back.  The next time I did not miss. 

Before I go for the bite I now have to stay in a down and look at mom until she tells me the word "attack" and off I go.....

We did a second session and this time mom's friend Jason had the suit jacket turned backwards and I got to bite on the upper body.  That thing is heavy but I carried it as far as a could after the bite.  We did this a few times and each time I won that jacket and got to carry it.  When I was done I almost made it all the way to the car carrying that jacket but it was really heavy so I had to let it go..  awwww,,,,

A Great Sunday

Sorry no picture or video today but none was taken.  But I had a great day anyway because training is so much fun for me. 

On Sunday Afternoon mom took me to the spot where we meet our friends for a fun time of training.  I did my touch pads, back and forth but still a little slow.  I get off fast because mom has that good ole tug toy for me to bite but getting there I am a little slow.  I have not yet figured out if I get there fast I get off fast and all the quicker it is to get my bite tug and play. 

We worked a little on our down stay and I think that will work out in time.  Just time and paitence

Then for some more fun tug play.  Mom holds my collar and throws the tug over the jump.  She lets me go fly over the jump and then runs over to where I am and we play tug.  How much fun is that.  I love to jump and love to play tug.  Kinda like the two birds with one stone theory here.

We did our heeling with the tug under moms arm to get my pretty little head looking towards her.  We are making progress with this but it takes time and paitence and me and my mom seem to both have this.

After me and mom did our thing the others took out their dogs to play.  I had to wait in the crate in the car.  I am starting to be more paitent and quiet while waiting.

Then comes my turn for the bite work.  Yiiipppeeee,,,,,

I have to get all dressed up for this with my harness, prong collar, flat collar and mom brings all her tools.  When I got to the field they added another prong collar on me for one of the exercises but I was a little figity with this so mom took it off of me for now.  We never did do the exercise that needed those two collars so it never went back on that day.

Today they had this long bungie cord tied to a tree.  They tied my harness to it and made me lay down.  I am not allowed to go bite until mom tells me "attack" the word used for my bite work.  I am also learning not to go to the field like a barking fool and to have some composure about my self and heel with my mom.  I think mom likes this better also because I am not pulling her arms out of the sockets dragging her to the field.

Anyway, I have to look at mom from my down stay and then she tells me to "attack" and away I run for the bite.  Being tied to the bungie lets me sping into the bite and the decoy can have me bite where he wants. 

Well today as I was biting a big fluffy dog came to join me on the other leg.  I did not know what to do or what the other dog was going to do so I stopped biting.  But the other dog was taken away and again I resumed my bite work. 

We did this bungie attack quite a few times and each time I got better with my down stay and look at mom and she got better with when and what to say to me.  I think this day was a success all around.

Our Private Spot

Mom's friend told her of a hidden park where not many go to unless there is an event or Baseball game.  There are a lot of trees before the baseball field so we can train in the shade.

Yesterday we worked on our Heeling, our retreive, and ofcourse our famouse outs and downs.  I think mom is very relaxed there because she laughs alot when training with me.

Yesterday we did our heeling and then the outs and downs.  When we were done with that mom did some hold work with me but I was all panting and stuff so we stopped that and went back to a few heels and out downs.

I am a little cheater and if I get the chance "whoops" I will take a sneaky bite.

Today we did the retreives first and I am magnificant on the holding part but when I run out to get this orange floater dumb bell I pick it up from the end and not the middle.  I think it is frustrating my mom.

I hold real well and come into her front and sit but when she throws that thing with the big ends and middle pole I pick it up from the ends and not the middle.  hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... 

People say training is fun and it is.  You just have to have the right human to do it with.

I am sure mom will figure out a way to convince me to pick up that dumb bell from the middle. 

Stay tuned for more....

Loving the bite work

Yes, I bite but on the bite suit.  I really love people and if you knew me you would know that. 

After my fun jumping time I got to practice my bite work.  Jason (mom's friend and Great Decoy) put on them big ole pants and I got to bite on them.

Mom told me to down and waited until I paid attention to her (looked her in the eyes) and then she told me to "attack".  That is the word she uses to tell me ok to go get him and bite. 

My head is spinning a little bit because first she tells me to lay down, then she wants me to look at her and then go bite.  When she says the "attack" command I hesitate because I am not sure but a second later I know the decoy is calling me to the challenge and I go. 

I am a true lefty.  I turn to the left on spins and look for the left leg to bite.  But, in this sport I have to bite a certain leg only not sure which one yet. 

Being young is great and I am sure with great humans around me I will be the best little Malinois girl I can be.

Jumping, jumping, jumping,,,

I'm not sure who is having more fun.  Me jumping or Mom being my cheer leader.  This is the first time I jumped the Ring Sport Jump and with the help of a French Ring guy we had a blast.

Ok, so I can jump in the pool but my back legs still touch it.  I think as I grow bigger and stonger I will clear that pool also.

I jumped and I played.  Click the videos to see.

My first Blue Ribbon

Me the little fish in the water.......

I know mom has gotten off the beat in track and not writing so much the past few weeks but things got bizzy and yes we did some training but not so much. 

My big adventure of a few weeks ago was a Dock Diving Competition.  I just started and was a youngster there so put in the JR. Division.  I even won my first blue ribbon.  First place diving out 13.5 feet in the water.  How much fun that was. 

Although I think I should have a handicap in all this cause my mom is the worst thrower in the world.  She throws it to the side, over the edge right where I jump and sometimes way in the air so I can't see it.  But inspite of her I had fun and I think so did she cause she just laughed and said, sorry Cali, you have the worst thrower out here.  Hope she will practice as she and I do with all the stuff we do.

Milt the pool guy (actually the man who runs the pool events and owns the pool), loves to play with us dogs throwing stuff for us in the pool.  A bad thing happened.  Not to me but to the pool stairs.  They went missing at another place so there was no way to get into the pool.

Good ole Milt taught me to jump over the side instead of using the stairs.  Just so that I could swim and retreive my bumper toy.  I tried this a few times and wallaaaa,,,  I loved it. 

I will admit I do love to swim and the weather is getting warmer.  Now when mom throws the bumper into the pool I go in and get it and just swim around like a little fish.  I take my time to get out and just enjoy the water and swimming.  How much fun is that. 

Now I am helping other dogs to learn to jump in from the side because who knows when the stairs will get there.

The other day there was a very handsome boy dog out there a big Pit Bull dog who I ran around and showed off my bumper toy.  I thought he wanted my toy but I think he was fresh on me.  He wanted to follow me so bad that he saw me in the pool and when they put him in to follow me out he swam so fast that his head was on my back.  I did not like this so growled at him to back off.  He did being the nice dog that he was. 

We did train once or twice with our freinds in French Ring but life happens and they have not been able to make it to train with me.  Mom says me and her are gonna go back to having fun training and working at her work place until we all meet up again.  Maybe I will really let go for once in my life.

Hard for a cutie pie like me to think the world is serious.